No More Cyber-Launch Parties

Good morning, Blog Buds! I've decided to take advantage of this review-free Sunday to make a couple of Enduring Romance blog announcements.

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First, I've decided not to host anymore Cyber-Launch Parties. I love them. They're such a blast. However, I've developed Tendinitis, which I hear can develop into Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I have to take care of my hands and limit the time I spend on the computer. As some of you know, I'm an aspiring author working against a self-imposed deadline for a novel, MANIC KNIGHT, and the deadline is September 1st to launch that puppy into Queryland. Also, I'm a Homeschool Mom, as a lot of parents in Alaska are, and our homeschool year starts August 18th. So, yanno, I have very busy hands anyway. Cyber-Launch Parties require a lot of keyboard time. However, if my fellow reviewers want to throw Cyber-Launch Parties, they're certainly welcome to it!

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Secondly, I'm cutting back to one book review per month. I'm already committed to A NOBLE SACRIFICE by Ciara Gold and HERETIC QUEEN by Michelle Moran this month, but starting in September with MAKE IT HOT by Gwyneth Bolton it's one book review per month only. In case you haven't noticed though, Robyn at Stonehenge has started doing *two* books a month. So, yanno, there'll still be plenty of love floating around Enduring Romance.

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Thirdly, Robyn at Stonehenge, that little go-getter, is taking over Tuesday News. Thanks, Robyn! My hands just couldn't take it. Hope she takes good care of hers.

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Lastly, to facilitate 'secondly' I'm sending some of my books to my fellow reviewers. Authors, if your book is reviewed by someone other than me, it doesn't mean I don't love you or your books anymore. It means they're generously helping me out so your book gets reviewed in a timely manner. Otherwise, I'd be booked through Summer 2009!

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Okay, I can't resist posting one last Reason Why I Pass on Some Novels' like I used to do for Tuesday News.

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FAKE HEROES

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I grew up with brothers, enjoyed hanging out with guy buddies, happily married a long, long time, and I have a son. I *know* what real men are like and I like them that way! My husband is my hero and I know what is required to make a hero. Please don't insult what little intelligence I have. Devestatingly handsome Romance novel heroes with washerboard abs who are able to seduce the heroine to the heights of ecstacy (without needing to be seduced themselves) after running all night through snake-infested swamps, battling fangore beasts, and still smell nice do *not* impress me.

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Cover art which features nicely sculpted male buttocks, however, does.

Then, I'll get whiplash. Geez, how'd Susan Grant's next novel, WARLORD'S DAUGHTER, get in here? (Kimber rubs sore neck.) Okay, I admit there's an element of fantasy! For the record, I can personally attest that ALL of Susan Grant's heroes know how to change diapers. That's how she single-handedly drew me back into the Romance genre after two decades of boycotting it.

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The point is, I think authors should find out what really impresses real women about real male heroes and build on that. Don't just make assumptions based on what's selling hot right now. The readers I know will gag from the Endless Parade of Sameness. Most Romance novel readers are over 25, which means they're experienced with real Romance and real men. And if they're moms, which the majority of over-25s probably are, they're going to be even more discriminating. Like I always say, "If he won't change diapers, I don't care how sexy he is. He can chase a parked bus for all I care!" This extends to small, helpless animals too. One of the ways my husband won me over was how he handled a cat he didn't like. The cat adored him.

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Have a good Sunday, Blog Buds.
;)

Book Review Blitz

I have six short ARCs I'll be reviewing every Sunday and Thursday not taken by a fellow reviewer until I'm through.

Enduring Romance Renovation

There are two things all successful homemakers learn, whether they are male or female or work inside or outside the home.

The first thing is the Art of Delegation. As a family grows, a homemaker learns to delegate tasks as she realizes she cannot possibly do it all and still have time to sleep at least six hours at night. The other thing she learns is how to prioritize and then Do, Delegate, or Delete items from the Priority List.

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The time has come to utilyze these homemaking truths on Enduring Romance. I am on-line as an aspiring author. Reviewing novels is only a means to that end and I've always tried to keep it positive and upbeat. Through Enduring Romance, I've found some wonderful mentors, I've made contacts in the publishing business, and I've learned a whole heck of a lot about the needs and desires of authors and readers. I don't think of myself as a Book-Pimp, because pimps bring people together for one time with only money and no love lost between them. I am a Matchmaker, bringing lovers of books together for a lifetime. And I enjoy it very much. I certainly don't want to stop. The first law of evolution is 'Adapt or Die.'

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Besides the time-crunch, there's another downside to my being an aspiring author and a book reviewer. It's possible an agent or editor I query could read this blog, take offense, and reject my query letter on that basis. It's a tough call, because an agent might also read and think, "Hey, she's pretty good at promoting books!" I have the potentiality of being 'damned if I do and damned if I don't.' I looked to the immortal Captain Picard when he was placed on trial by the Q Continuum for the sins of humanity in the series premier of Star Trek The Next Generation. He said, "If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for who we really are."

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And so instead of deleting Enduring Romance, I'm adapting it.

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(1) My first adaptation has been to recruit co-moderators. I already have one on board, Robin. She's also known as Mystery Robin and you can learn more about her by popping over to http://mysteryrobin.blogspot.com/ As her username suggests, she loves mysteries. She also tells me she's into Young Adult lit these days. This coming Thursday she'll debut on Enduring Romance with GRAPE THIEF by Kristine L. Franklin. I will be sharing ARCs with her, requesting ARCs on her behalf, and she may be requesting ARCs of her own. You're free to offer them to her, as well. I'm sending ARTICHOKE'S HEART by Suzanne Supplee to her today, in fact.

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Robin will review books the *Third Thursday* of each month, while Lady Bronco will continue to review books on the *First Sunday* of each month.

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Meanwhile, I'll continue to review the novels of my mentor-type Blog Buddies and novels of Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Historical flavor.

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(2) Cyber-Launch Book Parties will continue to be for my mentor-type Blog Buddies only and they will be for *one day only* from now on. Lisa Shearin, Susan Grant, Gwyneth Bolton, and Linnea Sinclair are all releasing new novels in April, May, and July respectively. Michelle Moran's new novel will be out in autumn sometime and I don't think Patricia Wood has a new one out this year. So, we'll party, but it will be scaled back by a half.

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3) Tuesdays will be News Day. Instead of posting newsworth items about authors and their books and such whenever I learn about it, I will save those items and post them on Tuesdays.

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4) This one's a toughie, because I love doing it. I'm not going to seek out Advanced Reader's Copies anymore. It eats up time. Instead, I'll rely on you to recommend or offer. Also, if you know of any newsworthy item, please let me know. Examples include fabulous new cover art, author winning the Rita, a new book deal, bookstores agreeing not to segregate African American authors anymore.

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I'll post a 'Book Suggestions Please' column when the need arises. The last one was a huge help. Thank you!

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That's it for now. I'll update you as new adaptations are made. Thank you for your patience and encouragement.

;)

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Afternoon Edit-to-Add: Robyn from the Picnic at Stonehenge blog http://stonehengepicnic.blogspot.com has joined our review team. Welcome aboard! She'll be reviewing the 3rd Thursdays of each month, starting April 20th. She reads across all genres and I've already sent her GLORY GIRLS by Linda Bleser.

Beware the Ides of March

This is the classic painting of the assassination of Julius Caesar. It has absolutely nothing to do with this post, except that today is March 15th.
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Actually, this is a 'heads-up' post. Changes are coming to Enduring Romance. More on that later.
;)

NO ONE BUT YOU cover art

Omigoodness, isn't the cover art for Michelle Monkou's new novel beautiful? She is sooo lucky. I tell ya, Harliquin is totally rocking with the cover art these days. And I'm not just saying that because I whine about cover art here regularly, yanno. http://www.michellemonkou.com

Book Recommendations Please!

I'm looking over my stack of ARCs and I'm seeing a few types of books not well-represented. I'd really appreciate it if you all could recommend some of the following types of books-

-Sweet (no nookie) or Mildly Sensual (nookie is assumed to be happening, but not described) Romances, any sub-genre is fine
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-novels by Asian or Hispanic authors or with Asian or Hispanic characters in the leading or strong secondary roles, any genre except Erotica or Horror
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-novels by African American authors or with African American characters in the leading or strong secondary roles, any genre or sub-genre except Contemporary Romance (any other Romance sub-genre is fine), Erotica, or Horror.
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Please recommend in the comment section or email me. Thank you!
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3/12 Edited-To-Add: Here's two more types of stories I'd love to have recommendations for-
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- Romance with enduring love stories in them. Boy-Meets-Girl Romance is fine, but gets really boring after a steady diet of them because I've been married a long time and I know there's a lot more to it than that.
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- Kick-Butt Heroines Who Are Also MOMMMIES! Don't tell me there is no such bird because I live in Alaska and our governor is pregnant with her fifth child and I've read almost all of Susan Grant's novels too. I'm only missing THE STAR PRINCESS. So there.
;)

I've Hit the Mother-Load!

Today, my husband came home from the post office with four ARCs for me.

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THE RED QUEEN'S DAUGHTER just sounded so cool. I knew it was released a few months ago and in hardback by Hyperion and I thought, "I'm not worthy!" They won't send a precious, last ARC to a puny little blogger like me. But, I figured, what the heck and I emailed the author, Jacqueline Kolosov. She said she'd send one right to me and it's here!
Historical Fantasies seem to be getting more and more popular, especially with my younger gal-pals and I'm thrilled because I love 'em too. http://www.jacquelinekolosov.com You know what I can't figure out? Why is this shelved in Young Adult, but not NEFERTITI by Michelle Moran? I really don't think it was necessary and might limit the potential readership. It looks like an ageless book to me. My younger friends who love Fantasy and Science Fiction tell me they don't pay attention to the YA label anyway and some of them (the guys especially) avoid it. I think this would be a good novel to shelve in both YA and regular adult Fantasy.

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You all know I don't read much Contemporary Romance. I prefer stories which take me far and away. But, Karen Templeton has a way of creating very REAL characters I can relate to and, besides, I'm a baby fanatic. The fastest way to sell me a book is to put a baby on the cover. http://www.karentempleton.com

Agent Colleen Lindsay does a weekly column http://theswivet.blogspot.com featuring new books and a link there led me to these two adventures by Tobias S. Buckell. I think this is a good promotional thing. I've found several novels through that weekly column. Tor was kind enough to send these along. RAGAMUFFIN arrived as a hardback - not a paperback ARC - and I felt so honored. Of course, I was grateful for CRYSTAL RAIN too.These are Speculative Fiction and the world-building looks awesome. http://tobiasbuckell.com

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These novels will be reviewed in May/June.

Susan Grant, Lisa Shearin, Gwyneth Bolton, Linnea Sinclair News!

Susan Grant is adding her brilliance to MYSTERIA LANE, an anthology, this June, I think. http://susangrant.com/

I've never read anything by the other authors, MaryJanice Davidson, Gena Showalter, and P.C. Cast. I keep meaning to, but ARCs take priority and I have them stacked to the ceiling, metaphorically speaking. Of course, Susan's a Blog Buddy, so she can get her stuff reviewed anytime she wants on Enduring Romance. Lady Bronco reviewed one of MaryJanice Davidson's novels last year. Additionally, Susan garnered a P.E.A.R.L nomination for Best Futuristic for HOW TO LOSE AN EXTRATERRESTRIAL IN 10 DAYS, which was reviewed here last year as well.

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Lisa Shearin had a stellar week. She signed the contracts to sell foreign rights to MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND to Russia! And she found out it's sold so well it's going back for another printing. The best news, however, is that she's agreed to let us throw a Cyber-Launch Book Party on April 24th for her next book, ARMED & MAGICAL, which hits the shelves April 29th. Sharpen your stilletos, ladies. Her goblins are hot! http://lisashearin.com/

I'm not sure how long the covers for Gwyneth Bolton's new books have been out, but I just saw them on MySpace so I had to tell you all.

Omigoodness, they are so gorgeous!http://www.gwynethbolton.com/

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Last, but certainly not least, Linnea Sinclair won the P.E.A.R.L. for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy for GAMES OF COMMAND. She also garnered an honorable mention for DOWN HOME ZOMBIE BLUES. I'm reviewing GABRIEL'S GHOST, Linnea's Rita-winner, this coming Thursday. It's the first book in a series. The second book, SHADES OF DARK, comes out this summer. I'll be reviewing that next month. http://linneasinclair.com/

Not sure what the other Blog Buddies are doing. This all is just what I'm aware of.

New Book Trailers for Christine Feehan

COS Productions http://www.cosproductions.com/ sent me the SHADOW GAME book trailer and a new release. http://enduringromancebooktrailers.blogspot.com/ Lady Bronco is the Paranormal Romantic. http://ladybronco71.blogspot.com/ I'm Sci-Fi.

To Russia With Love

Pop over to http://www.lisashearin.com/blog.cfm for some awesome news on the Lisa Shearin and Fantasy genre front!

JUST ONE MORE BOOK!

I've been asked to spread the word about a special podcast site, Just One More Book! Please read comment section for more information. http://www.justonemorebook.com/

Housecleaning Update

I've moved the Amazon ads for the books Lady Bronco and I have reviewed in the past to a sister site, Enduring Romance Reviews. We were accumulating so many it took forever to load this page. Now, all you have to do is click on the link to the left to see all we've accomplished!

New Book Trailer Up

Check out NETHERWOOD by Michele Lang http://enduringromancebooktrailers.blogspot.com

Buzz About a Book & A Contest

A marketing assistant has contacted me about a special contest for the release of ASK AGAIN LATER by Jill A. Davis.

Here's what she sent me:
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Thanks again for agreeing to review THE WINTER ROSE. I’m working on a campaign for another book that I think your readers might be interested in. Details are below:
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Forget a mid-life crisis --- Emily, the main character in Jill A. Davis’ novel ASK AGAIN LATER (HarperCollins; trade paperback; on-sale January 29th), is having a quarter-life crisis. Emily has a tendency to live with one foot out the door, so for her the best thing about a family crisis is the excuse to cut and run. When her mother announces they've found a lump, Emily gladly takes a rain check on life to be by her mother's side, leaving behind her career, her boyfriend, and those pesky, unanswerable questions about who she is and what she's doing with her life.But back in her childhood bedroom, Emily realizes that she hasn't run fast or far enough. One evening, Emily opens the door, quite literally, to find her past staring her in the face. How do you forge a relationship with the father who left when you were five years old? As Emily attempts to find balance on the emotional see-saw of her life with the help of two hopeful suitors and her Park Avenue princess sister, she takes a no-risk job as a receptionist at his law firm and slowly gets to know the man she once pretended was dead.
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Jill A. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of GIRLS’ POKER CLUB and was an Emmy-nominated writer for The David Letterman Show. The hardcover edition of ASK AGAIN LATER debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and was featured as an Entertainment Weekly Must Have. I hope you will consider reviewing or discussing ASK AGAIN LATER on your site.
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On February 14th, a date easy to remember for booklovers, readers can win a trip to New York City and a $1000 American Express Gift Card. More details will be available on February 14th and I would be happy to send you a link when the contest is live.
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*Sounds like fun! I also have the ARC on the way. But, don't forget, MAGIC LOST, TROUBLE FOUND gets reviewed right here on Valentine's Day too!

EDIT TO ADD: Ahhhh! I'm' reviewing ARMED & MAGICAL by Lisa Shearin on Valentine's Day! MAGIC LOST was her debut novel. I reviewed that, like, a year ago, I think. Fabulous Cyber-Launch Party too.

Book Trailer Blog

Hey, Blog Buds. I'm back and a little tired and cranky, but I wanted to let you know I'm creating a sister blog for this one just for hosting book trailers. Only book trailers for books we've reviewed will be posted there. Blog Buddy authors are an exception, as always. They can send me any book trailer they want. Authors, if we've reviewed your book and you have a book trailer, please email Kimber An. I'll be posting the ones I know about over the next few days. Kimber An retains the right to decline posting any book trailer she feels is inappropriate for Enduring Romance.
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P.S. I've got a truckload of ARCs coming up!

http://enduringromancebooktrailers.blogspot.com/