Hi Everyone! Mercury is definitely in retrograde; it seems everything I posted yesterday didn’t stick, so I’ll try to recreate it today, as well as respond to the more recent postings. Here goes:

Berta: It depends on how you define mainstream. Is it reviewed by the media at large instead of just Latino media? Is it published amidst a general list instead of a Latino imprint? Is is bought by readers of all backgrounds instead of predominantly Latinos? I suspect it is a bit of all the above. If you go by this definition, then Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s Dirty Girls Social Club was the first successful mainstream Latina novel. (Though there were nonsuccessful attempts previous to that, e.g. A Little Love by C.C. Medina.) In comparison to the AA market, there are technically more Latinos in the U.S. than AA, but if you look at the sales figures, it seems AA are more likely to buy books than Latinos. This may be due to differences in culture and history: there was a time when AA were legally prohibited from reading and writing. As such the act of reading/writing/publishing holds a sacred place in AA culture that is simply doesn’t for Latinos. Black folk have died for the privilege of reading; Latinos haven’t. AA are also more likely to self-publish when faced with rejection, while Latinos are more likely to give up. As for your AA friend, there may be a difference between literary and commercial multiculti fiction. People of all ethnicities read Beloved by Toni Morrison, but I wonder how many non-AA read True to the Game by Teri Woods.

Sasha: I coined the term “Chiquita Lit’ right here on this blog! It’s on my radar because nine times out of ten when agents and editors come to me looking for Latina writers, what they want is YA Latina chick lit. So yes, Chiquita Lit is what publishers are looking for this very second.

Mary: Hi!!! Great to hear from you Some editors do have a very strong vision of what they want to publish. If you are a square peg and they have a round hole to fill, it doesn’t matter how brilliant you are they will ignore you. But if you are oval, and other circular pegs are nowhere to be found, they’ll try to squish you into their circular hole. The reason why editors are looking for the Latina Gossip Girl is because the Gossip Girl serious has made serious $$$. If it hadn’t, they wouldn’t be looking to replicate it. I think your readers are right to encourage you to stick to your guns. While Latinas are as fabulous with their shoes and careers and the next girl, when it comes to sex we seem to have a different sensibility. When I am with a group of Latinas, we swap stories about how our parents wouldn’t let us date till we were a certain age, or how our parents were horrified that we wanted to live with our boyfriends before we got married. When I am with a group of non-Latinas, we simply don’t have these kinds of discussions. What is relevent for Latinas isn’t necessarily relevant for non-Latinas, and our stories should reflect this.

Tempest: I agree!

Lupe: This is why I admire Harlequin–because they specialize in romance, they understand their readers in a way other houses can’t be because they publish books in countless categories. Either you’re a specialist or a generalist, and most large publishers are generalists. And specialists have an advantage over generalists when it comes to serving the needs of their customers.

These are all great comments! Let me address them one-by-one:

Irene: Yes, there’s a market not only for 40+ but also 50+ women. According to the AARP, one American turns fifty years old every six seconds–that’s a lot of potential readers. And many of the agents and editors I know are 40+. The funny thing is most of the writers I know who write chick lit–presumably fiction by and for the 35 and under crowd–are actually 35+. Clearly there’s a disconnect between what readers are buying and what readers are living. I suspect what will turn the tide is when a book by and for 40+ women makes a lot of $$$. That’s what it took for African-American fiction (e.g. Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan) and children’s fiction (e.g. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling). After a title for older women hits, in a big way, that’s when the publishing industry will proactively publish books for older women.

Chris: I think your question is pretty much the same as Irene; while I’m sure there are exceptions, most women would probably be 40+ by the times their kids need her less and she’s ready for the next phase in her life. I don’t see it being a trend, at least not until a book with that kind of character and theme proves hugely profitable.

Caridad: Chick Lit is indeed alive and well, though it seems to be skewing younger–9 times out of 10, when agents or editors come to me looking for a writer, especially Latinas, it’s because they’re seeking YA chick lit. There are quite a number in the works, enough so that I’m calling it “Chiquita Lit”. But there is a different between women’s fiction and chick lit. Women’s fiction is a very broad umbrella, and chick lit is a subset. When agents and editors–and more importantly, booksellers and readers–hear “chick lit” they have a certain expectation that the novel will be light, fun, and current. If it’s edgy, dark, or historical they’ll be confused or disappointed. It’s the difference between a movie starring Cameron Diaz vs. Helen Mirren–yeah, they’re technically both chick flicks, but filmgoers will have a very different expectation of what each film would be like.

Yolanda: Pitching is a crucial skill most writers need to hone. The first step is to develop the objectivity to compare your work to that of other writers. What specific writers and titles out there can you authentically compare your work to in terms of tone, setting, theme, characters, etc? Come up with at least three to six examples, preferably published within the last five years. Take your list and go to your favorite local bookstore and see how they’re packaged; for example, if they have pink covers with illustrations of thin girls with cute accessories, you’re chick lit. If you’re stumped, visit the author’s web sites and see how they describe themselves; also google the authors and titles and see how the publishers, the media, and particular how book reviewers describe their work. Those descriptions probably fit your work too.

Vicki: Whether or not you have a hard time finding a buyer for your work has less to do with your craft, or its themes or characters, and more to do with your platform. Have you had short pieces published in periodicals? Has your work garnered any awards? Is your day job connected to your work (e.g. you write Law & Order type thrillers and you are a trial attorney by day)? The weaker your platform, the more challenging it will be to get published. I’m not saying it will be impossible; anything is possible. People without platforms, especially in romance, get published everyday–but they are generally not well-published (meaning, their publishers spend little to no money or effort marketing their books).

It’s been a long time since I gave you any kind of recipe, maybe because I’ve been trying to stick to this diet and failing miserably. Especially with Valentine’s Day and chocolate abounding everywhere!

Anyway, this is my friend Irene Peterson’s Famous Fudge. Really easy to make and even easier to eat! Irene has a new release coming up with Kisses to Go. It’s a story about a chef (always good) and art historian, stuffy British royalty and it has some paranormal happenings as well. Is it a good book? RT gave it 4 stars!

So here’s Irene’s Famous Fudge recipe (And yes, I hear you all. I’ll go back on the diet soon!):
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So I know it sounds completely ridiculous to spend so much money on a pair of jeans…But I DID finally spend more than I have ever spent before!!!!! I must admit that at first I was hesitant, but now I wear them all the time. I wore them in this picture (of course you can’t see them, but they are very nice). Now I am definitely not saying go blow a lot of money on a pair of jeans.

I was just saying I did and they are very nice. I usually buy my pants for $20.00 or less. I found one pair for $9.00 that I wear. Now that is a bargin!

Jeans are an everyday part of life for a teenager like me. I wear them when I go to school, go out with friends, or even to chill at a friend’s house. I love my jeans. And you should too.

Skinny jeans seem to be the fashion craze for those “scene” kids (scene kids are the teens who were their hair black and their eyeliner thick and listen to music about hurting themselves and never being able to love again).

Personally I love the skinny jean. They go well with a pair of UGGs or a nice flat.

Bell bottoms from the 70’s are still hot today. Every girl has them and every girl loves them.

Straight jeans (not skinny, skinny jeans stick you your legs while these just fall to the floor at one angle) are also coming back.

BUT MOM JEANS WILL NEVER BE IN STYLE!!!!!!!

Peace out!!!

This good morning hunk was inspired by Rita, a special fan from South Africa! He was also the inspiration for the were-jaguar in MOON FEVER (Oct 2007).

But on a different note — What keeps you warm on those cold winter nights? A blazing fire in the fireplace, some wine, a good book and an even better man?

Tori definitely has the right idea about how to stay warm in this deleted scene from SEX AND THE SOUTH BEACH CHICAS.

In the meantime, why don’t you let me know what keeps you hot . . . I mean warm . . . To help you along, here’s some South Beach Heat to chase away the winter chill that has gripped so many of us.

Earlier in the year, the NJ Romance Writers had Marcela Landres do a workshop and as always, Marcela gave us some great points on improving our work.

Well, Marcela is going to be a guest blogger all next week! Marcela will be discussing commercial women’s fiction: what’s in, what has-been, and what’s on the horizon.

So mark your calendars for the week of February 26 (Monday) through Friday March 2. Drop by and chat with Marcela!

Here’s a little bit more on Marcela: Marcela Landres is an Editorial Consultant who was formerly an editor at Simon & Schuster and is the creator of Latinidad, which was chosen as one of the 101 Best Web Sites for Writers by Writer’s Digest Magazine. A member of the Women’s Media Group, she has acted as a judge for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award and speaks frequently for organizations such as the Romance Writers of America.

Marcela Landres
Editorial Consultant
Marcelalandres@yahoo.com
http://www.marcelalandres.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marcelalandres/
Writer’s Digest 101 Best Web Sites for Writers

I was up in my office, typing away on my laptop. My husband came into my office, plopped into the recliner he’s moved into the corner and asked, “Are you working or playing on the website again?”

(Why is hubby’s recliner in my office you may ask? The immense flat screen TV hubby got for me last Christmas.)

I happened to be working on the blog, so I said, “I’m writing a blog entry.”

With a grin, he asked, “What do you write about? Me?”

So of course I freaked him out by saying yes and got the following look:
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The winner of the January to Feb 13th Blog contest is PamK! A tin of Hershey’s Cherry Cordial Kisses will soon be on its way to Pam.

The winner of the special Valentine’s Day Blog contest is RobynL! The assorted prizes will soon be on their way to Pam. Pam, please note that some of the prizes are being sent to you directly from the authors, so you may be getting multiple shipments. (Always a nice thing to get more than one fun package in the mail!)

Thanks to all for participating in these two contests. Look for another fun contest in March. When you may ask?

Also, no news yet on my interview on Romance Novel Television, but drop by and meet some of my friends, like Eloisa James who is up there this week!

Post a comment on this Special Dinner with RT blog before midnight EST on April 15th and you could be one of three lucky fans who gets to share a marvelous dinner with Caridad and some special fans!

Dinner will be on April 25th at the Spindletop restaurant, conveniently located at the Houston Hyatt Regency hotel. (The contest does not include transportation to Houston). Anyone who will either be at the RT Booklovers Convention or who will be in the Houston area is invited to enter the contest.

The Spindletop is Houston’s only revolving rooftop restaurant and boasts an amazing menu and views that you can check out here!

Choose from a variety of luscious steak and seafood dishes and scrumptious desserts while you get a chance to talk with Caridad about her writing and anything else that interests you!

Just leave a comment on this blog to be eligible for the contest! It’s that easy!

I am really looking forward to RT and getting a chance to meet with you.

Remember — your comment must be posted on this blog entry and only this blog entry in order for you to be eligible for the RT dinner contest!

Yep, it’s a silly kind of day and since I’m a sucker for abs, well . . .

What do you get when you combine silliness and nice abs? This commercial from Holeproofs Underdaks!

**Caution**This Video has been tagged as being only for Mature Audiences**

Right now — a repeat of HOUSE. One of those shows I try not to miss. Hugh Laurie is wonderful and for some reason, quite sexy. Scruffy and all. Maybe it’s those blue eyes?

What else do I watch? Anything with forensics, cops and a good romance — which is why I still tune into LOST. The romance and of course, that hint of the paranormal.

I’m a SKATE fan — meaning Kate and Sawyer. I know Jack is noble, blah blah blah . . . Sawyer is the ultimate Bad Boy who on occasion redeems himself!

There’s a nice Myspace site for LOST FANS (I’d give you the link, but Myspace is acting funky and it’s early). Here’s a great wallpaper from the site.

I’m working on revisions to my were-jaguar story for MOON FEVER (October 2007), but in the back of my brain, I’m also creating the story for a novella I’ve just been asked to write.

The novella is going to be a part of an anthology with Maureen Child and will be released by Nocturne in December. It’s a dark tale about a vampire at Christmas. I won’t give much else away other than to say, it’ll be totally out there as the vamp “punishes” a bell-ringing Santa. Think of it as SANTA CALLS (LOL! Just kidding!)

I will give you my inspiration for the vamp. Take a breath now for . . .
Rodrigo Santoro!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Hershey’s Cherry Kisses contest and the Special Valentine’s Day Blog contest. I’ll be e-mailing the winners shortly. Please drop by the blog for other contests and other kinds of blog craziness, like today’s quick little poll!

I’ve gotten all kinds of suggestions about Diana Reyes and Ryder Latimer and their future in other novels in THE CALLING series. So, here’s your chance to let me know what think! Choose one of these and/or leave a comment about what you would like to see.

Who knows – the answer you give might help inspire the next book! If it does, I’ll be sure to include you in the dedication.

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I asked several of my friends to fill in one of the following blanks:

Remember that everyone who comments on this blog TODAY is eligible to receive a great prize (listed below because it is so humongous!)

So here’s what a group of romance writers think about love and sex (in no particular order):

Here’s what the winner of this special Valentine’s Day blog contest will receive:

Romance Novel Television at romancenovel.tv – TV for romance booklovers.

It’s the place to connect with your favorite authors. Every week romancenovel.tv features exclusive on-camera interviews, behind-the-pages stories, and special features all dedicated to romance novels. New videos daily, contests and giveaways.

ROMANCE NOVEL TELEVISION launches tomorrow, February 14th! Don’t Miss it!

The wonderful people at Romance Novel television filmed me at a recent book signing and then came to my law offices for an interview. I will be sure to let you know when you can see this, but in the meantime, check out a wonderful channel dedicated totally to romance novels!

To see some pictures from the signing that was filmed as well as some other recent events, please click here.

Okay, in what has become almost a bigger event than the game — the ads!!! It was tough to choose a favorite this year, but I have to say it was the ad for the HHR (down below).

Why? Okay, there’s something about all those guys ripping their clothes off that was too funny. And if you haven’t gathered from watching the assorted video trailers on the site, I’m a sucker for a nicely chiseled chest and abs. Which may also account for why I like watching sports so much.

Which had me thinking about romance novel covers and the age old discussion of whether a good naked guy or a sexy pose on the cover sells more books.

So what do you think?
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I watch TV while I write, generally something that will put me in the mood for what I’m working on.

Right now I’m doing some touch-ups to a werewolf urban fantasy novel that I hope something will like enough to acquire. It’s a dark, sexy and action-packed work. The heroine is a modern woman, but the clothes and weapons she uses are not — leather jerkins, swords and crossbows.

That makes KING ARTHUR a perfect movie to get me in the mood. Of course, Clive Owen is truly sexy in this movie. Plus, he and Keira Knightly have good chemistry!

So, what are you watching? What are your favorite movies?

Well, folks, this is my last post. As of right now, I managed to answer everyone’s questions (I think). Thank you for your warm welcome and your participation. Maybe I can drop by again sometime.

Here’s today’s soup pot of questions and answers: 

Samantha says: “Medical anthropology! That sounds so cool. Does having that kind of background help you with thrillers and suspense novels?” and Melissa_G adds: “Do you still read periodicals on developments in the field of anthropology? Professionally, do you ever get grief from your family about the change in career? You know, for shifting from “serious” fields of medicine and anthropology to something that, let’s face it, most don’t treat respectfully, romance.” 
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To ask Stacy a question, please just go to the bottom of Stacy’s blog entry and click on the button that has the word “Comments”. Once you get there, go to the bottom of the screen where you will see the box below. Just enter your question and press SUBMIT COMMENT! Thanks
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Several people in the blog audience had questions that I haven’t yet answered. I’m taking care of those today.
Judith F asks: “How much time do you usually spend to edit a new author’s work? If you like an author’s work and no one else does, is it usually a no for that book?”

The time needed for a new author really depends on that author and that book. I’ve bought new people who needed very little feedback from me and I have bought those who needed quite a bit. (The longer edits are usually lengthened by input from other editors. Even the senior and executive editors get a chance to ask for changes.) If I’m the only one who likes an author’s work then I can’t put the project under contract. A book on the shelf has to appeal to a wide audience, which means it must first appeal to many editors in-house.
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Stacy here again. Today I’m sharing my job description.

So what’s a day in the life of an editor really like? Busy. And, lucky for me, no two days are the same. Just this morning, in fact, there was a scheduling crisis for one of my authors, which required multiple phone calls, emails and one-on-one chats with the agent and the senior editor. Then there was last week when the approved titles for a twelve-book series were suddenly ‘unapproved.’ Our team had to quickly schedule a brainstorming meeting to come up with twelve new titles. Oh, and the deadlines for that same series have moved up by a month—for the second time.
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Hi, it’s Stacy again. I thought the blog machine might put my signature at the bottom of the post, so you can tell me from Caridad, but no such luck.

Thank you all for your kind comments and interesting questions. I want to address as many as I can today. Granted, that’s more like a chat than a blog entry, but you guys have at least given me lots to write about! There were several people curious about the daily life of an editor. I’ll get to that, and related questions, tomorrow. For today, the questions are mostly about finding publishable manuscripts amidst the slush.
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Hi, this is Caridad’s editor at Harlequin/Silhouette, Stacy Boyd. I’ll be the guest blogger all week. A few days ago, Caridad kindly sent me a list of questions for my first post (I was terribly worried I wouldn’t be able to think of anything to write about) and maybe I’ll end up writing about the daily life of a romance editor or trends in the marketplace. But today, as I was re-reading some proposals from the next books in The Calling series, I remembered just what it was about that first book, Darkness Calls, that pulled me in.
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We were always sports fanatics. I grew up watching everything and anything sports-related. Naturally, watching led to participating.

My mami, all 5 foot one inches of her, had played tennis and basketball (!!) in Cuba. Mami is the one wearing those mod sixties sunglasses in the picture.

Papi played volleyball on a club team in Cuba that was exceptionally good. Papi is the tall slender one at the right in the photo.

My brother was a great football player. He’s the one hamming it up at the top of the bench.

My sister, Carmen, and I played everything in high school — field hockey (soccer was not a “sport” back then), volleyball, some basketball (I’m vertically challenged), volleyball and softball. Carmen is standing next to my mom and I’m standing next to my dad. Accurate since my sis is a twin to my mom, while I took after my dad — except height-wise. My sis and her family ended up with all the height.

Anyway, being sports fanatics and becoming totally emerged in American culture, one of the biggest sports events was the Super Bowl. Being Cuban, that also meant a ton of food would be available for friends and family who were coming to watch the game.

Here’s one of our favorites for you to try out for your Super Bowl spread!
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