HCRW Member News

June Book in a Week Results

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:11:35 -0700

This time we had a group that was trying to get ready for Nationals, replace text that had been lost, redo old manuscripts, etc. Two people participated but did not manage any new pages, and five others wrote 105 pages between them.

Sarra Cannon managed the most, with 31 new pages! Let's hear it for her and everyone else!

The next BiaW will commence with a bang on the 4th of July.

Jewels and Romance

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:11:35 -0700

Award winning New Bern author, Karen Dodd, will be the guest of Marsh Harbor Studio on Sunday June 28 from 1-2 PM. Sandra Taylor, owner and jewelry designer of Marsh Harbor Studio announces that Dodd will talk about her newest book, Shifting Sands, and give a reading. Readers and writers interested in the thoughts of a writer, plotting a book and bringing it to fruition are welcome to come for the free program. Come early and stay late to ask your questions or get your own autographed copy of the latest novel or a selection of Dodd�s other books.

Dodd�s stories leave the reader with warm thoughts about the shores and people of eastern North Carolina. Romance and mystery readers who enjoy finding local sights in their fiction will delight in this woven tale of coastal love. The love of the ocean, fishing and family often found in Dodd�s stories, continues at its best in Shifting Sands.

Shifting Sands is the story of Anne Basnight, an investment executive who escapes the stress of work and family only to find herself searching for a past when she loses all memories after being washed overboard. A reclusive artist finds her on his island beach and although he knows who she is, does not tell her nor does he contact the police. He doesn�t believe the law enforcement officers will believe she stole a million dollars and forgot where she left it. Romance grows between the two until Anne remembers who she is and then decides to return home to face the authorities.

WHERE: Marsh Harbor Studios is located in Harlowe, on Highway 101 east of Havelock, NC at 110 Marsh Harbor Drive. Marsh Harbor Studio, Bead Gallery, Jewelry Design & Coffee, Co. started out with the love of art and design using beads and jewelry as the medium. Browse the studio and enjoy the sheer sparkle of crystals contrasting nicely with earth-toned furnishings while enjoying the talk. Karen Dodd, an artist who paints with words, is a perfect compliment to Taylor�s work! Call 252-652-6573 or 252-514-2953 to reserve your place.

WHEN: Sunday June 28 1-2 PM. (For pictures call Sandra.)

Excerpts of Dodd�s previous books, Carolina Comfort and Carolina Comfort II, her first novel, Down East on Nelson Island, Begin Again Quinn, and Shifting Sands can be found at http://karenedodd.net/ Karen Dodd grew up on the coast and has rarely been far from the water. New Bern artist, Carl Hultman designed the cover. The new book focuses on the area around Southport, NC -- but an island or two might remind the reader of an island off Carteret shores.

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Panel Discussion and Book Signing

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:11:35 -0700

There will be a Fantasy/SciFi panel discussion & book signing with Lisa Shearin, James Maxey, Mark Van Name, and David Drake at the Barnes & Noble in Cary on Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 7:00 pm.

Heart of Carolina Romance Writers

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:52:10 -0700

In May the Book in a Week challenge had 4 and 3/2 participants (some kind of petered out), but the group managed to come up with 86 new pages! Forty-one of these were produced by the enthusiastic Tivi Jones, who was working on a rough draft of her first manuscript before she got derailed by Hugh Jackman flashing his adamantium claws at her. Yaaay, Tivi!

The next BiaW begins June 6.

Award Finalist

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:52:09 -0700

Elizabeth Amber's LYON, THE LORDS OF SATYR has finaled in four awards: WisRWA's Write Touch Readers' Award; Passionate Ink's (an RWA special interest group) Passionate Plume award; Phoenix RWA's Desert Rose Golden Quill award; and for the Greater Detroit RWA 2009 Booksellers Best Award! LYON also won the Houston Bay Area RWA's Judge A Book By It's Cover award (erotic category).

Award Finalist

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:52:09 -0700

Elizabeth Amber's RAINE, THE LORDS OF SATYR has finaled in the Greater Detroit RWA 2009 Booksellers Best Award! RAINE also won second place in the Houston Bay Area RWA's Judge A Book By Its Cover award (erotic category).

Contest Final

Tue, 12 May 2009 21:15:31 -0700

The newsletter of our sister chapter, Carolina Romance Writers, is a document-style finalist in the RWA Newsletter Contest. Congratulations to Kristy Smith/Skylar Masey, editor of The Final Draft newsletter!

Book Signing

Tue, 12 May 2009 21:15:31 -0700

Meet the Author Event with Sarah Wendell, Author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: A Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels
New Hope Commons Barnes and Noble, Durham, NC
June 6
2 pm

Launch Party

Tue, 12 May 2009 21:15:31 -0700

Alexandra Sokoloff will be having a reading/signing/launch party for her new supernatural thriller, The Unseen, at Quail Ridge Books and Music in Raleigh on Tuesday, June 4 at 7 p.m. More information

Contest Final

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:25:28 -0700

An Improper Aristocrat by Deb Marlowe is a finalist in WisRWA's Write Touch Reader's Award contest! Congrats, Deb!

Spring Fling

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:25:28 -0700

Spring Fling: A Celebration of North Carolina Romance Authors
East Regional Library, 946 Steeple Square Ct., Knightdale, NC 27545
April 26
2 pm Featuring HCRW authors Diane Chamberlain, Claudia Dain, Sabrina Jeffries, Virginia Kantra and Deb Marlowe. For further information or to register, contact Janet Morley at 919-217-5300.

April Book in a Week

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:25:28 -0700

We had 5 people participating in April's Book in a Week challenge, and together they turned out 131 new pages. Sarra and Laura were running a close race, but at the end Laura Webb edged ahead with 45 pages. Can't really call her an overall winner because they're all winners! Look at those pages that weren't there before they started. Yay!!!

Our next BiaW will begin on May 2nd.

Three-Book Deal

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:45:45 -0700

Jodie Pearson and Tammy Falkner (writing as a team) have just signed a three book deal with Sourcebooks. All three Regency Paranormal books will be released back-to-back-to-back Spring 2010. Congratulations, ladies!

March Book in a Week Results

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:08:45 -0700

This time we had just four participants who survived the entire week. Despite ouch-y dental procedure$, Connie B. managed 8 new pages. Karen McCullough set a goal of 20 and hit that soundly. Kate Parker came in at 24 pages. And first-timer Elizabeth Bryant said she'd never written so fast before as she produced 50 pages! How'd she do that? "First, I'm jumping to wherever in the story I'm inspired, so I'm not writing sequentially; second, it's a newish story so I've still got that initial burst of excitement."

Congratulations on all those new pages, everyone!

Cindy Holby to Be Included in Book

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:08:45 -0700

Cindy Holby aka Colby Hodge is writing a short story for the Mammoth Book of Time Travel, to be released later this year. Congrats!