Renovating the RITA

If you’re a member of the Romance Writers of America, you’ve probably heard about the controversy surrounding the RITA Award. The lack of representation of minorities and LGBTQ authors and stories has been a problem for years. Now it seems that RWA’s leadership is making the move to institute some much-needed changes in the judging procedures, and “other issues in the contest.” They are currently looking for input from their membership.

Here’s what I think: If we’re going to do a proper remodel, then we need to gut the kitchen to the studs. Yes, inclusiveness of marginalized groups is without a doubt our top priority. I’m one hundred percent behind that mission, and have stated so to the board.

But there’s another issue I’d love to see resolved, and that is the lumping of Sci-fi Romance, Fantasy Romance, etc. under the Paranormal category umbrella.

SFR is not Paranormal. Fantasy Romance is not Paranormal. These genres have different readerships, and very little cross over. A reader who digs werewolves and vampires isn’t very likely to pick up a book about aliens in space…unless those aliens happen to be werewolf or vampire aliens.

So why is SFR and Fantasy still being tossed into an arena where there’s next to no traction for them? And shouldn’t PNR books be judged against other PNR, especially in their own category?

Recently, another SFR author and I got our heads together and drafted a letter to the RWA. We decided to make a template available to other PNR, SFR, Fantasy, UF, etc. authors who are members of RWA and in favor of this change. You are welcome to copy and paste this letter in whole or in part, make any changes to reflect your own thoughts and ideas on how to proceed, and send it to the RWA board as soon as possible.

Now is the time speak up on any issues you’d like to see changed with the RITA Awards. We hope by posting this letter, you are inspired to also speak out, because the board is listening now.

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Dear RWA,

I whole-heartedly support changes within the RWA RITA Awards that will level the playing field for authors and characters of color and LGBTQ+ authors and characters. In addition to that, since RWA is looking at a revamp of the entire awards program, I suggest an additional change to make the competition fairer for ALL authors.

In my humble opinion, RWA has an overall challenge with diversity. For many years, as a science fiction romance author, I've felt I was an outlier within the organization. From my perspective, RWA seems to view its membership in three groups--those who write Contemporary Romance, those who write Historical Romance, and those who write "Everything Else." In discussions with my peers, the consensus is that we "EE" authors would also like to receive more equal representation within the organization.

Please consider the structure of the RITA Awards Paranormal category. While Contemporary has three distinct categories based on length, and Historical Romance has two, the Paranormal category is a “conglomerate” of many different subgenres. This category forces paranormal romance, fantasy romance, and science fiction romance (et al) authors to compete against each other in a category that covers a very broad spectrum, with very little cross-over readership between them.

Splitting this enormous generic category into smaller, more subgenre-friendly categories will encourage a greater number of authors to submit knowing their books will be judged against similar works. This would help level the playing field for “EE” authors of diverse romance subgenres. 

I'm aware this situation has been broached with RWA by many members over several years, and the answer from RWA has always been that there aren't enough entries to support a divided category. Please reconsider this in comparison to the number of entries received for other small categories, such as Religious/Spiritual Elements and Young Adult. To my knowledge, the conglomerate Paranormal category has always received substantially more entries.

Since the overall structure of the RITA is being examined, I propose breaking the Paranormal category into three distinct subcategories:

·        Fantasy Romance (e.g. sorcerers, wizards, faeries, elves, fantasy world building, etc.) 

·        Paranormal Romance (e.g. vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, angels, demons, mermaids, shapeshifters, etc.) 

·        Science Fiction Romance (e.g. aliens, space opera, steampunk, futuristic, time travel, dystopian elements, etc.)

And then, if there aren't enough entries to justify one of these as an individual category, combine it with the most appropriate alternate division.

Thank you for your careful attention and consideration of this matter, which affects a large number of "EE" authors within your membership.

Sincerely,

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USA Today Bestselling Author, Lea Kirk, loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her sci-fi romances. When she’s not busy writing about the blue and green aliens of her Prophecy series, she’s hanging out with her hubby, five kids (the nerd herd), and spoiled Dobie mix puppy.

She is currently working on two short stories and the fourth book in her series.

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The frightening mind of a paranormal writer

by Maureen L. Bonatch

October’s here, which can only mean one thing…no, look away from the turkey napkins and Christmas decorations and out to the colorful leaves falling from the trees….that’s right, it’s Fall and Halloween isn’t far behind.

This means a little more to me than raking leaves and gorging on Halloween candy. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that…the candy, not the leaves—throw on a costume and you’re entitled to eat ALL the candy you want. I think they’re supposed to put less calories in the Halloween stuff, don’t quote me on that because I’m not certain. That’s just my theory and please don’t tell me differently.) 

I figure I’m entitled to the candy because I wear a costume everyday— that of being a normal person— when in reality...I’m a writer, and not just any kind of writer, but a paranormal writer.

That’s not a costume you say? Hmmm….have you ever looked closely into the mind of a paranormal writer? Do you really want to go there? Okay, if you can handle the scary stuff and you insist…it’s the result/curse/blessing of an overactive imagination. 

Some examples, just from today…

•           Every. Single. Time. I pull a plastic fork from the box, and the tongs scrape against each other, I begin to question if I really need to finish the work I'm doing because I’m obviously asleep and it’s only moments before I’m pretty darn sure that Freddy Krueger is making his way into my office to begin his reign of terror and I frantically start plotting for potential methods to evade him or…

•          While driving through a dense fog today, I emerge only to become confused on a familiar route. I'm fairly certain I may have passed through a parallel universe.  Maybe it wasn't even the same year? Or I'm in a different world all together...and if so, perhaps chocolate was now calorie free... 

 Okay, I may have digressed and I don’t want to frighten you too much…

I must admit, my warped imagination may have been influenced by my early readings of Stephen King, John Saul, Dean Koontz, JR Tolkien and Anne Rice, etc. 

I moved to many of these stories after reading my first taste of the paranormal…the Sweet Valley High books. 

I loved the books, but as an awkward, young teenager reading intro after intro, and dreaming of being the perfect blonde haired twins with perfect smiles, perfect size six figures, perfect…perfect…perfect…I was like…wait a minute…these girls can’t be real. 

Give me hobbits, vampires and other creatures of the night…now those are real to me. 

 Then when television began to embrace the paranormal with shows like The X-Files, Ghost Whisperer, Medium, Millineum and Charmed, they drew me in like no other. (I must admit, I might've wrote my novella, That Magic Moment, when I may, or may not, have been watching a marathon of the television show Charmed and there is the slightest possibility that I may, or may not, have played the theme song repeatedly. (Come'on...It's a good song and a great intro!)

 

For those of us who like to write paranormal, this time of year inspiration can be found around every corner and paranormal reads move front and center (yeah!). 

Readers---Look around because opportunities abound to win some free reads and talk about just what we love about this season. To name a few:  

• Our very own Sophia Kimble's month long contest 
• Love Romance and More's Fall Cover Up
• All Romance Monster Giveaway 

If you want a sweet, short, treat to get you into the mood of the season, check out my novella, 

That Magic Moment.

Can love cross the boundaries mortals have erected to reject all that cannot be explained?

I don’t always write, but when I do, it’s a paranormal…

Stop by my website or Facebook page to find out about my upcoming release Destiny Calling. 

What's your favorite part of Fall? 

Filling in for the wonderful J. Hali Steele...and It's Release Day!

Hi everyone! My name is Teirney, and I'm filling in for the wonderful J. Hali Steele this Friday morning. She graciously gave me her spot today as it is my big release day of Axel's Obsession, the second book in my Alpha Team series. So, I know, I'm late to my own party, but I have good reason. I'm sleep training my eight-month-old and it's not going over well. We didn't get to sleep until one a.m.-- Oh the long nights of teaching him to sleep in his crib.

Alright, now, to the fun stuff.

Let me tell you a little about the series first. Axel's Obsession is the second book, which means there was a first. Ivory's Addiction released in August of 09, following Ivory Black and Jax Morgan as they worked their way through a torrid love affair and dark mystery surrounding Ashley, Jax's biological niece.

When I started Axel's Obsession, I tried desperately to get him to follow in the footsteps of Jax and Ivory, but to my complete surprise, he decided he wanted to go home to Mississippi and dredge up the truth about a 200-year-old-curse! The obsession begins when he meets Jolene Victor, a Romani woman employed by his late grandmother and a temptress he can't stop thinking about. Here's the blurb:


Jolene Victor has lived her entire life haunted by the curse on her family. It has been foretold to bed a man will result in an obsession that can only end with her death. And she’s survived it—until now.

Enter Axel Danvers, a man plagued by his own past and guilt, returns home to claim Danvers Island as his own. One encounter with the mysterious Jolene draws Axel into the storm that’s been brewing for years. Someone else is watching, and he’s hungry for revenge. Can Axel put the past behind him? Can Jolene survive Axel’s obsession?


And to wet your appetite just a little more and maybe start you thinking about how these two ended up here, an excerpt:

Not wanting to hear anything else but Axel’s wife, Jolene pulled out her cards, shuffled the deck restlessly. “I’m tempted to look.”

“You know not to.”

True. She could read another’s fate, but not her own or that of her family members. It was tradition. With each new day and the different choices people made, their fates changed.

The last of her tea gone, she stood up, stretched. “I’m going to go for a walk. Think for a while.”

Her Grand Mama’s assent was buried in the kitchen cabin, a muffle Jolene barely heard. Outside, the familiar sounds of the island surrounded her. She wouldn’t go far, just enough to clear her head. Intrigue sat on her shoulders like a crouching tiger.

Lost in thought, a shift in trees made her snap around. Immediately she went into the fighter’s stance Axel taught her, but Jolene blocked her face with her fists and lowered her center of gravity.

“Good job. Quick reaction,” he said, his voice hard.

Axel. “Shit, you scared the hell out of me.”

“What are you doing out here at night by yourself?”

The cabin still in sight, she didn’t see how it could be so wrong. The anger that flowed from him beat at her with its strong fists. Instinctively, she backed away from him. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice thick with a mixture of happiness and sadness at the same time. He looked so beautiful, standing in the half-light of her front porch. “What are you doing here?”

His sweat pants and jogging shoes belied his easy, alert posture. The squared shoulders, tilt of his jaw as he scanned the area. “I wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

Jolene didn’t know how to deal with the tension between them. It felt so foreign, so wrong, to be angry with him. Or have him be angry with her. There seemed to be an invisible wall, and neither one of them could cross it.

“As you can see, I’m fine.” Her body ached for his. “I’ll make sure I’m up early tomorrow.”

Not able to withstand his cold shoulder anymore, Jolene ran her hands back through her loose curls. “How do we get past this?”

His bare chest captured her attention for the smallest of seconds, but long enough to make her want. She wished she’d never found that diary, but then again, it was coming all along. She just thought she’d have more time with him.

“I don’t know. You kept something important from me, and I can’t trust you. At least, not with . . .”

“Your heart?”

The strangled cry that left her throat sounded like someone else’s. She couldn’t fathom it came from her. Strong in her own right, Jolene never begged. It wasn’t a part of her makeup, and yet, he made her want to.

The shuttered look that fell of his granite face made Jolene shrivel up. He paced a few turns, faced the direction of his home. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

The distance between them growing with each step he took, Jolene couldn’t find the words to call him back. What would she say? Love me? Or would she just throw herself at him, give her body to him shamelessly as she did the other times? She deserved more than just a good fuck. And a bodyguard.

“Good night, Axel,” she whispered. Her words were carried to him on a soft wind tainted with jasmine.


Okay, I know it's not what you expected from an erotic romance novel, but, I have reason! I swear! When they asked for me to pick an excerpt that displayed the love growing between the characters but not give away my plot, I had a hard time. One, I kept seeing the key plot points pop up in every viable choice and when it came to the loves scenes, well, even though I wrote them and I love them, Axel has a dirty mouth, and I couldn't very well with good conscious put all those dirty words up.

So, with that. Let's get this contest started. I'll be here all day, so if you have any questions you want answered or just wanna say hello, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. All you have to do is comment to be entered in the contest, but please leave your email. Tomorrow morning, I'll will draw the winners name out of my proverbial hat.

The prize is a free PDF copy of Ivory's Addiction! If you have already read Ivory's Addiction, then I'll get with the winner offline over email to discuss what other options I could present you with as I know this book released well over a year ago.

Am I forgetting anything? Oh, yeah, let's celebrate!

A contest within a contest

Today is your lucky day--well hopefully!

I'm having a contest. It's more like a contest within a contest, actually. You see, I have a few book releases happening this summer and I'm searching for a really cool contest idea to promote them all.

I'll call it the Summer of Fangs, Fur and Bad Boys with Fast Toys.

You'll find out a little more later with the first release in May. And no, I'm not gonna say any more about it until then.

So, here's what I'd like to ask you. What do you want to see in a contest? Free book, swag bag filled with stuff, edible prizes? Do you want to blog hop, look answers up on websites? What will make a contest fun for you?

Now here's where today's contest comes in. I'll pick the best idea from the comments and you'll get to pick one of my 2009 backlist of e-books.

So, wrack your brain and give me your best shot. You may just win!