Star-Crossed Romance: Guest - Rowena Cherry

Star-Crossed Romance: Guest - Rowena Cherry

Countdown pre-empted, normal promo interrupted

Mark your calendars! On October 7th my guest on Crazy Tuesday will be author marketing expert Penny Sansevieri to share two hours' worth of promotional tips, ideas and analysis!

This week has been a blur. On Wednesday, Google Alerts alerted me to this superb review on Romance Junkies.

KNIGHT'S FORK is a page-turner from the very first one to the very last. I enjoyed it so much, after I reached the last page I started right from the beginning again. KNIGHT’S FORK has it all! If you only have time to read one book this season, I highly recommend you run out and grab a copy today.

~Kimberly Leslie

http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/paranormal/Knight_s_Fork.shtml

By the way:
Three other reviews have been posted on Amazon, and the book is in stock, as are Forced Mate and Insufficient Mating Material

I followed the "buy" link at the bottom of the Romance Junkies review out of curiosity, and discovered that Amazon has my book in stock, and was shipping orders. At the time, my own author copies hadn't even arrived!

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Blurb:
What is a queen to do when the sperm donor of her dreams says no?

Carpe Scrotum. Seize Life by the Testicles! The Queen Consort of the Volnoth needs a sperm donor and only one green-eyed god has the right stuff. Little does she know that she has pinned all her hopes on the crown jewels of the fabled Royal Saurian Djinn. Not only is he the son of her greatest enemy, but he has taken a vow of chastity.

Knight's Fork continues the alien romance series of the god-Princes of Tigron, begun with Forced Mate. It takes up right after the grand downfall of my most heinous villain in Insufficient Mating Material, and this time the hero is 'Rhett.

'Rhett has incurred the resentment of his elder brothers/cousins for his more-virtuous-than-thou attitude, his spoilsport interference when they want irresponsible sex with unsuitable partners, and simply because he is his father's only son. They decide that he must be hiding a sordid secret, and they set out to find out who she is.

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Thorough Tara Green's fiction promotions, I will be sharing 5 excerpts from Knight's Fork during the week of September 29th.

Best wishes,

Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com
http://tinyurl.com/Buy-KnightsFork

September 9th... R.O.I. Questions

R.O.I. is not a very loud spelling out of a French monarch's title. It's Return On Investment, and I'm starting to wonder about mine.

What exactly is the value of my time?
Would my time be better spent writing the next novel? Yes. Indubitably.

Now, thinking about my time, I wonder how impressive to the world it is when an author maintains an online calendar, and publishes when every radio appearance, blog, booksigning (scratch that), chat, and other "event" takes place.

I don't consider my participation in a chat to be much of an event. This is a good thing! Last night, I went to a writerspace chat, and spent virtually an hour almost all alone apart from one visitor looking for my good friend and admired colleague, Emily Bryan.

I wrote a lot, not being one to let the side down, in case anyone turned up expecting me to be there. Eventually, thanks to an email from my friend Jacquie Rogers, I discovered that I was on the right site but in the wrong chat room. That reminds me of a football game I saw recently where a bright,spanking new brick stadium with retractable roof had been built right beside the open, darkened, coliseum style stadium.

Whatever! The next first Monday after the first Tuesday next month, when the next writerspace chat for Leisure and Lovespell takes place, I won't be in the "Green Room" and my book (Knight's Fork) will be on bookstore shelves. So, if I had to make an embarrassing mistake, this was a good time to do it.

I blogged a bit on Sunday, followed some leads discovered a list of book sites I've never heard of before:

Bookhitch (I think books are sold there, but you can list your novels)
Bookgarden
Book Roast
Stumbleupon has book groups now!
BookCrossing
Book Obsessed
Book Crazy....

I spent a lot of Monday working on Bookmarks. You can develop them online on Vistaprint, all it takes is time. My first attempt came through with the backside of the bookmark upside down. I'm using them anyway. I don't think people read the backs!

So, I rectified that, and corrected a few over-compressed words... and added another lovely quote from a very generous reviewer (the SciFiGuy) and one from Brenna Lyons of The Lyons' Den.

Today, I hosted my monthly "Crazy Tuesday" radio show. It was about animals and a Pet Pictures contest.

Among the characters trotted out to meet me was Pretty Bottom, a proud porcupine; Christopher-the-Assassin, a cat; Nova the cowardly dog who once overcame his fear to chase a bear... which reminds me of the cartoon "Courage"; a parakeet named Jubilee who likes Bonnie Tyler and The Randy Rogers Band; Miz Fuzz the cat with her own boom box; Foutchie the foot fairy; an exotic bird that throws seeds; Socrates the wise --and wise-cracking mule who believes that sterility improves the masculine mind and ability to cogitate; a pet chicken of a Warrior Trainer; Guinevere the skunk; a terrifying cat who takes his toys to water but can't make them drink; some extremely smart ravens; and a deliriously happy guinea pig.

Anon.

Rowena Cherry

Countdown... and a marketing expert

Obviously, I'm not a marketing expert! (But I know someone who is.)

Since I last blogged on August 26th, I continued to make as much as I could of the fact that Michelle's very good review of Knight's Fork won the LASR Book of the Week contest.

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/0808/KnightsFork-RC.htm


On the 28th, while chatting about my books on GoodReads.com, I heard that my previous book, Insufficient Mating Material won the Romance category of the 2008 Hollywood Book Festival. Naturally, I tried to make a little hay with that windfall, and to see if the fact that some book lovers felt that Insufficient Mating Material merited more notice from Hollywood could be translated into actual attention.

We'll see.

I finally got my act together and decided what I wanted on my banner for Knight's Fork, in the way of colors and words, but was too late to get it done before the long weekend, and in time to be uploaded everywhere for my September advertisements which I'd booked in January.



The Labor Day weekend most inconveniently ate up the 30th and 31st of August, not to mention September 1st. Also, there was back to school "stuff" such as forms to fill in, doctors to visit, clothes and backpacks to buy.

I wish I'd planned ahead!

However, I did complete an interview as myself, sent out end-of-month RWA member news to the editors of the chapters I belong to, learned how to make bookmarks for free on Vistaprint (again, I ought to have done this months ago!) and visited the RWA website to see where my cover was up and my news or links posted.

On Wednesday I had a blogging date with TRS (the romance studio), my international GoodReads.com giveaways came to an end, and I mailed ARCs of Knight's Fork to the winners... one in Australia, one in Denmark, one in the UK, and another in Canada.

That reminds me.... I need to post the winners of my Quotes Contest for August. I identified them several days ago. Yes! "Them" I'm holding drawings more often in August and September.


Yesterday I had an interview on Today's Author radio. I think I totally fluffed it. I was prepared for a structured Q&A for a very small audience, and found myself ad libbing (which I am bad at) on a site with so many bells and whistles that I was intimidated. If you can get on blogtalkradio... do!!!!


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Circle-Of-Seven/2008/09/05/Todays-Author-with-guest-Rowena-Cherry-author-of-Knights-Fork

As if all that wasn't enough, yesterday Penny's latest newsletter came out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE BOOK MARKETING EXPERT NEWSLETTER!
A newsletter all about SUCCESSFUL publishing and POWERFUL promotion.
September 4, 2008 Issue #177
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you are serious about promo, contact:
Penny C. Sansevieri, Editor penny@amarketingexpert.com

And please tell her Rowena Cherry sent you!

AME-University: Book Marketing, Publishing, and Internet Marketing classes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These free teleclasses from AME-University may be just the thing to get your book marketing savvy ramped up!
Media Training Magic
Thu, Sep 18, 4pm - 5pm
Are you ready for your close up? If you're not sure then this class is for you. Before you spend valuable marketing dollars to get yourself on radio and TV, you'll want to make sure you know what you're doing when it comes to media exposure. This class will teach you what you need to know about media training. BONUS: We'll also share with you the media mistakes you'll NEVER want to make!

How to join in:
To sign up or learn more about these classes send an email to author@amarketingexpert.com.

The AME website has a complete class listing for handy reference: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/iclasses.html.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author Marketing Experts, Inc. is a full-service book marketing, promotion, and publicity company. We serve authors at all stages of marketing and promotion. We offer a full range of packages and services to choose from.
To see a price list or schedule a free consultation, send your e-mail to penny@amarketingexpert.com with the subject line "Author Services Info." You can also visit our Web site at www.amarketingexpert.com.

Reprint permission
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
You are welcome to reprint any items from "The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter." However, please credit us as a source with the following paragraph:

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com

-----------------------------------------------------------

Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: penny@amarketingexpert.com
web: http://www.amarketingexpert.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope this helps. This is a blog, not NASA, so please forgive my haphazhard countdown


Rowena Cherry

The countdown skips....

As a diarist, I'm terrible! The week that I've skipped has been a blur and a flurry.

If my book is released on September 30th, that means I have approximately five weeks to get myself organized.


Tuesday 19th.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gif (Day 7?)
Spent a little time on EONS.com, also on LibraryThing.com

At midnight my GoodReads.com giveaway of 5 ARCs to GoodReaders in the USA came to an end. My giveaways for the rest of the world are still going.

Wednesday 20th (Day 8)
I notified and congratulated the winners, considered thanking the remaining 340 entrants, but decided that contacting them even on GoodReads might be too much like stalking, so I didn't.

Posted ARCs to the winners. I think Wednesday was also the day that I became aware of the international day of blog action (for Poverty).

"There is one topic and everyone is asked to register their blog as participating and then to blog about the topic on October 15th. This year's topic is Poverty."

http://blogactionday.org

Aside... I shall be posting an interview with a Capuchin monk who has taken vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience. I worked on the questions on Monday.

This isn't strictly about promotion, but I feel "called" to participate. I am an author of humorous, racy romances, but I can use my communication talents to help.

Thursday 21st
Firmed up details for an interview on terrestrial radio in mid-September. Agonized about whether my time during my release week would be better spent on the internet, or sitting hopefully in a local bookstore, hoping people will buy my book!

Spent the rest of the day working up an interview (interviewing 'Rhett, hero of Knight's Fork) for a feature at The Romance Studio. Doing interviews is a day's work. I'd probably be better off if I typed ten to twenty pages of the next book.

On the other hand, I consider interviews as an alternative to writing free short stories as a gift to my readers.

Michele posted a fantastic review of Knight's Fork on LASR. I told some friends. I really ought to have posted a link to it on all the yahoogroups that allow PROMO, but it was Thursday, which isn't one of the days favored for PROMO.


Friday 22nd

Deborah Macgillivray posted a lovely review on GoodReads.com of Knight's Fork.

Changed the print cartridge (printing is so expensive, I try to get every last good copy from a print cartridge, even if I have to wait ten minutes for residual ink to trickle into place from the exhausted old one). Printed several FAQ sheets for reviewers and readers' groups.

I'm including suggested discussion topics in my cover letters to readers' group leaders. I recycled some of my own questions, and put them up on GoodReads.com in my "Author Group".

Late on Friday night, Pat Rouse sent out her updated list of Readers' Groups. There were eight new ones. I got ARCs and intro letters into Saturday's outgoing mail.


Saturday and Sunday, I heard that Michele's review was up for an award, so spent a little time on Facebook and MySpace taking advantage of the news to let social networking friends know about Knight's Fork.

I've already mentioned what I did on Monday (Poverty interview)

Today is August 26th. Most Romance Writers of American chapter webmistresses and newsletter editors like their member news on or around the twenty-fifth of any given month.

It's a great idea to keep a calendar, and remember to send out whatever news an author has every month, anyway.

I've just sent out news of a couple of fantastic reviews that came in over the weekend, and also of a contest that a review of Knight's Fork won.

Countdown-- day 4 and 5

I've just signed up for the Blogging Day of Action on October 15th!

I was desperately trying to clear my emails which are up to 998 (and rising), and I came upon a posting to a yahoo group (by Marilu Mann) about the day all bloggers turn the internet into a global Think Tank on the topic of Poverty.


I LIKE think-tanks, and I daresay it won't hurt my productivity if I take a day to bend my mind to Poverty. Better here than on Alien Romances!


http://blogactionday.org

From the What It's All About Page:

Blog Action Day is an annual nonprofit event that aims to unite the
world's bloggers, podcasters and videocasters, to post about the same
issue on the same day. Our aim is to raise awareness and trigger a
global discussion.

Mass Participation
From the smallest online journals, to huge online magazines, to EU
ministers, to professionals and amateurs, Blog Action Day is about
mass participation. Anyone is free to join in on Blog Action Day and
there is no limit on the number of posts, the type of posts or the
direction of thoughts and opinions.

http://blogactionday.org




Meanwhile... I haven't accounted for my activities on Monday and Tuesday.

Having sent ARCs to the top booksellers, librarians, and independent readers on Pat Rouse's critical literary opinion maker list, I pored over Pat Rouse's other lists in hopes of identifying booksellers who would really like to hear from me.

That's an imponderable!

I also returned to LibraryThing.com and revised some information about myself, and attempted to enlist some friends (as I had one!!!) from authors I know. I also joined Eons.com and did some trouble-shooting with a spotlight feature.

A wonderfully kind review was posted on LASR, so I thanked the reviewer (which generated some pleasant correspondence) and forwarded the splendid news to my editor, the publicist, and a couple of blogs.

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/0808/KnightsFork-RC.htm


I'm being interviewed by Jim Albright for WHBC on September 12th

On Tuesday at midnight, my giveaway on Goodreads ran its course. I am gratified that 346 people on GoodReads signed up for a chance to win an ARC. Today, I am mailing the ARCs.

Best wishes,

Rowena Cherry

Day 2 and 3

If Susan hadn't kindly commented this evening, I'd have forgotten all about my countdown blog!

Yesterday (Saturday) I took another $50-in-postage worth of Advance Reader Copies to the post office. These were to librarians and influential booksellers. Then I emailed some readers' group leaders whose groups meet before August 20th, in case any of their group members might be interested in trying to win a free ARC from the giveaway on GoodReads.com.

I didn't have the nerve to give the same message to booksellers!

I also wrote about 10 pages of my next book... not to neglect that sort of thing.

Moreover, I set up a profile on Eons.com, commented on a couple of friends' blogs, contacted some independent reviewers to see if they were willing to review my next book, and did a few other things....such as booking radio appearances, and fulfilling responsibilities on the IWOFA blog.

Today (Sunday), I posted a couple of my most recent reviews of Knight's Fork on the Dorchester Forums, sent out some bookplates, made an executive decision not to blog on a review site that allows free-for-all weekend blogging. It's my day to moderate the FFandP loop, so I participated in a couple of discussions. I was a day late for the IWOFA inaugural chat, but posted my intro, a contest, and notice of the goodreads.com/giveaway thing.

I also shared a few tips on synopsis writing with a soon-to-be published friend, read a chapter of Eats, Shoots and leaves with my child, swam with my child, cleaned toilets... which has nothing whatsoever to do with my count down, but life intrudes.

I prepared more FAQs, and signed and numbered ARCs, ready to go to the post on Monday. I've now sent out about 90 ARCs to a combination of reviewers, bloggers, librarians and booksellers.

Tomorrow, I intend to visit LibraryThing, which also has an ARC giveaway program, but I also have to supervise a playdate (it's still school holidays).

Good night, everyone.

Rowena

Countdown to a book launch

Friday August 15.

Knight's Fork is due to be released on September 30th.

A six-week countdown is long enough for any blog, but I have to say that I think I was snookered before I began.

I'm still sending ARCs to booksellers and reviewers.
In the case of booksellers, I should have been sending advance galleys out six months ago. That would have been February. I don't believe I finished writing this book until May.

I am running a contest. That is the good news.


Maybe the prospect of winning a $25 book token isn't as compelling as I think it should be, but the contest rolls over every month.

I ought to visit my local bookstores and set up a signing... I ought to have done that 3 months before my release date! However, I have to have a press kit ready to take with me.

It's a Catch 22.

Tomorrow, I'll be back with more of what I should do, and what I've actually done.


Rowena

For those of discernment and good taste (or not!)

At the time of writing this blog, I don't know whether my recent newsletter was good enough to keep me in the running in the "Studio Diva" marathon contest being run by TRS (short for the romance studio).

Nevertheless, a competitor has to assume the best, and set up a contest for the penultimate round, just in case.

How, you might well ask yourself, is a Nipple Judging contest commensurate with discernment and good taste?

Those who remember the early days of Monty Python's Flying Circus might remember the catch phrase which I associate --possibly mistakenly-- with the great John Cleese "all in the best possible taste" which usually preceeded something in appallingly poor taste.

That's the paradox of promotion. You have to know your audience and play to it, and I perceive (I may be mistaken) that I'm competing in an arena where highly charged sexual material is much appreciated.

At least the nipples are unimproved... unpierced... and routinely viewed by the general public in bookstores, and on public beaches.


For your interest, this is the contest:

************************************************************************************

“I recognize a cover model by his nipples,” an editor told me on my recent Crazy Tuesday internet voices radio show in honor of the late Dawn Thompson.

Do you?
Are you a connoisseur of manly chests?

Vote for Mr GoodNipple on The Raven Happy Hour Blog, and you could win a book token from online bookseller Cy Korte at e-bookisle.net

Check out the twelve cover models’ nipples on display at:
http://www.rowenacherry.com/puzzle/


Then “Comment” at the ravenblog (link above)

Post the words “Mr GoodNipple” and a number between 1 and 12. One GoodNipple connoisseur will win.

Winner will be drawn at random by Rowena Cherry from all correct answers received. “Correct” answers are at Rowena’s sole discretion.

Extra!

All Mr Good Nipple “comments” on Rowena’s guest blog feature will also be entered in a random draw to win a bound, print ARC of Knight’s Fork.


Mr GoodNipple Entries (and written requests for full contest rules) may also be mailed to
Rowena Cherry, PO Box 554, Bloomfield Hills, Mi 48303-0554

Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. Chances of winning depend on number of entries.

Entering Rowena Cherry’s Mr GoodNipple contest does not constitute a vote for Rowena Cherry in the “Studio Diva” contest currently running at theromancestudio.com .

***********************************************************************************

You might well wonder How can a choice of any given nipple be incorrect? How can I possibly claim that there is any skill whatsoever involved in this?

It is conceivable that one of the gentlemen in my jigsaw puzzles might be posing in such a way that the manly parts that are the focus of this contest do not show.


Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry

ARC cover for Knight's Fork

This is the ARC cover for Knight's Fork. It's not the cover that will be on the book.

Best wishes,
Rowena

Quotes Contest winner

In May, June, July, August, September and October, I'm hoping to encourage my friends and readers to use quotes from my novel, “Insufficient Mating Material” or my soon-to-be-released novel, “Knight’s Fork” in their sig files.

It's a contest, however, there is no purchase or activity necessary to enter.

At least one drawing will take place in the months of July, August, September and October, and each winner will receive a $25 bookstore gift card or token.

Void where prohibited.

A complete list of rules can be viewed at http://www.rowenacherry.com/QuotesContest/
or can be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Rowena Cherry, PO Box 554 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48303-0554 with the words "Quotes Rules" written on the outside of the envelope.

*****************

SIG. FILE QUOTES

Permission is granted to use any of these quotes in your signature file:

“If you’ve made up your mind to impale someone, do it with conviction.”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Never ask a question if you don’t know the answer.”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“There’s no way to put this delicately…”
Grievous, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“I knew I was an excellent judge of character…or lack thereof.”
Tarrant-Arragon, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“We can listen to their radio, watch their TV, even tap phones, but we can’t avoid using the Royal Mail!”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.”
Thor-quentin, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“It’s hardly flattering to have my methods likened to the behavior of an ineffective tyrant.”
Tarrant-Arragon, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“I don’t still smell tasty, do I…?”
Grievous, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Your idea of dangerous and mine … are worlds apart.”
Grievous, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


If you’re going to be a thorn in my side, I need to find out how sharp you are.
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


Nice legs. Shame about the… morals.
Rhett about Electra, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Never sleep with a lady only once, especially in the case of an older lady”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Having sex multiple times on the first sleepover does not count as more than one “date”…”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Is there anything you’d like to tell me, before I make a fool of myself?”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“You’re done for…. The Royal shit just hit the fan.”
Djetth, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“That…. is not a felicitous description of my remarks,”
Grandmama Hell, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


What the blue starblazes does a wrathful god say to his seductress as a prelude to having his revenge on her?
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Your Majesty, would you mind faking an orgasm while I watch, so I know what to expect…?”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


"If you neglected to warn Djetth beforehand that you were going to shoot him down, Your Highness, he may consider you in breach of contract..."
Rhett, Insufficient Mating Material by Rowena Cherry


"That's exactly the sort of thing I want my enemies and future in-laws to know.”
Djetth Insufficient Mating Material by Rowena Cherry



Here’s looking right through you,
Rhett about Electra, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Here’s the problem. I am not the sexual equivalent of an espresso machine…..”
Rhett to Electra, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“Wouldn’t you rather play chess?....It’s less destructive of clothes.”
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


Unlike male porn stars, he did not need a goatee in his groin to trick the eye into thinking there was more of him than…met the eye.
Rhett, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“What is a fust-er-cluck?”
Viz-Igerd, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“If what you want is a fresh eye, I’m your man. If a translation is wanted, someone else’ll have to cut in.”
Grievous, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry


“When you’re up to your arse in alligators, Sir, it’s easy to forget that you’re only there to drain the pond!”
Grievous, Knight’s Fork by Rowena Cherry



The MAY 2008 winner was Diana.


Best wishes

Rowena Cherry

Interview: Of skeletons in closets, unmentionables in Romance, to be or not to be nasty

In a recent interview, the Book Club Queen asked me about my alien Djinn family tree

"....with my family tree. My two biggest mistakes were getting my arithmetic wrong, and in giving every character at least one (out of seven) royal "Djinn" name beginning with Dj---.

The D is silent.

In my ignorance, I thought that a Dj- would be a convenient signal to my reader that this was another Djinn Prince or Princess. Not everyone agrees with me.

As for the arithmetic, that left me with the choice of being nasty or inconsistent. I chose to be consistent, and rely on Egyptian and European history where royal marriages --even between infants-- was accepted, puberty was earlier, and fifteen year old Princes led armies into battle.

Thus, my family tree has given me intellectual challenges, but has also supplied a structure... and plenty of skeletons in the Royal closet."


To find out what Des DiFabio asked about bodily functions, curses, and the use of toilets in Romance, and what Rowena Cherry said, check out the interview:


Interview: http://www.book-club-queen.com/book-club-questions-6.html


Review of FORCED MATE: http://www.book-club-queen.com/free-book-review-6.html

"...I found Forced Mate a breath of fresh air in the romance arena. Sure it had it's love scenes (which actually were written with surprising intimacy and class), and definitely more than one allusion to various phallic symbols, but it was also unique, witty, and very clever."

~ Des DiFabio, bookclubqueen

"...I think Rowena's true skill is that she weaves this intricate world of aliens and sex just the same way J.K. Rowling weaves the world of Wizards."

~Des DiFabio, bookclubqueen

Happy Memorial Day

My thoughts and best wishes are with all my friends around the world this weekend.

I was brought up in Britain, where we remember war heroes on Remembrance Day, and wear artificial poppies. Last year, I bought a poppy icon on Facebook. However, on Saturday 17th, I put on a book-raiser on Armed Forces Day on my internetvoicesradio.com show, and several RomVets joined me.

RomVets are a group of Romance authors who are also veterans of any of the armed services. The most fascinating (to me) discussion was with Cindy Dees who flew corporate-sized jets to take generals around the country, including to the White House.

We all shared Cindy's amusement that a Lieutenant Colonel in the basement of the White House had to read the romance novels that Cindy wrote while she was serving, in order to make sure that she hadn't inadvertently revealed any national secrets!

The weather today seems lovely, and suddenly it is warm after a Spring that has seemed unusually cool. I hope everyone has good weather and stays safe for the cook-outs and swimming, and whatever else you have planned for this holiday weekend.

Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry

Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com

Bear Awareness Week

I can't resist a totally --well, not totally-- gratuitous hunk to start the day. Look out for further news from me about how this manly pose was transformed into a poster representing 'Rhett (Prince Djarrhett) the hero of the sequel to Forced Mate and Insufficient Mating Material. Or maybe you've seen the ad with the temporary cover?


Anyway... Not only is today (Sunday) Mother's Day, but it is also the start of
Bear Awareness Week.

Angie Fox, Carrie Masek, Sandy Lender, Cynthia Eden and Charlee Boyett-
Compo are joining me on internet voices radio tonight between 9pm
Eastern and eleven pm to give a whole new depth of meaning to Bear men and Romance.

We'd love some listeners, even for a little while.

FOR CRAZY TUESDAY: In the last program, Jade Lee and Emily Bryan (aka
Diana Groe) talked about everything below the belt in honor of Earth
Day... from Brazilian waxes for courtesans, to castration, to foot
binding.

http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/CrazyTuesday.htm


FOR CHERRY PICKING SPECIALS, which is the irreverent and irregular
Sunday night-time show about Romance heroes and the animals they shift
into being when the right female comes along.

http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/rowena.htm


Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com
http://www.internetvoicesradio.com

Bear Awareness week begins on Mother's Day!

I can't resist a totally --well, not totally-- gratuitous hunk to start the day. Look out for further news from me about how this manly pose was transformed into a poster representing 'Rhett (Prince Djarrhett) the hero of the sequel to Forced Mate and Insufficient Mating Material. Or maybe you've seen the ad with the temporary cover?

He could give me a Bear Hug any day!

Anyway... Not only is today (Sunday) Mother's Day, but it is also the start of
Bear Awareness Week.

Angie Fox, Carrie Masek, Sandy Lender, Cynthia Eden and Charlee Boyett-Compo are joining me on internet voices radio tonight between 9pm Eastern and eleven pm to give a whole new depth of meaning to Bear men and Romance.

We'd love some listeners, even for a little while.

FOR CRAZY TUESDAY: In the last program, Jade Lee and Emily Bryan (aka
Diana Groe) talked about everything below the belt in honor of Earth
Day... from Brazilian waxes for courtesans, to castration, to foot
binding.

http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/CrazyTuesday.htm


FOR CHERRY PICKING SPECIALS, which is the irreverent and irregular
Sunday night-time show about Romance heroes and the animals they shift
into being when the right female comes along.

http://www.internetvoicesradio.com/rowena.htm


Best wishes,
Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com
http://www.internetvoicesradio.com

Re-designed site for Readers

I don't normally post advertisements, but the potential incentive was too good to pass up!


Check out Sensual!sensual234x60.png.

I’m helping to spread the word about the newly redesigned website Sensual. If you like your romance novels on the steamy side, you’ll love this site. It’s full of reviews, interviews, excerpts, information on the newest print and ebooks and lots more. You can even win books and other goodies. So check it out. http://sensual.ecataromance.com
Authors, you can spread the word too! If you’d like a chance to win one of 20 Cover Ads and get a shot at a fabulous grand prize (a 3 Pack of their huge billboard ads - a $100 value!) just repost this blurb on your blog or website. Then stop by Sensual and leave a link to your post. All authors are eligible to enter and win so why in the world wouldn’t you? See their site for more information and official rules: sensual.ecataromance.com/?p=688

I’ll see you at Sensual!

Aftermath

I finished last-minute, editor-requested revisions to Knight's Fork last Wednesday...

There are all sorts of things I've done since then, but nothing seems to me to be as interesting as my quest for a temporary hunk.

Not a lot of people know this, but when a model poses for a cover, he doesn't always license every right that a modern author wants and needs. If that is the case, maybe his image cannot go on car door magnets.

The idea of a car door magnet has a strange appeal. I've never been my own billboard before!

Therefore, as soon as I realized that I was on my own, I posted a note on Facebook (my favorite social site) asking if any of my model friends wanted to pose as if they were either examining or cleaning a sword.

The silence was disheartening. So, I wondered if I might re-use one of my previous privately commissioned models, and I emailed the photographer. Alas, it would have cost about as much to re-use the same photo as to license rights to a new one.

A few days later, my photographer friend sent me three views of the model you see above. Like Viggo Mortesen's Aragorn, I very much like the dark and dirty look. Menacing is good when I have Rhett in mind.

However, he had too much clutter about him, and too many dangly bits, and his hand was so far behind his buttock that it could not be moved. (You might call that a technical difficulty.)

So, my obliging friend sent me contact sheets... nine of them, all with views of "Mr Goodrock". Some had too much rock. Some lacked the piercing, full frontal glower, in others, I found myself looking up his nostrils.

Eventually we found a great shot, a little more worried-looking than I might have liked, but Rhett is "forked" and in a very difficult position in the book, so "troubled" would do. Moreover, Rhett is the swordsman of the family, and doesn't have to be immensely buff and ripped, so the less bulgy pecs are better.

Then began the quest for a sword. Much merriment ensued on Facebook, because a surprising number of my friends thought I might be looking for a sword of the warm, pink variety. We got that squared away.

So... behold, the rope has been replaced with a sword, and I gather that it took eleven overlays!

Insufficient Mating Material wins a FANTASM

Insufficient Mating Material won the Fantasm Award for Best Futuristic published in 2007, as nominated and selected by those who voted.

Way to go, J K Rowling! I am serious.

Copyright is being infringed every day, and there is not a lot we (midlist and lower) authors can do about it.

As fast as we discover another site where our books have been illegally scanned, turned into e-books, and are being "shared", then spent half a day writing to the site's moderators, and perhaps getting the links removed... the thieves go elsewhere.

I saw a journalist blog the other day that because J K Rowling won't miss the royalties, it is acceptable for readers to steal from every other author, too.

It's not OK. Not all copies that are read illegally would have been paperbacks sold, but some will, and for some authors, those lost sales will make the difference between whether or not they are ever offered another contract.

When I see that JK Rowling's books are also on the pirate site, I'm glad, because I know that eventually, that site will be shut down, because she is good at defending herself, and the big guns sink pirates faster than lots of little pop guns can.

Today I'm cheering, because I keep the rights to my characters. Wouldn't you? I don't know how someone can publish an Encyclopaedia of Harry Potter without mentioning any of the characters!

I hope the New York judge sides with Ms Rowling!

Anyway....If you think it is only fair that the government defends the book industry's copyrights with the same vigor that they protect the music and movie industries, please consider signing this petition.

Or, pass on the url. Let's make a stir!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ebooksandpirates/
_________________
Rowena Cherry

Rough, ready, and in the raw (sort of)

Hi,

If you wanted a chance to win an autographed ARC of Rowena Cherry's CAPA Award winning, sexy, futuristic, stranded-on-tropical-island romance, Insufficient Mating Material, today (Sunday) could be the day... if you visit http://www.authorisland.com

Also, since this is one of my two permitted, PROMO-titled postings a month, I'd like to mention a couple of reviews, and a new reviewer in town.


FORCED MATE (SNIP)
"Political intrigue, culture clashes, gender issues, and romance collide to create a fun and breezy story that made one think just a little." ~ Allie Jones, inbedwithbooks.blogspot.com


INSUFFICIENT MATING MATERIAL (SNIP)
"...someone wants to kill the Princess. Of course, Djetth’s grandmother and Marsh’s mother have something to say about that. They set out to prove just how dangerous little old ladies can be."~ Allie Jones, inbedwithbooks.blogspot.com


READ THE REVIEWS ... FOLLOW THIS LINK

http://inbedwithbooks.blogspot.com/2008/04/gods-of-tigron-trilogy.html


Best wishes,

Rowena Cherry
http://www.rowenacherry.com
Preditors and Editors "Author's Site of Excellence Award" winner for 3/2008