Dear AT2 Sisters ...............

from Ann Lethbridge

A note of despair, written this Sunday evening, in April, to my dearest sisters,

I write in hopes of an answer on this my question.

I do hope you will hear this plea for help.

Do I make my heroine, dark or fair? Short or tall? Quiet or fiery?

How do you pick? With a pin?

In my current bad case of indecision, I turn to you for help.

How do you decide on the appearance and natures of the characters who people your stories?

Do you scour the movies for just the right face as I do sometimes? Or do you look at family and friends? Perhaps a soupcon here and there?

Or is she some combination of women you admire? A brave Jean d'Arc, or a naughty Emma Hamilton, both pictured here.



And what about the men. Is a Clive Owen a good place to start? Or do you keep a file of those hunks who occasionally show up in the inbox to stir your imagination? Or are they, as I so often read in author letters, all based on your partner.


Any secret you impart will be kept closely guarded, naturally.

Longing to hear your words of wisdom,

Your sister, Ann

---

The Rake's Inherited Courtesan is in stores now. If you would like to know what my hero did about such a scandalous bequest, you might want to take a peek.

Dear Sisters, I'm here! (and why do I never read the directions?)

I'm finally here at RT! That would be the Romantic Times Book Club Convention (for anyone reading that doesn't know). And yes, this is my first RT convention which makes me an official RT virgin. Honest, I've already been called that by at least 5 people. Jo Carol (the coordinator) is as nice as can be. She took the time to talk to me about the Bunco Bash I'm hosting on Thursday afternoon, show me the schematic for my room, give me some great tips, etc...

Although the convention doesn't officially open until tomorrow the buzz in the air is electric. Why have I never come here before???

After meeting with Jo Carol, I come across a very lovely woman who is setting up her items on Promotion alley. I ask her what she's doing, and she fills me in. Now I too, have items to set up for Promotion Alley, but the space I'm seeing allotted is not nearly big enough for the lovely huge Bunco poster board I've brought along for this specific purpose.

"There must be a mistake," I say.

"Oh?" lovely lady author whose name I can't remember says.

"I thought the space was like, um, 15 x 15 feet."

She smiles at me kindly. "It's 15x15 inches."

My cheeks go red. Clearly, she's right. 15x15 feet? What was I thinking? That's like, a small bedroom. What am I? A goober?

I think back to all the hours I spent making that beautiful Bunco poster. Why don't I actually ever stop and read the directions/instructions/information, etc... and take the time to digest them? Or I could have easily asked one of my fellow AT sisters who have been to RT before for advice. So now the poster is clearly out. But wait! I can drag it to my Bunco Babes Bash and use it there, so all is not lost. I feel a little better now. Lesson learned. Hopefully, I'll remember it for next time.



Stop by my blog where I'll posting about RT all week long. Wish me luck!

Dear Sisters. . .Tell Me About Your Road Trip

Dear Sisters,

Spring break was nuts. OK, let's be realistic my life is about to get a lot nuttier. For some insane reason (well, perhaps not so insane, as it's money or the lack thereof) we are driving from the Seattle area to Disneyland in exactly one week. From there we'll drive to my in-laws in Phoenix to visit for a few days, then trek back again. The kids have never been there before, so that's a plus. We might even make an overnight stay in Las Vegas on the way back (the adult Disneyland) and show them the pirates.


What I want to know is this:
1) What's your fondest memory of a road trip? What did you do, where did you go, what made it great?
2) Do you have any suggestions for how to make 40+ hours in the car bearable with two kids in the back seat?
3) Have you ever been to Vegas? Any place you'd recommend staying?

Thanks for the advice!

Your Sister,
Theresa

Dear Sisters...Help! What do I do now?

Seduction has been released for sale online.

I've also finished my edits for the July, 09, release of Are You Going to the Dance? my western historical romance which is part of The Wild Rose Press anthology, Northern Roses and Southern Belles.

I have languishing manuscripts filed in my desk drawer waiting to be polished, as well as half a dozen novel beginnings calling to me to finish writing. PLEASE, help me decide what to do!

The manuscripts awaiting edits and polishing are 80K word western historical romances.

The half dozen story beginnings consist of story synopses plus the first few chapters. They're all romances and include one contemporary, one fantasy about crystals that takes place a long time ago, one Victorian shapeshifter that takes place in England, and two contemporary suspense shapeshifter stories.

How do I decide which one to work on next? Should I choose according to the story whose characters are calling to me the loudest, or the story which more closely fits what publishers are looking for right now?

And for that matter, what exactly do publishers want? Help! What should I do?