Friday Fun Fact

Barnes & Noble just keeps making it better.
This morning I got a notice that all their stores will now offer free Wi-Fi. Sweet! And for all you other businesses who don't offer it, pony up! We know you've got internet, go buy a darn router, already. I'm staunchly refusing from this day forward to stay in a hotel which charges for internet access, too. C'mon already. It's like charging for TV!
Incidentally, this B&N message also had lots of face space regarding their new venture into eBooks and their reading software.
B&N just might pull themselves out of that downward spiral after all.

Lovely weekend, all.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Workin' That "Thing"

Have you heard of Library Thing?
It's a cool book-lovers site where you can set up a membership, rate books, find other people who like the same ones, talk about books, give away books you want to share, get your name in drawings to win books...

Mostly about books.

I just gave away 2 digital copies of Waiting for Revenge and had 176 people signed up for the drawing last I looked. Pretty neat publicity.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?
www.autumnpiper.com

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm"

I'm a bit amused (albeit happy) to see how gung-ho Barnes & Noble has suddenly gotten about ebooks. The company just last year totally shunned the electronic format (once did a search on their site for "ebooks" and got a message along the lines of "B&N no longer sells ebooks" with the basic attitude of been there, done that, not worth our time).

Now, not only do they sell ebooks, but my Inbox is bombarded with notices regarding their own ebook reading software, pimping its use on iPhone and Blackberry, and they now have over 700,000 titles available. Including bestsellers! This, mere months after purchasing Fictionwise, the online ebook retailing giant.

They aren't just getting their feet wet - they've dived right in.

Ya think maybe they did some market research and watched the sales numbers for ebooks skyrocketing?

I'll just bet it's not long before B&N either come out with their own ereading portable device or attach themselves to one already on the market. Well, I hate that they avoided ebooks for so long, but I've gotta love that they are now onboard.

Would be way rad if my Fictionwise membership could somehow cross over and be used to get B&N discounts, too. I know. Always the dreamer.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Editor Hat

Today is my "editor" day to post on the LPI blog.
All about character point of view in fiction.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Things that suck more than Mondays...

I've been trying to help my husband get paperwork in line for his (very small) electrical contracting business.

Holy red tape, Batman!

You'd think once you've got a contractor's license, the hard part is over.
Not so.
You'd also think every little town and county could get hold of a contractor's license info and insurance verification via the state.
Not so.

Red tape definitely sucks more than Mondays.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Father Fuscius Friday

Cornfuscius' dad was here last weekend, and let me tell ya, he's got more witty pearls to share than you can shake a dried-up corn stalk at.

My fave from this trip:

Excuses are like @$$holes. Everybody's got one.

Pithy.

Happy Friday! I'm off to get my hair pruned today. If I'm brave, perhaps I'll post a pic next week.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Spotlight on a Close Up

This one kinda slipped by me earlier this week, but it's a biggie. Monday marked the 40th anniversary of our lunar landing. Yup, 40 years since Armstrong and Aldrich took that famed stroll. And, with new technology available, some of the photos the 2 astronauts took (which had been previously archived and hidden from public view) are now available for our enjoyment.
This one got me all verklempt:
Close Up
Maybe it's the phrasing on the plaque: "Here men from the planet earth first set foot upon the moon July 1969, A.D." - gives me chills. Pretty big deal. But then, I'm one who still gets teary-eyed when I see the Space Shuttle lift off.
Kinda makes me wanta do a bunch of research and write a novel with an astronaut as the hero... or heroine?

Hmm. Those little wheels-n-cogs are spinning now.
Happy Thursday!

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

I braved the overdue charges and kept Lori Foster's Never Too Much until I'd finished it. What the heck, might as well donate a little cash to the ole bibliotecha, no?

Sierra and Ben are fun together, lots of joking and teasing. The secondary romance is also fun to watch unfold. Foster gives us a realistic take on domestic violence and reminds us how long it can keep haunting its victims. I felt a little...lost toward the end of the book. Kept waiting for the proverbial "other shoe", you know, the curve in the story arc, the "dark moment". As I got closer and closer to the end, I kept wondering what sort of roadblock the romance would run into, and still be resolved in the thin section of book left... This wasn't one of those stories. Some personal problems the characters had were resolved and that was that. The hero and heroine knew they loved each other, so it was over. Definitely not formulaic.

Since the characters pulled me in and kept me, even past my "due date", I rate this book a Keeper. I'd highly recommend it, and promise you won't regret your time with it.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

EPIC Decision

I posted on the LPI blog about my decision to enter Fantasy Mountain in the EPPIEs - see it here:

http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

18 and Counting

They were twenty year old - "all grown up". Full of optimism and independence, ready to make their own way. They'd known each other all of six months and were certain.

So they made their plans - white dress, traditional ceremony, rings... And got their first lesson in marriage: Things seldom go the way you plan them.

One of the groomsmen proved without a doubt that he certainly wasn't the "best" man when he no-showed without a word (dude. Andy - if I ever meet you, trust me, it's not gonna be pretty...). And the judge zonked out in front of Jeopardy about the time he was supposed to be heading over to the Holiday Inn, so he was tardy (and only showed up at all because the REAL best man had the wits about him to notice he hadn't arrived). The bride and groom were about two hours late to pick up their honeymoon rental boat the next day, and had to spend the night in the back of the truck.

Omens? Nah. Just real life kicking in and reminding us not everything goes smoothly. And some glitches are more suckalicious than others.

It's been 18 years today, since that old fart forgot he'd taken $200 to go marry a couple of kids on July 20th. 18 years seems like a lifetime when you're 20, but now... well, not so long. As for the "glitches", well, heck. How boring would it have been if everything went off without a hitch (no pun intended).

Happy anniversary, Jim. Toyota!

A

1st Review Friday

I've held my breath, wondering how a "realistic" women's fiction/romance novel would go over with reviewers. Would my heroine meet with condemnation, as she did with a few uptight critique partners who like to know just what to expect in a book? Would readers hate that they had mixed feelings about the "bad guy" because he had good qualities, too?

Waiting for Revenge got its first review in yesterday, and I'm thrilled. Not only did the reviewer like the book, but she really "got" what I set out to do:

Manic readers review

Happy Friday, ya'all (been working on edits for my next release, filled with Texan cowboys).

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Poor Thing

So I have this Facebook friend.

A big-name author I admire. Posts lots of cool updates, very in touch with the fans. We get to hear (read?) all about the trips and new cars, and one day, about a new motorhome. The author didn't really need a new motorhome, but this one is a real peach, so much nicer than the last one.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to decide which one my kids to borrow money from until payday. And at first, I have to confess, I considered "silencing" this friend so I wouldn't hear about any more fabulousness. But then I decided to put this other person's success to good use.

Now it's my motivation - the light at the end of my poorass tunnel, if you will. The economy sucks and people are losing jobs left and right. Yet, romance is alive and well. Sales are up. It's a great business to be in. If I keep working my butt off and gathering readers, one day I, too, might qualify for the free checking account where you have to keep a minimum balance of a grand to draw interest. Heck, maybe one day I can even pay my kids off!

Sky's the limit, baby.

Happy Thursday.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

I'm still - still - trying to read Lori Foster's Never Too Much, which is great, but I'll probably have to return it to the library before I'm done. Sadly. I've just had too much going on to read much for pleasure.

What I have been reading lots is my To-do list, sewing directions for doll clothes, and more Facebook than I should, given how busy I am...

At least the To-Do list is shrinking each day, now that baseball is over and we're winding down on softball season.

Off to morning practice now.
Happy reading!

Autumn Piper
Got romance?
www.autumnpiper.com

Light at the end of the tunnel

I've got my blurb polished, query letter written and proofed by my CPs (yeah, I still do that!), and later today I'm ready to send out my submission.

This amid the plethora of editing tasks lining up on my To-Do list. Kinda feels like I'm getting buried alive.

Still, it'll be great to finally "finish" something I've had going for about 3 months now.

Happy Tuesday - give yourself a break and go find something funny on youTube.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Things That Suck More Than Mondays

For me, this one sucks more than a Monday after vacation. Writing blurbs. For non-writers, a "blurb" is the teaser for a book, something like the back cover might read. I'm in the process of writing one to put in a query for my Christmas short story, All I Want for Christmas is a Fireman. Writing these can be tough. I once spent longer writing the blurb and query for a book, than I did on the book itself.
And thanks to my marvelous friend Jasmine Black, I've now got something to work with. Here's the rough version:

One more Christmas lusting after her older brother's best friend and Timi Rogers might lose her mind. Fed up with family holidays, she rents a cabin for one, planning an escape into a world of her drawings. But after numerous sketches turn out to be her rendition of Clay in the Hottest Firemen Calendar pose, she realizes location is just a technicality.
Clay Jones can't imagine spending Christmas without Timi around to ogle. Hearing she's holed up in a lovers' retreat, he can't resist the urge to seek her out. This year, he's determined to start a fire and claim the gift he's always wanted. With or without her brother's approval.
They have words when Timi assumes he's there to check up on her, and Clay leaves defeated, only to find the roads closed due to weather. Snowed in and surrounded by lovers, a spark smolders. Will Clay tend the blaze or allow it to ignite into flames?

It's a start at least - much better than what I'd come up with!

Happy Monday.

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Time Freeze, Anyone?

I've got roughly 30 hours worth of editing (some of my own, and some on others' books) to do today in about 9 hours.

Anybody know where I can get hold of a time-stopping machine?

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy! (and a lot of hard work for those who create it...)

Fuscius Facts

Another pearl gleaned straight from Cornfuscius' cob...

"Deer flies suck."

Ayuh.

Happy Thursday!

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

... among other things, the FAQs for Blogger, since my scheduled posts seem to just sit and rot, rather than posting as scheduled. I edited my Time Zone, so maybe now my posts here and on the LPI blog will go up when they should.

Also working on my Library Thing account. If you haven't ever been there and you love books, check it out! Many free books up for grabs all the time there.

Lastly, slogging through the copy edits for Lone Star Trouble. Lotsa work, but I think this book is going to really shine.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Porta Blog, The Sequel

I'm blogger of the day over at Lyrical Press:

http://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/

See ya there!

Autumn

Switcheroo

It's a bit of a manic Monday round here today - my official release date for Waiting for Revenge.

I'll be hitting the promo groups today and have a million other things going, so we'll do our Tube Tuesday feature today.

It's a trailer video for an awesome romance I've read (and might I add, the author is a super gal!) - Hostage to Love. Greek hero...need I say more?

Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tVY97_c3CU

Happy Monday!

Autumn Piper
Romance is sexy!

Phone booth weekend

We're going away for the weekend, to get a free chilly shower, courtesy of nature... er, camp. It'll only be a couple of days, but something BIG is happening while we're gone:
Waiting for Revenge will be released on Saturday.
So I'm leaving here, just regular old me, and returning a real, live, published author. (kinda like Superman in the phone booth, see? )
Hopefully my cape will be waterproof, and compliment my eyes...

Here's where the book will appear first, though Amazon should have its Kindle version in a couple of days, too.
http://www.lyricalpress.com/autumn_piper
It's available in like every electronic format imaginable through Lyrical Press for the first 6 months and then next January it'll release in print, too. LPI's Once Upon A Bookstore just got a costume change, too, which I think is awesome. Here's the link if you care to take a gander:
http://www.onceuponabookstore.com/

Happy 4th of July! My the pyrotechnics awe and inspire you, but stay safely away from your skin.

Autumn Piper
Got romance?

Vocab expander

Here's a new one for the romance reader/writer dictionary:

spoontaneous: adj. condition where a couple - particularly in a romance novel - are very prone to cuddling, oftentimes even prior to actual lovemaking. Characterized by an unbelievably understanding Hero and possibly oblivious heroine (as in, she fails to notice the woody he sports all night long while pressed against her backside). Some novel couples are ready to spoon at first meeting. Can cause readers to say "Ack, gag, choke", rather than the intended, "Awww."
A writer afflicted with a very spoontaneous couple should know, the best antidote is a healthy dose of realism. Think: WWGHD? - what would Greg House do?

Piper Denna
Romance is sexy!

Watcha Readin' Wednesday

My review this week is for Lori Foster's Caught, which is actually 2 of her older novellas - Taken, and Say Yes - repacked and rereleased around 10 years later.

Taken was a really fun read. Virginia's a woman who is always in control, so when sexy Dillon kidnaps her in order to protect her, you know the sparks will fly.

Say Yes moves a bit slower, with more introspection and a little less sex, but if you're a die-hard Lori fan, then you've got to read this.

I borrowed this from the library (purely because I'm too broke to be buying books - LF is normally on my "buy" list). For me, Caught is a Borrow It. An okay read, but try to borrow from a friend or library. This author will likely improve with experience, so try to remember her. (This description fits this book to a "t". Foster has improved tons since she wrote these books, and she was no slouch then.)

Autumn Piper
Got romance?