From the Cheap Seat

Well ... kind of. Every once in a while I like to post tips to writers that are inspired by the editor side of me. Recently, I've had the fabulous and fun opportunity to dabble in acquisitions and some of the things I'm learning are too good not to pass on to you guys!

For instance, you all know things you should do, like write a great query, but do you really know why it's so important? I'm going to tell you, from the Cheap Seat.

Writing a GREAT query

Photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net (c) anankkml

THIS is drilled into writers time and time again. And sure, you know, on the surface why it's important to get across that your work is good. But, why ...

Review: DUTY by Rachel Rossano

I've never mentioned how neat it is to know people in the biz, have I? It is. I first did some work for Rachel editing WORD AND DEED for her (and the cover of that book? Still LOVE.) I was immediately impressed with her work, so when she contacted me about reviewing her latest novel DUTY, I said yes right away.

From Amazon: 

Duty to King

Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn’t a typical noblewoman.

Duty to Others

Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn’t surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine’s unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier?

Duty to Each Other

Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

It's All In The Details, Part 2: Research Tips from Heather B. Moore

I'll have to be honest, I'm not a ancient history type person, so although I knew about Heather and that she was a good writer, I never picked up one of her books -- until the Timeless Romance Anthology came along. Heather's short story, set in New York in 1901 hooked me from the moment I read 1901. I love -- adore -- that era. I've set one book in San Francisco around that time and I'm working on a novella set in 1894.

Heather has just released HEART OF THE OCEAN, available on Amazon for a mere $3.99. So I asked Heather to drop by the blog and give some tips on writing historical fiction:

Top Five Novellas You Should Read Now!

Have I mentioned how smitten I am with novellas lately? They are SO perfect for me. I'm now officially off maternity leave and am working on editing projects -- which translates into not a lot of personal reading time. But a novella? I can pound out one of those in between! I love that they're popular. Keep 'em coming people! 

So here's a list of the ones I think you should read:

One.
Okay, is anyone surprised that I'm listing my own first? It's good, people! My mom says so. ;)

After Lord Dersingham spurned her last season, Iris Colburn promises to never allow him back into her heart, despite his excuses, his long-standing connection to her family, or the fact that she once loved him.
But upon her return from Paris, Iris finds it is more difficult than she expected to keep Lord Dersingham at arm's length. His presence at nearly every social function Iris attends reminds her more of their blissful past than the sting of his rejection. Worse, she fears she is falling for him again.
If it wasn't for his outrageous behavior, that is. He asks Iris' father for permission to court her -- again -- but then showers attention on the disreputable Miss Halliday.
Iris doesn't know what kind of game Lord Dersingham is playing, but with her heart and her pride on the line, she will do anything to win.

Read the first chapters!

Sometimes Saturday: 30 Day Closet Challenge, Week 1

My Saturday "Sometimes" post is a day late. Sorry, I was watching basketball all weekend. Today's is different. It's not baking or sewing ... it's about my wardrobe, which is why I had to name this post "Sometimes Saturday" and not "Sometimes I ... Get Dressed." That just sounded wrong. 

So let me explain. I have this closet packed full of clothes and, I kid you not, I wear maybe 10% of them. I do this thing where I cycle through my favorite three or four outfits/shirts and then I buy something new. Bad, Ranee. Bad. So I challenged myself. For thirty days I would wear something new from my closet. Maybe something I hadn't worn in months, and in some cases, years.

I'm not holding myself to too strict a standard. Because, I mean, cardigans. (If you don't know me personally, you might not be aware that I have a slight addiction to them.) But I took pictures, okay!

First off, I have like no clothing creativity. I love to buy stuff, but putting all my stuff together? Aaack. That's why I love pinterest. Monday's outfit, inspired by this pin.

Run down: Top, Gray, from Walmart. (My one saving grace with all my clothes is that I bought most of my shirts on clearance racks in some place or another and rarely paid over $10.) I think this shirt was $3.
Black checked scarf, Walmart.
Belt, Walmart. (I'm sensing a pattern...)
Pants, Old Navy trouser jeans, also on sale. $21






So Tuesday's outfit comes with a shirt makeover. I bought the shirt below from Maurices, probably seven years ago and for the last five years, at least, it has sat, forlorn, in my closet. (I almost never give clothes away. Whenever I do, I think, Man, I should have kept that shirt.)

I'm in love with ruffles, and I figured this shirt definitely had some spunk left in it. It has a pretty, pale pink pattern and is soft and lightweight. So I lopped off the sleeves to create the ruffles on the front and then chopped the top of the collar off -- because I'm not wild about collars. I love the idea, but in execution, on me, not so much. This was the result:

Loved it. This is the outfit it got worn in:

Top(s):
Cardigan - Bella Bird, Walmart. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.
Shirt - Made-over ruffle top.
Tank - Lace tank in rose pink from Down East Basics.
Bottoms - Maurices wide-leg jeans, bought off ebay.
Skinny belt - Walmart


Wednesday I spent all day in my pajamas, cleaning and doing odds and ends. No picture. :) Thursday's outfit. -->
Tops
Cardigan - Old Navy boyfriend cardigan, white
Shirt - Pleated Henley, Walmart, Blue
Lace Cap Sleeve, white, Down East Basics
Bottoms - Old Navy Trouser jeans


Friday! (Left) Me showing off my Bulldog pride to go watch my little brother-in-law and my sister play basketball.
Tops
Team t-shirt made-over to fit more femininely. (A while ago!)
Cardigan - Old Navy basic cardigan, blue
Layer - Bella Band, bought when I was pregnant. Best buy ever! It was perfect for extending my wardrobe, and now it's great for layering -- and covering my back when I'm nursing. Love it.
Jeans - Mossimo boot cut jeans from Target.

Saturday (Right) - More Bulldog gear! I designed the T-shirt and used a Groupon to get them for me and my family from Vista Print. Woot! Go Bulldogs!
Undershirt - Black long sleeve from Down East Basics
Bella Band
Jeans - Maurices wide-leg jeans.

Sunday
Top - White long sleeve from Down East Basics
Vest - Brown from Maurices
Chevron maxi skirt from Walmart. ($12! Who can resist that?!?) - It's SO comfy. And when I got home I ditched the pretties on top and put on a T-shirt my brother made me a while back for a braves game and have been lounging in that all day. I can't wait to pair this with flip-flops and t-shirts this summer. I'm going to be cool in so many ways. ;)

That's all for this week. Come back next week and see what I come up with. :) (Or what Pinterest comes up with ...)

Coming Soon: A LADY AND A SPY

I have to be honest with you guys. After the first few weeks A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION was on sale and I remembered to go check my stats, the number of copies it had sold astounded me. It was awesome to think that so many people wanted to read my novella!

The idea for A LADY AND A SPY had been kicking around in my head for sometime and I thought, "This means it's time to get to work." So I did. With a new baby and all it took me a lot longer than I wanted, but I'm now working on edits and confident that A LADY AND A SPY will be released in Spring 2013. (Way to be specific ... right? I figure that gives me anywhere from March to June -- and the way life is going right now, anything could happen!)

How about a peek at the cover. I'm not absolutely positive this will be final, so how about giving your opinion?

Image (c)  YuriyZhuravov  Cover Design (c) Ranee` S. Clark

As Jolene can attest, I went through a lot of versions before I came to this -- thank heavens for her wisdom! (Though one of the earlier versions might still end up on the paperback ... we'll see!)

And of course, you all need some back-cover love:

Blanche Audley's old-fashioned grandfather cut off her mother after she married Thomas Audley and his millions of "new money," and for the last ten years since her parents' deaths, Blanche has lived under the gloom of his disappointment. So when she recklessly loses a thousand dollars to Etta Channing in a game of baccarat, she will do anything to keep her foolish actions from him. Except he oversees every penny she spends of the wealth her father left her, leaving her no way of paying the debt without his knowledge.

Until Etta offers her a deal. Alexander Whealdon, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, needs a companion to shepherd his younger sister through her first season. Etta wants Blanche to take the position and use it to infiltrate the household and pass along information that will help Etta get her hooks into the reserved Mr. Whealdon. It seems like an easy way to pay off the debt and save face at the same time. But the more Blanche sees of Mr. Whealdon's playful side, not to mention his surprising generosity, the less she wants to help Etta win him over.

Backing out means humiliating herself and disappointing both her grandfather and Mr. Whealdon, not to mention losing Miss Whealdon's trust and friendship, but if she goes through with her promise to Etta, she will lose what might be her last chance for love.

AND that's not all the love I'm giving out. Have you reviewed A CONTEMPTIBLE AFFECTION either on your blog, Amazon, or Goodreads? (Are you going to do it right now...? :) If the answer is yes, comment on this post (with a link) and I'll give you an early-release copy of A LADY AND A SPY. No drawing. No random pick. Just you get one if you've reviewed it.

Review: THE DAISY CHAIN by Heather B. Moore

Mmmmm. Moore romance from Heather? (I'm so clever, right?) Yes, thank you.

From Amazon: Welcome to the Aliso Creek Novella Series...

Liz, Gemma, Arie, Jess, and Drew have been best friends since creating “the Five” at Aliso Creek High School. But that was over ten years ago, and each is still trying to find that perfect someone... if perfect is even possible.

Actually, Jess Giles has found her perfect match, but since Charlie is several years older than she, they never have a moment of harmony from his adult kids who protest the marriage. When Charlie dies in a tragic accident, his kids add insult to injury and sue Jess for her share of the inheritance. The only person Jess trusts for financial advice is Charlie’s financial planner, Preston Michaels. Just talking to Preston on the phone makes Jess feel flustered, yet strangely comfortable at the same time, so she puts off meeting him for as long as possible. When Jess has to attend the formal hearing, she’s about to find out if the man she’s been talking to over the phone for several months lives up to the voice that she’s grown attached to.