Sarah's Recipe for Romance

Wit, humor, and a rakish hero determined to risk everything to win the heart of the woman he loves.

Snow Days & Field Trips

February 25, 2010 – 9:16 am

Though I may feel like an ostrich that has her head buried in the sand, here in NYC, it is snow. What have I been doing during the snowfalls? Writing, revising, and of course, getting ready for the new addition to our family (due May 31st). While I have been busy at my computer, my upcoming guest bloggers have been working away towards deadlines and traveling (when possible) for sales calls.

Alas, this was not the month for guests. But stay tuned! Coming soon, I am excited to announce that a friend who works on the book packaging side of the industry will be stopping by as well as a couple of friends who have worked or are currently working with Wal-Mart!

In the meantime, just in case you missed it in January, I would like to redirect your attention to my recent guest appearance on the RWA NYC Blog. Stop by and read about my experiences selling to Target. I am happy to answer questions (though as I note in the blog post, I most certainly do not claim to have all the answers) either posted here or you can contact me directly.

Thanks for stopping by and if you are in New York, enjoy the snow!

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Guest Bloggers, Life in NYC ++ Comments (0)

Romance in the Library Marketplace

January 26, 2010 – 9:13 am

By Erica, a guest blogger from Random House’s Library Marketing Department

Librarians perform a service for patrons referred to as Readers’ Advisory. This is when they receive requests to recommend a book or author who might be of interest to a patron’s particular reading tastes. This can be quite a challenge! But a skilled librarian is able to maintain a working knowledge of the popular authors and their read-alikes in any given genre or subgenre. For example, if you enjoy anything written by Mary Balogh, then Eloisa James is another author to whom you will be introduced. Or if you decide that you would prefer a title with a bit more heat, a librarian may hand you a copy of an Anna Campbell title.

How do librarians remain knowledgeable of all the latest and greatest in the romance genre?

They read reviews!  Reviews are of the utmost importance in helping librarians in their purchasing and reader’s advisory decisions. Booklist and Library Journal are the industry leaders. But Romance Writers of America, blogs and webliographies are also crucial.

Librarians don’t shy away from the mass market binding.  In their collections, mass market is like candy. Those titles receive some of the highest circulation numbers and the librarians stand at the ready with their reorders. They understand that their patrons perusing these collections are voracious readers of their preferred genre/subgenre.

Be conscious of the proliferation of audio and e-books. Overdrive® is the largest provider of e-books for libraries in the US. Overdrive’s most downloaded e-books Adult Fiction list is largely made up of romance novels.

Did you know that RWA has a Librarian of the Year award?

I was also very impressed to discover The Romance Writers of America Library Grant – presented by the Public Library Association and the Romance Writers of America. The Romance Writers of America Library Grant is designed to provide a public library the opportunity to build or expand its romance fiction collection and/or host romance fiction programming. The grant consists of $4,500 to be used toward the purchase of romance fiction, author honorariums and travel expenses, and other applicable program expenses.

Have you seen the BOOKLIST WEBINAR on romance?

Click here to watch “Sweet Talk: Romance Fiction in the Library” (11/12/09), featuring a discussion of the state of the genre—in public libraries and in the marketplace. Sponsored by HarperCollins Publishers, Books on Tape and Listening Library (Random House), and Romance Writers of America.

Erica will be checking in throughout the day, so please let her know if you have any questions!

Erica is an Associate Manger with Random House’s Adult Library Marketing Group. In May, she will graduate from Pratt’s School of Library Science! To learn more about the Random House Library Marketing Group, visit www.randomhouselibrary.com and check out their blog.


By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Guest Bloggers, The Business of Romance ++ Comments (14)

New Year, New Blog Series! A Peak at the Sales & Marketing Side of the Business

January 12, 2010 – 9:08 am

First, I wish to thank everyone who stopped by last month and offered your congratulations.  My husband and I are looking forward to meeting our first child on May 31st (though I’ve been told he or she might arrive sometime before or after that date).  In the coming weeks, we should know if we are expecting a boy or a girl and I promise to keep you updated.

Now that the morning sickness is a thing of the past, I am feverishly writing away.  I believe it was Tessa Dare who said that the middle of her pregnancies were a time of great creativity and I have found that to be true thus far.  Or perhaps it was the power of suggestion.  If that’s the case, thanks Tessa!

My burst of creativity has also inspired a new idea for my blog: a series of guest bloggers! In order to begin 2010 with a bang, I have asked some of my friends and former colleagues in the publishing industry to stop by and offer a peak into the sales and marketing side of the business.

To kick off the series, my January guest blogger will be Erica from Random House’s Library Marketing Department.  In addition to working full time for Random House, Erica is currently studying to become a librarian. Erica will be visiting on January 26th so mark your calendar! And please check back to see who will be visiting in February and March.

If you would like to learn more about my experience as a mass merch sales representative, stop by the RWA NYC Chapter blog later this month to view my guest appearance.  I’ll post the specific date once it is confirmed.

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Life in NYC, The Business of Romance ++ Comments (5)

So Many Reasons to Celebrate . . .

December 8, 2009 – 8:48 am

As many of you may have noticed, I took a brief hiatus from the blogging world recently. What have I been up to since my last entry? And why am I celebrating?

First, I am proud to say that I recently completed many months of revisions on my second historical romance, Courting Scandal, and an excerpt is now featured on my site! To read the first chapter, click here.

Now, I’m sure many of you are scrolling down, reviewing my previous post written in late October, and asking yourselves, I thought she finished revising Courting Scandal a month ago? Well, I did. And then it took me about a month to write the synopsis and query letter. How did all of this take me over a month to complete? Here is where my second reason to celebrate comes into play.

My husband and I are expecting our first child!  

Unfortunately, this wonderful news interfered with my writing schedule for the past few months. I spent weeks cursing whoever thought up the label “morning” sickness.  Each day, I watched the sun set still feeling just as rotten as I had when I crawled out of bed. After about a month, I began to accept that I was simply suffering as the sun rose in each and every time zone around the globe. (And everyone kept telling me this was a good sign.) Needless to say, this did not lead to great bursts of creativity. Some days I managed a few pages only to find my heroine had abandoned her quest to win the hero’s love in favor of the couch.  

With those first few months behind me, I have now returned my focus and energy to sending out queries and working on my next project. Of course, I am still hopeful that the agents and editors who currently have Flirting with Scandal under consideration will fall in love with the story. But if not, I am thrilled that I have so much to look forward to in the coming months- requests for Courting Scandal and finding out whether our first child will be a boy or girl!

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Life in NYC, On Writing ++ Comments (15)

An Update: Courting Scandal

October 26, 2009 – 9:02 am

As you may have noticed, I’ve been absent from the blogging world for the past few weeks. Where have I been? Revising and rewriting. I’ve spent the last month editing my recently completed manuscript Courting Scandal.  

In brief, I would describe this story as a Regency era battle of the sexes between London’s unofficial queen of schemes, Lady Amelia Spencer, and the reserved Duke of Thornhill.  The story unfolds in two parts: Part I, In which an Exchange of Favors leads to a House Party that ends in an Engagement and a Gunshot; and  Part II, In which a Scandal results in a Wedding that leads to a Misunderstanding and a room full of Courtesans.  

What is next on my to do list? Write a detailed synopsis and a query letter. After that, I will likely complete one last round of revisions based on the feedback from my early readers (thank you!) before I begin reaching out to agents and publishers!  

What is your process once you have completed a first (or second or third) draft of a manuscript?  

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in On Writing ++ Comments (8)

Lady Jane’s Salon Featuring Kathryn Smith and Mari Mancusi

October 6, 2009 – 8:06 am

Last night a group of romance writers, readers and industry professionals gathered at Madame X in downtown NYC for Lady Jane’s Salon. Founded by romance authors Maya Rodale, Hope Tarr, Leanna Renee Hieber and blogger Ron Hogan, Lady Jane’s Salon is Manhattan’s first romance reading series.  

This month, Lady Jane’s featured Kathryn Smith and Mari Mancusi. Unfortunately, Kathryn Smith was unable to attend, but one of Lady Jane’s co-founders, Leanna Renee Hieber, author of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, performed an engaging (to say the least, I think many of us were howling with laughter!) reading from Kathryn Smith’s latest, When Seducing a Duke. She read from Chapter 3. I highly recommend purchasing a copy and then you shall see why we could not stop laughing. And, as an added bonus, we also learned a new vocabulary word! Again you must buy the book to learn more.

Next up was Mari Mancusi, author of The Blood Coven Vampires series. If you enjoy a great vampire read (and who doesn’t these days?), add the recently re-released Boys That Bite, the first in the series, to your TBR pile. The selection Mari read offered humor and numerous twists, making her vampire world truly unique and quite fun.  

I hope to see more NYC writers and readers at the next Lady Jane’s event on November 2nd! The admission fee of one gently used romance novel or $5.00 benefits a great cause, Share the Love.  Co-founded by Lady Jane’s Maya Rodale, Share the Love donates romance novels to non-profit, non-denominational organizations devoted to helping women live independent, self-sufficient lives.  

I recently volunteered some of my time and energy to help Maya find additional organizations in the Hudson Valley to receive donations and to drop off books at locations around the city. I saw first hand how much these shelters, domestic violence safe houses, and community outreach centers appreciate the donations. If you know of an organization in your New York neighborhood that provides assistance to women in transitional periods of their lives and might benefit from Share The Love, please contact Maya at info@share-the-love.org or email me at sarah@sarahtormey.com.

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Life in NYC ++ Comments (2)

The Golden Apple Awards

September 18, 2009 – 10:50 am

Last night, the New York City chapter of the RWA hosted the Golden Apple Awards honoring individuals and publishers from all sides of the industry. It was truly thrilling to watch the group from Harlequin accept the Golden Apple for Publisher of the Year given that they are celebrating their 60th Anniversary this year! And this was just one of many inspiring moments. I could go on and on, but my friend and fellow Regency author, Jerrica Knight-Catania posted an excellent recap this morning on her blog.    

As Jerrica mentions in her post, we spent quite some time chatting with Tessa Woodward from Avon. After the initial introductions, the conversation turned to upcoming releases, what we’ve read lately, and previously published must-reads. It is conversations like this that remind me why I love talking with fellow romance readers. You could hear the passion and excitement in Tessa’s voice when she spoke about Lavinia Kent, author of the must-read debut, A Talent for Sin. And we all expressed our eager anticipation of Anna Campbell’s upcoming release, Captive of Sin.

In addition to a long list of historical authors, we discussed Pamela Palmer’s recent paranormal trilogy (I placed my order this morning!) and some of my favorite contemporary authors including Brenda Novak. I hope both Tessa and Jerrica will fall in love with Brenda Novak’s Last Stand series!         

Needless to say, I left the event with a long list of authors I must buy, and very inspired to write.  Thank you RWA-NYC and congratulations to all the winners!

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Life in NYC ++ Comments (2)

Pictures from Papingo!

September 8, 2009 – 11:41 am

 

As promised, here are a few pictures from my trip to Papingo, Greece!  The first picture is of the hillside village of Mikro Papingo taken from my friend’s house (she lives near the top of the hill). All of the houses in Papingo are made out of stone including the roofs.  

The second picture is of the magnificent rock formations behind the village. From the patio at the taverna, we had an amazing view. And the third shot is from our hike to the mountain hut. My husband and I, along with our good friend Dave (who took all of these pictures and graciously agreed to share), climbed up to this so-called hut for lunch. 

When we reached the top, we found a pristine lodge that served amazing food. Even if we hadn’t been hiking for hours, I think the lentil soup would still be some of the best I’ve had in ages. Three donkeys make daily trips to the village for supplies. We encountered them on our way up and back along with one of the men in charge of the hut. When we first saw the man and his donkeys, he was talking a mile a minute in such a fashion that my husband immediately likened him a NYC cabbie. It turns our he was talking on his bluetooth headset while leading his donkeys!  

More to come soon, including some of our “river walk” through the gorge below the rock formation and some of our hike to the abandoned village, which had a taverna despite the fact that only one family currently lives there!

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Travel ++ Comments (4)

The Magic of Papingo, Greece

August 31, 2009 – 10:15 am

For the past two weeks, my husband and I have been traveling through Greece. While we saw the major sights in Athens, most of our time was spent in the small village of Mikro Papingo. This mountain village has 8 permanent residents, one of whom is a dear friend and the artistic director of the theater company One Year Lease (OYL). Each summer, the members of OYL travel to Mikro Papingo to develop and rehearse their upcoming season far away from the hubbub of city life.  

During our time there, the company welcomed us with open arms. We watched performances, went on long hikes (by long I mean 8 hours of forging back and forth across a river), and joined the group for family-style dinners both at our friend’s house and the local tavernas.  

I also found the time to write and explore a few new story ideas. The long hikes allowed plenty of time to mull over possible plot lines, and it was very exciting to be surrounded by a group of artists creating their own projects.

As part of their summer experience, OYL runs an apprentice program for college students. This year, the students created and then performed Gilgamesh in the surrounding villages. For the Papingo production (performed in Megalo Papingo, the neighboring “big” village to Mikro Papingo, which has a few hundred year-round residents), the apprentices invited all of the village children to participate. It was a truly inspiring experience to watch the village children perform in front of their community along side a group of professional New York City actors and college students.  

If you’d like to learn more about the exciting new production the company was rehearsing during our stay visit the One Year Lease website. Below is a brief blurb:

“We are proud to announce that Teaser Cow, written by Clay McLeod Chapman and featuring the OYL acting ensemble will run at Teatro Circulo in New York City from January 8th through February 6th 2010. Mark your calendars and come see what happens when you cross the ancient myth of the minotaur with Fast Food Nation.”

Like most nonprofit organization, OYL relies heavily on supporters to make their artistic endeavors possible and every little bit counts. I know there are lots of nonprofits that all deserve donations (including many wonderful ones created by romance writers), but from what I saw in the tiny mountain village this one offers something special through their art. If you’d like to make a donation, please click here.

The entire trip was amazing and a great way to see a stunningly beautiful corner of the world. I promise to post pictures later this week once I have recovered from the jet lag!

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Travel ++ Comments (5)

Win an Advance Copy of Anna Campbell’s Captive of Sin

August 11, 2009 – 8:20 am

Good news! In a follow up to last week’s post, I am thrilled to announce that Delilah Marvelle sold the first book in a new series to Harlequin as part of a three-book deal (details reported on Publisher’s Marketplace). Congratulations Delilah! 

In more historical romance news, the acclaimed author of dark, sexy Regency historicals, Anna Campbell, is giving away a signed advance reader copy of her November release, Captive of Sin, to one lucky winner. To enter, email Anna with the names of the hero and heroine of Captive of Sin before August 30th, 2009. Click here to learn more about Anna Campbell’s latest (and for contest hints).

And if you haven’t read Anna Campbell’s Claiming the Courtesan, Untouched or Tempt the Devil, order your copies today!  If you are a fan of Anna Campbell’s work, do you have a favorite? Have you already placed your pre-order for Captive of Sin?  I have!

By Sarah Tormey ++ Posted in Rakish Heroes, The Business of Romance ++ Comments (4)