American Title Round Two

Yes - it's time to vote again. Already round two is here.

This time you get to chose your favourite description of hero and heroine.

Check out the contest at the Romantic Times site or go direct to

http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle.php

Voting is from 15 to 28 December

Please take some time from your busy Xmas schedule to take a look and to vote. It's the easiest Xmas present you'll give anyone this year.

votes@romantictimes.com

Of course if the words Never Coming Home should float through your mind when your fingers are hovering over that keyboard ...

American Title V

Voting has now closed in Round One.

Thanks to everyone who cast a vote.

To see who survived, and vote in Round Two - favourite description of hero and heroine, visit the Romantic Times site from 15 December.

Before that, the three remaining finalists will be appearing, one each week, on the blog of author Sylvia Day, talking about their finaling manuscript on Monday and interviewing a character from their book on Thursday. Fun and prizes.

I'll be there on 1 and 4 December. Hope you'll drop by.

American Title V - Last Chance to Vote

Voting in round one ends at midnight on Sunday 23rd November.

We wrote them - now it's all down to you.

Don't miss your chance to vote for the book with your favourite first line.

Of course, I hope it's mine:

Never Coming Home

See the entries at www.romantictimes.com

Vote at Votes@romantictimes.com with the favourite title in the subject line.

American Title V - Did you vote yet?

I've just come back from Stratford upon Avon, where Shakespeare was born, and died. This blog was meant to be about the man and the place. But - guess what - the pictures are still in the camera and my brain is totally focused on something else entirely.


Voting has started in American Title V.


That's it. The judges have made their first comments, the contestants have winced, cursed and picked themselves up off the floor, where necessary - not the floor mentioned in Qaey's first line, I hasten to add, and now everyone is getting on with the job. And that job is --- getting people to vote.

American Title is a reality contest. Each and every finalist is in the hands of the voters. You have the power, people. Please use it.

Support is vital, and I have no hesitation is speaking for all my fellow finalists here. Each and every vote is deeply appreciated. That someone has taken the time and trouble to read, chose and e-mail means a lot.


Saying thank you is important, because none of us is able to do this alone.

Now I've made the contest sound like hard work. It is - but it's also a lot of fun. Who wouldn't enjoy all that attention? Right now I have featured in my local paper - the Barry and District News, am getting e-mails from old friends to say they voted and I am appearing on the website of Academi - the book promotion Agency for Wales - and if you want to see that one click here: http://www.academi.org/news/i/133583/ (A big thanks to Bronwen Price for all her work on that, while also deep in the work for Welsh Book of the Year.) Next Monday I am meant to be interviewed on BBC Wales morning programme. Anyone within listening distance welcome. You may be able to hear my knees knocking, over the airwaves.


All this is fun, and great practice for if/when I am ever a published author.

But it still comes back to the vote. So please check out the contest at http://www.romantictimes.com/news_amtitle3.php

And vote by e mailing votes@romantictimes.com with your chosen title in the subject line.

My title is Never Coming Home, in case you were wondering.


And I promise to talk about Shakespeare next time

Meet Marie-Claude Bourque: American Title V Finalist!

You may have thought the treats were over now that Halloween is past, but we’ve still got a lot of good stuff in store for you this week at Title Magic. And the best part is you can sit back, enjoy, and not even worry about calories.

Last week you had a chance to meet four of this year’s American Title V finalists: Edie Ramer, Qaey Williams, Tamara Hughes and Barbara Longley. This week we’re going to introduce you to the remaining four finalists. Today I’ll be interviewing Marie-Claude Bourque.
Tuesday, Anitra will introduce us to Jessica Drago. Wednesday, Savanna talks with Michelle Lauren. And on Thursday, Mel will spotlight our very own Evonne Wareham, a finalist for the second year in a row!

So without further ado, let me introduce you to today’s talented American Title V finalist …

HB: Marie-Claude, congratulations and welcome to Title Magic! Please tell us your name and where you’re from.
MCB: I’m Marie-Claude Bourque and I am from Québec.

HB: What is the title of your finaling manuscript? What sub-genre is it?
MCB: My manuscript is titled ANCIENT WHISPERS and is a dark paranormal.

HB: I love that title! Can you give us a quick 100 words or so blurb about the story?
MCB: Inspired by the poem Evangeline (Longfellow, 1847), Ancient Whispers tells the story of a bold immortal sorcerer and his obsession to be reunited with the fiancée he lost centuries ago.
Gabriel Callan is the youngest member of the Priory of Callan, an ancient Celtic brotherhood of thirteen cursed sorcerers and alchemists, each deadly, each haunted by a tragic past.
Still tortured by the devastating events of the Acadian deportation in 1755, Gabriel wants nothing more than to reunite with his lost soulmate, now reborn to this century as the cool-headed and practical Lily Bellefontaine.
Pediatric nurse Lily, yearns for a peaceful life in her own dream home. She seeks an existence far different from the experiences of her unstable childhood and purposefully ignores her latent psychic abilities.
Will she ever be able to accept her fate? And can Gabriel let go of his tragic past to live fully in the present?

HB:The story sounds fascinating. What was your reaction when you found out you finaled?
MCB: I jumped on the phone to call my husband. I tried a few times but the battery of his cell phone was dead. I tried to call my mom, but the batteries in our portable home phone were now dead too (we have a pretty disorganized household). I ended up crossing the street to tell my neighbor who was thrilled for me! The best was to tell my two boys in the car an hour later when I went to pick them up from school. Their smiles were precious. They are big believers in their mom’s writing.

HB: I totally empathize about the cell phone batteries. That sounds a lot like our household. Is this your first completed book? Fifth?
MCB: Ancient Whispers is my first attempt at writing fiction.

HB: Wow. This final is a wonderful confirmation that you’ve chosen the right path. Do you have a website?
MCB: Yes, www.mcbourque.com

HB: Very nice website! I particularly like that you’re willing to help other writer’s with any French phrases they may have in their manuscripts. What kind of books do you like to read? Who are your auto-buy authors?
MCB: I read anything I can get my hands on, fiction (literary and commercial) and non-fiction. I’d read a cereal box if left in front of me!! My auto-buy would be Robert B. Parker, Janet Evanovich, Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor, Christine Feehan (The Drake Sister series), Margaret Weis (her Dragonlance stuff) and dark fantasy author Caitlin R. Kiernan whose books I am currently obsessed with.

HB: What was your biggest inspiration for ANCIENT WHISPERS?
MCB: I was inspired by a heart-breaking poem called Evangeline, written years ago by Henri Wadsworth Longfellow. It relates the plight of French Acadians who were deported from Canada by English soldiers in the mid seventeen century. Some Acadians ended up in Quebec others in Louisiana (the Cajuns).
In the poem, Gabriel and Evangeline are put on separate ships during the deportation and spend their life looking for each others. I wanted to give Gabriel another chance. So in my story, he becomes immortal and meets Evangeline’s reincarnation in modern time.
I’ve known about this all my life because my grand-father told me how the Bourque family was deported from Port-Royal to Quebec, in the same way as depicted in the poem Evangeline. So the story has stayed with me for decades until I was inspired to reunite these two tragic lovers on paper. In fact, all the sorcerers in ANCIENT WHISPERS are inspired by tragic lovers and I plan to give them all a second chance at happiness.

HB: I like the idea of giving tragic lovers a second chance. What is it you like most and admire about your heroine?
MCB: My heroine, Lily Bellefontaine, is a pediatric nurse in Providence, RI. She is very solid, responsible, no-nonsense. She is not your typical kick-ass heroine you may see in the newer paranormal. She could be my best friend, anyone can relate to her. She knows who she is. She is financially secure because she works hard and thinks of her future. She takes care of the great-aunt who raised her. I admire her a lot, in fact I wish I was more like that ☺. It’s nice in the story how she starts as a regular strong woman and then become even stronger as she embraces her magical abilities and is able to dig deeper into her motives to learn more about herself. I love her spiritual journey in the story.

HB: What is you like most and admire about your hero?
MCB: What’s not to love about Gabriel Callan? First, he is very sexy, in a bad boy kind of way. ☺ And he is very tortured by his past, which makes me him tough and somewhat dark. Yet he is very bold. He walks right into action and is fiercely protective of Lily. He also resent being bound to the Priory of sorcerers. He hates being told what to do, a free-spirit. He also has a playful side and loves using magic spells on Lily when they make love together. I just love that he has so many sides to him.

HB: How did you come up with one of your secondary characters?
MCB: Let’s talk about Morag Callan, the High Priestess leading the Priory of sorcerers and mentor to Lily. She is an interesting character. Not completely good or evil. Her goal is to reunite Gabriel and Lily because they are lost souls that were torn apart in an ancient battle, centuries ago in the Scottish Highlands. She is also very much in love with her consort, an old alchemist, which is nice in the story because I show an enduring love between two people of another generation.
She is a very powerful priestess who, as a High Priestess, can summon Celtic Goddesses in witchcraft ritual to perform spells of her choice. I have based her character on my knowledge of Neo-Paganism spirituality. The ritual witchcraft in ANCIENT WHISPERS is more a spiritual journey then simple spell casting. I have both, of course, but the spell casting is left to the sorcerers.

HB: What is the major conflict in your story?
MCB: Well, there is a villain, of course, who wants to prevent Gabriel and Lily to join, because he wants Gabriel’s soul. But the major conflict is between Gabriel and Lily. It is very hard for Gabriel to let go of the idea of Evangeline and he treats Lily as if she was his lost fiancée. Lily is not so keen in being someone else reborn. She doesn’t remember her past life and she wants to be loved for who she is. So even though they fall for each other early in the story, the conflict slowly creeps up on them, kind of like real life, don’t you think?

HB: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
MCB: I am a total plotter. I’ve been called anal, OCD and scary! My plots tend to follow the mythical hero’s journey and each element of my stories has an arc to it. I usually will have a list of plots/subplots and make sure that each scenes advance one or more of my plots. I tweak the plots as I go along, but it is usually very detailed and thought through.

HB: As the ultimate pantser, I hold writers like you in awe. Do you write to silence, or do you prefer a little noise?
MCB: I usually write with music. Music drives the strong imageries that I translate in my writing. I have a playlist for each of my projects. Ancient Whispers was written to Nine Inch Nails and Loreena McKennitt

HB: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
MCB: As a mom of two boys, I am pretty busy taking care of them. I like to hang out with my husband watching action movies or discussing politics. I am also an avid knitter and I love to go to the gym to lift weights.

Marie-Claude, thank you so much for joining us today on Title Magic. It’s been a pleasure meeting you and learning about ANCIENT WHISPERS. Here’s wishing you the best of luck in both the contest and your writing career!

Don’t forget everyone - Voting for American Title V begins on Monday, November 10th!

Title Magic Welcomes ATV Finalist, Edie Ramer!

Happy Monday!

Today marks the start of our much anticipated American Title V (ATV) interviews. As most of you may already know, the American Title Contest is sponsored by Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine. This will be the fifth year the contest has been running. This year there are only eight finalists versus the usual ten, and the categories have been left open to encompass all categories of romance fiction. For a complete list of the eight American Title V finalists, you can go to the RT blog September archives by clicking HERE. Scroll down until you see September 5, 2008. It’s the second to last blog entry.

As former American Title finalists ourselves, we want to show our support for the current ATV finalists by hosting interviews of them here at Title Magic. Here is the schedule of interviews for this week.

>> Monday (today): Mai interviews Edie Ramer
>> Tuesday: Helen interviews Qaey Williams
>> Wednesday: Lexie interviews Tamara Hughes
>> Thursday: Trish interviews Barbara Longley

The remainder of the ATV finalists interviews will be posted next week – just in time for voting for the first round of the contest which begins the following Monday, November 10th. Round 1 voting will be on the First Line. Please visit often this week and next to get to know your fellow ATV finalists.

Now, without further ado, let’s get these interviews started! Please join me in welcoming American Title V finalist, Edie Ramer, to Title Magic. Edie’s finaling manuscript is titled DEAD PEOPLE. Her short stories have been published in National magazines and she is also co-creator of an inspirational website for writers, www.writeattitude.net.

MT: Thanks for joining us here at TM, Edie, and congratulations on the ATV final! Can you tell us where you’re from?

ER: First I want to thank Mai and the other American Title IV finalists for having us. Mai, you’ve been a huge help to me, right from the beginning when I emailed you about the cover letter. :) Now, back to the question. I live in southeastern Wisconsin. Right now everyone has their Halloween decorations out and leaves of all colors are covering the lawns. It’s beautiful.

MT: I hear the weather’s been rather warm up there for this time of year. What category does your finaling manuscript, DEAD PEOPLE, fall under?

ER: It was warm, but not today! Like I said, it’s nearing Halloween, time for DEAD PEOPLE to come out and beg for candy. (That’s awful, but I couldn’t resist.) DEAD PEOPLE is a light paranormal.

MT: Can you give us a quick 100 words or so blurb about the story?

ER: When Cassie Taylor talks, ghosts listen. She wants to heal their souls so they can leave earth. Brooding songwriter Luke Rivers wants to give his newly found daughter a normal home, but he discovers his new house in small town Wisconsin is haunted by a ghost with an attitude. His ghost whisperer has an attitude too – even before someone tries to kill her. So why does he have the hots for her? And why does she lust after him? He wants conventional. She wants acceptance. No wonder she thinks men are hard and DEAD PEOPLE are easy.

MT: That sounds like a great story. Very fun and with just the right touch of kickass attitude. What was your reaction when you first found out you finaled?

ER: When I found out I’d finaled, I felt pure happiness. I wanted it so badly -- or something else wonderful. Though I didn’t expect it, I hoped for it. To me, the American Title is the romance writer’s version of American Idol. Getting a request for the full was the “You’re going to Hollywood!” call. Getting the news that I was a finalist was moving into the top ten. Only in this case, the top eight. That’s even better!

MT: This is better than the “You’re going to Hollywood” stage. You passed that when they requested the full. This is the Top 10 – or in this case, Top 8!! Do you have a website?

ER: Absolutely! www.edieramer.com. I hope people will check it out and visit my blog. I also belong to the Magical Musings group blog, www.magicalmusings.com, and the American Title V group blog, www.loveconquers.wordpress.com. And I’m a new convert to Facebook! www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=747112424. I need friends, so look me up and friend me. :)

MT: I’m a new convert to Facebook too, and love it! Not only is it a great marketing tool, but you get to meet new people who are interested in what you write and strengthen relationships and friendships you already have. What kind of books do you like to read?

ER: I feel like Sarah Palin, saying “I read them all.” I read everything from mystery to YA, and especially romance in all the genres. I read non-fiction too. Right now I’m reading a book on life between lives.

MT: I’ll refrain from making any kind of comments regarding Sarah Palin, lol. The life between lives concept sounds interesting. Who are your auto-buy authors?

ER: I can put names down here! My auto buys are Loretta Chase, Mary Balogh, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jennifer Crusie, Amy Knupp, Jan Kenny, and many more. I recently ordered Karin Tabke’s HAVE YOURSELF A NAUGHTY LITTLE SANTA and Liz Kreger’s PROMISE FOR TOMORROW. I have Cynthia Eden’s MIDNIGHT SINS on pre-order. I’m looking forward to buying Helen Scott Taylor’s THE MAGIC KNOT in February.

MT: Sounds like your average reader then. :) What is it you like most and admire about the heroine in DEAD PEOPLE?

ER: I admire Cassie’s bravery, the way she goes on with her life and doesn’t feel sorry for herself, despite her unloving childhood. No self-pity allowed. And she hasn’t allowed her childhood to harden her heart – against dead people. Live people ... well, that’s another story. I also like her snarky tongue. In real life I’d love to have her as my friend.

MT: She sounds like an interesting person, and a strong character. What is you like most and admire about the hero in DEAD PEOPLE?

ER: My songwriter hero, Luke, was the only child of a free-living and loving parent. He didn’t know his father, and his childhood was unstable. He wants to do a better job for his newly found eleven-year-old daughter. He wants to do the right thing. I love that about him. Plus he writes really good songs.

MT: Who wouldn’t love a man who loves music and is dedicated to his child? Can you tell us more about the conflict in your story, DEAD PEOPLE?

ER: It would be easy to say the major conflict was finding the person who killed the woman who’s haunting Luke’s house. But the major conflict is Cassie’s and Luke’s gaping wounds. They’ve been used and abused. Neither of them believes in happily ever after. Neither of them trusts that another person will love them without reserve, without wanting anything except to be loved by them in return. Even Luke’s daughter has been hurt by her drug-addicted mother. Although there is humor in DEAD PEOPLE (there is! Really, there is!), their lives haven’t been easy. In one way or another, they’re all damaged.

MT: So it’s a character-driven book, versus a plot-driven book. I’ve always found that most romances are character-driven. It enamors the reader more to the book, in my opinion. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

ER: I agree with your so much about characters! It’s the people that linger with me after I’ve read a really good book. I recently took a right brain/left brain test and I came out in the middle, leaning toward the right brain. That’s how my plotting is too. I know the basics about my characters (subject to change). I know the premise, their GMC, their primal needs (I got “primal needs” from Blake Snyder’s SAVE THE CAT!), an idea of the ending, and a few things that will happen along the way. That’s usually it. As I write I get insights and revelations. It keeps the story interesting for me. If I’m surprising and delighting myself, I hope I’m doing the same thing for the reader.
MT: Well, we can safely say that you’ve done the same thing for the editors at Dorchester! What do you like to do when you're not writing?

ER: I read books. The local librarians know me well. I watch favorite TV shows. (Is anyone else drooling over the lead actor in The Mentalist?) I spend time with my family. I walk my dog and pet my cat. I did a research road trip the other day with a friend, and had a blast – and a great lunch at a Turkish restaurant. I’m addicted to my email and spend too much times on blogs. I’m a serial dieter, and one day I will finally lose those last five pounds.

MT: You and me both, Edie!

Thank you so much for taking time out today to join us here at Title Magic. It was a pleasure learning more about you and hearing about Cassie and Luke. Best of luck with DEAD PEOPLE in the contest!

ER: Thanks, Mai! You and the other American Title IV finalists are awesome for doing this!

If you want to learn more about Edie and her writing, you can find her at:
www.edieramer.com
www.magicalmusings.com
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=747112424

Stay tuned tomorrow for our next American Title V finalist!

It's Official. I'm Unique!

American Title V.

This is an unashamed plug from Evonne for her American Title V entry Never Coming Home. Those of a nervous disposition should look away now.


Right -- we have the voting schedule. The roller coaster starts on 10 November, when all eight finalists will be out for your vote. But why am I unique? Because no one else has ever been in the final of American Title for a second time.


There are some ladies on Title Magic who have said, in the kindest possible way, that I'm a couple of letters short of a keyboard to want to go through all that again. I prefer to think of it as true Welsh grit. Then I remember those Monday mornings, either waiting to see what the judges have said about your precious baby, or worse, finding out who didn't make it. Then I think I might agree with them. But it's too late now.

To get into the final twice, I must be doing something right, mustn't I? And don't you want to read a book by a two times American Title finalist?

Well – the answer to that one is to vote for Never Coming Home and keep voting. I'm counting on you.

All the contestants are desperate for your vote, but the competition is about fun too. All the finalists are appearing on Sylvia Day's blog, for the next few weeks, talking about their book and interviewing one of their characters. There will be prizes for comments, donated by some fabulous authors. A new finalists’ blog, Love Conquers, has just been launched at http://loveconquers.wordpress.com And here on Title Magic we will be interviewing each of the candidates about their writing life, and their entries, kicking off on 27 October. Be here to find out who is first up.

As there are only eight finalists this year, Fridays will still be guest days on TM.

On Friday the 31 of October, what will we be doing to celebrate Halloween? Keep guessing as at the moment we don’t know either.

On Friday 7 November, we have a guest who could give you a new twist on your writing habits, when Giselle Green, winner of the UK's prestigious New Writer’s Award 2008 for her novel Pandora's Box, will be blogging with us about the book that first saw her in print -- The Writer's Guide to the Zodiac. Want to know if your Aries hero will get it together with your Pisces heroine? The solution could be right here.

And don’t forget -- voting on American Title V starts on 10 November and goes through to November 23. You could mark it on your calendar. And you could write Never Coming Home underneath it.

American Title V

We write, you vote, love conquers.

That's the strapline chosen by the eight finalists in this year's American Title contest.

Voting won't be starting for a while yet, but already the finalists have guest appearances lined up on Sylvia Day's fantastic blog - where all ten Title Magicians were interviewed last year.

And, of course, we'll all be here on Title Magic.

I'll be talking to Mel about my second AT finaling entry Never Coming Home.

I plan to have even more fun, second time around. Keep dropping in to Title Magic to find out the latest.

Everything in the garden

I was going to post today about ten things I learned in last year's American Title final that I was going to apply to this year's, but I could only think of one.

So I'm going to talk about flowers and ancient buildings instead.

I snuck off to London for the day last week, to go to a Royal Horticultural Society flower show. This one was a bit special, as it was held in the Inner Temple Garden.

The Chelsea Flower Show is probably the biggest and most famous horticultural show in the world, but before it got celebrity status and moved along the river, it was held for almost 100 years at the Inner Temple.

The Temple is part of the Inns of Court, which is where barristers and judges have their offices, or chambers. It is a wonderful complex of old buildings, courtyards and gardens with fountains, statues and very old trees. King James 1st made over the land for the construction in 1608. At the centre of the complex is the Temple Church, which dates back to the 12th century.

The show was interesting, if a bit soggy underfoot, but the highlight for me was visiting the church, and one of the other garden courts that was not used in the show.

The Temple Church was the venue for a display of spectacular flower arranging, as you can see, but it appealed to me for more literary reasons as well, that I plan to talk about in my next blog. Some of the detailing of the stone work of the church is visible in the background to the pictures.

The other place I wanted to see, for sentimental reasons, was the Middle Temple garden. This is the place in Shakespeare’s Henry VI where the leaders of the houses of Lancaster and York pick the roses that become their emblems in the Wars of the Roses.

This event has no historical basis whatsoever. Like all writers, when they need something interesting to happen, and history hasn't obliged, Shakespeare made it up. But the garden itself is lovely and the sort of place where something like that might have happened.

This blog does have some sort of connection to American Title V, because the heroine of my book is a garden designer, who has twice won gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Oh - and what was the thing that I learned from last year's contest? To have a shorter title, so it's easier for people to type in the e-mail when they want to vote for me. And I have. Never Coming Home.

Impossible Dream? And doing it twice?

Last Thursday, I was standing on a cliff top, watching a perfect rainbow that began in England and ended in Wales. I didn't make a wish. That was done in May, when I sent off a new manuscript to Dorchester Publishing. My entry for American Title V. On Friday, the names went up on the Romantic Times’ blog. I'm a finalist. For the second time. It seems even more unbelievable this time than it was last time. To do it once was amazing. To do it twice...

Regulars on Title Magic already know a little about the book. Never Coming Home is a romantic thriller, much darker than anything I've ever written before, straying into Lisa Gardner and Jilliane Hoffman territory. I had a lot of fun, and a few tears, while I was writing it, and a couple of nights when I was definitely tempted to sleep with the light on.

The book is set in London and Florence, two of my favourite cities. Research involved long discussions with friends over the practicalities of murdering someone in broad daylight in St James's Park, and exactly what would be the best place from which to drop a body onto the main rail line between London and Swansea. After all that talk I knew, more or less, the locations I wanted to use -- I sorted out exactly where on a damp morning in May, the day following the Romantic Novelists’ Association summer party. And got a few strange looks, prowling around derelict buildings.

The Italian scenes are warmer and lighter. Mostly. Sadly I had to rely on notes, memory, guidebooks and the Internet for research on those, but there's nothing like imagining a walk at dusk across the Ponte Vecchio to get a girl in the mood for ... Well, I'll leave that bit to your imagination.

I have a horrible habit of beginning books with an older woman who isn’t the heroine and getting into trouble for doing it. I almost did it again in Never Coming Home, but caught myself just in time and put Kaz right up front, in the prologue, when a quiet evening turns into the most traumatic moment of her life. Even so, my hero, Devlin, meets her mother, Suzanne, before he meets her. He also learns a lot about Kaz, by seeing her home, inside and out, before she makes her entrance. I enjoyed the gradual unpeeling, through his eyes, before Kaz walks in to find Mr Sex-on-Legs standing on her hearthrug.

I did have a reason for Kaz’s mother appearing first. Suzanne's lifestyle choice, in the past, have had a lot of bearing on shaping her daughter's character. Suzanne was a wild child/hippy of the 60s and 70s. I had in mind all those impossibly beautiful and bohemian actresses and models who were the glamorous girlfriends and sometimes wives to rock stars and musicians in those decades. They had songs written about them, they had careers, they had their pictures in the papers in a more innocent era. They grabbed experience with both hands.

In Suzanne's case, the man in her life was a famous painter, and although she was Olivier’s muse for over 15 years, they never married. Kaz, my heroine, is now carrying the baggage of illegitimacy and a rootless, nomadic childhood as the overlooked daughter of a charismatic, charming, but self obsessed man. It's given her a longing for stability and order that sends her into the arms of the first man who proposes to her, another feckless charmer in the same mould as her father. When the book opens, after the tragic death of her young daughter in a car accident, Kaz is divorced and alone. She isn’t looking for romance, but maybe she could shed her inhibitions for some memorable, no-strings sex?

When I think of Kaz, I have a very clear picture of her in my mind. She has long black hair, a tumble of gypsy curls, and vivid dark eyes, and there is a sense of brilliant, barely suppressed energy about her. And she has a trowel in her hand. Probably ready to dig out Devlin's heart, if he double-crosses her. It's a pity I didn't think of that one in time to include it in the book. Kaz is an award-winning garden designer, and you don't want to mess with her, because she has plenty of places she can bury the bodies.

But of course Devlin does mess with her, and it gets them both in no end of trouble, in bed and out.

I had so much fun creating my hero Devlin. I wanted a man with a past so murky that no one would ever know all the details. There are some things even he isn't sure about. His career chose him -- his words -- when he was too young and stupid to know any better. Once he was trained, by a secret government agency that didn't even have a name, he stayed because he was good at what he did. All that is behind him now. He’s “retired”, with a whole new life.

Physically, Devlin -- no first name, no Mr -- is a bit of a departure for me because he‘s a blond. I don't normally do blond heroes. I’m strictly a TDH girl. Devlin started out somewhere between Daniel Craig and Steve McQueen, though now he doesn't look like either of them. He's trying to forget his shady past, but something inside him seems to be shifting uncomfortably. And it's irritating the hell out of him.

When Kaz comes on the scene, everything gets a whole lot worse. She seems to be able to push all the wrong buttons in his psyche. He's horribly afraid she’s tapping into something that shouldn't exist -- his better nature. His mouth is promising her help, before his brain gets in gear to stop it. And she is hot. She's hired him, so she's a client. He can't end up in her bed. Oh yeah?

All this gave me a recipe for one very edgy hero. And this before a bit of Devlin's past comes unburied. Unwittingly, Kaz is the key that makes this happen. And then the blood begins to flow, and all Devlin’s old skills are needed to keep them both alive.

So that’s a taster. You’ll find out more when extracts from Never Coming Home are revealed on the RT website and printed in Romantic Times, as voting begins on ATV. And of course, if you want to keep reading the extracts, then you’ll have to keep voting to keep me in the contest.

It is all entirely down to you.

American Title V

It's almost that time of year again.

In the next few weeks Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times magazine will be announcing the names of the ten unpublished writers who will be finalists in the fifth American Title contest.

Those ten will embark on a crazy journey that will end in April next year, at the Romantic Times Booklovers convention in Orlando, when the winner, and brand new Dorchester author, will be revealed.

The contest is all about votes, and every single one counts.

To help the fun along Title Magic is hoping to interview the finalists when voting begins.

Stay with us for the brand new contest roller coaster.

Tips On Promotion For American Title V

Following on from Mai’s excellent advice yesterday, other members of Title Magic have come up with the best advice we have for this year’s American Title V contestants on how we promoted ourselves and what worked best. Different tactics seem to have worked for each of us, so the contacts you currently have, your personality and what you’re comfortable doing, and the area in which you live will all influence your choice of promotion.

Anitra

Well, what really worked for me was contacting my local library. The community coordinator helped me send fliers to all the libraries in Utah. I also distributed those fliers to bookstores and western wear shops (since I was using the whole Wanted Poster idea). I also printed homemade business cards that I could hand out to people wherever I went. I think doing the web page didn't help much but it is something I will need in the future. Oh, and sending out the press releases was almost a total waste of time. I sent out about 40 and only got two bites that ended up going nowhere. My dad and step mom took out an ad in their local paper that got me a lot of votes but my family name is very well known in Moab.I do think what helped the most was interviews on blogs--that drove people to my website and hopefully to vote.

Trish

I was very conscious of the fact that I sold my first book after the contest began, so I was very careful not to be obnoxious about promo efforts. Other than e-mailing family and friends and posting to my various e-mail loops each time a new round started, I really only did two other things:

1. During the first round, I did a blog tour. I guest blogged on a different person's/group's blog every day during the two-week voting period.

2. I ordered special business cards from VistaPrint that said, "I NEED YOUR VOTE! To get my book published," then my name, American Title Contest finalist with Out of Sight, Online voting at www.romantictimes.com" and then the dates for each voting period. Several of my friends took batches of these cards and handed them out to potential voters."

Evonne

My contribution to this would be what I picked up from the contest - the desirability of having a track record of success in other contests, so that your name is known, plus an excellent supporters' network, to keep you in the race until the momentum from readers of RT fully kicks in. I didn't have either, which I was well aware of before the thing even started, but it was still a wonderful experience and one I would not have missed.

Mel

Everything I know about self-promotion, I learned from American Title IV. And, like just about everything else I've ever had to learn, I got more out of the many mistakes I made than the few things I managed to get right. Most of it boils down to these things: Don't freak out. (Well, every finalist is allowed a little freak out at first. But keep it to a couple of hours, tops.) Get yourself a posse to help get out the vote. In my case, word of mouth/keyboard was MUCH more effective than offline media. Don't be shy! Talk in loops and message boards. Comment on blogs. Contribute. Not just to say,"Hey, vote for me!" But to meet people. Make friends. And make sure to tap into all of your sources - not just the obvious ones. It didn't occur to me that it might be a good idea to put something on the Tennessee Library Association loop until after I was eliminated. (I mean, I work in a Tennessee library. Duh, right?) I made a lot of mistakes. But I feel that ATIV gave me an opportunity to make those mistakes without having to worry about sales, earning out my advance, etc. And, when I do make my first novel sale, I'll be much more prepared than I would have been without the American Title experience.

Savanna

What do you do now? You've just won a coveted position as one of the American Title V finalists. Yay! How do you round up those all-important votes? Okay, you spread the word like a were-mad thing loosed beneath the full moon. But then, *boohoo* you're eliminated in the first round. Like me. Why? Well, perhaps, you don't have major networks of voting support, like I didn't. Or, perhaps, your cherished manuscript just doesn't have that special appeal needed to win. Who knows why? What you do have as an American Title finalist, is an all-important entry card with publishers, especially with small print and e-publishers. Use that card. If you have other manuscripts to offer a publisher, whether you only want that NY contract or prefer the current e-opportunities. Now is the prime season to get that writer's foot in the door, and keep it stuck there.Using myself as an example, `cause that's all I've got. I had submitted to an e-publisher who advertises in Romantic Times magazine and announced they were open for submissions prior to my finalist status. Siren publishing offered me a contract. From there everything snowballed, granted in slow motion, yet the avalanche continues. Because I kept submitting the manuscripts I did have (yep, there were rejections), I now have two current e-novel releases. And three other manuscripts under contract. And I am crazed-busier than a bee in a blooming clover field. Moral of the American Title story. Use every opportunity there is as a finalist to make your dreams come true as a published author, regardless of when your entry is eliminated. If you go all the way, winning the contract from Dorchester Publishing, that's just yummy-huge creamy-sweet icing on the cake of your career as an author.
All Shades of Blue Paradise ~ available at Siren Publishing. Red Lioness Tamed ~ available at Liquid Silver Books. When a Good Angel Falls ~ coming from Siren-BookStrand Publishing late 2008. Tangerine Carnal Dreams ~ coming from Aspen Mountain Press. Pleasures of Blue Lotus Oil ~ coming from Siren Publishing.

Lexie

I have so little to add...I basically considered every avenue where I have contacts and then emailed and/or sent flyers. I couldn't, however, contact people having to do with my work so that severely limited me! My church, my neighborhood, my sisters and their co-workers, their co-worker’s friends and family, my daughter's swim team, local libraries and bookstores, and, of course, my local writing chapter. I would also state that I have joined more writing groups because of this contest. I learned more about networking than I actually networked at the time!
I would also ditto Savanna's comments about moving quickly and sending queries--while I haven't had the call, I have gotten some nibbles where no one nibbled before--interest in my writing, keep those minds on track, people:)

Helen

Finally, let me tell you what worked best for me. :)

Obviously, I emailed all my writing loops and writing friends with the news I was a finalist. During the years I’ve been writing I’ve made a reasonable number of contacts, but I was certain that alone would not be enough to get me far. Primarily, I looked outside the writing community for my votes. Lucky for me, I have a whiz of a salesman for a husband and he runs his own business. During each voting period he promoted me to everyone he met. We also mailed or emailed all our customers and asked them to vote for me in the final two rounds. The rest of my family also promoted me to their friends and business contacts. I think each round the number of people who knew about my involvement in the contest grew. Friends told friends who told friends! Unlike Anitra, I found sending out press releases useful. Two local newspapers ran articles on me and I was interviewed on the local BBC radio station. These contacts will now be useful to me in promoting The Magic Knot when it’s published by Dorchester next February.

And my top tip: have a gorgeous half-naked man pictured on your promo material. (I am not joking!)

Good luck to everyone entering American Title V. This final year of the contest should prove the most interesting yet with the mix of genres. We’re looking forward to reading the finalists entries and casting our votes!

The Next American Title

Dorchester Publishing and Romantic Times are getting together again to bring you another American Title contest in 2008/2009.

(Pause here for cheers and wild excitement)

Watch out for Helen, winner of the 2008 title with The Magic Knot, posting later on Title Magic with all the details of how to enter American Title V.