Posts from the "Blog" Category

• What I'm Reading – SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: AN HOUR A DAY

  Blog

  Starting today, I’m going to start taking the opportunity to discuss what I’m reading. This is a daunting proposal; while it’s theoretically easier to find blog topics if they have a theme, something like “what I’m reading” necessitates that I find the time to read — and that’s no easy task, given how many other things I have on my plate. But, you can’t be a writer unless you love to read, and it’s tragic how much my reading has fallen by the wayside over the past few months. Hopefully this will encourage me to keep up.

  One of the books I’ve been reading off and on over the past few days is SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: AN HOUR A DAY. As a by-product of Silicon Valley, it’s little wonder that I’m attracted to new technologies; beyond that, I actually studied social and group psychology in college, and I’m intrigued by how groups come together, bond, and ultimately succeed or fall apart. Social marketing is a cool blend of these two areas of interest, and is something that I could see myself getting into even if my writing career fails to take off.

  My challenge is figuring out how to build my presence online without losing all of my time to the madness of the Internet. I already spend way too much time online, whether it’s reading the “real” news, checking the one celebrity gossip blog that I allow myself to read, or staying up to date on the dozens of publishing blogs that I’ve subscribed to on Google Reader. Then there’s Twitter, Facebook, email loops, etc. — until I could spend all day just staying current on other peoples’ content without ever writing another book again.

  This is where SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING is supposed to help. Theoretically you’re supposed to be able to put together a full-fledged social marketing plan for yourself in an hour a day, and then keep it up in the future. The challenge will be whether I actually have the discipline necessary to a) follow the plan and b) cut myself off after an hour so that I can focus on my real writing. I’ll keep you updated on my progress — although if I’m successful, you’ll hopefully notice when I start getting more comments and followers and all those other accoutrements of a bona fide social network in the next few months. I don’t mean for it to sound as mercenary as all that — the main benefit is obviously sharing information and learning from others, even if the hope is that you may eventually sell some books too. It’s just a matter of getting started, and having some sort of tether around myself so that I don’t fall all the way down the rabbit hole of the Internet…

  
  Posted on 6 July 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: What I'm Reading * Writing Life *

• Getting Ready for Nationals

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  I leave for Washington, D.C. and the RWA National Convention in a week! I’m flying out on Sunday night, taking a red-eye so that I can squeeze in two days of sightseeing before the conference content starts on Wednesday afternoon. Then it’s three more full days of mayhem, culminating in the awards ceremony for the Golden Heart and RITA awards on Saturday night. One of my friends is flying in to accompany me to the ceremony, so I’ll have someone to celebrate/commiserate with depending on what happens and whether I trip on my own foot and wipe out in front of an entire room full of women.

  While there is much to be done in terms of packing, primping, plucking, etc., the most critical task that I need to accomplish is girding my loins to be active and socially “on” for four days so that I can meet people and take advantage of the one week a year when I’m actually able to meet other industry professionals. My friends wouldn’t believe it now that they know me, since I’m one of the loudest people in any gathering of my peers, but upon first meeting I’m actually quite shy. It’s not a debilitating sort of shyness, but it’s possible that I come off as somewhat aloof, since I’m carefully watching in new situations to try to gauge the group and understand my surroundings before I leap into the fray.

  Luckily (or unluckily), it seems like many writers have a tendency toward shyness — perhaps it comes with the territory, since social butterflies are unlikely to lock themselves away for the endless hours it takes to write a book. On the shyness spectrum, I’m not too bad. It’s just a matter of reminding myself that this is my *job*, just like writing or talking to my agent or doing my taxes — and making new friends is far more fun than doing taxes.

  I’ll blog from the conference, so you’ll get more information than you ever cared to receive about the RWA Nationals. Until then, it’s a mad dash to the finish so that I can wrap up everything I need to take care of for the day job before taking off, so please send me all the luck you can spare me.

  
  Posted on 5 July 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: RWA Nationals * Writing Life *

• Happy Fourth of July!

  Blog

  It is a gorgeous day in San Francisco, and while it’s never clear whether the weather will hold, I’ve got my fingers crossed that there will be no fog to mar the fireworks tonight. I’m dragging myself down to the wharf in a few hours to go out on a boat with my visiting uncle, aunt, and cousin; barring any major weather-related problems, we should have a great view of the fireworks over the San Francisco Bay.

  I’m a confirmed Anglophile whose romance novels celebrate all things British, but on the Fourth I always take a moment to celebrate that we pulled one over on our mother country and won our independence. We may not have the fabulous traditions, the ancient castles, or the delicious accents, but I like to think that our dreams and our remarkably fluid society make up for our relative youth and brassiness. There are few countries in the world where a girl (shudder) from a rural farming community (double shudder) could escape a life of drudgery to attend an elite university and make a good living for herself. My path was eased by fantastic parents, but there were no real obstacles other than the limits of my own ambition, and for that I’m very grateful.

  So, despite these “troubled economic times” and the various stresses and problems of the past few years, I still consider myself remarkably fortunate to have been born in America. I consider myself even more remarkably fortunate that my family and friends are so supportive of my dream of becoming a romance novelist, despite the challenges that I face along the way. And there’s no better time to celebrate all of this than Independence Day.

  Happy Fourth of July, everyone! What are you doing to celebrate?

  
  Posted on 4 July 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: Inspirations * San Francisco * Writing Life *

• Snazzy New Name, Same Great Content

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  After much debate and back-and-forth with my agent, we have officially decided to shop my manuscript under the title ONE NIGHT TO SEDUCTION. I love it; while AN INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE amused me, mostly because it was an unexpected play on Al Gore’s INCONVENIENT TRUTH movie, it wasn’t quite what most readers are looking for. And, I can continue the theme with the next two books: ONE NIGHT TO SCANDAL and ONE NIGHT TO SURRENDER.

  You can check out the blurbs for all three books in the “Books” section above. Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

  
  Posted on 1 July 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: Thrilling * Writing Life *

• The Joys of Twitter

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  I was one of those people who scoffed at Twitter. Given that I didn’t particularly enjoy the pressure of updating my Facebook status, I was even less enamored with the idea of doing something that was the equivalent of a hyper-updating Facebook feed.

  However, I’m not one to turn my back on new technologies. I live in San Francisco and have a day job in Silicon Valley, so being an early adopter is almost required. I signed up for a Twitter account a couple of months ago, expecting to update it a few times and abandon it…

  …and yet I find myself in love with it. I usually update it three or four times a day, mostly with minor observances about my daily life. I also check it compulsively, and I enjoy seeing what else is going on in the Twittersphere.

  But I think the real reason that I love it is because I see it as a challenge. I refuse to compromise my grammar or spelling to fit into the 140-character limit — and so expressing myself in my natural style within such a small format is no easy feat. Perhaps it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to that kind of challenge. In general, I tend to tread the most difficult paths. For instance, setting a goal of supporting myself as a novelist is about as frustrating as attempting to turn lead into gold, and yet I’m not going to let anything stop me. When put into perspective like that, keeping my Twitter feed updated is beyond easy.

  You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ramseyromance, or read my updates in the sidebar of this website. What do you think of Twitter?

  
  Posted on 30 June 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: Social Networking * Writing Life *

• The End of the Agent Hunt

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  I have fabulous news to report — my search for an agent is over! It all ended much more quickly and dramatically than I expected. Two weeks ago, I was worried that I might never sign (yes, I’m impatient — it often takes years to sign). But then, last Thursday, a totally wonderful agent called me while I was at work to offer representation!

  She was already at the top of my list based on her reputation, and her sheer enthusiasm for my work while she offered representation was enough to put her over the top. Still, I’ve read enough horror stories about failed agent/author relationships to be wary, and so I contacted the other agents who were considering my work to let them know that I had received an offer. By the end of the weekend, two other agents had made offers — and so as of Memorial Day, I was suddenly in the unexpected position of having to come up with interview questions so that I could choose between the three offers!

  I spoke to all of them on Tuesday, and while I felt that all of them could have been good fits for my work (and one in particular was the other top agent on my list, making my choice more difficult), I ultimately decided that the first agent was the best fit for my long-term goals. I mailed the contracts on Friday, and we’re talking again this week to discuss the process for submissions to publishing houses.

  So, it’s been a complete whirlwind, and obviously I’m very excited. However, I realized while I was on the phone with one of them that I’ve successfully scaled the agent mountain and reached the peak — only to discover that there’s another, bigger mountain looming in the form of beginning the search for a publisher. Happily, my agent (I love saying that!) will be my partner on that climb, so I’m not alone — but this is by no means a done deal. I spent the weekend brooding over that sobering fact, but I can’t brood for long; the excitement of continuing to make progress towards my goals will pick me up again.

  This means that, as of tonight, “The Agent Hunt” will be retired as a label — staring this week, “The Publisher Hunt” will begin! Stay tuned…

  
  Posted on 31 May 2009 * 3 Comments
  Tags: The Agent Hunt * Thrilling * Writing Career * Writing Life *

• Bone Daddy

  Blog

  I had to share this deal that I found in my latest email from Publishers Marketplace:
  

  FICTION: WOMEN’S/ROMANCE
  R.G. Alexander’s BONE DADDY, a three-novella single-author erotic anthology about a sexually charged voodoo spirit, the people whose bodies he inhabits, and the mischief he creates, to Kate Seaver at Berkley HEAT, for publication in summer 2010, by Roberta Brown of the Brown Literary Agency.

  The reason I had to share is because my father, for whatever reason, likes to say “bone daddy” in a rather menacing voice when he’s got his electric carving knife out and ready to do some damage to a ham or turkey. Reading this sale announcement and hearing my father’s voice in my head saying “bone daddy” has scarred me for life!

  Today was fine on the writing front, albeit not fantastic; I wrote ~2000 words, which is less than half of what I wanted to write, but is still eight pages farther along than I was before today. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to write tomorrow, but the day job requires some serious attention. Have a lovely Sunday!

  
  Posted on 17 May 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: Productivity * The Industry * Writing Life *

• Bloom Where You're Planted

  Blog

  While my day job provides many benefits (such as a paycheck) and many frustrations (such as the sixty-plus-hour weekly commitment that pulls me away from my writing), what keeps me going back is my fabulous set of coworkers. I’m very lucky in that I actually enjoy seeing many of the people I work with; there are always the occasional people whom I avoid when I see them walking down the hall, but they are far outnumbered by the people whom I would gladly sacrifice ten minutes of precious worktime to catch up with.

  I had a meeting today with one of my direct reports, and the meeting reminded me just how lucky I am to work with these people, and even more importantly how much I just need to figure out how to balance the job and the writing and not get frustrated when either one is not going exactly right. The person I met with was an officer in Iraq and served two tours before leaving the Army and going into the private sector. As we were talking, he mentioned something that his grandmother told him before he left for Iraq — that it was important to “bloom where you’re planted.” Isn’t that excellent advice? Regardless of whatever situation you end up in, you can still strive to bloom in it.

  This is far sappier than I usually get, so I apologize for the uncharacteristic lapse. I will be back to my regularly scheduled snark tomorrow!

  
  Posted on 12 May 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: Inspirations * The Day Job * Writing Life *

• My Favorite Things: Hair Tinsel

  Blog

  Occasionally I intend to post things that I currently love. Top of mind (and head, ha) right now is hair tinsel! One of my friends got it last week, and I just had to copy her; I adore sparkly, shiny accessories, and luckily my day job allows me certain freedoms in terms of my ability to occasionally act like I’m sixteen. Since I have never dyed my hair and do not intend to start until the grey starts its inevitable assault, hair tinsel is an appealing option for adding some flare to my hair without damaging it.

  Essentially, the tinsel is hair-width metallic fibers that a stylist ties to individual strands of hair near the roots. Once tied in place, the strands stay there until the hairs fall out. The tinsel can be shampooed, styled, blow-dried, etc., just like normal hair — but I would swoon with ecstasy if my normal hair could ever turn to tinsel on command.

  Ten strands of metallic purple tinsel later, and my long brunette hair suddenly has an edge to it that I adore. It’s not over-the-top noticeable, but I love when the metallic strands catch the light. While it’s not something I would do all the time, I’m pretty sure I will have to do it again for the RWA conference — perhaps a color to match my Golden Heart Award Ceremony dress?

  To see what hair tinsel looks like, check out this site; I got the tinsel put in at a salon in Silicon Valley. Enjoy, and comment if you decide to get tinsel!

  
  Posted on 11 May 2009 * 1 Comment
  Tags: J'adore * My Favorite Things * Writing Life *

• I Love Me Some Star Trek

  Blog

  I didn’t expect to love “Star Trek” quite as much as I did, but it had the perfect blend of action, comedy, and character development to kick off the summer movie-going season. And quite unexpectedly, this is the only movie I can remember in which I cried in the first ten minutes.

  And if nothing else, I have a new inspiration for my bad-boy heroes — Chris Pine as Captain Kirk is fabulous! Check him out below…

  

  
  Posted on 9 May 2009 * Add a Comment
  Tags: Inspirations * Movies * Writing Life *