HelenKay Dimon

If you’ve visited here before you know that I am very grateful to Lori Foster. Years back she ran this contest off her blog - the Lori Foster Brava Novella Contest - where people submitted a few pages of wanabee Brava novellas, Lori picked the ones she liked and her Kensington editor (now my editor, Kate Duffy) read the winners. By being a finalist in Lori’s contest my work got a bit of a fast track to Kate Duffy. We built a rapport. Kate bought my books. All is well in the HelenKay kingdom. When Pat Lie agreed to review Lori Foster’s SIMON SAYS as part of a book giveaway I did a few weeks back, I was thrilled. And, Pat did a great job. See for yourself:

SIMON SAYS is another winner; It is the perfect follow-up to Causing Havoc. I love series books and getting the chance to “re-visit” characters from the previous books.

In this series, Lori creates big, strong, athletic heroes who are caring, loving and ooh so sexy that you can’t just help falling in love with them. Both the h/h have some demons or unhappiness in their past which adds to storyline.

In Simon Says we have Simon, ex-fighter, now trainer extraodinaire, who decides to go back in the ring after finding out his long-time girlfriend has cheated on him. (Bonnie you are such a fool)!

The heroine is Dakota Dream, who had an unhappy childhood and left home at an early age to marry; she is now divorced.

Dakota’s mom had an accident and never regained consciousness before they could mend fences. She has always felt so guilty that her mom died not knowing that she loved her.

Her stepfather is holding something over Dakota’s head and hires her to find his estranged son who just happens to be Simon. Simon refuses to see him - Dakota wont tell Simon what the creepy stepfather is holding over her or that HIS father is Her stepfather.

Dakota gets pushed down stairs, some other things happen that keep you hooked. A little mystery in a story is always a good thing.

Simon eventually finds out what is being held over Dakota’s head and goes to see his father. You will have to read the book to fill in the gaps and have
your HEA. Lucky for us readers, there will be another book in this series.

Thanks Pat!!

And…for those interested in writing for Brava, don’t forget there’s a new Brava Novella Contest on the Brava Authors’ website. Check it out.

I got an invitation to guest blog over at It’s Not Chick Porn and being a fan of the site, I accepted. I’m talking about the WOW Factor in books. Go check it out.

And there’s a giveaway….

Dr. Zom and I continue to spar about book burning. He appears to be pro so long as the cause is just. Since everyone always believes their cause is just and since book burning equals censorship to me, I’m squarely on the con side. You can see the comments in yesterday’s post. I also took the argument on the road and fought with Dr. Zom over at Tod Goldberg’s blog.

Since I was already fired up, I thought I’d keep going. Over at Access Romance I’m blogging about author self-promotion and the line between promoting and annoying. I’m not talking about what authors say on their own blogs and websites. Seems to me they can promote all they want there. That’s appropriate and fine. I’m talking, instead, about those authors who never stop the self-promotion stuff and can somehow turn a discussion about vegetables on writing loop into a discussion about the authors’ newest releases. There are only a few violators, but they are vocal. At least that’s my view. To offer yours, stop by AR.

I’m all for protests but this is asinine. Tom Wayne, a used bookstore owner, is protesting the public’s decline in reading by…burning books. Here’s the article. The beginning goes like this:

Tom Wayne amassed thousands of books in a warehouse during the 10 years he has run his used book store, Prospero’s Books. His collection ranges from best sellers like Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October” and Tom Wolfe’s “Bonfire of the Vanities,” to obscure titles like a bound report from the Fourth Pan-American Conference held in Buenos Aires in 1910. But wanting to thin out his collection, he found he couldn’t even give away books to libraries or thrift shops, which said they were full. So on Sunday, Wayne began burning his books protest what he sees as society’s diminishing support for the printed word.

Some guy in the article points out that burning books is the perfect way to protest a lack of interest in books. My view: Tom Wayne is an absolute moron. You do not burn books. Ever. The only possible exception is if you’re in a The Day After Tomorrow scenario and it’s a matter of survival. Even then, burn the damn chairs and other wood products before you reach for the tax code and a match.

Tom Wayne’s solution strikes too close to the other morons out there who burn books as a means of protecting the rest of us poor pitiful people from our potential bad reading choices. Because the books are so offensive and will harm our little minds. Books like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Yeah, heaven forbid we teach kids about the bonds of friendship, self-reliance and inner strength. How dare you J.K. Rowling!

I refuse to believe that no one wants these books. At least once a week I see a request on writing loops or in the paper to send books to the troops or to shelters or to anywhere else where people can’t afford books or don’t have easy access to them. Tom Wayne should try that avenue. Burning books doesn’t make a point, unless the point he’s trying to make is that he’s a complete moron.

In an oversight of epic proportions, I somehow missed the anniversary of THE CALL. It was such a huge day. Can’t believe I let the anniversary of the big day pass without a mention. Bad author.

A bit of history…THE CALL came on May 6th. I remember feeling shocked, awed and more excited than I can even explain. It sounds like a stereotype but I had all the signs from a stomach flutter to a sudden lightness in my chest to that vapid smile on my face. Whatever I said on my end of the line bordered on incoherent. My editor bought the book anyway. I love her for that. And, honestly, I still get a happy little kick whenever I get good books news or see a new cover or copy. None of that has gone away. None.

Two years (plus a slight bit) later, I have sold four single titles and seven novellas. My last single title under contract is due on September 15th. After that, who knows. I’m hoping I have more sales to report. Will let you know.

While watching the season finale of Lost last evening I realized why I love books - no commercials. During the last hour, there were points with only four-minute breaks between commercials. Come on now. That’s insane. I’m all for Hollywood making money and charging obscene amounts for advertising time. But, really. Four minutes of content at a time?

That’s not the only issue in the books versus TV debate. Books have the benefit of ending at some point. There tends to be a payoff within 300+ pages. Questions get answered. The plot makes some logical sense. Dead people stay dead - usually. Lost doesn’t really folllow any of these guidelines. Yet, I’m addicted. Stupid television…

For those who watched and are trying to figure out who is dead and referenced in the newspaper scrap Jack has clenched in his fist, I give you this. A guy from New York. Somebody Lantham, which probably means nothing. Again, no answers but it’s a hint.

I’m somewhat stunned by the number of promo options out there for authors. Stunned as in overwhelmed and confused. We have book trailers, websites, MySpace, Bebo, advertisements, guest blogging, booksignings and a whole host of other possibilities. Some of these make little sense to me in the grand scheme of selling books. But, authors are using them and, it appears, doing so with great success.

The only thing I’m sure of is that I have absolutely no idea what motivates the reading public to buy the books it buys. Using one, all or a combination of the above promo ideas is not a guarantee an author the sales numbers she wants (needs). Likewise, not doing anything doesn’t not mean the death of a writing career as shown by some authors who do zero promo and have big sales numbers (ex. Shannon McKenna and Sally MacKenzie). The answer can’t just be that those zero-promo writers just write good books and that’s enough. Many authors write good books and don’t have a following. And, frankly, some authors write books that suck yet the books are in multiple printings and the authors enjoy big advances and big publishing house pushes.

I’m not trying to be nasty. I’m just saying that in terms of some authors, great writing is not the reason for big sales. It’s not hard to find silly plots and bad writing out there. And I’m not talking about preferences. People have different tastes. For example, some people don’t like my writing. I get that - makes me sad, but I get it. In terms of figuring out what sells. I’m wondering about something other than the “oh, that’s not my thing” reaction we all get from time to time. That’s normal. No, I’m really referring to the odd circumstance of bad writing selling well. Talk about making me sad…

If someone out there would just figure out the secret of bookselling success and package that, I’d be willing to shell out some serious cash for that information. That’s not asking to much, is it?

I’m at the Brava Authors Blog today. Chatting a bit while I engage in sloth.

You probably didn’t notice, but I stepped away for a few days. A fall off a step ladder while painting caused a short delay. A fall from a few feet off the ground resulted in a great deal of soreness, whining and a tube of Icy Hot. I’m fine now but must say that I can’t believe some of the stupid stuff I did as a kid. For instance, I did not think anything of accepting a double dog dare to jumping off a garage roof on to a driveway. Yeah, those days are long gone. So sad.

The rest of the time away was much more fun. After a family get-together, Kassia picked me up in route and drove us out to the desert where we shared a “girls’ spa weekend” with Wendy. Ahhhh, I love reaching the far side of a deadline. We did have some tense moments at the spa. In case you’re wondering, something called a mustard bath is actually a good thing. Other than trying to bake ourselves in the steam room, we had a lovely time. We chatted. I whined. They told me to shut up. Fun was had by all.

The reality is that a brief break between books is a good thing. Helps to refresh and recharge. Gives a bit of space between projects to think and relax and plan and focus on something other than how to make the words on the computer screen make sense. And, as I now know, not pounding away on laptop for two full days helps a sore shoulder heal faster.

While I don’t have many details on the book I just turned in, I do have the official back cover copy for my March ‘08 single title. No title or cover yet. They’re coming. Until then, you can see what a nice job the Kensington folks did with the copy:

IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME…

For Gabby Pearson, being dumped in public before the dessert course has to be the lowest of the low—especially when it’s the old, “It’s not you, it’s me” speech. Honestly, how about something original: “I have five minutes to live” (very possible); “It’s not you, it’s the voices in my head” (thanks for the warning); or “I am such a powerful sexual being I could put you into a coma with one kiss” (wishful thinking). Not that Gabby would ever know since Reed Larkin never bothered to take her to bed. Why does a girl bother (to shave)? The only thing left to do is offer the guy a goodbye-forever drink…on his head.

IT’S ME WANTING YOU COMPLETELY…

Damn. Reed did his job—he walked away from Gabby rather than drag her into his unstable life and danger. Now he’s wearing her full glass of wine instead of throwing her onto his sheets. It doesn’t help that the woman is smart as hell and could stop a man’s breath with that wide smile and those shapely curves. Gabby has it all, and Reed wants every inch of her. And now the joke’s on him, because new intel says Gabby has just become his assignment: He has one day to win her back, get information from her she may not know she has, and somehow protect her at the same time.

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. PROBLEM?

The stakes are high. The odds are impossible. And the mutual attraction is as hot and strong as Gabby’s anger. And Reed can only hope his next speech—“It’s you, baby, it’s definitely you…”—will be the start of something wild, something crazy, something dangerous, something wonderful…

Cute, huh?