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Member News from 2005
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December 2005 News

--Barbara Bretton has been nominated for the Romantic Times 2005 Career Achievement Award in the Mainstream category.

Pam Burford attended a writers' retreat in upstate NY during the first weekend of December. Eye problems had kept her from her WIP for too long, but she's feeling better and hopes to finish the book sometime this century.

--Sunny Chen has been invited to speak at the prestigious Sun Valley Writers' Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, in August. She'll be speaking on the romance genre “in a high-brow literary sort of way.”

--Triskelion Publishing has offered Catherine M. Chernow a contract for her manuscript, THE FINE ART OF KISSING. The release date is April 2006.

--Doreen Orsini has signed a three book contract with Triskelion Publishers. NO ONE BUT MADISON is scheduled for a May 2006 release, to be followed by HUNTING DIANA in July 2006 and TANNER’S ANGEL in August 2006.
Doreen Orsini 's manuscript, TANNER'S ANGEL, is winner of Honorable Mention in the single title category this year's Romancing the Tome contest.

--Roberta Gellis has been nominated for a Reviewers Choice award by ROMANTIC TIMES in the Best Medieval Historical Romance Category for DESIREE. Roberta Gellis 's book, ROSELYNDE, the first book of the Roselynde Chronicles, will be reprinted in December 2005. If you've never read the Chronicles, they have won the prize for historical novel series from Romantic Times.

--Dina Hamlin’s novel THE SOUL NEVER FORGETS is being published in July by Triskelon Publishers. THE SOUL NEVER FORGETS is a work of contemporary, erotic, paranormal romantic fiction. She's publishing under the name Dina Hamlin.

--Michelle Lang is thrilled to announce her second contract with Triskelion. THE DEVIL INSIDE is scheduled for release in April 2006. Michele Lang 's futuristic, WATER MOON, is a finalist in the 2005 Wallflower contest, published paranormal category. Michele will also be part of another book talk, this one on Friday Dec 16 from 9:30 a.m -10 a.m. at the Roslyn Heights Starbucks 373 Willis Avenue

--Jen McAndrews 's manuscript, THE TRAIL OF THE TUDOR ROSE, is a finalist in the series contemporary category of this year's Romancing the Tome contest.

--Barbara Metzger 's book, THE DUEL, is nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Best Regency-set historical.

--Bertrice Small has been nominated for a Reviewers Choice award by ROMANTIC TIMES for her first venture into fantasy last year with LARA from HQN Books.

NOVEMBER 2005

--Victoria Ardito, writing as Gina Ardito, is pleased to announce her first sale to Avalon. The Bonds of Matri-money, a romantic comedy, will be a December 2006 release.

OCTOBER 2005

--Lori Avocato's Book #3 in The Pauline Sokol Mystery Series, ONE DEAD UNDER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, was released Sept 27 and received a great review from PW. Her other books include: A DOSE OF MURDER -- Oct. 2004, THE STIFF AND THE DEAD-- July 2005, DEEP SEA DEAD--July 2006

--Barbara Gale gave a workshop at the New Jersey Conference on 10/7/05 entitled A Career in Category: The Current State of Category Romance.

--Michele Lang's first release is now available from Triskelion Publishing. FAINNE NAOFA follows Gwen, a high-powered New York attorney, as she is summoned back to the land of Camelot by Merlin to fulfill her destiny. Both Lancelot and the evil Mordred stand in her way, but that’s nothing in comparison to the complicated feelings she encounters with her ex-husband: Arthur.

--Jen McAndrews is pleased to announce she has signed with agent Paige Wheeler of Creative Media Agency. Paige will represent Jen's humorous mystery, DEADLY FARCE, as well as future projects.

--Bertrice Small's THE LAST HEIRESS, the final book in The Friarsgate Inheritance, was published by NAL this month. It's her 38th full length novel.
In August she delivered to HQN the second book in her The World of Hetar series, A DISTANT TOMORROW currently due to be published next June, and she will shortly be giving her editor at NAL her second erotic contemporary, FORBIDDEN PLEASURES.

--Sunny, a family practice physician turned stay-at-home mom, picked up her pen exactly one year ago and seven months later sold her first book. Within the last four months, she went from being unpublished to having five contracts: a 2-book deal with Berkley, 2 novellas with Kensington's new erotica line, and a third novella with Berkley/Jove's OVER THE MOON anthology with Mary Janice Davidson and Angela Knight.

--Dawn Thompson's THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE has been released, and is now in stores! Her October book signing at Side Street Books has unfortunately been cancelled, since it looks like the weather will be too cold to have it in the courtyard. A signing elsewhere is being planned for later this fall. Details to follow.

SEPTEMBER 2005

--Pam Burford attended the Bouchercon mystery convention in Chicago on Labor Day weekend, where she participated in a panel on switching genres. She will be a featured speaker at a "Day of Romance" at a bookshop/literary center in Honeoye Falls, NY, on Oct. 1.

--Dawn Thompson's THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE has been released, and is now in stores! Dawn will be having a book signing in the courtyard at Side Street Books, 76 North Ocean Avenue, Patchogue, at 1:00 pm, on Sunday, October 23. Mark your calendars!

AUGUST 2005

--Lori Avocato's A DOSE OF MURDER has gone into a second printing.

--Cathy Chernow's partial manuscript of THE FINE ART OF KISSING took first place in the contemporary, single title category, in RWA's Central Ohio Chapters' 12 Annual "Ignite the Flame Contest."

--Jennifer McAndrews's manuscript DEADLY FARCE has won third place in the mainstream mystery category of this year's Daphne du Maurier Awards, presented at RWA National Conference in Reno.

--Bertrice Small has handed in the second book in her World of Hetar fantasy series, A DISTANT TOMORROW. And going from the sublime to the ridiculous, well maybe not ridiculous, but you know what I mean, she is now getting ready to write her second erotic contemporary set once again in the small town of Egret Pointe. It's titled FORBIDDEN PLEASURES, and The Channel, that mysterious, inter-active place will once again play its part.

--Dawn Thompson's upcoming release THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE has been given a FOUR STAR review from Romantic Times!!

JULY 2005

--Dawn Thompson reports that in addition to THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE, which will be released September sixth, she has just signed a 3-book deal with Dorchester Publishing for my paranormal historicals, THE WATERLORD, to be released in March 2006, with THE FALCON'S BRIDE & BLOOD MOON to follow.

--Michele Palter w/a Michele Lang is thrilled to announce her first sale. Fainne Naofa, a time travel paranormal, will be an October release from Triskelion Publishing.

--Barbara Gale is going to the National conference and doing a workshop there entitled "Nip & Tuck", with two other Harlequin authors.

--Marianne Tremaroli aka Petit has sold her second book entitled. "The Glass Armonica." It will be available sometime next year.

JUNE 2005

--Lori Avocato's A Dose of Murder is a finalist in the Chick Lit category Of THE BEACON, An Award for Excellence in Romance, sponsored by The First Coast Romance Writers. Good luck, Lori!

--Leslie Bagnell’s son Robert will be portraying a screenwriter in HBO’s new series “The Comeback”. Watch for him on Sunday nights.

--Doreen Ciappa has won fourth place in the WisRWA Fab Five Contest. Congratulations, Doreen!

--Roberta Gellis has publication dates for the reprints of the first three books in the Roselynde Chronicles. ROSELYNDE, December 2005; ALINOR, May 2006; JOANNA, December 2006.
Roberta is now hard at work writing BY SLANDEROUS TONGUES, the third book of the Double Edged series, which is coauthored with Mercedes Lackey.

--Patricia Hubschman’s MY IMPLANT STORY was published in May issue of Hearing Loss magazine. It is being reprinted in the summer issue of Slate & Style magazine. Great news, Patricia! Patricia was also interviewed by a reporter from North Carolina regarding her. The story appeared in the June 2 issue of the Richmond County Daily Journal.

--Dawn Thompson’s hard work keeps paying off. Her book DRAKE’S LAIR is now available through Wings e-press.

May 2005

--On April 9 Pam Burford and the Good Twin gave a successful 6-hour class on Writing the Commercial Novel at Writers & Books, Rochester's literary center. Two weeks later Pam attended a long-weekend writing retreat upstate, with excellent results for her WIP. She attended a couple of Mystery Writers of America 60th-birthday events during Edgars Week: the editor and agent reception aboard a boat (pass the Dramamine!) and the birthday party at the NY Yacht Club. The cake had black roses and MWA's logo portrait of Edgar Allen Poe. Yum!

--Jennifer McAndrews is thrilled to announce that her manuscript DEADLY FARCE has been chosen as a finalist in the 2005 Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence competition.

--Bertrice Small reports that LARA, her first HQN, which will be published in June, got a 4 and a half TOP PICK in Romantic Times.

April 2005

--Bertrice Small thanks everyone who voted and is proud to tell everyone that her son, Tom Small, and his group, Ceiling Zero, WON! Congratulations, Tom!

--Barbara Metzger is a RITA finalist!!! Her Regency-set historical WEDDED BLISS has nominated for best long historical! Congratulations, Barbara!!

--On April 9th Pam Burford and the Good Twin, Pat Ryan, will teach a six-hour class on Writing the Commercial Novel, at Writers & Books, Rochester's literary center. Pam's mainstream novel is actually getting written (hey, you get up a 4 a.m., things get done! ). She's about 2/3 of the way through it. Way to go, Pam!

--Doreen Orsini is thrilled to announce her status as finalist in the WisRWA Fab Five contest for her erotic romance NO ONE BUT MADISON.

March 2005

--Big news from Lori Avocato! The first book in her Pauline Sokol Mystery Series, A Dose of Murder, won second place in the Reviewers International Organizations Award of Excellence contest.

--Jen McAndrews is pleased and very much relieved to finally be able to announce that her entry, Deadly Farce, took third place in the RWA Chick Lit Writers 2004 Get Your Stiletto in the Door contest. The full manuscript was requested by final judge, editor Kathryn Lye of Red Dress Ink.

--Bertrice Small offers news that likely echoes the sentiment of every LIRW member: “I’m just hard at work, and trying to ignore the constant snow storms.”

February 2005

--CHECK OUT the Sunday, February 13th NEWSDAY, Long Island Life section for a fabulous article on Long Island romance authors! Featured from the LIRW are Pamela Burford, Edith Layton, Barbara Metzger, Marianne Petit, Bertrice Small and first time author Dawn Thompson, who is thrilled with her first publicity. Kudos to Jim Merritt for a great article.

--Bertrice Small has just finished the final book in THE FRIARSGATE INHERITANCE series, THE LAST HEIRESS, which will be published by NAL in October of this year. She will now take a few days of down time before going to work on her second HQN.

--Lori Avocato has accepted another three-book contract with Avon for her Pauline Sokol Mystery Series. There’ll be anew book out every July and October until 2007. Also, A DOSE OF MURDER is listed on the paperback bestseller list 2004 for The Sleuth of Baker Street bookstore in Toronto, Canada.

--Trish Hubschman’s company’s state-wide newsletter is doing a feature article on her, the handicapped employee with the writing career. Also, her short story, “Regaining Sight” is scheduled to appear in March’s issue of TRUE CONFESSIONS which comes out mid-February.

January 2005 News

--Dawn Thompson has some great news to share! Her Paranormal Historical, THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE, has placed first in the Red River Romance Writer's "Ticket to Write" contest. Chris Keeslar, the final round judge, requested the full, and when she got the "CALL", couldn't announce it until the official contest winner list was posted. He made her an offer, and she accepted, so Dorchester is going to be publishing the book in Sept. or Oct. of 2005! And, she gets to keep her title!! Yipppeeeee!

--Pam Burford and her sister Pat Ryan will be teaching a four-hour course on "Writing the Commercial Novel" on April 9 at Writers & Books, Rochester's literary center. Pam is about halfway through her first mainstream novel (another decade or so and it should be done!); Pat writes the Nell Sweeney historical mystery series for Berkley's Prime Crime imprint.

--Barbara Metzger's February book, THE DUEL, (Signet Eclipse, Regency-set Historical) is a Romantic Times Top Pick. Congratulations Barbara!

--Roberta Gellis has given me permission to warn LIRW members that there will be a surfeit of Gellis in the first quarter of 2005. In February, the mass market version of THIS SCEPTER'D ISLE will be published. Also in February, DESIREE, the first historical romance she's written in about ten years will be published in mass market size by Harlequin Signature Select. And in March, there will a new historical fantasy about Queen Elizabeth I when she was a teenager. ILL MET BY MOONLIGHT will be published by Baen Books in hardcover. The first two books of the series had no romance in them at all, but this one will. If you aren't sure you will like historical fantasy, ask your library to buy it or interloan it for you.

--Marilyn Levinson's updated Scholastic book club edition of NO BOYS ALLOWED comes out in January and the new cover looks great!

--Dawn Thompson's Historical Paranormal, THE RAVENCLIFF BRIDE, has finalled in the Red River Romance Writers "Ticket to Write" contest, and the Charter Oak "Oak Leaf Award of Excellence" contest. Literary Agents Jenny Bent, and Deidre Knight have both requested partials, and Susan McCarty of Berkley, who requested the full when it won the "Haunted Hearts" contest last summer has recommended it to the senior editors, who are reading it now.

--Jen McAndrews has news! Her chick lit mystery "Deadly Farce" is a finalist in the RWA Chick Lit Writers "Get Your Stiletto in the Door" contest. Placement announcements will be made on or about Dec. 15.