RWA Responds to Plagiarism Case

As many of you have no doubt heard by now, the popular romance author, Cassie Edwards, is under scrutiny for charges of plagiarism. The Smart Bitches Who Read Trashy Novels website was the first to raise the issue, and other sites have quickly jumped on board with their own take on the subject. If you visit the Dear Author website, you'll see a side-by-side comparison of the texts in question, so you can judge for yourself.

The following alert was sent out to all RWA members, and it addresses the situation:

RWA Alert: RWA Responds to Plagiarism Accusations

There are heated discussions on various loops and blogs regarding the accusations of plagiarism against a published romance author. Some questions have also been raised regarding RWA’s stand on the matter. To be clear, RWA does not condone plagiarism or any type of copyright infringement. (Please see RWA’s Code of Ethics http://www.rwanational.org/cs/code_of_ethics).

RWA takes all accusations of plagiarism very seriously. RWA also stands behind the idea that guilt or innocence should be determined after a thorough review of all documents and sources, not based on discussions or articles found on the internet or in other news media.

Within RWA, there is a process in place to examine claims of plagiarism made against RWA members. That process includes a set of procedures that affords the individual due process. Any member found to be in violation of RWA’s Code of Ethics is subject to disciplinary action including loss of membership.

According to information RWA has, Cassie Edwards was once a member of RWA and is listed on RWA’s Honor Roll; however, it appears she allowed her membership to lapse four or more years ago. If guilt is admitted or established, RWA will take appropriate steps with regard to the Honor Roll listing.

Members have raised questions about a news article that includes a quote by RWA’s president. The president was asked to give an expert opinion on the issue based solely upon information available in internet blogs. The president does not have enough first-hand information to adequately assess the allegations.

Romance Writers of America

Publisher's Weekly: 15 Trends to Watch in 2008

Mike Shatzkin makes some interesting predictions for the publishing industry in his article "15 Trends to Watch in 2008." I think his first prediction, that ebooks will see increased sales, is absolutely correct. Many users are comfortable with using the Internet for shopping, doing research, and making friends, so it's logical they will demand more opportunities for reading online. Check out the list to see all his predictions; it'll be interesting to see how many of them come true.

Preditors & Editors Readers Poll

Happy New Year everyone! I'm happy to announce that my short story, The Earl's Enchantment, has been nominated in the romance short story category of the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. This annual poll has a number of categories, and you can vote until January 15th. Click on the image below to be taken to the poll website.

Silver Rose Award for Website Excellence

I recently found out I'm a finalist in a website contest sponsored by the Sacramento Valley Rose chapter of the RWA. As you can imagine, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The results will be announced on the 15th. Although I don't expect to take any of the top honors, it's a thrill to be nominated, especially since I designed my website without any outside assistance. It was rough going at first, and it took over a year to get it just as I wanted it, but I believe all the effort was worthwhile.

A Seaside Enchantment: New Review

Although it's been a couple of months since my time-travel short story, A Seaside Enchantment, was published, I recently received some wonderful reviews, which I will be showcasing here on my blog over the next few days. One of the best parts of being an author is receiving reviews; it's encouraging to know people are reading our work and responding to it.

The Long and the Short of It Romance Reviews gave my story a lovely review, which you can access here. Daisy, the reviewer, commented that "Snappy dialogue, intriguing characters, and the thrill of a modern man going back in time to champion a nineteenth-century lady really make the short story shine."

Romance Readers & Publishers Weekly

I was pleasantly pleased to see the cover of Publishers Weekly for the week of November 19, 2007, features the romance genre. In an article entitled "Textually Promiscuous," Sarah J. Robbins discusses the genres and features quotations by readers, editors, bookstore owners, and romance scholars. I especially enjoyed the discussion on the blending of historical and paranormal elements in romances and Rose's quotation on writing was spot on: "“The editors acquired these authors on the quality of the writing and weren't concerned about the genre,” says Rose. “Which just goes to show that good writing wins out.”
You can check out the article here.

All About Romance: Top 100 Romances

The popular romance website, All About Romance, recently published their list of Top 100 Romances, which can be found here. Of course, critics will have a field day, and devoted romance readers will notice that popular authors, such as Jo Beverly, are missing from the list, though classics such as Bronte's Jane Eyre and Austen's Pride & Prejudice are represented. Still, it's useful for considering the novels that we have on our keeper's shelf. What makes a novel a keeper? After reading through the list, I plan to inspect my own shelf and consider what would appear on my list. And, I'd be curious to hear what other readers think about the novels/authors that do appear on the list. I've only read 25 of the books that are listed, and at my own estimate I've read about 400-500 romances in my life. To get you started, I've listed the top 10 books on the AAR list:

1	Lord of Scoundrels Loretta Chase European Historical 1995
2	Dreaming of You Lisa Kleypas European Historical 1994
3	Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen Classic Fiction 1813
4	Outlander Diana Gabaldon Time Travel 1991
5	Flowers From The Storm Laura Kinsale European Historical 1992
6	Slightly Dangerous Mary Balogh European Historical 2004
7	Devil In Winter Lisa Kleypas European Historical 2006
8	Bet Me Jennifer Crusie Contemporary 2004
9	Welcome to Temptation Jennifer Crusie Contemporary 2000
10	The Viscount Who Loved Me Julia Quinn European Historical 2000

Victoria Magazine is Back!

When I was a teenager, I eagerly awaited each new issue of Victoria Magazine. Every issue featured beautiful locales, wonderful recipes, and lovely layouts. As you can imagine, I was deeply disappointed when they stopped publishing the magazine, but I recently received the very first issue of the new Victoria Magazine. The magazine features home decor, recipes, collectibles, and more. If you visit the website, you'll find free recipes and tips on decorating your home.

If you're a writer, you may be interested in contributing an article, especially if you have an interest in antiques and history. Writers' guidelines can be found here.

Celtic Woman

For my 30th birthday this year, my sister and I attended the Celtic Woman concert, which was incredible. The music was inspiring and beautiful, and I've found it makes an ideal companion to both reading and writing romances. This was a new group to me, so I just had to share because I was very impressed by the show, the singers, and the music. For more information on Celtic Woman, you can visit their website.

I haven't been as consistent in my online presence this month, but I have a good excuse! When I attended the Moonlight & Magnolias conference, I met with an editor who subsequently requested the full manuscript for my historical paranormal novel. So, I've been busy polishing the full manuscript with my critique team and hope to be finished by the end of October. Once that's done, I look forward to rejoining the communities on MySpace, shelfari, and bebo. I miss everyone!

Now Available: A Seaside Enchantment

My new release, "A Seaside Enchantment," is a time-travel romance featuring the Regency era. It's a short story published by The Wild Rose Press and is rated "sweet,"- i.e. no explicit love scenes.

BLURB:
"Of all the seaside cottages in all the villages in all the world, she had to haunt the one I'm renting."

After being seriously wounded in the line of duty, Justin has retreated from the world by renting an isolated cottage along the English coastline. The next thing he knows, he's plunged into a time-travel adventure as he meets the trapped spirit of a lovely nineteenth century lady, Julia.

As Julia explains, she's been awaiting her champion. All he has to do to free her from her entrapment as a spirit is to perform a spell, travel 200 years into the past, find the villain who first worked the spell, and then vanquish the fellow. Easy, right? Justin suspects not, but he's prepared to take on the world, in whatever time period, to fight for his new love.