Review from The Romance Studio

I was thrilled to receive another review for THE EARL'S ENCHANTMENT last week. In the review, Maura Frankman remarks that "the author is equally adept in historical, contemporary and paranormal aspects of this very good romance." For more, please visit The Romance Studio website here.

Historical Romance Club Contest

From the Historical Romance Club:

Historical Romance Club is celebrating it's 4th Anniversary with a HUGE Contest! With over Forty books generously donated by some of your favorite Romance Authors, we are giving away Four GRAND PRIZES. The Diamond Prize Package; The Ruby Prize Package; The Emerald Prize Package; and The Sapphire Prize Package. Each package contains a mix of both eBooks and Print Books.

Prize List:

The Diamond Prize Package:

Faery Special Romances (print and bath salts) by Jaquie Rogers

The Importance of Almack's (ebook) by Denise Patrick

In the Wind's Eye (ebook) by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Long Strange Trip (print) by Vicki GaiaMidnight Magic (print - hardcover) by Shari Anton

Midnight Marriage (ebook) by Jean Fullerton

Secrets in the Annex (ebook) by Ann Cory

Summer Wind (ebook) by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Tethers (ebook) by Sara Reinke

The Tribute (ebook) by Beth Williamson

Twilight's Kiss (print) by Marly Mathews

The Ruby Prize Package:

The Accidental Countess (ebook) by Melissa Schroeder

A Knight of Passion (ebook) by Ingela F. Hyatt

Allegra's Seduction (ebook) by Monica M. Martin

Always, My Love (ebook) by Phyllis Campbell

An Unexpected Engagement (print) by Sara Reinke

The Cheiftain's Bride (ebook) by Kate Hill

I'll Be Yours (ebook) by Marly Mathews

The Irish Countess (print) by Janet Quinn

The Mad Knight's Bride (print) by Kate Hill

Melting Iron (print) by Ann Cory

Sword of Rhoswen (ebook) by Brenda Williamson

The Emerald Prize Package:

A Dark Guardian (ebook) by Donna Grant

A Knight of Passion (print) by Ingela F. Hyatt

Come The Night (print) by Angelique Armae

Crossing the Line (print) by Catherine Stang

Dance of Desire (print) by Catherine Kean

My Lady's Protector: Knight of Pentacles (ebook) by Monica M. Martin

Prisoners of the Wind (ebook) by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

Twilight's Kiss (ebook) by Marly Mathews

Under a Warlock's Spell (ebook) by Ann Cory

Vows Of Deception (ebook) by Phyllis Campbell

The WyndMaster's Lady (ebook) by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

The Sapphire Prize Package:

Book of Days (ebook) by Sara Reinke

Cradle the Light (ebook) by Vicki Gaia

Cutlasses and Caresses (ebook) by Jean Fullerton

Dead Walkers The Protectorate (ebook) by Angelique Armae

The Earl's Enchantment (ebook) by Sara Freeze

Holding Out For A Hero (ebook) by Phyllis Campbell

In Sunshine or In Shadow (print) by Cynthia Owens

The Kilted Governess (ebook) by Janet Quinn

The Passenger (print) by Joie LesinSilk and Magic 2 (print) by M.A. duBarry

WindFall (print) by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

How to Enter:Simply visit HRC (http://www.historicalromanceclub.com/) and click on the Contest Logo at the top of the Romance News on the index page. Be sure to read through the Contest Rules before filling out the entry form...And remember, you must be 18 or older to enter. ;) Contest Closes:July 31, 2007 at 9:00pm EDT, so hurry and enter today!

And while you're visiting HRC, check out our extensive list of HRC Authors, Reviews, and Interviews

CK2S Kwips and Kritiques Review

THE EARL'S ENCHANTMENT received a wonderful review by Joyce at CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. In the review, Joyce comments that "THE EARL’S ENCHANTMENT is well written and well thought out. Sara Freeze is one of the names I will be reading again soon." To read the rest of the review, please visit CK2S Kwips and Kritiques.

Review from Romantic Observer/Realms of Love

"The Earl's Enchantment" received a lovely review from Realms of Love and Romantic Observer, which is its sister site. In fact, on the rating system, it received a 4/5, a happy rating for a short story. The reviewer, Scarlet, remarked that "Sara Freeze’s glimpse into the life of an honorable, imprisoned ghost is a tiny nugget of delight."

Authors As Book Reviewers

As I said in some previous posts, I'm busily engaged in my reading/writing program for the summer. I'm finding that as I become a better reader, I also become a better writer. Therefore, I'm constantly on the lookout for new books to add to the program. To aid that effort, I joined a new trend among authors: Becoming a book reviewer at an online review site. In my case, I'm interested in writing paranormal romances, so I signed on to the Paranormal Romance Review website.

So far, I've really enjoyed the experience of carefully reading, summarizing, and analyzing books. I now actively look for aspects of characterization, plot, and setting both when I read and when I write. However, authors who also serve as reviewers need to be diplomatic in their roles. My policy is if I don't have anything nice to say, I don't say anything at all. Thus far, I've enjoyed every book I've read. If there was ever a case where I was unable to comment kindly on a fellow author's work, I feel the best response would be to allow the review coordinator to find another reviewer.

To read my very first review and check out my reviewer space, please visit the PNR website at http://www.paranormalromance.org/reviews/user.php?id=8517.

Character vs. Concept

As part of my reading/writing program, I've been reading a number of paranormal romance novels published within the last 10 years. And, I've gleaned an important lesson from all this reading: Never sacrifice characterization to a glitzy concept. The best paranormal romances have strong characters with clearly defined goals and motivation, which then give rise to the conflict. In weaker paranormal romances, the characters seem like cardboard cutouts that are present simply to serve as props for the paranormal element(s).

Recently, I picked up a paranormal romance by a popular author because I was attracted by the concept of the book. When I finished the book, though, I felt that I really understood the world the author had created; however, I never fully understood the characters, which meant I couldn't buy into the conflict that was established between them. Still, the lesson above was reinforced: When I read romances, the characters have to be well-developed so that the conflict between/within the characters sustain the plot and keep me reading. I actually care about the characters and what's going to happen to them. If the author is too focused on some other element other than characterization, the novel's pacing suffers. Although I think witches, mythological creatures, and magic are very interesting in and of themselves, they aren't enough to keep me immersed in the book.

Having said all that, I don't always remember my own advice. So, I posted a little sticky note on my computer with the words, "It's the characters, stupid!" I hope it helps!

Book Burning as Protest

For all my fellow bibliophiles out there, you may be interested in the article on Yahoo called "Mo. man burns books as act of protest." Last month, I posted information about the NEA's study that found the percentage of people who read for pleasure is declining greatly. Tom Wayne, the subject of the Yahoo article, is the owner of a used bookstore. Recently, when he tried to thin out his collection, he was discouraged by how difficult it was to get rid of the books, even when he offered them for free; therefore, he "began burning his books in protest of what he sees as society's diminishing support for the printed word." Like Mr. Wayne, I've also been discouraged by the decreasing numbers of readers, though I'm not sure I would go as far as to burn books. Then again, perhaps radical acts such as Mr. Wayne's will center attention on this persistent problem in today's society.

Check out my Slide Show!

I tried something new recently with the creation of a slide show. Online promotion is still a very new venture for me, so I'm testing out different ideas.
An intriguing idea, to turn my book cover into a movie poster, came from Dorothy Thompson's blog "How to Promote Your Self-Published eBook (or Print!) ." She recommends the following website to craft your poster: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/poster.php.

Author of the Week at Candice Gilmer's blog

Candice Gilmer was kind enough to feature me as Author of the Week over at her blog, Inside an Author's Mind.

Reading and Writing Program

Since The Earl's Enchantment was published in April, I've been encouraged by its success and have returned to seriously working on my novel. Since May 3rd, I've written over 9000 words, and I'm finding the writing is much easier now that I'm on my new reading and writing program. When I read Stephen King's book On Writing, he mentioned that writers should establish a reading and writing program-- "four to six hours a day, every day." He also mentioned Anthony Trollope (image below), who would write for 2.5 hours every morning before work. When I was a freshman, my British literature professor mentioned Trollope and his work ethic, hoping to guilt all of us into more consistent work habits. The lesson didn't sink in when I was 18, but it certainly is sinking in now that I'm trying to complete a novel. My own program is conservative in comparison to Trollope and King's; I read for 1 hour each day and write at least 500 words per day. On some days, when the Muse is smiling, I've been able to write over 900 words. Occasionally, I fail to meet these goals and give myself a guilt trip, but for the most part, it's a very useful program for a beginning writer.