Jami Davenport

Fourth and Goal Best of 2011

2012-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

Wendi, The Super Librarian, named Fourth and Goal as one of her best books of 2011. Thank you so much, Wendi.

http://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/01/year-that-was-2011-best-of-everything.html

Guest Blogging at Romancing the Genres

2012-01-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging at Romancing the Genres today about sports romances. Stop by and say hi.

http://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com/2012/01/different-kind-of-fantasy-football.html

The First Annual Natalie Acres Boot Scootin’ Boogie Blog Tour

2011-11-05T14:04:00.000-07:00

Welcome to good friend, Natalie Acres. I am flattered that my blog is part of her first annual blog tour:

Releasing November 7^th

Cowboy Boots and UnsettledDebts

Book Three in the Cowboy BootsSeries

http://www.bookstrand.com/cowboy-boots-and-unfinished-business

Blurb:

Seduction turns deadly whenAbby Rose, an agent with the Underground Unit, decides to put a provocativespin on revenge. Her plan to sleep with a cartel leader backfires when fellowoperatives refuse Abby the opportunity to face her enemy alone.

Abby’s fellow agents beginthe fight of their lives. After discovering Abby will use her body to lure inthe man who killed her father, and their command leader, seven highly trainedoperatives cope with high tensions as each man comes to terms with feelings neverpreviously acknowledged.

This team isn’t fightingfor another cause or plotting the best way to take out their mark. The stakesare much higher. These men will take up arms and meet their greatest challengeas they work together to protect the woman they admire and love.

Other books in the seriesavailable now:

Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts

Book One in the Cowboy BootsSeries

Previous Milestonesfor Cowboy Boots and Untamed Hearts:

#1 BestsellerBookstrand for Several Weeks

#1 BestsellingErotica Amazon

#1 BestsellingWestern Amazon

Bestselling WesternARE

MobipocketBestselling Title

Blurb:

Sydney has a problem withBitch. The horse her father treasures more than gold is running loose and ablizzard is headed for Southwest Virginia. After spending the entire morningchasing the darn animal, she decides she probably won’t earn Cowgirl of the Year for her efforts.

So what's a damsel indesigner jeans to do? Call in reinforcements and fortunately, she knows whereto find them.

The Donovan men are knownfor their good looks, alpha-male ways, and their skills behind stacks of haybales. It's their skills that often keep Sydney up late at night, only she'sjust dreamed about them. She's never had the opportunity to act on fantasies becauseher father's career often kept her on the move.

A winter storm strikes outand the Donovan brothers want to take the first step and make Sydney their own.Only first they'll reveal a torrid past and answer some tough questions abouttheir family and Sydney's father. Soon, they discover their innocent littleSydney harbors several secrets of her own and from out of nowhere, a stranger ridesin the storm with a surprise for the Donovan brothers.

Fourth and Goal up for 5-Heart Sweetheart

2011-10-17T18:18:00.000-07:00

The Romance Studio gave Fourth and Goal Five Stars!!! As a result, I’m eligible fortheir 5-heart sweetheart voting. I’d really appreciate your vote. You can voteby clicking here (F&G is at the very bottom of the list):

http://www.theromancestudio.com/5heart_form.php

You can read their review of F&G here:

http://www.theromancestudio.com/reviews/reviews/fourthgoaldavenport.htm

The Gift Horse--What a Deal!

2011-10-15T21:34:00.000-07:00

I just received word that "The Gift Horse" is a retro release at Bookstrand Publishing this month. You can buy it for a 50 percent discount through November 12.

http://www.bookstrand.com/the-gift-horse

Football 101--Don't Miss It!!!!

2011-10-09T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, female football fans!!! It's that time of year again. In October, NFL teams all over the country sponsor workshops for women to learn more about football (and men, too, if they'd like to attend). Titled Football 101, this workshop is invalauable even if you know a lot about football. Even better, it's a lot of fun.

Read my blog post describing last year's Football 101 at the VMAC, the Seahawks headquarters.

http://jamidavenport.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-weekend.html

If you're a Seahawk fan, check this link for registration information:

http://www.seahawks.com/community/football-101.html

Or check your team's website for information on this program in your area. Don't miss it. You'll have a great time, and the proceeds go toward breast cancer-related charities.

Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T06:53:00.001-07:00

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” Steve Jobs (RIP)

TRR Contest

2011-10-02T16:28:00.001-07:00

G-Spot: Interview with Multi-Published, Bestselling Author...

2011-09-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

G-Spot: Interview with Multi-Published, Bestselling Author...: Interview with Multi-Published, Bestselling Author, Jami Davenport: GRACIE: I’m excited to have you here at The G-Spot, Jami! Please tell...

The Edit Process--Not a Pain but an Opportunity

2011-09-14T06:45:00.000-07:00

On an author loop I'm on, Tymber Dalton posted this reply to a new author who was discouraged over her first round of edits. I loved her reply so much that I asked if I could use it on my blog. Well, great minds think alike, and she'd already posted it to her blog.

If edits are getting you down, read Tymber's The Edit Process: of Tires and Pastry Chefs:

http://writeyourassoff.blogspot.com/2011/09/edit-process-of-tires-and-pastry-chefs.html

You'll find Tymber's take on editing encouraging and entertaining.

Returning to the San Juan Islands

2011-09-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

My first two books were set in Washington State's San Juan Islands. The next two, including my new football series, were both set in the Seattle area. With Book 2 of the Seattle Lumberjacks Series, I'm returning to the San Juans, as Tyler, the cocky quarterback in Fourth and Goal, inherits a rundown mansion in the San Juans with one caveat. He must stay in the mansion for ninety days before he can legally own the valuable waterfront property.

This year I also returned to the San Juan Islands in another way. It's been years since I've boated to the San Juans, but my husband and I were lucky enough to spend 10 days in the islands on a boat this August. To see pictures of the trip, friend me on Facebook. Here's a teaser:

An Orca whale in the Straits of Juan de Fuca

Sunset at Roche Harbor

Our hostess for the trip, the Cabaret

Book of the Week Voting at Whipped Cream

2011-08-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Fourth and Goal has gotten some great reviews over the past few months. Recently, I received a 5-star review from Whipped Cream.

This weekend it’s up for Book of the Week at Whipped Cream Romance Reviews. I’d really appreciate it if you’d click on the link below and vote for Fourth and Goal.

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/index.htm

Thanks so much!!

Fourth and Goal is Now 20 Percent Off!!!!

2011-07-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Fourth and Goal is now 20 percent off at Barnes and Noble and Amazon:

B&N Nook:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fourth-and-goal-jami-davenport/1100215587?ean=9781611184051&itm=2&usri=fourth%2band%2bgoal

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Fourth-and-Goal-ebook/dp/B0058OISKC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310651526&sr=8-1

Guest Blogs

2011-07-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

I'm the guest blogger at two blogs this week:

Ladies Love Football, Too:

http://theladieslovefootballtooblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/guest-blogger-author-jami-davenport.html

And Ann Lorey's Blog at:

http://annlory.blogspot.com/

Stop by and say hi.

I'm Back Again

2011-07-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

I'm back again.
It's been three weeks.

I turn off the road onto the driveway to the barn where I take my lessons, and my horse is boarded. Funny, I didn't really miss it while I was gone. In fact, I been seriously considering cancelled my lessons and being 100 percent horse-free. You've probably heard this from me before in the past several months.

Yes, I considered it.

But then I considered a lot of things, such as giving up horses completely, spending time and money on other things, things normal horseless people spend money on like clothes and vacations and new cars. Yeah, stuff like that. I considered it long and hard during my three-week hiatus.

I dreaded going to the barn that day. I had too many things to do, didn't really want to ride. I arrived at the barn fully intending to give up my lesson spot that evening. After all, there are plenty of clients dying to have a prime spot like mine in the early evening.

I walk to the arena to get my horse assignment. (If you've been following this blog, you know that my wonderful dressaage partner of thirteen years has suspensory issues and cannot be ridden and has been retired to broodmare status.)

I've been assigned Ciro to ride. Now Ciro is as close to a push-button dressage horse as I've ever ridden. He's FEI level, knows all the tricks, and is incredibly supple and sensitive. His owner has gone boating for a month and wants him kept in shape.

I groom Ciro, saddle and bridle him, and head to the arena. It always take me a while to get the stirrups adjusted correctly on someone else's saddle. I walk him around the arena, then trot as the other lesson is finishing up.

My lesson starts. I'm still wishing I was home working on my latest book. We start by getting him round and over the top and lifting his shoulders. Once he does that, I can sit him somewhat easily. Then we do shoulder-in, half-pass, haunches-in at the trot.

We go to canter. He has a lovely canter. You just plug your butt into the saddle and sit there. I do canter half-passes. He makes it simple. Enjoyable. Just like it should be.

I've ridden him enough to know that it just takes a touch to lift him into a canter and a switch of legs and seatbones to change leads. We head down the short diagonal, and I do two changes, ending up on the counter canter. Easy. Really easy. He's just rolling along. We do some more all over the arena.

Dang, this is fun.

I guess I won't talk to my trainer about giving up my lesson time. Not yet, anyway. :)

Reviews for Fourth and Goal

2011-07-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

Wendi, The Super Librarian--B+ and Recommended Read

"I really enjoyed this story... I got sucked into this book. I mean, hook line and sinker sucked in. I was deeply invested in these characters. Not just Derek and Rachel, but all of them. Even Derek's asshole cousin, Tyler, who cannot string a sentence together without dropping the F-bomb half a dozen times. Hooked folks, I'm positively hooked."-- Wendy, The Super Librarian

Night Owl Romance--4.75 Stars and Top Pick

"I am thoroughly impressed with Ms. Davenport's ability to instill escapism in her story. For the duration, I was consumed with her tale of two friends to lovers intertwined with football." -- Yadira, Night Owl Reviews

Jane at Dear Author and via Goodreads

""Fourth and Goal displayed a deep and comfortable knowledge of football but strangely enough it wasn't the on field shenanigans that I enjoyed the most, but the off the field relationships that the characters developed. ...I was captivated..."

Blackraven's Reviews--4.5 Ravens

"Romance so real that you feel you are there will keep you wanting more as you fall in love with Derek and Rachel. You will laugh and cry with them as you find yourself entrapped in an amazing story of love and life."--Trixie, Blackravens Reviews

Manic Readers--4.5

"A good beach or airplane read and you don’t have to know a lot about football to enjoy the story."-- Alberta, Manic Readers

Guest Blogger: Lynn Shurr: Bad Good Advice

2011-07-05T18:06:00.000-07:00

I'd like to welcome Lynn Shurr, a fellow football hero romance writer. Lynn has written two entertaining romances which are centered around the Sinners football team.

Bad Good Advice
contributed by Lynn Shurr
www.lynnshurr.com

What Jami and I have in common is we have both written football romances. You know, the kind Susan Elizabeth Phillips used to write and which I still sorely miss. In fact way back in 2004 craving this kind of novel, I decided to write my own and in about three months give or take, I'd completed Goals for a Sinner. Sure it was winner, I blithely sent it off to numerous agents and publishing houses and began writing the sequel, Wish for a Sinner. Call me naive, and I was, the rejections started pouring in, not so surprising except for the fact that few even read my partial. Yes, I did submit only to agents handling romances, same with the publishers. Most said simply,"We do not do football novels" and so have not read your book. Others claimed such books had no market and therefore, they could not represent them. A single agent said she liked the book, considered representing it for six months, but then decided she could not sell it.

Undaunted, I tried to win a few contests with Wish which I had completed by then. One judge gave me no points for my hero because using a football player was trite and overdone. Another called him a man whore. Well, he does start out a womanizer but changes. Didn't she read the synopsis? Big thanks to the other two judges who loved his over the top sexuality and wanted to read more. Needless to say, I did not win so much as a paper certificate saying "Nice Try". Shortly thereafter, I joined my local RWA chapter, Heart of Louisiana, where more seasoned writers told me never, never to write about football players. I set my sexy athletes aside and tried writing mysteries, historicals, and non-football romances, but I still had faith that Goals and Wish were good and would find an audience if they ever made it out of my closet.

Along came the e-publishing revolution and The Wild Rose Press which pledged to print romances that did not fit the mainstream if they were well-written. I submitted Goals and two months later had a contract and a book published in April, 2010. It and its sequel are sellling quite nicely, thank you, to an audience craving the sports romance novels that mainstream publishing has abandoned. Jami's new book, Fourth and Goal, has recently come out with great reviews and is sure to do just as well.

I might as well reveal other un-publishable subjects while I am at it: the 1920's, the eighteenth century, Indians, the eighteenth century with Indian characters, and Civil War romances (especially if any of the characters own slaves). How do I know this? Because I have written on every one of these topics and been told they cannot be sold. My 1920's historical, Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, will be out early in 2012 from L & L Dreamspell, another e-publisher, and I expect Kicks for a Sinner to show up by fall of 2012. I also sense a thawing toward Civil War romances and hey, one day I might get a contract for that eighteenth century with Indians book. I'm not saying everything you write will sell, but the trends do turn over and new opportunities come along. Just make sure you have a really well-written book ready to go when it does.

Fourth and Goal at Amazon

2011-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

Fourth and Goal is now available at Amazon for Kindle. You can buy it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Fourth-and-Goal-ebook/dp/B0058OISKC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1309397788&sr=1-1

Fourth and Goal Now at Distributors

2011-06-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

Fourth and Goal is now available at distributors:

All Romance EBooks:

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-fourthandgoal-568632-144.html

Fictionwise (15 percent off for one week):

http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b123820/Fourth-and-Goal/Jami-Davenport/?si=0

More to come...

A Super Review by Wendy, The Super Librarian

2011-06-14T17:46:00.000-07:00

"I got sucked into this book. I mean, hook line and sinker sucked in. I was deeply invested in these characters. Not just Derek and Rachel, but all of them."

"Hooked folks, I'm positively hooked."

http://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.com/2011/06/digital-review-fourth-and-goal.html

Guest Blogger at Cassandra Carr's Blog

2011-06-07T06:31:00.001-07:00

I'll be the guest blogger at Cassandra Carr's blog today at: http://booksbycassandracarr.com/wordpress/.

I'm at J. Rose Alister's Blog Today

2011-06-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Today I'm a guest blogger at:

http://jroseallister.blogspot.com/2011/06/guest-jami-davenport.html

Addicted to Harmless Blog Party

2011-06-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

I'm part of Melissa Schroeder's Addicted to Harmless Blog Party this week. Go to her blog to read all about it and win free books, including Fourth and Goal.

Jami at Smutketeers

2011-05-26T13:11:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I’m blogging at Smutketeers.

http://www.smutketeers.com/

Stop by and find out why I love sports heroes in romance novels.

Guest Blogger at Whipped Cream

2011-05-18T06:58:00.001-07:00

I'm the guest blogger at Whipped Cream today (yes, it's really today, I posted the wrong day a few days ago.)

http://wcguest.blogspot.com/2011/05/guest-post-jami-davenport.html

istorytale.org

2011-05-17T19:09:00.001-07:00

Fourth and Goal is now on iStorytale.org at:

http://istorytale.org/902-2/

Whipped Cream

2011-05-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm the guest blogger at Whipped Cream on Wednesday, May 18. Stop by and say hi.

http://wcguest.blogspot.com/

I'm at Friday Free for All

2011-05-13T19:10:00.000-07:00

I'm at the Friday Free for All at Cup of Porn. Leave a comment to enter a drawing to win a copy of Fourth and Goal:

http://cupoporn.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/friday-free-for-all-fourth-and-goal-by-jami-davenport/

Wednesday I'm doing the Whine and Wine

2011-05-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, you can find me for the Whine and Wine at:

http://cupoporn.wordpress.com/

I'm talking about writing for a niche.

Win a Copy of Fourth and Goal

2011-05-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

Stop by Michele Zurlo's The Steam Room and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Fourth and Goal.

http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/show/6976214-tsr-welcomes-jami-davenport

Where I'm at This Weekend

2011-05-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

Stop by and leave me a comment. You can find me this weekend at:

Saturday:

Jeanne St. James

http://jeannestjames.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-release-by-guest-jami-davenport.html

Sunday: The Steam Room

http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/

Where I'm at Today

2011-05-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

I'm at D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters today. Please stop in and say hi.

Also Fourth and Goal is mentioned in Plot Mama's Bubbly Announcements.

Where to Find Me

2011-05-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my schedule for the next week. Drop in and say hi!

Date Description

5/1     Destiny Blaine: http://destinyblaine.blogspot.com/

5/3     Kate Davies: http://kate-davies.blogspot.com/

5/3     Loose Ends: http://looseidauthors.blogspot.com/

5/6     Jeanne St. James: http://jeannestjames.blogspot.com/
5/8     The Steam Room: http://www.michelezurlo.com/apps/blog/

5/11   Cup of Porn: http://cupoporn.wordpress.com/

Guest Blogging

2011-05-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

I'm guest blogging this week at:

Destiny Blaine's for the next two days.

http://www.destinyblaine.blogspot.com/

Kate Davies

http://www.kate-davies.blogspot.com/

And more to be announced...

Please stop in and say hello.

Fourth and Goal-- Available Now

2011-05-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Fourth and Goal

Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series Book 1

Available from Loose Id

In a game played on and off the field, only one of them will emerge the winner.

Armed with an uncanny ability for evaluating football talent, a dogged determination to succeed in a man’s world, and an empty bank account, Rachel McCormick agrees to help struggling wide receiver Derek Ramsey get his game back. Rachel believes Derek, her former best friend and lover, knows the truth behind a points-shaving scandal which ruined her father. She vows to expose the secret even if it destroys Derek in the process.

When Derek’s coach suggests sex as an excellent tension reliever the night before a game, Rachel takes one for the team. The next day, Derek has the best performance of his not-so lustrous pro football career. As Derek and Rachel rack up nights in bed and other places, the team racks up wins on the field. Rachel is torn between her loyalty to her father and her growing affection for Derek. Now it’s fourth and goal, one second left on the clock. Their hearts are on the line. Do they trust each other enough to go for the long bomb or do they get dropped for a loss?

Read the first chapter here

Romance Trading Card for Fourth and Goal

2011-04-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to Kim at Hot Damn Designs for the design on my romance trading card for Fourth and Goal.

Coming on May 3rd--Fourth and Goal--from Loose Id

2011-04-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

In a game played on and off the field, only one of them will emerge the winner.

Fourth and Goal Cover

2011-04-19T22:53:00.000-07:00

Fourth and Goal

Available on May 3rd from Loose Id

It’s fourth and goal, one second left on the clock. Derek and Rachel are racking up points in bed. Do they trust each other enough to go for the long bomb or do they get dropped for a loss?

Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs

Coming Soon Page

2011-04-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

I now have a "Coming Soon" page for Fourth and Goal at Loose-Id. The countdown is on. F&G will be available on May 3.

My book page is at: http://www.loose-id.com/Fourth-and-Goal.aspx

I'm so excited about this book. It's my first Jami book in over two years. I'm hoping to have the sequel done and released also this year.

Reading and Teenagers

2011-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

I heard this on the radio last week:

Teenagers who read at least one book a month are much more likely to have rewarding careers in their early 30s. I can't remember the percentage, but it was high, something like 30 to 50 percent.

Here's the kicker: The study also found that it didn't matter what they read. Only that they read.

So for all those people out there who turn their noses up at romance novel readers or consider romance garbage, keep this in mind: reading is what's important. Not what you read. Reading romances can be just as important to your future as reading a literary novel or a non-fiction book.

Sneak Peak of Fourth and Goal

2011-04-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to annouce that Fourth and Goal is out of the editing stage and moving on to final copy edits. Tentaive release date is the first week of May.

Click here to read the first chapter and wet you appetite for more.

Fourth and Goal Update

2011-03-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

I finished line edits for Fourth and Goal this weekend. It's off to the proofer's. Once it's been proofed, I'll be able to post an excerpt.

The tentative release date is May. I'm planning a blog tour for that month. I'll post a schedule on my website.

Winter is Over???

2011-03-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hey, gang, I am thrilled to announce that the scene in this picture is hopefully gone for the year. This is the view from my horse arena with our house on the left, barn on the right (horse trailer in front of the barn).

A Different Kind of Sports Hero

2011-02-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

Check out my post at the Loose Ends blog at http://looseidauthors.blogspot.com/2011/02/different-kind-of-sports-hero.html

Fourth and Goal Publication Date

2011-02-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

I'm in the final edits for Fourth and Goal. My release date is sometime in May. I can't wait. I've been busy working on the 2nd book in the series titled Forward Passes.

Check back for more information. I'll post it as soon as I hear more.

Sport Romances and Dear Author

2011-02-10T20:02:00.001-08:00

Check out this post on Dear Author regarding the Super Bowl and Sports Romances:

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2011/02/08/a-sonnet-or-two-to-the-packers-by-sarah-wendell-poetess/

Seahawks, Prove 'em Wrong

2011-01-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

The 12th Man flag is flying on the Space Needle and at the State Capitol (below).

Guest Blogger: Destiny Blaine

2011-01-07T18:53:00.000-08:00

I'd like to welcome Destiny Blaine again as she talks about her newest release.

Steam Toys
Just Released Today
Available Now at Aspen Mountain Press

Revenge is a hot, bitter dish when served up enthusiastically by someone empowered by extra steam.

Blurb:
Heidi Labeidi, a successful Nevada brothel owner, had the world by its tail until her deceptive lover Stan Graves disposed of her. Lost somewhere between life and the afterlife, Heidi materializes in her former home thirty years after her death. She has a second chance and she’s hell bent on solving her own murder.
With a knack for creating pleasure-inducing trinkets and furniture, Edward Brady is an eccentric mad scientist on the verge of greatness. He’s also in desperate need of an assistant and his problems are solved when he discovers a sensual ghost enjoying his sex toys.
Heidi has something to offer Edward but her assistance comes at a price. And when Edward becomes an assassin’s mark, only Heidi can help him. Will Edward barter with a ghost who can save him and if he does, will the former madam become the one woman Edward is unable to resist?
Excerpt:
Heidi squeezed his fingers. “You’re a thoughtful man, Edward, but trust me when I tell you: I’ve ruined many a man’s reputation. You’re considered a genius in this town. You don’t want this city to turn its back on you right now. You’re on the verge of something great and I want to come along for the ride.” She slid her arm under the table and touched his knee. “And I want a lot of rides with you, Edward.”
His damn prick was ready to negotiate the terms.
You do?” Edward asked, engaging himself in what must’ve looked like an odd one-sided conversation. By the time he realized what he was doing, half the restaurant’s customers were now turning around, staring at him with marked curiosity.
Heidi tilted her head toward some of the patrons. “You’re seated at a table for two. You requested a couple of wine glasses. Two meals have been served. This seat is vacant and you’re holding a hand that doesn’t exist.” She looked down at their entwined fingers. “Your thumb is jerking as if you’re massaging my wrist. You don’t think this is newsworthy for the Las Vegas Lifestyle Magazine?”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Edward admitted. “If I can see you, then they must.”
“No, Edward,” she said, standing.
He stood too as a polite gesture.
“I don’t exist in your world. You’re the only one who can see me.”
“Then I’m one lucky guy.”
Heidi held her shoulders back. A quick tilt of her head sent ringlets tumbling across her shoulders. “That depends on who you ask at the moment. In public situations like this, I recommend that you listen and let me do the talking. Some here are ruthless snakes when it comes to tearing down a man’s reputation, especially one like yours, and they’ll be anxious to poke fun at the crazy man, the man who inevitably will catch the eye of their women because of his deep pockets.”
“What’s that mean, exactly?”
“You’re about to make millions, the kind of money this city hasn’t seen since the days of Howard Hughes, and you’re acting as crazy as Hughes himself.”
“I’m not hungry,” he told her, feeling like he’d known her at another point and time in his life. “I want to take you home and—”
“And what, Edward? Get to know me?”
“Yes.”
She took a deep breath. “Oh for heaven’s sake, sit down and finish your meal and then meet me at the curb. As long as you’re looking at me like I’m dessert, there’s no way you’ll enjoy your dinner. Besides, you’re drawing too much attention.”
“I would think someone in your line of work craves center stage.” he pointed out, snapping at her.
Heidi leaned forward. “Careful, Edward, everyone is staring now.”
Excerpt Two:
A few seconds after the hand-job, she tucked him in his pants and redressed quietly. He stared at her in disbelief. “You are most definitely a tease.”
“No, Edward. I’m not,” she assured him, adjusting her simple sleeves.
‘Then do you mind telling me why you didn’t finish what you started?”
“Of course not,” she said, crossing one long leg over the other. “Lesson number one is just for you, Edward. You may have a whore in your lap, with your cock in her cheek, but you never, ever make the implication you believe she’s old, used and cheap.”
“I made you feel that way?”
She tilted her head down and with wide eyes, she confirmed it. “Yes you did, Edward.”
“You’re the one that said you’d given head a few times. Not me.”
She smiled, placed her hands in her lap and looked straight ahead. When they pulled into the parking lot of the towers where Edward lived, she said, “And you suggested I may have been out of practice which was a direct slam to my age.”
“It wasn’t.”
“It was, Edward,” she said, pushing her hair over her shoulders. She tilted her head toward the driver approaching them. “Try not to act like a scorned lover when you get out of the car. Remember, he can’t see me. I’ve learned from experience those employees closest to you are the first to run their mouths when things begin to spiral out of control. The last thing you need is your driver telling a reporter you’ve lost it.”
The limousine driver opened the door. Edward stepped out. He was brewing. Not only did he have a hard-on, he had a complicated woman to credit and blame. Not only did he have someone to blame, he couldn’t publicly point an accusing finger her way.
“Did you have a nice dinner, sir?” the driver asked, trying to make small talk while Edward retrieved his wallet.
“We did,” he reported. “Thank you.”
The driver accepted his tip and arched a brow. “Did you meet friends while you were out?”
Heidi studied her fingernails. “You didn’t listen.”
“How the hell was I supposed to listen when I’m standing here with blue balls?”
“I beg your pardon, sir?” the driver fired back.
Heidi yawned. “Since your dick seems to be the only thing you can think with, see if it can help you worm your way out of this. I’m waiting upstairs.”
She was gone in a flash and Edward wished he could disappear just as rapidly.
“Sir, are you feeling okay?”
“No, Truman,” Edward replied. “I’m not. I apologize for the outburst. I’m hearing voices tonight.”
Truman frowned. “Sir, I’d strongly advise against telling anyone else about voices. You know how people like to talk.”

Destiny Blaine’s Book, Steam Toys is available today from Aspen Mountain Press. Check out other excerpts and information here: www.aspenmountainpress.com or follow her blog here: www.destinyblaine.blogspot.com

More Pictures from Friday Harbor and San Juan Island

2010-12-26T07:18:00.000-08:00

Roche Harbor Store

American Camp

English Camp on Garrison Bay

Mount Baker

Christmas at Friday Harbor

2010-12-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

This year my hubby and I decided to spend Christmas in Friday Harbor at our favorite place, Ferry Landing Suites. We try to stay there at least once a year. It was booked for Thanksgiving, so I booked it for Christmas weekend.

The San Juan Islands from the Ferry

The ferry crossing yesterday was the roughest one I've ever experienced. Still not bad, but rough enough that cars were bouncing up and down, and the ferry was being thrown about. My 2nd book in my Seattle Lumberjacks Series is set in the San Juans at Friday Harbor, so I'm doing some book research while I'm here.

As you know, my first two books were set on Orcas Island in the San Juans. I'm excited to be returning to the San Juan setting with Forward Passes, set on San Juan Island.

Here's the view from our room, both this morning and last night. Stay tuned for more pictures.

The ferry landing in Friday Harbor with two ferries in the distance

Friday Harbor at night

My Favorite Christmas Song--Mary Did You Know

2010-12-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Since it's almost Christmas, I thought I'd share my all-time favorite Christmas song. Clay Aiken sings Mary Did You Know.

Do You Believe in Things You Can't See?

2010-11-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

This week has been an adventure for me. It started with some record-breaking cold temperatures for the past week, icy roads, and snow. I thought the culmination would be accepting an offer for my football romance, Fourth and Goal, to be published by Loose Id in 2011. Yet, my hubbie, Denny, and I had an adventure last night which almost rivals selling my most beloved book to date.

Manresa Castle, Port Townsend, WA

Denny and I love to take weekend trips to places within the state. One of our favorite places is Manresa Castle in Port Townsend, Washington. We’ve made it a habit to leave town for Thanksgiving and Christmas for a lot of reasons but mostly because my husband finds the holidays too painful as he hasn’t had the opportunity to spend a Christmas or Thanksgiving with his children in about two decades.

Room 302

So armed with a fifty-percent off coupon for Manresa Castle and reservations at the Castle Key Restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, we drove the hour-and-a-half to the castle on Thursday morning. We booked the infamous tower room for our stay. Infamous because Manresa is supposed to be haunted by an array of ghosts.

In fact, last winter during a stay at Manresa, I had a “ghostly” experience. Denny and I were sitting in the bar hanging out with Jimmy the bartender late at night. The castle was relatively deserted with the restaurant closed for the night and very few if any other guests in the building. I walked down the long hall to the women’s first-floor bathroom, entered a stall, did my business, and was in the process of opening the stall door when I heard the bathroom door open and footsteps. I hesitated and listened. I didn’t hear any one go into a stall. When I’d walked in all four stalls had been open and vacant. Jerking open the door in hopes of catching I don’t know what, I looked out. No one there. I checked the stalls. Empty. I quickly opened the outer door and gazed up and down the long hallway. Nothing. And no one would have had time to disappear from sight. I returned to the bar and relayed my story to Denny and Jimmy. It seems one of the resident ghosts has an affinity for that particular bathroom, as I wasn’t the first to report strange things in there.

So back to Manresa’s ghostly history. The building was built in the late 1800s. It’s rumored a Jesuit priest became disillusioned with his faith in the early 1900s and hung himself in the tower attic directly above our room. Other reported ghosts include a woman who jumped from the 3rd floor window upon hearing her husband was lost at sea. Two weeks later he pulled into port. Also, there’s a little girl whose haunting of the castle is a mystery, though it’s rumored she might be the love child of Charles Eisenbeis, the builder and first inhabitant of the building. The castle has been featured on the Travel Channel’s show titled America’s Most Terrifying Places.

Now I’m one of those people who, while skeptical, tries to keep an open mind. My first night sleeping in the tower room was restless. I woke every couple minutes all night long. The second night was much easier, and I slept all night. We didn’t see any obvious indicators of ghosts.

We made plans to return home on Saturday, but our plans changed. Friday night, we heard footsteps in the tower attic room above us. Well, I can tell you we’re both the curious type so we high-tail it up the attic stairs right outside our room and find the attic door unlocked. Upon entering, we find a woman and two men setting up recording equipment and monitors in the attic. The woman, Datum, owns a spirit hunting business out of Portland called Spirited Away. Yes, a spirit hunting business.

They travelled from Portland to record and document spirits in Manresa Castle. Tomorrow, a group would be joining them for a spirit investigative tour. My husband, gregarious as he his, talked at length to the Spirited Away crew over the course of the evening as he ran into them in different parts of the castle.

Datum, the owner, graciously invited us to join their expedition the following night. It was an experience we couldn’t pass up, even though hubbie is a definite skeptic, and I’m not exactly on-board with the program either, but I’m open to it.

Yet, as a writer, I welcome adventures as ways to gather information for future books. This was definitely an adventure. (Hmmm... I can see it now. A heroine who owns a ghost-hunting business? A hero with an old haunted mansion? How fun.)

I don’t even know where to start, other than to say I left with more questions than answers.

We started in the attic tower room where the priest hung himself. A ghost hunting group before us had added a hanging noose in the attic just for a touch more ambiance. So we sat in a circle in the dark, about twelve of us, and took turns asking questions of the spirits. Each of us had an instrument, which I had to look-up the equipments’ names on Spirited Away’s website, as I’m a total novice. In fact, it appeared we were the only novices in this group. Many of the others toted their own personal equipment. Four of us had never done this before, me, Denny, Aaron, and Liz.

Not much going on up there as far as we could tell with our inexperienced eyes, but Liz’s EMF detector did go off a few times (at least that’s what I think her instrument was called). Denny held the dowsing rods, as a plumber he often uses them at his job to find water lines. His dowsing rods spun around crazily during the evening, but he never called attention to himself and told us afterwards.

From this room, we went to Room 302, where we’d been staying on Thursday and Friday night. I found this experience the most interesting as Datum introduced a Ghost Box. My totally novice explanation of what this thing does is it uses a radio frequency and does sweep and can pick up a spirit’s responses and convert them to words in real-time.

Again, we asked the spirit(s) questions. I was sitting in a location where I could see the display screen on the infrared DVR. When we first sat down, I saw glowing balls travelling across the video display several times. I looked around the room for the source of the balls. I could find no reflection from inside or outside the room that would cause these balls (I think they’re actually called orbs). They disappeared after a few minutes.

So as we again went around the room and ask questions of any spirits who might happen to come our way, I have to say I heard a couple distinct voices come through, especially a voice identifying himself as Marcus. Marcus died in modern times, as far as we could discern, and he had a potty mouth. He liked the “F” word. I know this sounds weird to a lot of you. I have no explanation for it, but I can tell you both Liz and I could recognize Marcus’s voice. If you’ve never seen one of these devices used, there’s a lot of interference, like trying to listen to a distant AM radio station which goes in and out. Yet, on a few occasions, the voice came through strong and clear. Our time in Room 302 ended when one of the participants insisted a demon was trying to come through. I was bummed as I felt it was just getting interesting. Liz admitted to me later that just before we’d stopped, she’d gotten extremely cold and was having chills.

From there we went to the chapel addition built by the Jesuit priests in the 1920s (I think). My EMF detector registered between the ¼ and ½ marks the entire time we were in this room, which were my highest readings of the night. We heard a few distinct voices, also. In fact, it appeared the group from Room 302 had followed us here. I heard some interesting things in this room. For example, when someone asked who the little girl ghost was, the reply came as “It’s a long story.” When asked if any of us had a guardian spirit, the answer was “seven of you.” Now I like the idea of having a guardian, I’d like to think my mother, father, and sister watch out for me. When asked what they missed most about being human, one answered: “Food. Eating.” He proceeded to answer questions about the type of food at length. The guy was really hungry it appeared.

Finally, no answers were coming through. I asked if they were done. Very clearly, I heard: Good Night. And so we wrapped it up at 3 am.I thoroughly enjoyed myself I can’t explain a lot of it. I’m not even sure I’d want to. I really want to thank Datum, Zach, and Christian for allowing rank novices to join them and for giving us an adventure we’ll remember for a lifetime. They ran the tour in a professional manner. Nothing struck us as contrived or created for the purpose of theatrics or sensationalism. It was all very above board.

If you ever get a chance to participate in a paranormal investigative tour, go for it. We weren’t disappointed. I don’t think you’ll be. Spirited Away operates on the Pacific Coast. You can look them up at Spirited Away Paranormal Tours. You can also check out our experiences at Manresa Castle (as soon as they’re available online) at this link. To see Datum's pictures, click here.

My Thanksgiving Present: Fourth and Goal has a Home

2010-11-24T15:05:00.000-08:00

I am VERY happy to announce that I've contracted with Loose Id to publish my football hero romance, Fourth and Goal, the first book in my Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series. Finally, a new Jami book will be out next spring or early summer (tentatively).

While I don't personally believe in "books of my heart" (as every book should be the book of an author's heart if she's putting her soul into the book), but this book comes close to being that book. Fourth and Goal has been floating around in my head for close to fifteen, maybe twenty years. I've written and discarded pieces of it over the years, put it on a back burner when I found out NY pubs believe sports hero romances don't sell, and a few years ago decided to drag it out. To heck with what does or doesn't sell. After all, I also write equestrian romances, and those don't "sell" either.

I love football, and I know other women love football, too. According to statistics, an estimated 45 percent of NFL fans are female. So do NY publishers think these women don't read? And don't read romance novels? I beg to differ.

The few football hero romances currently published annoy me because the heroines usually hate football and/or know nothing about it. I wanted to write a romance novel series for women who love football, have a decent knowledge of the game, and want to read about a heroine who knows her football.

Rachel, my heroine, grew up in a football-crazed family with a coach dad and football player brothers. She has an uncanny eye for evaluating football talent and diagnosing a player's strengths and weaknesses. She aspires to be a pro football scout.

The book follows Derek, an almost washed-up football player, through his and his team's journey from basement dwellers to Super Bowl contenders.

I'm hoping there's a market for a book like mine. Time will tell, but I'm putting my faith in all those female NFL fans.

The Boss

2010-11-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

This is Khat. The barn cat who wanted no part of being a barn cat. Now he owns the house. Khat is the star of my latest WIP and Book 2 in my football romance series.

This picture says it all:

New San Juan Romance by Lisa Kleypas

2010-11-08T20:26:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, two of my three current novels are set in the San Juan Islands, specifically on Orcas Island, though the characters do venture to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. My fourth book, titled Fourth and Goal, is set in Seattle, but the sequel to Fourth and Goal happens to be set in Friday Harbor.

I was pleased to see that Lisa Kleypas, one of my favorite historical authors, has a new short contemporary novel set in Friday Harbor, called Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor. I purchased it for a Thanksgiving weekend read, but I couldn't hold off that long. I read it yesterday. I loved Lisa's descriptions of San Juan Island and Friday Harbor. I loved her characters in this book also. My only complaint is the book was too short. I hope the remaining books in this series are full-length novels. I wanted more of Mark and Maggie's story!

Lisa is doing a Friday Harbor series on three brothers. I can't wait to read them all.

Coincidentally, my hubbie and I are spending Christmas at Friday Harbor this year. We usually go there for Thanksgiving, but we have other plans so it'll be Christmas.

Football 101 at Seahawks Headquarters (aka VMAC)

2010-10-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Click here to see where I spent last Saturday. Great fun and great book research!!!!

My Weekend

2010-10-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

I had the most incredible weekend filled with two of my passions--horses and football. If you know me, you know I love both. I participated in a pilates clinic this weekend. The session on Friday was unmounted, followed by a mounted session on Sunday. Check out Equestrian Ink next Sunday for details on my pilates weekend.

On Saturday, I attended the Seattle Seahawks Football 101 at the Seahawks headquarters in Renton, WA, at Virginia Mason Athletic Center to benefit breast cancer. It was an incredible experience, and my neighbor and I are definitely going next year. I'll post more later, along with pictures on my Facebook.

Emerald City Romance Writers, October 2, 2010

2010-09-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the Emerald City Writers Conference Romance Book Fair on Saturday, October 2, from 4 to 6 pm. Drop by, win a Kindle, and buy a few books. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to DAWN (Domestic Abuse Women's Network).
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Update

2010-09-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

I've had a semi-productive summer. While I didn't finish many books, I started several. ;) I'm finally back in my zone and able to write like I used to be able to write. In other words, truly get into the characters' heads and become my characters.

I've started a new series, Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series. I've been shopping Fourth and Goal around since March. After two tough rejections and some excellent, detailed feedback from an editor, I gutted the plot and started over. I'm within three chapters of finishing my second set of edits. After that, F&G will be back out on the street again, looking for a good home. The Lumberjack series has been in my head for close to fifteen years. As a big football fan, I truly believe there can be a market for football romances. According to statistics, forty to forty-five percent of NFL football fans are women. So some of those women should be interested in romance with a football hero, don't you think?

My book will be different from most sports romances in that one of the subplots involves the team's journey to the championship. Most romances gloss over the sports part of the hero's life. Not me, I LOVE football, and I want the game to be an integral part of my book.

I am so excited to see F&G published, but it's importnat for me to find the right home for it, a task I won't take lightly.

I'm halfway through Book 2 of the series, involving an animal communcator heroine, a bad-boy quarterback, and a spoiled orange tabby cat.

Wedding Weekend

2010-08-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend preparing for my stepson's wedding. It's the closest I'll ever come to being involved in a wedding since I don't have "kids of my own." My stepson's mother is out of the picture, her choice, but still unfortunate. His new wife's mother died when she was young, and her dad never remarried. So my hubby and I tried to help out any way we could.

I am exhausted, but it's a good exhausted. Probably not as exhausted as my dear friend, Em, who did all the flowers and decorations. She's so talented. By the time she was done, it looked liked we'd spent thousands on the flowers and decorations. Em, you are a jewel. Everything was perfect. The wedding was unpretentious but classy. The setting out on Hood Canal was beautiful. The weather was mid-seventies. And the bride and groom looked so in love.

This was probably the nicest wedding I've ever been to, despite it not being the most expensive or the fanciest. It goes to show how far you can go on a budget when friends and family chip in to help. Not only that, but the bride and groom went out of their way to make every guest feel welcome and special.

Weddings are funny things, and unfortunately, good and bad memories can be made depending on how they're organized and who really runs the show. I'm still trying to move beyond a painful and humiliatng experience at a recent wedding which was painstakingly orchestrated to make it obvious we were not welcome there and were not considered part of the family. So you can imagine I was a little guyshy at attending another "family" wedding.

Of course, this wedding was different. I had a hand in raising my stepson, and he considered my new hubby and I part of his family as did his bride. Besides, I was involved in the planning. It was important to me that every guest feel welcome and an essential part of the ceremony despite anyone else's negative history with them.

Congratulations to the bride and groom!!!

A Warm Weekend

2010-07-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

The Northwest has been cursed with some awful weather this spring and summer. Finally, we're getting a little taste of summer this weekend. As I write this, it's 8 pm and about 76 degrees outside. Lovely. It doesn't get better than this.

Our house is surrounded by trees so we're in the shade right now, but it's still warm and calm. I'm thinking it's the perfect time to sit in the hot tub with a glass of wine and enjoy the evening just watching nature do its thing.

Sunday we're going boating around Puget Sound on my ex-husband's boat. Did I say ex-husband? Yes, I did. After the inital two years of hating each other (which I think is expected when a relationship breaks apart), I forgave him and he forgave me, and we moved on. My hubbie introduced him to his new wife, as she was a friend of ours. We've all become great friends over the past few years. While most people consider it weird, they also admit that's how it should be after a divorce. Instead, many divorced couples can't seem to get beyond the hatred, their zeal for vengance against perceived wrongs, and their quest to make friends and family pick sides to further destroy the hated ex.

In fact, as I'm wandering all over the place, my next book Forward Passes deals with the results of a contentious divorce and how it negatively and tragically affects the children, even long after they've grown into adults. It's a sad situation, and mental health therapists will be the first to tell you that there's no cure for a parent who turns their hatred of their ex into an obsessive passion. You see it happen over and over. I'm sure every one of you has a story to tell from your own experiences or a friend/relative's experiences.

I'm currently shopping Fourth and Goal, book one in my Seattle Lumberjacks Football series, around to larger publishers. Forward Passes is book 2 in the series. I'm about a third of the way done.

I'm looking forward to seeing both books in print.

Songs

2010-07-16T17:47:00.000-07:00

Currently, some of my favorite songs are:

1. I'll Pray for You--Jaron and the Long Road to Love (A little too vengeful for me, but I can appreciate the sentiment).
2. I'm In--Keith Urban (just a fun, upbeat song).
3. If You're Going Through Hell--Rodney Atkins (My hubbie's and my anthem from last spring).

There's more... I have to think about it.

Rainy Weather? Who Cares?

2010-05-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I are currently on a San Juan Islands vacation. It's pretty much rained the entire time with the exception of a few sun breaks.

We don't really care. In fact, while sun would've been a nice plus, we really didn't expect it.

One of our favorite places to stay, Rosario Resort, re-opened recently, and we jumped at the chance to stay there again. Not to mention, the reasonably rates attracted us, too.

So here we are on our last full day here, unless we decide to spend one more day tomorrow. We're playing that by ear. I'd like to share a few pictures with you of our trip.

_______________________

This picture is of the rowing pond at Rosario. Robert Moran built it for his guests to enjoy about eight-plus years ago.

We witnessed this sunset on our ferry trip over. I wish the colors would have come out better. They were much more vivid than this.

This is a view looking out at Cascade Bay from the Rosario Marina.

I'll post more pictures on my Facebook. If you aren't a friend, you can friend me at:

http://www.facebook.com/jamidavenport

Where Were You When...

2010-05-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

There are certain events in our lives which will always be remembered by each of us answering the question: Where were you when...? September 11 is one of those. The Nisqually Earthquake is another for those of us who live around South Puget Sound.

If you're a native Washingtonian, and you've been around a while, you probably know what May 18th means.

It's the anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Since today is the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, I thought I’d go out on a limb and date myself by telling you what I was doing on May 18, 1980.

It started out as a hot, spring Sunday morning in Pullman, Washington. My roommates and I were students at Washington State University. It was almost finals week. All four of us hit the books that morning and didn’t turn on the TV. Oblivious to what happened that morning, we noticed an odd-shaped storm cloud heading our way. The thing was huge and black and angry looking.

Mitzi decided to call her parents to check in. The first thing she mentioned to them was our impending store. To which they replied: Mt. St. Helens blew today. Turn on your TV.

We did and studying was put on the back burner. The emergency broadcasting system was activated. Fire station vehicles with loud speakers drove through the parking lots and warned students to stay inside. Breathing ash into your lungs wasn’t something any of us planned on doing. So we hunkered down and waited for the cloud to arrive. Before long the skies were black, the street lights came on, and the ash started to fall like dirty snow. Eventually you couldn’t even see the light from the streetlights. Our balcony was covered in about six inches of ash, which we collected in jars. I still have a few jars full of ash.

For the next few days we stayed inside a stifling hot apartment until we ran out of food and alcohol. We donned our masks and ventured out into a world very different from the one of a few days ago. This new world was shrouded in gray. Everything was gray. Mt. St. Helens had left her mark and saved us from finals, which we were allowed to skip.

It’s an experience I’ll never forget.

Publishing Alternatives for the 21st Century--Part 3: Choosing a Small Press

2010-05-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

Not all small presses are created equal or EVEN close to equal. Beware when picking a small press. Some are run as professionally as any large NY press, while others might be anything but. The owner may not have any background in publishing or even business. She may not have a penny to invest in the company, which means royalties may be late or non-existent. Protect yourself and do your homework before signing with any publisher. I hope the following suggestions will be of some use to you.

Choosing a Small Publisher (ePub)

There are a mind-boggling amount of small presses in cyberspace. Each day brings several new ones. At the same time, several existing presses close down and leave authors without a home for their books and often without the royalties owed to them, not to mention a long struggle to get their books rights back.

I’m going to assume you have a preliminary list of publishers you’re considering.

How does a person go about choosing the small presses that they wish to submit their works to?

First of all and foremost: RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. I can’t stress this enough. Here are some great ways to find out about a small press that interests you:

Google them. Do a web search on this publisher. Read everything you can find.
Ask for recommendations from writers loops and author friends.
Check out their website and contact authors published with them. Include authors not just at the top of their bestseller lists, but at the middle and bottom. Most authors will give you the straight scoop if you ask the right questions. If one author expresses displeasure with a publisher, but the majority love that publisher, don’t put much weight on one disgruntled author. If you find several unhappy authors, I’d approach with caution or not at all.
Run a business background check. Several Internet companies will do this for you for about $25-40. You’ll need to be able to find the publisher’s name and a physical address in order to do a background check. Check the background of the company and the owner. If the company doesn't make its physical address available, proceed with caution.
Buy a few of their books, again, not just from their top sellers but from their mid-list and lower authors. You may find the editing very different for a top-selling author as compared to a beginning author. Also take note of how easy or difficult it is to buy a book from their website.
Find out about their editing process. Do you get assigned the same editor for one book or all of your books? Do you have contact with this editor to discuss improvements needed in your manuscript? How thorough is the editing? Do you see tons of errors in their published books?
If this small press offers print titles, buy a few to see the quality of the print books.
Checkout review sites to see what kinds of reviews their books are getting. This may give you an idea of the quality of book they publish.
Do you like their covers? Covers sell. That's a fact. If their covers are bad, chances are editing is substandard, and everything else about the company may be less than stellar.

If they pass your initial background check, consider what you want from a publisher. Some questions to consider:

What kind of distribution do they offer?

Are their books available from major distributors, such as Fictionwise, MobiPocket, Amazon (Kindle), Baker and Taylor, Ingram Book Group.
Do they offer print books? If so, are they available through major distributors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble?

What do they offer financially to an author?

Do they pay an advance? This is very rare in ebooks and not a necessity.
What percentage of sales does the author get for each book? What do their books sell for?
How often do they pay royalties? Can you find out if they pay on time?

Do they offer any type of promotion?

Do they have a marketing department? A few small presses do have a marketing person available to assist authors?
Do they offer any free promotion, such as advertising?

What do you think of their website?

Is the website attractive, easy to navigate, quick to load?
Go through the process of buying a book. Is it straight-forward? Or is it confusing and awkward?

What about their publishing process?

How many months/years out are they scheduling slots? How long do you want to wait to see your book in print?
What do you think of the quality of their editing? Buy a few of their books and see for yourself.

What is their editing process? Do you get to work with the same editor all the time or do you get a different editor for each book? There are pros and cons to each. It depends on your preference.

Can you get a copy of their contract?

How many years is your book under contract? Five to seven seems to be the average. What happens to your book rights if the company is no longer in business? Do they revert back to the author?
Are you required to give them first right of refusal on any subsequent manuscripts? On books in a series?

How do they handle reviews?

Who’s responsible for soliciting reviews? Do you need to send your own book out for reviews? Do they send to a group of reviewer for you?

Are you provided with free copies for contests and to submit for reviews?

How many and what kind?

Do you get any input into the covers? How much do the covers reflect the story and the characters?

When I was doing my research, I made a spreadsheet of which items were important to me. Then I checked off which small presses offered what I wanted.

From there I read their submission instructions and submitted to the ones that interested me.

I hope this series has been useful to you. Please let me know if I’m missing anything or if you’d like me to cover other topics in the future.

I'm Guest Blogging at Stacey Espino's Today

2010-05-11T06:52:00.001-07:00

Join me at Stacey's blog at:

http://staceyespino.blogspot.com/2010/05/welcome-guest-blogger-author-jami.html

Seattle Examiner

2010-05-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

My series on publishing is also being published at the Seattle Examiner:

p://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-31460-Seattle-Writing-Careers-Examiner~y2010m5d7-Publishing-alternatives-for-the-21st-century-Part-1-Definitions-by-Jami-Davenport

Publishing Alternatives for the 21st Century--Part 2, Pros and Cons of Publishing with a Small Press

2010-05-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

First of all, you need to understand some terminology (at least how I use it), such as small press, large press, vanity press, and print on demand. In the interests of saving space, I posted this terminology in my Part 1 post at this blog.

We'd all love to sell to a large publisher with a huge advance and be on Good Morning America and Oprah. The chances of that happening are slim to none, especially if you write out of the box. Large publishers are reluctant to take a chance on books which don't fit into one of their established slots.

So, you wrote a book and now you want find a home for it. Let's assume you're not interested in self-publishing. Let's also assume you've tried the large publisher route, you're writing something big publishers won't take a chance on, don't have the patience to wait on a big publisher, or you believe ebooks are the wave of the future.

Should you consider a small press or e-publisher and why? Here are some of the pros and cons of small presses to help you make your decision. In this case, I'm referring to small presses that are primarily epubs, as opposed to small presses that do print runs.

Pros (What working with a small press can do for you):

Provide a viable option for books that don’t fit into a New York slot. (Small pubs can afford to take risks). Many small presses concentrate on niches which aren't served by NY publishers. Equestrian fiction definitely fits into this.
Gain valuable experience (which can look good to a large publisher).
Learn to promote your book and yourself.
Gain experience working with editors and publishers on professional duties such as cover art and edits.
Prove you can meet deadlines.
Provide encouragement to finish the book and write more books.
Build name recognition the publishing business.
Improve writing and editing skills by working with other authors and your editor.
Reduce the number of discarded and destroyed paperbacks. GO GREEN!
Make valuable contacts with other authors and the book publishing industry.
Build confidence in your writing.
Enjoy less pressure.
Enjoy more creative freedom.
Allowed more time to develop as an author even if your book sales are slow initially.
Receive more personal attention from publisher and staff (depends on the publisher)
Easier to find your books, longer “shelf” life, don’t go out of print.
Have a quicker turnaround from submission to publication.
Write shorter works so you can write more books. You're not expected to write a novel-length book every time.
Provide another publication outlet for category novels.
Build a reader base.

Cons (Disadvantages of a small press):

Low pay and royalties, in many cases, considering the time investment by the author.
Risky if the small press isn’t stable and established. Yet, in this economy, NY is risky as editors move around and lines close all the time. They may tie up your book for a few years and never publish it.
Time-consuming, as you often perform the tasks large publishers would do for you, such as promotion, blurbs, cover art suggestions, etc.
Lower quality of editing in some cases.
Limited chance for the book to be in bookstore because they're usually print on demand and not all small presses send their books to print.
Requires extensive research of different companies. (Not all small presses are created equal in royalties, editing, and business practices. Talk to authors, do a background check, search the Internet)
Limited possibilities for booksignings.
A smaller market of people to buy your book. Even though the Internet should be a large market, it's very hard to target your promotion to the right readers.
Limited distribution for your book.
Lack of respect in many circles, including professional writing organizations. You may not be taken seriously by fellow authors and considered more of a hobbiest than a professional author.
Limited reviews—may be harder to get reviews
Exclusion from many contests, as you may find yourself in a no-man's land between not published and published.
Print-on-demand books costs 2 to 3 times more than regular pocket novels.
Expectation that you will write more books than you would with a larger press.

Does anyone have more to add?

Next week, I'll discuss how to pick a small press.

Publishing Alternatives for the 21st Century, Part 1, Definitions

2010-05-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Do you write off the beaten path? Is your book a hard-sell to New York publishers because it doesn’t fit? Did you write a book for one of Harlequin’s lines, make it all the way to the final editor, only to have it rejected? Should you put that book under your bed or in the dusty recesses of your computer and forget about it?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Today's authors have a great deal of publishing options at their disposal. Well-written books which don't fit in the mainstream are finding niche markets and small presses are eager to satisfy those niches.

Two years ago, I posted a series on Publishing with a Small Press. I'm going to repost that series under a different title and expand it. Next week, I'll post Part Two.

Please post your comments, additions, corrections. This is a collaborative post.
________________________
First, I want to start with some definitions:

New York Publisher (large press): These publishers typically have offices in New York City. They do large print runs for their author's books, which are distributed to book stores. They pay royalties (a percentage of the book's cover price, usually about 6-8 percent). The author gets paid an advance before the book hits the shelf.

Vanity Publisher (Self-Published): These presses typically publish anyone if you have the money to pay them. You will be expected to pay for things or provide your own, such as cover design, editing, and marketing. They may have limited distribution, if any. They're good choices if you're publishing something for a targeted group of people, such as a family history.

Small Press (epub or Epublisher): These presses operate like NY presses. They do not charge any fees to the author. They provide editing, cover art, and distribution. The distribution varies between publishers, as does the quality of editing and amout of marketing. Small presses are becoming a home to niche markets. Fiction which only serves a specialized group of readers isn't a good risk for large publishers. The writers might be as good or better than writers for big publishers, but they've chosen to write in an area which is not popular with the masses.
I find that there are two primary types of small presses:

Electronic or ePubs: Their books are primarily available electronically. They usually do not pay an advance unless it’s quite small. The author earns royalties (usually about 30-40 percent) from the cover price of the book sold in the small press’s bookstore and royalties from the distributor (usually a percentage of what the publisher receives). Many of these presses also offer their books in print via print on demand (see definition below) and through distributors such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Traditional Small Presses: These presses do small print runs. Their books may or may not be available via other distributors. They may or may not provide an electronic format. They may pay a small advance.

Other Definitions:
Print Run: NY pubs do a print run of each book published. The books are then distributed to bookstores. Unsold books can be returned to the publisher for a refund. Returns of fifty percent or more are not uncommon.

Print on Demand (POD): This is a green alternative to print books. Over half of the books printed by NY pubs are not sold and are destroyed. Print-on-Demand books are printed when the buyer places an order, usually in a trade paperback format. At this time, they're more expensive to buy as the process is more expensive than a print run. POD books are rarely available in bookstores because in most cases they are not returnable. Small publishers and vanity publishers often uses a POD press to print their books.

My next post will include the pros and cons of small presses.

Lucy Monroe's Readers at Home Conference

2010-04-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

For those of us who didn't get to go to RT (Romantic Times Conference) this year, I'm participating in Lucy Monroe's Readers at Home Conference. I'm kicking it off with a blog post about animals as secondary characters.

Stop by and say "hi." There's plenty going on all week, including tons of prizes and goodie bags to be given away.

I Want to Write That Kind of Book

2010-04-11T01:05:00.000-07:00

As I was doing my final edit on the last 40 pages of Fourth and Goal before submitting it to a publisher, I came to one poignant scene that actually brought tears to my eyes. As I finished the scene and pulled myself together, I thought: Wow, I hope it affects readers as much as it affects me.

I started thinking about books that strike an emotional chord in the reader and how rare they are anymore. Fifteen to twenty years ago, it seemed as if you could read that kind of book on a regular basis. Now, I might read one “can’t put down” book" a year.

If my perception isn’t skewed, then what happened to create this problem? Do writers not write as well as they once did? Do they not put their heart and soul into each book? Has it become too much of a money-making business and less of a creative endeavor.

Maybe it's all of the above and more. I believe the pressure to produce has caused authors to write a technically good book, but often it has no soul. The characters don’t come to life and become your closest friends for the brief time you spend in their lives and their heads. You don’t root for them, cry for them, rejoice with them. You might enjoy the story. In fact, you might enjoy it so much you’ll buy more books by the author, yet it still lacks something. Have we, as readers, created this problem by clamoring for more and more books by our favorite author? Have we inadvertently caused the publication of soulless books? Because in the pressure to produce, a writer doesn’t have time to develop and explore their characters, really get to know them, and give them life.

Many authors I’ve loved over the years are now producing dull, shallow books with characters I don’t remember for five minutes let alone a lifetime. As a reader, I’d rather read one exceptional book a year by my favorite author that read three or four forgettable novels.

All I know is I want to write the kind of book that stays with people, the book they read over and over again with the characters they remember fondly like the childhood friend who moved away. Perhaps, crying when reading my own scene is a step in the right direction.

Join Me at Lucy Monroe's "Reader at Home" Conference

2010-03-20T11:05:00.001-07:00

What do tons of authors, tons of prizes, tons of hotties and tons of readers have in common? They’re attending the first ever Readers at Home Conference! During the week of April 26-30, authors and readers will converge on Lucy Monroe’s blog, to celebrate their favorite genre – romance!

We are giving away Swag Bags to the first 50 readers who register for the conference. To register, all you have to do is send an email to Lucy Monroe with your name and mailing address (for the Swag Bag) stating your intention to attend the RAH Conference. The Swag Bags are for conference attendees only and we are trusting that you truly intend to attend the conference and interact with the authors and other readers on the blog. :) Lucy is shipping the Swag Bags at her own expense, but many authors have donated loot for you all, and each Swag Bag will have a free book inside.

Yes, that's right - the conference is FREE. How cool is that?

Every day there will be multiple authors visiting and guest blogging, with new posts going live every 3 hours between 6 AM and 6 PM. Lucy will post a hottie who is definitely hunky enough to be a cover model and there will be daily drawings for multiple prizes (more than 50 over the week!!!), including dozens of signed books, a B&N gift card, a t-shirt, 3 prize tote bags filled with books and goodies (from Sue G at BTRB and Becke Davis), free online subscriptions to Affaire de Couer magazine and 2 more Swag Bags given away each day. What could be better?

Hope to see YOU there!

Readers at Home Conference Sponsors

~ Guest Blogging Authors ~

Leigh D'Ansey

Other Readers at Home Conference Sponsors

(donated
prizes, items for the Swag Bags, etc.)

Affaire de Coeur

Borders True Romance Blog

Why Health Care Reform is Personal to Me

2010-03-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

I've kept quiet recently on my stand on health care reform, but I've been receiving comments about it from several people who are assuming I am against it. While I really try to refrain from political arugments, this one is really personal to me. Read on, if you want to know why and take me off your anit-health care maiiling lists. This is my letter to congress:

My mother raised two daughters on her own after my father died. I was three at the time. She never remarried.

She also had a disability. Rheumatic fever as a child left her with a weakened heart. In 1961, she had one of the first open-heart surgeries ever performed in by the University of Washington to have a valve replaced. As a result, she was never very healthy. Yet, she worked harder than most healthy people. We survived on what she earned from a small L&I survivor’s pension from my father’s death and made managing an apartment complex mostly of senior citizens.

My mother mowed almost 2 acres of lawn once or twice a week at that complex. In Eastern Washington, the temperatures often reached over 100 degrees in the summer. She didn’t care, she maintained it like a showplace. She did all the bookkeeping, rent collecting, and HUD paperwork. She watched over her “little old ladies” like a mother hen, making sure they were taken care of, often fighting Welfare so their benefits wouldn’t be cut off.

She had a social life, too. She was an active member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the 40 and 8, along with being precinct committeewoman for many years. She loved to go out to lunch with her friends.
Never once did she accept any type of public assistance. Nor did she have any health insurance coverage.
I always knew that she was living on borrowed time. Even as a child I lived in constant fear that I would lose my mother, as she was all my sister and I had left.

When I was 23 and she was 61, she wasn’t well. You could tell her heart was giving her problems. The doctor tried to encourage her to see a specialist in Spokane about 180 miles from our home. She kept putting it off. She didn’t have the money for the visit.

That July, her time ran out. She suffered a debilitating heart attack. As a result, she lived for another year as a mental vegetable and finally died in her sleep. She wasn’t even old enough to receive Social Security.
I am certain, without a doubt, if she’d had health care, she would have lived a much longer life. My mother didn’t deserve to die so soon. My sister and I had already grown up without a father, and now at a relatively young age, we were also without a mother.

Please don’t let other children lose their mothers or fathers prematurely. Vote for health care reform.

I hope you can now understand my position. I hope I've changed a few of your minds on why we need this.

Our Weekend Trip

2010-03-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

My hubbie and I took a weekend trip to Port Townsend last weekend. It's one of our favorite places to go, and we go there often. The last three times we've gone there, we've tried the bed and breakfast route. I've now decided after three strikes, we're done with B&Bs. Last fall the two we stayed in didn't belive in heat. The one this past weekend didn't believe in hot water.

We have a favorite place we love to stay with gorgeous views of the water and great rooms, not to mention a wonderful restaurant and bar. They also have bikes and lots of places to ride including a nearby island with a state park on it. We're going back there from now on. So much for being adventurous.

I'll post pictures of our trip later.

Rose City Romance Writers--Readers Luncheon

2010-03-14T18:50:00.001-07:00

I'll be at the Rose City Romance Writers Readers Luncheon. I hope to see some of you there.

The Rose City Romance Writers are proud to host the 10th Annual Romance Readers Luncheon on Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 9 am to 2 pm. This year's guest speaker is bestselling author of classic romance and modern women's fiction, Jane Porter. Jane's presentation, entitled Be The Hero of Your Own Story, is sure to inspire.
Join Us at the Governor Hotel in Portland for good food, great romance authors, and a gift basket raffle like none other. 2010 Cost: $40.00
Some of the authors attending include :
•Amanda Forester
•Anthea Lawson
•Catherine Cade
•Christina Crooks
•Christine Young
•Courtney Milan
•Delilah Marvelle
•Eilis Flynn
•Elisabeth Naughton
•Erica Ridley
•Genene Valleau
•Gerri Russell
•Gina Robinson
•Hanna Rhys-Barnes
•Jami Davenport
•Jean Johnson
•Jenna Bayley-Burke
•Jessa Slade
•Kimberly Fisk
•Kristina McMorris
•Kaylin McFarren
•Lacy Danes
•Linda Wisdom
•Lisa Hendrix
•Lucy Monroe
•Maisey Yates
•Margaret Mallory
•Marianne Stillings
•Mary Vine
•Meljean Brook
•Minnette Meador
•PJ Alderman
•Paty Jager
•Terri Reed
•Terry MacLaughlin
•Theresa Meyers
•Wendy Warren
Sound like fun? Register Now!
For more information, please check out the Rose City Romance Writers website.

A Must Read--New Release from Lucy Monroe

2010-02-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, I come accross an incredible book I just must tell my readers about. Moon Craving is one of those rare books. The author, Lucy Monroe, is a dear friend of mine, and a talented writer.

New Children of the Moon Book

from Lucy Monroe

Moon Craving

Feb 2010 - Berkley Sensation

ISBN-13: 978-0425233047

Children of the Moon Book 2

If it were up to him, Talorc—laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack— would never marry. But when the king orders that Talorc wed an Englishwoman, the lone wolf is shocked to find his mate in the strong-willed Abigail. And after an intensely climactic wedding night, the two fiercely independent souls sense an unbreakable bond…

Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible. And for his part, he has no intention of telling her about being a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she’s begun to love has deceived her, it will take all of his warrior’s strength—and his wolf’s cunning—to win his wife back. And Talorc will have to face his biggest challenge yet: the vulnerability of a man in love…

Read an Excerpt

Buy the Book

Watch the Book Trailer

As a special thank you to readers, Lucy is giving away a prize pack of pamper yourself products and paranormal romance. All you have to do to enter is send an email with Moon Craving Contest in the subject line to moon_craving at yahoo dot com before February 28th, 2010. The drawing will be held March 1st and the winner will be announced on her blog at http://www.lucymonroeblog.blogspot.com/.

Romance Book Reviews

2009-12-31T07:04:00.000-08:00

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a featured book today at Romance Book Reviews. Gina "searches the web to find the new and the old when it comes to romance books and fans like you help review the books so you can easily decide which one you want to grab next. Also, I always try to link you to the online store which has the lowest possible price (which is usually Amazon.)"

Thanks, Gina, for featuring my book.

Rocky's Bullets to Baseballs

2009-12-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's my great pleasure to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Rocky Kruger. Rocky has gone from a Special Forces soldier to a college baseball umpire. He's currently working in his first book, a fictional account of his life experiences. Check out his blog at: http://bulletstobaseballs.blogspot.com/.

Way to go, Rocky. I can't wait to see your book in print.

It's the Holidays

2009-12-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's the holidays. I'm sure you've all noticed.

Last year, my husband and I spent the majority of the holidays alone. My sister had died suddenly a few months eariler, and she was the last of my immediate family. I wasn't feeling much like celebrating anyway. Which was strange, as we're very social people. We used to have a big Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at our house for orphans, people like us who don't have friends or family in the area. For some reason, no one was available last year for either days. We spent Thanksgiving at an inn in Port Townsend. We did go to Brandon's for Christmas dinner, and it was wonderful.

This year I decided that we weren't going to spend either holiday feeling sorry for ourselves. So we went to the San Juans for Thanksgiving. We're having a big party on Christmas eve at our house. It started out as a small get together and has been growing. I've been surprised at the number of people available on Christmas eve. A good friend is bringing his Karaoke machine, and we'll be singing Christmas carols. Christmas day we'll spend with good friends and family.

For New Years, we rented a house on the ocean. My stepson is joining us along with a few other people. Should be fun.

So we're looking forward having a great time and seeing people we haven't seen in a while. Friend me on Facebook if you'd like to see pictures and know details about our upcoming weekend.

The Dance--Editor's Pick at Siren Publishing

2009-12-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

Buy now from Bookstrand Publishing and receive 15 percent off through December 15th.

EDITORS' RAVINGS: Outstanding Book

"I enjoyed this story from page one. It's well-written with likable, well-crafted characters." -- Jennifer Colgan, Editor

"Wonderful characters who touch my heart." -- Karen Denmark, Editor

http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/editorspick

[Siren Classic 91: Erotic Contemporary Romance, Interracial] What's a girl to do after her former fiancé declares that she's frigid? Mariah decides to take a jaunt on her wild side—if she can find it—with the scruffy Puerto Rican next door. Only Rico isn't who she thinks he is and time is her enemy. "Outstanding Read: A" —Simply Romance Reviews. "5 Cherries"—Whipped Cream. "5 Flags" —Euro-Reviews. READ MORE

The Holidays are Coming

2009-11-19T20:18:00.000-08:00

With Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas knocking on the door, it's time to start gearing up for the holiday rush. I'm already pencilling in all the parties we've been invited to attend. I know, I know, we're very social.

This Sunday we're having a big Thanksgiving dinner here. It started out small but is gaining size like a snowball in an avalanche. Those of you who know me, know I'm an event cook. So the more, the merrier. I couldn't be more thrilled to host a big group at our house. I just hope the turkey I bought is big enough.

Then next week, we're heading out of town for Thanksgiving. We're really looking forward to this trip. It's been a long time since we've been able to do something like this. It'll be a very special, memory-filled occasion. I'll fill you in about it later.

Long and Short Romance Reviews

2009-11-17T18:13:00.000-08:00

I've been interviewed at Long and Short Romance Reviews this week. Checkout the interview here.

I'll also be chatting all day tomorrow at LASR with fellow authors Laurie Ryan and Lavada Dee. Stop in and say hi. We'll be giving away books and having a good time. We'd love to see you. To join the chat, subscribe to LASR Yahoo Group.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a Retro Release at Siren-Bookstrand

2009-11-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

RETRO RELEASE
15% off - sale ends November 26th

WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED? [Evergreen Dynasty Series]
by Jami Davenport
Purchase Here

[Siren Classic 83: Erotic Contemporary Romance] Reformed bad boy Jake Reynolds discovers a racy Goldilocks sleeping in his bed on a dark and stormy night. With less than honorable intentions, he hires her to manage his construction office, not realizing she has her own intentions: sabotaging his business and his heart.

"5 Divas, Recommended Read" --Dark Diva Reviews. "5 Angels" --Fallen Angel Reviews. "5 Flags" --Euro-Reviews. Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a Romance Writers of America's 2008 Golden Gateway 3rd Place Winner.

Happy Veterans Day

2009-11-11T05:56:00.000-08:00

I want to wish a Happy Veterans Day to all of you veterans out there.

NaNoWriMo

2009-10-22T19:59:00.001-07:00

I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month in November. I have one month to finish a rough draft of 50,000 words.

I'm really excited to start a new book in a "new" genre: romantic suspense. I've been toying with this idea for a long time, and I'm ready to write something on the darker side.

So check back in a few weeks for an update.

Fall is here!!!

2009-09-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind of a summer for me. I hate to see the warm, sunny weather go away and the rain settle in. Yet, I'm ready for some time to write.

I'm trying to re-establish a routine and channel my energies back into writing.

I'm hoping to post a little more often and tell you about some exciting projects I have planned for the future.

Regarding legal action I mentioned earlier against an Idaho department, it appears the statute of limitations has expired, which is probably for the best. Sometimes, it's better to bury the past and move on.

I hope you've had a great and memorable summer.

I'm on Facebook

2009-08-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed, I have a Facebook page. That's where you'll find pictures and all sorts of updates on me and what I'm up to, professionally and personally. So if you haven't friended me yet, please do: Jami's Facebook page. I'm much better at keeping it up to date.

Jami Update

2009-08-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. I took the summer off from writing and am just now getting back into the swing of things. My summer has been filled with the building of our new addition, a huge 4th of July barn dance, and lots of visits with family.

Not to mention, we're considering legal action against those involved in circulating misinformation revolving around identity theft my husband experienced from 1996 through 2002. It's only recently come to light how much damage these rumors have done to his character and how widespread they are, even to the extent of bogus criminal charges. So what to do? More on this later. Has anyone had similar experiences with identity theft, its consequences, and the options for recourse?

Also The Gift Horse is now available in print via Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I hope you'll take the time to pick up a copy.

Now for the updated pictures on the man cave.

I hope you're having a wonderful summer. I'll try to post more often. Stay turned for updates.

Man Cave 4--Roofing

2009-05-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

We have roofing!!!! This is getting to be so fun.

Here's the front of the house.

Here's the man on the covered patio of his man cave.

Man Cave 3--We have walls!!!!

2009-05-13T23:18:00.000-07:00

The man cave is now framed in, and I can imagine what it'll be like finished. Of course, I'm now plagued by self-doubt. Did I do this right or should I have made this bigger? Etc.

Rocky, the hubbie, is complaining that there's no wall space. Okay, so maybe I did go a teensy bit overboard on the windows, but hey, he has one 7-foot wall and one 5-foot wall to work with. What more could he want? Besides, think of the money we'll save on artwork.

I've redesigned the laundry room a dozen times. I need a dramatic theme for the laundry room. I'm considering an apple theme for the powder room. After all, I was raised in Eastern Washington apple country. Then I'll paint the walls red? What do you think?

All in all, I know it'll be wonderful.

Coming next: Trusses and a roof!!!!

Man Cave 2--No More Patio

2009-04-29T20:52:00.001-07:00

The patio is gone and the man cave is in the first stage of construction. The foundation should be poured this week. This is my least favorite part of building because it's boring. I like framing the best because it goes so fast and you can see the biggest change.

I was happy to see that the purple Rhodie survived. I thought it might have to go.

I've spent part of the week running around to furniture stores, Lowes, Home Depot, Costco, Sears, etc. If they sell home furnishing or home improvement items, I've been there. Let's just say I'm doing my part to stimulate the economy. I know of three furniture stores that are glad I walked in the door. ;)

Stay tuned for the next installment.

The Building of a Man Cave

2009-04-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we start the building an addition on our house. My husband calls it his "man cave." I let him think that, but the secret is that it's actually my library. Shhhh. Don't tell him.

This isn't the first time I've built. I've actually built two houses previously, including the one we currently live in. We hired a great contractor, and we're trying to do everything right so we don't forget anything, yet stay within budget.

Anyway, in addition to the library/man cave, we'll have a big laundry room and a powder room. The man cave will have a wet bar and a fireplace, not to mention a covered porch.

So below is the before picture. The addition is going where the current patio is, right off those french doors.

So stay tuned for my construction updates. I'll post pictures as the building progresses.

I can't wait.

Spring Update

2009-04-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to say that The Gift Horse should be in print within the next month or so. I'll keep you posted.

I'm working on the final edits to Fourth and Goal. I hope to have it submitted soon.

I'll be at the Lori Foster's Get Together along with my good friend Allie K. Adams in June. I'll be signing my first two books. Please stop by and say hi if you're there.

On a personal note, my husbanda and I are busy planning an addition onto our home. He thinks it's going to be a "man cave." It's really my library, but he doesn't know that yet. ;)

Have a great spring.

Conrad Schumacher

2009-04-05T10:31:00.001-07:00

I posted my first installment about the Conrad Schumacher dressage symposium on the Equestrian Ink blog. If you're a rider, check it out.

I'm currently working on my m/f football hero romance. I need to do one more round of edits before I submit it. My goal is to have it ready to submit in May.

I'll be at the Lori Foster readers get together in June. If you're going to be there, please let me know. I'd love to me you.

Balance

2009-03-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ever since I sold my first book last year, I've completed six books, edited several, and promoted the published ones. It's been a whirlwind year. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I've also put on twenty pounds, my house is a mess, my friends don't remember my name, and my horse doesn't have clue who I am.

My life needs balance. Lately, I've been staying off the Internet (the biggest time vacuum around) and doing things other than writing. I'm paying attention to my house, planning an addition onto it, spending more time with family and friends, and reconsidering my decision not to show my horse.

I'm still going to write, but I need to find a middle ground. So I'm writing one hour in the evening and trying to keep my Internet time to a minimum.

I spent this past weekend at a Conrad Schumacher dressage symposium. This man is the master of all masters, in my opinion. It was incredible and inspired me to ride my horse, an inspiration I haven't felt in a long time.

So, I'm working on balance. I suspect my books will be better for it.

Publishing with a Small Press--Part 3--Choosing a Publisher

2009-03-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

Choosing a Small Publisher (ePub)

I’m going to assume you have a preliminary list of publishers you’re considering.

How does a person go about choosing the small presses that they wish to submit their works to?

First of all and foremost: RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH.

I can’t stress this enough. Here are some great ways to find out about a small press that nterests you:

Google them. Do a web search on this publisher. Read
everything you can find.
Check out their website and contact authors published with them. Include authors not just at the top of their bestseller lists, but at the middle and bottom. Most authors will give you the straight scoop if you ask the right questions. If one author expresses displeasure with a publisher, but the majority love that publisher, don’t put much weight on one disgruntled author. If you find several unhappy authors, I’d approach with caution.
Run a business background check. Several Internet companies will do this for you for about $25-40. You’ll need to be able to find the publisher’s name and a physical address in order to do a background check. Checkout now just the company but the owner.

If they pass your initial background check, consider what you want from a publisher. Some questions to consider:

What kind of distribution do they offer?

Are their books available from major distributors, such as Fictionwise, MobiPocket, Amazon, Baker and Taylor, Ingram Book Group.
Do they offer print books? If so, are they available through major distributors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble?

What do they offer financially to an author?

Do they pay an advance? This is very rare in ebooks and not a necessity.
What percentage of sales does the author get for each book? What do their books sell for?
How often do they pay royalties? Can you find out if they
pay on time?

Do they offer any type of promotion?

Do they have a marketing department? A few small presses
do have a marketing person available to assist authors?
Do they offer any free promotion, such as advertising?

What do you think of their website?

Is the website attractive, easy to navigate, quick to
load?
Go through the process of buying a book. Is it
straight-forward? Or is it confusing and awkward?

What about their publishing process?

How many months/years out are they scheduling slots? How
long do you want to wait to see your book in print?
What do you think of the quality of their editing? Buy a
few of their books and see for yourself.

What is their editing process? Do you get to work with
the same editor all the time or do you get a different editor for each
book? There are pros and cons to each. It depends on your preference.

Can you get a copy of their contract?

How many years is your book under contract? Five to
seven seems to be the average.

How do they handle reviews?

Who’s responsible for soliciting reviews? Do you need to
send your own book out for reviews? Do they send to a group of reviewer
for you?

Are you provided with free copies for contests and to
submit for reviews?

How many and what kind?

When I was doing my research, I made a spreadsheet of which items were important to me. Then I checked off which small presses offered what I wanted.

From there I read their submission instructions and submitted to the ones that interested me.

I hope this series has been useful to you. Please let me know if I’m missing anything or if you’d like me to cover other topics in the future.

Publishing with a Small Press--Part 2, Pros and Cons

2009-03-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

First of all, you need to understand some terminology, such as small press, large press, vanity press, and print on demand. In the interests of saving space, I posted this terminology in my Part 1 post at this blog.

We'd all love to sell to a large publisher with a huge advance and be on Good Morning America and Oprah. The chances of that happening are slim to none. So you wrote a book and now you want find a home for it. Let's assume you're not interested in self-publishing. Let's also assume you've tried the large publisher route, you're writing something that big publishers won't take a chance on, don't have the patience to wait on a big publisher, or you believe ebooks are the wave of the future.

Should you consider a small press or e-publisher and why? Here are some of the pros and cons of small presses to help you make your decision. In this case, I'm referring to small presses that are primarily epubs, as opposed to small presses that do print runs.

Pros (What working with a small press can do for you):

Provide a viable option for books that don’t fit into a New York niche. (Small pubs can afford to take risks). Equestrian fiction definitely fits into this.
Gain valuable experience (which can look good to a large publisher).
Learn to promote your book and yourself.
Gain experience working with editors and publishers on professional duties such as cover art and edits.
Prove you can meet deadlines.
Provide encouragement to finish the book and write more books.
Build name recognition the publishing business.
Improve writing and editing skills by working with other authors and your editor.
Reduce the number of discarded and destroyed paperbacks. GO GREEN!
Make valuable contacts with other authors and the book publishing industry.
Build confidence in your writing.
Enjoy less pressure.
Enjoy more creative freedom.
May receive more personal attention from publisher and staff.
Easier to find your books, longer “shelf” life, don’t go out of print.
Have a quicker turnaround from submitting to publication.
Write shorter works so you can write more books. You're not expected to write a novel-length book every time.
Provide another publication outlet for category novels.
Build a reader base.

Cons (Disadvantages of a small press):

Low pay and royalties, in most cases, considering the time investment by the author.
Risky if the small press isn’t stable and established. Yet, in this economy, NY is risky as editors move around and lines close all the time. They may tie up your book for a few years and never publish it.
Time-consuming, as you often perform the tasks that large publishers would do for you, such as promotion, blurbs, cover art suggestions, etc.
Lower quality of editing in some cases.
Limited chance for book to be in bookstore because they're usually print on demand and not all small presses send their books to print.
Requires extensive research of different companies. (Not all small presses are created equal in royalties, editing, and business practices. Talk to authors, do a background check, search the Internet)
Limited possibilities for booksignings.
A smaller market of people to buy your book. Even though the Internet should be a large market, it's very hard to target your promotion to the right readers.
Limited distribution for your book.
Lack of respect in many circles, including professional writing organizations. You may not be taken seriously by fellow authors and considered more of a hobbiest than a professional author.
Limited reviews—may be harder to get reviews
Exclusion from many contests, includng RWA's Ritas.
Print-on-demand books costs 2 to 3 times more than regular pocket novels.
Expectation that you will write more books than you would with a larger press.

Next week, I'll discuss how to pick a small press.

Publishing with a Small Press--Part 1, Definitions

2009-02-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

Hi, there, a few months ago I started a series on publishing with small presses. Well, book deadlines and life in general interrupted my good intentions. I'm reposting the first installment for those of you that missed it. Please post your comments, additions, corrections. This is a collaborative post.

Next week, I'll post Part Two.
________________________

This is the first post in a series on Publishing with a Small Press. I welcome any comments or corrections, as I strive to make this information as accurate as possible.

First, I want to start with some definitions:

New York Publisher (large press): These publishers typically have offices in New York City. They do large print runs for their author's books, which are distributed to book stores. They pay royalties (a percentage of the book's cover price, usually about 6-8 percent). The author gets paid an advance before the book hits the shelf.

Vanity Publisher (Self-Published): These presses typically publish anyone if you have the money to pay them. You will be expected to pay for things such as cover design, editing (if there is any), may have limited distribution, if any. They are good choices if you're publishing something for a targeted group of people, such as a family history.

Small Press (epub or Epublisher):

These presses operate like NY presses. They do not charge any fees to the author. They provide editing, cover art, and distribution. The distribution varies between publishers.

I find that there are two primary types of small presses:

Electronic or ePubs: Their books are primarily available electronically. They usually do not pay an advance unless it’s quite small. The author earns royalties (usually about 30-40 percent) from the cover price of the book sold in the small press’s bookstore and royalties from the distributor (usually a percentage of what the publisher receives). Many of these presses also offer their books in print via print on demand (see definition below) and through distributors such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Traditional Small Presses: These presses do small print runs. Their books may or may not be available via other distributors. They may pay a small advance. I'll admit that I don't know much about this type of press. So if someone can fill us in, that'd be great.

Print Run: NY pubs do a print run of each book published. The books are then distributed to bookstores. Unsold books can be returned to the publisher for a refund. Returns of fifty percent or more are not uncommon.

Print on Demand (POD): This is a green alternative to print books. Over half of the books printed by NY pubs are not sold and are destroyed. Print-on-Demand books are printed when the buyer places an order. They are usually more expensive to buy as the process is more expensive than a print run. POD books are rarely available in bookstores because they are not returnable.

My next post will include the pros and cons of small presses.

New Book Trailer for The Gift Horse

2009-02-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

Sit back and enjoy my new video for The Gift Horse, a mainstream contempory romance from Bookstrand and Book 3 of the Evergreen Dynasty Series.

Buy Link
Read Chapter One

A New Five-Star Review

2009-02-27T22:49:00.001-08:00

Woo Who!!! I just received word that Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? was given five stars by Whipped Cream Romance Reviews.

Between her fun sense of humor and her supporting characters that are as alive as the main characters, Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? jumps off the page and comes alive.The intense conflict that rages between Jake and Harlee sets the stage for an extremely hot affair between the two. Smoldering sex, honest affection, and true humor make this a story worth reading and rereading!

You can read the entire review at Whipped Cream.

I'm also up for Book of the Week. I'll post the link where you can vote tomorrow.