Ronna AKA All Those Other People

Hi. Eloisa James will be visiting our group blog tomorrow. Here's our promo for it. ;)


Eloisa will be giving away a copy of When Beauty Tamed the Beast, which is a 2012 RITA finalist for Regency Historical Romance! All you need to do is comment between now and midnight Saturday to be entered in the drawing. One lucky winner will be chosen at random. Tweet a link to this interview (include @MarloBerliner or leave the link here so I can see it) and you’ll get two entries!



Visit http://blameitonthemuse.com and comment!!!!


I recently visited the New Jersey Romance Writers for the Michael Hauge lecture. I confess myself impressed and learned quite a lot. You never ever stop learning.

I also got to visit 3 Musers in person, and have dinner with Mr. Hauge. It was a fantastic weekend overall (despite the 12 hours of driving in 2 days)


Stop by the group blog if you're an Eloisa fan. I know I am. Every time I meet her, she's more gracious and lovely than the previous time. She brought me to tears with her keynote at RWA a few years prior, talking about her premature daughter. I too was a preemie and could totally relate. I little too much.

I am writing. Am on submission. Am revising. Sigh.

Hopefully I'll have an announcement soon. Watch this space.

When asked, “How do you write?” I invariably answer, “one word at a time.”
Stephen King

I’ve never had writer’s block. Don’t throw anything at me. I have experienced, inspiration-block, however. So when life makes us a speedbump, reverses and let’s er rip again, I have a cure for what ails you. I suspect you have it too, if you read this blog.



I have a friend who’s an interior designer. She matches people’s rooms to their personalities. She’s done landscapes and stars and the most amazing textured walls that almost look alive.

When I asked her to help me with my study, she said…”What do you collect? I know. Words!”

We writers are word-wierdos. Finding the right word can turn flat prose cut-out-paper-doll into a surround-sound, living-breathing person with whom we laugh and cry.

So…here’s a little word fun. Yes, its #geektastic.




So here’s a list of wierdo words.



Apodyopsis- The act of mentally undressing someone

Batrachophagus- One who eats frogs (you mean some people dont?)

Clithridiate-Key-hole-shaped

Dentiloquent-Pertaining to one who talks through their teeth

Exsibilation-The collective hisses of a disapproving audience (which I hope is not happening now)

Filipendolous-Hanging by a single thread (much like my sanity lol)

Gossypidoma-A surgical sponge left inside a patients body (I am still laughing. WHenever you read this, Im still laughing that this word exists)

Jumentous-Pertaining to horse urine. (did you know that Grace? If you did…well i cry uncle right now)

and lastly–Lygerastia-pertaining to one who is only amorous when the lights are out.

I refuse to reveal my source at this time. I must complete the alphabet. But I think thats enough to alleviate your Mulligrubs (pertaining to low spirits) for one day.

Just found out one of my older books has been nookified.

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-circle-of-crows-brynn-chapman/1008039693?ean=9781593745882&itm=2&usri=brynn+chapman

I'm...writing. Hopefully I'll have evidence of this claim soon.;)

R.R. Smythe

Poet’s words on Winter Walls The title is in homage to the poet, Robert Frost, and his poem, Walking through woods on a Snowy Evening.



I’ve always been enamored with this poem, from the very first time I heard it. I live in the woods, and when winter falls, the glisten of ice-coated branches and heavy white blankets covering the evergreens is not only breathtaking, but surreal. One understands the true meaning of Winter Wonderland.

I understand completely the poet’s love of the forest. I’m remodeling my writing office. When I approached my friend, an interior designer and artist for ideas (yes, I’m fortunate), she encouraged me with my idea for a literary theme. She paints landscapes on walls; and I am completely in awe, as I am unable to fashion a mere stick-person.


On the study wall is…you guessed it. A forest. A Victorian gaslight, and embedded in the picture, a la Bev Doolittle, the last few lines of the Frost poem, The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep.

I’m on the lookout for a real gaslight, as well as an old typewriter.

Wishing you warmth this winter. Forget school closings, snow tires and slick roads. Think…sleigh rides, sled rides and Robert Frost.


To help you stomach the cold, I’m giving away warm slippers, a mug and cocoa to sip while reading The Bride of Blackbeard. That way you will be prepared to face sunken ships in the freezing waters of the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the real life rescues of the Chicamacomico Life saving station…and of course, pirates. Just leave a comment to be entered.

Website: http://www.rrsmythe.com/ Book Video: http://bit.ly/ux2KIf

Robert Frost Poem in its entirety

When you've been at the writing gig awhile, you typically make loads of acquaintances, lots of friends and a few precious critique partners. So I've kind of made a game of the title. "Guess the Genre."

When I meet a writer for the first time, I listen to them talk, assess their interests, their personality, to try to guess which genre has claimed them.


SO many factors affect what genre chooses us. Who we are; our life experiences, our genetic code. Let's think of it as our literary phenotype;

A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior (such as a bird's nest). Phenotypes result from the expression of an organism's genes as well as the influence of environmental factors and the interactions between the two.

So, I am a product of my upbringing. My father, a once-history teacher forced me, a la Clark W. Griswald style, to see every historical landmark on every vacation. I. Hated. It.



The seed was planted however, and grew. Now I write historicals, and my absolute favorite part is visiting the backdrop for upcoming books.
so there's my nature and the nurture=genre in one neat ball.

I recently toured Charleston, South Carolina by foot and by carriage. I am continually awed and inspired by the bravery and cunning of our ancestors; how they lived and died.

When we travel, it's like a magical time warp as we cross the Mason-Dixon line. And how do I know we're in deep south?

Well, Spanish Moss and Live Oaks of course.

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The Civil began in Charleston. The city has weathered fires, earthquakes, war and hurricanes. It's a wonderful, majestic, dangerous place to live. The clop of hooves along cobblestone, and the flicker of gaslights made it easy to picture life in colonial times. (minus the mosquito-borne illnesses)



Some colonists made their fortunes with rice, others with the busy port. The twisted cords in the wrought iron gate above symbolize the owner made his living by the sea. These were visible throughout the architecture-around windows, door frames and fences.

Much of Charleston is made-land (ie landfill) In the picture below, the stone posts are remnants of a dock. And yes, the water was that close to the fence surrounding that home.



This is bloody alley.



This was a designated alley where duels were to be fought. Duels did not always have to be fatal. They could be 'to the blood' and weren't always 'to the death'. The word associated with duel is pistol, but apparently a sack of potatoes or even a sack of dung might do. Pirates were asked to settle disputes here as well once docked in Charleston.



And this was one of the buildings used for filming in The Patriot.

Of course, notice the gentlemen and ladies staircases--to be sure no man glimpsed said ladies ankles. The scandal.

Fires were a very common danger-thus the kitchens were detached. When slaves would bring the food to the main house...nasty owners would insist the slave whistle the whole way-to ensure he wasn't sneaking any bites. Well, the combination of the whistle and the smell of the food was a Pavlovian nightmare. As soon as the slaves whistled-dogs would come bounding.

To keep them from getting the food, cooks would provide the carriers with little balls of dough to carry in their pockets.

When the dog got close, they'd chuck the fried dough ball, quieting the dogs. They were called, "Hush puppies." ;)

So whatever genre adopts you-I wish you well. If we meet at a conference, feel free to say hi and say, "Let's play Guess the Genre."

Hi. Im totally thrilled to report my first foreign sale--Portuguese. I'm so thrilled!!!





Preço: R$ 8,90
Selo: Clássicos Históricos - Romances do Século XIX
AMOR E OBSESSÃO
Autor: BRYNN CHAPMAN

Um novo Romance a cada 15 dias

Determinada a esquecer um passado de amarguras e a começar uma nova vida, Constanza Smythe deixa sua terra natal, a Inglaterra, e aceita um emprego de professora na América, mas acaba sendo alvo das atenções de dois homens. Ao conhecê-la, Edward Teache, o infame pirata conhecido como Barba Negra, se dispõe a fazer qualquer coisa, seja dentro ou fora da lei, para torná-la sua noiva. Porém, as mãos do destino, põe em seu caminho, Lucian Blackwell, um fazendeiro da Carolina do Norte, que se apaixona por Constanza e está determinado a protegê-la das garras do mais terrível pirata de todos os tempos...

I will be presenting the lecture "Creating Realistic Special Needs Characters" at the New Jersey Put your heart in a book conference.



If you are planning on attending, shoot me an email and I will send you my powerpoints and a loooooooong-too-much-more-than-you wanted handout on some of the technical aspects of the illnesses I will discuss. I've focused the talk around successful film and books.


Here's a few I will be discussing.








I advised Jodi Picoult on her book, House Rules. Heres a wonderful podcast referencing autism, House Rules and vaccinations.

Hi all! Hey, I'll be presenting a workshop at the NJRWA conference in October. My workshop is Creating Realistic Special Needs Characters.


I'll be honest--its a thrill to even have one's name appear on the same page as Eloisa James. :)

Hope to see you there. I'll be examining books and films, highlighting special needs characters and their portrayals as secondary and primary characters. (My Left Foot, Rainman, Of Mice and Men, etc)

NJRW's Put Your Heart in a Book Conference
Empower Your Muse!

October 21-22, 2011
Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel
Iselin, NJ

Don’t miss this opportunity to take your writing to the next level. This year’s Put Your Heart in a Book Conference is shaping up to be the best ever. We will be adding to the list of agents and editors, so please check the website frequently for updates!

All conference information and forms are on the conference drop down menu. Users have experienced issues seeing the conference drop down menu using AOL as their browser. Please log on to this site using either FireFox, Safari or Internet Explorer and click on the conference tab in the header to view all the information.

Our Featured Speakers

Keynote speaker — Suzanne Brockmann



Luncheon speaker — Rachel Gibson



Special Presentation speaker — Victoria Alexander*



Along with a Half-day pre-conference with Brenda Novak



* For the first 100 people who sign up for the conference

Here is a partial list of agents and editors scheduled to attend:

Agents

Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds, LLC
Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. (panel only)
Jennifer Didik, Loretta Barrett Books, Inc.
Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management
Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency
Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Denise Little, The Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
Beth Miller, Writers House
Nicole Resciniti, The Seymour Agency
Lauren Ruth, BookEnds, LLC
Susannah Taylor, Richard Henshaw Group
Carlie Webber, Jane Rotrosen Agency
Editors

Holly Blanck, St. Martin’s Press
Lia Brown, Avalon Books
Karen Chaplin, HarperCollins Publishers
Kelli Collins, Ellora’s Cave
Wendy McCurdy, Berkley Books
Lauren Plude, Grand Central Publishing
Aubrey Poole, Sourcebooks
Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing
And 6 editors from Harlequin!
And, here is the list of our workshop presenters:

Tasha AlexanderVictoria AlexanderLaura Marie AltomToni AndrewsGina ArditoL.A.BanksMarlo BerlinerAnnette BlairTerri BrisbinSuzanne BrockmannMary BurtonChristine BushDianne CastellAnna DePaloStephanie DravenCara ElliottMarie ForceJacquelyn FrankRachel GibsonLaura GriffinWinnie GriggsNancy HerknessKristan HigginsEloisa JamesSophie JordanMary KennedyApril KihlstromCindy KirkEliza KnightCaroline LindenDenise LittleKathleen LongJanice LynnKevan LyonSally MacKenzieBrenda NovakRobin D. OwensTessa RadleyIsabel RomanRenee RyanRuth SeitelmanKaren Rose SmithRR SmytheMariah StewartHope TarrStephanie TylerThe Grammar DivasLauren Willig
Registration opens June 15th 2011!

NJRW Member: $190.00
Non-NJRW Member: $210.00

NJRW hotel room rate is $115, which includes guestroom internet access.

Pre-conference Workshop

Emotion: The Heart of the Novel, with Brenda Novak (Friday, Oct. 21, from 9 AM to 12 PM) - $30.00

Donations Requested

Your help is needed! Donations for the 2011 Conference giveaway baskets can be brought to each NJRW monthly meeting and would be greatly appreciated. Items such as lotions, candles, chocolates, unused books, bottles of wine and, of course, large baskets would be very helpful. Complete theme baskets will also be accepted from individuals or a group of authors. Any questions, please contact Val Luna, Baskets Chair.

If you have questions, please contact: Marlo Berliner, NJRW’s 2011 Conference Chair, at confchair@njromancewriters.org or, Ruth Seitelman, Assistant Chair, at ruth.seitelman@gmail.com. For registration questions, please contact: LoriMarie LaSpada, Registrar, at registrar@njromancewriters.org.

My small publisher alerted me one of my backlist titles, The Bride of Blackbeard, is the featured book this month in honor of autism awareness month. One of the characters is an child with autism.

http://bit.ly/eKWvcS