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I am so excited about the new issue I can hardly contain myself! It's the first issue with the new review format and it looks fantastic. But even more exciting, it's now so much easier to read the 280 books reviewed!
The new reviews start with the "opinion" paragraph followed by the book summary.
We have been working extremely hard with our stable of more than 40 reviewers for the last six months, not only getting ready for this change, but also to help strengthen their "opinion" paragraph so that the reader has more specifics about the book to draw from when using the star rating as a guide.
Wait until you see the actual print pages. They are so easy on the eyes with more "air" between the lines and more color to break up the text. I can't wait to get your feedback, so PLEASE let me know how you like it (cstacy@romantictimes.com), since I am just a wee bit biased.
I also want to mention that the new format will follow through on the website. Starting with the September reviews and moving forward, the opinion paragraph will lead each review. Any reviews written prior to September will retain the old format, because in order to adapt those reviews to the new format we would have to manually change the 30,000+ reviews on the website, which would be a daunting task.
For those of you who purchase RT BOOKreviews in Waldenbooks and Borders Express stores, you will now find the magazine in the romance book section as well as in the magazine section. ANYONE who purchases their books in these stores, please let me know if you see the magazine in an end cap (a display at the end of an aisle) in the romance book section. It's important that we know that the program is being fully implemented. So the next time you go to the mall, please take a look in one of these stores and let me know if it's there or not. Please e-mail me (cstacy@romantictimes.com) with the mall's name, along with the city and state it's located in. The Waldenbooks or Borders Express store number would be helpful, too, if you can take the time to ask the manager. Your help with this is very much appreciated.
Aside from the awesome new review format, the new issue is chock-full of great articles beginning with an interview with Dennis Lehane of MYSTIC RIVER fame. All I will say is that the Beantown native is quite colorful and very candid about his rise to the top. Next is an interview with Stephanie Laurens who celebrates her 10th year and 20th book with Avon (TO DISTRACTION). I can't believe it's been 10 years. It seems like only a few years since her first book came out and we pegged her as a rising new star. Then we move on to one of our favorite people, Tess Gerritsen. Her latest book
(THE MEPHISTO CLUB) centers around the diabolical killer and the struggle between good and evil. No matter what genre she writes in, Tess always hits her mark -- and then some!
With web logs becoming all the rage, our feature this month is on authors' group blogs and how writers have banded together to stay in touch with fans and friends in a most creative way. If you haven't yet blogged, this article will whet your appetite to join in on the fun.
Who remembers Laura London aka Tom and Sharon Curtis? To continue our 25th anniversary celebration we are spotlighting 25 authors no longer writing and Laura London is at the top. We tracked down Sharon Curtis to catch up on why she and hubby Tom stopped writing and to find out if we will ever see another book from them. Sorry, you'll have to read the article for the answers, but I assure you her fans will be delighted! Jo-Ann Power, a historical romance author who has been MIA for seven years, has returned but this time with a mystery series mixing politics and murder. The launch book's title, MISSING MEMBER, is a double-entendre that I am sure will make our male readers flinch. A fun series!
Our cover story, TEXAS BAD BOYS, is a unique collection of delicious rebels you won't want to miss. For all you Carpathian fans, Christine Feehan rounds up her heroes and heroines for a special reunion book (DARK CELEBRATION) that will thrill her rabid readers.
I want to spotlight an ad running in the September issue, which also ran in the August issue, because it contains a $1.00 off coupon good toward the purchase of Brenda Novak's new release DEAD SILENCE. The coupon is only valid if you take the ad with you to the store so it can be scanned. The ad for DEAD SILENCE appears on page 83 in the September issue and on page 101 in the August issue in case, like me, you did not realize the actual ad is the coupon.
Avon books has just launched a new website for fans called FanLit ™. The site features an online-writing contest that allows fans and aspiring romance novelists to participate in the creation of a novella. Initially, visitors to the site will vote on the best story idea, based on several posted there. Contest participants will then write a three-page chapter based on the winning story idea. Visitors to the site will vote for their favorite chapter each week. The contest begins Aug. 23 and goes through Oct. 12. You don't have to be a writer to join in the fun. Readers are a huge part of the process to select the best entries. The FanLit ™ writing contest will be guest-judged by bestselling Avon authors Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Cathy Maxwell, Teresa Medeiros and Victoria Alexander.
Great weekly prizes will be awarded to the winners, including: a complete signed set of participating authors' Avon novels; inclusion in Avon's monthly advance galley mailing list for one year (which means you will get Avon books before they are on store shelves); a framed, limited-edition print of Stephanie Lauren's TO DISTRACTION cover signed by the author and artist; a free, one-year subscription to Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine, and free registration and hotel accommodations to the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Houston, Texas, April 25-29, 2007.
Other prizes include an exclusive trip to New York to meet with Avon staffers, a Fox Television Studios $5,000 development deal and much more. Go to www.AvonFanLit.com for all the details.
HBO Video and RT are giving away 5 copies of MRS. HARRIS DVDs to RT readers! Now on DVD, three-time Academy Award® nominee Annette Bening and Academy Award® winner Ben Kingsley star in MRS. HARRIS, a darkly comic tale of love and obsession. Inspired by a true story, this HBO Films drama recently received 12 Emmy® Award nominations and tells the tragic, quirky, unlikely tale of Jean Harris who made headlines in the early 1980s after shooting and killing her lover, Herman Tarnower at his home in suburban New York. Own MRS. HARRIS on DVD today. Rated TVMA. E-mail webmaster@romantictimes.com with "DVD Contest" in the subject line. Please include your name and mailing and address. Your privacy is important to us - your e-mail and mailing address will be kept confidential. Five winners will be selected and contacted on September 4th. (This contest is open to US residents only).
Those of you in the Houston area may want to check out Kathryn Falk's Spiritual Pathways Weekend planned for Oct. 13-16, 2006. All the details are on http://www.sospathways.org. Many authors who are psychic and incorporate elements of the paranormal in their books will be in attendance. The VIPs from Ellora's Cave will also be there to tout the launch of a new line of psychic fiction called Lotus Circle. Also meet psychics and mediums who will "enlighten" you about this growing field of interest.
Houston is also the site for our 24th annual BOOKLOVERS CONVENTION. Please note that we have changed the dates of the convention to April 25-29, a week later than originally promoted. We had to change the dates because of a scheduled NASCAR event that was taking up hotel availabilities in the entire downtown, which would have left us with a limited number of hotel rooms for the convention. We are in the throes of planning the workshops and they are some of the best we have ever had. There will be an entire program for aspiring and published authors on how to effectively promote your work in the new age of marketing on the Internet -- a must for any serious writer. This is in addition to over 100 writers workshops including how to write for the burgeoning Young Adult market, the African-American Fiction market and the new emerging genre, Psychic Fiction.
And readers, wait until you see what we have in store for you!!! Games, parties, author- and cover model-led workshops, as well as a workshop to get you familiar with e-books and show you how to sift through the thousands of titles to get to the best. Parties are also being planned, including another Fairy Ball, this time with a medieval theme. Heather Graham is busy planning her Vampire's of the Wild, Wild West party and Ellora's Cave's What's Your Fantasy party will be even bigger and better with lots of giveaways. The theme of Dorchester's Rock 'n' Roll party will revolve around cowboys, so leave your inhibitions behind and plan for a fun time.
On a very sad note long-time friend, colleague and beginner writer instructor extraordinaire Ann Peach lost her battle with cancer on Wed., July 26. She spent the last seven months in Hawaii, the place she loved. She was surrounded by her family and the love of her life, husband Ralph. She will be greatly missed by all of us.
Life is a precious gift. Make time to enjoy it to the fullest.
Happy reading,
Carol Stacy
Publisher
Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine
cstacy@romantictimes.com
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