Welcome to our Weekend Edition brought to you from Atlanta, Georgia and the RWA 2013 Conference! If you missed yesterday's post, stop by here, for more pictures and videos!
Love Inspired Senior Editor Melissa Endlich greets Seekerville!
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| Mary Connealy, Rita Clay Estrada, Debra Clopton |
The RITA® Award is the most prominent award given throughout the genre of romance novel and some other romantic fiction. It is presented by Romance Writers of America (RWA). It is named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. It signifies excellence in one of 13 categories of romantic fiction. (Wikipedia)
You can see the past recipients of this award here.
And here are the past recipients of the Golden Heart Award listed all the way back to 1981!
We Have Winners
Contact us at our email address if you are a winner. If you haven't received your prize in 6-8 weeks, per our legal page, drop us a line. Please remember we don't contact winners -so please contact us seekers at seekerville dot net
Monday 2013 RITA® finalist Missy Tippens for "7 Things Smart Authors Have in Common." Two sachet winners are : Kathy Bailey and Vince Mooney.
Seekerville was delighted to welcome back our Harlequin Special Edition author, Lynne Marshall who chatted with us about "The Gracious Critique Partnership"on Tuesday. Winner of the first book in the Special Edition duet - Courting His Favorite Nurse to is Virginia Carmichael Munoz. Critique group surprise winners are Sherida S and Donna P.
Debra Ullrick was our guest on Thursday, talking about "Writer's Burnout."Winners of her latest release from Love Inspired Historical, The Unintended Groom, are Tanya Agler and Pat Jeanne Davis.
Friday Seekerville brought you "LIVE FROM RWA", updates from the 2013 RWA Conference in Atlanta. Thank you so all those great folks who sent us pictures, especially Mary Curry! Winners of their choice of Rita Finalist books as available on Amazon are Melissa Jagears, Kav, and Michelle F.
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| Missy Tippens and Piper Huguley at the RITA/GH Nominee Reception |
Next Week In Seekerville
Monday:"Memes, Monkeys, and Me." Pam Hillman is your hostess on Monday, and she's offering some insider tips on how to add mileage to a free graphics design program. The examples provided will be from www.picMonkey.com if anyone would like to study up on the program ahead of time.
Tuesday:Debby Giusti provides highlights of the RWA 2013 Conference. She promises to include lots of pictures, industry news, and tips from workshops she attended. Be sure to stop by and leave a comment to be included in a drawing.
Wednesday:Join Love Inspired author Glynna Kaye for "Lady (Or Lad) in Waiting: The Shadow World of an Unpublished Writer." Glynna, Ruth Logan Herne and Debby Giusti will be giving away a set of their September releases to one lucky commenter!
Thursday: Love Inspired author Tina Radcliffe will don her lab coat, goggles and gloves to take you into her laboratory to discuss "Harnessing the Power of You." Giveaway will be created in the lab.
Friday: Yes, it's true. Time for the August Contest Update. The prize vault is open an you can stop by and meet this month's Contest Diva.
Seeker Sightings
Congratulations to Missy Tippens! A House Full of Hope by Missy Tippens has been named a finalist for the Published Maggie Award!
JULY 22-31!! TEXAS-SIZED GIVEAWAYS INCLUDING A KINDLE FIRE AND SIGNED BOOKS!!Join Julie Lessman and Becky Wade for the "FALL IN LOVE … TEXAS STYLE" contest featuring PRIZES, FUN, CHATTER, HUNKY HEROES, EXCERPTS & RECIPES!!! It all begins on Julie's and Becky's Websites JULY 22-31, so y'all come, ya hear?
HIGH FIVE to Julie Lessman on her THIRD contest win/final for A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW in two weeks! A Light in the Window just snagged a final in the Inspirational category of the Book Buyer's Best contest after winning the 2013 International Digital Awards and the 2013 Readers' Crown Award in the Inspirational Categories. You can get your copy for $3.99 on Amazon for Kindle.
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| Nora Roberts |
Random News & Information
News from the Literacy Signing (All About Romance)
Trailer Released for ‘Austenland’ by Shannon Hale (GalleyCat)
JK Rowling publishes crime novel under false name (UK Guardian)
Check out the July issue of Christian Fiction Online Magazine
Ebook Growth Slows to Crawl in Q1: What Does It Mean? (DBW)
What The Big Book Industry News Means For Authors (Forbes)
The Hefty Cost of Self-Publishing and How To Get Other People To Pay For It - Andrea Cefalo (TIPM)
CraftFest & ThrillerFest VIII: What I Learned (CreateSpace Blog)
More Conference Pictures
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| Jayne Ann Krentz and Mary Connealy |
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| Click on to enlarge. RITA finalists in red. |
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| Renee Ryan, Brenda Minton, Missy Tippens, and Shirlee McCoy |
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| Mary Connealy, Debra Clopton and Robin Lee Hatcher |
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| Brenda Minton and Missy Tippens |
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| Missy Tippens and Marta Perry |
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| L to R Rachel Hauck, Mary Connealy and Debra Clopton |
Join the celebration at RWA.org, Facebook or Twitter to follow conference events. Saturday night (8-10 ET) be sure to check RWA FB and Twitter #RITAGH and #RWA13 to follow the awards ceremony.
Be sure to stop back over on Sunday for photos from the Gala Awards Ceremony and we bring you the Weekend Edition Part 2.
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| The annual eHarlequin PJ Party |
SuperRomance author Kris Fletcher at the eHarlequin PJ party.
Myra Johnson and Janet Dean say hi!
Tonight publisher parties continue... wish we were there.
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| HQ pampered their RITA finalists with a makeup artist before the big party. |
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| Roses for the RITA finalists |
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| 2013 RITA Finalist Missy Tippens and LI author Janet Dean all glamed up at the HQ pre party for RITA finalists. |
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| Patty Smith Hall, Gina Welborn, and Laurie Alice Eakes at the HQ party |
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| Lynette Eason and Debby Giusti at the HQ party |
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| R to L Sr. Editor Tina James, Danica Favorite, Winnie Griggs, Renee Ryan, Dana Corbit, Unidentified Author and Brenda Minton |
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| Senior Editor Melissa Endlich and Missy Tippens. |
That's it. See you tomorrow for more conference fun!
How fun!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like all y'all are havin' a great time ;).
As always, a great week coming up!
Wow. It's reallly loud everywhere at conference, isn't it? LOL.
ReplyDeleteI love the Melissa video.
Thanks for sharing all of this! So much fun!!!
ReplyDeleteOh it looks like so much fun. I met Shirlee McCoy in Spokane didn't get a photo with her but shes a lovely lady.
ReplyDeleteYay! I win! Now, to go figure out what to choose........
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post. We almost feel like we were there. Continue to have fun you all!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Cindy W.
Less than 6 hours of sleep after the Hq party and my ears are still ringing, but I couldn't sleep any longer! I keep hearing the YMCA song in my head!!! More workshops & meetings today, then the big awards night!!! So excited for Missy (and Mary)!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm exhausted from watching all the fun you guys are having. Must get more sleep.
ReplyDeleteGreat way to start the day. The RWA conference is on my writer's bucket list...I'm kind of eyeing the one in San Diego but can I wait until 2016???? Hmmmm...NO!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get the videos to play. :-(
ReplyDeleteMissy, it must be AWESOME to be a Rita finalist!!! Wow! :-) So happy for you!!! And congrats on the Maggie final as well!!!
It's all about Missy!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteYou look stunning, my dear, and I love that you've taken us with you through the HQ pampering of their RITA NOMINEE!!
WooHOoo!
TINA, you've outdone yourself on the WE today!! Cheers all around!
ReplyDeleteIt's like being in Atlanta with all the lucky attendees.
I'm going to grab a cup of coffee and click on the videos.
You are so smart and creative, girlfriend!!!
And Seekerville has winners of our own. Congrats, everyone!!!
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the joy on the faces of the Seekers at the conference! Especially Missy, she is glowing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to win the surprise package! The only thing better than winning is winning with a friend! Congrats Sherida and other winners!!
SO Excited!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the terrific videos too. Makes me want to be there even more. Have fun everypawdy!
And enjoy - congratulations to all the winners AND we're excited to hear who'll win the BIGGIES!
Great WE, Tina... You've outdone yourself today!
I've been lurking - Amber Stokes has had May and me hopping all over cyberspace on a blog tour (With PRIZES and GIVEAWAYS!) so help yourself. http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2013/07/launch-of-may-k9-spys-blog-tour.html
Wonderful job Amber.
Thanks to all who are hostessing or have come by to comment. We're over at Virginia's today: virginiacarmichael.blogspot.com/2013/07/may-k9-spy-review-and-giveaways-and.html Must stop by and see a chicken in diapers... Just sayin'
And today May's #1 eBook is FREE so please download and share! http://www.amazon.com/May-Way-How-Become-ebook/dp/B00D38P4UM/
WHAT an experience this has been and... We're going to do it again all next week, so c'mon and join the fun! I'll be excited to share how this all turned out when we're finished...
And now, back to our regularly scheduled program of editing and deadline! ACK!
Happy Saturday, Seekers and Villagers. Y'all are the best.
What I said is completely drowned out by back ground noise.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good thing, no doubt.
What do you expect with 2000+ chattering romance writers all in one place???
ReplyDeleteWent to Gwen Hernandez's workshop this morning on using Scrivener to convert your book to ePub or Kindle format. Makes it easy-peasy
OH, HELLO BACK, EVERYONE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteTINA, if this video thing was your idea, it was a stroke of genius!!!!
I LOVE SEEIN' ME SOME FRIENDS FROM SEEKERVILLE!!!! YOWZA, KABOWZA.....
and Debby Giusti...
Oh. That. Dress. Is. To. Die. For.
LOVE IT THAT MUCH AND MORE!!!!!!
I'm so glad youse are all havin' a great time in Atlanta! Suhweet!
Right now Bob-the-builder is taping drywall and nailing it... and in the next room Mike-the-Mudder is mudding the wallboard in the new room. So while my life is not glitzy... I'm hoping it will become much more organized in the next few weeks, LOL!
If we can get a conference to Rochester...
STOP LAUGHING, I SAID IF!!!!!
I Will have a party in my new room and will serve you all delightful Ruthy food that will have nothing to do with BRUSSEL SPROUTS.
I promise.
:)
Miss you all! My in-box is empty without youse!!!!
Youse all heard Myra say something about using Scrivener to put your indie titles out, right????
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, there are places you can pay to do this. And it's not crazy money...
And it saves me from learning Scrivener which would make me crazy.
We've invited some e-book pros to come talk to us over the next few months because as easy as they make things look at a conference?
I find them distinctly challenging when I get home. So for some of us techno-challenged peeps, there are other ways.
And.... I always wonder why some indie pubbed books have multiple formatting mistakes (which I find disconcerting) and others have virtually none, or one or two... nothing more than what you'd find in a print book.
So this whole e-pub thing is VERY INTERESTING in Ruthy-world!!!!
Myra, I have no doubt you could do it with aplomb... Me? Never.
But I can't wait to hear you share more about it.
Thanks TINA, Looks like everyone is having fun and WE ARE!!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait til tonight when they announce the RITA wins. Missy has introduced us to her competition. Great group of women.
Ruthy, honey, dip your cute little toes in the water and try Scrivener. I'm with Myra all the way here. Scrivener makes life EASY!!
ReplyDeleteGotta love ePub...
Everyone's having so much fun, and I'm away from home and my computer, so having trouble keeping up.
ReplyDeleteParty on, gang.
Heading out in a few minutes to hang with the MozArk group.
Helen
I'm so bummed! I'm going to miss the Awards Ceremony tonight! Have to go to our annual July birthday party -- so many July birthdays in the family, we do them all in the middle of the month.
ReplyDeleteI'll check in as soon as I get home.
I forgot to say all the video clips are AWESOME!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI thought I was agreeing with Ruthy here... It's NOT crazy $$.
ReplyDeletePlus I have loads of illustrations. Wonder how that works with the program?
Hmmm.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I am sooooooooooooo LOVING all the pix and videos, Teenster -- YOU ROCK!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd, Myra and Audra ... I'm with Ruthy. NOT even tempted to dip a toe in the Scrivener waters. Heck, I'm still at the edge of the pool thinking about wading into Pinterest. There's just TOO MUCH OUT THERE for a brain as old as mine!!!
MISSY!!! Sooooooo excited for you, girl, but a makeup artist and corsage?? Heck, it sounds like you're queen of the prom!!! AND ... if we have our way, you WILL be!!
And ebook growth slowing??? SAY WHAT??
Hugs,
Julie
Wow, so great to see the video clips and see all the great photos! Almost as good as being there!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed for all at the awards tonight.
Fun to see Missy get glammed up!
Cheers,
Sue (who has the house to herself for a few hours and is writing!)
Susan, good for you! Me, too!
ReplyDeleteJulie, I knew someone would shrink away with me...
Lord-a-mercy, how many hours are there in a day? I love my day job... I love my writing job... but I will not drive myself crazy learning something new, at least not right now. Which is why I searched for a Windows Seven computer as a back-up so I wouldn't have to teach myself Windows 8... not because I can't learn, but because it's ridiculous to change for change' sake. And now what have they done?????
THEY'RE COMING OUT WITH CHANGES YOU CAN USE ON WINDOWS 8 TO MAKE IT MORE LIKE WINDOWS 7.
That's like Coke coming out with New Coke... BLINK. BLINK. BLINK.
But I will love hearing Myra and Audra's (and anyone else's!) take on Scrivener as a bridge to e-pubbing because I love that e-pubbed books are gaining respect and readership.
THAT ROCKS.
Audra, can you do a post on the ups and downs of using Scrivener for an e-pub once you've used it? That would be AWESOME!!!!
Such fun! I love the videos!
ReplyDeleteLOVE all the pics and video clips! Looks like Seekers & Seekervillagers are having a blast! Ticking down the hours now until the RITA/Golden Heart event...from the sound of the evening wear being described, I know you all will look FANTABULOUS!
ReplyDeleteLoving all the pics and the videos! They make me smile.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU to all the Seeker Peepers at RWA taking pictures and videos.
Love, love, love it!!!
NINETY FIVE MINUTES
ReplyDelete:)
Of course the speeches take a little bit, but I've got the champagne chilling.... The shrimp on ice... and the artisan bread ready to break in honor of RWA Rita Awards!
Bring it!
Enjoying all the pics and videos. Almost like being there. Thank you, Tina. And thanks for my win of last week. Only one hour until award ceremony. Fingers crossed for Missy and Piper.
ReplyDeletePictures, winners, videos, wonderful links. What else could we want? Well ... more Seeker winners at RWA would be nice!
ReplyDeleteTina, you just keep outdoing yourself with every WE. And thanks for 'requesting' the pix and videos. What a lovely way to share such a vibrant event.
Nancy C
Just got back from a drive to see wildflowers. Now to check in with Seekerville! LOVE the photos and videos. Thanks for sharing these fun experiences!
ReplyDeleteAnd *waving to Donna*...great to win with you this week! Congrats to all winners and people with exciting announcements. Fun WE, Tina. Thanks!
The awards should be starting soon. Wishing everyone the very best this weekend!
Thank you for sharing these fun pictures! It feels like I'm right there with you! :)
ReplyDeleteLoved both days of photos and news!
ReplyDeleteLooks like everyone had a great time and the schmooozing went well!
Seekers and villagers were really working the glam!
More fun photos! Thanks for sharing! I didn't take my computer to conference and didn't get online much on my phone. This is fun to catch up! Loved the videos. Thanks Mary Curry!
ReplyDeleteYes, it was so fun to get pampered! I hardly knew myself when I looked in the mirror. :)
ReplyDelete