I want to thank author Keta Kendrick for giving my books a shout-out in her latest newsletter!
In return, I’ve been reading her book Roots of the Wicked, which drew my interest because of its beautiful cover–which should’ve been charred around the edges because the contents are SCORCHING HOT! (Hot enough to require a Trigger Warning… which it does!)
Well, I wasn’t triggered. But oh-me-oh-my… Is it feeling hot in here to you? (And I’m only on page ten.)
If the word EXPLICIT isn’t in your reading vocabulary, Keta’s books may not be right for you, and that’s okay. If you can’t wait to skip past the trigger warning to see just how explicit EXPLICIT can get, that’s okay too. (Have you seen those retro-cute cloth book covers you can slipover a book so nobody can tell what you’re reading?)
Keta’s books aren’t a bit like mine, so you might wonder how two such different authors ended up reading and promoting each other’s books. It’s a bit of a story that goes to the heart of what it’s like to be a writer, so grab your favorite beverage and settle in.
When I first decided that romance writing was my thing decades ago, I joined Romance Writers of America, which was at the time an incredible force in the publishing industry. Publishing houses, editors, and agents turned to RWA to find new talent, while fledging writers and authors of all levels benefitted from the culture of learning and generosity that RWA fostered. Local chapters across the US (and in other English-speaking countries) offered meetings, classes, writing contests, and conferences, including the huge RWA National conference, where many new authors’ careers were launched by their publishers giving away thousands of free books to avid romance readers.
I honed my writing skills by taking RWA-sponsored classes, attending conferences, networking with other writers and authors, and entering contests. I learned how to self-edit by employing judges’ critiques in revision after revision. When I started winning contests, I gave back to the organization by becoming a contest judge, where I learned even more about writing: what works, what doesn’t, and why.
Writing contests allow judges to opt out of judging subgenres they prefer not to read, such as books with explicit sex or language, triggering content, BDSM, etc. But I always offer to judge whatever is needed, so I’ve learned that good writing is good writing, regardless of the subgenre.
I believe that reading outside my usual preferred genres and subgenres makes me a better writer, so I gave myself a reading challenge this January to expand my usual reading habits. No surprise, I generally prefer books that are a lot like mine: contemporary small-town romance in which animals play a pivotal role, often involving animal rescue. But I’ve kept to my New Year’s reading resolution. So far this year, I’ve read several cozy mysteries, some straight-up mysteries (most involving multiple 1st-person POVs, which I find unnecessarily confusing), and a few middle-grade chapter books. I’ve read about rich people and royalty and corporation-owning gazillionaires. Ironically, the more I read outside my favorite genre, the easier it becomes to write something more my speed (like a new series involving an old lady who takes over a town after inheriting thousands of acres of land that her deceased husband never told her about).
So, I read widely because as a writer, it’s good for me to venture outside my comfort zone, something I wouldn’t necessarily do as a reader.
I’m swapping author reviews and promo because RWA taught me the benefit of helping—and being helped by—other authors. RWA had 9,259 members in 2019, when the one-two punch of a discrimination lawsuit followed by the Covid lockdown bankrupted the organization, leaving a huge void at all levels of the publishing world. Since the loss of RWA’s incredible support network, authors have needed one another’s help more than ever to gain visibility in the marketplace.
Though RWA is struggling to return to its former glory, it is no longer the career-building powerhouse it once was. New authors (like me) whose first traditionally published books hit the market during Covid and the collapse of RWA didn’t have the benefit of free book-signings at RWA National to build readership. Many (like me) whose first books were launched into that void were soon cut loose by their publishers, left to fend for themselves and find new ways of networking and building readership.
My author spotlights and reviews are my way of helping to maintain the authors-helping-authors culture that RWA taught me. Everything I share may not be your preferred cup of tea, but I hope you’ll enjoy hearing about new-to-you authors and learning about some genres and subgenres you may not be aware of. There’s a lot of good writing out there just waiting to be found, maybe even in places you wouldn’t expect.
Another thing I really miss about RWA is the opportunity to meet up and talk shop with other romance authors, writers, and readers. A lot of authors use social media groups to fulfill that purpose now, but I HATE SOCIAL MEDIA. Sure, Facebook seemed great in the beginning when it helped people find old classmates and connect with friends and family. But now, its algorithms elevate content that stoke divisiveness and hate, cyber bullies troll for someone to argue with, and all the while, Suckerberg makes money from ads placed in the free content its users create and share.
That’s why I asked my web designer to put a private community forum on my website, where I can meet with friends in that safe space to chat about books and dogs and animal communication and whatever’s going on in our lives. I hope you’ll join me there to keep in touch and share your thoughts, because I’d love to know: What are your favorite book genres? What do you like about the book you’re reading now? What’s the best book you’ve read lately? What are you planning to read next? Let’s chat soon.
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