This Week with the Wet Noodle Posse

This month the Noodler’s theme is To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn. We have lots of tasty and fun stuff lined up this week, as well as some chat about writing and RWA’s Golden Heart contest. Drop by the Wet Noodle Posse blog and join the fun!

Monday: Candy Corn Isn't What It Used to Be

Tuesday: Top Ten Tips for Turning a Pumpkin into a Jack-o-Lantern

Wednesday: Hot Buttered Cider

Thursday: Writing Turning Points

Friday: Q&A Day—What's the best reason why unpublished romance authors should enter the Golden Heart?

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News—This and That

Last week I said I’d post a photo of my new and very short (for me) haircut, and I will. I promise. As soon as I work up the courage to venture in front of the camera.

The Romance Writers of America’s annual conference gets underway tomorrow in Washington, DC. I will be anxiously awaiting news from the awards ceremony on Saturday evening (July 18, from 8:00 to 10:00 pm ET) because two American Romance authors—Cindi Myers and Linda Warren—have been nominated for a RITA Award!

For those like me who are not attending the conference in person, the RITA & Golden Heart winners will be posted live on the RWA website and on Twitter.

Four great summer reads from Harlequin American Romance arrive on bookshelves today. Here's what to watch for:

Bachelor CEO
by Michele Dunaway

A Father for Jesse
by Ann Roth

Last Resort: Marriage
by Pam Stone

The Daddy Audition
by Cindi Myers

Happy reading!

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News—Congratulations to This Year’s RITA and Golden Heart Finalists!

The Harlequin American Romance authors are thrilled that two of our own are 2009 RITA finalists for Contemporary Series Romance:

Texas Heir by Linda Warren
The Right Mr. Wrong by Cindi Myers

And congratulations to two of my fellow Noodlers! Anne Mallory is a 2009 RITA Finalist for Regency Historical Romance with Three Nights of Sin, and Cynthia J. Eernisse Chase is a 2009 Golden Heart Finalist for Historical Romance with The Other Brother.

Thanks again to everyone who attended my Mad Writer’s Tea Party last week! You made it a special day!

Until next time
Lee

This Week with the HAR Authors and the WNP

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in Canada. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Here's a special treat for you. The Harlequin American Romance Authors blog is hosting Barbara Bretton today. Twenty-five years ago, Barbara was the launch author for the line. Love Changes was #1 in the series! You won't want to miss her amazing first sale story. And be sure to check back on October 19 for the second of Barbara's two-part post.

If you’re an unpublished romance writer and you plan to enter RWA’s Golden Heart Contest, you’ll find a ton of helpful information on the Wet Noodle Posse blog this month.

Monday: Polishing Your Entry by Diane Gaston
Tuesday: Imperfection is Okay: How Not to Lose Your Mind by Esri Rose
Wednesday: From a Judge’s Point of View by Karen Potter
Thursday: tba
Friday: Q&A Day

Until next time,
Lee

This Week with the Wet Noodle Posse

This week, Writers' Health Month wraps up at the Wet Noodle Posse and Golden Heart Contest Preparation begins. Here’s what’s on the calendar for this week:

Monday: Today Was a Good Day with Norah Wilson

Tuesday: Guest Blogger Bonnie Vanak

Wednesday: Priscilla Kissinger introduces Golden Heart Preparation Month, and the winner of the WNP’s September raffle will be announced

Thursday: Maureen Hardegree tells you Why You Should Enter the Golden Heart Contest

Friday, October 3rd: Noodler New Releases for October

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News—GH and Rita Finalists

Today's the day that RWA notifies finalists in its 2008 Rita and Golden Heart contests. Congratulations to all of this year's finalists!

I'm sending extra special congratulations to fellow Noodler, Theresa Ragan! Theresa is a double finalist in the romantic suspense and single title categories of the Golden Heart Contest. These are Theresa’s fifth and sixth GH finals and it seems her first sale is long overdue. Here’s hoping she gets the call soon!

And this just in—two more Noodlers strike gold! Priscilla Kissinger is a GH finalist in the contemporary series romance category, and Stephanie Rowe’s He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot is a Rita finalist in the paranormal category. Pris is a GH finalist for the second time. In 2006, Stephanie was a double Rita finalist for two YA novels, written as Stephie Davis.

The Wet Noodle Posse rides again!

Lee

Announcing a First Sale!

This is turning into Noodler week here at The Writer Side of Life, and what fun it is to announce that Mary Fechter (w/a MJ Fredrick) has made her first sale to The Wild Rose Press.

Her working title is Where There's Smoke—if that changes, we’ll be sure to let you know! I am over-the-moon excited for her and can’t wait to read this book. The Wild Rose Press does awesome covers. Be sure to check out their website and you’ll see what I mean.

Mary is a four-time Golden Heart finalist, and she has also finalled in the Emily and the Maggies. She’s an awesome writer and this sale has been a long time in the making.

Congratulations, Mary!

Back tomorrow with more TV blogging.

Lee

It’s Golden Heart Month at the WetNoodlePosse.com!

Before I was published I made extensive use of writing contests. I received some excellent feedback from judges, many of whom were busy published authors and yet generously volunteered their time to help beginners like me. The most valuable contest for me was the Golden Heart Contest, sponsored by Romance Writers of America (RWA).

I am a four-time GH finalist and although I never did win a coveted Golden Heart, that contest paved the road to publication. Being a finalist 2003 also gave me de facto membership in the Wet Noodle Posse, one of the most generous and supportive group of people I have ever been associated with. Since 2003, we’ve created the Wet Noodle Posse ezine and blog, and if you’re not familiar with these fabulous sites, I invite you check them out.

It’s an honor to be part of this group, and never more so than this month. For the month of October, Noodlers will be blogging about RWA’s Golden Heart Contest—how to prepare for it, how to make the most of being a finalist, etc. Every single member of this group has benefitted from writing contests and this month it’s our turn to give back. I hope you’ll drop by, and if you’re entering the GH this year, I wish you the very best of luck.

Till tomorrow,

Lee

PS: Premiere week has ended and I’m already behind. I think I have four hours of shows on tape to catch up on.