Risky Regencies had some happy news. Amanda’s A Notorious Woman was reviewed in the Chicago Tribune September 29!
The reviewer is John Charles, who does so many marvelous reviews for Booklist, an American Library Association publication. He’s such a great and enthusiastic supporter of Romance. John Charles also was one of the authors of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Ultimate Reading List. Remember? Cara and Amanda and Megan each made the Ultimate list!
Mr. Charles regularly reviews several romance titles at once in the Chicago Tribune, but it is a special thrill to know he was willing to review Amanda’s Harlequin Historical along with books from single title publishers.
Of A Notorious Woman, Mr. Charles says:
“Danger, deception and desire are the key ingredients in “A Notorious Woman,” and Amanda McCabe skillfully brews all these potent elements into a lushly sensual, exquisitely written love story.”
Read the entire review here
(it also has a review of Coleen Gleason’s Rises the Night. See our interview with Coleen here).
There’s a nip in the air, the kids are back in school, Christmas decorations are showing up at Neiman Marcus. It must be……..Romance Writing Contest Season!
And what is the big huge kick off? The Golden Heart and RITA Contests, sponsored by Romance Writers of America.
My pal Kathryn Caskie once dubbed me The Contest Empress because I entered and finaled in and won so many contests. Here’s a sample:
My Marlene medallion
Me accepting the 2003 Golden Heart
The happy Mills & Boon editors and happy me after I won the 2006 RITA for Best Regency.
So it is with great delight that I tell you that The Wet Noodle Posse (2003 Golden Heart Finalists) are blogging this whole month on how to make your Golden Heart entry the BEST it can be. If you are planning to enter the Golden Heart, or any romance writing contest, this month of blogs will give you tips from the experts. We’re all Contest Empresses on the Wet Noodle Posse. Do visit the WNP blog but come back and see us Riskies, too!
Oops! I almost forgot. Come to my website for a sneak peek at The Vanishing Viscountess! Hurry. It won’t be up for long. There’s a new contest, too. And other news…
What is your opinion of reviews and of writing contests? The Empress demands to know!
Well, I don’t do writing contests, but reviews, I don’t pay attention to them much because I prefer making up my own mind and most of the time they just really do not agree with me. 🙂 But I do like a lot of amazon.com reviews because people like to summarize or add more details about the story to their comments. So those I might catch but not for the opinion part but the summary. They tend to be longer than the back cover blubs. 🙂
Lois
All hail the Empress! Great review for Amanda. Of course I already knew the book was a gorgeous read because I won it right here!! Finished it the other night and absolutely loved it. This is my first year to do any of this writing stuff with the purpose of getting published. I have been writing since I was nine. This last year has been an adventure! I won a chapter on the Avon FanLit event. I entered ten contests, made the finals in three – The Royal Ascot, The Molly, and the Emerald City Opener. Won the Royal Ascot, still waiting to hear on the other two. I am biting my nails trying to decide about the Golden Heart. Will definitely check out any hints, tips, etc on it!! I read reviews of books, but they are not the final word when I decide to buy a book. I had to read reviews when I was singing. Hated it, even when they were good. When you get a good review then you have to live up to it. EEEK
Lois, I never thought of reviews as giving good plot summaries. I do admit some people do a great job as summarizing.
I don’t buy books because of reviews, but I still don’t want to get a negative one!
doglady,
you are a “howling” success in contests! If you’ve finaled in these contests you are probably ready for the Golden Heart. Truth is, much as I LOVE to win, it is finaling that really means something. Anyone who reaches the finals is doing something right!
Now if you don’t reach the finals that doesn’t mean you can’t write. It means nothing at all! Many many wonderful books didn’t do well in contests. (and my manuscripts tanked in some contest, even when the same entries won another contests)
I have to admit I LOVE good reviews. I love to win, love good reviews…methinks I have a psychological need for approval!
BTW, I added my Vanishing Viscountess cover to the blog.
LOL! I am still giggling in glee over the nice review. 🙂 I’ve certainly gotten better at dealing with reviews the more books I write, but I still get nervous and nail-bity about them, good or bad.
Doglady, I agree with Diane that it sounds like you’re ready for the Golden Heart! I didn’t enter too many contests before I was published because I’m was too scared, but the GH is terrific step-up when a writer needs that final push.
And thank you, thank you for liking my book! 🙂
Amanda: CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a scoop! And I couldn’t agree more!!!!!!
Diane: Loved the sneak peek at Marlena (and a bit of her backstory).
Keira (in love with !!!!!!)
Like Lois, I don’t do writing contests. I learned from my poetry publishing experience that I have more success getting stuff published than I do winning/placing in contests. However, congrats to all those with contest success!
I don’t read reviews. Sometimes reviewers need something to write about so they can be needlessly nit-picky.
As a reader, I don’t put too much stock in reviews. They certainly don’t have any impact on what I choose to read. Having said that, congrats to Amanda for the great review and from a critic outside the romance family. Having read ‘A Notorious Woman’, I wholeheartedly agree with it!
As to contests, many of my fellow aspiring writers have entered contests and recently finaled in some of them. I know of three who have entered this year’s Golden Heart and I give them a lot of credit. I don’t think I’m quite ready for them; although, I understand the feedback has been very helpful to some folks.
Maybe next year I’ll be brave enough to go forth but for now I’ll just cheer my friends on!
Off to catch my sneak peak!!
Amanda, congratulations on your good review!
Diane wrote:
I have to admit I LOVE good reviews. I love to win, love good reviews…methinks I have a psychological need for approval!
I am the same way (though not about books reviews :-). Therefore, I approve!
Todd-who-approved-this-message
Congratulations Amanda on such a great review in a mainstream paper no less! Awesome.
As for contests, I’m still on the fence about submitting my YA to the Golden Heart. I’ve only entered one contest, the Brava Novella contest this year, but at least that one gives feedback. However, I do think that my YA is pretty strong, so I may just bite the bullet as it were and enter.
Santa, I never put much stock in contest judge’s feedback unless I thought it was a good suggestion. It was the finaling I was after! (Approval)
Todd, I approve of you, too!!!!
Georgie Lee, contests are not everyone’s cup of tea. There is more than one way to skin a cat (ewwwww!) to mix metaphors.
Elizabeth, coming over to the Wet Noodle posse blog might help you decide what to do. Read my publishing story!
Diane
As the Empress commands, contests scare me silly. I’m very competitive and a poor sport. Reviews are opinions, not dictates. If I like the author, I generally don’t bother with the reviews. However, if I’m trying a new author I will look at what other people have to say, allowing that we may not share the same tastes, but sometimes a comment will resonate with me.
And I’m looking forward to The Vanishing Viscountess!