what's happening

My publisher got the new book Trashy Gourmet a week ago. It is another Adam Thomas mystery. Also been busy with talks and conferences in Texas. Have a number of things coming up and will write abut them shortly.

Amanda Hocking: What Does Her Success Mean?

Amanda Hocking: What Does Her Success Mean for Publishing?

by Jacqueline Seewald

The New York Times has broken the story that Amanda Hocking, a self-published paranormal YA author age 26, has signed a major deal with St. Martin’s Press. Hocking who self-published her e-books and sold them for 99 cents, has become a bestselling author. Bidding for her new work rose beyond $2 for worldwide English rights in a four book deal.

Some people have used this information to declare this as proof that e-publishing will destroy traditional publishing. However, Amanda Hocking herself disagrees with this analysis. In an intelligently written essay on her own blog,

(http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/2011/03/some-things-that-need-to-be-said.html)
Hocking says it’s harder to become a bestselling writer through
self-publishing than with traditional publishers. That is something I would agree
with. If the writing and presentation are amateurish, readers will simply not
buy the book no matter how little it may cost.

My YA novel STACY’S SONG certainly hasn’t been selling like Hocking’s books
as either a print or e-book despite good reviews; however, I still don’t believe that self-publishing is the answer for most writers. Hocking points out in her essay that she needed to get the help of editors and other professionals in publishing her work.
She couldn’t do it all by herself if she was going to create a good product. And now
Hocking has signed with a traditional publisher.

What is your interpretation of Amanda Hocking’s success? What do you see as the
future for e-publishing? For self-publishing?

Oscars Over: Let’s Talk Books!

Book Review: Romance of My Dreams Volume 2
by Jacqueline Seewald

ROMANCE OF MY DREAMS, Volume 2, is an L&L Dreamspell Anthology which contains ten romantic stories by eight different authors. The enjoyment lies in that you get ten different stories with a variety of voices and characters.

The lead off story is Pauline Baird Jones’ “Comfort Zone.” Halle Greenfield isn’t thinking of marriage. However, Lord Keil has other ideas. The story grabs the reader from the beginning: “Marrying a man she’d met once was a bad idea. When that man was
ET it was insane.” Yes, this is a science fiction romance. It is also charming, romantic, humorous and will leave you with a smile on your face.

In Cindy Davis’ “Cuppa Jarvis” the intriguing character Detective Colby Jarvis is called in to solve the break-in at Angie Deacon’s community theatre. Needless to say, a romance develops. The story could well be developed into a romantic suspense novel.

“Pyrotechnics” by Joyce Scarbrough is more than a college romance. Jaycee Stevens is a college freshman trying to find herself. Like Jaycee, Bud Stanton is an athlete. He is also
troubled about finding his identity. Both have family problems. The two are a volatile mix. And they do combust. The dialogue is realistic and the characters well-drawn.

“Recov” by Helen Henderson is a bitter-sweet romance, touching and tender. It is the science fiction story of Eric Marten who has been chosen by the government to create
a child with the woman of his dreams, Lauren Woods. There’s just one problem:
Lauren died before her time and has been brought back to life for a brief time to create
a perfect child with Eric. At first chilling, the story becomes a warm and sensitive romance as the relationship develops between Eric and Lauren.

In “The View from the Balcony”, D.K. Christi, begins her story with a woman who is ill and has just been jilted by her fiancé racing across a small Italian beach on horseback. The image of the blond-haired beauty in a white wedding dress dashing through the pounding surf on a white stallion catches the attention of a man who has also suffered losses. He rescues her from drowning and a beautiful love affair ensues. This is a lovely, romantic story that captures the reader’s attention and keeps it to the end.

“The Right Feeling” by Phyllis Humphrey is the story of Megan Taylor, an interior decorator, who has inherited an old hotel in Hawaii from an uncle. She cannot afford to
maintain the hotel or fix it up properly and has decided to try to sell it to a large corporation. The moment she sees Bart Graham who represents Condon Properties, she finds herself attracted to him, and the feeling is returned. But all is not smooth going for Megan because her hotel is hit by a tsunami. This is a well-written, enjoyable romantic story. Readers will care about Megan and Bart.

In “Son of a Sheik” by Pauline Baird Jones, a ten year old child with a giant IQ acts as matchmaker. Elle parents her dead twin sister’s child, Emma. Enter Rafiq who dumped Elle five years before and broke her heart. Em sets matters right. A very pleasing story with endearing characters.

“Manless and Loving It” by Lisa Rene Smith is a tour de force. Recently divorced Samantha Greene is walking on a deserted beach in the evening feeling her fifty years when a man comes out of nowhere and frightens her. However, Detective Nick Karras is not trying to attack Sam as she at first assumes but is actually interested in protecting her. A pithy, exciting romantic story.

“Safe Harbor” is the second story in this collection by Joyce Sterling Scarbrough.
Cal Pardue is suspicious of Jasmine Gregory’s attention to his grandfather in the nursing home. Jasmine is kind to everyone but Amos in particular because he reminds Jasmine of
her own grandfather who she hardly got to know. Jasmine’s surprising background makes her an especially interesting character, but she must overcome Cal’s hardcore distrust of women. The Louisiana locale provides an authentic setting for a sensitive yet entertaining romantic story.

“Casino Life” is my own contribution to the anthology. It’s as much a literary short story as a romance. Sara is a lonely widow whose life has lost its meaning. Her regular bus trips to Atlantic City are what keep her going. But Sara is not a gambler. Rob, a construction worker, was recently laid off his job. They meet on the bus and a bond forms between them, two lost souls in need of comfort and companionship. For them, the excitement of casino life ignites romance and hope.

Blog Talk Radio Program Reformated

There is a new place where you are welcome to promote your work—as long as your fiction/non-fiction includes a main character (or supporting cast) who is a strong woman, (hopefully of the good example type! but will consider the other if there is a lesson to learn in that of the other type! LOL)

Starting February 1, I am resuming my weekly Blog Talk Radio internet live talk show. I’m changed the format from Murder She Writes, to Writing Strong Women. The 30 minute program will air on Mondays at 1:00 p.m. CENTRAL time and is conducted over the telephone. There is no charge for this.

Please pass the word along to others, and if you are interested in booking an interview, email me at this email address. I usually go on a first come first serve basis.

I will be interviewing folks who write any genre, any time period, again, fiction and non-fiction— published--and whose work supports the topic of strong women.

If interested, let me know.

Horror Fiction

Horror Fiction: What’s It Really About?

by Jacqueline Seewald

L&L Dreamspell publishes many genre anthologies which include horror thrillers.
One of my best short stories “Wormwood” was included in L&L’s Thriller anthology published in 2009. Another, “Morgan’s Mountain,” now appears in the new L&L Dreamspell anthology Nightmares in which twenty unique stories are featured:
http://www.lldreamspell.com/DreamspellNightmares.htm

When people talk about horror fiction, they might let out an involuntary shudder.
However, horror fiction isn’t just about the gruesome. It’s not just about the supernatural, ghosts, goblins, ghouls, gremlins, etc. No, it’s really about what we fear, what we dread most. These things may be ordinary, like a pit bull off the leash running toward us, or extraordinary, like meeting a vampire in a neighborhood bar at midnight. We have fears that are both usual and the unusual.

Horror fiction will not be going away any time soon because it is human nature to feel fear as an emotion. Horror fiction helps us handle these feelings, helps us cope with and confront our terrors, those within us and those in the environment around us.

Comments welcome!

What Are Teens Reading Today?

Blog What Are Teens Reading Today?
by Jacqueline Seewald

As an English teacher, an educational media specialist/school librarian, and as a parent
(besides being a writer), this is a question that has always interested me: What are teens reading?

To be as current as possible I did some googling on the net and discovered some helpful
websites such as: http://www.teenreads.com/, http://teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com/
and http://www.ala.org/. There are of course many others.

The good news is teens ARE reading! They have to read the classics for school. But many are reading for pleasure as well. (Of course, they might not always be reading what their parents think they should be reading.)

Will the trend toward horror fiction continue? Probably. Teens have enjoyed horror fiction for many years now. It didn’t just begin with Stephen King’s Carrie.

There’s a wide interest in a variety of speculative fiction--science fiction which many boys enjoy, as well as fantasy fiction. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels are widely read across the spectrum of teens, children and adults. Maybe speculative fiction has wide appeal because young readers want to escape from the real world into another simpler realm where good triumphs over evil in the end.

As for romance fiction, girls are still reading in that genre. Paranormal dark romance for teens is particularly hot. Readers are enthralled with Stephenie Meyer, but there are many other writers emulating her success. Publishers are eager to seize and ride on the coattails of whatever is trendy.

My latest book for teens, STACY’S SONG, is a coming of age novel/romance published by L&L Dreamspell. I didn’t try to be trendy, just tried to write something that teenagers could enjoy and connect with. It is now published both in paperback and electronic media.

http://www.amazon.com/Stacys-Song-ebook/dp/B0049P1N44/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1289823047&sr=8-2

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Stacys-Song/Jacqueline-Seewald/e/9781603182669

Here is what reviewers have said so far:

—"This is a wonderful young adult novel! Full of honest emotion, problems, conflict and a cast of fascinating characters, STACY'S SONG is a heartwarming story of a girl growing up and learning how to make thoughtful decisions that will affect her life today and in the future." —Alice Duncan, award-winning author

—"Young readers will embrace Stacy. Not only must she deal with her father, who does not like the changes in her life, especially Michael and the band, but the peer pressure from her friends. STACY'S SONG is a well written story about those awkward teen years, when the ugly duckling turns into a swan, and the rocky roads that teenagers traverse. This is an enjoyable, fun read, and I recommend it for young adults." —Deborah C Jackson – Romance Reviews Today

—"This is an entertaining young adult tale starring a likable high school age girl who goes from being the outside freak to the in-crowd. Stacy is stupendous lead as she struggles with two boys; one is charming while the other is demanding. Who will she choose particularly since her dad has already selected who he wants kicked to the curb." —Harriet Klausner—Genre Go Round

Will teens want to read this novel? I certainly hope so!

What do you see teens reading? Who do you think they should be reading?

A Special Thanksgiving Event!

The Holidays are a wonderful time of year, where we thank those in our lives that have done so much for us throughout the year.  Romance in the Backseat is also taking part in saying thanks.  We have authors giving away books as well as some truly generous giveaways.  Those of food for families in need this Holiday.  Come and Visit Romance in the Backseat.  Nominate those who need some cheer for the book giveaways and those you know who are in need to win the Food Gift Cards from Silver Publishing and author Kylie Brandt. 

Romance in the Backseat



Join us and enter to Win a $100 Food Gift Card from Silver Publishing








Author Kylie Brandt is doing a special $50 Holiday Food Giveaway on RITBS