How can you not love an author whose heroine says “The minute I pulled into Comancho’s parking lot, the smell of hot oil and fried food carved through the heavy air and seemed to land smack on my thighs.” From LIVING THE VIDA LOLA by Misa Ramirez, published by St. Martin’s. Get the story on Misa and Lola’s success April 16, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Our next meeting is Saturday, March 14 at the Merlot Room in Grapevine from 10 am to 12 pm. Lunch following at Cotton Patch Cafe across the highway.
Guest Speaker: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Rosemary Clement-Moore writes smart, funny supernatural mystery novels including the Maggie Quinn: Girl versus Evil series about a psychic girl detective. She writes for young adults—and less young ones who, like her, refuse to entirely grow up. A recovering thespian, she now puts her drama queen skills to work writing books full of “smart (and smart ass) characters” (Kilatt), which allows her to research weird subjects, work in her pajamas and take frequent breaks to play Guitar Hero.
Find Rosemary Online:
Her Webpage: www.readrosemary.com
Her Books: www.maggiequinnbooks.com
Press Page: http://rclementmoore.livejournal.com/135938.html
Publicity Pictures (including book covers): http://gallery.me.com/rclementmoore#100034
Rosemary’s third book, Highway to Hell, releases Tuesday, March 10. She will be signing books at Barnes & Noble in Hurst on Saturday, March 14 from 2-4 pm.
For the February meeting, which is also Valentine’s Day, we’re holding our “First Kiss” contest in lieu of a speaker. For those who wish to participate, submit a “first kiss” scene to be read aloud at the meeting. You can write something new or pull a scene from your current work in progress.Here’s how it will work. Bring your scene (1-2 pages) and turn them in to me at the beginning of the meeting. Please be sure to write your name at the top of the page. I will read the entries aloud to the group and then we vote for three winners: Hot, Hotter, and Hottest. Prizes are: (1) a bag of Dove chocolates; (2) a bottle of wine; and (3) a $10 gift card to Bath & Body Works.
We will continue to meet at the Merlot Room in Grapevine. 
Last January the ‘Buds wrote down their goals for 2008. We did a quick update in June to see where we were at–um we won’t go into the details now. Then at the Christmas party we had a prize for the one who had achieved the most. Sadly it was a tie for one thing accomplished–though several members did get other things accomplished in ’08, it just didn’t happen to be on their list (like moi!). And, hey, for the two ‘Buds, it was one more thing than maybe they felt so inspired by in 2007.
At our January meeting on the 10th, we will set the 2009 goals. I’d love to really battle it out this year for the Christmas party prize–make the other ladies push their self as far as writerly possible. 
A few of us have taken a step to become more proactive in 2009. Sometimes all it takes is a swift kick in the pants to get yourself in the mood. A cheering section is an under-utilized tool, imo. I am dusting off my pom-poms and making sure my keyboard is in tip-top tapping shape! (and keeping a pen and pad handy won’t hurt for those down times when I can’t get to the computer but my brain is in over-drive)
What are your goals for 2009? If you could make yourself accomplish ONE THING, what would it be? Granted some things are heavily dependant on the industry, market and economy, but for some finishing that elusive fantasy novel or creating a kick-ass proposal keep us staring at the screen. We forget we CAN do it.
For me, I have some pretty simple goals for 2009–well simple on the surface. A lot is self-pacing and the ability to give myself permission to create–I can imagine a couple of folks shaking their heads–don’t underestimate the fragile ego of a writer (sometimes even chocolate and the hunky guy pics hanging around the desk are not enough) which goes back to the cheering section–see. My goals are uniquely mine motivation and need wise (which goes into more detail here), but please feel free to borrow and/or alter them to suit your own needs:
~ Finish two books
~ Submit two finished books
~ Start and finish a new book from start to finish
~ Submit brand spanking new book
~ Look for an agent
~ Write every week
By Carolyn Smith (aka Caroline Clemmons)
Sadly, this past week southwestern author Tony Hillerman died. My family and I have read his works with pleasure. I’ve loved that he brought the Southwest to life for readers all over the world. His passing started me reflecting on how his writing had shaped mine. That set me thinking about all the writers whose work I love. Not counting the Nancy Drew mysteries that started me reading voraciously, there are too many favorite authors to list. However, a few people had a dramatic impact on my writing and my reading.
Not a writer, but a storyteller, my dad first interested me in both history and in the family tales that bring history to life. He’s no doubt why I chose to set my books in Texas. And his stories are probably one reason those old western movies I saw on Saturdays seemed not only real, but also current to me. (My heart still hasn’t recovered from learning that Roy Rogers had failed to wait for me to grow up and had already married Dale Evans.)
A western writer whose works I continue to reread is Louis Lamour. His art of storytelling is amazing. He once spoke to Romance Writers of America National Conference. He stated that his concentration was so great that he could write sitting in a folding chair in the middle of Hollywood and Vine with a typewriter balanced on his knees. How could I not admire that dedication and professionalism? In addition to his short stories, he worked his way back and forth across America at many jobs. It was his early job in a coalmine that killed him when black lung took its final toll. I believe his books will be around for many decades to come. My husband and I have all of his books. They’re great stress relievers.
Recently, a group of friends and I were sitting around a table. Of the nine of us, seven were reading a Nora Roberts novel, one was about to start one, and the only other person had read many of Nora’s works but was reading something else at that time. What other contemporary author can claim this popularity? These were not writers gathered to talk about writing. This was a group of women at a prayer/Bible study group talking about books and authors they loved. Many authors are bestsellers, but I can’t think of any other who’s reached this status of popularity with such a wide range of fans. I read Nora’s first published novel, although it was many years after it had been written. I had decided to write romance, and my mother-in-law loaned me some of her Harlequin and Silhouette novels. Wasn’t I lucky to pick Nora as a model? If only I could attain a tenth of her popularity, I’d be in heaven! She is one great storyteller.
It isn’t only the writers we love who shape us. While reading, we also see things that don’t work, that we hate, and that we want to avoid in our own work. The fact that a book is published doesn’t make it perfect by any means. Writers are a hard audience—we know what’s supposed to happen. We see anachronisms, incorrect word use, and other errors that most readers probably miss. I once tossed a historical romance when the author’s third anachronism caught my eye in as many chapters. But she’s a very popular writer, so her readers either don’t mind or don’t catch the inaccuracies.
Subconsciously, everything we see, hear, or read leaves its mark on our minds. Consciously, we strive toward goals, set our standards, and write. And read. We have to keep reading. Writing with persistence (and a lot of luck), perhaps someday a new writer will choose one of our books as one that influenced him or her. Wouldn’t that be great?