Totally HOT Thursdays

Here he is ladies! Just waiting....doesn't he look bored? I don't know about you, but I think I could find something to do to occupy his time! LOL!!!

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a special day celebrated here in America. But I think no matter where you live, everyone has such a holiday. Countries world wide have soldiers who have given their lives to fight for their country!

Today, I am talking about my country though. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!

I am proud to be called American. We have fought long and hard to become the free country that we are and this would never have happened if it weren't for the men and women who have fought so gallantly to provide this freedom to us.

I am surrounded by family members who have served and fought. My husband was a Marine during Desert Storm. My Father served in the Navy during the Korean War,  my Father-in-law served in the Air Force during Viet Nam and a Great Uncle who served during WW1. I now have two nephews serving in the Army during this Iraqi/Afghanistan conflict. One of my nephews is now a disabled veteran.

Everyone I know served in a war and I am lucky to have had everyone of them come home. There are many out there though, who paid the ultimate price. To those individuals, I say THANK YOU! To their families, I want them to know that they are in my heart and prayers.

Please remember that this is not National Bar-B-Que day, but it is MEMORIAL DAY!  Place your flags out for everyone to see. Take a moment and send a prayer of thanks for the ones who have died and a prayer for safety to the ones who still fight.  It's the least we can do!

Be safe this holiday!

Love,
Sarah

I have a guest spot at The Celtic Hearts Romance Writers blog with a recipe for Cock-A-Leekie Soup.
Please join me at www.celtichearts.blogspot.com.

Thank you!
Sarah 

INTERVIEW with Cover Model JASON BACA

Jason Aaron Baca and Jennifer Love Hewitt

Today I am interviewing Cover Model JASON BACA! Please join me in welcoming him here to Heart of Romance.

***LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND YOU COULD WIN AN AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF JASON!***


SARAH- Jason, Hi and welcome.

JASON- It’s a pleasure to be here.


SARAH- Let’s begin by asking how you got into the modeling business.

JASON- Well I was on location in Ft.Ross,Ca where I’d been doubling for one of the main actors in I Know What You Did Last Summer. The movies lead photographer brought me over and asked if he could take a few snap shots of me. Of course I agreed “nervously” but it turned out to be my first big break into all this. I recall standing there acting cool and seeing the main actors looking over at me wondering “who is this guy? I don’t remember him being a part of the movie do you?”



SARAH- Where else would we be able to see you? Ads? Commercials?

JASON- There are a ton of ads out there, they pop up out of nowhere. Lately though, I’ve been doing a lot of exercise routines for the various fitness magazines such as Men’s Workout, Exercise & Health, Men’s Health Singapore, and Canada’s Fitness Magazine “Optimyz” Besides that, there are a lot of others that would take a long time to list. (Those google searches come in handy!)



SARAH- How do you keep in shape?

JASON- Excellent question! I always stay inside a balanced diet. I believe in taking quality care of myself all year long. I hear a lot of people say, “why don’t you take some time off and live it up a little?” And my response is that I’ve tried that and I don’t like how I get. I feel depressed, melancholy, like I awt to be doing something with myself.

  I make sure to perform a rigorous exercise 1 ½ hours per day. Whatever body part I’m working, I make sure to exercise it to the point of exhaustion. I imagine my body looking like the Statue of David (only slightly better.)



SARAH- How many book covers have you graced?

JASON- Currently I’m on number 88 with about 4 more pending.



SARAH- Is modeling the only thing you are doing at the moment?

JASON- Yes besides working a stable job 8-5pm. But I’d like to focus on the word “only” as I put my heart and soul into modeling for these covers. If it was something I didn’t take very serious then I may as well not bother going to a good hair stylist, get facial treatments on a regular basis, or go to the gym and exercise my muscles. So yes modeling “is” what I’m doing at the moment in this life I live in. If I had 5 different things going on like most people then I’d probably dabble at each one and not give it my 100% attention. Not a good way to do things.




SARAH- Are there any charities you are involved in and if so, can you share a link with us so that we might help?

JASON- No I don’t have any charities that I’m involved in… But if I was to be in one, it would be to help fight animal cruelty. Or help humane societies across America.




SARAH- Will you share with us the story of how you met Jennifer Love Hewitt and what was it like working with her?

JASON- It was a memorable experience. We met on location for I Know What You Did Last Summer. I actually didn’t know of her career when we met so I talked to her like I did any other person walking down the street. She liked it. At the time she was really into her singing and was releasing a CD called “Let’s go Bang” so she sang while looking through her honey wagon window.

She was a very cheerful girl and enjoyed constantly playing Hanson’s Doo Woop song with candles all lit up in her cabin. Being around her was a lot of fun for me because for the first time in my life it taught me what real confidence looked like in this business. Her and the other 3 all had it in their eyes and in the way they walked. As I studied them, I took mental notes and knew that if I wanted to be a standout, I would need that attitude and believe in myself as she did.



SARAH- Tell us one thing about you that we wouldn’t know otherwise.

JASON- Hmm okay… have you ever seen Rocky III? Well I see Jimmy Thomas as Rocky (The champ) and me as Clubber Lang (the contender) He is on top, the main guy to watch. I am the guy wanting a shot at the title though. The guy that is exercising ferociously as he thinks about his shot and chance to be the champ. It’s what I love about this business. That you have someone that is ahead of your game and that you have to constantly do something towards improving yourself to get to that level. I absolutely love this! So there is your secret..


YOUR STATS- AGE- somewhere in the 30s

                         HEIGHT- 5’10”

                         WEIGHT- 170lbs.

                         CHEST- 42

                         BICEP- 15



SARAH- Last but not least, I would like to ask you a short answer questions.


FAVORITE MEAL- Swordfish meatloaf in an onion marmalade sauce.

SILK OR LACE- Silk.. Lace is too complicated.

BEACH OR MOUNTIANS- How about a mountainy beach?

SUNSET OR SUNRISE- Sunrise

HOT OR COLD- Hot n Spicy

LUCK OR DESTINY- Destiny! Find those dreams and conquer them

FAVORITE PASTIME- Baseball of course

FEATURE ON A WOMAN YOU FIND MOST ATTRACTIVE- her bangs

FAVORITE PLACE TO VACATION- Somewhere over the rainbow.. Because if happy little bluebirds fly… beyond the rainbows why oh why….. can’t I?



SARAH- Thank you Jason for being with us here today! We are very on excited to get to know you a little better. Good luck in your future and we hope to see you on many more book covers!

JASON- Thank you very much for having me Sarah. This has been a lot of fun doing the interview


For book cover stock of Jason visit - http://www.theauthorsredroom.com/stock-photography/jason-baca/couple-images/?_p=2


Agency contact - http://www.hmmodels.com/model.asp?modelID=395

Enter the GOLDEN CLADDAGH CONTEST today!

Announcing CHRW's Golden Claddagh Contest for Full-Length Romantic Fiction

The Contest where non-finalist are winners, too. See Below!

THE GOLDEN CLADDAGH

(Don't let our chapter name dissuade you--your entry does not have to be Celtic in nature.)

The top three finalist in each category will be considered by top editors and agents, but non-finalists are winners,too! The 4th, 5th and 6th place winners in each of our unpublished categories will receive a full critique by a multi-published author!

Additionally, all first-place finalists will also have a chance to win the Gold Claddagh, which will be the first-place overall contest winner. That category will be judged by Kevan Lyon (of Marsal-Lyon Literary Agency) and Liz Pelletier (of Entangled Publishing), and the final winner will receive a Gold Claddagh pin, as well as additional consideration by the two judges. We have six categories for unpublished authors, and one category for published authors (NEW!).

Here are the categories and final judges:

FF&P - Angela James (Carina Press)

Celtic - Laurie McLean (Larsen-Pomada Agency)

Erotic - Katherine Pelz (Berkley)

Historical - Laura Bradford (Laura Bradford Agency)

Romantic Suspense - Suzie Townsend (Nancy Coffey Agency)

Contemporary - Aubrey Poole (Sourcebooks)

Published - Amy Pierpoint (Grand Central) & Becky Vintner (FinePrint Literary Agency)

How to Enter

Entries should be submitted to:
Celtic Category – Donna Goode - celticcat@celtichearts.org
Historical Category – Kimmy Wooten - historicalcat@celtichearts.org
Contemporary Category – Sarah Hoss - contempcat@celtichearts.org
Romantic Suspense – Derek Dodson - romsusp@celtichearts.org
FFP Category – Alisa Walker - ffpcat@celtichearts.org
Erotic Category – Rebecca Lynn- eroticcat@celtichearts.org
Published Category – Christina Rich - pubbedcat@celtichearts.org

Pay by Check
Please copy or print this form and include with your payment: Contest Entry Form
Mail to:
Rebecca LynnPO Box 445
Bozeman, MT 59771

Entries are $15 for CHRW members and $20 for non-members and be will be received between April 1st and May 15th! For full information, entry forms and eligibility information, please see our contest announcement: Celtic Hearts Blog 

Or contact Donna Goode, the contest coordinator, at contest@celtichearts.org

My time at the RT Convention

Have you ever heard of the RT Booklovers Convention? RT stand for Romantic Times. This was their 29th anniversary of this convention for the international book lovers community. A huge ordeal to say the least. Readers, authors, librarians, booksellers, aspiring authors, publishers, editors, and literary agents come from as far away as Canada, Australia, Europe, Asia, and Russia.

I attended this year; my first time and I have to tell you that I have never witnessed anything like it. I had sooo much fun, met new authors, had "fan" moments with my idols such as Veronica Wolff and Charlaine Harris, and I attended wonderful workshops and parties.

This year, they did something new called, "Pitch-A-Palooza" where they put all of the agents and editors. They gave us three minutes to pitch, then announced that it was time to move to the next person and we did. I pitched to six different people and had a great time doing it, though I will admit that I was nervous.

Here are just a few of the things I did while I was there. Too many to list them all, sorry or you would have to read for a long time.

WORKSHOPS-
Historical- Lessons from our past
Specialty- Love, Monsters, and Mythology
Specialty- Kiss Me, Kill Me, Writing Action scenes with Heart
Craft- Holding out for a Hero- How to write convincing heroes

FOR THE READERS-  These were workshops specially made for the readers to interact with their favorite authors.

*Under the Kilt- discussion about all things Scottish
*Author Chat with NALINI SINGH, CHARLAINE HARRIS, AND JEANIENE FROST.

PARTIES-
A Magical Scottish Fling
Heather Graham's Night of the Stars Gangster Cafe Talent Show
Ellora's Cave Step up and Stomp

**During all parties, people dressed up in costumes, prizes were given away, food was passed out and dancing went until midnight!

Here are some photos from my time there. Again, I can only post so many because I took 143 over the week.  ENJOY!!!!

Veronica Wolff and I

The cast for The Magical Scottish Fling

Author Elizabeth Hoyt and I

My critique partner Melissa Stark and I.

 

Author, Heather Graham in costume.

Crew acting out the wedding scene from Jade Lee's book, "Wedded in Scandal." Kim Killion in red corset, Cover Model Brooks Johnson kneeling, and the two men in the purple shirts are Mr. Romance 2011 Len Gunn and Cover Model CJ Hollenbeck.



I hope you all had fun reading about the RT Convention. I also hope that you can attend next year. It will be in Kansas City next year.

GOLDEN CLADDAGH CONTEST

 

 

 

CONTEST OPENS APRIL 1, 2012

Enter Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Chapter contest The Golden Claddagh! Don’t let our chapter name dissuade you, your entry does not have to be Celtic based to enter, unless you enter our Celtic Category. We have six categories for unpublished authors (Historical, Fantasy-Futuristic-Paranormal), Romantic Suspense, Celtic, Contemporary, and Erotic Romance) and one category for all published authors (Published).

Our contest due date is May 5th, 2012. Finalists will be notified by June 15, 2012 and winners notified by September 1, 2012.

Eligibility

The competition is open to RWA members and non-members. With the exception of the Published Category, the Golden Claddagh Contest is open to those who have not accepted a publishing offer from a non-Subsidy, non-Vanity Publisher, or who are self-published for fiction in the past five years, of 20,000 words or more. The GC entry must be a full-length novel; no novellas or short stories. Manuscripts must be completed by the time results are returned. If a final judge asks for a full, you’ll want to be able to send it out immediately. Entrant must retain all rights to the entry and not have granted any of them to a publisher or any other party by the contest entry deadline. If your manuscript is accepted for publication during the time of our contest (dates will be specified) you must notify the contest coordinator; your submission(s) will be withdrawn from consideration and your entry fee(s) returned.

Any entrant published over 20,000 words (self-published or otherwise) must enter his/her UNPUBLISHED manuscript in the Published category, regardless of the genre of the work in question. Published entries must be for full-length novels (no novellas or short stories) and must be in the romance genre.

Please Note:

• Previously entered manuscripts may be entered again, but no previous winning manuscript shall be re-entered, even if revised.
• You may submit multiple entries so long as you pay an entry fee and submit a completed entry form for each submission.
• You may not enter the same manuscript in more than one category.
• *Entry fee per entry: $15.00 CHRW member and $20.00 non-member.

Entries are 30 pages maximum with a synopsis no longer than 5 pages, for a total of 35 pages maximum. All entries are electronic. Entry fee is $15 for CHRW members and $20 for non-members.

How to Enter

Entries should be submitted to:
Celtic Category – Donna Goode - celticcat@celtichearts.org
Historical Category – Kimmy Wooten - historicalcat@celtichearts.org
Contemporary Category – Sarah Hoss - contempcat@celtichearts.org
Romantic Suspense – Derek Dodson - romsusp@celtichearts.org
FFP Category – Alisa Walker - ffpcat@celtichearts.org
Erotic Category – Rebecca Lynn - eroticcat@celtichearts.org
Published Category – Christina Rich - pubbedcat@celtichearts.org

Pay by Check
Please copy or print this form and include with your payment: Contest Entry Form
Mail to:
Rebecca LynnPO Box 445
Bozeman, MT 59771

Pay by Paypal
If paying via Paypal, please click here: Contest Entry Form
You will have the option at the end of the form
to choose Paypal
Paypal address: treasurer@celtichearts.org

All entries will be read and scored for the first round by two trained judges and one published author, and the lowest score dropped. The three entries with the highest total scores in each category will move to the final round. An editor/agent will judge the final round and select a winner from the finalists in each category.

Categories

Future, Fantasy & Paranormal: Romance novel where the mains focus is on the romantic relationship, but the future, fantasy or paranormal elements are integral to the story (includes time-travel).

Contemporary: Includes single title, long and short romantic fiction with a contemporary setting set after 1945. Main focus is the romantic relationship between the hero and heroine.

Romantic Suspense: Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot. Main focus is still on the romantic relationship between the hero and heroine.

Historical: Romance novel set primarily before 1945 -- any location. Please specify your time period and setting in your entry.

Celtic: Romantic fiction set in any time period and in any location, but MUST have a Celtic theme (Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Bretons, Isle of Man). Please specify your time period and setting in your entry.

Erotic Romance: Any genre or time period, erotic romance submission only - no straight erotica - this means there must be a HEA ending or at least a Happy For Now.

Published Romance: Unpublished works by published authors in any genre and set in any time period and in any location will be accepted. The same rules apply as those for Erotic Romance submissions.

Judges

Final Round Judges

FF&P – Angela James – Carina Press

Celtic – Laurie McLean – Larsen-Pomada Agency

Erotic - Katherine Pelz - Berkley

Historical – Laura Bradford – Laura Bradford Agency

Romantic Suspense – Suzie Townsend – Nancy Coffey Agency

Contemporary – Aubrey Poole – Sourcebooks

Published – Amy Pierpont – Grand Central

Becky Vinter – FinePrint Agency

***Gold Claddagh – Liz Pelletier – Entangled Publishing

Kevan Lyon—Marsal-Lyon Agency

Entry Composition

Your entry must have the following:

1. A separate cover page which includes the author's real name, address, telephone number(s), e-mail address, submission title, category and manuscript word count should be submitted in text of the e-mail. Do not include the cover page in the same attachment as your manuscript and synopsis. The manuscript and synopsis will be sent together as one document as an attachment.
2. The beginning of your manuscript, including prologue, cannot exceed thirty (30) pages. Standard manuscript format must be followed: 1 inch margins, double spaced in a standard font and size that gives 24-26 lines per page. We will not accept entries that have colored, or designer fonts. DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR NAME ON THE MANUSCRIPT. See ENTRY FORMAT.

The synopsis must be included with the same file attachment as the manuscript, must be double spaced and is not to exceed five (5) pages. Do not send the synopsis in a separate attachment. Whether the synopsis is at the beginning or the end of your entry, it should start and end as though it were separate from your manuscript. Any entry that contains a single spaced synopsis and/or begins or ends on the same page as the manuscript will be refused and sent back for correction. The synopsis will be scored in the first round but not in the final round.

NOTE: Your entry, which includes the synopsis must not exceed thirty- five (35) pages total. ANY MANUSCRIPT, OR SYNOPSIS THAT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE RULES SET DOWN HERE WILL BE REFUSED AND YOUR ENTRY WILL BE RETURNED SO THAT YOU CAN CORRECT IT. However, our deadline still stands; corrected manuscripts will need to be returned by the midnight deadline on May 5, 2012 to be valid. (Should the contest deadline be extended, you will have until that extended date to return your manuscript, but only if the contest deadline for entries is extended)

However, our deadline still stands; corrected manuscripts will need to be returned by the midnight deadline on May 1, 2012 to be valid. (should the contest deadline be extended, you will have until that extended date to return your ms, but only if the contest deadline for entries is extended)

ENTRY FORMAT: Standard manuscript and synopsis format, double-spaced, 12-point readable font, twenty-six (26) lines maximum per page, minimum 1" margins all around. Only the TITLE of the manuscript, the category, and any subcategory should be placed on the top left hand side of the entry. The PAGE NUMBER should be on the top right hand side. IF THE NAME OF THE AUTHOR(S) APPEARS ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT OR SYNOPSIS, THE ENTRY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED AND THE ENTRY FEE WILL NOT BE RETURNED.

***PLEASE NOTE: The Gold Claddagh Category is not open to submissions.This category is strictly limited to the top-scoring unpublished finalists in each category, and will establish a single overall unpublished Contest winner.

Important: Manuscript and synopsis must be in a .doc or .rtf file.

Awards

The GOLD CLADDAGH WINNER will be chosen by the final judges and will receive a Gold Claddagh pin.
The FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD PLACE winners in each category will receive a commemorative pin.
The FOURTH, FIFTH, and SIXTH PLACE winners in each category will receive a full critique of their entry by a multi-published author. All authors will be members of Celtic Hearts with multiple current publications.

All finalists and winners will receive icons and/or banners to place on their websites.

Questions
For questions please contact the contest chair, Rebecca Lynn or Donna Goode at:contestchair@celtichearts.org