KYRW 2011 Spring into Writing Workshop

Kentucky Romance Writers

2011 Spring into Writing Workshop
With Literary Agent Scott Eagan
Saturday March 19th

Scott Eagan- Literary Agent
Greyhaus Literary Agency
Scott draws on his extensive background in education, writing and literature to assist the writers at Greyhaus. He has a BA in English/Literature, a MA in Creative Writing and a MA in Literacy.

Scott is also a writer and is an active member of Romance Writers of America. He is a stay-at-home dad and is active in community work.

Greyhaus Literary Agency currently represents (or represented) Bronwynn Scott, Susan Edwards, Ann Lethbridge, Jennifer Morey, Ryshia Kennie, Nikki Poppen, Tawny Taylor, Melissa Mayhue and others.

What Scott's looking for: Only romance, specifically contemporary, women's fiction, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense and category.

For more information visit his website at www.greyhausagency.com

Cost for the Saturday event is $30 for KYRW members and $40 for non-members. (Does not include lunch.) All tour charges for Friday are the responsibility of the individual.

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Pre-Workshop Friday Events...

Tour of Claiborne Farm

• 11:00 AMA tour of historic Claiborne Farm Secretariat's final resting place. Directions
  
• Lunch- Wallace Station
• 1:00- Tour of Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, home of Derby winner Big Brown, stud Dynaformer, and many other top horses.
• 3:00- Tour of Woodford Reserve in Versailles.
• 6:00- Dinner at Malone's

T.M.P. will be sponsoring an informal AFTER DINNER Wine, Cheese and Chocolate State of the Industry talk with Scott at the hotel. (Check out Turquoise Morning Press)
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Saturday Events- 9 AM- 5 PM, with lunch break 12-1

Scott Eagan Presentation-
Marketing Your Story to Editors and Agents
During the session, participants will:

• Determine if they are ready to submit.
• Determine their own niche in the writing world.
• Learn how to find the best agent and editor for their work.
• Learn to Write an effective query letter.
• Learn to write an effective synopsis.

For those daring enough, bring your query letters to be read out loud for immediate critique by Scott.

Pitch Sessions- Mr. Eagan will be taking pitch appointments, which will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis the day of the workshop.

Where: Hyatt Place Conference Room
2001 Bryant Rd.
Lexington, KY 40509
859-296-0091
Directions and Rates

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Hosted by the Kentucky Romance Writers.
Please visit our website for more information:
Kentucky Romance Writers
or contact KYRW Pres. Jennifer Madden at
authorjmmadden@gmail.com

For a PDF version of the brochure click link below-
2011 Spring into Writing Workshop Brochure

What is a Kiss?

What is a kiss? Why this, as some approve: The sure, sweet cement, glue and lime of love.

~ Robert Herrick ~

I've been having a lot of dreams about it. Kissing, that is. For some reason it's been on my mind and I take that as a sign that it's good timing for a blog about it.

There's a lot that goes into it when writing romance. From the moment the hero and heroine meet there's all those questions hanging uncertainly in the air. Whether they like each other or loathe each other, there's that anticipation of-

WHEN are they going to kiss for the first time?
HOW will they feel about it?
WHAT happens next?

For all truly inspiring romantic relationships, it starts with a kiss~ whether they're real or fantasy.

Unfortunately in real life, first kisses aren't always what they're cracked up to be and some can be downright disgusting—gotta kiss a lot of frogs and all that jazz.

Unlike those icky first kisses in reality, the FIRST KISS of a novel BETTER be good. If it isn't, you can bet your bottom dollar that relationship is heading out on a one-way trip to Not-Happening-Ville and you're not going to keep the reader interested long enough to finish the story.

Now, I've kissed a few frogs in my time who were awful, but then there were some who were very good kissers, while a few "princely" men couldn't kiss well if their lives depended on it. It's a crap shoot cause everyone has a different take on what makes a good kiss and not everyone is good at it or they are only good at it with certain partners. Like locks and keys, only so many will fit together and work right.

Take for example this dream I had the other night. A famous musician was flirting with me, reciting dark poetry and trying to woo me with words and that was great, but when I finally kissed him, his lips and tongue were paper-thin and it was like trying to kiss a ribbon blowing and flapping around in the breeze. That is so totally NOT the way I would write a first kiss in a novel. Just the imagery alone makes me think "Ewww..."

Kisses are so individual and unique to each person. Some are sweet and almost innocent- leaving you giggling and breathless like a silly school girl afterward. Some are like being jack-hammered to death. Some are dry, some are so wet it leaves you wondering if it was a real kiss or if you were just mistaken for a kitten and being bathed by a momma cat.

Some are 'meh"- hardly worth remembering or being reminded of. But then there are those that you could never forget-the ones that make your feet tingle or your heart quiver or set the butterflies in your stomach into a tizzy- even years later when thought of. Those are remembered for a lifetime and TIME doesn't forget kisses like that. Those are the ones that steal your heart, wrapping it up and making everything pale in comparison. A kiss like that is like the mingling of souls.

So, as a writer—and/or a reader— How do you like the hero and heroine's first kiss to be? Does it need to be sweet? Earth-shattering? Sexy?

Or does the personalities and the situations set the tone for what kind of kiss it should be?

One of my favorite "kissing" poems-

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LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY
Percy Bysshe Shelley

The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean;
The winds of heaven mix forever,
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle;--
Why not I with thine?
See! the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven,
If it disdained it's brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;--
What are all these kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
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(excerpt from a poem by my soul♥mate)
"Twenty-seven years spent in blissful sadness
Never being me
You made me see myself
For this I will damn you
With kisses and my embrace." ~K

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, as we know it, is about love, though its history sheds no light on that matter. I guess over time, things shift and transform- transcend- into what we make of it.

Most see it as a day about romantic love—and it is.

BUT it is also about friendly love and family love and love and kindness for a stranger. Love and tenderness for our pets, our children—those who mean the most to us.

Valentine's Day reminds me of loves long lost as well as the love I have. It gives me pause to contemplate the future and those precious happily-ever-afters I'm prone to write about. It's also about loving ourselves, which is something I think we all forget from time to time. Loving ourselves is just as important as love from other sources.

Many have their Valentine- someone who'll make this day extra special just by being in your life, but don't forget to make time to love yourself today, too.

Carve out a few moments to enjoy a book, or watch your favorite movie or television show. Listen to some guilty pleasure music. Take a bubble bath. Put on a little make-up.

Anything that gives YOU the love you deserve from YOU.

Happy Valentine's Day,

from one hopeless romantic to the masses—

Give love and it shall be returned!

The Plan

I've been thinking a lot lately about having a "plan" and I've noticed that in my writing circles, there's a lot of talk about it, as well, seeing as how we've started a new year and it's always good to assess or reassess your plan—your goals—for your writing career.

It's a daunting idea because I can't say I've ever sat down and actually made a plan for mine. I know I'm capable of writing a first draft in a month, when I put my nose to the grindstone. I can edit till I'm blue in the face. I'm learning to write query and synopsis while pulling out my hair.

But I've never looked ahead to 6 months, a year, five years down the road.

I guess that comes from growing up believing you should live for today, because tomorrow is not promised. It's hard to balance between that well meaning adage and real life, wherein you need to plan ahead if you want to have a successful life, family, career, time for recreation, etc. It's good to have goals for IF and WHEN tomorrow does come because usually it will, even if we shouldn't expect it.

It quite the conundrum. To be or not to be- to plan or not to plan...

Well, I'm starting February off with a bang. It's better than sitting around staring at the wall and wallowing in silly useless self-pity because I'm too afraid to step outside my comfort zone. I stepped outside it today, but I'll save that for another blog sometime.

At least if I make my objectives known to myself and I make them obtainable, I have something to work toward. Writing is a business and in order to succeed in my little corner I'm scratching out, I have to look at it that way and remember I have to work at it, stay consistent and follow through on goals in order to get it off the ground and keep that business afloat.

No plan down on paper yet, but I'm heading in that direction. I need to know what I'm doing. I need to make a plan, plan the work and work the plan. Sounds complicated, but I'm up for it.