Thursday Progress: rights reverted

The rights for my 2 stories with The Wild Rose Press have been reverted back to me. I'm pleased to have them, don't get me wrong, but I'm also sorry that two great anthologies are no longer in print as such. As a business decision, it's right for the company, but it's still sad.

Northern Roses & Southern Belles finaled in the EPIC awards this year. And while Taming of the Wolf didn't do as well award wise, it's still a great anthology.

So I'm taking my stories, In the Shadows (South Carolina 1861) and Shadow State (Germany 1933) and reformating them for self-publishing. I've downloaded the how-to and this is gonna take some time! Only because of my lack of knowledge when it comes to this types of converting and the fact that I really don't have the time anyway. I did manage to make some awesome new covers!

Hopefully within the next month all will be up and available.

Awards

Tomorrow is the EPPIE award program where Northern Roses & Southern Belles is nominated for the best romance historical anthology. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and wondering how I'll know for sure.

EPPIE

I'm still debating on whether to go to Colonial Williamsburg for the 2011 EPI-CON conference and awards. The Civil War anthology I'm in, Northern Roses & Southern Belles, is a finalist. All of which is very exciting, but the question is do I want to go down to Williamsburg in March?

Two years ago in May it was beautiful. Warm, a little rain, but perfect for walking around. March I'm not so sure. Must give this more thought I suppose.

Northern Roses and Southern Belles, available from The Wild Rose Press (e-book and print), Barnes & Noble (print only apparently), and Amazon (e-book and print).

In a country torn asunder--from the Canadian border to Texas, from Maryland to Arkansas, from the battlefield of Antietam to the Red River Campaign--brave men and loyal women see their lives turned upside down.

Peril lurks behind every tree and near every homestead, but the hard-fought love of a man and a woman surpasses all.

Six talented writers provide stories of romance and danger centering on Union and Confederate soldiers, spies, blockade runners, renegades, and battlefield nurses during a period of corsets, hoopskirts, and gentlemen callers.

FINALIST for the 2011 EPIC Anthology Award

AHHHHHHHHH!!!! OK now that I have that out of my system...:)

Northern Roses and Southern Belles is a finalist in the 2011 EPPIE Awards for Romantic Anthologies! We've received several great reviews, including a 4 star review from Romantic Times. It's very exciting, and the annual conference is in Williamsburg, VA. I may have to go!

From the official EPIC email sent to The Wild Rose Press:

EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Coalition™ (http://www.epicauthors.com/) is delighted to announce that your entry, Northern Roses and Southern Belles, is a finalist in the Anthology Romance Category of the 2011 EPIC eBook Awards Competition™.

I have attached a copy of the finalist logo. We encourage you to post this to groups and websites, insert it in newsletters and promotional material as your badge of honor, sharing that you are part of a select group of great eBook publications.

The winner of EPIC’s 2011 Anthology Romance Category will be announced at our annual conference, held in historical Williamsburg, Virginia, March 10-13, 2011. Come join us: mix with your peers, attend wonderful workshops, eat fabulous food, learn more about EPIC…and discover the winners of our growing eBook competition.

Northern Roses & Southern Belles, available in print and e-book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Wild Rose Press, and All Romance E-books.

4 star review from Romantic Times

Just learned that the Civil War anthology Northern Roses and Southern Belles received 4 stars from Romantic Times! Specifically about my story In The Shadows the reviewer said:

Noble and brave men, relentlessly loyal women, scalawags and blockade runners all combine to highlight one of the most difficult times in our country's history. All the stories are good, but Ross and Roman deliver scalawags that will make readers swoon. Civil War buffs will love the well-written, well-researched stories in this must-have collection.

Roman sails us into Charleston Harbor with Jack Harrison "In the Shadows." A privateer, he's doing what he loves; he's also sailing toward the woman of his dreams. Marion Shelton is her name, but Jack must outsmart an angry aunt in order to win her.

Excerpt Monday: In the Shadows

I realized, as I wrapped up Northern Roses and Southern Bells reviews, I didn't do anything for my story. No, still no review--that really is beyond needed. But a short excerpt. Also, in the annual Predators and Editors awards, we placed in the Top Ten--#6!!


I loved writing this story, most especially working with my fellow Victorians. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the time period immensely! Hopefully one day I'll get back to the era. I have plans for Marion's sisters. *G*


In the Shadows Charleston, South Carolina, 1861

“Jack,” she murmured.

She warmed at the thought. Ned Calhoun looked at her as he would a meal. Jack looked at her as if she was life.

He’d be in the garden. Time slipped by while she stood trapped in the conversational circle. Taking only a moment to breathe the scented fall air, she hurried out of the crowded rooms and into the darkness of the gardens.

Jack slipped out of the shadows.

Yelping, she scowled at the runner.

“You take entirely too much pleasure in emerging from the shadows, Jack Harrison.” Marion placed her hand over her heart and glared at him.

“Only with you,” he offered. Taking her hand, he kissed the back of her glove. His touch tingled from her hand to her head, making her dizzy. “It’s the look in those big brown eyes when you realize who is surprising you.”

“You think quite highly of yourself don’t you, Mr. Harrison.” Marion lowered her eyelids and stared at his large, calloused hands, one still clasping hers.

“I have to. There’s this woman.” His English accent deepened somehow as he tilted her chin so she looked at him. “I want her. Her beauty would cause Byron to weep. So you see, I must think highly of myself so I may be worthy of her.”

Marion took Jack’s hand with the tips of her fingers. She ran them over the rough skin between his thumb and forefinger then turned his hand and traced his calluses. Simple and yet very provocative, the gesture felt intensely intimate and natural.

“I wondered if you’d forget about me,” she stated in a low whisper.

4.5 Books from Long and Short Reviews:
Excerpt:The plot and the scenery were great. I felt like I was in the story, which seems to be common with this anthology. Isabel Roman did a great job.


4.25 Hearts from Night Owl Romance:
Excerpt: Knowing you or your lover may not live to see the next day tends to throw decorum out the window. These were all entertaining, informative stories that I enjoyed reading.


4.5 Lips from Two Lips Review:
Excerpt: I liked Jack immediately for his ability to protect and pursue Marion without compromising her enthusiasm. I found Ms. Roman’s tale a fantastically enjoyable story.


From Reviews from Innisfree:
Excerpt: This well-written story was hot enough in spots, and it's more sexy not to reveal everything and allow the reader's imagination to take over.

Wednesday Review: Northern Roses and Southern Belles

No, I'm not reviewing my story, In the Shadows, this week. I'm all for self-promotion but that seems beyond the pale. This week's review is Caroline Clemmons's Long Way Home.

This story starts with action and doesn't stop. But the romance between Parmelia and Derreck is what really makes this story. I love a good betrayal story, where the past needs to be explained and the hurt of abandonment overcome. I don't know why, but it's always been a favorite. Maybe because they have to work doubly hard to have that happy ending. Caroline's story comes through.

Have I convinced you? Will you go buy the anthology now? It's well worth it, not only for the historical aspects, but for the very different stories you'll find here. Trust me. And if you don't, check out James Miller's review. Jim has a Civil War blog and is passionate about the era.

E-book. Paperback. Amazon.com. Barnes & Noble.

Wednesday Review: Northern Roses and Southern Belles

I admit to having a small part in the making of this story. A very small part. Jennifer Ross is Canadian and when asked to write a story for the American Civil War scoffed. Until a little research dug up the history on the St. Albans Raid where the Confederates escaped into Canada.


And so this wonderful gem of a story was born. I take no credit for the writing of the story or for the plot, only for proposing the vague concept. The rest is all Jenn's.

The Colonial and the Cottontail

Beside the unusual locale of the story, this was a beautiful story about hope. Becca embraces that hope for the future for she and her young son. Cole, one of the Confederate fugitives, hopes for a Confederate States of America. Until he meets Becca. It's then his lies catch up with him and he realizes what he truly wants.

Personally, I'm hoping Jenn agrees to write a War of 1812 story with me. I think her Canadian perspective will make a wonderful mirror to the Burining of Washington story I want to tell. Alas, she has her own projects she's doing. Maybe one day.

Friday Guest: Jeanmarie Hamilton

Welcome Jeanmarie! Another fellow author from Northern Roses and Southern Belles, she's got a lot of wonderful family history, and it's been a treat to learn about this country through her stories about themHer story, Are you Going to the Dance?, is the third in the anthology.

What draws you to the Civil War/post-Civil War era?
Although I've read Civil War romance, I haven't attempted to write one. I'm drawn more to writing about life before and well after the Civil War. I wrote Are You Going to the Dance? because it portrays people in a small Texas community of Alsatian farmers who didn't want to see the country they came to, in order to have a better life, torn apart by war. So they were allowed to form local militia units to protect their town instead of sending men to fight in the war.
What else are you working on?
Right now I'm finishing a contemporary werewolf story that I started writing and put aside while I wrote some novellas. This story, previously titled Moonlight Guardian, takes place in a remote part of the desert, on the border of Mexico near my hometown. It has placed in the finals of contests, and it's dear to my heart because it deals with the preservation of historic land.

What’s your dream story? The one that becomes a New York Times runaway bestseller, the one you hope to one day write?
I don't know what will be the most important story to me after the one I'm writing now. I've written synopses for a regency and a fantasy, and have a contemporary and a couple of western historicals I'm working on. As far as having a dream story, every story I write is important to me, and I hope my readers will enjoy each story and lose themselves in it.

Anything else you’d like to share?


Jeanmarie

Wednesday Review: Northern Roses and Southern Belles

OK, I admit it! Sheesh, quit with the arm twisting! I'm posting reviews of this anthoogy one at a time because no matter how I say I'm going to read more, things crop up and I'm busier than I expected. So while yes, it may take me a while to do these reviews, at least I'm reviewing stuff I've read! That's gotta count for something. :)

This week is Are You Going to the Dance by Jeanmarie Hamilton.

I really enjoyed this, not only for the history aspect, which I consider the hallmark of a great historical--when I learn something new about an era I thought I knew all about. I mean BS in American History! This story had that in spades and more. But history aside, the plot was great.

Clay is great, very sexy in addition to being slightly conflicted. It's a hard job he has. Lexi, well Lexi Im not so sure about. I liked her, I didn't skip over or skim her scenes or anything, but I thought there was something off about her. Could be me, could be the mood I was in, I've been so busy lately and despite my enjoyment of this anthology my eyes just couldn't stay open. Could have taken away from my enjooyment.

All in all, Jeanmarie's story is sexy, fun, and very enjoyable. Having read her Seduction (which I'll review later) I know I'll enjoy all her future stories.

Friday Guest: Mary Ann Webber

Welcome Mary Ann! Another fellow author from Northern Roses and Southern Belles, she's a great person and an author who's come a long way with her writing. I'm glad to have been there for this trip! Her story, No Decorum, is the second in the anthology.

This is your first published story, what gave you the idea for it?

This story began writing itself while I researched the Red River Campaign, an important part of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi, It’s unlike anything I’ve ever put on paper. The heroine is a headstrong, but innocent, teenage girl who seems to call the shots with everyone around her. I recently heard someone say if No Decorum became a movie, the role of Juliet Burnham should be played by Miley Cyrus. That’s not exactly what I had in mind – but I have to admit the choice would be perfect.

What else are you working on?

My next project is DAKOTA WINDOW, a light paranormal romance. It takes place in the famous Manhattan apartment building which some people claim is riddled with ghosts. (I love ghosts because they are tidy and don’t bleed all over things the way vampires and werewolves do!)

What’s your dream story? The one that becomes a New York Times runaway bestseller, the one you hope to one day write?

Actually, I’ve already written it. The title is A MAN AT THE DOOR, and right now it’s a Gilded Age novel in search of a publisher. It’s too long, too complex, and has too many characters – and I’m not ready to kill off any of them. Sigh.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Yes. I want to express my deep gratitude to the members of Scandalous Victorians. Since February 2006, they’ve kept me grounded and on track. Thank you, Denise Eagan, for making this wonderful group a reality and, most especially, for making me one of the chosen few.

Wednesday Review: Northern Roses & Southern Belles

Next in line for this anthology is Mary Ann Webber's No Decorum.

This story made me laugh. I don't usually like heroines who are this immature, but in reading, I found Juliet not immature, but reactionary. She's a young southern woman with Yankees in her midst and an attraction to one that she doesn't understand. Of course she's going to fight back. Not with fists and guns, but with words and feelings. Despite being the daughter of a pastor, I found her to be all to human, just like anyone else. Not prim and proper, though she strived to be, but completely human.

Reverend Ambrose, Juliet's father, and General Steele are endearing characters, who, despite war, are also all too human. They're not stereotypical: no pulling the couple apart, no lectures, nothing of the sort.

And the history is great, very revealing for a campaign i knew nothing about.

Friday Guests: Susan Macatee

Since I just reviewed her story, Angel of my Dreams, in the anthology Northern Roses & Southern Belles, I thought I'd interview Susan see what she's been up to recently.

Civil War seems to be your niche, and you’re a reenactor, any more plans to revisit this exciting era?

I don’t have any Civil War stories in the works right now, but because of the great reviews for my Civil War time travel, Erin’s Rebel, I’m considering doing another time travel featuring Civil War reenactors.

Tell me about your Christmas Civil War story.

The Christmas Ball is the story of a woman soldier, disguised as a man, since women weren’t allowed to serve in the military in that time period. She falls in love with the camp surgeon, but can’t reveal she’s a woman. He discovers her secret when she’s wounded and he examines her.

Knowing she’s a young woman, instead of the youth he’d thought her to be, changes his feelings for her. He’s attracted to her quiet strength and the beauty he’d overlooked when he knew her as a boy. When he’s transferred to Washington, he secures a transfer for her and takes her to his sister’s home where she’s taken under the woman’s wing and transformed into a ballroom beauty on Christmas Eve.


What else are you working on?

I’m working on a post Civil War romance. This is a reunion story, as the hero and heroine had spilt up just after the Civil War ended. Five years later, they’re brought back together by the death of the hero’s father. He returns to town to see to his father’s burial arrangements. The heroine was a nurse during the war and now wants to go to medical school in her quest to be a physician. The hero was a soldier during the war and was held the last months in a Confederate prison camp. So, though it’s a post Civil War story, the characters have all been affected by the war.

What’s your dream story? The one that becomes a New York Times runaway bestseller, the one you hope to one day write?

That’s a tough one, because right now, my interests are jumping all over the place. Besides historical and paranormal romance, I’ve developed an appetite for science fiction romance. As a result, I really don’t know what type of book would be my dream book, or even where my interests will take me. It depends, partly, on how my current releases do and also, if my new genre interest develops into a marketable manuscript.

Right now, I’m just enjoying the freedom to write stories that interest me.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Just for readers to visit my website: http://www.susanmacatee.com/ to read excerpts and chapters, as well as find the links to reviews for all my current releases. They can also take a peek at the stories I have in the works.

Thanks so much for having me, Isabel!

Wednesday Review: Northern Roses & Southern Belles

I decided to post reviews on Wednesdays. I read a lot, OK not as much as I used to--it's hard to read while writing, plus I'm paranoid about plagiarizing something accidentally. But I still read a lot of my fellow authors.


I'm starting with Northern Roses & Southern Belles, since there are a lot of great authors in this anthology...I won't, however, review my own book. :) I'll go in order, starting with Susan Macatee's Angel of My Dreams.


Holes in time, I love it! I love the mystical aspects of this, crossing paths with someone in time. I'd love to read more about this, not necessarily the hows and whys and wherefores, but if there are more couples out there who meet like this. Somewhere in Time or even the not very good but semi-amusing Biggles Adventures in Time. (Well I enjoyed it!) It's the science fiction geek in me.


But the romance, very bittersweet. I'd love to know more about Angela and how that progresses. And what happens to Josie? Don't leave me hanging! OK, I admit to admiring the way the story ended, good job, Susan, but how about a little something more? *G*

Overall, I enjoyed the story, the romance between times, and Kyle's mind boggle-ness over the whole thing. Frankly, this could have been a little longer, but given the constraints of the word limit, I understand why it wasn't.

Northern Roses and Southern Belles

Review! Long and Short Reviews gave the Civil War anthology 4.5 books!

Wild Plum said this about the anthology:

I think all of the authors did a great job with this anthology and so did the editors. I felt like I was involved in every story, I felt like I could smell the flowers and taste the crisp air. I felt the emotions the characters were feeling. It’s a great anthology that any historical fan will love.

About In the Shadows she said:

This was a different read for me from Isabel Roman. I have read a couple of her books and she’s more known for her erotic tales and her hot sex scenes. But this story was different. It was sensual but it was sweet and there was no sex. But Isabel Roman pulled it off. The characters were passionate and seemed like our next-door neighbors. The plot and the scenery were great. I felt like I was in the story, which seems to be common with this anthology. Isabel Roman did a great job. And I look forward to more sweet stories along with erotic stories from this author.

Northern Roses and Southern Belles is available from The Wild Rose Press in print and e-book. Also from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

4.25 Review!

Northern Roses and Southern Belles just received a 4.25 heart review from Night Owl Romance.

Knowing you or your lover may not live to see the next day tends to throw decorum out the window. These were all entertaining, informative stories that I enjoyed reading.

Read the entire review here.

Civil War Blog!

American Civil War, that is. Sorry for any confusion! I'm starting a new blog for writers, (published or WIP) readers, enthusiasts, and anyone else interested in the American Civil War, Reconstruction, and it's aftermath.



Interested? Email me! isabel@isabelroman.com

In a country torn asunder--from the Canadian border to Texas, from Maryland to Arkansas, from the battlefield of Antietam to the Red River Campaign--brave men and loyal women see their lives turned upside down.

Peril lurks behind every tree and near every homestead, but the hard-fought love of a man and a woman surpasses all.

Six talented writers provide stories of romance and danger centering on Union and Confederate soldiers, spies, blockade runners, renegades, and battlefield nurses during a period of corsets, hoopskirts, and gentlemen callers.

Print book...e-book

Blog tour winner!

Congrats to our daily stop winners on the Scandalous Victorian's Northern Roses and Southern Belles Blog Tour! For a complete list go to our blog. And now, for the grand prize winner, a copy of the anthology signed by all 6 authors....

RachelG! Congrats to Rachel, I hope you enjoy all our stories. We'd love to hear back from you.

Another week, another story plotted

I've been a little busy the past week or so. There was the Northern Roses and Southern Belles blog tour, I wanted to write my zombie story, and plot out a new Regency set story. So this is where I stand today:

Northern Roses and Southern Belles is #8 on The Wild Rose Press Top 10! WOOT! It's been there for over a week, and I'm thrilled. My fellow Victorians and I worked hard on our stories and to bring interest to battles and events of the Civil War that aren't normally heard of. I hope you'll check it out and enjoy the stories.

Zombified. That's my zombie story title for Ravenous. I keep saying it's Night of the Living Dead meets Scooby Doo, and that's the best explanation I can come up with. It takes place on Martinique with 2 Americans trying to figure out what they want to do with a house they've inherited. It's a spicy story with romance, zombies, mystery, and sex. :) Ravenous hasn't accepted it for their anthology, but I'm hopeful!

Lastly, there's the vaguely plotted, not titled, but YES! named characters for my Regency. I don't have a lot of it outlined, it's a mystery/suspense/hunt spicy romance, but this is what it doesn't include:

• Egypt, Greece, or Roman antiquities
• A timid heroine wallflower
• A hero mysteriously involved in the Napoleonic wars with no mention of what he does or why he's not on the continent and in England instead.

Wow

The last 6 days have been absolutely wonderful. The Scandalous Victorian's Northern Roses and Southern Belles Blog Tour was so much fun. Thank you to everyone who hosted us, participated, commented, lurked, and read!

I learned stuff about my fellow writers I hadn't before, and this project has been in the works for a year. I learned things about readers and what they love/hate/expect from a Civil War romance. I hope this anthology blew away some of those conceptions. ;)

I'm taking today off from the internet, or as much as my recently admitted obsession will allow me to, and vegging. This weekend I plan to finish plotting the zombie story I somehow agreed to write for Ravenous. It's an anthology, a zombie anthology, but in my particular story, the hero/heroine are zombie killers. Think Night of the Living Dead meets Scooby Doo. Thankfully it's short, so the humor isn't a problem. I can write sarcasm, but sustained humor? Not so sure.

Will also begin plotting a Regency romantic suspense and a post-WWI romantic mystery. Am looking forward to both of those, for different reasons. The Regency for the idea I have to it and the post WWI for the sheer delight of the unusual time frame.