The HEA Cafe

I’m in charge of coordinating the promotional items for my local chapter’s upcoming Silken Sands Conference (April 11-13th in Pensacola, Florida).  And I have to admit–I’ve started to really look forward to my daily mail delivery. 

So far, I’ve received some gorgeous postcards and bookmarks, clever coasters, buttons with truly snappy phrases, surprise bags, books that I would love to read, notepads, pens, scissors, magnets, excerpt CDs, and rulers.  (Okay, I’ve actually gotten a lot more items, but I think you get the idea.) When it comes to promotion, authors take the business very, very seriously.

My first Kensington Brava novel, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT, is scheduled to be released on April 29, 2008, so I am paying particular attention to these promotional items–and I wonder…what works the best?  The quality of the materials that I have received is truly outstanding–and all of them have certainly caught my attention.  Is there one supreme promotional item?  I don’t know…I do know that I love opening these packages and seeing what great items the conference attendees will have in their goodie bags.

Do you have any advice on promotional items that you’d like to share? Any particular items that you love?  Or perhaps a story about the most unusual item you’ve seen?

Oh, and, hey–if you’d like to donate some of your promotional items for the Silken Sands Conference, just send an email to cynthia@cynthiaeden.com and I’ll give you mailing instructions.

Thanks!

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT–05/08, Kensington Brava
“Wicked Ways” in WHEN HE WAS BAD–06/08, Kensington Brava

I love reading books in a series.  I’m a huge fan of Christine Feehan’s Carpathian’s (her “Dark”) books.  I love Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark.  I can’t get enough of Alyssa Day’s Warriors of Atlantis books.

Oh, yeah, I’m a series junkie.

I like to read connected stories. Like to catch-up with heroes and heroines that appeared in previous tales.  And, of course, I like to see the continued evolution of the series.  Sometimes, as with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters, the books take me into directions that I never expected.  And I sure do love that wild ride.

What about you? Are you a fan of the series?  Why…or why not?

And, hey, if I’m missing out on a great series–please, let me know!

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT—05/08,  from Kensington Brava
“Wicked Ways” in WHEN HE WAS BAD—06/08, from Kensington Brava

Okay, am I the only one getting seriously beaten down by the hustle and bustle of the holidays? Aaah!! Too much to do–not enough time. I know that is a refrain that most of us are sharing right now.

At this time of the year, when I start to feel that crazy pressure, I like to do two things: 1. Watch a silly, and often sappy Christmas special. Those shows (my favorite is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) allow me to relax–and they let me put the holiday madness into better perspective. 2. I like to read a holiday romance. Sometimes I read anthologies, sometimes single titles–but, either way, I come away from my read feeling relaxed, energized, and ready for my next holiday adventure.

Here are a few of my favorite holiday romance reads:

Upon A Midnight Clear (anthology)–includes stories by Linda Howard, Jude Deveraux, Margaret Allison, and Stef Ann Holm

Delivered by Christmas (anthology)–authors are Linda Howard, Joan Hohl, and Sandra Steffen

His Christmas Cara by Shiloh Walker

Anyone else have any favorite holidays reads you’d like to share? Hmm? I’m always ready to add more books to my holiday pile!

Happy Holidays!

Cynthia Eden

www.cynthiaeden.com
“New Year’s Bites” in A RED HOT NEW YEAR from Avon Red–Available now!
“Caged Wolf” in SECRETS, VOLUME 21: PRIMAL HEAT from Red Sage–12/07
HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT–05/08, Kensington Brava
Believe in monsters. They believe in you.

Many writers often wonder if the road to publication would be a little smoother (and perhaps shorter) if they were represented by an agent.

I do think it is possible for writers to get their lovely feet inside the doors of publishing houses without an agent–some houses, for example, Harlequin/Silhouette, certainly will review unagented material. Writers can also enter contests in the hope of winning and getting that all important request from an editor. Or writers can attend conferences and pitch in person to the editor of their choice–all without the benefit of an agent.

And, as I’ve heard many people say, it is often better to have NO agent than to have a bad agent. A bad agent, well, a bad agent can kill (or seriously wound) a writer’s career.

When I began my writing career, I did not have an agent. I sold manuscripts to smaller publishing houses (ImaJinn Books and Red Sage Publishing) on my own. I tried to break in with New York, but I just couldn’t seem to get past the slush piles. So, I made the decision to acquire an agent–and that is a decision that I have most certainly not regretted. I reviewed RWA’s website and agent list. I searched online. I talked with other writers. I double-checked on Predators and Editors. I created a list of my “top” agents and then I sent out my queries.

In the end, I signed with Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency. Laura had recently started her own agency, and after talking with her extensively, I knew that she and I shared the same vision for my career. I felt like she “got” me. A few months later, Laura got me a 3-book deal with Kensington. A definite agent success story in my book.

So, the question remains…Do you need an agent? It’s a question that each author must answer for herself. It’s an important decision–one that should be made with care and careful consideration.

Good luck to all the authors who are agent hunting out there!

I absolutely love this time of year–the cool breeze, the falling leaves, and all of the sweet little ghosts and goblins that I will soon see lining the streets.  Ah, wonderful Halloween!

As Halloween draws closer, I find myself thinking more and more about the paranormal.  (Okay, I write paranormal stories, so I generally always think about the supernatural realm to some extent but…) Lately, I’ve started to focus my attention on hauntings.
Growing up in Alabama, there were always stories circulating about ghosts and haunted houses.  There was actually a road not far from my home that boasted a haunted plantation, a haunted cemetery, and a haunted bridge. The bridge was given the name “Cry Baby Bridge” and the rumors said that if you went to that bridge at midnight, you would hear the sad cry of a child.  I never went at midnight (big coward that I am!) so I never got to listen for the cry, but I always wondered…

I recently had the pleasure of meeting two professional paranormal investigators, and the stories they told definitely gave me a few goosebumps.

Have you ever experienced a supernatural encounter?  Every had a moment when the air chilled and, even though you were supposed to be all alone, you could swear you felt the presence of someone or something else?

Cynthia Eden

www.cynthiaeden.com