The Conference You Don't Want To Miss!

If you are a romance writer and you live anywhere in the New England area, I would highly recommend the New England Chapter's 2013 Spring Conference, which is taking place April 26-27, 2013 in Burlington, MA.

Why?

Well, I'll tell you why!

1. We have some incredibly stellar speakers! JULIA QUINN, author of the ridiculously popular Bridgerton series (which includes Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, which is about Penelope, who is my name-sake!) is conducting a master writing class. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You can take a craft class with JULIA FREAKIN' QUINN!!!!!!!! *I'm catching my breath* Whoa.

Julia Quinn

Book Cover for Romancing Mr. Bridgerton

(Yes, that is me, Penelope, in the hot pink dress).

2. ZOE ARCHER, author of Warrior, which is on my all-time favorites list, is the keynote speaker. She writes a fabulously creative mix of steampunk, romance, historical, sci fi, paranormal and more. And...she has an awesome hubby, Nico Rosso, who is a sci fi/romance author himself, and they are DOING A WORKSHOP TOGETHER! ("How To Write An Action Scene")!!!! *I'm catching my breath* Also, Zoe has some really bad-ass boots. (Penny is going shopping soon!! Ha!)

Zoe and Nico 

(You might also want to note that Nico has an extremely excellent beard/stache combo).

3. The NECRWA's very own award-winning historical author CAROLINE LINDEN is also speaking at conference! Not only is she an amazingly talented author and devoted Red Sox fan, but she was also a math major at Harvard. Let me repeat that...MATH major. At HARVARD. (I'm betting she doesn't have any problems helping her kids with their third grade math homework. Like someone else I know. *Penny hangs head in shame*).

Caroline Linden

4. We have everything covered at this conference. Craft workshops. Industry workshops. Workshops where Penelope drinks a cocktail and teaches folks how not to be a complete schmo on the internet. Stuff like that. The really cool thing about our workshops is that we have wildly successful authors in all sub-genres speaking (contemporary, historical, steampunk, paranormal, sci fi, erotica, fantasy, etc), including Tiffany Reisz (erotica), Marie Force (contemporary/self-publishing), Sarah MacLean (historical) and many more.

For a complete list of workshops, see the conference page!

5. We are offering editor/agent appointments with a wonderful group of industry professionals, including agents Louise Fury, Jenny Bent, and Eric Ruben, and editors Amanda Bergeron, Patience Bloom, Chris Keeslar, Lori Perkins, Guillian Helm, and Pat Van Wie. Registrants submit the first ten pages of their work for critiques, which is an incredible opportunity. Don't miss it!

6. Book fair! All of your favorite authors will be hawking their wares pimping their books doing a song and dance routine selling their books at book fair!

7. Schmoozing.

8. Drinking.

9. Boston is only 10 minutes away if you're in the mood.

10. Penny has something special planned to top her tiara-wearing incident from last year. (see photo below)...

Penny's Fabulous Tiara

I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it just might have something to do with tattoos, and sparkly unicorns. 

So there you have it! An opportunity to take top-notch workshops, pitch your stories to a super impressive group of agents/editors, meet your favorite authors, sell your books to fantastic New England fans, get inspired, and party with a crazy person wearing a tiara and sporting a sparkly unicorn tattoo.

It just doesn't get any better than that!

REGISTER NOW!!!!

Have a nice day,

Penelope

I Would Just Like To Thank The Academy...

For everyone who told me how gorgeous I looked at the Oscars...thank you. I know. I looked freakin' fantastic in this sparkly silver dress.

✯

To everyone who told me how delicious these lemon thumbprint cookies turned out, thank you. I know. They kicked ass. I made them with Julia Rachel Barrett's home-made lemon curd. Also, I started Julia's Daughters of Persephone series, and I loved the first story! Great combination of sci fi and romance. It's FREE right now at Amazon.

✯

To everyone who recommended Jayne Ann Krentz's book ALL NIGHT LONG, I would like to say thank you. I loved it! This is a great suspense novel, with a super sexy and eccentric ex-marine, a determined and quirky heroine, lots of great chemistry and humor, and a nice mystery thrown in for good measure. The intervention scene is hilarious!

✯

To Duncan, the 4 year old boy who read LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE and said "It's alarious" I say...thank you. I know. It is alarious. And I'm super glad you liked it!

✯

To all of you, I say...

Have a great day!

Penelope

LUMBERJACK IN LOVE only 99 cents! Woo hoo!

FREE! CHEAP! BALLOONS! CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES! MARTINIS!

(Imagine those words in neon blinking lights!)

1. CHEAP!

LUMBERJACK IN LOVE is on sale for 99 cents at Amazon. Latest review at Goodreads: "What a charming and delectable story Penny Watson has penned." Yippeeeee! 

GO TO AMAZON AND GET LUMBERJACK STORY FOR ONLY 99 CENTS!
GO TO BARNES AND NOBLE -- ONLY 99 CENTS!
GO TO KOBO -- ONLY 99 CENTS!

2. FREE!

5 copies of LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE are available for a FREE give-away on the WEENIE blog! (Not that kind of weenie. The other kind of weenie).

GO TO WONDER WEENIE BLOG AND ENTER GIVE-AWAY! YIPPPEEEEE!

3. BALLOONS!

4. CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES!

5. MARTINIS!

Have a great day!
Penny

Happy Winter Vacation!

Happy Winter Vacation!

The kids have a week off from school. Woo hoo! I might check in this week if I have news. Otherwise, I will see all of you in a week.

Stay warm!

Penelope

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

All my love,

Penelope

Fiery Hot Reads

Two fun announcements for today!

1. Please stop by Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf for a fun interview and giveaway--she is hosting the Fiery Hot Reads bash at her blog. We discuss my embarrassing writing requirements, my book cover mishaps, and most importantly...who would play Marcus the Lumberjack in the Hollywood version of my book. She is giving away a copy of LUMBERJACK IN LOVE. Check it out!

2. I created a giveaway at Goodreads for LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE. I'm offering five copies of my new book. The contest is open from now until Feb. 26. Enter today!

That's all, folks!
Penny

Weenie For The Win!

Painting by Sara Pulver, copyright 2013

I have been keeping most of Sara Pulver's paintings under wraps (TOP SECRET!) so I wouldn't ruin the surprise of our awesome book coming out. But I decided today--RELEASE DAY!!!!--to treat everyone to one of her special paintings. This is one of my favorites from our new book LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE. It's nothing short of brilliant. I wrote the text for this book, sent her an idea for each picture, and let her go with her imagination. Every single time, she surprised me with a vision I had not anticipated, and she created something more, something better, something simply amazing. I cried when I saw this painting for the first time.

Just in case, you didn't know....

TODAY IS RELEASE DAY FOR LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE!

What is it?

A 32-page, full color, 8.5x8.5 picture book, in paperback, about a super hero weenie dog with an obsessive compulsive licking problem.

Who should read it?

Everyone! I would especially recommend parents and kids snuggling together, surrounded by stuffed animals and real animals, hopefully with a plate of cookies close by.

How much is it?

$9.99

Where can I find it?

AMAZON! Here is the LINKIE!

Where can I find more information about LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE?

Our blog, LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE!

Reasons to buy LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE....

1. You are super bummed you cannot attend the Westminster Dog Show in New York.

2. You need a birthday gift for the 8 year old best friend of your daughter, and the kid is spoiled rotten and already has everything.

3. You like dogs.

4. You love dogs.

5. You love animals.

6. You love super heroes.

7. You have a wee little obsession with dachshunds, that might include a collection of doxie figurines, stuffed animals and salt and pepper shakers. (Ahem).

8. You need a coffee table book that doesn't have photos of naked ladies in it.

9. You need a dose of something positive, happy, and inspiring.

10. You love books that make you happy.

I can think of many more, but mostly, I would recommend this book because it will make you happy. That's the best reason of all.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!

To Sara Pulver for creating this vision! And being amazing to work with.

To Vicki Garbe and Kate Sohl and Margot Roth for helping with edits and feedback.

To Anne Nydam for being a Create Space master of disaster.

To Sharon Breitbart for designing my author web page.

To all my friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues for love and support.

To Lucy. The cutest, lickiest, most super heroic dog I know.

All my best,

Penelope aka Nina Clark aka Penny Watson aka Lucy's Mom.

Fools For Luv, Hunky Brothers, and Good Scottish Medicine

I threw my back out again, and it's very slowly getting better. This post may be a bit of a mish mash. Here we go!


1. Please stop by the FOOLS FOR LUV blog today. Julia Rachel Barrett and I did a super fun post about tasty tropical treats to serve your loved one for Valentine's Day, including a recipe for Julia's Tiny  Thai Pulled Chicken Sammies and my own favorite Mango Martini. We are also giving away books. Happy Early Valentine's Day!

2. I threw my back out twice last week. Here are some of the helpful hints from friends and family about treating this hideous ailment....

* Drink hard liquor.

* Stretch more.

* Go to the chiropractor to get an "adjustment" (I'm not sure what an adjustment is, but that sounds scary).

* Take drugs. Lots of drugs. A mixture of muscle relaxants, pain killers and other exciting things.

* Read porn.

* Watch asinine Syfy made-for-television movies and other assorted horror films.

Who needs a doctor?

3. Since I was laid up in bed with a bad back, I figured it was finally time to read Maya Banks' cray cray Colter Brothers series, where three handsome, hunky, horny brothers find an unconscious woman lying in a ditch and instantly decide she's the woman they want as their (collective) wife. She's a virgin, of course. Needless to say, it all works out in the end, although I'm not sure how the woman could walk the next day after servicing all three brothers. At the same time. Over and over again. Best part of this silly series? The woman has three sons and guess what happens with them? Yep, that's right. They all fall instantly in love with a beautiful homeless woman and have a good old-fashioned 4-way marriage.

What? That could totally happen!

(Did I mention they're all gorgeous and hunky?)

4. After finishing the Colter Brothers series, I decided to take some Scottish medicine in the form of Hannah Howell's Highland Knight. This book was a little bit long for me, but I was completely immersed in the story about a feisty wee lassy and her big, brooding Scottish abductor. Yum! My back sure felt a lot better by the end of this book. It was a sweet, sexy, lusty story. Who needs pain killers?

5. My awesome website designer, Sharon Breitbart, made me a new author site for Nina Clark, author of LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE. It's adorable! We included balloons, goofy dogs, sunflowers, and lots of pics of the real Lucy. Please check it out!

That's it, folks! Happy Monday,
Penelope

Monday Morning Updates

Exhibit A

Here are some totally random updates...

1. I read a book called Gnome on the Range by Jennifer Zane which I downloaded as a freebie. I thought is was about a homicidal gnome (see exhibit A, the cover). The cover image is creepy and the title is creepy. Lo and behold, it was sort of a romance. It also included gnomes, horse semen, an evil villain with a mustache, lots of dildos, an explosion, a stick-up, a monster car show, and a lot of flip-flops. Strangely enough, I was entertained and laughed out loud in spite of the ridiculous storyline and cartoonish plot. But still. The cover! I was slightly disappointed that it was not a horror story about a homicidal gnome. Dammit.

2. I got my mason jar with home-made lemon curd from Julia Rachel Barrett! See Exhibit B...

Exhibit B

My next project is attempting these cookies--Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies. I think the recipe looks really good and Natty can help. Fun!

3. The NECRWA is looking for judges for our Bean Pot Contest (see bean pot, Exhibit C). Judges are readers, librarians and booksellers. If you're interested, please contact the contest coordinator. Here's more info about the contest at the website. 

Exhibit C

4. January is over! Which means one of my new year's resolutions is over...the January Book Buying Moratorium. As a direct result of this resolution, my American Express bill was the LOWEST it's been in years. I kid you not. Which made me realize I might have a wee little impulse control problem with book buying. The solution? A combination of a budget (the horror!), a library card, and some good old-fashioned will power.

On the plus side, I used my copious American Express reward points (which I racked up from buying so many romance novels) to get TWO FREE TICKETS TO SANTA FE for summer vacation. Yee haw!

So, in conclusion, I think my romance addiction is actually having a super positive financial effect on my life. It's possible that this is faulty reasoning, but it works for me!

Exhibit D

5. My print proof of LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE is supposed to arrive today! I am excited, nervous and cray cray at the same time. Meanwhile, Lucy couldn't care less (see Exhibit E).

Exhibit E

Hope y'all have a great week!

Penny