Dishing about Readers' Luncheons

Our sister chapter, Heart of Dixie, is hosting its Fifteenth Annual Readers' Luncheon with New York Times Bestselling Author Lora Leigh on May 5.  Several Southern Magic authors will be in attendance. To whet your appetite, past luncheon coordinator Kathy Bone was gracious enough to agree to give us the inside scoop on what goes into putting on a luncheon.


You chaired the Heart of Dixie Readers’ Luncheon for the last four years.  What advice do you have for a first time Readers' Luncheon attendee so that she gets the most out of her experience?

Hi Heather!  Coordinating the Annual Heart of Dixie Luncheon has always been fun, but the most enjoyable part of the luncheon is the joy you see on each attendee's face and getting to meet authors from every romance genre.  I feel very blessed that I had the chance to help make attendees, including myself, happy doing that for four wonderful years.  The luncheon's success, however, is really due to HOD's volunteers.  Without having such a great group behind me and for me, I would have never been able to do what I did during that time.  ;) 

 

Advice for a first-timer?  I still remember my first luncheon as if it was yesterday.  My advice to first time luncheon-goers would be to relax and have a great time no matter which author's table you chose!  I remember how out of place I felt, easy for an introvert like me, when I walked into my first luncheon room.  Bags were in every chair.  Weren't there any seats left, I thought?  I'm embarrassed to admit that I asked an HOD member that very question and discovered that not only did the bags in the seats mean that seat was free, but those bags were goody bags for every attendee.  (Every attendee gets a gift for coming?  Say it isn't so!)  Imagine my surprise.  Shangrila, I tell you!  But I was new.  I was alone.  I didn't know anyone there so I sat at the first table I came to, next to Rita Herron, a fabulous Georgia Romance member.  She was gracious enough to answer all my questions about her writing, where she got her ideas, and more.  Because I allowed myself to experience the unknown, to jump outside my box, I came away from the luncheon a great big fan and immediately joined Heart of Dixie to begin my own writing journey.

 

Going out on a limb, being flexible and adventurous, opened my life to a wonderful world of friendships and fun that I'll never forget. So first-timers jump in with both feet.  You'll be so glad you did! 

 

What was the biggest challenge you experienced in chairing the Heart of Dixie Readers' Luncheon?

My biggest challenge?  Well, I've had quite a few of those.  Let's see.  I'll start with ACK!  Then I'll add a sidebar of UGH!  LOL! 

 

Seriously, when I assisted Kimberly Lang in 2007, my two youngest kids were still in High School, very involved with sports and cheerleading. 

 

During my first solo luncheon in 2008, my youngest son graduated and entered West Point.  That same year, my oldest daughter graduated from college weeks before the luncheon and my father passed away months before the luncheon.  

 

My youngest daughter graduated while I coordinated the 2009 luncheon and my youngest son was going through a terrible time. 

 

In 2010, I ended up in the hospital for three days one week before the luncheon with a rare reaction from  headache medicine my doctor had prescribed for me.  Bruised up and loopy, undergoing tests for everything from migraines to MS, I did my best to coordinate that luncheon, while entering contests and preparing a full request, at the same time.  (Thankfully, MS was ruled out!) 

 

In 2011, I was still suffering headaches 24/7.  No amount of medicine could dull that pain.  And then the worst happened, our dearest friend and fellow chaptermate Beverly Barton passed away weeks before the luncheon.  And to make matters worse, an F5 tornado plunged Alabama into chaos.  Without electricity, Internet access or phone service, I had to drive into Huntsville just to reach my Registration Chair to try and tell over 180 people the luncheon had been canceled.  Here's where a luncheon committee pays off quadruple-fold.  Due to Cheryl Crisona's dutiful service, we were able to reach as many attendees as we could and reschedule the luncheon for mid-summer.  But nothing could soften the terrible loss we'd experienced by losing Beverly last year. 

 

Yes, I'd say I've had a great many challenges, not the least of which was learning the importance of having an informed committee to pick up the slack if anything goes wrong.  I'm forever grateful to my fellow chaptermates at HOD for helping me serve as Luncheon Coordinator.

What was your greatest success?

Hmmm... You ask hard questions, Heather!  LOL!  I would have to say my greatest success is seeing the smiles on attendee's faces when they enter the luncheon hall and when they leave.  Nothing can replace the joy you've given someone else.

 

I'm sure you have some great stories about your experience with the Readers' Luncheon. What's your favorite?

Oh!  There are stories of what didn't work.  I'll never forget the year that our guest speaker didn't get to eat because her chicken came to her table, half frozen.  ACK!  Or the times the caterer tried to serve food too early.  Or trying to stay healthy enough to do my job and scrambling to reschedule a luncheon at the last minute.  The list goes on. 

 

My favorite would have to be bringing my deepest wish for our attendees to life, hiring a young, muscular hunk to pose for historical romance pictures with attendees! 

Putting together for a readers luncheon must be great preparation for when you take the seat at your author's table.  Where are you in your writing journey?

I grew up writing poetry, but I've always wanted to write historical romance.  I first started writing western historicals but then, loving Regencies, tried writing them myself about four years ago and have finaled in some contests.  I have a few series going and one of those, has been with Harlequin for 19 months.  Keeping my fingers crossed!  Also, thanks to the Harlequin Mills & Boon New Voices Contest, I'm trying my hand at writing a contemporary Harlequin Presents.  Surprisingly, I'm having the best time of my life writing this book!

If we wanted to find you on the web, where should we look?

I have a website at: www.katherinebone.com

 

I'm part of a group blog called Okay, Listen Here, Five Southern Authors Have Their Say, www.okaylistenhere.blogspot.com, shared with fellow authors Jean Hovey, Stephanie Jones, Cheryl Crisona and Lesia Flynn.  I blog on Tuesdays so I hope you'll stop by and say 'hi!' 

 

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and pinterest.com too!  I'd love to see you there!  ;)

For more information on the Heart of Dixie's luncheon, go to http://www.heartofdixie.org/luncheon.html 

AND, don't forget that Southern Magic's annual Readers' Luncheon in November 3 with keynote speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon and welcome speaker Dianna Love.  For more information, go to http://www.southernmagic.org/luncheon.html (it is NEVER too early to buy your tickets).

2012 Linda Howard Award of Excellence Final Results

Series

1. Tycoon's Sweet Temptation by Christine Glover
2. Loving the Lone Rancher by Jennifer Stroka
3. Her Prisoner of Love by Christine Glover
4. Shared Secrets by Pam Montavani
5. Forbidden Fantasy by Christine Glover

Single Title

1. Climb to Freedom by Sheila Athens
2. Mr. Good Enough by Jamie Ferrell
3. Stealing Gran's Booty by Jamie Ferrell

Historical

1. His Charming Seductress by Louisa Cornell
2. Beauford's Run by Pat Eckhoff
3. The Price of a Gentleman by Louisa Cornell
4. The Winds of Fate by Elizabeth Bysiek
5. Touch the Sky by Sharon Drane

Romantic Suspense

1. Burning Rubber by Wendy Campbell
2. Speaking of Murder by Edith Maxwell
3. Overboard by Chris Bailey
4. In Safe Hands by Lee Christine
5. Flowers for the Casket by Annie Whittaker

Young Adult

1. Lifer by Rebecca Sampson
2. Ashes of the Phoenix by Callie James
3. Camp Awakening by Bonnie Starling

Unique Genres

1. Dark Moon by Leisl Leighton
2. By Another Name by Callie James
3. Enchanted by the Duke by Linda Brown
4. How to Divorce a Vampire by Mim Jean Pamfiloff
5. Seer's Blood by Leisl Leighton
6. Paradox by Isis Rushdon

Write Magic

1. Incandescent by M. V. Freeman
2. Price of a Gentleman by Louisa Cornell
3. Tycoon's Sweet Temptation by Christine Glover
4. His Charming Seductress by Louisa Cornell
5. Ashes of the Phoenix by Callie James
6. Overboard by Chris Bailey
7. Forbidden Fantasy by Christine Glover
8. By Another Name by Callie James
9. Her Prisoner of Love by Christine Glover

The Call: beta version

I was walking my puppy at lunchtime along a city thoroughfare that boasts three restaurants in a single block, dodging concomitant pedestrian traffic, and listening to an audiobook, when my cell phone’s marimba beat signaled an incoming call.*
I struggled to switch off the CD player, prevent the puppy from bowling over a woman in heels, and unlock the phone’s keypad before the call was diverted to voicemail.
The number was unfamiliar. But the area code was New York.
My breathing switched to the he-he-he panting taught in childbirth classes.
The caller identified herself as the assistant to an editor I’d queried.
Her I.D. had the same shock value as a starter’s pistol. My heart took off at a sprint. My brain wrestled the facts into order.**
This editor had rejected my manuscript months ago.
Was this a modern miracle? Had she rescued my manuscript from the shredder? Couldn’t sleep at night until she heard more about my planned series?
Oh. Wait. Right.
She’s a final round judge for the 2012 Linda Howard Award of Excellence.
As a category coordinator, I’m thrilled to learn the finalists’ rankings.
They’ll be announced this weekend at the Gulf Coast RWA chapter’s Silken Sands conference. If you’re reading this Friday morning, I’m en route to Pensacola Beach with the results.***
So The Call wasn’t for me. At least I got the practice. Maybe when my call comes, I’ll won’t be quite so incoherent.
Be on the lookout for the announcement of the Linda Howard winners!


* 38 words! I was trying for an obnoxiously long sentence!
** You can find more emotional responses in the very cool Emotional Thesaurus.
*** I know. You wish you were with me. I wish you were here, too.

Book Giveaway

So I'm a little too swamped to think coherently about something either funny, informative, or even interesting to say. Instead of rambling on aimlessly, I thought I'd do a little giveaway.

How would you guys like an ARC of Susan Mallery's upcoming Barefoot Season?
Thought you might.  :O)

Here's the blurb:

Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see. Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer. Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it. To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.


All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your name, email, and tell me what book you're excited to read this summer other than this one! I'll pick a winner on Saturday.

Paying It Forward with A Tale of Two Djinns

To make it in this book business, you need a lot of things: hard work, perseverance, luck and kindness. I know I needed all of these to be where I'm today: celebrating the publication of my second paranormal romance novella, A TALE OF TWO DJINNS.

While the first three are pretty self-explanatory, what exactly do I mean by the kindness? Several things:

1. The Kindness of Librarians: growing up I was a loner of a child and libraries were my favorite haunts. I knew several librarians and they made the time and effort to introduce me to many wonderful books that fueled my dream later in life.

2. The Kindness of Authors: Writing is a hard business and there have been times when I considered giving up and just be happy being a reader (since I love reading, that was okay with me). However, authors I admired and writers I made friends with at Southers Magic and other loops where there with encouraging words or a needed kick-in-the-behind. They kept me going.

3. The Kindness of Readers. When my debut novella, The Djinn's Dilemma, came out last year I was decidedly nervous. Would anyone read my story? Did anyone even know I exist? The best part of being a published author has been receiving notes from my readers. Readers who not only took the time to read my story, but also to let me know what they cared for my characters as much as I did. They gave me the courage to keep writing.

So for all those words, kindnesses and more, I would like to pay it forward by donating fifty percent of the proceeds of A TALE OF TWO DJINNS to UNICEF. I need your help. I hope you will consider picking up A Tale of Two Djinns, and if you enjoy the read, I hope you will tell others about it. Thanks in advance. I hope together we will make a difference.

SO what kindnesses kept you going?