e-publishing? give it some respect, RWA!

There is some serious in-industry flap about e-publishing that I'm only on the fringe of - mainly because I haven't been published. A short story in an anthology (by an e-publisher three years ago) that wasn't very good - my story, that is, not the entire anthology - just doesn't count.

But I was searching the news on the Internet this morning and found an article about an e-publisher who is doing it! Please check out the June 28 issue of The Washington Post about Loose Id... (click here to read it now).

I have a few friends at my journaling home (Live Journal) who have been published by Loose ID and I just love when this kind of story gets coverage especially when the Romance Writers of America (RWA) is giving digital publishing a hard time these days (okay, maybe that's a constant). From what I've been reading, RWA calls most if not all of the e-publishers vanity press, and isn't recognizing these houses or their authors (not giving them their props) who are doing it via e-publishing. I'm going to my fourth RWA conference in two weeks (it's here in DC, and you'd better believe I'll be blogging and twittering my a** off) and I'm sure to run into a hail storm of commentary regarding e-publishing versus the traditional NYC publishing houses.

I'll let you know what's going on.

(Note: I write paranormal - sexy vampires in a world of diversity - but a queen of the genre is L.A. Banks - see the cover above? It's from her first book of the Vampire Huntress Legend series. If you haven't done so - do so, go now and read it!)

We Women Have A Responsibility!

Here we go boys and girls (okay, mostly girls) - I am stressing over writing, revising and tweeting (hehehe)! Yes, to tweet or not to tweet - that is the question! What I mean is in today's world of marketing, marketing, marketing and the new social media outlets that can make you - the author - more marketable - I am paralyzed by the prospect of what to tweet...

Of course, I read the sage columns that say - tweet about informative tidbits and keep it light - in the initial stretch - before you hit them with the whammy! Buy my freaking book!

Oh...or is that what I read about blogging...mmmm...

Enough said on that point....

Onto the info 'bite' for today - let's talk sexy black men and why they aren't dominating the covers of more romance novels, and gracing the screen - TV, film, you name it - with those beautiful black bodies and smooth baritones! What keeps my brothers off the air and out of print?! And no - this isn't me complaining about the Hollywood elite who don't treat a brother fair.

I think it's because we 'older' women who love men of color (black, brown, white, or whatever) tend to stay way too mum about what we like. The teeny-bobbers do not hesitate to shout out their excitement over the Backstreet Boy types and the cutie pies on The CW, and the hotness that is Wolverine (By the way, I will take Hugh Jackman anytime, any day of the week, month, year or decade, ladies!).

So what am I saying here? It's time to get loud, girls. If you like it, let the world know! I will gladly point the way to the pretty, the strong, the chiseled, the beautiful men who are out there and the inspiration for my heroes (be they vampire, shape-shifter or your common run-of-the-mill humanoid!

And so to get the ball rolling - I'm posting one of my recently found favorite photos of a truly fine looking black man...

In the photo above, you'll find Brain White - Actor and Renaissance Man...enjoy.

Denny

First Post - Nervous...

Introducing my new blog. It's not ready for prime time, but it will get there. Come back and get to know me. I write stories about vampires, shape shifters and humans and how they love, live and work together and apart in urban settings that will put a new face on the paranormal romantic hero and heroine. Stay with me, and you'll see what I mean.