New Contract!!!

I'm totally excited!! I got a contract offer for my fantasy Queen in Exile from Leatherwood Press. I started a variation on this book about 20 years ago, and every 5 years or so I got it out, dusted it off and edited and revised. Finally, last summer I got serious and made major revisions...only to get rejected time and time again. This summer I tried again and it's finally paid off.

Now I only have one problem. My publisher wants me to use a pen name because it's a different genre than my other books which are all Regency.

What pen name should I use for my fantasies?

D.J. Hatch
Donna Grace
Deanna Hatch
Ariel Thomas
Lorelei George
Alyssa Thomas

Any other suggestions that would be cool for fantasy?

Rantings of a Mad, Mad Writer

I started this short story meant to be a free read for a blog tour and it's turning into a full-length novel. So now, because I have more word count to use, I need to deepen the plot in order to give it more depth, and I'm writing like mad because I've been possessed by something that won't let me put down the story.

Meanwhile, my short story free (which turned into this longer story)read is due soon (which I haven't yet begun to write), and in order to write it, that I have set aside a rough draft for a Regency I planned to submit this fall to Harlequin, and to do that, I've set aside working on the final draft for another Regency which is book 3 of the Rogue Hearts series which includes the Stranger She Married and The Guise of a Gentleman, also with a deadline. Everything I need to do is dependant upon something else getting done first, and I'm out on left field writing some stupid paranormal medieval long story that was supposed to be short, and I've set aside all my Regencies to do something that isn't even in my genre!

Writing doesn't keep me sane, it's making even more crazy!!!!!!!!!!

Day 24 and 25 winners of Summer Treasure Hunt

The winner of Day 24 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Patricia Cochran of Texas.
The winner of Day 25 is Torren Wilhelmsen of Arizona

Great job! Only a few more days left, so keep playing!!!

Summer Treasure Hunt - Day 23 winner

The winner of Day 23 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Shirley Bahlmann. Congrats, Shirley!

Only a few more days left of our Summer Treasure hunt, so keep playing!

And...I've been tagged for the Crazy Eights game by Joyce DiPastena, author of "Loyalty's Web" who is not only a gifted author, but also a marketing guru. I have to say, though, that with my copywriting background, it almost causes bodily pain to do 8, instead of 3 or 5 or 7 but Crazy Fives just doesn't have the same ring to it.

So here we go, more than you ever wanted to know about me:

Eight Things I Look Forward To:
*My "free day" with regards to dieting
*Bedtime (or naptime, on the rare occasion that happens)and I mean that both for my children and for myself
*My husband's day off
*Book club meetings
*A free moment I can spend reading just for the pleasure of it and not necessarily to do research
*Dessert (see the first of this list)
*Date Night with my husband
*The next extended family gathering

Eight Things I Did Yesterday:
*Got up (that was a biggie)
*Made a half dozen important phone calls
*Went to work
*Networked
*Blogged (sorta)
*Wrote about 5 pages on my current Work in Progress
*Drove my daughter to and from work
*Made spaghetti with homemade meatballs


Eight Things I Wish I Could Do:
*Make the New York Times best-sellers list
*Hire a full-time housekeeper
*Quit my day job
*Spend more time with my husband and children
*Travel - especially to England
*Take ballroom dancing classes with my husband
*Work out with a personal trainer
*Travel back in time for a few months to see what Regency England was really all about

Eight Shows I Watch:
Um, I don't? I have a really hard time making myself sit down and watch TV without thinking about everything I should be doing instead. Once in a great while I used to watch stuff on the Discovery Channel; Man vs Wild, Animal Planet, Myth Busters
Some Old Favorites were: Quantum Leap, Star Trek, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman.

Eight Friends I’m Tagging:
Erin Quinn
Kathryne Kennedy
Laurean Brooks
Amber Scott
Diane Gaston
Denysé Bridger

Um, I'll have to come back to this since I'll have to research this further...

I got the Superior Scribbler Award!

How exciting! I've been awarded the "Superior Scribbler" award! I vacillate between being proud that Joyce DiPastena (author of Loyalty’s Web) who sent me this award was impressed by my writing, and wondering if she meant it as a not-so-subtle reminder that I need to be more diligent about finding time to finish my latest work in progress.

I think I’ll go with proud. Which in turn will inspire me to work harder. Anyway, here is the award and rules to go with it:



Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.

Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author and the name of the blog from whom he/she has received the award. So, in my case that would be Joyce DiPastena.

Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog and link to This Post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky list. That way we'll all be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this Prestigious Honor! (Actually, I can't figure out how to do the Mr. Linky thing for this award, so if you know, please let me know!)

Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.

So, drum roll please . . . The Winner's are:

Historical Hussies (Joyce Moore)

Seize the Chance (Laurie Alice Eakes)

Nicole Reising

Regency Ramble (Michelle Ann Young)

Much Cheaper than Therapy (Kim Watters)

In Search of Heroes (Delle Jacobs)

Congratulations, guys! Um, I mean, gals? Ladies?

Day 21 Summer Treasure

The winner of Day 21 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Karen Haas of North Carolina.
Way to go, Karen!

Day 17 Treasure Hunt Winner

Hi Everyone!

The winner of Day 17 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Dena Walton of Washington.

Day 15 & 16 Summer Treasure Hunt Winner

The winner of Day 15 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Stacey Starley of Utah!

The winner of Day 16 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is LuAnn Morgan of Washington (state).

Also, check out the spotlight the Dark Divas did on me! http://darkdivareviews.blogspot.com/2009/05/donna-hatch-in-spotlight.html

Day 14 Summer Treasure Hunt Winner

Hi Everyone!

The winner of Day 14 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Martha Lawson of Mississippi.

For those of you who might have missed the previous winners, here they are again:

Day 1 - Terry Fleming of California
Day 2 - Phyllis Lamken of Idaho
Day 3 - Debbie Lambson of Utah
Day 4 - Gloria Lyons of Michigan
Day 5 - Wendy Steed of Idaho
Day 6 - le Oreluk of Illinois
Day 7 - Heather Justesen of Utah
Day 8 - Valerie ards of Germany!
Day 9 - June Kirk of Arizona
Day 10 - Venetia Wilhelmsen of Arizona
Day 11 - Scott Duncan of Pennsylvania
Day 12 - Krista Darrach of Arizona
Day 13 - Ginny Romney of Arizona
Day 14 - Martha Lawson of Mississippi

Thanks everyone!

The London Season

by Donna Hatch

The London Season due to the titled lords attending Session of the House of Lords, which coincided with Parliament since it is the upper house. Often the gentlemen came alone, but many probably preferred to bring their families, who needed entertainment, and thus the season came into being.

Parliament comprises the Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as "the Commons"), and the Lords. Membership in the House of Lords was once a right of birth to hereditary peers. Each titled man was expected to serve in the House of the Lords. They typically met in October, November, December and then again in January through about April or so. There was really no set schedule, as far as I can see although the Queen held her birthday ball in January.

Since London was an undesirable place to live year-round, many would not come to London from their country houses until after Easter when the weather was better. The London Season was generally from after Easter to June or July, after which most would return to their country estates. Some people lived in London all year round, except for brief visits to other houses. Later, under Queen Victoria, the Season became more definite and the whole debutante thing was formalized.

During the Regency Era, the Season usually included lavish balls, parties, dinners, and musicales. London also offered many other attractions; the zoo, many parks, museums, shopping, and other entertainment. The Season grew into an important part of meeting and marrying eligible gentlemen and ladies.

The season became a much bigger production after the Regency Era and really came into prominence in the late Nineteenth century, or the Victorian days. Still, the Season figures prominently in many Regency-set novels, including mine, since it was a time to bring together all the noble families and their children of marriageable age. This of course, invites all kinds of possibilities. 

Day 13 Summer Treasure Hunt Winner

The winner of Day 13 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Ginny Romney of Arizona. (What can I say? We've had an overabundance of entries from Arizona!)

Day 11 Winner of the Summer Treasure Hunt; Dig for Clues and Win

The winner of Day 11 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Scott Duncan of Pennsylvania. Oooh, a man!!! We're not only international, but now we're appealing to both genders.
It's not too late to join the fun. There are still lots of days and lots of prizes to win.

Good luck to all and thanks for playing.

Day 10 of our Summer Treasure Hunt

The winner of Day 10 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Venetia Wilhelmsen of Arizona.

Day 9 Winner

The winner of Day 9 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is June Kirk of Arizona. Yeay, June!

Day 8 Winner

Congratulations to Valerie ards of Germany for winning my Regency Romance, The Stranger She Married. I'm excited that I will now have an International Audience. How cool is that?

Day 7 winner

Hi Everyone!

The winner of Day 7 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Heather Justesen. Congratulations, Heather!

Keep playing and keep winning free books and other great prizes.

Day 3 & 4 Winners

Sorry I failed to post day 3's winner. Congratuations to Debbie Lambson of Utah!!!

The winner of Day 4 of our Summer Treasure Hunt is Gloria Lyons of Michigan. Way to go, ladies!

To the rest of you; keep playing - there are plenty of days left in our Summer Treasure Hunt and lots of great prizes to win!!!

If you haven't yet entered, scroll down to find the instructions. Good luck to all of our Treasure Hunters!

Day 2 winner

The winner for Day 2 of our Summer Treasure Hunt contest is Phyllis Lamken of Idaho. Congratulations, Phyllis!!!

Keep playing, there are lots more days and prizes to win"!!!!

Interview with Historical Author Miranda Neville

H.H: What genre or sub-genre do you write? Why did you choose this genre?

I write historical romance. I've always loved historical novels since I was a teenager devouring Georgette Heyer and Jean Plaidy. I guess I've always had a hankering to write one myself. Last year my father was moving out of my childhood home and I found a box of my old high school stuff that included several unfinished regencies. (They weren't any good!) I've never really considered writing contemporary fiction.

H.H: Tell us about your book, Never Resist Temptation.

Never Resist Temptation, set in Regency England, starts with that old romance staple, the e who is lost at cards by her wicked uncle. Jacobin, being a feisty lady, runs away and goes to work as a pastry cook at the Brighton Pavilion. Then her uncle is poisoned by a dessert she made and she’s on the run again. The good news is she’s been offered another job; the bad that her new employer is the winner of that card game. Anthony, the Earl of Storrington, has his own reasons for employing a pastry chef. He’s unaware of her true identity but things soon heat up between them and he is torn between his growing attraction and his plan to use her for his own ends. Jacobin has to overcome her distrust and team up with Anthony to prove her innocence.

H.H: And it's a great book, too, I must say! So, when did you start to write and how long did it take you get published?

It took about five years between starting my first novel and finding a publisher--for my third. Manuscripts one and two will likely never see the light of day.

Historical Hussies: So, tell us a little about yourself? What is your typical day like?

I grew up in England but I've lived in the United States for almost thirty years. These days my home is a traditional style New England house in beautiful rural Vermont. I own a small business which runs smoothly enough to give me time to write, especially now my daughter is in college.

I wish I could describe a brilliantly disciplined writing schedule. Up at 6 am and four pages before breakfast. That kind of thing. Alas, I am pretty haphazard, though I do try to write SOMETHING, even a paragraph, every day. I do spent a lot of time planning the next section or chapter of my WIP in my head: while driving, walking, making dinner etc. Then, when I'm ready to write it down it comes out pretty easily.

H.H: Tell me, how do you write? Are you a pantser or a plotter? Is it your characters or your plot that influences you the most?

I am very much a plotter. I have a chapter-by-chapter plan before I start a book. Which isn't to say things don't change, a lot. But I prefer to know just where I am going even if I end up taking detours.

I tend to begin with the idea for a story. Then I work on characters who will meet the demands of the plot. Once the characters are set they control things. Changes to my original idea are almost always character driven. "That won't work because he wouldn't behave like that." Most annoying!

H.H: That sounds like a great way to do it. And what are you working on now?

I have a two book contract with Avon for a series surrounding a group of Regency rare book collectors. I used to work in the rare books department of Sotheby's auction house so I'm drawing on my own background here.

H.H. Wow, that’s cool! Well thank you for being our guest here today. It’s been fun chatting with you. I look forward to you next book.


Miranda Neville’s debut romance, Never Resist Temptation, was published by Avon in March.

Make your voice heard!

My Regency Romance Novella, Troubled Hearts, got a 4.5 star (or in this case, book)
review. Check it out:

http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/troubled-hearts-by-donna-hatch.h\
tml

The reviewers are doing a poll: which book or story sounds like the best read
based on their reviews. The winning author gets a nifty button and the privilege
of having their book or story featured at the top of that page the entire next
week!

Please check out the site and vote!