ROMANTICON! WOOT!

And yes, it needed the all caps!

OMG I can't believe it's time for Romanticon. By the time this post goes live it will be two days into one of the most awesome conferences I've been too and I'll be doing the Clockbuster's workshop and then getting ready for the old Hollywood party. I'm in love with my dress for that.

Okay, so I've only been to one other one and that was RWA in 2008.

Still, Romanticon rocks. My first time there was in 2011. I was painfully shy, it was the first time away from my youngest and I was NERVOUS.

Though I got over my nerves fast. A few times when I was missing my baby Rodney made me laugh, because he found out I was just over the border from where he lived, so we shared border crossing stories, or rather he acted out a few which made me almost pee my pants and Angelo (RIP), well he caught me teary eyed on the elevator and cheered me up immensely and we talked about our children. I'm going to miss Angelo.

Besides the bit of homesickness, I met so many amazing people that I'm looking forward to seeing again.

I'm also going to meeting the Cabal of Hotness face-to-face. Yes, I haven't met any member of the Cabal except Anya Richards (Who's my neighbor and CP) and Cristal Ryder (who is my RWA Chapter mate and CP). I didn't go to Romanticon in 2012 when the Cabal was formed. Cristal Ryder invited me and it sounded crazy. So I emailed Lea Barrymire and she was like "Oh course! More the merrier."

I don't think Lea knew what she was getting in to! ;)

This year it's going to be crazier. I know it.

No hiding in a corner for me. There may be some home sickness, but not that much. I've been on deadlines all this year, fighting some illnesses I won't get into here, so I'm looking forward to letting loose and having a blast!

Oh, and a Happy Anniversary to my DH who is home alone with three kids. Yep, today is also my 11th anniversary. Almost forgot about that! ;)

It's Romanticon Madness week with the Cabal of Hotness!

Mornin' all! I'm leaving for Ellora's Cave Romanticon early on Wednesday, as soon as I drop DD off at school. I've never come in this early for a convention - it doesn't officially start til 7pm on Thursday, but I think I'm going to like getting there and settled before the masses descend.

If you've never been to Romanticon, here's what it's all about: fun, and celebrating the genre we all love so much - romance! Sure, the Cavemen are there, and hey, they're hot, but Romanticon isn't about the Cavemen. It's about Ellora's Cave and their books, it's about the authors, and it's about the readers. It's a three-plus day celebration of all that us publishing/reading types hold dear. And that's why it's so awesome.

Last year was my first Romanticon, and I'll admit to some nerves. I didn't know what to expect. But now I do, and I intend to have a great, relaxing time. I know a lot more authors and I hope to meet lots more readers.

Kaener Langford, Shoshanna Evers, and me, last year on Friday night

I want to talk to the publisher, the awesome Raelene Gorlinsky, to find out some of the marketing endeavors Ellora's Cave has coming up. With my background I'm always interested in what the publishers are doing to push our books in this crowded marketplace. I recently did a promotion in conjunction with Ellora's Cave where the first book in my Buckin' Bull Riders series, Impact, was free for two weeks. It was downloaded thousands of times, and I'm hoping to snag some new readers after they read the book. I'm grateful Ellora's Cave gave me the opportunity to do that.

So let's see...what are the highlights of the conference? Don't go by these times, I could be wrong about some of them. I could probably look them up, but I'm running on five hours of sleep, it's 7:45am, and I'm not a morning person.

The Cavemen at the Sunday Night Bingo party. Yes, it's a pajama party.

Thursday, 7pm Meet and Greet - this is the first official event of Romanticon, where all the authors, readers, and Cavemen mingle. There's karaoke, but I'm self-aware enough to know I can't sing and nice enough not to subject people to listening to me.

Friday, 1-2pm Cover Model Shoot - pick two Cavemen, wrag your arms (and hey, legs) around them, and the awesome EC Art Director Syneca Featherstone will snap some pictures. This event is repeated on Saturday at the same time.

Friday, 3-3:50pm Ann Mayburn, me, Cristal Ryder and Piper Trace present Zero to Hero, How to Make Your Hero a Hero in Bed. We're hoping to get some good discussion going here. And Piper is bringing bananas. We can't tell you why.

Friday night New Bollywood party with costumes, dancing, and Cavemen.

Saturday night Old Hollywood party and awards ceremony with costumes, dancing, Cavemen, and lots of lovely awards being given out.

Did I mention that the Cavemen perform? Three times? Oh yeah......

I'm not big on costumes, but I love the ones I have for these parties. I can't wait to see what everyone looks like. And whose saris stay together. I didn't get a sari for New Bollywood night. Knowing me, I'd trip over it and we'd have a dominoes situation. It wouldn't be pretty. People are talking about a really wide variety of costumes for the Old Hollywood party, and they sound really cool.

Sunday, 12-4 Sexporium (aka the big book signing!) with all the authors. I think I'll have two different print books there this year, plus cover flats for three more. Plus, I just might have some special swag for readers who buy a book (or an ebook) that day!

Sunday night Bingo! Look for the lavender basket sponsored by me, Cara Carnes, and Rebecca Royce!

Whew! Then we all drive/fly home on Monday and collapse. Not likely to happen, unfortunately, since many of us have evil day jobs, kids, homes, pets, and husbands (or wives - hey, I'm equal opportunity). We'll sort through our pictures, keeping some for blackmail - did I say that out loud? - and posting some on our websites, blogs, and social media.

The totally awesome Cara Carnes and I at the book signing last year. Can you tell I have a raging migraine?

You can follow the Cabal of Hotness on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CabalofHotness, Ellora's Cave at http://www.twitter.com/EllorasCave, or me at http://www.twitter.com/Cassandra_Carr. Then there's Facebook. My personal page (where I'll probably post pics since it's way easier from my phone) is https://www.facebook.com/BooksByCassandraCarr?hc_location=stream, Ellora's Cave is https://www.facebook.com/EllorasCavePublishing. Lastly, some authors, readers, and EC itself will be putting stuff up on Pinterest, Instagram...

Hope to see lots of you there! If not, attend virtually.

EC Romanticon 2012: Reminiscing

This time last year I was biting my fingernails down to the nubs. I was packing and getting ready for my first author conference.

The reason for my angst? I didn’t have a book out yet, so I was applying the title “author” very loosely. I had a book, but I was entrenched in edits and it wouldn’t be released in time for the conference.

My other worries? I was going to another state to spend the weekend with a bunch of people that I didn’t know. I would be forced to make (gasp) new friends. And since this was my first ever conference I didn’t know what to expect or bring.

My only saving grace was that I had hooked up with another author as roomies. “At least I would have someone to talk to some of the time,” I thought to myself. Lea Barrymire was a newbie author like me and this was also her first conference. So, putting on my big girl panties, I packed and headed out to Ohio to Ellora’s Cave Romanticon 2012.

I can honestly say I left a scared and timid woman and came back with new found confidence. I was able to meet a bunch of other authors who were just as crazy and quirky as I was. I danced and I laughed so hard that I cried a couple of times. I was even mistaken for a superstar by Danica Avet (and no, I will never let her live that down). Lea and I were walking by and she mistook us for some other authors and called us over. We've all been buddies ever since.

But I think the funniest meet was Piper Trace. True story: Lea and I are sitting at a table and writing and Piper comes over, happy to have some authors to write with, reaches into her computer bag, pulls out a diaper and cusses. She then sits her computer on the table and says, "I want you bitches to guard my laptop with your life. I'll be right back." What else could we say but "ok". She didn't come back for 45 minutes LOL.

Not only did I have a blast, but I joined a group of smexy authors and we’ve since become a force to be reckoned with! As the Cabal of Hotness, we’ve put out 5 anthologies called Fondled and Gobbled.

Writing can be a very lonely world, but luckily I now have friends to bounce ideas off, exchange crits and yes, even participate in plots to take over the world. LOL. It’s been wonderful. And I’ve loved every minute!

I don’t know what I’ll experience this time around, but I can't wait to find out. Now, off to pack!

-Griffin

Ideas - the bane and lifeblood of every writer's existence

It's funny - I rarely remember exactly where I got the specific ideas for my books. They come from so many places. Some pop into my head as I'm writing the book and others are stewing in there for weeks or months. Additionally, if I was smart (and sometimes I am!) I might've written down the idea to get it out of my head.

Some writers are plagued with too many ideas and not enough time. I'm one of those. Others are plagued by the opposite problem - they finish a book and then say "Uhhhh, what next?" But no matter which camp you fall into, your ideas, or as they're known in writing circles, your "high concepts", can make or break your career.

When I decided to write about bull riders, I tried to come up with a unique angle. Other, more well-known authors were already writing about them and I didn't want people to pick up my book, roll their eyes and put it back down. I've mentioned this before but perhaps not here, so I'll go over the story behind my bull rider books again.

Collision, book 2 in the series, was originally book 1. I thought about the idea of two athletes together, but wanted to do something different than, say, a female barrel racer and a male bull rider. I wanted people from two different worlds. How about a figure skater and a bull rider? Bingo! And Collision was born. I wrote Impact, which became book 1 of the series, right after Collision, and honestly, my high concept wasn't as unique. But my readers seem to like the book, so I must've done something right. I have a feeling Conner, the hero, has a lot to do with that. Tall, dark, and smoldering. Yum.

The idea for my most recent release, On Display, didn't even come from me. Picture the scene: Ellora's Cave Romanticon conference, October, 2012. Just in case you don't know, Ellora's Cave hires hot guys to pose for their covers exclusively. They're called Cavemen, and let's just say they can be intimidating when you first meet them. Not because they're not friendly -- they are -- but because these guys are MELT YOU INTO A PUDDLE AT THEIR FEET GORGEOUS.

You can see where that might be frightening. But being the brave little soldier I am, I walked into the meet and greet Thursday night armed with an icebreaker question... "Tell me about something I can put in a book." Well, one particular Caveman, David, told me about two things, both of which are now in books. The first thing was a sexual position and ended up in Velocity, book 4 of my bull rider series, and the cover David is on. Yes, I knew that he'd be my cover model when I wrote the scene with the position he told me about. I ain't no dummy. It's called inspiration. ;-)

The other idea was a little more vague. He mentioned an encounter he'd had in the past against a semi-private fence. That idea festered, and I do mean festered, in my brain for months. Finally I knew I needed to get it out of there since it wouldn't leave me alone. These wonderful, irritating ideas are called plot bunnies. They're like an earworm, only an idea rather than a song. And they can drive a writer crazy. So I wrote On Display, which features a sex scene against a semi-private fence. I think I'm going to have to buy David a drink at this year's Romanticon. Hmmm, maybe he'll give me more ideas if I do...

Making 2013 My Bitch

Yeah, I said it.

Mostly for shock value. It's Thursday. This is not my usual blogging day, but I'm being greedy and blogging twice this week. What? You heard me, TWICE. Twice the Cajun spice, two times the sheer awesomeness that is moi. And now that I've inflated my ego, I'll float away to Cover Model Land where muscular men with an aversion to clothing feed me chocolate and rub my...feet *cough* all day while I write smut.

*dreamy sigh* I wish 2013 would be like that. Because that would be hardcore. In more ways than one. Bwahaha

But really, 2013 is looking to be a great year. The Cabal of Hotness has unleashed the Kracken once already and now that she's out, she's wreaking havoc on ze world! She's knocking down skyscrapers with her big boobs and snatching up all the sexy men for herself, the greedy bitch. The second volume of Fondled and Gobbled comes out tomorrow, volumes 3 and 4 are in the works and I'm gathering allies for another anthology (which shall remain secret).

In non-Cabal news, I have an upcoming release in Dean's List, a naughty EC for Men Quickie which comes out March 20. It's for men, but I think the womenz can read it too.

I also have a ton of books planned for the year. This is unusual for me. Normally, I do the four or five book goal, but this time there's so much to do, it looks as though I'll be aiming for at least nine releases this year. Providing my editors like my work *bites her nails* Oh and lest I forget, there are a ton of books I'm waiting to read. Oooh, so many that I'm going to have to start buying the cheap kitty litter to afford them.

And then there are the conferences. OMG, I'm so ready for another conference. I'm looking forward to RT in Kansas City. We are going to tear it up. I'm telling y'all, it's going to be wild. They're not going to know what hit them. Someone remind me to tell Kinky we might need to increase our bail money kitty. Then there's RomantiCon. If you haven't registered yet, you might want to get on that. Yeah, it's going to be epic. The Cabal is going to be there in full-friggin-force. Canton might need to expand to accommodate us for four decadent days.

What are you looking forward to this year?

A quick romp in his home office with his family upstairs. A roadside quickie in his car after picking up a stranded motorist. A dominating woman who uses and abuses him in the most delicious of ways. These are just a few things that make Dean McKnight the luckiest man alive. Top it off with a successful career, a wonderful family and a hot, adventurous wife, and Dean couldn’t be happier.

With the option of having a different woman every night of the week, Dean’s list is packed with women who fulfill all his darkest fantasies. He just never knows which one will show up next.

An EC for Men contemporary erotica story from Ellora’s Cave