Today, we’re delighted to announce an incredible addition to the Romance University faculty, unveil details about what RU has in store for you during 2011 and share the deets on RU faculty members’ goals for this fantastic year.
Adrienne, Tracey and I have been so fortunate to find three terrific writers (and friends!) to join the Romance University faculty in the past year. Carrie Spencer has been with RU as a reader and regular commenter since the beginning. Carrie always brings energy, a witty joke and sometimes iced tea and vodka (just joking!) to the group. Jennifer Tanner and Heather Long have been spending time behind the scenes learning all the functions that keep RU up and running. However, you’ll see more of these two talented ladies this spring when they help bring you a stellar line-up of visiting professors.
Most recently, we lured Becke (Martin) Davis into the fold and are tickled pink to have her. Becke is an RWA-PRO, writing (or attempting to write!) contemporary romance, paranormal and romantic suspense. She’s a long-time garden writer and the author of six non-fiction books. She moderates Barnes & Noble’s Mystery Book Club at BN.com. Please help us welcome, Becke!
Now, I’m going to share a little secret with you…I was quite the high-kicker in my day, at least as high as a girl this short can kick. And I’m absolutely kicking up my heels at what 2011 means for Romance University. Sourcebooks will release Tracey’s debut book, A Lady’s Revenge, in October, and Adrienne will have two (yes, two!) books published by Carina Press. What could be better than all that?
Well, this year, RU will expand our focus to attract more of the reader (non-writer) population. One way we’ll do that is by hosting author chats, kicking off on January 20th with Carina Press author Amy Atwell. Expect our Behind the Publishing Scenes series to begin soon with Deb Werksman’s post on the acquisitions’ process. If you’re wondering what it takes to get published these days (I sure am!), be sure to tune in to our Debut Author series where we’ll talk with writers who will have their first books released this year. We will also be polling you, the RU readers, on what you like about RU and how we can improve. That survey will come with the chance to win a prize or two. For those of you who are social media butterflies, we’ll see you on Twitter and Facebook more often.
Lest you think all the RU faculty members do is craft an (hopefully) educational and entertaining site for you, we wanted to share our main individual goals for 2011.
Adrienne’s Goals:
- Finish Billy and Jillian’s story by October 1
- Sell a ton of books so Carina will know they made the right choice by taking a chance on a newbie
- Take at least three workshops to improve my writing
- Expand the RU audience to include readers as well as writers
Becke’s goals:
- Complete the revisions on my current story and push it through to the end
- Treat my writing with respect by scheduling more time for it
- Keep plugging away even when Imposter Syndrome strikes
Carrie’s Goals:
- Finish three half-completed manuscripts
- Start the agent search
- Take plotting classes until it sticks in my head
- Oh, and wait patiently by the phone for Jen Enderlin. I’m here, Jen!! just waiting for your call!! =)
Heather’s Goals:
- Continue the weight loss begun in 2010 (lost over 50 lbs) by exercising regularly and eating healthy – Whoot! Way to go, Heather!
- Read and write every day
- Continue my graduate studies in my pursuit of an MBA
- Add to my two January 2011 releases with a new Chance Monroe novel, another anthology (or three) and much more
Jen’s Goals:
- Start my new manuscript
- Start submitting my completed manuscript
- Continue to write every day
Kelsey’s Goals:
- Seek out ways, writing or non-writing, to enhance and express my creativity
- Plot and write draft of a new book
- Assess writing weaknesses, make plan to improve, and implement
Tracey’s Goals:
- Deliver two finished manuscripts on deadline
- Develop and implement a marketing plan for Book 1 to help grow my readership
- Write and submit a proposal for a new series to my editor
***
RU crew, what do you love about RU and how would you like to see us improve? Also – share your 2011 goals and help us welcome Becke!
Be sure to stop by Wednesday when radio personality Bruce Allen will illustrate differences in gender communication through dialogue. Sure to be enlightening!
Kelsey Browning
Kelsey’s Bio:
Kelsey Browning writes contemporary and paranormal romance with a hint of southern sizzle. She’s a co-founder of Romance University blog where the mission is to empower writers, entertain readers and understand men. In her former life, she worked at one of the ten largest universities in the U.S., raising money and teaching students how to land their dream jobs. Now, she pursues her dream job of writing, which provides excellent benefits such as unlimited coffee and an office dress code that includes flip flops. Originally from Texas, and after four years in the Middle East, she now lives in Southern California with her IT-savvy husband, baseball-obsessed son and seriously spoiled dog. Visit her at: www.KelseyBrowning.com.
Similar Posts:
- Extra Credit! RU Faculty Expansion
- RU Crew Visits Romance B(u)y the Book Today!
- Weekly Lecture Schedule for June 4 – June 8, 2012
- Romance University’s New Junior Faculty Member
- This Just In…
Wow, we’ve got a lot going on!
Heather, congrats on you two January releases! A little birdie told me your anthology Seven Souls-a-Leaping debuted at #1 on your publisher’s selling list in early January. Yay!
Becke, welcome to RU!! We’re so darned happy to have you join us.
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | January 11, 2011, 5:44 amThanks Tracey! And I second that welcome to Becke! It seems every day is a new crazy set of challenges and I am really glad RU is part of that!
Posted by Heather | January 14, 2011, 6:08 amBecke,
I’m so happy you’re here at RU! Grinning madly! It looks like we’re in store for a big year.
Posted by jennifer tanner | January 11, 2011, 7:25 amCongrats on all the achievements, as well as the new faculty! It sounds like lots of excitement around here. I’m sure 2011 is going to be a great year for everyone.
I have two books out on submission right now, so my focus is on them, not my goals. LOL But I’m working on a couple of new things, with the goal of having them ready to send to my agent at the end of the month.
Posted by Donna Cummings | January 11, 2011, 7:40 amDonna -
No wonder we haven’t seen you around much lately
. We hope you have some great 2011 news to share with us soon on those two submissions!
Kelsey
Posted by Kelsey Browning | January 11, 2011, 8:55 amMorning all..
Welcome Becke! We’re happy to have you with us! =)
Donna, best of luck with your submissions!
Happy 2011 everyone!
=)
carrie
Posted by Carrie Spencer | January 11, 2011, 7:50 amCarrie – good luck with your story! I love the excerpt I read.
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 1:53 pmCongrats to Heather, Adrienne & Tracey! It’s an awesome year. I look forward to the changes and to reading new member Becke’s post. And of course, Amy Atwell’s.
Posted by Edie Ramer | January 11, 2011, 8:35 amEdie –
Can you give our readers an idea of what Magical Musings is up to for 2011?
Kels
Posted by Kelsey Browning | January 11, 2011, 9:41 amThank you for such a wonderful welcome! I’m thrilled to be joining the RU team! I’ve been following RU since it first debuted and have always been impressed with the quality of the content here. I think RU followers will be very impressed with the 2011 schedule.
Congratulations on all your sales (and soon-to-be-sales)! I’m honored to be joining such a brilliant group of writers, and I hope you all sprinkle some of your sparkly book-selling (and book COMPLETING) stardust on me!
Heather – HUGE congratulations on the weight loss. It’s a constant battle for me, especially since my day jobs also include sitting in front of the computer. I’m going to add losing weight to my goals. It’s always a goal, in truth, but now it’s public – treadmill, here I come!
About the exclamation points: I promise my professional writing isn’t as sprinkled with them as my comments are. I can’t seem to “talk” without them, especially when I’m so excited!!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 8:44 amBecke -
Those high kicks I’m doing are most definitely for you
. With such a diverse faculty, we’re going to be able to offer our readers one of the best romance, writing and reading sites on the web.
Thanks for being a part of the RU adventure!
Kels
Posted by KelseyBrowning | January 11, 2011, 9:45 amI’m awed by all the RU team has accomplished, both here and in your personal careers. I’ve got some high standards to live up to!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 10:09 amCongrats Becke! They will love you at RU! I’m going to join you in the weight loss! Really going to work on it this year but sitting all day at the computer is a killer for any loss. Will have to do what L.J Sellars does and goes biking even in the ice! So dedicated and so thin!
Wendy
W.S. Gager
Posted by W.S. Gager | January 11, 2011, 1:26 pmThanks, Wendy! I’m so glad we met at Bouchercon – so much has happened since then!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 1:32 pmYippee, Becke will be a great addition! Wonderful news.
Posted by Tonya | January 11, 2011, 9:29 amHi Tonya – Thanks for stopping by! Congratulations on your recent book sales – sounds like 2011 is going to be a landmark year for you. Tonya and I are both in the Ohio Valley RWA chapter; she blogs at The Naked Hero and at Past the Print.
Come back again soon!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 10:08 amOoh, I love the Naked Hero blog. Heather Webber is one of my favorite authors. Love her Lucy Valentine series. Tonya, we might be coming after you guys for one of our author chats. Just warning you!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | January 11, 2011, 11:09 amI love Heather’s books! I knew her first for her gardening mysteries, but the Lucy Valentine series is drawing all kinds of new fans. She and Tonya (and Misa) would be fabulous guests!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 11:15 amWow. I knew we had a lot happening, but seeing it all in one place is a little mind-boggling.
I am so excited for RU’s 2011 plan! Thank you to my wonderful blogmates who make this endeavor such fun. You guys are the best! To Tracey and Kelsey, thank you for always pushing me to do better, for encouraging me during the dark times and for taking this journey with me. I’ll never forget it. MWAH!
Posted by Adrienne Giordano | January 11, 2011, 9:35 amRight back atcha, babe!
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | January 11, 2011, 12:36 pmAdrienne -
It’s all about friends who will haul your butt up off the ground when you’re down. Been there, and you and Tracey help drag me outta the mud!
K-
Posted by KelseyBrowning | January 11, 2011, 4:10 pmHappy new year, ladies!
What a great group you are and I truly appreciate all of the resources and fun you bring to my writing life!
Here’s to a wonderful 2011 and beyond…
Cheers,
Tracy
Posted by Tracy Mastaler / Tracy March | January 11, 2011, 12:31 pmHey Tracy,
Nice to see you! Love the new pen name.
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | January 11, 2011, 12:35 pmBecke, YAY YOU!!! congrats my friend. RU has made a very wise choice.
Deb
Posted by debbie haupt | January 11, 2011, 1:44 pmThanks, Debbie! Debbie moderates the General Fiction board over at BN.com, and she’s one of my favorite people!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 1:54 pmThanks Becke
Posted by debbie haupt | January 11, 2011, 1:57 pmWow, that was a huge lot of amazing announcements! Congratulations, Tracey and Adrienne! And I love all the new faculty members, especially Becke who’s one of my favorite people. Look forward to joining in all the fun in 2011! Good luck to all of you in achieving your goals!
Posted by Anna Campbell | January 11, 2011, 1:46 pmAnna – thanks so much for stopping by! As you know, I’m one of your biggest fans, and I’m eagerly awaiting your next book.
I was just thinking of you as I read about the floods in Australia. I hope you are safely on dry ground!
The story I’m working on is the one you critiqued awhile back. You’ll be glad to hear I’ve completely revised it – I doubt you’ll recognize it now. (Anna saw it fresh from NaNoWriMo, but she was very kind in her suggestions.) Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 2:01 pmHey Anna!
Thanks for stopping by! It’s going to be a fun year.
Posted by jennifer tanner | January 11, 2011, 2:01 pmHey, thanks, Becke. Luckily our house is pretty high so we’re not in immediate danger. It’s been an appalling tragedy around the state.
Posted by Anna Campbell | January 11, 2011, 3:18 pmFires last year, now the floods. What next??
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 3:48 pmThanks, Anna! Love seeing you stop by. We need to persuade you into being a Visiting Professor some time!!
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | January 11, 2011, 7:37 pmAnna’s booked for late April!
Posted by jennifer tanner | January 11, 2011, 9:00 pmThat’s a LOT of great stuff on the horizon for 2011. It’s bound to be a great year. Hooray.
Thanks, RU, for all the great resources and for continuing to raise the bar to bring us even more! Yippeee.
See you here, twitter, facebook and where all the cool chicks hang out
Nancy
Posted by Nancy Naigle | January 11, 2011, 2:58 pmNancy -
Do you have some great news you want to share with the RU crew??
Kelsey
Posted by KelseyBrowning | January 11, 2011, 4:11 pmAwww, thanks, Kelsey. I do have some great news.
I’m pretty excited about my novel, OUT OF FOCUS, coming out in November 2011. Yipppeee. 2010 was a good year for that story. Two contest wins, two times as a finalist and a book contract.
Posted by Nancy Naigle | January 11, 2011, 6:16 pmHey, that silhouette of me is having a bad hair day!??
Oh, by the way, I also have a short story in the BE MINE, VALENTINE anthology coming out this week, too. It’s a collection of short stories by twelve authors. Just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Posted by Nancy Naigle | January 11, 2011, 6:26 pmCongratulations, Nancy – that’s fabulous news!!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 8:13 pmNancy – such terrific news! I’m going to email you about our debut author series
.
Kels
Posted by KelseyBrowning | January 12, 2011, 10:59 amCONGRATULATIONS, NANCY!!!!!! So incredibly happy for you.
Posted by TraceyDevlyn | January 11, 2011, 7:39 pmWow, lots to celebrate! Conratulations.
May I just say – like you didn’t know – that you’ve made a brilliant choice in Becke? She’s the most connected person I know, a tireless worker, and fun. Looking forward to seeing what you do with her.
Posted by Jan O'Hara | January 11, 2011, 3:06 pmJan – wow, coming from you that’s high praise indeed!
Jan has a wonderful blog called “Tartitude,” and she has counted such lofty authors as Laura Kinsale among her followers! Jan also blogs at Writer Unboxed – she is a great source of encouragement for me!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 3:21 pmNice to meet you, Jan. I love Writer Unboxed, although I don’t get out there enough. I’ll definitely have to check out Tartitude!
Kelsey
Posted by KelseyBrowning | January 11, 2011, 4:12 pmWow! What a terrific lineup for 2011!!!
Glad to see the new RU faculty–AND Huge congratulations to Tracey and Adrienne.
Going to be a memorable year!
Posted by Barb H | January 11, 2011, 3:28 pmThanks, Barb – we hope to see you here all year!
Kelsey
Posted by KelseyBrowning | January 11, 2011, 4:13 pmThanks, Barb!
Posted by Tracey Devlyn | January 13, 2011, 5:20 amWonderful news Becke! I’ll look forward to browsing here. I’m working through the newest chapter today and really enjoying it.
Posted by JulieB | January 11, 2011, 6:54 pmThank you so much, Julie!
Posted by Becke Martin/Davis | January 11, 2011, 8:10 pmWoW! awesome happenings on one of my favorite sites! You guys jsut keep getting better and better. Robin
Posted by Robin Covington | January 11, 2011, 7:38 pmThanks, Robin! We really appreciate all your support.
Posted by Tracey Devlyn | January 13, 2011, 5:21 amNancy,
I don’t know how I missed your announcement earlier. Congratulations!!! You certainly did have a great 2010!! Way to go.
Posted by Barb H | January 11, 2011, 9:39 pm