Anniversary Contest!

My husband and I will be celebrating 20 years of marriage on February 29th. That’s five anniversaries. Well, five REAL anniversaries. On “off” years, we have an arrangement. His anniversary is on February 28th and mine is on March 1st. I give him a card or wish him happy anniversary then he remembers to do the same the following day.

Getting hitched on Leap Year Day was planned for that simple reason, to remind him of the date. I figured he could manage the right date every four years. So far, so good. And on those off years, I don’t concern myself it he’s had to travel or forgets or doesn’t get me anything. I don’t usually get him anything either. It’s been a great 20 years with my husband, and I know how much he loves and cares for me by the things he does for our family, not by the stuff that accumulates in our home.

Thank you, honey, for being a great husband and dad.

In honor of our anniversary, I’m having an Alaska goodies giveaway. Local tee shirt, a tote bag, some other AK stuff. How do you win? In the comments below, tell me about your best/worst anniversary or wedding memory. You can also complete the line “You know you’re an Alaskan when…” Here are some samples:

You know you’re an Alaskan when…..
…..your “signature” lip color is Carmex.
…..you keep your snow shovel out year ‘round.
…..you’ve only seen 4th of July fireworks when you were down in the Lower 48. (But who wants to leave AK in July??? It’s the best time of year to be here!)

So give me your stories and/or your Alaskan comments. I’ll do a random drawing on Sunday, March 4, and yes, I will ship internationally : )

Let’s see what ya got!

ETA: Winner has been chosen! LE, you get some sort of AK stuff! Email me at cathy@cathypegau.com.

Thanks for commenting, everyone! I totally enjoyed your stories and "You know you're an Alaskan" quips : )

Pack and Coven by Jody Wallace

Happy release week to my pal and crit partner Jody Wallace! Her Carina Press novel Pack and Coven is out right now!

Harry Smith is a lone wolf, and he likes it that way. When he's targeted to be co-alpha of the local pack, there is only one thing he can do to maintain his freedom: flee. But it'll take a miracle to stay a step ahead of shifters in their own territory.

June Travis has been in love with Harry for years, but he doesn't know her real identity. He sees her as the sweet owner of the local tearoom—the facade June presents to humans and werewolves to keep them from finding out she's a witch. She may not be able to offer Harry a miracle, but she can help him escape.

Harry is drawn to this new side of June, and not just because he's grateful for her help. With her magic temporarily hiding Harry from his pursuers, the witch and the wolf explore their mutual attraction. But there are consequences for witches who bed down with wolves...

Harry is not your typical alpha male shape shifter. He just wants to be left alone to do his thing. This doesn't mean he's a beta, not by any means. He is the definition of "lone wolf" who reluctantly accepts June's help. Despite her genteel manners, June is a strong heroine who shouldn't be underestimated. Both are refreshing characters in a genre where alpha-asshats and TSTL or uber bitches seem to dominate. Kudos to Jody for that and for creating a fully-realized paranormal world.

Oh! And Jody is having a contest! Go comment and win something yummy : )

Pick up Pack and Coven here:
Carina Press
Amazon
B&N
Audible

#Rom4All--End ALL Discrimination in Romance

Recently, it was brought to the attention of the Rainbow Romance Writers chapter of the RWA that another chapter's published works contest (scroll down to Rules, under #1) would no longer be accepting same-sex romances for any of their categories.

So, like several of my RRW co-members, I wrote to the contest coordinator. This is what I said: "I've noticed that your More Than Magic contest for published authors no longer accepts entries that have same-sex relations. The contest accepted such stories in the past and, from what I understand, they did well. Could you please tell me what changed? Thank you very much for your time."

Here is the reply I received: "It was a difficult decision, but after a month-long discussion, it was voted by the chapter to no longer accept same-sex. The majority of our members were just uncomfortable with it."

That's it. That was the whole of the response.

They were uncomfortable. Fine. I can understand being uncomfortable with certain aspects of stories. Everyone has their own tastes. Simple solution: Find judges outside of your chapter who ARE comfortable--nay! HAPPY--to read same-sex romances. There's a whole chapter of us willing to do so.

But to outright deny entry based on orientation of the characters? Replace "same-sex" with "people of color" or "people of different abilities" or "people of different beliefs" and tell me you don't feel the ick factor here.

RRW chapter president Heidi Cullinan wrote to the RWA National organization and asked about the discriminatory language. The RWA was extremely supportive in getting the Rainbow Romance Writers chapter off the ground; we know they aren't opposed to LGBT romance. RWA's response, however, was less than encouraging. Basically, the RWA is saying it can't tell its affiliated chapters how to run their contests. If they want to exclude a category, then it's their right to do so.

But LGBTQ is NOT a romance category. Paranormal, Suspense, Historical, Inspirational, Erotica. THOSE are categories. Categories indicate a certain plot and storyline. Categories have NOTHING to do with who the characters love.

If a judge, like any reader, is uncomfortable with reading paranormal, it is up to the coordinator to find a judge who will do so. No one freaks out. No one gets upset. Everyone is happy. Why is that so difficult to do and understand in this day and age?

There are other folks who have addressed the issue much more eloquently than I, and I encourage you to read the blogs, get the facts, and make your opinion heard. Write to RWA (the addy is info@rwa.org ); leave comments on blogs; make a <140 character Twitter statement using the #Rom4All hashtag, and include #RWA and/or #LGBT.

Thank you!

Blogs supporting anti-discrimination and #Rom4All:

http://heidicullinan.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/rwa-shouldnt-be-in-the-business-of-discrimination/


www.karigregg.com/?p=1226

http://www.courtneymilan.com/ramblings/2012/02/04/dont-enter-more-than-magic/

http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/2012/02/wtfckery-factor-romance-writers-of.html

http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/2045978-same-sex-pairing-is-not-romance-since-when

http://annetenino.com/2012/02/04/personal-taste-public-responsibilities-discrimination-rom4all-lgbt-rwa/

http://jswayne.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/an-open-letter-to-rwa/

http://stephanihechtauthor.blogspot.com/2012/02/uncomfortable-discrimination.html?zx=cf4f15550ff0b8b9

http://amydenim.blogspot.com/2012/02/hey-rwa-discrimination-censorship-are.html

http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/romance-writers-ink-contest-an-exercise-in-discrimination

http://stacia-seaman.livejournal.com/160347.html

http://museampoule.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/letter-to-rwi-contest-about-their-discrimination/

http://www.fictionwithfriction.com/2012/02/04/less-than-magic/

http://heidicullinan.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/bigotry-is-a-transitive-noun/

http://stacia-seaman.livejournal.com/160732.html?view=302556#t302556

Cover Reveal: Fortune's Hero

Coming in August from Entangled Publishing: Fortune's Hero, a science fiction romance by Jenna Bennett.




Isn't it gorgeous? Heather Howland is the artist.

And the story sound amazing too. Check it out:

Last year, space smuggler Quinn Conlan was on top of the world. He had everything a man could want: a fast ship, a great crew, a gorgeous girlfriend, lots of money, and adventure and excitement around every corner.

That all changed when he agreed to ferry a shipload of weapons to the beleaguered planet Marica, currently under siege by Rhenian forces. Now he’s stuck in a prison camp on the moon Marica-3, subjected to weekly sessions with the camp’s “medical team,” and praying for a quick death before he breaks under the torture and spills everything he knows about the Marican resistance.

When the opportunity presents itself, Quinn takes a Rhenian med tech hostage and heads into the inhospitable interior of the small moon. There, he has to keep himself and Doctor Elsa Brandeis safe from the deadly flora and fauna, as well as hidden from the prison guards searching for them, all while formulating a plan for getting his crew out of prison, his ship out of impound, and everyone out of orbit.

But when Elsa professes her love, can Quinn take the beautiful doctor at her word, or will trusting her—and his heart—condemn him and his crew to an eternity on Marica-3?

Cool, huh? I can't wait to read it! : )

Congratulations on the great cover and the upcoming release, Jenna!