Here’s the writing info:

Unleash your story challenge is starting September 1. Our lead writer, Debbie Macomber, says she’s going to write 30K this month. See if you can keep up and sign up for the ROMANCE DIVAS team.

If you take part in the fundraiser portion of the challenge, you’ll get a chance to win some great prizes, like an Alphasmart. You can also win crits with agents such as Holly Root and Jessica Faust or Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt.

Special Challenge to all RWA Chapters participating in the fund-raising challenge: Win a complete set of MP3 audio files from the 2008 RWA National Conference.

Unleash Your Story: Make a Difference challenges readers and writers to raise awareness and funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Cystic Fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease in the U.S. Thirty years ago life expectancy for a child born with CF was only five years, but through the efforts of the CFF and others, life expectancy and quality of life has increased dramatically. Unleash Your Story aims to help the CFF continue these efforts and to someday soon find a cure!

Participants can work as a team or individually for chances to win fun prizes. We are also offering a special prize to RWA Chapters with participating members. The chapter with members who raise the most money by September 30 will receive a complete set of MP3 audio files from the 2008 RWA National Conference for your chapter library. All you have to do to be eligible for the prize is to pass the word on to your chapter members and ask them to let us know that they are members of your chapter.

All participants will still be eligible for individual prizes, but their total donations will also be credited toward the chapter for this special prize. We will need to calculate the chapter total manually, so be sure that all of your members e-mail us at info@unleashyourstory.com to let us know their chapter affiliation.

We recognize that many RWA members belong to multiple chapters. We ask all participants to select one chapter for purposes of this special chapter challenge.

The event will run September 1-30, but registration begins in August. For more information email info@unleashyourstory.com or visit http://www.unleashyourstory.com

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I’ve selected a small team goal of $1500, and am hoping as a group we can bust that fundraising goal wide open. For example if we get 300 people who can donate only $5 we have met our goal. We have over 2k members here on Divas alone. My personal goal is $150, but again, I hope to beat that. Everyone who signs up to be on the writing team can pick their own goal and will have their own donations page and all donations will combine to be a part of what our team raises.

Some info regarding CF:
Cystic fibrosis is a devastating genetic disease that affects children and young adults. Advances continue to be made in finding a cure, but your help is needed now—more than ever—to help keep up the momentum of this life-saving research. Too many young lives depend on this vital research to let it go unfunded!

Your generous gift will be used efficiently and effectively—nearly 90 cents of every dollar of revenue raised is available for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education. And, it’s tax-deductible.

Right now I am the only Diva registered on the team, but I know others are interested, so please join me in giving yourself a kick in the pants to write and raise money for this worthy cause. In the meantime, here is the DONATION link for my area http://www.cff.org/LWC/MgBraden

When I was at Nationals I stood in line to get an ABM (Advanced Bound Manuscript) of Eve of Darkness from S.J. Day. Signed even.

To say I have been waiting for this book, is putting it mildly. Poor Sylvia probably thought I was stalking her. I kind of was. (Sorry, Sylvia). However, as soon as I read about the Marked series, I knew I needed to read them. But the first one doesn’t come out until May of 2009. 2009!!! How is one supposed to wait that long?

Thankfully, I read her post stating that she would be giving these away at her publisher signing event so I faithfully stood in line and she was the first person I hit.

I read this book a couple of days after I returned home. A friend of mine (Ember Case) read hers on the way home from conference and loved it. I restrained myself since I wanted time to just read it with quiet all around me. OMG – it is so amazing. Seriously. Go put it on your wish list at Amazon. In fact,
why don’t you just go pre-order it. I’m telling you, you won’t be disappointed.

This is like demon hunting meets Touched by an Angel (except the angels are naughty and slightly angry, but it’s ok, because God loves them ) – ok, that statement doesn’t do the series justice, not even close LOL. Here’s the logline “Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel… All in a day’s work.”

I love Eve and I love Cain. Abel’s ok too. They’re both hot. But Cain? Whew. I’d love to show you a cover, but I think the only thing I have I’d have to scan and I’m not entirely sure that’s the actual cover anyway.

Now I have to wait until June 2009 for the next in the series. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to do that. And poor Sylvia thought she’d gotten rid of me for a while. She didn’t realise that I am a series slut. But I am. Just ask Jaci Burton (Demon Hunter series), Lara Adrian (Midnight Breed series), Allison Brennan (Evil series – not sure if that’s the right name), or any number of other authors that I urge to write faster so I can have the next book and the next one.

Anyway, go check out the website for this series and put this book on your TBR list. It’s well written, fast-paced, has great tension. the world-building is good, there are characters to hate, characters to love and some you are completely unsure about. And it leaves you wanting more. I must have more Eve.

Eve of Destruction… I await you.

Here’s a little excerpt widget for EOD:

Read my article this month at Romance Divas http://www.romancedivas.com/resources.html and you can see what this “newbie” to RWA Nationals found valuable.

Once again I need to thank Romantic Inks for making it possible for me to attend conference in the first place. For those who don’t know, I had to write an essay for and won my conference fee paid by Romantick Inks. I had to come up with my airfare, hotel and food expenses, but without the conference fee paid I would not have been able to go.

Thankfully, I had request for a partial and for a full so am busy working on those. I appreciate your support so very much!

More conference photos and stuff in the next couple of days, but first…

Vampire Oracle: Harmony by M.G. Braden

Recently engaged, Kara Staten and Marc Brodeur are in love, and Kara has a brand new business. Life is good. When things start to unravel, they struggle for the harmony they once had.

Unbeknownst to Kara, Marc’s a vampire trying to live a normal life. When her skincare salon produces a special serum that results in several fatal love bites, she doesn’t know where to turn. Hoping to keep her safe, Marc runs away. As their lives spin into separate paths, they find that what could tear them apart is the one thing that will ultimately keep them together.

Read an Excerpt

Vampire Oracle: Harmony NOW available at Cobblestone Press

Content: Erotic Romance
This title contains explicit language and graphic sex

I’m home and I’m exhausted (not great when you have three young children who haven’t seen you in almost a week and don’t really care how tired you are).

Nationals was all at once amazing, confusing, exhilerating (I know I’m spelling that wrong, but too tired to look it up) and overwhelming.

I think my favourite part was meeting up with my online friends – many of whom, I’ve known for over three years online without having met face to face. Romance Divas? You rock – each and every one of you. I almost cried when I met Diva Lisa (ok, let’s be honest there was no almost about it – the lady is a class act and she proved it in person). If I could go back and change my vote for switching teams Diva, I so would. Jax? She could fit in a tea cup she is so tiny. I felt like a giant next to her, but her personality is giant so it was all good. What a dynamic, fun lady. I wanted to add a quick shout out to Feisty, who braved the conference her leg in a cast, crutches in her hands, with dignity and aplomb. I can’t imagine how hard and frustrating that must have been. You are a strong and amazing woman – must be why you’re called Feisty.

There are so many more Divas to mention (not the least of whom were my two roommates, but I will get to them later) and sufficed to say, I loved you all. And what is most amazing is how gorgeous they all are – inside and out (click on photos to see in full).

I also met with a Canadian contingent of authors from back East. I only know most of them through Christine D’Abo and following them through her blog posts. To Christine, Amy, and Wylie – you are beautiful, lovely ladies – you made me laugh and made me proud to be Canadian. I know that you will all go far on your writing journey because you all just kick ass.

I met so many people and obviously I would be writing for days if I listed them all. There are stand out authors for me, who were gracious, fun and encouraging: Sylvia Day (can’t wait to start Eve), Allison Brennan (don’t know which book to start first) – I promise I won’t stalk the two of you as much any more (at least for a little while LOL), Lisa Kleypas and Sherrilyn Kenyon (new to me authors – don’t gasp I have heard of them, obviously, just never read them before) who were each so friendly and nice.

I talked to an agent (not having a clue she was an agent, because I don’t like to look like I am reading the name cards in front of people’s chests) who made laugh and who also made me rethink who I wanted as my dream agent. I will never forget the “bathing in baby seals” comment as long as I live (and thank you very much again for that, total highlight). Even if you never become my agent, I hope we run into each other again and go for drinks. I can always use another friend.

Last, but not least, I need to mention my absolutely fantastic roommates. When we met we’d known each other from online, but more in a “yeah, I know who you are and I’m sure you are not strange” kind of way. In person you couldn’t find three more different people, not only in size, but personality. However, these ladies made me laugh and smile and were there for me when I found out, shortly after I arrived, that my Dad had suffered a heart attack and was going for double bypass surgery on the Thursday. I told no one else about that (not until I had a little melt down on Saturday morning) and they kept me strong. I needed to get through conference and there was nothing I could do for my Dad except pray and I was already doing that. Chi and Christina made me laugh so hard, they understood me, they were considerate (three women, one bathroom and it was all good) and mostly they were just lovely ladies who captured my heart and friendship forever. I would room with them again in a second and I hope they would say the same of me.

So – what about the workshops, the agent/editor appointments, the literacy signing, the food, the learning and so on? Yeah, it all happened. But my highlights are the people. Plus, I have to write an article regarding the rest, so when that’s done you can find out all about it.