Got...ENSLAVED? Latest Sighting

Copies of ENSLAVED have been sighted most recently at the Barnes & Noble in Daytona Beach, Florida. Thanks to Lucile F for emailing the info. Lucile, good luck in the "Got...ENSLAVED?" summer contest.

Hope

Back from RWA in Dallas...

Hi All,

I'm finally rested up from the Romance Writers of America Conference held in Dallas and ready to dish. The conference kicked off on Wednesday evening with the Readers for Life Literacy autographing. Think 450 romance authors packed into the Hyatt's grand salon signing their books and chatting up readers. That was enough to steam up even the most Arctic air conditioned of rooms.

Instead of my normal slinking to the hotel bar post-signing for vino and fried munchies, I joined fellow authors Kathryn Caskie and Sophia Nash on a out-of-hotel foray to Cowboy Red River, a "real live Texas cowboy bar" complete with mechanical bull. Romance Novel TV came along for the proverbial ride, film crew in tow. Courage bouyed by a very large and very strong Texas style Margarita, Yours Truly climbed aboard the about-to-be bucking beast. Maybe it was the tequila, maybe it was the white Stetson borrowed from a cute cowboy called Ray, or maybe it was just my stubborn Irish pride, who knows, but bumps and bruises aside, I managed to hold my seat for the full eight seconds. For those of you tempted to remark that eight seconds isn't all that, I say this--Try It. ;)

That was, of course, only the first of my four days in Dallas. Other highlights include dancing to "Love Shack" at the Harlequin Party on Friday night with about-to-be Rita winner, Julia Quinn, dishing with RNTV emcee Sophia Nash on "the red carpet" at the Saturday night Golden Heart and Rita Awards ceremony and gala, and sipping champagne with Kathryn Caskie, Nocturne author, Pam Poulsen, and romantic suspense writer, Terri Ridgell in the Hyatt lobby lounge while the rest of the hotel guests evacuated in response to a (false) fire alarm--think the orchestra playing on the deck in "Titanic."

Okay, enuf about me. Anyone else go?

I'm sure I'm leaving out lots of fun times and events, but summarizing four action-packed and star-author studded days into a single post would make for one book length blog. That said, I hope you'll check back for pictures from the conference to be posted. In the meantime...

Happy Trails,

:-) Hope

Got ENSLAVED--latest sighting

Copies of ENSLAVED can be found at Barnes & Noble and Waldenbooks stores in Mesa, AZ. Thanks to Joy I of Mesa, AZ for emailing the information.

Got (a copy of) ENSLAVED? Email me the store name and location with "Got ENSLAVED?" in the email subject header, and you'll be automatically entered in my special summertime contest. The winner will be announced in early September.

And please check back in a day or so for the dish--garnished with the occassional "naughty bit"--from the Romance Writers of America conference in Dallas.

Hope

Off to RWA...

Just a quick note before I dash off to Dallas for this year's Romance Writers of America conference. Each year, the RWA conference kicks off with a multi-author (think 450-strong) Readers for Life Literacy autographing, the proceeds benefiting a major literacy-related charity housed in the host city. While the conference programs are for registered attendees only, the book signing is open to the public and heavily publicized. I'll be signing copies of VANQUISHED as well as THE HAUNTING and chatting with readers, fellow authors, and media in the Hyatt grand ballroom.

In between "work," there will be publisher parties galore as well as some hours logged in the lobby lounge sipping wine, eating far too many bar munchies, and catching up with writer friends I only get to see a few times a year. The conference wraps with the Awards Ceremony and gala on Saturday where everyone puts on the Ritz to celebrate the Rita and Golden Heart winners (and console the other finalists) with champagne and chocolate. :)

At some point during the conference, I'll be blogging from the RWA media room set up in the conference hotel. To read the blog in progress, go to rwanational.org after Wednesday and follow the links.

Once I'm back, I'll be posting pictures and tasty tidbits from the conference week. Also on the horizon is my blog on "Hope and Susan's Excellent Adventure," a post-Independence Day roadtrip to Roanoke, WV and Blacksburg, VA with my buddy, Susan. (Hint: If Susan lets me, there may even be a pic posted from that adventure, too).

In the interim,

Happy Trails--and Happy Reading,

Hope

Happy Fourth!

Happy Independence Day,

Hot dogs slightly charred and hot off the grill, ice cream that melts before you take that first anticipated swipe from the cone, watermelon that for whatever reason tastes more succulent than it does on any other day of the year--Fourth of July conjures a bevy of visceral as well as cognitive memories for most of us. And of course, no Independence Day celebration would be quite complete without fireworks (the safe public displays, if you please, at least for Yours Truly).

ENSLAVED, too, is taking off with a bang. This seems a good time to thank all of you who have taken the time to email me with your preview copy "sightings." So far we have Joseph-Beth Booksellers (josephbeth.com), overstock.com, Borders stores (by order and in some cases already shelved), a Barnes & Noble (somewhere?), and a Books-a-Million in Mobile, Alabama (Pinebrook Shopping Center on Airport Drive). And of course, if anticipation is your thing (think the old Heinz ketchup jingle about "making me wait...") you can always preorder a copy at amazon.com.

To thank readers, and to celebrate the summer sizzle, I am running a special blog contest from now through September. Please check back at www.hopetarr.com after the holiday for details on how to chime in and win.

In the interim, eat a hot dog slightly blackened around the edges and sloppy with relish and mustard and chopped onions. Go for not just an ice cream cone but a double dip. Seize the chance to lay back on a blanket, let the evening coolness wash over your sunburnt face, and savor the bliss of a perfect fireworks constellation while snuggling someone you love.

Have a great Independence Day...

Got... ENSLAVED?

Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, my new historical romance, ENSLAVED is now available for direct order through Borders Bookstores or online through Independent Publishers Group. You can also pre-order the book at amazon.com.

The sequel to VANQUISHED, ENSLAVED is slated for worldwide release in October 2007. That said, about 2,500 copies of ENSLAVED shipped early and have already found their way onto bookstore shelves--and into eager readers' hot little hands.

Sightings so far include Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, OH (www.josephbeth.com) and Books-a-Million, Pinebrook Shopping Center on Airport Blvd., Mobile, Alabama. I've also heard from a ton of people who've ordered it through their local Borders store.

Do you have a copy of ENSLAVED? If so, I'd love, love, love to know where you got yours, be it a chain bookstore, an indy bookstore, a library or well... anywhere.

Over the summer months I'll be building a list of "Early ENSLAVED Sightings" to track the progress of these renegade books. So if you could take two ticks (AKA moments) to post to this thread, you'll be helping out by letting other readers know where they can find the book.

To reward "informants, " I'll be running a special "Get... ENSLAVED Sneak Peak End of Summer Contest" in addition to my regular monthly contest. The winner will be announced on September 1st. The prize will be a signed copy of Book #1 in my "Men of Roxbury House" trilogy, VANQUISHED, a signed cover flat of ENSLAVED as well as the winner's pick of my backlist titles.

In the meantime...

Happy Summer Reading -- and Sighting

Hope

Back from Book Expo America...

Hi Everyone,

I'm back from Book Expo America. For those of you not familiar with BEA, it's the U.S. answer to the London and Frankfurt Bookfairs and I do believe it's even bigger -- around 30,000 participants at this year's event held at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

Big clue to the incredible vibe of this year's event: the Expo was in New York City -- now, can that *ever* be bad? ;)

I went up on trusty ole Amtrak the night before expecting to have a good trip, a productive trip, a pleasant trip...

What I had was a *great* trip.

I launched my venture on Thursday evening with dinner a-deux with my good buddy, uber talented historical romance novelist, Kathryn Caskie. We chose Zagat top pic, Gotham Bar & Grill on 12th in The Village. Determined not to be idle, we mapped out our Expo plans over a lovely bottle of shriraz and top tier (aka yummy) fare of hard shell crabs (me) and filet (Kathy).

Friday was a "work" day. After a short waiting stint sipping designer H20 in the Green Room (and no, I didn't see anyone terribly famous, more's the pity), I kicked off with a traditonal autographing for my new historical romance release, ENSLAVED (Medallion press). Later, I had midday coffee talk with talented historical fiction author, Will Hutchison, and then an in-booth signing at the Harlequin booth during "Sexy Hour" with Cara Summers and bestselling author, Carly Phillips.

But there's more...

That night, Kathryn Caskie (Kathy to me) and our good buddy, historical romance author, Sophia Nash, met up at New York's famous Webster Hall for The Rock Bottom Remainders "Still Younger than Keith" charity concert. At the VIP reception to kick off the concert, we clinked glasses with literati heavyweights Mitch Albom, Frank McCourt, Amy Tan, Stephen King, and my personal fav, humor columnist turned children's author, Dave Barry. If you have two ticks, check out our candid pics on my Snapshots page. And yes, consider the rumor confirmed, Dave Barry really did pronounce the three of us "hot." I believe the word "babes" was also used," but well, I don't want to get anyone in trouble at home. ;)

As you may expect, all this autographing and gladhanding can really wear a woman down. Fortunately, I got to unwind on Saturday evening at the Harlequin party held at a swank Midtown club. Harlequin always does it right and this year's fete was no exception. Guests were greeted at the door with champagne and chocolates and the night got even better from there. Over canapes and champagne (yes, more), I caught up with authors Jane Porter ("Flirting with Forty"), Candice Poarch, and Rebecca York as well as had the opportunity to say thank you to Harlequin's talented and hardworking editorial, marketing and sales staff.

Come Sunday, all this nose-to-the-grindstone hard work was really taking its toll. The chocolate consumption alone had me at "sixes and sevens" as Sophia might say in one of her Regency-set historicals. I wound down with a signing of THE HAUNTING in the Romance Writers of America booth at BEA along with Niki Burnham ("Goddess Games") and Silhouette author, Anna DePalo.

A few days of post-Expo R&R in the West Village set me to rights. Come mid-week, I was homebound on that Amtrak train, maybe not exactly fresh as a daisy but certainly touting a big ole smile.

Okay, so enuf about me. Anybody else go to BEA? As they say, inquiring minds...

Hope