Issue 4, January 2002

In this issue:
The Buzz Needs Your Help!
Main Character Profiles: Interviewing Your Character
Buzz on Books
Happenings
Market Update 2002
Upcoming Contests

I know the holidays kept people busy, but you may notice this issue is a little skimpy. Remember, this is your newsletter, and if we all participate, it will be a knockout.

I am looking for any of the following types of articles:

• Articles about the craft of writing
• Humor about the writing life or life in general (I know how funny you guys are!)
• Reviews of romance novels (current is best, but backlisted is okay if the book is still available online)
• Reviews of books about writing
• News about the writing world--chats, contests, conferences, or publishers
• Published writers are welcome to submit news about upcoming releases or anything else you think your adoring fans would like to read!
• News and milestones in our lives
• Updates of any interesting discussions happening in the eHarlequin communities
• Anything else you would like to see in your newsletter

Thank you all for your help! Email submissions to gonnabeez@lycos.com by Friday, February 15th for next month's issue.

HINT: One way to help your characters to become real and to find out who they are and how they will react is to interview them and ask them questions about given situations and scenarios.

1. How do you react at a party or a social gathering? Do you interact with many, including strangers? Or do just interact with those you know? Why?
2. If you seen someone of the opposite sex that appeals to you, would you approach them? How would you go about it?
3. Would you consider yourself more realistic or speculative when you consider other people, or the world around you?
4. How do you feel about a challenge, mental or physical?
5. Are you more impressed by your principles/beliefs or your emotions/gut instincts?
6. How do you feel about the display of others emotions? Anger? Crying? Hate? Love? Joy?
7. Sadness? How do you react to it?
8. How do you convince someone that you are right?
9. How do you feel about touching? Do you like to be touched? If not, why?
10. What kind of lover are you?
11. How do you prefer to work? Do you get right to the job or push it off?
12. How do you see others at work, do you stand over their shoulders and compare? Do you compete?
13. How do you come into a discussion, carefully or impulsively? Why?
14. At parties, do you stay late or leave early?
15. Are you more attractive to imaginative people or sensible people?
16. Are you more interested in reality or what is possible? Why?
17. In judging others, are you swayed by circumstances?
18. Do you see things in black and white, or gray?
19. Are you an easy or a hard person to get to know? Why?
20. How well do you trust others?
21. Are you punctual or leisurely?
22. Do you think you are up-tight or easy-going? Why?
23. Does it bother you to have things loose--incomplete? Your reaction this?
24. In your social group, do you keep abreast of what's happening or get behind?
25. Are you serious and determined or easy going? Why?
26. Do you ever dwell on things? What?
27. Do you consider yourself cool-headed? Or what gets your goat quick?
28. Do you have mercy?
29. How do you feel about the injustices of the world?
30. Should one let events occur randomly or by careful selection?
31. In company, do you initiate conversation or wait to be spoken to?
32. Does your common sense speak to you? Does it ever hold you back?
33. How do you react to danger?
34. Do you like yourself?
35. Have you ever not liked yourself, why?
36. How open are you to new things? How do you handle changes?
37. Do you look for motives behind other's reactions? Why?
38. How do you tell and or show someone that you like them?
39. How do you tell or show someone you don't like them?
40. How do you think others see you?
41. What is your strongest moral? Your weakest moral?
42. What commandment of God would you be most willing to break?
43. What hold sentimental value to you? Why?
44. Are you devoted to anything? Why?
45. When answering a question, are you long winded or brief?
46. How do you speak to a stranger, at length, or with little to say?
47. What is your strongest feeling?
48. When in doubt, how do you come to an answer?
49. Are you sympathetic?
50. Do you ever compromise?
51. How do you deal with stubbornness?
52. Are you passionate in life and love?
53. Are you hard headed or soft hearted? Why?
54. Do you ever ask for help?
55. Do you consider a display of emotion a weakness?
56. What are you loyal to?
57. Do you have a favorite saying? One that would suit you?
58. How do you react when you are out of your element?
59. Can you say you are sorry?
60. Would you admit if you were wrong?
61. How far would you go to prove a point?

I just thought that I'd let everyone know that my next book - HIS MIRACLE BABY - is out in February (Presents #2232) and to celebrate I'll be drawing four names from my email list. The people whose names I pick will each get a signed copy of their choice of my books so if anyone wants to join up and be on the list they can email me from the site (http://www.kate-walker.com) or at kate@kate-walker.com and their names will go into the draw.

I'm also updating my web site so that it will show the new title, and its cover on the USA Readers page - and the Home page will show the next two books to be published in the UK. One of those is 'The Blob' - Desert Affair - but the paperback cover is not quite as blobby as the hardback one I was given!

All best wishes
Kate
http://www.kate-walker.com

Out this Month...

Ready Willing and... Abel? / Raising Cain
Holly Jacobs
Harlequin Duets

...And More

Gonnabeez presents a class entitled "Plot: How to Tell the Story" beginning on Monday, February 4th at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, and continuing the first Monday of every month. This class will draw from a variety of books. Check the Buzz homepage next week for a bibliography and recommended reading list.

Most of the members are targeting Harlequin and Silhouette and their guides are pretty up front and easy to find. But other markets do exist, and the moment your query or manuscript is rejected, don't give up. Turn it around the next day to another market.

I have assembled a list of house guides with current acquisition editors and updates to provide an inkling of what a house is currently seeking for 2002. Links to online guides are provided when available, though some of them don't have guides or still prefer the old method of making interested writers pay for their guides with a SASE (Trade secret here, this is a mode that gets your addy on their mailing list for new releases.) I also added links for recent releases when available since most publishers want you to be familiar with the work of the authors they already have in their "stable". Yep, and it never hurts to mention one or two of these by name in your cover letter--proof positive that you're familiar with the Publisher's publishing list.

A couple of the publishing houses say on their website that they are not accepting unsolicited material, only agented material, owing to the recent mail woes and worries. Now my recent market update say otherwise, in that they will accept queries if properly addressed and directed. Please contact the publishing house directly if you are unsure how to proceed.

Another great site has releases (updated monthly) for several of the (hard copy) houses with links when available that have the synopsis, backcover barbs or first chapter blurb etc. you know for recent releases so you're are "in the know zone". Check it out at http://www.romancejournal.com/upcoming/

Click here for the complete Market Update 2002

Upcoming Contests

Thanks to all those entered the 1st Gonnabeez contest. From the looks of the entries, making a final decision is going to be tough. And that's why I'm not going to do it alone. Please visit the site http://www.geocities.com/gonnabeez and follow the directions to read the story and then vote on the chapter you like best. If anyone missed the contest, or would like to see it happen again, please email me at gonnabeez@yahoo.com . I'd love feedback, after all, this is my first time at this! I'd love to continue to do the contest: this is the trial run. Let me know what you liked, disliked or if you've got an idea for making it better. Best of luck, entrants!

Mel

Spring Into Romance Contest
RWA San Diego
Received by January 31st
http://www.rwasd.com/

Booksellers' Best Award (Published Authors)
Greater Detroit RWA
Postmark by January 31, 2002
http://www.gdrwa.org/

Fourth Annual Merritt Contest
San Antonio Romance Authors
Received Deadline: February 1, 2002
http://www.sararwa.com/merritt.htm

2002 Inspirational Reader's Choice Contest
Faith, Hope, and Love, RWA Chapter
Application Deadline: February 1, 2002
http://www.robinleehatcher.com/FHL/ircc_rules.htm

The Seventh Annual Confluence Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Contest
Received deadline: February 2, 2002
http://trfn.clpgh.org/parsec/conflu/contest.html

2002 Laurie Contest
Smoky Mountain Romance Writers
Postmark Deadline: February 8, 2002
http://www.smrw.org/contests/laurie/laurie.html

2002 Annual Award of Excellence Competition (Published Authors)
Colorado Romance Writers
Receipt Deadline: February 8, 2002
http://www.ecentral.com/members/crw/EVENTS.HTM#AOE

2002 Heart of the Rockies Contest
Colorado Romance Writers
http://www.ecentral.com/members/crw/EVENTS.HTM#Heart of the Rockies

Between The Sheets Contest
Greater Detroit RWA
Postmarked by February 11, 2002
http://www.gdrwa.org/

Romance Through The Ages Contest
Hearts Through History Chapter
Receipt deadline: February 15, 2002
http://www.dm.net/~hhrw/contest.html

PRISM 2002 (Published Authors)
Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal Special Interest Chapter RWA
Entry Form and fee deadline: March 1, 2002
http://www.romance-ffp.com/prism_contest/prism_rules.htm

Troubadours' 7th Annual Short Story Contest
Deadline: March 1, 2002
http://home2.owc.net/~mason/Guidelines.html

The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
"It was a dark and stormy night..."
I kid you not...read the past year winning entries...what a hoot!
Deadline, what else but April 15th of each year.
http://www.bulwer-lytton.com

71st Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition
Deadline May 15, 2002
http://writersdigest.com/catalog/contest_frame.html

2002 Backwaters Prize
Sponsored by Backwaters Press
Postmark Deadline June 4, 2002
http://www.thebackwaterspress.homestead.com/bwprize.html

• Dogs always meet you at the door with a kiss
• Dogs miss you when you're gone
• Dogs don't brag about whom they have slept with
• Dogs don't criticise your friends
• Dogs don't feel threatened by your intelligence
• Dogs are already in touch with their inner puppies
• Dogs are happy with any video you choose to rent, because they know the most important thing is that you're together
• You can train a dog
• Gorgeous dogs don't know they're gorgeous
• Dogs understand what "no" means
• Middle-aged dogs don't feel the need to abandon you for a younger owner
• You can house train a dog
• Dogs don't correct your stories
• Dogs don't step on the imaginary brake
• Dogs do not care whether you shave your legs
• Dogs aren't threatened if you earn more than they do
• Dogs mean it when they kiss you

*** The Buzz comes out on the third Monday of the month. The submission deadline is the previous Friday. If you would like to contribute to next month's newsletter, use the easy form or email me at gonnabeez@lycos.com .