Romance Writers of America made history Saturday night when for the first time they awarded one of their top literary prizes to a self-published novel.

What just happened?

I clapped extra hard out there in the audience when they announced OFF THE EDGE by Carolyn Crane the Rita winner in the romantic suspense category. And so did everybody else, though it may have been that they knew of the author and had read the book more than its self-published status that got them excited.

Thank you, RWA.  And thank you Rita judges. Again Romance Writers of America is the leading writing organization in embracing the twenty-first century and the changes the internet has brought to us.

I don’t fool myself that I’ll ever win a Rita. I doubt I’ll ever get a Newbery, or a Hugo, or a Nebula, or an Edgar. And I gave up on the Pulitzer a long time ago. Sometimes I dream about the Nobel Prize, but that’s usually after a pepperoni pizza dinner and doesn’t count.

For the rest of you self-published romance writers of merit, the opportunity awaits.  Be sure to enter the contest if you think your book is good enough and you qualify. I’d like to see another of us win next year, too.

The walls come tumbling down

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: Miles to Little Ridge by Heath Lowrance.

My non-prizewinning books can be found at

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

Photos by Roxanne Rix

Has nothing to do with The Wayward Pines books.

Sometimes I write book reviews here.

THE LAST TOWN by Blake Crouch.  Book three in the Wayward Pines series.

Brutal. Riveting. Fast. Damned fast. I almost read it in a day.

The Last Town.  And there’s a reason it’s called The Last Town. You figure it out.

Series started out like an old Twilight Zone episode. Then came the M. Night Shyamalan twist. The patented Blake Crouch ninety-degree turn. Remember the best of The Outer Limits? Remember Mr Shyamalan’s movies? Now you’re in The Outer Limits territory.

And for a really neat trick, M. Night Shyamalan got hold of The Wayward Pines trilogy and it’s now an upcoming TV series starring Matt Dillon.

Books are usually better than their TV shows/films. Read it first.  The link is below.

Kindle

Photo by Roxanne Rix

Find my books at http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Moon-Spinners by Mary Stewart.  The Last Town by Blake Crouch.

Interview with the author of  TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS continued:

A sequel will be out this year. Tea With A Dead Gal.

WHAT GENRE IS YOUR NEW BOOK?   The Safari Bride is a romantic adventure novel.  Frankly, I think  the movie Romancing The Stone defines it best, though Michael Douglas isn’t in it. I used to really enjoy watching Michael Douglas. Not so much any more. Now it’s Tom Cruise, God help me.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT AGAIN?  A safari trip through Western Africa at the end of the 19th century. It’s been making me laugh while I’m writing it, so I assume it’s sort of humorous.

WHEN WILL IT COME OUT?  Before the end of the year. Probably in October or November. Maybe earlier if it doesn’t need a lot of editing.

WHAT DOES EDITING ENTAIL?  Well, for one thing it entails going back in and changing words like entail to mean or some other easy to understand word. It also means going through all the passive sentences where I use the word “was” and trying to rewrite them. Lots of fun.

I NOTICE YOU’RE REFERENCING YOUR MYSTERY NOVEL IN THE HEADING. WHEN WILL YOU HAVE ANOTHER MYSTERY FOR US?   Tea With A Dead Gal is my second project for 2014. If  The Safari Bride publishes in October, then you’ll probably see Tea With A Dead Gal in November.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?  It’s another Boo- one-It mystery featuring our real life dog Boo Radley. It takes up the story where Talking To The Dead Guys left off.

WAS TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS ABOUT A REAL MURDER? HOW ABOUT TEA WITH A DEAD GAL?  No and No.  I made it all up.  And to all the people in Lockhart who think one of my characters is fashioned after a real Lockhart resident, that’s not the case. Only the dog Boo Radley is real. I do, however, try to feature Lockhart’s streets and neighborhoods and businesses and things as accurately as I can. If I captured anyone’s true personality in my book…naah, didn’t happen.

WHERE CAN I BUY ONE OF YOUR BOOKS?  God bless you for asking. Any bookstore can order them. If you’re visiting Lockhart for its famous barbecue restaurants, several stores near and around the courthouse square sell my books including Logo’s, The Rocking Horse, Texana Lane, The Lockhart Shoppes on Main, Buffalo Clover, and the Ranch Style Store. In Austin, go to BookPeople. You’ll have lots of fun there. And when all else fails, go to Amazon.com.  Here’s the link

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix.

The friendliest BBQ place in town. Good BBQ, too.

Photos by Roxanne Rix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Walk by Lee Goldberg.  Cherry Bomb by J. A. Konrath.

An interview with the author of  The Cowboy’s Baby.

You don’t have to read The Cowboy’s Baby first to enjoy The Cowboy’s Baby Goes To Heaven, but it might help.

And of Arroyo, Talking To The Dead Guys, The Cowboy’s Baby Goes To Heaven, and Twisted Rixter.

QUESTION NO. 1: What’s the difference between an author and a writer?  Basically, it’s the word of. Gretchen Lee Rix is the author of The Cowboy’s Baby. Gretchen Lee Rix is a writer. Some writers think the title author is pretentious. Writers who think of themselves as writers just keep on writing.  Next question.

QUESTION NO. 2:  What are you writing now?  Right now, this very moment, I’m writing this blog post, but I know what you mean. I’ve planned three books for 2014. I wrote the first draft of my steamy safari romance novel THE SAFARI BRIDE in January. Now that I’ve finished the first drafts of the other two projects, I’m back revising, editing, and proofreading THE SAFARI BRIDE. Next question.

QUESTION NO. 3: What’s The Safari Bride about?  You’ll have to buy it and read it to find out. Next.

QUESTION NO. 4:  Why won’t you tell us what The Safari Bride is about?   Because it’s not finished, is why. One of the best ways to lose interest in what you’re writing is to start telling everyone what it’s all about. A writer needs to first finish the book without outside intervention. Hint. It’s about a safari trip in Africa that involves steamy sex scenes, That is to say sex scenes  as steamy as the author of the clean romance The Cowboy’s Baby can handle. Next question.

QUESTION NO. 5:  Who’s your favorite writer?  Anthony Price, maybe. Or Dick Francis. Also Stephen King, though there are more than several of his books I don’t like.

The author of The Cowboy’s Baby, Gretchen Lee Rix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King.  The Green Eyes of Bast by Sax Rohmer.

You can find Gretchen’s books at http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix