Category: Just Because

RWA Literacy signing and my annual reminder

Every year I try to mention this just because it’s one of those small issues that’s important to me. Next week, the Romance Writers of America organization will meet in NYC for their annual conference and with it they will host a huge book signing event to promote literacy.

There will be hundreds of authors signing. It’s a huge event. A readers dream!

The first year that I was eligible to sign at the literacy signing I didn’t. Ok, I know, you’re thinking what?? I mean after working so very hard to reach the goal of being a published author, I sat out my first opportunity to sign at such an awesome event? Yeah, I did. I was more interested in wandering around and attending as a READER. I wanted a chance to meet some of MY favorite authors and get them to sign books.

I also made it a goal to go by the tables of newer authors who might not have the lines or the followings of some of the more established authors. And each year I remind others to try and do the same.

So if you’re going to be attending the literacy signing, do me a favor, okay? Pick out at least one new author or an author who doesn’t have a line of people at her table. Go by, talk to her, check out her book or even better yet, buy it and have her sign it.

It’s HARD to sit there swallowed up by so many other authors and feel like no one has come to see you or to get you to sign a book.

A little kindness goes a long way and you have the power to make the signing very special for an author who is new, shy or just plain terrified of the crowds.

I hope to see you there! If I remember right, I’ll have Colters’ Lady and either Hidden Away or Sweet Possession to sign. (I’m so horrible, I don’t remember which one!) So come by and say hi. I’d love to chat with you!

Big, huge thank you to all my readers

Wow, you guys are so amazing! My digital only release of Colters’ Daughter hit the USA Today bestseller list AND it also hit the NYT ebook bestseller list. All because of you and your enthusiasm. You have my heartfelt thanks. I couldn’t do this without your support and it means the world to me.

Hitting the lists with an ebook is more exciting than I can possibly express. I LOVE ebooks. I love epublishing. Epublishing has allowed me the freedom to write stories that might not otherwise be picked up by a more traditional publisher and they’ve been embraced by you the reader and YOU have made the books successes. Not me. I can write to my heart’s content but that doesn’t make them bestsellers. Only readers can do that and I’m so appreciative that you’ve made MY books bestselling titles.

The Colters’ Legacy books have been special from the beginning. Colters’ Woman struck a chord with so many readers and you made it by far my most successful, bestselling title of any books I’ve written. I owe much to the readers who took a chance on me several years ago when this story came out. You bought it, you talked about it. You then bought my subsequent releases and you’ve remained so steadfastly loyal and I simply do not have the words to tell you how much I love each and every one of you.

Epublishing will always hold a special place in my heart no matter where my career takes me and I’ll never forget that in a lot of ways, Colters’ Woman is responsible for much of my success.

Thank you for buying and supporting Colters’ Daughter! I know it’s different from the other two books in the series and I appreciate your willingness to give it a chance anyway.

Because of you an EBOOK landed on those bestseller lists and because of you, a whole lot more digital only authors will climb those lists too.

Much love,

Maya

Blog challenge part 1!

So I went book shopping last night after perusing the recommendations on the blog. I still haven’t gone through all of them but got a good start and downloaded lots of books to my Kindle. Here is what I decided to buy!

Mouth to Mouth by Erin McCarthy
Witness by Beverly Barton
Christmas with her Boss by Marion Lennox
A Table for Three by Lainey Reese
Their One and Only by Trista Ann Michaels
Falke’s Peak by Anna Leigh Keaton and Madison Layle
Male Me by Amarinda Jones
Maggie’s Mates by Bronwyn Green
Three to Ride by Sophie Oak
Two to Love by Sophie Oak
Razor’s Edge by Jayne Rylon
Night is Darkest by Jayne Rylon
Eternal Flame by Cynthia Eden
Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden
Entwined by Elisabeth Naughton
Marked by Elisabeth Naughton
Turn it Up (ARC) by Vivien Arend

I’ve already read several and was very pleased by the results. I branched out, closed my eyes and went beyond my comfort zone on some of the choice and decided to read them anyway despite my prejudices lol. Jayne Rylon and Vivien Arend might give me hives before it’s over, but I’m determined to give the particular choices a shot *g*

Ironically, I do not read a lot of erotic romance at all. I’m super picky when I do read the genre, but I did choose several contemporary and even paranormal erotic books. I don’t read just a whole lot of paranormal books erotic or not erotic. Christine Feehan has always been my exception to that rule heee. But as I said, I’ve taken the plunge and bought books that I probably wouldn’t have ordinarily purchased and I’m really looking forward to challenging myself.

I’ll be doing more blog posts very soon as I let you know how I liked the books I’ve bought. I’ve already read about six on the list. (I was up all night reading!)

So what do you guys think of the choices so far? I’m hoping to scan through more of the recommendations and do some more shopping today *g*

2010

How time flies. It hardly seems possible that what seems like such short time ago we were all ringing in a new millennium. And now we’re already a decade, a DECADE into it. It makes my head hurt!

But this has been an awesome decade for me. So many things changed in my life and career. It was in 2002 that a friend of mine and I decided to take up the pen (or keyboard) and write with the goal of becoming published.

Now at the beginning of a writing career, everything is new and shiny and you have big dreams. The thing with those big dreams is that you aren’t really certain, or even halfway convinced, they’ll ever come true, but it doesn’t stop you from daydreaming about “one day.”

So much of my writing career didn’t go as I planned. Okay, none of it did. I look back on how things have gone and I just shake my head and have to laugh because nothing went the way it was supposed to.

And that’s a good thing.

You see, if things had gone the way I planned? Well, I probably wouldn’t even have a career at this point.

I never planned to publish predominately under Maya Banks. It was a pen name I made up on the fly when I sold a book to an epublisher. Even after I sold a few contemporary erotic romances, I still figured I’d publish historicals under my real name. Then I sold a contemporary romantic suspense series and then I sold contemporary romances to Silhouette Desire. All under the name Maya Banks. And well, the final laugh was when I did eventually sell some historicals, and they too sold under my pen name.

Yes, this decade has been exciting. It’s been a wonderful ride. But 2010, especially, was a year when I achieved those impossible dreams. The ones new writers like to tantalize themselves with. At least I did.

Earlier in the year, I hit the USA Today bestseller list with a book I wrote for Silhouette Desire. Then in September, The Darkest Hour also hit the USA Today bestseller list and for me this was so incredibly sweet, because this book was one I had waited years to be able to publish. It was a book I started on way back when I was still only writing historicals. But Ethan and Rachel’s story came to me and it wouldn’t leave. It stuck with me through all those years until the time was right and I pulled it back out. And the Kelly series was born.

To close out the year, the second book in the KGI series, No Place to Run, landed on the NYT bestseller list and remained on for a second week.

It took a bit for it to truly, truly sink in that so many of my goals had been reached. I’d actually done it. My books landed on the USA Today and NYT bestseller lists.

Four years after publishing that first book, I achieved something that I wasn’t sure I’d ever achieve. It’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it, but I’m more grateful than you can imagine for the opportunity to do something I love so very much.

And I’m grateful to you, the reader, for making it all possible.

My best wishes to you for a happy and safe 2011 as we embark on a brand new decade. May this year and this decade be as sweet and rewarding for you as the past year and decade has been for me.

Love,

Maya

Fun question

So let’s pretend you can go anywhere you want, no conditions, no nothing. For an entire week.

Where would you go?