THE BEST OF 2006

The Romance in Color reviewers are pleased to announce the nominees for its annual Reviewers’ Choice Awards.  The winners will be announced on 15th April 2007.  At that time the winner of the BOOK OF THE YEAR and BEST COVER ART will be announced.

The staff of RIC congratulate you on your nomination.

KIMANI ROMANCE OF THE YEAR
AN INNOCENT MAN – Deirdre Savoy (Aug)
NIGHT HEAT – Brenda Jackson (Sep)
SHE’S MY BABY – Adrianne Byrd (Sep)
FINALLY, YOU AND ME – Lisa Harrison Jackson (Oct)

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BEST KIMANI ARABESQUE OF THE YEAR
A TIME TO KEEP – Rochelle Alers (June)
LONG DISTANCE LOVER – Donna Hill (June)
ALWAYS A CHANCE – Angela Weaver (Nov)

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DAFINA ROMANCE OF THE YEAR
GOODBYE HEARTACHE – Doris Johnson (Feb)
DEPTHS OF DESIRE – Sophia Shaw (May)
TROUBLE – Ann Christopher (July)
BITTER SWEET – Candice Poarch (July)

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GENESIS PRESS BOOK OF THE YEAR
THROUGH THE FIRE – Seressia Glass (March)
ROCK STAR – Roslyn Holcomb (Sep)
NO ORDINARY LOVE – Angela Weaver (July)
CAUGHT UP – Deatri King-Bey (Feb)

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INSPIRATIONAL FICTION/ROMANCE OF THE YEAR
A SIN AND A SHAME – Victoria Christopher Murray – Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (May)
SHADES OF GRAY – Jacqueline Thomas – Harlequin/Steeple Hill (Jan)

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ANTHOLOGY OF THE YEAR
VEGAS BITES – L.A. Banks, Natalie Dunbar & J.M. Jeffries, & Seressia Glass – Parker Publishing (Nov)
YOU NEVER KNOW – Niobia Bryant, Melanie Shuster & Kimberley White – Harlequin Kimani/Arabesque (Jan)
BACK IN YOUR ARMS – Sandra Kitt, Deirdre Savoy & Celeste O. Norfleet – Harlequin Kimani/Arabesque (Jan)
CHOCOLATE KISSES – Renee Luke, Francis Ray & Marianne Reid (Jan)

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MAINSTREAM FICTION OF THE YEAR
THE DAMNED – L. A. Banks – St. Martin’s Press (Jan)
DIARY OF A MISTRESS – Meisha – Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (Aug)
A DEAD MAN SPEAKS – Lisa Jones Johnson – Genesis/Vibe (July)

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WOMAN’S FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR
BRASS ANKLE BLUES – Rachel Harper – Simon & Schuster/Touchstone (Feb)
BEST-KEPT SECRETS – Rochelle Alers – Harlequin Kimani/Sepia (Jan)
WHEN YOU DANCE WITH THE DEVIL – Gwynne Forster – Kensington Dafina/Fiction (Aug)

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NOVELLA OF THE YEAR
“Heat” in VEGAS BITES – L.A. Banks – Parker Publishing (Nov)
“Double Down” in VEGAS BITES – Seressia Glass – Parker Publishing (Nov)

 ~   ~   ~   ~   ~

NEW AUTHOR OF THE YEAR
Ann Christopher
Roslyn Halcomb
Deatri King-Bey
Gwyneth Bolton

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AUTHOR OF THE YEAR
Brenda Jackson
Rochelle Alers
Ann Christopher
Seressia Glass
L.A. Banks

Kimber An has a new blog that she is devoting to reviewing romance novels and industry issues. The blog is called Enduring Romance. And she has posted her review of SWEET SENSATION there. Stop by and check it out and be sure to support this wonderful new endeavor.

I’ll get back to posting soon. Playing catch up after traveling and then getting sick means I don’t have time right now to tell you all how stupid I think the people giving Oprah a hard time about the rules at her school are. And I realize I haven’t called Puffy an idiot in a while or ragged on Essence Magazine in a minute. And you don’t even want to hear what I think about that disgrace to Black womanhood New York… Maybe in the near future… For now, check out Kimber An’s review here:

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

I tried to fight it… But the sick bug has caught me. I knew that all the traveling and not getting the proper rest would catch up to me sooner or later. I hate being sick. And I especially hate being sick when I still have to go to work. BLAH!

Gwyneth

Hi All,

The fourth and final winner of my first contest is Denise Anderson. She writes of Latonya Stevens-Harrington the heroine in my second novel, If Only You Knew: “I really don’t want to choose because all of your books have touched me. But here goes. Latonya really loved Carlton. She could never express this feeling because of her mother and father. And she always put other people before herself. She love her son, grandmother and sister. That is why she took the grandfather’s threat to heart. Because she knew he was a powerful man. Latonya was a very sensitive loyal and caring person to go through what Carlton did to her. And his problem was how his mother was toward his father. I read this story so much my pages are tearing. Is there going to be a sequel?”

I’d say my first contest went well. I learned some things about my characters and what readers like. I think I may blog about it soon.

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Well I’m off to attend the Conference on College Composition and Communication. This is a very busy and crazy hectic conference for me. So, I probably won’t be able to check in with my blog buddies. The good thing is the conference is in New York City. YAY! I hope I have a spare moment to sight see and get some good food.

Also, the last MySpace hold out in the universe has finally caved. I have a MySpace page now. And I only have one friend… Tom. If you’re on MySpace please be my friend… please… I’m still working on the page. But I have most of the things up that I want there. I’ll more than likely use the same blog entries…

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

I am finally back home. My flight from Miami was delayed for about three and a half hours on Sunday. This of course made me miss my connecting flight. And then I had to fly stand-by on a much later flight, the last flight of the evening as a matter of fact. And after sitting there all day, I found out that I wasn’t going to make that flight. So after making a big fuss, I got sent to a hotel for the night and booked on another flight. But instead of a direct flight, I had to fly to another city and then connect to another flight to get home. I’m home now and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s nice to get away, but the ups and downs with travel these days, makes the “getting there” part of it too aggravating for words.

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Tonie Schoolfield has won the third copy of Cuffed by Candlelight. She writes that her favorite character is “Darren Whitman from your book I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, and that is because he has loved her since they were kids and even though she got on his nerves there was always something about her that kept him coming back and then as they got older his love grew stronger. It reminded me of a guy I know that is very sweet and does things a little off the cuff but for the right reasons.”

There is one more copy left to be won! But you have to be in it to win it.

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Saturday was a busy day at the Romance Slam Jam! I did a workshop with A. C. Arthur on the love scene in romance novels and it was wonderful! You all might remember I interviewed A. C. a little while back on the blog. It was fun to get the chance to work with her on this workshop.

Here’s the description for our workshop:

“Making It Hot: The Love Scene in Romance”
This workshop will examine those scenes in the romance novels that keep readers turning the pages: the first time, the hook-up, doing the deed… The love scene often has a prominent place in the romance novel, and we will explore why. In romance the best scenes are not only hot and steamy, but also deeply emotional. To be blunt, it’s more than a little bump and grind. This workshop will explore what makes these scenes hot. What keeps us coming back for more? What makes us stop reading so that we can pause to fan ourselves with the book? And most important, what touches us in that special place in our hearts? We will get the discussion going by reading some of our favorites as well as some of our own work.

The workshop went well and we had a pretty packed room by the end. Some of the other workshop ran a little over and the room filled up as they got out of the other sessions. The interaction was great and I think it was useful for readers and writers. It’s clear that the love scene is important for a reason… I read from Sweet Sensation and Cuffed by Candlelight. And I have to say that I need to read those love scenes a little more often. I couldn’t get through the scene from Cuffed by Candlelight with out giggling. My friend Eleanor said it was because I was getting hot. LOL. But I think it because I’m just so innocent that reading the scene made me blush… Anyway A. C. read some pretty heated scenes from her work that had me fanning myself…

The rest of the conference was wonderful. You’ll notice that I missed posting on Friday. But it was a pretty full day. I attended a session on “Reading and Reviewing African American Romance” by Eleanor Shields of Black Butterfly Review. The discussion in that session was lively and it was very clear that readers know what they want in their romance novels. I then went to Evelyn Palfrey’s session, “It’s not about you. It’s about the book.” That session was very informative and all about how writers can go about building their careers. Then I had to go and have a mojito for K. D. King since she couldn’t be here. And then there was a bus trip to the Hard Rock casino. I lost $26.00…

Saturday I heard two amazing writers speak. The lunch keynote speaker was Deirdre Savoy and then I heard Terry McMillan speak. I was in awe of Terry McMillan. The woman was amazing. There are really no words to express how it felt to see her in person… None.

Finally, Saturday evening was the Emma Awards and I’m so excited to share with you all that I won! I’m still in shock. But I’ll recap all the winners for this evening.

Brenda Jackson won the Career Achievement Award. And although she couldn’t make it this year, she sent a lovely speech that was read by Slam Jam founder Emma Rodgers. And Terry McMillan presented the award.

I won the Emma Award for Favorite New Author.

Vegas Bites won the Emma Award for Favorite Anthology. Congratulations to L. A. Banks, J. M Jeffries, Seressia Glass, and Natalie Dunbar.

I’m Gonna Make You Love Me won for Book of the Year. (I am still in shock.)

Darren Whitman from I’m Gonna Make You Love Me won for Favorite Hero. (Shocked.)

Alicia Taylor from I’m Gonna Make You Love Me won for Favorite Heroine. (Pinch me am I dreaming?)

Love Me Carefully by A. C. Arthur won for Favorite Romantic Suspense. Congrats A. C. !

The Closer I Get to You by Melanie Schuster won for Favorite Sequel in a Romance Series. Congrats, Melanie!

Delight Before Christmas by Angie Daniels won for Favorite Steamy Romance. Congrats, Angie!

Defining Moments by Jacqueline Thomas won Favorite Inspirational. Congrats, Jaqueline!

“Chocolate Kisses,” by Renee Luke won for Favorite Novella. It was in the anthology by the same title which also had novellas by Francis Ray and Mary Ann Reid. Congrats, Renee Luke!

Francis Ray won Favorite Author! Congrats, Francis!

Dyanne Davis’s Misty Blue won the award for Favorite Cover. Congrats, Dyanne!

I want to thank Adrienne McSweeney, Tisha Hill and the other members of Inner Elevation from the Written Word book club for planning and hosting such a wonderful event. I hope these ladies take a much need rest after this. They deserve it! Next year the Romance Slam Jam will be in Chicago. I can’t wait. I really look forward to it each year.

Well, I have to fly back to home in the morning. I’ll be leaving this wonderful Miami sunshine for the lovely snow… So, I better get some sleep.

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth (Who is still very much in shock)

Today is the first day of the Romance Slam Jam and I did my workshop this morning. It’s great to go first and get it over and done with. Because now I can relax until I do a panel on Saturday with A. C. Arthur. I’m supposed to be having lunch right now. But I thought I’d post first because I’m trying to be nice and make you all feel like you are here with me.

Anyway, my workshop was geared toward readers but I think it was useful for writers and aspiring writers as well. The workshop was titled, “Couldn’t Put It Down: What Makes a Compelling Romance Read?”

Here’s the blurb:

This workshop will explore the question, what makes a romance novel good. We have all had the experience of finishing a book and smiling, sufficiently satisfied with money and time well spent. We have also had the experience of finishing a book (or not finishing a book) and wanting to throw the book against the wall. The reasons for these experiences are as varied as the personalities of the readers. But I believe that there are certain elements that we can point to in a particularly great book and pretty much all agree on. Things that say to us all, this was a good read! In this workshop we will share some of these using examples from contemporary romance and encourage lots of interaction from the audience as we all try and figure out: what makes a compelling read?

I had them think and free write for a few moments at the start of the workshop just to get us all thinking about our likes and dislikes. Here are the three things I had them free write on:

First, list five traits that any good romance novel should have, in your opinion.
Second, come up with your own short definition of what makes a page turning read, what makes a book one that is hard to put down.
Third, give us the names of five romance novels that you have read that fit your qualifications.

The workshop had about ten women in it and we really had a great discussion and it felt like a really good book club discussion. I had a great time. And I feel like we had a nice exchange.

I talked about the things that I feel make for a compelling read and most of them agreed with me and had wonderful things to add.

I came up with a brief list of must-haves for the compelling read.
~ The “You had me at hello” factor: Have you ever noticed that most books that you can’t put down usually grab you from page one. You start reading it at the characters, the language and the plot, all come together on that first page in such a powerful way that you are immediately captured in the prose. This doesn’t always happen from page one. But when it does… wow…
~ Characters, Characters, Characters: When a writer gets me emotionally invested in their characters in anyway, I’m there until the last page and sometimes even after. All of the women noted the importance of characters and they had a variety of qualifications. But characters were high on the list. I talked about the fact that for me, I don’t have to like or love the characters immediately. But I have to feel something, even if it is dislike and I’m reading and waiting for said character to get what’s coming to them or the wake-up call. If I feel something for the characters then I will keep turning those pages.
~ Plotting and pacing: The whole point of “I couldn’t put it down” is based on the fact that you don’t want the reader to put the book down. If the plot starts to drag or it get off track and veers off then the read may put the book down and not pick it back up. For me plotting and pacing is important. You want to keep upping the ante adding to the drama, emotion and tension so that the reader is constantly feeling as if she can’t wait to see what will happen next.
~ The “When the Stuff Hits the Fan” or “When All Hell Breaks Loose” Factor: This is important and goes along with pacing and plot. Usually books that keep us turning the page keep us hooked because we are in on a big secret that the character has yet to find out and when they find out, oh boy. And we keep reading because we know that when it unfolds, oh boy. Or writers who are really good will have the big secret hinted at, giving the reader clues and just enough information to keep the reader guessing. And then when everything comes out, wow! These are all things that have to be navigated carefully, because you don’t want to have the reader continue to turn the pages thinking something huge is going to happen and then it fizzles or the reader says, is that it?! The pay off has to pack a punch.
~ The “Don’t be a Spike Lee Flick” factor – The final part of creating the compelling read for me is knowing that perfect place to end it. Have you ever noticed that no matter how excellent a Spike Lee film is he always seems to drag them out just a tad too long? I find myself watching his films and thinking, he could have ended that movie right there and it would have been perfect. And then there is usually a half hour or so left on the film. Writers don’t want readers thinking, dang when is she going to end this. You don’t want readers thinking, okay, she’s just adding stuff to be adding stuff now. Or the dreaded, dang, are we there yet. We want readers to close the book and say “ahhh, perfect.”

So that was my workshop. There are more workshops at 2:00 and then a 70s party! I will try and check in on Friday. But I can’t promise. I might have too much fun at the 70s party.

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

After being on airplanes and sitting in airports since around 6:00 am, I’m in Miami, y’all. The Romance Slam Jam officially starts on Thursday morning. YAY! I’m going to try and be good and give updates while I’m here. But I am in Miami, y’all! LOL. And I’m with my romance reading and writing folks. So, there is no telling how much time I’ll have to post.

Anyway, I thought I’d leave you all with the Will Smith cut that has been playing in my head since last week–Miami.

much love and peace,

Gwyneth