Amy, I wasn't crossing Romantic Times off my list. For one thing, Marlene would nag me into my grave and beyond if I dared...

No, just the RWA membership. My professional memberships are the Authors Guild (lifesavers, they are, with the health insurance), MWA (with Sisters in Crime, NorCal chapter, as my beloved local), and Persephone, the "renegade " (read: fed up with the "Why GURL write horror?!?!?!" testocrap from the boys in the genre) womens' horror collective.

Romantic Times, you betcha. RWA, I don't think so.

RWA, I don't think so.

Most of the time, I feel like I joined only because I had to. I used to be an editor, it's the girls' club, people (read: other romance authors) look scantways at you if you don't, blah blah. But they don't do much for me professionally.

Except...with this move up to Syracuse, I looked up the Central New York chapter. And it's small, and the members look great, and it will probably be a lifesaver just in terms of meeting people and getting out of the house to talk writing from time to time. So there's that.

You've got no need to join, I agree. But pulling in those romance readers will be great with this book, where and when you can.

We're assuming it sells - but Jenn informs me that "books about rock and roll stars are a tricky sell", according to the few editors she pinged dueing BEA.

Publishing? Weirdo business, it is.

Oh, and I need to hook you and Jenn up about the existing series, because she wants to talk to the nice lady at St. Martins and formulate a plan of action, and then she thinks a phone call from you would be a splendid thing, and so do I...

Oh, man, it has to sell. It *has* to. I completely disagree, but I think we're also not talking about *young* rock star wannabes, which has been done in YA and not been successful. For the readership you're going for, and the fucking dead on writing, I think it would be huge. But I am totally biased, of course.

I'll talk to Jenn whenever she wants! She can email me, or me her, whatever. Or we can do the phone thing. The next few weeks are crazy, with the move -- we have to be out of here sometime the week of the 27th (of June, mind you) and I have to finish this goddamn book first and I have no packing done yet -- but just let her know how to reach me, and we'll talk. Because I'll call whoever you want me to, and do my very best persuasive nudging.

Except...with this move up to Syracuse, I looked up the Central New York chapter. And it's small, and the members look great, and it will probably be a lifesaver just in terms of meeting people and getting out of the house to talk writing from time to time. So there's that.

Yup, I think it's all about the individual chapters. Some of my closest friends in this city are from the Seattle one, and the Beau Monde Regency hivemind is worthy of awe.

Since you're here, AmyLiz, how long has it been since you were last an editor? I ask only because you're still listed in the 2005 Jeff Herman guide, and I'm trying to guage how up-to-date and useful his stuff really is.

how long has it been since you were last an editor?

August of 2002. And his stuff isn't terribly accurate -- I filled out a questionnaire for them once, and they got everything wrong. And I mean, everything. How, I have no idea, but it pissed me off.

Good to know, and makes me glad I didn't spend my own money on it--I got the library to buy the 2005 to evaluate whether I wanted the 2006. I caught one other bit of outdated info, but it was an agent who'd left over the summer of 2004, so I could excuse him not getting that on time.

Amy, I passed the info on. And I agree with you, and not just because R&RNF is such a huge piece of me - I think the concept of a frail, ageing rocker with the kinds of conflicts he has going on make it an entirely different deal.

And because I seem consitutionally incapable of writing nice simple fluff - man, I wish I could - of course the damned book tackles a couple of grand themes: loyalty, protectiveness, nurturing that can become destructive. Also, it has kickass shoes.

I sent her the manuscript, through chapter 9, this morning. She asked for the first three chapters. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Most people don't know it like Deb does. It's like, when I was in creative writing class, a couple people wanted to write about stripping, but they weren't, to my knowledge at least, strippers. They were just all "Ooh, naked people, and drugs, and seediness!"(Oh my) Now, if one of them had stripped and could write, that would be something I'd read.

Music is the easiest thing in the world for me to write. This one has been drawing blood, just because it's so damned personal.

But yeah, I know what goes into a major 18-city tour. I know how to cost out a venue, what the roadies should pack, how to mount a Helpenstill or Countryman on a piano to get it ready for full band use.

Man. Old now.