Oh-my-God, barely over a month until the Slam Jam. The hosts are all too excited to welcome you to Chicago and show you a good old time. If you haven’t reserved your hotel room, please stop reading this newsletter and go reserve your room right now. We’ll be here when you get back SMILE. Our block of discounted rooms is booked full, BUT the hotel has agreed to continue giving the discounted rate to RSJ attendees until the hotel is completely book. The price of registration is now $250. We have to give the hotel our final count on meals 15 April (tax day boooooo) so please have your registration payments and forms in by then. If you haven’t booked your flight, I suggest you come into O’Hare instead of Midway. O’Hare is only a few minutes from the hotel AND the hotel has a free shuttle that will pick you up from the airport.

I’ve been receiving emails asking what the attire is for the conference. Be comfortable. If you like to dress up every day, then go for it. If you are a jeans and T-shirt type of person, I here ya! Most people dress in business casual. Now the Emma Awards Banquet is different. This is one night a year we dress UP! I’m not a dress person, but have a few mean tailed pant suits SMILE. Let us see what’cha got.

The RSJ 2008 Committee can not thank you enough for all of your help with the Emma Awards. First we had a FANTASTIC turn out for the nominations, and now the finalists books are being judged by RSJ attendees. Thank you for stepping up to the plate.

RSJ Book Signing

Don’t forget to bring the books you’ve purchased over the years by the attending authors to have signed at the book signing. Make sure your cameras are charged up for pictures, feel free to bring autograph books and just have a good time. For those of you who live in the Chicagoland area—shoooot, make that Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin., spread the word about the book signing. It’s open to the public. Here’s a flyer. A book vendor will be on the premises.  

The moment many of you have been waiting for. LOL. Yes the editors and agents are taking pitches. PLEASE make sure the editor/agent you sign up to pitch for is looking for the type of material you wrote. For example, don’t take a Horror manuscript to an editor looking for Romance. Don’t laugh, I’m serious.

I have to step on my soap box a second. When I worked as an acquisitions editor, over HALF of the submissions were rejected because they were not what my publishing house at the time published. Aspiring authors and authors, save yourself some heart ache and save a tree or two (less rejection letters). Do some research. The editor and agent links are on the RSJ Website. Michelle Grajkowski, from Three Seas Literary Agency, is looking for any type of contemporary, paranormal or historical romance including inspirational. Theresa Stevens, from Red Sage, looking for erotic romance novellas and short stories for Red Sage Presents, their new e-books line, and for Secrets, our their award-winning print anthology. Look at the submission guidelines for Avon BEFORE signing up. Does your manuscript have the correct word count? Also, if your manuscript is not complete and you are not a published author, please do not sign up for a pitch.

Okay, this is how it will work. Pitches will be on Friday and Saturday. Look at the Author/Guests page for a list of the Editors/Agents. Email me at deatri@romanceslamjam.org  with your top 4 choices. I’ll try to give you your first choice, but can’t promise anything. I know a few people are not arriving to the conference until Friday afternoon. Make sure to let me know when you will start being available to give your pitch.

Although this is my third Romance Slam Jam, this is my first as a published author.
I look forward to meeting those who have read my debut novel, Guilty of Love, and plan to read the second one, Talk to Me.

I’m thankful to represent the Christian Fiction community, but don’t let the genre fool you. Get ready to laugh—Grandma BB; get ready to sigh—Parke Jamieson VI-tenth generation African prince; Hallison—you can run, but can’t hide from God; and the heroine—Cheney Reynolds—that’s my girl.

Please visit my website www.GuiltyofLove.com. See ya in Chicago.

Pat Simmons

He said my writing was light, breezy, informal. I was so excited I could barely sit still. He was the first student in my Creative writing class to offer his feedback on my manuscript, Other People’s Business, and his words were music to my ears. But as he handed me back my submission, he shook his head and said, “It sounds like two girlfriends talking. It’s very conversational. Editors hate that.” My smile dried up faster than water in the desert.

It was my first writing course. The first full-length novel I’d ever written. My first taste of rejection. Luckily, the other six students in the class loved it (their words, not mine). That was four years ago and I’m glad to report that my classmate was wrong. Editors didn’t hate my light, breezy, informal style. In fact, my editor at Kimani books offered me a 2-book contract right out the gate and has since bought 2 more of my novels. And if that’s not enough, I’ve been nominated for an Emma Award!

I know it sounds cliché, but being nominated for Best Debut Author is an honor in and of itself. Come April 30th, I’ll be in the same room with best-selling authors like Beverly Jenkins, Rochelle Alers and Donna Hill, not to mention a host of other great African-American romance writers. It’s my first Romance Slam Jam, and I’m going as an Emma Award Nominee. How cool is that?

The best writing advice I’ve ever been given was, “Do you. Write what you love and be unique in your approach.” Sound advice in my book. I’m looking forward to a fun-filled weekend, and whether I win or not, I know I am going to have a blast.

Pamela Yaye
http://www.pamelayaye.com

I'm looking for articles to place in the Romance Slam Jam Newsletter. This is our newsletter. For us by us. Let's talk Black Romance! Send your articles, events, interviews, memory book entries on!  The newsletter goes out on the 15th of each month and submissions must be in by the 10th of the month for inclusion in the following newsletter.

 deatri@romanceslamjam.org