Monday, October 8, 2007

The Roses and the RWA

This past Saturday I did something I haven't done in about ten years. I attended an RWA meeting. Faithful Readers may or may not know that in Suzanne Ashley's lifetime, I was president of TARA (Tampa Area Romance Authors), the local chapter of RWA. But time and life intruded, so I haven't really kept up my membership on the local level.

But Saturday I found myself in the middle of the Central Florida chapter of RWA. What a delightful group of women. I found them to be caring and giving, supportive of one another and eager to help. Just like it always was. And it's always good to be among other writers who love the romantic tale as much as I do.

But why was I there? Oh, that's Rhonda's fault.

Rhonda Penders is one of two founders of The Wild Rose Press, the publisher who will bring you A LOTUS-COVERED DOOR shortly. Also the publisher who holds the time-travel story in their hands as we speak. When Rhonda announced in an author's loop that she would be in the area, I jumped in and volunteered to pick her up at Disney (no hardship for me!) and drive her to the RWA meeting.

I'm really glad I did. Rhonda's story is interesting. She and a friend decided they had the know-how to create an online publishing company. And they do. The Wild Rose Press does things a bit differently than others. They have fourteen lines, so you can shop for exactly the kind of book you care to read. They have very competitive pricing, so you actually save a few bucks. And they genuinely love their authors. At TWRP, the form rejection letter does not exist. Every submission gets a thoughtful, kind, helpful response.

That's a refreshing difference. Check out The Wild Rose Press today. See what's growing in the garden.

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