The RITAs® are coming, the RITAs® are coming (to IMHO, that is)!

Okay, so I've been giving veiled hints about this announcement for a couple of weeks now, and of course, if you are signed up for my newsletter, you already know about it. I've been nailing down particulars and hammering out details and building an extravaganza for your amusement (okay, enough with the architectual allusions). So here's the skinny for the rest of youse:

For the month of July (in less than three weeks! Can you believe it?), IMHO is changing things up a bit. As many of you who are lovers of romance novels know, the Romance Writers of America® hosts their annual conference in July, and the culmination is the Golden Heart/RITA® awards ceremony on the final night of the conference. The RITAs® are the romance industry’s version of the Oscars and represent the best of published romantic fiction (the Golden Heart represents the best of unpublished romantic fiction). This year’s conference takes place in Washington, D.C. from July 14 – 18. However, since I am unable to attend this year, I’m bringing the RITAs® to IMHO!

Beginning July 1 and culminating on July 17, 2009, I will be giving away ten tote bags filled with autographed 2009 RITA®-nominated books to readers of this blog. And, in addition, I’ll even throw in a complimentary copy of one of my own autographed historical romances with each tote, either THE LEGACY (my debut novel) or THE PROMISE! The lineup is scheduled to include 50 RITA® books from 47 nominated authors! Yep! Over half the books nominated as the best in published romantic fiction will be up for grabs. Details of how to win will be on my contest page in July, but the bottom line is, I’ll put up the covers, tell you a little about each of the books, and each author will have a few words about what their nomination this year means to them. Then I'll give away the totes throughout the contest period to commentors on my blog. And you never know who might pop in to say hello.

Each winner should receive four to five 2009 RITA®-nominated books, autographed by the author and donated for this event for your towering TBR pile, plus a nice little tote bag in which to carry them to the beach. Be sure to show your support for the RITA®-nominated authors in July and comment for a chance to win your own tote containing a sampling of the best o' the best. It will be an exciting month, and with ten chances to win, your odds are looking pretty good.

Now, was that worth stopping in to check out IMHO today? You bet it was. Uh-huh, uh-huh.

(Note: This contest is neither endorsed, affiliated with, nor sponsored by Romance Writers of America®)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

TJB

IMHO welcomes western historical author Kathryn Albright!

Kathryn Albright has long enjoyed romances with a cross-cultural edge, perhaps because of her upbringing in Southern California and the strong Hispanic/Native American influence there. The very first romance she ever read was Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson, which was set in the early ranching community there. Zorro—that mysterious, dashing Latino Robin Hood who fought injustice in early California was a favorite, too.

So when she visited the Alamo in Texas and learned about the territory’s fight for freedom from Mexican rule, it was the plight of the Tejanos that captured her interest. Much like the South seceding from the North in the United States Civil War, in Texas the battle brought father against son, brother against brother. Her second book, The Rebel and the Lady, is set against this backdrop.

In The Rebel and the Lady, Jake, a gun-slinging drifter, comes up against the strong ideals of Victoria, a Spanish landowner during the Texian revolt. In the end, he comes to respect her beliefs (and has some swashbuckling Zorro-moments of his own.) Kathryn will put The Rebel and the Lady in the IMHO "Weddings and Beginnings" gift basket for June's giveaway contest.

In Kathryn’s next book and sequel, Texas Wedding for their Baby’s Sake, the story focuses on Jake’s brother, Brandon, a doctor who was forced to tend the enemy troops. After the war, he must battle his own personal demons, but there is a scene where Jake and Victoria get married.

IMHO: Kathryn, welcome to IMHO, and tell us how Texas Wedding fits our "Weddings and Beginnings" theme (although, cough-cough, I think the title gives it away...)

KA: First off, thank you for inviting me to your IMHO blog, TJ! It is a pleasure being here.

In order to write the wedding scene, I learned about early customs of Spanish/Mexican weddings. One thing I particularly liked was the strong emphasis on family. It was considered an honor for the bride to wear her mother’s bridal dress, the pillow she kneels on to say her vows is a gift from another close relative, and the lasso used to entwine the couple is given by another relative. The fan, prayer book, and rosary beads all have significance in the ceremony, too. One of the customs I hadn’t heard of was the brass box filled with coins that the priest blesses.

A very short excerpt: Jake accepted the box, and in turn, presented it to Victoria, pouring the coins into her cupped hands and saying: “I pledge all my present and future goods into your care for your safekeeping.”

Now what woman wouldn’t like that kind of devotion from her husband?

And the other custom—the lasso…

“This cord is a symbol of the love which binds you and the vows you have made today that you may share equally in the responsibility of marriage for the rest of your lives.”

I thought this was a beautiful idea and am happy to learn it is coming back in present-day Latino weddings.

The formal, Catholic service in the story was quite different from my own ceremony which my son calls a “hippie” wedding on my grandparent’s farm (I’ll spare you the pictures). But that’s another story…

IMHO: Thanks for telling us about those fascinating customs, Kathryn. As a fellow historical writer, you know I'm always interested in learning the traditions of other cultures and how they came about.

Now how about you, IMHO readers? Tell Kathryn what wedding customs you would want—or if you are already married—what wedding customs did you have that are unique to you and your family?

Be sure to leave a comment with your answer for a chance to win the "Weddings & Beginnings" Basket filled with autographed novels from Deeanne Gist, Kathryn Albright, Gemma Halliday, Kathy Carmichael, and me, your host, TJ Bennett, as well as a $20 gift card to Target. Remember to come back all month and leave a comment for each of our guests (you'll need to leave two or more to be eligible to win).

TJB

Another great review for THE PROMISE!

Whoo hoo! Eye on Romance has given THE PROMISE a great review, rating it a "9" and saying I'm a "master at writing historical romance." *blush*

To celebrate, I'm giving away another copy of THE LEGACY to one lucky person who comments on this post by February 28. To be eligible, just leave a comment here by 1pm CST on February 28, when I'll draw at random from the list of names. If you win, you'll need to contact me through my website to tell me where to send your book. Oh, and if you've won a contest on my blog within the past four weeks, you aren't eligible for this one. Sorry! But you can still comment just for fun.

Yay, me! (LOL!)

TJB

Psst! I have a secret...

If you would like a chance to win an ARC (Advance Reader Copy*) of THE PROMISE (my follow on to THE LEGACY which Night Owl Romance has given a TOP PICK 4.5 star review) before you can buy it, pop over to PASIC's To Be Read ... So Many Authors, So Little Time blog on Friday the 13th.

I'm posting, and I'm talking about MEN! Anyone commenting at To Be Read during the week of Feb 8 - 14 will get a chance at the prize. You'll be the first to read what happens to Gunter, the hunky middle brother of Wolf Behaim from THE LEGACY.

But that will be our secret. Shhhhh....

TJB

(*For those who don't know, an ARC is the working draft of the manuscript that goes out to reviewers far in advance of the publication date in order to garner reviews in time for publication. It often contains material that may not make it into the final version, and minor corrections or editorial changes may be made prior to the final galley proofs. FYI. Mine, luckily, isn't too different from the final version, just a bit more polished. Thank god for editors who know the difference between "ordinance" and "ordnance." No, look it up--I had to.)