Friday, April 24, 2009

Heartsong Update and Conference News

There are just a couple more state settings open for Heartsong. I do have proposals for these, but I haven’t made final decisions. So if you want to submit, get your proposals in to me in the next several weeks or so! I need to decide on a couple more states soon and all of these below by the end of summer.

The open states left are all historical:
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Vermont
And one more is Pennsylvania. I originally thought that was filled, but it is open again.

I keep getting more questions about what’s next for Heartsong now that the states series is almost done, and I have been trying to get the word out there. Basically I’m open to just about any ideas that are setting-driven (preferably U.S.) and would make a good three-book series that we could publish in a trade collection with a setting-driven/romantic title. For example an upcoming collection title by Kelly Eileen Hake for Fall 2009 is Under the Big Sky: Three Generations Settle Hearts and Homes in Montana Territory.

In other news, I’m looking forward to attending the Colorado Christian Writers Conference coming up soon, May 13-16th in Estes Park. I’ll be taking appointments and looking for great proposals for Heartsong. I’ll also look at proposals for our full-length line in case there’s something I can recommend for Becky to consider.

Then in September, Becky and I will both be at ACFW in Denver, taking appointments, hosting a Spotlight on Barbour on Thursday night, and participating in all the fun of that great conference. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

7 comments:

Mary Connealy said...

I've never gone to any conference except ACFW.

I just don't seem to have the time, money or inclination.
So you like this conference, JoAnne? You think we should try different ones?

CatMom said...

Thanks for this update, JoAnne. And I'm determined to meet you and Becky in person this year at the ACFW conference!! (I looked for you all last year in MN, but I guess with that being my very first conference, I was a little overwhelmed - - in a good way, of course...LOL!). Blessings,
Patti Jo Moore :)

Cara Putman said...

Hmmm. SC. Wheels turning.

Have fun in Colorado =-- I hear that's a great conference...though I'm like Mary and have only attended ACFW

Elizabeth Ludwig said...

I have a story about an Amish woman from Pennsylvania who travels by steamboat to Mississippi, then gets caught in a hurricane in South Carolina, and washes up in Alabama. There, she meets a man who sweeps her off her feet and whisks her off to marry her in Vermont.

You likey?

Vickie McDonough said...

JoAnne,

I attended the Colorado Writers conf a few years ago. The setting is unbelievable--mountains on all four sides. But be prepared to walk a lot--and take an umbrella or light rain coat because it tends to rain in the afternoons for a short while.

Thanks for the update on the States list.

Edna said...

You need to write one in SC, you have mountain, upstate, the midlands and the beach all in one glorious state and if you are having a contest please enter me into it.

Thanks
mamat2730(at)charter(dot)net

Ausjenny said...

Its interesting seeing what happens with Heartsongs as I really enjoy reading books.
I do hope you do get a few set in othe places like Australia or even Canada. I may be a bit bias here being an aussie but I did love Mary Hawkins novels.