A Peek into the Future . . .

I was reading the Huffington Post this morning and someone was prognosticating about what changes we can expect in publishing for 2010.

Unless they have a crystal ball, I'm not sure anyone can predict what's coming for this volatile business. Just look at the surprises of the past.

Who could have predicted the runaway success of the Twilight series? Who would have guessed that Harlequin would open an unsavory can of worms with their foray into self-publishing? No one forsaw the sad loss of Kate Duffy, an editor of legendary stature in the romance community. Or what fear monger would have warned us of the demise of Andersen--the disaster that left tons of books moldering in storage instead of hitting the shelves on their release dates? 2009 is a year most publishing houses are happy to see gone (with the exception of the one who holds the rights on Twilight!)

But the good folk at Huffington have some predictions for us. Here's the Emily's Digest version of them.

1. Several publishing houses will merge. That seems like a safe prediction. When times get tough, strong companies gobble up their competitors. If it saves editorial jobs, it might not be a bad thing.

2. Fewer titles will be published. This is a double-edged sword for authors. Those who are published should be given more marketing support from the publisher, but it'll be a case of "them that got shall get." Brand name authors will do fine. Newbies may get short shrift. Midlisters may find themselves in limbo.

3. More writers will opt to self-publish. This prediction disturbed me. I don't think it's a good choice for writers and RWA National seems to agree with me, judging from their decisive reaction to the Harlequin vanity press. I know it's frustrating to submit without getting a contract, but we grow as writers with each "no."

4. The YA market will expand. As the populace ages, young readers will take up the slack. New methods of delivering books, like Dorchester's foray into serialized stories for cell phones, will be the wave of the future.

I have no idea what will happen in 2010. All I can control in my career is my own writing. And since author numbers will be more important than ever, I can support my favorite authors by buying their new releases during the first week.

But I do have one prediction I feel confident of--I will read new books that touch my heart this year and I'll bet you will too. Let's agree to share them here regularly!

What do you think will happen in publishing in 2010?

Happy Reading & Writing!

Last Minute Treat!

Elisabeth Naughton's winner is: Amber Leigh Williams! Congrats!

Special Announcement! The winner of my December Contest is Laura E of Biloxi, MS. She'll receive a signed copy of A CHRISTMAS BALL!

A new contest has started on my website www.emilybryan.com in connection with a new FREE online novella called A DUKE FOR ALL SEASONS! Enjoy!

Today, Friday, is my regular posting day on The Chatelaines, so I hope to see you there!

Happy New Year (especially to my readers in Oz who have already popped the cork on the new decade!) Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season and now are looking forward to 2010. I had a lovely time with family and friends, but today, I have a treat for you! Elisabeth Naughton is here!

Her latest romantic suspense STOLEN SEDUCTION is on sale NOW! I love her fast-paced, intelligent and sensual style and bet you will too. Here's a post from her. Take it away, Elisabeth!

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Happy New Year!

It’s a total thrilled to be here ringing out 2009 with all of you. Big thanks to Emily for having me here today!

I can’t think of a better way to start 2010 than with a stack of awesome books. I’ll admit, I’ve been a slacker in the reading department lately – between a book deadline, the holidays and the release of STOLEN SEDUCTION, book three in my Stolen Trilogy, I’ve been too busy to read. But now I’m not. Now I’m rewarding myself for all of my hard work with…what else? A trip to the bookstore.

What’s on my to-buy list? I’m a sucker for romantic suspense, so I can’t wait to get my hands on Stephanie Tyler’s Hard To Hold. Larissa Ione has a new release in the end of January that I’m salivating over – Ecstasy Unveiled. There were a BUNCH of Dec. 29th releases (along with my book) that I’m adding to my list: Susan Elizabeth Phillip’s paperback release of What I Did For Love, Cynthia Eden’s, Eternal Hunter, Helen Scott Taylor’s The Phoenix Charm and (Jan 1) Carry Lofty’s Scoundrel’s Kiss. And, of course, I still have my copy of A Christmas Ball I can’t wait to read. Even though Christmas is over, this one will be up first.

How about you? What’s on your to-read list to start off 2010? I’ve got a copy of STOLEN FURY, book one in my Stolen Trilogy, to giveaway to one lucky commenter.

Emily hopping in here: Did you see that? Leave a comment for a chance to win STOLEN FURY! It's a great read.

And in case you’re interested in my new release, here’s a little bit about STOLEN SEDUCTION:

The individual who collects all six statues and deciphers the code locked within will be awarded controlling interest in Roarke Resorts.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THIS ENDEAVOR IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH.

Hailey Roarke was never interested in her family’s fortune. That’s why she became a cop. But with her father and now her cousin dead, she’s suddenly on the wrong side of a police interrogation. The only way to clear her name is to solve the riddle before the real killer. Without getting killed herself.

Detective Shane Maxwell can’t deny the spark of lust he feels every time Hailey is near. But the woman is clearly hiding something. Trusting his gut—and the heat in her eyes—he joins her on an elaborate global treasure hunt staged by her late father. Caught between a sizzling seduction and a maniacal murderer, for Hailey and Shane the biggest reward of all will be making it out alive.

To read an excerpt go to www.elisabethnaughton.com.

AND…before I forget…I’m hosting a BIG contest on my website through January 15th. Click the widget below to enter for a chance to win $100 Amazon Gift Card!




May all your dreams come true in 2010!!

Back at you, Elisabeth. Thanks so much for seeing the New Year in with us! I can't wait to get the third title in your Stolen series.

Home for Christmas

I'm on my way to the Missouri Ozarks for Christmas. If you'd like to know more about our family's celebration, I'm blogging about it at The Chatelaines today.

Wishing you and yours all the joy of the season,
Emily

Getting the Christmas History Right

As a historical romance author, I'm a stickler about getting the history right. If I read an anachronism in a book, I cringe. If the author gets a factual bit of history wrong without a note in the back explaining why, I'm apt to turn the book into a wall-banger.

That's why when it comes to celebrating Christmas, as a Christian, I want to get it right. Unfortunately, we Christians often tell the story of Christ's birth with a number of embellishments and outright errors. So at the risk of being labled a Grinch, here's my debunking of a number of Christmas myths.

The Date itself: We really don't know when Jesus was born. The Bible is very specific about the day and even the hour of his death, but we only know his birth fell within a range of a few years (In the days of Caesar Augustus, when Quirinius was governor of Syria).

In the first couple centuries after His life and death, Jesus's birthday wasn't celebrated at all. Some historians think the date came from the Roman holiday honoring the Persian god Mithras. In 274, the Emperor Aurilean declared December 25th "Dies Invictus Soli" Day of the Invincible Sun. By the fourth century, it had morphed into the celebration of Christ's Mass--Christmas.

As a side note: The Gregorian calendar based on what they calculated was Christ's birth year has been shown to be about 4 years off. 1996 was actually the 2nd millenium, which means we really don't have to worry about the world ending on December 21, 2012. That date has come and gone.

Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem. Oh, I hope so since she was very pregnant, but the Bible doesn't say she rode. It only confirms that Joseph and Mary heeded the call for a census and traveled 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David. She may very well have walked.

Hark the herald angels sing! Not so much. No where in the Bible is an angel described as singing. They praise, they proclaim, they don't sing. That's reserved for us.

We Three Kings They weren't kings, there may not have been three of them and they certainly didn't arrive the night of Jesus' birth right after the shepherds left. The Bible calls them "magi." They were probably Zoroastrians from Persia (present day Iraq), who had access to the writings of Daniel (who'd been in captivity in their country centuries eariler) and studied the heavens for signs of the birth of the coming king. They bore three gifts--gold, franincense, and myrrh, very precious and unusual gifts, which may be the origin of the idea that there were three 'kings.'

It may have taken them two years to find the Christ child. The Bible says they came to the "house" so we know the baby was no longer sleeping in a manger. King Herod questioned the magi about when they first saw the star. So when Herod ordered the slaughter of the innocents, he stipulated all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two should be killed. Fortunately, by then Jesus's parents had taken him to Egypt so Herod's evil plan to kill Him as an infant failed.

Christianity is a faith based on the belief in a God who intervened in history, that He came to be one of us. It's important for us to get the history right.

Wishing you a meaningful Christmas,
Emily

Yule: Yesterday and Today

When I started focusing on Christmas this month, I realized that there are other holidays as well. That's why I invited Erin Eisenberg to blog about Chanukah at the start of that Jewish festival and why today on the Winter Solstice, I've asked my awesome critique partner Ashlyn Chase to share about her holiday--Yule.


Ashlyn has a new title coming out next June (same month as my Stroke of Genius). It's a hilarious contemporary paranormal called Strange Neighbors. But today, she's sharing about Yule, so take it away, Ash!

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From Ashlyn Chase . . . The Wiccan religion (yes, it’s a religion) celebrates Yule on the day and evening of the Winter Solstice. This year, that day is Dec. 21st. It’s a minor holiday among Pagans and bares a few similarities to the way Judeo/Christian holidays are celebrated at this time of year. Even Kwanza, which began in 1966 and honors African heritage celebrates with many of the same traditions.

Light: Wiccans light a Yule log in the fireplace or outdoors. It’s often decorated with evergreens and gives off a wonderful aroma. Originally, it was meant to help the Goddess through her time of confinement until she gave birth to the sun in spring and ended the long, harsh winter. Today, if burning a log is impossible, lots of candles are lit around the home.

Fellowship: The village gathered around the Yule log and danced. Long ago, people were connected to nature and recognized life as a constant cycle of endings and beginnings. They bid farewell to the past and embraced with joy that which was to come.

Food: Sharing a feast was a common part of the yuletide celebration in the past as it is today. Whatever special game was brought back by the village’s hunters was prepared along with lavish garnishes and shared in a communal way.

Ritual: It’s hard to say what type of ritual took place centuries ago. Today a pagan family will draw from what has been passed down through the ages, gathering around their altar to honor the Goddess. If solitary, they’ll celebrate with the God and Goddess plus any minor deities they invite to attend in a ritual circle.

Gifts: Historically, no gifts were exchanged as far as I know. Today I give my pagan friends a little something like a special candle or a handmade decoration, but gift giving is no where near the commercialized craziness of Christmas.

Did you know the Christians elected to celebrate Christmas at this time of year, specifically to replace the pagan holiday? People are reluctant to give up their beloved traditions and in order to convert as many pagans to Christianity as possible, new holidays were invented to replace the old. Thus, Dec. 25th became the day to celebrate the birth of Christ. He was actually born in the spring according to astronomers.

The most important pagan holiday is Oct. 31st, called Samhain. This became Halloween and took on a very different set of traditions. For Wiccans, it’s a solemn holiday meant to honor one’s ancestors. But Yule celebrates rebirth and hope. Community and gladness. Nature and the cycle of life.

Have a cool Yule!

Food, Glorious Food

Christmas celebrations in our family features a meal of biblical proportions. There's always a huge turkey, homemade noodles, dressing, green bean casserole, crisp garden salad, sweet potatoes, several varieties of pies and my mother's heavenly fudge.

But in Regency times when A CHRISTMAS BALL is set, roast beef and venison were the main course of the dinner. Of course there might also be goose, capon, pheasant, bustard, swan and/or peacock!

But the real treat of the Regency Christmas meal was the pudding.

A pudding needed to be started before the first Sunday of Advent in order to be considered a true Christmas pudding. It was thought to improve with time. The recipe called for a mixture of thirteen ingredients (to represent Christ and the twelve apostles) which was boiled in a pudding cloth. Usual ingredients included suet, brown sugar, raisins, currants, citron, lemon and orange peels, spices, crumbs, flour, eggs, milk and brandy.

Other Christmas deserts included gingerbread, butter shortbread, trifle and syllabub (a milk, brandy and wine concoction which might be drunk or later whipped, gelled and eaten.) Children delighted in sugar plums and ginger nuts.

What special treats will your family enjoy this Christmas?

If you'd like to learn more about a Regency Christmas, visit my website and follow the bouncing Christmas ball!

PS. If you're in New England, you can see me on Saturday from noon to 4 pm at Well Read Books, 37 Plaistow RD, Plaistow, NH! I'll be signing copies of my books, alongside my critique partner Ashlyn Chase, just in time for all the romance readers on your list. If you're not able to make it, you can still get autographed books at THE BOOK OASIS. They'll ship anywhere! Merry Christmas!

Today is my last day at Chicks of Characterization and it's Friday, my regular posting day for The Chatelaines. Hope to see you there!

Words Mean Things

Much has been made about the using the politically correct "Happy Holidays" greeting during this month. This offends me. Not because it negates Christmas, but because it's sloppy prose.

Stephen King is big on using specific nouns. Why say 'bird' when you can say 'cardinal?' Or pidgeon? Or buzzard? Each word conjures a specific and very different image. Why settle for a generic creature with wings and feathers when you can have a toucan or a penquin?

Specific nouns are always clear and crisp.

Same goes for greetings. Why say one thing when you truly mean another? If you're thinking Happy Chanukah, say so. It doesn't offend me in the least, even though I don't celebrate that holiday.

When we lived in Utah, we were wished "Happy 24th" the first July we were there by nearly everyone we met and I'm sure we looked puzzled. (Mormons celebrate July 24th even more vigorously than the 4th of July as the day Brigham Young looked out over the Salt Lake Basin and said, "This is the place.") Even though the greeting meant nothing to us, we weren't offended. We accepted the wishes in the spirit they were offered and we learned something about what was important to our Mormon neighbors.

And I hope you'll accept my very specific greeting in the same vein.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

PS. I'm still over at Chicks of Characterization with a brand new "Never-before-posted" excerpt from A CHRISTMAS BALL. Leave a comment at Coc for a chance to win a signed copy!