Hi All
Just a quick progress note on the new site and some information about upcoming changes. We are always looking for ways to provide you with high value-low cost workshops and online classes and with these changes we've also added a cool new feature.

The new site is not quite ready, but we’ve decided to rollout the new forums in advance of the full site deployment. If you’d like to see how the new site is shaping up, you actually watch us build it here.

Just to be clear, it’s certainly not done yet, but we are putting the new structure in place and are testing the new site features as we go. We’ve actually had working forums for nearly two weeks now! WOOT!

Congratulations to all Savvy Authors!
This week’s first congratulation goes out to Savvy Author member Romy Sommer! The novel she wrote during last year's Entanged Nano Bootcamp, Waking up in Vegas, has sold to Harper Impulse, the new digital first imprint from Harper Collins. The book is one of ther launch titles and goes on sale in record time - on 9th May! Congratulations, Romy!

Susan Meier's book, THE TYCOON'S SECRET DAUGHTER finaled for a Rita, and her book, NANNY FOR THE MILLIONAIRE'S TWINS finaled for a National Reader's Choice Award. Congratulations, Susan!

Join us as we spotlight various members in the Savvy Authors community. We'll introduce you to volunteers, members active in the Savvy writing community, as well as recently published authors from Our Authors, editors, and agents.

This week the Spotlight shines on contemporary and paranormal romance author Robin Covington. Her debut novel, A Night of Southern Comfort, has been nominated for Best Contemporary Romance from an Indie Press in the RT Book Reviews Reviewer's Choice Awards. Grabbing major league accolades with the first two books of “The Boys are Back in Town” series, her ability to blend sweet romance with suspense and steamy sex has her fans begging her to “please write faster”. With several books hitting the stands this year it's safe to say she is listening. Pull up a chair and join us as Robin talks about going from unpublished to an author with six book contracts, while juggling three jobs, kids and her very special Main Man!

It's great to have you here Robin, let's jump right in. Your latest release, His Southern Temptation just released April 1st and you're showcasing it with a blog hop from April 9 to May 16. Congratulations! Tell us what's on tap for your hop and where do we start?

I won’t lie to you. Writing a book is a lot of hard work. It’s a creative endeavor. It’s putting yourself out there. It’s a labor of love. It’s a hell of a lot of work and dedication. It’s also a lot more than just have a ‘great idea’. The world is wall papered with good ideas. It’s making that vision come to fruition that is the most important thing no matter the obstacles, challenges, and effort.

And writing is an always-developing skill. It takes training and it takes ‘doing’ it. As with any talent –playing the piano, doing acrylic painting, sculpting, singing, etc.—you have to practice your art and you have to take it seriously. There’s a high level of need for persistence, patience, and practice.

Why haven’t you written that great idea out yet? What’s stopping you?

1. Know that you’re not alone.
Rejection happens to everyone! I have yet to meet a writer who does not feel discouraged at times by rejection letters. And here are some famed rejection stories that prove you are in good company:

• The Chicken Soup for the Soul series was rejected by more than a hundred publishers before the authors went out and started their own publishing company.
• C.S. Lewis received more than 800 rejections before he sold a single piece of writing.
• One editor told F. Scott Fitzgerald, “You’d have a decent book if you’d get rid of that Gatsby character.”

I always have the hardest time starting a book. I diddle around, doing anything but start working on it. I research, I work on back story for the characters,

I’ve often worried in my career as an author that I’m one of the old “jack-of-all-trades, master of none.” Stumbling my way into a life of writing, I heard that the only way to go was much like becoming a doctor: specialization. I have found that worry groundless. The only way to survive as an author, is, I’ve found, applying yourself to any and all writing jobs with enthusiasm.

As an aspiring writer with a toddler and one on the way I was desperate to break in to the market. I’d been to college, but I was a stay at home mom who needed to combine my creative talent for writing with hopefully making a little scratch. It could be so many people’s story. I looked at the newspaper- jobs in writing? Not in my small Northwest town. Craigslist? Ditto, unless you wanted to write for free for some questionable blog.

Congratulations to all Savvy Authors!

Our first Congratulations this week goes out to a Savvy Authors member Victoria Roberts. She signed a contract with Sourcebooks for her book, My Highland Spy, in a 3 book deal. Congratulations, Victoria!

Cassandra Carr's See the Light, her first male/male story, released from Loose Id on February 26th. Also, Cassandra won three Sizzling Awards, including Best Cowboy/Western Romance for Impact, Best Erotic Romance for Master Class, and Author of the Year 2012. She's also nominated in three categories in the Menage Fan's Choice Awards. Congratulations, Cassandra!

So, here we are in February. How are those New Year’s Resolutions of yours going?

Wince. That bad, huh?

Just kidding. I have no way of telling if you’re being faithful to your plans and resolutions or if you’re slacking off, but I can tell you a few things I learned from a diet I started this year.

1. Beginning is easy. Staying the course is hard.
2. If there’s a way to cheat and convince myself I’m not cheating I’ll find it.
3. You always feel better when you do what you say you’re going to do.

How does this apply to writing?

Well…