Three years ago I had just written my first book, Knight of Runes, and met NY Times Best Selling author Leanna Renee Hieber at the New York City RWA chapter meeting. Feeling a bit like a fish out of water, over the next few months Leanna encouraged me and kept my spirits up midst rejections and rewrites.  She also told me about Lady Jane’s. It sounded like one of the great European salons where people sat and talked about the arts with artists and writers. I thought the idea of a salon dedicated to romance readings was brilliant. I went to my first reading and found myself in a world of fiction and romance. People spoke about characters as if they really existed and places that were real enough to visit. I met authors, editors, agents, and readers.

Me getting ready to read

Fast forward to this month. I’ve just finished the edits on my new story, The Guardian’s Witch, and got it off to my editor. I can’t wait to see my cover. But more exciting than that was Hope Tarr’s invitation to read at Lady Jane’s Salon in New York City this month. There I was. Reading at Lady Jane’s Salon.

I read excerpts from various sections of Knight of Runes and took the audience from Rebeka meeting Lord Arik to their first kiss. I have to tell you, each time I read the story I love it more.

Knight of Runes – in print!

I found myself in great company from the audience that included friends from NYCRWA and Eloisa James…

Me and Eloisa

…to the NYTimes best selling authors that were also reading Jennifer Probst, Hope Tarr, and Sarah Maclean.

Sarah, Ron, Jennifer, Me, Hope, and Leanna

Jennifer Probst read from her book, The Marriage Bargain. The story is about a marriage in name only between a woman in dire financial straits and a billionaire who needs a wife in order to get his inheritance.  It was a wonderful funny excerpt.

Hope Tarr read from her new story, Project Cinderella the third in her Suddenly Cinderella Series of unlikely Cinderella’s that are helped along by their fairy-godmothers in a contemporary re-telling of Cinderella.

The fourth reader in our quartet, Sarah Maclean, read from her new story One Good Earl Deserve a Lover. This excerpt was about a prime and proper young lady who propositions the most notorious rogue in London in order to learn all about the art of love making before she marries.

It was Lady Jane’s Fourth Anniversary. We toasted with champagne, ate delicious cupcakes provided by Entangled Publishing and had tastes of chocolate vodka from Three Olives Vodka.

New York City isn’t the only venue for Lady Jane. There are Lady Jane Salons in Denver, CO, Raleigh-Durham, NC, Naperville (Chicago area), IL, and San Diego, CA. A new salon will be opening soon in Greenville, SC!

Lady Jane’s Salon meets the first Monday of every month (that in two weeks!) at Madam X in SoHo.

Here’s to another four wonderful years of romance reading!

(photographs courtesy of Lady Jane’s Salon)

Also posted on Blame It On The Muse.