Earlier this week I had the opportunity to knock back a Johnnie Walker and hang with a trio of writers in DC for the annual Romance Writers of America conference.
Yes. You read that correctly. Romance Writers of America.
I know sweet jack-all about romance fiction and learned there's a lot more to it than waxed chests and prurient passions. Made me question why so many aspire to craft crime fiction at all seeing as the financial juggernaut of the romance market is enough to make anyone pie-eyed. And these romance writers were serious, people. Game faces that can wilt your best competitive move on your best day. The funniest moment for me was when Karin Tabke, after I shared some positive buzz I've been getting (possible agent interest), asked me to stand up and turn around. Someone in the group made a remark that Karin wanted to check out my butt. I confess I felt a little weird and probably blushed (one curse of the Irish is we have cracker asses... the barren Kansas of posteriors.) Anyway, she gave me a playful kick and told me to quit fucking around, finish my novel, and send it in. Translation? FIA = Foot In Ass. AIC = Ass In Chair.
Anyway, I got the message. Thanks, Karin.
Back to work.
BIO
KIERAN SHEA’s fiction has appeared in dozens of venues including Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Thuglit, Dogmatika, Word Riot, Plots with Guns, Beat to a Pulp, Crimefactory, and Needle: A Magazine of Noir ...as well as in some beefy-looking anthologies most of which will make you question the tether of his shiny, red balloon. To his self-deprecating astonishment he's also been nominated for the Story South’s Million Writers Award twice without sending the judges so much as a thank you note. He co-edited the satiric transgressive fiction collection D*CKED: DARK FICTION INSPIRED BY DICK CHENEY and his debut novel KOKO TAKES A HOLIDAY is out now from Titan Books. Kieran divides his time between 38°58′22.6″N- 76°30′4.17″W and 39.2775° N, 74.5750° W.