Thursday, May 27, 2010

VA-CA-SHUN!

Hope this is the view from my window!

WOOT! I'm packing for The House of Mouse! I'm going to be away in Florida tomorrow until the 7th, so the newsletter will be late and the purchase links for Mating Games won't be added to my website until the 8th. The pre-order links will remain and should still lead to the books. I'm going to double-check today and make sure they're all up; the only one that should need to be added would be MBaM. Don't quote me on that though, I could be wrong. When you're being nibbled to death by ducks it's hard to remember the cheese.

Don't go there. That way leads to my thought processes, and people have been known to go mad when they do.

I'm gathering all the extras that need to be packed, like chargers, medicines, muzzles for my little monkeys. You know, the usual. My kitchen table looks like a bargain sale at Happy Harry's. I still need to dye my hair, do my toenails and pack books on my Nook. Tomorrow the dog and the cat go into doggie/kitty daycare and the kids have a half-day, which worked out great for us.

Odds are good I won't be blogging or doing anything on-line for the next eleven days or so. I think internet connections will be spotty at best, non-existent at worst. If it's absolutely necessary to get hold of me I'll be spot-checking my email on my cell phone, but answering them will be a stone cold bitch and might take me a while since the keyboard on the phone wasn't designed with arthritics in mind. I promise I'll post a few pics of me and my family once I get home.

Have fun, and I'll talk to you all when I get back!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Something I Don't Usually Do

I don't do book reviews. You'll see why in a minute.

I just finished Shelly Laurenston's Beast Behaving Badly. Anyone who's chatted with me knows I love Shelly's books, most especially her shifter series. So here's my review of Beast:

"It's here! It's here!" NOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM... Ahhhhh.

See? This is why I don't write book reviews.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

New Blog Post


I've written a blog over at the Samhain Weblog titled To Sidhe or Not To Sidhe, about why I chose to use a word other than "elf" for my, well, elves in The Gray Court series. Go check it out!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Little Writer Who Could


Chug chug chug...


So Norwegian Wood is almost complete. Only another 7k to go before I hand it over to my beta readers and ride off into Mickeyland. And this one I've decided to send to an agent.

I know. I keep saying that. Partially because I'm excited as all get out to try and get one, and partially because I've got the Submission Heebie-Jeebies I always get when sending out something I've written. Parker and Amara wound up hitting the Meat Grinder earlier than I'd thought they would, but I'm thinking that's a good thing. It allowed me to rearrange my schedule a bit. This means I'll be starting work on Artistic Visions sooner than I thought. Laurie, my editor at Samhain, was really interested in seeing that one, so I thought I should move it up on my self-imposed schedule and, as the man says, git'er dun!

Ben and Dave fans, don't panic; I'm going to work on both stories at the same time.

During the summer.

While my kids are home.

I think I can I think I can I think I can...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

My Spring Showers Excerpt is Up!


You know that huge pink banner that's been on my blog all month? The one about the Samhain/Coffee Time Romance Spring Showers event?

My post is up! The excerpt for Very Much Alive is live and I'm answering questions about it, the next book and what's in store for my Norse Gods. So if you want to know something about my True Destiny series, join the forums and ask away!

P.S.: Did I mention you could win a copy just by chatting with me? Hmm?

Friday, May 14, 2010

Look What's On Samhain's Coming Soon Pages!


Read An Excerpt Online
Genre: ,

ISBN: 978-1-60504-765-2
Length: 272 Pages
Price: 15.00
Publication Date: June 1, 2010
Cover art by Anne Cain

Claiming your mate? Best. Game. Ever.

The Wallflower
Emma’s loved Max for years, but to him she was invisible. Now she’s in business—and out of her shell. Max returns home to become the Halle Pride’s Alpha, and he finds Emma has blossomed into—his mate! Taking her out for a bite ensures she’ll be his. But first she must convince the Pride she has what it takes…

Sweet Dreams
Getting attacked by some she-devil wasn’t part of Becky’s plans when she agreed to attend a masquerade. In a few slashing moments, she learns things about the man she loves that she never suspected. When Simon rescues Becky from one of his Pride, he finally confirms that she’s his mate. Carrying her off gives him the chance to mark her as his. But a strange illness threatens to turn their sweet dreams into a nightmare.

Cat of a Different Color
Adrian has friends, a thriving business, and the occasional Saturday night date. Life is good. Until Sheri hits town. Sheri knows Adrian is her mate, but she’s running from an ex who’s got the teeth to take whatever he wants. With Adrian by her side, though, she might just survive—if he doesn’t become lunch…

Warning: This title contains a hot blond Alpha, his tall, dark and handsome Beta, and a Puma willing to do whatever it takes to protect his mate.




Genre: ,

ISBN: 978-1-60928-117-5
Length: Novel
Price: 5.50
Publication Date: July 27, 2010
Cover art by Kanaxa

To hold onto his love, he must release his beast.

Halle Shifters, Book 1

Once a Bear sets his mind on a mission, it’s best to stay out of his way. Alexander “Bunny” Bunsun is that Bear. Something’s not right with his cousin Chloe, and he’s come to Halle, PA, to sort it out, turn his Harley around and head home to Oregon. Until an enticing scent lures him into the local tattoo shop.

There she is. An inked, Southern-drawled she-Wolf with lime-green hair. His perfect mate.

Tabitha Garwood’s rotten day just got worse. Her Outcast status makes her a target for harassment with alarming regularity. And now, in the middle of a root touch-up, looking like a half-melted Skittle, she’s met her destined mate. The only upside? She finally has a protector in the form of a huge, tattooed, shaved-head Bear who vibrates with carefully restrained power.

When Chloe is left for dead and Tabby is threatened, only Alex can keep his growing family safe. Giving Tabby the loving home she needs, though, could come at a price—Alex must give up the control he’s worked a lifetime to attain.

Which means someone could die at the hands—and claws—of his beast.

Warning: This novel contains explicit sex, graphic language, a hunky Bear named Bunny and… Yes. I said a Bear named Bunny. I don’t know about you but I’m not brave enough to make fun of it.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Still Sick, But Hey! No Green Wig!

This lingering head crud is still kicking my ass (which isn't that hard since it's a fairly large target. A blind elephant could kick my ass), but I've managed to keep the word count flowing. I'm near 55k, which means I've only got another 25k to go before the rough draft is complete. Onward vegetarian vampire dude! I'm hoping Parker and Amara will be ready for an agent a couple of weeks after I get back from Disney World.

And in case you're thinking, "Damn, that cold is lasting a really long time", the Black Hole of Disease does not do things half-way. When I get sick, I get sick. It lingers, like a *bad in-law, sucking the life out of you while making you wish you were dead, yet feeling guilty about the fact that you look at the kids and say, "I dunno. My brain is on fire. Ask your father."

And finally, someone other than PJ posted pictures of me without the green wig! Andrea Becraft of Judging the Book By Its Pages managed to get some of the only RT pictures of me NOT in the green wig! She even got one of me in the scooter!

Wanna see?
The infamous Scooter. This year, I managed not to run anyone over. That's me and Andrea, by the way!


At the RT 2010 Giant Book Fair, showing off my Nook and my l33t PowerPoint skills. I had a slideshow going on my netbook the whole time.

By the way, I'm lovin' the new haircut, but I have to be careful. The other day I was playing with it and was horrified to find I'd styled myself just like Prince Valiant. That ain't good.

See? Not. GOOD. And this is one of the better Prince Valiant looks. *shudder*

P.S.: Did I mention I'm going to DISNEY WORLD? Once or twice, maybe? I think I said it at least two times a day at RT.


*MY in-laws ROCK. My MIL is one of my beta readers!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Another Good News, Bad News...

The good news is, I'm not dead.

The bad news is, I know this because I caught the head cold Dusty and M have.

*headdesk*

Yes, the black hole of disease has struck again. I've been home for, what, five days? Four and a half? And the first thing I did was catch a cold.

So I'm running a fever, coughing and sneezing and... LOVING MY NOOK!

Molli? MUAH! Big kisses for telling me how much you loved yours. Helped me make my decision. It's nice to have an entire library to lay down with where I don't have to worry about battery life or formats or books being cut in half...

Not entirely happy with my droid phone, but loving my Nook.

So I AM working; yesterday I did some posts at the Samhain Cafe for the print copy of Dare to Believe, and I did some updates to my website (like the beginnings of a press kit, though I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with it, and a printable paperback book list). I also did the book trailer for Mating Games and posed the soundless version to my website with the musical version on YouTube. Today I did over three thousand words on Norwegian Wood, which I'm thinking more and more I might send to an agent.

Gulp.

But I feel worse today than I did yesterday, so I'm taking the rest of the day off. Hopefully I can do another three thousand words tomorrow, even if I have to quit everything else early.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Winner of the Dare To Believe Print Contest And...

Dare to Believe is available for purchase in print today, AND the contest for the autographed copy ends today! The winner of the signed print copy of Dare to Believe is...

PATSY H!

And while I'm here announcing the winner of this contest, let me announce another contest!

Mating Games comes out June 1st and contains The Wallflower, Sweet Dreams and Cat of a Different Color. Who wants a signed copy? Details are on my website!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Honey, I'm Hoo-ooome!

D. Renee Bagby and some dork in a wig.

I'm dead. I think RT killed me.

This was my second Romantic Times Convention, and this time I was savvier (or so I thought... Damn you, Dresden Files!). I brought clothes that were comfortable AND looked good; I brought shoes I could stand in without killing myself. And I had the hubby attach a big old basket to the back of my scooter which turned out to be a lifesaver.

RT Morning Mixer centerpiece. These were hand made!

Our first day there I met up with PJ Schnyder for breakfast at the Morning Mixer. Hats abounded, with people wearing them, commenting on them, or just plain staring at them. Our table had the lovely feathered green hat pictured above that you could barely see around, but as a centerpiece it was a gorgeous touch to the morning's theme. There was a wonderful tribute to Kate Duffy that left not a dry eye in the place. The lady touched a lot of lives, and that's one hell of a legacy she can be proud of.

After the Morning Mixer, it's off to the races! The RT conference tends to be business in the front, party in the back. In other words, there's more for the writer or aspiring writer during the daylight hours, but at night... WOOOHOOOO! Boobies in corsets and man-flesh abound. And that's fun for everyone.
Marilyn Mandalis (if I'm reading her name tag right,) PJ Schnyder and her friend Laura.

See? But I digress.

The Sinfully Sweet party went over great, especially after the man-flesh... I mean, the MODELS arrived. *cough*
Man-flesh at the Sinfully Sweet Party. Franco D'Angelis facing the crowd and Charles Paz facing Franco.

Shirts were ripped off, women were rubbed on, and a good time was had by all. We had quite a turn-out for it and gave away all our goody bags.

By the way, I THOUGHT it was wear a silly shirt for the party, so I packed my T-shirt that said, "Hi. Where's your off button?" It wasn't until I met up with Stephanie "Flash" Burke and D. Renee Bagby that I realized it was wear a silly HAT.

Luckily, I had something that made me look stupid!

Oh look. A dork in a wig.

Yes, most of the photos of me that I've found are in that wig. (And yes, that IS a tiara. Your point?)

Congrats to everyone who won a big prize at the party!

That night was the Ellora's Cave Paint the Town Red party. It was one of the two parties I went to, and one I'd heard quite a bit about. I was expecting whirling dongs, the way people spoke about the party in the past, but pants stayed on and no dongs whirled. I'm pretty sure the three males who managed to find their way from their convention party to ours are eternally grateful for that.

Me and PJ at the Ellora's Cave Paint the Town Red Party.

Girlfriend rocks a corset dress. And have I ever mentioned I'm inordinately short? Five foot nothing, in fact. You should see me next to Stephanie Burke. I'm a damn midget next to her.

Thursday was all about agents, editors and fairies. I went to some publisher spotlights and an agent panel that day, and dressed as a fairy that night. Not sure if anyone got a pic of me in my fairy costume this year. I'll have to hunt the 'net to find out. I know, I forgot to get someone to take one of me. If anyone has a pic of me at the fairy ball, pass the link along, k? I was a "frost fairy", all in black and silver and, yes, I wore the tiara.

All right, I'll admit it. I have a secret Disney Princess wish. So there.

Friday was much of the same, but with an Ebook Expo thrown in. And man, wasn't that fun! I had my little netbook with me playing a powerpoint presentation, and I got to chat with readers and booksellers and librarians, oh my! And I got the best compliment ever when someone told me that they'd heard that not only were my books good but that I was a pleasure to work with.

I'm still tingly over that one.

The vampire ball was that night. I chose not to attend; I know my limits, and I was hitting them, hard. I decided to go to bed early that night, so of COURSE I sat up until two a.m. reading Dresden Files. Go ahead, mock. But damn it, it was good.

Saturday, and it's time for the Giant Book Fair! No copies of Dare to Believe unfortunately, but plenty of Hunting Love. I was sandwiched between Laura Baumbach (who had her own personal cookie delivery during the signing) and Laura Bickle. Stephanie Burke nearly beheaded Laura Bickle with a tiny bottle of bubbles. The woman has a heck of a pitch, but she needs to work on her aim. She was going for MY head, you see.

By nine o'clock that night I was ready to pass out. I curled up on my nice hotel room bed, and woke up the next morning at seven thirty. Breakfast, airport (Columbus's airport is TINY!), a purchase of peanut M&M's and two stuffed piggies for my kids, and I'm ready to go. I headed home and immediately took my men out to the Baltimore Aquarium and pizza, as promised.

Two of my three boys at the Baltimore Aquarium.

It was good to be home. I'm pretty sure I'm dead. I'm just waiting for someone to mention the smell and prove me right.

P.S.: I won't be attending RT next year, since I can't fly all the way to LA without turning myself int a Rice Krispie in milk. I have, however, promised I would be at the Lori Foster event next year, so I'm looking forward to that.

P.P.S.: I met LORI FOSTER! Of course, I froze up like a teenager meeting Hannah Montana, but that's not the POINT! I got a total squee moment!

P.P.P.S.: Today is your last chance to enter the contest for a signed copy of Dare to Believe, so act quick! I'm announcing the winner tomorrow!

P.P.P.P.S.: I got some swag I'll be giving away soon... keep an eye out for another contest announcement!

Favorite Quotes

"I had the right to remain silent, but I didn't have the ability." Ron White

"So let me get this straight. You want me to kill the little guys, kill the big guys, crowd control those I can't, buff the team, debuff the boss, keep myself alive, AND keep you alive, all while waving a stick and dressed in a towel?" - Anonymous Role Playing Gamer

"I think that statue over there is a statement on modern life. The statement is, "Well, shit." - Varric, Dragon Age II

"Why is it all claws and guns? Can't we piss off a fuzzy planet? Still dangerous, but hey. Bunnies." - Joker, Mass Effect

"Last night, I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky and thought to myself, "Where the heck is the ceiling?" - Dilbert


"Aim at the high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you'll hit the bull's-eye of success." - Annie Oakley

"It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly." - Flemeth, aka The Witch of the Wilds, Dragon Age 2

"The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, 'You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.'” - George Carlin

"I hear there's a wild bridge tournament down the street. And you know Bridge. It's a lot like sex. If you don't have a great partner, you'd better have a good hand." Barry Weiss, Storage Wars

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe." - Marcus Cole, Babylon 5, "A Late Delivery From Avalon"

"I aim to misbehave." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." - Albert Einstein

“If you think you can or think you cannot, you are correct.” - Henry Ford
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