Character Pics

I'm doing some more research today on Robin and Michaela, and I found the perfect pics to represent them.

Robin is slender, with long red hair and a flair for the dramatic. When I started hunting pics, I found one that made me go, "Oh. That is so Robin."

Polish model Bartek Borowiec

Isn't he perfect? This is exactly how I see Robin Goodfellow. I couldn't believe how close this guy is to my mental image. Needless to say, his pic is now in my files. For reference purposes.

For Michaela, I went looking for a woman who's a bit athletic. Michaela loves her weekend sports, especially skiing and dirt biking. So when I went picture hunting, this lady stood out:

Danicka Patrick, professional race car driver

Oh, yeah. Now let's watch her turn Robin's world upside down...

New Contracts!

I know a lot of you are waiting for word on Cynful. (So am I. I'm hoping to hear something within the next week or two, and if I don't, I'll poke my editor.) 

But I do have some contract news for you:

Shadow of the Wolf and Hecate's Own, Books One and Two of Heart's Desire!

The Beckett Brothers have been picked up! It's currently a four book series about magical brothers whose family was cursed long ago with lycanthropy. The only way to control the beast is to find the one the Goddess means for them, their mate, or they lose themselves forever to their beast.

Here are the temporary blurbs for Shadow and Hecate:

Shadow of the Wolf
Heart's Desire Book 1 

Christopher Beckett is tired of being alone. His wolf is howling for his mate, and Chris knows it is only a matter of time before his needs override everything else in his life. He casts the spell all the Becketts have used to call their mates to them. What he wants is a woman of an older lineage, of power to equal his own. And she has to accept the one aspect that sets him apart from almost every other wizard: his wolf. 

What Chris gets is Alannah Evans, a powerful witch of the Evans Coven. The petite, dark haired woman has no problems with the wolf. What she does have a problem with is the fact that Chris is a wizard. Since wizards and witches don’t get along very well, neither should they, but the sparks flying between them can’t be denied. Chris isn’t taking no for an answer. When it becomes clear that an old enemy has targeted them both Chris will wind up engaging his enemy in a duel that could cost him his life. 

Or worse: Lana.

Hecate's Own
Book 2 of Heart's Desire 

Zachary Beckett has been a screw-up most of his life, but he's finally done something right. He saved his brother's life at great personal cost, and now he's on his way to Cleveland to train as a witch. There he meets Johra Yashodar, a teacher with the belief that Zach is still a screw-up. It isn't long before Zach realizes he's hot for teacher. 

Jo has never met someone like Zachary Beckett. His blue eyes haunt her, his body is made for sin and his magic... well. The less said about that the better. He's the worst witch she's ever met, bar none. But Jo is determined to help him, and to do that she'll fight the attraction she feels towards him tooth and nail. 

But things aren't always what they seem, and when Zach realizes he's under a hex he comes into his own... as one of Hecate's Own. Chosen by the Goddess Herself to fight evil, it's up to Zach and his brothers to save Jo from a fate worse than death.

I can't wait to fill out the art forms on these. The art department is going to hunt me down. They've been known to run and hide when they see my name on the form.

Wriiiting Sloooowly...

I think the sun is waiting for Robin's story too.

Thank you, Mr. Headcold, for kicking my butt this week. The good news is, I got a lot of research done on The Hob. The bad news is, I didn't get much writing done on The Hob.


The story is willing, but the body is weak.

I'm hoping it's almost out of my system, and in the meantime I've made sure that I've gotten as much research material imported into WriteWay as I can. I'm almost done Chapter One, and I'm working out who the tertiary character will be. I'm thinking it almost has to be Oberon, as his book is next, but it could be his lady. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm going to lay down and drink OJ and take meds so I can get back to work on Monday and start Chapter Two.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Robin Has Been Started, and So Has a Head Cold

Robin and Michaela's story has been started. The outline had to be updated a little bit to reflect the last three books (I wrote it back when I was mid-way through Dare to Believe), and am just at the point where Robin is going to see Michaela for the first time. He's going to be charmed, but not enough to go off-mission... not yet, anyway.

Of course, just as I get started, I get a fever.

Maybe because he doesn't want my cold? It could happen...

I should have known when M, who is never out sick from school, wound up staying home for three days last week. Even Dusty, who gave M his immune system, was sick for almost a week. There's no way the black hole of disease could miss that one.

What my sinuses really look like.

So here I am, sniffling and trying to remember how to be witty while the cat looks at me and wonders why I'm making those funny noises. You know, the ones where you breathe in, but then there's this little popping sensation, and you realize that other people around you could hear that and politely tell you to blow your nose?

Yeah. That. 

Maybe I'll skip witty and go with sincere.

The Hob: Playlist

I always listen to music when I write, and today I finally started The Hob. I set up WriteWay, got everything imported from Word, and put together my playlist.

The first song on that list? "Sing Along", by the Blue Man Group (featuring Dave Matthew):

For some reason, the lyrics make me think of Robin. Now I just need to find a good song for Michaela...

Back to Work

The tree is down, the toys are put away, and I'm back to work. I'm starting off the New Year with first round edits for Howl For Me under my belt and a book that's just about ready to submit. There are a few more things I need to tweak on Guardian Angel (when a beta reader writes, "Wow, that was really stupid" you should probably change it) before I ship it off to Carina Press.

He can fly away with me anytime.

Oh, yes. And I still need to come up with a name for the Hob's book. Something better than, ya know, The Hob. Because I start his book on Monday, and... yeah. He's the Hob. Not someone who should have a lame book title.

I haven't heard anything back yet on Cynful, but I'm hoping to sometime in the next two weeks. I've also submitted Shadow of the Wolf and Hecate's Own to Samhain Publishing. I should have some news on that soon as well. I know a lot of people have been looking forward to me continuing the Beckett brothers, and Samhain will hopefully give me that opportunity.

So, that's it for this week. A lot going on, but not a lot of news. Not yet, anyway. I'm chewing my nails off on Cynful the same as the rest of you, and if it gets picked up I'm so taking the family out for dinner!

P.S.: I'm officially registered for the Romantic Times convention and the Lori Foster Reader/Author Get-Together, so I'll be in Illinois in April and Ohio in June. I hope to see you there!

Welcome to 2012!

My first newsletter for the year is out, I've gotten edits on my first release of the year (Howl For Me), and I'm crossing my fingers on three books I've turned in to Samhain and one I'm going to turn in to Carina. My kids are playing Skylanders like it's the last video game that will ever be invented and they need to defeat it twenty times before Tuesday, and Dusty is killing giants in DDO and grumbling that his normal partner is busy playing Skylanders.

Yup. It's New Year's Day.

Here's hoping 2012 brings happiness to all!