I got some really bad news in late April that I've been mostly sitting on, hoping I could put off telling people until it turned into good news... And it finally has.
What Blogo and I have in common is the bad news not the good news, and it doesn't have anything to do with fraud or corruption or bad hair...Both of us had our publisher close their doors on April 26, 2010.
Yes, after giving up my entire life this winter/spring, alienating friends and family, nearly driving myself insane to make a crazy deadline... the publisher unexpectedly shut down.
But, the good news is that I have a new publisher! Can't announce all the details, yet, but both Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer will be likely be released in 2011 (instead of October 5, 2010 as previously announced). And there will be new covers, etc. More details soon!
I've already seen a mock up of the kind of cover the new publisher is aiming for and let's just say: very pretty! Very classy! Love the look. Can't wait to see the final covers!!! :)
So, will announce more later, but finally my bad news has morphed into good news.
Plus, my critique partner Ann Lethbridge aka Michele Young won a huge award tonight!
The Daphne Du Maurier Award of Excellence for Published Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense.
Yay, Michele!
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Viral Advertising
I can't believe I'm posting this sort of ad for Old Spice, but I have to tell you, this viral campaign via twitter is the funniest thing I've ever seen.
Especially this one where he's supposedly saying a few words in support of libraries. For those of you not on twitter (why not??), basically people post questions or requests for this guy @oldspice and he responds via these funny clips on youtube.
"Book's are often composed of many, many words... I'm handsome. You're pretty. Let's eat peanut butter..."
Cracks me up.
Especially this one where he's supposedly saying a few words in support of libraries. For those of you not on twitter (why not??), basically people post questions or requests for this guy @oldspice and he responds via these funny clips on youtube.
"Book's are often composed of many, many words... I'm handsome. You're pretty. Let's eat peanut butter..."
Cracks me up.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Police State and other surprises
I blogged over at DWT today about an upcoming conference and how Toronto's turned into a police state...
In other news, Toronto had an earthquake today. And not a tiny one.
It's official now. I've felt more earthquakes here (three) than I did in my 6 1/2 years in the San Francisco Bay area (two). Go figure.
Finally.... Bachelor Jake and Vienna split up? What a shock and surprise. ;)
In other news, Toronto had an earthquake today. And not a tiny one.
It's official now. I've felt more earthquakes here (three) than I did in my 6 1/2 years in the San Francisco Bay area (two). Go figure.
Finally.... Bachelor Jake and Vienna split up? What a shock and surprise. ;)
Monday, June 14, 2010
Debut Author Allie Larkin
We're interviewing debut author Allie Larkin over on Drunk Writer Talk this week. Comment or ask questions for a chance to win a book!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Chatting about Feedback
We've got debut thriller author, Chevy Stevens, at Drunk Writer Talk today, talking about getting feedback during the writing/revising process.
Stop on by and say hello!
Stop on by and say hello!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Covers!
I was excited last week to find out my debut novels are up on all the online retailers for pre-order, and Amazon has the covers up!
Link to Cinderella: Ninja Warrior
on Amazon.com
Link to Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer
on Amazon.com.
Pretty exciting to see the covers up! And know the release dates. Both books are due to hit the shelves on October 5, 2010.
Link to Cinderella: Ninja Warrior
on Amazon.com
Link to Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer
on Amazon.com.Pretty exciting to see the covers up! And know the release dates. Both books are due to hit the shelves on October 5, 2010.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
GH Nominations
I got a call this morning that my manuscript, SWITCHING SIDES, made the finals in RWA® 's Golden Heart® competition.
YAY.
My big lesson for this past year is to always give things a shot. It's relevant in this case because I almost pulled out of this contest. It's a contest for unpublished authors and I got my first book contract offer right around the time of the deadline to enter this competition. To be frank, I was hoping I'd be disqualified and get my money back. :)
But after talking to RWA® and telling them about my contract offer, they said I was still eligible to enter as long as the contract wasn't signed by November 1, 2009. (And in the end, it wasn't signed until Jan 2010.) Therefore, if I chose not to enter, I'd be forfeiting my already paid entry fee.
So, I decided to roll the dice and pay the shipping costs to get that puppy down to Houston. AND IT PAID OFF!!!
This marks the last time I can enter the Golden Heat®, and I'm a finalist again! (Last time was in 2007) Yippee!!! And with a book that I really love and believe in AND that's never been shopped!!!
(The last time I finalled in this contest, my book had already made the rounds in NYC, so while the contest final gave it a bit of a second chance, that ship had basically already sailed.... Although I am still hoping that particular ship can find some wind again in the future...)
And in even more exciting news, my critique partner and very good friend Molly O'Keefe is nominated for a RITA®!!!
A good day.
YAY.
My big lesson for this past year is to always give things a shot. It's relevant in this case because I almost pulled out of this contest. It's a contest for unpublished authors and I got my first book contract offer right around the time of the deadline to enter this competition. To be frank, I was hoping I'd be disqualified and get my money back. :)
But after talking to RWA® and telling them about my contract offer, they said I was still eligible to enter as long as the contract wasn't signed by November 1, 2009. (And in the end, it wasn't signed until Jan 2010.) Therefore, if I chose not to enter, I'd be forfeiting my already paid entry fee.
So, I decided to roll the dice and pay the shipping costs to get that puppy down to Houston. AND IT PAID OFF!!!
This marks the last time I can enter the Golden Heat®, and I'm a finalist again! (Last time was in 2007) Yippee!!! And with a book that I really love and believe in AND that's never been shopped!!!
(The last time I finalled in this contest, my book had already made the rounds in NYC, so while the contest final gave it a bit of a second chance, that ship had basically already sailed.... Although I am still hoping that particular ship can find some wind again in the future...)
And in even more exciting news, my critique partner and very good friend Molly O'Keefe is nominated for a RITA®!!!
A good day.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Don't Kill the Messenger
We're blogging about vampires all week at Drunk Writer Talk to celebrate the release of Eileen Rendahl's latest release -- her urban fantasy debut -- DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER. This book is getting AWESOME reviews all over the place.
Stop by and comment for a chance to win her book!
Stop by and comment for a chance to win her book!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Musings on confidence and killer deadlines
Confidence is such a funny thing. For me, it waxes and wanes with speeds that defy nature and logic.
Today, this hour, this minute, I feel pretty great. Book one in this new series has been cleared by my editor. Yay. And while I'm terrifyingly behind on book 2 (don't tell my editor. Oops, she sometimes reads this blog...) I feel pretty good about the story and where it's going. Sure, it won't be as super polished as I'd like it to be when she gets it in less than 2 weeks, but I'm pretty sure it'll be a coherent (and damn good) story. And I'm also confident I'll be able to do that polishing after I get her revision letter, a few days later. (Yes, this timeline is hyper accelerated. I honestly expect to get my revision letter a week, or less, after turning in the ms.) So, confidence high right now.
Just a few days ago -- hell, this morning -- I'd been so confused about how to solve a few technical details that I wondered if I'd have to scrap the entire book and start over.
I totally let my confidence in my abilities to solve these problems fade and it left me in a panic. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
I ran into my sister in law this morning by accident, she asked if there was anything she could do to help (grocery runs, cutting off my internet access) and I told her confidence was my biggest barrier to meeting this deadline right now. LOVED her response. She said she believed in me and reminded me she'd been telling me that for nearly four years, ever since I let her read one of my manuscripts. She said if I lacked confidence she took it as a personal insult -- me suggesting that she was wrong about my talent. LOL.
Thanks K. And thanks too, to CP's Molly and Sinead for pulling me down off a yet another ledge this weekend. Not only did they talk me through my plot issues, Molly kept repeating, "It's going to be okay. It's going to work out." In a sincere way that made me believe her.
Good friends and family rock!
Today, this hour, this minute, I feel pretty great. Book one in this new series has been cleared by my editor. Yay. And while I'm terrifyingly behind on book 2 (don't tell my editor. Oops, she sometimes reads this blog...) I feel pretty good about the story and where it's going. Sure, it won't be as super polished as I'd like it to be when she gets it in less than 2 weeks, but I'm pretty sure it'll be a coherent (and damn good) story. And I'm also confident I'll be able to do that polishing after I get her revision letter, a few days later. (Yes, this timeline is hyper accelerated. I honestly expect to get my revision letter a week, or less, after turning in the ms.) So, confidence high right now.
Just a few days ago -- hell, this morning -- I'd been so confused about how to solve a few technical details that I wondered if I'd have to scrap the entire book and start over.
I totally let my confidence in my abilities to solve these problems fade and it left me in a panic. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
I ran into my sister in law this morning by accident, she asked if there was anything she could do to help (grocery runs, cutting off my internet access) and I told her confidence was my biggest barrier to meeting this deadline right now. LOVED her response. She said she believed in me and reminded me she'd been telling me that for nearly four years, ever since I let her read one of my manuscripts. She said if I lacked confidence she took it as a personal insult -- me suggesting that she was wrong about my talent. LOL.
Thanks K. And thanks too, to CP's Molly and Sinead for pulling me down off a yet another ledge this weekend. Not only did they talk me through my plot issues, Molly kept repeating, "It's going to be okay. It's going to work out." In a sincere way that made me believe her.
Good friends and family rock!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Modern Family Love
Blogging about my obsession over the show Modern Family on Drunk Writer Talk today.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Coffee Shop Offices
I've read a few articles lately about the "war" between people who use coffee shops as offices and those who think coffee shops should only be used for socializing/drinking coffee. According to the articles, some coffee shop owners have been covering up outlets with tape, to prevent (people like me) from plugging in laptops and staying for hours.
Clearly, since I often use coffee shops as my office, I can't side with the "social only" folks, especially the ones who want to ban laptops, but I think there's a balance.
I always try to spend enough money to compensate for how long I sit... It's not fair to the owner or other customers if you buy a small coffee at 10:00 am and stay all day. I've considered asking the owner of my local shop whether me sitting here for 3-4 hours some days pisses him off... But he almost always gives me free coffee when he's serving, so I assume not.
Second, I try to be considerate of the customers who are here to socialize and don't expect them to modify their behavior for me. That said, I have been guilty of a sneer or two at really loud talkers. I mean, seriously, some people talk loudly enough to be heard on another planet. But I always carry ear buds, and if a conversation near me is distracting, I plug them into my laptop and turn some music on low to buffer/dull the loud talker.
But another person who uses my local coffee shop as an office is here today... And he's pissing me off. Why? He's been on the phone. Constantly. I've been here for nearly 3 hours and he was here when I came in. Was on the phone then. Is on the phone now. And buddy, shielding your industrial strength headset with your hand doesn't keep me from hearing your very loud, very annoying voice beside me.
Maybe that's where I stand. If someone's distracting me being social, I assume it's my problem, not theirs. But if someone else who's using this public space as an office distracts me, I'm annoyed.
And don't get me started on the groups of 20 or more mommies who come in together with strollers and expect everyone else to move to accommodate them. At least my current fav office away from home is too small for those stroller groups.
Clearly, since I often use coffee shops as my office, I can't side with the "social only" folks, especially the ones who want to ban laptops, but I think there's a balance.
I always try to spend enough money to compensate for how long I sit... It's not fair to the owner or other customers if you buy a small coffee at 10:00 am and stay all day. I've considered asking the owner of my local shop whether me sitting here for 3-4 hours some days pisses him off... But he almost always gives me free coffee when he's serving, so I assume not.
Second, I try to be considerate of the customers who are here to socialize and don't expect them to modify their behavior for me. That said, I have been guilty of a sneer or two at really loud talkers. I mean, seriously, some people talk loudly enough to be heard on another planet. But I always carry ear buds, and if a conversation near me is distracting, I plug them into my laptop and turn some music on low to buffer/dull the loud talker.
But another person who uses my local coffee shop as an office is here today... And he's pissing me off. Why? He's been on the phone. Constantly. I've been here for nearly 3 hours and he was here when I came in. Was on the phone then. Is on the phone now. And buddy, shielding your industrial strength headset with your hand doesn't keep me from hearing your very loud, very annoying voice beside me.
Maybe that's where I stand. If someone's distracting me being social, I assume it's my problem, not theirs. But if someone else who's using this public space as an office distracts me, I'm annoyed.
And don't get me started on the groups of 20 or more mommies who come in together with strollers and expect everyone else to move to accommodate them. At least my current fav office away from home is too small for those stroller groups.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Seriously?
The Hangover? Seriously?
That's all I have to say.
Oh, and that Tobey Maguire was amazing in Brothers. If you didn't see this film when it was out for about a week... rent it for his amazing performance alone. Stunning. Thanks Golden Globes for reminding me about a great film.
Finally, Molly's blogging about my stress over at Drunk Writer Talk, I guess because I'm too stressed to do it myself. ;-)
That's all I have to say.
Oh, and that Tobey Maguire was amazing in Brothers. If you didn't see this film when it was out for about a week... rent it for his amazing performance alone. Stunning. Thanks Golden Globes for reminding me about a great film.
Finally, Molly's blogging about my stress over at Drunk Writer Talk, I guess because I'm too stressed to do it myself. ;-)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Guest Blogging
Today I'm guest blogging on Elisabeth Naughton's blog to help celebrate the launch of her new book, STOLEN SEDUCTION.
Stop by for a chance to win a copy of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE, and if you're really lucky, a $100 gift card!
Stop by for a chance to win a copy of THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF TIME TRAVEL ROMANCE, and if you're really lucky, a $100 gift card!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Hooked on Vampire Diaries
I saw the first episode of Vampire Diaries when it aired back in the fall and kind of went, "M'eh."
Didn't hate it, but didn't like it enough to set my already way too busy DVR. But this week, while not much else was on, Much Music, up here in Canada has been showing back to back episodes all week and boy, have I got sucked in. (Pun intended.)
What I hadn't realized before was that Kevin Williamson was the writer. I didn't watch Dawson's Creek the first time around, either, but did catch a bunch of them in syndication and totally got the appeal of that show. Witty repartee and teen angst. What's not to love?
And now Vampire Diaries: witty repartee, teen angst and hot, hot vampires.
Not to mention Boone from Lost. Yowza. I know it's a little sick, but that Boone loves his sister subplot from the first season of Lost was one of my favourite subplots, although it might have had more to do with his eyes and the way he looked at her than the actual writing.
But regardless, it's great to see that actor on TV again and in such a great role. I totally feel like a cougar. A cougar who wants the hot bad-boy vampire. Wow. Sick.
Didn't hate it, but didn't like it enough to set my already way too busy DVR. But this week, while not much else was on, Much Music, up here in Canada has been showing back to back episodes all week and boy, have I got sucked in. (Pun intended.)
What I hadn't realized before was that Kevin Williamson was the writer. I didn't watch Dawson's Creek the first time around, either, but did catch a bunch of them in syndication and totally got the appeal of that show. Witty repartee and teen angst. What's not to love?
And now Vampire Diaries: witty repartee, teen angst and hot, hot vampires.
Not to mention Boone from Lost. Yowza. I know it's a little sick, but that Boone loves his sister subplot from the first season of Lost was one of my favourite subplots, although it might have had more to do with his eyes and the way he looked at her than the actual writing.
But regardless, it's great to see that actor on TV again and in such a great role. I totally feel like a cougar. A cougar who wants the hot bad-boy vampire. Wow. Sick.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
First release day!
So suddenly, all I'm blogging about is firsts. To be more accurate, I suppose, I haven't been blogging much at all lately, but that's mostly because of another first, my first real deadline that's looming over me like an overhanging cliff in an earthquake. Don't stand under the huge chunk of shaking rock, idiot! LOL
But today is the official release date of the anthology my short story, "Lost and Found" is in. Not quite the same as a debut novel, but it is the first time my fiction has been in print -- well, unless you count high school yearbooks and the like. And my yearbook didn't have such a hot guy on the cover.
Although it's officially available today, Amazon and other online booksellers have been shipping this book for more than a week now. In fact, it seems like they're running low on stock because the ship by date has stretched out. But still time to get it by Christmas. 20 authors for the price of, well, less than 20. ;-)
Can't wait to actually see a copy in a bookstore. Will be heading down to my local store this week to hound them into shelving it, if they still have it in the stockroom, or ordering it, if they haven't. They have stocked the previous "Mammoth" romance anthos, so I'm hoping they stock this one, too. If not, I'll beg and plead and promise to send people to the store to buy it.
If anyone out there sees this anthology on a shelf, let me know. Better yet, take a snap. Very exciting. And if you'd like a chance to win your very own copy, I'm also blogging on the 2007 Bond Girls blog today and giving away a book!
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