|
|
Archive for the ‘Revealed’ Category
Sunday, June 6th, 2010
I have been MIA for the last couple weeks, because I’ve been pushing hard trying to get through this draft of the next book, and I’m happy to say that as of this past week, I wrote The End on the page! To be realistic – this isn’t ‘the end’ per se, I still have a little time before deadline, and will be doing a massive read through, but it still feels so damn good to have gotten a (hopefully) coherent story on the page.
But since I’ve been out of it so long, I feel the need to recap things that have happened in the intervening time. So, here’s what’s been going on in the world, in no particular order of seriousness or global impact.
1. The Gulf is an Oil Slick.
As I look at pictures of baby ducks covered in oil, I have never been happier that I drive a hybrid. Now, can we please plug this leak? Please?
2. So You Think You Can Dance is back on!
I love you Adam Shankman! I even saw Step Up 2: The Streets! In the theater!
3. The Summer of You is now available on Kindle.
I don’t know when this happened. I was likely drunk at the time. Previously, my publishing house (Berkley Sensation, which is a division of Penguin) has been in a dispute with Amazon regard ebook price points. This happens so far above my level that I have very little knowledge of what occurred, but I can certainly see both sides of the argument. However, it did delay the release of new books from my house to Kindle. But now that’s all taken care of! Yay!
4. Summer Movies!
Ok, I have not actually been to the movies in a couple weeks, but I did see Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood (ok and meh, in that order). I’m really looking forward to Inception, and Toy Story 3, and maybe Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. (I’m just wondering what Michael Cera’s schtick will turn into in a decade.)
5. I’m gonna be in Turkey!
Not physically. But I have sold foreign rights to Compromised, Revealed, and The Summer of You in Turkey! This marks the third language I’ll be in, after English (duh) and Russian.
I’m sure a million other things occurred (I know Lost ended, but I don’t watch it, so I didn’t care) but this is all I’ve got off the top of my head. This week – I will not be writing for once! I will be instead, revising! And, oh, maybe I’ll read a book or two… how exciting…
It’s the little things, really.
Happy Reading!
Posted in Books, Compromised, Revealed, TV & Movies, The Summer of You, Writer's life | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010
(full disclosure — this is a repost from a blog I did over at RomCon Inc. but I liked it so much I decided to place it here as well.)
I have to confess something. Something that no historical author wants their readers to know. Now, for the most part, we want our stories to be as historically accurate as possible. We meticulously research dates, geography, architecture, fashion, social ideology… It helps sell the reality of our characters, helps establish understandable stakes, and makes the world they live in come alive.
But sometimes, we have to make stuff up.
My new release, The Summer of You, is set in 1816. My hero and heroine, Byrne Worth and Lady Jane Cummings, have met before. They are acquaintances from my previous book Revealed. Now, they are spending the summer as next-door neighbors on a lake in the north of England. Jane is visiting her family’s estate, and is shocked to discover that Byrne is her new reclusive next-door neighbor.
And just as shocked to first lay eyes on him as he is swimming naked in the lake.
Over the next few weeks, they spend their days getting to know each other. Lakeside living… long, hot days spent boating… swimming…
Sounds fabulous, right? Falling in love is the perfect way to beat the stifling heat of July and August, the breezes off the lake the only relief to be found. Only one problem:
1816 was the coldest summer on record at the time.
Possibly due to a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, 1816 was known as the ‘year without summer.’ This was a major problem for me, since I had established characters on an established timeline. I couldn’t simply up and move them a year forward or back. And since they were on a lake, they needed to swim, to sweat, to flirt and get sexy by (and in) the water! What I needed was a heat wave!
…So I made one up. I took some admitted liberties with the weather. Oh, all right. I decided to blatantly ignore what I knew about the climate in 1816. But sometimes, for the good of the characters and the story you are trying to tell, you have to manipulate history. After all, I told myself, who’s gonna know? I mean, aside from the historians and keen-eyed readers, and anyone with an internet connection who wants to know more about the Regency period.
Oh god. I’m screwed.
But that’s okay. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
Sometimes you have to invent a heat wave.
Happy reading everyone!
Posted in Books, Revealed, The Summer of You | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
I had a very cute, very demure post all planned out for this week before The Summer of You hits the shelves. It was, I kid you not, about the weather. But all of that went out the window, when on Thursday morning, I was awakened by a phone call telling me that Revealed was a RITA® Finalist in the Regency Historical Romance category! The Romance Writers of America’s RITA awards are the highest honor in romance writing, so the squeal I let out was wholly justified – really, neighbors, it was. I knew the announcements were coming sometime at the end of March, but I wasn’t really paying attention (read: I didn’t think I had a shot in hell) so getting the wake-up call was a complete surprise. I still don’t think I have a chance in hell – I think either Tessa Dare or the estimable Julia Quinn are going to beat the living crap out of me, (Literally. In the alley behind the hotel in Nashville) but it truly is such an honor to be a finalist.
And this happy news is on top of all the excitement for the countdown to the release of The Summer of You! I am getting on a plane this week for the reading at Lady Jane’s Salon, which will be on April 5th, followed by a bunch of blog appearances at only the very best places. (Details can be found on the Recent News section of my website.)
I feel like I’ve been talking about The Summer of You for so long, and preparing for its release that to have the day within my sights is… weird. I’m desperate to have Jane and Byrne out in the world, but some small part of me wants to keep them to myself. But the day, April 6th, is coming, and there is no turning back the tide. Besides, you can’t fully appreciate the 99% of happy without that 1% of sad.
Very, very busy week this week – hopefully I can hit my word counts!
Posted in Books, New York, RWA, Revealed, The Summer of You | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
I’m in a crappy place today. Not in real life – in real life I’m in southern California, its 70 degrees on the first day of March, it can’t get much nicer. No, I’m in a crappy place in terms of my book. I’m at that place that every writer knows and dreads, the place where you start to question everything, and nothing is as good as it was when it was bright and shiny but still solely in your brain. Where you just want to pull everything apart, or shake your characters and scream “what do you want from me???”
Of course, this isn’t practical. Or (in the case of character-shaking) feasible. Instead, you have to write through it, and eventually, you remember why you liked these characters and their story in the first place, and the pendulum swings the other way. I know my process. All will be well.
In other news, Revealed is out in mass market TOMORROW. (Or today, depending on your time zone.) Get excited people! This means that there is only one month until the official release of The Summer of You!
Posted in Books, Los Angeles, Revealed, The Summer of You, Writer's life | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Holy cats, February has been flying, right? Flying so fast that, I looked at my calendar and saw that Revealed’s mass market release is a mere week away! Revealed was originally released a year ago, in trade format. This means, for those of you who missed it the first time around, can now find it again at your local bookstore, at a highly reasonable mass market rate.
But it makes me think: has it really been a whole year since my second baby was released upon the world? Since Phillippa Benning graced us with her estimable presence and Marcus Worth, er, learned to put up with her? Some things have changed. A year ago, I was living in a different city, working at a different job. I didn’t own a car (in New York you don’t need one), and didn’t yet know that I could stream Netflix through my Xbox. But other things are basically the same. Those 5 stubborn pounds that existed on my frame are still there. My hair is basically the same length. I’m still eagerly anticipating my next book coming out while working feverishly on the one after.
And since its only a week until Revealed hits the shelves in Mass market, that means that we are BARELY over a month away from the release of The Summer of You. April 6th, 2010. Can. Not. Wait.
Until next week – Happy Reading!
Posted in Books, Los Angeles, New York, Revealed, The Summer of You | No Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2010
Hey, lookie what I got:
Previous to now, I have not had any print materials. I have gone to conferences and written my name and email on a napkin for someone that asked for my contact info. I am SO pleased to have finally gotten my act together and had these cards made. Trust me, I’m going to be handing them out to everyone – the barista at the coffee shop, the Barnes and Noble help desk guy, everyone.
I love that they are thematically in line with my website (scrolly-flower-bubble thingies!) and they are just in time, as we are just over two months out from the release of The Summer of You! (Yes, I’m going to mention that EVERY time I blog. Because it’s exciting. And scary. I should just cave and get a countdown clock installed on my website.)
And lookie what I got for that:
 
Bookmarks! They’re awfully pretty. And on the back you’ll see a pic of Compromised and Revealed – the latter of which is getting its RE-release in mass market on March 2nd, 2010! That’s ONE month away. Egads!
Other than that, it’s a writing week. So I’d better get to it!
Until later, happy reading!
Posted in Compromised, Revealed, The Summer of You | No Comments »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Hi Everyone! Quick Blog today, because I am over at the Book Smugglers being initiated into that fabulous rite of passage, Smugglivius, their year-in-review. I compiled a list of all my favorite things from the year 2009, and there’s a new Summer of You excerpt, AND a giveaway! It is my Smugglivius gift to you all, so head over and check it out!
In other non-denominational holiday stuff I am pleased to announce… I AM DONE. Done with cards, done with shopping, wrapping, shipping, decorating, cookie making. I have completed Christmas and still have ten days to go! For once in my life, I came in on a deadline early. I’m so proud of me.
I hope everyone is having a merry go of it… and if you need any last minute gift suggestions… I’ve always found a good romance novel to fit easily into a stocking. 
Happy Reading everyone!
Tags: Book Smugglers
Posted in Books, Compromised, Revealed, TV & Movies, The Summer of You, Writer's life | No Comments »
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
I have been holding on to this tidbit of information for a while, I didn’t want to say anything until the contracts were signed and filed, but now that they have been, I am pleased to tell you… drumroll please…
I’ve had my first foreign rights sale! Revealed will be published (sometime in the next 18 months) in Russian! I am incredibly excited, not only to have Revealed cross the pond, but because it’s a whole new alphabet. I can’t wait to see what the titles look like in Cyrillic.
In other news, next Monday, Dec. 14th, I will be guest blogging at the Book Smugglers, as part of their annual wrap up holiday, Smugglivus (for the smuggler in all of us). They have gone all out this year, including having awesome posters:
Remember, Dec. 14th. Make sure you stop by, I’ll be having a give away, and maybe, if you’ve been good this year, a special sneak peak.
That’s all for now! Happy Reading, everyone!
Posted in Revealed, The Summer of You, Writer's life | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
I am the occasional practitioner of omniscient voice, or as I like to call it, the Tom Jones voice. This name is not in reference to the knighted swinging singer of “Its Not Unusual”, but instead a reference to the 1749 novel by Henry Fielding. You see, when Mr. Fielding needed to explain a small bit of backstory, he used omniscient voice, and simply… explained it, and generally with a very dry wit. No need to filter it through a character’s point of view or shoehorn the info into dialogue. I have used the Tom Jones voice in the same manner – whether it be to give the background of a fictional country or the heretofore unknown to the reader (but known to the characters) tidbit of information, such as the identity of a spy.
Omniscient voice is not that common in romance novels – and it’s easy to understand why. When a story is as internal and personal as falling in love, you (the reader and writer both) don’t really want to interrupt the flow of emotion just to step back and view the larger picture, which is what omniscient voice does. The downside is that the information has to come out somewhere, and sometimes it makes dialogue a little lumpy. So for me it’s a bit of a gamble. But, here’s the reason I prefer it:
Which sounds better to you…
While Mary and John were married, he was employed at the DoReMi Agency, which had any number shady dealings. Difficulty arose when he decided to blow the whistle on his bosses, resulting in his firing, subsequent destitution, loss of wife, and loss of dog to his best friend Joe — who, deciding he could not possibly own a Chi-Chi, renamed the pup Larry.
Or…
Cindy reached over and took Joe’s hand. “Do you mean to tell me,” she said, “that your friend Joe who used to work at the DoReMi Agency blew the whistle on his bosses’ criminal dealings and because of that lost his job, his money, and his wife? And you got his dog?”
“Yep,” said Joe. “And I renamed the dog Larry.”
What voice or person do you prefer to read and/or write in? First? Third from character POV? Third omniscent?
Posted in Compromised, Revealed | No Comments »
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
Amidst the faaaaaaaabulous things I have been writing this week (heh… right.), I, on occasion (read: every 15 minutes) peruse the internet, for inspiration, information, and just plan fun. Among the things I’ve learned this week:
I landed on Katiebab’s list of favorite debut authors of 2009! Very pleased to be in such illustrious company of Leanna Renee Hieber and the awesome Tessa Dare. “But,” you might say, in your British and proper way, darn you – “you’re not a debut author of 2009. Compromised was originally released in 2008.” And I say curse you and your logic! Yes, technically, I’m not a 2009 debut author, but Compromised was rereleased in 2009. Besides, I’m going on the assumption that I was not read by Katiebabs until 2009, so at the very least, I’m a debut author to her. So…. Ppppplllllffffftttttt!
The people over at MyLifeIsAverage have a far less average life than me. And yet, their version of average sounds really fun! I never had a sword fight with my mom in Target. Perhaps I should challenge her next time we go.
Nowhere in the New York Magazine’s Sex Diaries could I find an entry by a romance novelist. There’s likely a reason for this. Disappointed, but the reading itself totally counts as research.
And finally:
Matthew Morrison is going to record an album! Mr. Schuster on Glee! The cutie pie has curly hair too! (I feel a kinship. I can’t help it. We of the curled persuasion have to stick together.)
And that’s all for this week. But there will be TERRIBLY interesting things happening on the interwebs on Tuesday Nov. 10th, when I guest blog at RomCon. Stop on by!
Until then, happy reading!
Tags: Leanne Renee Heiber, Matthew Morrison, MyLifeIsAverage, New York Magazine, Tessa Dare
Posted in Compromised, Revealed, Writer's life | No Comments »
|
|
|
| |
