RITA ® Award-Winning Author of Fantasy Romance
//
Ruby releases tomorrow!
Thus I have my Pimping Party Prom dress on and am shamelessly cross-posting this at the Word Whores blog as well.
And, to complete the pimpage, here are a couple of reviews posted to today for it here and here. One is also in French, should you care to stretch those neurons you haven’t used since high school.
I’m over at Word Whores and Here Be Magic today (same post, both places) talking about “Dialogue Tags: He Said, She Asked, They Exclaimed … when to use what.”
//
Wow. What a week.
Terrorism at the Boston Marathon. (I think we can say that safely now.) Fertilizer plant explosion in Texas. Shoot outs, car chases, deaths as they chase down the Chechen perps in Watertown. And, as I write this, the entire city of Boston is shut down while they chase the guy on the loose.
And my good friend and crit partner’s new book, AGAINST THE DARK, releases today.
Coincidence???
No, no, no. I don’t think so.
This is Carolyn’s first foray into Romantic Suspense, with a book that I think is the most exciting thing she’s done since her Disillusionists series, which I loved so much. It’s tight, suspenseful, sexy and with a great premise about the mysterious Associates – uber smart spies with niche expertise. Nerdgasm for the win!
So, if you’re looking for a little escape from the stranger-than-fiction horrific events of this week, how about some time with a safecracker and her sexy hot spy?
Nom. Seriously. Nom.
//
Okay, so….
PLATINUM is out in the world!!!
I know, I know – you know already. But, just THINK – this post means I won’t talk about it anymore!
(Well, pretty much. You know how I am. I might have to refer back to it. And what if there’s an AWARD or something?? Still, for now, this pretty much wraps up this particular book’s debut. She has her dress and her escort. I fully expect her to stay out partying for a LONG time.)
I mentioned last week that we were traveling up to northern Wyoming to visit family. Yes, it’s cold here, with snow and blizzards and so forth. I’ve lost all my Wyoming tough and I don’t miss it. But it’s been a good visit and we’re glad we came. Seeing my father-in-law struggle with his health and fighting the pain meds to string a few thoughts together really brings home how dependent we are on these fragile bodies.
All these things we want to do – books that we want to write or read, places to visit, even bathroom remodeling fantasies – they all depend on the flesh holding out. It makes feeling like I don’t have enough time to write seem pretty silly. We always go through this, the “remember the small blessings” bit, but it’s easy to forget, in the hubub and tumble of all the juggling.
Being thankful here.
//Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Siren-Blood-Currency-ebook/dp/B0095VGRDE/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346942026&sr=1-6
//
Today is the day HUNTING THE SIREN hits the world!
So far you can only buy it on the Ellora’s Cave site here, but they have it in .docx, .zip, .epub, .pdf and .prc, if that’s any consolation. Or you can be patient (I know, I know – not our forte) and wait for it to pop up on the third party retailer sites like Amazon, B&N and ARe.
This story is a follow-up to Feeding the Vampire, which many of you know started with a dream. I was in something like a church basement, badly lit with flickering green fluorescent lights, and I know I’m there because the world is in chaos and there’s nowhere else for me to go. I sat in a circle of folding chairs with a bunch of other people I didn’t know, like a self-help group, and a vampire was sitting across from me. Someone says as how he needs to be fed and I volunteer.
I had to figure out the rest from there. Why the world had ended, why there were suddenly vampires. And so forth.
So, when the lovely and persistent Editor Grace bugged me about a sequel, I had to really think about the what next. I had no convenient dream to draw from this time. I did know about another story, about a woman dealing with this same post-apocalyptic world, but I wasn’t ready to write it yet. Instead, I scanned this world in my mind, which is kind of like being a superhero and flying over the broken and drowning earth, looking for life. I thought maybe people would have survived on the Russian Steppes, since it’s a relatively stable earthquake zone. And there I found my Vampire Queen and her band of Night Riders. I also spotted Kasar, an engineer in Moscow whose noble bloodline serves him well in surviving the fall of the city – and his hike to find his sister. Then my CP, Laura Bickle, got all revved up about furry boots and yurt sex and the story rolled along from there.
This series, officially dubbed the Blood Currency series, because blood is now the major commodity for trade between the unevenly matched and struggling populations of vampires and humans, is a different one for me in that the heroines are not much like me at all. Misty, in Feeding the Vampire, wasn’t terribly well-educated, had no real skills and no confidence in herself. Imogen, my Vampire Queen, is ancient, ruthless and rule with an iron will. Both of them were really fun to write – for totally different reasons.
Will they all meet up someday?
Seems inevitable…
//
When the lovely and talented Laura Bickle made the fabulous book trailer for me, she discovered the ghostly hand in the cover image. Isn’t it kind of cool?
So, I’m kind of at a loss as to what to say today. Rogue’s Pawn is officially out in the world, dancing, twirling and having the best day of her life. All the handsome young reviewers are lined up to give her a little waltz. It’s a giddy feeling.
My friends keep asking if I’m excited and when I say no, they then ask if I’m nervous, I have to say it’s not that either.
Regular readers know this has been a long effort for me. I started writing pieces of this story – absurd little fragments, since I had no idea what I was doing – back in 1995. All those hopes and wishes that started back then gradually built up, creating this huge emotional static charge. I feel like, with the exact right stimulus, I could crack open and release Gwynn’s lightning bolt. I don’t feel anything in particular – just hugely emotional. I imagine this is how it feels to give birth. Or to climb Mt. Everest. (Since *I* will never do either of those things!) This enormous task is suddenly over. You did it. You survived and triumphed.
And then, this morning, there is such an outpouring from my friends – I hadn’t imagined anything like this.
It’s so wonderful to have you all at the ball.
Now let’s hit the champagne!
//
I’m over at Word Whores today, blathering about how Rogue’s Pawn releases tomorrow. Oh, and about the stupidest mistake I made on the path to publication.
And, because I’m promo girl, I’m also over at the LERA blog, talking about what I learned from Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ visit yesterday.
//
I swear Jackson visibly grew while I was away this week.
So, thank you all who signed up for my newsletter! If you haven’t yet, you still can, in the right hand column of the home page. But, for those who did sign up and participated in the contest, the winner is……
The Kev!
He just happens to be my old high school boyfriend, which makes him a long time fan. Clearly the random number generator loves him, too.
Congrats to Kev!
I’m gearing up for a big week next week, since Rogue’s Pawn goes on sale Monday! I may or may not be running around, flapping my hands in the air like a crazy person. David says there’s an acupuncture point for people who want to climb to high places and take off their clothes. I begin to understand the syndrome now…
So, if I’ve been quiet-ish this week, never fear – by the end of next week, you’ll likely be saturated.
And, while I’m at it – thanks to all of you, my loyal friends, family and readers for the support.
Love you all.