Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.
I'm swamped (yeah I know, what's new?) so I'm going to do a rundown of recent stuff!
Like my recent trip to DC for the Romance Writers of America convention.
Highlights of the trip? Well, meeting up with sister quills Stella and Kate for dinner, for one! We were all so bummed that Jayne couldn't join us, and that Susan and Elizabeth didn't make it to the convention, but it was still a blast sitting down and talking, getting to know Kate better, talking quietly with Stella... Wow, they are some lovely, lovely ladies.
And Kate's husband is a lot of fun. I'm glad that Doug came along. Super nice guy! Doh, Kate and I both had cameras but didn't take a photo at dinner. I guess we were enjoying the chit chat too much to think of it. However, I have this photo of Stella and Kate visiting me while the Literacy signing got underway! (Once it started, those two were way to busy signing books to leave their chairs! LOL)
They're each admiring the DVDs my husband and I had made from the last READER AND AUTHOR GET TOGETHER. Super fun stuff! (Some of the stuff from the video is on my website! - http://www.lorifoster.com/fun/videos.php
(psss!!! Aspiring authors - you can see a fantastic MOCK editor pitch between Stella Cameron and my new editor, Margo Lipschultz from HQN. See how it's done by the pros!)
The DVD itself includes video footage of the event overall, so show everyone exactly what it is, plus interviews with agents Karen Solem and Roberta Brown, editors Margo Lipschultz (HQN) and Rose Hilliard (St. Martins) and TEN wonderful interviews with authors, 5 newer authors, 5 established authors - plus a lot of other industry professionals ranging from publicists, reviewers, publishers and more!
If you'd like your very own DVD, you can send me a SASE (with $2 postage to cover shipping) to Lori Foster, P.O. Box 854, Ross OH 45061. We've sent out about 800 DVDs so far to the 300 attendees at the event, and a ton of libraries. But we do have a few hundred left, so get your SASE in the mail, because when they're gone, they're gone! ** Please note that the envelope should be padded, and should be big enough to hold a DVD!!! Back to RWA: Here are some of the lovely ladies who'll be in the next benefit book, "Gift of Love," out June 2010 with proceeds to benefit the Conductive Learning Center, a school for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
Left to right is Heidi Betts (who I met face to face and luv bunches!), Jules Bennet, Gia Dawn, me, Ann Christopher and Helen Kay Dimon! Fantastic ladies, talented authors - all of them!
So you all know me well enough to know I'm not a ceremony person. Nope. Skipped my own graduation and had them mail me the certificate. Had a wedding with like 9 people there, all very informal. I don't enter contests and I despise "dressing up." It's so not me.
Anyhoo... I was asked to present at the Golden Heart ceremony.
And I had to be FIRST! Gads.
Luckily (snicker) Stella was second! There is nothing like a friend during a time of crisis. LOL (Hope Stella doesn't smack me for telling this!)
We were both uber pleased to be able to take part in such a momentus occasion for as yet unpublished authors. Seriously. It was exciting to see the thrill on their faces, and let me tell you, the coordinators of the event did an AMAZING job. But the room was freezing, and I was uncomfortable in my semi-hells... er, I mean heels. ;-) And pantyhose... yeah, don't want to go there again anytime soon.
So during the rehearsal, Stella and I asked if, after we did our presentation, we could sneak away from the ceremony. We were nicely told yes, no problem. We then plotted and planned on our escape. Stella instructed me to be ready. She said, "When I say GO, be ready to go." I was ready. Sort of. We'd each done our bit (did I mention that we were seated front and center, since we were 1st and 2nd?) and the show was very engaging, and I was sort of grinning (and shivering because it was so cold) and Stella said, "GO!"
If ever I need to take over a nation, I want Stella on my side. She's stealthy! She finds secret ways in and out of places. She boldly goes where no conference attendee has dared to go. (Just kidding, of course. That Stella is true pro!)
After we snuck away, we sat for about 2 1/2 hours (or more - who counts when you're having fun?) at Harry's Pub, talking about... everything. And that is another favorite of the convention. In fact, it's THE favorite. Thank you Stella!
Here we are at the ceremony. See, we were happy to be there, and pleased to do our part!
(Stella's oh-so-stunning necklace was picked out and bought by her husband! That man has taste.)
Here I am with two good friends who actually LIKE to dress up for the ceremony! (I swear, I look chubby in that dress.)
Jackie Floyd, me, Toni Blake. Jackie is a longtime friend, and has been nominated numerous times for the Golden Heart! She's an AMAZING writer.
So, yeah, as part of this blog, I guess I should mention the new book. Out of the Light, Into the Shadows is on stands now! I hope you give it a try!
To celebrate the book's release, I'm doing a very easy contest.
Check out the new videos that have just been added on the Lori site – http://www.lorifoster.com/ – and then tell me at 3 of the 7 new videos, and you could win! * Send your replies to: FosterContest@gmail.com – if you send it to any other address, you won’t be entered. ** Put: “August Contest” in the subject header. List the videos in the body of the email. *** The winner will be randomly drawn on August 31st.
So what do you win!? Check it out!
The contest prize package includes all the fun items packed in the “Reader & Writer Get Together” goody bag. (Bag donated by Samhain Publishing, books donated by the publishers!) Plus a T-shirt, hat, pen, magnet, All Romance Ebook calendar (whoo hoo! Filled with photos of sexy guys) and more! So many fun things, I promise you’ll love it!
Here's a fun (and mega quick) video with highlights from the 2009 Reader and Author Get Together!
And here's another quickie video with me discussing the relationship I have with my co-conspirators for the event, Linda Keller and Dianne Castell.
I must mention that I'm thoroughly ticked at the prospect of an entire week of temperatures in the 90's, one or two approaching 100. This is not why I live in the Pacific Northwest, land of perpetual precipitation and I am not amused. Neither is my little Millie. I have to carry her out to do the necessary and if I try to make all six pounds of her walk, she lies down. I've told her that carrying her around a couple of blocks in crippling heat would defeat the purpose, but I know that's what she wants.
Are you a leader or a follower?
This is not a frivolous question. The answer we give--after a great deal of thought, of course--can completely change the way we see ourselves. If you bubble over, jump up and down and shriek "listen to me," from time to time, you're probably either a leader or a potential (and frustrated) leader. If you look at someone who has a red face and curled fists, and words issuing forth like, "What do you mean, you're only one person and you can't do anything about it? What would happen if everyone thought like you?" and look for the nearest bunker, that would make you a follower but only if following doesn't involve risk.
I could drop in a third option--are you passive, blah, disinterested, boring and without an original thought in your head? I won't though because all of us here have brilliant, active, entertaining minds and we take a position, on anything, or on almost nothing at all. Don't we?
What got me thinking about this was a sudden vivid memory of sabotaging a botany expedition by waiting until the teacher and a couple of students (I was 10) got far enough ahead between reeds much higher that all of our heads, then casually setting off in a different direction. The casual bit is really important to pulling these things off. I just sort of wandered to the right and the rest of the gabbling girls didn't notice they were now following me rather than our fearless leader. The following confusion, and the rapid way that class seemed to pass while everyone looked for everyone else, was a thing of beauty I've obviously never forgotten it. I wasn't bad, just curious--and maybe bored.
That was so childish of me:) That's one of the beauties of being a child, you're allowed to be childish sometimes.
But I will follow people I trust. I take the opinions of those I respect very seriously. My fellow Quills are an extremely bright and innovative lot and when they speak, I listen. I may not always agree, but I consider what they say, just as I consider what all of you out there write to us. I'm always saying this, but I love reading the posts.
But then, I think at heart I may, just may be a leader. That's a kind way of saying I could be opinionated. Probably not though, I'm just passionate.
That's enough twaddle from me. Are you a leader or a follower or something in between? Do you have specific areas that light your fuse, or topics that are strictly ho-hum? C'mon, we're all friends here. Tell us some inner secret about your personality.
Well, I was all set to write about my week in Washington DC for the RWA National conference, and then my editor sent me the cover art for DemonFire, and every brilliant word left my head...even the not so brilliant ones! I’m absolutely thrilled with the new cover—it actually fits my concept of the hero and heroine, and other than a tattoo of a dragon that should be a snake, it’s perfect!
This is my very first mass market paranormal romance. It’s not erotic, which means it’s going to show up in grocery stores and WalMart and Target—all the places people go to buy books. I had so much fun writing this story--Dax is a really different hero for me. He's a fallen demon, too good for hell so he gets kicked out and is hired by the good guys to fight demons on earth. Unfortunately, he's only got seven days before his borrowed body disappears into the void. This poor guy has more issues than any hero deserves-he's fallen in love, which is not a good thing when you have the lifespan of a moth, and there's this cursed tattoo that runs from his upper thigh to just over his heart that keeps coming to life. The problem is, it's a tattoo of a snake and it's intent on killing Dax. The only one who appears to have any control over the thing is Eddy Marks, the woman Dax has fallen in love with. It’s her task to keep the curse under control so Dax can fight the demons. Eddy and Dax aren’t in this alone, though. They’ve got Eddy’s dad, and Willow, a tiny will o’ the wisp who feeds power to Dax. Then there’s Bumper, a dog that’s a cross between a pit bull and a poodle, and Alton.
Alton’s a Lemurian from a lost city deep within Mount Shasta. The mountain is a vortex that the demons are using for passage from hell to earth, and Alton joins Dax, Eddy, her dad, Ed, Bumper and Willow in the fight against the demons. Obviously, this series isn’t nearly as dark as my Wolf Tales, though the action is fast and furious and the relationship between Eddy and Dax is off the charts. If you’d like to read an excerpt, I’ve got the first chapter posted at http://www.katedouglas.com/id51.htm. The book doesn’t even come out until March 2010 and I’m already freaking out, waiting for it to release....I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long eight months...
And back to RWA—I’ve got a few photos posted, mostly of our travels around Washington DC. It was my first trip, and while I spent most of the time at the conference, I did sneak out for a couple of days to tour the city with my husband. It was really fun. As one of my friends described it, Washington DC is the ultimate grown-ups theme park. She’s absolutely right—and the best things are free!
As long as I can remember, I've peeked at the ending of books to make sure everything will turn out all right. Well, not novels where it'll totally wreck the suspense element. But when it comes to relationships, I want to make sure the hero/heroine I'm rooting for are going to get their Happily Ever After.
And, yes, I know that's the reader expectation in a romance. At least in my head, I know it. But in my always messy emotional center--well, let's just say I'm not convinced. It doesn't matter that I write the things myself--what if the always mysterious "They" went and changed the rules and forgot to send me the memo? What then, huh? I'd feel robbed, I'm telling ya, robbed.
So I peek. And peekers pay five, my Auntie Jean always said when we played her favorite game: Seven Card No Peek. If that's true in book reading as well as poker, then I've racked up a sizable debt.
But I guess I'll just have to live with it. Not only live with it but (Auntie Jean) probably add to it. Because I don't see myself failing to read that last page any time soon.
How 'bout you? Do you cheat and grab a peek?Or do you sail from start to finish without ever giving in to that temptation?
JAYNE OPENS THE ARCANE MUSEUM AND INTERVIEWS THE ARTIST WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE
The wait is over! This week we opened the Arcane Society Museum at my website. It was a huge project many months in the making but I am thrilled with the way it turned out. There's even a really cool gift shop.
My webmaster, Cissy Hartley (Writerspace), and Sheri of Purple Papaya, an agency that specializes in bringing authors and readers together, worked as a team to transform the vision of an Arcane museum into a reality. The first step in the process was to find an artist who could create artifacts that, until now, have existed only in my head and in the books. Thanks to Purple Papaya, we found Sang Han of threepeasoup.com. He is here today to give us a look behind the scenes from the artist's point of view.
JAK: What was your first thought when Sheri at Purple Papaya asked you to create fictional artifacts for the fictional online museum of a fictional secret paranormal society?
SANG HAN: I loved the idea! It was interesting, and unique. I wanted to be part of the museum as soon as possible.
JAK: When did you decide to become an artist and what is your background in that field?
SANG HAN: When I was a kid, I found my mom’s old still life paintings in a closet. I became intrigued and fascinated with the world of art. I slowly realized that I wanted to become an artist. When I finished college, I wanted to try my hand at all kinds of art, from cartoons to still life paintings. I am learning new things everyday and in the process having a great time.
JAK: When you created the artifacts all you had to work with was the written descriptions that I provided in the Arcane Society novels. In most cases I never had a clear, visual image of the objects because I don’t think in visual terms. How did you approach projects like the Tarasov Camera and Sylvester Jones’s strongbox when the author, herself, wasn’t sure what they looked like?
SANG HAN: That was the hardest part of creating the artifacts. I wanted to stay true to your vision and description. The biggest help was research. I looked up hundreds of pictures of old cameras and strongboxes. From there I sketched several different ideas and concepts and incorporated your descriptions. It was a tough but very rewarding process.
JAK: Along the way you had to deal with a lot of comments and feedback not only from the author (me) but from Cissy who was tasked with creating the Museum and from Sheri who managed the whole project. Tell me the truth, was it a royal pain trying to satisfy the clients when they all had such strong opinions?
SANG HAN: Haha. I did have some days where repainting artifacts and making fixes from feedback was tough. But turning in a piece of art after many revisions and hard work that satisfied Jayne, Cissy, and Sheri gave me a really good feeling and sense of accomplishment that made up for the whole process.
JAK: You're being very diplomatic. I get the picture! Ahem. Moving right along, there is an online Museum Shop attached to the Arcane Society Museum. How does it feel to see some of your artifacts on coffee mugs and aprons?
SANG HAN: I am very excited. I want to get a coffee mug and put it up on my work station as a memento.
JAK: In addition to projects like the Arcane artifacts, what other kinds of art commissions do you accept and how can people contact you?
SANG HAN: I accept all kinds of commissions if my style is suited to the task. You can contact me best through email. han@threepeasoup.com
JAK: I am absolutely thrilled with the objects that you have created for the Museum. There will soon be new artifacts to design as the Arcane Society series continues. I’m hoping to include at least one object from each book. Please tell me that you’re willing to continue as the official artist for the Arcane Society Museum.
SANG HAN: I would love to be a part of Arcane Society anyway I can.
JAK: Thanks for being with us today and for making the Arcane Museum a reality. I have already heard from a great many readers who have loved the experience of touring the collections. I know there will be many, many more visitors to the Museum in the future as it grows and adds new artifacts. Your talent has brought my vision to life and I appreciate it more than I can say.
Hey all, I was off to RWA until today (Sunday), so I THOUGHT I had this blog set to go up on Friday, but... yeah, I goofed and forgot to publish it. Sorry! Here it is late - some promo videos for upcoming August books.
The first one is a video interview shot during the "Reader and Author Get Together." Yup, I know I look a little haggard. It was a mega busy weekend!
The video is only 90 seconds long, and includes a quick rundown ofOUT OF THE LIGHT, INTO THE SHADOW, and SERVANT: THE KINDRED, withBACK IN BLACK(which isn't out till Feb!)tossed in for fun.
OUT OF THE LIGHT, INTO THE SHADOW blurbs:
Romance novella, HAVE MERCY: Wyatt Reyes is hiding some very dark secrets from his past by making some very grand business plans for his future. Long ago he ruled out the prospect of marriage. But when Mercedes Jardine professes her love, rules become harder to follow. With her circumstances drastically changed, Mercedes is determined to have it all, and that includes Wyatt’s hand in marriage. Trusting in love alone isn’t easy when she has more than herself to think about. Mercy needs a solid plan for her future. No matter what it takes, she has to convince Wyatt that a future together will be worth breaking his rules.
Urban Fantasy novella, TOTAL CONTROL: For centuries, males in the Jardine family have been born with a gift: they can sense, capture and manipulate the emotions of others. Such a talent comes with grave responsibility, and the Jardine men, working with high-level government officials, have been given immunity to tame the more psychotic edges of society.Only a very special woman would be able to match such a powerful male. When Brax Jardine realizes that Cameo Smithson can somewhat withstand his influence on her emotions, he’s more than intrigued. He’s in love. Since meeting her, he’s wanted Cameo, but settling down into a monogamous relationship isn’t easy for the Jardine men. They “feed” off the ultimate, mind-numbing release of sexual activity, using it to counter the corrosive influence of darker animus. Without a woman to soften the edges, a Jardine male starts losing his sanity. Only when the right woman is found can a Jardine male stop carousing and settle for true love. Brax already knows that Cameo loves him, but will her love be enough for her to face his horrific battles with inhumanity, and the carnal demands he’ll put on her in the bedroom?
This video is a fantastic book trailer made as a gift for me from Nini, a very talented woman who reads my SERVANT series. The very-cool music is original from CORVO; www.corvo-music.com.
SERVANT: The Kindred blurb:
In the 3rd installment of the Servant series, Gabrielle Cody finds herself living with super-detective Luther Cross, while also hunting a deranged killer who wants to be a vampire. Blood drained bodies are left in the wake of a murdering spree. Because the homeless, transient and addicted are targeted, it makes it very difficult for Luther and the rest of the police force to track down the villain.
But for Gaby, finding the psychopath is only a small part of the difficulty. This lunatic knows Gaby, in some ways better than she knows herself.
Is it possible a long lost relative has located her? With family ties involved, and Luther’s nearness interfering with her perception of evil, Gaby is up for her biggest challenge – both as a paladin, and a woman experiencing the first hint of love.
And just for fun, here's my cover for BACK IN BLACK. (Did I share this with you already? Can't remember.)
SBC president Drew Black is as controversial as they come. But the hot-headed entrepreneur is a perfect match for his popular sports club venture: uncompromising and extreme. Maybe too extreme. With a reputation for saying what he thinks, Drew’s been causing a lot of friction. That’s why someone’s been called in to clean up his image--before he does any permanent damage.
The lucky lady is Gillian Noode, a PR expert who’s smoothed out the rough edges on many a man. But Drew is rougher than anyone she’s ever met, and he refuses to change for any woman, for any reason. To make matters more complicated, Gillian’s starting to like him raw.
Now, opposites aren’t only attracting, they’re igniting. But in the rising heat, which one of them will end up on top?
So to help me keep YOU, the reader, informed on upcoming books, which do you like best: videos that show the author in an interview format, or a video strictly for entertaining, like a book trailer?
What do you like to see on an author's website: book lists, blurbs, excepts, covers, author photos, etc..?
We all know what I'm doing this weekend (hanging out at RWA in DC) but what are you up to?
I'll be checking the posts off and on as time permits! I hope you're having as much fun as I am!
The End. The End. The End. I love those two little words. Too bad they usually mean I will revise the story many times more before I "sleep."
COURT OF ANGELS 2, OUT OF MIND, is with my editor and I am, of course, mentally rewriting the entire book--again. I wake up with half-formed notions about huge gaps in my logic but fortunately they seem to prove totally irrational when my eyes are completely open.
Letting go of a story happens to me in stages. As I gallop toward the end I'm exhilarated, giddy and full of optimistic delight. Boy, am I brilliant and is everyone going to love this story. There will be legions of the depressed who read this book and are instantly lifted from their unhappiness. After all, I'm an entertainer so that's my job, to make people laugh. But then, I've been known to shed a bunch of tears while I'm writing. But never mind, think of all the readers who will fill their pockets with tissues and have a thoroughly good time releasing all that pent up tension. Crying is good for us, good for our blood pressure. And the sexy love story is deep, dramatic, sometimes giggly, sometimes so tense I, at least, can hardly breathe. There is the sensual pull between the characters and sometimes a measure of the forbidden, perhaps a little experimentation or naughtiness--perish the thought:) Last but pretty big potato stuff, the mystery, the intrigue, in the case of COURT OF ANGELS, the battle for New Orleans between the evil Embran and New Orleans' psi families. Who is who and what is what? Is that good guy really a good guy? It's easy to recognize a villain with bleeding eyeballs, slime-dripping teeth, blackoned talons and yells of, "You will die, painfully, slowly, and you will beg for mercy." But not so easy when the nasty one resembles the handsome man next door who loves dogs and helps little old ladies across the street.
Boy, am I blathering on. This is what happens with some people when you given them a blank screen and permission to write what they like.
All of that was part of my first stage of letting go at the end of a book. All elements come under intense scrutiny and there are inevitable times when I'm convinced I've really screwed up this time.
Next there is the, "What the hell, I did my best," phase. I get a bit truculent then, and might be bombastic if confronted--about anything. Unfortunately this ostrich stage has never hung on for more than a couple of days before the really serious questions set in, such earth shattering inner examinations as, "Can I actually write at all?" "What made me think this story was a good idea?" and, "I'd better get the thing back, maybe I'll pull it altogether."
The real revision comes next. My editor reads, we talk at length, I get so exciting at the prospect of jumping back in to incorporate the good ideas and reword the murky areas. When I'm done with this I truly feel a sense of peace--I'm happy for, er, a few hours. Nope, I'm exaggerating there. When I feel I've done all I can, I relax and try to see the story as an accomplishment. Lo those many years ago when I was writing my first book, just to see if I could really do it at all, I eventually wrote, The End and was amazed. The feat had been pulled off. Even if the book was a travesty, I'd written it.
Q.So why is it that however many books later this is, I still go through the same horrors? Any ideas.
Hugs, Stella
PS: I read every comment made for every blog on Quills and I learn from what is written. In addition, I am warmed by the openness, intelligence and objectivity I find here. Thanks to all of you.
I just finished writing the nineteenth story in a continuing series, (big sigh of relief here!!!) and I've been thinking about a pivotal scene I wrote in Wolf Tales 10, between an ongoing character and a new one—my über alpha and pack leader, Anton Cheval and Liana, the goddess who was supposed to watch over the Chanku, but who failed at her job so badly she was kicked out of her immortal realm. Now she's forced to learn how to live as a mortal woman.
During the interaction between Anton and Liana, I found myself slipping into their dialogue almost as if I were channeling two real people. I knew exactly what Anton would say because I've been writing his lines now for five years, but everything that came out of Liana's mouth was a surprise. I learned more about her during their conversation than when I originally developed the character, while with Anton, the fact that his responses were exactly what I expected gave me a deep sense of satisfaction.
And of course, this made me think about how many of us write an ongoing series. I think all of the Quills have written or are writing a continuing series—I just read Stella's Cyprus Nights and definitely need to hunt for more of her stories set in Toussaint, LA, loved Elizabeth's Blue Smoke and Murder and I want more about the folks at St. Kilda's Consulting. I'm doing better with Susan's latest—after reading Cutting Loose, I was on the lookout for Bending the Rules and read that one last night. It's wonderful, by the way and I'll be watching for the next one. And of course, anyone who gets my newsletter has heard me rave about Jayne's Arcane Society stories—so cool to connect the concept through three different series under three separate pseudonyms! Every one's a keeper, and I'm always on the lookout for the next. Lori's done a number of connected books—I think I have just about every book she's written, though her fighters are among my favorites, (I loved Causing Havoc!) but then, so are her books as L.L. Foster—and once I read one, I HAVE to have all the others.
My husband made an interesting observation tonight. He said when he reads a stand alone novel, he's almost always depressed when he finishes because he's got an investment in the characters, and when the book is done, it's like the time he invested in getting to know them is lost. (Of course, he doesn't read romances, and that's probably why he's depressed when the book ends, but we don't need to get into THAT argument!) For me it's the continuity, the fact that the settings, the characters, the world the author creates, are familiar and in many ways comforting.
I love getting to know characters, watching them evolve and change as the stories progress. My Wolf Tales lead character, Anton Cheval, for instance, is not a perfect man, yet he's one who will readily admit his failings and always strives to do better. When he really screws up, we all know that his beloved Keisha will straighten him out. I've been surprised by the number of notes I've gotten from readers who want to see more of Anton, which makes me wonder what it is about reading stories with an ongoing character. What is it that keeps your interest?
Is it the familiarity, or maybe the connection to a particular character that makes you want to know more about their fictional lives? Of course, therein lies the problem—after writing about Anton for the past five years, he's become more flesh and blood than I ever expected. He and Stefan and their mates, Keisha and Xandi, are old friends to me now, and with each new character I've added to the series, I see the circle growing wider until I have familiar voices and faces staring at me each time I sit down to write. Is this a good thing or bad? Each one of them is an individual to me, but am I kidding myself to think that the same characters will continue to hold reader interest?
Is there a point where a series gets too long? My publisher keeps asking for more in the same world, and I'm wondering if that's a good thing or not? So far the demand for more books is holding, but at what point is enough enough? Of course, I'm convinced I'll need therapy when Wolf Tales ends—but I don't want to make my readers crazy, along with me!
Anyway, totally off topic but kind of on—here's the newer cover for my next Wolf Tales. We've officially lost the Roman Numerals and gone to Arabic, but I think this is one of the best covers I've had so far and I really wanted to share!
And, for any of you in the Washington, DC area, the RWA National conference will be held there next week. A bunch of us will be signing books Wednesday night July 15 at the Marriott Wardman Hotel from 5:30-7:30—Jayne, Lori, Stella and Susan—right? (And if I'm wrong, please correct me!) and a few hundred others of our closest author friends...
One of the things I like reading in books of an author whose work I admire is the dedication page. It doesn't matter that I don't know the people it's dedicated to--I simply enjoy that peek into a slice of her life. And one of my favorite parts of my own books, right up there tromping on the heels of writing The End, is dedicating them to the ones that I--sing it with me!--la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-LOVE. So many friends and family have supported me and my career, so many industry folks helped me make my books better--and this is the smallest way I can repay them. (a few of those to whom I dedicate)
What do you guys think of dedications? Do you find them interesting or simply skim them since you don't really know the dedicees anyway?
Woo-hoo! It's that time of year again -- Dust Bunny Video Time! I know what you're thinking, who cares about the next book in my Jayne Castle Harmony series --which just happens to be OBSIDIAN PREY, Aug. 25, by the way -- show us the new dust bunny! Fine. Check him out in the new video below. His name is Vincent.
As always, the bunny star is real, another one of Betty Chu's gorgeous, champion English Angora rabbits. You can see more images on her home page
Thanks, again, to that dynamic duo, Cissy Hartley (Writerspace) and romantic-suspense author Paula Gravesfor another spectacular video.
Now: Calling Friends of Fallon Jones (assuming he actually has any): There's a rumor that Fallon is now on Twitter. Turns out he's the only investigator in Scargill Cove so, even though he's got his hands full dealing with the big Nightshade conspiracy, he still gets some local walk-in cases. Evidently he is going to micro-blog those small-town investigations on Twitter. You can check it out on http://www.twitter.com/ArcaneSociety
As usual, I'm going to sprinkle this blog with photos.
On June 30th, it was my and hubby's 31st wedding anniversary. Nope, we didn't celebrate. I had a book due, so I spent the day writing, writing, writing and was rewarded with FINALLY being done. Sending that puppy off was about the best gift I could have gotten.
Hubby spent the day with our youngest who opened his own barbershop that day. Pretty cool, huh? More rewarding than anything else, is seeing my kids do well.
We did squeak in time for a few movies and dinner out with friends a few days after the fact. The thing is, we've been an item since we were 17 years old, and now we're 50 and a 1/2. LOL
Not to be mushy or overly dramatic, but we're so good together, an anniversary can't really be any more special than the day before or the day after.
That's a photo of us a few years after we married. Still so young - my face is super-round and my husband has all his hair! ---------->
A good example of how he cares for me in special ways for no reason at all... I was running late on this book, right? Mega stress for me. The whole deal of switching publishers and leaving one book half finished to start over on a new book that would tie up the SBC series before leaving Berkley, really put me a crunch. No one's fault, just a reality.
Hubby knows I write better when I'm off at a quiet RV park without distractions, so there we went. My favorite local spot is on a big lake, but also with a nice pool and a sandy beach. We parked in the woods for the sake of privacy. The weather was gorgeous and no one bothered me.
But with 3 cats at home, I would have felt guilty - except that Allen drove back and forth (a smidge over an hour) each day. He'd have breakfast with me, then pack up his stuff and go to the house to check on the cats and visit with them, then off to the gym (he goes daily) and then he'd pick up an early supper and be back with me by 4pm. We spent most evenings walking and swimming and I managed about 47 pages in 3 days. Not too bad!
My husband does all kinds of special things for me, like bringing me home flowers for no reason at all. Or making a phone call to a pesky relative so I don't have to. LOL. He makes the bed in the morning, fixes my coffee each night and sets the timer so it's ready when I wake up - and he doesn't even drink coffee! Best of all, I know when I'm not around, he babies my littlest dog (who is now an old man with lots of issues) the same way I would.
<---- That's a picture of us at Kings Island when we were still teenagers. My God, we look like babies! LOL And now that I'm older, I think we pretty much were. We met the 3rd day of our sophomore year of HS, and I knew he was the one.
What about you? How did you and your significant other meet?
Is there anything special that your husband does for you? A special way that you celebrate the important times?
Feel free to share one of your fondest memories, maybe something he did that really meant a lot to you.
I have too many of those stories to share, and have probably told you all of them already. :-) But I'd love to hear yours!
Readers often say they wish they could meet heroes like the ones in my books. Well, they might not look like my guy, but at heart, where it matters, they're *all* him.
I'm looking forward to another 31 years!
Happy upcoming 4th of July to all of you! Be safe, and have fun!
Good morning, my flowers:)
Are you a leader or a follower?
This is my very first mass market paranormal romance. It’s not erotic, which means it’s going to show up in grocery stores and WalMart and Target—all the places people go to buy books. I had so much fun writing this story--Dax is a really different hero for me. He's a fallen demon, too good for hell so he gets kicked out and is hired by the good guys to fight demons on earth. Unfortunately, he's only got seven days before his borrowed body disappears into the void. This poor guy has more issues than any hero deserves-he's fallen in love, which is not a good thing when you have the lifespan of a moth, and there's this cursed tattoo that runs from his upper thigh to just over his heart that keeps coming to life. The problem is, it's a tattoo of a snake and it's intent on killing Dax. The only one who appears to have any control over the thing is Eddy Marks, the woman Dax has fallen in love with. It’s her task to keep the curse under control so Dax can fight the demons. Eddy and Dax aren’t in this alone, though. They’ve got Eddy’s dad, and Willow, a tiny will o’ the wisp who feeds power to Dax. Then there’s Bumper, a dog that’s a cross between a pit bull and a poodle, and Alton.
JAK: When you created the artifacts all you had to work with was the written descriptions that I provided in the Arcane Society novels. In most cases I never had a clear, visual image of the objects because I don’t think in visual terms. How did you approach projects like the Tarasov Camera and Sylvester Jones’s strongbox when the author, herself, wasn’t sure what they looked like?
JAK: Along the way you had to deal with a lot of comments and feedback not only from the author (me) but from Cissy who was tasked with creating the Museum and from Sheri who managed the whole project. Tell me the truth, was it a royal pain trying to satisfy the clients when they all had such strong opinions?
The End. The End. The End. I love those two little words. Too bad they usually mean I will revise the story many times more before I "sleep."
Is there a point where a series gets too long? My publisher keeps asking for more in the same world, and I'm wondering if that's a good thing or not? So far the demand for more books is holding, but at what point is enough enough? Of course, I'm convinced I'll need therapy when Wolf Tales ends—but I don't want to make my readers crazy, along with me!
On June 30th, it was my and hubby's 31st wedding anniversary. Nope, we didn't celebrate. I had a book due, so I spent the day writing, writing, writing and was rewarded with FINALLY being done. Sending that puppy off was about the best gift I could have gotten.
That's a photo of us a few years after we married. Still so young - my face is super-round and my husband has all his hair! ---------->
<---- That's a picture of us at Kings Island when we were still teenagers. My God, we look like babies! LOL And now that I'm older, I think we pretty much were. We met the 3rd day of our sophomore year of HS, and I knew he was the one. 
