Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year!

It's New Year's Eve and I'm excited. I'm really looking forward to 2009 for a lot of different reasons. Here are a few:

1)My debut book RESCUE ME will be released April 28. WooHoo! Then, RETURN TO ME will be released on May 19 and RUN TO ME on June 23. Triple yay!!!

2)I sold another trilogy in my Last Chance Rescue series, which means I'll be writing three books in 2009. Another triple yay!!!

3)I'm hopeful that the economy will turn around in 2009. This has been a tough year for so many people. Fingers crossed that the new year will bring stability and renewed optimism.

4)I love new beginnings. That's probably one of the reasons I so enjoy starting a new book. New beginnings are uncluttered by the past. That's what a new year is to me. Like a fresh fallen snow, it's pristine and sparkling bright, full of wonderful promise and hope for a better everything.

There are many more reasons I'm looking forward to the new year...too many to list. How about you? What are you looking forward to in 2009?

I wish everyone a peaceful, prosperous and happy new year. May all your dreams come true!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Happy Holidays!

It's almost Christmas! Don't you just love seeing the happiness and excitement on everyone's face this time of year? People of every age turn into children. Ripping into presents, laughing at silly jokes and eating way too much. It's my favorite holiday.

Okay, yes, there are a few Grinchs out there, but even they can be softened up with a bright smile or a kind word. Things that don't cost a thing and can often make a big difference.

Even though these are tough economic times and many people are stressed and worried about the future, this is a wonderful time to sit back and count your blessings. I hope you're able to take some time and do that.

Also, in between the hustle and bustle of the busy season, I hope you have time to sit down and read a good book. There are lots of wonderful ones out there and this is the perfect weather to stay inside, drink a cup of hot tea or cocoa, curl up with your honey or your pets and enjoy a great read.

As for me...I received the galleys for RETURN TO ME. Yay! So red pen in hand, I'm going to curl up for a bit of revising and reading of my own.

Until next time, stay safe, keep warm and enjoy the beauty of the season!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

WooHoo! Exciting News!

I'm doing back flips and cartwheels. Yesterday I sold another back to back romantic suspense trilogy to Ballantine! Tentative release dates are July, August and September 2010.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to continue my Last Chance Rescue series with three more books. Two LCR operatives introduced in the first trilogy will have their own stories. The third operative is just now introducing herself to me. That's one of the things I love most about writing. I get to meet these amazing people in my mind and they let me get acquainted with them a little at a time.

Galleys for RETURN TO ME will be arriving around December 22 and line and copy edits of RUN TO ME in early 2009. And in between that, I'm continuing to work on my new series.

I'm a little behind but I'm finally getting into the holiday spirit. Shopping is almost done, which I can barely believe since I'm the worst procrastinator on Christmas shopping. I think one of the reasons I'm so far ahead is because I made the decision that most of the gifts I'll give this year will be books. My small contribution to support the publishing industry. And since I love hanging out in bookstores, shopping has been a true pleasure.

There is one gift I didn't buy at a bookstore that I'm very excited about. I can't tell you what it is because my husband reads my blog and I don't want him to know what I got him. I usually have at least one gift like that each year. One that I'm so excited and anxious to give, I can barely wait for Christmas.

How about you? Do you have a gift you're excited about giving away this year? Go ahead and share. I won't tell!

Friday, November 28, 2008

A Busy Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving and you were able to take some time out, count your blessings and give thanks.

My Thanksgiving was a busy one. I finished the galleys for RESCUE ME and mailed them out today. Yay! Next up are line and copy edits for RUN TO ME and galleys for RETURN TO ME. In between, I'm still working toward finishing another manuscript before the end of the year. I'm busy girl and I'm loving it!

My website has a few new items. My covers have been added! Aren't they pretty? I think they're still be tweaked a bit, but I just couldn't wait to put them up. Cover flats were sent to me a couple of weeks ago and I have to tell you, that as pretty as they look on the screen, they're even prettier on paper. I can't wait to see them in bookstores!

Soon I hope to add an excerpt from RESCUE ME. Something that'll tickle your curiosity and hopefully have you looking forward to reading the book. Release date is April 28, 2009, but you can pre-order if you like. The entire trilogy can now be pre-ordered!

Until next time, stay warm and read a romance. It'll put a glow in your heart and a smile on your face!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Covers, Revisions, Edits and Galleys


November turned into a busy month. I was finishing up some revisions on RUN TO ME, the third book in my trilogy, when line and copy edits came for RETURN TO ME, the second book and galleys for RESCUE ME, the first book in the trilogy. Had to kick it up a notch!

So I got my revisions sent in, then locked myself up for a few days to do my edits. Sent those in last week and now I'm working on my galleys. And I think more galleys are coming in a few days. Wow, this is getting really real. But I'm loving it!

In between, I'm trying to finish up another book before the end of the year. This is the first book in a new trilogy. Same organization, Last Chance Rescue, but new hero and heroine. So far, this is the most emotional book I've written. Parts of it are really tugging at my heart. Hopefully someday, you'll get to read it and you can let me know if you feel the same way.

My covers are almost ready and I'm working on getting them added to my website. Till then, here's a sneak peek at RESCUE ME, my first book. I love it!

Till next time, stay warm and read lots of books!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Welcome and a Little Bit About Me

Since this is my first post for my site, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself. I am a writer. That's me in a nutshell. I love to create characters and drama in my head and then spill it out onto the page. It's not always that easy though. Sometimes the spill is more like a drip...drip than anything else, but I love it all.

Before I started writing in 2001, my first love was books. Almost from the time I could walk, I have loved becoming immersed in the written word. I devoured Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys and all the children's classics. As a teen, I found romance. Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers and Laurie McBain opened my eyes and I discovered a whole new world. In college, I veered toward Stephen King and John Grisham. Then, romance tugged at my heart again and I'm so glad it did!

I live in Alabama with my incredibly supportive husband and two precious but spoiled canines. At one time, I had a career with a major insurance company but decided corporate life just wasn't for me. A couple of years after that, after devouring a book a day, I decided to see if those characters running around in my head would tell me their story. And boy, did they!

Writing can be a solitary endeavor, so when I discovered like-minded people through Romance Writers of America, I was thrilled. I love this organization and all they do to promote the romance genre and its authors.

It took four manuscripts, numerous rejections and almost six years, but on June 5, 2007, I accepted representation from my dream agent. And on July 19, 2007, she sold my romantic suspense trilogy to Ballantine, my dream publisher! Yes, dreams definitely do come true.

My books will be released back to back in May, June and July 2009. Covers are in the works right now and I hope to be able to share them soon. In the meantime, all three books can be pre-ordered from Random House, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Borders, if you feel so inclined. Or you can purchase the first one, RESCUE ME, beginning April 28 wherever books are sold.

I hope you stop by often to visit and read my blog. I'll do my best to blog once a week and keep you informed of what's going on in the journey toward my publication date. Feel free to leave a comment or ask questions. I may not know the answer, but I'll do my best.

Till then, thanks for stopping by. Now, go curl up with a good book!