Next Leg of the Journey

I've been very bad about posting of late, but the journey has kept me incredibly busy!

ARC or Advance Readers Copies

I've always made my own, printed them landscape and they're set up like an open book you might hold. I always used comb bindings for them. I'd created some and was mailing them out to various reviewers and booksellers. THEN it happened, I got REAL ARCs from Berkley it was SOOOO cool. So now I've been sending them out to different folks, hoping they'll read and review/recommend Kismet to others.

Book Two of the Order of the Sicari Series

The book is turned in and we've given it a name. Now that sounds almost like I gave birth doesn't. Well if it had been a live birth, it could be equated to birthing a 10pd baby WITHOUT an epidural. *sigh* Anyway, the book is called Assassin's Heart. I got to pick it this time, but that's because I presented a logical argument for it.

1. Book 1 is called Assassin's Honor so it sort of seems to fit that the 2nd book would encompass the Assassin piece, and the fact that Honor and Heart both have 5 letters and start with an H seemed like Kismet. *grin*
   
   
2. Heart is really appropriate to the book because the hero is a half-breed and his loved ones keep telling him that his heart is Sicari
   
   
3. Finally, as a friend pointed out after reading the book. Assassin's Heart has a dark, edgy, yet romantic feel to it. My editor agreed

Oh, and I just realized, I never posted my most AWESOMENESS! cover for book 1 in the Order of the Sicari. The hero has BEN AFLECK's jaw! Dreamy, dreamy, dreamy.

Advertising

I am getting knee deep in promo now as well as ordering advertising. Not solely for Kismet though as most people might think. I'm working on trying to get advertising for next fall in the RWR, and I just scheduled a full page ad (jointly with the wonderful Emma Wilds) for this coming May. Not to mention the other advertising I've been organizing that's starting to reach out to next Sep and Oct. The bucks are starting to add up, but at least it's a tax write off. With the economy the way it is, getting notice takes money, and the publisher limits its advertising, so it's up to me. I did hire a publicist to help with getting mailings done, and organizing some signings as well as getting my name and ARCs in front of booksellers. LeeAnn works hard, so I think I'll see great benefit for my money.

New Book

I have a proposal for a new historical due December 1st. I've got maybe one chapter done. I HATE it (the book and the deadline). I'm not sure whether it's switching from a paranormal back to a historical or if I'm a little burnt out. It's been a crazy 12 months, and I think it's going to get worse before it gets better.

What Else????

When working under deadlines, it's important to take care of one's self. I started walking again, despite the foot injury I suffered last year. I've stubbornly put off going to the doc about it, mainly because my gut says it will possibly involved surgery. I can't afford that...time or money wise...right now.

I've only been able to read VERY little, but I did get to devour Michelle Moran's Cleopatra's Daughter. I might have mentioned it here before, but I'll say it again. DAMN! It was a great book. Historical fiction just the way I like it. I've also been reading page by page, Isabo Kelley's The Promise of Kierna' Rhoan. It's sci-fi romance, the first I've ever read, and I'm loving it!! Isabo has a wonderful voice.

Finally

I'm getting REALLY excited about Kismet, although I confess that I waffle back and forth about the book and how it will be received by readers. I'm not too worried about reviews, because those are always a toss up and one opinion won't influence sales of the book that much, BUT...if enough reviewers LOVE the book and rave about it, then that will influence sales. Word of mouth is everything in this business.

How to Come Up With a Blog Post

I had two thirds of a post written. Twice.

The first one was same old, same old.

The second one was stuffy and uninteresting.

The third one paused after I wrote those three lines and then got all distracted by 15 other things. I went back to my NaNoWriMo book, wrote a few hundred words, then BLAMMO. There it was.

Behold, the workings of a writer's mind!

This writer, anyway.

I have a basic idea for this book, with a few characters, a blurb-worthy premise, and absolutely nothing of substance. So I'm writing along, introducing new, unimportant characters (Hello, Mr. Woolthen, disapproving history teacher!). Jumping ahead in the day, then realizing I should establish more of the relationship with the boyfriend before I get to the best friend again, and the first incident.

So my heroine is going through her day. A weird headache crops up. That's good, foreshadowing the changes she's about to endure. She goes to the library for study hall. What should she be studying for her senior English final?

I Google "senior English Shakespeare," 'cause everyone does Shakespeare, right? Yep, Hamlet seems to be pretty common for senior English.

I Google "Hamlet soliloquy" and get the "to be or not to be" and skim it for a couple of lines I can reference, just for flavor. Scene setting. Realistic detail. I decided on "And makes us rather bear those ills we have/Than fly to others that we know not of?"

And then she gets hit with something weird, like a premonition or epiphany she can't understand.

And then it hits me: This is it. The theme of the book. I knew it, kind of, but I hadn't articulated it. I've set her up to be someone who doesn't fit her life, who feels like everything is unreal, and then she's going to find out why. But the Hamlet lines made me realize she's going to have to make a choice, not just accept this new reality because it is the way it is and it explains why she's always felt the way she has. She'll face danger, to herself and her friends, and an uncertain future, and problems she can't even fathom, and is going to have to decide whether to bear those ills she has, even if they don't fit her, or fly to other ills she can't predict.

And "fly" even fits in a different metaphorical sense, plus a physical one. Awesome!

God, I love being a writer.

FREE READ FOR KINDLE OWNERS!!!!

Beginning Monday, November 2, 2009, Amazon is offering BOUND FOR THE HOLIDAYS as a free read until November 9, 2009 for all Kindle owners. To get your free Kindle copy click here.

Blurb:

An invitation too hot to pass up.

Angela Clarke finds herself bound for the holidays, literally. Not by one, but two gorgeous men—a powerful executive and one sexy cowboy.

Angie expected to spend Christmas alone, not in the arms of her new boss after the office party. Their attraction is hot enough to melt ice, and his wicked promises alluring. What he’s offering she has only fantasized about.

To her surprise, the night not only involves silk scarves and a set of handcuffs, but one tall dark cowboy.

Ryan Tyler has never thought twice about sharing his women with his best friend—until Ryan touches Angie. She stirs something deep inside him. But it’s too late to stop the decadent night from unfolding. What starts as hot sex with a warm, willing woman turns into something more. After tonight, Ryan knows he’ll never be satisfied with just one taste.

Could his fantasy lead to something lasting, or will it only be one night of pleasure?

****

Don't miss the second book in the Ties that Bind series, BOUND FOR THE PAST. If you prefer print, get both stories in BOUND BY DESIRE .

Enjoy!!!!

Mac

TAKE ME AGAIN - Available in Print

I'm pleased to announce that TAKE ME AGAIN is available now in print and eBook format.

Wild Oats Series, Book 2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Print ISBN: 978-1-60504-428-6
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60504-360-9
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Red Hots!
Publication Date: November 1, 2009

Marking one's terriorty was never so naughty...

EXCERPT:

"So, where is she?" Dolan wanted to get this party started. The last couple days had been hellish. Not to mention, he hadn't seen his little redheaded veterinarian anywhere, which bothered him more than he cared to admit. Guess it was too much to hope that sh'ed gone back from where she came.

Before Rowdy answered, the bedroom door opened.

In one feel swoop the air in the room disappeared leaving Dolan dissy. As if his thoughts had conjured the woman, Tracy Marx stepped into the room not more than four feet away.

Her eyes widened. Her jaw dropped. Shocked didn't described the look of surprise on her face as their eyes met.

He shared her disquiet. Speechless, his feet rooted to the floor, the only thing that appeared to be working was his cock. The damn thing sprung to life.

Sexy didn't begin to described how she was dressed. Stilettos and long legs wrapped in sheer black stockings led to narrow hips barely concealed by a thong. But it was the corset raising her breasts and presenting them as if they were dessert that almost gave him a heart attack. Wild red hair framed her face making her the most sensual creature he had ever laid eyes on. Not to mention, her soft female musk taunted him unmercifully.

Lust rumbled in his throat. He felt his nostrils flare. Tingles exploded in the center of his palms giving him the uncontrollable urge to bury his hands in her silky mass.

Her mouth snapped shut drawing into a thin line. She blinked hard before her gaze shot to their host. "Rowdy?" There was a quiver in her voice. her fingers now balled into fists.

"What?" The lack of innocence in his friend's voice made Dolan turn and glare at him. "You two know each other?" Before either of them could comment, he said, "That's great. Makes getting to know each other easier."

"Easier," she repeated with enough heat in her tone to light a fuse. She faced Dolan with accusation in her eyes. Her plams now perched on her hips. "You set this up to humiliate me."

What the fuck was she talking about? "Humiliate you?" His voice was coarse as sandpaper as he closed the distance between them. Nose to nose, he huffed, "Woman, I want you gone--not in my bed." It was a bold-faced lie. He did want her in his bed, so badly he felt his control slipping.

She flinched at his cruel words. Color heated her cheeks. For a second the hardness in her features crumbled and moisture filled her eyes making them pools of blue.

Dammit. He didn't mean to hurt her. It just--

Before he could apologize, her backbone stiffened. Moist eyelashes batted her emotion away, almost as if it never existed and replaced it with one of pure disdain.

"Feeling is mutual." She whipped around, took several hurried steps and then drew to an abrupt halt. As if she second guessed her move, she pivoted again and walked back so that they were a foot away. With a toss of her head she sent her mass of red hair over a shoulder. "You know, Crane, you remind me of the first animal I treated." She narrowed her gaze. "He was a jackass, too." She was still hissing the insult when he reached for her.

The impact of their bodies coming together forced an indelicate "Ugh" from her. Chest to chest, hips to hips, he trapped her in his embrace.

Fury flickered in her eyes, dilating them. "Release me." Her heated breath washed over his face.

Release her? The hell he would. Instead he lowered his head and captured her stubborn mouth with his. The kiss was slow, hot, and he made sure thorough and unforgettable.

****

Don't miss book one in the WILD OATS series -- TAKE ME!

It's Free or Not - Big Business Will Probably Decide

I’ve posted about Net Neutrality before, and it appears some BOZOs in Congress have decided to help their constituents (err...campaign donors) out, by coming up with new ways to “tax” those of us who use the Internet.

I don’t know about you, but I’m already paying through the nose for cell phone and FIOS/cable, pick your poison. To give you an idea of what I’m talking about and how it ties back to Net Neutrality, take a look at the following.

Up until this past summer, I had Dish Network. I lubs them! I really did. Unfortunately the neighbor’s forest screwed with my signal and I wasn’t getting channels, so I had to switch, and trust me I was dragged kicking and screaming by the DH to look at cable vs. FIOS.

So after much debate AND negotiation, we switched to Verizon FIOS, which I now confess to heart. We already had our land line and cell phones with them, so everything’s bundled in one swell bill. They wanted me to sacrifice my cable connection for the Internet, but I refused. I’ve got my Comcast emails all over the place, and I remember what a pain in the a$$ it was to change them four years ago.

Soooo….what does this have to do with Net Neutrality? Once they hook you, they slap you with all kinds of charges for this and that. Take the OnDemand feature. It’s soooo easy to use, and then you forget how many movies you’ve watched until the bill hits the mailbox. Can we say sticker shock?

Do you know that if you want any kind of new phone that functions in the same way a Blackberry does that you MUST pay the $30 a month charge to access the Internet on the Verizon plan? Now for some, this might not be a big deal, BUT I wanted the Blackberry for its PDA flexibility and texting keyboard, however I refused to pay that astronomical $30 a month for ONE frigging phone. It’s highway robbery. We have four cell phones on our plan, even if they gave us two phones with net access for $30 it would still be way to high, given how LITTLE use we’d make of the damn thing…er net access.

For four phones, a land line, unlimited texting, FIOS and a small movie channel package ($14) my monthly bill is a WHOPPING $250 a month give or take $30-60 when I don’t realize that just listening to ringtones incurs a .95 cent data charge for each one you listen to (that’s an approximation without looking at the bill).

Now with Net Neutrality, our Internet bills are going to go up as well. Maybe not right away, but it will happen. I remember paying $15 a month for a mobile phone usage in the late 90s. Now? My cell phone charges average $35 to $40…double the price in ten years (and the only extras I have are unlimited texting for four phones at about $5 per phone every month) WTF??

More importantly, they're going to decide what data hits what website where. As an author, I've got some MAJOR concerns about a telecom company deciding who can get to my site and who can't. Even if Internet rates stay the same, there will be the compromise of slower speeds. Right now I pay $49 a month for cable. Yeah, I could go with Verizon for a little price break, but I’ve already said why I’m sticking with cable. But if the telecoms stay true to form, they’ll double my Internet access bill in ten years, so I’ll be paying $90-100 a month just to access the Internet at a decent speed.

Of course, I have to admit that I recognize that telecoms need help. After all, they want to make more money, I understand that. So that means Net Neutrality MUST go away, because telecoms (Verizon, AT&T, et.al.) are in dire need of our financial support and in order to survive they must be allowed to implement a tiered program that allows them to act as paid traffic cops on the cyber superhighway. Isn’t this a little like China blocking access for their citizens?? Hello? Who are these people trying to kid? The minute the aforementioned Congressional BOZOs give the telecom folks free rein on the Internet, either our Internet bill will go up or our speed will drop if we refuse to pay more. There’s something called the digital divide in this country related who can/can’t afford the Internet in the home. If the telecoms have their way, that divide will get worse.

But enough of my rant….take a look at Jon Stewart’s take on the whole mess.

John Stewart

What A Great Day!

Look at this beautiful cover!!!!

I'm so thrilled to announce that MERRY CHRISTMAS, PAIGE will release December 1, 2009 just in time for Christmas. I thought I'd share with you the blurb:

Holding a knife against a child's throat isn't exactly how Dr. Paige Weston had planned to spend her Christmas holiday. But a jolt from an air pocket and here she is, performing an emergency tracheotomy as her flight to Fiji diverts to Kauai. The one place she swore never to return.

Beside the fact her patient comes first, what's the chance she'll run into her ex-fiance--the man who jilted her when another woman turned up pregnant? Then she realizes the island hospital is woefully understaffed, forcing her to lend a hand. And upping the odds that her heart will hit more turbulence before she makes her escape.

Nathan Cross can't believe his eyes. The emergency room doctor tending to his daughter's cut foot is the woman he's dreamed about every night since he was forced to walk out of her life. He should have been prepared for her indifference, but he's blindsided by the need to hold her in his arms. Just one more time.

Yet Fate is a trickster, leavimg him wondering if he should grasp for a second chance...or take his punishment for one, long-ago choice.

And if that wasn't enough to tickle my fancy...

I just received my print copies of TAKE ME AGAIN, the second book in the Wild Oats series.

The e-book version released earlier this year, but receiving the print is like a new release to me because I get to share it with all of you again. *g*

Marking one's territory was never so naughty...

Dolan Crane would love to hate the beautiful new veterinarian who's homing in on his territory. It's tough when the flame-haired fantasy come true makes his body burn with just a smile. The smart thing to do is forget about her, so perhaps a threesome arranged by his old college buddy is just what he needs to get her out of his head.

Divorcee Tracy Marx has followed her restless feet to Santa Ysabel to start a new practice--and maybe find someone to take her outside the boundaries of vanilla sex. Instead she finds trouble in the form of a cowboy whose dark, sexy gaze lights her up--and could also destroy any chance of success. The best thing to do is stay far, far away from him.

When Dolan shows up for the promised night of fantasy, he's shocked to find Tracy has traded her medical bag for a leather bustier and bondage gear. Tracy would like nothing better than to slap that smirk right off Dolan's face, but the prospect of being sandwiched between two men is impossible to resist--even if one of them is her adversary.

Besides...no one calls her chicken.

***Don't miss Wild Oats, Book 1: TAKE ME***

I Think I Was Just Insulted

I've heard horror stories from other authors through the years about them being rudely disrespected, insulted, or snubbed because of writing romance. I, myself, have never been the object of such unkind negativity until last night. The closest I ever came was many years ago at a multi-author book signing where, when greeted with a friendly, "Hello, we're local romance authors here today signing our books," the woman glanced at our table, tilted her chin in the air, and said, "I don't read that smut," before moving briskly on. At the time, I laughed it off and figured, oh, well, her loss. The dig, however, felt impersonal, not specifically directed at me. Maybe because the woman didn't look even one of us authors in the eye.

Well, after last night, I can officially say I've been insulted face to face, or, at least, voice to voice via phone call. I receive one of the small community newsletter every three months. You know the kind. The newsletter contains a couple articles of interest, helpful hints, event reminders, etc.. This one also has a listing of local clubs, meeting times and who to contact if you're interest in joining. Among the fitness, hiking, bridge, and singles clubs was listed one called "Literary Ladies". In hindsight, I should have been clued in by the name, but I wasn't wearing my thinking cap that day.

In the description of the club it said that the group often has local authors come and speak to them. Well, hey! I'm a local author and have spoken to local groups before. This could be a whole new pool of readers for me to tap into. So, I call the number listed and leave a short but cheery message. Days go by. Finally, last night, the woman calls me back.

She started out explaining that they were scheduled through February. No problem, I'm available after then. Then she dropped her first bombshell. She said, "Maybe I should tell you about the kinds of books we read." She then listed about ten titles, only two of which I'd heard of (and can't recall now, a mere twelve hours later–that should tell you something). Despite not recognizing the titles, it was obvious from the tone of them that "Literary Ladies" wasn't just a cute name for their club. The woman waited, I assume for me to make the leap that even Nora Roberts wasn't included on their reading list. I managed to say with a small laugh, "It doesn't sound like you ladies read romances."

That should have been the end of it. It would have been much better for me if she'd just told me thanks for calling, it was lovely talking to you. But no. She had to go on and diss romances by saying, "Our group prefers books with more substance and story and significance relevant to life in today's times. We do know there are woman out there who read those kind of books but not us, I'm afraid." Not being ashamed of what I do (and also believing what I write has substance, story, and significance relevant to life in today's times), I felt compelled to come back with, "Well, I love reading and writing romances. Did you know that over 50% of paperback books sold are romances?" She admitted to hearing that. In fact, she went on to tell me that, "I have a friend who's sister is an attorney, and she reads popular fiction all the time. An attorney, if you can believe it!"

I do. It was on the tip of my tongue to cite more statistics about how the average romance reader is well-educated and works outside the home. But them I found my previously lost thinking cap, put it on, and decided it was best to end the conversation with a cheery, "Thanks for returning my call. It was nice talking to you."

The last part was a lie.

Cathy Mc

The Sexing Up of Halloween

I'm not a creative person. Not when it comes to anything that doesn't have to do with words, anyway. So I don't draw, sew, glue, etc., and so my kids always have store-bought Halloween costumes or something they came up with on their own. The best one we've done was Number One's female version of Castiel last year, with huge black wings and a trench coat from Goodwill.

Nowadays, empty stores get turned into Fright Centers for a month or two at this time of year. Halloween decorations and costumes fill the place. And how much of it is suitable for my girls?

None of it. Not a single freakin' costume.

Apparently, if you're a female between the ages of 3 and 93, you are expected to be a slutty nurse on Halloween. Or a slutty Greek in a super-short toga. Or a slutty waitress. And so on.

And no, that's not a typo. TODDLER costumes have crotch-length skirts. Do they think preschoolers are going to keg parties on Halloween? We live in Pennsylvania, people! It's cold for trick-or-treating.

Which we have to do on Thursday. I know that's not Halloween. That's Pennsylvania.

/rant