Ready To Rock

I may have been under the weather these last few weeks, but I have managed to stay busy. Here's what's going on:

Two of my books are up for Reader's Choice Awards through the website The Romance Reviews. Expressly Yours, Samantha is listed as a Western Romance, http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=17155 and The Duplicitous Debutante is listed as a Historical Romance. http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=14894
I need 50 votes for each title in order to continue to the next round. Simply click on the above links, hit the top button that says Nominate This Book, and you're done. Thank you so much for your help.


My little puppy-mill rescue dog, Mary, is a guest on USA Today's Happy Ever After Column.  Reminds me of the rock song about making it on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. You can see her here: http://wp.me/p5HLSC-1pb8

We had a serious nibble on the house, so my sister and I are spending the afternoon (along with the celebrity, Mary), doing drive-bys of the handful of houses we've narrowed our search to. For some reason, we want to be near water. So it's the Portage Lakes, or the canal, or any random lake or swimming pool. I think we have visions of pool parties in our future.

Hopefully, I'll have good news to report here soon. In the meantime, don't forget to vote!

Excerpt time!

On September 19th, I'll be asking a question on The Romance Reviews. If you answer the question correctly, you'll be entered into a drawing for all kinds of great prizes. Here's the excerpt from The Duplicitous Debutante in which you will find the answer:

“So you still want me to play the part of Mr. Elliott for you? I could free myself up for a portion of the afternoon.”

Rosemary smiled the tiniest bit. “Do you think you could pull it off, Papa?”

“I will be the first to admit your mother is better at making people see things her way, but I believe I could pass for Mr. Elliott. After all, you had me check over the contracts before you signed them over the years, so I’m familiar with the legal end of your business. But you’ll have to tell me about your story line. What’s the hero’s name again? Henry? Henry Eagle?”

Rosemary groaned. “No, Papa. Henry is the villain in this case. That’s the name of the new publisher. Henry Cooper. My hero is Harry Hawk, a half-breed.” She placed a hand on either side of her face and shook her head. “Perhaps my plan won’t work after all. Henry Eagle. Indeed.”

Her father smiled and took one of her hands. “I was close, wasn’t I?”

“I’ve molded Harry Hawk after Joseph, and the stories I write are all based on tidbits I get from the letters sent to us from Ginger, Basil, and Heather.”

“I can pull it off then, since I read the same letters. Your sisters and brother do lead exciting lives on the wild frontier, don’t they?”

“And someday, I’ll get to join them in St. Louis. But for now, my source of income is about to dry up unless you can remember our hero’s name.”

“I got it. Harry Hawk. Now, tell me something about Mr. Cooper. Is he an old ogre with a hunchback?”

Rosemary smiled for the first time since she sat, as she pictured Henry’s face on a stooped-over body. “No, Papa, Mr. Cooper is a man in his mid-twenties, I would guess. Tall, dark, and handsome.”

Her father’s quick glance was not lost on her.

“And no, don’t get any ideas. You’re as bad as Mother. I have no interest in him, other than business.”

“All right then, daughter. What time is your meeting with the handsome Mr. Cooper?”

“It’s at two o’clock. I thought I’d come by the bank first and go with you to the meeting.”

“You have this all thought out, don’t you?”

Rosemary smiled, a true smile, finally. “Well, I have had an overnight to come up with a plan. And I am a writer. When someone says to find the man and bring him to them, I can usually figure out a plot device, given enough notice.”

“All right then. I must get to work and get my day started. I’ll see you at the bank around half past one then?”

“I’ll be there. Thank, you, Papa. Mr. Cooper will now have no reason to cancel my contract.”

Click on the Fall Blog Hop banner on the right to be taken to The Romance Reviews' site. Have fun and visit often! 

On The Cutting Edge

My latest entry into the Cotillion Ball Series will be unveiled on September 1. That's only one week away!

The Duplicitous Debutante is the sixth book in the Fitzpatrick family saga. And it features some

goodies that don't appear anywhere else. What, you might ask? How about a family tree? On the advice of my good friend, I used my own genealogy software to create a family tree for the Fitzpatricks. I was having problems remembering who among the children was having babies and when, so laying it all out on paper was a good exercise. And the tree looked quite impressive. I sent it to my publisher, who thought the idea had merit. So, the first version of the family tree will appear in The Duplicitous Debutante, and will be updated in each of the remaining books in the series.

While we were piecing together the tree, the publisher asked if I had titles yet for the remaining three books. I had a title for the next book in the series, and synopses for the two after that, but no titles yet.  A quick check in with the brain trust (me, my best friend, my sister, and my writing partner) and I had my titles. Book 7--Expressly Yours, Samantha, is about the Pony Express and will make its appearance in March, 2015. It features the last boy in the family, Valerian. Book 8 is The Widow's Salvation, due out in October, 2015. It takes place a year after the Civil War begins and features Pepper. Her husband has been killed at Ft. Sumter, leaving her alone with three young boys. She volunteers at an Army hospital and meets a doctor. Book 9 will finish off the series by featuring Saffron, the youngest Fitzpatrick. She's entered her teenage years during the Civil War, and all the men who would have been suitors are off fighting the war. She's The Forgotten Debutante. It is scheduled for release in March, 2016. My publisher and I also realized we were missing the story of Charlotte and George's courtship, so I wrote a novella, Charlotte's Unconventional Courtship, as a prequel to the series. No release date yet on that one.

I'm also trying some new things to promote the book. I've got two blog tours lined up--one for September and one in October, something I've never tried before. I've got ads scheduled for September in Eye On Romance and The Romance Reviews. I'm also a participant in The Romance Review's blog hop during September, and appearing on several other blogs as a guest. I'll try to keep everyone informed on when and where I'll be. I'm also attempting something new, using social media. It's called Thunderclap. I need to line up 100 volunteers to join me in putting a message out on social media on September 1. You don't even need to think about it beyond offering your support by signing up here: http://thndr.it/1lXOcXX Thunderclap does the work on September 1.

Will all this effort work? I'm hoping it will, but there are a lot of things being tried for the first time, so I don't know. I want to always be shaking things up with my promotional efforts, and trying new things. I've been looking for the magic bullet that will vault my books to the tops of Amazon's charts, but, just when I think I'm starting to get a handle on things, the floor shifts once again.

I'll keep trying.

The Romance Review's Year-End Blog Hop

 My Q&A bit for The Romance Review's Blog Hop happens next Tuesday, so I want to be ready for it. You will be able to find the answer in this short excerpt from my debut contemporary.

Excerpt from Blame It On The Brontes. 

 

Suddenly, Liam took hold of her hand and pulled her up off the bench. “Let’s go to The Quack. I’m heading back out to the lobster grounds in the morning, and I think we should have a beer before I go.”

They made their way into The Quacking Puffin, which had been inhabited by both locals and tourists for as long as Emily remembered. The place hadn’t been updated in more than thirty years, which was part of its charm, but the place was always clean. The lights were dim, except for the purple glow emanating from the jukebox. They ordered their drinks at the bar and then took refuge in a booth, where they surveyed the selections on the tabletop individual juke.

Here's a bit more about the book, which occupies the #1 spot on the Goodread's list for Best Baby Boomer Books. 

This novel was inspired by a jewelry-making class taught by a woman who has spent years collecting beach glass on the shores of Lake Erie and turning those rare pieces of glass into beautiful necklaces and bracelets. By the look of the necklace she tried to teach me to make, I realized at the end of the class that my talent was with the written word, not with the creation of jewelry.  The novel is set in coastal Maine. 

Three separate love stories intertwine around a central theme, as fractious sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronson, each in her forties, are in Puffin Bay, ME for their mother's funeral. Each is ready to sink her claws into the fortune their mother left behind. But their mother has other plans. Her substantial fortune won't be divided until the trio return to their childhood home and live together for a year.

 It's a request that pits sister against sister but could unite them in a common goal to find the friendship they shared as children, to create a family jewelry business and to win over the men of Puffin Bay. They have a year to figure it all out.

The Romance Review's Blog Tour--March 1-31

Over 400 authors are participating in The Romance Review's blog tour to celebrate their second anniversary. There will be games and prizes all month long, so click on the icon to the right, visit a couple blog sites, and be sure to come back here for my giveaway on March 15.

On March 15, for 24 hours, you will have the opportunity to answer a question about my book, The Reluctant Debutante.This is the blurb where you'll find the answer, which, when answered on TRR's site, will enter you into the contest for a copy of the print edition of the book. You need to register and be logged into The Romance Review's site in order to play, but registration is free and easy.

See if you can figure it out:

In 1855 New York, Ginger Fitzpatrick has absolutely no interest in taking part in the newest rage in America—the Cotillion Ball. Instead, 
Ginger would rather be rallying for women’s rights; at least until she 
meets her brother’s best friend from St. Louis, a dark mysterious man named Joseph Lafontaine, who ignites her passion and makes her question if love and marriage is such a ridiculous notion after all. What she and the rest of New York’s high society don’t realize is that Joseph is half Ojibwa Indian, and therefore, totally unsuitable for marriage to a fine, cultured young lady.
    
In this Edith Wharton meets Julia Quinn tale, a young woman rebels against high society and opts for a life in which she creates her own set of rules.

Romance Madness Hop--Day 3

Romances We Love

The Bridgerton Series by Julia Quinn

Eight books about a rambunctious family in Regency England. What could be better? I loved everything about this series on the Bridgerton family—even down to the names of the siblings. The parents named the children alphabetically, Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphney, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hyacinth. Such a clever idea. It helped me as a reader keep the siblings straight while I was reading each of their stories.

 

I saw Julia a few years ago at an RWA conference, and she confessed, after eight books about the same characters, she needed a break from the rowdy Bridgertons, but this series continues to grow. There are epilogues, Lady Whistledown books, and now, some of the secondary characters are getting their own moments in the sun. Some day, I’d love to own a complete boxed set of all the books. They are that good.

And they helped spur my own inventiveness.  I am currently in the middle of a series about the Fitzpatrick family, a well-to-do family in America in the 1850s—the decade leading up to the Civil War. Not a lot has been written about this time in America’s history, but it’s rich with events that shaped our country. And, borrowing Julia’s clever idea, I gave my siblings a common thread, too. They are each named for an herb or spice. There’s Halwyn, which is a Welsh/Arthurian name meaning salt, his twin, Pepper, Basil, Ginger, twins Jasmine and Heather, Rosemary, Valerian and Saffron. Ginger’s story, The Reluctant Debutante, will be available for 99 cents as the Kindle Daily Deal tomorrow, January 28, for one day only.

I’m offering a $5 gift card to one lucky commenter at the end of this blog hop, which will run from January 25-January 29. Tell me who your favorite author is and why. Then click on the Romance Madness icon to the right and visit other blogs on the hop, all of whom are offering a giveaway. And stop back tomorrow to see who’s next on my list of favorites.

Romance Madness Blog Hop--Day Two

 

Romances We Love

Next up is a real heavyweight who practically invented romance—Nora Roberts.

What can you say about her? She’s a machine. With over 200 books written already and a career that has spanned three decades (so far), she’s still able to find enough ideas to generate five new books each year. In trying to narrow down my choice to one book, I find it’s impossible. I love the books where she writes from a male perspective—most notably the Chesapeake series about the three brothers. But I also like it when I learn something or get taken away to a wonderful setting or era.

My sister and I both read Chasing Fire, about the smoke jumpers in Montana, a few years ago, when it was first released. We had been in the redwoods of northern California a year previous and saw the smoke jumpers in action there, so we thought it would be a great read. Nora did a great job of detailing how to fight forest fires while intertwining two love stories—a tall order, to say the least. I especially liked the interplay between Rowan and her father. My sister lives on 22 acres and has an open-pit fire going most of the time to burn off the rubble that comes with all that acreage. She had a fire going outdoors and realized it was time to start dinner, so she headed inside to cook. After a few minutes, she looked out the window and saw that her fire had jumped out of the pit and was racing toward the back pond and the stand of hardwood trees. As she raced back outside, she asked herself, “What would Rowan do?” So she went to the head of the fire and created a barrier, effectively starving the fire and saving her trees. Thanks, Nora.

I’m offering a $5 gift card to one lucky commenter at the end of this blog hop, which will run from January 25-January 29. Tell me who your favorite author is and why. Then click on the icon to your right and visit other blogs on this hop, each of whom will have a giveaway.  And stop back tomorrow to see who’s next on my list of favorites.

Romance Madness Hop--January 25-29, 2013

Romances We Love

How can you narrow it down?

When asked to write about one book that I love, I struggled for a few days with the assignment. Then, I decided, even though it meant more work on my part, I’d devote each day of the hop to an author who influenced me. First up is Jude Deveraux.

I read A Knight in Shining Armor in 1989, when I was consuming romance books like they were Skittles, and instantly fell in love with it, and with the whole concept of time travel. Douglass is the perfect heroine, flawed and lovable. And Nicholas—the knight in shining armor, literally. Sigh.

Along the way, in one of my moves or the other, I purged some of my mountain of books and Jude’s book fell by the wayside. But I never forgot it. When she re-released it in 2002, I purchased it again and it’s now a part of my permanent collection. She included a few pages on what her process was while writing it. She closeted herself away for three and a half months in a cabin in the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico to write the book. I used to own a log cabin in the George Washington National Forest in West Virginia and have often thought I’d love to go back there and write a book. I’m now working on a time travel…

I’m offering a $5 gift card to one lucky commenter at the end of this blog hop, which will run from January 25-January 29. Tell me who your favorite author is and why. Then click on the Romance Madness icon on the right side of this page to visit other stops on this tour. And stop back here again tomorrow to see who’s next on my list of favorites.