The Quiet House

I have a line in my upcoming book, The Forgotten Debutante, where Saffron tells Zeke he must be quiet as a church mouse on Sunday. Well, it's Sunday and my house is quiet. I am once again flying solo for the winter. My sister, who has taken such good care of me these past months, is taking a well-deserved reprieve. For three months, while I'm slogging through the snow and cold of an Ohio winter, she will be frolicking in the sun.

It's going to take me a while to settle in to my new routine. Because of my health issues, I haven't been able to sit at my desk for over a month. But, I've got projects galore lined up to work on and, with any luck, can limit the amount of time I have to be out of the house, dealing with the elements.

First on my agenda is to finish up the edits on the final book in my Cotillion series, which shouldn't take more than a week longer. Then, I'm going to query several places about my contemporary, and then dive back into the new historical I'm working on, which I left at the flash first draft stage. If I can accomplish all that in the month of February, I'll maybe not notice how quiet the house is, or how cold it is outside. There will be contests to judge, RITA books to read, cell phone to buy, and blogs to write. Before I know it, spring will be here. Fingers crossed that we don't get hit too hard with the icy grip of winter this year.

And maybe, if I can position things right, I can join Sis next year so I can avoid the worst of Ohio's weather. But for now, it's hunker down time. My dog, Mary, will keep me company while I work and get my career back on track. The final book in the series is nearly ready to be released, for which I'll mount a marketing campaign, starting with a cover reveal here as soon as I can show it to folks. And hopefully, my contemporary side will find a home.

How will you make it through the winter? Let me in on your secrets.

This Is It!

For months now, I've been anxious, eager, both uncertain and excited about what the future holds at

the same time. For three years now, every six months, I had to meet a deadline. It helped me focus, figure out my timeline and marketing strategy. Along the way, I've honed my craft, although my editor still has to remind me to avoid duplicating myself, and to be consistent in my message–things I should have learned by now.

People have asked me how I'll feel once the final book is off to the printer. The best answer I could come up with until now is "I don't know, since it hasn't happened yet, but I expect it'll be like becoming an empty-nester."

Yesterday, I was asked to pick the art for my final cover and it finally sunk in that This Is It. The final one in the series. It doesn't matter that I'll use some of the secondary characters in off-shoot books, or that I have many other books ratting around in my head, just waiting for the opportunity to break through when I'm not planning on it. There will never be another Cotillion Ball Series,
and there will never be another family like the Fitzpatricks. I've felt like an honored guest at their table each week and have rejoiced and cried with them during their struggles, loves and losses.

So, I picked the cover art and received a satisfying shiver of excitement with my choice. The farewell tour will be fun to get through, since I love both Saffron and Zeke, and my favorite of the brothers, Halwyn, plays a prominent role in her story as well.

And, as for a farewell tour, I seem to recall that at one time or another, Sher, Madonna, Tina Turner and Celine Dion all announced they were doing a farewell tour and they're still grabbing the spotlight. I fully intend to follow suit. Just need a long black wig now.

Oh, The Drama

 One of my chapter mates has a very clever tag line about her novels. Abbie Roads always gives her hero and heroine a happy ending… after torturing them for three hundred pages.

As writers, we are taught to pile on the drama. It's okay to have your hero and heroine bask in the glow of their new relationship, but not for long. Just when things are going along well, it's time to throw a monkey wrench into the satisfied smirks of your characters. 

Last week was a case of art imitating life for me. My hip was doing well. I even went so far as to proclaim it didn't hurt at all, unheard of after a year of constant pain. My brother came to visit for two weeks, sharing the gift of his time with us.  My edits came in for the final book in the Cotillion Ball Series, and they aren't bad. I'd even go so far as to say I had a smirk on my face. Then, the monkey wrench came in. I developed a DVT, since I didn't take the right dosage of aspirin following my surgery, and ended up, yet again, in the hospital. 

I'm home once more, and will probably be on blood thinners for the rest of my life. If there's an easy way to do things, what fun would that be? As Abbie says, I need to be tortured for 300 pages, in order to fully appreciate my happy ever after. 

My brother took off this morning to head back to CA. The edits are patiently waiting for my head to clear enough to deal with them. My hip still doesn't hurt, although my calf muscle is still quite sore. Life is getting back to normal. Or as normal as it gets around here. 

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's hope for brighter days ahead. 

End of the Year

For those of you keeping score, let me recap my year.

Three ambulance rides.
Three surgeries, all on the same hip.
Three books published.

I'm sensing a pattern here. So here's my plan for next year, once I get past the recuperative phase from surgery #3.

Find one good agent.
Once again, have two good legs.
Publish three books.

Hopefully, as you read this, I'm recovering from the third surgery. And, if I finished my list of things to get done before then, one of the three books is back to the publisher after first edits, and I've managed to finish the flash first draft of the third one. I may have even gotten around to putting up the tree, or at least finding my Christmas wreath.

The jury is still out on the two good legs, and the one good agent search will commence once I polish up the flash draft. But at least my publishing schedule will remain on track. Although I'd dearly love to add another book or two to the roster by the end of 2016.

Pushing my boundaries is what I'm all about. I hope 2016 will see you pushing yours as well. Here's hoping for a healthy and prosperous year on the horizon. Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, everyone.

Cover Reveal!

I've been so caught up in finishing the last book in my Cotillion series that I've neglected the fact the second bundle–books 4 through 6– is due for release right after Christmas.

This is a great way to catch up on the series, and this set of books, The Tempestuous Debutante, Blinded By Grace and The Duplicitous Debutante, are among my favorites. Each book involves a deb ball, of all things. Here's a little bit about each:

The Tempestuous Debutante–It’s Jasmine Fitzpatrick’s year to shine at this season’s Cotillion and men will be throwing themselves at her. But she sets her sights on a man she’s never met, the Viscount of Foxborough. He’s wealthy and has an English title. Only a few things stand in her way: a wealthy, young, beautiful widow who captures the viscount’s attention immediately, her fear of riding horses when he owns a breeding stable and racetrack, and the viscount’s stableboy, Parr.

Blinded By Grace–In 1858 New York City, Halwyn Fitzpatrick thinks he's off the hook for attendance at the annual Cotillion Ball. He has no sister to shepherd down the grand staircase this year and no real desire to go through the rituals of courtship and betrothal himself. Besides, he’ll know the right girl when he sees her, especially now that he has new spectacles. But his mother has other plans for him. At twenty-seven years of age, her son is in dire need of a wife.

The Duplicitous Debutante–In 1859, ladies of New York society are expected to do three things well: find a husband, organize a household, and have children. But despite her mother’s best intentions, making her debut is the last thing on Rosemary Fitzpatrick’s mind. Writing the popular Harry Hawk dime novels as F.P. Elliott, she’s too busy hiding her female identity from her new publisher, Henry Cooper. To protect her clandestine career, she ends up posing as the enigmatic author’s secretary.

This bundle is to be released on December 28, and pre-orders are available now here: http://amzn.to/1Nei5md

I hope you can fill up your days off between Christmas and New Year's by reading these three books. Thank you for your support over this past year. For those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas! 

One Step Forward

It seems as if this past year has been one of taking a step forward and then flailing wildly. Botched operations, both medically and professionally, have set me back a year from fulfilling my goals.

I am declaring an end to it all right now. My hip will be fixed, my foray into self-publishing will happen, I will find an agent who appreciates my talents. I will not venture forth with any publishing houses who are just starting up, nor will I take any offer just because it comes my way. I will spruce up my website now that I have enough of a backlist to make it look like something, and I will continue to enjoy the success of the Cotillion Ball Series, the final book of which will be released in March. I will attend the RWA conference in July. I will become a hybrid in 2016, both in the genres I write and in the way I bring them to market. Here's a picture of a "liger," a cross between a lion and a tiger. This is what I'll become.

Look out, publishing world!

Wrapping Things Up

This time of year, the phrase wrapping things up can have multiple meanings. Presents, obviously. Finished baking all those Christmas goodies. Decorations up all over the house. Check, check and check.

For a writer, though, wrapping things up has even more meaning. By the end of the year I need to finish the first draft of a new book, come up with a business plan for next year and start pulling together my tax information. This will be the first year since I began my publishing journey where I have no deadlines to meet. Instead of it being scary, I'm excited about the opportunity to explore new avenues toward publishing. But to do that, I need a game plan. Need to get all my x's and o's lined up.  How many books do I plan to write next year? Will they be historical or contemporary? Will I finally plunge into self-publishing or will I spend my energy finding a new agent? Can I find more ways to make money from my writing? The "To-Do"list grows longer every day.

A few things have disappeared from my list, but as soon as one item gets crossed off, it seems I think of something else that needs doing.

I'll get there. And if I happen to leave something on my plate, I know it will be there, waiting for me, when I return to my computer and desk. Unless, of course, it's pumpkin pie crumbs. They'll be gone. In the meantime, I'm going to learn how to chill.