And, We're Here!

September 1 is the release day for The Duplicitous Debutante, the sixth book in the Cotillion Ball Series. And I'm celebrating with a virtual book tour this week.

Be sure to follow the tour and leave a comment. I'll be giving away an ebook at each stop on the Fire & Ice tour, and would love to have everyone along for the ride. I've added in a few more stops on my own, too. The stops are all listed to the right, with links for each.

Now, here's an excerpt from the book. Hope you enjoy it.

Harry Hawk and the Tycoon’s Daughter—Book Six in the Harry Hawk Series
Harry Hawk stared down the barrel of his Colt .45. A huge Sioux Indian was in his sights, but was holding the girl in front of him as a shield. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she struggled against the man, and she trembled as she kept her eyes on the end of Harry’s gun.

New York City, March 1859
Rosemary Fitzpatrick laid her fountain pen on the paper, oblivious to the blob of ink that fell from its tip and damaged the page. She picked up the letter she had received earlier in the day.
It was her own gun, and she was staring down the barrel. 

See you on the tour! 

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.

Two Weeks And Counting

When I started my journey toward publication several years ago, I already knew my sales background  had groomed me for becoming a published writer. After all, when you're out on the streets all day, every day, attempting to convince people to buy an advertisement in your magazine, newspaper, phone book, whatever, you expect rejection. In fact, nine out of ten of my calls ended up with me walking away empty-handed. A good sales person has to shrug off the rejection, go back out into the jungle again, and try a different tactic to make that sale.

The same holds true for an author. Rejection upon rejection is a way of life for us. Even the biggies, like Nora Roberts and J. K. Rowling, were initially rejected. Christie Craig carries her rejection letters with her, to make a point not to ever give up. Eventually, if you hone your craft, keep putting your work out there, and get lucky, some wise person is going to give you a chance. Then, it's up to you to make yourself a success.

Yes, that's the harsh reality of the publishing world today. Some of the larger houses still have active PR departments who take fledgling authors under their wings and figure out a marketing plan. But those are the exceptions, not the rule, anymore. Regardless of whether you're traditionally published, small press published, or self-published, it's up to you, the author, to build your following. You do that by finding review sites to read your book, by being a guest on blogs that people who read your kind of book are looking at, by trying new things. Right now, I'm trying to get as many people as possible to sign onto my Thunderclap campaign. This is something new for me, and unless I get 100 people to agree to have my tweet appear on their sites, it won't run and I won't be able to judge whether it's worth doing again. So, please if you haven't already signed up, click on the right side of the page. Let's see if this thing works.

I'm also busy writing guest blogs for my September 1 release. I have a few more ideas up my sleeve to try, and I'll post my schedule on this page as I get the information. The Duplicitous Debutante was so much fun to write, since I got to write a dime novel along with my book. It was so over-the-top, and who hasn't yearned at some point in their career, to write a potboiler?

Anyway, it's only two weeks until release day for the latest book in my Cotillion Ball Series. In addition to the dime novel, there's a genealogical chart of the Fitzpatrick family, so you can keep up with all those babies being born! The book is available for pre-orders now. Click on the cover and you'll be redirected to the Amazon page where you can order your kindle copy.

Bundlemania Rolls On

The last two books in the Time After Time Bundle are being featured today. Hope you enjoy reading more about them. Still 99 cents for all ten fabulous books. Order your copy from Amazon today.  : http://amzn.to/1mXgHZt

The Reluctant Debutante by Becky Lower 

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.

Author Bio: Ever since submitting her first screenplay to Bonanza at age twelve, Becky Lower has had a love affair with the American west. Since personal time travel is out of the question, she pursues her passion by writing about it. Becky is a graduate of Bowling Green State University and lives in Oberlin, Ohio with her dog, Mary.

Once A Duchess by Elizabeth Boyce 

Isabelle Lockwood was a duchess, until her husband of only a few months wrongfully divorced her for adultery. Since then she’s been a pariah, living in anonymous exile to escape the prying eyes and wagging tongues of the ton. More than anything, Isabelle longs for a family of her own, and so has to marry again. But society is ruthlessly unforgiving. To clear her name, Isabelle must face down her past—and the man who broke her heart and ruined her completely.

Marshall Lockwood, Duke of Monthwaite, was blindsided by his young bride’s infidelity. After the divorce Marshall licked his wounds, throwing himself into his botanical studies to forget his disastrous marriage. Now his former wife is back in Town, as beautiful and enticing as he remembers. As the Season throws them together again, Marshall can’t shake the feeling that Isabelle might not be the adulteress he took her for.

Author Bio: Elizabeth Boyce lives in the southeastern United States with her husband and several rambunctious children. She likes to think in the shower, sip wine, and pretend she has a cooking show.

Cover Reveal and Two More Books in the Historical Bundle

The cover for my new book has been approved, and I'm happy to reveal it to you, if you haven't already seen it on Facebook or Twitter. Here it is. What do you think?

And, here's the blurb: Can't wait until September 1! 

In 1859, ladies of New York society were expected to do three things well: find a husband, organize a smooth-running household, and have children. 

Rosemary Fitzpatrick’s agenda is very different. As the author of the popular Harry Hawk dime novels, she must hide her true identity from her new publisher, who assumes the person behind the F. P. Elliott pen name is male. She must pose as his secretary in order to ensure the continuation of her series. And in the midst of all this subterfuge, her mother is insisting that she become a debutante this year. 

Henry Cooper is not the typical Boston Brahmin. Nor is he a typical publisher. He’s entranced by Mr. Elliott’s secretary the moment they meet, and wonders how his traditional-thinking father will react when he brings a working class woman into the family. Because his intentions are to marry her, regardless.

Rosemary’s deception begins to unravel at the Cotillion ball, when Henry recognizes her. The secretarial mask must come off, now that he knows she is a member of New York society. But she can’t yet confess who she truly is until she knows if Henry will accept her as F. P. Elliott. 

The more time they spend together, the closer they become. But when Rosemary reveals her true identity to him, will Henry be able to forgive her or has her deceit cost her the man she loves?

Now, on to the business at hand. Two more books are being featured from the bundle, Time After Time. It's still on sale for only 99 cents. Be sure to get your copy. 

Brave In Heart by Emma Barry 

Theodore Ward is a man of deep passions and strong principles—none of which he acts on. So Margaret Hampton ends their engagement, breaking both of their hearts in the process.

Years after their estrangement, ardent but frozen Theo attempts to reconnect with Margaret. She is no longer trusting of the idea of romantic love, having become pragmatic and wary during decades alone. But with the drumbeat of the early days of the Civil War in the background, how can she refuse?

The courtship that results is hasty, reckless, and intense, fueled by contradictions between Theo’s willingness finally to change and Margaret’s fears about the future. Two smart, stubborn, fiery people will need to overcome the hesitancies of their hearts and the perils of battle if they’re ever to find happiness.

Author Bio: Emma Barry is a (former) Montanan who loves hugs from her toddler twins, Earl Grey tea, her cat’s whiskers, and her husband’s cooking. Learn more about her at authoremmabarry.com.

A Treasure Worth Keeping by Marie Patrick 

Caralyn McCreigh has always believed in three things: that her father, Daniel, would never force her into marriage; she could have a story book romance with a man who sweeps her off her feet and a loving marriage like her parents share; and in the existence of the legendary lost treasure, Izzy’s Fortune. When Daniel tells her that her marriage has been arranged, all her beliefs are shattered and she does exactly as he hopes she will do – she embarks on a quest to find Izzy’s Fortune, believing Queen Isabella’s treasure will buy her out of a marriage she doesn’t want to a man she doesn’t know or love. And who better to help her than Captain Trey, the infamous treasure hunter?

Tristan Youngblood, Captain of the Adventurer and future Earl of Winterbourne, would much rather sail the oceans and search for lost treasure than settle down and take over the reigns of the Winterbourne estates, but when he receives news that his future has been decided for him, he knows he has no choice. He has no qualms against marriage itself but having witnessed the misery of his parent’s union, he does not desire the same for himself but instead of rushing home to England to court the woman who is to become his wife, Tristan accepts Caralyn’s proposal and embarks on one last grand adventure to search for Izzy’s Fortune

Author Bio: Marie Patrick lives in beautiful, sunny Arizona with her husband and amazing fur-babies. She loves to hear from her readers. Find Marie Patrick at www.mariepatrick.com or email her at Akamariep@aol.com.

Crimson Romance's historical bundle is still on sale. Ten books for only $.99! Can't beat the price, and the diversity of books ensures there's something for everyone. If you love historical romance, you can't go wrong. 

Buy Link: http://amzn.to/1mXgHZt