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    RWA conference wrap-up …

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    I attended the annual Romance Writers of America conference, held this year in Anaheim, California, on July 25-28. RWA is always fun, and it’s always cool meeting so many other folks who love books. Here are some of the things I did during the conference:

    WEDNESDAY

    I had breakfast with the editor of my Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series, and we talked about the series, Crimson Frost, and what I have in mind for Midnight Frost, the fifth book in the series that will be out in 2013.

    After that, I hung out in the conference lounge/goody room for a while and talked to authors including Ruthie Knox and Kristin Callihan, along with Cheryl Rabin.

    Then I did a video interview with RITA-nominated author Joyce Lamb, who also writes for the USA TODAY Happy Ever After blog. We talked a little about the Mythos Academy series and my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. I think the interview will be posted sometime in August.

    After that, Wheezley and I walked over to Downtown Disney, which is full of shops and places to eat.

    RWA Literacy Signing 2012Then it was time for the annual literacy signing. Shown above is my spot at the event. The literacy signing is always fun, and this one was no exception. I got to talk to lots of folks about my books and just books/reading/writing in general. When the crowds died down a bit, I went around and talked to some other authors, including Carrie Lofty and Stephanie Laurens. Plus, I was sitting a couple of spots down from Keri Arthur, so I got to meet her too.

    THURSDAY

    Thursday was pretty much a meeting day for me, and I went down in the morning to the conference lounge to catch up on some e-mail. I thought the lounge was a really cool idea. It was nice to chat with other folks and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi at the same time.

    After that, I had breakfast with Sarah Wedell of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. We talked about books, what we’ve read so far this year, and more. Sarah is really smart and funny, and it’s always cool to hang out with her.

    After that, it was time for lunch with my agent, then Wheezley and I went out and about for a couple of hours.

    Finally, it was time for the annual dinner that Pocket Books throws for its authors at RWA. I think around 15-20 authors were at the event, and it was cool meeting folks like Jenn Bennett that I had tweeted with online. We ate at the Napa Rose restaurant in the beautiful Grand California Hotel. Of course, my favorite part of the meal was dessert, which was an excellent vanilla creme brulee with raspberries. So good.

    FRIDAY

    Another breakfast, this time with Rosemary Potter from Rosemary’s Romance Books in Australia. We talked about bookselling, what we like to read, and more. Plus, Rosemary gave me some Tim Tams from Australia, which was awesome. I need to send her some Moon Pies in return.

    After that, I went to the Avon book signing for a few minutes. I’m always looking for new books/authors to try, especially when it comes to contemporary romance, so I picked up some books by Candis Terry and others. Then it was time to meet reviewer Jill Smith of RT Book Reviews. We sat and chatted about what we’ve been reading lately.

    Another lunch, this time with the editor for my Elemental Assassin series. We talked about Widow’s Web, Deadly Sting, and some other things regarding the series.

    Touch of Frost RITA certificateThen it was time for the reception for the Golden Heart and RITA finalists. It was really cool meeting so many other nominated authors. Plus, we all got certificates for being finalists, which I thought was awesome. I’m totally getting mine framed. Shown at left is the certificate I got for Touch of Frost.

    After that, Wheezley and I had a wonderful dinner at Morton’s. Again, dessert was the best part, and the hot chocolate cake I had was delicious.

     SATURDAY

    KTeen breakfast RWA 2012This was definitely my busiest day at the conference. I had breakfast with some of the KTeen (Kensington young adult) authors at one of the Disney cafes. It was fun meeting the other authors like Brigid Kemmerer and Marni Bates that I had tweeted with online. Shown above is the authors at the breakfast, along with Alex, the social media guru for Kensington. I’m on the far left. Thanks to my editor at Kensington for sharing the photo with me.

    Then, at noon, I did the Pocket author signing. After that, I had to go to the rehearsal for the Golden Heart and RITA awards ceremony. Then it was off to the Kensington author signing. Did I mention that this was a busy day? LOL.

    And finally, it was time for the Golden Heart and RITA awards ceremony. Wheezley was with me, and we got to sit with Thea Harrison and Nalini Singh. Thea won, and it was really great seeing how happy she was. You can see all the winners here. Once again, congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

    I was nominated in the Strong Romantic Elements and Young Adult categories. SRE went to Barbara O’Neal, while Ann Aguirre won the YA category. I know everyone says this, but it really was an honor just to be nominated with so many great books and authors. So many folks spoke to me at the conference and congratulated me on my nominations (and I tried to do the same as well). That’s one of the things I love about the romance writing/reading/blogging/reviewing community in general — almost everyone is super-nice.

    FINAL THOUGHTS

    And that was my conference. I haven’t even mentioned a fraction of the people I met, but I enjoyed chatting with everyone. I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference in Atlanta.

    What about you guys? Did you go to RWA? If so, what were some of your highlights?

  • Summer blogging break …

    I’m taking a break from blogging so that I can get ahead on some writing deadlines and things like that. The Friday book review will post as usual, and I’ll be back here blogging on Wednesday, Aug. 1.

    Until then, stay cool.

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    A few thoughts on Widow’s Web …

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    Widow's Web e-book coverWidow’s Web, the seventh book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, will be out on Aug. 21. I’ve gotten some questions about the book, especially about how the title might or might not relate to Gin and Owen, so I thought I would share a few (vague) thoughts about it.

    Please note that this post does contain some mild spoilers and hints about the book and future books in the series. So if you absolutely don’t want to know anything about the book before you read it, you may want to skip this post.

    Well, I guess the first thing I should say is this: I do something in this book that some folks are probably not going to like. I’m not going to talk about exactly what it is, but you’ll know when you read it.

    So why did I do this thing? Well, I thought it was necessary for the story, and it lets me kick off another story arc that I wanted to explore. After the book has been out for a while and folks have had a chance to read it, I’ll try to do a post talking a little more in-depth about the story and the decisions that I made about it and the characters.

    In the meantime, I’m asking that folks be patient and wait for the story to play out. I know it’s hard, especially since the next book, Deadly Sting, probably won’t be out until April 2013, but I’m still asking. So … pretty please?

    I’m also asking folks to keep in mind that Widow’s Web is not the end of the series. There will be at least three more Elemental Assassin books after this one, and the things that happen in Widow’s Web will continue to play out over the next few books.

    I know this post sounds like a giant tease for the book, but that’s really all I can say about the story, etc. right now. I try to avoid giving out spoilers just so folks who don’t like spoilers don’t accidentally stumble across them. However, I did want to give everyone a heads-up about the story in the book. So this is my way of doing that.

    Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the book when it comes out. Happy reading!

  • Book blogs …

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    One of the first things I do when I turn on my computer every morning is check out the latest news, reviews, and more on some of the many book blogs out there. Whether you like YA, fantasy, romance, or another genre, there’s a book blog (or two or three dozen) devoted to it.

    Here are some of the blogs I like:

    All Things Urban Fantasy: One of my favorite things about this blog is the weekly Wednesday post about new book covers that have been released.

    Books and Things: This blog has a little bit of everything — reviews, giveaways, blog tours, blog hops, and author interviews.

    Dear Author: I like the daily book news posts, along with the monthly threads for authors to post about their new releases and for readers to share what books they are (or aren’t) enjoying.

    Fiction Vixen: Another blog that features a little bit of everything — reviews, giveaways, book deals, and author interviews.

    Literary Escapism: One of the things I like about this blog are the roundups of all the new covers and excerpts that can be found online, along with news from authors about their latest projects and release dates for new books.

    Smart Bitches, Trashy Books: Yet another blog that features a little bit of everything — reviews, book deals, news, videos, and more.

    Smexy Books: I like the weekly wrap-up of what the reviewers are reading, as well as the weekly top ten post.

    Supernatural Snark: I like the mix of YA, paranormal, and urban fantasy titles reviewed on this site, along with books in other genres.

    The Book Smugglers: This blog focuses a lot on YA and includes reviews, author interviews, giveaways, and more.

    Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks: One of things I like about this blog is the conversational posts/questions about books. For example, a recent post asked what folks do after they read a really good book.

    There are many, many more book blogs out there, and this is by no means an exhaustive list. Half the fun is finding a blog you like that delivers the news, reviews, and features that you want in an informative, entertaining way.

    What about you guys? What are some of your favorite book blogs?

  • Books in my TBR pile …

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    Confession time. I have a bad habit. I will be all excited about a new book coming out, actually purchase said book, and then … I won’t read it. Or when I do read it, it will be weeks, if not months (or longer), after the release date. Sigh.

    Part of this is just my schedule. I’m writing four books this year, along with blogging, social media, and all the other things that authors do. So it always seems like I should be working and writing instead of reading.

    But my goal this summer is to make more time to read and to whittle down my TBR pile a little — so I can make room for more books. LOL. It’s a vicious cycle, I know.

    Anyway, here are some YA books in my TBR pile that I’m looking forward to reading this summer. Note that the book descriptions are from Goodreads:

    Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore:

    Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

    Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

    The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa:

    Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

    Worse, Meghan’s own fey powers have been cut off. She’s stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can’t help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

    The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen:

    THE FALSE PRINCE is the thrilling first book in a brand-new trilogy filled with danger and deceit and hidden identities that will have readers rushing breathlessly to the end.

    In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

    As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

    An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

    What are you looking forward to reading this summer?