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    An ideal book?

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    So, I’m surfing some of the romance blogs I frequent, and I came across this post over at Magical Musings talking about what makes an ideal book — complete with the cover for Karma Girl.

    I sent an ARC of the book to Edie Ramer, one of the MM bloggers, and she wrote me back to tell me how much she liked it. But putting it with a blog about the ideal book? Wow. That’s a tremendous compliment.

    I got a good review in Publishers Weekly and some kick-ass cover blurbs from other authors, like MaryJanice Davidson and Erin McCarthy. But I’m most anxious to see what readers think about Karma Girl. Will they like it? Love it? Hate it? Think it’s the worst thing that’s ever gotten published?

    I know I’m going to get some bad reviews. Every author does (unless you’re J.R. Ward who seems to get universal acclaim). But one person liked my book — enough to recommend it to other people. That makes me smile. Makes me feel proud. Makes me feel downright giddy. It’s the reason I wrote Karma Girl in the first place – to entertain someone with my wacky world of superheroes and villains. 

    So, even if every other reviewer in the known universe rips me a new one for writing such drivel, I know I made at least one person happy. And the glow from that won’t fade for a long, long time.

    How do you cope while you wait for the reader reviews to come in? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • The whole shebang …

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    My Publishers Weekly review for Karma Girl has been posted to Amazon.com, so I guess I can put the whole thing up here too. This is what they wrote in its entirety:

    Chick lit meets comics lit in Estep’s fresh debut. Carmen Cole, “reporter extraordinaire” for the Exposé in Bigtime, N.Y., is on a mission — to unmask all superheroes and über villains — after catching her fiancé, Matt Marion (aka the Machinator), in bed with her best friend, Karen Crush (aka Crusher), on Carmen’s wedding day.

    But after Carmen outs a member of the Fearless Five, Travis Teague (aka Tornado), and Travis kills himself, she’s not only devastated, she’s demoted to society reporter. When the Terrible Triad nabs Carmen, their snarky Malefica insists she unmask the Fearless Five’s Striker or suffer dire consequences.

    By the time Carmen knows who Striker is, they’re in love, and turning him over to a superbitch isn’t an option. A zippy prose style helps lift this zany caper far above the usual run of paranormal romances. (May) 
    Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

    I know it’s mostly plot summary, but this still makes me insanely happy. Two whole sentences of like isn’t too shabby for a newbie like me. 😀

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    Publishers Weekly review time …

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    karma-girl-cover.jpgOMG! Karma Girl got reviewed in Publishers Weekly! And they liked it!

    Who-hoo!

    Here’s some of what they said: 

    Chick lit meets comics lit in Estep’s fresh debut … A zippy prose style helps lift this zany caper far above the usual run of paranormal romances.

    I can’t believe they liked it! I can’t quit typing in exclamation points!

    Who-hoo!

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    Putting on the buzz …

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    I’ve heard so much about J.R. Ward and her Black Dagger Brotherhood books that I finally reached into my to-be-read pile this weekend and started the first one, Dark Lover. More to come when I finish it.

    But it got me to thinking about how much I’ve heard about her — and how cool her books are supposed to be. And I was wondering how that happens. What makes buzz? Is it one reader telling another? A good review on a popular site like All About Romance? A feature in Romantic Times? Luck of the draw?

    Other authors I’ve noticed getting a lot of attention recently are Marjorie M. Liu, who’s been mentioned in RT a couple of times recently. Lora Leigh too. And, of course, there’s Nora Roberts, who’s always on everybody’s radar screen.

    What about you? Who’s the hot author you’ve been hearing about? What book do you want to read right now? How did you hear about it? What are your friends reading/recommending? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • One hot cover …

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    hot_mama_cover.jpgOver the weekend, I got some cover art for Bigtime 2, aka Hot Mama. This isn’t the final cover, but it gives y’all an idea of what to look for.

    Personally, I looove it. It captures Fiera, the main character, exactly the way I picture her in my head. Sassy, sexy, and sophisticated. I can’t wait to get the final version with all the quotes, etc. so I can get some bookmarks made. I’m a bookmark junkie, and I like it! 😎

    Kudos to Stan Chow at Berkley for the stellar design once again. He also was the mastermind behind Karma Girl.

    What about you? Do you love the cover? Hate it? Would it make you want to know more about the book? Inquiring minds want to know …