• A sneak peak at Karma Girl …

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    Karma GirlI have cover art … and it totally rocks! I really love the cover for Karma Girl. I think it captures the comic-book and romance/chick-lit spirit of the book at the same time.

    It is just too cool.

    Kudos, kudos, kudos to the Berkley artist or artists who designed this. You are my favorite person right now. 🙂

    This isn’t quite the final version of the cover, though. I think there will be a little more tweaking, plus they  have to add on a cover quote from (drumroll here) … MaryJanice Davidson. Yep, that’s right, MJD of “Undead” series fame is blurbing my book. Hooray!

    What about you? Do you love the cover? Hate it? Would it make you want to pick up the book? Or run away screaming in the store? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • Thumbs down to Borat …

    Saw Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan this weekend.

    The movie is about Borat, a television reporter from Kazakhstan who comes to America to film a documentary. Along the way, he offends, insults or attacks just about everyone he meets, from feminists to a minister to Pamela Anderson.

    The significant other liked it. I did not.

    I knew going in that I probably wouldn’t, as I had seen some of the Borat shows on HBO and wasn’t overly impressed with them. I just didn’t expect it to be as offensive as it was. The film makes fun of and insults everyone, especially Jewish people.

    I’ve never really understood why some folks think that cruelly, mercilessly mocking others for their beliefs or religion is funny or makes for good entertainment. This movie did nothing to change my mind.

    But what really made me dislike it was the scene in the hotel room with Borat and his producer. Yikes. Unfortunately, those images will be burned into my mind for many, many days to come.

    Some folks (like Entertainment Weekly) think that this is the funniest movie ever made, but it gets a big thumbs down from me.

    What about you? Do you love or hate Borat? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • Under their spell …

    spell.jpgToday, I’m giving a shout-out to Hot Spell, a new anthology featuring Emma Holly, Lora Leigh, Meljean Brook, and Shiloh Walker. I recently met Lora Leigh at writers’ event, and Meljean comments on my blog a lot. Plus, it just sounds like a cool anthology. 🙂

    I like anthologies for this reason — you get four authors for the price of one. It’s a great, and relatively cheap, way to try out some new writers and see if you like them. With four stories and voices to choose from, you’re bound to like at least one of them, which isn’t always the case with a single-title book. And, if one of your favorite authors is in the anthology too, that’s an added bonis.

    The only quibble I have with anthologies is when an author is too good — and I have to rush right back to the bookstore to buy something else by her. But, that’s a good problem to have. 🙂

    What about you? Do you prefer anthologies or single titles? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • What’s in a name?

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    The sequel to Karma Girl is coming out in November next year. My agent, editor, and I are trying to come up with a title. Bigtime 2, as I’m calling it right now, is about Fiera, a member of my superhero team, the Fearless Five. She has superstrength and fire-based powers.

    Fiera is a great character. Fun and sassy and very take-charge. She knows what she wants and she goes after it — fireballs and all. I want a title that reflects her character.

    Besides the cover, a title is probably the next most important part of the whole book package. A great title is one that sticks in the mind or tells you in an instant what the book’s about. I want a great title.

    So far, the top three contenders are Hot Mama and Burn, Baby, Burn and Afterburn.

    What do you guys think of these? Would one of these titles make you want to pick up the book? Why or why not? Inquiring minds want to know …

    And , if there are any title suggestions out there in cyberspace, they’d be appreciated, too. 🙂

  • 794 and counting …

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    Finished reading All U Can Eat by Emma Holly.

    It’s about Frankie Smith, a diner owner whose boyfriend leaves her for another woman. Soon after, a body is found behind Frankie’s diner, and she becomes a suspect in the murder — and catches the eye of police chief Jack West.

    To say that this book is steamy is a major understatement. There’s a lot of sex in this book. A lot. That, in and of itself, didn’t bother me. What bothered me were the characters, Frankie in particular.

    In the course of the book, Frankie sleeps with four men (five, if you count the boyfriend who dumps her in the first chapter) — including two at the same time. She does this all in about the space of two weeks, after having been in a long-term relationship with her boyfriend.

    I just didn’t understand her motivations for being with all these men. One guy is pretty much a complete stranger to her, while two more let themselves into her house uninvited. If I came home to find two guys inside, I’d be screaming my head off, calling the police, getting a gun, and siccing my dog on them. All at the same time.

    Plus, I wish there had been more scenes between Frankie and the hero, instead of the two of them just thinking about each other while they were seperated.

    In short, this book just wasn’t for me.

    But steamy romance is a major trend in publishing these days. The sexier, the better, some folks say. But I think there’s a point when it just becomes gratuitous. I don’t mind all the sex scenes — I just want the characters to have a reason for being together, other than being hot and bothered. I want them to care about each other, even if they don’t realize it yet. I just didn’t get that feeling in Holly’s book.

    What about you? Is steamier better? Iniquiring minds want to know …