On Writing

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    Elemental Assassin short story in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance …

    The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance coverI’ve mentioned this before, but I want to remind everyone that there is an Elemental Assassin short story in The Mammoth Book of Ghost Romance anthology. Here’s the book description:

    A wonderful collection of stories of supernatural love by Sharon Shinn, Dru Pagliasotti, Caridad Pineiro, Jennifer Estep, Gwyn Cready, Carolyn Crane, Jeannie Holmes, Anna Campbell, Julia London, Christie Ridgway, Holly Lisle and Liz Maverick. In happy-ever-after endings, ghosts come to life so that lovers can be united in the flesh.

    My story is called Haints and Hobwebs and takes place between the events of Tangled Threads and Spider’s Revenge. Basically, in Haints and Hobwebs, a ghost needs Gin’s help to be reunited with her lover and stop an old enemy.

    The story does have some mild spoilers for Tangled Threads, so if you haven’t read that far in the series yet, you may want to skip the story.

    The print book will be released tomorrow, Aug. 7, in the U.S. It looks like the e-book is available already in the U.S. (I see it on Amazon and Barnes & Noble). The print book is also already available in the United Kingdom from what I have been told (the book publisher is located in the UK so I guess that’s why the print version was released there first). 

    Since the story is in the anthology, it will not be posted for free here on my website. However, you can read a brief excerpt of the story here.

    Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys Haints and Hobwebs. Happy reading!

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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?

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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!

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    Tentative release schedule for 2013 …

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    I can’t believe it’s the end of June already. Where did the first half of the year go? Sigh. Anyway, we may just be getting into the summer season, but I’m already working on books for next year. Today, I thought I would share my release schedule for 2013:

    Crimson Frost — Mythos Academy #4 — January 2013 (it looks like the release date for this one will be Dec. 24, 2012)

    Deadly Sting — Elemental Assassin #8 — April 2013

    Midnight Frost — Mythos Academy #5 — August 2013

    Untitled — Elemental Assassin #9 — September 2013

    Please keep in mind that this is a tentative schedule and subject to change. But if all goes according to plan, I’ll have these four books out in 2013.

    As of right now, there will be at least 10 books total in the Elemental Assassin series and at least 6 books total in the Mythos Academy series. I’ll post the cover art and back cover copy for the books as they become available. So stay tuned for more.

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    Romfest wrap-up …

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    Over the weekend, I attended the first annual Romfest in Gatlinburg, Tenn. I couldn’t attend the entire convention, which ran from Thursday morning until Sunday morning, but I had a good time while I was there, and I thought I’d share some of my highlights from the event:

    THURSDAY

    There was a welcome breakfast and workshops all day on Thursday, but I didn’t get to the convention hotel until mid-afternoon. After that, my mom and I decided to do a little sight-seeing and walked down the main street in Gatlinburg. If you’ve never been to Gatlinburg, it’s definitely a tourist town. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many places to get fudge, ice cream, funnel cakes, and pancakes so close together before. (Not that I’m complaining about that. LOL.) Anyway, we had fun looking in all the candy and food shops, despite the heat and humidity.

    There was a cookout at the hotel Thursday night, and folks gathered under an outdoor pavilion to just eat, hang out, and talk about books and other stuff.

    After the cookout, there was a pajama party hosted by Smoky Mountain Romance Writers. Again, just another chance for folks to mix and mingle, along with some games, food, and prizes. I sat at a table and chatted with Mary Wine, Shannon K. Butcher, and Shannon’s assistant, Sarah.

    FRIDAY

    Sherrilyn Kenyon booksThere were more workshops on Friday, including one by yours truly on how authors can get media coverage for their books. I talked about how to write a press release, common interview questions, etc. I hope folks got some helpful tips out of my workshop.

    After the morning workshops, there was a luncheon with keynote speaker Sherrilyn Kenyon. Sherrilyn gave a funny talk about some of the ups and downs of being a writer. I’ve posted a photo of Sherrilyn’s books at the Saturday signing since my photos of the luncheon didn’t turn out that well.

    After lunch, there were more workshops, including one given by my friend Trixie Stiletto and Natasha Moore. Trixie and Natasha told funny stories of how they’ve incorporated some real-life events into their books and talked about how you can find inspiration in all kinds of events.

    There was a dinner and costume contest on Friday night. After that, there was bingo and prizes with Rita Sawyer and Adele Quinn. That was a lot of fun, and I actually won a T-shirt. I never win anything at conventions, but I also won a couple of raffle baskets too. Huzzah! Although I think I’ve used up my giveaway luck for the foreseeable future.

    SATURDAY

    Jennifer Estep booksOn Saturday morning, the mom and I got up, went out, and did some shopping, since the Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge-Sevierville area is full of shopping outlets.

    After that, it was time for the book signing. Here are some of my books.

    We had a good turnout for the signing, and I was also able to talk to some of the other authors, including Kimberly Lang, Lorelei James, Joey W. Hill, and MaryJanice Davidson.

    I want to give a big, big thanks to the staff at the Books-A-Million in Sevierville that hosted the signing. The staff was so friendly and helpful. They were constantly asking if the authors needed anything, and they even brought us cookies during the signing. You guys rock.

    I had to leave after the signing, but there was another dinner Saturday night and a goodbye breakfast Sunday morning.

    AND THAT’S A WRAP

    And that was my convention. I just want to say thanks to everyone who organized the conference and all the readers and authors who attended. It’s always nice to hang out with people who love books.

    The Romfest organizers are already thinking about next year’s event. I’m not sure if it will be in Gatlinburg again or somewhere else, but I hope I get to attend.