The Risky Read Along is underway! Come join us in our read along of Georgette Heyer's Venetia. I've already started and I LOVE this book with a mad passion . . .

Labels: books, reading

I have been revising My Immortal Assassin into a much better book. Possibly a book unrecognizable by any one who read it before. Almost done. Almost.

Tomorrow, I'm mailing out various prizes etc. So tardy. But I've been revising like mad. The pain. Oh, the pain. But also, oh the good feeling when you fix something . . .

I've also read two really amazing books. The first one is A Bad Day For Sorry by Sophie Littlefield. She's a fellow San Francisco Bay Area RWA chapter member, so I know her which is cool. A Bad Day for Sorry has been nominated for an Edgar. (Because it's a mystery, though there's some strong romantic elements in it.)

This book seriously rocks. It's a debut novel, too. Go read it. It's Edgar nominated for a reason.

The other book is A Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliasotti.


I seriously loved this book. It's just overwhelmingly good. I felt like I was living with the characters. It's steampunk but let me tell you, the romance is beautifully done. There's no sex on the pages, but I defy anyone not to get sniffly at the romantic ending.

But here's the thing. I read the book because I'd heard it was good. You hear things, you know? A friend whose opinion I really trust recommended it, too, so my usual silly resistance to Books I Keep Hearing About got worn down and I read it. And then I remembered hearing that the author was having trouble selling a second book.

WTF? Really? What is wrong with the people over at Juno Books? I went off to her website and I thought I saw that she was still looking for an agent. (What? That's another mystery to me.) But now I can't find that so maybe it's not true. ETA: Found it: Clockwork Heart Sequel: Looking for an agent

The sad thing is that poor sales can doom additional books sales from an author even if the published book is amazing. Were sales for A Clockwork Heart not robust enough to get a second sale? Criminal if true.

I just know I want to read more novels by her and it seems I can't.

Labels: books, Cool Stuff, great books, My Immortal Assassin

Amazon gives in to Macmillan

Macmillan has a monopoly on their books.

Of course they do. Surely Amazon wasn't naive enough to think otherwise? Only St. Martin's Press publishes Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter Series. If you want to read this series, you can only get the stories from a book that says St. Martin's Press on the spine. Or a digital file provided by SMP.

I refuse to believe Amazon wasn't fully aware of that fundamental fact about the publishing business.

So, is there a winner? It would seem to be Macmillan, since they got what they wanted -- a higher price for their eBooks. And Macmillan authors get their Amazon buy button back. That's good.

But is Macmillan really the winner? I'm thinking, maybe not.

Macmillan won an important right -- to set the price where they THINK it should be. They've also established a different model for selling eBooks: the agency model, in which Amazon gets 30% of the price set and the publisher gets the rest. Previously, Amazon kept well over 50% of the price. I've heard as high as 70%.

On the one had, I admit to being a wee bit relieved that Amazon is no longer going to set digital prices since they've been doing that in a way that can only hurt publishers and the current Amazon price structure for the self-published is a disgrace and insult to a working writer.

But now I'm worried that publishers will set digital prices in a way that's calculated to hurt the digital customer whom they seem to think of as a threat.

Macmillan and other publishers who follow suit -- I think that's inevitable, by the way -- will soon learn what consumers think is a fair price for what they're getting for their eBook purchases. It's not a bad lesson to learn.

I'm afraid publishers will set eBook prices at levels intended to protect their paper versions. There's no reason to think they won't. That's been what they've done at the other eBook sellers such as FictionWise and the like. This can only make the piracy problem worse since the potential legal buyers of eBooks will know they're being ripped off.

It just makes me kind of sad to think about a new market being deliberately hindered.

With luck, I'll be proven wrong. I hope so.

Labels: Amazon, books, eBooks, Kindle

Ahem. I've been getting a few things off my shiny New Year Plate so I can put some bigger things on it. A short story is ready to head out the door. A draft proposal off to my agent.

Now, I need to get my head down and finish revisions for My Beloved Assassin

What about the big lunch, you ask? Let me tell you!

Some of you may know that last year I won lunch with Barry Eisler through Brenda Novak's Diabetes auction. Various things prevented an immediate luncheon, but this weekend we hooked up and I ordered the biggest lunch possible. (Not really.)

He signed some of his books for me (squeeee!!!!) and gave me the ARC of Inside Out. We had a lovely lunch. He's a really nice guy. You can bet your bippy I'll be trolling the auction lists against this year for more wonderful things to bid on.

Yesterday, an embarrassingly short time after I got home from lunch, I started reading Inside Out and just kept turning pages. I finished at 1:45 this morning.

Inside Out is the book that follows last year's Fault Line which I loved when I read it. This one features Ben Traven as the hero and well, I'll do a full review when I have a bit more time, but I loved this book. It's on a par with Lee Child. Ben is now in Carolyn's Hero Hall of Fame too. If you like action books then when it comes out in June this year, get your hands on it.

I'm now getting myself to bed early as I did not exactly get enough sleep today and don't wish to be wreck tomorrow.

I hope everyone's inaugural week of 2010 has been lovely!

Labels: books, My Beloved Assassin, writing

• Prime Time, Hank Phillippi Ryan


• Air Time, Hank Phillippi Ryan


• Face Time, Hank Phillippi Ryan


• SEALed and Delivered, Jill Monroe

I LOVED the Ryan books. I keep wishing there were more to pick up because the Voice is so wonderfully conversational. And every book had 2-3 lines that just impressed the hell out of me.

The Monroe book was my very first Harlequin Blaze that I didn't get free. It was cute and fun and I'll be looking for more of her work plus reading more from Harlequin, too.

In Progress

• Demon Forged, Meljean Brook


• Skin Tight, Ava Gray


• How To Supress Women's Writing, Joanna Russ

These three books rock. The last one is interesting but I do think she missed the point of Bronte's Vilette. I have a way to go, but it's actually in line with some interesting and hyperbolic conversation that's been going around on the Interwebz lately. I'll be posting on that in a day or two I think.

Off to post chapter 1 of The Last Paranormal which I have tentatively titled My Beloved Assassin. I have started work on The Next Paranormal and am wondering if there is any hope of catching up in NaNoWriMo.

Labels: books, NaNoWriMo, reading

The funny and fabulous Courtney Milan stops by today to talk about her debut, her attack cat, some future books and all manner of other things you'll enjoy hearing about. She'll be giving away some copies of the novella, so read through to the bottom to find out how you can come away with one for yourself.

Courtney Milan
This Wicked Gift in THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS, HQN, October 2009
PROOF BY SEDUCTION, HQN, January 2010

The Interview

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I was born in a Russian gulag, and learned to read by scraping twigs against the....
Oh my God! Courtney, you too? Didn't those twigs really--

Oh. Wait. You want me to tell the truth?
Well, only if it's no trouble.

All righty then. I've held about nine or ten very different jobs, ranging from sales to graphic design to administration of a Linux cluster to animal training. Also, I'm a liar, so some of the things I say may not be 100% true.

Q: Why historical romance?

This one is easy: I can't write contemporaries, because I know absolutely nothing about popular culture. Nada. Not a thing. This is not to say you need to be a pop culture maven to write contemporaries, but it's just one of those little things I've learned: Never lie about subject matter to someone who knows more than you do. You'll never fool them.

Q: Team Eric or Team Bill? Edward or Jacob? (If you answer Bill and Edward, I won't hold it against you. Promise.) Why?

Um, who are Eric and Bill? (See above question.) As for Edward versus Jacob, that's easy. Bella can keep Edward. She deserves him. :)

I will email you some references. Because I'm just generous that way.

Q: Did you train your cat to be an attack cat or did you just get lucky? Do you have a picture you can share?

The cat came pre-trained to attack. We were very lucky with this cat; we got him because a "friend" asked us to watch him over his vacation. Vacation ended and the "friend" never showed up to pick up his cat. Needless to say, we kept the cat and ditched the friend.
Good move. An attack cat is invaluable.
You can see a picture of him, prepared to attack my carefully-built fortress of author copies of my novella


Q: Are you a plotter or a pantser or somewhere in between?

I'm definitely a plotter. And I plot by writing. The way it works is that in order to really get going on a story I need to know the beginning, the middle, and the end. That may sound like the whole story, but really, it's about 30,000 words--there's the part after the beginning but before the middle, and then the part before the middle but after the beginning and after the part after the part after the beginning.... trust me, it's just as confusing inside my head. So I basically have three scenes in my head when I start writing. Everything else I figure out in writing.

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the kind of stories you write?

Some people write stories about good people who have bad things happen to them. I write stories about good people who make bad mistakes. In some sense, I think my characters always bring the meat of the story upon themselves, by making choices that while often well-intentioned, are fatally flawed. This is not to say that my characters get into bad situations by their own stupidity--quite the opposite. In fact, if anything, I think that relying too much on intelligence and overthinking are more likely to get my characters in trouble than, say, foolish choices made without thought.

I like writing stories like that because I feel it really pushes my characters to grow emotionally, to discover things about themselves, to rediscover the notion of honor and to decide that they are worthy of respect and love. I really believe it's hard to love another person if you don't love yourself, and so it's crucial that during the course of the story, my heroes and heroines learn to trust themselves as well as the people around them.

Q: I'm pimping you, Courtney. Tell me about your upcoming single title.

On January 1, 2010 (that's a lot of 1's!), my single title debut, PROOF BY SEDUCTION, is coming out. Proof by Seduction is the story of Gareth Carhart, the Marquess of Blakely, an inveterate scientist who is stunned to find out that his cousin and heir has been visiting a fortune teller for advice. He decides to prove Madame Esmerelda is a fraud. But what he assumes will be a simple task becomes drawn out by a simpler occurrence: He sees her almost naked. And once he's seen behind her disguise, he realizes that she is far more complex than a simple fraud. False as Madame Esmerelda's predictions might be, the woman who plays Madame Esmerelda, Jenny Keeble, is more compelling than any of the fortunes she manufactures. And before he can understand what's happening, he realizes that the way he feels about her can't fit inside a scientific proposition.

To put it in visual terms:



xkcd

PROOF is also the story of Jenny Keeble, an illegitimate byblow who has never known her parents, and who's struggled for respect all her life. She's found a measure of that respect telling rich people what they want to hear. She has money, security, and people who look up to her. But when she meets Gareth, she begins to realize that all of that means nothing if she can't respect herself.

That sounds so awesome. I can't wait to read it.

Q: What else do you have for us to look forward to?

Sometime in 2010, after PROOF BY SEDUCTION, the follow-up, TRIAL BY DESIRE, will be released. TRIAL BY DESIRE is the story of Ned Carhart, the cousin of the hero of PROOF BY SEDUCTION.

But before we even get there, sometime in late November/early December I'll be posting a free read. You know how Harlequin Historicals sometimes have titles like, "Smashingly Drunk Lord, Feisty Maiden?" This will have a similar title. Completely similar. Except... totally different.

Smashingly Drunk Lord, Feisty Maiden was one of my fav reads of 2005.

Q: Can you provide a fun fact or two about your story?

Fun facts! Oh, man, whenever I hear "fun facts" my brain automatically translates that into "lies." What does that say about me? Nothing I haven't already said, I suppose, but alliteration sounds so immediately hyperbolic that it gets me thinking about all kinds of things that are fun. And you know what else alliterates with "fun" and "fact"? Yeah, you got it. Fake. So I will tell you three fun facts about my novella, but one thing I say in this section will be completely fake.
We here at Writer's Diary are all about really good lies. Lie on, Courtney. Lie on.

• I named the hero of my novella after a famous football star.


• I originally described this novella as Dickens's A Christmas Carol meets 419eater.com, but it really ended up being more like The Damnation of Faust takes polite tea with 419eater.com, but then goes on its merry way to a happy ending.


• Hidden inside this Christmas novella is a shocking truth: My novella almost never mentions Christmas. Hidden inside the lack of mention of Christmas in this novella is an even more shocking truth: Chapters of the novella parallel the libretto of Handel's Messiah.

What's the lie? Identify it in comments--and two people who correctly identify the lie will win a copy of my novella! (If nobody correctly identifies the lie, I will give out three copies at random.)

The Important Stuff

Read an Excerpt

Buy a copy of This Wicked Gift

And leave a comment. You could win big!

Labels: Authors, books, contest, Interview

Today I have the very great pleasure of introducing you all to a really wonderful writer. A couple of disclosures first: I have a serious jones for Hank's shoes. (The first step is admitting you have a problem.) She knows which ones I mean. Also, we have the same fantastic agent, Kristin Nelson and because of that, I was lucky enough to be at a dinner where I was seated next to Hank's husband who is the nicest most brilliant man you'd ever want to meet. And, I was also the winner of Candy of the Month from Hank (from Brenda Novak's Diabetes auction) so every month our household is delighted with a delicious delivery of something yummy from Hank.

She also writes great books. Check out this page to buy Air Time or read more about the book.

About Hank Phillippi Ryan

Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan is currently on the air at Boston's NBC affiliate, where she's broken big stories for the past 22 years. Her stories have resulted in new laws, people sent to prison, homes removed from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in refunds and restitution for consumers.


Along with her 26 Emmys, Hank's also won dozens of other journalism honors, including 10 Edward R. Murrow Awards, and highest honors from Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and The National Association of Science Writers. Hank's been a radio reporter, a legislative aide in the United States Senate, and in a two-year stint in Rolling Stone Magazine's Washington Bureau, worked on the political column Capitol Chatter and organized presidential campaign coverage for Hunter S. Thompson. She began her TV career in 1975, anchoring and reporting the news for TV stations in Indianapolis and then Atlanta.

Hank and her husband, a nationally renowned criminal defense and civil rights attorney, live just outside Boston.

Air Time Summary

Star reporter Charlotte (Charlie) McNally enters the glamorous and high-stakes world of high fashion . . . and soon discovers when the purses are fake, the danger is real.

To break her latest big-money blockbuster, Charlotte must go undercover--but what if the bad guys recognize her? This savvy TV journalist must face more than her fear of flying when her inside scoop on designer duplicates suddenly turns deadly.

Carrying a hidden camera and dressing to deceive, Charlie finds she's not the only one disguising her identity. Nothing--and no one--is what they seem. And that means nothing--and no one--can be trusted. In her high-risk job and in her suddenly steamy love life, how can she tell the real thing?

Charlie is forced to make some life-changing--and life and death--decisions. With only a split-second to act and with her own life in the balance, Charlie knows if she chooses wrong it will be the last decision she ever makes.

Real-life investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan devises a scheme so timely and innovative you'll wonder why someone hasn't tried it. AIR TIME takes you behind the scenes of TV news--and reveals what can happen when a savvy, sexy journalist turns from hard-working reporter into becoming a killer's target.

"Sassy, fast-paced and appealing. First-class entertainment."
-- Sue Grafton

"I love this series!"
-- Suzanne Brockmann

"AIR TIME is a fun, fast read with a heroine who's sexy, stylish, and smart. I loved it."
-- Nancy Pickard

Check out this page to buy Air Time or read more about the book.

Hank Phillippi Ryan Q & A

Q: Charlotte (Charlie) McNally is an investigative TV reporter, and so are you! What qualities do you share with Charlie, and how are you different?

When my husband talks about Charlie, he calls her "you." As in--when "you" are held at gunpoint, when you track down the bad guys, when you solve the mystery . . . and I have to remind him, "Sweetheart, it's fiction. It didn't really happen."

But a couple of things: I've been a TV reporter for more than 30 years. (Yes, really.) And so it would be silly, in writing a mystery about TV, not to use my own experiences. Think about it--as a TV reporter, you can never be wrong! Never be one minute late. Never choose the wrong word or miscalculate. You can never have a bad hair day, because it'll be seen by millions of people! It's high-stakes and high-stress--literally, people's lives at stake--and I really wanted to convey that in the books.

And everything that TV people do and say in the books is authentic and genuine. (Of course, Charlie can say things I can't say, and reveal things I can't reveal.) We're both devoted journalists, and over-focused on our jobs.

But Charlotte McNally is different, too. She's single--I'm happily married. She's ten years younger than I am, and so is facing different choices and dilemmas. She's braver than I am, certainly. Funnier. And a much better driver.



Q: Charlie has some exciting adventures in your mystery series--going undercover, confronting some really bad guys. Tell us about some of your adventures as an investigative reporter.

There's a huge been-there-done-that element to the books--I've wired myself with hidden cameras, confronted corrupt politicians, chased down criminals . . . been in disguise, been stalked, and threatened and had many a door slammed in my face. I've had people confess to murder, and others, from prison, insist they were innocent. So when that happens to Charlie, it's fair to imagine me. Although the plots are completely from my imagination, those are real-life experiences.

Q: Your job sounds very demanding. How (and when) do you find the time to write? Do you ever take a vacation, and, if so, what do you do with your time off?


Short answer--no. I don't take vacations anymore. We used to! We love Nevis, a tiny island n the Caribbean with empty white beaches and nothing to do. We love to go to western Massachusetts, to Tanglewood, to go to plays and the symphony and museums. We love to go to Cape Cod, to Truro, to sit on the beach with pals and read, then go out to wonderful dinners. All in the past. Now, I write. And Jonathan lounges in the back yard. Luckily, we have a lovely yard, with a pool and beautiful gardens.

Q: Charlie is afraid of flying, and the airlines are constantly losing her luggage. When you write in Charlie's voice about these dilemmas, you sound like you're writing from experience. Is this true?


Sigh. Yes. I am a luggage-loss magnet. If they can lose my bags, they will. It's almost funny. Almost. As for fear of flying, yes, I am afraid. (Although not as much has I used to be. I've worked very hard and tried a lot of things to get over it.) I was once covering a very bad plane crash, in a major airport, and was in a room with a lot of the bleeding and upset survivors of the crash. I often wonder if that bad energy someone affected me.

Q: Even though Charlie has a love interest, basically she's married to her job. You are married to a very successful criminal defense and civil rights attorney. Is it difficult to maintain a balance between the demands of your careers and your relationship, or do your exciting careers help "keep the fire going."

Fire? Well, hey. We both really respect each other, and we each think the other is really attractive and funny. We each understand when the other is immersed in work--in a story, or a writing a book, or handling a big case. We think each other's work is fascinating. Jonathan is incredibly patient. An endlessly interesting. It's wonderful for me to have in-house counsel to make sure my books are authentic when it comes to legal issues--and it's fun for him to have a writer-wife who had advised him on his dramatic closing arguments.

Q: Since you write about what you do, do you ever have ethical dilemmas of your profession that cause conflicts between Hank, the author, and Hank, the journalist?

Ah, no. The closest I've come to an ethical dilemmas trying to make sure that no one is the books is a representation of a real person. I'm careful about that. There's no real Franklin. Or Josh. Or Penny. (Is there a real Charlie? Well, that's possible . . .)

Q: You have won 26 Emmys and 10 Edward R. Murrow Awards. Tell us about the stories that won a couple of these distinguished awards for you.

Here's a list! We proved the state's 911 system was sending emergency responders to the wrong addresses. We found there was not one person of color on the federal jury pools in parts of Massachusetts. We discovered why thousand of people were never called for jury duty. We found there were thousands of warrants for peoples' arrests that were never served . We found people convicted of drunk driving who were still on the road. We found unsafe big rig trucks on the highways and found they were illegally ignoring the weight limits on the state's bridges, thereby causing expensive and dangerous damage. We found school buses with massive mechanical problems. We found the unit pricing in stores was completely incorrect. We found unscrupulous mortgage companies luring people into foreclosure. At least four--maybe five?--laws have changed as a result of our stories and people have gotten literally millions in refunds and restitution.

Q: Tell us about your writing process. Are you a plotter, or do you wing it when writing? Do you work on one book at a time or more?



Such a great question. In PRIME TIME, I totally winged it. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going, so I just blithely typed away. I typed The End, and then took it to be printed. It was 723 pages long! I had to cut half of it. Yikes.

It was a real editing education but also taught me I needed to be a bit more organized. And a lot tougher as a self-editor. (Now, I outline. Like crazy. My outlines are 60 pages long. I loathe writing them, but I adore it when I'm finished.)

I must say, though, that in writing PRIME TIME with no plan, I surprised even myself. I got about half-way through the book, and realized I'd chosen the wrong bad guy! I literally (as I remember it) sat up in bed, and thought--wait! The person who I thought did it--didn't!--and it just dawned on me who the real culprit was. It as all I could do not to run downstairs to the computer and see if I was right. The next morning, as I read over my 40,000 words--I barely had to make a change.

The real killer had been lurking in my very own pages--I just hadn't realized it! Talk about a surprise ending.

And yes, I only work on one book at a time. Well, no, not really. The next book is always forming in my head and just pushing to come out. Sometimes I have to hold it back!.

Q: In addition to the demands of your two successful careers, you seem to have close friendships with other authors. How do these friendships nurture you?

It's been a long time since I was the new kid! My paIs in the mystery world have opened doors and shown me the way. I could never have figured out his new world without them.


Q: Were you always a public person, comfortable in front of the camera and with a microphone in your hand? Or is this a skill you had to develop? How early did you know you wanted to be a TV journalist? When did you have your first inkling you wanted to be an author?

You know, I have a funny juxtaposition of desire to be in the spotlight--and sheer terror of being in the spotlight. I love my job in TV--and have to go live and unrehearsed all the time. Confession: I'm still terrified every time. I want to be perfect, and when you're on live, you can't possibly be. That's one reason why I love investigative reporting--there's more time to work, and dig, and polish, and produce. It's like making a little movie, and I can make it as perfect as possible.

My sisters and I used to create shows when we were all young and perform for our parents in our back yard. I did acting in high school and college. I wanted to be a DJ on the radio for a long time!

My mother says she always knew I would be a television reporter--but I think that was just her way of rationalizing that all I did as a pre-teen and teenager was read books and watch TV.

I knew from my first Nancy Drew that I loved mysteries. Nancy was my first best friend--I was a geeky unpopular kid, and it was such a relief to go home and hang out with Nancy. She was smart and made it be okay to be smart. She was confident and inquisitive and resourceful. I loved that.

I got into TV by chance. I had worked as a radio reporter (hired because, as I informed the radio station, they didn't have any women working there! Hey. It was the seventies.) But after a few years working in Washington D.C. (on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide and then for Rolling Stone Magazine), Rolling Stone closed its Washington office, and I needed a new job.

I went back home to Indianapolis and applied for a job as a TV reporter. It was 1975. I had covered politics in Washington, and the news director of the station figured he could teach me to be a TV reporter. (This was incredibly risky--I had never taken journalism and didn't know one thing about TV. But I wasn't afraid--and knew I could do it.)

Problem was, I should have been afraid! I quickly learned I had no idea what I was doing. I went home every night for the first two weeks--sobbing. Because I thought I would never understand it. Soon after--it hit me--oh, I get it! And I have adored it ever since.

When I do seminars and classes, students ask me how I got started. I tell them, I'll tell you the story, but it won't work that way anymore!

Q: Your career in journalism has taken you to several metropolitan areas. Tell us about your odyssey and what brought you ultimately to Boston.

Ah--I worked in television in Indianapolis for a year. As these things sometimes happen, a news director from Atlanta was in town, saw me on TV, and offered me a job in Atlanta. I packed up my stuff, left all my friends and family, and moved to a city where I knew absolutely no one. I stayed there for five years--loved it--and then got the job offer in Boston. Same deal--packed up and started anew. TV is very nomadic--all reporters work to move up the ladder. I'm very happy in Boston!

Q: Which authors do you admire? What books are on your nightstand to be read? Is your husband a reader? If so, do you have a two-person "book club" where you discuss what you're reading? If so, what book have you recently discussed?

Let's see: Thomas Wolfe. Tom Wolfe. Mark Helprin. Edith Wharton. I pretty much majored in Shakespeare in college and still love to read the plays. Stephen King. (I called in sick in 1980 so I wouldn't have to stop reading The Stand. Don't tell anyone.) In mystery world, Alafair Burke. Julia Spencer-Fleming. Sue Grafton. Margaret Maron. John Lescroart. Michael Connolly. Alex Berenson. Oh, way too many to tell!

Yes, Jonathan is a big mystery reader! And sometimes we do read together. (We're reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo now--but he's way ahead.) I'm judging books for a contest now--so my TBR pile is stacked with entries! Can't talk about that right now.

Q: What do you wish readers knew about you?
I'm a pretty good cook! I love arranging flowers. I'm…nice. I have such a tough persona on TV--I'm always confronting someone, asking tough questions, being just a tad pushy--so people are always surprised to see me smile. I think I'm pretty funny, too . . . but that may be just me.

What would you like to know?

Q: What is your idea of a relaxing day?

A relaxing day? I must say, haven't had one in a long long time. (I've had some very exciting ones, but not relaxing.)

Let's see. It would all start with coffee . . . no, wait. The alarm is not set. I can wake up whenever I want, no responsibilities. I smell . . . coffee. My husband comes in and says--amazingly, Starbucks has delivered lattes! Oh, I say, how lovely. We go outside with our lattes and sit at the patio table. There are blueberries and peaches. Our garden is in full bloom, hydrangea, lilies, the first of the dahlias.

We read all the newspapers, and I play with the New York Times crossword puzzle. I remember to check the best-seller list and I'm on it.

Friends come over, and we loll around the pool, floating on inflatable rafts, and reading our books. We do that for, lets say--all day. (Someone brings lunch, magically, somehow. And someone cleans it up. Somehow.)

Cocktails and appetizers on the patio. A lovely dinner--maybe at our local wonderful restaurant. We think about going to a movie, but decide to watch one on TV instead. I fall asleep in the middle of it, as usual.

Doesn't that sound nice?

Q: Tell us about Charlie's fourth outing, Drive Time, which will be published in February.

Drive Time brings Charlie's impossible decision. What happens when you get everything you always dreamed of--but it all happens at the same time. And you cannot possibly do it all?

She's successful at work--so successful she's offered a wonderful new job. In another city.

Finally, at age 47--she's successful at love. But if that's to continue--she can't leave town.

And it seems, everyone has a secret. And they're all asking Charlie to keep them. Does she tell? And when? And how does she balance her loyalties to her job and to her personal life?

And as her decisions unfold, parts of her life become dangerous and threatening: Someone dies. And then someone else. And someone she loves is accused of murder. What if that person is guilty? What will that do to her hope and fears?

There's blackmail. Extortion. Murder. And a deadly scheme so diabolically clever--you'll wonder why someone hasn't tried it! (Yes, perhaps I should have chosen a life of crime--well, I guess I did. It's just fiction!)

Suanne Brockmann says: "I love this series!"

Q: What is your work in progress?

Balancing my life! Okay, really--I'm working on two other ideas for series . . . but my first love is Charlotte McNally. Will there be more Charlie stories? That depends on you readers! What do you think? Let me know, okay?

Q: How can readers contact you?

Just go to my website http://www.HankPhillippiRyan.com and click on contact. Your email will come directly to me!

Labels: Authors, books, Interview

For those who don't know, Ava Gray is Ann Aguirre so, yes, be excited about this either way. Plus, the ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) is signed. There's a catch though which I explain at the end of telling you all about this book.

Skin Game, by Ava Gray

A Beautiful Fugitive -- Wanted Dead or Alive
Kyra is a con woman and a particular kind of thief. She steals with a touch, but she only takes one thing: her target's strongest skill. Which means she can be a fighter, an athlete, a musician, an artist -- anything she wants... for a limited time. Heartbroken, she turns her gift toward avenging her father's murder. With deadly patience, Kyra works her way into casino owner Gerrard Serrano's inner circle. After pulling off the ultimate con, she flees with his money and his pride.

A Hit Man Who Never Misses the Mark
Reyes has nothing but his work. Unfortunately for Kyra, he's the best-- and mercy never sways him once he takes a job. He's been hired to find out where Kyra hid the cash-- and bring her back to face Serrano's "justice." Dead will do if Reyes can't locate the loot. He's never failed to complete a contract, but Kyra tempts him with her fierce passion and her outlaw heart. So Reyes faces a hell of a choice: forsake his word or kill the woman he might love.

Purchase Skin Game, read an excerpt

Road Trip!!

This is a great Road Trip book. For anybody who's longing for a paranormal that's not the usual supernatural creature, this is the story is for you. If you just like great characters and even better writing, you'll want to read this book, too.

Skin Game is a wonderful Urban Fantasy Romance. I have no idea if there is such a genre, but this book is it. The world is contemporary, a bit gritty -- life isn't always easy-- and features a heroine who breaks every romance stereotype you ever read. I adored Kyra. Gray created a real person, flaws and all, with a life you can't help but admire.

I loved watching Reyes fall for Kyra, too. The moment when Kyra reveals the truth about her particular talent was beautifully done and never overwhelmed the story at any point. Plus, this book features what must be the best, most romantic, make up scene ever. The hero and heroine are adults and they behave like it, even when things aren't going well for them. (Yes! Total win!!)

Skin Game put me in mind of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee series. I loved McGee's off-the-grid life, his quirky car and boat and the way he kept falling head over heels for a woman who either dumped him or died a tragic death. At the end of every book McGee and his broken heart would sail off in his boat.

Gray's book reminded me of MacDonald's series because of some really first-rate writing, its grittier setting and the delicious pairing of two loners who don't mind being alone, by the way. The difference being, of course, that there's a happy ending for the couple at the end.

The secondary characters and plotlines are strong and interesting and they never did quite what I expected. I can't wait for Skin Tight which appears to feature Kyra's friend Mia. Hoo boy!

So, Carolyn, How can I Possibly Win This Signed ARC of Skin Game?

I'm so glad you asked! It's easy. There's 3 things you need to do.

1. Leave a comment to this post in which you either tell a joke and/or mention why you'd love to read this book


2. If you win, agree to post an honest, thoughtful review of the book on your own website or here, if you don't have a website or blog.


3. Leave me a way to contact you or else check back here on Wednesday August 26th to see if you've won

See? Easy! Please keep in mind that I have read this ARC, so it's as gently used as I could manage.

Go forth and comment!

Labels: ARCs, Authors, books, contest, reviews

Just in case anyone is wondering, backlist is books a writer has written that are not current releases. They may, or may not, still be in print. When a reader, such as myself, finds a new-to-her writer and likes what she read, that reader may well go in search of the writer's back list. As, for example, what I did when I discovered Mary Balogh. I went off and read as many of her titles as I could get my hands on. I did the opposite when I read J.R. Ward's Dark Lover. The book store had the first three titles, but I didn't want to buy all three when I didn't know if I'd like the first one.

So off I went to read Dark Lover. I went back to the bookstore the next day and bought the other two, profoundly relieved that 1) my not-so-romance friendly store even had the titles and 2) that no one had bought them after I was foolish enough not to buy them right away.

Backlist is important to a writer's career because it gives new readers a feeling of depth about a writer. When they find a writer they like, they go looking for backlist. Despite all the hoopla we hear about frontlist (books that are selling for the first time now), publishers make money off of backlist titles. They've already paid for the publication process. Reprinting, as I understand it, is certainly cheaper than starting new. And with some backlist titles, they may have warehoused copies, if the book has remained in print. And for original sales of backlist, the author eventually gets some money flowing her way, too.

Authors, as most people probably know, are not paid for used book sales. Which completely makes sense, in our system. Most authors, being avid readers themselves, understand about buying used -- it's much cheaper and who doesn't want to be cautious about shelling out $7 or more per book on authors who are unknown quantities?

My very first two books (Passion's Song and Stolen Love) are years and years out of print and will never be reprinted. They are only available used and that's if they can be found in a UBS.

My other titles, however, are more recent history. Lord Ruin and The Spare (2002 and 2004 respectively) went out of print for quite a while. But in the last year and a half, they've been reprinted and are available for sale new. I'm guessing that's mostly online sales, since I've not seen either title in a bookstore as new. I only found out about new copies being sold when I was on Amazon one day and saw that those titles said there were new copies available to be shipped right away.

What this means is that I have a backlist. And now I've seen mentions of people looking for and reading my backlist after reading a more frontlist title.

Huzzah!

Obviously, I hope people buy new, but even if they buy used, I end up in their thoughts about writers whose new books they'll want to buy. Which is pretty cool, if you ask me.

Here's looking at me having even more backlist one day. Along with more frontlist, of course.

Labels: backlist, books

Ranting about Literature

Today I saw a little blurb that suggested Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse was the best beach read ever. To which I immediately said, WTF?

There's just so much wrong with that statement, which yes, I do realize was meant partially in jest. But what's behind that jest? Nothing less than the usual insulting dig at commercial fiction and the readers thereof-- actual beach read books, which I hope we can agree are books you can take to the beach and read to forget your problems or simply enjoy an exciting story. To suggest that To The Lighthouse is a beach read is simply absurd. It implies that people who read actual Beach Reads are somehow so silly and harebrained that we have to be led down the path to literature because otherwise Beach Readers would never know about Virginia Woolf.

And then there's To The Lighthouse itself. This book is not an easy read. It takes concentration and exquisitely careful attention to the prose. I once said To The Lighthouse is a cubist novel and it is. If offers a perspective that shifts and feels uncomfortable and forces you to struggle to give shape to what you're reading. You are forced to see the world and The Novel itself in a whole different way. It is a tour de force. But as you learn how to follow the shifts and make new shapes from the prose, a new world opens up.

To The Lighthouse is NOT a beach read. And guess what? I've read To The Lighthouse and I've read actual beach reads and I get value from both. I bet I'm not the only one.

True Blood

Last night I watched the season 2 premier of True Blood, the HBO series based on Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books. Which, by the way, I loved.

Then I heard about a controversial opinion that in the final scene of the episode, Eric Northman bites the penis off a hapless redneck who has done vampires wrong. Could that be so? I know other appendages were, er, removed (an arm, seen in silhouette), but was there actual biting off of a male member? Well, upon review the scene and doing my best not to be distracted by the obvious fact that my One True Love Alexander Skarsgard has been working out, I can only conclude that, well, yes. He did do that.

My Current Obsession

Did you read the paragraph above? No, not To The Lighthouse. Alexander Skarsgard. I have it bad. Really bad. It's embarrassing and mostly I'm not even embarrassed.

In other News

I have begun receiving my candy of the month from the brilliant Hank Phillippi Ryan and guess what? Since I won it in Brenda Novak's diabetes auction (ignore the irony! It's for a good cause!) I'm in the club all by myself. And I'm not sharing. Sorry.

Not really.

Also, I finally worked my way out of my earliest dead end in a Work In Progress (WIP) ever. Chapter 4, for crying out loud. But now I'm out of it and things are looking pretty good.

I'm not due for another episode of Writer's Neurosis for another 6 chapters at least.

So, who else loves Alexander Skarsgard?

Labels: books, chocolate, literature, The Next Paranormal, True Blood, writing

Check out my blog post at Fresh Fiction where I'm talking werewolf reproduction. Leave a comment there, make me look super popular, and have a chance to win a copy of My Wicked Enemy so you'll have a complete set after you rush out to get your copy of My Forbidden Desire.

This post is a kind of a companion post to Vampire Reproduction

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Labels: books, My Forbidden Desire, My Wicked Enemy, vampire reproduction, werewolf reproduction

NON-FICTION: BIOGRAPHY
Brandon Webb, writing with Mir Bahmanyar's SEAL SNIPER, the true story of Webb's experience in Navy SEAL Teams as a sniper, including combat tours in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, to managing the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Course and employment with the operational branch of the CIA, to Brent Howard at Caliber.

I love books like this.

Labels: books, reading

Today I am thrilled to be turning over the blog to Sarah Wendell, aka Smart Bitch Sarah, co-author, along with Candy Tan, of Beyond Heaving Bosoms, The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels

Funny, irreverent, insightful, and thorough, this guide zeros in on the joys and the woes of the romance genre.
-- Nora Roberts, NY Times bestselling author

A high-octane, hilarious, and relevatory look at the romance genre. . . This sparkling book is required reading. It's too much fun to be missed.
-- Lisa Kleypas, NY Times bestselling author

A Word from Carolyn

Those of you who've visited my blog may already know that for me, the acid test of a book's worthiness (imho!) is whether I decide to pass it along to my sister. She's a hard core mystery reader and I am slowly and slyly bringing her into the Romance world by handing over ONLY books I believe are really, really awesome.

Does Beyond Heaving Bosoms past the sister test? My God, there wasn't even a test. There was almost a fight, though. When my copy arrived, she saw me opening it gleefully and she said, What's that? and then she took the book from my hands and started flipping through it. And laughing. Loudly. We almost had a throw down just to make her give it back to me.

This book rocks.

OK, Sarah, the blog is yours. Go.

Sarah's Giveaway:

Leave a comment, win a book. Easiest giveaway ever! I'll send a signed copy of the Bosoms to a lucky reader who comments on this entry and tells me what, if anything, you're looking forward to in the Bitch Book. And if this is the first you're hearing of it, that's cool too - just say howdy!

Note from Carolyn: if you actually want to receive your awesome winning you must either leave an email address, have a blogger or google id that easily tracks to contact info for you, or else commit to watching this blog on, say, Friday April 17 (give or take a day) to see if you won. K?

Beyond Heaving Bosoms - About The Book

Wendell and Tan give a hilarious, no-holds-barred look at the ins and outs of romance novels.
With their biting humor and sarcastic commentary, the authors both mock and pay homage to this highly successful genre while giving delicious tidbits of information for hardcover romance lovers, curious dabblers, and skeptics alike. Sure, the authors visit the wild love scenes where the hero/heroine Must Have Sex NOW -- but they also speak with famous romance authors and explore how this genre has influenced gender and sexual roles in our society. Filled with witty remarks and an abundance of expletives, BEYOND HEAVING BOSOMS provides insight on questions such as:

• Could romance novels be considered porn? (no)


• Why are the plots so cliché sometimes? (yes they can be cringingly bad but are always delicious in the end)


• Can we tame the hero? (hard, but definitely not impossible)


• What is the importance of the Magic Hoo Hoo and Heroic Wang of Mighty Lovin'? (I'm sure you can figure out what these are and have decided that yes They Are Very Important)


• What is the difference between Old Skool and New Skool romances?

Full of sarcasm and sass, Wendell and Tan bring new insight and irreverent commentary to a long frowned-upon genre. The authors dismiss these jaded perceptions and reinforce why romance novels have long been -- and will remain -- the best loved book genre. From insider advice on writing romance novels to discovering your inner Viking warrior, BEYOND HEAVING BOSOMS shows that while some romance novels can be silly, maybe even tawdry; they're also intelligent, savvy, feminist, and fabulous -- just like the Smart Bitches.

10 Commandments of Heroine Conduct

1. Thou shalt not lust in thy panties for any male's mighty wang due to normal sexual horny pants. Thou shalt lust in thy panties only for the mighty wang of the hero. There is no "ho" in heroine.


2. Thou shalt not offer an accurate representation of the financial insecurities of women at the time period by actively looking for a hero of wealth and reputation, and admitting that thou art doing so without remorse. Just because every unmarried woman at that time actually was doing so is no excuse for similar behavior in a romance heroine.


3. If thou art in a historical, thou shalt not be without a loyal, trusty servant, even though trusting the servant put the servant in a complicated position of power over her mistress, and really, a heroine who is blackmailed by her servants is scarcely a noble prototype of admirable behavior.


4. Thou shalt not be aware of your beauty. Every villain, sleazy uncle, and otherwise able-bodied male who has ever clapped eyes on thee may make sexual overtures on thee, but thou shalt remain in blissful oblivion.


5. Thou shalt have a nurturing streak larger and warmer than the South China Sea. Thy desire for children shall be unquestioned and unperturbed by real-life concerns such as the cost of child rearing, reproductive choice, and child-support payments (in contemporaries), or the dangers ofchildbearing (in historicals). And shouldst thou choose to remain child-free, thou freak of nature, verily though shouldst display your nurturing streak with animals. Preferably cute, neurotic ones.


6. If thou shalt have a baby with the hero prior to getting together with him, thou shalt keep this baby a secret.


7. Thy amnesia shalt be sexy and not be complicated by distinctly unsexy side effects such as loss of motor control, speech impediments, loss of cognitive skills, and inability to control bodily functions.


8. Thou shalt not win against the hero in any significant way. A few moral victories shall be thine; all other substantive victories shalt lie with the hero, for yea, his wang is mighty.


9. If in a historical, thou shalt desire escape from the domestic sphere. If a contemporary, thou shalt desire escape from a soul-sucking career. If in a paranormal, thou shalt desire escape from the superpowers and eternal life that have been foisted unwillingly upon thee.


10. Thou shalt not kill, unless it be accidental or under extremely limited circumstances. Thou especially shalt not be an efficient killer, unless thou art in a paranormal and thou killest most nonhuman bad guys who verily had it coming to their asses.

About the Authors - Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan, the Smart Bitches

Sarah Wendell is a transplanted Pittsburgher currently living in New York metropolitan area. By day she's mild mannered and heavily caffeinated. By evening she dons her cranky costume, consumes yet more caffeine, and becomes Smart Bitch Sarah of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. The site specializes in reviewing romance novels, examining the history and future of the genre, and bemoaning the enormous prevalence of bodacious pectorals adorning male cover models. Sarah is co-author of the seminal monument to all things romance: Beyond Heaving Bosoms: the Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels.

Candy Tan is currently a perpetually sleep-deprived law student who lives in Portland, Oregon with two cats and seven bookcases (all of them double--even triple--stacked). She looks forward to becoming a less sleep-deprived lawyer. She is startled and gleeful whenever she meets people who have heard of Smart Bitches before they ever met her, and has been known to introduce herself as "Your friendly local D-list Internet celebrity" at parties.

Interview with Smart Bitch Sarah

Q: What made you decide to write this book? What's the passion behind it?

A: Once Rose Hilliard from St. Martin's Press gave us the idea, we realized we had a TON of things about the romance genre that we wanted to discuss and illustrate through our own odd style of comedy. So the passion behind the book is simple: we love romance novels, and it's high time we paid critical attention to what makes them wonderful, what makes them woefully bad, and why so many women love them, too.

Q: Milk chocolate or dark?

A: Dark. With currants, hazelnuts, or crystallized ginger, please.

Q: Romance, unlike any other genre of writing, seems to be judged solely by its flaws, as if flawed books define the genre and cancel out everything else. Can you talk a little bit about how your book attempts (if you feel it does) to reconcile the highs and lows of the genre?

A: We definitely think it attempts to reconcile he highs and the lows of the genre. For example: yes, in old skool romance, there were bodices ripped, hymens stolen, and heroines raped. It's true. But we also talk at length (hur) about the fact that one, this doesn't happen in romances published today, and more importantly, even in the heyday of the rapetastic hero, there is a very important distinction that isn't mentioned nearly enough. In most canonical literature, the wages of premarital sex were death, diesase, disgrace, or all three. Consider "Pamela" and its ilk: even if a heroine were raped through no fault of her own, the loss of her hymen equaled instant moral turpitude and a future of degredation and loss, with no recovery of social status or even personal happiness.

But in a romance novel, she who may have had her hymen plucked against her will ... has a happy ending. There might be varying levels of remorse on the part of the hero, but she will achieve some access to sexual agency, establish some degree of self-actualization, and have. a. happy. ending.

No other genre allows a happy ending for a heroine who engages, forcibly or by choice, in premarital sex. The subtext is powerful: sexually awakened heroines are not on the short track to death and ostracization. There is value inherent in that subtext that isn't nearly appreciated enough.

So by highlighting those flaws, or even the more shameful and embarrassing bits of romance's narrative history, we can also discover the subversion and potential empowerment of women inherent in romance's core. Those flaws don't look so much like flaws when examined critically, especially against the total anthropologically-rich history of women's sexuality that comprises the whole of the romance genre.

Q: Let’s talk ISM's: Sexism, Feminism, Chauvinism, Reverse-isms and any others you want to throw in there. One could argue, convincingly, I think, that the reason Romance enjoys (with full irony intended) its poor reputation, has to do with the fact that romances are primarily read and written by women. Do you agree with me on that? How does your book contribute to the conversation?

A: Ayup. I surely do. It's absolutely ludicrous that a billion dollar industry created by women operating independent businesses writing female-centered narratives for an audience of mostly women who never cease with the dedicated bookbuying isn't taken more serious from an economic, social, political or even literary point of view. Sometimes I huff at this slight and think, "Well, screw you. More for me to read." And other times I want to knock heads together because there's so much to discover and appreciate within romance that few people ever realize.

But in many fields and -isms in our society, anything produced by and for women is automatically less-than, marginalized, and not taken as seriously. Our book attempts to contribute to the conversation by highlighting some of the literary achievements at work within the genre, and also by including copious amount of literary theory that is usually only applied to canonical works. We discuss Jungian shadow selves, heteronormativity, and feminist lit crit while also paying attention to the man-titty, the Mighty Wang of Lovin', and the importance of the mullet.

Q: Pirates. They rock. How come? Or, why not?

A: Current pirates, in dinghies attacking freighters, suck and suck bigtime. I have a friend in the Navy who is deployed to fight pirates. It's kind of funny to say out loud but the core of what he's doing is dangerous.

Historical romance pirates? Buckling of swashes? Swashing of buckles? Cross dressing heroines, charming pet pigs or pet geese? Tortured noblemen disguised as marauding pirates? Shirts unbuttoned but still tucked in, with wide leather belts, man-titty and long, erect, powerful swords matched only by the stalwart mizzen mast? Candy and I both love it and love it hard. From undermining of heterosexist archetypes to revealing a heroine of nuanced cleverness beneath a clueless exterior, pirate romances done well have it all.

Q: 5-10 years from now, you're preparing an updated edition of your book. What will you be adding, deleting and updating?

A: Wait, what? More Bosoms? From your lips to the publisher's ears!

The updated edition would have to revisit some of the perennial questions that plague romance, such as sexuality, sexual content, plagiarism, and hero and heroine expectations.

But in 5 to 10 years I'd hope like hell we would have a definitive and unmistakable recognition of the importance and fundamental power of digital publishing, and that primarily digital publishers who have demonstrated their acumen as romance publishing houses would by that time be taken seriously and recognized. In 5-10 years, it may be that most of us read romance digitally - that alone could be several chapters of discussion.

Q: Someone who doesn't read romance reads your book. What happens to her afterward? Does his brain implode? Is she whisked into an alternate dimension in which men are alpha and the women kick ass? Assuming this hypothetical reader has a fairly open mind, what do you hope he takes away from his reading experience? Will she end up with an idea of where to start her newly-informed reading?

A: Since we include tons of recommendations from just about every subgenre we could think of, I'd hope a curious reader would find at least a few titles to start with. If anything, I hope that a reader unfamiliar with romance might read our book and realize that by dismissing romance, one is missing the opportunity to read and experience some truly incredible narrative fiction.

Q: Do you have a favorite section of your book? Funniest line?

A: Favorite section? Oh, boy. Probably the sexual mythology of romance novels, in which I discuss all the things that happen in sex scenes in romance novels that can't possibly happen in real life. And my favorite line: the last line of the book itself.

Carolyn here: OK, I peeked at the last line. Yeah, me, too.

Q: Talk about what drew you into romance in the first place and how you got from there to writing a book about the genre.

A: The short version is, I was not a good reader in school and was never curious or challenged by or even interested in many of the books being taught in class. I didn't want to answer the same questions being asked of the same twelve books every year, and I developed a sense that there was something wrong with me that I couldn't appreciate these giant thick massive books. Then, in high school, the class valedictorian (the girl - there were two and I married the other one) introduced me to romance novels, and boy howdy was I a happy girl. This was back in the day of the pack-every-historical-detail-in-each-chapter historical romances, and I got a crash-course in English history, language, social customs, society, and, let's face it, sexuality. I was hooked.

Once I discovered the genre, I read as much as I could, and pondered the different facets of the genre - but never had anyone to discuss it with, really. Not that many people I knew read romance or would talk about it.

Then came the internet. And it was good.

Q: Man-Titty. I think you guys may actually have coined that phrase. Does your book uncover the subject? If so, why, and (if you have your author copies yet) what page numbers?

A: The man-titty has been uncovered on its own for years now. It's hard to miss! But we did uncover a discussion of what cover images sell, and WHY they sell. It's sort of a chicken-or-the-egg conundrum: do clinch covers sell because they are visual shorthand for romance, or is romance best represented by the clinch cover, and ergo it sells?

Q: Anything else you want to add or talk about?

A: Nope - I'm tired. Thank you for the opportunity, though. It was an honor to be interviewed by you!

Sarah
--
Smart Bitch Sarah
Smart Bitches Trashy Books LLC
http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com

Co-Author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels
Buy from Amazon

Labels: Beyond Heaving Bosoms, books, contests, Giveaway, Interview, romance genre

Courtesy of Simon and Schuster (and Twitter!) I have five copies of Jennifer Weiner's Certain Girls to give away to 5 random commenters on this post. Last day to comment is April 10. Instructions at the end!

Touchingly funny and tender, with Weiner's whip-smart dialogue and sharp observations of modern life, Certain Girls is an unforgettable story of love, loss and a daughter's search for the truth about her family.

Certain Girls is the kind of book that gets under your skin, reminding you what it felt like when you were thirteen and capturing exactly what it feels like now. Laura Zigman, The Washington Post

Hiliarious... Weiner offers her signature snappy observations and spot-on insights into human nature. Publisher's Weekly

To have a shot at your very own copy to read, leave a comment discussing the role of chocolate in your life. Love it? Hate it? Favorite item made of chocolate? If you don't have a gmail id you'll need to leave me an email address otherwise I might be in the unhappy position of being unable to inform you that you are a winner.

Your entry must be at least one word. Carolyn Karma Points (CKP) for honesty and/or humor. I made up the CKP, but I know you'll want to have some. CKP's rock. Your life will be better if you have some. Now imagine what it would be like for you to have CKP PLUS a free copy of this book.

Yeah. Pretty awesome.

Leave your comment by midnight Pacific April 10, 2009.

I'll start with an example.

Dark chocolate. Yeah, baby. I wish I could eat more of it. Well, I could, but if I did, there just aren't enough hours in the day to exercise off the amount I would like to eat on a daily basis.

Labels: books, chocolate, free stuff

Books in my Future

From Publisher's Marketplace (If you're a writer, you should be subscribing. It's worth the money.

NON-FICTION: COOKING

CEO of Ciao Bella Gelato F.W. Pearce's book on gelato, featuring 100 recipes for classic and exotic flavors, advice from Ciao Bella's master chef on creating your own new flavors, as well as information about ingredients, methodology and tools, and using gelato to make creative concoctions, to Aliza Fogelson at Clarkson Potter (World).

I'm hungry all ready!

NON-FICTION: MEMOIR

Keith Desseric and Brooke Desseric's originally self-published NOTES LEFT BEHIND, said to have sold almost 8,000 copies after being featured on GMA recently, a journal created by the family of five year-old Elena Desseric, during her battle with an inoperable kind of cancer that took her life in 2007, including Elena's "bucket list" and accompanying artwork, to Lisa Sharkey for William Morrow, for publication in fall 2009, by Sharlene Martin at Martin Literary Management, with the authors' proceeds going to a foundation to raise money to find a cure for pediatric brain cancer.

In case you didn't hear, this terminally ill 6 year old hid notes around the house, to be found after her death. I cried just reading about it. I'll totally buy this book.

A new Author Talk!!!

Merline Lovelace rocks:

Labels: books, humor, reading

Jessica Andersen's next titles in her NOVELS OF THE FINAL PROPHECY series, about the modern-day men and women destined to protect mankind from the 2012 doomsday predicted by the calendar of the ancient Maya, again to Kara Cesare at NAL, in a very nice deal, by Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency.

Awesome, since I'm loving the first one.

This weekend I will be in lovely Lemoore CA watching my son play soccer. I think it will be cold. But as I am not on deadline, I can do whatever I want. Read. Play with my iPhone. I guess I'll bring the lap top. Just in case I'm struck by Dark Elf Fever.

I finished my Golden Heart entries. One of them was quite excellent.

Labels: books, reading

Both lists are pretty silly. But whatever.

75 books every man should read
26
For the love of God, don't click the slideshow. There's the same BORING STUPID and idot ad every 10th slide.


75 books every woman should read
31

How about just 75 books everyone should read because they're actually fun to read? Plus, too many books missing from both lists.

Labels: books

Looks like ALL my books are in Google Books. I KNOW nobody asked me if that was okay. So are my first two, which are very much OOP but in copyright.

Great. Now there's more stuff I have to remember to do!

Labels: books, copyright

Labels: books, carolyn is a fan girl

This story about a 1543 copy of Copernicus's De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) selling for $2.2 mil. Yes, amazing. I think I would have been shaking just to be in the same room with the book. But check out the other books this guy collected: Einstein, Darwin, Karl Marx, Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler.

::swoon::

Labels: books, great books

NON-FICTION: MEMOIR
Recently named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People, brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor's originally self-published MY STROKE OF INSIGHT: A Brain Scientist's personal Journey, tracking her experiences after a blood vessel exploded in her brain and she watched her mind deteriorate -- losing the ability to walk, talk, read, write or remember -- and then fought her way to complete recovery, aided by her understanding of how the brain works as well as her mother, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, at auction, for publication in May 12, 2008, by Ellen Stiefler at Stiefler Law Group (world).

About a month ago, I posted a link to her speech on this subject in this post. The speech is riveting. I can't wait for the book.

I finished Sherman Alexie's Indian Killer. Fantastic. I gushed about it yesterday. Yup. Fan girl. I'll just say this now: If Sherman Alexie keeps writing books like this, I expect a Nobel one day. Don't laugh. I predicted Toni Morrison's Nobel. Sure, it was obvious from Beloved that she was a major writer. You're probably saying to yourself, Carolynn, any idiot could tell that about Morrison. I'm saying the same thing about Sherman Alexie. I have Reservation Blues on tap.

Now I'm reading Lynn Viehl's Evermore because it was on the top of the pile when I left the house this morning. Pretty darn good so far.

And NOW I'm going to bed to read some more.

Labels: books, great books, reading, relaxing

Somebody get me a vinaigrette!!

It's almost here! The PW review looks fabu, so check it out!

But Wait, there's more!!

Book 6, Lover Enshrined is available for pre-order. Should be out in April. Yes, I ordered it, one day delivery. And laughed hysterically when Amazon said if I'd pony up for Amazon Prime they'd give me free 2 day shipping. As if!! Uh, no. Don't think so. I love Alpha males. I'm not waiting for this set.

The other funny thing when I was checking, just for the hell of it, when I might expect ::Vishous:: to arrive at my door, Amazon showed me a selection of books it thought I might want based on past buying. Not the usual If You Liked.... but a nearly artful display of images, and the thing is, I already owned way more than half the books they thought I might like. Some of which I bought from Amazon. But some I bought elsewhere.

Labels: Black Dagger Brotherhood, books

No RWA conference for me this year. Nope. I have my nose to the grindstone, working hard on polishing Magellan's Witch. I'm up to chapter 14 and so far no disasters, rewrites or deletions. I've corrected a few continuity issues, caught another typo or two and am generally continuing to deepen and improve.

In Other Writing news, I was saddened to hear of the death of Kathleen E. Woodiwiss. Her website hasn't been updated with the news yet, but take a minute to visit the site of a literary pioneer. Thank you, Ms. Woodiwiss. We'll miss you.

Other news includes upcoming books I'm itching to read. Harry Potter 7, of course. We had a lively discussion over dinner tonight about who we thought is the character mostly likely to die. My son said Snape or Hermione. I said, what if it's Hagrid? Others thought perhaps Harry. -- If it is, I can see the book flying to the wall right now.

But, the book I can hardly wait to read is J.R. Ward's next Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Lover Unbound. Michelle Buonfiglio over at B(u)y The Book is reading an ARC right now. Waahhh! I want an ARC too! I have the email from Amazon assuring me my copy is coming. It better be here September 25th! Sigh. Vishous.Sigh.

All righty. Back to work.

Labels: books, editing, Magellan's Witch, polishing

My new hero is Jim McCarthy of Dystel & Goderich for this post on commercial vs. literary fiction.

It's nice to hear it put so passionately from someone who works with both.

Labels: agents, books, literature, romance genre, writing

It's winter here in California, but today, it's summer. It's now 72, and gorgeous out. A spectacular day when it should be overcast and foggy.

Just came back from seeing 300. Oh my gosh. Can it be that at long last a woman can go to the movies and expect to see naked and nearly naked men with awesome bodies? Apparently so. I don't know if Spartan men went around so scantily clad, but I am all for historical inaccuracy. Why, I hardly blinked when a Spartan hottie said "God Speed" except to briefly look around for Kenneth Brannaugh, and I just shrugged when someone else said the Persians, or someone, were going to hell. I have blogged before about the awesome hottness of Rodrigo Santoro. He's a bit scary as Xerxes but I'm not sure I've ever seen a King so punked up and basically naked before.

In fact about the only thing I didn't enjoy in the movie were the painfully, horribly thin women. Oh my gosh. Even their knuckles stood out. I can't imagine what they look like in person if they looked that skeletal on screen. Who cares if they're scantily clad? They were skin and bones. This is just sick. Seriously sick and dangerous. It's time to speak out about this. Consider yourself motivated to start talking about this to everyone in every forum. This bears repeating: it's sick and dangerous to present skeletal women as sexually desirable.

Off to take the kid to soccer tryouts. I'll get some good work done at Starbucks while he's there.

Lastly, I bought an 1882 book History of Fashion that still had very high quality color plates in it. Very nice. I'll try to add some pics later. And I was privileged enough to hold in my hand a 1640 (I think) geography book that contained fold out maps. It was $5,000 and belongs in a museum, imho. If I had that kind of money, it would be mine. Wow.

Labels: books, movies, writing

Lover Revealed has been consumed. Now, here's the odd thing. Up until yesterday, I just knew I wanted to marry Zsadist. But no, in fact, it's Vishous. Go figure. I had no idea I was so fickle.

In writing news . . . Uhm. uh-oh. I've been reading. Sorry. No writing news. And tonight I have to go to bed early to make up for my sins. Fortunately, I think Vishous will be okay with that.

Since I'm anthropomorphizing here, I'll mention that I got an email the other day asking who fathered Claudia's baby (from A Darker Crimson) Tiber or Lath? Good question. But, they may not know for sure until their child is much older. And besides, Tiber doesn't care. He loves the baby. And Claudia. No matter what. The way I love Vishous.

!

Labels: books, reading

Shards of Crimson is available for purchase. If you like to read, support 4 authors at once by buying the book. All the stories are terrific. You can purchase it at your local bookstore or via Amazon or B&N.

I managed to fritter away my entire day. I read Darkly Devoted Dexter this morning. Then a friend came over and we drank tea and chatted for quite a while. Then I had to update my website and send out the Release Announcement for Shards, which I should have done a few days ago, and then start work on the February book signing announcement, and then make dinner and then watch Mission Impossible with my son.

Oh, my gosh. What a horrible, horrible movie. Beyond bad. How is it that I recall this movie got decent reviews? That just can't be right. If I hate a movie WHILE I'm watching it, it has to be bad, because, normally, I love every movie I see. It's not until the next day that I realize a movie was only mediocre. MI isn't even that. My son hated it too. At one point, he said, "Why are we watching this?" It's stupid and idiotic and confusing beyond words. If I'd known this movie would be agonizing, I would have spent the time writing, because at least then I wouldn't hate myself afterward.

I've started in on my Golden Heart entries. Ahem. OK. I'm having flashbacks to last semester, only without the snotty comments. I think there needs to be a hotline for the punctuation impaired. Commas are not fairy dust, to be sprinkled liberally and randomly througout one's writing in order to bring good luck. Such an approach only causes mayhem.

I have a huge TBR pile and I feel like I have nothing to read. Everything I pick up starts out stupid. Except the Dexter book from this morning. I'm in a funk. Whatever. I blame it on Mission Impossible.

Tomorrow I have to make up for today's frittering.

Labels: books, Fairy Dust, Golden Heart, writing

I have the day off work, but am not feeling well enough to enjoy it much. The Cold is getting worse. Ick and ick again. It's raining cats and dogs and it's windy. I ate way too much chocolate yesterday and today. Further, I made the horrible error of ordering my Leonidas chocolate from other than my usual source. They sent the wrong selection and did not pack it appropriately such that most of the chocolates arrived broken. For future reference, the ONLY place to order your Leonidas chocolates is from Leonidas-chocolate.com. Don't make my tragic mistake. Megan F can probably take the bus or something to get hers, they're at 487 Madison Avenue, New York. The wonderful folk at the Madison Avenue store pack their chocolates in foam blocks and they never send the wrong kind either. Sniff. I've now bookmarked the correct site and won't be making that mistake again.

I've been mulling over my hero for Magellan's Witch. I have a very specific mood in mind that I really want to pull off. Oh. Gee. My fogged brain is getting foggier. OK. I'll just muddle along here.

We had a wonderful Christmas here. My mom got me a sweatshirt that says Careful, or you'll end up in my novel. My best friend got me typewriter bookends. My dog is asleep on my lap right now. The kids loved and appreciated their presents. Right now, my son is working on a large paint-by-numbers Panda that I got him. He's good at detail like that. I have errands to run, but don't feel well enough to run them. Oh, well. I've been reading The Historian. Very good, but to be perfectly honest, there are genre vampire novels that get it much better. As I recall, Dark Jewels was better.

I've been reading a lot. I re-read all my Black Dagger Brotherhood books, and then I read over on Romance : By the Blog that Michelle Buonfiglio managed to get her hands on #4, Lover Revealed. Arghh!!! I wanna read this book! Sorry, MB, I do hate you because you've read it. (OK, not really, but here I am sick and feeling sorry for myself and I just know I would feel much much better if I had this book to read. Now.) I also read Loretta Chase's Mr. Impossible which I totally loved.

And I got my copy of Gina Trapani's Lifehacker which I've been flipping through and really enjoying. When I'm feeling better, I'm going to implement several of the suggestions, which are mostly about how to use technology to actually improve your life. None of them are terribly complicated, some are common sense, and some I have already implemented for other uses. Like using Instiki, which is a personal wiki. But I use it for writing stuff, not life stuff. But now that my son has a real computer, I'm going to re-commandeer my old laptop, install Linux on it and turn it into a web server so I can set up a more robust wiki.

Personal note to Patti O'Shea: I never get lie, lay right either so I write around that, but my ninth grade English teacher gave us this sentence to remind us of the distinction between affect and effect: The sound Effect Affected my ears. It helps to repeat this sentence with a deliberate emphasis on the opening vowel sound of the two buggers... er.. words. Therefore, when you are confronted with the effect/affect dilemma repeat that sentence to remind you of of the distinction. Thus: The effect was fantastic. E word. He was glad his whisper affected her. A-word.

I think that's it for now. I need to go lie down.

Labels: books, chocolate, pesky English, writing