Reviewers' Choice Nominations
I was thrilled to find out last night that TWO of my books are up for
Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Awards.
Shadows on the Soul is a finalist in the Vampire Romance category, and
The Devil Inside is a finalist in the Urban Fantasy category. You can see the whole list of finalists
here. It's exciting--and just a little intimidating--to see my name up there with such greats as JR Ward, MaryJanice Davidson, Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris . . . You get the idea.
This is a fantastic after-Christmas present!! I just hope I don't break a leg attempting to dance a jig!
The dog ate my homework. No, really!
Lately, Perry, our adorable little beagle who's just the most lovable creature on earth, has acquired a less than attractive habit. When my husband and I leave the dogs alone in the house, Perry seeks out "treats" to chew on.
First, he started chewing pens. We quickly learned to put all pens away when we go out. He then took to raiding our office trash cans. I suppose that's where he developed a taste for paper.
Tonight, Dan and I went out to dinner. Knowing that Perry has developed this new and irritating habit, both Dan and I closed our office doors, and I put all papers in the living room up out of Perry's reach. Or so I thought! (Cue ominous music.)
One of the joys of being a prolific writer is that I frequently have to multitask. I'm working on the third book of the Morgan Kingsley series, which is due to my publisher on January 15th, but I've also been going over the page proofs for
The Devil You Know, book 2 of the series. (Page proofs are the typeset version of the manuscript, and the author gets a chance to read them and make corrections--hence, the term "proofreading.")
These particular proofs have been giving me headaches, because I'm finding a lot of errors--errors I know were not in the electronic file I sent, so I gather some if not all of the book was retyped. I'm having Dan look over them, too, because I don't feel confident I'm catching everything. I'm to send the pages that need correction back to the publisher by January 2, and I've gotten through more than 200 pages. Those 200 pages were sitting on the coffee table, and I feared Perry might find them attractive, so I picked them up and put them on an end table, which was much higher.
Apparently, not high enough! We came home from dinner, and what did I see lying around the living room floor in shreds? You guessed it! Luckily, he didn't get all that many pages, but I know there were a couple I had corrections for because of the pieces of Post-It notes that were stuck to the remains. Lest you think I'm pulling your leg:
So what do you think? Will my editor believe the "my dog ate my homework" story? Argh! Anyone want a beagle?? (Just kidding. I still love him, and I'm sure this will be funny some day. Just not now!!)
Fans--the best thing since sliced bread
I love my fans. You have no idea how much you lift my spirits and inspire me when you write to me and tell me that you enjoy my books! One little email can make a huge difference on a day when I'm struggling with my writing or with the demons of self-doubt.
I was so moved by something one of my fans did that I felt the need to share it. (Also, I'll jump on anything that gives me an idea what to write in my blog, which sometimes seems harder than my novels!) I received the following in the mail from one of my fans this week:
She did actually sign it, but I figured she might not want me to share her name with everyone on the Internet, so I erased the signature from the scan. Call me sappy, but my eyes misted up when I saw this. It's so easy to take negative comments to heart, and often so hard to accept compliments. But I'm going to put this certificate in a frame near my desk, and whenever those demons of self-doubt start attacking me, I'll grab the certificate and smack them with it.
I've said this before, but it bears repeating: if you read a book and you absolutely love it, please write to the author and let him/her know. It's amazing how much of an effect it can have! Don't just assume the author gets so much fan mail that he or she just shrugs it off. Chances are that's not the case, and you could make someone's day, just as this fan made mine.
Hungers of the Heart cover
I finally have the electronic version of the cover art for
Hungers of the Heart (Guardians of the Night # 4, Drake's book) so I can share it with the world. It's got a bit of a different look from my first three Guardians books, but it's not so wildly different that it looks like it's from a different series. I'm thrilled with it, and the cover guy looks very much like Drake looks in my head.
What about you? Is that how you pictured Drake? (Especially those of you who've been patiently waiting for his book since you first met him in
Watchers in the Night.) I'd be interested in knowing.
Oh, and for those of you who don't already know: for the most part, authors have little to no say about what goes on our covers. When we get covers we like, we definitely do little happy dances--and breathe massive sighs of relief. LOL
Fun with Morgan Kingsley
My friend and fellow urban fantasy/paranormal romance author Jackie Kessler has a very fun regular feature on her blog, where Jez, the succubus heroine of Jackie's books, interviews various characters from paranormal books. This week's victim . . .er, that is to say guest, is my own Morgan Kingsley. (The heroine of
The Devil Inside, for those of you who don't already know.)
I think the "interview" came out great. If you're on the fence at all about whether you want to read
The Devil Inside, this interview might give you just the information you need to make a decision. And if nothing else, it ought to be good for a few laughs.
Click here to read the interview. And do check out Jackie's fabulous books,
Hell's Belles and
The Road to Hell, both available at bookstores everywhere!
