I can't believe it's already July. It feels like January was just a day or two ago.

The first half of 2011 was pretty busy but productive. In January, I walked away from an offer on Carnal Secrets. I gave away Destiny Entwined to my newsletter subscribers on Valentine's Day and published it the same day to anybody who wants to read it but aren't subscribed to my newsletter. Then I self-published Carnal Secrets later in February.

In March, I received an offer from Carina for The Last Slayer.  This time, I didn't walk. :)

In case you missed it, the Boy was born on June 18. You can read more about it and see his pictures here.

So what are my plans for the month?

1. Wrap up edits for The Last Slayer
2. Finish outlining the sequel (yes, there's probably going to be a sequel)
3. Announce the giveaway details for Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore by July 8th

I'm hoping that with some discipline and pre-planning, I can accomplish them all.  :)

May was another fabulous month. My younger brother finally proposed to his sweetheart of 6+ years. (She said yes. :) ) And Carnal Secrets received the loveliest dual review from Stella and Lea at Book Lovers Inc. There's also an author interview plus a giveaway for Carnal Secrets on Book Lovers Inc, open to international readers, so if you'd like, enter before June 11th!

I'm going to be much more MIA during June. The Boy is due June 13…though he can come out any time between now until June 21-ish. I thought I was ready, but it looks like I still have so many things to do (mostly appointments and last minute shopping for baby things, etc.) before the Boy gets here. Soooooo busy!

A few people on Twitter and Facebook asked me to keep them updated on the labor, etc. I'll see what I can do. Maybe Hero Material can hijack my Twitter account briefly? Hmmm. (Unfortunately, he doesn't really get social media…)

Later this year, I'll start doing some giveaways to thank and support fellow writers who have been super nice and helpful to me. So what books are up for grabs?

July: a copy of Confessions of an Improper Bride by Jennifer Haymore. It's a fabulous historical romance, and Jennifer was instrumental in helping me publish Carnal Secrets. Without her, the story would still be languishing on my hard drive.

October: a copy of The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams, an exciting urban fantasy debut by a fellow Magic and Mayhem Writers member.

November: a copy of Shaedes of Gray by Amanda Bonilla, another super urban fantasy debut by a Magic and Mayhem Writers member.

All giveaways are open to international readers, and books will be shipped by BookDepository regardless of your location. (Just to be clear, you're getting an unautographed final book, not an ARC or early copy.) If I can, I'll try to give ebooks to those who prefer e-copies, but I can't guarantee anything because it depends on geo res, DRM, your ereader, etc.

If you want to enter early, just subscribe to my newsletter. All confirmed subscribers get two entries automatically. (And I'll never share your information with anybody else, and you can unsubscribe any time.)

Later, I'll announce other ways to earn extra entries, such as tweets with special hashtags and so on.

P.S. I'm going to give away several copies of my own new urban fantasy, The Last Slayer, as well, either in late September or early October. And again, you get two automatic entries just for subscribing to my newsletter. :)

All Romance eBooks is offering a 50% Rebate on all purchase made via Paypal or credit card between 12:01 am on May 28 and 11:59 pm on May 30 (US/Central).

If you haven't bought a copy of Carnal Secrets, Destiny Entwined or A Happily Ever After of Her Own yet, you can take advantage of this promotion by clicking the links below:

Carnal Secrets Novel Contemporary Romance Regular Price: $3.97 After Rebate: $1.99 Buy Now

Destiny Entwined Short Story Erotic Romance Regular Price: $0.99 After Rebate: $0.50 Buy Now

A Happily Ever After of Her Own Novella Paranormal Romance Regular Price: $2.99 After Rebate: $1.50 Buy Now

Stella and Lea from Book Lovers Inc. gave Carnal Secrets a lovely dual review. It's my first dual review, so I'm totally stoked!

Stella wrote:

I loved every single minute of reading it! I love emotionally intense and charged stories and this one didn't spare the reader! I love to be involved in the story and Nadia Lee pulled me in right from the start. Even after I had finished and turned the last page, I kept feeling the lingering aftermath of the story, and even now, just thinking about Carnal Secrets, I get goosebumps. Yes, it was that good! *dreamy sighs*

So I think there's nothing more for me to say: you absolutely HAVE to read Carnal Secrets and you will find a new favourite novel, author, hero and couple. *double sighs*

Lea wrote:

Ms. Lee writes with a lovely, articulate, sensual prose, and the graphic imagery in this story can only be described as stellar. She drew me into each scene that advanced a plot involving a passionate tempestuous romance, manipulation, treachery, corporate espionage, and, carnal secrets. …

(snip)

Carnal Secrets has rocketed to the top of my list of favorite reads so far this year. I’ve enjoyed it more than once and will read it again. A keeper for sure.

You can read their dual review here.

Also — The awesome ladies at Book Lovers Inc. are hosting an interview and a giveaway featuring yours truly and Carnal Secrets. It's open to everyone regardless of their location. So go check it out and comment for your chance to win!

I just realized that I may not write any new projects this year. The thought was rather startling because I was convinced I'd be able to start drafting another project.

But as it stands, I need to finish revisions on my WIP and send it to Agent, plus complete edits on The Last Slayer. The Unborn One is going to come out in the next few weeks, whether or not his timing is convenient. (It's not, but I can't wait to hold him in my arms. :) )

By the time the Boy's out and The Last Slayer edits are done, it's going to be the end of June, or maybe even early July. I have no idea how the newborn is going to impact my schedule or anything like that. Hopefully by the end of July, I'll be somewhat lucid enough to send WIP to Agent, start outlining the sequel to The Last Slayer, finalize promo plans for The Last Slayer and budget the time and money for it.

The last time I did a detailed outline for a book, it was for Carnal Secrets, and it took me about a month to do it. I think the sequel to The Last Slayer is going to take longer than a month to outline…probably two or three. So I'm thinking maybe around November or December, I can possibly start drafting the sequel, if everything goes as planned (the best case scenario). Or maybe everything will implode and I'll get nothing done.

Since I'm trying to be more optimistic these days, I'm guessing it's going to be somewhere in-between. And it's shocking that I may end this year without drafting anything new. (Outlines don't count.)

Hello, everyone. I hope you had a lovely start to your May and a fabulous Mother's Day.

We had a week-long holiday in Japan (Golden Week), and it was so pretty, with warm and sunny weather. Hero Material and I bought a new refrigerator. And sadly enough, I got really excited about it. If anybody had asked me if I'd get giddy over a new fridge 10 years ago, I would've laughed at them. Guess it's my nesting instinct kicking in…? :D

After the heart-pounding excitement of fridge shopping, I spent most of Golden Week working on edits for The Last Slayer. I'm almost done. I need to let it sit for about a couple of days and read it over before sending it back to my editor.

And speaking of The Last Slayer, it's the first book in a trilogy, which Carina Press is calling The Heartstone Trilogy. What do you think about the name? :) (And yes, it's really going to be a trilogy, not a never-ending series.)

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, The Romance Reviews hosted a book interview featuring Carnal Secrets. You can learn more about what inspired me to write the story and so on. I'll be checking comments periodically to answer any questions.

This month, I guest-blogged on The Romance Reviews about other points of view. In it, I discussed the challenges of making antagonists appear not so black and white even while using only one or two points of view (hero / heroine) in Carnal Secrets.

Toward the end of May, the lovely Stella and Lea from Book Lovers Inc. are going to interview me, plus post their dual review of Carnal Secrets. I'll post updates when I know more, get the links, etc.

Also if you're an aspiring writer, don't forget to check out Magic and Mayhem Writer's 4-in-1 critique to benefit juvenile diabetes research. If you want to learn more about our critique style, you can click on the following for details: Sandy, Amanda, Shawntelle, Yours Truly.

On a more personal note, I'm now at week 35. The Boy weighs almost 6 pounds, and he seems very healthy and energetic; he demonstrates it by kicking his mother mercilessly everywhere, including the ribs. ;) Hero Material and I are very excited at the prospect of holding the Boy in our arms soon. :)

I've updated my contact page to let people know that the response time to emails may be longer than usual, given my semi-maternity leave mode. If you're a writer and want to email me with questions specific to writing and business matters, please check the FAQ for writers before doing so. This will save both of us time. :)

If you're a reader, I don't have a FAQ for you. You're welcome to email me, Tweet me or leave me messages on my FB page. I'll try to get back to you as soon as able.

I hope you all have a lovely May! Talk to you soon.