Very badly!

I generally don’t have a title when I start writing. My poor cover artist! I don't know until I'm done with dev edits…or maybe in some cases until I'm done with line edits. The only book I had a title from the very beginning is Merry in Love (Meredith Lloyd's story — coming this winter), partly because it's so easy to have a little fun with the “in Love” pattern for the Hearts on the Line books, and Merry is a short form of Meredith…and the book is a holiday romance.

So…some of the tidbits about my titles. :)

Vengeful in Love was originally entitled Carnal Secrets.

Reunited in Love‘s working title was Temporarily in Love (I told you I suck at this…!).

Redemption in Love‘s working title was Anything But Divorce (I know… :sigh:)

Thankfully I have a great team of people helping me, so the final title usually isn't too terrible. :)

Okay, mea culpa: I have totally neglected my monthly updates. I've had a bushel-basket of crazy real life crises and so on that totally drained all my energy.

My house in America had a water leak right before Christmas. The repairs were supposed to take 3 weeks. They finally ended in mid-April. The flooring had to be redone 2-3 times due to unimaginably bad workmanship by the crew. I can't even count the number of times the drywall had to be looked at again. It was a big challenge to manage it from Japan. I'm just glad it's over though.

The good news on the real-life front is that we moved in late January. We now have a bigger place, still river-front, and close to two big shopping centers. Sadly it's a bit far from Costco, but I'll live, esp. since I now have an actual office. :)

The new place, however, needed a new kitchen. The previous owner ripped out all the cabinet doors. I have no idea why. No, the doors weren't rotted or anything. And the stove didn't work quite right, and the fish oven/grill was really gross with rust all up inside it. Thankfully, ripping out the old kitchen and putting a new one in was done on time, with no major problems and very minimal supervision. The biggest angst we had with this particular job was deciding on the color of the new flooring.

Then The Boy got the chickenpox—he's okay now—and had some misadventures.

So since I had all these crises and issues, I didn't get to do any serious writing from January until late March. I didn't start writing again until late March, and very slowly, too.

The good news is that the sequel to Carnal Secrets—featuring Ethan and Kerri—are with a couple of betas. I've also outlined the 3rd book in the series featuring Ethan's younger brother, Gavin, so hopefully I'll be able to finish the first draft by summer if not sooner.

I'm hoping to release both titles this year before Christmas. If you want to know and/or get sneak previews, sign up for my newsletter below:

Hope everyone has a lovely May.

Gavin & Amandine outline is about 90% done (plot-wise). I need to fill out setting & character sections (mostly notes about the setting for each scene and character outfit, etc.), incorporate some research notes, then I'm done! :)

The sequel to Carnal Secrets is w/ a beta. I'm now working on the next book featuring Ethan's brother Gavin. Trope: marriage in trouble. The heroine is very different from my usual type, so it's going to be pretty challenging, but very fun.

I saw this meme(?) over on Leah Braemel's blog, and I wanted to participate (she tagged only one person and whoever wants to join the fun).

10 Questions:

What is the working title of your book?

None. I don't always have a decent working title for the book until I'm done. I'm calling it “Kerri & Ethan” (the BFFs of h/H from Carnal Secrets). If you have any brilliant suggestions, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know!!!!!

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I always wanted to write Kerri and Ethan's story. I just needed a good idea that would work for both first.

What genre does your book fall under?

Contemporary romance

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?

I have no idea for Ethan Lloyd (hero) because I actually found a stockphoto that I thought was a good representation of him. Maybe Matt Damon (I'm very partial to his acting).

As for Kerri Wilson (heroine), Christina Hendricks.

What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

A driven woman, who copes with fear of rejection by seeking companionship and intimacy from men she won't form any long lasting attachment to, has a fling with an arresting man who wants to strip her to her very soul.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

I'll send it off to my agent when it's ready and see where we want to sub it to (or self-pub). It'll depend on how we can reach the most number of readers. :)

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About a month, but I spent four weeks on character sheets and plotting, etc. before I started drafting it.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I'm a terrible judge of this since I'm so biased. I'd say any really sexy contemporary romance novels with boss/employee, well-meaning matchmakers and a horrible family scandal that kicks off the story.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My Husband Got a Family. It's a very long Korean drama, but I loved it so much.

What else about your book might interest the reader?

If you like reading about a sexy billionaire whose greatest strength and weakness is his intense need to provide for those he loves and a woman who has everything but a job, home and man, you'll enjoy Ethan and Kerri's story.

Mini Excerpt:

This is an unedited except. It may be changed or even deleted from the final book.

“I see.” Kerri nodded. She wasn’t too worried about the job itself. She knew she could handle it. But the rest of the package she wasn’t so sure about. A place to live. A no-strings-attached temporary arrangement with a guy who made her wet with just a look. “I need to think about it.”

“I understand.” Ethan glanced at his watch. “I’ll give you a minute.”

“A minute?”

He raised his eyebrows. “Not really a difficult decision, is it? Just a yes or a no.”

“Can I take the job but refuse to live with you?”

“Sorry. Package deal.”

Of course.

He rose and came over to her seat. One large hand rested on the back of her chair and another on the table, effectively trapping her. The blood in her veins warmed and surged. If he pulled back just a little and bent his head, he could kiss her mouth. That seemed like a delicious option, and she angled her face just so, letting her lips part slightly in invitation.

He didn’t even flicker an eyelash. No, he wouldn’t kiss her no matter how blatant the signal…not unless she gave him the answer he wanted.

Did she want to sever whatever connection they had?

Manageable or not, he wasn’t going to be a permanent fixture in her life. He’d be a temporary arrangement—a fling. After her doctor’s orders had rendered virtually all of life’s pleasures off-limits, surely she could indulge just a little bit? Ethan’s family’s business couldn’t be that complicated; it wouldn’t take more than a few weeks to go through their books.

“Time’s up,” he said. His eyes were locked on hers.

He hadn’t even glanced at his watch.

I'm supposed tag four writers, but I know everyone's really busy w/ holiday stuff, so I'll let people who are interested in participating join in. All you have to do is link back to this post and answer the questions above. :)

I've been wanting to update the Carnal Secrets cover to make it edgier and sexier for a while, but just never gotten around to it after The Boy was born. Finally I got some time to focus on the matter, and Jaycee from Sweet ‘n Spicy Designs did a great job. :)

Note: It's probably going to take about a day or so before all the major retailers update the cover (Sony, Diesel and Apple may take longer).