Can you believe September is already almost half over?

I just got done with The Last Slayer edits. So now I'm waiting to get the final e-author copy to plan marketing and promotion for the book. A part of that is doing guest blog posts. Yes, I'm volunteering! If you have a topic you'd like me to cover — inspiration, world-building, the business side of writing, etc. — please leave a comment or email me. (I'm also planning to do interviews as well. :) )

Speaking of The Last Slayer, I updated my book page with a first chapter excerpt. You can read it here. :)

Also, once I get the author copy, I'll give away about ten copies to my newsletter subscribers who are willing to read and review the book. If you want to be considered, feel free to sign up for my newsletter here.

This month I'm taking a workshop on sexual tension and continuing to work on the sequel to The Last Slayer. So far I have about 30% of it written, plus the synopsis. I can't wait to get it written and share it with you.

I hope all of you have a fabulous rest-of-September!

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. :)

Wow, I can't believe January is already over! Time sure flies. This winter's been soooo cold! I ordered a cookbook from BookDepository, and hopefully it'll get here soon, so I can try some delicious recipes to keep me and Hero Material warm.

I have two big news items for February that I want to share with you:

One, Amanda Bonilla, Shawntelle Madison, Sandy Williams and I launched Magic and Mayhem Writers, a new urban fantasy/paranormal group blog. There are lovely giveaways, interesting guests, thought-provoking posts and much much more. Definitely stop by and say hello.

Two, I'm releasing a short erotic retelling of Ariadne and Dionysus's romance, entitled Destiny Entwined, on February 14th on All Romance eBooks, Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook and Smashwords.

When her lover Theseus deserts her on an island, Princess Ariadne of Crete wishes to forget her betrayal-filled past. Dionysus answers her prayers, seducing her with his godly wiles and delivering mind-shattering ecstasy. However, when he reveals that she's his bride as foretold in a prophecy, she has to take a leap of faith, once more leaving her heart vulnerable to another, or live out the rest of her life on the island alone. Read Excerpt »

The story is also going to be a Valentine's Day present to my newsletter subscribers. Sign up before February 14th if you'd like a copy delivered to your inbox for free, and please let all your hot-romance-loving friends know. :)

Earlier this month, I mentioned on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace that I'm planning to do a free serial. It is indeed true.

A Happily Ever After of Her Own

Serial starts October 5!
read more »

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Length: Novella

Melinda Lightfoot, a preschool teacher with an unusual ability to flit in and out of fairy tales, never thought she would get into trouble…

…until the Fairy Tale Police arrest her while she is in Beauty and the Beast. They offer her a deal: Find Beauty, who left the story when Melinda trespassed into it, or be charged with the ultimate crime — Fairy Tale Killer. If that's not bad enough the Beast tags along in search of his true love, and Melinda starts falling for the fairy tale prince. She must choose between doing the right thing and having her own happily ever after.

Warning: This title contains the following: Fairy Godmother, the Wicked Witch, dysfunctional fairy tale families, ax-wielding executioners and a happily ever after (or two).

But I want to conduct a small experiment, and I need your help. (It won't cost you a penny. I promise. :) )

Here's how it works:

On Monday October 5, I'm going to post the first chapter of A Happily Ever After of Her Own. One week later, on October 12, the second chapter goes up. All you have to do is show up and read them. (If you need a reminder, follow me on Twitter or subscribe to my blog via email or RSS.)

After that is when the experiment really kicks off. I'm starting a newsletter, and I'd like people to sign up for it. (You can subscribe here.) So I'm going to offer the rest of the chapters as an incentive. They're going to be available to newsletter subscribers only. Again: it won't cost anything to join, and you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on a link that will be included at the end of each newsletter.

Rest assured, I will never share or sell your contact information. The newsletter is strictly for big announcements (for example: a book coming out), to let you in on future serials, extra excerpts, book giveaways and so on.

Please feel free to forward this post to anyone you think might be interested. FYI — A Happily Ever After of Her Own is rated PG.

PSA: The first two chapters are free, but the rest are available to newsletter subscribers only. Sign up now.

mood: a lil sleepy
currently dreaming of: a nice back rub

I got started late today. I was very sleepy this morning. Hamsters went wild in all three wheels last night, and one of them was so loud I could hear it from the bedroom, and it kinda woke me up a couple of times. But I still got some good amount of writing done. The part I wrote today is the dark moment: the good guy v. bad guy, blood, fire and the heroine getting stabbed, etc. I wrote the section very fast — basically only getting down the action and dialogue — then went back and added the POV character's thoughts and emotions. I think that when people face a life-and-death situation, they get some kind of epiphany a.k.a. they can cut through the bull and realize what really matters in life, and I wanted to clarify some of those things for my characters since it is critical for demonstrating their growth.

Today I finally won my battle with phpList. I've been planning to install it for the longest time, but kept putting it off since I didn't want to deal with learning how to use a new tool. But after about 4 hours from start to finish, it's up and running.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present (drum roll please…)

my first newsletter!

Feel free to subscribe. I only send out very big and important announcements, so don't worry about the volume of emails you may get from me. Also you can unsubscribe anytime you want.

So…what are you waiting for? :)