Title Change

We had to change the title of my April 06 hardback book, Unleashing the Tigress Within. We needed something less non-fictionish and more simple. I put together a list and we ended up picking:

Animal Instincts

What do you think? I can totally see this on the cover of the book.

On another note, I can't believe how quickly June is approaching. I am so, so excited about the release of Awaken Me Darkly. Reviews have been trickling in and they are my best reviews to date. My nerves (about it being so different from my other books) have calmed down considerably. Oh, and speaking of titles, it looks like we have the title for my next alien huntress book: Enslave Me Sweetly

Pinch me!!

I have some WONDERFULLY EXCITING news I’ve been dying to share. Can you tell I’m shouting? I’m just that excited. PC Cast, MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Grant and me -- yes me! -- put together an anthology proposal and Berkley grabbed it up. All of the stories will be set in the wildly eccentric town of Mysteria, where witches, wolves, walking corpses, and demons abound. We are just so thrilled. It will be released sometime in the summer 2006. My story features a witch and the man she raises from the dead. This book will be so much fun!!!

On the Road Again

Jill Monroe and I traveled to the North Texas RWA chapter to give our workshop on creativity. Can anyone guess what happened on the drive down there?

Let me start at the beginning. We left VERY early in the morning, giving ourselves an extra hour (for bathroom breaks, food breaks, and so on). How could we have known we’d need that extra hour (and more) because we would get lost? If you said: you should have known because you get lost every time you two travel together, you're right! We took every wrong turn we possibly could, and when we reached the desired town, the highways were so twisted we kept missing our exit. We circled for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Jill and I entertained ourselves quite nicely because I "accidentally" said things like “I can ride a tail hard core.” Of course, I meant I could follow someone closely in a car without ramming into them, but Naughty Miss Jill burst into laughter. (tsk, tsk)

Now, we finally reached our desired destination and step into the meeting room. That’s about the time I want to vomit. Can anyone guess how I feel about public speaking? I calmed down, though, and the workshop sailed smoothly – except for the times I forgot what I wanted to say mid-sentence. The ladies there were wonderful. Afterward, I stuffed my face. Truly, I crammed more cheese sauce and chips into my stomach than is probably legal. Jill had to roll me out so we could make our book signing with the wonderful Juliet Burns.

Overall, a fantastic trip!!

I picked up some books to read:
She Drives Me Crazy by Leslie Kelly
The Medusa Project by Cindy Dees
Touching Midnight by Fiona Brand
High-Stakes Passion by Juliet Burns

Excerpt of Awaken Me Darkly

Just a quick note to let you know we've posted an excerpt of Awaken Me Darkly on my website. This book is sooooo different from my other books that I'm a little concerned about reader reaction. If possible, shoot me an email with your thoughts.

The Notebook and Eye Candy

I never thought I'd say this. I never thought it could happen. But. . . someone stole some of my Brad Pitt fire. I watched The Noteboook last night and I have to say that Ryan Gosling as Noah rocked my world. I totally crushed on him. I mean, WOW! So sexy. And by the end when he had that scruffy little beard. . .Hello, Mrs. Robinson!

Contest

I'm giving away two ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) of my June book, Awaken Me Darkly. Here's a blurb about it:

Ridding the world of evil, one alien at a time: that's Mia Snow's mission. The kick-ass alien huntress for the New Chicago PD has earned her scars battling the elusive enemy among us. But she'll risk her badge and even her life when an erotic stranger helps her solve a case, all the while feeding her most basic desires -- until he reveals a shocking secret that will shatter everything Mia's ever believed.

One winner will be drawn randomly from my newsletter group (which you can sign up for on the main page of my website) and one winner will be picked from those who send me tips on creating buzz. I'll be giving a workshop on creating buzz soon and I'm not below using others to gather my info.

Both winners will be picked on April 29th. And if you are part of my newsletter AND give me a tip on creating buzz, you could win two copies of the book. You'll double your chances.

Good luck!

Naughty, Naughty Girl

Okay, so I've been a little naughty and haven't posted lately like a good girl. I'm sorry! Here's what's been going on:

ARCs for Awaken Me Darkly arrived, and they are sooo cool! Now I've got to send those out for review. I'll be prowling the Internet looking for review sites.

I turned in my second book to Pocket, and we're brainstorming titles right now. (I'll keep you updated!)

Finished my two new proposals for HQN. Yea! Just need to turn those in.

Inspiration struck me the other day (as I was driving), and I came up with a book idea that totally blew me away. I've been preparing a proposal for it. I really, really want it to sell. I'm sending it to my agent when she returns from NYC.

I need to write my third proposal for Pocket, but I already know what I want to write so it shouldn't be too hard. I hope to jump into that soon -- if not this week, next for sure.

I'll be signing books at the new Books A Million in OKC, and will be in North Texas the 19th giving a workshop on creativity with Jill Monore. More information on that later.

I have nothing educational to impart today. Like I said, I'm being naughty.