Authors! Upcoming Promo Ops on this Blog

It's time again to make a submission call for a few holiday festivities here on my blog.

 

Coming Soon: October 30, 2012: "It Was The Scariest Thing" Megapost

A nice simple one: Authors, to set some spooky atmosphere, send me a few lines about what you think is the scariest thing, book, movie, nightmare, whatever.

Just send me your "Scariest Thing" statement, your name, a title and genre (if applicable) of one of your books, one picture (of yourself or the cover of your most Halloweeny book), and a link to your blog or website. Open to all genres!


Please email me at anneholly2010 (at) gmail (dot) com by October 27th!

~*~

December 4 and 6, 2012: Holiday Showcase I & II

These two days, I will be posting spotlights for holiday-related books (featuring Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, New Years, Boxing Day, etc), of any genre or format.

Each book will have its own post and comments field, so you can feel free to do a giveaway if you want, which you will administer. I will post one an hour or two (or every half hour, if I get a lot of submissions) each day, from 8am until about 6-8pm (first come, first served). (Giveaways should run until 11.59pm that night, regardless of post time, with winners announced the next day.)

If you'd like to participate, email me, including your book's blurb and cover along with your pic and bio, and all the links you want - particularly a buy link. If you want to do a giveaway of any form (the book in question, a different book, a giftcard, whatever), you should include that, as well.

You can also include an excerpt of about 300-800 words (max, please), if you wish, but nothing too explicit, please. (Aim for about PG-13, though your links, etc, don't have to be.)

I'd really like to punch the heck out of this to get the December season off to a bang, so the more books the merrier, I think. Please, send me any holiday/winter related books, and I will start scheduling them as they come in.

Email me at anneholly2010 (at) gmail (dot) com by December 1 or 2, please.

~*~

As usual, these shots are open to all genres, all forms of publishing, etc. It is open to both authors and publishers. As usual, these posts will be promoted on my social media, etc, and may involve some extra Facebook elements. Please feel free to share this offer with anyone who might be interested. All are welcome!

Also: BOLO in 2013 for calls for Valentine's Day and St Patrick's Day showcases, as well.

Paperback(s) Update

Just a quick note to let you guys know how the upcoming paperback-babies are faring, since their due dates are fast approaching.

Textbook Romance is very nearly all set for its Sept 13 release in paperback! I spent a good portion of this week giving it another read through, and it's speeding its way to the print formatting process over at Pink Petal Books. The cover will stay the same, thankfully (I do love this one!), and I haven't seen the proofs for the back cover and such, yet. But, I am certain it's bubbling along as expected.

I really enjoyed the chance to re-read it, to be honest. It may be hard to believe, but once a book is edited and out, it tends to fade a bit in my mind as I move on to the next project. While the story and the characters leave fond impressions in my mind, re-reading these books after release is an odd blend of familiarity and newness.

As to the anthology, All I Want, which will also be releasing in an ebook bundle at the same time as in paperback, things are progressing for the Oct 3rd release. I am finishing up my last-chance read through on the five original stories in my Rebel Ink holiday series, making sure they're all in order, and will be doing some more serious edits on the new short next week. We've already seen the cover, and it is beautiful!

I'm looking forward to having more reading format options out there, and I can't wait to get my hands on those paper lovelies!

Have a great weekend, all, and thanks for reading.

The Next Big Thing

In which I sort of interview myself on my current work in progress.

I was tagged for this interview by a forum friend, Ruth Madison. I’m normally reluctant about doing memes, but when Ruth so kindly asked me, I decided to give it a go. I’m always excited to see what questions other people come up with.

However, there was a major issue – I have five current works in progress at the moment! Nevertheless, I picked the one I am writing most on this week, and plunged in. You might have noticed I am a bit tight lipped when it comes to my WIPs, especially these days, but it seems like a good time to let a few cats out of some bags.

So, on with the interview on September’s WIP:

What is the working title of your book?

Right now, I’m calling it Memento Mori, but I’m also toying with the title Last Look, since the other is rather used up.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I had been working on a novel set in the 1950s, but I’ve always been drawn towards the Victorian era. I love historical photographs, especially (and forgive the grimness) Victorian postmortem portraits. These are portraits taken of loved ones after death, and were relatively common, especially for children. With the cost and inconvenience of photography, many families never got a live shot of the departed before it was too late, so they would have one done after death. Today, this might seem rather shocking, but I think it's quite touching. And some of the photos are beautifully done. One night, looking at such pictures, the whole story came to me in a flash, via the entire person of the main character, William Tidy, all surrounding this practice of photographing the dead.

What genre does your book fall under?

I don’t really know. It has some romantic elements, but it isn’t a romance. I’d have to say “litfic”, whatever that really is, or general fiction. Possibly historical fiction, though it’s more about the people than the history. I will have that all ironed out before I have to market it. I hope.

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

I always cast my WIP as a movie in my head, but this main character is uniquely himself. Sometimes, when I make the little puppets dance in my mind so I can write it down, he is Johnny Depp, but other times, he is someone else, like Daniel Radcliffe or someone. He's himself, really. The lady in the book is certainly Rachel Weisz, who I think is one of the loveliest women in the world.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A man more comfortable with the dead discovers that life happens whether you want it or not.

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

Not certain, really. I am not exactly drooling for an agent, but I’m not sure this book would be best served by a small epub, and I lack experience with non-romance publishers. I’d love to see it published with a bigger publisher, naturally enough, but I doubt that would happen before I got tired of waiting, and certainly not without an agent. I have considered self-publishing something, but I remain undecided. Who knows? Maybe it will sit in a drawer forever. I guess we shall see what we shall see.

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

Still working on it. It started out as a novella, but I think now it might become a novel. I’m hoping to have it done by the end of September, if I can fend off the laziness.

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

I really can’t say. I don’t think in terms of comparisons, especially with litfic. I’m writing it in a very consciously Victorian style and feel, so the language reminds me of some books, whereas the story doesn’t.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My pure love of Victoriana, and the gruesome beauty of these photos. And motherhood, though I might be giving too much away there. Mostly, I'm writing it just for myself, since it's a story I'd like to read and the character has endeared himself to me.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If lots of corpses doesn’t interest people, I don’t know what will. There might be a hot air balloon involved at some point, and a portion takes place in a wax museum, does that help?

Also, my hero never once says, “I see dead people.”

Thanks, Ruth, for giving me a nudge!

Now, “Tag! You’re it!”

Krista D. Ball

Jessica Coulter Smith

Michel Prince

Ashlynn Monroe

Melissa Keir 

New Cover: ALL I WANT: The Anne Holly-Day Collection!

What happens when a young violin prodigy sets his sights on the jock next door, a flighty witch thaws out a corporate stiff, or an uptown girl falls for a bartender? How about when a city slicker roughs it with a cowboy, a free spirited Spaniard seduces his calm and collected professor, or a fantasy writer teaches a no-nonsense doctor to see the magic around him?

Attraction, friction, and enough sparks to heat up the coldest winter!

Opposites attract under the spell of six different holidays in this collection of contemporary erotic romance stories from author Anne Holly, covering Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day.

Each story reflects the glow and lore of the holiday that inspired it, but the collection is bound together by a single thread – the joy of taking the plunge into sizzling romance.

This collection releases in ebook and paperback September 17, 2012!

Cover artist: Carl J. Franklin, 2012.

There's Something Special About Paperbacks (and Other News)

I want to be a paperback writer.

I know what you're thinking. We're in the New Age of reading, and eBooks are the way to go, right? That's fair enough. EBooks have opened a lot of doors for a lot of writers, myself included. But I can't help but confess that paperbacks are why I got into this business. I longed to see my name on a spine or two. Last Christmas, I sort of got my wish when Unwrapping Scrooge was included in a paperback anthology from Decadent Publishing. It was thrilling to finally sign something with a real pen. I admit, I felt Accomplished.

Right now, I am looking down the road at two paperbacks - the release of Textbook Romance in paper from Pink Petal Books in September 2012, and the paperback/eBook bundle of my Rebel Ink Press holiday shorts in October 2012. Currently, I am considering cover concepts for the RIP anthology and mulling over titles.

I'm excited.

While I'm not decided on whether I will send my RIP collection to my Mum (they're rather graphic, and, though she's no prude, I am a chicken), I can't wait to send her a copy of Textbook Romance. Sadly Strings Attached never made it to print, so this will be the first novel I've had that I can mail to her.

So, that's my big whirl at present. My teaching term ended with June, and I've been resting up and cleaning/organizing with much of my vacation hours so far, but also preparing for these releases. Soon, I will start looking for promo ops for them, and gearing up the release festivities.

Some musings on the wanderings of muses.

Since I'm among friends, I have to say that I feel these books have some importance to them. I mean, as in Importance to My Life Story kind of importance. Recently, I have been struggling with some Questions. Where am I going? What am I really doing in this business? Some of my answers have been dismal. Many times, I thought to quit. I still do, some days. But, I know something's about to change. Things can't stay this way forever, and these books feel like a milestone.

Over the past year, I've started working on several "Top Secret" projects. No, I'm not bringing down any governments. I've been working outside romance, and outside erotic romance. I've been working on a few different things, including my academic book, and some stories with bittersweet endings, and some with horrifyingly dark corners, ones without romance, a personal story, and one in particular that has consumed much of my thoughts for some time.

Why don't I talk about them here? I guess because it's awkward to discuss "leaving" romance with people who know primarily as defined by my romance.

I have not, and will never, stop loving romance as a reader. I'm not likely to permanently stop writing romance, either. (I have no less than seven romances of various lengths in draft, semi-complete, outline and/or treatment stage, so I do expect to return, eventually.) But, right now, I need to get these other stories off my chest. I need to see if I can do something successful. Something a bit outside my comfort zone.

I'm not going to write anything that will shame me, or betray the ethics, optimism and light I hold dear and have always tried to bring out in my romance works, so have no fears. I'm still Anne Holly - just one trying on some new shoes for a bit.

I would love for you all to join me as I brave the new frontiers, and I will be sharing more about this in the coming months, as I break in those new shoes.

And have no fear - I have a romance all outlined for NaNoWriMo this year! With luck, at least two of those aforementioned projects will be in the can by then, at least in draft form, now that I have a bit of a break from teaching.

One last note before I end this ramble: Some New News.

The Editors at Rebel Ink Press and I have tentatively agreed to include a new story in the collection, which will be exclusive to that bundle/paperback!

Reached by Facebook consensus, the holiday I am tackling is St Patrick's Day, and, like the other stories, it features a miss-matched couple flung together over thew course of a holiday. Also like the other ones, it will be a slight homage to some of the romance subgenres I have loved over the years. This one plays with "single dad," "small town" and "travel romance" tropes, especially those made great by the HQ SuperRomance lines - only, you know, erotic. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of it!

I'm rusty at it, I find. I hadn't expected to be back writing sizzle and snogging so quickly. But, it's also kind of fun, and I look forward to seeing what becomes of it.

And, for the paperback I've dreamed of for so long, it's totally worth it!

October Newsletter is on the way!

The October issue (Vol. 1; No. 2) of my newsletter will be coming out by sundown Friday, October 7.

In this issue: Insider info on my upcoming release Like Magic, tasty Halloween treats, and maybe some tricks. 

Sign up here!

Bewitching Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop

Please join me and a hundred other writers/bloggers for our Halloween Bewitching Trick-or-Treat Blog Hop, October 28-31, 2011.

Every blog will offer a giveaway!

Get into the Halloween spirit! Boo!


***
Also, October 2 is my Open House Day on my CTR author forum, and the topic of the day is paranormal romance - come see an excerpt or two of my new paranormal work in progress, Topaz.

Upcoming Releases: October 2011 & a New Cover!

Like Magic, romantic erotica for Halloween – Coming October 2011

Ian Hannigan was having the worst day of his life. A real estate prospect turned out to be a prank, his car has been stolen, and he’s stranded in the worst neighborhood he can imagine on Halloween night. If he believed in magic, he would swear he’d been cursed. Nothing could possibly make this day any worse or better… That is, nothing but Raven, a mysterious occult shop owner who not only claims to be a witch, but insists that she summoned him as the answer to her aching loneliness.

Ian’s night just got a lot weirder. And his love life just got a lot more interesting.

Coming October 3, 2011, from Rebel Ink Press.

***

And to unveil the brand new cover for Charity, my erotic-romance for Thanksgiving, also coming in October...

Charity Miller has spent her whole life in an urban island surrounded by the wilds of Montana, but she’s never ventured too far from her plans. But, when she heads into the Big Snowy Mountains to square a land deal one chilly November, her normally-professional self fades away. Maybe it’s the mountain air, or finally quitting her diet… Or maybe it’s “real-live-cowboy” Joshua Rollings and his many attractions that has her off balance.

Whatever it is, this Thanksgiving she could give herself a reason to be thankful the rest of her life.

Coming October 17, 2011, from Rebel Ink Press.

***

Five special holidays; five hot stories of mismatched lovers

from author Anne Holly and Rebel Ink Press

School Starts Today

Hi folks!

Today is my first class back from summer break. In the fall 2011 term, I am teaching a class with 125 undergrads, and at least 50 in the winter 2012 term, so I'll be a lot more scarce than I've been over the summer (which might be a good or a bad thing for you, I don't know).

Real life calls, and I must respond - the summer free time was fun, but hard on the old bank account.

I will still be updating when I can, and I promise to update at least once a week, and to mark all the important things (holidays, events, new covers, releases, etc). Also, we have some exciting special dates lined up - guest blogging, chats, a blog hop, and other little happy times. My newsletters will continue monthly, and I'm looking forward to having a few guests drop by now and then, as well as some small contests. I'll also be around Twitter and Facebook when I can, so you can catch me there.

I am also expecting at least four more releases between now and the New Year, and I will be continuing to write, submit and look forward to many more new books in 2012.

So, while this isn't goodbye, it is a notice that I'm off to the grown up working world for a few months.

Thanks for keeping me company over my summer leave, and I look forward to keeping in touch!

Hugs,
AH

Summer Wrap-Up: Updates/Forecast on the WIPs

It's been a productive summer, spent editing and writing.

The first month or so was spent re-writing my NaNo 2011 novel, Textbook Romance, with the help of five wonderful betareaders. Then, I spent some time re-editing Unwrapping Scrooge for a Christmas print anthology. Goose and V-Day were re-vamped and released by Rebel Ink.

I did  flurry of new writing in August. The Halloween short, Like Magic, was written, read by a couple sweet people, and submitted to RIP for my holiday shorts series. It's with the editors now. I also managed to finish the Thanksgiving installment, and got it in only a day late. (They were nice to me about that.) The Thanksgiving one, Charity, is a nice, sexy cowboy one; I hope you'll all like it. It started out with another plot, but I had to shelf that beginning and start over with something lighter and more doable in under 15k.

Now, I've outlined and started the New Years one (Bubbly) - this one is a whole lot hotter than the other episodes. It's about a divorced socialite and successful designer who ducks her own New Years party to give life and love another whirl with "the hired help." Just right for a sparkly, fantastic New Years Eve romp!


Textbook Romance is now off to two companies, and I'm submitting it to a third in mid-September or so (staggered according to their response times). I keep revamping the sub letters/synopsis as I go, and tweaking the manuscript. My fingers remain ever-crossed. As always, I'll keep you updated.

The past couple of days have been spent blogging like mad to keep up with all the guest posts and interviews I promised to do over the summer. It doesn't seem like much work when you say yes at the time, but if you let them pile up... Oy!

So, what's next? After Bubbly is submitted for editing at RIP (aiming for September 15, if possible), I'm on to my planned paranormal/shifter dark erotica short/novella, which doesn't have a name yet (though I do have a publisher in mind!). Then, I'll finish the romantic-fantasy novella I started writing back in June but had to put away for other obligations. That one involves an "angel" figure, and has been named After Life. (I have a publisher in mind for that one, as well.) So, that all will likely take me up to nearly-NaNo time! After NaNo, I have plenty more planned - just today, I added a Mountie romance! But, for now, let's just say I'll be busy for a while.

It's insane how fast the year is flying by. This year, so far I've celebrated the release of three books (two of them twice), and am looking forward to at least four more. I got some very nice reviews. I've sold a few, promoted some, and generally kept busy. I am very much looking forward to having more contracts, new covers and releases to share with you throughout the end of 2011 and well into 2012.

If you want to see my complete WIP list, you can find it here.

And, that's a little update on where things are. I'll be in touch as things develop, I'm sure. :)

New Cover: Like Magic

The cover for my next release has been finalized. Like Magic is the Halloween installment in my series of holiday romantic-erotica shorts with Rebel Ink Press, and the cover is absolutely perfect! The book is still in editing, but I think it'll come out in October 2011.

Ian Hannigan was having the worst day of his life. A real estate prospect turned out to be a prank, his car has been stolen, and he’s stranded in the worst neighborhood he can imagine on Halloween night. If he believed in magic, he would swear he’d been cursed. Nothing could possibly make this day any worse or better… That is, nothing but Raven, a mysterious occult shop owner who not only claims to be a witch, but insists that she summoned him as the answer to her aching loneliness.

Ian’s night just got a lot weirder. And his love life just got a lot more interesting.

Thanks to RIP cover artist Carl J. Franklin!

Confirmed: Unwrapping Scrooge in PRINT!

I've just had it confirmed that my Christmas romance novella Unwrapping Scrooge will be included in the second volume of Decadent Publishing's paperback holiday anthology 2011, Yule Be Mine!

I am thrilled, and look forward to giving a few copies of these out this winter.

The anthology will be released in December 2011, and I will certainly be celebrating here.

New Stories Galore!

I've been a busy little bee recently, which I hope should excuse me for the lackluster blogging of late.

So, what have I been doing?

First off, I'm now in draft four of my brand new full length contemporary romance, Textbook Romance, written originally for NaNo 2010. It's been through five betareaders, and I am busy preparing draft five, which will be the final draft before submitting it to a few choice companies. Sadly, this also involves a good deal of synopsis/cover letter composition, which is considerably less thrilling than fiction writing. Nevertheless, I feel okay about this one. Naturally, I will keep you posted.

Secondly, I am nearing completion on the rough draft of the Halloween installment in my five-story erotica series for Rebel Ink Press, You Never Know - a story about a no-nonsense man and a strange woman who claims she's a witch. So far, it's going well. All I can tell you for the moment is that it certainly starts out with a bang!

I already have the Thanksgiving installment in production. Charity is the story of a big city banker with a heart like an Excel spreadsheet who gets taught a thing or two about what really counts in life, by a farmer who sees more in her than her loan applications.

Finally, I have been brewing several more concoctions; a handful of short pieces that range from the unusual to the heartwarming. A dark-fantasy-erotic piece, in which an ex-boxer gets lured by the mob and an exotic dancer with a dangerous secret. An old fashioned romantic novella about the love of the land. And After Life, a paranormal romantic fantasy about a man trying to find redemption by helping his daughter mend her life from beyond the grave. I'm also cooking up a little romantic tale for next Valentines. And, let's not forget my NaNoWriMo 2011 entry - a paranormal-suspense blended with contemporary romance setting.

Now, coupled with my Real Life Day Job work, this is a lot. However, the ideas keep coming, and far be it from me to push them away. Blogging has sort of lost out in the competition for my time, I guess. Soon, however, I hope to have some guest appearances, some more "real posts," and some new trailers and other odds'n'ends. For now, take this update with an IOU.

So, here's to the rest of 2011, and forward-looking to a bright 2012, with, I hope, many more stories to come!

Sample Sunday: V-Day - Coming Soon! 18+

A small excerpt* from V-Day, a short erotic romantic-comedy for Valentines Day by Anne Holly – Coming from Rebel Ink Press, August 2011! (ETA: This story has since been released!)

Young violinist Daniel dreams of winning first chair of his university orchestra, and of finding love. For years, he’s adored the pretty physiotherapist who lives next door to his family home, where he lives with a mother who thinks Jello molds and sweaters are the height of cool and a father who has never been seen on the other side of a newspaper. He knows he wants his life to be different - passionate and creative. The trouble is, no girl has ever seen him as more than a friend, and the girl next door, Bronwyn, may never see him as anything other than the 14 year old peeking through her shrubs that he was when she moved in! One long Valentine's weekend, a serenade and a whim can change all that, but how can Daniel make it last more than three days?  

The rest of that day and into the evening was spent in bed, where Daniel learned more in one day than he had in years of sex ed. Always an eager student, he dedicated himself to learning every inch of her body, and every means by which he was able to give and receive pleasure. She wasn’t bashful about directing him, and for that he was grateful.

“Feel good?” She liked to ask him, taking obvious pleasure in all his firsts. She told him she loved how verbal he was with his feedback, and he bit his tongue against reminding her that it was a plus to dating someone who’d evolved the gift of speech instead of grunts.

They hadn’t mentioned Warren again, but it bothered him that the only reason he seemed to be in her bed was to chase away the thoughts of her recent breakup. He refused to think about it, and focused on enjoying making her happy.

“You know, I might be a little late with this…” he said, as they rested from another bout of excitement. “But I think I should ask you out or something.”

She laughed at his belated offer. “I’d say you kind of lucked right into the next step, there, kiddo,” she giggled, and flexed the hand she had cupped around his sensitive parts.

“Well, it’s Friday night. You wanna do something?” he asked, shrugging, eager to make the most of the weekend.

“Watch a movie?” she offered. “That way, we can stay in our jammies.”

“I don’t have any jammies here,” he reminded her. “And I’m pretty sure I might look kind of awful in any of yours.”

She bounced off the bed and retrieved a pair of loose gym shorts from her bureau. “Voila! Makeshift jammies.”

“Ah, yes,” Daniel said, crawling out of the warm nest they had made. “I forgot you athletic types always have formal wear on hand,” he teased, and Bronwyn hit him in the side of the head with a pillow for his back talk.

“Lordy,” he sighed, admiring his long, wiry form in the rather shockingly short red shorts.

“You’re adorable.” She laughed, and he flexed his rather unimpressive muscles in response, just to soak up more of her delight before slipping on the oversized jersey she handed him.

“What did I do to deserve you today, just when I needed you?” she asked, kissing him with a loud smack of appreciation before heading downstairs.

And what can I do to deserve you for longer than today?

There would be time for the “relationship talk” later. He hoped.

Watch for the first two installments from my Rebel Ink holiday series, Good for the Goose (Christmas) and V-Day over the next while, followed by Halloween (September 2011), Thanksgiving (October 2011) and New Years (December 2011)!

*Not yet finished editing for release. 

Wild and Wacky Week Thus Far

I will continue on with the last entry in my three part series on editing sins tomorrow. Today, I wanted to update some recent happenings that you may or may not have noticed, depending on how closely you watch me... Is that you out there in those bushes, by the way?

Well, on Monday night, I received an email from one of my former publishers, reverting the rights to two of my short holiday stories back to me (V-Day and Good for the Goose).

The company's owner had come to what I am sure was a difficult decision regarding the structure of the company. That company (which I won't name here, since that is their news and not mine) is, from what I understand, no longer a publishing company, but a co-op through which authors may self-publish their own books. I may or may not work with that co-op in the future; I don't know right now, since I hadn't planned on self-publishing my genre fiction - at least until I am famous and can take a readership (and a lot more knowledge) along with me and afford quality help in doing so.

What this meant was V-Day and Good for the Goose had to be pulled from sales venues, and basically disappeared. They no longer exist for sale, or in those formats. From Monday morning's five-title-author, by Tuesday morning I was a three-title-author.

As you can imagine, this was a bit crushing, since V-Day had just started to chart on Amazon, and Good for the Goose had already earned three fairly decent reviews.

So, I did the only thing I knew to do - I posted an SOS on Facebook for leads on a company that would be interested in re-releasing V-Day and Good for the Goose, and possibly contracting the three subsequent holiday erotica tales that I had planned for that series.

Within hours, I had been put in touch with the lovely staff at Rebel Ink Press, an ebook company with which several authors I knew were now affiliated. Their offers and welcome were beyond enthusiastic, and I was overwhelming by their positive energy for my work. That they had even recognized my name was pretty thrilling itself!

As a result, I can now happily announce I have signed a five story deal with Rebel Ink Press. Even more exciting, the deal came with a firm offer for a paperback collection in 2012, which (I hope) will include a sixth, brand new, holiday erotic tale.

Along with Good for the Goose (Christmas) and V-Day (Valentine's Day), I hope to have Hallowe'en, Thanksgiving and New Years installments throughout 2011.

On Monday, I had just came out of my editing cave, and sent my new novel to my three wonderful betareaders, so the news about V-Day and Good for the Goose came as quite a shock. I am sagging with relief that Rebel came to my rescue so quickly and nicely. I feel renewed by this contract, and look forward to my planned releases through this small but strong company.

Thank you to everyone who helped me through this quagmire, and a great big cheers to my fellow authors at RIP and its staff. Here's to many sales and fine stories!

***

PS. I also got word this week that Unwrapping Scrooge gained a solid 4-heart review from Sizzling Hot Book Reviews. Also, today I was invited to join the RIP authors at a chat event at TRR on July 8, in the Erotica Lounge, so I hope you can all drop by and visit.

It's been a week of many ups and downs, but it's ending on a fine note. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Where Am I? Where Am I Going?

Run Down:

It's been a month of ups and downs in the Kindle business in the eight months since my first release last October, and recently my books have had some movement both up and down. I admit, I don't really understand the sales stats and such on Amazon, but these are the things that seem clear when I look at all of the sales and buzz info I have at hand:

• Unwrapping Scrooge had a strange off-season resurgence this month, including a boost in sales and some increased interest from reviewers. I plan on trying to make the most of that, to get a momentum going, and see if it can translate into a new marketing campaign for the book starting in October/November leading into the Christmas season.
• Waking Kara remains a consistent seller, especially through Amazon.com, even without any marketing or promotions behind it. This solid little number sells about 10 copies a month, on average, and has reached the 100 copies sold mark, according to my calculations. Now, I know that doesn't sound like much, but given the lack of promotion, that is not bad. Plan: Let's see if that can do a bit better.
• V-Day has recently made its first showing on the Kindle ranks stats, which is nice to see - I like this book, so I need to work on promoting it better. Due to other obligations at the time, I ignored it way too much when it was released - now the plan is to bring some attention to it, and get a review or two.
• Good for the Goose has seen some very moderate ups and downs, but remains fairly low. I have improved the sales profile of it by highlighting the reviews it got last December, in the hopes of reviving it for the Christmas season. Perhaps the idea for a "Christmas in July" blogging blitz might help a bit.
• Sadly, Strings Attached has failed to sell or to attract reviews. I continue to plod ahead, focusing on posting about it at ebook blogs and submitting it to reviewers. It has been out less than a month, so I have not yet given up on it.

Up till now, I have not spent a single dime on marketing or promo. Unfortunately, I am not really in a position to do so now. However, if some of my plans come through, it might be time to resort to paid promotional activities in the fall. I refuse to become a gambling junkie about it, dumping good money after bad into useless ads in the hopes of striking the jackpot. Nevertheless, a few well-placed ads and spotlights might be helpful, if placed strategically and designed well. We shall see.

~*~

Looking Ahead:

What is bugging me the most at the moment, however, is not my low sales, but the fact that I have no new releases planned in the foreseeable future. This is not good.

My next task is to complete the renovations of my 2010 NaNo project and find it a solid home, so it can see daylight. Then, of course, the marketing and promo will start all over again, and I hope it will have a solid landing strip already laid by my first five available works.

Along side that, I must keep chugging along on my new fiction project, which is proving to be a challenge but an exciting one - I will share details soonish, I promise. Today, I spent four hours writing on it, and I feel like a million bucks!

Constantly pushing finished product is not healthy. If I am not producing, I am merely a former writer, and not a writer in the present. Stats and sales are great - but nothing beats looking forward to a new release!

So, that is the state of the union at the moment.

More details as they come...

A Preview of 2011

2010 was a pretty great year, with three shorts released and a full length excepted. The New Year brought a lot more work in other areas of my life, but writing is still in the works. So, what's up for me this year, writing-wise?

Holiday Shorts Series for Wicked Nights: Following up on my Christmas erotic romance, Good for the Goose, I hope to add four more sweet and spicy shorts to this collection, hitting Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving. My February one is in draft form now - a shy young man with unexpected romantic depths shares an unforgettable V'Day with the girl next door.

Fall 2010's Full Length: This contemporary romance, which was written in rough during NaNo, is the passionate, and at times awkward, story about a determined anti-romance single mom who unwillingly falls for an almost-too-goof-to-be-true single dad. Between her job and his teen daughter, the course of true love is not only not smooth but seems to lead right up the wall. (But, between you and me, I think they'll make it.) This manuscript is in editing right now, and will soon be ready for a beta reader. I have a publisher in mind, so I hope to submit it by spring. Your guess is as good as mine as far as release date, but I will certainly keep you posted.

Winter 2011's Full Length: This is a paranormal/contemporary romance - a school psychologist may have to come clean about her family's well-guarded secrets in order to help a young girl with a troubling stalker. One her stubborn and broken father doesn't even want to acknowledge. This book has been outlined and is in the process of a rough draft.

I also have a novella planned for Spring 2011, and full lengths for Summer 2011 and Fall 2011 (my next NaNo work!), but don't expect them released any time soon - except maybe the novella.

And, of course, my full length contemporary romance, Strings Attached, will be released in May 2011 from Wild Horse Press!

Stay tuned for the results of these efforts, as well as snippets from them as they roll out of my brain.

I hope to continue making love stories you will love!

Writing Resolutions for 2011

I'm fairly new to this game, only having received my first acceptance in July 2010. I have had three shorts released since then, and am anticipating my first full length (actually the first one accepted) release in May. I have been with three companies, and have learned quite a bit - but I still have a long way to go. Looking back at 2010, I can see some things I want to better or differently in 2011.

1. I really do want to produce a free read short story. Honest. But it is very hard, I admit, to get my hands on enough time to do something for free that will be worth using as a sample. This continues to be a hope, and will be moved up on the priorities list.

2. I want to improve my promotions and marketing quite a bit. I want to continue to make better trailers, sooner, and find more places to get them out there. I want to make/get good banners for all of my books, as I have found the one supplied by Decadent was very useful. I think I will have to start putting money into marketing, as that really is the only way to get your book out there. 2010 was an extremely lean year, but 2011 might be better.

3. I want to improve my website - and get a .com instead of a .webs.com - as soon as I can afford it.

4. I want to finish and edit my NaNo novel. I have full lengths planned for Jan-April, May-August and Sept-Dec, as well. This upcoming year, I am hoping see better sales. I have publishers in mind for my current projects, and in 2011 I hope to have three or four full lengths accepted by strong companies. I will keep you posted if/when they say yes!

5. Shorts. I have decided to stop doing shorts - well, not altogether, but to spend much less on shorts. Shorts don't pay much at all, are hard to get reviewed and are kind of hard to promote in a big way. But they still demand a lot of time for writing, editing, promoting, etc. So, I have decided to give up writing shorts, for the most part - I will finish those currently in production, and complete the five story holiday erotica plan I have in mind with one publisher, as they are terribly fun to write (and so I can see it in paperback, I hope), but I think that is all, unless any novella-length ideas really grab me. I need to spend my time on my full length works, which sort of got the short end of the writing stick this year.

So, those are the specific goals and hopes for 2011. As always, the main overarching goal is to work at it; is to improve, continue to be happy at what I am doing, and produce the best writing I can for an increasing readership.

All the best for 2011. I look forward to better and brighter things!

***

What are your resolutions for 2011?

What's Coming in December

This month, I have already lined up several authors for you to get to know, who I know you will love. We'll have interviews with Robert C. Roman, Rhiannon Ellis, and Maureen Betita. We'll have visits from Stacey Thompson-Geer, Pj Schnyder and Christopher Craven, among others, and new insights into how to use BlogTalkRadio from Ashlynn Monroe, and something from Deanna Wadsworth, soon... Though I don't know exactly what it is yet. Knowing her, it will be fun, anyway. ;)

I have some a Holiday Romance Showcase and a bunch of interesting promos scheduled to help you make the most of your ebook bucks, and, as always, will spotlight contests and such around the web as I come across them. I will also be keeping everyone up to date on my own writing, and I hope to launch my "serious" promo campaign for my full length novel, Strings Attached, this month. I've also got New Years resolutions to share, vegan-friendly holiday recipes all month, and some very tasty excerpts, as well.

As always, if you want to join the fun here next month, with an interview or guest blog, please contact me!

As a side note, my Seasonal Tales website is now up and running, so get into the spirit of the season!

Happy holidays, one and all!

New Release -- Coming Soon!

My sensual romantic comedy for Christmas, Unwrapping Scrooge, might be releasing as early as this Monday through Decadent Publishing.

It's a story about a misanthropic Oxford writer who gets un-Scrooged by a young, optimistic Canadian grad student during her year abroad. It's funny, unusual and a bit on the snarky side, but satisfies that need for sweet, passionate love that comes with the magic of the snowy holiday season.

This is one of my favourite stories that I have written, and the characters are some of my favourite ever. I look forward to sharing this contemporary Christmas love story with you, and I hope you like it.

Release details will be announced when they are ready!