BAD GIRLS NEED LOVE TOO!

What am I doing? Editing my Golden Heart (don't forget to add Trademark here or get sued) book, Pleasant Lake P.D.

Starting today, and this is no April Fool's joke, I'm giving away a print copy of my 2008 Golden Rose winning book Lily in Wonderland on Goodreads. Enter for a chance to win.

What am I reading? Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes (Miramax books). Not everyone loves Plum or her hapless heroine, Moi. Yes, Moi. But I couldn't put the book down. My co-worker also couldn't put the book down. Sometimes I wanted to smack Moi up side the head, but she was never boring.

Let's talk contests. I don't have a dog in this fight, but the Golden Heart (insert trademark here or get sued) contest is always fun, because I was a GH finalist. The Ritas (probably also tradmarked, but I don't have a trademark symbol) are fun because I want desperately to be a Rita finalist. Sadly I had nothing to enter this year because the RWA looks down their nose at ebooks and perhaps they should. If ebooks were allowed to enter, the good news is, the RWA would make lots of money in contest fees. The bad news, they'd be inundated with books (because there are lots of 'em) and run out of judges. The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, of 2009 Golden Heart finalists, of which I am one,  will be having an all day party, March 26th. Swing on by.

What am I reading? J is for Judgment by Sue Grafton. I don't care that this book was written in the 90s and Kinsey Millhone doesn't have a cell phone. I love Sue Grafton.

But enough about Sue. I also love Shyla from Romancing the Book for loving Dodging Cupid, which equals loving me.

It does not get better than this.

"Review: From the moment Dodging Cupid jumped off I was sympathetic to Jenna. The sweet gal with the Valentine’s Day blues due. It’s been a while since she had a lasting relationship, and the coupled up friends and family giving her sympathetic glances have worn her patience thin. In order to boycott the sickening sweet scene all together Jenna opts to spend her time in the laundry mat. There’s nothing romantic about a spin cycle right?

Wrong, in walks Del, the sexy biker with an unexpected quirky sense of humor and impeccable manners. Del is a tall drink of water (as my Gran would say) with stubble, a Harley and a black leather jacket. Yes, just the yummy eye candy you need when doing your sexy lingerie. (Can you sense the sarcasm?) The attraction between them combined with their easy banter leads Del to participate in her ban of the holiday. The trouble is cupid seems to have it in for them. 

This short had me laughing out loud, covering my mouth in disbelief, and smiling. This is a sweet treat filled with wit, and humor. Though Del and Jenna didn’t get down and dirty in the sheets, there was plenty of sizzle and sexual tension. "

What am I reading? Dancing in the Moonlight by Raeanne Thayne. Harlequin. I was really charmed by this story of a returning war veteran. The secondary romance was equally adorable.

I'm really pleased that Lily in Wonderland is now available in print through my publisher, Ellora's Cave and on Amazon.  Isn't that every writer's dream, to see their book in print? And according to Amazon, one person in Chicago actually bought it. Why? Not sure. I think my mom will also buy a copy.  I haven't ordered my author copies yet because I haven't decided whether to buy 10 or 100 (at a reduced rate, of course).

What do you think? I think I get 5 free. Should I order 10 or 100?

What am I reading? The Appeal by John Grisham. I. Love. John. Grisham. The Appeal was different than his other books. There were a lot of players and many points of view, making it challenging for me to connect with any one person. Still, I highly recommend it. My next trick is to get my husband to read it because I think he would really like the political corruption.

Here's the deal. I'm a double finalist in the Reveal Your Inner Vixen contest, hoping for an editor request (or two). Last year I was a triple finalist (got one request and have never heard from the editor again, not even after I sent her two emails - damn)(actually I got two requests but didn't submit to the other publisher because they are not on my radar), but this year they cut off the entries at two per person (and I wonder if that had something to do with me - heh heh heh).  

I'm also toying with entering This Side of Dead in a couple published contests. I'm not sure if I'd recoup the entry fee in the form of sales if I did final. I'm not entirely sure what the point of published contests is. Vanity. Validation. Publicity. Anyone know?

What am I reading? Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter. Hachette Books. I saw the movie, Flirting With Forty, when it came out. I think I enjoyed the book more. I really sort of devoured it.

Okay, so here I go again, trying to get Harlequin Romance to take notice. I entered my manuscript, Snow Job, in the Lonestar contest and made it to the finals only to come in third out of three. It was an honor to be a finalist, right? And not get a request from Harlequin or The Wild Rose Press. Not as much of an honor.

Again I'm a finalist with Snow Job in the Hot Prospects contest. With my laptop hardrive dying, somehow I did not end up saving the latest and greatest version of Snow Job on my thumbdrive. Disappointing, I know. I actually had a newer version entered in the contest than what I have saved. The judges mostly found fault with my synopsis (my nemesis). So I'm wondering how much time and effort I want to exhaust in revising and resubmitting for the final judge (from Harlequin). Or am I eternally fated to be rejected by them over and over and over again? Yeah, probably that.

I have one more contest for this little lovely before I start submitting it elsewhere. Wish me luck. Or tell me to get a life. Your choice.

What am I reading? The Pagen Stone by Nora Roberts. What? Never heard of her? She has a small but loyal following of readers. This was the third and final installment of the Sign of Seven trilogy. I'm not really one to read trilogies, but made an exception due to the awsome writing, kick-ass heroes and heroines and the dog, Lump. He was great. I had my doubts that Nora could make me love a hero more than I loved Cal from Blood Brothers. She surprised me with Fox from The Hollow. And again with Gage from The Pagen Stone. Sigh.

I got my first and possibly only review for Dodging Cupid. Night Owl Reviews gave me 4 Stars. Five would be better, but 4 is good. Night Owl has been very good to me in the past. And Cyd did not disappoint, saying, "This is one I'd definitely recommend." Thanks NOR.

What am I reading? Gentlemen Prefer Voodoo by Angie Fox from My Zombie Valentine antholgy (Dorchester). Cute story with magical incantations raising the dead. Not just the dead. The hunky, Latin, sexy dead. Sign me up. This was by far my favorite of the antholgy.

With the zombie apocalypse upon us at any time, as a public service announcement to all my devoted followers, I have a few simple rules.

1) Do not feed the zombies. It only encourages them to hang around.

2) Do not pet the zombies as this causes a bite reflex.

3) Please do not leave zombies in direct sunlight for obvious reasons.

4) Run - do not walk from zombies. Although they move slow, they often travel in pairs or packs.

5) You can not reason with a zombie no matter how logical your point is.

6) When it comes to air freshener, more is better.

7) The little ones, however harmless they may appear, are still quite deadly.

Always brake for zombies to avoid a brain matter and bodily fluid mess.

Be safe.

What am I reading? Married By Mistake by Abby Gaines (Harlequin Superromance). Strike one - reality TV show gone terribly wrong. Strike two - hero is arrogant. Strike three - heroine is a doormat and practically a virgin and we all know how I feel about that. With that said, it wasn't bad. When I read a Harlequin romance I know what I'm getting in to. I adored the subplot romance between hero's step mother and lawyer. I liked the amusing writing and author's voice more so than the story that my editor would have rejected.

Yesterday I got my royalty statement. Yay! And unless there was a typo in regards to my Kindle sales (and I use the term sale loosely), my free Christmas story, Holiday Hostage was downloaded over - wait for it - 40,000 times. Not sure what timeframe that is. One month. Two months. Three months.

All I can say is Wow! How does that translate in terms of money? It's free, so it translates to nothing in terms of money. How many people actually read the story? Uh, not sure. I can't make people read it, if only. Those who have read it, did they like it? Will they buy more of my writing? Dunno. The reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are all over the map between love and hate.

I want to bask in the warm glow that is reader love. I want to hug them and squeeze them and pepper them with wet sloppy kisses. I want to invite them over for a party (BYOB) so we can all talk about me and my writing. I'll even provide party favors like at a 5 year old's birthday party.

To the haters, I want to flip 'em the bird and tell 'em to "suck it", but their hatred simply hurts. I knew writing would not be easy on my fragile ego. My mental health has always teetered on a precarious cliff. Folks said contest feedback would toughen my hide and prepare me for the critics. They were wrong. 

I cling to the old adage about if I can't say something nice about a book, I say nothing at all. Actually, I prob'ly won't finish it. How 'bout you?

What am I reading? Jockeys & Jewels by Bev Pettersen, one of my Ruby Slippered Sisters. (Smashwords). Murder and intrigue at the racetrack. Love and mystery. Sex and romance (not erotic).

I give you: Dodging Cupid.

My first Blush Kiss, Dodging Cupid, will be coming out on July 21. What's a Kiss? A Kiss is like a Quickie only without so much S E X. What's a Quickie? A Quickie is a quick romance fix...a short story...something you can gobble down on your lunchbreak or before you turn the lights out for bedtime.

How do you feel about the short reads? Can you be satisfied by Kisses?