Romantic Times Highlights

As promised, here are some photos from my journey to the Romantic Times Convention:

The Dusk Til Dark event was about to begin, but first we stopped for a quick photo. Here we have Sophie Jordan, Kimberly Derting, me, and Tera Lynn Childs. Notice the copies of Graveminder Kimberly and Tera are holding. I think we all got a copy. I already started reading mine and I LOVE it!


Below you can see all the authors who were signing books at the Dusk Til Dark event. I was in great company!


This woman amazes me--not just because she a phenomenal writer, but also because she has boundless energy. (I'm always astonished by people with lots of energy.) Here Melissa Marr is signing copies of her new adult novel, Graveminder, during the Dusk Til Dark event.


Just before the Dusk Til Dark event started, I managed to snap a shot of two lovely authors, who are also part of The Supernatural Underground: Pamela Palmer and Sophie Jordan.


Here you can see the superheros behind the Dusk Til Dark event: Erika Tsang, Avon editor, and Pam Jaffee, Director of Paperback Publicity for Avon, HarperVoyager and Harper paperbacks.


After the incredible Dusk Til Dark event, Pam Jaffee and Erika Tsang took us all out to dinner at a fabulous restaurant. On the right you can see Joss Ware. Other authors at my table were Kerrlyn Sparks and Pamela Palmer.


I got to meet the uber-talented Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. She's one of my favorite authors.


The Unbelievably Epic, Amazing and Astounding, GIANT Book Fair.


If you've ever wondered what I look like on four hours sleep, here it is! I think somebody might be propping me up on an easel or something. Not sure how I was even able to stand up. Oh, wait a minute. Now I remember. Some kind soul gave me a box of chocolate (and delicious) Tim Tam cookies just before the event started. Yum!


One of the best things about going to a conference is meeting fans. I got to meet Jill Bakkum at the Dusk Til Dark event. Jill and I are pals on Facebook and she a regular visitor to The Supernatural Underground blog. Thanks for stopping to say hi, Jill!


Also, how cute are these Cassandra Clare fans? One of them made the gorgeous T-shirts they're all wearing. Note how each shirt has a different cover and how they're each trimmed with scrolls of glitter. Clare's fans had to get numbered wristbands and then had to wait in line in order to get their books signed.


Altogether, RT was a fantastic event and I'm so glad I went! I had an amazing time, meeting and chatting with other people who love books. It really doesn't get much better than that.



Tomorrow: A cool swag giveaway that I got at the conference!! Stop back on Wednesday for details!

Just for fun

Love this cat and his new friend. So cute!

Pinch me

I just got back from the Romantic Times Convention and I must say, I had a fabulous time. I’ve been to a lot of conferences over the years, but I’ve never attended one quite like this. Attendees were divided into four different groups: readers, aspiring authors, booksellers and published authors. And everyone wore a nametag so you knew right away what category she fell into.

I loved that. Probably because I really enjoy talking to writers who hope to get published. I fell into that category for such a long time and I’ll never forget those established writers who took the time to encourage and mentor me. So, whenever possible, I enjoy chatting with other writers who are still seeking publication. I love hearing about their books and their characters, love to hear how much they have written and what their plans are.

I also had the opportunity to meet some of my favorite authors at the event, people like Dean Koontz, Holly Black, Melissa Marr, Carrie Ryan, Kimberly Derting, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, Rachel Vincent, Nicole Murphy, Pamela Palmer, Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, Kerrlyn Sparks and Joss Ware.

Authors are like movie stars to me. I’m in awe of the work they do. So this event was wonderful because I got to meet so many writers that I’ve admired for years.

But it was also an opportunity for me to meet people who enjoy my work. That’s something that I haven’t gotten used to yet. It’s strange to think that there are people out there reading my work now.

Somehow I snuck into that category of published authors. I keep waiting for the Publishing Police to come along and revoke my license.

Pinch me, I think I’m dreaming.

Wait. Don’t pinch me. If this isn’t real, then I don’t want to wake up.

P.S. I will post RT photos tomorrow!

On the road again

I'm getting ready for my trip to Romantic Times. Packing my bags. Loading up the car. Putting the directions for the hotel in my GPS and then checking my directions again. And again. (I hate getting lost. Big Time.)

If you're going to Romantic Times and you want to say hello (I hope you do want to say hello!), here's where I'm going to be and when:

AVON'S DUSK TO DARK MIXER
Friday, April 8
6- 7 p.m.
Hollywood Ballroom

GIANT BOOK FAIR
Saturday, April 9
11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Cool note to those attending AVON'S DUSK TO DARK MIXER: We will be GIVING away copies of AFTERLIFE!! Signed copies. Signed by me. How cool is that?

And, if you are one of those folks who can't make it to RT this year, here's a live link to some of the stuff going on:
Link here

Meanwhile, I hope to return home with lots of writing tidbits and photos of authors that I've always wanted to meet. And if all goes according to my typical dastardly plan, I will be sharing some of that with you.

This is how it starts…

My computer screen was pink. I got about 4 hours sleep the night before. I just finished a new manuscript and was waiting to hear back from my agent. Meanwhile, my second novel was coming out in a few months and I needed to get ready for an upcoming conference.

So, in reality, I should have been taking a few days off from writing. For good behavior. Or for moderately good behavior.

Instead, an idea for another novel (yes, that would be on top of the four other novel ideas that I already have) came to me in the middle of the night. Hence one of the reasons why I didn’t get much sleep.

I’m blaming the pink computer screen on my cat.

Anyway, I only had a few minutes and didn’t have enough time to fix my computer, so I wrote two pages of what could be the beginning of my next novel. In long hand. Now, I plan to type those pages into my computer—for me, no story is real until it shows up on my computer screen. For the past several days, I’ve been thinking about the characters, about the story, about the possible complications, and I am really liking this book idea.

A lot.

That’s usually how my story ideas come. When I really don’t have time for them. When I’m supposed to be doing my taxes or cleaning my house. Or sleeping. For me to commit eight months to a year for any story idea, I have to fall in love with it.

Right now, I have a really big crush on this one. So, with fingers crossed, wish me well as I dive back into that land of words.

I may not come up to the surface again for a very long time.

The secret reason why you need to subscribe to my newsletter

Okay, I lied a little bit in my title. There isn’t a secret reason. There are about seven reasons.

The awesome folks who just received my shiny, very first newsletter already know Reason Number One, listed below.


1. Novel Excerpts: You’ll get to read sample chapters from my upcoming books before anybody else. My current subscribers just got to read the first chapter of FEAST, my brand new urban fantasy novel that won’t be released until June 28, 2011.

But, wait, like I said above, there are more reasons. And almost all of them are way cool.

2. Deleted Scenes: From time to time, I’ll include deleted scenes, never before read by hardly anyone—not even my agent or my editor or my very best writing pals.

3. Writing Tips: For the aspiring authors in the bunch, I’ll be sharing juicy tidbits on how to make your writing stronger. I know. I can’t believe I’m going to do that either.

4. Short Stories: For the readers in the bunch, I’ll be sharing some of my short stories. Many of these have been posted on my old blogs or websites, but some will be brand new.

5. Give Aways: Just for you. Really. I’ll have exclusive give-aways and contests just for my newsletter subscribers. Signed books and cover flats and who knows what else might sneak into my bag of free stuff.

6. Updates on Personal Appearances: I admit, like most writers I’m an introvert. But I do occasionally go out of the house. I go fun places like writer’s conferences (like the Romantic Times Convention in Los Angles, from April 6-10 and the OCCWF Writer’s Conference in Irvine, from April 29-30). And sometimes I even speak. Out loud. On panels or in workshops. At the OCCWF conference, I’m going to be teaching a workshop on Backstory. At the recent ConDor Con in San Diego, I was on three different panels (eeeek!), all of them included best-selling authors way more impressive than me. I’m talking people like Kiersten White and Sherwood Smith and Art Holcomb.

7. Typos: Most people wouldn’t consider the occasional typo as a bonus, but it really is. This is an opportunity for you to see how much I really need and treasure my editor, Diana Gill. Without her and her amazing staff of wordsmiths, I am prone to make mistakes. And they can actually be fun. You can laugh at them. Or you can take pity on me (I like that option better.) You can imagine that I had a throbbing headache (I did during my last newsletter) and multiple deadlines (well, not so much with that newsletter) and maybe I’ve even skipped a couple of meals (okay, that never really happens, but you can still imagine that it might).

So, as you can see, there are at least seven reasons why you need to subscribe to my newsletter. Or, if you’re already a subscriber—and if you are, I love you very much—then you might want to consider telling your friends about the newsletter. Or you could just tell them about me. Or about my books. Any of those options are way cool and earn you BFF points.


It's easy to sign up. I promise. No blood rituals or changelings traded for firstborns. All you have to do is fill out that teeny, tiny form in the upper right corner of my blog. And you can opt at any time. I won't chase you or stalk you. I may cry a little, but I vow you will remain a completely free human. Well, you may become addicted to my books, but that was always my dastardly plan.

[Insert laugh here, one both sweet and slightly dangerous.]

FEAST Book Trailer

In the life of a writer, some days are way more exciting than others. Days like when you get an agent or when you sign your publishing contract or when you finally get to meet your editor face-to-face. Days like when you press the send button on your final edits or when you get to see your amazing book cover for the first time. One of my favorite days is when I get my galley pages (the layout of the interior of the book). That's when the book feels real to me. And, of course, everybody loves the day when the actual printed book arrives and you get to hold it in your hand.

Well, today I need to add another favorite, way-exciting day to that list.

Today is the day the world gets to see the trailer for my next book, FEAST.

Eeeeeeeeek! I'm so excited!!!

So, before I float away because my feet are NOT touching the ground, here's the trailer. I hope you love it as much as I do.