I got permission to share the cover art for my first young adult novel, Glimmerglass, which is tentatively scheduled to come out in August of 2010. I think it's fabulous. Very different from any of my other covers--which is not unexpected, of course.




What do you think? Would you pick it up if you saw it in the bookstore?

Today starts the next "season" of the Home Demon Hunters game. If you've played before, keep the cards you earned! They're still good. If you're new to the game (or if you need a refresher), here's the low down:

Collect electronic trading cards (think of them as baseball cards, only with demons instead of baseball players!) for your chance to win the grand prize: a $200 gift certificate to the bookstore of your choice. (Some limitations apply.)

Each week on Monday, I’ll post a code word somewhere on my website. Email me the code word, along with your name and snail mail address, and I’ll enter you in the weekly drawing to win an electronic game card, which will contain one of eight different demon characters. Play every week and try to win all eight of the different cards!

On July 28 (the release date of Speak of the Devil, the fourth book in the Morgan Kingsley series), I’ll declare one of the eight characters rogue, and any Home Demon Hunter who owns that character will be eligible to be entered in a drawing to win the Grand Prize.

You can see all the details on the Fun Stuff page of my website. Happy hunting!

Every year, romance author Brenda Novak holds an auction to support diabetes research. The auction gets bigger and better every year, and this year is no exception. There's something available for everyone--especially writers and readers. You can get an overnight read by a number of New York editors and agents; you can get your name in upcoming books of well-known authors; you can get ARCs (Advance Reading Copies) of books that won't be released to the public for months; and you can get tons of autographed books from your favorite authors.

All the women on my mother's side of my family have had diabetes, including my mother, who died of complications from the disease. As you can imagine, this makes Brenda's cause especially dear to my heart. I'm thrilled that the Deadline Dames have donated a basket of autographed books and goodies for the auction. The basket includes:

Tim Tams
"My Deadlines Don't Stand a Chance" mug and coaster set
WATCHERS IN THE NIGHT and THE DEVIL INSIDE by Jenna Black
PRIDE, by Rachel Vincent
MAGIC TO THE BONE and an ARC of MAGIC IN THE BLOOD, by Devon Monk
THE RILEY JENSEN SERIES (6 books), and LIFEMATE CONNECTIONS: ERYN, by Keri Arthur
RED, by Jordan Summers
ANGEL OF MERCY, by Toni Andrews

All the books are autographed, naturally. I've also donated signed copies of my Guardians of the Night series, my Morgan Kingsley series, and an ARC of SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, separately from the basket. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL doesn't come out until July 28, but you can get it almost two months early! If you'd like to read a sample, I've just posted the first chapter on my website.

The auction runs throughout the month of May. Please stop by and place a bid or ten for a good cause.You can see the full list of items available here. Happy bidding, and good luck!

Next week is the Romantic Times BookLover's Convention, which I attend every year. There's no other event quite like it. (Those of you who've been know exactly what I mean.) There will be tons or writers there--but also tons of readers, which is what makes it unique. I love meeting readers! (Although yes, I'm still surprised every time someone I don't know tells me they've read my books.)

One of the highlights of the convention for me is the Saturday Book Fair, which has about a gazillion authors all packed together in a huge room, signing their books. It's a great opportunity for me to meet my fans, but it's also a great opportunity for me to go nuts buying books for myself.

The event will be Saturday, April 25, from 11:00 to 2:00 at the Wyndham Orlando Resort. It's open to the public, though there's a $5 charge to get in if you're not registered for the convention. If you're anywhere near the area, you should definitely come to the signing and meet the authors. You can see a list of the authors attending here.

Also, if you're at the convention and you meet me, mention that you're my MySpace friend. I'll give away autographed cover flats for SPEAK OF THE DEVIL to the first three people who do.

I had my hair done today, which means that it looks better than it ever will until my next hair appointment. I figured that was as good a time as any to get my husband to take pictures of me in my new ballroom gown. I promised everyone I would show pictures of me wearing it, so here goes. (And a huge thank you to Maria Chitul, of Ballroom Sparkle, for the design and the execution.) It sparkles beautifully in real life--the photos just don't quite capture it.

Since my blog readers have had a hand in helping me choose the design for my ballroom gown, I thought you might like to see a picture of the finished product. Unfortunately, that model is not me (if only!), but she sure makes a pretty picture. What do you all think? I love it and can't wait until it arrives so I can try it on myself. (The pictures of the front are amateur snapshots and don't look as good as this pro shot, which is why I've only uploaded the back view.)

As many of you know, I had a great deal of difficulty keeping myself on task while writing THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND. To bribe myself into getting it done on time (and to get more exercise), I promised I would have a ballroom dance gown designed for myself if I 1) got the book done on time, and 2) worked out three times a week until I turned the book in. I met both conditions, and I've got my choices narrowed down to two designs, both of which are lovely. I'm being very indecisive about which one I like best, so I thought I'd ask around for opinions.

Option 1:


Option 2


 
Which one do you like better? Both gowns were designed by Maria Chitul of Ballroom Sparkle.

Today is my first post for the new group blog, Deadline Dames (www.DeadlineDames.com). We're nine authors of urban fantasy/paranormal romance all getting together to "tell it like it is." We'll be blogging about writing, reading, and all things book--plus whatever else pops into our minds.

To celebrate the start of the second week of our launch party, I'll be giving away a full set of the current Morgan Kingsley books to one lucky commenter. So stop by and check out my first post about thinking like a writer! There will be more giveaways after mine, so you'll want to stop by often, especially this week!

The Deadline Dames are:
Toni Andrews
Keri Arthur
Jenna Black
Rinda Elliott
Jackie Kessler
Karen Mahoney
Devon Monk
Lilith Saintcrow
Rachel Vincent

Back in August, I posted a blog about achieving closure when, four years after my mother's death, I finally sent her ashes to Tahiti, where we'd lived for four years when I was young, and where she had been happiest. I actually put the ashes in the mail on the four-year anniversary of her death, and I thought that would serve as my closure.

Little did I know there was more drama yet to come. I expected to hear from the man who was supposed to receive and scatter the ashes within the next few weeks, but time kept passing, and I didn't hear from him. To make a long story short, there were issues with getting the package out of customs. There were then issues with finding the right time to scatter the ashes (i.e., when it wasn't pouring down rain and it wasn't so sunny that the beaches were crowded). Finally today, I received pictures of my mother's final resting place, including some gorgeous sunset shots from a mountain above the beach.

Now, I feel like I have closure. My mother's ashes reside in a place she truly loved in life. I feel at peace thinking of that as her final resting place, and I hope that she, too, is at peace.

This afternoon (December 11) at 3 PM Eastern time, I'll be doing a live Internet radio show with fellow authors Jeanne Stein, Rachel Vincent, Jeaniene Frost, and Patrice Michelle, and editor Diana Gill. We'll be talking about writing the first book in a series, and we'll be taking questions via phone and website. The website where you can listen to the show and ask your questions is:

 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/AuthorsOnAir/TheBeyond/2008/12/11/First-Book-in-a-Series

The phone number to call in is:  (347) 826-9684

If you go to the website now, you can set up a reminder so you'll be sure not to miss it. It'll be a fun show, and I hope lots of people can come join us!