My husband and I have the privilege of calling the parents of Margaret Dixon friends. We’ve known Bob and Lee Dixon since we lived in Texas in the late 70s. In fact at one point, we may have adopted Bob. He was the runt of the litter and had an addiction to Oreos. We liked to think that when he met and married Lee all that changed—but it didn’t. Over the years we kept up with our friends. They moved to Boston and we did our part in sustaining the professional movers of America. With the energy industry, my work took us to many locations, but we always stayed in touch with our friends. Recently Bob and Lee shared the work of their 19-year old daughter with me. Margaret has Asperger’s Syndrome and her short story is called "My Little Monster." She may have written about her high-functioning form of autism, but to me her words made me think of my own imperfections and the things in my life that I’ve learned to live with and now embrace as part of who I’ve become. I hope you read between the lines of this poignant piece and see something in yourself too. Margaret is a gifted writer that I hope we hear more from.

Feel free to post messages to Margaret on my MySpace blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/jordandanebooks She’s quite a young lady.

Best wishes to all of you in 2009!
Jordan Dane
www.jordandane.com
The "Sweet Justice" Series is Coming - EVIL WITHOUT A FACE (Avon, Feb 09)

 
 
"My Little Monster"
By Margaret Dixon

I have Asperger’s Syndrome, which is a form of high-functioning autism.

When I am interacting with people I barely know, I often feel that this little fact is magnified about a hundred times.

In a way, it’s a little like an aggressive puppy nipping at my heels, while I try in vain to shoo it away so that I can act like a "normal" person for once. It can also be like a huge sign around my neck saying "Hey everybody, I’m a socially awkward freak!"

I guess that is why I enjoy my alone time a little more that most people. When I’m alone with my computer, iPod, DVDs, graphic novels and art supplies, I don’t have to worry about appearing awkward or clueless. Nobody is around to judge me.

Contrary to public belief, though, even autistic people get lonely. It’s when I begin to crave the company of other people that "the little asperger’s puppy" becomes a problem. My struggle to maintain eye contact, bizarre rambling and fidgeting often seems to make an awkward impression.

I admit that I have become resentful to other people who are quick to deem me as "odd" and after just one conversation with me, decide that I am not worth knowing. I know that people who are judgmental are not really worth my time anyway, but it still stings when it happens.

Sometimes my life seem to be a cycle of isolating myself, becoming lonely, seeking out other people, humiliating myself, and the self-imposed isolation again.

Still, it’s not that bad. I have made some friends who are willing to ignore the "Rain man" stereotype of autism and accept me despite my (sometimes irritating) quirks. I am very grateful for them.
I guess I don’t really want my asperger’s syndrome to just disappear, even if the only reason is that I don’t know any other way of thinking, or existing. If I was suddenly "cured", I’m not so sure my sanity would remain. Autistic people often don’t take too kindly to change and I can’t really think of a more extreme change than rewiring my brain. I wouldn’t even be the same person.

Would I still have the same appreciation for bizarre humor? Would I still doodle weird creatures on my notes? Would I still have an obsession with comic books, Eddie Izzard quotes, musicals and all my other hobbies? Or would I change completely, a stranger to my family and friends, but most of all myself. This is one case where I am perfectly happy to remain "flawed" rather than have somebody "fix" my brain.

When I think, I almost always think in pictures. I have a seemingly random image to accompany every thought, even when I don’t realize it. It’s nearly impossible for me to think any other way.
In a way, the monster this is asperger’s syndrome is my worst enemy but also my best friend. It gives a unique and I admit it, often strange way of looking at the world. It lets me see who my true friends in life are (most people find it is harder to be nice to the eccentric ones than it is to be nice to "normal" people). On the other hand, it is also one of the main reasons for my loneliness sometimes. But I’ll just have to learn to live with that.

I’ll have to learn to live with everything that comes with the whole "autism package", because it’s not the kind of package that comes with instructions. I can only image what they would say: "Step one: Get diagnosed. Step two: Sorry, you’re on your own now."
In the end, I can’t entirely love or hate my little monster. I can only accept and live with the person it has turned me into over the years, because like it or not, I have no choice.

And yet, I’m surprisingly okay with that.

Great News! What a way to start 2009! Avon has secured foreign rights sales to Oakla Publishing. This prestigious publisher covers a broad list of genres in Japan, especially comics and magazines. All three books in my first series will be translated into Japanese. I'm very excited to be part of this great publishing house.

Authors always stress over a book while we are creating it and even after it's left the nest and no longer in our control. Publishers Weekly has been good to me, but that doesn't mean I don't sweat while I'm waiting for their review. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. Ahhhhh!

Here's what they wrote and the link below:

Evil Without a Face Jordan Dane. Avon, $7.99 (400p) ISBN 978-0-06-147412-5

This intense thriller establishes Dane (No One Lives Forever) as a diva of the flawed, baggage-laden but likable heroine. Putting romance on the back burner and the business of catching bad guys first, hard-boiled Chicago bounty hunter Jessica Beckett pursues a personal vendetta against child abuser Lucas Baker. When Baker turns up dead and is linked to a multinational human trafficking organization, Globe Harvest, the cops tag Jess as a possible suspect, but she's already off on another chase, looking for a teen who may have been a Globe Harvest victim. The search takes Jess from Chicago to Alaska, puts her in personal peril that evokes flashbacks to her nightmarish youth and surrounds her with a dazzlingly imaginative supporting cast of characters. Dane pulls out all the stops en route to the dramatic, rose-tinted finale. (Feb.)

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6617549.html?industryid=47141

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0fyGVxsl_U

And for information on Jordan Dane, please visit http://www.jordandane.com

I was thrilled to learn that NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM was announced as the Best Book of the Year for 2008 – Mass Market Category. My novel was one of five selected by this prestigious national reviewer (with only two debut books on this list) and I'm in great company. Check out the link for all the authors chosen and below is what PW had to say.

"Dane crafts this debut murder mystery with tight plotting and smooth prose, and adds a few sparks to create a story that appeals to mainstream thriller readers as well as romantic suspense fans."

No matter which way you lean—left, right, or somewhere dead in the middle—this election is too important for anyone to stay on the sidelines. I haven't been so excited about an election in a very long time. November 4^th is an important day to vote for change—whatever that means for you. And depending on whom you talk to, both parties have their version of what that word means. But the most important thing is to stand up and be counted.

..

Authors James Rollins, Kathryn Fox, Sarah Langan, Vicki Petterssen and Jordan Dane--authors with HarperCollins.

READ THIS! Meijer/Levy Book Tour

I've blogged about this trip in advance and had heard about Levy Tours from other authors, but participating in this traveling extravaganza first hand was amazing! So here is a little bit about the tour.

My Publisher – Avon HarperCollins

First of all, I'd like to extend my special thanks to my publisher Avon HarperCollins for sending me on this great trip. Their support has been unflinching and they've made my first year as a debut author a dream come true.

Who Organized the Tour?

The tour organizer, Levy Home Entertainment is one of the largest book distributors in the country and serves outlets such as Target, Meijer, Wal-Mart, Kmart, plus other big grocery chains and pharmacies, etc. Every year they organize an author bus tour that focuses on the customers they serve and this year was Meijer, a chain of cutting edge Michigan grown superstores.

I'm Not A Tour Virgin Any More

Picture me smoking a cigarette and basking in the after glow. This was my first Levy Tour and I had heard about the pampering, but I feel like such a diva after the trip. The Westin beds were really comfortable and the Levy folks (Kathleen, Renee, and Sarah & crew) catered to us all the way, including waaaaaay too much food and libations (if there IS such a thing).

We started with an orientation meeting on Thursday evening where the Levy/Meijer reps gave us plenty of swag and a great meal at the Westin. I normally don't sleep well on the road (mainly due to the pillow factor), but the Westin Hotel in Detroit was spa-like and gave us a choice on firmness of the pillow. Loved it. But we were off bright and early the next morning after breakfast and hit the road around 8:30am after getting everyone on board the deluxe bus. And organizing a group of authors is like herding cats.

Who Got Onboard

The other authors on this tour were fun on and off the bus. Count them—27 authors—all talented and funny. One of the first people I met (while checking into the first hotel) was Kristan Higgins, a debut author and RITA winner. The RITA is like the Oscars for romance. Kristan is a really sweet gal who USED TO BE shy. (HA!)

Most of the authors on this tour were women romance writers, but we had a few guys on our trip. Chip St. Clair (memoir author), Tom Grace and Bob Liparulo (thriller authors) will never be the same. I told Bob that any book tour after this will seem totally BORING. Bob was the only guy brave enough to sit in the back of the bus with Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter's tribe. Those two were hilarious—little ever-ready bunnies who never ran out of energy.

I knew some of the authors before this trip. Gena Showalter is one of my local RWA chaptermates. She's an absolute doll!! Love her! And Allison Brennan has been a very generous mentor to me. And she has a real head for the business end of publishing. Sophia Nash and Kathy Caskie are authors with my publisher Avon and are always fun to be around. Very stylish too. And beneath the flair, they both have a great sense of humor. And Bob Liparulo and I share the same web designer, the gifted Maddee James at www.Xuni.com. I had corresponded via email with many before the trip. And I'm now reading his book DEADFALL and loving it. (Rambo/Deliverance (without the pig squeal) meets Die Hard)

And someone I had met officially for the first time was Cherry Adair. If you'd never met her, you'd still know she was quite the character from a distance. She is a real live wire with red hair and a devilish smile. When I told her I'd seen her website, she informed me hers was the best in the galaxy. And if you know what's good for you, you won't argue with the woman. (Seriously, she's a hoot. And she taught me how to sign language Cherry-style.)

Another person on the tour that I had not met before was actress and author Victoria Rowell. I most remember her from Diagnosis Murder, but she was also on The Young and the Restless soap. She wrote a memoir about the women who raised her. Real Oprah material. Keeping my fingers crossed for her. We got a chance to talk about the business end of publishing and she's a really savvy lady. A real dynamo.

And the author who traveled the farthest was Monica McInerney. She's an Aussie who's living in Ireland now. We had a blast together and when we actually sat next to each other at a signing, I couldn't resist trying out my Australian accent, saying "The dingo ate me baby!" Monica contributed to the madness too so I wasn't the only crazy one. She had me laughing so hard that I cried. Glad I wore my waterproof mascara.

Susan Mallery wields a mean fondu fork. Roxanne St Clair doesn't have a shy bone in her body. CT Adams & Cathy Clamp made me ponder how two authors write so well together. It must be an amazing process. And Jessica Anderson knows the science behind her writing. Smart and funny in one package. And I wish I had more time to spend with the rest of the authors on this trip: Deeanne Gist, Elizabeth Hoyt, Angela Knight, Jade Lee, Deborah Raleigh, and Sherry Thomas. Our schedule was hectic but there was never a dull moment.

Highlights for Me

There were many highlights I will bring away from this trip. Most of them I can't repeat. (The best kind.) But I had quite a few people bringing their purchased books for me to sign. Always fun to see well-worn books that look as if they'd been read more than once. At my first stop, I had my aunt and uncle show up in their Jordan Dane tees. They surprised me completely since they live in central Illinois and drove to Michigan.

I also had quite a few of my MySpace and Facebook peeps show up and Margaret Carroll made me cookies, homemade and organic chocolate chips. Yum! She brought them to one of the stops and of course, I shared. And Jean, a friend from my Fanfiction.net days, drove a distance to see me. A great surprise! We've "known" each other online for years but this was the first time we'd met. She brought her husband Paul too.

And Chari Jousma, Friends of the Library in Michigan and affiliated with other state book extravaganzas, was waiting outside one of the stores to meet me. She and I "met" online after she learned I was an author from an online book transaction. Strange world, but you can meet some fantastic folks too. The bus had arrived early and Chari and I had a chance to grab a coffee even with our tight schedule. She's a real dynamo and a talented artist.

Strangeness

A funny story on the road was when we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant. And after we ate, I made a pit stop and saw a bathroom full of authors. As a joke, I went into the first stall and saw shoes in the next one over. I thought I recognized them and shoved a sneaker over—practicing my WIDE STANCE. I kept quiet and chuckled, but the woman didn't say anything. Finally, she walked out of the stall to wash her hands. That's when I saw through the crack in the door that she was the ONLY PERSON who wasn't AN AUTHOR. Damn it! Of course, I still thought this was funny and had an even bigger laugh about it. But I compounded my error by telling Leslie Langtry. The woman is a damned sieve. I'll probably end up in one of her next books, which wouldn't be such a bad thing. She's hilarious.

Close Calls

And a "not so funny" thing happened on the trip too. Brenda Novak and Allison Brennan had their luggage lost by their airline. And it wasn't returned until a day later—AFTER we already hit the trail. But I tell ya, these women are troopers. Class acts! They carried on in whatever they had to wear and other authors donated makeup. Teamwork, you gotta love it.

Another close call happened just after the tour. Colleen Coble became a grandmother. Yay! She'd been telling us about the baby coming, but we had no idea how close the birth would be. Only a couple of days after the tour, she sent beautiful pics of the baby. Adorable! That woman really knows how to make a deadline.

What's Next

My next book will be released Feb 2009 and will be the first novel of my Sweet Justice series - EVIL WITHOUT A FACE. I'm really pleased with my new cover too.

And book2 – THE WRONG SIDE OF DEAD – will come out in the Fall of 2009. Next week I hope to have something on these new works posted on my website at www.jordandane.com: synopsis briefs, excerpts, and a Story Behind the Story digital pics for EVIL, featuring the images I used for my characters and locale pics in Alaska, Russia, & Chicago.

Stay tuned! And thanks for your continued support.

Metaphors are like…whatever.

Just wanted to leave you all with a little humor before I hit the road to Michigan for my Levy/Meijer Book Tour.

Every year, English teachers from across the USA can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year's winners:

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with wisdom that only comes from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of e. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other
from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Which one was your favorite? Or do you have any you'd like to share?

Magical Michigan Bus Tour information!!

Finally, the information I promised you! Here are the authors I'll be signing with in September:

CT Adams & Cathy Clamp
Jessica Anderson
Allison Brennan
Kathryn Caskie
Colleen Coble
Kresley Cole
Jordan Dane
Deeanne Gist
Tom Grace
Kristan Higgins
Elizabeth Hoyt
Angela Knight
Leslie Langtry
Jade Lee
Robert Liparulo
Susan Mallery
Monica McInerney
Sophia Nash
Deborah Raleigh
Gena Showalter
Chip St. Clair
Roxanne St. Clair
Sherry Thomas

We are going to be at the following Meijer locations in Michigan:

Friday, September 19
10:30am Kalamazoo/5800 Gull Rd.
3:00pm Grand Rapids/Cascade
5:00pm Grand Rapids/Knapp's Corner

Saturday, September 20
10:30am Lansing/2055 W. Grand River Rd.
3:00pm Ann Arbor/5645 Jackson Rd.
5:00pm Canton/45001 Ford Rd.

Sunday, September 21
10:30am Rochester Hills/3175 Rochester Rd.
12:00pm Royal Oak/5150 Coolidge Hwy
4:00pm Monroe/1700 Telegraph Rd.