Blogging at Liquid Silver today!

Talking about all my children--the four legged kind! Stop by and leave a comment about your children, the two legged or four legged kind! http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/blog/?p=2171

Harlequin's Recession Romance!

This Nightline segment is just too cool! They did a feature on Harlequin Romance. And they had so many different people reading from some of the stories. It's both funny and informative. Check it out!

Whose Book Is It, Anyway?

Blogging two days in a row? I know something must be wrong with me! But actually, something is right. I'm always glad to end the week on a high note.

I actually made some progress on the new story for Ellora's Cave. Every book has a main character. Even if there are two main characters as in a romance, one character has more to lose or more to learn. This determines whose book it is! Simple, eh?

Not so. As in the case of my current work in progress. My story started out as Max's book. About 19k words in, I realized I was writing Troy's book. So now, for the first 19k words, I have to edit for continuity with Troy's journey rather than Max's. Sometimes this is harder than just starting a new book. But I like where it's going so I'm going to buckle down with the edits. Or I'm supposed to be. LOL This week has been a blur and I hadn't even opened the file. Today I not only opened it, I worked on it! Woo hoo, me!

I did spend part of the week being productive, just not at writing. The program chair of the Diamond State Romance Authors insisted someone teach a workshop on book trailers. Just because I'm computer savvy doesn't mean I can do trailers. She disagreed. And she can be persuasive. LOL So I started playing around with Windows Movie Maker. Since the class is in May, I did a trailer on my June Ellora's Cave release, Fighting For Eternity. The final result wasn't half bad, if I say so myself!

The cover hasn't been posted on my website yet so this is the premiere of the cover! Check it out.

Blurb:

Searching for a murderous rogue vampire, Watcher Estefan Garzas life is turned upside down by tragic loss and a surprise from his past. His bone-chilling loss is warmed by fires of passion reignited by vampire Karl Brandt.

On a quest to destroy a former friend, Karl is startled by Estefan and his mysterious companions. Karl can't understand why Estefan hasn't aged in seventy years. Unwilling to let him leave until Karl discovers the truth, he offers Estefan and his friends refuge and assistance for their common mission.

As a bloody battle for Memphis ensues, Karl and Estefan bond between danger and destruction until all that remains separating them is a fight for eternity.

Let me know what you think. Does the trailer evoke a sense of the book when paired with the blurb? I feel like the blurb is necessary somewhere with the video. Like an excerpt without a blurb, I feel like there's something left out. Doing the entire blurb in the video would make it longer. I like shorter. What do you like? I'd love some opinions on book trailers in general so I can work them into my workshop. Some people watch them, some don't like them and won't bother. Some authors think trailers boost sales, and some think it doesn't but it's part of branding. I love to hear more readers views on the subject!

Well, I'm starving so I'm off to fix food. I really wish I could afford a cook. And a maid. Definitely a maid because housework sucks. *cackle*

Never lose sight of your dreams!

Every time I see this, it brings me to tears. A woman most people wouldn't look twice at, hit the British airways then through the internet has stormed the world. Her dream to be a professional singer was a long time coming but I have no doubt she will not fade back into the obscurity of her little village. Just goes to show you should never give up on a dream.

Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent
Uploaded by dwarthy

Speaking of dreams, my long time galpal Elle James reached the Walden Borders best seller list with her newest Harlequin Intrigue, Baby Bling! Pick up a copy today and keep her climbing the ranks to one of her dreams come true! I bought my copy yesterday! Elle said to not let the cover or title fool you. She said, "I blow up a ship, crash a helicopter, burn a house, and lots more fun stuff in it! ... so if you’re so inclined toward action-adventure-mystery-suspense-romance, check it out soon!" I love it when Elle gets destructive! Makes for some fabulous reading! *cackle* Get a copy today at eharlequin.com or your local bookstore. Remember, Harlequin books are only on the shelf for a month so get out there and see how much Elle has tormented her lastest hero and heroine!

And a couple more dreams come true! Running Press released two new historical romances this week. Transgressions by Erastes and False Colors by Alex Beecroft are being shelved in the regular romance sections of major bookstores. Why the big deal? Both novels are gay romances! Instead of relegating them to the GLBT section of the bookstore to be mixed in with fiction and non-fiction of all types, Transgressions and False Colors are out there in the romance section!

And I have proof! In Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Barnes & Noble on Financial Parkway, I found the books and took pictures! Then bought a copy of each. My book bill was a little high yesterday! *cackle*

Click on the pictures for a larger view! I love seeing a gay romance sitting next to Janet Evanovich and Shayla Black! It's a fabulous step forward for the genre and these two wonderful authors. And the good news is, there will be more! The back inside cover of both books announced the fall releases of Tangled Web by Lee Rowen and Lovers' Knot by Donald L Hardy.

Pick up both books at your local bookstore today! Snap a picture for Erastes' contest (http://erastes.livejournal.com/375556.html).

I also drove the poor folks at B&N a little crazy yesterday. Part of my shopping list--besides the three books above--was Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels. Sarah Wendall and Candy Tan of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have taken their collective knowledge and formed the ultimate guide to romance novels! With chapters names like Cleavage, Petticoat, Corset and Codpiece, you know their wonderfully irreverent humor marks this book as a must have for anyone who loves romance enough to laugh at the stereotyping surrounding the genre!

I didn't get a picture on the shelf because this wonderful guide released yesterday and the poor folks at B&N hadn't gotten the new releases shelved. The poor gentleman who first assisted me didn't seem to understand what I was saying and kept asking me to spell "bosoms". I would say he was an older man but he was probably my age and I don't like to call myself old. The younger man--whose name I should know since I've talked to him a dozen times at least--was able to find the book on the carts in the back waiting to be shelved. Then I made him crazy looking for one more book. Mine!

Or the one with one of my short stories, The Shopping List! The Black Lace anthology, Seduction, released yesterday! I had given away my only author's copy for a Roses Colored Glasses basket to be raffled at the Merritt conference in San Antonio, Texas. (I'll be there May 2nd!) I wanted to pick up another copy but once again, the book wasn't on the shelf. While the computer said it was there, the poor customer service dude couldn't find it anywhere. I told him I'd be back on Saturday so maybe I could pick it up then. He promised to figure out where it was shelved by then. *cackle* Poor dude.

Writing for Black Lace has been a dream of mine for several years. Even if it's only a short story, it's a start. Pick up Seduction at your local bookstore and check out The Shopping List along with a dozen other stories by fabulous erotica authors like Shada Royce, Katrina Wright and Portia Da Costa.

HIDDEN HANDS Released today!

Hidden Hands is out at Ellora's Cave today!

http://www.jasminejade.com/p-7115-hidden-hands.aspx

Detective Jeremy Lawson doesn’t expect anything from his one night stand except sex. What he gets is a shooting, a mystery plus some of the best sex he’s had in a long time. Somewhere along the way, he also finds some tenderness for a lost soul in need of rescuing.

David March has let his troubled past blind him to any kind of happy future. But when a one night stand turns out to be a cop in shining armor, David begins to think differently about his life. As in, he wants one. But to have one, he has to stay alive.

Note: For maximum reader enjoyment, we suggest reading Hidden Force (David) and A Helping Hand (Jeremy) where our two heroes were secondary characters.