Let Me Call You Sweetheart Available Today!

Great new release!

From Gwen Hayes, a wonderful new title at a fantastic price.

From amazon.com:

Hollywood made him a star. She makes him want to be a better man.

A Come Rain or Come Shine Story

Charlotte Jeeves, “Charlie” to anyone not pulling her over or collecting her taxes, is the only one in town who’s not excited about her new neighbor, TV actor Jeeves Allencaster. It’s not “cute” how they share a name, and so not charming that he steals her muffin before they’ve even met. The last thing she wants is some slick Hollywood type turning her safe, small-town haven into a circus.

If the locals have their way, though, she and Jeeves will be dating by…well, it depends on who you ask—and how much they’ve invested in the betting pool.

Jeeves hates Hollwood. Mostly he just hates the way it’s changed him. Port Grable is the total opposite of LaLa Land—the perfect place to rediscover himself. His plan didn’t include hooking up with the bitter—yet undeniably lush—girl next door. She’s not his type, yet he can’t get her off his mind.

Trouble is, to thaw the ice around her heart, he’ll have to show her the real man behind the Hollywood charade. If he still exists…

Warning: Baked-good larceny is prohibited by law in many states. Please seek competent legal advice before trying this at home.

He’s the best!

You can’t see how gorgeous this is in the crappy webcam photo, and it doesn’t look particularly elegant against my Sonic the Hedgehog t-shirt… but this is 3 carat, emerald-cut diamond with a Celtic-knotwork toggle clasp.

And it got to me… on my birthday… via special courier… with a media center for my car… and roses… while the best man alive is digging around in rubble and helping to triage survivors in Joplin, MO.

SO the next time YOUR man has a lame excuse for missing your birthday?

Just slug him.

I love you baby!  Come home safe… SOON.

It’s Getting Interesting…

I know I have been scarce lately, but I’ve had great reasons.  2011 has been an incredibly exciting year for me.  It has been my most prolific year as a writer.  You just can’t tell.  I published the last title under my pen name… at least for the distant future.  I published the first fiction under my own name (My Boyfriend's Back), and finished a third title that I decided to shelve for the time being.

But the most exciting thing that happened in 2011 was my decision to re-brand myself, start an entirely new career path, and launch into the mystery/thriller genre.  Since making that decision I have written more—and put out better product—than I ever have in a very short span.  I began Cry Uncle only two months ago, didn’t sit down with it seriously until the end of last month, and it is very nearly done.  The next two titles are outlined, fleshed, and have covers ready.  Promo material is going off to printers soon.  The book will come out mid-summer.

This past week I had two writers I respect (worship is too strong a word, right? right…) ask to read the rough draft.

I nearly laid a green twinkie.

But this is the scary part for writers… the moment we let it go and allow the work to exist outside the womb of our hard-drive.

The feedback I got was… amazing.  And now, having read those very kind words, I can reflect without fear and nerves on my own experience with this book.  I really like it.  I’m proud of it, and excited to share it.  But perhaps the best thing of all?  I’ve never been so comfortable with the process or the product in my life.

So I guess when I made a decision, this January, to find my voice, use my voice, and honor what my voice wanted to be… well, I should have known it would get interesting.

How about you? What are you working on?  How does your work make you feel?

Since the Rapture is Nigh…

By the way… I seriously dislike the word “nigh.”  And yet, I just used it in the title—right there, up above—cuz I’m a conundrum. (I really love the word “conundrum.” Irony, thou art a harsh mistress.)

But yeah, the Rapture is alleged to be May 21st, which is also my mom’s birthday and Ahmed’s mom’s birthday (felicitations, Lanie and Maji). I’m quite sure there is no connection.

I was yapping with a gal from one of my workshops this week about what I would do if I could do ANYTHING.  I always piss these people off.  Because—don’t hate me—I’d do what I’m doing.  I love writing, I love working with investigators and others on language forensics and literary forensics projects.  I’d probably just blow more money on indie stuff and buy billboards in Time Square and hovering above Fenway to put my covers up in gigantic color.  Or I’d run a television ad and hire Tom Hanks to say “I wish I had waited to play one of Chrissy’s characters, because frankly, we all know Dan Brown is an asshat.”  Then I’d giggle at the trial when he sued me. 

Ok, maybe not that last thing.

Know what, though?  If the Rapture thing doesn’t work out and I do become a gagillionaire (shut up, it could happen), I may buy a gorgeous chunk of land somewhere with trees, paths, and water.  And I’ll build two dozen small, cute cabins with  AC, heat, and Wi-Fi.  And then I’ll invite writers, artists, and musicians to just… show up and create.  Like a luxury summer camp and retreat center for people who want to make powerful and beautiful and sad and amazing things.  An art colony on steroids.

Plus really awesome thread count on the linens and Terry’s chocolate oranges on the nightstand so you can whack em and snack em all night.

Come to think of it… that would be a pretty awesome Rapture right there.  I’m buying a lottery ticket and shopping for acreage.

Hey, the government needs money. Think they’d sell me Acadia?

Prolly not.

Who is Your Cheerleader?

Who is your cheerleader?  Everyone should have one.  I have a couple: Ahmed, my mom, my writing group (shout out to South Shore MA Writers!), many of my friends.  In this I am incredibly lucky. 

This week I spent a couple of days in Connecticut with some wonderful law enforcement and federal employees.  Ahmed came down with me just for a "fun getaway."  (Translation: free room service in a really swanky room and some peace.)  I had a hard time sleeping, so I spent a little time hammering away on my soon-to-be-lauded mystery thriller.  I've been trying not to become a complete spaz about this shift in my writing career, but frankly... I'm stoked.

Best part?  So are my cheerleaders.  Can I just tell you how amazing that feels?  Just a few days ago my mom asked "do you have any more written that I can read?"

Never happened before.  Blew me away.

Ahmed is, perhaps, the world's best cheerleader.  He even bribes me with treats.  If I complete 'X' word-count by 'Y' day, he'll buy me something cool, take me someplace awesome, or do something special.  I would feel guilty about it, since he is notorious for spoiling me rotten regardless of my written work... but I don't do guilt well, and honestly?

IT KICKS ASS!

So who shakes the pompoms for you?  If nobody does, lemme know.  I'll shake mine! :)

Booksurge Absorbed by Createspace

Booksurge has announced today that it will be absorbed by Createspace. The announcement was made via the website. Read more...

We have some exciting news to share - BookSurge is becoming CreateSpace. BookSurge and CreateSpace have historically operated as two distinct brands of one company – On Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. - and are now uniting under the CreateSpace platform to offer you an expanded catalog of publishing tools and services. You will still be working with the same team and receive the same high level of service to which you’ve been accustomed with BookSurge. *source

The company also provided a link for authors, specifically. Read more HERE.

Hard Times Aren’t Bad Times

The next few months are going to be tough.  Today I grabbed a little patch of writing time before having some tests.  Yeah, I hate tests.  They aren’t the kind that get you into school or provide you with a driver’s license.

But the hard times coming don’t have to be bad times.  If life has taught me anything, it has taught me the power, blessing, and surprising opportunities hidden in challenges.  Cancer was a gift.  PF, even, has been a gift.  The smartest person I ever knew told me, time and again, that Pain is our greatest teacher.  Adversity is just an assistant, really.

So I’m going to be forced to slow some things down in the coming months, and to put a lot of things aside all-together for most of June.  I’m actually already planning ways to get a lot done before this month is over, and to shuffle tasks around during that “down time.” 

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past few weeks with writers, most of them good friends.  We were sitting in a planning meeting last week when several of my friends expressed dismay at recent “rough patches.”  I remained quiet.  I go through them, too.  But I did notice one very old friend watching me.

“How do you do it?” she asked.  “You’ve been coughing all night.”

I gave the same answer I always give, which is that I GET UP whenever I can manage it… which is pretty much every day.  It’s very rare I stay in bed, and usually only on strict medical orders.  In a way I felt bad for silencing the group, because we should all feel free to bitch.  Really, it’s what friends are for, and support groups should be safe places to vent, too.

But it really has, honestly, been that simple for me.  I had a long stretch of curiously good health and worked my backside off earlier this year.  Last month I hit a pot-hole jungle and the going got rough.  I even had a week in bed, forced, and miserable.  As soon as I could get up and get out of the house I did.

June will be a month of patching holes.  They need patching.  I’ll put up with it, sneak as many moments with my netbook as possible, and get up the instant they let me up.  Somebody has to keep Starbucks in business…

It’s Short Story Month!

According to Poets and Writers Magazine May is Short Story Month.  One of the things I love about the digital publishing industry is the renewed interest in the short.  Publishing short stories had become a challenge, as magazines lost ground in popularity, and print began to shrink. 

Enter the e-reader, and the elimination of waste and cost issues.  Now inexpensive, quick, satisfying reads are making a healthy come-back.  Who doesn’t love a little nugget of literary goodness perfect for the train ride, soccer practice, or just a Sunday afternoon escape?

Check out a shortie and celebrate!

My Biggest Fan

Yesterday was a challenging day in a week that was equally frustrating.  But you have to look for a reason to be positive.

I found one.

Sitting at Starbucks, banging away on my next WIP—Cry Uncle, which will be available in both print and digital—I noticed a very nice woman come in and start chatting up the baristas. 

Now… you have to know something about me, Starbucks, and the baristas in Marshfield. We’re besties.  They take very good care of me.  They put up with Max and his drive-through hysteria.  They are good people.

Turns out one of the gals had given my business card to a woman who comes in with her Kindle quite often.  She told the lady, whom I discovered was named Emily, to check out my website, where there was a link to My Boyfriend's Back.  Emily went home, downloaded it, and liked it very much.  She sat with me, told me all about her love for MBB, and could not have been lovelier if she tried.

My biggest fan… well, so far… how cool is that?  Totally made a bad day wonderful!

Ellipses…

*ELLIPSIS   \i-ˈlip-səs, e-\   plural el·lip·ses

1 a : the omission of one or more words that are obviously understood but that must be supplied to make a construction grammatically complete

b : a sudden leap from one topic to another

2 : marks or a mark (as …) indicating an omission (as of words) or a pause

*source: Merriam Webster 

If something doesn’t happen soon to end the tide of grammatical madness I may lose what is left of my mind.  I was reading the newspaper today (I’m talking to YOU, Boston Herald), and saw three instances on a two page spread of misused ellipses.  Rupert Murdoch, take heed… somebody needs to be told… or fired.

I am as guilty as anyone of over-using the ellipses in my casual writing.  We have become fond of the punctuation as a way of indicating a pause. Overly fond, one can argue, but using ellipses to indicate a pause in thought or rhythm is, technically, correct.  That our current culture, which is so dominated by social media and informal written exchange has informed the literary culture is fine.  But come ON!

Three little periods in a row: ---> … <---

Can’t we all get on board with that?  Just type three… not four, not five, not a long row across the page.  It’s bad enough I am subjected to this stuff on twitter and facebook. I think we should all have permission to stomp around on Shrunk and White when we’re messaging our peeps out in the interwebosphere.  But my daily newspaper needs to maintain some kind of standard… doesn’t it?