Gratitude, Goodreads, & Interviews

I couldn't think of another G-word...

Anyway, I dropped the bomb and then went out of town/offline for a week! But I'm back now with Three things:

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#1-HUGE THANKS! And big hugs and squeezes to everyone who said congratulations, tweeted, sent Facebook messages, squee-ed, and otherwise made me feel all warm and fuzzy these last few weeks about my book deal.

It didn't really feel real until...

#2-The awesome and multi-talented Lydia Kang (link) set up a Goodreads page for my first book ROUGE! (link) Then she told me how to make an author page (link), and suddenly I felt officially official. (!)

If you want to, *kicks the dirt* you could maybe add my book to your TBR list. (Yes? Click here. Or in the sidebar -->)

#3-I'm not here today! I'm being interviewed as one of the Miss Snark's First Victim Secret Agent contest winners. So I'm over on fellow winner David Kazzie's blog (link).

David!

It's a short interview, I promise. Run over and say Hi! (What's MSFV Secret Agent contest you ask? Here's the link.)

Finally (4?), tomorrow I will be here with a special-edition post!

As part of the MSFV winners' blog tour, I'll be interviewing J. Anderson Coats (link), who writes about 13th century Wales. She's very cool like that.

Be sure to come back and check it out!

Again, I can't thank you all enough. Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends! <3

So This Thing Happened

I was all ready to tell you this, and now I'm feeling all weird about it.

The first time I told three of my girlfriends in person, sitting at a table in a restaurant, I felt my face get all red. My palms were sweaty, and I was seriously nauseated.

Tooting one's own horn is really funny to say (I'm doing what?), but it's actually awkward to do... 

I have a book deal.

I'm getting better at believing it (and saying it out loud), though. And seeing it in Publisher's Marketplace helped. Here's what those guys said:

It's actually a three-book deal, with Simon & Schuster's new Pocket Star imprint. Pocket Star does primarily ebooks. There's an option for print, but it's going to be an ebook first and foremost.

The reason I'm telling you that part is because it means I'm about to be crazy-busy. Here's the timetable we've discussed:

• ROUGE (Book #1) is due out Nov/Dec 2012
• Book #2 is due out Spring 2013
• Book #3, Nov/Dec 2013

They have an option on a Book #4, but at the moment I'm trying to get my head around A-That I have a book deal (!); and B-That I ... huh? What was A?

Seriously, though, I can't help thinking I'm just so GRATEFUL for you guys. I would not have made it this far without my family and friends.

From my first blogging buddies, who kept me encouraged through the agent search; to my critique partners, who still help me make my books better; to Authoress (link), who ran the "Miss Snark's First Victim" contest that this book won; to all of YOU, who've been excited and encouraging and told me you can't wait to read my books.

That's just the nicest thing you could ever say. ((hugs))

Sometimes it feels like my publishing journey has more downs than ups, so for a moment, I'm enjoying this up. It could only be better if you were here to enjoy it with me. Cheers!

Thank you, reader- and writer-friends! I can't wait to share my books with you~ <3

(Note: I'm out of town 7/25, so there'll be no new post. But I'll be back on Thursday, Aug. 2, with a great author-friend interview, J. Anderson Coates (link), who is also a MSFV winner. See you then!)

TKP - Stronger and Wider

Okay, so I had this great idea for my Kindness Project post this week! All my fellow posters (below) are always so inspirational and moving and great, and I'm usually floundering.

So I was in church Sunday night, and the speaker talked about David and achieving a hard-earned success. (When he became king at last.)

She said when people achieve success, they often change. But the change isn't always good.

(Argh. I should've saved the program because now I'm having a hard time remembering exactly how she put it.) 


Basically, she said something like for some, achieving a level of success means becoming more removed or distanced from others because the new role takes more time, or there are more responsibilities...

I felt like I could see how that could happen. Perhaps there's even an element of, "I did it. Now I have to work even harder to stay here." I don't know.

But she admonished us to do like David did. She said once he became king, his embrace grew stronger and his arms opened wider. (Then a few years passed and he kind of got off track, but that's not the point here.)

This is about when good things start happening, when you achieve that level of success, don't forget to keep looking around. Don't change. Keep looking for ways to help others and keep spreading the love.

Very Kindness Project, right?

I'm still working toward my level of success, so I'm still excited to tell folks about great writers I've encountered. (Honestly, I don't ever see that changing.) Below are three great editing clients I've worked with this year who you will LOVE:

#1-Alex Clermont came to me from ... I don't remember where. But he wanted to make a book from a series of blog posts written during his time as a teacher in South Korea.

I have to confess, I wasn't sure if what he was sending would hang together. But the truth is, it does.

Alex's book is soul-bearing, it's painfully honest. He's not afraid to tell the truth, even if you might get mad at him. And it's so good. I smiled, I cried... You will love this book.

Get it here:
-Amazon (link)
-Barnes & Noble (link)
-Website (link)

Mary Pax is one of the most fun science fiction storytellers I know. I'm not kidding. I look forward to getting her manuscripts to edit, despite the creatures who populate them.

I don't like creatures, and I'm always cheering for hers!

M. Pax

She's the self-publishing heir to Star Trek: The Next Generation. 

Get your fix here, FREE:
-Amazon (link)
-Barnes & Noble (link)
-Website (link)

Finally, Elle Strauss was my first editorial client. I was so touched that she supported my little editing business right away, and she still sends me clients.

For a contemporary YA romance writer, Elle can write the absolute most amazing war scenes.

(I know, right? And we thought she just did YA romance.) But I'm not kidding. The first book I edited of hers was set during WWII, and it was engrossing.

Anyway, she's got a new (non war) book out, and for now, it's FREE! Here's the blurb:

Elle Strauss

A teen swim athlete discovers a merfolk world that threatens to keep her out of the ocean forever.

Dori Seward can’t wait to get out of Eastcove, a sleepy fishing village on the border of New Brunswick and Maine. She bides her time by hanging out with friends, attending swim club, and holding her biggest competition, Colby–who wants more than just friendship, at arm’s length. 

Then Tor Riley comes to town and he has everything Dori dreams of in a boyfriend–looks, athleticism and mystery.

But Tor also has a tantalizing secret and Dori is determined to find out what it is. The truth is crazier than her wildest imaginations and more dangerous, too.

Dori has new fantastical enemies , and they will do anything to get to her.

Her life, her dreams and her love for Tor are all weighing in the balance. Will Dori risk it all in order to have it all?

Get it here, also FREE:
-Amazon (link)
-Website (link)

Finally, the BONUS, is one of our fellow posters, Megan Spooner (link), has a new book SKYLARK coming out, and she's got a contest going where everybody wins.

No lie. Everybody. Go here for more information (link).

That's it for me, kids. I'm so sorry I've been absentee lately. I'm revising like a mad woman, the girls are home from school, and we've been visiting relatives out of town. All of this equals me having a hard time getting around. But trust me, I miss you more than you miss me.

Have a great week, reader- and writer-friends! Please visit the other TKP posters listed below~ <3

Alina Klein                             Katharine Owens 
Andrea Hannah                      Len Lambert
Barbara Watson                     Liza Kane
Carolina Valdez Miller            Lola Sharp
Christa Desir                          Lindsay Scott
Claire Hennessy                     Matthew MacNish (available Jul 16)
Elana Johnson                        Michele Shaw
Elizabeth Davis                      Sarah Fine
Elizabeth Poole                      Sara Larson 
Erica Chapman                      Sara McClung
Jessica Corra                         Sophia Chang
Leigh Moore                          Tracey Neithercott

Happy Independence Day!

I hope my fellow Americans are having a terrific holiday with family and friends. It's a great time to think about history and freedom and what those concepts really mean.

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Hmm... that sounds terribly serious, and I don't mean it that way. Think about those things in a fun way while enjoying yourself.

I also hope my non-American friends have a wonderful week and weekend.
I'm away at the moment, but I'll be back next week with something deep and meaningful. Or something, at least!

Have a great holiday, reader- and writer-friends~ <3