#6 on my way to Lucky 13

The Gripping Beast, approx. 70K Viking time-travel novel, marks #6 on my baker’s dozen list. Hurrah! The finished ms. is due in mid-Nov. so I’ll be busy with that as soon as I send Wolf off. It’s posted under Coming Soon on the Home page already, and I’ll get an excerpt and a blurb up shortly. By which I mean, possibly Monday. The book will be part of Samhain Publishing’s launch line-up. Also in the launch is a contemporary western by Jaci Burton so I’m in amazing company.

I am absolutely delighted to have a home for my Vikings and I’m looking forward to working with Samhain Publishing. The editor is one I’m familiar with, and I’m excited to see what Crissy Brashears will do with this new venture. I’m pleased to be continuing my association with her. (No, I’m not leaving EC. But branching out to other publishers is part of my business plan. And in the case of The Gripping Beast, it didn’t properly belong with EC or Cerridwen because it’s an odd book. Too erotic for CP, but due to the historical characters and setting, wrong language for EC.)

Legendary Tails II rates 4 1/2 stars from RT!

From the November 2005 Romantic Times, a fabulous 4 and a half stars!

“This anthology has a little something for everyone with each of the
contributing writers creating dynamic characters and distinct romances.

Naughty angels (Carter’s “Demon’s Fall”), vampires (St.Clare ‘s
“Vampires and Donuts”), aliens (Burton’s “Garden of Eden”), witches (
Teglia’s “Love Spell”) and a club with no rules ( Springer’s Club
Rendezvous) – this read has it all and then some (Walker’s “Freak of
Nature”).

And the characters find exactly what they’re looking for: a happy
ending with that perfect someone.

These novellas are fast-paced reads that offer all of the steam and
sensuality that fans of these talented authors have come to expect.
This book is not intended for the faint of heart, but if you love bad
boys and women that are more than their match, this is the anthology
for you.” – Reviewed by Kristi Ahlers

*flings confetti in the air*

Meme fun!

I’m tagging Sasha, Steph, and Ellen. And anybody else who needs blog filler and/or thinks it’d be fun!

1. First name? Charlene
2. Were you named after anyone? Sadly, no. Why not Cleopatra?
3. Do you wish on stars? Yes
4. When did you cry last? In the middle of moving.
5. Do you like your handwriting? It’s illegible. I don’t really have any strong feelings about it, but I try not to use it because of the illegibility factor.
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? Turkey
7. What is your birth date? June 22. The cusp of magic! I share my birthday with Lillian Stewart Carl. (subliminal chant: buy her books! They’re great!)
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? Bon Jovi
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Sure!
10. Do you have a journal? I have THREE!
11. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Does the sun set in the west?
13. Would you bungee jump? Never. Especially not off the top of the Eiffel Tower to save a werewolf attempting suicide. Although it does make a nifty plot.
14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No.
15. Do you think that you are strong? Yes.
16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Cherry Garcia, Ben & Jerry’s
17. Shoe Size? 7.
18. Red or pink? Pink seems to be growing on me lately. Not sure why.
19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? My number of Bad Hair Days.
20. Who do you miss most? Tracy, who moved to Idaho just before I moved to Washington. We can’t seem to stay in the same state. Sigh.
21. Do you want everyone you send this to, to answer? Yep!
22. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Grey sweat pants. No shoes. I don’t wear shoes indoors.
23. What are you listening to right now? The Koala Brothers. Disney Channel is my life.
24. Last thing you ate? Scrambled eggs with bacon.
25. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Magenta!
26. What is the weather like right now? Perfect. Cool, clear, full of the scent of autumn leaves and ripe apples and freshly mowed green grass with a hint of rain in the air.
27. Last person you talked to on the phone? My husband.
28. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Does he look like an ax murderer? Because I have two small children. I’m always on the lookout for possible felons when I see a strange man.
29. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I LOVE him! He’s a genius and a fabulous artist! (My cousin Kyle.)
30. Favorite Drink? Coffeecoffeecoffee. Shot in the dark, caramel macciato, chocolate breve. COFFEE!
31. Favorite sport? Hiking.
32. Hair Color? Auburnish
33. Eye color? Hazel
34. Do you wear contacts? Yes.
35. Favorite Food? GREEK. Stuffed grape leaves, baklava, thick dark coffee, giros, pita bread, moussaka. I want to go to Greece and eat my way across the country like a locust.
36. Last movie you watched? In a theatre? Bewitched. Very funny.
37. Favorite day of the year? I’m not sure I have ONE favorite. I suppose it should be Sept. 31, which is our wedding anniversary. Baby birthdays are high on the list. I love Samhain. (Almost there!) I love June 21, 2005 the day my first-ever print book hit bookstore shelves.
38. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? Happy endings, although both at the same time is great.
39. Summer or Fall? Fall has grown on me. Summer is too hot. Or I’m too old.
40. Hugs OR Kisses? Both!
41. What Is Your Favorite Dessert? Chocolate.
42. Who Is Most Likely To Respond? ?
43. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? ?
44. What Books Are You Reading? Norman Vincent Peale 3-in-1 volume. (Writers need positive thinking!) I’m also reading A Wolf In Cheap Clothing, which is the story I’m finishing writing now.
45. What’s on your mouse pad? Van Gogh, Starry Night.
46. What Did You Watch Last Night? People watch TV at night? *blink blink*
48. Favorite Sounds? Rain falling. Morgan laughing. Tom purring. The beep-beep “coffee is done” sound. Husband singing. Alex singing. (She sings damn good for a two year old.)
47. Favorite Smell? Fresh coffee. Rain.
50. Favorite animal. Cats.
51. What’s the farthest you’ve been from home? Hawaii
52. Do you have a special talent? I can satirize ANYTHING! Go on, try me. : D

My new do!

Um, not my hair. I’m stuck with the wild curls. But check out the site! The blog page still has the original design because it’s integrated but separate from the rest of the site. If you click on any other page, you’ll see how the design has been modified. This is actually a great way to see how you can keep the same basic design elements but update the look. Anybody who wants to get their site refreshed should talk to my genius designer husband at pat@techremedies.com.

Blog page will get updated later on. Also, I’m going to finally add a blog list of the blogs I regularly visit, something long overdue. WordPress theoretically does this easily. And one other change: a series page is being added to the site for information on series and connected books.

A baker’s dozen

Reviewing the past year, I’m fairly pleased with the results. 5 releases, four of them full-length novels. (Dangerous Games is 45 K which is shortish but still over the mark for a novel.) Good reviews, good sales, happy readers. During this time I had a pregnancy and a major move, two fairly big interruptions in my workflow.

So now that I’m done with having babies and moving, I’m looking ahead at what I want to have by this time next year. Actually, I’ll just round off to the end of 2006, which I want to end with a baker’s dozen of tales under contract. Not all of them full-length novels. With 5 down (and almost 6), that’s 7 more finished and submitted stories. Although if I sell something on proposal, that would count, too. Very doable, especially considering my backlog of ready-to-write stories, the endless fount of new stories, and the champing-at-the-bit feeling from all the down time I’m eager to make up for.

Yes, I know what they all are. I’d list them here, but I think it’s best not to give away titles/plot lines too much in advance of announcing a done deal. I do have the list in front of me, though, because I find that the more specific a goal is, the easier it is to achieve. Wishing all of you clarity and energy to achieve your goals.

Almost totally well again. And I’m getting good at staying awake and upright until 9:00 p.m. Progress!