What I Read This Past Week

Yesterday there was a pitch session for Lyrical Press on a blog I follow, so I jumped in and pitched MY SUNNY VAMPIRE. The editor requested a partial and synopsis. Yay! I hope I sent her enough for her to yell "Send me more!" I can dream, right? Anyway, this is what I read in the past week:

Jan 31: "Love Me to Death" by Allison Brennan. This book is labeled "A Novel of Suspense" so I wondered if there was going to be any romance, because – hello! – she writes romance. Well, I shouldn't have worried. It does. Blurb on back: Six years ago, Lucy Kincaid was attacked and nearly killed by an online predator. She survived. Her attacker did not. Now Lucy's goal is to join the FBI and fight cyber-crime, but in the meantime, she's volunteering with a victim's rights group, surfing the Web undercover to lure sex offenders into the hands of the law. But when the predators she hunts start turning up as murder victims, the FBI takes a whole new interest in Lucy. With her future and possibly even her freedom suddenly in jeopardy, Lucy discovers she's a pawn in someone's twisted plot to mete out vigilante justice. She joins forces with security expert and daredevil Sean Rogan, and together they track their elusive quarry from anonymous online chat rooms on the mean streets of Washington, D.C. But someone else is shadowing them: A merciless stalker has his savage eye on Lucy. The only way for her to escape his brutality may be another fight to the death. I really loved this book. It has just the kind of romance I like, too. I got lucky and had a huge block of time to read it (waiting for my husband to finish teaching his class so we could take that adventurous trip to KY), so it only took me two days. Even without that time, I probably would have finished it quick. I just didn't want to put it down. I look forward to reading more of Lucy and Sean and I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads.

Feb 5: "Swamp Magic" by Bobbi Romans. This book is a paranormal romance (with lots of sex). Blurb: Deep in the muggy swamps where there is but one rule, kill or be killed, a new species has emerged – born not from nature but spawned from evil. Octavia wasn't stupid. Those unfortunate souls who have crossed paths with her didn't just become swamp creatures, they became the least deadly of them. She hadn't counted on the strong spirits of those she'd cursed. From those murky swamp depths, a hero emerged. The type from which legends are born. Moss, whose sensual iridescent tattoos are in fact thanks to his reptilian side, still struggles to come to terms with his fate and wants nothing more than to be left alone. Beth's life becomes upturned when she reluctantly agrees to accompany her idiotic brother on a hunt for the Bog Man. When she becomes separated from the others she comes face to face with the legend himself…only no one ever mentioned how damn sexy he was. The swamp's dark history tests the duo on their survival skills as well as luring them deeper into the magic of the swamp. I wasn't happy stuff is left unresolved so the next book could be written, but that's my issue with some series, not particularly this book. I would have liked to connect with the characters more, though. I gave this three stars on Goodreads.

Feb 5: "Love is Murder" by Allison Brennan. This is labeled a "Novella of Suspense," but it's more like a murder mystery (and no romance at all, since it's before "Love Me To Death" (see above), so Lucy hadn't hooked up with Sean yet J). Blurb: After a tough breakup with her boyfriend, Lucy Kincaid needs a different kind of break. So she heads west to join her brother, an ex-cop, for a long weekend of skiing in the mountains. At a picturesque lodge tucked high in the Sierra Nevada, Lucy finds just what she’s looking for: a peaceful retreat undisturbed by Internet, television, and cell phone distractions. She also finds an unexpected group of newlyweds seeking their own idyllic getaway. But finding one of her fellow guests dead wasn’t in the brochure. And neither was the overnight snowstorm that leaves the lodge cut off from the outside world. When Lucy’s brother suspects the honeymooner’s death was foul play, he’s mysteriously stricken ill. Now, to keep him and herself alive, it’s up to aspiring FBI agent Lucy Kincaid to figure out which of the lovebirds trapped in the lodge is really a bird of prey. I really liked the story (although it was short – only 78 pages), and I got to know her brother Patrick, who is mentioned a lot in the first book but never seen. Allison Brennan actually gave me this novella when I had lunch with her at RWA 2011 (I won that chance), which was a real treat (maybe someone will feel that way about me someday!). I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.

I'm ready to read the next book in the series and I've already ordered the third. I'll be sticking with the Lucy Kincaid books until there aren't any more to read.

Updated at 6:55pm: That editor asked for the full! I guess I did send her enough for her to ask for more. Can you see me doing the happy dance? 'Cause I am!!

 

Pictures of Pittsburgh!

Hey! Lookie here! I finally got around to posting my pictures from our trip to Pittsburgh (and if you click on the pictures, the should enlarge).

But don't get your hopes up toooooo high. I don't have all that many (bad me).

Just to prove I was on a Segway, we had the tour guy take this picture. Starting from the right, that's my husband, then me, then our good friends Bill and Barb. That fifth person? Have no idea. She thought the guy was taking a group picture!

And the thing was, the guide knew she wasn't with us, so why he included her was beyond me. But hey, it makes for a good laugh.

I took this photo to show how close to the field we were at PNC Park. Nine rows from 1st base. Not too shabby, huh? Our friends are Cubs fans and were happy to be able to see them play at a park they've never been to. We got to see a good game, too. Tied right up to the last out in the 9th inning. Too bad our friends didn't get to see their Cubs win, though (I had no preference - I'm not a Cubs nor Pirates fan). Tough loss.

This was as close as we got to Heinz Field on this trip. In July we'll be a lot closer. The hubby and I will return for the tour. One thing I did pay attention to - my vampires could definitely climb over the fence and get onto the field (a scene I have in MY SUNNY VAMPIRE). That was good to know!

This photo was taken after we rode the incline up the hill, during our walk to the other incline to ride back down. You get a really great view of the city. That funky spiked building is the Pittsburgh Plate and Glass (or PPG) building. It was featured in Inspector Gadget and also the new Batman film, due out this summer. It's mostly glass and really impressive up close (and if I was smart, I would have taken a picture when we stood near it).

That's all I have. Well, that's all I'll post. I don't need to bore you (sort of like my geology teacher did when he showed the class his slides of his trip to Germany - major yawn!).

And in updated news...I pitched (to a small press) at the Lori Foster Get Together and they requested the whole book! Major excitement there. I'm stoked. As soon as I finish edting GHOSTLY LIAISON (so I can get that out to my critique partners), I'll take another look at MY SUNNY VAMPIRE. I want to make sure it's the best it can be. I'm not blowing this chance!

Hope your weekend was just as good as mine was!

Friday Roundup

I kind of like that title – Friday Roundup. I can then kind of recap what I did during the week. That's if I did anything during the week. Usually I don't. So…maybe that won't work. Oh well, we'll see. Won't know unless I try, huh?

This week was interesting. Yeah, I still need to get my pictures of Pittsburgh up. But I've been busy. Really! Don't you believe me?

The holiday kind of skewered things for me, as I'm sure it did for you, too. Usually, my son will come over on Monday to watch a movie, but since it was a holiday, it was moved to Tuesday (which is usually my night to write). Not complaining! We're currently watching the Underworld movies. I've seen them before, but it had been awhile. I like those movies and my husband isn't interested, so it was a good choice until my husband is finished teaching Monday nights. He has two more. We have two more movies to see. Works out good!

I'm currently into season 3 of Supernatural. My daughter is a huge fan and has since converted me over. We only watch whenever my husband is teaching. Otherwise, we pick something we all want to watch. She's taken us through Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. Next, we're sharing Veronica Mars with her (she's never seen the series and we really liked it). That will occur in a couple of weeks. I think. My daughter says we'll be through season 3 before that occurs (it's her plan, anyway).

Normally, Thursdays are another free night for me (writing-wise), but not last night. As part of the Lori Foster Get-Together, Duffy Brown put on a Murder Mystery Dinner Party. It was the first time I've ever been to one of these. I had fun – even if the weather shooed us indoors (lightning isn't something to mess with). Of course, I had an hour drive home, and it was raining pretty good by then, but all in all, I'd say it was worth it. Never hurts to get to know more people.

Today starts the Lori Foster Get-Together. I will be pitching MY SUNNY VAMPIRE tonight. I got it all ready to go, too. Am I nervous? Not really. Well, not right now. I'm sure that will all change when 7:50pm rolls around. But I'm ready, so that helps.

And I have my business cards and even my query for GHOSTLY LIAISON on hand (because you never know). I'm trying to be more prepared this time around than I was last year.

The heat has gone away for now (kind of cold and rainy today) and the weekend looks to be pretty decent. I hope it's good where you're at, too. If you'll be at Lori Fosters Get-Together, let me know! I'll try and track you down.

Back Home

It was a long drive yesterday. Fourteen hours in the car. But we made it back and I even got one load of laundry done (the rest will be done tonight).

Even if I didn't need to be back at work today, my husband would have. The manufacturing plant with the company he works for is located in West Liberty, KY. And from what we've heard, the downtown is gone – tornado flattened everything. The plant is still there (it was up on a hill), and everyone seems to be accounted for (thank GOD), but now my husband has to travel to KY and see about moving computer operations to the distribution center.

I had a good time in New Orleans, though. The weather was definitely warmer. I will try and report something later this week. Unfortunately, I was bad with the camera and didn't take any pictures. Go ahead – slap my hand. I deserve it!

Oh – and my pitches went well. Pages were requested and I've already sent them out. I didn't waste ANY time.

Now…back to dressing warmer. Brrrrr.

Excuse Me While I Work

Do you know the worst thing about editing? Not being able to blog.

It's not like I'm a daily blogger to begin with, but I have been absent and will continue to be absent until I finish this last round of edits. I went and pitched my book to an editor and was asked for the full!!! Talk about motiviation.

I certainly don't want to keep them waiting any longer than I should. So please excuse me while I work. I'll be back when I'm finished (or work doesn't keep me so tied up that I have time to blog!!). If you're interested, you can track my progress on the side.

Oh, and by the way, MEMORIES has changed to MY SUNNY VAMPIRE. I think I like that title a whole bunch better!

Later!!

Pitching (But Not a Baseball)

Today, on the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Blog, there was an article about pitches by CJ Lyons. It was very informative and she offered to give some feedback if we wished to post our pitch. I was going to pitch THE UNCOMMON ONE, but I’ve been pitching that, and decided, instead, to pitch my 3rd book (since my 2nd book is a sequel and I don’t plan on pitching it).

Can’t tell you how surprised I was to realize I had a high-concept thing going that was unique – and I didn’t even realize it! Here’s the original pitch I entered for my paranormal romance tentatively titled MEMORIES:

After waking from a night he doesn’t remember, a high-ranking vampire is implicated in an unauthorized turning of a woman who resembles his late wife.

CJ liked the premise and made some suggestions (like the word amnesia – how that could have slipped my mind… oh well). Anyway, after a little tweaking, here’s what I came up with:

A 259 year-old vampire with amnesia is implicated in the unauthorized turning of a woman who resembles his late wife.

So, which do you like? Does it sound intriguing? Does it sound original? Wasn’t sure if I should leave high-ranking in there (some people were intrigued with a concept of rank and hierarchy in vampires, when really my vampire is a Committee Member – wasn’t sure how to phrase that so I went with high-ranking, since he is, in a way).

As you can see from the side panel, I’m not very far in the story, but I think I like having the pitch first. It’s making me focus on what the story really is about, which is important when you haven’t plotted out the whole book (I seem to be a mix between a plotter and a pantser).

Have to say, though, that her comments really inspired me. Now it’s back to editing SARAH’S TURN. Hope to have that finished by the weekend so I can get back to MEMORIES.

A Good Weekend!

So far this weekend has been EXCELLENT.

The football team of our local high school, the one my children attended several years ago, has reached the Regional Finals last night in a thriller of a game. In double overtime against their rivals, no less. This season is feeling reminiscent of 1999 (my son's senior year, daughter's freshman year - they played in the band), when they reached the State Finals. They lost, but it was the first time they ever made it that far - and at a #8 seed (the lowest seed). They squeaked in at #8 this year, too. We're keeping our fingers crossed!

And while that was all good (and exciting), I got BETTER news when I came home and checked my e-mails. On Tuesday I pitched THE UNCOMMON ONE to a publisher via my RWA Chapter Blog and had been waiting for the results all week. Well, it was posted on Saturday - my book was one of the few selected to send off the full. So now it's off to another publisher (that makes TWO that I'm waiting to hear back from) and I don't need to tell you that I just can't relax now. I hate getting my hopes up, but it's hard not to.

Now, if I can only win the lottery so I can quit my day job!