Okay, I make no bones about this. I hate excerpts, sneak peeks, previews, look aheads, whatever you want to call them. I don’t like them. I want to be surprised, amused, delighted as I turn the page of a book, watch a movie, check in on All My Children or lately, One Life to Live. I don’t want to know what day Angie’s baby is going to be born. I want to tune in and be part of the story, then and there. No Cassandras allowed in my life. I don’t want to know.

Sadly, I have had to come … Read more »

Sometimes getting a book started is easy. Other times it takes a lot of what would appear to most people as a lot of screwing around. But sometimes that screwing around is just what is needed to get the story all shaken out before you really jump into the writing.

But don’t expect your husband to be happy when he asks you how your day was, and you reply: “Great. I had to spend an hour looking at photos of hot guys.”

I know, rough job, but someone has to do it. To be fair, I did share the love, … Read more »

They are a coming. In the next few months my website will be getting some upgrades and new features. Not giving away anything just yet, but just wanted to make sure you had a bit of a heads up. It’s been sort of exciting to go through my current site and look at it from a redecorating stand point. I love my site, but we all need something new every once in a while, don’t we?

One thing I can show you is that I’ve cleaned up my Blog Categories over there on the right–added some new, gathered together a … Read more »

Every five years or so, I pack my bags and toddle over the North Pole and drop in on London. And this being one of those years, I am about to leave again. I didn’t think I was going to go this year–the difficulties of finding a time to leave the family, the expense, was it the right year to go (okay, is there ever a wrong year?), but like my grandmother always said, when things are right, they will align for you. And so it was this year.

A few months ago, my husband came home and rattled keys … Read more »

You could call this week “Booked Up.” It’s always like that around here the week a book officially drops, or at least most authors like to think of it as a special week, worthy of celebration and events. Or some of us just hide and avoid the computer so we don’t know how it is being received. I’m not having any trouble avoiding the computer as mine had a rather fatal episode last week. Luckily for me, Norm, the guy who can resurrect nearly any Mac, will be able to bring it back to life (He’s sort of a Dr. … Read more »

Yes, the Japanese manga versions of This Rake of Mine and Something About Emmaline have started to arrive, starting with the two volume set of Emmaline. I have to admit that of all the things that have happened in my career, this really tickles me. I don’t know why, but it just does. Perhaps it is just the fact that I sit in my office in Seattle and spin my words into sentences and paragraphs, and now my stories are finding new lives all over the globe. It is humbling and leaves me awe-struck.

Thank you to everyone who has … Read more »

If you had told me, all those years ago when I started writing, that one day a book of mine would be redone as a comic book in Japan, I would have probably thought you were off your rocker. I kinda thought my agent was off a bit when she sent me the news. A comic book? Really? Of my characters?

Then the kid in me took over. OMG! I’m going to have a comic book!

So for all of you, here is the first sneak peak of Jack and Miranda from This Rake of Mine as manga characters:

I … Read more »

I have been absent, and my apologies. I am deep into writing right now and settling down to write more just isn’t on the agenda right now. But I took the weekend off to go to my aunt’s memorial service in Idaho, so I feel ready to type again and thought I would put something, anything up here quick before the glow wore off.

I blogged last time about looking for something to read, and not long after that, lo and behold, you would never believe what came in the mail. Yes, something cool to read. Finished copies of The … Read more »

Periodically I get these non-descript packages from my editor and I always know what they are: Foreign Language editions. Oh, goody! What language is this going to be in and what will they do to the cover? I find the covers almost as interesting as the title translations.

Look at these wonderful renditions of This Rake of Mine:

I have to admit that when I opened the package yesterday with this Dutch version, I thought for a moment they’d inserted a vampire into the book. Just kidding!

Actually I love how each edition reflects a different aspect of the … Read more »

Confessions of a Little Black Gown. Yes, you heard me correctly! Confessions of a Little Black Gown has been named Best Historical Romance Cover for 2009 by the Season and their readers. I couldn’t be more thrilled because I think it is the most outstanding cover I’ve ever seen.

The funny part of the story behind this cover is that the powers to be were a little worried that a black gown on a cover would seem to widowish or like a funeral. I think in execution, nothing could be further from the truth. This cover is daring, exciting … Read more »