First, don't forget about ! Bidding for has been doing great, thanks to all who've helped spread the word. But I know we can raise even more money for Fatin and family.
Second, I'm going to be part of this uber-cool event at RT on April 6th, called Romance Live. Six Avon authors of historical romance are going to answer questions and chat with readers, and it will be streamed live on the Internet for everyone to see. (note to self: buy darker lipstick) I hope some of you will be able to join us online, or even in person - I hear there will be wine and cupcakes!
I'm very excited about this, and even more excited to post the ad because it has my beautiful new cover for A Night to Surrender! The one I haven't been cleared yet to post on this site! But there it is (the pretty purple one), so get out your magnifying glasses and enjoy.
I want to draw everyone's attention to a huge Ebay auction going on right now, to benefit a special cause. From the :
Fatin has been an integral part of the romance community for years – she owns and runs the RR@H Novel Thoughts and Book Talk blog, is an administrator of the WriteMinded loop, an author assistant and a tireless advocate for romance novels. She is also a friend to many in this community.
On Tuesday, March 8th, she lost her husband in a senseless act of violence, leaving her alone with four children. You can read more about the tragedy here: http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/9233067/
I can't even begin to imagine the pain and fear that Fatin and her children must be going through, in the wake of this tragedy. Authors, bloggers, editors, agents, and others have donated a myriad of items to raise money to help the family. You can view the items and bid . There are signed books, gift baskets, critiques, name-a-character packages, lunches with authors, and much more.
My own , similar to last year.
Here's the item description:
The winning bidder will receive a customized book video shot on location in the Darelings' bedroom.
Tessa will provide all props, materials, and (admittedly amateur) production. You provide cover art, a manuscript or synopsis for reference, and creative direction, if you wish. If desired, the video will include stock music, which the winning bidder is welcome to help choose. Tessa will upload the finished, approved video to YouTube, so it can be easily embedded on your blog or website, and linked/shared via social media. On request, she'll also send a copy of the file for you to do with as you please. From project start date, please allow a month for turnaround time.
I'm going to do my darnedest to make the winning bidder a unique and fun video. Making the prize much more valuable, severalA TON of bloggers have committed to posting the video - so the winning bidder will have guaranteed distribution at these sites and possibly more:
A huge thank you to all of those bloggers! And of course, I will post it everywhere I can, too.
Bidding ends at midnight Wednesday (March 30th), so don't delay! And once again, if a book video's not your thing - there are to bid on. Please bid and help out a family in need.
I got "the call" this morning that Twice Tempted by a Rogue is a finalist in the 2011 RITAs, in the Best Regency Historical category! The RITA awards are presented by the Romance Writers of America each year, at our annual conference.
I am so thrilled and honored, not least because I'm in the most amazingly talented company. Just look at this list of finalists:
His Christmas Pleasure by Cathy Maxwell (Avon Books; Lucia Macro, editor) The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig (Dutton; Erika Imranyi, editor) Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (Avon Books; Carrie Feron, editor) Provocative in Pearls by Madeline Hunter (Jove; Wendy McCurdy, editor) To Surrender to a Rogue by Cara Elliott (Forever; Frances Jalet-Miller, editor) Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare (Ballantine Books; Kate Collins, editor) When Harry Met Molly by Kieran Kramer (St. Martin's Press; Jennifer Enderlin, editor) The Wicked Wyckerly by Patricia Rice (NAL/Signet; Ellen Edwards, editor)
(You can view all the categories .)
Congratulations to all the finalists!
The amazing Sarah Maclean has a up and running already, where you could win all of the finalist books in my category!
Let me preface this with an apology. I'm about to get all deep-thoughty about digital book pricing and so forth. I feel sort of bad blogging about this when a) I blog so infrequently nowadays and b) most of the people who regularly check this blog are, I suspect, not doing so because they want my unsolicited opinions on this topic. Most would probably much rather hear about the next book, right?
So I'm happy to say firstly--I have posted a bit of info about the new series and two--count them, two!--dueling excerpts from A Night to Surrenderhere. Anyone not interested in digital book pricing and libraries and so forth, please do follow that link and never mind what is beneath the fold.
If you are interested, read on... (but don't say I didn't warn you!)
Happy Spring! I hope your bookshelves are blooming with great reads. I'm busily writing away on the second book in the new series (tentatively titled A Week to be Wicked, coming early 2012) and getting excited about some upcoming appearances. On April 2nd, I'll be talking with the , and from April 6-10, I'll be at the RT Booklovers Convention in LA. You can for a list of the conference events I'll be participating in. Can't wait!
