UPDATE, May 16 – The new story has a page! And an excerpt! And it should be on sale within two weeks. More info to come, soon.

I have an exciting announcement! It may be four months until A Lady by Midnight is available, but I have an all-new novella coming out toward the end of May, in a digital anthology with the fabulous Courtney Milan, Carey Baldwin, and Leigh LaValle.

Three Weddings and a Murder will have its own page within a few weeks. For now, I can tell you my story is called “The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright.” It’s not related to Spindle Cove or any of my other books–just a fun frenemies-to-lovers romance between Miss Eliza Cade, a thwarted debutante, and Harry Wright, the devilish rogue who is all kinds of Wrong.

The anthology is special to us not only because we’re good friends, but because it’s for a good cause. We’re committed to walking the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Santa Barbara this September. To help meet our fundraising commitment, we’re putting together this limited-time collection of all-new stories. As Carey explains:

Three historical romances and one romantic thriller in four distinct voices, united for one cause. All profits from the purchase of the anthology will be donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Walk, “supporting research to find a cure or prevention for breast cancer, as well as programs that enable all patients to access quality care.”

In related … Read More »

The RT Booklovers Conference in Chicago was fantastic! Many thanks to all who came to say hi at one of the sessions or book signings.

There’s no rest for A Week to be Wicked, though. 🙂 I’m on the move again!

This Sunday, April 22nd, I’m excited to be participating in the LA Times Festival of Books! The “Love, Actually” panel will be at 2:00 PM, and my fellow panelists will be DeAnna Cameron and Jill Sorenson, with moderator Dee J. Adams. A booksigning will follow the panel discussion.

And then the following Tuesday, April 24th, I will be joining the fabulous Sophia Nash at the Mission Viejo Public Library for a discussion in their “Writers Present” series. The program begins at 7:00 PM. Book sales and signing will also take place on site.

What a great job I have, getting to talk about books and reading and romance in so many exciting venues. Hope to see familiar faces and meet new friends!… Read More »

What a fantastic few weeks it’s been, with A Week to be Wicked hitting the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and continuing to garner great reviews, including a new starred review from Library Journal:

Compelling characters, lively dialog, offbeat situations, and some of the most hilarious romantic scenes written result in a sexy adventure that will have readers laughing out loud…

I am ready to celebrate! And what better way than jetting off to Chicago to hang out with a thousand writers, readers, booksellers and librarians at the 2012 RT Booklovers Convention? If you’re in the Chicago area, even if you’re not attending the convention, please consider stopping by the open-to-the-public Giant Book Fair on Saturday, April 14th, 11:00 AM to 2 PM.

For anyone attending the full conference, here’s a list of where I’ll be, when:

Wednesday, April 11:
Romance Family Feud (1-2pm) – A fun game for readers, hosted by Zoe Archer, Nico Rosso, Vivian Arend, Louisa Edwards, and me. Promises to be a hoot!

Thursday, April 12:
“He Said, She Said” (1:30-2:30pm) – A panel on writing dialog, featuring Sarah Maclean, Lauren Willig, Sophie Jordan, and yours truly.
E-book and Indie Expo (4-6pm)
Samhain Stampede barbeque mixer (6:15-7:15pm)

Friday, April 13:
RT Reviewers Choice awards (4-6pm)
Avon Indigo Lounge social (6:15-8pm)

Saturday, April 14:
Giant Book Fair (11am-2pm)

Hope to see many of you in Chicago!… Read More »

Today, I got the most thrilling of phone calls from my editor, Tessa Woodward, at Avon Books. A Week to be Wicked is a bestseller! The book will be #98 on the new USA Today Top 150 bestsellers list and #31 on the New York Times e-book list! This is my first time hitting USA Today with a full-length novel, and my first time hitting the New York Times list at all. I couldn’t be more thrilled, or my grateful to my readers.

My heartfelt thanks to all you wonderful readers who stayed up late with Colin and Minerva, laughed and sighed and wept along with them, and recommended the book to your friends. Thank you so much for giving their wild journey this perfect, fairy-tale ending.

(By the way, if you haven’t already found them yet, the “Colin Kept Me Up All Night” winners are posted here.)

I’m hope you’re as excited as I am about the release of A Lady by Midnight on August 28th! … Read More »

Thank you so much to everyone who made A Week to Be Wicked‘s release week so much fun!

Today, April 2nd, I’m helping Kat Brauer kick off her fabulous Crits for Water campaign, an effort to raise money for clean-water projects in developing countries. Kat’s collected an amazing assortment of writing critiques from authors and agents working in the romance, mainstream fiction, and young adult genres. As for me, I’m offering an in-person brainstorming or strategy session at either the RT Booklovers convention (Chicago, in April) or the RWA conference (Anaheim, this July). If you’re interested, click here for specifics.

Dozens of critiques will be up for bids over the next 90 days. By bidding on critiques or simply making a donation, you can help raise $10,000 for wells, water filtration systems, and sanitation projects around the globe. Clean, safe water is something everyone needs, and 100% of money raised goes directly to projects in the field. Every dollar helps save lives!… Read More »

Minerva Highwood, one of Spindle Cove’s confirmed spinsters, needs to be in Scotland.
Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, a rake of the first order, needs to be… anywhere but Spindle Cove.

These unlikely partners have one week
to fake an elopement
to convince family and friends they’re in “love”
to outrun armed robbers
to survive their worst nightmares
to travel four hundred miles without killing each other
All while sharing a very small carriage by day and an even smaller bed by night.

What they don’t have time for is their growing attraction. Much less wild passion. And heaven forbid they spend precious hours baring their hearts and souls.

Suddenly one week seems like exactly enough time to find a world of trouble.
And maybe…just maybe…love.… Read More »

It’s here–release day for A Week to Be Wicked! I’m so excited for Colin and Minerva’s funny, sexy road trip to hit bookstores everywhere. Reviews have been fab so far. You can check Goodreads for a range of early reader reviews.

Two very “Wicked” giveaways are happening, and they’re happening fast!

Avon Books, my wonderful publisher, planned a one-day blog tour for Tuesday, March 27. Five stops in five hours, with prizes ranging from $25-$200 in value! The schedule, links, and prizes are here. At each stop on this whirlwind road trip, I’ll be sharing original snippets from the “lost travel journals” of Minerva Highwood and Colin Sandhurst. Should be fun, and those prizes are fantastic! Don’t miss it.

Also, I’m running a special “Colin Kept Me Up All Night” giveaway. If you couldn’t wait to dive into this book, and that rascal Colin kept you from sleeping, cleaning, working, studying — this giveaway is for you. 🙂 Ends Saturday!

One more bit of excitement: Yesterday I learned that A Night to Surrender (Spindle Cove book one) is a finalist for the Romance Writers of America 2012 RITA award! Such a tremendous honor. I couldn’t be more thrilled.

I hope you love spending a Wicked Week with Colin and Minerva! If so, I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!… Read More »

Winners!

Thank you so much to all who entered! I gave Random.org a workout drawing the winners. 🙂

Grand Prize ($50 gift certificate, signed books, swag) – Lidia P. of California

Congratulations, Lidia!

The following lovely readers will received signed books and Wicked swag:

Jenni A. of Texas
Donna C. of Illinois
Merci A. of Florida
May P. of Ontario, Canada
Amanda H. of Kansas

And these lovely readers will receive Wicked swag packs in the mail:

Jennifer P. of Massachusetts
Lisa W. of Wisconsin
Adria R. of Texas
Denise C. of California
Danielle M. of California
Lisa L. of Pennsylvania
Amy V. of Virginia
Molly W. of Ohio
Carrie D. of Indiana
Gwendollyn R. of Missouri
Kirstin C. of California
Tia K. of Connecticut
Kimberley C. of Texas
Kelly T. of Wisconsin
Gayle C. of California
Diane D. of Florida
Regina R. of Maryland
Heather W. of Ohio
Carrie L. of California
Elle C. of Ohio
Jessica D. of Georgia

Thanks again to everyone!

The Giveaway

Are you one of those wonderful, darling readers who ordered A Week to Be Wicked and couldn’t wait to read it right away?

First, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Second, I have a little giveaway. If Colin–that naughty, wicked scoundrel–kept you up all night (or distracted you from your day), you can post this handy graphic somewhere to let your friends know. Please link back to … Read More »

Release date for A Week to be Wicked is just seven short days away! Encouraging reviews keep popping up at sites like The Romance Reviews and All About Romance. At midnight on release day, I’ll be posting a special little contest called “Colin Kept Me Up All Night” for those excited to read the book right away. Stay tuned for more info.

Psst, did you notice the cover for A Lady by Midnight has been posted? Whew! Hot stuff. 🙂

Lastly, I’m excited to announce that some of my titles are available in new formats. For the first time, one of my books is available in hardcover large print–A Night to Surrender. (A Week to be Wicked will eventually be available in this format, too.) And One Dance with a Duke is now available as an audiobook from Audible! … Read More »