Congratulations!

  I’m so excited that Rachel Caine’s latest release, FALL OF NIGHT, has once again propelled her Morganville Vampires to the New York Times Children’s Series bestseller list, now at #7!  If you haven’t yet been introduced, well then, you’ve got a whole incredible series to look forward to that just keeps getting better and better!  Need more than my word? Last year, the series was voted the most popular in the UK by over 300,000 school children, beating out the Twilight and Harry Potter series!

  I also want to congratulate Janet Mullany for finaling in the Booksellers’ Best contest in the erotic category for HIDDEN PARADISE!

In case you missed it, I waxed psychological over at Magical Words earlier this week with a post on “How Not to Write Like a Psychopath”. 

I’m sure I’ll think of a million and one bits of news to post the moment I upload this blog, but since I have at least a million squared things that need my attention at the moment, I’ll sign off for now!

Happy Book Birthday to Rosemary Clement-Moore

I’m convinced that Rosemary and I read all the same books growing up, watched all the same movies and televisions shows and, heck, probably acted in the same productions, leading parallel lives many states apart.  That’s how much her books speak to me and everything I love in fiction.  I’m so excited to wish her a happy book birthday for her latest, SPIRIT AND DUST!

SPIRIT AND DUST by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Daisy Goodnight can speak to the dead. It’s not the result of a head injury or some near-death experience. She was just born that way. And she’s really good at it. Good enough to help the police solve the occasional homicide.

Some extra loud shout outs to the following authors for their HUGE recent achievements:
But helping the local authorities clear cold cases is one thing. Being whisked out of chemistry class by the FBI and flown to the scene of a murder/kidnapping in Minnesota? That’s the real deal.
Before the promotion can go to Daisy’s head, she’s up to her neck in trouble. The spirits are talking, and they’re terrified. There’s a real living girl in danger. And when Daisy is kidnapped by a crime boss with no scruples about using magic—and Daisy—to get what he wants, it looks like hers is the next soul on the line.

Depression, Struggle and Hyperbole and a Half

When I saw on Twitter that Hyperbole and a Half was back and talking about depression, I had to go look.  For one thing, I’ve always loved Hyperbole and a Half.  So funny I often laugh until I cry.  For another, I know far too many people who suffer from depresssion.  Creative people , writers, have always been particularly susceptible, maybe because they have to observe, experience and analyze the world so acutely, recreating emotions that are often easier to shy away from in order to write about them in a realistic manner.  Or, maybe it’s just chemistry.  For decades I’ve hidden from the outside world that depression is something I struggle with as well, because as an agent, I don’t want to show any sort of weakness or have anyone perceive that I could be anything less than 110% at all times.  Here’s the thing: I’ve been dealing with it since I was a pre-teen.  I’d like to say “I’ve got this,” and 99 ½% of the time it’s true, especially since I don’t balk now about getting help when I need it.

So why am I saying anything now?  This post by Hyperbole and a Half affected me deeply.  I think that anyone who struggles should read it to know that they’re not alone and that they’re not deficient in any way because they go through it.  It happens.  That’s it.  A good friend (hi, Laura Anne), once said to me, “If you had diabetes, you’d take your insulin, wouldn’t you?  If it was chocolate instead of medication, you wouldn’t have a problem.”  She’s right.  Absolutely.  Depression is difficult enough, and with it comes the apathy, the extreme difficulty picking up the phone or sending an e-mail letting people know what’s going on.  Whether there’s truly still an external stigma or whether it’s all in our heads, it’s a wrecking thing.  So, I’m writing to tell you, particularly in this industry, you’re not in the minority.  It’s something so many of us suffer from that we all understand.  You don’t have to shout it from the rooftops (or the pages of your blog, like I am here), but you don’t need to place the extra burden on yourself of having to hide it.  There is no “Fake it until you make it” when it comes to depression.  There’s only denial and help.

So much to celebrate

So much to celebrate this week in addition to the latest book birthdays.

First, if you haven’t already heard me trumpet this (because I’m known for my subtlety), I have a bunch of my own new releases coming out this year, particularly in the Latter-Day Olympians series. The first book, BAD BLOOD, is already out from Samhain in all formats. The second, CRAZY IN THE BLOOD, is out in digital and will be released in trade paperback on July 2nd. That’s right, you could have it in time for reading over the July 4th long weekend! (No pressure, of course.) And if all that isn’t exciting enough, I recently received the final cover for book 3, RISE OF THE BLOOD, that I can share with you all. This one’s out in digital in September and print next year.

Now, I’d like to say that I look just this badass in a negotiation, but in all likelihood, I’m holding a cup of coffee and a telephone rather than purched upon a pedastal, but I do have the boots.  No, sadly, this isn’t me, but my heroine Tori Karacis, who has just enough gorgon blood to stop men in their tracks.  I love this pic because the model truly looks like she has the gorgon glare.  Talk about something that would come in handy in a negotiation!

Oh, and while we’re on the subject of boots (back a few sentences…there it is), I have a Latter-Day Olympians story coming out in the awesome KICKING IT anthology releasing from Roc Books in December of this year.  So, boots seem to be a bit of a theme (just check this cover):

Some extra loud shout outs to the following authors for their HUGE recent achievements:

Rachel Caine for how amazingly the new Morganville Vampires novel FALL OF NIGHT is doing right out of the gate, ranking #4 in both the UK Children’s and UK Children’s Fiction lists and topping the Small Publishers’ Children’s chart.  It just came out on Tuesday here in the US, but I expect that we’ll have similar wonderful news here shortly.

N.K. Jemisin for the Locus Award nomination for Best Fantasy for THE KILLING MOON!

Jasmine Haynes for finaling in the Erotic category of the National Readers’ Choice Awards (winner to be announced at RWA National) with THE PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE!

Janet Mullany for finaling in the Golden Quill with her erotic novel HIDDEN PARADISE!

I’m so excited for you all.  You have no idea how difficult it is to type with fingers and toes crossed.  CONGRATULATIONS!!!

TAMING THE DEMON

 Another very special book birthday to announce.  This one gets a spot all it’s own, because it’s the first in Doranna Durgin’s new Demon Blade series for Harlequin.  A tormented hero, suspense, romance and a touch of the paranormal…what’s not to love?

Cover Copy for TAMING THE DEMON:

Their passion threatens her life and his tortured soul.…

Devin James wields a demon blade. Or does the demon blade wield him? The bond between man and steel is soul deep, the source of Devin’s power and an ever-present torment. Struggling against the evil forged within the blade, Devin patrols the dark streets of Albuquerque, searching for innocents to rescue. That’s how he finds Natalie Chambers….

Natalie is sure that helping Devin is another in a long series of very bad decisions, but she can’t abandon the man who saved her life—a man who believes that the demon blade might turn him into a monster. And she is powerless to resist their fierce attraction.

Love is their only chance at salvation. Can they now find the courage to take that chance? And can they keep the blade from the man who would destroy them both?

Back to me:

For those of you who want to dip a toe in the water before diving in, Doranna has done a novella in this world for Nocturne’s Bite line, “Demon Touch,” which you can read on Nook or Kindle.

Happy Book Birthdays!!

First, HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to Rachel Caine, Steven Harper and Karen Whiddon for their new releases!!!

FALL OF NIGHT by Rachel Caine

New novel in the internationally bestselling Morganville Vampires series

Praise for the series: 

“Rachel Caine is a first-class storyteller who can deal out amazing plot twists as though she was dealing cards.”—#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Charlaine Harris

“Fast-paced adventure….Claire’s tough-girl attitude may remind adult readers of Rachel Morgan and her world of human-vampire interactions. A tremendously popular series.”—Booklist

“Rachel Caine’s Morganville Vampires series is my all-time favorite. I love love love the characters, the town, and the surprising plots.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Maria V. Snyder

“Thrilling, sexy, and funny! These books are addictive. One of my very favorite vampire series.”—Richelle Mead, International Bestselling Author of the Vampire Academy Series

Cover Copy:

Thanks to its unique combination of human and vampire residents, Morganville, Texas, is a small college town with big-time problems. When student Claire Danvers gets the chance to experience life on the outside, she takes it. But Morganville isn’t the only town with vampire trouble…

Claire never thought she’d leave Morganville, but when she gets accepted into the graduate program at MIT, she can’t pass up the opportunity. Saying good-bye to her friends is bittersweet, especially since things are still raw and unsettled between Claire and her boyfriend, Shane.

Her new life at MIT is scary and exciting, but Morganville is never really far from Claire’s mind. Enrolled in a special advanced study program with Professor Irene Anderson, a former Morganville native, Claire is able to work on her machine, which is designed to cancel the mental abilities of vampires.

But when she begins testing her machine on live subjects, things quickly spiral out of control, and Claire starts to wonder whether leaving Morganville was the last mistake she’ll ever make…

THE HAVOC MACHINE by Steven Harper

New novel in the acclaimed Clockwork Empire series

Praise for the series:

“Steven Harper has an extraordinary writing talent and his characters, human or not, are all addictive as sin. An eclectic story that I cannot recommend highly enough.”   —Huntress Book Reviews

“This series has really grabbed a hold of me to the point where I’m desperate to find out what happens next. The characters and their plight are so easy to become invested in, and I found myself rooting for them every step of the way. So I cannot recommend the books in The Clockwork Empire series, especially The Impossible Cube any higher. Whether you are a fan of Steampunk or not, these books promise to be an exhilarating roller coaster ride from start to finish that you won’t want to miss!”   —A Book Obsession

“This is a good mix of science fiction and fantasy, action, with a bit of romance as well. Since steampunk has grown in popularity over the years, I see this one being picked up by many fans of the genre.” —News and Sentinel

Cover Copy:

In a world riddled with the destruction of men and machines alike, Thaddeus Sharpe takes to the streets of St. Petersburg, geared toward the hunt of his life….

Thaddeus Sharpe’s life is dedicated to the hunting and killing of clockworkers. When a mysterious young woman named Sofiya Ekk approaches him with a proposition from a powerful employer, he cannot refuse. A man who calls himself Mr. Griffin seeks Thad’s help with mad clockwork scientist Lord Havoc, who has molded a dangerous machine. Mr. Griffin cares little if the evil Lord lives or dies; all he desires is Havoc’s invention.

Upon Thad’s arrival at Havoc’s laboratory, he is met with a chilling discovery. Havoc is not only concealing his precious machine; he has been using a young child by the name of Nikolai for cruel experiments. Locked into a clockwork web of intrigue, Thad must decipher the dangerous truth surrounding Nikolai and the chaos contraption before havoc reigns….

 THE MILLIONAIRE COWBOY’S SECRET by Karen Whiddon

Wonderful romantic suspense

“Strong, efficient writing and heartfelt romance” – Romantic Times Book Reviews

Cover Copy:

Undercover Seduction Undercover ATF agent Skylar McClain dreams of justice and lives by the law. She always gets her man. Armed with a killer smile and an undercover identity as a photojournalist, she should have no problem bringing down any criminal—even a sexy millionaire horse breeder. But no assignment has ever tested her boundaries like Matt Landeta. His connection to Mexican drug cartels makes him dangerous. Only, what if there’s more to this case than right and wrong?

All Matt wants is revenge. Not a gorgeous distraction like Skylar, whose hunt for answers will complicate things. Yet an unexpected enemy is about to bring Skylar closer to the truth…and to Matt. And letting go of his darkest secrets might be the only way to protect her.

Book Fair, Books and Webinar

Last week, Elaine Spencer and I from The Knight Agency attended the London Book Fair to meet with editors from around the globe and the agents who work with our lists in various countries.  As always, it was enlightening to hear about the economics, business model changes, genre trends, etc. from other perspectives and very productive to pitch in person the books and series we’re excited about.  Traditionally, mysteries and thrillers have been more challenging than other genres to sell in translation, partly because of settings or set ups that might be considered “too American” and partly because the publishers are focussed on their homegrown authors.  However, “crime” and “thriller” were hands down the two big buzz words at this year’s conference…with the caveat that with so many household names for publishers to choose from, they’re still mostly drawn to big books.  Fantasy, romance (from sweet small town to the racier-the-better), young adult and other fiction are still doing well also.  (How well depends on the particular market.)  But even in those genres, the more thriller-esque and realistic fiction seems most in demand.

Elaine and I were also able to get in a bit of sightseeing, as you can tell from this second picture taken at the Tower of London with the Tower Bridge in the background.  The day we arrived, we did our best to stay up until evening to acclimate as soon as possible (for the fair the next day).  To that end, we visited the Tower and also took a hop on/hop off bus tour to view the sights.  The day after the fair ended, we also took a tour out to Windsor, Stonehenge and Bath.  As soon as I catch up a bit, I promise to post pictures.

In the meantime, I wanted to shout from the rooftops that The Knight Agency’s Nephele Tempest is doing a Writers Digest webinar tomorrow on conquering the dreaded synopsis and is offering a critique along with the class.  Nephele, for those of you who don’t know, represents Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook, Shannon K. Butcher and many other wonderful authors.  Details of the webinar are here.

In other news, I’m pleased to congratulate Karen Whiddon for hitting the Bookscan Romance Bestseller list for the third week in a row with THE WOLF PRINCE!   For you mystery readers out there, I walso want to let you know about a great deal RIGHT NOW that Tammy Kaehler’s publisher Poisoned Pen Press is offering on her first Kate Reilly racing mystery novel, DEAD MAN’S SWITCH.  Currently, it’s only 99¢ on Kindle and Nook.  Or you can win a signed copy of the print edition by commenting here (ends tomorrow).