Time to Sign Some Books...

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, and it’s not one I’ve ever heard published authors say. So I might be like the masked magician on the Secrets of Magic Revealed shows. But I’m willing to take that chance.

In November 2010, I released my fourth book THE TAMING OF THE WOLF. There were various book signings set up, and the booksellers who hosted me were more than kind. But on more than one occasion, not only did patrons not approach the table I was at, they also avoided looking me in the eye. Maybe I’m intimidating in person (I truly don’t think this is the case). Or perhaps people are just uncomfortable approaching an author they don’t know. Or maybe they’d rather not have their neighbors seeing them talking to an author whose cover has a naked male torso on the front.

Whatever the reason, I haven’t seen a ton of success with book signings.

Stock signings on the other hand…well, that’s an entirely different matter. I talked to a couple of booksellers who said that if a book in a shelf with an autographed sticker on the front, it has more of a chance of being sold. So my take away was that people do want the signed books, they just might not want to talk to the author to get one.

Since then, I’ve made it a point to tour all of the bookstores in my area whenever a new book comes out and sign every copy they have on hand. And now, I do the same when I travel. Over the holidays, I visited my family out west and spent one whole day visiting all of the book stores within a 30 mile radius. And yesterday, I visited bookstores in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas and did the same thing.

More importantly than signing books for readers, is talking to booksellers while you’re standing at the information desk signing the stock. If you’re pleasant and gracious, they might remember you when someone asks for a recommendation. Or they might even point out that an author was recently in and signed books. Talking to bookstore staff is one of the most important things an author can do, in my opinion.

Next Tuesday, my latest release IT HAPPENED ONE BITE will hit shelves. And you can bet that I’ll be making a grand tour around all of the Raleigh/Durham area bookstores to sign whatever stock the store has on hand – giving readers a note and signature and getting the chance to talk to booksellers.

Originally posted at LadyScribes.blogspot.com 2/25/2011

First Kiss, First Bite - THE TAMING OF THE WOLF

Most first kisses come after all sorts of build-up and sexual tension. The characters know each other and either can’t deny their desire for the other or are terrified by it, but give in anyway.

Neither of those scenarios are true for Dashiel Thorpe, the Earl of Brimsworth, and Caitrin Macleod, our hero and heroine in THE TAMING OF THE WOLF…

On bare feet, Cait padded along the hallway and down the main staircase. The last place she remembered having her book was in the duke’s study.

She turned the corner into the study and stopped short. Standing behind the duke’s desk was a tall man, one she’d yet to meet. Most of him was hidden in shadow, but his face was lit by the moonlight that filtered through the drapes. He was a blond Adonis, tall and lean. A vague memory of him, maybe from one of her visions, created unease within her.

A small gasp escaped her throat when he turned his amber gaze her way. “I’m sorry. I dinna ken anyone was up at this hour.” She turned to leave.

“Don’t go,” he said. Then he closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. “You needed something in Blackmoor’s study?”

“Aye, I left a book in here yesterday when I came ta find Her Grace.” She glanced quickly around the room, though she didn’t immediately see her copy of Maria Edgeworth’s Patronage. “Perhaps I left it in the library.” Perhaps I should run quickly from this room.

“Having trouble sleeping?” he asked, his tone amazingly familiar. As though he’d known her for a lifetime.

“Aye. At times, I canna get thoughts out of my head.” Why had she told him that? He probably didn’t care to hear how her visions played in her mind at all hours of the day and night, preventing her rest.

He walked around the desk and perched a hip on it. His hips were narrow, his shoulders broad. Stop ogling the man’s body, Cait. His eyes narrowed at her, as though he knew she had a secret. She closed her eyes and tried to get a vision of him, something to tell her who he was. But her mind was blank, which was more than disconcerting. Her mind was blank? That had never happened before.

“I canna tell yer future,” she muttered under her breath.

“Pardon?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Ah, there’s my book,” she said, smiling at him, hoping he’d believe she hadn’t a care in the world. She picked up a small, black leather book that lay on the desk behind him. It wasn’t hers, but it would have to do.

Before she could turn around, he reached out and grabbed her by the waist. She couldn’t even utter a gasp as he drew her body flush against his. Her breath stilled.

“What are ye—” she began, but he covered her mouth with his, his lips hard and urgent.
She shouldn’t let a man she’d never met before take such liberties. But he smelled so good. Felt so good. Tasted so good.

Her tongue rose to meet his as a whimper of pleasure left her throat. Her heart beat wildly as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

Cait had been kissed before, but never like this. Never so thoroughly that she couldn’t think straight. Never so expertly that her legs threatened to buckle. Never with enough passion that she could drown in it.

A tug to her hair sunk into her consciousness. He pulled her head back and looked into her eyes. He gently tugged, guiding her head until it leaned to the side, exposing her neck. She nearly jumped when his lips brushed feather-light down the side of her jaw as he trailed a kiss down her throat. He pulled at the neck of her wrapper and night rail until they opened, baring her shoulder to his gaze. She shivered.

When he reached the place where her neck met her shoulder, he sucked at the tender spot and then nipped her gently. It was the most sensual thing she’d ever experienced. Light-headed, she heard a moan escaping her throat. More. More, please.

He nipped her again, then opened his mouth wide and bit through the tender skin of her shoulder, jerking her instantly from the passion-induced haze.

“Ow!” she cried and smacked his shoulder. “That hurt!”

Unbeknownst to both Cait and Dash, that first meeting, first kiss, first bite – has sealed both of their fates. And what follows next is a mad dash (no pun intended) across Britain, into Scotland, complicated by other witches, werewolves, and an old suitor who still carries a torch for the beleaguered Caitrin.

Have you ever kissed someone without having been introduced?

Originally posted at casablancaauthors.blogspot.com on February 6, 2011

Ten Things I'm most excited about in 2011

Charles Caleb Colton said “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

With that in mind, I’m going to borrow the idea for this blog from the Editor of Vogue magazine, of which I am not a usual reader as my fashion sense would scream if you were to meet me in person. However in the salon this week, I picked up the January edition because Natalie Portman was on the cover, and I’ve been a fan of hers ever since she was twelve in The Professional. I would tell you the editor in question’s name but the message was signed with a signature that I couldn’t quite read. I’m sure if I was a regular reader, I would know the editor’s name, but we’ve already addressed my lack of fashion sense. So I digress...

Anyway, here goes – paraphrasing the Vogue editor – instead of writing a message about the beginning of the year and resolutions, she talked about the ten things of 2011 she was most excited about. My blog today is supposed to be about “beginnings”…. So I’ll start my Ten Things I’m Most Excited About in 2011 list beginning with…

1. Lydia Dare’s presentation TODAY at Heart of Carolina Romance Writers

That’s right. TODAY. So, if I don’t comment on the blog as much as I would normally, you’ll know it’s because Lydia Dare (the writing team of Tammy Falkner and Jodie Pearson) are presenting Team Writing : Are Two Minds Greater Than One? Or Do Great Minds Think Differently? Together we’ll discuss tips for writing with a partner as well as the ups and downs of team writing. If you're in the Raleigh NC area, stop by!

2. The March release of It Happened One Bite

2011 is the year of vampyres. At least for Lydia Dare, anyway. We have a new Regency vampyre trilogy out this year starting with IT HAPPENED ONE BITE, set in a picturesque crumbling castle in the Highlands.

3. RT Convention in April

After attending RT last year, missing this convention seems unthinkable. Faerie Balls and Vampire Balls. And lots and lots of readers.

4. My agent, Melissa Jeglinski, speaks to my local chapter in May

Anytime we get the opportunity to listen to Melissa is amazing. I can’t wait to hear what advice she’ll impart to the group!!

5. RWA Conference in June

I love the RWA Conference. It is the one time of year that I get to see all of my critique partners in person, or most of them, including Samantha Grace who will have her debut with Sourcebooks later this year. Being an online group, we have members in every corner of the country and even as far away as Australia. AND... Of course, there's always the opportunity to bond with our fellow Casa authors.

6. The July release of In the Heat of the Bite

The second book in our trilogy hits shelves in July and we are super excited about each one – however IN THE HEAT OF THE BITE offers a unique vampyre hero – an earl who at one time was a real knight in shining armor.

7. Authors After Dark Conference in August

Lydia Dare is up for four Bookie Awards which will be presented at theAuthors After Dark Conference in the city of brotherly love. And we will be on several panels. We can hardly wait!

8. The September release of Never Been Bit

Our final vampyre book will be released in September. I can’t reveal anything about the hero at this point, as it will be a spoiler alert. But I will say that writing this particular character’s story arc has been one of the highlights of my writing career.

9. Heart of Carolina Romance Writer’s October Workshop with Cherry Adair

Every year I look forward to my local chapter’s all day workshop in October. In fact, it was at one of these workshops that the two of us who make up Lydia Dare first decided to collaborate on a project. This year’s presenter the enchanting Cherry Adair is always fascinating and listening to her is always inspiring.

10. Finishing up a wolfish trilogy for 2012

Finally, the last thing I’m looking forward to this year is completing a new wolfish trilogy that is contracted for 2012. The three Lycan heroes have been rumbling around in our brains for quite a while and it will be nice to have their stories completed. And only then will we be able to decide what is next for Lydia Dare.

I’ll end this blog with a great big thanks to the editor of Vogue for giving me such a wonderful idea to borrow! And now I'll ask you - What are you most looking forward to this year?

originally posted at Casablancaauthors.blogspot.com 1/8/2011

What's Your Favorite...

I love polls. Well, I love some polls. I'm not a big fan of political polls or product polls or marketing polls. Which, now that I think about it, is most polls. So maybe I don't really love polls at all. Hmm...

Ok - let me start over. I love polls that I create and that fans get to take. How's that? The idea is not as far-reaching, but much more accurate and truthful.

Over the last few weeks, I've created a couple of polls. The first one stars the wolfish heroes of my books, asking which of four Lycans was their favorite. The second poll features the five witches of the Còig and asks readers which witch's power they'd most like to have. Now I don't want to influence anyone's answers, but it's always a little surprising to me when I periodically check the results. I usually find that my preferences, as far as wolfish men and witchy powers goes, is fairly different than those of my readers.

Something about that strikes me as strange, especially as I've created the characters. I just assume my favorites would come through in the books and readers would feel the same way. I guess it's a good thing really, that not everyone feels the same way I do. At least I know that all the characters have core group of fans.

So now, it's your turn to have your opinion heard. (Though I can't possibly reveal my answers - I'm dying to know what yours are.)

Westfield Brothers Series - Which noble Lycan is your favorite?

The Còig Witches - Which witch would you like to be?

It's never really THE END

More than once this year, Lydia Dare’s Facebook status has read “My two favorite words in the English language are ‘The End’.” The update is usually followed by a heavy sigh, a super feeling of contentment, and brewing excitement about what’s coming next.

However, we’ve never actually typed “The End” at the end of any of our books. We think readers can tell the end has come for two very important reasons. (1) There are no more pages to turn, which is always a fabulous clue. (2) After finishing 400 pages, readers should be thoroughly satisfied that our hero and heroine will now live happily ever after. “The End” will never happen, because the story will go on and on and on, despite the fact that it’s officially over.

Besides, that’s what epilogues are for, right? The reader (and the writer) gets to take a quick peek into the future. It might be a few months or a few years later. It’s usually just enough for us to make certain there is still happiness in paradise. Ah, the epilogue – where we get to be our gushiest. (The Jodie ½ anyway, the Tammy ½ does NOT do gushy. But that’s why there are two of us.)

Yesterday, Robin’s post made us tear up. (Well, the Jodie ½ anyway. Gushy, you know.) We can’t imagine packing away all of our research and photos from one book in a box and saying good-bye to all of our characters. The very idea is so incredibly heartbreaking. Therefore, we’ve always taken the coward’s way out. We NEVER say goodbye. Never.

Why, you ask? How can we get away with never saying good-bye?

Well, because that’s the glory of a series!

Photo courtesy of Heather Boyd

Our characters can always come back to visit or cause conflict or maybe just be a shoulder to cry on. They all live in the same world, after all. Four Lydia Dare books hit the shelves in 2010. Three more are scheduled for 2011. And another three in 2012. In those 10 books (with the first seven completed) we have a few characters who always seem to turn up. The hero and heroine of Tall, Dark and Wolfish make an appearance in It Happened One Bite (coming in 2011), and the hero and heroine in The Taming of the Wolf are characters in In the Heat of the Bite (another book for 2011). Nothing could make us happier.

We’ve spent so much time with these characters, we want just as badly as readers to know what has happened to them after the pages have been read and the cover has been closed. They also make for some darn fine comedic relief and, since their trials and tribulations are over, they can cause quite a bit of mischief without changing their story at all. That’s always fun.

While “The End” may not be our actual favorite words, the concept behind the words is one of our favorites. Finishing one book means we’re starting the next, growing our world, telling new stories and meeting new characters who may just pop up in some future book somewhere down the road.

Originally posted at casablancaauthors.blogspot.com 12/8/2010

Whopper and Fries For Thanksgiving?!?!?!?

By the Jodie 1/2 of Lydia Dare

I’ll never forget Thanksgiving dinner 1983. Never.

No, we weren’t at my grandparents’ cozy house enjoying turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. No, those holiday dinners all tend to blend together, don’t they? And this particular dinner still stands out in my mind. Why, you ask? Because Thanksgiving 1983 we dined at a Burger King in the middle of nowhere, Indiana.

That’s right. Thanksgiving dinner at Burger King. And, no, they didn’t offer turkey, mashed potatoes, or pumpkin pie. Who even knew they were open on Thanksgiving, right? But it was a good thing they were.

You see, my family was in the process of moving from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest. So there we were - four children and our parents in an ugly brown van with splashes of wild color on the sides (it was the 80s and at the time we thought it looked cool) driving across the country.

But I digress.

We were in a strange state we’d never been to before. We had no family (other than ourselves) and no friends to invite us over. No, we were on our own for Thanksgiving, and the prospects weren’t exactly promising. Oh, there were some nice restaurants open, but none that my father would stop at. I recall hearing repeatedly from the driver’s seat, “I’m not paying $20 a head for food.”

Never mind it wasn’t just food, it was Thanksgiving!! (And it was the 80s so $20 a head for food was a lot in those days. Especially if four of those heads were ten years old or younger.)

So we kept driving (and those who know me well will tell you I got my overly frugal ways from my father). And we kept driving. And it started getting dark, and off in the distance down the twisty, turny road we traveled – we saw a sign for Burger King.

It was like a beacon.

Not that we wanted to feast on whoppers or cheeseburgers for Thanksgiving, but it was food that wasn’t going to cost my father $20 a head. And by this time, we were really hungry. So we inhaled the burger and fries my parents put before us (and the cup of water, because no one was going to pay good money for a soda).

And in the back of my mind, I told myself that it wasn’t Thanksgiving. That it was just another night along the road and there was nothing special about it.

But that wasn’t really true.

Oh, it was most certainly a non-traditional holiday dinner, but we all had each other which is what Thanksgiving is really all about. And in the months that came after that night, we needed each other like we never had before. Leaving everyone you’ve ever known to embark on a life in a strange town, in a strange state, with people who aren’t remotely like you is a very difficult thing. Especially at that age. But we always did have each other, whether it was for Thanksgiving dinner at Burger King or at any other bump along the road.

Have you ever had a holiday dinner that was less than traditional? And is that why it sticks out in your mind?

Why Werewolves?

When we first starting writing Regency werewolf books, a number of our critique partners asked, “Why werewolves?” This was a valid question, as everything up to that point had been written without any sort of paranormal element. However, I asked them to keep an open mind and give our wolfish men a chance, and I am happy to report that since that time, they’ve all been converted into lovers of our historical wolves. So, if you’ve ever wondered, “Why werewolves?” we thought we’d give you the top ten reasons why wolfish heroes are the best, ala David Letterman…

10. You never have to worry about your teenager sneaking out in the middle of the night, since the beasts can hear everything.

9. There’s no excuse for not to get up with the baby at night, since he’ll hear the cry first.

8. Your bill for heating fuel will go down, since he’s a furnace all on his own.

7. You never have to worry about being lonely, since his pack will always be around.

6. You don't have to worry about leftovers, since they eat everything and then look for a snack.

5. You get to redecorate often since they’re tough on furniture.

4. A scratch behind the ears will excite them more than a season pass to see the Yankees play.

3. He can never complain about your PMS, since his is just as bad as the moon grows fuller.

2. Unlike most men, sit and stay are words in his vocabulary.

1. He will always come when called.

So what about you? Do you enjoy werewolf romance? And if so, what is your favorite reason?

Originally posted at Fresh Fiction 11/18/2010