The Dynamic Trio - Blog

40,313 / 90,000 (44.8%)

OUTSHINED

I’m very happy with my progress! I hope to keep chipping away at that wordcount so the book is done by the end of August. We shall see.

In booktalk land - I read Patricia Briggs’ Cry Wolf this last week and I absolutely adored it. I think Patricia Briggs is one of the best world builders writing today and so I wasn’t surprised at all to discover just how much I loved Cry Wolf.

Some romance, some action, some suspense - all combined into a really quick, engrossing read.

Another winner from Briggs that has me excited to see what’s next for Charles and Anna. The little tidbit at the end of CW for the next Mercy book looks very good too.

And Emma Holly’s All You Can Eat now available in mass market. This was a solid 3 1/2 - 4 star read for me. Amusing, sexy, hot sex scenes. I think Personal Assets remains my favorite contemporary along with Velvet Glove and I was disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Jack’s “darker” sexual side but there’s something in All You Can Eat for just about all tastes!

OK, back to work for me!

I finished all but one of the Brenda Joyce Deadly books and loved them all. I have to say books 4 and 5 have been my favorites with seven the least favorite so far because I thought Calder acted like an ass for much of it (although redeeming himself at the end). I’m saving the last book as a bit of a treat for when I hit 30K on Outshined.

In the mean time I’m reading Judith Ivory’s The Proposition and really liking it.

I’m hitting a good spot in Outshined and really liking my characters a lot. Erin (used to be Grace) is revealing herself to me and I’m getting to know Todd better too. It’s a contemporary so the worldbuilding aspect I had with Relentless isn’t there. It’s a different sort of writing experience and I’m glad to switch it up a bit.

Oh, Fated has been pushed up a week for release to August 19 from the 12th. Not a big deal but I just thought I’d say so. I’ve adjusted my book page here to reflect that.

That’s about it really. I’m working this weekend, writing writing writing and doing some crit for Megan’s Spice book, Switch (wheee! neeener neener!)

We’re in the airport on the way home. Even with our flight delayed I couldn’t be happier to be on my way back to Colorado. And it’s not because I think Colorado is so fabulous (can’t stand the place) but…MY BED IS THERE! I totally loved vacation but there’s no place like your own home, your own bed, your own bathroom, your own kitchen, etc.

I saw that Lauren has a new book called FATED - be sure to pick it up. The Cascadia Series rocks! Shelley also has some pretty cool things hitting the shelves, too. I love her Middlemarch Mates series.

And for me, it’s 5 days and counting until HATSEPT HEAT, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 comes along! Can’t wait!!!

My plane will be boarding shorly, so I’m off to gather all my crap together. I pack like I”m going on a month-long trip or something - geesh, who needs so many clothes for a one week trip? Anyway, catch ya’ll later ;D

TJ

You haven’t seen an issue of TJ On A Tangent in quite a while, but it’s coming on July 15th with new articles, sneak peeks into the new novel I’ve just contracted with Ellora’s Cave, news on the new Vampire Council of Ethics books coming next month, a cool summer recipe and something very catty.

Get in on the fun by subscribing. And we will never, ever give out your e-mail addy so be assured you’ll get no spamming from this quarter (grrrr, I hate spammers!)

Happy Wednesday!

TJ

I’m blogging over at the Samhain Publishing weblog to celebrate the new release of Serati’s Flame in PRINT! Squeeeeee!

Skip on over the Samhain and pay me a visit ;D

TJ

44,517 / 90,000 (49.5%)

Relentless - I’m at the halfway point.

I spent most of yesterday, from about 3 am on, dealing with a puking three year old. Man was she miserable and I hate when they’re so sick and you can’t help them other than to wipe faces and rub backs. Poor sweetie pie. She’s better now, thank goodness. On Wednesday my middle kiddo woke up at 4 am with this same thing. He was so sick he missed the kindergarten field trip to the zoo.

I’m still exhausted from next to no sleep. You know I got like tiny bits of mother sleep, not quite deep enough because I was attuned to her every sound. We had the barf bucket in bed with us even. So glamorous.

All I know is I’m hella relieved I’m not sick and it seems to have bypassed my oldest but my husband got his share, only he’s away from home so it’s worse for him.

I missed Battlestar Galactica last night. I’ll have to catch it on the web at Sci Fi. I actually have a good excuse, I was writing.

I’ve been over at Novelspot this week talking about my personal journey from two lines in the window until right now.  It’s funny, writing it all out over the week, bit by bit only makes me feel luckier about where I am and what I do.

If you’re interested it starts with:

Two Lines in the Window
Building My House Brick By Brick
With a Little Bit of Fairy Dust
But Sometimes Your Bag of Fairy Dust Gets Low
Patience Perseverance and Planning
Okay The House Is Built, what’s Next

Tomorrow I’ll finish up with a little primer on navigating the authorial waters but these entries above are my journey from there to here.

I’m totally dancing on air right now (look out below!) - remember the contemporary older woman/younger man story I told you about? It was my first contemporary and I was feeling a bit insecure about it. It’s the first time I’ve written a book without the paranormal element and boy did it feel weird not to have vamps, shifters, weres and spirit guides running around trying to take over the story.

I submitted said story to both my pubs. One didn’t like it at all, the other loved it! So with a few tweaks to the plot, a bit more suspense and some (u-hem) grammar correction, I can now announce that the book, CARAMEL KISSES, has been sold to Ellora’s Cave! YAY!!!!

Contracts are in the mail and I’ll be putting a blurb and excerpt up on my website soon on the Sneak Peek page.

Oh goodness, I almost forgot to tell you what the story is about - it’s the story of a woman named Sydni Cannes. She’s an executive, high rolling, six-figure babe who’s worked her butt off not only to make it in life, but to put her younger sister through school. Well, Syd has had less than stellar luck in the ‘guy’ department and has simply buried herself in work and responsibilities instead. She isn’t a man hater, but simply doesn’t want to deal with Mr. Right, Mr. Right Now or Mr. Warm Pulse. A life without the drama is simply fine with her. Well, that and her trusty B.O.B.

Thankfully her younger sister knows Syd is missing out on enjoying the companionship she deserves. So what does she do? She talks her Syd into letting her hair down for a night. The result? Sydni lands in jail! Low and behold, her knight in shining armor come to bail her out is none other than a co-worker she’s been avoiding like the plague. Yes, Drew has come to save her from the humiliation of the county clink. Gorgeous as all get out, the man is too charismatic by half, too damned good looking, several shades too light and…eight years her junior! All wrong! Hell, if Sydni didn’t know better, she’d think it was all planned from the beginning…

Stay tuned… *tj giggling like a kid in a candy shop with a million dollars to spare!*

Hi all! Fabulous news! Hatsept Heat, Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3 is up on the Samhain Publishing coming soon page. To get a look, click here.

I also received the cover for the Pocket Books anthology that will contain Jaguar’s Rule. It’s called DOING IT THE HARD WAY.

I’d love to know what you think.

TJ