Romance Book Reviews

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a featured book today at Romance Book Reviews. Gina "searches the web to find the new and the old when it comes to romance books and fans like you help review the books so you can easily decide which one you want to grab next. Also, I always try to link you to the online store which has the lowest possible price (which is usually Amazon.)"

Thanks, Gina, for featuring my book.

Rocky's Bullets to Baseballs

It's my great pleasure to introduce you to a dear friend of mine, Rocky Kruger. Rocky has gone from a Special Forces soldier to a college baseball umpire. He's currently working in his first book, a fictional account of his life experiences. Check out his blog at:  http://bulletstobaseballs.blogspot.com/.

Way to go, Rocky. I can't wait to see your book in print.

It's the Holidays

Yes, it's the holidays. I'm sure you've all noticed.

Last year, my husband and I spent the majority of the holidays alone. My sister had died suddenly a few months eariler, and she was the last of my immediate family. I wasn't feeling much like celebrating anyway. Which was strange, as we're very social people. We used to have a big Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner at our house for orphans, people like us who don't have friends or family in the area. For some reason, no one was available last year for either days. We spent Thanksgiving at an inn in Port Townsend. We did go to Brandon's for Christmas dinner, and it was wonderful.

This year I decided that we weren't going to spend either holiday feeling sorry for ourselves. So we went to the San Juans for Thanksgiving. We're having a big party on Christmas eve at our house. It started out as a small get together and has been growing. I've been surprised at the number of people available on Christmas eve. A good friend is bringing his Karaoke machine, and we'll be singing Christmas carols. Christmas day we'll spend with good friends and family.

For New Years, we rented a house on the ocean. My stepson is joining us along with a few other people. Should be fun.

So we're looking forward having a great time and seeing people we haven't seen in a while. Friend me on Facebook if you'd like to see pictures and know details about our upcoming weekend.

The Dance--Editor's Pick at Siren Publishing

Buy now from Bookstrand Publishing and receive 15 percent off through December 15th.

EDITORS' RAVINGS: Outstanding Book

"I enjoyed this story from page one. It's well-written with likable, well-crafted characters." -- Jennifer Colgan, Editor

"Wonderful characters who touch my heart." -- Karen Denmark, Editor

http://www.sirenbookstrand.com/editorspick

[Siren Classic 91: Erotic Contemporary Romance, Interracial] What's a girl to do after her former fiancé declares that she's frigid? Mariah decides to take a jaunt on her wild side—if she can find it—with the scruffy Puerto Rican next door. Only Rico isn't who she thinks he is and time is her enemy. "Outstanding Read: A" —Simply Romance Reviews. "5 Cherries"—Whipped Cream. "5 Flags" —Euro-Reviews. READ MORE

The Holidays are Coming

With Thanksgiving around the corner and Christmas knocking on the door, it's time to start gearing up for the holiday rush. I'm already pencilling in all the parties we've been invited to attend. I know, I know, we're very social.

This Sunday we're having a big Thanksgiving dinner here. It started out small but is gaining size like a snowball in an avalanche. Those of you who know me, know I'm an event cook. So the more, the merrier. I couldn't be more thrilled to host a big group at our house. I just hope the turkey I bought is big enough.

Then next week, we're heading out of town for Thanksgiving. We're really looking forward to this trip. It's been a long time since we've been able to do something like this. It'll be a very special, memory-filled occasion. I'll fill you in about it later.

Long and Short Romance Reviews

I've been interviewed at Long and Short Romance Reviews this week. Checkout the interview here.

I'll also be chatting all day tomorrow at LASR with fellow authors Laurie Ryan and Lavada Dee. Stop in and say hi. We'll be giving away books and having a good time. We'd love to see you. To join the chat, subscribe to LASR Yahoo Group.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a Retro Release at Siren-Bookstrand

RETRO RELEASE
15% off - sale ends November 26th


WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED? [Evergreen Dynasty Series]
by Jami Davenport
Purchase Here




[Siren Classic 83: Erotic Contemporary Romance] Reformed bad boy Jake Reynolds discovers a racy Goldilocks sleeping in his bed on a dark and stormy night. With less than honorable intentions, he hires her to manage his construction office, not realizing she has her own intentions: sabotaging his business and his heart.

"5 Divas, Recommended Read" --Dark Diva Reviews. "5 Angels" --Fallen Angel Reviews. "5 Flags" --Euro-Reviews. Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a Romance Writers of America's 2008 Golden Gateway 3rd Place Winner.

Happy Veterans Day

I want to wish a Happy Veterans Day to all of you veterans out there.

NaNoWriMo

I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month in November. I have one month to finish a rough draft of 50,000 words.

I'm really excited to start a new book in a "new" genre: romantic suspense. I've been toying with this idea for a long time, and I'm ready to write something on the darker side.

So check back in a few weeks for an update.

Fall is here!!!

It's been a whirlwind of a summer for me. I hate to see the warm, sunny weather go away and the rain settle in. Yet, I'm ready for some time to write.

I'm trying to re-establish a routine and channel my energies back into writing.

I'm hoping to post a little more often and tell you about some exciting projects I have planned for the future.

Regarding legal action I mentioned earlier against an Idaho department, it appears the statute of limitations has expired, which is probably for the best. Sometimes, it's better to bury the past and move on.

I hope you've had a great and memorable summer.

I'm on Facebook

If you haven't noticed, I have a Facebook page. That's where you'll find pictures and all sorts of updates on me and what I'm up to, professionally and personally. So if you haven't friended me yet, please do: Jami's Facebook page. I'm much better at keeping it up to date.

Jami Update

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. I took the summer off from writing and am just now getting back into the swing of things. My summer has been filled with the building of our new addition, a huge 4th of July barn dance, and lots of visits with family.

Not to mention, we're considering legal action against those involved in circulating misinformation revolving around identity theft my husband experienced from 1996 through 2002. It's only recently come to light how much damage these rumors have done to his character and how widespread they are, even to the extent of bogus criminal charges. So what to do? More on this later. Has anyone had similar experiences with identity theft, its consequences, and the options for recourse?

Also The Gift Horse is now available in print via Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I hope you'll take the time to pick up a copy.

Now for the updated pictures on the man cave.

I hope you're having a wonderful summer. I'll try to post more often. Stay turned for updates.

Man Cave 4--Roofing

We have roofing!!!! This is getting to be so fun.

Here's the front of the house.

Here's the man on the covered patio of his man cave.

Man Cave 3--We have walls!!!!

The man cave is now framed in, and I can imagine what it'll be like finished. Of course, I'm now plagued by self-doubt. Did I do this right or should I have made this bigger? Etc.

Rocky, the hubbie, is complaining that there's no wall space. Okay, so maybe I did go a teensy bit overboard on the windows, but hey, he has one 7-foot wall and one 5-foot wall to work with. What more could he want? Besides, think of the money we'll save on artwork.

I've redesigned the laundry room a dozen times. I need a dramatic theme for the laundry room. I'm considering an apple theme for the powder room. After all, I was raised in Eastern Washington apple country. Then I'll paint the walls red? What do you think?

All in all, I know it'll be wonderful.

Coming next: Trusses and a roof!!!!

Man Cave 2--No More Patio

The patio is gone and the man cave is in the first stage of construction. The foundation should be poured this week. This is my least favorite part of building because it's boring. I like framing the best because it goes so fast and you can see the biggest change.

I was happy to see that the purple Rhodie survived. I thought it might have to go.


I've spent part of the week running around to furniture stores, Lowes, Home Depot, Costco, Sears, etc. If they sell home furnishing or home improvement items, I've been there. Let's just say I'm doing my part to stimulate the economy. I know of three furniture stores that are glad I walked in the door. ;)

Stay tuned for the next installment.

The Building of a Man Cave

Tomorrow we start the building an addition on our house. My husband calls it his "man cave." I let him think that, but the secret is that it's actually my library. Shhhh. Don't tell him.

This isn't the first time I've built. I've actually built two houses previously, including the one we currently live in. We hired a great contractor, and we're trying to do everything right so we don't forget anything, yet stay within budget.

Anyway, in addition to the library/man cave, we'll have a big laundry room and a powder room. The man cave will have a wet bar and a fireplace, not to mention a covered porch.

So below is the before picture. The addition is going where the current patio is, right off those french doors.

So stay tuned for my construction updates. I'll post pictures as the building progresses.

I can't wait.

Spring Update

I'm pleased to say that The Gift Horse should be in print within the next month or so. I'll keep you posted.

I'm working on the final edits to Fourth and Goal. I hope to have it submitted soon.

I'll be at the Lori Foster's Get Together along with my good friend Allie K. Adams in June. I'll be signing my first two books. Please stop by and say hi if you're there.

On a personal note, my husbanda and I are busy planning an addition onto our home. He thinks it's going to be a "man cave." It's really my library, but he doesn't know that yet. ;)

Have a great spring.

Conrad Schumacher

I posted my first installment about the Conrad Schumacher dressage symposium on the Equestrian Ink blog. If you're a rider, check it out.

I'm currently working on my m/f football hero romance. I need to do one more round of edits before I submit it. My goal is to have it ready to submit in May.

I'll be at the Lori Foster readers get together in June. If you're going to be there, please let me know. I'd love to me you.

Balance

Ever since I sold my first book last year, I've completed six books, edited several, and promoted the published ones. It's been a whirlwind year. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I've also put on twenty pounds, my house is a mess, my friends don't remember my name, and my horse doesn't have clue who I am.

My life needs balance. Lately, I've been staying off the Internet (the biggest time vacuum around) and doing things other than writing. I'm paying attention to my house, planning an addition onto it, spending more time with family and friends, and reconsidering my decision not to show my horse.

I'm still going to write, but I need to find a middle ground. So I'm writing one hour in the evening and trying to keep my Internet time to a minimum.

I spent this past weekend at a Conrad Schumacher dressage symposium. This man is the master of all masters, in my opinion. It was incredible and inspired me to ride my horse, an inspiration I haven't felt in a long time.

So, I'm working on balance. I suspect my books will be better for it.

Publishing with a Small Press--Part 3--Choosing a Publisher

Choosing a Small Publisher (ePub)

There are a mind-boggling amount of small presses in cyberspace. Each day brings several new ones. At the same time, several existing presses close down and leave authors without a home for their books.

I’m going to assume you have a preliminary list of publishers you’re considering.

How does a person go about choosing the small presses that they wish to submit their works to?

First of all and foremost: RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH.

I can’t stress this enough. Here are some great ways to find out about a small press that nterests you:

• Google them. Do a web search on this publisher. Read
  everything you can find.
• Check out their website and contact authors published with them. Include authors not just at the top of their bestseller lists, but at the middle and bottom. Most authors will give you the straight scoop if you ask the right questions. If one author expresses displeasure with a publisher, but the majority love that publisher, don’t put much weight on one disgruntled author. If you find several unhappy authors, I’d approach with caution.
• Run a business background check. Several Internet companies will do this for you for about $25-40. You’ll need to be able to find the publisher’s name and a physical address in order to do a background check. Checkout now just the company but the owner.

If they pass your initial background check, consider what you want from a publisher. Some questions to consider:

• What kind of distribution do they offer?
• Are their books available from major distributors, such as Fictionwise, MobiPocket, Amazon, Baker and Taylor, Ingram Book Group.
• Do they offer print books? If so, are they available through major distributors such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble?
• What do they offer financially to an author?
• Do they pay an advance? This is very rare in ebooks and not a necessity.
• What percentage of sales does the author get for each book? What do their books sell for?
• How often do they pay royalties? Can you find out if they
  pay on time?
• Do they offer any type of promotion?
• Do they have a marketing department? A few small presses
  do have a marketing person available to assist authors?
• Do they offer any free promotion, such as advertising?
• What do you think of their website?
• Is the website attractive, easy to navigate, quick to
  load?
• Go through the process of buying a book. Is it
  straight-forward? Or is it confusing and awkward?
• What about their publishing process?
• How many months/years out are they scheduling slots? How
  long do you want to wait to see your book in print?
• What do you think of the quality of their editing? Buy a
  few of their books and see for yourself.
• What is their editing process? Do you get to work with
  the same editor all the time or do you get a different editor for each
  book? There are pros and cons to each. It depends on your preference.
• Can you get a copy of their contract?
• How many years is your book under contract? Five to
  seven seems to be the average.
• How do they handle reviews?
• Who’s responsible for soliciting reviews? Do you need to
  send your own book out for reviews? Do they send to a group of reviewer
  for you?
• Are you provided with free copies for contests and to
  submit for reviews?
• How many and what kind?

When I was doing my research, I made a spreadsheet of which items were important to me. Then I checked off which small presses offered what I wanted.

From there I read their submission instructions and submitted to the ones that interested me.

I hope this series has been useful to you. Please let me know if I’m missing anything or if you’d like me to cover other topics in the future.

Publishing with a Small Press--Part 2, Pros and Cons

First of all, you need to understand some terminology, such as small press, large press, vanity press, and print on demand. In the interests of saving space, I posted this terminology in my Part 1 post at this blog.

We'd all love to sell to a large publisher with a huge advance and be on Good Morning America and Oprah. The chances of that happening are slim to none. So you wrote a book and now you want find a home for it. Let's assume you're not interested in self-publishing. Let's also assume you've tried the large publisher route, you're writing something that big publishers won't take a chance on, don't have the patience to wait on a big publisher, or you believe ebooks are the wave of the future.

Should you consider a small press or e-publisher and why? Here are some of the pros and cons of small presses to help you make your decision. In this case, I'm referring to small presses that are primarily epubs, as opposed to small presses that do print runs.

Pros (What working with a small press can do for you):

• Provide a viable option for books that don’t fit into a New York niche. (Small pubs can afford to take risks). Equestrian fiction definitely fits into this.
• Gain valuable experience (which can look good to a large publisher).
• Learn to promote your book and yourself.
• Gain experience working with editors and publishers on professional duties such as cover art and edits.
• Prove you can meet deadlines.
• Provide encouragement to finish the book and write more books.
• Build name recognition the publishing business.
• Improve writing and editing skills by working with other authors and your editor.
• Reduce the number of discarded and destroyed paperbacks. GO GREEN!
• Make valuable contacts with other authors and the book publishing industry.
• Build confidence in your writing.
• Enjoy less pressure.
• Enjoy more creative freedom.
• May receive more personal attention from publisher and staff.
• Easier to find your books, longer “shelf” life, don’t go out of print.
• Have a quicker turnaround from submitting to publication.
• Write shorter works so you can write more books. You're not expected to write a novel-length book every time.
• Provide another publication outlet for category novels.
• Build a reader base.

Cons (Disadvantages of a small press):

• Low pay and royalties, in most cases, considering the time investment by the author.
• Risky if the small press isn’t stable and established. Yet, in this economy, NY is risky as editors move around and lines close all the time. They may tie up your book for a few years and never publish it.
• Time-consuming, as you often perform the tasks that large publishers would do for you, such as promotion, blurbs, cover art suggestions, etc.
• Lower quality of editing in some cases.
• Limited chance for book to be in bookstore because they're usually print on demand and not all small presses send their books to print.
• Requires extensive research of different companies. (Not all small presses are created equal in royalties, editing, and business practices. Talk to authors, do a background check, search the Internet)
• Limited possibilities for booksignings.
• A smaller market of people to buy your book. Even though the Internet should be a large market, it's very hard to target your promotion to the right readers.
• Limited distribution for your book.
• Lack of respect in many circles, including professional writing organizations. You may not be taken seriously by fellow authors and considered more of a hobbiest than a professional author.
• Limited reviews—may be harder to get reviews
• Exclusion from many contests, includng RWA's Ritas.
• Print-on-demand books costs 2 to 3 times more than regular pocket novels.
• Expectation that you will write more books than you would with a larger press.

Next week, I'll discuss how to pick a small press.

Publishing with a Small Press--Part 1, Definitions

Hi, there, a few months ago I started a series on publishing with small presses. Well, book deadlines and life in general interrupted my good intentions. I'm reposting the first installment for those of you that missed it. Please post your comments, additions, corrections. This is a collaborative post.

Next week, I'll post Part Two.
________________________

This is the first post in a series on Publishing with a Small Press. I welcome any comments or corrections, as I strive to make this information as accurate as possible.

First, I want to start with some definitions:

New York Publisher (large press): These publishers typically have offices in New York City. They do large print runs for their author's books, which are distributed to book stores. They pay royalties (a percentage of the book's cover price, usually about 6-8 percent). The author gets paid an advance before the book hits the shelf.

Vanity Publisher (Self-Published): These presses typically publish anyone if you have the money to pay them. You will be expected to pay for things such as cover design, editing (if there is any), may have limited distribution, if any. They are good choices if you're publishing something for a targeted group of people, such as a family history.

Small Press (epub or Epublisher):

These presses operate like NY presses. They do not charge any fees to the author. They provide editing, cover art, and distribution. The distribution varies between publishers.

I find that there are two primary types of small presses:

Electronic or ePubs: Their books are primarily available electronically. They usually do not pay an advance unless it’s quite small. The author earns royalties (usually about 30-40 percent) from the cover price of the book sold in the small press’s bookstore and royalties from the distributor (usually a percentage of what the publisher receives). Many of these presses also offer their books in print via print on demand (see definition below) and through distributors such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Traditional Small Presses: These presses do small print runs. Their books may or may not be available via other distributors. They may pay a small advance. I'll admit that I don't know much about this type of press. So if someone can fill us in, that'd be great.

Print Run: NY pubs do a print run of each book published. The books are then distributed to bookstores. Unsold books can be returned to the publisher for a refund. Returns of fifty percent or more are not uncommon.

Print on Demand (POD): This is a green alternative to print books. Over half of the books printed by NY pubs are not sold and are destroyed. Print-on-Demand books are printed when the buyer places an order. They are usually more expensive to buy as the process is more expensive than a print run. POD books are rarely available in bookstores because they are not returnable.

My next post will include the pros and cons of small presses.

New Book Trailer for The Gift Horse

Sit back and enjoy my new video for The Gift Horse, a mainstream contempory romance from Bookstrand and Book 3 of the Evergreen Dynasty Series.

Buy Link
Read Chapter One

A New Five-Star Review

Woo Who!!! I just received word that Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? was given five stars by Whipped Cream Romance Reviews.

Between her fun sense of humor and her supporting characters that are as alive as the main characters, Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? jumps off the page and comes alive.The intense conflict that rages between Jake and Harlee sets the stage for an extremely hot affair between the two. Smoldering sex, honest affection, and true humor make this a story worth reading and rereading!

You can read the entire review at Whipped Cream.

I'm also up for Book of the Week. I'll post the link where you can vote tomorrow.

Mardi Gras Bash 2009

Join us at the Midnight Seductions Yahoo Group on February 24 for a Mardi Gras bash. We hope to see you there.

The Gift Horse--Available Now from Bookstrand

As a long-time horsewoman and dressage rider, I’ve wanted to write a novel that revolved about dressage and horses. I pictured a romantic mystery, and I wanted it to be different. Killing horses for insurance had been done before. I needed something new.

I also wanted to cover a topic that had been bothering me for a long time. When money enters the picture, how far will a horse trainer go to win ribbons? Will she compromise what’s best for the horse? Will she choose the horse over money or achieving her goals?

When I conceived the idea of The Gift Horse, I wanted to make the horse a secondary character. Equestrian-related fiction often misses the boat on this. They don’t give the horses personalities or allow them to play a part in the book other than being a cardboard animal that appears in the background. My horse character needed as much personality as my human characters. So I turned to my own Hanoverian mare, Gailey, as my model, and believe me, she has a lot of character. Gailey’s sweet mare act will charm the pants off you if there’s a treat involved or if she’s looking to win you over. If she’s not, she puts on the alpha bitch-mare face and makes sure you understand that the princess is annoyed. Gabby is essentially my mare with a little more ambition. My mare wouldn’t buck, as it would be too much work. Gabby bucks with enthusiasm, which often sends her rider flying.

I loved writing about Gabbie, her quirks, her crush on the hero, and her opinions on horse shows, love, and ribbons. I even put a few scenes in the horse’s point of view.

The Gift Horse was released today in ebook format. You can read the first chapter here, and purchase the book here. I hope you’ll check it out. Please let me know what you think, as I’d love to write a sequel if there’s enough interest.

Animal Characters in Fiction

I blogged today at The Romance Studio on using animals as secondary characters and writing from an animal's POV.

Check it out: http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com/

Publishing with a Small Press

About a month ago, I promised a series on publishing with a small press. Well, life got in my way, including a long bout with a nasty cold and two book deadlines. I turned in one book this weekend. The other is due on February 28. Once I'm done with that book, I promise I'll continue this series.

Other news:

I'm now a member of Midnight Seductions Authors. Please join our Yahoo Group and check out our blog.

I'm attending Lori Foster's Readers Conference in June in Cincinnati. I'd love to meet some of you there.

I'll be on a romance author panel next week at the Tumwater Regional Library. Afterward I'll be doing a book signing with the other panel members.

I'm very excited about The Gift Horse being released on February 17 from Bookstrand Publishing. This is my first mainstream equestrian romance.

The Gift Horse--Available February 17

I now have a release date for The Gift Horse. It's February 17. Click here to pre-order. To read the first chapter, go to The Gift Horse.

Here's a blurb:

Never look a Gift Horse in the mouth?

CARSON REYNOLDS would dispute that statement. After all, it was a gift horse that got him into this mess in the first place. Carson has never backed down from a challenge, but he’s never faced a challenge like this one. It’s the project nobody wants. It’s doomed to fail from Day One because of lack of money, lack of planning, and no lack of a difficult, interfering sister. Carson’s mission is to transform a run-down horse farm into THE premium horse training facility in the Pacific Northwest and transform the disorganized resident horse trainer with a penchant for self-sabotage into a confident, professional equestrian of international caliber. Unfortunately, City Boy Carson doesn’t know one end of a horse from the other, and the large creatures scare the heck out of him. His situation is compounded by a love-sick, 1500-pound mare with a crush on him , his growing attraction to the grungy horse trainer, a disruptive sister who insists the trainer be fired, and a demanding father who has lost faith in his son’s abilities.

Tired of running from herself for six years, SAMANTHA MACINTYRE has returned to the scene of a horrific barn fire allegedly caused by her carelessness. She accepts the head trainer position at that run-down facility with the hope of defeating her demons, proving her innocence, and earning a permanent position at the new equestrian center. With lofty aspirations, but no money and no horse, Sam will do anything to ride the talented, though difficult, horse Carson received as a birthday gift from his family. But first, she must pass the test: compete the horse for one season, impress Carson, and best his sister’s preferred trainer.

As Sam gets closer to the truth regarding the cause of that long-ago fire, small mishaps begin to escalate into larger, more serious, accidents. Carson’s horse knows the real perpetrator, if only those dimwitted humans would listen. With no where else to turn, Sam confides in Carson and together they delve into the actual cause of the fire. With the help of an opinionated equine, they face a surprising reality--that love is more important than ambition, money, or blue ribbons.

New Reviews in 2009

I just had to share, I found three great reviews for my books today.

First of all Molly from Molly's Musings at http://mjdaniels.blogspot.com/2009/01/yesterday.html. She had this to say about "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?"

I LOVED Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed by Jami Davenport! Go over to Siren Books and pick up your own copy:) I think I'll pop over to her website and see what else she has published! I loved the family interaction; I loved the climactic scene. She did a fantastic job of weaving all the elements together, AND made me curious enough about the islands to call my sister and see if she's ever been there.

Today, I received a 5-star review from Just Erotic Romance Reviews for The Dance. See my Review page for more details, but here is a highlight:

I will be adding The Dance to my list of books to be reread several times over. Ms. Davenport just became an author that I will most definitely be adding to my automatic To Be Read Book list. I was amazed at the detail she put into this story. I am giving The Dance five stars for the excitement and perfection that it turned out to be.

And last but not least, Joyfully Reviewed game me 5 stars on Amazon for The Dance.

Wooo whoooo!!!!!!

Small Presses vs. Large Presses

I've been thinking about some topics for my blog for 2009. Last year I did a workshop for my local RWA chapter on why I chose to go with a small press. I thought some of my readers who are aspiring authors might benefit from the research I did when I put this workshop together.

So over the next month, I'll outline the following (not necessarily in that order):

• What is and isn't a small press
• The pros and cons of small presses
• How to pick a small press publisher, including where to go to get information
• My personal background and why I chose the route I did

So stay tuned for the first installment.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I hope 2009 finds you happy and healthy.

Despite the bad economy and some personal sadness in my life, 2009 was a very good year for me professionally. SirenBookstrand bought the first two books of my Evergreen Dynasty series, Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed? and The Dance. Both books have received several five-star reviews and sold well with my publisher and distributors.

I’m anxiously awaiting the publication of my third novel, The Gift Horse, which is #3 in my Evergreen Dynasty Series. I’m very excited about this book, which is a mainstream equestrian romance with a hint of a mystery in it. It’s due to be released early this year.

I’ve completed rough drafts of two other novels, both with football heroes. Both books are much hotter than my previous novels. I fell in love with my hero in Fourth and Goal. He’s been rattling around in my head for years. I’m thrilled that he finally found a home on the pages of a book.

I’m hoping that 2009 brings even better things for me in the writing department. I’m hoping to expand my horizons and challenge myself to write even better books and to write more on a regular basis. I’d like to further my career by increasing my readership and my exposure.

It’s my goal to complete two or three full-length novels this year and two to three novellas.

I’m also planning to attend a couple smaller conferences, Emerald City Writers Conference and Lori Foster’s Reader/Writer retreat.

I guess I'd better get back to writing.

Have a Happy New Year!!!