I have a new post at the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood today talking about developments in my life and my writing. Let’s just say that 2011 was not at all the year I expected. Still, Kismet and Mother Fate seem to be looking out for me. ;-)

There’s a new short story on the way, too. (Or at least I hope it’s just going to be a short story. As I mentioned in the comments there, it’s being ornery and keeps trying to grow!)

Now that I’m back from Dragon*Con in Atlanta, I thought I’d offer up some fun stats about my trip, mwa ha ha.

Number of correct answers by moi during the team trivia hour of the Anne McCaffrey’s Worlds track: 1 out of 1. Yay for The White Dragon! Though I’m sorry to admit it had been waaaaaay too long since I’d read her non-Pern stories, so I wasn’t as much help there. (I’m currently on a Pern streak. I’m re-reading them all, starting with Dragonflight. I always read them in a certain order, and I’m now on the 16th in that order—All the Weyrs of Pern. Yes, it’s practically a second job, only it’s one that makes you reeeeeally happy.)

Number of Michael Whelan’s Pern cover art posters purchased: 2. They’re going to look awesome on my office wall.

Number of times I ate at Chick-Fil-A: 5. Yes, that was deliberate. The nearest location to my home is more than two hours (and quite a bit of altitude) away, so I made good use of my temporary proximity.

Number of awesome roommates: 1 out of 1. Check out Shawntelle Madison, whose funny urban fantasy Coveted is going to make a big splash this coming spring. (Our other roommate, the amazing Jeannie Lin, whose short stories and books have rocked my romance-lovin’ heart, was unable to come and was sorely missed.)

Number of, er, nipular areas (thank you for the handy terminology, Chandler Bing) unwillingly viewed during nightly promenades around the hotels’ atriums: 12. Yes, there was some eyebleach involved afterward.

Other fails: Poor picture-taking by the new smartphone owner (moi), who couldn’t figure out how to turn on the flash. And of course, no Anne McCaffrey in person at Dragon*Con. :-( She was very much missed, but I’m sure all of her fans are wishing her well and would rather have her stay healthy (and working on another Pern novel!!!). And…there may be a Pern FILM TRILOGY in the works. W00T!

Other wins: I figured out how to tether my cell phone to get Internet on my netbook, heh. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Weyrfest track, got to meet Anne’s son Todd (a Pern author himself, of course, and a very funny man), and was able to sign a card for Anne expressing my gratitude for her words and her worlds…both of which helped me follow my own life’s dream and become an author.

Interesting little coincidence: Todd was on the first leg of my flight back home, just one row ahead of me. Unfortunately, he was tuckered out (and ill from “con crud”). I figured he was due for some down time, so I decided not to be a total fangirl. It was a near thing, however.

Bottom line: Dragon*Con 2011 was a VERY well-run con and a fab time was had by all!

I’ll be heading to the fantasy and sf convention Dragon*Con next weekend in Atlanta. I’ll be a n00b there, but fortunately I have friends who are long-time Dragon attendees. Alas, I bought my tickets last fall in the hopes I could meet my author idol there, Anne McCaffrey, but she is having health issues (nooooo!) and won’t be able to make it. Well, gosh…I guess I’ll have to go immerse myself in other kinds of awesome geek fun! (g)

If you’ll be at the con, drop me an email—with luck, we’ll be able to chat in 3D amidst the crazy wonderfulness that is Dragon.

I can hardly believe that a year ago tomorrow I had my release day for Kismet’s Kiss. It’s been an amazing ride.

Yesterday I was giddy—giddy, I tell you!—about the new book I’m working on, The Soul of Magic. It takes place in between The Source of Magic and Kismet’s Kiss, and it’s been a real bear—until the last few days, when I realized what I needed to do to a character to make the story soar. Now this book the first thing I think of in the morning as I plan the next scenes. That feeling of immersion, of total engagement with the creation of a story, is what makes writing fun. I hope to have Soul done, polished, and published by the end of the year. (Cross your fingers for me ’cause it’ll be tight.)

And now that it’s the end of August, I have almost a full year of sales figures to share. Kiss and Source have been able to reach a wonderful audience, and I’m over at the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood today giving all the info. Stop by and feel free to comment or ask questions!

Yep, the sequel to The Source of Magic and the second prequel to Kismet’s Kiss. (I know, you want Kuramos’s wives’ stories out. Me too! But sales are brisk indeed, so getting the link between the two published books into place makes sense.)

The working title is The Soul of Magic, and it’s the story of Princess Qiara (daughter of Jilian and Alvarr) and Rokad (former mage). I initially wrote 3/4 of a draft of this story back in 2002. Let’s just say that I’m a better writer now, and that when I reread the draft, most of it was unusable. In fact, it’s a total rewrite. But I’m enjoying seeing these two spar on the page and learn their lessons. And yes, Kuramos plays a role, as you may have surmised from the opening of Kismet’s Kiss. In fact, he’s the enemy in Soul, mwa ha ha. And oh yes, he shall be redeemed. :D

By the way, you might have seen mention of Jen Rashidi in the acknowledgments of Kismet’s Kiss. She read bits of Source back in 2001 and pushed me to write a sequel–which turned into Kiss. Life had intervened and I hadn’t seen or talked to Jen in almost a decade, but she got in touch on Facebook just a couple of weeks ago. YAY for renewed friendships! Facebook: so evil and yet so beloved.

I’m popping in from my holiday weekend to mention the 50% rebate running at AllRomanceEbooks.com through Monday 5/30 at 11:59p Central. This rebate isn’t just for Kismet’s Kiss and The Source of Magic but for ALL the ebooks ARE sells by all authors! To qualify for the rebate, you must pay by credit card or PayPal.

ARE offers multiple formats for most ebooks. (For example, mine are available there in .epub, .mobi and PDF.)

Tell your friends! And please mention my books to them. :)

Yessssssss! The prequel to Kismet’s Kiss is available now.

Jilian and Alvarr’s love story has endured quite a few twists and turns over the years. Even its release is an unusual tale, though a good one. You can read about it today at the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, where I’m interviewed by Joan Swan. The gist is that I’ve already sold 851 copies of The Source of Magic…all before it was officially released. =-) In the interview I also discuss some of the pros and cons of indie authordom.

You can get your own e-copy of The Source of Magic at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

All Romance Ebooks

Smashwords

and keep an eye out for it at the Apple, Sony, Kobo and Diesel stores, where it will appear in the following weeks.

Here’s the blurb:

When a gorgeous man clasps Jilian Stewart to his chest and yanks her from Scotland into a magical battle, she thinks it must be another of her bizarre dreams. Plagued by unnerving visions of this man, she’s sure they’re brought on by the stress of her mother’s deadly paralysis. Instead, Jilian finds herself ensnared in a world of fantasy, treachery, and family secrets, opposing the one man who can make everything right.

Prince Alvarr, her sexy abductor, offers a cure for her dying mother, but won’t send Jilian home with it until she helps him destroy the evil mage threatening his people—with mystical powers she never knew she had.

You can grab a sample for your e-reader at most of the above stores, or check out a web excerpt. (If you’ve read Kismet’s Kiss, you’ll recognize the excerpt. :-) )

Happy reading!

The Source of Magic is progressing very well! I should have the polishes done this weekend. It will be up for sale in early May–or earlier, if Fate be kind. My surgery is scheduled for the second half of April, though, so I’m not going to make promises. Except that Source is on its way soon. :)

Psst: if you’re looking for the answer to the question at The Romance Reviews, scroll down.

Lest I forget… I’m participating in Read an E-Book Week and offering the award-winning Kismet’s Kiss for just $1 at Smashwords. Use coupon RAE75 by March 12 to get the special deal. Already have Kismet’s Kiss? Tell a friend!

First, the bad (I’ll save the good for a minute because I always think it helps to have something to look forward to):

The Source of Magic won’t be ready by the end of this month.

I know. I’m disappointed, too, and truly sorry I can’t fulfill my promise to you.

(Get out your violin right now and let’s give it a workout.) I’ve been dealing with some health issues, including a newly diagnosed tumor. It’s non-cancerous, but it’s also been around for a long time—and nearly killed me in 2007, as it turns out. Fortunately, I’ll be getting it removed by specialists in a few weeks, and that should bring about a full cure.

(Wait, don’t pause the violin—I’m still going.) I’ve been spending too much time at the computer working on Source lately, and my wrists are starting to hurt. I have an ergonomic setup, but still have wrist pain—a bad sign, especially for a writer. Carpal tunnel trouble can wreck an author, and I can’t let it get that far.

(Nope, not yet—keep fiddling.) A brilliant critique partner has been suffering for three weeks now with a migraine cluster and one of my beta readers hasn’t had a chance to read any part of Source. I’m just not going to publish something that isn’t ready, and these ladies make sure my books are. So I’m going to have to pull back for a bit until life returns to something approximating normal for all of us.

Again, I apologize.

Okay, at ease with the violin! Here’s the good news:

Kismet’s Kiss has been nominated for both Best Fantasy Romance and Best Debut of 2010 by TheRomanceReviews.com. Yes, I’m thrilled! :D I believed in this book from the beginning, and I’m so glad I followed my vision for it, despite the pit stops and detours along its wiggly path to success.

If you enjoyed Kiss, I would greatly appreciate it if you take a few moments to vote for it in its two categories. (You can vote for more than one book in each, by the way.) Thank you!