Sometimes your characters (and your publisher) take you places you don’t want to go — like to a not so happily-ever-after ending. Caleb and Maggie from Leaving Paradise wanted a happy ending. They deserved one. They had both been through so much — juvie and a crippling accident — but they still didn’t get their HEA. Not in Leaving Paradise, anyway. As much as they (and I, their author) wanted it, it wasn’t going to happen. Too bad for them. Worse, too bad for me. And so, romance lover that I am, I agonized and fretted over what to do. I had sold the book to the publisher as a YA romance with a HEA. But Caleb and Maggie wouldn’t stay in their box; their characters took over and led them (and their book) to an ending that was real…but not happy. So, after some time (and a few more books – Perfect Chemistry, anyone? were written and hitting the bookstore shelves) I was ready to give Caleb and Maggie their turn in the limelight again. They had suffered enough. Strangely, though, my publisher loved the ending to Leaving Paradise. For them, Leaving Paradise was done. Finito. Paradise had been…

Nessantico Cycle #3 April 2010 On Sale: April 6, 2010 Featuring: Kraljica Allesandra 624 pages ISBN: 0756405971 EAN: 9780756405977 Hardcover $25.99 Fantasy Buy at Amazon.com Add to Wish List A Magic Of Dawn by S. L. Farrell Completion of Nessantico Cycle The last chapter in the epic richly imagined world (New York Times bestselling author George R.R. Martin) of The Nessantico Cycle Kraljica Allesandra sits on the Sun Throne of a much-diminished Holdings empire, while her son Jan rules the rival Coalition of Firenzcia. The schism between them threatens to tear apart the realm when they need solidarity the most. Facing powerful threats, from the rising influence of the Numetodo sect to the fundamentalist preacher Nico Morel-as well as the army of Tehuantin from across the sea- Allesandra and Jan must each find a pathway to survival for themselves and their people. Previous Picks

Anyone who has been reading my novels lately may see a theme there. I’m currently writing both cozy mysteries and paranormal romances–two fun but different genres. What’s similar about them? They all involve animals! My cozy mysteries consist of the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime. Kendra is a lawyer who temporarily lost her law license because of an alleged–and untrue, of course–ethics violation, and took up pet-sitting to support herself and her dog, Lexie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. She enjoys pet-sitting so much that she continues to do it even after she gets her law license back. Among the pets that she sits for are dogs and cats, of course, plus ferrets, pot-bellied pigs, macaws, iguanas, and even a ball python. Because these are cozy mysteries, Kendra becomes what she calls a “murder magnet” and has to solve murders in each of the books. I’m currently working on a spin-off from the Kendra series, the Pet Rescue mysteries, also for Berkley Prime Crime. The protagonist, Lauren Vancouver, runs a private no-kill animal shelter that is funded by a good friend of Kendra’s. The first, BEAGLEMANIA, will be published in March 2011. They, too, involve murders…

For the past 20 years we have been writing novels, seven in total—the eighth in the works. No Pulitzer or Nobel winners, but well crafted stories that have enlightened and entertained tens of thousands of readers. Our first “big book” Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made was published in 1997, has never been out of print, is in its fifth edition and has sold over 750,000 copies, without any major advertising or endorsements. But that was then. Now, we along with many of our “classmates”, black women writers who started their careers in the mid 90’s, find our future in jeopardy. This precarious position is not because we write bad books, but because we all fall in the general category “African American Fiction” and we just aren’t selling as well. What we write is women’s fiction with Af-Am characters–stories of struggle and triumph, loss, coping, love, and life, learning. But we are labeled, handicapped, before we’re out of the gate. Folks who might enjoy our work because the theme might be relevant to their life- like What Doesn’t Kill You, our 2009 novel—a funny and uplifting story about a woman who loses her long-term job, but finds her…

Don’t ask me why, but I suddenly started wondering how many of our blog-ees are lifelong romance readers and how many came to the game later. I think of myself as a lifer, but the romance genre as we know it today bears little resemblance to what was available when I was a kid and young adult–which I considered at the time to be zilch. That wasn’t entirely true, of course. There were the early Harlequin books, and I loved them for a while, but then they began to bug me because the hero was always this older than dirt guy (to my 12, 13, 14 year-old mind) of 30, who treated the 18-year-old English flower like crap through most of the book then pledged his undying love on the last page. Huh? I could never see where that was coming from, because he sure as heck didn’t show it. (“I love you darling, truly I do. And by the way, you look lovely in your frock. We must spend a fortnight in my flat.”) Gak. But then came the Gothics, with their covers of women looking over their shoulders at a castle/manse/decrepit old house with its one lighted window…

The new fall season for shows begins in September and you’ll also find some great Paranormal Romances as well. Here are a few to add to your To Be Read list. ATLANTIS BETRAYED, Alyssa Day (Berkley, 9/7/2010, $7.99) What could Christophe, powerful Warrior of Poseidon, have in common with Fiona Campbell, the notorious jewel thief known as the Scarlet Ninja? Answer: The Siren, a legendary Crown Jewel that Fiona has targeted for her next heist. It’s said to be worth millions, but to Christophe it’s invaluable. For the Siren also happens to be one of the missing jewels from Poseidon’s trident. But breaking into the Tower of London is a two-person job, and Christophe and Fiona must team up to commit the crime of the century. VEIL OF SHADOWS, Shiloh Walker (Berkley, 9/7/2010, $7.99) A rebel army has been established to win back the land from demons— and a new soldier named Xan has appeared out of nowhere to join them. Beautiful army captain Laisyn Caar is shocked by the powerful, all-consuming desire she feels in his presence, but when she discovers the dark secrets of Xan’s agenda, she’ll have to determine whether the man she’s starting to love is…

For authors, stories often begin with the question “What if” and that was certainly true for me with my Prometheus Project trilogy. It was late 2004 and I was pushing around a number of story ideas, thinking about trying something different from the historical romances I’d been writing since 1992. I had one vivid scene in my mind of a woman on a motorcycle. She was riding into danger, determined to see that justice was served. Her husband, it seemed, had died and she was the only one who knew the cause of death wasn’t an accident. But what had it been? Who was she? Where was she? One night, after watching all the doom and gloom on the nightly news, I wondered – what if the world really was ending? What if that’s where this woman is? And what if her husband was killed because he knew something that could have made a difference? What would that detail have been? That opened a proverbial Pandora’s box of new ideas — and new questions. I quickly decided that the world would have to be in much worse shape than it was currently for things to be on the cusp of…

Glass #3 September 2010 On Sale: September 1, 2010 Featuring: Opal Cowan 432 pages ISBN: 0778328473 EAN: 9780778328476 Trade Size $13.95 Add to Wish List Fantasy Buy at Amazon.com Spy Glass by Maria V. Snyder An undercover mission leads to danger, adventure and an impossible choice. After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she’s immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world. Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood – and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or know it could be they are lost forever. A lively story of a girl who could have been exceptional, but might have to settle for being ordinary. Excerpt Crouching in the darkness of the closet, I stilled as footsteps approached. My instincts screamed to run. I stared at the thin…

So yesterday Sara talked about the birthday party she attended. I was lucky enough to attend the same party, and while we didn’t talk books we did discuss our phones. We talked about the pros and cons of the latest ones available, and some nice man let me touch his Iphone4. (In case you don’t know I usually have a case of new tech gadget lust.) I did share with a coupe of my friends that for my birthday last month I bought a new generation Kindle. It arrived yesterday, but due to a Dr. appointment, the party, and my early to bed tendencies I could only get it unpacked and charging. I did manage to also sneak in some time to buy one book. I bought Just One Taste by Louisa Edwards because she’s going to be the guest at our book club dinner this week. Unfortunately I won’t get it read in time, but I did read and enjoy her debut book, Can’t Stand The Heat. Speaking of Louisa…did you realize you could meet her in person (along with me, and I just know that you’re dying to meet me!) at readers’n’ritas being held in the Dallas Ft….

I went to a busy birthday party last night and found myself surrounded by the book people. Or in other words friends I know from one or another book related events who sorta knew each other in passing. We gathered at a couple of tables, talked about our lives and then the conversation turned to authors and books we’re reading. Not every one present read the same genre but we all did share one thing: we love to read. Most of us mourned the lack of time we have to read because there is some much out there we feel we’re missing, but we all had something to contribute. So what did we talk about? We talked about the upcoming FenCon next weekend. FenCon is a speculative fiction literary conference in Addison. They have guest authors, artists and musicians along with writing instructors, gather for a weekend of learning and fun. I go for the fun part, others go to hone their writing skills and others go for costuming or the musical performances. A group of us will get rooms in the hotel even though it’s local and spend a weekend of intensive fun — being away from our jobs…