Excitement! I’ve sold the fifth Middlemarch book to Ellora’s Cave. I’m not sure of the release date for Cat and Mouse yet but will let you all know as soon as I do. Cat and Mouse features a cowboy hero and a heroine who owns a restaurant in Queenstown. Meantime, I’m hard at work on the sixth Middlemarch book.
I’ve opened a hotel. Yes, it’s true. I now own real estate space at Coffee Time Romance and you’re welcome to visit me at any time. There will be excerpts, inside info and fun discussion, news of contests and upcoming books and I hope to cajole some of my writer friends into posting some of their excerpts and covers in the Presidential Suite. Author friends? Are you there? Please come over to my new hotel, say hello and help me celebrate my opening week by posting an excerpt. To post you need to register but it’s free and only takes a couple of minutes. I hope to see you there. For all you paranormal writers out there, Coffee Time is having a special paranormal day on 27th. The Ellora’s Cave day I attended recently was lots of fun so check this out.
On 1 March I’m starting in the third Sweat for Sven challenge. I want to complete my current work in progress and make inroads on a tiger shifter story I’ve storyboarded. Is anyone else sweating with Sven?
I’ve read some great books recently. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of Lauren Dane’s Standoff. Here’s the blurb:
Cade Warden has put his Pack first for most of his life and now Warren Pellini and his thugs threaten everything he holds dear. Into that life of intense focus and increasing loneliness walks the woman he’s been waiting for.
Grace Pellini isn’t just Cade’s mate, she’s the sister of his greatest enemy and she’s been putting herself in grave danger to gather information to aid the Nationally Allied Packs. Cade is everything she could have hoped for in a man even if he is overprotective and pushy at times.
Against the backdrop of their increasing passion and deepening bond, they race against time to find a key to stop Pellini’s biological weapon. And then the stakes rise again when Pellini calls an ancient Challenge. It’s up to Grace to stand by and let her mate risk everything for his people. And his life is in her hands.
Standoff completes the series story arc and it’s a great finish. It’s no secret that I love Lauren’s books. True, she’s a writer friend, but check out her reviews. You know there’s a reason she’s selling to New York publishers now. 
Cascadia Wolves is an excellent series guaranteed to satisfy the paranormal fan with strong alpha heroes and equally tough heroines who don’t take any nonsense from their mates or anyone else. Each successive book is like a visit to friends since we get to see all the family interaction, their bickering and loving and the way they face a challenge. In this book we finally get to see Cade find his mate, and it’s a beautiful thing. Standoff is out from Samhain on 4 March.
Another book I’ve read and enjoyed is Another One Bites the Dust by Jennifer Rardin. It’s paranormal meets James Bond with Jaz Parks as the heroine. There’s vampires, wizards, bellydancing, acrobats and a winter festival. Jaz and her team need to retrieve a special piece of stolen equipement. I’ve mentioned the first book Once Bitten, Twice Shy before and I’m eagerly awaiting a chance to read the third book in the series. Really, this is a great series.
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February 25th, 2008 at 6:09 am · Link
Congrats on contracting another book with EC! Wooohoo!
February 25th, 2008 at 6:52 am · Link
YEY YEY YEY, Congratulations Shelley!! More Middlemarch for me! Woot! And a hotel? I have to check that out.
I LOVED Lauren’s Standoff. Yes, there’s a reason to her success. She can’t help being fabulous. LOL! I haven’t read Jennifer but I’ll have to check her out.
February 25th, 2008 at 7:42 am · Link
Congrats on the sale. I’m a member of CTR, I plan on attending the paranormal day on the 27th and the CP day. I have it marked in my planner which of course is at home.
I’ll drop by your suite with an excerpt for sure.
Very excited about your next Middlemarch. WOOHOO. I’m currently trying to get something totally revamped to send to EC or CP haven’t decided, probably CP.
Totally rambling now, it’s the crazy 15k I wrote the other day. Clogged my mind and yes Captain Jack from Torchwood. Forgot about Johnny Depp’s character. LOL!
February 25th, 2008 at 10:20 am · Link
WOOHOO!! Congratulations on the sale! I can’t wait to read it.
And I’ll have to come over and check out your space on Coffee Time. I’ll do that when I get home from work…
February 25th, 2008 at 10:37 am · Link
Aww, thanks!
And yay to more Middlemarch! I LURVE that entire series.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:28 am · Link
Congrats on the sale.
Can I visit your hotel and post an excerpt even if I don’t write anything remotely Romantic?
February 25th, 2008 at 11:33 am · Link
Shucks, the program won’t let me register.
February 25th, 2008 at 11:59 am · Link
Hi Gabriele – of course you can! There are lots of historical fans over there. I had problems this morning, too, so maybe try again a bit later.
Thanks for all the congrats! I’m really excited about this Middlemarch sale – my first of the year.
Amy G – you’re funny, and yes, obviously word drunk!
February 25th, 2008 at 2:05 pm · Link
Yeah! Another Middlemarch story.
February 25th, 2008 at 4:03 pm · Link
Congrats on the contract! sounds like you and Lauren will be adding lots to my tbr pile.
Will stop by your hotel… someday hope to have an excerpt to post… maybe I can add a short one from His Heart on His Sleeve.
Speaking of your releases, I did post something on my blog today *g*
Mari
February 25th, 2008 at 4:11 pm · Link
I still can’t get in. I’ve seen it is the same software the Moorcock forum uses, and I’ve never managed to register there because the software seems to have a problem with all my email addresses (don’t know why, yahoo isn’t that exotic). I’ve pretty much given up joining any forum based on that particular PHP setting.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:07 pm · Link
Hi Mari,
Thanks!! And of course you can post an excerpt.
Gabriele – eek! Sometimes technology is frustrating.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:08 pm · Link
Thanks, Estella. I’m really exciting about my Middlemarch stories. They’re so much fun to write.
February 25th, 2008 at 5:37 pm · Link
Actually, I figured out what went wrong. When I gave in my birthdate, I got the wrong year and now count as underage.
But not even restarting the computer ereased that info from their files, and since the birthdate is the first thing you have to enter when registering, using a different name and email won’t help.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm · Link
Gawd, that was complicated. I finally managed to get in via the main site which obviously had NOT remembered my age, and I now can access the Moorcock forum and your place. It’s a crazy world.
February 25th, 2008 at 6:43 pm · Link
LOL – Gabriele. When this happens to me I always feel like throwing the computer out the window. Frustrating, yes?
February 25th, 2008 at 7:19 pm · Link
I felt more like throwing the forum software out of the window.
Now to find a nice excerpt for you. Do you read my Friday Snippets, btw?
February 25th, 2008 at 7:34 pm · Link
Congrats on your newest sale and your new Coffee Time Romance hotel. Good thing your take a weekend off every now and then to hike around and recharge. You’re a dynamo.
February 25th, 2008 at 8:22 pm · Link
I’ve read a few of them, Gabriele. Not all, though. I can’t wait to read your excerpt.
Thanks, Julia. Last year was a very bad year on the writing front for me. I’m so glad things are looking up.
February 25th, 2008 at 9:06 pm · Link
Huge ocngrats on your new contract with EC! Now I’ll see if I can find your hotel!