November 30
On Tuesday, December 2nd, the second book in The Emperor's Brides trilogy, 22 Nights, will be officially released - through there have already been several sightings. :-) Merin played a small part in the Children of the Sun trilogy, and I liked him so much I had to bring him back for his own story. Bela, a woman from his past, is different from most of my other heroines. She's strong and stubborn to a fault, more than a match for a general. And she possesses a magical sword which becomes a very big part of the story.
Book three in the trilogy, Bride by Command, will be released in March 2009.
As to what else is in the works - surprise - I have written a vampire story, a novella which will be out late in 2009 from Silhouette Nocturne. I never thought I'd write a vampire story, until one day I was talking with some writer friends and I started explaining why I didn't like vampire books. That led to what I'd do if I wrote one, and that led to the characters who wouldn't leave me alone. :-) Many, many ideas have started just this way. Hooray for writer friends. :-)
The holidays are upon us! May yours be wonderful.
Linda
October 17
On Monday, October 20th, I'll be blogging about the Raintree series at www.paranormalromanceblog.com. Stop by and say hello!
Also, good news about The Magical Christmas Cat. It's 21st on the New York Times extended bestseller list. :-)
Linda
October 10
I can't believe I missed the entire month of September. Wish I could say I was totally caught up in writing, but that wasn't the case. I've been organizing closets and pantries and the garage, recovering the seats on 75 year old dining suit chairs, and basically nesting.
But this is a busy month, nonetheless. I have two books out in October, one new (The Magical Christmas Cat) and one rerelease (the Raintree all-in-one). Both are available in trade paperback. There are also a number of older books now available in trade -- check out the details at the bottom of the main page. So, nesting or not, time moves on. :-)
"Sweet Dreams," my story in the anthology The Magical Christmas Cat, takes place at Christmastime. Ruby is the owner of a bakery in a small college town in Alabama, and she's doing her best to ignore the holidays. She recently lost her aunt, the last member of her family, and she's not exactly in the holiday spirit. When she gets a gift from a "secret admirer" it's the beginning of a dangerous adventure, and also throws neighbor Professor Zane Benedict into her life. Don't let the cute cover fool you; my cat is a demon. :-)
Next up for me is 22 Nights, Book 2 in The Emperor's Brides trilogy. More about that next month, if I can drag myself away from the next hideously unorganized closet. Enjoy this fabulous autumn weather! This is my favorite time of the year -- football and changing leaves and cool nights. Ahhhh.
Happy Reading!
Linda
August 21st,
As promised, here are some pictures from the RWA National conference.
Signing at the HUGE Literacy signing on Wednesday night.
Accepting the Emma Merritt Award from RWA President Sherry Lewis.
Chapter friends and I, all dressed up for the RITA/Golden Heart ceremony on Saturday night.
Best,
Linda
August 5th,
UNTOUCHABLE is officially out today! :-) It's the first in the Emperor's Brides trilogy, another set of books that take place in Columbyana. Alix is without a doubt one of the darkest heroes I've ever written!
I'm still recovering from my trip to San Francisco and the fabulous RWA Conference. The days went by in a whirlwind, as usual. I was truly touched to receive the Emma Merritt Award, and again, I thank the RWA Board for honoring me.
As always, I got to see old friends I haven't seen in a year or more, as well as new friends. Pictures will follow, as soon as I get my act together. I've decided that blogging can be dangerous. My husband found out I'd bought new shoes before I had a chance to break the news to him gently. For some reason he thinks I already have too many. Imagine that.
The only bad news from the trip was a delay getting home and a cold that I managed to pick up along the way. Other than that, it was a fabulous time!
Best,
Linda
June 24th, 2008
Today HOTTER THAN HELL is officially out there! I loved writing "Moonlight Becomes You," and even though it's been quite a while since I wrote Simon and Claire's story, I think about them a lot. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll be back.
I have finally finished painting my office! I've only been planning this since, oh, 2004 or so. But that's the past. It's done! Here's a photo to prove it.
Hard to tell what an improvement this is without a before picture, I know, but some things should not be made public. :-) I have a before picture, but no one will ever see it. This is the chair where I read research books and go over copy edits. The desk is not yet ready for public display. Maybe one day. I love my office. I started out at the kitchen table, then moved to an ironing board (no joke), then back to the kitchen table and then to a corner in the bedroom (where I had a plank across two old file cabinets. Hey, it was a lot better than the ironing board!). Now I have my own space, and I love it. The walls, BTW, are Sahara Sand. Lovely color.
The closet is another story altogether, and one day, when it's finished, that picture will be here, too.
It's going to be a busy summer! RWA is coming up in not much more than a month. It's always a busy time, but with the Emma Merritt Award and being a RITA finalist, I'll be hopping. Y'all wish me luck. I still have shoes to choose and pack. Can I spend a week in California with less than a dozen pairs of shoes? :-)
As soon as I get home, UNTOUCHABLE will be released. The Emperor's Brides trilogy has been fun and different to write. I don't think I've ever written a heroine quite like Sanura, and Alix is definitely not my usual hero. Each of these books will have two romances -- one primary and one secondary. I found the secondary romances in all three books to be a lot of fun. I felt like I could take chances I wouldn't otherwise take. Only the readers will know if that was a risk that paid off, or not. More fingers crossed. :-)
Have a wonderful summer!
Linda
May 27, 2008
In case you haven't noticed, there's been a title change for my December book. What was UNFORGETTABLE is now 22 NIGHTS. Same book, new title. I'll have a cover to post soon.
Next up is my short story in the collection HOTTER THAN HELL, with Kim Harrison and others. "Moonlight Becomes You" is my first published short story, and I had such fun writing it. Claire Murphy thinks her next door neighbor is a vampire and she sets out to prove her theory. Let's just say she's less than a competent detective. The book will be released June 24th.
Earlier this month I attended my RWA chapter's annual reader luncheon, where I got to meet new readers and visit again with those who come to our function every year. It's nice to get out of my cave -- I mean, my office -- now and then. As usual the luncheon was preceded by the increasingly infamous Shoe Day, where I and a couple of equally shoe-obsessed friends go wild in our favorite shoe department. (Though our shoe guy has moved on to bigger and better things. Bummer.) I don't know what I'll wear the purple shoes with, but I liked them and on Shoe Day that's all the excuse I need.
And my office still isn't painted . . . stay tuned . . .
Linda
April 27, 2008
The year has been flying by. It's almost May! This has been a busy year, and I'm taking my first real break in a while. The latest book is in the mail, and I'm shredding old papers and painting and thinking about making curtains and playing in the yard. I'm going to paint my office and decorate a bit, before getting back to the computer to write.
THE GUARDIAN is out, after what seems like a long wait. It's been almost a year since I had a new book released, but this is just the beginning of a full year. This will likely be the last of the Last Chance Heroes. At the moment, I have no more ideas for these great guys, but I have LOVED telling their stories, and Dante Mangino was a special hero for me. Next up, after THE GUARDIAN, is my very first short story, Moonlight Becomes You in the collection HOTTER THAN HELL. Release date is June 24th.
It's hard to believe I've been in this business for such a long time. My first book, GUARDIAN ANGEL. was released in August 1994. I've gotten the rights back to a lot of my older books, fairy tale and historical romances, and they're available as e-books. Some of them (soon to be more) are also available in print, in a print-on-demand version. I've put a link at the bottom of the main page, for anyone who's interested in checking them out.
Hope everyone is enjoying the spring. Summer will be here before we know it! No Disney for me this year, but I am looking forward to RWA in San Francisco.
Best,
Linda
March 25, 2008
Good news! I just found out that I'm a double finalist in the paranormal category for the RITA, with PRINCE OF MAGIC and Raintree: HAUNTED. It's such a thrill to be a finalist, and to final with two books that are so special to me makes it even more exciting. Squeeee! :-) The RWA conference this year is going to be too, too special. Not only am I a RITA finalist, I'll be receiving the Emma Merritt Award for national service at Friday's luncheon.
It's almost time for THE GUARDIAN, from Silhouette Romantic Suspense, to be on the shelves. It's a May book, my first release since Raintree: HAUNTED, and will be out there in a little more than a month. I love Dante Mangino, and I can only hope I did him justice in this book.
Hope you're all enjoying spring. Things are just beginning to bloom around here. I'm so ready for the warm weather!
Best,
Linda