Thursday, December 28, 2006

thursday thirteen #3 . . .

Barely making it under the wire with this Thursday Thirteen list, and I haven't had a chance to ditch the grinchy green I'd previously been using either, so today's TT is late and unadorned. That said . . .


THURSDAY THIRTEEN

13 Books I'm Looking Forward To in 2007

1. Demon Angel by Meljean Brook (January). I picked this one up at Barnes & Noble the other day, after many months of lusting for it courtesy of Meljean's blog.


2. The No Evil trilogy by Allison Brennan (January, February, and March). Yes, I realize it's technically a cheat to list three books as one item, but that's the way I'm rolling tonight. I enjoyed Allison's debut trilogy, and I'm curious to see what she's doing with this one.


3. Count To Ten by Karen Rose (February). Love her books. Crisp, strong writing and taut suspense. My husband likes her books, too. The author and I share an agent, so one day I really hope to meet Karen Rose and gush to her in person.


4. Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco (February). I can't remember how I stumbled across this author's website, but the premise of his new dark urban fantasy novel/series intrigued me. Plus, like my series, it's set in Boston (albeit an alternate Boston, where faerie prostitutes are being murdered and a Druid cop must figure out how to stop it). Sounds gritty and dark--my favorite!


5. Kiss Her Goodbye by Robert Gregory Browne (February). This one is hardcover, something I rarely buy--not because I'm cheap, but because I find hardcover books uncomfortably hard around the cover area. I much prefer paperbacks, but I'll likely make an exception on this one. Again, not sure how I found this author's website/blog, but I love his insights on the business and writing, and his online chapter excerpts aren't bad, either.


6. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (March). March is going to be a big book binge month for me because several new releases are on the slate then. Top on the list is the new Black Dagger Brotherhood book. I finally got the chance to read Lover Awakened and OMG, I am a slave to this series more than ever now!


7. Scent of Shadows by Vicki Petterson (March). I'm finding that a lot of ROC and ACE books are making my to-be-bought list lately, like this debut from a former (or current?) Las Vegas showgirl. The cover of this book is sexy/creepy, and I'm hoping the storyline is, too.


8. Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh (March). I am currently reading Slave to Sensation, this author's single title paranormal romance debut, and I'm really enjoying it. Enough to know that I'll be buying the next one as soon as it comes out.


9. Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead (March). Another author I discovered via her blog. Love her sense of humor, and I liked the excerpt she posted from this debut novel. I'll definitely be checking it out.


10. Pleasures of The Night by Sylvia Day (May). This one is trade paperback, coming out from Avon Red, which is their erotic romance imprint. I've long been a reader of Sylvia's blog, and although I have at least one of her novels in my TBR already (Ask For It, I believe), this is the book I'm really eager to read first. Sylvia's got a cool website in the works for this series, including an excerpt.


11. The Vampire Queen's Servant by Joey W. Hill (July). Another trade paperback, this time from Berkley. I've never read this author's books before, but since she wrote (writes?) for Ellora's Cave, this novel is sure to be H-O-T. I read the excerpt at her website and think I may have found a new guilty pleasure.


12. Riding The Storm by Sydney Croft (September). Again, a trade paperback, also promising plenty of steam. I've gotten to know "Sydney" through Larissa Ione and Stephanie Tyler, who are both gifted authors on their own. Writing together as a team? I can hardly wait!


13. Last, but by no means least, I'm looking forward to the follow-up novel to Anne Frasier's fantastic 2006 release, Pale Immortal. I don't think the new one has a firm title yet, so we'll just call it Pale Immortal 2 (September). I'm dying to know what's going to happen to Evan Stroud, Rachel Burton, and Evan's back-from-the-brink son, Graham. I plan to blog about Pale Immortal in January sometime.

This list really wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention two January 2007 releases that would have been right on top, had I not had the pleasure of reading them months early -- Surviving Demon Island by Jaci Burton, and The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason.

Both of these books feature kick-ass heroines who come up against dangerous paranormal beings while locking horns (and other things) with sexy, sardonic men who challenge them on every level. The settings couldn't be more different--tropical island paradise vs. glamorous Regency London--but both are fast-paced, exciting reads that keep you glued to the pages. And bonus! Both have sequels on the way for 2007: Jaci's Hunting The Demon (Fall), and Colleen's Rises The Night (June).


So, that's my list for now. Am I missing anything good?

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

sayonara, page proofs . . .

Today I finished correcting page proofs for KISS OF MIDNIGHT. Hoo-boy, was that an interesting exercise! I'm trying not to stress about the fact that somewhere along the line, between what I submitted and what came out of typesetting, my heroine's "ginger" colored hair curiously became "sensed" hair in Chapter 3. Or that a character's "irises" ended up being "issues" in another chapter. Gah!

I think I caught everything that needed fixing. I hope so, because . . . off . . . it . . . goes!

FYI, I've added an excerpt from KISS OF MIDNIGHT over at my website.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

holiday wishes . . .

No blog post today, just a heartfelt wish from my house to yours for a holiday filled with warmth, good cheer, and the love of family and friends. Safe travels, to those of you on the road or in the air.

Have a wonderful holiday*!

(*and don't forget to pick up Jaci's book on Tuesday!)

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Holiday Diversions


1. How much do I love Christmas? THIS MUCH!


2. According to my 4 year old niece, I am a very talented dancer and my Christmas dress is really pretty. :-)


3. You know, personally for me, nothing says Christmas like a bunch of singing cats.


4. Lest you think Santa's one-day-a-year job is easy, consider this.


5. Public Service Announcement: Don't make the mistake of driving past Larissa's house this time of year. (Video may cause severe nausea and/or retinal bleeding.)


6. Christmas is for everyone, and Sarah Silverman urges Santa to not forget about Jewish girls.


7. Who needs jewelry or chocolates when your man can give you this? Watch it quick, because the copyright censors already deleted a few!


8. For some, the holiday begins with The Airing of Grievances, followed by Feats of Strength. Behold, the glory of Festivus (for the rest of us)!


9. I'm a sucker for A Christmas Carol, and not even Kelsey Grammer can dim my sentimental love of the story.


10. Sharing some more wholesome holiday goodness, Denis Leary wishes all of us a Merry F*ing Christmas!


11. This very special holiday movie also happens to contain one of my favorite Christmas songs.


12. Here's another one of my favorite Christmas classics, The Channukah Song. Watch it only if you really, really wannakuh! :-)


13. Warning: This last one may cause involuntary toe-tapping and/or head-bobbing. Enjoy!

Wishing everyone the most joyous of holidays--however you choose to celebrate--and a safe, happy New Year!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1
. Angela/SciFi Chick; 2. Evil Editor Angie; 3. May; 4. Michelle; 5. You're next!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!


Wednesday, December 20, 2006

kiss of midnight . . .


Lookee what arrived yesterday--page proofs for KISS OF MIDNIGHT! And based on the sad condition of the envelope, I think it was pure luck that they arrived at all. Evidently, FedEx felt it necessary to drop-kick the package several hundred times before delivering it. Gotta love the TLC they exercise during the holiday season!

In other KISS OF MIDNIGHT news, the very first review of the book has been posted over at Angie of Samhain's blog. She requested an ARC through Jaci some time ago, and delighted in keeping me on tenterhooks about her opinion of the book until just this morning. Yeah, she's very much the Eeevil part of her blog moniker if you ask me.

And while I remain the bottle-neck in my upcoming website rollout, I decided to post an excerpt from KISS OF MIDNIGHT. If you'd like to read the Prologue and first chapter, clicky here.

Happy Hump Day, all! And a great big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my honey!!! Love you, baby!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

all chilled out now . . .

I'm baaaack! Our trip last week to Mexico's beautiful Yucatan Peninsula was fantastic, as you can see from this small sampling of photos. We stayed at a wonderful resort, El Dorado Seaside Suites, which is located about an hour and a half south of Cancun. It's an all-inclusive, adults-only resort that only has about 150-200 rooms (I think). For us, it was perfecto!


We were greeted at check-in with chilled glasses of champagne, neck and shoulder massages (not so much my thing, but the hub loved it), followed by a golf cart ride to our oceanview jacuzzi suite.


Of course, priority one was finding the nearest bar for pina coladas, followed by a stroll outside to see the beach beds. That's right: Beach. Beds.

When we were checking out places to vacation a few months ago, I saw pictures of the beach at this resort and went into a full-on campaign that this was the place we HAD to go. John was skeptical (can you believe that?!) but as soon as he walked onto the beach and saw the dozens of queen-sized, thatched-roof, cotton gauze draped wonders, he admitted that I was right. (Really, I ask you, was there ever any doubt?)

Beach beds are the epitome of vacation heaven. We spent nearly a full week lazing about on them, sipping pina coladas, rum punches, margaritas, and a few other alcohol-laced concoctions I can no longer remember. We hardly even had to get up off our bums to fetch drinks because the excellent beach service kept them coming.


When we weren't stuffing our faces or sampling the local bebidas, we did a little snorkeling off the beach. There is a reef just off shore, which doesn't make for perfect swimming conditions, but does provide plenty of entertainment with the many schools of fish darting around--even a few squid, which my husband encountered when he ventured farther out to snorkel. It was amazing to watch big brown pelicans nosedive into the water just a few feet away from you as they tried to catch their lunch.

I wish I had taken more pictures, but once we settled in, we were having too much fun to stop and dig out the camera. We met a lot of great people, both guests and folks who worked at the resort. It was really hard to leave! I know we'll return, which is something we've never done with other resorts, not because we didn't like them, but because we're usually more curious to see what else is out there. But the El Dorado was a real treat from start to finish.

I must say, however, that it is sooo good to be home. Nothing like your own bed and bath, no matter how amazing paradise seems while you're there.

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

i heart my editor . . .

Can I just say, I have the most awesomest (Yes, it's a word! Or it should be...) editor EVAH!! I've been cranking away on revisions to KISS OF CRIMSON--you know, the *light* cleanup that I somehow managed to turn into a few agonizing weeks of work? I've been through the whole manuscript, addressing what needs addressing, and it's basically done.

But I don't love it.

I mean, I think it's decent, but I want it to be better. I really want it to shine. The revs are supposed to go back to Bantam Dell tomorrow, the plan being that it will leave me free to dash off stress-free on my Mexican vacation for a week of pina colada therapy with the hub. But there's more I want to do on the book. Some new scenes that I think will add a lot more depth and texture to the story. I mentioned this to my editor and she has granted me a fabulous reprieve. I have until January to do what needs doing (you hear that big sigh? that's me, breathing again!). This is SUCH a load off my mind, I can't even tell you. Now I can relax a little, enjoy my vacay and the holidays, while still taking the time I need to make Tess and Dante's story the best it can be.

Shauna Summers, you ROCK!! :)

Kiss of Midnight

About me

  • Hey. Lara here, currently spending time on the dark side, writing a sexy vampire series for Bantam/Dell. Stay tuned for news on KISS OF MIDNIGHT, KISS OF CRIMSON, and the rest of the Midnight Breed!
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