Making Honey Day and Night (plus a first peek at A New Kind of Bliss)

There's a lot going on right now.

First of all, if there's snow, it must be December 1st. Today is my anniversary, and just like last year and the year before (ever since we've lived in the Midwest). there is snow on the ground. This snowfall actually wasn't bad - it didn't stick for the first several hours - but even three inches is taxing for people like us who don't have a snowblower. We spent an hour outside brushing off two of the cars (we were able to fit the SUV in the garage) and clearing the driveway the old-fashioned way, and we haven't done the sidewalk yet. Right about now I'm missing Florida.

The expected storm forced me to cancel a book discussion with a book club down in Chicago. It normally takes me an hour to get to the city, and I was afraid I would get stuck coming home. It turns out the snow didn't begin to stick until about 11PM, but since that wasn't predicted, I called in to a speaker phone for the discussion. I'm grateful for their understanding, and I'll mail their promotional gifts later this week.

December 1st also kicks off some wonderful opportunities to chat with authors and to get your read on with prizes. Today kicks off the 2008 Santa Baby Virtual Blog Tour, co-sponsored by The Grits-dot-com and All the Buzz Reviews. I'm delighted to have been asked to participate. Ten authors will be featured, and anyone who posts comments becomes eligible to win autographed books. There are also podcasts as each author reads from their latest novel. Some of your favorites are bound to be on the schedule, so make it a point to drop by every day. The tour is kicking off today with Donna Hill, so use the links I provided and hop on over! Five of the authors will be featured at The Grits and five at All the Buzz, with links provided to get back and forth. I will be featured next Thursday, December 11th (and I'll be sure to remind y'all about it!)

Popular Internet radio host Ella Curry is hosting the Twelve Nights of Christmas, beginning this evening and running into next week. Join Ella on the radio at 8PM Eastern Time at (646) 200-0402. Each participant will receive free books from our publishing partners. Book lovers, these shows are all about YOU! Join us to meet emerging writers and bestselling authors showcasing their books. Anyone who calls into the show and shares their best or worst holiday story or reads a poem wins a free book. Any reader who calls in and tells us about their all time favorite books, wins a free book. I'll on with Ella this Wednesday, December 3rd, to discuss Once Upon A Project (did I mention I'll remind y'all).

Also, there are two literary events going on at APOOO (A Place of Our Own) this month, the first of which is Thank God for a Book. From November 17th - December 12th, APOOO will give away copies of 2008 releases by some of the favorite authors from their Top 20 List. They will feature many of the usual suspects, as well as some new discoveries. APOOO is excited to showcase the authors whose books have been selected. Each day a new book/author will be featured as they count down APOOO's Top 20 authors for 2008. They invite you to stop by to visit and find out what books made their 2008 list.

APOOO's Twelve Days of Christmas runs from December 13th - 24th. Visitors to the Web site will be eligible to win 2008 releases, as well as book accessories. Each day they will give away prizes correlating to the respective number for that day. For example, on the 5th day of Christmas, one lucky winner will win 5 books; on the 12th day of Christmas the winner will receive 12 books or books and accessories, which total 12. One of the books being in the giveaway is the new mass market edition of my own Nothing But Trouble.

And now it's time for the unveiling. I proudly present the cover of my next novel, A New Kind of Bliss. Drumroll. please . . . .




What do you do when the man of your dreams . . . a successful oncologist, handsome, charming, intelligent . . . bores you in bed?

A New Kind of Bliss, a tale about mothers and daughters, duty and desire, coveting and competition, and the quest for sexual satisfaction, coming May 2009 from Dafina Books.

This should probably go without saying, but just to clarify, this is women's fiction, not romance. I hope you find the premise intriguing. A New Kind of Bliss is now available for pre-order at Amazon, so click the link and order your copy today!

Finally, I am about to begin work on my next novel (it isn't due until next summer, but because I don't like rushing and because I usually work on more than one project at a time, I feel that nine months is a sufficient length of time to produce my "babies." This is a sequel to The People Next Door and Nothing But Trouble taking place some years later, pitting Suzanne Betancourt of the former book up against Micheline Mehu Trent of the latter. I've enjoyed the last month-and-a-half of being lazy, but it's time to get back into it.

Now that you're up to date, I'm going to finish my shoveling.