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2009 Diary Archive

December 28, 2009 -- Wow, how is this the last update of 2009? I can't believe how quickly this odd, sometimes awful, often wonderful year has gone by! And I have a couple of great pieces of news to end it!

First, my historical erotic romance, Taboo has been nominated for best erotic historical of 2009 by Romantic Times Magazine! This was an unexpected honor that still makes me smile every time I think of it! Winners will be announced in Spring 2010 at the RT Conference. I'm still pondering whether I should go to that event (I'm so packed with travel this year), but if I do decide to make my first RT adventure happen, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

Secondly, I've kept this under wraps for several months now, but in October I got an idea for a book that totally grabbed me and within three weeks I'd written a zombie book! This isn't a romance, but a funny, sarcastic zombie adventure about a woman who saves her marriage and uses the advice of the marriage counselor she had to kill to survive a zombie apocalypse. My fabulous, hard-working, wonderful agent got very passionate about the project and long story short, we sold it to Orbit, a division of Hachette Books, in mid-December as a pre-empt! It was a thrilling, whirlwind of a sale which involved me being out of communication while traveling, my agent doing negotiations from her own vacation and everything coming together just in time for Christmas. It was practically a Hallmark commercial. I am sure I'll have much more information on titles, release dates, a new name I'll be writing these books under and more once the new year starts. Until then, let me just say I have absolutely no intention of giving up writing historical (in fact I've been busily working on a new project during the holiday break). So even if zombies aren't your thing, I hope you'll still look forward to my other books.

To end this last update of 2009, I'd like to do my usual review of my goals for this past year. It's no secret that I think making and updating your writing goals is an important exercise. If you're thinking of doing them for 2010, I have an article that might help called "Make a Goal, Make it Happen". I hope it will help.

So my goals for 2009 were:

And now my goals for 2010:

So that's it for 2009! Thank you all for making the Passionate Pen Anniversary a special one and for continuing to visit here and give me feedback on the resource! I hope to see you in 2010 for more writing and commiserating! Happy New Year!

Next update January 11, 2010


December 15, 2009 -- Not a lot to report. I just got back from a quick trip to visit my parents for the holidays and I'm still trying to catch up. Haven't gotten much writing done this month, but decided that after the past few months, I deserved a break. So I've been writing when I feel like it, how much I feel like. The New Year will be a perfectly acceptable time to get back into high gear.

The next update will be December 28. Happy Holidays everyone!


November 30, 2009 -- It is amazing just how much things can change in the publishing world in just a couple of weeks. Just one day after my last update, Harlequin announced the launch of Harlequin Horizons, what they called a "self-publishing" arm of their company. However, when all the details came out, it was very clear that this was really a vanity press. My stomach actually turned when I read about it. And the more details that came out about it, the worse it seemed to get. Please remember folks, in legitimate publishing money should always only flow in one direction: TOWARD the author. This is true in the smallest of press or, in this case, the biggest (literally).

I soon realized that this situation was big and bad enough to warrant a quick update, so on November 19, I removed Harlequin's link. I stand by my standards that publishers should not and CAN NOT charge authors any kind of fee in any part of their process to be legitimate. Whether one author or every author gets charged... it's still wrong.

However, since then Harlequin has removed its name from "Horizons" and all reference to them on their submissions page and I'm still waiting for new developments this week after the holidays. The last step for me to feel comfortable listing them again would be if they no longer put a statement about "self-publishing via Horizons" on their form rejection letters (which was happening in the last couple of weeks). If they meet all these criteria, I'll feel comfortable listing again, though I still have an incredibly BAD taste in my mouth about the entire situation.

PS -- This is a great time to reiterate, if a publisher ever refers you to any "pay" arm of their services (whether it be a editing arm or a vanity publisher) in a rejection... this is a BIG red flag. In fact, I'd say that's a deal breaker. Legitimate publishing is not about charging authors for "services". Please, please remember that!

In other news, as you can see the new cover for my February 2, 2010 release, Nothing Denied is now up! Now, if you've looked at it on Amazon or B&N before, you probably saw the old cover. Yes, this is a book that has had two covers. I was sent the first one and thought it was pretty enough. Then a couple months ago, I got word that some of the accounts didn't love it so it had been changed to the one you see to the left! Which I think is very sexy and awesome! Unfortunately, the last time I checked Amazon and B&N online were still listing it with the old cover. So if you order it from them, <----- that cover will be the one you get... not the red one.

I've updated Jenna Petersen with the description and an excerpt for the story, as well, so I hope you'll check it out!

I'll be starting a new project this week, which I'm very pleased about. Well, I suppose starting it isn't the right description. I'll be starting to write it, which is very different and quite exciting. I just hope it goes smoothly.

One last update. Irene Goodman is holding an eBay auction for 25 personal partial critiques from her. Proceeds go to the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Deafness Research Foundation. The auction starts December 1, it's a wonderful RARE opportunity and you can read more here. http://www.irenegoodman.com/ebay.php

The next update will be December 15 so happy writing everyone!


November 17, 2009 -- Wow, lots of great news since my last update! First, What the Duke Desires hit the Bookscan Bestseller list for two weeks in a row! And the sales helped push the book into a second printing less than two weeks into its release! Plus, both Taboo and What the Duke Desires are finalists for Best Cover of 2009 at The Season website! I'll be posting some info on how to vote on November 30 (when final voting begins).

A huge thanks to all you readers out there for your help in making ALL this possible. By buying the book you made the first two things happen and by voting for the covers, the third thing came to pass! And all during my vacation. ;) Which, by the way, was wonderful.

I'll be starting work on a couple of new projects in the next short period. Not much I can really say about yet, but I'm hoping to be able to share soon. Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends, and until November 30, Happy Writing!


November 2, 2009 -- Quite a few things to report since the last update! First What the Duke Desires is now in stores everywhere! I hope you'll pick up a copy and keep supporting me! I appreciate all of you who already have! Hope you enjoy the story!

My weekend in North Carolina ROCKED. I loved presenting the Publishing From Top to Bottom Retreat. They are a great chapter and we had a ton of fun. I'm just starting to get my voice back! :) I'll be presenting the same retreat all over the country in the next year or so, so be sure to keep an eye on My Events for more info.

In other news, I'm busily working away on several projects that I hope will end up with legs. Until there are contracts, I probably won't say much about them. I've found that's the best way to go. Less confusion and having to take things back later. But I will say that I'm very excited about all the work I'm doing!

Our next update will actually be November 17 because I'll be on vacation on the 16. Happy Writing!


October 19, 2009 -- I am officially on the final countdown! In just one short week What the Duke Desires will be on shelves everywhere, though normally we start to see some trickle out of stock on Sunday and Monday of release week. I hope you'll all be able to find it and take the time to pick it up! I know one place where it will definitely be available early and that is at the booksigning associated with my retreat this weekend in North Carolina. Check out My Events for info and also the link to the event. The booksiging is open to the public and will start at 5pm on Saturday evening at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel and Conference Center in Durham, NC. We've made special arrangements so I'll definitely be signing What the Duke Desires there.

In other news, writing continues. I've really got a bug right now so I'm super productive which is awesome! I may burn out here in the next little while, but I'll take it while it lasts. I think working on my newly renovated office must be helping.

That's it until our next update. Please buy the book and until November 2 ... Happy Writing!


October 5, 2009 -- As you may have heard, last week the romance community lost Kensington Publishing editor extraordinaire Kate Duffy. I never worked with Kate, though I did hear her speak a few times. And she sent me my first rejection letter from a publisher back in 1999. It was two pages long, but I was so green that I had no idea what a golden thing that kind of feedback was. I wish I still had it (I did a rejection purge years ago). Her passing is a great loss to romance and my sympathies go out to her co-workers, her authors and her family.

In just a few weeks What the Duke Desires will be on shelves and hopefully in the hands of readers. This last month is always a little nervewracking, but I've been battling it with several projects. First, the revisions for the second Billingham Bastards book, The Unclaimed Duchess arrived just after my last update. I started working on them last week. I really do enjoy the process of revision. Having comments from my editor helps me see places where I could strengthen and clarify, and also story issues that I might not have thought of.

In addition, I've been working on the third Billingham Book, which is untitlted as of yet, of course. Caleb and Marah's book is a little more than a quarter done, though, and I'm looking forward to getting back to writing it this coming week.

Finally, I've been working on a renovation of my home office. My husband put in hardwood flooring over this past weekend, so now all that's left is a new closet system and moving the furniture back in! I really love the look of the space and I'm looking forward to creating there.

The next update will be October 19 (just a week before the release of What the Duke Desires so be sure to check back in there. And if you are in the St. Louis, MO or Durham, NC areas, be sure to check out My Events! I'll be in both places in the next few weeks!


September 21, 2009 -- First, if you have wanted to read the novellas that were part of my Sin Series ("Wager of Sin", "The Sweetest Sin" and "Sin's Mistress") but couldn't find them because they've been out of print (or didn't want to spend $500 for one of them (!!!!) -- I have good news. I have reissued the entire series as one volume, SIN, available in Amazon's Kindle format. This means that if you have a Kindle, iPod Touch or iPhone, you can buy the series for only $2.99 right now. Download it here.

I've continued working away on the third and final Billingham Bastards book and am making good progress. The beginning of a book is always sort of odd and interesting, since I don't know the characters as well as I do at the end when things start wrapping up. But since Caleb and Marah both played biggish parts in Lessons From A Courtesan (July 2008) that seems to be helping. I already know them a little.

I've also heard I'll be getting the revisions from my editor for The Unclaimed Duchess some time this week, so I'm looking forward to revisiting that story and tidying up any issues she found in it.

The next update will be October 5th! Until then, Happy Writing!


September 7, 2009 -- This month has started well for me! I finished my personal revision of The Unclaimed Duchess late in the month and turned it in on time. I am so very much in love with this book and I hope readers will enjoy the ride when it finally hits shelves next fall.

Once I was finished with that, I almost immediately began the pre-work for the third and final Billingham Bastards book. It is as yet untitled and features Caleb and Marah from Lessons From A Courtesan (July 2008) as the hero and heroine. I know a lot of you were hoping for a book for these two. I started writing last week and I'm already in love with their story. I hope it will be a strong finish to a series I've adored creating.

This month will basically be writing, writing, writing, as well as preparing for all my travel next month! Please check out My Events to see where I'll be and pre-register for my North Carolina event!

The next update will be September 21! Until then, Happy Writing!


August 17, 2009 -- I have to say that July ended quite stressfully and August began the same, but now things seem to have sorted themselves out, knock wood. I'm starting the revision on The Unclaimed Duchess, which is the new title for the second Billingham Bastard book. It is also now coming out in September 2010, not August, so adjust your calendars accordingly. I'd like to finish this within the next month or so and move on to the third and final book in the series, which is Caleb's book.

If you live in the St. Louis, MO area or the Durham, NC area, be sure to check out My Events. I will be speaking in both those areas in October and one of them requires advanced registration.

One final update this time: If you were following along with my husband's running after our "Mentor Lottery" a few months ago, he ran the half-marathon on August 2, 2009 in Chicago. He did wonderfully, despite a whole gambit of injuries that have been plaguing him for months. Thanks to all who have supported us!

My next update will be September 7, so until then Happy Writing!


August 1, 2009 -- Before I start, I wanted to let you all know that I'll be increasing my updates at the site to twice a month. So the first and third Monday of every month, I'll be updating (this will be today and August 17 this month and September 7 and 21 next month, get the picture?). I think the site needs a little more updating to remain current and I'm less burned out now so I can update more.

Okay, so July was crazy. RWA National was in DC and it was my best conference ever. Be sure to read my Conference Day-By-Day Diary if you haven't already. Great fun was had by all, a lot of you approached me to say thanks for Passionate Pen (greatly appreciated) or to tell me you love my books (also greatly appreciated). I saw sights, I hung out with friends, it was smashing! I'm already looking forward to RWA in Nashville next year.

Speaking of next year, it's shaping up to be busy already!! Last month I sent out a press release to every RWA Chapter in the US to promote my new day-long industry workshop. This is the publishing industry from top to bottom, everything you ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask (or didn't know you needed to ask). And the response has been tremendous. Right now I'll be in North Carolina, Nevada, Indiana for sure and possibly a couple more chapters. If you'd like your RWA or other writing group (sorry I am not able to do this on an individual basis, it must be through a writing group) to host me, have your speaker coordinator contact me. I've also added info on the retreat in My Workshops (where speaker coordinators can also contact me about other workshops I present).

Until August 17, Happy Writing!


July 1, 2009 -- This past month has been so busy. Between the Mentor Lottery (which raised over $2000 in a week), the final Anniversary celebration month and working on my own book, I've been swamped. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Anniversary Celebration over the last six months.

There are a few fun things to report. First, if you are a member of Facebook, I've created a quiz there that is all about my heroes! You can take it here and while you're add it, friend me!

Additionally, Amazon.com is now listing my February 2, 2010 release, Nothing Denied for pre-order. This erotic romance written under my Jess Michaels name is the final book in the Albright Sisters series. It features spoilt sister Beatrice and her taming at the ends of dominant rogue Gareth, who just might have killed his first wife. It was a challenge to make such a bitchy character likeable, but I really enjoyed it and I hope you'll like the final product when it hits stores in February.

And lastly, as you can see the cover for my November release, What the Duke Desires is now up. I love it and I'm so excited for the launch of my "The Billingham Bastards" series. I've put the cover up at my Jenna Petersen site, as well as the first excerpt from the book! So head on over!

If you are attending the RWA National Convention this year in Washington, D.C., please come and see me! I've put up my full schedule of appearances in My Events, as well as my schedule for the rest of 2009!


June 1, 2009 -- After a couple of crazy months, I'm actually happy to say that I don't have anything scheduled for the month of June as far as online or offline promotional events. Phew! I think I overbooked myself this time around, so I'll have to be sure not to do so when What the Duke Desires hits shelves this November. Just an FYI, I've added a bunch of new info about that book to my Jenna Petersen site this month, so come on by and start getting ready for "The Billingham Bastards" with me!

The one thing I have been doing is writing. I'm hoping to get pretty close to halfway done with this book by the end of June. That is actually a much slower pace than normal, but it's actually done on purpose. I'm big on trying new things, so I'm writing a tad slower and doing a little more editorial as I go with this book. It's an odd process for me, but the last year, especially has been so busy and crazy that I'm appreciating the reduced self-pressure. Sometimes you can burn yourself out and I was close to doing that.

At any rate, the book is coming along and I've been enjoying writing again. I hope you all will like the books coming your way, as well!

Finally, this month is the last month of our 2009 10-Year Anniversary Celebration, so I hope everyone will come by the Anniversary page and check out our final fabulous interview, as well as enter the last contest for the Anniversary. Thanks to everyone who participated, especially the editors and agents who were so generous with their time!

**This month I will be updating Passionate Pen twice! In the next couple of weeks (not sure of the date yet), I'll be updating again to give you details on a lottery I'll be holding where you can win a year of mentorship from Jenna Petersen/The Passionate Pen. This mentorship will include a meeting with me in DC during RWA (or if you are not going to DC, a telephone meeting), critiques of your work and more.

My husband is training for a marathon and all proceeds from the lottery will go to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society as part of his fundraising efforts. Look for all the details on how to enter the lottery in the next couple of weeks (I'm waiting for Leukemia/Lymphoma Society to update his fundraising page and make sure it's working before I start the lottery since the entries will be paid straight to his fundraising site).**


May 1, 2009 -- It's been a very busy month, with two releases. Her Notorious Viscount has seemed to do quite well and actually hit the Bookscan Bestseller list two weeks in a row, at my highest rank and with my highest sales numbers of any book I've had out so far. So thank you to everyone who bought it. I appreciate the support.

At the time that I'm writing this Taboo just hit stores, but those who have reviewed it seemed to like it a great deal. Avon's Red titles are not always in big box stores like Wal-Mart, but it should be stocked on your local bookstore shelves and is available at online retailers everywhere. I hope you will enjoy the story.

In other news, I was thrilled to receive a call from the Wisconsin RWA chapter to tell me that Something Reckless finaled in their Write Touch Readers Conference in the erotic category. Winners will be announced in early June, though I won't be able to make the conference myself.

This month will be, happily, less busy than April, however I will be making a few appearances. Check out my Events for more info on where I'll be (especially if you live in Indianapolis). And I've also started a new book, An Unwanted Duchess (The Billingham Bastards Book 2), which will likely be out next summer. More details are coming when I have them.

Happy writing everyone! And be sure to check out this month's Anniversary Update and contest!


April 1, 2009 -- Due to time constraints, I will no longer be updating Passionate Pen every week. I'm moving to a monthly schedule (around the first of every month). It may increase to bi-monthly, but we'll see. I'll also be answering email only once a month and if I feel an answer to a question could have been found on the site, I might not reply at all. This is just an FYI.

In other news, I have accepted a new contract with Avon, so the remainder of the Billingham Bastards series will be officially coming to a bookstore near you in the next couple of years.

Also, I've updated the Anniversary for April. Be sure to read Jessica Faust's great interview and enter the contest to win writing books from my own personal collection. This is also a very busy month for appearances for me, so check out My Events to see if I'll be near you or where to visit me online.

Oh and of course the biggest news of all is that Her Notorious Viscount is officially in stores! I would truly appreciate your support by buying the book. I'm very proud of the story and I hope my readers will enjoy it. Plus, on April 21, Taboo (Jess Michaels) will be in stores. This erotic historical romance was given my very first solo Top Pick from Romantic Times, which I'm very excited about!

Have a great April everyone. See you in May.


March 9, 2009 -- What a week. Between weather-related flight delays, cancelations and uncooked hamburger (it's a long story), my New York trip wasn't exactly what I planned. However, I did get some good work done, so it's still successful in its own way. Plus, while stranded in various airports and hotels, I managed to finish a first draft for Nothing Denied. I'm very happy to be done just because I'm exhausted. I am really looking forward to a couple weeks of resting and catching up with everything before I start revising the manuscript.

So this week that's what I'm doing. Writing some blogs for appearances later this month and into April, cleaning my wreck of an office, maybe reading a... gasp... book for pleasure!! Basic break stuff that I am SO looking forward to. Oh, and look for me to catch up with updates at my various Facebook/MySpace/Passionate Pen updates.

Then we'll be getting closer and closer to the release of Her Notorious Viscount which is out March 31!! I've already had a couple of reviews for it and so far reviewer reaction seems very positive! Romantic Times gave it four stars and First Edition gave it a glowing review. Anyway, there are a few things I have to do to get ready, so I hope you're on the countdown with me!!

Otherwise, I need a nap. So happy writing everyone!


March 1, 2009 -- I'm happy to say that I just posted the March Anniversary Update for the site! Come check out Selina McLemore's really great interview (if reading her answers doesn't make you want to work with her, I don't know what will!), enter the new contest and check out why I think published authors should come to New York if they can. I have also sent the newsletter for March for Jenna Petersen, so if you are a member of the newsletter list and didn't get it, please let me know. If you're not... well, why not? It's a monthly thing and you'll be kept up with all the "doings".

I will be a busy girl this week. Tomorrow morning I leave for my own trip to New York City (which is why my top ten list is about doing just that this month). I'll be doing a reading at Madame X on Monday night, so check out My Events for all the info if you live in the area! I'd love to meet you. During my stay I'll also be taking some meetings and seeing some good friends, so I'm very excited to be heading out to one of my favorite places in the world.

I'm also hoping to get ever closer to "The End" of my February 2010 erotic historical romance release, Nothing Denied. I'm on the final 100 pages or so and I'll have time on the plane rides, as well as during some of my evenings in New York. I'm really hoping to be finished by mid-March at the latest so that the book has some time to settle before I revise and turn it in.

Okay, I'm off to do some final packing. Very happy writing this week, everyone!


February 24, 2009 -- Well, we're back from Tucson after a lovely and relaxing visit with family (including our nephew Jake who turns 1 tomorrow). The respite does not last long, though. Next Monday I'll be departing for New York City for a week-long visit that includes a reading at Madame X in the Tribeca neighborhood. See My Events for where I'll be this week and during my NYC appearance.

I'm also writing away still on Nothing Denied which is rapidly approaching "The End". I'm not sure if it will be coming with me to the city, but either way it will be done by mid-March. I admit, I'm getting excited to see the end of the story and have a bit of breathing room with both erotic and historical turned in and on their way to production.

Otherwise, I intend to keep my head down and just try to do some catch up before I leave for NYC. There will be an update next Sunday, which is the 1st of March, so look for a new interview, contest and Top Ten List. I hope you've been enjoying the Anniversary Celebration! I know I have!!


February 16, 2009 -- Last week I managed to make it through the revision of What the Duke Desires (November 2009), which is now with my great friend and talented author, Kathryn Smith. She is awesomely reading the entire thing for me. I actually need to turn it in this Friday, although the due date is February 23, because I will be in Arizona visiting family next week. So no PP Update on February 23, but I will be drawing a winner when I get back February 24 and updating then. So you get a free extra day to enter to win ARCs for Life from Jenna Petersen.

Meanwhile, this week I'm back to working on my next erotic romance, Nothing Denied, which now has a tentative release date of February 2010. So add that one to your lists, although the name will likely change. I'm hoping to get some solid work done on it before I leave for Tucson. It's going to be a bit complicated since I will be going to Detroit tomorrow (February 17) to speak to the Greater Detroit Romance Writers on "Anatomy of a Love Scene". If you live in the Detroit area, feel free to come by for the meeting (you can come to one free before you join the chapter) and get a signed book from me!

Happy Writing Everyone! :) See you when I get back next Tuesday afternoon.


February 9, 2009 -- Hello all! As you can see from the beautiful image on the left, the French translation of From London With Love has a smashing cover. The book is out this week in France, as well, so if you live there you can now purchase it in your native tongue. They will also be translating Desire Never Dies and Seduction Is Forever and I believe the plan is to put them out rather close together, though I'm out of the loop almost completely so I could be wrong. Check your local bookstore for more info, I suppose!

So the title for this book is Bons Baisers de Londres, which Babelfish tells me translates literally to "Good Kisses of London". Someone who is better in French will hopefully give me a better translation, either way I think it's smashing. I love getting to see the foreign covers!

Otherwise, this past week I locked myself away and have been working on the revisions for What the Duke Desires (November 2009). I'm making some good progress and I'll probably work just on that again this week, putting off the writing of Nothing Denied a little longer. Luckily I have extra time built into my deadline, so I have no worries.

Also, this coming Saturday is Valentine's Day. Don't forget that A Red Hot Valentine's Day is still available at stores everywhere. It's a tasty collection of treats that could make your day a bit hotter. Also, I'll be on the radio today (February 9) at 2pmET for Romance Radio! Go to My Events for the link. You can call in with questions, so I'd love to hear from you!

Have a great week, everyone! Happy Writing!


February 2, 2009 -- Well, its another new month and the Anniversary has been updated with all new interview with the fabulous Mary-Theresa Hussey from Harlequin, a huge contest and top ten list! I hope you'll peruse it all in the next few days. January was so crazy busy, I'm hoping February feels a little less hectic. I have two writing projects though (the first draft of my erotic that is due April 15 and the revisions for What the Duke Desires (November 2009), so I'm guessing I might still feel a bit pressed for a while. This week I'm putting aside the writing (which I've been struggling with anyway) and focusing solely on the revision part. It's due sooner and I really want this book to be spectacular since it starts the Billingham Bastards series.

One thing that is off my shoulders now is that I launched my beautiful new newsletter over the weekend. It went out to over 900 subscribers. I really love the sophisticated new look and feel to the HTML newsletter. If you want to join, come over to my Jenna Petersen site and do so! I just updated it with a contest (yes, there are TWO contests going on right now), a bunch of big news and the sneak peek at my May 2009 erotic cover.

I'll be in several places this week in person and online, so please visit My Events for all the details.

Otherwise, have a very happy week with much good writing!


January 26, 2009 -- Life is really starting to pick up now that my next two releases are inching closer and closer. And I seem to keep catching this same rotten cold over and over, but I did buckle down last week and write, though I didn't actually reach my page goal. Still, I'm approaching the halfway mark now, which is good, I'm hoping to cross over that this next week and stay on track to finish the first draft by February 13. I'd love to be done before I go to Detroit for my presentation on February 17.

In other news, the Jenna Petersen site will be updated this week (probably Friday). We're also switching over to a new newsletter format, which I'm really excited about. Using YahooGroups was great for a start, but this is going to be much more professional. Anyone who is a member of the list when I do the mail merge over to the new group will be automatically entered to win a gift certificate from Amazon.com, so if you join in the next few days, you'll have a great chance to win, plus you'll get the newsletter which has all the tidbits on what's upcoming for me as a writer. Join by sending a blank email here.

This week I'll also be recording a couple of internet radio spots, though I have no idea when I'll actually hear them air. I'll keep you all informed when I have that info. I don't think we're live when recording, but doing to digital recording to be aired at a later date. Still, it's a bit nerve wracking. I will be doing a live internet broadcast in February, however, for Romance Radio. I'll have a link for that hopefully this week.

Finally, last week I registered for the Romance Writers of America national conference, which is being held in Washington, D.C. this year. If you're coming, I hope you'll come say hi at the literacy signing or if I'm speaking (we don't know yet). Also, keep your eyes peeled at Passionate Pen, because some of the anniversary prizes this year have to do with RWA as an organization and the national conference! Next contest begins February 1.

Happy Writing everyone!


January 19, 2009 -- A sudden illness and an even more surprising burst of creative energy on another project sidelined my plans for writing fifty pages on Nothing Denied last week. So I'll have to do a little extra this week to stay on target, which is fine. I'm really hoping to do at least 60 pages, which will put me over 100 and about a third of the way through the story. If do do 60 instead of 50, I'll still make my original self-imposed deadline.

Tomorrow (Jan 20), I'll also be spending some time with the Romance Vagabonds talking about the Passionate Pen 10-Year Anniversary, so come by and show some love there if you have time. There's only one week left to enter to win the three chapter critique from my agent Miriam Kriss, so if you've been waiting, this is the time to jump in! The winner will be chosen before I post next week and the contest will no longer be open after the update. So truly... last call!

Otherwise, I have very little to report. I'm writing.... um... ish. And trying to stay warm and that's just about it.

Happy Writing!


January 12, 2009 -- First off, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who jumped in on the release day of A Red Hot Valentine's Day and said congrats or bought the book. I really appreciate it, especially since I know the economy is so tough for people right now. I hope you enjoy the stories and that it whets your appetite for all the books to come in 2009!

Secondly, the Preditors and Editors poll ends on January 14. The Passionate Pen is up for Favorite Writer Resource and I'd love to have your vote. It only takes a second and it would mean a lot to me.

So my "normal" week was very nice. I actually caught up on a ton of stuff for promo and set up some blogs/interviews, as well as wrote on the new book (due April 15) called Nothing Denied. More than 50 pages are in the hopper and I'm planning on writing 50 more this week (although my week is randomly busy for some reason).

One other big thing I did last week was turn in my November 2009 historical, What the Duke Desires. This story starts my Billingham Bastards series that I'm almost giddy about. I just hope my editor likes the story. It's always nerve wracking to let a book go to the editor. There's always this tiny little fear that she's going to email me and say, "What were you thinking, you big hack!" Of course, she is much nicer than that and I can't imagine her phrasing it in such a way even if she did have issues with the book, but I've put a lot of heart and energy and love into this particular book, so that fear just... niggles. Still, it's exciting to set it free and let it start on its real journey to becoming a book (my 14th published book and 12th with Avon, to be precise).

Happy Writing Everyone! And don't forget to enter the contest. A first three chapter read from my agent Miriam Kriss is a great prize!!


January 5, 2009 -- Before I start this week I have to say... Yay!!! I have a book out (well, tomorrow). That's right, my ninth book with Avon (and 11th book total) is hitting shelves on January 6. The novella collection A Red Hot Valentine's Day features my historical story "By Valentine's Day", which is a "trapped in a storm"/"friends turn to lovers" story. I am very proud of it and I hope you'll love it. Check out My Events for info on where I'll be this week to celebrate!

Okay, so a blank diary always makes me sort of sad and happy at the same time. Sad because it means another year is over and happy because a whole new one has begun, filled with possibility and wonder (I hope). The first few days of the new year have already been great. First, a HUGE thanks to everybody who have come by for the Anniversary. I'm really appreciating the wonderful emails and comments that you're leaving attached to your contest answers. And please don't forget that this is just the beginning! I'll be adding more things to the celebration and there will be a new contest and interview each month. All I can say is that more fabulous prizes are coming. Secondly, The Passionate Pen is up for Favorite Writer Resource in the Preditors and Editors poll. You can vote here. Voting ends January 14, though, so don't delay!

But this week everything is going back to "normal", which is nice because 2008 was hectic! Between China, RWA, my brother's Seattle wedding, our trip to Hawaii and then to Idaho to see family... well, let's just say sometimes my house didn't feel like home because I was hardly here. I love the traveling, but I'm honestly looking forward to a stretch of time where I will be here catching up.

And what does catching up entail? Well, this week I have several mini-goals. One is to finish the final read of What the Duke Desires (November 2009) before it goes off to my editor next week for her comments and revisions. Also, I really want to catch up on all my email, MySpace comments and Facebook messages. I know I'm behind and I sincerely apologize. The holidays do a real number on my productivity. I'm also hoping to start real writing work on my next erotic historical, which is about Beatrice, the spoilt sister of the Albright family. Her book is tentatively called Nothing Denied, but that will likely change because... well, it sucks.

These goals may be a bit lofty considering I've been slacking and running around for the last month and considering I have a book out on Tuesday... but I'll take what I can get on working on them. Oh, and I'm still looking for more "What Passionate Pen Means to Me" quotes for the anniversary! Email them to me and they might get included one month here at the site!

Good luck getting back on a regular schedule everyone and HAPPY WRITING!!


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