Le Tote

I'm still working on my pink issues, but I promised to post a pic of the book tote I've made for the Darkyn novels auction. I just finished it this morning:



I seamed the bag so that it's fully reversible, and added a paperback-size outer pocket where the owner can hide the dreaded pink edition of Stay the Night keep their current read handy.

Added:

I was asked in comments if I'm going to do anything special for the winners of my other two auctions. I'm afraid I don't have time to make two more bags, so for the winner of my StarDoc auction I'll send the books in a tote with Van Gogh's Starry Night painting on the outside, and for the winner of the quilt auction I'll send it in a Celtic cloth tote I picked up at a RenFaire last year. Here is a pic of both (the Van Gogh tote on the left, the Celtic tote on the right):

Holiday Auction Update

I'd like to pass along how grateful I am for the very generous bidding going on for my Darkyn novels auction, which is being offered as part of the huge holiday auction to benefit our blogpal, author Jo Leigh. The StarDoc books and Corn & Beans quilt auctions have also brought in a very healthy number of bids. I suspect some of you out there are responsible, and I really appreciate your support -- this is a very worthy cause.

I'm about finished with the fabric of inspiration quilted book tote I'm making for the winner of the Darkyn novels auction. Will post a pic of the tote tomorrow once all the finishing work is done. The seven books are also assembled and ready to be signed and shipped:



(About the caption -- I sent this photo as proof to a friend who also writes series novels. We both started writing our series at the same time, and had a small charity bet on who would finish theirs first. I won, thus the crowing.)

With the books and the tote I will also include for the winner of the Darkyn novels auction a printed copy of my rapidly upcoming e-book release, Master of Shadows (printed by me on bond paper and placed in a three-ring binder.)

If you haven't had a chance to check out the current auction list, do take a minute to click over and have a look -- there are a bunch of new items that have been listed that would make terrific holiday gifts for yourself or the readers or writers in your life.

Bid on PBW

If you're looking for some unique holiday gifts, our auction to benefit our blogpal author Jo Leigh, who lost her husband earlier this year and is still struggling to pay the medical bills, is now up and running here.

My contributions, which you will soon be able to bid on:

1. A complete, signed set of all seven Darkyn novels: If Angels Burn, Private Demon, Dark Need, Night Lost, Evermore, Twilight Fall, and Stay the Night.

2. A signed set of the eight StarDoc novels published to date: StarDoc, Beyond Varallan, Endurance, Shockball, Eternity Row, Rebel Ice, Plague of Memory, and Omega Games (I'll get Alison to correct the titles that are included in the listing; someone missed a couple and threw in some others that aren't in the StarDoc series.)

3. This brand-new, never-used quilt from my personal collection:



There are also some other terrific items up for bid, including author, agent and editor critiques, mentoring opportunities, internet services, web site hosting, signed bundles of ARCs and books, gift certificates, and many more goodies, so when you have a chance definitely go over and check out the listings.

Added: The full list of the current/open auctions on eBay is here (many more auctions to be added as they go live.)

Auction for Jo Leigh

I know a lot of you have already heard the sad news about author Jo Leigh losing her husband on Friday, but for those who haven't, I'm posting this information and related links from author Stephanie Tyler's weblog:

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"One of our own, author Jo Leigh (aka Jolie Kramer) lost her husband on June 13 after he courageously battled cancer. If you don’t know their story which is the stuff romance novels are made of, you can read it here and see their wedding picture here.

In addition to being a fabulous friend to so many and a mulit-RITA nominated author who has written for Harlequin Blaze, Temptation, Intrigue, Special Projects, Silhouette Intimate Moments and Meteor Kismet, Jo is known across the country for the amazing writing classes she teaches, including one on plotting that is incomparable. She has been incredibly generous to so many in sharing her knowledge and expertise.

Unfortunately, Jo has been left with a lot of medical expenses she will be struggling to cover as they had no health insurance, and we would like to help her out by holding several fundraising auctions. If you have items to donate - books or book baskets/collections, critiques, ARCs of upcoming releases, mentoring opportunities, web or promotional material design work etc., please email the item description to the following email address: forjoleigh@gmail.com. This is the address we’re using to organize the items.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Alison Kent, HelenKay Dimon, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Tyler

**edited to add - We’ve been asked about monetary donations - please email me via my contact page and I’ll email you the paypal address, if this is how you wish to help Jo.

We’ve already covered a lot of loops and groups, but if you’d like to post it where you haven’t seen it, or put it up on your blog, that would be wonderful."
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To help out, I'll be donating the corn and beans quilt I showed here on the blog a couple of weeks ago, as well as signed sets of all the Darkyn and StarDoc novels. I'll keep you all updated as to the when and where of the auctions as well.

Writers and readers out there, if you can contribute in any way to help Jo through this tough time, please do what you can for her.

Blaze Bonanza

I went to the bookstore today to pick up among other things Alison Kent's latest Blaze release. As I was looking through the titles, other familiar names started jumping off the shelf and smacking me in the head. Turns out that in addition to Alison, Jo Leigh, Jordan Summers and Stephanie Tyler all have new Blaze releases out this month.

What are the odds of seeing four blogpals, all with new books, all published under the same imprint, all hit the same shelf at the exact same time? I don't know, either, but I feel like someone at Harlequin wants me to be very happy.

Tex Appeal is actually a trio of stories by Alison Kent, Kimberly Raye and Cara Summers. I don't think I've ever read a Blaze trilogy before, and romance short stories are tough to write. The stories are about some of our favorite heroes, cowboys, so I'm looking forward to seeing what these three ladies have delivered.

Coming Soon by Jo Leigh is a novel set in the very hot Hush hotel from the Do Not Disturb line, one of my favorite Blaze miniseries. Who wouldn't love a hotel that caters to your private fantasies? Just imagine the room service menu. Or what's stocked in the each room's armoire. Jo never disappoints, so I know this one will be a great read.

Off Limits is Jordan Summers' first release for Blaze. As soon as I saw it I remembered back to the day she posted about selling this book, and then I teared up. When a writer friend who works as hard and cares as much about writing as Jordan does gets on the shelf, I do get a little emotional. I love the cover art for this one, too. It's both provocative and lovely, which suits Jordan's writing style perfectly.

Beyond His Control by Stephanie Tyler features one of her much-loved Navy SEAL heroes. I admit it, I love her guys. Seeing Stephanie in print also takes me back to the days when I first started PBW and (virtually) met her and so many other new young writers pursuing publication. Watching this next generation of writers turn pro is beyond cool.

I've got plenty to read now, so thank you, Harlequin.

I'd like to celebrate my blogpals' releases with a giveaway, so if you want a chance to read these novels, in comments to this post list a link or URL for any writer weblog that you enjoy visiting (or, if you can't pick a favorite, just throw your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Saturday, March 1st, 2008. I'll draw four names from all those who participate and send the winners unsigned copies of Tex Appeal by Alison Kent, Kimberly Raye and Cara Summers, Coming Soon by Jo Leigh, Off Limits by Jordan Summers, Beyond His Control by Stephanie Tyler, plus a surprise. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

RW: Take Me Away

I started reading romance as a teen, about the same time Harlequin started publishing their Presents line (yes. I am that old.) I used money I made babysitting to buy category romance novels, frankly because they were cheaper than the big historicals. My lack of cash helped me discover terrific authors like Robyn Donald, Ann Mather, and Margaret Rome.

Category romance writers rarely get the respect or attention they deserve, which is a shame. Everyone makes fun of Barbara Cartland for her sugary romances, for example, but that lady taught me more about English history than any school teacher ever did (and her novel Love Under Fire has remained on my keeper shelf for 35 years.) I've learned a lot from reading these authors, and still do.

If you're not convinced, then you should try writing a romance under 75K that adheres to guidelines so stringent and restrictive that they make strait jackets look comfy. Then try to sell it. I tried -- fifteen times -- and I never could.

Author Jo Leigh has done all of the above, over thirty times now, I believe. After meeting her via the publishing blogosphere, I picked up one of her books. It was just out of curiosity; I hadn't read a category in years, mainly because I thought all the good writers had moved on. Stupid me. Jo is a great storyteller, and the emotional realism she invests in her characters gets you in the heart every time. I struggle with that, so I admire and envy that kind of talent. Then there are her plots, which are so seamless and tight you can bounce quarters off them.

Kidnapped! is Jo Leigh's latest release, and I loved it for a number of reasons. It's so audacious, emotionally-charged and unpredictable that it leaves you breathless. You never know what's going to happen next in this novel. Technically speaking, the plotting in this one is insane; it demanded precise balancing in order for it to work, and she pulled it off without a single hitch. By the end I wasn't quite sure how she'd done it. I got so caught up in the story that I stopped paying attention to the mechanics.

But as always, you don't have to take my word for it. In comments to this post, name an author or novel you've read that taught you something, and what that something was (or, if you're still learning, just throw your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, September 7, 2007. I'll draw five names at random from everyone who participates, and send the winners an unsigned copy of Kidnapped! by Jo Leigh, plus a surprise. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.