Michelle Rowen

Reaching

2008-05-08T13:18:00.002-04:00

You know that famous scene in Roman Holiday when Gregory Peck reaches into that statue mouth thing and freaks Audrey Hepburn out when he pretends his hand just got bitten off?

Okay, firstly... Audrey Hepburn's character? TSTL? Discuss.

Quite honestly, that is what the last four months of my life has felt like. No, not TSTL, although I suppose that could be debatable. But, reaching out into the darkness for something I can't see and risking getting my hand bitten off. This is the life of a full-time writer. Welcome. Try the veal.

What I have learned:

1. Nothing worth having is easy.
2. Being published is not as glamorous or as much fun as I thought it would be.
3. I am incredibly positive (depending on the day, hour, minute) about my sustained future as a writer.

But it ain't easy.

In the past four months, this is what I've done...

1. Written a full first draft of a paranormal romance novel.
2. Completely rewritten a YA novel.
3. Written four proposals: 1 category, 1 paranormal romance, 1 sci-fi, 1 YA (in prog)
3. Written one outline for a book already on contract -- Devils & Diamonds.
4. Finished editorial revisions on Stakes & Stilettos.
5. Um... I know there's other bits and pieces but nothing comes immediately to mind. General brainstorming and the like.

The full first draft of the paranormal romance formerly known on the blog as NWM? It's dead. Doornail dead. I pulled it from submission because, 1) it was rejected by two editors who said it didn't suit my "voice", and 2) my gut told me I was trying to chase the market and failing miserably (it had a group of supernatural warriors in it. Enough said.). It represents two months of my time that won't end up in a sale. Waste of time? Hell yeah. Do I regret writing it in the first place? A little. But it taught me loads about what I really want to write and that's helped hone my focus right now. Every other project I have on the stove right now is something I hope to finish writing.

At this very moment, I'm waiting on news on two projects from the list above. Three, really. It's so odd to have one's fate in someone else's hands. I think about my writing career 24/7, so any delays in decisions cause me tons of angst. It's exciting on some levels, like a roller coaster. I know that everything will work out well, or at least the way it was supposed to. I believe in fate. I also believe that fate can be swayed by hard work. I told a friend that if every project I have out right now results in a sale, then I'm going to be seriously screwed because that's a lot of deadlines. But I welcome that. I work best when I have a deadline.

Right now I'm working on a YA proposal. I'm going to start there. I'd like to write it in full. But different ideas are coming to me...really great ideas...and the doubt weasels are at work. Maybe I can't make it as good as it has the potential to be. But I'm going to try my best. I'm going to keep reaching toward my dreams and hopefully not lose my hand in the process.

---

I saw Iron Man yesterday. One of the biggest perks about not working 9-5 is going to weekday matinees. Word.

It was good. Loved Robert Downey Jr. Wanted to punch Pepper Potts in the face for being a total doormat. Ugh. Stuck in the fifties much? Couldn't they have updated her character a bit? Give me Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman any day.

Didn't love it. Didn't hate it. It didn't live up to the hype for me. Spiderman 2 reigns as my favorite superhero movie and to say the least I'm definitely looking forward to the Wolverine movie.

Hump day

2008-05-07T09:47:00.004-04:00

I (or rather, my alter ego Michelle Maddox) has received her first review of COUNTDOWN and, wow, it's a great one! Check out the full review at Ramblings on Romance.

"I found it very hard to put down and on more than one occasion I was late back from my lunch and breaks at work...It was fast-paced, a thrill of a run and a great love story all combined into one. It was like nothing I’ve ever read before"

Cool!

So I survived being Maid of Honor in my sister's wedding. Other than the torrential rain on Saturday, it was fairly perfect. She and her new DH are off to Mexico today. For some reason, they said I couldn't join them. Hrmmphh!

Cindy and Mike gave me Coach handbag in thanks for me helping out with the graphic design bits and pieces of the wedding. I used to buy expensive accessories all the time, but that's been on hold a bit this year as I transition to life as a full-time writer.

I'm a total Coach bag ho now. I love it. I already have a small black one but I bought it on the sidewalks of NYC if ya know what I mean. And I mean that it's a knock-off. This one, however, is the real deal.

I got a little sidetracked with my writing the last couple weeks with the wedding and waiting on some writing-related news. Today I'm actually working on a new project. It's a darker-toned YA that evolved from a different proposal altogether. While I wait on various ducks to align, I will work on this.

And possibly I'll be seeing Ironman some time today. It's all good.

P.S. I'm now keeping a mirror blog at michelle-rowen.livejournal.com. I plan to eventually transition completely over to LJ. I feel like it's time for a fresh start and there are so many communities and other writers blogging on LJ that I'm just going to make like a lemming and jump.

Win me!

2008-05-05T12:44:00.004-04:00

Have you checked out Brenda Novak's charity auction yet? Lots of great stuff up for bid at http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/

Even this one that includes a outline + 25 page proposal critique which includes a signed copy of Lady & the Vamp by somebody named Michelle Rowen. Oh, that's me. What do you know.

The auctions end at the end of this month, so bid soon, bid often. It's to benefit Diabetes research, which, since I have a friend living with that disease, is a charity near and dear to my heart.

I promise to post more soon. April was a crazy month on many counts. My sister's wedding was this past Saturday. Could it have rained more? I don't think so. But it was still a fantastic wedding during which I had many drinks from the open bar. (the Crispy Crunch -- Frangelico + Kahlua -- shot was a particular favorite).

OOTB Spotlight on Gena Showalter

2008-04-30T09:51:00.002-04:00

I'm really looking forward to Gena's new series. And doesn't she get the hottest covers??

THE DARKEST NIGHT

by Gena Showalter

His powers – Inhuman

His passion – Beyond immortal . . .

All her life, Ashlyn Darrow has been tormented by voices from the past. To end the nightmare, she has come to Budapest seeking help from men rumored to have supernatural abilities, not knowing she'll be swept into the arms of Maddox, their most dangerous member -- a man cursed to die every night, only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again.

Neither can resist the instant hunger than calms their torments . . . and ignites an irresistible passion. But every heated touch and burning kiss will edge them closer to destruction -- and a soul-shattering test of love . . .

Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive -- and unimaginably powerful . . . Don’t miss this incredible new paranormal series from Gena Showalter!

Read a three chapter excerpt here!

ABOUT GENA SHOWALTER

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter has been praised for her “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories.” The author of more than seventeen novels and anthologies, Showalter is celebrated in a wide variety of genres for her breathtaking romances featuring dark, seductive heroes and strong, appealing heroines. Readers can’t get enough of her trademark wit and singular imagination, whether she’s writing paranormal stories about vampires, nymphs and superheroes, white-hot contemporary romance or alien huntress books. Her newest series, Lords of the Underworld, promises to be her sexiest and most addictive yet. Don’t miss this intoxicating blend of dangerous passion, demons and other supernatural forces, and immortal men who are hotter than hell!

REVIEWS

"A fascinating premise, a sexy hero and non-stop action, The Darkest Night is Showalter at her finest, and a fabulous start to an imaginative new series." Karen Marie Moning, New York Times best selling author

"One of the premier authors of paranormal romance." --New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole

You can buy your copy at: Amazon or Barnes and Noble

Website www.genashowalter.com
www.lordsoftheunderworld.net

Miley Cyrus, pens, and guerillas

2008-04-29T10:46:00.003-04:00

I haven't been blogging too much lately. There is a ton of stuff I need to get through in my real life, including my sister's wedding this Sunday, as well as some writing stuff. I'll be back a bit more next week.

Here's a post I wrote for The Midnight Hour yesterday but I forgot to post, so I'm posting it here instead...

When I went to RT, one of the most educational things to see, in my opinion, is what is known as Promo Alley. Tables and tables of promo material from all the authors in attendence for anyone to walk by and pick up as many as they liked.

Some things that were there:

Pens
Notepads/Sticky notes
T-Shirts
Cover flats
Postcards
Bookmarks
Candies
Emery boards
Excerpt booklets
Stress balls

And much more. The first time I went to a convention, I picked up bags of this stuff. When I got home, I threw most of it away. Except the pens. I must have about five hundred pens around my condo right now.

The question is... did I buy any books based on the promo material?

Not that I can think of. Although, the T-shirt is pretty cool. I feel like I owe Lisa Jackson a sale based on such a cool giveaway.

This year I had cover flats and postcards. The cover flats I got for free, the postcards I paid about $90 for 500 of them. I'm running low on pens. It costs about 50¢ per pen if I wanted to get some more. Is it worth it? When the average royalty rate on a paperback novel is 50¢, are pens that good of an investment? I've never bought a book based on a pen. It's not advertising, I consider it, however, a nice perk and giveaway and will probably get a bunch more in the future.

So what works for promo?

To me, it's a couple of things. Word of mouth and guerilla marketing.

Let's use Miley Cyrus as an non-writing example of these two things.

A confession: I do not watch Hannah Montana. Nor do I have any interest in starting. I do not look up to a 15 year old superstar. I have avoided anything to do with her since my interest in her and her fandom is nil.

But.

Her freaking song "See You Again" is currently stuck in my head. I just downloaded it so I can listen to it whenever I want and possibly "use" it on the pseudo soundtrack for my next book.

She's everywhere. I couldn't avoid her. I couldn't avoid her song. Enough exposure has made her unavoidable in my life.

That's guerilla marketing. Then again, Miley has the entire Disney army backing her.

Bottom line, people won't buy your book if they have never heard of you. The only way they'll hear about you is if you get your name and your product out there.

Face-to-face promo is difficult for me because I'm not naturally prone to the schmooze (despite giving a workshop on that subject earlier this year). Which is a roundabout way of saying that I'm mortifyingly shy (depending on how much alcohol I've consumed, of course). Conventions are difficult because every now and then I find that I've suddenly transported back into my room and away from the maddening crowd.

My best option is internet guerilla marketing. I have this blog, a couple group blogs; I put up several chapters of each release for potential readers to sample; I am a member of a blog-circuit (Out of the Blogosphere). I do what I can. I could do more.

Word of mouth marketing will take you places, but it's not controllable or predictable. I have bought books based on somebody raving (in a seemingly genuine way) about the book on their blog.

Oddly enough, the number one way I will typically buy a new author I've never tried before? Reading a bad review. I am more likely to buy a book after a bad review than a good one. The bad reviews are so much more intriguing and sometimes what the reviewer despised is exactly what I'm looking for in my next read.

I'm curious what prompts you to buy a book by an author you've never read before. Promo materials? Good buzz? And does anyone else have that pesky Mylie Cyrus song in their heads right now?

Winners

2008-04-28T00:34:00.001-04:00

Thank you to everyone who entered! The winners for a signed ARC of Countdown are:

Kristin

Jessica V.

thebookgirl

If you could all send me an email to michelle@michellerowen.com with your mailing addresses, I'll get these out to you asap!

Thanks again!

ARCs Ahoy! Win!!

2008-04-23T12:04:00.003-04:00

Before I left for Pittsburgh, I received a very welcome package of COUNTDOWN ARCs (Advance Reading Copies). I gave a couple away while at the convention, but I'm going to give three away this week here on zee blog....

I'm so pleased to have received a ton of enthusiasm about this book. Everyone seems to be very excited about the SHOMI line and I'm just grateful to be a part of the fun. (and danger.... and, well, evil robots... etc.)

So... a reminder of what COUNTDOWN is all about:

THREE
Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room, handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to figure out how to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die.

TWO
The stranger she’s been partnered with—her only ally in this nightmare—is a convicted murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And worse yet, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him?

ONE
No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

I'm probably not going to be posting much this week (busy busy!!), so this post will stay at the top of my blog. I'll pick a winner on Sunday, April 27th at 12:00 a.m. EST.

Just leave a comment to this post and let me know what you're "counting down" to this year. A vacation, a move, a movie, a book? What are you looking forward to the most? I'll draw three winners from whoever enters for a signed copy of COUNTDOWN written by my alter ego, Michelle Maddox.

Have a great week!

Back to real life

2008-04-22T10:14:00.002-04:00

Going to an RT convention is a lot like going over the rainbow to the Land of Oz. Things look similar to reality until you look closer and then it's anything but. It's kind of bizarre and it must be experienced to understand it completely. It's Romancelandia where the rules are different and people eat what's put in front of them no matter what it is, watch strange and questionable forms of entertainment, and wear fairy wings and vampire fangs.

I had fun and met some seriously amazing people -- readers and writers and editors and publicity people and reviewers -- but I have to say, I'm a little outside of my comfort zone when it comes to these big shin-digs -- which is actually one of the reasons I go to them. One should not be comfortable all of the time!

I have to say... Pittsburgh is a lot like Daniel Craig. This is the best analogy I can come up with -- I'm still recovering from my trip. I didn't think Daniel Craig would make a good Bond, and I didn't think Pittsburgh would make for a good destination. I was wrong on both counts. Craig rocks and so does Pittsburgh. It's a beautiful city! Kind of like a mini New York and surrounded by water and what seemed to be a million bridges.

Yes, the Hilton was still under construction but I didn't find it too annoying.

Number one annoyance of conventions/conferences is waiting in line. Waiting at the elevators. Waiting to be let into the luncheons/dinners -- which inevitably wasn't for an additional 20 minutes past the stated start time. But as writers, we know how to wait so we're quite used to it.

Richelle Mead did a great write-up and photo montage of the week which includes the best and worst pics taken of me at the con. Truly. The diet starts today. At the latest, tomorrow.

I attended the Mr. Romance competition and it was just as fun as the last time I went to it. People are either really into this thing or they snark on it completely. I'm somewhere in between. It was entertaining...but I didn't take it too seriously.

Here's some really crappy video I took of winner being announced (btw, Chris Winters was definitely the hottest -- even though in my video he seems to have no face. He can be on my cover any day)...

The book fair went very well and I got to meet loads of cool people who stopped by to buy a book or have me sign a book they already had (brought from home or Lady & the Vamp was available free in the goody room!). Then there was a complete and total power failure and the room was plunged into absolute darkness. Which was exciting. Kinda. A hundred cell phone screens flickered on during the five or so minutes we were without power. Just another surreal moment at the con.

I took some video again, and it sucks, but it will give a glimpse at how massive this thing is...

For better coverage, check out the Rebels of Romance who did video blogging while there, even though I don't think I saw Liz and Marianne once the whole week. It is a sea of romance writers and readers, I tell ya.

I'll be posting pics to my photo gallery and on Facebook in the next few days... rock on...

Yesterday I had some non-writing stuff to do, but today I officially start on my new book, which since it's currently due July 1st, there's no time to waste.

So, yeah. Writing now. After all, that's what it's all about, right?

Reporting from RT, Part 2

2008-04-18T15:10:00.005-04:00

Today was the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice awards lunch. They lured us to stay past the lunch and through the awards by promising lovely tote bags filled with books. 99% of the audience stayed. And I got some video of some of the speeches that I have painstakingly uploaded and now share with you all...

(And yes, Megan, I have graduated to video (as long as I'm not actually in it). Be afraid. Be very afraid.)

It's not great quality, but the sound is good. What do you want for nothing? ;)

J.R. Ward accepted for Best Vampire Romance (Lover Unbound):

My buddy Eve Silver accepted for Best Historical Gothic (Dark Prince):

And then (shamelessly) accepted ANOTHER award as Eve Kenin for her (fantastic) Shomi novel DRIVEN, which won for Best Futuristic Romance:

My Toronto Romance Writer chapter-mate Molly O'Keefe (woo hoo!) won for Best Harlequin SuperRomance (Baby Makes Three):

And I thought you might also like to see Kim Harrison accept her award for Best Urban Fantasy Protagonist (Rachel Morgan from For A Few Demons More):

More has been happening but I'm tired now. Too much lunch. Too many books. Will return later!

Michelle Rowen, reporting from Pittsburgh....

2008-04-17T14:46:00.004-04:00

Free wireless internet in all rooms. Does it get any better? I do not think so.

So.... here I am, in glorious Pittsburgh at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. I arrived at about 4 o'clock yesterday after a mostly smooth *g* drive with my TRW chapter-mate Michele Ann Young.

Here's the view from my window:

The hotel is under construction, but it doesn't seem too bad. Not as many elevators working as there should be, but the restaurants all seem to be open. It is really cold in the meeting rooms and the ballroom where the luncheons are held. All in all, nothing to complain about. Yet. *evil laughter*

Last night I met and partied with what I shall refer to as the Seattle Urban Fantasy Gang. I am now an honorary member (well, they said I was either with them or against them). Richelle Mead and Mark Henry and myself all share the same agent (the fab Jim McCarthy) and it was great to finally meet them in person, along with Mark's lovely wife Caroline, and Caitlin Kittredge all of whom hail from Seattle.

Here's Richelle, Mark and me:

Richelle and Caitlin:

While we were in the pub, Richelle found out that her new YA release Frostbite hit #7 on the New York Times childrens' best-seller list! How awesome is that? Congrats Richelle!

I also got the chance to hang out with Jackie Kessler and Cheyenne McCray and several other fabulous writers. I'm having a great time so far and it's only Thursday...

Here's a shot from the Dorchester spotlight earlier this afternoon:

Tonight is my Grand Central publisher dinner so that should be fun.

Last night was the Ellora's Cave Hollywood dance thingy. I took a bit of video will give you an idea of how big these events are:

Okay.... that's all for now. I'll try to post more tomorrow...

RomanticTimesapalooza

2008-04-15T15:08:00.003-04:00

Okay.... trying to pack for Pittsburgh. Went out and bought a few new items of clothing today. Nothing with fairy wings, though. I know I'll be in the minority of costumed people at the "parties" but what can I say? No fairy wings. Not gunna do it.

My plan is to share my RT experience with you all in a cavalcade of pictures and video. This depends on internet service at the hotel and if I can find any free hot spots. :-)

In other words... you'll either be hearing from me or you won't.

If you're going to the convention, I'll see you there. Please be gentle with me. I don't get out of the cave much anymore.

Beach Trash

2008-04-14T09:29:00.004-04:00

The title of my post today is what Kelly Ripa just referred to her old popular fiction book club. Regis and Kelly were speaking with a viewer who read, as Regis termed it "those trashy romances."

The audience tittered.

"How trashy do those books get?" he asked.

"They get pretty raunchy," the viewer said.

"And that's why you like them?" regis asked.

"Yes," the viewer replied bluntly.

Sing it, sister.

I used to work at an advertising agency when I just got out of college and my bosses were two Italian guys who were in their twenties. They were both attractive and successful men. They called me a "Mangia Cake" which is slang for a non-Italian blonde chick like me. In the beginning, I thought it was kind of cute. I mean, how bad is being called a pastry?

But sometimes it was the way they said it. Like it was the deepest insult they could cast at me. Like they termed me that because I wasn't as good as them and it was meant to put me in my place. "Don't listen to her, she's just a caker." Etc.

On the surface some phrases are meaningless, but it's all in the way they're said.

Beach trash can be a term to express a fun, light and entertaining read perfect for the beach.

Or it can be said in a way that makes the person who says it feel superior.

The Regis/Kelly thing just left a bad taste in my mouth. I haven't experienced much discrimination in romance, in fact, none at all that comes to mind.

However, I experienced two interesting things this week.

At the hair salon, when the colorist got it out of me that I was a writer. What kind of writer? Of books. What kind of books? Romance novels.

"Oh," she laughs. "Do you have to think of all those crazy different terms for 'penis'?"

This is the first thing that comes to mind when a person thinks of romance novels? Riiight.

In fact, penis is not a word that comes into play in my Rowen books. My Maddox, ones, on the other hand...

"No," I told her. "C*ck does just fine, thanks."

That shut her up. :-)

Or, at the bank, I deposited my most recent million dollar advance (ha) to a teller I'd dealt with before who knew what I do and is one of the few who won't put the three week hold on my American checks.

"So, do you ever think about writing something else?" she asked.

Which confused me. I assume she means that I should write something "more important" than romance. Like literature. Something that means something to the world.

In other words: Not beach trash.

Well, I like reading entertaining books. I like writing them. And if I'm writing beach trash, then so be it.

In fact, I'm leaving for my beach trash convention this Wednesday. I won't be sending Regis a postcard.

General blather

2008-04-10T10:33:00.002-04:00

Okay, my sci-fi chapters are now sitting with my agent. He doesn't normally handle sci-fi, but I made sure he knew this was really more of an urban fantasy that just happens to be set in outer space. I wouldn't even know where to begin to write a hard sci-fi novel. That sort of thing doesn't interest me to read or to write. Too technical. Other than a phaser gun and an orbiting space station, that's about as spacy as my story gets. We shall see.

I'm switching back to my light para proposal. Last night I got one of those annoying gut feelings that tend to cause me extra work. I wrote the chapters in first person but I'm afraid this book needs to be third. Gah. At least I'm realizing it now instead of after I've already written it and need to convert 90K to a different POV. I'll play with it today and see what happens.

It'll be good to sink back into a book I'm guaranteed to spend more than three chapters with. Although, ask me in a couple of weeks and I'm sure I'll have a different opinion.

Six days until the RT convention and I'm just now realizing that I have nothing to wear. Tomorrow I'm going to the hair salon. Monday I'm going to the nail salon (I miss my talons).

For some reason I feel incredibly stressed out. Maybe I should book a massage as well.........

Chatting on Joyfully Reviewed loop

2008-04-07T13:35:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to say that all of the current SHOMI authors are chatting and putting up excerpts on the Joyfully Reviewed Yahoo! loop this afternoon if anyone would like to swing by.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chatting_with_Joyfully_Reviewed

Happy Monday

2008-04-07T10:56:00.002-04:00

I spent a good part of my weekend working on my sci-fi proposal. I only got 20 pages, but I like them a lot. I'm going to do the next 20 hopefully today and then shoot it over to my agent to get his take on whether or not I've gone completely insane with this. It's a possibility.

Then I'm going to spend a couple of daze on polishing my light paranormal proposal.

As of next week I'm officially on DEVILS & DIAMONDS, which is the fifth and final book in my Immortality Bites series. My outline has been approved, so I'm good to go. This is due July 1st, so with less than three months to write it I'm going to be rather...devoted to it. To say the least. I'm excited about the storyline and getting back to my darling vampires to see how it all turns out -- and if it will turn out precisely how I've imagined it in the outline.

A week from Wednesday I'll be at the RT convention. I plan to blog from there and do pics and hopefully some video. But you know what they say about the best plans...

Being Madonna is hard work

2008-04-04T14:02:00.002-04:00

The title is from a alleged quote from Madonna herself. It helped remind me that nobody owes you anything in life, and if you want something really bad you can't just sit back on your laurels and wait for it to come to you. You need to go out and hunt it down, shoot it in the head, and drag it home.

See, I've been waiting for news on my billion-and-one proposals I have out and I've been DABBLING with new projects. I feel like I've been working hard, but it's mostly been promo on LATV and doing some mild brainstorming for future ideas. And the days go by.

Well, this is the wrong method of working. I need to ATTACK the new stuff. For example, my sci-fi proposal that I'm probably going to refer to a lot because I freaking love it so damn much. But as a friend said to me, I probably love it because I'm still in the honeymoon phase. We, my proposal and I, haven't been through the hard times yet. It's just a happy little shiny idea that's waving at me from the distance. It looks great from afar. But the closer it gets I'll probably notice the bad skin, oily complexion and foul breath. Or something like that.

And my Madonna metaphor... I always do think WWMD in some situations. She probably wouldn't watch Maury Povich every morning, for example. She would get up and work hard. then she'd network her butt off. Then once she had a level of success she'd keep at it just as hard. Now, she's an A-type personality. I'm not -- at least not naturally. But I am driven when I put my mind to something. It's like in high school... I managed a B average without really doing homework or studying. Like, ever. If I'd really applied myself, I'm positive I could have pulled A's in most subjects. But I didn't. In retrospect, I don't really care. But now, I feel like I'm working at a B-level and I want to push things to the next level. I need to go A all the way. No excuses. Just hard work.

I was watching another show about this chick who was trying to lose weight. And she said she knows she needs to eat properly and exercise, but it's just easier to watch TV. And yes, it is easier. Doing what it takes to get what you want is the harder road.

It's all very clear to me. We get out of life what we put into it. 24 hours a day speeds by pretty darn fast.

Stuff

2008-04-03T12:26:00.003-04:00

Still recovering from the hangover I got from my virtual release party. No more virtual tequila for me! Ugh. Good times!

The days are speeding past me. I can't believe I'm going to be at the Romantic Times convention in less than two weeks.

Still waiting to hear back on a bunch of stuff I have out and about. I like waiting. It builds character. *goes insane* I've finished my sci-fi synopsis and plan to write my proposal chapters through to the end of the weekend. I'm enjoying this project a lot, probably because it feels different than the stuff I'm used to working on. It's like a breath of fresh air. In space.

I think my cat has also gone insane. He's running around attacking things that are not there. Must be Spring fever all around.

Virtual book launch party!

2008-04-01T09:57:00.004-04:00

Today is the official release day for LADY & THE VAMP and welcome to my party! Please, come in. Don't mind the crowd.

Please, help yourself to the buffet. I've just done a small spread of cheese and crackers, a shrimp ring (because, come on, what is a party without a shrimp ring?), some of those pinwheel sandwich thingies, lots of fruit with a chocolate dip, nachos, sausage rolls (always a hit), mini quiches and a veggie tray for those watching their food intake. Over on the dessert buffet are mini-cheesecakes, brownies, Timbits (rah). Not sure who brought the Jello mold, but what can you do?

Dmitri is manning the bar (no pun intended). It was his idea not to wear a shirt, but I'm okay with it. Please place your drink orders with him and he will make sure you get whatever you want.

I recommend the raspberry margaritas. They're my favorite. Thank you for coming!

A couple links...

2008-03-29T11:50:00.002-04:00

Busy doing promo stuff for the Lady & the Vamp official release which is on April 1st. I know it's available here and there already, but it ain't official until Tuesday.:-) I'm also brainstorming my brain off for my sci-fi idea. I'm trying to think really outside the box on this one and just have a lot of fun with it. Fun. I can do that. I can have fun. Sure.

I had a fabu 5-hour (!!) lunch yesterday with the insanely talented Eve Silver. Yeah. No reason to mention that except to brag and name drop. Jealous? ;-)

Check out the interview I did with LoveVampires.com

And this is a fab review of Lady & The Vamp on the Boston Now website.

Have a great weekend!

My pick

2008-03-26T11:23:00.002-04:00

If David Cook wins American Idol this year I would do something I've never done before with a previous winner... I'd buy his album the day it comes out...

And I'm back...

2008-03-26T09:38:00.003-04:00

Gosh. Dropped off the face of the earth there and just spent the week climbing back on.

I've been doing some interviews about Lady & The Vamp (less than one week until the official release date!) and working on my new proposal. I've been taking extra time with the pre-writing on this one because, well, I want it to kick some serious butt.

The muse stopped by with a new idea that I'm really excited about. Sometimes the muse is a very welcome visitor. This new idea isn't even paranormal...it's sci-fi. A bit of a shift that freshens things up like the Spring that I'm still waiting for. There was snow yesterday. SNOW.

Since I'm no longer forced to commute to the day job in nasty weather I find that I'm becoming a bit of a cave dweller. My cats suggested I go out today. And I'm all like...what, you don't like my company? And they said no, of course we love your company, Michelle, but we need some "us" time. And I said, well why don't you two do the dishes or the laundry or something and make yourselves useful for once? And they both said meow. And then the men in white coats came for me, but I got away briefly so I could write a blog post.

Congratulations to one of my very favorite people in the world, Stephanie Rowe, whose SHE LOVES ME, SHE LOVES ME HOT is up for a RITA in the paranormal category!!! Woo hoo!!!! Since our last names are so similar, and we sit next to each other at the signing at Nationals, I figure it's like I'm up for a RITA too. Right?????? Well, not really, but I can pretend. ;-)

Nearly finished season 3 of Battlestar Galactica just in time to watch the last season in real-time. I still love Apollo, but I've switched my 'shipping to Starbuck and Leoben. Starbuck bugs the crap out of me but she has such good chemistry with so many people. Her and Leoben make the perfect "romance" couple because they're so diametrically different. Like a sci-fi version of a slayer and the vampire. Also, the scene where she dreams she and him are making out? Totally made me sit up and take notice of the actor who reminds me a bit of Daniel Craig and is now the hero of my sci-fi idea. Do I think Starbuck and Leoben have a chance for an HEA? Not a chance in hell. But it will be fun to watch how it all turns out.

Okay, I'm going to try to do 10 pages today and then do some brainstorming on the sci-fi... after coffee.........

A few reviews and a few more books on the TBR shelf

2008-03-19T10:36:00.003-04:00

A few reviews for Lady & the Vamp are coming in... which is good since I'm getting reports that it's on shelves already in the States. Holy well before official release date, Batman!

Again, Quinn has a tendency to be called Michael, but it is sorta his name, so I'm not going to obsess about it when the reviews are so good even though I'm prone to obsess about small details like this because I'm a little loco that way. :-)

From Armchair Interviews...

I loved Lady & the Vamp! Michelle Rowen has again successfully written a funny and highly entertaining vampire story. The characters of Michael and Janie are so flawed to begin with you can’t help but hope that things get better, and that they will both survive the situation they are faced with. I loved hating the bad guys and rooting for Michael and Janie to succeed. I enjoyed the antics of their sidekicks, Lenny and Barkley, and I was delighted with the ending the author came up with. She always throws in an interesting twist that leaves something to look forward to in the next book. I can’t wait for book four of this series!

From LoveVampires.com....

Lady & The Vamp is a fast paced and entertaining read. Its light comic style effortlessly pulls the reader along for a ride as the story journeys from a supernatural treasure hunt in Arizona to an end-of-the-world style show down in Las Vegas – dishing up romance and laughs along the way.

From Fresh Fiction...

This book was great fun. Janie and Michael are a breath of fresh air; they're unusual enough to pique your interest. The storyline is original and intriguing and their goal will keep you reading. Lighthearted yet serious, you'll be laughing and rooting for them both from the very beginning. A good read.

I'm still working through some pre-writing on my new (it's not all that new, but the pre-writing is) idea for a light paranormal. I'm pretty excited about this one and the plotting is going very well. I hope to finish outlining today and get started on my proposal chapters tomorrow.

There was also something else I wanted to do today, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was... oh yeah, I have a book waiting at the library. Because I don't already have enough books waiting to be read. In fact, I just got three more from the bookstore (I blame it on the gift card I got for my birthday last month - I had to use it!) I bought the following books:

Black Magic Woman by Justin Gustainis because so many people have raved about it and I am nothing if not a lemming. I hope it's good!

Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin mostly because it looks really good and I haven't read half as many vamp books lately as I used to. Also, anyone who can successfully use the word "Bitten" in a title is a friend of mine.

All U Can Eat by Emma Holly. Ever since I read Fairyville I'm a total fangirl, what can I say?

Interview and contest!

2008-03-17T17:55:00.003-04:00

Just a quick note to say that I have an interview up on the divine Marta Acosta's blog and I'm giving away a signed set of Immortality Bites novels to a commenter. Check it out for more details.... :-)

Evil dip + Winners!

2008-03-17T10:14:00.003-04:00

Lesson of my weekend:

If there is veggie dip left out at a bridal shower for six hours, it is better to throw it away than keep it and eat it the next day as this will more than likely lead to mild food poisoning. Just a tip.

Ugh.

I'll be okay. It had to be the dip. It couldn't have been the Cadbury mini eggs.

Sooooo.... thank you to everyone who entered my little contest.

The two winners of a signed copy of LADY & THE VAMP are...

Yolanda Sfetsos

Janelle

Congrats! Please shoot me an email with your mailing addresses and I'll pop those in the mail asap.

Now... I'm going to continue recovering from dip-related illness and continue working on my new paranormal idea. We'll see how it goes!

Hot off the presses! WIN!!

2008-03-13T18:57:00.003-04:00

I've been keeping a low profile the last few days trying to work on a new idea. I probably won't be around for a few more days (at least, not blogging, anyhow).

So in the meantime...

I received some early copies of LADY & THE VAMP (so very pretty!) and I'm going to give away a signed copy to two randomly chosen commenters between now and Sunday at midnight EST. Just tell me what book you're reading right now and you're entered!