Series and Slave to Sensation

First up, I have a post up on Heroes and Heartbreakers today, talking about different kinds of series. Swing by and have a read!

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Also, with the Slave to Sensation cover reissue, new reviews and reposts of previous reviews of StS have been going up online. Here's a roundup if you'd like to have a read. (If I missed you, let me know!) :-)

Confessions of a Y.A. and N.A. Book Addict
A Fortress of Books 
Maldivian Book Reviewer                              
Alys Miscellany
Ever After Book Reviews
Big Little Sister Blog
SewScrapMuse
Sultry, Steamy Reading
The Romance Vault
Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents
Tome Tender

Website Back Up & Writing Faster

*WEBSITE BACK UP* HUZZAHS!

For the writers who read this blog, check out my post on the Nook Press blog on how to write faster without compromising the story.

Archangel's Shadows and Rock Addiction

A link: Veronica Scott of USA Today's Happy Ever After blog asked a number of different authors what sf or fantasy world they'd like to visit. My answer is up today. :)

I'm working on some quotes for you for ARCHANGEL'S SHADOWS - I'm probably going to put the full excerpt up in September, as that'll be just under two months out from the release. 

 In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the teaser from ROCK ADDICTION, out in just a few weeks!

Good News, Interviews, and Guest Posts

We're super excited to share that Ibooks Australia and New Zealand have chosen Shield of Winter as one of their Best Books of June! Woohoo for Ivy and Vasic! You can see the full list at this link.

Also, Nalini's had a number of interviews and guest posts go live this month. Here's a brief round-up:

Steamy guys after dark: Writing a Series - Connections and Growth

Shelf Pleasure:  Ending and Beginnings and Everything In Between

SFX Magazine:  A guest blog on world building

Smexy Books: Talking Arrows

Destiny Romance: A Podcast discussing Shield of Winter and what's in store for the Psy-Changeling world following the next book in the series

SciFiNow: A guest post on travel and inspiration

Night Owl Reviews: Nalini talks about both the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter Series

Harlequin Junkies: An insight into virgin heroes

Last but not least, The Bookish Babe is hosting a new excerpt for those of you still waiting to get your hands on Shield of Winter!

Here and There...

Today, I'm rounding up pieces of info I've posted here and there.

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Did you know I have a Tumblr? Here's the link! For book info, it's still best to follow the blog and join the (super awesome) newsletter list. I use the Tumblr to reblog fun/interesting things that catch my attention.

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Have you heard of DABWAHA? It's an extremely fun tournament hosted by Dear Author and Smart B*tches, Trashy Books, complete with awesome prizes (including a Psy-Changeling Starter pack and an ARC of SHIELD OF WINTER). 

It pits 64 books against one another, until only one is left standing. HEART OF OBSIDIAN is one of the 64. Woohoo! 

Follow the link to get all the details on how to fill out your bracket and join in - basically, you have to guess which book will be left standing at the end. Don't worry if you don't recognize all the books - flip a coin and join in. Most of all, have fun!

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And here's a photo from my years in Japan. Taken during a Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) party. :-)

Guild Hunter Series Contest

If you'd like to win a signed set of the Guild Hunter series, go forth and enter this Dear Author contest (international entries ok). This doesn't included Archangel's Legion (but there'll be an ARC contest coming soon for that :-)).

Also at the same Dear Author link is a giveaway by Julie James, whose books are AWESOME, so enter that too! (All of the contests have different rules, so just look at terms and conditions to find out if it's international or not).

Have fun :-)

Friday Book Club & Linkage

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving lately? I'm in a science fiction mood so I'm on the lookout for new sf reads. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Also, I have two links for you to bookmark for the month of August - both featuring amazing giveaways. (For international folks, just check the rules for each day - some giveaways are open internationally, others not. Mine will be :-))

Read-A-Romance Month website - this will feature posts and giveaways by tons of authors (including me), throughout August, so make sure you check in every day. http://www.readaromancemonth.com/

Same goes for www.dearauthor.com - which is holding a giveaway extravaganza!

Now, onto the books you're reading!

Writing Update, Heart of Obsidian Ebook, Book Rec, & Linkage

I'm currently working on the third draft of Archangel's Legion. This is the draft where I edit on a printout - I've gone through three pens already! I really enjoy this part of the process, when the story begins to take on depth and emotion, the pieces all coming together.

It's too early to share any of it yet, but I'll keep you updated. :)

[Edited to add] Heart of Obsidian Ebook Pre-Orders

I know many of you are waiting to pre-order the ebook for Heart of Obsidian. I've been told the Kindle pre-order link should go live this week, so keep an eye out. I'm following up on the Nook pre-order link and others, but it should hopefully be around the same time. (If you're surfing the sites and find the link before I post it up, please leave a note in the comments for other readers!)

International readers: The UK/Commonwealth Kindle pre-order link is up. :)

Non fiction book recommendation:

I read "Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness" by Susannah Cahalan couple of weekends back and was utterly fascinated.

It's about a young reporter who suddenly becomes obsessed with bedbugs. More odd behavior follows, and people begin to suspect she has a serious mental illness. Then she has a seizure and suddenly, it becomes apparent that there is something wrong not with her mind but with her brain.

This is a medical mystery written in a very readable style. Here's the description from the author's website:

One day, I woke up in a strange hospital room, strapped to my bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. My medical records—from a month-long hospital stay of which I have no memory—showed psychosis, violence, and dangerous instability. Yet, only weeks earlier I had been a healthy twenty-four year old, six months into my first serious relationship and beginning a career as a cub reporter at the New York Post.

My memoir Brain on Fire chronicles the swift path of my illness and the lucky, last-minute intervention led by one of the few doctors capable of saving my life. As weeks ticked by and I moved inexplicably from violence to catatonia, $1 million worth of blood tests and brain scans revealed nothing. The exhausted doctors were ready to commit me to the psychiatric ward, in effect condemning me to a lifetime of institutions, or death, until Dr. Souhel Najjar—nicknamed Dr. House—joined my team. He asked me to draw one simple sketch, which became key to diagnosing me with a newly discovered autoimmune disease in which my body was attacking my brain, an illness now thought to be the cause of “demonic possessions” throughout history.

Couple of non-writing related links I shared on Facebook:

Fun article on why "Tights Are Not Pants" (I agree!)

Fascinating video and story about how two girls, one in Europe, one in the US, discovered they might be identical twins through social media. (via Sideswipe)

ARCs, Audiobook Sale, Psy-Changeling Readalong, and Reading Romance!

So much goodness to share today!

My agent, Nephele Tempest, is giving away two ARCs of WILD INVITATION. The giveaway ends Monday, so enter quickly! Full details on her blog.

My audiobook publisher, Tantor, is having a 50% off sale in honor of Valentine's Day. The audio of WILD INVITATION is available for pre-order at the sale price in all formats available on the Tantor site (CD & MP3-CD). [Edited to add: I've been told that the sale will continue through February!]

The Psy-Changeling Readalong is in progress at Literary Escapism, with the discussion for SLAVE TO SENSATION posted today. (It does contain major spoilers, so I suggest not reading the post until you've read the book). If you've read the book, or would like to refresh yourself on it, swing by and join in the discussion!

And last, but not least, over on Twitter, we're discussing why we read romance. I said "Because no matter what, there is always hope".

What about you? Why do you read romance?

Wild Invitation Excerpts and More!

The website has just been updated, including with excerpts of all four WILD INVITATION novellas, so swing by and check it out!

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If you're in the UK & Commonwealth, and you had trouble getting hold of  Angels' Pawn, Angels' Dance, Angel's Wolf, or Angels' Judgment, they are now all available separately as ebooks, or together in Angels' Flight! 

You can see the new cover to the bottom right.


(Angels' Flight has a slightly different release date in Austraila and NZ.)

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Don't forget, Angels' Dance is also available as a stand-alone ebook in the US & Canada. See the cover to the left!

Also, if you're a Galen and Jessamy fan, I'm working on a short story featuring these two. :-)

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At last year's conventions, I had some "I ♥ Judd" and "Judd is my Boyfriend" buttons. They were created for me by The Busy Badger, and if you missed out on getting a button and would like one, she now has them up in her Etsy store (along with magnets). :-)

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All About Romance's Annual Reader Poll is now live. So go forth and nominate your favorite books of 2012

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16 days to go till the cover & title reveal of Psy-Changeling #12! Don't forget to mark your diaries. :-)

Writing & Linkage

I have my head down, writing, so I'm not online much at the moment, but here are a couple of links I wanted to share.

Blogger Limecello is doing her annual Social Media for Social Good fundraising drive. This year, she's supporting charity:water. You can contribute in two ways - by making a donation, or simply by commenting. She has sponsors who will increase their donations depending on the number of comments. So swing by her site and add your comments.

Also for fans who read in German - I've just been notified that Lockruf des Verlangens has been nominated in the “Der Leserpreis – die besten Buecher 2012“. Thank you everyone! Readers can vote until November 26th, so if you enjoyed Hawke and Sienna's book, click over to LovelyBooks and add your vote.

And for fun, the cat lovers among you should enjoy this ad currently on NZ television. :-)

Archangel's Storm ARC Giveaway...

...at my agent, Nephele Tempest's blog! (Giveaway closes Thursday, August 9, 2012, at 5pm Pacific Time - full details on Nephele's blog).

Good luck! :-)

Checking In

Fly by post today! How are you all? I hope March is treating you kindly.

Some linkage:

Friend and fellow author Yvonne Lindsay is giving away a copy of Archangel's Blade on her blog.

DABWAHA has kicked off. The voting hasn't yet started, but the the site is open for you to add your nominations to those already listed. Follow this link to read all about it. 

Check out this amazing collection of images created by Russian artist Vladimir Manyuhin of his vision of the post-apocalyptic world.

Seen anything else interesting on the web lately? Leave the link in the comments. :-)

Editing (Behind the Scenes)

2pm: Hey, these edits are going really well. I should be all done by 7ish.

5pm: Awesome, only a few more changes to enter from my printout to the file.

6pm: Yay, all done. I just have to read through the changes to make sure I didn't make a typo.

7pm: Dinner was delicious. Now, off to read

8pm: Hmm...this scene doesn't quite read right. *makes note to go over it one more time*

9pm: This other scene needs a bit of smoothing, and I think there might be a small continuity issue. *note, note*

10pm: *obsessively working on scenes*

11pm: Need to double check this research fact.

12pm: *obsessively working on scenes*

12.30am: See above. 

1am: Realize I am likely the only one who will ever notice this one thing, but I must fix it or it will drive me insane for eternity.

1.15am: Hey, I like that. That works really well. Happiness.

1.30am: Brain to self - it's time to let go. It really is. You're happy, remember?

1.40am: Self to brain - I think I should do another read to quadruple check everything.

1.45am: Brain to self - send it. Also you're starving.

1.50am: Self to brain - just one more read to make sure the changes I've made don't impact on later scenes.

1.51am: Brain to self - just one more.  

1.55am: Hey, scene actually does work great. I'll just fix this little thing here, and this other little tiny word here and...hey, didn't I just change this sentence back to how it was half an hour ago? I think it's time to stop and let it go.

1.57am: Brain to self - I'm not saying a word...

2am: Yay, I sent it! And I'm so starving. 

Here endeth your insight into the mind of a certain writer.

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Also, both Ilona Andrews and Meljean Brook are giving away copies of Angels of Darknesss today, so swing by and enter their contests.

Wednesday :-)

First up, the September newsletter has gone out. If you didn't receive it and would like to, email my assistant (naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom) and she'll shoot it to you. You can also let her know if you'd like to be added to the mailing list for future newsletters - or you can subscribe yourself at this link. _______________ 

Executive Editor Anne Sowards from Ace/ROC is doing a big giveaway on Dear Author, including early copies of Angels of Darkness. There's still time to enter!

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I taped an interview with Morgan Doremus of RT Book Reviews while I was at RWA, and that interview is now live.
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Also, my bud Meljean also has a release this week. I haven't had a chance to read Demon Marked yet (and I even got an ARC!!), but I'm really looking forward to inhaling it soon.

This book is part of her Guardians series. It's book seven in the series, so if you haven't tried it yet, start with either books one or two. Or if you really want to dive in with Demon Marked, Meljean has a primer for the series on her website.

Click on the Meljean Brook tag at the bottom of this post if you want to read my posts about the previous books in the series (including my mad, mad love for Drifter from Demon Night).  

After I finish Demon Marked, I plan to resume hounding Meljean for Michael's book. (Shh, don't tell her).

And I think that's all for this update. Have an awesome day/night everyone!

Kisses, Reviews & Suitcases

The suitcase has come out and the clothes are being packed. One week to go till the release of Kiss of Snow and the start of the tour! I'm incredibly excited about both the release and the tour.

Talking of the tour, if you're coming to the New York event, then swing by Smart Bitches Trashy Books, as Sarah Wendell, who'll be interviewing me at the event, wants to make sure she includes reader questions in the interview.

A number of reviews went up today for Kiss of Snow. Here are some links if you'd like check them out.

"This is a thoroughly satisfying book, one that met every high expectation I had for Hawke's book." - Katidom

"I love that Sienna never fears Hawke. While they have a volatile relationship, he never forces his will upon her (for her own good) as in some alpha shifter stories." - Heroes and Heartbreakers

"Without giving any spoilers, I will say that I am completely satisfied with they way Ms. Singh addressed the mating concerns and how the whole mating storyline played out in Kiss of Snow." - Twinmom 227

Today's Kiss is for the fans of a certain Arrow.

Going down on his haunches, Vasic picked up a handful of sand, the silica catching the moonlight as it passed through his fingers. "Yes."

Linkage

A quick heads-up: Brenda Novak's online auction to raise money for Diabetes Research is currently running. Lots of things up for offer, including autographed books from me, and ARCs from various authors.

Linkage & Writing

Science fiction romance author Marcella Burnard is guesting over at Oddshots, with an awesome post talking all about the adventure she's about to head off on.

The Book Reading Gals have posted their review of Kiss of Snow, plus they're giving away a backlist book. More review links to come soon!

We're having a guest on the blog tomorrow - Thea Harrison, writer of one of my favorite books of the year to date, Dragon Bound (releases May 3rd), so don't forget to drop by. Thea has a post up on Dear Author today, talking about her writing journey.

I'm working on Galen and Jessamy's novella - love these two. No specific release date yet, but it'll be out in 2012.

Slave to Sensation Audiobook and Copy Edits

The audiobook for Slave to Sensation is out April 25th, but AAR is giving away 10 copies at the moment. If you follow the link, you can also read a great interview with an audiobook narrator.

I'm going over the copy edited manuscript of Archangel's Blade at the moment, so I'm going to be a bit scarce for the next few days. Talk amongst yourselves! (Maybe about what books you're looking forward to releasing in the coming months?)

Linkage

I hope you're all having a great day. A couple of links for you:

Ace/ROC editor Anne Sowards is doing her Spring Preview and Giveaway on Dear Author, talking about upcoming books, and giving away a number of advanced copies.

Operation Auction, set up in support of a member of the romance community, is underway. Lots of goodies still up for grabs, so check it out.