Monday, August 30, 2010

Cover Love: Archangel's Consort (UK)

Another gorgeous cover from Gollancz!!

I love it!! It goes beautifully with the UK covers for the first two books. Thank you to the Gollancz Art Dept.!


Also, if you're in the UK or Ireland, Gollancz is currently giving away five sets of the first three Psy-Changeling books. For full details, check out the Gollancz Dark Fantasy page on Facebook.

There will be a full chapter excerpt from Archangel's Consort in back of Play of Passion. I'll also post up the complete backcover blurb soon!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! I'm currently reading an upcoming release for a possible cover blurb and really enjoying it. (Will post more about it once I'm done.)

What're you reading and loving this week?

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Cover Love: Archangel's Consort

I adore this cover!!!! ADORE!!

Huge thanks to the Berkley Art Dept. and artist Tony Mauro!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Guest Author: Robin D. Owens

I'm delighted to host the lovely and talented Robin D. Owens on the blog today! Please give Robin a warm welcome everyone!
_______________

Celta – And Telepathic Animal Companions

Hi, I’m Robin D. Owens and I write futuristic/fantasy romance for Berkley
and women’s fantasy with romantic subplot for Luna.

I’m best known for the "Heart" series set on a planet colonized by Earth people with psi powers. After 400 years, those psi powers are more like magic – in any event, the Celtans call it Flair. Animals, too, have evolved, enough that they are telepathic to their companions. I
use the Fam companions mostly as comic relief, but also as mentors and friends.

Why "Celta"? Well, the name is Owens. My ancestors came from Wales. Celtic
music was big when I started writing HeartMate, and no one had done something like Celta.

As for why I set the stories on another planet, there are a couple of reasons. My second and third manuscripts (let’s forget about book 1), were romantic suspenses set in the Regency time period of England. They didn’t sell. I was discouraged and just began fooling around for myself and my critique buddies.

I had a macho hero throw divination dice. And I had him BELIEVING the prophecy..."Today you will meet your HeartMate." Now this is not something that I felt would occur in the here and now...and as I wrote, T’Ash and Zanth, his FamCat (Familiar Cat, though of course Zanth believes T’Ash is HIS FamMan
), and Celta evolved...

Why HeartMates? HeartMates are fated mates, soul mate stories. When you bond with your HeartMate (the actual bond comes during sex and is a choice), you become so close that should one person die, the other will follow in a year. I’m not sure why I did this. Again, just messing around. I certainly wasn’t thinking that I’d have a whole series! So HeartMate rules evolved, too. Like the magic Flair, the Fams...the intelligent houses....

Since it IS a fated mate series, I’ve tried very hard to make it fresh every book, with new twists as to why the hero and heroine have problems and may not actually end up together. Usually one of the pair knows who their partner/HeartMate is and either woos or avoids her/him. It is illegal to tell your HeartMate that they are yours because it can take away freedom of choice for them.

Why Fams? One day I was talking to my cat Maddox as he lurked in the Main Strategic Point of the house – the hallway between stairs, office, bedroom and bathroom. "Maddox, please don’t pounce on Muse when she walks by...." As if 1) he could understand me 2) he would listen to me and 3) he would do what I wanted anyway. Maddox was the template for Zanth, and I’m sure Zanth sold the book.
I’ve since written bunnies (housefluffs), cats, a puppy, cats, a Noble Hound, cats, foxes, cats, the occasional mole, and...cats.

You can find excerpts of all my work (Zanth appears on page 2 of HeartMate as he strolls in complaining of the chef) on my READS page on my website http://www.robindowens.com/reads/reads.htm . I have some cut scenes, etc. My WORLDS page has interviews with my characters – T’Ash before and after he had the tatt that the art dept put on the front cover of the reissue – maps, pics that inspired me.

Many thanks for letting me burble about Celta at you. Merry meet and merry part and merry meet again,

Robin

Monday, August 23, 2010

Kiss of Snow

...is the tentative title for Hawke's book. I think it's beautiful. I hope you all like it!

RWNZ Conference

I had a fantastic time at the RWNZ conference this weekend - the speakers were amazing, and it was wonderful being able to hang out with my writing buds, both old and new.

It's back to work today - on Hawke's book - and I can't wait! I have the current draft printed out and I'll be editing on paper. This is still a rough working draft, so I won't have any excerpts for you just yet.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Friday Book Club

Time to talk about the books you love! What've you been reading and enjoying recently?

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Aww....

One of my (awesome) friends posted this on her Facebook page, and I had to grab it and repost. How adorable are these two?!

I've actually seen them nuzzling at each other - they really are best buds!

Also, if you are on FB, and haven't seen my new author page, here's the link.

So, any cute pet stories to share?

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Conference Photos

Some more photos from the Orlando RWA Conference! Included are shots of several of the RITA winners who passed by the fountain where I was hanging out with the NZ/Aussie contingent.

Julia Quinn with her two RITAs!


Sherry Thomas and Tracy Wolff, looking fabulous.


With the lovely Jodi Thomas at the Berkley signing.

Roxanne St. Clair and Kresley Cole celebrating Kresley's RITA win.

And one of the highlights of my conference - being able to meet the wonderful Lisa Kleypas, who not only writes awesome books, but is incredibly gracious in person. (I had a total fangirl moment, I confess).

I hope you're enjoying the photos. Question for today - if you had a chance, which author would you absolutely love to meet?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I'm back!

I had an amazing time in Australia - it was so great to meet all of you who came to the signings, and/or the conference. I also want to say a huge thank you to the booksellers who hosted the (fantastic) signings!

Today, it's all about putting the pedal to the metal and getting back to work on Hawke's book. I can't wait!

Also, I'm giving away three mass market copies of Must Love Hellhounds (out in September) over on Oddshots, so if you haven't yet read this anthology, make sure to go on over and drop your name in the hat.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Friday Book Club

Time to talk about your favorite reads this week!

I'm off to the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Sydney - I look forward to seeing some of you at the conference, and at the signings! Follow this link for a list of the times and locations where I'll be signing.

Now, onto the book club! :)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Good News!

The Burning Up anthology has hit both the NYT and USA Today Bestseller lists! Thanks for the support everyone!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Conference Photos

Today, I thought I'd share some photos from RomCon (Denver) and RWA (Orlando). The shot above is from the Literacy Signing at RWA before the doors opened.

With the wonderful Christine Feehan after the RomCon signing.

With reader, Sotheara, after RomCon.

With Romance Diva buddy Jax Cassidy by the fountain at the Dophin hotel during RWA. The fountain was the central hub of the conference - it was a really great spot. There were sofas in little seating areas all around, and lots of space where everyone could mingle.

Open air performers at Downtown Disney (there was a shuttle from the hotel, so a lot of attendees hopped over to Downtown for dinner / shopping).

Nora Roberts & Karen Rose in between workshops at RWA.

Ann Aguirre dancing at RWA after receiving some good news.

Lego dragon at Downtown Disney. See the Ghirardelli ice-cream/chocolate shop behind it? I may possibly have visited that and come away with a giant ice-cream. *g*


Celebrating with Erica Hayes and Kylie Griffin after Kylie's Golden Heart win. Go Kylie!! (Yes, those are cartons of milk that we're holding *grin*).

I have a ton more photos, so I'll post up some more once I've downloaded and sorted them!


Monday, August 09, 2010

Guest Author: Jess Granger

I'm delighted to host Jess Granger on the blog today.

As I mentioned in Friday's Book Club post, I read Jess Granger's Beyond the Rain while traveling. I absolutely loved it - the world was complex and intriguing, the characters beautifully realized, and the story just sucked me in and didn't let go. It's a book I highly recommend. Follow this link if you'd like to read an excerpt.

Please give Jess a warm welcome everyone!


The Joy of a Good Series

Hi everyone,

I am so thrilled to be here on Nalini’s blog. I’ve got a confession. I’m hugely addicted to the Psy/Changeling series. I think my addiction is getting a little out of hand. I picked up BONDS OF JUSTICE at the Berkley Book Signing at the RWA National convention, and by the end of the day, I was on chapter seven. The next morning instead of getting out of bed at the alarm and taking a shower so I could meet my editor, I picked up the book.

A half an hour la
ter, my booty was numb from sitting on the floor of the bathroom so the light wouldn’t bother my roommate, and I still hadn’t gotten my shower. I knew I had to put it down. Fifteen minutes later, the shower went right out the window. I’d taken one the night before and my hair looked okay, right?

I rushed out the door, book in hand, only to resume reading as I waited for my editor by the fountain
. That’s addiction.

So why am I so addicted? I think it’s in the nature of a series. (Or it could just be Nalini.)

The thing I love about series is that they give an author room to get complicated. In romance, so much of the arc of the story is rightly filled by the romance. A series gives an author room to flesh out the background and give you more of the world.

I had so much fun returning to Azra for BEYOND THE SHADOWS.

Here’s the blurb:


His renegade wit
. Her rigid code of honor. And a betrayal so deep it could tear their world apart.

Commander Yara knows perfect leadership requires perfect control and discipline. She has spent years living without the distraction of caring for anything—or anyone. It’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. Yara has honed herself into the perfect heir to the Azralen throne, but a bloody coup could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. She must return home to prevent war. Unfortunately the only ship available belongs to an Earthlen trader with no regard for authority—especially hers.

Cyn is a rebel, driven to protect those suffering at the hands of the Elite leaders of Azra. Using his alias to manipulate the lovely but icy commander onto his ship, he has to keep her from Azra long enough to ignite the revolution. But when he awakens a vibrant and feeling woman beneath that icy exterior, he gets more than he bargained for—love. He must find a way to convince Yara to join him, before they get caught in a web of deception that could tear their world apart.

In the first book, I didn’t have much time to go into detail about the hows and whys of Azralen culture. I was able to explore the nature of Azra in greater depth in the second book. It was fun, and I find I still have more I’d like to reveal if the publishing gods let me.

So I’m afraid I’m always going to be a series reader. I’m already looking forward to Nalini’s next book. I can’t wait to see what happens. What about you guys? What are some of your favorite series? Happy reading! Jess Granger

Links:
http://www.jessgranger.com
http://www.jessgranger.com/books/beyondtheshadows

Nalini: As I was at the RWA Conference, I was able to stalk meet Jess in person. Here's a photo from the night of the RITA Ceremony (Angie Fox, Jess & Me).

Now, let's talk series! As you might guess, I adore them :)

New Zealand: "Burning Up" ebook - Whitcoulls

A heads-up for NZ readers. The ebook for Burning Up is now available at the Whitcoulls ebook store!

Update on the Kindle edition: Here's the link! (Not sure if it's active yet, but if not, it should be very soon. Apologies for the delay everyone - there was a technical issue with the files so they had to be resent).

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Australian Booksignings: 13 August - 16 August

I'm going to be in Sydney, Australia next weekend, and I'll be doing some booksignings in and around the area. I hope to see some of you there! Details below.

Friday 13th August 2010 @ 12-1pm
Castle Towers
Shop 390
Old Castle Hill Rd

Friday 13th August 2010 @ 4:30-6pm
ARRA Signing - follow link for full details
Crowne Plaza Hotel
242 Arden St
Coogee Beach

Saturday 14th August 2010 @11:30-12:30pm
Shop 4064-4066
500 Oxford St
Westfield
Bondi Junction

Sunday 15th August 2010 @2-3pm
143 York St
Sydney

Monday 16th August 2010 @1-2pm
Infinitas
Shop 22
Civic Arcade
48-50 George St
Parramatta

Friday, August 06, 2010

Friday Book Club

It's book club time! What've you been reading and loving this week?

I actually didn't do too much reading while I was traveling, but I did read the fantastic Beyond the Rain by Jess Granger. Jess is going to be guest-blogging with me very soon, so we'll chat more about the book then, but if you enjoy science fiction romance, check this one out.

Okay, your turn!

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Burning Up is out!!


Burning up is out! My story is "Whisper of Sin" which features Lucas's admin assistant, Ria, and her wickedly sexy hero, Emmett.

It's an awesome anthology - but you don't have to take my word for it. There's a detailed review of it over at Dear Author if you'd like to have a read.

Also, I noticed a few emails in the inbox about the ebook edition of Burning Up - here's where the ebook edition is available so far (list blatantly stolen from Meljean's blog) and I expect it'll be up on all the usual sites within a few days:
BN.com, the Sony ebook store, Diesel, Books on Board, and iBooks.

I landed in New Zealand early this morning, and am now in catchup mode. More later, after my head stops spinning!