Honestly, this week has raced by! I'm deep into editing Psy/Changeling #12, so that's my main reading for the moment. :-)
What are you reading and enjoying at the moment?
What are you reading and enjoying at the moment?
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Guest Author: Andrea Brokaw - Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks
Winner: Thanks for your comments everyone. The random winner is Serena S. T.
Please contact Ashwini at naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom with your mailing address.
I love Pride & Prejudice, so when I saw this Dear Author review about a book that retells P&P in the world of curling, I knew I had to give it a go. I'm so glad I did! I loved the originality of the retelling, and read through the book in one sitting.
Here's the blurb and the link to the excerpt on the author's website:
I'm delighted to have Andrea Brokaw here to talk about her writing journey to Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks. Please welcome Andrea to the blog everyone, and don't forget to enter her contest!
A few weeks ago, I checked my email and saw something from Nalini Singh. I assumed I'd signed up for her mailing list, then forgotten about it, but while I was wondering if she had something new due out, I realized the subject of the email she'd sent was “Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks.” I stared at that for a moment as it clicked in my head that Nalini Singh had sent me an email with the title of my novel as the subject line.
If someone had told me last year that my first fan letter from a complete stranger was going to be from someone whose name has repeatedly graced the New York Times Bestseller List, I would have laughed at this person and assumed they were drunk or stoned or something. But that's what had happened! Nalini said that not only had she heard of my book, she'd read my book and enjoyed it! And she wanted to know if I'd be interested in doing a guest spot on her blog.
I stared at that message for long enough that my son asked me what was wrong. He was a little freaked out when my response was to laugh.
So, to make a long story short (Too late!), yes, Nalini, I would love to do a spot on your blog and it really and truly means the world to me that you've asked!
A very common thing for people to ask me about is why I decided to retell Pride and Prejudice through a curling story. The mainstream wants to know “Why curling?” and curlers are all, “Why Austen?”
There was never a point in time when I thought out of the blue, “I need to introduce Lizzie Bennett to winter sports!” Rather, the idea evolved on its own.
I've been a fan of curling since I noticed during the 2002 Olympics that my newborn would stare captivated and quiet at curling for hours straight. That February, I had curling on the TV every second I could and cursed the fact that I didn't live in Canada where I could continue watching it after the Olympics.
By 2010, my son was no longer bespelled by the sport, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I also enjoyed Twitter and spent a great deal of time Tweeting about the Vancouver Olympics curling matches I was watching. I'm sure a lot of people didn't care for the sudden sports Tweeting, but there were quite a few people who really seemed to appreciate it. Some of them even wrote to tell me that I'd made the game much more understandable to them and that they were enjoying it for the first time ever.
Somewhere in all this, it occurred to me that I could write a novel about curlers. Before that point in time, everything I'd written had been some form of fantasy, either traditional or urban, but there was something appealing in the notion that I could create a contemporary romance if it had a background of something I enjoyed as much as curling.
I spent the last week of the Games alternating between Tweeting and outlining a novel. I was really excited about the idea, although there were two slight problems. One was that I didn't feel I knew enough about curling because all I'd ever done was watch it on TV. That was easily fixed thanks to the Granite Curling Club in Seattle. Sure it was over two hours from where I was living, but they let me join anyway and my uber-fabulous husband drove me over the mountains and through the city every week so we could pick up the sport. The other problem was harder though. There was something “off” about my outline and I couldn't figure out what it was.
I did the only thing I could think of and let the outline sit for a bit. When I picked it up with fresh eyes, I realized my issue. “Huh,” I said to myself. “You outlined Pride and Prejudice.”
I honestly hadn't meant to do that, but looking at the plot, it was inescapably the same basic story.
It took me a week or two of internal debate, but eventually I decided that rather than trying to edit my outline to make it stand out more from Pride and Prejudice, it would be more fun to tweak it to be closer. So my names changed and a couple of new characters wandered in and a few points were nudged around until I had something that I felt was perfect for the title Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks.
When I told Twitter, the response was great. One friend immediately asked, “What position does Mr Darcy play?” With a grin, I wrote back, “Mr Darcy does not curl. He plays hockey. This is just one of his many flaws.” And my friend declared that I'd nailed it.
Now I'm working (far too slowly) on a curling version of Much Ado About Nothing, because Beatrice and Benedick are one of my favorite couples of all time. My mom thinks it should have ghosts in it. Or vampires. Maybe angels. I told her she should write that then. (Or perhaps Nalini should? ;)
But what about you guys? What unusual retelling would you create?
Giveaway: Andrea is giving away a copy of Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks. Giveaway open internationally. To enter the draw, just leave a comment on this post (on the main blog rather than the Goodreads feed), before noon Sunday 30th September, New Zealand time. Make sure you either leave a way for me to contact you, or check the blog on Monday to see if you've won.
The fine print: One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org and his or her name posted on this blog on Monday 1st October 2012. Void where prohibited.
Please contact Ashwini at naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom with your mailing address.
I love Pride & Prejudice, so when I saw this Dear Author review about a book that retells P&P in the world of curling, I knew I had to give it a go. I'm so glad I did! I loved the originality of the retelling, and read through the book in one sitting.
Here's the blurb and the link to the excerpt on the author's website:
All Darcy Bennet wants is to make it to the regional curling championships while finding some way to stop Jean, her best friend and team skipper, from moving across the country for college.
Darcy's thrilled when Jean sets her heart on a boy destined for a local university. Maybe hooking them up will keep Jean closer to home. Unfortunately, she hits a roadblock in the form of Lucas Fitzwilliam, who doesn't think it's such a hot idea for his friend to date Jean and soon convinces his friend to feel the same.
Darcy has no hope of matchmaking while Lucas is working against her in his mistaken belief that Jean “deserves better,” so when he offers to stop trying to keep the couple apart if she'll stop trying to push them together, she agrees. But when upholding her noninterference pact with Lucas means denying Jean help getting a date to the winter formal, the resulting argument leaves the girls' friendship in jeopardy.Now Darcy has to repair her relationship with Jean so their team can regain the solidarity they'll need to win the tournament that would qualify them for Regionals. And she really has to resist the temptation to kill Lucas, because she's pretty sure there's no curling in prison.
I'm delighted to have Andrea Brokaw here to talk about her writing journey to Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks. Please welcome Andrea to the blog everyone, and don't forget to enter her contest!
Andrea Brokaw on Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks
A few weeks ago, I checked my email and saw something from Nalini Singh. I assumed I'd signed up for her mailing list, then forgotten about it, but while I was wondering if she had something new due out, I realized the subject of the email she'd sent was “Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks.” I stared at that for a moment as it clicked in my head that Nalini Singh had sent me an email with the title of my novel as the subject line.If someone had told me last year that my first fan letter from a complete stranger was going to be from someone whose name has repeatedly graced the New York Times Bestseller List, I would have laughed at this person and assumed they were drunk or stoned or something. But that's what had happened! Nalini said that not only had she heard of my book, she'd read my book and enjoyed it! And she wanted to know if I'd be interested in doing a guest spot on her blog.
I stared at that message for long enough that my son asked me what was wrong. He was a little freaked out when my response was to laugh.
So, to make a long story short (Too late!), yes, Nalini, I would love to do a spot on your blog and it really and truly means the world to me that you've asked!
~
A very common thing for people to ask me about is why I decided to retell Pride and Prejudice through a curling story. The mainstream wants to know “Why curling?” and curlers are all, “Why Austen?”
There was never a point in time when I thought out of the blue, “I need to introduce Lizzie Bennett to winter sports!” Rather, the idea evolved on its own.
I've been a fan of curling since I noticed during the 2002 Olympics that my newborn would stare captivated and quiet at curling for hours straight. That February, I had curling on the TV every second I could and cursed the fact that I didn't live in Canada where I could continue watching it after the Olympics.
By 2010, my son was no longer bespelled by the sport, but I still enjoyed it immensely. I also enjoyed Twitter and spent a great deal of time Tweeting about the Vancouver Olympics curling matches I was watching. I'm sure a lot of people didn't care for the sudden sports Tweeting, but there were quite a few people who really seemed to appreciate it. Some of them even wrote to tell me that I'd made the game much more understandable to them and that they were enjoying it for the first time ever.
 |
| Andrea at a curling rink! |
I spent the last week of the Games alternating between Tweeting and outlining a novel. I was really excited about the idea, although there were two slight problems. One was that I didn't feel I knew enough about curling because all I'd ever done was watch it on TV. That was easily fixed thanks to the Granite Curling Club in Seattle. Sure it was over two hours from where I was living, but they let me join anyway and my uber-fabulous husband drove me over the mountains and through the city every week so we could pick up the sport. The other problem was harder though. There was something “off” about my outline and I couldn't figure out what it was.
I did the only thing I could think of and let the outline sit for a bit. When I picked it up with fresh eyes, I realized my issue. “Huh,” I said to myself. “You outlined Pride and Prejudice.”
I honestly hadn't meant to do that, but looking at the plot, it was inescapably the same basic story.
It took me a week or two of internal debate, but eventually I decided that rather than trying to edit my outline to make it stand out more from Pride and Prejudice, it would be more fun to tweak it to be closer. So my names changed and a couple of new characters wandered in and a few points were nudged around until I had something that I felt was perfect for the title Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks.
When I told Twitter, the response was great. One friend immediately asked, “What position does Mr Darcy play?” With a grin, I wrote back, “Mr Darcy does not curl. He plays hockey. This is just one of his many flaws.” And my friend declared that I'd nailed it.
Now I'm working (far too slowly) on a curling version of Much Ado About Nothing, because Beatrice and Benedick are one of my favorite couples of all time. My mom thinks it should have ghosts in it. Or vampires. Maybe angels. I told her she should write that then. (Or perhaps Nalini should? ;)
But what about you guys? What unusual retelling would you create?
Giveaway: Andrea is giving away a copy of Pride, Prejudice, and Curling Rocks. Giveaway open internationally. To enter the draw, just leave a comment on this post (on the main blog rather than the Goodreads feed), before noon Sunday 30th September, New Zealand time. Make sure you either leave a way for me to contact you, or check the blog on Monday to see if you've won.
The fine print: One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org and his or her name posted on this blog on Monday 1st October 2012. Void where prohibited.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Germany Appearances & Spring
The Appearances page has now been updated with my German tour schedule. Look forward to seeing some of you in a couple of weeks! (Edited to add: Typo alert! We had the incorrect date up for the Lovely Books chat - correct date now up - 17th Oct).
Here's a photo I took during our return from the NZ book tour last week. So happy spring is here! I've planted my seedlings and am now babying them so they'll bloom for me. :-)
(If you'd like to share this photo on your own blog/FB etc, please go ahead. Just link back to this page).
Here's a photo I took during our return from the NZ book tour last week. So happy spring is here! I've planted my seedlings and am now babying them so they'll bloom for me. :-)
(If you'd like to share this photo on your own blog/FB etc, please go ahead. Just link back to this page).
Friday, September 21, 2012
Friday Book Club
Before we kick off the Friday Bookclub, a heads-up that all of the
stores I visited on my recent tour (including event bookstores &
informal bookstore stops) have signed editions available, so if you
weren't able to make it to the store while I was there, you can still
grab copies!
Onto the book club! What are you reading and loving at the moment?
Onto the book club! What are you reading and loving at the moment?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Rotorua to Fraser Cove - Photos
I'm having a great time on my New Zealand tour and loving the chance to meet so many readers. Looking forward to the event in Te Awamutu tonight, and in Hamilton tomorrow! See some of you there. :-)
Here are a couple of photos I snapped from the car this morning during our drive from Rotorua to Fraser Cove. New Zealand is such a beautiful country to drive through.
Here are a couple of photos I snapped from the car this morning during our drive from Rotorua to Fraser Cove. New Zealand is such a beautiful country to drive through.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Archangel's Storm Audiobook...
...is now out!! I hope you enjoy listening to Jason and Mahiya's story.
Also, for those of you in NZ, remember, I'm on book tour this week. You can find full details of the events on the Appearances page. I'll also be making a number of informal stops at bookstores - details here.
Have a fantabulous week everyone!
Also, for those of you in NZ, remember, I'm on book tour this week. You can find full details of the events on the Appearances page. I'll also be making a number of informal stops at bookstores - details here.
Have a fantabulous week everyone!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Dunkle Verlockung
„Prima
Neuigkeiten! Meine Novellen-Sammlung „Dunkle Verlockung“ wird im
Oktober sowohl als E-Book als auch im Print veröffentlicht! Wenn ihr bis
dahin allerdings
nicht warten könnt, gibt es sie Novellen auch bereits jetzt als
separate E-Book-Kurzromane: „Engelsbann“, „Hauch der Versuchung“ und
„Engelstanz“. Es ist zwar ein bisschen teurer, sie separat zu kaufen,
dafür hättet ihr sie aber einen Monat eher – die Entscheidung
liegt also ganz bei euch! Wie auch immer ihr euch entscheidet, ich
hoffe auf jeden Fall, dass euch die Stories gefallen werden!“
Friday, September 14, 2012
Archangel's Storm UK/Aust/NZ & Lockruf Des Verlangens
 |
 |
Amazon.de, buche
buecher.de, Libri.de Lyx, Thalia Leseproben (PDF) |
~
„Das Buch von Hawke und Sienna ist jetzt erschienen! Ich hoffe, es gefällt euch!“
(The German edition of Kiss of Snow is now out! I hope you all enjoy Hawke and Sienna's story.)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Auckland Event & International Video Chat
 |
| Photo tken in Frankfurt earlier this year :) |
Some readers have tweeted that they'll be dressing up (wings, feathers!), and I have been promised cupcakes *grin*, so it should be a fun night. See some of you there!
I'll also be taking part in a video chat with authors Ilona Andrews and Katie MacAlister on Tuesday 11th September @ 3pm EST.
Link to Chat Room
Conversions for other timezones
London: Tuesday 8pm
Berlin: Tuesday 9pm
Tokyo: Wednesday 4am
Sydney: Wednesday 5am
New Zealand: Wednesday 7am
(If I didn't list your location, you can easily do the conversion by using the World Clock Meeting Planner. Just add New York in as the first location, then your own as the second).
Looking forward to talking with you all!
Sunday, September 09, 2012
NZ Tour Additions: Informal Store Visits
Some additions to my NZ tour schedule - these will be quick and informal visits so I can sign some books for the store, but if you drop by while I'm there, I will happily sign books for you, too. =)
Thursday 20th September
10-10.30am
Paper Plus Rotorua
1304 Tutanekai Street
11.30am
Paper Plus Fraser Cove
Shop 38, 229-237 Fraser Street, Fraser Cove
1.45-2.15pm
Wrights Cambridge
54 Victoria Street, Cambridge
Friday 21st September
10-10.30am
Paper Plus Hamilton
Cnr Worley Place & Ward Street
10.45-11.15am
Penny's Bookstore
Westfield, Chartwell, Hamilton
2.30-3.00pm
Paper Plus Horsham Downs
44 Horsham Downs Road, Rototuna
Thursday 20th September
10-10.30am
Paper Plus Rotorua
1304 Tutanekai Street
11.30am
Paper Plus Fraser Cove
Shop 38, 229-237 Fraser Street, Fraser Cove
1.45-2.15pm
Wrights Cambridge
54 Victoria Street, Cambridge
Friday 21st September
10-10.30am
Paper Plus Hamilton
Cnr Worley Place & Ward Street
10.45-11.15am
Penny's Bookstore
Westfield, Chartwell, Hamilton
2.30-3.00pm
Paper Plus Horsham Downs
44 Horsham Downs Road, Rototuna
Friday, September 07, 2012
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Jason's taken flight!
Archangel's Storm has hit cyber and physical shelves! I hope you all fall in love with Jason and Mahiya's story - and enjoy traveling to Archangel Fort. :-)
International & Audio Release dates
Australia - 11th
New Zealand - Due to a slight shipping delay, some stores may have it on the 12th, but all will have it on the 13th. HOWEVER, if you're coming to the Auckland Central Library Event on the 11th, the bookseller will definitely have copies available!!
UK - 13th
Audio - 17th
I've asked readers to post fun photos of their books/ebooks on Facebook - swing by and have a look at the ones that are already up. If you're not on FB, but would like to share you photo, email it to me and I'll put it up on the blog.
Happy reading everyone!
International & Audio Release dates
Australia - 11th
New Zealand - Due to a slight shipping delay, some stores may have it on the 12th, but all will have it on the 13th. HOWEVER, if you're coming to the Auckland Central Library Event on the 11th, the bookseller will definitely have copies available!!
UK - 13th
Audio - 17th
 |
| To the left are beautiful handmade bookmarks I've received from fans (you can see a tiny copy of the German cover for Angels' Blood), to the right seashells I picked up on a New Zealand beach not long ago. :) |
Happy reading everyone!
Tuesday, September 04, 2012
Archangel's Storm, Chat Info, Riveted, & Heroes
 |
| Amazon, B&N, BookDepo, B-A-M Chapters, IndBnd, Powells B-On-B, Diesel, Ibook, Kindle Kobo, Nook, Penguin, Sony |
___________
I'll be doing a chat on Mo's Book Buzz Wed 5th September from 9-10PM EST.
Go to: http://www.romrevtoday.com/ and then you'll see the RRT Chat link up top.
If you're in New Zealand, that's Thursday 1pm.
If you're in another time zone, you can use the World Clock Meeting Planner to convert 9pm EST, Wed 5th to your timezone. (I'm afraid the chat's going to very late night/early morning for those of you in Europe.)
___________
There are lots of great books coming out alongside Archangel's Storm on September 4th, including my bud Meljean's Brooks', Riveted, part of her amazing Iron Seas series. If you haven't tried this series out, check it out! It's one of my favorites.
___________
I also have a request to pass on to all of you from fabulous historical author Anne Gracie. She's going to be doing a talk on heroes, and she'd like you to nominate your favorite "enter the hero" scenes from the Psy/Changeling series - ie. any scene where the hero makes his entrance.
Last but not least, I hope you all have an awesome start to the week!
Monday, September 03, 2012
Archangel's Storm Almost Out!
Sep 4th's almost here! I can't wait for Jason and Mahiya's story to hit the shelves.
A couple of quotes to tide you over. =)
"Mahiya."
Fingers tucking back a tendril of hair. "Yes?"
"I think," he said, reaching across to cup her chin, brush his thumb across her lower lip, "you must decide something tonight."
~ from Archangel's Storm
"Pulse a stutter in her throat, she gave a jerky nod and walked to lock the doors into her suite as he shut and locked the ones to the balcony. "I've--" Her words ended in a gasp, his chest pressed to her back, his head bent over the curve of her neck."
~ from Archangel's Storm
I know those of you in the UK, Australia & NZ, have to wait a little longer, so I'll be sending out a brand new long excerpt with the newsletter this week.
Hope you all had a fantabulous weekend. :-)
A couple of quotes to tide you over. =)
"Mahiya."
Fingers tucking back a tendril of hair. "Yes?"
"I think," he said, reaching across to cup her chin, brush his thumb across her lower lip, "you must decide something tonight."
~ from Archangel's Storm
"Pulse a stutter in her throat, she gave a jerky nod and walked to lock the doors into her suite as he shut and locked the ones to the balcony. "I've--" Her words ended in a gasp, his chest pressed to her back, his head bent over the curve of her neck."
~ from Archangel's Storm
I know those of you in the UK, Australia & NZ, have to wait a little longer, so I'll be sending out a brand new long excerpt with the newsletter this week.
Hope you all had a fantabulous weekend. :-)
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