Guest Author: Kaily Hart

Winner:  Thanks for your comments everyone. The random winner is Scarly
 Please contact Ashwini at naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom with your mailing address.


I'm delighted to have Kaily Hart visiting us today! I've spoken about Rise of Hope, the start to her intriguing new Fabric of Fate series on the blog, and now Kaily's going to tell us about her journey to publication.

Please welcome Kaily to the blog everyone, and don't forget to enter her contest!

I’m a writer! Wait…I’m a writer? 

Kaily Hart

I met Nalini last year at a small writing conference in the US when we both happened to be breakfasting with Lori Foster ;). We also had an opportunity to get together again at the Romantic Times convention in Chicago earlier this year. Nalini is gracious, friendly and just…well…super nice. It might seem such a bland description, but I can’t honestly say that about a lot of people, especially one as successful as Nalini. It might also have helped that we’re from the same hemisphere and slice of the world :-). I was a huge fan of her work before we met and I don’t know…knowing the creator of those books is a nice person has made subsequent reading experiences that much richer. Does that seem weird?

That meeting was just one of many surreal moments I’ve had since I started on this particular journey. I’m a writer. An author. A published author. Many of the writers I know or meet always knew they wanted to be writers. Many talk about making up characters and crafting stories from the time they could hold a pencil. They often mention it being a ‘calling’, something that pulled at them throughout their lives so that not to write was never an option. A lot of them yearned for it, ached for it, felt as if there was no other option for them. Me? Nah. I never, ever would have guessed I’d end up a writer.

I never really knew what I wanted to be when I grew up and I cycled through many options—artist, psychiatrist, scientist, fashion designer, accountant. See a trend? Yeah, I didn’t either LOL. Many of my friends knew their path, knew from an early age what it was they wanted their career to be. Not me, so I ended up doing a business degree (because it seemed like a good idea) and I majored in Information Technology for goodness sakes LOL! I landed a spot in a prestigious graduate development program. I was recruited by a company from NY and moved to the US. I had a successful career as an independent consultant, I created and built my own IT services company, worked at the highest levels of corporate America. I was the mega type A over-achiever :-), on my way to take over the world. Well, not quite, but I was on a very different path and a lucrative one at that. Oh and along the way I’d also managed to have 4 kids. I said over-achiever, right?

So what happened? I decided I needed to spend more time with my kids. Yep. I was going to get more involved at the kid’s schools. I was going to take time for myself—get fit, take some classes, relax. Only…I couldn’t LOL. I needed to do something…more. I’d always read, all different things, but I had a secret preference for romance. And one day I just decided ‘I was going to write one’. And if you knew me, you’d know that once I set my mind to do something, I just do it. So I wrote that book. And then another. And another. And…gulp…before I knew it, I was a writer. Huh.

I’m often asked where I get my ideas. My first thought? I. Have. No. Idea. Not anything I can specifically put my finger on, anyway. As with most writers, I can make up a story about anything, anytime, anywhere. Inspiration is everywhere and it’s all a constant stream going in. I probably forget 90% of the ideas I get before I have an opportunity to capture them (and sometimes that’s a scribble on the back of a used snow cone wrapper I’ve found in the car from a kid’s birthday party). Don’t laugh. I did that once LOL.

The funny thing is…now? If I had the choice to do anything, be anything, it would be a writer J. I’ve found my niche, my groove, the thing I think I might have been meant to be. I’ve enjoyed all the things I’ve done professionally, but I love being a writer. Some people think writers are born. That might be true for some, but I’m thinking for most of us, it’s a long, hard road to make ourselves into writers. At least a writer someone would want to read! And the exciting thing? I’ve just started this amazing journey and have so many more books and stories to tell so stay tuned.

So…what about you? Are you doing the ‘thing of your heart’? If not, what would it be if you could choose? Or are you like I was, still wondering, searching? A random commenter will win their choice of my ebook backlist.

Link to Kaily's Website

The fine print: To enter the draw, just leave a comment with your answer to Kaily's questions on this post (on the main blog rather than the Goodreads feed), before noon Saturday 6th October, New Zealand time. Make sure you either leave a way for me to contact you, or check the blog on Sunday to see if you've won.  

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 by or on Sunday 8th October 2012. Void where prohibited.

Newsletter & Angels' Flight

I hope you're all having a great week!

The newsletter went out a few hours ago, so if you signed up, you should have it (complete with a free short story :-) ) in your inbox.

If you can't see it, check your junk/spam folder to make sure it's not in there. If not, email Ashwini and she'll check to see if your email is bouncing the newsletter, and forward you a copy. Her email is: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

~

Also, there's currently a contest running on Literary Escapism to win a copy of Angels' Flight, so if you haven't got your hands on a copy yet, make sure you swing by and enter.

Friday Book Club

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?

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:

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!

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.

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).

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?

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.

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!

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 Book Club

So many books, so little time! What are you reading and loving this week?

Archangel's Storm UK/Aust/NZ & Lockruf Des Verlangens

A&R, Amazon.uk, BookDepo, FshPnD
Play.Com, Waterstones, Whitcoulls

Kindle

Amazon.de, buche
buecher.de, Libri.de
Lyx, Thalia

Leseproben (PDF)

Archangel's Storm is now available in the UK, Australia and New Zealand! Happy reading!

 ~

„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.)

Auckland Event & International Video Chat

Photo tken in Frankfurt earlier this year :)

I'm so looking forward to the New Zealand launch of Archangel's Storm at the Auckland City Library tonight! If you forgot to book, you may still be able to get a place - just email or give Erika a call.

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!

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

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving at the moment?
 

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

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. :)

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!

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

Not long to go until Archangel's Storm is out. Sometimes people ask me if I still get excited with each new release. Answer - YES!! Each book is different, and so each is a whole new experience. I can't wait for Jason to fly into your hands.

___________

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!

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. :-)

Friday Book Club

And it's Friday already! What have you been reading and loving lately?

I've been rereading the Psy/Ch series this week to make sure of some continuity factors, but I did want to mention a novella (36k words) I had the chance to read as an ARC - Kaily Hart's Rise of Hope, which is now out.

I met Kaily at Lori Foster's Get Together a couple of years ago, and when I heard about the new paranormal series she was writing, I knew I wanted to have a read.

The series has a really cool concept (why did a paranormal race suddenly start abandoning their children at hospitals and other locations a couple of decades ago?), and I found Rise of Hope a fast, intriguing read. I'm looking forward to seeing where Kaily goes next with this series.

Here the blurb (and here's the excerpt link):

A secret ancient race of humans with fantastical abilities, the Vadïm are on the brink of extinction. Many of their women are imprisoned by an organization known as The Assembly, their history all but lost...

Devon Monroe has been a prisoner her entire life. She's determined to make sense of the strange markings on her body, to learn why no one may touch her, to find where she belongs. That means escaping into the unknown, where she has no choice but to trust her self-appointed protector.

Soldier-for-hire Seth Eastman has a job to do: deliver Devon to safety. When Seth discovers the markings on Devon's body, he's stunned at what they mean. And at how she awakens his long-suppressed needs. As they struggle to escape detection and search for the truth of the Vadïm, can he ever hope to claim her for his own?

And can I add a woo and a hoo that Archangel's Storm is almost out!!

 

Audiobook Sale & Archangel's Storm

Audible's having a sale on the Psy/Changeling series, so check it out if you're an audio book fan (these are the US editions).

And I think it's time for a quote from Archangel's Storm! Release isn't far off now! Woohoo! (Sep 4th North America / Sep 13th UK, Aust, NZ)

Elena blew out a quiet breath. "He's like that all the time, isn't he? Part of the world...but apart. A shadow who never becomes too involved."

Raphael had no need to voice agreement, because it was true. His spymaster might not be jaded, but he was numb in a far deeper sense. "To survive eternity," he murmured, "Jason needs to find some reason to exist beyond duty and loyalty."


 

Free Short Stories In Newsletter

Please share this info. I don't want anyone to miss out!

Starting October, I'll be sending out exclusive short stories via my newsletter. These shorts won't be published online for months, if not longer, so if you'd like to get a little Nalini fix between releases, please sign up! I'll be mixing it up between the two series.

Signup form on this page (middle column): http://nalinisingh.com/contact.php

You should get a confirmation email once you sign up - it's important you confirm or you won't be subscribed.

If you don't receive the confirmation email, contact super assistant, Ashwini, and she'll see what's up. (Email: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom - replace each DOT/AT with . or @)

The newsletter goes out once a month, and your email address is only available to me and Ashwini. We promise not to spam you and only send you nice things like excerpts, short stories, heads-up about signings, book releases, and other fun stuff. And of course you can unsubscribe at any time (though I hope you'll stay!)

Friday Book Club

Wow, where has the week gone?! It's book club time again. What are you reading and loving lately?
 

Archangel's Storm Quotes

Not long to go until ARCHANGEL'S STORM hits the shelves! Here are a couple of quotes to help with the countdown (also available on Facebook)!
 
Unthinking, she reached out, her fingers brushing the edge of his wing, the feathers sleek and warm under her fingertips.

He froze, every muscle tense.

~ Archangel's Storm 

Exiting the palace...Mahiya found an unexpected visitor about to take the steps to her door. "Venom."

A smile lazy with charm, his eyes hidden from view by mirrored sunglasses that reflected her own face back at her. Dressed in black pants and a white shirt, his damp hair combed neatly, he appeared one of the more dangerous courtiers - the ones who had the brains to scheme and collude. 

~ Archangel's Storm

September Appearance Schedule: New Zealand

Tuesday September 11 – AUCKLAND
An Evening with Nalini Singh
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Location: Whare Wananga, Level 2, Central City Library
Free event (bookings essential) 

For more information contact Erika Soeterik on 09 307 7768 or 
email erika.soeterik@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Saturday September 15 – AUCKLAND
Going West Festival ‘Shapeshifters Session’ with Graham Beattie
Time: 2.45pm
Location: Titirangi Memorial Hall, West Auckland
 
For tickets and more information go online Going West Festival or call Anna Fomison, Going West Books and Writers Festival project manager, on 09 301 0101 extn 42 816

Wednesday September 19  – ROTORUA
An Evening with Nalini Singh
Time: 5.00pm – 7.00pm
Location: Rotorua District Library, 1127 Haupapa Street 
Gold coin donation, bookings recommended
 
For more information contact Bev Emmerson 07 351 7042 or email bev.emmerson@rdc.govt.nz

Thursday September 20 – TE AWAMUTU
Supporting Make-A-Wish® New Zealand and Ronald McDonald House Charities® NZ

An Evening with Nalini hosted by Altrusa Club of Te Awamutu
Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Location: Te Awamutu College, 938 Alexandra Street, Te Awamutu
Tickets: $20.00 includes supper, cash bar, available from Jewellery Boutique (Te Awamutu), Playmates Boutique (Te Awamutu), and Paper Plus Te Awamutu
 

For more information contact 07 871 8750
or email altrusata@xtra.co.nz (Altrusa Te Awamutu is a registered charity no. CC10620)

Friday September 21  – HAMILTON
Time: 12.00 – 2.00pm
Location: La Premier Lounge, Hoyts Te Awa, Corner of Te Rapa Road and Avalon Drive, The Base Shopping Centre, Hamilton
$25 per person, includes lunch and one drink. Limited ticket sales.
 
For more information contact Paper Plus The Base 07 849 0945 or email thebase@paperplus.co.nz 

______________

For further information please contact Ruby Mitchell, Publicist Hachette NZ rubym@hachette.co.nz / 09 477 5559

Tengger Desert - China

I took this during my trip to China several years ago. From memory, this shot was taken at dawn. :-)

This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

(i.e. If you'd like to repost, pin this photo etc, you're free to do so, as long as the use is non-commercial, you don't make any changes to the image, and provide a link back to this blog or my website. If you're not certain your usage is non-commercial, shoot me an email to discuss).

Friday Book Club

Book club time! What are you reading and loving at the moment?

Of Heroes and Rain

It's a rainy, rainy day in my neck of the woods and I've just finished writing a letter to readers talking about Archangel's Storm. The letter will be appearing on my publisher's website during release week - I'll put up a link once it's live so you can swing by and read it. :-)

Part of the letter talks about Jason as a hero - with his wings of black and spymaster's ability to keep secrets, he is intense in his quietness. But when he does speak, he commands the attention of the archangels themselves.

I've wanted to know his secrets from day one - and more, I've wanted to see what would happen should that fascinating, compelling restraint snap.

I've also been working on Walker and Lara's novella, which will be releasing next year as part of Wild Invitation (March 2013), and Walker, too, is a man who guards his words - and yet there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he is a power.

That got me to thinking about quiet, powerful heroes in general. I think done right, these heroes can be incredibly intriguing.

Can you think of some examples of quiet heroes who aren't stuffy (though we know I love those, too! Mr. Darcy, be still my heart), but simply prefer to keep their silence? Do you like reading about these intense, contained heroes?

Ring of Kerry - Ireland

This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

(i.e. If you'd like to repost, pin this photo etc, you're free to do so, as long as the use is non-commercial, you don't make any changes to the image, and provide a link back to this blog or my website. If you're not certain your usage is non-commercial, shoot me an email to discuss).

Friday Book Club

It's time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?

Edited to add: We've picked a new winner for the Swag contest as the original winner didn't get in touch. The new winner is Toot! Please email naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom with your mailing address.

Bollywood: Main Hoon Na

I haven't posted a Bollywood song for a while - here's one from an older movie that's a lot of fun. Main Hoon Na is more than a little tongue in cheek, and very cute.

Hope you enjoy the video!

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! :-)

Waterfall, Blue Mountains - Australia

I've realized I have thousands of photographs that I haven't had a chance to go through, so I've made it a project to post at least one new image every week.

I'm also playing with some photo software to sharpen and intensify the colors of some of the images - this might turn into an addicting kind of hobby. ;-)

Hope you enjoy!

This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

(i.e. If you'd like to repost, pin this photo etc, you're free to do so, as long as the use is non-commercial, you don't make any changes to the image, and provide a link back to this blog or my website. If you're not certain your usage is non-commercial, shoot me an email to discuss).

Popular Romance Project

While I was at the RWA Conference in Anaheim, I had a chance to see a small piece of the documentary film titled "Love Between the Covers" currently being made by film-maker Laurie Kahn. You can see the preview now on the Popular Romance Project website.

I highly recommend you go by and have a look - the preview received a standing ovation in Anaheim and with good reason. I've met and been interviewed by Laurie, and really felt that she's trying to make a film that truly shows the heart of the romance community in an unbiased and most importantly, non-condescending, way.

I'm excited to see what the final film is going to look like.

Laurie asked me to let you know that through August, she's running a Kickstarter campaign to raise $50,000 to go toward the completion of the film. She's lined up a number of different gifts/rewards for those who make a pledge to support the project, including for example, dvds of the finished film and, for writers, offers of critiques from a number of authors and editors. You can see full details on her campaign page.

I hope you're all having a great weekend and that you enjoy the video. :-)

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving at the moment?

Edited to add: The random winner of the Swag contest has now been posted!

Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews

Link to Excerpt

My super professional review: This book is awesome!!!!

I love the voice of writing team Ilona Andrews, and inhale their books. This one was no different - the plot is fascinating, and Andrea and Raphael make an explosive couple. (For those of you who've read the book already, I have one word for you: carpet. :D)

Gunmetal Magic is set in the Kate Daniels world, but even if you haven't read the other books in the series, I think you can pick this up without problems, as it focuses not on Kate but her best friend Andrea. Of course, the entire series is amazing, and if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend you check it out. You can read more about the books here.

Spoiler note: If you have read Gunmetal Magic, please keep any comments spoiler-free or sneaky so folks aren't accidentally spoiled. Thanks. :-)

Here's the backcover blurb for Gunmetal Magic:

Some people have everything figured out—Andrea Nash is not one of those people.

After being kicked out of the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, Andrea’s whole existence is in shambles. All she can do is to try to put herself back together, something made easier by working for Cutting Edge, a small investigative firm owned by her best friend Kate Daniels.

When several shapeshifters working for Raphael Medrano—the male alpha of the Clan Bouda and Andrea’s former lover—die unexpectedly at a dig site, Andrea is assigned to investigate…and must work with Raphael. As Andrea’s search for the killer leads her into the secret underbelly of supernatural Atlanta, she knows that dealing with her feelings for Raphael might have to take a back seat to saving the world…

 

Swag-orama

Contest Now Closed

Winner: And the random winner is Kui!! Congratulations. Please email your mailing address to naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

New winner chosen as we didn't hear from the first: Toot! Please email your mailing address to naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

I'm back home in NZ and catching up. It was great to see so many of you in Anaheim!

As promised, I picked up some swag for you - these include bookmarks, excerpt booklets, some neat little promo items, and books, plus a conference bag. Just like when you receive a swag bag at a conference, I won't tell you what books are included - it'll be a surprise. ;-)

If you'd like to go into the draw to win the swag, just leave a comment on this post (If you're reading this blog on a feed, for example at Goodreads, please comment on this post on the main blog) by 5pm New Zealand time, Friday 3rd August 2012.

The fine print: Contest is open internationally. One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. One winner will be chosen randomly using random.org and his or her name posted on this blog late on Friday 3rd August 2012. If we don't hear back from the winner within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Chance of winning dependent on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.

Contest Now Closed

Friday Book Club

...coming to you from the RWA Anaheim Conference! I hope you all had a great week!

I was just down having a look at the swag in the Goody Room, and I met Tessa Dare. She mentioned she was going to do a swag giveaway on her site, and I realized I had room in my luggage this year. So I picked up some swag, too.We'll do a giveaway when I get back! (Thanks for the idea, Tessa!)

Okay, onto the books. What are you reading and loving at the moment?

Walker & Lara, and Anaheim

I've just completed the current draft of Walker and Lara's novella.It's not yet final, but it's getting there. I'm hoping to work on it further on the flight to Anaheim - it'll be good to do a read-through start to finish.

Talking of Anaheim, I'm looking forward to seeing some of you on Wednesday! Full details of the super-duper gigantic book signing here.

You might have noticed we've made some changes to the blog - I hope you all like! Please test out the comments - they should be working fine, but if not, shoot me an email (nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com).

And in the spirit of comment testing, here's a tough question for you: Shapeshifter or vampire? Reasons?

Archangel's Storm ARC Contest Winners

We had an amazing number of entries for the Archangel's Storm ARC contest. Thanks to everyone who entered. The random numbers have spoken, and the winners are:

Erin F.

Janna U.

Donna S.

Congratulations! Official confirmation emails will be heading out to you within the next hour. 

If you didn't win, don't despair - keep an eye on the blog in a week for a heads-up on another chance to get your hands on an ARC. ;-)

Friday Book Club

...now open! Time to talk about your favorite books this week. :-)

Too Adorable not to share

Brie tweeted me this link - trust me, you want to look! I bet you end up smiling! :-)

Twin Baby Panthers Have Coming Out Party

Catchup

I've been a bit scarce online this week as I'm hoping to get this draft of Walker and Lara's novella completed before I leave for RWA next week. If you're in Anaheim and attending the Literacy Signing, do make sure to come by and say hi!

What are you all up to?

Friday Book Club

Before I kick off the book club, a heads-up that my agent, Nephele, is giving away copy each of Burning Up and Angels of Darkness on her blog, so drop by and enter the draw if you'd like to win one of the anthologies.

Now, onto the books we've been reading this week! What are you enjoying at the moment? I'm focused on the Wild Invitation novellas at the moment, so I've been spending time in Psy/Changeling lands. 

Okay, your turn!

Interview, Smiles, & Newsletter

Hope you're all having a great week everyone! I have some links for you today.

I did an interview with Casey at Literary Escapism at the RT Convention, and it's now live. It's a long, relaxed interview, so hope you enjoy.

I posed this amazing link on Facebook yesterday, after finding it on Meljean Brook's blog, and thought I'd share it here as well: 21 Pictures that will restore your faith in humanity

And last but not definitely not least, the July newsletter went out earlier this week, with lots of news, including an update on Wild Invitation and a new excerpt of Archangel's Storm. If you missed it, you can now read it at this link. If you'd like to get the newsletter from now on, you can sign up on the Contact page of the website (on the bottom right).

Comments & Newsletter

Some bad news first - I've had to turn off Anonymous comments for the moment because of an influx of spam. Grr... Let's hope the spammers move off soon!

Onto the good news! The July newsletter will likely go out late tomorrow, or early Monday, with some extra goodies in it *coughexlusiveexcerptcough*. If you'd like to join the mailing list, follow this link for the signup form (bottom right of page)! 

Don't worry, we won't spam you - the newsletter goes out once a month or so with a roundup of news, heads-up on future appearances, and I usually try to include something exclusive in it, too.

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving at the moment?

Have a great weekend everyone! :-)
 

Archangel's Storm ARC Contest

If you'd like to go in the random draw to win one of three Advanced Reading/Review Copies of Archangel's Storm, send an e-mail to naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom with "Archangel's Storm ARC Contest" in the subject line by 7pm Friday July 20th, 2012, New Zealand time. 

Please follow the correct format for entry re the subject line, so your e-mail goes into the right in-box. Thanks!

(Your e-mail will only be used to contact you should you win.)

Since these are Advanced Reading/Review Copies, if you win, I'd request that you please post a review somewhere, on or before the release date (September 4th, 2012) - on a blog, on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads...it's up to you, but it would be much appreciated if you'd post your thoughts somewhere. The contents of the review are, of course, totally up to you, but I would ask that you not share any major spoilers until after the book is out.

A note about the ARC - it's substantially the same as the final book, but since ARCs are printed prior to the final round of edits, there are some errors in the text that aren't in the final book.

I'll give each winner 48 hours to respond to the email indicating they've won. If I don't hear back within that time, I'll redraw. By entering, you give me permission to post your name on the blog should you win.

The fine print: Contest is open internationally. One entry per household. No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be chosen randomly using random.org and his or her name(s) posted on this blog on Sunday 22nd, 2012. Chance of winning dependent on number of entries received. Void where prohibited.

 --
p.s. If you'd like to use the black Jason button above on the right, feel free! We'll be uploading a wallpaper, too, with the next set of website updates.
 

UK Cover: Archangel's Storm

Check it out!

 

For NZ Writers: RWNZ August Writing Workshop Press Release

I received this press release from RWNZ and thought it would be of interest to local authors. I've attended previous RWNZ workshops/conferences and always found them good value, so check the details out to see if it might suit you.

This press release is specifically for the Friday workshop. For the full conference schedule, head over to the RWNZ website. You can attend either or both.
_______________

Fiction-writing Dummy No Longer

A Day with Randy Ingermanson (The Snowflake Guy)

Calling all writers. It's time to learn how to get that inner novel into print.

Romance Writers of New Zealand is bringing Randy Ingermanson, the author of six novels and the bestselling book, Writing Fiction for Dummies, to New Zealand to present a full-day workshop. This will take place on Friday, August 24, from 9am to 5pm at Auckland's Crowne Plaza Hotel. Writers of all genres are welcome and encouraged to hear this world-class speaker guide them on the path to creating successful commercial fiction. The workshop consists of five sessions: Building Great Characters; Story Architecture; The Snowflake Method; Writing the Perfect Scene (divided into two parts); finishing with analyzing the popular book The Hunger Games.

Affectionately known as ‘America’s Mad Professor of Fiction Writing’, Randy’s passion is teaching people how to organize their writing lives, how to create fiction, and how to market that fiction to the reading public. The award winning writer says,“Great organization keeps you productive. Great creative skill will sell you to the publisher. Great marketing will sell you to the reader.”

Most people believe they have a novel in them waiting to be written and after spending a day with Randy that dream could become reality.

For more details and early bird discount bookings before July 13 go to http://www.romancewriters.co.nz

There are concessions for members of NZSA, KiwiWrite4Kids, SFFANZ and NZ Writers Guild.

Romance Writers of New Zealand Inc is a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting excellence in romance writing and the romance genre, helping writers become published and establish careers by providing networking, support, information and resources.

BIO

Randy Ingermanson is the author of six novels and the bestselling book WRITING FICTION FOR DUMMIES. He is known around the world as “the Snowflake Guy” in honor of his wildly popular Snowflake method of designing a novel. Randy has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of California at Berkeley and still works half-time as a scientist for a biotechnology company in San Diego. He publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with over 30,000 subscribers and sits on the advisory board of American Christian Fiction Writers. Randy lives in southern Washington State with his wife and daughters and three surly cats. Visit his web site at http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com

Friday Book Club

...posting on Saturday NZ time. What are you reading and loving this week?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wild Invitation

...is the title of the Psy/Changeling anthology releasing March next year. This anthology will include two previously published novellas:

Beat of Temptation (Nate & Tamsyn)

Stroke of Enticement (Zach & Annie)

and two brand new novellas. More info to come!

(The two new novellas will also be available later as separate ebooks.)

Photos!

Prague - View from the Charles Bridge

I just uploaded ten new travel photos (from Hungary, Austria, & the Czech Republic) into a Facebook album. You can view them by clicking this link! (Scroll down for the newest images). Hope you enjoy. :-)

Czech Republic

Greetings from Prague everyone! I hope you're all having a great week. :-) I climbed the twisting staircase up the tower of a medieval church today - my legs are aching, but the view was worth it!

Friday Book Club

...now open! 
 

Photos!

Some photos from my travels as promised!

Lara Adrian & I at our German publishing house, Lyx.

 

Some beautiful wings spotted by Lara Adrian's lovely husband, John, in a window ad in Dortmund.

Outside the Love Letter Convention in Berlin (too adorable not to take a photo!)

Berlin: Part of the Berlin Wall that's still standing. Different artistic works cover each segment.

Warsaw, Poland: Wilanow Palace

Berlin: Love Letter Convention - Impromptu Signing!

Krakow, Poland: Shot of chandelier in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Each of the "crystal" links is actually made of rock salt. One of the most amazing places I've ever seen.