Rock Courtship Worldwide Audio Release

The audiobook of Rock Courtship is now out worldwide. Happy listening!

Available at: Amazon, Audible, iTunes, Tantor

Friday Book Club

It's Friday Book Club time! What are you reading and loving this week?

New Zealand Book Tour: Signings and Informal Visits

An update on my upcoming signings in the lower North Island of New Zealand. Full details here, but to summarize, I'll have three events:

Wednesday June 17th, 6pm
Porirua Library
An Evening with Nalini Singh

Thursday June 18th, 12.30pm
Palmerston North Library
Q&A and Signing

Thursday June 18th, 6pm
Paper Plus Masterton
An Evening with Nalini Singh

However, I will ALSO be dropping in to sign store stock at the following locations, if you're nearby and want to drop by - but please be aware that these timings are approximate! We'll be driving from the airport, and then to the stores, so we might be delayed slightly.

If you can't make the events/stock signings, I'm sure any of the stores at which I'm having events, or where I'm dropping in, will also be happy to take orders for signed books.

Wednesday 17th June

2:30 - 2:50pm Informal book signing at Whitcoulls Lambton Quay

3.00 - 3:20pm Informal book signing at Whitcoulls Cuba Street

3.40 – 4.00pm   Informal book signing at Paper Plus Johnsonville


Thursday 18th June

9.20 – 9.40am Informal book signing at Paper Plus Coastlands

11.15 – 12.00pm Informal book signing at Paper Plus Feilding - Cancelled

Roundup of News

I was on a bit of a publicity blitz for my local publisher last week - I thought I'd round up some of the links in case any of you want to check out the interviews.

~

I was on the television show Good Morning on June 4th. My segment starts at about 41.18. Thanks to Library Addict for letting me know the show is available to view internationally - you will, however, have to sign up for TVNZ's On Demand service. (Basically, register via your email).

This link will take you to the right episode. Otherwise, go to tvnz.co.nz, click TVNZ On Demand, find Good Morning in the list of shows, and choose the June 4th episode.

At the TVNZ studios.

~

Plus I was on Radio New Zealand's Standing Room Only programme. I think the audio file should be available worldwide. Just follow this link to listen - the audio cuts off a bit at the end, but you get almost the entire interview.

~

At The Mix FM with Mel Homer (no audio available online)

And I did a lunchtime Q&;A on the Mighty Ape Facebook page. Even if you're not on Facebook, you should be able to read the thread. (We will also be having a blog Q&A a bit later on, soon as I catch up on a few things).

~

I also did a blog post for the Gollancz Blog, talking about five of my Favorite Psy-Changeling Moments. What are your faves?

~

Also, Kiwis, don't forget I'll be on book tour in about a week. Main cities will be: Porirua, Masterton, and Palmerston North. Please do support the events! The better the turnouts, the more likely my publisher is to do more in the future. :)

~

p.s. I just realized I'm wearing the same top in all these photos! That's because they're all from the same day. I don't think I have any shots from the second day.

Psy-Changeling Mug - Winner

Congratulations to Claire (commented: "Reading for me has been a new found pleasure.."), who has won the  Psy-Changeling mug from the weekend giveaway! Drop me a note at: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom :) ~Ashwini

Friday Book Club

This week's book club is now open! What are you reading and loving at the moment?

Shards of Hope now out everywhere!!

The plot advances the overarching story while still maintaining a strong sense of intimacy and connection with the characters. The tension of an epic psychological thriller provides the framework for an unparalleled romantic adventure.  - Publishers Weekly on Shards of Hope (Starred Review)

 Shards of Hope is now out worldwide!! I hope you all enjoy Aden and Zaira's story.

p.s. I set up a Spoilerific Thread if you'd like to discuss the book with spoilers. :)

To celebrate, I'm running a giveaway on my Facebook page for some Psy-Changeling mugs. I don't want blog readers to feel left out, so I'm going to give one away here, too. International entries welcome.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post about books, or life in general, or the top three things you'd take with you to a desert island.

The fine print: One entry per person. Winner to be randomly chosen late Sunday night New Zealand time, and posted on the blog on Monday. Winner will have 72 hours to claim their prize. Void where prohibited.

I think this is one of my top reads by [Nalini] which is really saying a lot...Aden and Zaira were an incredible couple. Aden’s twist to his power was WOW... - From The Bookpushers Joint Review

Thank you

I posted this on Facebook, but I wanted to post it here, too. :)

It's Wednesday a.m. in New Zealand and I'm having an emotional morning. But these are good emotions - I woke up to so many wonderful messages and comments about Shards of Hope. It just reminded me once again how blessed I am to do what I do. I get to know so many incredible, generous-hearted people across the world. You're all wonderful, amazing human beings - my own worldwide pack. Thank you for being you. smile emoticon

And for those of you who are waiting for the International release, thank you for being patient. We'll celebrate a second release day as soon as it hits a minute past midnight on Wednesday! Please do post when your copies start downloading/arriving.

Shards of Hope Spoiler Thread

This is the dedicated *spoiler* thread for Shards of Hope and earlier books in the series. Spoilers abound, so be warned!!

Usual rules: be kind to your fellow commenters and have fun. This spoiler thread will remain active as long as the blog does, so you can join in at any time. :-)

I don't monitor the thread for questions, so if you have a Q for me, you can email me, or keep a list and I'll tackle them at the Q&A in a few weeks.

If you're at an earlier point in the series and would like to discuss that book, click on the Spoiler Zone tag and it should bring up all the previous spoiler threads. Some of the earlier books don't have them, but if there's a demand, I'd be happy to set them up. Just drop me an email (nalinisinghwrites AT gmail DOT com).

Remember, *spoilers ahoy*!

Shards of Hope!!

I know Shards of Hope has already started to download in some places (eep!!), but for those waiting for their copy, I thought it'd be fun to share this video I did for iBooks New Zealand, where I talk a little bit about Aden and Zaira's story. I hope you enjoy it!

Newsletter Reminder

A reminder that I have a super duper awesome newsletter that goes out once a month and always has something special for subscribers, including free short stories, deleted scenes, and early behind-the-scenes info. You can subscribe at this link.

Once you subscribe, click the confirm link sent to your email. You'll then get a Welcome newsletter with links to previous stories not on the website. Any issues, let Ash know: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?

p.s. Shards of Hope is almost out!

Shards Excerpt, Worldwide Audio Release, Alpha Showdown, & Catchup

The final excerpt of Shards of Hope is now up on the USA Today HEA Blog! I hope you enjoy!

~

The audiobook of Rock Hard is now out worldwide. Happy listening!

Available at: Audible, iTunes, Tantor, Amazon

~

Also, Raphael is up against Wrath of the BDB in the Alpha Showdown, so swing by and show our favorite archangel some love. :-)

~

I hope you're all having a great week. I've just sent the draft of Rock Kiss #3 (Noah's book) to my first reader, so today, I'm catching up on all the admin stuff I put aside while finishing the book.

I also want to work on my "spare time" Psy-Changeling novella collection.

What are you up to?

Excerpt: Shards of Hope

As promised, a new excerpt of Shards of Hope has just gone up at The Rock Stars of Romance!

If you haven't read the first two chapters, you can find them here. This excerpt follows on directly. Enjoy! :-)

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!

~

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

Character Interview: Lucas Hunter

Lucas from Slave to Sensation took ten minutes to answer a few questions sent in by readers, and the interview is now up at Natasha is a Book Junkie, along with a great contest.

Qs 1-3 are spoiler free, Qs 4-10 are spoilerific for later books in the series. Enjoy!!

24 hour sale: Slave to Sensation

Exciting news! For the first time ever, Slave to Sensation is on sale in the USA/Ca, for 24 hours only. It's currently $1.99 on Nook!!

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

p.s. If you're wondering why it says this was posted on Sat, it's because I live in New Zealand and we exist in the future . ;-)

Website Relaunch

News! My website has received a makeover! Swing by and have a look!

If you notice anything that's not working or is causing problems on your device, please leave a comment (and let us know what device you're using). Gabrielle will monitor this thread to make sure we fix things up!!

Hope you all love the new look! :-)

Free Audio: Christmas in the Kitchen

Look what I found! Tantor Audio recorded the short story "Christmas in the Kitchen" as a free audio download. Available internationally. :-)). Enjoy!

If you'd rather read the story, you can find it here on the website.

Friday Book Club

Kicking off the Friday Book Club a little early. What are you reading and loving this week?

p.s. I'm reading through all the suggested quotes here and on Facebook to decide which ones will go on the mug and it's so hard to choose! We might have to have a Part I and a Part II lol!

May Newsletter

A reminder that this month's newsletter will go out in approximately fifteen hours, complete with a second full chapter of Shards of Hope. Subscribe link.

Previous newsletters have included free shorts and deleted scenes from all three of my series: Psy-Changeling, Guild Hunter, & Rock Kiss. If you'd like to access these newsletter-exclusives, subscribe, click the confirm link sent to your email, and you'll get the Welcome newsletter, which has all the info on how to read the previous shorts/scenes. :-)

Cover Love: Archangel's Enigma

Spotted by a reader online. Striking international cover of ARCHANGEL'S ENIGMA!! 

Friday Book Club

It's book club time again! What are you reading and loving this week?

Psy-Changeling Quotes

Okay, I need your help. You all know I had some Guild Hunter mugs made up for giveaways. At this point, they've gone everywhere from the USA, to other parts of New Zealand, to South Africa! Anyway, I was thinking I should get some Psy-Changeling mugs made up too, to celebrate the release of SHARDS OF HOPE.

This is where you come in. As you can see from this picture of the Guild Hunter mug, there are quotes all around it from the books. I want you to nominate your favorite Psy-Changeling quotes for the Psy-Changeling mug, to ensure we choose quotes you love. It works best if they're one or two lines long, as otherwise, it's harder to fit them in.

So hit me with your favorite quotes!!!

Rock Addiction Audio & AudioGals Interview

The AudioGals are celebrating the audio release of Rock Addiction with an in-depth interview with me, plus a giveaway and a first chapter listen of Rock Addiction. 

The narrator, Justine O'Keef, has a lovely voice.

Swing by and join them! :-)

Rock Hard - Kindle Sale

Please share: ROCK HARD has dropped to an incredible $2.18 on Kindle.

This is an Amazon generated sale, so I have no idea how long it'll last, but if you want to grab the book, now's your chance! Hot rugby player turned CEO vs his (growling) mouse of a P.A.? Game on!

Kindle link
Excerpt link

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Playlists and Songs

I was listening to some music today and I got to thinking about playlists for books. I don't have those, but every so often (not always), a song will resonate with me as I write.

For Heart of Obsidian, it was "Skyfall" by Adele. I actually first heard it while I was on the second draft and just loved the feel of it. I'm curious, what songs do you think fit my books (or any one of my books)?

Shards of Hope ~ Excerpt

Happy weekend! A full chapter excerpt of Shards of Hope is now up on the website. I hope you enjoy!

Friday Book Club

Book club time! What are you reading and adoring this week?!

iBooks Sale: Australia & New Zealand

Australian & New Zealand readers: You can currently get SLAVE TO SENSATION and ANGELS' BLOOD on iBooks for $4.99 each in Aus/NZ!! Sale ends May 12th.

Link for Angels' Blood
Link for Slave to Sensation

Updates

Out June 2nd / June 4th (International)

I heard from my editor about Archangel's Enigma. She loves the manuscript I turned in, and adores Naasir. Woohoo! I must admit I adore that feral and thoroughly infuriating beast myself. I really didn't want to let him and Andromeda go. Plus, all kinds of big, world-altering things happen in this book, so hold onto your hats.

(If you're wondering about review copies, it's a bit too early. The manuscript needs to go through two rounds of edits first.)

I'm currently working on the second draft of the next Rock Kiss story. (I wrote the first draft before I shifted gears to work on Archangel's Enigma). If Rock Hard was sweet, romantic, and funny, Noah and Kit's story is emotionally wrenching and hard.

I haven't forgotten about the Psy-Changeling anthology I promised you all. I'm continuing to work on that in my spare time. I actually want to put in an hour on that tonight.

Also, I'm hoping we can get an excerpt of Shards of Hope up this weekend. Will post when it's done. :-)

How are you all? What's happening?

Shards of Hope ARC Contest - Winners

The winners have all been notified via the email address used to enter the contest. (If you see your name on this list but didn't get an e-mail, it's because someone else with the same name won.) And the winners are:

Janene J.

Siggy

Julie D.

Katie E.

Mary Ann C.

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who entered. If you didn't win, we hope you enjoy Shards of Hope when it releases!

Newsletter and Catchup

I'm such a space cadet. I just posted the Friday Book Club, then realized it was Thursday. *slaps forehead*

Anyway, a quick heads up that the newsletter went out a day ago, complete with a Tai and Evie short story. If you subscribe and didn't get it, or if you subscribed too late, drop Ash a note and she'll send you a copy: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

How is the week going for everyone?

Friday Book Club

It's Friday Book Club time again! What are you reading and loving this week?

I just started Amanda Quick's Crystal Gardens. I'm a huge fan of Jayne Ann Krentz under all her pen names, so I'm really looking forward to diving in.

Your turn!

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Chasseuse de vampires, Tome 7: Les ombres de l'Archange

Archangel's Shadows in now out in French! Woohoo!!

New Short Story

The other day, I was meant to be having a break but didn't know what to do with myself so I wrote you a short story. :-)

It'll be in the newsletter going out mid next week. If you aren't yet a subscriber, click on this link, or on the image below to join.

Once you confirm your subscription via the link sent to your email, you'll get an automatic Welcome newsletter with links to previous newsletter exclusive short stories. Any problems, email Ashwini: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

Emails Cleared

I'm still somewhat in shock that I have just cleared all the messages from my email. *lies down, has a chocolate cigarette that's really just a roll of chocolate*

I got really behind during my first book tour, not realizing how little time I'd have on the road, and just stayed behind for a long time. However, this year, I was determined to catch up and at last, I've achieved my aim! Some of you will have forgotten you emailed me and will now have a reply sitting in your Inbox! ;-)

If you've emailed me and not received a response, then I didn't get the message. All spam/junk folders have been checked for stray messages. So please resend. :-)

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?

I just read and really enjoyed In Sheep's Clothing by Meljean Brook, a 30 page short you can download for free from her website.

Your turn!

Shards of Hope ARC contest

Contest now closed.

SHARDS OF HOPE ARC CONTEST

(International entries welcome)

If you'd like to go in the random draw to win one of 5 Advanced Reading/Review Copies of Shards of Hope, send an e-mail to naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom (replace DOT/AT with symbols ./@), with:

- "SHARDS OF HOPE ARC Contest" in the subject line -

By 10pm, 17th April 2015, New Zealand time.

Please follow the correct format for entry re the subject line, so your e-mail goes into the right in-box. (Your e-mail address will only be used to contact you should you win.)

Since this is an Advanced Review Copy, if you win, I'd ask that you please post a review somewhere before the release date (June 2nd) - 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.

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.

-Ashwini : )

Contest now closed.

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 emailed on 18th April 2015. Their names will also be posted on this blog at that time. Each winner will have 48 hours from the time of notification to contact us with his or her mailing address, otherwise he or she will forfeit the prize and another winner will be drawn. Void where prohibited.

German Covers: Rock Addiction & Rock Hard

Check this out! The covers for Rock Addiction and Rock Hard in German!
Releases scheduled for November 2015 and January 2016!

New Zealand Kindle Pre-Order of SHARDS OF HOPE

New Zealand readers: There was a glitch with the Kindle preorder of SHARDS OF HOPE that affected New Zealand. It's now been fixed, so you should be able to preorder Aden and Zaira's story without any problems, from either the US or Australian Amazon sites. :)

Friday Book Club

...now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

p.s. Look out for a giveaway mid-next week :)

Writing & Instagram

A quick writing update: I'm currently halfway through what should be the penultimate draft of Archangel's Enigma. This is a fun, adventurous book, as befits Naasir. ;-)

Also, I am now on Instagram. I will mostly be sharing my travel photos there, so you won't miss out on any news if you prefer to just follow the blog. :)

I hope you're all having a great week!

Alissa Johnson - A Christmas Dance

My second novella rec for this weekend is a historical: Alissa Johnson's A Christmas Dance. It's a sweet, warm-hearted, and just lovely story of two people falling in love.

The hero is former military and has a PLAN to get himself a wife. Then along comes the heroine and all his plans take a tumble.

If you're looking for a novella with two likeable characters and a romance that'll make you smile, check this one out.

You can read an excerpt by clicking on the cover on Amazon.

Psi-Changeling, T11 : Labyrinthe de désirs

The French edition of Tangle of Need is now out! I hope you all enjoy Riaz and Adria's story!!

Tamara Morgan - Off the Map

I have a couple of novella recs for you this weekend. The first one is Tamara Morgan​'s OFF THE MAP featuring two members of a search and rescue team.

I have to be honest - at first, I thought the hero, Scott, was an ass. Like really. But then I realized what was going on with him and he melted my heart.

The heroine, Carrie, is awesome, so strong and positive and kind.

Their relationship has an enemies to lovers vibe, but it's also hilariously funny in places. I was reading this on a plane and I had to muffle my mouth so my neighbor didn't think I'd lost the plot (it was a scene featuring a voodoo Ken doll).

If you're looking for a sharp, funny, romantic novella, check this one out. Here's a link to the excerpt on Tamara's website.

Second rec to come tomorrow! :-)

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What reads are you inhaling this week?

Good News!

I just got some amazing news: ROCK HARD hit the New York Times Bestseller list!!!

It's all because of your support - thank you so much for coming with me as I try something new. I couldn't do it without you, my absolutely incredible and wonderful readers. - xoxo Nalini

Auckland Writers Festival

A heads-up that I'll be participating in the Auckland Writers Festival this year. My session is:

Friday May 15th

7pm-8pm

Lower NZI Room, Aotea Centre,
50 Mayoral Drive, Auckland, 

New Zealand 

Ticket info and list of all programming: Auckland Writers Festival Website

I hope to see some of you there!

Behind-The-Scenes

Did you know that just like the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series, the Rock Kiss series has a Behind-The-Scenes page on my website? It includes location photos from some of the places in the books.

This photo is from the Wintergardens that feature in the final part of Rock Hard. I hope you enjoy the photos!

Cover Love: Archangel's Enigma

I may have gone utterly silent when I first saw this cover, then screamed loud enough to scare my neighbors. I just love it so much!! I hope you all do too!

ARCHANGEL'S ENIGMA

Coming SEPTEMBER

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Rock Hard Now Out :)

I hope you're all enjoying Rock Hard! I'm so excited for T-Rex and Charlie-mouse's story to be out in the world!

Here are quotes from some of the reviews popping up on the web about the book: 

"The first thing I said when I finished this book was that Gabriel was my new #1 book boyfriend. He was everything I love about a romance hero. He was strong and sexy and so dedicated to Charlotte." ~ The Bookpushers (MinnChica)

"THIS ROMANCE IS LIKE THE BEST KIND OF CHOCOLATE YOU HAVE EVER TASTED. Sumptuous, sweet, melts on your taste buds and leaves you feeling blissful." ~ Treat Yourself With Books

"I absolutely love these characters..." ~ Azteclady

"He is this growly, slave driver of a boss and Charlie is losing patience (anyone would), and this epic clash of T-Rex and mouse is so damn fun to read! I snickered and even laughed out loud few times.:)" ~ Lege Artis (Goodreads)

"I absolutely love their banter; their interactions just suck you in.  I really can’t say enough about this book.  It’s just awesome. " ~ Love N. Books

"And Gabriel Bishop – oh, be still my beating heart. I think I fell deeply in love with him right along with Charlotte. I think he has to be my favourite book boyfriend of 2015 to date...I just swooned with happiness and got a really bad case of the warm and fuzzies.  Even now, as I type, I’m grinning like a loon." ~ Becs (Goodreads)

Please feel free to leave a link in the comments, or to email it to me, if you've done a review!

~

Also, the newsletter has gone out, complete with bonus deleted scenes from Archangel's Shadows.

If you've subscribed and didn't receive it, or if you subscribed after it went out, email Ashwini (naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom).

Rock Hard - Final Countdown

Here's another quote for you as we count down the final few hours to the worldwide release of Rock Hard. I've posted a funny quote, a sexy one, and now, a romantic one. I think that sums up Rock Hard really well - it's funny and sexy but also deeply, deeply romantic.

This is a book about two hearts colliding and sticking (there are definite fireworks *oh boy are there*, and some sinful laughter, but there is also a tenderness that makes me smile goofily as I write this). I hope you all love Charlotte and Gabriel's story (I don't know if I want to cheer for the T-Rex or the Mouse...Game on!)

Get from: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Nook

Print Edition: Amazon (will also be available elsewhere as the details make their way through the system).
 

ARRA Convention

Checking in from Canberra, Australia where I'm at the ARRA Convention. So awesome to spend time with romance readers and writers. Plus the ARRA readers chose SHIELD OF WINTER as their Favorite Paranormal Romance of 2014! Yay for Ivy, Vasic, & Rabbit! 

I hope you're all having a great weekend, too. What are you up to?

Rock Hard Countdown

A smexy quote to take you into the weekend, featuring Gabriel and his Miss Baird. Out Tuesday!

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Gilde der Jäger: Engelsseele

Engelsseele, the German edition of Archangel's Shadows is now out! I hope you all enjoy Ashwini and Janvier's story. :-)

Rock Hard Countdown

Counting down to Tuesday and the release of Rock Hard!

Pre-Order: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Nook

Print Pre-Order: Amazon (will also be available via other sites, but it'll take a little while for the book to filter through to their systems).

Bookstores: ISBN is 978-1942356165. Rock Hard will be available via the Ingrams catalog.

Rock Hard Print Edition

The first print pre-order link for ROCK HARD is now up on Amazon.

It'll take some time to filter through to all other booksellers, but it will eventually appear.

Less than a week to go!

If you haven't read the excerpt, it's up here.

Rock Hard - One Week to Go!!

I'm so excited about Charlie and T-Rex's book!! Only a week to go. Woohoo!

Pre-Order: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Nook 
Print Edition: Pre-order link coming!
 

Newsletter

A heads up that I send out a super duper monthly newsletter with exclusives for subscribers, including free short stories set in the Psy-Changeling, Guild Hunter, and Rock Kiss worlds, deleted scenes, fun character interviews where readers get to ask the questions, and more!

If you aren't yet a subscriber you can join at this link. Make sure to click the confirm link sent to your email. You'll then get a Welcome newsletter with links to previous stories not on the website. Any issues, email: naliniDOTassistantATgmailDOTcom

Updated 31st August 2015

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open. What are you reading and loving this week?

Laura Florand - Once Upon A Rose

Laura Florand can't write fast enough for me. Every time I finish one of her books, I'm over at her website looking for the next release, and saying, what do you meant I have to wait?!

I absolutely loved, loved, loved Once Upon A Rose. The heroine is sweet with a teasing sense of humor, while the hero is, as the heroine puts it, a bit of a "growly bear." Only this big, tough bear's heart is huge enough to hold an entire valley and tender enough that the heroine can make him blush.

This book left me with a big grin and the happy good-book sigh. If you haven't read any of Laura's books, you have such a treat ahead of you! Here's a link to her website if you'd like to explore.

And if you go to Amazon and click the cover of Once Upon A Rose, you can read a long excerpt (the adorable and funny first meeting between the hero and heroine) without having to download. Plus, Laura also has a bonus shorter excerpt up on her site. Enjoy!

Adventures in Proofing

I keep a mental list of the most interesting / funny / difficult-to-spot typos found during the very final round of proofs. Remember, this is after many, many, many people have already read the book, all of whom are looking out for errors.

It shows how elastic the mind is that we so easily recognize what the word is meant to be, or what order the sentence should be in, and keep on reading.

In my final proof typo hall of fame, I have:

Knees that crumbled.

Hands put into the coats of my pocket. 

And now...

If you can spot the typo, don't give it away! Just say you got it. :) Now imagine spotting that typo in among 159,000+ other words. I feel pretty awesome right now. (Until someone writes to me after the book is out and points out a typo I missed and I go gahhhhhh!). ;-)

How did the typo above escape the computer's eagle eye? In this case, it was human error - I made an edit in the manuscript post copy-edits and forgot to run the spellcheck over the addition. But human eyes pick up substitutions like bear/bare, lightning/lightening, so it all balances out in the end.

And yep, that's the final wordcount of Shards of Hope. In manuscript format, it'd probably be 630 or so pages I think. Formatted for the hardcover, it's 483 pages. 

That should keep everyone busy for a few hours at least!

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Writing

Working on ARCHANGEL'S ENIGMA. Naasir and Venom are hanging out. ;-)

What are you up to?

Proofing SHARDS OF HOPE

A Rock Hard Gif

Hope you're all having a wonderful day! I wanted to share this cute/awesome gif Lege Artis emailed through. (I asked her if I could steal it as soon as I saw it!)

Charlie-mouse vs T-Rex. Grr! I love the look on the mouse's face! It's like, just you wait...

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Cover Love: ROCK HARD - Releasing March 10th!

I love this cover so much!!

ROCK HARD

March 10th

Preorders available: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Nook

In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past…

Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.

And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.

Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.

If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.

Click to read excerpt (two full chapters) 

Reviewers: If you haven't already requested a review copy via email or through the blog tour, you can now request via NetGalley. (If you emailed me a direct review request, I'm hoping to get through all the emails tomorrow sometime.)

Charlie-Mouse vs T-Rex

“Get to work,” she muttered and knuckled down.

Gabriel was fine for the first hour, but then he began barking orders even a six-armed woman with a split personality would have had trouble handling.

Finally, pushed to the edge, Charlotte snapped. “I’m going as fast as I can!” she yelled when he asked her for something a minute after he’d asked her to complete another task.

He scowled and held out a file. “This is a priority.”

Grabbing it from his hand, she said, “Fine,” and slapped it down on her desk.

It was over an hour later that he disappeared for ten minutes. When he returned, it was to put a small bakery box on her desk. “I think you need something to sweeten your mood today, Ms. Baird.”

What she needed was for the T-Rex who was her boss to stop snarling and growling, she thought...

A full two chapter excerpt of ROCK HARD is now up on the website! I hope you all enjoy this glimpse into Charlotte and Gabriel's story.

Preorders available: iBooks, Kindle, Kobo, Nook

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?
 

Karina Bliss - Rise

Hi everyone! I emerge!

I posted this on my Facebook page, but wanted to share the rec here as well. Rise is the amazing new book by my friend and awesome author Karina Bliss.

It's emotional and intense and I couldn't put it down. Her rock star is, as the blurb says, "manipulative, honest, gifted, charismatic and morally ambiguous" - he's a fascinating character to get to know, right along with his heroine, the biographer he talks into writing his story. I hope you'll check this book out!

Excerpt here: http://karinabliss.com/books/rock-stars/

In other news, how was your weekend? :-)


 

Friday Book Club

Time to talk books! What are you reading and loving this week?

Away with Aden

I hope everyone is having an awesome week so far. I've just received the copy edited manuscript to Shards of Hope, so I'll be away from the blog until I've returned the CEs.

I've scheduled the Friday Blog post, so that'll go up as usual. Until then, talk amongst yourselves! :-)

Friday Book Club

The Friday Book Club is now open! What are you reading and loving this week?

Catchup

How's the week going everyone?

I've had my head down working on Archangel's Enigma, and also on editing the first draft of the next Rock Kiss book (Noah).

Archangel's Enigma - September 2015

ARCHANGEL'S ENIGMA
A Guild Hunter Novel

September 2015

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh returns to her world of dark passion and immortal power—and to one of the most seductive and impenetrable heroes ever to stalk the Guild Hunter landscape…

“Oh, Naasir. So weird, so bloodthirsty, so unique and wonderful…I have fallen for him…”—Fiction Vixen

Naasir is the most feral of the powerful group of vampires and angels known as the Seven, his loyalty pledged to the Archangel Raphael. When rumors surface of a plot to murder the former Archangel of Persia, now lost in the Sleep of the Ancients, Naasir is dispatched to find him. For only he possesses the tracking skills required—those more common to predatory animals than to man.

Enlisted to accompany Naasir, Andromeda, a young angelic scholar with dangerous secrets, is fascinated by his nature—at once playful and brilliant, sensual and brutal. As they race to find the Sleeping archangel before it’s too late, Naasir will force her to question all she knows...and tempt her to walk into the magnificent, feral darkness of his world. But first they must survive an enemy vicious enough to shatter the greatest taboo of the angelic race and plunge the world into a screaming nightmare…

Friday Book Club

Kicking off the Friday Book Club early, as tomorrow morning, I have a special post for you *coughGuildHunter8cough*. Onto the book club! What are you reading and loving this week?

AAR Reader Poll

The AAR Reader Poll is now open. If you'd like to join in and nominate your favorite books, here's the link. Have fun!

Book Recommendations

I currently have a post up on Book Binge talking about Five Books Everyone Should Read. Swing by and let me know what you think of my recs.

(And yep, it was excruciating stopping at just five!)

Weekend Post

 
A shot of Auckland's Viaduct area - looking toward the city. See that bridge on the left? It features in a scene in Charlotte and Gabriel's book (ROCK HARD/March 10th). 

I hope you all have a great weekend. It's Saturday morning here and I'm itching to do some work on Guild Hunter #8 (details to come!). What are you up to?

Friday Book Club

Time for the first Friday Book Club of 2015! What are you reading and loving this week?

My latest read was Jayne Ann Krentz's Trust No One. I loved it as always (I am a confirmed JAK fangirl.)

Okay, your turn!

Book Updates

Some book updates for you to kick off 2015!

Shards of Hope - I've had revision notes back from my awesome editor. She asked me to expand some scenes, so the book will be even more full of delicious goodness. (You will love her for the scenes she asked me to expand ;-)).

Guild Hunter #8 - I started work on the next Guild Hunter book this week, but I need a little more time to get into the story before I announce it. Just wanted you to know another GH book is in progress.

Rock Hard - T-Rex and the Mouse are undergoing final proofreads this week. Once that's done, they'll head off to the formatters. I think review copies should be ready at the start of February. All review copy requests that have come in so far have been filed and reviewers be contacted once review copies are ready. (Click here to find out how to request a review copy).

Psy-Changeling Anthology - I'm still working on this in my spare time.

Any questions?

Shield of Winter Spoiler Thread

This is the dedicated *spoiler* thread for Shield of Winter and earlier books in the series. Spoilers abound, so be warned! (Note that there is also a second spoiler thread here.)

Usual rules: be kind to your fellow commenters and have fun. :-)

Hello 2015

I'm officially back at my desk today (though technically, I'm at the dining table - the sunlight coming through the windows is beautiful here right now).

I hope you're all having an amazing start to the new year. Are you looking forward to anything in particular in 2015? Any new year's resolutions? :-)