ONE HOT SECOND is live!

Chandler and Parker’s story is finally here with the release of the 3^rd book in the Bitterthorn,Texas series, ONE HOT SECOND—YESSSSSSS! 

It’s been a long haul getting their story from my brain to the page. Research ate up a lot of time, but it was worth it! Chandler and Parker’s story has that sense of realism while still being sexy as hell. 

Another thing that hung up ONE HOT SECOND was, of all things, the cover art. I love the close-up of the characters kissing on the cover, and I’ve gotten great feedback on it.  But… that’s not how it originally looked.

My publisher, Carina Press, sends these detailed “art fact sheets” for authors to fill out. The more detailed you are when you fill out your art fact sheet, the better the cover artist is going to understand the theme, feel, mood and characters involved. Aside from describing my characters and sending my entire Pinterest storyboard to them, I wrote down no less than four times that it was in Texas, summer, scorching sunshine, and set during a heat wave.  

What I got back was… this:

Yes. That is a blanket. They're sharing a blanket.

Maybe that’s a scorching summer heat wave where the artist comes from...?

Remember, though—all Carina covers come from the Harlequin art department, which means they do thousands of book covers every year. Naturally there’s going to be a crossed wire every now and again. It’s up to the author (read: ME) to catch these boo-boos before the covers get finalized.

Unfortunately, I was, err, distracted when I got the first draft for OHS.

Picture it. I’m at Adult Nationals, rinkside with my competitive skaters, and I hear I've got mail. I even remember what was going on at the time—a double salchow was going screwy and my skater had just hit her knee—so I’m leaning over the boards, going, “Your knee is fine, I don’t see any swelling.” Chime sounds. Glance at tablet.  “Go on and do a flying camel and see how the landing feels.”  Pick up tablet, glance at cover art. Redheaded woman. Dark-haired man. Kissing. Perfect.  “…five. Six. Seven… you need to hold that flying camel for EIGHT ROTATIONS.  EIGHT, DO YOU HEAR ME???”

So, um…. 

I never saw the blanket. 

Until now, I’ve been too embarrassed about my major eff-up to talk about it, but there it is. I NEVER SAW THE BLANKET.  Dear God, somebody get me bifocals.  Or a new brain. Probably both. Yeah, I could really use both.

For those who attended RWA in San Antonio in July, you know how hellishly hot it gets in South Texas. And yes, ONE HOT SECOND takes place just thirty miles south of San Antonio, in the fictional town of Bitterthorn. In the summer. During a heat wave.  I totally should have seen the blanket.  I KNOW.

But I didn't.  I didn't see it because I didn't give the cover art the attention it deserved. I am officially a naughty author.

Ultimately Kingo Ng, a brilliant (and patient!) guy who handled the cover art issue, made it all work and he deserves a medal. Mistakes will happen, and it’s up to the author—whose business is writing and whose books are her products—to make sure everything is as perfect as can be.  This mistake was totally on me.

I have learned my lesson. :)

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, there is no blanket in ONE HOT SECOND.  If there were a blanket, Chandler and Parker would just have super-hot, extra-sweaty sex on top of it, but that would be pretty much it. ;)


Blurb:

Parker Radclyffe is up against a wall. Thorne Mansion, the mysterious Italianate castle she's come to Texas to restore, isn't the problem. No matter how intriguing the relic is, it's merely an ember compared to the blazing magnetism of its owner, Chandler Thorne.

When his family mansion burned down, Chandler had to watch over a hundred years of proud history go up in smoke. After more than a year, he finally has everything in place to rebuild, including a renowned conservation architect to oversee the restoration. But when he lays eyes on Parker he realizes he's gotten more than he paid for. Maybe more than he can handle.

Parker is a military brat who never sits still long enough to get burned. Chandler is her opposite, a man with deep roots and deeper family secrets. It won't be easy to find the common ground it takes to build a home together, but Chandler is a Thorne in every sense. He plans to stick with Parker until she sees that love is more than worth the risk.
64,000 words

BUY LINKS:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Carina Press | Kobo | Google Play

 *****

Don’t forget ONE HOT SECOND’s blog tour starts TODAY. Click the link for deets!

A (Sort OF) Love Letter To The Editor Of A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS—Angela James

A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS
Releases December 5th!

Dear Angela,

Well, we made it.  It’s almost release-day for your special project—the steampunk Christmas anthology you and the Carina Press staff entitled A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS! 

 

In case you haven’t already noticed, I’m new to the scene of publishing.  Pfft, who am I kidding?  I’m so new I squeak.  I’ve had two other releases before my novella with you—A CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET—but since they both happened in the last ninety days or so, I’m still learning the ropes. *cough*GinormousUnderstatement*cough*

 

Angela!

One of those ropes had to do with Twitter.  I’d been told by one of my editors at Samhain Publishing that I needed to be on Twitter to be a presence online, so I dutifully made up an account on March 1^st of this year.  On March 6^th, someone retweeted your call for submissions for a holiday Steampunk project, and I immediately had an idea for a story.  I didn’t know anything about you or Carina Press; I just liked the subject.  I didn’t have a long time to get things together, since the deadline was May 15th, but when the characters Cornelia Peabody and Roderick Coddington pushed their way to the fore, I knew the story was going to be all right.  And when I had 15K written in the first week, I REALLY knew it was going to be all right. 

When a story pushes its bossy way out like that, it’s always a fun ride.

 

I was done with CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET by the time May rolled around.  I even had time to send it off to a beta reader for that all-important feedback.  Twice I read the manuscript aloud, until I felt the character of Cornelia so keenly I actually perfected her faint Irish lilt, and I could see impassioned fire hidden beneath the professorial veneer in Roderick’s vengeful eyes.

But as the deadline inched closer, I weenied out.  I just couldn’t make myself send it to you.

 

Did you know I teach figure skating?  As part of that job I was also a gold-level judge in ISI.  I’ve sat on countless competition panels, doing the job I had spent a lifetime perfecting, so that in turn, the people I judged could be made better (you see where I’m going with this?).  The thing about judging a group of ten to fifteen skaters is basic mathematics—three will see the podium.  The others won’t.  And someone will know that terrible pain of coming in dead last.  I know this sounds cold, so please don’t misunderstand.  It wasn’t that I hated them, or that it was anything personal, and you can bet in my heart of hearts I wanted everyone to come out a winner.  But in every competition I have ever judged, there are those whose efforts don't deserve to see the podium.   That doesn't mean they'll never see it.  There’s always another day, as they say, and that’s something I find myself reminding my broken-hearted students when they (inevitably) produce a bad performance.  There’s always another competition down the road, another shot at the podium.  As long as you keep entering, keep trying, there is no failure.

My Dirty Birdies! I'm the dork
in the glasses. :)

Eventually I realized how stupid I was being by not hitting the Send button.  On May 13^th, my birthday, I gave myself the present of courage and sent off CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET.  I did it with the hope that it would podium, but full of understanding if it didn’t.  After all, as you have been trained to be on a judges’ panel of a different type, it’s your job and your duty to make sure the world you love—the publishing world—gets the best efforts from its creative engine, the writers.  And hey, let's face that really big, ugly fact that no one likes to talk about--no matter how awesome it feels to get that podium spot, I don’t know of any writer who would want a project out there that isn’t worthy of an acceptance, if only because one bad novel can sever a thousand reader relationships. 

So this ends my (sort of) love letter to not just you, Angela, but to all editors who sit in their own kind of judge's seat, filled with the hope of being dazzled, and the determination to say no when they're not.  We writers certainly don’t podium on every attempt, but you remind us—there’s always tomorrow.

Speaking of which… it’s tomorrow.  Happy release day, Angela. :)   Love, Stacy

CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET  is available at:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/uU8dXX

Carina Press: http://bit.ly/udtEfX

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/sUOBOm

AReBooks: http://bit.ly/vjNOCb

Seven Days And Counting Before A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS/CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET Releases!

Yippee, I have my newly uncrashed laptop back from the Geek Squad (how I love thee and your awesome warranties ^_^).  That means I’m now ready to share a couple insights and one more excerpt from my Christmas novella, A CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET! (P.S., you might need this for TRR’s YES! Party)

First off, I’m THRILLED that People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive 2011 is none other than Bradley Cooper.  Why?  Because my hero, Roderick Coddington, was fashioned after Bradley Cooper (do I have AWESOME taste when it comes to spotting a good man-morsel, or what?).  Those eyes, that tousled, golden brown hair, that elegant, rangy bod… Seriously, I have no idea where I was going with this, but who cares?  We’re talking about Bradley Cooper/Roderick Coddington.

Second thing… for several years I’ve had to push aside this insistent Christmassy-type idea about some sort of thieving anti-heroine who had to learn that giving—especially the gift of her closely guarded heart—was so much more satisfying than the taking that’s usually involved in a high-stakes heist (though if there was a heist involved as well, so much the better).  The problem was I couldn’t find the right background for it.  Then there was the submission call for a Steampunk Christmas from Carina Press.  Hello, perfect fit.   Heh.

Now you’re interested, right?  Of course, right!  Take a gander at the blurb for CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET:

Roderick Coddington is on a mission to make Cornelia Peabody pay. After identifying her as the thief who stole a priceless Fabergé egg from his dying sister, he finds her and shackles a deadly timepiece to her arm. If she doesn't return the egg by Christmas morning, she will die.

Normally seven days is more than enough time for Cornelia to carry out the perfect crime, but Roderick's intrusion into her life is beyond distracting. He challenges her mind, and ignites her body with desire she's never felt before. But worst of all, he threatens the independence she values above all else...

As Roderick spends time with Cornelia, he realizes there's a lonely soul hidden beneath her beautiful but criminal veneer. Falling for a thief wasn't part of Roderick's plan, but plans can change and he has no intention of letting another priceless treasure get away from him.

And here’s one last little peek at CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET's official excerpt before it releases next Monday, December 5^th! (And if you’re playing TRR’s game, your hint is in this excerpt!):

EXCERPT:

“What is it you wanted to show me?”

“This.” With a dark enthusiasm that unnerved her, he led the way to a workbench and turned on an overhead light. “It took me five months to perfect this prototype’s design. I finally had success when I read about Edison’s more stable bamboo filament in his latest electric bulb. Once I had that final piece to the puzzle I was able to create this beauty, as well as its twin now locked to your wrist. What do you think?”

Cornelia moved in for a closer look. It was a tiny clockwork, with an odd configuration of twin miniature pendulums on either side of the filament he had mentioned. Behind the swinging pendulums was a copper backing that seemed to glow with a strange bluish light. “What am I looking at?”

“It’s a type of battery that gets its charge from perpetual motion.”

“Perpetual motion is a myth. Rudolf Clausius’s laws of thermodynamics prove that categorically.”

He shot her a quick glance before he latched the clockwork around the dummy’s waist. “While it’s true that nothing stays in motion forever and does, in fact, need an outward impetus to keep going, the mere beat of your heart and the flow of blood through your veins is enough kinetic energy to keep your timepiece going for seven days, while at the same time accumulating an electrical charge within its battery casing. Where did you get your education?”

“I thought you claimed a guttersnipe like me didn’t have one. Whatever are you doing?”

“Demonstrating what will happen to you if you don’t agree to steal back what you took from me and mine.”

Her quick intake was audible, but she couldn’t help it. In a night full of surprises, that was a lulu. “You want me to steal something for you?”

“Steal something back,” he stressed, his tone so cold it would have made the North Pole seem balmy. “An egg, to be precise. A very special, very rare egg. Now do you remember?”

Of course she did. It wasn’t every day she came across a magnificent Fabergé egg with a surprise of a solid gold cherub hidden inside. It had been so heart-stoppingly beautiful she had almost kept it for herself.

He made a sound of impatience. “No need to answer, I can see you do. Which means we’re making progress.” With brisk efficiency he did something with the clockwork, then turned to pull her back. “Now that you know what I want, you need to understand what will happen to you if I don’t have the egg back by midnight, Christmas morning.”

Before she could ask what he meant, a sickening odor of ozone and smoke billowed out along with a harsh electric buzzing that made her eardrums quiver in protest. Right before her horrified eyes, the dressmaker’s dummy shuddered and jived while sparks flew in every direction. It toppled over even as it burst into flame before the buzzing slowly growled to a sullen end. Roderick was there in an instant with a pail of water, dousing it with motions both unsurprised and repetitive, and in the part of her brain that still worked Cornelia now grasped why the dummy was so scorched. Before locking his timepiece on her wrist, the ever-meticulous Roderick Coddington had tested his electrocution device over and over, just to make sure it worked. Just to make sure it could kill.

Just to make sure it could kill her.

“So there you have it.” Roderick turned to her with a vicious simile of a smile while smoke hung about them in a poisonous haze. “Tick-tock goes the clock, Peabody. You have seven days to right a terrible wrong. Or barring that, seven days to live. Either way I’ll be satisfied.”

I’m so excited this story is being told at last.  Christmas, love, and one tiny, little killer timepiece.  What’s not to love? ;)

It's Review Round-Up!

Well, it's that time again.  It's Sunday night, the last weekend before the release of my too-spicy-to-be-sweet contemporary romance, BEST MAN, WORST MAN from Samhain Publishing, and I have another review to share on it!


From SensualReads:

Wedding coordinator Claire Pomeroy has seen it all, when planning events, and ready with a remedy for every problem until she meets Best Man Ryder Price who is trying to derail the groom into calling off the wedding she is working on. Not only does the man not believe in true love or marriage, the chemistry between them is off the charts. Claire tries to convince Ryder that there is more to marriage than just sex, while Ryder is trying to prove to her that you can have all of that without marriage and be just as happy.
Entertaining quick read, Ryder is a handful as he comes up with a few plans to knock Claire off her game, but Claire is equally determined to prove him wrong. You could easily imagine this story with the descriptive details Stacy Gail has brought to life in Best Man, Worst Man.


I'm so excited to share Ryder and Claire's bumpy road to romance with people who believe that opposite do attract -- and wow, do they ever attract here!  I'm so thankful my editor, Imogen Howson, plucked this story out of the slush pile and gave it a chance.  Immi, you were right to get rid of the opening "car crash and groping" scene! :D  (Fellow writers, please remember to ALWAYS trust your editors -- they really do know best.)


And in other news...

Remember how Harlequin Books put A CLOCKWORK CHRISTMAS up on NetGalley for early review?  Believe it or not, two reviews have already come in!  The first one shook my antho sister, JK Coi and me up in exactly the same way -- we couldn't look.  We had to wait until someone else read the review on Twitter to let us know we were "safe".

Thoughts Of A Scot was the first reviewer across the finish line, and this was what she had to say about my contribution to this steampunk anthology, CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET:

First thing's first, I loved the title of this story. Don't know why, but I did.
The story was interesting and the characters likeable. And, as for any Carina Press story, the sex scenes are always heat inducing!

Here's what she said about JK Coi's FAR FROM BROKEN:

Instant pity for Callie and love for Jasper. A slightly different take on other steampunks I've read in that the woman is the one given all the power.


And Jenny Schwartz's WANTED: ONE SCOUNDREL:

Again, a good story with likeable characters. This time I loved the male lead first, he was sexy! Esme was strong hearted and independent, a must (I think) for any steampunk book.


And PG Forte's THIS WINTER HEART:

An enjoyable story with a very likeable female lead and a bastard-come-nice-guy of a male lead. I liked Ophelia from the get go and Dario was a meanie to start but soon realised how much he loved his wife.


Please look into what else she had to say about the stories from the amazing JK Coi, Jenny Schwartz, and PG Forte.  I'm crazy about my anthology sisters, and honored beyond words to be included amongst them.  They're extraordinary! <3


The second review comes from Paula at The Phantom Paragrapher, who gave us her equivalent of a 5-star review -- in this case, 5 P's!  For the full story, feel free to visit Paula's review here.  Thank you for reading, Paula!


So, the countdown continues for the releases of BEST MAN, WORST MAN this October 25th, and CRIME WAVE IN A CORSET on December 5th.  Let the excitement begin!

My First Release Day Ever -- Introducing ZERO FACTOR!

Locke is just so yummy <3

Wow.  August 30th finally came.  From the time I received an acceptance email from Sasha Knight at Samhain Publishing, Ltd. waaaaaaaay back in late February, I've been looking forward to this day.  My first-ever release day.


I've had YEARS to think about how I'd celebrate this event.  Since scantily clad, frolicking cabana boys are expensive, I decided I'd better go the practical route -- if only for this time around -- and focus my attention on promoting the book (see, if I can make enough on ZERO FACTOR, I can afford to get the frolicking cabana boys later). 


I did TONS of blog-hopping, tweeting, Facebooking and chat-rooming.  I met a ton of wonderful, supportive people, and I introduced the exciting subgenre of cyberpunk romance to the lexicon of everyone I met.  I was surprised that many people didn't know what it was, so when I explained that cyberpunk (for me, at least) is an urban, gritty glimpse of a possible dystopian future -- sci-fi without going off-world -- most people seemed to get it.  And if they didn't, I tried to cajole them into picking up ZERO FACTOR to get a clearer picture.  I hope they did. :)

Uh, I have NO tolerance for this stuff. Sad, but true.

But as for the actual CELEBRATING part...  As of August 30th, I kicked off several new traditions.  As soon as the clock struck midnight on the East Coast (eleven o'clock for me), I was on the phone with my sister, and together we watched Samhain's website page for ZERO FACTOR click over from "Pre-Order" to "Add To Cart".  She and I whooped and cried and babbled for what seemed like forever.  Then it was time for the champagne and caviar with my family, until it was time to tipsily head to bed. 


As I said, throughout the day I introduced my novella to everyone I could think of, but I did take enough time to order a charm to commemorate the release of this book.  Since it's a cyberpunk story, the charm is a little computer with keyboard.  With every new release, I'm going to get a charm depicting something about that particular book.  Since I'm rabid for jewelry, this is an excellent motivator to get more books out to share with the rest of the world. =D

See the #72 & #82? Those are sub-category lists - cool!

I also took screenshots throughout the day of my numbers on Amazon slowly changing, until I was below 4,000 on the Amazon booklist.  Since I had been used to seeing ZERO FACTOR at around 150,000, I was pretty excited.  At one point, I was ranked on a couple "Top 100" sub-category lists, above the likes of Gena Showalter and Nora Roberts (they're still there though, while I've already vanished :P). 

 In the sub-catagory of sci-fi/fantasy/ghost romance, I was #84

I even got my first 5-star rating on Amazon, a moment I will NEVER forget.  The most unbelievable thing that happened that first twenty-four hours, though, was seeing ZERO FACTOR climb its way onto Samhain's Best-Seller list.  This finally convinced me that it wasn't just my family buying my book.  Erm, at least, I THINK that's what it means. :D


I'm so grateful to everyone who's put up with me this week.  Thanks to everyone who let me visit their blogs and chatrooms (Hart Johnson, The Galaxy Express, Samhain Cafe), and thanks to everyone who gave me so many fabulous ideas on how to commemorate the release of my first book, ZERO FACTOR.  And, just in case you didn't hear me the first time...

ZERO FACTOR -- IT'S OUT, IT'S OUT, IT'S OUT!!! :D

There I am -- 10th on the Best Sellers list @ Samhain!
(I'm currently 6th. Heh.)

I'm A Best-Seller! Sort of

Recently the fine folks at Samhain Publishing pointed out to their authors and readers that they've installed catagories for their novels so people can find them more easily, just by typing in a specific about that book.  Interested in paranormal?  Type that in.  Like shape-shifters?  That too.  Contemporary?  Absolutely.  It's such an easy, streamlined website to use... and what's GREAT, is that it has a side benefit.



You can be first on a best-seller's list. :)



ZERO FACTOR, the action-packed romance novella that got chosen for Samhain's CYBERSHOCK cyberpunk anthology will be coming out this week (August 30th, whee!), but already pre-orders have put my debut project on the map.  Since it's listed under Anthologies, Science Fiction, Men In Uniform, Post-Apocalyptic and Cyberpunk, it's already sold enough to wind up on all these lists (at least for now).  Though I know it doesn't mean much, I have to admit this made me squee out loud.  You wanna squee with me?  Here we go!

Yay!  Though there aren't that many in this catagory. :P

Yay again! The AMAZING Nathalie Gray (Gridlock author) also did the covers.

*squints* It looks like I'm 9th on this one. Cool!

And I'm 7th here in Sci-Fi.  Woo!

Extreme close-up :)

So there ya go.  I'm having a dream come true, 'cause I'm on a best-seller's list!  At least for the next hour. =D

New Excerpt From ZERO FACTOR!

Wheeeee, just a little over a week away from unveiling ZERO FACTOR, my very first release from the magnificent Samhain Publishing!

To celebrate, I've got another bit of excerpty goodness on tap -- Via and Locke's first kiss (which had absolutely nothing to do with love, and everything to do with staying alive).  Enjoy!

Via knew her life was over. If she were honest with herself, part of her had known it the moment she had left the safety of the agridome. People like her could never put themselves in a position where they would be within spitting distance of the militia, much less work hand in hand with them. To do so was akin to bathing in jet fuel, then playing with a lighter.

And yet she had gone. Like a lamb to slaughter, she had gone.

It was okay, though. As long as she could save the others, she could be at peace with what had to be done now. Not that she was some kind of freaky saint or anything. It was just that as she’d sat in the transport drowning in images of what was to come, she had reached a very basic conclusion—she would rather die than live with the knowledge that she could have done something, but didn’t.

So she wasn’t a saint, and she sure as hell wasn’t even nodding acquaintances with that thing called bravery. If anything, she was too much of a coward to live with the guilt of surviving while everyone else got blown into unrecognizable bits.

“Via? What the hell—?”

She heard Weddo’s shocked voice, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was focusing on what she knew, what she saw, and pushing it with all her might into Locke. She wasn’t sure if she was doing it right. Hell, she didn’t even know if she was doing anything more than simply kissing a stranger and making a ginormous ass of herself. She had only done this sort of thing once before when she was fifteen, and it had been a total accident back then.

By degrees, the frenzied panic boiling through her blood eased like a tight fist unfurling, and new, thoroughly unexpected sensations began to seep in through the smothering veil of fear. For just a heartbeat the universe seemed to pause, a collective holding of breath while even the sound of the bustling city’s daily life came to a gentle stop. For Via, there was only this fragile moment as her mouth molded to his, and a shocking thrill of pleasure bloomed like fireworks in her brain when his lips softened and returned the pressure with interest. Her booted feet barely touched the ground as she kept her arms wrapped tightly around his strong neck, and delight mingled with relief when his free arm curled about her waist to bring her fully against the rock-solid length of his battle-hardened warrior’s body. His breath was warm, his taste tantalizing. The seductive nuzzling of his silk-over-steel lips against hers invited her untutored mouth to explore deeper, and she saw no reason why she should resist when she knew they were living on borrowed time.

A tremulous note of discord whispered from her psyche into his, a never-ending ricochet rippling noiselessly between them. The pleasure bounced back and forth as well, doubling and trebling as it went, but threaded through it was what the vision had shown her. But that was okay too. If this was to be her last moment of life, she was determined to pour every ounce of joy, vitality and pleasure she could into this kiss. If anything, she was happy for this final opportunity to go out with a bang.

“Lieutenant Locke, attention!”

It was the strangest thing, was all Via could think while her pulse pounded in her ears and in the lips that had become the most sensitive part of her body. It was as though she and this man—a militia man, for God’s sake—had discovered that with a kiss, they could create a magical little sphere where only they existed, and nothing of the gritty, desperate, dangerous place that was their world could encroach on their private slice of perfection. Then her lips drifted like a dream away from his, and the restless throb of the ever-bustling city once again filled her ears. But nothing felt the same. She wasn’t the same. As mad as it sounded, she felt changed from the inside out.

Were kisses supposed to change the world?

Via opened eyes she couldn’t remember closing, and gazed up in dazed confusion at the man she held with all the passionate fervor of a long-time lover. Where was the explosion? Had she interrupted the sequence of events? Was everyone safe?

Everyone except her, of course. Her safe life was officially over now that she had revealed to a gun-toting jarhead member of the militia that she was a psionic.

Dayum.