AggieCon!

Come see me at AggieCon at the Hilton in College Station, TX this weekend.
(They’ve also got a Facebook page they update regularly.)

I’ll be appearing Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. There’s no way you can miss me.

Here’s the schedule so far (probably subject to a little change, but we’ll see):

Friday, March 22nd:

4-5 pm in Panel Room 2 – Making a Fantasy World Feel Real. “Do you want to make your fantasy stories come to life? Come and hear how the pros do it.”

5-6 pm in Panel Room 2 – There’s More Than One Way to Write a Story. “You don’t have to live with just one format for your work. Learn what it takes to move from short story or novel writing to comics and gaming and vice versa!”

Saturday, March 23rd:

11-noon in Panel Room 4 – Getting Your Writing Off the Ground. “Tips from writers about how to do your best work, beat writer’s block, and not go crazy in the process.”

6-8 pm in Panel Room 2 – The “Fake” Geek Girl. “A discussion about the fear and loathing directed toward geeks decried as ‘fake’.”

Sunday, March 24th:

11-noon in Panel Room 4 – Making Science Fiction Come to Life. “Our experts talk about their experiences writing science fiction.”

I’m an expert. *Blush* I don’t feel like an expert. I still feel like little elves sneak in here at night and write my stories for me. Or maybe it’s Barbie….

Who’s coming to see me?

Just a reminder…

About Palm Springs!

You’ll be seeing me talk about other worlds, romance, and do a readings from The Pyramid Waltz and For Want of a Fiend. I might even give away some spoilers…

Like who this guy is ^_^

It’s gonna be a wild time.

PALM SPRINGS!!!!

So do come out and say hello. Seriously, do. I hate eating alone.

That’s probably me that brought that giant cheese.

Just one week…

…and then Palm Springs, baby!

I’m gonna be talking and reading and eating and probably swearing an awful lot, and all of it with you. ^_^

Yeah, I know I keep plugging this, and I hope some of you are coming. After it all goes off, I’ll probably be talking non-stop about Aggiecon and then every other damn place I’ll be. After I’ve moved, (yes, moving again) then I’ll bust out more Barbie action. Until then, you’ll just have to come see me in person and listen to me talk about Barbies. ^_^

Who else is traveling soon?

Palm Springs so far

Everyone getting excited about the Bold Strokes Books Festival in Palm Springs, Thursday, February 28, to Sunday, March 3, 2013 at Casitas Laquita and the Palm Springs Public library!

There are many great authors going, but it’s my blog, so I’m gonna tell you where you can find me.

On Friday, March 1st:

At 12:30 to 1:45, I’ll be on a panel called Other Worlds where we’ll probably be talking about creating fantasy or sci-fi settings

From 1:45 to 3:00, I’ll be moderating a panel called The Art of Romance. It’s my first time as a moderator, so I pretty sure we’ll be talking about writing romance. Well, the authors will be talking, and I’ll be making pithy comments.

From 6:00 to 7:30, I’ll be participating in an author roundtable where I’ll read and answer questions about my book!

I’ll also be doing signings and mingling and if I’m lucky, eating food. I wouldn’t mind company at any of these things, so if you show up to Palm Springs, please come say hello. I hate mingling by myself.

Is anyone reading this actually planning to be there? If not, what the hell do you have that’s so pressing you can’t go to Palm Springs in February/March?!?!?!

IWW: In the spotlight

If you had told me I’d be speaking in front of people about my book years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you…and I might have thrown up a little.

And if I had committed to speak then, they would have had to drag me in like this:

Even though I did theater in high school, I’ll always had a hard time with crowds. It’s more than being an introvert, it’s an aversion about talking about myself, especially my work.

I’ve met a lot of women who resist talking themselves up, even when it’s appropriate. It’s a pretty hard skill to acquire, and I’m still flabbergasted when people ask me about my work. I still think someone has paid them to be interested.

I pictured my first Q&A would go like this:

Fortunately, my first talk went worlds better than that. WORLDS. However, if you do meet me and ask me about my work or compliment me, please forgive me if I stammer a bit. After years of practice, I can handle that hair question easier, at least. From airports to restaurants, all over the world, people have always wanted to know if this is my real hair.

Do you have to jump start your brain when someone asks about your work? How about if they ask you about your hair?

Catching up, a big reveal, and an even bigger thank you

2013! We just know it’s gonna be awesome. First a recap of all the places you can find me later in the year:

February 28th-March 3rd Bold Strokes Books Festival
Casitas Laquita Resort
Palm Springs, California

March 22-24, 2013 Aggiecon 44
Hilton College Station & Conference Center
801 University Drive East, College Station, Texas, 77840-2116

April 5-6 Lone Star LesFic Festival
Crystal Auditorium at Nature’s Treasures
4103 North IH-35 Austin, Texas 78722

August 2-4 Space City Con
Houston Marriott Westchase
2900 Briarpark Dr. · Houston, Texas 77042

I might also be at freaking World Con in August/September.

And now for the big reveal! Here’s the cover for For Want of a Fiend, the sequel to The Pyramid Waltz (now also on Amazon for Kindle)!

Double squeeeeeeee

*SPOILER ALERT* IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK (And seriously, why haven’t you?!?!?), THE SYNOPSIS FOR THE SECOND CONTAINS SPOILERS

Here’s the synopsis:
Princess Katya Nar Umbriel’s uncle Roland rose from the grave, kidnapped her cousin, and stripped her of her greatest weapon—her Fiendish power. Without her Fiend, Katya doubts her ability to weather the storm her uncle is brewing. When she lacks what even the children in her family possess, can she even call herself an Umbriel?

In only a short time, Starbride has become the princess consort, a pyradisté, and a member of a secret order in charge of protecting the crown. Even steeped in responsibility, she’s still an outsider. While wading through court intrigue and resisting schemes to break her bond with Katya, Starbride must prepare for a covert war. Roland is waiting, watching, ready for any chink in their armor, and he doesn’t care who knows their secrets.

*END SPOILERS*

I’m so excited. And more books are coming! I’m working on them, I swear!

Thanks to everyone who made this year so wonderful for me. I feel so lucky right now, I might go play all the lotteries. And because of Christmas, I can now bring you the whole family!

From left to right: Maia, Brom, Reinholt, Einrich, Catirin, Averie, Katya, Dawnmother, Starbride. Up front: Pennynail

You can probably tell that so far, Pennynail is one of my most beloved characters. I’m glad people are enjoying him/her. Guess what? In For Want of a Fiend, I’ll tell you what that is under the mask!

Fancy a bit of crumpet?

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s Eve and day and a safe holiday. If you had a terrible 2012, I hope your luck much improves this year. If you had a fabulous 2012, I hope it gets even better for you. Thank you for coming on this wonderful ride with me. Let’s see just how far we can go!

Okay, plans for 2013, let’s have ‘em. Tell them to me, tell me your secrets… (Nope, not creepy at all. Nailed it.)

Blog Hop!

I’ve been tagged by that cool kat, Melissa Brayden in the Next Big Thing Blog Hop! If you’ve never heard of this, it’s where people stalk you over the internets, weaving a web of blogs until they can find all your personal info and steal your credit card.

…um, okay, it’s not that.

It is a good way to find new blogs and read about awesome people, though, so I’m gonna give it a whirl.

Name of the book:
The Pyramid Waltz and For Want of a Fiend. Yeah, I’m doing two. I live to pimp.

Where did the idea for the book come from?
I’d say both came from the fact that I wanted to write a lesbian romance and that NaNoWriMo was coming. I knew that if I was going to be strong enough to write my dream book, I needed the support of the great Nano and all my fellow writers. Then I just sort of put my head down and went for it, running for the finish line.

What genre does your book fall under?
Several. Mostly fantasy. Then fantasy romance. And then lesbian fantasy romance. If asked what kind of fantasy, I usually say traditional as there are swords and magic and a made up kingdom.

Which actors would choose to play your characters in the movie rendition?
I’m gonna have to go with an assortment of Barbies and Kens.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
The Pyramid Waltz: Princess Katya Nar Umbriel wants a perfect romance, but her Fiendish nature and duties to the crown mean she can never tell the truth – until she meets Starbride, a woman who gets to the heart of every secret, even if it’ll be the death of her.

(SPOILER ALERT!) IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE FIRST BOOK, THE SYNOPSIS FOR THE SECOND CONTAINS SPOILERAGE.

For Want of a Fiend: Without her Fiendish power, can Princess Katya and her consort Starbride stop a magic-wielding madman from sparking an uprising in the kingdom of Farraday?

(END SPOILER)

What is the longer synopsis of your book?
The Pyramid Waltz: To most, Princess Katya Nar Umbriel is a rogue and a layabout; she parties, she hunts and she breaks women’s hearts. But when the festival lights go down and the palace slumbers, Katya chases traitors to the crown and protects the kingdom’s greatest secret: the royal Umbriels are part Fiend. When Katya thwarts an attempt to expose the king’s monstrous side, she uncovers a plot to let the Fiends out to play.

Starbride has no interest in being a courtier. Ignoring her mother’s order to snare an influential spouse, she comes to court only to study law. But a flirtatious rake of a princess proves hard to resist, and Starbride is pulled into a world of secrets that leaves little room for honesty or love, a world neither woman may survive.

(SPOILER ALERT AGAIN.)
For Want of a Fiend: Princess Katya Nar Umbriel’s uncle Roland rose from the grave, kidnapped her cousin, and stripped her of her greatest weapon—her Fiendish power. Without her Fiend, Katya doubts her ability to weather the storm her uncle is brewing. When she lacks what even the children in her family possess, can she even call herself an Umbriel?

In only a short time, Starbride has become the princess consort, a pyradisté, and a member of a secret order in charge of protecting the crown. Even steeped in responsibility, she’s still an outsider. While wading through court intrigue and resisting schemes to break her bond with Katya, Starbride must prepare for a covert war. Roland is waiting, watching, ready for any chink in their armor, and he doesn’t care who knows their secrets.

(END SPOILER)

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
Both books are published by Bold Strokes Books. The Pyramid Waltz is available now. For Want of a Fiend will be available in May 2013.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Since it was a Nano to start with, 30 days. But that was very very rough.

What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve written a lot of blogs dealing with this question. ^_^ Like this one. I’ll just sum up and say, I needed to write it.

What else about this book might pique the reader’s interest?
Swords, sorcery, and lesbians, baby! What else do you need?

Tag You’re It.
Two words: Jennifer Lavoie. Three other words: You are it!

Book launch party and Women’s Week

Home again, home again, and I’ve had a busy few weeks!

First off, book launch party was a huge success!

My mom and I. Why yes, that is a lot of sequins.

Had a great turn out of incredibly sparkly, masked people. I wore a sequined evening gown, a sparkly mask, sparkly jewelry, and if you look really closely, glitter in my hair. I’m not going to put people’s names on all these pictures because A) I can’t remember the names of lots of the dates/spouses (sorry!) and B) If I told you everyone’s names, it wouldn’t help you recognize them. I’ll only point out a few people because I talk about them a lot.

She kept eluding my mom’s camera. ^_^

Like here’s a covert shot of the wily and elusive, Angela Brown, one of my bestest blog buddies. I really apprecaited you making the drive, Angela, even if you did manage to hide from my camera! My mom snapped a shot of you behind me while I was pimping my book.

These I do know. Janet Mallard, Erin Kennemer, Yours Truly, Sarah Warburton, and Trakena Prevost

And here’s my writing group from Houston, whom I thank in my acknowledgments and whose tiny feet I worship. Without them, I would have no book.

Don’t worry if you don’t see your pic here. Most of these will be going up on my facebook page as well. I’d like to thank everyone who came to my party and everyone who wished me well. The food was wonderful, the company was outstanding, and I sold out of books in the first fifteen minutes!

And after this wonderful event, I ran off to Provincetown for my first ever reading/signing for people I don’t know!

So so studious

Here’s VK Powell reading and me looking on studiously while Anne Laughlin moderates us. Listen to authors only in moderation.

Yes, the hand gestures help me read, what of it?

And then it was my turn to read, and I was very very nervous. I kind of raced through this one because it was COLD AS HELL in the library in Provincetown. I think someone turned on the air conditioner accidentally. Or WAS it an accident? To my left is Nora Olsen, whose dystopian
YA sounded particularly interesting.

Yes, it’s my real hair. It’s genetic.

I had another panel, but there are no pics of that. It was in a lot warmer environment, and there were more people. We all had a hilariously good time talking about body parts and power tools. And then there was the signing. *Sigh* I’m spoiled forever. I need signings for the rest of my life. That’s Jennifer Lavoie to my left, Ali Vali standing over my shoulder and Shelley Thrasher seated to my right. If you ever need a creative idea on how to kill someone, just read Ali’s books. ^_^

Spoiled, spoiled forever! What’s been happening to you while I was gone? All good, I hope.

PS, Also, I did a vlog while in Ptown!

Women’s Week

I’m gearing up for Women’s Week in Provincetown! Now’s your chance to meet me in person if you haven’t already. On Thursday, October 11th, I’ll be at the BSB Author Meet & Greet at the Harbor Lounge from 5 to 6 pm.

On the 12th, I’ll be doing a reading and talking about why my book was Worth the Wait at the Provincetown Library at 2 pm. That same day, I’ll be doing a signing at Recovering Hearts at 4 pm.

On the 13th, I’ll be reading and talking about my favorite parts of the book at Gabriels at 2 pm. Then I’ll be doing another signing at Recovering Hearts at 4 pm.

I hope you can come out and see me!

Blog Tour of DOOM and then some numbers

I can’t even remember what number we’re on. Nine? Maybe? Anyway, come join me at Women and Words where I talk about Barbies and glitter dragons. How can you resist that?