2013 has been awesome. I mean…really, truly awesome. Finishing CAGED IN WINTER in June–the goal I’d set for myself. Going to RWA and hanging out with amazing people. I danced next to Nora Roberts, for crying out loud. Getting an agent. Getting my first print deal. Having another novella, SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES, come out (which dropped last week, btw…that’s how CRAZY BUSY it’s been because I didn’t even post about it). 

See what I mean? Awesome. So much so that I’m thinking, it can’t possibly get better, can it? Surely I’ve reached my awesome quota for the year.

NOT SO, MY FRIENDS. NOT SO.

I am so, so thrilled to be working on this project with Rose at St. Martin’s. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done before, and I’m so excited to share it with you!

What’s this mean? Well, it means 2014 is gonna be a busy year. Like…I really hope I remember to, you know, shower and stuff. So I’ll apologize ahead of time for my scarce blog posts.

Because I’m so super excited, I’m giving away some books! Five winners will receive both PLUS ONE and my latest release SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES. And another five will get a copy of the holiday anthology SoSC was in, ALL I’M ASKING FOR. That’s ten winners, baby! You know what to do…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

I have been sitting on this news for too long, my friends. And by too long, I mean approximately a week. But it was the longest week of my life.

            

*SQUEEEEEEEEEE*

I am so thrilled to be working with Berkley (Penguin) on CAGED IN WINTER, and its sequel (Current title: BOOK 2. I’m so original). I can’t wait to share Cade and Winter and their story with you!

This has been such a fast journey that so much of it honestly hasn’t even sunk in yet. I mean, in June, I was like, oh, hey…I think I’ll write a book. And then:

AGENTS! OFFERS! CONTRACTS! PUBLICATION!

I got the confirmation e-mail from Mandy that the deal had been finalized yesterday as I was making dinner.

And then I became a vibrating mess of excitement. It’s a wonder my children got fed, to be perfectly honest.

To celebrate, I plan to stuff my face with cupcakes and maybe a cocktail (and then let Jillian Michaels kick my ass) on Sunday with some very dear friends. Because what’s better than cupcakes and cocktails? Except, maybe…well, you know. *wink wink nudge nudge*

And I promise, I’ll be back to doing the Make Mondays Suck Less Giveaways just as soon as NaNo is done. I’ve set a high goal again (70k), so I’ve been basically doing nothing but writing and/or plotting and/or planning for the last three weeks. 

And, and…I’m also going to be doing a cover reveal for SEASON OF SECOND CHANCES very, very soon, so stay posted for that!

You guys. I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome my week was. It was so awesome, I don’t even care that it’s Monday. I know, right?

So last week I said I had some exciting news I hoped to share with you soon, and I caaaaaaan! I mentioned in this post that I finished writing a full length new adult novel, and I was done prettying it up and I was diving into the trenches of querying agents. Well, I did. And two weeks ago, I got my first offer. 

The week following that first offer was crazy. I was full of nerves and excitement and anxiety. By the end of the week, I had four offers–all from amazing agents I would have loved to work with. While I was busy trying to decide the all-important choice of who to work with, I had many friends and fellow authors telling me to go with my gut. The problem was, my gut was telling me they were all super great, and I needed to work with all of them and how could I possibly mesh them all into one person? And then I got the final call from the final agent to offer, and my friends were right. My gut, which was previously very tight-lipped and wishy-washy, perked up and told me it was her.

I’m so thrilled to say that last week, I signed on with Mandy Hubbard of D4EO Agency, and I am OMG SO EXCITED I can’t even tell you! She is the exact balance of everything I was looking for. Plus, the first day I was “officially” her client, she sent me this gif in an e-mail, so, you know… MTB.

So now that I’ve shared my exciting news, let’s see who won last week’s giveaway of UNBREAKABLE. Congrats to Christine! Thanks for playing. 

This week I have one you are going to really, really want. If you haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to Ms. Rainbow Rowell’s work, well…where the hell have you been? I haven’t had a chance to read FANGIRL yet, but I read ELEANOR & PARK and immediately fell in love. FANGIRL came out earlier this month, and you can win an ARC of it by doing your thing with rafflecopter. See you next week!

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

You should know that every time I say that ^ ^, I say it in my head just like Peach from Finding Nemo, so you should, too.

 

Seventeen months ago, I started this journey. Actually, if you want to get technical, it was earlier than that when I started writing PLUS ONE (and if you want to get really technical, you could say I started this journey the first time I wrote a complete story, but I digress). Seventeen months ago, I submitted my completed novella to three romance e-publishers I’d had my eye on for a while. And then I waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

It seems like that’s what this has been–one big waiting game with a few pit-stops along the way. And maybe that’s why this–today–feels so surreal. I can’t believe that after nearly a year and a half, my book’s here.

IT’S HERE OMG.

Olivia hates the singles scene, so when her best guy friend, Ian, offers to be her plus one to a series of weddings she has to attend, she agrees. Although she doesn’t want to complicate their lifelong friendship, she can’t pass up the chance to have a steady date without the dating drama. What she doesn’t expect is to now find Ian so incredibly sexy.

When Ian sees his old friend Olivia dolled up for wedding #1, the boyhood crush he once nurtured transforms into smoldering attraction. It doesn’t take long for their no-strings arrangement to turn physical. But as Olivia’s desire to stay “just friends” becomes clear, Ian’s feelings are deepening. In the time they have together, how will Ian convince Olivia that one plus one can make for a lifelong pair?

You can find this baby on amazon | barnes & noble | carina | ibookstore | kobo 

And what’s that? You want another excerpt? Well, okay.

I know Mondays usually suck. But, hey, my book came out, so it sucks a little less because we’re celebrating! I got cupcakes this weekend and went out to lunch today, but since you all weren’t there, how about some giveaways? Enter one or two or all of them! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s heeeeeeeeere! Earlier than expected, but the Corporate Affairs Anthology from Xcite Books is now available for purchase here!

 

And a short sampling, to give you a little taste…

Have I mentioned Gavin is a dirty talker? No? Huh.

The anthology is also available through Amazon, as well as on Xcite’s site.

This whole thing is so surreal, and, to be honest, I feel a little like I’m still floating on cloud nine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go post to every possible media outlet that I have and then flail privately in my bedroom.