COUNTDOWN has arrived

While I was away, COUNTDOWN, my futuristic action romance writing as Michelle Maddox was released. So...it's out! I haven't seen it on the shelves yet since I'm trying to avoid bookstores being that I came home from SF with a ton of new books...plus, I just got THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer at the library today, but I will assume that my fifth born child-book is now on the shelves.

I'm getting the best reviews on this book I've ever received, including a Top Pick from Romantic Times, and that is very, very nice. To say the very least. It was a lot of fun to write, although I didn't actually realize that until after it was finished. I put my characters through a lot of trauma and torture in this...in fact, they're still not speaking to me. Hopefully they'll get over it one day. Characters can be so moody.



THREE
Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room, handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to figure out how to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die.

TWO
The stranger she's been partnered with—her only ally in this nightmare—is a convicted murderer. But if he's so violent, why does he protect her? And worse yet, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him?

ONE
No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Read the first chapter here

And if you're so inclined, you can order it here

Mark Henry is doing a book release party for Countdown along with some other kick-ass books (a couple of which I will be talking about here tomorrow) and he's doing a $20 gift certificate giveaway so head over to his blog to check out the festivities... Thanks Mark!!

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Michelle does California

One thing that struck me many times over the course of the past week is just how lucky I am. Part of embracing The Secret (which is what I've done recently as much as I possibly can - ie: a positive outlook begets a positive and successful life) is counting one's many blessings instead of dwelling on the negative. Not to get all New Age, because that is so not me, but it is easy to focus on the crappy things and forget how many amazing things there are in life: like wonderful friends and marvelous opportunities.

Going to RWA National reminds me of these two very specific things. I get to see people I may only see once a year -- online isn't the same as in-person after all. Some people connect better in person and some online and I value all of them: readers, aspiring writers, published writers, editors, and agents (my agent attended this conference for the first time and it was great to see him). It was six days (nine if you count my trip to LA) of constant conversation and schmoozing.

It was exhausting but I am so glad that I went. Other than being a glorified business trip, I didn't have really high hopes for having a great time, to tell you the truth. This was my fourth National in a row and last year was a little been-there-done-that for me, so I figured this one would be more of the same, but something about it was just a little bit...better. Which is good because this trip was freaking expensive.

It would take me several posts and several days to go over in detail everything I've done over the week, and since I'm now on deadline for TDF (Tall, Dark & Fangsome) which is due September 1st, I'm going to give a brief, pictorial overview instead.

Now, keep in mind that after deleting all the crappiest shots, I'm left with a grand total of 266 pictures I took over the past week. I met sooooo many great people. This is only a small sampling.

First up, my trip to Los Angeles......



My favorite Californians, Liza Palmer and Megan Crane were kind enough to show me around and generally put up with this pasty white Canadian. Plus, the fact that they're both hysterically funny and can make me laugh harder than almost any one else in the world is a huge bonus...



Liza and I went to Universal Studios and went on the studio tour which was, in a word, AWESOME. I highly recommend it. It's the one you always see the big Jaws shark jump up at the tram, but it's way more than that as it takes you through the lot and shows you were actual movies and TV shows are filmed, such as our drive down Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives...



I could say this was the only bitch I met this week, but there was another teensy incident later on which I won't blog about... :-) Anyhoo, this is Jewel who will be featured in a Universal Studios movie coming soon, something like "Doggy Condo"... Total diva if you ask me...



While we were at Universal Studios, Brendan Fraser made an appearance. This, sadly, was my only "star sighting" and he kept us waiting 20 minutes in the sweltering heat while I worked on the sunburn that would last me the rest of the week (note to self: yeah, sunscreen isn't just a suggestion these days, pale girl).



The next day I went on a bus tour with Megan and we got out at Grauman's Chinese Theatre (since I was only in LA for a couple days I had to be picky about what I did and this was a must-see for me!) and here's the Walk of Fame star of one of my very favorite actors...



...Which was right near my fave actress Sandra Bullock who has been the main inspiration for my vampire character Sarah Dearly (Sandra... my film rights are still available! Love you! *mwah* Let's do lunch!)...



Here's me doing the very cliched thing of paying homage to Marilyn Monroe... I had to wait in line to do this behind many other Marilyn-loving tourists!



Megan on the casting couch....




And on to San Francisco....

Megan, Liza and I left bright and early on Tuesday morning toward San Francisco, missing the earthquake by a couple of hours. Too bad! I would have loved to be there to experience it. Is that weird?

At the literacy signing on Wednesday I met Jill Myles (in person for the first time after years of online friendship) who rocks and got to see Caitlin Kittredge again (who also rocks), especially with those pink bangs going on.



Apparently there is a rumor out and about that I take picture of food. Yeah. So what? Want to make something of it? Sheesh. A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips...oh wait. No. Forget that one. Yeah, I like to take pictures of food. Pretty food. Here is a pretty salad and desert (upside down pineapple cake if you're curious) that was served at the Keynote Luncheon on Thursday...



The person I would most consider my email-BFF, Stephanie Rowe, as we re-enact the moment we first met. Apparently I hissed at her in (mock!!) jealousy over her two Rita flags when we first met a couple years ago. That is so very, very unlike me....*coughs*... BTW, this is at the Dorchester dinner on Friday evening which was held at an Italian restaurant with super-cute (and super-young) waiters...



Here's Angie Fox, Stephanie and Michele Lang as we digested the huge dinner (as well as the first four glasses of wine I downed that fateful evening...)



Off to the Harlequin Party! And who do I see there but my darling agent Jim McCarthy...



I met fellow Blaze author Jordan Summers... she's wonderful!



Jane Porter is also wonderful... one of those genuinely nice and super-friendly authors who are also beautiful and thin. I refrained from doing my Stephanie Rowe jealousy hiss at her. Barely... ;-)



Around 10:30 p.m. I had a brief conversation with Liza and Megan that went along the lines of...

"I'm tired," I said. "I think I might head back to the hotel."

"Have a glass of wine!" Megan suggested helpfully.

"Okay, but just one," I replied.

And, well. Uh. The bar was open. And the rest was history.



Much dancing ensued. I dragged my butt back to the hotel at around 1 a.m....



Where me and my awesome roomie, Erica Ridley, proceeded to stay up much, much later down in the lobby lounge and I capped off one of the funnest (it's a word) nights in a very long time...



The next day, however, was another story altogether. Yeah. Too much wine the night before one is to have three editor meetings is not such a good idea. However, I managed to pull myself together (although it took a while) and proceeded to have my three scheduled editor meetings on Saturday... and I'm so excited about my current and future projects with each of them.

So, to recap.... AWESOME week. I met so many FANTASTIC people. I barely went to any workshops. My throat hurts from talking. I ate too much. I, uh, drank TOO much. Ugh. Oh, and I DO NOT recommend the Roast Beef sandwich on Air Canada. Consider yourself warned. Also taking the red eye to get a cheaper flight...not necessarily a wise decision...

Some of the other people I had a great time with include, but are not limited to, Bonnie Staring, Laurie Rauch, Maureen McGowan, Amy Ruttan, Wylie Kinson, Christine D'Abo, Kate Perry, Amanda Ashby (in from New Zealand!)...and so many more. I remember going to my first conference in Reno and I knew nobody. I ate alone a lot of the time. But as I was saying to someone else -- I think Megan -- the more cons you go to the more people you meet, so that after a few of them you will know so many people... it's great and exhausting and I recommend it to anyone on the fence about whether or not it's worth the money to attend this conference. There's nothing else like it and it has to be experienced at least once. Although, I do suggest stopping before the tenth glass of wine. Ugh.

Next year is Washington D.C. I wasn't sure if I was going to go or not -- it's a toss up between Romantic Times in Orlando and next year's National...but we'll have to see. How can I not go?

5:25 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

My News!!

I can now share my big news with everyone!!

I'm very pleased to report that I have two new book deals!

*** Deal 1

LIVING IN EDEN is a light urban fantasy/paranormal romance about a slightly-psychic amateur P.I. named Eden Riley who finds herself rather...possessed. Chaos ensues. I've been working with this idea on-and-off for a couple of years -- it started off as a dark urban fantasy and has evolved to become a fun book that I can't wait to start working on. LiE will be out tentatively Spring 2010 and I'm beyond thrilled to be working with Berkley Books on this!!

*** Deal 2

NIKKI DONOVAN: DEMON PRINCESS is about a girl who finds out the father she's never met is a demon king and now that she's turned sixteen, she's heir to his throne. Chaos ensues. I wrote the first draft of this book for Nanowrimo '06, although it has gone through several revisions since then. I can't tell you how excited I am to sell in the YA genre. It's my first writing love and my first serious attempts at writing were YA-based. I love this book and I'm so happy that it's going to be published! It's also going to be out early 2010 through Walker Books which is a division of Bloomsbury. Another YA will follow it, although at this time it's undecided if it will be a sequel or something completely different.

So...hooray! Obviously I'm in a very good mood going into the conference next week!!

6:38 PM - 8 Comments - 13 Kudos - Add Comment

My vamps go to Germany!

In my internet surfing this evening I thought I'd just pop over to the German Amazon site to see if my soon-to-be translated books had gone up for presale there yet, and I found more than that! I found covers! What?

I love them. So much fun, even though it looks like they have Sarah on the cover of Lady & the Vamp...stepping into a coffin, no less! And the release dates have moved up since I last heard. Now they'll be out next January, March and May!

Bitten & Smitten is called Ein Anfang Mit Biss which translates to "A Beginning with Bite"



Fanged & Fabulous is called Ein Bisschen Verliebt which translates to "A little Falls in Love". Which doesn't make any sense so I'm sure it means something different with slang or something.



And last but not least we have Lady & the Vamp as Ein Happy End Mit Biss, "A Happy Ending with Bite".



I want outputs of these illustrations. They're so cute!!

7:41 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Top Pick!!

Countdown got a 4-1/2 star Top Pick from Romantic Times! I'm so happy!! It's my first one!!!

In this post-apocalyptic thriller, Maddox (aka Michelle Rowen) takes reality game shows to a horrifying new level. This book starts off fast and never looks back as it throws its gutsy protagonists into a do-or-die scenario. Memorable and scary, this first-person novel is a roller-coaster ride of the first magnitude!

Summary: As the sole survivor of the massacre of her family, Kira Jordan has endured on the streets as best she can. One day she wakes up in a pitch-black room, chained to the wall with a convicted killer. Rogan Ellis used to be one of the wealthiest men on the planet, until he was convicted of murder. Now Rogan and Kira have been paired up for a horrific televised game called "The Countdown."

Implants have been placed in their heads and will kill them if they separate. Together, they are faced with completing their tasks in each level of competition or they will die. Successfully completing levels is their only chance of survival. In this game, winning is the only thing. (SHOMI, Aug., 368 pp., $6.99) HOT

—Jill M. Smith

3:19 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Need a new title.....

Okay, here's a call for help to anyone who reads this blog...

I need a new title for DEVILS & DIAMONDS. While the working title does have something to do with the plot, it just doesn't have the same kick as the previous titles, so I need something fun, that says paranormal vampire romance.

Previous titles in the Immortality Bites series are:

Bitten & Smitten
Fanged & Fabulous
Lady & the Vamp
Stakes & Stilettos

So obviously we need an "&" in there somewhere. Play on words, puns, rhymes, alliteration...all these things are good! But it should sound like it goes with the rest of the series. Fun! Chick-lit feel! Romantic! Vampires!

Whoever comes up with the winning title will be thanked profusely on the acknowledgment page.

*Note: My vampires aren't dead or undead so words like that don't work, alas.

So.... any ideas? Please post them here or email them to me at michelle@michellerowen.com.

My immortal thanks!

Michelle

Edit: Thanks for all the suggestions! I sent in my list this morning and we'll see what my editor says! :-)

9:06 AM - 8 Comments - 8 Kudos

Deal or no deal?

Deal!

Happy to officially report that I have sold a book to HARLEQUIN BLAZE... which means two very important things.

1) I get to write a fun, sexy (!!) romance novel for a line I've always enjoyed reading, and
2) I get to legitimately go to the Harlequin party at RWA Nationals instead of crashing it. Not that I've done that before. Three times. *whistles innocently*

The details:

My book is tentatively called FEELS LIKE MAGIC (which, believe it or not, comes from a Tyra Banks talk show quote where she said that being in love "feels like magic"). It's about a pair of paranormal investigators who can't stand each other (but are perfect for each other, of course), a pair of match-matching ghosts, and an enchanted clock that casts interesting spells on people at the midnight hour. It's going to be a whole lot of fun to write.

This sale means a lot to me because back when I was inspired to become a romance novelist from watching Romancing The Stone, I always wanted to, as I put it at the time, "write a Harlequin." Which showed my ignorance at the time to what Harlequin was, and the many imprints that they had. But dammit. I've achieved my goal. I'm going to write a Harlequin and I couldn't be happier. Woot!

5:25 PM - 5 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Virtual book launch party!

Today is the official release day for LADY & THE VAMP and welcome to my party! Please, come in. Don’t mind the crowd.



Please, help yourself to the buffet. I’ve just done a small spread of cheese and crackers, a shrimp ring (because, come on, what is a party without a shrimp ring?), some of those pinwheel sandwich thingies, lots of fruit with a chocolate dip, nachos, sausage rolls (always a hit), mini quiches and a veggie tray for those watching their food intake. Over on the dessert buffet are mini-cheesecakes, brownies, Timbits (rah). Not sure who brought the Jello mold, but what can you do?



Dmitri is manning the bar (no pun intended). It was his idea not to wear a shirt, but I’m okay with it. Please place your drink orders with him and he will make sure you get whatever you want.



I recommend the raspberry margaritas. They’re my favorite. Thank you for coming!

3:30 PM - 9 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

Pittsburgh, here I come!

For some completely unknown reason...yesterday I made the decision to go to the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention, April 16-20. Last year I was asked to be on a panel for it, but I had to decline since I wasn't planning on attending, and lo and behold, now I'm going. It's not in the budget, but I just felt the need. I did want to go on a vacation of some sort...and writing conventions are tax write-offs (this is my excuse and I'm sticking with it).

I've already been added to the list of authors attending the big signing.

I knew it was the right decision when I began to mull it over and started to get excited about the prospect of going and schmoozing with everybody. It gave me a little big of needed energy and enthusiasm toward writing I feel I've been lacking the last few months.

Another kick in the pants was hearing that a writer friend of mine is so busy (and successful) that she is buckling down to write 30 pages a day for at least a couple of months. Thirty. Pages. A. Day. And she's not complaining about it. She's just going to do it. Sure, she's feeling a tad overwhelmed, but her attitude -- this is what she has to do and she's going to do it -- really inspired me. Even successful writers don't get cut any slack. They don't get to take time off for good behavior. They need to work. Just having a good idea doesn't get 400 pages of cohesive plot and character growth down on paper.

I've taken it pretty easy over the last month or so -- ever since I finished my YA rewrite that really took it out of me. But it's time to spark it up again. The difference between success and non-success isn't just luck or destiny. It's hard work. That, along with going to the convention, is enough to spur me on for the next little while, I think.

7:14 AM - 5 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

Shiny new year

New Year's Resolutions

1. Lose weight. (ditto from previous 20 years)
2. Read a book a week even if I have to skim to finish.
3. Write a lot. A LOT.
4. Have more fun.
5. Don't sweat the small stuff. We only live once. (Allegedly).

One of my very first acts of the new year was to email the finished manuscript of STAKES & STILETTOS to my new editor. Consider that done about two minutes ago. It's always exciting (and scary) to send a finished book out into the world. It's the sixth contracted book I've completed and it's still an extremely unusual feeling. Sort of like handing in homework, only I never really cared too much about homework. I care about my books. Possibly too much. But now it's gone. Out of my hands. Whatever will be, will be. Que sera, sera. I feel pretty good about this one. I'm very happy with how the book turned out, plus I got good feedback from my beta-readers and from my agent. I feel...on solid ground.

I'm not going to think about the next vampire book for a few weeks. My brain is currently fang-free. I'm supposed to have an outline done by February 1st to be approved before I begin the actual writing. I'm still working on my on-spec manuscript -- on about page 150. It's touch and go. I like it, but know this middle section (aka: slump) will need some serious work. I think at this point of a book I always feel like I'm pushing my characters around like chess pieces and making them say things. It feels very unnatural, but sometimes if I can get over that hump and read it over with fresh eyes it actually doesn't read too badly so I know I simply have to persevere. Perhaps the doubt weasels are hiding behind the leftover turkey.

I spent about two hours today brainstorming on paper. Doodling. Making bubble charts. Lately I've been doing all my notes and prewriting directly into the computer, but I find that a pen and paper and just sitting down and fleshing out a plot point or character motivation is the best way to approach something. And it definitely helped. I mapped out the remainder of the book. I want the first draft done this month, and then I'm going to let it sit for a bit before I do the second draft.

While I was doodling, I came back to some brainstorming on the urban fantasy proposal I wrote a while back. I'd pretty much decided to give up on it since a book recently came out -- to rave reviews, no less *grumbles* -- with a similar element to it. I'd despaired. I'd gnashed teeth and shook my fist at the heavens and decided that I should simply write something else. Well, this stinkin book keeps raising its now-ugly little face up and demanding to be written. This never happens. My ideas are normally very polite and they wait their turns. This one isn't so polite. It's actually quite rude. But it has my attention again, and it's thrown something new into the mix to make me happy that it wouldn't be considered a freaking rip-off of the other freaking similar book. Bitter much? No, not me. ;-) So I'm going to write it. I'm axing a couple of my wanna-write books this year to make room for it. I'm hoping that for all of its bitching, it will practically write itself. It could happen.

Anyhoo... happy new year...and happy writing/reading to all!

8:43 AM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment