Writin' slow

Can I tell you what annoys me?

Well, of course I can.  You're not going to jump through the screen and throttle me, after all.

Before I tell you what annoys me, can I just say 

FORBIDDEN ROSE 

IS OUT IN STORES AND YOU SHOULD DROP THE SPATULA AND LET THE HOTDOGS BURN ON THE GRILL AND GO BUY IT

!!

Okay.  Got that out of my system.

Forbidden Rose is not actually 'out' yet.  That is, it has not yet let down its hair and made an official bow to society and gone to its first ball and got permission from the patronesses of Almacks to dance the waltz.

It's more like Forbidden Rose is leaning over the stair rail and sneaks down to dance with her cousin and everybody smiles nostalgically and looks the other way.  That kinda 'out'.

So Forbidden is in some stores, but not in others, depending on who was stocking the shelves and whether 'release date' means anything to them or whether they are just wild-eyed anarchists.  Forbidden won't really be 'out' till Tuesday.

So you can go ahead and carefully deal with the Memorial Day hotdogs if you want.

But I digress.

Anyhow . . .
I was talking about what annoyed me.  I mean, besides leaf-blowers on Saturday morning and heavy perfume in places where I am trying to enjoy a meal and squirrels.


I am annoyed by people who write with the speed of lightning.

That Woman in a Red Dress

Those of you familiar with my 'cover obsession' will remember that I pointed out a certain similarity between the dress and cover model of Forbidden Rose and that of Susan Enoch's stepback for Before the Scandal.

I mentioned that here.

You probably have to click on the picture to see the detail.

More about covers below the fold --

Talking about the name, Annique

Excellent commenter mst3kharris brought up the point --

I'm curious: Annique's name is being spelled as Anneka. Was the spelling changed for the new edition? Also, does this mean I've been pronouncing Annique's name wrong all this time? I've always thought of it as like unique but with Ann.


I'm taking it out of the comment trail and posting it here because the answer got long.

Word Wenches

I'm guesting today over at Word Wenches, with an interview and everything.  It's all here.

The 'everything' includes a chance to win a copy of Forbidden Rose.

Word Wenches is where all the cool kids hang out.




Do you want to read more about Forbidden Rose?  My webpage is here.

Link of the Day

Courtesy of SBTB  . . .  Bronte Sisters Action Figures

  Here

Stuff for writers

Some links to stuff for writers.  I don't get a penny for this btw.

The shirt is  here

I put a few more below the cut

Delights from Abroad

You know how you see a photo of yourself and you say, "Could that possibly be me?"
I have somewhat the same reaction to seeing the manuscript I write being put inside a cover.
This is even more true when the book is in translation.
There is much, 'Can that possibly be . . .  ?' going on in my head.

Here is The Spymaster's Lady.  It's in Russian once again, and they seem to have given me a new cover. 

I like this cover and I liked the other Russian cover, which  I have put below the fold at the bottom because I am at the mercy of my academic training and am  unable to resist footnotes.

 Lovely covers, both of them.

Yeah!  Russian Romance industry.

The Mystery of a Courtesan

The cover blurb begins --
(I must say I find the translation intriguing.  It is probably not as exciting in the original.)

British secret service did not manage to catch the mysterious Annick Villiers nicknamed fox, which is easily transforms from a naive young provincial aristocrat in a brilliant, from the seductive courtesan in the boy-bum ...



Or:
Британским секретным службам никак не удается поймать таинственную Анник Вильерс по прозвищу Лисенок, которая легко перевоплощается из наивной молодой провинциалки в блестящую аристократку, из соблазнительной куртизанки в мальчишку-бродягу…

ETA:  My name is smaller on this cover.  Can I obsess about this?  It seems a small obsession and it's all in an alphabet I can't read.

The French cover has appeared, though not on Amazon.fr. 

I do not have a copy of this French translation.
Alas.

I am awaiting it eagerly.

So here is the French cover.

It is at Amazon.fr here.  just in case you read French.

I have said -- actually I have said this somewhat often -- that I do not understand marketing. 

Let me now just add that I really do not understand French marketing.

Brenda Novak auction

The Brenda Novak auction for 2010 is up and running. See it here. and here.
This is a very good cause and raises thousands of dollars every year for diabetes research -- something near and dear to my heart.

There are critiques being offered by various writers -- Eric Van Lustbauer, Candice Hern, Cathy Clamp, Madeline Hunter, Jim C. Hines, and by agents such as Jessica Faust and Christine Whittjohn and editors like Sauna Summers and Evil Editor.  (Search 'critique')

Lots of ARCs and signed books up for bid.  Diana Gabaldon.  Sue Grafton.
 Go here.
And you can get your name in a book! (How cool is that?) 
(search 'name')

ETA --

I've pulled the photos out of the blog posting, because I'm not sure of my copyright usage here.
I feel ok during the auction, but with works of art I don't want to infringe on the artist's rights.