New Book Contracts!

I thought this picture was especially appropriate considering the writing slump I've been in recently. However, I'm pleased to announce that Carina Press has offered a contract for the first of a paranormal trilogy I've written. I'm excited about this and hope to strengthen my world building in the book during edits, and with any luck my military romance fans will like it too. Darkest Caress is based on some Lithuanian folklore I learned about during my tour of the Baltic States in 2009, specifically to the idyllic village of Nida on the Curonian Spit. The book will be out sometime next year.

I also received word that same day that The Wild Rose Press wants to contract the second erotic romance I wrote (as Callie Croix) for the Dumen Ranch Series. The first book, Deacon's Touch, will release August 26th, and the second, Dillon's Claim, will probably be out sometime this winter.

It's the August long weekend here in BC, and we've been celebrating with family that have been in town since last weekend. Right now I'm cooking a big dinner for 15 of us: sweet glazed meatloaf (hubby's absolute fave), cream cheese mashed potatoes, spinach salad with fresh fruit and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a vegetable medley baked in homemade cheese sauce, and for dessert, a very decadent chocolate mousse layer cake. A totally low cal dinner for their last meal here in Vancouver :) I think a long family walk after dinner is in order, maybe down to the Spirit of the Sea Festival here at the beach to watch the fireworks later on.

Semper Fi

This weekend I went up to B.C.'s wine and lake country (our Okanagan region--the city of Kelowna, specifically) for a mini family reunion. I got to see several uncles and a bunch of my cousins that I rarely get to spend time with, and I had so much fun! One uncle's mother-in-law is married to a former US Marine, and I got to chat with him yesterday morning at the family breakfast we had.

He's from Arkansas, so he's got a charming Southern accent and all the swoon-worthy manners to go with it. Add in his time in the Corps, and I was in love with him in about three seconds. We talked about all sorts of military stuff, including his two tours in Vietnam. Such an interesting man, and a real sweetheart despite everything he's gone through. He and his wife live in Oahu during the winters, so they invited us to come stay with them and show us around all the historical sites. Um, yes please! Being shown around Pearl Harbor and all the other spots with a decorated former Marine? That's my idea of a great time.

He had to leave the Corps suddenly after 21 years of service, having attained the hallowed rank of Master Sergeant. For the latter part of his career, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, just south of Los Angeles. We passed it on our way from Disneyland to Legoland this past March, and I was so excited to see a Chinook and two Black Hawks flying close to the highway.

So there we go, Kaylea has a new crush :) My hubby just smirked and shook his head at me yesterday at breakfast, but he doesn't seem mad or jealous, lol.

Got home last night and received word that both Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back have finaled in the 2011 Aspen Gold Awards! I'm kind of surprised that those two books seem to be the ones judges like best. I really think Relentless and Absolution are the best books in the series, but perhaps it takes the first few books for readers to understand the characters and story arc enough to make the last two books shine. Hmm. Something to ponder for the future if I ever do another series.

Have any of you out there met military veterans that have made an impression on you? Would love to hear your stories.

Rhys and Luke Goodness

Yesterday I was notified that both Relentless and Absolution are finalists in the 2011 Heart of Excellence Awards! I'm very excited about this, because though they'd never say so, I think Rhys and Luke were feeling a bit left out since all the other guys have won/finaled in other RWA published contests. Winners won't be announced until October, but at least now I've got some sort of accolade to put next to their books on my website.

Looking for some awesome summer reads? You're in luck. For the next two weeks, all of us over at Writers Gone Wild are hosting a contest there. Each weekday we'll be posting about a different sort of hero, so drop by and leave a comment for a chance to win one of two bundles of great prizes from all of us. My post will be up this Wednesday, featuring the courageous military hero and why he's the best kind of hero. To me that's really kind of self explanatory, but I don't mind spelling it out for everyone :)

Finally, I've got my writing alter ego up and running over on Goodreads and Facebook. Just look me up as Callie Croix to learn about my upcoming August and November releases.

Hope you're all having a safe and happy summer!

Reinforcements

Know what those are? Those are reinforcements, but today I'm talking about reinforcements of a different sort. It's week two of summer vacation, and I've finally caved and called in backup. Her name is Meaghan, and she lives across the street. She's coming twice this week for a couple hours in the afternoon to give me time to write. Five to six hours total, which might not sound like a whole lot, but it's a lot more than I've carved out since school finished. Don't get me wrong--I love my kids, and I want to spend lots of time with them this summer, but I also need time to get some writing done for me to feel good about myself. The mom guilt complex is a very tricky business, and it cripples my muse.

The weasels are in swimming lessons and a morning bike camp next week, so I'll take my computer with me and hopefully get something done while I'm waiting for them. With my other pen name dominating most of my writing time right now, I haven't written anything for Kaylea Cross in a long, long while. This means there will most likely be a long gap between Deadly Descent and the next release, but it's not for lack of effort in trying to get another book published!

I didn't make it to RWA Nationals in NYC, and neither Cover of Darkness nor No Turning Back won the awards they were nominated for, but I hear my name was mentioned at least a couple times in public, so that's pretty neat :)

I've got a blog tour set up for early September when Deadly Descent comes out, and it looks like my first release under my alter ego will be out August 26th, followed by another November 21st.

Over at Writers Gone Wild we're having a hero party in the middle of July, and I'll be featuring some very cool guests there as well in August/September, including Roxanne St. Claire, Anne Calhoun and Denise A. Agnew. I'll be sure to post the dates so you can come by and say hello and ask questions.

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy summer so far!