By Tamara Hogan
Like so many other Casablanca authors who've blogged about THE END this month, I have to agree that the end of one thing very often hastens the beginning of something else. This is particularly true of authors, books, and the calendar year.
How do you like my cover? ;-)
Like so many other Casablanca authors who've blogged about THE END this month, I have to agree that the end of one thing very often hastens the beginning of something else. This is particularly true of authors, books, and the calendar year.
After a shell-shocking 2009, during which my first manuscript was named a Golden Heart finalist, won a paranormal Daphne, and <gulp> sold to Sourcebooks in a three-book deal, 2010 has continued in the same vein. Looking back, my primary impression of 2010 is one of great learning:
- working with Deb on developmental edits, and chopping over 30k words from the manuscript in the process
- starting to write TASTE ME's follow-up, CHASE ME - and feeling such relief when my writing process started to fall into place
- cover design - happily, Deb and I both had the same scene in mind for TASTE ME's cover.
- learning about the publishing process
- turning around page proofs and layout pages
- blogging with the Casablanca authors and The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood
- navigating the briar patch of social networking
- promo planning, ad buys and blog touring
As someone who works in technology for my day job, I'm a big fan of analyzing lessons learned. Here are some of mine:
- Do NOT underestimate the learning curve
- A year between book releases sounds like a more leisurely pace than it actually feels
- Get away from the keyboard occasionally and enjoy the ride!
How do you like my cover? ;-)
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| 3/2011 - a dream comes true |
CSI meets True Blood in a new urban fantasy romance series with a supernatural crimes unit...
Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Mystery and Suspense, and a 2009 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® finalist, TASTE ME is the first book in a gritty, fast-paced, sexy urban fantasy romance series set in a world where incubi, sirens, valkyries, vampires, werewolves and faeries live undetected alongside humankind.
He wants her so badly he can taste it…
Ever since their tempestuous fling years ago, incubus Lukas Sebastiani has known that siren Scarlett Fontaine was meant to be his. But when you’re a sex demon with an insatiable desire, relationships are…complicated.
Her siren song brings men to their knees…
Rock star Scarlett Fontaine desperately needs a break after a grueling tour. But with murder and mayhem surrounding her band, and Lukas guarding her body, life is going to be anything but peaceful. With danger everywhere, and their feelings for each other in turmoil, Scarlett and Lukas may be destroyed by deceit and mistrust if they don’t find their way back into each other’s arms…
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Happy Holidays, everyone!
I'm glad to know, Tamara, that I'm not the only one guilty of writing too long. LOL! Congratulations on the series! Look forward to reading it! :)
ReplyDeleteTamara: they'd best market that book with a fire extinguisher or at least some of those new fancy oven mittens right beside it and a disclaimer that says: Hotter'n McDonald's coffee ... touch at your own risk!
ReplyDeleteTamara~ I didn't know you were a fellow Golden Heart sister! I guess I never put the names together! Congratulations on a great year! Oh and the learning curve continues, believe me. Every book is different and I just turned in #5, starting on #6 while doing the blog tour for #4. Sigh...It seems the only time I get away from the keyboard is when I'm sick-- which was all last week (sorry that I've been MIA).
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Terry - I think I'm glad I write long. It's far easier for me to delete during revisions than add. ;-)
ReplyDeleteCarolyn - yes, there's a certain degree of heat involved when your hero is a sex demon. Oven mitts required! It doesn't hurt that I love McDonald's coffee.
Robin - the Golden Heart connection might take some sleuthing to get to because I adopted a pseudonym after the Golden Heart final - and my book title changed, too. I'm definitely finding that focusing on a single book at a time was...sheer luxury. Glad you're feeling better!
What an interesting premise! And a great title. I don't really know what an incubus is, but I might have to read and find out!
ReplyDeleteThat's the best part of sex demons, Tamara!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read it.
Great cover, Tamara - and the book sounds terrific. I'm with you on the learning curve, too. Mine is a roller coaster - just when I think I'm really getting the hang of things and I'm on top of the world, I go into a dive. Then I learn something new and climb back out:)
ReplyDeleteShana - Isn't that title great? I have to give all credit for the title and the marketing hook to Deb and the editorial staff at Sourcebooks. The title is especially cool to me because taste is the hero's dominant sense.
ReplyDeleteLinda - there are a LOT of best things about sex demons! ;-) Honestly, I love this hero, and I'm so glad I won't have to leave him behind when TASTE ME is over. He'll continue as a secondary character throughout the series.
Joanne - The learning curve IS frustrating. With debut authors, everything's a first, so everything is new - and I'm used to being among the more experienced people in my day job work group. In addition, I'm a process analyst, so it's an occupational hazard for me to look for ways to streamline and improve work processes that seem inefficient to me. (Grocery stores and airports are absolute bloody torture for me. I forever want to herd people into more efficient lines, and remind them to get out their checkbook/ID/passport before they reach the front of the line.) More often than not, I mutter, "Keep your mouth shut. Keep your mouth shut. Keep your mouth shut," to myself like a mantra.
Tamara, Taste Me sounds like a wonderful read. Congrats on your new series. A year to publication does seem like a long way off, but I'm already feeling the pressure and my book doesn't hit the shelves until next October!
ReplyDeleteI share with you the accomplishment of learning to cut 30,000 precious, perfect, wonderful... completely unnecessary but so-fun-to-write words from my MS. Best of luck with the series, and those oven mitts sound like a good idea!
ReplyDeleteHi Tamara, I can't wait to read your series. That cover is sexy as hell. Yummy. I am about to launch into that "leisurely" year you discussed. :) Best of luck to you and I wish you much success.
ReplyDeleteSara
Love the cover, Tamara! Sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such fun! Can't wait to read it. I'm rather partial to musicians. And sex demons.
ReplyDeleteTracey - yes, TASTE ME is being published in March 2011, and CHASE me in March 2012 - a year later - and I'm just finishing that book now. Research for Book Three is starting. Two years ago I never dreamed I'd be juggling three books simultaneously!
ReplyDeleteGrace - ugh, in my case, the words were definitely completely unnecessary and redundant. Poor Deb. "Here, you've said this four different ways. Pick one and stick with it." ;-)
Sara - thanks! It's an extra treat for me that the book cover is done in my favorite colors: fuchsia, purple and black. Thanks to Deb and the art department for humoring me on the tattoo design! (I have a serious pet peeve with book cover tattoos that are too dark. Real tattoos have some fade to them and don't look like they were slapped on yesterday.)
Cheryl - thanks!
Olivia - yes, you definitely ARE partial to musicians, don't you? ;-) At my other blog, The Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, we will THROW DOWN with ANYONE who dares to say that musician heroes/heroines don't sell. Because we have proof.
Happy winter break to all of you! Great site, I really like it!
ReplyDeleteTamara, your book sounds fabulous! Congratulations on all your success!
ReplyDelete