Aug 28, 2012 | General, Life, Photos |
It can't really be the end of summer, can it? I can hardly believe it's nearly September. Though it doesn't get cold here for quite some time (thankfully!), September is Fall to me. That means I have to go buy potted mums, get the Fall wreath out, and start thinking about what I want for my birthday. Mr. Harris is not fond of my propensity to want a new handbag or shoes. If I wanted a gizmo that plugs into a socket, accesses the internet, and plays music and movies, he'd be all over it no matter the cost. But I have all the gizmos I need. (Sorry, honey.)
After the birthday comes the anniversary. I cannot say how many years it's been, because it makes me sound ancient when I'm not, but it's a lot. Last year, he bought me a silver heart Tiffany lock on a chain. I really, really love it! (You did awesome, sweetie!)
So, it's the end of summer. I feel whiny about that. I lived in Germany for several years, and I got used to cold weather. But then I moved to Hawaii, and I've never been the same. In Hawaii, you put your Christmas decorations out while wearing shorts. You go to the beach on Christmas day. Santa wears a very lightweight red suit at the mall (no velvet and fur there!) for the kiddies. The palm trees in Waikiki are decorated in lights. *sigh* I miss that. You'd think it'd be an abomination in some ways, since Christmas and snow go together like peas and carrots, but no, you get real used to it real fast.
Instead, I'll be in Alabama where the grass is brown and the trees are brown and gray and the leaves are all gone. On Christmas day here, you might need a coat. Or you might just need a jacket. You can never tell. It's been in the 60s and it's been snowy since I've lived here, so it's pretty much a mystery what you'll get.
Nevertheless, I look forward to the holiday season, though I'm usually never prepared the way I want to be. Some years I get the tree up, some years I don't. Some years I get the cards out on time, some years I don't. See, I'm already thinking about it and it's not even September yet! It truly is the end of the summer, and I'm sad to see it go.
Here's a pic of me enjoying the warm weather while holding up a giant column. Or maybe it's holding me up. Got any end of summer rituals?
Aug 20, 2012 | Contests, Winners |
WINNERS! The random number generator chose these lovely 5 people as winners: Niki, Kate, Heather, Pam, and Amy! Send me your mailing details at Lynn AT LynnRayeHarris DOT com and I will get your books to you! Niki and Kate are the lucky winners of UNNOTICED AND UNTOUCHED. The other three will receive backlist books. 🙂
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It's time to christen the new website with a contest! I have books overflowing here. I need to get rid of some today. And here's the really great part: I'm going to give away Unnoticed and Untouched to two lucky winners. You cannot buy this book in North America. You may not ever be able to buy this book in North America. But you can have a chance to win it here today!
I'll also give away some backlist books. Three books from my backlist to three lucky winners — how's that sound?
The details: leave a comment, that's it. You will not be added to my newsletter or get any strange emails from me in the future. I'll let the contest run until Wednesday sometime. You MUST check back to see if you won. I won't chase you down. I won't send you emails or make Facebook or Twitter posts looking for you. In my experience, that doesn't work and it takes time. If you really want a book, you'll check back. You have 5 days to claim your prize. 🙂
To be kept informed of all my blog posts, including when I announce these random contests, you can subscribe to my blog. There's a box in the sidebar. Just add your email. This does NOT put you on my newsletter. That's a different box (see the bottom of the page for that one). I pledge not to spam you. I hate spam. I hate when I visit an author's website, leave a comment, and suddenly start getting emails. I hate it so much I won't do it to you.
The thing I don't get about spam, and I mean the penis enlargement ads and all that, is who ever clicks on that stuff? Surely someone does, or they wouldn't keep sending it. Right? I try to imagine who would do such a thing, but I can't.
Aug 16, 2012 | Websites, Writing |
It's finally here! The new site, as you can see, is live. My fabulous and talented designer, Frauke Spanuth at CrocoDesigns, does such good work, doesn't she? She's a very busy lady these days, however, so if you want to book her, you may have to wait a while!
You'll notice some new features — first, we've separated out the UK books and North American books. Soon, the UK and NA schedules will merge, but the covers will still be different, so we'll keep the separate pages. Also, there are some books on the UK shelf that will not be on the North American shelf. Sadly, my D'Angeli Family duo will not be coming to North America in the Presents line. Oh, they may be released digitally, but they won't make it to store shelves. Yes, this upsets me. But with the merging of the schedules, there are a lot of authors who are losing books in the cross over. It's not what we would prefer, but it's necessary to line all the English language releases up.
And I am thrilled that my books will be available at once, with the same title, in different English language markets! No more telling the UK readers about a book and then informing my US and Canadian readers they will have to wait. I'm not sure when or if Australia and New Zealand will line up with this schedule, but hopefully they will do so soon as well.
On the front page, you'll notice a big cover with some smaller covers peeking out above and below. Hover over the smaller covers and click. That will bring the book forward in the slide! Very cool, right? There is also a Coming Soon page. Here, you'll be able to find out which books are coming next, both here and in the UK. On the individual book pages, you'll notice some foreign covers. Those are just fun, I think! I love seeing them. Not every foreign cover will be displayed, as some I never see until I get the book itself, but we'll put up many of them.
I still have to update some of my Behind the Scenes features. I'll be working on those as time permits. And there will be some things that are perhaps a bit wonky or out of place, but we're working on the tweaks. Well, Frauke is working on them. I just sit and stare and panic from time to time. 😉
I hope to keep you up to date more often on the blog now that it's shiny and new! This site is meant to grow with me as I expand my wings as a writer. And yes, that means there are some changes coming in the future. No, I'm not going to stop writing for Harlequin. But I am going to bring you my military Special Forces trilogy. And I'm probably going to do it myself. The first book, Hot Pursuit, is one of those “not quite right for New York” books. It's a blend — small town and military — and not a big, dark book with explosions (heh, I do blow up a house though) and car chases (okay, there's one of those too). It's just not a dark suspense novel. It's a romantic, adventurous, suspenseful, hot and steamy book about a Special Operations commander and the hometown girl who once had a crush on him. I've loved this book for a long time and feel like my readers would like it too.
I can't tell you when it will be just yet, but I'm working on the things I need to do to get this book out there. And of course I'm working on a yummy Presents too! I still have several books to write for the Presents line, so you'll be getting plenty of those in the year to come. In fact, for a quick peek at my schedule thus far, here it is: THE GIRL NOBODY WANTED, November 2012; MARRIAGE BEHIND THE FACADE, January 2013, and A GAME WITH ONE WINNER, April 2013 (no information on that one other than a title and publication date).
If you want to keep up with everything I'm doing — new books, new blog posts, new giveaways — then you have several ways to connect with me. You'll see on just about every page that Frauke has linked to all my social media sites. You can also subscribe to this blog. Look in the sidebar here, or just go to the home page, and type your email into the subscription box. I will NOT spam you! This is only so you can get my blog updates. There is also an option to subscribe to my newsletter. I don't spam you there either. I don't send them often, but once in a while I'll let you know about a new release or a contest. And you can unsubscribe from any updates at any time. I want you to feel welcome here, and I want you to feel like you can trust me not to send you things you didn't ask for. So sign up, or don't, and cancel at any time. 🙂 Not a problem.
Finally, you'll notice Pinterest buttons on my book pages. Feel free to pin my book covers to your boards and tell your friends about my books. 🙂
That's all from Chez Harris at the moment! More to come soon, including that promised guest post by Mr. Harris…. And please tell me what you think of the new site!
Aug 2, 2012 | General, Photos, Websites |
There are changes coming to this website in the next few days, so bear with my glorious web designer while she updates everything. I've had this design since the beginning, though we did have a different color scheme and different header for a while. But as my writing grows and my books in print grow, I need more space and a friendlier design. Something you can navigate easier as you look for information on my books!
I'm excited about this new phase in my writing life! For years, I had a website I'd designed. When I sold, I knew I wanted a professional to design my site for me. I loved what she did, and I was very happy with it for a long time. But when she first built this site, I had one book that wasn't even available yet. And then there were two. Then three. And so on.
Now, I want something a bit more organized. I'm excited about what's coming. I hope you'll like it too!
In other news, I am returned from RWA in Anaheim, fired up and ready to get some work done. If you're a writer, and you weren't there, you need to read Stephanie Laurens's keynote speech. I was in the room, and the response was incredible. Talk about change!
Over all, I'd say the atmosphere of this conference was incredibly hopeful. In the past, it's been various shades of angsty and fearful for the future. Now, not so much. As authors, we have options. Options we must think through very carefully, but options nonetheless. Self-publishing is an incredible tool available to us now. But I caution you to treat it exactly like you would traditional publishing. You still need a professional editor (not a friend or family member), a cover designer, and maybe even someone to help you get the formatting done right.
You have ONE chance to engage a reader, and if she can't get past your cover or your typos or grammar mistakes to engage with your story, you've probably lost her for good. Just yesterday, I was talking with my eye doctor, who is a voracious reader. She told me that at first, she used to download the freebie and cheap Kindle books — but that she'd stopped because they were so bad. She said she'd read a couple of good ones, but most of them were awful. And yes, she mentioned grammar as a factor.
So don't do that to yourself. Do it right, not quick. And of course there are still plenty of options if you want a publisher too! Especially these days with the start up of several online houses and online imprints of traditional houses. Options, friends. They are before you.
I leave you with a couple of pictures from RWA before I sign off to work on the latest book that's due soon!
Historical author Michelle Willingham, me, and Romance author Donna Alward.
Before the Harlequin party with Jennie Lucas, Fiona Harper, Donna Alward, and Janette Kenny.
Jul 22, 2012 | Books, Conference, General |
It's been a very hectic few weeks here, friends! First, we had a crisis with our beloved kitty, Miss Pitty Pat. I'll talk more about it when I get home, but she had a blood clot and lost a leg. She's still with us, though every day is a gift because it's her heart that is the issue. Other than the lost leg, you wouldn't know anything had happened to her. She's happy, and we are grateful.
Of course I had a book due during that time, and revisions, and more revisions (even published authors don't always get it right the first — or even second — time!). And then there was all the prep for the Romance Writers of America conference in Anaheim. Since I've had such a successful Weight Watchers run thus far, I had to go buy new clothes. But now I'm all packed and ready to board that plane! I'm looking forward to seeing friends again, to sitting and chatting over drinks and meals, and to just having a great time recharging the creative drive. There are so many workshops I want to attend! And one I'm giving on Saturday morning at 9:45 with Crystal Jordan and Kate Pearce! World Building Made Easy should be lots of fun, so come and see us if you're there.
Also, I'll be participating in the Literacy Signing on Wednesday evening from 5:30 to 8:00 in the Anaheim Convention Center. You can find me at table #807, so stop by and say hi!
I've got a few things left to do, so this is a short post. But before I leave, how about a peek at my upcoming book in the Santina Crown series? This is book seven, THE GIRL NOBODY WANTED, and you are seeing the cover first! I find it highly amusing that the hero is dressed in slacks and a white shirt when for a big portion of the book, he's marooned on an island with the heroine. 😉 But I still think it's a great cover — and obviously they aren't marooned yet since there's a city in the background.
Stop the Press: Jilted Bride Stranded with a Notorious Playboy!
Anna Constantinides, publicly humiliated when her long-time fiancé announced his engagement to someone else, might have thought things couldn’t get any worse…. Until her private jet crash-landed on an uninhabited island, leaving her stranded with billionaire hotel magnate Leo Jackson.
Renowned playboy Leo’s reputation is legendary, and if the smoldering looks they were fighting to contain when rescued are anything to go by, there can only be one question on everybody’s lips: just how long did it take wickedly sexy Leo to undress buttoned-up heiress Anna?
