No. 19--Late February 2008
I'm running off to the airport in just a couple of hours--flying down to
Atlanta, Georgia to see the baby compete in the ACC (Atlantic Coast
Conference...I think) men's swimming championships. He's a college
freshman, so this is my first trip to a college championship meet.
Poor husband has to stay home to work, so I'm going solo--though I get
to bring baby home since his spring break starts right after the meet.
I wanted to bring you up-to-date with the Naked world before I leave, since
I do have a few things to share. I turned The Naked Baron in at
the end of January, just a week or two late. Haven't heard back
from my editor, but I think I like it. Then I had to read my RITA
books--I, like many published members of the Romance Writers of America,
judge RWA's annual contest for published romance novels. Sadly, it
seems to be the only time I have to read these days. The scores
are due soon and I have one more to go--I'm bringing it with me for the
plane. But I also jumped right into writing The Naked Laird, my
novella that's due June 1. It tells the story of two characters
from the Baron. So far I'm enjoying it--and I'm patting myself on
the back for not procrastinating. I really can't. I'll be
traveling most of April to promote The Naked Gentleman and the summer
swim league business is already heating up.
Can you believe it's just a little more than a month until the Gent hits
bookstore shelves? My editor tells me that some bookstores have
taken Naked displays, so keep your eyes peeled. They sound quite
nice--and they'll have all four of the Naked books together! If
you go to the bookstore with your camera, snap a picture of yourself and
the Nakeds and email it to me with "Naked display photo" in the subject
line (writesally@comcast.net).
Tell me who and where you are, and I'll try to post them on my site.
My editor and agent have said they'll pose (with the) Naked (display)!
If you subscribe to Romantic Times BOOKreviews, you'll see a great full
page ad for the Nakeds. (My issue hasn't arrived yet, but my
friends tell me this is true.) You can also access the Author
Spotlight section and you'll see a spotlight on moi. But here's a
link to the spotlight for those of you who might not subscribe to RT
(those of you who do can still use it, but it only accesses my page):
http://www.romantictimes.com/sallymackenzie.htm Reviews are
starting to come in, too. Rob at
BooksForABuck.com calls the Gent "sexy and breezy," and RT gave it
four stars, saying: "Hilarity reigns as a queen of love and laughter
crafts yet another 'naked' book designed to keep you smiling."
Looking ahead for a moment, that novella I'm working on now, The Naked
Laird, will be in an anthology (as yet untitled) with Virginia Henley,
Kristina Cook--writing as Kristi Astor, and Victoria Dahl. I'm
very excited to be in a book with these wonderful ladies--and I'm
excited to try my hand at novella writing. The story happens at
the house party featured in The Naked Baron, so that's fun, too.
The anthology should be released in trade paperback format in February
2009 while the Baron will be out in spring 2009. This should let
me tweak both the book and the novella so they remain
consistent--assuming my poor brain/memory can manage the task!
Around April 1, I'll send out an email to everyone who's on my email list,
reminding them of the Gent's release. If you haven't gotten that
email in the past--or can't remember (I only send an email when a book
is releasing, so once a year so far)--and would like to, please send a
note with "Add me to your email list" in the subject line to
writesally@comcast.net and
I'll add you in.
Appearances
Check my
Happenings
page for updated appearances and pictures as they are posted. I will
try to update that promptly as new events are scheduled. April will be
especially busy. I'll be at the New England RWA doing a
workshop on connected books with my pal
Caroline Linden and at the
Romantic
Times Booklovers convention on an historical panel.
Reading list
When you go to the store in April for the Gent (hint, hint), look for my pal
Laura Drewry's The Devil's Daughter,
another RT 4 star book! Also, if you're a writer, you should look for a
hilarious book also out in April by Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman--How
Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--A
Misstep-by-Misstep Guide. I found myself laughing out loud--and
wondering if I'd made a few of those mistakes. And, also for writers,
don't forget to check out
Athena Critique Services--lots of good
advice and services there!
Please Join the Group
I would love to keep you updated about book developments, promotional events, and contests. If you'd like to get news in your cyber in-box, just sign up for my yahoo group.
(Don't worry that your mailbox will get jammed--this is just an announce only
loop, and I haven't yet sent more than one message a month, if that.)
Sally
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