Jordan Summers

A friend came over for brunch so I roped her into picking two names out of a hat…literally. The first two RED ARC winners are:

Larena Wirum

Audrey Hooks

Congratulations ladies. Please drop me your address via the contact page.

The next chance to win an arc of RED will be on Oct. 6, 2008. So check back to see if you’ve won. Good luck!

If you’ve already thrown your name in the hat to win the RED ARC’s, you don’t have to enter again. I’ve kept all the names. They are the ones I’ll be drawing from next week (and the week after). Due to the overwhelming response, I’m not accepting any more entries–beyond the ones I’ve already received. Thanks again for participating.

First off, I’d like to thank Jeaniene Frost, Larissa Ione, Lynn Viehl, Shiloh Walker and Sylvia Day for posting an entry about my RED contest on their sites. Most folks were kind enough to tell me where they ‘came’ from when they entered. Ladies you’re the best. Thank you! And if you haven’t picked up Jeaniene’s ‘Night Huntress’ books, Larissa’s ‘Demonica’ book, Lynn’s ‘Darkyn’ novels, Shiloh’s ‘Through the Veil’, and Sylvia’s historicals, what are you waiting for? Seriously, they’re great reads. (Just remember Bones is mine. *g*)

Anyway, the response to the giveaway was more than I anticipated. (Thank you!) Originally, the plan was to take names every week and draw two. I was going to dump the names after the drawing and gather new ones. I realized from the number of names that wouldn’t be possible, so I’ll (well not me literally, I’ll volunteer someone for the job) be drawing the winners from the names I’ve received. I will continue to take entries until Sunday evening, Sept. 28th. After that, the contest is closed. Please don’t send double entries. Dh does check ISP numbers.

The first set of winners will be drawn and posted on Monday, Sept. 29th. The next set will be posted on Oct. 6th. Followed by another drawing on Oct. 13th. That gives you six chances to win, since two names will be drawn each week. The contest is open to everyone, not just folks in the USA. Good Luck!

Amie was nice enough to send me the Romantic Times Booklover’s Magazine review for RED. You’ll find it listed below. It’s rocking. I’m really happy with it and pleasantly surprised.

Also, I’m still taking names for this week’s contest. If you’d like to win an ARC (advanced reader copy) of RED, just mention so in the comments or go through my contact page. (The link is at the top of the page cleverly hidden under ‘contact’. *g*

The world as we know it has been destroyed in this post-apocalyptic thriller. The thirst for power never dies, but gutsy heroine Gina refuses to let that stop her. Summers does a good job laying out the backstory for her new world order, illustrating the dangerous times her protagonists live in. The first-person rantings from the deranged serial killer add a frightening layer to an already gritty thriller. Very good stuff, indeed! —Jill M. Smith

Did any of you watch Criminal Minds last night? What did you think? I liked it, but I did think it was a bit of a cheat given the season finale. I also watched Bones, Supernatural and Without a Trace. Supernatural has gone in an interesting direction. Didn’t see that one coming.

It’s been an interesting few months. I’m realizing that in order to reach the next level of writing I may have to go back to ’school’ so to speak. That may ultimately mean taking a break while I learn to write new things–and old things better. Right now I’m still in the thinking stage.

Loved NCIS last night. Still think Gibbs suspects. Can’t wait to see how it plays out over the season. Also, really looking forward to Criminal Minds tonight to see what happened.

We’ve booked the first leg of our trip, so we’re definitely headed to the UK and Germany for almost a month. I’m really looking forward to going over. It’s been WAY too long. (ie four years, since our last trip) I can’t believe we’ve let that much time pass. Cannot do that again. No wonder we have such itchy feet.

Now for the contest. I’m giving away two advanced reader copies (ie uncorrected proofs, so no complaining about typos and editing issues *g*) of RED. I will be giving away two copies each week for the next few weeks leading up to RED’s release. If you’d like a chance to win, either enter your name in my contact page (can’t miss the button at the top of the page) or leave a comment letting me know. Names do not carry over from week to week, so if you don’t win on Monday you’ll just have to re-enter. Good Luck!

I haven’t received my copy yet, but it looks like RED received four stars and that the article about the book is in this month’s issue (Nov. 08) of Romantic Times Booklover’s Magazine. I must say I’m stoked to see it. Hopefully both will be entertaining.

I’m sore as all get go today. That Wii Fit timed boxing is a pretty good workout. I feel like someone kicked me in the ribs from all the twisting punches I threw. *ggg* Yay Wii!!! I did end up doing a weights workout today. Tomorrow I’ll be back on the Wii. As soon as the heat leaves and it actually starts behaving like it’s fall here, dh and I are going to start running. I’m determined to lose weight. I need to get new publicity shots taken and I want a new wardrobe.

Still formulating ideas about the next few projects I’m going to work on. They’re s–l–o–w–l–y coming together. I do hope it speeds up soon. I’d like to get them to my agent.

Other than that, just looking forward to the premiere of NCIS tonight. Love that show. CSI Miami sucked arse yesterday. I really don’t know why I bother watching it anymore. Seriously. They cancel Moonlight and they keep that..? I don’t get it. Still haven’t managed to download the next two episodes of True Blood. Will do that this week. Since most of the shows return this week, what are you looking forward to seeing?

Dh bought me the Wii Fit and artwork for our anniversary. I’ve been wanting the Wii Fit for a long time, so I was thrilled. I can say without a doubt that it’s a ‘fun’ way to workout. I’ve done so twice in the last three days. If you hate working out, this machine/software is for you.

The art was a total surprise. When we were in Tokyo last year, we came upon an art exihibit that was about to open. Unfortunately, it was opening the week after we planned to leave. I was very bummed out because the ’sample’ art struck such a cord with me. Anyway, he surprised me with three framed prints from the Ashes and Snow exhibit. If you ever get a chance to go see these displayed, do so. They take your breath away.

I’ve been reading a lot of industry blogs and they run the gamut from there’s a massive publishing industry slow down to take any offer that comes your way. I do understand the slow down, since we’re in a recession. I’m not sure I get the panic of taking ‘any’ offer that comes your way. Yes, as writers we want to keep working and making money. We can’t do that if we’re not selling. But is the answer to accept anything? I don’t think so because I believe that by doing so we’d be thinking too short-term. Do you really want to get ’stuck’ writing things you don’t want to write because that’s where the offers are coming from? Maybe you wouldn’t mind, but I do.

I have been giving this a lot of thought. My knee-jerk reaction is to snatch at anything, but once I moved past that initial thought, I realized the slow down might be giving me an opportunity. The opportunity to write several books in various genres at my own pace. I could have a small stockpile by the time the economy turns around. Will all the books find a home? Probably be not. There are trends and timing, but I’d be in a much better position as a writer. Besides, who doesn’t want to have several full manuscripts waiting in the wings?

So yes, I think you have to be aware of the market slow down, but I don’t believe that means you need to panic. Of course, if your sole income derives from writing, then you need to do whatever it takes to keep the roof over your head. If your economic future doesn’t rely on writing, then take this opportunity to work on your craft, write outside your comfort zone, and stockpile full manuscripts. It just might set you up for the future.

Today is my anniversary. Ten years ago in New Mexico my Highlander and I exchanged vows in the ruins of a church. (Yeah, I’m not very traditional. *g*) It was a beautiful day. Perfect weather. Blue skies and wild, rugged country for as far as the eye could see. I walked down the aisle with my mom to a piper playing and was surrounded by men in kilts. I recall a lot of laughter. Wild butterflies. Quite a few sunburns. And some tears.

Thinking of that day still brings a smile to my face. It seems like yesterday, instead of ten years ago. He was my hero then and has remained so. No, he doesn’t show up in any of my books. I couldn’t begin to do him justice with mere written word. He’s far too romantic, courageous, intelligent, witty and sensitive. You’ll just have to take my word for it.

Happy Anniversary, S.

May we have a hundred more…because one lifetime with you will never be enough.

I’ve received a lot of requests for interviews lately. It’s cool, but also a little odd because it’s almost as if this is the first time I’ve been published. At least that’s what it feels like from the reactions I’m getting. RED is drawing attention, which is wonderful. I’m beyond grateful people are interested in reading the book. Overall, the early reviews have been good. A huge relief given I believe this book is a love/hate novel. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. There isn’t a lot of in between. Many readers have found it disturbing. Understandable with its graphic nature. But, and here’s the thing, RED is my thirteenth published novel. Part of me can’t believe that I’m on novel 13 (not counting Scarlet and Crimson, which are both finished and due out next year). I sold my first book in 2002 and it came out in 2003. I had five books published in 2003–four of which I wrote that year. The breakdown is as follows: I’ve written 5 single titles, 6 category length books, and 8 novellas. As you can tell by the numbers, a few haven’t sold yet. Also, I’m not counting books that I’ve started, even if they’re sitting at over two hundred pages. The sad thing is I feel like I’m not producing nearly enough. But that’s not the point of this part of the post. My point was how weird it feels to have one book looked upon like it’s my first novel, instead of lucky thirteen. *g*

Yesterday was a pretty cool day. I received copies of the new Romance Sells catalog and a signed print of RED from Chris McGrath. Have I mentioned how very cool he is? I plan to frame it and put it on my office wall.

I know I’m jumping around from topic to topic. Lately, I haven’t been able to utilize my critique partners. Either they’ve been busy, I have or I’ve written up to deadline. The latter seems to be happening to my critique partners, too. I only have one regular critique partner and several other part-time critique partners, which I utilize on occasion (they utilize me, too). I do miss the regular give and take, but don’t know how to ‘fix’ the problem. The book takes as long as it takes to write. Sometimes that’s a short period of time and sometimes it’s long. I do think having critique partners look the work over makes the books stronger. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible. Yes, I’m procrastinating to avoid cleaning. *ggg*

Been thinking about moving to Europe lately. Haven’t narrowed down the country yet. There are a lot to choose from: Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Monaco, New Zealand. Yes, I know the latter isn’t in Europe, but it is a possibility. *g* I also know that England and Scotland aren’t considered ‘Europe’ per say, but they’re close enough. If you could live in any other country, which one would it be and why?

I’m currently doing my best impression of a domestic goddess. Yes, I’m doing laundry and tomorrow I plan to clean the house. Not my favorite thing, I must say. I know some people enjoy cleaning. I enjoy having a clean house. Not the steps it takes to get there. *g* Anyhow, along with cleaning, I’m writing up my ‘Big Idea’ story for John Scalzi’s site. It’s taken me a while to put something together because frankly, after reading most of the entries, I was intimidated. HUGELY intimidated. I hope to have it finished by the end of the weekend and sent in to him. (He was kind enough to offer to feature RED at BEA.) I’d be a fool not to take him up on the offer, intimidation or not.

Thanks to the upcoming election and the news lately, I’ve been feeling increasingly stressed. I never thought I’d see an election in this country that would boil down so clearly to race, sex, and age. No one seems to care about the real issues. It’s all about winning at all costs. What’s the most frightening is that people don’t seem to care about the truth. No one on television is called out for their lies. And when they are, it’s brushed off like it’s no big deal. Has anyone else noticed the similarities between us and the Roman Empire? We all know how that ended. If you don’t, look it up. Here’s a hint: The word ‘empire’ no longer applies.

I do find in times of stress that I have a difficult time focusing on new books. It’s not the writing. It’s definitely my monkey mind. When that happens, I go back to reading old favorites. Right now, I’m almost halfway through Devil’s Bride by Stephanie Laurens. I’m sure I’ll pull out Mine to Take by Dara Joy next. These reads are like mashed potatoes with gravy to me. Yummy and comforting.

I think now–more than ever–we need romance novels in this country. We need to know everything will be all right in the end. I’m not saying what’s happening in the world will change my writing. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But I’m damn glad there are a ton of writers doing their best to deliver a happily-ever-after. May you continue.

When you’re stressed what do you fall back to? Is it a favorite book? A movie? If so, which ones? If it’s something else, what is it?