A picture is worth a thousand words

You know, sometimes you just have to brag. This is the cover of my latest book, Dream House a romance from Five Star Books. And since it's worth a thousand words, I don't need to say much more.

But I will anyway.

Romance is one of those things people hate to admit they read. But romance novels account for a large percentage of book sales, both new and used. The promise of a happy ending appeals to women, and men, of all social and economic strata. In fact, the demographics of the romance reader is a rather fascinating subject. According to a recent study, romance readers are better-educated than the general population, and a higher percentage describe themselves as being in a happy relationship. So much for the image of a sad, lonely, uneducated woman living through the pages of a book.

So I say it proudly: I write romance. I give my readers a happy ending, and I refuse to apologize for it. Call me a Pollyanna if you want, but I believe in love, and I know happy endings do happen.

And that's the truth!

Coming up for air

Well, it has been a while since I was here, hasn't it?

Thing at the beach have been, ahem, a teensey bit busy. That book I mentioned? It's done, turned in, and I have heard from my editor that she's satisfied with it. Which makes me a very happy camper. ALIAS APO: STRATEGIC RESERVE, should come out in March, 2006.

And Steve has been busy, too. That's my husband, and fellow writer, J. Steven York . He just finished his fourth book in the last 14 months.

But now! Now the books are in, and we have time to take a deep breath. Which means we cough and choke on the accummulated dust. But at least we can come in here and rearrange the furniture a little, and say hello.

And who knows? I may show up a little more often!

And The Good News Is ...

That I just got the go-ahead to write the book I was talking about earlier. Of course, there is a downside, which is that I have to do it quickly. The deadline is short, and it is going to take most of my time for the next few weeks. Which means I probably won't be posting here much. Though it's not like I was doing a lot here, anyway.

But I should drop back in from time to time, and talk about my progress. Until then, I'll be in the office.

Life is strange. Sometimes, exceedingly strange.

Being a writer, I'm always on the lookout for opportunities. But when I am very lucky, opportunities come to me. Right now, for instance, I am trying to write a proposal for a book based on a popular TV series. Can't say much, as this is all very preliminary. The cool part, though, is that they called me - don't know how they got my name and email, but they did, and I got email from the editor, inviting me to submit.

I don't know where this is going, though it's proving to be an interesting ride.

Stay tuned for developments!

Going Coastal

A few years ago, I realized that every seven years I had to blow up my life, sometimes in very dramatic fashion. Since I am starting year six of the cycle, I figured I needed someplace to keep track of whatever the next step is. There have been good ones, like marriage and children, bad ones, like divorce, and scary ones. Like the year I quit my job without a new one, moved three hundred miles away without a place to stay, and where I knew about three people.

Six years ago, I bought a house, took a new job, and moved to the Oregon coast. I love it here, and don't plan to move again. Ever. How can beat an office overlooking the beach, with a decent salary attached, and a house four blocks from the ocean?

But I know my seven-year cycle is warmimg up, so watch this space!