The winner of the  ETERNAL HUNTER ARC is…Audrey A!  Congrats, Audrey!  I’ll be sending you prize claim info very soon (so check your In-box).

And don’t worry, I’ll be posting more ARC contests this week.  The fun isn’t over yet!!  I’ve got lots of ARCs to give away to readers.

Thanks for all the comments–and stay tuned!

Sweet!  Just what I needed today…a fun delivery.

My ETERNAL HUNTER Advanced Reader Copies have arrived!  Just look at my lovelies…

Yes, they are orange…perfect for Halloween.  🙂

Want to win an ARC?  You could read the first book in my Night Watch bounty hunter series long before anyone else. (The book doesn’t come out until 01/2010.)  Leave me a comment.  Tell me the name of your favorite romance hero of all time…and you’ll be entered to win. Simple, huh?  I’ll let the contest run until Sunday night at 6 p.m.

And don’t worry…this is just the first of many ARC contests I’ll be running.

Assistant DA Erin Jerome has a secret. Make that two. One: She’s not entirely human–she’s Other, desperately trying to keep her supernatural strength under wraps. Two: she’s got a killer stalking her–an Other rogue set on “gifting” her bloody corpses, not to mention nights lying awake in terror. Small wonder she’s been having bad luck with men.

But the bounty hunter on her new case isn’t worried about any of that. Jude Donovan is a shapeshifter himself, and the new DA’s midnight hair and addictive scent tell him all he thinks he needs to know:  She’s gorgeous, she’s definitely not human, and she’s bringing out the animal in him in a really good way. He might have to track a psychotic Other stalker through half of Louisiana. But he might also get the chance to watch Erin’s wild side come out and play.

I just finished reading a great book, Gena Showalter‘s THE DARKEST WHISPER.  I loved this book.  It was one of those stories that kept me up until 1 a.m. (Well, I don’t usually get a chance to read until 10 p.m. and once I started, I didn’t want to stop!).  I haven’t read the other Lords of the Underworld books yet, but you can bet that as soon as I meet my writing goals, I will.

Now this makes me wonder…what other great books have I missed out on?  Sometimes I get so into the writing that I miss some awesome books. Please let me know what I’ve been missing!

…is Jack Sparrow.

Okay, I’m having a bad morning, so I’m going to do something I don’t normally do on my blog–rant.  You see, I woke up today to find out that more folks were stealing from me. Yep, stealing.

You see, when you post an author’s book online illegally and allow 1400+ of your friends to all download their own copies of that book–you’re stealing.  That’s against the law.  Um, you know, the thing that if you break, you’re supposed to be punished for?

You are NOT helping me by posting illegal copies of my books.  You are NOT spreading the word about my stories in a positive way.  You’re hurting me.  And seriously, I don’t steal from you–please don’t steal from me.

End rant.

Do you think you want to write a book?  If so, then this post is for you.  If you don’t want to be a writer, feel free to ignore the words that follow.

If you are dipping your toes in the writing pool–just getting started on the path to your dream, I think there are a few things you should know:

1. You will get rejected.  VERY rarely do folks sell the first story they wrote to the first editor they submit said story to.  Instead, you’ll find this writing road is bumpy. No, not everyone will love your precious story–and it will suck when you find that out.  But if you love the story, if you love the dream, you’ll keep writing anyway.

2. Some people will quote writing “rules” to you (ex. the hero and heroine must meet in the first 5 pages, you can never use semi-colons in a story, red-headed heroes don’t sell…). Remember that rules are made to be broken. I’ve never once had an editor call me out on any of the so-called rules.

3. Some people will write faster than you. Some will write slower. Some will sell their stories faster. Some will sell slower. You know what? It doesn’t matter what those people do. Focus on yourself and you’ll be just fine.

4. Don’t think that all you have to do is write a great story.  Promotion will soon account for a vast portion of your time–whether you are mailing PR packets, chatting online, attending conferences…Writing is just the beginning.

5. You will meet some absolutely amazing people on your way to publication.  My writer friends are fantastic…and when it comes to readers…seriously, the emails I’ve gotten have made me so happy.  Writing can introduce you to some wonderful people–enjoy them.

6.  Never think that you know everything about the industry.  This industry changes. New trends emerge. Publishing houses shift their focus.  Be ready for anything.

7. Don’t be afraid to take chances.  Try to stretch yourself and try something new with your writing.  You never know where that new-ness will take you!

Anyone else have advice to offer?