My reading buddies for the night were the lovely Becky Moore (a.k.a. Dolly Dozier on my left) and Catherine Gayle (on my right).  Both women have books you NEED to check out.  I’m slowly getting into historical romance, and I swear every time I turn around, there’s something I need to read.  Catherine’ Twice a Rake was definitely it.  And though I’m not into straight contemporary stories to so much, I’ll be purchasing a copy of Becky’s Guardian Angel.

Anyway, just when I thought the night of fun, laughter, and good times couldn’t get better, it did.  You see, remember that write-up I did on Musa Publishing?  Well, I had no idea that Elspeth McClanahan from Musa would be in the audience and she liked my reading of Hazardous Environment.  I was so excited and surprised, but more important than that, I thanked her and the rest of the Musa staff for trying to do the right thing.  I even told Elspeth (a.k.a. Dominique Eastwick) that I had done a write-up on my blog about them and sent her the link to read it.  Of course, at the time, I didn’t have a dog in the AMP and Musa fight, but I know where I’m burying my bones and that’s in Musa’s corner.    They’re holding their own and that’s a good thing.  It was also refreshing to talk business with Elspeth because we both know that the publishing world is changing and authors are changing with it.  The hardest part of this business doesn’t change whether you’re with a publisher or indie.  Marketing and promo sucks and trying to stand out among the crowd is like hitting up against a brick wall.  But, I think I can speak for Elspeth by saying getting one good book in the hands of a one reader makes it all worth while.

Now, I’m off to start reading my copy of Shifting Hearts. 

By the way…I’ll be heading off to the next reading on February 29th where Lady Jane’s will be hosting Eboni McKenna, Mari Freeman, and Ava Stone.  I.  Can’t.  Wait. 

Hazardous Environment is now available at Barnes and Noble.  Yay!! 

I’m thrilled to announce that Hazardous Environment is finally out.  Woohooooooooooo! You can always go to Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes and Noble.  It’s still processing at B&N, but for all of you Nook lovers, it should be up soon.

And don’t forget.  Tonight, I’ll be reading an excerpt from HE tonight at Lady Jane’s Salon RDU.  So definitely come out if you get a chance because I won’t be reading alone. 

In the mean time, here is an excerpt…

***

Donna Tucker’s bewilderment turned to rage. She fisted the thermometer, ready to sling it across the room, if it didn’t break in her grip first. Dammit, why isn’t anything working?

She tore away from Eloisa Grazer’s bedside and stormed back to the desk, where her herbs lay and jars collected. Ever since the fever had struck the werecheetah down, Donna had pretty much set up a vigil at her bedside. Donna had brought everything from her hovel in the woods to Eloisa’s small home on Tomlinson Drive in Charlotte, North Carolina. Nothing worked. Not a damn thing. Never had she felt so inadequate in all her life.

What was she missing? There had to be something. The root woman used everything from catnip to hyssop combined with licorice root and thyme. She even created a grape poultice for the blisters creeping across Eloisa’s skin. Infusing her remedies with a touch of earth’s spirit for an extra boost did nothing.

Donna slammed her fists on the wood surface. Lightning flashed across the windows from behind the closed curtains. Thunder rumbled so close by that she could’ve sworn it upturned the wheat fields down the road.

She couldn’t let Eloisa die. The old woman was one of the elders, a matriarch of the Charlotte Coalition. Many held her in the highest esteem, even those from the adversarial Triangle Coalition. Eloisa helped solidify peace between the two factions to ensure their futures, since werecheetahs were an extremely rare breed. With the amount of bad blood between the two clans, there was a lot riding on Donna…especially since she was affiliated with Triangle clan and on “loan”.

Loan my ass. I’m nobody’s property. Donna tried hard to concentrate on her patient and not cat-shifter politics. Unfortunately, it touched too close to her personal life. Her parents acted like she was property, trying to decide her future and all. Well, she sure showed them.

Showed them what a failure she was.

Things would have to change. Donna wasn’t a commodity to be traded. She certainly couldn’t afford to be at their beck and call either. As much as she liked the werecheetahs, they weren’t, and would never be, her only clients.

The bedroom door swung open, slamming against the wall. Another woman rushed in carrying a sack of herbs…and Donna’s last hope.

“Did you have trouble finding her home?” She snatched the cloth bag from Jodi, a friend of Eloisa’s daughter.

She shoved the drenched hood off her head and began peeling off the raincoat that hardly did any good at keeping the water at bay. “A little, but at least everything is there. I reached Rio, too. He’s on his way, but it might be a while because I-40 has three pileups on it between here and Raleigh.”

Another streak of lightning caught her attention. “Thanks. Now, get out.”

Jodi nodded once before closing the door behind and leaving the root woman to her duties.

Donna meant nothing by her rudeness, and thankfully, Jodi understood. The root woman worked better without an audience. Plus, she had arrived from her Uncle JoJo’s funeral in Lexington, Kentucky, that afternoon. Before that, she spent the past month running from one state to another, treating patients who lacked health care, didn’t trust health care, or couldn’t seek health care due to their preternatural affiliations. Her job was nonstop, and the tension riding on her nerves was proof. Now she was paying for it because she had exhausted all her knowledge to the point that she had to ask another root woman for advice. For a woman with her experience and natural talents, that was unheard of.

It had been three days since Eloisa broke her leg in the woods while on a nightly run. The combination of earth magic and roots should’ve drawn out the infection and made her fever subside by now. If anything, they were having the same effect as baby aspirin. If the fresh roots from her friend Moira didn’t work, nothing would. Moments like this made her wonder if going to medical school might have helped Eloisa.

Can’t think about that right now. Need to focus. Need to use what I’ve got.

Donna separated seeds from pods and ground dried leaves into a fine powder. She soaked things like Hypericum, calendula, and echinacea in alcohol and sprinkled them over a potion steaming on a hot plate. She knew the ingredients and the incantations by heart, so there was no need to look anything up in a book that would slow her down.

When she finished, she had something that looked more like a flattened version of Jesus’s thorn crown. In the center was a series of mixtures that would work together to help soothe Eloisa’s pain…she hoped. She wrapped the poultice with a rag she soaked in red wine and vinegar and placed it on the open wound. Had it not been for Rio, that bone would still be sticking through the skin.

Her hand lingered on top of the poultice. A gasp slipped from her mouth, choking off what should’ve been a prayer. Her throat tightened and a tremble worked into her bottom lip. Eloisa couldn’t die. Not on her watch. Not while the stench of sickness and antiseptic corroded her nostrils.

Donna hated sick people. In her ideal world, nobody would be sick, let alone on her deathbed. Especially Eloisa, when more than thirty people who loved her like a mother were waiting one room over to hear some news. News that she, their matriarch, would survive. Important or not, she meant something different to the root woman. This was her patient, who lived and breathed and had purpose beyond being a werecheetah.

A tear broke away, slipping down her cheek. She wiped it away. Not on her watch, dammit. Not on hers. Carefully, she tied the ends of the wrap together around her leg and rechecked the makeshift splint that held her fragile bones in place.

Donna slumped into a nearby chair and waited—again—hoping and praying it worked this time. Hoping that it would be enough. If only Gaia can wait a little longer. She knows me enough to know that I’d never break my promises.

A rough hand landed on Donna’s shoulder. She woke with such a start that she nearly choked on her own breaths. Her hand touched the back of Ronan’s . Though grateful it was him and not the thing haunting her nightmare, she pulled away and eased her shoulder from his soft grip.

She tried hard not to stare at his chiseled face with the dark, rugged shadow that dotted his chin and thinned out toward his cheeks. She wasn’t sure if he purposely shaved it like that or his genes were just that accurate. Either way, she liked it. But there was no way in hell she’d admit that. Donna never mixed business with pleasure because it led to nothing but problems. Her southeast chapter of root women, Women Gathered, had plenty of stories to share, including a few of her own. That was why they all adopted the stance of never dating their clientele, if they wished to remain members of group. For now, the Women Gathered were her only true family.

Ronan was one of the first faces she met when she arrived at Eloisa’s house. Donna got the feeling he was there to make sure she didn’t poison all the female werecheetahs who were more concerned over their beloved mediator than they were about politics. Nonetheless, he was always in the shadows with his piercing blue eyes, crossed toned arms, and slightly muscled chest. Donna hated that his light-brown, overgrown hair always fell in front of his handsome face.

And just like before, he wasn’t smiling. A scowl muted his attractiveness.

Something was wrong, though Donna gave it little thought beyond that. Her mind went somewhere else. She pushed away the blanket that someone had laid over her and stood, her attention landing on an empty bed. “Where’s Eloisa? Is she okay?”

Ronan retrieved it from the floor, his grip tightening to knuckle whiteness. “She’s dead.”

Donna’s knees wobbled. Her breath left her in heaves. Normally, she wouldn’t have taken a death this hard, but given where she was and whom she worked for, this was not a good spot to be in. But those thoughts only lasted a few seconds before her thoughts turned to Eloisa’s family and friends. If she were a real doctor, she might have saved her. Damn.

“Your physician’s assistant from your coalition thinks she died while you were asleep.”

Donna snapped back to her senses. Her fingertips gently touched the bed where the female cheetah was not that long ago. Her eyes blurred, but she blinked it away. She’d keep her emotions to herself, since that was the professional thing to do. “Have your people buried her yet?”

He nodded. “Yes. No thanks to you.”

God, that hurt. But she deserved it. They asked her to come and help, and she let them down. Dammit, Eloisa shouldn’t have died because of a broken leg. Granted it was a compound fracture, but her herbs should’ve stopped the infection. Not turned it into something hideous. Something else was going on.

Uneasiness crept across her shoulders. His pinpoint glare bothered her. If he had planned to throw some more accusations at her, why wasn’t he doing it?

Donna didn’t have time for games. She glanced at the digital clock that read six in the morning. “I should go, then. But I’d like to pay my respects to her first. And to her family.”

“You’re not going anywhere near her.”

“Ronan—”

“I know the story. Something’s wrong with your herbs or whatever mystic magic you’re using. Whatever. Jodi told us all about it.”

Knowing where this was going pissed her off. “I did not kill your matriarch. What good would her death do me? I have no cat in your fight. In fact, I thought the war was over.”

“Oh, trust me, witch. Not all of us are easy with this arrangement, but we do as we’re told by our leader. But make no mistake. A treaty won’t keep our two coalitions from going to war, if you give us reason enough.”

Oh, great. Now he treated her like she was a member of the Triangle Coalition. “In case you’ve forgotten, cat, I’m a root woman. Not a shapeshifter.”

“You came as a recommendation from them. We know nothing about you, and the first time you help us, you kill our own instead. What the hell am I supposed to think? You’re a fucking—”

“You’re going to want to check that temper.” Rio stepped into the room with Sloan, the leader of the Charlotte Coalition. He motioned for his friend Donna to come to him while keeping his glower on Ronan. “I checked her herbs. They’re sound. Though I don’t know what kind of magic she infuses them with, I know that killing anyone in her job is bad business.”

Ronan eyeballed him. “So is that it? Keeping someone alive is just business to you?”

Sloan shook his head as he stepped between both men. “I’m more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt because I know Dante enough that he wouldn’t risk war over something like this. He certainly wouldn’t serve up his only two sources of keeping his coalition healthy.”

“So?”

“So that means I’m going to return the goodwill.”

“Off Eloisa’s back. Son of a bitch. I hope the women buried her face-down, because she should be turning over in the right direction by now.”

Sloan snatched up his subordinate so fast that Donna gasped and ducked behind Rio for extra cover. Her hand went to her throat just like her heart. She wanted out of this crazy place. People functioning on high emotions after an upheaval like the one they had just suffered was not a good place to be.

“Do not disrespect our dead.” Sloan jerked the man again. “Do I make myself clear?”

Ronan’s gaze went sideways, avoiding his leader’s glare. “Yeah. I got it.”

“Good.” He released the insolent werecheetah. Shoulders heaving, he turned his hot focus on Donna. “I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that this was not due to incompetence. But don’t mistake that for forgiveness.”

“I won’t.” She slipped by Rio and began collecting her things in the cardboard box she arrived with the previous afternoon. “I’ll take my leave and you’ll never see me again.”

Rio placed his hand on her box, getting her attention. “I’ve known Donna for a long time, and she’s not inept. She’s damn good at what she does, and she’ll prove it.”

“What for?” Ronan asked. “Eloisa’s dead. Whatever she does now won’t bring her back, and I doubt anyone will want to risk sores or lesions to find out.”

“Sores?” Donna pushed past Rio and stared between the two Charlotte Coalition members. “There are others with blisters?”

Sloan shot his subordinate a quick glance before addressing her. “Only Jodi. She noticed one similar to Eloisa’s this morning. But she’s fine.”

No, she isn’t. The lesions didn’t start on Eloisa until after she applied the initial herbs she had borrowed from her friend. They continued with the second batch, and now it sounded like they might have infected anyone who touched them. If Jodi touched the herbs, then her days could be numbered just like Eloisa’s. Damn.

Donna went back to the box and packed up her things. “I need to visit my friend Moira. She had given me all of the herbs I requested because I didn’t have time to run back to my hovel to get mine.”

Sloan shook his head in confusion. “Then how did Jodi—”

“She must have touched the herbs. Moira didn’t infuse the first batch because it’s better if people doing the healing use their powers. I had her infuse the second batch because I thought my powers weren’t working.”

“But what does that have to do with—”

“Don’t you see? It’s the herbs, not the power. Something’s wrong with them, and if Moira hasn’t realized it yet, she will. The hard way.”

“But you’re not sick.” Ronan looked her up and down, eyes creeping across her body like she was a coin-operated dancer in an adult toy store.

Annoyed, Donna shook her head. “Maybe it’s because of who or what I am—I don’t know. But I know Eloisa won’t be the only one who’s dead if I don’t get to Moira first.”

“Do it.” Rio went to the chair and pulled her tattered shawl off the back to hand to her. “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on Jodi.”

“Rio, no,” she said in a low voice. As much as she tried to keep her emotions out of it, there was no way she could hide the worry in her eyes.

They’d use him as collateral if she didn’t turn up something. Hell, they just might kill him out of retribution. Dammit, he had a family. A beautiful cub daughter and a half-cub son. Not to mention his amazing human wife.

Half-smiling, he placed his hands on her shoulders and met her gaze. “I’ll be fine. Besides, if what you say is true, then Jodi is going to need someone to watch over her.”

“And if you’re worried about going alone,” Sloan said, “then Ronan will go with you.”

Thanks. I’ve just gone from worried to terrified. Donna couldn’t think of a worse person to be paired with than the guy who’d offer her up as a sacrifice the first chance he got. After all, accidents have been known to happen.

“What?” Outrage flooded Ronan’s face with redness. “I’m not going anywhere with her.”

“Like the hell you’re not.” Sloan closed the distance between him and his coalition brother. “This is the least you can do instead of making light of Eloisa’s burial. And since you’re so hot for justice, this might be your only chance to make sure you’re pointing guilt at the right person.”

More like at the first person he saw. Donna didn’t like this blood-hunt arrangement. All that hotheaded jackass would do was make matters worse in a potentially tense situation. Not only that, but if he crossed Moira the wrong way, the Charlotte Coalition would be burying a second person.

You see, I had a lot of fun writing Hazardous Environment.  More fun that I thought.  Right now, I have another book in the trilogy planned for later in 2012 called Dangerous Environment.

But what if there were another?  Perhaps something like Venomous Environment.  Actually, I kinda like that title.    But suppose there was another after that and another?  See where I’m going with this?

Normally, I like to limit myself to no more than three books in a series because after that, I know me well enough that I might get bored.  In fact, I don’t know how other writers do it.  For the longest time, I considered myself a single-title urban fantasy writer because I always like to try new and different things.  But with my werecheetahs, I’m loving them beyond three books.

Let’s face it.  I like the romance genre, though urban fantasy and horror are still my number ones.  But at the same time, when I’m reading a great romance, the story usually hooks me with its claws and won’t let go.  I’d really like to see where my werecheetahs take me and if they spin-off or evolve into something else.  The only way to do that is to take a chance with more books in the series.  More cats means more fun!  Oh, and did I mention the sex?    Sure you could have that in urban fantasies and the like, but there’s usually too much going on for my characters to think about that unless they’re already in an established relationship.  I’m not saying it isn’t impossible, but one I’m not likely to write from the get-go.  That’s why I have romances.

Now I won’t be picking up Dangerous Environment or the Venomous one right away.  I have a sci-fi that I’ve been dying to write and I’m going to do it.  After all, that genre has been my first love since I was old enough to realize what TV was.   I haven’t done anything about it until now because I now the science fiction community is one that seems to be more voracious about their science than anything.  Sure, I’m down with that, but it also means a lot of research with regards to the direction I’m going.  Dangerous Environment probably won’t happen until some time after I get another Bittersweet and Dark Encounters book out this year.  And don’t get me started on Skinned. 

Any book series you wish would’ve continued to another book or two?  I’m in mourning over Vampire Academy and Women of the Otherworld.  Don’t even get me started on Harry Potter.

Not anymore. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce to you the Double Power tablet (a.k.a. DoPo) that only seems to be sold–and usally sold out–on Wal-Mart online.  If you don’t have a lot of money to spend and you don’t know where to start in the tablet market, the DoPo is the way to go.

It comes with some interesting apps line NetFlix and Shelves for all of your books.  It also comes with an Amazon app that links you directly into the apps store.  That alone is dangerous, if you ask me.  I’ve already downloaded a bunch of stuff like weather, alarms, games, etc.  I’m not usually into games, but the few I have are somewhat fun.  I don’t get addicted to them very easily, so it’s not a big deal to have them.

Two things I bought it for were movies and as an ebook reader.  I’ve tried both and they’re awesome! No lag time outside of what you’d normally get from your ISP.  Movies come through clear.  I wish there was more to the volume controls, but at least they have controls.  Not only that, it’s not like the volume is a whisper either.  It’s built more so if one person were in front of the tablet and using it and not three or four.  As for the eReader part, the screen is what you’d expect of a computer screen.  So, if you’re looking for more of an e-ink device, this is not for you.  The pages have the flip-turn thing where you actually see them flip.  You can also zoom in and out on the text.  My only draw back is the Shelves app doesn’t allow you to pick up where you left off…or not that I can tell.  But there are so many other eReader apps out there that do, it’s not that big of a deal to me.

The only fault I have with the device–and it’s probably a fault I would have with any tablet–is my fingers are fatter than I thought.  It’s really easy to tap something you don’t mean to tap, which is why the zoom comes in handy.  I’m learning to get around it by making sure the my fingerprint is squarely on the link or button that I mean to press and not the one beside it.  The keypad works best if you have the device turned horizontally, but if you prefer vertical, go right ahead.  Oh, and if you want to buy a protector case for it, I’m using one designed for a Nook Tablet and it works just fine.

And since I started this post off talking about price, let’s go there.  The DoPo costs $139.  Trust me.  For the extra $40, it’s worth it.  The horror stories I’ve heard about the other 7″ tablets that I’ve mentioned above aren’t worth the $99 headache.  I’m not saying it’s like an Amazon Fire ($199) or a Nook Tablet ($249) and I’ve tried both of those.  What I am saying is if you’re looking to save some cash on a nice little starter tablet and to get a feel for what you might want in your next tablet, then the DoPo is for you.  Play with it, have fun with it!  I might have to break down and buy a new netbook this year.  At least, I can do it guilt free because I didn’t pay $500 for an iPad.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

As for the other thing, I’ll be popping in and out of Illogicon.  It’s the first–I think–sci-fi only convention held in Raleigh-Durham and I’m hoping it takes the place of TrinocCon, which sadly dissolved a few years ago.  I won’t be presenting anything because I don’t write sci-fi.  Yet.  Next year could be a different story. 

But if you’re there, you might want to check out author Nicole Givens Kurtz.  I met her last year at ConCarolinas FINALLY.  We had been playing tag the year before that and never got a chance to touch base.  Anyway, she’s a fabulously intelligent and an award-winning author, but she’s great to talk to about stuff in general, especially about writing.  Oh, and let’s not forget about her wealth of knowledge when it comes to all things that are sci-fi.  Anyway, I can’t wait to touch base with her again.

So if you’re there and you see me, don’t be afraid to say “hi”.  I won’t bite…unless you give me a reason to. 

Wow.    Mom really has a way with words.  She didn’t mean any harm by it, I assure you.  But, she knows my frustrations that I’ve had with Parker and has been witness to them for more than a year now.  She knows exactly how I feel about them, a tenth of what I’ve expressed on this blog.

One of goals this year is not to carry any baggage into the new year.  To start it fresh.  I can’t do that with a cover that reminds me of them.  *sobbing*  So to my heart’s break, I decided to get a new cover.  The only thing is the cover funds for HE are dried up.  Each book has one chance and that’s it.   So, that meant coming up with a new one on my own.

I’m going to duck and cover now in case you guys think that I’ve lost my mind and I should stick to writing.  But I have to admit, nothing says paranormal romance like a guy kissing a girl while submerged in blood and surrounded by claw marks. 

One more thing.  The quote is an original from ParaNormal Romance for Seduction on the Prowl.  I want to make that clear, since this is pretty much the same storyline with about 75% of it rewritten.

Here’s the new blurb, too…

Root woman Donna Tucker made a mistake. A person died on her watch, not thanks to tainted roots and herbs that  were meant to heal. Now she must trace her steps to where her stash came from and stop a modern-day plague from  destroying a small town.

She’s not going alone.

Werecheetah Ronan McCleary would rather see her pay for killing his coalition’s matriarch than to accompany her  anywhere. He believes she’s responsible and the only thing this trip is doing is delaying the inevitable. Her death.

But death is hunting them both.

The residents of Seclusion, North Carolina have an unseen force in the midst that has control over the town’s most  influential people. There are those who’ll do anything–kill anyone–to keep the secret of the Davenport Foundation. A  lowly root woman and her werecheetah companion are no match for them. And they won’t be unless they can put their  differences aside and work together to survive the night. Of course, that would mean having to survive each other as  their hearts brave a HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT.

A few great things have happened to me today.  First, my horoscope is rockin’!  Even though I don’t regularly follow these things, this one might be worth remembering, since it starts off with “This is a year of fabulous fortune for you, Leo, especially in the career realm.”  Oh, baby, can I live with that. 

Also, I got an email from one of the coordinators at MystiCon.  There’s still room for book signings, so I signed up for Sunday morning.  Yeah, I know, there’s a lot of partying going on the night before, which means nobody will show up to my signing.  But, that’s okay.  At least I can say I tried.  Of course, that’s not the really cool part.  I LOVE me some panels!  I love talking with readers about books and having a blast goofing around with audience members.  Seriously, it’s my favorite part of conventions, which is why I like doing them whenever I can.  Oh, and did I mention Sherrilyn Kenyon will be there?  I’ll definitely pass out on the cold, hard floor if they put me on a panel with her.  She is one of my top 10 favorite authors of all-time.

It could also be that I’m reading too much into things and those 2.5 hours of sleep I had last night are turning me into a potato head.  I hope not because I finished polishing Hazardous Environment while waiting for the sun to come up.  I still feel like I need one more read through before I send it off to my editor, so we’ll see.  The goal is still to release this book later this month, so keep your fingers crossed.

Of course, there are a few things that need to be said about 2012. 

Let’s start with the 2011 tablet/ereader purchases.

If you’re like me, you’ve received either an ereader or a tablet for Christmas.  I’m expecting this to arrive at my local Walmart any day now.    Since my hot water heater shafted my plans to get a Nook Tablet, I started perusing the cheaper tablet line.  I can’t afford–and refuse–to put a lot of money in a something I haven’t had any experience with.  I’m betting I’m not the only one either.  So once we’ve had our experience and have a better idea of what we want, I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of ereader and tablet purchases increase.  The more the word gets out, the more confident people will feel about getting one themselves.

As for paper, again, I said back in this post that paper isn’t going anywhere and I stand firm on that.  Paper books will lessen just like the selection of authors to choose from.  Advances are shrinking for unproven authors and those sitting on the mid-list.  Agents and editors will scavage from the ebook successes that have hit lists on Amazon and Barnes and Noble to find their next client.  Of course, that’s going to cost them because those of us who are going indie or self-publishing aren’t stupid.  We know our bargaining power better than ever.

I have a feeling that readers are going to love the numerous choices they have these days.  They don’t care who the publisher is the format the book is published in.  They care about the story.

What kinds of stories readers wanting in 2012?

Your guess is as good as mine.  I don’t think paranormal is going anywhere anytime soon.  Yes, the market is crowded and a story needs to “stand out”, but standing out is in the eye of the beholder.

I wouldn’t be surprised if horror found a new audience with the whole zombie thing.  I don’t think people are into splatter for the sake of splatter or grossing out for the sake of grossing out.  People are smart and they want smart horror.  No more cars that won’t start, dying cell phone batteries as the killer is after their victim.  Oh, and if the idiot victim trips and falls, she deserves to die.

I think things like women’s fiction and contemporary romances are going to only get better and be in more of a demand.  They say erotica is flat right now, but I don’t foresee it staying that way.  Historicals have been a nice discovery for me this year, as well as YAs.  But, I think the demand for YAs will start to deflate because there is just too much right now.  Teens grow up and want more grown-up books.  Even my love for YA books has dropped off substantially because I want that more grownup read.

My hope is that sci-fi will take off.  I love sci-fi, but it’s hard for me to find stories that match the incredible story lines like Firefly, Star Wars, or ET.  I’m a huge Stargate fan, though not with Stargate Universe.  I’d love to find something that grabs me by the throat like Blade Runner or Road Warrior had.  But like I said, I just can’t find it.  One of my favorite movies of all time: Aliens.  I’d give ANYTHING to find something like that on the bookshelf.  So that’s why I say it’s my hope that something will emerge this year that will take readers by storm the same way Stephanie Meyers Twilight did.

What about audio books?

Honestly, I don’t have clue.  I haven’t invested enough time in researching that market yet and not sure I want to at this point.

So who’s going to win the ebook race?  Traditional, epubs, or self-pubs?

It’s easier to tell you who’s not going to win and that will be traditional.  They’re not going to lose either, but they’re late to the race and have a lot of catching up to do.  And, if they don’t do it right, then they will fail.  Epubs are going to be fine because they know what they’re doing and have been for the last 10+ years.  As for indies, we haven’t reached the cusp of our potential.  More mid-list authors are moving toward indie/self-publishing because they’re being dropped by their publishers.  Fans still want their stories, so they’ll answer the call and make more money than they could’ve ever imagined.  They’ll move away from their horrible 6% ( I think that’s what it is) royalty rate once they realize 70% is so much better.

Marcia, what will you be doing this year other than writing?

I’ll be trying to figure out ways of promoting Dusk Till Dawn Books as a whole and not as a book at a time.  That’s how other pubs like Samhain and Loose-Id do it and it’s worked very well for them.  Well…finding good books has, too. 

What kinds of hopes do you have for 2012?

Let’s get something straight.  I’m pissed as hell and I blame Parker Publishing for this.  I’ve known from day one that they were behind this, but was holding on to last hope that they’d do the right thing.  Apparently, that’s beyond them.  At this point, I’m not sure if they’re doing anything to resolve it, since they’re pocketing something off it.  I’ll be lucky if I get crickets.  Considering how much self-publishing has opened up, Parker might want to think twice about treating authors like shit.  We’ve got too many options to make money without you taking a cut.

This has been a long time coming.  Too long, in fact.  Rather than answer questions about this publisher behind the scenes like I’ve been doing in the past, I’m going to be upfront.  Stay away from Parker Publishing!    If you’re an author who has had a much better experience with them, then more power to you and I wish you all the best.  Others of us haven’t been so lucky.

As in every business, you have to chalk certain things up as a loss, which is what I’m doing for Seduction on the Prowl and Unstable Environment.  My royalty statements are crap that I could’ve easily doctored and printed off to send to a naive idiot like myself.  Even worse, the two years that I have are exactly the same with only the date being different.  I doubt I’ll get a royalty statement for 2011 and if I do, it’ll probably look exactly like the last two.  At this point, I don’t know if my books have made money and don’t really care.  I just want to warn other authors about Parker and that you take your career in your hands if you decide to publish with them.

Another thing that pissed me off was I learned about them going digital first via a freakin’ newsletter.  A newsletter!  My editor or publisher should’ve been the first to tell their authors about this business decision, seeing as it affected all of us.  Instead, they did it without warning.  When I asked my editor about it, she referred me to Miriam, the publisher.  If that wasn’t enough, I didn’t know Seduction on the Prowl was even published until after I had my baby.  No release date whatsoever so I could prepare for it.  I got a message that it was up for sale.  That pissed me off big time because I hadn’t even received my royalty check for it yet and Parker was already making money off it.

Seduction should’ve gone to print, but hadn’t.  Whenever I asked about it, I was referred to the Miriam again.  It was like my editor knew that question was coming, but wanted no parts in answering it.  Gee, I can’t imagine why, since you, Parker, had already breached our publishing contract.

As I write this, I’ve written a grievance to RWA, hoping they will do something about them.  I don’t know what the procedure is from this point on, but I’m hoping there is one.  I’m not looking to get any money owed to me, as much as I’m hoping that Parker makes nothing off me or anyone else who has been burned by them.  And trust me, there are a lot.  If you don’t believe me, there’s a reason why those authors who started out with them are no longer with them.

You’re probably wondering why I chose to wait until now to say something, not that there’s any statute of limitation on things like this.  When you’re a writer, you get it drilled into your skull that if you complain, you’ll be blacklisted or marked as a complainer and nobody will publish you.  Not only that, but other writers will turn on you and agents won’t want you because you’ve tarnished your career.

Well, I’m calling bullshit on all of that foolishness.  I don’t care about what other writers or agents, those who still buy into the blacklist crap, say.  Plus, I have two publishers (Samhain Publishing and Double Dragon eBooks) that are just fine, very fair, and easy to work with.  They actually COMMUNICATE with their authors and encourage us to talk to them.  All I ever got from Parker was silence.  Well, I’m not going to be silent anymore and any publisher who puts me on the fictitious “black list” is not the publisher for me.  And since I’m self-publishing these days, I really don’t give a rat’s  blue balls.

*Back to my regularly scheduled writing time*

As for other news, I’ll be handing over Hazardous Environment to my editor around the first of the year.  I just need to tie up some loose ends and it’s a done deal.  I also found a beta reader, who I can’t wait to hand over HE to and get his feedback.   He’s reading a free copy (email me at marciacolette AT gmail DOT com and I’ll give you one, too) of that other book and wants to do a comparison.  I’m so hoping that HE stomps it into the ground.  I’m having a blast with this book.  The twists and turns are even taking me by surprise. Yes, the twists and turns.  I say that because more than 70% of it has been rewritten now.  There will probably be some more, since I have some polishing left to do.

The next book I’ll be working on will be Skinned.  That story has been swirling around in my head for a while now, which usually mean something good is brewing. 

So as we sit around the house and wait for Santa to arrive, I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.   May your stockings be filled with joy and your hearts with peace.  May you not wonder whether or not the mall Santa Claus has a police record as long as your stocking when you see him shaking his leg like either he has to go to the bathroom or he’s bored.  May your relatives be content with their Christmas cards, seeing as you contributed their gift money to the  Hot Water Heater fund.  May you laugh at your little one when he/she decides to use the Christmas tree ornaments for batting practice.

Ah, the joys of Christmas.