Minds of Their Own....

Any author will say that their characters tend to have a mind of their own and do whatever they want, no matter how hard we try to guide them.

Mine are no exception....

They took it upon themselves to give an interview to one of my fellow authors on her blog. By all means, stop by and see what Lia and Alastair have to say for themselves. Click on the image below. =)

It's Publication Week!

My debut novel is set to be published on Thursday. 

Let me say that again.....my debut novel is set to be published on Thursday. How unbelievable is that?!

Are you ready to meet Lia, Alastair, Stephanie and Darren? They can't wait to meet you!

Lia Meyers' plan for a relaxing Scottish vacation is short-lived when one uncharacteristic moment of clumsiness lands her in the arms of her very own Knight in Shining Armani…

The perfect opportunity for a much needed holiday romance? Wrong! Lia’s still reeling from the mother of all bad breakups, and she really doesn't have the patience for Alastair Holden – despite his effortless charm and cute British accent.

Arrogant and totally inscrutable, he's exactly the sort of guy she wants to avoid but can't: the man behind the mystery proves just too tempting to resist.

Drawn to him, Lia is forced to battle with her own insecurities, and the closer they become, the more she recognizes her own weaknesses as she peels away his layers with every night they spend together. Discovering the past Alastair is so desperate to conceal, Lia must decide if they can heal one another together or if their deepest fears will tear them apart.

Order your copy now on Amazon

One Step Closer

I'm still too excited to properly form a sentence so....

THIS IS THE COVER FOR MY DEBUT NOVEL!!!!

Sorry for the shouting. Isn't it gorgeous? (yes, I'm biased)

It's starting to sink in now, this whole 'I'm going to be a published author' thing. Receiving the email that Harper Impulse loved my book enough to want to publish it was exciting in it's own right. Getting an agent was even more surreal. Signing the contract? Insane.

But a book cover? With my name on it? That's dream come true status.

One of these days I'll write a post all about my journey from 'I'm going to write a book' to 'I have a contract.' The journey was fast, I will say that!

CATCH MY BREATH is scheduled for release on April 17, 2014. Pre-order your copy now at Amazon.com or Google Play. 

Selfies, Pizza and Memories

I love award shows. Love them. The glamour, the weird hats (Pharrell), the crazy acceptance speeches, the name butchering (I'm looking at you, Travolta). 

A few years ago I had the good fortune to be able to attend one of the glitzy Hollywood award shows; the Primetime Emmy Awards. I walked the red carpet and everything. So last night I, along with millions of others, watched the Academy Awards. Celebrity selfies and pizza were the highlights. I mean, come on:

Anyway, this morning my publisher blogged about Leonardo DiCaprio and how he looks like he needs a bit of cheering up after losing Best Actor to Matthew McConaughey. I reposted their blog along with the comment "if this doesn't cheer you up, think back to the time we spoke on the phone in college. (True story)." I also tweeted that Matthew McConaughey was my first celebrity encounter when I interned at Warner Brothers.

Now, contrary to the above statements, I don't ever talk about the celebrities I've met or dealt with over the years mostly because I'm not one to brag or name drop. Also, it was part of my job so I became immune to the whole star thing.

As you can imagine, I received a few curious responses, especially about the Leo phone call. It's a dull story, really. I was a freshman in college, hanging out in my friend's dorm room. She lived with two other girls. The phone rang and I happened to be the closest so I answered it. Some guy named Leo was looking for my friend's roommate. After the call ended my friend says, "You know who that was, right? Leonardo DiCaprio." 

Cool? Yes. We still laugh about it to this day. 

As for my encounter with Matthew McConaughey, I'd just started my internship at Warner Brothers and was trying to familiarize myself with the backlot. A nice-looking guy in jeans and green t-shirt politely asked me if I knew where the offices for J.K. Livin' Productions were. I apologized and told him it was my first day there and barely knew where *I* was going. We chatted for awhile and went our separate ways. It wasn't until later in the day that I realized who the guy with the relaxed, southern drawl was. I'm not sure if he ever found the office or if they're still on that lot. ;)  

In any case, those are a couple of random stories that are tucked away in my vast files of memories. Until the next award show....=) 

Flashback, Throwback: Travel Edition

Every week on the social medias (yeah, I said 'medias') I see my friends post photos from back in the day. Some are hilarious ones from high school and others are just some random memories from a place in time. 

I'm a big fan of traveling and have had the opportunity to visit many great cities and countries. I thought I'd share some of my favorites: 

 (Brighton, England)

(Brighton)

(Edinburgh, Scotland) 

 (London. Yes, that's me in front of #10 wearing a Tom Brady jersey)

(Stonehenge)

 (Denmark)

 (Sydney, Australia)

(Sydney, Australia)

 (Blue Lagoon, Iceland)

 (Iceland)

(For anyone wondering, yes Iceland was cold but we were happy to be there!)

So those are some of my travel throwbacks. I have lots more photos but wanted to share a few to start. How about you? Do you have any travel throwbacks? 

Such a Tease

If you've seen me smiling a little brighter recently it's because....I'M GOING TO BE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR.

Whew.

Been waiting to get that out of my system for awhile. 

I'm so excited to be a part of the HarperImpulse team. For those of you who don't know, they are part of the HarperCollins family and publish fabulous romantic fiction. I signed with them over the summer and have been BURSTING to tell all of you. 

Oh? You didn't know I wrote a book? Actually, there are three. I know, I know....show off. I wrote them more as a challenge to myself to see if I could do it. My inspiration came from a 2006 trip to Glasgow. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I heart anything British. So yeah, the trilogy takes place in the UK and here in the States.

I've never written anything professionally before, aside from TV news stories and radio copy, so this is as exciting as it gets.

It's so surreal to say that "my debut novel" will be released soon. You'll all get to meet the characters that have been so near and dear to me since they invaded my head in the spring of 2011. They're a vocal bunch, trust me.

In any case, the first chapter of my book is included in HarperImpulse's free sampler for New Year's. You can meet my characters along with others from eight of my fellow authors. 

I keep having to pinch myself. Can't wait until I can share the cover and release date for my debut novel....... =) 

Dream Team

While I sat in the car yesterday for hours and hours and hours and hours (driving to and from Yosemite), my brain kept drifting to a couple things: how the hell I'm going to finish my next book and the casting announcement for Fifty Shades of Grey. Random thoughts, I know. 

I would be lying if I said I had no actor/actress in mind for the unlikely film adaptation of my trilogy. I have a secret Pinterest board with all of them in full color. Wishful thinking at its finest. But as an avid reader I often found myself averse to having a book turned into a movie. My imagination is so vivid I like to create my own version of the world an author puts on a page. There have been many times I've seen the movie version of a book I loved and was totally disappointed by casting decisions or the director's vision or what have you. Yes, movies are awesome and who wouldn't want to see their world interpreted on screen? The thing is....a reader's mind is so subjective *nobody* will ever be good enough to match who they pictured as the main hero or heroine. Even the actors I chose for my "dream team" cast on my secret Pinterest page don't completely embody the hero and heroine I created. Okay, one of them does but that's besides the point. 

The backlash I saw online yesterday about the decision to cast Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey was horrid. Grown women were throwing fits because their version of a fictional character wasn't cast. Someone even tweeted to the producer that she hated him. Hate is a strong word. It's only a movie. There are numerous factors that go into casting a role. I do not envy casting directors, although I think their job is pretty cool. 

As a new author with high hopes and all sorts of aspirations for the books I'm writing, reactions like that scare me. Obviously, not every book is made into a movie or TV show so I'll probably just stare at my Pinterest board forever. 

I mean, honestly, is Charlie really that bad?