Blog of Author Christine d’Abo
I had a wonderful surprise this weekend. I found out that both Chasing Phoenix and Sweet and Spicy Spells received five angel reviews from Fallen Angels!!
I’m pumped because this is the first review we’ve received for Sweet and Spicy. It was so much fun to write it, its nice to see people are liking it.
You can read the review for Chasing Phoenix here. And the review for Sweet and Spicy Spells here.
*giggles and does a snoopy dance*
I find it hard to believe that 2007 is done tonight. This has been an amazing year for me personally and professionally. A lot of changes, many of them huge, have kept me on my toes. I thought before I post my goals for 2008 tomorrow, I’d take a look at what I’d hoped to accomplish in 2007. This was from a Thursday Thirteen post last December and I’m amazed at how well I did.
1. To get published. The funny thing with this goal is that it was the first one I completd. About a month after putting this on my site, I sold The Bond That Ties Us to Ellora’s Cave. 
2. To write consistently every day for one hour. I somehow managed to be pretty consisten with this one. Many days I managed to write longer than an hour, but I kept myself to this. I think its made a big difference with not only my output, but with my quality.
3. To read five writing craft books. Oh I fell short on this one. I think I only managed to read one and a half. I really need to get better with this.
4. To read two new releases a month. Yeah, I didn’t managed this, though I read quite a few new releases. I might have averaged two a month, but I tended to read them in spurts. I’m going to continue with this though.
5. To finish the second draft of All Bottled Up. Done!! This is now sitting with a few editors, so cross your fingers.
6. To finish the second draft of Summer Theatre (novella). This actually turned out to be Chasing Phoenix, which was releasd on December 14th from EC!
7. To plot and finish the follow up manuscript to All Bottled Up. I didn’t do this one because I hadn’t sold All Bottled Up. I do have it plotted, but I’m going to wait to write it. Hopefully, I’ll be working on it soon.
8. To finish the first draft of Perfect Match. This is done and sitting with my editor right now. Cross your fingers that Bree likes it.
9. If Ellora’s Cave doesn’t buy The Bond that Ties Us, to send out partials to at least three publishing houses. Wasn’t a need to do this because EC bought it!!
10. To query at least three agents this year. I actually queried five…and got four rejections and am currently waiting on the fifth. I’m not so worried about this and I’m glad I went through the process. The agent thing will happen when it’s meant to be.
11. To send All Bottled Up to at least three publishers. Did this. Have gotten two rejections and I’m waiting on the third and forth ones. I hope I’ll hear something in January on this.
12. To send Summer Theatre to at least one publisher. Sent it to EC and they bought it.
13. To blog at least five times a week. Oh yeah I did this. And I joined up with my Sexy sisters over at Six Degrees of Sexy too. Love those girls!
So surprisingly, I didn’t do too badly in 2007. In addition to the goals I set out, I sold an additional book, Sweet and Spicy Spells, which has been doing awesome! I’m hoping 2008 will be as good for me.
How did you make out with your goals??
Note: If you want to check out my progress for NaNoWriMo, please visit me over at Creative Insanity!)
As most of you know, Sweet and Spicy Spells released yesterday from Ellora’s Cave. I thought I’d take this Thursday Thirteen to do a little self promotion. Here are thirteen reasons to read Sweet and Spicy Spells.
1. Halloween. Okay so it’s the day after Halloween, but it’s close enough. Spells takes place on Halloween and you get to see all the fun and trouble our couples get into.
2. Zack He’s my hero and I just looooves him. Zack is the oldest of the Kane brothers and is recently back from an under cover mission. He’s tall, dark, and can cast some very naughty spells when he wants to.
3. Priscilla. My heroine! Prissy as Zack calls her, is a high spirited woman who is used to getting her own way. And she’s the champ of the Cauldron Cup, a competition of all the wizards and witches in the area. She’s not going to let a little thing like her lust for Zack stand in her way of winning…again.
4. Foster. Foster is my co-author Renee’s hero. He’s the youngest of the Kane boys and has a boyish charm and a taste for sweets. But don’t let his smile fool you, Foster is as much a man as his older, more arrogant brother.
5. Kisha. Renee’s heroine. Kisha can’t seem to cast a single spell right. While she means well, if she can’t master her spell casting abilities before Halloween, she may loose her powers for good.
6. Sex. Okay, this is an Ellora’s Cave book. It’s hot…and spicy. When the spells fly, so does the clothing and our couples have lots of fun.
7. Mystery. Heaven forbid I just write a straight romance book. Renee and I have worked in a bit of a mystery for you to solve in between the juicy bits. I hope you notice.
8. Witches and Warlocks. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for magic. And there is something fun about seeing what can happen when it comes to magic users.
9. It was fun to write! I know I’ve said this a few times on my blog, but I had so much fun writing this with Renee. We chatted about the plot over many cups of coffee at Starbucks. We got quite a few interesting looks when we were talking about about the sex scenes.
10. You can read an excerpt of the book here!
11. This is my second Ellora’s Cave release. It was also the first time I’ve written to a theme that someone else set out. That was a good challenge for me as a writer and I think it works.
12. Because you love me. Okay, maybe not, but I’m stretching here.
13. The butt on our cover. Enough said.
Woohoo! Sweet and Spicy Spells is officially out on the EC home page. Having a Halloween release actually come out on Halloween is fantastic. I’m so excited and I want to shout out a major thanks to Renee Field. You are fantastic to work with, Renee.
Go! Read!
And Happy Halloween to everyone! I’ll be going out with my girls tonight…they get me candy….
Crazy day today, but lots of fun. I didn’t do any writing. I’m going to hit Taber’s story hard starting with NaNo on Thursday. That doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything though. I’ve been plotting scenes in my head all day long.
Man they were making me hot.
Taber is going to be such a fun hero to write. I just hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations. I guess this means I’ve finally figured out what story I’m going to do for NaNo! LOL!
A few little updates in my writing world. I’ll be participating in a group blog for NaNoWriMo called Creative Insanity. If you stop by you’ll recognize a few of my fellow bloggers who have decided to joing me in the NaNo fun time. I’ll still be posting my progress here, but we’ll be cheering each other on there as well.
I’m also going to be participating on The Romance Studio’s blog. This is a great site and there has already been some fantastic posts. Please try and stop by to check them out. I’ll let you know when my turn is coming up.
Lastly, I just have to giggle. I got my author copies for Sweet and Spicy Spells today. Man, I got excited all over again seeing them. The butt on that cover is so….*drool*
…till the release of Sweet and Spicy Spells!! OMG I’m so excited about this one coming out. I have to say working with Renee Field on this story was a fantastic experience. Not only did it force me to be organized and actually plot out the story, but it was amazing to be able to brainstorm with another writer. The ideas came so quickly and easily that it almost wrote itself. If you haven’t checked out Renee’s stories before, you should. You won’t be disappointed.
*does the snoopy dance*
For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m not much of a plotter when it comes to my stories. Now for the most part, this works well for me. But I’ve noticed when the stress in my life begins to build, I don’t work so well by the seat of my pants. Which leads me to my current state of affairs.
NaNoWriMo begins next month. Yes, I’ve known this has been coming, and yes, I’m still super excited about it. I need this kind of structure to get me going again on the writing front. This move has been a bit stressful, and starting a new position on top of that has only added to things. But I feel calm and relaxed when I’m writing.
So I’ve decided to plan out what I’m going to write this week for NaNo. Having a basic plot that I can fall back on will really help me next month, and will help elimiate the stress if I get stuck. And the less stress I have in my life over the next few weeks, the better.
I’m also bouncing because I realized that Sweet and Spicy Spells comes out NEXT WEDNESDAY!! I can’t wait for this release. I had so much fun writing it with Renee. I’m going to try and run a little contest on Wednesday to celebrate. Keep your eyes peeled.
I’m thrilled to let everyone know that we finally have a release date for Sweet and Spicy Spells! Halloween this year will see our launch and I can’t be happier. So on October 31 brace yourself for some hot stuff.
I’m also running a fun little Halloween contest this year. If you haven’t joined my newsletter yet, you’ll want to! One lucky subscriber will win a fun little prize just for Halloween. A Wee Little Kitchen Witch!
Sign up by November 1st and I’ll draw a name.
Today I thought I’d leave you with this hilarious little video someone sent me yesterday. You can’t help but laugh at this one. Enjoy!
There has been a lot going on for me recently. With my job change, a major move, and a new book all happening this month, my head has been spinning. I thought I’d share a few things that I need to accomplish in the month of October.
1. Organize My Daughter’s Birthday. She’s turning eight the weekend we are moving halfway across the country. That means I need to plan a party for her the weekend before.
2. Girl Guide Cookie Day. The same weekend as her party we also have to go out selling Girl Guide cookies. I plan on buying a box or two for our drive.
3. Final RWAC Meeting. I’m going to try not to get all emotional. This will be my last face to face meeting for a long time with this wonderful group of men and women. While I’m still keeping my membership, I’m going to miss seeing them on a monthly basis.
4. Wrap-up Old Job. I need to tie up all the loose ends before I transition into my new position. Only three weeks to go *eek*.
5. Move. Going halfway across Canada in a two day drive. I’ve done this a few times now, and know exactly how painful it is. My poor cat is going to have a fit.
6. Temporary Accommodations. We’re going to be staying in either a condo or a hotel for six weeks while we wait for the close date for our new house. Thankfully, work is footing the bill.
7. Start New Job. I’m moving into a management position. I’m really excited about the job and the challenges it will bring. A bit scared too LOL!
8. Finish Novella. Come hell or high water, I’m finishing that novella this month!
9. Plot for NaNoWriMo. While I won’t have to do any crazy writing until November, I still need to plot some basic things out so I won’t get slowed down because of a block. Being a pantser, I probably won’t stick to it, but it helped me last year.
10. Halloween. Candy…enough said.
11. New School. We need to get the kids registered in their new school. Because we doubt the temporary accommodations will be near where our home will be, that will mean we’ll have to drive them until the end of November.
12. Buy Doctor Who. This may seem minor, but I need to buy series one and two of Doctor Who. It was going to be my present to myself after the sale of The Bond That Ties Us. The book came out in July and I have yet to buy it! This month for sure.
13. Sweet and Spicy Spells. I need to start doing some book promotions for Sweet and Spicy Spells! This is the very hot novel I co-wrote with Renee Field. I hope you all love it as much as I do. And here’s the cover again for good measure!!
*scroll down for Thursday Thirteen*
The cover gods at Ellora’s Cave have graced me with another beautiful cover!! I’m so excited to unveil the cover for Sweet and Spicy Spells!! This is the Halloween story I’ve co-written with the wonderfully talented Renee Field.
Isn’t it DROOL worth??
*giggles*
You can read an excerpt here.
Recent Comments