RULEBREAKER Cover

Liv Braxton, a small-time thief stuck on a backwater planet, takes on the gig of a lifetime filling in as executive assistant at Exeter Mining Company. Her job is to download incriminating files, but Liv finds herself unexpectedly torn when she falls for Zia Talbot, the beautiful and alluring VP she is supposed to betray.

When I saw this for the first time, my jaw dropped and I felt myself getting all faklempt. Can you blame me? It's a gorgeous cover, and I can't thank the art team at Carina Press or the artist at Croco Designs enough for the perfect rendition of Liv and Zia. That's them, I said to myself.

Perfect.

The cover shows Liv and Zia's strength and vulerability, two characteristics I love in heroines. Liv is a thief, she needs to be tough but she's not unfeeling. That's sort of her problem : ) Zia may be standing behind Liv, but she's no shrinking violet. Far from it.

The blue tone, weapon and background let you know this is going to be a futuristic/science fiction story. The position of the characters tells you it's a romance, but not erotic. It looks like Zia is about to kiss Liv's shoulder. There's a scene in the book where Zia comes up behind Liv and does that. I'm not sure if the artist read it, but it's nicely implied here. And rather sensual, IMO : )

Rulebreaker comes out August 8. I'll be posting a blog tour schedule in conjuction with the release. I hope you join me.

But until then, feel free to pop back and drool over the cover. I know I will : )


The legalese:
Cover Art used by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises Limited
Copyright© 2011 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited

Wanna See Something Pretty?

Head on over to The Galaxy Express ; )

Or, if you'd rather wait until tomorrow, you can come back here.

ETA: Oops! Sorry, gang, I'll post Thursday or Friday. I have to find something first : P

Over at Contact-Infinite Futures Today

I have a short post over at the Carina Press SF/SFR blog, Contact-Infinite Futures, about John Travolta having been considered for the part of Han Solo, and a little more on how movies fix a character in our head. Consider movie characters and the actors we associate with certain roles. Would anyone else fit the bill? Pop on over and leave a comment.

Update: Rulebreaker will be released in less than three months! I received the preliminary cover from the art team and Oh. My. God! It's gorgeous. Liv and Zia are perfectly portrayed. Better than anything I could have wished for. And yes, I am a dork and look at it at least once a day. When the final-final cover is approved, I'll post it, of course. For now, you'll have to live with my teasing : )

Help Write Now--Storm Relief Auction

In response to the horrendous devastation of the recent storms in the South, the writing community has banded together for an auction to raise money for relief.

At Help Write Now, you can bid on everything from books to critiques. My good friend Jody Wallace, who lives in TN and is coordinating her local chapter's contribution, asked me if I'd be a reader for their offering. Of course I said yes.

So go. Bid. Help where you can. And thank you!

Maria Zannini's "Apocalypse Rising"

Woo Hoo! Another book to pimp! I mean, recommend. Granted, I haven't read Apocalypse Rising yet, but I did read the first book, Touch of Fire, so I'm familiar with the characters and their situation. And knowing what I do about how Maria Zannini writes and builds her worlds, I'm sure I won't be disappointed in her latest offering.

Congrats on the release, Maria!

(Sorry I don't have a cover image! Go to Maria's site. Like all Carina Press covers, it's amazing! And her cover for Touch of Fire is pretty dang hot too!)

Bella Street's "Kiss Me, I'm Irish"

One of the great things about the internet is hooking up (no, not *that* kind of hooking up) with people who share interests. Writing is no different in that respect, and the beauty of digital publishing is when you find a new author you can immediately download and read their books.

Bella Street and I are members of the same writers' loop. We "met" when I asked about blog tours and we hit it off. Bella is the author of paranormal romances (and a So I Married an Axe Murderer fan, so you know she's cool ;) with a new release out called Kiss Me, I'm Irish.

Here's the blurb:

In 1830, Emily Musgrave is heading to a convent for misbehavior. In modern-day Tennessee, Liam Jackson is playing his Dobro in seedy bars. It's doing nothing for his career and even less for the dark places in his soul.

Pixie mischief can not only change time-lines, it can change hearts. Because sometimes a girl just needs a little magic in her life.

Here's an excerpt:

He stared at her without answering. Emily returned his gaze, realizing this was the first time she'd seen him in full light. His hair was coal black and mussed from sleep. His skin, tan and ruddy, as if he were a field laborer. And his eyes were the intense blue of a milkwort blossom, with a telltale darker ring around the outer edge of the irises. Of course! With a name like Liam she should've realized it sooner. He wasn't a gypsy at all.

He was an Irishman.

That meant this was some form of purgatory. Jem, Donnelly, and Our Lady of the Portal had had their revenge after all.

Crinkles formed at the edges of Liam's eyes. “So you're still holding to the story that you're from another time?”

“I believe I've already made it clear I don't tell falsehoods, Mr...” She bit her lip. “As we have not yet properly been introduced, I'm afraid I am ignorant of your formal title.”

“My last name is Jackson, but you can call me Liam.”

“Well, Mr. Jackson,” she said, lifting her chin, “I am Miss Emily Musgrave recently of Trethwick Hall, Truro, Cornwall, 1813.”

And here are the purchase links:
Amazon link

Smashwords link

Emily is out of her element, but with the help of musicians Liam and his sister Tinker, she gets a quick education about 21st century living. It's a sweet time travel tale set in the South that has fun characters and interesting twists. I enjoyed it quite a bit and look forward to reading more of her work.

Check out Bella's Kiss Me, I'm Irish and bring a little magic into your life.

Rulebreaker Release Date

August 8, 2011 will be a heck of a day here in the Hopefully-Not Frozen North. My F/F SFR Rulebreaker debuts at Carina Press. Here's a blurb:

Liv Braxton, a small-time thief stuck on a backwater planet, takes on the gig of a lifetime filling in as executive assistant at Exeter Mining Company. Her job is to download incriminating files, but Liv finds herself unexpectedly torn when she falls for Zia Talbot, the beautiful and alluring VP she is supposed to betray.

It seems unreal that this story, that ANY story of mine, is going to be published. But there it is. Or will be.

I'm getting up the nerve to contact folks for a blog tour, which should be fun/chaotic. I've never done one before, nor hosted any other person on my blog, so we'll see how it goes.

IRL, I want to have a release party, but other than displaying my cover (which I can't wait to see because Carina puts out some awesome covers!) it's not like I can sign anything. Still, any excuse for a party, right?

August 8 is also the start of Science Camp week. We will have at least two house guests, possibly three, to add to the mix. That'll be fun, but we'll have to keep things family-rated, as two of our guests are under 13.

So there you have it. August 8, 2011. Mark your calendars and stay tuned. I'll post a cover and, hopefully, a blog tour schedule.