Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A Newsletter from author Debbie Macomber

I received my newsletter from author Debbie Macomber today. It is so full of news and good things that I am passing it on to my readers here at Sizzling Hot Romance.



My Dear Friends,

This has been an exciting month around here. First, anyone who was able to attend Cedar Cove Days will attest to what a great time we had. The organizers couldn't be more pleased, and our small town is abuzz with good feelings and wonderful memories.

Early in the planning for the festival, I attempted to convey to the dedicated local organizers how truly wonderful my readers are. Not that anyone was really skeptical, but they didn't have a clue how fabulous you are until the event brought enthusiastic readers from 42 states and seven foreign countries to "Cedar Cove" for five days of fun. We're still posting pictures, so be sure to check out my website.

As if Cedar Cove Days wasn't enough to leave me on an emotional high, news arrived that 92 Pacific Boulevard shot to number 1 on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists just days after it went on sale. And Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook placed at number 8 on the New York Times list! Thank you, one and all, for spending your hard-earned dollars on these two books that are so near and dear to my heart!

Autumn has always been my favorite season, and this year I'm going to be lounging around the house instead of making my annual trek to Leavenworth, WA, and then on to New York. The reason, you ask? Surgery. I'm going to join Charlotte Rhodes from the Cedar Cove series as an official member of the New Knee Club. It's just gotten so painful I can't ignore it any longer, so—as Wayne delicately puts it—I'm going under the knife. In truth I'm looking forward to all the glorious time I'll have to knit. Currently I have three projects on the needles, and I actually might find a way to start a fourth. In between my knitting projects and the hard work of physical therapy, I'll be writing 1022 Evergreen Place, my September 2010 Cedar Cove book.

My first post-surgical outing will be to Dayton, OH, for the November 4-5 Junior League events. Then on November 16 my tour to support my new non-fiction book, One Simple Act, begins, with stops in Connecticut; New Jersey; Grand Rapids, MI; Nashville; Atlanta; Tempe, AZ, and Plano, Texas, over a two-week period. You'll find info on all these appearances on the "Meet Debbie" page of my website, as they become available.

Don't groan when I mention Christmas this early, but I really must. I have two—count them: TWO—Christmas books debuting tomorrow, September 29. The first is my annual Christmas gift-size hardcover, The Perfect Christmas, a romantic comedy I promise will leave your sides aching from laughter. It's the story of Cassie Beaumont, who has given up on meeting the man of her dreams by traditional methods. She's decided she'll pay big bucks to a matchmaker to do the job for her. Only there's a little twist: The matchmaker insists that she fulfill three difficult, Christmas-themed tasks before he introduces her to her perfect mate.

The second Christmas book, That Holiday Feeling, is an anthology written with two of my favorite writers: Sherryl Woods and Robyn Carr. If you haven't discovered these two authors then you're in for a rare treat. My story in the anthology is an oldie favorite of mine, "Silver Bells", in which I reunite those Manning men and Manning sisters for a mistletoe marriage, as a single dad finally musters the courage to say, "I do."

But wait . . . there's more! (I always get excited when I have a chance to write that.) My very first children's book, written with my good Guideposts friend, Mary Lou Carney, titled The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater . . . That Grandma Knit goes on sale tomorrow, too! (You'll find a video interview with Mary Lou and me on my website.) This story was inspired by my grandson, Cameron, and a sweater I knit him a few years back. The pattern is included in the book (and on my website), so if any of you feel inspired to knit a truly terribly horrible sweater (just kidding; it's a beautiful sweater, designed by Susan DeRosa), you can knit one, too. This story is sure to touch every grandmother (and mother's) heart.

But wait again! This is a children's book—I want to do something special for children. So, I'm launching The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater . . . That Grandma Knit Coloring Contest, with fun prizes in two age categories for the children, and prizes for the sponsoring adults. You'll find the image of Cameron, from the book, to color; the rules and the entry form on my website. The deadline for receipt of entries is Monday, November 2, 2009 at 11:59 p.m., so round up the coloring kids and enter this fun contest ASAP!

And speaking of Christmas, remember to mark your calendars for Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 8 p.m. EST, when the Hallmark Channel will debut Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle, the movie version of a favorite book of mine. The movie stars five-time Emmy® winner, Doris Roberts, and James Van Der Beek, who starred in "Dawson's Creek." More about that next month!

I hope you have a wonderful month. I'll be doing physical therapy from home and endeavoring to get back to my regular schedule as quickly as possible. With all this talk of Christmas I wonder what it would take to convince Wayne to set up the tree early this year . . .

Have a great month, and I'll check in with you in October—me with the shiny new knee!

Debbie Macomber

P.S. Earlier this year, when we put together the print newsletter and calendar stickers containing the on-sale dates of my 2009 books, Avon Books had planned to reissue two of my earlier titles in one paperback, Be My Angel, on September 15. However, with the Mrs. Miracle movie debuting in December, Avon decided not to publish Be My Angel this year and scheduled instead a reissue of Mrs. Miracle in December. I'm sorry for the confusion this created!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Fresh Fiction

Fresh Fiction is a great site for people who love to read. I really enjoy getting their newsletters. I highly recommend that you sign up for their newsletters too.

From the Fresh Fiction website:

About Fresh Fiction
FreshFiction is a web site designed to provide easy, accessible, and informative data to popular fiction readers on current authors and their available books. We specialize in genre fiction: romance, mystery, suspense, thrillers, horror, science fiction, fantasy, contemporary, graphic and action novels. FreshFiction.com consists of author pages, book pages, reviews, columns, blog, book reviews, news, and contests.

We have an active online database of authors and books growing daily with input from our researchers, reviewers and columnists. All books in our database include basic information: ISBN, publisher, publication date, genre. Additional information includes the cover image, price, tagline, summary, primary characters, setting location, period, excerpt and note from author or publisher. The information is displayed on a book page incorporating provided information, purchase links and author backlist.

Our author information includes basic information: publicity photo, biography and
available back list. The author page displays the information with links to each book in their list and optionally to the author's website.

If you join us as a registered member of Fresh Fiction, you can be notified via email when authors publish a book no matter who the publisher. You can also join our community and leave your thoughts on book and review pages. You're also able to create your own shopping lists. Contests are easy to enter with a single click. There is NO COST to join FreshFiction.com, simply register and log in when you visit us.



Thursday, September 24, 2009

Contests and Freebies

Enter to win a S. J. Day / Shayla Black tote bag and an autographed copy of EVE OF DARKNESS! at http://www.sjday.net/contest/

Ashleigh Raine is having a contest to celebrate the upcoming release of Twofold Desires. Win a gorgeous Twilight’s Fancy beaded necklace. http://www.ashleighraine.com/contest/

Enter to win an ARC of Hunter's Need by Shiloh Walker. The book isn't due out until 12/1, but you could win it before it's released...visit Shiloh's blog for details. http://shilohwalker.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/blog-about-it-thats-how-to-win/

Be sure to enter Lorie O'Clare's new contest on her website! http://www.lorieoclare.com/contests/

Friday, September 11, 2009

Where were you when 9/11 happened?

This post has nothing at all to do with romance. It is as far away from romance as one can possible get.

Today is the 8th anniversary of the horrible event we all simply call 9/11. This event forever changed life as we knew it in America...and the world for that matter. So many things have changed about our way of life because of 9/11 and it will never ever go back to the way it was before 9/11. The Genie is out of the bottle. He (she) cannot be stuffed back in.

So many people lost their lives that day. So many families lost their loved ones, their lives forever scarred. Even people who did not lose anyone in that tragic event will be forever scarred because of it.

There are events in one's lives that happen that one will always remember where they were when it happened.

President Kennedy's assassination is one that I will always remember where I was that day. I was in 10th grade Civics class and it was announced over the intercom.

The space shuttle Challenger blowing up is another event that I will always remember where I was that day. I was living in Mobile, AL and watching it on TV with some of my friends.

9/11 will also be forever branded into my mind. I will always remember where I was at that day. I was living in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. With the time difference, it was already nighttime in Saudi Arabia. My husband was working night shift and I was home alone. I did not know anything was happening, even though I was up late working on a manuscript for a book I was writing, until I received an email from an author friend of mine. His email simply stated... "America is under attack!" My friend had a wierd sense of humor and I thought he was joking around with me. I emailed another friend of mine and they said it was not a joke. I turned on the TV and listened to BBC (one of the few outside news stations we could get) and was horrified by what I saw and heard. And I WAS SCARED OUT OF MY MIND because my husband and I were living in Saudi Arabia...the country where many of the terrorists were from. I could go on and on about my experiences living in Saudi Arabia after this and until I could leave but I will not do so now. That may be a post for another time but not now.

My question to you, my fans, is where were you on 9/11? What were your thoughts, your feelings? Did you lose a loved one? Did you know someone who lost a loved one?

Monday, September 7, 2009

In the throes of creation ...

I apologize to my fans here at Sizzling Hot Romance for not posting very often for the past couple of weeks. I am in the throes of creation on a new manuscript. I have 8700 words completed and going strong. The creation of a new novel is a time (and mind) consuming thing. When the writing is good, go for it is all I can say. I'll post here when I can. Thanks for bearing with me.

Kristie Leigh Maguire

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Review for video book trailer - Affairs of the Heart

1st Turning Point has reviewed my video book trailer for my novel, Affairs of the Heart. Lots of good comments and also some very good contructive criticism. Go have a look.

http://1stturningpoint.com/?p=1567