Romance in the Rain: A Seattle Anthology - Released Today!

It's official! Romance in the Rain: A Seattle Anthology, has been released and is available for sale for $2.99 on Amazon: http://amzn.com/B009POGEIY. It's been a great collaborate effort to bring this book to fruition. I couldn't be blessed with better critique partners than the five talented ladies in my Rainy Day Writers group, and I'm honored to be part of an anthology that includes them all. I hope you'll enjoy reading our stories, which range from historical to contemporary, and really manage to showcase our different styles, even as they share a common location and all feature members of the same family, the Caldwells. 

The Rainy Day Writers Group.
From left to right: Charlotte Russell (historical romance), Kristine Cayne (romantic suspense), Sherri Shaw (contemporary romance), Clare Tisdale (contemporary romance), Dawn Kravagna (contemporary romance), and Marianne Stillings (usually romantic suspense with a comic touch, but in this anthology she has tried her hand - with great success - at a WWII-era romance).

New Anthology Book Release!

I am excited to announce that my short story, "Shelter From the Storm," will be published October 6, 2012, as part of an e-book anthology titled "Romance In the Rain." The anthology features six unique yet entertwined stories, each written by a member of the Rainy Day Writers group, of which I am a member. I'll be profiling members of the group on this blog in upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

"Falling Angel" Ranked #24!

Ok, before I start, a disclaimer. "Falling Angel" is not ranked #24 in Kindle e-book sales overall.
However, it is currently ranked #24 among free Kindle e-book downloads in the Contemporary Romance genre.
And that in and of itself is pretty exciting - to me, at least.
I started my five-day free e-book promo yesterday. Yes folks, "Falling Angel" is available for you to download to your Amazon Kindle for FREE through April 10, 2012. Just go to http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Angel-ebook/dp/B007KAE7T8 to get your copy, and curl up for a sweet and satisfying read.
But hurry, because they're going fast ;)
I didn't really know what to expect when I started this promotion. Prior to starting it, "Falling Angel" had sold a whopping five copies at $2.99 each (I swear at least one of the people who bought it was someone I don't personally know!).
So when I logged on to check my free downloads number last night, my jaw dropped. 860 downloads . . .
I went upstairs and asked my husband how many people he thought had downloaded my free e-book. "Uh, five?" he ventured hesitantly.
When I checked again around 10 p.m., it was up to 926. This morning, it was 1208. Last time I checked (it's now 4 p.m.), it was 1549.
Yes, I recognize this number-counting smacks of obsession, but give me a break. After years of suffering the ignominy of having my work ignored and rejected by many, many publishers and editors, it does give me a sense of satisfaction to have the power and the freedom to take my book directly to the masses and let it fend for itself.
Print publishers, your position as the gatekeepers of the book world is fading. And I say this not without regret.
I am frightened of where this strange new world will take us. I am sad every time I see another newspaper fold; another bookstore shut its doors. I wonder if there is a way for one's voice to be heard in the teeming marketplace of the virtual word. More than that, whether it's possible to actually make money as a writer any more.
That said, I am enjoying my fifteen minutes to the maximum. Whether I make a dime on it or not.

Free Books! Free Books!

The Kindle select program gives authors the opportunity to offer their books free for five days during the first 90 days of publication. That is why "Falling Angel" is being offered FREE on Amazon Kindle April 6-10, 2012 only! Download it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Angel-ebook/dp/B007KAE7T8.

When Cara meets handsome, fiercely independent artist Ben Kilpatrick, she has to decide whether to follow her head and stay away, or risk heartbreak. New release, not yet rated.

I’m hoping this free five-day giveaway of “Falling Angel” will give readers a chance to get to know my writing style. I have two other romance novels waiting in the wings, and depending on the reception I receive with "Falling Angel," I may release them separately in the coming year.

Thanks to everyone who downloads "Falling Angel" and takes a chance on a newly e-pubbed no-name writer!

And especially thanks to those of you who take the time to write a review on Amazon.

By the way, the free promo is going to be featured on my friend and fellow writer Kristine Cayne's blog over the weekend.

Kristine writes romantic suspense and she has one book out and another slated for release April 23. Check her out at http://kristinecayne.blogspot.com.