There Can Only Be One First

 

My darling rogue gave me 4 dozen roses to mark the occasion!

My first book, Duke by Day, Rogue by Night debuted Monday, October 29th via Crimson Romance. To celebrate, I hosted a book launch partay (because that’s what pirates do, don’t they?). Fortunately, many friends and family came to share this wonderful moment, like my blog sisters here at Okay, Listen Here.  The presence of well-wishing people in my house filled my home with joyful noise, a sound I shall always cherish. Surrounded by love, I rang in a first I've been striving to achieve since 1992, the publication of one of my books. The road has been long, but rewarding and I'm grateful for all that I've experienced on the journey to today.

More pirates arrived to share the spoils!

But there can be only one.

First baby’s cry.

First time trusting someone else to care for your darling prize.

First baby steps.

First...

"Oh Jack!"

My book is walking on its own now. It left my caring arms and immediately leapt into readers' hands. And what a glorious and exhilarating feeling it is to get a direct message from the UK to explain a reader had stayed up reading my book until 2 a.m. on debut day, finished it and LOVED it! My first official fan is a fabulous lady who asked when the next book was coming out and who the hero was going to be.

Captain Guffald, of course!  (But she posed an alternate hero that has me pondering. And another book might be brewing!)

 

My devishly handsome rogue!

And that leads me to my next first.  The sophomore book.  Yes, now I get to finish the sequel, send it in and hopefully watch it soar too.  Life is like rungs on a ladder.  One step up may force you two steps back, but the way is always up, my friends.  No matter how many rungs number below you, there will always be another first step toward an achievement ahead.  Never give up!  Never surrender!

I’m ready for the challenge.  What challenges you today?

Katherine Bone
www.katherinebone.com

Crimson Romance Historical Webinar Event

In 6 days, my debut release, Duke by Day, Rogue by Night, will be available at Crimson Romance, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ITunes, and Sony.  (Downing a large dram of rum.  Please tell me I'm not having hallucinations!)

Months have passed since I first learned Crimson Romance wanted to publish my book, but it seems like yesterday I got the offer from my savvy editor for the first book in my Nelson's Tea series.  I feel doubly blessed to be working with Jennifer Lawler and the Crimson Romance team.  They've given me a phenomenal book cover and have treated me above and beyond awesome.  (Thanks, me hearties!  Raising a friendly flag in salute.)

While I've been learning the ropes by going through edits, galleys and galley edits, I was fortunate to have been asked by Jennifer to be part of a Crimson Romance Webinar on Historical Romance.  (Hoist the colors!  There will be ondits!)

If you haven't heard, the Webinar, of which I speak, me hearties, is this afternoon, October 23, from 3-4 p.m. (Eastern). I'll be joined by two other fabulous historical authors, Robyn Corum, author of Melinda Heads West, and Elizabeth Boyce, author of Once a Duchess.  After a short presentation on historical romance by Jennifer Lawler, the three of us will be available for a Q&A about historical romance, our writing process and writing journeys.

The compass points to Crimson Romance, my friends.  Give the webinar a try, won't you?

You can join this particular Webinar by going to Crimson Romance and clicking the join button.  It's that easy!

What do you like most about historical romance?

Katherine Bone
www.katherinebone.com

Celebrating Southern Style

First, I want to thank Lesia for posting a recipe on my regular blog day.  (You're the best, girl.  I appreciate you so much!)  Her gracious offer prevented me from tapping at the keys throughout the night.  Why?  Because we were at the BIGGEST partay to hit our area in a long time.

Monday evening, Lesia and I took part in a launch party for M.V. Freeman's debut release INCANDESCENT from Crimson Romance.  (M.V. Freeman will be guest blogging with us here tomorrow so we'll get to hear all about her writing and her debut then.)  But today I wanted to share with the blog what a wonderful time we had at M.V.'s launch party.

 

The ever gracious hostess, M.V.'s excitement lit up her home.  Her house buzzed with Baroque music to set the mood.  There were lights everywhere and a table prepared with delicious finger foods, flaming petit fours (care of moi), out of this world chocolate cupcakes (with creamy middles), Oreo chocolate bon bons (care of Veezer), cheese crackers (care of my mother), M.V.'s signature Apple PicaDeGallo, tortilla chips, assorted M&Ms and much, much more.  Oh, and I can't finish this post without including the various wine bottles and champagne too!!!

 

 

Yes, Lesia and I had a fabulous time helping M.V. ring in the birth of her debut book INCANDESCENT.  And M.V.'s two beautiful daughters provided an awesome tech crew too.  Darling daughter #1 provided M.V. a first-rate photographer, while Darling daughter #2 operated M.V.'s Facebook feed, the Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Books-A-Million feeds on a big flat-screen t.v.  All night long, because of this ingenius move, we were all able to watch M.V.'s book rise in the rankings, from 299,000 to 19,000 in just a few hours.  And what a fabulous experience it was to see a brand new book ignite Kindles and Nooks everywhere!

I'm very eager to get started on my pre-ordered copy of INCANDESCENT.  I have to finish my edits first, but INCANDESCENT will be my reward when I'm done.  A Russian Alpha hero who also happens to be a Tri-Elemental?  What's not to love?

How about you?  Do you like to read Urban Fantasy/Paranormal stories? 

Katherine Bone
DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT Coming October 29th
www.katherinebone.com

First Books & Trilogies

Life has been a whirlwind these past few weeks.  First, I heard Crimson Romance wanted to publish my book DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT.  (Woo-hoo!)  Then Handsome Son #2 came home for a month long visit.  (So good to have him home!)  He was shortly followed by Handsome Son #1's family.  (Loving time with my DIL and grandsons!)  And, frequent visits from Darling Daughter #2, who's lovingly constructing my new website for an end of July unveiling.  (Y'all are going to be very impressed with her mad skills!  Hint: I'm pimping her out so she will be hired by authors I know.) 

Praise God, the goodness just keeps coming.  I feel so very blessed.  We've had a trip to Orange Beach, (our first family get together with everyone, except HS#1, who's deployed) for the first time in many years. 

And now I can announce the most wonderful, wonderful news!!!  Darling Daughter #1 and her hubby are expecting their first baby!!!!!  I'm over the moon and back, dipping the silver spoon!  My third grandchild will be entering the world sometime early next year.  DD#1 is doing fine.  She's had some health issues to contend with, but she's a trooper, and according to the doctor, so is her baby.  (She wouldn't let me announce this until she was 14 weeks along.)  And the time has come to shout it out from the rafters, y'all!!!

In the midst of all this, I've been editing the partial of my second book in the Nelson's Tea trilogy, THE CAPTAIN'S PRIZE.  What turned into a quick edit, has turned into a thorough revision, however.  How was I to know that the book I'd entered into a contest last year was bad?  Ugh!  I'd like to think that I've learned so much in the past year that my eye has picked out what doesn't work and what does.  Anyway, my editor says if she likes book two, Crimson will contract it.  So my goal, during this entire time of goodness, has been to inevitably wow her socks off.

Meanwhile, I've been joining author networking groups at Crimson, and am now listed on the Lady's in Red blog, as well as under the author list on the Crimson site.  There's so much to learn and do.  And Crimson has been wonderful!  I've been meeting other Crimson authors online and working hard to put everything in place so I'm not runnnig helter skelter when my book comes out.  I even have something pretty to post until my cover comes out around September.  Woot!  Isn't it pretty?

I'm going to the RWA National Conference in a few weeks.  I haven't had any time to prepare, though I did do a little shopping today.  I'm preparing a bit of promo and redoing my business cards too.

And that's not all.  I'm back in the saddle again.  I must send off my finished partial today.  I've got goosebumps and frog warts and pig tails and horse flies to contend with.  My nerves are aflutter.  Can I impress my editor enough to experience this joy again?  Will she like book 2 enough to bring my trilogy to life?

I'll never know the answer until I send in book 2, will I?  Have you ever been afraid of reaching the next rung in the ladder?  What did you do to keep yourself in the game?

Let the Good Times Roll

Just when you think that life can't get any better... it does!

Jean's Precious Angel is finally getting his chance to fly.  My grandsons are home!  (Believe me, this Mimi is thrilled!)  And as of today, I've got all my children in one place, except for my oldest son.  Sadly, he's deployed right now and won't be home until later this year.

In spite of this small set back, I'm having the time of my life these days.  Not only do I share a fabulous blog with four other marvelous writers, I now have a publisher for my book DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT and a tentative release date... October 29, 2012! 

I'm extremely grateful to Jennifer Lawler at Crimson Romance for giving me this opportunity to bring Percival Avery, Marques Stanton and Lady Constance Danbury's story to life.

While I prepare for the whirlwind publishing will bring into my life this year, and the RWA Conference in Anaheim next month, I'm revamping my website with the help of my fantastic daughter, D2, who's in her senior year as a Graphic Design Major.  She's got fabulous ideas that will rock readers' socks off!  And I'm especially brimming with anticipation to see the kind of online playground she'll create to showcase my professional life as an author and help me promote my books.

So much to do, and I've got grandsons to hug. My edits will be arriving in a few weeks.  On top of that, I'm back to work on DBD, RBN's sequel, THE CAPTAIN'S PRIZE.  And, with an invitation to host my first table at the Southern Magic Readers' Luncheon on November 3, 2012, I've got swag to prepare and a career to promote.

A successful ascent up another rung of the ladder does not mean the climb ends.  We must never look down at the broken, brittle wood below.  And above all, we must never give up, no matter how obscure the dream or the goal. 

Jean's Precious Angel wants to fly.  I'm high in the clouds.  Where are you?

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

"All dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them." Walt Disney

A long time ago, when my youngest was 1 year old, we got our first computer.  I had a love/hate relationship with that machine, but in spite of my limited understanding of how to use it, I decided to write my first book.  You see, I'd been writing poetry since my teens.  Words had always been my friends, and I had stories to tell.  And so, like anyone with a mission, I dug into research, plotted my story and typed the words that would, from that time forward, define me.  But unlike Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams, no one came when I built my magical world, word by word by word.  Except Jack.  ;)

"If you can dream it, you can do it."  Walt Disney

Years passed.  My children grew.  And with this new freedom, I had more time to devote to writing.  I worked harder and sent out my finished work to agents and editors, ever hopeful someone would see my genius.  It was a hopeful time - a lonely time.  Especially when rejections came swift and true.  But even steel must be tempered.  I kept this in mind as I began subsequent books and connected with my writing chapter as a lifeline. 

"Throw another buoy!"

"You don't build it for yourself. 

You know what the people want and you build it for them."  Walt Disney

Herein lies the dilemma.  As a reader, we know what we like to read.  But as a writer, how do we access that passion and harness it, mold and scuplt our worlds in such a way agents/editors/readers can relate to them?  For the past two weeks I'd been grappling with this very idea, especially after some bad contest results.  As a result, I began to ask myself serious questions about my future.  I was nearing another birthday, the deadline for publishing I'd given myself years ago.  How long did I want to keep at this?   How far was I willing to go to bring my world to life?  (Even the gold pirate in Cozumel refused to answer.)

"Get a good idea and stay with it.  Dog it and work it, until its done and done right." Walt Disney

A week ago, I left work and ran some errands.  Because I hadn't had time to eat, by the time I got home, I was ready to plunder a ship for grub.  Once I'd gotten my rations, I put my feet up for a bit before going to my computer to trigger mayhem in the 1800's.  Before I did however, I peered at my phone at 3:00 p.m. and decided to peruse my e-mail.  That was when I saw it!  Standing out like a flame was a message from Jennifer Lawler at Crimson Romance.  Thinking I'd just gotten another rejection, I opened it.  But it wasn't a rejection this time!  It was an offer to publish my book, DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT!!!!  I spoke slowly and steadily to my mother, as if hearing the news aloud would make the reality that much clearer.  Then when no cannon fire resulted, and after a hushed silence, Mom and I busted out with loud SQUEEE's and hugs. (Take that Pembridge Scholars!) 

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." Walt Disney

I've done what was said was impossible.  I met my personal deadline and am now celebrating an exciting future with Crimson Romance.  Thank you, Jennifer Lawler, for taking a chance on DUKE BY DAY, ROGUE BY NIGHT!

If you've ever partied in this half of the hemisphere, you'll know no partay is right unless Jack comes along.  The two of us have dipped into the Rum keg.  BYO to the partay!

What's the biggest surprise you've ever gotten in an e-mail?  Was there Rum involved?