Final Proof and Release Date!

AUGUST 28, 2009!!!!

That's the release date for A Hot Time in Texas, my second book from The Wild Rose Press. That day it will be available in electronic and print forms. WOOHOO!

At the same time I also got the final proof of the completed book. It's such a rush to see the book as it will print with the cover, the copyright info, the dedication, the chapters, and the thank yous at the end.

This whole thing is very addictive. I think I want some more, please.

A Word For Our Sponsor

And now a word about e-publishing. I was surprised and gratified today to find that the Romance Writers Report, the magazine of Romance Writers of America, of which I have been a member for 13 years, published my letter to the editor in response to a flurry of controversy surrounding the status of e-publishers in the romance industry.

It seems that e-pubs and the authors they represent do not qualify as "published" under RWA guidelines, due to draconian rules about print runs and advances and sales and limits on contest entries.

Whatever.

Anyway, here's my letter.

November 10, 2008

Dear Ms. Adey,

After years of trying to break in with Harlequin/Silhouette, I gave up. They had a monopoly on shorter contemporary books and I had a number of books left on editor’s desks when they moved, cleared off at the end of the year, or just lost in the shuffle. Every one of my six completed manuscripts finaled in a contest and Harlequin/Silhouette asked to see a full on each one, but then would rarely respond. Discouragement and frustration are mild words to convey how I felt year after year.

Then I heard about The Wild Rose Press, which publishes both electronic and print versions. I had shied away from e-books for the very reasons the new president mentioned in her letter. I was brainwashed that they were somehow “not quite as good”. But I looked into TWRP and liked what I saw and decided I would put my pride on the line once more. Their response was professional, swift, respectful and FUN! They bought my book and now I feel like I am with a “real” publisher. I couldn’t be happier. In fact, I’ve submitted my second manuscript and I’m hoping the editors deem it worthy of TWRP.

Sincerely,

Cindy Causey

Now Comes the Waiting

I have just finished proofreading the galley for A Hot Time in Texas. No word yet on when it will be published. Sometime this year. But now that the galley is done, they will choose a publishing time. So, I wait. I also plan. I'm putting together my marketing plan for A Different Drum. I will share it with you here in a day or so when it's finished. In the meantime, I will just twiddle my thumbs, metaphorically speaking, and wait for the big day.

Here's the New Cover!

The cover for my new book--A Hot Time in Texas--is ready to go and HERE IT IS! Kinda hot and steamy, huh? Just like summer in Texas. It's a little more serious than the actual book, but hey erotica, suspense, mystery, drama--they all sell, right? So, a little more oomph can't hurt. Anyway, I love the look, very different form the first one as is the book, so way to go Angela Anderson of The Wild Rose Press who did the artwork.

Filling Up the Rose Vase

I got my second rose at my monthly Dallas Area Romance Authors (DARA) meeting today. I got one several months ago for A Different Drum, a white one for my first sale, and now I have my second one, a pink one. I plan to put them in a vase in my office and hopefully add more and more to them as time goes on. Why not? I'm in this for the long haul. Hundreds of roses.

Here's a picture of me getting my first rose. What an emotional day that was.

Things Are Moving Very Quickly

This latest book, A Hot Time In Texas, is moving along so fast, I can hardly catch my breath. I've already received and returned the edits on the manuscript. Not very many at all, so I feel really good about that. Next step is the galley proofs. But I still haven't seen a cover, so I'm anxious about that.

Kudos to my editor at The Wild Rose Press, Stephanie Parent. She's really great to work with and I hope someday to actually meet her face to face.

EUREKA! I SOLD ANOTHER ONE!

I've sold another book to The Wild Rose Press!

This one is called A Hot Time in Texas and its a sizzling romance about a chef and a banker who are completely ill-suited to one another, but can't keep their hands off each other in the middle of a steamy Texas summer. Fortune tellers, county fairs, restaurant re-dos, and a Barney Fife-styled Sheriff keep things stirred up as the temperature rises.

So we're off again to follow the adventures of my book from sale to store!