I have to finish this book!! On the upside, it's adorable. I love this story. I've been dying to write it for YEARS. On the downside, it's already a month late!
Send wide-awake vibes my way--I'll sleep when it's done!
Hope everyone had a smashing Valentine's!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
I am lucky.
I am lucky to be a writer.
I am lucky to have readers.
I am lucky to be gifted with words and to be paid for it.
I am lucky to see my books in print.
I am lucky to have an agent who cares.
I am lucky to have an editor I like.
I am lucky to be allowed to sit in my pjs at home and make a living.
And no matter what happens in this crazy, upside-down industry, whether it recovers or sinks slowly into the past, I am lucky to be part of it.
So I kind of wish people would stop b*tching and get back to telling stories.
I am lucky to have readers.
I am lucky to be gifted with words and to be paid for it.
I am lucky to see my books in print.
I am lucky to have an agent who cares.
I am lucky to have an editor I like.
I am lucky to be allowed to sit in my pjs at home and make a living.
And no matter what happens in this crazy, upside-down industry, whether it recovers or sinks slowly into the past, I am lucky to be part of it.
So I kind of wish people would stop b*tching and get back to telling stories.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Good-bye 2011. You (mostly) won't be missed.
I have to say that last year was one of the most crazy-making years of my life. So many things happened, and didn't happen, and blew up, and melted down...If I were to take that stress level test they had in Psych 101, I think I would score off the charts.
Today, one of the worst things that happened is coming to a happier resolve. My dear friend and co-writer, Susan Donovan, goes (almost) home after more than 6 weeks in the hospital. In the first few days of December, Susan was struck down by a serious form of strep that sent her into toxic shock. This is a condition with only a 22% survival rate!
Susan has suffered grave illness and near-fatal conditions from this for weeks. Her health has been permanently altered and she now must deal with those issues--yet I am full of joy. We came close to losing her uncountable times. Today, Susan is finally going to be able to return to her hometown in Maryland, although she has to stay in a rehab facility for a while.
As writers, Susan and I are going to have to rework our plans to write together--not cancelled, just postponed! The follow-up novel to A COURTESAN'S GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR MAN is being put on hold for now, until Susan is well enough to write A MISTRESS'S GUIDE TO HAVING IT ALL with me.
For those of you who are Susan Donovan fans, don't worry--Susan's naughty, razor-sharp humor is quite intact! Her body might be down for a while, but her mind is still in the game! I can't wait to work with her again soon. In the meantime, I'm just going to be her friend and give up a little sack-dance now that she's on her way to recovery!
To a better and healthier 2012 for us all!
CB
Today, one of the worst things that happened is coming to a happier resolve. My dear friend and co-writer, Susan Donovan, goes (almost) home after more than 6 weeks in the hospital. In the first few days of December, Susan was struck down by a serious form of strep that sent her into toxic shock. This is a condition with only a 22% survival rate!
Susan has suffered grave illness and near-fatal conditions from this for weeks. Her health has been permanently altered and she now must deal with those issues--yet I am full of joy. We came close to losing her uncountable times. Today, Susan is finally going to be able to return to her hometown in Maryland, although she has to stay in a rehab facility for a while.
As writers, Susan and I are going to have to rework our plans to write together--not cancelled, just postponed! The follow-up novel to A COURTESAN'S GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR MAN is being put on hold for now, until Susan is well enough to write A MISTRESS'S GUIDE TO HAVING IT ALL with me.
For those of you who are Susan Donovan fans, don't worry--Susan's naughty, razor-sharp humor is quite intact! Her body might be down for a while, but her mind is still in the game! I can't wait to work with her again soon. In the meantime, I'm just going to be her friend and give up a little sack-dance now that she's on her way to recovery!
To a better and healthier 2012 for us all!
CB
Monday, July 11, 2011
Begin Again...
I’m so geeked! Susan Donovan and I will be writing a sequel to A COURTESAN’S GUIDE TO GETTING YOUR MAN!
The new story will be about Brenna’s search for the true destiny of the Swan, based on letters the Swan wrote to Ophelia, the historical heroine of A COURTESAN’S GUIDE. The Swan’s tale will go take her from Boston to London to Barcelona—a research trip Susan and I greatly enjoyed!
At the moment, we’re hoping to have A MISTRESS’S GUIDE TO HAVING IT ALL published in late 2012, but stay tuned for more accurate announcements further in!
And yes, the Swan does have a name! And sooner or later she will have to tell me…
Sunday, April 10, 2011
RT-smarty
Madness.
Really.
I don't know who came up with the idea for hundreds of romance fans to congregate in a hotel with hundreds of romance authors, but I really must thank them.
I could say I've talked to readers and booksellers and librarians and publishers and agents and that I have vastly advanced my knowledge of marketing, writing, and the newly emerging genres. I could say that and it would be true.
But, sadly for my character, the real truth is that I've been HANGIN' WITH THE B*TCHES!
Sarah--who is the the SNARKIEST woman on the earth!
Jane--who camouflages her hilariously dirty mind behind the classiest facade :)
Lorraine--ballsy librarian/opera singer!
Veronika--beautiful woman of many accomplishments!
Cass and Dani--(because they always come in a set) who introduced me to the concepts of the Buttery Nipple and garlic fries!
Miriam--who found the greatest steampunk bar in LA!
H.P.--brains and beauty!
Jennie--with the immortal ass!
Boyd--Okay, Boyd is not a girl, but for the purposes of this blog, we nominate him as an honorary "B*tch"!
And always, my buds, Susan D and Darbi, who make everything ten times funnier than it really is!
I am breathless with laughing, drinking, laughing some more. Thanks, gang!
Really.
I don't know who came up with the idea for hundreds of romance fans to congregate in a hotel with hundreds of romance authors, but I really must thank them.
I could say I've talked to readers and booksellers and librarians and publishers and agents and that I have vastly advanced my knowledge of marketing, writing, and the newly emerging genres. I could say that and it would be true.
But, sadly for my character, the real truth is that I've been HANGIN' WITH THE B*TCHES!
Sarah--who is the the SNARKIEST woman on the earth!
Jane--who camouflages her hilariously dirty mind behind the classiest facade :)
Lorraine--ballsy librarian/opera singer!
Veronika--beautiful woman of many accomplishments!
Cass and Dani--(because they always come in a set) who introduced me to the concepts of the Buttery Nipple and garlic fries!
Miriam--who found the greatest steampunk bar in LA!
H.P.--brains and beauty!
Jennie--with the immortal ass!
Boyd--Okay, Boyd is not a girl, but for the purposes of this blog, we nominate him as an honorary "B*tch"!
And always, my buds, Susan D and Darbi, who make everything ten times funnier than it really is!
I am breathless with laughing, drinking, laughing some more. Thanks, gang!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
I'm a doctor, not an accountant!
Actually, I'm not a doctor either. I'm just a poor, numerically-impaired author with a lot of 'splainin' to do to the Revenooers every year.
But I've come through yet again, more or less whole, and ready to write again--if only to wash all those silly numbers out of my brain! Of course, it would help if I didn't end up staring at a giant tub-o-receipts every Jan 1, glumly aware that I should have done a little periodic sorting...
Every year I swear to go on a course of self-improvement. I will lose weight! I will turn my books in on time! I will itemize bi-weekly!
Well, I did turn a book in on time this past year. One of them, anyway...
Monday, February 7, 2011
You can dance if you want to...
How could I have gone so long without dancing? Why do we forget to have fun?
I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday at a great Greek restaurant with attached bar. In the bar, there was a slick gent in his fifties, crooning Gordon Lightfoot hits while playing on a synthesizer. Silly me, I turned up my nose at his song selection and ignored him.
Then my friend dragged me in to dance--bad cheezy barfly music and all! Now, I love to dance but I'm not what you'd call a good dancer. I'm a little more Romy and Michelle than Janet Jackson. So it's an exercise in trust for me.
Trust schmust. I danced my a** off! I danced until I couldn't breathe! No partner. Who cares? I danced by myself, with other women's husbands, with a lesbian or two! Those gals could boogie.
I could do this because I realized that I didn't care. I didn't care if people thought I was lame for dancing to Mambo # 5. I didn't care if someone wished I'd stop shaking my butt in front of their table because I was putting them off their baklava. And it wasn't just the gin and tonic. It was me, ready to dance.
Dancing is fun. Dancing is healthy. Dancing is something that doesn't happen often enough in this world, at least not once you're past your clubbing years. Why? Are only young skinny people supposed to dance, like it's a performance for the public? We're supposed to sit back and watch them have all the fun?
Kid, I'm of the disco generation. I was dancing before your mama got her first Easy-Bake oven! Make some room!
I went out to celebrate a friend's birthday at a great Greek restaurant with attached bar. In the bar, there was a slick gent in his fifties, crooning Gordon Lightfoot hits while playing on a synthesizer. Silly me, I turned up my nose at his song selection and ignored him.
Then my friend dragged me in to dance--bad cheezy barfly music and all! Now, I love to dance but I'm not what you'd call a good dancer. I'm a little more Romy and Michelle than Janet Jackson. So it's an exercise in trust for me.
Trust schmust. I danced my a** off! I danced until I couldn't breathe! No partner. Who cares? I danced by myself, with other women's husbands, with a lesbian or two! Those gals could boogie.
I could do this because I realized that I didn't care. I didn't care if people thought I was lame for dancing to Mambo # 5. I didn't care if someone wished I'd stop shaking my butt in front of their table because I was putting them off their baklava. And it wasn't just the gin and tonic. It was me, ready to dance.
Dancing is fun. Dancing is healthy. Dancing is something that doesn't happen often enough in this world, at least not once you're past your clubbing years. Why? Are only young skinny people supposed to dance, like it's a performance for the public? We're supposed to sit back and watch them have all the fun?
Kid, I'm of the disco generation. I was dancing before your mama got her first Easy-Bake oven! Make some room!
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