June Book-a-palooza

June is here, which--for me--means it's finally the season to write outside in the sunshine, rather than in my office.  Since winter is long in Massachusetts, I savor these days.  I tend to get a lot done from June through August while writing on the deck.  If you want to read more about my writing habits, where I get the ideas for my characters, or how I came up with the water gun game for my current book, Shot Through the Heart, check out today's interview on author Jo Ramsey's blog.  I'll be reading the comments and answering your questions (plus it's a great chance for you to check out Jo!)
 
The other reason to celebrate June?  A ton of spectacular books have hit the market in recent weeks.  I've made some great finds, so I wanted to share them here:

For YA fans, author Terri Clark has a fantastic new romantic story out called Hollyweird.  It's a hilarious look at both the demons and angels of Hollywood.  I've participated in a couple of teen anthologies with Terri and love her work.  If you haven't read her yet, Hollyweird is a great summer beach book. 

If you like steamy paranormal romance, Susan Sizemore just released the newest book in her Primes series, a vampire story called Primal Cravings.  It tells the story of two Dark Angel commandos who are forced to work together to save the world despite their resentment for each other.  Sizemore's books are always rich, creative, and fun--I love her Primes series and have already loaded this one on my e-reader as a reward for meeting my own writing goals.

For those who adore Regency romances, one of my all-time fave romance authors, Elizabeth Boyle, debuts her new Rhymes With Love series this week.  Along Came A Duke is out now and will soon be followed by two more stories, And The Miss Ran Away With the Rake and If Wishes Were Earls (which is perhaps my favorite book title ever.)  Boyle's books are perfect for anyone who likes snappy dialogue and hilarious heroines who refuse to settle.  (Deal alert:  Duke is currently only $4.99 on Kindle through the link above, so it's a steal!)

Finally, for anyone who missed it, Christina Dodd has re-released a phenomenal Regency romance, The Smuggler's Captive Bride.  It's filled with smugglers (obviously), revenge, weddings, and all sorts of drama.  I think Dodd is one of the most talented writers working today, so if you're looking to fill your e-reader, this is a great title to grab (especially since it's $2.99 right now.)  You'll fly through it.



I'm always looking for great new books and authors, so feel free to share your summer beach reading here.  What's surprised you?  What are you most anticipating?

This Just In: A New Book!

Excuse the commercial interruption, but big news. There's a new book out, with a contribution from Yours Truly, that I'm excited to recommend.

If you're a fan of Ellen Hopkins, whose amazing books include CRANK, BURNED, and GLASS, check out the all new FLIRTIN' WITH THE MONSTER, a collection of essays about Ellen's work. The very first essay, titled Role Models, was my contribution. Other authors include Terri Clark, Gail Giles, Micol Ostow, and even "Kristina", whose real life story is told in CRANK and GLASS.

Interested? I'll have all the details on my site in the next few days. In the meantime, you can check out an excerpt right here.

Let me know what you think!

Adventures in San Francisco

I'm finally out from under the deluge of e-mail (and plain ol' snail mail) that accumulated last week, and I've properly assured Tipper the Wonder Poodle that I'm going to pay lots of attention to her this week, so time to post the San Francisco update!

Got in on Tuesday and quickly located Terri Clark and Lynda Sandoval, my partners in crime (and, with Ellen Hopkins, my co-authors on Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.) We went shopping, cruised over to Castro to see the neighborhood, then went back to the Ferry Building Marketplace for coffee and some decadent sourdough cheese wheels. (Lynda ended up buying a whole bag of cheese wheels to bring back to the hotel. Not that we mocked her or anything.)

That night, we donned our "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" T-shirts and hit McAfee Stadium to see the Oakland A's take on the Kansas City Royals. Check out our book on the big screen!



Wednesday was RWA's "Readers for Life" booksigning for literacy. Over 500 authors signed books, with all proceeds going to literacy charities. Check out Terri signing her first copies of Sleepless! The book will be in stores any day now, so keep an eye out for it. If you enjoyed Ter's story in Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, you'll love diving into Sleepless. She sold a ton of copies at the literacy signing!






Another major highlight of the night for me was getting to see Maryam Mehrkhast, who was my best friend in fifth and sixth grade (until I moved, thanks to my dad's Army career.) Maryam and I were inseparable in those days, and it was incredible to get to see her again. The way we were chatting, you'd never know it'd been so long since we'd seen each other. She's still gorgeous inside and out.


During the two-hour event, I got to meet a lot of readers and I signed a slew of books (when I wasn't catching up with Maryam!) She took this picture of me talking to readers while I signed copies of Goddess Games. (And, for those of you who missed the event, but want an autographed book, it's not too late! You can send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and request autographed bookplates to stick in the front of your Niki book(s.) Just tell me how many you want! All the info is on my site, right here.)

Thursday and Friday passed in a blur, and Saturday night was the Golden Heart/RITA Awards Ceremony and reception. Lynda and Terri and I got dolled up, though Lynda had to have very good posture or risk a Janet Jackson moment in her dress:



We let Lynda take this one, as she said she felt safer behind the camera:



Thankfully, all three of us made it through the night with no wardrobe malfunctions!