Cover Love!

Here is the cover for The Paris Secret! Turn out the lights and it glows! I've also created a blog and a Facebook page specifically for the book! I hope you'll join me. But I'll still be blogging here from time to time.

Later,
Angela  ; )

The agony & the ecstasy of the editorial letter

Last Wednesday I got my editorial letter for The Paris Secret. When you take into consideration that my last book (Diva's Last Curtain Call) was released from Kimani Press in the summer of '07, and went through the editorial process several months before its release, then it's been almost four years since I've worked with an editor. And I'm not counting the one I hired to edit Schooled In Lies, because she was hired to do copy edits and not line editing. Now that I have a publisher and an editor again, I'd almost forgotten what it was like to have someone being brutally honest about what isn't working in my manuscript. I equate the editorial letter to getting a shot of medicine. You absolutely know it's going to make your book better in the end. But, the needle can still sting a little going in. Every writer has different ways of dealing with the editorial letter. Here are some things to remember that always help me.

1. Your editor is on your side-(S)he wants your book to be the best it can be! It may not seem that way when you find out (s)he wants you to get rid of your favorite character Clucky the Wonder Chicken. But once you're thinking more clearly, you'll realize that Clucky really was dragging down the whole manuscript.

2. Your writing isn't perfect-Writing can be a lonely vocation. Many of us tend to write in a bubble receiving very little by way of feedback. As a result, we can be way too close to a project to see its flaws. Be happy you have an editor to point them out to you and suggest possible fixes.

3. You editor isn't a dictator-Most suggestions are negotiable. If your editor makes a suggestion that you truly do not agree with, explain your reasons behind not wanting to make the change. The two of you should be able to work together to come up with a compromise that benefits the book and makes both of you happy.

4. Your editor wanted to work with you-Your editor acquired your manuscript, right? And with publishers being more and more selective in the books they acquire, getting a book past all the levels it takes to get it acquired is no mean feat. If your editor wasn't enthusiastic about your book, believe me they wouldn't have bothered.

5. Get over yourself-Don't be your own worst enemy. Realize you don't know everything and that you're always going to be learning new things that will only make your writing better.

Oh, and for the record, I'm happy to say there wasn't a Clucky the Wonder Chicken in the Paris Secret.

Later,
Angela ; )

Carina Carina!

I'm very happy to announce that Harlequin's new digital-first imprint, Carina Press, has offered me a contract for my novel, The Paris Secret! As you can imagine, I'm very thrilled to have finally found a home for this book. I'll admit it's been a rough couple of years as far as my writing career has been concerned and I was very worried that I'd never sell another book in this tough publishing climate. In a lot of ways, despite the fact that I've had three books published, I'm starting all over again with not only a new imprint but a different genre and an exciting new format!

The Paris Secret is a very special book for me as it's the first non Kendra Clayton book I've written as well as my first attempt at a writing something other than a cozy mystery. And while there is still murder and mayhem involved, it's a much edgier and sexier book than I've ever written and is set in a foreign county. I hope you'll all love this book and these characters as much as I do. The release date is in five to six months! How cool is that? I plan to blog regularly about my new journey as author with Carina Press. So without further delay, here's the preliminary synopsis for The Paris Secret!

Recently dumped by her boyfriend, librarian Maya Sinclair vows to enjoy herself on her Paris vacation if it kills her—and it just might. First, a reservations glitch lands her in a hotel room with uppity art history professor, Juliet Rice. Then Juliet is brutally murdered and Maya—who was the last person seen arguing with her—becomes the prime suspect and is warned by the police not to leave Paris. When Juliet’s killer viciously attacks Maya, French journalist, Simon Girard, rescues her. Simon is investigating the suspicious death of his brother, an art forger whose last client was Juliet Rice.

Needing answers, Maya and Simon form a reluctant, volatile, and ultimately passionate partnership in hopes of finding out the truth. When the killer frames them for another murder, and demands the crucifix Juliet Rice hid in exchange for proof of their innocence, Maya and Simon find themselves on the run from police, and on the hunt for Juliet’s hiding place.

Together they discover Juliet’s murder is connected to a society of academics searching for a priceless seventeenth century book, which the crucifix is the key to finding. As the body count grows, Maya discovers all is not as it seems when it comes to the killer. And what they don’t know could kill not just them but also someone else Simon holds dear.

Coming soon from Carina Press!

Later, Angela ; )