Release Day was splendid. I met some friends and former coworkers for lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl (a D.C. landmark) dropped by the National Zoo to enjoy the sunshine, the flowers, and the adorable baby animals, received a great review for Under the Rose from Booklist (details to come), and went to see my book on the shelves.
I think the people at my local bookstore have stopped giving me funny looks when I snap pictures of their shelves.
Here’s Secret Society Girl at the front table of my local Borders:
Two books to the left is Curtis Sittenfeld’s most recent title, Man of My Dreams, which sports a very different cover from the hardback. I think I like the new cover much better. The colors and the pile of men’s shirts seem much more inviting to me than the frog prince.
Speaking of frog princes, I had my eye out for Shanna Swendson’s new release, Damsel Under Stress, as well as Jennifer Estep’s debut Karma Girl, but I couldn’t find either of them. The computer said they were in transit, so I’ll check back tomorrow (though they also said my book was in transit).
However, I did see some other great new books:
That’s Deidre Knight’s newest “Midnight Warrior (aka Parallel series) book, Parallel Seduction face out in the romance section. I swear, Deidre is blessed by the cover gods; they just keep getting yummier and yummier. I haven’t read this book yet, but it features Scott, the hybrid alien warrior with a chip on his shoulder and Hope, the half-blind linguist who captured his heart (and ours) in Parallel Heat.
Over here we have my friend Roxanne St. Claire’s newest Bullet Catcher title, Take Me Tonight. (I might as well have titled these pictures: book on Diana’s TBR pile, since I have both of them!) I have to say that the premise of this novel scares me to death. It’s about an investigation website where you can order a “fantasy kidnapping” with disastrous results. This is definitely a book I’m not going to read late at night or when Sailor Boy is not around to protect me. then again, she does delicious heroes, too…
And, just for fun, I found Secrets, volume 9, and pulled it face out to show SB:
Who’s that sassy minx and why does she want that poor man’s tie? 
And what happened to his shirt? Questions, questions…
finally, I haven’t seen this yet, but I can’t be the only one wild to get my hands on a copy of Evil Genius, by Catherine Jinks. I’ve been salivating about this book since I first heard the blurb for it on Publisher’s Marketplace. It’s about a young supervillain at an evil genius school who is trying to figure out a way to become a good guy. Her article on Backstory this week was fascinating, and if that’s not enough, the special website for the “World Domination” school her main character is sent to is the icing on the (evil) cake. How awesome is that?
May 1st, 2007 at 11:11 pm
My TBR pile is frightening. But I have some very special books to read at the top. *bg*
And my, you DO look saucy. When will we see that cover grace the top of your blog?
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May 2nd, 2007 at 7:27 am
What fun!
I love going to the bookstore, too, and my “must read pile” is growing by the day.
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May 2nd, 2007 at 9:32 am
Quit showing me covers of books! I don’t have the money right now to go on another spree!
Glad it was a good release day
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May 2nd, 2007 at 11:28 am
Annie’s right.
Why isn’t Damsel Under Stress in my hot little hands yet? Sigh.
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May 2nd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
How does one become a romance novel book cover model? =)
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May 2nd, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Oops…I forgot to check my local Borders Express yesterday. Will hustle right over, and if there are photo ops to be had, I will op them immediately.
How do I get them onto your blog? I guess I should just email them to you, no?
(The only problem with going into the local Borders is that they have my book right there on the front counter, and I always have to autograph a few so the staff can put those cute little “Signed by the Author” stickers on them. Though I hafta confess, I still get a charge out of it. C’est la rancon de la gloire, as French ecrivains are wont to say.)
OK, let’s see if I can type the secret word correctly today….
Nope. Trying again….
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May 2nd, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Yay! Did it! (Actually, I’m pretty sure I did it right before, but it seems that if you’re not already signed in to Blogger they automatically reject your first attempt, just to be sure you really mean to say whatever it is that you’re trying to say…which can be a useful way of catching typos. So maybe it’s for the best, frustrating though it be.)
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May 2nd, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Congrats on your release, Diana! I can’t wait to see it on the shelves (and I’ll have to buy a copy so that I’ll have a complete set… all 3 cover designs. LOL)
I spotted Deidre’s book in a magazine stand in a TINY airport in Kelowna B.C. last week. Snapped a photo on my phone. Will have to remember to upload it and send it to her. Very exciting to see authors I know featured in such a tiny bookshop (not even a bookshop) in a super-small airport. 4 gates I think.
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May 2nd, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Congratulations on the Booklist thing, but let’s get some details now!
I think it’s great that you celebrate your book releases. Lunch out and taking pictures of your book in its native surroundings–sounds lovely.
I’m sure the time will come when you’ll be all jaded and apathetic about this stuff, but I’m glad you’re not there yet. It’s much more fun to be excited about every new step.
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May 2nd, 2007 at 3:05 pm
I have to admit that I did the same thing yesterday — took pictures of my book on the shelf. And got some crazy looks too. Ah well, tomorrow I’m going to hit th elocal B&N and see it there.
Congrats on your release! If I see it in my area, I’ll pass the word along …
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May 2nd, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Congrats! I love the picture of your book on the front table. Put a copy of it somewhere near your computer for the next time you hit a patch of writer’s block and you’re dreaming of how great life would be if you worked at Home Depot
And you’re so right – the new cover on Curtis Sittenfeld’s book is sooooo much better.
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May 2nd, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Bill – It has nothing to do with being logged in already. Those picture words are time sensitive.
I’m with you Christen. We should be Romance novel cover models.
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May 3rd, 2007 at 9:28 am
SSG is indeed in the wilds of Greenwich Avenue, Diana. I snapped a pic, which I will forward when I finish up the roll.
Thanks for the info, Patrick! I feel less picked-on to know that.
Oops – it still didn’t work, even though I was typing my comment extra-fast. Now I feel picked-on again…sigh.
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May 3rd, 2007 at 11:15 am
Christen, I became a cover model because a friend’s daughter (who is now a friend of mine) became a cover designer and needed models.
Bill, I didn’t know you had a book!
Thanks, guys! I love release day! Jennifer, I did see your book (but not mine, sadly) in the romance section of the downtown DC Borders yesterday. I took a picture with my cell phone but I have no idea how to load it off my cell phone and onto a computer.
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May 3rd, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Could be broser security settings too because it needs to authenticate to one domain and post to another blah blah technical jargon.
I hate picture words…
this took one attempt
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May 3rd, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Email it from cellphone. Or buy nifty gadgets to do so. Most cellphones won’t allow bluetooth transfer because then they couldn’t charge you anything…
I’m sure there is probably hackware that would enable bluetooth transfers, but I wouldn’t be putting random internet downloaded code on my cellphone.
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