Julia's Golden Eagle

I just mailed off the ARC with corrections to my publisher so everythings a go for it's release. Whoop! Julia's Golden Eagle should be available Aug 1 or very close to that date. I really love the characters and I hope you do also.

Oh, and Romance Junkies awarded the Magic Maven some free banner space. How cool is that? Of course, my animated skills are a bit rusty and it took me forever to figure things out. Gotta luv the learning curve.

(almost) New Month New Look

I've been hearing that our old font was too hard to read. I have to admit I agree. So I've made a few changes. For some the only change visible is an increase in the font size. It will be huge to those of you who do not have the new font avaiable on your computer. For this I'm sorry. I truly hope you can view the new one as it is one of my favorites.

New month: It's almost August. For many it is back to school. I hear the groans from teachers and students alike. My baby will be a sophomore this year. Yeah that doesn't depress me. (Can you FEEL the sarcasm there?) Back to school shopping (Mom I'm too old to have you go shopping with me. I want to take my paycheck and head out to the mall with mipsi. bipsi, bopsi or whatever their names are.) color me disappointed. I know one day she'll come back to me. I just don't want to be old and grey when she does.

Gee talk about a downer. How about we get on with some GOOD news???

I am still waiting to hear the verdict on Betraying Chase but I'm very hopefull. Please send me some good juju everyone! I did submit my fantasy Dragon's Angel and IT SOLD!! WAHOOO. I loved being in my own little world--yeah, yeah get it over with "But you've ALWAYS lived in your own little world". Thank you--But DA means alot to me in several ways. I had never written a fantasy romance. To make up new creatures, new worlds, new languages, I have been blessed with the chance to feel a little of what Tolkein must have felt when he wrote his hobbits. I spread my wings and took a leap and it was amazing to learn that I could write fantasy and it was GOOD. I can't wait for you to read it.

Here is my release schedule (dates ARE subject to change)
Gateway Guardians: Callye's Justice--October 2007
Elemental Desires: Tides of Maryna's Love--July 2008
Dragon's Angel--October 2008

I only have three slated upcoming releases but if Betraying Chase is picked up (keep that good juju coming!) I'm sure the release will also be in 2008.

3 possibly 4 releases *thud* I can't beleive it. I have dreamed of having to work like a fiend, to be getting my books out there, and now I'm on the road to that dream! YAY!!!

Yes, it's all out of my system now...wait, here's another one YAHOOO!!! okay, think I'm good.

I'll be posting videos of my releases listed above before long.

Until then,
Huggles
Donica

Banner Ads by Becka

Hey y'all,

I thought I would share with you a little endeavor I'm starting. A lot of my author friends have come to me for banner ads, and I thought I would share the wealth! But I should get something out of the deal too... :P So here's some more info on my open offer to any and all authors who want a cheap, professional-looking static banner (one that does NOT rotate) for promo. You can have one for yourself, your website, or your books. I have examples of the banners I've made for myself as well as others up on my website.

Check it out!

http://www.rebeccagoings.com/banners.html

If you're interested, shoot me an email. The more banners you want, the more I can work a deal with you. :) rebeccagoings@gmail.com

Feel free to post this to YOUR loops and blogs to spread the word! :)

~~Becka

Wild and Crazy

Yes. That's me. Wild and crazy. Why you may ask? Even if you didn't here is my answer.

In the last two weeks count that up, 14 days, okay minus weekends is 10. Minus Fridays, is 9. SO 9 days...I've completed and submitted my manuscript for my second Gateway Guardians series, Betraying Chase, to my editor.

I've sold The Tides of Maryna's Love, one of my Elemental Desires series books, to Champagne Books. I've completed all the required forms for Maryna including marketing form, cover art suggestions, blurb and tag line.

I completed the novel Dragon's Angel, polished, write the long synopsis, wrote the short synopsis, wrote the blurb and sent it all to the editor at Champagne Books.

Now all I've got left to do is taglines for Chase and Dragon's Angel. What? Did you ask what a tag line was? You did? Cool. A tag line is the one line that hooks you into the book. Its found on the back cover of the book and on the websites.

Take for example my tagline for Maryna: One Water Witch, one Marine Biologist—will it be a cruise on the Love Boat or the Titanic?

Or the tag for Callye's Justice:
They shattered his world by kidnapping his fiancée—paybacks are a bitch.

Now to come up with tag lines for Dragon's Angel and Chase. Any suggestions? to learn about these books go to my website and check out the videos. Or you can visit my YouTube channel

Any suggestions for possible tag lines would be appreciated. Drop them into the comment section here. I'll be checking for them. Hope to hear from you soon!

Huggles,
Donica

Celebrating and Such

Well I have a couple of things to celebrate.

First: The second book in my Gateway Guardians series is finished and sitting in my editor's in box.

Second: The second round of edits for Callye's Justice will be coming before long. I'm ready to get them done and out of the way so that I can get a release date approximation.

Third: Dragon's Angel, the fantasy romance I've been working on is almost finished. I've got a few loose ends to tie up, then it will be time for the clean up process and finally submitting somewhere.

Oh yeah! Remember the series about the Elemental witches I was so excited about. well if you will remember, I pulled them before they were previously published due to creative differences with the publisher. WELL I SOLD MARYNA!!!!! HEHEHE I've got high hopes that they will love the other three sisters and contract them as well! If things keep on schedule The Tides Of Maryna's Love will be released in July of 2008!!!! I'm so excited! Champagne Books, the publisher who picked it up, has a firm reputation and known for their quality books. IF I generate enough sales there is a chance I could go to PRINT!!! This would mean you could go into Barnes and Noble, Borders Books or any other fine book seller and order the book in paperback! There is no guarantee but it is a possibility!

Phyllis and Ciara are at the national conference. (No I'm not a bit jealous) Maybe when they get back they'll have some interesting news to pass along.

Well it's the weekend and getting close to time for me to wrap up my computer time. I'll see you all again soon.

Huggles,
Donica Covey

A bit of fun from My Space

Okay, I have to admit that my space is growing on me. Big time. I was a skeptic, but now. . . it's getting almost addictive which isn't great for the writing time. Oh well. One of the fun things is the bulletin board where your friends can post fun messages. Some are games intended to help you get to know folks better. Anyway, a friend posted - One question. Anyone reading the message could ask one question and receive one honest answer. "1 question. 1 chance. 1 honest answer. That's all you get." The trick was then to post to the bulletin this same challenge, which I did. Here are some of the questions that were asked of me:

Linda Mooney, author of AEQUANA asked: What is the one thing in your life you would change if you had the power to go back and change it? And here's my answer:

Ugh. That's a very difficult one. Funny, but it's almost the same question we're asking/answering on our newsletter. Except that question has a patriotic twist. So - I would try to change the way in which society accepted new technology, so that there was greater awareness at the onset of the consequences for our luxuries. Sure, I could try and stop a war, but that would probably only prolong the inevitable and war would happen anyway. I think something like this would be a more widespread fix.

Erin Moore, author of The Game, All I Ever Wanted and Flame asked: Hey lady, I've got a pretty simple question for ya, although it's something I've been wondering. Where did you come up with Ciara Gold as a name? I love it, and it's perfect for the type of books you write. And here's my answer:

That's a fun question. I wanted something that was a family name and Gold is my great, great grandmother's name. Then gold made me think of the sierras under a blazing sun, and my daughter had a friend whose name was Ciara, so voila! Ciara Gold. I thought too, that it would be a name easily remembered.

Little Sunshine asked: Do you remember you first kiss? And here's my answer:

Too funny. Yes. Now I suppose you want the details. LOL. But hey, I'm only supposed to give you one answer. Silly me, okay, the details. I was a late bloomer. I got sent to church camp for a week and didn't know a soul, but this one guy, Greg R. (the son of a preacher - I kid you not) took a liking to me. He had the most gorgeous red hair and lots of freckles and he was sooo sweet. We'd go on long walks and he started holding my hand. The next night, when he walked me back to my cabin, he asked if he could kiss me. Oh yeah, I felt it clear to my toes. I was 14. He kissed me a lot that week and that's as far as it went, but to me, it was incredible.

Come Join me at Coffeetime Forums

Just thought I'd broadcast that I now have a spot at Coffeetime in their forum section. So, if you get bored, come play with me. LOL. The link is
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=245

So far, I have three basic topics. My art, On the chattier side (where we just shoot the breeze) and excerpts from my books.

I now have new artwork up on my website, so take a peek, then visit the forum and tell me what you think. www.ciaragold.com

New Contract

Hi everyone! I wanted to jump in and say hello to all of you. I'm very excited to be a new author with The Wild Rose Press. I've heard so many wonderful things about this company, and I know I'll be very happy here. TWRP has contracted my Victorian-Set, Her Knight Of Seduction. Here's the blurb...

Lady Megan will do anything not to marry the drunken lord her grandmother selected for her. Edmund Knight will reclaim his goldmine – using any means, including seducing his enemy’s daughter.

Forced to play the strumpet-- Lady Megan never expected her own mother to encourage her to play the part of harlot, but it’s preferable than marrying the drunken lord her grandmother has selected for her husband. When she mistakenly enters into a compromising position with a man other than the duke her parents wanted her to seduce, will her body be the worst traitor of all?

Known scoundrel-- Edmund Knight lost everything at the hands of Lord Saxton. Edmund will use every weapon at his disposal, including the nobleman’s daughter, Lady Megan, to reclaim that which is rightfully his. But, he never expected to want the lady more than his gold.


For more information about my books, please visit my website - www.phyllismariecampbell.com

Rejuvinating my muse

Whoo hoo! I'm at camp. It's beautiful here, more wild flowers than I've seen in a long time. Five hours in the car and I already have a lot of new ideas. Of course, getting them to paper will be a trick. I'm on the camp puter, a real dionosaur. The right shift key won't work, so I keep having to retype stuff. Oh well, that is a small price to pay for rejuvinating the muse. I am soooo looking forward to this week.

Off to try a different computer. Not all the keys work on this one. hmmm. Camp life.

Happy Wednesday

Geez, can you beleive its already June? (okay in two days) but still! Summer is here, kids are out of school for summer break and vacations are right around the corner. I've been trying to get some writing done in between trips to the country to get my "summer" place in order. In three weeks from yesterday I leave for a week. I'm dragging my best friend, and her two boys (12 and 11) with. A friend of ours from highschool is going to drive down for the weekend. I'm so excited I can't wait.

This vacation is also a little sad for me though. My daughter (will be sweet sixteen in February) opted to not go with us this year. She's decided to stay and work. I'm sad to see the end of an era come. The time when my little girl wanted to be with mommy every second of the day. The time when she promised me "never to grow up and go away" is long past. Now I'm the old woman taxi driver.

I guess life is just hitting hard. My son turned 19, too old for me to hold and cuddle any more. He's moving on with his liofe, searching for his own way in the world, leaving me and our home behind. Now my daughter is on her way toward making her own life as well. Call me melancholy baby I guess.

I've been trying to dive into my writing as an escape but it hasn't been easy. my concentration, my focus is all gone. The voices in my head scream one story today and a different on tomorrow. I have gotten to the point I can't just sit down and finish one book. Maybe it will help me get more books written? Hopping from book to book. Will it work for me or will they all read choppy? Time will only tell.

I have made a video for a book I'm working on now. The videos seem to help me get a little more into focus, well most of the time. Anyway, here it is. ENJOY!!!



Well must be off to try and get some more work done. To keep pace with all my news, you can always join the Maven's newsletter loop, my personal newsletter loop, visit my blog or my website. The links to all these places are listed at the sides of this blog.

Take care all!
Huggles,
Donica Covey

Great review for Pretend I'm Yours!

I received my second review for my Colonial, PRETEND I'M YOURS, and I thought I'd share it on my blog. Romance Junkies gave my story 4.5 Blue Ribbons.


Mercedes Maxwell is a charming woman who has led a quiet life since the passing of her husband and father. Until one night she gets a call from the insane asylum that her twin sister has been admitted. She vows to take revenge on her sister’s husband. She sets sail for America and intends to extract as much coin as she can from William to pay for her sister’s care. What she did not plan on was the intense ardor that William elicits from her and the horrible guilt that is eating at her heart for a secret that she harbors. Will Mercedes be able to deny the passion and love that is blossoming in her chest for William? Or will her need for revenge cause her to walk away with a broken heart?

William Braxton is a successful business owner who uses his wealth secretly to help fund the Sons of Liberty. He feels very passionately for the group that has vowed to rid Philadelphia of the British tyranny. However, his biggest threat to his family is the cruel woman he has married. He thought his wish had come true when his wife disappeared, only to have her reappear as a different woman. Although he still does not trust her, he finds it more difficult to keep his heart closed to the woman she has changed into. Will William fall head over heels for his wife, only to learn that she is not the person he thought she had become? Or will he discover the truth about her betrayal before it is too late for him and his children?

Within the pages of PRETEND I’M YOURS, you will be pulled into a world of betrayal, treachery, mystery and a love triangle that will have you turning the pages swiftly to learn how it will all play out. Ms. Campbell writes a rich historical with delightful characters woven into a fascinating plot. Just when you think you have the perpetrator figured out, Ms. Campbell throws another twist into the plot.

Mercedes and William are remarkable characters that you cannot help but cheer for throughout this mysterious tale. Mercedes is a delightful woman who is torn between family and a man she has fallen in love with. She is strong, sassy and cares very deeply for people. William is a sexy hero who loves his children very much and believes whole-heartedly in his cause. The romance that shines through Mercedes and William is breath-taking and will leave your heart fluttering from the intensity of it.

PRETEND I’M YOURS is another award-winning tale penned by a talented author. I look forward to reading more of Phyllis Campbell’s marvelous tales.

Queen Of Hearts is now at Fictionwise!

Hey all. Some great news! My historical western, that is due to be released May 30th in print, is now at Fictionwise!! YIPPEEEEEEE!!
http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook46146.htm?cached


Can a woman battle through secrets to win the love of the man who just might take away her home?

Dr. Cecilia Ashby is forced to disguise herself as a man in order to practice medicine in a small southern town after the Civil War. When she stumbles across an injured gambler in an alley one night, will her ruse get the better of them both? Especially when she finds herself attracted to him.

Gambler, James Lawrence has played his last hand and finally has enough cash to buy back his family plantation the carpetbaggers had taken from him…until he’s blindsided, robbed and left for dead. After an interesting stay with the town doctor, he finds his stolen earnings in the hands of the young thief and his sister, Cecilia Ashby, who now reside in his plantation.

James and Cecilia both want the plantation, but do they want a long lasting love even more? Battling deceit, betrayal, and disguises, the two must confront their biggest challenge yet – themselves.

Also...my very first review for this story has come through. THANK YOU COFFEE TIME ROMANCE!!

5-Cups!!! Queen of Hearts is a mesmerizing read and captivated me as soon as Cecilia entered the picture. I absolutely loved the theme of this book. The story had me on the edge of my seat until all the loose ends were tied up. Phyllis Campbell encapsulates the sensations of her characters, and the soothing chemistry she creates between James and Cecilia, is like slow moving lava, it really simmers. James certainly showed that chivalry is not dead and exhibits a true gentleman in all areas. This extraordinary book reads like a vintage wine, excellent. ~~Cherokee / Coffee Time Romance


Phyllis

I've been tagged!

I got tagged by Mary Martinez. She writes romantic suspense. So now, I have to think of 8 things to say about myself and then tag 8 more folks. Dang, do I know 8 more folks? Big cheesy grin.

1. I don't smoke.
2. I play girl scout chords on the guitar.
3. I sing alto or second soprano or at least I did in high school. (Now the frogs probably won't even sing with me.)
4. I make a killer mousse (as in chocolate.)
5. I'm an artist and my favorite medium is watercolor.
6. I didn't shave my legs last night, but you probably didn't want to know that.
7. I'm the proud mother of two teenagers.
8. I'm married to the love of my life.

Well, hmmm, that wasn't quite as painful as I thought. Oh, and I'll be a guest on the Coffeetime Forums in June with a lot of other great authors. So sue me. I just gave you 9 things about me. Oh wait, here's ten. I stay up really late to write.

So, let's see. Who should I tag? Hopefully these authors all blog.

Linda Mooney
Jolie Mathis
Cindy Miles
Vicki Gaia
Ginger Simpson
Erin Moore
Cindy Davis
Sue Viders

Ever want to see your name in a book?

Have you read dedications in novels and thought "gee, that would be so kewl to see my name there"? or read a character and know their name and some of their personality traits were based on you?

Well now is your chance!

My current work in process is my very first fantasy and I'm stumped. I need to create some fictional creatures but the ones I have so far are based on myths. You know, vampires, werewolves, that sort of thing. I need some creatures that can be villians but the criteria are: there must be a specific way to kill them (i.e. stake through vampire heart, silver bullet werewolf etc.) They need to have some nasty personal habits, (blood suckers, tazor sharp clawa they love to slash victims with). I have looked up mythological creatures and have found a few, but none that completely work for me. So I want you to come up with an obscure legend, a myth, or even pull something out of the air! And if you can't name it, as long as I have a character I can find a name. The best entry will see their name in the dedication AND I will name a character (good or evil if you prefer) in my book after you. I want all entries sent to donica_covey@sbcglobal.net In the entry put your name, email addy, your creatures description and the name of the creature. In my novel creatures that have already been used are: Dragons, Unicorns, Windigos, men eating plants, flesh eating rats, mannanggallas, so anything else is pretty much fair game!

I hope there will be a ton of entries! Thanks y'all!
Donica

RWA National Conference

RWA National Conference

I'm so very excited to tell you I'M GOING TO DALLAS TEXAS in July!!! Now, so you all know, I'm a woman who never goes anywhere. It's not because I don't want to, but because I am dirt poor. I've been married for almost 22 years, and the first ever trip my husband and I took out of state was last year when we went to South Carolina. It was so much fun. Anyway, thanks to my friend in Texas whose husband doesn't use his earned free flyer miles, I have my flight taken care of. WOO-HOO! Of course, I'm still scraping the bottom of the barrel to save for my hotel room. I'll be rooming with another lady in my RWA Chapter, but it's still going to cost me $500 just for the room (for 5 nights).

Here's my question. Since I'm dirt poor (and yes, very cheap) what can I buy to help with my meals? The luncheons are paid for by the conference, but I still have to eat breakfast and dinner. My roomie and I will be getting a small fridge to go in our room, which will help, but I'm trying to think of what cheap items we could buy for our meals (my roomie is cheap, too). Any suggestions?

I am digging through my many unpublished manuscripts to see whichs ones I can tweak and polish to get them ready for publication. I want to pitch to a Harlequin editor, but at the same time, I REALLY want to get with an Avon editor, too.

Decisions...decisions...

Also, I get an agent appointment, but that's not as hard as picking the editor. Now...I just have to decide which story to pitch to whom.

I know the conference isn't until July, but these thoughts have been plauging me lately. Plus the fact that I'll be traveling on an airplane BY MYSELF!!! Like I mentioned before, I usually don't go anywhere. LOL

~~Phyllis~~

Champagne AWARDS!

Whoo Hoo! The Mavens rock. Three of us have work published by Champagne Books. Phyllis Campbell, Becka Goings and I were all nominated for numerous awards. It's a huge honor just to be nominated so that was exciting in itself. Here's the line-up for nominations:

Novel Of The Year

Celestial Dragon

Dawn of Love

Braless in the Buick

Holding Out For A Hero

Author Of The Year

Phyllis Campbell

Rebecca Goings

Jenna Leigh

Lori Derby Bingley

Bestselling Novel of the Year

Mine For Keeps

Celestial Dragon

Braless in the Buick

The B*E*A*S*T* Within

Bestselling Author of the Year

Ciara Gold

Rebecca Goings

Jenna Leigh

Sara Fitzgerald

I won in two of the three that I was nominated for. I was bestselling author of the year and Celestial Dragon was the bestselling novel of the year. Becka won Author of the year! So - here's a round of applause to all those that were nominated and those that won. Champagne all around!

Golden Rose

The golden Rose award winners were announced today. If you will remember each Maven was nominated for Golden Rose Awards. Today we learned that Rebecca received Honorable Mention for her book The B*E*A*S*T Within and I received Honorable Mention for her Inspirational novella Do Overs. Pardon me while I congratulate both of us! Next year we'll all get the gold!

Huggles!
Donica

A Noble Sacrifice is now Available!

So far, you can buy your copy through Coffeetime Romance Bookstore or MobiPocket. Fictionwise should have it loaded to the their site sometime this week. Way cool!

To help celebrate, I've got a contest running on the Champagne Toast Loop. Just come chat and from April 1 - April 14, I'll draw a number from all of the posts and the winner will receive a free download of ANS. And - you don't even have to talk to me. Just chat with whomever happens to be around. Here's how to join if you aren't already a member;
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/achampagnetoast/join

And mark your calendar for April 10. The coffeetime chatroom will host a birthday party for Champagne Books at 9:00 EST (I think that's the right time).

Blurb:

Can a stranger from a distant planet breach Yalfar’s strict laws to save a nation from doom and rescue one lone woman from the errors of her way?

Fen Tared Charst has betrayed his brother, and his people. To right the wrongs he’s done, he suffers the horrors of the zeel pits only to find himself a captive of the Temi tribe. In Yalfar, he discovers that leading the Temi princess and her warriors from their dying world is the key to his redemption. But losing his heart to Princess Joyella will be the key to saving his soul.

Princess Joyella Denue has broken a sacred law and for that, she is exiled from Yalfar. To regain her honor, she agrees to lead a convoy topside to escape the collapsing city, but she can’t make the journey alone. She needs Tared, but can she overlook her convictions to accept a man not of her tribe?

http://www.ciaragold.com/
Available now, A Noble Sacrifice
Available now in print, Best selling Celestial Dragon
Available now, CAPA nominated Sarah's Brass Token

Check out my new cover!!!!

I couldn't be more happy with this cover. A Noble Sacrifice is a sequel to Celestial Dragon and releases very, very soon. Though at present, I don't have exact date, I'm hoping it will go live on the Champagne site this coming week. Everything is done, edits, cover, everything.

Blurb: Can a stranger from a distant planet breach Yalfar’s strict laws to save a nation from doom and rescue one lone woman from the errors of her way?

Fen Tared Charst has betrayed his brother, and his people. To right the wrongs he’s done, he suffers the horrors of the zeel pits only to find himself a captive of the Temi tribe. In Yalfar, he discovers that leading the Temi princess and her warriors from their dying world is the key to his redemption. But losing his heart to Princess Joyella will be the key to saving his soul.

Princess Joyella Denue has broken a sacred law and for that, she is exiled from Yalfar. To regain her honor, she agrees to lead a convoy topside to escape the collapsing city, but she can’t make the journey alone. She needs Tared, but can she overlook her convictions to accept a man not of her tribe?

Newsletter

Have you signed up for your newsletter yet? Each month the Mavens send out a newsletter to update our readers on all of the latest news. What happened the month past and what to look forward to in the upcoming month.

This next month promises to be very busy for me. I've got my first round of edits for Callye's Justice that will roll in early April. I'll work on those diligently and send htem back with the expectation of receiving another round and possibly a third. Rebecka has reased me on the three rounds because one of her books went through eight (or was it nine?) rounds of edits. I hope I don't have that many!

I learned that Callye's Justice isn't up to the word count limit for the print program at Samhain. I was very disappointed but there is still a chance for me to make it. As soon as I get the edits in I'll be able to better gauge where I can make additions and what needs to be cut. Please keep your fingers crossed that I make it!

Betraying Chase was causing me fits of lexiconstipation but a good dose of muselax hit me last week and I added almost 20K to the manuscript! YAY ME! LOL I'm just hoping that I can continue the flow.

I also sent in the proposal for my Elemental Desires series and the complete manuscript of The Tides of Maryna's Love to my new editor. I'm not sure when she'll have time to get to it, but I know it's on her list. As soon as I know I'll be announcing it. If its a yes you'll hear my happy shouting echoing off every mountain and in each valley. If its a no the cries will be heard in space!

Off to get some writing done!

Huggles!
Donica