How annoying.

Complete radio silence for weeks, and then two posts in one day. Wassup with that?

Well, as I just got two irate phone calls from my mother and grandmother yelling at me for not telling them I was going to be on local television. My grandmother just happened to stumble upon me while channel surfing. Sorry, grandma. So it needs to be said:

If you're in the Vegas area and want to catch my interview on LUNCHTIME WITH IRA, you can do so on Clark County Television (CCTV), Cox Cable Channel 4 tonight (Friday) at 8 p.m.  and Saturday at Noon and 8 p.m.

I swear I made a mental note to tell everyone this, but then I lost my mind. 

(If anyone is truly upset about this, I'll give you my editor's email. Talk to her. (This means you, Grandma.))

If radio is your thing, you can hear it tomorrow, Saturday, at 9 p.m. on KDWN AM 720 Talk Radio. 

For everyone else, the videocast and podcast will be up soon, and I'll post that when it goes live ... as grandma twists my arm.

Shameless

Or is it?

So, when you're extremely excited about a new book, even if it was written by a long-time friend, is it shameless to put up a giddy post about it? Because Joanna Bourne's new historical romance, MY LORD AND SPYMASTER, is out today! As I said, Jo is a friend, but she's also somewhat of a mentor to me. We've spent years together on Compuserve's Books and Writer's forum, and she has probably forgotten things about crafting fiction that I've yet to learn. She's. That. Good. Get thee to a bookstore. (And for more with Ms. Bourne, check out her interview on Susan Adrian's blog.)

In other news, I'm happy to announce I'm finishing up the next book in the Zodiac series - just fiddling with formatting and niggling bits now - and I'll send that off to my editor this weekend. I'm not sure it's hit me yet that I'm done, but I have a light, dizzy feeling which I remember from putting all my books to bed, and it feels good. Next up: the immediate gratification of a short story. Ah, luxury!

And now a writerly hint: Drink Fuze! Seriously, the green tea with ginseng. Does the trick every time. It keeps me awake and aware, but without the jitters that too much coffee can bring. It's my new secret weapon.

See, and you thought Rachel Vincent gave good advice. Ha!

More bits and pieces of news to come, but they can all be combined in another post.* I've a book to ship off.

*Except to say that I can't wait until Jocelyn Drake's NIGHTWALKER comes out in August! I read it in ARC form, but I need to get my grubby hands on that pretty little cover. And it's coming out right after all the big stuff is cleared from my plate. I'll be in the mood for a good read by then! 

27!

Twenty-seven red roses from one's agent can only mean one thing...

New York Times, baby!

Yippee!

A big thank you to everyone who went out and bought THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT in the first week, and who've written to tell me they enjoyed it. I'm working hard on the next book in the series, due at the end of this month (thus the radio silence -- eek!) and I'm thrilled that you're all coming along on Joanna Archer's journey with me.*

Thank you.

*Note: if you'd like to talk about the latest book, or the Zodiac series as a whole, click on the link to the right for my forum. I promise none of the regulars there bite (or, at least, not hard) and we have a great time chatting about books, reading, cupcakes and cocktails. Er...among other things. {G}

In the near-week since the release of THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT, a couple of other reviews have trickled in. I’ll post those below, with my thanks, but I also must take time to thank my peers for their support and kind words — it has been a year since my last release so it’s nice to know I’m not forgotten. {S} Moreover, it’s nice to have made such amazing friends in the last year, and I look forward to continuing this amazing journey with them. So Melissa, Jeaniene, Susan, Rachel, Jocelynn and Kim…thank you ever so much for your kind words, but especially your friendship. 

Ms. Pettersson shares another well-imagined tale with engaging characters and action filled scenes. While Joanna’s first love continues to fill her thoughts, the chemistry she shares with Hunter increases to scorching proportions. The Touch of Twilight is an entertaining read that fans of the series shouldn’t miss.

— Kimberly Swan, Darque Reviews

A gritty and often dark fantasy, the Sign of the Zodiac series is as entertaining as it is edge-of-your-seat thrilling. Readers expecting a happily-ever-after may be a bit disappointed, but not with the wonderful writing and characters who grab you from the first page and literally hold you hostage until the last word…Along with this wonderful series, I highly recommend readers not schedule anything besides reading when they pick up THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT.

— Kathy Samuels/Romance Reviews Today

Also this mention in the LibraryJournal.com, and an article about Urban Fantasy:

This graphically violent, emotionally intense series isn't for the faint of heart, but readers who can stomach the brutality will be rewarded. As a teenager, Joanna Archer was the victim of a violent attack that should have killed her—but her future may be even darker. She lives in a Las Vegas torn between the battling forces of Light and Shadow. When Joanna discovers that she's equal parts shadow and light, everything changes. 

I was a bit surprised to hear that some might consider the Zodiac series more graphic or brutal than some of the other dark fantasy out there. I don't think of it that way, but that may be my shortcoming alone. My only explanation is that I've never tried to write urban fantasy...I mean, I didn't even know what it was when I started pitching SCENT. (My agent had to tell me after taking me on. {g}) I've simply always drawn on my fascination of horror and love of noir to guide my internal violence barometer, plus it just seemed to fit Jo and her world. But hey -- I'll happily take "emotionally intense." {G}