Highland Rogue is out -- Highland Rebel is in!

Hey Fierce Friends!
I can't even begin to describe how tired I am. My new book, HIGHLAND ROGUE, just came out, but my next book, HIGHLAND REBEL, was due June 1st! I spent all of last week, what seemed like 24 hours a day, writing so I would finish on time. That's why I--uh--didn't show up last week to blog on Wednesday. My apologies!

I am honestly ready for a break and plan to take off at least a month before starting to work on my next book. I mean, I deserve a month off, right? (Thanks, I appreciate you understanding.) You know, one of the hardest things about being a romance author (besides coming up with words that go with 'Highland') is needing to constantly keep your name in front of the reading public, and of course, keep new books coming out twice a year. Twice a year? Oh, yeah, or more. Building a readership is important and the best way to do that is to PRODUCE! Well, I'm beet. (Okay, that was a really bad pun, but I'm tired. And whiney.)

Another thing that's hard is when your book is released and you head for your local Wal-Mart or Barnes and Noble and look for it and---oops--it isn't there. Aha. Then you are left to wonder--did they not get any books, or did they already sell all of them? My husband and I went to Wal-Mart tonight and I headed straight for the books, scouring the aisle for HIGHLAND ROGUE. It wasn't there! Oh, come on! I mean, Wal-Mart had to have gotten my book! After a few minutes, I discovered it! Hooray! 3 copies on the top shelf! But wait a minute--usually the stores order 3 copies of each author's book. So that means---NOBODY HAS BOUGHT ONE? :((( Well, you know what that means--each of you must run out tomorrow to your local Wal-Mart and buy a copy and thus balance out the ones that have not sold in San Marcos, Texas!! I also moved my copies to a lower shelf that was right at eye level. Sure, I had to move another author's books, but ask yourself this, does Nora Robers really need to sell any more books?

The next book in this series, HIGHLAND REBEL, (the one I almost killed myself finishing Sunday night) will hopefully just sell out in the first week, because, oh, I don't know, because I'm a hopeless optimist? I do think my time-travel "device" is a cool one -- a giant tri-spiral carved into the floor of an ancient cairn in Scotland that sends people back in time when they walk along the edge of it! There are three spirals (thus a tri-spiral that is joined in the middle) and each one leads to a different time period. HIGHLAND ROGUE is set in the year 1711, and HIGHLAND REBEL is set in 1734. The third book in the series, HIGHLAND SOMETHING (okay, not really Something, but I don't have the word that goes with "Highland" yet. Editors really like the word "Highland" in the title of Scottish romances) will be set either in the year 1745 or in a very ancient time in Scotland. I haven't decided which yet because, like I said, I'm taking a break.

Okay, so now it's time to get some sleep. I mean, I earned it, right? And besides, I'm not really taking a break. Writers don't take breaks. Even if I'm not actually writing on the computer, I am writing in my head, mulling over ideas, worrying about the book I just turned in, plotting the next one. I can turn off my laptop, but I wish I could turn off my brain sometimes! But I can turn it off long enough to catch up on my sleep, though when you're reading this it will be tomorrow (Wednesday) so the issue of my sleeping will be moot, because by then I'll be awake.

Gee, I'm tired.

I leave you with this question: If a writer doesn't find her book in the bookstore, does that mean it doesn't exist?

Here's a new LOLcat to help start your day with a smile! Have a great one!

And, uh, yeah, this is how I finished the book on time. I know, I know, but I was tired.