Blink, blink. I’m coming out of the revision cave to do a quick post so no one thinks I’ve retired already.

Just call me the AWOL blogger. I’ve been buried in revisions and trips to promo my first book’s release. Only 11 days until my revision deadline (trying not to freak out here as I feel like the book is still in craptacular form), but after the 20th I should be able to come out and join the land of the living for awhile.  I’ll even post lots of pictures I’ve been taking but not having time to post on the blog.

I am traveling over the next week, so be sure to check out the Appearances sidebar on my Home page if you’re in Texas

Also, it’s officially time for the October releases from Harlequin American, so that largely means A Firefighter in the Family’s time on shelves is over. However, you can still get it through Amazon.com or eHarlequin. And just think, Christmas is just around the corner and books make wonderful gifts and stocking stuffers.

Today is the official launch day for my debut book, A Firefighter in the Family. To celebrate and get the word out, I’m blogging at three different places today:

Romance Bandits
Wet Noodle Posse
Writers at Play

Come on by!

Also, be sure to check out my new contest detailed on the Homepage of this site. You could win lots of fun goodies.

I mentioned I saw my book on a store shelf for the first time on Thursday but that I didn’t have a camera with me. Well, last night (or I should say very early this morning), hubby and I trekked to Wal-Mart again because he wanted to get the new video game, Spore, which released at midnight last night. On the way out of the store, we stopped by the book section and he took my photo with the book. Whee! The fact that it was nearly 1 in the morning explains the lack of makeup and hair product in this shot.

So, on Thursday, I made a trek to Wal-Mart to buy groceries and exciting things like deodorant and grass seed to plant in the part of the yard where we just had a tree taken out. While there, I cruised by the books section just to see if maybe my book was out on the shelf a little early. It was!!! It was surreal to see copies of A Firefighter in the Family on a store shelf for the first time. I even called my husband at work to tell him. Did I have a camera with me? No. So, I plan to trek to a bookstore this weekend with a camera and the hubby. Perhaps the one that’s next to Best Buy because hubby really wants to buy Spore, the new video game that comes out tomorrow.

Saw an article online this morning about the Top 20 TV Kisses. Among my favorites listed: Buffy and Angel (duh) from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Veronica and Logan from Veronica Mars, Ross and Rachel from Friends, and Mulder and Scully from The X-Files. See if you agree with the list. Do you think there are other great TV smooches that should have made the list?

As you can tell from my absence for a few days, I’ve been hard at work on the proposals to send to Harlequin American. I have all the synopses done now, and I finished up the chapters yesterday. I just have to go back through those chapters today to clean them up, then it’s off with the whole batch to my agent. Next up, reading a manuscript for Mary and working on workshops I’m giving in Maryland next weekend.

I just heard from my editor that my second Harlequin American release, set for May 2009, has a new title. What was The Willow Creek Cafe will be released as Her Very Own Family. Must start thinking of it and referring to it by its new name.

Off to change it on the rest of the site!

Yesterday was an awesome day. I was in the kitchen doing dishes when I heard the UPS truck pull into the driveway and the driver honk her horn as she does when she has a delivery for me. On my way to the front door, I kept thinking, “What in the world? We haven’t ordered anything.” But when I saw the distinctive four diamonds on the side of the box, Harlequin’s logo, I knew what the box contained.

The author copies of my first book!

When I got the box inside and opened it, I nearly cried at the sight of actual books with my name on the cover. To hold one in my hand after all the years of trying to get published, of rejection letter after rejection letter, of doubting that I had what it took to make my dream come true — well, it was overwhelming. I’m tearing up now just reliving it in my head.

I had to wait until hubby got home from a business trip to take my picture, but here I am with some of the copies of A Firefighter in the Family. Oh, and pardon the bad hair. I’m waiting to get a decent haircut until right before I head to San Francisco.

I’m blogging over at the Harlequin American Authors blog today about my fondness for Cinderella stories. Swing by if you have a chance and share your thoughts on the subject.

I’ve been so busy this week that I’ve not updated the blog. Bad Trish. I’ve been doing revisions to my second Harlequin American while also trying to convert an older manuscript from the original documents in Word Perfect to MS Word. Talk about a pain! I think I finally have it where I don’t have to change the font of and retype every single quotation mark and apostrophe in the whole thing. Ugh. I’ve been working on the manuscript here and there, revising it and bringing it up to my current writing standards. Okay, that sounds a little snooty. What I mean is that when I go back and look at my older books, I can tell that my writing has progressed since then. Thus, the need for revisions. But I still think it’s a good story and thus worth the work. Plus, it’s a hearth-and-home type story, which is area of Harlequin I’m writing for, so hopefully it’ll make its way to store shelves.

I’ve also been immersing myself in all things Alaska because the second YA book is set there. I already watched Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel because I’m a big fan, but I also added The Alaska Experiment. I just started watching Ice Road Truckers too, though it’s set in the Northwest Territories of Canada instead of Alaska. But dude, it’s COLD! I cannot imagine hauling semi loads of huge mining equipment over frozen lakes! And this season, it’s even crazier. They’re driving across the frozen Arctic Ocean! That takes cojones, peeps. I’ve also checked out a ton of books about Alaska from the library.

Okay, let’s get to last week’s books winner and what’s up for grabs this week. Last week’s winner is Marianne! E-mail me through the Contact page with your mailing info, and I’ll get the books out to you. Up for grabs this week:

The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe
Forever, Rose by Robin Lee Hatcher
The Cowboy Who Came in from the Cold by Pamela Macaluso

I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend. Ours was nice except that our little five-month-old nephew was in the hospital with bad bronchitis. He got to go home today, though he’s still a sick little boy. Hopefully, he’ll continue to get better over the next few days. It’s so hard seeing a baby in the hospital, especially when you can’t explain to him why all this is going on.

On the good news front, I got a release date for my second Harlequin American, The Willow Creek Cafe. It’ll be out in May 2009. I’ll be working on revisions to it after I finish my outline for my next YA novel, which is what is on the docket this week.

Okay, time for last week’s book winner — Cindy Procter-King! Cindy, contact me through the Contact page on this site with your mailing info, and I’ll get your books out to you.

Up for grabs this week:

The Hidden Years by Susan Kearney
The Greek Tycoon’s Unwilling Wife by Kate Walker
Angel in My Arms by Colleen Faulkner