Code Word coming August 2012

It's official! Code Word is coming out earlier than I thought and will now be available in August. Here is the cover and the blurb from the back of the book:

The media portrayed the military operation as a complete success, but Navy SEAL Jay Wellman wouldn't describe it that way. He was there. As he tries to come to terms with his role that fateful night, he notices something different about his teammates and wonders if there may be more to their beliefs than he first thought.

When she heard the gunshots, Carina Channing knew the past had caught up with her. She may have changed her last name, but she can't change who her father is. Carina understands the evil that lurks in "The Family," and she is determined to steer clear of that life and any other emotional connections.

When they meet, it seems Jay and Carina have only two things in common--mutual attraction and the fact that they are both struggling to overcome devastating trauma. But when a member of the The Family arrives and upsets the delicate balance in Carina's life, Jay chisels away at the barrier Carina has erected around her heart and offers himself as her protector and friend. But can Jay's Navy SEAL skills, military connections, and loyal Saint Squad friends keep Carina and her sisters safe? And with their different beliefs, can Jay and Carina's friendship grow into anything more?

Life has been beyond crazy lately, but I wanted to share the details of the next writers conference I'll be presenting at. On September 15, 2012 I will be teaching three classes at the Storymakers Midwest Writing Conference which will be held in the Kansas City area. My three classes will be Show, Don't Tell, Creating Believable Dialogue, and Writing Action for Mystery/Suspense/Thrillers. More details to come on those soon and of course, I'm excited to attend some of the other classes being offered.

There will also be a huge author signing the night before, September 14th. I don't have the time yet, but I'll be sure to pass that along once I get that information.

Here are the details from our fearless leader's blog, aka Danyelle Ferguson. Registration is now open and we have a great group of presenters coming from all over the country. I hope you can join us!

Date: Saturday, September 15th, 2012

Time: 8 am – 9 pm

Location: Holiday Inn – Olathe (101 W. 151^st St., Olathe, KS) 913-829-4000 *Discounted hotel rooms are available for $78/night. Please reference the Storymakers Writers Conference when you call to make a reservation.

Registration Fee: $95, includes all classes, lunch, dinner, and conference materials.

 

We’re excited to announce our Keynote Speaker

Lisa Mangum

Editor for Deseret Book & Shadow Mountain

And best-selling author of The Hourglass Door series

We’re also delighted to have the following authors as presenters:

Traci Hunter Abramson

Don Carey
Karen Hoover
Heather Justesen
Josi Kilpack
Laurie (L.C.) Lewis
Steve Westover

Pitch your latest story to Lisa Mangum. Appointments are available on a first come first served basis. Meet your favorite authors at the Friday night Authorpalooza. Network with other writers across the Midwest.

Sign up for a day full of awesomeness! Register here: https://storymakersconference.myshopify.com/

I'm a guest author

Yes, I know I haven't been good about posting lately, but my friends over at LDS Women's Book Review convinced me (okay, asked  me) to do a guest blog on their site for their Guest Author Thursday. I shared with them the story of how I first got published as well as some suggestions on how others might follow suit. Check it out!

In other news, the reason I've been absent lately is that I've been busily trying to finish up my next novel, which will hopefully be the next Saint Squad book, assuming that Jay and his Navy SEAL buddies will cooperate. Back to the story...

Royal Secrets cover revealed!

Last night I received the cover for my next book, Royal Secrets, which will be released in February 2012.  Below the cover, I included the summary from the back of the book.

It's been three years since the tragic Christmas Eve when CIA agent Alora DeSanto returned from a doctor's appointment to find her husband dead and her Paris home destroyed by a terrorist firebomb. Still mourning her heavy loss, she seeks a new life for herself and her two young sons by accepting a job offer from her friend and fellow agent Janessa Rogers, who is engaged to marry Prince Garrett of Meridia. As Janessa's personal assistant, Alora takes up residence in the royal chateau in Bellamo, where Prince Stefano is recovering from a possible assassination attempt and reeling from some life-shattering news of his own. As their paths repeatedly cross, Alora and Stefano are surprised by a budding attraction that draws them together in friendship. But as their hesitant affection evolves into romance, royal secrets plunge them into plots of espionage and blackmail that threaten all they hold dear-- including each other. And as enemies arise to crush the Meridian monarchy, Alora must confront the fears that destroyed her past before they destroy her future.

News and signings

I always love getting good news and a couple of weeks ago my editor gave me the news I was waiting for, the news I was hoping for. The manuscript I had submitted has been accepted. Royal Secrets, a spin-off of Royal Target, is expected to come out in February, 2012. Yeah!

I know a lot of people wanted me to write a true sequel to Royal Target, and I did try. But then there were these two other characters, Prince Stefano and Alora DeSanto. They're very interesting characters, both in the way they developed as well as the way they hijacked the story. I had planned on them being minor characters, maybe part of a fun subplot. They had other ideas. So needless to say, this story isn't quite what I had planned, which only proves that I shouldn't try to plan what I'm writing. It never turns out the way I expect anyway.

My other news is that I'm heading to Utah in a couple of days and will be doing three book signings while I'm there. For anyone who is local to them, I'd love to see you. Here are the details:

Friday, September 30: 1pm - 3pm at Seagull Books, 1720 S. Redwood Road, Salt Lake City, Utah
Saturday, October 1: 12pm - 2pm at Seagull Books, 1625 W. 9000 S., West Jordan, Utah
Saturday, October 1: 6pm - 8pm at Deseret Book (Ladies Night), 989 S. University Ave., Provo, Utah

Books and things

Obsession is out and has been spotted in Utah. I still haven't seen the book in person, but I have pictures, or at least the cover art. I have received a few emails from people who have read it and so far all of them have been positive. (I love those kinds of emails!)

I am also excitedly setting up my visit to Utah for Conference weekend. I will be at the Seagull Books on Redwood Road in Salt Lake City (1720 S. Redwood Road) on September 30th from 1pm to 3pm. There are a couple of others that I'm still in the process of setting up.

If all goes well, the Christmas book I contributed to will also be available. It's a collection of true Christmas stories from fourteen authors who all publish with Covenant Communications. Most of the authors are probably familiar names to most, although I know at least one is probably new to most people. I believe Krista Jensen's first novel with Covenant is slated to come out sometime next spring and she has several more that have been accepted so her name will become familiar sooner than later. Having met Krista a couple of times, I'm excited to see what she brings us. She is a lot of fun and since we share the same editor, I know how excited everyone at Covenant is about her upcoming projects.

Now, one last thing before I go back to work on the novel I'm supposed to be writing right now. My friends with the Whitney Awards asked that I (and my other author friends) remind everyone to nominate their favorite 2011 novels. The rules to be eligible for a Whitney are listed on the Whitney Awards website, but the basics are that the book has to have been published in 2011, be over 50,000 words, and have been written by an LDS author.  The button to the left will take you straight to the nomination page. The deadline is December 31, 2011, but the earlier the nominations get in, the easier it is for the judges. Hopefully you've read lots of books worth nominating!

I'm on You Tube

For the past few decades I have happily stayed behind the scenes as my mother, Dianne Hunter, spent more than 25 years in front of the camera with her television show, The Home Hunter. My sister joined her on the show about 10 years ago and except for a couple of cameo appearances on Mothers' Day, I have avoided having a camera pointed in my direction. Until now. My publisher just happened to schedule author interviews during one of my trips to Utah. Here is the result:

And yes, you can tell me what you really think.