I’m excited to announce that my category length novel, Snowbound, releases on Monday, November 3, 2008 with Blade Publishing.

Cassidy Jenson always seems to make the wrong decisions. This ski trip with Rick might just be another. She knows he isn’t Mr. Perfect. But after six years of being told no one else would ever love her, she’s too scared and confused to walk away.

When Rick abandons her at the resort, Cassidy can’t help but notice the only one there to save the day is Daniel. Every time she turns around he is helping out, no strings attached. She isn’t used to that but soon realizes that’s the way it should be.

Daniel Robertson has come to SnowPeaks Resort for the first time since his fiancée died. He’s not looking for love but when he is knocked over by Cassidy, all bets are off. He can’t resist the need to show her how a real man treats a lady.

Being snowbound is only bad if you’re with the wrong person.

This book handles the subject of emotional abuse, although I tried to not deal it with a heavy hand. I hope I was able to show how strong women can make bad choices when they’ve been subjected to this kind of treatment. They come to doubt pretty much each and every choice that they make. However, they are not stupid, nor are they weak. Emotional abuse can affect all income levels, all education levels and all races. It does not discriminate.

I wrote this over two years ago, so it was interesting to go back and revisit it. I have grown and changed a lot as a writer, but I still think this story brings out a variety of emotions – annoyance (because Rick is a jerk), laughter (you’ll have to read it to see), some sadness and then, of course, a happy ending.

No, not that one, I’m Canadian, but you still have a big decision to make. So I though Meljean Brook might be able to help

What a great idea this is – and not only because I mostly write contemporary romance (other than the one foray into vampires this past August).

Buy contemporary – show the publishers we aren’t a dying genre.

This past weekend I went to the Emerald City Writer’s Conference for the second year in a row.

I love this conference. It’s got the agents/editors, prizes, workshops, big authors, and mostly it’s got great people working both behind the scenes and in front to make it one of the best damn conferences I’ve been to.

This year was no exception. I got to moderate Cherry Adair (bwahaha – no one really moderates Cherry – if you’ve met her you understand) and particpated in her Finish the Damn Book challenge, where I was lucky enough to win my RWA membership fees paid for the year. Thank you so much, Cherry. Your generousity of heart knows no bounds.

I was also the backup moderator for Allison Brennan, who I frequently stalk, because I love her books so much. At the book fair, I bought a signed copy of Playing Dead (her latest release and the last in the prison break series) and ended up reading it all on Saturday (because, unfortunately, I was kept in my room do to food poisoning from some food I had in the bar). Great book. Interesting lady. She was also our closing speaker for the conference and it is amazing to think all she has done with five children. I only have three and I’m overwhelmed! The bottom line is she decided to take herself and her career seriously and here she is. It was very inspiring to me.

The agents and editors were very informative, although the one I really wanted to pitch to doesn’t represent my stuff (which we only discovered during the pitch panel). Thankfully she recommended the one agent that I already love (and have met and had a great conversation with), but have been to chicken to actually query. Because she was so fantastic when I met her and didn’t know that she was an agent. It was just great, easy conversation. I don’t want to screw it up with actual work stuff… do I? LOL Yes, I do. I will do it. I will… um, soon.

So the fact is, I wouldn’t have even been able to go to this conference this year, as my husband injured his back and missed work. He’s self-employed and missed work means missed paychecks. We’d already done that when I was at Nationals and it was nerve-wracking. Then, as I was sitting on the fence going back and forth re my decision to cancel on the ECWC this year, I received an email telling me that I had won Susan Mallery’s PRO drawing and my conference fee had been paid. Unbelievable. I’d only just received my PRO designation two weeks before, because I’d been putting it off for a year (wondering what it would really do for me). Wow. Although I thanked Susan at conference, I need to thank her again here. Thank you for making it possible for me to go to ECWC this year – it meant more to me than you will ever know.

Susan and Cherry show us what it’s like to help other writer’s continue working towards their dream. Some day I want to be just like them, and I definitely plan on paying it forward.

The GSRWA chapter does a fantastic job and it’s members are warm and welcoming.

A long time ago (not really, but it feels like it), there was a story called Surviving Demon Island by an author then unknown to me. Who is this Jaci Burton? Why would I want to read a book about demons? *Sigh* But then, but then… I read it. And I loved it. And I proceeded to stalk er follow, Jaci (I pronounce it Jay-C, I think I am right, but ya never know) around and beg her for more books. I also went to the bookstore and turned all her books cover out and convinced people I’d never met before to put down the book in their hands and pick up SDI, because I “knew” the author. Yeah, I was a little nuts. But, yeah, I really did think it was a great story.

Anyway, fast forward, to now and I’ve read a lot of Jaci’s books and I hardly ever stalk, bother her any more. Well, maybe for her demon books. I like her riding series too, but I’ve got both myself and a very good friend hooked on the demon series so I desperately await each one. Then I was lucky enough to win an ARC of The Darkest Touch and it was all I could do not to gloat (especially to my friend who was annoyed that she had to wait til the end of October for her copy). I even made myself wait to read it (because I’m nice like that! OK, really I just knew that if I read it I’d have to rub it in my friend’s face and that’s not nice so I really did try to wait).

Finally, I decided I was going to read it. And I did. All in one sitting. I think I even forgot to put it on my Now Reading and I did it after the fact and just stuck in whatever dates. I loved, loved, loved this book. Ryder is hot (I mean way hot), Angelique and her family intriguing, there is a ton of kick-butt action AND I am now way beyond interested in knowing what happens with Dalton and Isabelle. I don’t think I like Isabelle (I think Jaci wrote her that way and that’s what I like so much about this series, how it is so easy to walk the line between good and bad, and it’s all about our choices), but Dalton? I have to know. And now I think I have to wait til next Spring and/or Summer to read the next one (note to Jaci – I am NOT happy about that, , just sayin’.

Are you still reading this? Go The Darkest Touch
. It comes out on October 28, 2008, but you can pre-order it now and beat the rush.