And the Winners Are...

Well, first, I should tell you that the eligible contestants are:

• B.E. Sanderson
• Darcy Burke
• Kelly Jack
• brownone
• tammi
• Erica Ridley
• Isabel Sotelo

And now, the hat please (or, more accurately, an online randomizer) says the winners are:

1. Prize package 1 (Amazon.com gift certification and copy of The Gospel of Love: According to Luke):
   
   tammi
   
   
2. Prize package 2 (a pound of See's Candy and copy of According to Luke):
   
   Isabel Sotelo
   
   
3. Prize package 3 (three listed books and a copy of According to Luke):
   
   Kelly Jack
   

Winners, please email me at jackie@jackiebarbosa.com to claim your prizes! And congratulations!

I'll be back tomorrow with another post, as my dear friend Emma Petersen appears to have tagged me for some meme or other.

News and a Contest!

Welcome to 2008 and to my blog. (Some of you may be visiting for the first time, I know!)

If you've come from Jacqueline Barbour's blog, then you already know that I'm in the process of shutting down that blog in favor of this one. If you just happened by for other reasons, the scoop is that I used to have two pseudonyms, but I'm in the process of whittling that down to one: this one! But enough about that.

First, the news.

I am pleased and excited to announce that I've sold another novella to Cobblestone Press. This one, titled The Gospel of Love: According to Luke, is a first-person contemporary (yes, I know I need to work on that tagline, drat it!) erotic romance, which I expect to be released in June. It is the first in a quartet of novellas (and I'll bet you can guess what the other three are called) that I hope will be finished and released in short succession after Luke. Here's the blurb, which I hope entices you to want to read the rest:

Luke Finley, the eldest of four brothers, is a committed serial monogamist.He's all for one woman at a time, but not one woman forever. He knows a lifetime of fidelity just isn't in his genes. But when his latest girlfriend kicks him out--of his condo--the woman he's always thought of as "one of the guys" turns
out to be the one woman who can rock his world and make him see the light.

Second, the Manuscript Mavens blog is a nominee in the Preditors and Editors Readers' Poll. We're hugely honored to have been nominated, but we'd love to win even more. So please, hop on over and vote!

And finally, I am scheduled to appear as an author-guest on The Spiced Tea Party blog tomorrow. I'm very excited about this opportunity and hope you'll come visit me there. But even more, I want to give you an incentive to swing by the Tea Party as well as celebrate my sale and the Mavens' nomination, so I have a little contest in store for you.

Here's how the contest will work:

1. Comment on this post.

2. Visit us at the Manuscript Mavens blog any day this week and post a comment on any of our posts. (We are blogging our writing tips, so it's a great week to drop by if you haven't before.)

3. Visit me at The Spiced Tea Party and comment on my post there.

Anyone who manages to make comments in all three places between today and next Tuesday, January 15th, will be entered in a drawing to win one of the following three fabulous prize packages:

1. A $20 gift certificate to Amazon.com and a free copy of The Gospel of Love: According to Luke (which will be sent to you on release day, whenever that turns out to be).

2. A one-pound box of See's Candy (chocolate...yum!) and a free copy of According to Luke.

3. Any three of the following books (some are signed by the authors, some are not) and a free copy of According to Luke.
Books:

• The Duke in Disguise, by Gayle Callen
• A Study in Scandal, by Robyn deHart
• The Rest Falls Away, by Colleen Gleason
• The Secret Passion of Simon Blackwell, by Samantha James
• Spell of the Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning
• On the Way to the Wedding, by Julia Quinn
• From London with Love, by Jenna Petersen
• Bite Me If You Can, by Lynsay Sands

Now, how can you resist an offer like that? Go forth and comment. I'll draw and announce the winners next Tuesday

And happy 2008 to everyone!

Thirteen Books I Read this Year I Want to Pimp

I don't read as much as I'd like to. Between husband, kids, house, job, and (most time-consuming of all!) writing, I just don't seem to have much time left over for reading. But, I did read some pretty good books this year and, as my early Christmas present to you, I want to share.

I'm listing these in alphabetical order by the author's first name, thereby avoiding any possible accusations of favoritism.

Kink by Amie Stuart Totally lives up to its title. In the best possible way. The Average Girl's Guide to Getting Laid by Annie Dean Sassy and scorching, Ellie and Ash are tons of fun and smokin' between the sheets. Bounty Hunter by Deanna Lee Hot, tortured (and highly modified) hero plus kickass heroine equals one action-packed and very hot read. The sci-fi world-building is excellent, too. The Leopard Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt Lyrical yet gritty, you'll feel like you're actually in Yorkshire in the Georgian period. And it doesn't hurt that Harry Pye is one unbelievably sexy land steward. The Serpent Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt Sexy and incredibly real with a hero to swoon for. The only problem you're likely to have with this book is that you'll want Simon for yourself instead of letting Lucy, the heroine, have him. Birthday by Ellie Marvel A wonderful story about finding love with your best friend (and with none of the naughty bits left out). Reign of Pleasure by Emma Petersen Not for the faint of heart, but man...if you like to rock, this'll rock your world. Postcards from the Dead by Ericka Scott Fascinating premise, spicy romance, and a touch of suspense. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman Okay, technically, I'm still reading this one, but I was intrigued by the discussions about the movie and its supposed "atheist" prosetylization. I find the book "draggy" in spots, but the controversy is entertaining enough to make it worth the read. Something Wild by Sable Grey Jack the Ripper with a twist and a great love story. Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare This one's sort of cheating since it won't be out until 2009, but Tessa has written a witty and touching Regency romance that you are really going to love (when you can finally get your hands on it ;P). Fire Within by Yolanda Sfetsos Fascinating interpretation of the phoenix myth. and last, but definitely not least... Carnally Ever After by Jackie Barbosa Yeah, I know, it's out of order alphabetically. So sue me! And you didn't think I wasn't going to pimp my own book, did you?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thirteen Reasons I've Been Slacking at Blogging

I missed two Mondays running. Bad blogger, bad blogger. But I have good excu...er, reasons. Promise.

I've been judging contest entries for GOTCHA. It takes time. Lots of time. What do you mean, it's Monday? Oh, you mean it's Wednesday? Who authorized that? I've been writing like crazy. Really. 10,000+ words in the past week. There's no Internet access at Chuck E. Cheese's. Cheapskates! Next time, McDonald's. I've been doing my Christmas shopping. NOT! (But I've been thinking about it. That counts, right?) Bitchy, whiny, needy clients. Who can spend hours on the phone. Did I mention I hate talking on the phone? Emma's been querying and getting requests. I hate her. (Just kidding. I envy the bejesus out of her, that's all. But I'm so thrilled for her, I can hardly sit still!) No news is good news. I've been dreaming of a white Christmas. (Or at least a white New Year. Yes, I live in sunny Southern California, but I booked a weekend in Yosemite after the first of the year.) Do you ever just get sucked into watching episode after episode of Law and Order on USA? It's kind of like crack--you know it's not worth it, but you just can't stop. It's my blog and I'll blog when I want to! (But I really do want to blog more. I've just been a little nuts the last few weeks. I'll try to do better next week.)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

On Hold

Carnally Yours is on hold for the moment, as I've had a bit of a breakthrough on another project. I expect to get back to it and finish it before Christmas, though.

It would appear that An Officer and a Jezebel remains the clear favorite as the title for Jack and Callie's story, so when I get around to posting it to the website, I expect that's the title I'll use.

And Dawne', if you're out there, email me at jackie@jackiebarbosa.com. I owe you a Cobblestone gift certificate!

And the Winner Is...

The randomly drawn winner of the titling game sweepstakes is Dawne'. Dawne', please email me at jackie@jackiebarbosa.com to claim your prize.

So, several of you really liked the idea of An Officer and a Jezebel. I have to say, it's a great play on an existing title, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with referring to the heroine in the title as a Jezebel. The word just has an awful lot of Biblical baggage I'm not sure I want to saddle Callie with.

What do you think? Is Jezebel too negative a word? Please share your thoughts.

A Late Post and A Little Contest

I know, it's late. Sorry!

This Friday, the Manuscript Mavens will be playing hostess to Deanna Lee, author and co-founder/co-owner of Cobblestone Press, the publisher of Carnally Ever After. (She's also my acquiring editor, which means I extra adore her for adoring my book.)

In celebration, I'm hosting a little contest here this week. You see, I have an idea for a story that won't go away, but the only title I can come up for it just doesn't seem to be flying with test audiences thus far. I'm posting the "hook" I've written for the story below. Since I realize you might need more than 100 words to come up with a title, and since the hook really focuses on the hero, you can check out this post for more information about the heroine.

Here's the hook:

The Peninsular Wars may have ended more than a year ago, but they’re not over for Colonel Jack Prescott. Cursed with an eidetic memory, Jack can recite the names and see the faces of every man he sent into battle, hear their dying howls of agony, and taste the bitter flavor of their fear. Awake or asleep, he can’t escape the twisted, violent images or his remorse for having knowingly condemned so many soldiers to certain death. That is, until he chances upon perhaps the one woman who can accept him without judgment or condemnation.

‘Tis pity she’s a whore.

Now, for the rules and prizes. You may enter as may title possibilities as you like. One lucky poster, drawn at random, will receive a $5 Cobblestone Press gift certificate. That's enough to buy Carnally Ever After and still have a little left over. I'll draw next Monday.