After the Turkey!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the diets start for those of us who ate too much food. Terrible time of year to diet with so many temptations, but it's better than gaining weight. So, here I am logging my points and trying to be good.

Met with my critique partners on Sunday and talked eBooks. The three of us have our assignments. Wendy will be creating our book covers, I'll do the editing, and Buffy will be formatting the files and uploading them to the various sites for your reading enjoyment. We're all very excited about this new venture, so look for lots of good stories from us.

On another note, I'm going to make this short simply because I have a deadline to meet and I need to get cracking on those last 10,000 words. Shouldn't take me long, but nevertheless, I need to hustle.

Tonight though, I'll be interviewing Tate Kensington, Zach Gerard's homicide partner in the 21st Precinct of the NYPD and my two lead characters in The Last Witness, so you'll know all about them, the way they think and do the things they do. I'll post it this blog tomorrow.

On Thursday, Buffy Christopher has invited me to post Zach's interview over at her blog at http://www.buffychristopher.com.

Until tomorrow . . .

A Special Thanksgiving Greeting from me to you!

I’ve been crazy busy with writing and it’s such a good feeling. I get up at between 5-5:30 every morning and begin editing Magnetic Attraction, a manuscript I wrote in 2006 and put aside for one reason or another and recently decided to breathe new life into it. It’s a humorous contemporary, but it contains a lot more romance than is allowed by my current publisher so I’ll be uploading it in eBook format on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords.

Then at 9:00 AM, I switch over to One Menu at a Time—it’s due to my editor in January and is the second in my series with recipes like Sugar and Spice, and Everything’s Not So Nice—Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Against All Odds – Chocolaty Breakfast Casserole, My Foolish Heart, Sweet Kugel Pudding and that’s just a few. Being published and writing a romance that includes recipes is every chef’s dream. I’m sure I’ve told you this a million times already, but I’m just so excited to have been given this opportunity, I guess its like pinching myself to make sure it’s real. :-)

At 4:30 PM, I switch back to Magnetic Attraction for a continuation of editing.

So are you ready for Thanksgiving? I have all the food, but I haven’t stopped writing long enough to get the pies and odds and ends baked that don’t have to be cooked on the day of the celebration. This year we’ll be celebrating with neighbors and I’ll be cooking. I have this awesome Turkey Stuffing recipe that my mother used to make and I’ve worked with over the years. I love it so much, but I don’t make it more than once a year because I don’t want to ruin the specialness of the recipe by having it become commonplace stuffing. When I have it, its like a celebration and reminds me of my mom who passed away in 2007. It’s like having her at the table celebrating with us. Then, I’m making my special Pecan Pie recipe, and I’ll be sharing those recipes and more in One Menu at a Time.

Well, it’s back to work for me. I’d like to wish you and yours a very special Thanksgiving. Just remember, on holidays there are no calories in the food you eat, but don’t forget to exercise like crazy for the rest of the week.

And if you’re looking for two good reads, Shut Up and Kiss Me is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as is The Last Witness, which is currently discounted. It’s also available on Apple. With the economy being as it is, we’re all pinching our pennies and the discounted pricing and entertainment you’ll receive from these two books, make it a great buy.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! XO

All Because of You!

I’m really excited these days, and it’s not just because of the holidays, the time of year I truly love, but because things are going very well for me. The holidays have always been special to me because of family, but also it’s the time of year when my husband and I started dating. It’s a time for love and romance and what better way to celebrate then by reading a good story that makes you fall in love all over again with your husband or significant other.

Shut Up and Kiss Me has been the top selling Avalon book for two weeks and it’s all because of you, the fans, and I’m so thankful. It was four years in between books and to have this kind of reaction is not only thrilling, but to have five star reviews being posted, is an authors dream come true.
As I mentioned in my previous post, The Last Witness went live on Friday at Barnes and Noble and I’m bowled over by the sales. You guys are incredible!

I have another private book signing coming up in a few weeks and it’s going to be a packed house. How awesome is that? And I’m lining up a few more at various places in the valley. I’ll post them on my author’s page at Amazon and also at my website at http://carolynhughey.com, and my blog, so check back often.

So if you’re tired of racking your brain for the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend or relative, rush on over to your bookstore and order a copy. It’s an inexpensive gift filled with lots of entertainment for the duration of the book. And it doesn’t have to stop there. I have more releases scheduled for 2012, so if you like to cook, there’s plenty of recipes for you to try out on your family. Friends have told me the new series is a double treat—good food, good romance—the perfect combination. The first book in the series will be released in February.

And speaking of February, if you’re in the area of Glendale, Arizona the first weekend, stop on by the Chocolate Affaire to say hello to me and 18 of my other author friends. Chocolate and Romance—yum, the perfect pairing! I’ll be signing all three days and would love to meet you.

A Mad Dash!

I’m up to my eyeballs in work but I wanted to take a minute to give you all an update on what’s been happening with me.

Last week was a mad dash of preparation for the book signing. I made book marks and laminated them, downloaded The Last Witness onto CD, made jewel case inserts, CD labels and business cards. I even purchased the iPhone S and signed up for the Square Up program, a neat little gadget I can attach to the phone so people have the option of paying me with credit cards or cash.

After all was said and done, we flew off to Richmond, Virginia where I had the first book signing for Shut Up and Kiss Me and The Last Witness. I met some wonderful people and had a sell out of my books. Does it get any better than that? I think not. I’m on a roll, as they say, and feeling great about the way things are going. The fact that Shut Up and Kiss Me still remains as the number one selling book for Avalon has me bouncing off the walls with excitement. I’m so proud of this story, I want everyone to read it and I’m glad people are rushing out to buy it.

By the way, when you have a chance, log onto Amazon and read the latest review for Shut Up and Kiss Me. It’s written by a man and I’m tickled pink he liked the results he got from reading the book. Apparently, so did his wife! :-)

And as if that wasn’t enough to excite me, I received notification on Friday that The Last Witness had gone live on the Barnes and Noble eReader site and they’re discounting it 20%. If you’re planning to buy a copy, I’d suggest you rush on over now before they change the price.

As I’ve mentioned before, The Last Witness will be available on all eReaders, so I’m chomping at the bit to hear that its been listed on the other big sites sooner rather than later. Not to worry though, as soon as I get the word, I’ll be shouting it from the treetops.

Although not a lot of time, we did manage to squeeze in a little sightseeing after the signing. Richmond is a wonderful place chock full of things to do and see. Quaint little shops on Cary Street with amazing restaurants, and lots of historical sights to see, like the Edgar Allen Poe Museum and Maymont Mansion, ghost tours and the like. The weather was cooler than we’re used to, but the burst of color on the trees was a beautiful sight and one we’ll never get tired of seeing.

Now that the rush is over and we’re home again, I’m back to work on One Menu at a Time, and getting ready to send the recipes out to my testers this week while I’m finishing the last of the story.

As a reminder, I have book plates, which I’ll sign and send to you to adhere to the inside of your copy if you purchased it online. Just send me an email at carolyn@carolynhughey.com with your address and I’ll send it to you.

So how was your week?