A Little Bit of Books, a Little Bit of Life...

It's a sad day when you log on to blogger and realize YOU HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO IT IN THREE MONTHS.

O.o

I put my head down to work, work, work, paused to look up and it was MARCH. HOW. Anyway, I suppose the plus side of not speaking to blogger for three months is that there are LOTS of things to share! On to those things...

1.  Heir of Pendel is scheduled for release MAY 1, 2015, and you can pre-order her HERE!

How do I feel? About like this...

 

I can't believe it, guys. Seriously. After seven years of being in Gaia, I'm about to say farewell to her. It's very bittersweet. Drawing things to a close has been both satisfying and...sad. These characters have been with me through so many huge life changes (ie a new job, a new career, a move to another state, the addition of TWO BABIES...), and it feels very strange closing this particular chapter (no pun intended). It also feels very symbolic. Because we're about to move again, back to northern California. Which brings me to point...

2.  Handsome Hubs is graduating dental school this May!

My loves.

I am so, SO proud of him, and very excited to start this new chapter. Me, incessant heat, an environmental palate of sepia tones, and prickly things don't gel. That being said, I'm VERY sad to be moving away from my dearest friend, Jenny. While I know modern technology allows for things like FaceTime, nothing beats those last minute outings (or in-ings, as we would have it). I'm dreading having to retrain my brain that she will not, in fact, be able to come over in ten minutes. :-(

3.  In light of the closing of this "phase" and the beginning of a new one, it would only make sense for me to start working on a new project. AND I AM! I'm switching gears with this one; it's a YA scifi. I'm picking at my science roots, and I'm having so much fun exploring a host of new characters and settings. I'm also really enjoying the fact that I can take my time. Once you publish a book in a series, it's like the clock is always ticking for the next book. They're not just YOUR friends anymore. You have to SHARE them, and other people have opinions and expectations of them, too. Which is great - don't get me wrong! But it's also nice not having some of that added pressure right now. Still, I don't "relax" very well (what does that word mean, anyway?), and will probably have some news on the scifi front by fall. AFTER we're all moved and settled.

IN THE MEANTIME.

4.  I'm giving away THREE, signed ARC copies of Heir of Pendel next month. If you're interested, make sure you're on my email list (*SIGN UP HERE) for the link to the Rafflecopter, which I'll be sending out in a week or so. Also...

5.  On HoP's release day, we'll be having an online launch party (WOOO!), where more books and swag will be given away. I'll give you the specs once I know them. Stay tuned!

6.  That same Handsome Hubs was in another hilarious parody video with some fellow friends/dentalschoolmates. ENJOY!...

PlaqueStreetBoys: I Have a Cavity (I Want It That Way Parody)

And here's a pic of some of the Order of the Phoenix gals (including me), post Color Run...

(From left to right: me, Lauren, Jenny, and Erin)

It was a warm one, but we survived. Not sure about our lungs, though. (If you're wondering about Order of the Phoenix, it's the name of our book club. Yes, we had Harry Potter paraphernalia glued to our tutus. Yes, we know we're dorks.)

Hope you guys are having a fabulous weekend!...I'm going to get back to writing now...

XO
B