Yet More Lovely Things In A Way That's Starting To Freak Me Out

This run of luck is really getting out of hand, now. I'm starting to be embarrassed about it, like a person who keeps winning the lottery every week. You'd hate that person, right? It's okay. I hate me too. Fookin' little apple polisher that I am.

Anyhoo, enough about my self-hatred and constant lottery winning. On to the lottery wins themselves!

First up, Michelle Buonfiglio, awesome romance community blogger and reviewer and one of the Big Five (Dear Author, Smart Bitches, Mrs Giggles, Karen Knows Best and Michelle's blog: Romance Buy The Book) commented on my cover on the B&N Unabashedly bookish blog, here:

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Unabashedly-Bookish/Authors-Plan-Cover-Gods-Laugh/ba-p/410638

She had this to say about the cover:

"Anything but classic romance-novel cover, Charlotte Stein's "The Things that Make Me Give In" is stunning and alluring in its stark communication of intent to meet readers' expectations."

And then this, to say about the book itself:

"...one of the sexiest erotic-romance reads of 2009."

To which I say this:

...
...
...

I had to email the lovely Michelle to ask her if she actually really meant it. I kept checking the blog, to make sure she wasn't talking about someone else. I thought perhaps it was just one of those comments you make, you know, to be nice.

I have not recovered from her reply, in which she informed me that no, actually, she meant it. And that she'd read the book. And that she'd liked it. There are several levels of enjoyment here, I feel:

a) Michelle Buonfiglio actually noticed my book, amidst all the thousands of books she must get sent daily.

b) Not only did she notice it, she also read it. Yet another real live person actually read my book!

c) Not only did she read it, she also liked it.

d) She also then wrote about it, on the internet.

e) And provided me with a truly orsum cover quote for my next book. It's so orsum I might have to have it on my blog somewhere. It's so orsum that it contravenes my wariness of self-promotion and bragging and the like.

And as if that wasn't enough, I also heard that I'm going to be in the Xcite Valentine anthology, which you can see now listed on my sidebar of Ultimate Bragging. Or at least, I think that's the right cover and book (Janine Ashbless sez so, and I trust her). Getting into it was all a bit mysterious and last minute and things, and I followed the old rule rather than stopping to see what antho it was: if an editor asks you if you'd like to try for something, you drop everything and do it, immediatly.

My luck is soooo going to run out any minute. Right, single magpies?

More Lovely Things!

So first off, I'm only in a bloody press release:

http://www.booktrade.info/index.php/showarticle/24187

I almost fainted. And Chloe Thurlow, KD Grace and Justine Elyot are going to be doing Xcite books, too! How amazing is that? They definitely are the creme de la creme of erotica, and am so happy for them. Especially my pal Justine, who deserves that end to the road to nowheresville more than anyone.

And then also, I've heard that the line up for Fairytale Lust has been approved by Cleis- and I'm in it! Having a story in this book is a great honour for me, not only because I've always wanted to write erotic fairytales, but also because Kristina Wright is a wonderful writer, an inspiration, and a lovely, lovely person. I was thrilled when she got this editing gig, and even more thrilled to have a story accepted by her.

Not only that, but I'm going to be rubbing shoulders with all sorts of fab peeps, like Justine Elyot, Saskia Walker, Jeremy Edwards, Janine Ashbless...I tell you what, when I first started out on this trail I never thought I'd get to be in books with the people I've looked up to for so long.

But anyhoo, my story is called The Return, and it's kind of based on something a little different. The Return of Martin Guerre- which isn't exactly a fairytale, but I've always felt it kind of is. Thankfully, Kristina agreed with me!

Big News

Okay, so I went back and forth about whether I should talk about this on my blog, yet. But the editor has said I can and I got the contract through today (so quickly!) so I think it's safe. I'm scared of jinxing it and somehow I still don't think it's real, but...here goes.

I'm going to be writing a novel for Xcite books! An entire novel! My second full length book! I'm actually getting the opportunity to write a second book, which after the summer I've had seems like some sort of miracle.

Of course I know that other authors have it far worse than me. That really, Black Lace closing is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of Bad Things That Can Happen To Writers. But I did really feel as though I'd failed, somehow- that my dream of being a writer had ended, no matter how daft that might seem to the tough and hardy amongst you, out there.

So to have this opportunity again is just...I wish there was some writing God I could now make a grateful sacrifice to. Or someone I could thank. Of course I've thanked Adam Nevill. I mean, just because he liked me at Black Lace, did not in any way mean he was going to either a) like me at Xcite or b) be able to persuade the top brass there that I'm any good. So I should probably thank the top brass at Xcite.

But also Justine Elyot, who kept me going when times got rough. And Saskia Walker, Janine Ashbless, Jeremy Edwards, Madelynne Ellis, Portia Da Costa, Danielle, the LOFG forum gals...all you guys, everyone who has twittered me or commented on my blog and just kept me going. Christine Riley, my new ed. at Total-E-Bound, who's helped me get the faith back in myself. Lizzie, who made me do all of this in the first place. And Sefi, who is always my good friend whether I'm a writer or not.

It means so much to have that support, when writing can be so lonely and terrifying. So I swear, I will make it my mission in life to help any writer just starting out. That's how I'll pay it back. If you're out there, and there's a cheering word I can give you, I'll find you and give it. Don't give up. Don't ever give up, okay? It's been a year for me of steep lows and dizzying highs, but I've loved it all and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Hitting The Hot Spot

So today's my day to post on Total-E-Bound's blog, Hitting The Hot Spot! See me here, rambling as usual about hot dudes and the stuff they do to me:

http://totalebound.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-need-hot-dudes.html

Yeah! Check me out, all being a Total-E-Bound author! Still don't think it's quite sunk in that I've got a novella coming out with them.

Exciting News!

Now that Cleis has given final approval to the TOC, I can at last announce what I've been dying to announce and fretted about sudden disapproval from Cleis for what seems like forever:

My short story, Pleasure Keeper, was accepted by the fabulous, stunning, amazing Rachel Kramer Bussel for inclusion in her anthology: Please, Sir!
And lookee at its beyootiful cover!




It's also already up on amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Please-Sir-Stories-Female-Submission/dp/1573443891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256676245&sr=8-1

And is out in the US May 1st, 2010.

I'm in extremely esteemed company so it's a double bonus, and on a personal note this acceptance meant an awful lot to me, because it came at a time when I was certain that a) I'd never get in to anything but a Black Lace antho and b) Black Lace, unbeknowst to me, was about to shut up shop.

So it was both a lovely validation, an honour and a huge relief. My heartfelt thanks to Rachel Kramer Bussel for all of the above.

Mancandy Monday: Murdock, From The A-Team

When I was far too young to be fancying full grown men (though in truth, I've never fancied anything but), I wanted to snog Face, from the A-Team. Everyone else wanted to snog Corey Haim, but not me. I wanted Face.

Until a pattern emerged- one that would continue with me for the rest of my life. I call it: "starting to fancy the non-obvious guy". Suddenly, v. handsome guy starts not being enough for me. Isn't he just a little bit too handsome? A bit too smug, a bit too smooth around the edges. He's practically an apple.

Where as I always want lychees: the scariest, weirdest, most eyeball-like of all fruits. The fruit you've never heard of and which terrifies you.

So I started fancying Murdock.

Mad, big tiger jacket wearing, sock puppet loving, practically bald Murdock. Murdock, who spent his time trying to enrage a gigantic mohawked man. Murdock, who would never be as handsome as Face, but who I loved, regardless.

I wanted to escape a mental ward with him in a helicopter. And then snog, naturally.

Of course now, I want to do many, many other things to him. And especially as he's soon to look a lot like Sharlto Copley, who has a spectacular head of hair but makes me think he's still somehow bald underneath that baseball cap.

I don't care how bald you are, Murdock. How weird and non-obvious. I love you anyway.

Heroes. P.S. MASSIVE SPOILERS

I know I'm supposed to use this blog to promote my writing and whatever, but seriously- don't do it, Heroes. If you kill Sylar, where will all the sex in the world go? You're making a sex abyss, Heroes, and I hate you for it.

Kill someone less sexy! Mohinder would be sexy, but he's fookin' boring so he'd barely create a sex sinkhole. Plenty of sex would be left for everyone, if Mohinder died! And yes, there'd be less scope for Mylar fanfic, but Sylar could have sex with a table and I'd be happy.

I shall call this new pairing: TabLar.

But I digress.

Kill Hiro! He is extremely not sexy. He acts like he's twelve and he's carking it now anyway! We all know he's never going to become sexy cool goatee Hiro, because you never follow through on anything, Heroes. It's how I know that Sylar is going to be the "unexpected" "male character" "who dies", because although it looks like he's going down the route of becoming that weird ass Sylar in the future with a kid (he's a blank slate, he's hooking up with that blonde chick), YOU NEVER FOLLOW THROUGH.

So it's not going to happen. Instead he's going to die. And you'll only have yourselves to blame, when sex stops calling you.