Looking for a fun read? Look no further. Lori Devoti’s latest novel officially hits the racks May 1, but you may be lucky and find it sooner.

“When Del Montgomery’s boss sends her to the Missouri Ozarks in search of a legendary pottery pig, her mission seems simple: figure out which of the clueless locals has the pig, convince them to sell it for peanuts, and then hightail it back to Chicago. Local auctioneer, Sam Samson, could be the perfect secret weapon in her search– as long as he never figures out what she’s really after. But is it possible to resist a tall, dark, gorgeous guy who’s as sly as he is sexy?

Everything about Del turns Sam on, from her city sass to her delicious cleavage to her habit of twitching her nose when she’s about to tell a whopper. And she’s been telling a lot of them. Still, Sam knows a true babe when he sees one, and he’s not about to let Del slip away…

Last Saturday I drove to the Last Chapter bookstore in Overland Park for Amy Knupp’s first signing. It was a great success, btw. And if you haven’t read UNEXPECTED COMPLICATION yet, why?

Anyway, while I was there, the woman who buys romance for the store approached me about doing a signing for ONE REAL COWBOY. Yeehaw!!!

So I’ve reached another milestone on the road to publication. Yep, the book won’t hit the stores until March 2007, but every bit of promotion done beforehand is to my benefit.

The extra bit of good news is that Amy’s second book THE BOY NEXT DOOR should be out a little before mine, so we could do a duel signing.

Life is good!

First drafts are fun in a manic sort of way. I don’t follow a set rule; I take chances and push the boundaries, my characters and myself and discover more about my plot, character and myself as I write.

Oh, I have this vague idea where I’m going, but I’ve always preferred the scene route. Which means what earlier pages are probably all wrong and will have to be changed.

But that’s okay. I love the rewriting process. It’s like house building.

The contractor battles the elements and scheduling problems when they rough in a house. Once that framework of boards, flooring and roof are done, windows and doors are installed, then the outside detailing is done. From then on the builder can take time (within reason) to finish the interior and make it unique. That shell won’t change much–unless the builder decides to add a sunroom or outdoor patio room. But the interior design will set this house apart from all the others he’s build. It’s the same-but-different thing.

Same with books. A romance is a romance, mystery a mystery, suspense a suspense, and so on. The genre is the same with certain expected elements, but what’s inside is the author’s own unique take.

I can hardly wait to get to that part of fleshing out my new story. Dress up the scenes so the reading becomes visual. Find those gems to further plot/character that are buried under verbosity and polish them so they shine. I want this book to be better than the last.

To get there, I have to keep meeting my daily goal. So I’ll leave you with a quote that says it all, imo.

Behold the turtle! He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out. James Bryant Conant

ONE REAL COWBOY

This story has been Common Bond for so long it’ll take a while to get used to the new title, but I like it. Hopefully I’ll have a cover to put up before long. Can’t wait to see it!

Today launchs my new * newly released books by fellow authors and friends* blogspot . This is a heads up of really good reads to add to your TBR stack. 🙂

I’m thrilled to announce good friend and cp Amy Knupp‘s first novel is on the shelves now!

Unexpected Complication

This is not how she pictured her life.

Pregnant, single and no prospect for love. How’s a globe-trotting freelance photographer like Carey Langford supposed to cope? Well, love will just have to wait while she focuses on her baby and getting through this pregnancy alone.

But not completely alone. Thank God for Devin Colyer, her best friend since high school.

And Devin’s really trying to be there for Carey. In fact, he just might be falling in love with his good buddy. If only he could get past the fact that she’s gotten herself pregnant by the man he hates most in the whole world.