The Whirlwind that was June

Some things I learned last month. Firstly, two releases (even if one is an anthology with other authors involved) and organising a blog hop in the same month is probably not something I'd aim to repeat in a hurry. Don't get me wrong - it's been amazing and exciting and fulfilling. But my oh my - it was exhausting! I'm looking forward to a seven week break with my three little monsters on their summer holiday with no deadlines to worry about. Does the prospect of no writing and no releases bother me? Not this year. I'm hoping to do some reading and reviewing, maybe finish off a few projects. But the kids will be my main focus.

Secondly, a romance is only a romance if it has a HFN or HEA. Or you can get away with a non-HEA if the story is part of a series with an overall HEA. That might seem obvious to many, but as a newcomer to romance, and someone who kind of fell into it by accident, that needed defining. Now my concern is that MY idea of a HFN/HEA may not match a reader's.

Thirdly, I still have a lot to learn about promotion. Sigh.

Pippa's Journal

My tour for Gethyon is over, as is the SFR Brigade blog hop, and most of the prizes have been awarded. There is still a chance to win a copy of my YA scifi adventure Gethyon over at Contact: Infinite Futures, with a post on how I designed the spacecraft that is every young hero's dream in the story. ;)

The Tales from the SFR Brigade anthology is out and already garnering some lovely reviews. I have to say I am blown away by the quality of the other stories in the anthology and the professional finish (I'll leave you to make your own judgements on my contribution). There wasn't a single story I didn't enjoy, and the editing was worthy of any Big Six publication I've read (in fact, in light of some recent infamous works, I could even say it rates better). You can check out the very shiny anthology website, Goodreads page, and the current retailers where you can download it FREE by using the book cover widget in the right hand side bar.

Keir became a semi-finalist in the 2013 Indie Kindle Review Book Awards. Woo hoo! This was the final contest for Keir as his 2012 publication date now excludes him from entry into many. It would be good to go out on a high, but I won't know if I'm in the finals until September.

I have a shiny new blog banner! Created for me by Brigader and cover/artwork designer Misa Buckley, the background is the same but the heading has been upgraded. Check it out here!

Happenings
On Friday, I'm featured in TWO interviews - one with fellow author Vanessa Finaughty here and the other with Celia Breslin at Paranormal Unbound. If you want to know my inspirations, the book that was hardest to write, or even what my pets are called, check them out.
Fellow Champagne Books author Celia will be posting a snippet of her new Urban Fantasy Haven on my blog here next Tuesday, but in the meantime I have the quirky Brigader Liza O'Connor visiting...or rather her two characters Carrie and Trent. Find out which scifi characters they think they'd play and grab your chance to win $$!

Ping Pong
@Laurie - thank you for the behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the anthology. I hope others find it interesting, and a taste of all the unseen effort that goes into producing any book, in terms of editing, artwork and formatting. It really is a more complex and intensive process than some people realize!

@Donna and Sharon - great discussion about world building for the Blog Hop post! Maybe we should make those kind of posts a more regular feature on Spacefreighters.

A month from today, I will become the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything, as proposed by Douglas Adams. I'll be 42. An important number for a geek, and I'd hoped to have a themed party to celebrate. Alas, for I am broke. So, instead I will raise an early virtual Pangalactic Gargleblaster to karma, and thank her for another year of happiness, good friends and new releases. Cheers!