Once a Duchess Launch Giveaway Winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway to help me celebrate the release of Once a Duchess! I've been blown away by the outpouring of support and lovely comments. Thanks to each and every one of you.

I've consulted the oracles at Random.org, and the winner of the tea time prize is....

Bonniers!

Congratulations, Bonniers! I'll be in touch to get your shipping information. Thanks again to everyone who entered, and thanks for supporting Once a Duchess. Smooches all around.

Once a Duchess Release Celebration & Giveaway!

The long-awaited day has finally arrived. Once a Duchess has been released! To celebrate, I've put together a few goodies for one lucky winner. Here's the haul:

Working on an English tea theme, there's a box of Earl Grey tea, a scone mix, and Devon clotted cream to go with your scones. Also, tissues with a fun Union Jack on the package, a French Cassis scented candle, and a big bar of Godiva. Because chocolate.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. Any old comment will do.

Entries will be accepted from now until 12:00 PM Eastern time on Friday, October 19. One winner will be selected via random.org, and announced on Friday afternoon.

I'm so excited that Once a Duchess is finally here! Be sure to grab a copy at your favorite eBook retailer.

Don't forget to comment to enter the giveaway. Good luck!

THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED TO ENTRIES

Get Ready to Get Hopping

Oh, Bluestockings, are you in for a special treat! My sister Crimson Romance authors and I have put together a blog hop which will take place during the month of November. Click on the pretty badge to see Sharon Clare's post for details:

Most of the 46 participating authors will host their own giveaways (I will!), but the hop will also offer three BIG prizes. One grand prize winner will win a $100 gift card to your choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Two more lucky winners will each win a $50 gift card to your choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble. 

My only regret is that I can't win any of these great prizes! I'll remind you as the hop approaches, and have posted the badge in the sidebar at the right.

This is a great opportunity to meet some fabulous authors from across all the romance sub-genres and find your next favorite book. Get ready for lots of fun, prizes, and hot romance!

Desperate Times, Desperate Crafts

I'm having one of those mornings in which I feel like a magpie -- easily distracted by every shiny thing that crosses my path. I bet you know what I mean... "Ooo, Twitter! I wonder what's happening on Facebook? I'll just click this one link..." And right down the rabbit hole you go, only to emerge two hours later with chocolate smeared on your cheek and no recollection of where the time went. It wasn't just the Internet causing me problems this morning, but everything. Laundry! What's that bird at the feeder? More laundry!

As I'm writing against a deadline, such distraction cannot stand. I had to do something to make myself focus. I needed blinders like a horse's, but for all visual stimulation.

Here's what I came up with. It's the quickest and dirtiest DIY you'll see today.

Blinders for Writers

Materials needed:

* Sunglasses
* Aluminum foil
* Bin in which to discard your pride

I started by pulling some foil off the roll and wrapping it around the sunglasses lenses.

Front View

Side View

Then I... Actually, that's it. The end. "Craft" complete. This is how they look in action:

Geordi LaForge wishes he looked this good.

I tried to get the cat to model them, but he wasn't having any of it.

Stop embarrassing yourself, lady.

Believe it or not, these actually worked out really well for their intended purpose. I put them on and couldn't see a damn thing. I was able to focus on the story in my head, instead of all the other stuff going on around me. After a block of about 20 minutes, I was able to take them off and keep writing, since I'd gotten myself in the zone.

If you ever find yourself unable to focus on writing, maybe give this a try. Obviously, you need to be a touch typist for this method to potentially help. Ditching your vision for a little while might be just the thing.

Octoberween

Last year, I regaled you with all the great stuff that makes October my favorite month of the year.

You'll be glad to know my adoration of October continues unabated. In fact, I find myself reaching unprecedented levels of sentiment for this, the tenth month of our calendar year. I have new reasons to add to the list of why October will forever be tops in my heart.

*ding*

On the fifteenth of the month, my debut novel, Once a Duchess, will be released. That's one week from today. ONE WEEK. Resisting... urge... to... link... Barenaked Ladies... You might imagine I'm rather excited about this. You would imagine correctly. Gold star for you!

Then, on the twenty-third, I'll be participating in a free online webinar hosted by Crimson Romance, "Celebrating Historical Romance." Three historical romance authors, including myself, will chat about why we love the genre, and we'll answer your questions, too! Please sign up and join us for what will surely be a great time to be had by all.

Know what else you can do in October?
Stomp a grape. Don't even pretend you
aren't dying to try that.

I've even been invited to participate in a career fair, discussing novelist-as-career with a couple thousand high school students. Not that they'll all want to talk to me. But still. Big doings!

When I look at these things looming on my imminent horizon, it seems as though I'm actually a wee bit legitimate. I have a fledgling career. I'll always remember October as the month in which my professional life as a writer began.

There's a sense of rightness to that, as October is my birth month. I'll be celebrating my birthday just a couple days after the release of my novel. You better believe I'll be drunk on cake all next week.

All the other great October things are still a go, too. The weather is turning cooler. It was a bit nippy here this morning. Most of the leaves are stubbornly retaining their chlorophyll, but there are a few hints of gold and burnt orange foliage here and there, a tantalizing flash of ankle before the full riotous can-can of autumn is unleashed. Germany did not stop brewing beer in the last year, thank goodness, so Oktoberfest season is safe. Candy corn is on the shelves, and pumpkin has infused everything worth consuming. October is so darn tasty.

Yes, friends, October is treating me well. I hope yours is progressing in a likewise satisfactory fashion. Get out there and pick an apple and inhale the crisp air and raise a stein to the greatest month.

Cake.