Writing a 7,500 word story when I’m used to having 90,000 to play around with was a definite challenge. However, I fell in love with Rafferty O’Day from the minute he popped into my mind. By focusing on him, I was able to get his story told. I’ll share more about him and Josalyn, the woman he loves as time for publicatin grows nearer.

For now, I just wanted to share the cool cover!

Hi, Everyone!
I’m very excited to be chatting with you today—especially since it’s the official release day for Parallel Desire, the final installment in my Midnight Warriors Series.
 

I am thrilled to finally be sharing this book with all of my fans and readers! As you can guess, it feels like such a journey from the point when an author begins a book up until release day.  So thanks for sharing this special occasion with me! This series was such a fun and challenging journey for me to write, and I’m personally very proud of what I accomplished with each book in the series.
 

Parallel Desire was such a satisfying writing experience because I finally got to explore and tie up the loose ends and questions that so many of you asked about regarding the earlier characters. I think fans will be pleased to learn what happens to Jared and Kelsey and Marco and Thea. Not only that, but Parallel Desire answers the much-anticipated question of whether or not Jake Tierny ever gets his happily-ever-after.
 
With every door that closes another one opens, and so while I’m putting the Midnight Warriors aside for the time being, I’m hard at work on my new series, the Gods of Midnight. Book one of the series, Red Fire, will launch next October.  Stay tuned to my blog and website because I can’t wait to begin to share the details about this exciting new series.
 

In celebration of Parallel Desire’s release, I’m going to give away a signed set of the full Midnight Warriors series. The lucky winner will be the first person to post the titles of each book in the series, including the Amazon short!
 

Good luck and thanks for the awesome support!
 

To stay updated on the latest news, contests and give-aways for all of Deidre Knight’s books, be sure to join the YAHOO! E-Group designed especially for fans! 

**********************

Thanks, Deidre! Now everyone run over to Deidre’s sexy site and be the first to post every book in the series including the short!

Chey

Check out the awesome trailer!

Now on to my title. :-)

As many of you know, St. Martin’s Press purchase the print rights to 8 of my EC books, and 3 of my novellas. I’m just starting to revise one of the books for St. M’s, and it just happens to be the first romance I ever wrote. It was titled WILD BORDERS to fit in with my “Wild” series at EC. (The whole series’ print rights were bought by St. M’s.) WB will be retitled, but I have no idea what that will be.

A little irony here. When I first wrote WB, my very first romance, (I was a young adult author under another name) I went to a local RWA chapter conference and Jennifer Enderlin of St. Martin’s Press spoke in a publisher spotlight. Right then and there, I knew I wanted to write for St. M’s. However, in my chapter, the authors said I should start with category first. I ended up writing erotic romance instead. It was fun, it was freeing, and I loved it. I ended up having WB published with EC rather than submitting it to NY publishers.

In the summer of 2004, Monique at St. M’s contacted me, that she’d read a couple of my EC books and would like me to submit a paranormal proposal and a contemporary suspense proposal. And I was just floored. I did both, and they offered me a 4-book deal.

So back to WB–after 6 years it’s being published by the publisher I wanted it to be with to begin with. Talk about irony. And something funny, too. As I’m reading through the old version, I run across the name Calinda Foxe as a name I made up who’s the best friend of Lani, my heroine. What’s funny about it is that there’s an author in our RWA chapter who’s name is Calista Fox.

Okay, I’ve given you the odd parts, here’s where the revising and revising older books comes in.

It sucks.

I hate it.

This book was my favorite. Maybe because it was my first, but I loved the hero and heroine. Especially the hero. But as I’m reading through it, I’m so not liking how it’s written. I guess I’ve learned so much over the past 6-7 years that what I wrote then just doesn’t cut it as far as I’m concerned. My crit partner disagrees with me, but to me it needs a major overhaul.

Thank goodness I have the opportunity to really revise it! All of the books I wrote for St. M’s I “get to” revise to fit into what I’m writing now. Plus most are about 30K short of where they need to be to be single titles. Can you imagine adding 30K to “finished” books? That will be a challenge, but I hope it will be fun, too.

WB is the only one out of the lot that’s at a single-title length, so that’s one of the reasons why it’s first. I sure hope I’m happier with the following books!

Have any of you gone back and revisited books that you wrote years ago and it was either published or stuck in a drawer until you dusted it off to take a look at it? Yikes!

I’m only at the beginning of the book and I so hope I get a little happier as the book goes on. But if not, I have my handy word processor and I can rip it to shreds and put it back the way I want it!

So as usual, I’m behind on even announcing exciting things in my career.  First of all, the reissue of Fangs For The Memories was out the beginning of this month.  I love the new cover.  :)

I also want to post the trailer for my book, Any Way You Want It, coming in January 2008.  This is my first trailer, and I think it is fantastic.  NovelTeaser made it for me, and they are good!  I wanted to upload it to this page directly–but it ain’t workin’.  So please go here and check it out.  Any Way You Want It Book Trailer

The rock portion of the music was performed by The Sonny Kane Project, who also act as The Impalers for Erin McCarthy and me.  They actually played Heather Graham’s Writers for New Orleans conference for us–and were a big hit.   Erin and I were so pleased.

So for the last of my announcements, Erin and I are actually celebrating the success of The Impalers LIVE by running a contest at The Impalers site.  It’s a fun trivia thing with the winners receiving advanced copies of Any Way You Want It, and Erin’s Sucker Bet, neither of which are available until January–and you also get a CD of The Impalers singing Any Way You Want It and I Want You To Want Me. 

Free books and great 80’s tunes sung by vampires.  You got to check this out, right??  Just click to learn more…The Impalers Contest.

There I got a little caught up.  ;)

Here’s an updated cover for WICKED MAGIC that comes out at the end of the summer, on August 28th. I *so* love this cover. By the end of this month, I’ll have my website redesigned with this cover as the theme. Can’t wait!

As you read this I’m either leaving for Houston from Phoenix, in the air, or at the convention hotel. I’m actually writing this a little early to post on the day I leave so that I can chat with you. :-) Be sure and leave me your opinion so that I can check in and see what YOU have to say.

I thought I’d just chat briefly about this. Another author brought this question up because of a discussion regarding a lot of authors who had/have problems with various aspects of the industry. She brought up authors’ problems with publishers; professional jealousy; people who are just plain mean when it comes to commenting on your books; and any other assorted issues.

For me, the answer is YES. It is worth it. I am working hard on being an armadillo, but we all know that it’s easier for some than others to let issues roll off their shoulders. So let’s forget all those things that are tough about the industry. I like to say that in the publishing world, it’s like our own little Hollywood. I think we need a snarky rag like The National Enquirer just to spread all the juicy gossip whether or not it’s true. :-)

Let’s get to the question, “Is it all worth it?” When you’re an author, there must be a reason deep inside you that compels you to write. What is that reason? Why is writing so important to you? Is it a need to accomplish the feat of being an author and finishing a book then selling it? Do you write for competition? Do you write for attention? Do you write to make your mark in the world? Do you write to teach? Do you write for the money? (insert hysterical laughter on the last one.)

Or characters in your head who won’t shut up until you put them “on paper?” Because there’s a burning desire inside you to tell stories and share them? A desire to write stories for yourself, because you *need* to write. You need to channel that creative energy into something you can have and hold and love? Or hate. LOL. Or do you write for the pure joy of writing?

Any and all of the above are reasons to write and reasons that can make it worthwhile for YOU. For me it started out with the desire to just write. Because I had stories inside me that had to get out. The love of the imagery, the characters, the situations. The pure joy of writing. I wanted to write worlds that people could get lost in, just like I would get lost in books–forgetting where I was because I was in the story for the entire time I read it.

I still write for those reasons. But this has also evolved over the years since I began writing for publication and had my first book published. I started getting letters from readers who thanked me for giving them a reprieve from the world around them and I couldn’t believe that people could truly find themselves in another world in my books. Then I began to get anxious, feeling “performance anxiety.” I started writing for readers more than for me because I wanted to please them and I didn’t want to disappoint them or my publisher. I never wanted to write a book that didn’t reach reader expectations and equal or surpass the prior books.

Well, we all know the pure fact is that we can’t and will never please everyone. Fact is everyone has different tastes, and that is wonderful. It means this world is a world filled with diversity and we need to embrace that. There are things I don’t like, and I don’t expect you to feel the same way. Or things I love that you may not agree on.

Back to the original topic: Is it all worth it? My answer would be: whatever makes YOU feel good makes writing worthwhile. For me I was reminded of the 2 reasons I write. 1. For me. Because I have to write. Because I wouldn’t feel complete if I didn’t tell my stories. 2. For readers. I know I can’t please everyone, and I don’t expect to, but if I give a reader the opportunity to escape their every day life, forget their every day challenges, and read for the joy of reading, then I have accomplished my goals. Those two things are what make writing worthwhile. Some of the above is fun, a benefit, something extra to add to the joy of writing. But for me it all comes back to 1. Me. 2. My readers.

For fun, I’ll share one of my next covers:

And along the lines of writing for joy, I had an absolute blast writing BREATH OF MAGIC in this “No Rest for the Witches” anthology that comes out in October. What a joy to get to write with these three very talented ladies? Talk about feeling fortunate. BREATH OF MAGIC was another one of those stories that was so fun to write it just flowed.

So what about you authors? Why do you write? What makes it worthwhile for you?

I will talk with you all when I get back from the Romantic Times Convention in Houston. Have a great week!

Hugs,

Chey

IF THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS…

Paige Darlington is finally free of the literal boss from hell—Satan. There’s just one hitch: she’s been cursed, and will soon lose her soul. The only way to reverse this ultimate buzz kill is to skinny dip in one of Heaven’s cleansing moats. But Heaven has defenses against girls like Paige…and they typically involve being charred to a crisp.

MAYBE THE ROAD TO HEAVEN IS PAVED WITH SEXY ONES.

Jed Buchanan, shadow warrior and Satan Jr.’s favorite assassin, is on a fast track to hell. Until sexy, spirited former Rivka Paige Darlington begs him to help her sneak past the pearly gates. Heaven’s no place for a man as dark as Jed, but one look at Paige’s sensual eyes and long legs and he knows one thing for sure – he’s in for a hell of a hot ride…

I’m really excited because it fits it with the branding of the first three books (and it doesn’t hurt that it is kind of like Katie MacAlister’s dragon covers either, LOL! I got at least one email from someone who bought my book b/c they thought it was by Katie Mac, and when they got home, they were disappointed, read it anyway, and then liked it! LOL! Whatever it takes, right?) So anyway, these are the three previous covers in the series and I think the new one is my favorite. I think it’s the blue and the intimacy of the embrace with her under his trench coat…

I have had the most incredible covers with St. Martin’s Press. Yesterday I received the latest for MOVING TARGET which comes out February, 2008. At first I wasn’t sure of what to think about it. Green? Green?? But I loved the couple, the way it’s torn with the red G and it looking like blood is spreading. (Oooh, cool. Blood! LOL) I kept looking at it and looking at it, trying to decide if I like the green. I’m still looking at it. :-)

It is a fabulous cover, but I am hoping they’ll do something like put a gold wash over it to give it some depth and not such that “different” color of green.

I went to my bookstore to write in the coffee shop yesterday, and I asked the bookseller there (whom I’ve gotten to know) what he thought of the cover. He loved it and said absolutely it will capture attention. (So far he’s loved all of my St. Martin’s covers. How could he not? They’re all totally kickass. *g*)

So now I’m curious. What do *you* think of the cover?

For example, if you were searching for a dark paranormal, would you want to see a beefy male on the cover like Alexis Morgan’s series?

Or a more subtle beefy male cover like THE DARK HIGHLANDER?

Or a much more subtle hero cover, like Sherrilyn Kenyons?

Or a sensual cover, like JR Ward’s?

Or a female power cover like Chey’s?

Or, a non-person cover, like the BITE anthology?

Or something else entirely? Remember, this is for a dark paranormal romance. What do you think works best for a cover?

Some people ask if an author has any input with their covers. I can answer that with a firm “sometimes.” As a graphic designer by day, I have a difficult time dealing with a cover that is not visually pleasing to me. I had suggested an illustration for B&S, but the publisher went with a model instead. Which was fine since most other comedic vampire novels have that illustrated cover. They kept my suggestion of dripping blood for the masthead, an effect that was way cooler in my imagination. I had a few minor “issues” with the initial cover design for Bitten & Smitten, but was quite pleased when it was tweaked to my suggestion to become a cover I was happy with.

The cover for Angel with Attitude simply arrived in my in-box one day with no input from me whatsoever. Since I think it’s a stunning cover, I was fine with it. However, while esthetically gorgeous, I find that the title doesn’t quite “pop” from the shelves quite the same way B&S does.

For F&F I was asked for input again. I provided a layout I did in Photoshop and was actually surprised how closely the final comes to it. And hello? Check out my cover quote from Charlaine Harris on the final. Sweet! (Buy all her books. She’s absolutely wonderful.)

For my next book, Lady and the Vamp, I expect to see the cover at the beginning of November. I’ve already put in my request for Nathan Kamp on the cover. I mean, come on! A writer can only take so many cute chicks on her cover before she starts longing for some well-muscled testosterone.