Cover Shoots and Agents and Movies…Oh My!

When I was working towards my doctorate, I never once thought that my daily conversations/emails would center around makeup artist schedules, models, agent representation for TV and movies, book releases, editors, literary agents, and foreign publishing rights. They didn’t teach us about that in neuroanatomy 🙂 And yet here I find myself, discussing those very things…what a difference a couple years can make.

I thought I would use this blog to update fans on where things stand for me, my books, and any random things related to both. First, I have a cover shoot this weekend for my YA series (cowritten by Shannon Morton). A terrific photographer in my area has volunteered her expertise (and her daughter), for the project.  We’ll be shooting the first two of the covers Sunday and doing some photoshopping after that. Our wardrobe is ready to go, hair and makeup is taken care of, and the shots have been planned out.  I think it’s going to turn out beautifully and am super excited about the whole thing. A huge thanks to Vella Photography for being so willing to work with us in this eneavor. I can’t wait to see the finished product.

On the movie agent front, I have some uncertain but encouraging news. She got back to me last night regarding my unpublished series, UNBORN. She really liked what I sent her and is waiting for me to finish writing it so that she can look over the full manuscript. She also said she would wait until I was finished…there was no need to rush. Altough this could just be my reading into the situation, I feel a strong sense of interest on her part. She loved Caged, but had to pass because she felt it was too similar to things already on the market or in the works. In that same email, she asked that I please contact her with anything else I do because she would like to see it. That’s when I sent her UNBORN, which she clearly enjoyed enough to want to see the rest. She seems to be a fan of how I write, and was surprised that Caged was my first novel (or ANYTHING written since HS for that matter). So I find myself cautiously optimistic in what may come once UNBORN is finished.  I shall keep you posted.

Lastly, I have sent UNBORN to an American literary agent to see f there’s any interest there for a traditional publishing deal. It may not be the best move financially, but I REALLY would love to see my book on the shelves of a bookstore one day (if they still exist by then). It will likely be weeks before I hear anything back, so I’m chugging along as usual. I’ll keep you posted on any news there as well.

Now, as for release dates, here is my rough schedule for the next few books:

1. SCARRED (the CAGED series, book 4): release date is September 24, 2012
2. Tempted by Evil (Light and Shadow Trilogy, book 1): November 2012. We should have a more firm date by September.
3. FRACTURED (the CAGED series, book 5): early 2013 release date (either January or February)
4. UNBORN (the UNBORN series, book 1): April or May of 2013

I’ll be updating the tentative release dates as they firm up, and should have many of them listed in the back of SCARRED (where I always list the release for the next book). I will also have summaries for the other two series there as well, so that you can start to get to know them better and prepare to dive into those worlds!

Until then…I need to keep my head down and plug away! I’m off to go write 🙂