An announcement…and an epic joint contest!

2012 has been crazy good to me. FLAWED, a book that’s very close to my heart, has been released into the world—and people seem to really like it! While I’m gobsmacked by the reactions I’ve gotten, I’m most grateful for the readers I’ve met. That you guys believe the stuff I bleed onto the page matters means a lot to me. And because I’m me, all these fluffy feelings can only mean one thing: I’m giving stuff away!

But first, an announcement that’s pretty freaking awesome.

Awhile back, I called Jus Accardo with the lyrics to a song I’d just heard and the seed of what I hoped would become a story we’d write together. We took that little seed and developed it until we had something that combined my darkness and her creativity into a story that’s deceptively light (we are talking about me, here), thought-provoking, and extremely original. Exactly what you’d expect when an author who writes quirky paranormal romance teams up with someone who writes dark and twisty contemporary.

I never stopped thinking about the story. Neither did Jus. So last week we made a decision: We’re going to write the book, and it will be epic.

The catch? We want you guys to be part of it.

Jus and I are holding a contest/casting call with more than a dozen ways to enter. In addition to receiving ebook copies of all our books (Flawed, Touch, Untouched, and Toxic) and a full complement of swag from the two of us, the winner will get to create a character for the book. Name, appearance, character tics…everything. You can even be the character if you want. Our only caveat is that you not ask us to write a pink polka-dotted elephant (or the equivalent) into the story. Think contemporary YA and the kind of characters that come with the genre.

We can’t tell you guys anything about the story just yet, but we can share the song that started it all.

Intrigued? Enter the contest below for your chance to create a character in the book!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lucky 7: Peek at a new story

The Rules:

  1. Go to page 77 of your current MS.
  2. Go to line 7.
  3. Copy down the next 7 lines/sentences, and post them as they’re written. No cheating.
  4. Tag 7 other victims …er, authors.

Thanks to the fabulous Melissa West for tagging me!

Oh, man. I picked FLAWED because my WIP isn’t at page 77 yet, so excuse any foibles my editor hasn’t corrected! Um…you guys are going to kill me for this, but here are the seven (of nine!) lines that lead in to Sam and Sarah’s first kiss:

I forget my father, I forget the hell I live in, I forget James. Even if it’s only temporary and I can’t allow myself to return it, I want to know what it feels like to be loved by someone who isn’t obligated to love me back.

I’m not prepared when he leans back to wipe the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs and pins me with an intense look that screams something I don’t understand.

I’m even less prepared when my body responds.

Heart pounding, my arms wind easily around his neck.

Breath catching, I stretch to meet him halfway.

Our mouths fit together perfectly, just like I always knew they would.

And now I get to pick 7 victims! I’m going to tag:

 

Christa Desir
Katee Robert
Leah Miller
Katy Upperman
AE Rought
Heather Riccio
Jamie Manning