Best ROW80 Update Ever - I've Finished Editing!

ow!

As of this weekend, I've finished ALL the editing for Out of the Water, Rosa and Baha's story.

That's it! It's over! No more tweaking or tinkering! Now the querying starts...

Sort of. I'm going to collate a few query letters this week, but only start sending them out in January. Here's my pitch:

Eighteen-year-old Rosa becomes separated from her family as they flee their Spanish homeland – and the Inquisition. Now her life is in the hands of a stranger, Baha, an artist from the Ottoman Empire. He is her one hope of reaching Constantinople and reuniting with her family. As they travel together, Rosa's drive to find her loved ones is matched by a deepening desire for the man at her side.

Despite her family's refusal to accept her marriage to a man of a different faith, when janissaries arrest her father and brother, Rosa and Baha risk everything to rescue them. Together they will prove that their love can withstand their differences... if the Grand Vizier doesn't throw them both into the dungeons first.

I've come so far with these two. I do hope I can launch them into the world and share them with lots of readers.

Meanwhile, Kristen Callihan's Firelight is coming soon!

Publisher's Weekly (as an aside, I've paid attention to Publisher's Weekly reviews ever since I was a kid - I noticed early on that all my favourite novels always had a favourable PW review on the back cover) gave Kristen a starred review!

"Debut author Callihan pens a compelling Victorian paranormal with heart and soul. Miranda Ellis has an unearthly talent for creating fire from thin air. Lord Benjamin Archer has lived for decades under the influence of a dark curse and wears a black mask over his disfigured face. After Miranda’s family is ruined, she weds Benjamin for his money and is surprised when passion and romance follow. Shortly after the wedding, Benjamin stands accused of a gruesome series of homicides. As he and Miranda hunt the true killer, Miranda soon sees the innocent, passionate man behind the mask, while wary Benjamin begins to trust in his wife's love even though it endangers them both. Readers will cheer for the couple, especially when the obstacles piled in their paths appear unsurmountable. The compulsively readable tale will leave this new author’s fans eager for her next book."

In other book news, Kait Nolan's Red is out in paperback!

Here's my review of Red. Funny, I haven't reviewed Firelight yet. But Publisher's Weekly got it spot on with "Readers will cheer for the couple, especially when the obstacles piled in their paths appear unsurmountable." Add it to your wishlist!