Have I mentioned how much I love Cobblestone Press? They’ve set up a messageboard called Cobblestone Main Street, and I have my own forum there. It’s called Lia Sebastian’s Chateau, and I’ll post there about my releases, interviews, appearances, and more. I’ll still post here, of course, and at my website. But this is very fun. I’d love to see you there!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I blogged last. Long enough, in fact, that I wasn’t sure I remembered my password. As you can see, I managed it and here I am.

It’s a new year. Amazing, really. So much happened last year–good and bad.

The good: I was published! I’m endlessly grateful to Cobblestone Press for buying my work. I couldn’t have asked for a more positive first publishing experience. And I’ve met so many wonderful people through Cobblestone and through writing.

The bad: I’ve lost focus. Part of this is because of the day job. There have been a number of shake-ups there lately. Plus, since I write and edit eight hours a day, sometimes writing is the last thing I want to do when I get home. I’ve also let some things become distractions unnecessarily.

My goal for the year is simply this: focus on the writing. I’m going to do my best to shut out the static, the distractions.

I wrote today and it felt wonderful.

In other news, I’m attending the upcoming Utah RWA conference next month. I’m excited about all the speakers and hope to get a lot of good information I can use in my writing.

November has been a very busy month for me. I’m participating in National Novel Writing Month, and I also took a week off to go to California with a friend. While I was gone, I received some news. Cobblestone Press sent me a contract for The Seventh Sense. Here’s a blurb for the story.

When Erin Andrews buys an antique ring, her practical world turns upside-down. First, she hears a disembodied voice. Then, she receives a series of threatening notes. In her search for answers, Erin seeks advice from antiquities expert Luke Hunter, a man who’s deeply interested in the ring.

Luke has been researching the secrets of Erin’s ring for more than a decade. His help–and protection–proves invaluable, but can Erin trust that he wants her . . . and not her antique ring?

No firm release date yet, but it looks like it will come out in April. This will be my first paranormal.

I want to let you know about two upcoming chats. The first is tonight at Romance Divas. You will need to sign up as a member of the forum (it’s free and doesn’t take long to register), and Java is required. It starts at 9:00 PM Eastern, and many of Cobblestone’s authors will be there.

The second chat is next Tuesday in the Cobblestone Press chatroom. You need Java for this chat as well. It begins at 9:00 PM Eastern. I’ll have prizes people can win.

I hope you can make it to one of the chats!

I’m finally completing a fun meme where I answer five questions from someone else, then ask five questions of the first five people who post in the comments. So, here are my answers to Jenna Petersen’s questions.

What kind of books do you write?
The two books I’ve contracted are short stories–contemporary romance. This subgenre is the most comfortable one for me, and I enjoy writing shorts. I have a full-length futuristic romance as well, with two more books planned in that world. And finally, I have two historical romances in the works. This subgenre is the most challenging for me to write, so once these are finished, I’m making no promises about more historicals.

Can you tell us more about Cobblestone Press (recently I’ve been hearing quite a bit about them)?
Happy to. In fact, I’ll share the whole story, beginning with how I learned about them. I’ve been reading e-books for about a year, and I initially read books by both Deanna Lee and Sable Grey last fall. One day I saw a notice on Deanna’s blog about Cobblestone Press.

I checked out the website and had two main thoughts: (1) that it looked very professional, and (2) that it might be a good choice for me because it was a publisher dedicated to romance, not just erotic romance. Since I rate my stories on the hot side–leaning toward erotic but not quite there–this made Cobblestone an interesting possibility.

At the time, I had one short story and the futuristic; the former was too short for consideration and the latter is targeted for print publishers. So I bookmarked the site and made a note to come back to it.

Cobblestone began accepting submissions in March. By that time, they had lowered their minimum word count so my short story qualified. I sent it for submission on a Friday and got a contract the following Monday.

It’s been a great company for me as a first-time author. Each book went through three rounds of editing, and the editors pointed out things and made suggestions that made the story stronger.

Cobblestone also sends out its releases to dozens of review sites. I’ve heard from other authors that not all e-publishers do that. I believe the fact that Deanna and Sable are authors themselves helps them know how to make things easier for their authors. And they encourage us to submit to other e-publishers to get our names out there; they even sent a PDF with things to look for as we review contracts from other companies. As a publishing newbie, I found the comments very helpful.

Oh, and I can’t talk about Cobblestone without mentioning the covers! They offer consistently good covers. I couldn’t be happier with mine.

Cobblestone opened last Friday, and my first book isn’t out yet (that’s this Friday, only five days away!), so I can’t speak to royalties, but I’ve been pleased with the company in every other area, and I’m convinced they will continue to grow and do well.

If you couldn’t be a writer, what profession would you want to pursue?
A professional paid romance reviewer. Or a scrapbooking instructor.

What profession would you avoid at all costs?
Anything related to math.

What’s your favorite ice cream?
Bubble gum. I know, everyone looks at me strangely when I say it, but it’s true. Throwback to when my mom would take me to get a shake after surviving a trip to the dentist.

That was fun! If you want me to visit your blog and customize five questions to you, just post in the comments.

It blew me away to realize that Office Relations will be released in 14 days. There’s so much to do before then, including pray for good reviews. LOL! One of the things I need to do is make a few announcements.

• First, I will be participating in the Pink Posse yahoo group next week. May 29 is the day I’ll be sure to be there, and I’ll pop in and out of the group all day. Consider joining the group to get announcements, hear about contests, and enjoy chatting with others who love romance.
• Tomorrow is an official chat at Cobblestone Press. You can find out about upcoming releases, chat with authors and publishers, and more! Stop by between 8:00 and 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).
• Consider signing up for the The Cobblestone Press Chronicle, the publisher newsletter that will keep you informed about official chats and releases. If you’re interested in Cobblestone, this announcement-only newsletter is a great way to stay updated. All you need to do is put your e-mail address in the form, and you’ll be signed up! There are some yahoogroups you can join there as well if you’re interested in chatting, but I recommend The CP Chronicle if you just want to get information.

I have an author chat coming up, but I’ll post more about that next week. Don’t worry–I’ll be sure to provide advance notice.

Between Floors is in the editing stage. I was interested to see what changes would be made and what I could improve. I didn’t have as much trouble with wandering body parts as I did last time, but several changes were suggested. I appreciate how thorough the Cobblestone Press editing process is. It’s much better to catch things now instead of when the story has been released.

Speaking of releases, the release date for Between Floors has not yet been assigned. I’ll post it once I get it.

I posted about heroines on the Cobblestone Press blog. Please click and comment when you have a minute!

I don’t have to work Friday, so I’m looking forward to a long weekend. Of course, I’d like to get some writing done. I’m hoping to accomplish several other things as well, including an article, author profile, and Cobblestone Press blog entry. If I’m lucky, I’ll enjoy some relaxation time too.

I received my editor assignment for Between Floors. It’s a different editor than I had before, but I’m sure things will go fine. Edits probably won’t begin for another few weeks. I have plenty to keep me occupied in the meantime.

I’m thinking ahead to other projects I want to finish in 2006. I will set some goals in the next few weeks–maybe I’ll post them in the sidebar to help me be accountable.

One of my goals will be to write more exciting blog entries. LOL!

I’m posting at the Cobblestone Press blog today. My blog entry is about some of the best and worst things about writing. I hope you’ll visit and join in the discussion!