Another Day In My Fantasy

Yes. I feel like I'm living in a fantasy world. In this world, I'm published and everything is rosy and just right.  Wait! I'm here in the real world and awake!  But I'm still published and by AVON!   :::insert girly squeal here:::

I receive my newest RT Book Reviews and inside was Avon Impulse newest ad.  See the picture I took below. Hopefully it will be okay that I posted it here.

Plus on Pages 11 and 12, they mentioned me and quoted my editor.  They said stuff like "Avon Impulse...has got an author for  you. Carla Swafford, a name the publisher hopes you will soon be familiar with..."  So exciting and so wonderful.

No. Don't worry. I hope to goodness I'm not getting a big head about all of this. It's just that I never expected any of it. Hard to explain. Nothing like this has ever happened to me.

I plan to keep appreciating all the positive and ignore any negative (what little there is) and enjoy it all. Plus I'll continue to work hard, so maybe all the good things will keep rolling down to me.

More To Celebrate

First, I can't believe I haven't mentioned this on my blog, but Avon did a great press release on the day Circle of Desire came out in e-format. IT WAS AWESOME!  Click here to check it out!

Next, another site reviewed Circle of Desire and said, "Overall, this was a great romantic suspense debut!!"  Among The Muses  Click on the link and you can read the whole thing.

When it comes to Circle of Danger's first chapter revealed at the end of the book, they said, "I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment!"
YAY!

Who's Next?

In less than two weeks, I will be at the following blogs celebrating the release of the paperback Circle of Desire.  Lots of fun and I will be giving away copies!  I received a box last night and expect to have more by then.  So be sure to comment.

[added 11/2] 11/7 - Magie Lawson's blog - http://www.margielawson.com/margies-writing-blog
11/8 -  Cynthia Eden's blog  - http://www.cynthiaeden.com/blog/
11/9 -  Avery Flynn's blog - http://averyflynn.com/
11/10 -Just Romantic Suspense blog - http://justromanticsuspense.blogspot.com/
11/11 -Blame It On The Muse blog - http://blameitonthemuse.com/

Hope to see you there!

Last Day For Circle Of Desire (e-format) Blog Tour

Today, I'll be over at Christy Reece's blog!  She's a sweetheart (sweetheart - Sweet Reward - LOL! So appropriate) and half and is one of my good friends. A few weeks ago, she rode with me to Atlanta and we toured the Aquarium and hung out with Sherrilyn Kenyon.  So much fun!

Be sure to come over and comment.  At 8 p.m. Central, I will announce the winners of the $25 Amazon Gift Certificate from Avon and the three $10 B&N Gift Cards.  So that's four chances to win.  I've had a great time.

But I have to say I'm ready to get back to work full time (besides the day job) on the second book and get to the end. My poor characters have been in a bad spot for quite a few days now.

See you over there!  We'll have a SWEET time! (I couldn't resist.)

By the way, this is me visiting with Christy and Jennifer Echols at their book signing.

Two More Chances To Comment

Be sure to visit me at Patricia Preston's blog today.   And then tomorrow at NYT best selling author Christy Reece's blog.
Lots of fun and I will be announcing the winners from the blog tour on Christy's blog.

Thanks to everyone who has come by and commented!

Cross-Eyed From All The Fun Of Promotion

Wow! I have done ten blog posts this month. And that's not counting the ones here.  It takes up a lot of my precious time.  Working full time (with overtime) leaves only a few hours. Plus I try to participate in family functions.  Though I've blown off two for the weekend to get all my work caught up (posts and writing on Circle of Danger).

So be ready to check out the last two on this blog tour, and then be prepared for November 8. I believe I will be at talented and sweet Cynthia Eden's blog on my paperback release date. She and I will confirm this Monday. Then followed by Avery Flynn's blog on November 9 and Mary Freeman's Blame It On The Muse November 11.  That last one will be on 11/11/11.  Cool, huh?

November 5, I will be at Southern Magic's Romance Readers Luncheon at the Harbert Center.  You still have time to sign up.  Click here for more information.  You get lots of free books!

Then that should be all of my promotion for this year.  I need the break and time to write. Hopefully, I will complete Circle of Danger soon and then move on to the third book in The Circle Series.  It hasn't sold, but if I have half or all of it written when it's time to negotiate, that can only be good all the way around. 

Somewhere along the way, I would like to finish an historical I have that's doing very well in the contest circuit.  Now that I'm published, I can't enter it just anywhere. Most contest don't allow current published authors to enter no matter what. but there are a few that allow authors to enter into categories they're not published in.  So I can no longer enter unpublished books in the Romantic Suspense and Erotica categories.  Though I can enter my published books in several contests specifically set up for them.

Anyway, I just received the news THE CAGED HEART (my medieval) finalled in another contest (Hot Prospects).  So awesome!  Makes my heart happy.

Okay.  No more fooling around.  I have one more blog post to write and then I should have time to work on Circle of Danger. I know what happens next and really want to hurry to finish it.  I'm so close to the end, I could throw a rock at it.

Talk with you soon.  Make time to read!

Day Six Of My Blog Tour

I believe you will especially enjoy today's post at I Wanna to Sit And Read blog. As I had said a few days ago, I've tried to keep every post different and this one certainly is.  My characters actually give 5 traits of a hero and heroine. It was fun to write and, goodness, it's so amazing to realize how the characters really show their personalities. Some days I wonder if I have a split personality (a la Three Faces Of Eve).

Anyway, go to the blog and comment.  Please.

No blogs on the 22nd and 23nd.  But the last two are Monday and Tuesday.

Day Five of My Blog Tour

Yesterday was loads of fun with Laurie and bunches of commenters at Black Velvet Seduction Blog.  Click here to check out the post and comments.  They asked some really great questions that was a blast to answer.  It's never too late to comment.

Today, I will be at News and Reviews From The Heart of The Dragon's Den.  I love their picture of the two dragons and the misty dream castle.  So come over and comment.  I'm going to have a drawing on the 25th of all the commenters' names.

And Reviews Begin

Today, was my release date for Circle of Desire. So much fun and so many people wishing me well. There are a lot of kind people in this industry.  But I'm also aware starting this evening, I will find a mix of good and cruel people. What do I mean? Well, tomorrow people will start adding their reviews to different sites about my book. (Thank goodness for RT Book Reviews', I think I can handle almost anything.) Some will love it and some will hate it.

Why do I think the latter? Because my book has intense emotions and subjects in it. Some readers will feel uncomfortable with them. They will not "grade" it by how well it's written (no, I don't think it's literary art), e.g, plot, characterization, etc., but instead of saying it's not their cup of tea, they'll attack it and be ugly.  I've seen too many authors done that way, and it was books I loved.  So I don't expect anything different. No one is above it.  Too many different tastes out there.

Thanks to the Good Lord for that.

Day 3 On the Blog Tour

Come over today to Reader Girls' Blog and comment to be included in the drawing on 10/25.  Several people have mention having a problem getting their comments through, but hopefully more will work it out. In this blog, I talk about the competition between authors. Are there? Or aren't there?  

http://readergirls.blogspot.com/2011/10/gfp-circle-of-desire-virtual-book-tour.html?showComment=1318970409798#c6267612948447149117