SUGAR Release Week

B&N Green Room_Hope & Jenna_10-22-13
Hope & Jenna in the green room of the Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.

SUGAR, my hard cover debut written with Jenna Jameson, released on Monday, 10/21, and so far it’s been quite a week!

The highlight: a book signing at the Barnes & Noble on 5th Avenue and 46th Street. Prior to the 12 noon signing, the crowd queued up outside 5th Avenue, forming a line that would snake around the block.

In contrast, the bookstore’s green room was a cozy haven before facing the media blitz outside. The 2+ hours whizzed by in a flurry of signing and photo ops.

The day ended with drinks at an East Village watering hole with Lady Jane’s Salon co-founder and fellow author, Leanna Renee Hieber.

SUGAR is the first in m/our FATE Series. Look for HONEY and SPICE in 2014.  For now, we hope readers who enjoy the book will take two ticks to post a review on Amazon.

Hope

SUGAR & Champers_Cafe SimoneBarnes&Noble_Oct-22-13

Last Night’s GAAs & Author of the Year!

Hope Accepting Award_9-12-13Last night was the Golden Apple Awards, the annual industry awards event sponsored by the New York City chapter of The Romance Writers of America. I was–and am–thrilled and honored to have been chosen by the membership as its 2013 Author of the Year. Below are the notes for my acceptance speech, which I managed to complete dry-eyed albeit verklempt.

A career of twenty years, thirteen as a published author, means there are many people to be thanked, so I may not be exactly brief  but I will be as succinct as these two pages permit.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my trio of fabulous agents:

To Louise Fury with whom I’ve been blessed to work since 2010. As some of you know, I first met Louise when she started coming to Lady Jane’s Salon® in our early days and at the time I had no idea she was even agenting. It took me a while but I finally cottoned on. Elizabeth Mahon and I took her out for “a” drink to celebrate a significant deal she’d made, one drink turned into many drinks, and then next thing I knew she was asking me about my books. I’ll never forget her saying, “I don’t know if I can sell it—but I’ll try.” By 1:00 AM I was back home emailing her the files.

Louise has done considerably better than “try.” She has since sold THREE series for me, including my hard cover debut, SUGAR, co-written with Jenna Jameson, which releases from Skyhorse Publishing this October 21st. And that’s not even counting the foreign and audio deals she’s made—all while fielding my many, MANY daily emails, on which I usually forget to change the subject header. Honestly, Louise, I can’t imagine being in this business without you.

To Lori Perkins who wears many hats—make that tiaras—not only as the founder and owner of the enduringly successful L. Perkins Agency but also as a writer and publisher. As you know, Lori launched Riverdale Avenue Books last December and she hasn’t stilled since. I don’t use the word “maverick” often or lightly but Lori is truly that. Lori doesn’t follow publishing trends, she forecasts them. She has brought so many publishing opportunities my way these past years, including but in no way limited to a place in her 50 Writers on 50 Shades of Grey anthology and for those and her friendship, I thank her.

To Jenny Bent, our Agent of the Year, who launched my career back in ’99 by selling my Regency-set historical to Berkley. A Rogue’s Pleasure was a first romance sale for both of us—and as they say you never forget you first. I was with Jenny through three agencies, and was so proud of her when she went out on her own and founded The Bent Agency, which has added a London office to its home base of Brooklyn.   

To the talented editors with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working over the past 13 years and counting: Cindy Hwang at Berkley, Brenda Chin at Harlequin, Helen Rosburg at Medallion Media Group, Angela James at Carina Press, Stacy Cantor Abrams at Entangled, and now Jenn McCartney at Skyhorse Publishing. I’ve done 25 books and each has been made inestimably better for your talented input.

Hope_Acceptance Speech_9-12-13To the uber talented former O Magazine senior editor, memoirist and now romance author, Suzan Colon for being my friend, supporter, and creative sounding board. Our lunches are not only a treat to which I look forward but a grounding point for me personally and professionally. I am so looking forward to you reading BEACH GLASS at the February Lady Jane’s Salon.

To RWA NYC for your enduring support, friendship, and encouragement. When I moved to New York in the winter of 2008, I knew ABSOLUTELY NO ONE. Attending that first Saturday chapter meeting was akin to grabbing hold of a lifeline. I met both my Lady Jane’s co-founder, Leanna Renee Hieber and past president, Elizabeth Mahon at a chapter outing to Coney Island. Others of you I’ve gotten to know through additional chapter events such as the winter holiday and spring brunches, the online loop, and of course your glorious and enduring support of Lady Jane’s Salon. To Maria Ferrer and Lise Horton and Sarah Tormey and Kwana Jackson…well, I don’t have time or breath to name each one of you but please know that your support, of me, my books, and m/our Lady Jane’s Salon these past five years means more than I can say.
GAA Trophy & Plaque
Last but in no way least, to my wonderful and always supportive partner, Raj Moorjani, who daily affirms that Happily Ever After isn’t only the stuff of romance novels—we can have it in Real Life, too.

This is an enormous honor. Thank you!

Reading from SUGAR at the July 1st Lady Jane’s Salon

SUGAR_Final_CvrIf the Slipper Fitssoul-strippersmallAs many of you know, I co-founded and curate Lady Jane’s Salon, New York City’s first–and still only–monthly romance reading series now in our fifth year with six Salon satellites nationwide!

But  enough of bragging on m/our “baby.”

The July Salon promises to be special indeed. I am not only co-hosting along with partners, Leanna Renee Hieber and Ron Hogan, but I am also  guesting. I will share a snippet from SUGAR (Skyhorse, October 2013), my hard cover debut co-written with NYT bestseller Jenna Jameson. You can read a bit about the book in my previous post here. Former internationally famous adult entertainment actress, “Sugar” AKA Sarah Halliday leaves LA behind and returns to her native New York City to reinvent herself, creating a splash of sizzle and pop with the help of fun ex-AE friends and a certain sexy war hero turned CEO keen to explore his kinkier side.

Adding a paranormal twist to our unofficial theme of “bad” girls with hearts of gold, Kensington author Katana Collins will read from her sizzling debut, SOUL STRIPPER. Exotic dancer, Monica, doesn’t just break hearts–she sucks souls–but can this sexy succubus resist the lure of true love?

Megan Mulry will carry us to modern day England with her second novel, IF THE SHOE FITS. “Glass slippers were meant to broken”–huzzah and here here!

Join us on Monday, July 1st, 7-9 PM at Madame X. Admission is $5 or one gently used romance novel. Net monetary proceeds support an end-of-year donation to Women In Need.

Cash bar.

Author books will be available for purchase and autographing onsite courtesy of Posman Books.

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My Hard Cover Debut: SUGAR with Jenna Jameson!

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I’m thrilled to announce my latest—and until now Super Secret—project, SUGAR (Skyhorse Publishing, October 2013), a contemporary erotic romance with the incomparable Jenna Jameson!

SUGAR will be Jenna’s fiction debut, and I’m over-the-moon honored to partner with her in bringing her sexy and soulful story to readers.

SUGAR is a first for me as well: my hard cover debut!

The project is also my first teaming with another author, and I’ll admit I wasn’t quite certain what to expect. Writing is, by its very nature, a solitary profession. What would it be like to invite another writer into my Writing Cave? What would it be like to be a guest in hers? I’m happy to report the experience has been A+++ on all levels, an uncanny meeting of complementary minds, talents, and life experiences.

But then it’s no surprise that Jenna can bring the sexy and then some! Her 2010 memoir, HOW TO MAKE LOVE LIKE A PORN STAR, sold a quarter of a million copies and hit the New York Times bestseller list.

So what’s SUGAR about?

As my longtime readers will attest, second chances are a recurring theme in all my books, contemporary and historical, yet another reason I am so jazzed about SUGAR.

Like Jenna, the heroine of SUGAR is a former porn star, a smart, savvy, strong woman who’s taken total charge of her career and has now decided to refocus her priorities on her personal life. Fleeing the bright lights and big city of Los Angeles, she moves to Manhattan to reinvent herself. In doing so, she gets more than she bargained for—a lot more.

Cover reveal—trust me, it’s g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s and smokin’ hot—and additional details about the book coming soon!

* Jenna Jameson, Photo courtesy of IMDb.