heidi's blog

I can't believe it's Friday again already. Where the heck does the time go?

I've been writing like crazy, getting pages & pages done on my first single title for St. Martin's Press. I am so excited about this book, having a fabulous time, & can only hope that everything I'm doing now makes sense in the end when the whole book is finished. :-p

I've also been working closely this past week or so with my web designer on the redesign of my website. Yes, I know I've been talking about it for quite a while, but we're coming down to the wire now, I swear. We're hoping to have the new site go live over the weekend or early next week. I definitely want it up before I leave for the RWA National conference in Dallas because I'll be handing out little cards to promote my blog & mailing list there & I don't want folks to get home with them, try to check the new site, & go, Huh?

It's all going to be gorgeous, that's for sure. Yeah, there will probably be some bugs to work out, & since we're moving my blog from Blogger to WordPress, it will definitely take me a while to get the hang of the new layout & functions. But bear with me & I promise we'll have some fun. (Wait until you see! He he he he. :-D)

And last but not least, I've been watching some movies. (I can watch & write at the same time, thankyouverymuch.) Watched the end of Sahara, which I'd actually started quite some time ago...didn't love it, but watching Matthew McConaughey is never a hardship; The Cave, which I expected to be bad, but actually enjoyed...it's one of those dark, eerie, almost B-movie horror flicks; & The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which was also better than I expected...that one I thought was going to be a horror flick, but it ended up being more of a courtroom drama-type thing.

Oh, & I'm also working on the galleys of my November Silhouette Desire, CHRISTMAS IN HIS ROYAL BED, going through the story one last time for typos & the like before it goes to press. Hopefully I can catch them all this time, since I've been getting letters about a name snafu in FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN. Did you know that at one point (I want to say on page 34 or 35, but I'm not sure) the hero's name changes from Creed to Chase, then back again? LOL Don't know if it was a typo or a mental thing (since Chase is the name of my hero from the previous book, BLACKMAILED INTO BED), but there it was. I never caught it, & apparently no one else did, either...at least not until the story reached readers. :-P

But what can you do? I guess the good news is that it didn't ruin the book for anyone, & everybody seems to have caught on quickly enough. I have such smart readers. *g*

Exciting news. FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN must be in stores now, because it is currently #2 on the Borders Series Romance Bestsellers List!

Yippee!

And it would probably be number one if it weren't for that darn fabulous "Raintree" trilogy from Nocturne. Blast those brilliant women! (Linda Winstead Jones, whose Raintree: Haunted is at #1, is actually a good friend of mine, so A.) I'm allowed to gripe about her, & B.) she totally deserves it!)

Besides, there's always next week, right? Everybody concentrate hard & maybe FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN will move up to the top spot. *g*

Also related to FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN, at this very moment I am trying to learn how to use Microsoft Office Publisher to design & create postcards, which I try to mail to readers who don't have internet access & aren't signed up for my e-mail Mailing List. (Which, of course, all of you are, right? Right? :-))

I have Print Shop, too, & had been using that. But lately, it's been giving me fits & I just couldn't stand it anymore. It was printing off the page, or too much on the page, & just not holding the format I needed. I didn't know what the heck the problem was, & since I'd used MS Publisher in the past & like it, I figured I'd give it another shot.

I am happy to say that so far, it's working well. Recreating the postcard I'd already designed in Print Shop was much easier than I expected, & they're printing now, with no problems. Yay! One annoyance is that I can't figure out how to print more than one page at a time...same thing happened with Print Shop...but if that's the only problem I encounter, I'll be a happy camper.

So that is what I'm up to today, even though I should be writing. But the sooner I get these in the mail, the better.

Now go. Buy. Read. And then let me know what you think of Creed's & Maya's story. :-D

Our very own Jennifer was kind enough to invite me to do an interview at her blog, "Jennifer's Random Musings," & it was just posted this morning. Weeee!

It's mostly about my June Silhouette Desire release, FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN--which should start showing up in stores any day now...aaaaagh!!!!--but there's a little bit in there about me & the idiosyncrasies that make me so very special. (And yes, I mean "special" in that way. *vbg*)

So pop on over to Jennifer's blog & read all about it!

And, because Jennifer is a complete sweetheart & none of my checks to her have bounced yet, she's also letting me do a guest blog next month for the release of my very first anthology, HEAT WAVE. I'll let you know when that one's up & we can get all hot & bothered together. :-)

Whoo-hoo! They're gorgeous, let me tell you.

My novella in HEAT WAVE, "Shaken and Stirred," is dedicated to one of my neighbors, so I was even able to run a copy over to her right away. She was thrilled, & I got to hold the baby for a while. (I have an ulterior motive for everything. *vbg*)

I can't believe it's almost June already, & that FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN will soon be hitting the shelves. And then right after that, in July, HEAT WAVE will show up. Too cool.

I don't know which Harlequin will send for me to sign at the Literacy Autographing at the RWA conference in July. I think I may have requested both, but they sometimes send only one title. Since Stephanie and Leslie will both be there, as well, it would probably be cool to have the anthology so readers can get it signed by all three of us, but I guess we'll just have to wait & see. :-)

I can't tell you how excited I am about this news. I was just thrilled when I found out about the "Joyfully Recommended" honor from JoyfullyReviewed.com, but I'm equally thrilled about the review JR's Melissa gave my June Silhouette Desire, FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN:

"Maya Blackstone has loved her stepbrother, Creed Fortune, for years, but the marriage of her mother to his father has always made any relationship between them seem impossible, so she's hidden her love. Little does she know, Creed returns her feelings, but has also been keeping his love a secret. Can they overcome society's opinions and weather the scandal in order to finally be together?

I love Heidi Betts! Without a doubt, Fortune's Forbidden Woman is a wonderful example of why. Creed and Maya's star-crossed love kept me absorbed in the book, anxiously waiting for them to give in to their passion. Sensual and emotionally riveting, Fortune's Forbidden Woman should be on every romance lover's reading list!"

Well, I love you, too, Melissa! LOL I'm just delighted by the reception FORTUNE'S FORBIDDEN WOMAN is getting already, & can't wait to hear what the rest of you think when the book actually becomes available next month. Hopefully early next month so I don't have to sit on pins & needles for too long. *g*

I hope you'll all let me know!