Release Day = Graduation + First Day of School

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it. Heiress Without a Cause has been quietly available on Barnes and Noble all last week, but today is the official launch. It's like the first day of school, my birthday (before the stupid terrorists ruined it forever), and graduation all rolled into one. In many ways, it's like a graduation -- the culmination of a lot of work over several years, ending in one lovely day full of celebrating and laughter and merriment. Some of my friends are taking me out tonight, which will be a great way to end the day, and I've gotten some wonderful emails and tweets and comments from all over the world. So today is truly a day to celebrate and reflect on everything that's happened over the last few years (preferably with some champagne and possibly a mani/pedi).

But in other ways, it's more like the first day of school. Will the other kids (readers) like me? Am I wearing the right clothes? Am I smart enough to handle the work? What's that smell in the cafeteria? (I've been shamefully neglecting my kitchen this weekend...). While all the work of getting my book out in the world has culminated in this, the next phase of work -- connecting with readers, writing to deadlines, mastering the art of juggling writing and promo -- is just beginning.

Still, it's an exciting day, and I'm going to enjoy it. Thank you for celebrating with me, and I'm so glad you're here as I kick off the next phase. If you want to stay updated when the book launches everywhere, or if you want to be invited to signings/events/launch parties, please sign up for my mailing list.

And really, if my outfit is a wreck, promise you'll tell me?

How to Follow One of the Top Romantic Comedies of All Time

This is so totally not Regency-related; it's not even book-related. But, I trust that you will give me the liberty to occasionally post other things that amuse me. And right now, I am amused by this short movie for a supposed sequel to "When Harry Met Sally". This isn't a fan-made ripoff; it stars Billy Crystal and Helen Mirren. Let's just say that their attempts to refresh the story for a modern audience are hilarious. Check out the video here and let me know what you think! And if you have other videos I should watch while procrastinating, please do share.

I Need To Get On the Rewriting Classics Train

My favorite new deal from Publishers Marketplace for this week is:

Janet Mullany's THE IMMORTAL JANE AUSTEN, a humorous novel about Jane Austen in Regency England who joins the vampire resistance in Bath when England is invaded by French forces, to May Chen at Harper, in a nice deal, in a two-book deal, by Lucienne Diver of The Knight Agency (world).

WTF? What is it with Jane Austen being rewritten in a variety of ridiculous ways? I need to get on this bandwagon; it's just too bad that by the time I finish a book for this trend, the trend will already be dead. I suppose that means I should focus on submitting AN INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE, rather than developing a version of Upton Sinclair's THE JUNGLE in which he explores the horrors of the meatpacking industry and discovers that all meatpackers are, in fact, syphilitic zombies intent on infecting the American population in an effort to upgrade from their filthy tenement apartments.

Actually, given the state of the market, that idea may have promise...

On Business Cards and Taglines

I want to get some writing-related business cards before the RWA National Conference in Washington this summer, and I'm having trouble deciding what to put on them. My name is a critical component, obviously, as are email and phone. However, I do not think I will put on my home address, both for privacy reasons and because I move often enough that I don't want to have my card be obsolete in six months.

The trickiest part is my occupation and the description of my business. I am calling myself a writer because that's what I am, even if I haven't made any money for my labors yet. Beyond that, though, I want something on the card that hints at the type of writing I do. I can do this partially through the font, color, etc. -- if I choose pink with a flowing script font, it's clear that I write traditional romances rather than paranormals (although I do want to write paranormals someday). But I also want a tagline to describe what I write in one pithy, memorable sentence.

I spent a few minutes brainstorming tonight, and clearly I'm going to have to do more -- what I came up with is definitely memorable, but not particularly useful ("Love in the Time of Syphilis" and "Sara Ramsey: Ramming It Old-School" were my two favorite inappropriate taglines). So, it's back to the drawing board -- do you have any thoughts?