SEPTEMBER 2005
 

a letter from julie
 Of fog, fireworks and
Rita gowns
 _______________
 book news
Go BATS! (Beauty and
the Spy, that is)
_______________
contest
Win a bag of swag with a little help from your friends...
___________
the magical history tour
 A flash in the pan?
     
     

~A Letter from Julie~

Hello, my pumpkins! Note the "Fall" theme in my salutation—it's not quite pumpkin season yet, but Here in San Francisco, we have a grand, quixotic Fourth of July tradition: every year the City puts on a big fireworks display, and we city dwellers huddle under blankets and enthusiastically pretend we can actually see the fireworks through the fog: "Hey! That cloud just got a little brighter! I think that was a firework!" "Wow! Look at that bright pink smudge up in the sky! I bet that was a firework!" Like that. Cracks me up. This year the weather was a little clearer (if not warmer) than usual, and fireworks over the Golden Gate bridge are admittedly pretty spectacular. But I was raised a suburban girl in a place where the sun actually comes out during the summer, and if you had a barbeque in your backyard or went to a local parade on the 4th, I was with you in spirit. Hope the skies lit up for you all!

OK, now on to the really important news: I now have a dress to wear to the Rita Awards at this year's Romance Writers of America Conference! LOL. The conference is July 27-30th in Reno, California, the awards ceremony is Saturday the 29th, and the dress is a black vintage evening gown, which I'll wear with long gloves I bought at a thrift store some fifteen odd years ago. THE RUNAWAY DUKE is a finalist in the Best First Book category, so cross your fingers, toes, and any other appendages you think might help me make it up to the stage that night, not to mention not trip on the hem of my dress. And if you're anywhere near Reno, I'd love to see you at the Readers for Life Literacy signing on Wednesday, July 27th, where I'll sign books along with hundreds of other romance authors. All proceeds go to literacy causes. What better excuse to buy suitcases full of romances? :)

And of course, we have a new contest, in which you can win a big bag of swag—and you'll be happy to learn I have an actual contest form now! Woo hoo! I included a place for comments on the form, because I realized I'd miss the little comments you guys used to add to your emails. Don't feel obliged to make any comments, but do, by all means, enter the contest, and scroll down for book news and history tidbits, etc. Thanks for reading, and as usual, feel free to pass this newsletter on to anyone you think might enjoy it. Hope your summer has been filled with terrific books so far!

Warm Regards,

Julie :)


~ available now ~


~ March 2006 ~

XXX| Preorder|XX


~ available now ~
Excerpt | Order

~Book News~

My next book, BEAUTY AND THE SPY (also affectionately known by its acroynm, BATS), is the first book in a trilogy for Warner Forever, and it'll be out in March 2006, but you can preorder it now from Amazon, if you'd like. See, that way, you can be the first on your block to go BATS! :) (ha ha ha). As the weeks go by, I'll reveal a bit more about the trilogy itself, Beauty and the Spy's hero and heroine and their story, and post an excerpt, too, of course. I'll keep you informed via this newsletter. I'll share the the cover art with you, too, when we have it (that big gold rectangle up there is just a placeholder, if you will). The second book in the series will most likely be out in the Fall of 2006. I'm hard at work on revisions, now.
       
~Contest~


NEW CONTEST: Win a bag of swag, with a little help from your friends...This month, you can win a signed hardcover copy of TO LOVE A THIEF and/or a big bag of swag, including gourmet chocolate, signed books and more, just for telling your friends about the contest. Go to my contest page to find out how.

w i n n e r: Gayle Morgan of Illinois won the signed copies of TO LOVE A THIEF and ONCE A SCOUNDREL. Three cheers for Gayle! I didn't have a stealth contest last month...but that doesn't mean I won't have one...or two...this month. Keep your eyes peeled!
~The Magical History Tour~    

A flash in the pan: In THE RUNAWAY DUKE, Connor Riordan considers his boot pistol a "damned capricious weapon," and accounts himself lucky that the thing fires at all in a moment of, shall we say, extreme urgency (specifically involving highwaymen). The boot pistol in question was a "flintlock" pistol, so called because the lock uses a flint to strike sparks into the powder in a priming pan when the trigger is pulled. This powder would then ignite the main charge and fire the lead ball at highwaymen, or what have you.

But flintlock pistols, the height of weapons technology during the Regency period, were indeed "damned capricious weapons," because often the powder in the priming pan would spark but fail to ignite the main charge, which meant the pistol wouldn't fire at all—and this is where we get our expression "a flash in the pan," which colorfully describes an effort or person that promises great success...but fails. Read more about Regency period weapons.

What I've been reading: Death at La Fenice, a mystery set in Venice by Donna Leon; In Your Wildest Dreams, Toni Blake; my credit card bills (oy).
       
 
Take care for now, and see you next time!

    
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