I just wanted to let everyone know that I've moved my blog to carlacassidy.wordpress.com

Please join me there!

I have been such a bad blogger!  I realized my last post here was in April!  Where has the time gone??!

As usual I'm working but I did take two weeks off for a glorious vacation.  We drove to New Mexico, Arizona and ended up in sin city Las Vegas.  The scenery was beautiful, the slots were merciless and the down time was much needed.  I didn't realize how tired I was, how hard I'd been working until I got away from it.

And now I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation!  We've been home a week and I still can't seem to find my normal routine!

Anyway, just thought it was time to pop in and say hi!

Take care and hope you're reading!

Carla

Last Gasp is in the stores today! 

Also, I have an interview up at Examiner.com.  Please feel free to stop by and leave a comment. 

Thanks for stopping!

Carla

Today I got an offer for two more books for Harlequin Intrigue.  Needless to say I accepted the offer!  It's always reassuring to know that I'm contracted for more work! 

I'm particularly excited about the first book, which might be the start of a series with FBI profilers as the main characters.  I've always found profiling  and the study of criminal minds to be fascinating. 

On another note, the weather is crazy!  It's supposed to be 75 degrees here on Saturday, then snow for Sunday.  I'm so ready for spring to stick and kick winter to the curb!

Last Gasp releases in five days and I hope you'll all go out and buy a copy!  I can't wait to hear some reviews and reader comments on this book. 

That's it from me...another boring update!

Thanks for stopping!

Carla 

Tonight I have to skip tap class.  Unfortunately I had a bad toe nail and went into the doctor and he removed half of it.  So, I now have it wrapped in gauze and some pain meds waiting for me to take.  (Does this fall under the category of TMI??)

I generally don't like taking pain medicine and tonight we have a risk of severe weather, so I really hate the idea of being doped on meds and taken off to Oz!

On the writing front, I just finished up revisions on my next Silhouette Romantic Suspense and have another proposal to work up. 

Last Gasp comes out April 7th  and it's not too late to be entered into a drawing for a free autographed copy.  All you have to do is visit me at carlacassidy.ning.com, sign in and say hi!  I'll be drawing a winner on Friday.

I've officially started a diet again.  I need to lose fifteen pounds by June when I'm going on a research trip out west.  If I don't lose it, I won't be able to fit into any of my cute summer clothes.  I hate dieting, just thinking about it makes me want a Big Mac and chocolate shake!

That's it from me for now.  Take care and keep reading!

Carla

Today I spent the day doing busy work.  I found some old photos of some of my first booksigns and scanned them into the computer, uploaded a page on my website and contacted some readers to remind them of my April 7th release of Last Gasp. 

Considering I didn't do any real writing, I feel remarkably productive.  These are things I've been needing to do for some time.  I also answered interview questions for two blog sites and got my hair cut. 

I also received my copies of Last Gasp and I'm going to be giving a free copy away.  I'll pick a name from people who go to carlacassidy.ning.com and sign up and post a comment.  At the end of next week I'll randomly draw a name.  So come on over and chat with me and maybe you'll win a free autographed book!

Thanks for stopping!

Carla

It's Friday night and I'm just enjoying a little down time before I put my nose to the grindstone starting tomorrow morning.  I have line edits to get finished by the end of the weekend, an art fact sheet to fill out for one of my Silhouette Romantic Suspense books and some planning for a retreat that's taking place in a month.

The retreat is one of the highlights of my life.  Once a year my writing chapter rents a beautiful place in a wooded setting and have a writer sleepover.  We talk business, we critique each other's work and we form friendships.  It's a wonderful time and a lot of work because I'm in charge of the meals for twenty-something writers who love to eat!

That's it from me for tonight.  As always thanks for stopping by and if you decide you'd like to talk about my books, or any other that you're reading, drop by and sign in to CarlaCassidy.ning.com

Carla

I've spent the last couple of weeks working up proposals and sending them off and now I'm in the waiting game...waiting to hear what might work and what might not.

I've always considered myself a patient person, but when it comes to my work I get crazy while waiting to hear back from an editor.

I think part of the problem is when I work on a synopsis I get invested into the story and am ready to take off writing it.  But, the reality of my schedule is that I can rarely afford to write ahead without my editor's comments to guide me.

So, I wait and while I wait I whine and check my email, and while I whine I eat and check my email, and while I eat I watch too much television and check my email.  I become an unproductive slug for a couple of days before I pull myself together and get back to working on something!

In a perfect world I'd sent off a proposal and fifteen minutes later get a glowing response from my editor and I'd be off and running.  Of course, intellectually I know that's silly.  Intellectually, I know that editors have tons of writers, tons of work and their priority is whatever is on fire on their desk and that's how it should be.

In the meantime, I've got a Twinkie with my name on it and America's Next Top Model on the tube!

Take care and keep reading!

Carla

I've been doing some web surfing the last couple of days and I've been wondering how much personal information about an author is too much? 

What do readers really want to know about the people who are writing the books they like to read?  Do you want to know about their families?  Feel a personal connection to the writer?

Before the Internet and such instant access, most readers knew authors by the brief blurb on the back of their books, but now there's so much info out there and I can't help but think that's not all good.

So what do you all think?  When is it too much?

See ya,

Carla

I survived the roller skating party!  I managed to go around the rink five times before falling hard first on my butt, then on one knee and that made me decide that grandmothers should sit and watch instead of participating!

I finished the first of the Lawmen of Black Rock books and got it sent it.  Now I have two synopses to write this week.  I need to get started on my taxes (ugh) and I've started a new social network that I hope you'll all visit.  It's at carlacassidy.ning.com.

I'm hoping to get a great network of readers there.

In the meantime we're under a winter storm warning tonight and I'm supposed to have a writers meeting tomorrow.  We'll have to see what the weather does to see if the meeting actually takes place.  Since I'm president of the group it's up to me to make the call. 

We've been incredibly lucky this winter - almost no snow but they're calling for two to five inches overnight.

I love snowy days when I don't have to go out anywhere and I can snuggle in my robe and write all day.  That might be what I do tomorrow. 

That's all from me for tonight.  Thanks for stopping by and I'll let you know if I ever get out of my warm fuzzy robe tomorrow!

Carla