Dear Friends and Readers,
Wow, look at this! What do you think of my fancy new newsletter format! Not only is it much prettier, but it can be stored on my website, too! So, fun stuff, and I'm really pleased to have a more eye-friendly way of communicating with you all! Mucho thanks to my much-beloved webwoman for her help with this transition. She rocks, but you already knew that from looking at my website, didn't you?
~Getting Swept Away…
I'm thrilled to tell you all that my first book with Avon titled, Swept Away, will be out in September - just a few short months away! And not only that, but it's the first full-length novel launching Avon's steamy new Red line, which is quite an honor for me, and I thank the fine folks at Avon for making that happen :) And hey, in my new newsletter format, I can post the cover (glance to your right!) - so please implant the image in your brain so you can easily spot it on bookstore shelves come September!
So, you're asking, how is this book different than other Toni Blake single title novels? Is it really “erotica,” as the Red line is being labeled?
The answer to the second question is actually no, it's not erotica, by my definition. It's “erotic romance,” meaning it's very sexy and sensual just like my past books, but it's still a Toni Blake romance, full of emotion and laughter and tears and, yes, a plethora of sexy, steamy scenes. The only difference between Swept Away and my recent single titles is that Swept Away contains a little more humor, and more lighthearted moments.
I like to think Swept Away combines what's best about my previous single titles and what was best about my earlier, shorter work which was quickly paced and comedic. It's definitely my favorite book of mine to date, so I hope you'll all love it, too.
What's it about? Think “Sex and the City” meets “Lost” (minus the freakier stuff on Lost ; ) )
When Kat Spencer is relaxing on her family's private island, preparing for her wedding, the last thing she expects is for Brock Denton to wash up on the beach. She last saw the bad boy FBI agent ten years ago, when she tried to seduce him - and failed. Kat and Brock quickly end up stranded together, but this time he's set on seducing her. She's still just as attracted to him as ever, but she is, you recall, engaged. Quite a dilemma ; ) Mix in some humor and a couple of gun-wielding maniacs and you've got a pretty wild ride : )
Click here to read the book's back blurb, and in the meantime, please join me in the countdown to September :)
~Website Update
In addition to helping me with the new newsletter, my lovely webmistress recently did a pretty big update to my site, so please check it out. You'll find a new page devoted to Swept Away, some new photos in both the Events and Travel albums, new upcoming appearances, you get the picture ; )
~The Best Darn Contest Ever
That's what I'm currently hosting on my website right now, 'til the end of July. If you want to know why I think it's the best darn contest ever (for romance readers, that is), visit the contest page - and then enter. It's a good prize, trust me!
~And While We're on the Subject of Contests…
I just want to mention a few things to all those faithful readers who enter my contests each time.
Please be aware that I can't accept incomplete contest entries. You'd be surprised how many people send me entries without even trying to answer the trivia question (or questions). Those people can't win, so they've wasted their time by entering. Folks who leave off their e-mail or addresses are disqualified too, because if I can't contact you, I also can't send you the prize ; ) Rest assured no one ever sees those addresses, by the way, except me, and they are solely for the purpose of mailing you your prize if you're a winner. They are discarded at the end of each contest period, but e-mail addresses are used to invite new folks to join this list.
Also, please be aware that my contests run for 2 to 4 months at a time. The end date of the contest is marked on the contest page, and I only accept one entry per person/e-mail address for each contest. So for those of you who enter every week or two, sorry to tell you, your entry is placed in the drawing only one time.
As I'm sure many of you know, I sponsor a second contest on the site, too, where you can win an autographed Toni Blake book just by being signed up for this newsletter. The problem I'm finding, however, is that because signing up for the newsletter doesn't require you to post your address, I can't contact folks easily if they win. I e-mail them, but frequently never get a response, probably because they think it's junk mail. Two of the last three of these prizes have gone unclaimed - and unfortunately, I don't have the time (or the staff ; ) ) to keep drawing names and trying to contact people, so I usually take one shot at it, then get back to writing books : ) So … if you're receiving this newsletter, and you see something in your mailbox someday with a subject line sort of like this - You win Toni Blake's contest! - please open it and claim your prize.
And if T. Timmons of Utah is out there somewhere, please e-mail me, because you won last month but probably thought the notification was junk mail ; )
Okay, got all that off my chest. Sorry it wasn't terribly entertaining or newsworthy, but figured it might clear up various bits of contest confusion for the future : )
~Something Fun
In honor of the new, improved newsletter format, I'm going to endeavor to add some fun little tidbit about the romance world or my books or whatever else may occur to me in each newsletter. And my first something fun is a glimpse at where I and many fellow authors write our stories.
This is my office (click on it for a bigger picture). It's a cheery butter yellow and is much the office I've always dreamed of. My husband and I kind of assembled it all just last year. Behind me on the big hutch is my 2500 page dictionary, open to whatever word I last needed to know something about, as well as lots of little pieces of memorabilia: a few photos with old friends, some “keeper” books, some small gifts friends have given me to celebrate the sale of a book, and the two chocolate Rita awards I saved from recent RWA national conferences (and thus far the closest I've actually come to a Rita award, except for when Jenny Crusie let me touch hers last year.)
Across from me, although you can't see it, is a FABULOUSLY SEXY framed black and white print of a couple lying in the surf, kissing. Let us just say the picture was a nice inspiration as I was writing Swept Away and I suggested something similar for the cover, but alas, the cover gods went in another direction ; )
So now that you've seen my office space, here's a link to author Paige Cuccaro's display of “Writer's Caves” where you can see the offices of LOTS of folks like Jenny Crusie (where's that Rita?), Teresa Medeiros, Lori Foster, and lots more.
~And Finally - for a Good Cause…
Fellow Avon author Jenna Petersen will be participating in a breast cancer fundraising walk in September. In conjunction with this, she will also be auctioning off autographed books and other items to raise money for breast cancer. As my mother is a recent breast cancer survivor, this is a topic near and dear to my heart. What I've found is that almost everyone has been touched by breast cancer in some way. Either it's been in your family or your neighbor's family or has happened to someone you work with. Please visit Jenna's website to learn more about her auction.
~I Think That's It!
Yep, I think that was everything I wanted to tell you this time around. The next time you'll hear from me will be in late summer, so until then, enjoy the season and have lots of fun in the sun. Oh, and if you're going to be in Atlanta in late July, please stop by the RWA Literacy Signing at the national conference and say hello (details of the when and where are on the Out & About page.) Otherwise, until next time, happy reading!
