Happy Launch Day Fatal Justice! I will always think of Fatal Justice as the book that almost didn't happen. To those of you who've read about my journey to publication with the Fatal Series, you know the story. When my agent first shopped Fatal Affair, there was a lot buzz about the book, and we were optimistic for a sale. I had this vision, you see, of a series featuring the same couple in every book: Washington, D.C. police detective Sam Holland and her significant other, U.S. Senator Nick Cappuano. By the time we put Fatal Affair out on submission, I was well into the second book, Fatal Justice. Even though "they" say you shouldn't write the second book in a series until the first one sells, I was concerned about the execution of my series idea. Sure, it sounded like a fun idea in concept, but what would it be like to actually write multiple books about the same characters. Could I make it work?By the time we got the word that Fatal Affair didn't sell, largely because romance editors didn't like the series idea (they wanted new couples in every book), I was halfway through Fatal Justice. That's 50,000 words in for those who were wondering what halfway means. So what to do? Abandon the work-in-progress and move on to something else or finish Fatal Justice just for the satisfaction of writing The End? Since I've never yet abandoned a book, I finished Fatal Justice. Because of the roller coaster ride with Fatal Affair, it took me a full year to write Fatal Justice. That's four times my usual pace. I finished FJ two years ago this week. I had tears in my eyes as I wrote The End. I was so sad that no one would ever see the second book, which I ended up liking even better than the first one.
What a difference two years can make! When Carina Press opened its doors in November of 2009 looking to shake up the formulas, I submitted Fatal Affair. I figured, why not? Carina bought Fatal Affair in February 2010, Fatal Justice went in May, Fatal Consequences in August, Fatal Destiny and Fatal Flaw in November. Sometimes I still can't believe how lucky I got this year and how excited I am to be writing this series the way I wanted to do it. Readers have connected with Sam and Nick the way I'd hoped they would and have told me they're looking forward to book 2 and beyond. So am I!
You can get Fatal Justice here TODAY!
Read an excerpt here.
I'll be all over the blog-o-sphere this week giving away copies of Fatal Justice. Come by and comment to win:
Monday, Jan. 3
Romance Reader at Heart
Thoughts in Progress
Tuesday, Jan. 4
Micole Writes Romance
Romance Junkies
Bestselling Author Christy Reece's Blog
Wednesday, Jan. 5
The Long and Short of It Reviews
Night Owl Reviews
Carina Press (afternoon, no giveaway)
Thursday, Jan. 6
About Happy Books
Fresh Fiction
Friday, Jan. 7
Romance Bandits
Book Junkie
Authors and Appetizers
Monday, Jan. 10
RomCon
Thanks to everyone who has embraced Sam and Nick and supported my Fatal Series. I hope you enjoy Fatal Justice! And watch for Fatal Consequences in July, Fatal Destiny (the wedding novella) in September and Fatal Flaw in Feb. 2012.
