Coolest of cool

So there's this very nice person I've met through blogging. Strange way to meet, but glad to have her acquaintance. Her name is Heather and she has a blogger blog too and she was nice enough to post about WHISPERS on it. http://heathersblethers.blogspot.com/2006/03/shhhh-im-reading.html She's a writer as well. When her book comes out, I'll return the favor. :-)

Kaia posted the first installment of our round robin story today. On Friday I'll be doing another installment and then passing it on to either Kallie or Calista. (Hmmm, just noticed Kaia, Kallie, Calista....all start with the same sound. Erin sounds squishy in that list)

Anyway, stay tuned and thank you again, Heather. I'm so glad you liked Echoes enough to talk about my new book. Made the week for me!~

Late at night

It's late am I'm too tired to really think. Day job sucked all my brainpower today. My daughter had a la crosse game tonight--exciting game, overtime, loss by one point. Came home to find my first copies of WHISPERS wating for me. I really like the cover. The picture online doesn't do it justice.

Make sure to check Kaia James' web tomorrow for the start of our round-robin storytelling. Can't wait to see how it unfolds.

True Confessions

You know what my most favorite thing to do is? Go to the movies alone. I love to go all by myself, get candy (at Walgreens, cuz it's cheaper), a big thing of popcorn and/or nachos, gigantic diet Pepsi (to counteract the calories from said candy and popcorn and nachos, of course) and sit in the movies with no body talking to me, asking me what so-and-so just said or what's happening even though they're watching the same movie at the same time and know just as much as I do.

I remember when I was in my twenties, the thought of going to the movies alone was right up there with tooth extraction. My how we change over the years.

Counting down to Whispers. I sent out a note to readers who have contacted me over the past year about Echoes or who have entered my contest. I was braced for nasty "don't bug me ever again" emails. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised by the nice responses I got. Some people actually thanked me for letting them know. How about that? If you're one of those nice people, thank you. I promise not to overwhelm you with emails. :-)

Gotta go pick my kid up from La Crosse practice. Later!

How could I forget?

So my friend Kallie Owens had this awesome idea. She's going to start a story on her blog (http://kallieo.bravejournal.com/) and then pass it off to fellow writers Calista Fox, Kaia James, and Erin Grady (yours truly). Bit by bit we're going ot build a cool story. Stay tuned for more details!

Blue Monday

Maybe it's coming off the high of a great weekend, but I have a bad case of the blues today. Call it pre-release jitters or call it Monday blues. either one would fit. WHISPERS comes out a week from tomorrow and here I sit, worrying pointlessly about whether or not it will be well recieved. Pointlessly because there is really nothing I can do about it now, is there?

so why don't I tell you about my weekend instead. I went away with some wonderful friends and spent the weekend relaxing, writing, reading, watching movies (Pride & Prejudice, which is my fav) and eating way more than I should and drinking in excess. Could it get more perfect? Well, maybe if it had been a week instead of just the weekend.

Tomorrow is the Desert Rose monthly meeting. Maybe that will cheer me up.

BTW, book recommendations--just finished Jennifer Ashley's Confessions of a Lingerie Addict and I loved it.l She has a new book coming out next month too--Penelope and Prince Charming. I've got some of her pirate books on my shelf--can't wait to dive into one of them now.

Until the next post...

Isn't it Grand?

I just spent a fabulous weekend with my husband and daughters visiting the Grand Canyon. I'd never seen it before and was so glad we went. The weather was postcard perfect--it snowed on the train ride up, making the view out of our window wonderful. And then at the canyon...it was breath taking. I wouldn't have missed a moment of it for anything.

Then, when I returned, it was to find a fabulous review of WHISPERS waiting in my inbox. The review was done by a new review site that also did an interview. I couldn't be more pleased about either. The review by Cindy said: " If you put one book on your to-be-bought list this month, WHISPERS should be it. WHISPERS is so much more than either a romance or a suspense. It is a combination of the very best in fiction, melding a compelling plot, gritty realism, and an emotional romance, into a tale that feels almost more fact than fiction." If you want to read the entire review, go to: http://www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com/whispers_cindy.html

If you're interested in the Erin Grady interview, check out: http://www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com/interview_eringrady.html

That's all for tonight!

Great Day

I tried to publish this last night, but kept getting kicked out. Hopefully it works now...

So Romance Junkies gave me a fabulous review and 5 out off 5 ribbons for WHISPERS. I'm so happy about it. PLUS they made me the feature author!!! Such a terrific honor. Check it out: http://www.romancejunkies.com/artman/publish/ Also, Fresh Fiction said great things about including: "A chilling tale of ghosts and curses, WHISPERS immediately pulls you in and won't let you go until the very last page." I'm going to have an interview and review posted tomorrow on http://www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com/index.html that I'm very excited about. The reviewer said she loved WHISPERS, but she hasn't shared the review yet. I can't wait to see it. All in all, an exciting day!!!

Sunshine and clear skies

We had some crazy weather (for Arizona) this past week but today is as clear and beautiful as days come. I've got the day off to do my writing but have spent the morning so far on updated website, taking in the dry cleaning, dropping oldest daughter at La Crosse practice, making the all important run to Starbucks.

Now it's time to get down to business.

But first, my agent and friend, Alicka (pronounced A-leek-cha), emailed me that she had her baby last weekend. A beautiful little girl. Congratulations to her!

Sunday, Sunday

So the new members tea was yesterday and I had a house full of writers. It was great fun and I think over all, a success. I always get charge out of meeting with other writers. It's such a solitary existence (except for me, since I share the office with my 14 year old, my 11 year old and sometimes my husband). I also found out that there people who are actually reading my blog. Wow, I had no idea. That's so cool.

Last night I tackled the web site and revamped it. What do you think? www.eringrady.com I also posted the first chapter of Whispers if anyone is interested in reading it. (It's on the Whispers page. Logical place, right?) I'm also going to post some excerpts, but not today. Today I must work on new book.

Cool Stuff

So I just got asked to do the coolest thing for Romance Junkies (www.romancejunkies.com). Cat Brown (of Romance Junkies fame and fortune) is doing a Cocktail Hour with Erin Grady. I'll let you know when it gets posted. It will have pictures and a little "chat." on it. She's so creative. I'm also going to be doing interviews with All About Romance (www.allaboutromance.com) and Fresh Fiction (www.freshfiction.com) and Loves Romances (www.loveromances.com). Very exciting.

I'm also posting a first chapter of Whispers today. Check it out... (www.eringrady.com)

In a blur

So I haven't posted for a few days because I've just about hit the limit on how many hours I can eke out of a day. I'm in school for the next few weeks, working towards that BA in IT (yes, I have a demanding day job, 2 kids, a husband that travels all the time, I write and Oh yeah, I'm going to school. In case you were wondering, yes, I am insane.) On top of that I volunteered for about 3 too many things. I had to let the RWA office know I'm late with my judging for RITA. I feel really bad about it too even though I know I'm probably not the only one and I won't be THAT late. Next year I SWEAR I'm not going to judge. (that's what I said last year, though)

So I had a cool idea. I'm working on a trilogy right now that involves 3 sisters and time travel. If you've read my books, you know I like to mix present and past so these will have that element in it. In the last book, two sisters will be searching for the third. I was thinking of a contest where readers suggest the place (town) the last sister is found in--I'm sure there are a lot of great places out there with rich history that no one has ever heard of. I haven't worked out the details, but it could be fun. Nominate your town kind of thing.

Anyway, class starts in a few minutes.

RT Review

So Jennifer Ashley (who also got a 4 1/2 star review for her April Release, Penelope & Prince Charming) was kind enough to send me a copy of the review. Check it out!

From the April Issue of Romantic Times:

"As [the] story unfolds, a parallel tale, which took place in the 1890s and has significant relevance to the present, is told as well. These two narrative strands are woven together skillfully and, once united, lead to the story's suspenseful climax and to the dramatic resolution of both plots. Grady is an author to watch. Her beautifully descriptive prose, masterful characterization and tightly knit story structure will make readers happy to follow her wherever she leads."

Thank you Romantic Times!!!

Almost there...

I'm in total countdown mode until Whispers comes out. Just found out late last night that Romantic Times gave it 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) so I'm very excited! I hope my readers like it as much. These last few weeks before it comes out are going very slow. Anyway, that's the news for now...