The Launch of Tao

The Tao of Hockey is on sale today. Cue the brass band.

Man, it’s been torture having the book done for three weeks, but not getting to hear what readers think of it. When I finish writing a book, I’m so hyped that I want to run up to people and shove the book in their face and say, “Read my new book!” Then watch them until they finish and then ask what they thought. But given that would be super creepy and weird, I’ll have to settle for hearing from my readers—via reviews, emails, and facebook. I’m pretty damn excited about this!

However, the best way for me to calm down is to keep busy. And I wanted to tell you about what I’m writing right now. I’m creating a short story about the Vancouver Vice—the team you’ll meet in The Tao of Hockey. This story involves a faithful hockey fan, a new dating app, and a geeky guy. The title is Sunny Side, and it will be free. However, the only way to get this tale is to be on my mailing list. So make sure you’re signed up, right here.

And if you read The Tao of Hockey, I’d love to hear what you think of it.

Goodbye and hello

Three cat stories 
(photo by Mathias Erhart from flickr)

This week I took my very first book, Fresh Air, off the market. I published this novella back in October 2012, and it was an experiment. I had to learn formatting, editing, and marketing all at once, so I wanted to start with something small. I was hugely excited when I made my first sale—to a reader in Florida who had followed my writing online and was looking for the book before I even knew it was on sale!

Recently Fresh Air had become a bit of an orphan. When I redid all my covers, I skipped doing that novella because its sales were so low. In addition, I re-edited all my books in the past year—except that one. I kind of ignored it, meaning to take it down in the new year once Tao was published. A negative review last month reminded me that people were still reading the book, and it might not be the best introduction to my work. I am happy—as I’m sure you are—that my writing has improved over the past three years. While the innocent tale of a couple bonding over an orphaned cat was one of my favourite stories, it might not be one of my best. 

I do have plans for Fresh Air though. In 2016, I am writing a new novella for a box set of Crazy Cat Lady stories. Yes! Can you imagine something more perfect for me, someone who is always inserting cats into her books? I have started the novella already and it stars Marty Devonshire, a big, hulking player who you will meet in The Tao of Hockey. It's going to be my first inclusion in a box set, and I'm really excited about being in a project with some different and exciting authors.

So, once I get that story back, I’m thinking about creating a trilogy of cat/hockey stories: Marty’s story, a revised Fresh Air, and one new novella. Yes, I am cornering the market on combined cat and hockey tales. This project will be not realized be until 2016, but it’s exciting to think about, because as one era ends, a new one is beginning.

Tao has launched!

The Tao of Hockey is the first book in my new series about an AHL team called the Vancouver Vice. 

Here's my elevator pitch: Eric Fairburn has one last shot at an NHL career, so distraction—in the form of a beautiful woman—is the last thing he needs.

The early reviews are in:

“…these characters are resilient and spunky, yet have a sweet, vulnerable side.”

Chelsy

“I loved this couple!!! this is not your typical book where the heroine is sweet, loving and quiet... nope Josie is as bad ass as you can think of!!” 

Logan

“I never read a book about a Yogi-health-nut-hockey player with a pretty sordid past before and I thought what kind of seduction techniques would this guy even have????” 

Amanda

“…different from most other romance books out there.” Jessica

You can find the book here .

Coming soon...

The Tao of Hockey is now available for pre-order. Find it here on Amazon.com. And here's a sneak peek:

Cover Reveal for The Tao of Hockey

Finally, my evil plan is coming together. Okay, perhaps it’s not evil or a plan—but my next book is coming together. The Tao of Hockey is getting closer. The first draft has been completed and beta-read. The feedback from the beta reads has been whipped into the second draft. The second draft is currently at the editor. 

The book is the first one in a series I'm writing about a fictional AHL team, the Vancouver Vice. Here’s what Tao is about:

After being selected in the first-round of the NHL draft, Eric Fairburn was in a car accident that destroyed his career. Now, five years later, he’s getting one last chance. If he can make the Vancouver Vice of the AHL, it could be the first step to making his hockey dreams come true. There are only two things standing in his way—the coach from hell and his own self-destructive ways.

The one talent he hasn’t lost is his way with women. So he’s surprised to be shot down by a mysterious woman he meets in a bar. Eric finds himself pursuing her when he should be focusing on hockey. Yet he’s drawn to her confidence and independence, believing that might be the key to fixing his own on-ice issues.

And meantime, the cover is finally done. My poor cover designer went through the wringer on this one. It was a tough balance because while the book is full of the usual hockey drama, but the hero is a zen philosopher. Finally, I think she tired of my nitpicking and went full tilt make-Mel-happy. She changed the colour to purple and added bokeh lights which I love.  I would put those little light circles on the whole world if I could. So, here we are. What do you think?

I am really excited about this book. What’s not to like? It’s got an attractive hero, a kick-ass heroine, a fast-paced plot, and lots of hockey goodness. The launch date will be December 26th. I can hardly wait for you to read it.

Of Cookies and Men

If my books were a house, I’ve been renovating them one room at a time. First I did all the bedrooms, one for Kelly, one for Jimmy, and one for Phil. Wouldn’t that be a fun place to live? Now I’ve gotten to the kitchen and what a lovely room it is. New Subzero fridge and Wolf cooktop where Frankie loves to cook up dinner for Jake.

That analogy will make sense only if you’ve read all my books. What I’m trying to say is that I have been redoing my covers one by one. Hockey Is My Boyfriend, Parts One, Two, and Three all got new covers. And now for the last one—How The Cookie Crumbles! My designer came up with this great cover, which perfectly communicates the laughter and eating that make up Frankie and Jake’s relationship. Because we’re not putting sex on the cover.

A few people have asked me whether there will ever be a sequel to this book. The answer is a resounding maybe. I have something written in rough, but it’s kind of a downer, so I’m putting it away until I can figure out how to solve the book’s problems. Sadly, that may or may not happen.

And meanwhile I’m proceeding on my new series… more about that next post!