Cover Art and Some Good Advice

I’m short three, and two of them don’t have the title artwork done yet–but pretty much, I think I’ve got an embarrassment of riches here.

What’s up here is the collective cover art of the work that I’ve released from January on until October and probably (the beach cover, which is the one I was writing to when I finished the novel this afternoon) November. The only thing missing is the Talker’s Graduation cover, Becoming, and Being–but that’s okay. I’m willing to wait for those three, because one’s going to be saying goodbye, and the other two… well, it’s Jack & Teague, and I love them.

Now, the Green’s Hill Werewolves stories were written over a period of time, so it’s not like I just produced all this work right now, and it’s certainly not like I’m going to stop writing, and I’m certainly not going to relax TOO much, but I’ve got to tell you…

Since I wrote the Locker Room last November, I’ve been pretty fucking driven. Some of you have known I have had something serious to prove. I’m not going to go into what that is–believe me, someday I will, but not today–but as I wrapped up Clear Water and revisited the picture that had prompted the story in the first place, it occurred to me that I had an embarrassment of riches in my cover art alone. I’ve been really blessed this year–truly, truly gifted.

When I was whining about my crashing deadlines in my last post, a beloved friend, who has been very patient with my absentee blogism, reminded me that I had two options. I could either sit at my computer and type like a woman possessed with an impatient, snarling dragon, pee in a cup and have the family throw my food, or I could take a deep breath, be late with my deadlines, and confess that I quite simply overestimated the amount of time there was in the day, or a week, or a month.

Or a year.

Looking at this collection of what I have done and what I have proven, I think I can slow down–just a smidge, mind you, because most of my writing really is dragon ridden–but I can, maybe, stop trying to put out enough for three people. I can only work so hard and be the mom and the wife I want to be. And in the meantime, to those who needed proof?

Well, two of my covers (one of them from last year so it’s not up here) ended up on this list right here. Now, they could slide off at any time, but at the moment, these two books are ranked not just with other GLBT books, but with contemporary romantic fiction of pretty much every type. I’ve seen a couple of those books on the list at Wal Mart, and a couple of those books in the grocery store, and there’s my shit, right up there, with everyone else.

So, for that devil driving his pointy heels into my sides, I’ve got one thing to say:

WHO WRITES PORN NOW, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!

For my dragon, I’ve got something a little different:

Hang out, baby. We’ll do great things together. We just need a little bit of a rest.

For my readers:

Goddess thank you all. I’ve been REALLY blessed by the people who love my work. I’m so fortunate to share the things in my head with people who have such amazing hearts.

And for my family:

Thanks guys for throwing food at me when I needed it and for dragging me out into the living room to watch television and for giving me hugs at my writing chair and for generally being the people I love even more than I love my dragon.

And for my friends who probably feel a little neglected?

I’m so fortunate that I found the cyberpeeps I have. I’ll be around shortly–don’t give up on me, guys. I’m taking a breather, and the computer will be my friend again.