Scarlet Letters

In which I am very, very glad I opted for the latest flight out on Monday. FRIDAY 5:30 p.m. My Favorite Starship Commander is a Woman (I am not kidding, they signed me up for it. Taking nominations now.) 10 p.m. The Little Death: Erotic Horror Moderated by my good friend Fred Grimm. Fred, what HAVE you been up to? SATURDAY 1 p.m. Autograph Session Me and Elonka Dunin. Alas, I shall miss the Baen Books preview. 3 p.m. Reading I'm the warm-up act for Peter David, folks. Whoa. 10 p.m. And Then What Happened? (plots that intrigue readers) Aaah! I'm opposite the Firefly Shindig! We'll talk fast.) 11:30 p.m. Devil and Demons I'm not actually on this panel, but Fred Grimm is, so it should be fun. SUNDAY 4 p.m. Defining the Superhero I'm not on this panel either, but Frank Fradella is, and it should be a great one. 5:30 p.m. I Did It! New successes talk about getting published. Me and three others. MONDAY 11:30 a.m. In a Glass Darkly Creating an unsettling atmosphere. Well,...

Those of you who've tracked my career from the beginning know that NOCTURNE is the first book to achieve national mainstream distribution. The ebooks were available worldwide, but outside of romance, ebooks have yet to really penetrate the mainstream. SETTING SUNS was a small-press release, and bookstores in large part declined to stock it. NOCTURNE is allegedly in every Borders and Waldenbooks in America. That's really amazing to think about, and very humbling. That doesn't mean it's been EASY. Though with the assistance of the Denizens of the Literary Underworld, I have been able to track our progress. Aug. 11: • Preliminary Denizen reports that the book is available in Nashville, Tenn. stores. This is later proven to be a computer error. • A Denizen reports the book's appearance (and purchase) in Seattle, Wash. • Boise, Idaho reports the book as "not yet published." • Borders computers nationwisde list the book at "Nocturne Urges." So does Ama...

I have received reports that NOCTURNE has appeared on Borders shelves. Yay! Don't forget to pick up your copy! If they don't have it, ask about it! Let's make Borders think the teeming millions are dying (heh) for my vampires! NOCTURNE Tour Schedule! Aug. 17: Release Chat Party, Wilderness Chat Room, 8-10 p.m. EST Aug. 20: Edwardsville Local Authors Festival, Edwardsville (Ill.) Public Library, 2-5 p.m. Aug. 31-Sept. 4: Dragoncon, Atlanta. Sept. 13: Sleepwalkers Chat, location TBA, 8-10 p.m. Sept. 16: NOCTURNE signing, Borders of South County (St. Louis), 2-4 p.m. Sept. 23: NOCTURNE signing, Borders of St. Peters (Mo.), 2-4 p.m. Oct. 5-8: Archon, Collinsville, Ill. Oct. 28: NOCTURNE signing, Borders of Fairview Heights (Ill.), 2-4 p.m. There may be a few more signings in November; negotiations continue. The next two months are going to be the second-most-grueling time of my life, since of course the day job and mommying continue during all this craziness. But it's a nic...

Woo! The new T-shirts are up at the CafePress shop! I particularly like, "Proud Member of Diego's Kiss." The designs were created by the brilliant Devin Harris, my wonderfully creative graphic designer. If you ever have need of design services, I strongly recommend her, folks. Please feel free to drop by and check out the stuff! And, if so moved, buy something! http://www.cafepress.com/elizabethdonald Also, don't forget the Edwardsville Local Authors' Festival on Aug. 20! I'll be there 2-5 p.m. at the Edwardsville Public Library. I look forward to seeing you!

TANDEM is a quickie with an enjoyable plot. Based around a weekend on a dangerous hiking trail this story is packed with a lot of adventure. Ms. Donald has done a great job building a believable story in a small amount of pages. Ms. Donald has weaved danger, love and humor all in one. In a small amount of time Ms. Donald will have you laughing, crying and full of worry that hero and heroine will make it out of the woods alive. Ms. Donald’s characters are funny yet fearful. This reviewer was drawn in by the heroine’s fear of letting herself go to a stranger. The way Ms. Donald has her heroine withdraw immediately after their sexual encounter is shocking yet touching. This reviewer feels Ms. Donald’s knows her stuff. This reviewer feels TANDEM is a good read for any one looking for a quick story packed with adventure. -- Love Romances In other news, the tour schedule for NOCTURNE is nearly final and the manuscript for INFERNII is almost done with the Tweak Phase. In short, you might a...

Yup. It's about that time, ladies and gents. NOCTURNE is about to hit the shelves of the Borders and Waldenbooks stores in your area. I've pegged the street date at about Aug. 18. That means two things: a) I need your help, and b) PARTY! Let's deal with (A) first. The fact is, NOCTURNE is just one trade paperback from a press that few people recognize right off the bat. Also, nobody's ever heard of me. So I need your help if NOCTURNE is to be a success. And why should you care, you might ask? After all, you already bought NOCTURNAL URGES and A MORE PERFECT UNION. Do you want to know what happens next? Last night I finished the draft of third book. INFERNII. It's a doozy, folks. I made myself cry. I never cry. I got through TERMS OF ENDEARMENT without a sniffle. It's the book that takes this series out of paranormal horror-romance and into straight horror. I personally think it's gonna be a hell of a ride. If you want to see INFERNII in stores, NOCTURNE has t...

I am happy to announce that I am a confirmed guest at the Edwardsville Local Authors' Event, part of the library's 100th anniversary celebration! The Edwardsville Library will host local authors 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20. We will all be set up at booths to sign and sell books and chat with readers. This is the first appearance I have ever done in my own town. They say a prophet is not recognized in her own village, and my few attempts to set something up here in my town have not exactly taken off. I'm a tad nervous, folks. It would mean SO MUCH to me if you local denizens would show. Drop by and say hello. I might even have NOCTURNE copies on hand (because I know you've all bought SETTING SUNS already, right?). I figure after it's over, we can all go to dinner together or something. Flunkies appreciated but not necessary. I can probably handle the wild crowds of Edwardsville on my own. Dragoncon, on the other hand... P.S. Got the sales reports for TANDEM. THANK YOU A...

JERR has two reviews for TANDEM out this week: TANDEM is a good contemporary that gives a perfect portrayal of a feisty and smart heroine in Chris. Reed is a good hero, sexy as all get out, but it is his ability to be comfortable in any situation that makes him a great hero. The camping setup was wonderful and the beauty of the scenes was captivating. The intensity of the mountains was a wonderful catalyst to the drama of the love at first sight. The sex is both hot and develops a very exciting urgency as the couple moves through the hike. For readers wanting a very short but highly entertaining love story, look no farther than Ellora’s Cave Fun in the Sun release of TANDEM. Anya Khan Just Erotic Romance Reviews I enjoy stories that take their time to build up to the flaming hot sex and Fun in the Sun: Tandem did just that. Sometimes with shorter stories the author uses sex as an introduction, because lets face it, there are not many pages to work with. Personally, I really appreciate ...

Today I attended the wrap-up session for my local Relay for Life. I'm a team captain, and tonight I turned in the last of the cash and sat down for the annual bitch session: Tell us what we can do better next year. There were many things cheered and a few flaws pointed out. Then I stood up. "I realize this isn't going to be the most popular idea in the room," I said. "This has been a terrific event for us - it's our second year, and the experience has been very positive. But there was one thing I heard from all my team members, and that's how demoralizing it is for the walkers as they watch the mass exodus at midnight. "Relay is supposed to be an all-night event. I've been doing Relay for a long time before I moved here, and this is the only Relay I've ever seen where people leave before it's over. The tents aren't supposed to come down until the sun comes up, but the tent city is like a ghost town by 2 a.m. It's hard for those of...

First of all, let me give kudos to the Hypericon staff. Darrell LuAllen, Fred and Stephania Grimm, Chip Allen and all the folks who run Hypericon make it the great show that it is. I imagine they're all still sleeping. Folks, if you haven't experienced the fun that is Hypericon, put it on your list for next year. I've remarked to several people now that it's damned rare to find a con with no assholes. No egotistical guests lording over their minions. No drunken stupidity (well, a minimum of it). A serious lack of Drahmah. So often the juxtaposition of fandom personalities, sleep deprivation and the seesaw of caffeine and alcohol leads to mindless stupidity and some drunken idiot ends up weeping on the ledge. Not at Hypericon. Fred pointed out that last year, their security staff consisted of one guy with a big stick, and they had fewer problems than cons with a staff of twenty. This year, the guy and the big stick were joined by a handful of teenagers, all helpful and p...

I've been watching "Look, Up In The Sky," a two-hour documentary on Superman as a cultural icon, for several days now. I'm watching it in short increments with my son. We don't watch a lot of television - no, really, I watch most of it after he goes to bed. But his favorite television show is SMALLVILLE, one of his favorite movies is SUPERMAN, and he is utterly beside himself about the new SUPERMAN movie. I predict by the time the hype is over, he'll be after me to redecorate his room from its current Mickey Mouse theme to reflect the Man of Steel. And after all, there are few icons so appropriate. Superman has gone through his ups and downs (notably George Reeves' suicide and the debacle that was SUPERMAN IV), but has remained remarkably whole and untouched by the seventy-odd years he's been flying about our popular culture. When Christopher Reeve stood before us and declared he was there to fight for truth, justice and the American way, only Lois lau...

I'm happy to announce that TANDEM is now available for purchase on the Ellora's Cave web site! http://www.ellorascave.com/productpage.asp?ISBN=1-4199-0636-4 Jericho Trail was too dangerous to hike alone—those were park rules. That's how Chris and Reed ended up hiking together - two strangers. Chris went to the woods to be alone, to think and find peace in a time of trouble. Reed went to the woods for a good time. But he had no idea the trail would be so difficult — or that he would share it with such an intoxicating woman. Separated from the world, the dangers of the trail are nothing compared to the dance between two lost souls, forced together by circumstance but drawn together by the fire burning their blood. TANDEM is part of the Fun In the Sun series of erotic novellas released all month from Ellora's Cave. It is an ebook, and costs only $2.99. C'mon, it's gonna fund my appearance at Dragoncon. You wanna see me at Dragoncon, don't you? Go! Buy! And as a...

And this one's going to be a little different. I'd like to introduce the Sleepwalkers writing group, of which I am proud to be a member. And for the first time ever, we'll all be in ONE PLACE. Yup, the chat party on June 13 (yes, that's Tuesday the Thirteenth; Friday was unavailable) will put all five of us in the Wilderness Chat Room for you to meet and greet. I'm sure it will be dignified, intellectual and respectful, with a minimum of snark. Surely.

WHAT: Sleepwalkers Chat Party
WHEN: 8-10 p.m. EST June 13
WHERE: Wilderness Chat Room (see instructions below

JEFF STRAND (www.jeffstrand.com) is the author of the upcoming thriller PRESSURE, which has gotten such terrific reviews that the rest of us are salivating to read it. He's already cut a name for himself writing horror comedies such as GRAVEROBBERS WANTED, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY; HOW TO RESCUE A DEAD PRINCESS; and SINGLE WHITE PSYCHOPATH SEEKS SAME, as well as others. Jeff is the king of titles, I tell ...

This coming weekend is Relay for Life. That means yes, I'm in my annual panic. I have a team full of Episcopalians to direct, which resembles herding cats in no small amount. In the meantime, you have three more days to donate. All funds go to the American Cancer Society for research and support services for cancer patients. Today I wrote my check to purchase two luminaries in honor of two friends currently facing cancer. One is in her third bout with the disease... and she's exactly one year older than I am. There is literally no one untouched by this disease. There's a Paypal button on my web site at the link below. All donations are tax-deductible. If you prefer not to go through my web site for whatever reason, Paypal your donation (marked as such) to elizabethdonald at yahoo dot com. And just to sweeten the pot, anyone who donates gets his or her name entered into a drawing for a free book. Keep the faith. http://www.elizabethdonald.com/shop.html

Rock Us All Down (Torquere Press) by my dear friend Angelia Sparrow! Once Upon a Time... Rapunzel and Medusa fell in love. $1.99. What a deal! http://www.torquerepress.com/cart/cart.php?m=product_list&c=624 Official Blurb: Once upon a time, Medusa and Rapunzel fell in love. That's the premise of this legendary tale. Fusing the Rapunzel and Medusa legends, author Angel takes what could be a really bad hair day and makes it an erotic lesbian myth. Medusa is a priestess. Rapunzel is a witch. They come together and apart while the world changes around them, living the lives of those cursed, and blessed, by the Gods. Can they find the balance they need to keep their love alive? "A Night In Electric Squidland" (Lone Star Stories) by the brilliant Sarah Monette!! http://literary.erictmarin.com/current.htm And it's FREE. " Sleeping Beauty, Indeed" (Torquere Press), an anthology including "Undertow," a story by the terrific Meredith Schwartz! $5.95 at h...

This is what I get for not checking my email for a week. While the beach was lovely, the work sure piled up while I was gone. In between final draft reviews and galley inspections, I got the release date for TANDEM: June 16. So we'll be setting a date shortly for the release chat party. Can't do it the night of, because I have theater tickets. So there. Back to the galleys...

I'm physically ill, and it's not the fries. I am sitting in McDonald's, because we have no food in the house. We've been trying to eat up all our perishable groceries while we get ready for a vacation. And because it's Thursday, therefore Restaurant Day, and nothing dissuades my son from our weekly excursion to Ronald's place. Our Town's McDonald's has a TV. There are times when I fervently wish it didn't. This time, however, it isn't Fox News that's causing my gallbladder to try to climb up my esophagus. CNN just carried a story with gruesome images I fervently wish they hadn't shown me, and it's not another bombing in Iraq. From the soulless cretins who brought you Ethnic Cleansing the Videogame, we now have Border Patrol the Videogame. Trigger-happy little bastards get to take aim at Mexicans crossing the border and watch them splatter in "amusing" bursts of blood and horrified faces of terror. Extra points for shooting a...

This is only a test. If this had been a real post, it would have contained actual content. Move along, nothing to see here...

Sequential Tart has reviewed SETTING SUNS... and loves it. http://www.sequentialtart.com/reports.php?ID=4584&issue=2006-05-01 A few choice excerpts: "A number of the stories are set in Donald's Sanctuary setting, which makes me curious to read more from it — and normally I don't even like Evil Alien Takeover-type stories. These stories are almost cruel to the reader, giving you a taste that leaves you pining. Donald, if you're reading this, I particularly would like to see more of the characters in "Memoir" (though that desire goes directly against the wisdom offered in your author notes in that story; I don't want to let Tony go!)That story, about one woman's dealings with the aliens, and the technology that helps her through it in a most unexpected way, is definitely among my favorites from the collection." "It usually takes a lot to sell me a short story, especially when it comes to sci-fi or horror, and extra-especially when stories ...

I'm glad to report that NOCTURNAL URGES and A MORE PERFECT UNION will finally see print this summer! The two books will be combined into a trade paperback release from Cerridwen Press, titled NOCTURNE. It's set to come out in late summer or early fall, and when I get a more definite date you'll all know, believe me. You folks know how much time, effort and affection has gone into the Nocturnal Urges series. As I'm working on the third book - sex-free, I'm afraid, too much death and destruction for a romance - I'm struck by how much this little world has grown in my imagination. Before Nocturnal Urges, most of my mind lived in the Sanctuary universe, with little forays into horror sideshows. Now I switch between my oppressed slaves and my lusty vampires with equal sadistic delight. So, you say: Why should I buy NOCTURNE? After all, I'm a devoted Elizabeth Donald fan and I already bought the ebooks! For several reasons. First, a print book is always going to b...