I'm Back from TLA ...

I've been at TLA the last couple of days (Texas Library Association's Annual Conference) and it has been so much fun.  I got to see all the publishers hawking books for the next year and got some great recommendations and free books for kidlet #1 who is a voracious reader.  I got to hang with some of my new YA pals from RT, and listen to some of them speak.  Plus I got to meet the marketing/publicity reps from Bloomsbury, my Tempest Rising Publisher, as they were passing out ARCs of my book.

Today was teen day, so hundreds of teenagers, maybe thousands, were there today and it was so much fun to talk to them.  I met a group of girls from one of the high schools in my area (just as they were picking out ARCs of Tempest, LOL) and they were awesome-- so excited to be there and get free books.  It does my writer/teacher heart good to see so many teenagers enthusiastic about reading. 

In other news, I'm blogging over at http://www.sizzlinghotbooks.net/ today about some of my favorite books from the last couple of months.  Stop on by if you get a chance :)  Happy Thursday!

Excerpt from Deserving of Luke

Since I didn't post an excerpt yesterday when Deserving of Luke hit the shelves, I thought I'd do it today.  Hope you enjoy!

As he looked over Paige's son, Logan felt his entire body tensing, readying itself for battle even as he told himself that it couldn't be.  That he had to be mistaken.  That Paige wouldn't have his child without telling him. 

            The words circled his brain over and over again, a particularly ineffectual mantra.  Because even as he was talking to himself, even as he was trying to convince himself that he was wrong, that he was making a huge mistake, he knew that he wasn't.  This child-- this handsome, lively eight year old boy with the silver eyes and small birthmark on his right cheek-- was his son and he didn't even know the kid's name.

            The realization was a blow that nearly brought him to his knees.  Shock and sorrow warred within him, followed by the beginnings of a rage so powerful it made him shake. 

            His child had existed in the world for eight years and he hadn't known.

            His child had grown and laughed, hurt and played, for eight years and he hadn't known.

            His child had--

            "Hello, Logan." 

             He turned dazed, furious eyes back to Paige.  "Why didn't you tell me?"  He didn't bother with pleasantries, didn't even try to hold back the question that was burning inside of him.

            She raised one cool, blond eyebrow, smiled serenely as if the same meeting that had just blown his world to hell and back had barely affected her. 

            "I did tell you.  You just chose not to believe me."

            That was it.  No explanation, no plea for forgiveness, no acknowledgement of guilt.  Just eleven words that did nothing to lower his blood pressure.

            "You know that's a bunch of bull--"

            "No milkshake today." She cut him off in mid-sentence, which was probably a good thing considering the word he'd been about to say, turned to her son, their son, and said, "We'll get one next time. We need to get back soon or Aunt Penny's going to send the cavalry after us."
            The boy rolled his eyes.  "There's no cavalry anymore, Mom.  Now the army uses tanks."

            "That's a good point-- and even more of a reason for us to head home.  Can you imagine a tank rolling down Main Street?"

            "That'd be cool!  Do you think it would point its big gun at the diner?"

            "I can only hope."  With that cryptic comment, Paige stood, not even bothering to wait for the check.  Instead, she dropped some money on the table and began herding her child toward the door.

            She'd almost made it to the front of the diner before he regained the power of thought.  Of speech.  "What's his name?" he demanded, loud enough for the whole damn restaurant to hear.  Not that he cared.  Worrying about what others thought seemed worse than stupid when he was watching his child walking away from him without a backwards glance.

            She turned then, and for the first time he realized she was fairly vibrating with the same anger that was whipping through his own system.  "None of your damn business."

            And then she was gone, leaving behind a silence so complete that the slamming of the door echoed like a gunshot. 

I'm at TLA in downtown Austin today, so if there are any librarians out there, look for me in the Walker booth.  I'll be giving away ARCs of Tempest Rising!  Have a great day, everyone!  And don't forget to comment for chances to win the RT basket I've put together :)

Lots of Stuff!

I've got a bunch of stuff going on today, so thought I'd give you a quick heads up.  Deserving of Luke, my April Superromance, hits shelves today!  Yay!  To celebrate, I'm blogging over at http://www.superauthors.com/ and giving away a copy of Hidden Embers and Deserving of Luke.  There are also some great pictures of me and friends from RT over there, so stop by and check it out!

Also, I just started a new Facebook page for the Dragon's Heat series (lots of requests for this at RT this year so I finally gave in).  I'm running a contest through Friday for you to win autographed copies of both Dark Embers and Hidden Embers, and all you have to do is like the page-- the link is in the Love Musings sidebar.  Please don't leave me hanging :(

Whee!  Hidden Embers is spotlight of the week over at Romantic Times: http://tinyurl.com/2ubq743

Here's a link to an awesome review of Hidden Embers-- I thought you guys might like to see it.  Stop by and check it out-- and don't forget to enter the contest! http://tinyurl.com/6f7tkne

Have a great Tuesday!  And don't forget to comment for an extra chance to win the bag of RT books and goodies!!!!

Giving Away Hidden Embers Today!

I'm blogging a couple of places today-- giving away Dark Embers at http://www.lovlivlifereviews.com/ and Hidden Embers at http://www.lovinmesomeromance.com/  Stop by and comment for the chance to win :)

I'm Back from RT with a Cool Giveaway :)

Hi Everyone :)

I'm back from RT and thrilled to be home.  But I have to tell you, the conference was so much fun :)  It was great to hang out with all my writing pals without the pressure and constant meetings that come with RWA.  Plus, I got to see my mom, who lives in L.A. and my closest friend from high school, who drove up from San Diego to spend Friday with me :)  And I did some really fun school visits to pimp Tempest and IKC.  And I got to meet a bunch of my fans, which was the most fun of the whole conference.  Not bad, huh?

If you want to see what I got up to in L.A., stop back later this week to see some of the great pictures I got (well really, pictures Beth Kery got that she'll be emailing to me as I'm terrible about taking photos).  In the meantime, I picked up a bunch of fun books from authors that we all know and love, so leave me a comment telling me about something cool that you did last week and you'll be entered to win a basket filled with RT goodies.  The contest is open all week, so make sure to comment each day for extra chances to win!!!!

I'm Giving Away a $100 gift card to Amazon

Hidden Embers releases today!  In it's honor, I'm throwing a release day party over at Bitten By Books and giving away a bunch of books and a $100 gift card to Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/3dazh5x
Come comment for a chance to win :)  Happy Tuesday!!!!!

Going to RT Convention

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that I'll be heading to RT in a couple of hours, so I probably won't be around much this week.  Still, check out the different blogs I'm on this week to catch up to me-- I'm celebrating the release of Hidden Embers this Tuesday!!!!!  Stop by for a chance to win more books :) 

All About Urban Fantasy-- Monday

Bitten By Books Release Party for Hidden Embers-- Tuesday (I'm giving away a $100 gift certificate and a bunch of books, so stop by!!!!)

Book of Secrets-- Wednesday

Intense Whisper-- Thursday

Tawny Weber's Blog-- Friday

Borders True Romance-- Saturday

Have a fabulous week!!!!!!

Winner of Tempest Rising

Bec is the winner of the Tempest Rising ARC, so drop me a snail mail at tracy@tracywolff.com and I'll get it in the mail to you.

My Last Tempest Rising ARC

Okay, everyone, I'm super-excited about this weekend's giveaway.  I have one ARC for Tempest Rising, my May mermaid YA (wow, say that 10 times fast) and am thrilled to be giving a copy of it away this weekend.  I've been pretty stingy with them, so this is your last opportunity to see Tempest before it hits the shelves ;)

Here's the blurb:

Tempest Maguire wants nothing more than to surf the killer waves near her California home; continue her steady relationship with her boyfriend, Mark; and take care of her brothers and surfer dad. But Tempest is half mermaid, and as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she will have to decide whether to remain on land or give herself to the ocean like her mother. The pull of the water becomes as insistent as her attraction to Kai, a gorgeous surfer whose uncanny abilities hint at an otherworldly identity as well. And when Tempest does finally give in to the water's temptation and enters a fantastical underwater world, she finds that a larger destiny awaits her—and that the entire ocean's future hangs in the balance.

And here's a quick excerpt:

“Are you ready?”


The words hung in the air between us—trapped—and it was like he could see inside of me. Like he knew so much more than I did about … everything.


“Ummm—“ Did I mention that I’m not the most articulate person at the best of times and under pressure, my words dry up as completely as the desert during a sandstorm?


“Of course she’s ready.” Mark wrapped an arm around my shoulder, bringing me against his body, and for one irrational second I felt like a bone being pulled in different directions by two slavering, growling dogs. Except both of these guys still had smiles on their faces. “Right, Tempest?”


“Yeah, of course.” I gave him the answer he wanted, but it was just another discernible lie. I wasn’t ready to go into the ocean again, not with Kona watching every move I made. But Mark couldn’t see inside my head and as he pulled me towards the water, pain ricocheted down my arms.


Again, I wondered at the differing sensations. Pain from Mark, the guy I was pretty sure I loved and who I felt secure around. Pleasure from Kona, the guy I didn’t know how to respond to and who I certainly didn’t trust.


Mark propelled me down the beach, until the surf danced around my ankles and licked at me like a hundred tongues of fire. Something was coming, it seemed to tell me as it burned where it normally soothed. Something big, and I couldn’t hide from it anymore.


As if I ever had been able to.


We started paddling out, and within seconds Mark was ahead of me, his whipcord lean body stretched out over his board like an offering to the surf gods. Normally I would be right there with him, pushing into the water-- desperate for the next big wave—but instead I hung back, hesitant to push off with Kona so close.


I expected Kona to take off with Mark, but he stayed beside me, content to move with the ebb and flow of the waves instead of cutting his own way through them.


“What are you doing?” I hissed, when I was sure Mark was out of earshot.


“What do you mean?” He paddled closer until his board was nearly touching mine. It was a deliberate attempt at crowding and one I would normally have called anyone on, but today—with him—I let it go. I had more important things to worry about.


“Come on. You didn’t just show up at this beach accidentally. You came for a reason.”


“And what reason would that be, sweet Tempest?” He lifted one eyebrow in a way I found ridiculously hot.


“That’s what I’m asking you!”


“That doesn’t seem right.” An unexpected swell came up, had both of us clutching our boards to keep from grubbing. “If you’re going to assign dark intentions to me, I think you should be brave enough to admit to them.”


“Can’t you just once answer a question without dodging around it eighteen different ways?”


“Where’s the fun in that?”


“See what I mean?” I glanced away from him, watched as the wave began to set up. Panic, cold and clammy, raced down my spine as images of tumbling beneath the water bombarded me from all sides. “You never just tell the truth.”


He studied me and for once there was no humor in his expression. “That’s an interesting complaing coming from you, Tempest. Besides, the truth is a nebulous thing. If you get too much too quickly, it feels like the top of your head is blowing off.”


“It feels like that already.” I braced myself, prepared to push up.


“It’s only going to get worse.” He flexed his biceps and I realized that his tattoos looked like they were glowing, just as they had the first time I met him.


The observation had my stomach cramping up. “What does that mean?”


“What do you want it to mean?”


“You’re doing it again.”


“Doing what?


“Talking in circles.”


His smile was wicked hot when he answered, his eyes pure silver, sexy and bottomless. “You want direct?” At my nod, he continued. “You’d better pay attention or it’ll be my turn to fish you out from the deep.”


“What—“


But he was already up, and I scrambled to follow suit before I got rolled. As the wave crested, I managed to stay on my board—barely—but it wasn’t my most successful ride, by any means. I was too busy watching Kona ride the wave like he was born to do it.


Who was he, I wondered for at least the millionth time.


Friend or foe?


Mermaid or human … or something else entirely?


And perhaps most importantly, what did he want from me?

So, to be entered to win Tempest, tell me the name of one book you've read recently that you really, really liked.  I just read a YA called The Sky is Everywhere and it was absolutely brilliant. 

Winner of Forbidden Embers ARC

Kidlet #3 picked #1  out of the hat, so the winner of the Forbidden Embers ARC is Richard!  Email me at tracy@tracywolff.com with your snail mail and I'll get it in the mail for you today.  Thanks, everyone, for your great comments!

My Crazy April!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone,

First of all, make sure to check back tomorrow to see who wins an ARC of Forbidden Embers-- and to check the weekend giveaway.  It's a good one, I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm kicking off a month long tour to celebrate the release of Hidden Embers and will be giving away all kinds of good stuff, so make sure to stop by regularly and see where I'm at and what I'm blogging about.  And Tuesday, April 5th (release day--yay!) bittenbybooks.com is throwing me a release party.  I'll be giving away lots of books and a couple other prizes, so make sure you stop by and say hello :)

So, with no further ado, this is where you can catch me in April: 

Monday, 4/4-Sunday 4/10: Romantic Times Convention in Los Angeles-- come see me if you're in the area.  I'll be signing Hidden Embers and Deserving of Luke and giving away a bunch of fun stuff!

Tuesday, 4/12-Friday 4/15 Texas Library Conference, Austin, Texas, Walker Books Booth-- Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction) will be there with me, so if you get a chance, come see us :)

Friday, 4/22: Popular Culture Association Conference in San Antonio-- On a romance panel with Louisa Edwards, Sherry Thomas and Skylar White

Saturday, 4/23: Speaker at DARA RWA Chapter Meeting, Dallas, Texas

Friday 4/29-4/30: New England RWA Conference, Salem, Massachussetts

Monday, 4/4: All Things Urban Fantasy
Tuesday, 4/5: Bitten By Books Release Party
Wednesday 4/6: Book Of Secrets Interview
Thursday, 4/7: Intense Whisper
Friday, 4/8: Tawny Weber Blog
Saturday 4/9: Borders True Romance blog
Monday 4/11: Lovlivlife Blog and Lovin Me Some Romance
Tuesday, 4/12: Superromance Authors Blog
Wednesday, 4/13: Yummy Men and Kick Ass Chicks Blog
Thursday, 4/14: Silzzling Hot Books Blog
Friday, 4/15: Wicked Lil Pixie Blog
Monday, 4/18: RRT blog and Reading with Tequila
Tuesday, 4/19: Vampire Book Club blog
Wednesday, 4/20: Paperback Dolls blog
Friday, 4/22: Jaunty Quills, Murder She Writes and Fresh Fiction
Tuesday, 4/26: Pink Heart Society Blog
Wednesday, 4/27: Book Binge and Once Upon a Twilight

Sound crazy enough to you?  It'll be fun and there will be lots of great prizes, so make sure to check back regularly!  Happy Friday :)