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I've been sitting on some news for a few weeks. It's been so hard to keep it to myself, but I've been afraid I'll jinx it. However, things are shaping up exactly as I'd hoped and now I can share it with you.Have you heard about a new writer named Mia Marlowe? There was a notice on Publisher's Lunch recently about some multi-books deals for her. Guess what? She's me!
Alicia Condon of Kensington has acquired my Touch of Seduction trilogy for their Brava line. Since my first book for them, Touch of a Thief, has paranormal elements, Alicia requested I take a new pen name. I chose Mia Marlowe. If you'd like to know more, please visit Mia Marlowe, a little blog where I've been quietly cataloguing my writing odyssey as I expanded into a second publishing house. There is a static page with an excerpt from TOUCH OF A THIEF I hope you'll enjoy. (And please click to follow my blog there. It looks so lonely with no friendly followers!)
I say second publishing house because I'm thrilled to report that Leah Hultenschmidt of Dorchester wants three more books from me as well. And since she realizes how difficult it is for an author to promote more than one pen name, these books will also come out under the new Mia Marlowe name.
If you're a writer, you are allowed to hate me a little. Six contracted novels and a novella is an embarrassment of riches. But remember, now I have to deliver those 7 manuscripts over the next 15 months. It'll be a little like doing NaNoWriMo every month.
But I am thrilled and terrified in equal measure and hope you'll come along with me as my career takes a new direction.
Thanks to all of you who've been dropping by the blog this week while I've been gone. I'll enjoy catching up once I'm home on Sunday.
So, any questions about my news or about my time at RT?
78 comments:
Emily! Mia! Congrats...what fantastic news! I am so happy for you, and I can't wait to read this new series. Very exciting! (And believe me, I don't hate you at all, as I muddle along with my WIP....there is no way in the universe I could possibly write that much!).
Very exciting. Congrats on all your wonderful news Emily/Mia! That's a lot of writing in a short period of time. :)
Penelope--Thanks so much, my friend. I'm giddy with excitement still! Yesterday, I met my new editor Alicia Condon for the first time. She's such a delight. I know I'm going to love working with her.
Amber-It is a lot of writing. But I have a plan. I've laid out my work schedule and I know exactly where I need to be each week in order to meet my deadlines.
When I was in college, I used to procrastinate on long term projects. Blame it on growing up, but I don't any more. Who needs that kind of stress?
If I stick to my weekly page goals, I can eat this elephant one bite at a time.
HUGE congrats, Emily/Mia!!! What terrific news! I'm bursting with happiness for you. :)
Congrats, Emily/Mia! You sound totally organized, so I'm sure you can do it. Have fun celebrating!
Oh my gosh!! And to top it all off, Stroke of Genius will be out very soon. Emily, I just think that's hard work paying off. Good for you!
So--will there be any more Emily Bryan books?
What did you hear about what the market "wants" right now? What are the readers you met excited about reading?
Again, congratulations on such amazing news!
Color me jealous--but so very happy for you and proud of my Dorchester sister! I hope my publishing future is heading in the same direction (fingers & toes crossed).
Mega Congrats Mia/Em!
Hugs,
Kerri
Holy mackerel, Emily! As I told you at the NEC book fair, "You amaze me." Congratulations. You deserve all the success in the world; you've earned it. Best wishes, Mia!
I'm so happy for you, my friend! That is sooo wonderful! Looking forward to reading all your hard work. Is it possible to be envious of the contracts while secretly terrified I ever had to write 7 books in 15 months? LOL!
Emily! This is FABULOUS news! Thank you for sharing it with us. I know you are really busy now and the next 15 months will be challenging, I'm sure. Best wishes and huge congrats!
Oh wow Emily! I'm so excited for you :) Of course, with all the pen names,I have a feeling I'm going to get very confused. Still, super congratulations! Can't wait to read more.
Congratulations! Now I can have a keeper shelf set aside for all three of you.
Wow--I'm not jealous--I'm thrilled for you. Congratulations, Emily. I know you've worked hard for this.
Congratulations!!!! I don't hate you even a little; I'm happy for you! Great news.
Mama Mia! When it rains, it pours! The new serieses (what's the plural of series anyway?) sound very exciting. Your head will be overflowing with so many wonderful characters....
Emily/Mia/Diana, I am so THRILLED for you!! Congratulations!!
It couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Or writer.:->
Seven books, 15 months. Yikes!!!
Smoking' keyboards!
WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Congrats. And I love your new pen name: Mia Marlowe. Sounds so glamorous. LOVE IT.
I would be terrified to deliver that many manuscripts, though. Two in 15 months would push me.
Hats off to you. A big hat.
Congrats, babe! That's great news. :)
I had to cancel my appearance at RT due to a family emergency. No fun. Get into just a little bit of trouble for me, will you? LOL.
Wow, Mia! I had just gotten used to calling you Emily instead of Diana ;). Congratulations! I'm reading the excerpt now and it looks great! And bold, and exciting in more ways than one. Lots of adventure...
So if you're switching to the Mia Marlow pen name for all your books, what are you going to do with this blog? Are we going to 'move house' at some point?
And by the way, I'm excited to hear people can grow out of procratinating. That has yet to happen for 30-year-old me ;).
Saranna, sorry to hear about your family emergency. I hope it was something that doesn't hurt too much, and hope you'll have fun at lots of later conventions!
Congratulations!!!
I loved Diana's books. Adore Emily's. And I'm looking forward to Mia's upcoming titles.
Thanks, Tracy! I love what you're doing with your Month of Mysticism on your site.
Barbara--It was such fun to introduce myself as Mia Marlowe at the Kensington mixer this morning. Fortunately, the aspiring writers I'd worked with earlier in the week knew about the deal, so (bless their hearts!) they cheered for me as if I was a NYTimes best seller!
Gillian--I never say never, but right now I think STROKE OF GENIUS will be the last Emily book.
Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be on stage as Emily for the Dorchester Mr. Romance Contest. One of the hunks is portraying Crispin Hawke, my brilliant, sexy sculptor.
Zoe Archer said I should have considered "Sybil" as my new penname. Oh, to be so clever.
Gillian--I'm leaving myself a note to do a whole post on "what the market wants."
Kerri--One of the things I'm most delighted about in this deal is that I still get to write for Leah at Dorchester. I'm proud to still be a "Lollie!"
Thanks, Nancy. I'm afraid I'm going to miss the NEC meeting again this month because the DH and I are going on a cruise to Bermuda then. (Don't worry. I figured the time off into the writing schedule!)
Shannon--Thanks so much! I always give my girls at Eastside credit for putting my feet on the right path.
Deb--Thanks. I prefer to think of the schedule as "ambitious."
Erin--That's why Dorchester is letting me switch to the Mia name too. It's hard to promote two at once, so after STROKE OF GENIUS, my Leisure Books will come out under Mia Marlowe.
Anna--LOL! When you put it like that it does sound skitzo, doesn't it?
LJ, it's a labor of love. There's nothing better than spending my days making stuff up!
Thank you, Edie. You're so sweet! I was thinking of you when I heard about Kensington's new writing contest. They're launching a WRITING WITH THE STARS contest. I'll share those details soon. Since you did so well in the American Title, I hope you'll consider this one too.
Kat--Mama Mia. I like it!
Barb H--Actually, I'll only have to keep to my usual 10 pages a day output. What's different is that I won't have down time between books. So I'll have to find ways to create down time for myself in small bites.
Beth--Glamorous? Me? ROFL
Saranna--I'm so sorry you're missing RT, but more sorry about the family emergency. Sending hugs and prayers.
Nynke--The new Mia website is in development and I'm hoping the blog will be integrated into the site. When we get ready to move to the new site, I'll have to think of some fun things--maybe a week long launch party with guests and prizes and stuff.
I'll give you all plenty of notice. For now, we'll party on right here.
That's so sweet of you, Phyllis! (I love your blog, BTW.)
Emily!
Such great news. . .fantastic. And I'm a writer and I couldn't hate you even a little bit, lol. But your comment made me laugh. You give so much to the writing community by reaching out with your wonderful blog, you deserve all of this. . . . ~hugs~ AND still working with Leah? A plus plus, lol. So happy for you!
Gayle Anne--Thanks for your kind words and thanks so much for the copy of Tsunami Blue! I'm saving it for my upcoming cruise.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, ladies. It's much appreciated. I'll get to join in the fun next year for sure.
OOK!! Very exciting news for you!! Congrats, and hopefully, you can keep your head on straight with all those deadlines. :-)
Congratulations! I envy you the combination 7 book deals, but not the 15 mo. of pressure that comes with them. Still, I bet you'll do great!
Congratulations, Emily! You'll do them proud.
Congratulations, Emily! Very exciting news. Best wishes with the books and the new name. I love it! Jordan
Congratulations, Emily. I love the name Mia Marlowe.
Fantastic, Emily. Congratulations. But yikes, seven novels in fifteen months. Love the new pen name!
Congratulations, Diana,
That is absolutely marvelous news! Well done indeed.
Turbocharge that keyboard...Mia!
:-)
Joy
Turbocharge that keyboard...Mia!
What a wonderful piece of news. Well deserved!
What a lot of work you have on your plate. I do not envy you that...well maybe a little. ;0
Congratulations, Emily!!!
I'm so happy for you, and MAN are we going to have to step up our critique sessions! I can't wait to read all this wonderful stuff!!!
Ash (the lucky lady who gets to preview all her awesome books! You're going to LOVE the new Mia Marlowe stories!)
Congratulations on the WONDERFUL news! Couldn't happen to a nicer or more talented person! Best of luck meeting those deadlines. I'm sensing that we won't be hearing from you on the blog as often for a while.
I figured it would be something along these lines.
It must be exciting for you to expand in this new direction. Will be fun to see what the books are like.
Best of luck.
Emily, I am so proud of you. Congratulations! I don't know how you managed to sit on this news. I'd have been screaming it from the rooftop. Many Blessings
Congrats Emily- this is great news not just for you but for your fans! and I love paranormal elements in books!
I'm thrilled for you, Diana, and jealous, but the good kind of jealous. LOL I don't envy you the 15 month deadline, but you'll do it!! Major congratulations for a major accomplishment!!
Saranna--RT will be in LA next year. I'm hoping I'll be able to go, but I'll have to see how I'm doing on my deadlines before I commit. The writing comes first, but the parties sure are fun!
Crista--If all goes as planned, I'll have time to bring in all the stories by their deadlines. Of course, there will be revisions and unexpected developments, but that's what weekends are for. I have factored in some running away time too. If you don't have a life, you have nothing to write about.
Stacey--I do have a jump on a few of the stories. My current WIP is already at 260 pages and on target for June 1st delivery. I have 50 pages and a detailed synopsis for the next one. The novella is a little hazy, but I have 100 pages for the first Dorchester title. I have titles and story concepts in my head for two more. Only one of the novels is a complete mystery to me at this point.
Thanks, LuAnn. I'm very proud of both my publishing houses and they both went out of their way to make me feel valued at RT this year.
Jordan--Thank you. I think I'm living proof that it's better to be lucky than good. LOL!
Seriously, there is an element of luck in this business. But there's also something to be said for sticktuitiveness, if that's a word. So keep writing!
Sandy--I like Mia Marlowe because the initials spell Mmmmmmmm!
Helen--Remember I have a bit of a jump on a number of the stories already. It's really not so daunting if you break it down into daily page goals.
Thanks, Rowena! I think I should pass on the "Well done" to my agent, Natasha Kern. She handled the details of this rather tricky deal with such delicacy and class.
Joy--I think I'll have to reward my computer with special treats-- or would those be called "bytes"?
Glynis--Knowing what I'm going to be doing is very liberating. The creative juices are free to flow.
Ashlyn--Yes, my dear, you get to run through this gauntlet with me! Thanks so much for your help.
Colleen-I'm planning to continue blogging. It's my morning writing workout. I use the blog time to get words flowing out my fingers. It may not be Shakespeare, but I'll be here.
Pat--I've been hoping for this sort of thing for some time. To be honest, I never expected two 3 book deals (I was thinking 2 books each would be a win.) but I didn't argue with them! And I'm thrilled to be part of a Brava anthology so soon.
Angela--I didn't want to jinx it. In fact, even after talking to both the editors, I didn't say anything until I saw something about the deals on Publisher's Lunch. Once they announced, I figured it was safe for me to announce!
Donna--If by good kind of jealous you mean, "If she can do it, I can do it!" then by all means, be jealous. I wish the same good luck for you, my friend.
Marie--By paranormal elements, I mean sparkles of magic, psychic abilities and special gifts for some of my characters. I love to add things that are on the edge of possible but not ordinary. I'm not a vampire or shape-shifter fan, so my paranormal may seem tame to some readers.
For a taste of what's coming, I suggest you try the TOUCH OF A THIEF excerpt on my Mia Marlowe Blog.
Sorry to be late to the party, but congrats nonetheless! Such an abundance of good fortune couldn't happen to a nicer person!
Very jealous, but very excited for you!
KatieO
KatieO--On this blog, it's never too late to party! Thanks for the kind words.
Congratulations on your good news.
I throughly enjoyed reading about what an editor wants and I guess, really needs.
Thanks, Mary.
When I was first published, Bobbi Smith told me my goal should be to "Stay Published." Giving an editor what she wants is a good way to do that.
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