Sarah's blog

Well, I have been holding off on showing  my new cover because I wasn't sure if the artwork had been finalised yet, but I found it up on Amazon today. I guess that means it's final, huh? So, without further ado, here is the cover for More Than One Night, my March release: 

 This is my first really noticably Australian cover, I think, and I love it. It's got a honking great Sydney Opera House in the background, so there's not much doubt about where it's set, and I love that blue, blue sky. My hero and heroine - Rhys and Charlie - are standing on the balcony of Cafe Sydney, one of my favourite restaurants in Sydney. It's on top of the old Custom House and has a view of both the Opera House and the bridge, which is pretty damn cool. The food is also not too shabby! I have taken my heroes and heroines to this venue a few times over the years - Becky and Cal from my novella Back To You (featured in the Hot City Nights anthology) had their reunion dinner at Cafe Sydney. And I'm pretty sure I've taken other books there, too - I shall have to sort through my patchy memory. 

This book is scheduled for March 2012, but will be available in February at Harlequin as part of their early release program, as usual. I'll share some more about the story as we get closer to its release date. In the meantime, don't forget that my latest release, All They Need, should still be available in-store and on-line. And, of course, all my books are now available as e-books. Having just discovered the joy of instant downloads myself, I can assure you that getting a book without leaving the comfort of your own home or having to wait for the post man is very, very addictive. And maybe slightly dangerous for my bank account!

But enough about all that. You probably wouldn't mind a blurb, eh? Here's what the back cover copy says:

From bed to baby to...bliss?

A chance encounter. A steamy night together. That's all Rhys Walker signs on for when Charlotte "Charlie" Long sashays across his path. Sure, maybe he catches a glimpse of forever in her eyes. But the brush-off note the gorgeous brunette leaves the next morning says it all, doesn't it. Time to move on. 

Rhys never expects that moving on actually means reconnecting with Charlie. Or that her big news changes everything. Becoming a father now, under these circumstances, never factored into his plans. Yet he's not as upset as he thought. Because now he has the opportunity to explore that glimpse of forever...and turn it into reality. 

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I woke up this morning to learn that USAToday.com have reviewed my latest book, All They Need. I confess, there was some squealing and whatnot. It's a very generous review, too. I may have even forwarded it to my mum and dad, something I don't normally do. 

One of the things I liked the most about the review - apart from this awesome quote "I've always enjoyed Mayberry's books, but reading this one was like finding a twenty-dollar bill in your coat pocket, then unfolding it and finding a fifty wrapped inside. It started out great and just kept getting better" - is that the reviewer seemed to like Mel, my heroine, almost as much as I did. She really “got” her, and that is a precious, precious thing. It means that I wasn’t tapping away at my keyboard for nothing, and that the pictures and ideas and conversations in my head have translated to the page strongly enough for readers to see the same pictures and ideas in their heads. For a writer, that’s pretty much as good as it gets. 

If you’ve already read All They Need, I  hope you enjoyed it. As I’ve mentioned several times around the traps, this was the hardest book of my career. I got lost in it and had to write my way out of several corners. And it was late. So late I was a little scared. Me and my editor turned it around in record time, though, and the art department delivered me the most amazing cover. Every time I look at it I want to ring Mel and Flynn up and invite them over for dinner - they seem that real and complete to me after all this time.

Just so you know, I’m going to be working with my site designer to add a “coming soon” button to the site, but until then my next book is out in March 2012. More Than One Night is the story of Charlie, who has recently left the Army, and Rhys, who has just started up his own IT consultancy. When they meet, the instant attraction is undeniable. So, you know, they don’t deny it. If you know what I mean. But then things happen to ensure that this will be more than one night for the too of them. More on this book as it’s release date draws closer. 

I’m off to a big catch up with all my Melbourne based writing buddies today. My writing buddy Joan Kilby will be there, and Anne Gracie and Nicola Marsh and Fiona Lowe and Keri Arthur and talented debut author M.J. Scott. It’s gonna be a good one!

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First up - and perhaps most importantly - I have a book out. All They Need is currently on the shelves in bookstores right now, and it will of course be available as an ebook forever and ever. So far, people seem to be enjoying Mel and Flynn's story.Phew. Dear Author said nice things here. And there have been some other nice reviews, too. It's always nice when the story finds its feet out there in the big wide world. 

I also had the good fortune to be asked to do a podcast with Dear Author and Smart Bitches Trash Books recently. I got to talk via Skype with Jane and Sarah and had a little too much fun. The result is a rather long podcast that has just gone live over at Smart Bitches. Great if you have a long trip planned, I imagine - like flying to Mars or maybe circumnavigating the globe. But seriously, it's not that long. You'd probably only make it to the moon. Apparently I can talk. Who knew? (Actually, I knew this. All my friends know this. My telephone company knows this. And now you do, too.)

Work wise, I am beavering away on back-to-back Neighbours scripts and enjoying them all very much, thank you. Good storylines, nice character stuff, a bit of light comedy. It's all good. Once this latest script is done and dusted I will be diving back into my latest WIP, which is currently titled All Good Things. We shall see if that title remains. I suspect not. Need to put my thinking cap on and get some more title options going. This book is about Angie and Michael. Michael was once married to Angie's BFF, Billie, who dies in the prologue from an undiagnosed heart problem. In helping Michael deal with his grief while simultaneously weathering her own, Angie finds herself first attracted and then falling in love with her best friend's husband. Juggling guilt, grief, love and hope keeps them both occupied for quite some time. I am really enjoying writing this story and can't wait to jump back into it. 

I really, really wish that I had permission to share my next Super Romance cover with you, but it's not quite finalised yet. More Than One Night is due out in March and is set in Sydney, and I have been bestowed my first distinctly Australian cover by the wonderful talents in the Harlequin Art Department. Yes, there is a dirty great Sydney Opera House in the background! Woot! It's a very pretty cover and the heroine, Charlie, and the hero, Rhys, look just right. Hopefully I'll be able to share it with you very shortly. 

Righteo. I'd better start writing for the day. I'm having lunch with my lovely Super Romance buddy Joan Kilby today. Hopefully I will be taking her some fresh cherries and strawberries from our orchard. Fingers crossed the birds and snails haven't massacred them...

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