December 30, 2007

Lots of my other blogger friends are doing their annual end-of-year list of favorite reads. I thought it would be fun to join in, though I haven't been as organized as, say, Chris has been with keeping track of what I've read and actually finished. So this is off the top of my head, but here goes:

Twelve of my favorite (new) reads from 2007:

1. The Virgin River series by Robyn Carr. My favorite new author of 2007!

2. The House on Olive Street by Robyn Carr (one of her backlist titles only available used).

3. Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu. This was my first Liu book, and I've really fallen for her voice and the world in her Dirk & Steele books.

4. Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors. I think the Taj Mahal is the most perfect, gorgeous building in the world…and this is a fictionalized account of the building of this architectural wonder.

5. Birthright by Nora Roberts. It's an older book, but I just read it this year and loved it. I think it's one of my favorites of hers!

6. Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels. One of the few Michaels books I'd never read until this year.

7. The Half-Blood Prince and The Deathly Hallows by You Know Who. 

8. The Unsung Hero and The Defiant Hero by Suzanne Brockmann. I haven't read any other Brockmanns except for one of her older Silhouette Romances, so she's new to me. Am loving her! 

9. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (unabridged).

10. Face of Deception by Iris Johansen

11. Courting Trouble by Lisa Scottoline

12. Greywalker by Kat Richardson

How about you? Some of your favorite reads of the year? Post in the comments, or link to your own blog! 

December 28, 2007

The year's winding down, and for me, it was a good one.

2007 will definitely be one of my good years because of my first book releases, and other changes in my life (for the better). Of course, there have been sorrows and difficulties (the loss of my grandmother, my son's hospitalization, the upsetting things happening in Darfur, Pakistan, and Iraq–and here in the US)…but all in all, a good year.

How about you? 2007–glad to see it go, or not?

Oh, and I blogged at the Wet Noodle Posse blog yesterday about the day I received The Call (that my first book had sold). That was a life-changing event that happened in 2005.

I'm off for lunch with one of my critique partners/readers. She's reading a new project I'm working on. I'm hoping to get a stamp of approval, but she's tough.

December 27, 2007

At last…I've corralled my Music Man and have the pleasure of announcing the following winners:

GRAND PRIZE (drawn from all commenters and blogger participants):

AMIE STUART!

Amie wins the first season of Buffy, the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice, and a $25 Amazon gift certificate for her participation!

FIRST PRIZE (drawn from all commenters on the Pay it Forward post):

Carol (comment #53)

SECOND PRIZE (drawn from all commenters):

Nathalie (comment #46)

BLOGGER WINNER:

ReadingIsSoMuchFun (blogger # 13)

I'll be in touch with you…or feel free to contact me by email at author at colleengleason dot com. 

CONGRATULATIONS! And thank you all for participating.

Let's keep it up throughout the year…make it a New Year's Resolution to Pay it Forward all the time. 

December 23, 2007

'Scuse me for a moment while I indulge in shameless self-promo for The Bleeding Dusk, now less than six weeks away from release. (February 5.)

Here's the full review from PW that made my day:

"Gleason's latest in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles picks up a year after Rises the Night. Victoria Gardella is mourning her husband, Lord Rockley, and eager to get back to work as a venator [sic].

She becomes aware of a plot by the demon Akvan to break through the Door of the Alchemists and steal valuable secrets that will bring him to full power. Complicating matters is the return of venator Maximilian Pesaro, still in thrall to Lilith and determined to break free. Sebastian Vioget, ally of both Victoria and his vampire grandfather Beauregard, has a secret that will change the balance of power.

And all three, none of whom trust each other very much, must band together to stop Akvan.

The chemistry between Sebastian and Victoria is palpable, and Max is given a level of depth lacking in previous installments. Gleason, who ends the book on a cliffhanger, is really on a roll."

W00T!

PS. Have you read the sneak peek on my Web site for Dusk? (It's different than the one in the back of Rises the Night.)

December 22, 2007

Okay, I went and saw it. Took the two older kids.

I loved National Treasure. (And not just because Sean Bean was so dastardly hawt in it.) I thought it was so clever and really fun. Totally unbelievable, but fun just the same.

I knew the second one, National Treasure: Book of Secrets had no chance of living up to the first one, but there was no way I was going to miss seeing it anyway.

And it didn't…but it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. Really. I wasn't sitting in my chair wishing for the movie to be over. I laughed many times. I loooooooved Helen Mirren. And I only rolled my eyes twice (once during the ridiculous [requisite] car chase scene).

Ugh. Why do they have to put a car chase in every frigging movie nowadays?

During those interminable scenes, I spend more time worrying about who's going to clean up the mess, and which insurance company is going to pay than caring about the pursuers and pursuees.

(One nice thing about writing a historically-set series is that if they ever make it into a movie, there will be no car chase scene! Yes!) 

So, anyway, it's worth seeing I think. It's not nearly as good as the first, but nor does it suck. It's a fun family movie. Great way to kick off what was (for us) a holiday weekend.