One Year Later - Adrian Phoenix - Plus Contest!

Adrian Phoenix is the author of A Rush of Wings and In the Blood. This year has been very active for her, and as you will read below, quite exciting! Adrian has a few things to give away for the readers of Fantasy Debut; the details are after her post.

~*~

ONE YEAR (OR SO) LATER

January 8, 2008, my debut novel, A Rush of Wings, hit the bookshelves at book stores and online retailers. The moment was exciting, seemed unreal, but somehow so right all at the same time. That evening, I went out to dinner with friends and family to celebrate the book’s release. I was giddy and proud and happy.

Then Entertainment Weekly reviewed the book (I was stunned, then terrified. Smelling salts might’ve been handy. LOL.) and they gave it a B+ and a wonderful review.

Publisher’s Weekly, Romantic Times, Fantasy Debut, authors like Jenna Black, Marjorie Liu, Jeaniene Frost, Barb Hendee, and Jeri Smith-Ready all enjoyed Rush. With each new review I felt lit up inside, warm. It all seemed incredible. (Still does!) But best of all were the people I’ve met who’ve loved and promoted Rush – people like Tia and Raven – including my readers. They’ve moved me more than I can say by their devotion and enthusiasm in spreading the word. I owe so much to each one!

A few weeks later, I had my first signing and, even though I was so nervous my hands were shaking while I signed books, the time blurred past. It was scary and amazing and something I’ll never repeat – my very first signing. I celebrated by seeing Cloverfield with my movie buddy. AWESOME movie!

The year streaked past. I finished and turned in the manuscript for the sequel, In the Blood, saw the cover art (YAY!) and sold two more books in the series to my editor at Pocket – Jennifer Heddle. I love working with Jen. She knows my strengths and weaknesses as a writer and never pulls her punches. (Okay, she does pad the punches with humor, something I appreciate.)

We decided it was time to name the series. So after lobbing dozens of possible titles at Jen like a baseball-spitting batting machine, we settled on The Maker’s Song.

It was around this time, or maybe a month or so earlier, that I learned Rush would be re-released in mass-market paperback February 24, 2009. I pogoed all around my house, freaking out my pets who worried Mommy was deranged (well…more deranged).

Around November 2008, advance reviews for In the Blood started appearing. PW, Romantic Times, The Library Journal, all were great, calling it a paranormal thriller. Giddy time again! I also learned that In the Blood was going to be a January featured title in the Barnes and Noble online paranormal/urban fantasy book club. Let’s make it delirious time!

One of the most surreal things happened the day before In the Blood was released – our local newspaper, The Register-Guard, interviewed me. I met the journalist, Finn John, at the local Barnes and Noble and we talked over coffee. The next day, a photographer from The Register-Guard showed up at my house to take photos of me in my office. Working.

“Just write and I’ll take photos.” Um. Okay. Gibberish fills the monitor. LOL.

When In the Blood was released in trade paper on December 30, 2008, it dawned on me that I’d had two books come out during an amazing year, a year that raced past, never to be recaptured.

But I realize each book is a unique and fulfilling experience – from pouring the story onto the page to revisions, copy-edit, page proofs, then release and, hopefully, into the hands of eager readers. Each book and the world held between its covers, will be opened, spilling light onto the pages and into the hearts of its readers. As it has been with every book ever written. Every story ever told.

I’m honored to be a part of that – as a reader, a writer, a dreamer. I’m looking forward to all the books to come.

What’s up ahead? Well, at the end of August 2009, In the Blood will be re-released in mass-market paperback. The third book in the series, Beneath the Skin, will be released in mass-market paperback from the get-go (YAY!), January 2010.

Also, I’ve just sold the first two books in a new urban fantasy series to my editor at Pocket, so now I’ll have two series going! I imagine the books will be released six months apart, one from each series. My dream continues to blossom into reality. Excited doesn’t even cut it – maybe bliss. We’ll see how blissful I feel when I’m running up against two deadlines. A problem I’m looking forward to.

I count my blessings every day. I know how lucky I am. Thank you, Tia, for allowing me this opportunity!

~*~

Giveaway!

Everyone who leaves a comment will be automatically entered in a giveaway! One winner will receive a mass market paperback copy of A Rush of Wings, and another winner will receive the current trade paperback of In the Blood. I'm not sure when she'll close the contest and pick a winner, so hurry up and enter!