Another "OMG Where Is 2013 Going??" Update...

I have been the worst blogger ever this year. Good lord. You don't have to guess what's on top of my 2014 New Year's resolutions. And who in the world does New Year's resolutions in August? Well, people like me who seem to be stuck in a weird time warp where we go to bed and wake up six weeks later. This year is definitely getting away from me, but 2014 will not. It will not, I say!

Anyway. This is going to be another one of those posts where I try to summarize everything that's gone on since last I meaningfully blogged, and give a prediction of what will happen in the next few months. There's usually a fruitless promise in there somewhere about lessening my workload, but I'll spare you that one this time. We all know it's not going to happen. Though I have been making a point of spending more time with that guy living in my house with a gold ring on his left hand, so I am deliberately spending less time in my office. Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Moving on. What has gone on since I last blogged?  The short answer is that I traveled. I flew back to London at the beginning of July, and spent three and a half weeks gallivanting around England, Poland, and Germany with Aleksandr Voinov. We attended the LGBT UK Meet-up in Manchester, and if you have the chance to attend next year's in Bristol, you totally should. It was gobs of fun.

Then we alternated between playing Laptop Battleship (tm), checking out various and sundry historical locations for research, and trying not to evaporate in the most ungodly heat wave ever. Word to the wise: never get a second degree sunburn. They suck.

And what the hell is Laptop Battleship (tm) anyway?  Basically, it's when Aleks and I write together in person, as opposed to online.  Well, okay, we're online too, but we're actually in the same room. We set up in a library, coffee shop, or the living room of someone who has air-conditioning and left their front door unlocked a train. We log into Google Docs, and commence writing as we normally do: Aleks writes a few paragraphs, then I write a few, and we go back and forth for a few hours. With out laptops sitting back to back and both of us staring intently at the screens, it looks a lot like we're playing the classic game Battleship.

Upon my return to the U.S., I did what I always do: jumped back into working. Deadlines ahoy, y'all. And edits. Good times.  And of course, spending time with my horse, my cats, and my husband, all of whom felt sorely neglected by my absence. I also got caught up on Candy Crush. Don't judge me.

Speaking of books, let's talk...uh...books.  Two of them were released while I was in Europe. Of course I posted about Unhinge the Universe, but I neglected to pimp out my erotic sci fi novel, Wireless, which is now available from Loose Id, LLC:

And after almost four years of being published, I still get a little giddy over cover art. Okay, a lot giddy. Especially when that cover art looks like this:

I know, right? NOM NOM NOM NAVY SEALS. The Only One Who Knows will be available from Samhain Publishing in early 2014. The sequel, The Only One Who Matters, will follow close after that. What else will Cat Grant and I have to offer next year? Oh, just wait. ;)

And speaking of covers, this one kind of blew my mind. I wrote the article a few months back, but totally didn't expect to see it mentioned on the cover:

Squee!

Then of course, there are two releases this month. Both next week, actually.

Capture & Surrender is the fifth book -- but first novel -- of the Market Garden series, and will be available from Riptide Publishing on the 19th (sooner if you pre-order!). Yes, that is a paintball mask on the cover.

Meet Me in the Middle follows The Distance Between Us and The Closer You Get. Dale, Rhett's smartass friend, finally gets his own story. Samhain Publishing will release this one on the 20th.

Oh! And a lot of people have asked if A Chip In His Shoulder or Something New Under the Sun would ever find their way into paperback, and the answer is YES.  Behold: Falling Sky - The Complete Collection:

Now you too can have Liam and Daniel in your hot little hands.

So what's next?

Well, as always: a lot of things. I'm currently working on another World War II book with Aleks. Cat and I have a little something in the works. Tucker Springs #7 is in-progress.  Lauren Gallagher will actually have a couple of titles out in 2014, which is good since she's been a damned slacker this year.

I'll also be re-releasing some titles that have gone out of print. Some will be self-published, some will be released through various publishers. If you're looking for a particular title and have been unable to find it, let me know, and I can give you a rough estimate for its re-release.

And finally, I'll be showing my face in public a couple more times this year. This month, I will be at Toledo Pride, likely making a fool of myself. In October, I'll be at GayRomLit in Atlanta, and you can see what I look like just days after I've been to a 30 Seconds to Mars concert. Prediction: hoarse, a little bruised, and in giddy fangirl mode. Especially since Cat and I are going to two shows within 24 hours. Why? Pfft. It's 30 Seconds to Mars. That's all the reason anyone needs.

That pretty much sums everything up. 2014 is promising to be a good year, with several releases already booked for the first few months. And yes, I will blog more in 2014. Maybe even in 2013, but no promises...

Updates, and What's Coming Up

It's been a busy couple of months here in Abnormal Romance Authorville, and the schedule for the next few months is, shall we say, packed. October is promising to be utter madness at ye olde desk of insanity, because there is a ton of stuff in the works for all y'all.

Will there be more Tucker Springs books? Yes! Heidi Cullinan and Marie Sexton's book, Second Hand, is available now from Riptide. Dirty Laundry by Heidi will be out next year, as will Marie's next book. My book, Covet Thy Neighbor (Seth's story!) will be along in early spring. I'll also be contributing After The Fall, but no dates for that one yet. Keep an eye on the Tucker Springs Website for updates, as well as our various Twitter accounts: @HeidiCullinan, @MarieSexton, and @GallagherWitt.

Will there be more Tooth & Claw books? Yes! I've had a lot on my plate this year and didn't finish them when I'd originally planned, but rest assured, book #3 (The United & The Divided) and the final book, #4 (The Faithful & The Fallen), are very much in the works. Dates and release info to come as they're available.

What titles will be available in paperback?  The Closer You Get has just been released in print. The Given & The Taken will be along in December, and in mid-late 2013, Who's Your Daddy?, Conduct Unbecoming, The Healing & The Dying, and All The King's Horses will also be in print, along with Where There's Smoke and With the Band. Details to come.

That's it?  Ooh, no. Late 2012 and most of 2013 are going to be nuts, y'all. Assuming the Mayans don't actually come back from Saturn to do battle with the Freemasons in December, here are the titles that are coming out over the next few months:

OCTOBER

• By A Thread - Amber Allure, October 21st (Fantasy Novella; Witt)
• Conduct Unbecoming - Samhain Publishing, October 23rd (Contemporary Milrom; Witt)

NOVEMBER

• The Left Hand of Calvus - Riptide Publishing, November 5th (Trans* Roman historical; Witt)
• Who Compels My Strength - Total-E-Bound, November 19th (BDSM short story; Gallagher)

DECEMBER

• O Come All Ye Kinky Anthology - Riptide Publishing, December 3rd (BDSM short story; Witt)
• From Out in the Cold - Loose Id, LLC, December 4th (Contemporary; Witt)
• All The King's Horses - Samhain Publishing, December 25th (Contemporary Western; Gallagher)

JANUARY

• Something New Under the Sun - Riptide Publishing, January 21st (Cyberpunk; Witt)
• Wireless - Loose Id, LLC, January TBD (Futuristic Sci-Fi; Witt)

And after January?  Lots of stuff brewing. A kinky M/M contemporary, a couple of romantic comedies, definitely some more hetero and trans* stories, plenty of sci-fi, and at least one sequel. Possibly even some collaborations!

Now, back to writing. If you'll be at GRL in Albuquerque, definitely say hello! Looking forward to meeting authors and readers -- only two weeks away, can you believe it?

Okay, okay, really getting back to work now. 

Lauren and L. A.: The State of the Union

So some of my readers may have noticed that my coming soon list is dwindling a bit. I try to keep several titles on that list at all times, with releases extending several months into the future. As of right now, though, I have four releases between now and mid-January, and then...nothing. For that matter, Lauren's last release was in September.

What's going on here???

Never fear, my lovely readers!

As many of you know, I'm right smack in the middle of moving from Okinawa to Nebraska, and surprise surprise, all the moving-related nonsense has taken a bite out of my productivity. I'm still writing, of course -- Where There's Smoke is coming along swimmingly, if slowly -- but have to attend to nonsense such as acquiring vehicles, traveling over long distances, and doing this "socializing" insanity with family and friends. People are so inconsiderate, expecting me to be "responsible" and "present" and all of that. Humph. Don't they know I have books to write? Some people, I tell you.

But the move is nearly over. I'm staying with my extremely patient and generous family in the Seattle area, where my cats and their cats are learning to interact via hissing and dirty looks. In mid-December, I will brave the icy roads of eastern Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado--

Pfft. Forget that noise. I'm driving down to southern California and taking the wimp's way out across the southern states. If the weather gets much worse, I'm going to end up crossing through Bolivia or something to avoid the snow.

ANYWAY. Sometime in late December/early January, I will at least be able to park my butt in my chair, at my desk, in my office, and...get back to work. *swoons* Ahh, only in this line of work could those four words sound so sweet. Have I mentioned I love my job? I totally do.

Though my coming soon list doesn't currently reflect it, 2012 will be a busy year, and rest assured, there will be plenty of books coming down the pipe. On the L. A. Witt side of things, books in the works include a sequel to A Chip In His Shoulder, the second and third Tooth & Claw books (The Given & The Taken is book #1), and quite possibly some jaunts into some new subgenres.

But what about Lauren? Why has she been so quiet lately? Some have asked if I'm retiring the Lauren Gallagher pen name to focus on L. A. Witt. Not to worry, Lauren fans. I spent a significant part of 2011 focusing on my M/M work, but there are several hetero plot bunnies chewing through their restraints as we speak, so expect to see some more M/F shenanigans this year. I also wanted to think about what direction Lauren will be heading. Focusing on contemporary? Branching into other subgenres? More or less menage and/or BDSM? You'll just have to wait and see. ;)

While I get all of these plot bunnies corralled and work on carting myself to Nebraska, there may be some gaps between release dates for the first part of the year. Once I'm settled in, though, everything should level out, and my coming soon list will once again be full of the promise of freshly-minted smutty goodness.

Also, now that I'm finally on the same piece of rock as some of my readers, I can actually go to some conferences and events and stuff! As of right now, I am definitely attending Authors After Dark in New Orleans this August. A few others are more tentative, but will be announced as they're confirmed.

For now, it's off to fashion harnesses and teach my cats to pull, just in case I get stuck in the snow somewhere in December...

Leavin' on a Jet Plane

Sooo today is my last full day on Okinawa. Tomorrow afternoon, they shove my cats, me, and a metric crapload of luggage onto a plane, and whisk us to Seattle. We'll spend two months there, then join my husband in Omaha, Nebraska.

As such, expect some radio silence from me for a couple of days. Traveling from here to Seattle is about a 20-24-hour debacle, and wireless access is no guarantee during my layover in Narita, Japan. And of course, when I get to Seattle, it's time for the mother of all jetlag. Seriously, you haven't lived until you've experienced Japan-to-U.S. jetlag. Good stuff. Blech.

Anyway, expect some delays in blog posts, tweets, and e-mail responses while I get from here to there. My Six Sentence Sunday post is scheduled, though, so you'll all get your weekly nibble. :D

See y'all when I get to the other side of the Pacific!

Brief Update

Just wanted to give everyone a few quick updates...

This typhoon that blew through had me offline for a couple of days, so I'm playing catch-up right now. As soon as I have everything in some semblance of order, I'll draw the winners for the 20th book giveaway.

And speaking of books...
...Static is now available in paperback from Amazon and Amber Allure.

Moving right along...

I'm hard at work right now, finishing up some projects so I can get them sent off to editors before I move. I will most likely be returning to the States in mid-October, and I'll be in Seattle for a few weeks, possibly up to two months or so, before continuing to Nebraska. As such, updates may be sparse, and my word counters may move exceptionally slowly between late September and early January. Fear not! Just getting adjusted to stateside life again, getting settled in, etc. The writing will still be happening, just won't be back up to speed until early 2012. Don't worry -- I still have a few books up my sleeve that won't be added to the Coming Soon list for a little while. ;)

Also, since that list is ever-changing, here's the basic rundown of everything currently coming out in the next few months:

As Lauren Gallagher

• Disengaged, Champagne Books, September

As L. A. Witt

• On The List, Amber Allure, August
• Ex Equals, Amber Allure, September
• The Closer You Get, Samhain, November
• Search Me, Carnal Passions, TBD
• The Given & The Taken, Samhain, January
• Noble Metals, Carnal Passions, January
  

And I just want to say thanks to my awesome readers! I'm glad y'all are enjoying my books, and rest assured, there will be plenty more coming after I'm settled into Nebraska.

Brief Update

Apologies for the lack of entries lately! I've been up to my ears in finishing a few projects, not to mention starting a few, and my parents are in town right now. I expect to have some pictures up from our island adventures, probably tomorrow, but for now, I'm calling it a night.

In the next few months, expect a lot of updates relating to book releases.

This is what's coming down the pipe between now and the end of June:

• With the Band, March 22
  
• Getting off the Ground, April 3
• Nine-tenths of the Law (paperback), April 5
• Infinity Pools, May 1
• Denied (short story), May 15
• A.J.'s Angel, May 31
• The Distance Between Us (paperback), June 7
• Damaged Goods, June 14
• Static, June 26
• Changing Plans (paperback), June 25 (tent.)

Needless to say, it's going to be crazy over the next few months! Anyway, bear with me for the next week or so, and I'll be back to regular postings. Lots of exciting stuff coming up, so stick around...