Thank you!

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support last week in getting my Facebook Page off the ground. I have to admit it was much easier than I thought it would be. I was going to hold off on doing Twitter for a while but decided it was probably better to do them both at the same time. So now I'm on BOTH Twitter and Facebook, LOL. That's me, living on the edge.

I think I missed the point about social networking. I wanted to do a "dip a toe in the water" kind of thing, but word gets out fast. :) The idea was to work out the kinks before the book launch when I send out my newsletter and not put it on my website until then, but I might re-evaluate. But I still like the idea of taking it really slow. Don't want to do something "wrong" before I learn the ropes.

My initial impressions: Twitter is VERY fast--it felt like it got around very quickly that I was on Twitter (and by extension FB), but FB feels more interactive.

I was going to integrate feeds from both the blog and twitter, but I decided to hold off. I thought about it and wondered if that would make Facebook status items not feel as "fresh" and interactive. Maybe a link works better? Any thoughts from you all would be appreciated.

Along the same lines, I'd love to get your impressions of things you guys think "work" on Facebook. Is it a regular feature? Certain types of status reports? Just shooting the sh*t?

Thanks again for getting the word out and making me feel so welcome. You guys are the best!

Monica Gets with the Program!

Okay, you guys convinced me! I set up a Facebook page that I'm planning to officially launch when THE VIPER comes out on October 18th. So stop by and let me know what you think. I'm hoping you guys will show me the ropes. It seemed much easier to set up this time around (I'd looked into it about a year ago), but hopefully I didn't screw anything up, LOL. It's a work in progress, so feedback is appreciated. I posted a bunch of pictures, so let me know if those don't show up...

Kids are back to school tomorrow...Hallelujah! (If you're in the mood for a little Jon Bon Jovi version of the song watch here).

Ebook Sale! (The cover choice is for you Ing:)

If you haven't read my backlist and have an e-reader, Random House has reduced the price of some of my (and other authors') books. For example, Highlander Untamed is $5.99 on both kindle and nook, as is Highlander Unmasked. Highland Warrior, Highland Scoundrel (I think they mistakenly thought this was the second book), and The Chief are $6.99. Here is the list of all my books on kindle. And here they are on nook. They might be similarly priced on other sites, but those are the only two I heard about. Other RHs authors with trilogies have also been reduced. If you haven't tried Tessa Dare, Tracy Anne Warren, Allison Brennan, Christie Reece, to name a few, now's your chance.

You know how I found out about it? Twitter, LOL! Tessa Dare tweeted about it on Friday. And thanks to you guys, I'm inching closer to Facebook. I messed around with it a little this weekend. I'm probably going to do a "soft" launch soon and you guys can tell me everything I'm doing wrong!

Tough Week

I didn't have any personal connection to any of the fallen soldiers in the horrible helicopter crash in Afghanistan, but I was deeply saddened by the news nonetheless. What a tragedy. All those young lives cut short. My prayers go out to all the families involved. And to the men who made the ultimate sacrifice, thank you.

From tragic to painful . . . how about that stock market. Ouch. Been a very bleak few days around Casa McCarty. It's getting so I don't want to turn on the computer anymore! Looks like the Fed tried to stop the bleeding by offering lower interest rates, but I sure hope it's enough. Didn't it feel like things were just coming back? Jeez. I guess the good thing is that we are quite a few years away from retirements, but I sure feel badly for all those people whose 401ks were hit hard the past few days.

I did have one fun thing happen this weekend. I had an out of the blue phone call from an old friend I hadn't heard from in about 5 years. Turns out he'd run into another old friend of mine in a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles--the funny thing is that I'd just seen her for the first time in about 10 years a few days before. How random is that? Anyway, it was great catching up with both of them. They are the type of friends that even though I haven't talked to them in years, I recognize their voice in seconds and within minutes we are talking like we never stopped. Since I'm not on Facebook (yet) I haven't had those random run-ins that I know a lot of you probably have. Anyone have any good stories? Any old boyfriends that you've always wondered what happened to them?

And finally, Ing is a frequent commenter on the blog. She had a really fun idea that I hope some of you guys might be interested in participating in. She wants to celebrate the release of THE VIPER by doing a series of blogs about the Highland Guard. If any of you might be interested in participating by writing a guest blog about your favorite guardsman, the series in general or your favorite book, she'd love to have you. It's still a couple of months away, so I'll remind you as it gets closer, but if you think you might be interested you can contact her on her blog here.

Hope you guys are having a better week than I am! Anyone going on vacation so I can live vicariously?

Monica Recommends . . .

A number of you mentioned that you liked getting recommendations from authors on other books/authors. I will try to find a regular place to update this list--either on FB (if I ever get there, LOL) or maybe on Goodreads (ditto). If I can figure out how to put it in a sidebar on blogger, I'll do that, too.

Here are some of my all time favorite authors (and I'm SURE I'm forgetting some):

Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Julie Garwood

Shannon McKenna

Julia Quinn

Lisa Kleypas (historicals)

Linda Howard

Cindy Gerard

Karen Robards

Rachel Gibson

Marsha Canham

Judith McNaught

Also favorites (but full disclosure these are friends of mine):

Jami Alden

Bella Andre

Allison Brennan

Catherine Coulter

Carol Culver

Victoria Dahl

Tessa Dare

Barbara Freethy

Tracy Grant/Teresa Grant

Anne Hearn

Candice Hern

Christy Reece

Christie Ridgeway

Karen Tabke

Penelope Williamson

Veronica Wolff

Other Scottish Authors:

Julie Garwood (sigh)

Karen Marie Moning

Teresa Medeiros

Kathleen Givens

Lynn Kurland

Kinley MacGregor

Kresley Cole

Terri Brisbin

Margaret Mallory

Paula Quinn

Amanda Scott

Karen Hawkins

Karen Ranney

Terri

Maya Banks (new series coming out at the end of the month)

Veronica Wolff

Julianne MacLean

Sue-Ellen Welfonder

And our very own Laura Hunsaker

Melissa Mayhue

Pamela Clare

Recent Books I've enjoyed:

Just Like Heaven (Julia Quinn)

Unlocked (Courtney Milan) (note: anthology)

Bound by the Heart (Marsha Canham--old but new on kindle)

Any Man of Mine (Rachel Gibson)

Winter Sea (Susanna Kearsley--Scottish alert!)

Angel of Blythe Hall (Darci Hannah--Scottish Alert) (historical fiction)

The Silent Girl (Tess Gerritsen)

Breaking Point (Pamela Clare)

On my kindle TBR soon:

With No Remorse (Cindy Girard)

Can't Hurry Love (Christie Ridgeway)

Who am I missing? Any new romances you've read and want to recommend?