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I had my very first download from Spain today, thanks to the giveaway. How cool is that?

Cover updates: I’m in the process of finding/creating/commissioning a good series design for the covers so they’ll look distinctively mine—alike enough to be clearly the same series, and yet unique enough to catch the eye. While I adore, adore, adore the covers for Kismet’s Kiss and The Source of Magic, they don’t look like they’re part of a series. I haven’t figured the new design out yet (not for lack of dozens of lost hours, alas), but meanwhile I have an updated cover for Swords and Scimitars and I refreshed the cover text for The Source of Magic. Here’s some visual yumminess for the time being:

Desert-y goodness!

Ooh, reach just a little farther...

Series name: Since all my published books/stories take place on Alaia, I’m calling the series “Alaia Chronicles.” Eventually I’ll add the following subseries (these names were my original plan):

Alaia Chronicles: Women of Fate (for The Source of Magic and its sequel coming out later this year)

Alaia Chronicles: The Women of Kismet (for the Kismet’s Kiss sequels coming in 2013)

I’m not sure what I’ll name the subseries of the two origin stories (Swords and Scimitars and Swords and Lute, coming soon). Have an idea? Send me an email and I’ll thank you in the stories!

Wheee, the audiobook: As you might remember, The Source of Magic will become an audiobook this year, thanks to the publisher AudioLark. I’ve chosen a wonderful narrator and I’m very excited about her work. As an author, it’s a thrill to hear my words, my story, being read by a professional narrator. It’s a whole new perspective on the story, and I’m giddy about hearing the entire audiobook soon. With luck, it’ll be finished and available at Audible by the end of the year. =-)

I hope all is well with you this lovely May. I’ll be back in a few weeks… with a new release. :-D

To celebrate, join twelve Time Travel authors across North America as we celebrate International Time Travel Day with great GIVEAWAYS. <== YAY!

Funny or scary….sexy or sweet…rollicking adventure stories…
ESCAPE WITH TIME TRAVEL!

To add to the festivities, I’m giving away an ebook of The Source of Magic at the blog of Melodie Campbell: http://funnygirlmelodie.blogspot.com/. In fact, visit the following blogs/websites TODAY, March 14, and leave a comment on each for your chance to win free books that celebrate time travel in all its guises. Here are the participating authors and their giveaway locations:

Madeline Baker
Melodie Campbell
Pauline B. Jones
Chris Karlsen
Laura Martello
Troy McCombs
Theresa Ragan
Terry Spear
Lizzie Starr
Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Nicholas Wisseman

and, of course, me—Cate Rowan. :-)

Enjoy. And go get your free books!

So I’m excited to tell you I have a new release out, and at just 99 cents! But keep reading to learn why it will be available for a limited time at some stores.

“Swords and Scimitars” is a prequel to Kismet’s Kiss and The Source of Magic. It’s a historical fantasy short story that tells of the origin of the sultanate of Kad.

Immortal twin brothers. One enchanted sword. A tragedy that propels them into legend.

The lives of well-born twins Kismet and Taso are easy and carefree—endless days of bedding women and fighting battles among the gods—until sorcery drives a wedge between them that slices deeper than flesh. Kismet has striven to be the ultimate warrior, but a mistake costs him his brother, his family, and his homeland.

He carves out a new life in the desert, rising to the command of a realm and an army, yet can’t escape his past. When two women beg for his aid against tyranny, he must sacrifice his freedom and his long-scarred heart to help them.

“Swords and Scimitars” is a 7,000-word short story (approximately 25 pages) about the immortal founders of verdant Teganne and desert Kad, two rival realms divided by magic—yet bound by blood, mistrust, and love.

Note: This short story is NOT a romance… at least not in the traditional sense. Heck, this is Kad, so you know things will be a bit unusual. :-)

Why “short time only”?

Because I’m likely to enroll “Swords and Scimitars” in the Amazon Select program, which requires exclusivity for at least 90 days. (Boo! Hiss!) So I wanted to make sure my loyal readers have an opportunity to buy it first, in whatever format they want, for a week.

To get a free sample or purchase this digital story for just 99 cents, head to the following retailers:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords (multiple formats available, including PDF, .ePub for iPad and nook, and .mobi for Kindle)

MORE NEWS!

Yes, more… The Source of Magic is going to become an audiobook this year. Wheee! AudioLark, an audiobook publisher that specializes in romance, will be rolling The Source of Magic out to Audible and other distributors. The tentative release date is August 2012. Hooray for Alvarr and Jilian!

As for the future…

I’m working on a new short story (or possibly a longer novella) about Kismet’s brother, Taso, who founds Teganne. I want it to be out in the next couple of months.

Then it’s on to The Soul of Magic, the romance of Rokad and Princess Qiara. It takes place in time between The Source of Magic and Kismet’s Kiss, and in the realms of both Teganne and Kad.

After that…it’s on to Kuramos’s wives! (They’re seriously annoyed that it’s taking so long to get to them, but it’ll be worth it. :-) )

Oh, and somewhere in there will be The Ocean Between Us, another fantasy romance contest winner about a siren mermaid and her prince.

I hope you’re enjoying a beautiful winter. I am, from my wonderful hidey hole in the Rockies, and I hope to have several of the above stories available in 2012. I’m honored to share my fantasy worlds with you!

There’s a new short story on the way, too. (Or at least I hope it’s just going to be a short story. As I mentioned in the comments there, it’s being ornery and keeps trying to grow!)

Number of correct answers by moi during the team trivia hour of the Anne McCaffrey’s Worlds track: 1 out of 1. Yay for The White Dragon! Though I’m sorry to admit it had been waaaaaay too long since I’d read her non-Pern stories, so I wasn’t as much help there. (I’m currently on a Pern streak. I’m re-reading them all, starting with Dragonflight. I always read them in a certain order, and I’m now on the 16th in that order—All the Weyrs of Pern. Yes, it’s practically a second job, only it’s one that makes you reeeeeally happy.)

Number of Michael Whelan’s Pern cover art posters purchased: 2. They’re going to look awesome on my office wall.

Number of times I ate at Chick-Fil-A: 5. Yes, that was deliberate. The nearest location to my home is more than two hours (and quite a bit of altitude) away, so I made good use of my temporary proximity.

Number of awesome roommates: 1 out of 1. Check out Shawntelle Madison, whose funny urban fantasy Coveted is going to make a big splash this coming spring. (Our other roommate, the amazing Jeannie Lin, whose short stories and books have rocked my romance-lovin’ heart, was unable to come and was sorely missed.)

Number of, er, nipular areas (thank you for the handy terminology, Chandler Bing) unwillingly viewed during nightly promenades around the hotels’ atriums: 12. Yes, there was some eyebleach involved afterward.

Other fails: Poor picture-taking by the new smartphone owner (moi), who couldn’t figure out how to turn on the flash. And of course, no Anne McCaffrey in person at Dragon*Con. :-( She was very much missed, but I’m sure all of her fans are wishing her well and would rather have her stay healthy (and working on another Pern novel!!!). And…there may be a Pern FILM TRILOGY in the works. W00T!

Other wins: I figured out how to tether my cell phone to get Internet on my netbook, heh. I also thoroughly enjoyed the Weyrfest track, got to meet Anne’s son Todd (a Pern author himself, of course, and a very funny man), and was able to sign a card for Anne expressing my gratitude for her words and her worlds…both of which helped me follow my own life’s dream and become an author.

Interesting little coincidence: Todd was on the first leg of my flight back home, just one row ahead of me. Unfortunately, he was tuckered out (and ill from “con crud”). I figured he was due for some down time, so I decided not to be a total fangirl. It was a near thing, however.

Bottom line: Dragon*Con 2011 was a VERY well-run con and a fab time was had by all!

If you’ll be at the con, drop me an email—with luck, we’ll be able to chat in 3D amidst the crazy wonderfulness that is Dragon.

Yesterday I was giddy—giddy, I tell you!—about the new book I’m working on, The Soul of Magic. It takes place in between The Source of Magic and Kismet’s Kiss, and it’s been a real bear—until the last few days, when I realized what I needed to do to a character to make the story soar. Now this book the first thing I think of in the morning as I plan the next scenes. That feeling of immersion, of total engagement with the creation of a story, is what makes writing fun. I hope to have Soul done, polished, and published by the end of the year. (Cross your fingers for me ’cause it’ll be tight.)

And now that it’s the end of August, I have almost a full year of sales figures to share. Kiss and Source have been able to reach a wonderful audience, and I’m over at the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood today giving all the info. Stop by and feel free to comment or ask questions!

The working title is The Soul of Magic, and it’s the story of Princess Qiara (daughter of Jilian and Alvarr) and Rokad (former mage). I initially wrote 3/4 of a draft of this story back in 2002. Let’s just say that I’m a better writer now, and that when I reread the draft, most of it was unusable. In fact, it’s a total rewrite. But I’m enjoying seeing these two spar on the page and learn their lessons. And yes, Kuramos plays a role, as you may have surmised from the opening of Kismet’s Kiss. In fact, he’s the enemy in Soul, mwa ha ha. And oh yes, he shall be redeemed. :D

By the way, you might have seen mention of Jen Rashidi in the acknowledgments of Kismet’s Kiss. She read bits of Source back in 2001 and pushed me to write a sequel–which turned into Kiss. Life had intervened and I hadn’t seen or talked to Jen in almost a decade, but she got in touch on Facebook just a couple of weeks ago. YAY for renewed friendships! Facebook: so evil and yet so beloved.

ARE offers multiple formats for most ebooks. (For example, mine are available there in .epub, .mobi and PDF.)

Tell your friends! And please mention my books to them. :)

Jilian and Alvarr’s love story has endured quite a few twists and turns over the years. Even its release is an unusual tale, though a good one. You can read about it today at the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, where I’m interviewed by Joan Swan. The gist is that I’ve already sold 851 copies of The Source of Magic…all before it was officially released. =-) In the interview I also discuss some of the pros and cons of indie authordom.

You can get your own e-copy of The Source of Magic at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

All Romance Ebooks

Smashwords

and keep an eye out for it at the Apple, Sony, Kobo and Diesel stores, where it will appear in the following weeks.

Here’s the blurb:

When a gorgeous man clasps Jilian Stewart to his chest and yanks her from Scotland into a magical battle, she thinks it must be another of her bizarre dreams. Plagued by unnerving visions of this man, she’s sure they’re brought on by the stress of her mother’s deadly paralysis. Instead, Jilian finds herself ensnared in a world of fantasy, treachery, and family secrets, opposing the one man who can make everything right.

Prince Alvarr, her sexy abductor, offers a cure for her dying mother, but won’t send Jilian home with it until she helps him destroy the evil mage threatening his people—with mystical powers she never knew she had.

You can grab a sample for your e-reader at most of the above stores, or check out a web excerpt. (If you’ve read Kismet’s Kiss, you’ll recognize the excerpt. :-) )

Happy reading!