Deadly Intent by Camy Tang

If you've read my blog for a while you'll probably remember the interviews I did with Camy Tang when she was blog-touring her first three chick-lit novels. I was lucky to recently have the chance to meet Camy in person and indulge in some seriously delicious cupcakes at an author reception at ICRS--it was great to finally meet the woman whose blog and books I'd been reading for some time. She's a crack-up, and I wish she lived a little closer than the Bay Area!

Camy recently took a turn on the genre trail and published her first romantic suspense with Stteple Hill, called Deadly Intent. Here's the back cover blurb:

SCENE OF THE CRIME

The Grant family’s exclusive Sonoma spa is a place for rest and relaxation—not murder! Then Naomi Grant finds her client Jessica Ortiz bleeding to death in her massage room, and everything falls apart. The salon’s reputation is at stake...and so is Naomi’s freedom when she discovers that she is one of the main suspects! Her only solace is found with the other suspect—Dr. Devon Knightley, the victim’s ex-husband. But Devon is hiding secrets of his own. When they come to light, where can Naomi turn...and whom can she trust?

I interviewed Camy to find out a little more about her genre switch...

Your first three books are all chick-lit, but Deadly Intent is romantic suspense. What made you decide to change genres?

I love reading romantic suspense, and when the chance came to submit to Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense, I jumped at it! I'm very fortunate to be able to write for two different publishing houses.

How different was the process for you, writing in a different genre?

I actually had to "get into the mindset"! I watched a lot of NCIS and CSI—not for research, but just to get into that crime-fighting brain mode! I also listened to suspenseful movie music while I was writing.

What can we expect next from you--will you go back to chick-lit, or continue with romantic suspense?

My next novel is another humorous romantic suspense from Zondervan! It releases in May 2010, and the tentative title right now is BAD DOG: A NOVEL. Here's a little blurb, not official, but just to give you a taste of what it'll be like:

Tessa Ota, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year.

While moving ahead with renovation plans for her new dog kenneling and training facility, Tessa needs to move in with her disapproving mother and her antagonist sister. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate engineer whose car she rammed a few weeks earlier.

Charles Bretton has enough problems. His mama has just shown up on his doorstep all the way from Louisiana, and his brother has to move in with him after being kicked out of his apartment—with a dog in tow. And guess who the dog’s owner is?

His brother’s slovenliness, Mama’s diabetic bouts with low blood sugar, and the dog’s bad behavior are all distracting Charles from his wedding plans with a woman whose family connections will help Charles in his career. But he can’t help being attracted to the dog trainer whose sunny smile masks her bitterness at hypocritical Christians, and he starts to wonder about his own professed faith.

Will Tessa’s disjointed family and Charles’s disruptive home prevent both of them from discovering what’s really important?

What are you reading right now?

I admit, I read very widely, so right now I'm reading Julia Quinn's latest Regency historical romance, WHAT HAPPENS IN LONDON. Loving it! One day I'd like to visit London!

Thanks for chatting with me, Camy!

Coming out of hiding....

It's been quite a summer. I started it in California and am ending it in Colorado. I still have a lot of boxes to unpack, and some new furniture to stain in my "spare time," a book to finish editing and a book to finish writing, and a lot of books to read. I've been doing some thinking, too, about this blog and its purpose. Still thinking, but expect to see a lot more discussion about books and the craft of writing and less of the politics and parenting. Not that I'm going to stop blogging about those things--I'm just not going to do it here. The blog for those topics will be up and running soon, and when it goes live I'll add the link to the sidebar.

I'm trying to unearth my desk at the moment, but I wanted to come back in, say hi, and dust things off a little here while I was thinking about it. I'll be back to post some more in a day or two. Until then, leave me a comment and tell me what you read this summer. Would you recommend it? I'm always looking for another book to read....

You have three days. What are you getting her?

Any idea what to get your mom for Mother's Day this year? If you're still scrambling, let me give you a quick idea--a copy of Worlds Collide or Violette Between, with the promise that, in a day or two, she'll receive a beautiful bookplate with a personalized inscription from the author!

I absolutely love them and am so happy to be able to finally offer this for those of you who live nowhere near me but still want a signed book. :) All you have to do is send me an email at alison at alisonstrobel dot com and tell me:

1. What book the bookplate will go into (I have two styles, coordinated to the books' covers)
2. Who to sign the book to
3. Any special message (Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, etc.)
4. Where to send it

And the best part--they're free! So pick up a copy of Worlds Collide or Violette Between today and drop me a line. I'd love to wish your mom a Happy Mother's Day. :)

For my fellow Californians

Breaking my hiatus with this quick Public Service Announcement for my Cali homies:

Props 1A-1F are scams. Vote NO on May 19th!

Don't tell me you didn't see it coming

Here's the thing: 4 books, 2 kids, 1 husband, approximately 6 weeks until we move. The numbers don't lie. I'm in over my head. Something's gotta give, and it's gonna be the blog.

So, barring some really huge announcement that I don't currently know, chances are I won't be blogging for a while. If you're on Facebook, you can look for me there--I can handle composing the occasional status update--and if you get my newsletter then you'll be sure to get the latest news on my upcoming release, Reinventing Rachel. (And if you're not a subscriber, please sign up! The form's over on the right-hand side, or you can see it smack-dab in the middle of my website's homepage.)

In the meantime...

--> don't forget to sign up at DownsizeDC.org to help shrink the federal government back to its intended size. SUCH a fantastic organization, really really love them.

--> don't forget to check out the auction being held for Baby Ike and his family. It's looking pretty certain that the little guy is going to need reconstructive surgery on his esophagus, and when you've got crappy COBRA insurance (and have to fly from Texas to be there, and then have to stay for a month in the PICU, and the parents have to, like, eat and sleep somewhere), it gets PRICEY. There is some excellent stuff being auctioned (including the chance to name two characters in Reinventing Rachel!), and all the money raised goes to the family.

See ya later, alligators...

Just a friendly reminder...

If you're not a newsletter subscriber, you're missing out on the chance to name one of the characters in my David C. Cook novel, Reinventing Rachel. Sign up quick and enter! And if you *are* a subscriber, and you haven't entered the contest, then what are you waiting for? Either way, you have until Wednesday to get your entry in!

Two Abbyisms

We were leaving my parents' house and Abby was looking for the moon. She's a moon fanatic, always has been, and whenever we're out at night she insists on locating it. We couldn't find it tonight, and she looks to Dan and says, "Maybe it went on a treasure hunt."

Being the kick-butt dad that he is, Dan has taken over the more unpleasant aspects of the bedtime routine and brings Abby upstairs to my office to get me once she's ready for her story. She came in tonight and pointed to the little picture on her pajamas and said, "It says, 'I'm not tired'--but that's craziness. I am tired!"

Don't let me in the kitchen, part 2

Today's cooking casualty was my plastic colander, which I (tried) to use to steam some veggies. I melted it.

And the part that really sucks is that, as I was setting it on top of the pot of water, I thought to myself, "Haha! Wouldn't it be just the thing if it totally melted the colander?" Heh. I'm going to listen to that little voice next time.

And for those who have asked what I was attempting to cook in the pot from the last post--I had poured n some Soy Vey teriyaki sauce with some Asain chicken dumplings from Trader Joe's. I don't like the sauce they came with, and I thought, "Hey, this will make them super yummy!" Which, with the second batch, it did. However, with the first batch, I left the heat too high and the skillet on the stove for too long. When I came back, the sauce had turned to tar and the dumplings were little undercooked islands anchored firmly to the bottom of the pan. Live and learn.

This is why I should never cook.

Have you entered the contest?

If you're a subscriber to my bi-monthly newsletter, then you know there's an awesome contest going on right now--and if you're not a subscriber, then you're going to want to sign up right now. Because three winners will be announced in the April issue, and those winners will be naming some of the characters in my upcoming David C. Cook release, Reinventing Rachel! (Or whatever the title is by the time it releases.)

Signing up is free and easy--just check out the right-hand sidebar of the blog and put your email addy in the email field. I'll send you a link to the current (and past) issues of the newsletter, and you can send in your contest entry anytime before April 16th.

Can I interest you in a little pandemic with that flu vaccine?

Reports are out revealing that Baxter Pharmaceuticals has admitted that it accidentally contaminated various vaccine batches with Avian Flu viruses. These batches were shipped to 18 countries.

Accidentally? Give me a flipping break. I find it hard to believe that the "highly contagious, possible beginning of a pandemic" viruses are kept on the same floor, much less the same building as the "keep you nice and healthy" (hardy-har-har) vaccines. No one is this stupid. This was deliberate because that doggone avian flu wasn't cooperating by mutating and jumping species like it needed to to cause serious harm. Big Pharma just has no patience, I swear.

So now what? Certainly we'll be hearing soon that, for the good of the planet, we all need to hustle down to the nearest jab center and get ourselves hopped up on the new avian flu vaccine. And for those of us who view vaccines as harmful and decide not to get one? The detainment centers await.

Read more here, and petition Congress to pass a civil rights act protecting Americans from forced medical treatment, including forced vaccination. Even if you are not opposed to vaccinations, you should be worried that the government thinks it should have the right to tell you that you MUST be medically treated a certain way, injected with whatever they want, etc. regardless of whether or not you want it. That's the kind of thinking that will lead to a ban on homeopathy, natural medicine, supplements, etc. And if you think I'm reaching too far with that, then check out this to see that they're already trying to.

How cool is this?

First of all, thank you to everyone who is praying for Baby Ike. The surgery he had the other day ended with a tracheotomy. Kari hasn't said yet what exactly this means for him, if it's permanent, if it's a stopgap measure, or what, but it sounds like it's "permanent for now," if that makes sense. He's still struggling, though; his heart rate keeps dropping and they still don't know why. So the prayers are still very much needed.

For those of you in Austin, there are some awesome events being planned to help raise money for the family. Today there was a bake sale that netted over $700!!! But for those of us who aren't in Austin, we have a way now to a) help raise money for the Roy family, and b) get a little somethin'-somethin' for ourselves. Susan Beal is a crafter who does lots of beading stuff, and she has an etsy.com shop where she sells kits for beginners to make their own earrings and bracelets. She's currently donating *all* the proceeds from her etsy shop to this family. The kits are not expensive at all, either! So, think ahead to the rest of the year. What women in your life will be having a birthday, or a baby, or an anniversary, or whatever? How great would it be to be able to give her a gift that you not only made yourself, but that also benefited this family? Head over to Susan's etsy store and stock up!

Tuesday, 2/17, 11AM CST

Ike will be having surgery tomorrow. No details yet, sorry. Please pray!

Just found out...

...there's an online prayer vigil for baby Ike. Time slots are 30 minutes. Please take one, even if you can only pray for a few minutes during that slot. This family needs to be covered in prayer right now.

Pray for Ike-a-saurus

My heart is breaking right now. Baby Issac, affectionately known in the blogosphere as Ike-a-saurus his mama's blog, is one sick little boy. For those of you who've never checked out Kari's blog, Ike was born at 28.5 weeks after a very scary pregnancy and a lot of bedrest, and then continued to have one health issue after another. He recently had croup, but the stridor (whistling breathing that typically indicates a blockage of some kind in the airway) never went away, and yesterday was rushed to the ER with dangerously low O2 saturation levels. You can read the whole story here, but the bottom line is that this family is in serious need of our prays and our help because--oh yeah, forgot to mention--Ike daddy lost his job last month and all they have is COBRA, which we all know doesn't cover a whole lot.

Ike and his family live in Austin, TX, and Kari is part of a fantastic community of moms there who are pulling together to raise money for this family to help offset the medical bills. Yes, money is tight for everyone, but if you can spare *anything*, please donate, because we all know every little bit counts, especially when lots of people give a little bit. And if you live in or near Austin, keep an eye on the update website to see where fundraisers are being held so you can swing by and buy a cake or whatever happens to be for sale. And of course, if you have something you think might fetch a little cash for the family, be sure to talk to the mamas in charge on that site about donating your wares or services.

The internet is a weird thing. I've never met Kari, but I've been reading her blog for a while now, and she and I have talked a bit via Gmail chat and played a few games of Scrabulous. And even though we've never been face to face, I consider her a friend, and honestly, it's killing me that I'm not in Austin and can't *be there* to do something, you know? So I'll do what I can from here, and pray, and maybe someday I'll have the chance to give that sweet baby face a kiss.

Backfire

I introduced Abby to the concept of a sticker chart yesterday. Given she adores stickers, I thought it would be a good plan to help us smooth out some of the rough patches of our day. It worked pretty well with the face washing and tooth brushing. But one of the items is going all day without her paci, and it's such a habit for her that she kept popping them in her mouth. At one point Dan said, "Honey, you've got a paci in your mouth--take it out so you can get your sticker tonight!" She looked at him, thought a moment, then said, "I don't want the sticker."

Ah well. At least the kid's got boundaries.

Teetering on the edge...

...and trying not to fall off the face of the earth. I certainly fell of the face of the blogosphere, though, didn't I! I've been desperately trying to keep all the plates spinning, and this one just didn't make it. My apologies. I have two book deadlines in March, have been sorting and organizing and decluttering in preparation for a relocation that could happen at any time, and two kids who require more mommy-time every day, it seems. I just haven't had the energy to blog on top of it.

My latest newsletter will be releasing on Friday, and if you aren't yet a subscriber, I encourage you to sign up, because I'll be announcing a big contest that you don't want to miss!

Also, if you're a Facebooker (and who isn't these days?) I hope you'll look for my fan page and "become a fan." There is a discussion board there where I've posted a few questions, and I'd love to read your opinions!

So long, farewell...

Today is our last full day in Colorado. The bags are as packed as they can be for still having 20 hours left in the hotel, and somehow, though I still don't know how, I managed to fit it all in the bags we came with, despite a productive trip to the REI flagship store in Denver for me and the Castle Rock Outlet Mall for Abby. It's about 60 degrees outside right now, and windy, which is perfect to help dry the clothes Penny Jane spilled Dan's Coke on and that I washed with shampoo in the bathroom sink. Though the open window keeps rattling the bedroom door where Penny Jane is sleeping--her second nap actually inside the hotel this whole vacation. (The other one was this morning, and all the other naps were in the car. Poor kid. Though I think the trip has helped her transition to one nap a day! Woot!)

We really love it here. Really love it. It's hard to go. But I'm eager for my own bed (this one sucks) and for Abby to go back to her own bed (she is a tornado when she sleeps, I swear) and for play dates with our friends.

But as the sun sets (or the moon rises, as the photo from our hotel room shows) on our trip, our minds are awhirl with possibilities for our future here. Can't wait to come back...

Look what we woke up to...

Good idea, bad execution

Yet another example of overreaching government is now threatening to put thousands of crafters, artisans, WAHMs (and WAHDs), and small business owners out of work. Because of all the recent toy recalls due to lead contamination, a law was passed that goes into effect next month requiring the testing of ANY child-related article--toys, clothes, etc.--for lead. Sounds great, until you realize that this law applies to consignment and second-hand stores and folks like the ones I feature in my newsletter every other month. From what I understand, some changes have already been introduced in Congress which will modify the law as it applies to consignment shops and the like, but independent toymakers are still being left out in the cold. Please contact your representatives and senators and ask them to support changes to the law that will protect these folks. A sample letter can be found here, and more information can be found here.