This one comes from Renee Reads Romance. Renee won an ARC of Karma Girl in my newsletter contest a few weeks ago.

Here’s some of what she had to say:

KG is a very solid read for a debut book and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Written in first person, it was a funny blend of comic book superheros and chicklit. I’m not a big fan of chicklit or lighthearted paranormals so I was a bit hesitant about reading this but a free book is a free book and the blurb sounded interesting. The humor was not laugh out loud funny, but rather more tongue-in-cheek as if Estep was poking fun of the wacky world she had created. And that worked for me surprisingly well.

Thanks for taking the time to read and review the book, Renee! 😎

I’m thrilled, excited, over the moon, and every other happy adjective you could think of to announce that I’ve sold another Bigtime book to Berkley.

Jinx focuses on Bella Bulluci, a fashion designer whose luck superpower is more of a curse than a blessing — especially when it comes to her love life. Jinx will be the third Bigtime book and is set for an April 2008 release.

In an interesting twist, my agent sold the book last week, on Friday the 13th. Jinx … Friday the 13th … weird, huh?

Anyway, it’s happy dance time! 😎

I saw the first finished copy of Karma Girl this week. My editor and her assistant were kind enough to send me an advanced copy. Thanks guys!

That loud, long squeal of delight you heard echoing throughout the land? That was me.

I don’t have the words to describe how excited, thrilled, proud, and relieved I am.

Karma Girl is done. Finished. Finito. The insane idea, the writing, revisions, editing, agent search, contract talks, cover art, cover blurbs, copy edits — it’s all done. And now I get to actually hold my book in my hands.

Is it wrong of me to want to sleep with it under my pillow? 😎

I know some authors feel that signing that first contract is the best part of writing. That that act makes them feel like they’ve “made it,” so to speak. For me, actually holding the book has been the best part. Because it’s tangible. It’s real. And it’s mine. Even if I don’t sell a single copy or never get another contract, no one will ever be able to take this away from me. I’ve finally achieved one of my lifelong dreams — and it’s a great feeling. 🙂

I hope everyone gets to have this feeling at least once in their lives, whether you want to write a book or climb Mount Everest or go skydiving. Never give up on your dreams because they are a big part of what makes life worth living.

What about you? What was the best part of being published? Signing the contract or actually holding the book in your hands? Inquiring minds want to know …