Decisions, decisions

To say my life has been a whirlwind lately would be like calling Katrina a puff of wind.  Okay, that might be a bit much, but you get what I mean.  I feel...crazy.  That's not so unusual, but this is a good kind of crazy, so I'm okay with it.  hehe

Let me start from way back when I published The Wild Ones on July 30, 2012.  That book was my hail Mary, but that's another story altogether.  This story starts when I reached the top 40 on Amazon and attracted the attention of some literary agents.  *cue the dreamy, rewind-time music*

It all began on August 21, 2012.  That was the first day I heard from Trident Media Group.  I'm gonna skip some things and hit the high spots so that this doesn't take you for-freaking-ever to read! I'm considerate like that:) hehe  Anyway, over the following weeks, I spoke to several awesome agents, but decided on September 5th to go with Kim Whalen of Trident.  Best.  Decision.  Ever.  OMG!

The very next day after I decided to go with Kim, she came with the information that Berkley (part of Penguin) wanted me on exclusive (preempting other publishers, which is a whole other awesome thing altogether) and, after much discussion, we decided to do it.  This is where I'll skip the days and days of working through details and Kim bringing her big guns to the table, making sure to watch out for my best interests.  I'll just say that I'm FOREVER grateful to her and leave it at that. 

So, here we are, weeks later, and the announcement has been made by Berkley that we've reached an agreement for a three book deal to publish The Wild Ones as a series.  I didn't want to say anything until it was a done deal, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now.  LOL  Anyway, I don't know if you're throwing confetti, but I sure am:D  hehe There was a lot of soul searching and late-night talks with hubby about doing this and about what would be best for me as a person, as well as me as a writer.  We finally decided that this IS the wise move for right now.  And one of the best parts is that I will still be able to publish books on my own in the meantime.  Wahooooooo! 

I say all that to say this:  I am committed to writing the next two books over the next 5 months, so I won't be working on anything but The Wild Ones series and book 2 in the Down to You series.  I write fast, but there's no way in the world I can work on anything else until I finish.  Now you'll know why I won't be on Twitter and Facebook as much.  I am contractually bound to get these books done on time, so my days of shopping instead of writing are over for the foreseeable future.  *cries*  But I think it will be worth it in the long run.

Updated:  Also, please know that I am trying my absolute best to keep up with Twitter, Facebook and e-mail.  IF I miss you, know that I am genuinely sorry and it was completely by accident.  Some things just fall through the cracks.  Just know that I'm trying my hardest and that I WANT to respond to every single one:)

The sentiment I want to end this post with is that none of the above would've been possible without all of you.  Every single person that bought and loved The Wild Ones and told their friends about it played a vital role in pushing it up the charts and getting the attention of the big dogs up in New York.  For that I am TRULY, HONESTLY, DEEPLY grateful!  Y'all have helped make my dreams come true and I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart and the quietest part of my soul. 

I'm saving Down to You gushing and confetti-throwing for a later post.  It has earned its own spot and thank-you shout-out:)

I love y'all.  And I'm more grateful than you could ever, ever, EVER imagine!  I hope you have an amazing day!!