Bon Anniversaire Sleeping with Paris!

This weekend marks the one year anniversary of my debut release, Sleeping with Paris. Last year, on this exact night, I had been working for a solid twenty hours straight, making sure everything was absolutely perfect for my big release day. And even though I was seeing stars (or chocolate croissants), the words on the computer screen were beginning to blur (who are we kidding, they'd been blurring for weeks by that point!), and a state of complete delirium (with a healthy dose of panic and what the heck am I doing??) had set in, I had it in me to write one last little poem which I aptly titled, "Twas the Night before Publication." Here is that sweet masterpiece for you in case you are just dying to read it:

‘Twas the night before publication 
And all through the condo,

Not a creature was stirring

Not even a cat (or a husband).

The novel was uploaded

To Amazon with care,

In hopes that its readers

Soon would be there.

The author was nestled all snug at her computer,

While visions of publication danced through her head.

With author in her PJ’s and husband sleeping nearby,

They’d just settled in for a long, October night.

For even though she was tired after writing all day,

She knew that tomorrow, her life was going to change. 

What I am truly thankful for tonight, on the eve of Sleeping with Paris' first birthday, is that the readers did come. Loads of wonderful readers! More than I ever could've imagined on that chilly October night before I released my first story out into the world. 

And because of all of those amazing readers, my life did change. In incredible, unimaginable ways. The past year has been a thrilling, wild, unexpected adventure, and if I had to go back and do it all again, I wouldn't change a single thing. All of the late nights, early mornings, brainstorming sessions with my awesome critique partners, editing (and chocolate) binges . . . it all led me to this point, where I am doing what I love and reaching so many wonderful, supportive readers.  

I can't even begin to imagine what the next year will bring, but what I do know for sure is that my dream of reaching even more readers will be coming true. Both Sleeping with Paris and Kissed in Paris will be re-released by Amazon's Montlake Romance early next year, and the books will be in print too! My third novel, Dancing with Paris, will be out next spring, and I'm currently writing the sequel to Sleeping with Paris, so if you want to know what happens next in the sassy, romantic world of Charlotte Summers, you are in store for a treat:)

And to celebrate my debut release anniversary, Sleeping with Paris will be on sale for $.99 for a limited time, and Kissed in Paris will be free through the holiday weekend! Enjoy!

To leave you with a little bit of France love, here are a few pictures from my recent trip to Lyon with fellow author Sophie Moss. 

*Note: Major perk of setting your books in fabulous foreign locations: You must travel there to do research. As you can see from my photos though, research in France can be quite taxing. I mean, it's not all fun and games. Trying to find the best pain au chocolat in town can really be exhausting! ;)

Tonight, I'm wishing each and every one of my fabulous readers and all of my amazing writer friends a year full of happiness, adventures, romance, and loads of fluffy, buttery French pastries . . . or chocolate . . . or chocolate-filled pastries . . . you get the idea:)