The Big News!

As many of you might have already guessed, after three years away in the world of young adult fiction (VELVETEEN as Daniel Marks, go buy it, we'll wait for you), I'm jumping back into the world of adult fiction and specifically...wait for it...PARANORMAL ROMANCE! Crazy, right?

Crazy like a fucking fox.

I'm so excited to announce the sale of my first humorous paranormal romance novel for Entangled's Covet line! There's a distinct possibility there'll be more, too, as this one is the set up for a series. So...gird your loins--I'm not sure what that means, but I'm told you need a stick of butter for it.

I'll hold off on the title reveal for now, as that's been kind of fluid, but I'm calling the series THE PARTS DEPARTMENT as it's set amongst the brave and/or possibly psychotic men and women of a secret organization that reclaim demonically possessed transplant organs, commando-style, the unfortunate consequence of which is the stuff of urban legends--the one where folks wake up in motel bathtubs with plenty of ice cubes but far fewer kidneys.

IT'S A COMEDY! Duh!

The first book, let's just call it--in complete disregard for what I just said about holding off on it--PARTS & WRECK (since that's been the working title forever, though is subject to change), is coming out VERY SOON! Here's the synopsis:

Wade Crowson, a brutish and brooding playboy and veteran vivisectionist for the Parts Department, runs into more than he bargained for in new partner, Lucid Montgomery, a quirky beauty with a bizarre secret (an imaginary friend that has lingered since childhood) and a string of psychiatric diagnoses she tries very hard to keep secret. Loving Luce will stamp a demonic target on her back and thrust Wade into a frenzied whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings, blood-spattered bathrooms and, quite possibly, a stripping gig for empty-nesters. Can their love withstand the savagery of an exorcism (with or without the split pea soup)?

So...yeah. Just your normal, everyday category romance.

This is probably going to be a shock to readers of my Amanda Feral series (HAPPY HOUR OF THE DAMNED, etc) but I kinda dig the romance, though my idea of romance is probably a lot darker than most (also dirtier and much more irreverent) and I have to commend Entangled for getting into bed with me on this, they're taking a chance...you never know what's going to happen--unless you've brought the spatulas, squash blossoms and latex lederhosen, then yeah, you know. You're pretty much on board then.

While my books have always had a romantic element (some more than others--I'm looking at you STOCKING FULL OF COAL), I've never written anything that could be considered remotely "category." Which for the uninitiated involves utilizing a number of familiar tropes to bring a romance to life and get the reader through all the tension and build-up to a happy ending (not that kind, I mean, unless you're reading on the massage table, then more power to you, who am I to judge?).

My framework for romance is largely built around very quirky characters and often quite broken lives. In thinking about revealing this book (and possible series), I decided to make a collage of the kind of couples I find intriguing, ones I'm actually invested in.

Can you name the movies (or TV shows) in each of these shots? I'm a total sucker for oddly funny romances and even funnier banter between the hero and heroine, so expect that...but by God don't expect it to be appropriate! I've got standards and I don't want any of my fans thinking I've gone soft.

So yeah.

What do you think? I hope everyone is looking forward to this. And stick around for more details and news and covers and all that.

It's coming!

And while I've got you, don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and like my Facebook fanpage to enter to win one of three copies of the Carniepunk urban fantasy anthology! Details HERE.