FROM ME TO YOU
June 1, 2008
Dear Readers:
So much good news here in Central Pennsylvania.
 My
latest novel, WILD JINX, hit the New
York Times Extended Bestseller List two weeks in a row. All thanks
to you. Much appreciated.
And in a few short weeks, VIKING UNCHAINED
(formerly titled FAST AND FURIOUS) will hit bookstore shelves.
I'm nervous to see how you all will like this book. For sure, it has
the sexiest opening of a book that I have ever written.
Check out the excerpt here.
A short video is in the works.
 In
VIKING UNCHAINED, Thorfinn is a
fierce Viking warrior grieving for his lost son, Miklof. Lydia is a
modern woman grieving for her dead Navy SEAL husband. Thorfinn shoots
through time, one thousand years, and is convinced that Lydia's son Mike is
his own Miklof. Lydia thinks Thorfinn, who claims to be a
time-traveling Viking, has some connection to her dead husband, maybe even a
reincarnation. Be prepared for tears as well as laughter in this book,
folks.
To celebrate the publication of this newest Viking Navy SEAL book, I'm
offering a contest with a first prize of a Viking trinket box with two
autographed Viking SEAL books.
Click
here to enter.
I won't be attending RWA this year, but I will be at the New Jersey Romance
Writers conference in October, along with my good friend Trish Jensen.
Hope to see some of you there. I also hope to go to DragonCon for the
first time in September. I hear good times are to be had there.
UPCOMING BOOKS
After this, I won't have another book out until July, 2009, followed for the
next few years by books every six months or so. That July, 2009 book,
an untitled contemporary romantic humor, takes place in Cajun land again, with Angel Sabato and Grace O'Brien,
secondary characters in previous books, as the hero and heroine. Look
for a tear jerker here, folks, as we deal with some of the post-Katrina
orphans. And Tante Lulu will be in rare form as she establishes her very own
foundation, Jude's Angels.
After that will be a new Viking Navy SEAL book in October. Think
"Private Benjamin" meets "Stripes" here, as my heroine, jilted for the third
time, decides in a fit of depression to enter the military. She finds
herself in the middle of WEALS, a female Navy SEAL program. Even
worse, she then gets shot back in time to the cold, cold Norselands, where
she is auctioned off as a slave to a Viking warlord who outshines her other
ex-boyfriends in the jerk department.
Then will be THE VIKING TAKES A KNIGHT (or ONCE UPON A VIKING).
I am really excited about returning to straight historical romance.
This book would be a sequel in the loosely linked
Viking Series I (loose, as in
can be read out of order). Previous books in that series were
THE RELUCTANT VIKING,
THE OUTLAW VIKING,
THE TARNISHED LADY,
THE BEWITCHED VIKING,
THE BLUE VIKING,
MY FAIR VIKING, and
A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS).
This will be the story of a Norse princess who is on the run with her four
sisters after killing a brutal, abusive husband to one of them. They
descend upon the Saxon home of Caedmon of Larkspur, bringing chaos and humor
to a rundown, mostly melancholy estate.
I view this much like that Dixie Chicks song, "Who Killed Earl?" The
sisters hide the body, and without any evidence no one can accuse them.
Still, the sisters are on the run and they go to the home of Caedmon, who is a distant relative of their family by
marriage. He soon regrets having offered the women hospitality as they
take over his home.
Caedmon is reputed to be a libertine and seducer of women. In his
thirties, wed and widowered three times and now determined never to be
trapped by the bonds of matrimony again. He has more children than he
can count, bred not just on his wives, but many concubines. Now his
home is overrun not just with his out-of-control bratlings, but these
overbearing women as well. And of course, a woman who will knock his
socks off (not that they wore socks then <g>).
And please know that almost all of my backlist is available new, either
online or by order from your favorite brick and mortar store.
WEBSITE STUFF
Have you checked out the original
novellas here on my new
website? They'll be free of charge as a gift to
you for all your support, past and future. You will
need to
sign up for my mailing list, if you haven't already.
JINX XMAS
is already up, and I love it, if I do say so myself.
Funny and sexy. You've got to love poor, clueless
Lance who lets those crazy Cajuns talk him into...well,
read it and you will see. <grin>
BOLTHOR'S BRIDE--yes, I have
finally given the world's worst skald his own story.
In BOLTHOR'S BRIDE, the battered old Viking who
has been a friend to all in seven books has finally
found a woman who loves his awful poems. Everyone
is surprised, especially because of who she is.
But the real surprise will be...well, you'll have to
wait and see. Lots of familiar faces show up that
you haven't seen for years...Erik, Tykir, Adam, Rurik,
Toste, Vagn and their women and children.
I think you'll like them both.
TRULY, MADLY FUNNY
So, there's this young man
who writes me a letter. He
tells me that, as an entering
freshman at the exclusive Pomona
College in California, they were
required to write an essay on
the book MENDEL'S DWARF.
A literary novel, this book
detailed the sexual frustration,
in very graphic detail, of a
midget scientist who idolized
the scientist Gregor Mendel and
was in love with a librarian.
It was an odd choice, this
young man from the conservative
northeast thought, but then he
had this image of Californians
as being free-spirited,
progressive, sun-bathed hippies
(his words). The faculty
must be part of those wild
Californians.
 Lo
and behold, several weeks later,
he and the other incoming
freshmen got another letter.
This one stated that due to
overcrowded classes, students
could be exempt from the writing
requirements if they provided a
second essay, this one comparing
MENDEL'S DWARF with, you
guessed it,
TRULY, MADLY VIKING.
Again, this young man
(embarrassed to find himself in
the romance section of a
bookstore) thought it another
example of those odd
Californians. In some
ways, he found lots to compare.
But, oops, another letter
followed. Turns out some
pranksters got hold of the
freshman mailing list and the
comparison to
TRULY, MADLY VIKING
was a joke. But meanwhile
lots of students had already
written the comparative essays.
The young man wanted me to
know that somewhere, on dozens
and dozens of book shelves, are
dog-eared copies of
TRULY, MADLY VIKING
and that literary essays have
been written about it.
Even more amusing, when that
class graduated, their class
shirts read: "Truly, Madly
Graduated."
Most pleasing to me was the
fact that this young man, who
never would have read a romance
novel otherwise, said he really
enjoyed the book.
Don't you just love this
story?
SPECIAL PEOPLE
On another note: These authors have been especially
kind in giving me quotes for my books. Please check out their websites
and tell them I sent you:
Christina Skye -
www.christinaskye.com
Susan Wiggs -
www.susanwiggs.com
Christine Feehan -
www.christinefeehan.com
Karen Moning -
www.karenmoning.com
Also, I got the neatest email from a guy after hearing
about A TALE OF TWO VIKINGS. He is
in a band called, yep, TWO VIKINGS. Check it out and tell them
I sent you:
http://www.twovikings.com.
Also, look at the
wonderful tribute one of my fans put on her website.
ON THE HOMEFRONT
 Since
we live in Penn State Country, we live and breathe
football
here all fall. But then, we have no choice. The coach lives down
the street, folks, and we can hear the band play from our patio. Yay,
Penn State.
And how about that Penn State/Notre Dame game! Funny thing...in
DOWN AND DIRTY, I have several scenes
take place at the Nittany Lions Beaver Stadium during the Penn State/Notre
Dame game.
As always, we get great pleasure from
our three grandchildren. Here's the three of them this summer...Jaden,
Jeffie and little Max, doing what everyone does best in this part of the
country, fly fishing.
And it's not just the kids fishing either. Here's my son Rob
showing off one of his Spruce Creek catches.
And my husband Robert is a big bonefish enthusiast. Of course, he
tells me he HAS to go to the Bahamas to catch them.
We continue to work on our fishing
cottage. My son Matt has developed a real knack for renovating. This is
the new kitchen facing the stream.
And our new deck.
My husband treats the trout so good on
our property that they literally jump out of the water when they sense him
coming. I am not kidding when I say we have huge native trout, two feet and
longer, who can be seen swimming around, just waiting for him to throw them
some feed. In fact, they are so trusting of my husband that the females are
laying their eggs in the clear shallow water along the edge. Need I mention
that my husband does not eat trout!
My husband
also has become a bird lover to the extreme. My grandson Jeffie said
one day, "Pop, Pop, you have the fattest birds." I don't know how many
bird feeders he has now around the cottage and on the island. All I
know is, not only are the birds happy, but every squirrel, raccoon and
rabbit within a mile. In fact, while we were gone recently, a neighbor
reported seeing 17 turkeys, three bears and a bunch of deer on our property.
We would love to see them.
Snakes are a big problem out here in the country.
Lots of snakes. They are usually just water or
black snakes, which are non-poisonous, but Lordy, Lordy!
I even ordered a snake catcher from the Internet for my
husband. He believes in a "catch and release
policy," even for snakes. One day he caught a huge
one, put it in a trash can with a lid, then drove it a
mile away before he released it. I wanted to get a
picture of my daughter-in-law Bethany and myself one day
trying to catch a great big one, her with the snake
catcher and me holding the trash can and lid, but we
were screaming and laughing too hard. The snakes
were probably laughing, too. In fact, I figure the
snake grapevine is probably saying, "C'mon down to the
Hills. Paaaarty!"
Two of my sons and their families are gardening
enthusiasts, mostly organic. This is Jaden holding
up one of her prize lettuces.
Jeffie is still a great pirate
enthusiast. He even sleeps with his sword.
And when we ask him if he is a good pirate, he says,
"No! I'm a baaad pirate."
The only thing Max cares about is Thomas
the Train. And I mean, he is obsessed with that
character. Here he is with his favorite birthday
gift from Uncle Dan.
And the dogs, well, they love being just
dogs. The big-as-a-horse one is our Eli, a German
Shepherd. The other two are my son Dan's Tyler (as
in Steve Tyler) and Bethany's Kyra.
And now we have two more additions to our "family."
Two husky puppies, Sky and Zoey, which belong to my sons
Daniel and Beau. Zoey is the daughter of one of
the dogs which starred in the movie "Eight Below." Very
pretty, both of them.
My son Daniel has gotten involved in the dog rescue
business. He takes in dogs for fostering 'til they
are adopted, especially those that are about to be put
down. Needless to say we are being overrun with
animals. But you gotta admire his heart.
Anyone want to talk to him about dogs? He's single
and unattached. <g>
YOU READERS
I must tell you, I have the best fans in the world. You
cannot know how much your letters make me smile, or tug at my heart strings,
or just plain make me feel good that you took the time to write.
One more thing. For those of you who love Vikings with
a sense of humor, as I do, check out this funny spoof on Vikings. It's
what would happen if Thor and Loki were college roommates.
http://www.nationallampoon.com/nl/01_cc/thor/thor_board.asp
SEAL HUMOR
Two things Navy SEALS are always taught:
- Keep your priorities in order
- Know when to act without hesitation
A college professor, an avowed atheist and active in the
ACLU, was teaching his class. He shocked several of his students when
he flatly stated that for once and for all he was gong to prove there was no
God. Addressing the ceiling, he shouted:
"God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this
platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes!!!"
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin
drop. Ten minutes went by.
"I'm waiting, God. If you're real, knock me off this
platform!!!"
Again, after five minutes, the professor taunted God saying,
"Here I am, God!!! I'm still waiting!!!"
His count down got to the last couple of minutes when a SEAL,
just released from the Navy after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and newly
registered in the class, walked up to the professor. The SEAL hit him
full force in the face and sent the professor tumbling from his lofty
platform. The professor was out cold!! The students were stunned
and shocked. They began to babble in confusion. The SEAL
nonchalantly took his seat in the front row and sat silent. The class
looked at him and fell silent...waiting.
Eventually, the professor came to and was noticeably shaken.
He looked at the SEAL in the front row. When the professor regained
his senses and could speak, he asked, "What the hell is the matter with
you?! Why did you do that!"
"God was really busy protecting America's soldiers, who are
protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an asshole!!! So
he sent me!!"
ONE NATION UNDER GOD!!!
Free color promo materials (small posters, postcards, bookmarks) are
available for most books. In addition, signed book-specific bookplates are available for:
VIKING UNCHAINED, WILD JINX, PEARL JINX,
PINK JINX,
DOWN AND DIRTY, ROUGH AND READY,
THE RED-HOT CAJUN,
THE CAJUN COWBOY,
TALL, DARK AND CAJUN and
THE LOVE POTION.
If interested,
send self-addressed stamped envelopes (correct envelope size and appropriate postage) to:
Sandra Hill
P.O. Box 604
State College, PA 16804
IN CONCLUSION
I will bid you adieu for now, sweet friends. Come by
and visit on occasion. I will have the welcome mat out.
Fondly,
|
