Elizabeth Hoyt's Blog - Posts Tagged "thief-of-shadows"
New Books in the Works!
I’m very pleased to announce that I’ve just signed a new contract with my publisher, Grand Central Publishing for three more books! They will be a continuation of the Maiden Lane series with characters I’ve been getting lots of reader mail about! ;-) The first book of the new contract will be released in summer 2012 and will feature Winter Makepeace and is tentatively titled
Thief of Shadows
. I hope you enjoy it!
Romance Writers of America’s conference is coming up at the end of June and with it the annual “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing. This year it will be in New York City at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, Tuesday, June 28th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. There will be over 500 authors signing their books and all proceeds will benefit literacy in New York.
Finally, I’ve donated three items to Brenda Novak’s Annual Auction for the Cure of Diabetes: Luncheon with moi in NYC, a signed setof all my books, and a signed advanced readers copyof my upcoming November release, Scandalous Desires .
Enjoy!
Romance Writers of America’s conference is coming up at the end of June and with it the annual “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing. This year it will be in New York City at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, Tuesday, June 28th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. There will be over 500 authors signing their books and all proceeds will benefit literacy in New York.
Finally, I’ve donated three items to Brenda Novak’s Annual Auction for the Cure of Diabetes: Luncheon with moi in NYC, a signed setof all my books, and a signed advanced readers copyof my upcoming November release, Scandalous Desires .
Enjoy!
Audio Book News!
Hoyt Manor is abloom with violet-purple crocuses--despite Darla's tendency to want to gallop through my flower garden. Hopefully when more things start sprouting she'll stay out--although I'm not holding my breath. ;-)
I just sent back the galleys for Thief of Shadows . Whew! The galleys (printed pages that show the layout of the finished book) are the last step I have to go through to finish the book. It's a lovely feeling to know that a book is finally all done. If you're a reviewer, you should be getting an arc (Advanced Reader Copies) soon.
Meanwhile, I'm hard at work writing Lord of Darkness , the fifth book in the Maiden Lane series, which will be out February 2013. And! I've just heard that all three books in the Princes Trilogy: The Raven Prince , The Leopard Prince , and The Serpent Prince will soon be made into audio books, with a release date of February 2013 as well . This means all of my books will be available in audio book!
Finally, some website updates: Check out my Books of the Month for January and February, I've posted an article about Lad, the dog from Scandalous Desires , and I have a new Contest prize up for March if you haven't already joined one of my newsletters.
Enjoy!
I just sent back the galleys for Thief of Shadows . Whew! The galleys (printed pages that show the layout of the finished book) are the last step I have to go through to finish the book. It's a lovely feeling to know that a book is finally all done. If you're a reviewer, you should be getting an arc (Advanced Reader Copies) soon.
Meanwhile, I'm hard at work writing Lord of Darkness , the fifth book in the Maiden Lane series, which will be out February 2013. And! I've just heard that all three books in the Princes Trilogy: The Raven Prince , The Leopard Prince , and The Serpent Prince will soon be made into audio books, with a release date of February 2013 as well . This means all of my books will be available in audio book!
Finally, some website updates: Check out my Books of the Month for January and February, I've posted an article about Lad, the dog from Scandalous Desires , and I have a new Contest prize up for March if you haven't already joined one of my newsletters.
Enjoy!
A RITA Final for SCANDALOUS DESIRES!
The RITA® is Romance Writers of America's annual award for the best romances of the year. I'm very pleased to announce that
Scandalous Desires
has finaled in the Historical Romance category!
Conference season is upon us and I have a whole slew of conferences and appearances I'll be making this spring and summer. Take a look at my Appearances list on the left sidebar of my News page to see if you can come meet me. Even if you don't want to go to an entire conference, many will have multi-author booksignings open to the public for free or with a small fee. Hope to see you soon!
I have a new Book of the Month for April, a new contest for those subscribed to my newsletters, and the third scene excerpt up for Thief of Shadows .
Enjoy!
Conference season is upon us and I have a whole slew of conferences and appearances I'll be making this spring and summer. Take a look at my Appearances list on the left sidebar of my News page to see if you can come meet me. Even if you don't want to go to an entire conference, many will have multi-author booksignings open to the public for free or with a small fee. Hope to see you soon!
I have a new Book of the Month for April, a new contest for those subscribed to my newsletters, and the third scene excerpt up for Thief of Shadows .
Enjoy!
Lovely Reviews for THIEF OF SHADOWS
We're less than a month away from the June 26th release date of
Thief of Shadows
and already it's gotten some great reviews:
I’m making plans for RomCon 2012 in Denver, Colorado, June 22-24. I’ll be hosting the Team Romance Trivia Extravaganza—we’ll be playing in teams so that no one need feel too shy to join in and there will be a ton of prizes (perhaps literally.) It’s a great way to relax and meet new friends. I’ll also be attending all the various luncheons and dinners, a special Titanic themed tea party, and the multi-author book signing. And rumor has it that I may have a few coveted copies of Thief of Shadows to hand out several days ahead of the release date.
I do hope to see you there!
TOP PICK!
Fans of the Maiden Lane series who have been anxiously awaiting Winter Makepeace’s story will be more than satisfied with Hoyt’s innovative, emotional, sensual and even humorous installment. Hoyt’s beautiful blending of the essential elements of a fairy tale into a stunning love story enhances this delicious ‘keeper.’
--Kathe Robins, RT Bookreviews
Starred Review
Suspense adds intensity as “lassie snatchers” kidnap orphans before the Ghost can save them, and the romance between the beautiful and quick-witted Isabel and the masked champion of the downtrodden propels this novel to the top of its genre.
--Publishers Weekly
In the fourth installment in the Maiden Lane series, all of Hoyt’s signature literary ingredients—wickedly clever dialogue, superbly nuanced characters, danger, and scorching sexual chemistry—click neatly into place to create a breathtakingly romantic love story.
--John Charles, Booklist
I’m making plans for RomCon 2012 in Denver, Colorado, June 22-24. I’ll be hosting the Team Romance Trivia Extravaganza—we’ll be playing in teams so that no one need feel too shy to join in and there will be a ton of prizes (perhaps literally.) It’s a great way to relax and meet new friends. I’ll also be attending all the various luncheons and dinners, a special Titanic themed tea party, and the multi-author book signing. And rumor has it that I may have a few coveted copies of Thief of Shadows to hand out several days ahead of the release date.
I do hope to see you there!
My Excellent Adventure at BEA
Book Expo America (BEA) is a humungous yearly trade show for the publishing industry. This year's BEA was held in New York City. Grand Central Publishing and my most wonderful editor, Amy Pierpont, invited me to come out and attend, so I did.
First up I went to the Grand Central Publishing (GCP) offices, which (surprise!) are very close to Grand Central Station. There's a security desk for visitors to check in and get a sticker with their photo on it. My photo always looks like I've just been mugged. Then one goes through a security gate and into the elevators which have no buttons on the inside. This is important because every time I visit my publisher, some random kind stranger explains the elevators (you have to choose your floor before you get in.) Visitors must get stuck in the elevators a lot.
Amy's office has a view of the Chrystler Building. It is true that you have to stand at the extreme right side of the window and lean waaaaay over to see it, but is there. Despite this fact, my editor's chair faces away from her window. Apparently only out of town tourists gawk at the Chrystler Building. Whilst in Amy's office I'm given a bunch of Thief of Shadows books to sign. It is the first time I've seen my book in print and I may've surreptitiously caressed one or two.
Editors Selina McLemore and Lauren Plude join us and then it's time to go downstairs to look for the car that's supposed to take us to a GCP luncheon for bloggers. No one is sure which street the car is parked on, but that's okay, because it's a beautiful sunny day in NYC and I don't mind wandering around for a bit. At last we find the car and we're off to a lovely Italian restaurant whose name I've already forgotten. Inside are a whole bunch of bloggers including Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Jane Litte from Dear Author, Barbara Vey from Beyond Her Book, Bette-Lee Fox, Managing Editor for Library Journal, and Sara Reyes from Fresh Fiction. We also meet up with Beth de Guzman, Editor-in-Chief at GCP, Nick Small, our publicist, LaToya Smith, another GCP editor, Jill Shavis, fabulous author, Eloisa James (which momentarily confuses me before I remember that she writes the online romance review blog for Barnes and Noble,) and Audrey Goodson who wrote the lovely, lovely cover article on moi for the July issue of RT Book Reviews . Whew! There are other fabulous GCP authors and bloggers, but at this point the room is kind of crowded and they are sitting waaay at the other end of the table, so I don't remember who they are.
We have a lovely lunch during which all the bloggers tell me they hated the Blogger Day at BEA. Dessert is tiramisu, but I only get two bites because we have to find a cab and run off to the Javits Center where the BEA is being held and I have an interview with Kobo.
BEA is very, very big and features huge booths for publishing houses you've heard of. Every few steps we have to stop so that an editor (or publicist) can hug someone because apparently everyone in publishing knows everyone else. The Kobo interview is fun and I score two Kobo mugs with blackboard sides in case I want to write something to Mr. Hoyt in the morning with his coffee ("You forgot to shave.") Then we hurry off to the RWA booth where I am suppose to be signing, BUT! on the way, I see RUTH RENDELL, in the flesh, signing books. A bored person (who has obviously never read RUTH RENDELL) tells me that I have to get in line if I want Ms. Rendell's signature, but I tell her that's okay, I just want to gawk for a bit.
So I do.
Then we find the RWA booth where there is a gratifyingly large line already waiting for me to sign Scandalous Desires , which is up for a RITA (have I mentioned?) After that I'm done and we can't find a cab so I hike through the garment district! In the rain! I enjoy it more than my editor.
The End
Okay, actually, then I stay anther four days in NYC and see Book of Mormon and One Man, Two Guvnors, and spend one entire day at the Met and eat too much and still can't get a cab to save my life, oh, my God, but that's another story.
First up I went to the Grand Central Publishing (GCP) offices, which (surprise!) are very close to Grand Central Station. There's a security desk for visitors to check in and get a sticker with their photo on it. My photo always looks like I've just been mugged. Then one goes through a security gate and into the elevators which have no buttons on the inside. This is important because every time I visit my publisher, some random kind stranger explains the elevators (you have to choose your floor before you get in.) Visitors must get stuck in the elevators a lot.
Amy's office has a view of the Chrystler Building. It is true that you have to stand at the extreme right side of the window and lean waaaaay over to see it, but is there. Despite this fact, my editor's chair faces away from her window. Apparently only out of town tourists gawk at the Chrystler Building. Whilst in Amy's office I'm given a bunch of Thief of Shadows books to sign. It is the first time I've seen my book in print and I may've surreptitiously caressed one or two.
Editors Selina McLemore and Lauren Plude join us and then it's time to go downstairs to look for the car that's supposed to take us to a GCP luncheon for bloggers. No one is sure which street the car is parked on, but that's okay, because it's a beautiful sunny day in NYC and I don't mind wandering around for a bit. At last we find the car and we're off to a lovely Italian restaurant whose name I've already forgotten. Inside are a whole bunch of bloggers including Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books, Jane Litte from Dear Author, Barbara Vey from Beyond Her Book, Bette-Lee Fox, Managing Editor for Library Journal, and Sara Reyes from Fresh Fiction. We also meet up with Beth de Guzman, Editor-in-Chief at GCP, Nick Small, our publicist, LaToya Smith, another GCP editor, Jill Shavis, fabulous author, Eloisa James (which momentarily confuses me before I remember that she writes the online romance review blog for Barnes and Noble,) and Audrey Goodson who wrote the lovely, lovely cover article on moi for the July issue of RT Book Reviews . Whew! There are other fabulous GCP authors and bloggers, but at this point the room is kind of crowded and they are sitting waaay at the other end of the table, so I don't remember who they are.
We have a lovely lunch during which all the bloggers tell me they hated the Blogger Day at BEA. Dessert is tiramisu, but I only get two bites because we have to find a cab and run off to the Javits Center where the BEA is being held and I have an interview with Kobo.
BEA is very, very big and features huge booths for publishing houses you've heard of. Every few steps we have to stop so that an editor (or publicist) can hug someone because apparently everyone in publishing knows everyone else. The Kobo interview is fun and I score two Kobo mugs with blackboard sides in case I want to write something to Mr. Hoyt in the morning with his coffee ("You forgot to shave.") Then we hurry off to the RWA booth where I am suppose to be signing, BUT! on the way, I see RUTH RENDELL, in the flesh, signing books. A bored person (who has obviously never read RUTH RENDELL) tells me that I have to get in line if I want Ms. Rendell's signature, but I tell her that's okay, I just want to gawk for a bit.
So I do.
Then we find the RWA booth where there is a gratifyingly large line already waiting for me to sign Scandalous Desires , which is up for a RITA (have I mentioned?) After that I'm done and we can't find a cab so I hike through the garment district! In the rain! I enjoy it more than my editor.
The End
Okay, actually, then I stay anther four days in NYC and see Book of Mormon and One Man, Two Guvnors, and spend one entire day at the Met and eat too much and still can't get a cab to save my life, oh, my God, but that's another story.
THIEF OF SHADOWS Hits the NYT Bestseller List!
Thief of Shadows
is out and it's number 18 on the New York Times bestseller list! Thank you to everyone who made this possible by buying the book!
More lovely reviews have poured in for Thief of Shadows :
and:
and:
My lovely website designer, Vibeke Courtney from Dreamforge Media has put together an absolutely fabulous addition to my website: all new Maiden Lane pages. At the top of the navigation bar on my website (www.elizabethhoyt.com), you can find the Maiden Lane tab. Click it and it opens a whole bunch of stuff, including:
A list of all the Maiden Lane Books
Character Lists from each book
Individual Character Pages for all main characters
Interactive Family Trees
and an Interactive Map of Georgian London
I hope that you'll enjoy exploring the new Maiden Lane pages!
Finally, quite a few of my books are on sale this month:
Wicked Intentions is only $1.99 in ebook.
The Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince, and The Serpent Prince are all still on sale for $3.99 in both ebook and paperback.
And The Ice Princess is on sale in ebook (because it only comes in ebook) for $0.99.
Enjoy!
More lovely reviews have poured in for Thief of Shadows :
4 Stars
“Once you have finished reading this book, you will fully understand why Elizabeth Hoyt is considered to be one of today’s best writers of Regency Romances! BRAVA!”
— Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews
and:
“Ms. Hoyt makes me laugh, makes me cry, and makes me fall in love with each couple. There is pure delight on each and every page! What more can you ask from an author? Thief of Shadows is another 5 star read from the stellar Elizabeth Hoyt!”
— Leslee from Night Owl Reviews
and:
“5/5
I feel like I've been waiting for this book for forever! After what felt like a lifetime, I have read, finished and loved Thief of Shadows!”
— Adria, Breath of Life Reviews
My lovely website designer, Vibeke Courtney from Dreamforge Media has put together an absolutely fabulous addition to my website: all new Maiden Lane pages. At the top of the navigation bar on my website (www.elizabethhoyt.com), you can find the Maiden Lane tab. Click it and it opens a whole bunch of stuff, including:
A list of all the Maiden Lane Books
Character Lists from each book
Individual Character Pages for all main characters
Interactive Family Trees
and an Interactive Map of Georgian London
I hope that you'll enjoy exploring the new Maiden Lane pages!
Finally, quite a few of my books are on sale this month:
Wicked Intentions is only $1.99 in ebook.
The Raven Prince, The Leopard Prince, and The Serpent Prince are all still on sale for $3.99 in both ebook and paperback.
And The Ice Princess is on sale in ebook (because it only comes in ebook) for $0.99.
Enjoy!
Win an iPad
My friends, Jane Porter, Eloisa James, Julia London, and Vanessa Kelly and I have teamed up for an iPad and book giveaway on Facebook. Each week one winner will be chosen to receive a pack of five signed books, one from each author. Then on September 19th one winner will be chosen to receive an iPad! How do you enter? Simply supply your name and email here. By entering the contest you agree to sign up for my newsletter list as well as Jane's, Julia's Vanessa's and Eloisa's. We will not share your email with anyone else. That's it! Good luck--and remember that you can enter on each author's Facebook page and if you share the contest info on your own Facebook page, you'll get extra entries as well.
Looking for an autographed book? At the beginning of August I made a trip to Minneapolis and did a few drive-by signings. If you visit these bookstores they'll have books autographed by me:
Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America
Barnes & Noble downtown Minneapolis
Barnes & Noble at Southdale Mall
Barnes & Noble at Calhoun Lake
Barnes & Noble at Ridgedale Mall
Barnes & Noble at Har Mar Mall in St. Paul
Barnes & Noble in Highland Park in St. Paul
Barnes & Noble in Eagan, MN
Barnes & Noble in Burnsville, MN
Barnes & Noble in Apple Valley, MN
Barnes & Noble in Waterloo, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Coralville/Iowa City, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Davenport, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Peoria, Illinois
And Lake Forest Book Store: Market Square, 680 N. Western Ave, Lake Forest, IL
I have a new Book of the Month up and I've added Dodo from Thief of Shadows to the list of Imaginary Dogs.
Enjoy!
Looking for an autographed book? At the beginning of August I made a trip to Minneapolis and did a few drive-by signings. If you visit these bookstores they'll have books autographed by me:
Barnes & Noble at the Mall of America
Barnes & Noble downtown Minneapolis
Barnes & Noble at Southdale Mall
Barnes & Noble at Calhoun Lake
Barnes & Noble at Ridgedale Mall
Barnes & Noble at Har Mar Mall in St. Paul
Barnes & Noble in Highland Park in St. Paul
Barnes & Noble in Eagan, MN
Barnes & Noble in Burnsville, MN
Barnes & Noble in Apple Valley, MN
Barnes & Noble in Waterloo, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Coralville/Iowa City, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Davenport, Iowa
Barnes & Noble in Peoria, Illinois
And Lake Forest Book Store: Market Square, 680 N. Western Ave, Lake Forest, IL
I have a new Book of the Month up and I've added Dodo from Thief of Shadows to the list of Imaginary Dogs.
Enjoy!
Head's Up!
There's a two year gap between the epilogue of THIEF OF SHADOWS and the opening of LORD OF DARKNESS. Want to know what happened in those two years? Sign up for my monthly newsletter and find out! ;-)
An Upcoming Signing and a Contest!
I'm quite excited! I just heard word that I'll be signing at the Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, Illinois on April 27th. I'll be joined by several other author friends, but I want to wait to announce who until we have definite confirmations. Just be assured that if you read historical romance this won't be a signing to miss. ;-)
My goodness, it's already February and Lord of Darkness will be here in 26 days. If you haven't already done so, now might be a good time to pre-order the book or ebook so as to have it in your hands on release day.
To celebrate the release of Lord of Darkness , I'm holding a Facebook contest along with Eloisa James, Susan Mallery, Julia London, Jillian Hunter, and debut author, Maire Claremont. The contest runs February 1st thru March 15th. We'll be giving away weekly signed book bundles and, at the end, a new iPad mini! Do be sure to enter.
Meanwhile, check out my Maiden Lane pages for the List of Characters for Lord of Darkness , as well as the new St. John Family Tree. I've been adding to the excerpt of Lord of Darkness (we're now in Chapter 2) and there's also an ongoing "prologue"--letters between Megs and Godric written during the two year gap between the end of Thief of Shadows and the beginning of Lord of Darkness .
Finally, if you'd like to be alerted the very day that Lord of Darkness arrives in stores, please sign up for my one time only Tell Me When the Book is Out! News Alert.
Enjoy!
My goodness, it's already February and Lord of Darkness will be here in 26 days. If you haven't already done so, now might be a good time to pre-order the book or ebook so as to have it in your hands on release day.
To celebrate the release of Lord of Darkness , I'm holding a Facebook contest along with Eloisa James, Susan Mallery, Julia London, Jillian Hunter, and debut author, Maire Claremont. The contest runs February 1st thru March 15th. We'll be giving away weekly signed book bundles and, at the end, a new iPad mini! Do be sure to enter.
Meanwhile, check out my Maiden Lane pages for the List of Characters for Lord of Darkness , as well as the new St. John Family Tree. I've been adding to the excerpt of Lord of Darkness (we're now in Chapter 2) and there's also an ongoing "prologue"--letters between Megs and Godric written during the two year gap between the end of Thief of Shadows and the beginning of Lord of Darkness .
Finally, if you'd like to be alerted the very day that Lord of Darkness arrives in stores, please sign up for my one time only Tell Me When the Book is Out! News Alert.
Enjoy!
Upcoming Appearances
I hope you've noticed the gorgeous cover for
Duke of Midnight
--scroll over the cover to see the stepback. I hope to start posting excerpts next month.
Meanwhile, conference season starts officially for me with the RT Book Reviews Convention in Kansas City next week. On Friday I'll be accepting the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Romance of 2012 for Thief of Shadows .
If you're attending the convention, here are the other places I'll be:
Wednesday, 1:15 p.m. Historical Panel: The Invention of Romance
Friday, 5:00 p.m. Team Romance Trivia Extravaganza
Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Giant Book Fair
Saturday 5:00 p.m. Jade Lee’s Birthday Party Roast
May 1st marks the opening of Brenda Novak’s month-long online auction to benefit juvenile diabetes. I’ve donated several items of interest:
Luncheon with moi at the RWA conference in Atlanta
An autographed set of the Princes Trilogy
An advanced reader copy of Duke of Midnight
Enjoy!
Meanwhile, conference season starts officially for me with the RT Book Reviews Convention in Kansas City next week. On Friday I'll be accepting the RT Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Romance of 2012 for Thief of Shadows .
If you're attending the convention, here are the other places I'll be:
Wednesday, 1:15 p.m. Historical Panel: The Invention of Romance
Friday, 5:00 p.m. Team Romance Trivia Extravaganza
Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Giant Book Fair
Saturday 5:00 p.m. Jade Lee’s Birthday Party Roast
May 1st marks the opening of Brenda Novak’s month-long online auction to benefit juvenile diabetes. I’ve donated several items of interest:
Luncheon with moi at the RWA conference in Atlanta
An autographed set of the Princes Trilogy
An advanced reader copy of Duke of Midnight
Enjoy!
