Greetings from the Great White North!

Okay, so it’s not white up here in Toronto in late May, but it is awfully cold. We’ve been battling a wicked wind since last night when a storm moved through. It conveniently moved through as Jeff and I were walking from the car to Mohawk Raceway. We got soaked, and walking against that wind made my legs ache. On the plus side, Mohawk was gorgeous! What a wonderful place to watch races. I continued my normal habit of losing the races I bet and “winning” the ones I didn’t. Sigh.

After almost 700 miles of driving, we were too tired to do much of anything last night except watch a few races. Today, however, we’ve been busy.

First stop, finding the trains into Toronto. We’re staying right by the airport, so we didn’t have to drive far to find a good station. We rode into the city. The CN Tower was right outside their Union Station.

Our destination was the Hockey Hall of Fame. Jeff’s version of Mecca. Part of it is contained inside a big plaza. A bit misleading because here’s the outside facade.

But as you walk around to the right, you enter the bigger plaza. It was absolutely beautiful inside.

Jeff was less than thrilled I wanted to take pictures, but he really liked the Hall of Fame.

They have quite a collection, but most impressive was the way they have the Stanley Cup displayed. This is where that beautiful facade comes in. The Cup and all the other awards are inside that building. They keep them in a big bank vault, but bring it out during the day. Here’s Jeff with the actual Stanley Cup.

They also have a display of the last year in hockey with all the teams winning their championships. Since the Fort Wayne Komets are the current Turner Cup champs, they had their spot on that display.

We had a nice but very late lunch downtown, and being the old folks we are, we headed back to relax and regroup. We thought about going up the CN Tower, but damn, that wind was biting. After several blocks, we abandoned that idea and embraced warm and rest.

So what makes Toronto different than good old Indianapolis? They are major eco-friendly here. There aren’t just trash cans, there are always recycling bins right next to them. We even have recycling bins in our room. Lots of people on bicycles, although not as many as I saw in San Francisco. Traffic here is brutal because their highways and roads have fewer lanes, and it’s obvious the population has outgrown the roads.

It dawned on me that I’ve hit all four extremes in the last few years. South to Dallas. West to San Francisco. East to New York. And now North to Toronto.

We’re planning on meeting my friend Lainey Bancroft tomorrow for lunch at Niagra Falls. Looking forward to meeting you, Lainey!

My first shipment of books arrived yesterday.

As soon as my books popped up on Amazon, I ordered a bunch to take the the Lori Foster Author Reader Gettogether. I figured it would be a race to see if I could get the books on time. When they popped up on Barnes and Noble a few days later, I ordered a bunch from them too. Then the race was on.

Barnes and Noble came through first. Three enormous boxes were delivered in the early evening yesterday. I opened them long enough to look at one of my pretty new books, but I had to run a couple of errands. The books had to wait. When I made it back home, Jeff had unpacked the books, counted, and stacked them all for me. How sweet is that?

Amazon delivered their copies today. So Barnes and Noble wins on speed. I also took enormous advantage of the Barnes and Noble discount card. You don’t even want to know how much I took advantage of that discount! Amazon responded today by discounting my first couple of books. So it’s a draw on price.

The books are absolutely beautiful. First off, I need to give my thanks to Jinger Heaston for creating for me some of the most gorgeous cover art she’s done for BookStrand authors! Next, I will be eternally grateful to my publisher Amanda Hilton and her staff for doing everything they could to see that I had copies in hand for the Lori Foster event. They really went above and beyond for me!

I sold most of the first batch already. God bless my friends and co-workers. They’ve been so supportive! Facing that first page to sign as a “real” author was a bit daunting. It looked so…blank. I think I giggled when I signed it. I don’t think I’ll ever stop marveling at how lucky I am to be signing MY books.

If someone would have told me a year ago that I’d have four books in print, another coming out in June or July, and an agent to die for, I would have accused you of suffering from one of the delusional mental illnesses I teach about.

Amazing how things change in one short year.

The writing community has long been aware of the wonderful auction Brenda Novak puts on every year. The Fifth Annual Auction for Diabetes Research is underway.

This isn’t just for writers! Anyone can find something she would like there. Signed copies of books, vacations, collectibles. You name it, people have donated it.

I’ve been touched by diabetes, not only in my own family but through several of my students. To help Brenda, I am offering a 35 page critique of a contest entry or prologue/first chapter. I’m also throwing in a signed copy of one of the first printings of Murphy’s Law. Although I’m not one of the better known writers, I do give fantastic critiques!

Please take a moment to visit the auction site. And please bid on my critique so I’m not embarrassed next to some of those fantastic authors!

All the Right Reasons just popped up on Barnes and Noble!

And on Amazon!

Wow… Four in print!!

What a beautiful 5 star review by Val at Manic Readers! Thanks, Val!!

Manic Readers Featured Review

Murphy’s Law
by Sandy James

Seth Remington is known for his extravagant, irresponsible ways as well as wrecking car after car. His father is at a loss to find a way to help Seth grow up, that is until he dies and his will is read. In order for Seth to be able to have access to his inheritance, he has to work for Katie as a groom for one season. They are to have no contact and she is the one who will decide if he gets his money or not. In return, Katie gets a stakes horse. Can Seth Remington really do a normal person’s job with a meager paycheck? Can Seth stop his playboy ways and have a relationship with Katie without any physical contact? Let the fun begin!

Katie’s character was enchanting and extremely likable. She instantly made it into my heart from the moment I met her. She is strong on the outside but on the inside holds a lot of pain from past broken relationships. She is so patient and kind to everyone she meets. There is no way not to love Seth’s character. He is a man who has no idea what life is all about. He has never done anything to earn his place in life and, God love him, he is about to get a rude awakening. I was so entertained when he got a taste of the real world. The predicaments he got himself into made me laugh. He found something that was his in life and that too touched my heart. The differences in Seth before he met Katie and after were striking. Katie and Seth together were electric. You could just feel the sparks flying off the page. Sam, Brian, Chris, Ross and even Rachel (whose character I loved to hate) made this Murphy’s Law just that much more entertaining. The plot line was magnificent and I gained knowledge of how a real race track works. I was able to see the horses’ personalities through Seth and Katie and I actually walked away wanting to ride a horse and know more about them. I always hope that books have epilogues so that I can see how the main characters are doing a little bit into the future. This epilogue was explosive! Ms. James has outdone herself on Murphy’s Law. It truly is one of the best developed and engaging books I have ever read. With action, rejection, animosity, suspense and a stimulating love relationship, Murphy’s Law is certain to grip your emotions and do flip flops with your heart. I highly recommend Murphy’s Law; it is a well crafted page turner. Ms. James is an extremely talented writer that I will continue to follow in the future.

What a great review from Diana Coyle at Night Owl Romance!

Turning Thirty-Twelve

Review Date: 5/19/2009
SCORE: 5 / 5

Jackie Delgado, a forty-something year old science teacher at Harrison High School, just doesn’t want another man in her life again. The only good that came out of her marriage to David is that they have two sons, Patrick and Nate. After a bitter end to her twenty-one years of marriage, Jackie wants nothing to do with having another relationship with a man. She is content raising her boys and between the boys, work and her friends, she is quite happy at the moment. But as her youngest finally goes off to college like his big brother did, Jackie starts suffering from a bad case of empty nest syndrome. The only comfort and companionship she now has in the house with her is Jellybean, her TV theme show singing cockatiel.

Her girlfriends, who are also teachers at the high school, are always trying to set her up even though she says she’s not interested. Finally, Abby convinces her that there’s this one guy that she thinks Jackie might actually like. Reluctantly, Jackie tells her girlfriend to give him her number. When he calls her to ask her out, she’s in for the biggest surprise of her life.

Who does the blind date turn out to be? What does she think of this guy overall? Does this turn out to be a match made in heaven for the both of them?

Ms. James did a fabulous job creating this storyline and she developed characters that you just can’t help but fall in love with, quirks and all. I found this story to be a little bit sweet with a whole lot of hot and sexy mixed throughout. I loved Ms. James’ sense of humor that she sprinkled throughout the pages and I found myself laughing out loud numerous times as I was reading. I would highly recommend this story to others and it’s a definite keeper in my library. Don’t pass this one up!

Guess what?

I’m on Barnes and Noble now too!! If you prefer B&N to Amazon, then here are your links:

Buy it here

Buy it here

Buy it here

I have three books in print!

The books posted to Amazon yesterday. They are listed as “temporarily out of stock,” but that will changed quickly. Please remember, these are trade paperbacks, so they’re larger than normal paperbacks. That is why the price is a little higher than paperbacks.

Buy Turning Thirty-Twelve

Buy Murphy’s Law

Buy Free Falling

May is such an intense month.

I suppose I should qualify that statement. May is such an intense month for teachers like me. You know. The ones who are terminally Type A.

I ask myself all the questions that I hate the answers to. Did I cover all the material I needed to? Or worse, WANTED to? Did I leave any sort of lasting impression on any of the kids I just spent the better part of a year trying to reach?

Did I make a difference?

I think this year, the angsty month of May is worse for me than any I can remember. I believe it’s because I’ve added the challenge of publishing into the mix. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d be editing four books in one school year. Nor did I understand the daunting challenge of getting my name out there. Readers loops. Review sites. Major time sucks every single day.

Please don’t misunderstand. I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. I’m very happy with BookStrand and the experiences I’ve had putting my books out with them. I just think I’ve gone into a sort of “gotta do it now!” mode that I can’t seem to shut down. I also found out that good reviews are terribly, terribly addictive. I find myself jumping from website to website to see if any new reviews have posted. I’m worse than an addict jonesing for a fix.

I think my ambition fuels the fire that’s burning inside me. And I do burn! I want my stories in every bookstore. I want to be someone who readers go to signings to meet. I want so much more!

My print copies of Turning Thirty-Twelve, Murphy’s Law, and Free Falling should be out on Amazon and Barnes & Noble soon. I’ve been looking forward to those releases, but I’ve also been stressing because the time frame is going to be really, really close. I need to have copies to take to Lori Foster’s Author/Reader Get Together the first weekend in June. It’s a race to see if I can get the books in time. You know me. I love a tight deadline.

May is half over. Please check back in a few more weeks to see if I survive.

I just received an absolutely beautiful review from BD Whitney at BookWenches! Thank you so much!!

Title: Free Falling
Author: Sandy James
Author’s website: http://www.sandy-james.com/
Publisher: Siren-Bookstrand, Inc.
Release Date: April 2009
Genre: Contemporary Suspense
Sensuality Level: 2.75
Rating: 4.75

Reviewed by: BD Whitney

Dr. Laurie Miller may have been born into money, but she has dedicated her life to counseling and helping the less fortunate. She promised her parents that she would take over her parents’ charitable foundation when she turned thirty, but the last thing she wants to do is give up the free clinic and the patients who need her so much. Her gift of sensing other people’s feelings has made it difficult for her to get close to anyone, but when she meets Ross Kennedy, she knows that they are meant to be together. Because Laurie can’t read Ross, and there is a saying in her mother’s family: “Wed the one who cannot be read.”

Ross is an attorney who puts in hundred-hour work weeks. Having come from a poverty-stricken background, he is driven to succeed beyond all else. His chance meeting of Laurie during a Montana snowstorm changes his life, because he has never met a woman who affects him as deeply and immediately has she does. Knowing that Ross has nothing but disdain for people who inherit their wealth, Laurie doesn’t tell him about her moneyed background. Unfortunately, this is a falsehood that will come back to haunt her.

As Laurie and Ross strive to overcome the obstacles that her money and dissemblance have placed between them, their lives are turned upside down. Laurie is being targeted by a stalker, and his threats are escalating at an alarming rate. He wants something from her – a diary from the days of Prohibition that he believes that it will lead him to a treasure cache lost for generations – and he’s willing to go to just about any length to get it from her. Ross and Laurie find that when faced with the attentions of a madman, the differences between them are perhaps not as important as they thought.

********

Heads up, romance lovers, because I’ve got a good one for you. If you enjoy a little something extra in your stories, Sandy James’s novel Free Falling may be just what you’re looking for. This novel combines romance, suspense, and just a dash of paranormal into a very readable and enjoyable package, and I think it will please the most discerning of readers. I certainly enjoyed it.

The romance portion of this story is very appealing. It mixes a little reverse snobbishness on the hero’s part with mistaken identity and falsehood to create romantic tension between the two main characters. Ms. James has injected this story with emotion and tenderness, but she hasn’t neglected the differences of opinion that couples – even couples as much in love as these two – all have.

A thread of mystery and suspense is woven throughout Free Falling. It is less evident in the first half of the story, which focuses mostly on the development of the interpersonal relationship between Ross and Laurie, but as the novel progresses, the tension grows. The diary entries at the beginning of each chapter are meant to pique the interest of the reader, but it is not until we are well into the story that we understand where they are headed. I’m going to admit that I found them a little puzzling at first, but as the characters themselves became involved in the mystery, I appreciated having the opportunity to discover the answers along with them.

One of the most outstanding attributes about Free Falling is its characters. Ms. James has developed a wonderful cast and has breathed enough life into them to make them almost jump off the page. Ross is very much an alpha male, but he is also obsessive-compulsive and a little bit snobbish. He has a lot of emotional baggage from his childhood, and it is up to Laurie to teach him how to relax, have a good time, and let the past go. Laurie is very insightful, especially regarding Ross’s hang-ups, but for all that she is a counselor, she has low self-esteem due to her size. Ross has to show her that the beauty she has within her radiates outward and makes her absolutely stunning.

But it is not just the primary characters that make this story. The secondary characters are equally appealing. They are well-rounded and developed fully enough to make them distinct and memorable, and they give the plot additional depth.

I found Free Falling to be a very pleasant surprise. It is the second novel in Ms. James’s Damaged Heroes series, but it is not necessary to read the first story to enjoy this one – it is completely self-contained. Of course, now that I’ve read Ross and Laurie’s story, I’m probably going to have to go back and read the previous novel. If it is anywhere near as well-written as Free Falling is, then I’m in for a very pleasurable experience.

–Bobby