Release Day

It's finally here. Release day for Temptation in a Kilt.

As I unleashed my new baby into the world, I took a step back, realizing my emotions were so out of whack. Frankly, I don't know how debut authors do it. How can one feel excited, thrilled, joyful and scared to death all at the same time? Seriously. If anyone knows, please fill me in.

"Get a grip, Roberts." That's what I keep telling myself over and over.

I know one thing for certain. My heart and soul went into this book and I hold my head high with pride. It touches me dearly when a reader takes the time to send me a personal note to tell me how much this book touched them. And you know what? That one reader makes it totally worth the ride. 

I'd like to thank the following people for their support.

Sabrina Jeffries, for making me realize it’s never too late to try something new.

Hannah Howell, for her support while I was bogged down in synopsis hell.

Eliza Knight, for giving me the courage to put myself out there.

To my agent, Jill Marsal, for her endless support and encouragement.

To my editor, Deb Werksman, for giving me a chance.

To my critique partner, Mary Grace, there are really no words to express the tremendous amount of gratitude I hold for you. All those times I ruffled your feathers about having your nose planted in a book, even when you walk… For your brutal honesty and endless reads, your unwavering support and encouragement, these Bad Boys came to life. Thank you for believing in me.
 

To my family, for their unwavering support and dedication to this Bad Boy. For my son, who understood at such a young age that Mommy was editing. For my daughter, the only Gaelic-speaking lass in the fifth grade. And for my husband, who makes dinners countless nights. I could not ask for a more encouraging bunch. I love you all, and you have my heartfelt thanks and appreciation. I could have never done this without you. 

  

Mom, Dad and Michelle, thank you for believing in me. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you or miss you, Mom. I hope I made you proud.

 

Thanks for helping me spread the word, and I'm raising a cyber glass of champagne to all of you.

You're a What?

I've lost count of how many times I've seen this look upon the faces of many. What causes such a judgemental, horrified expression?

I would like to think I'm a nice person, easy going, and I do genuinely care about my friends and family. I want to know how the people in my life are doing. And I enjoy meeting new people. But what I don't like is a one-sided conversation. Particularly this kind.   

It irks me when someone pretends to play nice in the sandbox. You know the feeling. You had a nice time, chatted, got to know one another. And like a bucket of cold water was thrown over the conversation, it changes, becomes cold. 

For the umpteenth time. I'm a romance writer! I write Scottish historical romances! No, I am NOT ashamed or embarrassed. Why would I be? My family supports me. My CHILDREN support me. YOU. KNOW. NOTHING about me. 

No matter how many times I prepare myself for these type of people and conversations, it's completely annoying. If that's not bad enough, some of them choose to continue their rant. 

"So... you're published. How did you manage to accomplish that?" Snicker.

Straightening my spine, I hold my head high and say, "I won a writing contest and was asked for a full submission." I pick up my glass and take another drink before other words escape me. 

"Really?"

"Yep. Imagine my surprise when the publisher not only loved it, but she asked me to pitch three, a series."

Smirks. "So... do you have an agent then?"

"Of course."

"Well, I suppose you don't make enough money to quit your day job."

Is life not too short?

God, if they only knew of the blood, sweat and tears, edits and re-edits, writing goals, countless hours, 2:30a.m. revisions to make a deadline, the dreaded synopsis, copy/edits, galleys, hooks, marketing, sales, reviews...

I want to scream at the top of my lungs, "I hate stupid people!"

My writing friends know this feeling all too well. Tell me. What is the best line you ever used on these type of people?

Celebrating the Sale of the Bad Boys of the Highlands Series

In celebration of the recent sale of my Bad Boys of the Highlands series, I treated my three biggest fans to dinner at a local Scottish pub. My daughter, CP and Beta all joined me for a wonderful treat at Piper's Pub.

We started our enjoyable evening by my CP's recommended appetizer of Scotch Eggs. A hard boiled egg was encased in sausage, breaded and then deep fried. I almost forgot. It was served with hot sauce. I felt my cholesterol rising before I even took a bite, but it was so good. 

 The atmosphere was loud as you would expect from a pub, but that didn't stop me from toasting my three favorite gals for their unwavering support. I passed out gifts to all of them, including the necklace pictured to the right for my beautiful daughter.

The food was wonderful and plentiful. How could you go wrong with the traditional corned beef, cabbage and potatoes?

Not to mention the Beef Shepherd's Pie.

We topped off this hearty meal with a Scottish ice-cream sandwich. This delicious morsel consisted of vanilla ice-cream surrounded by Scottish shortbread and topped with a chocolate, raspberry, butterscotch and blueberry sauce.

Even though we will not eat for a week, a great time was had by all. It's fun to celebrate with friends and family. My heartfelt thanks go out to these three who have been and continue to be my biggest supporters.

How do you celebrate a special occasion with family or friends?