This is it. The payoff for all those hours spent peering at a blank screen and stressing out over every word and phrase. Eternal Pleasure hits bookshelves everywhere (I hope). Okay, so technically it hit some bookshelves last week, but this is the official BIG DAY.

I bet some of you are wondering, “So what’s the big deal? You write a book, send it in, and wait for it to go on sale. No sweat.” Hah. Let me tell you the many, many ways I find to drive myself crazy.

First we have the story itself. Will readers like the plot? Will they think it’s too, well, out there? Fine, so all of my plots are out there. Will they think its exciting enough, sexy enough, and on and on and on? Oh, and don’t forget the characters. Will they think the characters are sympathetic? Will they want to read more books about the same characters? Or, horror of horrors, will they find the characters shallow and unlovable?

Once I finish worrying about the story, it’s time to move on to the cover. Is the guy on the cover hot enough? Will impulse buyers pick up the book to take a closer look at him? Does the cover pop or just blend in with the rest of the books on the shelf? And why didn’t they give me foil embossed lettering on my cover? Is the publishing house trying to tell me something? Am I no longer worthy? Wait. My name and title do have a metallic shine. Whew. They must still like me.

Next comes the back cover blurb. Does it grab readers by the throat and shake them until they absolutely have to buy the book? Does it make extravagant promises of unspeakable pleasure if they’ll only spend their hard earned money on this book?

I bet now you’re thinking, “Enough. There can’t possibly be anything else to worry about.” What, you have no faith in my ability to make something out of nothing? There are tons of things to leave me sleepless. What will reviewers say? How should I promote this book? How will I make time to blog, keep up with mail, write my next book, have a life? It doesn’t take long to realize that something has to go. Yeah, so having a life is overrated anyway.

From all the whining above, you probably think I must hate what I do. Not so. I worked at quite a few different jobs in my life, and nothing, nothing gave me the satisfaction I get from completing a story and knowing I’ll be sharing my characters with readers who may never meet me, but who will hopefully enjoy my books. I feel blessed.

And for those of you who are thinking, “Wow, she’s insecure,” here’s my theory. I believe that on the day that I become too comfortable with what I’m writing, too sure that there’s nothing left to improve, too laid back about my career, I’ll stop growing as a writer. A little angst keeps me humble and motivated. There are tons of talented writers out there, and to convince readers to choose my books I have to keep getting better.

And now for a question that has nothing to do with the above subject. When I finish my present work in progress, Eternal Promise, I’ll be returning for another peek into Ganymede’s and Sparkle’s lives. I’d been planning to set this book at the Woo Woo Inn. But a lot of readers have told me now much they liked the Castle of Dark Dreams books. So here’s the question. Should my next Mede and Sparkle book take place at the Woo Woo Inn or the Castle of Dark Dreams? Of couse, you can always mess up my little poll by choosing none of the above.

I’ll stop now because my deadline for this next book is looming. I hope you’re enjoying a memorable summer blast. Don’t forget the sunscreen.