Whew. News. I'll try not to leave anything out.

While I was away on vacation, Deena launched the Ann Aguirre site, and it looks fab. Check it out and tell me what you think! She also revamped the blog template (because I'm far too lazy to commit to more than one blog) so it blends with both designs. I'm blown away by how well she did that, so admire for a moment before reading on.

This year, I've committed to writing two different serial projects; that's a chapter a month. One is Loser's Waltz, a quirky romantic comedy that will probably be somewhere between novella and full manuscript length when I'm done. The second is called Mercy; it's a fantasy with romantic overtones. Right now, with two chapters completed, I don't know how long it will be, but it's aimed at being a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. So take a read. LW will be updated on the 7th; Mercy will be posted on the 23rd.

BIG news here. I'm changing agents. I've given notice and have other representation pending, although I can't officially accept an offer until January 12. Nothing is set in stone, of course, so I don't want to jinx things by discussing them prematurely. I will say I'm quite hopeful; her response to my query for Falling came in three and a half hours (a new record) and this agent (who will make you squee when you find out her name) asked for the full right from the jump. Here's a clue; she only asked for 54 full manuscripts last year. Random note on Falling. Someone emailed me, after having read the excerpt on my site, and asked where they could buy it. Just a random stranger. That has never happened before, and it seems like an indicator that this project is solid gold, red-hot or any other cliche of choice. I got a good feelin' about this. When and if I receive the offer I'm looking for, I'll post the particulars. Otherwise, I'm not going to write a lot about this decision, except to say it was hard to make, because having an agent gives you a feeling of security and accomplishment.

As I told my friend and crit partner (much love to Linnea, who should really win an award [other than the RITA] for all the support she's given me over the years) in an email: "I have this weird 'breakup' feeling. Like you know how you break up with a guy that you know wasn't right for you and the relationship wasn't what you were looking for, so intellectually you know it's for the best, but emotionally, you have this 'Oh no, what if nobody else ever wants me?!' feeling." But I can now say from experience, it's better to be the captain of your own fate than to be bound to a contract that limits your ability to sell a single word when nobody else is selling you either.

Now sometimes books just don't sell. You missed the window of opportunity; the market has changed, or the editors just don't connect with your story for whatever reason. If you're a reasonable author, you know it's not a good agent's fault. Communication is paramount, though, and when it breaks down...well. Take it from me. Be CAREFUL before you accept an offer. Check references; double-check the sales record and make sure of what the agent has sold personally. Talk to their authors before you accept a contract and read that thing over several times. Because I'm a doofus, I didn't and I didn't realize I couldn't sell novellas, short stories, nothing! unless it went through the agency. (And what agent sells short stories?) You probably don't want your hands tied that thoroughly, and you can ask for amendments to the standard agency contract.

All the talk about agents makes a nice segue to the next piece of news, actually. My switch was also prompted because I want to write romantica exactly as I choose, and it's a bit quirky for NY at the moment. I write in that genre out of pure love and as a break from my darker stuff, a mental palate cleanser if you will. I decided that I want to focus on my darker (and less explicit) stuff where NY is concerned, and I'll write romantica when I need a break. After a lot of consideration, I selected Loose Id as my preferred publisher toward that end, and they made an offer for Guide in about a week and a half. That stunned the heck out of me, as their site says it's more like two months in terms of response time. I've been assigned an editor, who will take my other books in this genre as I write them. As I said in an earlier post, I've been working on cover art requests (I hope I get April Martinez, I love her covers!), blurbs, hooks, and all the other good stuff. At this time, The Average Girl's Guide to Getting Laid has a tentative release date of May '07. Your Alibi should follow presently, as I completed revisions on it over the holidays. I'll publish all romantic comedies through them, going forward, including Free Lunch, which is currently just a twinkle in my eye. Recently I had a rather fun idea, though, about a high school reunion story as well. I want to write a bonafide nerd hero, you see.

More news.

I signed on with Romance Reviews Today to review ebooks for them. My commitment at this point will be 4-5 books a month. Don't worry; I'll still continue Ebook Thursday, so keep sending me your books. That's a total of 8-10 ebooks I've promised to read (and review) on a monthly basis, though, along with my regular writing and my serial projects.

As if all that wasn't enough, I'm also going back to school. I got my acceptance letter from Alliant International University today. They have a campus here in Mexico City. Years ago, I was working toward a teaching degree and I fell ill during student teaching. I couldn't afford anymore college, so I opted to graduate with a simple English Lit degree, despite all those wasted Ed classes. I can get my teaching degree through Alliant, however, and I intend to do just that. I like to finish what I've started. My goal is eventually to teach at the private academy where my kids go to school. Since it costs us like 30K a year to send them there, I'm going to get us a break on tuition via employment. (I hope.)

And I'm spent. That's it at present, but I'll keep you posted on breaking news. Here's to Lucky '07, where all our dreams come true.