NEW SALE!

I'm thrilled to announce that I just sold a Young Adult urban fantasy to Bell Bridge Books...and now have a new name.  Call me Parker Blue...but as the tag line says, don't call my heroine Buffy, unless you want to meet her inner demon. 

Eighteen-year-old Valentine Shapiro got a raw deal in the parent lottery.  Her father was part incubus demon, and her mother's never forgiven her for that.  Thrown out of the house by her mother, Val puts one foot in front of the other and does the only thing that seems to make any sense—she takes aim at the town vampires.  A stake a day keeps the demon at bay (but don't call her Buffy—that makes Lola, her inner demon, very cranky).  Soon enough, she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground with the help of her faithful hellhound, Fang, and fighting to save those she loves.  Whether they love her back or not. 

I hope this is the first book in a new Demon Underground series.  Watch for this book in October 2008.  Great cover, isn't it?

COMING SOON: 

And another fantasy short story is coming up in Witch High from DAW in October 2008.  In "Chemistry 101," fire witch Kenina Bailey is gearing up her courage to ask her chemistry lab partner to the Sadie Hawkins dance—he's a total hottie, even for a water witch.  But when a blaze breaks out in the lab, the water witches accuse her and call for her expulsion.  How can she clear her name and find a date for the dance?

NOW OUT: 

I have a short story in the upcoming Enchantment Place fantasy anthology, titled "Make-a-Mortal" (DAW, August 2008).   In it, werebear Ted "don't call me Teddy" Braun owns Make-a-Mortal, where magical creatures of all kinds can build their own adorably cute humans. It's a real hit with pre-adolescent ogres, unicorns, and dragons, but mortal protestors don't find it all amusing.  So, when someone enchants the stuffed creatures and turns cute into cut-throat, Ted must stop them before they ruin his business and harm any customers.

Fabulous news!  Romantic Times BOOKreviews Magazine gave the anthology a 4 1/2 Top Pick!

I was asked to write an essay for the  popular culture book from BenBella:  Perfectly Plum: An Unauthorized Celebration of the Life, Loves and Other Disasters of Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter.  Since Janet Evanovich is one of my favorite authors, this was a lot of fun!  My essay is titled "Stephanie Plum's Trenton:  A Great Place for the Family?" 

Plus, I have an article in the recently released 2009 Guide to Literary Agents—on writing synopses, of course!

I'm excited to announce that I've accepted the co-directorship of the 2009 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, along with Karen Fox.  The conference will be held April 23-26, 2009, at the Marriott Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO.