Lotta news this month, so let’s get right to the headlines:
- Navy SEAL Izzy Zanella’s book, BREAKING THE RULES, the sixteenth installment in my New York Times bestselling Troubleshooters series, is finally out in paperback today!
- My Virtual Signing for BORN TO DARKNESS, my next hardcover and the first book in my new futuristic “Fighting Destiny” series has begun! (Get a special print version limited edition of BEGINNINGS AND ENDS, a new Jules & Robin short story, as a bonus Extra with a personalized, signed hardcover! More details below.)
- Meet Lt. Shane Laughlin, the Navy SEAL hero of BORN TO DARKNESS in SHANE’S LAST STAND, a special e-short telling the story of his final mission with his SEAL Team, available in all e-formats next week, on 2/6/12. (Details, story blurb, and a link to my “How to read e-shorts without an e-reader” page, below!)
- The Official Countdown to BORN TO DARKNESS starts on Valentine’s Day! Join me for over a month of blogs, photo galleries of the book’s main characters, book trailer videos, recommended reads, chats — including a chat with J.R. Ward on her facebook page, and giveaways at http://www.SuzanneBrockmann.com, starting February 14th and running Monday through Friday until the book’s March 20th release date
- The reviews are coming in for BORN TO DARKNESS! J.R. Ward says, “I love everything about this book!” Publisher’s Weekly gives BtoD a starred review, saying “the drama pulls readers in from page one.”
- BtoD Trading Cards will be available soon! Yes, Trading Cards! Check out a sneak preview on my website! (Details below)
- I’m hitting the road to promote BORN TO DARKNESS! Book store appearances alert for readers in Florida, California, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts! (Find out more below!)
- Reissue news: UNSTOPPABLE (a 2-in-1 reissue of LETTERS TO KELLY and LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER) will be in book stores on February 28th from HQN. (It’s also available in audiobook from Brilliance Audio, read by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank!)
- Indie movie news: THE PERFECT WEDDING is in the final stages of post-production! (Get an update below!)
And now for the details:
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
1) Navy SEAL Izzy Zanella’s book, BREAKING THE RULES, is finally out in paperback today!
Publisher’s Weekly gave this book a starred review, saying, “In the powerful 16th Troubleshooter title, Brockmann masterfully weaves the stories of the Gillman siblings into a single narrative that reaffirms the importance of family. The slowly rekindled attraction between Izzy and Eden is steamy, and Jennilyn is a rock for Danny, giving romance fans two delightful relationships for the price of one.”
The paperback has lovely new artwork – and yes, that’s Izzy on the cover!
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
2) My Virtual Signing for BORN TO DARKNESS has gone live on my website!
Get a personalized signed hardcover copy of BtoD without leaving the comfort of your home! Order the book through my website, via PayPal, and I’ll sign, package and ship the book to you through the U.S. Mail!
I’ve got a bunch of bonus extras this year!
First is a collector’s limited print edition of BEGINNINGS AND ENDS, a new Troubleshooters short story featuring Jules and Robin Cassidy.
Trouble arises on the set of Shadowland, Robin’s Emmy-winning TV show. We also find out a bit more about Robin’s character, Joe, whose last name, like the hero of BtoD is also Laughlin. Funny the way my brain does that… It’s a good last name, isn’t it?
Anyway, B&E was a fun story to write – I think you’re going to like it!
The second BtoD Virtual Signing bonus is a complete nine-piece set of BORN TO DARKNESS Trading Cards, given away with each signed book. (This is the tried and true way for non U.S. readers to get a hard copy of these trading cards. More about the cards below…)
Last but not least for the virtual signing: As a special gift to my long-time friends and readers, all books ordered by U.S. residents will get an automatic upgrade to priority shipping. (So your book will arrive a whole lot faster this year! International readers will get their books faster, too!)
For more details or to order a book, visit here.
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
3) Meet the Navy SEAL hero of BORN TO DARKNESS in SHANE’S LAST STAND.
Here’s the blurb for this e-short, which goes on sale 2/6/12:
Meet Shane Laughlin, the hero of Born to Darkness, in a special e-short that tells the story of his final mission as an officer with SEAL Team Thirteen — the mission that strips him of his command, earns him a dishonorable discharge, and leaves him blacklisted and unlikely to find work in the darkly futuristic world of the mid-twenty-first century.
The assignment seems simple enough: insert into a dangerous, war-torn country and take out a deadly terrorist. But from the moment that Shane injures his ankle in what should have been a routine parachute landing, it’s clear Murphy’s Law — whatever can go wrong, will go wrong — is in effect. And sure enough, the situation goes from bad to worse, until Shane faces what seems like the ultimate no-win scenario. In his quest to save both an innocent woman and the SEALs under his command, he’s willing to put himself into danger, risking everything he’s worked for-his career, and even his life . . .
In BORN TO DARKNESS, Shane’s been out of the Navy – and away from his SEAL team — for about a year. I wrote this story because I thought it would be fun to let readers meet the men who served under his command. I also thought that showing Shane in his “natural habitat” as a SEAL officer would be a really great way to introduce readers both to this new character and to this new series!
SHANE’S LAST STAND will be available in all e-formats on February 6, 2012.
Don’t have an e-reader? It’s still possible to download and read e-shorts from your favorite authors! (More and more authors are writing them – it’s a great way to promote our books by doing what we do best: write fiction!)
Check out my “How to read e-shorts without an e-reader” page.
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
4) A reminder that the official Countdown to BORN TO DARKNESS starts on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2012!
Join me each Monday through Friday for a month of blogs, photo galleries of the book’s main characters (deets about that below!), book trailer videos, recommended reads, chats (including a chat with J.R. Ward on her Facebook page!), and giveaways at http://www.SuzanneBrockmann.com
Visit my BtoD Countdown page, and then join me and other readers for a discussion on my Facebook wall athttp://www.facebook.com/SuzanneBrockmannBooks
(Can’t wait to see you there!)
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
5) The reviews are coming in for BORN TO DARKNESS!
J.R. Ward says, “I love everything about this book. A dangerous paranormal world, with amazing alpha heroes and women who kick butt, written by the queen of romance!”
(Thanks, J.R.! It’s always cool to get a cover quote like that from an author’s whose books I love!)
Publisher’s Weekly gives BtoD another rare starred review (Yay! Thank you, PW! That’s two in a row!), saying “Bestseller Brockmann takes readers on a pulse-pounding ride with the first installment of her new futuristic paranormal series. . . . While a departure from Brockmann’s romantic military suspense novels, this story does contain some of her trademark elements – a military hero, a same-sex romance between secondary characters, and sizzling connections to explore in future titles – but never feels formulaic or stale, and the drama pulls readers in from page one.”
BORN TO DARKNESS will be available in hardcover and e-book from Ballantine books, and in audiobook, read by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbanks, from Brilliance Audio on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
6) BtoD Trading Cards will be available soon!
One of the most frequently asked questions a writer gets is: “If you were making a movie out of your book, who would you cast as the main characters?”
Last fall, I took my skills as a film and stage producer and I held auditions and did just that! I cast a terrific group of talented actors as the six main characters in Born to Darkness. And then I held a photo and video shoot complete with costumes, and got hundreds of fantastic photos and dozens of video snippets — so that readers would be able to see these characters exactly as they appear inside of my head.
I’m going to be sharing these photos and videos in galleries and book trailers that I’ll be posting on my website throughout my countdown.
One of the fun things I did with the photos is create a nine-piece set of BORN TO DARKNESS trading cards. There’s a card for each of the six main characters, and three bonus cards!
I’ll be posting information as to how U.S. readers can send an SASE to get the cards as part of my countdown.
I’ll also be posting jpegs of the cards, with instructions on how to download them to your Kindle or Nook, so stay tuned!
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
7) I’m hitting the road to promote BORN TO DARKNESS and I’ll be visiting book stores and bars (bars? Yes! Hello, NYC! Read on!) in Florida, California, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, starting March 20, 2012!
Here’s where I’ll be and when:
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 — Sarasota, FL
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
4010 S. Tamiami Trail (in the Best Buy Plaza)
Sarasota, FL 34231
Store phone: (941) 923-9907
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 — Vero Beach, FL
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Vero Beach Book Center
2145 Indian River Blvd.
Vero Beach, FL 32960
Store phone: (772) 569-2050
Note from Suz: Vero Beach is very near Ft. Pierce, which is the home of the U.S. Navy SEAL Museum. (Road trip?!?)
Saturday, March 24, 2012 — San Francisco/Napa Area
Time: 3:00 or 4:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble (Watch for details!)
Wednesday, March 28, 2012 — Dayton, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Books & Co.
4453 Walnut Street
Dayton, OH 45440
Store phone: (937) 429-2169
Thursday, March 29, 2012 — Cincinnati, OH
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
2785 Dixie Highway
Crestview Hills, KY 41017
Store phone: (859) 912-7860
Saturday, March 31, 2012 — New York City
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Posman Books
9 Grand Central Station
New York, NY 10017
Store phone: 212-983-1111
Monday, April 2, 2012 — New York City
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Lady Jane’s Salon @ Madam X Bar
94 W. Houston Street
New York, NY 10012
Note from Suz: I’m told there is going to be a bookseller on site, and although I don’t have details yet about the other authors attending, I’ll let you know as soon as I do know! (I am told that we’ll be welcome to hang out at Madam X past the 9:00 p.m. deadline as long as we keep consuming food and drinks. <g>)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 — East Brunswick, NJ (NYC area!)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
753 Route 18 / Brunswick Square Mall
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
Store phone: (732) 432-0100
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 — Framingham, MA (Boston area!)
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Barnes & Noble
1 Worcester Road
Framingham, MA 01701
Store phone: (508) 628-5567
Note from Suz: I’m looking forward to returning to my old stomping ground! It’s been a while since I’ve had a signing in the Boston area!
NOTE: The Jules and Robin short story “Extra” booklet BEGINNINGS AND ENDS, and BtoD trading cards will be available to readers who purchase BORN TO DARKNESS at the book signings listed above. Readers who want the book ASAP can buy it in advance at the signing store, and bring it back to get it signed on the appearance date! Just save your receipt and bring it with you, and you’ll get the short story and complete set of cards, too!
Here’s a short list of other appearances and programs that I’ll be doing over the next few months, too:
Workshops and Programs:
Thursday, March 1, 2012 — Sarasota, FL
Time: 1:00 p.m.
First Congregational Church UCC
1031 South Euclid Avenue, Sarasota FL 34237 (Next to YMCA)
Peace and Justice Program
Redefining Normal: How one author teaches the public, in novels and films, that it is okay to be gay. Suzanne Brockmann, co-author and producer of The Perfect Wedding, the film shot in part at First Congregational, talks about the reason for the movie and her writing.
Open to the public
On-Line Chats and Blog Appearances:
Friday, February 17, 2012 — Blog appearance at As the Pages Turn
Monday, February 27, 2012 — Blog appearance at Romance Books R Us
Friday, March 2, 2012, Chat with Suz and J.R. on the J.R. Ward Facebook page (Date and time tentative! Stay tuned for more information!)
Thursday, March 15, 2012 — Blog appearance at Book Monster Reviews (including chat from 8 – 9 p.m. EST)
Hope to see or e-see you soon!
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
8) Reissue news: UNSTOPPABLE (a 2-in-1 reissue of LETTERS TO KELLY and LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER) will be in book stores on February 28th from HQN. (Also available in audiobook from Brilliance Audio, read by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank!)
HQN is releasing a two-in-one that includes one of my most popular category romances, LETTERS TO KELLY, along with one of my hardest to find category romances, LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER.
Here’s what I wrote for the Dear Reader letter, inside the book:
What do an FBI agent hot on the trail of a black widow serial killer and a man who writes romance novels under a female pseudonym have in common?
Both are driven, determined, intelligent and passionate men — and falling in love makes them truly unstoppable.
HQN has reissued two of my older stories — and two of my favorite romance novels — in this collection.
Originally published in 1998, Love with the Proper Stranger not only features hero John Miller, a legendary yet troubled FBI agent, but also focuses on John’s reluctant friendship with Daniel Tonaka, his much younger, fearless new partner who is completely unstoppable himself! (Shades of Max Bhagat and Jules Cassidy!)
And Letters to Kelly is my mother’s favorite of all my books. In it you’ll meet one of my own all-time favorite romance heroes, T. Jackson Winchester the Second, a young writer who falls in love with Kelly, the sixteen-year-old sister of his college roommate. He does the right thing by keeping his distance until she’s older. But fate intervenes and he’s thrown into a Central American prison on trumped up charges, and when he finally gets free she’s already married to another man. Letters to Kelly takes place years later, and is the story of what happens when the made-for-each-other couple gets a second chance to connect.
I’m always thrilled when HQN combines two of my books in a special collection like this one.
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
And I’m doubly thrilled to announce that Brilliance Audio is releasing the audiobook version of this 2-in-1, read by none other than my favorite team of narrators, Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbanks.
I can’t wait to hear Patrick and Melanie’s reading of LETTERS TO KELLY — particularly the scenes where the book’s hero, T. Jackson, argues with Jared, the hero of an historical romance novel that he’s writing. (That’s gonna be so much fun to listen to!)
UNSTOPPABLE comes out in paperback from HQN and audiobook from Brilliance on February 28th!
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
9) Indie movie news: THE PERFECT WEDDING is in the final stages of post-production!
Remember THE PERFECT WEDDING, the movie that I co-wrote and co-produced with my husband Ed Gaffney, and our son Jason . . . ? We filmed it last June here in Sarasota, Florida, with a huge cast (including James Rebhorn and Kristine Sutherland, aka Buffy’s mom!), and it’s been in post-production ever since.
We’ve finally locked the picture, and we’ve passed the edited movie along to Amy, our sound designer and editor, and she’s hard at work making sure every little last line of dialogue will be heard by our audiences.
We’re on track to start entering film festivals all across the country and around the world in the very near future!
We’re hoping to attract the attention of distributors who would make our film available to audiences, and one of the things we’re doing is actively growing our “The Perfect Wedding Movie” Facebook page. You see, it’s rare for an indie movie that hasn’t been seen by anyone to develop a following of even just a few hundred people, and we’ve surpassed two thousand, thanks to the support of many of you, my long-time readers! (Thank you for that!)
Why is it important to have people like our Facebook page? Well, as we woo distributors, we want to be able to show them, through sheer numbers, that there’s an audience eager to see our movie.
The movie, called The Perfect Wedding, is a romantic comedy with a hero and a hero. But it’s not a movie about being gay — no one is in the closet, no one has gay-related health issues, no one’s a drag queen (not that there’s anything wrong with that). There are three gay characters and they are all out and open, and their friends and families love them, and they love themselves. Instead, the movie focuses on two young men, Paul and Gavin (played by Eric Aragon and our own Jason T. Gaffney), who spark when they meet. It’s all about how they deal with that attraction over the course of a holiday weekend. The movie has two other subplots — one with Paul’s parents (his dad, played by James Rebhorn, has just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, and Paul’s mom, played by Kristine Sutherland, is naturally having trouble coping); and one with Paul’s sister, who is planning her June wedding.
It’s a fun ensemble piece, and I can’t wait to show it to you!
Like I said, we’re on the verge of entering film festivals. Once we have a list of festivals and screening times, I’ll pass that information along to you via my website appearances page and this enewsletter!
But in the meantime — if you like the idea of this movie and want to give us your support — hop on over to our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ThePerfectWeddingMovie and hit the “like” button at the top of the page! (And if you’ve already done that, thank you so very much!)
[separator top=”40″ style=”shadow”]
Okay, that’s all the news for now!
As always, thank you for your support!
Love,
Suz Brockmann
(https://suzannebrockmann.com/)
1/31/12 (Today!) — BREAKING THE RULES, out in paperback from Ballantine Books
2/6/12 — SHANE’S LAST STAND, an e-book short story, out in all e-formats from Ballantine Books
2/28/12 — UNSTOPPABLE (the 2-in-1 reissue of LOVE WITH THE PROPER STRANGER and LETTERS TO KELLY), out in paperback and e-book from HQN (originally published by Silhouette Intimate Moments)
3/20/12 — BORN TO DARKNESS, out in hardcover and e-book from Ballantine Books, and in all audio formats from Brilliance Audio (read by Patrick & Melanie!)
Summer 2012 — BEGINNINGS AND ENDS, an e-book short story featuring Jules and Robin Cassidy, out in all e-formats.
2/26/13 — HEADED FOR TROUBLE, an anthology of stories featuring the characters from the Troubleshooters series, out in paperback from Ballantine Books. (And yes, the date of this anthology has been pushed back. Way back. Apologies to all who expected it this summer!)
