The #DjinnsDilemma Birthday Bash & SurPrizes!

Remember when you were a kid and you used to love birthdays? Well, I still do…especially when it’s of my first published story. So we are going to CEL-A-BRATE! The Djinn’s Dilemma, my sexy paranormal romance about a genie assassin who falls for his human target, celebrates its one-year publication anniversary November 1st! Woot!



So much has happened in a year!

The Djinn’s Dilemma won 2012 Best Novella in the Romance Through The Ages published contest.

I published two more stories: A Tale of Two Djinns and DEAD: A Ghost Story.

The Djinn’s Dilemma was chosen as a Book of the Month read (starting Nov. 1…how cool is that?) by the Goodreads group: Paranormal Romance: New and Upcoming Books/Authors (Join us for the read if you can…there will be dishing & a separate set of prizes!!!)

But the very best part of the one year has been connecting with readers and fellow authors. It’s amazing how shared stories can bring strangers together and turn them into friends.

So to express my thanks, I now have some goodies for you!

All month, we're going to have prizes & SurPrizes! Jewelry, books, chocolate, art, and a special peacock box of goodies!  Many of my author friends have jumped in to help celebrate and a big thank you goes out to: Lucie J. Charles, Cynthia Eden, Katie Reus, Laura Kaye, and Rebecca Zanetti.

There will be giveaways announced every Monday & Wednesday on my Facebook Author Page, a Goodreads BOTM giveaway every Friday, and a big Rafflecopter giveaway on November 30. All as a way of saying thank you, thank, thank you!

So, without further ado, here are pictures of some of the Rafflecopter Prizes you can win! 
 A Peacock Book Box full of goodies....
A Greek cookbook & spices!

Jewelry!

 And gorgeous art!
a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!

Mina

Fun Halloween Surprizes!

Woot! Let me just tell y'all my new story DEAD is going places....



So, y'all know I love Halloween. The chills & thrills, the candy, the dark & dangerous...esp. in heroes. Well, one author I really enjoy reading is Cynthia Eden...and, man, can she write dark & dangerous hunks. Hot! Sizzling Hot! And she loves Halloween too...so we are over at her blog today for...

a Fun Halloween Giveaway! We are talking ghost stories, handing out chocolate & other Halloween treats...yeah, why wait to celebrate, right? Come visit!

Cynthia's Awesome Blog

Dead was also memoirist Susan Blumberg-Kason's Book of the Week read. Woot! She wrote a very thoughtful  review and it includes cool words like "perfect," "chilling," "empowering," and "shtupping."

Check out Susan's very multicultural blog and the review!

Happy Almost Halloween!


Adventures in Gift Wrapping & Other Firsts

October has been a month of firsts for me and super-busy. But that's good. Sometimes we get into ruts or stick with the familiar because it's easier...and safer. Trying something new is always risky, but it has its rewards. You stretch your boundaries and grow.

One of the firsts I'm proudest of is the publication of my multicultural short, "DEAD: A Ghost Story."


Unlike my other published stories, DEAD is NOT a romance. In it, Nasreen – the Indian-American protagonist grapples with her life and death in West Texas.

DEAD was inspired by the many immigrant wives I met during my time as a business reporter in West Texas. For the most part these women are invisible to the mainstream society for various reasons – language barriers, isolation, and unfamiliarity with their adopted country’s laws and social mores etc. So this story was written to recognize them and to highlight a usually hush-hush part of the immigrant story.

I have readers who love my genie romances, so why not write another one instead of trying on a completely different genre? Because the idea of all the invisible Nasreens in the world sort of haunted me until I’d written the story. In doing so, I discovered a different side of myself, a new voice inside.

If you'd like to check DEAD out, here's the Amazon link.

Another first I'm proud of is putting together my Author's Basket for the Southern Magic Romance Readers Luncheon 2012.

I'm not a crafty person. I can't turn ribbons into works of art, and gift wrapping usually involves LOTS of tape...and the end result isn't pretty. Hey, it's what's inside and the thought that counts, right?

But, I'd promised my Southern Magic sisters a raffle basket and by hook and crook I'd get it done. So I enlisted the DH (he's married to me and doesn't have a choice...plus, he's very practical & task oriented).

I loved the shopping part. A perk of writing genie romances and stories with an Asian flavor means I can have fun getting colorful, exotic gifts. Of course, I over-shopped. But that's okay, my DH managed to fit most everything into the basket in a nice, snug, efficient way. Here take a look:

(The book in the back is a Moroccan cookbook, then other good reads, incense, candles, Christmas decorations and more...um, like I said...I had fun shopping!)

We ran into trouble when it came to wrapping. I measured/guesstimated the cellophane and it was too short. So we had to creatively angle the basket, pull and stretch...and use LOTS of tape. By the end of it all, I wasn't even going to attempt working with a ribbon. Instead, I purchased a pre-curled pretty concoction and stuck in on top!


Now I have got my fingers and toes crossed that the ribbon bit stays stuck...if not, I hope the recipient is too distracted by the goodies inside to notice the missing finery. Whew, I feel like I have truly earned the good times and the several glasses of wine I'll enjoy when I finally get to my first Readers Luncheon.

Share some of your firsts!

Spooktacular Surprises for Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because it’s all about letting your imagination run free and frolic in the leaves.

The ordinary world is transformed. Ghoul and gravestones pop up in suburban yards. Scarecrows and carved pumpkins grin at you from pretty porches. There might even be witches on broomsticks and skeletons lurking by the mailbox.

Given that I write about djinns/genies, supernatural beings who can melt into shadows, fly (with or without magic carpets) and grant your most secret desires, I find October inspiring.

This year, I actually ended up writing a ghost story. No romance in it. Just a strange little haunting ghost story that captures an aspect of the immigrant story that is usually left undisclosed. 


Check out the cover:





It's available now at: Amazon


Interestingly, my creativity often comes out in my kitchen. So this year, the family and I came up with this baked, stuffed and very jovial Jack-O-Lantern. Doesn't he look spooktacularly handsome?





To read more about him (and the recipe in 7 easy steps!) check out my 

Also, The Djinn's Dilemma's book birthday is coming up! We'll be celebrating with special events and prizes throughout November. To make sure you don't miss the festivities, please check out the blog before the end of this month. Or fan my Facebook Author Page!




Come Visit with Some Texas Authors!

 Dear readers,

Good news! I have been busy working on a multicultural ghost story for Halloween. An Indian-American woman grapples with life and death in West Texas...intrigued?

Well, let me just tell you the cover is sumptuous...and I can't wait to share it with you :D

So if you want a first peek, make haste and come to tomorrow's fun author event ~

The Tom Green County Library is hosting a very special event:

Write On! - Meet Texas Authors
6:00 - 8:30 pm , Thursday October 18

Stephens Central Library
33 W. Beauregard, San Angelo, TX


Here's your chance to meet some of Texas' finest and most interesting authors. There will be readings, door prizes, a game to play and refreshments in a Texas-friendly setting where you can take some time to visit with the writers. No cost to attend.


If you can't partake of our Texas hospitality, that's okay. I promise there will be a cover reveal...real soon. Or go like my Facebook Author Page so you know as soon as the reveal happens. 

Until then, happy reading!