In Which I Finally Spill My Book News!

I've got some exciting--and super sweet--book news, y'all! I've been hinting at a secret for forever, but I couldn't give you any details.

Until now!

The editing cave has been kicking my butt. I've been so lost in the worlds of Taste The Heat (my adult romance debut coming from Entangled BLISS line in July!) and The Fine Art of Pretending (my YA Romance coming from Spencer Hill Contemporary next year) that I didn't even realize the news was out there. But last night, my girl Christina Lee, author of the super hot and yummy New Adult title ALL OF YOU releasing from Penguin this September (Read the details and my blurb HERE) emailed to congratulate me on the announcement in Publisher's Marketplace.

So I guess I can shout about it now!

Here's the official announcement

Young Adult
Rachel Harris's MY NOT SO SUPER SWEET LIFE, in which characters from Harris's debut MY SUPER SWEET 16TH CENTURY must deal with the protagonist's father's impending wedding, and her relationship with the Italian hottie is put to the test, to Stacy Cantor Abrams at Entangled digiTeen, by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary.

My Not So Super Sweet Life is a slight change-up in that it is a straight up YA Contemporary Romance (no magical time-traveling in this third book) AND it is dual POV. We are back in Cat Crawford's head, the spunky, snarky protagonist from My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, after being Alessandra's fun head in this summer's A Tale of Two Centuries, and we also get an inside look at the male mind of her Italian boyfriend. 

I can't really give more specific details than that at this point because it is book three in the series, and it could be too spoilerific. Yes, the narrators change from Cat to Alessandra and back to Cat (and hottie boy), but each book follows all your favorite characters.

Just know that we're back in Cat's head, which means lots of funny moments, the romance is now one of the main aspects of the plot, and lots of crazy shenanigans take place. I promise lots of laughs and lots of kissy scenes :)

My Not So Super Sweet Life will be released through our digital line, which means I can get it out to you soon. Like really soon. Like just a few months after A Tale of Two Centuries. 

 Like, sometime this winter!!

 Add My Not So Super Sweet Life to your Gotta Read, This Book Sounds Amazing shelf (he he) on Goodreads HERE

So there's my news! Anyone wanna do a happy dance with me??

A Tale Of Two Centuries Cover Reveal AND Quick Sneak Peek :)

Who loves cover reveals?

You know I do! And when it's a reveal for one of my books, I get positively giddy.

On March 6th, the cover, blurb, and several exclusive excerpts of A Tale Of Two Centuries, the companion novel to My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, will be revealed to the world. *happy twirl* And I'd LOVE for you to be a part of it :)

No lie, I'm very excited about this book. It's full of humor and has a whole lots of steamy moments, two of my all time favorite things in books. And when you can make yourself laugh and swoon, it's always a good thing, right?

If you'd like to be a part of the reveal, you can sign up HERE! 

 If the link above gives you any difficulty, you can also leave me your email address and blog URL below, and my publicist will be in contact with you soon!

And now, just because I love y'all so much, here's one quick little sneak peek at A Tale of Two Centuries:

I watch his slow saunter, my body poised with tension. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but I wouldn’t trade the delicious expectation for anything. Austin doesn’t stop until he is right in front of me, close enough that I have to look up to meet his demanding blue gaze, and so close that warmth fans across my face as he says in a low voice, “Careful, girl. You’re playing with fire.”

*Grin*

Super Sweet Discussion Questions

Over the Thanksgiving holidays, I was blessed to attend my first ever book club meeting as the author of the book the group read that month. It was just so freaking cool!

This group is made up of eight women, all from different backgrounds, jobs, and even ages. They meet over dinner, scrumptious desert, and glasses of wine to discuss the books they read and enjoy each other's company. If I still lived in New Orleans, this group would have a new member :)

Along with discussing the industry, my personal journey to publication, and the research and process I go through to write each of my books (and giving them a sneak peek at the first chapter of book 2, A Tale of Two Centuries!), we moved into discussion questions for the book.

Here are the Discussion Questions we used that night...Feel free to use them within your own reading groups or on your own to prolong your reading enjoyment (*grin*).

If you have any questions to add, please let me know. And I'd love to hear some of your answers to the questions below!

Discussion Questions for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century:

1.     The sixteenth century was perfect for Cat, not only because of the ancestors that taught her so much, but because of her tie to the art of that time.

         If you could go back in time to any century, when and where would you go?

2.     How well would you have fit into the sixteenth century? Do you adjust well to change and new situations, or is it harder for you?

3.     Romantic Times Magazine gave My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century their highest rating of 4 ½ stars and said, “Harris’ debut is a knockout. Her characters are charming and wonderfully entertaining, and they’re set in a unique and well-defined world that will capture your imagination from the very first page."

         What part of the world pulled you in the most: the clothing, the mannerisms, the art, or the culture of the sixteenth century?

4.     How does the setting of Florence figure into the book? Is it a character in the book? How about the time period? Did it come to life? Did you feel as though you too had traveled to the past?

5.     Had Cat traveled to another country, or another time, how would the book be different? What possible lessons or themes could evolve from being sent to the 17^th century? 18^th? Early 19^th? What about Ancient Egypt, or the Middle Ages?

6.     NY Journal of Books said, “as much fun as MSSSC is, Ms. Harris has managed to touch on heavier topics, but not in a heavy-handed manner: abandonment, parent-child conflict, and step-parent relationships.”

        Which of these areas did you respond to the most? In your opinion, which of these areas did Cat grow the most in response to her time-travel adventure? What does she still need to learn?

7.     At a critical turning point in the book, Cat is presented with a choice—run away, not knowing if she would ever be able to go back home if she did or what type of life she would be running to, or stay and face a very scary alternative. If you were in her place, what choice would you have made?

8.     Toward the end of the book, Reyna lists several possible themes of the book in explaining why Cat was sent her time travel adventure. What do you think the most important or obvious theme was? Which spoke to you the most?

9.     NY Journal of Books said, “the novel highlights the relationships between older men and brides who are essentially still children. This can provide a forum for thought-provoking discussions about the roles of women during different times in history.”

        Did you learn anything new about women in history through your reading, or thought about    gender relationships in a new way? How are women of today still similar to women of the past?

10.    All the main characters—and some of the minor ones—in a Rachel Harris novel deal with the idea of wearing a mask of some kind. Whether it is one worn for a new identity or pretending to be someone we’re not, or guarding ourselves with a false front.

        Why did Cat have such a problem maintaining her mask around her ancestors? What does this    show about her personality and inner needs? Do you ever wear a mask, and if so, when?

11.    How realistic did you find the characters? Would you want to meet any of them? Who was your favorite? Who did you relate to the most? Who did you hate? Was Antonia a true villain, or did she have reasons for her actions?

12.    How important was the symbol of the pear in the story? How about the David statue or the art in general? How did they effect the story, drive the story, and define the story? How did they define Cat?

13.    Did the book end the way you expected? What did you think the package from Reyna would be?

14.    Looking ahead to the sequel, what situations and potential conflicts do you imagine will result based on the ending of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century?

My Words Are Gonna Be In A Language I Can't Read!! *Dances*

Y'all, I am LOVING this week!

This morning I woke up with a headache. I was tired and a bit cranky, even though my wonderful husband who is made of all things awesome surprised me with a year of maid service for our 9 year wedding anniversary. (Yep, he totally gets me!)

And then, I checked my email.

My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century is going to be in the Czech Language!!!

That's right, my first ever Foreign Rights Sale! I literally screamed, which upset my dog something fierce but I made it up to her with a belly rub. My girls and I danced around the living room, looked up the Czech Republic on a map, and then kissed it. And then I came back and stared at the computer screen some more.

Knowing that the words I wrote are going to be in a language I can't even understand makes me off the charts giddy. I'm almost tempted to start learning it now so I can read it when I get my copy, but who am I kidding? I suck at learning new things, especially languages. And it would destroy the wonderful mystery of turning the pages and knowing what words are there in the English version and comparing. Maybe after I read it cover to cover without understanding a thing I'll learn it :) Yep, I like that plan! 

So, lovely, wonderful, amazing Czech readers, look for My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century within the next 18 months courtesy of CooBoo (an imprint of Albatros)!!

Doesn't today rock??

Super Sweet Winners & Where I Have Been...

It's Friday! Almost an entire week since I last blogged, and even my Twitter and FB feeds have been somewhat slow.

Yes, if you follow me, that was slow. I may or may not have a Twitter addiction....

Ahem, anyway, the reason for my unusual silence is because I have some major news, and some really exciting news, only some of which I can share with you now, but needless to say, it's kept me quite swamped. Well, that and traveling for hours getting lost for field trips with my children a whole day early, then actually going to the field trip and watching them feed Beefalo and goats and camels from their hands.

Thank goodness for my lovely-scented Bath & Body Works bacterial gel. 

First Up: News

While the major good news has to wait a little longer for me to spill, I can share my equally cool news that I began working on an adult Christmas-themed novella with my girl Shannon Duffy!

We are having a total blast writing this story. We got the idea this weekend, emailed back and forth like crazy people (although we weren't exactly sane before then either), and began drafting Sunday. We plan to release the novella this December! I seriously can't wait to share the blurb with all of you =D

We've Got Winners!

So, a couple weeks ago was the last post on the official Entangled Teen Super Sweet blog tour. I had such a blast with both of my tours, I met some AMAZING bloggers and readers, and the entire experience was a blessing. 

Blog tours generally have prizes, and mine was no exception. I LOVE sending gifts and swag packs to readers, and with the official tour, we had two winners, a US winner grand prize winner, and an International Swag Pack winner. I totally failed on announcing them on the blog, so I wanted to correct that now.

drum roll please....

The winners of the My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century Blog Tour Prizes Are:

Michelle Grayce and Natasha!

Congratulations girls, and thank you to everyone who visited the stops, read and commented on the reviews and posts, and supported me. I wish I could give all of you prizes!!

Have a fantabulous weekend, y'all!