Azalea Assault: Disrobed

There are a couple REALLY BIG moments for an author...  The book contract (especially the first). A dream agent (I gotz two!). Actual publication (still waiting).

But I had one yesterday that is DEFINITELY one of those that makes the heart pitter pat... I mean the others are theoretically bigger news, but THIS ONE is VISUAL!!!

Now I've had some great book covers made for me. My friend Joris is AMAZING (and one of his covers is actually going on my friend Marian's book). But this is my first 'in line to be published, WILL be on book shelves' cover.

They used tons of REAL details from the book, which rocks--the azaleas, the trellis with the wisteria, the guilty gardening shears... and I ADORE that tag line in the corner:  Murder is bad for publicity... talk about an understatement, but that is INDEED one of the problems of my MC, Cam Harris, who is charged with the publicity for a Roanoke Garden Society event gone VERY wrong.

For any of you new around here, the contract required a pen name, so I used a name from each of my grandmothers--I was the worlds luckiest child, as grandmothers went. I love that I can honor them with my first books. And Cozy Mystery is the genre I write that is least like the others, so even if it hadn't been required, in terms of branding, it was a good idea. Cozy mystery is exciting and twisty, but it isn't particularly dark. My other stuff is much more so.

And this series, I draw on the journalism/promotion phase of my life--the characters include a public relations manager and a reporter--this was my early training (advertising, actually, but my first degree was journalism)--so I know this world.  My other stuff draws much more on my psychology--mental health, addiction, abuse...

I think anyone reading both, would tell you the Cozy mystery is much more like my blog voice. The other stuff is me all dark and mysterious, like I keep telling you I am, even if nobody will believe me when I am bare naked and leading a flock of llamas.  WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR MY PRESS!?

anyway... If you are on FACEBOOK, I would totally LOVE YOU, if you might LIKE ME.:  Alyse Carlson

So I'm floating... I think that's all I got... except a hot male feeding me grapes...

compliments of my buddy Rissa