I had to get up. I had plans with Veronica at noon, and despite feeling terrible,  pulled myself together enough to stumble down the block for a light snack. Seeing V always cheers me up, and by the time I had to leave, I already felt better physically and mentally.

But…I stayed too long and had to hustle to the airport. I conveniently forgot how long it takes to walk through Chatalet and that I needed to buy RER tickets. So…I was a tiny bit late picking ERIN up from the airport (I hate being late for anything, and was pissed at the train for making so many stops – lol).

Erin is a Paris virgin, and I am thrilled I get to show it off to her. After settling in, the first thing we did was hit Repetto for new shoes. She got the cutest black ballet flats with SPARKLES. If we wore the same size, I’d totally steal them.

Next we had schwarma for lunch, hit BHV so I could pick up a few things, strolled down toward the Seine, hit Dawali so Erin could get a new summer weight scarf, and made our way back to my apartment.

This is what greeted me:

Wig On Table, by Erin

We’ve declared the wig the official mascot of Erin’s trip. Like a garden gnome, it will turn up in all kinds of places.

Tomorrow, we’re off to the d’Orsay museum (I can’t wait – it’s my favorite museum) and have writing time planned for the major storm that’s supposed to hit in the afternoon.

We wandered down to the Seine and checked out the area that was under construction last year. It came out lovely. Lots of seating and greenery. It’s the perfect spot to sit on a warm day along the river.

After a little stroll, we headed back to our apartment and stopped off at Repetto for the second time in two days. Bug surprised me with a beautiful pair of ballet pink, kitten heels. Which of course meant I had to go to Dawali and buy scarves to match the shoes (see how this works?).

Aren’t they pretty?

After shopping it was time to babysit. A family from the Fox’s lacrosse team happens to be in Paris right now, and I offered to babysit their two boys so they could have an adult night. What better day than Father’s Day? I think being around the boys cheered Bug up since he was particularly missing our boys yesterday. We hit all of our boys favorite places: the playground (mean French pre-teens made us call that one early), Café Tresor, and of course Café des Arts for Crepes. We then walked around, saw a man juggling with goldfish on his head, and took the metro back to our place. The boys watched a few minutes of a movie while waiting for their parents.

After they left, Bug and I pretty much crashed. He leaves tomorrow, but I won’t be lonely for long! The fabulous Erin shows up tomorrow afternoon.

And I have things planned for her…

After Ruth left, I immediately took a nap knowing that I was about to spend nine hours at the Grand Ball at Versailles. Bug, meanwhile, ran to the grocery shop and did a few other house errands. When I woke, we decided to go for a walk and not shop…which means I came home with new shoes, a new dress/tunic, and new leggings. We stopped off at our favorite Middle Eastern restaurant and gorged on schwarma and falafal.

And then it was time for me to lug my dress to my friend Veronica’s house to get ready for the night. At 8:45, our car picked us up and whisked us back in time 250 years.

After the firework display, we made our way through the extensive gardens to the Orangerie.

There were so many people. I was actually surprised, and at times, a little claustrophobic.

Inside, a grand spectacular awaited. Tigers, mermaids reading dirty fairy tales, bed dancers, shower dancers, and my favorite: the bathtub dancers.

The inside was packed to the point that walking was near impossible, and if you did manage to go a foot or two, someone stepped on your dress. Dancing was tough, but we made the most of it.

Later, when it became too hot inside, many attendees made their way outside into the gardens where a giant fire pit awaited. The dark corners became favorites for those looking for some privacy…Or me just hiding.

The moment I sat down, I dozed off. But it was five in the morning!

Finally, the sun came up and we headed to the after-party in the amphitheater.

After the breakfast – which we skipped – it was time to head back to the 21st Century. Our taxi awaited.

*** thanks, Veronica, for playing photographer all night! (All photos property of Veronica Kugler, 2013).

Some of the things I’ll be doing:

1. The Grand Ball at Versailles tomorrow night (!)

2. Fete de la Musique

3. Getting Erin Brambilla to eat cheese (Seriously, who does not like cheese?)

4. Catacomb tours

5. A trip to Nice

6. Lounging in cafés and writing.

I leave tonight – in the middle of what is supposed to be a nasty storm – and return July 14th. I’ll miss Bastille Day this year, but I’m sure there will be plenty of other fun things to write about.

xoxo

~dawn

My novella, REBEL, is officially on sale today!

If you’ve followed me Twitter or here on the blog, you know this past year hasn’t exactly been my best ever. Unfortunately, my writing suffered because of it, and I spent months struggling to scratch out a few measly words a week. Writing REBEL was like running a marathon – I kept thinking it was impossible and wanted to quit because it was so DAMN hard. But now that it’s done, I feel an immense sense of accomplishment. Even better, I’ve found my writing rhythm again!

So what is REBEL?

It’s a 50-page novel told from the POV of Annalise, Lark’s sister-in-law. It’s dark, a little sexy, and full of new mysteries. While not necessary to understand the up-coming Phoenix, it does add to the overall world of The Sensitives Trilogy and may or may not give a few hints at what’s going to happen in the final book.

Here’s the blurb:

As Lark Greene’s sinister sister-in-law and security chief, Annalise is tasked with keeping secrets safe and her charge under control.

But there is more to Annalise than Lark knows. Unhappy in her marriage and in love with her fellow guard, Oliver, Annalise would do anything to break free of the chains binding her to the Greene family.

But can she? And if she did, then what?

REBEL is a chilling and unnerving retelling of NIGHTINGALE from the point-of-view of Annalise.

You can buy REBEL in ebook form on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and Smashwords.

I admit, I felt victorious.

For the past few years, I’ve been swimming upstream. Most writers live in fear of piracy. They freak out when google alerts them to new torrent sites, and wring their hands over the stealing.

Me? I shrug. A few years ago, I wrote a post on my old blog about how if a reader wants to pirate my book, fine. Just leave a review. I still stand by that. So much so, that when I parted ways with my old agency, I stripped the DRM from my books…and you know what? My sales went up, and the piracy rate stayed about the same. Interesting, no?

When my friends called me crazy, I positioned it like this: Publishers give away ARCs. ARCs are frequently passed from friend-to-friend. No one pays for them. The hope is that these readers will rate or review the book. Many don’t go on to purchase the final version unless they absolutely loved the ARC. So, I ask, is passing an ARC around stealing?

The answer is usually, “Well, the publisher paid for it and it’s marketing budget…so…so…” So, the non-original ARC reader can “steal” from the publisher and it’s okay?

*Insert BLANK STARES and confusion*

My position: what if we looked at piracy the same as we looked at ARCs – as a marketing tool. Now, don’t get me wrong, I want to sell books. I do. But like many authors, I need buzz, and a hot, pirated book gets lots of buzz. Plus, a percentage of pirates are reviewing books and creating more word-of-mouth. They – these vilified thieves – are helping my publicity machine.

So, yeah, I’m not getting paid directly, but I’m also not paying for the marketing they provide me.

“Wait,” you may be saying. “Why don’t you just give away your books for free?”

Because like a publisher, I want to sell books. My hope is the pirated copies, much like ARCs, lead to book sales.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter to me how someone got a copy of my book for free, what matters is what happens after they finish reading it. Do they review? Do they tell others about it? Do they become superfans and evangelize? That’s what matters to me.

After all, a reader is a reader.

~dawn

YOU GUYS!!! Today, I’m participating in a massive giveaway for Kara Taylor’s Prep School Confidential. Kara is not only my friend, but a fabulous writer. Prep School Confidential has all the things I love: a mystery, a boarding school, and a main character that’s complex and fun.

Details on the giveaway, which includes a signed copy of The Nightmare Affair (book 2), below.

About the Book:

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne could care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate, Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

About the Author:

Kara Taylor wrote PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL in her first semester of graduate school, in between pulling all nighters and listening to her dad say writing isn’t a real job. Now, she lives on Long Island and writes full time. She is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary and Media.

About the Giveaway:

• First Prize winner will receive a signed ARC of Prep School Confidential, a signed copy of The Nightmare Affair, a paperback copy of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, and a PSC Swag Pack
• 3-Runner’s up will receive 3 PSC swag packs
• Open US/Canada only
• Runs May 29 to June 11
• No purchase necessary to enter
• Be sure to read the terms and conditions on the giveaway

Participating Blogs:

• Kara Taylor
• Lori M. Lee
• Cat York
• Once Upon a Time In Writerland
• I Eat Words
• Chanelle Gray
• Jenn Walkup

TO ENTER:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Crazy about Nightingale?

Excited for Phoenix?

Can’t wait for the release of REBEL on June 4th?

Are you a reader, librarian, teacher, or teen who loves books? Then I need you!

I’m looking for TEN superfans – people who love Larkstorm and Nightingale – to help spread the word about the Sensitives Trilogy.*

That’s right, this is your chance to join the REBEL Ambassadors, a lean, mean street team.

What you get:

• First dibs on exclusive scenes.
• Complimentary copies of REBEL
• Private access to the REBELS area of my website where I’ll post teasers and updates ONLY FOR YOU about Phoenix.
• PINS and STICKERS to give out, and a LARKSTORM or NIGHTINGALE TOTE BAG to carry it all in. Plus, LS/ NG press kit to give to indie bookstores.

What you need to do as a REBEL Ambassador:

1. Let your superfanness shine
2. Approach indie bookstores with the press kit and swag.
3. Attend “book” events – BEA, ALA, book fairs, book clubs, etc. and wear your bag and pins.
4. Give out the swag to teens/schools/libraries/book clubs/random person at bookstore.
5. Take pictures of you with the goodies at events and post on my Facebook page.

How to become a REBEL Ambassador:

1. Tell me where you’re going and who you’ll be giving the swag to.
2. Write a short note or make a vlog post about why you deserve to be a REBEL Ambassador.
3. Send me your note or video and I’ll post on my site. Dawnraemillerbooks@gmail.com. PUT REBEL AMBASSADOR in the title.
4. OR – if you’re not a note writer/vlog type, you can enter on Rafflecopter. I’ll choose three REBEL Ambassadors from there.
5. Do all this by 5pm EST on 5/31. On 6/2, I’ll announce the REBEL Ambassadors.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Sorry! This is limited to US and UK entrants only.

First, the blurb:

As Lark Greene’s sinister sister-in-law and security chief, Annalise is tasked with keeping secrets safe and her charge under control.

But there is more to Annalise than Lark knows. Unhappy in her marriage and in love with her fellow guard, Oliver, Annalise would do anything to break free of the chains binding her to the Greene family.

But can she? And if she did, then what?

REBEL is a chilling and unnerving retelling of NIGHTINGALE from the point-of-view of Annalise.

And now the cover:

Illustrator Sarah Marino knocked it out of the ballpark again. I’ve been so fortunate to work with someone of her talent.

REBEL isn’t on Amazon or BN yet (release date June 4, 2013), but you can bookshelf it on Goodreads.

I arrived before everyone else, so I went so shopping.

Kelli Maine and me. My finger wanted in the shot, too.

Debra Driza and me making duck faces.

I put together a short, very non-professional video of Teen Day madness for my son who couldn’t attend. My husband has informed me that next time, I need to turn the my phone sideways, but whatever, you still get the flavor.