Forever Promised (and the solution to a dilemma)

So, every time I have a book release I have a dilemma with the blog.  Do I blog on my regular day (which would be today, at every two days) and then make a special blog for the actual story with all the links, or do I blog on the story release day with all the links and then shortchange the regular day's blog.  So, given that I am naturally lazy, and don't want  to do two blogposts, I'm going to put my post up with the links I have, and AS THE LINKS GO LIVE I'm going to put them in this post.  Now this isn't a big deal for people who just sort of visit the post offhand, but for the people who read the post on GoodReads, you may want to check back the blog site, because it won't update automatically.  So, I could be adding links like a madwoman and not a soul would know.

So, anyway, let's talk about Forever Promised!

I have done a lot of interviews about this book--it's the wrap up of a sort of beloved four volume series, and people have wanted to know how I feel about "this is the end".

And a part of me is devastated.  These people lived with me for nearly four years.   They're not going to be in my head anymore?  I'm not going to write about them anymore?  I'm just... just... done?

Except I don't think it works that way.

Mary Calmes and I have this game we play.  Our favorite guys.  My favorite guys of hers are Malik, from the Warders, Rand, from Timing, Jory from A Matter of Time (because I am Jory, and Mary is Sam, and our friends have all verified this to be true,) Jin (who is an insufferable snot) from A Change of Heart, and Web from Frog.  

Her favorite guys of mine are: Mikhail, Dex/Kane (and we both agreed that this couple and this couple only are so completely interlocked that they cannot be separated), Jace, Deacon, and Ace.

Mikhail never wavers for her.  He is the characters that has layers she can fall through and examine with a microscope, and every time she rereads that book I'm afraid she's going to find a hole, a flaw, a something that makes him less than human for her, and she never does.

And I find this incredibly encouraging.  It means Mikhail is real.  Because the thing about writing is that these people are inside your head.  And you can't tell them what to do.  Sometimes they fuck up when you weren't expecting them to.  Sometimes the things they do just totally fucking surprise you.  I've got a porn star right now who waited eighty-five thousand words before having full frontal sex with his love interest.  Now somebody tell me that fucker wasn't just messing with me because he could.  So, as a writer, I'm pretty sure these guys are real.  They may not have a social security number in this universe, but they've definitely got one in some universe, and they've got a blood type and a medical record (aherm, some longer than others) and they've got scars and a past and...

They're real!

And if they're real to Mary (and, from what I gather, they're real to a lot of you folks out there!) that means I'm not crazy.  My people are real, and the best part of that is that they will never be done.  Even if I never put out another Promise book, they'll be there, in my head, meeting new challenges, influencing the new generation, growing up, growing older, but never growing less real.

So how does it feel to be done?

I don't feel done.  I feel done with the series, but I'm pretty sure, Deacon's family is going to be a low mutter in my head during family gatherings, Christmases, weddings, and new family members, for pretty much always.  If someone wants to write a fiction showing those things, that's okay-- that means those people are speaking to them too.

So I'm not done.  The series is done, but I'm not.  They're my guys.  I love them.  They're going to keep going.  I'm unutterably proud of that--and grateful for all the people who have been along for the ride.

So, that being said, here are some links (I'll come back and refresh these as they go live):

Forever Promised on Dreamspinner

Forever Promised on ARe

Forever Promised on Amazon.com

Spoiler Discussion Thread on Facebook (Live)  (You have to be a member of Amy Lane Anonymous to do this, but all you gotsta do is ask, and Nicki or myself will accept your request.)

Interview with The Pulpit Gang and Amy, and Dual Review on the Paranormal Romance Guild

Interview with Amy Lane at The Novel Approach Blog

Contest and opening review at Mrs. Condit's (Not Live Yet)

Blog Post at ARe Cafe

Deacon and Crick's Wedding Cupcakes and Book Review at Lauraadriana's food blog (the cupcakes look NUMMY!)

And-- this is for Bolt-Hole, but I have to say, it's really cool.  Niki Massey, who runs Amy Lane Anonymous, the FB fan page, is doing a youtube.com podcast about Bolt-Hole, which she really loved.  It's online Saturday at 7:30 PST--and here's the link if you're interested.   I am-- I'm going to be checking it out as soon as I can!