Newsletter Bouncing

I just sent out a newsletter yesterday and there have been an abnormal number of bounces, mainly from g-mail and Big Pond (a popular Australian email server) -- and since this particular newsletter is partly about Australian readers finally getting access to my early Harlequin historicals, it's very frustrating.

So I'm posting a web link to my newsletter here. Sorry for the inconvenience.

https://madmimi.com/p/2390a6?fe=1&pact=32773160136

I'll be blogging soon about the Australian romance conference but in the meantime, here are a couple of photos as an appetizer. That's me, at the costume party, which was themed "Fresh, Flirty or Famous" and I chose "famous" and went as Dame Barbara Cartland, complete with dogs — that's a dog on my foot as well as one on my arm. Also with me is crime/thriller writer Kathryn Fox, and the sinister fellow holding onto his beard with his knife is Harlequin author Marion Lennox -- who came as Johnny Depp, also carrying dogs.

Below are Fiona McArthur who writes medical romance for Penguin Australia and Harlequin, Trish Morey who writes Rural romance for PanMcMillan and Harlequin Presents, and Bronwyn Jameson, who writes for Harlequin Desire. Trish is dressed as the conference logo.

 And here is Stephanie Laurens with Harlequin editor Princess Sue Brockoff.

Until next time

Anne

Fame at Last! — I think I've 'nailed' it!

I received an email yesterday from romance writer Stef Ann Holm, who I've never met, but who clearly is a kind and lovely person, telling me my book was featured on page 10 of the August 3 issue of WOMAN'S WORLD.  She sent me this picture and this email:

I was eating lunch this afternoon, and glancing at the August 3 issue of Woman’s World magazine (The one with Dr. Oz on the cover and how to lose up to 400 lbs. by eating almond butter—going to pick me up almond butter in a moment. LOL)  Anyway . . . on page 10, they show how to make manicures special.  They used a paperback to imprint pages on your nails. I’m a romance writer too, and I always look at book titles.  Saw “SPRING BRIDE” and did a Google search.  There you are!  And this is YOUR book.  Thought you’d enjoy knowing that.  Here’s a picture of the page you’re on.  May all women use your book to paint their nails.  But only after they read it and post 5-star reviews on Amazon. 

And lo! Yes, that's text from my book, THE SPRING BRIDE on that model's nails.  So do you think I've nailed the Fame thing? Or am I trying to gloss over the destruction of a book? Do you use my books to paint your nails? Should I? And wasn't it lovely of Stef Ann Holm to let me know?

Reissues!

Harlequin Australia has reissued my first two books -- Gallant Waif and Tallie's Knight in a two-in-one collection they're calling Courage & Circumstance. It's due on the shelves in August, so let's hope people can find it. Booktopia (Australian on-line bookshop) currently has it on discount.

When these two books were released in the USA All About Romance gave them both Desert Island Keeper reviews, and said "Sometimes it can be hard to pinpoint which books are really getting a lot of buzz on the Internet. But when six AAR reviewers and editors (and publisher) independently buy two books by the same author over one weekend and four more rush out to get them in the next few days, well, that's buzz like I've never seen before. Anne Gracie is an author worth getting excited about, and Tallie's Knight is the best Regency Romance I've read in years. (The other book we all rushed out and bought? Anne Gracie's other U.S. release - Gallant Waif - which received DIK status earlier this week.) "

You can still read these reviews: here's the review for Gallant Waif and here is the one for  Tallie's Knight.

I'm so pleased, because people have been writing to me for ages, asking when/how they can get hold of my old Harlequins. Ironic that they've been easily available as e-books in the US and Uk, but in the country I live in, we can't get them. But I've been informed they'll now be available on kindle etc, too, which will be great.

In September, Harlequin Australia will release my other two historicals — An Honorable Thief and the Christmas novella, A Virtuous Widow.

The blessing of parkland

I am blessed in having a nearby off-lead park in which to walk my dog.  I live quite close to the city, but I believe at some stage this land was planned to become a freeway. Luckily it never eventuated, so now we have a lovely half-wild park.

One side of the creek is fairly natural and "bushlike", except they mow the grass, and the other contains ovals and a bike path and a big area of wild-ish parkland. 

Since the planting of gum trees and other native vegetation, the native birdlife has been returning and now we regularly see ducks, kookaburras, currawongs, magpies, rainbow lorikeets, and many others— well a lot of them we don't so much see as hear— so it  can feel more as though you're in the bush, rather than a fairly short distance from the city.

If you want to hear the sounds they make, here are links: kookaburras, currawongs, magpies, rainbow lorikeets.  I'm assuming you know ducks. 

And this is my dog surveying her domain. She jumps on this old chunk of concrete every single night.

Wrap bracelets

They've been around for ages, and hadn't particularly appealed to me, but then a friend of mine came home from a trip to the US with one and it was fine and so pretty and all faceted semi-precious beads — much nicer "in the flesh" than the pics I'd seen on line. My friend said, "You should make one of these."

So I did. I made the first one with leftover beads — some semi-precious, some antique beads and various others. And I wore it and liked it and decided I needed another one in greens, because I'm very fond of wearing green. And then I saw some pink freshwater pearls with large enough holes for a needle to pass through —  I love pearls, but all mine are so finely drilled a needle and thread won't go through them — so I bought them and made a third bracelet.

Here they are tastefully displayed on a paper towel roll. A few friends have delicately hinted they wouldn't object to a wrap bracelet coming their way, so I guess I'll be making them for a little while longer. I don't make jewelry for sale, only for friends and only to entertain myself if I'm watching TV or  mulling over a plot problem. I think if I sold it, it would take all the fun out of it.

At Dymocks

Here's a pic of last night's Fantasy & Romance panel at Dymock's bookshop in Melbourne -- from left to right, Keri Arthur, C.S. Pacat, Melanie Scott, me and Sarah Fairhall, the panel moderator. Pic taken by the wonderful Maria Matina.

Don't you love the panels behind us? They're from the adult coloring competition that Dymock's ran — apparently coloring books for grown-ups is the latest thing, and seeing them all displayed here I can see the appeal -- such bright and lovely designs, like a wall of fabulous tiles.

Romance and Fantasy Event

If you're in Melbourne this coming Thursday evening, why not come past Dymocks in Collins St for a great discussion of romance and fantasy with me and my friends Keri Arthur, Mel Scott and CS Pacat. It starts at 6.30 pm. Hope to see you there.