I feel as if I’m spamming the Internet but … I’m so excited, as I FINALLY received the cover for my May 2007 book, Sex Lounge. With each thing I receive — copy edits, cover flats — my book feels more and more … real! Since the lead time from contract to publication feels so long … is it just me or do other authors worry that their editor is going to call one day and say, Gee, we made a mistake. We don’t want to buy your book after all ? LOL

At any rate, here’s the back cover blurb:

Manager of a San Francisco talent agency, Nichole Simms is poised, professional, and cool - but her private notebook reveals a much more daring woman who loves explicit, uninhibited sexual fantasies. Her dream lover is a secret. Until he finds her notebook …

Famous chaise designer Derek Mitchell can’t believe his eyes when he stumbles upon Nichole’s secret book - in which he stars. Derek is hot to explore each sinful scene and every red-hot obsession with this demure, quiet beauty … and fulfill her every desire.

And here are the quotes they used:

“A sexy page-turner. You’ll love it!” –Lori Foster

“Rachelle Chase is the Goddess of Erotic Romance. The hot, steamy, and unforgettable romance sizzles in this page-turning novel.” –Mary B. Morrison”

An amazing erotic imagination…the reader is simultaneously swept up in Chase’s writing, drawn into the drama of her characters, and kept in a state of sexual arousal…takes you on a ride that is exciting and enlightening.” –Dr. Michael Bader, author of Arousal: The Secret Logic of Sexual Fantasies

I am just too thrilled!

While chatting on the phone with my dad, he mentioned that I had received a FedEx box from Kensington at his house. I was expecting my copy edits for The Sex Lounge, so I asked him to open it and see if there was a date stating when they were due.

He shuffled through the box. “I don’t see a letter … there are a bunch of these colored sheets that say Sex Lounge and have your name on it, but no letter.”

OMG, could that be my cover? I actually have a cover?! “Dad, do those ‘colored sheets’ actually look like a book cover?”

“Yeah. But I don’t see a letter.”

Inwardly, I’m screaming with excitement. Outwardly, I say, “Dad, could you forget the letter for a minute and describe what’s on the cover?”

“It’s blue. There’s a woman’s arm. And a guy’s body, but … I can’t see him and I can’t see their heads … Nope, no letter.”

My need to have him describe every pixel of the cover left him clueless. Further attempts to get clarification met with similar answers. The image forming in my mind – of body parts floating in a blue fog – was scaring me, so I stopped and let him search for the non-existent letter.

The next weekend, he drove 40+ miles (isn’t he awesome?!) and hand-delivered them to me** at — yes, a coffee shop, where I was writing. I spread a few on the table so I could look up every five minutes and gaze at them lovingly, like one of my lovesick heroines. But no one thought I was weird — I do live in San Francisco, after all.

I’m so excited! I have a cover — which means, OMG, maybe I really do have a book coming out next year! LOL Please stop by and take a sneak peek at an excerpt and my fabulous quotes.

**My dad had taped the box shut and created a label addressed to me that said, “delivered by Cheap Courier Service.” I cracked up. I do love that man!