Not long ago, I had what was actually a good idea. It happens now and then, particularly after a strong cup of coffee.

I was thinking about the one and only novella I’ve ever written and how nobody in the world seemed to know that it existed. Heaven Can’t Wait originally appeared as part of chick-lit-ish anthology titled Catch of the Day. I was the pee-wee author of the group, new to the contemporary romance scene, with only three historicals and Extreme Exposure to my name. The anthology came out, and that was pretty much all I ever heard about it.

Some of you have read it, I know, but a lot of you probably don’t realize there’s a story set between Extreme Exposure and Hard Evidence that features I-Team characters. Now you have a chance to read that story for much less than the cost of buying the anthology because it’s available in e-book format.

I called my editor a few months back and suggested that it be carved out and set loose for fans of the I-Team series. And now it is. Hurray! So those of you who haven’t read it don’t have to wait for another dose of the I-Team.

Here's the info:

Heaven Can't Wait
Price: $2.99
ePub ISBN: 9781101217917
Adobe ISBN:9781101217900

I had to hunt for it, but I found it only at Barnes and Noble at this point. If you find it elsewhere, please share the link. I imagine it will be available through Amazon at some point, as well.

I posted an excerpt from the story not long ago here on this blog. (Click here to read it.) Heaven Can’t Wait is perhaps the hottest story I’ve written in that it deals with a couple — Lissy and Will — who have a bet about who can last till after their wedding without asking for sex. Each wants the other to lose so that they win the bet — and have sex, too. There’s no serious investigation in this story. Lissy is the paper’s fashion editor, and Will is a former college football star turned sports reporter. So it’s the lightest story I’ve written.

Those of you who enjoyed Gabe’s alternative to playing checkers will find Lissy and Will's game of Sex Scrabble entertaining.

I just wanted to make you aware of it because otherwise you probably wouldn’t hear about it. I don’t think you need an e-book (a Kindle or Nook or whatever) to read it. I think it can be read on your computer. So that ought to mean that everyone has access to it.

Chat transcript is up!
The transcript from last Saturday’s spoiler chat is posted on my Goodreads page. If you’re not signed up with Goodreads it might be worth exploring. I edited the transcript lightly to fix spelling errors and remove exits and entrances. It was more then 77 pages of text when pasted into a Word document. No one would want to read through that! But be warned: It was a spoiler chat. The purpose of the chat was to give those who rushed out, got the book and read it a place to talk about it without having to watch themselves when it came to spoilers. Click here to check it out, though you probably have to be a Goodreads member to access it. There are two parts because it was very loooooong....

Coming soon!
I went through the transcript of the chat and found some questions I missed. I’ll post answers to those here.

Also, there was a request for a frybread recipe. I’m working on that and will have that for you, too.

Plus, I have something very special to share with those of you who want to learn more about the Navajo and want a chance to see life on the reservation.

Then, of course, there are interviews with I-Team heroes that I keep threatening to unleash on you, more contests, trivia games, updates on my shackling bill (yes, it’s really happening!) and more. So stay tuned!

In the meantime, everyone have a wonderful weekend!

I've had a chance to read through much of the transcript from Saturday’s spoiler chat, searching for questions that I missed and might be able to answer here. Given how fast the text was flying by, there definitely were questions that I didn’t see, so expect answers soon.

One funny thing came up during the chat, brought to my attention by Rachel. I was talking about future I-Team books. Natalie’s story is next, I said. And then Joaquin’s. Someone asked if I planned a story for Holly — yes, but she’s last — and whether I intended to write one for Matt.

I answered that I might give Matt his own story in the background, rather than giving him his own book.

Rachel then very sweetly asked whether Matt was already married.

I, the authority on the I-Team series, said that he was not.

What a silly goat I am!

A couple days went by, and Rachel contacted me directly to let me know that on Page 89 of Extreme Exposure, Tom is described as having begrudged giving Matt time off for his wedding. Rachel told me she hadn’t pointed this out at the chat because she didn’t want to embarrass me.

Fortunately, I am very hard to embarrass. I found this revelation about Matt to be hilariously funny, given that I should know more about him than anyone.

Of course, Rachel pointed out that maybe Matt’s bride left him at the altar or maybe they’re not together. Anything could have happened, right?

My reluctance to give Matt a story is based on years of working with male journalists. Not to insult my male counterparts, but desk jobs just aren’t that sexy to write about when we’re talking about heroes. I prefer some action, some ruggedness. How could beta hero Matt, with his freckles and rumpled tie, stand up to Julian, Marc and Gabe, or even Reece?

Photographers are different. They’re the action-adventure members of the editorial staff. So Joaquin is no problem for me. It doesn’t hurt that I see him in my head as a young Antonia Banderas.

In other news, Gabe’s utter and complete lack of parentage and family was discussed at the chat. It was decided that 1) his parents died when he was younger and 2) he was an only child.

I do try to wind up all threads. And I try to remember each and every characteristic about my characters. But, obviously, I don’t. D’oh!

Thanks to Rachel for sharing news of Matt’s potential wife with me.

Now here’s a challenge for all of you:

One regular character in the I-Team series undergoes an unintentional shift in eye color early in the series. Be the first person to name that character, and you win a signed copy of your book of choice, either from the I-Team series or one of my historicals.

Happy hunting!

In completely unrelated news: I wrote a draft of the bill I hope to see passed to end the shackling of pregnant inmates in labor. I was supposed to meet the senator who’s carrying the bill, but she got tied up in committee and the meeting was postponed. I have to say that writing a draft of a proposed bill is easier than writing a novel.

Thank you to everyone who joined in my first-ever spoiler chat. I can't tell you how fun it was to hear your thoughts about Naked Edge and the other I-Team stories and to be able to share the inside experience of writing the book with you.

It moved really fast, so I hope I didn’t miss anything or leave anyone out. I typed and read as fast as I could. If you have questions you want to ask still, please message me through Facebook or Goodreads or send me an e-mail through my Web site's guestbook and I’ll answer as soon as I can.

Remember, we will be doing this again for those who couldn’t make it tonight with the same prizes then, as well. Stay tuned for details!

I want to thank SueZ for helping me to manage certain aspects of the chat, including keeping track of everyone who was there. Because of her, I was able to include everyone who participated in the random drawing for prizes.

And here are the winners:

The signed copy of Naked Edge goes to Beanbag!

The $25 Borders gift card goes to Ann M!



Everyone who participate in the chat is welcome to a signed bookmark and bookplate for their copy of Naked Edge if you don't already have one. Just send me an email or message me through Facebook or or send me an e-mail with your mailing address, and I'll get them in the mail to you.

Thanks so much for your kind words about the book and for your support. It means so very much to me.

Have a great Sunday!

To reach the chat, click here: http://www.chatzy.com/NakedEdge

Bring your questions and just be yourself. What we talk about is up to you, but I’ve got discussion questions if we need them. Don't be shy! If you've never done a chat before, you’ll find it painless.
The fun starts at 9 Eastern/8 Central/7 Mountain/ 6 Pacific.

Prizes include:
A signed copy of Naked Edge
A $25 Borders gift card
Bookmarks and bookplates for all who request them

I look forward to seeing you there!

Remember: this is a spoiler chat. If you haven’t read Naked Edge yet, you might want to wait till the next chat a couple of weeks from now.

Sorry to have vanished. I typically like to reply to each and every one of you, but this week has been a madhouse. I might still get a chance to go back to my previous post and reply. If not, please know that I’ve read your posts and really appreciate them.

Also, please know that if you’ve sent me e-mail, I'm behind on that, too.

First the news: I have a senator willing to carry the bill about the shackling of inmates in labor. I’m meeting with her on Tuesday afternoon to help write it. Now, that’s something I've never done before. Draft a bill. OK, sure.

“And there shall be cookies and milk for all at precisely 3 p.m., followed by nap time. Bedtime stories shall consist of romance novels with heroines who present positive role models for inmates. Sexy man posters shall be posted in all cells so that all female inmates get their recommended daily allowance of man-chest and six-packs. Chocolate shall be included with each evening meal. And there shall be absolutely no shackling of pregnant inmates in labor! Duh! What were you people thinking?”

Hmm... Probably needs some work.

Some other folks have connected with me hoping to be a part of pushing this forward. But, typically I guess, there are people who want this bill but want it on their own time. As in, “How about we do this next year?”

Call me naïve. Really, call me anything you want. I don’t care. I want to do what I can while I can, not next year. There are inmates who will be having babies this summer whose experience will be different if we pass a bill before the session recesses in May. So I remain undeterred.

Less interesting news: I want a new back! I‘m taking steroids and narcotics, and every day is an exercise in endurance. I am not enjoying this. Obviously, as I'm whining about it in public.

And now on to the fun stuff!

On Saturday, I’m inviting any of you who’ve read Naked Edge and want to talk about it — but don’t want to spoil it for your friends — to join me for an After the Epilogue chat where you don’t have to worry about spoilers.

Here’s how it will work:

I will put up a new blog post tomorrow at about 7 Eastern/6 Central/5 Mountain/4 Pacific time right here on this blog with a link to a Chatzy chatroom. These are just chatrooms you can create and sign into on Chatzy.com. Registration is minimal.

You’ll just follow that link to the chat, register and pop in.

The chat itself will begin at 9 E/8 C/ 7 M/ 6 P and continue as long as you like. This is for you, and I want it to be fun for you.

During the chat, I'll take down the names of participants and someone will win a signed copy of Naked Edge, plus a $25 gift card to Borders.

Spread the word. Bring your friends.

I’ll be having another one in a couple of weeks because there are people who want to participate but who can’t.

If you have questions, post them here or e-mail me: pamelaclare @ earthlink.net (remove spaces). Also, feel free to propose discussion topics, but if please be careful not to post spoilers or at least to warn people before you do.

This is the first time I’ve done anything like this, so I’m very excited!

See you tomorrow night!