Happy new year from Toni Blake! Hard to believe 2012 is behind us already, but it definitely turned out to be a banner year for Toni and the Destiny series.
Toni's 2012 started out quietly enough, a welcome respite on the heels of her first ever Christmas release, Holly Lane, As always, she peeked out of her winter writing hole for the February Romancing the Holidays booksigning, where she signed alongside Lori Foster, Jules Bennett, and other local writing friends.
In May, Toni was thrilled to make a sale to her publisher, Avon, for two more books to follow the Destiny series, as well as two of her out-of-print backlist titles to be re-released in both ebook and print. This kicked off a busy summer for Toni that was full of great news.
Toni signs posters at a Willow Springs event.
Willow Springs released to much fanfare, including a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly, which said, "it's impossible not to empathize with and cheer for Amy in this charming tale." Toni hosted a number of local booksignings to celebrate Willow Springs' release, where she met with longtime fans as well as some old friends from her own small-town upbringing.
Then Toni traveled to Los Angeles for the annual Romance Writers of America conference, where Whisper Falls was honored as the winner the prestigious Bookseller's Best Award - and where she took every opportunity to celebrate including at RWA's formal awards event with author Julie Anne Long and Samhain Publishing's Lindsey Faber (pictured below).
Toni celebrating at RWA Awards night with author Julie Anne Long and Samhain Publishing's Lindsey Faber
Fall brought the digital re-release of Toni's first single-title contemporary, The Red Diary, which her publisher has been offering on a special sale of 99 cents in recent weeks. Toni is pleased that the bargain price has helped so many new readers discover her books, and hopes fans of the Destiny series will also take advantage of this special price while it lasts. For print readers, The Red Diary will release in mass market paperback at the end of this month and is already available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Toni's holiday season started out with a bang: Holly Lane hit the USA Today bestsellers list! Toni is so grateful to readers new and old who bought the book during the holiday promotion, and she hopes its heartwarming look at a small-town Christmas gives everyone as much holiday cheer as its list appearance gave her. It was truly the ultimate holiday gift. Holly Lane remains priced at $1.99 in ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble for a limited time.
Toni's professional year wrapped up with yet a little more holiday cheer, as she celebrated another great year with local authors (including Lori Foster and young adult author Jennifer McGowan, pictured below) and readers at a holiday party.
Lori Foster, Toni and Jennifer McGowan celebrating a great year for romance readers and books!
2013 promises to be just as busy for Toni and will offer even more great books for her readers. She'll have several releases to celebrate when she's not busy writing her next small-town romance. In addition to the print re-release of The Red Diary at the end of January, Destiny book 6, Half Moon Hill, will release in May, bringing love to one more unexpected member of the Romo family. The book is already available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 2013 will also bring back another of Toni's early - and currently out-of-print - contemporaries: In Your Wildest Dreams, releasing under the title Wildest Dreams, will return to print and ebook this year.
Stay tuned for updates on the re-release or generally get the latest from Toni by following her on Facebook and Twitter. Also be sure to check out her Pinterest boards, which now include images to help readers see how she envisions characters, settings, and scenes from the Destiny books.
Wishing you a wonderful 2013! Thank you for reading and sharing Toni's books.