News from Suzanne Brockmann

www.SuzanneBrockmann.com

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 October 3, 2007

 

Happy October! 

 

Here are the month's headlines:

 

 

Here are the details:

 

News from Suzanne Brockmann

www.SuzanneBrockmann.com

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September 17, 2007

 

Happy September, readers! 

I'm in Florida right now, so it doesn't feel like September to me!  I'm hard at work, writing next summer's release (the 13th book in my Troubleshooters series, tentatively titled INTO THE FIRE)  and getting ready for the October 30th release of my first ever holiday novella, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT!

 

Without further ado, here are the headlines:

 

1)  ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, the 12th installment in the Troubleshooters series and my first "Holiday Novella" will be in stores in just a few weeks, on October 30th!  (Yeah, I know I just told you that, but it's a headline, too!  And there are more details below!)

 

2)  Order a signed book!  The ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT virtual signing is up and running at www.SuzanneBrockmann.com/attnvs.htm

 

3)  Michael Holland (my casting choice for Jules!) reads the Brilliance Audiobook of ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT.  It's amazing!!!

 

4)  The ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT mini-tour schedule of book signings is partially posted on my website, at www.SuzanneBrockmann.com/appearances.htm

 

5)  Read my "Thoughts on FORCE OF NATURE" -- posted on my website at www.SuzanneBrockmann.com/FON_happened.htm

 

6)  The Bantam reissue of FORBIDDEN will be in bookstores in just a few days, on September 25th!

 

7)  Why I've donated every penny of my earnings from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT to MassEquality

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Here are the deets:

 

1)  ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, the 12th installment in the Troubleshooters series and my first ever "Holiday Novella" will be in stores in just a few weeks, on October 30th!

 

I'm really, REALLY excited about this book, gang.  I think it may be in my top three all-time favorite books I've ever written. 

 

Here's the cover blub:

 

It’s Christmastime in Boston, and this year the silver bells will be wedding bells as FBI agent Jules Cassidy ties the knot with the man of his dreams, Hollywood heartthrob Robin Chadwick.

The pair plan a quiet, intimate ceremony, to be witnessed by family and close friends from the FBI, SEAL Team Sixteen, and Troubleshooters, Incorporated, including Sam Starrett and Alyssa Locke. But the holiday season brings more to the happy couple than they expect.

A waterfall coming through their kitchen ceiling, a bat colony in the attic, old family tensions…even an international incident can’t dampen their spirits. But add to that a parade of unexpected guests, including a reporter looking for a scoop, an ex-lover hell-bent on causing trouble, and a dangerous stalker, and suddenly the wedding is poised to unravel in chaos.

But nothing will stop Jules and Robin from getting their happy ending, because along with a guest list featuring the most elite counterterrorism force in the world, they have their own secret weapon - true love.

 

So there you have it!  Jules and Robin are getting married this December, in Boston, Massachusetts!  Their story will be in bookstores on October 30th.  Ballantine is presenting ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT as a "gift hardcover," which means it's slightly smaller than my usual hardcovers, with a smaller price, too.

 

What's a novella, you ask? 

 

Well, for me, a novella is slightly shorter than my usual Troubleshooters books, but still longer than most authors' novels.  (Okay, not Diana Gabaldon.  I recently spoke at the Decatur Book Fest with her -- she's amazing!)

 

Think of it like this:  ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT is 240 pages.  Even though it's a gift hardcover, the page size is still significantly larger than a paperback.  Figure it's about 50 pages longer than PRINCE JOE, okay? 

 

We're calling it a novella because it's formatted a little differently than my other books.  It actually takes place over a longer stretch of time.  The book starts in September, 2007 and ends in December, 2007.  (Usually my books happen over the course of a week or so.)   It's a little lighter than my usual books, although there are certainly romantic suspense elements in there!  (It does, after all, feature a holiday wedding, hence the lightness!)

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2)  Order a signed book!  The ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT virtual signing is up and running at www.SuzanneBrockmann.com/attnvs.htm

 

I think we may have worked out most of the glitches in our new PayPal virtual signing system.  We had a problem (or four) with the FORCE OF NATURE virtual signing, but, undaunted, we've reworked the system and offer you a new, improved virtual signing for ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT. 

 

Please note that the changes include:  all U.S. orders will be shipped via media mail, so please allow 3 to 10 days for delivery.  (Remember, the signed books are put in the mail on October 30th, so expect delivery in early November.) 

 

Also please note:  Signed books make great holiday gifts!   Help me put Jules and Robin on the bestseller lists -- and support MassEquality.  (See # 6 below:   Why I've donated every penny of my earnings from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT to MassEquality.)

 

Visit my virtual signing for ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT at www.SuzanneBrockmann.com/attnvs.htm

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3)  Michael Holland (my ultimate casting choice for Jules!) reads the Brilliance Audiobook of ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT.

 

I'm SO excited about this!  Here's the deal:  If I could cast anyone in the world to play Jules Cassidy in the big screen Troubleshooters movie that plays inside my head, I would cast singer/songwriter/actor/performer Michael Holland.

 

When I first created Jules, I thought, "And hey, that adorable and talented Michael Holland could play him."  And through the years, when Jules spoke, I heard Michael's voice. 

 

I thought it would be a really cool idea to have a celebrity reader for this novella (see #6 below, "Why I've donated every penny of my earnings from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT to MassEquality), and I approached Michael, thinking that at least I'd make him laugh.  He did laugh, but he also said yes, Brilliance said yes, and now I have the incredible pleasure of presenting to you, dear readers, this book of my heart -- read by the incredible Michael Holland.  (As if it were read by Jules Cassidy himself!)

 

It's available only in a complete, unabridged audiobook (words to make an author's heart sing).   (And, as with the book version, all of my personal advance and royalties earnings from the sale of the audiobook will go directly to MassEquality!)

 

Watch for an excerpt from ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (and possibly an audiobook excerpt -- hear Michael as Jules!) at Michelle B's Romance Blog at www.lifetimetv.com   (I'll be sending out a heads up newsletter when the excerpt is posted on this terrific blog site!)

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4)  The ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT mini-tour schedule of book signings is partially posted on my website, at www.SuzanneBrockmann.com/appearances.htm

 

I'm doing a release date (Oct. 30, 2007) signing at the Barnes & Nobel in Framingham, Massachusetts.  I'm also signing books in Plymouth, MA.  And I'm working to schedule signings in downtown Boston; in Clinton, New Jersey; in Fairfield, Connecticut; and in New York City! 

 

I'm hoping to have the entire schedule set by next week -- watch my website for details!

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It's really as simple as that.  My son happens to be gay.  He was born that way and he is a joy and a gift from God, not just to me, but to everyone whose lives he's touched.   

 

I want to share with you something I wrote about my son -- maybe after reading it, you'll understand just why I woke up that morning and said, "Hey, I'm going to write a book where Jules and Robin get married, and I'm going to give away all the money I make from it."

 

Some of what follows may sound familiar, because it's a variation of my dedication to Jason that was published in HOT TARGET...

 

I don't remember how old Jason was when I first suspected that he was gay.  But I'm pretty sure it was before he turned four. 

 

Unlike my daughter, Melanie, who spoke in sentences when she was 12 months old, Jace was not a talker.  Which didn't mean he was unable to communicate. 

 

I remember once, when he was just learning to cruise -- to walk while holding on to furniture -- we had music playing on the stereo, and he stood clinging to the coffee table, grinning slyly, and tapping his foot in perfect time to the kick drum. 

 

The kid had perfect rhythm, along with specific likes and dislikes in terms of music.

 

I remember one ill-fated trip to the grocery store, where I strapped both Melanie and Jace into their car seats in the back and prepared to pull out of the driveway.  I turned on the tape player, but Jason let me know in no uncertain terms that whatever music came on was not what he was interested in listening to. 

 

Remember, though, this kid didn't talk.  At least he didn't speak English.  He spoke what Ed and I called "Martian," and at times, we could get a translation from Melanie, who was only 15 months older than he was, and still in touch with her pre-language self. 

 

"What do you want to listen to?" I asked Jason, who told me, quite firmly, "Doot doot."

 

O-Kay.

 

No idea.  I played it cheerfully dumb and popped a different tape in.  "This?" I asked, hoping my bright smile would convince him to go with choice B. 

 

He shook his head, vehemently.  "Doot doot."

 

I tried a third tape, and a fourth, and he finally started to cry in frustration.  Why didn't I understand him?  "Doot doot!  Doot doot!"

 

Helplessly, I looked at Mel, who was sitting beside him, and she shook her head.  No clue, Mom.  She couldn't, however, keep from giggling, which enraged Jason even more.

 

"DOOT DOOT!" he wept tragically.  "DOOT DOOT!!!!"

 

He cried all the way to the grocery store, where he finally, thank goodness, was distracted.  ("Jason, look!  A doggie!")

 

About a week later, we were all in the car again, and a song that I was working on arranging for my a cappella group came up on one of my mix tapes, and Jason crowed with delight.  "Doot doot!"

 

Eureka!

 

It was a song called "I Do" by J. Geils, and it has a sort of built in a cappella street corner feel to it -- it starts with a building background vocal track that goes "Doot, do do, Doot, do do, Doot, do do, Doot do, do..."

 

Needless to say, we listened to it 37 times in a row.  "Do I love you, with all my heart?  I do, I do now, yes I do!"

 

Jason was a little boy, just like every other little boy.  He had his moments of stubborn selfishness, of temper tantrums, of unpleasant behavior.  But his default mood was sunny and his face usually wore a radiant smile.  He was -- and still is -- one of the kindest, warmest people I've ever met.

 

Okay, yeah.  I'm his mother.  I've loved him fiercely from the day he was born.

 

But I'm not the only one.  Everyone loves Jason.

 

He sang and danced his way through his childhood. 

 

And it was sometime before he turned four that my husband turned to me, after Jason made a dramatic exit from the room, and asked, "Where did he learn that?"

 

That was the way Jason walked.  He didn't stomp, the way Melanie did.  He glided.  He sashayed.  He... swished. 

 

I shrugged.  Because of the nightmare factor, we didn't let our kids watch any TV besides several carefully monitored Nickelodeon cartoons.  (Mel even found Sesame Street too frightening.)   No one taught Jason to walk that way.  It was just the way he walked. 

 

Was Jason gay, we wondered -- but we wondered only briefly.  What Jason was, we decided, was a little boy.  A wonderful little boy, whom we adored.  He was what he was -- he was Jason -- and we loved him.  He could walk or dance or stand however he wanted to -- it was all right with us.

 

As the years passed, Jason developed an affinity for show tunes.  Again, Ed and I looked at each other.  I've always enjoyed musical theater, but I'm not what I'd call an aficionado. 

 

Again, what Jason was, was Jason.

 

It was around this point that I became aware of the negative language regarding homosexuality that Americans use in their daily lives.  That's so gay.  You fag.  Don't be a homo.

 

I also became aware that a large majority of teen suicides are boys who are unable to deal with their homosexuality because they are isolated and feel they are alone.

 

I didn't know if Jason truly was gay -- he was way too young and, like some little boys, very nonsexual -- but I did know this:  Whatever Jason was, he was born this way.  God made him EXACTLY as he was.  He was not broken.  There was nothing wrong with him.  If he was gay, his gayness was natural, as God intended.

 

It was then my husband and I made a decree.  After all, we wouldn't dream of allowing a racial slur to go unchallenged in our house.  And we would never allow negative language about women. 

 

So from that point on, there would be no gay bashing -- even if it was only meant to be funny.  We told our friends, in no uncertain terms, that we would not, WOULD NOT, allow Jason to grow up believing that there was anything wrong with being gay.

 

When Jason was 14, we took him out of public high school, because of the daily gay bashing that occurs, sadly, as a matter of course.  But we kept our reasons to ourselves.  We didn't say, "Hey, kid, we think you're gay." 

 

We didn't want to make any assumptions.

 

But what we did want to do was make sure he was in a place where he felt safe to be himself -- whoever he might be.  We found a school -- the Sudbury Valley School in Framingham -- where tolerance and respect ruled, where individuality was lauded, and where Jason bloomed.

 

Another thing we did was encourage Jason's interest in theater.  When he was eight years old, he was cast as the teeniest pick-pocket in a semi-professional production of Oliver!  He's been involved in over thirty shows in the past thirteen years -- both on stage and backstage. 

 

Because of that, he's had the opportunity to make friends who are gay, to have some truly wonderful role models.  James, Gary, Chris, Michael, Joey, Ed M., Katie, Dave... 

 

As Jason grew up, he didn't feel isolated and alone.  He flourished and became a strong, confident, self-assured young man.

 

Needless to say, his coming out story was rather low key. 

 

"Mom, I think I'm gay." 

 

"I know.  I love you.  Where did you put your dirty socks?"

 

It was actually funny to see how surprised he was.  "You knew?!?" 

 

Now twenty-one years old, and an amazing singer and dancer, with tap dance as his specialty, Jason recently came into my office to talk, and he became distracted by the series of photos I keep near my computer screen.  Jason and his sister, Melanie, at various ages, in lovely little frames -- Mother's Day gifts from years past. 

 

"Oh, my God," he said, laughing as he looked at his beaming face at ages nine and eleven.  It was somewhat amazing that he'd managed to do "jazz hands" in both photos.  "Look at me -- even then I was unbelievably gay."

 

I smiled.  "Even then, you were unbelievably Jason."

 

I hope, someday, that Jason will find a special man to share his life with.  I hope, someday, to dance at Jason's wedding. 

 

The song I'd like to pick for our special dance?  "I Do," by J. Geils.

 

"Do I love you, with all my heart?  I do, I do now, yes I do!"

 

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And that's why I support MassEquality.

 

For more information about MassEquality, visit www.MassEquality.org

 

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That's all the news for now.

 

As usual, please post this newsletter wherever romance fans gather!  Please forward it to friends, post on BBs and lists, and print out and post in your favorite bookstore!

 

Thanks again, from the bottom of my heart, for all your support!

 

To sign up for my email newsletter, visit my website at www.suzannebrockmann.com/mailing_list.htm

 

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Love,
Suz Brockmann
http://www.suzannebrockmann.com/

FORCE OF NATURE, Troubleshooters #11, New York Times Bestseller, available NOW

FORBIDDEN, Bantam paperback reissue, September 25, 2007

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, Troubleshooters # 12, hardcover, October 30, 2007

FREEDOM'S PRICE, Bantam paperback reissue, February 26, 2007

INTO THE FIRE (working title) Troubleshooters # 13, hardcover, Summer 2008