Despite the amount of time I spend checking vocabulary, the differences between American and British English still trip me up. I was complaining to an American friend yesterday about the not-at-all-sexy overalls which one of the characters in my next book has to wear for his job and wondering how I could strip him out of them so he’s just in T-shirt and jeans.

After five minutes of confused, circular conversation, it became apparent that overalls in American English are a different thing from in British English. If I’ve understood correctly, they’re what we would call dungarees, and so it makes no sense at all for anyone to be wearing jeans under, well, other jeans.

Overalls and overalls:

 

 

Whatever they’re called, the point is that Our Hero is wearing far too many clothes right now and I need to get back to sorting that out, rather than obsessing over vocabulary.

On a slightly different note, I’m thrilled that Serena Yates at Rainbow Book Reviews has just given A Liar’s Moon a lovely review, following on the heels of the equally nice one she gave An Impossible Mate last week.

“If you like shifter stories with men who fall for each other before they really know who the other person is, then have to deal with the consequences, if you like reading about broken trust and the hard road back to a true relationship, and if you’re looking for a light read that is as emotional as it is hot, then you will probably like this novella.”

The book that I was beginning to despair of ever finishing is finally with the publisher and the contract signed for publication in July 2014. Remind me to never again listen to Christian when he tells me he wants his own book and then will only co-operate with it on his terms.

Titled Riding the Whirlwind, it follows the adventures of Christian and Dave in New Mexico during the events of Shifting Sands.  And may I just say to the residents of New Mexico, Christian’s views on the state are not mine. I feel I should apologise for them.

THE STRENGTH OF THE PACK SERIES

BECAUSE FAMILY WEARS FUR

 

 

Today’s stop for the Shifting Sands tour is at Words of Wisdom… from The Scarf Princess, where the book has received a lovely review. There’s also a blog post in which I talk about my love of research and the fascinating and completely useless rabbit holes it leads me down, and all the while the draw for the Amazon certificate is still going strong!

“It’s not only a mystery on a political level but a mystery of the heart for pack beta Bryce and the kindhearted political aide Tom…Theirs is a battle to put past hurts behind them, and stay one step ahead of those sent to kill them for the secrets they know.“

Today’s stops on my Shifting Sands book tour are a spotlight post at The Creatively Green Write At Home Mom and an interview at Fierce Dolan’s Words Without Limits (note – not safe for work!).

One of the questions Fierce had for me was: In 100 words, write a paragraph including a favorite character from one (or more) of your books, a sex toy, and a very happy ending.

To my surprise, it turned out to be Jason who went browsing for sex toys (online and anonymously, of course!). I think he’s still blushing.

And don’t forget there’s a Rafflecopter draw for a $10 Amazon gift certificate on offer, so do drop by one or more of the stops and get your name into the draw!

I’m going to be on the road again this week in support of Shifting Sands, courtesy of Bewitching Book Tours. There’s an Amazon $10 gift certificate on offer, plus interviews, blog posts, and even a sexy snippet starring two of the Elk Ridge pack…

I’ll post more details through the tour, but this is the schedule:

I was thrilled to wake up this morning and find Shifting Sands has received a lovely 5 Star review from Carly-RuralMom at The Romance Reviews.

“Another well written and fast paced adventure, SHIFTING SANDS is the fourth book in Joy Lynn Fielding’s Strength of the Pack series that focuses on the Elk Ridge wolf pack members. Best read in sequence due to recurring characters and a continually developing story line, SHIFTING SANDS is action packed and emotionally engaging. Her Alphas are strong and sensual, an erotic combination that is sure to win every time!”

Now I need to get back to editing Book 5 in the series – I’m aiming to have it ready for submission this week, even though I’m going to have to fit that around going to see The Winter Soldier again. I think this is the last week it’s on at the local cinema and really, there are so many things about it to love, how can I resist?

Just in case the title of this post left it in any doubt, Shifting Sands is now available from Amazon!  It’s also received two very nice 4 star reviews from The Blogger Girls and from Prism Book Alliance.

 

Monday mornings are not exactly my favourite time.  This is not an exaggeration:

But Monday morning this week is shaping up very nicely indeed, because PizzyGirl over at Mrs Condit & Friends has awarded Shifting Sands five Sweet Peas! She has some lovely things to say about the book and the Strength of the Pack series. And for those who drop by to have a look at what she makes of the book, there’s still the chance to get into the draw for an Amazon certificate. The review and draw can be found here.

I often wax lyrical on this blog about the joys of research. Sadly, it has its downside too, which I ran into this afternoon. I’d settled in for a few quiet hours of writing and was determined to at least get to the end of the current scene. But then my character turned out his pockets looking for something, and when the contents included some pony nuts, I realised I should probably find out if they’re actually called pony nuts in the US given that he’s American.

The result? Two hours later, I’m an expert on equine nutrition, have followed breathlessly the unfolding dramas of people on discussion boards whose horses refuse to be caught in the field, and my character is still lying there with a busted ankle, broken heart, and pockets with indeterminate contents. I really do need to learn more self-control. Does anyone else have this problem about being so easily distracted, or is it just me?