Cover reveal!

I've been sitting on this for awhile, as I weighed the pros and cons of different publication routes, but the decision has been made! I'm planning to release Blood & Water in November.

I just got permission from Ani Difranco('s management) to use lyrics from her gorgeous song "Overlap" at the beginning of the novel. I still can't quite believe my luck.

Blood & Water is about family, in its various manifestations: the one you're born into, the one you choose and the one you create. I'll give more details in the next couple of months. Until then, Finding Charlie is on sale with Kindle Press for $1.99.

(Thanks to Debbie at thecovercollection.com for her work on this, as always.)

Using song lyrics in your fiction

I've always heard that getting permission to use a musician's lyrics in a book is impossible. Everybody says so. Barring a huge publisher with deep pockets and a bunch of lawyers or a close personal friendship with Bono, it's best to avoid it.

So I emailed Ani Difranco's management knowing it was a long shot. The lyrics from her song "Overlap" are essentially the thesis statement for my new novel, Blood & Water:

I know there is strength in the differences between us

And I know there’s comfort where we overlap.

After sending the email request, I began to emotionally prepare to delete the quote before publishing. Honestly, I didn't expect I'd ever hear back.

But I did. First for more specifics on the terms of the request and then to approve the request. I am beside myself with unexpected joy!

I will write more soon about the book, which I'm planning to release in November. Stay tuned for the cover reveal!