Celebrate!

By: Joelle Charbonneau

Get out the noise makers and the party hats.  Shove down the nerves and the feelings of inadequacy and party like there is no tomorrow.  (Okay the nerves and inadequacy part is all me, but hey!  It needed to be said.)  Last Tuesday, I celebrated a new book.  SKATING ON THE EDGE hit shelves on October second.   And to top off the celebration, the paperback edition of SKATING AROUND THE LAW came out on Monday, which made the first week of October pretty special in my house!

A new book is a funny thing.  All of us writer types peck away at our keyboards hoping that someone will think what we have written is interesting enough to read.  We agonize over plot, character development and each word choice, turn the book in to our editors, rework it and then wait for it to hit shelves.  During that wait, we do what writers do—we write something new.  So by the time the new book comes out, we’ve moved onto something else.

For me, that process is always odd because while I love the book that has just come out, I’ve often written the next installment in the lives of those characters.  I know where they are going, but I have to remember that my readers don’t. I know if Pop has had his heart broken (or more likely if he’s broken someone's heart) or if Rebecca has made a choice that changes what she wants out of her life.  But I have to block that out and remember that those things haven’t technically happened yet and that readers are just discovering the choices they have made in this story.

And I LOVE this story.  SKATING ON THE EDGE is my favorite of the Rebecca Robbins novels thus far.  I guess as writers we’re all supposed to love the most recent book, and perhaps we always do, but I really think this is the best of the books.  I love the choices my characters make to move their lives forward and the derby girls who are so full of life and loyalty and fun.  They are wonderful characters to write and infuse the story with excitement.  And, of course, Lionel and Sean continue to make Rebecca’s life interesting.  Lionel can’t help but want her to stay in town and fall in love with him and Sean…well, you’ll see.

In order to celebrate the release of both SKATING ON THE EDGE and the paperback of SKATING AROUND THE LAW, I am happy to give away one copy of each to a commenter.  Please leave your name and e-mail address so I can get a hold of you!  I will draw the winning names on Friday evening, so you have lots of time to stuff the ballot box.