Apparently it’s my day to blog and I have nothing to say. Nada. Zilch. Wouldn’t those who know me well be surprised? So I’ll ask my fellow plotmonkeys forgiveness as I use this space to thank everyone for their support in buying my books. HOT ITEM is doing phenomenally well and I have all of you to thank. It’s a NYT Bestseller, a USA Today Bestseller, a Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller … and though this probably means little to readers who just want to read their book, it means everything to authors. So THANK YOU for buying the book and putting me on the bestseller lists.
By now I hope you’ve seen my brand new website at www.carlyphillips.com created and designed by Heidi Mack at www.xuni.com. I’m in love with the site and I hope you are too!
Hmm … where was I? Aah, yes. HOT ITEM 
is doing well and I have two more books coming out this summer. Which brings me to my newest panic. You see, authors are neurotic beasts and if we don’t have something to angst about, we aren’t happy. So while people are buying and reading HOT ITEM in what is for me, record numbers, I’m worried that because they’re loving funny Uncle Yank and the lightly comedic Hot Zone trilogy, they’re going to be disappointed when they buy (I hope!) and read CROSS MY HEART, the hardcover out at the end of July.
You see, I’d decided that if I was going to ask people to pay more money for a hardcover, I should give them something more for their purchase. 
CROSS MY HEART takes you deeper than a Carly Phillips book has done before. Yes there are some light moments (and there’s always Digger the Dog) and I hope you’ll smile, laugh and cry, but it’s different from the Hot Zone. From Summer Lovin’. But different is good, right? It’s still a Carly Phillips story. But I am in a panic, that I can tell you. The better HOT ITEM does, the more I seem to panic about CROSS MY HEART.
Yes, we authors are insane. Or at least I am. And, I guess I had a blog topic afterall! Maybe now I’ve freed my mind so I can get back to work on SEALED WITH A KISS, next summer’s hardcover sequel to CROSS MY HEART, which is also a deeper story. But don’t worry. My paperbacks will remain light and hot. CROSS MY HEART is hot. It’s the light versus depth which I’m angsting over.
If you’re curious what I mean and what the differences are, you can read an excerpt of CROSS MY HEART and see for yourself. And if reading gets you interested enough to preorder, I wouldn’t mind in the least!
Hopefully you all have things that drive you crazy, things you can’t control but you angst over anyway. If so, you’ll understand and take pity on me. If not, chalk it up to a day of ranting and raving by a nutty author. :p
As I just said to my kids:
That’s it for now … back to the looney bin for me!
Carly Phillips would like to take 100% credit for all her stories but the truth is, Carly’s strength is writing family, emotion, funky elderly people and animals. She couldn’t plot her way out of a paper bag, which is why she smartly found her plotmonkey pals early on in her writing career. Thanks to their support, Carly is now a NYT Bestselling author of 23 plus novels. Because writing doesn’t keep her busy enough, Carly is also a wife, a mother of one preteen and one teenage daughter, the primary care giver of her soft coated Wheaten terrier and an expert carpool mom.
3 Seductions and a Wedding
COLD SIGHT
Kiss Me If You Can
Wild For Him
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I have “Hot Item” on my tbb list – I’m waiting for the tbr list to shrink a little, plus I was just at Lori Foster’s event over the weekend and collected even more books. Got a cute puppy with purple ears from one talented Carly Phillips, btw, very cool
If you want to read a little about it, I put it in my blog with some pix I snagged. Here’s the link:
http://www.trelainastarblazer.blogspot.com
Oh, and Carly, “Cross My Heart” sounds wonderful. I usually don’t pre-order cuz I like to go the bs and buy it (I just love that feeling plus I get a discount for working p/t there), but I might do it just so I don’t forget LOL.
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Hot Item is the next book on my list to read, in fact I have already bought it with anticipation of reading it. I can’t wait to read it, but I must finish the other one that I started. I have read the other Hot Zone books and could hardly put them down. I am afraid that I will read this one to fast, since it will be so good I can’t put it down. I will have to wait to read it till I get more work done on my new house, which is why it has taken me so long to finish the other book that I have started.
Cross My Heart sounds really good, and I can’t wait till it comes out. I will probably wait to buy it the first week it comes out, since it is usually on sale at some store. I can’t wait to see what comes after this series.
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Looking forward to reading HOT ITEM (although, it hasn’t come from where I ordered it). I have wondered why you have some hardcover books and then, paperbacks….
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Carly,
I just love, I mean absolutely L-O-V-E
(l) Hot Item. I read it the same night I bought it, the day it was released.
You are a terrific author. I normally don’t buy hardcovers, but I make an exception for certain authors and tada you will be one of them.
I cannot wait to get the new book. It will be great to see your deeper work, it is always good to see anyone grow in their field.
I am having surgery on Wednesday and my doctors assistant is Carly, so whenever she calls and says hi its’ ‘Carly’ my heart skips a beat and I think WOW! Carly Phillips is calling me…then reality sets in and her and I have the same conversation regarding that I thought it was you. (I just thought I’d illustrate how crazy I really am about your writing.)
So, grab a mojita and relax. I am predicting your numbers will be even more phenomenal than with Hot Item.
XOXO–Debbie
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Carly doesn’t drink so I’ll grab her mojito and she can have a diet Pepsi. (Or is it Coke? Ah, hell…a hot tea.)
Seriously, she’s right that we obsess over all these things. I’ve read pieces of CROSS MY HEART and I think it’s fabulous. All of the “Carly Phillips promise” with the added depth of a more emotional story.
I have the same obsession going on, though it’s about Dirty Little Lies. You see, the first book, Dirty Little Secrets, was released as Fiction. No one expected a traditional romance so they weren’t disappointed when they didn’t get one. Now I’m being released as Romantic Suspense and while there is romance (well, there’s sex :-)) and there is suspense, to me, it’s still Fiction. There is no traditional happily ever after. It’s a series, so I have to stretch that out. What if readers are disappointed? What if they pick it up not realizing what they are getting? What if they hate it?
AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!
So, Carly, I know what you’re feeling. I’m right there with you, babe.
Pass me another mojito!
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Morning ladies,
I am sure it is hard to try and relax when you release a new book because you are not sure how it will be received. I loved Hot Item, the characters and the storyline. But most of all I love how you tell the tale. Writing out of the box took courage, and I am sure it will be worth it. Just try and imagine how many people you will reach who maybe didn’t buy the previous books because they prefer the type of story you are currently writing now.
I can’t imagine the anxiety any of the Plotmonkeys go through when a new book is coming out. There are critics out there that are not very nice, but there are also some very loyal fans of all of you. Just remember all the smiles you bring to us the fans. The ones who don’t preorder because we HAVE to have the book the morning it is released. I am sure the people at Barnes & Noble cringe when they see us. LOL!!!
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PS: To all the plotmonkeys, don’t worry about the categories your books are put into either. Speaking from experience, people like to browse the isles in the book stores and don’t pay too much attention to the category listed above them. If I read the excerpt on the cover or back of the book and get ineterested I buy it no matter where the book is on the shelf.
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Carly, I’m reading “Hot Item” now and it’s great! I had to put it down this morning to go to work. Stupid work. I read the excerpt for “Cross My Heart” and I can’t wait until it comes out. It sounds fantastic! Very different from the “Hot Zone” books like you said, but still sounds like a great read. Can’t wait!!! (y)
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Carly,
I picked up Hot Item!! I’ll be starting it today. I cant wait!
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I just read the excerpt of CROSS MY HEART and I doubt you have anything to worry about! If insanity is what drives you all to write such terrific books I say let insanity reign! :d
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carly- got my postcard for ‘HOT ITEM’ so i knew it was time to have my hubby stop at the book store for me ….he came home the other day from work and told me he had a surprise for me i thought it was these wonderful cinnamon rolls well out from his sweatshirt was “HOT ITEM”….needless to say i pulled myself out of my scooter and gave him a big hug…i tell you this is the man that you dream about even now with not long to live he is so so unbelievable …anyway yes i woke up from pain and got to read my book …you never let us down girl it was terrific..i use the post card as a bookmark and after i keep the postcard in the book as i passed my book to my adopted daughter here in iowa she will then return it and we put it on the bookshelf where other books are …..sorry its the 13th and you have the blahs but my worst days are the 13th no matter if it is a friday or not….
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I have read Hot Item and loved it! I don’t think you have to worry about any of your books. I will buy ANY book by Carly Phillips.
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Carly, I think you have a big fan base & those of us that buy your books will buy Cross My Heart. For myself I enjoy seeing authors I like grow & become even better. :) Here is hoping Hot Item keeps flying off the shelves. :)
Have a great day.
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Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you all for your kind words and your support! You’re all the best!
And Julie, yes we are ALL worried all the time. Writers are an emotional bunch. I’m there for you too, babe!
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Carly you have absolutely nothing to worry about, you have a loyal fan base and besides you ALWAYS deliver a terrific story.
I have have had the opportunity to read the ARC of Cross My Heart as I won it in the contest. It is a fabulous book, and is one that you should be proud of and which the readers are going to just love. It is another great book from you. Even though it is coming out in hardcover, it is still well worth it and I can’t see where anyone who gets it is going to be disappointed.
I also have the whole Hot Zone series and in my opinion Hot Item is the best. All your books are great and I am sure you have nothing to worry about.
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very nice :d
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Carly,
I’m wondering what you mean by CMH being a “deeper” book. Does it mean Romance Suspense? (Personally, hope not.) Or, does it mean more relationship based? For me, if it’s still about the relationship between the H/H & has a HEA, I’ll be interested.
Off topic somewhat, wondered if all of the Plotmonkeys would care to give an opinion why readers of Romance are so devalued. Today, I went into Borders/Glendale to pick up Julie’s new anthology that I ordered by phone, after not finding it at Borders Express closer to home. B/Glendale just refurbished its store, &, as a result, Romances are now relegated to the 2nd Fl., where its readers wouldn’t see any of their books & would have to make an additional effort to climb the stairs to find them. I was told that on the lst fl. are best sellers, magazines, gift cards & stationery & the coffee bar. Maybe it’ me, but, if I owned a bookstore & Romance readers bought almost 60% of the PBs, I surely wouldn’t place their books on floor 2. Would you? I’m in the dark why Romance readers, who average buying 100 books a year, have to continually search to purchase them. Any thoughts?
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I read the excerpt for Cross My Heart, I think it sounds phenominal!!!! I really cant wait to read it! August is too far away :)
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Hey, Patricia. Carly’s book has a deeper emotional base in the relationship because the characters are connected by both the past and the present and it’s high stakes. It’s not romantic suspense, but she definitely has a page-turning storyline. I think her readers are going to eat up CROSS MY HEART.
THANK YOU for going to all that trouble to get my book!!! My opinion is that bookstores put Romance in the back because they KNOW it sells and that way, the majority of readers have to walk all the way through the store in order to get what they want and maybe they’ll pick up some other things along the way. It’s like any retail store that puts the sales items in the back. They make you walk through all the new expensive stuff, hoping you’ll make an impulse buy!
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Carly, I loooooove Happy Bunny! My 15 year old has several H.B. t-shirts and she just adores them.
And yes, sometimes it does just have to be all about you, doesn’t it? Especially on days like today when my mother-in-law has LEFT after being here for a month! Wahoo!!!!! :p
Leslie
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Carly, I can not wait for cross your heart to come out!! It sounds like it is going to be awesome! I know I’m going to pre order it tonight!
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i’m still looking for a copy of HOT ITEM in my town. Let’s just say either it sold out or they haven’t gotten any yet. Walmart is about the olny place to buy. Sometimes I get lucky and Publix has something I’m looking for.
If I can’t find it I’ll pick it up on my next out of town trip at BN or BAM. (dog)
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Carly I cannot wait for Cross My Heart. I will be going to the Library in July to put it on reserve
I read Hot Item in one day It was to good to put down (y)