Given that I wrote novels set in the 50s, I was allowed to do a guest excerpt post and interview!

Check it out! If you comment you could even win a free print copy of my book, Cinematic Royalty and Dark Hollywood Nights!

http://unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com/2010/05/guest-author-isabelle-santiago.html

Annual Romance and Chocolates Social: Multi-Author Meet and Greet

Isabelle Santiago, Jessica Andersen, Stella Price, Cat Johnson, and Bianca D’Arc will be doing a Romance Author Panel and book signing. Come by and support some of your local authors for a delightful afternoon of books, chocolate, and more!

Please be aware there will be various genres and heat levels available so that there might be something for everyone! Take the time to peruse the bookstore, chat about what you’ve been dying to read, have a warm cup of coffee, and enjoy! ♥

Date: Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Time: 2:00pm-5:00pm
Location: Borders Bookstores
Street: 1600 South East Road
City: Farmington, CT

And Sunday, February 14th I have the privilege of being part of Susan Hanniford Crowley’s BLOGOVERSARY! Nights of Passion is turning a year older and I’ll be stopping in to chat a little about Zerah’s Chosen and do a an ebook giveaway to one lucky winner!

So swing by! I look forward to seeing you! <3

Posting at Hollow Tree today about a guilty pleasure I’ve had since the 5th grade. And before you make fun of me for having owned the crystal locket and the moon wand, know that it sparked my interest in many things fantasy and mythological, and for that I am grateful!

Plus, Google Alerts has now informed me that my paperback has made it to ebay. Somehow, I find this to be a sign that I’m closer to ‘making it’. lol Pathetic.

So there’s actually quite a bit happening this week. For starters, I blogged today over at Tales From the Hollow Tree. It’s a review of Maria V. Snyder’s Poison Study. If you haven’t been following Hollow Tree, check us out! There’s a lot going on. Movie reviews, book reviews, mythology and flash fiction – all canopied under my fave YA genre: fantasy. It’s really a fun place to be.

Also, I have a book signing this Saturday! Awesome huh? Here’s the info you need to know:

A handful of authors, including NYT Bestselling author Jessica Andersen, Stella Price, and Isabelle Santiago, will be doing a Romance Author Panel and book signing to celebrate the start of a new school year and encourage all to read!

Please be aware there will be various genres and heat levels available! If they are not to your taste, you are free to peruse the bookstore or just swing by momentarily to show support for your favorite author.

And I have decided in honor of my first post-baby booksigning I’m going to change my look! That’s right! It’s time for Mommy Makeover! I’m going to scour Sally’s today for some blonde hair dye and I’m trimming my hair, maybe even cutting bangs in. I need a change. Hopefully it’ll be a good one.

That’s it for me today. I have lots of writerly things to attend to. Happy hump day all!!

The questions were insightful, fun and original! Thank you so much, Marci! I had a great time.

So check it out, will ya?

http://freyasbower.com/blogs/authorinterviews/2009/08/17/interview-with-isabelle-santiago/

If you look carefully at the shelf below mine, you’ll see Gena Showalter’s books and Nalini Singh’s!!! Imagine that! I’m in fantastic company, wouldn’t you say? There is no feeling like seeing your book on a store shelf. It’s totally surreal. *squee*

Also, my awesome hubby bought us tickets to the Paramore/No Doubt concert yesterday. What a show!!! I tend to use a lot of Paramore music on my fantasy series. Their song Conspiracy was practically written for the series, it fits so perfectly. Check it out:

No Doubt was fantastic too. High energy, great performers, and she sounded amazing. I’ll admit I was jealous that she looks so good after having children, but you know what, it just means I gotta work harder to get myself in shape. Period. Bah.

The concert did inspire me to get back to my fantasy sequel which has been on hold while the muse played with the YA fantasy. But that one is now at 6500 words, so that one is on a steady pace as well. I really like where it’s headed and the tone that it has. Very different from any of my other stories.

All in all, I’m thrilled about the happenings in my life. Only cloud: my Peanut has his first cold. Mommy took him to the docs and they told me to just keep an eye on his fever, but he seems to be getting better already. His nose is really runny but with lots of crying and fighting, I give him some saline drops and he feels much better. So stubborn. *shakes head* We got him a new bouncer/exercise machine thing from Baby Einsten and he loves it! He tries to talk to the the little plastic froggy which makes me laugh. Ha ha.

Little Sister graduates from high school today so I gotta go get ready. Congrats, sweetie! So proud of you.

Of course, I absolutely hate how I came out in most of the pictures. I look so puffy! *blah* But, I do have something I really want to share with you. At my first book signing, it was an endless stream of books and people coming and going. This time, I had a few people sit and chat, ask me questions, etc. I even got to do a reading! This was absolutely my favorite part of the event. So here it is! *Side note: ignore the funny faces I tend to make. I’m way overanimated.*

In celebration of two successful book signings I’ve decided to do a little something special on my blog. I’m going to post two deleted scenes from Dark Hollywood Nights! So check back in tomorrow for post #1 and then Thursday for post #2. Those who read and enjoy, leave me a little comment and I’ll enter you into a raffle to win a goodie envelope, including booksmarks, business cards, and magnets.

 Cinematic Royalty and Dark Hollywood Nights is number 5 on the Best Seller List for paperbacks over at Freya’s Bower!

This might seem like a small thing, but seriously, I am thrilled.

I got into several discussions about old classic movies (which I love). One in particular that served as a big inspiration while writing Dark Hollywood Nights was A Philadelphia Story. I’m all about witty banter between main characters.

Either way, the experience was unlike anything else. I admit, I was terrified of it being a huge failure, but I’m proud to say I sold all of the books we had available and they’re going to try and order in about 20 more (some people had to order theirs because by the time they got there, we’d sold out)! I’d call that a success.

So here are a few pics for your enjoyment:

And of course, the book shot!

What a rush! I had a fantastic time. The staff at B&N were so helpful and attentive. The event ran smoothly and we all had some great chatter and laughs. It was a good time all around.

Cinematic Royalty

Charles Witmore is used to celebrities. As owner of the grand Winmont Hotel in Los Angeles, he has seen them come and go more times than he can count. But the experience is altogether different when silver screen starlet Bridget Phillips walks into his life and crashes into his heart. He’s absolutely starstruck. Her beauty is exactly as majestic as has been rumored, but he wonders about the many claims laid against the woman, who seems to be so shrouded in mystery.

Initially claimed by prejudice, he sees nothing more than the ice princess she presents, beautiful and stone cold. But, the more time she spends at his hotel, the more he begins to see there is more to her facade than meets the eye. Soon, she becomes the object of his affection, and in an amusing ploy, his two best friends, Betty and Eleanor, and his cute assistant Tessa, set up the matchmaking scheme of a lifetime.

But will Bridget’s dark secret keep Charles from his happily ever after?

Dark Hollywood Nights

Alexis Grant’s only job is to keep the prestigious Winmont Hotel running smoothly while her cousin, Charles Witmore, enjoys his honeymoon. The only problem: things begin to fall apart the moment he leaves. The pompous Chase Branton, who’s determined to get access to one of her off limits celebrity clients, doesn’t help.

Can she keep it together long enough to earn a managerial position of her own, or will a high profile death cause all of her dreams to shatter?

Available Now at: Freya’s Bower

http://www.freyasbower.com/

It can also be ordered into your local bookstore or from Amazon.com! Insane, isn’t it?! I’m so excited!!!

You’ve all heard me talk about Cinematic Royalty. How inspired I was by the fashions, the time period, the elegance, the manners!

Dark Hollywood Nights was different. I wanted to do something that still felt light and fun, but that changed the dynamic entirely. Hence, the comedic murder mystery. You may see a lot of film noir cliches. They’re meant to be silly. I’m a HUGE fan of the movie Clue, which you might also notice when you read the book!

Another bonus? Dark Hollywood Nights is exclusive to this print edition of Cinematic Royalty! It will not be available as an e-book! So jump aboard! It’s supposed to be a good old time with a few surprises thrown in the mix. I had a lot of fun with these characters. And look out for cameos of some familiar characters from Cinematic!

And now, I leave you with a fun excerpt:

“Miss Pickens?” She knocked again. “I have your lunch available. I’m really sorry I’m late.”

No response. Chase reached across the cart. His hands grazed the skin of Miss Grant’s neck. Soft, smooth skin, like snow-white velvet. His fingers lingered.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice tight with panic.

“Making sure she’s in the room.” He removed the long chain with the heavy set of keys from her neck.

She stared at him, wide eyed. “You can’t just walk in.”

“It’s room service. Of course you can walk in.” He rummaged through the keys until he found one that looked like a master key. “Besides, you knocked. She didn’t answer.”

He turned the key, clicked the tab of the handle, and stepped inside. The door slid open, revealing a small foyer and three steps that led into the main suite.

“Miss Pickens,” Miss Grant called out.

There was no trace of panic in her voice. It came out light, musical, carefree. Interesting, he thought to himself. That kind of control was impressive. She left the cart near the door and rushed toward the steps. Chase caught the scent a minute too late. A rusty, foul metallic scent that put him on alert.

“Wait, Miss Grant, wait!”

She stopped short at the top stair. Her face blanched. Her words bled into an unintelligible concoction. Chase rushed to stand beside her. The sight verified his suspicion. A voluptuous female body lay sprawled on the ground. Her crimson blood seeped into the sandy brown carpet.

“Valerie Price,” he said.

Alexis Grant fainted.

Anyone interested in Cinematic Royalty bookmarks, drop me a line and I’ll get them out to you ASAP!

Happy release day!