It took awhile…

But it was worth the wait.

Last Thursday I opened two very special packages. The first was a minty fresh copy of Kathy Cano-Murillo’s debut novel, Waking Up In the Land of Glitter. Kathy was one of the first reporters to interview me five years ago when Hot Tamara was released. I thought I had perseverance but she took it and ran with it! She emailed me through the revisions her agent requested and when she hit “send” to ship off her proposal. We’ve sat on “chica lit” panels together and signed copies of our books side-by-side. It’s very special to see someone like Kathy who is so generous and so creative make her dream come true.

The other package contained two copies of this:

In Orange County Noir, I not only have the privilege of sharing pages with Barbara De Marco-Barrett and T. Jefferson Parker (fan scream!), but it is my very first mystery short story. “2:45 Out of Santa Ana,” stars Danielle Dawson and involves immigration raids, macho cops and a missing child. It’s been awhile since I’ve had the honor of seeing another story make it into print. After the trials and triumphs I’ve experienced in the past three years, my gratitude is much more profound.

I’ve posted a slice of Orange County Noir here and if you’re in Orange County or L.A. I’ll be appearing here and there, including a fund-raiser for the Laguna Playhouse!

Congratulations Kathy! May this be the first of many more wonderful books. (Psst…I’m on page 57!)