I fully admit that I'm a complete dweeb when it comes to reviews for my books. Will people like my story? Will it be well received? Will they wonder if I'm totally nuts? I go through the whole self-doubts gamut of emotion.

My first mystery novel, Diary of a Confessions Queen, is due out in February and reviews are beginning to come in. I also fully admit that I've been very nervous about this book simply because I had never written a mystery before. Library Journal has reviewed it in their January 2010 issue and I'm thrilled (and relieved they didn't once mention the author's mental health). Here's a snippet:

From Library Journal: Mystery fans who enjoy bright women working through their problems and solving crimes along the way will love Amy. Carmichael (Hot Flash) knows how to deliver a zinger of a tale with plenty of action.

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I'm wishing each of you the best of the season! May all of your dreams come true.

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Since Andrew has to work on Christmas Day, he, Katie and my grandpuppy came home for an early Christmas with us. We had a wonderful time!

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This one is from Harriet Klausner! She posted it in several locations on the web, but you can find the full review here. * 5 stars * “A fun wacky suspense thriller”

I'm thrilled :) And I also have to admit that review time is crazy-making for me. I so want people to like my books and once reviews start coming in, I begin craving more. Very sad that I'm such a dweeb!

If you're an author, is review time crazy-making for you, too?

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My niece is in first grade and during my recent trip to Dallas, I was able to have lunch with her. It was great fun!

I'm in the process of cleaning up photos and will be uploading lots in the coming days!

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I'm very excited.

I received my very first review from Publishers Weekly!

Here's a quote: Sprightly humor and eccentric characters invigorate this chick lit cozy from romance writer Carmichael (Hot Flash).

Plus yesterday morning I received my first review of Diary of a Confessions Queen from Wil A. Emerson at Crime and Suspense Magazine. Here's a quote: This is a story for readers who love layers of kick-ass humor in a cozy mystery. It's a winner for Carmichael and her distinctive style.

How cool is that?

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I'm going to be giving a workshop called Turning Your Talents into Money at the Space Coast Writers Conference in late January. I've been collecting information for this workshop, but most of it has been second-hand rather than primary.

Specifically, I have been collecting information on self-publishing e-books. As a result, I decided to add one of my books to Kindle. The book I chose is one of my favorites and is based on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. If you've ever heard of a locked-room mystery, I consider this a locked-room romance. It was so much fun to write! The book is Angel Be Good.

I had previously offered Angel Be Good as a fund-raiser for the Humane Society, so it seemed like the perfect book for this experiment since it had already been professionally edited and formatted for e-publishing. It had also been given positive reviews by several online book review sites.

I created my own book covers using public domain stock photography. I'm not saying I did a very good job at this, but again, this is an experiment. I created two different covers -- the first features an angel and the second Christmas ornaments. I originally uploaded the first, but hopefully the second will replace it shortly. Here is the Angel cover:

Which cover do you like the best?

Click here for the the link to the Kindle page.

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