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Monday, September 24, 2012

Jamie Quaid Has Arrived


Haven’t you always wanted to be announced like that? Walk into a party or a tavern and have someone happily shout your name as if the party couldn’t start until you were there? I haven’t. I’m an introvert who prefers to slip into the shadows.
 
But now I’m in the awkward position of having to shout out for myself. Hey, folks, I know you don’t know Jamie Quaid, but you know me!  I’ve been writing as Patricia Rice for decades. I’ve probably met you at conferences and booksignings. But today, I’m someone new.

It’s pretty weird, but I did it to myself. I wanted a name less common than my own to see if I could build recognition in this digital age. I deliberately chose a gender neutral name for my urban fantasy persona because my Saturn’s Daughters series isn’t romance, and I don’t want anyone to expect it. But I’m also writing with the same wry humor and quirky characters (far quirkier than romance allows!) my romance readers expect of me.

Which is why I’m shouting, It’s me, it’s really me!  But it’s me with an edge. In urban fantasy, I can kill people without blood, if I like. I can create characters who suffer more than bad hair days. I can let my cynicism loose and take cracks at government and corporations and boyfriends. Oh yeah, boyfriends—there are a few of those around for my protagonist to ponder. Of course, she inadvertently sends one to hell, so they’re kind of wary of her right now. But in BOYFRIEND FROM HELL, Justine Clancy is just learning what it means to wield justice as Saturn’s Daughter. Give her time. She’ll learn to go after the real bad guys, if she can avoid serial killer shape-shifting chimps. And society matrons from hell. And somewhere in there, she still has to earn her law degree.

If you’ve enjoyed my romances and want to explore my new home, I’d love you to take a look at what I’m doing now: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Boyfriend-from-Hell/Jamie-Quaid/9781451656350

My evil new persona even has a website and blog: http://jamiequaid.com/index.asp
My Facebook and Twitter connections are on the bottom of the website front page, so if you like what you see, let me know!

And if the next time you see me and you yell Jamie Quaid has arrived, I’ll try to remember who I am and not duck out the door!

3 comments:

Linda Henderson said...

I love the cover of your new series. I will definitely be checking out your new alter ego.

Pat Cochran said...

I've read several of your Patricia Rice books
and look forward to your new identity. BTW,
that is certainly a HOT cover, Ms. Jamie Quaid!

Patricia Rice said...

Thank you, folks! The cover artist outdid himself. Hope you have a chance to read what's in between the covers!