This year’s signing will take place next Wednesday, July 28, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, Pacific Exhibit Hall, in Orlando, Florida. The event is free an open to the public. If you’re in the area or in town for the RWA conference, be sure to stop by, say hello, and get a book signed. You can read more about the event and get a complete list of attending authors on RWA’s website.

At the RWA conference, Toni will be attending a reception for the Bookseller’s Best Award, for which One Reckless Summer is a finalist. One Reckless Summer was also recently given an Award of Merit in the prestigious Holt Medallion contest.

For those of you eagerly anticipating the next book in the Destiny series, Whisper Falls’s release is just around the corner. It’s already available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Toni is also pleased to announce that One Reckless Summer is a finalist in the Single-Title category for the Greater Detroit RWA Bookseller’s Best Award. The winner will be announced at a reception at the RWA National Conference in Orlando, Florida this July.

Sugar Creek is available at numerous booksellers and retail outlets, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. Don’t see it at your local store? Be sure to ask someone to help you find or order it.

Reviewers are loving Sugar Creek so far! Romantic Times gave it 4 stars and called it “An entertaining return to Destiny with a Romeo and Juliet romance” and “a fun, sometimes humorous, journey.” Sugar Creek also received a Top Pick from Romance Reader at Heart, where they said, “Toni Blake’s smooth storytelling style is almost hypnotizing, and her realistic characters jump off the pages. I enjoyed SUGAR CREEK from beginning to end, and look forward to reading the next installment in this charming series.” Read more of the early praise for Sugar Creek.

Don’t forget to explore ToniBlake.com for extra tidbits about the book. Learn about the inspiration Toni took from her grandmother – to whom the book is dedicated – in the Notes section, search out new Fun Finds for some behind-the-scenes info on hero Mike Romo, and keep checking back for news on the third book in the Destiny series, Whisper Falls, due out January 2011.

Nine Rules for Visiting the Quaint Small Town of Destiny, Ohio
by Toni Blake

1. Be sure to stop by the Under the Covers bookstore on the town square and share a cup of coffee with Amy and Tessa. If there’s good girl talk or gossip to be had, this is where it will be going on and you don’t want to miss it. There’s usually a cat-in-residence, too, who will be happy to rub up against your ankles or sit in your lap.
2. Don’t speed in Destiny. Hunky cop, Mike Romo is a stickler about that sort of thing and will give you tickets repeatedly – just ask Rachel Farris.
3. Take a canoe ride across idyllic Blue Valley Lake. Besides being quite scenic, this quaint body of water has seen a lot of Destiny drama over the years, most specifically between good girl Jenny Tolliver and the bad boy of her dreams.
4. But never, never visit the old Brody cabin in the woods across the lake. It’s SUPER creepy – especially when you think you see lights on even when no one has lived there in years!
5. Buy some apples from Edna at the Farris Family Apple Orchard on Sugar Creek and ask her to tell you the story of her tragic first love over a piece of her award-winning apple pie.
6. Stay away from Mick Brody! His brother is in prison, after all, and he was always a bad seed. No, it doesn’t matter how hot he is – beware!
7. In case of trouble, remember that the Destiny Police and Fire Departments are right next door to each other, just across the square from Under the Covers. And both come complete with lots of sexy men in uniform, which has the potential to make any emergency more enjoyable.
8. Hang out at Creekside Park. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to watch hot, sweaty guys playing softball, or you might even be invited into a touch football game with Mike Romo, Logan Whitaker, and Adam Becker – “touch” being the key word here.
9. Plan to stay awhile and soak up everything Destiny has to offer, from the quaint garden parties to nights at the Dew Drop Inn, from hot and sexy encounters to deliciously sweet romance.

Hope you’re all ready – the release of Sugar Creek is just four days away!

This list was first posted at Sarah MacLean’s blog as part of the release celebration for her book, Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. Check out her blog for lots more entertaining lists of rules from other popular authors.

There are currently five Fun Finds hidden throughout the site. Have fun finding them all!

And for even more fun, you can find Toni in person this coming Saturday, May 1st, from 11 am – 2 pm at the Romantic Times Convention Book Fair at the Hyatt Regency Columbus in Columbus, Ohio where she’ll be signing One Reckless Summer.

Book 2 of the Destiny series, Sugar Creek, will release May 25, 2010 and book 3, Whisper Falls, has been set for January 2011. A holiday-themed book is now planned for November 2011, with two more Destiny books to follow.

Toni’s website has been updated in preparation for Sugar Creek’s release. Check out the Sugar Creek page to learn more about the book or read an excerpt.

Early praise for the book is already coming in. New York Times Bestselling Author Robyn Carr said, “Toni Blake’s romances are so delicious, so intoxicating and addictive, a good night’s sleep isn’t even an option.”

And here’s what Sue Grimshaw, head romance buyer for Borders, said to Toni on Twitter:

Don’t miss Sugar Creek or any of the upcoming Destiny books–sign up for Toni’s book release reminders to be emailed when a new book is available.

One Reckless Summer placed third in the Single Title/Mainstream category of Houston Bay Area RWA’s Judge a Book By Its Cover contest. Check out all the category winners here.

The book has also finaled in the Australian Romance Readers Awards for Favourite Contemporary Romance, where it’s in some very good company: http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/awards.html. Thanks to all Toni’s readers down under!

Welcome to Destiny, Ohio—where two families have been at odds as long as anyone in town can remember.

Rachel Farris returned to her childhood home with one mission in mind: get Mike Romo out of her family’s apple orchard business and out of their lives. But hard-nosed and totally hot Mike, who happens to be the law in Destiny, is convinced the Farris clan stole the land from his family fifty years ago and he’s not backing down. Even when shapely trouble shows up in a pair of designer blue jeans. However, neither the hunky cop nor the sexy prodigal hometown girl can anticipate the electricity that heats things up whenever they’re together—adding new sizzle to an ongoing feud that’s raged for generations, and soon putting both their hearts at risk.

Sugar Creek releases June 8, 2010 and is available for pre-order now at: Amazon Barnes & Noble Borders

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2010 already looks to be an exciting year for Toni. She has a variety of signings planned, including a Cincinnati-area signing on February 13, the Romantic Times Conference Signing in Columbus, Ohio, and the RWA Literacy Signing in Nashville, Tennessee. Check her Events page and subscribe to News & Notes for more details.

And, of course, the second book of Toni’s Destiny series, SUGAR CREEK, will release June 8, 2010. It’s already available for pre-order at Amazon and Borders, and News & Notes will keep you updated on the release, including cover news and excerpts.

Happy 2010!

This is the perfect small town romance, pitting the sheriff’s do-good daughter against the town hell-raiser, Mick. There’s nothing simple about the story, because once Jenny knows Mick’s secret, she learns that weave of good and evil is as complex as the breakdown of her marriage – and her new love for Mick.

Check out all of Eloisa’s favs at her B&N Romance column.