We're not sure what's happening where you are, but summer is in full swing here. 100 degree swing. Sure the weatherman said it only reached 95 degrees this past weekend, but it felt like Hades had come to town. We hope this isn't an indicator of what to expect for the rest of the season!

Despite the fact that an oppressive heat wave seems to be upon us, we successfully completed our first Knight Agency book tour in early June. You might think five authors battling the heat while driving along miles and miles of Georgia highway would be grounds for grumpiness, but these ladies were indomitable. From start to finish, we had most amazing time meeting fans and aspiring writers, getting lost and found again on a few tricky roads and cementing new writerly friendships that will be treasured forever. In fact, it went so brilliantly, we are working on a next tour! Check out pictures from the signings below in the “agency news” section.

TKA: Can you give us a synopsis of your latest release, KISS & HELL (Berkley Sensation, June 2009)?

DAKOTA CASSIDY: Delaney Markham doesn’t just see dead people, she hears them too. And FYI—communicating with tortured souls all day can really wreak havoc on your love life. Sans boyfriend, Delaney makes the best of her gift by holding séances to make ends meet—that is until one incredibly annoying ghost just won’t go away.

Besides being sinfully hot—in a college professor sort of way—all signs point to Clyde Atwell being

much more than the ordinary spirit. In fact, he’s a newbie demon whose first assignment is to take Delaney back down to hell with him. Yeah, like that’s going to happen on the first date.

TKA: KISS & HELL will be followed by a second book, MY WAY TO HELL, next summer. What tidbits can you share about future plans for this series?

DAKOTA: Well, I hope to add to my demon arsenal with a third book that I’ve tentatively titled HELL ME A SECRET—it features Catalina Gutierrez, a demon who made a seriously bad choice a hundred or so years ago in the name of lurve. And the result of that choice has kinda been sucky because inherently, she’s a good person who can never atone for what she’s done. But she sure tries anyway…

TKA: If you had psychic abilities and could contact the dead, a la Delaney Markham, what famous (or infamous) writer from “the other side” would you like to talk to and why?

DAKOTA: Ohhhh, Jaqueline Susann. I’d so love to know where she did her research for Valley of the Dolls and Once Is Not Enough. She was pretty racy in her time and I’ve always wanted to know what led her to take such a different path.

TKA: Initially, you broke into writing through e-publishing as the author of around 30 erotica novels. What is the biggest difference, in your experience, working with an e-publisher versus a more traditional publishing house?

DAKOTA: I think the only difference is the time it takes to get a book into print versus sending in a final MS to your e-publisher. A print book, from conception to final product takes upwards of a year and sometimes a year and a half. E-books take maybe more like three months, depending on scheduling within the pub. Most

Learn more about Dakota! Visit www.DakotaCassidy.com.

Dakota Cassidy is chatting online with TKA this Thursday, June 25th @ 9pm ET about her latest release, KISS & HELL. This fab novel is the first in a new series. We have a lot of great giveaways planned for the chat, and Dakota is personally giving away a $25.00 Amazon gift certificate! Woo-hoo! Look forward to seeing you there :).

WHEN: Thursday, June 25th @ 9:00pm ET
WHERE: Click Here to Enter the TKA Chat Room *Your computer must be Java enabled to chat.

The Social Media Zeitgeist

Social media is a term on the tip of seemingly everyone’s tongues in the country, and certainly in the publishing industry. Whether it’s a book publicist who must rethink what new blog review sites might accept that towering stack of ARCs, considering the incredibly shrinking pool of print media reviewers, or the author who wants create their own brand while connecting with readers through a website, blogging, Twittering or developing their own online newsletter or Yahoo! e-group – it’s no doubt all roads lead to the digital revolution.

At the agency, we’ve always believed in staying on the forefront, including keeping up with the swiftly moving web currents. In fact, the majority of our agents have joined “Twitterverse,” and shall henceforth be known as @elainespencer and @nepheletempest, as well as the two agents who use it for dual agent and author roles – @deidreknight and @luciennediver. We even have an agency Twitter,

@knightagency. Publicizing clients hitting the bestseller list, blog posts and author chats through this venue has created markedly higher traffic to our company blog and brought new “faces” into our chat room.

It’s undeniable that if harnessed correctly, social media can connect you to the industry in ways never before possible. Now, an aspiring author can connect with other writers on a personal level to get advice on taking their manuscript from dream to reality or follow an ongoing conversation between literary agents about what not to do in query letters. Yes, the latter is referring to the now infamous #queryfail, which decidedly received some flack – but mostly praise. So, yes, there are stumbling blocks – not everyone is going to like what you have to say. But ultimately, if you keep your tone light, educational and interesting – the vast majority of your “followers” or audience will appreciate being privy to the information you are willing to share.

The last speaker at the Digital Publishing Group meeting in New York (sponsored by DailyLit.com and organized through the social networking website, MeetUp.com), Gail Glickman Horwood, SVP Digital Programming and Strategy of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia challenged authors to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to harnessing their online personas saying eventually, someone, somewhere will write fan fiction about your book or dissect the finer points of your plot on a message board. Why not tap into that audience and create a base to promote yourself?

To be fair, there always seems to be some new site or application popping up on the horizon, creating a big time suck that pulls us into the internet vortex. We wake up in a haze, wondering when the sun went down and the stars came out. "I believe social media tools are essential for the successful promotion of authors and fostering relationships between industry peers," says Melissa Jeglinski, associate agent and submissions coordinator. "However, I am amazed by the people who are able to carry on a Twitter convo, publish a thought-provoking blog and execute all of the daily tasks constantly streaming into their inboxes."

The trick is to start small, master it and expand as you go. If you are more comfortable with Facebook, start there. Or maybe blogging is your shtick, you love being able to write a personal note to your readers every day. “Blogging has definitely helped me get my name out there. I feel like I have my own community of readers and because of that, I feel the need to provide them with interesting content at least six days a week,” says Kristen Painter, president of RWA’s Electronic Small Press Authors’ Network (ESPAN) Chapter and author of the upcoming release ALL FIRED UP (Samhain Publishing, September 2009). “In that respect, blogging has definitely made me a more disciplined writer and helped me focus on keeping the reader engaged.”

The upside to social media is that it has created an unprecedented era of transparency. If there is something you want to know, it is easily learned. From the sort of material certain imprints publish, what your favorite author ate for breakfast or the elements of a winning query letter – it’s all out there for your consumption. Recently, I stumbled across a project by GrahamGrafx on Tumblr entitled Digital Fireflies. On a computer monitor the artist identified everyone in his network as a single light, flickering to the beat of their digital hearts. I thought that was an apt way to describe the ways we connect online. As an agency successfully operating outside of NYC, we must always make sure our “light” is shining brightly by staying plugged in. Our lifeline is composed of email, the ever-present blackberry, e-groups and, of course, various social networking sites. As such, we believe by our own experience that in the solitary world of a writer, making sure your “inner firefly” is shining brightly and interconnecting with the outside world is one of the crucial keys to success.

QUESTION: How has the increased prominence of the e-publishing industry affected your approach to signing and/or selling clients? If it hasn’t yet, how do you see its expanding role shaping or changing your agenting practices in the future?

DEIDRE KNIGHT : For a number of years I’ve been reading e-books on my “own time” (Pleasure reading? Gasp at the thought!). I also began signing on e-published authors as far back as nine or ten years ago (I don’t recall the precise date), well before the e-book boom. In the past five years I signed on authors like Joey Hill, Dakota Cassidy, and Rhyannon Byrd and subsequently sold them to major New York publishers like Random House, Penguin Putnam and Harlequin. I always take notice when an author is e-published because it signals several key points to me.

First, they’re used to working under deadline and with editors, second they already have a readership, one that we can work to capitalize upon. Third, they’re undoubtedly accustomed to promotion and publicity. I’m a big fan of e-publishing authors and the books they write!

Deidre recently wrote an impassioned "Call to Change" post on ESPAN's blog about the importance of RWA recognizing e-publishers and their authors at the national conference. Be sure to check her out, as well as a response from Diane Pershing, RWA's president, and Angela James, executive editor at the well-known digital publisher, Samhain.

PAMELA HARTY : I am always on the lookout for talented writers and I firmly believe that e-publishing is here to stay. That being said, what better place to look for potential clients and business opportunities than the e-publishing world.

MELISSA JEGLINSKI: I think the expansion of e-publishing is going to present wonderful opportunities for authors; opening doors to a broader and more diverse readership. As an agent, this also expands the playing field for me by increasing the ways I can communicate with clients and find new aspiring authors, presents new venues for selling client work and creates a new revenue stream for our clients and agency.

*Please remember that you can participate in Agents of the Roundtable. Send a question you would like our agents to tackle to info@knightagency.net, and we might feature it in an upcoming issue!

DYING BITES
by D.D. Barant

Starred Review. This engrossing debut adds another captivating protagonist to the urban fantasy ranks. FBI profiler Jace Valchek is abruptly yanked into a parallel universe where vampires, werewolves and golems are 99% of the population. The supernatural beings aren't affected by mental or physical disease, so they're baffled by the emergence of a crazed human killer. Vampire NSA chief David Cassius hopes Jace, who has special skills in dealing with mentally deranged criminals, can catch the Impaler. Until she succeeds, he won't let her go back home. As Jace investigates the Free Human Resistance, a terrorist group, she starts to wonder which side she wants to be on. Barant's well-developed world offers intriguing enhancements to mythology and history. Jace is remarkable, strong-willed and smart, and she sets an unstoppable pace. Look for the Bloodhound Files to go far. (July) Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

KISS & HELL
by Dakota Cassidy | Berkeley Sensation

Delaney Markham doesn't just see dead people, she hears them too. And FYI-communicating with tortured souls all day can really wreak havoc on your love life. After all, no one wants to date the crazy chick that talks to herself. Sans boyfriend, Delaney makes the best of her gift by holding séances and earns a pretty penny for them too, that is until one incredibly annoying ghost just won't go away.

Now, if she could only get her hands on him.

When he materializes wearing nothing, Delaney knows something's up. Besides being sinfully hot-in a college professor sort of way-all signs point to Clyde Atwell being much more than the ordinary spirit. In fact, he's a newbie demon whose first assignment is to take Delaney back down to hell with him. Yeah, like that's gonna happen on the first date. If Delaney's old nemesis Lucifer thinks she's going down without one hell of a fight, he's got another thing coming…

RED KISS: A GODS OF MIDNIGHT NOVEL
by Deidre Knight | Signet Eclipse

Immortal warrior and Spartan slave River Kassandros has a special gift—the ability to transform into any weapon. But in a recent battle, he was trapped as a dagger, unable to become human again. His one hope of salvation is a mere mortal…

When Emma Lowery beaches her kayak on an uninhabited island off the coast of Savannah, an ancient dagger seems to call out to her. Compelled by dark forces, Emma draws blood with his blade, freeing River. Now he’s stronger, angrier—and exudes more sensuality than Emma can resist.

But a sinister power wants to claim River’s destiny, and his precarious freedom. The pair must join the Spartan warriors to fight Ares himself. But can they face sacrificing their love to protect humankind from the war god’s demonic plan?

ALIBI JUNIOR HIGH
by Greg Logsted | Simon & Schuster

Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has traveled the globe with his father, an undercover CIA agent. When the danger for his dad mounts, Cody is sent to stay with his aunt in her small Connecticut suburb. Now, Cody must adapt to this foreign world of normal life.

TRUSTING GOD WHEN YOU HAVE CANCER
Photography by Nancy Locke, et. al. | Harvest House Publishers

"Trusting God When You Have Cancer" presents communication between two friends both facing the disease and reveals words of compassion and hope while breathtaking photos illuminate the seasons of creation's renewing beauty.

DEAL WITH IT
by Monica McKayhan | Kimani Tru

Indigo and her best friend Jade are at the top of their game as the most popular girls in school and the best dancers on the squad. But when Jade is chosen as squad captain, Indigo becomes jealous. And they're not the only ones on the squad dealing with major drama.

SEDUCE THE DARKNESS, AN ALIEN HUNTRESS NOVEL
by Gena Showalter | Pocket Star Books

In the latest spellbinding installment of Showalter's series, seductive warrior Devyn has the answers streetwise fighter Bride McKells craves, and he can take her to the dark underground of her people. But Bride's blood may hold the key to saving Devyn's friends, so he's reluctant to let her go.

VEILED FREEDOM
by J.M. Windle | Tyndale House Publishers

American forces have freed Afghanistan from the Taliban. Kites have returned to the skies. Women have removed their burqas. There is dancing in the streets.

Eight years later, Afghanistan is a far cry from those first images of a country freed from Taliban rule. When Special Forces veteran Steve Wilson returns to Kabul as security chief to the Minister of Interior, he is disillusioned with the corruption and violence that has overtaken the country he fought to free. Relief worker Amy Mallory arrives in Afghanistan ready to change the world. She soon discovers that as a Western woman, the challenges are monumental. Afghani native Jamil returns to his homeland seeking work, but a painful past continues to haunt him. All three are searching for truth and freedom when a suicide bombing brings them together on Kabul's dusty streets. But what is the true source of freedom—and its cost?