I’ve been dazzled and unproductive all day over this. You have to write a good and accurate historical to impress these folks.

I offered some print books at Jessewave’s holiday giveaway and somehow ended up with an extra copy of Downtime and Whistling in the Dark. If you’d like either of those, email me this week and I’ll put your name in a drawing for them.

The Only Gold has been out almost a year and is having a last hurrah, making a few Best Of lists and garnering some Rainbow Awards. I’m so glad. I had such a good time writing it. And it helped me through a tough year.

Sunita’s Best of 2011 at Dear Author

Author Cecilia Grant’s favorite heroes of 2011

Elisa Rolle’s Rainbow Awards 2011

Lisa’s Top Picks of 2011

Library Girl’s review of Gold

If It Ain’t Love

In the darkest days of the Great Depression, New York Times reporter Whit Stoddard has lost the heart to do his job and lives a lonely hand-to-mouth existence with little hope of recovery, until he meets Peter, a man in even greater need of new hope.

Now available at  Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and All Romance E-Books in a variety of formats.

By Sal Davis at Speak Its Name.

“It is an intensely emotional story without being overblown or angsty – a harder trick to pull off than one might think.”

By Sirius at Reviews by Jessewave.

“If you love quiet historicals with great chemistry and tension between the characters, where you feel transported to the other era when you are reading this book, this one is very highly recommended.”

I’ve given two interviews; one posted at Ann Somerville’s blog here, the other with Lisa at Top2Bottom Reviews here.

Ann and Lisa have both also very kindly reviewed The Only Gold, here and here.

“The real dangers come as Manhattan and much of the east coast falls victim to a huge blizzard, in which Reid and Jonah must fight villains, the weather and their own misconceptions about each other, during a thrilling climax which tests their strength and the reader’s blood pressure to the limit. But before that, the two rivals must become friends, and then something more, and this happens in the sweet and lovely manner that Ms Allen has made her trademark.” - Ann at Outlaw Reviews

“The Only Gold is an outstanding novel. How much did I love it? I read the entire book in about twelve hours, as I was unwilling to put it down for long. For fans of the historical genre, I would go so far as to say this is an absolute must read. The book is that rare blend of action, romance, atmosphere, setting, conflict, and characterization that, when it all comes together, creates the perfect storm of fiction.” - Lisa at Top2Bottom Reviews

From a review of Downtime:

“Morgan and Ezra’s relationship was as gradual but inevitable as a flower blooming and I found myself similarly as gradually swept up in caring about the relationship to a point where I had to put the book down a couple times at crucial moments to both calm myself down and laugh at myself.

If you’re looking for smut, this probably isn’t the book for you; most of Allen’s sex scenes are fade to black or play coyly with romance novel euphemisms, but honestly, I will trade all the porn in the world for emotional porn, and Allen delivers in spades on that front.” - The Oscillating Fan

Emotional porn. There’s a compliment you can live on forever.

Downtime has followed a long road from 2003 to today. First published by Torquere Press, it ran as a serial for 18 months, then became an e-book for the remainder of its contract. I self-published it briefly, then submitted it to Dreamspinner after they accepted my third novel, The Only Gold, for publication last December. On Monday, Downtime will once again be available in print and e-book.

Downtime’s sale proceeds will continue to go to research for a cure for leukemia.

To celebrate the day, I have three print copies of Downtime that need a good home. An excerpt is available at Dreamspinner’s site here. If Downtime sounds like a story you’d like to read, email me at mara at oplink dot net to enter the drawing for a copy. I will draw the winners on Wednesday, May 11th, and–with any luck–have the books mailed out on Thursday.

Here’s Downtime’s blurb:

FBI Agent Morgan Nash is on assignment in London when his case goes awry and he finds himself moments away from a bullet through the heart. But fate has other plans: Morgan gets knocked out pursuing a suspect… and wakes up in 1888.

While cataloging ancient manuscripts at the British Museum, Ezra Glacenbie accidentally pulls Morgan out of the twenty-first century—an impromptu vacation that may become permanent for Morgan if they can’t locate the spellbook Ezra used. Further hampering Morgan’s quest to get home is the irresistible temptation to investigate history’s most notorious serial killer: Jack the Ripper. But in repressive Victorian London, it’s the unexpected romance blossoming between Morgan and Ezra that becomes the most dangerous complication of all.