“Whose woods these are, I think I know…
He will not mind me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.”
How long since any of us watched the woods fill up with snow? I’m in Deep Deadline mode this week (polishing SEXUAL HUNGER, due out this fall!), but our snow last night had me gazing out the back window and playing with the color of the twilight sky, until I wrote “with the snowfall, our dusk shimmers like a pale blue pearl.” Hey, if Bob Frost can rhapsodize about snow, so can I!
Remember how you LOVED snow when you were a kid? My husband’s converting his family’s oooold slides on his scanner now, and this photo tickled us both. The drifted snowbank was probably two feet taller than he and his brother–I’m sure the boys were more excited about this than their dad was!–but aren’t we glad somebody got out the camera?
My Border collie, too, loves the snow. We play Frisbee in it (with 5 Frisbees!) We walk the loooong way around the neighborhood, to see what other dogs are out…to check our “peemail” in the snow piled at the end of driveways. Thanks to Ramona I get out of this chair and out for some air–good for us both! Saw a snowman this morning, and the branches for his arms were open wide in excitement! I was glad those kids got out to play last night!
And I love the sight of evergreens in their lacy nightgowns, and the way the snow coats the tops of bare tree branches like white frosting, and how the evening glows just from the light of snow on the ground. The world is hushed and muffled and less hurried…and just the sound of that makes me smile up at the moon, to watch the snowflakes drift down to my face.
Thanks for letting me share this! What’s YOUR take on the winter we’re having?
During the first weeks of January, my dh and I chose to leave our rainy, dreary home to venture south for some sun. Our destination was anywhere the sun was shining in California.
Huh. (We bumped into every rainstorm they had! Not to mention snow going over Mt. Shasta.)
First stop, Burbank (signed a copy of Breathless in the downtown B&N)where we had a ball going to the Jay Leno Show. Understand, this was the first week all the kerfuffle started with Jay, Conan O’Brien and their network. All the way south we wondered if Jay would be there come Monday.
He was. The show was great, and Bill Cosby (another fave) was his guest. Mr. Cosby is a wonderful storyteller: rambling, touching and very funny.
But rather than try to negotiate the freeways in any downpours of rain, we chose to head to the desert. I found copies of Breathless, Built and Pure Sex in a Borders store and B & N.
Clerks in bookstores are always so nice to me…mostly because I joked about the cover of Breathless this time. My joke?
Hold up the book, say “I’m her…well, not her, (move finger to bottom of book and point out my name) I’m HER. Not on my best days did I ever look like the photo.”
Still available (signed in bookstores all over California!)
Lots of chuckles about beautiful cover art…and then, like magic those clerks warmed up, felt comfy and let me sign away. One person asked me for identification and I have to wonder how often they get impostors coming in to sign books, but once I handed him my card, he believed me. Luckily he didn’t ask me to quote any of the love scenes because I tend to write those in the zone and rarely remember them clearly.
Everywhere we went I stopped at bookstores and signed whatever stock they had. What a wonderful way to spend my vacation.
I have to add that I swung into a Borders store in San Francisco and the clerk ran away to get the Customer Service Rep…who proclaimed her love of romance authors. Seems she recalls about 30 of them descending on the store during the Romance Writers of America conference in 2008. She told me we’re the nicest bunch of authors she’s ever met. (I have to say she’s right.) She was thrilled to have me stop in. (Hey, I’m tickled pink to see my books on the shelves so we’re even!)
I’m counting down the weeks now to the release of my Harlequin Blaze, Possessing Morgan. I’m thrilled!
Possessing Morgan will be available March 1 everywhere!
What a week! I’ve been scrambling to get Wolf Tales 11 done by my February 15 deadline (and no, I’ve already accepted the fact–and thankfully, so has my editor–that it’s not going to happen) while dealing with all the promotion for DemonFire, my first mass market release that’s coming out on February 23, and I realized this morning what the hold up is on WT11–my brain is stuck in the DemonSlayers world while trying to write about the Chanku! (Trust me, that does not work well.)
I’ve been spending tons of time going over notes–for the life of me I could NOT remember what color wolf Logan Pierce becomes (black) or who was taller–Mik or AJ. And it’s Mik at 6′5″ as AJ’s just 6′4″, and normally I can recall details like that because I KNOW these guys, but for the past couple of weeks I’ve been working on promo for DemonFire and thinking about my six foot, eight inch Lemurian warrior Alton, and Dax, my fallen demon who has so much going against him in his fight to save the world from demonkind that it’s a miracle–and Eddy’s love–that he was still around for me to write him into HellFire. (okay, Kate…take a DEEP breath…)
Needless to say, I am not my usual calm, collected self! Anyway, when I get totally frustrated and to the point where I can’t get my thoughts together, I do something that takes me away from writing. Today I baked cookies and cleaned my office. The cookies are wonderful–double chocolate chip/chocolate cookies with pecans. Horrible for the waist but wonderful for the psyche–AND I cleaned my office, and you, my friends, or at least one of you, will benefit from my little writer breakdown, because deep in the piles stacked around the room I found an ARC of DemonFire I didn’t know I had, and one of you who leaves a post, even if it’s just to tell me I’m a ditz for losing it, will have a chance to win.
So there ya have it–a scary glimpse into the mind of a woman who can’t figure out which world to play in, but it’s all good, eventually! And while I worry about finishing the book, at least I’ve got yummy cookies to eat and an ARC of a really great story (if I do say so myself!) to give away. And just to get the ball rolling, what do you do when it all seems too much and you’re spinning your wheels? Maybe I can learn something new to help me deal with…well, sexy Chanku and really hot Lemurian warriors and this fallen demon who is just flat out gorgeous. Hey, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!
I’ll pick a winner in a couple of days, so be sure and check back.
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Happy February! Of course, the month of February means two things to me: Valentine’s Day and the release of my book. Hey, you didn’t think I was going to just talk about Valentine’s Day and not do a shameless plug for BETWEEN THE SHEETS, my fractured fairy tales book, did you? Okay, fine, obligatory plug is now over.
What I really want to talk about, anyway, is Valentine’s Day. And presents. The good, the bad and the downright ugly.
Because I’m the blogger, I get to start. My best Valentine memory is when my parents gave me a puppy. I’ll never forget it—I came home from elementary school for lunch and the puppy was sitting in the front window with a valentine tied around her neck. It was a great day.
My worst Valentine’s Day? I’d have to say it was the one when I found out my lying, cheating, scum-bag (now-ex) husband had not only been cheating but had contracted a social disease. Oh, yeah, that one was definitely the pits. Copious amounts of chocolate were ingested, just not in a good way.
Over the years, there have been ups and downs for Valentine’s Day. Most notably was the first one my current husband and I shared when we were so poor, yet somehow he managed to surprise me with a tiny pair of diamond studs. To this day, I still have no idea how he pulled that off. He’s definitely a keeper! My parents, ever the practical people, once gave me a toilet plunger for Valentine’s Day. I assume it was their not-so-subtle way of telling me to stop calling Dad when I had a plumbing problem. Two or three years ago, my husband gave me a laptop. It wasn’t that I wasn’t thrilled—I’d been wanting one for quite a while—or grateful. It’s just that. . .well, I think it was the tax deductible part. Oh, yeah, baby, nothing says love like tax deductible office supplies!
My friend, Candy, on her first Valentine’s Day with her husband, received a call from him asking if the flowers he’d sent had been delivered to her at work. Thrilled, she anxiously waited all day for a delivery that never came. When she saw him at home and told him the delivery hadn’t arrived, he started laughing hysterically—he’d never sent her any flowers and proceeded to tell her how stupid Valentine’s Day was and not to expect anything from him. Ever. To this day, she absolutely hates Valentine’s Day. BTW, he’s now her ex-husband.
So, what about you? Any best of worst Valentine’s Day stories? Leave a comment and you have a chance to win a book.
Thanks for stopping by!
So I blogged about this the other day, but wanted to try and get more perspectives. So sex sells, right? I mean, Aphrodisia books are proof of that
And there’s so many variations on what kind of erotic romances to read. M/M, cowboys, ménage, foursomes, tensomes, bdsm, capture, vanilla erotic…all of the above? The variety of erotic romances to read is across the page.
Well, in case you don’t know, I also write for Samhain Publishing and my newest release, an ebook novella called Four Play, just came out last week (and it’s been #1 at MBAM since last Thursday!) It’s the story of one woman who has to choose between three men…until she realizes maybe she doesn’t have to choose at all! There was something so fun and delicious about writing three different men, and wondering who I’d choose if I was in the heroine’s place.
So I certainly have my favorite themes in erotic, to both read and write. But I want to know what yours is. What type of plot do you tend to gravitate toward to when you’re picking up an erotic/spicy romance to read?
Leave a comment and I’ll draw a name for one person to win a copy of Four Play or any ebook off my backlist.
In the mean time, enjoy the excerpt below!
Shelli
* * *
Duty required she choose one life mate. Her heart wants all three.
Mikayla knew this day was coming. News has come down from the planetary elders—now that she’s twenty-five, the law requires she pick her lifemate. She may be the planetary secretary, but when it comes to trying out potential mates, she’s inexperienced and nervous.
She only needs one man with whom she can trust her life. Luckily she knows three—all friends since childhood. Even if they’re not thrilled to be her potential lifemate, it’s the only way she can get through this process.
Mikayla couldn’t be more wrong about Cedric, Kyle, and Brett. They’re eager, yet resentful about the situation. Each one would kill to claim her, but they’re not too happy about having to risk their friendship to win her love. Yet, one by one, they set out to do just that.
Mikayla is stunned to learn all three men drive her mad with desire—and make her feel cherished. Loved. Choosing one seems impossible, until the one man she doesn’t want forces her hand…
EXCERPT
“That dress looks lovely on you,” Kyle murmured.
She flushed, even knowing he had always been skilled with flattery. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. It makes you look taller.”
Mikayla threw back her head and laughed, a habit she was well used to when spending time with Kyle. “You lie. I’m petite at best.”
“Yes, you are, and always have been. It’s no wonder we always had difficulty finding you during our hiding games as a child.”
“Gods, stop it!” she laughed harder and slapped his leg lightly. “You make fun.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Kyle grinned and sank down next to her, then leaned back on his elbows, crossing one leg over another. The action drew his shirt taut over his abdomen, highlighting the muscles beneath.
A flutter occurred low in her belly and she bit her lip, shifting her gaze away. What was the matter with her? He was fully clothed and this was hardly the first occasion she’d spent time with him alone.
“Mikayla,” Kyle said softly and caught her hand. “What made you choose us?”
Her cheeks warmed and she shrugged. “Well, basically it was like I said. I suppose I hate the idea of making a strange man my lifemate. I know you three. I adore you and would trust each one of you with my life.” She lifted her gaze and searched his eyes. The unease hit again—was she forcing them into this? She whispered, “Am I being terribly selfish?”
His blue gaze darkened, flickered with heat. “No, kitten. Not selfish at all. Though you’ve put us in one hell of a predicament.”
“Have I? How so?” Her heart skipped and she ran her tongue across her mouth.
Kyle’s gaze dropped to observe the movement.
“Because all three of us would give our souls to possess you,” he said roughly and, with a light tug of his hand, pulled her so that she fell across his chest. He reclined fully onto the blanket and slid his hands up her waist. “To win your love.”
Surprise rushed through her. Truly? They all wanted more than just friendship from her?
Her pulse quickened and she wondered if she should feel guilty for acting so wantonly. But dear Gods it felt wonderful to lie across his hard body like this. Across Kyle. How strange…
“All of you? But Brett didn’t seem happy in the least.”
Kyle laughed. “He’s just infuriated that I was chosen to court you first. The man is more competitive than he likes to let on.” He slid his hand down to her ass, cupping her through the thin cotton. “But fortunately I am too, kitten. Do I have your permission to continue?”
Continue. Oh Gods, she could not even begin to comprehend what that entailed, but she wanted it.
Not trusting her voice, she gave a slight nod.
Triumph flickered in his gaze as he slid one hand up to cradle the back of her head, pulling her mouth down to his. His mouth was entirely too skilled, coaxing her lips apart before his tongue slipped inside.
She met his commanding touch, hesitantly flicking her tongue against his. Heat bloomed in her body as she let her weight rest fully on him. He threaded his fingers through her hair and tilted her head, deepening the kiss.
Warmth slid through Mikayla’s body, gathering heavily between her legs. She squirmed against him, needing more than the kiss, but not sure how to ask for it.
But Kyle seemed to know exactly what she needed, because he lifted one leg between her thighs so that she straddled him. His knee wedged against her pussy, sending all kinds of sparks of pleasure through her.
She cried out and lifted her head, bracing her hands on either side of his body, rocking back and forth on his knee in search of that ultimate pleasure.
“You need to slow down, kitten,” he murmured and slid his hands up her ribcage to cup her breasts.
“This is just the beginning.”
Oh Gods! Mikayla closed her eyes. If this was just the beginning of pleasure, then she was in a heap of trouble.
UPDATE: WINNER! Barbara Hansen
Congrats I’ll be in touch
Kate
Good morning all!
Luckily for me, I get the first opportunity to offer one blog commenter a copy of our upcoming anthology “Some Like it Rough”. Susan Lyons, Anne Rainey and I had a great time comparing stories and making sure we didn’t end up writing the same thing. But as you’ll see, all the novellas are very distinct and hot as hell in their own ways.
It’s my first contemporary effort for Aphrodisia, but I’m also scheduled to write a full length contemporary, which will come out in 2011. (I haven’t given up on my ‘Simply’s yet, don’t worry!)
So far we’ve had great reviews for the book as well, including 5 cherries from Whipped Cream Reviews.
Here’s the blurbage:
Some Like It Rough by Kate Pearce
Luke Warner wants to chill out when he cashes in his hectic life in Silicon Valley
and returns to his hometown. But things heat up when he reunites with his best
friends, Julia and Paul, and invites them both to share in a sexual adventure like
they’ve never had before…
Private Eyes by Susan Lyons
Assigned to work undercover as an exotic dancer, straight-laced Haley Croft
discovers the thrill of strutting her stuff. And when she catches sexy PI Ry
Montana checking out her moves, she can’t wait to give him his own private
show…
Cherry on Top by Anne Rainey
When massage therapist Cherry DuBois rubs her oil-slicked hands all over Dante
Ricci’s rock-hard body, red-hot desire courses through her. She longs to lose
control and give herself to the pleasures of sexual submission…
Just comment below to get a chance to win. I’ll announce the winner on this post by Wednesday:)
Have a great day!
I can’t believe 2010 is here. I’m sure I’m not the only one still adjusting. And I feel like this is truly a new year – a chance to start new things. I’ve just finished an erotic novella, which I enjoyed writing, and I have more outlined, but I’m also working on something entirely different and having a blast. There’s nothing like hearing voices in your head and having the opportunity to write them down. What’s even better is when those voices tell you a story you’re anxious to get back to each day. I love that! I can’t wait to find out what happens next.
This is also a year for me to do other things. I’m lining up speaking engagements and book signings because I love that stuff! Many writers are introverts, as are many engineers. For some reason, I’m not, in spite of being both.
I don’t do resolutions at the start of the year, but I’ve made a few non-new year resolutions. I do the best I can to improve/maintain our environment, and I’ve started an exercise routine (important when you spend all day in front of a computer!). I have a few things planned that I’m not ready to talk about yet. But my message here is that life is wonderful, and that you don’t have to wait until the end of this year to start something new. A lot of people out there can use your help.
Tell me, what do you plan to do differently in the near future? What will make you happier?
First, up for your drooling pleasure, the cover for my latest Ellora’s Cave release. Lordy but I love brooding heroes and does this ever qualify. Intriguing and spooky eyes. And the rest of him ain’t bad.
Yesterday I was pawing through my bookshelf for one on Crater Lake for something I’m working on. My attention was drawn to how many ‘location’ books I have, The Grand Canyon, Denali Park, The Lava Beds of northern California, redwoods, Sanibel Island of Florida, etc. The pile shouldn’t surprise me because a sense of place is vital to me as a writer. Unless I have a strong visual image of where my people (not characters, people) are, they remain somewhat shadowy to me. In short, my people connect with their surroundings, and those surroundings impact their personalities.
I’ve said it before but I don’t do cities. Have only rarely and briefly lived in the suckers. Their aura is foreign to them whereas I’ve always strongly connected with the wilderness. In my opinion, giving my people personal space both allows and forces them to get in touch with themselves. Away from the distractions of civilization, they connect with their souls.
Anywho, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
In that vein, does setting play a role in the fiction you buy and read?
Vonna
www.VonnaHarper.com
I do! As I write this, the rain is pouring down outside my window. OK, that’s Vancouver, BC, and that’s pretty much the story in winter. For me, I prefer this to snow (though snow is definitely prettier!) because when it’s raining the temperature is at least above freezing, and I hate being cold. Here’s a photo of Vancouver, BC in winter. Lovely, eh?
Often, I think that I’d rather do away with winter. Except, then I remember a kids’ book I once read. Did anyone else read the Pookie (the rabbit with wings) books, about all those cute woodland creatures? I loved those books! In one, Pookie Puts The World Right, he makes the mistake of wishing there’d be no winter. Well, of course that totally messes things up, upsetting the whole balance of nature. So, okay, I guess we kind of need winter. I try to remember that, as the rain pours down.
The thing is, I thrive on sunshine and warmth. I inherited that from both my parents, who had the habit of pulling me out of school in winter and driving down to Mexico.
Anyhow, it was this kind of thinking that, once upon a time (as they say in those wonderful kids’ books), led me to the idea for my January release from Berkley Heat, Sex On The Beach. (Yeah, the drink. And yeah, the other kind too – LOL.)
It’s set in Belize. Seriously, wouldn’t you rather be in Belize right now?
That’s exactly what I thought. And what do people do in Belize? A lot of them get married. In winter, tropical places are prime for destination weddings, where the bride and groom invite their family and close friends for a tropical holiday plus a wedding celebration.
That’s the setting for my book. And no, the bride and groom aren’t one of the couples, though they have a subplot and lessons to learn and teach. The book features three different romances.
In “War of the Sexes,” wedding planner Sarah McCann learns that the groom’s best friend, Free Lafontaine, intends to save his pal from the mistake of marriage. It’s an all-out war between the sexes – a war that just might have two winners!
In “Sex With the Proper Stranger,” model Tamiko Sato comes to the wedding as arm-candy for the groom’s deep-in-the-closet uncle, so what’s she to do when resort manager Ric Nuñez proves far too tempting? Is Ric the man who can heal her wounded heart?
In “Sexy Exes,” Giovanna Moncrieff and her ex, James, mix as well as Italian olive oil and English tonic water, so it’s embarrassing – and exciting! – to discover the flame of passion still burns. Is true love possible the second time around?
I had a lovely time escaping to Belize while I wrote that book. I hope readers will enjoy the same kind of mid-winter escape.
So, what I’d like to know today is, how do you feel about winter? If you’re a skier or snowboarder, you probably love it. Personally, I’m a walk-on-the-beacher – in summer, in bare feet! What do you like or hate about winter? If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?
And hey, while we’re at it, what are your favorite kids’ books? As well as Pookie, I’ll put in a plug for the Penelope books, written by one of my local writing friends, Sheri Radford. You can check them out here: http://www.sheriradford.com/ They don’t have rabbits with wings, but they have a spunky little girl heroine with lessons to learn, and some great artwork.
Although I had planned to write about music and the way it inspires me in my writing, recent world events have changed the subject of today’s post. If you have been following world news, (and who hasn’t?) you’ve heard of the quake in Haiti and the massive destruction that has taken place. It’s horrible, terrible. Something you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.
Sitting here in middle America (New Mexico actually) I am horrified by the destruction. But I am also ashamed.
You see, recently I have been going through a major dissatisfaction and disappointment with my life. In short, nothing has been good enough for me lately. Those of you who know me know I live on the poorer side. A bankruptcy and divorce some years ago knocked me on my butt. I guess you could say I’ve never really recovered financially. Since I didn’t want to pay out rent each month and own nothing, I purchased (well, my dad’s credit did) a small RV. It’s not the best or the nicest looking thing, but it is a place to hang my hat. Lately I’ve been looking at it, thinking how shabby it was and wishing I could swing a newer model (not going to happen any time soon). A recent after Christmas flood did some damage, too, and I’ve been pissed that it can’t be immediately repaired for lack of necessary funds. This leads me to my checking account. Like most writers, I work a day job. And while my paychecks cover the bills, there usually isn’t anything left over for a lot of fun stuff. So I’ve been griping about finding a new job and sending out resumes. I’ve also been bitching about, in not any particular order: my crappy hair, my fat hips, the zits on my face, and a host of other stupid things of no consequence to anybody except me.
I could go on and on, too. I could even make you a list. I want this and I want that. I wish this was better and I think I should have. In short it’s all been about me. My wants. My needs. My general unhappiness with my life.
Then the earthquake hit. And my eyes opened.
The Hatians have lost everything in the blink of an eye, and I do mean everything. These people have no resources to recover. They have no way to put a roof over their heads for shelter and food on the table to feed their families. I do. As shabby as I think my RV is, those people would view it as a palace. It has facilities, hot and cold running water, electricity. It has a kitchen, a working fridge and microwave (the stove is used for storage, LOL). There’s food in the cupboards. As I looked around last night after watching the news, I realized my stuff isn’t so shabby after all. I’ll get a hot shower, something to eat. I’ll sleep in a warm bed with reasonably clean bedding. I’ll even have my dog at my feet and my cats curled around me. In short, I’ll be okay. But those people won’t. Not for a long time. Maybe even never again.
Who could face that? Who would want to?
Needless to say, I’ve taken another look at myself. And you know what? My life ain’t so bad. In fact, it’s pretty okedoke. Things I see as bad have a chance for improvement, if I work a little harder and have a little more patience.
It’s easy to get caught up in our own small woes and wants, take the many small blessing we do have for granted.
If you have it, I am urging you to donate. I’m even putting up the link to the American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
I’m also posting a little song to remind us all that maybe an attitude adjustment every once in awhile will make life a little bit better.
“Whose woods these are, I think I know…
Anyway, when I get totally frustrated and to the point where I can’t get my thoughts together, I do something that takes me away from writing. Today I baked cookies and cleaned my office. The cookies are wonderful–double chocolate chip/chocolate cookies with pecans. Horrible for the waist but wonderful for the psyche–AND I cleaned my office, and you, my friends, or at least one of you, will benefit from my little writer breakdown, because deep in the piles stacked around the room I found an ARC of DemonFire I didn’t know I had, and one of you who leaves a post, even if it’s just to tell me I’m a ditz for losing it, will have a chance to win.
My best Valentine memory is when my parents gave me a puppy. I’ll never forget it—I came home from elementary school for lunch and the puppy was sitting in the front window with a valentine tied around her neck. It was a great day.
