 March 2014 Newsletter contest winners are: Maureen R. from California Suzy R. from Illinois Nancy G. from Missouri Jo F. from Texas Teresa L. from WV Mina G. from Pennsylvania Trina P from British Columbia, Canada Karen W. from Ontario, Canada | A quick apology to my contest winners--I didn't get your books sent out until today, April 1, but yesterday was my deadline for turning in Dark Refuge, and that took all day. Books went out today--US winners should have them by April 7-8, and in Canada...I dunno. Sent first class, so hopefully not too much longer. Usually takes about ten days.  For those who want to know--each email is assigned a number when it arrives, and I run the total through a website called Random.org. as many times as I want winners. This month I was able to choose eight winners (It's sort of arbitrary, how many winners there are, dependent upon the number of you who enter and how much postage I can afford!) |
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10 Comments
 March 21, 2014
Just a reminder--contest ends Friday, March 28 when I'll draw winners Okay, kiddos...although I copied my last newsletter on to my website to test the process, this will be my first “website only” newsletter. It’s been a truly crazy month and I figured that if I didn’t get this posted today, it wouldn’t get done. I’m down to the last chapters of Dark Refuge, and so far it’s surprising me at every turn, but I’ve gotten to know Gabe so much better in this book, and I love that part of the process. Meeting Emeline, Oliver and Mei’s daughter, and finally learning why she’s avoided the pack and Montana for years is finally making sense, but it took a long time coming. I write every day. Sometimes I end up throwing away most of what I’ve written, but in the process, I’m always learning more about my characters. In this book, the discoveries have essentially caught me by surprise, but we’re on schedule and I think it will be out in late April or early May. I did get a nice surprise that will really kick the next few weeks into hyper-drive—St. Martins Press wants a novella for an anthology headlined by Lora Leigh. Lora and I go way back to our early years with Ellora’s Cave and I’ve always admired her, so it’s really exciting to be in an anthology with her. My story will be loosely tied to the series St. Martins has contracted, and I’ll start writing it as soon as I finish Dark Refuge. (Which reminds me—when the title came to me, I had no idea how apropos it would be to the story, but it’s absolutely a perfect fit.) Other news—if you live near San Antonio, Texas or Charlotte, North Carolina, I will be attending conferences in both locales this summer. Dates and locations, times, etc. for book signings are on my website on the connect page. If you think you might be able to come, let me know. The Texas signing is is conjunction with the annual Romance Writers of America conference, but the one in North Carolina is at Authors After Dark, which is an absolute hoot and designed all around the concept of readers interacting with authors and other fans of romance. The focus is mostly on paranormal, does a lot with erotic stories, and it's a whole lot of fun. I went last year in Savannah and met up with a long-time reader friend and we had a ball. I think I gained about ten pounds, but damn the food was good! The nicest thing about AAD is how laid back it is. It’s not an expensive event—I’ve learned to put money aside whenever I can to save for these trips, and this one is well worth it. I haven’t had as much time to read as I usually do, but did finally get to Patricia Brigg’s FROST BURNED, part of her Mercy Thompson series. I owe my readers a thank you for getting me started on this series, and the other one she writes that’s a companion series, her ALPHA/OMEGA books. So many of you told me I HAD to read these, I figured you must be on to something. Thank you. You definitely were. I love her writing and the stories just keep getting better. She’s got a new one out—NIGHT BROKEN—but it’s in hardcover and I’m waiting for the paperback. On the other hand, I’ve pre-ordered JR Ward’s newest, THE KING, but I’m fully aware I can’t be patient at all where the BDB is concerned! Love her stories and her voice—I swear I can hear heavy metal music playing in the background when I read her books. Just a reminder that Robyn Carr’s newest, FOUR FRIENDS, releases on March 25. If you like “slice of life” stories about women and the friendships that complete them, you will love this book. I honestly couldn’t put it down, and I found myself relating to each of the four main protagonists in the story in one way or another. Definitely a keeper, though since I gave my signed copy away last month to a contest winner, I need to buy another copy! Another really great read—and I may have mentioned it last month but I’m still thinking about the book--is Jayne Ann Krentz’s RIVER ROAD. It takes place in the wine country where I live, and so often a writer will miss the little things that make a community unique, but JAK nailed it. The story is fantastic, the suspense totally works and it’s a wonderful romance. Everything I want in a good book. I also read Bella Andre’s latest print release of her Sullivans series—this one, COME A LITTLE BIT CLOSER, was Smith’s story, and I loved it. Bella writes books that are all about the relationship, and yet every single one she’s done in this series has been absolutely unique. I definitely recommend them. I think she’s marrying off the final Sullivan sibling, Lori aka Naughty, in LET ME BE THE ONE, releasing April 22. One thing I tend to do when I’m spending way too many hours caught up in writing is to find an older book and read that. For whatever reason, I grabbed a really old Harlequin Super Romance by Lori Handeland called MOTHER OF THE YEAR. It’s almost fifteen years old, but for whatever reason, I’d never read it. It was absolutely wonderful, and a reminder that there’s always life on those keeper shelves. How many of you have books you’ve read over and over? I’ve got a copy of LaVyrle Spencer’s HUMMINGBIRD that I think I’ve read a dozen times at least. I understand anyone’s desire to retire at some point, but there really ought to be a rule about favorite authors walking away from the job—I really miss her books. Enough rambling. It’s a beautiful day outside and I really need to get some work done on the story, but I’m hoping to get a walk in at some point. It’s definitely spring here, and everything is blooming. And yes, that picture is from my front yard. I’ve got a few copies of Dark Moon to give away this month—you can enter with the contest form to the right of this post (you might have to scroll down to find it--I'm still new at this!) and I’ll pull winners at the end of the week. I know it’s been a rough winter for a lot of you, but I really hope you’re finally getting some signs of spring. And as busy as things can get this time of year, don’t forget to leave time for yourself—and a good book. Take care, all, and be safe! Kate Follow this link for more on AUTHORS AFTER DARK  Winners of the February Newsletter Contest are:
Michele from Center, OH Emma from Burnham, PA Holly from Visalia, CA Henrietta from Lorado, WV Anna from Cincinnati, OH Christi from Ladson, SC Sandra from Seneca, SC Helen from Lancaster, CA Kay from Reno, NV Eva from Finland Mary Jo from New Zealand For those who want to know--each email is assigned a number when it arrives, and I run the total through a website called Random.org. as many times as I want winners. This month I was able to choose eleven winners (It's sort of arbitrary, how many winners there are, dependent upon the number of you who enter and how much postage I can afford!) I want to continue sending to international entries as well as in the US, though I do choose those in a separate drawing--one, to give you guys a better chance, and two, because international postage is so terribly high that I have to limit the number of those prizes I can give out. When I have ebooks to use as prizes, I can do more with my international readers. I actually had a number of entries using the website entry form, so I know that works just fine. The vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the website newsletter, so that's where it will be from now on. Thanks to all who entered! The books will go out on Monday. Kate |
I'm a romance author--I really love those happy endings, though I don't mind putting my characters through pure, unadulterated hell before they get there... Newsletter Contest:
Contests are back! I'm not totally settled, but really miss giving things away, so ready or not, I'm going to start slow. International entries are welcome, though I will have to limit International winners to ebooks. Postage costs are just too high. Your addresses will not be shared or sold--I respect your privacy. I will only collect addresses if I am giving away print books. I won't be doing that as much because I've got very few print books left in my stash, but I do have other things! Archives
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