At least one of those dudes in the top shot is the daddy, but they're not talking. No, the guys are all hanging out together in our pond while Mama corrals ten baby ducklings. Not all of them got in this next photo, but they hatched today and hit the pond, pigging out on bugs and driving Mama crazy. Can you imagine corralling ten little day-old babies
that can swim--really, really fast?
Nope. Me, neither.
that can swim--really, really fast?
Nope. Me, neither.
Now that I've got the big news posted, I'm posting bigger news. Kensington is running a sale on the ebooks of my Wolf Tales novels and novellas. All the novels from Wolf Tales VII through Wolf Tales 12 are currently .99, and the sale will run until June 2, so if you've always wanted to fill in some empty spots in the second half of the series, or quit buying the series after Wolf Tales VI, you can fill in the rest and find out what all happened. I've got excerpts of all of them here on the website.
After more false starts than I want to admit, I've finally got a handle on Dark Stranger. This "discovery period" has taken me longer than usual--instead of counting my time in days, it's more like months, and I've probably thrown away the equivalent of half a book from false starts, but I think I've finally got a decent start on it. I'm paying for the time away from writing, and while I know I needed it, it's making it tough to get back into my normal flow. It took me forever to figure out why Sofia, the maned wolf and Santiago's mate, was afraid to shift. Once she explained it, her hesitation finally made sense, but she needs to get her butt in gear because the team is ready to go after the captured predators--untold numbers of them Berserkers caught up in the illicit predator trade--and she and Santi are the ones holding them up.
I'm keeping this short, but I wanted to let you know about the sale, and also to assure you that I'm definitely working on the book. Once I feel as if I've got a chapter that will give you an idea of what's going on, I'll post it as an edit to this newsletter. No contest this month, but time is something I just don't have enough of. At least I can see! My cataract surgery went well, and I finally got glasses, though I'm not real happy with the ones I got at Kaiser. I got my computer glasses and sunglasses at Costco, and they're perfect, but my regular glasses fall off my face if I look down. Not good! Need to go back and see if they can adjust them--again. It's a 40 minute drive, so not a trip I want to take if that's the only reason I'm going!
I'm keeping this short, but I wanted to let you know about the sale, and also to assure you that I'm definitely working on the book. Once I feel as if I've got a chapter that will give you an idea of what's going on, I'll post it as an edit to this newsletter. No contest this month, but time is something I just don't have enough of. At least I can see! My cataract surgery went well, and I finally got glasses, though I'm not real happy with the ones I got at Kaiser. I got my computer glasses and sunglasses at Costco, and they're perfect, but my regular glasses fall off my face if I look down. Not good! Need to go back and see if they can adjust them--again. It's a 40 minute drive, so not a trip I want to take if that's the only reason I'm going!
I've not been doing as much reading as usual, but did just finish a wonderful book by C.C. Hunter aka Christie Craig, called, IN ANOTHER LIFE. I love her YA stories, and this is one of her best yet. Chloe was adopted when she was three, and her life has been idyllic until recently--her parents are divorcing. Dad's had a mid-life crisis and has a girlfriend who's not much older than Chloe, and her mother is barely recovering from breast cancer. Even worse, she and her mom have moved away from the home she's lived in since her adoption, which means she's starting a new school in her senior year. Things look up when she meets Cash Colton--until she learns that the good looking guy she's drawn to believes she is the kidnapped daughter of his foster parents. This one didn't go where I expected it to, and I quite literally could not put it down. I definitely recommend this one, and if you've got teens who love to read, buy this book!
Another book I read, this one last month (I know...one of the months I didn't do a newsletter, but when there's not much news, it's hard to know what to write!) was Robyn Carr's THE VIEW FROM ALAMEDA ISLAND. I am an unabashed fan of Robyn's, and this was another terrific story. In this case, it's a woman who has lived in what everyone thinks is the perfect marriage, but it's been a hellish experience with a cruel and controlling man. When she chooses to walk away, it's a well-planned escape that doesn't go exactly as planned, but again, it was a wonderful book. If you like Robyn's writing as much as I do, you will definitely love this one.
Saving the best for last--I haven't read this one yet, but it's Jayne Ann Krentz writing as Amanda Quick, so I know I'm gonna love it. It's the third in the Burning Cove, California trilogy, and THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, and THE OTHER LADY VANISHES were wonderful. I'm going to steal Jayne's synopsis of this new story--it definitely got my attention, and I love this cover!
An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a top secret invention before it’s too late.
Former trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn moved to Burning Cove to reinvent herself, but things are not going well. After spending her entire inheritance on a mansion with the intention of turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, she learns too late that the villa is said to be cursed. When the first guest, Dr. Norman Pickwell, is murdered by his robot invention during a sold-out demonstration, rumors circulate that the curse is real.
In the chaotic aftermath of the spectacle, Amalie watches as a stranger from the audience disappears behind the curtain. When Matthias Jones reappears, he is slipping a gun into a concealed holster. It looks like the gossip that is swirling around him is true—Matthias evidently does have connections to the criminal underworld.
Matthias is on the trail of a groundbreaking prototype cipher machine. He suspects that Pickwell stole the device and planned to sell it. But now Pickwell is dead and the machine has vanished. When Matthias’s investigation leads him to Amalie’s front door, the attraction between them is intense, but she knows it is also dangerous. Amalie and Matthias must decide if they can trust each other and the passion that binds them, because time is running out.
This book releases May 7, and the cover links to Jayne's website with info on the other two stories.
All three of the books I've mentioned tonight are by authors I admire more than you can imagine. Each of them consistently puts out entertaining, beautifully written stories that can take me away from just about everything. If not for the chance to enter their worlds, I don't think I would be able to write. It's such an intense profession, that the opportunity to escape into another writer's world is a gift. All three women--Christie Craig, Robyn Carr, and Jayne Ann Krentz are not only amazingly talented writers, they have become good friends over the years.
Probably the best perk of writing romance is getting to know the talented authors I've fan-girled over for years! I have most of JAK's books going back to her days as Stephanie James writing Silhouette Desires! That's two bookshelves packed two levels deep, from Jayne Ann Krentz to Jayne Castle, to Amanda Quick...and dear old Stephanie!
The thing that amazes me most is that their books are ALWAYS good. I've never read a wall-banger from any these women. Far from it--their books are the ones on my keeper shelves and most of them have tattered pages because I've reread them so many times. And I will admit to something that's probably going to sound really petty--I never, ever loan their books! I used to, many years ago, and then I realized that they didn't always come back and I had to buy them again because someone else had kept MY copy! Totally unforgivable, and I bet there are a lot of you who are just as bad.
On that note, I need to get back to Dark Stranger. Still have another hour of writing time, and Doug will be off on a bike ride tomorrow, so I'll be able to have the house to myself. SO much easier to write when the Lord of the Manor is elsewhere. ;-)
All the best to you, and thank you for being so patient. This is too damned long to go between books. Hopefully I'll get back into my regular writing schedule, and we can forget this little lapse ever occurred. Right? Uh...please?
Take care, be well, and I hope the weather where you live eventually realizes it's spring and snow is not welcome. Nor is rain, or tornadoes, or any other yucky extremes. That's it for now!
Kate
An unconventional woman and a man shrouded in mystery walk a tightrope of desire as they race against a killer to find a top secret invention before it’s too late.
Former trapeze artist Amalie Vaughn moved to Burning Cove to reinvent herself, but things are not going well. After spending her entire inheritance on a mansion with the intention of turning it into a bed-and-breakfast, she learns too late that the villa is said to be cursed. When the first guest, Dr. Norman Pickwell, is murdered by his robot invention during a sold-out demonstration, rumors circulate that the curse is real.
In the chaotic aftermath of the spectacle, Amalie watches as a stranger from the audience disappears behind the curtain. When Matthias Jones reappears, he is slipping a gun into a concealed holster. It looks like the gossip that is swirling around him is true—Matthias evidently does have connections to the criminal underworld.
Matthias is on the trail of a groundbreaking prototype cipher machine. He suspects that Pickwell stole the device and planned to sell it. But now Pickwell is dead and the machine has vanished. When Matthias’s investigation leads him to Amalie’s front door, the attraction between them is intense, but she knows it is also dangerous. Amalie and Matthias must decide if they can trust each other and the passion that binds them, because time is running out.
This book releases May 7, and the cover links to Jayne's website with info on the other two stories.
All three of the books I've mentioned tonight are by authors I admire more than you can imagine. Each of them consistently puts out entertaining, beautifully written stories that can take me away from just about everything. If not for the chance to enter their worlds, I don't think I would be able to write. It's such an intense profession, that the opportunity to escape into another writer's world is a gift. All three women--Christie Craig, Robyn Carr, and Jayne Ann Krentz are not only amazingly talented writers, they have become good friends over the years.
Probably the best perk of writing romance is getting to know the talented authors I've fan-girled over for years! I have most of JAK's books going back to her days as Stephanie James writing Silhouette Desires! That's two bookshelves packed two levels deep, from Jayne Ann Krentz to Jayne Castle, to Amanda Quick...and dear old Stephanie!
The thing that amazes me most is that their books are ALWAYS good. I've never read a wall-banger from any these women. Far from it--their books are the ones on my keeper shelves and most of them have tattered pages because I've reread them so many times. And I will admit to something that's probably going to sound really petty--I never, ever loan their books! I used to, many years ago, and then I realized that they didn't always come back and I had to buy them again because someone else had kept MY copy! Totally unforgivable, and I bet there are a lot of you who are just as bad.
On that note, I need to get back to Dark Stranger. Still have another hour of writing time, and Doug will be off on a bike ride tomorrow, so I'll be able to have the house to myself. SO much easier to write when the Lord of the Manor is elsewhere. ;-)
All the best to you, and thank you for being so patient. This is too damned long to go between books. Hopefully I'll get back into my regular writing schedule, and we can forget this little lapse ever occurred. Right? Uh...please?
Take care, be well, and I hope the weather where you live eventually realizes it's spring and snow is not welcome. Nor is rain, or tornadoes, or any other yucky extremes. That's it for now!
Kate
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