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April 2018 "Not a Newsletter!" UPDATE!

4/15/2018

I HAVE A RELEASE DATE, THOUGH IT'S NOT AS SOON AS I'D HOPED--MY FAULT FOR GETTING IT IN SO LATE--BUT DARK CAPTIVE WILL RELEASE MAY 15. THAT WILL GIVE US TIME TO GET IT UP ON NETGALLEY FOR REVIEWS, AND HAVE IT RELEASE IN PRINT AS WELL AS EBOOK, HOPEFULLY AT THE SAME TIME. IT WILL ALSO GO ON PRE-ORDER AT A REDUCED PRICE AS SOON AS WE'RE ABLE TO GET IT UP. WATCH THIS SPACE, OR JOIN MY NEWSLETTER TO GET NOTICES IN YOUR INBOX WHEN I'VE POSTED SOMETHING NEW HERE.

Just an announcement as I don't have time for a newsletter right now. Doing the final read through of DARK CAPTIVE and will have it on my editor's desk if I have to be up all night. Between some health issues and putting the house up for sale so we can MOVE BACK TO THE COUNTRY!!! I've fallen way behind, but hopefully we will still get this out in April as promised.

Sorry if I've not responded to notes or notifications, but it's been crazy and so hard to get this done. It's a damned good story, though, and I think you're going to love Asha! I know Leo Chavel is certainly interested...

March 2018 Newsletter

3/31/2018

Okay, so I'm really sneaking in under the wire to call this my March newsletter, but it's been a crazy month...and I mean even crazier than usual! Husband and I have decided that we are most definitely NOT cut out for life in town. We've talked about moving back to the country for at least three of the six years since we moved here about going back to the country, and finally, earlier this month, we decided to quit talking about it and just do it. As my husband said, "I think we've got at least one more adventure left in us," and I have to agree. (And now you know why I adore this man--he gets me and really understands what's important.)

So, we contacted a realtor and are currently listed as "coming soon," while we pack up and otherwise hide all the clutter so we can make this house look its very best. We've taken a few trips to various places around the northern part of the state, exploring areas we'd like to live, and today we had a huge yard sale and "re-homed" a whole lot of stuff we honestly had no use for. In fact, I'd totally forgotten we even had a lot of what we got rid of today. I think we gave away as much as we sold!

In the meantime, I've been working on the edits for Dark Wolf, my opening book for the Spirit Wild series with plans to bring it out ASAP, and have also completed edits on A WOLF BY ANY OTHER NAME, which just came out at Changeling Press yesterday, and will release from Amazon, BN, Kobo, and iBooks on April 6. You can preorder from those vendors--just follow the links on my page by clicking on the cover above.

Remember that stack of books I showed you last month? Just a refresher shot of the photos here:

I've managed to read three of them--Jayne Ann Krentz's PROMISE NOT TO TELL, Robyn Carr's THE FAMILY GATHERING, and Susan Fox's COME HOME WITH ME. Click on the titles to see my reviews on Goodreads. I think Eileen Wilks' DRAGON BLOOD will be my next read.

Because of all that's going on right now, I'm not doing a contest. Waiting on edits for Dark Captive, and hopefully that one will go up in the next couple weeks. I'll let you know as soon as I have a definite release date.

I'll be off social networking the next few days--have a busy schedule including tests at the hospital for some minor issues, so if you contact me and I don't respond, it's because I've got way too much going on. I hope you're all doing well, and definitely hope you're finding time to read, and that spring has finally come to your part of the country, unless you're in the Southern hemisphere, where it's fall!

On that note, take care, be well, and I'll do this again in a few weeks -- hopefully with a contest this time!

Kate

February 2018 Contest Winners

3/2/2018

So far, I'm hearing only good things from my beta readers who are working on Dark Captive, which means I get to breathe a huge sigh of relief! I'm anxious to get this book out to my readers so I can see how this one goes over.

Just picked my newsletter winners! A copy of Dark Refuge just headed off to Eva in Finland, while Michelle has a copy of Dark Spirit headed her way, and Tracey will get her copy of Dark Terror when she tells me what format she needs...Tracey? Are you listening? Send me an email and tell me what you need.

I've finished reading my final book for the Romance Writers of America Rita contest, and they were all excellent. I love the Ritas because I almost always read books by authors I've never read before, and I am always pleasantly surprised by the wonderful stories. There are some truly talented romance authors out there--both men and women. I think the chance to read these amazing books is probably one of the biggest perks of belonging to RWA!

Which reminds me--I'm not going to be able to go to the conference in Denver this year after all. Was really looking forward to it, but we have some conflicts that just make it impossible. Next year is New York, so I'm hoping to go to that one. Always love the chance to spend time in the city!

Now though, I get to start on my own TBR pile. Starting tonight with Jayne Ann Krentz's PROMISE NOT TO TELL. I'm really looking forward to this one! (along with all the others, but I'm a one book at a time kinda reader)

And then, I'm headed off to bed. Have a track meet to go to tomorrow, where our grandson will be running and our daughter is the new high jump coach! Sarah held the school high jump record for a number of years, so it's really fun to see her coaching the team.

Thanks to all of you who entered, and congratulations to the winners.

All the best, and stay safe in this horrible weather we've got around the country right now. It's been blowing and raining here since yesterday, but California desperately needs the rain, so I can't complain.

Be well,

Kate

February 2018 Newsletter

2/25/2018

And what, you might ask, is that? It's a "maned wolf," native to South America, and one of the new characters in my Spirit Wild series. Santiago and his mate Sofia are Berserkers, caught up in the illegal trade of predators, currently living in pens at a wild animal refuge in Minnesota. If you click on the image, you should go to a YouTube video that explains what these fascinating creatures are really like--ever since I first saw photos of them, I've wanted to add them

to a book. Dark Captive was the perfect story to introduce them.

The real star of Dark Captive, however, is Asha, a beautiful snow leopard, also a Berserker, rescued by the Chanku. For those of you new to the series, Berserkers are a subspecies of Chanku shapeshifters who are born as animals and shift to human, unlike the Chanku who start out as human babies who can shift and become animals. The tragedy of the Berserkers is that they are fully sentient and aware that they can shift, but only if they've had the proper nutrients, those grasses from Tibet that the Chanku need to sort of jumpstart the genetic anomaly that powers their shift.

Berserkers were originally bred at the dawn of Chanku history to be the guardians of their people--they are the larger, more powerful fighters who were protectors of the Chanku. I'm still not sure what the role of the maned wolf was as a Berserker in the ancient history of the species, but I'm sure I'll find out in the next book.

And yes, Dark Captive is finally done. I've never taken as long to write one of my books as I have with this one, but I've never had as many interruptions, either! Still, I think you're going to enjoy the story. It's due out in early April, but tonight I'll be sending it to my beta readers and hoping they've got time to give it a good read for typos, etc.

I've been busy reading books for the RWA contest so haven't touched my stack of wonderful stories waiting for me in my TBR pile, but it's not been easy, staring at this fantastic collection and knowing I can't read them until I finish the book I'm writing (check!!) and the final book I'm judging (almost check!!) and then I intend to dive into JAK's PROMISE NOT TO TELL because it's been TAUNTING ME! (as have the others, though not for as long...) But is THAT a collection or what? I can't wait!!

Once I hear back from my beta readers, I'll get an excerpt posted on my website so you can see what this book's about. I've also got the rights back to Dark Wolf, the first in the series, so hopefully I'll be able to get it ready to re-release before too long. I'll be doing that one entirely on my own, so there will be a learning curve involved! Wish me luck.

And, to celebrate the fact that the BOOK IS DONE, I'm going to give away ebook copies of the winners' choice of Dark Spirit, Dark Refuge, or Dark Terror. If you need a refersher to figure out which one you'd like the chance to win, just click on the title and it will take you to that book's page.

On that note, I'm going to close for now. I don't get a wine break in the afternoons anymore, nor can I have coffee in the morning. I MISS MY CAFFEINE MORE THAN THE WINE! What does THAT tell you? Unfortunately, my ulcer is back and I'm having to heal up entirely before I can have either of my favorite beverages again. I've become a fan of Celestial Seasonings herbal teas, but they tend to put me to sleep, not wake me up when I want to write...

I hope Spring is beginning to make its appearance. Everything here is blooming and my yard is starting to look really pretty. I've posted a bunch of pictures from the yard on Instagram. You can find me there at katedouglas9383. I'm trying to learn to use the app, though I'm a slow learner when it comes to things on my phone. I have, at least, figured out how to post!

Take care, be safe, and don't forget to enter the contest if you're missing any of those books.

Kate

January 2018 contest winners!

1/16/2018

Congratulations to all of you who entered--and there are a LOT of you! Since the prize this month is a novella that is not available unless you can find an out of print anthology, and because it's a "sort of sequel" to a longer book that I've released through Beyond The Page Publishing that is totally NOT like my usual stuff, I'm sending a pdf copy of Dime Store Cowboy to everyone who entered my contest this month.

The main character, Mark Connor, was introduced in Cowboy in My Pocket, a romance I wrote back in 2000 that used--on purpose--every trope ever written in a cowboy romance. I essentially set out to write a parody of romances as a joke, and the more I wrote, the better I liked the way the book was turning out. Tag, the cowboy hero, needs a bride of convenience to save the family ranch, and his trusty side-kick finds one. Only he finds the wrong one. Instead of a barrel racer who has volunteered to play the bride, he drags home a woman he finds wandering along a mountain road who has amnesia...do you see where this one is going?

I had more darned fun writing this book. It ended up winning awards and getting a top pick review from Romantic Times Magazine. What's really funny is that before I sold it to a small epub, I actually had a verbal commitment from an editor at a large publishing house (that I will not name) who had no idea I was making fun of exactly the kind of romances her publisher is famous for. When the senior editor read it, the manuscript suddenly showed up on my doorstop, overnighted back to me!

The title of the book is COWBOY IN MY POCKET and I think it still holds up as a fun romance today. Tag, the hero, is based on my husband (yep, the clueless cowboy hero) to the point where, when our daughter was reading the book she said she had to stop when she got to the part where Tag and Lee were getting up close and personal.

Actual dialog: "Mom! I couldn't read it. I kept thinking of Dad when I read Tag's words, and THEN HE TOOK HIS PANTS OFF!"

Aren't kids great? Anyway, if you like the style of Dime Store Cowboy, you might enjoy Cowboy in My Pocket. And, btw, that's our son and his then girlfriend, now wife, on the cover. He's wearing his dad's cowboy hat, Mel's wearing my Levis, and Sarah was egging them on just out of the frame for the photo shoot. My husband took the picture--it was truly a family affair!

It's going to take me a while to get the copies all sent, but if you don't have yours by tomorrow afternoon, please drop me a note (email, please. I don't always catch all the Facebook messages and notifications, and I'm rarely on Twitter) so write to me at katedouglas13@gmail.com.

And contrary to what I said about reading JAK's new book, PROMISE NOT TO TELL, I got a whole stack of books I need to judge for a contest, so will have to read those first. That's not a bad thing, though. I've found some amazing authors while judging for contests! Jayne's book is sitting here taunting me, and it's the first one I plan to dig into after I'm through reading the contest entries. Then I've got Eileen Wilks' Dragon Blood, JR Ward's Blood Fury, and Susan' Fox's latest Blue Moon Harbor book, Come Home With Me. I'm gonna be so busy! But, they're incentive to finish my judging.

I hope you're not freezing wherever you are--weather has been yucky here, but nothing like a lot of the country where it's absolutely frigid! Stay safe, and watch for your copy of Dime Store Cowboy. I'll be sending them out shortly.

Kate

January 2018 Newsletter

1/9/2018

This is the one I've been waiting to show off--we finally came up with the perfect cover for Wolf Tales 12 Exposed, the final book in my Wolf Tales series, and the story that led to my Spirit Wild series.

This one should be up for pre-order (for those of you who haven't already read the book--this is a re-release of the original) for $2.99 on Saturday, January 13, and comes out January 23. At that time, the price will go up to $3.99.

This is really the story of the entire pack, a time when all of their tales sort of come together as they are faced with the greatest threat to the Chanku since they first discovered their shape shifting abilities.

If you click on the cover, it will take you to the Wolf Tales 12 Exposed page with an excerpt. Buy links will be active by Friday, January 12, though sometimes Nook and iBooks take longer. Once submitted, we have no control over the actual update. And yes, that makes my inner control freak go absolutely batshit crazy!

I've just gotten the rights back to more of my Kensington titles, which is sort of a mixed blessing. They're mine to sell at whatever price, which is good for readers since I keep them as affordable as I can afford to have them, but it takes time to get them back up for sale. I'm still working on Dark Captive, mainly because I took the entire month of December off. My husband had surgery and still can't walk (he had part of his foot fused, and it's going to take a long time to heal) plus the grandkids were all in town for the holidays. Sad husband and busy grandkids will always win out over anything else, even my fantasy world!

I've done some reading the past week or so, which has been a real treat. One beautiful story was a YA title by CC Hunter, aka my dear friend Christie Craig. Last year she told me about a story she wanted to write, about a young woman who has a heart transplant and then starts having strange dreams that she is convinced come from the donor of her new heart, who was a student at her school. The story is that Eric committed suicide, but his twin brother Matt and now Leah, as well, are beginning to think that maybe Eric was murdered. At least that's what the dreams are beginning to tell them.

If you click on the cover, it will take you to information about the book (which comes out February 27) including an excerpt. After hearing Christie's description of the story she planned to write, and knowing that her husband had just gone through a kidney transplant, I was really anxious to know how it all came together.

Honestly? It's amazing. I've got it out to read it again, but take a look at the excerpt and tell me you're not interested in this book!

Okay, so it's no secret that I'm a diehard JAK/Amanda Quick/ Jayne Castle fan, but I'm a creature of habit and I knew that this Amanda Quick historical wasn't set in a familiar historical setting--no, this one takes place in the 1930s in Los Angeles. It took me all of about three sentences before I was hooked. I think it was the glitz and glamor and a young woman on the run from a murder she didn't commit.

Or maybe it was just that I am such a huge fan of this author's work.

I don’t want to give away any plot points, but I will say this one also includes a sexy Hollywood leading man, a burned out, moderately disabled ex-magician, a higher than average number of dead bodies, and the aforementioned young woman on the run. And it's wonderfully romantic and left me smiling, but then that's what a truly good romance--and even romantic suspense--is supposed to do. I've got another of Jayne's books sitting here, taunting me, and I think this one just released. It's called PROMISE NOT TO TELL, and I haven't even allowed myself to read the jacket blurb because I am so far behind on my work.

ell, damn. As soon as I wrote that, I had to go read the cover blurb. And yes, it looks wonderful, and I imagine I'll have a full report by the time we have a contest winner. Yes...I'm planning to do a contest, but will figure out just what when I come back to work on this tomorrow. Right now it's 11 pm. and I'm fading fast.

Okay...it's officially tomorrow, and my "prize" is really for those of you who have read my romantic comedy, COWBOY IN MY POCKET. I wrote a sequel to that book that appeared in an anthology with Lori Foster called The Promise of Love. My story, DIME STORE COWBOY, is a stand alone story with characters from Cowboy in My Pocket. It's a short read, and not even available right now, but I will send a .pdf file to those selected as winners. I'm seriously considering going back to my romantic comedy roots for a bit, though I still want to do more Spirit Wild stories. Will see what you think of my Dime Store Cowboy... Just fill in the entry form (the one that says CONTEST ENTRY FORM!) and you'll be entered. Remember, I married a cowboy almost 46 years ago, so those guys in blue jeans, ten gallon hats and beat up boots will always be my hot button!

Have to add one more book that I just remembered--it was a BookBub freebie last month that I clicked on both because it was free and because I loved the cover. I also loved the book. Rimmel is the quintessential nerd on scholarship who has to tutor the campus jock, a guy appropriately named Romeo. The writing is wonderful, the characters absolutely spot-on, and the story way too much fun. It's impossible not to identify with Rimmel, unless, of course, you were the most popular girl in school. I never was--in so many ways, I was such a nerd that reading Rimmel's chapters (this is split with chapters in both Rimmel and Romeo's points of view) was sometimes absolutely painful, with the caveat that, thank goodness I'm past all that. I'm no longer a college nerd--now I'm just a grown-up one, but that is, for some reason, much easier to deal with! Anyway, check this one out, and take a look at the trailer as well, especially the outtakes. Really fun, and Cambria Hebert is definitely an author I need to read more of.

That's about it for now. I'm back into Dark Captive--started back at the beginning to refresh my memory and clean up some things I thought of while I was busy with holiday stuff--and the more I reread, the more I like my characters, especially Asha, the Berserker snow leopard learning to be human. She's definitely keeping Leo on his toes--and if you'll recall, Leo's character is one I misnamed in Dark Refuge, where I called him Aaron. That was a stupid mistake, but comes of having so many characters. When I was writing him into the book, I referred back to some of my old notes from the original Wolf Tales series where I had first named him Aaron. I should have looked at my own notes right here on my website! It's been corrected in the ebook version, but sadly the print is forever incorrect. You can see the full list of characters in my Chanku section of this site.

That's it for now. Remember, you can pre-order Wolf Tales 12 Exposure beginning Saturday for $2.99. If you've read some of my Wolf Tales books but not the final one, I'd suggest that you read 12. It's the one where so many of the things that happened in earlier stories are fully explained, and it sets up the world of the Chanku for the Spirit Wild stories I'm writing now. Enjoy!

I hope your holidays were happy and "flu free!" So many people out here in California have been sick this year, but they're saying that the flu shot makes it less dangerous even if the shot doesn't completely protect you from getting it. I want all of you healthy for the new year, and I do hope you can steal away for some time to read a good book.

Obviously, I've been stealing more time than I should! Need to get back to work, now.

All the best,
Kate

Happy New Year!

12/31/2017

And no. I really cannot believe it's already 2018...I thought 2017 would NEVER end...

However, I'm looking forward to 2018 after the tumult of the past year. I always feel hopeful at this time of year, and I think it's because our family is all together, the kids are growing and so much fun, and I see them as the promise of the future.

I've taken the past couple of weeks off, have barely checked email, and am instead spending time trying to center myself and find the optimist I used to be. She's in there somewhere, just pouting, I think. My new driver's license photo certainly didn't help. <snort> There's this old woman staring back at me, one I don't ever recognize because the photo is taken without glasses on, and I haven't been able to see me without glasses for about thirty years...so if that's how I really look, my sympathies to anyone I might run into in public!

I've not been reading all that much, not with six grandkids together in one town, though Doug and I have been taking it pretty easy as he recovers from surgery. He's using a knee scooter to get around--our 16 year old grandson suggested putting a motor on it. I think not...

As far as this writing gig of mine...I am first and foremost a reader, and I really do want to mention one book I was lucky enough to get an ARC for--THE PRISON OF THE ANGELS by Janine Ashbless. The Prison of the Angels is the third Book of the Watchers trilogy and the sequel to Cover Him With Darkness and In Bonds of the Earth. I've read and reviewed all three, but this final book absolutely blew me away. Highly recommended if you like dark and gritty erotic romances with an unbelievably cool ending. The first two do not have the HEA as the book has a total three book story arc, but if you read the first, I think you'll be hooked. Well worth reading.

Anyway, no contest this month, but hopefully next month. Wolf Tales 12, the final book in my first Chanku series, will be coming out in January. Details to follow, and hopefully a contest as well. I'll be getting back to work on Dark Captive, and then I'm not sure which of my reverted titles I plan to work on next. I may leave it up to readers--should I concentrate on the Dream Catchers erotic SF stories, The StarQuest erotic SF, or maybe my DemonSlayers series? If you've got an opinion, please let me know in the comments section. I honestly don't know which one to work on!

I have great hopes for 2018. My wish is for peace and civility in the coming year, and I truly hope that the attention being paid to the sexual assault and harassment of women doesn't go away, that the story doesn't die a worthless death. I've not posted anything regarding my own personal experience, though I've spoken openly with some of you about things in my past, but I can honestly say that many of the stories I've heard have triggered my own memories, and along with that a resolve to stop this now.

I truly hope that the world will finally pay attention to the lack of respect so often given women around the globe. Too many of us have our own #MeToo history. It's beyond the right time to make changes now. Have a wonderful New Year--if you party tonight, don't drink and drive. Find a safe way home! I've got a big pot of linguica and beans on the stove to take to a family gathering just outside of town. We will, however, be home early!

Happy New Year!

Be safe!
Kate

November contest winners announced!

12/5/2017

Sorry to take so long choosing winners and getting this posted, but in the past week I've had two books release (JUST A LITTLE MAGIC on Dec. 1, and the FERAL PASSIONS bundle today) a husband in and out of surgery, copy edits for the Wolf Tales 12 re-release, and more work on Dark Captive. Plus errands, since my spouse can't do them while he's recovering.

Finally, home at my computer once again, just in time to choose my winners for the November contest. Apologies for taking so long, but it was a week ago today that my husband had a fairly serious surgery and it's been a very busy few days.

Serious in that he can't walk until his foot heals--which will be many months--and this is a guy always in motion. So, he's zipping around the house with a knee scooter and driving me nuts, but at least he sailed through the operation with ease and is recovering a lot faster than I expected he would.

So, I ended up choosing two winners from the US and two from my international entries, and wouldn't you know it, a couple of Aussies are getting copies of DARK REFUGE. Congrats to both Donna and Pam in Australia, as well as Laura and Kim in the US, who should also have their copies by now. Since I know there are a lot of Lauras and Kims out there here in the states, if you check your email and find a copy of the book from me, you'll know you're a winner.

On that note, I'm off to rake leaves before we drown in masses of red and gold. Hope the holidays are wonderful in your household. I honestly don't know if I'll have time for a newsletter later this month. I'll send an email out to all who are subscribers to let you know. Take care, be well, and stay safe,

Kate

November 2017 Newsletter

11/24/2017

I do hope all of you who celebrated Thanksgiving this month survived the holiday with waistlines and mental faculties intact! I'm sort of rising slowly out of the food fugue and realized this morning that I'm running out of November and needed to get my butt in gear and get my newsletter out.

December is beginning to look like a crazy busy month. I've got two re-releases coming out, both absolutely as different from one another as night is from day, but the one thing they have in common is that they're both a lot of fun. FERAL PASSIONS is finally coming out as a three-book bundle from St. Martin's Press. This one has all three stories from the series: FERAL PASSIONS, WILD PASSIONS, and DANGEROUS PASSIONS. They're category length romances (around 60,000 words each) and all linked by the common thread of the Feral Passions Resort up in northeastern California. It's a longshot for the men of Feral Passions, but if they don't find mates, their pack is at risk of dying out altogether. What better way for a group of lonely werewolves to attract women than by setting up a luxury resort just for women in the beautiful Trinity Alps? It certainly seems like a good idea at the time...

JUST A LITTLE MAGIC is one of those novella length things I wrote for fun--it has a wannabe Santa who gets pink slipped and falls, quite literally, into the arms of a young woman who's just kicked her worthless boyfriend out of her life. They're both really likable characters; add in a whole slew of sex toys tied into the Christmas holidays, and I can promise you a smile. And yes, it really does work! If you preorder through the link on the cover above, you'll get a 15% discount off the price. At least I think it's 15%.
🙄
Links in the covers will take you to excerpts and pre-order/buy links for both books.

It's BLACK FRIDAY, a day when I absolutely refuse to shop. Life is too short to risk death and dismemberment in the chaos and mayhem that is the US on the day after Thanksgiving, though I understand the selling/shopping frenzy actually started ON Thanksgiving! Of course, our local Safeway had all their Christmas decorations up a week before Halloween, which is definitely pushing things a bit too much.

On the home front, we've had a gorgeous Fall season, with lots of color around town. I've been trying to find time to read, but haven't indulged as much as I like as I'm into the part of Dark Captive that's really keeping me glued to my own story. I love it when things happen when I'm writing that I hadn't expected, but it usually requires a lot of rewriting earlier in the story. Gotta make sure those facts all match up!

Here's the opening--this one has a totally different heroine, and I think this particular book is going to open up a bunch of new stories.

~~*~~

Tuesday, June 19, 2040
A small Hindu temple in rural New York State

She’d been pacing the tight space for hours now, and she’d lost track of the days since he’d locked her in this small building, a temple, actually. A temple built to honor the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

What other goddess would he worship? Asshole. He thought money was everything, but he was a fool. Unfortunately, the fool was gone and probably free as a bird, while she was trapped here with nothing but a selfish bronze goddess to keep her company. No help from her, unfortunately, or that bastard, either. He’d kept her on the edge of starvation for much too long—so long, in fact that in many ways her body had adapted to the lack of sustenance. She lived, but she had no reserves. Nothing left at all.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Right. That and a good meal would do the trick.

There was no way out, and the only water had been in a small decorative fountain near the altar. She drank the last of that yesterday. Or maybe the day before. It was hard to remember, but what was the point? No food, no water. No way out. She’d tried the door, but her huge paws slipped on the plain round knob. The windows were leaded glass, beautiful designs, actually, but much too thick to break. She’d tried throwing her body against the one she could reach.

Her head and shoulder still hurt.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. She was meant for better things. Her mother had promised that one day she would be free. Free to grow and learn, to walk among human men and women without fear. That dream had kept her going for as long as it could. Now? Not so much.

Sorry, Mama. I don’t think that’s going to happen. Memories of her mother’s beautiful face were clearer today. Maybe Mama was calling her. She sighed, hanging her head low. So hard to stand, but she couldn’t, wouldn’t give up. I’m not ready yet, Mama. I love you, but please. Just a few more years? A chance?

Raising her head, she glared at the statue. It stared back with dead eyes. She made another pass in front of the altar, but her vision grew fuzzy around the edges. She swayed in one place; then her back legs gave out. If she could have, she would have wept, but what good would tears do? It was too late for tears, too late to beg. Just too fucking late for anything. She tried to stand, failed. And tried again. The last time used what little strength she had left. With a soft cry, she gave in to the thirst, to the hunger. To the weakness. There was nothing left. But damn it all, she wasn’t supposed to die like this. There were too many left to save, and for them alone she had to live. If she died now, that regret would haunt her into the afterlife, and she didn’t want that particular sin staining her soul.

On the other hand, it was almost fitting that she fall before this particular goddess. The goddess of wealth. What a selfish bitch. Asha remembered her mother talking of another goddess, one who watched over them, except that goddess had somehow lost them. All of them.

Would she see her mother when she died? Asha wondered if there was anything at all after that final breath. She lay on the cold stone floor, her eyes on the goddess.

Except she wasn’t really a goddess, merely a statue made of bronze. But Lakshmi was the goddess filling Asha’s vision as the world finally went dark.

~~*~~

Asha is a snow leopard, a Chanku shifter of the Berserker race, one who is born an animal and cannot shift until they've had the Tibetan grasses that enable the physical changes needed to change from animal to human. She is also a victim of an active black market trade of endangered predators. Her captives don't know she's Chanku, only that she's a valuable snow leopard, one who is actually a lot smarter than most of the humans running the animal trafficking.

And yes, I am having way too much fun with this story!

Got to talk books, at least a little bit, right? I've definitely read some good ones the past few weeks. I just finished ICE, SNOW, & MISTLETOE by Jocelynn Drake, the sole author of this one, which follows another with some of the same characters that was every bit as good, WALKING ON THIN ICE. Her M/M romances are so much "more" than a lot of the stories I read, and she and her writing partner Rinda Elliott are full-on favorites of mine. I finished up the final book in their co-authored UNBREAKABLE series, IAN, which was absolutely wonderful, and then I segued right into their new series, WARD SECURITY for the first book, PSYCHO ROMEO. Sven and Geoffrey made brief appearances in the Unbreakable stories, and it was so much fun to see them really brought to life in this new book. I'm definitely looking forward to more from these talented authors, either on their own or together. Their names are linked to their sites with excerpts and info about all their books.

Another favorite of mine is Elizabeth Hoyt. I read DUKE OF DESIRE a couple weeks ago, and it was such fun. I have loved every book in this series -- I think it might be the final novel in the Maiden Lane series. There are also two novellas--one came out on the 21st, and there's another in a couple more weeks. Her name is linked to her website with information on all her books--and I've never read anything of this author's that I haven't loved. She's one of the few historical authors who is an autobuy for me! The other, of course, would be Amanda Quick, aka Jayne Ann Krentz. I love everything Jayne writes, though I'm waiting impatiently for something else from her Jayne Castle alter ego! (Illusion Town was over a year ago, m'dear!)

On the other hand, I've been pre-ordering books because there are just too many auto-buy authors out there and I don't want to miss a thing! Blood Fury: Black Dagger Legacy (1/9/18) and The Thief: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood (4/10/18)
by JR Ward, Promise Not to Tell (1/2/18) by Jayne Ann Krentz, and Burn Bright (Alpha and Omega) (3/6/18) by Patricia Briggs. Just a few to keep me going into the new year!

I'm doing a small contest this month--ebook copies of Dark Refuge to at least two winners, depending on the number of entries I get. I am asking for your country of residence. I need that information because I have a separate drawing for International readers, since you folks are a smaller group and I want to give you a chance to win something where you're not totally outnumbered! I also need to know what format you prefer--mobi (Amazon) epub (most others) or pdf. Fill that information out in the contest entry form, NOT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION! If you're on your phone, the contest entry form, which SAYS Contest Entry Form, might be at the very bottom of the page. On a computer it's off to the right. I'm hoping to draw winners before the end of the week, so enter asap.

And on that note, it's time to send this out and get back to work. Take care, be well, and always remember to be good to yourself and never forget to take time to read!

Hugs to all,
Kate

October Newsletter Winners

10/29/2017

First of all, I'm giving out four copies of DARK SPIRIT because I got a lot of entries this month, and since I have nothing but email addresses, I have no idea where anyone is from, so what I'm going to do is email you the copy of DARK SPIRIT in the format you requested, and will ask you to please let me know when you've received it, so I know you got your prize.

Congratulations, winners, and thank you all for entering!

Since I last posted, I've learned that the Feral Passions bundle is finally up for pre-order. This is the whole FERAL PASSIONS series, with all three complete books that appeared in the GROWL, WILD, and HUNGER print anthologies with Eve Langlais and AC Arthur.

It's a fun set of stories with a sexy group of werewolves who are desperate to find mates, not an easy thing when you live in a small, rural community in northern California. When they come up with a plan to built a resort and only invite sexy women to come and stay, nothing seems to go as planned. There's some suspense, a little bit of pure, unadulterated terror (I do love a good bad guy) and a whole lot of hot sex

If you click on the cover, it will take you to excerpts of all three books as well as buy links to preorder the bundle. The page is called WOLF GAMES, since that's the original name of the St. Martin's series that encompasses all three authors' books. And yes, I'm just too lazy to change it. This has been a very crazy-busy week, and there's another one starting tomorrow! Damn...

I did get some reading done, and all of the titles are live links that will take you to the author's page for that particular book. Joey W. Hill's VAMPIRE'S SOUL is absolutely amazing. I'm currently re-reading it. Also Nalini Singh's ARCHANGEL'S VIPER, and Elizabeth Hoyt's newest Maiden Lane story, DUKE OF DESIRE. I was also lucky enough to get an ARC of Nalini's newest contemporary romance series, HARD PLAY, called CHERISH HARD. It's coming out November 14, and I am so looking forward to more of these! Love her writing "voice!" All of these are absolutely terrific books, and a big reason why I'm so far behind on Dark Captive. After two weeks of fires and so much smoke in the air we couldn't go outside (and how the firemen do their jobs is hard to imagine, but they are all heroes in my book!) I've taken some time to catch up on my reading along with working on Dark Captive.

Copies of Dark Spirit are going out to the winners in just a few minutes. Please let me know if you get your copy. Winners are (shortened or w/online names) Drkhntrss, Lindal, annpatricia, and jessica m.

Hope all of you are well, that the weather where you live is behaving, and that you find time to read. Don't forget that Wolf Tales 11 Anton, is still available at the reduced preorder price until November 5. It comes out on the 6th.

Be well,
Kate

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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...

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 Newsletter Contest:
Contests are back! I'm not totally settled, but really miss giving away books, 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. That way I don't have to search for the winner after the contest.
I have these contests for fun, because I love to share my books.

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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...

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