Enjoy!
~Kate
Buy links are here.
Kate Douglas |
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Just a quick note to let you know that DARK REFUGE is available in all digital formats at All Romance eBooks and Smashwords, for Nook at Barnes & Noble.com and for Kindle at Amazon.com. It's also up at Kobo. Buy links are on my website, and I’ll add other retailers as they become available. Print should be out by the first of June, latest. Enjoy! ~Kate Buy links are here. Once again, using Random.org, I've picked four US winners and one International winner for copies of HOW TO WRITE HOT SEX edited by bestselling author Shoshanna Evers, an absolutely terrific compilation of "how to" essays from some of the top authors of erotic romance. The number of winners is fairly arbitrary--as I've said before, it depends on how many entries I get, how much postage I can afford in a particular month, and whether or not the books are publishers copies or I had to pay for them. I bought these, because I really think that, for those of you who want to write, it's a worthwhile tool to have. Reminder--contest ends April 24. Enter now!Heading into what is, for many, a holiday weekend, so I thought I’d go ahead and get my newsletter out so I can update you on what is and isn’t getting done here in Casa Douglas...I’m not working in my garden, but it's absolutely gorgeous, still. No, I am writing. A lot, but this is a whole new thing, working on contemporary romance, and I have to admit I’m enjoying it. It doesn’t have the dark edge my really sexy stuff has, but there’s a sweetness about the characters that I am really enjoying. The story is called TANGLED, and it’s a prequel to the series I’m writing for St. Martin’s Press. This one will be in an anthology with Lora Leigh and Shiloh Walker, so I’m really excited about the company I’m going to be keeping! DARK REFUGE is with my editor and we’re still shooting for an “end of May” release. I hope you’ll like this one—I’ve posted a two chapter excerpt (unedited) on my website on the Dark Refuge page that should give you a good feel for the story. Spring has been absolutely gorgeous here, and I’m looking forward to Sunday when we’ll be at a picnic in the country with family and friends. I always love the way even the older grandkids can suddenly revert when it appears the Easter Bunny has made his rounds. I think I mentioned reading an older book of Lori Handeland’s in my last newsletter—Lori also writes for my new publisher (SMP) and said she has released Mother of the Year after updating the story to fit the times. It’s now titled Out of Her League and is available as an ebook at all the regular retailers. A cautionary note, speaking of ebooks—there is a URL for one going around right now that offers every book I’ve written at very cheap prices. Be cautions—they’re a suspected phishing site based in China. We’re trying to get them shut down, but if you give them your credit card information, you could be setting yourself up for a lot of trouble. Some of these sites not only steal your personal data, they also plant malware on your computer capable of copying keystrokes and taking password information. The old Ann Landers saying, “if it looks too good to be true, it probably isn’t” is a good thing to remember when shopping online. And no, I’m not giving out the URL, as I don’t want to be responsible for anyone trying it out and getting burned. If you missed my notice on Facebook, there’s a new interview up with an different excerpt of Dark Refuge at AUTHORS INTERVIEWS. I had to laugh when our son’s mother-in-law emailed me and said she’d read it and found out stuff she didn’t know about me...I guess that means that if I had any secrets, they’re all gone now. I’ve been reading some excellent books--BLOOD WARRIOR by Lindsey Piper was excellent, and a terrific sequel to her first in the Dragon Kings series, CAGED WARRIOR. Lindsey Piper is also author Carrie Lofty, in case you’ve read her stories under that name. If you like gritty paranormal, you’ll love this series. Just last night finished reading THE DIRTY GIRLS BOOK CLUB by Savanna Fox, who also writes as Susan Fox and Susan Lyons—she’s great under any name, but this one was so good that I bought the next two in the series, DARE TO BE DIRTY, and BOUND TO BE DIRTY. Highly recommend the first, imagine the next two will be every bit as good. Also bought Robyn Carr’s newest, FOUR FRIENDS. If you’ll recall, I gave my signed copy away last month, but I know this is one I’ll want to reread, so when I saw it on sale, I bought that sucker! And yes, my book budget is shot all to hell this month...in fact, I have JR Ward’s, THE KING, sitting here taunting me, but can’t read it yet. Not until I finish the novella. I’m doing a different prize this month, something that’s aimed more at those of you who are writers or who would like to give fiction writing a shot. A couple of years ago, author Shoshanna Evers asked if I would participate in a collection of essays on HOW TO WRITE HOT SEX. I did, along with some very talented authors, and the book has been selling like crazy. I bought some copies to give as prizes because I know a lot of you are seriously writing or possibly just dabbling in writing sexy romances. There are so many good tips in this volume, that I’m sure you’ll find something you can use. Just enter in the form to the right—I’ll be giving away at least two copies, though if I have a lot of entries, I’ll give away more. The contest winners will—hopefully—be announced next Friday, so entries are open through Thursday, the first of May. For those of you who have sent entries even when the contest is closed, please realize that I don’t keep them. If you want to enter to win a copy of HOW TO WRITE HOT SEX, you’ll need to enter between now and next Thursday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, enjoy some decent weather (has it stopped snowing yet? Sheesh...snow in New Mexico in April? Weird. Just weird...) and don’t forget to find time to read a good book. Take care and be safe, Kate
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 Hi all! My goal was to get this out by the end of the week, and since my email started working this morning, I can finally do my newsletter. It’s been a crazy month, but the biggest project, my website, is done,and if you're reading my newsletter, you're here. Feel free to poke around, and if you see any typos, please let me know. I mentioned in my emailed newsletter that I was considering doing the newsletter on the website—I said I would pay close attention to your comments, and since everyone who wrote with an opinion liked the idea, I'm going to give it a try for next month. I just copied this month's newsletter in here for a test, but this is the way it's going to look for all future newsletters. Just a thought... I’m working on my next Spirit Wild story. Dark Refuge is Gabe Cheval’s story, and I’m still not sure who I’m pairing him up with. It’s going to depend on the chemistry. He’s in San Francisco to help Emeline Isobelle Cheval, Oliver and Mei’s daughter (and no relation to Gabe) find a women she thinks is Chanku. All they know is the woman is a prostitute and she’s in trouble, and I’m not sure if she’s going to be for Gabe, or if he might realize that little Emy-izzie is all grown up, (and yes, she absolutely hates that nickname) and has loved him for years. We shall see, but you never know with these things... I have read some amazing books this past month—most I can’t talk about because they were Rita entries I had to judge for RWA (Romance Writers of America) but I can tell you that there were some damned good stories in my batch of eight books. I also just finished—finally, because the website and Rita entries got in the way—Jayne Ann Krentz’s River Road. I saved it until I could read it without interruptions, and believe me, it was worth the wait. You all know I’m a huge JAK fan, no matter what genre/name she’s writing, but I think this latest book is one of her best ever. It’s a really good romantic suspense and one of the first books where I didn’t have a clue who the bad guy was going to be. Mason and Lucy are wonderful protagonists, so this book definitely gets my recommendation. It’s just flat-out good reading. Another really good book that I read isn’t even out yet, but Robyn Carr sent me a signed ARC of her new one called “four friends.” It’s different from her Virgin River or Thunder Point stories, more women’s fiction, and absolutely wonderful. If you’ve read her Summer in Sonoma, it’s a bit like that one, only grittier and darker. She takes four women, good friends and neighbors, all going through their individual crisis, and takes them through the full process from original pain to eventual healing. Their friendship and the way they help one another is so well done—it’s difficult to describe, but I really enjoyed this one. And, since I’ll be buying the book when it comes out, I’m going to give away one slightly used ARC, signed by Robyn, to one of you. I’ve also finally got more author copies of Dark Moon, so if you’re not interested in Robyn’s, or if you want a chance at that one but if you don’t win it would like a shot at a copy of Dark Moon, say that on your entry. Remember to send your mailing address and the title of the book you’d like to win: four friends or Dark Moon to katedouglas13@gmail.com. I'm hoping to set up a contest link here on the website if I can figure out how, but for now you'll have to send your entry to me. I’m keeping this short—promised the Lord of the Manor homemade enchiladas tonight, and have to get in there and make them. For those of you experiencing the winter from hell, I do hope you get some decent weather soon. For those out here on the West coast, a rain dance wouldn’t be remiss. Days in the seventies are absolutely gorgeous, but not when the hills are still brown. I hope all of you stay safe, no matter the weather, and here’s hoping we have an absolutely beautiful spring to make up for a really weird and not-so-wonderful winter. Remember to save time to read a few good books—it’s the best therapy out there. Take care, ~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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