The Editing Cave

Hi all. I woke up this morning thinking I've got exactly one week left to live, as I'm getting on another damn plane next weekend with my family. I'm not very happy about this, but what can you do? I don't want my kids to miss out on awesome opportunities just because their parents are wing nuts and terrified of setting foot on an aircraft.

Luckily, I've had lots of things keeping me busy with my writing. I've been deep in my editing cave for the past week, revising and editing my upcoming Carina release, Deadly Descent, and my upcoming first erotic romance release from The Wild Rose Press, Deacon's Touch. The contract for my next erotic novella (coming this winter from Carina), No Holds Barred, arrived this week and is winging its way back to the Harlequin offices as I type this.

On top of my edits, I also wrote and submitted another naughty novella this past week, and have been asked by my TWRP editor to write another. In all, I've edited over 150k words since last weekend. I'm pretty proud of myself :) So, basically my desk is clear for the next couple weeks. I hope to plot out and maybe begin the requested novella this week, but I'll try to work on my next military romantic suspense novel for Carina during the flights. Lord knows I won't be sleeping, so I might as well make use of the time and get something accomplished, right?

I'll definitely keep you posted on release dates or any more contracts that come my way. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Kaylea :)

Guest Blogging With Katie Reus

I'm anticipating line edits for Deadly Descent in the next week or two, and in the meantime I'm working on another short hot story for Carina. That's a lot of fun, but today the awesome Katie Reus is hosting me on her blog, as part of her 30 Days of Danger and Secrets party. I'm talking about Special Operations and why I love writing about them, specifically why I use those elite soldiers as my heroes. Kind of self explanatory, I think, but I know there are people out there who don't share my love of the subject. (Blasphemy! Who are they? I want names and e-mail addresses!)

Today I'm featuring Cover of Darkness, but the winner can choose any book from my backlist. Stop by and leave a comment to enter!

Aloha Bound

I'm going to Hawaii in a couple weeks, but part of me is already there because Kim Adams of SOS Aloha has hosted Luke and I over on her awesome blog. She interviewed him for this piece, which I thought was kind of neat, and we get to hear about his Valentine's Day plans with Emily.

If you'd like to pop by and leave a comment, you'll be entered into the contest for a copy of Absolution. And Kim's not only an Air Force veteran; she's made of pure awesomeness. When I told her I was coming to Hawaii (she lives there) she didn't just say "Yay, good for you!" and leave it at that. Nuh-uh. She e-mailed to say she's going to have a tour guide of the big island, written by a local, waiting for me at the front desk when I arrive. And she might even look into flights so we can meet up while I'm there! Talk about above and beyond the call of duty.

I swear, people in the romance community--writers, editors, agents, bloggers and reviewers--are among the most generous people on earth. I love networking like this, because it means meeting more people like Kim.

Mahalo, Kim!
Kaylea :)

Plugging Away

Got some more good news to share this past week, and thank goodness for that because the week before that wasn't great. My Carina editor sent back the first round of edits for Deadly Descent, and my laptop died the very next day. Seriously! You have no idea how frustrating that was, but at least I'd thought to save a backup version on a flash drive. It took the better part of a week to get a new laptop up and running with what they could salvage from my old hard drive. I wound up losing all my e-mails and I didn't get any work done at all for those four days. But since then, things have perked up for me.

A couple days after I sent back my first round of edits, Angela James of Carina Press contacted me (by e-mail this time, though I still have her voice message saved on my machine from November, and I don't care if that's pathetic) to say she'd read and loved the short erotic romance I'd subbed to them. After she passed it onto another editor who loved it too, they offered me a contract! It's tentatively called No Holds Barred, but it might be changed somewhere down the line and I'll keep you posted. I had so much fun writing it and finished it within a week. It's short and hot and will probably release sometime in late summer or early fall. My erotic romance editor over there seems like a lot of fun with a great sense of humor, so I'm looking forward to working with her.

The picture above is blurry, but it's the new journal I bought myself on Etsy, my new favorite place to shop because everything there is made by artisans. Like it? It's handmade, and ultra French-girly, which is right up my alley, with a big satin ribbon rose and vintage pearls in the center. So pretty! Oh, the things I've bought there... The accounting department is less than thrilled :)

I always treat myself to a new journal before I begin plotting a new project, and this one is sure to keep my muse inspired. I'm currently plotting out a new hot short story and then I'm going to dive into Deadly Descent's sequel, tentatively called Crash and Burn.

Also, next week I'm blogging with Kim at SOS Aloha on the 15th, and the awesome Katie Reus on the 17th. Oh, and I guess I didn't tell you, but I'm biting the bullet and flying to Hawaii with my family for a couple weeks in early March, so I'll be sure to ask you all for more arm flapping.

Dangerous Secrets

It's the official release day for Katie Reus, and her new book Dangerous Secrets, from Carina Press. Katie also writes erotic romance under Savannah Stuart, so this is the first romantic suspense release under her other pen name in a long while and she's very excited about it!

As usual, the cover gods love her and have awarded her another gorgeous one. If you look at her backlist, you'll know what I mean.

Here's the blurb:
Isabelle Ballantine has been fighting for independence since she was old enough to walk. Now that she's finally out from under her father's shadow, she won't let anyone stand in her way. It's tough living on her own, working in a bar and keeping her true identity a secret, but things start to look up when a sexy new stranger walks into her life. After working side by side for weeks, Izzy can't figure out why he won't make a move...
To cinch the deal of a lifetime, Adam Marcellus agrees to help Izzy's eccentric father convince his daughter to move home. He'd assumed Izzy would be another spoiled rich princess, but he's surprised to discover his feelings for her are stronger than anything he's ever experienced. When a deranged stalker targets her, Adam finds himself fighting not only an unknown threat—but an unexpected attraction to the one woman he can't have...

You'll love Katie's writing style, and she's got another upcoming romantic suspense release with Carina in late summer. To purchase Dangerous Secrets, click here.

Katie Reus's Days of Danger & Secrets

It's February 1st! Know what that means? It's a full month of prizes and giveaways over at author Katie Reus's blog. Today she kicks off the celebration with guest author Cynthia Eden, who's giving away a copy of her newest release, Deadly Heat. Stop by today and all month long to meet this talented list of authors and win some prizes.

Also, be sure to check out Katie's new romantic suspense, Dangerous Secrets, coming out from Carina Press on Feb 7th. I'm very excited about this book and there's another one coming out from her later this summer that will knock your socks clean off.

I'm going to be guest blogging with Katie on Feb. 17th, so be sure to come by and say hello for a chance to win one of my books too :)

Happy reading!
Kaylea :)