Last Day in Paradise

Today's our last day in Kauai, and we're on a red-eye flight late tonight so we'll be homeless vagabonds for the whole day once we check out of the hotel. We were here for my cousin's wedding last week and made a vacay out of it, only I got super sick and DH came down with it yesterday. It's like the plague, I swear. I missed several activities I've been looking forward to since last year, but there was no help for it as I spent two full days flat on my back in bed and still have a long way to go until I'm back to normal. I can't believe we're spending all this money to sit in our hotel room most of our stay! Gah.

I did have fun early on in the trip though. I finished up copy edits on Lethal Pursuit (out September 16th), then took both my boys out on a Zodiac whale watching tour with a marine biologist. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you already know how much I love humpbacks. Well. Not only did big weasel get to drive the same kind of boat the Navy SEALs use (holy awesome!), but the marine biologist had a hydrophone with her so we got to listen to the male singers sing beneath the water. So cool! (All humpback "singers" are male, but not all males sing, and they only sing in tropical waters. Also, the humpbacks don't eat while they're here, and won't until they go back to their northern feeding grounds for the summer in Alaska, etc. They fast for months while they're here to mate and give birth.)

I've been recording every documentary I could find about humpbacks for the past few months, so both the boys were well versed in whale trivia before we got here. We wound up seeing quite a few whales, and the most surface activity the marine biologist has seen all season long. Woot! I was a very wet, salty and happy camper. I hope the boys will never forget the experience, because I know I won't.

And look what I managed to catch on video! How amazing is that?! (I still get goosebumps watching this.)

The other neat thing that happened while we were here is that I received notification that Darkest Caress has been nominated for the best paranormal romance of 2012 by The Romance Reviews. I was pretty tickled about that. The paperback version goes out to Harlequin's PNR subscribers in June. Can't wait to hold it in my hands!

Once I get home I've got administrative stuff to catch up on, then I have to finish up my latest r/s manuscript and figure out what to do with it. Not relishing the thought of another long flight over the open ocean, so please flap your arms for us tomorrow night! (I love flying, I love flying, I love flying...)

Aloha! See you on the flip side ;).

Release Day!

It's been a long time coming, but Tactical Strike has officially been unleashed upon the world! There are a lot of military terms used in the story, but don't worry, because Ryan has thoughtfully included a glossary of terms at the end for your reference. What a guy.

Also, if you're on Twitter, I'm having a party there tonight and giving away prizes if you're interested in coming by (see details below).

Hope you enjoy Ace and Ryan's story!

Kaylea :)

New Books and Giveaways

I'm over at Just Romantic Suspense today, giving away books and the low down on USAF Combat Controllers and talking about the hero of Tactical Strike, Staff Sgt. Ryan Wentworth. (Yum!)

Last week I got some good news, and found out that Darkest Caress is a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contest! Yay, Daegan and Liv!

Also two of my favorite authors have new books out today. The first is Mating Instinct, by Katie Reus. This is the 3rd book of her paranormal romance Moon Shifters series, and Jayce is my favorite hero of the series. Gah! He's so macho-alpha-protective-smexiness.

Blurb: Surviving for centuries, powerful lupine shifter Jayce Kazan managed to stay away from humans until he met Kat Saburova and was consumed by the need to protect her. But while Jayce shared his passion with the human seer, he refused to make her his bondmate--a refusal that caused the end of their relationship.

A year later, an attack that left Kat near death has resulted in another lupine shifter turning her. Furious that he wasn't the one to save her, Jayce is determined to show Kat that he is the one she should rely on. But the newly turned shifter is still traumatized and worried that she'll hurt those she loves, unless she can learn to control her inner wolf.

And as Jayce struggles to protect Kat from her own worst instincts and convince her to rekindle
their love, the extremists who almost killed her are looking to finish the job...

Click here for the Kindle link. 

The second book is Uncommon Pleasure, by Anne Calhoun. I adore Anne's writing, and so far my favorite book by her is Liberating Lacey. I can't wait to read this new book!

Blurb: In “Over the Edge,” after a tragic incident during Ty Hendricks’ last tour of duty, he cut off all connection with anyone he cares about—until a night with Lauren Kincaid draws him reluctantly back into the world. Lauren sees a wounded man in danger of losing everything to his inner demons, but the sensual, no-holds-barred fight for Ty’s soul could cost Lauren her heart.

In “All on the Line,” Abby Simmons fell hard for Lieutenant Sean Winthrop, but he sacrificed their relationship when he deployed to Afghanistan. Now he’s home, full of regrets and intent on winning back the woman he never forgot. Abby gives Sean her body but holds her heart aloof, until one night of pleasure forces her to choose either her U.S. Marine...or life without him, forever.

Click here for the Kindle link.

Tactical Strike Blog Tour

Tactical Strike releases in one week! I'm celebrating with a blog tour, and at each stop I'll be giving away books, so I hope you'll stop by to enter the giveaways. Here's the info:

Tactical Strike

by Kaylea Cross

March 4 – 15, 2013

 

Gunship pilot Captain Candace Bradford has worked long and hard to earn her rank and position within the male-dominated world of Air Force Special Operations. She’s not about to let anything or anyone jeopardize that, let alone one sinfully tempting man who seems determined to cause her nothing but trouble. Even if she’s starting to fall for him.
As an elite Combat Controller, Staff Sergeant Ryan Wentworth is used to overcoming adversity in order to complete a mission. Breaking through Candace’s prickly exterior and into her heart is a challenge he can’t let go. But just when he’s begun to gain her trust, they’re thrown together in the field facing an overwhelming enemy force.
Candace and Ryan find themselves on the run, searching the skies for an emergency extraction. But one dangerous enemy has an agenda in mind and he’ll use whatever means necessary to achieve it, including using American forces to do his dirty work.

Website   |    Blog   |   Goodreads   |   Twitter   |   Facebook

Tour Stops:

Week of March 4:

3/4: Book Lovin’ Mamas
3/5: Just Romantic Suspense
3/6: My Reading Obsession
3/7: Thoughts in Progress
3/8: Hesperia Loves Books
3/9: Ramblings From This Chick

Week of March 11:

3/11: Book Lovers Inc.
Twitter Party tonight!! 7-8PM EST #TacticalStrike
3/12: Butterfly-o-Meter Books
3/13: Cocktails & Books
3/14: Ex Libris
3/15: The Book Pushers