Kaylea's Corner: The Inside Scoop on Romance Writing Today

Home Safe and Sound

2012-01-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

I'm back from the Gulf Coast! Had an ugly time getting down there, with three separate mechanical issues on our plane that required our captain to land halfway to Dallas to refuel because one of our fuel tanks wasn't working. Of course I was convinced our plane would kill us all. You can imagine my relief when we finally landed safely in Dallas/Ft. Worth. I missed my connecting flight to Mississippi by three hours, and by the time I finally got another one, I rolled in six hours late.

Had a great time visiting my pal Katie Reus, and her family. We toured ex-Confederate president Jefferson Davis's post Civil War summer home, Beauvoir, and ate some really great Southern BBQ.

We took some long walks past beautiful houses like these:

I even spent some time on a white sand beach enjoying the warm sunshine.
The trip back was smooth, though I came home to subfreezing temps and snow--something we don't get a lot of here in the greater Vancouver area. Snow's supposed to stay up in the mountains where it belongs!

I didn't get very much writing done while I was away, but who can blame me? Had a good time and my whole family was ecstatic to see me again. Sometimes it's good to go away for a bit on my own!

Mississippi Bound

2012-01-09T09:34:00.000-08:00

Just found out this weekend that I'm going to Mississippi on Thursday! I'll be spending a few days down there in the comparatively warm temperatures visiting my pal, author Katie Reus, and I can't wait! Well, I mean I'm not looking forward to the flights, which is why my hubby didn't tell me until Saturday afternoon even though he booked the ticket for me in early December. Gives me less time to stress, was his reasoning.

Not sure what we'll wind up doing down there exactly, but I don't really care as long as we get to hang out together. At some point she'll probably wind up tying me to a chair someplace to make me bang out another chapter while I'm there. She's tough like that ;) Plus she keeps freaky weird hours and gets more done by 7 am than most people do in an entire business day. I have high hopes she'll let me sleep in until 7 every morning, but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I don't know if I can interest her in doing some Civil War site tours or maybe a day trip into New Orleans, but for sure I'm going to insist we go eat at a BBQ place we ate at last time down there. My man is gonna be so jealous!

So everyone please send good thoughts and flap your arms for me on Thursday. Uh, and when I fly home on the 17th, too. I'd appreciate it!

Happy New Year! Almost...

2011-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

Bring on 2012! Did you make any resolutions for the New Year? I have. I'm gonna bust out of this awful literary constipation I've got going on, or die trying. Hopefully I won't have to die to get through it.

The holidays were nuts around here. Little weasel was really sick the week leading up to Christmas, and the two nights prior (including Christmas Eve), he woke up screaming and writhing around in his bed, holding his head. Fever, vomiting, the whole nine yards. I wound up having to take him to Emergency on Christmas Day, and our whole day fell apart.

I'm beginning to think it's normal to spend Christmas Day at the hospital, since it was six years ago to the day when I hemorrhaged and wound up in the maternity ward while I was six months pregnant with him, then put on total bed rest thereafter. As it turns out, that's when I started getting serious with my writing and wound up publishing Out of Her League because of it. Had I not been bedridden, I don't know if I'd ever have taken it so seriously. Isn't life strange sometimes? Little weasel's okay now, but this was not a fun Christmas for any of us. Hope you all had a better holiday!

On a brighter, happier note, in celebration of the New Year, my amazing pal Katie Reus has a humongous contest starting January 1st and running through mid-February. She's got a romantic suspense release on January 2nd (His Secret Past), along with that naughty Callie Croix's newest erotic romance (Touch Me), and then the first of her major New York published books comes out from NAL on February 7th. Alpha Instinct is the first of at least five books in her Moon Shifter series, so if you love paranormal romance featuring kick-ass shifters, you're in for a real treat.

Katie's giving away all kinds of prizes, including books from authors like me and Cynthia Eden. The grand prize is the newest Kindle from Amazon. To see the details and find out how to enter, go here. I hope a lot of you will sign up for this awesome contest!

Callie Croix Release Day

2011-12-16T03:09:00.000-08:00

That naughty Callie Croix has another release today. Dillon's Claim, the sequel to Deacon's Touch, is officially out and this eldest Dumen brother is quite the sexy alpha cowboy!

There are a couple of contests going on with giveaways for the book, so you can check out the info on Callie's personal blog.

Hope all of you are ready for the upcoming holiday madness! I've got all my shopping and wrapping done, so that's a huge relief. But if my Callie persona lands me on Santa's naughty list, I'm going to be ticked :) (You won't tell him, right?)

Let the Countdown Begin

2011-12-05T09:40:00.000-08:00

Less than three weeks until Christmas! My kids are tearing through their advent calendars each morning and hubby has the front yard looking as festive as the inside of our house. My shopping is essentially done, and all I have to do is my baking and wrapping.

We're hosting Christmas dinner on Boxing Day this year, because it's hubby's side of the family's turn, and a few relatives can't make it on the 25th. There'll be 15 of us, so I'll have to do up lots of dishes to make sure everyone has enough to eat while ensuring we have lots of leftovers.

I got a lovely email yesterday from Rhonda Penders (editor-in-chief) of The Wild Rose Press, and I had to smile. Meeting her and my TWRP editors at that Texas dude ranch was wonderful on both a personal and professional level. It makes all the difference when you meet and actually spend time with the folks you work with, and it's no different in the publishing world.

Callie Croix has another release next Friday, the sequel to Deacon's Touch. Dillon's Claim features Dillon (yeah, you'd never guess that from the title, right?), the eldest Dumen brother. He's quite the alpha male :).

Hope everyone out there is handling the December chaos well! Happy holidays to everyone.

Voila! French Bathroom Transformation.

2011-11-27T11:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it took almost 7 weeks, but the master bathroom face lift is finally complete! I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I've been wanting to make some changes since soon after we moved in, as things were starting to break/peel/chip and generally just feel dated.

To make a long story short, it was actually the shower I hated since day one because of a bulkhead drop wall that trapped all the steam inside and made the paint in and around the shower peel and get all moldy. Ick. I was so sick and tired of sanding and repainting in the shower all the time! Once I got the accounting department's permission, it was go time on this bathroom operation.

Here are the before shots I took:

If you look closely in the above shot, you can see some of the paint peeling along the edge of the bulkhead "drop" wall that goes across the shower. So annoying.

The old vanity and sink with peeling counters and trim. It looks much better in the picture than it did up close, believe me. You'll just have to take my word for it :)

And... *drum roll* Here are the after shots!

Ta-da! Nice clean, modern shower, with no more bulkhead or peeling paint. Because the rest of the room is so girly, I went with plain white subway tiles and an accent of silver and black mosaic, colors reflected in the rest of the bathroom. I thought hubby would appreciate a hint of masculinity. The shower head is the neatest I've ever seen; a rain head with a center detachable spray head, so we can clean the walls easily. So very cool.

Beautiful new black granite vanity with silver flecks in it, a new undermount sink and brushed silver Victorian faucet with French writing on the knobs. I love putting together little details like that!

Pretty robin's egg blue paint on the walls, a fresh coat of white on all the trim, some French decor I had all kinds of fun picking out, and then I gave the clawfoot tub a coat of semi-gloss black Tremclad to make it match everything else. I added all kinds of neat little accessories that pulled the room together: French towels, toothbrush holder, fancy towel racks and candles, etc, etc. That was my favorite part of the whole project :)

And last but not least, a couple pretty silver French-style chandeliers, to make everything seem that much more luxurious.

Yeah it took awhile to get all the tradespeople lined up to do their thing, but the important part is that it all turned out well in the end. I love the room, and I had my first long soak in the tub last night. Very nice, if I do say so myself! Hubby likes it, though not as much as the kids and I do. But a happy wife means a happy home life, right? So I say it's all worth it, lol.

In writing news, I found out last week that Absolution took third place in the 2011 Laurel Wreath Awards. Another accolade for Luke and Emily! I miss them.

Now that the bathroom's done and I'm finally wrapping up edits on the last story I have contracted (gulp), I plan to get the rest of my Christmas shopping done in the next week or so, then write without any undue stress hanging over my head! How are your Christmas preparations going?

Incognito

2011-11-21T05:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend was another whirlwind of activity at our place. An 8 am soccer game Saturday morning, then I had to leave right away to do a presentation to the Vancouver RWA chapter. I missed my eldest son's soccer game, and ironically, his first two goals ever. I was so sad!

He forgave me, and we went ahead with our dinner plans to a fancy place downtown, followed by a special Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performance featuring Loony Tunes cartoons (Bugs Bunny et al) while the orchestra played the musical score. Was a great evening.

In other news, Callie Croix has a new release today. A very hot short read, but did I mention it's hot? Oh yeah. If you're interested, you can find the details on her website. Hence the incognito post :)

Hope everyone south of the border has a wonderful Thanksgiving this week! Have some turkey for me. Yum.

Decking The Halls

2011-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

I warned you last week that it was the start of the Christmas season at our house, so this post shouldn't come as a surprise. All weekend we put away the regular decorations and started pulling out the Christmas stuff. I went through both kids' rooms, purging them of old toys and clothes that were no longer in use. It felt so good! Whenever I "purge" our closets I always feel lighter. That TV show, Hoarders, is my secret addiction. Every time I watch an episode I always want to frantically clean and scrub my house.

When all was said and done, we wound up filling the back of my hubby's pickup truck with donations for goodwill. When he took them over, though, he was told they no longer take toys.

Say what?! What kind of a goodwill place doesn't take toys?

So we're still looking for a home for them. But, we did get the majority of the Christmas things up--only three trees and the outside decorations are left to go.

Our master bathroom renovation (it was only a cosmetic makeover) is moving along at a snail's pace. Seems our job is so small it's a giant pain in everyone's butt to come over here and do what needs to be done. The rest of the house is looking cozy and Christmasy though, so that makes me happy.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T07:24:00.000-07:00

Are you a Halloween fan? I'm not. At all. I like the trick-or-treating part and the jack-o-lanterns, but not the scary movies/scary costumes and creepy, twisted movies that come with this particular holiday. So far my kids love it though, so I always put out some decorations and try to get into it for their sake. (I'm trying, I really am!)

Tonight we've got a costume party to attend, and hubby and I are trying to get excited about dressing up. I've decided I'm going as a Stepford wife, all dolled up in my vintage tea dress with a strand of pearls around my neck. No idea what the man is going to do about a costume, and at this point he doesn't have a clue either. My little guys are dressing up as Bobba Fett (Star Wars) and BumblePrime, a hybrid of Bumblebee and Optimus Prime from Transformers.

Everyone stay safe out there tonight! I'm really looking forward to this upcoming weekend, because it's tradition in our house to haul out all the dozens of boxes of Christmas decorations the first weekend after Halloween. I can't wait! Deck the halls, baby. That's where it's at.

Ben's a Winner!

2011-10-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received word that No Turning Back won the romantic suspense category of the 2011 Aspen Gold Awards. Ben's psyched, of course, and now his ego is bigger than ever.

Right now I'm completing line edits on Darkest Caress, a paranormal romance coming out next April from Carina Press. Once those are done I'm going to hack away at this first draft of the second Bagram book, featuring Ryan and Ace. I've got everything plotted out now, so it's just a matter of getting the words down.

We're also in the middle of renovations on our master bathroom right now, and of course it's taking longer than expected. Trades not showing up when they're supposed to, which pushes the whole project back. What can you do, right? It's going to be purty when it's done, so I'm holding on to that thought.

Relentless Takes 3rd

2011-10-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Rhys and Neveah took 3rd place in the ACRWA Heart of Excellence Awards! I'm thrilled because I think Relentless and Absolution are the best books of the series, and yet they're the two books that haven't sold/placed as well as the others. Go figure.

At any rate, I'm happy to have an accolade to put next to Relentless :)

Turkey Day

2011-10-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Up here north of the 49th parallel, it's Thanksgiving Day! We hosted a dinner for hubby's side of the family last night, and tonight my mom's twin is hosting a dinner for that side of the family. My dad is in Azerbaijan on his way to Iran, so I guess he and my step mom are excused from hosting a dinner at their place this year. One can never have too many turkeys, you know?

But first, I'm going to see Moneyball with the man and a group of friends, including one who's a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers, currently playing in this year's NLCS. How cool is that? Can't wait to hear some stories from him after the movie.

After my last post, you're probably curious what the hubbster did for me on our anniversary. Well, he had a driver pick me up and take me downtown to Spa Utopia at the Pan Pacific Hotel. There I received a 75 minute aromatherapy massage, and when I came out my man was waiting there for me (the massage was great, but best of all it forced me to take a break from edits on my paranormal romance coming out from Carina Press next year). He'd booked us a room at the hotel, and whisked me up there to change, then took me to a fancy dinner overlooking Coal Harbor and Stanley Park while the sun set. Pretty romantic, I must say, and I appreciated the effort.

Happy Anniversary

2011-10-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

Today is my wedding anniversary. My two boys are both in Catholic school, and this morning are actually attending mass at the very church we were married at 11 years ago today. Pretty cool, no?

My hubby is a wonderful, steady guy. Rock solid with lots of family values, which are my two favorite things about him. (Besides him being a sexy beast in his catcher's gear when he used to catch for me, that is.) He's the first to admit he's not the most demonstrative or romantic guy in the world, but every now and again he blows me away with something completely thoughtful and over-the-top. Today I found a card taped to my steering wheel, telling me that the kids are taken care of this afternoon and that I have to be ready to leave at 2:45 today. Oh, and I should shave. (Thanks for the tip, honey!) I hope that means he has plans to see me in a short dress, and not that he seriously thinks he has to remind me to shave, lol.

A year ago today we were in New Orleans to celebrate our 10th anniversary (another huge surprise from hubby, and he even arranged for my crit partner, Katie Reus, to meet me there as another surprise). We spend the day touring some plantations, such as Oak Alley...

and a Creole plantation known simply as Laura.

Fascinating place, run by powerful women, and the original slave quarters were still intact. They even had a copy of the Code Noir, or Black Code, stating the laws about owning slaves. They also had a manifest listing all the slaves owned by the plantation owners, their names, ages, trades, and what they were worth on the market.
O_o
Seriously hard to wrap your brain around that one. Seeing it written down in stark black and white was almost mind boggling. If a slave had any white blood in him at all, he was worth way more than a pure African slave fresh off the boat. Old slaves were worth practically nothing, and the more skills you had as a laborer, the better.

While the tour was somewhat disturbing, I'm glad they didn't try to sugar coat everything and sell the Gone With the Wind image to the tourists. We headed back to the French Quarter for dinner at Irene's, a famous Italian restaurant there (the dark chocolate mousse was to die for!),

then took a paddle boat jazz cruise down the Mississippi.

Very romantic night! Hmm, I wonder what the man has in store for me today?

Luke is a Finalist!

2011-09-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just received word yesterday that Absolution is a finalist in the 2012 EPIC Awards! I'm thrilled because Luke is my favorite character, and because I truly think it's my best book. I suppose it doesn't pack quite the emotional punch if a reader hasn't read the previous four books, but I hope it still makes an impact. Not sure when the winners are announced, but it was nice to be nominated.

I have one last set of edits to do on another Callie Croix story, then I'm jumping back into Crash and Burn. It's been tricky to figure out how/where I can have Ace and Ryan spend time together to form some sort of a relationship, because of their difference in rank, and because the book is set at Bagram. But I'm up for the challenge!

Special Guest Marliss Melton & Giveaway

2011-09-14T04:10:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be hosting the amazing Marliss Melton over at Writers Gone Wild today. She's giving away a signed copy of The Protector to a commenter, so if you love military romantic suspense (and I guess if you're reading my blog you must like it!), I hope you'll come by.

One of the things I admire most about Marliss is the effort she puts into her research. She really tries to get it right and portray the military men accurately, something I wish every writer would do. I've asked her all sorts of questions about her research on SEALs, and about why her publisher no longer wanted to buy her SEAL books. Once you read the interview, I bet you'll have even more respect for her.

Blurb: Eryn McClellan teaches ESL in Washington, D.C., until the day she’s targeted by terrorists avenging her father’s actions in Afghanistan. The FBI has stepped in, but when it looks like they are using her for bait, General McClellan enlists the aid of the only man he knows he can trust: former Navy SEAL Ike Calhoun.
Embracing solitude in his remote cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Ike thought he’d left the War on Terror far behind. Now he’s stuck shielding a blue-eyed beauty from ambitious federal agents and crazed jihadists. More disturbing still, the charming Eryn seems intent on shattering his self-imposed isolation. Ike does his best to resist her welcoming ways, but he can feel his restraint eroding like a mountain in a mudslide. With the FBI hot on their heels and the terrorists not far behind, Ike willingly wages a one-man war in defense of the woman whose passion and faith have given him the strength to rise above his past.

Get Ready To Meet the Heroes of AFSOC

2011-09-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've been waiting for this forever, but on Monday Deadly Descent is finally "out" in the world. I'm so excited for you all to meet Air Force Tech Sgt Cam Munro, my delicious PJ hero. I cannot tell you how much I admire and respect these men and what they do.

Blurb: Devon Crawford is an officer; Air Force Pararescueman Cam Munro is enlisted. Dev flies medical evacuations; Cam jumps into danger zones to save lives. Dev wants to return home from Afghanistan with her heart untouched; Cam will do anything to win the woman he loves.

Reaching for happiness in a war zone is the last thing Captain Devon Crawford plans, but she can't ignore the feelings she's hidden for so long. Cam's sexy charm and wicked kisses weaken her resistance, but she's too afraid of losing him to give in.

When Dev's helicopter and crew are shot down and set up as bait by a notorious warlord, Cam risks all to save the team. What he doesn't know is that the trap is set for him.

This week is nuts for me (in a good way), so here's a list of places and dates where you can find me if you'd like to try and win a copy of Deadly Descent.

Monday, September 5th: Fresh Fiction
Tuesday, September 6th: Carina Press blog, SOS Aloha blog
Wednesday, September 7th: Smexy Books, Writers Gone Wild
Friday, September 9th: Cynthia Eden's blog
Monday, September 12th: Book Lovers Inc.

Whew! That's a lot, huh? Plus both my kids are starting school Tuesday, and I have another set of edits due back by the end of next week.

I hope you'll enjoy Cam and Dev's story. PJs truly are amazing. They live and die by their motto "That Others May Live", and deserve our respect and our gratitude.

Release Day!

2011-08-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it's here. Release day for my alter ego, Callie Croix. Deacon's Touch is the first of a series that one of my editors and I have created, and my second addition to it is called Dillon's Claim. Probably won't be out until next year, but we'll see.

In the meantime, here's the blurb and buy link for Deacon's Touch. I'm also at author CR Moss's blog today, and will give away a copy of the book to a commenter there. Feel free to stop by and say hello!

Have a great weekend!

Blurb: After her own engagement goes to hell, workaholic Jessica Talbot dreads her friend’s bachelorette party at a dude ranch in Nowheresville, Texas. But the outlook for the weekend brightens when Deacon Dumen picks her up at the airport. The sexy cowboy awakens every dormant sexual fantasy with nothing more than a friendly smile and a handshake.

Ex-Air Force Pararescueman Deke Dumen doesn’t know what to make of the sexy yet reserved brunette who breaks through the walls he built after an injury ended his career and a divorce soured him on relationships. As a guest at his family's ranch Jessie is off limits, but the Dom in him rebels at the restriction, even as he realizes his penchant for control in the bedroom would likely scare the holy hell out of her.

When Jessie shocks Deke by asking for exactly what he's been craving, he's ready to break the rules and introduce her to his own brand of dominance. Her willing surrender rocks them both to the core. But once the weekend's over, they must decide if it was just a wild fling or the start of something more.

Places to Find Me and Win Some Books

2011-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

So much is happening this week! Here are a few places to "see" me, and my new pen name, Callie Croix, whose first release is this Friday.

First off, some links:
Today I'm at Badass Book Reviews giving away a copy of Cover of Darkness. Authors Pamela Clare and Caridad Pineiro are there giving away prizes also, so come on by and say hello.

At Writers Gone Wild I've "outed" myself as Callie Croix, and I'm giving away a digital copy of my upcoming release, Deacon's Touch (comes out officially this Friday).

Also, Callie has officially been invited to blog at Naughty Author Chicks every other Wednesday, and today there's an interview about me on their site. I'll be alternating weeks between NAC and Writers Gone Wild.

On a less hectic note, here's a picture I just couldn't resist posting:

Isn't it exactly what you picture Sam would say to Ben (No Turning Back) if she walked in and saw this? Lol. I love the cat's unimpressed expression. He looks exactly like my cat, Shiloh (named after a Civil War battle, of course, plus he's Confederate gray).

That's it for now, except to say the initial reviews for Deadly Descent are rolling in, and so far they've been awesome! I hope you all love Dev and Cam's story.

Have a great week!
Kaylea :)

Anne Calhoun's Coming to Writers Gone Wild

2011-08-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome weekend, spending Friday at an air show here where I interviewed several hunky pilots and airmen in flight suits, then hubby whisked me away to Seattle on Saturday to the BoSox game. They lost, but Varitek was behind the plate so that made up for a lot :)

I'll post some pics and a write-up about the air show later, but I am so excited to tell you that the incredibly talented Anne Calhoun is coming to Writers Gone Wild this Wednesday, August 17th. I've grilled her about her writing style, her upcoming releases, and she's giving away TWO books from her backlist to the winning commenter. I hope you'll come by to meet her and say hello. And if you haven't read any of her books, you're missing out big time. They're erotic romance, so they're very explicit, but there's such depth of emotion and characterization it astounds me every time I read a new story of hers. All you need to do is read all the glowing reviews on Goodreads and Amazon to see what I'm talking about. This is one scarily talented author!

New Book Contracts!

2011-07-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

I thought this picture was especially appropriate considering the writing slump I've been in recently. However, I'm pleased to announce that Carina Press has offered a contract for the first of a paranormal trilogy I've written. I'm excited about this and hope to strengthen my world building in the book during edits, and with any luck my military romance fans will like it too. Darkest Caress is based on some Lithuanian folklore I learned about during my tour of the Baltic States in 2009, specifically to the idyllic village of Nida on the Curonian Spit. The book will be out sometime next year.

I also received word that same day that The Wild Rose Press wants to contract the second erotic romance I wrote (as Callie Croix) for the Dumen Ranch Series. The first book, Deacon's Touch, will release August 26th, and the second, Dillon's Claim, will probably be out sometime this winter.

It's the August long weekend here in BC, and we've been celebrating with family that have been in town since last weekend. Right now I'm cooking a big dinner for 15 of us: sweet glazed meatloaf (hubby's absolute fave), cream cheese mashed potatoes, spinach salad with fresh fruit and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing, a vegetable medley baked in homemade cheese sauce, and for dessert, a very decadent chocolate mousse layer cake. A totally low cal dinner for their last meal here in Vancouver :) I think a long family walk after dinner is in order, maybe down to the Spirit of the Sea Festival here at the beach to watch the fireworks later on.

Semper Fi

2011-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went up to B.C.'s wine and lake country (our Okanagan region--the city of Kelowna, specifically) for a mini family reunion. I got to see several uncles and a bunch of my cousins that I rarely get to spend time with, and I had so much fun! One uncle's mother-in-law is married to a former US Marine, and I got to chat with him yesterday morning at the family breakfast we had.

He's from Arkansas, so he's got a charming Southern accent and all the swoon-worthy manners to go with it. Add in his time in the Corps, and I was in love with him in about three seconds. We talked about all sorts of military stuff, including his two tours in Vietnam. Such an interesting man, and a real sweetheart despite everything he's gone through. He and his wife live in Oahu during the winters, so they invited us to come stay with them and show us around all the historical sites. Um, yes please! Being shown around Pearl Harbor and all the other spots with a decorated former Marine? That's my idea of a great time.

He had to leave the Corps suddenly after 21 years of service, having attained the hallowed rank of Master Sergeant. For the latter part of his career, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, just south of Los Angeles. We passed it on our way from Disneyland to Legoland this past March, and I was so excited to see a Chinook and two Black Hawks flying close to the highway.

So there we go, Kaylea has a new crush :) My hubby just smirked and shook his head at me yesterday at breakfast, but he doesn't seem mad or jealous, lol.

Got home last night and received word that both Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back have finaled in the 2011 Aspen Gold Awards! I'm kind of surprised that those two books seem to be the ones judges like best. I really think Relentless and Absolution are the best books in the series, but perhaps it takes the first few books for readers to understand the characters and story arc enough to make the last two books shine. Hmm. Something to ponder for the future if I ever do another series.

Have any of you out there met military veterans that have made an impression on you? Would love to hear your stories.

Rhys and Luke Goodness

2011-07-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was notified that both Relentless and Absolution are finalists in the 2011 Heart of Excellence Awards! I'm very excited about this, because though they'd never say so, I think Rhys and Luke were feeling a bit left out since all the other guys have won/finaled in other RWA published contests. Winners won't be announced until October, but at least now I've got some sort of accolade to put next to their books on my website.

Looking for some awesome summer reads? You're in luck. For the next two weeks, all of us over at Writers Gone Wild are hosting a contest there. Each weekday we'll be posting about a different sort of hero, so drop by and leave a comment for a chance to win one of two bundles of great prizes from all of us. My post will be up this Wednesday, featuring the courageous military hero and why he's the best kind of hero. To me that's really kind of self explanatory, but I don't mind spelling it out for everyone :)

Finally, I've got my writing alter ego up and running over on Goodreads and Facebook. Just look me up as Callie Croix to learn about my upcoming August and November releases.

Hope you're all having a safe and happy summer!

Reinforcements

2011-07-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Know what those are? Those are reinforcements, but today I'm talking about reinforcements of a different sort. It's week two of summer vacation, and I've finally caved and called in backup. Her name is Meaghan, and she lives across the street. She's coming twice this week for a couple hours in the afternoon to give me time to write. Five to six hours total, which might not sound like a whole lot, but it's a lot more than I've carved out since school finished. Don't get me wrong--I love my kids, and I want to spend lots of time with them this summer, but I also need time to get some writing done for me to feel good about myself. The mom guilt complex is a very tricky business, and it cripples my muse.

The weasels are in swimming lessons and a morning bike camp next week, so I'll take my computer with me and hopefully get something done while I'm waiting for them. With my other pen name dominating most of my writing time right now, I haven't written anything for Kaylea Cross in a long, long while. This means there will most likely be a long gap between Deadly Descent and the next release, but it's not for lack of effort in trying to get another book published!

I didn't make it to RWA Nationals in NYC, and neither Cover of Darkness nor No Turning Back won the awards they were nominated for, but I hear my name was mentioned at least a couple times in public, so that's pretty neat :)

I've got a blog tour set up for early September when Deadly Descent comes out, and it looks like my first release under my alter ego will be out August 26th, followed by another November 21st.

Over at Writers Gone Wild we're having a hero party in the middle of July, and I'll be featuring some very cool guests there as well in August/September, including Roxanne St. Claire, Anne Calhoun and Denise A. Agnew. I'll be sure to post the dates so you can come by and say hello and ask questions.

Hope everyone is having a safe and happy summer so far!

Summer's Here! (Save Me)

2011-06-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the weasels are all done with school, so now I'm anticipating the usual whining of "I'm bored" will start any time now. The weather up here has been just the pits, and I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get a real summer, but my fingers are crossed.

Dear friends of ours are getting hitched tomorrow, and hubby's the best man, so I'm looking forward to seeing him in his tux (yum!). After the long weekend we'll be footloose and fancy free, with nothing but swimming lessons, bike camp and a couple road trips on the schedule.

Just got word this morning that my first release as Callie Croix (Deacon's Touch) will be at the end of August, and another novella will be out at the end of November (No Holds Barred). I'm actually just finishing up another Callie novella right now, and since she's been hogging all my writing time, I'm beginning to wonder if Kaylea will ever get another release! I'll try to see if I can fix that over the summer.

What's everyone else got planned for the summer? I know my pal Katie Reus will be busy, since she's having a baby in the next week or two (I'm so excited!). I can't remember if I mentioned it here before, but not only does Katie have a shifter trilogy coming out next year with NAL, she just sold two novellas to Harlequin's Nocturne Bites as well. The woman's on fire!

A Rose By Any Other Name

2011-06-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

Writing has been...challenging lately, to say the least. I've had my confidence shaken a few times in the past couple weeks, but I'm determined to keep plugging away anyhow. I've been thinking a lot about how my writing career started, back when the goal was simply to GET published. As it turns out, getting a contract is still as tough as it ever was. Sometimes it feels even tougher.

If you've been reading my blog at all, by now you know that I'm a gardener. This picture to the left has a place of honor in my little slice of paradise. Out of Her League was the first book I ever published, and it was under the Crimson Rose imprint of The Wild Rose Press. In honor of receiving the contract, I went out and shopped around for a red rose tree, something special to commemorate my first sale. This rose is called Black Cherry, and its blooms were described as "deep crimson red". And darned if the first blooms didn't appear the week that Out of Her League released, in August of 2008. *cue Twilight music*

Right now I'm plugging away on another short novella requested by one of my Carina Press editors for my other pen name. And when I take a break to recharge my muse throughout the summer, you can be sure I'm going to stop and smell the roses

Cynthia Eden: Never Cry Wolf Giveaway

2011-06-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

The awesome Cynthia Eden is over at Writers Gone Wild today, and she's giving away a copy of her new paranormal romance, Never Cry Wolf, to a commenter. Click HERE to drop by and enter the contest.

Fingers Crossed...

2011-06-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those rare days when everything went right. I sent off edits to my Carina Press editor in the morning, and got an e-mail just over an hour later saying that not only had she read and approved all my changes, but she was going to send it straight to copy editing. In the publishing world, that's light speed fast. I'm kind of proud that we didn't need to do a second round of edits.

Later on I came home after running errands to find two more e-mails from my editors, both asking for new stories from me. That tickled me immensely. I even received the preliminary cover for Deadly Descent yesterday. It's very hot, and I'll show it to you as soon as it's approved.

Last but certainly not least, I found a message on my answering machine from the coordinator of the Kiss of Death RWA chapter's Daphne du Maurier Award contest. This is pretty cool, because she was actually my cabin mate last year at the Wild Rose Press's retreat in Texas.

Anyway, she'd personally called me to say that Cover of Darkness was a finalist! The winner will be announced at RWA Nationals in NYC later this month, just like the National Readers Choice Award winner will be. Had I known I would final in these prestigious contests, I would for sure have attended Nationals! I'm so bummed. To think I could have sat with Roxanne St. Claire and Brenda Novak--twice--and schmoozed with NY Times bestselling authors.

I'm thrilled by this, and sales have been going very well for my little series this past month (truly, ever since Osama bin Laden was killed), especially Cover of Darkness. I assume it's because my hero is a SEAL, but maybe word of mouth has spread from readers who judged my entries for the Daphne? Not really sure, but I'm loving it!

My New Muse

2011-05-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

Look what I got in the mail today! I know, wearing this necklace makes me a geek, but I don't care. I'm a Civil War nut and proud of it, and besides, General Lee and I share the same birthday. That makes us kindred spirits. And now he can hang around my neck and help me churn out more pages! He graduated at the top of his class at West Point, after all, and was a master of organization. If anyone can whip my muse into shape, good old Marse Robert can.

I've just finished reviewing galleys for my first erotic romance story that will be published under a different name, but no word yet on a release date. I've subbed the 2nd story of that series to my editor over at TWRP and hope to hear back soon. The two others I have with Carina Press won't be out until winter this year.

In other news, another side benefit has come about since the death of Osama bin Laden. Since that day--literally--Navy SEAL romance books have seen a spike in sales. Including mine, Cover of Darkness. Actually, the whole series has seen a bump in sales this past month. I couldn't be more thrilled about that, and I hope my new readers will learn something about the various branches of the Spec Ops and Special Forces world that they never knew before. That's my favorite compliment to receive (other than the readers loving the story and my characters, of course)--that the reader appreciates the effort I've put into research for each book. I know I won't always get all the details right, but I hope I always get most of them right :)

With my desk pretty much cleared off, I'm back working on my CCT novel, Crash and Burn. Again, I've had more great input from my CCT contact (thank you, A.L.!) and it's just a matter of getting the words down now. Hope to finish off the draft within the next couple of months.

How's everyone doing out there? If you're in an area prone to tornadoes, I hope you and yours are keeping safe and warm. My thoughts go out to to those affected by these horrific storms this year.

Navy SEAL Heroes

2011-05-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well, with all the media coverage about SEALs lately, I felt the need to do up a short post here. By now we all know about the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, and which group of SEALs carried it out. This morning I was disturbed to learn (from a former SEAL's wife) that reporters are scouring the towns and bars closest to DevGru's base in VA, trying to learn the identities of the team members. Call me crazy, but I thought they were a Black Ops group for a reason. "Outing" the members is not only bad for security and morale, it places their families in danger from any extremists looking for a way to exact revenge. If I was a SEAL, I'd be pissed about this. And maybe it's just me, but pissing off a SEAL doesn't seem like a good idea. Ever.

Since the May 1st night-time announcement by President Obama, there has been an insane amount of increased interest in these elite warriors. There's even been a huge increase in demand for SEAL romance novels, as outlined in a recent Washington Post article that mentions Suzanne Brockmann's series (click HERE to see article). Even my little series has seen a bump in sales since last week. Yay!

The emblem at the start of this post is the coveted SEAL Trident, and only a very select few will ever earn the right to wear one. For good reason. The Navy does a very good job at weeding out all but the toughest, most determined and physically fit men. It's no wonder why the public sees them as heroes, so it stands to reason that these alpha male warriors would wind up as characters in romance novels. But I suspect that SEALs, and all other Special Ops members for that matter, don't do what they do to win the hearts and minds of the US public. In fact, they'd no doubt prefer to stay off the radar, and simply be left alone so they can do their jobs and hopefully come home safely to their families. They are all to be admired, yes, but let's give them the respect they're due. Along with our heartfelt thank-yous, let's give them the privacy they deserve. I think they've earned that right.

Great News!

2011-04-27T16:07:00.000-07:00

Just found out the other day that No Turning Back has finaled in the OKRWA National Readers' Choice Awards! I was ecstatic to hear the news, even before I found out the book had been nominated for best romantic suspense with this list:

Cold Sight by Leslie Parrish
No Turning Back by Kaylea Cross
Edge of Sight by Roxanne St.Claire
A Rancher’s Brand of Justice by Ann Voss Peterson
Killer Heat by Brenda Novak
Desperate Deeds by Dee Davis

The winner will be announced at RWA Nationals in July. There's no way I'll win the category against competition like that, but I'm just tickled the judges loved the story so much. Especially because I represent a little e-publisher :) And, obviously I'm thrilled to have finaled amongst this group of powerhouse authors.

Like I've said before, Ben was a difficult hero for me to write, and the book is so violent and graphic it's not everyone's cup of tea, so finaling in a contest like this means a lot! If you love to root for the underdog, please send out good thoughts for Ben and Sam's story.

The Eagle Has Landed. Er...Hatched

2011-04-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

Morning everyone! Well, after a very stressful time yesterday when Ma Eagle seemed to step on and crack the egg open before the chick was quite ready, the little one appears to be doing well. Its sibling has not yet hatched, but hopefully we'll have another addition to the nest shortly. Click HERE to go to the live camera. Come over and say hello to our new fuzzy gray bobblehead! He's sooooo cute...

Egg Hatching Day

2011-04-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

Today's the big day! Our eagles are about to become parents again. The first egg should begin hatching sometime today, and its sibling should join him/her two days after that. Click HERE to go to the live camera feed, and keep your eyes peeled. The weather is supposed to be decent for the next few days, so I hope at least some of you out there get to see the big event. So exciting!

I got something cool in the mail this week. My new CCT friend sent me a DVD, commemorative coin and lapel pin, just because he's a nice guy. I'm dying to watch the DVD, but I have to hold off until I get these second round of edits finished for my first Callie Croix release, and then finish off my next ranch story.

In other exciting news, it's finally baseball season here. It's been extremely chilly and windy here in these parts, and I have to tell you we're all sick to death of it. Let's hope it warms up fast so that my weasels actually enjoy heading to the ball park!

Civil War Milestone

2011-04-13T03:24:00.000-07:00

For all you fellow Civil War freaks out there, you must be in heaven right now. Yesterday was the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, marking the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, SC. I've been there, of course. I've been to a lot of places pertaining to the war. It holds a strange fascination for me, and I can't remember what got me hooked in the first place, but there you go.

I'm over at Writers Gone Wild today, talking about this quirky obsession of mine, so click HERE to drop by and take a peek.

Guest at Ron Knight's Blog

2011-04-07T11:24:00.000-07:00

It's finally spring! My favorite season of all. Here in Vancouver it's still chilly, but at least the sun's come out a few times and we're desperate for more of it. My little garden is slowly coming to life, which is great, but I've yet to re-paint the fence and do a last time cleanup of the yard. In a couple weeks I should know how bad the black vine weevil infestation is going to be this year. Every year I hope and pray the nematodes have killed them all, but each year I'm always severely disappointed. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

In an effort to get my name out into the world more, I'm part of Ron Knight's 100th blog. To visit and find a host of new authors you might not have heard of yet, click HERE. To visit Ron's blog, click HERE.

Hope all of you are doing well out there. I'm just getting over an awful bug so I haven't written in a long while. Plan to fix that this week.

Gotta Love the Internet: More Research Connections!

2011-04-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

This past week I've been dying of a flu/strep throat/sinus infection I came down with two weeks ago when we got back from our trip. Today is the first morning I woke up and thought I'm actually going to live. I can almost breathe through one side of my nose, and though my head and face feel like they might explode if I bend over, things are looking up.

Right now I'm working on the dedication and acknowledgements for Deadly Descent. As you know I got in touch with some really cool inside sources for research on this one, and had a ball talking with them. When I e-mailed my recently retired PJ contact and asked what official title to call him in the dedication, I got a response that so typically embodies these men that I could only smile and shake my head. I'm paraphrasing, but basically his answer was, "No thanks are necessary. We're just ordinary guys, and I'm glad I could help."

If that doesn't encapsulate their humility and heroism, I don't know what does. So Weaver, if you're ever reading this, just know you're a hero to me and always will be no matter how much you try to downplay your years in Pararescue. So there.

Another cool thing happened too. I don't even know how he found out about me (must have been through this blog, but I never asked him), but a retired Air Force Combat Controller (CCT) contacted me to ask how the heck a young woman from Canada became interested in CCTs. He said some people in the Air Force don't even know about them--which I hope isn't true--so he was curious about me. I joked that I'm a little odd, and that on top of being a Civil War superfreak, I love learning about Spec Ops stuff. I love it even more when I can put what I've learned into my writing and give it more realism.

Wait--what? You don't know what a CCT is either? Not to worry, there's a picture of one at the top of this post. Deadly Descent will introduce you to Ryan, a CCT embedded with a SEAL team out of Bagram. You'll learn plenty about why these guys are damn handy to have with you out in hostile territory. Or in any combat mission, for that matter. At the most basic level, they're Special Ops trained air traffic controllers that go out into harm's way and bring a lot of firepower with them. They bring the rain. Heavy ordinance from bombers, missiles from fighter jets, or close air support from gunships, just to name a few. And that's merely a part of their job description. I'll be highlighting the hellish ordeal they undergo just to earn the right to be called a CCT in a later post, so stay tuned.

Anyway, this retired CCT and I chatted back and forth a few times, and I assured him that while my books are steamy romantic suspense, I make an effort to research my heroes' line of work and add a level of detail that readers won't find in other books of the genre. His response surprised me. He said he's actually proud that I'm taking the time to learn about his CCT brothers and bring them into the spotlight. Even if it's only a small spotlight.

He also said he sincerely hopes my hero gets to spend the night with a belly dancer at some point in the upcoming book :) He wants to read the book, but I told him it's pretty steamy and he probably wouldn't like it. "Are you kidding? I love steamy!" was his reply.

He's in his early sixties now and has been out of the game for a long while, but he offered to put me in touch with a recently retired CCT while I'm writing the draft of Crash and Burn. And he's sending me a DVD on CCTs and a couple trinkets, just because he's a nice guy. How awesome is that? And to think this connection literally landed in my lap (er, inbox) last Monday. Gotta love the Internet! As soon as I'm finished this latest novella, I'm back into Ryan's book, and I'm looking forward to writing it more than ever.

So, Mr. A.L., if you're reading this, thank you so much for taking the time to contact me. Very cool getting to "meet" you.

Damn I love what I do :)

We're Having Twins!

2011-03-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

No, not me, silly. The eagles.

I keep forgetting to tell you all, but David Hancock (of the Hancock Wildlife Project) has put up permanent cameras in the eagle nest on my father's property here in White Rock. While we were in Hawaii (the day after the tsunami, actually), the female eagle laid an egg. Two days later, she laid another. This is unusual, especially since she had twins last year. Pickin's must be good out there for her to be able to lay two eggs again!

The eggs will hatch 35 days after being laid, so here's the link if you're interested in watching the live camera feed. (in case the link doesn't show up in the text, here's the website: http://www.hancockwildlife.org/index.php?topic=White-Rock-Eagle1) Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Play button for either the wide angle or close up feeds. I prefer the close up, so I can watch the wind ruffling their feathers and see the eggs when they shift in the nest. This pair of mates has been together for a while, and you may recall the posts about the baby twins last year. Very entertaining to watch them trying to figure out how to fly :)

It's really cool to watch mom and dad taking turns sitting on the eggs, but around April 19th or 20th, we should have some new chicks to meet. How amazing is that? The cameras are crystal clear, and also have night vision so you can watch the eagles after dark. I hope you'll check it out and let me know what you think.

Kaylea Cross week !

2011-03-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

I'm finally home, safe and sound after all the excitement of my trip, and I'm glad to be able to put my feet up for a while. That was a wild vacation, for sure. A tsunami, a 4.6 earthquake on the big island, then exposure to some low level radiation all the way from Japan in California the day we left. Yup, home's looking pretty good right now.

In writing news, I got word last week that Carina Press has acquired my latest naughty novella I sent them, tentatively titled Touch Me. Very excited! I love being accepted :) Have to say, writing these spicy novellas has been really fun, but after finishing this next project for TWRP, I've got to get back to my Bagram Special Ops trilogy and finish Crash and Burn. I've left my poor hero in the midst of a night-time HALO jump deep behind enemy lines, and that's just not right.

Starting today, the fabulous bloggers over at Guilty Indulgence Bookclub are featuring me on their blog for the entire week! I'm very flattered by that. I'd love some company over there, so feel free to drop by and visit with me. They're going to feature the books in my romantic suspense series and I'll talk more about why I love to use special ops soldiers as my heroes. But really, what's not to love?

Also, I'm being featured at author CR Moss's blog as well, and I'm giving away a copy of Cover of Darkness there.

Last but not least, both Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back have been nominated for best romantic suspense of 2010 by The Romance Reviews. If you'd like to vote for either of them, please follow this link.

Hope to "see" some of you at these sites this week!

Kaylea :)

Hawaii Tsunami

2011-03-11T17:16:00.000-08:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, by now you know about the horrible quake and tsunamis that shattered Japan last night. For my family and I visiting the big island of Hawaii (including my dad, sister, step mom, step siblings and their families), last night was certainly more exciting than I'm comfortable with.

We'd spent the day in Kona, eating lunch at Bubba Gump's and shopping for some souvenirs. When we arrived back at the hotel we had a late dinner out at the fancy surfside restaurant here, bathed by a warm Trade wind while tiki torches flickered amongst the hibiscus flowers. Just another gorgeous evening in paradise. Or so we thought.

Someone took our reserved table, so we didn't get seated until 9, very late for the little ones we had with us (my two weasels, and two two-year-olds). About ten minutes before our mains arrived, Dave Ritchie, founder and former CEO of Ritchie Brothers Auctioneers, came over to tell us there'd been a massive quake in Japan, and powerful tsunamis were on their way toward us.

My face blanched. I literally felt the blood drain from it. All I could think about was the Boxing Day tsunamis in Thailand/Indonesia a few years back. With an 8.9 quake sending waves at us and nothing but open ocean standing in their way... Yup, I was already making evacuation plans in my head.

Big weasel didn't understand the magnitude of the threat (he's 7), but since he was running a fever with a sore throat, hubby took him up to the room early. I stayed with little weasel (not quite 5) and wolfed down what should have been a decadent dinner of beef tenderloin and lobster tail. Afterward I took him straight up to the room, going past the front desk on my way. People were milling about already, and their concern was palpable. One lady was in tears.

I went straight up to the room, turned on the news, saw the pictures of the tsunami in Japan, and started packing. No evacuation orders had been issued yet, but I'm not the type to take any chances, especially with my little guys. Then the tsunami alarm sirens went off at 10, and that sealed the deal. Hubby and I packed up pillows, blankets, clothes, ID, food and water. And some TP. If I'm going to have to do my business and wipe my bits and pieces out in the great outdoors, I'd just as soon have TP to wipe with.

A couple minutes later the phone rang. My dad, saying the rest of our group (13 in total) was planning to head for higher ground, and that I should pack emergency supplies. I almost snorted. Did he not realize who he was talking to? He's only known me for 36 years.

By this time the weasels were scared to death. I had two sets of huge blue eyes fixed on me as I packed. When they saw me shoving things into a bag, they quickly dumped their stuffed toys into their backpacks and stood by the door with anxious expressions. While hubby left to start packing the car, I tried to calm them down, explaining the waves wouldn't hit for at least another four hours, maybe more. We had lots of time, and it was important to be calm in the meantime. We had a plan to get everyone to safety, and we were acting on it. Was I scared, though? Hell yeah. None of us knew what to expect or how bad it was going to be. If it was going to be a repeat of the Thailand/Indonesia tsunamis...

And then little weasel broke my heart. Standing by the door with his running shoes on and his little backpack strapped to his shoulders, he looked up at me with brimming eyes and said, "Can we just go, now? I don't want to swim--I don't know how to swim!" Big weasel joined in, begging me to just go, go now and get in the car and get away from this place. Talk about a punch to the gut. I thank God we had enough warning to get packed and make it to somewhere safe. People in Japan weren't as lucky.

A mandatory evacuation order was given soon after that, but we were already packing up the cars. Our rental, and an SUV for the rest of our group. The hotel guests were stressed; you could feel the tension as people prepped to leave. The adrenaline was pumping pretty hard, and we still had four hours until the first wave was expected to hit. We were parked at the curb waiting for my step siblings to get their babies into the SUV with all their gear, and a bus driver stopped near us. He opened his door and brusquely said, "You guys better move that thing, or I'm taking it out." Nice. Like we weren't stressed enough.

The minute we left the hotel and started for higher ground, I felt better. The weasels were absolutely silent in the backseat as we headed down they highway and then inland, up the mountain. We stopped at 1,000 feet, since my sister, step sister and her hubby had been scuba diving earlier in the evening and couldn't ascend past that altitude. I tell you what, I felt ever so much safer up the hill parked next to that horse pasture at the side of the road than I did back at the hotel.

We spent a very cramped night in the car, and only the weasels slept a little. I made good use of my TP stock, which took me back to my days as a Girl Guide. Peeing outside turned out to be the weasels' favorite part of the whole experience :)

None of us knew how bad the damage was down along the coastline, but as we listened to the news reports over the radio, it varied from area to area. Bubba Gump's, where we'd eaten lunch the day before, was heavily damaged by the waves, along with some of Kona. We got conflicting reports about the damage levels to our hotel, but weren't allowed to go back because waves were still coming in and the state officials hadn't issued the "all clear" yet. The SUV's battery had died overnight, so hubby took us into town to get some jumper cables, and after the others were good to go, we found a Subway for breakfast. Information was sketchy; someone reported damage to our hotel and that we wouldn't be allowed back for hours yet. Police were turning people back from the area.

Eventually the tsunami warning was lifted and we went back to the hotel, not knowing what we'd find. Turned out there was no damage to the buildings, but the man-made beach was damaged and they'd lost some furniture to the tsunami. The images of the devastation in Japan are heartbreaking, and I'm so thankful we were all safe up on that hillside. Turned out we would have been safe at the hotel, but even in hindsight I'm glad we evacuated. My heart goes out to the people of Japan affected by this disaster, and all their loved ones.

So we're all safe and sound, and there might even be a future book in this somewhere down the road. My family kept teasing me about that, and asking if I'll ever travel again after this. Wouldn't you know something like this would happen while I'm here? But you know, suddenly the thought of getting on a plane doesn't seem so bad anymore.

On My Way

2011-03-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

In another couple days I'm off to paradise, so wish me luck on the flights. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of being afraid of flying. I've missed out on so many travel opportunities already and I've got to get over it somehow. I thought it would get easier once I "got back into it", but that unfortunately hasn't been the case yet. Still, one can hope, right?

I'm taking my laptop, though I don't know how much actual work I'm going to get done, and my Kindle is loaded full of steamy books to keep me occupied. By the way, did you know it's The Romance Reviews grand opening celebration right now? Check out the highlighted link to enter contests, win prizes and find out about all kinds of books you never new existed. They've already got something like 9,000 Facebook followers.

Did I mention I'm working on another naughty novella for The Wild Rose Press? This one features one of the other brothers in our Dumen Ranch series. I'm really enjoying the shorter lengths right now, and it's been just what my muse was craving. Maybe Hawaii will inspire me even more!

The Editing Cave

2011-02-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-15T08:55:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

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 :)

Guest Blogging

2011-01-28T08:13:00.000-08:00

I'm over at Autumn Jordon's blog today, giving away a copy of Absolution to one commenter. Hope to see you there :)

Happy Friday, and I hope all of you have a great weekend.

Kaylea :)

Wild Weekend

2011-01-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but I had a crazy week and weekend over the past ten days. My little guy got super sick with the stomach flu--so sick he vomited continually for two days and couldn't keep a single thing down. I wound up taking him to Emergency for treatment two days in, and spent 12 hours getting IV fluids into him just to get him rehydrated. One of my friends was working there as a nurse that night, so it made his stay a bit more comfortable. I took him home next morning, but had to bring him back two days later. Not fun, and the poor little guy didn't eat a thing for six days.

By Friday he was feeling better, so I reluctantly remade plans to go up to Vernon (in the Okanagan Valley) for my uncle's surprise 50th birthday. Uncle Kev's my favorite uncle, and he's in the dedication for Cover of Darkness. He's a battle Captain in the reserves, plays softball and loves history, on top of being a hell of a nice guy. Enough said. But as it turned out, since my hubby was staying home with Little Weasel, I had to take Big Weasel with me and thought I'd catch a ride up with my dad. Only he'd decided at the last minute they weren't going to drive. They were flying up in his new Bell 407 helicopter instead.

Oh dear God.

Big Weasel thought this was an awesome idea, and I kind of had no other choice so I went along with it. Besides, my characters fly in helos all the time, and they manage it without having panic attacks. And Devon (the heroine from Deadly Descent, who you'll meet this summer) even flies them, for crying out loud. I refused to wimp out. Suck it up, princess.

My dad flew us while his instructor played the role of co-pilot. I was crammed in the back with Big Weasel, my stepmom and the co-pilot's wife as we took off and cruised through the Fraser Valley on our way to the mountains. And I pretended to love every second of it, smiling despite my pounding heart and sweaty palms. Wheee!!! Listening to the radio contact with air traffic control was pretty cool, as were the conversations between my dad and the co-pilot discussing various aspects of the flight, controls, avionics, etc. More research for my next book :) I'm still seriously thinking of taking the ground school portion of flight school. It would sure come in handy for my writing, plus I find it fascinating. Here's the Bell 407, my dad's new baby:

What would have been a five hour drive only took us an hour and a quarter by air, so that part was good. But honestly, the turbulence got my heart going pretty good because in a helo you don't just move up and down and sideways. Oh no. You move sideways and in all kinds of funky new directions. Awesome. But we got there in one piece and that's all that counts, and we landed right on the 1st tee box of the hotel's golf course, with a group of our relatives watching. The party was a raving success, and next morning we had a nice brunch with everyone before packing up and getting ready to go home again. The pilot flew the helo from the airport to our hotel and picked us up (I felt like such a jet-setter!), and as I climbed in I shouted to my fave uncle waiting by the helipad, "See how much I love you?"

He grinned and gave me a thumbs-up before walking a safe distance away while dad and the co-pilot started the pre-flight checklist and fired up the engines. We flew home through some pretty choppy turbulence through the mountains. We bounced around pretty good until I actually felt sick to my stomach. By the time Big Weasel and I arrived home I was still queasy and ready for some Gravol, but hubby announced we were having six people over for an early birthday dinner for me. A very sweet thought, despite my angry GI tract.

So there, I felt the fear and did it anyway, and my uncle now knows without a doubt how much he means to me. After all, nothing says love and devotion like facing your worst phobia for someone!

So here's a shot of Big Weasel and I strapped into the backseat. Don't I look calm and happy about being in there?

New Release for Savannah Stuart

2011-01-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

It's here! Savannah Stuart's newest release from Ellora's Cave is called Tempting Target and I'm so in love with this book.

There's a really cool story about it too. Back when I first met Savannah (who also writes as Katie Reus), I fell in love with her book City of Secrets, and that's actually how we ended up pals. Now she's extensively revised my fave book to make it even hotter for EC and as soon as I publish this post I'm off to read it. David is just...yum. Knowing the smexin's going to be even hotter in this one...I just might implode :) And, as an early birthday present, the author even put me in the dedication. *blush*

If you haven't read any of Savannah's books, give this one a try because I promise you'll love it. Here's the blurb:

After being widowed at a young age, Jade Hadley is tired of her celibate existence and is determined to add a little romance and sex into her life again. When her deceased husband’s sexy best friend admits a longtime attraction, her entire world is thrown off kilter.

Security expert David McIntyre is in love with Jade and has been from the moment they met. Unfortunately for him, that was the week she married his best friend. For years he’s stayed silent, giving her time to mourn. When he discovers she’s dating again, all bets are off. Then someone targets her to die and he realizes he has more trouble than he bargained for. Seducing her isn’t the problem. Convincing her what they have together isn’t purely physical, however, is. It might even prove to be a bigger challenge than trying to keep her alive.

Cleaning House

2011-01-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well we finally got around to taking down all our Christmas stuff this weekend. I start putting everything up the first weekend in November, because there's so much ot it and I figure I might as well get to enjoy the fruits of my labor for a couple months. I always dread taking it down again because it's such a huge undertaking, but at the same time I love getting my house back to its uncluttered state. Of course now we've got three hundred new toys for the weasels added into the mix, so they've still all got to be sorted and put away before we drown in them.

In writing news, I'm happy to announce I've finished the draft of my paranormal romance. Gotta admit, there were times I thought I'd never finish it. It still needs something, something I can't quite put my finger on, but I'm going to send the last bit off to my awesome crit partner and then put it away for a week or two before going back and seeing what I can do with it. From here on out, each pass will only strengthen the plot. Yippee! Love this part.

Got a road trip coming up next weekend, up in the Okanagan Valley of BC, a place famous for its lakes and wineries. It's my favorite uncle's 50th birthday, so hubby and the weasels are coming with me to celebrate with him. He's the one that served in the military (gee, I wonder why I love him so much?) and plays softball. Oh, and he's also a history buff. I lived with him and his wife for seven months while I finished massage therapy school up in Vernon, and got super close to them.

Anyway, before I forget I wanted to post some pics of our place at Christmas. Might as well show off all our hard work, right?

Front of the house, viewed from the street.

Family room. Trust me, there are decorations everywhere in this house, so I'm only showing you the highlights. You're welcome :)

Mantle in family room.

Here are some things I've painted over the years. What, you didn't know I paint? Well, not so much anymore, but that's how I burned up my free time before I started writing.
The Santa gourds are still some of my fave decorations.

Front hall entryway. My little snowman family and my favorite Santa, who stays out all year in our living room because he's too big an precious to be put in the garage. Everything on him is antique.

Hands down my favorite holiday decoration is this massive arbor in the entryway, framing the entrance to our living room (parlor, since it's a Victorian house). Isn't it something? Because I have to move all the furniture around upstairs to make room for everything, I have to give up my writing spot for a couple months and work out of the parlor. I love sitting there with the fire going while I write when it's Christmastime at our house.

Inside the living room. That trunk I painted is just one of the many hiding spots for our decorations when they get put away.

The tree in our master bedroom, done in blue because it matches my toile duvet cover :)

And, finally, the pile of loot we woke up to on Christmas morning. Santa even left another trail of footprints this year! The weasels were beside themselves, and seeing their excited little faces adds a magic that makes Christmas even more special.

All put away and tidy now, but hey, it'll be coming back out in a little under ten months!

Bye Bye 2010

2010-12-31T11:10:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Whistler yesterday (where many of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games events were held), and the drive was beautiful.

This time of year it's kind of rare to have a perfectly clear sunny day up in the mountains, but that's what we had. We left the snow-capped peaks of Whistler-Blackcomb behind us and drove down the gorgeous Sea To Sky Highway back into Vancouver, passing breathtaking scenery like this:

And this:

Unfortunately my hubby didn't make the trip with us, because he threw out his lower back two hours before we were supposed to leave, so I took the weasels by myself. We had a small, stupid accident on the way home, shattering my rear window which I then had to bang out of the frame and cover with plastic wrap before I could drive the rest of the way home. After a long ordeal with my insurance company and the body shop/glass people, I learned I won't have my vehicle back until sometime next week. But, no one was hurt, and that's the important thing.

2010 was a busy year for me in terms of releases, and I'll have two more in 2011. In fact, my Carina Press editor just e-mailed this morning to say I can expect edits for Deadly Descent shortly, and I'm both excited and a little nervous.

It's been a year since I wrote the story, and I'm sure there will be lots of thing that jump out at me when I look at it this time. It'll be interesting to see what changes my editor has in mind, and I hope I can make the book even stronger. I'll inform you about the release date when I hear anything.

I'm also 75% finished with the draft of my paranormal romantic suspense that I'm tentatively calling The Coven Leader, and hope to get that wrapped up in the next month or so. Once that's done, I'll need to plot out the second one and dive back into book 2 of the Bagram Special Ops series, Crash and Burn. I've got lots to do, and this year I've got to make sure I'm more disciplined at the keyboard. Hello, New Year's resolution! *cough*

Here's hoping all of you have a happy and healthy New Year, and that 2011 has all sorts of wonderful surprises in store for us all.

Kaylea :)

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

I want to wish all of you a very happy and healthy Christmas season and a joyous New Year. Things have been mighty hectic around our house lately, and I've been super sick the past three weeks with a very tenacious strain of bronchitis so it's been tough going. I think I'm on the mend now, but I've torn some abdominal/intercostal muscle attachments on the right side of my ribcage and that's slowing me down a lot. Whee!!!

On the plus side, I got word from my Carina Press editor that my manuscript with them will officially be titled Deadly Descent, and I'm pretty pleased since that was my favorite of the suggestions I sent them. I've also received my first few reviews for Absolution, and thus far people seem to be liking the story so that tickles me.

In other writing news, I'll admit I've been a very bad, bad girl recently. I think I've written only a couple thousand words in my latest WIP over the past two months. That's inexcusable and I know it. *hangs head* I'm having serious trouble getting my words flowing, and I hope I figure out what the problem is sooner rather than later! My New Year's resolution is to finish this story and get to work on the second of my Bagram Special Ops series for Carina.

We've got an action packed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day ahead of us, then on the 27th we're heading up to Whistler to stay with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law (one of my best friends that I used to play ball with, and she married my hubby's brother) for a few days. Then my dad has rented us a place right in Whistler so after we visit with the hubby's side up there we'll spend a day or two with my dad, step mom, sister, step siblings and their kids. Should be fun!

Please remember to count your blessings this Christmas, and don't forget to send out some love to our troops stationed overseas, in harm's way and far from their families this holiday season. Let's hope 2011 is good to us all!

Merry Christmas,
Kaylea :)

Come Meet Anna Leigh Keaton

2010-12-15T04:43:00.000-08:00

Today I'm at Writers Gone Wild hosting a rare appearance by award-winning erotic romance author Anna Leigh Keaton. Come on by and meet her, say hello, and read all about her upcoming release with Carina Press.

Hope to see you there!

Absolution Release Day Giveaway

2010-12-08T03:45:00.000-08:00

Absolution, the 5th and final book in my military romantic suspense series with The Wild Rose Press releases this Friday, and I'm giving you a chance to win a copy. This is Luke's story, and in my opinion, I've saved the best for last :)

It's an emotional ride and even a tear jerker, but I hope the book makes you fall in love with my favorite hero too. He's just so tortured and brave, despite all the sins he's committed in his life. He and Em have both been through hell, so if anyone deserves a shot at a happy ending, it's them.

Stop by Writers Gone Wild anytime between now and Friday night to enter the contest. Just leave me a comment and I'll choose a winner this Saturday, December 11th. Good luck!

He's Ba-ack!

2010-12-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

As an early Christmas present to me, the Boston Red Sox are this close to resigning their hunky captain for another season. Yep, Jason Varitek is all healed up and staying put for at least one more year. I couldn't be happier about it! Maybe hubby will take me down to Seattle to watch Tek when the BoSox come to town and I'll actually get to see him behind the plate this time. Not that I'm complaining about last time. I won't forget that wink anytime soon ;)

We've been super busy here getting the place ready for Christmas. Had our annual holiday bash last night, and even Santa came and made a special guest appearance for the throng of kids here. Though we've got our standard 5 trees and the humongous arbor decorated inside, hubby went crazy this year out in the yard. We've got all kinds of figures out on the front lawn and garden, and he almost bought one of those annoying computerized things that synchronizes music and lights. I'm sure our neighbors are very grateful he decided to pass on that. I know I am.

In terms of writing, I'm pretty sure I'm on the naughty list, and not just because I sold that erotic romance novella a couple weeks ago! Nope, I've been procrastinating like crazy with my WIP and I'm not sure why. Have to push through that and get my mojo back, because I've got a lot of projects to finish in the next year if I want to keep up any kind of momentum. I'm seeing a writing friend tonight for some girl talk over tea with a side of plotting, so I'm hoping that will jump start my muse again. And next weekend I'm hosting the Greater Vancouver RWA chapter for our Christmas shindig, so that's always awesome. But...you should see my calendar for December. It's nuts. Way more so than usual. Everyone in our house is designated with a different color highlighter, and the entire month is so packed full with color it almost gives me a headache. I try not to look at it too often because it just makes me tired thinking about all I have to do this month. Wish me luck!

New Orleans, Day 3

2010-11-28T08:29:00.000-08:00

Bet you thought I'd forgotten to post about the rest of my trip, right? Nope! Day 3 was a hubby and me day, since Katie had left us. *sob* But it was all good, because I knew we were heading there in a couple days to spend the night at her place.

Here's a shot of me standing in the courtyard garden of our B&B just outside the French Quarter, ready to start our day. Very private and romantic, huh? I think hubby picked a fabulous spot.

After walking through the Quarter we hopped on the bus to get to the Civil War Museum. So exciting! I was like a kid in a candy store there. They had all kinds of Confederate weapons and artifacts, and a great selection of books. I bought one about a Union medical officer.

After I spent way too much time in there we were starving, so we walked back and took the St. Charles Ave. streetcar to the garden district. There we hunted down two places we'd seen featured on our favorite Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The first place was Guy's Po Boys, and let me tell you the food was fantastic. We each ordered a small, but the sandwiches were at least six to eight inches long and almost as tall. Mine was filled with delicately fried shrimp, Creole mustard, lettuce and tomato. Amazing, and a huge amount of food considering how cheap it was. After that we walked for a while and hunted down The Creole Creamery, an ice cream place where they make homemade and unique flavors. Mine was Mexican Hot Chocolate (you know how much I love hot chocolate), a dark chocolate base with cinnamon, cayenne pepper and ancho chilies. Delicious and creamy on the way down, but then you get a bite of heat on your tongue. Really neat! It's the only ice cream I've ever eaten that made my nose run :)

On the way back to the Quarter on the streetcar, I have to mention my husband was the only man to get up and offer his seat to a woman holding a toddler and stroller. I started to get up too, but he stopped me and guided the woman into his spot. He's just like that, but I was very proud of him. Seems to me there are very few men like that left out there, and I wish everyone had manners like his.

We got spiffed up for our romantic dinner we'd made reservations for at the Cafe Amelie and strolled over. Not an easy feat in three inch heels when there are cobblestones everywhere, and sure enough I twisted my ankle. But the romantic setting and awesome food more than made up for it. We ate outside in a cozy 300 year old courtyard while a fountain bubbled nearby and lanterns flickered from the boughs of a huge live oak. The stars winked to life overhead while we ate dessert, and it was hands down the most romantic dinner of my life.

The Quarter's night life was just starting up when we made the short walk over to St. Peter's Street to Preservation Hall. We stood in line for the better part of an hour to get into the tiny hole-in-the-wall jazz club, but the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's performance made it well worth while. A visit to New Orleans wouldn't be complete without seeing that!

New Interview

2010-11-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Stop by Long and Short Reviews today to read this interview and learn more about me and my writing process. I'll be over at the LASR Yahoo Group tomorrow, chatting with readers and introducing them to my special ops heroes. Hope to see some of you there!

Here in Vancouver we're experiencing a ridiculous cold snap and it's freaking freezing right now. Minus 8 Celsius, with a wind chill that takes us down to a bone chilling -18. There's a bit of snow on the ground, but of course now it's turned to ice. Lots of fun to drive on. It's supposed to get even colder tomorrow, then start warming up on Thursday so we're all looking forward to that except we might get more snow. What's up with that? Snow belongs on the mountains, not down here in the city! My palm tree is out there shivering in my backyard. Right now I'm curled up on my couch with a blanket next to one of our Christmas trees while a fire crackles in the hearth, and I don't plan on leaving the house again until I have to pick up big weasel from school. Great excuse to get some more writing done!

Ben's Vindication

2010-11-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I got word that Ben has finally bested Dec in this little rivalry going on between them, and he's pretty damn smug about it. In the few contests I've entered both books, so far they've jockeyed for position in the top three, with Ben tying or coming in second to Dec. But this time, No Turning Back has won the 2010 Laurel Wreath Award for best romantic suspense, and Cover of Darkness came in third. So now they're even. Of course that's not okay with either of them, though. Hopefully a tie breaker will decide this at some point in the future, but for now the boys will just have to cope.

So Zosia, if you're reading this, Ben's preening with a huge grin on his face.He's so high maintenance. Even after I've finished writing about him he's still a handful. Some things never change I guess :)

The Dark Side

2010-11-17T21:16:00.000-08:00

What a wild and wonderful month November has been for me so far. First the contract with Carina Press, and then today I got word that the Scarlet Rose line of The Wild Rose Press wants to contract my first ever erotic romance novella. So yup, it looks like I've officially gone to the dark side. I hear the cookies are great over there :)

No word yet on an official pen name or when the release date will be, but if I had to bet I'd say in early spring next year. The story is obviously steamier and less suspenseful than my romantic suspense titles, so I'm not sure how it will be received by any of my current readers if they decide to take the plunge when it comes out. It's going to be part of the Cowboy Kink series (dear God, I never thought I'd write anything that qualified to be labeled with the word "Kink"!), and though it's uber hot it's still going to be very emotional and romantic.

Looks like I'm going to be very busy with edits and galleys over the next few months! That's a very good thing :)

Kaylea at SOS Aloha

2010-11-13T03:38:00.000-08:00

Today I'm a guest at SOS Aloha, where I've been interviewed by the fabulous Kim Adams, Air Force veteran, romance fan, and supporter of U.S. military personnel.

Come by and check out all the giveaways happening there, including books donated by authors like Roxanne St. Clair and Caridad Pineiro, as well as some Wild Rose Press authors. Enter the contest and support our troops at the same time.

Kim will be giving away one of my print books on her blog, so please stop by and leave a comment to enter. Would love to see you there!

Kim Adams, Founder of SOS Aloha

2010-11-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Today I'm at Writers Gone Wild, introducing you to Air Force veteran and romance fan, Kim Adams. Not only did she serve her country for many years, she's also an active supporter of military personnel and their families. I heart her for that alone, but Kim has gone far above and beyond the call of duty with her latest venture.

She's been kind enough to spotlight The Wild Rose Press and its authors this past month on her blog, SOS Aloha. I'm going to be her guest this coming Saturday, November 13th, so I'd love some company over there. But first, please stop by WGW today to say hello to Kim and find out how you can help the cause and win some free books!

Absolution Research: Chemotherapy

2010-11-08T10:58:00.000-08:00

During my research for Absolution, I was looking for information about chemotherapy that would help me write certain aspects of the book. My own experience of chemo and cancer treatment in general has come from watching friends and relatives battling the disease. It's never been pretty. Most of them lost their hair, grew gaunt from being nauseated or constantly bloated from chronic constipation. And it never cured them, not even combined with radical radiation treatments. Thankfully things are changing on that front, but the list of side-effects and complications resulting from cancer treatment is huge. Everyone reacts to it in their own way.

While I wrote this book, it was important to me to portray what it's like to go through cancer today--specifically breast cancer--because now there's more hope than ever for patients diagnosed with the disease. I found some surprising things along the way.

First off, pretty much every source I checked said that Taxol (usually used in breast cancer chemo) resulted in hair loss. Most of the people I interviewed about it said they lost their hair a few weeks after the first treatment, and they lost it suddenly. A few literally woke up with hair on their pillow. Most were terribly nauseated, especially after that first treatment, and for quite a while. Needless to say, many women going through this find their libidos at an all time low, even when in a loving, committed relationship.

To make Absolution work as a romance, clearly I had some obstacles to overcome. Hard to write a romance without the hero and heroine being together, if you know what I mean. I'd kind of painted myself into a corner, and yet I felt very strongly about the storyline. But then I found some encouraging stories out there. Several women I spoke to that had been receiving Taxol reported being very nauseated after the first treatment, but much less so during and after subsequent treatments. Some weren't nauseated at all after the first dose of chemo.

I found similar reports about libido. Some women have little or no interest in sex during treatment, while others reported little or no change in their sex drive. One lady I spoke with said it was hard for her to be intimate with her husband at first because she felt so unattractive, but connecting with him that way made her feel like a woman again and went a long way to help stave off the depression she was suffering. She credited her survival with his loving, unfailing support. Now that's a romance hero :)

What about any of you? Have you known anyone with a similar experience while going through chemotherapy?

I Got "The Call"!

2010-11-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

This has been an awesome week for me in terms of writing. On Tuesday I got my Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Awards trophy for Cover of Darkness, and it's now sitting on my nightstand until I get all the Christmas decorations packed away in January. Yep, I've already got half of the decorating done. (Don't hate me!)

Then yesterday I found a message waiting for me from Angela James of Carina Press, saying they wanted to contract Turbulence. I've never actually gotten a call before, just e-mails, so that was pretty cool. My heart was pounding in my chest as I listened, and I've even saved the message on my answering machine. I haven't "met" my editor over there yet, but from the sounds of it I've got some work ahead of me when we get to edits. That's okay, I'm up for the challenge and I'm sure the changes will only strengthen the book. Bring it!

I'm so glad that my Air Force PJ and Medevac heroine will have their story published. Don't know if the current title will stick or not, but the book will be released in digital format sometime next summer. I'll keep you posted!

Absolution's Here!!!

2010-10-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Just got word Absolution is now available in print! Can't wait to see what everyone thinks of the 5th and final book of my military romantic suspense series. This is Luke's story, and my favorite of the bunch because of that. It's super hot, and wrenching. My editor said she cried twice while reading it (and in a good way!).

The digital version releases December 10th, but click here to buy the print version.

In other awesome news, my fabulous critique partner, Katie Reus, just sold a paranormal romance trilogy to Penguin/NAL. So proud of her! The first book will release sometime in 2012, but I'll keep you all posted about the details. Go Katie! You deserve this hon. xo

EPIC Finalist. Twice!

2010-10-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I was notified that two of my books, Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back, have both finaled in the EPIC (Electronically Published Internet Connection) eBook Awards Contest.

I'm very excited about this, since both of my entries finaled and that gives me a better chance of placing in the top three. Plus it's a big contest for our corner of the publishing industry.

Relentless and Absolution didn't qualify for this year's contest, but I hope to enter them next year. Winners aren't announced until March, and at this point I have no idea how many other finalists there were in the romance with mystery/suspense category. You can be sure I'll inform you of where I placed when the time comes.

Karlene Blakemore-Mowle: Operation Summer Storm

2010-10-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

Come meet Aussie author Karly Blakemore-Mowle as I interview her about her latest military romantic suspense from The Wild Rose Press, Operation Summer Storm.

Stop by Writers Gone Wild and leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy. Winner will be chosen Friday October 29th.

New Orelans, Day 2

2010-10-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

So okay, I didn't get much sleep the night before day 2 because I was creeped out by the story of torture and murder our haunted history guide told us before I went to bed. Took me a while to get my motor running in the morning, but eventually we picked up Katie (who was happily writing away in her hotel, BTW) and headed back through the French Quarter on our way to catch the St. Charles Avenue streetcar, running since the 1920s. Very cool way to travel from just outside the Quarter to the picturesque Garden District, where we spent a good chunk of the afternoon.

Here's Katie with me on the street car, which still has the original wooden slatted seats. Yep, I'd be the pasty white Canadian wearing the black summer dress. It sure felt like summer to me. Wore sunscreen and everything, since I got burned a bit the day before. I think Katie got a kick out of that :)

We'd signed up for a guided walking tour ahead of time, and our first stop was Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. We'd been warned not to enter the cemeteries without a tour group, but in hindsight I don't think it applied to this particular cemetery, as it seemed very safe and in a good neighborhood. Of course I was there in the middle of the day, so maybe it's different at night.

As with the other cemeteries here in New Orleans, the crypts are above ground because the water table is so high. The remains of entire families can be laid to rest in a tomb. So long as a year and a day has passed between interments (a rule that's existed since the yellow fever epidemics), the undertakers simply move aside old remains to make room for new ones. This practice became impossible during the horrific yellow fever epidemics that swept the city several times throughout the summer and fall until Walter Reed discovered the cause and cure for it during the construction of the Panama Canal. Damn pesky mosquitoes.

Below is our tour guide, Val, who's originally from San Francisco. He was a font of information, and patiently pointed out all the celebrity homes we passed, including Sandra Bullock's, John Goodman's, Nicholas Cage (though he no longer owns it), Archie Manning and Anne Rice. Lots of authors down in N'Awlins. Hmm...maybe I could use that angle on hubby and buy a place down there someday. He fell in love with the area too, but he's worse in the heat than I am so I'm certain he'd croak on me down there between May and September.

John Goodman's house.

The house I want to move into. Can't you just see me living here? I'd be happy as a clam sitting on the back porch swing with a pitcher of chilled sweet tea at my elbow and my laptop whirring away on my lap. I think my muse would like it down there. And I have to tell you, this whole area is something out of a magazine spread. Everything here smelled good, like flowers, and the gardens were unbelievable. Lush, green, manicured perfection. Various kinds of palm trees. Banana trees. Bubbling fountains. Fragrant roses. Crepe mertyles. Magnolias. Delicate hibiscus blooming right there in people's yards in the middle of October, and a year-round gardening season. Another reason for me to scope out some real estate! It was quite something to see, that's for sure.

After the tour we headed back to the Quarter and all the way through it to our respective hotels so we could freshen up for dinner. On the way to the restaurant Katie and my hubby patiently waited for this little jewelry shop on Chartres St. to open so I could exchange something I'd bought the day before. Neither of my walking companions are shoppers, so it was very nice of them to wait as long as they did. That's us above, waiting for the shop to open on our forth attempt to get in. Totally worth the wait though, because I upgraded my former purchase to a pendant style fleur-de-lis necklace and matching earrings. Then it was on to K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen for dinner, where hubby and I pigged out on the luscious Creole food. Nothing like it! I think I ate a different kind of bread pudding almost every night down there. Awesome stuff.

After stuffing ourselves Katie wanted to head back to her place to write (jeez, talk about work ethic!), and since my feet were about to fall off I was totally okay with having an early night. Though I certainly didn't get any writing done that night. I was sad to see Katie go though, since we wouldn't meet up again for three more days. (Oooh, cliffhanger!) Still had fun with my hubby, but I was really looking forward to hanging out with her some more and meeting her hubby. Day 3 post to come soon!

SOS America and Operation Holiday Card

2010-10-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

I'm at Writers Gone Wild today, talking more about SOS America at the SOS Aloha blog.

Over there Kim Adams is interviewing The Wild Rose Press authors this month, so be sure to stop by for a chance to win some books and find out how you can make a soldier's holiday season a little bit brighter.

Happy reading!

Kaylea :)

New Orleans, Day 1

2010-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Day one in the Big Easy started off with a sense of adventure and only got better as time went by. There wasn't a cloud in the sky the entire week we were there, and the temperature stayed in the upper 80s every day. Not bad for the beginning of October, when the rain and wind usually hits full force here in Vancouver.

Hubby had us staying at the Laneaux Mansion on the edge of the French Quarter, where some of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was filmed. We had our own private cottage to stay in, complete with kitchenette (which we never used because of all the amazing restaurants to choose from) and our own little bricked courtyard filled with thriving plants. Pretty romantic.

After breakfast we wandered up Chartres Street to the beautiful St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the US. Hubby lit a candle in honor of his late mother, and then we started touring the Quarter and all its pretty little shops. I was in my glory :) I even tried on a beautiful corset at The Trashy Diva. It was pretty, but not very comfortable and hubby would have had to lace me in and out of the thing. Considering how expensive it was, those factors made it a definite no.

Now, you might be thinking that this was the greatest surprise ever concocted by a husband for their wife. But you'd be wrong, because something even better happened just after lunch time.

We'd wandered back to Jackson Square, presumably to take more photos, and then I sat on the grass in the shade to read The Cajun Night Before Christmas, which I'd bought for the weasels. I'm about three pages in when all of a sudden I hear a woman call my name.

My head snaps up. No way, someone knows me down here?

I turn my head, and who should I see standing before me but my very own critique partner, Katie Reus. My jaw fell open. We've been working together for almost two years now, but I've never actually met her in person. She lives about 90 minutes from New Orleans and was planning to try and come up here to Vancouver in the New Year, so meeting her in the middle of Jackson Square was a complete shock. I was verra happy to see her, as you can see below. I think I might have left bruises on her from my bear hug ;) Hubby had once again taken me completely by surprise and set this whole thing up--and didn't breathe a word about it despite giving me grief for wanting to see her while we were down there. What a guy.

Katie told me not only was she there for the day, but she'd actually made reservations in a guest house a few blocks from our hotel for the next two nights so we'd have even more time together. Squee! I was a very happy camper.

Once I got over my squealing and hugging episode, we headed over to the famous Cafe du Monde (open since the 1860s) and got some beignets and cafe au lait to snack on while we caught up and watched the Mississippi roll by from the Moonwalk. We even got serenaded by a man named Leonard, who's been busking along the Moonwalk for over 40 years singing tunes from legends such as James Brown and Otis Redding.

Afterward we decided to do some more sight seeing so Katie and I chatted away and did some window shopping while hubby led the way. He never once complained that I was ignoring him too much, even though it was supposed to be a romantic holiday for us. He knew exactly how excited I was to meet Katie :)

It's kind of ironic, because I remember him saying to me once, "What if you guys meet and you don't really like each other?"

I gasped at the blasphemous suggestion. "That won't happen." And it didn't. She's every bit as sweet and wonderful as I thought she'd be. And talk about talented! Her awesome agent is about to open some big doors for her in New York, and when it happens you'd better believe I'll tell you all about it.

We walked for miles before heading back to our hotels to freshen up, then had a lovely dinner at a place called Maurice's. Once our tummies were full, we promptly headed into the heart of the Quarter on St. Peter street to sign up for a French Quarter ghost tour. Katie writes paranormal, and erotic paranormal (the latter under under the name Savannah Stuart), so she was super excited at the prospect of seeing some ghosts. I was just hoping it wouldn't be too scary, because I'm kind of a wimp.

So here we are, waiting for the tour to start. We learned a lot of historical detail about the city that I didn't know prior to the tour, so that satisfied the history junkie in me. But one of the stories was so gruesome my skin got up and crawled away while our guide told it. I'm going to post about it closer to Halloween, but suffice it to say the LaLaurie Mansion on Royal Avenue gave me the heebie jeebies. I couldn't even walk past it after that without getting a shiver up my backbone. Hardly slept all that night thinking about the atrocities that happened in the place, so if I look a little tired in the shots of the next post, you'll know why.

That's it for day one, but stay tuned for more of my deep south adventure! And yep, hubby sure racked up some extra bonus points with me that day :)

Breast Cancer Awareness

2010-10-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

As you're all no doubt aware, October is breast cancer awareness month. The disease now affects a staggering one in six women, but you might not know that men are also susceptible. The survival rates are better now than they've ever been, especially with early detection and treatment. To all the women out there over 40, make sure you're getting your mammograms! And if you're not yet 40, please tell me you're doing monthly breast self-exams to ensure any problem is caught sooner rather than later.

Breast cancer is a serious issue, and one I've wanted to write about for a long time. When Absolution comes out in early December, you'll see the devastating toll this awful disease takes on its victims--and on those who love them.

I wanted the story to show both the gory details of the diagnosis and treatment, but also to show hope. So if you know or meet someone struggling with breast or any other type of cancer, please reach out and give them your support. Sometimes a kind word of support or encouragement can make all the difference for someone struggling through this crappy disease.

Et Voila!

2010-10-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's Thanksgiving up here in Canada, so happy turkey day to all of you. I'm going to do a series of posts about my amazing trip to New Orleans soon, but first I wanted to show you what I've been working on for the past month instead of writing :)

At long last I can post pictures of my newly renovated powder room. It's a tiny room, but believe me a lot of work went into this transformation. I don't have a before picture, but the walls were covered in a busy Victorian floral wallpaper on a yellow background, and the ceiling was also painted yellow. I thought it was cute when we moved in, but in the past year or so I changed my mind and decided I wanted to do a chic Parisian style theme instead.

I already told you what a nightmare stripping off the wallpaper was. The walls were an absolute horror show by the time that was done. But, a few sandings and fillings later, I was able to put on the three coats of vanilla ice cream paint and get cracking on the rest of the room.

With the walls done, I got busy painting everything else. I took down the brass light fixture over the sink and painted it black, then painted the cabinet in the corner cream and black and put crystal knobs on it.

My mom found an antique mirror someone was throwing away and brought it back for me a few months ago. I painted it cream, then dry brushed it with black, and once it was dry I dry brushed cream over top of that to make it look antiqued. It's still my favorite piece in the bathroom, other than the awesome ceiling. I also bought the botanical prints and painted them black along with the big mirror on the back wall, and transferred the wording onto the walls, blind and mirror.

Next, I painted the curtain rod and brackets black, hung the curtain panel over the window and added the pretty crystal chandelier. I also found these really cool tin fleur-de-lis at a local French shabby-chic shop, and decided I could make them into a TP holder. I antiqued them and anchored them into the wall, then made a TP roll with a dowel and two crystal knobs on either end. (I was pretty pleased with myself, lol)

All that being said, I saved the best for last: the ceiling.

It makes the whole room pop. It looks like a tin ceiling, but it's actually wallpaper that I painted a flat black.

Overall I'm really happy with how it all turned out. The paint on the walls is a pearl texture that allows for easy cleanup, and that's a very handy thing when you live with two little boys. I know the room's a little girly, but hopefully it's in a style that won't ever look dated. Plus the family seems to like the room, so that's lucky for them ;)

Best Hubby Ever

2010-10-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well. Just had another humongous surprise sprung on me. Hubby and I celebrate our 10 year anniversary on October 7th. As far as I knew we had another ball game that night, but that was it. I thought we'd go for dinner or something on the weekend, maybe go overnight someplace in the next few weeks. Boy was I wrong.

Apparently we won't be at the ball park on our anniversary, because we'll be in the Big Easy all week long. Yeah, it was a bit of a shock for me too :)

I'm typing this at 4 pm on Saturday, and he just surprised me with the trip twenty minutes ago. We leave in the morning at 5:30 am.

Wow. At first I didn't know how to react. Panic was the first emotion of course. This involves flying I didn't voluntarily sign up for. A lot of it. My adrenal and sweat glands went into immediate action mode.

My next thought is going to make me look bad, but I want to be honest with you all. My critique partner, who I've never met in real life, lives a few hours from there. Right away I was already thinking about how I might be able to hook up with her sometime during the trip. Hubby wasn't exactly thrilled about my reaction, lol. Here he's secretly planned the trip and sprung it on me at the last possible moment so I'd have only minimal time to freak out about the flying, plus he's picked up some Ativan for us both to help calm our nerves. What a guy! I guess I should have made more of a fuss. I feel bad now! But really, he took me completely by surprise. (That's my only excuse, but I feel like I need to use it!)

Luckily my mom and her twin are still with us and will look after the weasels while we're gone. All that driving back and forth to school, swimming lessons, soccer practice, play dates and Beaver Scouts. Just a typical week here at our place. I'm sure they'll be thrilled.

Hubby's walking around the house right now wearing a very smug grin. He says, "I'm gonna look like a rock star on your blog!"

Yeah, he is, isn't he?

I'm starting to come out of my shocked state, which is kind of too bad because now the flying phobia is going to be in full swing until I land in New Orleans twenty-four hours from now. My heart's racing as I type this and my palms are all sweaty. But the kids are in good hands, my will is up to date and hubby will be with me. Besides, Dec, Ben, Rhys and Luke would get on the plane without batting an eyelash. Got to put on my big girl panties now. The last thing I want to do is spoil the trip and excitement for hubby by being a sweaty neurotic bitch for the whole next day. People fly all the time and get where they're going to safely. I don't see why my plane has to be the one in a million to go down. *slaps self* Okay, no more thinking like that.

So yeah, hubby's done it again. We're off on a romantic vacation for an entire week to someplace we've always talked about visiting. Once again I'm feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Wish me luck!

Oh, and what did I get him as a present? Thought you'd never ask. I got him new batting gloves and a pair of ball pants. Gee, aren't I the romantic one in this relationship?

New Series

2010-09-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I went on my grand adventure to the Baltic States with my favorite cousin. There he is at left, my hunky cousin Mike, dressed up in his racing gear. He's a well respected sprint car driver that suffered a pretty serious crash back in August. Ironic considering the fifth day of our trip one of his friends nearly died in a racing accident and is still in an institution getting treatment for his severe Traumatic Brain Injury. I thank my lucky stars that Mike was more fortunate than his friend.

In his last race of the season, my cousin crossed the finish line in first place and lost control of his steering. He hit the wall doing 100 miles per hour, and suffered a severe enough concussion that his vision is still impaired. The doctors expect it will be a few more months before the swelling in his brain reduces enough to restore the rest of his eyesight.

Anyway, thinking back on our trip I'd have to say my favorite parts were visiting Paris, and a little place in western Lithuania called the Curonian Spit. It's a narrow sand spit nestled between Klaipeda, Lithuania, and Kaliningrad, Russia. Baltic mythology claims a giantess named Naringa formed it by throwing sand out of her apron.

I've recently started my first paranormal series, and the books link the Curonian Spit and surrounding area with ancient legend and WWII history. I can't tell you how excited I am about the premise for this! Hope it turns out as well as it looks in my head :)

We were there in early October and the Baltic Sea was stormy and wild. Chunks of amber still regularly wash up on the beaches after storms.

The tiny resort town of Nida is nestled at the tip of the Spit, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It reminded me so much of the little village at Crescent Beach here at home that it made me even more homesick. Nida has the same feel to it; a summer seaside town with shops and restaurants, with breathtaking views from the sand dunes built up by the winds blowing off the Baltic. Each year the dunes lose approximately 10 meters of sand from the wind blowing it into the lagoon. Nida was where all the Soviet well-to-do spent their summers during the Communist era. Today it is the most expensive resort area in Lithuania.

Local legends and customs abound here, and they are evident in the traditional wooden flags still used in Nida today. Each color and image on the three-layered flags tells a story about the people they represent. For example, the black and white checkered square at the bottom symbolizes Nida, and the red and white symbolizes the Curonian Spit. Most traditional houses here are painted blue, brown and white, symbolic of the pagan tradition of the elements earth, water and air.

The entire area is magical. Mystical. When you have a chance to tour around, it's not hard to see why.

The cemeteries in this part of the world are in forests, due to pagan tradition. This particular cemetery has Curonian crosses from the 19th century. They were unpainted, weathered wood with different designs and shapes. "Male crosses were made from male trees such as oak, maple or birch. Female crosses were made from female trees such as pine, cherry and apple. The male cross would have a horse design on it because a man rode his horse in his next life. The female designs would be with birds because a woman would fly to the beyond. These crosses would be placed at the feet (not the head) of the burial site." (from my step mom's blog)

Pagan tradition is an essential part of the area's history and culture, and I've used it heavily in my new series. Folklore and legends of witchcraft abound, especially in what was our final stop in Nida last year.

The Hill of Witches stands on an ancient pagan ceremonial site, and is now covered with intricate wooden carvings depicting local folklore of magic, witches and devils. When you take the tour you begin in sunlight with the "good" figurines, and work your way up into the forested hill toward the shadows where the witches and devils play, waiting to lure unsuspecting mortals to their doom. This lit a fire under my muse that I haven't been able to extinguish, and so my paranormal series was born. I don't want to give away too much, but suffice it to say I'm using this site and the surrounding area for the books. There are so many amazing details and legends for me to intertwine with the plot threads and I can't wait to tell you more about it! Stay tuned :)

I Won!

2010-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

In terms of writing, I had a pretty great weekend. I submitted my first erotic romance novella, and on Friday I got word that Romantic Times gave Relentless a 4 star rating with a glowing review, so that was pretty great. But as of about twenty minutes ago, something even better happened.

I just found out that Cover of Darkness won first place in the romantic suspense category of the Heart of Excellence Readers' Choice Awards contest! I get an engraved trophy and everything. And, as if that wasn't reason enough for me to think about drinking a celebratory mojito (because I rarely touch alcohol), No Turning Back won second place. You know what? I'm totally okay with coming in second to myself :)

I had my suspicions when I wrote the books that COD was the best of the series. I love NTB too, but it's really graphic and I wasn't too sure how readers would feel about that. I'm so happy people are loving my books! Luke's is due out in a couple months, so I've got high hopes for that one too because it's the most emotionally wrenching of the five. Guess we'll have to wait and see what the consensus is.

I haven't gotten a trophy since my last years of competitive softball in my mid-twenties, but you can bet I'm putting this one right on the mantle in my bedroom so I can see it every day. It's going to come in very handy for those days when I doubt my ability as a writer. Fingers crossed that people will love Absolution as much as I do! Now let's hope this will help generate a few more sales for this series :)

Best Date EVER

2010-09-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

I can safely say I'm the least spontaneous person I know. I'm not a spur of the moment kind of gal, never have been. So yesterday when my hubby waltzes in the door at lunchtime, I thought something was wrong.

Me: "Did your computers crash or something?"
Him: "No."
Me: "You got fired."
Him: Glares. "No. We're going out."
Me: "What? No, I can't. I've already arranged a play date for the kids." Plus I've already got stuff laid out to do a painting project for my powder room. The entire afternoon is spoken for. Don't mess with my schedule.
Him: "Play date's cancelled."

I look over at my mom, who's standing behind him. She and her twin sister moved in with us in mid August and are staying until the renos on their new house are complete. Anyway, mom's shaking her head at me to get my attention and then puts on an excited look, starts prancing behind him in joy to prompt me. As in , hello? Cue excitement anytime now.

Oh, right. Don't kill the guy's effort by not being thrilled. I'm supposed to be excited. My bad.

So I mentally switch gears, put on a smile and off we go. He won't tell me where we're going, but soon enough I figure out we're heading toward the border. Well fine, if he won't tell me, the border guard will find out soon enough when we declare where we're off to in the good old U.S.A. But hubby's foiled that plan too. He's tucked a note to the border guard inside my passport so the surprise won't be spoiled.

I'm starting to get a real kick out of this. He's obviously put in a lot of effort. My mind starts humming. He's taking me to find a Victoria's Secret store where I can indulge in my lingerie fetish.

No, he says with a little smile.

I'm getting puzzled. Why else would he be taking me down south in the middle of the day? My eyes light up. A ball game?

"You're taking me to the Mariners game." I gasp. "Oh my God, are the BoSox in town?"

Another grin. "Maybe." He's still Mr. Mysterious.

Nah, I think. The M's usually play at 1 or 7, not in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday.

About twenty minutes down the road, Hubby can't stand it anymore. "Yeah, we're going to see the M's play the BoSox."

I gasp. Hooray! I'm so stoked. I spend the next hour and a half writing in my little plotting notebook (I never leave home without it), and we finally arrive in Seattle and make our way to Safeco Field.

Next great surprise--our seats are 19 rows behind home plate. Dead center. Awesome! Now I'll have a great view of the whole field, not to mention the catchers. (Please let Varitek be catching...)

We sit down and hubby leaves me with my bag of roasted peanuts to go in search of some better food. He comes back with a hot dog, garlic fries and a hot chocolate for me (what a guy), and the starting lineups are announced. I hold my breath when the BoSox lineup comes over the PA system. Please let Varitek be playing. Pleasepleaseplease...

Nope. Victor Martinez is catching. Bummer! Ah well. Maybe Varitek still isn't healed up enough to play, and it's late in the season anyway. They're not going to make the playoffs this year, so maybe they're just giving him some extra time to heal his foot.

It's all good though. I'm on an unexpected date in the middle of the day with my man, and there are no little boys fighting beside me or whining for more junk food or that they're bored. I've got nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the game. That in itself would have been more than enough to made the day incredible. But there's more.

Partway through the third inning, hubby nudges me. I look over to the third base dugout, and my heart trips. There he is, in the flesh. My heartthrob. The hunky Red Sox captain is leaning over the dugout railing with his back to me. Be still my beating heart! I can barely take my eyes off him.

Two innings later, he shoulders a ginormous duffel bag and heads onto the field. I perk up. He's going to the bullpen!

I grab hubby's hand. "Come on," I said, tugging him impatiently out of his seat.

"You really want to watch him warm up the pitchers that bad?"

"Uh yeah, he's on my list." All you Friends fans out there know what I mean by that. Varitek shares my five-man list with The Rock, Gerard Butler, Ben Affleck (who's not only hot, but a die hard BoSox fan), and one spot I haven't filled yet. So yeah, I'm going to the bullpen.

Hubby rolls his eyes and comes along for the walk around the stadium to the bullpen, where the relieving pitchers warm up.

I spot him the instant we round the corner. There he is, not forty feet from me, number 33 with all his gear on. Oh my God he's sexy. I take up position at the far end, right next to the stencil of home plate, and camp out there. And I'm watching nothing but him. I couldn't care less who was standing next to him. Not even Papelbon, their famous closer. My eyes are for Varitek only while he does his stretches.

About the 7th inning he's finally all limbered up and grabs his mask. He strides toward me. I swear my mouth went dry. He plays catch for a bit to loosen up his arm, then drops into his squat. Like, fifteen feet from where I stood. My insides go all jittery. He can tell I'm there, but he goes about his business and I'm way too shy to wave or call out to him. We're sorta hard to miss though, because we're two of about five people standing on his end of the pen. And trust me, I'm not at all being subtle as I stare at him.

I feast on the visual treat before me. I watch his positioning, the way he sets up behind the plate, the tape around the fingers of his throwing hand (helps the pitcher see the signals he's giving), the way he grips the ball. His throwing mechanics. After a couple minutes they take a break and he stands up. Looks over. Sees me. My heart pounds.

"He just checked you out," hubby says in outrage, and steps closer to me to put an arm around my waist.

While I roll my eyes, Varitek goes back into his squat and catches a bit longer. "He did not. He looked at me because I'm standing here gawking at him. It's a natural reaction."

"No way. He was totally checking you out." Hubby's arm tightens. Jeez, maybe he's taking this whole list thing too seriously. It's only a hypothetical list, for fun, and I'm way too shy to do anything about it even I Varitek and I were both single. I think hubby's pretty safe. I push him aside so I can see better.

We watch Varitek catch for a while longer. Next time he stops, he stands up. Looks over. Tips his mask back.

Holy hell, he's looking right at me. I go rigid and stare back with a stiff smile on my face.

Varitek grins at me. And then...he winks. I swear on my childrens' lives, the man winked at me before tugging his mask down again.

My heart nearly stops beating altogether. While my face goes red as a tomato, hubby whirls to face me with a look of astonishment on his face. "Did he just wink at you?"

My face is about to combust it's so hot. "Um, yeah, I think he did." Oh no, I don't just think it. I know it. My heart is still all aflutter thinking about it as I type this.

Talk about the perfect way to top off an awesome date with my hubby. And let's be honest, how many husbands would willingly stand there and let their wives ogle a man on her list? The man won serious brownie points with me yesterday.

Come October the BoSox won't be in the post season, but I'll still be a faithful member of the Red Sox Nation. And you can bet I'll be cheering for whoever's playing against the damn Yankees.

Point Of View. Is There A Magic Number?

2010-09-15T08:26:00.001-07:00

Today I'm at Writers Gone Wild, asking you all for input on a very important question I'm struggling with at the moment.

Some of my favorite writers use many different POVs in their books. (Think Suzanne Brockmann and JR Ward.) Because I love reading that style and love to get into characters' heads, I like to write that way as well. If you have an opinion about how many POVs you think should be included in a single title book, please stop on by and let me know about it.

Five Stars for Relentless

2010-09-12T11:58:00.001-07:00

Another great review for Relentless, this one from The Reading Reviewer, Mary Gramlich. My military romantic suspense series (which I dearly regret not naming, by the way) is going to be featured over on the SOS Aloha blog next month, so I'll be sure to post details. I'm happy to report that The Wild Rose Press and its owner, Rhonda Penders, have stepped up to help support the cause by donating books for military personnel and their families. Thanks Rhonda!

To read the review, click here.

Mary Gramlich: The Reading Reviewer

2010-09-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi gang! Stop by Writers Gone Wild so I can introduce you to an incredible lady, Mary Gramlich, and her worthy cause, SOS America. Please consider donating some books or other things to her so she can give them to soldiers and their families. Come learn about Mary and see how you can help support our troops.

How typos and other mistakes make it into a published book

2010-09-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how those annoying little mistakes make it into the final version of a published book? It's easier than you might think! I'm over at Writers Gone Wild today, telling my own story about that particular pet peeve.

Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins

2010-08-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I tackled my downstairs powder room, which was covered in a busy floral pattern wallpaper. Hubby got involved while I was using the steamer I rented, and as a consequence I've had to use a half-tub of spackling compound to fill in all the gouges and holes he made in the drywall. Got two more sandings/fillings to go, then I can tape and paint. Almost there! And I won't be asking my man for help with that part.

Since it's still blueberry season up here and I'm picking the last of them off our blueberry bush, I wanted to share a favorite recipe with you. These blueberry cornmeal muffins are the perfect texture and not too sweet, plus the cornmeal gives them an added crunch I really like. Especially when I cut them in half and toast them before slathering butter on them. Yum!

You'll need:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup melted butter (I suppose you could use apple sauce or oil, but it won't taste the same)

3/4 cup milk (I used Skim, so I don't feel so bad about the butter)

1 egg

zest of one lemon (if you don't like tangy things, then substitute with 2 tsps of cinnamon--I sometimes do this when I don't have a lemon handy, and they still taste amazing)

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Method:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and grease a muffin pan with 6 large cups in it.

-In a bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.

-Melt butter in a microwave-proof measuring cup, then add milk to it. You should have 1 cup of liquid total. Add egg and mix.

-Add liquid to dry ingredients, then stir in zest or cinnamon (heck, or both) and the blueberries. Do not over mix. Only fold the ingredients together until the mixture is just combined and moistened.

-Divide the mixture equally into the 6 large muffin cups.

-Bake 25-30 mins, or until golden brown on the top. Let cool for about five minutes, then remove them from the tins and transfer them to a cooling rack so they don't get soggy.

Try these! You'll love 'em.

Interview With Pamela Beason

2010-08-18T04:17:00.000-07:00

I'm at Writers Gone Wild today, introducing you to romance and mystery author, Pamela Beason. Stop by for a chance to win a copy of her debut contemporary romance, On Shaky Ground, coming from The Wild Rose Press this Friday.

Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention I talked to a couple of female AF pilots the other day at the airshow. Must have skipped my mind after my tete-a-tete with the hot Herc pilot :)

They flew a refueling tanker, which I thought was awesome (Yes, I know. I'm a geek.). I did ask them a couple questions about the process because a refueling problem comes up in my latest WIP, and it's kind of pivotal because the ensuing action depends on the refueling going disastrously wrong. They were polite, but not as interested in talking with me as the Herc pilot. Huh. I wonder why that was?

Showing My Inner Geek: Air Force Research

2010-08-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Had another whirlwind weekend. Friday night we went to Cirque Du Soleil, followed by dinner right on the water at False Creek. Saturday I cleaned up the house and yard to get ready for my RWA chapter summer get together on Sunday. Then a bit of a monkey wrench.

We were supposed to go to the air show just before lunch, but due to hubby having to go into the office for a few hours, that didn't happen. By the time he finished up, we had less than two hours left before the show closed. I was not impressed. I desperately wanted to see some aircraft featured in my current WIP, and I didn't want to drag two fighting kids around with me while I did so. I let my displeasure with my hubby be known, and we finally headed out to the show. The kids fell asleep on the way, so they stayed in the van with DH while I went in myself. Was I going to pass up the opportunity to see Hercs and Globemasters up close just because my family wasn't interested? Hell no. Their loss.

It was over ninety freaking degrees outside, and probably close to a hundred on the tarmac. What I didn't count on was being able to meet the air crews, and actually talk to them. It threw me. I felt like a total dork because I was all by myself with this little yellow sundress on (not exactly air show attire), but whatever. I needed to see these planes firsthand. There are plenty of Canadian military aircraft around, but I ignore all of them and head straight over to the planes stamped USAF.

First stop was the C-5 Galaxy, pictured at left. This thing is monstrous, and I have no idea how it gets off the ground. In this shot they're unloading a Pave Hawk (special ops version of the H-60 Black Hawk), but unfortunately I didn't get to see one of those at the show. Probably just as well because I would have drooled all over it :)

Next stop was the C-17 Globemaster, which was impressive in itself. Could easily park a semi in there and still have room to spare. The sides of the interior are lined with jump seats (see below), and it regularly flies with two loadmasters on the crew.

But what I really came to see was the C-130, or Hercules. It's the four-prop workhorse of the military, and it's been around a long time. The heroine of my Bagram series is the co-pilot of the souped-up heavily armed version of the Herc, known appropriately as the Spooky. There aren't many of them around, so I intended to take a close look at the 130 and imagine the rest. So, no surprise I made a beeline for the Herc sitting with its tailramp down. Trying to ignore my sudden nervousness, I approached the men from the Alaska Air Reserve standing there in their flight suits.

The back end crew were in their forties or fifties, and very sweet to me. They gave me a tour of the cargo area, politely answering all my questions about the Spooky. The loadmaster showed me where the weapons and electronics systems would be, and talked about its range, average air speed, etc. Then he called the pilot over to answer some specifics about the flight deck. This is where I got tongue tied. He was young and damn good looking and I just about completely froze. (Katie, where are you when I need you!!!)

Him: "Hi, ma'am. Can I help you with anything?"

Me: Uh...
Oh my God. I'm all sweaty and gross, and here's this gorgeous pilot in front of me.
Say something! You look like an idiot! "Um, can I see the cockpit?"

"We've closed it off because it's too hot up there, but you can take a look through the floor if you like."

I follow him forward and get my first look up at the front seats and the bank of electronics and instruments. It's so hot the backs of my knees are sweating. I can feel my dress sticking to me, and I just know my hair's gone all wild and curly.

The pilot faces me with a smile, his deep blue eyes crinkling slightly at the corners. "Ever been in a Herc before?"

"No, this is my first time." I'm absolutely not blushing because he's easy on the eyes and mildly flirtatious, I tell myself. My heart is beating hard and my face is red simply because I'm about to have heat stroke.

"Well welcome aboard."

Oh yeah. He's got that alpha-male, charismatic thing down pat. And man, he's really good looking.

Say something intelligent. "Uh...What altitude to you generally fly at?"

"Depends, but I like low and slow."

He says it with a distinct lowering of his voice. Now it's even hotter in here, and the twinkle in his eye isn't helping. Oh my God, I'm a cougar.

"In the day we can go as low as 200 feet, and at night with NVGs--You know what NVGs are?"

"I do."

Another grin. "With NVGs we can go to 500 feet."

That's pretty freaking low, especially in a place like Afghanistan, with all the sharp mountain peaks in the northeast half of the country. We chatted a bit more about the kinds of missions he flies. Air drops mostly, to resupply teams in the field, or civilians needing aid. But they can also do troop transport, medevac and recon missions. I asked if dropping from higher altitudes made for a low success rate. He said no, because the parachutes used to deploy equipment actually have GPS systems in them. Who knew? And, as it turned out, this particular reserve Captain has been to Iraq once, and 6 times to Afghanistan.

Anyone who's read my books knows how much I love talking about military action in Afghanistan. I'm practically vibrating inside.

After taking all this in, I flounder for something sensible to say. "When you fly medevac over there, are the patients transported to Landstuhl?"

"No, we take 'em to Bagram."

I open my mouth to say I meant after Bagram, wishing I'd phrased it differently so I looked like I had a clue.

"From Bagram they're transported in bigger aircraft to Landstuhl or Ramstein."

I nod, still stuck on the magic word Bagram. My heart starts beating even faster.

Here it was: the perfect opportunity to ask him everything I'd ever wanted to know about Bagram, flying in Afghanistan, and maybe find out if he knew any PJs over there. Did I ask him any of these burning quesitons? Nope. Too wound up inside. My mind's gone blank.

We chat a bit more about flying, his career, etc. Then he tilts his head and gives a little smile. "What do you do for a living, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm a massage therapist." Why does that suddenly have less-than-proper overtones for some reason?

His grin widens. "Just seems like you know more about all this than the average person."

"Oh, well I'm...I'm a writer." I clear my throat and glance away, up into the safety of the cockpit. It's waaay too damn hot in here, but he doesn't seem to notice. I have the impression he'd stand there and answer my questions all day. "The character in my book is a female Spooky pilot." I don't dare tell him it's a romance.

"Oh. Wow, that's really great."

I think it's great, but I'm a geek.

I asked him a few more inane questions, then someone from the air show came up to talk about his itinerary. I waited a few moments and picked my moment, thanked him quickly, wished him well on his upcoming deployment. Then I left. The second I exit the aircraft a breeze hits my sweaty skin, and thank God.

"Bye!"

I turn around to see all three crewmen standing on the tail ramp, waving at me. My face gets even redder as I smile and wave back. Who knew I was still this self-conscious around a bunch of good-looking men? I hurried back across the baking tarmac on my way to the parking lot. As I turned the corner and glanced back, they were still standing there. They waved again; I waved back. The Snowbirds (Canada's version of the Blue Angels) were performing overhead, but I didn't much care. I was too busy kicking myself for freezing back there. When am I ever going to get the chance to talk to a 130 pilot again? There are so many things I wished I'd asked him.

Still, I'm glad I got to see the aircraft and get a feel for it, because that'll only make the scenes more vivid when I write them. But I learned an imporant lesson. Next year I'm taking a list of questions with me!

New Interview

2010-08-09T04:33:00.000-07:00

I guess the logo is pretty self explanatory, huh? Lol.

Anyway, I'm over there talking about Relentless and the final book of the series, Absolution. Okay, and I gush a little bit about Luke too :) Gosh I hope I'm not the only one that's completely in love with him! I guess I have the advantage of knowing how his book goes, but seriously, someone's got to be aching to find out what happens to him!

In other news, I've recently sent out two more fulls on my PJ novel, and I'd appreciate all my readers crossing their fingers and toes for me. That makes four fulls out in total right now, but I've yet to hear back from any of the agents. Send out good vibes for me, okay?

I'm a Finalist!

2010-08-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Just got the word that both Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back are finalists in the romantic suspense category of the Heart of Excellence Readers Choice Awards (held by Ancient City Romance Writers). The contest moves into the final phase of judging now, where librarians and booksellers make the final decisions. Winners aren't announced until September, but I'll keep you posted!

Meet Victoria Gray, Civil War Author

2010-08-04T04:25:00.000-07:00

Come on over to Writers Gone Wild today and meet Civil War romance author Victoria Gray. You know how much I looove the Civil War, and she's also written about one of the parts of the war I know best so I had to invite her over to tell us about it. Plus you know I've got that wrenching Civil War manuscript sitting in my hard drive awaiting some edits, so... Maybe this will give me the motivation to dig it out! Victoria's giving away a digital copy of Destiny to one commenter, so come on by and say hello. And feel free to give me a kick in the butt if you want to :)

Rachel Brimble Interview

2010-07-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Please welcome author Rachel Brimble here today, from the picturesque town of Bath, England. (Lucky thing.)

Tell us a bit about yourself, and why you decided to write romance.
I am married with two young daughters and live near the beautiful city of Bath, England. I started writing once I became pregnant with my youngest daughter although it was always a passion of mine. Romance became my genre of choice organically. Every story I wrote centered around a romantic relationship even if I didn’t plan it that way! I knew it was a calling.

Tell us about your new release, The Arrival of Lily Curtis, and how long it took you to write it.
This is my first historical and the story behind ‘Lily’ is different than any of my other novels. Up until now I have only written contemporary and Lily came to me fully-formed and talking. I had no idea who she was but I know she hated her current life and wanted to completely change her identity. But try as I might, I could not fit her into any of the contemporary scenarios flying around in my head.
Then while I was watching a Victorian drama on TV, I knew exactly why I was struggling with her… She was Victorian! The rest was easy and I wrote the first draft in four months.

Do you plot, or let the characters take you through the book?
I’m a plotter. Once I have the idea, I write a synopsis and then a chapter plan. Very often things change along the way but I love having a framework, something I can refer back to if I’m struggling.

I knew I liked you :) While writing, did you identify the most with Lily or Viscount Westrop?
Lily, definitely! She is like me in many ways – I don’t like constraints, I don’t like being unable to express my opinion and I certainly don’t like bolshy men! Lily is a fighter and I think she’s pretty damn fantastic.

What sort of research did you do for the book? What little treasures did you unearth about that period in history?
I carried out most of my research on the internet but as this is my first historical, I must admit I was wary of steeping myself too deeply in the details. ‘Lily’ is most definitely a romance set against a Victorian background rather than a Victorian novel with romantic elements. I was careful with costume, transport, food etc and hope this adds to the richness of the setting but didn’t delve too deeply into the intricacies of the period. I wanted the reader to ‘feel’ the time but focus their attention on Lily and the delicious Viscount Westrop.

How do you make sure the dialogue is correct for the period without it sounding stilted to a modern audience?
This was a challenge but I truly hope I have managed it well enough for the readers to have an enjoyable and unstilted read. I tended to only add the easily recognizable ‘old english’ phrases and left the rest alone.

What advice would you give to new authors about the drafting phase?
My good friend and author, Julie Cohen, gives the best advice in the world regarding the first draft – ‘Allow yourself to write crap!’
This is it in a nutshell – get the words on the page and then you can play around with them until they shine. There’s no other way to get a book written.

I'm so with you on that! Any advice on editing?
The best advice I can give, is once your manuscript is complete, go through and delete as many ‘seemed to’, ‘tried to’ and ‘began to’ – make it active!

What about promotion? What have you found that works the best?
Ah, the wonderful promotion question! I have no idea what works best but I do love interviews and I do love having guests on my blog. I think if writers share their forums and get to know each other, it reaches the readers that we are all keen to help each other and offer good products for them to enjoy.

Is there anything you know now that you wished you'd known before you became published?
That one book does not sate the craving! I thought I only had one book in me but once ‘Searching For Sophie’ was published, another idea popped into my head, then another, then another…now I have accept my writing is a compulsion and I will undoubtedly do this for the rest of my life.

Has anything about the process of publishing surprised you along the way?
How nice everyone is! I have heard many horror stories from other writers but I have not experience anything negative and I have been writing and publishing stories for over six years now. If a writer is willing to bend a little on their work, be polite and open to criticism, this is a wonderful industry to work in.

What are you working on now?
I have just finished plotting my second Victorian romance, tentatively entitled Jewel of His Heart but in the meantime, I have another contemporary romance due for release in January 2011 from Lyrical Press called Getting It Right This Time. Set in the fictional town of Foxton, England, it is the story of a young mother reunited with her first love and the struggles they face to make it work second time around.

Where can readers find you?
www.rachelbrimble.com
www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com
Thanks Rachel!

Bio: Rachel lives with her husband and two young daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. Having always believed there’s someone for everyone, Rachel started writing her own tales of love once her children were at school. Since then, she’s had several books published with The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press and Lyrical Press. She aspires to secure an agent in the near future. A member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, Rachel cannot imagine her life without romance or writing!

When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. And in the evening? Well, a well-deserved glass of wine is never, ever refused…

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-26T08:27:00.001-07:00

I love coming home after a vacation! Being a total homebody, my house is my haven, and I miss it whenever I'm away. Had a great trip, but hubby and I have agreed the next time we go away, it'll be just the two of us. That way we won't have to referee our boys all the time :)

On our way south we stopped in Portland for lunch at a Food Network Diners, Drive-ins and Dives ("Triple D") featured cafe. Our family loves that show, and hubby had scoped out places for us to try during the trip. So we ate lunch at the Blue Plate Cafe, and it was truly awesome. Had an amazing hand-carved chicken, bacon and grilled cheese sandwich with a chocolate malt shake from their full soda fountain. Then we stopped at Powell's Books, the largest indie bookstore in the US. (Katie, I went in to see if they had our books, but no dice. I tried!)

With full tummies we carried on to our final destination just outside of Sisters, Oregon. We found a real BBQ place in town and my hubby was in his glory. I think he moaned every other bite. The food was awesome, and even Little Weasel ate some of the pulled pork nachos.

In all we spent three nights at the Lodge at Suttle Lake, in the owner's private "cabin" (complete with granite countertops and a stainless steel kitchen) right on the lake. I only met the woman once when she was up here for an event with my stepmom, but she's been unbelievably sweet to me. Not only did she comp the cabin, she left us a huge gift basket stuffed with treats, and took us out on her speedboat with some of her family and a professional wakeboarder to give us lessons. Hubby and I were happy to stay in the boat, but our six year old is still talking about going tubing with Alex Scagliotti, the pro wakeboarder that just placed 11th in the men's nationals.

After an action packed day and buying us all lunch at the resort's restaurant, the owner invited us back to her house about twenty minutes away for a BBQ. When we pulled up to the house, hubby and I both said, "Holy...crap." Picture a gorgeous log home set on 15 acres with a panoramic view of 7 mountains, complete with an entire building full of arcade games, a barn and a fishing pond. Yeah. Pretty nice digs.

She cooked us all a huge BBQ dinner with her family. Not only that, she'd hired a professional fly fisherman to give the kids lessons, so my six year old (AKA Big Weasel) learned how to cast and loved every second of it. Hubby caught two fish on his first two casts, and joked "There's nothing to this sport." Then Big Weasel caught a little frog and brought it into the dining room where I was still eating my dinner--and let it go, not realizing it would run for its life. Everyone howled with laughter while BW and I crawled under the table and around the dining room chasing this frog. We ended up putting him back in the pond, safe and sound.

Our incredible hostess topped all this off with a campfire and S'Mores for the kids (who thought they were in heaven by this point) after a rousing game of soccer with the whole crew in a huge pasture under the full moon. And wow, you should have seen how many stars there were in the sky. Pretty magical, and I still can't believe the owner's hospitality. Unreal.

On our way up to Seattle we stopped at Jubitz truck stop outside Portland, but it wasn't the same as I remember from my childhood. Next I made hubby stop at Fort Vancouver, a Hudson's Bay Company trading post from the mid 1800s. I wasn't expecting my family to really care that U.S. Grant was stationed there years before the Civil War, but to my unending delight, BW got really into it. He asked a park ranger all kinds of questions and wanted to check out every building on the site, plus he showed a real interest in the cannons. You can bet I fanned that flame :) (I'm so proud!)

Next day we took the kids to the Museum of Flight, and had an awesome time. Saw some WWI bi and tri-planes, a few WWII jet fighters, the Concorde, an old Air Force One, and an SR-71 Blackbird (AKA "Jetfire" in the Transformers 2 movie, shown below.)
The museum also had an exhibit about space travel and exploration, and the kids had a fantastic time. We left with a whole bunch of aircraft models, including an Apache attack helicopter, Stealth Bomber, Chinook helicopter and a Medevac Black Hawk for me. It's perched on my writing desk right now to give me added mojo when I dig into revisions on my Medevac/PJ novel (Turbulence).

That night we met friends at a Moroccan restaurant downtown. The food was awesome, and the ambiance was pretty cool. BW even topped the meal off by getting up and performing with the belly dancer. (You may have noticed by now that he's not very shy, lol.)

After that we hit Safeco Field to watch the BoSox.
I'd flat ironed my hair and everything, but Varitek was out with a broken foot, and the BoSox self destructed in the 7th and 8th innings. Plus my kids were a complete handful. All in all, I think I saw a solid four out of nine innings. Hence hubby and I going on our own next time.

Yesterday we stopped at another Triple D restaurant yesterday on the way home. Voula's Offshore Cafe is just off the UW campus, and we waited over an hour to get in, then another forty for our food. It was okay, but I'm not sure it was worth the wait.

Didn't get much writing time on the trip, but I did work on my laptop during some of the driving. Got a synopsis and polishing done on a novella I've just submitted, so I'll keep you posted as to the status. Apart from the kids fighting it was an action packed trip, but I'm glad to be home!

What sort of romance heroine do you like?

2010-07-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

I'm at Writers Gone Wild today, asking for your input about romance heroines. Tell me what you'd love to see in one, and what you hate. I'm working on something new, and want to make my heroine memorable so stop by and drop me a note. You never know, your suggestions might make it into my next book!

I'm out of town at the moment, but hope to be able to pop in and check the post at least once during the day. Hope everyone is having a good summer!

Road Trip

2010-07-18T14:29:00.001-07:00

We're hitting the road Tuesday and getting the heck out of Dodge. Central Oregon is our final destination, where we'll stay three nights at The Lodge At Suttle Lake. We're all looking forward to getting away from everything for awhile, especially since we've been so busy with family for the past few weeks and my mother-in-law's funeral.

Then on Friday we're heading to Seattle, where on Saturday night we'll be watching the BoSox take on the Mariners at Safeco Field. I think we're close to home plate, and I'm praying the BoSox Captian, Jason Varitek, will be catching that night. (Mmmm, Varitek...) He's a well respected catcher renowned for studying game footage and opposing batter's weaknesses, plus he takes charge on the field and in the clubhouse, and he works well with the pitching staff. I can't wait to sit back with a hot dog and dark chocolate dipped strawberries on a stick to watch my heartthrob do his thing.

Our eldest is six, and this isn't his first time to Safeco. He'll do okay, provided there are lots of food vendors around to keep him happy. It'll be our little guy's first ball game though. He's only 4, and while I doubt he'll last the whole nine innings, I hope he'll mostly enjoy the experience. We're going with one of my best pals (a former teammate) and her man who happens to live in Seattle. My pal is great with the kids, but my hubby is well aware of my fan girl crush and already knows he's in charge of the boys if they start to whine or act up during the game so I'm not distracted from seeing my hero. Even if I only see him in the dugout. Hubby loves the BoSox too, but he doesn't love Varitek as much as I do :)

Maybe it's because I was a pitcher, but to me catchers are just plain sexy, especially him. For crying out loud, just look at him up there in the first photo! Yum. Of course when it comes to yummy catchers there's also Minnesota's delectable Joe Mauer (shown here on the left), but I'm a loyal kind of gal. (If only he played for the BoSox...)

Varitek's only 3 years older than me and we've both had ball-related surgery on our left knees, so that makes me feel even closer to him, lol. And as a massage therapist, I'd be happy to work all his knots out after the game. Purely for therapeutic reasons, of course ;)

But don't worry, I promise to behave myself should I run into him. I'm actually pretty shy, so even if I somehow met the man I wouldn't be able to do anything more than blush and mumble a hello. (When really I'd be thinking, I love you Jason! Can we play catch?)

Desert Island Keepers

2010-07-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

Still on the promo trail, I'm over at Desert Island Keepers talking about my fantastic heroes :) Come by for a chance to win a copy of my latest release, Relentless.

Karlene Blakemore-Mowle

2010-07-14T04:44:00.000-07:00

I'm over at Writers Gone Wild today, featuring an article by Aussie author Karlene Blakemore-Mowle about Australian rural romance. She's giving away a copy of her latest release to one commenter, so be sure to drop by :)

Release Day!!!

2010-07-09T07:33:00.001-07:00

It's the official release day for Relentless! It's book 4 of 5 in my military romantic suspense series, and it's set here in Vancouver :)

This one's lighter on the suspense than the previous two books, and heavier on the romance. And the smexin', too! (It's HAWT.) A few readers have asked me why I did that, since they really liked all the hair raising action in Cover of Darkness and No Turning Back. The answer is, I needed a break from the Middle East and things being blown up every other chapter. Two back-to-back novels about murder and mayhem made me want to switch gears, plus it allowed me to better show Rhys's emotional development in the book by focusing on the relationship between him and Neveah. Tehrazzi's still in this one, but he plays a minor role, orchestrating his next diabolical move from overseas when he activates a terrorist cell in Vancouver. It's all right though. There'll still be blood and delicious alpha maleness.

Today's the last day to enter the contest over at Writers Gone Wild, so drop by and leave a comment.

Since Rhys and Ben are twins and I'm celebrating today, here's the latest pics of the twins at my dad's place:

Here's the eager beaver of the two, testing his wings and almost knocking his sibling out of the nest. I love the way the other twin is cocking his head like that. It makes me think of Ben and Rhys.
Rhys jerks back and glowers at his brother. "What the hell are you doing, punk?"
Ben raises his middle wing feather and flaps harder. "Getting ready to fly, hard-ass."

Ah, lift off! Just another few days and this little guy will be feeling the wind beneath his wings for the first time. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll have more pictures for you by then.

Hope you all have a great weekend!
Kaylea :)

Relentless contest

2010-07-07T09:28:00.001-07:00

I'm over at Writers Gone Wild today, hosting a contest for a digital copy of Relentless. This one's rated HOT so you might need to turn on the fan while you read it, and trust me, Rhys is uber yummy. I'll pick the winner on the weekend, so stop by and leave a comment to enter.

Got some great news this morning. One of the girls I coached a few years back recently made the Canadian Women's National Fastptich Team, and I'm so proud of her! She was small for her age, but her heart and determination were obvious to anyone watching her out on the field. She just e-mailed me to say they took the bronze medal at the World Championships in Venezuela. Go Corrine!

Also, here's a cool picture of one of the twin eagles at my dad's place, testing its wings. Another week or so, and it's going to try flying for the first time. Will keep you posted!

Win one of my books during the Deadly Days of Summer

2010-07-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm over at Cynthia Eden's blog today, chatting about the heroes of my special ops series. Swing by if you'd like a chance to win one of my books, including this Friday's upcoming release, Relentless.

Happy 4th of July

2010-07-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to all my Americans friends out there. Up here north of the 49th parallel we celebrated Canada Day on July 1st, but the weather's been cool and gray so it doesn't feel like summer yet. As you know, my mother-in-law passed away a week ago. My hubby's been swamped taking care of all the details for her elaborate funeral service, so last night we went on a date. It was a much needed break for both of us, and we had a nice dinner at an Irish restaurant on the beach. I know the owner, and we stayed after to watch her sing. She toured with Riverdance as a musician and singer, and she performs at the restaurant from time to time. After that, we called my mom to bring the kids down so we could attend the outdoor movie night. We bundled up and watched How To Train Your Dragon on the huge inflatable screen set up right on the beach, and though it was cold and kind of damp, it was neat to watch a movie beneath the stars while the lights reflected off the water.

Since it's the 4th of July today, I thought I'd post a picture of the "eagle cam" my dad has set up on his property. He's been building his ginormous house on the bluff overlooking the ocean for going on nine years now, and there are bald eagles nesting in some of the trees on his property. Bald eagles mate for life, and here in Vancouver the eagles migrate up to Alaska in the fall and return each spring to nest and have babies. Usually they only have one egg, which the parents take turns sitting on 24/7. But my dad is lucky enough to have a pair of eagles that had twins this spring. He figures they're about 74 or 75 days old today.

Here's a shot of one of the parents feeding a youngster. Can you see it there at the front of the nest? It's got a dark head, and won't get it's white feathers for a few years yet. World renowned eagle researcher David Hancock says they should be fledging (i.e. learning to fly) in the next eight or nine days. He and my dad are working on setting up an Internet link for the live webcam, so I'll keep you posted. I was just at my dad's place this afternoon and he put the camera shot on his big TV so we could see it. The second he turned it on, one of the adults swooped in with a salmon and dumped it in the nest. The babies are so big now that the adults leave the nest at night and roost in the trees on the other side of the house, but it's still close enough to keep an eye on their little ones.

I'll try to post more pictures in the coming weeks, and if the feed goes live on the web I'll post the link ASAP. Hope everyone is having a safe and wonderful long weekend south of the border!

I'm over at Cynthia Eden's blog tomorrow, talking about my special ops heroes. (What else, right?) I'll post a link tomorrow, so you come on by and enter the contest to win a copy of one of my books.

Another Lesson In Perspective

2010-06-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we lost my mother-in-law. She was terminally ill with lung cancer, but she wasn't deathly sick yet and we didn't expect her to go for another few months. I was at a continuing ed course for massage therapy all day Saturday, but that night we hosted my hubby's family for my father-in-law's birthday/Father's Day dinner. The whole crew came into town for it (all of us only get together a handful of times each year), and everyone went up to see her in the hospital, including all six grandkids. She was tired after seeing everyone, but she'd improved enough over the previous two weeks that the doctor was thinking of sending her home in a few days.

When I got home from the course that eveing the whole gang was there; six kids, nine adults and one dog. We had a lovely BBQ dinner prepared by my hubby, then watched the boys play soccer and badminton with the kids in the backyard. After everyone left, my father-in-law and sister-in-law went back up to the hospital (a forty minute drive) to bring Mom a piece of cake. A nurse told them she'd been just about to call them because Mom had suddenly taken a nosedive. When my relatives walked in, they found her panicked and struggling to get air. My hubby got the call to come up to the hospital, and he took off immediately. Since his brothers just happened to be in town, they were able to go up as well, so at least everyone was together. For three hours they sat with her and watched her slowly suffocate to death. My husband is traumatized by witnessing that, and I'm glad I wasn't there to see it.

Needless to say, things have been hectic and my priority is making sure I'm there for my hubby. His mom made him responsible for her funeral arrangements, and he's been swamped with taking care of all the details.

Long story short, I'm not exactly in the mood for writing right now. The only thing I've accomplished with writing over the past two weeks is critiquing over 250 pages for other people, and doing light edits on my new novella. I've got other projects sitting there waiting for my attention, but I really couldn't care less about them right now. And it looks like Mom's funeral will be held either the day when Relentless comes out, or a couple days afterward. Not sure I'll feel much like hitting the promotion trail right around then either.

Right now I feel the need to take stock of all my blessings: my kids, my hubby, my family and friends, my health. The rest seems to pale in comparison will all of that. Maybe it's Mom's way of making me get my priorities straight and putting everything in perspective. It's not a bad lesson to be reminded of.

Interview With Autumn Jordon

2010-06-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Please welcome the talented Autumn Jordon, here to talk about her Golden Heart finalist book just released by The Wild Rose Press.

Autumn, tell us about Evil's Witness. Where did the idea come from?

First, Kaylea, thank you for inviting me here today. I’m thrilled.

The idea for Evil’s Witness came about because of an incident that occurred at my family’s trucking company. Tractor trailers are high-jacked more often than you might imagine, and we’d hauled loads of currency for the U.S. Treasury. I simply put the two together and then thought what would happen if the robbery was witnessed by a small town woman. If the heists were conducted by the mafia, how would she get away from them, save her children? Where would she hide?

Excerpt of Evil’s Witness:
Rapid gunfire and cries pelted the air, coming closer. Stephanie didn’t look back. She had to escape. She had to live for Bobby’s and Em’s sake.

What sort of research did you have to do for the book?

I already knew about the trucking industry so the basis of the plot was a no-brainer. I’m also from a small town, so it was the setting and many other elements was at hand. I did however interview local and state police concerning their parts in working with other law enforcement agencies. I also interviewed an FBI agent concerning his job and the witness protection program. He also confirmed a plot point of the story to actually have had happened within his own agency. To make contacts, all you need to do is pick up the phone and say I’m a writer. Would you mind answering a few questions? You’ll be surprised how easy it is.

A bit of advice however, have your questions written down with the most important ones first. You are taking up the interviewees time and you don’t how much of it you will have.

Excerpt of Evil’s Witness:
Bean counter. Morse’s words haunted Randall, along with the memory of the dead Sheriff’s stare.
The phone he held rang relentlessly.
No answer. Randall hit the off button and slammed the phone down. Like a wild beast, he paced his office, waiting to be executed.

How did you find out about TWRP?

One of my critique partners is also published by TWRP. In fact, while brainstorming for another Wayback story for her to write, Sylvie suggested I write one. I did in two months. Obsessed By Wildfire. The story has done very well for me.

Excerpt of Evil’s Witness:
…she scanned the cars. Had he been in the backseat of one of them? Had one of the local girls already run him down and claimed him?
“So what do you have in mind with that whip?” He broke her musing.
“Whip?” She’d forgotten she still had it in her grasp, and the reason why.

When did you start writing novels and how many books had you completed before EW?

I’m by no means an over-night success. In fact, I had a long road to publication. I started to seriously study the craft in 1997 while going through a divorce. I decided it was time to work on my dream. I finished my first novel two years later. Before EW, I wrote three other novels. I recently had a request to revise and resubmit my first novel. I’ll be working on doing so this summer.

What was it like when you were notified that you were a Golden Heart finalist?

Totally unexpected and totally awesome. Would you like to hear the whole story? I’ll never forget the moment. Here’s how it went down:

March 25, 2009 9:02 A.M I’m late for work. Well, not really. I work for my family’s business. I don’t punch a time clock. I’m on call 24/7/365, but I’m usually in the office by 8:55 A.M. However, the night before my Irish Setter’s stomach decided it didn’t like what he ate and took its revenge out on the living room carpet. It was March. We’re in the Northeast, heating oil was still high, so opening windows was not a option.
The phone rings.
With my curling iron tangled in my hair, I scrabbled for the phone. “Yes.”
“Good morning. I’m calling for, Autumn Jordon.”
Oh, God. Just what I need. A telemarketer. Deep breath. She’s only doing her job. Be nice. I conjured up my own customer service voice and said, “I’m she. How can I help you?”
“This is so and so…”
I’m really not listening anymore because, one, I’m just waiting for the opportunity to respond, “Oh gosh, you should’ve called me last week. My husband just bought me one. Or I already gave to this organization. A Horace Grainger called. Do you know Horace?” And two, I’m trying to get my curling iron out of my hair. And three, I’m giving my dog the evil eye because he’s now lying on our bed.
“... from Romance Writers of America.”
Okay. This is where she got my attention. The date. It’s March 25th. The Golden Heart calls go out. Holy sh*#! “No, way!”
Laughter from Ms. RWA representative. (To this day, I don’t recall the name of the woman who called me. I wish she’d identify herself to me so I could thank her in non-babble gibberish) “You are a 2009 Golden Heart Finalist. Are you planning to come to Washington D.C.?”
“Are you kidding? I’m packing tonight.”
And so it began…

I love that story! And now that you're an acclaimed author, what advice would you give aspiring romantic suspense authors in terms of plotting and pacing in that genre?

I’m not much of a plotter. I write by the seat of my pants. But I will caution writers to watch for plot holes. What are plot holes? Questions that are raised and never answered. Or, characters who disappear without an exit.

As far as pacing, most of a RS novel needs to be fast paced. I say most because you do need those sequels that let your reader’s heart rest.

You can speed up the pace in a number of ways; by using only small amounts of internal dialogue, very trim dialogue, active nouns and verbs that show without explanation and short, choppy sentences.

Excerpt of Evil’s Witness:
“I have to make arrangements to get Ms. Boyd and her children to a safe house.”
“You think they’ll come after her and the kids?”
“Wouldn’t you?”
Ben pulled the cigar from his mouth. “If my life depended on it.”
“Theirs does.”
“Sweet.”
“Yeah. Let’s see if you still feel the same way when you come face to face with them.”
“Then I’m on your team?”
“Is there a way I can stop you?”
“Hell no.”

What things can an author do to accurately/vividly write their hero's POV?

I actually ask them to lunch or coffee and interview them. Listening to their voices, I make note of their unique speech patterns and what type of words they use. Then when I write I use first person POV. Really get into the character’s frame of mind. After a scene is complete, I’ll go back and tweak it in third person and add layers of the characters’ traits and mannerisms.

How do you create your characters?

Before I write a word of a new book, I’ll scan my character picture file. I’m always on the lookout for interesting faces. I’ve bought magazines just for the pictures of certain models. This was the case with the hero in my first novel. I’ll never forget the moment I found Clay. We were in an ice cream parlor in State College, PA. I was in love at first sight. I might tweak the picture with a scar, a mole, or even a disability. So, before I start, I have a great visual of my characters. Then, as I stated above, I interview them and learn their GMC, voice, etc.

What advice can you give us about dialogue?

Read only your dialogue out loud when reviewing. Does it sound natural or stilted? Make each character’s voice unique. Listen to them.

That's a great tip. What advice would you give new authors about writing or the publishing industry?

Read. Study. Write every day. Remember you can learn something from everyone.

What's next for you and what are you working on now?

I’ve just finished my next romantic suspense. Readers are reviewing it. And I have two others started.

Where can readers find you?

You can each me through my website I also have a blog And, I’m on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter.

Once again thank you for hosting me today.

You're welcome, Autumn! You're a great interview :)

(No part of this interview may be used without the express permission of the author Autumn Jordon.)

Absolution Release Date

2010-06-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well, now I've got one less thing to wait for. Absolution has just been given a December 10th release date, which is perfect because I think this book is my best and it would make a great Christmas gift for any romance fan on your list. Now, back to my writing cave...

Gotta stop counting the days...

2010-06-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Like a lot of authors I know, I'm playing the waiting game right now. Actually, I'm waiting for news on just about everything, lol. I'm so desperate for some good news (any good writing news!) that I went out yesterday and bought myself a silk rose to commemorate my first sale. I never got one from my RWA chapter for Out of Her League, because I joined them after I'd made the sale. My new rose is now sitting on top of my armoire with the others, forming a nice little bouquet. I'd like to make the bouquet much larger, if you know what I mean.

My six year old watched me select the yellow-and-peach rose yesterday while he held a basket of crafts and activity books for him and his brother. "Hm," he said, studying it seriously. "I like that color. And maybe if you put it in the garden, the black vine weevils will try to eat it and get sick and die."

*g* Now why didn't I think of that? By the way, I put some really strong pesticide down that another local gardener recommended to me, but the bugs are still out there. There are fewer of them, but that might be because I've picked most of them off the plants by now. Hard to say who's winning the war just yet, but I'm still determined to stop them!

So all of you out there, please send some good vibes my way and hopefully I'll have news of another sale soon. In the meantime, I've got another story to write!

Texas Trip Ranch Highlights

2010-06-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

My trip to the Silver Spur Guest Ranch in Bandera, TX, was a hoot. Even though I'm deathly afraid of flying. Editor-in-chief of TWRP, Rhonda Penders, drove me to the ranch from Austin with her hubby and youngest son, CJ. By the way, her son is not only the shipping and receiving officer for TWRP, but he's a Civil War buff and reenactor! What an awesome guy. That alone would have made the trip worthwhile, but there were more great things in store for me at the ranch. The best part was meeting my own editor for the Crimson Rose line, Johanna Melaragno. I spotted her right away in the main lodge and got a big hug, and I think I ate pretty much every meal with her. There she is on the left, with Bella the ranch dog.

Before the trip, Johanna promised me a trail ride, so we signed up for one first thing Friday morning and I wrangled Rhonda's hubby and son CJ to come with us. I told CJ we could pretend to be Yankee cavalry out on reconnaissance duty. (Hey, it was cool to us.) When we headed out that morning right after breakfast, it was overcast and drizzling. The weather gods must have known I was from Vancouver, and that my lily white skin couldn't take the heat :) Here's a shot of the chief wrangler, tall David. Does he look like he stepped out of a western movie or what?They paired me with a horse named Diesel, and he was a sweetheart. Jo's horse's name was Willie, and he was not a sweetheart. In fact, he kept biting poor Diesel's rump throughout the hour long ride. (I think Jo secretly made him do it.)

The area was much greener than I had anticipated, and the cool weather made it more enjoyable than being out in 90 degree heat plus humidity. We saw jackrabbits and listened to the cooing of Morning Doves as our wrangler, not-so-tall David, told us all about his various war wounds from his past as a bronc buster. I just have to say that as an RMT, I was appalled by the list of the man's injuries. He's lucky to be alive, let alone walking, and I'm sure by the time he hits sixty, he'll feel every one of those broken bones all over again. Think real cowboys are tough? They are. Not-so-tall David rarely went to the hospital for treatment unless his injuries were life threatening. Enough said, right?

We rode up over the hills and through some scrub brush, and lo and behold came across some Longhorns hanging out in a mesquite thicket. The ranch owner keeps them as pets, and they're as tame as lap dogs. Barely blinked at us as we rode past.

Here I am with two of my roomies from the Butch Cassidy cabin, Mina Khan and Elizabeth Pina. We slept on the squeakiest bunk beds ever, but it was still a fun weekend.

On the Saturday morning, the owner loaded all of us into a flatbed wagon and towed us with his pickup out to a spot where the staff had set up a cowboy breakfast at the edge of a pasture.

On the way we passed a herd of "Texas harleys" as I called them (I said it in fun the once, but the name stuck with our group). They came right over to our wagon when the ranch owner took out some treats for them.

Here's my editor, Johanna, with me and "she-who-shall-not-be-named" (who's obviously camera shy), full of huevos rancheros prepared over an open-flame grill. We're all currently working on a secret project for TWRP Scarlet line. Yee-haw! I'll let you know if it gets contracted.

Right after breakfast, a professional roper came out to do an act for us.

Since it was Rhonda's birthday (and TWRP's 4th birthday, by the way), she got chosen for the demonstration. Here she is posing for a trick where the roper uses a bullwhip to break a piece of uncooked spaghetti she's holding in her mouth. Pretty brave, huh? But we expected nothing less from our fearless leader.

Here's me and the Boss Lady. Rhonda was a total sweetheart, and I'm so glad I got to meet her and her family.

And finally, here's the end of the roping demonstration. The horse's name was Chief, and I swear he was almost asleep the entire show. The thing barely twitched while Kevin stood up and jumped on the saddle. I was impressed. The horse I owned as a kid would have left me as a smear on the nearest tree if I'd tried anything like this! Anyway, you'll see RJ there with the denim shirt. Who knew Snarky isn't so scary after all? She's got an incredibly lively sense of humor in person (just not via e-mail), and man is her wit sharp! But I agree with Rhonda--don't mess with her :)

Snarky drove myself and another author to the San Antonio airport on the Sunday morning, so she got to know me a bit. All in all, a great trip. I'm so glad I sucked it up and got on that plane!

Friday Contest

2010-06-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

I'm over at Naughty Author Chicks today, talking about some of the research I did for No Turning Back. If you've never been by this blog before, come take a look. It's full of interesting articles by a group of talented erotic romance authors :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Kaylea :)