Kate Hewitt - Romance Author

A first for everything

2010-02-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'm reaching the end of my current manuscript, tentatively titled A Captive Heart, and for the first time since I started writing I made myself cry! I know some writers say if you don't make yourself cry, how will you make your readers cry [the good kind of cry, that is!] but that's never worked for me. Maybe it's because I generally don't like to cry.

In any case, I wrote an emotional scene at the end of the book that touched on an experience in my own life [which I won't go into because I don't want to spoil the heroine's secret!] but it was good and even restorative for me to be able to draw on my own experience and emotions to write the scene--and I hope it has that ring of authenticity!

I'm excited about my next release, Her Mediterranean Playboy, which contains my novella The Italian's Housekeeper Mistress as well as another by Melanie Milburne. It goes on sale at eharlequin in March and will be in stores in April. I also received a US release date for Count Toussaint's Pregnant Mistress, which will be called Count Toussaint's Baby and will be out in the US in August.

Finally, I am updating my website at long last with new behind-the-scenes for my latest releases and TWO new short stories on my links page--hopefully these will all be up by March 1!

That time again

2010-01-31T17:12:00.000-08:00

Where I'm stuck right in the middle of the book and feeling rather uninspired. I am hoping the pile of books I'm judging for RWA's RITA contest will help pull me out of the doldrums. It doesn't help that it's so very cold and unwelcoming outside, I've got a sore throat (on only one side of my throat, which feels odd) and am overwhelmed by life deadlines (as opposed to writing ones) such as taxes, credit card bill dates, and so forth...

Oh well, enough complaining! I just received the title of my latest book, which is going to be called The Undoing of De Luca! Does that give you a visual picture of er, something? It will be out in the UK in September 2010. And Zoe's Lesson, which is my installment of The Balfour Legacy Collection, will be out in October!

Back to the depressingly blank drawingboard...

Blogging

2010-01-17T19:06:00.000-08:00

I'm blogging at The Pink Heart Society today about the actor Kevin McKidd and how characters can inspire us to learn more about the actors playing them [yes, in some circles, this is called STALKING.] I saw Kevin McKidd in the BBC/HBO series Rome, and his character fascinated me so much I decided to learn more about the actor. Check it out and you can even leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of my latest release, The Greek Tycoon's Reluctant Bride.
Isn't that the most gorgeous cover?

I'm madly trying to make up lost writing time this week, because last Sunday the ENTIRE family ws hit by the most horrible stomach flu imaginable. Every. Single. Person. And all I have to say about it is this: only the adults managed to make to the bathroom. I'll leave the rest to your imagination...

I just received two shipments of books, and I'm happy to give some away, so stay tuned for a competition to win copies of The Greek Tycoon's Reluctant Bride and Her Mediterranean Playboy!

And lastly, here's the last sentence I wrote in my current WIP: He turned, and in that moment--a single second, no more--her breath dried and her heart beat fast and she remembered how good it had been between them, how she’d laid in his arms as the sun washed them in gold and he kissed her closed eyelids.

Getting Your Facts Right

2010-01-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

So in my latest ms, whose proofs I just finished checking, I had the Italian hero call the heroine [also Italian] passera, which, according to trusty Babelfish, is the female form of passero, or sparrow. This is a running theme throughout the book, and so he calls her passera quite a bit.

The book was accepted, and my editor got back to me during the copyedits because apparently the word passera doesn't exist. Fair enough, I thought, let's go with passero. But the whole exchange made me a trifle wary, so I telephoned my Italian sister-in-law [very handy to have when writing Mediterranean-set romances!] and asked her if passera was indeed a word, and also, incidentally, if she knew of any endearments similar to sparrow.

She emailed me back, rather firmly telling me that passera was most certainly not a word. Then the next day my brother emailed me, amused, to tell me the whole truth: passera is a word, of sorts; it is a very vulgar term for the female genitalia. And this was what my hero was calling my heroine as an endearment!!!

Thank goodness for Italian sister-in-laws [even if she was too embarrassed to tell me what this word meant!] and for more forthright brothers!

My sister-in-law compiled a list of birds that would do as endearments, and we settled on rondinella, which means swallow, and apparently is used in Italy as an endearment. Perfect! Much better than passera, don't you think?

And in any case, I've certainly learned my lesson. All Italian terms, endearments, and names are first run by the indomitable Gabriella!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T09:25:00.001-08:00

This is my daughter attempting to skate but I posted it here because it is how I've felt lately: completely rushed off my feet! But I'm signing off just about everything to go spend some much-needed down time with my extended family for a week. I can't wait to sit by the [gas] fire, drink hot chocolate, play boardgames, and just generally relax. Oh, and open a few presents! I handed my book in, finished the proof edits for my last book, and don't have another due until March, so no writing is allowed for a whole week--yippee!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year's, wherever you are, and whatever you are doing. Merry Christmas!!!

I DID IT!

2009-12-15T17:59:00.000-08:00

I just pushed send on my current manuscript, as of now titled 'An Inconvenient Mistress'. It's done!! I wrote the 20,000 words and I'm actually, amazingly quite happy with the book. We'll see what my editor thinks!

Now I need to start thinking about Christmas...

What are you doing this holiday season? Are you traveling? Staying tucked up at home? Wrapping lots of presents? Drinking hot chocolate or egg nog or mulled wine (I like 'em all!). Let me know what you're up to!

Here's a glimpse into what we've been doing: playing chess, iceskating, and learning to walk :)

Tight deadline

2009-12-01T17:53:00.000-08:00

Two weeks, twenty thousand words. Can I do it??

We're still battling various illnesses here, and the thought of feeling 100% healthwise feels like a rather distant--and pleasant--dream. But at least I'm no longer bedridden, which is a plus.

And I can hardly believe the Christmas madness is almost upon us; I went shopping last night at Barnes & Noble and came away defeated after half an hour. It's just so hard to know where to begin. I think I'll attempt to do what I did last year, which is buy everything on the internet.

Meanwhile my youngest has just started walking!! It's so fun to see her tottering across the floor, and the proud smile she beams at everyone is so adorable. She makes sure *everyone* notices just how amazing she is--definitely the youngest (and I say this as the youngest of 5!)

If you didn't get a copy of Royal Baby, Forbidden Marriage in my first line giveaways, please email me and I'll happily send you one. I have a few more to spare.

Now! Enough with procrastination! Back to the wip... the hero, Larenz, has just asked the heroine, Ellery, about her secretive past...

A new direction

2009-11-16T17:18:00.000-08:00

So last week I was continuing to slog through my current manuscript, which has not been going well. Sometimes it feels like a round peg in a square hole, pulling and squashing and snipping at story threads till I'm not sure what I'm doing or why. Not a good feeling. So on Thursday, at 16,000 words (where I'd more or less been stuck for about three weeks, endlessly changing and revising what I'd already written) I decided to scrap it. Not delete it, but not continue working on it either. I've actually never done this before. My deadline is Dec 15 and five weeks from this date I started something entirely new. Panic!!

Actually, the new story fell into place pretty quickly, in part because I'd been thinking about the characters off and on for awhile. I'm at 12,000 words now, and still hoping to make my deadline. Of course, children and Thanksgiving and that little thing called CHRISTMAS might conspire against me...

Speaking of Christmas, I'm blogging on Iheart Presents about my November release, Royal Baby, Forbidden Marriage, and Christmas traditions sometime this week--not sure when it will actually get posted, but I'll let you know.

In the meantime, Sri, please e-mail me again with your contact details. My mailbox was full but I've fixed the problem now! Sorry!

And here is the first line of chapter 4:

Phoebe followed Sven up the thickly carpeted stairs, the long velvet curtains drawn against the night.

Are you all wondering who Sven is?! Enjoy!! :)

Sorry for the silence!

2009-11-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

We have been, for the last week and a half, laid low by the flu. It started with my son, then moved to my middle daughter, then my oldest daughter, then me, and now the baby. The only person who has resisted it is my husband, which is fortunate as I was bedridden for 5 days, which is three more days in bed than I had when I gave birth! I hardly ever get sick, sick enough to be in bed, and I always find it frustrating because while a good rest sounds rather nice actually, when my head is stuffed up and my chest feels like there is a knife in it and my whole body aches so I can't even sleep, it's not nice at all. Plus there is the whole mother-sick syndrome. Do you mothers out there experience this? While my husband is wonderful and valiantly tries to cover all the bases in my absence (or bedridden-ness, really), some things fall behind. Like laundry. And cooked meals. And keeping track of homework and hamster cages. You know? Sometimes I think about all the things in our family that only I know--like when my oldest daughter's book report is due, or when the hamster cage needs to be cleaned, or how much bread we have. It's all in my head, and no one else's.

All this to say I'm mostly better and back. No writing has been getting done, which is unfortunate as my deadline is 5 weeks away and I'm only at 15,000 words. This book has not been easy to write. I rewrote the first 5,000 words about six times before I abandoned all attempts and just kept plowing ahead. And then my characters started to misbehave--my heroine is supposed to be a play-it-safe type and she's not. She's acting entirely out of the character I created for her, which is annoying and delightful at turns, because it's good when the characters speak for themselves, but bad when it means more revision. Anyay, I'm still storming ahead so we'll see what happens.

SRI, you are the winner of my chapter three contest--hooray! Send me your details.

And lastly, we recently had our photos taken in Central Park and the photographer put up a video montage of us all that is rather cool and makes us look so nice and shiny! It's mostly of the kids and you can see it here: Melanie Wesslock Photography. Enjoy... ;)

Chapter Three...

2009-10-31T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the first sentence of chapter 3:

'What...?' The single word came out involuntarily, a gasp of shock and fear as the sight of Leo standing there so calm and assured brought the memories flooding back.

JANET, you are the chapter 2 winner! Send me your address and I'll mail you a copy! And leave a comment anyone for another chance to win... :)

Meanwhile, I just got the title for my 12th book: Awakened By The Count of Cazlevara! As long as there isn't an alarm clock on the cover, right?

Blogging and Winners

2009-10-27T04:43:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging about waiting during the writing process at The Writing Playground . You can stop by and leave a comment for another chance to win Royal Baby, Forbidden Marriage.

Meanwhile, MARILYN, send me your details and I'll send you a copy--you're the lucky winner!

And here is the first sentence of chapter 2:

It was raining in Paris, a needling drizzle that blanketed the royal mourners in grey, and made the images on the television screen blurry and virtually unrecognisable.

Leave a comment for another chance to win!

Contest!

2009-10-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

I promised I'd run a contest for the month of October and I'm realizing it is October 21 and so far no contest! Sorry about that. So... onwards! Here are the first few lines of the first chapter of my November Presents Extra release, Royal Marriage, Forbidden Baby:

'How much?'

Phoebe Wells stared blankly at the man slouched in a chair across from her. He gazed back with a sensual smile and heavy-lidded eyes, his sable hair rumpled, the top two buttons of his shirt undone to reveal a smooth expanse of golden skin.

Leave a comment and I'll draw a winner to receive a copy of the book! And stay tuned for the first line of chapter 2, and another chance to win... :)

How to be a savvy shopper

2009-10-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Rebekah has just launched a blog, Restyle with Rebekah, which is all about savvy thrift store shopping here in NYC, although there are tips for everyone who, like me, wants to look good for less. So check it out at her blog.

I'm still at the hmm point, alas!

A little bit stuck

2009-10-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

So I managed 5,000 words of my latest book so far, and it all went swimmingly. Then, at the beginning of chapter 2, I came to my first 'hmm'. Fortunately it's not so bad a 'hmm'--like a 'what the...?' but it is a time where the writing no longer flows and I really need to take stock and think where the book, and more importantly, the characters are going next.

I realize my tendency as a writer is to give away too much too soon in terms of emotional conflict and development. I generally have to scale back and put things I wrote in chapter 1 in chapter 5 or 7 or even 10. Yet writing it in chapter 1 helps me see what I need in later chapters... part of the drafting process, I suppose.

We've had workmen in our apartment all week putting doors on--something that is a long time coming. We moved apartments in July, and when we moved in we discovered that the contractors in charge of the renovations had taken off all the doors and thrown them away. Why, you might ask, would someone do that? Well the apartment is old and the doors were in bad shape, and the management company was rushing to get the new tenants--us--in. So they trashed the doors and I guess they thought we wouldn't notice, except with 4 kids and no doors to the bedrooms, guess what? We notice!

First we piled boxes and then we got a shower curtain, but now we have lovely double doors, which I will take a photo of tomorrow to show you... anyway, all this to say with the workmen in the apartment all day, and an extremely inquisitive one year old following them around and fascinated with the circular saw, it's a wonder I got any writing done at all.

Starting a new book

2009-10-11T18:31:00.001-07:00

It always feel a bit like jumping off a cliff when I start a new book. I make notes, I sketch character bios, I think a lot about the story and possible scenes, I research the locations... and then comes the time when I actually have to sit down and write. And when I actually put the first sentences on the page, it feels so... strange. So new, and it's exciting, but it's also a little daunting to think in just two months I'll have a book (I hope!) when all I have right now is a paragraph. Yet the first few paragraphs really encapsulate my vision for this story, which I had over the summer, and I thought I'd share them with you so you can see my process. Here's the beginning I just wrote:

'Did you know my wife was having an affair?' It was a simple question, Rafe Sandoval thought, deserving a simple answer. Yes or no. So very simple. Yet Freya Pearson stood before him, her grey eyes unblinking, her face a mask of irritating composure. She didn't speak. Rafe's hand curled on the smooth mahogany surface of his desk; outside a dank grey London sky pressed heavily upon the city. Still the nanny said nothing. 'Well?' Rafe demanded, and he heard the raw note of pleading in his own voice. It made him angry. He was not the guilty party here; he had done nothing wrong. Yet he felt condemnation in that cool grey stare; he saw judgement in the thin line of her plum-coloured mouth. He shook his head slowly, his own mouth thinning to match hers. 'You knew, didn't you? You knew--you saw it all along--and you never thought fit to tell me.'
Finally Freya spoke. Her voice was pitched low, calm and even unconcerned. 'Yes,' she said. 'I knew.'

What do you think? Are these people you'd like to read more about?

Left brain, right brain?

2009-10-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

Last night my five year old son challenged me to a game of checkers, a game, I might add, he only learned a few weeks ago. I agreed, and we had a pleasant time playing after dinner; I sipped my wine and pondered my moves, feeling quite relaxed and confident. I was planning to go easy on him and then beat him by just a little bit--I don't generally let my kids win at games just because they are young, as you then lose the satisfaction of a battle hard fought and won... except in this case, I was the loser. I looked down at the board and realized my son had, quite neatly, trapped me into a corner so I had no choice but to slowly and inexorably lose all my pieces. I looked up at him to see if he realized what he'd done--and he grinned and said 'You lose, Mommy.' So much for going easy on him. Clearly checkers is not my forte... or maybe it's simply that it's his!

Cheap thrills

2009-10-07T13:34:00.001-07:00

And I mean that in the best possible sense, because it costs me nothing! Dear Author picked The Sheikh's Forbidden Virgin as one of its recommended October reads! It hasn't been reviewed there yet, but I feel pretty good about it being recommended at all.

All About Romance did review the book, and while the reviewer didn't seem to like Presents-style romances in general, she had some positive things to say about the book: "Kalila is a sensible, mostly mature heroine, and was a pleasant surprise. Aarif is a tortured soul, poor guy, and rightly so. His first duty is to his family, even at the expense of his own happiness, and he is a quiet, rather taciturn, man with heartbreaking glimpses of humor; I love the quiet ones. Overall, I am convinced of their mutual suitability, and the wildly romantic ending...' Complete disclosure: I am cutting out the cutting, sarcastic bits she inserted into the review, and overall she could not recommend it because of the unbelievability of the Karedes-related plot points. So judge for yourself whether it's worth reading or not--I certainly enjoyed writing it!

I am just beginning to outline my next book, which has a Spanish hero and an English heroine and is set in the gorgeous hill country in Southern Spain--I went there once a long time ago and I've been enjoying reacquainting myself with the region, all in the name of research!

Hello out there...

2009-10-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

There is something a bit dismal about a neglected blog, isn't there? Have you ever stumbled upon a blog--whether it belongs to an author or someone else--and there hasn't been an entry for months or even years? It's the equivalent of a dusty, sheet-shrouded room, and not a place you would want to linger.

On the other hand, a blog that has a lot of entries--and comments--feels like a cozy library or living room with a blazing fire and a comfy chair, and perhaps even a pot of tea and something yummy to eat--cookies, scones, take your pick! It's a place you want to stick around and explore.

So I'm realizing that my blog has become a bit of the former, and I regret that as I had the best of intentions to keep it going, and in fact I kept a personal blog for family and friends for about three years--writing just about every day--so I thought I wouldn't have a problem doing the same here. Unfortunately, I did. Part of it was the increasing chaos of life, and part of it was the number of deadlines I gave myself, writing 4-5 books a year. And part of it was I was blogged out--that part of my brain that attempts to write witty and thoughtful summaries of my life and my writing had been sucked dry--not that there was all that much there to begin with! Blogging is a different talent than novel writing, and some writers are blessed with both. I'm not sure I am.

That all said, I'm going to *attempt* to give this blog another try and write diligently--if not daily--here. I love reading blogs when I get the chance--and the time--and I know that there are people out there who read this, even if you don't comment!! I check my stats and I get a regular number of hits every day, so whoever you are, I hope you want to read a bit of my blathering.

I just submitted the updates for my website to my webmistress, and she will hopefully have those up for you in the next week. At some point I am hoping to change the layout of my site with photos of beautiful New York City, and even a couple of me I'm notoriously camera-shy, and feel terribly unphotogenic, so this is big--for me). In fact, when I first met the fabulous Jennie Lucas, one of the first things she said to me was how much better I look than my photo on eharlequin! Thanks, Jennie!! :)

I also just handed in my 12th book, now titled Italian Count, Untamed Innocent, although I am 0 for 11 when it comes to picking titles the editors stick with. My last title--The Playboy Prince's Convenient Wife--seemed to hold all the relevant hooks, yet it was discarded for Royal Baby, Forbidden Marriage, and it is now available on eharlequin. Anyway, titles aside, I enjoyed writing this book because it features a tall heroine who is a bit insecure about her height--and I am 5'11" and have definitely gone through phases of insecurity about it, so it was nice to be able to put a little relevant personal experience in the story! Here, to tempt and tease you, is the first paragraph:

Vittorio Calzevara, the Count of Ralfino, stood on the threshold of San Stefano Castle and searched the milling guests for the woman he intended to be his wife. He wasn't certain what she looked like, for beyond a single blurry photo, he hadn't seen her in sixteen years. Or if he had seen her, she hadn't made much of an impression. Now he planned to marry her.

I'll let you know what my editors think of it!

The end of summer

2009-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Or so it feels. The weather turned chilly, the children head back to school on Thursday, and my deadline looms. Strange how endless summer seems somewhere in mid-July, the days golden and stretching on to the horizon, and then all of a sudden everything speeds up and you can't enjoy the days enough, they're slipping by too fast. We had a gorgeous day out on Long Island last week with friends; the children played in the water and caught crabs and even went sailing, while I was content to lounge around on the deck and eat pavlova and fairy cakes. Now I'm making all my autumn resolutions (I think September is a much better time of year to make these kinds of things rather than January) to exercise and eat better and write more and enjoy my children and oh, just generally improve my life all around. Yes, I do this every year.

The Sheikh's Forbidden Virgin has been the #1 bestseller on eharlequin for the last few days, which is rather thrilling as I've never reached that coveted spot before. I also love, love that book, and am so pleased it seems to be doing well. If only my current work-in-progress would behave! I made the mistake of thinking, for some really rather silly reason, that this book was going to be easy to write. In fact, I think the term I used in my head was 'it will write itself'. Well, when has a book ever written itself? I'd love to see that, the computer keys typing away like those on a player piano. Alas, no. This book is writing itself by me dragging myself to my desk at nine o'clock at night, which is when we've managed to wrestle all the children to bed, and then staring dourly at the computer screen. And then typing... well, something. I'm at 37,000 words and my deadline is in two weeks. Ack!

The last days of summer

2009-08-25T10:15:00.001-07:00

We're currently enjoying the last days of our summer holiday in the beautiful Catskill mountains in New York State. The porch of our cottage looks directly across the valley (or clove, as they say here in the Catskills) to the Kaaterskill Falls, which are, I have since learned, longer than the Niagara Falls. The view really is quite stunning.

My latest book, part of the Balfour Brides continuity, has been officially accepted--hooray! No release date yet, although I finally have a release date for my Jan 09 Modern release. The Greek Tycoon's Reluctant Bride will be a February Presents Extra release. And I'm very excited to say I received my first 4 star review from Romantic Times for The Sheikh's Forbidden Virgin, out in October. I don't know what it says yet as I just looked online but I'm thrilled by the number of stars!

What are you doing during these last days of summer? Have you saved a good book to read, are you outside trying to wring the last few days of freedom and sunshine from the season? Or are you getting ready for autumn, for crisp days and beautiful leaves and freshly sharpened pencils? OR, do you live in the Southern Hemisphere in which case you're preparing for winter?!

Where did I go?

2009-08-16T06:22:00.001-07:00

You might be wondering where I disappeared to for nearly two months. I'm sorry I've been so absent; we moved apartments in July and it was a much bigger endeavour that I naively anticipated. For some reason, I thought moving within the same city would not be as big a job as moving between cities. I'm sure you've already realized how ridiculous a belief this is--no matter how far you're moving, you're still moving all your belongings and then unpacking them and when it comes to NYC, you're doing this with very small spaces that fill very quickly with very large boxes. So it's all... interesting.

We love our new apartment, except for the fact the building contractor forgot to put the doors back on some of the rooms. Quite an oversight. So now two of my children's bedroom has a big double door opening into the living room. We wave to them as they go to sleep. Considering they are five and seven years old, you can imagine how well that works. We're still, a month later, waiting for doors.

Writing-wise, I finished my latest book, Expecting The Tycoon's Love-Child, which is part of the Balfour Brides continuity series that will be out (I think) in the fall of 2010. I'm working hard on my next book, tentatively titled (in my mind, anyway), Italian Count, Untamed Innocent. Both the hero and heroine are involved in the winemaking business so naturally I've got to do lots of research, namely tasting different sorts of wines...

I also received hardback copies of my seventh US release, Royal Baby, Forbidden Marriage, and since I love its gorgeous cover so much, I'll give away one copy--just leave a comment or drop me a line letting me know about your summer!

So much news!!

2009-06-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

School is out and although my latest deadline is fast approaching, I'm breathing a sigh of relief--strangely! I am also happy to say I have massively updated my website with new book excerpts and extras, a short story, and a brand new contest co-sponsored by Sabrina Phillips--check out my contest page and enter before July 1 for a chance to win copies of our summer sheikh stories as well as some other Arabian-themed treats!

My July release, The Sheikh's Love-Child, is on sale now and is currently a top 10 bestseller on eharlequin which is always a thrill. This is Khaled and Lucy's story--Khaled is an ex-rugby star and Lucy is his former physiotherapist--and lover! The story starts with Lucy arriving in Khaled's rugged desert kingdom of Biryal four years after their affair ended--she's going to tell him about the son he never knew he had... you can read an excerpt on my booklist page.

I also have some new release dates: my eighth book, Royal Love-Child, Forbidden Marriage, will be released in the UK and US in November 2009. I love this book, and creating a fictional Scandinavian island kingdom, Amarnes, for it. Leo is a reformed playboy prince and Phoebe is the mother of the heir apparent--or so it seems!

Enjoy having a look around the website!

Hello again!

2009-05-16T18:44:00.001-07:00

I will update my website. I will update my website. I will update my website.

If I say it enough, will it happen? Pretty please?

Actually, I am planning to do a major overhaul/redesign of my website this summer... really! And I'd love to hear from my readers what they like about author websites. Is there something on or not on my website that you like or don't like? do you like bios, articles, the stories I post on my writing stuff page (which I don't know if anyone reads!), the extra fun stuff on the booklist page? Give me some feedback and/or suggestions in an e-mail or in the comments and i'll automatically enter you to win a copy of my July release, THE SHEIKH'S LOVE-CHILD.

In the next few days I'll have a new contest up on my contests page--I'm running a joint contest with new Presents author Sabrina Phillips. We both have sheikh books out in July, and you can win both plus a beautiful necklace from Sabrina and a box of turkish delight from me (Edmund in The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrove just about sold his soul for it!) by entering. Stay tuned...

Meanwhile I am alternating between checking the proofs of my last book and writing my current one, which has the title EXPECTING THE TYCOON'S LOVE-CHILD. All these love-children! I don't think I've ever used that term seriously...

Auction!

2009-05-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I have been having trouble getting my blog posts to publish, which is why--well, at least one reason why--I haven't posted here. But I did want to share that Brenda Novak's auction is now online and accepting bidding, and as last year I am offering three months of critiquing/mentoring. I'm also offering a chocolate and coffee mug gift package from one of my favorite shops in New York, the wonderful Dylan's Candy Bar. So go on over and check it out!

In personal writing news, my tenth romance, Count Toussaint's Pregnant Mistress, has been accepted and will be released in the UK in January 2010. And my third historical, Down Jasper Lane, is out now and available from Amazon! If you like Anne of Green Gables, then Down Jasper Lane is right up your alley!

It's wet, wet, wet here, and while that should make the grass lovely and green and more flowers come out, it's still... well, wet! And I'd like some sunshine, please...

Cover!

2009-04-18T18:25:00.001-07:00

I love this cover, which is for my book in the Royal House of Karedes series, which is launching this May with Sandra Marton's book, Billionaire Prince, Pregnant Mistress. My book comes out in July in the UK, and October in the US, and I have to confess it's my favorite book that I've written so far.