Favorite Quotes #2

My eldest son graduated high school yesterday. I'm still twenty-five percent in denial. I cannot be the mother of an eighteen-year-old young man. It wasn't that long ago that I was collecting my own diploma from Birmingham High School.


Anyway, it's exciting to think about the life he has ahead of him, so many choices and opportunities. (I won't say it's a new chapter in his life because I'm pretty sure that metaphor died yesterday at the ceremony from overuse. LOL) 


This week's quote belongs to him.

Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.

--William James

In Time - Movie Review with Spoilers

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage - a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.


We saw this Justin Timberlake flick last night. I was underwhelmed. The society in this movie managed to genetically engineer people to die when their allotted time runs out, have neon green digital read-outs on their arms, be able to restore their time via these handy little metal devices or by clasping each other's wrists, and oh, yeah, live forever (as long as they have the time stored up.) Amazing. 


I could buy that. I was totally willing to buy that. BUT:


1. They still drive regular cars. (Must have a car chase, after all) And the cars actually looked like cars from the 50s. For that matter, the guns looked like today's guns.
2. They aren't able to track criminals. I'd think technology would have advanced so that each person has some sort of GPS chip maybe inserted in their bodies. I mean, babies are even born with the read-out, so why not a location device, too?
3. The police/time-keepers don't seem to be able to use helicopters to chase criminals either. 
4. The characters are surprised every time the prices go up on stuff, even though apparently this happens all the time. Justin's character is surprised when he doesn't get paid as much because his quota went up when he wasn't looking. He even surpassed his quota last time! But when we saw him working, he was not working at an "I gotta make quota!" pace. You'd think you'd be a little frenetic when making quota is a matter of life and death.
5. They don't have cellphones. 
6. Apparently Will's mother can't just pay for part of her journey home, so she dies because she can't run all the way before her clock runs out. 


And I really didn't see the point of the movie. The protagonists, Will and Sylvia, were working to free the lower class. But the point of doling out the time was so that the world wouldn't become overpopulated. If the revolt succeeds, then Earth has a huge problem. I didn't think the system they had was right, but what Will and Sylvia do isn't going to solve anything. 


My rating: 5/10 stars.

New Friday Tradition: Favorite Quotes #1

So, the person who was keeping up the Friday Fill-in has gone AWOL. So, I'm going to try to do a favorite quote on Fridays. Here's the first one. It comes from the signature of an editor at Liquid Silver Books. It cracked me up.


I have CDO. It's like OCD, but all the letters are in alphabetical order like they should be.

Love It Wednesday #2

I am tempted to write about another food item, but I don't want to look as if I'm obsessed with food. So, this week's beloved item is my dog, Mochi. He's four years old and we rescued him from the shelter in Palmdale, CA two years ago.


Since my kids are almost grown and the prospect of grandchildren is quite some time away, I needed a baby to take care of, and Mochi fit the bill nicely. He loves meeting people and can be quite the alpha male when meeting other dogs.


I never thought of myself as a dog person, but now I do.


Woof.

Love It Wednesday #1

In my continuing attempt to blog more regularly, I'm going to try to make Wednesday a day on which I share something I love.

Today it's crispy bacon, because I happen to be eating it right now. Sorry the photo isn't super appetizing looking like the ones in the cooking magazines I subscribe to.

My "McMuffin" sandwich--scrambled egg, crispy bacon on a whole wheat English muffin

I like to cook bacon in the microwave because it's so easy and easy to clean up. I do feel slightly guilty because it uses so many paper towels, but I usually then remind myself of the large amounts of recycling we do.

I don't usually order bacon in restaurants because they usually don't cook it enough for me. I like it almost burned, so done that if you put pressure on it, it crumbles. Yum.

On a side note, I bought that bacon-flavored salt, thinking that would be good in eggs or in mayo for sandwiches, and I'm not a big fan. It's sitting in my cupboard, unused.

Author Interview: Melissa Blue

I'm excited to welcome Melissa Blue to my blog. She is the first author to visit in a long time and I'm happy to help her celebrate the release of her latest book, See Lynne Chased, with a fun little interview...

KW: I saw on your website that you completed a storyboard or collage for this book. Do you do that for every book you write?  Was there anything that was on the collage that did not make it into the story?

Melissa Blue: My first few books I didn't collage and then I discovered it's another way for me to not only tell the story but to nail down the more wispy bits of character. I find what my characters look like. Some of the places or things that show up again and again. I also find any pictures that speak to me or feels like what the story is about. That's straying into symbolism and to me symbolism is all subconscious. All in all, I believe that's what a collage is, except the act of making one is taking what's lurking in the back of your mind and putting it in words or images.

KW: That leads to the next question...In this collage and just like all my others, nothing stays on it that doesn't fit in the story somehow. Someone else may read the story look at the collage and have no idea what it means. But for me it all makes sense. It's all connected whether in a literal sense or something deeper.

I think symbolism registers with readers subconsciously, too. Switching gears, have you ever cried while writing an emotional scene?

Melissa Blue: It's a little embarrassing to admit but yes I've cried during some emotional scenes. Embarrassing because these people aren't real and yet I've got snot bubbles going. :) I don't remember crying with this book. The one that's connected, See Megan Run, yes.  I cried when she visited her father's grave. I cried at the end of the love scene. I didn't want to make either scenes these big tearjerkers but I had to feel what my characters were feeling. I had to dig deep and let it play out in my head and it made me cry.

KW: I don't think it's embarrassing. I've cried while writing, too. I think it means you wrote a good story. That, or we're emotionally unstable! LOL. What are you reading right now? What do you think of it?

Melissa Blue: I read more than one book at a time. So there's Bro-Magnet by Lauren Boratz. Smart Mouth by Erin McCarthy. Not Quite A Lady by Loretta Chase. And Maisey Yates' The Pertrov Proposal. I like them all so far. One will grab me and I'll finish it within hours. So whenever I have a free moment I pick one up and read it.

KW: Let’s say you’re teaching a course on romantic fiction. What books might you include on your required reading list?

Melissa Blue: Jayne Ann Krentz's Smoke in Mirrors. I say this without hesitation because I did, long ago, teach a class on structure. I pointed this particular book out because I thought that first paragraph should be bronzed. It showed you character, told you the type of book you should be expecting to read and it was just a good first paragraph.

Ain't She Sweet [by Susan Elizabeth Phillips] would be the second book, because I think it best shows what you can do within the romance genre. Also, it has one of the best anti-heroines I've read.

Lastly, Lani Diane Rich's Little Ray of Sunshine. I'd point that book out to show how to use bookends to have the most impact emotionally. If you can't tell from my answers, I'm a big lover of craft. Craft is all about rules and rules can tend to be dry. So you can say take something mentioned earlier in the book and do it again at the end of the book to cue the reader the story is coming to an end. Blah, blah, blah. But in this book when that bookend showed up I went Oh, that's SO SWEET! and started to cry like a baby. That's what an incredible writer can do with craft. /soapbox

KW: I'm beginning to see a crying trend. Just kidding!! What’s your favorite possession?

Melissa Blue: My DVD player. I'm a lover of movies. Depending on the day a good movie can beat out a good book. I know, as a writer that's sacrilegious to say. But it's the truth some days. Also, story is story. Don't care how you give it to me.

KW:  Oh, I love movies, too. What skill don’t you have that you wish you did? Mine would be math. LOL

Melissa Blue: Drawing. I conquered stick figures and that was the end of it.

LOL. So, Melissa has been kind enough to share an excerpt from See Lynne Chased. Please enjoy.


The bluff had to be plain on her face. She bit her lip and watched his attention shift. That split second gave her the boost she needed. She placed her hands on the lapels of his suit.

“Don't.” He closed his eyes as if willing himself to reject the temptation.

She opened her mouth to ask why are we fighting this? but the words got caught in her throat when Nate opened his eyes. The idea of being devoured had never appealed to her until the heat of his stare made her wonder why her clothes didn't turn to ash and fall off.

She cleared her throat and chucked the why-she-shouldn't list rolling around in her head. “Will you let me kiss you?”

This time she didn't want it to be a spur-of-the-moment thing. She didn't want him to come back with the lame excuse he'd been drunk. She half hoped it wouldn't make her toes curl and could finally write off the first kiss as a fluke.

One moment his entire frame felt stretched tight, the next, he melded against her. “Yes,” Nate said as though he was conceding to a number of unspeakable sins.

She balanced on the tips of her toes and met his mouth. It should have been a crime for a man to have lips that soft and impossible for the brush of someone else's lips against hers to send her heartbeat into overdrive. His tongue flicked at the corner of her mouth, and her toes wanted to curl. Instead she settled back on her heels, leaning against the counter. She couldn't quite catch her breath and she needed a moment to get it back.

“If we are going to do this, we might as well do it the right way,” Nate said.

Ooh, sounds like a fun read. I want to thank Melissa for coming by. If you'd like to read the rest of the book, click here to buy from Amazon and here to buy from Barnes and Noble. 

Onward!

Kings sweep up the Blues! 


Go Kings Go!

Viggo

In my favorites menu bar, I have saved the site "Wet Men." It's a collection of photos of, well, wet men. Lots of great eye candy.

Here's an example. Of Viggo Mortensen. I see this pic and I drool.

Then, I scroll down and find this. LMAO. And just like that the dream bubble pops.

Linda Howard Love Letter (SPOILERS)

Dear Linda,

I love you. I want to be you when I grow up, even though I don't write romantic suspense. I just read your book Cry No More and it was a masterpiece of "rule" breaking. I found it so interesting that you chose not to show the so richly deserved comeuppance of the villains. I kind of missed it, but I understood that it was Milla's story and she was done with them. She had no reason to participate in or witness their demise.

I also thought it was highly unusual to have such a long denouement, but I loved it because it was what Milla needed.

Lastly, I loved your anti-hero hero, Diaz. He went against so much of what's expected in a romance hero. He didn't apologize for the violence he committed. The only apology he made was important and necessary and when I heard his explanation for betraying her, I understood completely. He was so not a romance hero that I really worried that he and Milla might not end up together.

As I said before, the book stands head and shoulders above most of the books I've read in my life, which number in the thousands. Thank you for a memorable story and an example of genre fiction that I hope to emulate one day.

Sincerely,
Kate Willoughby

EC for Men

I'm excited to announce that I've finished a manuscript. In record time! I was taken with the idea of writing something for Ellora's Cave new line, aimed at male readers. A couple of weeks later, I had a finished story!

It was so much fun, I'm writing a second, related story, and once that one is done--hopefully as quickly--I'll submit both to my new editor, April, and play the waiting game.

The first story contains a contest, chocolate cake, and a glass elevator.

As for the second story, I'm still makin' it up. LOL

Friday Fill-In #2

I found this meme and thought it would be fun to do every Friday. Feel free to fill in the blanks in the comment section. 

1. When I am __ I always ___

2. ___ is my __ of ___

3. The  ______ the ____

4. If only I _______ then ______ and everyone would be _______.

My answers:

1. When I am at Disneyland, I always feel like a kid.

2. Morning is my favorite time of day.

3. The parent of the toddler who was misbehaving in the Starbucks where I work is in for a tough 16 years.

4. If only I had won the Mega Millions. Then I would be super rich and everyone would be wanting me to pay off their mortgage.

I'm A Fantasy Geek

I adore George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. I love the HBO series based on it, Game of Thrones. Last time, I read the book (LOVED IT) and watched the first season of the series after I read a chapter or two. It was helpful because there were so many characters and story lines going on, watching it play out on the TV clarified things in my head.

This season I'm going to watch the episodes first and then read the part in the book. I'm interested to see how my enjoyment differs.

Friday Fill-In #1

I found this meme and thought it would be fun to do every Friday. Feel free to fill in the blanks in the comment section. 

This week's blanks:

1.       I never wear ___ and I don’t know why

2.       In the winter I always___

3.       When I ___, I miss ___

4.       I love the way ___ feels.

My answers:

1.       I never wear sunglasses and I don’t know why.

2.       In the winter I always make soup. (Here's a picture of miso soup which I love, especially with tofu and those french fried onions in it!)

3.       When I travel, I miss my dog.

4.       I love the way gratitude feels.

Withholding Bad Reviews

I'm a tough critic when it comes to books. I have no problem posting a less than glowing review for a best-selling author. They usually have so many great reviews and such a huge following that my piddly opinion won't affect their career too much and it's also likely that they've developed a tough enough skin to withstand whatever problems I had with their stories.

However, when it comes to authors who haven't reached that level of success yet, I hesitate because I know how much reviews can affect sales. I just read a paranormal, erotic romance that was pretty disappointing. I read half of it before giving up. Because I feel this inexplicable need to express what I didn't like about it, I'm going to do it here without naming the book.

It started out strong. I liked the hero--he was sexy, smart, focused on his goal, mysterious. The heroine had pluck, she was strong-willed, talented. But somewhere along the way I became annoyed with the lack of info about the paranormal aspect. Conveniently, the paranormal creatures (all men) didn't want to the heroine to know what they were, how they worked, what their mission was. (One of their kind had strayed from the path and was keeping humans in thrall. Why? I have no idea. Didn't get to that part if it was ever explained.) But the author kept the reader in the dark, too, even though we were in male POVs quite a bit.

From what I gathered, the hero was of a race that I think lives forever. (That's a good thing, I suppose, since I neither heard of nor saw any females of that race.) The males could have meaningless sex with human females or relationships doomed to die because of the male life expectancy. That was the conflict. It's a good conflict, but again, I never cared that much about the characters. The paranormal guys' dialogue sounded stiff without the use of contractions, and slightly patronizing. I got the "We are superior beings and you wouldn't understand" vibe from them.

The hero was less so, but still for some reason, I didn't quite buy the relationship between the him and heroine being anything more than sexual. I've tried to figure out why, but can't put my finger on it. The author certainly showed them both displaying admirable qualities. The hero saves the heroine's sister from a fate worse than death. But for some reason, when they are forced to part ways about one third of the way in, I didn't much care.

Now, that fate worse than death... Sis was held captive and in thrall for several days by the villain. I never found out what happened to her. Maybe it was explained later. But Sis didn't want to talk about it and/or couldn't remember what happened. I'm a little fuzzy on which. It didn't help that Sis was pretty one-dimensional. She was a weak Miss Perfect Sunshine woman who probably never farted.

So, upon reflection, I suppose that the biggest reason I gave up on the book was the lack of information about what was going on and what had happened but wasn't explained. It's good to have the reader asking questions. They read to get those questions answered. But when you hold out on the answers too long, the reader may get tired of or frustrated with waiting. And when you add a romance relationship that has no chemistry beyond the sexual and a hero you're not in love with yourself, you get a DNF book.

Link of the Week - Beanie Drama

I read all the Hunger Games books and really adored the first one, so I can't wait to see the movie. (Although, I guess that makes me a liar because I actually am waiting. It's Spring Freakin' Break in my neck of the woods and I don't relish seeing it with a bunch of kids, wild from having just been released from the prison that is School.)

Knowing this, my son--a master Internet surfer--showed me this video, Beanie Baby Hunger Games. I thought it was hilarious and sort of crazy that I didn't ever really notice the hands manipulating the Beanie Babies. When I see stuff like this, I think, "Wow. Those people have a lot of time on their hands," because that had to take a huge amount of work. I really enjoyed it though, and they're getting a whole lot of views.

Flies High and Hot!

That's what the One Good Book Deserves Another review site said about Just Winging It! Here's more of what she said...

Have you ever sighed happily? Read something, saw something, did something that just made you take a breath and release softly as pleasure heated your heart and happiness curled your lips into a soft smile? That's what this novella, and this series, for that matter, has done to me time and again. What a little gem this series is, and how lovely an addition this story is to the whole...


I've said it before but it bears repeating, Kate Willoughby has a genuine gift for blending smoking hot sex with significant emotion and depth of both character and story. It's a gift that shouldn't be missed. Sorta like this series.


Woot! She really liked it. She liked the whole series. I'm on Cloud 900.

If you want to read the entire glowing review, please by all means click here. :D

Or better yet, buy it from Ellora's Cave, at Amazon, or B&N.

That's What I'm Talkin' About

Here's some eye candy for you. This video really appealed to me because I have gotten into making bread lately. But I don't look anywhere near as sexy when I'm making mine. I apologize about the formatting issue. I'd fix it if I knew how. I figured small price to pay for having it right here instead of having to go to YouTube.

Artist: Megan Aroon Duncanson

Winter Wind by Duncanson

I haven't posted weekly art in forever. I'm going to start up again. :) This piece caught my eye immediately. It reminds me of Miro's stuff, which I've always liked. It's whimsical. It looks like a yo-yo tree on a windy day. :)

Carnival of Harlequin by Miro

This one is brighter. Still fantastic in the original sense of the word. 

Dreaming in Gold by Duncanson

And this one, titled "Flaming Desire..." What can I say? It's tumultuous yearning on canvas.

Flaming Desire by Duncanson

To view more of her work, go here.

Fantasy In Death

I dove back into the In Death series by J.D. Robb. I needed something to read and thought I'd see if I could return to a series I hadn't read in years. Turns out La Nora is good enough that I can. The books are pretty stand-alone. So, even though I have NO IDEA what In Death book I left off on, I'm finding this one really interesting and highly enjoyable.

Reading a book by Nora is always a lesson in writing. She'll write a scene that seems totally unrelated to the murder mystery, but then she'll tie it in in a way that I didn't see but that is completely logical.

She's a master of the craft.

It is interesting how so much of technology has changed since I read one of her books, and I can see where it's now appearing in her world. I can't name any examples off the top of my head, but I find myself thinking things like, "Oh, yeah, the iPad hadn't been invented the last time I read one of these." Or, "Geek conventions weren't as big then as they are now..." Stuff like that. It's interesting.

More Reviews!!!

I'm thrilled. I only had one Amazon review on this book for so long. Now I have five. Here are some highlights.

5 STARS 

When I picked up 'All In' by Kate Willoughby, I thought I'd just sit down and read a while before going off to do some chores. But only a few pages in, I was hooked. --Anonymous

5 STARS

...This was the first book I have read by KW and to say that I was left impressed and satisfied is an understatement! It...started quick and fast paced and ended with no questions left unanswered. ...I could not put it down. This book has it all really which was a 1st for me as well, it had great fantasy, romance and sizzling hot erotica... I highly recommend this book and will look forward to adding KW to my fav author list! --Ms. V

5 STARS

Can't wait to read more from Kate Willoughby. --Dani Marie

Right now ALL IN is #9 on the Top 100 Free Kindle Books List. I'm so excited!!

Visit me at Plotting Princesses

I'm a guest on the Plotting Princesses blog today. There's a short interview and an excerpt from ALL IN. Come visit me there! :)

A Reader's Review

I'm really excited. A random reader I don't know reviewed ALL IN and gave it 5 stars on Amazon.

With the sizzling sex scenes, this is definitely an erotica story. But, it is so sweet, it reads like a fairy tale. A great easy read!

The Secret is Out

Remember that special promotional deal I was talking about a little while ago? Well, it's time to divulge what it was!

Are you ready?



For a short time, the first book of the Be-Wished series, ALL IN, will be available for FREE on Amazon.

Isn't that awesome? Of course, we hope that once people experience the fun, sexy romp that is All In, they'll want to read the rest of the series. Woot! It's a win-win situation. Happy reading!

Real Steel

We watched Real Steel last night. I really like Hugh Jackman, and he did the best he could. Some of the dialogue was silly. There was one almost monologue that went on and on. And on. Okay, dude. We get the picture. You finally understand you're a screw-up. There were also two incidents where the dialogue was so obviously expository, it was sad.

Both the villains were cardboard. I swear, they only got the parts because they looked like someone's image of the characters. The woman's foreign accent was so bad, my son and I laughed about it.

However, the effects were cool. I really liked the black bookie. I liked him as much as I hated the stereotype hick baddie. The point where the plot takes a turn at the junkyard was great and the kid was good, even if he overdid the spunkiness at the beginning a bit.

I didn't hate it.

4 Star Review

Tracy of One Good Book Deserves Another has a wonderful blog filled with honest, specific reviews. Wanting a no-holds-barred critique of my books, I approached her with some complimentary copies of my series.

Here are some excerpts from her review of ONCE UPON A KISS, the third Be-Wished book.

It takes a special sort of talent to put forth erotic novellas/short novels with a paranormal/fantasy bent and not only find the right balance between the sex, the romance, and the story, but to execute it well enough to be felt throughout each tale. With this third installment of her Be-Wished series, Willoughby once again proves she has such a talent in spades!



There are so many elements of this story and the series overall that Willoughby does so well. The flawless continuity and seemingly effortless flow of world building and exposition is impressive. Character reaction is at least relatively realistic in the face of some pretty wild and fantastical paradigm shifts. 


Three touching, emotional, and fabulously sexual erotic novellas/short novels into the Be-Wished series, and Willoughby is still going strong. Frankly, I just can't wait to see what she comes up with next.


Go here to read the whole review.

Exciting Reader Opportunity

One of my publishers, Ellora's Cave, announced that they've begun a fantastic, wildly successful promotional deal with select titles, and ALL IN was one of those chosen for the deal! I can't divulge all the details now, but I'll just say, I'm really excited.

I'll let you in on the nitty gritty in a couple of weeks. :D And believe me, it's killing me not to tell. 

Delphine Remembered

Years ago, my novella "A Man of Vision" was published in an anthology from Ellora's Cave. It was so thrilled. It was my first EC sale. Delphine, the heroine of that story, was a courtesan who loved all things Chanel. When I saw this link the other day to Coco Chanel's apartment, it brought me back to that story, one I still love.

I really love the knick knacks on display in the apartment.

Big Bad Wolf Indeed!

One Good Book Deserves Another posted a glowing review of A Wolf at Her Door!

Here's a small snippet of what she said:

Two books into this fun, sexy, surprisingly touching series and I'm already fairly convinced I've developed a girl crush on Kate Willoughby. She's impressed me yet again with her seamless blend of sizzling erotica and genuine, heart-felt romance, and has created a story that thoroughly satisfies. Lately I've been chronically (and vocally) grumpy over romances that feel more like lust fests than love connections. Willoughby, on the other hand, has a series here that restores a bit of my faith, and she keeps a keen eye on both the erotic and the romantic elements in her fiction.


Color me THRILLED! Click here for the whole review.

Gotta Love the Nook

I'm excited to announce that you can get JUST WINGING IT for your Nook!

I think eReaders are the coolest invention. I was just at Barnes and Noble the other day spending a Christmas gift certificate and they had relocated the store so that the Nooks were right there, in your face, when you walked in. I really think they have a good thing going with the ability to share books with other people.

On my iPad, I'm reading Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt. As far as real books go, I'm reading The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly.

I'd love to know what you're reading right now.

A New Year

Happy New Year, everyone. I survived another holiday season. It's time to get back to writing. I've been trying, but my muse seems to have one whale of a hangover. I'm really wanting to write another uber-alpha male story like my bestselling HOSTILE TAKEOVER, but am having a bit of trouble. I'm going back and forth between making it another contemporary or placing it in the world of the Shinwa or maybe even Regency times. That last is a bit daunting. I read a ton of Regency romance, but am terrified of writing in that genre for fear of making horrible mistakes.

I'll keep you posted.

Peppermint Mochas and A Free book!

Check out my post as the Whipped Creme site where I am a guest blogger. Get a yummy recipe and win a free book!

"A Special Treat"

So, I'm thrilled to share this fantastic review from the One Good Book Deserves Another website.

Here's a snippet: If you'd like to read the whole review, click here. :)

So this is what you get when you take a little magic and a little chocolate, add a dash of humor and a bunch of hot sex, and stir with a surprising depth of emotional connection. Wow! All In is an erotic PNR novella that thoroughly satisfies.


If you'd like to read the whole review, click here. :)