Kate Willoughby

Delphine Remembered

2012-01-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-01-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T18:38:00.001-08:00

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

2012-01-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-12-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

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"

2011-12-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

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. :)

Winner!

2011-12-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

It's finally time to announce the winner of the complete set of Be-Wished books--ALL IN, A WOLF AT HER DOOR, ONCE UPON A KISS, and JUST WINGING IT. I made a list of everyone who was eligible from this site and the blogs (see list below) where I was a guest:

And the lucky winner is....

DRAMATIC DRUM ROLL AND CYMBAL CRASH

Ann Mayburn! Congratulations!

Ann, please email me at kate_willoughby at yahoo dot com so we can arrange delivery. :)

To everyone else, thanks so much for participating.

And to the blog hosts, Cristal Ryder, Passionate Reads, Ye Olde Inkwell, Tara Kingston, and Stephanie Julian, thank you for the hospitality.

Interview Fun

2011-12-09T12:27:00.001-08:00

So, fellow author, Tara Kingston interviewed me. She and I share the same editor at Ellora's Cave. She lists some men she'd spend three days on a desert island with, and I agreed with most of her choices. Johnny Depp is the one guy I wouldn't have on my own list. He's a little strange. One day, maybe, but not three. I'd probably bore him by then. LOL

Anyway, read the interview here. :D I really enjoyed myself because she had some questions that were out of the ordinary.

Awesome Shirt

2011-12-01T14:41:00.001-08:00

I want this shirt.

It's so true most of the time.

In fact, I almost always see the movie first now because I always like the book better and this way I can enjoy both for what they are.

Visit Me Today!

2011-11-29T15:14:00.001-08:00

Today I'm featured on Michelle Miles' Blog, Ye Old Inkwell. There you'll find another interview.

I'm also at Stephanie Julian's blog talking about wishes...

Come visit me and enter the contest to will all four Be-Wished books.

Blog Hopping

2011-11-28T10:09:00.001-08:00

I am blogging elsewhere to promote the release of Just Winging It.

Here at Passionate Reads, I talk about wishes and giving things to others.

And Cristal Ryder interviewed me for her blog.

Come visit me there!

JUST WINGING IT – BUY IT TODAY!

2011-11-25T15:13:00.001-08:00

Hooray! The day has finally arrived. Woot! You can buy Just Winging It at Ellora’s Cave for a mere $5.20. That’s like one one-hundredth of a penny per word. What a bargain!

Here’s the blurb again to refresh your memory:

Ex-wish fairy Davina Traherne has until midnight to choose a groom at the birthday ball or her draconian grandmother Agatha will pick one for her. Panicking at the prospect of marrying a fussy, well-bred bore with no sense of adventure, she flees.

Laszlo can’t believe it when Davina asks him to help her go off-grid. He’s always had the hots for her but kept his feelings to himself. Eventually, close proximity and Davina’s playful teasing get to be too much, especially when he finds out his lust is reciprocated. But when Agatha zeroes in on their whereabouts, his resolve to keep his emotional distance dissolves and he discovers he’ll do anything to protect Davina.

Even marry her.

Don’t forget you can win the complete Be-Wished series. All you have to do is read the excerpt at Ellora’s Cave and EMAIL me the answer to this question:

What is the name of the porno flick that Davina watched by accident?

I won’t be keeping your email address for a newsletter because I don’t put out a newsletter, nor will I give it to anyone. Winner will be announced on December 16 right here on my blog.

JUST WINGING IT, Pre-Release Celebration – Sex Tally

2011-11-24T08:22:00.001-08:00

Every time one of my books comes out, I tally up the sex in it, just because I’m curious. Here’s how JUST WINGING IT scored. (Ha! Get it? Scored? LMAO)

Number of sex scenes: 5

Longest scene: 2235 words

Shortest scene: 468

Percentage of book dedicated to sex: 19%

Today, in order to enter the contest to win the complete Be-Wished series, follow me (@kate_willoughby) on Twitter. (Check out my shiny new Twitter button on the left!)

Winner to be announced on December 16 here on my website.

JUST WINGING IT, Pre-Release Celebration – Off-Topic

2011-11-23T13:11:00.001-08:00

Today I’m celebrating the twentieth anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday.

I already had breakfast in bed, which was wonderful. Later I plan to prep a few things for Turkey Day and then go out to dinner to Macaroni Grill because I have a coupon for a free dessert, courtesy of them for my birthday.

On my wish list, I want cold hard cash because I want to get a new computer – maybe an iMac. The Apple laptops are too pricey, and since I have my iPad, that’s portable enough for me in a pinch.

Today, if you’d like to enter the contest to win the Be-Wished series, let me know in the comment section…

a) if you’re an Apple person or a PC person.

b) if I should throw Weight Watchers out the window today because the calamari fritti at Mac Grill is to DIE for.

Winner will be announced here on December 16.

JUST WINGING IT, Pre-Release Celebration - Guilty Pleasures

2011-11-22T22:17:00.001-08:00

In my book, Just Winging It, that releases on Black Friday, three days from now, the main character, Davina visits a McDonald’s for the very first time.

Personally, I like McDonalds. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I know it’s horrible for me and the fries aren’t even as fantastic as they used to since they started using healthy oil, but I still love the Filet o’Fish and the Quarter Pounder.

When I was a teenager and could eat anything I wanted without fear of calorie overload, I’d order a Big Mac with fries and a strawberry shake. YUM.

So, what would you suggest Davina try at Mickey D’s? Answer in the comment section for a chance to win all four books of the Be-Wished series! Winner to be announced on December 16.

JUST WINGING IT Pre-Release Celebration - Thoughts on Books in a Series

2011-11-21T14:34:00.001-08:00

The fourth and final book in the Be-Wished series, Just Winging It comes out on Black Friday, and I’m so excited! It’s been quite a journey writing this series. It all started with a special call for submissions from Ellora’s Cave. They wanted stories for their Naughty Nuptials theme and I rose to the challenge. The result was ALL IN…

When three close friends made margarita-fueled wishes on magical woven bracelets, none of them ever dreamed that their sexy wishes might come true. But then a real-life fairy appears with Universal Wish Federation credentials and a ludicrous claim that Mariah's wish is her command. And before Mariah can say bippidy-bobbidy-boo, old flame Tucker arrives in town…and in Mariah's bed.

Life on the road is a lonely one, but when Tucker bumps into Mariah again, all that changes. Sparks immediately fly and it's all he can do to keep his hands off her. As things deepen between them, he swears he'll be damned before he passes on a chance to reconnect with a woman he never forgot.

But wishes aren't always simple and Happily Ever After is never guaranteed. It will be up to Mariah to go all in and make her wish last a lifetime…or lose Tucker forever.

ALL IN didn’t make it as a Naughty Nuptial, but Mary Altman, an editor I greatly miss, contracted it as a stand alone novella. Good thing, too, because that novella spawned two more related books. I’d wanted to write a shape-shifter book for a while, so the hero in A WOLF AT HER DOOR became a wolf shifter…

A wish bracelet, a hot alpha werewolf and a frisky fairy whose specialty is “happily ever afters”—what does all this have to do with Paige’s love life? A whole lot, when gorgeous and sexy shapeshifter Adam shows up to sizzle her synapses, trigger her sensual meltdown and make her secret wish come true.

Adam is one big bad wolf who makes all her kinkiest fantasies a reality. Until real life intrudes and things take a turn for the serious. When Adam’s sanity is threatened by an agent of the Universal Wish Federation, he needs more than a well-meaning wish fairy and an unquenchable hunger for Paige to help him make the hardest choice of his life.

With the third book, ONCE UPON A KISS, I wanted to go somewhere completely different, so I decided that the third friend should not be so quick to accept the wish fairy was really a wish fairy…

Livvy thought she lost her chance for a Happily Ever After when she dismissed the wish fairy who knocked on her door, so when a prime specimen of masculinity appears on her front lawn one stormy night, she can’t quite believe it. Like a prince in distress, he needs her kiss to bring him out of his enchanted sleep.

After a war injury left him paralyzed, Joe Kimball never expected to walk again, but when he regains the use of his legs thanks to his sexy neighbor, he can’t argue when she insists the credit belongs to a wish fairy. Nor does he want to. Arguing is the last thing on his mind now that he is a whole man again.

Unfortunately, a few days of hot sex do not a fairy-tale ending make, and as the magic becomes increasingly volatile, Joe and Livvy realize there’s much more at stake than just their happiness.

Finally, in JUST WINGING IT, it’s the wish fairy’s turn for true love. Davina was such a fun character to write, I thought she deserved her own book…

Even marry her.

To celebrate the completion of the Be-Wished series, I’m giving one lucky winner a complete set of all four books. All you have to do to enter your name in the contest is tell me about your experience with books in a series. Personally, I prefer to wait until all the books in the series are finished before I start. Several times I’ve started a series and had to wait too long for the next book. With Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, I never did read A Fiery Cross. I tried, but after only five pages, I realized I was hopelessly lost. With J.D. Robb’s In Death series, I actually just got tired. (There are 31 of them.Yikes!) I took a break and just never returned because I couldn’t remember which book I’d left off on.

But I can’t always read them in order or wait. I recently read Hellhole by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, not knowing until I was hooked that it was the first of a series. I’m hoping book two comes out before I forget what occurred in book one.

Lastly, sometimes, I just get bored with a series because the books end up being too alike. The characters just have different names and professions.

How do you feel about series? Love ‘em? Hate ‘em? Have a favorite I should try? Answer in the comment section to win! Winner to be announced on December 16.

Back to the Drawing Board

2011-11-11T19:15:00.001-08:00

I think this will be the biggest dump of writing I've ever done. I am starting my Suzume, Ako, Hidaru story over from the beginning. It's killing me, but I realized that Ako would never do something I had him doing in the very first chapter. It changes everything. So, down the drain go sixteen thousand words.

Some of them were really wonderful! *sobs*

Perhaps I can keep some of it. We'll see.

I got it covered! (Get it?)

2011-11-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Behold! I have the cover art for Just Winging It. Isn't it gorgeous? The art department at Ellora's Cave is wonderful. This cover was designed by Mina Carter. My only regret is that EC never deigned to put the name of the series on the covers of the books.

Black Friday Release

2011-11-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

Just Winging It has "gone to print"! This is super exciting for me since it's the last book in the Be-Wished series. The book will be coming out on Black Friday, November 25.

I'm imagining the people lining up to buy the book...

LOL!

Last Line

2011-10-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

The writing has finally jump started again. I should know by now that if it stalls for a day or more, that I need to change points of view or direction. Usually when I do this, the story flows again. So, yesterday I did and it did. :)

Here's the last line I wrote:

"...I’ve been wanting to tell you for some time that I consider you a hero.”

Artwork: Japanese warrior painting, circa 1922

Davina's Book

2011-09-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

It looks as if Davina's book will be named JUST WINGING IT. I think it's a great title. It touches on both her attitude and a certain fairy ritual that plays an important part in this book.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that my editor, Grace, and I decided that how I painted Davina in the first draft wasn't working and I'm having to rewrite a whole bunch. That's only bad news for me, because it's a lot more work, but as always, I tell myself that the result will be worth it. :)

Last Sentence

2011-08-18T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here's the last sentence I wrote last night and a photo of a gorgeous Japanese garden.

Akko huffed something that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. “Unpolished.”

Best Book of 2010 (almost)

2011-08-14T20:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I just found out that FIT TO BE TIED was nominated for Best Book of 2010 at The Romance Reviews. The contest is over and I have no idea how they chose the winners. I don't even know what category my book was placed in. I'm thinking it must have been Contemporary Erotic Romance.

Anyway, I am truly happy that my book was even nominated.

It's a nifty little logo, isn't it? Heh heh.

Last Sentence

2011-08-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

I was thinking it might prove interesting to, everyday, post the last sentence I wrote. My hope is that the sentences provoke your curiosity and make you wonder about what came before and what comes next. My current work-in-progress is another story set in the Shinwa world that I created for the Torrid Topaz anthology. It has no title yet.

So, without further ado, here's the first of the last sentences.

“And seeing as how the gods saw fit to give you to us,” Akko went on, pulling open her tunic, “you were made for our pleasure. You belong to us now, to do with as we please.”

DONE

2011-08-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

Last night, I turned in ALMOST HUMAN (tentative title), Davina's story. Woot! I'm so glad. I think it still needs some tweaking, which is why I'm really looking forward to hearing what my editor, Grace, thinks. She's a sharp chick and I really value her input.

I'll also be polishing up two stories for Woman's World magazine today and sending those off in the next two weeks. One of them, "Finding Mr. Darcy," I have really high hopes for.

Back to the Drawing Board

2011-08-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

I wrote the end. I really did. But it didn't work out right. It didn't feel right. So I'm writing another ending.

I feel a little badly about that, especially considering my very patient editor has been looking forward to reading this for months now. But on the other hand, I truly think the story will be much the better for this extra attention and it'll be worth it in the long run.

On a side note, in my snippet file, the place where I dump all the big sections I can't bear to delete completely, I have almost 16,000 words. LOL. I'd post a chunk here, but I just looked at the last part I pasted there and it sucks. So never mind!

Update on Davina's Story

2011-07-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

I have taken all the comments my critique parner and my beta reader gave me and incorporated them into the manuscript. I'm now trying to finish the epilogue--usually my favorite part of a book when I'm reading. As happened with the rest of the book, I had to start over. I'd remembered that the Powers That Be at Ellora's Cave frown upon babies and/or pregnancy in epilogues. They see them as cliche. I see them as fitting.

However, this is one hill I'm not willing to die on. So instead of writing an epilogue that showed Davina four months along, I've had to rewind and show her just before the wedding instead. I'm actually glad it worked out this way because now I can bring Mariah, Paige and Livvy back for a cameo appearance in this--the last--volume in the Be-Wished series.

Wheelchair Charity Contribution Update

2011-06-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

When Once Upon a Kiss was published, I vowed to put a portion of each book sold toward the purchase of a wheelchair for someone who needs it. The Wheelchair Foundation is the charity I chose to help.

So far I've collected $13.37. It's going to take a while, but I'll get there eventually. Thanks to everyone who has purchased Once Upon a Kiss. I appreciate the support.

Davina's Book

2011-06-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Good news. I have finished the first draft of Davina's story. Some of you may remember her as the wacky wish fairy from the first three Be-Wished books. My critique partner is hard at work reviewing it and after I do everything she says (LOL) I'll be sending it to my editor, Grace at Ellora's Cave.

Sizzling Hot Books Reviews Fit To Be Tied

2011-04-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is pretty late to be posting this, but better late than never!

Marissa at Sizzling Hot Books had this to say about Fit To Be Tied:

Fit to be Tied is an entertaining way to spend the evening. This quick read is hot (yes, graphic), at time sweet, and just a touch kinky.

To read the entire review, click here.

Painting by T.F. Simon, "Vilma reading on a Sofa", oil on canvas, ca. 1912.

New Print Release!

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

Ellora's Cave decided to combine the first two Be-Wished books (ALL IN and A WOLF AT HER DOOR) together into one print volume, WOLF WISHES. I'm very excited, and isn't the cover beautiful?

To help me promote the new book, Voirey Linger, herself a successful fantasy romance author, interviewed me. Read it HERE.

Also, I finally figured out how to make separate pages from my blog, but attached to my blog. You'll see the new links in a menu at the top of the blog. Now my sidebar is much less crowded. It's still a work in progress, but I like how it's shaping up.

Bitten By Books Review

2011-01-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

Brit of Bitten by Books is a tough reviewer. Her average score is three tombstones, but I got four! She was also generous with her praise...

This is the third book in the Be-Wished series. Not having read the first two, I was not sure what to expect or if this book would work as a standalone in the series. I am happy to say that this works very well all by itself but now I cannot wait to read the first two.

What appealed to me most about Once Upon A Kiss was the quirkiness. It is a lighthearted, fun and sexy read... Davina, the wish fairy...is a total mess who is always getting in trouble for not following protocol. She makes mistake after mistake, each having hilarious after effects...
I like the relationship between Livvy and Joe. It is not only about sex, although there is certainly not a lack of hot, mind-blowing erotica.... The two share a playful and endearing love that will have readers cheering them on.

Once Upon A Kiss is a lighthearted, entertaining read that is sure to please everyone.

Woot! Here's a link to the entire review.

Money for Wheels

2011-01-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

The holidays are over and it's back to work/writing. Davina's book is proving to be the more difficult than Once Upon A Kiss. The plot is not coming along as smoothly as I would like.

In other news, my December royalty check arrived and I'm a tad closer to having enough money for the wheelchair. In fact, I've passed the ten percent mark. I hope the sales of this book keep up so that some poor person can become mobile.

Night Owl Review Top Pick!

2010-12-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

Diana Coyle of Night Owl Reviews loved ONCE UPON A KISS! Here's a small snippet from her review.

I loved everything about this whole magical storyline - from the fairies to the magic used. The story was extremely creative and thoroughly entertaining. I...would highly recommend it. I eagerly look forward to reading more stories from this talented author.

If you'd like to read the review in its entirety, click here.

Fourteen Dollars and Counting

2010-11-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

On this Veteran's Day, I'd like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to anyone who has ever served. I try not to take my freedom, safety, or citizenship for granted.

Because the hero (a veteran, oddly enough) of Once Upon A Kiss spends part of his life in a wheelchair, I thought it fitting to pay it forward a teensy bit. So when my novella, Once Upon A Kiss, came out, I pledged to put aside a portion of my royalties to go toward the Wheelchair Foundation.

According to their website, the Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Independence.

So, I've been eagerly waiting to see what my first royalty statement said, and I'm proud and excited to announce that I've put aside $14. I think that's a good start.

Three Teacups for Fit to be Tied

2010-10-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that Happily Ever After Reviews awarded three teacups to Fit To Be Tied. The reviewer, Dodie, had this to say...

Kate Willoughby did an excellent job initiating Sadie into the BDSM world, and helping Sadie deal with some unpleasant issues in her past. Sadie and Max forge a tight bond, and relationship built on trust, and a shared history. This is a truly lovely love story, with some steamy love scenes, and a great read.

Guest Blogging at RomCom

2010-10-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

The folks at RomCom invited me to be a guest blogger and my post is up. It's exciting to be on the same blog as such popular authors as Erin McCarthy, MJ Davidson, and Deborah Cooke.

Of course, I'm blogging about my recent release, Once Upon A Kiss, and all the other Be-Wished books. I'm also offering a free e-book to one lucky commenter, so get over there and comment. :)

Review for Fit To Be Tied

2010-10-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

The Romance Reviews gave Fit To Be Tied five stars and deemed it a Top Pick! Woot! Here's a snippet from the review:

I was engaged from the moment I started reading to the very last word...and I will definitely be looking forward to more stories by the author.

Here's where you can read the entire review by Paige Ray.

Review for Once Upon A Kiss

2010-10-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Happily Ever After Reviews (how apropos for this book!) gave Once Upon A Kiss...

5 Teacups!

Here's a little snippet of what they said.

Beginning with the blurb, this talented author immediately drew me into the lives of these two amazing characters. Kate Willoughby delivers a well-balanced story with a twist and I didn’t want it to end. With just the right mixture of romance and sizzling sex scene, this book is an excellent read with a fairy tale ending.

Color me really happy. Hopefully lots of people will take their advice and buy it. I'm really excited to see what the royalties are for this first month because, don't forget, I promised to put aside a percentage for the Wheelchair Foundation, an organization that provides wheelchairs for people who need but can't afford them. It costs about $150 for a wheelchair and I'm determined to make a difference in one person's life via my writing.

True Love

2010-10-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

I just sold a short story to True Love magazine! I don't know what issue it will be in yet, but I'll post here when I find out. Woot! I'm really excited because a couple of the other True magazines rejected this story and I'd almost shoved it under the bed, never to see the light of day.

It's All About the Sex

2010-10-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Whenever one of my books is released, I like to tally up the sex scenes. Here are how the numbers fell for Fit To Be Tied.

Number of sex scenes: 6

Longest sex scene: 2632 words

Shortest sex scene: 484

Percentage of sex in the book: 25%

Sex sells.

At least, I hope it does. LOL

Don't Bug Me

2010-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

In Fit To Be Tied, the heroine Sadie, gets a job as a bug wrangler for a movie. I really have no idea where I got the idea for her to do this, but there really are bug wranglers. If it's not a digitized insect, someone was in charge of bringing that bug to the set and making it do it's thing.

By the way, I can usually spot the fake bugs in movies, can't you? Like did you see The American with George Clooney? I think the butterfly at the end was computer generated.

But I digress.

I met a real bug wranger at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History and asked him a ton of questions. I also got to handle a tarantula and he taught me how to make it go and stop. Unfortunately, I can only remember that if you hold your hand over the spider, it will stop walking. I can't remember how to make it go.

Here's a link to a real live bug wrangler whose resume is pretty impressive.

Do you think he has Raid in his house?

Spider Webs...Japanese Rope Bondage

2010-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Max, the hero of my novella Fit To Be Tied, is an entomologist who specializes in tarantulas and an aficionado of Japanese rope bondage, otherwise known as shibari. I think tarantulas are fascinating and I liked the subtle tie (pardon the pun) between a spider web and Japanese rope bondage.

In the book I mention one particular species of tarantula, Haplopelma lividum--the Cobalt Blue. Although beautiful, they're particularly quick and vicious. Here's a great quality video showing a Cobalt Blue snatching up a cricket. The action is over fairly quick, but you can really see incredible detail on the spider.

Are you afraid of spiders? Or are you like me, just a little bit morbidly fascinated by them?

Fit To Be Tied Excerpt

2010-10-05T14:35:00.000-07:00

You'd think I'd realize by now that readers like to get a taste of the book and the writing before they buy. I'm an avid reader and I never buy a book without reading a little bit of it.

In order to better understand this excerpt, you should know that Max is an entomologist working late at the Natural History Museum. Sadie brought him some fried rice for dinner and is hoping for a little post Chinese food nookie…

____

As Max cleaned up his dinner mess, he noticed Sadie watching him, staring at him. Her eyes wandered all over his body, but they kept returning to his groin. His cock pulsed in his pants and he tried to ignore it, but she wouldn’t quit. In a few more moments, he’d have a full on erection.

“Don’t do that,” he finally said in desperation.

Sadie looked up. “Do what?”

“Stare at my crotch.”

“Why? As crotches go, it’s a nice one.” She gave him a slight smile. “And from what I can see, it’s getting even nicer.”

That did it.

“You know what? I’ve had enough,” he said, putting his pencil away and organizing his work. His tolerance had reached critical mass. She’d given off enough signals for him. He still had several bugs to label, and although it bothered him to leave that unfinished, his need for Sadie was more immediate.

Besides, the bugs were dead.

Sadie gathered her purse and keys. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s late and you can finish this on Monday.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

He stood up slowly and moved close, into her personal space. She didn’t back away, but looked up when he put a hand on her waist. “I’m tired of the flirting games.” Catching her gaze, he said, “If you have any objections to my kissing you, you’d better get them out now.”

Sadie’s arms crept up around his neck and she murmured, “No objections whatsoever.”

“Good.”

Her breath came out in a sigh as their mouths met. Her lips were soft and full and he couldn’t get enough. She tangled her hands in his hair and pressed herself against him as he deepened the kiss. Sexual energy vibrated from her body. He soaked it up like the desert does rain.

Pulling his mouth away, he tugged her elastic top down. “God, Max, yes,” she gasped, holding onto his shoulders. The sound of his name on her lips sent a wave of lust through him.

Her breasts came free and he wasted no time in capturing one with his mouth. The nipple was cool and sweet between his lips. As he sucked it, splaying his hand across her back to hold her still, she arched up and the peak hardened. He switched to the other breast which seemed to swell in his hand and teased it with his tongue.

The clatter of his pencil cup overturning brought him to his senses. He was at work, for shit’s sake. Yes, it was after hours, but Al could wander in at any minute. Surely Max had enough self-control to hold back until they got back to his house.

Reluctantly, he eased away from her. “We can’t do this here,” he said, pulling her top back up.

Sadie lifted her gaze to his and smiled, catlike. Her eyes were luminous, even in the unflattering fluorescent light. Without breaking eye contact, she started unbuckling his belt.

“Ah…Sadie, didn’t you hear me? We could get caught in flagrante delicto,” he said. “Again.”

Seemingly unperturbed, she shrugged, slipped her hand between them and rubbed his erection. Max gritted his teeth at how incredibly good that felt.

“But I think it’s kind of exciting, don’t you?”

“No.” He took a very difficult step back.

She sauntered over to his recently vacated chair and sat down. One corner of her mouth tilted as she said, “But we’re destined to do this.”

“We are?”

“Of course we are.” She rolled the chair over to him and then worked the hydraulic lever until her face was level with his groin. “That’s why we hooked up again. It’s Fate, and Fate is City Hall on a cosmic scale. It just doesn’t pay to fight it.”

He gave a strangled gasp as she opened his pants.

Tie Me Up!

2010-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited to announce that my newest novella, Fit To Be Tied, is now available!
_____

Ten years ago, Sadie thought Max was a scrawny, hopeless nerd. She even said so to his face in front of the student body.

Today, Max is still a little nerdy but in a “My, Clark

Kent

, what broad shoulders you have!” way. And when she ends up as his temporary house guest, she discovers a lot more about the new him. He’s amusingly fastidious, independently wealthy, and most importantly, able to make her wet with little more than a commanding stare.

There’s just one thing she still needs to find out: what the heck is behind that black door—his bedroom door—the one he asked her not to open?
_____

If you liked Losing It, you will probably enjoy Fit To Be Tied. I like to think it's got much of the same humorous banter that readers seemed to like.

One reader, Liia Ann, already bought and read Fit To Be Tied. Here's what she had to say:

Loved it! Well done on another great book. It was an awesome read.

So what are you waiting for? Go buy one now!!! LOL

Another great review!

2010-09-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Siren Book Reviews is a site I'm not familiar with, but Nikki, one of their reviewers, recently gave her thoughts on Once Upon A Kiss, giving it 5 Siren Stones, which I assume is the most stones you can earn. Here are a few snippets of what she said. :D

Kate Willoughby delivers an absolute delightful read!

This is the kind of story that you want to know how it ends, but at the same time, you don't want it to end.

It's a total keeper.

Read the whole review here. :D

Reviewed!

2010-09-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

The Season For Romance reviewed Once Upon a Kiss and I'm extremely happy with what they said. The reviewer, Karyn, called Joe, "one randy Rambo." That cracked me up.

Condensed version:

"I was swept up into this sizzling fairy tale and...this was an overall good read with a vastly appealing hero."

To see the entire review, go here.

Grasshopper Leaves the Nest

2010-09-06T12:29:00.000-07:00

Recently, I volunteered to be a mentor for Romance Divas, a superb online community for romance writers of all abilities. My mentee, Lauren Fraser, and I worked on several projects over the course of a couple of months, fighting conflicting schedules the entire time.

Needless to say, I'm extremely excited to help her promote her new release, Aged to Perfection. Check it out.

There is something so damn sexy about a younger man.

Dumped by her husband of thirteen years for the younger model, forty-year-old Rachel Michaels needs to jumpstart her life. After years of fitting into her husband’s rigid mould, she’s ready to reinvent herself, and a fling with a hot younger man is just what she needs. Her sexy landscape designer is the perfect man for the job.

Twenty-eight-year-old Mark Beaumont is fascinated by the woman in her sexual prime. She's assertive and fun, with a vulnerable core. After giving Rachel her first partner-induced orgasm, he knows he wants more than just a brief fling—he wants to help her explore everything she kept suppressed during her boring marriage.

But can he convince her that there is more between them than just great sex or will she let her fears stand in the way?

Doesn't it sound yummy??? If you want a copy, go here. If you'd like the chance to win a copy, go here and click on the contest tab.

The Season is Going to Review Once Upon A Kiss

2010-08-31T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Season is an e-zine that is all about romance. This month they're scheduled to review Once Upon A Kiss. The review isn't up yet, but the book is featured nonetheless. Click here to see it. I'm right there next to Kate Douglas! Wow. I can't wait to see what they think of my book.

The Big Day

2010-08-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

O happy day! Once Upon A Kiss is finally available! It's the very first book there on the front page of Ellora's Cave. I'm very excited. It's even next to Cricket Starr, a very popular and long time Ellora's Cave author.

All week I've been blogging about the book and anyone who commented was entered into a drawing to win their choice of one of my books. This morning I wrote all the names on bits of paper. If you commented twice your name got written twice, and so on. I'm happy to announce the winner is...

Terri Osburn!!! Terri, email me to arrange the details. kate_willoughby at yahoo, etc. Thank you, all you other commenters.

If you're in the mood to read a fun, sexy romance, get yourself a copy of Once Upon A Kiss. I think you'll have a good time.

Once Upon a Kiss Celebration - Day Seven

2010-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day when Once Upon A Kiss comes out! I'm so excited and can't wait.

If you are interested in on-screen kisses, check out this list of the Best and Most Memorable Film Kisses of All Time in Cinematic History. It's twenty five pages long and the first one is from 1896! It's current to 2009. Check it out. I got lost looking at the various kisses for quite a while.

Today, I want to know if you have a favorite on-screen kiss. One of my favorites is actually Lady and the Tramp--the spaghetti kiss.

Is there a kiss between humans that you especially remember?

Comments enter you to win your choice of one of my books. Winner to be announced tomorrow!

Once Upon a Kiss Celebration - Day Six

2010-08-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Obviously in my newest novella from Ellora's Cave, Once Upon A Kiss, a kiss plays an important role in the plot. This is typical fairy tale fare. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty needed the lips of a man in order to get their happy ending. In my story, it's the hero, Joe, who needs a lip lock.

So, today, just for fun, let's pretend you're deep in enchanted dreamland. Who would you want to give you your up-close and personal wake up call? (Boyfriends and husbands don't count.)

Comment and you are entered to win your choice of one of any of my books. Winner to be announced Wednesday, August 25!

Once Upon A Kiss Celebration Week - Day Five

2010-08-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

In Once Upon A Kiss, which is coming out on Wednesday, August 25, the hero, Joe is confined to a wheelchair because of an injury he received while serving in Iraq. Coincidentally, while writing the book, my local grocery store was collecting donations for people in wheelchairs. I thought that was too strange to ignore, so I donated often.

I'm not sure if the Wheelchair Foundation is the same charity, but I think it's a worthy one, nonetheless. So, I will be donating a portion of my royalties per book to this organization until I have enough to pay for a wheelchair for some deserving person somewhere in the world ($150). It's bad enough to need a wheelchair, but to need one and not have one...?

If you had a spare $150, which charity would you give it to? Why? Any comment enters you to win one of my books. (Winner to be announced Wednesday, August 25.)

Once Upon A Kiss Celebration Week - Day Four

2010-08-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

When one of my books comes out, I traditionally do a sex tally. Here are how the numbers fall for Once Upon A Kiss:

Number of sex scenes - NINE. Wow. I think that's a record for me.
Percentage of sex in the book - 8%
Longest sex scene - 1,418 words
Shortest sex scene - 175 words

I'm wondering what the shortest sex scene you could write would be... Maybe, if you really used your imagination it could be one word.

Yes.

Can you write a sex scene in ten or less words? Give it a try and get a chance to win a free book. (Winner to be announced Wednesday, August 25, the day Once Upon A Kiss comes out.

Once Upon A Kiss Celebration Week - Day Three

2010-08-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Fairy tales will always appeal to me. Maybe I was a princess in a previous life. Or maybe a frog. I especially like the ones that end happily with two people in love.

In Once Upon A Kiss, the erotic romance that will be coming out on Wednesday, Livvy wishes for her own "fairy tale ending." All sorts of trouble ensues when the wish fairy granting the wish uses unauthorized street magic, but that's the nature of fiction. Sh*t happens. It has to, otherwise no one would read it.

Anyway, I just wonder what your favorite fairy tale is, happy ending or not. If you name your fave in the comment section, you might win one of my books. (Winner to be announced August 25.)

Artwork Old French Fairy Tales (1920) by Virginia Frances Sterrett

Once Upon A Kiss Celebration Week - Day Two

2010-08-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

I hope you liked yesterday's excerpt. I also hope you commented. Every comment is a chance to win a copy of any of my backlist.

Today I'm going to focus on the concept of wishes. Wishes are fun to think about. They're like the ultimate hypothetical. In the Be-Wished world that I created, you can't just wish for world peace. The Universal Wish Federation avoids "granting wishes that could affect the economy, the environment, or health on a global scale."

All three friends in my series find true love as a result of their wishes, even if they didn't technically wish for love. So, I'm posing a few choices to you. What would you wish for...?

Love or money?
X-ray vision or invisibility?
A lifetime supply of McDonalds or Pizza Hut?
To be the ideal weight or in excellent health?

Chime in to win a free book. Drawing to be held Wednesday, August 25.

Once Upon A Kiss Celebration Week - Day One

2010-08-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the countdown until Once Upon A Kiss comes out! I'm very excited about this because it's the third book in my Be-Wished series. The premise for the series is that three friends made wishes on "magical" woven bracelets while on vacation in Mexico. Little did they know that the Universal Wish Federation exists and that soon a fairy would make their wishes come true. It started with All In (Mariah's story), continued with A Wolf at Her Door (Paige's story), and now we have Livvy, the last of the three friends to get her wish granted. To start off the week, I thought I'd offer an excerpt from Chapter One of Once Upon A Kiss. I hope you enjoy it.

“What?” the fairy asked, a worried look on her face.

“Well, I…I had an idea. Can you, ah, manipulate time? See, I was thinking maybe you could bring us back to just before I told you to get lost…”

Paige put a hand over her heart. “Oh my God, that would solve everything.”

But Davina was shaking her head. “No. Sorry, no can do. Turning back time requires like ten tons of red tape, clearance that I don’t and probably will never have, not to mention a unanimous vote of the regulatory court, and those old fogies are so conservative they never vote for anything. I’m still PO’d about their decision on de-legalizing… ” She trailed off and stared into space.

“Davina, what is it?” Mariah asked in a low voice. “You thought of something just now.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes you did, you crafty fairy, you. I distinctly saw that I-thought-of-something-just-now look on your face,” Mariah said.

“I saw it too,” Paige piped in.

“Well,” Davina said, “to tell the truth, I do feel that the three of you were a package deal, seeing how you all wished at the same time. Even though technically I’m not obligated, I feel obligated to see this through.”

Livvy felt a faint flicker of hope.

“So, what I thought of is this,” Davina said glancing left and right. “I can try to grant you a wish under the table. Because you relinquished a claim on the other wish, I’m not allowed to use Federation magic on you, but there’s magic out there on the black market I could get.”

Mariah looked all for it, but Paige’s expression was pinched. “I don’t know. I’ve had experience with bad magic.”
“Black market magic isn’t bad necessarily,” Davina said. “It’s just not guaranteed. Sort of like generic drugs. Same thing, but without the big company to back it up. Sometimes you hit a minor glitch but I should be able to handle whatever comes up. However, if we do this, you can’t speak of it to anyone.”

“She’s totally not kidding,” Paige added. “You have to be super careful.” She went on to explain how she’d gotten Davina in trouble when she’d mistakenly blabbed something to the wrong person and it had almost ended in disaster.

“But you do have to tell the guy involved. That’s Rule One that I had to learn,” Mariah said.

“No, actually, this is non-Federation, so the pamphlet doesn’t apply to her,” Davina said. “But it is generally a good rule of thumb to not keep secrets of this magnitude from your true love. So if we’re all agreed?” Davina arched her brow and looked at each of them in turn. “Good.”

The fairy then whisked away the gelato with a flat-palmed sweep of her arms and garbed herself in an austere black pants suit, aviator glasses and a short-brimmed trilby hat with a leopard band.

Leaning forward, Davina said, “Now here’s the thing, Liv. Because we’re using the street stuff, you have to be broad when making your wish. In fact…” Davina held her hands up in front of her, her eyes wide. “Pretend I’m Tiger Woods. I am the Tiger Woods of magic.”

“Oh, brother,” Mariah said.

Davina ignored her. “Now, you wouldn’t make Tiger tee off in a closet would you? Of course you wouldn’t. You have to give him room to maneuver. So think in broad terms. You don’t have a certain person in mind, do you?”

For one crazy moment, Livvy thought of Joe, the next door neighbor who had moved in not long ago. The man was ripped. Like Rambo ripped. He had a buzz cut and a wicked-awesome tat of butterflies on his upper arm.

He was also severely handicapped.

The property manager had told her he’d served overseas in the Army and come back disabled, which explained his military bearing, evident even though he used a wheelchair. This filled Livvy with compassion and admiration. She’d suddenly become eager to meet him. She’d gotten along very well with Henry, the man who’d lived in the apartment before. That sweet old guy had found love, gotten married and moved away, leaving his handicapped-accessible townhouse behind as a rental.

One Saturday soon after the ex-soldier moved in, she saw him and a friend coming out of his house. She had baked cookies for him a few days ago, but hadn’t seen him until now. Worried she might not get another chance before the cookies went stale, she hurried outside.

“Oh, hey, wait!” she called.

They stopped. The neighbor, dressed in khakis and an Army t-shirt, turned his chair toward her. He wore a cap and sunglasses and didn’t look like he’d shaved in a couple of days. His legs leaned toward the right, perfectly parallel—knees, ankles, feet, all side by side.

“I wanted to introduce myself,” she said, a little breathlessly. “I’m Livvy. I live next door.”

“Hey, good to meet you, Livvy. I’m Joe.” He flashed a dazzling smile at her. “This is Noah, my caregiver. Are those for me?” he asked, gesturing toward the bag of goodies.

“Yes. They’re to welcome you to the neighborhood.”

“That’s really nice of you. They look great.”

As he took the bag, Livvy noticed his eyes dropping to her breasts and lingering there. When he again met her gaze with a half smile playing around his full lips, her breasts tingled and she felt a flush of desire between her legs. A split second later she remembered he was in a wheelchair and got so flustered that when he invited her to go with them to the movies, she’d babbled a lame excuse. Later, she felt embarrassed and angry with herself. Having lived next to Henry for so long, she had always thought of herself as very accepting of and savvy about paraplegics. For instance, she knew that some of them had healthy sex lives, but for some reason, when faced with the prospect of actually having sex with a man in a wheelchair, she’d freaked out. Irritated at her apparent prejudice, she berated herself soundly and resolved to be more tolerant and open the next time she saw him, but hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since.

“Earth to Livvy,” Davina said. “Do you have someone special in mind or don’t you?”

Livvy started, then shook her head. “No. No one special. I trust you to find the right man for me, Davina.”

Davina raised a brow and graced both Paige and Mariah with a smug look. “That, I shall,” she said. “Just make your wish.”

“Something with possibilities,” Livvy confirmed.

“Exactly.”

Hopefully, you're well and truly hooked and will want to buy Once Upon A Kiss when it comes out next Wednesday, August 25. Until then, every comment made during this celebration week will be an entry in the contest to win your choice of any of my electronic books, either from Ellora's Cave or Liquid Silver Books.

Three for Three

2010-08-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

Just got a contract in the mail from Dorchester Publishing that they want to buy my story, "Tempted by My Roommate." The title will probably get changed, but it will appear in the November issue of True Romance magazine. The hero is a stuntman, the heroine, a hair stylist.

I'm very excited. This was my third submission to them and they've bought all three. If I sell seven more stories to the Trues, I'll have made enough to pay for my son's show choir competition in Hawaii. Woot!

Harnessing My Inner Picasso

2010-08-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I felt inspired to do a little painting. Here are some small portraits of a few of Jane Austen's characters from her novel, Emma. Each portrait also has a quote about that character. The first is Emma who had "a disposition to think a little too much of herself."

Next is Mr. Knightley, who said, "Men of sense...do not want silly wives."

Here is Miss Bates, "a great talker upon little matters."

Here is Jane Fairfax, the portrait I actually sold! Her quote is, "A style of beauty of which elegance was the reigning character."

Finally here is Mr. Woodhouse, Emma's father who thought, "Where health is at stake, nothing else should be considered."

It was a fun little lark and I was pleased with how they turned out. :)

Once Upon a Kiss

2010-07-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently expressed interest in Once Upon A Kiss, saying it sounded interesting. I thought, "Oh, she must have read the blurb." But when I came here to refresh my memory on it, I found I had not posted it. So, without further ado, The Blurb:

Unfortunately, a few days of hot sex do not a fairy tale ending make, and as the magic becomes increasingly volatile, Joe and Livvy realize there’s more at stake than just their happiness.

This Eye Candy Belongs to ME

2010-07-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here is the cover for my new book, the third in the Be-Wished series. Isn't it gorgeous? Don't you just want to touch those muscles to see if they're as hard as they look?

Heh heh.

His name is Joe Kimball. But don't get any ideas. He's taken. ;)

The book is scheduled for release on August 25. I can't wait. I've been working on this one for over a year.

On a Roll

2010-07-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

So, I sold another story to Dorchester Publishing.
WOOT! That's two for two submissions. I'm very excited.

"My Secret Sweetheart" will appear in the October 2010 issue of True Romance magazine. It's about a teacher and her forbidden romance...

I May Be Addicted

2010-06-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

I just submitted "My Secret Sweetheart," a second story to Gia Portfolio, editor for True Experience magazine and True Romance magazine. I had a lot of fun writing it and if it sells, I'll make about $200. If I keep this up, I'll have the money to pay those hefty show choir fees. Woot!

Since I finished my first round of edits on Once Upon A Kiss, I wrote a thousand words for a new "True" story. I'm finding that part of the fun of writing these shorts is that, because you must write in first person, I'm getting to try on all these different voices. "A Gigolo of My Own" was told by an older woman. "My Secret Sweetheart" was about a young , principled schoolteacher. This new story features a cynical young woman who falls in love with a stuntman. I have no idea how it's going to end other than it being happy. But then, I never do. That's half the fun, discovering the plot as I go.

Polishing It Up

2010-06-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

I got my edits today on Once Upon A Kiss. Grace, my editor, says they're not too severe, but I have yet to open the file. I'm excited to get going on this and I am always eager to see what editors have to say.

Shorter Fiction Woots

2010-06-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

I sold an 800 word story to Woman's World magazine, and it'll appear in the August 6 issue. :) It's about a guy who has to start eating healthier.

I also sold a 5,500 word story to True Experience magazine. That's coming out in the fall. This is about an older woman who built a cupcake empire and the man who woos her.

It'll be interesting to see if either of my ebooks (Fit To Be Tied and Once Upon A Kiss) will come out before then. I doubt it. But I don't mind. I like it when there's a little time between publications.

Review

2010-06-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Leap of Faith came out a while ago, but Heathermh of Night Owl Reviews recently reviewed it, saying it was, "A wonderful quick rainy day read."

But she's wrong, wrong, wrong!!!!

I think you could read it on sunny days, too. LOL

Here's a link for the full review.

Percolating

2010-06-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

So, the title, ONCE UPON A KISS, got approved. :) I am in waiting mode for my edits.

In the meantime, I'm letting the Davina book (book four in the Be-Wished series) simmer in the back of my mind. (It occurs to me that the back of my mind must be pretty crowded.)

My editor said she can't wait to read that book. :D

Title Approval

2010-05-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

Happy day. The new title of Joe and Livvy's book, the third in the Be-Wished series, is officially ONCE UPON A KISS.

I am now working on the synopsis for the Big Boss, Raelene.

Another Sale!

2010-05-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

I submitted a story to Liquid Silver Books' call for geek stories and they decided they want to publish it! WOOT again! I'm very excited and I can't wait to talk to the editor about it.

This is a picture is of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, where the hero of the story works as an entomoligist, which is a bug expert. This is not to be confused with an etomologist, which is a word expert.

Sold!

2010-05-20T16:28:00.001-07:00

My editor liked the revisions. We're still hammering out the ending, but it looks like the third Be-Wished book is a go! WOOT!

P.S. Unfortunately, the title has to be scrapped. Asking For It is too close to Ask For It, a book EC has already published. So, I'm trying to think of a new title.

2010-05-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here's the Chihuahua we got. He had to wear an Elizabeth collar so he wouldn't mess up the stitches he got from being neutered. We named him Mochi.

I love him.

Done. Again.

2010-04-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

I just turned in ASKING FOR IT for the second time. It was a massive rewrite since my editor requested that I remove an entire subplot. I hope that this newest version meets or even exceeds her expectations. I should hear back from her in four weeks. In the meantime, I want to try my hand at some confession stories.

Also, we're getting a dog--an adorable tri-color Chihuahua--tomorrow. So there will be some adjustments to be made at the Willoughby household!

Books Out of Thin Air

2010-04-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

I just found out that many of my books are available on the Kindle! How cool is that? It really makes me want one, a Kindle, that is. I have my Sony e-Reader, but Amazon makes it so darned easy to download books.

Stubborn Heroes

2010-04-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

So, Joe was being difficult again. Recently, he refused to change professions. More lately, he's resisting a personality makeover.

I was rewriting him to be a wounded hero both physically and mentally. In the scene where he and Livvy first meet, he was sullen, angry, and not quite reconciled with his disability. I really pushed that change through almost the entire book, but I can see now it's just not him. He would not allow me to make him so self-absorbed, even with the excuse of being a paraplegic to fall back on. It's easy to understand that that type of injury could take a very long time to adjust to, but Joe was determined to bounce back faster than I was making him. He would not, in short, be a jerk.

Writing is such an interesting and mentally unbalanced endeavor.

Also, isn't this the most kick ass wheelchair you've ever seen?

Chuggin' Along

2010-04-01T03:46:00.000-07:00

I now have 14 days left until deadline, but the ASKING FOR IT revisions are going well. I'm excited about what I've written the past couple of days. I can see why people enjoy writing suspense, because when exciting stuff happens, you write faster! At least, I do.

Wistful Awe

2010-03-17T06:31:00.001-07:00

You want to know why Nora Roberts sells so many damn books? I know one of the reasons. She's a master of her craft.

Recently, I read Bed of Roses, the second in her Bride Quartet. In it, there was a scene where the guys are playing Texas Hold 'Em. That scene was freakin' amazing. She was able to show them playing and talking about the game and talking about other shit at the same time and have it flow perfectly. The gestures, the poker taunting, and the regular conversation all blended together and it made me shake my head in amazement.

A Little Extra Cash

2010-03-14T14:56:00.001-07:00

So, my online class, "The Secrets of Selling to Woman's World Magazine," just wrapped up a couple of weeks ago. It went quite well! I had about 90 students. :D The Colorado Romance Writers have booked me to teach it again in October. I'm sure that there won't be nearly as many people, but I'm happy to teach what I know to whomever signs up.

In the meantime, I've had two people approach me wanting to purchase the lectures now, instead of waiting until October, so shortly I'll have a couple of checks coming my way. It's not a fortune, but I don't care. Every little bit is welcome. Those hardwood floors were expensive!

Joe won't wear suspenders

2010-03-03T05:09:00.000-08:00

I am deep in rewrites for Asking For It. My editor, Grace, and I had a discussion about the changes, and the book is going to be fantastic, however, one of the changes we discussed was changing Joe's profession from Army man to firefighter. I was all gung-ho, until I started enacting the change.

He didn't take well to being a firefighter. The words that had come from his mouth didn't feel right for a firefighter to utter. I think it's because in my mind soldiers are raw, gritty and unashamedly aggressive--living, breathing hunks of masculinity. Firefighters, on the other hand, are like contemporary knights--noble, brave, and honorable--living, breathing hunks of chivalry. They're sort of evolved and a little more civilized.

I know I'm stereotyping, but there ya go. A man's profession is vital to his character. And Joe's just not liking the idea of being a firefighter. Not. One. Bit.

Sorry, Grace.

Ready for Phase Two!

2010-02-27T08:59:00.001-08:00

All right! I chatted with my new editor, Grace. She is very encouraging. We talked about a new direction for the book that concentrates more on the relationship between Joe and Livvy, and I'm excited about it.

I also sent off a Woman's World story. It's been over a year since I submitted to them, so I have my fingers crossed. It's called "Better Than Partners."

Book Utopia Mom reviewed "Leap of Faith." She wasn't that impressed. I don't blame her. It's not among my favorites either. I'd love to know what she thinks of Secrets of the Jin Hakku, though.

Where's that Drawing Board?

2010-02-17T11:40:00.001-08:00

...because I need to get back to it. Grace had many good things to say about Asking For It, but also identified many major problems, so many that she can't offer a contract yet. I've been invited to revise and resubmit.

Needless to say, I'm disappointed. There's a lot of work ahead. A lot. I think I may have to write two thirds of the book anew.

Yeah. I don't want to think about that right now. Still in the "licking my wounds" phase.

The Wait

2010-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

So, my editor, Grace (I love that name), has my manuscript. Tomorrow she'll have had it a week. If I had nails, I'd be biting them. (They're in very sorry shape from all the water exposure at work.) I really am dying to know what she thinks.

It's a little ridiculous to take so long writing something and then be impatient afterward. Oh, well. It's not like I don't have Woman's World stories I need to write.

The End

2010-02-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

I've finished ASKING FOR IT, the third Be-Wished book! I'm so happy. I can't wait for my editor to read it, but she doesn't get back from Jamaica until Monday. Even though she and I have never worked together before, I love her already because she gave me a hard deadline that really lit a fire under me.

The very last line in the book is

Love him forever.

Tee hee. I don't think I spoiled the ending for anyone.

Hello, Grace!

2010-01-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

To my dismay, my editor at Ellora's Cave resigned. She moves on to a better paying career, so I'm happy for her. I've since been assigned to a different editor, Grace. (I just realized I don't know her last name.)

I'm excited to be working with someone new. We've exchanged getting-to-know-you emails, and she's given me a firm deadline, just like I asked. So, come February 8, I should be turning in the third Be-Wished book to her for consideration. Yay. Finally. Right? LOL

Favorite Author Award

2009-12-29T14:57:00.000-08:00

Book Utopia Mom has named me her Favorite Author of 2009! Wow. I can hardly believe anyone outside of my family would declare me their favorite author. But there it is.

Once again, I'm thrilled and honored and surprised. I can only hope that my next book will entertain her.

Really. I mean, the pressure is on now, right? I'll probably have a nightmare tonight that BUM panned my third Be-Wished book. Oy vey.

Best Novella Award!

2009-12-21T08:50:00.001-08:00

I'm thrilled to announce that Book Utopia Mom named my story, Losing It, her very favorite novella of 2009. This lady reads a lot of electronic books and she's extremely discerning, so I consider it a great honor to have made her year-end list. I'll even admit I was actually awaiting the posting of her year-end lists to see if I made it on! Tee hee. Yes, I'm that greedy for recognition.

Here's a link to her original review of Losing It.

Here's a link to buy it, if you feel so inclined. ;)

Spammers

2009-12-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

Alas, I've had to turn on the word verification thing. I was getting more and unwanted, erroneous comments. Sorry!

Thankfulness Guest Blog

2009-11-12T08:12:00.000-08:00

I was invited to blog at Romance in the Backseat recently. They're doing an entire month on thankfulness. Here's what I wrote. You could win a copy of my book ALL IN if you comment. :)

Real Life Imitates Art

2009-11-10T05:27:00.000-08:00

Wow! I'm checking my email today and I see a headline, "21-year-old becomes youngest WSOP champion ever." I immediately click on the link because, if you look at WSOP and scratch your head in confusion, it stands for World Series of Poker.

I know. You're probably still confused. So, Kate's into poker. So what?

Well, in my very first Be-Wished book, All In, the hero was a pro poker player, but when I was researching I couldn't really look up the average salary of poker players. I had to just look at the winning pots and speculate. I watched a few hours of the WSOP and was surprisingly engaged. So today, I read the article. Most of it was a summary of the head to head combat between the two lead players throughout the tournament, but the cool thing I found out is that Joe Cada "chose cards over college." And that's kind of what my character did too, despite a full scholarship to Stanford. And the pile of chips Joe Cada ended up with? EIGHT POINT FIVE MILLION DOLLARS. Yeah. My hero, Tucker, could easily afford the lifestyle I had him living.

It's probably not any big deal to anyone else, but I was tickled.

2009-11-09T20:27:00.000-08:00

Recently, I offered as a prize the opportunity to be a character in one of my books. A woman named Amanda won. :) So, in Leap of Faith there is a character named Amanda, a noble and brave woman who attempts to save the hero. The real Amanda emailed me yesterday to tell me how exciting it was for her to read the book, waiting to see what I had done with her name. The fictional Amanda doesn't appear until about three quarters of the way in, so she had to read almost the whole story. Still, she seemed pleased.

I'd definitely offer up a character naming as a prize again. It was fun.

WINNERS!

2009-11-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Fallon and Jeanette Murray! You two have won a free e-book from my backlist. Choose your title and email me at kate_willoughby at yahoo dot com. Thanks for participating. :)

My Pants Are on Fire

2009-11-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, I lied. I'm sorry. I didn't get the names up. It was my mother's birthday yesterday and my sister and I were cooking a Chinese feast all day long. Literally. Chopping up stuff all over the place. Ten courses. The works. I completely forgot about the blog.

I apologize.

I have a long shift at the day job, so will post winners tonight.

Will Draw Names on Sunday

2009-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

Two more days before the awarding of the books! Make a comment on any of the Leap of Faith posts and you'll be entered into the drawing. I'd sure love to see more mad lib suggestions. :)

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 5

2009-10-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

Being an erotic romance author, I know a lot sex occurs in my books. Hello. I put it there. LOL

When a new book comes out, I always like to take a good hard look at exactly how much sex got in. Here are how the numbers fall for Leap of Faith, which you can buy here. :)

Sex scenes: 4
Shortest sex scene: 269 words
Longest sex scene: 1283 words
Sex percentage: 15%

Hmm. Only 15%.

Well, it's quality, not quantity, right?

Today's question: Have you ever skimmed over the sex scene in a book? Why? Answer in the comment section and you may win a free e-book from my backlist.

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 4

2009-10-29T06:47:00.000-07:00

The Incan civilization was grand. Although, I learned a lot researching for this story, I took some creative liberties, especially concerning the punishment for defiling a Sun Virgin. But hopefully the result justifies the tweaking of historical fact.

I was going to make up a trivia quiz for today's blog entry, but saw that there are many perfectly good quizzes already out there. Why reinvent the wheel (which the Incans didn't have, by the way)?

Take this quiz if you want. If you'd like the chance to win a free e-book from my backlist, to to the comment section and let me know something you learned about the Incas that you didn't know before.

My score: 40% (How embarrassing!) The quiz was hard!

If you'd like to purchase the book in which those creative liberties were taken, go here. :)

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 3

2009-10-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

Turns out that no one would be brave enough to try cuy. Maybe I shouldn't have answered myself. Maybe I turned people off to the idea of roasted guinea pig...

Since no one wanted to do my Mad Lib, I decided to have a go at it. You were supposed to think up

a period of time
a name
a verb
four nouns
an adjective

And here is the Leap of Faith blurb with the Mad Lib words inserted:

A split second ago, Vladimir blew up the Incan flip flops and has since been condemned to a life of pancakes and dirt. Only through tongue will he find forgiveness. But is it his tongue that is required, or that of the young woman who stumbles into his busty world?

Well, that was pretty funny, if I do say so myself! Feel free to provide a list of zany words, and I'll insert them tomorrow.

Today I'm posting a short excerpt from Leap of Faith. I hope you enjoy it. I even hope you buy it!

Sometimes what seemed enchanting at night lost its glamour by light of day, especially when it came to men, but even in the bright sun Amaru was one spectacular example of masculinity. The man was all muscle, not a scrap of fat on him, and although his face wasn’t handsome in the classic sense, the rugged, primitive strength Kira saw there was just as appealing as any of the pretty boy looks she might find on the pages of a men’s magazine.

He thrust his head under the stream, washed his unshaven face, then combed his hands through his hair. The water ran in rivulets down his neck to be soaked up by his tunic. Until today, she’d never considered necks to be particularly sexy, but if her lips had had free will they would have been on his neck like magnets on a fridge.

Reluctantly, she pulled her eyes back up to his face, but judging from his smile, he knew she’d been ogling him and he didn’t mind one bit. In fact, still grinning, he said, “It is already hot today and I am somewhat sweaty from working the garden."

And sweat never looked better.

Then, to her shock and delight, he stripped off his tunic to reveal his magnificent body clothed in nothing but an honest-to-goodness loincloth. Having never seen a loincloth in person before, she realized now how little they actually covered.

Her lips suddenly had a different destination in mind.

Question for today: Would you prefer your hero garbed in a loincloth, chaps, a tux, or a kilt? Answer in the comment section and you may win a free book at the end of the week.

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 2

2009-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the Mad Libs thing was a roaring success.

But I shall blithely go forward.

In the course of revising Leap of Faith, which you can buy here, I found out that Peruvians like to eat guinea pigs. Roasted on a spit. I don't find this disgusting, like eating live baby octopi, but I don't know if I could ever taste guinea pig. Especially since they serve it still looking like a rodent. If it was like a McGuinea Pig Strip, I might try it, but otherwise...

Anyway, today's question is, would you try "cuy" as it's called in Peru? Answer the comment section and you might win a free e-book from my backlist.

Leap of Faith Celebration - Day 1

2009-10-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

It's release day! Leap of Faith is now available for purchase. I'm going to be celebrating all week. Make a comment any day this week and I'll enter your name in a drawing to win any electronic title from my backlist. If 10 people comment, I'll pull five names. If 12 people comment, I'll pull six names. I suck at math, but I think that might mean you have a 50% chance of getting a free book.

Let's do a Mad Libs sort of thing today.

Think of:

a period of time
a name
a verb
four nouns
an adjective

Put your answers in the comments and I'll insert them into the mini-blurb for Leap of Faith and post the (hopefully hilarious) results tomorrow.

Can you wait three more days?

2009-10-23T08:42:00.000-07:00

Leap of Faith is going to be released on October 26. I can hardly wait. This story was previously published by another e-publisher, but during a time of intense turmoil for that company. Hence, Leap didn't get the exposure or the sales that it might have. Years later, I submitted it to Liquid Silver, where Maria Rogers, my editor, helped me strengthen the story and in three days you can see the result.

Here's a blurb:

Kira de la Fuente’s vacation to the land of her ancestors turns into a nightmare when her guide abandons her in the mountains of Peru. Without provisions or shelter, she is relieved when the enigmatic Amaru comes to her rescue. A powerful, self-assured man in his prime, he possesses an uncanny knowledge of ancient Incan ways. And for good reason.

Ever since he crossed the sun god centuries ago, Amaru has been paying the price—a life of isolation and misery, prayer and atonement. Kira’s arrival brings many good omens and Amaru comes to believe she might be the one to finally free him from his unearthly prison. But one last test has yet to be revealed, and it is Kira, not Amaru, who must pass it.

Booksigning Tomorrow

2009-10-17T11:55:00.001-07:00

I will be signing copies of Ellora's Cavemen: Seasons of Seduction, Volume 3 tomorrow. It's an anthology of six hot stories. Mine is called "A Man of Vision."

Location: Barnes & Noble Encino, corner of Hayvenhurst and Ventura.

Time: 12:30 - 2:00(?) I'm not sure of the ending time, but I'll stay until the enormous line of fans dies down. LMAO

I'll also be passing out the personalized M&Ms I got just for this occasion. If you come and buy a book (or books) make sure you take one of Los Angeles Romance Authors' (LARA) flyers and bring it to the register with you. LARA gets a percentage of the sales. The money will help our organization continue to provide support and education for published and aspiring Los Angeles area romance authors.

2009-10-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Woot! Great review of A Wolf at Her Door, by Book Utopia Mom. She's one tough cookie and was impatient for the sex to be over with so she could get to the meat of the story. I can see how someone could feel that way. That makes me think about the third Be-Wished book and consider changing a couple of things.

Anyway, here's the link if you're interested in reading what she said. I got a 42/50. Yay!