A New Print Release!

Today is a wonderful day.

The Be-Wished series, five years in the making, consists of four books: All In, A Wolf at Her Door, Once Upon a Kiss, and Just Winging It. The first two stories were published in their own print anthology last year called Wolf Wishes. 

Now, the second volume, Midnight Wishes has been published in print!

I hadn't seen the cover until today, but I love it. As an author who has most of her stories sold digitally, it's exciting and special when you see your work in print. One of these days, I'll do a book signing. Maybe at the Romance Writers of America Conference or the Romantic Times convention next year.

Until then, I'm just thrilled to have these books available.

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.

"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. :)

Winner!

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.

DONE

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

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

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.

Davina's Book

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.

Bitten By Books Review

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

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!

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

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.

Guest Blogging at RomCom

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 Once Upon A Kiss

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.

Another great review!

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!

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.

The Big Day

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

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

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

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.)