Square One

On Tuesday, I got my assignment from The Most Amazing Editor In the World, Kerri. Send her In the Zone book 5 by mid-May. The next day, I begin to plot. I know I want it to be Booth MacDonald's story. I decide Elliot Fleming is going to buy the team a plane, so I think, why not have Booth fall in love with one of the flight crew? It'll be a "forbidden love" story. Here are the initial notes I made.

Then, I started with the Post-its. I write scene descriptions down and move them around as needed. I got about half the book plotted, but hit a bit of a wall, so I decided to just start writing.

I wrote about 700 words. It was fun. Then around nine o'clock, I thought, "This story sucks." I also thought, "Kate, this is the end of your hockey series. You have no more ideas." I rarely get these self-doubt attacks, but there it was.

Enter Jennifer Lazaris, a fellow hockey romance writer and friend. With her help, I find some tropes that sound interesting and all apply to the heroine.

• She's the sister of one of Booth's teammates.
• She's a virgin.
• She's a big, beautiful woman, but with shaky self-confidence.

Together, we start brainstorming what Booth's heroine is like. Why is she a virgin? Who's sister is she? When we finally said good night (or when Jen finally said, "I must go make pancakes now"), I was excited about the new heroine. I had also killed off Phoebe Sugarman and her daughter Sam. Booth's physically handicapped dad might also have gotten cut. That remains to be seen.

Today, I am revitalized. I jotted down two pages of notes about the new heroine.She doesn't have a name yet, but she will soon because I can't write unless there are names. I got a bit more nailed down about who Booth is and what happened to him before he became a Barracuda.

This book is taking off and I'm really excited.

Being a Belle

Another stop on the blog tour for me. This time I'm at Contemporary Romance Cafe. I have always loved contemporary romances. I tend to gravitate toward the light-hearted ones that take me to a generally happy place. I usually like to have fun when I read. (Although lately I've been listening to and very much enjoying Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, which is definitely not a happy read.)

Their topic of the month was "The Road to Publication," which is why I wrote about how the In the Zone series came to be. I hope you enjoy the post.

Fresh Fiction: The Silly Side of Hockey

Stop 2 on my mini blog hop is Fresh Fiction. I asked them if I could write about hockey pranks, since pranks are so prominent in my books and they were nice enough to host me again.

So, check it out. There is a short video of some Blackhawks playing a prank, which I found hilarious, and an excerpt from Across the Line in which Calder and Mac initiate certainly the most elaborate prank in the In the Zone series to date.

There's also a giveaway in which you can choose which In the Zone book you would like to win!

The Big Day for Across the Line

It's Release Day for Across the Line, book two of my In the Zone hockey romance series! It's been so encouraging to see the book being pre-ordered. It makes me grateful for that anonymous back cover copy writer at Carina and the artist who gave me this sexier than sin cover. I am so excited.

Here are snippets from some early reviews:

"Willoughby's second In the Zone contemporary sports romance (after On the Surface) is a real charmer."

-Publishers Weekly

"With this second book in the series, this author just made my "auto-buy author" list!!" 

5 stars, Christi of Smitten With Reading

"As long as Kate Willoughby keeps writing, I will keep reading her wonderful books."

- 4.5 stars, Steffi from Swept Away by Romance.

"Kate Willoughby's writing is fantastic, her story is fast paced, fun and throws in a few laughs. I find myself not wanting the story to end..."

-4 stars, Jac of For Love and Books

"I enjoyed the book so much that I have gone back and purchased the first book in the series..."

-5 stars, Christine Mize

All you readers who pre-ordered, you should have already received the book. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting I would tell you a good story. (Is the bird thing a stretch? Sorry. LOL)

Today, Tim Hollander will no longer be the only Barracuda swimming in the literary seas. (Sorry for the horrible metaphor. I'm a little tired from trying to make my deadline for book three.) He has a brother standing beside him. My plan is to keep writing hockey romances as long as it's fun and I have new stories to tell. (Here are four guys from the LA Kings who are/were like brothers: Mike Richards, Drew Doughty, Dustin Penner who sadly is no longer a King, and Jeff Carter, recently married.)

In the pipeline is Alex Sullivan's story, OUT OF THE GAME, book 3 of my In the Zone series. After that, I have ideas jotted down about Jason Locke's story, and a few thousand words written about Dustin DeVries.

In the meantime, check out Calder Griffin and see how he makes it work (any Tim Gunn fans out there?) with Becca Chen. She's an Asian restauranteur. He's an NHL player returning to the ice after being injured. Committed to their jobs and with thousands of miles between them, they don't stand a chance.

Photo credit: Tatiana Gerus and Prayitno via Wikimedia Commons

Dear Author and Smart Bitches Talk About the In the Zone Series

I continue to be amazed and excited that Jane from Dear Author likes my books. Recently, she mentioned me on the 100th episode of the DBSA Romance Fiction Podcast. If you're like me and have never listened to a podcast before, they're in the iTunes store. I am at minute 11:30 in the podcast.

Most of their conversation revolves around the term "beta" in regard to romance heroes. Jane doesn't like the term and feels it categorizes these non-Alpha heroes as less than Alphas. Sarah didn't agree, but her husband did.

Here are the highlights of what they say about me:

Jane: I think Kate Willoughby writes heroes that are nice and caring while still being manly...I just really like her heroes. They're very...entertaining, funny, they kind of know what they want, they're not afraid of relationships...

Sarah: You mean one bad break-up hasn't sworn them off of women forever and ever????

Jane: No.

Sarah: Yay!

Across the Line Publishers Weekly Review

For those of you who aren't familiar with the publication, Publisher's Weekly is a well-known, respected publication. Here's how they describe themselves:

Publishers Weekly, familiarly known in the book world as PW and “the bible of the book business,” is a weekly news magazine focused on the international book publishing business... Its best known service is pre-publication book reviews, publishing some 8,000 per year.

Recently, they reviewed Across the Line, book 2 from my In the Zone hockey romance series! This is a huge deal. Never in a million years did I expect to see a review of my book in PW. Now, because I don't subscribe, the amazing Shannon Stacey sent me a scanned PDF of it, but here's what they said.

Willoughby's second In the Zone contemporary sports romance (after On the Surface) is a real charmer. Pro hockey player Calder Griffin is aboard a nonstop flight from San Diego to New York when he encounters Rebecca "Becca" Chen, owner of Cups, a popular cafe in his hometown of Ithaca, N.Y. He dubbed her "Braceface Becca" in elementary school, but as adults the two are immediately drawn to one another. Despite the distance, the two start a passionate relationship--and after tragedy strikes in Ithaca, Becca moves to San Diego. But will that move draw Calder closer, or push him away? Meanwhile, when Calder's estranged brother, Hart, joins Calder's hockey team, he drops a bombshell that will change the brothers' relationship forever. Willoughby skillfully seeds the story with compelling secondary characters as she leads Calder and Becca toward a happy ending.

Booksellers, librarians, literary agents are going to see this. I am still in shock that my little hockey romance caught their eye. Wow.

Across the Surface is available for pre-order at Carina Press and Amazon. Do it and the book will be yours on August 11.

A Real Life Bottlegate!

Look at the bottom left of the photo

I'm taking recent events in the NHL as a sign from God that I'm on the right track. My first hockey novel, On the Surface, features a former Blackhawk who is traded to the San Diego Barracudas because of an incident with a fan involving a water bottle.

Now, keep that in mind as I tell you that this spring, the water bottle has been the weapon of choice for NHL players.

Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks sprayed water into the glove of one of "My Guys", Jeff Carter.

Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins sprayed the visor of Montreal Canadien PK Subban.

And finally Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers gave Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby a little mid-game shower.

It's like an epidemic. It's harmless really. It doesn't hurt anyone (except wimps, as you'll see below). It's just annoying. However, so far the hydro-taunting has been player vs. player. A few days ago, that changed.

Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks got fed up with a heckler--JUST LIKE IN MY BOOK--and sprayed water into the face of the heckler--JUST LIKE IN MY BOOK!

Well, that last part isn't quite accurate. The back cover copy, over which I had only minimal input, says Tim threw the water bottle at a fan. In reality, I never fully describe what Tim Hollander does to the fan with his water bottle.

But still!

What are the chances that real life incidents almost completely mirror what I wrote a year ago? Like I said, I take it as a sign from God that my time has come and I'm on the right track. I also bask in the knowledge that what I wrote is utterly believable and possible in the real NHL.

It feels pretty damn good.

The LA fan (yes, he was rooting for LA. ) claims his eyes were irritated by the saliva backwash--from the type of bottle that squirts from a spout. He's filed a police report. What do you think about that? Feel free to comment.

Photo credit: Paul Sakuma, AP

FIVE STARS from Happily Ever After-Reads

I'll admit it. This review made me get teary. It's not just that she loved the book. It's that she GOT the story. She picked out all the same things that make this book my favorite so far.

Here is a quote from the review:

This is one of the best, most satisfying romances I’ve read in a long time...Tim, Erin and their romance was so well done, I couldn’t get enough. Theirs is the type of romance that was easy to fall into because they’re both so likeable, so easy to root for and if On The Surface is a sign of what’s to come in this new series by Kate Willougby, I can’t wait for more.

If you're a writer, you'll understand why reviews like this can stir up the emotions. If you're a parent, it's as if your child did something and people are coming up to you and saying, "Wow! That was amazing." It's heady stuff. The only thing that tops it are perhaps fan letters. Those are super cool too.

Harlequin Junkie Review - FIVE STARS and a TOP PICK!!!

I cannot express how excited I am that Heather at Harlequin Junkie gave On the Surface five stars! Not only that, they chose it as an HJ Top Pick. Thank you, Heather. I'm so glad you're a Barracuda fan!

Here's the last line of the review:

"If you are a sport romance fan then I highly recommend this series. I’ll be on the Barracuda bench – cheering them on."

And check out the cool little banner she pasted on my book cover! I love it.

Lush Book Review: 5 STARS!!!

I'm super excited! Lush Book Reviews gave On the Surface five stars. Here is a juicy quote from the review.

"I have a thing for sports romance books and this one made the list of a must read. Tim and Erin are so right for each other. The love scenes in the book are hot! Kate Willoughby writes her men really well and the banter between his team and Tim were very enjoyable to read. I loved how Tim falls for Erin right away and doesn't hold back his feelings for her. I am excited to read the next book in the series!!

On the Surface is truly one of the best books I have read this year and it happens to be the first book in this new series. If you want a good contemporary romance this is the book for you!! A must buy!"

A Celebration and a Giveaway!

Here is what Dustin Brown looked like when the Kings won the Stanley Cup. Happy, right? That's how I feel too!

After weeks of working closely with Melissa Bandera of Jelly Design Studio, my new website is finally live!

I'm thrilled with it. It's so bright and cheery. It looks fresh and inviting and I hope it's easy to navigate.

Here are some things, other than the cool design, that I'm really excited about.

I now have a home page so people aren't shuttled directly into the blog.

I have a (long!) list of appearances coming up to commemorate the release of my first hockey romance, On the Surface.

On the sidebar you can see my beautiful cover art for On the Surface and it stays there no matter what page of the website you're visiting.

There are social media buttons!! Quick, go follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I try to post fun stuff.

My book pages are really easy to navigate now and there are handy links in case you feel like buying one of the books. (You know you want to...!)

You can now get my "authorgraph." It's a cool widget that allows readers to get their electronic book autographed by me.

Amazing site, right? I'm so in love with it. My designer Melissa was wonderful to work with. The process was so painless and she was very patient with all my requests as we tweaked and modified, tried different options, until it was the beautiful site I had only imagined before.

To celebrate the unveiling, I'm giving away a copy of On the Surface, In the Zone Book 1 from Carina Press. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Back Cover Copy for On the Surface

Yours truly wearing her favorite piece of clothing

I'm so excited to share with you the back cover copy for my first hockey romance, On the Surface, Book 1 from the In the Zone series which chronicles the lives and loves of the fictional San Diego Barracudas. I hope it sounds interesting to you. If so, feel free to pre-order it!

Amazon
Goodreads
Barnes & Noble
iTunes

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Book one of In the Zone

NHL player Tim Hollander lost his temper one time and threw a water bottle at an abusive fan. After “Bottlegate,” he’s traded to the San Diego Barracudas, where he’ll need to keep the bad publicity to a minimum while proving he can still compete with the younger guys on the ice.

Erin Collier is a pediatric nurse who’s never seen a hockey game, but gets in line for Tim’s autograph at a PR event in hopes of impressing the doctor she has a crush on. When an obnoxious fan gets pushy toward Erin, Tim rushes to defend the pretty stranger, throwing a punch in the process.

Grateful for the rescue, Erin agrees to stand by Tim during the resulting press conference and host him at a hospital charity event. Their chemistry is palpable, and soon their lives are intertwined. But Erin doubts a hockey player is capable of anything resembling a real relationship. And if Tim can’t get her to see beyond what’s on the surface, they’ll never last longer than a single season…

First Line this Morning

I'm (trying to) start Book 3 of the In the Zone series. This is probably my third try. This is typical for me, however. Trial and error is the name of the game for me.

Here is the new beginning for the book. I hope this one sticks.

Alex Sullivan believed in love at first sight, but he seldom mentioned it to anyone. His San Diego Barracuda teammates would have laughed at him. Give a hockey player a gem like that and he’ll jump on it with a vengeance: Photoshopped pictures of his face on a naked baby Cupid on Twitter, fake voice mails in falsetto, “Alex, I just love you so much, from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were The One…” Shit like that. At least, that’s what Alex would do. Any excuse for a good laugh at a teammate’s expense.

If there was one guy on his team he might trust with this information, it was Tim Hollander. Holly had it bad for this nurse he’d been seeing a lot of lately. If anyone could understand Alex’s romantic side, it would be Holly. And yet, Alex still kept quiet, especially because if Tim found out who Alex was mooning over, he would kick his ass.

Photo credit: leoncillo sabino via Creative Commons

Are You on Drugs?

I am in the middle of copy edits for Across the Line, Book 2 from the In The Zone series. This is when my editor--the fabulous Melissa Johnson--points out the small stuff that I may have missed, including any typos I may have made.

I come across a comment from her in the sidebar that says "LOL."

I look at the manuscript to see what was so funny. I love to see what makes her laugh. I want to know if it's something that made me laugh too.

Unfortunately, I didn't see an intentional joke. The hero, Calder, is talking to his girlfriend, Becca, about how much better he played that night. Calder thinks it may have been that the coach put him on the starting line-up.

I look more carefully at the sidebar. I see that Melissa has deleted two letters. TH.

Hm.

Then it comes to me. What I really typed. I crack up.

"Okay, but the difference between the first game and this one was like night and day. What happened?

"I don't know. I think maybe it was because Coach started meth tonight."

Forfeiting to Harlequin Superromance

I got word today that there's a Harlequin Superromance book coming out with the title IN HER CORNER. Harlequin tries to avoid publishing two books with the same title.

Sigh.

So, since that book comes out first, I have to change my title to...

ACROSS THE LINE

I think ACROSS THE LINE is actually just as nice a title. It fits the story, because both the main characters cross a line with each other, and there are lots of lines in hockey, like the blue line, pictured here with the handsome Jarret Stoll of the LA Kings. And oddly, enough it was on my original list of suggested titles, so I thought of it. LOL

Let's hope that title sticks!

Title Announcement

I just got word from my editor that the team finally settled on a title for the second book in the In The Zone series. I gave them a list of 39 possible titles. Some of my ideas were about perfection and being a perfectionist. Some had to do with the distance between them at the beginning of the book. Others had to do with Calder supporting Becca through thick and thin, which is the theme they liked most. Here are my suggestions that centered on that theme.

At Her Side

By Her Side

On Her Side

On Her Team

On Her Own

Right There Beside Her

Backing Up Becca

Across the Line

Anywhere You Are

Never Alone

But the title they chose was

IN HER CORNER

I like it! It's a preposition, like Book 1's ON THE SURFACE, and my sister-in-law pointed out they have corners in hockey! Sure, they're rounded, but you hear in broadcasts all the time, "They're battling for the puck in the corner," or "So and so just took a hard hit in the corner," so there is a dual meaning to the title, which I appreciate.

Now if I could just see some cover art for ON THE SURFACE!!!!

Photo by Sillygwailo (cc)

First Line This Morning - Alex's Story (IN THE ZONE 3)

Clarence S. Campbell Bowl

I've officially begun writing IN THE ZONE book three, Alex Sullivan and Claire's story. (Hm. I just realized I don't have a last name for her. Her sister's maiden name was Collier, but Claire was married and divorced and I never gave her a married name. LOL)

I spent over an hour this morning skimming through both of the first two books and jotting down any character traits I mentioned and actual things they did in those stories. Alex appeared a lot, often as comic relief. 

Right after I woke up today--spontaneously at 3:55 a.m.--I thought of the first line of the book. Who knows if it'll stay? Usually my first first lines don't, but you never know.

Alex Sullivan was totally fucked up. And not in that “I just drank eight gallons of champagne because my team won the NHL Northwest Division title” way.

Only a Week and A Day Late

I turned in the second draft of Book 2 in the IN THE ZONE series. My editor has it and I eagerly await her edits. Until then, I should work on the family newsletter and enjoy my birthday today. But I find myself really wanting to start Book 3.

At last!

I finished the first draft of the second book in the IN THE ZONE series.

Hallelujah.