tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121464662024-03-07T15:17:38.441-06:00Lets Gab... With Anne, Jennifer B., Lori, Lori T, and KateAnnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951659700229919103noreply@blogger.comBlogger901125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-53584453071542333242009-08-28T10:25:00.002-05:002009-08-28T10:28:31.337-05:00Later days, folks... we're saying bye for nowHey all,<br /><br />We want to let you know that Let's Gab will be taking a break. We're all fine, but with everything going on in our lives, it seems like the appropriate time for us to take a break from something, and Let's Gab is it.<br /><br />Anne is busy working on polishing up several manuscripts, and Kate is busy working on her first manuscript and taking care of the cutest baby in the world.<br /><br />Having said all that, you'll still see JenniferB and Lori over at <a href="http://donttalkjustread.blogspot.com/">I Just Finished Reading...</a> and we'll tweak the format there a little. You'll likely see some non-review-type posts over there going forward, but we'll keep most of the focus on books.<br /><br />And, as always, Lori will continue posting about her family's escapades at <a href="http://livinginthehouseoftestosterone.blogspot.com/">Living in the House of Testosterone</a>.<br /><br />Thanks - it's been a blast!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-33837042373462487782009-08-17T17:07:00.007-05:002009-08-17T17:18:59.444-05:00Library Loot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMp1wrv49lj94BXi9202llnIUz7vD5_BA2yaB53AyrHPCQ33NioGrHzrLCAt32zW6lR7uR7X_uSe1DASzcMIVSVr8KvwiOu3z4R9mytS_79SaxX3b-qGa0wPUdYcuExosKerG/s1600-h/library-loot.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMp1wrv49lj94BXi9202llnIUz7vD5_BA2yaB53AyrHPCQ33NioGrHzrLCAt32zW6lR7uR7X_uSe1DASzcMIVSVr8KvwiOu3z4R9mytS_79SaxX3b-qGa0wPUdYcuExosKerG/s200/library-loot.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371059724431754418" /></a>I saw this over at <a href="http://theromanticlife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Christine's</a>, and thought this would be great! It's awesome when you can check stuff out from the library (waving at Wendy!). Unfortunately, my library stinks. Even my county library. All these were requested through California ILL with the exception of Outlander. I still have a bunch on request. Hopefully the new Karen Rose will come SOON.<div><br /><br />LIBRARY LOOT is a weekly blog event co-hosted by <a href="http://readingadventures.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Marg of Reading Adventures</a> and Eva of <a href="http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A Striped Armchair</a>. Library Loot encourages readers to share what they've checked out from the library that week. If you want to participate, simply make your Library Loot post on your blog any day of the week and leave the link to your post through the Mr. Linky link at either Marg's or Eva's blogs.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpEXZOC-xbppDcEJ2vxg1Z0glplQEvo9TiJHA9gDUIk9GEiIH8mxCGihuqMKnAXMdEj-doYZflZ8K0bdn4LLr_iGvr4msVKqaV21cbwF7ly8FkwkPGwdXbrWdTlAEhkruMfIa/s200/hotpurs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371059171372417922" />Hot Pursuit. Yup. My lib didn't have it. Had to request it. Go figure.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1i5ERTwqIPJcVVlIpf2HDU95-zKgRa5HkfV7R9XCpcvrtS0smLYPKMh-9ghas9fghl_Q-MiaPdduUZMLtq0MyNXiEOT0UZXJlbffreUJh6X5rjhE3PyP1IvGsfSIpXDRzlbG/s200/malice.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371059287241288418" />Malice. I'm a Lisa Jackson ho. But I still won't buy hardcover. BTW, she has 2 releases out right now. The other one is Chosen to Die, the followup to Left to Die. I did buy that and have already read it. Boy, do I love me some Lisa Jackson.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 122px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8P0O4XiMtXXE68dxjKJ7FhKSQa4Svug2Rarz78sKBon27v4U0H2KKAC3WZIQR2rGeFq1QLF-utaFXoeiPPFOBbLkBGA3LhLZ-NlxhNYaeI9ZlUzFVrvcQGQSYJZwvmRjVk7Tp/s200/outlander.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371059402740689154" />Outlander.<br /><br />I may be one of the few people in the world who hasn't read this yet. So I figured, why not?</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-36062492917456875152009-08-16T16:33:00.011-05:002009-08-16T16:55:46.999-05:00The Book Gods are Smiling Down on MeI feel so fortunate. In the past couple weeks, I've won several books. So a big thank you to all, and I may be spreading the love soon :)<br /><br /><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 124px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80GbdvhQtJbErwg_Ufc_ULakfr89BNtQoWmSM88hp-SSua3qv_XfWOj42oNC3db4EjFAE35GJRm_eCg2-PYh-gHytMqIgXyZJI1HoZgVnP_8FBdqMHMdnPrSv3q2rA7sMRlan/s200/pitch_black.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370679911807731698" />Pitch Black from <a href="http://www.authorleslieparrish.com" target="_blank">Leslie Parrish</a> (on <a href="http://twitter.com/lesliekelly" target="_blank">Twitter</a>)</div><br /><br /><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksLJVNbt_Qfo2J0D_kIA3chWgV1fFXnMWniTLbnjArgn4IGrM9AmD6sYaw6OcaRj9V62Uj9j0pezKifWy4SspUxQkgUdfBwjcjQ7hiFTe5uxzljG0ocWdXOPeYaTpYGeNBaCX/s200/first_come_twins.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370680107791464338" />First Come Twins from <a href="http://www.helenbrenna.com" target="_blank">Helen Brenna</a> on <a href="http://ridingwiththetopdown.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Riding With the Top Down</a><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEleZY6Pd4q9FVYWijf3_mMZ0yicKPmqgF22ygBC7od0x-E6qy7L8weSozoFq0SWLhjjxE9BOtMiol9j4jkgMbtHn3LbhPSBDVYB-KDshSM5uDnlpvcaw7sWTY5z3IVULh6eH/s200/daring_time.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370680301492525810" />Daring Time by <a href="http://www.bethkery.com" target="_blank">Beth Kery</a> from <a href="http://leahbraemel.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Leah Braemel</a><br /></div><br /><br /><br />and just today... <br /><br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 122px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPp0tPf1YN6gnVQzmZSl9_5vZBX_4mn_LnKzC8O2xajgpU25cBdXYrqeYGQRFtKOCRi1LYX19hUvoAiWmBNnmQmJDYPnf_y8-qKM-KUWFaXG_mMEmpBzP32bzVnMssGlu6h60/s200/surrenderofasiren200x328.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370680462302624002" />Surrender of a Siren by <a href="http://www.tessadare.com" target="_blank">Tessa Dare</a> on the <a href="http://www.plotmonkeys.com" target="_blank">Plotmonkeys</a>!<br /><br />Woohoo!! I loved the first book, Goddess of the Hunt, and cannot wait to read the second one.<br /><br />Thank you to all these wonderful women, who not only write fantastic books, but also hold all these wonderful contests! You make it so easy for us book-buying fiends to stay devoted, and willing to always go out there to pimp this one and to buy the next one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-76818481926361258952009-08-14T20:39:00.008-05:002009-08-14T21:01:29.985-05:00Because I just can't help myselfYou know if there's a hotbutton issue in blogland, I keep my mouth shut. If there's a hotbutton issue affecting our country? I just can't help myself.<br /><br />Yes, I'm going there. Health Care Reform. I'm sorry people. Obama campaigned on it. We elected him in a landslide on it. He made no secret about his intentions. And now, all of a sudden, everyone acts so freakin' surprised that he wants to enact universal health care coverage? Which simply means that every single freakin' American would have the benefit of health care insurance.<br /><br />Instead of opposing political parties and insurance lobbies gathering their cronies to create havoc and sound bites, I'd personally love to hear what this plan entails. That way I could make an intelligent and informed decision as to my opinion. I know that in the last 2 years, our deductible has tripled, both individual and family. I know that we're fortunate to still have insurance. But I also know that it's the main sticking point every year in the union negotiations between the teacher's union and the school district. I'm interested. Unfortunately, every evening, I'm forced to endure watching the bad news, and seeing, once again, how Americans can make themselves look like asses in front of the rest of the world.<br /><br />For all those people who are so concerned that universal health care coverage will mean rationing of health care, and insurance company big-wigs deciding who will live and who will die, and not being able to pick your doctor, and granny not being allowed to get her medicine or not getting her surgery, or dad getting kicked out of the hospital before he's well... <span style="font-weight: bold;">I have news for you</span>. We already have that health care system. It's called the HMO.<br /><br />Would all the people who are raising a riot on the news every night deny HMO coverage to all the people in our country who currently have nothing? Just perhaps, we could shut our mouths and open our ears and listen for a change. Listen to the proposals and use our brains and then decide for ourselves. Clinton was unable to do it. Bush had no interest in it. I'd really like to see Obama make some real progress. I don't believe that moving toward a government run health care system is necessarily bad. Most other countries in the world manage it. I don't necesarily believe that it will bring the level of care in our country down, or that all the amazing research that goes on here will suddenly stop, or that all our innovative physicians will suddenly disappear.<br /><br />I'd like to believe that as Americans, we can do something better. Smarter. But people, we have to shut up and listen first. Having the right to our own free speech does not deprive our neighbors of their right to free speech. Sometimes I think that the Bill of Rights should have included the Right to Listen. Lord knows we'd get a whole lot more accomplished. Including a Health Care bill.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-14336706428234239392009-08-11T14:42:00.002-05:002009-08-11T14:45:28.341-05:00Happy Birthday, Kate!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQvZsQz338rHfvmKbsZWpS8NZJ_RUyl6kdNbBMftqFuZEZMmbwzI4012-UZSAy4jKtRu6MgYOtGJLWFLGY4RCereqohdVMloYJymZb4invr-wMHJhz38vWUrCk3kqBZeZnFXI/s1600-h/Happy_Birthday.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQvZsQz338rHfvmKbsZWpS8NZJ_RUyl6kdNbBMftqFuZEZMmbwzI4012-UZSAy4jKtRu6MgYOtGJLWFLGY4RCereqohdVMloYJymZb4invr-wMHJhz38vWUrCk3kqBZeZnFXI/s320/Happy_Birthday.bmp" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368794460216521362" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hope your day is the very best ever!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-28711760369399885562009-08-11T00:34:00.007-05:002009-08-11T00:52:04.162-05:00Book Giveaway<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Z2O-1fPvyre_WYuR396pWMtFNfDLHUk9mk4z2XBM35SNCsxn6kBWzjCs-9rycvI8GdCJ5wE-d1_Jsrt6r7lor-0X3Wmp8FmkBWb8D81dJEBUelCu4O6ymdR_BvEBh6QzAyn8/s200/Rage.JPG" border="0" alt="Rage Against the Meshugenah by Danny Evans" title="Rage Against the Meshugenah by Danny Evans" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368578420698499378" />Because I think this is such an amazing book, and it's one that is totally outside our usual genre, I'm giving away a copy of <span style="font-style:italic;">Rage Against the Meshugenah</span>. I <a href="http://donttalkjustread.blogspot.com/2009/08/rage-against-meshugenah-by-danny-evans.html" target="_blank">reviewed it on I Just Finished Reading</a> earlier in the week. <br /><br />For anyone who is affected by clinical depression either personally, or secondhand, or even thirdhand, I can’t recommend this book enough. It’s a masterful first-person insight into how the male mind thinks, feels, and works. It’s entertaining and witty. Sad and heartrending as well. You don't have to have any experience with depression in order to enjoy this book. Danny Evans is a terrific author, and this book first and foremost entertains. I encourage you to read the review, and read the book. Spread your reading wings.<br /><br />Simply leave a comment on this post, or on the review itself between now and next Monday, August 17 at 11:59 pm PST. <br /><br />Please note that this is only open to US and Canada. Sorry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-57954609744438075482009-08-04T10:25:00.007-05:002009-08-04T10:31:38.072-05:00You're killing me here, Samhain...Really, why do they have to keep putting out books that sound so damn good? I spend way too much money there. Every damn week.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqptpwVKJSbpUYbAq0xaoNUXu8nnUTOeY6Qv_Q9e-3Wi0XgxOqS3cOu_fKQB9VYVpn7AhyzqD0vCYPux55c8gqCArrpRbga24jxO0dp1BE0JF3RFvC_nBs-kJpZRHhoF2TCXA/s1600-h/BoS.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqptpwVKJSbpUYbAq0xaoNUXu8nnUTOeY6Qv_Q9e-3Wi0XgxOqS3cOu_fKQB9VYVpn7AhyzqD0vCYPux55c8gqCArrpRbga24jxO0dp1BE0JF3RFvC_nBs-kJpZRHhoF2TCXA/s200/BoS.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366130640768707698" /></a>Boys of Summer by Cooper Davis<br />Genre: Contemporary Romance, Gay-Lesbian Romance<br />ISBN: 978-1-60504-637-2<br />Length: Novella<br />Price: 3.50 Get it Now for 3.15<br />Cover art by Natalie Winters<br /><br />I thought I knew what love was...<br /> <br />My name is Hunter Willis and I've found love. The problem? I'm not sure I'm ready for the rest of the world to know I've fallen for my best friend. Everyone knows Max is gay. Me? They think I'm straight as an arrow. So did I, until Max and I shared a kiss three months ago that blew that theory right out of the water.<br /><br />Now, by the ocean in Florida, thousands of miles away from prying eyes, I'm finally ready to admit to myself that Max and I have something special. Max has been ready for a long timeand he's been waiting for me. Really waiting. As in...he's still a virgin.<br /><br />There's nothing I want more than to be Max's first lover. But I know when Max gives away that part of himself, it won't be just a summer fling. It'll be for keeps. Max deserves the best. I'm just not sure, when it comes right down to it, that I won't break his heart.<br /><br />Did I mention I'm scared as hell?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Warning: This title features summer lovin' between two hot men, a secret romance between best friends--one of whom doesn't think he's actually gay, and enough heat to set any beach vacation on fire. Be sure to keep the extinguisher handy!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9C1WW4eFRNFiW_s6-QaWmi3brIa_NCqcBFaCmJLW4vbj66PgqtyuUXM03UqxjGQqbWu7n3v32IjVdsm1F1ORHjFXEU2bD_GDtGP14-62fjG5Je3MhD1rJ3amd5dPq-7VRFsx/s1600-h/BtG.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP9C1WW4eFRNFiW_s6-QaWmi3brIa_NCqcBFaCmJLW4vbj66PgqtyuUXM03UqxjGQqbWu7n3v32IjVdsm1F1ORHjFXEU2bD_GDtGP14-62fjG5Je3MhD1rJ3amd5dPq-7VRFsx/s200/BtG.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366130948541700018" /></a>Bridging the Gap by Annmarie McKenna<br />Genre: Contemporary Romance, Red Hots!<br />ISBN: 978-1-60504-251-0<br />Length: Novella<br />Price: 3.50 Get it Now for 3.15<br />Cover art by Angela Waters<br /><br />The higher she climbs, the harder he falls...<br /> <br />Carter Malone is usually the first one to make tracks before a woman starts getting any ideas. Permanent relationships don't fit into his personal blueprint. Now, for the first time in his life, he's burning up the sheets with a woman who makes him think about something more permanent...like spending the night. But she's holding something back, something he can't quite pin down.<br /><br />As a woman in a man's world, Ryan Cooper is used to wearing a target on her back--and hiding her vulnerabilities. She hasn't let anything, not even the ever-present threat of an epileptic seizure, stop her from working her butt off to get the foreman's job with her stepfather's construction company. Then she discovers the guy she's been dating--okay, having the hottest sex of her life with--is the architect who designed the building she'll be overseeing. The last thing she needs is anyone thinking she slept with Carter to get the job.<br /><br />Or worse, feeling sorry for her.<br /><br />Before the dust clears, things get a lot more complicated. The previous foreman's injury was no accident, and whoever caused it is taking aim--at the target on Ryan's back.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Warning: This book contains almost fully clothed sex with a little bit o' spanking on an OCD-clean desk inside a construction trailer, a rogue set of pencils that just won't take stay for an answer, and sweet loving in a tub.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5U6nH3YR5qxm14oxEuxWCLgO-1bYS3HMRmx8Ep2Uyt6fKPb8t5davxnyREDOwgPJghvLAuSVR5ZpUq7-GU9zbwxTf5F7MGt0ndHwgPNlDDZiRSAtf8itGTTzSHHY_1HBCOoN/s1600-h/LmK.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5U6nH3YR5qxm14oxEuxWCLgO-1bYS3HMRmx8Ep2Uyt6fKPb8t5davxnyREDOwgPJghvLAuSVR5ZpUq7-GU9zbwxTf5F7MGt0ndHwgPNlDDZiRSAtf8itGTTzSHHY_1HBCOoN/s200/LmK.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366131159494081154" /></a>Love Me Knots by Dee Tenorio<br />Genre: Contemporary Romance, Red Hots!<br />ISBN: 978-1-60504-666-2<br />Length: Category<br />Price: 4.50 Get it Now for 4.05<br />Cover art by Scott Carpenter<br /><br />Nothing twists you up quite like love...<br /> <br />When she interrupts what looks like a tryst in her fiancé's office, former heiress Krista James has only one thought: "It's over!" True, they both signed a marriage contract that didn't include a love clause. But she'll be damned if she gives the two-timer the satisfaction of knowing she gave up her heart along with her hand.<br /><br />How to say goodbye to a man who makes her forget her own name in bed, and all her principles everywhere else? Simple. Run.<br /><br />CPA-on-the-rise David Ellison thinks everything is perfect. Perfectly planned, perfectly ordered, perfectly moving forward. Until he arrives late--again--for a lunch date. Suddenly he has a broken engagement, a guilty receptionist and a missing fiancée.<br /><br />Tracking her down is easy. She's traded their honeymoon tickets for a luxury holiday for one. Reasoning with her? Impossible. Especially since they always seem to end up in bed, in the shower, on the floor...everywhere but at an understanding.<br /><br />David didn't follow his woman all the way to Tahiti to return home empty-handed. To get her back, he's even prepared to empty his heart of all his secrets.<br /><br />Question is...is he prepared for hers?<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Warning: Emotionally repressed, sexually gifted accountant on the loose in Tahiti, intent on seducing his lady back into his life and completely redefining the phrase "awesome lei". Mai Tais and fresh ice recommended to counter the extreme sexual heat.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiQo2I969P3_1oCul5AN78geqHVPB0ZobbbOMWbFNj9AWjw2ySUpJkujInWG8qeUh50IiMxTLHo9uF_Vz1Z8TASrlkrvOmrg-R2LDqXdTToyeNoYXLDj3nmxY5qFrG_bYoIXy/s1600-h/RaR.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiQo2I969P3_1oCul5AN78geqHVPB0ZobbbOMWbFNj9AWjw2ySUpJkujInWG8qeUh50IiMxTLHo9uF_Vz1Z8TASrlkrvOmrg-R2LDqXdTToyeNoYXLDj3nmxY5qFrG_bYoIXy/s200/RaR.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366131403480165090" /></a>Harley Street by Lynne Connolly<br />Genre: Historical Romance<br />ISBN: 978-1-60504-642-6<br />Length: Novel<br />Price: 5.50<br />Cover art by Natalie Winters<br /><br />Mystery, murder, and an old menace. It's enough to damage the strongest love.<br /> <br />Richard and Rose, Book 4<br /><br />Lord and Lady Strang return from their adventure-filled honeymoon, more than ready to settle into married life. After a few weeks living in his parents' Piccadilly mansion, Richard and Rose are restless for their own home, a space where they can work out the pattern of their new life together.<br /><br />House-hunting will have to wait. A maid in the household of Rose's aunt has been murdered, an act that forces Richard to reveal a dark secret from his past. Despite the desperate passion they share, marriage requires disclosure--something at which Richard has never excelled.<br /><br />In light of his revelation, Rose must find the strength to delve deep into the bedrock of their relationship while simultaneously facing the height of London society. As they work to unravel the clues that lead to a murderer, an old enemy launches an attack on their already fragile hearts...<br /><br />This book was previously published.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Warning: This series is addictive. Danger, excitement and hot, hot sex might give you ideas. But you'll have to find your own man.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What are you reading?</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-21316925476316580002009-08-03T17:57:00.001-05:002009-08-03T17:57:46.194-05:00Cooler Contest<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI*OTM*MDIxOTI5MiZwdD*xMjQ5MzQwMjUzNDAwJnA9MTIwNzQxJmQ9NmdCbndqdWdGeXlPRmNYVCZuPWJsb2dnZXImZz*yJm89NzMxZmUzZGY2Y2EzNDkwNTgzZDg*Mzg*MzBmMWIwZmUmb2Y9MA==.gif" /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="playerLoader" width="425" height="321" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/get/flashplayer/current/swflash.cab"><param name="movie" value="http://farm.sproutbuilder.com/load/6gBnwjugFyyOFcXT.swf" /><param name="quality" value="best" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://farm.sproutbuilder.com/load/6gBnwjugFyyOFcXT.swf" width="425" height="321" name="playerLoader" align="middle" wmode="transparent" play="true" loop="false" quality="best" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-45837570184117747062009-08-02T19:00:00.004-05:002009-08-02T19:28:29.677-05:00What a night...Apologies for the long, boring story that follows, but I've had a lot of email and a lot of concerned friends. Thank you so much - your concern for me touches me and makes me feel very loved. I'm fortunate to have such good friends! So I thought I'd just do a post here to let you all know I'm not about to die.<br /><br />If you've been following my saga at all either here or over at Facebook, you know that I've had a migraine for a solid week. Bad. It started to get a little better mid-week, then worse toward the end of the week. Yesterday, it was so bad that I seriously considered I was going to have a stroke, or had an aneurysm, or some other terrible diagnosis. I take medication twice a day prophylactically, as well as having meds on hand for acute flareups. Nothing was helping, and the amount of Advil I was taking on top of it all was going to tear my stomach to shreds.<br /><br />So about 5 pm, Bob decided enough was enough, and off to the ER we went.<br /><br />Well, the first thing that happened was, it was Saturday evening in the ER. Not the quietest place to be. In the waiting room was a spanish-speaking family there with about 20 members of their immediate and extended family. Including every whiny, obnoxious child they could drum up. Thankfully, I was seen fairly quickly. Only to be placed on a gurney in the hallway - they were full. Normally, I can roll with the punches, and I wouldn't care. But with a migraine from hell, every single noise and light was amplified. All the crying, screaming, and the radio transmissions (and there were a lot last night considering my sleepy little town) seemed to make everything worse. So much so that I started crying (no help for the headache at all!) and asked Bob to take me home and let me have my stroke in peace, LOL. Drama queen much?<br /><br />I got a nice young fresh-faced doctor who immediately gave me morphine (which I absolutely HATE!) along with an anti-nausea medication. It didn't touch the pain, but did give me loads of nausea along with a pretty decent buzz. I floated along above my body noting that the poor girl there had a really awful headache. That buzz lasted about an hour, at which point she gave me dilaudid - even stronger than morphine. And a sublibgual anti-nausea med. Both of which served to make me even more woozy, and more nauseous. But didn't touch my headache.<br /><br />I finally realized that Bob keeps earplugs in the car, so asked him to go get them. While he was gone, some guy started freaking out. I didn't open my eyes, but heard a lot of "f" words and mother"f" words. Needless to say, they didn't allow Bob back into the patient area for a good long time. But I finally got my earplugs which helped a little.<br /><br />FINALLY, around midnight, enough folks either got sent home or admitted that I got moved into a real room, where they could close the door and turn off the lights. But the damn nurse kept lowering the head of the bed to make me more comfortable, when all it did was make me puke. Duh - get a clue. I kept asking her to leave it up, too. Oy!<br /><br />Anyway, finally the doctor says she's run out of narcotics to try - to which I say good! I didn't want them in the first place - I had <span style="font-style:italic;">told</span> her I don't react well to them. So she decides to give me some heavy duty steroids. Now, as an asthmatic and a former respiratory therapist, me likey the steroids. Great, I say. In goes the IV, and along with the steroids goes some Reglan, another heavy-duty anti-nausea med. Finally, a little relief. I once again say to the doctor that it's so unusual for me to have a migraine of this length and maybe something else is going on? So she shuffles her feet and says... in a big Aha! moment... I'm going to order a CT scan! Great, now we're getting somewhere. And the headache is finally starting to get a little better with the steroids on board.<br /><br />30 minutes after the CT, mystery solved. I had a migraine on top of a massive sinus infection, and they were feeding off one another. So I couldn't get rid of the migraine because I have a sinus infection feeding it. But I don't have any of my usual sinus infection symptoms, which was really weird. So anyway, after getting home at 3AM, (and how happy am I that we can leave the kids home), I am now on antibiotics. <br /><br />And she still forced a narcotic prescription on me in case I had some more severe pain over the next couple days. LOL. I didn't fill that one. Sure, narcotics have their place - after major surgery, or for people with a low pain tolerance, or for those with debilitating illness. But I don't care for the way they make me feel. No thank you.<br /><br />Anyway, end of story, and g-d willing, end of headache. Hopefully between the drugs and the glasses, I'll be as good as new in a week or so. Thank you again for your thoughts and emails over the last week. You are awesome!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-67819315260511637912009-07-31T11:36:00.000-05:002009-07-31T11:37:38.732-05:00Happy birthday to the Man to Die For!Just want to wish the Man to Die For a fantastic birthday. Sure, he's saddled with an old, bifocal wearing, wrinkly woman for a wife, but he's still waaaay older than me. By a good 9 1/2 weeks (hey, no WONDER we love that movie so much!).<br /><br />So, happy birthday, my sweet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-50903674363213492382009-07-30T21:11:00.007-05:002009-07-30T21:37:36.345-05:00When did she get to be so old???<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j7pbyxD8BPfFU7SzRYmO4NiFt-b8-lQNUK4v__RlokvPZ_gAhBUDYVrmWyYMJqkZNIzRbLO6lfpmoZtHpwVVqajBYQkqFUhJbEpFh3GWuabuZ9ig7HS5gI9C4Nh1QKhlB6Zj/s1600-h/eyetest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j7pbyxD8BPfFU7SzRYmO4NiFt-b8-lQNUK4v__RlokvPZ_gAhBUDYVrmWyYMJqkZNIzRbLO6lfpmoZtHpwVVqajBYQkqFUhJbEpFh3GWuabuZ9ig7HS5gI9C4Nh1QKhlB6Zj/s320/eyetest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364444533708345458" border="0" /></a><br />Ho-lee crap! I've been suffering from a migraine since Saturday, so have been absent from bloglandia for the most part. I decided it was high time I checked in with my ophthalmologist. It's been a couple years since I had my eyes examined, and I noticed that my eyes have deteriorated in the last year or so. Both distance and *gasp* closeup.<br /><br />History lesson: In 2000, I had Lasik surgery. Twice. Because my vision and astigmatism were both so bad, I needed two surgeries to correct it. I'd worn glasses since I was 7, contacts since 11. My vision was so bad that Bob and his roommate in the dorms used to take my glasses and I'd yell "Where are my glasses, damn it?!" And they'd be right there on his face. Assholes.<br /><br />Anyway, bottom line is, when I got Lasik surgery, and woke up the next morning and could see the clock, it was like a miracle. The Heavens opened up and I saw the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Heavenly harp-like music played. Seriously. Un. Be. Lievable.<br /><br />So it's been almost 10 years. They told me my eyes might deteriorate, but they'd deteriorate from 20/20. Fair enough. I got 10 years out of my surgery. Given how expensive my glasses and contacts were, plus the boost to my self-esteem, the 2 surgeries more than paid for themselves. They also told me that when I turned 40, I'd need to go out and buy reading glasses. I've cheated them out of 3 years. Woohoo! What I didn't expect was that after 10 years, both the deterioration in my distance vision <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span> my close-up vision would hit at once, and I'd be looking at... bifocals. *cue horror movie music*<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AGnmsGV2FkA7XTgDsVbXVVhPM_bjg5Is4bawuj_DNtN1X63mzxFUxs8BN6a_b5r07wm6Xe4XgFTKoxwQ3BQI4cALHcOPrNWbMMK9q6y7afdcIk-3YGa-ullTXFMpwbI7jL0a/s1600-h/glasses_monkey.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AGnmsGV2FkA7XTgDsVbXVVhPM_bjg5Is4bawuj_DNtN1X63mzxFUxs8BN6a_b5r07wm6Xe4XgFTKoxwQ3BQI4cALHcOPrNWbMMK9q6y7afdcIk-3YGa-ullTXFMpwbI7jL0a/s200/glasses_monkey.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364447732290153554" /></a>Ho-lee CRAP! That is serious old age territory. My grandparents wore bifocals. Hell, my <span style="font-style: italic;">mother</span> wears bifocals. Damn it - <span style="font-weight: bold;">I'm too young for this!!!</span><br /><br />Thank heavens that they now have progressive lenses. I don't have to have that horrid line in my glasses that screams out to everyone... OLD LADY GLASSES!!<br /><br />All I can say is, this damn well better help with the headaches.<br /><br /><br /><br />So... what's new with you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-45053135937201529212009-07-21T18:39:00.003-05:002009-07-21T18:44:29.993-05:00Looking for recs...As you can see from the sidebar, my TBR pile is currently non-existent.<br /><br />I need recommendations of books you loved. I'm looking mostly for contemporary, as that's the genre I'm currently writing so I'd like to stay in that frame of mind. But if there's something you're just dying to talk about outside of contemporary, I'm open. :-)<br /><br />So gush away!KateShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15267349470873738752noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-55614225102462329902009-07-17T23:49:00.014-05:002009-07-18T00:22:00.794-05:00The Death of a TRUE LegendWhen Michael Jackson passed away early this month, many hailed it as the death of a legend. I <a href="http://livinginthehouseoftestosterone.blogspot.com/2009/06/death-of-legend-perhaps.html" target="_blank">wrote a post questioning this status</a>. And many people, I know, were angry at those of us who had the audacity to question the label of "legend" for a 50 year old who spent the last 15 years of his life battling drug addiction, and an image (true or not) as a pedophile and a "freak." While nobody doubts his contributions to the music scene, both in the early days of Motown with The Jackson 5, and in the early 80s, with Thriller, I believe the attention given to his death (and memorial service) was, frankly, obscene. We don't give this kind of attention to presidents when they die. Reagan certainly didn't receive this kind of attention, day in and day out. And he was a real legend.<br /><br /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc9zlkto3kcXsXiLW73k6TZKvSGWy5hC77j0t7wHnwu7dGj6hgqyNG-yCANPTBvPmJ6R-WJoCQaH-Bg2dUO_IcKFKBuAQTU7fB6QiA0ZnK_JN6pt762DQOBAUSRD7hyphenhyphenXJWkYpI/s200/cronkite_walter.jpg" border="0" alt="Walter Cronkite - A True Legend" title="Walter Cronkite - a TRUE Legend" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359663917468792066" />Nor will the man who passed away today, Walter Cronkite, receive that kind of attention (nor might I add, would he likely want it). Dubbed the "Most Trusted Man in America," he was the man that the country turned to when Kennedy was assassinated, when we landed on the moon, when we went to war in Vietnam, when the Nuremburg Trials started, when the hostages were taken in Iran. When we needed news, reassurance, or just a familiar face to deliver the news, he was there. What man today could end a president's career simply by giving his opinion of a war? When Cronkite said that we were mired in a stalemate in Vietnam, Johnson knew that he couldn't win the war, and announced that he wouldn't run for re-election. Because if he'd lost Cronkite, he'd lost middle America.<br /><br /><div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/31447291#31447291" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">News about the Economy</a></p></div><br /><br />I grew up in the late 60s, and all through the 70s watching the CBS nightly news with Walter Cronkite with my parents every night. As did almost every other household in America who owned a TV and watched a TV. He was a TRUE legend, and will be missed. And that's the way it is.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-66339973719176611212009-07-15T17:05:00.004-05:002009-07-15T17:20:26.035-05:00The Not-at-RWA postDo you feel the absence of all those who are currently in Washington, DC at the RWA National Conference? I certainly do! I got my Google Reader down to zero today. ZERO. It's unheard of. There are the die-hards who are still posting and tweeting from the conference (thanks for all the updates!!), there's a noticeable lack of posts. And although I'm still undecided in my decision to join RWA (feedback, positive or negative, still appreciated), I would still have loved to attend some workshops, chill with some authors, and possibly chat up some agents and editors. I hope everyone there is having a great time! :-)<br /><br />I did hear that <a href="http://www.romancedivas.com/">Romance Divas</a> is having a giant bash for those who weren't able to go, so head on over there if you're lonely at home like me!KateShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15267349470873738752noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-49914599007465417362009-07-15T02:01:00.002-05:002009-07-15T02:03:20.654-05:00UghNo need to post sympathy or anything, but just thought I'd say...<br /><br />shittiest day ever.<br /><br />And then it was so shitty, I forgot to call and wish my sister a happy birthday, which means I'm in the doghouse tomorrow, too. Ugh. Making tomorrow...<br /><br />the second shittiest day ever.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-1783902297332570692009-07-14T00:18:00.005-05:002009-07-14T00:35:49.493-05:00Left at home... probably wiseNothin' too exciting here. Feeling blue that I didn't get to go to RWA this year. Hoping that Wendy, Rosie, Kristie, Jill, and Barbara (the last two I haven't met yet, Boohoo!) are having a great time.<br /><br />In the meantime, I have transferred all my ebooks to my new laptop. Yay! And just to make sure that my new Microsoft Reader worked, I bought The Surgeon's Lady at eHarlequin.com. And then to make sure I could download the books and hook up my ebookwise properly, I went and bought Love is in the Heir at ebookwise.com for $1.79! These things are very important, you know, LMAO!! All in the name of testing, you see.<br /><br />Then I transferred over half my pictures, but my memory card got full. Then Jeff decided it was time to do some of his gazillion summer assignments, so the rest of the pictures and my music will have to wait until tomorrow. Have I told you all about Jeff's summer assignments? Yikes. I'll have to post about that, but it'll probably be over at <a href="http://livinginthehouseoftestosterone.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">LITHOT</a>.<br /><br />My really old brain is having a meltdown. I got a surprise in the mail today. A copy of Relentless from the fabulous Lauren Dane!! Yay me! Problem is, I can't remember if I won a contest, or if Lauren was just being her wonderful self and sent it to me. I <span style="font-style: italic;">think </span>I won a contest somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't remember where! Anyone? If I won your contest, let me know. LOL!<br /><br />Oh, and last but not least, this last weekend, I met <a href="http://ahhhhhromance.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Tracy</a> and <a href="http://romancebookcrazy.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Nikki</a> for lunch and book shopping. We started at Borders, where we all bought books and Nikki bought the cutest bags for her and her daughter. Then we had a great lunch at CPK, then traipsed on over to a little UBS in the neighborhood, where I spent $15 and got about 6 books. I don't recall what I got, but hopefully, you'll see some reviews up for some of them. But honest, they were good! Heh.<br /><br />Then, of course, I went and spent a small fortune on my new laptop! Yay me! Which I'm sitting on the couch and typing this post on. Woot!<br /><br />That's all I've got going on. What's new with you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-30517367775000741552009-07-12T19:53:00.003-05:002009-07-12T19:55:32.280-05:00Woohoo!! Finally got a new baby :)After tons of research, I got a new baby last night!<br /><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9t8T5EG5Wd0j-XPSuoy4xLkFu83gofwo_v_FmUvJ8OPLcwptKwNyc0mVcDPE_H5ZibXY9VP5KsFnLPcJjZVS1KnP-_Tp3n8Sripqt1ZsejDaHxgf21jrjKoF9ZzfIHwgpKiVn/s400/my_purty_laptop.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357741700733353714" /><br /><br />And, y'all, look how clean my desktop is. LOL.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-1750151855862781352009-07-10T21:47:00.003-05:002009-07-10T21:53:50.662-05:00Goin' to the chapel...We're going to a wedding next weekend, and here's what we were told to wear. Uh, yeah, right.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style:italic;">While this is not a theme wedding, and costumes are not required, we would LOVE to see our fellow artists and creative family members embrace the steampunk style to help set the tone for this event. Let your children (and your inner children) go crazy! Steampunk is the combination of the best of Victorian England with technological advances that didn't actually take place until 100 years later. While it began as a literary movement, it has now expanded to included art, design and style. For more info visit these links:<br /><br /><a href=" http://www.edwardianball.com/previously.html" target="_blank"><br />http://www.edwardianball.com/previously.html</a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/steampunk" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/steampunk</a><br /><br /><a href="http://kineticsteamworks.org" target="_blank">http://kineticsteamworks.org</a><br /><br />You can also google image "steampunk costume" for clothing ideas. Think brass goggle wearing hackers, apocalyptic scavenger style of "Mad Max", vaudeville and burlesque in the structured gentility in the Victorian age...</span></blockquote><br /><br />First off, as soon as I saw "costumes" I was thinking "WTF?" JUST what I want to wear to a wedding. Even Jeff rolled his eyes and sounded grateful he had football practice and had to stay home for the weekend. At least Bob & I will get a nice weekend away together out of it. <a href="http://www.westcliffinn.com" target="_blank">Here's where we're staying</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-31844478376603972902009-07-08T21:20:00.007-05:002009-07-08T21:27:40.397-05:00Save the School of GallantryFound this on <a href="http://heathersreadingromance.blogspot.com/">Heather's site</a>, RT'd by many on Twitter. Good luck, Delilah. I really hope this works!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/index_002.htm"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk022OG0P91XpjIi-40x0L7xiqLWfxbuCisblVnQ8C5XYe4w7HRiX9stL4nnC4lt0Tfs9hGfo5p9dnjx6VvANXyHR-6md7UJJAOgq9GHxuVSuGFfbDb_mkoM9rJbigjr9DpRL/s320/school.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356280358567322194" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><em>My Dearest Readers,<br /></em><br /><em>When I was in high school, I had a dream. I was going to be the next Stephen King. Heh. Yeah. Stay with me. Please. I knew my ideas were fabulous and I knew all it would take is for an editor to look at it and they would offer me up the moon and the stars and best of all, a contract. I had my girlfriends read everything I wrote. And they kept telling me, “This is fabulous! It's SO funny! Hilarious!” Seeing it really wasn't supposed to BE funny, I immediately changed course realizing I actually had a better handle on being funny than scary. I also figured adding a romance into it would even make it better since that is what I loved to read.<br /><br />I then entered college as an English major. I was going to be teacher and write during the summers. Even then I was a smart girl who knew I wasn't going to make jack and that I needed a job to support the “creative” one. Throughout all of college I wrote historical romances. One right after another. And kept submitting. And submitting. And submitting. And kept getting rejected and rejected and rejected. In the meantime, I got married. I had two kids. I joined RWA. I got critique partners. I did honed and honed and honed the crap out of my writing. And kept writing and getting rejected. I eventually racked up over 200 rejections and had written over 40 books in those 11 years of trying to get published.<br /><br />When I finally sold my first historical romance, MISTRESS OF PLEASURE, and my second book, LORD OF PLEASURE, I was beside myself. It didn't feel real. To FINALLY arrive at a destination I had been traveling toward for 11 long years seemed like a mirage. Which fortunately, I quickly snapped out of. Because after all, most of my friends are all published and unpublished writers and the stories they all have told me throughout the years made me realize I had to fight with fists up for myself every step of the way. I knew publishers did little to no promotion for their authors, so I spearheaded my own promo, ready to be more than just an author. And even though I was budgeting very well and spending countless hours networking and promoting on websites and blogs, doing tons for free, I still ended up spending $7,000 on my first book. Which was way more than my advance. But hey, every business starts in the red. Right?<br /><br />Then the reviews started coming in about my series set in 1830 London England about a school that educates men on the topic of love and seduction. People loved it! Wow. It got nominated for awards. Wow. Readers are e-mailing me raving. Wow. Readers from France, Austria, Poland, South Africa and from all over the U.S and the world. Wow. It just kept getting better and better. I was beginning to feel as if every penny I spent was all worth it (even though my family and I weren't going on any vacations and were eating out of cans). Because all that mattered was that my publisher loved me and my readers loved my series.<br /><br />Come contract time, I'm ready for whatever they wanna throw at me. Or so I thought. Mistress of Pleasure, though completely sold out and unavailable anywhere (unless it's a used copy, some going for a ridiculous amount of $40.00), hadn't done as well as my publisher had hoped. So without waiting for the second book to come out to see if the series was even worth saving, I get a rejection from my own editor citing lack of sales.<br /><br />I have to say this rejection felt more personal than any of the other two hundred and some rejections I'd received. Because it was no longer “Your book isn't good enough” it became “Your sales aren't good enough.” Since when is an author supposed to be a market guru AND a fabulous writer? Eck.<br /><br />I love this series. The men in it make me laugh and it broke my heart to think that my readers will never get a chance to read about Lord Brayton, my glorious male virgin. The only alpha virgin I ever plan to write about. Then I realized something, why I am letting a publisher decide what is worth holding on to? Shouldn't that be a reader's job?<br /><br />Ah. Herein lies the purpose of my post. I am challenging everyone, be they readers or writers to help me do something that's never been done before. Save a series from a death sentence given by a publisher. Can it be done? Who knows. But I eat challenges for breakfast and I hope you do to. </em><strong><em>Please join me in saving my series. Come August 4th, tell everyone you know (yes, even you're 72 year old grandfather) to buy the book, Lord of Pleasure. In doing so, you'll have a chance to win one of three $50 Visa Gift Cards. How? Check out my website for details at </em><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em><a href="http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/">http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/</a><br /></em></span></strong><br /><em>That said, thank you for all the support and love everyone has already shown me. Feel free to post and repost this to everyone under the moon and the stars. To all you readers out there, thank you for supporting us writers. To all you writers out there, don't ever give up on your writing. The moment you do, you give up on yourself. Which is why I'm not giving up on my series.<br /><br />Cheers and much love,<br />Delilah Marvelle </em>KateShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15267349470873738752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-17643282187571733022009-07-02T13:46:00.003-05:002009-07-02T13:53:16.345-05:00I heart WendySeriously. As an historicals ho, I always want to know what I need to get next. Often, I just go to my Borders and buy whatever's on the table or on the shelves that looks interesting. Often, I'll scroll through the reviews I've starred or "bookwatch" posts in my GReader. But if I want the real lowdown on what historicals are coming out? I go <a href="http://superlibrarian.wetpaint.com/pageSearch/updated" target="_blank">here</a>. It's like chocolate for PMS. Water in the desert. Margaritas after a long day at work.<br /><br />Seriously. I heart <a href="http://super_librarian.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Wendy</a>.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>How do you find the books you want to get?<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-47600296216803602192009-07-01T20:10:00.009-05:002009-07-01T20:25:13.021-05:00Random Thoughts on books, blogging, etc...Don't put restrictions on the books you want on PBS that make me think the book has to be perfect. If you want a perfect book, go buy it. I know you just want to go resell my book elsewhere.<br /><br />If your book makes me feel crappy about myself, I'm not going to put it down and remember it fondly. No matter how well written it is.<br /><br />Lately, I've been far more critical of books than I ever have been in the past. Wonder why that is?<br /><br />Not everyone in blogland has a PhD. Don't be snooty to those who only have 2 degrees. (or 1, or none)<br /><br />A good romantic comedy goes a long way. As does a good Baileys. Put the two together, and it's even better. (Thanking Jill Shalvis right about now)<br /><br />Twitter is very, very bad. I got far less work done this week than I should have.<br /><br />Google Chrome's Incognito Window rocks. See random thought above.<br /><br />I really hate cliques. They're so high school. At work or at play.<br /><br />If all I can think to blog about is a bitch session, I really need a vacation. I'm glad it's a 3-day weekend coming up.<br /><br />What are you all doing for the 4th?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-90197770121359827572009-06-30T08:12:00.005-05:002009-06-30T08:28:12.215-05:00Book Watch!Particularly exciting for me because <strong>Virtually His</strong> was one of only a handful of my WOW <a href="http://donttalkjustread.blogspot.com/2008/01/2007-year-in-review.html">reads in 2007</a>. I was floored, if <a href="http://donttalkjustread.blogspot.com/2007/06/virtually-his-by-gennita-low.html">memory</a> serves.<br /><br />So obviously, I cannot wait for this one:<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EsnUvlpHzFta3v_ajKlkSg_NdSHKu_2H4InQRKl0KMtO0as_fQka25InI7oFBQ9vIaoqdduF3eABpu81HXeceGF-PyB5iGOy3pgVQ7YtleNxU8yo204bc3nbbJCUL6oXYyD6/s1600-h/virtually-hers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353110819753283266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 161px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 254px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4EsnUvlpHzFta3v_ajKlkSg_NdSHKu_2H4InQRKl0KMtO0as_fQka25InI7oFBQ9vIaoqdduF3eABpu81HXeceGF-PyB5iGOy3pgVQ7YtleNxU8yo204bc3nbbJCUL6oXYyD6/s320/virtually-hers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />VIRTUALLY HERS will be coming out as an ebook through Samhain on Oct. 6, 2009. It'll come out as a print book mid 2010.<br /><br />Note: I was unable to find mention of this title yet at <a href="http://www.samhainpublishing.com/">http://www.samhainpublishing.com/</a>. Consequently, I'm not sure if this book cover is THE cover.Jennifer B.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14499251230157627049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-87548704443860091372009-06-29T18:04:00.002-05:002009-06-29T18:06:49.143-05:00Need some audiobook recsI want to try an audiobook, but I'm not sure where/what to start with. Any recs? <br /><br />What's good to listen to vs reading?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-14066385484453545022009-06-29T16:09:00.006-05:002009-06-29T16:17:07.266-05:00Leah's birthday bash - prizes, giveaways, fun galore...<a href="http://leahbraemel.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Leah Braemel</a> is having a birthday bash all month. To celebrate, she's having authors and giveaways all month. Seriously. <a href="http://leahbraemel.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-birthday-bash-begins-tomorrow-heres.html" target="_blank">Here's the lowdown</a>.<br /><br /><center><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://cdn.widgetserver.com/syndication/subscriber/InsertWidget.js"></script><script>if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('e961eb9d-758c-42dd-8ea5-ba83916dd2e3');</script><noscript>Get the <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/leah-braemel">Leah Braemel</a> widget and many other <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/">great free widgets</a> at <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/">Widgetbox</a>!</noscript><br /></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12146466.post-14002858535409591152009-06-27T23:31:00.006-05:002009-06-27T23:51:14.455-05:00Bookwatch: Uncovered by Linda Winfree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.samhainpublishing.com/coming/uncovered" target="_blank"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYe-xVimM_9MJTt33Nrbz4X_4KEI5UAod3Ee5kRS5IEh5BWVkrGhT-O-tVq4rMl_tbjnv9lttpFzqAbajogMNsR2yohEmjC7etLyOQ-gx9Tv2KEJNkqx-9Ge80_ZuOVIuh55V/s200/uncovered.jpg" alt="Uncovered by Linda Winfree" title="Uncovered by Linda Winfree" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352232007158697250" border="0" /></a>One of the fabulous things about e-books is that they are so easy to buy on release day. One of the few authors I "race" to buy in e-book on release day is Linda Winfree. I love her Hearts of the South series. Even though there's always one thing that gives me pause in each one, and <a href="http://thebookbinge.com/" target="_blank">Holly</a> and I always compare notes about what bugged us, the books rock. Seriously.<br /><br />The next one, <a href="http://www.samhainpublishing.com/coming/uncovered" target="_blank">Uncovered</a>, is due out July 7. This is book 9 in the series (book 10 if you count the prequel, What Mattered Most - and you should definitely count it!)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Before she can build a future, she must dig up the bones of her past…</span><br /><br />A Hearts of the South story.<br /><br />After nearly twenty years, her career in possible ruins, homicide detective Madeline Holton returns to her hometown for a temporary stint working with the local sheriff’s department. The demons of her teen years lie in wait, rising once more in the form of a cold case she must solve. And when it comes to a handsome farmer who’s making good on her family’s former land, she can’t seem to keep her foot out of her mouth—or her hands off him.<br /><br />Agricultural businessman Ash Hardison won’t lie to himself—despite Madeline’s obvious issues, he’s more drawn to her than any woman he’s ever known. He’s already laid the ghosts of his past to rest, and he’s determined to help Madeline purge hers. Whether she likes it or not.<br /><br />Because he knows it’s the only way they have a chance to forge a future together.<br /><br /><a href="http://samhainpublishing.com/excerpt/uncovered" target="_blank">Excerpt</a>.<br /><br />Can I just say? That is the most manly looking man I've seen on a book cover in a long time. I love his face. Not a boy, but a man. The 42 year old woman in me cries out for him, and I don't feel like I'm lusting after jailbait. Yum.<br /><br />Madeline is Autry's sister and sister-in-law to sheriff Stanton Reed, the H/H from <a href="http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/anything-but-mine" target="_blank">Anything but Mine</a> (book 4). July 7 is almost here!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4