kate rothwell

Here it is, my second appearance in USAToday a review for Taken Unaware (the first time I showed up on USA Today was via Dear Author and it was for the " guess the race of that author through her voice ." update: OOoo! I just remembered the day that appeared in USAToday, my blog-hit numbers went up to about 1,000.) Thanks, Holly!

Pumpkins designed by boyz. An Orly owl. There are owl feathers at the top.

Halloween is just not coming along here. No costumes either, yet. The printout Sarah Palin mask won't do it. It's TOMORROW>>> oh jeebus jeebus, we're screwed. We do have a lot of candy, although considerably fewer kit-kat bars than earlier. I love kit-kat bars. and Aya? Can you get here by 5 tomorrow so you can trick-or-treat too? Any later and there will be no point. We shut down early in this neighborhood. They ride the candy train hard and fast 'round here. Today's big event (other than buying pumpkins. All by myself and from a grocery store. Our punkin patch days are over): car pooling. Picking up a kid from school, meh. I do it all the time, at leas twice a week. And dragging along a friend or two, no biggie. But usually one of the guys is part of a car pool and every now and then I get to load up the 96 van with 6 boyz and it's hilarious. I love listening in to those conversations. They don't seem to realize that the adult in the car is actu...

Mike's on facebook. Once he starts to read blogs, we'll know it's over--leading life on the interwebs? That shark will have jumped, retired from the jumping life, gone home to sit in the Barcalounger and died during a rerun of Happy Days . Five more days and then..... no more snarky election videos. I bet you'll miss some of them, you masochist. I wonder if anybody I know (or if anyone I've ever even met) is undecided about who they're voting for. Hard to imagine any voter actually planning to go to the polls is clueless about which candidate they want to see president. The only time I've ever done eenie meenie was for probate judge. They can't possibly care so why would they bother to go vote? To buy a bake sale brownie, maybe? I never even considered voting for that other candidate. And I can guarantee no one my family has either. Heckfire, my family is entirely mono-minded. I can only imagine what would happen if I sent out a letter endorsing McC...

okay a list! And because I make reference to a couple of books, I think it can be labeled SBD. favorite halloween story? Dragon's Halloween by Dav Pilsky favorite halloween scene? The one in the movie version of To Kill a Mockingbird. favorite candy? Almond Joy because Mike and my kids hate those so I get some. least favorite thing about Halloween? People trying to scare me with movies. I do NOT like horror movies. No, no, no. I have enough adrenaline going on, no need to get more flowing. And this time of year, there are lots of horror movies everywhere. Although I do like that Vincent Price movie about the wax museum. And who could dislike Bette Davis's cheesey wonderfulness in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane ? So the old campy ones I watched with Gretchen Glick are fine. The others with blood and guts and buxom teenagers getting axed, not so much. least favorite candy? Snickers. And yet I eat them. Maybe that's why I don't list licorice because I won't touch ...

me, in kitchen: Hey, look at that! There are a couple of smaller versions of Beatrice running around near the sink. [leaning closer] Naw, they're not as hairy as she was. But that's pretty amazing. I wonder where they came from. husband: Outside. me: Huh? How do you know that? How'd they get in? husband: You seemed so sad about that other spider I went out and caught these. Both spiders eventually hunkered down behind objects on the windowsill and looked gloomy for a while. Then they disappeared. They've scuttled off to somewhere less exposed, I expect. I hope they lead long and happy lives in the basement where I won't find their webs. Oh how I hate running into unexpected spider webs. But still, it's about as romantic a gesture as anyone's ever made--because, hey, my husband doesn't much like spiders.

I love that remark on the comments below about us being made of magical stardust. Love. It. And I'd comment but I can't even open the damn comments much less read or add to them. However I can play with the layout and so that's what I'll do instead. Adding things to the sidebar is easy. Eventually I'll go declog the toilet with the plunger *blupablupasploooshshit!damn!blupablupablupa....gurgle ) bleach everything in the bathroom and then go exercise. There. The highlights of my busy, busy day. What about your life? Oh, and we're mourning here. Beatrice the spider passed away. RIP, sweet arachnid. She died tucked back behind the crystal vase, a little husk with curled legs. I was so sad, I made Mike clean up the corpse and web . I really couldn't do it. We had a brief service during the Colbert Report: we muted the commercials and each of us talked about what Beatrice added to our lives. And we reassured each other that she's up in buggy heaven. May fli...

I swear to god, there's something about autumn that gives me the pip. I used to think it's because this is when most of my family/friend deaths have occurred but now I think it has to do with something chemical because that's how I think these days. Everyone's a big sack o'chemicals. That's enough to give anyone an outlook lower than a toad's knee. But in the autumn I'm peeled, totally raw. I thought when you get older, it's harder to get all jittery and sad because you have experience and know what's going on. Yeah, but it's experience in getting jittery and sad, dude. The most unlikely things send me into a decline. The sight of an nearly wrecked swing-set in someone's back yard. A nicely carved pumpkin sagging a bit. An empty popcorn bag in a pile of leaves. In fact I'd say just about anything that has the air of being abandoned and near its end. WTF? If those images showed up in some post-modern short story, I'd give the write...

Even if you hate Obama, this is one slick and funny production. The parts I like are: little headlines on the side (too bad they don't go to real articles) guy worrying about his goat cursing Marcianne Walsh EXCEPT, uh oh, it's one of those video things that apparently plays whether you want it to or not. So I might have to disable it in a day or two because those things drive any visitor batshitcrazy fast.

"This is a sexy adventure that will keep the reader enthralled until the last page is finished. Taken Unaware is the perfect weekend pleasure read to get away from it all. Summer Devon has a huge hit on her hands, and I can only hope that there will be more stories to follow. Kudos Ms. Devon!" -- ecataromance review

not sure the covers reflect the stories, and she does look like she's perhaps clutching herself in pain. HOWEVER I really like this cover. Neat colors, fonts--art, dammit. You can buy the book here.

and to spend all my paycheck in one spot, and to avoid cleaning, I want to buy books. Carpe Jugulum (managed to miss this one) Once Upon a Christmas (I lent out my copy and it's gone. Besides this cover is less mortifying) The Yiddish Policeman's Union (Cavalier and Klay was great. Oh, errrm and so was that Kavalier and Clay) ....and that potato society book. HEY, I found an abandoned gift card so I can spend another ten bucks. Any suggestions?

The college student is home again**. I like having the school close--about 40 miles away--so it's easy for him to appear on the weekends. Okay, so we have to go fetch him. And okay, so we found out he was coming home when his friend's mother called Thursday to see if we could fetch her son too. Oh. The boys are planning to come home? I heard Mike saying, so I got the newz fourth-hand. I expect he would have called to tell us he needed a ride about an hour before he wanted to be picked up. My point is...I like it. I'm glad this growing up thing can be done more gradually than I expected. I don't have to miss him as much if he doesn't go away long. In other All About Us news, the cars' repair will total more than $3,000 and thus we are reminded that there's a reason insurance premiums are high. I mean, jeebus, we're talking two bumpers thumped at about 5 mph. No broken lights even. I'd post photos but I don't have any and if I was going to go ta...

1. Probably bad that the major response I have to my husband's tiny little fender bender (involving our own 2 cars and costing well over $1000) is: It wasn't me. I didn't do it. NOT me--someone else! It isn't my fault! Yay! The inner middle-schooler's response is never far from the surface. Constant guilt about almost everything. My current theory: You lose the magic thinking after childhood. but you can't shake the residual guilt about having all that power over the world. Guilt: the id's lizard brain at work. :-P Also when you spend all day alone at work (like I do) you lose perspective fast. 2 . Speaking of writing, I need someone to kick my butt back into work gear. Also I'd like to shift into exercise mode more easily again. Are there pills for these things? Pills are easy. What happened to the coffee achievers? How come that's not working any more? 3. That Alfred E Newman-Smith dinner always struck me as disgusting insidery-beltway self-cong...

Fine. Don't answer my question about that book. No one's read it. Anyway. Thanks to Aya, we got pictures, too. (and as usual, she's the instigator of the apple event)

Anyone read this book? Is it any good? I loved Local Hero but we all know too twee is as bad as, if not worse than, too sappy. So? What about it? Does it go over the edge or should I buy it? I did buy the latest Julia Quinn because I had a coupon. Always the coupons provide excuses for downfalls. **(Told you it was shoddy. Hey, yo, I didn't even spell Really right.)

Barbie and friends explain, with help from Els and friends, using only a few technical terms such as "ooblyboobillion dollars." Speaking of politics, the gay couple down the street have a McCain/Palin sign in their front yard. I'm confused, but I bet not as confused as they are. I mean, guys, have you paid attention to Palin? I get the impression you out types are not part of her Vision of America.

Heck, yeah, we need more of this.

Funny ad from CA.

The chat was okay, even though it wasn't nearly as busy as the ones we used to hold. Turns out that mine was one of the very last noveltalk chats. I spent much of the time squeeing at Diane Farr and Megan Frampton instead of pushing my own book. I forget to have stuff ready to post at those things. Too late now. I don't think there will be many more live chats anywhere. Too intensive and long in a fast-paced internet. I was thinking, as I didn't do my job over there, how it's just about time for the fluff to emerge again. Bad times means light-hearted material will thrive. No more spies (unless they're bumbling) no more murders or thrillers, it's time for a modern PG Wodehouse to help us feel as if it isn't all doom and gloom and must Mean Something Deep to be real. I think it's time for editors to buy NEW Fluffy STUFF. No more recycling old Metzger and Farr books. Get Metzger back to writing shorter Regencies, please. Haul back Nonnie St. George, eve...

Another post at Samhain. The Powers that Be just scheduled me in two days in a row. No problem for me. I can always blather. Today it's changing book buying habits. I was going to talk about each of the authors I listed, and explain why I love 'em, but that would take hours and hours and hours and . . . I think I'll go to sleep instead.

I hope I didn't step on toeses because I'm early. But I couldn't figure out the time stamp and I'm running out the door. At least my entry is short. Here is that blog. UPDATE: Uh oh. I might have goofed up by more than 30 minutes early, like by posting 24.5 hours early. . If it disappears, at least you'll know why. Another UPDATE : Nope, it's okay. I'll just be over at Sammy tomorrow, too. What Samhain related post should that be? Hmmmm.

You might want to watch this if you're thinking of voting for McCain.

Don't know why I always come back to referring to that damned save the children ad whenever I want to push a book. Because even I know: Save the starving children =/= Buy Summer's book. A wide-eyed youngster staring up at you from the page in the New Yorker , wondering why she's had to endure so much suffering. I wonder when the last time they used that very effective blackmailing method in their ads? It has to be at least 20 years, right?** Begging and Pathos is not working for me. NO ONE IS COMMENTING over at that blog. And the hideous realization that this is only the Monday of a week of promo? Is making me whimper like a kid who has to pee and just realized he's got to wait 76 miles for the next exit. Unlike the starving children, that particular example does seem to fit. ) Come on. Buy a book = let poor Ralphie out of the car to pee in the bushes At twitter I promised no attempts at guilt. No such luck here. LOOK! There's the excerpt . Did I mention there...

Look, an excerpt from Taken Unaware , the book that's coming out tomorrow. J and J are holding a contest and you can win a Summer Devon book.

god, this is depressing.

Well, then I Give UP. I don't know what it is. Sara Reinke didn't get a new contract. Here's why I don't get it: She is one of the writers who busts her butt at promo. And it's good promo, too. As in positive, upbeat, inclusive, professional. She draws in other writers, has contests, really works hard. There might be somewhere on the web where she's been negative or nasty, but I haven't seen it. Maybe on occasion she might have been a little Hey, I'm an author! Have I told you about my books? But hell, that's what you're supposed to do, especially when you're newly published. I'm confused by this, because I'd become convinced lately that with all-out professional promo, you can't lose. You'll beat the odds and stay published. And what about the "It's all about the books " argument? Short answer: No. It isn't. I've seen some godawful writers get new contracts. And despite that it's all subjective l...

notes from last night, mostly twitter but why not? I think I'll go do some promo somewhere today. I'm SO going to win this Palin game! Some of my words and phrases: Alaska, hero, umm, mocked, gosh, earmarks, McCain, gotcha journalism, real American Other random selections: Surge, Media bias, gee, bad guys, governor, tax'n'spend, pelosi, wasilla, elites, wall st, main st Pakistan, phone it in, POW, pit bull 15-year-old: "she's like a feel-good movie, all happy ending, nothing but promises to make it better but it's not real. Not based on reality. She's not even a good movie, like the wedding singer." Huh? This is disturbing. My son likes the wedding singer..? ? IT is NOT NUCULAR YOU MORON. Why is she doing this? why? Just to make everyone here scream NUCLEAR at her? Is that why Palin's saying it wrong? Lauren points out it's on purpose--it makes Palin folksy and not elitist and we who correct her are East Coast Elitists. Hell. She's righ...

Bill at dkos has a great plan "i f you have a death wish, here's your drinking game for tonight: Every time Sarah Palin leaves the 'g' off a word ("Lyin'," "Cheatin'", "Moose huntin'"), take a swig of tequila. I promise to say nice things about you during your funeral." The link above also leads to his great take on Stephen King's version of Katie and Sarah's next encounter. Spooky plus a fine accent. My kids feel cheated because I won't let them play a drinking game tonight. The two that are home are supposed to watch the debate for school (did you have to watch debates when you were in sixth grade? I don't think we did) Anyway, they're pretty excited and want me to go out and buy snax like it's the super bowl. No alcohol for them and really no liquids either. I suppose I could have an eating game? Like each kid starts with the same number of cheez puffs and each gets a particular set of phrases...