kate rothwell

I regret not more of you are entering my contest. Do so and make the new year brighter for all of us. I regret not filling in those details in the contest that'll help. I'll add those later. I, like many other people, regret those shoes with toes. I regret that they don't seem to be going away. I regret buying my poor child a cheap MP3 player when all he really wanted an Apple product. No wait a sec -- that's his regret, not mine. I regret writing that letter to her employer when a friend of mine got shafted. It didn't help. My friend was appalled that I'd done that== she pointed out that I'd made her look like she'd violated the STFU clause and the employer can make her life that much more difficult. I'd thought the employer was a good person and now I'm less convinced And I regret I can't tell you what the deal it is. I don't think I'll regret writing this because it's so vague you'll just get annoyed. Because there's...

See? The title Rat Catcher does not fit that cover. This is from Kimberly's site of premade covers , but look! She has a bunch of images she'll make into covers . So? What are you waiting for? Enter the contest to give me a title. Maybe you're waiting for details? Okay, okay. I'll work on my back cover text sheet later. First I have to write a book that'll actually earn me some money. filed under promo kinda

Here's your chance to play editor! Give that book a title. Test your skills as a editorial and/or marketing peon. your questions, answered: WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS, KATE? Because I've tested my skills and they suck.** WHY #2? I'm going to buy a new cover for The Ratcatcher. Mostly because I love Kimberly Killion's business . And I'm fond of this book. This means the final product is going cost me money. Which, in turn, means I'm going to stop giving it away for free. Of course there are a gazillion free copies of the thing floating around, and this is a useless exercise, but why not? Hey? Well? WHY #3? I'm more likely to sell more copies if I give the book a new title because the title Ratcatcher actually sucks, according to everyone who knows these things. There are no rats, there is no ratcatcher (which disappointed a number of people) and the title is as romantic as Pesticide. WHY #4? This seemed like fun at the time. So far, I'm the only one who th...

Dear Author reviews our latest book. Sarah seemed to get the character of Reese. I think he's a guy who isn't particularly emotional -- he usually successfully avoids introspection, in fact. He's had a tough time and is gay in a time when that's just not done, but he hunkers down and gets the job done and he's not neurotic. Maybe neurotic would have made him more interesting --- if he'd been holding down a vibrating pressure cooker of emotion, just about ready to blow. That's a standard for romance. (A standard because, when it's well done, it is entirely satisfying----> Lord of Scoundrels) But Reese doesn't respond with strong emotion. It's not who he is. He screws up when he gets emotionally upset, so he simply refuses to let it happen. I'd ask Bonnie if she agrees with this assessment, but I'd hate to look stupid about our co-creation.

Okay this is desperately important. All those el cheapo make-it-yourself videos, do they use voice actors? I could swear this book I'm currently listening to -- The Two Minute Rule by Crais -- THE VOICE of CHRISTOPHER GRAYBILL IS THE MALE IN MANY OF THOSE VIDEOS. (For reference, see the latest annoying Geico commercial) Is that possible? Here, listen for yourself. Here are samples of his voice.

I've read all of the Miles Vorkosigan books and all the other Bujolds as well. I've finished every Terry Pratchett**. Ditto Suz Brockmann, Patricia Briggs, SEP, and Jennifer Crusie. I've plowed through a bunch of mysteries, the LA series, as it turns out. And I just finished laughing at David Sedaris's latest book--the one full of animals. But hey, here I am, unable to concentrate on my non-fiction, and out of fluff. What should I read next? Books I've recently abandoned (usually for no good reason) The Cookbook Collector The Forgotten Garden The Looking Glass Wars The Way of Shadows What Comes After Crazy Should I keep trying on any of those? I dumped most fairly early on. I had a bunch of Nora Roberts (all library books -- in fact almost every title I've listed is from the library which makes a book/tape easier to abandon.) Anyway, I only finished one NR. The others are not a omigodthisishorrible sort of DNF. More of an eh, meh thing. Pandora's Daughter by...

I'm listening to The Passage. Wooowweee. It is LONG and I can't seem to turn it off. It has great moments and yet, occasionally sort of rip-off Koontz character-types....or maybe they're just horror/thriller post-apocalypse tropes. eg wise old black lady, religious type that is sort of savioresque. It's long rambling but holding together enough that I'm there, babee. I would write about the other books I've read (and I've read a bunch, lately) but this one is in my head, literally. There's some multitasking going on. I'm trying to get this Cronin book done while I write. Blame the inarticulate blog post on the voice in my head. Scott Brick has a nice voice, but I wish he'd be a little less dramatic now and then. And what's with the women's accounts that are thrown in there occasionally? Anyway, I have to get through this so I can have my life back. So Shhhh. Babcock is at it again. Yo! Look! You can buy a copy of our book at Sony. Not...

I'm hoping she'll write a book report too, but if not, this will do nicely as a consolation prize. Dear Author makes us a recommended read.

In my quest to over-ride my curmudgeonly** spirit, I look for Bright Side of Things. If Christmas is going to be foisted on us year after year, and take up more and more of our lives, I might as well try to appreciate it, right? Cast off the bleak mood created by endless chirping carols. Stop shaking my fist at Little Drummer Boy renditions at Ocean State Job Lot. Only because it'll make my life easier. I can't stay in a cave from Thanksgiving through New Year. So reason number 87 to say, "Woot! Christmas" ...... Every few weeks I visit the failing Italian bakery. It's cheerfully run-down --clean but plain -- and I like the people who work there and the coffee is cheap. But there's rarely anyone else in there. I fret for the survival of the bakery. Today I went and the line was out the door. Turns out everyone NEEDS THOSE MEH ITALIAN COOKIES this time of year. The people behind the counter had huge rubbermaid containers full of those pale tasteless cookies and...

What?! A civilized disagreement between an author and a reviewer? And one that actually results in some interesting conversation? That's just uninternetty stuff. * * * I say yes to more five star reviews. Life is too short kvetch about the details of the books that entertain me and that are as enjoyable as hell (if hell was all candy floss and carousels). If the book gave me a lift, it gets five stars over at goodreads where I keep track of that sort of thing, dammit. Call me Harriet Klausner, if you want. I don't care. I'm sure Patricia Briggs and Lois McMaster Bujold are heaving sighs of relief to read that my mighty rating index finger is going for the fives instead of fours. Actually, if people really did pay attention to my reviews, I'd have to stop writing either them or stories. Anyone who writes books shouldn't wield that kind power over other people's's books and careers because. . . because. . . . because Um. It's not fair. Yes, yes, we've...

A very nice review. " When Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon work together on a book, it becomes an automatic buy for me. I know anything that is co-authored by them together will sweep me up into the intricate lives of the characters and the fast paced storyline. So, when I noticed that the book, The Nobleman and the Spy was up to be reviewed, I anxiously requested it, and I’m glad I did. Not only did The Nobleman and the Spy immediately captivate my attention from the first page, it held it onto it until the very last word. * * * * In other news, Aya is visiting. This visit is all about the food. We made cheese from a kit she's got and she brought us a huge durian--that thing had to weigh 20 lbs. Oh. My. God. I think she'll post pictures. But here's my point: that quote by Anthony Bourdain, "when you eat a durian, your breath will smell like you've been french-kissing your dead grandmother." is not an exaggeration, much. I got about two bites in when I...

I'm reading three books at the same time. 1. 61 Hours Worth Dying For Jack Reacher novel (on my Kindle) 2. Trust me on this by Jennifer Crusie (an actual book) and 3. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (an audio book) All I need to do is add an erotic book or a science fiction and I'll have a REALLY Wide Variety of stories. Oh, look. Up next is a Patricia Briggs. The funny thing is that the Reacher book is the one I find hardest to put down and that's not because it's the best -- in fact, in terms of characters and writing, it's a third. The damn thing doesn't let up, that's why it's hard to put down. (get it? up? down). Thank goodness there's no romantic figure in this one. When Reacher flirts, it's painful -- like that Susan/Amanda flirtation in the last book. Stick to beating the shit out of tough guys, Reacher. Don't forget to land a couple of sidekick type people in the morgue. Thanks. I think I've read too many of them in a row. ...

The good news: it is not Santa Baby.