kate rothwell

and hey! maybe, perhaps, this stupid problem with these stupid people might be solved. I think we might have a Gordian knot which means a simple solution! Time to destroy a character, change a time-line, and maybe insert some scenery. Suddenly they're no longer stupid people--they'll transform into beloved characters. And the stupidity in the story turns into something akin to cleverness (at least for this minute) This THIS THIS is why I write. Hours of boredom punctuated by moments of pure terror clarity. ** Scuse me. Got to get back to work. ___________________ **the first time I heard that "hours of boredom punctuated by seconds of terror" I was doing a ride-along with a cop for an article; I was writing a portrait of a cop's life for a magazine. I thought she was amazingly insightful. Heh.

No, more than that. I love my Kindle Fire. I cuddle it to my bosom and call it sweetums. My kid's response: "it's perfect for a 42-year-old lady." Can anything sound more insulting? He explained that he wasn't being dismissive, it just really is perfect for that particular demographic. Mom. (And could he just point out that I'm older than that? So really I've peeled away the years with this purchase. Yes, he could.) No Kindle for him. I keep reading these snarky reports about how unresponsive it is, how clumsy and thick and awful. I have yet to see a problem, so now I'm starting to feel a bit like a boho who wandered into a classy party and asked for a Bud Light. I don't have the savoir faire to understand the intricacies of a real electronic device. I have no tricks to make it sing like a well-tuned instrument. Although I do check the free apps every day. And then I remember what people in my unenlightened world do to regain our sense of s...

The winner only had one entry--unlike Casey or Joanna (they had about a dozen between them!) Congratulations hotcha12. You're the winner of the contest!!

Hey, couldn't you use thirty extra bucks for that last minute shopping? Don't you want some fun escapist fiction? The answer is of course! Yes! So enter my contest. I'm telling you, it's easy-peasy. I think I'll end it at ten p.m. tonight because that's about the time I start falling asleep. I love the random picker I found. No more nagging a kid to pick a number. Some people (CW, for instance) have entered over and over. You can too.  THE CONTEST!   I'm giving away a $30 gift certificate to Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner's choice) plus three Summer Devon titles also winner's choice. And if you live in the US, you can even choose paper of the books in print. I'll send your hard copies to you -- You'll have to wait until after Christmas though. Entering is easier than pie (which isn't that easy unless you do a graham cracker crust) To enter, you can: 1.  Leave a comment in this blog. Below this entry works fine. AND...

I'll call this issue the Eifersucht-glück effect because German is always best for these things.  It's that stab of envy you feel at someone else's gain. It's the exact opposite of schadenfreude. (joy at sorrow vs. sorrow at joy) Someone else achieves something great, and eventually you might get to a real-ish "hurray for you!" point... But before that, there's the inevitable sense of hey, wait, what about me? That's mine . Even when it obviously isn't yours--and it's equally obvious the lucky/smart person deserves the good outcome. Here's the thing: no matter how clear it is to you intellectually that the lucky/smart person deserves this, the Eifersucht-glück effect will kick in (unless you're in the throes or after-glow of a major achievement yourself, then you can skip this conversation altogether. Chances are you're not here anyway--you're busy achieving, not reading dumb blogs). Eventually the E-G effect must re...

Message 1. Have you entered the contest yet? Easy to do. Easy to get multiple entries, too. ENTER THE CONTEST, and yes, that's shouting. I'm adding a megaphone of bolding, too.  Win $30 and more Summer Devon books than you ever dreamed possible. Message 2. We just got a review for House of Mirrors from Queer Magazine Online. Reviews come so slowly these days, which is fine in an age of endless shelf life. Just funny that in a world where everything has sped up, reviews have slowed down. It's a good review --as in not just positive (which makes reviews wonderful) but also well-written. I mean how could you not like lines like these? This is a wonderful, unusual story with delightfully complex characters, many of whom I grew to admire and love. The carnival world is a perfect setting for this engaging story, challenging us to think about reality versus illusion; it's an eye-opening look into the hardship and camaraderie of life on the road for carnival entertai...

"If you're looking for a light read to breeze through that will leave you energized and smiling, Unnatural Calamities is the ticket!"  RT

1. figure out a way to tell everyone on the planet that Bonnie and I had two books in Rainbow Rewards 10 best  historicals .  The Nobleman and the Spy tied for third and House of Mirrors is honorably mentioned in seventh place. And Molly Winter listed one of our books in her top ten for the year. 2. get better numbers at Amazon and Samhain so that I can tag "best-seller" on my name. Actually, I have had best-selling books at Samhain before -- but this one hasn't made it yet. And I wouldn't really add that tag. 3. shake this godforsaken mind-set in which I check stats at Amazon and Samhain or look for reviews online. This sort of behavior leads to bitterness and frustration or elation and giddiness. None of these condition are ideal for #4 . . .   4. write a goddamn book. I'm telling you there is no happy coexistence between the promo mind and the writing mind. They exist in different realms. I hereby shed the promo-brain, all that glittery goo ...

And you will know too, if you go to Delilah Devlin's blog. ALSO another chance to win books! Plus! If you don't go to the blog, and no one comments, and I end up all alone, sitting here (and there) in the dark, whining again, I will track you all down and eat your cookies. I can't eat the ones sitting here because they're reserved for a school sale. Drat.

That is all. I feel a white-hot, passionate hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. And to all newsletter subscribers:  I'm sorry about the bad links and then the gibberish in the second attempt at correcting the link. Hate.

I'm going to lift this from my newsletter, but just to be mean provide a tiny incentive for you to sign up for my newsletter, I'm going to remove the recipe. (Subscription link is on the right.) So about Unnatural  Calamities.... HEY! It's on sale today and when Samhain puts out a new book, they reduce the price. So if you want a copy at a lower price, now's the time to buy. I'm very fond of this story and hope you enjoy it too .  Updated: I fixed this link. Every single dang link in that newsletter didn't work. The recipe is fine though. She has a deft hand with banana flambé…and a touch that sets his body on fire. Janey knows all too well she looks a wreck. What hard-working chef wouldn’t, operating on three hours of sleep? Stuck in a dull Connecticut town, taking care of her beloved niece, Rachel, Janey spends her days looking for a job and her nights working high-end catering gigs. Just her luck, she runs into Mr. Perfect two days past her...

Remember when I got all like that ? **  I grumbled about the freaking holidays. Gah. Here's the newsletter containing the article that I mentioned, all about our fabu Christmas tree. My piece is the third or fourth one down and the tone is fairly chipper. I should actually read what other writers have to say in the newsletter. First I have to finish destroying this heroine. I think she's going to have a really horrible fall off a roof. ______________________ ** Me neither, but not because I didn't read my blog (your excuse). It's because I take off when bad moods strike. Years of practice and I'm getting better at dumping the depressive. Run away! run away!