kate rothwell

writing: why yes, I am writing books, thank you. I got my characters out of the soup conversation, into the actual soup and now they're cleaning up the mess. I'm not sure about my soupy orgies though. Hey, guess what. Bet you can't guess. Give up? I actually witnessed an orgy, long ago. I sat and read a magazine in the room with the orgy-participants. It had started as a small party and ended up something more. I didn't want to join in but I didn't want to be thought a rude prude and leave the small apartment. So I really did sit, drinking rum with a magazine on my nearly naked lap (I'd gotten to the point of nearly undressing) and tried to pretend that magazine (I have no idea what it was but I suspect it was some Art Monthly thing) was the most fascinating bit of literature, ever. I wonder how I managed to survive those years when I didn't want to have anyone think badly of me. What a lot of work and what nice people I met back then because if I'd met...

Summer is in this anthology (that dragon story over on the right) and the paper version is up at Amazon. or if you want to go to the publisher, here.

It's those pesky plot and character things--they keep sucking up all the words and getting in the way of sexxx. I keep forgetting that's Summer's hot, and I have to go back in and spread seeds of awareness and arousal and tension and blah blah blah. If characters can't actually toss off their clothes and get at it, then maybe I'll have to add flashbacks to hot and heavy scenes when characters are out and about in public. Interspersing loaded moments into a conversation about soup. Yo, it's important soup, okay? But honestly, poor Summer can't remember to maintain tension. My current story is about 60K in and I realize no one's had a single thought of sex or bodies for twenty pages. Twenty whole pages--ten of those without sensuality, even! Even the non-Summer stuff doesn't go that long without a wink or a nudge or a pant or something. I can only do so much with the layering (larding, one might call it). Someone better get turned on or this will nev...

Message from Debra Durham of Dark Eden Press ************ ****** I don't often share much personal stuff about myself or what is going on with me, so I never thought I would be coming to any of you with this but sometimes life comes at you and you have to deal with it, and this is one of those times for me. I could beat around the bush here but that's not me. You deserve the truth even if it is painful for me to talk about. I have found out recently, very recently, that my cancer has returned. For those of you who do not know, this is my 6th time around with this in a little over 10 years. It started as cervical cancer 10 years ago and each time has gotten worse and spread to other places. I will be starting chemotherapy and radiation treatments shortly and as I have been through these same treatments twice already, I can honestly say it isn't pretty. After discussing the issues and options with Susan and Billi, and then Gretchen and Brenda, it was decided for a few reason...

I just listened to the Alchemist's Daughter and it's grown on me. Too bad I'm in a whiney mood so I'll probably end up going on and on about what I didn't like. Yeah, well. It's in first person, and as Linda I always says that can be like being stuck in a car with someone talking on and on about herself. This was definitely a clueless narrator. Emily was supposed to be naive, though, and that helps the integrity of the book. We get other, more balanced people talking at her, like her nurse, so, duh, it's not like we're supposed to believe our unreliable narrator. But because Emily sees people through a lens that's sort of flat, the people end up being ....not very complicated. Yo, stick-ish figures are okay if there's an emotional pull, but I didn't get it. Oh, except for her dad. I grew very fond of him and felt that emotional awwwww that romance is supposed to give the reader. Her charming, horrible husband just turns horrible (at least he...

I've been getting worse with crowds and I decided the best thing to do is to avoid passive audience events. Time to get out and actually do things with other people. Running! Running with peeps! So I signed up to train for a 5K and today was our first meeting. Sixty people showed up, big surprise for the organizers who were thinking maybe twenty at most. Almost all women--apparently we women don't like to exercise alone. We were divided into three groups: all running, running and walking and all walking. I picked the middle bunch, running and walking, but it turned out I was exactly between the big group of runners and big group of runner/walkers. Not in a group after all. Ah well, it was exercise and I didn't trip on anyone else's heels.

I have a new agent and she's a new agent--as in her agency hasn't sold a book, yet, but she's been in the business for a while elsewhere so it's not like she's brand new. Okay, I sent back the contract and we're getting started with our business of being agent and writer. I was fine with that. But then one of my dream agents wrote back at last and said, oops, yeah, I'm interested in representing you. Sorry I took so long to respond. Dream agent. A woman I've admired for years. Friends have said dump the newbie! Go with the dream agent! Nope, not gonna. I signed a contract. But I'm going to say waily waily waily a bit and crivens . And if this newbie doesn't sell in a few months.....then.... then.... I'll hang around a few more months. This is publishing for god's sake. No one moves fast until everything moves all at once. ach, damn. And then I'll remind myself that not so long ago I was in despair of ever selling a manuscript or ge...