kate rothwell

but apparently other people don't. I was afraid of that.* You have to wonder how people who get huge numbers of stinky reviews for their first book ever manage to keep going. I’m fairly demoralized with two bad reviews and I can’t imagine how it would feel if this was my only book. We authors tell each other not to check Amazon or Goodreads, and that's good advice -- just because it’s too much work to get back to normal operating speed after being slapped in the face with a bad review. Yes, yes, such an overdramatic response, but any author can tell you--that's how it feels. Really. It's the feeling, the internal authorial response, that contains the greatest quantity of suckage. The fact of a bad review is out in the world hardly matters. Much. Anyone is allowed to leave bad reviews, for Pete’s sake. I resent my own inability to ignore it. I hate how it entirely unfloats my boat. I get swamped and there are no life vests onboard. (“May day! May day!”) Authors wi...

Yet another great review for The Gentleman and The Rogue ! And yet another letter I wrote this week pointing out that Bonnie Dee didn't write that book on her own. (ARe left off Summer Devon with Seducing Stephen ) Hey, Bonnie could have written those books alone -- but she didn't. And I didn't get annoyed the first couple of times Summer got left off a review or listing, but when I was reading that JERR review (which is great, but I'm not sure about their policy about reproducing it, so I won't) I finally got Shirty and Annoyed. I mean, jeez. Does Mandy Roth and/or Michelle Pillow deal with whichever one of them doesn't make it onto the lists? Is that why I don't see them writing together any more? I hope not. And yeah, I know. It really isn't truly a big deal. It didn't bother me the first couple of times.For some reason it's happened enough times that I'm officially annoyed. Repetition apparently makes a big difference. Like one of those s...

.....VERY specific. Thirteen special interest group romance blogs. For some reason a lot of group blogs with writers fail to flourish. Any theories why that is? (Mine: I suspect people think writers only use them for promo-type articles and that gets dull fast. I expect the ones like romancing the blog-- which have readers as well as writers and that don't shy away from controversial topics-- do better.) I don't read all of the blogs I listed. I comment on the ones I know, or sorta know. 1. Slip Into Something Victorian Blog: 12 Writers Unmask Victorian Romance and Adventure Definitely not just the promo. Some good stuff here. 2. Animal lovers: A group blog for romance authors who love animals and incorporate them as characters in their own right or use them as inspiration for male protagonists (or antagonists) in their book .... Seriously, that is the full name. 3. Seekerville. A group of contest junkies. Not exactly about romance reading, but definitely a niche and a ...

I'm trying to be like PBW, but when I read really GOOD free reads, all I can think is 1. damn, damn, damn, I should be paying for this. 2. if something this good is free, then what chance do I have with the stuff I'm writing and I want people to pay for. 3. what's wrong with this that it's free. 4. there's nothing wrong with this and it shouldn't be free. 5. at least charge me a dollar or two. Let me assuage the guilt that you put so much work into something I'm getting for FREE. ....and all of this takes away from my pleasure at finding a great read that I didn't pay for. Right now I'm reading Exiles Burn and I was only a few pages in when I started doing my list from 1-5. I saw the poser cover and had great hopes the book would suck and I could avoid the guilt and fretting, but no. So far, it's excellent. Damn.

I needed a rush of sap and what better way to get that than Christmas stories? Romance plus Christmas = sugar with sugar on top and a healthy sprinkle of sugar. I was in the mood and had just read something worthwhile and therefore depressing. But oh, Lordy, it turns out I should look at the copyright page and not just the publication date of 2007. It happened again. Even though other people warned us about this, I got suckered. They slap together some old stories and call it something new. Every last one had be published previously Damn you publishers! Damn you for not buying my manuscripts! and Damn you for not buying new stuff from the authors I want to read! I spit on your new covers--which, incidentally, are just as wretched as the old ones--designed to deceive us and I say faugh upon your cheap selves for recycling stories. ** The only way to regain my trust and forgiveness: Buy one or more of my historical manuscripts. I got quite a collection of those unpubbed puppies now. Yo,...

So I was on the train going to see my dying Mom, and I'd grabbed a book to read from the stack of TBR. I'd recently discovered Romancelandia but I still was ripping covers off. This cover was absolutely ick. (sorry, Diane) The book, though. Oh, I loved it. I read it, then read it again on the trip back. If you go to conferences, you'll hear a fair number of inspir ing speeches (because rioters are f eeling defensive about the genre. [Screw that]) from writers all about the nurturing quality of romance. They tell stories about letters from fans who talk about how romance helped them through horrid times. Diane Farr would have gotten one of those letters from me if I'd gotten off my lazy ass and written it. And then I found another of her books (Fair Game) and loved it, and then another that I loved. She's on my autobuy list, and every time I make lists of favorites or moaning about Authors who should write more, more, more, she's on them. So okay? Are we g...

I finished my 8 RITA books at long last. All 8 were put out by big name publishers. I'm not going to talk about the books because that wouldn't be kosher. But let me just say that to rinse out the flavor between some of those stale, predictable stories and their stale, flat characters, I picked up my computer to read me some Carrie Lofty, Sam Winston, Bonnie Dee and Bettie Sharpe. If I had more print books to go through, I'd probably line up AM Riley, Shiloh Walker....just in case. Okay maybe I should actually draw up a list of my faves some day but that's not the point. Back on track: Get it yet? To make myself read what promised to be a bland print book, I'd promise myself an ebook at the other side. The point at last: I am turning into an ebook snob. Never mind the fact that only a few of those print books were dreary and the others were just fine. The truth is only one was great as the ebooks I read over the same period and none took risks or stuck in my brain...

Varian's finished her post-apocalyptic smut story. After** Phew. ______ ** Mentioned in a footnote here.

Sometimes I have ebook writers for my Thursday Thirteen. Sometimes I feature NYC names. Today I have both in one package. Amie's a hot writer and has books with Black Lace and Liquid Silver. She has four books with Kensington Aphrodesia. Only one is out so far--along with novella in an anthology. I admit it, I h aven't read her books. But I've read enough snippets and I've read her blog and kno w enough about her writing to push her stuff onto my TBR pile. That counts eh? OH look, she's got some a free read, too. (Uh oh. Curse you PBW, the tbr pile is not happy.) This picture of Amie was taken during RT after major partying. Not her fault that she has that Laura Bush glazed eyeballs thing going on. Thirteen things about Amie Stuart by Amie S , also known as Celia : 1. I won't use a Microsoft wireless keyboard because I can't stand the way the keys feel. Matter of fact, I can't even type if I have fingernails because they're so strong. It doesn...

I really hate that. And I know you know what I mean because it's all over the interwebs: vizzz The cliquey types who only talk about how brilliant their friends are. They can't Admire Themselves, because that would look seriously conceited. No looking in the mirror and admiring how gorgeous their hair and eyes are, but if someone else, one of their good, mutual admiration society friends, happens to mention it, okay. And they also associate with just the prettiest, best people. Their BFF are the best writers. I've always tried to avoid books by people I know just because of that. And the whole quid pro quo thing. The reviews over at Amazon that mention lists of friends' titles ....no, I mean it. Don't get me started because, hey, it's wroth week here at Casa Kate. But can I help it if I happen to know a lot of people who write good books? A couple of days ago, I couldn't restrain my glee when I saw that Dee and Sharpe had books out. And listen, I didn...

I'll be back in a bit to post pictures and whatnot. Got Things to Do first. Done Thirteen Things You'd Never Guess About Sam (Dude. I might have guessed #1, except the part about Jimmy Conners.) by Sam Winston...who lives in an elegant house in France, which doesn't seem fair to the rest of us, but I don't see her feeling bad about it. 1) She can understand pig Latin, so watch what you're saying in front of her. One night, during a dinner, Jimmy Conners was talking in pig Latin to his friend, and they were talking about the girl sitting in front of them. But instead of letting them incriminate themselves like any smart cookie would have done, she stopped them right away with a glare and a 'Ithaguykithaganithagundithastandyithagoo." She also added "Jithagerk", which is why she's probably not married to a tennis pro now and looking like a sun-wrinkled prune. 2) She can fall asleep anywhere, anytime, and once fell asleep during a photo shoot -...

Bonnie Dee and Bettie Sharpe both have books out at Samhain this week. Here's how good those two are: When I pick up one of their books (or really, my laptop, since we're talking ebooks) I do NOT have the following response ( stolen from ferfe's blog ) “I’m in a lonely, angry, bitter place.” ~ Anthony Bourdain upon being presented with fries at a restaurant that he deemed better than the fries he serves at his Restaurant in NY . When I read their books, professional envy doesn't exist -- because I get too caught up in the story . Once I'm done reading, all bets are off, though.

warning: this green bit is all about how brilliant I am and not much about Linda. She's one of those people I knew would be published . I read her unpubbed work and thought any minute . So I was off by a year but...Ha! I knew it. She has a new book out. I haven't read it yet but I will. Oh, yes. I will read her books. And here's my review of another Winfree book . Linda Winfree talks about Linda Winfree 1. I was a child bride. I’m almost 38 and will celebrate 19 years of marriage the same month. You do the math. (Oh, heavens. That’s half my life I’ve been married. That’s kinda . . . frightening.) 2. I have two Monsters. One is looking me in the eye and can outrun me since he started cross country. He’s very smart and wants to be an architect (he did not inherit the math or artistic ability he has from me). The other . . . The other is very smart and will one day take over the world. Be afraid. Be very afraid. 3. I’ve been the wife of a cop, truck driver, logistics manager a...