kate rothwell

Summer has an m/m out today at Samhain. Yay! And it's gotten two good reviews. Yay! 4.75/5 stars at Jessewave  "A deliciously light-hearted story about an unusual shapeshifter and his unlikely lover.... This was a refreshing change from the usual shifter fare, and not only for the fact that Jake turned into something a lot more original than a wolf, and there wasn’t a fated mate in sight. "Plus, no one growled “mine” during sex, another nice bonus point. "Instead, I got a wonderful pairing of tall, dark and silent with bright, vivid and chatty.  Flintstone and spark. Rock and wind. Jake and Vaughn complement each other beautifully, even though it takes both of them a while to see that, and I had a great time being a fly on their wall. Warmly recommended."  -- Feliz at goodreads :   "I really enjoyed the two MCs. And since I'm a sucker for animals, I loved the setting of the Ark (an animal shelter). The UST/sparks were flying betwe...

I asked people (mostly fellow writers) what sort of contest should I hold for this book going into print. The conversation never got past the Is It The Worst Cover Ever? And then I learned that some people -- sane, happy, clever, intelligent people** -- really love the cover****  Hmm. I'm basically informing readers who like my book('s cover) that they're goofballs. Okay, we can all agree that's not a good idea. And just because I think butt-genie when I see it, doesn't mean there isn't room in the world for butt-genies. It's certainly a nice enough butt, though it does make me wonder about a man who would wear a hard-hat and nothing. . . .   All right already. Jeez. Can we please get past the cover? I really like this story, got it? It didn't go over well with Sarah at SBTB (my take-away quote from her review is something like "the story isn't as bad as the cover.") But I really, really like the story. I had fun writing it and I go...

Eye-catching! So what do you think is the mood of this book? Slightly comical? A guy who's been battered by conditions beyond his control? Yes, that's right. ( Not a guy with itchy balls, dammit.)

(and not just because she has my free book listed) Find your Free eBooks Here. Don't worry--these are NOT the pirated variety!

here's the AOL list of ten books to read before you die: 10) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 9) Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger 8) Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 7) Angels & Demons by Dan Brown 6) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 5) The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown 4) The Stand by Stephen King 3) Harry Potter (the series) by JK Rowling 2) Lord of the Rings (the series) by JRR Tolkien 1) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Dan Brown? ...and twice???? Why, why, WHY these books? I don't like their list, but I can't seem to compose my own. For one thing, the"before you die" gets me, like a kid that recites the "if I should die before I wake" prayer and gets stuck on that bit instead of the message of "god bless me." But really, if I'm dying , I think I'd reach for a certain type of book. When other people in my life commence dying, I go for escapism and romance. I can't imagine that when I get my sentenc...

God knows I try not to. As a writer, I usually manage to almost ignore the reviews of my own books. It takes effort, but I've learned to just skim and see if there's anything I can use as a quote. But as a reader? It's just one person's opinion, I tell myself. Don't base choices on someone's disappointment in a wimpy heroine. I sometimes LIKE wimpy heroines. Despite the self-talk, it seems like I'm avoiding books that get bad reviews and am buying books that get good ones. I realized this just now as I was about to check out of an online store. Edith Layton has been an autobuy for me forever. But was her latest in my virtual shopping cart? No. It got a couple of meh reviews. However I was buying Stephanie Rowe (mrs giggles likes her latest book. And what do we say about mrsgiggles? hmmm. . . . mrsgiggles.com hates Balogh because of wimpy heroines----see above. I love Balogh.) Karen loves Pamela Clare's latest (I tried a Clare and wasn't crazy about ...

Thanks for the book recommendations! I know they're great reads because I've read just about everything you suggested except the Tiffany Aching books. Yay! Something new to pick up. Uh oh, this time of year, it can't be for me. I do hope the boys don't mind yet another a Greyhound bus** Christmas present. I resented the hell out of To Say Nothing of the Dog because I'd just finished writing a manuscript about a time travel bureaucracy when I read it. And Willis's book is so good, and funny and Wodehousian--so much better--I had to hate it. (It did make me go back and try to read JKJ's Three Men in a Boat again. Nope. Still can't stay awake for that book) Speaking of good reading, go look at the entries. THE CONTEST IS STILL OPEN. And pity the poor fool who has to pick the best three. Make it more difficult by adding more great entries, eh? Contest ends in a few days! Work on it! Do it! Write it! Four more, three more, two more.... Then you guys have t...

My new release is today! yay! It's short! It's got one of my favorite sort of heroes, a sarcastic loner. Talk about fantasy--forget the fact he's a dragon--his type is like those hyper-alpha dudes, not really the sort of mate one wants in the real world. To celebrate the release, I'm going to do a chat at noveltalk.com tomorrow night. It's a relatively easy place to check in and use. Head down to the bottom of that front page if you want to sign in. You do, I hope. No, I'm not to proud to beg--please, for the love of God, come over there so I don't end up all alone asking myself questions about how I get my ideas and telling myself I'm my own favorite writer and can I please have a free copy of a book. I want someone else to get the free copy. More promo-->>I posted an excerpt over at the Samhain blog. There's also another excerpt up at the "buy this book" link at the top. Uh oh. The Sammy blog seems to have a glitch with the link....

LOOK! It's up so I can point to it . Heck, I think I'll lift the cover and put it here. Pretty cool, eh? It'll be out in September in an ebook. I haven't gotten my edits on it yet and now I'm nervous. The Infamously Evil Angie's the editor on this one. Maybe all the partying at RWA will make her mellow. Of course now there's a lot of hyperventilating going on about the latest shifts in RWA's publisher recognition, so who knows what Dallas is like. Wait, I do. It's hot and humid.

Angie has a post up about authors who are considering taking one of their already-published books, changing a few things and then trying to get the book published again by Samhain. Granted, the poor authors have lost their publisher and the books are gone. But these are still books that have been out and about--stories people might recognise. I don't get it. Really, truly I don't understand what they're thinking. Someone's bound to notice and what have the writers gained? Certainly not the future business of their past readers (and probably not new readers, once the news gets out). The whole horrible incident when someone plagiarised Nora--the story I heard was that the plagiarism rose out of a sense of desperation. The plagiarist was on a tight deadline and panicked.** But it doesn't sound like these people were particularly panicky, just eager to find a place for their stories. Silly goobers. For your own sake, tell the truth. Maybe you'll get a "reprint...

in this case The Reader is me. I hate reviewing books by people I know ("know"= online acquaintances). I rarely agree to do it. If you even notice my You Gotta Read this Book rants, I'm almost always on a book by someone with whom I've never exchanged a single email. For instance I love Amelia Elias and her voice and work, but I can't bring myself to pitch her stuff. OH and then there's Sam Winston/Jennifer Macaire. She's someone else whose work I really enjoy--both genres. Do I plug her stuff? No. But hey, as I point out in the comments, she's got Mrs Giggles to do that .. And then there's Sunny and Kris and Shannon and Ann and Ariana and even Linda (I push her because she refuses to push herself). Yeah, I don't get it either. Let's call it a personality glitch and move on. I hate reviewing a book when I know the author has lined up my book for review. I mean what's the point? No one's going to believe me when she's got tha...

Mike's back. He went to a conference most of last week. What did he bring back as Welcome Home Dad whadja bring me gifts? Three-foot-long wooden ninja swords (of course one is already broken). Every now and then he drops the responsible dad thing and acts like a good male idiot. phew. Segue into Let Them be Idiots. The books I had as a kid...been thinking about that ever since I hauled out Nobody's Boy and reread it. Pfah. He's kind of a dull dude because he (unlike a lot of other characters) is A Good Boy. The other book I loved back then was all about a bad little girl who (because she's so bad) is shrunk to a teeny thing and has to fly around on the back of a goose. I think it was actually a few books but damned if I can find the titles. Maybe it was Norwegian? Someone tell me the name of the book, okay? Please? Thanks. Anyway. She couldn't just shrink, like William Joyce's George. No, the shrinking was punishment so she could Learn and Turn Good. All the da...

I was going to do something like a suspense romance drinking game but then realized that lately most of my reading has been contest entries. LOTS of them. A list about my list: a. I probably do some of these things, too. So do a lot of published writers. Some of these will take me out of a story, others I barely notice. b. None of these is based on your manuscript. It's based on yours and about 7 others. I've seen all of these.. . . errors? habits? in multiple manuscripts. Otherwise, I'd be guilty of an indiscretion which would get me kicked off every contest loop, ever. hmmm c . Enter my other sort of contest -- the one where you might get money, not give it. The Romance Manuscript Contest Judge's Drinking Game 1. We get a description of the heroine as she looks in the mirror. 3 gulps 2. Someone sneers, smirks, laughs or scowls words, as in "Look at me," he smirked. 1 largish sip 3. The heroine, to display her independent or feisty nature, tosses her hair. ...

It's official because I've got the updates put in and thus made it easier for you to use! THERE ARE TWO CONTESTS! Both end JUNE 19, the day Revealing Skills comes out in print. For CONTEST ONE , you don't need a website or blog. You can just email me or post a comment. (although if you do have a blog or website and you did post the review, I'd be grateful. Unless, of course, you compare the book unfavorably to horse manure) For CONTEST TWO, you need a website or blog. (This is a change because, as someone pointed out, anything else is too spammy) CONTEST ONE : Review a book and be put in a drawing to win a thirty dollar gift certificate from Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Samhain, your choice. Here's how it works: I'll send you any one of my books. See the list below. You then write a review and put it in your blog or somewhere online. If you don't have a website, you can post the review in my blog under comments or email it to me. (my email address is on th...

1. When I was a teenager, I worked for part of a summer as a tourguide in my home town, Washington, DC. I had a spiel and I was a good girl for a while. But then. . . okay, so I told a group or two that the Washington Monument was leaning a bit. Built on a swamp, don't you know. I didn't bother with the high water mark lie. Pfah. Everyone did that one. I stole the leaning one, but I had a couple of others I'd invented. That's the one I remember because everyone saw the way the monument leaned after I told them that. Only to a few people, okay? And yeah, I do feel kind of guilty. 2. We at Romance Unleashed are doing a cross-talk act with Romance Worth Killing For . It's all about rotten how-to-get published advice we've gotten, and are happy to share--or something along those lines. 3. A review of Taming Him at Romance Junkies. 4.5 stars, no lie. 4. I'm listening to Peter and the Starcatchers . I got the disks from the library for the boys and am now a...

Oh Lordy, the store is gone .. Here are other things that do--or don't, but should--choke me up: 1. I used to pass a high school (years ago we're talking) when the buses left to haul the kids home, and the sight of all those big yellow buses just made me feel all choked up, the way some people feel when they see the flag. A kind of proud to be a part of it thing. Now I have kids who ride those buses, and my only reaction when I see the big yellow line is, "crap. I have to wait forever." No more snivelling. 2. Kiss of the Spiderwoman . For some reason that movie reduced me to such a puddle, I had to wait to leave the theater until long after the credits. That kind of total melt down never happened before with a movie and hasn't since. 3. Ch arlotte's Web . The book. My husband had never read it so I read it aloud to him when we went on a trip. We got to the end and he had to pull over because we were both snuffling. He wouldn't admit it, though. 4. Casablan...