Monday, January 31, 2011

Book BIN Tuesday - To Tempt a Sheikh


Okay, here's the deal. Olivia Gates has a new book out, called To Tempt a Sheikh. It's the second in her PRIDE OF ZOHAYD trilogy, and part of the Desire line from Silhouette.

Normally, she'd be doing promo during the run-up to its release, but she lives in Egypt. With internet access curtailed, and other, more pressing things going on around her, that's not an option this time around. So I'm following the lead of a bunch of other romance writers and helping to spread the news.

Luckily, the book sounds great, and has been getting fabulous reviews as well. So here are the deets:

He rescued hostage Talia Burke from his royal family's rival tribe and swept her into his strong embrace. But Prince Harres Aal Shalaan soon discovered there was more to the brave beauty than he knew. Talia held information vital to protecting his beloved kingdom...and she had every reason not to trust him.

Marooned together at a desert oasis, Talia couldn't resist Harres. Yet even as his sizzling seduction entranced her, his loyalty to his family and country would always make them enemies. Falling for the sheikh would be her heart's greatest mistake...but she feared it was already too late....
Its release day is today. So why not Buy It Now?

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Random Post of Randomness!


* Take A Chance On Me, my upcoming title from Samhain, is now on the Coming Soon pages, and available for preorder! Better yet, it's discounted - so if you buy it now, you'll save some coin, and it'll show up in your account on release day. It's also on the Men In Uniform bestseller list already. Cool, huh?


* Silent House, a horror film from the team that produced Open Water, screened at Sundance over the weekend and just sold to Liddell for $3 million. Congrats to the cast and crew, which includes Eric Sheffer Stevens as the uncle, and the reason I'm even tracking the sales information for this film in the first place. A huge thank you to Parrish Hurley, who verified the sales info for us. You rock, Parrish! (And ABC News, FAIL. Next time, be sure there's a sale before you report it, because we believed you.)


* Loved Hawaii Five-O last night. Glad the ratings were good! Just wish the DVR hadn't cut off midway through. Would have enjoyed watching it again. *stares meaningfully at On Demand*


* That's it for me at the moment. What are you up to?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The DH's Thursday Thirteen - Thirteen Great Beatles Songs (That Don't Normally Get Airtime)


As requested by notoriouslyunique, here's a list of some of the DH's favorite Beatles tunes.


These aren't the usual suspects - he focused on songs that aren't played as often, the ones you don't hear every day, but are great nevertheless. It's a completely subjective list, and would most likely change next month. Hope you enjoy!


1. Cry Baby Cry (White Album) Might be one of my top five Beatles songs. Love it, especially the outro.


2. Anna (Please Please Me) Pure sweetness.


3. Bad Boy (Past Masters Volume 1) Kicks. This song really rocks. John's vocals are wonderfully raw.


4. Tomorrow Never Knows (Revolver) Last song on the album - Beatles enter the world of psychedelia.


5. It Won't Be Long (Meet The Beatles) Early Beatles rock and roll.


6. Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite! (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) John wrote this song after buying a Victorian-era poster. The lyrics come directly from the poster.


7. I've Got A Feeling (Let It Be) GPS's favorite late-Beatles tune. Might be mine as well.


8. It's Only Love (Help) John's vocals near the end are beautiful.


9. This Boy (Past Masters Volume I) Sounds like it's right out of the fifties.


10. Flying (Magical Mystery Tour) The only Beatles instrumental (with some background la-la-las).


11. You Know My Name Look Up The Number (Past Masters Volume II) Paul liked this song. It's unusual - keep an open mind! But I loved it.


12. Things We Said Today (Hard Day's Night) Great early Beatles song.


13. Long, Long, Long (White Album) George at his best. Haunting.



So there you have it! Did any of your favorites make the list? What would you include?

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Happy Reidiversary!


Reidiversary? What is Kate talking about?

Well, January 19, 2010, was the first appearance of Eric Sheffer Stevens as Dr. Reid Oliver on As The World Turns. I wasn't watching the show then; it had never been one of "my" shows. I'd watched the Luke/Noah storyline on YouTube in a marathon some time before that, but hadn't kept up with it. I was happy with my German soap and not paying attention to what was happening on other shows.

It was a few months later when a friend halfway around the world finally talked me into giving ATWT a try. She'd been raving about the new doctor in town, and the actor who played him, and ultimately piqued my curiosity.

I was immediately hooked. (This may not come as a surprise to you.)

And by the end of 2010, I had:

Promoted the show (and Eric Sheffer Stevens) to anyone who would listen;
Become friends online with a great group of LuRe fans, from all over the world;
and
Started a new side career as an interviewer, at least on my blog.

A big impact from a character on a TV show, I'd say.

And I wasn't the only one to see the impact. ESS has received quite a bit of attention for his nine month stint during ATWT's final days. Here are just a few kudos:


Named one of 2010's Hottest Newcomers by TV Guide Canada
Hit the Daytime Confidential Hot 100 List at #56
Named Soap Star of the Year by Greg In Hollywood
TV Guide's Couple of the Year with Van Hansis' Luke
#1 on Daytime Confidential's Top Ten Soap Newcomers of the Year
Multiple mentions on Michael Fairman's Best And Worst of 2010, including:
~ Best overall performance by a supporting actor
~ Best new couple, Luke/Reid
Shortlisted for Supporting Actor Daytime Emmy predictions by CBS Soaps In Depth.
TV Guide Canada's 2011 Soap Opera Spirit Awards nominations
~ Outstanding Male Actor in a Recurring or Guest Starring Role
~ Outstanding performance by a duo, with Van Hansis
Named best new character by two different columnists for soapcentral.com
(and, just for fun, he made the Hot 100 on AfterElton - landing at #25!)

I'm sure more praise will be headed his way, especially as we get closer to Daytime Emmy nominations. For now, I'll leave you with a little taste of Dr. Reid Oliver, from ESS's first appearance on the show. Enjoy!





Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The DH's Thursday Thirteen - Thirteen Great Albums of the Seventies

You knew this was coming, right? After last week's focus on the sixties, the seventies couldn't be far behind. (And, thanks to a request from notoriouslyunique, there will be a Beatles-themed post in the near future.)

So, without further ado, thirteen albums that rocked the seventies:

Dire Straits 1978 First Album

Van Halen 1978 First Album

Rolling Stones 1972 Exile on Main Street

The Who 1971 Who's Next

Neil Young 1972 Harvest

Wings 1973 Band on the Run

Robin Trower 1974 Bridge of Sighs

ZZ Top 1973 Tres Hombres

The Eagles 1972 Eagles

Led Zeppelin 1971 IV

Crosby Stills Nash & Young 1970 Deja Vu

Marvin Gaye 1971 What's Going On?

AC/DC 1979 Highway to Hell

(Note: I've formatted this list TWICE so the group name, year, and album title are all in separate columns, but it keeps going back to this format. Argh. Sorry for the lowered readability.)

What are your favorites? What didn't make the list that you think should have?

Australia Flooding

I've been watching the footage of flooding in Australia with shock and a sense of deja-vu. If you've been a longtime reader of the blog, you might remember more than one flooding situation being mentioned. Our town is prone to flooding, and though our house has always been spared, it's been a bad situation for friends and neighbors.

But this is flooding on a different level. The scope of it is almost too much to take in - an area larger than the entire state of Texas is flooded. And so many people are affected.



In coming days, there will be opportunities to donate to help those displaced by the floodwaters. I'll be keeping an eye out. In the meantime, they've got my thoughts and prayers.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Take A Chance On Me - Coming Soon!


Well, the impending release of Take a Chance On Me just got a little more concrete for me. Not only do I have an official cover, I have official cover copy as well! Here's the deets on the book, coming February 22.

Accept no substitute…for love.

The Lady Doth Protest Too Much

Jessica Martin is determined to earn a permanent teaching position at Summit High School. That means hard work, dedication, and even volunteering extra time to direct the school’s Shakespeare play. Which leaves no room for romance—especially with a co-worker. She didn't factor in the school's sexy security officer and the delicious fantasies he inspires.

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Former cop Tom Cameron likes his job. Or he did, until the new substitute busted his orderly life right open. Now, he can’t seem to avoid her—deserted hallways, empty theaters, classrooms after dark—but he’s got too many skeletons in his closet to risk his heart again. Asking her out to distract her from the play’s, well, drama is a friendly gesture. Nothing more.

The Course Of True Love Never Did Run Smooth

Their chemistry could melt down the science lab, and before long they’re burning up the sheets off-campus. And uncovering raw emotions—a stark reminder that love isn’t in their curricula. When a troubled student goes over the edge, though, the need to stop a tragedy brings them right back where they started—face to face with fate.

Warning: This book contains sexy encounters in classrooms, inappropriate use of school facilities, backstage shenanigans, and illicit activities on a ferryboat.
Keep an eye out for more info, excerpts, etc, as we get closer to release date. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, January 06, 2011

The DH's Thursday Thirteen - Thirteen Fave Albums of the Sixties

Note from the DH - this list does not include any albums by the Beatles because, come on. They'd take the list over completely.

1. Doors 1967 First album
2. Love 1967 Forever Changes
3. Rolling Stones 1969 Let it Bleed
4. Led Zeppelin 1969 Led Zeppelin
5. The Band 1968 Music From Big Pink
6. Jefferson Airplane 1967 Surrealistic Pillow
7. Jimi Hendrix 1967 Are You Experienced
8. Beach Boys 1966 Pet Sounds
9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse 1969 Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
10. Jimi Hendrix 1968 Electric Ladyland
11. Cream 1967 Disraeli Gears
12 Bob Dylan 1965 Highway 61 Revisited
13. The Monks 1966 Black Monk Time

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Book BIN Wednesday - A Two-fer!

Not one, but TWO of the nine naughty novelists have books out in print this week. I missed yesterday's usual Book BIN posting due to reports for the day job, so here's a quick peek at both new titles:

Just Right by Erin Nicholas

To be a good bad boy you have to find just the right girl...

ER nurse Jessica Bradford is a good girl. Okay, more like a reformed bad girl, determined to be the woman her late father wanted her to be. And she's sworn off bad boys. Definitely. Instead she wants someone like Dr. Ben Torres: responsible, dedicated, selfless. The tall, dark and handsome part is just a bonus.

What a difference twenty-four hours can make. Yesterday Ben was incredibly handsome, too sexy for words and definitely one of the good guys. Now he's just incredibly handsome and too sexy for Jessica's own good. Yet she still wants him like ice cream wants hot fudge.

Ben's done being everybody's hero. What's being a trauma surgeon ever gotten him but late hours, patients who don't remember his name and a whole lot of frustration? He can't even seduce Jessica, and her bright red thong, because of work rules. So he quits. Or to be more exact, gets suspended.

Jessica can't believe Ben is acting more like a kid in a candy store than a man who's about to throw his career away. When she's manipulated into babysitting him, she does her best to keep him out of trouble—except "trouble" is all Ben's interested in. And suddenly Jessica's having trouble remembering why that's a bad thing...

Warning: Contains hot love in a store dressing room and in the front seat of a car—at the expense of a very nice strawberry patch, unfortunately—oh, and hooker boots. Can't forget the hooker boots.

Love 2 Love U by Kelly Jamieson

Three is definitely not a crowd…

Any way you want it, Kelly Jamieson serves it up in this triple threat of trios.

In Love Me, Melina is worried and frustrated. Sure, Gavin’s stressed about his big project at work, but jeez, it seems like he’d rather go solo than have sex with her. Nothing seems to get his attention except her not-so-innocent flirtation…with another woman.

Love Me More follows up with Melina and Gavin on the way to the altar. They don’t talk much about the night they indulged in a threesome—until he confesses his fantasy. Two women focused solely on his pleasure. Melina loves him enough to make it happen for him. Just as soon as she scrapes up the nerve…

2 Hot 2 Handle is the tale of Abby, who lives by one rule: no commitment. Ever. The look on two-months-steady Eric’s face has her on alert to head for the door, except her attraction to his roommate, Jett, makes her hesitate. Yet when both men tell her they want her for more than just one hot, sexy romp, she’s not sure she wants to know what they’re really asking of her—or if she can handle it.

Warning: These stories contain fighting, pouting, guilt, make-up sex, experimental sex, committed sex and sizzling ménage sex in various combinations of male and female!
So there you have it! Two great books, one fun week of reading. Why not head out and Buy (Them) Now?

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Welcome 2011!

Wow, that was one crazy year, wasn't it?

It's still hard to believe we've made it past Christmas, let alone all the way into 2011. I'm still working on my to-do list from January of last year!

But it's time to dust off, tidy up, take stock, and start looking forward again.

So without further ado, here's KATE'S 2010 IN REVIEW:

January:
Had letter published in Entertainment Weekly. Who knew that by the end of the year, I'd be *interviewing* the stars of the soaps I'd been fangirling way back then?

February:
Posted a new Current TV Crush, Dennis Grabosch and Igor Dolgatschew. Became known as the Infamous DeRo Pusher.

March:
Went to Hawaii. Whee!

April:
Went to Ohio for the Romantic Times convention, where I received the Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Small Press Romance. Still amazed and thrilled at that one. Met LB Gregg and a host of other fabulous, wonderful writers, and had a great time.

May:
New Current TV Crush: Eric Sheffer Stevens. This is significant, just in case you haven't read the blog/followed me on Twitter/friended me on Facebook/listened to me babble in real life.

June/July:
Sold a new book to Samhain, which comes out in February. Did a lot of camping with the family.

August:
Prepping for new school year, working on new manuscript.

September:
Complained about the ending to As The World Turns. Blog post went minorly viral, which was a bit of a thrill.

October:
Celebrated my birthday by starting a new "career" as interviewer of people in the performing arts. My first interview, with Parrish Hurley, focused on the creative process and his journey to produce a TV pilot, 'the (718)'. It was linked on AfterElton, which was another thrill. I also interviewed James Yaegashi, director of Lefty Loosey Righty Tighty.


November:
Easily my most surreal month. After weeks of biting my tongue to keep from blabbing, I finally got to spill the news - I'd asked Eric Sheffer Stevens for an interview, and he'd said yes! So in six short months, I'd gone from random fangirl to talking on the phone with my favorite actor for almost an hour. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot. Plus, that interview went viral too, which was so fantastic!

December:
Got my bookcover, finished final edits, started polishing up a new trilogy idea, and celebrated the holidays with those nearest and dearest.

What's coming up in 2011:
A new book in February. Hopefully, some new manuscripts written and new contracts signed. At least one new interview (yes, it's a definite, no, I'm not telling who it is yet). A new Current TV Crush (if you follow me on Twitter you can guess what show the crush is from - LOL). And, if this year is anything like last year, a whole bunch of experiences I couldn't even begin to imagine now.

Here's wishing you an amazing year ahead as well!