Can You Hear Me Now?

I'm very excited about my web appearance tonight at The Savvy Readers' Cafe, and I hope that you can join me! I'll be reading from my upcoming release, Take a Chance On Me, as part of their Five Nights of Samhain Romance series. Get a sneak peek at the new book!

Here are the details...

Savvy Authors welcomes Samhain Publishing to The Savvy Readers Cafe!

Join us for five magical nights of Samhain romance, and hear some of the freshest voices in original ebook fiction spin their tales in The Savvy Readers Cafe. Beginning Monday, Feb. 14 from 9-10 p.m. EST, each author will read a brief excerpt of their latest novel and take questions if time allows in a live webinar.

Win an eReader! During each 10-15 minute segment, a moderator will mention the "secret word" for listeners to log into their Savvy Readers Cafe contest form. Each secret word correctly matched with the author gives each attendee a raffle ticket to win an e-reader*! (E-reader raffled at noon Feb. 19.)

During the webinar you will have the opportunity to chat live with Samhain authors and ask them questions.

Join Samhain authors Kate Davies, Imogen Howson and Bianca D'Arc as they read excerpts from their books and take questions via a live webinar.

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Hope to see you there!

It's a Book BIN Week!

Just a head's up that there will be a LOT of Book BIN recommendations this week, because it's just filled with fabulous new releases and I can't choose! So keep an eye out, be sure to comment, and there may be a prize or two at the end of the week!

Also, the winner of last week's tote bag contest will be announced near the end of the week as well. So be sure to stop on by!

Reader's Block

I went to the library today with my kids, picking up some books that were on hold. They took off for the kids' section, each returning with multiple titles. One is working through A Series Of Unfortunate Events, and had the weekend planned out. ("I'm finishing book four today, have book five on hold at the school library, and here are books six through nine. That should hold me.")

As we walked by the information desk, I saw a familiar brochure. Every winter, the library system holds an Adult Reading Club event from January 1 to March 15. For every five books you read, you can fill out a flyer with the title, author, and a sentence about each book. Turn it in and you're eligible for prizes, from bookstore gift cards to audio books to overnight stays at nearby hotels.

Every year, I've participated gleefully, filling out form after form and turning them in to the info desk on a regular basis. I've never actually won anything, but that was never the point for me. I just wanted to see how many books I could read in the time frame allowed.

So here we are, less than two weeks to the end of the contest, and not only have I not been paying enough attention to notice it was actually happening, I realized with horror that even if I had been aware of the reading competition, so far this year I haven't read enough books to fill out even one form.

Not even five books read so far this year. In fact, I think I've read three books since January. One was a Harlequin that saved my sanity during the long hours waiting in the jury room to see if I'd been selected for a trial. Another was a travel guide to Hawaii, which will be put to good use in a few weeks. (Yay!) And one was Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl, which I adored (and promptly went out and bought her entire backlist at All Romance eBooks).

But that's it. Three books. For someone who can read a book a day if given the time and material, that's almost embarrassing.

The material isn't the issue; I've got a TBR pile (both physical and e-book) that's chock full of b0oks I can't wait to read. And my wish list keeps expanding.

So that brings it down to time. It's no secret that time has been in short supply for me this year; the day job won't stop expanding, eating every spare minute (and then some). In the past two weeks, though, I've found some changes that can be made to reduce the busywork, which should open up some hours in my day.

But I'm out of the habit now. So my question to you is: what book do you recommend to kick start my reading habit again? It doesn't matter if it's one I already own or not - I can either dig something out of the TBR pile, or go shopping. Both are equally appealing. :) So help me get out of my not-reading rut and find my groove again!

Visit Maia on Nine Naughty Novelists

My buddy Maia Strong is guest blogging over on Nine Naughty Novelists today, talking about writing niches. It's a really interesting read. Stop by and see what she has to say!

Forty Facts About Kate - The Final Countdown!

Wheeee! Today is a day to celebrate. Let me count the ways (because that's all this week has been about, doncha know - counting!):

*It's my birthday!
*I'm finishing the Forty Facts today, which was WAY more complicated than I anticipated.
*It's my birthday!
*The regular soccer season is OVER TODAY!
*It's my birthday!

I'll be celebrating by watching soccer. And then going to end of season soccer parties. And I wouldn't have it any other way!

But setting all that aside, here are the final ten facts to round out the week of useless Kate information here on Kate Davies Blogs!

10. I don't drink coffee. Hot chocolate and tea, yes, but not coffee.

9. I love the smell of coffee brewing, however.

8. I have a really hard time spending money on myself. I've worked hard this year to overcome that issue. :)

7. I tend to be a night owl. Unfortunately, my personal schedule does not play nicely with things like public school opening times, work meetings, and hungry children. It's a conundrum.

6. The best advice my mother gave me, the advice I'll pass down to my children, is: "Don't forget to clean the lint trap." Seriously.

5. I have been a beta reader/critique partner to five writers since I started writing romance. All five have had at least one book published with Samhain. I'm fairly certain I had nothing to do with that fact.

4. A few years ago, I won tickets to the Rolling Stones concert through a radio call-in contest. The concert just happened to be held on my birthday. That one will probably remain hard to top for a while.

3. I was once left "home alone" while visiting relatives as a child. They all left for an event and forgot to bring me along. It took over half an hour before I noticed there was nobody else around. I was, of course, reading at the time.

2. I am really looking forward to enjoying my forties. No angsting over the change of decade - at least, not yet. ;)

1. I AM SO GLAD TO BE DONE WITH THIS THEME! *tosses confetti*

Thanks to everyone who hung in there through this random salute to my 40th birthday. Remember, every comment (or RT on Twitter) earns you another entry into my birthday giveaway drawing. So comment early, comment often, and stop by tomorrow to learn who won!

I *Heart* Libraries

I've always been a library person. The weekly trip to the library to check out a new stack of books was one of my favorite activities as a kid, and things haven't changed much since then. I still hit the local libary on a regular basis, and leave with a pile of books each time. Except now, I can add my kids' choices to my own. It adds up to a heck of a lot of reading material.


And that's fine by me. I'm a very fast reader - so fast, in fact, that if I didn't have a library habit, I'd spend the majority of my paycheck on books. I prefer using the library to used bookstores because I know that my checking-out habits encourage the powers that be to order more romance books for the system, which results in more royalties to authors. I also request books and authors all the time -- sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but it's always worth a try.

So I was thrilled to discover that my local library system had ordered my newest print title, Lessons Learned, for circulation. When it first came out, I'd considered donating a copy, but the librarian told me it would just be put in the Friends of the Library sale because of the cost of entering it in the system. And since it's small press, I thought the chances of seeing it on the shelves was slim to none.

I was wrong.

Somehow, somewhere, Lessons Learned ended up on their radar, and there are now four copies in circulation. And that thrilled me as much as getting my first author copies did.

I'm in the library. And dang, it feels good!

Read an E-Book Week, Coming Soon!

Are you looking forward to next week?

Well, you should be! It's a whole week set aside to celebrate e-books, and the celebration is happening all over the web!

I'll be chatting on the Samhain Cafe loop on Monday at 12:30 EDT, with some fun info about my books and a giveaway or two. There will be some fun here on the blog as well. Keep an eye on the blog to see other activities as well.

Other fun stuff? There are links on this page to a boatload of free books, contests, and other nifty activities that are going on all week. So mark your calendars and join us next week for Read an e-Book Week!

Introducing The Devil Inside

So what's all the fuss about?

The streamers, the balloons, the party favors? The cowboys whipping up margaritas behind the bar? (Yummy!)

Well, it's just six days until The Devil Inside is released at Samhain. (Woot and huzzah!)

So I'm throwing a party, right here on the blog. Those of you who've been around for a while know the drill -- any comment made during the week before the release date is an entry in my drawing. And I've got some fabulous prizes this time around, too! So comment early, and comment often. (Don't miss yesterday's blog post -- comments there count as well.)

Well, since the party is in celebration of The Devil Inside, it seems like a good time to post a little info on the book. Here it is:

It’ll take more than one go-round to win this rodeo of the heart…

Thirteen years after her father was killed in a rodeo accident, Samantha Quincannon is facing her worst nightmare. An EMT, she has avoided rodeo duty like the plague. Now her career depends on her ability to face down her fear.

Cody Shaw hasn’t seen Sam since the night of her father’s accident, and their reunion is anything but typical. So is her reaction when a bull ride gone wrong lands him, broke and bleeding, in her reluctant care. And, until he’s well enough to travel, in her bed. He knows he’s far from a model patient, but would it kill Sam not to act like she’d rather climb on a bull herself than have him underfoot?

One thing hasn’t changed—their off-the-charts sexual tension. They both put up a good fight, but soon the heat burns through their resistance.

Even as Sam fights to protect her heart from the one danger she didn’t see coming, something else becomes clear. Rodeo is in Cody’s blood, and nothing, not even Sam, can make him quit taking crazy risks.

It’s up to Sam to decide if she’s ready to put on her big-girl boots—and ride.

Warning: Lots of hot, sweaty, down-and-dirty lovin’. Cowgirl up!

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This is my first western-themed romance, though I love reading them. So today's question is, what romance theme(s) and subgenre(s) do you like best?

Book BIN Tuesday -- Banned Books Week

"Every banned book enlightens the world." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've always loved books. Big oversized hardcovers, thick paperbacks with the covers falling off, anything in between. From a very early age I was a voracious reader, glomming my way through an author's backlist once I'd discovered them. (Of course, at that time I didn't know what "glomming" or "backlist" meant -- I'd just run to the librarian, hand her a book and say, "What else have you got by this author?")

Which is why Banned Books Week is so important to me. So many of the books I see on those lists of challenged or banned books were ones I read and loved as a kid, and I'm appalled at the thought of other kids not having the opportunity to experience them as well.

I went searching, and found a couple of lists of challenged books: from 1990-2000, and 2000-2007. I wasn't school-age when these books were challenged, but I've read a LOT of them anyway. Some of my favorites?

Harry Potter series, JK Rowling (my kids glommed these this summer -- it was a kick discussing the stories with them!)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (damn fine YA novel.)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein (Are you KIDDING me?)

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Ditto!)

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher (OMG best YA author for reluctant readers, esp. teen boys)

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney (Made me cry)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

And Tango Makes Three by Richardson and Parnell

Books on the list that I taught back when I was a junior high English teacher:

Go Ask Alice (companion to Romeo and Juliet, along with Like Water for Chocolate and other challenged books); Bless Me, Ultima; Summer of my German Soldier (in WWII unit, along with The Diary of Anne Frank.).

Books my kids love that I can't believe are on these lists:

The Junie B. Jones books

Anything by Shel Silverstein or Roald Dahl

Captain Underpants? Seriously?

Goosebumps

Scary Stories

The Stupids

So my Book BIN suggestion this week? Take a look at a list of challenged books, and go out and buy one. Support an author who's been affected. Read something wonderful. And then pass it on.

Book BIN Tuesday -- Gearing Up For The Holidays!

It's a mere two weeks until Christmas, and you know what that means --

HOLIDAY ROMANCES!

Instead of focusing on a single book this week, I thought I'd recommend some of my favorites -- and ask for your suggestions in return.

I love holiday-themed romances. There's something about the combination that just tickles my fancy, whether it's a single title historical, a contemporary category, or an anthology with a little of everything.

Just a quick perusal of my keeper shelves turns up several books that fit the bill. There's Jingle Bell Rock, the first Brava anthology I ever read; It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, a category romance by Suzanne Brockmann now retitled and reissued as Hawken's Heart; Merry Christmas, Baby, a Brava anthology including stories by two of my favorite people, Lucy Monroe and Susanna Carr; The Greek's Christmas Baby, also by Lucy Monroe; and the list goes on and on.

(There's also a few copies of The Perfect Gift, the Christmas anthology I'm in. I kinda like that one, too. LOL)

So how about you? Do you like holiday romances? What are some of your favorites?

Don't Tell Me!

Yes, I have succumbed to Pottermania.

I wasn't going to. I figured I'd pop down to the bookstore sometime this weekend and pick up a copy, probably after I finished my edits on the latest ms.

(Note to Angie: I'm working! I'm working!)

I'd treat myself to a big ole reading marathon with my buddy Harry as soon as I got the edits done and off to my editor.

(Note to Angie: I'm almost done! Really!)

Then I started noticing all the brouhaha on the web. Rumors were flying about the end of the book. People were posting that they knew the secret, if anyone wanted a hint off-list.

And the parties that were being planned! Yikes!

So I was starting to get worried. What if, by the time I finished my revisions (Note to Angie: Almost there! Honest!), everyone was sold out? What if someone let it slip in my presence before I had a chance to get my own copy?

Obviously, my tactics needed a change. So I started searching around the area for midnight releases.

Understand, I live in a fairly small town. There's just one bookstore, an independent, and Wal-Mart. Both, as it turned out, were planning Potter Parties for tonight. I considered the independent store's party, but once the article in the paper appeared last night saying that almost all of their preordered books were spoken for, I turned to Wal-Mart. I could pick up a wristband at 8 pm, head home for a couple of hours of writing time (Note to Angie: Which I used! I'm on the downward slope!), then come back to pick it up at midnight.

I got there at 8, surprised to find no line. I walked right up and got a red wristband (Gryffindor, first house to get books at midnight) and headed home, mumbling about how people in my town had no respect for reading.

I had to take it all back, though, when I got there at a little before midnight. They were almost completely out of yellow wristbands (Hufflepuff, last house), and the waiting line snaked all the way around the store to the paint department. Hundreds of people, all waiting for a chance to buy and read the last Harry Potter book.

So now I've got the book, calling my name. But I can't even crack it until I finish my revisions and turn them in (Note to Angie: which will be soon!). It's an incentive, sure, but the problem still remains -- what to do about spoilers? A girl in front of me in the checkout line read the last page even before she bought the book. The rest of us threatened her with bodily harm if she so much as breathed a word.

I'll be working feverishly to get my book done and turned in. Until that point, though, please:

DON'T TELL ME!

:)

Thirteen Books I Can't Wait To Read

So I'm recovering from the week from Hades, dealing with a sinus infection, and hoping against hope I have enough of a voice for the presentation I'm giving tonight. It's been a looooooong couple of weeks, and I'm way behind on my schedule.

Is there a point to this whine? Why yes, there is. I've got a stack of books (paper and e-) a mile high, and no time to read them. *sob* At least it inspired my Thursday Thirteen this week!

THIRTEEN BOOKS I CAN'T WAIT TO READ

1. Prince of Spies, Bianca D'Arc

2. Moon Awakening, Lucy Monroe

3. Master of Swords, Angela Knight

4. The Prince Kidnaps a Bride, Christina Dodd

5. Eye Candy, Sandy Lynn

6. No Safe Place, JoAnn Ross

7. Causing Havoc, Lori Foster

8. Bit the Jackpot, Erin McCarthy

9. The Dream Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon

10. See No Evil, Allison Brennan

11-13. Circle Trilogy, Nora Roberts

How about you? What books are on your "must read next" list?