Thursday Thirteen #37 -- Girls Night Out!

So Friday is Girl's Night Out at the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale, WA. I'm going, and you should go, too! Here are thirteen reasons why...

1. It's a fundraiser for local women's and children's services.
2. You get tons of giveaways and discounts.
3. It's a big party -- 25,000-plus women attend each year.
4. You can show up any time between 5:30 and 10 pm.
5. There's a big multi-author booksigning right near Barnes and Noble.
6. Discounts at Baskin-Robbins! And Cinnabon!
7. Cherry Adair is one of the authors signing at Barnes and Noble!
8. So are Elizabeth Boyle, Dawn Calvert, Lacy Danes, Ann DeFee, Susan Lyons, Gerri Russell, Dominique Sinclair, and Pat White.
9. I'm one of the authors, too!
10. And Suzanne MacPherson, Kate Austin, and Alexa Darin will be signing at Waldenbooks (down the mall).
11. There's going to be a basket raffled off at the signing.
12. I'm bringing candy.
13. It's my first booksigning. I don't want to be lonely!

So stop by. If you tell me you read about it on my blog, I'll have a special giveaway for you!

Well Shiver Me Timbers...

Happy Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Avast! Ahoy! Walk the plank!

(Think I've exhausted my repertoire of pirate phrases...)

Here's a pirate name generator for you

And in honor of the auspicious occasion, I'll put the question out to you --

What's your favorite high seas romance?

Book BIN Tuesday -- Postponed...

No, that's not the title of a fabulous new book.

It's just that due to circumstances beyond my control (long day-job workday, mother in law coming to visit, all day conference tomorrow), I'm just not ready to put up my Book BIN post for today. Besides, the book I'm going to highlight actually comes out this weekend, so it makes sense to post it closer to the release date.

So keep your eye out for a Book BIN Friday. Or Saturday.

Back later!
Kate

Tooth Fairy Trauma

My middle child spent all of Kindergarten waiting to lose a tooth. All those classmates getting to fill in the tooth chart, and for my kid ... nothin'.

Then, the first day of first grade, bingo! Tooth falls out in the middle of school. Which was all well and good until morning the next day came and... the tooth fairy forgot to come.

In, uh, her defense, the little darling put the tooth on the dresser next to the bed instead of under the pillow. And after many, many tears, we managed to convince her that the tooth fairy would come back the next night as long as she put the tooth under the pillow this time.

Except by the time bedtime rolled around that evening, the tooth was -- missing.

Gone. Finito. Disappeared.

More tears. More encouragement. A note was left under the pillow, informing the tooth fairy that the tooth had been lost, but "can you give me money anyway?"

Yes, indeed. Money arrived by morning.

Well, tooth number two fell out tonight. Or should I say in? It disappeared during dinner (homemade pizza with a crunchy crust), so we're assuming it's been swallowed.

I swear, this kid has no luck at all.

But the NEW note, keeping the tooth fairy up to date on all dental issues, should do the trick.

As long as the tooth fairy doesn't forget again. Wish, uh, her luck.

My New Heroes

So school started up in Nova Scotia recently. This is significant why, you ask? Since I don't actually live in Nova Scotia? Well, I read on the 'Net about these two seniors who did something so wonderful it almost brought me to tears.

Seems a young man (9th grader) showed up on the first day of school wearing a pink shirt. Several other students took offense and began harassing him, threatening to beat him up. The two young men in the picture above decided they weren't going to stand by and let that happen. The next day, they showed up at school with 75 pink tank tops for their male classmates to wear in solidarity with the bullied boy. Combined with internet organizing the night before, they estimate that half the student body wore pink that day.

Read the story. It's great. Way to go, Travis and David!

Thursday Thirteen #26 -- Thirteen Things I'm Happy About

Okay, confession time. I've got a monster of a head cold and I can barely remember my own name, let alone come up with a TT topic. So here are thirteen random happy things.

1. Lessons In Love is out! I'm always psyched when I have a new release.

2. I heard Hey There Delilah at least four times today. It's the family's latest favorite -- each of my kids have their own favorite lines, and we all sing along at the top of our lungs.

3. Top Ramen. When I've got a head cold, nothing's better.

4. Lover Unbound is coming out September 25. Woo-hoo!

5. The Perfect Gift is coming out September 25. It's hard to tell which one I'm looking forward to more. :)

6. Fuzzy socks Mom made for me a couple Christmases ago. I love how warm they keep my toes.

7. Girls Night Out is coming up on the 21st. My first official signing! If you're in Northwest Washington, stop by and say hello!

8. Soccer season. I love hot chocolate on cool Saturday mornings, watching the kids charge up and down the field.

9. All my books (except LiL) are now available on Fictionwise! If you buy your e-books there, three of the four are on discount right now as new books.

10. All of my kids are loving school this year.

11. I sold a new book!

12. What, you want more details? Okay, Lessons In Trust is a follow-on book to Lessons In Love. The heroine is Lucia, Alex's sister. It'll be out early next year, and the two will be released in print together near the end of 2008.

13. I actually get to do what I love -- write -- and share it with you all. I'm truly blessed!

What are you happy about this week?

Lessons In Love a Bestseller!

I was thrilled to see that Lessons In Love hit the top ten list at My Bookstore and More yesterday. Thanks so much to everyone who's bought a copy. I hope you enjoy it!

Book BIN Tuesday -- You May Have Missed...

If you're anything like me, things tend to slip by during the summer months. Kids are home, hubby's got some time off, you're racing hither and yon enjoying family and vacation time.

So it's not surprising to me that I missed some great book releases over the past few months. I'm highlighting a couple today that are intriguing me.

First up is One Night in Boston by Allie Boniface. Released from Samhain on July 24, it's a contemporary romance that takes place over 24 hours. I love fast-paced, immediate books like that, and it's heading to the top of my To-Buy list.

Second is, well, Second Wind by Dee Knight. :) Part of the Heat Wave collection in the Midsummer Night's Steam series, it's a cowboy and city girl red hot romance that's just what's needed to steam up those cooler fall nights.

So there you go. A couple of books that slipped past me this summer. What books did you miss over the past couple months? What do you recommend someone Buy It Now?

RIP Madeleine L'Engle

I just saw the news that Madeleine L'Engle has passed away at the age of 88. Her books were an important part of my childhood, and I'm sure many others. She will be missed.

Book BIN Tuesday -- Lessons In Love

Yes, yes, I know, it's my book.



But I still think you should buy it now!



Lessons In Love, my new release from Samhain, came out today and I'm just thrilled that it's on the virtual shelves! It's a prince-and-nanny romance that was super fun to write. Here's some info, and a link to an excerpt...

Move over, Mary Poppins! A free-spirited teacher is about to give a buttoned-up royal something he never expected—a lesson in love.

Hungry for adventure and eager to break free of her snobby home town, Brynn Dexter takes a teaching job in a foreign country, sight unseen. But when she arrives, she discovers the Laurivenia Academy doesn’t exist. And neither does the teaching job.

Alex du Charbonneaux, crown prince of Laurivenia, is tired of intense media scrutiny, and wary of social-climbing women who stoop to feigning interest in his vulnerable five-year-old daughter in order to get close to him. So if he fudged the details of the “teaching job” to protect his child—and his privacy—who can blame him?

His careful plans begin to unravel the moment Brynn appears on his doorstep. She is beautiful and free spirited, nothing like the dowdy, obedient nanny he ordered.

While being a nanny to a princess is a far cry from the teaching position Brynn expected, she quickly realizes the child is in dire need of a little fun in her life—as is her stuffed-shirt father. As she sets out to teach both of them how to live a little, sparks fly and unexpected passion burns between her and Alex.

But Alex’s deep-rooted suspicions linger, and Brynn struggles with the feeling that she is not good enough for him. So when the paparazzi discover their affair, all bets are off.

Can the prince and the nanny find common ground—and learn to trust in love?

And here's the link to the excerpt. I hope you enjoy -- and I hope you head on over to My Bookstore and More to Buy It Now! :)