I don't think it's a secret but the "Official" Announcement from KristieJ and Katiebabs

Bear with us - this will be a long one! Katie's been wanting to do this for a while now - and as a believer in waiting 'til later because it makes the waiting seem lesser (if you can figure out what I just said - it means you can follow my brain waves and that's a scary thing) But I finally decided the time is right - now for our big announcement. You see - Katie and I will be going to RWA in San Francisco this summer. Yep - we are making the 'official' announcement. As anyone who has been coming for a while now may remember, I went to the one in Dallas last year and it was BAR NONE the best vacation I've ever had. I thought I'd go to the next one, then thought not, then thought I might go to the RT convention this year and then thought maybe not. I was all a-dither. Then I asked Katie to be my partner and since we've clicked right off from the start - even though I'm old enough to be her very young aunt (heh heh) I really wanted to get a chance to meet her in person. And then when Sula joined us in our Great North and South Crusade, it became a given that I wanted to meet her too after the many hours we spent drooling and planning and laughing. I was hoping it might be at the RT convention in Pittsburg, but that didn't really work out for either of them. Then Kate mentioned she was seriously thinking of going to the RWA in San Francisco and that was that. Matter settled. I was going and told Katie and she said she would too. I got in touch with one of my fantastic Dallas roomies who I had just recently found out was going again, Wendy, our Super Librarian. She was planning on rooming with Rosie, who whenever I see her think, boy do we ever look alike - at least in her pictures. I asked Wendy if she had a room yet and she said she did but they were filling up fast. Now I'm not sure if she offered, or I was bold and asked, but anyway, the four of us will be roomies. I'm so looking forward to rooming with Rosie - and I KNOW Wendy and I get along great. So, I have a room, I booked a flight and I can HARDLY wait! I'm not sure what I'm most excited about - one minute it's one thing, another minute it's another. I am so incredibly excited that I'm going to be meeting Katie with whom I chat up a storm sometimes - even though I did have a dream the other night that when we finally met - she didn't like me. Ha! As if, I told myself when I woke up. I am so looking forward to seeing Wendy again. I want to see if Rosie and I look as much alike in person as I think we do in pictures. I will be seeing Jane from DA again! And authors - I will be meeting authors again. I'm just a bundle of excitement I tell you. If I was a teenage girl I'd be squealing for the three weeks! And as if that isn't exciting enough, Sula will be in San Francisco around the same time for a business conference and we plan on meeting her and spending time with her too! The powers behind The Crusade - together - in person *shiver* And the conferences!! I'm looking forward to attending more of them this year. I know there is a writer in me somewhere just bursting to get out. I can feel her getting closer. When I was young, I used to write long rambling letters to friends (not unlike the long ramblings I do on occasion - and right now as a matter of fact here) and tell them not to throw the letters out because some day I would be a famous writer and they could then blackmail me. Katie and I are planning on getting there a couple of days early and do some sight seeing along with some others who will be there. I didn't really get a chance to see any of Dallas when I went and I don't really want to go back to work after and have people come up to me and ask what it was like and have to tell them I don't really know - I didn't get out :)
I am giddy with excitement over the whole thing - and it's barely July!! Again, I will be unbearable when the time rolls around! And now I'll step aside and let Katie have a say on her thoughts.

Katie:

Who would have thought I would be in this position to go to the 2008 Romance Writers Association Conference in San Francisco, CA? A year ago I would never have imagined as I read all the posts from various bloggers and authors who went to RWA 2007 that in a few weeks I will be hopping on a plane and hobnobbing with authors, press, bloggers and reviewers? It is still so very surreal to me and as I write this, the butterflies are fluttering around non-stop in my stomach.

I would say I am very much the same type of person on-line as I am in person. Perhaps, Christine will agree since she has met my loopy self many times before. *G* There is a part of me who may seem so confident and self-assured to most who I email and chat with, but to be honest, I am very much the type who likes to observe and keep quiet. I am so very afraid to say the wrong thing or do something that would make me a fool in someone else's eyes. Because of this, I almost didn't want to go to RWA. Why would thousand of people even care that I was there? As my imagination runs wild, I see myself hiding behind a plant, poking out my head at everything that is going on around me, or standing there is a crowd, dazed and confused with no one to turn to or be with.

All this may seem silly and I realize it is because two things happened to me this past week that changed my mind. I had the honor and the pleasure of having lunch with Sarah from the website, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. A thousand thoughts went through my head. Would I sound stupid? Would I talk too much? Why would a person like myself be interesting to the woman who co-runs one of the most popular and successful reviews and commentary websites? Well, Sarah has a way of putting a person at ease and she welcomed me with a smile and we had a wonderful lunch full of talk about books and advice she gave me about what to expect when I go to RWA. She even let me caress her Kindle. :D

Another situation was when I was at the gym. As I began to run on the treadmill, a woman who was on the treadmill next to me, began to talk with me. She had seen me around the gym and decided to chat for a few minutes. I realized that there should be no reason for this fear of not belonging or feeling left out. As Kristie told me before, authors, even the big names superstar ones put one pant leg on at a time, just like us. And you know what, it is true.

So I am announcing here and now I am so very much excited to be one of the many to be able to go to RWA. Other than SB Sarah and blogger Little Alys, I haven't met anyone face to face. I have shared wonderful emails with Jane from Dear Author and Wendy the Super Librarian. The same goes for my fellow bloggers who will be coming to San Francisco, some to visit for a few days like Tracy and Sula, while others are coming to the conference like myself such as LisaBea, Ciaralira, Rosie, and Amy. (Please forgive me if I left out anybody, give me a holler!)

I hope to report to the best of my ability everything I will experience to those who cannot be in San Francisco. My eyes and ears will be your own. And I hope I don't embarrass myself with authors I want to meet and those I am lucky enough to have talked with over the internet. And of course my biggest thrill is meeting Kristie(J). She is the reason I am coming, without her, I would be nothing.

So without further ado, WATCH OUT SAN FRAN AND RWA BECAUSE HERE COME KRISTIE AND KATIE!!

The Prejudices of the Romance Genre

This past week, many blogs were posting the list of top 100 books read on LibraryThing, one of the many book catalogue sites on the internet. Kristie(J) posted this list a few days ago and some others followed suit. I decided to join in, but rather than post the whole list, here are the ones I have actually read:

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Animal Farm by George Orwell

Angels & demons by Dan Brown

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The complete works by William Shakespeare

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
I don’t know if I should be upset at myself for only reading 18 out of the 100 titles, and as you can see there is not one Harry Potter book in the bunch. Should I feel ashamed for neglecting such classics or critically acclaimed novels?
The LibraryThing list has me thinking, especially after reading Karen Scott’s post on why romance authors are never nominated for any major book awards. Her post was very educational and I have come the conclusion that the romance genre is still considered the neglected step-child in the publishing industry, even though these books rake in billions of dollars for the publishers and booksellers. Look at these statistics from The Romance Writers of America 2006 ROMStat Report:

The overall decline in the publishing industry was not evident in romance fiction, as sales remained steady in 2006 with $1.37 billion in estimated revenue and approximately 6,400 new titles published. Romance fiction was a strong seller—overcome only by the religion/inspirational category.
Romance: $1.37 billion
Religion/inspirational: $1.68 billion
Science fiction/fantasy: $495 million
Classic literary fiction: $448 million
Mystery: $422 million
Graphic novels: $128 million

I still cannot understand why romance is treated with such disdain and ridicule. To this day I get snide comments thrown at me whenever someone sees a book with cover that has semi-naked couple in a clutch or words in the title that say “SIN” “PASSION” “LUST”. Remember my friend who thought I read romance because they are perfect to masturbate to? That pissed me off to no end. To be that ignorant is so sad. BTW, I asked her if she has read the books I gave her and of course she gives me some lame excuse why she hasn’t even cracked open one of these books even though she has a two-hour train ride back and forth to work each day where she could read.

Why does the thought of sex in a book make people uneasy? Just because there are sex scenes in a novel, does not take away from the quality of a book. Even though I haven’t read Harry Potter, I heard that there were some violent acts from the murder of Harry’s parents to various characters getting killed off. That would irk me, especially if my young child was reading this. But the minute J.K. Rowling writes a love story between Harry and a girl or another character where kissing is involved, the public looses it because, “OH NO! Even thought Harry is a teenager and should date, the thought of engaging in such an act where kissing could be involved is not allowed!” So murder is okay but any form of intimacy between a teenage girl and boy is not?

What are the requirements for a book to become worthy of winning prestigious awards? I would assume it is in the writing and the storytelling. Why, so many romances I have read in the past five years deserve this praise and should be placed on all the major book lists. Last year alone, I could name at least 10 books that transcends any label and should have been considered the best of the best for 2007. But they weren’t because they are considered romance.

I am so sick of reading People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and other such magazines and never seeing one romance book reviewed. And when one is so lucky to be reviewed, it is given a small blurb in some column on the side of the page.

I am so saddened and disgusted by people’s prejudice about romance. I will never forget a few years ago, when I went on and on about Anne Stuart’s A Rose at Midnight as one of the best books I have ever read. My co-worker was interested and when I brought in my paperback and yes, it is that one with a man and woman in a passionate clutch, she looked at it, gave it back to me and with a lemon face said, “Sorry, I don’t read this trash.” Didn’t she ever learn, do not judge a book by its cover?

I realize everyone has different tastes and I respect that, but I hope someone will respect mine and not make assumptions on what I am reading. And maybe one day these people who decide which books should be nominated for these prestige awards, will get their heads out of their asses and judge romances not on the covers, or the titles, but the wonderful words inside.

Katiebabs (KB)

Eve Kenin Contest Winner

We have picked a winner in our Eve Kenin contest!

Bridget Locke!!!

You have won an ARC of NATURE OF THE BEST! And if doesn't come out till September!
Bridget, just send me your mailing address to: katiebabsg@gmailDOTcom

And a big hug and a THANK YOU to Eve for her great interview and book prize!

Another Plagiarism Drama

Sarah of the awesome website, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a new post up that should be read, especially if you review. It seems that book reviews written by users on Amazon and other review blogs are being posted on eBay under this group called EDson Financial Group and not notifying the reviwers.

This burns my butt like you wouldn't believe because I review on Amazon!

If you review for a blog, or another website, I recommend you go to the EDson Financial Group review Ebay page and see if you are a victim.

Blossum is not pleased.

UPDATE: Jane from DearAuthor.com also has a post.

Dorchester Photography Contest!

Now it is your chance to be a cover model! Dorchester Publishing is offering readers the opportunity to create their own costumes based on characters in their favorite Dorchester romances for a chance to win cash prizes and free books.

Romance novels have the power to transport us to worlds of fantasy, lands far away, the distant past and the distant future. They capture our imagination and allow us to see, smell, breathe and touch as if we were the character in our favorite book. Dorchester challenges its readers to bring the books to life by “getting into character” and taking some pictures.

Participating is easy. Simply choose your favorite character or scene from a Dorchester book, dress up accordingly, snap a photo and send it in to be judged by our Romance experts.

You could be Egan MacDonald from HIGHLANDER EVER AFTER fighting in his plaid and paint or Rain Tairen Soul from KING OF SWORD AND SKY, shape-shifting and brandishing your deadly blade. Perhaps you’d like to go shoe shopping and mystery solving like the indomitable Maddie Springer from ALIBI IN HIGH HEELS. If the future is your bag, dash across the Northern Waste as Raina Bowen in DRIVEN. The sky is the limit!A winner will be chosen in each of the following categories: Best Historical, Best Paranormal, Most Romantic and Most Creative. The winners will receive cash prizes and copies of their favorite author’s books.

HOW TO ENTER: Choose your favorite character, get a costume and snap a photo. Email the photo to cnelson@dorchesterpub.com by September 1, 2008.

For more information: Photo Contest

So, if you had your choice, what character would you want to be?

Kristie(J): Sarah Fielding I think. She's a writer - plus she has Derek Craven *g*

Katie(babs): Since I am on this Rehv kick lately, I would try to pimp out the mohawk, fur coat and cane. Or, I would want to be Catherine from Wuthering Heights and be shot in a passionate clutch with my Heathcliff :D

ME WANT, BUT ME NO HAVE!!!

Katiebabs has gone to bed so Blossum has come to say she is very upset she does not have these most anticipated Fall Reads in her little hands. What's a girl got to do to get these??

Anybody? Bueller.... Bueller...?

Lisa Marie Rice Interview! You bet this is an *EXCLUSIVE*

I was blind sided last week when an author wrote to me personally to ask if I would like to do an interview with her. This was not just any author, but one I have been trolling the internet, looking everywhere, for any information on her. She doesn’t have a website and is still very much a mystery, but writes books I have glommed since the moment I read her when she was published under Ellora’s Cave. She is Lisa Marie Rice and one author I have great respect for. As I said in my recent review of Dangerous Secrets, Lisa was one of the first authors I read under an electronic publishing house, and also helped ease me into the world of erotic romance. (again, she writes the hottest missionary sex scenes around)

Katie: What is Dangerous Secrets, your release for July about?

Lisa: Dangerous Secrets is a bit of a departure for me, which is very good. A writer needs to broaden her horizon, sharpen her chops, don’t you think?

At first, Dangerous Secrets was really hard to write and I struggled with it. The hero, Nick Ireland, undercover as Nicholas Ames, is essentially tasked with seducing the heroine under false pretences, as she is a conduit to what his agency suspects is the head of the Russian Mafiya in America and, worse, about to strike a deal with terrorists. This isn’t a spoiler because I tell the reader this right at the beginning. Anyone who has read me knows I love my heroes, and I love for my heroes to be honourable. So at first I struggled mightily against Nick lying to Charity. BUT – he is also a patriot and a man who believes in what he’s doing and what he’s doing will save lives. So he has to betray the one woman he comes to love.

It’s real interesting. I’m looking forward to reader reactions.

Katie: Ellora's Cave has some of the most sought after read authors in the electronic publishing world. Can you tell us how you started writing for Ellora's Cave?

Lisa: Ellora’s Cave is one of the finest publishing houses in the world, from a writer’s point of view. It’s not big enough to be a huge corporation, soulless and loyal only to the bottom line. Yet. If they continue being as successful as they are, they might lose their soul. Though I doubt it.

I spent a billion years (not really, only it felt like it) trying to break into Harlequin and I nearly made it a couple of times. The old clichés – close, but no cigar. Always a godmother, never a god.

I had a story I absolutely loved, intended for Harlequin. I decided to just let myself go and write it exactly as I felt it and it turned into Midnight Man. Not Harlequin material. Just as I was finishing it, I discovered Ellora’s Cave. I thought – why not? I sent it by email, expecting to wait a year and a half, and about a week later I got an email from Marty Klopfenstein saying she loved it and wanted to buy it. Do you hear that? Not—I love it bu t lift it and turn it 180°. Or turn the hero into a hedgehog. Or—I love the tone, now change it. Or:

**Mitchell and Webb - Write this..or that..or maybe**

All her suggestions for minor changes made perfect sense. She bought it and that’s how I started publishing with Ellora’s Cave. My new editor is Kelli Kwiatowski and she is fantastic, too. Very modern and hip and understanding.

Katie: How is writing under an electronic publishing house different from writing for a mainstream publishing house like Avon Red?

Lisa: If you’re writing for a good electronic publishing house, there really is no difference. An editor is an editor. I’ve only ever written for EC, so I’m not the best person to ask. Technically, an electronic publishing house tends (I’m speaking in general) to not give an advance but to give a slightly bigger royalty. The book is available earlier. But these are minor differences. To a writer, the important thing is your editor and I love both my editors, at EC and at Avon Red. I seem to have lucked out.

Katie: Erotic romance breaks many boundaries with the intimacies shared between the main couple. How far would you stretch these boundaries with a sex scene? Are there certain acts that may be too kinky or risqué for your tastes?

Lisa: Oh wow, yes there are TONS of sex scenes I won’t/can’t write about. Sex toys, for one. My books are sex toy-free zones. Kink. No swinging from the chandeliers for me. The point is that all those games that people who are jaded and a little bored invent for themselves to keep themselves interested in sex aren’t what I write about. My men and women are really really interested in sex with the person they’re falling in love with. They’re not bored and they don’t need role playing or spanking or props.

I know this sounds weird, but my books, though categorized as erotic romance, aren’t really about the sex. They are about the extremely tight bond being formed under the readers’ eyes between a man and a woman. My job is to ensure that the reader come away from the book with the certainly that the hero and heroine are bonded for life. Sex alone can’t do that.

Katie: Dangerous Lover was one of my favorite reads from 2007. Your character of Jack Prescott was so tortured yet so very loving and protective of Caroline Lake, the woman he loves and worships. How do you come up with these incredible men that puts all other heroes in romance to shame? *G*

Lisa: My heroes are men who are men. They aren’t children and they aren’t teenagers. They’re not neurotic. They fall in love once and when they do they don’t play games. They are not ambiguous or half-hearted in their feelings. I think that’s why readers love them so much. Jack Prescott is committed to Caroline, heart, body and soul.

But then that is the point of a romance – to be romantic, no?

Katie: Who were your favorite hero and heroine to write?

Lisa: My favourites, mmm. Maybe John and Suzanne from Midnight Man and Jack and Caroline from Dangerous Lover. But by a hair. I love them all. Wait until you read about Nick and Charity. You’ll love them.

Katie: I gave one of my guy friends Dangerous Lover and all of your Midnight Series books to read and he didn't come up for air and wanted more! How does it feel to know that men enjoy your books just as well as women?

Lisa: How great to know that men enjoy my books! I write my heroines thinking—I want to be this woman. But why can’t a man think—I want to be this man? My men are great, if I do say so myself. They’re smart and tough and won’t bow down, ever. They fall in love with smart, savvy women. So maybe male readers like identifying with the heroes, who are anything but sappy.

Katie: If you could explain a Lisa Marie Rice novel in one word, what would that word be?

Lisa: A Lisa Marie Rice novel – romantic.

Katie: To most of your fans you are still quite a mystery. What was the funniest rumor you heard about yourself.

Lisa: I have heard a number of rumors – first of all, that I am a man, because I write men so well. And second, that I am Shannon McKenna. This is great because Shannon McKenna is a wonderful writer and a fantastic friend. She gets similar email – that she is Lisa Marie Rice.

Katie: You are stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring with you to survive?

Lisa: Stranded on a desert isle – water, sunscreen, and though I don’t have one, a Kindle with a thousand books inside. Oh, and one of my heroes because he will know how to find food and build a shelter, and make sure I survive, in style.

Katiebabs (KB) who wishes the best for Lisa and anxiously awaits her next book release!

How many have YOU read?

I saw this on Naida's blog and I don't often play this kind of game because I always feel inadequate, but this time, with nothing else to really blog about, I thought I'd give it a shot. These are the top 100 books on LibraryThing and since I love LibraryThing best of all the online book catalogue sites - here goes. The idea is to bold the ones you've read.

(as you can see right off the bat I'm starting to feel inadequate - I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books)

1. Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
7. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
8. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7) by J.K. Rowling
10. 1984 by George Orwell
11. Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics) by Jane Austen
12. The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger
13. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
14. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
15. The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
16. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
17. Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) by Charlotte Bronte
18. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
19. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
20. Animal Farm by George Orwell
21. Angels & demons by Dan Brown
22. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
23. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
24. One Hundred Years of Solitude (Oprah's Book Club) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
25. The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, Part 1) by J.R.R. Tolkien
26. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
27. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
28. The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, Part 2) by J.R.R. Tolkien
29. The Odyssey by Homer
30. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
31. Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut
32. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
33. The return of the king : being the third part of The lord of the rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
34. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
35. American Gods: A Novel by Neil Gaiman
36. The chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
37. The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams
38. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
39. The lovely bones: a novel by Alice Sebold
40. Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card
41. The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by Philip Pullman
42. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman
43. Dune by Frank Herbert
44. Emma by Jane Austen
45. Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
46. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Bantam Classics) by Mark Twain
47. Anna Karenina (Oprah's Book Club) by Leo Tolstoy
48. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
49. Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
50. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
51. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
52. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
53. The Iliad by Homer
54. The Stranger by Albert Camus
55. Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
56. Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
57. The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel by Margaret Atwood
58. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
59. Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt
60. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery
61. The lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
62. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
63. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
64. The Grapes of Wrath (Centennial Edition) by John Steinbeck
65. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
66. The Name of the Rose: including Postscript to the Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
67. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
68. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
69. The complete works by William Shakespeare (quite a few - but not the complete works)
70. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
71. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
72. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
73. Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library) by William Shakespeare
74. Of Mice and Men (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) by John Steinbeck
75. A Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
76. The Alchemist (Plus) by Paulo Coelho (7,710)
77. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (7,648)
78. The Picture of Dorian Gray (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (Barnes & Noble Classics) by Oscar Wilde
79. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk
80. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
81. The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2) by Philip Pullman
82. Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan
83. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
84. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
85. Dracula by Bram Stoker
86. Heart of Darkness (Dover Thrift Editions) by Joseph Conrad
87. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
88. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
89. The amber spyglass by Philip Pullman
90. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Penguin Classics) by James Joyce
91. The Unbearable Lightness of Being: A Novel (Perennial Classics) by Milan Kundera
92. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
93. Neuromancer by William Gibson
94. The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer
95. Persuasion (Penguin Classics) by Jane Austen
96. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
97. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
98. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
99. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
100. The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

OK - that did it. Now I feel inadequate

Eve Kenin Interview and Contest!

Eve Kenin has become one of the best authors to write incredible Futuristic Speculative Romances. I already have enjoyed Eve's Gothic Historical Romances under her Eve Silver name. Last year when Driven was published I wasn't too sure what to think. To read about a desolate world where people either kill or be killed seemed a bit harsh for my tastes. But I decided to take a chance, and what a wonderful chance it was! Kristie also couldn't stop raving about Driven and we were anxiously waiting for the sequel, Hidden. And if you read our duo review last week, you can see what hardcore Eve Kenin fans we have become. And being such fans, we had to ask Eve for an interview, which she agreed to.

Kristie here. I was so excited when Kate said you would answer some questions. I was blown away by Driven. It was the first Urban Fantasy I'd read and I don't think I could have picked a better one to introduce me to the genre. I loved everything about it - the strong heroine, the unusual background of Wizard and his siblings, the post apocalyptic feel of the book just everything. And I equally loved Hidden – as you can tell.

Eve: Thanks, Kristie! I wrote DRIVEN because the book insisted on getting written. I honestly wasn't certain that it would ever find a home...post-apocalyptic, trans-Siberian trucker romances aren't a hugely popular sub-genre, LOL! I was blown away by the support for that book, and I really worked to make HIDDEN a worthy follow-up. Hearing that you love these stories as I do is wonderful.

Kristie: As both Kate and I have noticed, and I'm sure we aren't the only ones, your two Shomi books have almost a Mad Max feel to them. Have you seen the Mad Max movies and did they influence the stories?

Eve: I've seen the Mad Max movies, and enjoyed each one of them. But, no, they didn't influence these stories. Actually, it was Joss Whedon's amazing series Firefly that jump-started my imagination. Add to that the anime I was watching at the time--Full Metal Panic, Hellsing, GTO, GetBackers--and I was on a roll. Once the world and the history were fleshed out for DRIVEN, it was only a matter of keeping the continuity for HIDDEN. But I was worried that HIDDEN would simply be a rehash of DRIVEN, and I absolutely didn't want that to be the case. So I added twists and turns and surprises to keep the flavor and feel the same, while still offering the reader something new and fresh.

Kristie: Do you have any more storylines in mind in this setting? It may be just me, but I could see there could be quite a few tales to tell - I hope so anyway *g*

Eve: LOL! You aren't ready to let go of the Northern Waste, are you? I have a ton of stories in mind. There are so many characters clamoring to break free of my imagination and get their stories down in paper and ink.

Kristie: Do you have a story in mind for Yuriko planned and if so, any idea how long we have to wait for her story?

Eve: I'd love to have the opportunity to write Yuriko's story, as well as stories for some of the other characters we've encountered in the Northern Waste. But right now, I'm working on my next Eve Silver historical gothic, delving into the mind of a monster against the backdrop of beautiful, bucolic Cairncroft Abbey.

Kristie: What do you think of the covers you've received so far in your Shomi books? In my own case - I love them. There are quite a few romance books I won't read in public because of the covers, but I was reading Driven in the food court at the local mall one time and wasn't bothered at all.

Eve: The Shomi covers are interesting, and since the line began they have undergone an evolution. DRIVEN had a distinct feel that was reflected in all the early SHOMI releases. Then the direction of the covers changed and HIDDEN has a different feel. They both scream action, and I do feel that each accurately reflects elements of the stories.

Katie: So many post-apocalyptic stories and movies where they take place in a desert setting or where global warming has destroyed Earth with scorching temperatures. What made you decide on a frozen arctic setting for Driven and Hidden?

Eve: DRIVEN decided the setting. That might sound odd, but there's no other answer to this question. The Northern Waste popped out, fully fleshed. Maybe because I wrote DRIVEN in the winter, and, um, I really hate the cold. Maybe because the frozen setting was a reflection of the frozen and barren life that Wizard, Tatiana and Yuriko originally led. I only know that these stories needed to be set in the Waste. There was no other setting that would work.

Katie: You've been nominated and won many awards. The reviews for your books are outstanding. Do you feel you have a great deal to live up to? Does a review, good or bad influence your writing?

Eve: I feel both honored and humbled by the wonderful praise for my work, both as Eve Silver and Eve Kenin. My first release came out in late 2005, and since that time my books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, been chosen among Library Journal's Best Books 2007, received nominations, awards and honorable mentions in AAR's Annual Reader Poll, and awards and Top Picks from Romantic Times in all three sub-genres that I write. I treasure each and every accolade. Is it a great deal to live up to? You bet. But I'm my own harshest critic. I can't put out a book that I feel isn't my very best effort, and I push myself hard with each story I tell. Good and bad reviews...Mostly, I try not to read reviews because I have been working at such a crazy pace. In addition to writing three releases for 2007 and four releases for 2008, I teach human anatomy. So my on-line reading time is limited, and I try to read and answer every email I receive because I value the time a reader puts into sending me an email. Moreover, I recognize that different books speak to different people. While some may love my stories, others may not, and they are perfectly entitled to their opinion. Not every story works for every reader or reviewer. What one reviewer hates about a particular story, another reviewer will love. If I tried to write to all the varying opinions, I'd likely freeze and never write another thing. So I just write the best book I can write.

Katie: You just updated your website recently, which looks really great! Do you think it is important for authors to have a website or blog? Is this good PR?

Eve: Thank you! I love my new website. When I made my first sale, my husband taught himself Dreamweaver and designed a website for me as a gift. I loved that original site, but it was designed for a newbie by a newbie. It wasn't designed to grow. Fast forward three years and nine books. There just wasn't room for all of them! So hubby went back to the drawing board and created a new site with the help of a buddy at MadLab. Do I think it is important for an author to have a website? Well, I can only speak for myself. I like to have that connection with readers, to offer a place that they can find information about my books and even a little bit about me (though I'm a fairly boring girl, which is why I don't have a nice, chatty blog, (LOL!)

Katie: You write for so many genres from historical romance, contemporary paranormals, and speculative futuristic. What made you decide to branch out to so many other genres instead of just writing for one?

Eve: This question's easy. I had stories to tell, so I told them. There's no guarantee that I'll stick only to these three genres. If I had a story about a wagon train that was screaming to be written, I'd write it. (But, um, there's never any guarantee that I'd find someone who'd publish it, LOL!)

Katie: If you were a character in one of you Northern Waste books, what type of character would you be? How would you survive? Urrgh! Must I answer this question?

Eve: How would I survive? *With a lot of grumbling.* I hate the cold (even though I live in a region that's cold for months and months on end). Thanks for asking these questions and giving me the chance to share this information :)

Along with a great interview, we have a great book to give away! Eve has an ARC of her September Anthology release, NATURE OF THE BEAST up for grabs! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Thursday. And if you have a question for Eve, ask away because she may just stop by! :D

The DIK blog

Now, in case some may not know, after a group of us finished the DIK books and heroes, Sarai came up with the idea for a blog.
Right now it's starting with a 'getting to know us' thing. A group of questions was asked and it was our choice to answer which ones we wanted to. So far everyone has answered one question -
Boxers, briefs, boxer briefs or kilts.

This is for all the ladies who answered kilts!!

WALL*E Movie Review

Yesterday I saw WALL*E, one of the three movies I had planned to see this summer. My four year old voice in my head, who I have now named Blossum, was screaming at me to go see this movie. So to look reputable I took my two little cousins with me, ages four and six. You would think I would have problems with two rambunctious boys, but actually they are angels when they go to the movies. My main problem was what if one of them one wanted to go to the bathroom during the movie? What do I do? I even told their mother about my concern. She just laughed and gave me good advice. But disaster was diverted and no potty breaks were needed during the viewing.

My favorite Disney Pixar movie of all time is Toy Story and now I can say that it is WALL*E. If you enjoy the Pixar movies, you will love this movie. Even if you aren’t a fan of animation, I whole heartily recommend you go see WALL*E. As an adult I was taught a lesson as well as the two little boys sitting next to me. When a child and adult can leave a movie together and talk about the same things they watched and ask questions, that is really an amazing thing.

Synopsis: What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL*E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL*E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL*E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets an adventure into motion. Joining WALL*E on his journey across the universe is a cast of characters including a pet cockroach and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

The first few minutes of WALL*E are a bit depressing. Earth is a vast wasteland of garbage. And when I say wasteland, I mean that in the literal sense. Humans have left Earth because of the output of garbage, waste and abuse to the environment. The year is 2775 and all that remains are skyscrapers, filth and waste. As I sat there, the six year turns to me and asks what has happened to the Earth? Why all the garbage? I honestly have no answer for him and as he turns back to look at the screen he says, garbage is very bad. Things become a bit lighter as we see WALL*E on the screen. The character of WALL*E is so very much like a child. He sees things as a child would. Even though his job is to clean up the garbage the best he can, he likes to collect things such as Rubik Cubes, light bulbs and utensils. WALL*E has such an incredible personality that shows he is not just a mindless robot. He enjoys watching an old time 1950’s musical and loves the music and the dancing. He especially enjoys watching one scene over and over again where a man and woman are holding hands and sing to each other. WALL*E assumes love means holding hands; but he has no one to hold hands with.
EVE comes down to Earth with a directive in mind. She reminded me of a mutant egg, but quickly just as WALL*E tugged at my heart, EVE will do the same with you. WALL*E welcomes her with open arms, so very happy he has another to share his toys with. He assumes she will want to stay with him and perhaps she will be the one to finally hold his hand. (The hand holding becomes very important throughout the movie) But WALL*E has in his possession what EVE is searching for. WALL*E has found a small plant growing out of all the waste and gives it to EVE. By plant life beginning to grown on Earth again after hundreds of years, that means humans can return to their home and begin a new.

EVE is taken back to her ship and WALL*E follows her because he thinks she is in danger. EVE is sent back to a huge giant like cruise spaceship where humans live as if they are on permanent vacation. Another disturbing fact is that because robots do everything for humans, humans have become big lazy blobs who ride around in chairs as they drink fatting shakes and watching TV very oblivious to life around them. When the Captain of the ship receives the plant, it means they can return home to Earth. But his co-pilot, which is a robot and so very much like HAL from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey has specific instructions that humans can not return to Earth. It takes over the ship’s controls and tries to stop WALL*E and EVE from placing the plant in a certain part of the ship that will enable them to go back to Earth.

So many lessons were taught and learned in this simple animated movie. It is heartbreaking to think in hundreds of years, Earth may no longer be inhabitable by living things and we would have to leave to travel in space with no meaning. WALL*E in some ways is very much like 2001: A Space Odyssey and as an adult I laughed at so many hidden jokes that came straight from the movie. But like 2001, there is hope and in WALL*E even though things look hopeless, that is not the case. Even though Earth is devastated, things can change. By the end of WALL*E my depression that I felt at the beginning of the movie became a feeling of hope. You must stay till the very end and watch the closing credits because as Peter Gabriel sings, we see through very amateur drawings how humans can make Earth so very green again because of a robot who should have no feelings or personality was able to deliver one small plant that will become the roots for a future of hope.

As my two little men and I left the theater laughing and chatting about what we watched, I pray because they are the next generation, that by watching a movie like WALL*E, they realize how important it is to be respectful to the Earth. But they are taught so very well already, because every piece of garbage they had, they put in the garbage can because it is the right thing to do.

Two very big thumbs up!!

**Make sure to stop by and visit tomorrow because Kristie and I are posting an interview with did with Eve Kenin. You will also have the chance to win an ARC of her September release of the Eve Silver anthology, Nature of the Beast. **

Katiebabs (KB)

I'm home - and I'm tired

Too tired to do anything but read other people's blogs for a while. So I thought I'd do a filler until the brain comes back with this cute quiz I saw on Let's Gab.

Your hidden talent is writing Your hidden talent is writing. You have a unique way of viewing the world and are able to express your thoughts eloquently on the page. Some people might think that you are weird, but you are just the next Pulitzer prize winner. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Say Hello to Blossum!

Katiebabs has decided on a new alter-ego. Say hello to Powerpuff superheroine Blossum who can write thoughtful and funny book reviews on a moments notice! Plus if she has to be a bit snarky in her reviews, we can blame Blossum, not KB! *G*

Already Blossum has taken over my avatar. Stay tuned for more breaking information to follow...

If you could be any super hero or heroine who would you be and why?

Blossum

Shades of Dark: The Joint Review

Thea and Ana from Book Smugglers and I have done it again! We have teamed up to write our "exclusive" reviews of Linnea Sinclair's Shades of Dark! Read mine and then go read hers and see if we are of the same mine. Plus, Ana and Thea are holding a Shades of Dark Contest over the weekend where there is an interview with Linnea and you can have your chance to win Shades of Dark.

And just to remind everyone, Sully is mine for always. Sorry Ana! :D

About two years ago, I was stuck in a romance genre rut. All I would read was historical with some contemporary funnies on the side. Also, paranormal romance was just starting to catch my eye. The thought of picking up a science fiction novel, even one with romance didn’t appeal to me. I don’t know how I came to hear of Linnea Sinclair, but for some reason I decided to give her a try. Some online message boards I would visit raved about her book, Gabriel’s Ghost. I quickly went to my local library to see if they had this book. It wasn’t in the romance section and I was shocked to see it was in Science Fiction. Why, honestly I have never even stepped foot to look at any books in that section and couldn’t believe I was there. I guess you could say I was a bit of a snob, because I really didn’t think there was no way romance could work in a sci-fi novel.

How wrong I was! I must first thank Linnea for opening my eyes to a whole new world. Because of Gabriel’s Ghost, I decided then to branch out to other genres. Soon I was reading all types of romance themed books. Linnea Sinclair is the reason I have grown from a biased type of reader into one willing to explore new books, even outside romance.

Gabriel’s Ghost is one of my all time favorite books regardless of it being a “science fiction” novel. As most of you know, I have a mad crush on Gabriel “Sully” Sullivan. He is such an ideal hero in so many ways. A bit of a loner who knows right from wrong but still feels the need for the best things in life. If he has to steal them, so be it. Of course the one thing he wants to steal most of all is the heart of a woman who seems to despise him. I won’t go into the whole plot of Gabriel’s Ghost, but the relationship between Sully and Chasidah “Chaz” Bergren, his angel-mine, is a subtle affair, not the big bang sexing love we are so use to in the romance we read and what some expect to find. Their love slowly builds up and becomes such a worthy one that can compete with most of the classic love stories we have come to adore.

When I heard Linnea was writing a sequel to Gabriel’s Ghost, I did a little dance of joy Sully and Chaz were coming back! But would her sequel, Shades of Dark be a worthy book? Would it loose its appeal or be written in a way where the love Sully and Chaz have for each other is lacking? Well, Linnea I am sorry to say Gabriel’s Ghost is no longer my favorite novel of yours, it is Shades of Dark, which is destined to be a sci-fi romance classic, in my eyes at least.

Shades of Dark takes place three months after Gabriel’s Ghost ends. Sully, Chaz and their crew are fugitives, trying to stop Sully’s cousin and his partner in crime by taking over the galaxy. These villains are able to re-create mutant beasts called Jukors that were used by the Empire. Because these things were so dangerous and hard to control, the Empire stopped all creation of them. Sully and Chaz’s self determined mission is to fine these illegal labs where the Jukors are being made and try and stop these horrendous clones before it is too late.

Things are a bit touch and go, especially because Sully is a rare human breed called a Kyi Ragkiril who has telepathic and telekinetic abilities. His kind are so feared that he would be killed right on the spot. Sully is slowly losing his identity as a human because he is not sure he can control his powers. His only hope is Chaz, who is his ky’sara. As his ky’sara, Chaz can feel all of Sully thoughts and emotions, and the same goes for Sully. They are soul mates in the literal sense and when Sully makes love to Chaz, she does literally see stars! Sully likes to show Chaz the stars a lot! Yup, much more intimate moments going on between Sully and Chaz here! :D

Even though Sully and Chaz are happy to be together, they are never safe, especially when her brother is arrested for treason. Now more than ever they must find these labs and through some rumors and inside information from associates, they may have the perfect man to aid them. His name is Regarth Serian Cordell Delkavra otherwise known as Captain "Del" Regarth who is also a Stolorth and a Kyi. He is willing to help for a price and seems to take an interest in Chaz.

As Del joins Sully and Chaz, Del helps train Sully to control his kyi abilities. But Chaz doesn’t like the way Del works. Del is a sleazy yet seductive character who not only wants to have a special relationship with Sully but wants to be a part of what Chaz and Sully have together! Yup, an intergalactic Kyi ménage. Now before you all become shocked and think, why, is Linnea going to go where none of her stories have gone before, Del’s “blackmail” shall we say, is very subtle. Chaz makes the assumption and Del doesn’t deny or agree.

Chaz is in between a rock and hard place. Her brother may end up dead, Sully is loosing himself more and more as a Kyi and Del keeps giving her the dirty eye that makes her want to shower. And then her ex-husband Philip shows up and that is when the real fun begins!

Ana and I talked about how hard of a review this was to write because there is so much going on and the action is the non-stop, buckle yourself in because it is going to be a bumpy ride type. To give anything else away would be major spoilers. A little tease I can give you is that at one point Linnea does something to Sully that made me sob and want to write her and say “WTF?”. I did end up writing her and she chuckled and said just keep reading, which I did and was truly blown away up to the very last page.

Shades of Dark is a masterpiece of science fiction fantasy. This is everything I was looking for in a book from a stellar love story, some of the most excellent written characters that I have read in such a long time and some twists that made me shout out loud. I am not one to shout as I read, but Linnea’s books tend to do that to me. For an author to bring such emotion from myself is truly a master. Shades of Dark is one of these books that is a work of art. There are only two other books this year I have given a total of 5 stars to and Shades of Dark is one of them.

5 out of 5 stars.

Katiebabs (KB)

Dead To Me Winner

We have a winner in the Dead To Me book giveaway!

BUNNY B!!

You have won a copy of Dead To Me by Anton Strout. Just email me your mailing address at:
KatiebabsgDOTgmail.com

Come back tomorrow for my review of Linnea's Sinclair's Shades of Dark. It will be another duel review with Ana from Book Smugglers!

**Ana is under the delusion that Sully is hers. Sorry, but I lay claim to him! Linnea even told me he's mine! (um, I like to think she will let me have him since Sully is one of my favorite heroes of all time!)**

Katiebabs (KB)

Some Fun

By now you have seen this quiz making the rounds on the blogs.
HUH??

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

And the lovely ladies at Book Smugglers tagged me!
Here's the deal:

Get yourself to the nearest book, flip to page 123, and copy the 5th sentence out here...

I am reading Sam's Creed by Sarah McCarty:

"She licked her lips, the next words lodge in her throat as a flush burned her from toe to head"

Such a perfect sentence for the tone of this book :D

Of course I need some victims... ahem... volunteers to play along. I have tagged:

Carolyn Jean
Lisa Bea
Jen B
Ciaralira
Wendy the Super Librarian
Jill D

Katiebabs (KB)

Dangerous Secrets Review!

When I finally ventured into the online world of ebooks, I found Ellora’s Cave. There were three authors there I quickly had become a big fan of. They were Samantha Kane, Sarah McCarty and Lisa Marie Rice. I find Lisa Marie Rice to be a very different author of erotic romance. Most erotic romance has the hero and heroine trying out every sexual position possible to the point where they are swinging from chandeliers and spanking each other upside their bums. (and even in some cases multiple partners and toys are a big option) Lisa writes romances that don’t need such shocking and scandalous sex to get her point across. She is the one author who writes some of the hottest missionary sex around. Her stories are so beyond sexy because of the bond the hero and heroine form between them. Her heroes are men who are so lost, adrift in the world until they meet that one woman that gives them their soul back.

When I found out Lisa would be published in the mainstream book world, I was over the moon. Dangerous Lover was one of my favorite books of 2007 and her hero, Jack Prescott is one of my all time favorite heroes in romance ever. That says a lot coming from me, because from the amount of romances I read a year, the majority of the heroes are a dime a dozen. But not Lisa’s men. Her newest hero, Nicholas Ireland, in her July release of Dangerous Secrets is very much a trademark Rice hero. He is very much an alpha male but so protective and sweet of the woman he cares for. He wants to swallow his new found love whole, but feels the need to treat her with kindness and care instead. Because I am so biased about Jack, Nick doesn’t even come close in my hero worship, but the way he treats his woman, librarian Charity Prewitt, is so very endearing.

I read Dangerous Secrets in one sitting a few weeks ago during an electrical blackout because the heat was so intense. Without any power, I cracked open Dangerous Secrets and read it under four hours. Nicholas Ames is a rich stockbroker who starts to woo the local town librarian. Actually, Nick is a former Delta operator on an undercover mission. He is really Nick Ireland a.k.a. the Iceman who must befriend and seduce Charity because she is best friends with Vassily Worontzoff, a Russian immigrant who has acclaim as a world renowned writer. He also happens to be head of a world wide crime syndicate that aids terrorists. If Nick can get close to Charity, he will be able to get to Worontzoff and stop him from ruining more innocent lives.

Charity has no clue who the real Nick is and he courts her very smoothly. Things happen very quickly between these two and Charity is so enthralled by Nick, that she takes him into her bed and gives him her heart. Even though Nick’s nickname is the Iceman, he is not cold at all. He is sick over the way he has to lie to Charity. He hates the fact that the woman he is falling for is being placed in danger because of him. Charity is such a kind and loving woman and her love wraps Nick in a wonderful bubble of promises and hope for a future. But he knows that all will end because he has to betray Charity in the worst way.

Ah yes, that nasty word- betrayal. Nick does something that tears Charity apart and probably will make most readers growl because Charity feels so deeply for Nick and her heart is ripped in half to the point she is ready to die. As she goes through these emotions, I felt so deeply for her. And when Charity finally confronts Nick, he has no words to explain how sorry he is over her grief. Even if he groveled on his hands and knees (and we all know we love when a hero gets down and begs for forgiveness) it won’t be enough. The only promise Nick can give Charity is the fact that she will no longer be alone and he will make it his life’s purpose to bring her joy, happiness and all the hot loving she can handle.

Dangerous Secrets is very much an erotic thriller because of the plot about terrorists. Worontzoff is borderline cartoonish in his villainy, but Lisa gives the reader enough background on this man that you actually do feel sorry for him at one point. For he is a man that has loved and lost; much like Nick. The difference is that Nick does not descend into madness like Worontzoff.

Charity is sweet yet not so innocent where she will annoy most. If I were in her shoes, I would have fallen for a man like Nick and never question his motives. There is a point where she does something some would place under the TSTL (to stupid to live) category but her actions pulled everything together in the end.

Dangerous Secrets is a nice read for the summer season, even though it takes place in the cold winter of Vermont. Nick and Charity steam up the sheets just fine with their love story and of course some nice missionary sex I have come to enjoy in a Rice novel.

3 out of 5 stars.

**And I have another surprise in store! Lisa Marie Rice gave me an interview! Keep your eyes posted here for my "EXCLUSIVE" interview with Lisa!**

Katiebabs (KB)

Quickly ducking in again

Nancy is off looking for food they don't sell in the States that she misses. She dropped me off at home and either she has stopped at Walmart and is taking a while - or she is lost.

But until I get that phone call to come and find her, I have time to do another quick post and send you to Kaya's. She has a wonderful post on what makes North and South so special for her.
And speaking of North and South, I had a friend over on Friday night and yep - we watched it. She LOVED it and is planning on finding her own copy. She doesn't have a blog so I can't add her - but still - another Crusader.

Now I gotta run 'cause I'm supposed to be working on the back bedroom. My whole house is in chaos at the moment - not just the back bedrooms. And I've had to make some real tough choices on what to throw out. It's painful to the pack rat in me.


PS:

Busted!! She wasn't lost. Nancy was indeed at Walmart. She got me some green garbage bags for more purging.
I told her I just had to comment on Kaya's wonderful post. I'm trying to talk her into watching North and South but she's not going for it -------yet


(the pain, the pain)


PPSS

Krisitie's sister Nancy here. Procrastination is her middle name.......

She's right you know.

Only back briefly but thanks once again to Cindy S *sigh*

(while Nancy gets ready - she's more of a girly girl than me and takes much longer - why she's putting on make-up and stuff when she knows I'm going to make her sweat by helping me clean out the back bedroom I don't know - but it gives me a bit extra time)
Cindy just had to do it. She just had to mention buy 3 get one free at Chapters. I know Nath mentioned it, but I kind of forgot. But Cindy couldn't not remind us.
So of course I had to go for it. And of course I couldn't let it rest at buy 3 get one free. I had to buy 6 get 2 free.
My latest purchases:


Dead to Me by Anton Strout
Katies been saying how good this one is and her review sounded intriguing. So I went outside my box for this book.












The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter
Yep, I know a lot of you are envious that I have this one. For some reason it was on the shelves early. Now all I need to do is start reading this series. I have all of them - just need to read them.










Lessons from a Courtesan by Jenna Petersen.
I got this one after reading her interview at Ciara's blog. I've never tried any of this authors' books before












Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves
I've loved just about all this author's books save one and last time I looked it wasn't on the shelf. This time it was!!












In Twilight's Shadow by Patti O'Shea
I looked for this one last time and couldn't find it even though the store said they had it in. I looked again this time again, didn't see it in the romance section but I found it in the general books shelves











Wild for Him by Janelle Denison
This one was a bit of a gamble. Her last one was a DNF for me but I liked the previous books. So I figured it was only fair to give her another chance.











Never Say Never by Geralyn Dawson.
It's been years since I've read her books. I used to like them but then the Wedding books got to be a bit too much so I kind of stopped. But this one is a RS so I wanted to give it a try.

The Loner by Geralyn Dawson
A Western, not one of her Wedding Series and it was time I tried her again. I've read good buzz on her lately so wanted to get back into the swimming pool

Two Books To Keep Your Eye On

The awesome Mary Kate from Adventures in Katidom (who I forgive for stealing Roarke from me) noticed this new book by Marjorie M. Liu. She wanted to know more information about it, and I have delivered!

THE IRON HUNT (July 08):

"Silver smoke winds around my torso, peeling away from my ribs and back, stealing the dark mist covering my hands and lower extremities…tattoos dissolving into demon flesh, coalescing into small dark bodies. My boys. The only friends I have in this world. Demons.

I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss."

By day, her tattoos are her armor. By night, they unwind from her body to take on forms of their own. Demons of the flesh, turned into flesh. This is the only family demon hunter Maxine Kiss has ever known. The only way to live—and the very way she’ll die. For one day, her demons will abandon her for her daughter to assure their own survival—leaving Maxine helpless against her enemies

But such is the way of Earth’s last protector—the only one standing between humanity and the demons breaking out from behind the prison veils. It is a life lacking in love, reveling in death, until one moment—and one man—changes everything…

**The cover is very eye catching. I have never read Marjorie's books before. Should this be the first one I read by her?

And coming in November from Shannon McKenna:

ULTIMATE WEAPON:

Tamara’s a bad girl with a dangerous difference. Enter a terrifying, sexually charged world of thrilling suspense, where love is the riskiest game of all…

Covert operations are what Val Janos is all about. The man is mysterious and sinister, and lethally hot. Only Tamara can understand the strange intensity that drives him to win at all costs—and only she can match it.

Val has one weak spot: Imre, the frail old man who befriended him when he was a scared, hungry kid abandoned on the streets of Budapest. But Daddy Novak knows about Imre, and Imre's head is on the block if Val doesn't deliver Tam up to Novak's tender mercies…

A white-hot passion explodes when Tam and Val get too close. They both have too much to be afraid of, too much to hide. And now, for the first time, too much to lose…

**Finally bad girl Tamara gets her own story! I have been waiting years ever since this character was introduced. Can't wait!

Katiebabs (KB)