Cate Masters's Blog, page 55

So thankful

This will be my only post here this week (but one away - see below), but I wanted to express my deep gratitude to everyone who helped make this year another fantastic one (though - Mayans aside - I'm not counting on it ending before Dec. 31!)

I feel so lucky to have so many wonderful critique partners. You don't let me get away with anything. You're the reason my writing keeps getting better.

Thanks to the generous authors in this wonderful online writing community. Your enthusiasm and support keeps my spirits buoyed when I most need it.

Thanks so much to the readers who've bought my books! I sincerely hope you've enjoyed them, because that's the reason I keep doing what I do. And if you did enjoy them, I hope you'll leave a review. :)
Most of all, thanks to my family, who provide me much-needed foundation and support, and without whom I'd be lost.
Okay, put away your tissues now. :)

Time for some goodies!


The Romance Reviews's Year-End Splash has begun! The grand prize is a $100 gift card, and hundreds of participating authors are holding giveaways too, so hop on over there!

On Sunday, Nov. 25, I'll be giving away an ebook of my Christmas fantasy, Ground Rules, so keep an eye out for that.


A guest post on Thursday

I'll be at Decadent's 1NS blog on Turkey Day, sharing a little more gratitude and spreading the love.
If I don't see you there, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

The Vitruvian Man

Whew, I almost didn't have a post for today, then two writers tagged me for two different memes just in time. :)
Thanks to C.M. Brown for thinking of me for the You Got the Look meme!
In this one, you go to your current WIP and search for the word "look," then post the surrounding paragraphs.
Here's a peek at a dark paranormal novella I recently subbed:
Something about the performance mesmerized me. I had to watch until the end. I found more than the torches incendiary. Her movements practiced and deft, the fire dancer appeared completely at ease, as if the flames wouldn’t scorch her skin should she slip up. Maybe the very risk of it exhilarated her; she glowed brighter than the fire. She looked more alive than anyone I’d ever seen. More free.
An ache filled my chest. How I envied her! “We’re leaving.” My companion said, a challenge in her tone. She stepped away, and the other two joined her.
I stood my ground. “I’ll catch up to you there.”
With a huff, she stomped off. “Don’t bother.”
My focus followed the twirling wands. The woman tossed one high, then the other, easily catching both on their descent. She swirled them around herself so rapidly, she created a cage of flame around herself, a glowing twine that streaked the dusk.
A fire mage? Eldie hadn’t mentioned any newcomers, though this fire dancer could easily have been an enchantress. I was under her spell. I wanted to feel her skin on my skin, move with her in that exhilarating, intimate dance. I wanted her to burn me in the deepest way, and free me if only for a brief time.

Now to tag five other writers to pick up the meme or not as they so choose! But I encourage you to visit their sites and follow them:Arlene WebbBarbara ElsborgSusan GourleySonya ClarkJessica Subject
Thanks to Sonya Clark for tagging me for The Next Big Thing! I'm going to continue to share a little bit more about the story above.

What is the title of your book?
The Vitruvian Man

Where did the idea come from for the book?
Articles in two very different magazines. The first described Carnevale in Venice, a ten-day festival of general merriment and bacchanalia in masquerade costume. Ad an article in The Smithsonian Magazine in which a researcher found a sketch of The Vitruvian Man by another artist that predated Leonardo Da Vinci's. In researching Da Vinci, I learned his contemporaries sometimes wondered about his methods. I can't give too much away, so that's all I'm saying. :)

What genre does your book fall under?
Hm, this one's a toughie. I call it a dark paranormal, but there's also magic involved, and I wouldn't be surprised if some book seller sites plugged it under urban fantasy.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I imagined the heroine, Melina Weaver, as a young Elizabeth Shue. For the hero, Gerard Butler would fit the bill nicely!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When scientist Melina Weaver unleashes her wild side as a fire dancer at Venice's Carnevale, she finds herself out of her depth after meeting Bruno DiCesare, whose costume hides more than an average alpha male.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
As I mentioned above, I have subbed is, so I'm hoping it will be published by that e-publisher. :)

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
The first draft took 3-4 months, but revisions take many many more months!

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
You stumped me. I try to make my stories unique, so I hope it stands on its own.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A combination of things. I'd researched ancient dances for another dark paranormal, Dancing With the Devil, and learned about fire dancing and it intrigued me. After reading about Carnevale, it sparked the idea for the setting - the festival spans ten days, which made for a perfect time limit for someone who couldn't appear in public without a costume.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 
A hero unlike any readers have seen before - an off-the-charts alpha male, but he's highly educated and sophisticated too. An intelligent and resourceful heroine who must pit her wits against a surprise enemy, and must learn to navigate through strange territory to save the hero. The setting's unusual, too - I've never seen a story set during Carnevale, and the masquerade provided a fun element.

As far as passing this along to other writers, I'd love for anyone who wants to pick up the meme to do so.

Win a Nook loaded with 45 ebooks!
Just in time for the holidays! Enter at Decadent Publishing's Daily Dose of Decadence blog before December 15. Lots of wonderful books on the list. :)

An ode to crit partners

No, I won't torture you with my poetry! But I'm excited that tonight, I'm getting together with three of my crit partners. We met about eight (or nine?) years ago at The Natalie J. Craumer Writing Workshop in Camp Hill, and ever since, have been critiquing each other's work. I would be lost without them!

Luckily, they are all better writers than me. Between the four of us, we span the spectrum of genres, from mainstream and literary to military and suspense, children's,YA, romance, erotica, speculative... you name it. None of us shy away from experimenting, and because of that, I think our work influences one another's in the best possible way.

We have a great relationship. We are friends, but because we are professionals, we're all tough crit partners. I've known them long enough that I can pretty much hear their comments in my head when I read through my own work, and so I revise based on that. It may save them a few crit comments. :)

Another wonderful aspect is that, though we were newbies when we started, we've all continued to grow and achieve new levels, always pushing for the next level, and then the next. I expect great things from them.


Just to dress up the post a bit, here's a pic I took on Halloween night. It was after the hurricane had passed through, and the clouds opened up long enough for the full moon to shine through. I grabbed my Coolpix and this shot (lightened a bit with Photoshop). Creepy but cool, I think. :)

Still catching up, and news

Hurricane Sandy may not have left a permanent mark on us, but she still set me back. I always feel like I'm scrambling to catch up anyway, but after being sick last week and Saturday's event, I still am way behind.

The administrative tasks of being an author always surprise me, and that's partly what the Saturday panel addressed at The Midtown's Harrisburg Book Festival. Titled "Congratulations, You're Published! Now What?" the session was led by the inexhaustible Ann Elia Stewart, whose workshops I attended years ago (and the resulting stories published in the anthology, A Community of Writers).

The other panelists included Gina Napoli (children's fiction and nonfiction), Don Helin (one of my longtime crit partners extraordinaire, thriller and military suspense), and Lori Myers (nonfiction). The best part was having a responsive audience, engaged in what we had to offer during the session.

I was also grateful to meet my newest publisher, Lawrence Knorr of Sunbury Press, who'll release Wild Life, the collection of related literary shorts I submitted under my other pen name, C.A. Masterson. More about that here, if you're interested. :)

More News!

I just signed another contract with Decadent Publishing for a short romance in their 1NS line. Homecoming is a contemporary with a bit of suspense mixed in. The 1NS line is very fun, almost to the point of addiction, and yesterday I actually finished a draft of another story to sub to that line. They always seem to come in twos for me! I'm looking forward to working with Decadent's fantastic cover artists and editors again on Homecoming.

I'm excited, too, that the blog tour for Death Is A Bitch garnered so many wonderful reviews! I hope you don't mind if I share a sampling. :)

In its 5-star review, Bitten by Love Reviews said: ""Death Is A Bitch" the first novel I have read by the awesome Cate Masters and I am definitely now a huge fan. This is a book that has all that you could ask for in the paranormal world, plus some! Ms. Masters weaves an enthralling story, linking both heaven and hell together, in this intriguing novel."


Another 5-star review, Sniffer Walk said: "Cate has a gift for making the traditional non-traditional and the day-to-day, well, exciting and funny. I loved reading this book. I was always curious what was next and who would show up. Much to my pleasant surprise, the story even took me to one of my favorite places, Paris. You will find all sorts of little surprises in here. Now this certainly is not for anyone under 18 but I highly recommend it to anyone needing a respite from everyday life."

Red-Headed BookWorm gave Death four stars, and said: "Death may be a bitch, but I really like her. I liked this book from page one. The characters are very well written and like-able. Death is a strong female lead, really, would you expect anything less. I mean she is Death after all. The mix of angels, demons, and mythology mesh really well. The story is fast paced and kept me wanting more. I fell in love with "the bad guy", Damien. Any author that can make me feel something for the villain deserves high praise! This book was just too short!"

Again, just a sampling, and you can see many of the reviews on Death's Goodreads page. I was actually relieved that so many reviews were positive because, as will happen, some reviewers just didn't like Death. It baffled me because I'd worked so hard on it, and my editor was fantastic in helping me bring the story to a higher level. But the old saying is true, you can't please everyone. Bad reviews happen. I'm grateful to all the reviewers for their time!

Harrisburg Book Festival and TBR blurbfest!

Virtually and actually, this is a busy weekend!

The Midtown Scholar book store is hosting the 3rd annual Book Festival today in Harrisburg. Events are scheduled throughout the weekend, and today I'm participating in a panel discussion titled "Congratulations! You've been published! Now what?" It runs from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. I hope you'll join me and fellow local authors Gina Napoli and Lori Myers for some insights into the publishing process.

But don't miss out on other great sessions! The full event schedule is here in PDF format.


This weekend at TBR, authors are invited to share their book blurbs in the All Genre BlurbFest. It's another way to get your work in front of readers, and hopefully hook some new ones.

Lorrie Unites-Struiff Spills the Beans today!

Hi Lorrie! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book. I’m also glad to be here, Cate. *looks around*  Sweet blog!
Thanks! Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? I’ll have a cup of tea please. Two sugars.
A woman after my own heart. Fur or feathers, petwise? Ahh, neither.  But I do take care of my friend’s cockatoo when she is away. Does that count?
Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits? Ooooh, I have so many pet peeves, it’s hard to pick out one. Let me think. Hmm.
It really bugs me when I’m in the middle of writing a scene, I’m really into it, it’s flowing so nice, my fingers are flying across the keyboard—then the telephone rings. I have to answer because it may be family or an important call. Arrrrrgh!  That sure has a way of breaking the moment.
Argh, I agree! Favorite quote? “Never argue with an idiot.” That’s a personal one I tell myself every time people argue and don’t know what they are talking about. Instance: when someone says to me, “Ah, anyone can write a book, self pub, and make lots of money.” Uh, huh, sure they can, but let them try it. Lol.
Lol, exactly. :) What’s your ideal day like? Oh, to have an ideal day. I wish I had one.
Get out of bed, have my two cups of hot tea. Straighten the house, then hit the computer. Stop for breakfast at noon (yes, I can’t eat breakfast in the mornings) take a little break, then back to the computer. Stop to make dinner and hope my eyes stop burning. A very long break here. Back to the computer to finish up little things, like finish writing a blog article, trying to learn how to manage my blog and maybe answer the new emails. With eyes burning again after an hour, I’d get off and snuggle in my tilt back chair and watch TV, snack, and clear my mind for a few hours, try to relax, then bed.
Now that is an ideal day for me. But, do they happen? Sure!  Maybe once every two or three weeks. Like all  author’s, there is real life to contend with.
Too true. If you could live out any fantasy, what would you do? Be younger and travel to distant lands.
Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what type of music makes you rock out)? All of the above, and let’s not forget the oldies. I have a weird love of music. My mother used to get so angry with me. From my tapes converted to CD’s now, I’ll listen to one by Tears for Fears, the very next one on the same CD may be Chopin, then Smoky Robinson, then an old one by Hank Williams Sr. Then Foreigner, REM, then Mozart, etc. Hey, you asked. Lol.
Like my writing, I’m all over the place with genres. From horror to romance and all in between.
We have the same musical tastes too. :) Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book? Nope. If I have music on, I would listen to it instead of write. Yep, weird.
Not at all! I'm the same there too. Which of your characters would you most/least to hang out with, and why? Most would be Beggar, the ringtail monkey from A Heap of Trouble. He’s so funny. Least would be Morgan’s husband from my short story Wild Blackberries. I don’t like him at all.
Beggar's a cutie! And I agree about Morgan *shudders* While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned? That is was harder than I thought. You authors made it look so easy. Wow, did I have a lot to learn. And learn I did. I’m still learning as we all do with every story we write. We actually slave over the stories, so many rewrites until you have almost memorize every line you wrote. And it takes a long time to produce one story. At least it does for me.
Where can readers find out more about you? My still learning to work blog at http://lorriejuly.blogspot.com/ I’m on Facebook, look for my page, and try punching my name in on Amazon to see what I have available. I have some nice reviews there for you to read.
Please share a book blurb and/or excerpt. Blurb Sheriff Cole Walker is fearless, except when it comes to critters. When a runaway ringtail monkey decides to adopt Cole and won’t leave, he has more woes than he can handle. Cole has a powerful yen for the newly arrived Mattie Wells, the pretty woman who can jingle his spurs with just a smile. Mattie takes a shine to men who have pets, and she adores the monkey. So do all the town’s folk – until their smaller valuables start coming up missing. But Cole has no choice but to put up with the thieving furball if he’s going to win Mattie’s heart. But Mattie is holding a dark secret and refuses to get married. Cole tries every which way to make her see that she’s the only woman he wants, but with cattle rustlers and a miniature thief on the loose, it’s all Cole can do to find time to take her to a picnic. Cole and his deputies, Wade and Sully, are given a month to find the thieves before Mayor Farley calls for outside gunslingers. Cole knows that’ll spell disaster for the town and likely unemployment for him. Can he overcome Mattie’s fears, bring the rustlers in, and teach his new unwanted furball sidekick a lesson about property rights before the town implodes? With the help of his deputies and his unwanted sidekick Beggar, Cole must find a way to win Mattie’s heart, bring the rustlers to justice, and bring peace once again to Cold Creek, Kansas. Yep. Cole has a heap of trouble on his hands.
Available on MuseItUp at http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=367&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1 And on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/A-Heap-of-Trouble-ebook/dp/B0099VXLLG/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1348235799&sr=1-4&keywords=lorrie+unites-struiff
Lorrie lives in West Mifflin, PA, thirty minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. She lives at home with her favorite toy—a computer. Once a gold medalist teacher/manager for a big-name ballroom dance studio she has retired and now enjoys the quiet life of writing and watching TV. But she loves to have lunches with local writers to keep abreast of the challenging world of publishing. Lorrie writes in many genres so you never know what she will come out with next. She never wants to bore her readers and enjoys the thrill of entertaining them by writing a good story. She would love to hear from her readers at struiff@msn.com. Please put “reader” in the subject line. Thank you for choosing this book.
Thanks for spilling the beans today, Lorrie! I hope I didn’t spill too many. :)

IWSG: The value of writing contests

I have mixed feelings about entering my stories into contests. On one hand, it's great exposure if I get an award, or even final in a contest. On the other hand, it can open up a can of worms I may not be prepared to deal with.

A few years ago, for instance, I entered what I thought was a wonderful paranormal romance into a romance contest. Some writers look down on romance writers as not serious enough, not dedicated to their craft, etc., but that has never been my attitude, or my experience. The judges in this particular contest made no bones about picking apart my entry. They slashed the hero, and pretty much everything about the story.

Now, I am a serious writer, and I am always appreciative when another writer takes the time to critique my work. It hurt, of course, because I'd considered this a good story. But I went back to the drawing board and revised it, and revised it a few more times, and after I finally published it, reviewers gave it top ratings. In retrospect, I'm glad I invested in the entry fee.

This year, I entered several of my stories into another annual contest. Every year but this year, my stories have finaled in it. This year? Zip. Nada. Nothing. I scanned through the list, and, not finding my titles, checked it again more slowly.

I have to admit, it rattled me. What does it mean? Has my writing declined?

This, by the way, is not a contest that provides feedback from judges. The entry fee is a little steeper than I normally would spend, but again, the finalists and winners get great exposure.

But now, I'm second-guessing myself in every aspect.

Do you enter writing contests? Do you agree they have a value?

Thanks again to Alex J. Cavanaugh for sponsoring this group! Now go lend a supportive shoulder to another author.

Death in the spotlight again

Once again, Death is a busy, busy girl!


My wonderful publisher, Decadent, arranged a blog tour for Death Is A Bitch. Only two days, but whew! Jam packed with goodies. :)


Here are the tour stops:


November 5thBeach Bum Reads (Review)Close Encounters with the Night Kind (Review)Amy's Book WorldLove of BooksTurning The PagesJuniper GroveSome Like It ParanormalNot Now...Mommy's Reading (Review)SnifferWalk (Review)Words I Write Crazy (Review)Kristy CentenoMy Seryniti (Review)Books Down My PillowRed Headed Book Worm (Review)
November 6thThe eBook Reviewers (Review)Blood, Lust and Erotica (Review)I am, Indeed (Review)Simply InfatuatedBook Lovin' Mamas (Review)Mallory Heart Reviews (Review)A Bit of DashChaotic Book Corner (Review)Herding Cats & Burning Soup (Review)Reading on the Wild SideProserpine Craving Books (Review)
I know how busy reviewers are these days, and I'm so grateful that so many agreed to review the book.

Angela Brown spills the beans!

Hi Angela! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book.
*Thank you, Cate, for having me.  I’m super excited to be here and to share about Neverlove .


Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)?
*Wild Cherry Pepsi is my drink of addiction – um – my favorite.  But for our chat, I better relax with some delicious Fuki plum wine to settle my giddy nerves.


Fur or feathers, petwise?
*Oh…petwise.  Darn *snaps finger*  Well, petwise it would be neither.  My Chipmunk’s  allergies make things a bit hard.


Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits?
*Writing-wise, nothing comes straight to mind, however, I have a strong lack-of-understanding how people can make choices, especially really big ones, without consciously checking information for themselves.


Favorite quote?
"You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi


Love that. :) What’s your ideal day like?
*My ideal day would consist of me dropping the Chipmunk off to school and running up to the mall to get in a good early morning thirty minute powerwalk.  A shower afterwards would be a must to get the sweat gone.  Then I’d spend the day hopping around to blogs, writing and more writing.  After picking the Chipmunk up from school, it would be homework time and “spend a little time bonding with my Chipmunk” time.  Bedtime and prayer time with Chipmunk would usher in another hour or two where I would read a book until sleep claimed me.  Not exactly exciting, but if I didn’t have my day gig in the way, what I mentioned here would be my ideal day.


Sounds lovely. If you could live out any fantasy, what would you do?
*This is probably the hardest question. Maybe I could get caught up in a fantasy randomizer machine that tosses me into situations where I was guaranteed to have Idris Elba, Johnny Depp and Daniel Dae Kim in every fantasy, whether we were playing at pirates stealing the ultimate treasure, perhaps one with me as the queen and the three of them as my faithful guards, or our own lost in paradise fantasy.


I like the way you think! 
Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what types of music makes you rock out)?
*I rock out to Linkin Park and Evanescence, relax and refresh my mood to neo soul like Jill Scott and Anthony Hamilton and find my center with various classical songs.  I have a particular penchant for flamenco like Gypsy Kings and Jessie Cook.


Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book?
*Adele’s “Set fire to the rain” was the inspiration for my 2012 A to Z blogging challenge that turned into my Abby and Basil blog opera which morphed into the novel Neverlove.  But I don’t have a playlist for my book, though I mention a song by Linkin Park in the book.


Which of your characters would you most/least to hang out with, and why?
*I would enjoy hanging out with Abby.  She’s been through a few things and she loves to read like I do.  We’d probably have tons to discuss.  The one I would least like to hang around with is Walter.  He’s just so full of himself, ugh!


While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned?
*I learned I liked writing up the villain more than I cared to admit.  Don’t want to psycho-analyze that, though.  It could mean something and I’d rather remain blissful in my ignorance J


It's fun the explore the dark side! 
Where can readers find out more about you?
*My blog, Angela Brown in Pursuit of Publishness, is where people can find out more about me.  They can also visit my Goodreads author page.


Please share a book blurb and/or excerpt.

Neverlove
Book blurb:
For seventeen-year-old Abigail, one rash decision leads to an unexpected chance for redemption. At V'Salicus Academy, a unique institute where she trains to become an agent of heaven, she struggles with the pain of her past, the changes of the present and accepts a loveless future until her path – and heart – crosses with Basil’s.

Basil's off-chance slip of the tongue binds him to a life of servitude to the Devourer, the master of hell. His existence has no upside until a chance meeting with Abigail brings new perspective.

Keeping the truth of their present lives from each other brings disaster when secrets are brought to light and the life of Abigail’s mentor is put on the line.

Can Abigail and Basil save her mentor and salvage their love amid the chaos? Or will they lose it all, destined forever to NEVERLOVE?


Excerpt:
Minutes passed to an hour when Abigail finally sank into her parents’ claw foot tub. Steam rose in white, smoky wisps from the water’s surface. Stinging warmth seeped into her skin, her pores taunted open by the heat. Just the thing to cleanse her father from her system. Release the filth of his still-lingering touch. Not that it would matter soon. After last night, she’d made up her mind. Seventeen wasn’t such a bad age to die.
Abigail cast a glance toward the bathroom floor. Ripped pieces of her mother’s stationary littered every inch, her failed attempts to come up with a poetic message, something meaningful to leave behind.  The lace edging of each pink scrap curled from the steam, pitiful imitations of rose petals. Her tired gaze slid up to the mirror where her final words stood out bold in her favorite shade of dark red:
Deciding to die should have been the hard part. Not the stupid note!
Three empty lipstick tubes sat on the pedestal sink.
Yeah. That’s about all her life amounted to.

Buy links: Amazon.com, Amazon.fr, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk, B&N


Thanks so much for having me here today, Cate :)


Thanks for spilling the beans today, Angela!

I'm ba-a-ack! Winners and update

It felt a little like this on Monday and early Tuesday, but we fared much better than north of us. We lost power, but I'm singing MetEd's praises after they restored it in less than a day, rather than the 7-10 day wait they predicted. Lots of wind and rain, but nothing like the dire photos I've seen. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who were hit hard by Sandy. Not funny that a Frankenstorm blew through for Halloween, or anytime.

But now, for catching up.

Hard to believe that October's over! I thank each guest who participated in the monthlong Halloween event, and shared their recipes, books, and unusual experiences - it kind of freaks me out that so many people had unexplainable experiences! But it was lots of fun, so I'll have to think of other such events to hold. I love a blog party. :)

Now - for the prizes! 

I have a few winners to announce. I will be contacting you all today. :)



For the Spooktacular Giveaway hop
The book of Dead to Rights goes to...
Shar Simms







For the Howloween Blog Hop 
The ebook of In the Midnight Hour goes to...
BLHmistress







For my last Halloween giveaway (sorry to be so late)
The ebook of Ground Rules goes to...
Jess






And another I'd forgotten about is still open at The Long and Short Romance -
Comment on this post at LASR for a chance to win The Magic of Lavender, Book 1 of The Goddess Connection series.





I hope you all enjoy reading the books! As always, I'd be grateful if you'd leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. :)