Cate Masters's Blog, page 71

Party time at TRR

Today, you can enter to win an ebook of Going with Gravity - go to The Romance Reviews' Anniversary Party page and answer a simple question. Easy peasey! There are lots of other great goodies to win, too. Don't miss out! :)

Going with Gravity was a 2011 EPIC finalist, and has garnered some wonderful reviews. You can learn more here. Good luck!

SciFi Blurb Fest this weekend!

If you love to write science fiction, post your blurb at TBR for this weekend's SciFi Blurb Fest! If you love to read scifi, come check out the great blurbs and maybe find a new-to-you author!

Mark your calendars for June 16!

The Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookshop will host Supernatural Saturday at the Holly Inn in Mt. Holly, Pa. Last year's conference was fantastic, and this year's promises to be every bit as great.

Click on the image below for a larger, clearer graphic.

Would love your vote!

The book video for my dark paranormal, Dancing with the Devil, is part of You Gotta Read's monthly contest. I'd love your vote for it - it's #17.



Thanks for your support!

Casting Call: Dancing With the Devil

Book Two of The Goddess Connection series, Dancing with the Devil has a wonderful cast of characters.

At the opening, Lily MacInnis celebrates her 21st birthday. A milestone, one she'll forever remember - for all the wrong reasons. Her body's toned from dancing at Polaris, so she's used to guys lusting after her. She's still a virgin, and no guy's tempted her enough, and never two at once. Until now.

Jessica Biel is sizzling hot, just like Lily. All I can say is wow.

Ahh, Bodie. More formally, Bodiel, the Ruling Angel of the Sixth Heaven. Not your typical angel, he rides a Harley and his sarcasm's nearly as sharp as his sword.

Michael Weatherly was Bodie from the beginning. I heard his incredibly sexy voice reciting Bodie's lines, and it influenced the dialogue sometimes.


 Zeveriah, archduke of Hades Section Six, is devastatingly handsome -- when he's cloaked in his glamour. Otherwise, you'd shield your eyes and probably cover your nose as well. But to most people, he appears as stunning as a rock god.

Oh yeah, Eric Balfour is amazing as Zev.



Hades is suave, debonair, charming, and sometimes deadly. For Persephone to fall in love with him, he had to have some redeeming qualities, after all.

Pierce Brosnan is the perfect Hades. And I couldn't resist using this pic. :)


Persephone's beauty is timeless, and she's as gorgeous now as she was when Hades first fell in love with her.

Rene Russo is one of those classic beauties. She has it all, just like Persephone.

Demi, manager of the dance club Polaris where Lily works, is goddess material herself. Maybe because she actually is a goddess -- Demeter, Persephone's mother.

Demi Moore is also goddess material (much too good for Ashton, Demi. Embrace your inner goddess and forget him.)

The original goddess, Lilith has been struck from the history books.  Created alongside Adam, she wasn't content to take orders from him or any male, so of course they demonized her. But then, it didn't help that Lilith was supposedly the snake who tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Rachel Weisz is Lilith.

SSS: Lily celebrates her 21st birthday

Hey Sixers! I missed you guys. Had to take a few weeks off to catch up on edits for Dead to Rights (just released Friday, woot!) and Death Is A Bitch, coming soon from Decadent. It's a crazy busy spring!


More good news - Dancing With the Devil's available! Book 2 of The Goddess Connection, it follows Lily on her journey to The Underworld, where she meets many an interesting character. Here, she receives an invitation on her 21st birthday:



The longer she held it, the more reluctant she grew to let go of it, and tossing it in the trash became unthinkable.The faintest whisper issued, and she could swear it came from the envelope: Lily."Oh, this is ridiculous." She delved her nail behind the gold seal and it popped open, a four-fold self-sealing letter. Flakes of gold leaf fell. Who used such expensive invitations these days?
Check out all the fantastic authors at Six Sentence Sunday. Have a great week!

Release day for Dead to Rights!

Woo hoo! Decadent Publishing released Dead to Rights! I love release days. It's always a fun celebration.

I should actually say re-released. You may remember I self-pubbed this novel last year. But I wanted it to reach a wider audience, and Decadent's editors helped me polish it up a bit.

This story's a little different. Although it contains a little sexual tension, it's not a romance, but more along the lines of an urban fantasy. I'm never quite sure of the distinction between dark paranormal and urban fantasy, so I'm going with dark paranormal because of the demons, warrior angels and a mixup of souls. There's some violence and graphic language, so the heat level's bumped up because of that.

I'm even more excited that Decadent's wonderful editors were so enthusiastic about this story, a few asked about a sequel. The ending is open to it, and I'd love to write an interrelated set of stories about the various warrior angels -- eventually. I have a dozen or so WIPs I need to finish first. :)

I'm loving Decadent Publishing. They also arranged for a blog tour for Dead to Rights, so look for news of that, but probably not until May.

An avalanche of freebies

I have to admit, I'm a book junkie. I love them. I buy them. They sit on my bookshelves (one in the living room, another in my office, a smaller one made by hubby to double as a bedside nightstand -- all stuffed to the gills), and now on my Kindle (last count, 271 items).

How did I amass such a treasure trove of books? Freebies, mostly. Especially for the Kindle. A few print were actually free as well. Our local YMCA has a book exchange, and I picked up one or two there while leaving a few copies of my own books. :)

Amazon has a running list of titles available for free. Publishers have been making titles free, so I snatch them up. Authors hold giveaways and "free for a day" events, so I grab those too.

It's becoming overwhelming. I have so many books, there's no way I can ever read them all. Reading time's hard won for me, and it takes a back seat to my writing time. This Murderati post says it best.

Having a Kindle makes it easier to sneak in a read here and there, but actually finishing something? It feels like a victory when I do.

So is making your books free a good idea? Many say yes. I would agree, with a caveat: free for a limited time. Otherwise, they're just out there with the limitless number of other freebies, alone and desperate, thinking of joining Freebies Anonymous.

I have stopped commenting on authors' blog posts with giveaways because I know I will never have time to read it. I love to support them, but I already have a ton of book giveaways that I haven't gotten to, and someday I need to finish them and post reviews. I'm just overwhelmed, but yet I keep downloading freebies.

How do you feel about freebies? Seriously, consider this an informal poll. I need to know - would you download my dark paranormal, Dancing with the Devil, when I make it free for a few days around the end of March?  Thanks!

Chatting at NOR tonight

I hope you'll pop in and chat a bit! I'll be at Night Owl Romance from 8:00 till 9:00 p.m. It's a pretty lively bunch, and should be lots of fun! I'll be there with a few other authors, and some goodies, too.

Yes! Dancing With the Devil's here!

Wow, this book has been such a struggle. I'm so excited it's finally released on Amazon!

Despite the challenge of carving out time for writing and revisions, I actually stopped writing this book a few times. I'd begun it for NaNoWriMo, and right away, the heat level soared off the charts. For me, anyway. Until I realized that much of it was less about sex than about power. Considering that a good bit of it is set in The Underworld, it made perfect sense. And characters always demand their due, and I often cave in.

So be forewarned, this book has some scenes that will scorch your fingers as you hit the 'next page' button. But it's also a very cool dark paranormal, so hopefully it will make you want to keep hitting that button because you can't stop reading. :)

If it tempts you, please wait until the end of the month. I will be making it available for free for a few days, and it would be such a thrill to see it in the bestsellers on Kindle.



Here's an excerpt - you can find another here.


"It's best to avoid any sort of temptation while you are there." Especially in the form of a certain archduke. Lily's virginity was a highly sought prize in the Underworld.From her tender expression, he knew she understood what he meant. But other temptations might present a greater challenge. One he'd have to trust her to overcome.He ran his hands up her arms. The way she yielded to his touch ignited a fiery passion, but he quenched it with thoughts of banishment. If his superiors stripped him of his assignment, and his position as Ruling Angel of the Sixth Heaven, Bodie would be powerless to help her in any capacity. He had to stay strong."Lily. I will do everything I can to ensure your safety.""My safety," she repeated dully, staring at the ground, then met his gaze to ask, "What if I need more from you?"He searched her eyes, but knew too well her meaning."What about after all this?" she asked."I don't understand.""When I return from the Underworld safe and sound, but still a granddaughter of the Prince of Darkness, then what? Will I ever see you again?"Bodie had no answer. He'd never leave her side; he never had. He'd certainly be able to see her, well enough to torture him for the rest of his existence. But would he be confined to the other realm after completing this task? "I don't know."On tiptoe, she pressed closer. "Can't you stand up for yourself?""Yes, of course."She eased down. "So you don't want to be with me. Not the way I want to be with you.""I didn't say that." He couldn't, without lying."Wow. Are you sure you're not the Ruling Angel of Cryptic?"Rules bound him to silence. He ached to tell her everything. "It may be one of my subtitles." He quirked his lips, but was fairly certain it didn't resemble the smile he intended."Sooo funny. You may have missed your calling as a standup comedian.""No, I wouldn't be successful at it.""Why do you say that?""I don't care what others think.""Obviously," she said on a sigh."Except you. You know that, Lily.""I don't know anything anymore." She toed a pebble, turning to walk away, but then whirled into his arms.He cradled her, his cheek against her hair. "It will be fine. You'll go on this journey of self-discovery. Have a brief visit with your family in the Underworld, then realize they're better left underground. And you'll return to your life, surreal as it may be." And I will return to you.So long as he didn't lose her to the family who wanted only to ensnare her in their web of deception.