Cate Masters's Blog, page 80

Casting Call: Ground Rules

Ground Rules was another fun fantasy to write. I love it when the characters come to such vivid life.

Alice Garner's a children's book illustrator who loves her job. She knows she's one of the best. But this year, despite nabbing a dream job illustrating a Christmas story by a famous children's author, she just can't deliver. So she wishes on her Christmas angel. Seven times.

Alice is caring yet feisty, vulnerable yet won't put up with crap. Even from an angel. Something about him tells her he has issues. Maybe a few she can help with. :)

Alice is actually named for the actress I had in mind while writing: Jennifer Garner. Jennifer always struck me as sweet, yet she could be a kickass heroine with the best of them. This photo's a bit more glam than I imagined her, but Alice can be sexy too. :)

Luke's a Watcher Angel. Not a very happy one. His job leaves him less than enthused. And Christmas - well, the holiday ranks even lower. Luke can't muster enough cheer to say 'happy holidays' let alone have one. So when Peter sends him to Earth on Christmas Eve to help Alice, he does what any unhappy angel would do. He mixes margaritas.

Luke hasn't yet mastered the fine points of his job either. He has no wings, no feel for humans' problems, and little sympathy for Alice, who seems to be doing just fine. Except that she's not. Knowing he'll catch Hell if he fails, Luke brings his unique take to the task. Helpful in a snarky way.

Since the first page, Luke has been Sean Bean. Ah, Sean on a motorcycle. In my kitchen, mixing margaritas. Sweet Christmas angel, yes.

Michael Goodman's an internationally known children's author, loved around by the world by his readers. Not by adults. Around them, Michael's surly, impatient, and downright unpleasant. Well, he too has an excellent reason. Two, in fact. But you'll have to read Ground Rules to learn what they are. :)

Ewan McGregor's the perfect Michael Goodman. Handsome, a versatile character actor who can play charming and surly equally well.

Check out more about Ground Rules here! Or make my Christmas wish come true and buy it here. :)

Release day for Ground Rules!

I am super excited! Not only is today the day that The Wild Rose Press releases Ground Rules, my Christmas fantasy, but it's also the day that Margaret Atwood is holding a booksigning in Carlisle! If Mother Nature tries anything today, she'll have to answer to me, lol. Ms. Atwood's my literary hero, a goddess of speculative literary fiction. I'll be there with bells on, come hell or high water.
And oh yeah, I'm also excited that Ground Rules is here! It always feels like release day will never come. Wish the excitement could last as long as the anticipation!
I can't wait for you to read Ground Rules. If you do, I hope you'll let me know what you think! Is Luke a lovable snarky angel? :)

End of the NaNo road for me

I'm straggling to the end, coming in at just under 35k. But I'm not disappointed; it's 35,000 words I didn't have to work with at the beginning of November, and I'm off to a good start on book two of The Goddess Connection series. Time doesn't allow me to work on the story anymore this month, unfortunately, though of course I'll return to it. After life stops interrupting.

I floundered a bit, mid-month, because the story took off in an unexpected direction, and I wasn't sure I was happy with it.

So I actually went back to my ghost story and added a few thousand words. That story, too, went in an unexpected direction, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Then I put together the TBR blog.

Then my NaNo story grabbed me again. That's the way it goes sometimes. I let the characters take me by the hand and lead me where they wanted to go. Characters always seem to know best.

Sometimes, their language tends to be more colorful than I personally use. That was one of the things that didn't set well, but some of the characters being demons, they were bound to talk that way, lol. I toned it down a bit, though, because I know when I'm reading sometimes it takes me away from the story if a character overuses expletives.

What about you - does it bother you to read bad language? Or does it feel real if it fits the character?

TBR – a new blog to find new reads

I regularly host authors on my blog, but wanted to provide a place that would feature them more prominently. So I created TBR. The site will replace the Author Spotlight feature now on my blog. TBR's still in construction, as you can see, and won't officially launch until the new year, but in order for it to launch, I need the participation of authors.

I would love to feature your work on TBR.

To book a guest date on TBR, first check the available dates listed under the 2012 Schedule tab. After selecting a date, email me at tbrtheblog [at] gmail.com to reserve yours. The new year's approaching fast, so I'll be putting an open invitation out on the general loops, but if you want to reserve a date, just let me know when and I'll gladly list your name beside it.

I'm hoping to make this a nurturing community for authors and readers alike, but to do that, I'll need followers and lots of them. I hope you'll support TBR with a follow, and perhaps help promote it after it launches on January 2.

You can also grab the blog badge shown here (and on the site's main page, top left), by right-clicking your mouse and selecting the "Save As" option, then (in Blogger) add it under Gadgets as a Picture with the link http://tbrtheblog.blogspot.com/ 


Help spread the word about TBR! And visit often to find great reads.

Books on sale for Black Friday!

Lyrical Press is placing its entire catalog of books on sale today - buy any title for half off! You may want to check out Rock Bottom, my rocking romance. :) 
Decadent Publishing's also discounting their books today through Sunday.


The Wild Rose Press not only has discounted their entire catalog by 30%, but also has a free holiday cookbook, The Garden Gourmet, now available.

Now's the time to stock up on those goodies!  Your holidays will be merrier for it! :)

An attitude of gratitude!

I have so much to be thankful for, too much to list. Most important are family and friends, but I'm so grateful for the support and friendship of other authors, and for readers who make it all worthwhile. Thanks for a wonderful year! May your Thanksgiving be filled with good food, family and friends and memories that will last a lifetime. 

Visiting Paty Jager today

Come on over and help me celebrate the release of Romancing the Hero at Paty Jager's! Or come celebrate heroes in general. What do you love most about them?

Would love your vote!

You Gotta Read Videos included The Magic of Lavender in this month's contest. I'd love your vote for it! It's number Six.
Thanks so much for your support!

Writing this weekend

In between posts at the TRS Thanksgiving Party, I'm sequestering myself in my little nook this weekend. Gotta catch up on my writing.
Hope you have a great weekend!

Thankful for readers

Tomorrow through Tuesday, I'll be part of the TRS Thanksgiving Party, a celebration to give thanks for readers. I can't think of a better way to say thanks than with a giveaway. Come on over and join the celebration. You might win a print copy of my fantasy, Surfacing.

Hope to see you there!