This time of year is fraught with emotion for me. And maybe you, too.
Christmas is the happy time of year when I decorate our home, shop for gifts, bake special treats, go to parties and celebrations, gather my boys home with my husband and me, and go to church, all in the name of a baby born so long ago.
It's also a time that comes with high expectations. Everywhere businesses trumpet their wares, assuring me that if I buy their product, it will produce the picture perfect Christmas portrayed in their ad, complete with shining faces and even falling snow.
Forget that I now live in the Pacific Northwest, where it generally rains at this time of year. Forget that I can't afford to put a brand new multi-thousand dollar 'whatever' under the tree for each of my loved ones. Forget that that's not what Christmas is all about. Forget that. If I just bake enough, shop enough, smile hard enough, it can be that shining holiday of perfection portrayed in the ads.
Well, it never is, is it? At our house, it's a quiet time with a few dinners with friends in from out of town, one or two relatives who have braved the snowed-in airports on their end of the country to come to us, and three large, restless males who would rather not be stuck in a suburban home in the *%# rain, lol.
I will say that this year I managed to ignore the lure of shiny perfection (for the most part--I'm only human) and enjoy our quiet holiday. And my men got out to do some shooting at the rifle range and work on their trucks, so they were pretty happy.
Now I'm enjoying the quiet aftermath, with boys back to school and husband back to work. I'm building my new website, using WritePro to build my new series, and putting my old blog info into this new one, which I love.
The best way I can think of to spend another winter day. And it did snow yesterday ... just enough to make my neighborhood pretty and white, before it melted.
life is good,
Cathryn
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Fall Free Read: Heart of Steel
November 8, 2010
If you haven’t made it over yet to the Samhellion Site to read my latest Samhain Free Read, what are you waiting for?
Heart of Steel is a fast paced, rollicking romantic adventure. He’ll kidnap her to save her from a far worse fate, but can he steal her heart?
http://samhellions.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/freebie-heart-of-steel-by-cathryn-cade/
enjoy,
Cathryn
If you haven’t made it over yet to the Samhellion Site to read my latest Samhain Free Read, what are you waiting for?
Heart of Steel is a fast paced, rollicking romantic adventure. He’ll kidnap her to save her from a far worse fate, but can he steal her heart?
http://samhellions.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/freebie-heart-of-steel-by-cathryn-cade/
enjoy,
Cathryn
November is the perfect time to say thanks
November 8, 2010
November is the perfect time to sit back and contemplate the past year. Indian summer’s over and the outdoor days of golf and biking, walking my golden retriever in the warm sunshine. Early fall and the excitement of school beginning, of Halloween has come and gone.
Now is the time when the last trees display their glory and then, overnight, scatter their leaves in a mosaic on the ground, ready to rest for the winter. I’m indoors more often, sitting at my computer. Finishing edits on the last book in my Orion series, so it can be published in early 2011. And wondering … what to write next.
This process fills me with joy. I am blessed to have this career that I love waiting for me. When I’m done with teaching, supper’s over and preparations made for the next day, then I get to sit down and let my imagination run free, blend with my love of romance and carry me away to worlds unknown. My characters burst into my consciousness, each with their own personality, passions, faults and dreams, demanding their chance to live and love on the pages of my next story.
And you, the readers, make it all possible. So here is my chance to say thank you to all who read romance, for buying, reviewing, and being passionate about the stories available to you. Without you, the publishing industry would languish, and there would be nothing to read.
Did you know that even during this terrible recession, romance as a genre of publishing, has held strong and even grown? You and I know why - in hard times more than ever, we need our fantasies. So thanks for sharing mine. May there be many more to come.
Cathryn
November is the perfect time to sit back and contemplate the past year. Indian summer’s over and the outdoor days of golf and biking, walking my golden retriever in the warm sunshine. Early fall and the excitement of school beginning, of Halloween has come and gone.
Now is the time when the last trees display their glory and then, overnight, scatter their leaves in a mosaic on the ground, ready to rest for the winter. I’m indoors more often, sitting at my computer. Finishing edits on the last book in my Orion series, so it can be published in early 2011. And wondering … what to write next.
This process fills me with joy. I am blessed to have this career that I love waiting for me. When I’m done with teaching, supper’s over and preparations made for the next day, then I get to sit down and let my imagination run free, blend with my love of romance and carry me away to worlds unknown. My characters burst into my consciousness, each with their own personality, passions, faults and dreams, demanding their chance to live and love on the pages of my next story.
And you, the readers, make it all possible. So here is my chance to say thank you to all who read romance, for buying, reviewing, and being passionate about the stories available to you. Without you, the publishing industry would languish, and there would be nothing to read.
Did you know that even during this terrible recession, romance as a genre of publishing, has held strong and even grown? You and I know why - in hard times more than ever, we need our fantasies. So thanks for sharing mine. May there be many more to come.
Cathryn
Happy Halloween!
October 21, 2010
Happy Fall to you from the Pacific Northwest. The weather has turned chilly, and more leaves are turning color every day. I’ve never seen New England in the fall, only photographs, but I do believe parts of the Pacific Northwest could rival it. I’m just saying.
I’m gearing up for Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. I’ve decorated my house with all my fall lap quilts, vines and wreaths and my collection of jack o’lanterns. I try to add one every year, even just tiny ones. Interspersed with a few scarecrows, black cats and witches, of course. I love the look of Halloween characters from the 1920’s, with their silly wide grins and round eyes. A few years ago, reproductions were available at a local department store and I snatched up most of the collection at a discount. Score!
And in case I sound like a decorating over-achiever, this all consists of opening a few plastic storage boxes from the attic and spreading contents around the main floor of our home. Easy peasy.
When we lived in a tiny town in the Rockies, I quilted. With a day job and my writing, I choose not to take the time now, but I still have all my fabrics. I walk by their storage closet once in while, and reassure them that they’ll be taken out one of these fine days, to be made into quilts large and small.
For now, I’d rather spin magic out of thin air, into stories long and short. Join me in my current Samhain Free Read, to celebrate the quirky magic of Halloween.
You can read the first half of Heart of Steel on the Samhain site, coming soon! Keep an eye on www.samhellion.com
Rocket back to my website at cyber speed to enjoy the satisfying conclusion. Heart of Steel is a rollicking adventure with hot, hot love scenes and most of all, romance – ‘cause that’s what I love to read … and to write.
Happy Halloween!
Cathryn
I’m gearing up for Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. I’ve decorated my house with all my fall lap quilts, vines and wreaths and my collection of jack o’lanterns. I try to add one every year, even just tiny ones. Interspersed with a few scarecrows, black cats and witches, of course. I love the look of Halloween characters from the 1920’s, with their silly wide grins and round eyes. A few years ago, reproductions were available at a local department store and I snatched up most of the collection at a discount. Score!
And in case I sound like a decorating over-achiever, this all consists of opening a few plastic storage boxes from the attic and spreading contents around the main floor of our home. Easy peasy.
When we lived in a tiny town in the Rockies, I quilted. With a day job and my writing, I choose not to take the time now, but I still have all my fabrics. I walk by their storage closet once in while, and reassure them that they’ll be taken out one of these fine days, to be made into quilts large and small.
For now, I’d rather spin magic out of thin air, into stories long and short. Join me in my current Samhain Free Read, to celebrate the quirky magic of Halloween.
You can read the first half of Heart of Steel on the Samhain site, coming soon! Keep an eye on www.samhellion.com
Rocket back to my website at cyber speed to enjoy the satisfying conclusion. Heart of Steel is a rollicking adventure with hot, hot love scenes and most of all, romance – ‘cause that’s what I love to read … and to write.
Happy Halloween!
Cathryn
M&M Makin' the Rounds
August 27, 2010
Big thanks to Cathryn Cade for letting us come here and play today!
We’ll get started with our first Q&A.
Psst, look at the weird kid in the corner!
Q: Was writing something you always wanted to do? At what age did you write your first book?
Michelle: Writing is something I’ve always done, but nothing I really took seriously until I was older. My focus was on photography since my dad gave me my first camera when I was ten. It was probably around 8th grade that I considered writing, until a not-so-helpful teacher crushed that dream due to the violent nature of my Thanksgiving story. I still maintain a mass murder horror story is better than “oh, no, the turkey is burnt and grandpa got a flat tire!” But that could just be me. I picked fiction writing up again after High School, though I did get a writing scholarship for other stuff.
Mandy: I wrote my first book just over six years ago. It was Daughter of Darkness. No. I’d never really even considered writing before I sat down and did it. I’d grown up firmly believing I’d be a commercial artist and work in the field of art. I’m not sure how it was that writing never entered my mind. Now that I do it for a living, I can’t imagine doing anything but. I love everything about it. The way it lets me flex my creative muscles. The freedom it gives me to write whatever comes to mind and the ability to interact with readers. I really love getting to meet new people and travel. All in all, it’s a dream job and I have no complaints. Okay one, I wish Hugh Jackman would be a cover model for me. That’s it.
Featured M&M Book of the Day:
Buy Link http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Mandy_M_Roth_Books.html
Raven Bookshttp://www.theravenbooks.com/
Raven titles are available on Amazon.com as well as other third party sites
Mandy M Rothhttp://www.mandyroth.com/
Michelle M Pillowhttp://www.mandyroth.com/
Thanks for letting us hang here, Cathryn!
Everyone, remember that to be entered in the contest at the end of the tour, you need to comment on the posts. You can enter as much as you like.
Join us tomorrow when we visit Mary Eason where we answer the question The Story of Us?
(Mary’s url Blog: http://www.maryeason.blogspot.com/
Big thanks to Cathryn Cade for letting us come here and play today!
We’ll get started with our first Q&A.
Psst, look at the weird kid in the corner!
Q: Was writing something you always wanted to do? At what age did you write your first book?
Michelle: Writing is something I’ve always done, but nothing I really took seriously until I was older. My focus was on photography since my dad gave me my first camera when I was ten. It was probably around 8th grade that I considered writing, until a not-so-helpful teacher crushed that dream due to the violent nature of my Thanksgiving story. I still maintain a mass murder horror story is better than “oh, no, the turkey is burnt and grandpa got a flat tire!” But that could just be me. I picked fiction writing up again after High School, though I did get a writing scholarship for other stuff.
Mandy: I wrote my first book just over six years ago. It was Daughter of Darkness. No. I’d never really even considered writing before I sat down and did it. I’d grown up firmly believing I’d be a commercial artist and work in the field of art. I’m not sure how it was that writing never entered my mind. Now that I do it for a living, I can’t imagine doing anything but. I love everything about it. The way it lets me flex my creative muscles. The freedom it gives me to write whatever comes to mind and the ability to interact with readers. I really love getting to meet new people and travel. All in all, it’s a dream job and I have no complaints. Okay one, I wish Hugh Jackman would be a cover model for me. That’s it.
Featured M&M Book of the Day:
Buy Link http://www.ravenhappyhour.com/Mandy_M_Roth_Books.html
Raven Bookshttp://www.theravenbooks.com/
Raven titles are available on Amazon.com as well as other third party sites
Mandy M Rothhttp://www.mandyroth.com/
Michelle M Pillowhttp://www.mandyroth.com/
Thanks for letting us hang here, Cathryn!
Everyone, remember that to be entered in the contest at the end of the tour, you need to comment on the posts. You can enter as much as you like.
Join us tomorrow when we visit Mary Eason where we answer the question The Story of Us?
(Mary’s url Blog: http://www.maryeason.blogspot.com/
Guest Blogging @ Delilah Devlin's
August 17th was my 3rd book launch. Prince of Dragons debuted at Samhain Publishing.
It continues to be the #2 bestseller on Samhain - woot!
I also guest blogged at Delilah Devlin’s, while she was at the lake. Fun times for both of us.
http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/
See you soon!
It continues to be the #2 bestseller on Samhain - woot!
I also guest blogged at Delilah Devlin’s, while she was at the lake. Fun times for both of us.
http://www.delilahdevlin.com/blog/
See you soon!
Cathryn
Ahh, Summer!
2. August 2010
I don’t know about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with summer. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the long awaited time of sunshine and warmth, of flowers and new-mown grass, of boating and swimming, of golf and hiking, of …
Yes, you get the picture. I try and cram my favorite outdoor activities into 2 short months. Of course, some of those spill over into spring and fall, but - and it’s a big one :D Summer ends for me when school begins. I’m an elementary school librarian. I love my job, except when it cuts into my writing time. And it does that a lot, from September to June.
So, along with all my favorite outdoor activities, I spend my summers trying to write as fast as I can. This summer I finished a book - Yeehah! What a great feeling. It’s the last book in my current series, which is an even better feeling.
Things I have NOT done this summer are - improved my golf swing, gone swimming in a lake, or been to the art museum in Portland. I really love doing all three, but sometimes life doesn’t cooperate. It rained most of June here, which is why I finished my book so soon and why I haven’t been swimming in a lake. I’m not counting my brief dip on July 4th, because it felt exactly like jumping into a giant glass of ice water. All that cold rain kept the lakes from warming up until just recently. You never saw a woman climb a swim ladder so fast!
So I love summer, and I hate it for being so brief. I hope your summer is going swimmingly, and that you have lots of time to read!
best, Cathryn
I don’t know about you, but I have a love/hate relationship with summer. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the long awaited time of sunshine and warmth, of flowers and new-mown grass, of boating and swimming, of golf and hiking, of …
Yes, you get the picture. I try and cram my favorite outdoor activities into 2 short months. Of course, some of those spill over into spring and fall, but - and it’s a big one :D Summer ends for me when school begins. I’m an elementary school librarian. I love my job, except when it cuts into my writing time. And it does that a lot, from September to June.
So, along with all my favorite outdoor activities, I spend my summers trying to write as fast as I can. This summer I finished a book - Yeehah! What a great feeling. It’s the last book in my current series, which is an even better feeling.
Things I have NOT done this summer are - improved my golf swing, gone swimming in a lake, or been to the art museum in Portland. I really love doing all three, but sometimes life doesn’t cooperate. It rained most of June here, which is why I finished my book so soon and why I haven’t been swimming in a lake. I’m not counting my brief dip on July 4th, because it felt exactly like jumping into a giant glass of ice water. All that cold rain kept the lakes from warming up until just recently. You never saw a woman climb a swim ladder so fast!
So I love summer, and I hate it for being so brief. I hope your summer is going swimmingly, and that you have lots of time to read!
best, Cathryn
About My Books
20. July 2010
I hope you love to read, because I love, love, love to write!
While my stories always contain erotic love scenes, they are truly love scenes. What fascinates me about passion is how it illustrates the growing intimacy between two lovers. In my books, you’ll never find sex just for the sake of titillation. Instead, you’ll find a man and a woman learning what truly excites them about each other, celebrating each other body, mind and soul. Sometimes you’ll know it’s love before they do - passion often strikes first. But eventually my strong-willed men and women realize that they’ve found the other who completes them.
They may indulge in just a bit of … kink, but just a bit. And it will be in the context of a story that’s full of what I believe makes a great romance - adventure, even danger, in locales from my hometown to exotic vacation spots. You may even wind up in an imaginary galaxy, or a re-imagined time in our history. But you’ll always be in the midst of a red hot romance that’s destined to end in happy ever after!
I truly believe in it because, hey, I’m living my own.
best, Cathryn
I hope you love to read, because I love, love, love to write!
While my stories always contain erotic love scenes, they are truly love scenes. What fascinates me about passion is how it illustrates the growing intimacy between two lovers. In my books, you’ll never find sex just for the sake of titillation. Instead, you’ll find a man and a woman learning what truly excites them about each other, celebrating each other body, mind and soul. Sometimes you’ll know it’s love before they do - passion often strikes first. But eventually my strong-willed men and women realize that they’ve found the other who completes them.
They may indulge in just a bit of … kink, but just a bit. And it will be in the context of a story that’s full of what I believe makes a great romance - adventure, even danger, in locales from my hometown to exotic vacation spots. You may even wind up in an imaginary galaxy, or a re-imagined time in our history. But you’ll always be in the midst of a red hot romance that’s destined to end in happy ever after!
I truly believe in it because, hey, I’m living my own.
best, Cathryn
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