Kendra Leigh Castle

Archive for the ‘Book Love’ Category

Happy Monday, everyone…such as Monday is, anyway   Hope everyone had a good one!  I spent mine cleaning my house, reading the most excellent short free read Sin Eater by Evangeline Anderson (and if you haven’t read it, hie thee over to Ellora’s Cave and get you some, because seriously, there is nothing quite as refreshing as an afternoon quickie…uh, figuratively speaking…mostly), and doing some writing.  Yeah, reading well-written erotic romance once again made me want to try and write it, but this time I actually have a story going!  I’m just trying to figure out whether my hero and heroine should start the getting busy on the chair or, erm, with the manacles he has attached to the wall.  All of my choices should be so diverting

So I know a lot of you are familiar with the Ellora’s Cave authors…who else should I try reading over there?  They have a whole section of free “Naughty Nooners” too, but there are so many I don’t know where to start.  I love me some free reads.

Not much other writing news to share.  I should start hearing something about my vampire story pretty soon, possibly even by the end of next week.  So keep your digits crossed for me!  I’m also hoping to get my cover for Renegade Angel soon.  I really can’t wait to see!  The covers for Nocturnes are always so pretty, and they’ve got kind of a revamp of the line’s look going on as well. 

This is my kids’ last week of school…I’m hoping they don’t immediately start trying to kill one another, but my chances on that are slim.  The older two are like Pugsley and Wednesday Addams.  Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got today.  Got a vet appointment a little later, and hoping to do some more work on Kendra’s Erotic Romance Project too, once I figure out the chair-or-manacle dilemma.  Here’s a little song to send you off into the great wild week…have a good one, ladies!

This one’s for Jessica, who has asked me many times to display my red hair!  I managed to get a shot with the webcam, after many tries…the light is funny in here, but I think you can basically tell what color it is.  Looks a little two-tone here because of that light, but it’s all the color you see at the top of my head.  I’m due for a hair appointment, so the sun has lightened it a lot over the last few weeks, making it more of a red blonde right now.  Note my wise and mysterious expression, as though I have unlocked all the secrets to red hair dye   And, uh, ignore my roots.  They’ll be going away soon!

So how was the week, everyone?  Mine was busy.  I did manage to finish reading Neil Gaiman’s novel Neverwhere, and it turned out to be pretty awesome.  It was bumpy for me reading it at times, and it took me a lot longer to sit and finish than usual, but I think that has a lot more to do with my mindset lately than anything.  I’ve been kind of…preoccupied, I think would be the word for it.  Trying to get all of my animals to learn to coexist peacefully has taken up a lot of my time this week, plus the fact that Casper brought home kennel cough from his big trip up from SC and now has to be on antibiotics.  Then one of the other dogs caught it, though not as bad thus far, being that she’s all vaccinated.  *sigh*  Never ends!

I’ve got one of MsM’s recommended reads from Ellora’s Cave lined up for myself this weekend, The Sin Eater, and I’m looking forward to that!  I’m thinking my front porch, a glass of wine, and my Nook.  Still loving my Nook!  Never thought I would get attached to an e-reader, but there you have it.  And every update they do to it makes it way better.  They even have games on it now, though I really suck at Sudoku no matter how hard I try.  Anyway, hope you all have a good weekend, and since I haven’t put anything sex-ay up in a bit, here’s a little treat for Friday.

I really have to start watching True Blood on DVD.  Skarsgard is the hotness.  Enjoy the weekend!

Morning, ladies!  Shockingly, I have a topic today: bad boy heroes.  See, I’m about half done with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Night Pleasures, and am enjoying Kyrian, the leather-wearing bad boy hero who still, despite his styling himself as kind of a badass, comes off to me as the exiled prince he is.  Beautiful and decadent.  Anyway, I’m loving him, and then all of a sudden another bad boy roars up on his motorcycle and he’s even MORE badass than Kyrian!  So of course, as with all shiny objects, I am immediately distracted by his wonderfulness.  This would be Talon, who I’ll get to read about next, apparently.

This is definitely a trend in paranormal romance: the leather-clad bad boy hero.  Now, I write them myself (I mean, what else am I going to do with a demon?  Dress him in flannel?) but I do wonder sometimes if they’ll stay as popular as they are right now.  They are, IMO, the modern day equivalent of the Regency rogue, and God knows people still read those.  But I’m curious about what you all think.  Do you get tired of the big bad boys in leather?  Or are you happy to keep eating them up?  For me, I think as long as there are interesting  variations on the theme, I’m there, though I do have occasional hankerings for the straight-up knight in shining armor.  I always thought of the MacInnes brothers as more brave and noble knights than anything…being able to give them fur and claws just added that element of darkness that I love.  Only slightly off-topic, I’ve been dying for a good medieval lately, speaking of.  Suggestions are welcome!

Anyway, what do you think, ladies?  What sort of hero gets your motor running these days?  Wicked, good, or just wicked good?

No, not together….though that would be interesting.  I suppose you could do something like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies did, but with enormous winged serpents.

These are just the two things in my head this morning.  Have to make a few modifications to the chapters, which have otherwise gotten a big smiley thumbs up from my lovely agent…these mainly involve having my heroine be even more incredulous and freaked out by her rescue at the hands of a guy who can apparently turn into something enormous that could eat her.  She’s very concerned about the being eaten part.  Of course, we all know that ain’t gonna happen:-)  Bane isn’t a white dragon, but I thought the picture was cool anyway.  Especially because this one actually looks happy while watching the sun set.  You don’t get a lot of happy with dragon pictures!

As for Jane Austen, I continued to slog my way through Persuasion last night at the pool.  I’d heard some really lovely things about this book, but I’m just having a rough time getting into it.  I can see who she’s going to hook the heroine up with in the end, but so far, they have zero chemistry, she has like two other guys chasing her, he’s in some sort of love with this annoying giggly chick who has managed, through her own idiocy, to get a concussion, and besides all that, Anne (the heroine) is awfully weak-willed for my taste.  Give me Lizzy Bennett any day!!  I’m doing a lot of skimming, and I hate it when that happens.  It’s going to be one of those times when I get to the finish only out of mild curiosity about how things are wrapped up.  Have any of you read this or seen it?  I wish I could love it.  I certainly wanted to.  But ugh.

Happy Hump Day, everyone!  We’re working our way through January, one of my least favorite months, and I’m glad the other side of it is approaching!  Got a seedling catalog yesterday, and am debating about whether to doom a few poor plants by having them sent here.  Though I have to say, the Northern Spy apple tree I got from these people last year probably doubled in size and was gorgeous by the time it went to sleep.  I, erm, killed the rest of what I bought there, but I have a sneaking suspicion that’s on me.  Just hoping everything wakes up healthy in the spring.  I miss being warm outside!

Okay, I admit it: I’m having way too much fun exploring the many sides of Naughty Nick.  The man likes to have pictures taken of himself, especially with intriguingly draped bits of cloth.  And since I now have two kids home sick, I will take my amusement where I can get it!  Check this out: you’d never know it was the same guy draped in the blankie, but there’s something about this shot I absolutely love.  Thus making me kind of a pervert, I suppose, but tell me something I DON’T know

The man in the mask thing is part of the appeal of the Phantom of the Opera, I think.  It would be a lot less sexy, somehow, if the mask came off.  Speaking of, I haven’t read a  story with a good masquerade ball in it in a while.  Always liked those   Hey, it’s hump day!  How fitting.  I started reading Jane Austen’s Persuasion last night at the pool (I think I told you all that my daughter and one of my sons are swimmers), having heard it’s one of her best works, but I’m not sure how I feel about it so far.  It’s certainly not bad, but my bias towards Pride & Prejudice may be coloring my view somewhat.  Any of you read this?  I’m actually in the mood for a mystery, I think.  Something different.  I have some PD James in my B&N wish list…maybe I’ll do that soon as well. 

Okay, off to get more cofffee to start my day.  Hope you all have a good one!  ‘Kay, I have to stop looking at the picture.  This sort of shot can launch a thousand stories!

Morning, everyone.  I finally managed to drag my butt to the computer this morning, LOL…I love vacation week.  I would love it better if my sinuses didn’t feel like they might explode, but beggars can’t be choosers.  I was fairly busy yesterday afternoon, so I plan on making up for it by spending this morning reading in my PJs.  I got started on Dandelion Fire last night, the second book in the 100 Cupboards series, and I’ll be finishing that up today.  It’s so good!  I’m excited for the third and final installment at the end of January, except that I hate for it to be over.  After that, I may curl up with the Playstation and explore with my sword-toting warrior chick.  Never thought I would get into this sort of game (and honestly, I’m still operating on only the most basic level of understanding of what I’m doing), but it is fun.  I’m trying to enjoy my final days of slacking, because next week, it’s back to real life and real work.

My in-laws are coming tomorrow and we’re doing dinner for New Year’s…nothing fancy, and my bedtime often occurs before the ball comes down in Times Square anyway!  How do you all plan on ringing in 2010?  Mine will probably arrive with a snore!  Have a great Hump Day!

Check out what showed up on my doorstep yesterday!

Sorry, I know it’sa huge picture, but I can’t seem to size it right.  Anyway, it’s Call of the Highland Moon in Spanish!  I knew this existed, but I didn’t know I actually got a couple of copies out of the deal.  Isn’t it pretty?  My only qualm is that I don’t recall Carly ever dressing like a Scottish peasant in the book, but what the hell, it’s an attractive cover.  And it’s so big and shiny!  Wish I could read it to see how it came across in translation, but one year of high school Spanish isn’t gonna do it fo rme (I took French all four years, and two languages my senior year for the hell of it…I like languages WAY better than math, which I didn’t take that year because I didn’t have to).

Not much else to say today, but I had to show you all…COOL, huh??  Have a good one!

This week’s Mr. Mantastic doesn’t have a name.  Does he really need one?  He’s a shirtless, smokin’ hot Black Hat.  He’s allowed to ride down the Mantastic catwalk to celebrate his triumph, as long as I get to ride off into the sunset with him!  YEEHAW:-)  I do love an outlaw. 

It was kind of a funky weekend here…watched the Army Navy game on Saturday (GO NAVY!), and Sunday my neighbor and friend, at whose house I had watched the game the previous day, went into labor and in very short order gave birth to a little guy named Max.  So her little girls came over in the afternoon and spent the night, and I’m a little spent myself!  The kids all play together, it’s cool, but you get used to having a certain number of children in your house, and more is sort of energy zapping.  I did get motivated and make chocolate chip cookies.  Those were a hit.

I also tore through the book Marked by PC and Kristin Cast, which is the first in the House of Night series (this is YA fiction, just FYI), and OMG LOOOOVE.  If the rest of the series continues this way, that would make it seriously kickass.  I’ll do up a little review of it for this week at some point, but for now, I will just say that I want the next five books that are out.  I think book 6 just arrived in stores in November.  It’s nice to know I have a few more to read immediately!  Though I’m thinking these will be some of the first books I get for my Nook.  Excellent read, sucked me right in.  Finally, a strong, gorgeous, interesting GIRL who gets to have an adventure!  And the take on vampire mythology is really unique.

Have a happy Monday, everyone.  I have a bad feeling I’ll be dragging butt hardcore by noon, but maybe Mr. Black Hat can give me a lift through the rest of it.  Hope you all have a great weekend!

I’ve been meaning to post about this for a few weeks now, but I recently read a very cool little book that I wanted to share with you all.  It’s not a romance, but I never outgrew the sorts of adventures I loved to read about as a kid, and this book hit my sweet spot in almost every way.  100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson is a kids’ book in the same way that Harry Potter is: far from seeming childish, the story is meant to be enjoyed by anyone who picks it up.  And enjoy it I did.

Henry York, when we meet him, is a twelve-year-old boy whose odd and generally absentee parents have just been kidnapped in South America.  Accordingly, he’s been sent to stay with his aunt and uncle in Henry, Kansas, a little town where the occasional arrival of the out of town bus is about the most interesting thing that happens.  An odd duck through no fault of his own, Henry is set up in the attic of his relatives’ cavernous old house and starts getting to know his (female) cousins: Anastasia, Henrietta, and Penelope.  Slowly, Henry settles in and begins to realize his dreams of being a normal boy, not being looked at strangely by other kids because he hadn’t ever really known how to be a kid.  He even discovers he’s not bad at the game he’s always longed to play, baseball.

Then the noises start behind the attic wall.

There’s little else I can tell you about spoling the story, but once Henry chips away the plaster and finds that the entire attic wall is covered in 100 cupboards of all different shapes and sizes, the real magic begins.  Henrietta becomes his confidante and accomplice, and when the two of them unleash an ancient evil from one of the cupboards, it takes all their strength (and then some) to try and put things to rights.  Along the way, there are some fantastic twists and turns, some revelations that surprised me, and a depth and detail to the descriptions of the worlds beyond the cupboards, even the barest hints of those worlds that peek through, that had me utterly absorbed until I finished the book.  This is book 1 in a trilogy, the second part of which (Dandelion Fire) is recently out.  The third book, The Chestnut King, comes out in January.  Because of the way I tear through books once I pick them up, I’m a little sad that this is only a trilogy, but I can’t wait to get my hands on the other two books.  They were sold out of Dandelion Fire at Target the other day, naturally, so I may just wait until I get my Nook for Christmas.  These are all available electronically. 

Anyway, my only gripe is that it always seems to be the boys in these sorts of books who have adventures.  Even in Narnia, the girls were often somewhat secondary to the tales themselves.  I loved the The Dark is Rising series, too, but again…BOY!  Maybe someday I’ll try and remedy that   It would be easier if I wasn’t always wanting my characters to get it on.  BUT, if you’re in the mood for something fantastical and fun, something to spark your imagination, check this out.  Certain books will remind me of all the wonder I used to believe was in the world, all that magic just waiting for me to find it.  This is one of them, and it was a treat to find. 

Have a great Hump Day!

So despite the fact that yesterday was sort of…crappy…the fates seem to have conspired to give me a better night.  This is good, because I can’t keep up the Milano cookie therapy.  But it’s funny how sometimes you get things right when you need them.  First off, I got a lovely email from a new reader last night who’d just discovered my books and loves them.  That is ALWAYS wonderful to hear!  And right afterwards, I got an email telling me that the wonderful reviewer Karen Michelle Nutt from ParaNormal Romance Reviews, who has been both a valued reader and an incredible online advocate for my stories, has chosen Wild Highland Magic as a Reviewer Top Pick for August 09, which has just gone up on the website.  WOOHOO! 

Then I had another surprise waiting for me in my inbox when I got up this morning…Call of the Highland Moon, my very first baby, was reviewed and very much enjoyed by Amelia at Joyfully Reviewed, making it Joyfully Recommended!  You can check out the great review here.  It’s been a little while since Call of the Highland Moon came out, and it’s gratifying to know that there are still people out there discovering it.

It’s easy, because writing is something you do at home and fairly disconnected from the business end of things until they want you for something, to let yourself get into a slump sometimes.  Writing and creating in a vacuum can be hard, and there are times, like now, when I feel a little like I’m drifting in limbo.  I’ve usually got something coming up, but what with the publisher change, it’s just taking a little longer to get a schedule in order.  It’s not unexpected, but I’ve also never done it before, hence my, um, funkiness.  But surprises like great reviews and, of course, being able to come here and hang with my bloggy friends get me through

Have a great Thursday, eveyone!