Kendra Leigh Castle

Archive for July, 2009

I’m officially beginning my Book Hangover today, so while I am half-asleep and drooling in a corner somewhere, I’ve manacled Richard to the blog so that he can brood and look amazing in my absence.  I plowed through some sort of obscene number of pages yesterday, wrote a new chapter, and finished up the book.  I’ll probably have one more look today at some point when I wake up, but it’ll be a while, so I hereby declare it Pretty Much Done.  Huzzah!

*falls over and starts snoring*

Have a great Friday, ladies!  And thanks for all the amazing support while I have done my usual and just about killed myself finishing.  It’s always this way.  I don’t know why.  And despite the pain, I appear to like it.  Boy am I twisted   But it would be a hell of a lot less fun without you!!  Donna, I am still concerned about this knotted penis thing…

Okay, not really.  But as I wade through the rest of my story and thrn attempt to edit the crap out of it at the same time, I could use a little humor!  So here’s some stuff that made me laugh:

I knew God was a beer drinker.

Without a certain kind of stupidity, there would be no horror movies.

Another victim of the recession.

I have always feared what lurks in those things.

And finally, my favorite, just because:

I have so many questions about this shot that will forever remain unanswered.  Do you think we could get him to model for one of my covers?  LOL…

Have a great one, everybody!

Morning, ladies!  Apologies for being a little late, my server apparently wanted to update or something this morning, so it wouldn’t let me in, thus causing me major trauma and a call to a very nice lady at GoDaddy.  And then the damn thing fixed itself.  I seriously hate technology sometimes.  Or rather, I think it may hate me.  Either way, got a very nice gift in my inbox from Ms. M., who seems to be determined to turn me into a drooling Richard Armitage fangirl.  Mission accomplished!!  I wanted to share it, because it’s hot, and I enjoyed it very much over my coffee this morning before my computer started biting and snarling at me.  Great music, breathtaking visuals, it’s all here.  Let’s welcome back this week’s Mr. Mantastic for some video delight, shall we? And thanks again, Ms. M.!!  Oh, the Bad Things, how my mind is filled with them

So I had a moment last night, while I was writing the scene where Raum finally realizes that yes, he is capable of love and that his cold, dark heart has begun to beat again for one beautiful, sweet, infuriating woman.  I got all…weepy.  Okay, yes, I am a sap.  But when I’m writing, and when I’m reading, these are some of the best moments for me, when emotions on the page strike a chord within and the waterworks start.  And believe me, writing yourself into such a state is something to be proud of, because it’s not all that easy!  Not for me, anyway.  But when it happens, there’s something cathartic about it, and you feel as though you’re baring a bit of your soul on the page.  I do’t think any of my other heroes have made me cry when they finally figured out they were in love, but something about this big, dark fallen angel regaining a touch of his former grace, something he thought he had forgotten, got to me.  I can only hope it hits my readers the same way!

There aren’t tons of books that make me cry, but it happens.  I think it would happen more often if I left the romance genre more often, but I hate to be sad at the end of a story.  That said, I cried my ass off during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  It got very hard to read through the deluge, but I didn’t want to put it down, so I read, and I bawled.  Fortunately, my husband wasn’t around to declare me insane   More recently, I picked up Nora Roberts’ Vision in White, and there’s a scene at the beginning between a bride and her grandmother that was so sweet, the waterworks started again.  I wondered if it was just me, but then my sister brought it up and we discovered we’d had the same reaction!  The Lovely Bones made me cry several times (oh my God that is a sad book).  I even (I can’t believe I’m admitting this) tear up at Disney movies.  It’s that bleeding romantic’s heart I’m carrying around inside me, I guess

So what books, or movies, get to you?

Oh yes, I’m looking at you, Ms. Moonlight!  You post a few videos, I read a hot book that he inspired, and now here he is, ready to waltz away with the Mantastic crown on a permanent basis.  I’m sorry, but there is just nothing better than a dark anti-hero who stomps around in black leather and broods.  Thus do I give you all, bedecked in a black man sash that I have specially bedazzled with metal rivets, Richard Armitage, also known as Sir Guy of Gisborne on BBC’s Robin Hood series.  If you all haven’t seen Ms. M.’s little tribute to him from the other day, you all need to hie thyselves on over there and check it out.  I’ve always loved the Robin Hood legend, and I can’t WAIT to check this series out!  Especially because this sounds like such a different spin from the movie, which I loved in spite of, not because of, Kevin Costner and his bizzarely midwestern Robin Hood.  Could they not have found, like, ONE decent actor who might have done a plausible British acccent?  Not that anyone could have held up against Rickman’s scene stealing Nottingham, but still.  Oh, um, sorry, tangent.  Anyway, heeeere he iiiiiiis, our Mr. Maaantaaaaastic.  You can just sing that to the tune of your choice.  He’s only going to storm down the runway, glare, and then storm back off to brood some more.  I totally have to find a spot in a book for this guy

In other news, I’m back home after all that travelling, and it feels very good to be here.  Even though my manuscript need sto be in my editor’s inbox on Saturday!  But it’s going quite well, and I’m nearing done, so that’s all fine.  I’m adding a scene and then going back to finish up the big, well, finish.  At which point I may or may not vegetate for a week.  I’m definitely going to dive face first into that pile of books I have waiting!  Am totally torn, because not only do I want to check out another erotic romance, this one a historical by Jess Michaels called Something  Reckless, but the first in Nocturne’s new Time Raiders series showed up while I was gone.  They’ve got some really amazing authors doing this series, P.C. Cast among them, and this one is by Lindsay McKenna.  AND it’s a time jump back to ancient Rome, which is so interesting to me!!  And then there are all the other books, several with the word “Knight” in the title, which is very difficult thing to resist.  I’m going to need my jammies, my old afghan, and a steady supply of BBQ potato chips.

God, I can’t wait   Happy Monday, ladies!

Must be all the writing, because I have exactly zero interesting things to blog about today   I’m writing and hanging by the pool again today, and enjoying my family, since I’m very lucky to have parents who are actually cool.

So I’ll open the floor to you all today: anything interesting going on this weekend?  Read or seen anything good lately? 

Have a great Friday, ladies, and weekend, and I’ll be back on Mantastic Monday as always!

Yes, a music post, because I seem to do one every week.  And mostly because I just love music, all sorts, all the time.  My iPod is a strange and faascinating place.  I’m writing like a fiend (no pun intended), logging 5K words two days ago and 4K yesterday.  Deadlines are wonderful motivators, but also, it’s just coming together.  I’m rushing headlong into the Black Moment, and I’m in a groove.  Since fairly lousy things are happening to my characters, I’m walking on the melancholy side with my musical choices at the moment.  Today I decided to share a group I recently started listening to, a British band called Elbow.  Their lead singer just has this amazing voice, and the music lends itself very well to orchestral arrangements…which explains why they did a set with the BBC in-house orchestra, and the results are amazing.  The bridge, no kidding, gives me serious goosebumps.  It just soars.  That starts about 3:40 in, if you feel like skipping ahead, and is the part I crank up as loud as I can on my stereo when I’m in the car.  Warning: my mom made yucky faces when I made her listen to this band, so I guess it’s not for everyone   I love ‘em, though.  Other good picks are Grounds for Divorce, The Bones of You, and One Day Like Today, which are linked at the end.  This particular song’s not vampire music, more like the lament of a fallen angel, I think.  Which works for me.  Here’s The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver.  Have a great one, everybody!

So I will now admit to you that, while I have read LOTS of romance, I haven’t really had much experience with either erotic romance or erotica.  It interests me, because (oh quit laughing, and get your minds out of the gutter!) it’s a different style than straight-up romance, and yeah, I was curious.  I blame Cheryl

Anyway, when I was hitting the signings at National, I ran across one Collette Gale, who was signing a book with one of the most gorgeous covers I have ever seen.  And you know what she said to me, beaming for all she was worth?  “Isn’t my cover beautiful?”  I love that she loves her cover.  I told her if it were mine, I’d hang it on the wall.  It is all kinds of wow.  So I was drawn to it for the cover, and when I saw the words “erotic” and “Maid Marian,” I was sold.  Was I seriously going to resist a sexed up version of Robin Hood?  The best part, however, was when I later opened to the dedication and it was “For all the women who preferred Alan Rickman and Richard Armitage.”  Oh hell yes.  Give me Alan and his chocolate voice any day.

This story is a different twist on Robin Hood, and without giving too much away, I’ll say that Ms. Gale turns the legend on its head.  Robin Hood is the charming frat boy, the Sherriff of Nottingham is the dark and tortured soul who is not what he seems and desperately needs love to save him, and Prince John is a complete asshole (okay, that part’s not different) who has some very interesting ideas about broadening the definition of “kinky.”   Marian herself is a young widow who is on a secret mission for the queen, has never experienced true desire, and is about to get a lot more worldly than she ever imagined when she catches the eye of the Prince and is drawn into his Court of Pleasure.  Will, the Sherriff of Nottingham, can only protect Marian from John so much, and for so long.  But in the meantime, Marian finds herself looking at the cold man she knew as a boy in an entirely different way.  She’s always thought she wanted Robin…but there’s only one man who will have her heart.

I found this to be a lush, dark, sensuous read.  I don’t think it would be for everyone, of course, as it leans toward the erotica end of the spectrum, but there is a traditional HEA.  You just have to be okay with a lot of voyeurism, menage, a bit of S&M, etc.  I’m not bothered by much, but it’s all individual taste.  The way Ms. Gale dealt with Marian’s sexual awakening, her characterization of the dark, catlike Sherriff (yum), and her well-drawn secondary characters were all a treat.  And no worries, both Nottingham AND Robin, who I didn’t love initially but definitely grew on me throughout the course of the book, find true love.   

Turns out that Collette Gale has several other erotic novels that are retellings of classic stories, including Phantom and The Count of Monte Cristo.   After reading Bound By Honor, I will definitely be picking up the others, because her use of the language is gorgeous, and seriously, who hasn’t reimagined these classics with more heat?  Very cool idea, very cool author, and a big thumbs up for Kendra’s first adventure into an erotic novel.

I’m still recuperating, but what an amazing time!  I blogged the first full day I was there, but plenty happened afterwards as well.  Thursday afternoon was really full.  First was one of only two workshops I was absolutely determined to attend, the chat with Nora Roberts.  Can’t tell you how excellent it is to hear the Queen of All Romance tell everyone that a) we need to “forget the fucking muse” and get our asses in the chair, and b) she, too, looks like something the cat dragged in and occasionally forgets to brush her teeth when she is in the middle of her latest WIP, or as she likes to call her books while they’re in progress, the POS   At 5:00, my agent, Kevan Lyon, had a get-together for her clients in the back room of one of the hotel restaurants, and it was awesome to hang out, talk writing, eat hors d’oeuvres, and in my case, drink two appletinis that were pretty much vodka with a drop of green liquor.  Seriously, there were just about fumes rising from the glass.  It was like drinking apple-flavored lighter fluid.  So of course I needed two of them.  At that point, my mouth engaged and ran at about 150 miles an hour, but I did have a lot of fun!  After that, I went to dinner with one of the Nocturne editors, Tara Gavin, and author Bonnie Vanak.  We ate awesome Beef Bourgignon and comisserated about our years of Catholic school, LOL.

This is me with my idol, Nora Roberts.  Honestly, without this woman’s books, I wouldn’t be the writer I am.  Why is my head twice the size of hers?  Honest to God.  Thanks for the giant head genes, Dad.

Anyway, that night I went to the eHarlequin.com pajama party, which was a lot of fun!   I hung with Joy from Joyfully Reviewed (couldn’t resist the pink bunny ears she was wearing) and Nikki Duncan, a Samhain author with a kick-ass sense of humor.  Wore the Jack Skellington pajama pants and a black tank top, and I wish I had a picture, but I don’t.  I may not have mentioned this, but I kind of suck at remembering my camera.  I think Joy got a picture…hopefully one will turn up out there somewhere!

Friday, I’ll admit, was pretty rough.  I hadn’t expected conference to be both fun and incredibly draining, but it was.  My feet were killing me after two days in my patent pointy-toed heels, my blisters had blisters, I had an unfortunate encounter with someone who was determined to make me feel about as small as they could about my career choices (not even a writer, and certainly no one I would listen to career advice from, but still), and I’d just kind of had it by noon.  Thank God for my CP and roommate, Katey, who has been to plenty of these things and made me feel like a meltdown was totally normal.  It’s hard to be “on” all day, every day, and meeting so many amazing people is exhilirating, but it can also be overwhelming.  I felt like a newbie, and I am.  But that’s okay, everyone was once.   So I had my minor meltdown, got a hug, and then went to lunch.  Such is life at conference, LOL   Of course, Eloisa James’ speech teared me up all over again, but I wasn’t the only one!  Damn her for being so inspirational

That afternoon, I participated in a focus group I’d been invited to by Harlequin, and it turned out to be just what I needed despite the fact that I had NO idea what I was supposed to be doing.  Mostly it was a marketing director asking us to talk about what we thought about certain things, doing associations, etc.  We were told we were very “group-y”, meaning we kept yakking with one another and going off on tangents and not really staying on topic.  Meaning it was awfully fun.  I got to meet some wonderful Harlequin authors in there, and I have to tell you, it’s a very warm, welcoming group from all I’ve seen.  And, big highlight, who should sneak in with her dad but P.C. Cast!  I got to talk to her for a little bit before we started (Goddess of the Rose is a favorite book of mine, and turns out it’s one of her favorites that she’s written…yay for not turning a beast into some sappy prince!), and she is SO COOL.  Her dad is a big sweetie, too.  I got a hug when I saw him the next day, and she signed a book for me.  I got an awesome Harlequin t-shirt for participating, and I’ll have to take a pic of me wearing it and post it so you can see…it has an old Western clinch on it.

Friday night was the big Harlequin Gala, which I was invited to (not that it really matters much…lots of people crash), and I’d brought a dress and everything, but at that point, the circles under my eyes were going to be a match for my pretty black dress.  In the end, I just put on my jammies, thought it over, and decided to order room service and watch true crime shows with my roomie Kayla Westra, who was a Golden Heart nominee for Inspirational Romance.  Kayla is such a cool person.  And she has a farm, which I find fascinating.  She tells me that sheep, pigs, and cows are all pretty dumb, which is why she has a Border Collie to help.  But regardless, the french onion soup they brought me was AMAZING, and I slept like a rock that night.  I was sorry to miss the Gala, but there’s always next time, and sometimes you just have to listen to your body.  My eighteen-year-old self would have been so ashamed, but she was kind of an idiot anyway

Saturday was the big Sourcebooks signing, so after a laid-back morning and a really interesting Harlequin corporate presentation and Q&A for their authors (heads up, they’re going to be reissuing some of their oldest romances, red dye along the edges of the pages and everything, in honor of their 60th anniversary…AND they’re making really cute stationary featuring some of the old covers, which I WANT!) I headed to the ballroom.

So I have to tell you, the booksignings for the attendees are wild.  The books are all free, and you can have them signed by the authors.  Every day there are a few hosted by the different houses, and I have never seen free-for-alls quite like that!  I hit most of them, with the unfortunate exception of the Berkeley signing since I was running and had limited time and the line was all the way around the corner and down the hall.  By the time I got back, all the books were gone.  Still, I brought home a duffel bag bursting with books, most signed, and a few signed by my favorites.  I have a signed ARC of Gena Showalter’s new YA!  WOOHOO!  You should see my bookcase.  I’d been too lazy to go in the basement and bring the rest of my books up, and now…it’s not really an issue.  Overfull, again.  Hoping to discover some great authors I haven’t read!  I read my first erotic romance last night, and I’ll have my thoughts on that this week (*fans self*). 

In any case, I’m glad I grabbed copies of my friends’ books and had them sign them for me before the doors opened, because OMG insanity.  It was so much fun to be furiously signing away, talking to the people who wanted them.  Honestly, it’s such a gift that anyone wants to read my books.  It never gets old, and if I ever think it does, someone needs to smack me.  In somewhere around fifteen minutes, my books had vanished.  Wish I’d had more, because there were plenty of people who I had to send off with just a bookmark! 

After it was all over but the debris, I gave my friends hugs and headed out.  Went upstairs, more hugs for the roomies, and then hopped into the car when my husband pulled up with kids who were, after almost four days, missing their mommy.  I’d missed all of them, and though I would attend National again in a heartbeat, it was bliss to return to my own reality and some much-needed peace.  Went home, put on jammies, drank a beer and read one very hot, very well-written novel about a side of Maid Marian and the sexy Sherriff of Nottingham that I’d never seen…but always sort of wanted to

National was a trip.  I met so many amazing people, had numerous fangirl moments, and best of all, got to hang out with friends I often talk to but rarely get to see.  Marie (and her daughter Emily) is entertaining as all hell, Sharon is a sweetie, Cheryl is irreverent and fun and fearless just like she is on her blog.  She and I never did get to that tequila, but I understand she found some on her own at the Sourcebooks dinner   Next time, Cheryl!  I’m going to have to work on my stamina beforehand so I can stay out past ten.

Oh, and the CFM shoes?  I’m sorry to report they were a total disaster.  I wore them the first day, and at first they were fine.  But they’re patent slingbacks, and as they warmed along with my feet, the back strap stretched and began to slip off the back of my heel.  Repeatedly.  Making it nearly impossible to walk.  They were quickly retired in favor of my close-toed patent pumps, which are also very cute, but pretty basic.  Thus, I have no shoe pictures at present.  However, I’m not all that bright, so eventually I’ll attempt to wear them again and THEN I’ll take pictures!  Ah well, it was estrogen city anyway.

Had to toss in a picture of the Cat Master herself, of course.  She looked fabulous every day, great jackets   I think she was glad she had to wear her sneakers, though, because none of us expected all that walking!  Cheryl, email me the pictures you took of all of us, will you?  I love the ones from our walk, and I don’t have any of you and I together!!

So that was my National.  I’m sure I missed stuff…in fact, I’m positive I did…but it’s late and I’m headed to my mom’s for a week of semi-vacation and poolside writing tomorrow (Brian’s coming this time, yay!).  I’ll check in this afternoon when we get in, but I hope you all enjoy the pictures, and the story.  It was, honestly, so amazing to go as both a reader and a writer.  But wow, it definitely can’t be any more often than once a year!

No pictures yet, because I forgot the cord for the camera, but I’ll get them up Sunday night   Anyway, I can’t believe I’m here!  National is a really surreal experience anyway, but believe me, going as a published author has been even MORE surreal than when I went as a new writer in ’05.  I’ve had the best time getting to hang out with my writer friends in person…they’re just as irreverent and hilarious as they are online!  Though Cheryl seems to think I’m tall (I’m 5’6, which sadly prevented me from having a career as a supermodel).  And I have a blister on my foot from these damn shoes, which really are quite fabulous. 

So yesterday I got to meet my agent face to face for the first time, and I think we’re going sightseeing this morning before the conference really gets going.  I had dinner (at McDonald’s, LOL, because everyplace was packed and we were starved by then) with the lovely Lori Chapman, a reviewer from the awesome blog Bitten by Books and her adorable bookworm daughter Kayla.  And the literacy signing…OMG.  One giant room, filled with tables full of amazing authors.  And the noise level was INSANE.  But I was feeling brave and got a picture with my hero, Nora Roberts.  I sat by Toni McGee Causey, who was SO much fun, and we exchanged signed books…she’s got a great voice, so I’m looking forward to the read.  

Can’t tell you all how cool it is to be here, among all these people who inspired me to do what I’m doing.  The awesome Nina Bangs, who was sweet enough to give me a blurb for my very first book, said some absolutely lovely things about my writing when I got to (finally!) meet and thank her in person.  I talked to Alyssa Day, to whom I am also indebted for her great blurb and encouragement, while I had my coffee this morning (she’s crazy nice as well).  And I’ve met a few Harlequin authors who have told me “welcome to the family!”  Like I said, a surreal experience, but so far, worth it   I’ll check in when I can, but wanted to give a quick update!

Have a great day!