Kendra Leigh Castle

I’m at Romance Bandits today!  Come on over and hang out!

Or something.  Bloggy world tour, anyway   Hey, check out these great pics Lisa sent me of my book on the shelves!  I LOVE IT!!

It is so freaking cool to  be on the Harlequin display.  I can’t even tell you.  Here’s to many more!  Let’s bust out the virtual champagne!  It’s Cristal, of course.  I only imagine the very best, LOL.

Anyway, here’s a rundown of where I’ll be over the next couple of weeks, rambling about my writing, spreading joy, and dispensing goodies.  Please come visit!

September 1-Yankee Romance Reviewers

September 3-Romance Bandits

September 6-Harlequin Paranormal Romance Blog

September 9-Bitten By Books

September 13-Star-Crossed Romance

September 14-Literary Escapism

Hope you all can come hang out!  Happy Monday, everyone!  Hope it’s a good week

Hey everyone!  So Renegade Angel officially releases on September 1 (though it’s available on Amazon already…I think it’ll just be on actual shelves on the 1st), so you know what that means…Blog tour!!  Lots of book-related rambling by me, lots of books to give away.  I’ll post all of the dates I have booked on Monday, but I’ll be kicking things off with my launch party on the 1st with the lovely Terra at Yankee Romance Reviewers.

I can’t believe that the book is finally coming out!  Just like I can’t believe that a month from now I will have turned in the manuscript for Dark Awakening, which I’m still writing away on.  It’s turning my brain to mush.  Still, I think it’s going to turn out really well.  I’m not going to get much of a break, but that’s fine.  I do plan on vegetating for at least a week and completely ignoring the computer!

Hope you all had a good week.  My two older kids went back to school, and I think we’re all happier for it!  I’m just busy.  Busy, busy, busy, and thinking longingly of the day when it will slow down, just a little.  The month before deadline always kind of sucks.  It wouldn’t suck quite as much if I were a faster writer, but as Popeye says, I am what I am!

Sorry for the short, late post.  My brain is full of vampire cats and their allies and enemies, and there’s not room for much else right now!  Pretty sure my husband misses me being somewhat lucid.  Oh well, the brains usually come back pretty quickly   Here’s a song to send you into your weekend…I’m loving this one right now.  You’ll probably have to click through to Youtube to watch, though…freaking Vevo. *eyeroll*

It’s where I’m at. I’m up to my neck in vampires, and that’s the truth! Heading into the home stretch with a deadline is always a little ugly for me…though I’ve been worse. I’m not at the end yet, though! Couple of things on this sunny Monday morning, the dawn of the week during which my children actually GO BACK TO SCHOOL! Well, two of ‘em, anyway. Preschool is in another couple of weeks.

Firstly, I received an email from a VERY sweet reviewer late last night who does work for Cataromance, and the review is FABULOUS. I freaking love it when my books get love. I mean, if I’m the only one who likes the story, what’s the point? Check the review here. It’s SO nice, and like I said, the reviewer being sweet is just gravy

Secondly, hot guy with a puppy (or if you prefer, Vampire Damon with a puppy):

And thirdly, and most importantly, Chewie, nine weeks old, with a hose in the driveway:

That’s all I got on Monday morning, ladies.  I’m off to infuse myself with more coffee, and then stuff my head back into the further adventures of Lily and Ty.  Bad things are afoot.  Jaden’s trying to slink out on them.  They’re in unfriendly territory.  All kinds of bad stuff is just around the corner.  First, though…more sex!

Well, hey, it works in books   Enjoy your day!

I’ve been listening to a lot of new stuff lately as I wend my way through this story…you never know what will inspire you, after all!  So I thought I’d share some of the stuff I found.  Oh, and I do have a BIT of news…forgive me if you’ve already read it on my facebook, but hey, it’s my blog and I’ll be redundant if I want to  

First off, I spoke to my lovely editor at Nocturne, and I’ve got the thumbs up on my proposal to do a werewolf story for my next book with them, which has a lot of potential to be spun off into a series.  More on THAT to come, but I can tell you that for sure the book currently titled UNDER A WICKED MOON (which is totally subject to change) is a go!  This is the first of what I hope will be a bunch of stories about a werewolf pack in rural Northern PA called the Blackpaw.  I can already tell I’m going to enjoy writing Mia and Jenner’s story!  He’s all big and wolfish and YUMMY.

Secondly, it somehow escaped me, but it looks like RENEGADE ANGEL pulled a 4.5 star review in Romantic Times!  YAY!  One of these days, I’ll remember to subscribe so I actually find out about these things in a timely manner.

Anyway, without further adieu, here are a few things that are keeping my brain busy and my feet tapping lately.  A couple of them you’ll have to click through to Youtube to listen to (stupid content restrictions…thanks a lot, record companies), but it’s worth it. Have a great weekend!

And last but certainly not least, I LOVE this song, even though it gets stuck in my head a lot!

Hey everyone, sorry I’m a day late with pictures. I’m so tired. So, so tired. I’m having flashbacks to when the kids were non-sleeping infants. Chewie is still settling in, which means he is having to get used to sleeping in a crate at night, having to get used to the idea of going OUTSIDE to do his business, and also…well, his bowels are a little messed up because of the stress. Thrillsville. So Friday night he was up howling and shrieking pretty much ALL night, and last night was a lot better, but he was up every 1.5-2 hours to go potty…and he still managed to have a massive poo explosion in his crate one time. Brian and I took turns laying by his crate after each time he went out to help settle him down. It helped a lot.

Did I mention I’m tired?

Anyway, Chewie is a sweet, fluffy little bear of a dog who makes the most interesting noises…you should hear how he grumbles and groans in his deep little puppy voice! He’s laid back, for sure, but he’s perkier today than he has been so far, and I’m sure that will only increase as he gets used to us. Poor baby did NOT want to leave his mama and siblings and the breeder and her daughters…the moment we got him in the car he started to HOWL, and he did that for most of the two hour trip home. But he likes us now Sleeps a lot, but he’s a baby. Snorkels in his water dish, loves his toys, and follows all of us all over the downstairs. the kids are really enjoying him, and he’s good with them,w hich is SO nice. Daisy hates his guts, which is standard, but he’s not pushing it with her. The cat…well, Bruno is stalking Chewie, occcasionally bats at him, and is leading puppy a merry chase on purpose. Chewie wants to play with him. Bruno is going to make him work for it, but it could happen. It’s not like Chewie is ever going to have the element of surprise on his side. Even now, he doesn’t run so much as he lumbers at a medium speed, tops.

Wish you all could meet him We finally got a good video camera, though, so maybe I can figure  out how to post some videos of him!  Hope you all had a great weekend, and heeeeere’s Chewie!

Threw in one of my Daisy for good measure.  Pekes are pretty dogs, and she’s no exception.  No one ever thinks she’s headed for 12!  That’s my butt in the picture, by the way.  Super exciting, LOL.

Have a good Sunday!

Today’s the day!  As you read this, I’ll be in the car, probably, either heading to or from the breeder’s two hours north of here.  I can’t BELIEVE how fast the time has gone!  The kids are excited.  My husband is insanely excited.  I’m anxious, but I don’t think I’ll really feel a whole lot until it’s happening.  I’m like that.  I’ve been such a ball of stress that I’m not doing much moving past the moment I happen to be in!  It would help if members of my family would quit mentioning how quickly September’s getting here.  Um, yeah…I know.  And my book’s not going to be done until right before my deadline in September, so let’s not mention the closeness of it right now!  But anyway, I’m looking forward to getting a little puppy to love on.  Bonnie, the breeder, says he’s very sweet and likes to snuggle.  YAY!  So you all can expect lots of Chewie pictures from here on out.  See him become enormous before your very eyes, LOL! 

Hope you all had a good week.  Oh, I solved my homesickness problem…I’m putting together a trip to NY’s wine country for next summer, getting a cottage on the lake.  We’re going with my in-laws, and my mom-in-law and I are bad influences on each other with the wine drinking…so my father-in-law is a little scared that there are two wineries in walking distance from this cottage!  Love it.  Enjoy your weekend, and I will post Chewie pictures either today or tomorrow.  I’m going to want to share!  Here’s a video of him and his siblings just last week…can’t tell which brown one he is, since I can’t see collars (his would be white), but they’re all freaking cute.

My internet was down most of yesterday.  I was okay with it for a while, thinking it was part of a larger issue that they would fix in a couple of hours.  Then my neighbors came home from work, and THEIR internet was out, and they swarmed the tech guy who finally got sent out after I called.  People need their internets, man   Turned out the power box in this side of the neighborhood had gone up.  At least there weren’t riots.  I think it was touch and go there for a while.  You know what’s weird?  I distinctly remember my life before heavy internet use, or any at all.  I also remember what it was like before telemarketers.  I’m not that old, but my children are going to think this all makes me a dinosaur! 

Anyway, I had a great trip, left Tuesday and came back Sunday.  Got to play with my year-old nephew Aiden, who has somehow gone completely blonde between March, when I saw him last, and now!  My sister living in California is a total bummer, but that’s the Navy for you (she’s a Navy wife too).  I got to go consume mass quantities at Mac’s Speed Shop, which is the best freaking BBQ, like, EVER.  I drank a lot of Fat Tire beer, which is my current favorite.  And I managed to write, though not quite as much as I wanted to.  It’s hard when you take me out of my natural element…that would be parked either in my office or the big chair in my bedroom, wearing ratty PJs, and typing away.  My contract with GCP came yesterday, though, which is AWESOME.

Hope you all are enjoying the end of summer.  It’s still NASTY hot here, which has caused my husband to make all kinds of noise about eventually moving back North.  We’re both native NYers, and it’s a beautiful state, but, um…it snows.  A LOT.  Sometimes I miss it a little, but mostly I don’t.  I do, however, get homesick for it at the oddest times…like today In my alternate reality where I am fabulously wealthy I’d have a summer house on one of the lakes up there, and a place someplace else.  Probably I need to stop watching so much HGTV.  All of those International House Hunters have two homes!  Wah!  Oh well, here for now.  If you all are curious, here’s a page about my hometown, Adams, NY.  It’s small and quaint and no one knows where it is except others from the North Country!  My family has all scattered from there since I got married and left.  I was lucky, though…I grew up in a small neighborhood where my grandparents lived next door and my uncle and aunt (who were my dad’s twin brother and my mom’s younger sister) lived up the street, and the adults were all rfiends and tended to drink beer at various people’s houses every Friday night.  It was a nice way to grow up.  Here are some shots of stuff I actually do miss about the Frozen North:

The Burrville Cider Mill

Apple Cider donuts!!

Lake Ontario

Lots of old farms

Fall

Sackets Harbor, the inspiration for Kinnik's Harbor in COTHM

Talcott Falls, very near my old house

Pretty, huh?  It ain’t all roses, believe me, but there are a lot of nice things about growing up in the North Country.  Of course, a big problem is that there’s a lot of this:

SNOW

The 2008 storm back at home, or MORE SNOW

One of the ice storms that happen periodically

Hmm, maybe I should just use it for inspiration and stay where I am.  Anyway, if you all could live anywhere, where would it be?  Do you like where you are?  Miss where you’re from?  I’m off to grab more coffee, but I’ll be back

Hi everyone!  Sorry for the short post…I’m back in Charlotte to visit my sister and baby nephew while they’re here from California, and today we’re doing a party for my boys and baby Aiden…all of them are August birthdays, and it’s nice to celebrate with family.  So I’m not dressed yet, but I have managed to throw a cake in the over.  I’m getting there!  Hope you all had a good week.  I’ll be driving home on Sunday, and I’ll be back with something more substantial on Monday.  In the meantime, here’s this week’s picture of Chewie, who’ll be coming home a week from today!  And a song I’ve been enjoying as well   Happy Friday, everyone!!Â

Morning, everyone   Kind of slow this morning, as on all Mondays.  I was up late writing, and I haven’t had my daily quota of coffee yet.  So of course, I got over here, and I had 108 bits of spam pending that I had to get rid of even though I just cleaned it out yesterday.  Can I just tell you how much I hate spam?!  Uuuggghhhh.  There’s always more, and lately it’s been an avalance.  I the website didn’t have a filter, you’d all be subjected to a zillion ads for porn and viagra, many of them in Russian.  There was an episode recently where I got hit with a lot of stuff ffrom a site on how to build a fence, though.  That was random.  I can’t recall ever talking about fencing.  Though now that I am, I suppose that’ll get worse. *sigh*
I really wonder about the people who create and dispense spam for a living.  Maybe they all live in their parents’ basements, weigh 500 pounds, and can’t get a date to save their lives.  So, in bitterness, in the cavelike dark, they bring forth their malevolent spam and blanket the world.  Apparently this even happens in Russia.  Spam is just right up there with telemarketers on the “annoying” scale for me.  As the lady in the Monty Python sketch says, “I DON’T LIKE SPAM!!”  Okay, rant over   And to thank you for sitting through it, here is something pretty for Monday.  You all remember Marco, of course…
Happy Monday, ladies!