One of my favorite people is in the house – Kate Douglas, the acclaimed paranormal erotica author who writes for Kensington. Kate is justly famous for her groundbreaking Wolf Tales series, which you can read about on her website. And here’s something really cool: she’s starting a new series. Let’s turn the blog over to her for all the details.
Neurotics R Us…
My thanks to Vanessa for the invite to blog with her today, and thanks to you for putting up with me…and yep, I don’t say that figuratively. When I’ve got a new book releasing, I tend to show up all over the place blogging my fingers to the bone, but with so many books to choose from, how will you know that you absolutely have to read mine if I don’t say something? (and yes, I am ducking and hiding behind the couch right now…) Actually for those of you who have read Dream Catcher in the NightShift anthology, I hope you’ve been waiting for the continuation of Mac and Zianne’s story. As with all my stories, it turned out totally different than I’d expected, but I’m really pleased with both this one and the final book in this short series, Dream Unchained, which comes out in November. (And if you missed Dream Catcher, you’ll still know what’s going on with Dream Bound. It’s not as dependent upon the novella as my Wolf Tales books are to the Chanku novellas)
Anyway, since I don’t want to write the same stuff in every blog, I’ve decided to veer away from my usual shtick about my book and get into something that authors area always joking about—and that’s just how neurotic we are. It seems apropos because, to be quite honest, I’m having one of THOSE weeks. I was talking to some writer friends the other day, and we were all cracking up about our personal writing neuroses. Big joke. Ha. Ha. Except, it’s not so funny this weekend, and I’m actually laughing at just what a neurotic dip I can be.
Yep, without even trying.
Here’s the deal—it’s a busy time—I’ve got a new book, DREAM BOUND from Kensington’s Aphrodisia line, coming out on Tuesday, June 26, which is really cool and something I’ve been looking forward to. Of course, galley proofs for the next in the series, DREAM UNCHAINED, are due to show up on my doorstep Wednesday, which means life as I know it will come to a complete stop while I work on those, but instead of celebrating the release of the new book, and another step in production of another, I’m in an absolute funk.
Why? It’s a really stupid reason, but it’s all because I finished writing the first book in a totally new series called SPIRIT WILD. That book, TO LOVE A DARK WOLF, is the first in my second generation stories about the children of the Chanku, my sexy shapeshifters who starred in Wolf Tales and the Chanku novellas in the Sexy Beast anthologies. (All that sex, you’re gonna get a LOT of babies…) Most writers celebrate the completion of a book. Me? I get depressed. I’ve been dragging around since sending the manuscript to my editor on Friday, and it’s all because I miss Sebastian Xenakis and Lily Cheval, Alex Aragat and Annie McClintock, my main characters in the story.
Yep…I get way too attached to my imaginary friends, but it was so exciting to have the chance to write Anton Cheval, my Chanku über-alpha and touch base with so many members of the pack, that when I finished the story, I spent three days rereading it, looking for errors (which is another way of not letting go) and when I finally sent it off, I wanted to grab a blankie and stick my thumb in my mouth!
I’ll get over it—I always do, but in the meantime, when you hear people making jokes about how neurotic authors can be, you’ll know our secret. It’s true. We are. At least I am. And I really need a soft blankie about now…
But I’ll shortly be starting the next in the series and then I’ll be fine again. In the meantime, I get to agonize over whether or not anyone is buying Dream Bound and if they do, are they enjoying the story? I hope you do—it’s sexy and exciting and takes place in a part of California I absolutely love—the rugged northeastern corner of the state, which is all high desert and ancient volcanic rocks and caves. My husband and I spent some time up there, researching the setting for the Dream Catchers series. It’s such a beautiful, wild part of the state. Not at all civilized!
If you’d like to see an excerpt, I have the first chapter of Dream Bound posted on my website, but please, only if you’re an adult. Because I do write REALLY hot stuff! And if you’d like a chance to win a copy of Dream Bound, leave a comment, or just say hi and you’ll be entered.
Vanessa, here. I just know you’re going to love Kate’s new series. And Dream Bound is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books A Million. Run, don’t walk to get your copy. I know I will!