tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post9005748895750658752..comments2024-03-17T02:20:03.772-05:00Comments on Riding With The Top Down: KATHLEEN'S FIRST BOOK (and Coming Full Circle)Kathleen Eaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13561028604927993773noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-41130653027579940172008-09-29T10:46:00.000-05:002008-09-29T10:46:00.000-05:00KathleenI love your stuff - hardcover and category...Kathleen<BR/><BR/>I love your stuff - hardcover and category both - and am thrilled to see you're returning to your publishing roots!<BR/><BR/>Started reading category romance myself when I was experiencing morning-noon-night-and-inbetween sickness and couldn't concentrate on the historical sagas and SF I had been reading, and I've never looked back. <BR/><BR/>I still turn to categories when I want a fast read, and I firmly believe that many of today's top writers honed their craft writing the shorter - but no less well-developed - length. <BR/><BR/>I have a list of auto-buy authors for both the library and my personal collection and of course you're on it; mega thanks to your own hero for encouraging you to persevere! The world is much richer for your stories.<BR/><BR/>LynneWAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-69328096807990767102008-09-28T22:24:00.000-05:002008-09-28T22:24:00.000-05:00Someday Soon is one of the books that made me real...Someday Soon is one of the books that made me realize I wanted to write ROMANCE. It was so richly genuinely <I> Indian </I> and respectful and beautifully written (and it has been a long time, but there is something terrible that happens in it, too, right?) and I recognized that category was a place a person could write amazing things without any real limits, so I slanted my work toward SE. <BR/><BR/>Not that everyone is as brilliant at it as you are. But it's a good standard to strive toward.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-58193276792773226682008-09-28T19:12:00.000-05:002008-09-28T19:12:00.000-05:00My firstromance read was a Danielle Steel - The Pr...My firstromance read was a Danielle Steel - The Promise. Oh, how I loved that book. I quickly moved on to category - the HP line. Remember when Janet Dailey wrote a book for each state? I read them all. And although I don't read as much category anymore, there are a few lines that I've stayed fairly loyal to, like SSE, Blaze, SIM (what are they calling it now?), HHR, and HSR. Ok, I guess I am still a category reader, LOL! Wow, never realized I still read so many lines so religiously till I listed them out. Guess it's cause you guys still write such good books, huh? Thanks!Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08250972350798310498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-85775083359582543552008-09-26T16:31:00.000-05:002008-09-26T16:31:00.000-05:00I started reading category/series romance because ...I started reading category/series romance because those were the books my grandmother and her friend bought and gave to my mom. We would have bags of books and I would sit behind the sofa and read them when my mom was finished(I was 10 or 11). I still read some category/series romance, but more single title releases. BTW, I think a cowboy hero can cuss now.mslizalouhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05346608035190326136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-63962611158979142442008-09-26T13:41:00.000-05:002008-09-26T13:41:00.000-05:00In the beginning I think I read any kind of genre ...In the beginning I think I read any kind of genre I could get my hands on. I was always attracted to historical and never gave it up even when "they" said it wasn't popular. I also like horror (Stephen King) and suspense. Romantic suspense at least combines two genres. I still will read any genre though so I'm thinking I never really changed from my very beginning lol.<BR/><BR/>my verification word was "snuckle" - I like it lol.catsladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06375770995988927860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-17326117403958689802008-09-26T13:31:00.000-05:002008-09-26T13:31:00.000-05:00Cait, you've given us a memorable family in the Ta...Cait, you've given us a memorable family in the Tallchief series, and I know your readers are waiting for more. New readers will demand those earlier books once they get a taste. That's the neat thing about series. Readers who know what they want return to "their" series every month like clockwork.<BR/><BR/>About the term "Native American," many tribes have asked newspapers and other media to drop it because it's too vague. If you're born in the USA, aren't you a native American? (Who's going to argue with The Boss?) First preference is the particular tribe. Clyde's nation is Lakota. We generally use Lakota Sioux on cover blurbs because Sioux is generally recognized. But American Indian is the generally accepted term for the indigenous people in the U.S., and it's the term many tribal leaders have formally agreed upon in recent years for the sake of clarity. Native American is still used in academic circles, which is where it was popularized. Mind you, this is what I've observed, and that's all I am--an observer.Kathleen Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13561028604927993773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-25223492451342861782008-09-26T13:09:00.000-05:002008-09-26T13:09:00.000-05:00"A good read is a good read." Well said, maryc!"A good read is a good read." Well said, maryc!Kathleen Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13561028604927993773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-86747136558572134232008-09-26T12:49:00.000-05:002008-09-26T12:49:00.000-05:00I was introduced to category romances in 1966 by a...I was introduced to category romances in 1966 by a classmate. At the time, I read every single one. I still read category romances, but now I read them based on the author due to the large number of authors I read in different genres.<BR/><BR/>I've followed authors who started out in category romances, eg Kathleen Eagle, Cait London, Cindy Gerard, Christie Ridgway, Linda Howard to name a few.<BR/><BR/>A good read is a good read no matter what category it falls in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-24435909816550319822008-09-26T10:30:00.000-05:002008-09-26T10:30:00.000-05:00Hey, guys! I'm in Minnesota for a few days! And ...Hey, guys! I'm in Minnesota for a few days! And I'm loving this beautiful autumn weather!<BR/><BR/>Kathy I don't recall every hearing your first sale story before. . . and I've been around a while! I LOVE that your cowboy wanted to fit books into his jeans pockets. Of course, he's a cool guy all the way around. And the fact that he was both inspiration and instigator for your writing career only validates the choices you made way back when.<BR/><BR/>I'm not "full circle" yet. For me a foray into category romance is a first-- and proving to be a lot of fun. Strangely, it's a short contemporary line--BLAZE-- that bought this "historical" so I have no idea if or where I'll enter it in the Rita. There's no longer a "short historical" category!!<BR/><BR/>This is a whole new length and pace for me-- I've done novellas (150 page manuscripts) and long historicals (450-500 pg manuscripts!) but never a 250 page story. And of course, the sensuality level is much higher than in my recent books. It remains to be see whether my style of sexy turns readers on or not.<BR/><BR/>Here's hoping! And Kathleen, I can't wait to see those books on the shelves!Betina Krahnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11379124690406269848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-59680024811801583742008-09-26T09:59:00.000-05:002008-09-26T09:59:00.000-05:00And it was YOU Cindy Gerard who made me love categ...And it was YOU Cindy Gerard who made me love category and think "Maybe I could write something 1/10th that good." I miss your categories but totally understand heading in new directions. Been there, done that. With the Bodyguards and Black Ops, we still get a great story, and we get the stuff that's not "Silhouette words." ;-)Playground Monitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07444337591281145863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-59604108346759604012008-09-26T09:21:00.000-05:002008-09-26T09:21:00.000-05:00Great story, Kathy.Nope, no full circle here. Hav...Great story, Kathy.<BR/><BR/>Nope, no full circle here. Have always loved reading most kinds of romance and still do. And I haven't been writing long enuf to have quarter of a circle going, so ...<BR/><BR/>Yes, your cowboy hero can cuss like a sailor! So can your heroine. LOLHelen Brennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08680081195181747377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-3691726011454264532008-09-26T09:06:00.000-05:002008-09-26T09:06:00.000-05:00Great story, Kathy. Like Kylie I started out read...Great story, Kathy. Like Kylie I started out reading historicals - blame it on Kathleen Woodwise and Rosemary Rogers. Could Not get enough. Then - woo woo - I found LaVryle Spencer. You knew she was going to come up, didn't you? I wanted to write like her. I didn't know she wrote romance :o) I just knew she wrote wonderful books. I thought my first book was the great American woman's novel - little did I know it was a category romance. That's where I started and that's where I stayed for many many books. I'd probably still be writing category if my editor at Silhouette hadn't rejected my bodyguard proposal which propelled me in another direction.<BR/>And let me tell you something else - it was you, Kathy Eagle and Anne McCallister, who turned me on to GREAT category romance and made me want to write to the bars you had set. So - thanks for that!! And mega congrats on your return to category and your upcoming releases!Cindy Gerardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13311224531297908704noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-23676819135871741272008-09-26T08:54:00.000-05:002008-09-26T08:54:00.000-05:00Kylie, you and me both. I had just finished my MS...Kylie, you and me both. I had just finished my MS and had a summer to do something else. <BR/><BR/>Marilyn, in the old days damn and hell were as cussin' as we could get. When a word slipped between the lips of someone at home, we used to say, "That's not a Silhouette word!"<BR/><BR/>One change I had to make in SS was that my cowboy couldn't use a hair dryer at the hotel. He had to towel dry. More manly, I was told.Kathleen Eaglehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13561028604927993773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-38621239260057580832008-09-26T08:19:00.000-05:002008-09-26T08:19:00.000-05:00I started reading romance about 7 years ago with c...I started reading romance about 7 years ago with category books. That's probably 90% of what I read. I love the shorter length, the focus on the romance, the HEA. Sadly, my favorite line headed in a new direction a year or so ago and became more like the line I don't like to read. So I've had to start looking at other lines, and it so happens I've been reading some Silhouette Specials (and Supers too).<BR/><BR/>If/When I ever finish writing the book, it will be a category romance.<BR/><BR/>I haven't been reading them long enough to see major changes (and yeah, your cowboy can cuss as far as I know -- makes him real since when did you ever hear a cowboy say "Aw shucks, darnit! I just busted my doggone finger with this blasted hammer trying to fix that darn fence post?" I have read a few much older categories that I've picked up in thrift stores when they've been by a fave author, and one thing I've noticed for sure is that the bedroom door doesn't close as much. And many times we see past the bathroom door as well.<BR/><BR/>Love, love, love your story. Leslie Wainger is just a sweetheart. She sat in my living room last December at our RWA Christmas party and joined right in the Dirty Santa game. She also wrote a very nice note in my copy of her "Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies" book.<BR/><BR/>I'll be looking for your Specials next year.<BR/><BR/>MarilynPlayground Monitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07444337591281145863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-23563843330687560082008-09-26T07:37:00.000-05:002008-09-26T07:37:00.000-05:00Loved the part about the romance book being too th...Loved the part about the romance book being too thick to fit into your husband's pocket, LOL. My husband is always the only man on the beach reading one of my books. Until he loans it out to another guy who asks to read it!<BR/><BR/>I started out reading the 80s romantic historicals but soon found I couldn't stomach the heroines being raped and falling in love with their rapists. Ugh. Still gives me heartburn. But that was a very hot sub-genre at the time.<BR/><BR/>After getting my MA with two small children at home and working full time, I resolved that I wasn't going to read anything 'intelligent' for a year. Started picking up contemporary series romances at the library and devoured them. I'd had no idea there were contemporary romances out there!<BR/><BR/>And I discovered something: some of the most articulate intelligent writing I've ever read has come from romance writers. Their insight into the human spirit never fails to inspire me.<BR/><BR/>From library loaning I went to buying up all the series books I could get each month. And then re-reading those while I waited for the next month's offerings. It wasn't until the early 90s that I got bit by the writing bug, inspired again by all those wonderful authors I'd read.<BR/><BR/>Since then I've written 25 category books for Silhouette Romantic Suspense, my favorite series line when I was doing all that reading. <BR/><BR/>My only regret is since I started writing my reading time has decreased. Maybe when I retire...!KylieBranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02521116390801346909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27662400.post-18668038549631010062008-09-26T03:30:00.000-05:002008-09-26T03:30:00.000-05:001. I think it's really interesting that Kathleen, ...1. I think it's really interesting that Kathleen, who is married to a Sioux, uses the term Indian, while we are nudged to use Native American. :)<BR/>2. Frankly, I'm glad she's coming full circle. Congratulations, Kathleen. All this says you're an enduring writer with talent to spread around.<BR/>3. I'm also a category writer, (and ST as Kathleen is) and came full circle when a 12-year old category sold surprisingly well, reissued in a new Harlequin program.Cait Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18038913081786418823noreply@blogger.com