So...who wants Romance Trading Cards?

I went ahead and got Romance Trading Cards done for my first three books. They're a fun thing to have at conferences and just to hand out to people. Although a lot of authors do bookmarks, I can't help think that most people probably have no use for them anymore. You know, future generations probably won't even be able to relate to them at all! The trading cards were also really great fun to have made. I got to pick and choose the content and I loved coming up with the line of dialogue on each of them. Warning: one of them has a bad word, a very bad word LOL. I posted pictures of these (front and back) on a prior post and have them up on my albums on Facebook if you'd like to take a book, but I have one for each of Picture This, Pay Up and Play Me.

If you'd like one (or all), just send me an email letting me know at kaily at kailyhart dot com with your address and I'll send them out to you. Oh and indicate whether you'd like them signed or not :).

My First Print Book. Sigh...

It's funny. I'm an ebook pundit all the way, but when I heard Ellora's Cave were combining my first three ebooks (PICTURE THIS, PAY UP and PLAY ME) with them into a print anthology? Well, I went all giddy and mushy at the knees :). Seriously. There's just something about holding a book, something about that tangible proof that screams I did indeed write a book. Actually, it's a lot more than that one book now, but the physical manifestation of all that work will be so cool to actually see, hold.

When they asked me to come up with a title for it, I drew a blank for awhile. The stories are all quite different, the characters diverse, but there was a common thread. The heroes and heroines of the three stories all found love when it was the last thing they expected, but the thing they all needed the most. It wasn't hard after that and Perfectly Unexpected just seemed so fitting. I haven't seen it physically myself yet, but it's started to hit some of the outlets. It's already up at Barnes & Noble and the other book sellers will follow suite soon enough. I'll probably do some giveaways when I get some copies in my hot hands! And I'm digging the cover. How about you?

Know what I did last night?

I posted a little while ago that one of my books was selected by a small, local book club and that they had invited me to attend their meeting. Well, it was last night and OMG I had the best fun! I think there's something about the prospect of discussing a hot and steamy read that has inhibitions and tongues loosening LOL. At least for these ladies, unless they're like that all the time :). Of course, it could have also been the alcohol!

They had a theme for the food, which was aphrodisiacs. How appropriate. I can't tell you how elaborate and awesome the food was. I was simply blown away. Not the mention...cucumber martinis and...champagne. Champagne! I think I seriously need to get out more LOL.

Firstly, I wasn't sure which particular book had been selected for them all to read because most of them had read more than one! Yay!! One woman was happy to let me know she'd read PAY UP twice, just to make sure she didn't miss anything the first time :)!! Yay her!

I do think some might have thought that just because I write hot that made me an expert on sex and that I must watch porn. So not true LOL. I got some great comments and questions though and I thought I'd share a sample of my favorites:

• "You don't look anything like I expected you to look."
• "Is your husband good looking?"
• "Are your books your own fantasies?"
• "How do you do your research?"
• "How do you start writing?"
• "How do you come up with that stuff?"
• "Oh, there's a plot in the book?"
• "I was surprised that there was a happy ending in a book like this."
• "Do you think your books will be turned into movies one day?"

I had to stay on my toes to respond to and answer those and others. Overall, it was great to have the opportunity to talk to readers directly and in person, especially readers who might not have read in this genre otherwise. I hope I managed to change perceptions and squash myths, at least in a small way about erotic romance. Ladies, thank you so much for such a fun and interesting evening and the food was simply DIVINE!!

Where's Kaily Today?

I'm over at the wonderful and unique blog of fellow writer and good friend, Rula Sinara. Her blog is called A Writer's Rush. A comment on the interview over there gives you 1 entry into my mystery prize draw, which I'll be wrapping up at the end of July.

An excerpt of Picture This is also up at Excerpt Monday today, along with some other great books. There's a chance to win a group of books, if you're interested.

Picture This was also voted Best Book of the Week at Long and Short of it Reviews (Whipped Cream). Happy dancing aplenty today!

Vote for me? Please? Please!!

OK, I know it's unseemly to beg, but Picture This is up for Best Book of the Week at Long and Short of it Reviews!! Who could have imagined? It's got some stiff competition and the other authors and books are probably amazing. Actually, I know they are!! Check it out. I hope you'll vote for me, but vote with your heart and just vote!!

VOTE

Also, I'm going to be at the wonderful Rula Sinara's blog on Monday. Rula asked me some very interesting and thought provoking questions. I'll be popping over there on and off on Monday so if you have any comments or questions, I'll do my best to answer them!

Happy 4th Every(US)one!!!

Reviews & Feedback on Picture This

Quite simply, the reaction so far has been amazing and I've been so surprised and pleased. I'm not really a 'toot my own horn' type of person, but I guess it's a part of being an author and being able to promote your work. I'll just have to suck it up and get used to it LOL. The reviews I've received so far have been great. I don't know if a good review sells books or not, but I figure it can't hurt! I thought I'd share a range of comments I've received to date. Each word of feedback is precious because you hope when you write a story, someone will read it and you'll be able to touch them in some way. I like to think when I write, the stories I create will generate some reaction or emotion in the reader, that they'll feel connected to the characters and invested in their happiness, that they'll be routing for them. I think I may have done just that! So, what are people saying?

Whipped Cream Reviews:
If you want a story that packs an emotional punch, steams the computer screen, and is one you won’t soon forget, then you need to read Picture This. I give it 4.5 cherries. - Tiger Lily

Cata Network Reviews
A quick page turner that charms readers from the first pages. An intriguing plot line only adds to the dynamic chemistry between Sam and Jillian. Picture This is perfect for a bit of escapism during your busy day. - Emily

Reader Reviews
Sexy and unique, this story sucked me in from the first page and didn't let go! A deliciously hot read. - Cari, Ellora's Cave website

Sigh... an absolute must read. A quick, sexy story which was very well written. Highly recommend. - Bobbi, Ellora's Cave Website

Hi, just wanted to let you know that I just finished Picture This.... It was fabulous. Since it was first posted on the Ellora's Cave website, I have been patiently waiting for it. I hoped that I would love the story as much as I loved the blurb. It was better than I had hoped for.... The characters were fantastic!!! The story beyond hot!! Congratulations on your first book!! Can't wait for your next one. - Rita, email


Disclaimer: I don't know any of these people and none of them were bribed in the creation of these comments. I swear LOL!

It's finally here...

I'm a published author, I'm a published author, I'm a published author. Regardless of how many times I say or think it, it still doesn't seem real. I still pop on over to the publisher's site every so often just to see it out there on the home page as a new release!! I'm one of these people who set specific goals and usually have a detailed plan of how I'm going to get there. Picture This totally floored me, and that's usually pretty hard to do. I hadn't intended to write it, I hadn't intended to submit it, and I couldn't have imagined it would end up being my first published book, because, you know, I had other plans :). Now, it seems like it was meant to be. The story was a dream to write and the characters just seemed to materialize in front of me. The whole experience with Ellora's Cave has been phenomenal so far and my editor is all that I could have wished for. BTW, I am finally comfortable saying 'my editor', but it took awhile.


I still have anxiety, of course. I wonder if people will buy it and if they'll like it. I created is as a sexy, fun, quick read. I hope it comes across that way. More than anything I hope that at least one person reads it and thinks, 'Wow, if Kaily writes another book, I'll definitely buy it!'. It would be so cool if readers reach out to me to let me know what they thought. Well, maybe only if it's good feedback LOL.

So, the lesson in all this? Perhaps I should try to plan less and go with my instincts more! I'm working on my next novella today. The working title is Pay Up. I plan to let the characters take me where they will!

Happy Release Day!!

I'm going on tour...

Advertising, promotion and marketing, oh my!! I'm going on a virtual book tour, or a blog tour as it's also known.

Until recently, I'd never heard of such a thing. I'll be guest blogging on a host of different blogs and websites in the hope I come across as interesting, inspirational, friendly, witty and perhaps even funny. Why? With a book coming out (gulp) TOMORROW, I need to be building my author brand. It's a baby step in the long process of getting my name out there, which I started with this blog a year or so ago. If it helps to sell my book (and I'm not sure it will), that's great, but it's not the sole intention. I'd like for people to get to know me a little. I really feel for an author to be successful, readers need to build a connection in some way, even if it's something small (like they're accessible) and I hope this accomplishes that.

My organized tour occurs between the dates on the banner above, but I'm also appearing on a few other places through August. Thanks so much to the wonderful and generous bloggers who were willing to host a newbie! You're all awesome. So, where will I be?

June

29 - Cari Quinn, Girl Writer
30 - Coffee Time Romance - Author Spotlight Event

July

5 - A Writer's Rush
8 - The Variety Pages
12 - The Lovestruck Novice
12 - Cindy Jacks **
13 - Jacqueline Paige **
14 - Taste of Kiwi
14 - Book Junkie **
15 - Diary of a Literary Goddess **
16 - Savage Hunter **
19 - Helen's Heroes
19 - Romance Alley **
20 - Nine Naughty Novelists
20 - Amber Skyze **
21 - Alisha Paige **
22 - Sexy Adventures, Passionate Tours **

23 - My Reading Addiction **
26 - Kaye Manro
27 – The Romance Room author chat/interview 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm (EST)

August

2 - I'll be the spotlight author all week at Whipped Cream!
14 - Dawn's Reading Nook
28 - Long & Short of it Reviews Chat @ 8:00 pm (EST)

Wow, I feel tired already! One commenter (drawn randomly) on any of the sites above marked with ** will win the goody tower below!  Yum. Comment multiple times or on each of the different blog posts and earn additional entries. I'll also pick a random commenter from the other blogs for June and July for a mystery prize. It'll be something funky and fun and I'll annouce the winner here on July 27!

In addition to all of that, I'll be in the August RWR with my First Sale announcement and I get to wear a First Sale ribbon to Nationals in Orlando. Yay!! I also took out an ad in Romantic Times magazine and it'll be in the October edition. It will likely be accompanied by a review (another gulp). I'll have a book cover ad running on the Whipped Cream site July through September and during August, I'll be participating in their WC/LASR 3rd Anniversary Party, but I'll post more about that later.

Whew. I know it probably seems like a lot, but surprisingly, none of this has cost very much, except in time! To a writer of course, that's extremely valuable, but I think the 'investment' worth it at this stage.

I hope you'll join me on some of the tour stops! Some of them will be Q&A format (and boy did I get some varied and thought provoking questions). Some of them are my posts about what it's like being published for the first time and topics relating to writing. Some are just, well... off-beat :).  Hope to see you!

I have a cover, a blurb, an excerpt, & OMG a release date!!!

Picture This will be released on June 29 from Ellora's Cave!! There's equal parts excitement and terror. OK, maybe not so equal LOL. The terror at this point probably outweighs the excitement by A LOT. I'm sure every new author goes through the uncertainty and fear. Will anyone read it? Will anyone like it? Will they hate it? Will they ever read anything else I write? Will I get any reviews and will they totally suck? How can I possibly get everything done I need to before it releases? After conditioning myself against the long waits in this industry, I got my release date surprisingly quickly after I turned in my edits. I seriously thought about reaching out to them and say, 'can we delay this?', but I didn't want to be the first writer in the history of forever to do that.  Now, I'm trying to absorb what I can about promotion and balance it with what's practical, while trying to work on my WIP--oh, and the end of the school year is coming up and I'm going on a family vacation in June and...you get the picture. Anyway, I'll probably be posting about this again when it gets closer to the date, but can't hold it in any longer. The really cool part? Seeing it up on the publisher site in the 'coming soon' section and having my bio up on the author page alongside so many fabulous and taltened authors. Picture This at Ellora's Cave 

So, my cover, blurb and excerpt!!!!

PICTURE THIS

Desperate and young, Jillian Moore did something she knew would one day come back to bite her in the ass. She’d posed nude. For money. Years later, and on the fast track to a successful career, she’s still haunted by her mistake. She can’t help but wonder when her past will catch up with her.

Samuel Steele is not short on female attention, but the women who warm his bed pale in comparison to the fantasy he’s created of the seductive temptress in the painting hanging prominently in his bedroom. A fantasy that has ruined his once satisfying sex life. When he discovers that her exact likeness works in his building—for him—things get…interesting.


Excerpt (warning, contains a disgruntled alpha male with crude thoughts and bad language, hence my new 'adults only' filter!)

“Well, thank you for your time and for the information. It was very helpful.”

Not.

Jillian put the phone down a little harder than she’d intended. It slammed back into the cradle with a sharp crack that more than matched her mood.

Dammit.

It’d been sold, again, three months earlier. Private auction, anonymous bidder and there was no way for her to find out who’d bought it. All she knew for sure was that it’d been a man. It figured. Damn, she’d been close this time. Not that she would have been able to afford to make even one bid herself. It had opened at fifteen thousand and after some fast and furious bidding had finally gone for a cool seventy-five thousand—dollars. Jeez, she’d probably be paying off her student loans for another twenty years and some guy had dropped seventy-five grand on a picture?

Jillian sighed. She wasn’t even sure what she’d do if she could uncover the identity of the new owner. She’d kept telling herself she’d be able to buy it one day once she got established. She’d planned on it, she’d counted on it. It was why she’d tried her damndest to keep track of it for the past ten years. Her only hope now was that it would sit in some private collection, gathering dust and never see the light of day. Yeah, right. She’d never, ever been that lucky. All those years ago, who would have thought? Deep down though she’d known and it had plagued her ever since. When she least expected it, it was going to come back and bite her on the ass. She just knew it.

* * * * *

“Sam? Man, are you even listening to me?”

Sam couldn’t tear his eyes off her. The dark luster of her hair, the curve of her cheek, something about the shape of her body. It just now occurred to him, but he’d seen her around the building before. He’d noticed her legs he remembered, appreciated the toned lengths, the shapely calves and too easily imagined how they’d look wrapped around his waist or up around her ears. And her mouth. God, the things he’d thought about her mouth.

How could I have forgotten that?

As soon as the thought formed he knew the answer. He had a strict hands-off rule at work that he’d never broken, not even in his head. Until her. He’d made himself forget.

He watched her mouth curve into a smile and his dick twitched in immediate response. Something flared low and sharp in his gut. It was a sensation he didn’t think he’d ever felt before, at least without some form of specific and intentional stimulation.

“Who’s that?” he demanded.

“Who?”

He heard rather than saw Duncan’s puzzlement. He motioned across the expanse of the elegant lobby. “The woman there. Slim, dark hair, black suit. Talking to the blonde.”

“I thought you didn’t fuck around with the staff?”

Sam’s balls tightened in a rush. The explicit image he got was shocking. Not just because it was of her—on her knees in front of him while he fucked her from behind—but because he hadn’t been able to censor it, or control his body’s reaction to it. Sam shot him a glare. He was in no mood to be trifled with.

Duncan cleared his throat. “Ah, sorry, I think her name’s Jennifer, something like that. She works in Finance. Or maybe it’s Legal.”

“Jillian?” he managed to choke out. “Could her name be Jillian?”

“I…maybe. Why?”

“Last time I checked you were head of Human Resources, Duncan.”

“Jesus, Sam, we have over four thousand employees, two thousand in this building alone. I can’t personally keep track of all of them. I haven’t worked with her directly. She’s probably—”

“Find out. I want her file on my desk in ten minutes.”

“What’s got into you?”

Sam took a deep breath. “Schedule a meeting with her.”

“A meeting?”

“Yeah, with me.”

“You don’t know where she works or what she does in your company, but you want a meeting with her? Why?”

Sam felt the impatience he’d tried to contain roar through him. He wasn’t used to having his orders questioned and he sure as hell wasn’t used to explaining himself to anyone.

“Because I’m the fucking boss and I said so.”