Aphrodite's Charms

Still tossing around the idea of a sequel to Aphrodite's Charms. Since a reader asked about what happens next for Diana and Spyros, I've been asking myself that same question. What does happen?

Excerpt from Aphrodite's Charms:

A warm breeze met them as they stepped out onto the enormous stone terrace. Her heels clicked against the ancient stones as he led her to the ornate, wide carved stone railing. They leaned against it, comfortable on the conspicuous sturdiness of the railing. There was no question of safety on the terrace; it looked, even in the darkness, as if it had withstood the endless caresses of thousands of days and nights already and would withstand more for many lifetimes to come.

“Look at that sky,” breathed Diana, dropping her head back so that her face tilted up to meet the expanse of black above them. Dotted with glittering stars, it looked like a child’s painting of the night sky—total blackness with an excess of white stars. “So beautiful.”

His voice was tender, low and slow. “Yes, very beautiful.”

“I don’t recall any other sky looking quite the way it does here,” she said, not taking her eyes from the stars above them. “I remember the last time I was here; I fell in love with the sky on the very first night.”

“With your husband,” Spyros said. “You were here last with your husband, weren’t you?”

“Oh, so that’s one of the things that your investigation revealed? Parts of my personal life?” she asked as she dropped her eyes to meet his. “Is that all you’ve got to ‘show’ me—things I am already aware of about myself? Painfully aware of, in some cases?” Even to her own ears her voice sounded angry, cutting through the sounds of the night like a hot knife through ice cream. Diana turned, walking toward the glass doors, her heels sounding like gunshots on the tiles. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to the inn now.”

Spyros reached out and grabbed her, spinning her around so rapidly that her body collided with his. He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders as she glared up at him.

“Let me go! Do you understand? Take your hands off of me!”

“This I cannot do,” he said, his voice quiet in comparison to hers. “I did not mean to intrude on your private pain, Diana. I only wanted to...to—”

Her body lay against his intimately. She could feel every strong, muscular plane of him, feel his thighs pressed against hers and feel the thudding of his heart against her breasts. His breath, hot and scented with the sweet wine, fell against her cheek. She felt him, too, in a more intimate spot. His prominent masculine bulge was against her hip and she felt him pressing against her more firmly with each movement she made.

From Coffee Time Romance:"Diana Boldt is a newly widowed woman who is still in love with her husband. It was so incredibly special and they shared such a deep love for one another that she never thought she would find another man that could appeal to her on that level.

Spyros Petronikos has arranged to meet with Diana for a business deal, but he quickly changes his mind to include her on a much more personal level if she will just let him into her heart.

Diana’s visit to the same exotic island that she and her husband shared their love leaves her feeling very alone. She is haunted by her past and her ghost lover, too afraid to reach out and touch what is right in front of her. When she finally does, and opens her heart, fate seems to intervene cruelly ripping them apart.

I lost myself in this entrancing story, set in an exotic and lush background, it sweeps you up from the first page. The relationship was realistic and developed at a nice pace. The secondary characters are as well developed as the primary characters The sex scenes are hot and the emotions run high. Kate Burns is a very gifted storyteller. If you want a romance that will touch your heart, I suggest you read Aphrodite’s Charms." -- Missy, Reviewer for Coffee Times Romance

Cocktail time!

Like I said, Halloween pre-thought goes on for weeks in my house. Last night I was thinking about a Halloween party I went to last year. Yikes! The ghosts weren't the only things flapping in the breeze that night, let me tell you! But, um, more about that at another time. I promise.

One of the things that stands out in my mind about that night is the drink I was served. Supposed to be smooth and light. Yeah, it was smooth all right--so smooth that it went down reeeeal easy.

Here's the recipe for an Irish Ghost. Woooooo...

1 shot coffee liqueur
2 shots heavy cream
1 shot irish cream
1 shot irish mist

Shake, then serve over crushed ice.

I'm already thinking Halloween!

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

Candy Corn

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Beachwalking

Summer's winding down here in the northeast. I'm lucky that I live near a beach. My writing schedule suffers, but my soul soars. I love walking on the beach, and now that we're nearly at the end of our warm-weather days, I'm taking every chance to walk on the sand. Last night we had a little storm, some thunder and lightning and an hour or two of rain. You know what that means, don't you? The ocean has tossed up some new, interesting, exciting things onto shore!

I'm off to find out what Neptune has deposited on the sand for me. Hope you have a fab day! Mine is going to be spent with sand between my toes.

New look

Gave my blog a new look this morning--what do you think? I had a blast browsing through the gazillions (alright, maybe it wasn't gazillions, but it was a lot) of templates, trying to choose just the right one for my spot in cyberspace. I like this one because of the kiss. Let's face it, I'm a romantic at heart. Big time. And kissing? Gets me every time. :)

Soon I'll have my book covers back in place. For now, please remember that you can find my work at Phaze and Linden Bay Romance *links on right!* so if you need a taste of hot, steamy romance (with a lot of kissing, I promise!) head on over to either of those spots. Me? I'm going to sit back and think about men, kissing, sunsets, and all the stuff that makes my heart go bumpety-bump. Then, I'm going to write about it.

TGIF

God, I love Fridays! So many open hours, so many interesting things calling me. I live at the shore, so I spend a lot--believe me, a lot--of time at the beach. I love the sand and sea, picking up seashells. I love sailing. Ah, maybe I'll be sailing this weekend.

What have you got in mind for this weekend?

Monday Madness

Do you run like a lunatic on Monday mornings, trying to get everything done before you head out the door to begin the week?

No?

Could you teach me your secret, then? Because every Monday morning I scurry around here like a crab looking for a hole before the tide comes in. Damn, it's ugly around here in the morning!

Sheesh, just another mad dash to begin another workweek.

How many days till the weekend?

Got hot? Get INTO THE HEAT!

The buzz on INTO THE HEAT is really sizzling!

From Ecataromance, Amelia Richard said:

"INTO THE HEAT sizzles with unbridled desires and passion...

With a firefighter theme for her Heatsheet, the talented Kate Burns takes readers into the world of those men and women who protect others and many natural creations. Her hero and heroine are both firejumpers, who find themselves battling dangerous situations plus the potent attraction between them. Ms. Burns has created appealing characters with Delia and Cooper, where readers slowly become privy to their innermost thoughts. Seeing how these two handle their yearnings was powerfully depicted, making their moments together almost as hot as the fires often surrounding them. This couple also proves how dedicated they are to their careers, as they never put themselves before their work as they know how every second counts when it comes to controlling a fire. The setting for this story is graphically visual, as I often felt as though I was right beside Delia and Cooper during every situation they faced, whether everyday chores or a threatening blaze. INTO THE HEAT is an engaging story where flames often erupt without warning."

Tanya at Joyfully Reviewed said:

"... Into the Heat is a ‘smokin hot’ romance about two smoke jumpers. I enjoyed Kate Burns descriptions about the gear and the set ups for fire watching. The story is fast paced and you are able to see a lot of what Delia is thinking, both her insecurities and as well as her desires. Into the Heat is a great break from the normal men/women in uniform romances and worth your read."

And Aviana at Two Lips Reviews gave INTO THE HEAT a FIVE LIP RATING!!

"...Into the Heat by Kate Burns is a beautifully written short story full of fine detail that drew me into the narrative. The plot unfolds slowly but with perfect cadence, and nothing seems rushed. I especially appreciated the rare glimpse we’re given of what it’s like for smoke jumpers heading into a fire when the natural instinct is to flee. Author Kate Burns portrays our couple, Delia and Coop, in a very realistic way. Action oriented by nature and profession, it seems perfectly natural they would hem and haw to avoid facing their feelings. Into the Heat is an excellent read and I highly recommend it."

Have you read INTO THE HEAT yet?

Isn't this sweet?

All right, I'll admit it--I've got a thing for cars. My uncle owns an autoshop and I spent a lot of time growing up hanging around there. What girl wouldn't? All the hot guys wearing tight jeans and skin-hugging white tee shirts. Yowsa!

So this caught my eye.

Be still my heart!

Canyon's Call review

Romance Reviews Today had this to say about Canyon's Call:

"Carrie Reed is a geneticist and veterinarian, who has hoped all of her life to discover a new species of animal. So, when rancher Jake Canyon calls to tell her about an animal he sighted, Carrie is excited about the possibilities. And, after meting Jake, the possibility of finding a new type of animal isn’t the only thing exciting her...

CANYON’S CALL is an intensely erotic book with an interesting setting. Kate Burns brings the rugged Alaskan wilderness to life, much as she does her characters. Carrie and Jake are instantly attracted to each other, and it doesn’t take them long to act on that attraction. In between all of the bouts of hot sex that they are having, Carrie and Jake do manage to get to know one another, but will it be enough to make Carrie leave behind her veterinary practice and move to the wilds of Alaska? Read CANYON’S CALL and find out." -- Jennifer Bishop

Canyon's Call is available at Phaze Publishing.

Writing on days when the sun's shining

I don't know about you but I'm a sucker for a sunshiney day. I want to go out, work in my flower beds, head to the beach, do anything but stay inside. Blech. Stay indoors? While the sun shines? Uh uh. There are too many gloomy, cold days here in Martha's Vineyard for me to waste a sunny one.

Taking my lappie outside today. The sun is shining, birds are twittering and I'm ready to write the next great novel. Uh, or at least my version of it. Um...unless the beach calls too loudly. Then all bets are off. Writing will wait. The beach? Soon it's gonna be snowy and freezing.

Yeah, I'm going to the beach. Wouldn't you?

Old family recipe, sweet nuts!

My grandmother says I can share this recipe. I have a feeling she thinks I'm sharing it with one or two close friends, so we won't tell her I'm posting it here, okay? :)



1 egg white

1 Tbsp water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 oz pecans

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg


Preheat oven to 300°F.


Put sugar, cinnamon, salt, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg in a plastic bag, shake to mix.


Put egg, water, and vanilla in a bowl. Beat until slightly foamy, add pecans and coat well. Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon and put into the bag of sugar and spices. Shake pecans in bag making sure they are well coated.



Bake 30 minutes on a baking pan lined with lightly greased aluminum foil. 15 minutes into the baking, stir up the pecans with a fork. Let cool completely before serving.

5 Lips for Into the Heat!!!

Five Lips at Two Lips Review for Into the Heat!

"...Into the Heat by Kate Burns is a beautifully written short story full of fine detail that drew me into the narrative. The plot unfolds slowly but with perfect cadence, and nothing seems rushed. I especially appreciated the rare glimpse we’re given of what it’s like for smoke jumpers heading into a fire when the natural instinct is to flee. Author Kate Burns portrays our couple, Delia and Coop, in a very realistic way. Action oriented by nature and profession, it seems perfectly natural they would hem and haw to avoid facing their feelings. Into the Heat is an excellent read and I highly recommend it." -Aviana, Two Lips Reviews

The whole review is here.

Utterly Charm-ing

I love this cover. I love the story, and the cover. Yep, I had a super time writing this and love it that people are reading it.

Can you tell I've been tossing around that little suggestion? Aphrodite's Charms, part two?

The story is growing in my head. Now to get my fingers on the keyboard!!

Aphrodite's Charms

Recently I was asked by a reader about doing a sequel to Aphrodite's Charms, a book published by Linden Bay Romance. Hmm...I began to wonder and as we speak I'm fleshing out the ideas for the second story.

For those of you who haven't read Aphrodite's Charms, I've added a quick excerpt. Also a review. As I said, it's available at Linden Bay Romance. I hope you take a look!

Excerpt from Aphrodite's Charms:

A warm breeze met them as they stepped out onto the enormous stone terrace. Her heels clicked against the ancient stones as he led her to the ornate, wide carved stone railing. They leaned against it, comfortable on the conspicuous sturdiness of the railing. There was no question of safety on the terrace; it looked, even in the darkness, as if it had withstood the endless caresses of thousands of days and nights already and would withstand more for many lifetimes to come.

“Look at that sky,” breathed Diana, dropping her head back so that her face tilted up to meet the expanse of black above them. Dotted with glittering stars, it looked like a child’s painting of the night sky—total blackness with an excess of white stars. “So beautiful.”

His voice was tender, low and slow. “Yes, very beautiful.”

“I don’t recall any other sky looking quite the way it does here,” she said, not taking her eyes from the stars above them. “I remember the last time I was here; I fell in love with the sky on the very first night.”

“With your husband,” Spyros said. “You were here last with your husband, weren’t you?”

“Oh, so that’s one of the things that your investigation revealed? Parts of my personal life?” she asked as she dropped her eyes to meet his. “Is that all you’ve got to ‘show’ me—things I am already aware of about myself? Painfully aware of, in some cases?” Even to her own ears her voice sounded angry, cutting through the sounds of the night like a hot knife through ice cream. Diana turned, walking toward the glass doors, her heels sounding like gunshots on the tiles. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go back to the inn now.”

Spyros reached out and grabbed her, spinning her around so rapidly that her body collided with his. He steadied her with his hands on her shoulders as she glared up at him.

“Let me go! Do you understand? Take your hands off of me!”

“This I cannot do,” he said, his voice quiet in comparison to hers. “I did not mean to intrude on your private pain, Diana. I only wanted to...to—”

Her body lay against his intimately. She could feel every strong, muscular plane of him, feel his thighs pressed against hers and feel the thudding of his heart against her breasts. His breath, hot and scented with the sweet wine, fell against her cheek. She felt him, too, in a more intimate spot. His prominent masculine bulge was against her hip and she felt him pressing against her more firmly with each movement she made.

From Coffee Time Romance:

"Diana Boldt is a newly widowed woman who is still in love with her husband. It was so incredibly special and they shared such a deep love for one another that she never thought she would find another man that could appeal to her on that level

Spyros Petronikos has arranged to meet with Diana for a business deal, but he quickly changes his mind to include her on a much more personal level if she will just let him into her heart.

Diana’s visit to the same exotic island that she and her husband shared their love leaves her feeling very alone. She is haunted by her past and her ghost lover, too afraid to reach out and touch what is right in front of her. When she finally does, and opens her heart, fate seems to intervene cruelly ripping them apart.

I lost myself in this entrancing story, set in an exotic and lush background, it sweeps you up from the first page. The relationship was realistic and developed at a nice pace. The secondary characters are as well developed as the primary characters The sex scenes are hot and the emotions run high. Kate Burns is a very gifted storyteller. If you want a romance that will touch your heart, I suggest you read Aphrodite’s Charms." -- Missy, Reviewer for Coffee Times Romance