Coming out of my shell :)

See? I said I'd be back on Monday, and here I am. So the first hurdle, showing up, is down. It can only get easier from here, don't you think?

Now...the big question... What to talk about? How do bloggers find witty, fun conversation topics each and every morning? Are their minds bottomless pits of humor and new topics to discuss? And if they are, how to I cultivate a mind filled with ideas to chat about? Any ideas on that one? Hmm?

All right, I guess I just start talking, right? About me? Well, all right. Eww. I hate talking about me but I guess you've already figured that one out. Yeah, I know you know I'm tongue-tied when it comes to talking about myself. It's not like I'm weird or anything. At least I don't think I'm weird. And I'm not some sort of socially inept idiot, either. I'm pretty well educated and can hold my own at parties. I mean, I don't wear the dip or dance with a lampshade on my head. Well, not often anyway!

Only kidding! I never did dance with a lampshade for a chapeau! That was only a rumor. Get it? A rumor, and an unsubstantiated one at that!

All kidding aside, I'm a (I think) normal adult woman with a day job, friends and family. I live in a nice house, mow my lawn and pay my bills on time. I wave to my neighbors, host barbeques in the summer and an annual Christmas party every December. Really, I'm as normal as they come.

But those neighbors? Not only do they not know I write hot romance stories but they're...uh, not so normal. Not all of them, anyway.

Keeping on track, though...we're here to talk about me, not the neighbors, right? Today anyway. Tomorrow? Who knows...

New Leaf

All right, so I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. I am so bad at blogging (like you haven't noticed that, right?!) but I'm going to really, really try and do better with it. Again. One of those try, try again things, okay?

So...how are you? Because really, I want to know. You, the reader, are what's important to me, the writer. You, and the story. But right there--that confession, that you and the story are the important bits to me--may be the whole reason I'm not so fabulous at this whole blogging deal. Get it? I'm not very good at talking about myself. You? I'm all ears. Talking through my characters? Love it. Talking about me? Ugh. Just ugh.

Huh. Now that I know why I'm bad at blogging maybe I can fix the broken bits. What do you think? Do you think a shy, introverted writer sort can become a bit more outgoing?

We'll see. Together. Because I'll be back. Soon.

Have a nice weekend. See you on Monday.

I promise.

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, available from Linden Bay Romance:

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

Ooh, I love donuts!

You Are a Boston Creme Donut

You have a tough exterior. No one wants to mess with you. But on the inside, you're a total pushover and completely soft. You're a traditionalist, and you don't change easily. You're likely to eat the same doughnut every morning, and pout if it's sold out.

What Donut Are You?

Writing my tail off!

But I've got to admit, I'm not writing an erotic romance. It's not even a romance, to be completely truthful. It's a science fiction story. Really. I know you're surprised, maybe even shocked, but I had an idea that just wouldn't go away. So, I'm writing. And writing. And writing.

And loving every minute of it!

Anybody out there read science fiction? Have any advice for worldbuilding? I'm all ears!

How old is too old?

There are a bunch of older woman/younger man romances on the shelves at my local bookstore. I checked them out last week, and honestly I bought two. I've never read this type of Mrs. Robinson story before so I am not really sure what I'm going to think of them. But I've been giving it a lot of thought and wondering...just how old is too old? I mean, how much of an age gap do you think is appropriate? Or does it matter?

I know a couple where there are twenty five years between the spouses but the older of the two is the man, not the woman. I can't help but wonder how things would be if the wife was the eldest. Things must be pretty good between the pair; they've been married for a dozen years and seem set to stay married for a long, long time.

So I wonder...is age a state of mind rather than a physical issue? I've recently seen a 101-year-old woman on the news station, driving. Really, driving! She lives in Tallahassee, I think it was. Obviously she's not hung up on the age issue, and does whatever she feels able to do regardless of the number of her years.

Hmm...what do you think? Older woman/younger man? Older man/younger woman? Does it matter? Me, I'm going to delve into the books I've bought while I give this some thought. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Love Lessons

From Two Lips Reviews:

"Kate Burns definitely knows how to keep her readers entertained! This sexy short story is packed full of humor, likeable characters and sexy eroticism. I’d love to read an expanded version that included many, many, more lessons. Love Lessons is my first book by Kate Burns - but it will most definitely not be my last!"

Buy it from Phaze!