Some of you may have noticed I’ve been absent as of late. Maybe some of you have forgotten who I even am! Well, the reason is that I’m extremely busy. I’m writing under 3 different names now and everything seems to be due at once. I’m not complaining! I wished for this and I got it, so I will NOT complain. However, it does mean that I have little time for anything but writing and making the odd Facebook or Twitter post. Recently I finally had to accept that I need to give some things up. I’ve been forgetting important dates, neglecting my hubby and basically forgetting to have a life outside of work. So, it’s with great sadness that I announce that I’m leaving the Jaunties. I hope to come back on occasion and guest post, but for now I have to say good-bye. It’s been a tremendous amount of fun being part of this blog and the fabulous women (and porcupine!) who run it. Thanks for everything!

hugs!

Kathryn

Jaunty P. Quills would be proud, I think. A fellow mammal from the order Rodentia
figures prominently in my publication story. Of course, he’s nowhere near as suave
or sophisticated as our perfect prickly one—in fact, he’s stuffed. But still, a rodent is a
rodent!

The year, 2007. The place, Romance Writers of America National conference in Dallas,
Texas. The Random House party was in full swing. Beautiful location, amazing authors,
agents, editors, and, um, me. I was a dear friend’s +1—in other words, just thankful to
be there, thank you very much. I mingled. I ate canapés. And drank a few glasses of
splendid wine. I wasn’t looking for an agent. Not really. I’d started a historical and was
having so much fun with it, but hadn’t a clue where it was going to take me.

And then my friend introduced me to Jennifer Schober, an agent with Spencerhill
Associates. It was like meeting up with a dear college friend after years spent apart—
easy, entertaining, and flat-out fun. We talked and talked as the party carried on around
us, the highlight of the evening most definitely coming when Jenn told me her infamous
beaver story. I cannot share it here—I simply wouldn’t do it justice. And you have Jenn’s
permission to ask after the beaver story should you ever run into her. But suffice it to
say, it’s hysterical. Like shoot wine out of your nose hysterical.

Though if anyone ever asks, no, I have not, nor will I ever, shoot wine out of my nose.
At least not on purpose.

Like Cinderella and that blasted clock, suddenly it was time to go. Jenn and I
exchanged cards and I promised to send along some pages once they were polished.

Flash forward to January 31, 2008. No polished pages had been sent. I know. Crazy.
Only made more crazy by my uncanny ability to assume the worst. How could I send
anything at that point? Surely she’d forgotten all about me. And even if she did vaguely
recall the woman with the wine at the Random House party, the passing of a ridiculously
long period of time between when she’d so nicely asked to see the pages and now
would make her wish she had.

I sat, paralyzed, in front of my computer and polished. And polished. Then polished
some more, though I knew I wouldn’t have the courage to send the pages along no
matter if they’d been anointed by the tears of Nora Roberts and Jane Austen combined.

“You’ve got mail.” Ok, my email program doesn’t talk, but it does bing, and did so on
that very day. A new Viagra offer? Big sale at Macy’s? Perfect. Just perfect. But it
wasn’t either of those things. It was Jenn, wondering where the heck those pages had
gotten to, and offering to take a look should I ever manage to get off my bum and send
them along.

Suddenly, and with intense certainty, I knew where I wanted my historical to go, and I’d
figured out just who I needed along for the ride. After all, wine-shooting, canapé surely
stuck in my teeth at some point, and a looong time, no see, and she was still interested?
Add in our instant connection and it was a match made in heaven. By a beaver.

I finally conquered my fear and mailed of a partial. Jenn offered representation within a
week of receiving the pages and we sold the first three books in my Regency Rogues
series by Thanksgiving of that same year. The Devil in Disguise, book one in the series,
just hit the shelves a few days ago.

The moral? Sometimes, if you peer past the canapés and wine, you’ll find what you
were always looking for but never even knew you wanted. Life’s funny that way.

How about you? Have you ever wandered into a situation with no expectations only to
walk out with something amazing? Tell me about it, and you’ll automatically be entered
to win a signed copy of The Devil in Disguise.

I’m in the thrall of deadline dementia, so excuse the short post. All of my favorite shows are winding down now and I’m wondering what I’m going to do without Justified and Supernatural. Thank God cable will soon start up some summer shows.

So, what shows are you going to miss? What summer shows are you looking forward to?

5 days from now When Tempting a Rogue hits the shelves. I’m always excited for release day, but this is the first time that I’ve been sad about it as well. When Tempting a Rogue is my last book as Kathryn Smith. For now, anyway.

While I’m really excited about the new things coming my way and the new books I’m writing under new names (Kady Cross, Kate Cross, Kate Locke), I’ve been Kathryn Smith my entire life. I’ve written as Kathryn Smith since I sold to Avon in 1999.

What it comes down to is that I feel like I’m giving up a bit of myself. I suppose it’s normal, and change always brings anxiety with it — even if it’s really good change. I have that incredible hopeful feeling about each of these new ventures and there’s endless possibilities ahead.

Yup, it’s terrifying.

So, I want to hear about big changes you’ve made. Big decisions that have led to wonderful — or maybe not so wonderful things. More importantly, I want to know if the risk was worth it. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up When Tempting a Rogue on your next trip to the bookstore. It might be a collector’s item one day.

When this blog goes ‘live’ I’ll be at the Romantic Times convention in Los Angeles, rubbing elbows with some of my favorite authors. So, because I’m trying to pack and decide which shoes — and make up — to take with me, I thought I’d use this blog to talk about something I’m really excited about.

To the left is the cover of my YA Steampunk novel The Girl in the Steel Corset, written as Kady Cross. It comes out on May 31st of this year. Am I excited? Does chocolate taste good? Yes, I’m excited! So, on that note, I want to share a brief snippet of it with you.

London, 1897

The moment she saw the young man walking down the darkened hall toward her, twirling his walking stick, Finley Jayne knew she’d be unemployed before the sun rose. Her third dismissal in as many months.

She tensed and slowed her steps, but she did not stop. She kept her head down, but was smart enough not to take her gaze off him. Perhaps he would walk right by her, as though she were as invisible as servants were supposed to be.

Felix August-Raynes was the son of her employer. At one and twenty years of age, he was tall and lean with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Every woman who saw him called him an angel. Most who knew him thought him the very devil.

The other maids in service had warned her about Lord Felix her first day in the house. A mere fortnight ago. He belonged to a gang of privileged ruffians known for their facial piercings and lack of respect for anyone else, especially females. She had been hired to replace the last girl hurt by the young lord. Rumor had it that the maid had required serious medical attention.

Finley didn’t court trouble, but part of her – that part that was going to keep her safe, yet get her fired – hoped he’d try something. It was horribly delighted at the prospect of the violence to come.

The rest of her was terrified. Were it not for the steel boning of her leather work-corset, she fancied her heart might slam through her ribs it was pounding so hard.

Lord Felix smiled, teeth flashing in the dim light as he stopped just a few feet in front of her, blocking the only route to the servants’ quarters where she slept. The tiny brass bar that bisected his left eyebrow – and proclaimed him a member of the Dandies — glinted. “Hello, my lovely. I had hoped to run into you.”

Finley hesitated. Maybe he’d move out of her way and let her pass.

Or, a voice in her head whispered – her voice – you could kick his teeth in. She lowered her gaze, not wanting him to see the bloodlust there. Silently, she willed him to let her pass. For his own safety.

Instead, he closed the scant distance between them.

Want to know if Finley gives Lord Felix what he deserves? Find out May 31st!

I watched the movie Possession last night. It’s based on the book by A.S. Byatt. In it, two modern scholars research (through happenstance and creative digging) the lives of two 19th century poets. The poets seemed to have little connection in the beginning, but our modern couple discovers that the two had a torrid affair and a great love, which they managed to conceal from the world. They had one month together and then they had to return to their lives, never to be together again. I won’t give away the entire plot, but there are surprises thrown in, and some wonderfully bittersweet moments. The historical couple is played Jeremy Northam and Jennifer Ehle. The modern couple is Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart. The two of them grow closer over the course of the investigation, and the whole theme of the movie seems to be — in my opinion — is if love is worth the risk of giving yourself to another person. In the case of the poets, he is married to a lovely, but seemingly frigid woman. Being with his lover risks ruination for them both, and so they have their time together and then go back to their lives.

For a romance author, you can see where this would be heartbreaking. Frustrating. I would have found a way for them to be together. Of course, adultery is frown upon in the romance world, so I would have had to make the wife the heroine, which sort of defeats the point.

Anyway, while I really enjoyed the movie, I lamented their lost love (as I was supposed to). And I think I wasn’t so upset by their lack of HEA because the main couple seems to have a good thing going by the end. Nice ploy on behalf of the author and those who wrote the script.

So, I want to know what YOU — romance readers and writers — think of the lost love plot. And please, fans of Byatt let me know what I should pick up by her. I’m ashamed that I have not read her yet!

The fellow in the photo to the left is Walter Goggins. He plays a character by the name of Boyd Crowder on FX’s ‘Justified’. In season one we see Boyd go from a psycho with a rocket launcher to a  slightly-less-psycho with a Bible. Season two has Boyd as a much bigger character, and he almost – almost — steals the show from Deputy Raylan Givens (the lovely Timothy Olyphant).

The reason for this isn’t just Goggins’ ability as an actor, though he is amazing to watch. He’s one of those actors who has real presence. His hair seems to get higher with every scene, and he has this melodic, poetic cadence to his speech that makes me wish he’d do a monologue in every episode. He is a smart man born to an ignorant life. He is ridden by demons that make him ‘confused’ in his head. He is a man who was born to be bad struggling to be good. When a would-be criminal tries to get Boyd to join his gang — and everyone seems to think Boyd is up to his old ways again — Boyd grabs the man in a headlock and forces him to run along side Boyd’s pick up as he tears down the road. When he finally lets him go, the man collapses on the side of the road. Boyd stops, and waits to see if he’s all right. Only then does he move on. Next time he sees the guy, he apologizes. And the thing is — he means it.

Boyd Crowder wants to be a better man.

Now that you’ve read the above, is it any wonder I’m fascinated with this character? He is Raylan’s mirror — what Raylan would have become had he not joined the Marshall service and left Kentucky. He is an anti-hero. I’ve realized lately that the anti-hero is my favorite to read about, watch and write. That’s not to say I don’t love the character of Raylan, I do, because he too wants to be a good man, though sometimes it’s very easy for him to straddle that line. But I don’t root for Raylan the way I do for Boyd.I know Raylan will do the right thing, even if he doesn’t want to.

I think it might be all about the torment. Anti-heroes aren’t usually men — or women — caught between dark and light for no reason. These people have seen things, suffered. That’s the only way a true anti-hero works — at least one you want your audience to connect to. In the case of Boyd Crowder, he was raised in a family whose only vocation was crime. I think he might have had a mama who loved him, but his daddy was a big-bad, and his sons were disposable. In the finale of season one, we see just how abusive the old man is, when he takes out his ire (at Boyd’s destruction of a shipment of drugs) on Boyd’s ‘disciples’ in the woods. It’s an effective strike as Boyd takes the responsibility of his father’s actions onto his own shoulders.

Now that I’ve shared one of my personal favorite anti-heroes, I’d like to hear yours. They can be male or female, from TV, books or movies. I want to know who you love and why.

So, I have news. Kinda big news. Recently I sold 3 Steampunk romances to NAL under the name of Kate Cross. Some of you are already aware that I have a Young Adult Steampunk series launching from Harlequin Teen in May. The first book is The Girl in the Steel Corset and it’s being published under the name Kady Cross.

I also just sold an urban fantasy series, which I’m not going to say much about because nothing has been signed yet and I don’t want to jinx anything. However, I am so excited I could squeal like a little girl. It’s also going to be written under a new name. Right now I’m gearing toward Kate Locke.

Yes, it’s a lot to absorb and a lot of change. Some of you many wonder what’s going to happen to Kathryn Smith — and that’s the rub. I’ve been Kathryn Smith my whole life, and Kathryn Smith professionally for more than 10 years. However, When Tempting a Rogue will be the last Kathryn Smith book for awhile, possibly forever. It feels… weird.

So why the change, you may ask? Well, in publishing there are all manner of factors — how different the new product is from what fans expect from Kathryn Smith, wanting a fresh start… My reasons were many. Mostly, I decided I needed a change, and a restart to my career. That doesn’t mean that giving up Kathryn Smith was easy. It wasn’t. It isn’t. However, I also want to give these new books the best chance they have to succeed, and sometimes that means a clean slate. I don’t want Kathryn Smith’s history (the good and bad) to influence these new books. However, I also want to make it easy for fans to find me, so I’m going to do all I can to make sure my current readers know I’ve made the change. Hopefully they’ll follow me.

Then there’s the fact that a pen name affords a certain amount of privacy. I can go out and put on the persona of Kady Cross and then come home and be plain ole Kate, which I have to admit, sounds good. In fact, if I could go back, I would write under a different name than Kathryn Smith right from the beginning.  Do you know a reader once said she wouldn’t read me because my name didn’t sound ‘historical romance enough’? It’s true, I swear.

This new venture is scary. I haven’t written anything for any publisher other than Avon (except for one short story) since they bought me in 1999. Now, I’m writing for 3 different — and new to me — publishers. Scary, and exciting. I find myself nervous about new territory and new working relationships, but at the same time the enthusiasm for these new projects has been infectious. I am so excited to be working on these books and with the chance to really push myself and see just what I’m capable of creating.

That’s my news. What do you think? Does it bother you when authors switch gears and change their names? Or do you follow ‘em regardless because you like their work? Fellow authors, have you played the name game? And who are some of your favorite authors who write under different names?

I am excited. Sorta. For the first time in a long time I’m going to a concert. Emilie Autumn (whom I’ve blogged about before) is playing at the Gramercy Theater in NYC tomorrow night and yours truly has VIP tickets. Yes, like a 16 year-old fan girl I purchased a meet and greet with this fabulous performer. At least I’m not nervous about meeting her. I like to think age has SOME benefits!

Speaking of age, what does it say about me that A. I hope the theater has decent bathrooms and B. I hope the concert ends before I have to meet my train? It says I’m stinking old, that’s what it says!

Regardless, I’m looking forward to the event. It’s always inspiring to witness creativity in progress. I love EA’s music enough to brave a theater that will more than likely be filled to the majority with people 15-20 years younger than me. At least I will have brightly dyed hair, but I’m leaving my corset home. I’m rooting through my closet looking for comfortable shoes. OLD!

Is there anyone you would pay to see live? Or pay extra to meet? I admit I have my limits. I cannot bring myself to pay what Bon Jovi asks for a ticket. No sir. I wonder if Jon Bon Jovi ever feels old? Or does he simply revel in the fact that he’s hotter now than he was 20 years ago? Jerk. Which leads to question #2 – how old do YOU feel? I realize not all of this is being frumpy — I like comfort. I can afford comfort. Age does have it’s benefits. So, I think it’s more a matter of what I’m willing to go through now. Obviously I’ve decided Emilie Autumn is worth a day in NYC in the middle of February and a ride home late at night on the Metro North train. She is not, however, worth the prospect of not making that train.

Anyway, I must go make certain I don’t have any gray showing, and see if I have comfortable shoes that also look funky. Wish me luck!

Everyone has met a jerk at least once. Perhaps you dated one, or were friends with one. They’re not nearly so charming in real life as they can be on TV, or in books and movies — mostly because we’re the ones they’re being jerks to! And, of course, in real life we’re often not privy to the events that caused them to be jerks, or whether or not they struggle internally with those events.

Jerks are some of my favorite characters, though my husband doesn’t get it. In fact, he’s more likely to despise the character than feel anything for them, or see any chance for change. My husband is a nice guy, and he treats people fairly — a fact for which I’m grateful. I, on the other hand, look for hints of remorse and damage in jerk characters, loving those moments where they show their potential for honor, no matter how fleeting. Here are a couple of my faves:

1. Brian Kinney from Queer as Folk. Played by Gale Harold.

Brian is narcissistic, cold and selfish. His sexual exploits are proof of this, and his modern apartment is as sterile and cold as his heart. He is gay, almost 30, beautiful (and worried about losing that to age) and seemingly irresistible. He treats most people, even those whom he calls friends with contempt. Except for childhood pal Michael, and lesbian college friend, Lindsay, for whom he would do anything, he has no friends. He sees the young thing at a bar and goes after him, not knowing this young man will ultimately lead to his downfall and partial reformation. Brian’s change by series end is not huge, but it’s enough to be satisfactory, yet stay true to character. He has learned to love unselfishly, but he’ll be damned if he’ll let anyone else know that. Brian is a jerk, but through his interactions with his few friends, his son, his lover, and memories of his father, we catch glimpses of what lies beneath the hard exterior. We see when he breaks down, faces death — and worse, faces growing old. All of this is brought into painful clarity by Gale Harold’s unflinching portrayal.

2. Damon Salvatore on Vampire Diaries. Played by Ian Somerhalder.

Damon is borderline evil. Perhaps not even borderline. He has killed without remorse — and with      just enough of a hint of it to make him not quite the villain. He does it all with a twinkle in his eye. In season two we’ve seen him kill the brother of the girl he loves, and try to atone for it without trying too hard (spoiler — the brother didn’t really die). He’s the guy you want around when someone has to die. He’s about self-preservation and pleasure, and has no illusions about what he is. “I’m a dick,” he announces in one episode. However, we know he will do whatever Elena and his brother Stephen need for him to do — even if that means not acting on his love for Elena, because he knows Stephen is better for her. Best moment was earlier this season when the sheriff (who up until this point thought he was human) tried to kill him. He looked at her with such confusion, “But you’re my friend,” he said. Fabulous. Somerhalder plays this character with charm, lethality, and just enough naivete to make him thoroughly captivating.

In books, particularly romance novels, these characters are often secondary, unrepentant rakes. Readers clamor for their stories, leaving authors with the task of making these men heroes without compromising character. Often times these characters can over-shadow the real hero of the book with their sheer force of personality. Plain and simple: they’re fun to write.

So, what do you think the appeal is behind these characters? And who are your favorites in books, TV and movies?