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

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.

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!

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?

This is a short one, folks. Every year, like countless other people, I make resolutions for the coming New Year. Some I keep, some I don’t, but I make them with the best of intentions. Maybe if I share them publicly with the rest of you I’ll be more apt to keep them. Or perhaps, that’s just wishful thinking. Regardless, here are my top five:

1. I will get into shape.

2. I will become a healthier person and try to give up meat.

3. I will stop ‘collecting’ makeup.

4. I will think better of myself.

5. I will be more patient with other people.

Pretty standard fare, huh? Well, I’m going in determined to keep and master all 5. We’ll see how far I get. What are your resolutions for 2011?

I’m feeling nostalgic this year as Christmas approaches. Lately I’ve been thinking about all the things we used to do at Mom’s house around this time of year — things that date back many years, into my childhood.  Every family has these traditions. Some of them are fun and sweet, and some are bizarre and laughable, but they’re there, and we do them because they ‘must’ be done every year.

In our house, because my sisters were much older than me and moved out, we would have Christmas breakfast rather than Christmas dinner at Mom’s. This was because the girls all had their own dinners to prepare, or were going to the in-laws later in the day. I swear to God my mother cooked at least two pounds of bacon and probably two dozen eggs for the 15 of us (a few of which were kids). There would  be homemade rolls and jam — sometimes even fried dough! We’d all gather around the table — there was a 2nd one for kids, of course — and eat until we were stuffed. And we’d talk. Usually at this point the rest of the family would have opened their gifts, so we’d hear what they had gotten — and would be thanked for what we gave.

After breakfast we’d file into the livingroom where my parents (pre-divorce) and I would open our gifts. Sometimes we would keep gifts under the tree for the grandchildren to open as well. My oldest sister ‘played Santa’ as she had for as long as I can remember, and doled out the presents. We’d unwrap, exclaim and gush over our gifts, thank everyone, and then when it was over, the family would trickle out to return to their own lives. Mom and I would work on getting the turkey in the oven, and sometimes my grandmother might nap, or buzz around like a raging bee, depending on how much tea she’d had with breakfast.

I remember that I wasn’t allowed to remove gifts from under the tree until the 28th at least. They had to be left there so they could be shown to guests who came to visit. This was big where I came from, going around to visit on Boxing Day and the 27th to partake in cookies, tea and to ‘see what they got.’ When I was a kid this was annoying, boring and sometimes a lesson in envy.

When my husband and I moved in together we started making our own traditions — such as watching Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas, or The Muppets’ Christmas Carol, on Christmas Eve (sometimes The Nightmare Before Christmas as well). To this day whoever wakes up first on Christmas morning has to wake the other up with a shake and a softly gleeful, “It’s Christmas!” We get up — make our usual Christmas breakfast (no bacon or fried dough, sadly), and then enjoy our coffee as we unwrap gifts. I sit on Steve’s side of the tree and hand him his presents, and he does the same for me — that way we can save the ‘big’ gifts til last. Then, the rest of the day passes in a lovely, chocolate haze as we bask in how fortunate we are to be able to give each other so much.

This year we’re shaking things up. Normally we donate toys to charity. This year I’d like to adopt a family if we can. I have a check ready for the local animal shelter as well. Instead of having Christmas dinner here at home (where I make enough turkey to feed my entire family in Canada), we’re going to have it with friends. I’m sure this will be lovely, but part of me doesn’t want to break tradition, so I told Steve we’d get a turkey breast so we can continue to eat turkey for the following days.  And we’ve started a new tradition of getting together with friends on Christmas Eve, which we quite enjoy.

So now that I’ve revealed my traditions to all of you, I want to hear some of yours! What do you and your loved ones do to make the holidays special?

Last night my husband and I went out to dinner to celebrate an anniversary. When I told him we needed to go out, he said, “Why?” To which I replied, “It’s November 17th.” That was all that needed to be said. He chuckled, and pretended not to know what I was talking about, but it was obvious he did.

You see, on November 17th, 1995 we had our first date.

We were thrown together by mutual friends based on the fact that both Steve and I liked comic books. I suppose it was as good a base as any. The first time we met I thought he sounded like John Lovitz (He does a great impression), and was not terribly impressed. Imagine my disappointment — I had seen a photo of him a year earlier and thought he was cute, only to find out he was married (he married quite young). When I discovered he had gotten a divorce and was coming to visit this friend, I was a little eager to see if he lived up to expectations. Physically he did, but that VOICE! lol.

Needless to say I eventually heard him speak in his own voice, which turned out to be surprisingly pleasing. I asked him out — he was only newly single, after all — and he said yes. He was late and I had decided to engage in experimental cooking, so it’s a miracle we ever made it to date #2. However, when he left later that evening, he gave me a kiss good night. As I watched him walk down the street my heart was in my throat. I knew right then and there that he was him — the guy I was going to end up with. Of course I didn’t tell him that. lol.

You know, later on we discovered that his divorce had been finalized two days before that first date. I’d like to take this occasion to thank his ex for being such a cow that I looked like a princess by comparison.

So, every year we do something to mark the date. Sometimes I think we put more effort into that anniversary than the one that marks our wedding day. And you know what? I think I like the look of him even more now than I did back then. And yes, I still engage in experimental cooking, and his impressions are a hit at parties. I’m extremely lucky to have found not only a great husband, but a best friend as well.

Now I’ll stop bragging and start the conversation. Are there any special milestones or anniversaries that you and your significant other celebrate? Or maybe you have something in your family or with an old friend instead? Spill!