Danger & Secrets

Edited to Add: Stephanie! is the winner of my contest! Congrats and thanks for stopping by. Please contact me at katiereus (@) yahoo .com (no spaces).

Thanks to Tracy and the ladies at Desert Island Keepers for hosting me today! Not long ago I was a member of this awesome island but thanks to life and new, fun deadlines I had to take a step back from a few things. Luckily Tracy still likes me and is letting me hang out. ;)

Today is very exciting for me! Dangerous Secrets, my first release from Carina Press, is officially out. My alter ego has had plenty of releases the past couple years, but ‘Katie’ hasn’t had a release since 2009 so this is doubly exciting! In addition to being a digital release, Dangerous Secrets will also be available from Audible.com (though I don’t have an exact date yet).

A big theme in this story is Danger and Secrets (hence the title). I LOVE when characters keep secrets in novels. It adds to the suspense and intrigue in often times already tense situations (especially in romantic suspense). I’m not a fan of big misunderstandings in books but as far as secrets go, the bigger the better.

In Dangerous Secrets the hero is keeping a big secret from the heroine. At first the lying makes him uncomfortable but the longer he’s around her and the more he gets to know her, the harder it gets to be deceitful. Since I hate liars (who doesn’t?) I found that it was a fine line writing this story and making sure the hero didn’t come off as a jerk (and still paid for his transgressions at the end).

So, what exactly is this story about?

Isabelle Ballantine has been fighting for independence since she was old enough to walk. Now that she’s finally out from under her father’s shadow, she won’t let anyone stand in her way. It’s tough living on her own, working in a bar and keeping her true identity a secret, but things start to look up when a sexy new stranger walks into her life. After working side by side for weeks, Izzy can’t figure out why he won’t make a move.

To cinch the deal of a lifetime, Adam Marcellus agrees to help Izzy’s eccentric father convince his daughter to move home. He’d assumed Izzy would be another spoiled rich princess, but he’s surprised to discover his feelings for her are stronger than anything he’s ever experienced. When a deranged stalker targets her, Adam finds himself fighting not only an unknown threat – but an unexpected attraction to the one woman he can’t have.

A little about me: I’ve been reading romance since I was a kid and the addiction followed me into adulthood. I write sexy paranormal romance and fast-paced romantic suspense. Dangerous Secrets (2/7/11) is my first release from Carina Press and in early 2012 my first book in a paranormal trilogy will release from Signet Eclipse (NAL/Penguin). To learn more about me please visit my website, my blog, or find me on twitter @katiereus.


Since DIK is hosting me today I’d like to give away a book from my back list to one winner! Just leave a comment about secrets, books, or what you love about romance and I’ll enter you. The winner will be announced in the comments section tomorrow by noon (eastern). Thanks for stopping by and thanks again to Tracy for having me!

I have a Fever

Ciara here, again. (This is how sadly sleep deprived I am: Even though I successfully blogged yesterday, by today I had already forgotten that I needed to blog again AND I couldn't figure out how to post anything. I have never been such a mental basket case. 10 months of no sleeping will do that to you.)

After yesterday's post where I listed Karen Marie Moning's Fever series under Scottish romances, just because I love it so much, even though it is set in IRELAND, I realized I have to tell you about my Fever love.

Two words: Jericho Barrons

He is a jerk. Rude, unsympathetic, mysterious.....but somehow also hot and heroic. I can't put my finger on it, other than to say KMM writes the best heroes I've ever read. I think Barrons' seven cohorts are going to get their own series and love interests, and I can't wait. Can someone explain to me why Jericho Barrons works? I shouldn't like him so much. (Note: painting Mac's fingernails at the end of the first book is completely out of character.)

The world building is, of course, also excellent. KMM greatly expands the Tuatha de Danon mythology that she started in the Highlander series. We learn all about the Dark Unseelie Court, the missing king and concubine. She creates some scary-as-all-get-out monsters.

In my humble opinion, the story could have been told neatly in three books. A few fewer characters. A little less philosophizing. But the characters and relationships coupled with the world building make this a certain reread for me.

Have you read the Fever series? Thoughts? Who was your favorite character? Do you think Dani is the heroine of KMM's next work? Is there a series you like better?

Och, Lassie!

"In Scotland I'm just like a lot of other guys, but in America I'm seen as a very strong, masculine guy." - Gerard Butler

Ciara here, admitting my guilty pleasure in romancelandia, no matter how many "Och Lassies" I have to plow through. Scottish heroes are my weakness. Blame it on too many viewings of Rob Roy. (Braveheart? Pah-leeeze. Liam Neeson is so much hotter than Mel Gibson.) Blame it on an unhealthy love of bagpipes and melancholy tin whistles. Blame it on an appreciation for Scotch, kilts, and Scotch and kilts together....which leads to a whole new topic. I love the idea of the rugged Highlands, even though you can easily walk (not hike, walk) to the top of Ben Nevis. The idea of the brawny, honorable, and brave men who inhabit those misty mountains. Did I say I was looking for historical accuracy in my romance novels? Phbbbbbtt!

Fortunately, romancelandia is awash with historical Scottish romances. Not as many contemporary ones, but when I first discovered the genre I picked up "Men in Kilts" by Katie MacAlister and had my wicked way with it. Come to think of it, most of my early romance reads were set in the Highlands...which includes all of Karen Marie Moning's overly broad, strapping, sex-crazed druids. To this day, "The Immortal Highlander" is my favorite paranormal romance novel. I've read it three or four times, trying to analyze what makes it sing, but every time I get sucked into the magic. I can't keep myself removed enough to annotate and outline.

I have yet to write a rugged Scotsman into my books. We had planned to visit the sacred isle last summer, climb Ben Nevis, tour Macallen, see castles, buy my hubby a Stewart kilt. The timing wasn't right, but hopefully soon. I want to see if Gerard was telling the truth. But maybe, just maybe, it's one of those things I should leave safely between the pages. Can real life live up to the promise and premise of a beautifully crafted romance novel? In fiction anything is possible.

And now for the book lust:
CIARA'S FAVORITE SCOTTISH ROMANCES (off the top of my head, which means I'll be forgetting a lot of them. Please remind me.)

1. The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
3. The other Highlander books by Karen Marie Moning
4. Some Like it Wild by Teresa Medeiros
5. The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning, which is set in Ireland, not Scotland, but who cares? Read it.

Note, all those be-Fabio-covered historicals were before my time, and I can't say that I've read...er...any.

What is your favorite subgenre of romance? Do you find dialect, "Och Lassie," to be an insurmountable hurdle to enjoying historical Scottish romances? Was that a leading question? What is your favorite Scottish romance?

Sex in the Movies or Whew! Is the Air Conditioning Working in This Theater?

Hey, hey, Dr. J. here again. Just a quick word of thanks for the invitation to be a regular here at DIK. Not always sure I'll be able to keep up with all those who have come before me--some contributors can be truly funny. But I'll always try to come up with something that may "click" with you or which will be thought-provoking.

Sex in movies is sooooooo graphic these days. Not that I am a fan of all that repression generations of Western civilization have had to live with. But there really is a difference between the sexually graphic and the erotic, and some of Hollywood's offerings have been so subtle and sooooo erotic that it has driven the censors crazy. Along those lines I have been remembering some of my favorites so here goes.

There are some movies that pop into my head that I remember hit the big screen AND the front page at the same time, all because they caused men to sweat and women to fan their blushing faces. One such movie was Picnic. Starring William Holden (who was gorgeous throughout his entire career, no matter his age) and Kim Novak (who aroused every man in America with that throaty voice), this story of a small town girl and a rabble-rousing, out-of-work drifter set America on its sexual ear. Their dance together was so erotic it was almost banned by the censors. Thankfully it made the cut and we have that wonderful film intact.

And who can forget the beach scene in From Here To Eternity? Burt Lancaster, who always depicted characters that were raw and simmered sexuality was a mean dude in this movie, but he drew beautiful Deborah Kerr to him like ants to honey. She had always been seen as the lovely and proper English lady. Not in this movie!! And their affair scalded the eyeballs of the American movie fan--not in today's graphic sense, but it was what wasn't seen and only hinted at which made people shift in their seats.

Two of Paul Newman's movies stand as classic sexy movies, taut with undeclared emotion, making everyone in the theater aware of what was going on behind the scenes, alive with sexual tension that never let up. From the Terrace was filmed with Joanne Woodward as his wife and a woman who was sexy as all get out, but whose real desire was power and prestige. She was the boss' daughter and she flaunted it non-stop. Paul was gorgeous as usual so every woman in the theater sat mesmerized by his purposeful demeanor and wished they were up there on the screen being kissed.

Any movie buff knows that every Tennessee Williams story is really about the massive dysfunction in the families and relationships that caught his eye. And who can imagine any movie with Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor, especially in her heyday, not burning up the screen? It is powerful and armpit drenching from the word go, and Americans were aware of sex in the bedroom in a way that had never been expessed before. Sexual frustration was the word for the day, and it had everyone breathing fast and panting hotly as this movie unfolded. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof made movie history and it was just such movies that began to force the censors to lighten up just a little on the censorship of movie content. It wasn't long after this that the public forced the censors to begin formulating and implementing the beginnings of the rating system we have today.

And finally, my all-time favorite--well maybe not my all time favorite but it ranks right up there: Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. It is based on the experiences of Dr. Han Suyin, an Eurasian woman who was practicing medicine in a hospital in Hong Kong when she fell in love with an American journalist who was separated from his wife and from whom he could not obtain a divorce. Ultimately he was killed during a battle in Korea where he was assigned. It is beautiful, sexy and one of the first overt "affairs" that hit the screen--a married man with his lover. Yet is stands today as one of the great love stories of American movie history and it is truly one of my favorites. Starring William Holden (what's not to like here?) and Jennifer Jones in the main roles.

It's been great to visit with all the DIK ladies and to share some of my ideas about books and movies. Since this is my first time around, hope you all will visit back again soon. We have some great ladies getting ready to share in the days to come. Until next time . . .

As Long As We're Talking Movies . . . Films That Spoke With a Social Voice

Hey, hey, it's Dr. J. again. If you didn't have a chance to take a look at yesterday's post, you might want to . . . I started thinking about movies that came from books. While on that subject, my mind just started wandering over some of the movies that I really enjoyed through the years and then became aware that there were quite a few that were very overt in talking about social issues that were current in the 50's and 60's.

Believe it or not, there really was a time when drugs weren't nearly so obvious in American life and the incidence of drug use in America's teen population was almost non-existent. Morphine, opium and heroin were the street drugs of choice, and most social change advocates were taken up more with the devastation from alcoholism than from drug addiction. But it was there as we all so well know, and there were some in Hollywood who had the moxie to make movies about the problems. One such movie hit the viewing public very hard. Frank Sinatra starred in The Man With the Golden Arm and not only was the subject matter raw and a punch in the collective gut, but few ever expected to see Ole Blue Eyes playing something so uncharacteristic as a drug addict. Frank was so serious about this role that he lived for a time with recovering drug addicts in order to authenticly depict the terrors of drug withdrawal known as "cold turkey." It sent shivers down America's spines.

And speaking of alcoholism, there were those in Hollywood who weren't necessarily opposed to drinking, but they were against alcohol abuse. One of Hollywood's best starred Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick in The Days of Wine & Roses, depicting the love affair and marriage between the two main characters as well as their descent from social drinkers to alcoholics. It is not a Happily Ever After kind of film but it was real life and hit the American movie goer right between the eyes. It got all kinds of Academy Award nominations and they were all well-deserved. I don't think I will ever forget the sense of helplessness I experienced as a young woman watching this family fall apart. It was some of the best acting either Lemmon or Remick ever did. If I remember correctly, Lee Remick earned a number of awards for her portrayal.

Then there is the whole issue of race. Few who were alive in the 50's and 60's can forget the upheaval over racial desegregation, the Watts riots in Los Angeles, and the horror of killings, cross-burnings, and state national guard units facing down unarmed marchers in Selma, Alabama and throughout the South. Yet there were other racial issues that Hollywood had the moxie to depict in movies, two of which were taken from Broadway smash hits and which have become movie classics. Few Americans have missed South Pacific and its delightful music, dancing and fun antics that took place during the waning years of World War II. Yet this movie was cutting edge in dealing with the interracial relationships between Lieutenant Joe Cable (John Kerr) and a Balinese girl he wanted to marry, as well as Lieutenant Nellie Forbust (Mitzi Gaynor) and her love affair with a French planter whose children had been born to him and his Asian wife. The love songs were beautiful, but the biting lyrics of several songs dealt directly with prejudice--"You Must Be Carefully Taught" as well as "How Far Away, Littlerock, ARK"--as well as the struggle that Lt. Forbush had accepting those children into her life and her future.

Gangs and the racial conflict inherent were really beginning to make themselves known and West Side Story was right in the forefront telling that story. Based on Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, this smash musical detailed the harsh realities for a young couple, one who was the leader of the Jets, an Anglo gang, and his lady love, the sister of the Sharks, the Puerto Rican gang. As in the Shakespeare tale, this story had no happy ending and for Americans who loved the music, the stark reality of death and hatred depicted there made people aware of the racial struggle in a way most could no longer avoid. Two of America's most popular actresses starred--Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno. Rita won a Best Supporting Oscar for her role. One still hears the music from this story, and it is my hope that the present generation can once again grasp the true destruction that hatred can create.

Not many people today remember that the post-war years were alive with lots of social and political issues. Almost immediately after WW II ended in August, 1945, the problem of rebuilding Europe and Japan as well as the desire of Jews to return to the Holy Land became front page news stories most every day. Leon Uris' novel Exodus told just a little bit of the story of the clash between the occupying forces in Palestine and the Israeli pioneers who were seeking to establish Israel as an independent nation. This did indeed happen in 1948, but the troubles weren't over and this book/movie was a shock and surprise to thousands who really didn't understand what was going on. Starring Paul Newman (at his most hunkyest) and Sal Mineo (who was America's great teen idol at the time) this movie got rave reviews and lots of notice at the movie theaters. Most Americans have forgotten that only five years after WW II was ended, the United States became embroiled in a "police action" known as the Korean War.

I truly applaud those in the entertainment industry who have taken the "bull by the horns" and dared to bring instructive and socially upsetting movies to our theaters. We still have some of that going on today and there are really some very thought-provoking movies making an appearance. Certainly movie makers like Robert Redford and others who have become campaigners for social change and environmental awareness are trying to use their clout to make a difference. I am sure you can think of some of your favorites which have had an impact on you or on society. Why not share? Until next time . . .