Author Cat Johnson

NEWS AND NOVELS

2012-01-25T08:33:00.001-05:00

Sometimes my life, and my job, is really cool. Like this morning when I was anxiously waiting for the coffee to drip, one slow painful drop at a time, while the small television in my kitchen was tuned into the ABC morning news.

Even in my caffeine deprived state, certain words from the newscaster captured my attention. Pirates/Navy Seals/Rescue. I knew without hearing more that in this day and age if there were pirates involved we were talking about Somalia. And if there was a rescue involving helicopters in that region of the world, that helo would be going to Djibouti. How was I so certain of this before I'd even heard, or read, the entire story? Because through my book research, through the contacts I've made in the active military world, I've had what is nearly, but not quite, an insider's view of the Joint Task Force's Camp Lemonier on the Horn of Africa in Djibouti, just miles from the Somalian border. I know stuff about that camp that I'm not going to post here, and I know there is always a squadron of US Marines maintaining heavy helicopters (CH-53s) there as well.

I know what the hangers look like, the Cantina where the troops relax with a beer after a hard day, and the racks where they crash for a few hours of sleep at night. I've seen what the NCO's offices look like, as well as the chow hall. I could picture it all as I listened to the news report and that, to me at least, is really cool.

I took all that information years ago to write CROSSING THE LINE, which is my military romance novel set on Camp Lemonier in Djibouti. Sometimes life and fiction cross paths...more often than you'd think.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2011-12-31T07:52:00.002-05:00

With reports of Amazon selling 1 million Kindles a week during December, I have to think we are poised on the brink of massive change in the publishing world for 2012...but we have to ring in the new year first. So dowload some eBooks before you celebrate tonight, that way all you need to do is wake up in the morning, grab your eReader, a cup of coffee (or a mimosa made out of leftover champagne) and settle in for a day of PJs, reading and recovery.

Oh, and did I mention I have an eBook out that spans a New Years Eve party just to get you in the celebratory mood? Check out OPPOSITES ATTRACT. Story 3 in the trilogy, featuring hot firefighter Antonio (who you may remember from my holiday read NICE & NAUGHTY), shows him recovering from divorce and meeting the woman of his dreams at a New Years Eve party he hadn't wanted to be at in the first place. Here is the blurb for his story. Enjoy!

OPPOSITES ATTRACT: SECOND TIME AROUND

Antonio Sanchez thought that at 32 his life was all mapped out—wife, kids, career—until some major bumps in the road radically alter his course and send him careening right into the path of newly divorced Maddie Morgan. After being thrust back into single life, Antonio moves back in with his old-fashioned parents and has to learn to juggle being a part-time dad to his kids, his job at the firehouse and his role as Best Man for his newly engaged best friend Troy, all in addition to facing his unquenchable desire for Maddie. Throw in a slew of matchmaking friends and relatives, led by Maria whose apartment appears to be the Bermuda Triangle for floundering lovers and Antonio and Maddie discover just how complicated things can get. Can the pair prove that love really is better the second time around?

Available for download at

ARe

Amazon for Kindle

BN for Nook

Smashwords

New Release: COLE (Red, Hot & Blue)

2011-12-27T08:44:00.000-05:00

COLE by Cat Johnson

One night can leave a trail a decade long.

Red, Hot & Blue, Book 5

Ten years ago, a wicked curve ball and a scout for the major leagues gave Cole Ryan his big break. Before he set foot on the bus to training camp, Lizzie Barton gave him everything…then inexplicably broke his heart. Now he’s back in Pigeon Hollow with a bum arm and a cancelled contract. Lizzie is still there, still keeping her secrets. Still haunting his dreams.

To make sure Cole would have the future he wanted, Lizzie kept her crush on her older brother’s best friend to herself. But in this small town, there was no hiding the results of her one and only night in his arms. With Cole away playing ball, it was easy to pretend he would never know. But now that he’s back it’s only a matter of time.

Right about the time Cole figures out what he left behind, cameras for a reality TV show arrive to film Lizzie’s brother. And suddenly Cole is scrambling to keep the spotlight out of his and Lizzie’s private life…and to convince her they can still make both their dreams come true.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Warning: Contains love that conquers a decade of sitting on the bench…and one night of sex that resulted in a big change in two lovers’ lifetime stats.

in eBook from:

Samhain Publishing

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

iBookstore iTunes

Don’t miss the lead-in to COLE (RHB, BOOK 5), JARED (RHB, Book 4) and COMING MARCH 2012 BOBBY (RHB, BOOK 6), the last story in the Red, Hot & Blue SMALLTOWN HEAT trilogy

NEED SOME SPIRIT? HOLIDAY TREATS FROM CAT JOHNSON

2011-12-15T10:52:00.000-05:00

HE CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR

A lonely writer, a snow storm and a sexy man with amnesia…all the makings for one hot Christmas Eve! Can Ginny find the inspiration she needs to get her career, and love life, out of the cold?

“this sweet holiday treat is worth its small weight in gold”
Jenn, Guilty Indulgence

MORE

A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS

Casey Harrington will never forget that the Christmas she turned 8 years old she got an Easy Bake Oven instead of the Cowboy Cody doll she’d begged Santa for. It’s a disappointment that shaped her life. Now, twenty years later, she is a high-powered marketing executive living and working in NYC, who can’t cook, doesn’t want to, and has a strange obsession with all things cowboy related. A job offer too good to be true brings her to a Colorado ranch where she is instructed by her new boss to learn the Western lifestyle from Bonner Blue Boyd, ranch manager and living personification of her childhood crush Cowboy Cody.

Bonner doesn’t know what to do with this city girl on the ranch, particularly since he expected “Casey” to be a man. He fights his attraction to her for as long as any man could, and even when he gives in and the sparks fly, both know it could never work for the long run. She’s city and he’s country. To be together either she has to sacrifice the world she’s always known or he does. What they need is a miracle…luckily it’s the right season for those.

“In a nutshell, A COWBOY FOR CHIRSTMAS has it all. A sexy cowboy, feisty heroine, great secondary cast, HOT SMEXIN’, a couple of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and a totally SIGH-WORTHY ending!!!” DiDi, Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

UNDER THE COVERS

(a Red, Hot & Blue BONUS READ featuring BB Dalton)

Billy Bob "BB" Dalton thought he'd left his career as an underwear model behind when he became a Navy SEAL assigned to a team of special ops where no one is supposed to have a past or an identity. Now the military wants him to be the poster boy for their new recruitment marketing campaign, and during what was supposed to be his Christmas leave no less.

Luckily his ‘handler’ turns out to be hot enough to melt icicles in winter, but can BB convince this slightly older and definitely jaded career-focused marketing executive to let him go from working undercover to working her under the covers? And will she agree to spend Christmas with him?

DOWNLOAD FREE NOW

NICE & NAUGHTY

What’s better than a fireman? Twelve of them, naked, on the pages of your calendar.

The hot firemen you loved in Opposites Attract are back with their friends, but now they’re wearing a lot less clothing and heating up the holidays like never before. Be prepared for secret identities, a sizzling calendar shoot, smoldering bachelor firemen up for auction, sexy Santas

and a whole lot more!Secret Recipe: A famous lifestyle maven who secretly can’t cook? Good thing a sizzling hot fireman/calendar model knows his way around the kitchen and is there to rescue her and her charity event from certain disaster. If they detour to the bedroom on the way to the kitchen, even better.

Mr. December: When the real December calendar man gets sick, a rich department store owner has to step in for him and play Santa. Once he meets the pretty lady photographer sent to cover the event, things really start to heat up. The only problem is, she has no idea who he really is,
and he’s not all that keen on telling her.

Can’t Buy Me Love: What do you get when you take one over-worked caterer on the brink of a nervous breakdown and add a hunky fireman for sale at the charity bachelor auction she’s catering? You get a woman who finally finds the one gift to buy herself that she’s never going to want to return.

If you love the old black-and-white classic holiday movies such as Christmas in Connecticut, Shop Around the Corner and Holiday Inn, you’ll love the three Nice & Naughtystories they inspired.

A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS

2011-12-14T07:54:00.002-05:00

Sexy, independent, corporate executive Casey Harrington’s life and career were shaped by a childhood Christmas wish left unfulfilled. Now, twenty years later on a Colorado cattle ranch, she finally gets everything she’s always wanted—both a hot cowboy and a dream job.

But Bonner “Blue” Boyd is a rancher and Casey is a New Yorker, and even if the sex between them is hot enough to start a prairie fire, they both know that city and country might mix for a week, but it can’t work for a lifetime. Or can it?

When a dramatic turn of events reunite Bonner and Casey, this time on her turf in her city, she has to prove to her displaced cowboy he belongs with her, no matter where they end up. Luckily Casey knows the quickest way to a man's heart is slightly lower than his stomach.

READ EXCERPTS

AVAILABLE NOW AT:

Ravenous Romance

Bookstrand

All Romance eBooks

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble

2011-10-23T18:16:00.002-04:00

NEWEST RELEASE

CONTEST!

2011-09-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

Are you ready to get Hooked?

Visit the BlackRaven Cafe and comment on the the HOOKED blog post.

One lucky winner will win ALL 4 eBooks in the Studs and Spurs series, compliments of The Cafe.

Here's the link: http://theblackraveneroticcafe.com/?p=10461.

The contest will last until 6:00 PM (CST) on Sunday.

It's in the Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy Spotlight.
A huge thank you to BlackRaven!

GET HOOKED!

2011-09-06T04:22:00.000-04:00

It seems like I've been waiting forever (or at least ever since I finished writing it back in December 2010) for the release of the next Studs in Spurs series novel, HOOKED, but the wait (for the eBook anyway) is finally over and the timing is perfect because guess what was chosen as SERIES OF THE MONTH by the MENAGE READERS group on Goodreads? You got it--my Studs in Spurs, and I couldn't be more excited.

HOOKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 4 )

His last eight seconds could lead to the longest, most satisfying ride of his life.

Annie Grant is at the top of her game as an on-air interviewer for the pro bull-riders tour. In all those years standing within microphone range of thousands of sexy cowboys, she’s never been tempted…until now. Now that respected veteran Luke Carpenter is no longer with his longtime girlfriend, he’s back on the market. And Annie is buying.

Luke knows his days are numbered. Every year the rookies get younger, the bulls get ranker and, like it or not, the time is coming when he’ll be hanging up his spurs. After a sizzling hot night with Annie, he realizes that maybe this old dog can learn some new tricks. But quicker than a bull can spin, things get complicated.A tragedy forces Luke into a no-win decision: hang onto the tail end of his career, or retire early for his family. Either way, he can live with his choice. Question is, can he live without Annie?

Warning: Contains knock-your-boots-off cowboy lovin, some up close and personal interviews of the oral persuasion, and a happy ending…cowboy style.

New to the series?
Each book is standalone but with continuing characters.
For those who like to read series in succession, here's the:
SERIES READING ORDER
UNRIDDEN (eBook & Print)
BUCKED (eBook & Print)
RIDE (eBook, in Print Nov 1)
HOOKED (eBook, in Print Summer 2012)

THE EX-FILES - a RED hot erotic romance

2011-08-15T21:55:00.001-04:00

The EX-Files

a Cat Johnson RED title

As “Plain Jane” Dolan—what an ex once called her—makes her way through her little black book and the men from her past searching for the Mr. Right who got away, there’s another man who makes his way into her little black panties. She can’t deny he feels oh so right.
Gorgeous and much too young Damian drips sexuality. He serves up both tongue-tantalizing cocktails and mind-boggling orgasms and Jane finds her post-date sexual encounters with the tempting bartender completely irresistible.
But her soulmate is waiting and there are still more men from her past to re-date—or are there?
Reader Advisory: Contains smoking hot sex with no strings–but with toys!

Excerpt PG

Damian hefted the rack full of dirty glasses onto the stainless counter. The guy they’d just hired as a dishwasher would take care of cleaning them in the morning. Damian’s shift had come to an end and thank God washing the dishes before he could leave was not part of it.

Back out front, he headed for the door to lock up and was surprised to find he wasn’t alone. He stepped behind Jane where she stood fumbling in her bag by the restroom door. “Hey, there. I thought you’d gone home.”

“I was trying to call a cab, but I don’t have a number. So I thought I’d call information but I can’t seem to find my phone in this stupid purse. Then I thought I could call on the payphone, but you don’t have a payphone. Then I needed to go to the ladies room.” Jane swept one arm toward the restroom, threw off her balance and swayed.

He reached out with both hands to steady her. “Whoa. Easy. And just so you know, I always have numbers for cabs behind the bar. I even would have called one for you if you’d asked me.”

When he was certain she was standing okay on her own two feet, he let her go, not that it was any hardship holding on to her. Not at all. Of all the women who came to hang out at his bar, Jane was always a pleasure to be around, not to mention to look at.

“I didn’t want to bother you. You looked busy, with that big…thing of yours.” Her face colored. “The thing you carried, not your big thing.”

Damian laughed. “Yeah, I got it. You meant the rack of glasses.”

“Yeah, that must be what I meant. Because it would be rude to talk about, you know, your other big thing.”

Usually drunks were annoying. However Jane being drunk was proving to be absolutely adorable. He smiled. “Oh, I don’t know. I never mind talking about any thing, my thing included, when it’s with a cute girl.”

A scowl creased her brow. “Unfortunately, I’m not a girl anymore.”

“You’re right. You’re definitely a woman.” A successful, smart, attractive, funny and very inebriated woman who he should be putting in a cab home rather than noticing how one of the buttons on her blouse had opened and he could clearly see the lace of her bra. She wasn’t big up top, but what was there was really nice. Huge tits, especially the fake ones, were overrated in his opinion.

Jane frowned and touched her head. “I think I had too much to drink.”

“Mm, hm. I think you’re right.” And that was his fault. He’d been having so much fun mixing drinks for them he hadn’t realized what the combination of liquors, as much as the amount, would do to two women. Candice had gotten into her cab fine. Drunk yes, but functioning, but Jane seemed to be handling the alcohol less well. He’d keep that in mind when pouring for her from now on. She required a lighter hand.

That thought had him thinking other far from bartenderly thoughts about his hands on her.

“Damian?”

“Yes, Jane.”

“I’m attractive, aren’t I?”

He nodded. “Yes, you are. Very.”

“Then why am I alone? I mean I’m not even talking about being unmarried. I mean alone like I burnt out the motor on my vibrator last week and now I have to buy a new one.”

And now he had a hard-on. Wow. That was some piece of information. It put a hell of a visual in his head. Jane, splayed out on her bed, working herself to an orgasmic frenzy. Damn.

Buy at:

Barnes & Noble Nook

Amazon Kindle

All Romance eBooks

Smashwords

More Info at www.catjohnson.net

NEW REVIEW FOR JARED

2011-08-15T12:48:00.000-04:00

JARED (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 4) by Cat Johnson

Everything is just right…until she turns his life upside down.

It doesn’t take anything fancy to make Jared Gordon a happy man. A slice of his mama’s pie, a pretty girl, a well-bred horse. Life on the farm is just how he likes it. Simple. Until a big-city girl blows into town like a tornado hitting a trailer park.

Quintessentially small-town Pigeon Hollow has everything L.A. producer Mandy Morris needs for her new reality show. A smoldering deputy sheriff, a quirky diner owner and a horse farm complete with a hunky horseman. If her own instant attraction is any indication, Jared will have the female demographic glued to their sets.

Except the red-hot cowboy is cool to the idea of cameras in his face. And the harder she negotiates, the deeper he digs in…until their head-butting strikes sparks that fan a prairie fire of unexpected passion. She doesn’t usually mix business with pleasure, but as Pigeon Hollow’s charm works its magic, the youngest Gordon brother has Mandy rethinking many things.

Like happiness doesn’t have to end with the word “cut”.

Warning: Contains one hot shirtless cowboy taking a city girl for a roll in the hay…and a few other places.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Review:
“Sparks fly in the sizzling fourth installment of Cat Johnson’s RED, HOT & BLUE series. JARED is a wickedly entertaining story that will keep readers’ fans on high this summer… Ms. Johnson sets the page ablaze when Mandy and Jared hit the sheets.” Lily, Romance Junkies

Don’t miss the rest of the Red, Hot Blue series:
Trey (Book 1)
Jack (Book 2)
Jimmy (Book 3)
Jared (Book 4)
Cole (Book 5)
Bobby (Book 6)
A Few Good Men (A Red, Hot Blue Novel)

More info at www.catjohnson.net

THE FINAL ROUND...

2011-07-29T18:01:00.004-04:00

The 5th and final round in ARe's Summer's Hottest Hero Contest is open and my hero WES from Texas Two-Step is in it. It's a shortened round, ending Sunday night at midnight. Have you voted in Round #5 yet? You can vote once in each round and one lucky voter will receive $25 in eBook Bucks.

TEXAS TWO-STEP

It takes two to tango, but three to do the two-step with these Texas cowboys…

Londoner Maryann Morrissy finds the companionship she's missing by making friends on the Internet with fellow rodeo fans in the States. Her fiancé Robert doesn't understand her new obsession. His mocking is just one more thing in a long list that convinces Maryann he's not the man for her. Perfect timing, because Maryann is flying to Texas where two rodeo cowboys are waiting to show her the ropes.

Annoyed he has to pick up his sister's British online buddy from the airport, tie-down roper Wes Griffin drags his best friend Shooter with him. Misery loves company until Wes sees Maryann get off the plane. When her sexy accent makes his heart do the two-step, Wes begins to wish he'd kept Maryann all to himself because Shooter is just as intrigued.

After the nasty end to Maryann’s engagement, she's ready to take both cowboys on, but is Wes willing to share?

Excerpt:

“You got no chance of winning the round now. Not with that penalty added to your time.”

Wes didn’t need Shooter to remind him of that. He knew he’d broken the barrier and cost himself a ten-second penalty the moment he’d left the box. He’d performed like crap tonight and he knew it, and the reason was standing along the sidelines next to his sister. Maryann’s presence had him so on edge, even his damn horse had sensed it. He couldn’t blame the animal for the penalty. It had simply misread the tension in him and taken off too early.

Wes blew out a loud breath. “I know.”

Shooter frowned at him. “Where’s your head at tonight?”

He glanced at Maryann one more time, looking as if she was having the time of her life watching the event. “I don’t know.”

“Well I do.” Shooter laughed. “You’ve got it bad for her.”

Wes spun back to his friend. “Who? Maryann? No, of course not. I don’t even know her.”

“Oh, don’t we?” Shooter’s brows shot up to the brim of his hat.

Wes rolled his eyes. “I’m not talking about sex.”

Shooter let out a short laugh. “Neither am I. Look how much we’ve been through with that girl in just a little over twenty-four hours? We’ve seen her drunk and sober, happy and crying. We were with her when she found out for certain the man she thought she was going to marry was cheating on her and we were there when she put him in his place and dumped him too. And then, yeah, there was everything else that happened last night at my place. We can’t forget about that.”

No, Wes would never forget that. He shook his head, not willing to admit anything to Shooter. “I’ve been with women the night before an event and had them watch me compete the next day. It never messed me up before. I’m just having an off day. That’s all.”

“Well I hope you’re right, because I have a feeling you’ll be repeating last night with her again tonight and I’d hate to see you look this bad tomorrow.”

What Shooter said struck Wes. He glanced at Maryann again. Would she be interested in a repeat? And the bigger question was, if it happened would it include Shooter? Wes wasn’t exactly good at sharing. He sighed. “I’m gonna go grab something to drink. You want anything?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Shooter glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t be too long or you’ll miss your sister. The barrel racing’s up next.”

“I won’t.” He needed to get away for a bit and clear his head, something he should have done before he competed instead of after. Wes shook his head, so busy beating himself up he didn’t notice Maryann until he’d smacked right into her. “Dang. I’m sorry.”

She smiled, her eyes smoldering. “I’m not. I’ve been hoping to run into you.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Really? And why is that?”

Maryann crossed one booted foot over the other and dipped her head shyly. “Now that I’ve seen what a piggin’ string is, and what it’s supposed to be used for, I couldn’t help but imagine what else a cowboy could do with one.”

Well, he’d be damned. Watching him tie up a calf had gotten Maryann hot. “I imagine together we could figure out quite a few things to do with it.” Just the thought had him trembling with anticipation.

She swallowed hard as her gaze dropped momentarily to his lips. “How long does this last?”

“A while, but I’m done so we really only have to stay until Ellen rides.”

“Good.” Her eyes were narrow as she looked up at him and he couldn’t resist. Wes lowered his head and crashed his mouth into hers, pressing them both against the back wall of the concession stand.

Wes pulled his mouth away just far enough to say, “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

“Me either.” She grabbed his head and kissed him hard.

He pulled away again. There was something he needed to know. “What about Shooter? Whatever we do later, is it going to include him?”

“Do you want it to?”

Hell no. “Do you?” Wes did his best to keep his voice neutral. It wasn’t easy.

“He’s your mate…” Her gaze searched his face.

“If that means he’s my friend, yeah, my best one, but that doesn’t mean I have to share my girl with him.”

Maryann’s brow crinkled while she smiled at the same time. “Am I your girl?”

Wes drew in and blew out a deep breath. Things had turned real serious real fast. He decided to take the tension down a notch with some joking. “You could be, if you play your cards right.”

“And how would I go about doing that.” She was back to being flirty and playful. This he could handle.

“The piggin’ string tonight will be a good start.” He grinned and planted one last kiss on her lips.

www.catjohnson.net

WHO'S THE HOTTEST OF THEM ALL...

2011-07-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

My hot roping rodeo cowboy Wes from Texas Two-Step is in a fierce battle over at ARe's Hottest Hero Contest.
You have to log in to your ARe account to view the 8 heroes contending for the title in Round #3--the Best Dinner Invite/Menu competition and to vote. You can vote once in each bracket in each of the rounds.
One lucky voter in each round will win $25 in eBookBucks.

Hurry. Round #3 ends Wednesday at midnight.

VOTE FOR MY RODEO COWBOY FOR SUMMER'S HOTTEST HERO

2011-07-01T09:57:00.002-04:00

I'm thrilled that my hot calf roper hero, Wes Griffin from Texas Two-Step, has been nominated by readers as one of the finalists in All Romance eBooks' Summer's Hottest Heroes Contest.

I'm honored to be up against one of the authors who inspired me to write romance years ago, an author whose books I read when writing my own was just a dream for me--Vicki Lewis Thompson. I guess that's the beauty of this strange new world publishing has turned into--a small press author can play in the same league as a NY Times Best Selling author. Yeah, she's likely going to kick my butt, but it truly is an honor just to be nominated.

IF I don't get knocked out of the competition in round 1, you will get to see my hot rodeo cowboy Wes in future rounds of the contest where the heroes will compete in things such as best first kiss, best invitation to a romantic dinner, and best answer to the question "what makes a man strong".

So go take a look at all 32 competitors. Click on the hero's name to read more about him, then vote for your favorite. NOTE: You must log in to your ARe account before the matchups on the voting page will be displayed.

SUMMER'S HOTTEST HERO CONTEST VOTE

Meet Seven Fables

2011-06-15T14:52:00.000-04:00

What is Seven Fables? It's a project I'm not connected to being headed by a man I don't know except from online, but it's the most exciting thing I've seen in a long time. It's the past and the future of publishing rolled into one. It's creative and fun and it needs all of our help. Check out the page on Kickstarter

EDUCATING ANSLEY EXCERPT

2011-05-24T07:43:00.001-04:00

~a RED hot erotica ménage with cowboys by Cat Johnson

Gossip Girl meets the Dukes of Hazard with a whole lot of red hot sex thrown in–that is Educating Ansley, the first title in the Cat Johnson RED line.

Connecticut’s rich and beautiful summer at mansions in the Hamptons not on a ranch in Colorado, but that’s exactly where society girl Ansley Craig’s been banished by her grandmother just for having a little too much fun at a graduation party.

She expects to find cows and boredom at the Kane ranch. What she doesn’t count on are the Kane brothers. Ansley may have the college degree, but Jeremy and Ryan are two cowboys who can teach her a few things she didn’t learn in school.

Reader Advisory: Expect one spoiled rich girl engaging in frequent sexual acts including multiple partner situations, same sex play, anal sex and even a roll in the hay.

Enjoy this PG 17 EXCERPT from EDUCATING ANSLEY

Ryan slowed and steered the truck onto the access road for the ranch.

The trip had been pretty much silent, which wasn’t a surprise judging by how unhappy his passenger had looked when he’d met her at Hank’s. “Here we are.”

She finally turned from staring out the passenger window. “What do you mean, here we are?”

“We just pulled onto the ranch.”

A frown creased her pretty brow. “I don’t see anything.”

“Well not yet you won’t. It’s two thousand acres. We have to drive a bit before you see the buildings.”

“Two thousand?”

“Yeah.” Did she actually look impressed? If she had, her interest disappeared just as quickly as it had come and the puss returned… Until the lake came into view and she sat forward in her seat, gaze glued to the view.

“Wait! Stop.”

He slammed on the brakes. “What? What’s wrong?”

She’d cried out like he’d run over an animal or something, but he was pretty sure he would have noticed if he’d done that.

The minute the truck stopped she flung open the passenger door and hopped out. Cursing under his breath, he put the truck in park, turned off the ignition and followed her, only to see her making a beeline directly for the water and dropping her clothes along the way as she went.

She’d already pulled off her shirt and had just reached back and released the closure on her bra when he called out, “What are you doing?”

“Cooling off.” Glancing over her shoulder she answered him before the bra hit the grass. She kicked off her shoes and pushed her skirt down her incredibly long legs.

His brother had been right. This girl was looking for trouble and right now he suspected she was also looking for a reaction from him. Her tiny lace panties followed and then, stripped totally bare ass naked, she turned and stood before him as if challenging him to stop her.

To his credit, he didn’t give her what she wanted. All he did was cross his arms and lean against the truck. “All right. If you’re going in for a swim, then go on. I’ll wait.”

“Don’t you want to come in with me?” Her suggestive smile, not to mention her smoking hot and very nude body, could easily have lured a hundred guys into the water after her, but Ryan stood his ground. A certain portion of his anatomy was standing now as well.

He let his eyes wander long enough to take note she was bare of hair as well as clothing. Not even one tiny bit of hair had been left as proof she was a natural blonde. Smooth pussy was Ryan’s downfall. He’d never been able to resist it. He better learn how now and fast.

Of course, like any good flirt, she noticed both his attention and his hard-on. She let her gaze very pointedly drop to his crotch. “Come on. You know you want to.”

He suspected she wasn’t talking just about swimming. This girl needed to be taken down a notch and he was just the man to do it. He liked a confident woman, but this one was just plain cocky.

“Nah. Thanks. I’m good.”

“Fine.” She shrugged like it didn’t matter, but before she spun away he saw the small frown knit her brow.

Ansley dove into the water. Once she was submerged, Ryan released the breath he’d been holding. As she swam across the pond and pretended to ignore him, Ryan pulled out his cell phone. His brother answered on the first ring.

“Jeremy. She’s frigging naked and swimming in our pond.”

His brother’s frustrated huff of breath was clearly audible through the phone. “Damn it, Ryan. Can’t you even get her home without something happening?”

Why did he always get blamed for everything? “What was I supposed to do? She jumped out of the truck and started flinging her clothes off. Just be glad I didn’t join her in there the way she wanted me to.”

“Just make sure you don’t.” The warning was clear in Jeremy’s tone of voice. “It’s partially my fault I guess. I gave her that second drink. I should have known too much liquor in that girl would make her even more crazy.”

Crazy. Usually that was a trait Ryan liked to see a little of in a woman, but not when he was in charge of them.

Unfortunately for him, she didn’t stay under long enough. Before he knew it, she was standing up again, and so was that uncooperative part of him. “I gotta go. She’s getting out.”

“Bring her right to the house.” Jeremy enunciated every word as if Ryan were in kindergarten.

“I’ll do my best. See ya later.” Ryan flipped his phone shut and shoved it in his pocket before Jeremy could lecture him any more.

Meanwhile every man’s fantasy had emerged from the water and was walking toward him, every inch of her dripping wet. Resisting Ansley naked was one thing, but seeing her drenched and naked was quite another. She was a literal wet dream as she paraded directly at him, bending occasionally to retrieve the clothes she’d scattered on the grass. She didn’t put them on though, just held them in her hand. He really wished she’d put them on.

“Aren’t you going to get dressed?” He needed her to be covered up, because he was starting to throb just from looking at her. It didn’t matter if she was off limits. He was a man, after all.

“I thought I’d dry off a bit first.” She stopped so close he could see every individual drop of water dripping from her hair and rolling down her high, tight breasts.

She took another step closer. Just the tip of her nipples pressed against him until he could feel the water from those glorious peaks soaking through his shirt to his skin. Reaching past him she dropped the bundle of clothes in the back of the truck, then put both hands on his chest.

Even without her shoes she was tall enough to reach his mouth by just tilting her head. Her lips hovered just inches from his as her hand traveled down to his belt buckle and stayed there.

He’d been in a similar position with a woman before and very recently too. Ryan remembered well how that had worked out with hooker Jackie and her passed out roommate at the trailer park.

Very aware of her hand resting too near to his cock for any polite girl, Ryan felt her stray another inch closer, brushing the tip of him through the denim, ratcheting his need another notch higher.

Ryan let out a long, slow breath. “What are you up to, girl?”

“Nothing.” She was so close to him, he felt her breath tickle his lips as she spoke.

Naked in broad daylight and pressed up against a man she’d just met was definitely something.

BACK TO EBOOK DETAIL PAGE

BUY the eBook at:

ARe (PDF, ePub, HTML, Mobi)

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

Smashwords (multiple formats)

EDUCATING ANSLEY VIDEO

2011-05-19T19:29:00.000-04:00

Educating Ansley ( a RED hot erotica menage )

2011-05-17T20:46:00.000-04:00

a Cat Johnson RED title

Gossip Girl meets the Dukes of Hazard with a whole lot of red hot sex thrown in--that's Educating Ansley, the first title in the Cat Johnson RED line.

Connecticut’s rich and beautiful summer at mansions in the Hamptons not on a ranch in Colorado, but that’s exactly where society girl Ansley Craig’s been banished by her grandmother just for having a little too much fun at a graduation party.

She expects to find cows and boredom at the Kane ranch. What she doesn’t count on are the Kane brothers. Ansley may have the college degree, but Jeremy and Ryan are two cowboys who can teach her a few things she didn’t learn in school.

Reader Advisory: Expect one spoiled rich girl engaging in frequent sexual acts including multiple partner situations, same sex play, anal sex and even a roll in the hay.

ISBN 978-1-4580-4275-0

BUY the eBook at:

ARe (PDF, ePub, HTML, Mobi)

Amazon Kindle

Barnes & Noble Nook

Smashwords

What is the Cat Johnson RED imprint?

It’s the equivalent of the backroom at the video store. It’s uncensored. It’s no apologies erotica. It’s not for those easily offended, the faint of heart or readers with delicate sensibilities. Warning: It’s not your mama’s romance, but it’s also not your typical Cat Johnson book.

What there might be is:
Frequent sexual encounters, sometimes with complete strangers
Multiple partners
Female characters who enjoy sex, often with many people, and make no apologies for it
Same sex play including M/M and F/F and any combination within a multi-partner situation
Sex toys (and everyday objects employed as sex toys)
Anal play
Red hot fun!

There will NOT be:
Underage sex
Pedophilia
Rape for titillation
Bestiality

NEW RELEASE: JARED (RHB, Book 4)

2011-05-10T07:28:00.000-04:00

Available NOW!

Red, Hot & Blue, Book 4

Everything is just right…until she turns his life upside down.

It doesn’t take anything fancy to make Jared Gordon a happy man. A slice of his mama’s pie, a pretty girl, a well-bred horse. Life on the farm is just how he likes it. Simple. Until a big city girl blows into town like a tornado hitting a trailer park.

Quintessentially small-town Pigeon Hollow has everything LA producer Mandy Morris needs for her new reality show. A smoldering deputy sheriff, a quirky diner owner and a horse farm complete with a hunky horseman. If her own instant attraction is any indication, Jared will have the female demographic glued to their sets.

Except the red-hot cowboy is cool to the idea of cameras in his face. And the harder she negotiates, the deeper he digs in…until their head-butting strikes sparks that fans a prairie fire of unexpected passion. She doesn’t usually mix business with pleasure, but as Pigeon Hollow’s charm works its magic, the youngest Gordon brother has Mandy rethinking many things.

Like happiness doesn’t have to end with the word “cut.”

Warning: Contains one hot shirtless cowboy taking a city girl for a roll in the hay…and a few other places.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

NOW at:

SAMHAIN PUBLISHING STORE

AMAZON for KINDLE

Barnes & Noble for NOOK

READER QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS SERIES

Q: Is the current Red, Hot & Blue series from Samhain the same as the out of print Linden Bay Romance Task Force Zeta Series?

A: Yes-reedited, in some cases expanded, but basically the same.

Q: Task Force Zeta was only military romance, but Red, Hot & Blue includes Jared, who is not.

A: Correct. The original LBR series had a spinoff (Smalltown, USA) featuring the characters and town from the military books. We've chosen to combine all the books under the series title RHB.

Q: Will all the out of print books be rereleased?

A: Yes, in eBook first, in print later one, but it will take some time.

Q: Is JARED the original title for this book?

A: No. Jared's story was THE HORSEMAN in Smalltown, USA.

Don't miss the rest of the Red, Hot & Blue series:

Trey (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 1)

Jack (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 2)

Jimmy (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 3)

LET'S BUCK FOR CHARITY

2011-05-01T15:49:00.000-04:00

LET’S BUCK TO CURE CHILDHOOD DIABETES

Each year NY Times best selling author Brenda Novak hosts an online auction to benefit Diabetes Research.

This year my donation is the Let’s Buck ballcap I personally had signed by the PBR riders at the Built Ford Tough Series Mohegan Sun Invitational in October 2010, along with a signed copy of UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1) and winner's choice of a canvas “I Heart Cowboys” or "I Heart Bull Riders" totebag.

BIDDING IS OPEN NOW

CHASE IS WINNING READERS-NEW REVIEW FOR RIDE

2011-04-15T09:07:00.002-04:00

From the Review:

"...The sizzling sexual tension between Leesa and Chase is scorching!

Ride is a fun book, filled with memorable characters and entertaining situations. Mix in with a bit of mystery, and there you have it. Ms. Johnson writes the kind of story that keeps the reader engaged and interested. There's moments that made me laugh out loud. And the twist at the end I never saw coming.

This is a new-to-me author, and after reading this delightful story, it won't be the last. I was drawn in by Ms. Johnson's humorous, emotional story. If you enjoy a hot romance, humor, and a book you won't forget, then come along for the ride."

Read more at Long and Short Reviews- Whipped Cream Reviews

NEW VIDEO: TEXAS TWO-STEP

2011-03-24T18:14:00.002-04:00

IT'S NOT YOUR MAMA'S ROMANCE

2011-03-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

CONTEMPORARY ROMANTIC COMEDY BY CAT JOHNSON

NEW VIDEO FOR THE STUDS IN SPURS SERIES

2011-03-24T15:41:00.001-04:00

NEW VIDEO FOR THE RED, HOT & BLUE SERIES

2011-03-24T12:27:00.000-04:00

BEFORE THERE WERE COWBOYS...

2011-02-24T15:32:00.002-05:00

Long before I ever considered writing about uber alpha cowboys who are bull riders or ropers there were nerds. Believe it or not, my first stories were about computer geeks and the women who loved them.

No menages. No piggin strings. Just one-on-one romances about women--close girl friends--struggling to get through life, and the men they stumble upon along the way.

These first stories I wrote and published in 2006-7 would most closely fall into the romantic comedy genre I think. Sensual, but not nearly as scorching as the cowboy threesomes you've come to expect from me.

That doesn't mean I don't love these stories too. You'll probably see most closely into my real life by reading them. The stars of Just Desserts are based in name and personality on my two actual friends Donna and Grace, and some of the incredible things that come out of their mouths in the book are actual quotes from real life. Grace's proclamation "I'd rather be poor than unfashionable" is one example.

Just Desserts has been out of print for a while, but it's back now, brushed up and with a fresh new cover and available at All Romance now for download in multiple formats. It's been submitted to Amazon for Kindle and Barnes & Noble for Nook and should be available any day now.

BLURB

Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but these three tales are hot, hot, hot!

Private Investigations
Donna is the kind of person who never thinks twice when it comes to helping a friend in need. So when her co-worker suspects her boyfriend of cheating, Donna is right there in the stakeout car next to her. Little does she know that their brief foray in private investigation will lead to her own investigating of a sexy PI's privates.

Between Love and Hate
Jade thought she'd found the one, until she finds proof her boyfriend has been secretly meeting someone else. What's a girl to do? Get back at him, of course. However, sometimes things aren't always as they seem.

Saving Grace
As Valentine's Day approaches, Grace realizes all of her friends have found the loves of their lives while she is still alone and lonely. But when a secret admirer sweeps her off her feet, she discovers that Mr. Right may really be oh-so-wrong. With help from an unexpected ally, can she get free of him before she finds herself all tied up?

This work has been previously published. It has been edited for rerelease. (What's this mean? The stories haven't changed, there is no added content but I corrected all the annoying bad habits I've outgrown. If you own it already from the first release in 2007, don' t buy it again.)

Download (PDF, ePub and HTML) at ARe

Amazon Kindle -coming soon

Barnes & Noble Nook -coming soon

MEET JARED! COMING SOON...

2011-01-22T08:29:00.001-05:00

Red, Hot & Blue, Book 4

Everything is just right…until she turns his life upside down.

It doesn’t take anything fancy to make Jared Gordon a happy man. A slice of his mama’s pie, a pretty girl, a well-bred horse. Life on the farm is just how he likes it. Simple. Until a big city girl blows into town like a tornado hitting a trailer park.

Quintessentially small-town Pigeon Hollow has everything LA producer Mandy Morris needs for her new reality show. A smoldering deputy sheriff, a quirky diner owner and a horse farm complete with a hunky horseman. If her own instant attraction is any indication, Jared will have the female demographic glued to their sets.

Except the red-hot cowboy is cool to the idea of cameras in his face. And the harder she negotiates, the deeper he digs in…until their head-butting strikes sparks that fans a prairie fire of unexpected passion. She doesn’t usually mix business with pleasure, but as Pigeon Hollow’s charm works its magic, the youngest Gordon brother has Mandy rethinking many things.

Like happiness doesn’t have to end with the word “cut.”

Warning: Contains one hot shirtless cowboy taking a city girl for a roll in the hay…and a few other places.

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Don't miss the rest of the Red, Hot & Blue series:

Trey (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 1)

Jack (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 2)

Jimmy (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 3)

TEXAS TWO-STEP

2011-01-20T19:14:00.001-05:00

AVAILABLE AT ARE

Part of the Perfect Strangers Collection

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS RIDE?

2010-12-28T08:42:00.001-05:00

For Chase fans who fell in love with him way back in UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1) and who wished they were the third in his little encounter in Mustang's trailer in BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2), for those who devoured the 2 free reads "8 Second Ride" and "The Rookie" and still want more of Chase, the wait is finally over. It's time to ride! The novel-length eBook is now available!

Chase Reese is back and he's in Vegas. And you know what can happen in Vegas, don't you?

Read the Blurb HERE

BUCKED IN PAPERBACK. LET'S BUCK!

2010-12-07T06:47:00.000-05:00

Bucked (Studs in Spurs, Book 2) officially releases in paperback tomorrow which means you may (fingers crossed) actually come across it on a shelf at a bookstore near you. You definitely will find it at all the online booksellers such as Borders, BN and Amazon.

But wait, you're saying, I thought this book is out already. Yes it is, but only in eBook. The publisher likes to leave a ten month lag between the eBook release and the release of the trade paperback.

Why do they do that? Waiting sucks, you may be saying. Well, here's the thing. It's kind of like how in high fashion the new spring designer lines are shown at the fall fashion shows so the stores have time to order them for the following year.

I used to totally agree that waiting (and having to promo the same book for two separate release dates) sucks, until just a few months ago when people started to email and text me pictures of my UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1) on actual bookstore shelves at BNs and Borders. That ten month delay gives the booksellers time to shop for and order the books releasing later in the year. I even had an indie bookseller in Syracuse, NY ask me to send them promo for Bucked so I have great hopes it too will be shelved. Apparently the system works so who am I to argue? To a little author with an indie pub like me, getting actual shelf space in a brick and mortar large chain bookstore or even a small indie bookstore is AMAZING!!

So here I am, promoting Bucked once again and the timing couldn't be more perfect. The amateur bull rider I sponsor just received his second batch of Let's Buck stickers to distribute at all the rodeos he rides in in Oklahoma. I co-sponsored Makin' 8's trip to Las Vegas for the National Rodeo Finals (NFR) and they are there this week reporting back live on all the cowboy goings-on there. And of course I'll be visible on the web talking about Bucked for those who care to listen. Deja vu all over again, but it is no hardship to revisit Mustang, the hero of Bucked. Hope you feel the same.

Have you already read BUCKED and want more?

There is a deleted scene from Bucked starring Mustang and Chase called THE ROOKIE available on my Free Reads page. Enjoy!

HOLY COW! LET'S BUCK!

2010-11-20T08:44:00.000-05:00

It takes a lot to surprise this jaded New Yorker, but one 19-year-old amateur bull rider from Oklahoma managed to do just that in a big way. Alvin Morris, the bull rider I sponsor who rides in a shirt embroidered with my Let's Buck tagline and website and hands out bumper stickers printed with the same at rodeos in exchange for my covering his entrance fees, has gone above and beyond. Take a look at the below. I am still in shock. Yeah, that's a real tattoo.

The design came from the mudflap girls on his chaps, combined with my tagline, which he loved from the moment he first heard it. The below chaps also inspired the colors for the sponsor shirt Alvin wears, a black button-down with hot pink embroidery reading Let's Buck www.catjohnson.net down his free arm.

Before you non-ink people freak out and start with the "tattoos are forever" argument, let me launch my own defense. Alvin once told me he is going to ride until he "competes in the championship in Vegas or is too crippled to ride at all", so I dare say bull riders are forever as well as tattoos. It's just my guess, but I don't think Alvin will ever regret his tattoo.

He promises a better picture in 2 weeks after he's allowed to wash it. It's just hours old now but (forgive me--the marketing professional in me can't help saying this) the timing of his surprise for me couldn't be better, just as my Studs in Spurs series has new releases. BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2), the title that inspired the Let's Buck line, releases in paperback worldwide Dec. 7th. And RIDE (Studs in Spurs, Book 3) releases in eBook from Samhain Publishing Dec. 28th.

Make no mistake, Alvin didn't even give me a hint except to say I had a surprise coming Friday night. I actually thought he'd gotten a stock contractor to name a bull after me, which I'd joked about him doing. I'm still speechless from Alvin's surprise. All I can say is, LET'S BUCK!

JIMMY (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 3)

2010-10-27T08:19:00.000-04:00

Social butterfly and a soldier in the Special Forces—a match made in…bed.

Special Forces gave Jimmy Gordon the undercover skills of a chameleon, but nothing prepared him for Amelia Monroe-Carrington, the governor’s hot, redheaded daughter. She thought she was seducing a banquet waiter, and he let her.

His next assignment pulled him from her bed and into the worst six months of his life. Images of Lia were what kept him alive imprisoned in Kosovo, and even now he’s home and recovered, she’s still in his head.

For her father’s political career, Lia has always done the appropriate thing, right down to dating a senator’s son. Her one rebellious act, an incredible night with a totally inappropriate man, ended when he disappeared. And then never called.

When they unexpectedly meet again, the pull between them is stronger than ever, tempting Lia to stop sacrificing her own happiness for the family dynasty.

This book has been previously published and has been revised and expanded from its original release.

Warning: Contains incredible one-night-stand sex hot enough to withstand time, distance, and some really nasty terrorist torture.

Buy the eBook at

My Bookstore and More

Amazon Kindle

All Romance eBooks

UNRIDDEN TOP PICK OF THE WEEK

2010-10-18T17:24:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Blackraven's Reviews and all the voters who chose my

UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1)

Top Pick of the Week!

NEW REVIEWS: UNRIDDEN AND JACK

2010-10-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1)

‎"Yowza, what a smoking’ hot read!

Unridden is an extremely erotic book that will warm you up right away, no doubt. One of the best menage books I’ve ever read, complete with two very sexy cowboys!”

5 Ravens from Ashley, Blackraven’s Reviews

GET UNRIDDEN HERE

~

JACK (Red, Hot & Blue, Book 2)

"Going home was never so good. Jack shows us that when one door closes then a window can open up for romance... Jack took a little humor, a little spice and a little danger, stirred it up and found the perfect love potion."

Jo, Joyfully Reviewed

Read the full review at Joyfully Reviewed

NEWS!!

2010-10-06T14:31:00.000-04:00

UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1) has been spotted on shelves in Barnes & Nobles and Borders countrywide! Below, Borders Books in Reading, PA

IS IT TIME TO BUCK YET? PBR UNCASVILLE

2010-09-22T08:47:00.001-04:00

I'm back from the Authors After Dark Romance Convention and 2 days later, finally out from under the backlog of work that accumulated while I was off having fun. It was a hell of an event and I loved speaking on the panels, hanging with the readers and my fellow authors, making new friends, seeing old ones, and getting to know the book bloggers, booksellers, publishers--everyone!! Too much fun, too little sleep, but it was a great time.

And now back to reality...as surreal as my personal reality is. I started this month with my live reading at Lady Jane's Salon in New York City, I spent the middle of this month at AAD a stone's throw from Newark, NJ, and I'll end this month in bucolic Connecticut attending the PBR bull riding competition in the arena inside the Mohegan Sun Casino. Talk about surreal--try walking through the slot machines, past the 5-star restaurants, martini bars and high-priced stores, only to stumble through the doors of the indoor arena to find a dirt floor and pens packed full of live, very large bulls. Not to mention all those cowboys!

So that's where I'll be October 1, 2 and 3 (Friday through Sunday). If any of you happen to be attending this event, or even if you're just local enough to drive to Mohegan Sun for the day, join me! I plan on planting myself near the arena entrance (probably at the bar!) before the doors open for each of the three events and I'll have my promo with me--namely my LET'S BUCK stickers (modeled below by some of my Oklahoma fans). The word is these stickers are the hit of the Oklahoma rodeo scene and are being worn by the bull riders on their hats, helmets, vests and trucks... oh, and slings!

So stop by Mohegan Sun, say hi to me, get a sticker for your car, or booty, or whatever. And you never know, I may even have copies of ROUGH STOCK and UNRIDDEN with me and could probably be persuaded to sell and sign one or two!

LABOR DAY WEEKEND CAT NEWS

2010-09-06T10:42:00.002-04:00

JACK is holding as the #1 best seller at My Bookstore and More for the 3rd straight day (YAY! Thank you, readers!)

THAT is exciting enough in itself, but on top of that, tomorrow UNRIDDEN
releases in print and tonight is my live reading at Lady Jane's Salon in NYC (at Madame X's on W Houston St).

UNRIDDEN PAPERBACK AT AMAZON.COM

And finally, the amateur bull rider I sponsor, Alvin Morris, took 2nd place at Drumright this weekend. Even better, no stitches required this week. Congrats to Alvin! (he's the one pictured in the middle but this was taken before he received his good luck, official Cat Johnson LET'S BUCK riding shirt)

NEW RELEASE: JACK IS HERE!

2010-08-31T09:35:00.000-04:00

JACK

(Red, Hot & Blue, Book 2)

My Bookstore and More

Amazon Kindle

"...a smooth talking, woman loving cowboy"

2010-08-25T09:43:00.001-04:00

Thank you to reviewer Michele and The Romance Studio for the great new review of BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2).

(I'm sure you bull riding fans out there will notice the error in the first paragraph and get a little chuckle because of course the main character Mustang didn't last for an eight MINUTE ride, but rather eight SECONDS!)

"Bucked is a rodeo story featuring Mustang Jackson a smooth talking woman loving cowboy. His fun loving nature is put to the test when he survives an eight ~~minute~~ [second] bull ride to only then discover the adrenaline masked a very serious injury. He is suddenly no longer able to earn an income riding bulls and is put on the injury list for many weeks to recover. Going home to a father disappointed in his career choice has never been appealing to Mustang. And more surprises are just around the corner when he discovers Sage a childhood friend is gown up and ready for her turn on this cowboy. They do not call him Mustang for nothing. Will he stick around for more than an eight ~~minute~~ [second] ride with Sage? And can his heart survive? ...Sparks fly in this sexy cowboy story."

Michele, The Romance Studio

Read the full review

Bucked is currently available in eBook and will release in print December 2010.

REVIEW FOR BUCKED

2010-08-16T10:54:00.000-04:00

"Oh, my goodness – what drama! ...Cat Johnson has outdone herself yet again. You, the reader, will truly feel the cowboy life through her words... I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book." Lace, Blackraven Reviews

Read the rest at BLACKRAVEN REVIEWS

Thank you to Lace for this fab review, and what perfect timing! BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2) is available now in eBook but UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1) also currently in eBook, releases in Print September 7th!

COWGIRL IN THE CITY

2010-08-11T18:28:00.002-04:00

Are you in the New York Tri-state area? Wanna meet me? Are you up for a night of fun?

Then have I got an event for you!

WHEN: September 6, 7 PM

WHAT: Live Reading from UNRIDDEN (Studs in Spurs, Book 1) by Cat at Lady Jane’s Salon (NYC's first romance reading series)

WHERE: Madam X, 94 Houston Street, New York, NY 10012, 212.539.0808, www.madamex.com

THE DETAILS: Lady Jane’s meets at Madame X (94 West Houston) on the first Monday of every month, 7-9 PM. Cash bar (Drinks are $5). Admission is $5 or one gently-used paperback romance novel with net proceeds supporting local women’s charities. There will also be signed books for sale and swag!

TROOP SUPPORT-PART 2

2010-08-08T09:34:00.002-04:00

After the last post on this topic, I promised more details, so here it is. One disclaimer. I am NOT an expert. I've simply been sending packages to troops overseas since October 2006 and since that time, I've picked up a bit of knowledge along the way. Here is a bit of what I've learned.

FOLLOW THE RULES

Certain things are forbidden by the military, or by the US Postal Service, or in some cases, by the laws of nature. Learn the rules and follow them. The military doesn't allow any porn. So the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, Maxim Magazine or a Hooters calendar is okay to send. Hustler, Penthouse or Playboy is NOT okay. The USPS does not allow you to send anything in an aerosol container. Also, familiarize yourself in advance with the 5-part customs forms you will have to fill out to ship to an APO address. And investigate your shipping options. Books, media (such as DVDs and CDs) can go Media Mail which is cheaper than First Class Mail, but the contents of the package are limited to the above items. Flat Rate Boxes are a good option for heavy items.

And finally depending upon the troop location and the season you're shipping, sending chocolate in hot weather is a bad idea. Sending liquids in freezing temps, also not so good.

MORALE IS MOST IMPORTANT

Items to boost morale are always welcome... crayon drawings by school children thanking the soldiers, personal cards or letters, things that can distract them, such as games, books, magazines, are all important. I was once told that there is nothing worse for a deployed troop than to not hear your name at mail call when everyone else is getting cards, letters and care packages from home. Some sites, such as www.booksforsoldiers.com, have areas for 'forgotten soldiers' where the commanders will list the names of troop members who routinely are not receiving anything. For the price of a stamp, you can make someone's day.

WHAT THEY NEED

This really depends upon the unit, where they are, what time of year it is, and what quirky challenges the US Military has thrown their way for some unexplained reason or another. For instance, last deployment, Sean's platoon had a lack of forks. Why? I don't know, but I sent them some. However, that was an isolated case. This deployment Sean's platoon is experiencing a disturbing toilet paper shortage. You really never know, so it is best to ask. I will say that morale items and comfort food (IE jerky, chips, instant soup or microwave meals, individual-sized powdered drink mixes) is usually always welcome. But check. Sometimes they are desperate for hygiene items (baby wipes, razers, feminine products for units with women), but Sean recently told me they have plenty of those for now, except for razors. Again, ask.

FINDING TROOPS ON THE WEB

If you have a friend or family member who is deployed, check with them for the shipping address, the list of specific needs, and as their homecoming approaches their MAIL STOP date (this is very important so goods aren't in transit as they are on the move).

If you want to adopt a random troop member or unit, I've personally worked with www.booksforsoldiers.com and www.anysoldier.com. There is also Soldiers Angels.org but I don't have any experience with them, and many other organizations. I always look for an organization who is a registered not for profit 501(c)(3) to make sure they are on the level.

THE SOLDIER AND THE SIREN~A COLLABORATION

2010-07-23T20:20:00.000-04:00

In todays WILDFIRE you will find an all new FREE Sizzle by me. It's called "The Soldier and the Siren" and is a contemporary, 2300-word military-themed short that my soldier muse and I brainstormed together over IM one day when he couldn't sleep in Afghanistan because his tent was a hundred degrees, and I couldn't write because I was feeling uninspired.

Read the results in today's ARe Wildfire Ezine at the link below...

ARe's WILDFIRE

WELCOME ALVIN MORRIS TO THE CAT JOHNSON BULL RIDING TEAM

2010-07-23T13:10:00.001-04:00

I am proud to welcome amateur bull rider Alvin Morris to the Cat Johnson Bull Riding Team!

Alvin will be riding Saturday, July 24th. If you're in the Bristow, Oklahoma area, please go cheer him on.

LET'S BUCK!

Alvin Morris

MY FIRST 12 HOURS WITH THE NOOK

2010-07-22T10:09:00.002-04:00

QUICK FIRST IMPRESSIONS

What I Like

Support for even protected (DRM) ePub & PDF eBooks from multiple vendors

Decent sized, glare-resistant eInk Screen

Expandable Memory

USB, wall charger and Quick Start instruction booklet right in the box

What I Don't Like

No Backlight on reading screen

Weight

USB and computer required to load anything other than a BN purchase.

WiFi (free in BN stores) or 3G required for wireless purchases (which are limited to items in BN eBookStore)

High learning curve

Very slooooow start-up from Off to On (considerably quicker from Sleep mode to On but not sure about battery drain in the standby mode )

The Beta version Web Browser

MORE IN DEPTH IMPRESSIONS...

My first thought taking it out of the box was "Damn this thing is heavy." It's probably about the weight of a good-sized hardcover, the difference being I would lay a hardcover in my lap or hold it in 2 hands while reading, whereas with the Nook I found myself holding it in one hand (and used my other dominant hand to navigate pages) and felt the fatigue in my muscles fairly quickly. Add to that weight the cover I plan on buying so I don't scratch this thing and it will be even heavier in my hand and in my purse.

My second thought, after charging it and turning it on in my bedroom where I only have two 40-watt bulbs in the wall sconces on either side of the bed was "Am I going blind?". Though the teeny tiny color touch screen at the bottom is backlit, the main, larger eInk reading screen is not. It was nearly impossible to read last night. I will have to put 60 watt bulbs in. Perhaps it's because I've had an iPod Touch for reading eBooks for over a year I am spoiled by the backlight which I use all the time to read in bed, or on an airplane, or in a dark car.

That said, my iPod Touch is nearly impossible to read in direct sunlight, where the Nook's eInk screen will be perfect for beach or poolside reading. So that is a plus for the Nook that I'm not sure balances the lack of a backlight. Yes I know I can buy an external booklight for it, but that is one more thing to buy, carry and juggle.

The ability to load and read even protected eBook files (in both ePub and PDF format) purchased from any eBook vendor is a HUGE plus for this device. I loaded books I'd purchased from All Romance eBooks, the Sony store, and Borders eBookstore, as well as PDF files of my own books I created myself on the computer. Even the protected files opened just fine. The nearly total lack of instructions of how to load these files onto the device because Barnes & Noble wants to keep your reading dollars in their own store was expected I guess, but still bad form on their part in my opinion. I would consider myself better at tech stuff than the average user, though no expert, and it took me a while of trial and error to get my files on there. But I did get them on there and they work.

However, as mentioned above, the learning curve is high. A lot of the functionality is counter-intuitive. Things like the fact it has to be ON or in SLEEP mode to charge was a surprise that I only discovered after plugging it in and turning it off (so it would charge faster) and then perusing the Quick Start booklet while I waited for it to charge, which is was not doing because I'd turned it off.

My usability test is this... Could my mother use it without calling me for help? The answer for the Nook is no. This is not the device for my Mom who is still figuring out how to use her email on her first laptop.

The dual screens are also problematic. I keep trying to swipe the reading screen, instead of clicking the arrows on the sides (ala the Sony). Meanwhile, the tiny color swipe screen on the bottom is too small to be of value and adds nothing but weight and bulk to the device. The beta web browser is not worth the effort. The teeny tiny color bookcover thumbnails that show up in that screen are too small to be worthwhile also.

There are some features that are a nice idea but I don't think I will use them, such as the bookmark and highlight feature. I can see these being extremely useful for readers such as book reviewers or students. There is also a dictionary to look up words while you are in the book. I'll be reading trashy romance on this device so I think I know all the words I'll encounter. One thing that amuses me but is not a consideration for purchase is the author portrait sketches that appear during sleep mode.

What just 12 hours with this device has taught me as an author is this...

The info readers get while making purchases from the BN eStore directly from their Nook device is sketchy at best. This totally explains the many nasty comments and reader ratings my poor little 2,000-word free read got in the BN store. The readers downloading it likely never saw the length or the heat level before downloading. From now on I will include the blurb, the word count and a warning on the copyright page of my free reads.

My Nook trial and error has also proven that what I've already started doing (thanks to my friend Julie) is totally necessary...I reduce any bookcover I create down to 100 x 150 to see how it looks as a thumbnail. All authors and cover artists better do this because if eBooks are the future and devices such as the Nook may be the medium through which our customers find us, that bookcover had better be legible when miniscule (smaller than the 100x150).

Lastly, I will check any metatags, file names and author fields in depth in the files I create because even though you think you named your book file a certain title, there is sneaky metadata in there that will show up when a reader loads your book onto their device. Some is not so pretty. Just something to be aware of.

So that's it. My first impressions. I can't speak to the battery life as yet since I haven't really given it a good test. I am excited to finally read on the nice big screen while lounging on the beach next week, all of the many unread eBooks I had sitting in folders on my laptop. But in a perfect world I'd ditch the bottom screen (which would make the device smaller and lighter) and give the reading screen a backlight. And expand the instructions to better tell readers how to load files from their computer.

SCENES FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

2010-07-17T11:51:00.002-04:00

Click on the cover image to go to the download page

I finally got around to formatting and uploading the deleted scene I cut out of BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2).

This is the scene where Mustang, freshly hurt and mourning the possible loss of his bull riding career, decides to take rookie bull rider Chase under his wing for a wild night with a woman they picked up at a local bar.

It's short, only 2500 words. This is NOT a romance, it's not a complete story, it is just what it says, a single scene that shows you what happened behind closed doors to the characters in BUCKED. If you want romance, if you want an HEA, if you want to learn more about the characters, read UNRIDDEN, or BUCKED, or the upcoming RIDE.

Making the pdf of this scene available is my gift to my loyal readers. ONLY download it if you are an adult of over 18 years old, not offended by sexual situations written in frank language, already love the Studs in Spurs cowboys, or want to sample a small taste of what the series is like. IF you don't meet the above criteria and download and read this anyway, don't complain to me. You've been warned.

If you enjoy this look into my cowboys' world, try 8 Second Ride, a 3000 word scene starring Chase, also free, also containing sexual situations, also not a romance and not a complete story.

If you are interested in knowing why my post is full of all these conditions and warnings, read my recent post on my Confessions of a Romance Writer at the Eat Something Sexy blogs.

FREE READS

2010-07-17T08:33:00.002-04:00

"8 Second Ride" is a short, fun, single scene (approx 3K words) featuring Chase, a character from UNRIDDEN and BUCKED in the Studs in Spurs series. It is not a romance. It's not a full story. It is simply a vignette, a further look into a day in Chase's world. It was written as a little thank you to all the fans who wrote that they loved Chase and wanted to see more of him. Chase's book, RIDE, is coming soon.

"Under the Covers" is a short story (approx 10K words) featuring BB Dalton, a character seen in TREY, JACK and JIMMY from the Red, Hot & Blue series. It can be read as a stand alone but it was written to take place after the action in the first 3 novellas.

PANELS, PANELS AND MORE PANELS

2010-07-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

The coordinator of Authors After Dark has released the panel schedule for the September 16-19th Reader Convention being held in Secaucus, New Jersey. Here's what I'll be doing...

Friday 11AM Publishing- Writing Short: Moderator Selena Illyira, Yvette Hines, Stephanie Julian, Cat Johnson, Diana Castilleja, JoLynne Valerie, Susan Hanniford Crowley

Friday 2PM Contemporary-Military Men: Moderator Cara North, Cat Johnson, Tilly Greene, Kris Jacen, Bianca D’Arc, Silvia Day, Jacquelyn Frank

Friday 4PM Contemporary-Why we love westerns: Moderator Cat Johnson, Cara North, Carol Lynne

Saturday 2PM BOOK SIGNING & WINE AND SIGN CON SUITE PARTY

Saturday 4PM Publishing: Promotional for writers: Moderator Cat Johnson, Kim Alexandre, Eliza Gayle, Jeff Reid (storycasting), Denise Jeffries, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Passionfruit Games, Bridget Midway

AAD Registration is still open for attendees. Hope to see you there!

Cat

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: CAT JOHNSON

2010-07-12T20:37:00.001-04:00

Check out my author spotlight interview at Joyfully Reviewed and learn the secret stories and real men behind the sexy cowboys and military hotties I write.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT

QUICKIE TROOP SUPPORT TUTORIAL

2010-07-12T11:08:00.001-04:00

This is just a quick, not at all comprehensive, list of tips for shipping items to deployed troops overseas. I just got home from the post office and wanted to get down my thoughts while they're fresh.

USPS FLAT RATE PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING

The Large Flat Rate box is a nice size and fits quite a bit. It would be perfect for shipping books. I filled it with canned goods. It is $12.50 to ship no matter what weight so you want to fill it up with all the heavy items you're sending. If you are sending lighter stuff, use regular shipping.

5-Part Customs Forms

To ship overseas you need to fill out a 5-part Customs Form. Go in advance and ask for a few to take home with you. I had a surprise when I arrived at the Post Office--there are new forms out since the last time I used them nearly 2 years ago so throw out any old forms and get the new ones.

Tips for filling out the form:

Be as general as possible. I listed simply "SNACKS" on my form, not the individual items. You can get into trouble with shipping restrictions if you get too specific. That said, there are restricted items so make sure in advance you're not shipping anything that's not allowed such as porn, is dangerous to transport by air such as aerosols, or is not going to make it such as chocolate in summer. Also, never ever ship anything scented such as toiletries with food in the same box. The food will pick up the scent and ruin the flavor no matter how you wrap it.
Make your contents sound as undesirable as possible on the form to anyone who might want to steal it. Such as, if you are shipping a brand new iPod, I would write "Used electronics" and say its value was $10. Of course, this won't work if you want to insure the package BUT I'm not sure you can insure it for delivery to an APO so check with your PO. Otherwise, always undervalue. You won't go to customs jail for lying and it might insure the item actually gets to the intended recipient. In fact, list everything possible as USED. Say "Used Books" even if they're new. List "Used Media" for new CDs. You get the idea. Undervalue everything in the $ area. Cut it at least in half if not less. These are all tips I got from shipping veterans who have been doing this a lot longer than I have.

AMAZON.COM

My next stop today will be Amazon.com. Items listed for FREE Super Saver shipping will ship to APO military addresses also for free. Given the high cost of shipping, it might be worth it to purchase and drop ship direct to the troop member from Amazon rather than trying to save a few dollars on the cost of the items at a bulk store but then having to ship at your own expense.

That's all I have for you for now. If I think of more, I'll let you know. In the meantime, my military muse is always in need of support. Feel free to email me if you'd like his list of needs and shipping address.

Cat

AUTHORS AFTER DARK

2010-07-09T11:23:00.000-04:00

Didn't you know? That's when authors really go wild. After dark. Anyone who's attended a romance convention can verify that. After dark is when the devils horns, vampire teeth and faery wings come out, along with usually a good showing of exposed cleavage, funky shoes and wild makeup. Yeah, I'm guilty of it myself. There are even a few pictures around the web to prove it.

So when is the next opportunity to see authors gone wild? Authors After Dark this September 16-19th in Secaucus, NJ, of course. And it's not too late for readers to sign up to attend.

What will you find there? Authors, Publishers, Book Bloggers, Readers, Editors, and Vendors. What does your $140 registration include? Reader panels, writer panels, just for fun panels, parties, 5 meals, free alcohol, and the book signing. There is also a goodie bag full of stuff, giveaways through out, lots of swag, TONS of free books, and a silent auction of dozens of baskets donated by the pubs and authors, proceeds from the auction to benefit a local charity.

What will I be doing there? Signing books. Dressing in my fab costume I just bought. Sitting on a few panels. I will also have 2 baskets up in the auction. One for cowboy lovers and one for military lovers. I know my fellow Loves Immortal Pantheon authors and I are giving away a Nook eReader at our party during the con.

Want more info? Here's how to get it...

Visit the AAD Site

Listen in on BlogTalkRadio Thursday the 15th @ 1pm ET for a special 90 minute AAD show.

Check it out if you're interested. Registration prices go up Aug. 1st and the last day to book the hotel is mid August.

YOUR KINDLE TUTORIAL~No Kindle Necessary

2010-07-07T09:32:00.003-04:00

You don't need to own a Kindle eReading device to read digital eBooks purchased from Amazon.com in Kindle format. Yes, I am sure about this because I have downloaded and read numerous Kindle books and I do not own a Kindle device.

So how did I read them? Here's how... I have a FREE Kindle reading application installed on my MAC, on my PC and on my iPod Touch.

KINDLE FOR PC

KINDLE FOR MAC

KINDLE FOR IPHONE (or IPod Touch) Read about it online or in the App Store on your phone

KINDLE FOR BLACKBERRY

KINDLE FOR IPAD

KINDLE FOR ANDROID

So here is the really cool part. No wires! Even if I browse and buy the eBook on my laptop computer, the moment I turn on my iTouch (within a WiFi zone) and open the Kindle app, it browses and syncs to my account, and automatically downloads any new purchases.

Amazon offers FREE Kindle books every day so if you check back often, you can fill up your reading list for nothing. It also allows you to Sample a book by sending you the beginning of the book for free. I'm not sure if the length of the sample is based on words, or characters, or pages, but for my Crossing the Line, the sample I downloaded was nearly two full chapters.

Give it a try. Download the Kindle apps to your device, grab a sample or two, go find today's free book. What do you have to lose?

KINDLE AND ME

2010-07-07T07:37:00.002-04:00

ANNOUNCING THE KINDLE RELEASE OF

CROSSING THE LINE

BY CAT JOHNSON

Link

In this modern day tale of forbidden romance, can love conquer all?

Carrie Armstrong joined the Air Force seeking education, experience, and travel. What she didn’t expect to find was the one thing military rules clearly state she can’t have, Staff Sergeant Beau Adams.

Throughout the 14 years of his life that Beau has dedicated to the Marine Corps, he’s never had reason to regret his decision to make the military his career, until now, when loving Carrie, the only woman he can picture growing old with, could cost him his future.

As the tension between them increases to the breaking point, their ability to resist temptation weakens. Forced to make a choice, do they willingly risk everything they've worked so hard to gain by crossing the line?

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Authors, at least this author, sometimes have a love/hate relationship with Amazon. #Amazonfail, the Agency Model, the ironic removal of George Orwell's 1984, etc, all lead to mixed feelings for the company, but for better or worse, they are here to stay. We can't ignore the elephant in the room and facts have proven if you can't beat them, join them. That is what I have done. I have joined forces with the behemoth. Only time will tell if I made the right choice. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and I have ventured, spurred on by pioneers such as JA Konrath, and on a slightly smaller scale Moira Rogers, before me.

So what am I blathering about? I, Cat Johnson, am now listed as a publisher on Amazon.

Quietly I've been reworking an out-of-print title from my backlist. It's no secret when Linden Bay Romance was purchased by Samhain Publishing, my backlist went off sale. I love Samhain and I've had great success re-releasing my cowboy and military series with them, as well as my newly written, never before published works. But getting a two dozen story backlist out again takes time and we are all subject to publishing schedules and editorial staff workloads. While I worked with the Samhain staff to get my series out, I realized I had one book that is not connected to any series. That I could easily pluck this book out and release it on Kindle almost immediately.

Crossing the Line is a military romance I worked on with my USMC consultant while he was in Djibouti. It isn't connected to any series. Rather than let it sit on my hard drive untouched, or try to release it with Samhain when I'd rather have those limited release slots used to get my Task Force Zeta (now the Red, Hot & Blue) series re-released, I decided to throw it up on Kindle and see what happens.

It's a kind of experiment really. You see I started in the ePub world back in 2006 when self-publishing was a dirty word. Suddenly, Kindles and iPads have opened up untapped reader dollars and it seems every author wants in on the self-pub gig. Big authors, small authors, and all those in between. Self-publishing is the new black. The stigma has been removed, or at least it has become less visible, coincidentally about the time Amazon raised its Kindle royalty rate for US sales to 70%.

I wouldn't really call Crossing the Line a true self-publishing effort. After all, it was previously contracted with a publisher, and released by them in both eBook and trade paperback. It's been through edits with a "real" editor. And now I've gone through it again and reworked it myself, changing things I didn't like first time around. There's even still a few used paper copies from the original release for sale by used booksellers on Amazon for between $49 and about $150. (Don't buy those please. Way overpriced and I get none of it.)

Anyway, I thought why not give this Kindle self-pub thing a try? From what I've read, I'm a pretty good candidate. I'm still releasing new works and have a good following with Samhain. I have books out with Tease, Phaze and Sapphire Blue as well. Every new release increases sales of my backlist, so why wouldn't it also spread to sales of my self-pubbed Crossing the Line? I'm not sure my readers could tell you who some of my books are published by, so that shouldn't stop them. After all, a Cat Johnson book is a Cat Johnson book. It will have my voice, my typical witty dialogue and my usual Alpha males, regardless of what name is listed under "publisher".

We'll see, I suppose. Meanwhile, Amazon made it easy. Once I got the proofreading done, and the document formatting down, the upload process was simple. Amazon did email me for proof that all rights had reverted to me before they would approve it for release. I'm happy they did that. It instills confidence that someone wouldn't be able to just claim to be me and release one of my old books.

Oh, and I had to redesign a new cover. Being cheap, and since this is an experiment, I decided to give it a shot myself. I'm pretty happy with it, actually. My Photoshop skills are pitiful but I'm pretty proud of the result. What do you think? Not bad for an amateur.

So now after a 3 day wait, Crossing the Line is finally up there. Things are not perfect. There is no blurb, even though I sent them one to upload. I'll have to work on that. And I'm not listed as the publisher, Amazon is. Oh well. I can live with that.

Take a trip to Amazon and look at my page for MY book, which for the first time in my writing career is truly all mine. And if you happen to read it, please leave a comment, either good or bad. The dirty little secret is that Amazon will only recommend a book to readers if it has 20 or more reader comments/reviews. (A LITTLE HINT: I don't read my Amazon comments, I'm no longer allowed to for my own sanity, so I won't know what you write anyway.)

Coming next-a Kindle tutorial AKA You don't need a Kindle device to read a Kindle book. But more on that later...

Cat

ROUGH STOCK NOW IN PAPERBACK

2010-07-06T09:21:00.000-04:00

For those of you still in the "I want a book I can hold in my hand" school of thought, here you go--ROUGH STOCK is now in trade paperback and available from the below retailers. Buy online or ask your favorite local brick and mortar bookstore to order it for you by giving them the below information.

ROUGH STOCK

by Cat Johnson

From Samhain Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-60504-775-1

BUY ONLINE FROM

Samhain Publishing

Barnes and Noble

Books A Million

Amazon

Powell's Books

My Bookstore and More

RED HOT PATRIOTISM FOR YOUR HOLIDAY

2010-07-04T01:57:00.011-04:00

No matter what the temperature, men in uniform never fail to make it a little hotter. Give me a cold drink, a comfy beach chair and a hot book, and I'm a happy girl. Wanna share my military hotties? Then here they are, for your reading pleasure...

From Samhain Publishing

TREY (Red Hot & Blue, Book 1) Available now in eBook

They can’t deny the heat—it’s the only thing keeping them alive.

A distracted soldier is a dead solder. That’s special operative Trey Williams’ motto. The last thing he needs in his life is a girlfriend. Problem is, the woman who’s been recruited to pose as his wife on a special assignment is proving to be exactly the kind of distraction he can’t afford.

Years ago, Carly McAfee turned her back not only on her military career, but the men who come with it. So why did she say yes to a mission that puts her in intimate contact with Trey, under 24/7 surveillance by both bad guys and good? One slip, and they’re both dead. It’s not long, though, before her body betrays her, followed closely by her heart.

With a terrorist arms deal going down and missing teammate’s life on the line, Carly and Trey must throw caution to the wind in the scorching-hot performance of their lives—and try not to lose their hearts and minds in the process.

This book has been previously published and has been revised and expanded from its original release.

Warning: Contains bad men with big guns and video cameras, and an unmarried couple who need to get naked and get busy acting very married to save both their country and their lives.

JACK (Red Hot & Blue, Book 2) Coming August in eBook

The best way to heal a broken heart is to jump right back on the horse. So to speak…

After watching the girl he’s crushed on for years fall for his best friend, the last thing special operative Jack Gordon wants is a vacation. If cooling his heels doesn’t drive him crazy, doing it under his family’s scrutiny will.

But once he’s back home things get more than a little interesting. The new farm hand is cute, sexy—and his instincts tell him she’s got something to hide. Luckily, he’s got the skills and the backup to find out what.

Gordon Equine is the perfect place for Niccolina Campolini. The Gordons pay in room, board and cash. And they don’t ask questions. Perfect for a girl on the run…until Jack shows up. Sexy as hell and far too inquisitive, Jack strikes sparks and suspicions that put both her body and her heart in danger.

Jack knows better than to trust a woman with as many shadows as Nicki, but the heat waves of their attraction are messing with his focus. And when her secrets catch up with her, he’s not sure if he’s protecting her from something, or protecting his family from her…

This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release.

Warning: This book contains extremely stupid gangsters bearing guns, a bored team of special operatives looking for some action, and one Southern gentleman guaranteed to charm your panties off.

JIMMY (Red Hot & Blue, Book 3) Coming October in eBook

FIREWORKS ~an ARe FREE READ Available NOW in eBook

It’s the Fourth of July and the last thing Brad wants to do is attend leadership school over the holiday. How could the Army think it was a good idea to schedule training in Georgia in July? When his roommate Joe suggests they go see the fireworks and they run into Mary Jo, Joe’s first love there, Brad soon realizes things are only going to get a whole lot hotter. Especially once he discovers that Joe likes to share.

NEW REVIEW FOR BUCKED

2010-07-03T10:46:00.002-04:00

"Mustang is the kind of man who would make a woman dream of happily ever after... This story is both heart warming and at times a little heart wrenching, but you won't want to miss it. It will make you want to come back for the next book in the Studs in Spurs series. I can't wait..."

Judy King, Veiled Secrets Reviews

JULY HAPPENINGS

2010-07-01T08:14:00.000-04:00

Happy July! Here's what's happening so far for July 2010...

NOW IN PRINT

Rough Stock (already out everywhere in eBook) releases in trade paperback on July 6th

PreOrder now at:

Amazon.com

Borders.com

BN.com

MEET THE AUTHORS

Borders Books Multi-author signing, Galleria at Crystal Run, Middletown, NY 2PM July 10th with my local author peeps Tilly Greene, Allie Boniface and Stella Price. Stop by and say hi, leave with some swag and a smile, and maybe a book or two.

FREE READ

AND finally, as the 4th of July approaches here in the US, don't forget about my short FREE READ "Fireworks", available at All Romance eBooks. It's a 3,000 word hot, contemporary, military, erotic, M/F/M threesome and it's available for download free of charge.

Enjoy!

Cat

ROMANCE JUNKIES SUMMER SPLASH CONTEST

2010-06-22T11:11:00.002-04:00

Turn up the heat this summer. Check out Romance Junkies Summer Contest. Go to the RJ Contest, scroll down on my page and see what goodies I'm giving away.

"TOOK MY BREATH AWAY"~REVIEW FOR UNRIDDEN

2010-06-06T08:25:00.001-04:00

Unridden (Studs in Spurs, Bk. 1)

"I fell in love with the characters in this story. I was excited to read about the bull riding and that was well detailed in Unridden-Studs in Spurs, Book one.

This is a passionate story that makes you feel like you are right there in the stands watching these two magnificent cowboys compete. I was so engrossed in the story as the men began to charm Jenna into their arms and their hearts... The way they treat Jenna just took my breath away."

Rated 5 Dragons by Judy King, Veiled Secrets Reviews

7,634 NON-PORN REASONS TO BE PROUD

2010-06-05T13:07:00.000-04:00

I put up with a lot of shit because of what I do for a living. Things like my friends introducing me as a porn writer, to the point that one guy actually believed I write porno movie scripts. I had to show him a book to prove they were actual real books with actual stories. At a book signing a woman looked at the cover of one of my books and said, "I like story in my books." Um, excuse me? Do I know you?

But hey, you know what, I'm a working writer and have been since the day I graduated college with my BA in English. That means I write for money. I write what sells. I write for the market, whatever that market is. If I get the opportunity and find there is more income to be made writing porn scripts, I'll write porn scripts. Recently threesomes sell like hotcakes. I began writing threesomes and started to receive royalty checks that could actually pay my mortgage. Of course that doesn't matter to the people who write or read 'serious' literature.

Whatever.

My point here is that though I'm not opposed to writing porn, I don't write porn or even erotica for that matter. In fact, I've received a few reader and editor comments that my stuff is 'not erotic enough' or 'not hot enough for their taste', proving you really can't please everyone. I often find myself riding a very pointy and uncomfortable fence between those two groups of people. Every person I meet I make a conscious decision whether or not to tell them what I do for a living. Say, "I'm a writer" and invariably the next question is "What do you write?". Then you have to size up what kind of person you're talking to and try to predict their reaction. The former poet laureate of the US was actually quite intrigued by me, while some other poet/haiku writers think I'm the devil on earth, so you really never know.

This, however, is something I am very proud of, and sadly, I don't even think most people in my real life or my cyber world know about it. The American Red Cross Go Red for Women Corporate Teams. Go to that link and take a look at the top donating corporation. As of today, the top dollar contributor is ARe. Sound familiar? That's because ARe is All Romance eBooks, LLC. They are listed here on my site as one of the places where you can purchase my books.

What you may not know is when not 'penning porn' I am the Manager of Media and Public Relations for ARe. Yup, I have a title and business cards and everything. In fact, I even have a summer intern all of my own. One of my responsibilities for ARe over the past year was spearheading the 28 Days of Heart Campaign. Though an eBook retailer, this time last year we opened the doors to published authors and began taking submissions of novellas that we would sell to benefit the American Heart Association in an effort to combat the number one killer of women--heart disease.

To date ARe has forwarded $7,634.39 to the AHA from the sales of those 28 eBooks, and proceeds will continue to be turned over for the length of the contracts. We've donated more than Pepsi Co. Upstate and believe me, that is something to be excited about. I live near Pepsi's headquarters. It's like a city in itself, and little ol' ARe is beating them in the tally.

I helped do that! Not only is one of my books part of the charity series, but I was also in charge of the project and the team of talented individuals that made it happen. I think I was even touted as being the Editor in Charge. Another title that doesn't have the word 'porn' in it. Imagine that! The best part is, because of the success of last year, we're about to do it all again and I am thrilled.

So, what can I take away from this personally? For one, I need to somehow stop caring about what people think. Porno or prissy, I write what I write and I have to stop apologizing for it and concentrate on the achievements I am truly proud of.

For you authors, we'll be announcing the call for subs for the next 28 Days of Heart series to be released in February 2011. (I came up with the series title too! My Associates Degree in Marketing comes in handy). Details will follow but I hope you'll consider becoming part of this incredibly fulfilling endeavor. And--I'm about to get really catty here so forgive me--for that one organization who refused to publicize our call for submissions last year on their erotic romance writers blog/site, I have one thing to say--$7,634.39 and counting!

Cat

WHY WE LOVE MEN IN BOOTS...

2010-06-03T07:40:00.000-04:00

There is no doubt in my mind that romance readers love cowboys. The proof is in the numbers, and the sales of my three cowboy books (Rough Stock, Unridden and Bucked) have surpassed all of my personal records to date. But what I'd like to know is WHY?

I've written sexy computer geeks, firemen, and soldiers but the cowboys always do best with readers.

Can you put your finger on exactly why stories about cowboys make your heart rate speed? If you can, I want to know. I kind of have to know, actually, because I'm sitting on a few panels this Fall at the Authors After Dark romance reader convention in Secaucus, NJ in September and at Albacon in Albany, NJ in October. As an "expert" (and I use that term lightly) in this area, I will be imparting to other authors and readers WHY men in boots do it for you, my readers.

So leave your comments here, if you'd be so kind, about why you love reading the western/cowboy romance genre. And as an added incentive, for those commenters who want one, if you email me your snail mail address to cat@catjohnson.net I will mail you back a "Looking for more than an 8 second ride? Let's Buck!" fridge magnet as a thank you for helping me flesh out my panel discussions. In the interest of keeping my sanity, I will cut requests for this free magnet offer off on July 1st.

AND while you're at it, hop over to Melissa Schroeder's Random Thoughts blog today where I am a guest blogger. It's military week there during her Summer of Love blog promotion and I'm writing about how I turn the real life mission details from my military muses' deployments into fictional romance. Don't get me wrong, cowboys may sell best, but my military series has always done really well also. Maybe it's the boots we love, be they cowboy or combat. So over at Melissa's blog I am asking for commenters to tell me why they love stories about military men. Yes, I'm on a 'why we love military men' panel at the reader conventions as well...

CONTEST: There on Melissa's blog, to one randomly-selected lucky commenter, we are giving away a download of my now out of print Crossing the Line, a military romance I wrote in collaboration with my USMC consultant. The contest at Melissa's runs from 7am today (June 3rd) until 7am tomorrow Eastern time.

So there you go. I'm asking to pick your brain and giving you a public forum to express your opinion about both cowboy and military romance. Love it? Hate it? Too much of it in the world? Not nearly enough? Is there something you want to see and haven't? Tell me. I want to know.

Thanks!!

Cat

WHAT EROTIC ROMANCE WRITERS READ

2010-05-20T10:15:00.005-04:00

Fair warning, the answer is going disappoint you. I’m sure you look at what I write (that being erotic romance novels) and you think I’m reading the hottest books around, when I’m not out there in real life trying out all the crazy things in my books. Yeah, I know what you all think and you’re wrong.

Of the last 4 books I read, 2 of them (and 1 more on order right now) were non-fiction (and none of them were the Kama Sutra either). The sad truth is becoming a writer has changed what kind of reader I am. When I do devote time to reading, it is usually for research in one way or another. Yes, 2 of those past 4 books read were fiction romance but I read one because I tour with the author for book signings and I felt like I should be familiar with her work, and I read the other because it was from a publisher that I considered subbing to and it’s important to read books in a publisher’s catalog to make sure they are a good fit for you, so I count the motivation to read both of those as research as well.

Don’t cry for me though, as I sit toiling away, reading non-fiction books for research because no matter what the motivation for picking up those books, I truly enjoyed reading every one. At least parts of each book have stuck with me on a deeper level. What were these books? While I do not want to be a reviewer in any shape or form, I will pass on the titles and the parts that impressed me enough to stick with me.

UNDER THE SABERS ~The Unwritten Code of Army Wives by Tanya Biank

Quite honestly, I bought this because it’s the book the Lifetime TV series “Army Wives” is based upon. It was pure research (with a heavy dose of envy thrown in). I had one of those “if SHE can turn her book into a TV series, so can I, dammit!” moments. I had wrongly assumed Tanya Biank was a first time author who got lucky while I, an English major with dozens of published books to my credit, toiled away in obscurity.

Boy, was I wrong. It turns out Biank is a reporter based in Fayetteville, NC who has not only covered the military beat for the local paper there for years, but has also been embedded with deployed troops all over the world. The second surprise was the subject of the book and her motivation for writing it.

During the summer of 2002, 4 Army wives were murdered by their husbands during a 6 week period. In this post 9-11 era when troops surged into the middle east and the entire country mourned, it seemed to Biank that this story needed to be told, and told by more than just a short article in the local paper for each of these women killed.

I will copy here the passage from the book that has stuck with me most. Remember this is Biank writing her own opinion so don’t email me. I’m not saying I agree or disagree, just that it made me think.

Everyone I met who knew Bill Wright extolled his virtues: great father, husband, and NCO. Even the cops had compassion for him. It was harder, in this town at least, for me to find people who had compassion for the wife he had just murdered.

To many at Bragg it was Bill Wright who was the victim, the politically incorrect point of view that was never part of any media coverage, including my own. At the time I never asked the one unthinkable question: Did she deserve what happened to her? The question seemed absurd. Since I didn’t ask it, I couldn’t learn what I know now. More than a few soldiers who either knew the Wrights or had heard about the case later told me, “She got what she deserved.” Or “She had it comin’.” These quick-trigger outbursts (they were never said casually) always caught me off guard. To understand the root of such venom, I thad to take a step back and realize that these men identified more with Bill Wright the patriot, Bill Wright the war vet and family man, than they did with his supposedly cheating wife. An unfaithful Army wife might as well be a terrorist, soldiers hate them that much. Soldiers tend to consider infidelity as a personal slight on their own manhood. When a woman cheats on a buddy, she is desecrating not only her husband but also the flag and all those in uniform. Of course none of this applies when soldiers cheat on their wives.

Rumors of Jennifer Wright’s alleged affairs had been flowing through her husband’s unit for a long time before her death. And in the Army rumors are as good as reality; here perceptions are reality. Sadly Jennifer Wright has never been able to defend her reputation. In the end the ‘great’ father had orphaned his three boys. ~from Under the Sabers page 2-3

Those few paragraphs have stuck with me since the day I read them and dog-eared the page. I added the boldface to the most impactful sentences, in my opinion.

Biank goes on to inform the reader that of the 4 wives murdered by their husbands, 3 of those 4 husbands killed themselves afterwards. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, those same 3 men were Special Forces. She explains that back in 2002 they investigated everything they could think of to explain this phenomenon. Was it the malaria injections these men had been given before deploying? Had the Army turned them into trained killers who no longer valued human life? What didn’t fit was the thousands of other men who received the same injections and the same training who choose NOT to kill their wives (affairs or not).

What Biank concludes is this–the Army doesn’t cause marital problems, but when those problems exist they are easily magnified by the stress of long separations, money problems, frequent moves and the perceived stigma which prevents military families in emotional turmoil from seeking help for fear it would negatively affect their careers. Not that I feel at all qualified to render an opinion, I agree with her conclusion.

SOME GIRLS - My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren

I saw this author on The View promoting this book. I immediately thought 2 things: 1) I am about to rewrite a story that is set in a modern-day harem and this would be good for research and 2) here is another person who got a publishing contract not because she can write, but because she happened to have a good story which in light of the recent Oprah book club memoir debacles may or may not be true. Amid the depressing thoughts that I would perhaps have to join a harem to get a NY publishing contract, I ordered the book immediately.

Again, I was proved wrong. This woman was no sham, she can really write. It is later revealed in the text why. To keep her sanity while in this harem she would write. First a journal, later short stories, then later her memoir.

This book is very thought-provoking, the main question being how in the world does a girl who grew up in New Jersey end up in a Prince’s harem in this day and age? The answer soon follows in this passage. Besides the money, jewels, nightly parties, free-flowing champagne and gourmet food, designer clothes, lush accommodations and free international travel, there was this…

Sometimes I fell prey to fantasies of becoming a princess. It seemed so strange that it had entered my orbit of possibilities. What Disney-brained American girl hadn’t lain in bed and known deep in her heart that she was worthy of being woken from an evil spell by the kiss of a prince? That she would open her eyes and, due to no effort of her own, find that she had been saved? Who wouldn’t consider attempting to grab that gold ring, that diamond crown? ~ from Some Girls page 189

The more I thought about it, the more I read, the more I realized that this modern harem was not such a phenomenon after all. I had visions of Hugh Hefner’s mansion teeming with ‘girlfriends’ and ‘Playmates’ at nightly parties. Of ABC’s The Bachelor where 25 women will claw each other’s eyes out for the chance to be with a man who yesterday was a complete stranger to them.

How did Lauren, an NYU student/drop-out, end up there? A struggling actress from an abusive family she went from stripping, to being an ‘escort’, to the harem within about a year when she was 18 and struggling to pay to live in NYC while waiting for her big acting break.

My impression, besides the realization that the Playboy mansion and The Bachelor were both very harem-like, was that being in a harem was far less exciting than I had imagined. The girls wore their normal clothing, not see-thru I Dream of Jeannie outfits. No one made them perform the “Dance of the Seven Veils”. Instead they disco danced. Even though this was the early 90s and disco was long dead, apparently the Sultan of Brunai’s prince brother still liked it and he always got what he wanted. There was no training for the girls on how to be a sexual expert. In fact, there was hardly any sex at all. Understandably. There was 1 prince with 40+ girls. Hard to get to them all for any mortal man, even a prince. Some girls had sex with him once then were sent home after their 2 week stint. Others became a favorite and stayed for a year, not because they were particularly good at sex, but because they added to the ‘drama’ which entertained the prince, much like the crazy girls on The Bachelor always seem to hang around for a long time because they are good entertainment.

So there you go. My recent reads. I am currently waiting for my next big exciting non-fiction to arrive. I’m torn between thinking I will be bored to death by the 300 page WAR written by war correspondent and author of The Perfect Storm Sabastian Junger, and knowing that after the lasting effects of the past 2 books I read, I will likely again be surprised and enthralled by the story.

Never judge a book by its genre. You never know.

Cat

THE BEST TOOLS ON THE NET YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT USING...AND THEY'RE FREE

2010-05-15T11:26:00.000-04:00

Necessity is truly the mother of invention and the kick in the butt procrastinators such as myself need. It was through desperation that I began using two tools that every person should be aware of.

MESH.COM

My PC was having issues so I’d moved exclusively to working on my MAC. I usually try to make a habit of emailing my work in progress to myself regularly so that I have a back up copy stored on Hotmail’s servers. Not the perfect system at all, particularly when I go days without remembering to do it. That is how when the MAC started acting up and I couldn’t even log into it to get the latest version of my WiP out, I started to look for a better solution and found Mesh.com

What is it? I am totally not equipped to explain it well so I suggest you go check out the site yourself, but here is how I see it, and use it. I opened a free Live Mesh account and from there I have 3 (soon to be 4) options. I can store files (Word docs, excel, JPGs, MP3s, anything) on their servers and log in to access them from any computer with an internet connection. The free service places a limit on the size you can store, the pay service does not but they write that unless you store huge files, you will never exceed the limit on the free account.

Okay, so you see that is good, especially since my friend who had no back up just lost all her photos and docs thanks to a power surge that blew her desktop. BUT this storage is NOT the exciting part. Oh no, it gets way better than that. I also installed the Live Mesh on BOTH my MAC and my PC. I set it to log into the Mesh automatically. Then I created a folder on each computer that syncs to the Live Mesh servers and guess what?? Any changes I make to any file in those synced folders automatically update versions on the Live Mesh servers AND on the other synced device (IE my MAC or PC). So this means if I work on my book on the PC, but then tomorrow boot up the MAC and open the file on that computer to continue working I will automatically have the most recent version.

How cool is that?!?! Gone are the days where I have an old version on one computer and have to email the newer one to myself. No more having two laptops in front of me. No more putting docs on a thumb drive to transfer between the two computers, and then having a heart attack when I can’t locate that thumb drive which contains my entire professional life. AND if my computers are lost or stolen, or blown up by a power surge, my docs are still safe on the Mesh.com servers and can be accessed anytime, from anywhere, even on vacation if I don’t want to carry my laptop with me.

The site says the support for smart phones/PDAs is on the way which will make this service even more amazing. One word of caution, it is a Beta edition and my friend had trouble finding where to add her MAC to her network of synced devices, so it takes a bit of navigating on the site and some clicking and searching on your part, but I assure you it is there and it is incredible!

Dr. Wicked’s Write or Die

Okay, so onto the next tool. Where that last one has obvious uses for everyone with a computer and digital files to protect, this next one is probably most useful for writers only. I’m talking of course about the amazing Dr. Wicked and his wonderfully evil Write or Die.

I’m a big procrastinator (as you made have heard). I can also find myself with my work in progress open all day and only add a few hundred words to it. Not a good use of my time. However, thanks to Dr. Wicked, I can log into Write or Die (for free), set a goal by either length of time or word count, and I can produce a minimum of 500 words in 15 minutes. That is 2000 words in an hour. That is more than my typical daily word count goal. Imagine how excited I was to realize that I could get all of my writing done for the day in an hour. I had time to cook. I had time to clean. I could play on Twitter and Facebook later in the day and not feel guilty. It was quite the epiphany.

How does it work? Well it is like an online version of an electrical shock. If you stop typing it gently reminds you to start again by turning the screen pink, then red, then it plays the most obnoxious loud music it can find, all designed to let you know you stopped writing. No more staring into space thinking about what to write. You find yourself writing simply to keep Dr. Wicked’s evil prods to a minimum. My fear when first using it was that I would churn out crap and have to rewrite it. That wasn’t the case. In fact, I think I wrote better by letting my mind go, letting the characters go. No it won’t be perfect or even a very clean first draft. I misspelled words and Dr. Wicked doesn’t auto-fix them the way Word does while you’re typing but that’s what spell check and self-editing/proofreading before submission is for. The increase in productivity is well worth any extra effort using this requires to get the work perfect later on. In fact, Dr. Wicked is mentioned in the dedication of the book I just finished. I think I love him!

The online version is free and perfectly adequate. There is a pay desktop version that is said to have more features and can be downloaded and used without internet access, but to date, I’ve found the free version fine for my needs. One word of caution, the formatting from what you write on Write and Die and then copy and paste into your WiP won’t match, so you’ll have to reformat it. A small price to pay in time and effort in my opinion. Another warning, you do have to copy and paste your words from the Write or Die site before you close the window or you will lose them. And be careful because when you click the Tweet this button to brag to your friends about your productivity, it sends you from the Dr. Wicked site to your Twitter page so make sure you copy your words before you leave, as tempting as it is to go run to Twitter right away.

So there you go, two tools you shouldn’t live without.

MY CULINARY FORAY INTO THE WILD

2010-05-13T08:14:00.000-04:00

Remember Mad Cow?

New blog post up on my Confessions of a Romance Writer page at the EAT SOMETHING SEXY BLOGS... My culinary foray "into the wild". One beef scare, two Americans, three weeks in Great Britain...

Read all about it!

"JAGGED COWBOYS, STERN MILITARY MEN AND A DELICIOUSLY HOT MENAGE..."

2010-05-05T12:47:00.000-04:00

NEW REVIEW FOR MY CONTEMPORARY COWBOY BOOK

ROUGH STOCK

"...Rough Stock proved to be a heartfelt story that I took great pleasure in reading. The plot was filled with jagged cowboys, stern military men and a deliciously hot ménage relationship that simply steamed the pages. From the start I was hooked and the interactions between the threesome had a realistic feel to it. Each character dealt with their desires and the uncertainty of a ménage-a-trios relationship. The passion that burned between Clay, Mason and April was hot and presented in a tastefully erotic manner.

Cat Johnson has a winner on her hands with Rough Stock, so go pick up your copy to discover just what I have been raving about!

Contessa, Fallen Angel Reviews

Rough Stock is available now in eBook and coming in paperback August 2010

SPRING SHOWERS AND LOTSA PRIZES!

2010-05-04T10:57:00.000-04:00

Samhain Publishing and CoffeeTime Romance have joined together once more to host a excerpt and prize extravaganza on the CTR Forums.

It's all through May so go check it out. I've got an excerpt from BUCKED there.

FIRST REVIEW FOR 'TREY'

2010-04-25T09:12:00.000-04:00

"TREY is fast paced and spiced with danger and eroticism – my kind of book. If Trey is the beginning of the men of Special Task Force Zeta I can’t wait to see the others."

Jo, Joyfully Reviewed

EXCERPT FROM TREY (RED HOT & BLUE, BOOK 1) TODAY'S NEW RELEASE

2010-04-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

An excerpt from

Trey

“What the hell, Trey? Why did you tell the commander she’d be perfect?”

He shook his head at Jack’s question. “I don’t know. He caught me off-guard. Besides, what was I supposed to do? Lie?”

“Yes. Taking her undercover to meet the target. Are you trying to get her killed?”

Trey closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “No, of course not. I have every intention of bringing us both home alive. And Jimmy too, if it comes to that.”

Jack shook his head. “You better.”

Blowing out a breath, Trey realized it was not going to be fun being trapped in a room to wait with Jack.

Trey was correct. They spent the next fifteen minutes in awkward silence until the rest of the team finally returned. He didn’t know how they’d done it, but they walked in with Carly in less than twenty minutes and boy oh boy, she didn’t seem happy about it.

She entered the meeting room looking pissed off and confused. When she saw him and Jack, she stopped dead, hands on her hips. “Maybe you two will tell me what the hell is going on since these guys wouldn’t say a thing when they dragged me out of my apartment at the crack of frigging dawn.”

Trey had seen the crack of dawn on many occasions and O-eight-forty did not qualify. She must have been out of the military for a long time. But running a bar made her schedule pretty much the opposite of his. He could appreciate her opinion of being yanked out of bed after his own long night babysitting a drunk Jack.

Speaking of Jack… He had jumped to his feet the moment Carly entered the room, but before he even had a chance to hey, darlin’ her, the commander was at the door of his office. “Williams. Get in here and bring the girl with you. We have exactly fifty minutes before the plane is scheduled to leave.”

The commander strode to his desk. He sat and addressed Carly, “Shut the door behind you.”

Trey had to give Carly credit. Even though she looked pissed as hell, she silently followed him into the office and closed the door. Then she stood there with her arms crossed, waiting.

He watched the commander appraise her from head to toe. “Not bad.”

At that comment, Carly’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. She opened her mouth to speak and Trey jumped in before she could.

“Sir, Ms. McAfee hasn’t been apprised of the situation as yet and is a bit confused.”

She didn’t look any happier he had spoken for her, but at least he stopped her from laying into the commander.

“Of course. Ms. McAfee, we’re requesting your help in a matter of national security. If you decide to help us, you’ll be told as little as possible, your life will be in danger and you can never tell anyone about what you’ve done, ever. In addition, you’ll have to make your decision within the next fifteen minutes and leave for your assignment immediately.”

She surprised Trey by laughing. “Well, since you make it sound so tempting and all…” She rolled her eyes and looked at Trey. Then she questioned him directly. “Am I necessary for the success of whatever this ‘assignment’ is?”

Trey considered his answer carefully. “Your presence will increase the chances of the success of this assignment. Yes.”

“Increase it by how much? From like ninety percent without me to one hundred percent with me?”

Trey glanced at the commander who answered for him. “More like sixty percent without you and seventy-five percent with you.”

They both watched her carefully as she took a deep breath. Trey knew, or at least hoped, the commander was giving her the worse-case scenario to make sure she was aware of what she was getting herself into and exactly how dangerous it would be because those odds pretty much sucked.

“Why me, specifically?” She directed her question at the commander.

“Honestly? Mostly because you look like her and we don’t have time to find anyone else.” The commander slid a print copy of the photo of the woman across his desk.

Carly walked closer, picked it up and studied it. After a moment she glanced up at Trey then back to the commander. “All right.”

The commander raised a brow. “That’s it? No more questions?”

Her short laugh sounded bitter. “Would you answer them if I asked?”

The commander smiled. “Probably not.”

“Then it would be a waste of time, now wouldn’t it?”

The commander nodded. “You’ll do well I think, McAfee. Williams will brief you on the flight over, but here’s a quick overview. You’re playing a newlywed American wife. Williams is your husband and as his wife you are devoted, loving and obedient and will do whatever he says.”

Carly screwed up her face, mumbling, “Good thing I took acting in college.”

The commander pretended he didn’t hear her, but continued a bit more loudly. “More importantly, he’s your field leader on this assignment and as such you’ll do whatever he commands, no questions asked.

This is imperative. Hesitation could cost lives. He’ll be in constant contact with myself and any others who may be working with us. You have to trust him implicitly and without discussion, because you must assume every minute, everywhere, you will be monitored by those who can do you harm. I mean not even a whisper, McAfee. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Trey noted she was already standing a little straighter and calling the commander “sir”. Military training was just like riding a bike. You never really forgot it.

“Good. You’re quick and you’re tough, McAfee. I can see that. You must be to deal with these guys drunk every night. I wouldn’t be sending you on this assignment if I didn’t think you would succeed. One last thing—” the commander turned to Trey, “—Williams, go kiss your new bride.”

It was a test. Trey knew that. A test both for himself and for Carly. Keeping his role in mind, he became the newlywed husband who was supplying arms to terrorist bastards.

Without hesitation, Trey strode to where she stood. More petite up close than she appeared when she was wielding her larger-than-life attitude while slinging beer behind her bar, in reality she came up only to about his chest.

He tangled one hand in her hair so she couldn’t pull her head away, not that she tried. He slipped the other beneath the hem of the shirt where it just met the jeans riding low below her waist. Her skin felt warm and smooth to the touch. He slid his hand higher and let his thumb rest just below the lush curve of her breast.

Trey had to duck his head down to reach her. She stared up at him, her eyes liquid pools of green clearly showing her surprise as he bent and captured her mouth.

Kissing her hard and deep, he parted her lips and drove his tongue between them before he or she had too much time to think about it. In this particular situation thinking would be bad.

She didn’t squirm or pull away. In fact, she actually tilted her head and allowed him greater access to the warm, wet recesses of her mouth. As his tongue met and stroked hers, he felt a stirring in his pants.

There was no way to kiss a woman this attractive this deeply and not have it affect him. He was a healthy male after all, but he didn’t need a raging hard-on in front of both Carly and the commander.

When he thought how he and Carly would be sharing a bed as they portrayed a married couple for the duration of this mission his mind went to bad places, and his erection followed. Trey quickly broke the kiss.

Trying to ignore both his pounding heart and his rapidly expanding lower appendage, he dropped his hands from her too-tempting body and turned to the commander. “Sir?”

Find the buy link and other books on my Author Page at Samhain Publishing

Read an Alternate Excerpt

eBOOK NOW AVAILABLE in multiple formats at

My Bookstore and More

Books on Board

Kindle format on Amazon.com

WE HAVE DATES...

2010-04-18T11:35:00.000-04:00

...for the Samhain Publishing eBook re-releases of my military romance series

THE RED HOT & BLUE SERIES

April 20 TREY (Book 1)

August 24 JACK (Book 2)

October 19 JIMMY (Book 3)

They can’t deny the heat—it’s the only thing keeping them alive.

TREY (Red Hot & Blue, Book 1)

A distracted soldier is a dead solder. That’s special operative Trey Williams’ motto. The last thing he needs in his life is a girlfriend. Problem is, the woman who’s been recruited to pose as his wife on a special assignment is proving to be exactly the kind of distraction he can’t afford.

Years ago, Carly McAfee turned her back not only on her military career, but the men who come with it. So why did she say yes to a mission that puts her in intimate contact with Trey, under 24/7 surveillance by both bad guys and good? One slip, and they’re both dead. It’s not long, though, before her body betrays her, followed closely by her heart.

With a terrorist arms deal going down and missing teammate’s life on the line, Carly and Trey must throw caution to the wind in the scorching-hot performance of their lives—and try not to lose their hearts and minds in the process.

This book has been previously published and has been revised and expanded from its original release.

Warning: Contains bad men with big guns and video cameras, and an unmarried couple who need to get naked and get busy acting very married to save both their country and their lives.

Read An Excerpt Online

LIVE AUTHOR EVENT APRIL 17th IN CT

2010-04-09T07:35:00.001-04:00

When authors emerge from the writers cave, we usually do so in packs, and we’ll be doing it again next Saturday, April 17th for a Q&A and Multi-author book signing event at the Barnes & Noble North Haven, CT store from 1:00-3:00 pm. We’ll have goodies! Hope to see you there.

Romance & Mystery Panel Attendees: Isabelle Santiago, Karen E. Olsen, Stella Price, Kate Smith. Kristan Higgans, Bianca D’arc, Jessica Andersen, and Cat Johnson

BEHIND THE SCENES OF MY CAREER

2010-04-05T07:59:00.002-04:00

Want to know who I am? How I got here? The twisted path I took to becoming an erotic romance writer? The answers are all HERE all week long at Novelspot's BEHIND THE SCENES.

BEHIND THE SCENES Blog at Novelspot- March 23-April 4

Day 1 A Twist of Fate

Day 2 Rejection: A Taste of Reality

Day 3 eBooks: A Brave New World

Day 4 Carving Out a Niche

Day 5 Research

Day 6 When a Door Closes, A Window Opens

Day 7 The Future is Now

NEWS: MBaM is MOVING and a SCENE FROM THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR

2010-03-13T07:41:00.001-05:00

MARCH 22nd UPDATE
MY BOOKSTORE AND MORE IS BACK UP. THE NEW LINK TO MY AUTHOR PAGE IS
MBaM

My Bookstore and More.com, one of the many eretailers that carry my eBooks, is moving to a new and improved site. What does that mean to you? Well, like all moves, it will take time and be a bit of a pain for all those involved, but it will be worth it in the end. So while the servers are migrated and the info checked, MBaM will be down, probably until mid next week. But never fear! If you have a hankering for one of my cowboys or a craving for a little Greek (Greek Gods, that is) head on over to one of the many other eRetailers that carry my eBooks including but not limited to...

All Romance eBooks
Books on Board
Fictionwise
Amazon

On another note, for those of you who read BUCKED (Studs in Spurs, Book 2) and voyeurs that we all are always wanted to know what happens between Mustang, Chase and Marla after they leave the bar and head for Mustang's trailer, the unpublished, deleted scene was featured as the SIZZLE in ARe's Wildfire newsletter. Check it out HERE.

CAN YOU HANDLE THIS 8 SECOND RIDE

2010-03-12T07:43:00.002-05:00

My Studs in Spurs series FREE READ "8 Second Ride" starring that sexy young Rookie of the Year Chase Reese is now available for download in PDF and HTML format from All Romance eBooks.

DOWNLOAD "8 SECOND RIDE" AT ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS

TODAY ONLY "ERATO" IS FREE!

2010-03-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Read an eBook Week, Erato is FREE at ARE for TODAY ONLY.

Hurry, discount ends tomorrow.

READ AN eBOOK WEEK

2010-03-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Today starts Read an eBook week. For those of you who are sitting there saying "I like paper books. eBooks are not the same," yes, I hear you. I'm not asking you to change your mind, but I am asking you to give one a try, just once, and for FREE. Think about it--once you've tried reading an eBook you will be even better qualified to tell everyone what you don't like about them and your "I only like paper books" argument will hold even more weight during a paper vs. eBook debate.

Okay? So here is the deal-- I have a number of short free reads listed on All Romance eBooks. You can go there, set up a quick free account with just an email address (no credit card necessary) then choose a free read and download it.

I read PDFs on my laptop with Adobe Reader. I read both ePub format and PDF on my iPod Touch using the free Stanza app. You can access All Romance directly, wirelessly, through the Stanze app on iPhone or iPod Touch. You can access Project Gutenberg from there also. I've download free classics (that are now in the public domain.) I even have the Kindle for iPhone app on my Touch and the Kindle program on my laptop, and the Sony eReader program on my laptop, so those of you who don't want to invest in a dedicated eReader can see that any computer or smart phone can serve the same purpose. No extra cost, no extra device to carry.

I am not an expert but if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer.

Now, go forth and READ AN EBOOK!!

DOWNLOAD FREE eBOOKS FROM ALL ROMANCE

SPRING INTO ROMANCE-THE HUNT IS ON!

2010-03-01T10:23:00.004-05:00

TODAY IS MY DAY SO GO CHECK IT OUT TO READ MY INTERVIEW AND A CHANCE TO WIN!

ARe/OmniLit scavenger hunt contest HINT--Check my eBooks' WARNINGS....you may just stumble upon the answer

This March All Romance eBooks, LLC brings you 31 of today's hottest romance authors and 31 chances to win fabulous prizes. Discover new authors, new books, and one more reason to shop at AllRomance.com and OmniLit.com... The Hunt is ON!

Daily Prize:1 Download from the day's featured author and a $10.00 Omni Bucks Gift Certificate

Grand Prize:An iPod Touch, the most recent release from each of our 31 featured authors, and a $100.00 Omni Bucks Gift Certificate

See the Official Rules at the bottom of the Contest Page

6 DAYS AT #1 AND COUTING! LET'S BUCK!

2010-02-25T08:21:00.004-05:00

Bucked (Studs in Spurs, Book 2) is #1 at My Bookstore and More for 6 days in a row. Looking for more than an 8 second ride? LET'S BUCK!!

BUCKED

(Studs in Spurs, Book 2)

by Cat Johnson

This cowboy is looking for more than just an eight-second ride.

Mustang Jackson does two things well—ride bulls and love women. So the injury that takes him out of the arena leaves him only one way to make a living. Unfortunately, getting paid to be a stud in front of the camera isn’t as fun as private conquests. When he catches sight of little Sage Beckett, minus the glasses, braces and pigtails he remembers, doing time in his hometown suddenly gets a lot more interesting.

Sage had a crush on Michael long before he started using that ridiculous nickname “Mustang”. Though from what she’s overheard about his string of buckle bunnies, the man more than lives up to it. In the past he always looked right through her. Now that he’s home again, she’s determined to capture and tame this wild stallion, no matter what it takes. She intends to satisfy her curiosity and move on, but with every touch she’s less sure she’ll ever purge him from her system. Once corralled in her arms, Mustang finds himself thinking that domestication may not be so bad after all. Except, once she finds out about his side job, she may not stick for the next go-round.

Warning: Contains one well-hung cowboy riding much more than just bulls, some ménage action in front of and behind the camera, some whips and chains and some red-hot cowboy loving.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Bucked:

“So what are you going to do now?”

That seemed to be the question of the night. Mustang looked up to find Chase watching him with concern. The last thing he wanted was pity. He forced a smile.

“First, I’m gonna find me a woman and get laid. An injury is like a magnet for chicks, especially on the night it happens. Gotta take advantage of it while I can.”

Shaking his head, Chase broke into an awed grin. “You are the master, Mustang. I bow to you, man.”

“Stick with me, kid and I’ll teach you all I know.” His smile was genuine now.

Glancing around the bar and looking for likely candidates, Mustang noticed Chase’s two friends. Garret and Skeeter seemed to be trying for a pair of hot girls who looked like they’d rather be elsewhere.

He shook his head. “Didn’t those two learn their lesson about picking up girls out of their league yet?”

Chase leaned back against the bar and laughed. “Guess not. It’s fine with me if they get shot down again. We’re all sharing one room. If they hook up, I’m out in the cold, or sleeping in the bathtub tonight. So which woman are you gonna go for?”

Mustang took a sip and browsed the many choices. Taking a young rider under his wing and teaching him the art of seduction was bringing back the thrill that had been missing for him lately. He nearly forgot about his arm, but not quite.

“You tell me, kid. If you could have any woman in here, which one would you want?”

“That’s easy. I picked her out the minute she walked in the door. Actually, I spotted her in the stands back at the arena.” Chase’s gaze skipped directly to a table in the corner where a mature brunette was seated next to a man. She looked a good fifteen years older than Chase.

The kid really did stick to the same type. This woman looked a lot like Jenna. It was no secret Chase had a huge crush on her back in Tulsa.

Mustang swallowed another mouthful of beer. “So why are you way the hell over here and not over there talking to her?”

Chase’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Because she’s here with a guy.”

“Yeah, so?”

“Are you crazy? You can’t hit on a woman in front of her boyfriend.”

“Well, no you shouldn’t do that. In that case, you wait for her boyfriend to go take a piss and then you hit on her while he’s gone.”

EBOOK AVAILABLE NOW AT MY BOOKSTORE AND MORE

EBOOK AVAILABLE AT ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS

Paperback coming December 2010

Editorial Reviews:

From Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies

BUCKED introduces all new characters you’ll fall in love with...and gives readers the opportunity to revisit all of the characters you know and love from UNRIDDEN. Cat Johnson once again proves she’s an author who has staying power. I can hardly wait to find out what her next story will involve.

From Fern, Whipped Cream Long and Short Reviews

Hot diggity dog, do I love me some cowboys, and no one writes about em’ better than Cat Johnson... Fans of Ms. Johnson’s previous stories will enjoy Bucked, especially if they have a yen for Mustang like I do. The material flows nicely, the continuation is something new and unexpected, and the journey is one worth taking.

LET'S BUCK!

2010-02-17T09:56:00.001-05:00

Bucked (Studs in Spurs, Book 2) debuted on it's release day yesterday at the #10 spot on the My Bookstore and More Best Seller list. Overnight, it shot up to #5 proving everyone loves a cowboy!

Below is a short snippet of the first review for Bucked from Chrissy Dionne of Romance Junkies, who gave it the highest rating of 5 Blue Ribbons...

"If you’ve read UNRIDDEN, the first title in the STUDS IN SPURS series, then you’ve already been introduced to Mustang’s wild and unrepentant ways. With BUCKED, Cat Johnson brings him back for an encore performance but with a few twists and turns and a lot of unexpected background information

...BUCKED introduces all new characters you’ll fall in love with... and gives readers the opportunity to revisit all of the characters you know and love from UNRIDDEN. Cat Johnson once again proves she’s an author who has staying power. I can hardly wait to find out what her next story will involve."

READ AN EXCERPT OR DOWNLOAD eBOOK AT

MBaM

A CALL FOR TROOP SUPPORT

2010-02-15T11:59:00.001-05:00

This next week is going to be busy with not one but two new eBook releases for me. I don't want today's post to get lost amid the marketing hubbub of promoting my books, but I also don't want to delay this very important post either, so here it goes...

Those who have been around here for awhile have heard me talking about my military muses. The stars aligned during October of 2006. By some twist of fate, I joined BooksForSoldiers.com and happened to stumble upon and respond to a request for care packages from a certain soldier deployed in Ramadi, Iraq at the time. It is so long ago, and so many care packages ago, I'm not even sure what the request was for. I believe Sean was building a library in the MWR and requested books. Being a newly published author at the time, I had books, and I sent them. The thank you email he sent me back started a friendship that has lasted nearly 4 years now. It also spurred a collaboration. Sean's tales of war have inspired 3 of my military romances, and his fact checking keeps me on track during my writing in that genre.

It is with mixed feelings that I inform you he is about to deploy once more. As he jokes, he will have more info for me and I'll likely get another book or two out of it. But I also realize that where he is going is the current hotbed of discontent and danger, just as Ramadi was when he was there years ago. So it goes where he serves. First in, last out and he wouldn't have it any other way. Anyway, this time instead of just his usual 11 man team beneath him, Sean now has 45 men he is responsible for. So this deployment, the third since I've known him, the sixth I believe in his ten-plus years in, I am not going to just be content with sending him packages on my own. I have a background in marketing, both from my college studies, and my career in the real world, besides the marketing required to be an author. Why not use it for Sean's benefit?

No matter what your opinion is of this war or the men in Washington DC, those soldiers serving in Afghanistan, freezing in the winter, broiling in the summer, risking life and limb to not only enemy attack but the wildlife and elements they are forced to endure, deserve all of our support. And even if you don't choose to support Sean's platoon, my hope is that you will receive the information you need here to help you more effectively support a soldier of your choice also serving overseas. Below is a copy of the email Sean sent out today to his friends. It is exactly as I received it from him with one exception, I removed his mailing address. We both agreed for security purposes that the mailing address shouldn't be spread all over cyberspace. However, anyone who would like to send a card, letter or package to Sean's unit, please shoot me an email at catjohnson @ hotmail .com and I will reply with his mailing address. I will not capture your email address or use it for promo. I will not share your email address with anyone. We simply feel safer not informing the bad guys exactly where there will soon be a personnel change and troop movements in that region, or supply a crazy radical person an address to be used to harass or harm our troops. Call me paranoid. Anyway, here is the letter from Sean.

Remember, for the cost of a postcard stamp you could make a deployed soldier's day.

Cat

Dear Family and Friends,

I am writing you today as our deployment draws even closer. While I can not say exactly when we will be departing, I will say with certainty that I need to begin generating support for my soldiers for our time downrange if I am to be successful for my men.

Whether it is a letter of support, a book to relax with, a dvd to watch during movie night, a snack to liven up the usual drab course, or a hygeine item to help keep us clean. All of this matters to a soldier and makes a difference in their morale.

Having been deployed more times than I care to count, I can tell you from experience that not receiving mail can really be a downer. I can also say that being a point of contact for my platoon, the astounding affect that mail can have on a person.

If you have family or friends who wish to help or are part of any organization; be it a local church or school, store or business, sports team, etc that may wish to be a part of supporting soldiers, it would be much appreciated. I have found much success in these types of support groups.

I am including a generic list of items which I have found are needed/wanted. Once there I will find out more specific needs or wants from the soldiers. The list is not an all inclusive one.

My platoon is all male and approximately 45 in number. I'll serve as the Point of Contact for my soldiers and will ensure the care packages/letters are distributed. Packages addressed to "Any Soldier" is generally frowned upon in an age where someone can use the mail system to harm others. For those who want something to go specifically to me, just label that item or include in your correspondence that the item or package is solely intended for me. Other than that, all will be used for the good of the platoon.

Also, please do not mail anything prior to 22 February. This date is just a generalization for mailing. I don't know how long mail will take to arrive this time, but I am not wanting it to arrive too early and flood the unit we will be replacing. If it gets there early, no worries, they have a place to secure any mail intended for us.

-----The List------

CORRESPONDENCE-letters, postcards, greeting cards, pictures (of you or things in states)

Phone cards- generally needed. not sure what type of phones we will have, so for now if you do send, do so in small limits. At the larger camps these can be used, but in smaller outposts where we will be, it depends on the phones they set up. It might be that I could generate an account for all to use and the regular type phone cards aren't needed. I will let you know once there.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENTERTAINMENT- These are an important function in a combat zone. It is a way to unwind and escape the day to day realities of combat and the stresses involved.

DVD movies or tv seasons- used or new, regular or bluray

XBOX 360/ PS3 /PS2/XBOX (new or used)

Books (all genres minus romance) Bibles are welcome, but usually provided by chaplains.

Magazines-“Maxim” type, guns, sports, outdoor, etc.

Activity books/puzzles (Sudoku, word search, etc…)

Handheld electronic games

Board games (chess, monopoly, risk, etc)

Cards/Dominos/Dice

Card games (Skip bo, Phase 10, etc)

Comic Books- yes, still a valued entertainment source among many

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HYGEINE ITEMS-

Shampoo/conditioner (two in one works best)

Razors- regular disposables work, but the mach 3 or fusion type are preferred

Shaving Cream

Aftershave gels or lotions

Baby Wipes

Toothpaste

Toothbrush

Dental floss

Mouthwash

Deodorant- mostly used is gillette gel type antiperspirant/deodorant.

Q-tips/Cotton balls

Soap (irish spring is widely used)

Bodywash

washcloths

Foot powders/Tinactin spray

Nail clippers/tweezers

Hair clippers w/attachments(ask first before sending as one or two would be enough)

Skin lotion

Chapstick

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MEDICINE- anything in general (nondrowsy types if possible)

Tylenol/Advil/Motrin

Immodium AD

pepto bismol

Moleskin

Icy hot

Bandaids- all assortments

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GENERAL ITEMS

Olive drab green calf length boot socks- socks made for hiking/water resistant is a plus but not necessary. Thorlos is a preferred brand, but a bit pricey.

White socks crew length

Boot insoles- general sizing 7 ½ to 13, most are around 9

multivitamins

Supplements- mainly protein sources, the weightlifting powders like whey protein. These supplements are dual purpose. Weightlifting is a favorite thing for deployed soldiers. If there is no gym equipment, we make it out of whatever is handy. Soldiers who don’t weight lift still utilize these supplements to help keep their bodies in good health.

Calendars- please no puppies, favorites are ones like Maxim and swimsuit ones

Air fresheners /candles

CDR’s or DVDR’s-for making pic discs

Canned air or Endust wipes

AA and AAA batteries

Greeting Cards- for holidays/events (ie birthday/anniversary), general subjects (Really Miss You, Love You, etc)

Bug Spray (Avon Bug Guard is a good one)

Multi-outlet cords with surge protector

Dental picks- the metal type, good for either dental hygiene or in depth cleaning of weapons

Plastic flatware

Microwaveable bowls

Cigarettes/cigars/chewing tobacco

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOOD

Tuna/Salmon- preference is the bagged.

Microwaveable meals ( ie Easy Mac, Taco Bell, Chef Boyardee, ramen)

Microwaveable popcorn

canned meats/Ham salad/vienna sausages/ sardines

Summer Sausages & mustard

Condiments-ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc. (packets and bottles)

Trail mixes/granola bars/chocolate bars-make for great on patrol energy boosters

Fruit cups

Drink mixes (kool-aid/country time/ice tea, etc)

Coffee

Sugar

Coffee creamer

Beef jerky

Sunflower seeds

pistachios

Peanuts-good, but tend to be overkilled in amount

Peanut butter

Jelly/jam

Chips-any kind

Chip dip

Salsa (many like it hot)

Crackers

Candy (any sorts)

poptarts

breakfast bars

instant oatmeal packs

pickles (the large prepacked ones)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DO NOT SEND / DO NOT SEND / DO NOT SEND

Alcohol/narcotics

Homemade goods –please don’t send unless we know you very well. For the safety of the soldier all food must be non-homemade goods

Flea Collars-we can’t use them as they aren’t made for humans, wild how rumors spread…..we don’t have fleas, we may get sampled by a lot strange spiders and bugs, but no need for these

Ammo or pyrotechnics- Uncle Sam keeps us stocked.

Hamsters, goldfish, or other pets. -There is more wildlife where we will be than we can handle as is; dogs, cats, jackals, rats, snakes, scorpions, spiders, and more. No need for pets.

Feminine products- there are women in other areas who would need these more.

Okay, I am going to get this sent out. I know that many have been waiting anxiously for me to deploy again. Some seem to like my writings, The Ramblings, others have a want to support the soldiers and I. Whatever your motivation, I send my appreciation now. My gut and more importantly, current knowledge of what's going on downrange right now tells me that we are going to need all the "love" we can get.

If you have any questions please email me. I will do my best to respond as soon as possible. Things here have been very busy so free time is very limited.

Your Friend and Soldier,

Sean

THE EVOLUTION OF A ROMANCE...NOVEL, THAT IS

2010-02-04T05:04:00.000-05:00

Today I'd like to tackle what it takes to get a romance novel from computer to publication. I'm not talking about the concept, plotting, research, character development, story arc, etc which goes into the actual creation of the story. I'm not even talking about researching and targeting which publisher is appropriate for you to submit to. I'm talking about the nuts and bolts. You and your publishing house and what happens between you to take your story from submission to reader, an insider's view. You published authors know all of this already, and feel free to chime in with any additions, but this is for the curious reader, or the aspiring writer.

Submission.

Since my second story in the bull rider series (Bucked) is releasing in less than 2 weeks, let's discuss that book specifically in this case. It went directly to my editor for a first read at a little over 60K words. It came back to me with suggestions for improvement. Things like the hero and heroine need to meet sooner. There is too much reference to book 1 in the series. All totally valid points so I took it back and cut (gulp) 10K words out. Then I began to rebuild. A new prologue that showed the past relationship between the hero and heroine. Less back story, less side characters, but more interaction between the main characters. It never reached 60K again, but that's okay. It's well over 50K and that is long enough and it is a tighter story because of it. There were other nuances the editor suggested changes to at this stage also. Things like the level of honesty between the two characters regarding the secret the hero was keeping from the heroine. This is all stuff that an outside eye has a clearer view of than you as the author. This is the stage where you have to take a step back and forget this is your baby.

Edits.

The rewrite was acceptable and Bucked was contracted. Now the fun begins. My editor and I work well together and we can usually knock the edits out in two rounds. First round I usually get comments like "this sentence is a bit acrobatic" or "rework this sentence so it has less commas". It's also things like continuity. On page X you said this, on page Y you said this, or "did he have a pain pill or a shot for pain?". Again, stuff that an outside reader will notice that the author won't because we are too close to the work. Between rounds 1 and 2 the manuscript really gets tightened. I'll open it to find many colors (yes, colors) used by the editor to highlight where I have repeated the same word or phrase too often. I have to go in and change those words for synonyms. Also tiny things like using t-shirt in one place but T-shirt in another, have to be made consistent throughout.

An author learns things with each edit so now that I just finished edits on my 4th book with Samhain I know pretty much what my editor is looking for and will head her off so to speak by self-editing before I submit to her. I have learned that the industry is moving away from dialogue tags, so I try not to use 'he said' or 'she said' if I can avoid it. I've learned what a comma splice is and I try to catch myself on those. I've learned you can't have a character doing three different things at once in the same sentence and that beginning sentences with 'ing' words can be problematic. I now do a word search to make sure I am consistent with backward and toward (vs. backwards and towards). All things that formerly I never would have thought twice about. Of course there are things I will never get down, such as when to use lay vs. lie. Though I have figured out the 'effect' vs. 'affect' thing.

Final Line Edits.

So you finish the final round of edits. All changes in Track Changes have been accepted and the manuscript is clean and beautiful and you are both feeling a great sense of accomplishment for a job well done. But oh, you are not done yet because here comes the FLE. The final line editor's job is to look at the manuscript with fresh eyes, and a cold heart (just kidding....sort of). She is not in love with your book the way your editor and you are. She is the Simon to your editor's Paula and she now has your baby. She also seems to have some sort of super grammatical powers because this woman knows things that I dare say even Strunk and White and the employees at the Chicago Manual of Style would have to look up. She knows where there should be hyphens and aren't. She will move commas around. She will question words, sometimes even facts, and yes, she will inevitably find inconsistencies. I am remembering this question from Bucked... "Sage can't live both down the road from Mustang and next door to Mustang".

You check your ego at the door, take your baby back and you clean it up again, making sure, as with this entire process, you choose your battles. I rarely dig in my feet on an issue. The only time I can remember recently fighting an edit was when the change didn't fit the character. Though the FLE was absolutely correct that the proper word was 'whom' rather than 'who', I could not in good conscience have my 18 year old cowboy who spent more time on horseback than in school say or even think the word 'whom'. If I was writing dialogue for my college professor hero from Gillian's Island, yes whom would have worked, but not for my cowboys. Luckily my editor agreed. Battle chosen, and won.

Proofreading.

You're not done after the FLE. There is still the final galleys to proofread. Here you are looking for typos that slipped by (and believe it or not, even after 3 sets of eyes have been over this thing multiple times there will still inevitably be typos because our eye often sees what should be written instead of what is written, especially when we are too familiar with the work). But there is more to proofing than typos. You have to make sure that the header and the footer are correct on each page, as well as in each section. That you haven't messed up and mistakingly named Chapter 11 Chapter 12 instead. That it is actually your name in the header and not the last author's name the person who built the files formatted. That words aren't cut off on the edge of the page. That spaces, words or punctuation didn't get accidentally dropped or added when any final changes were accepted.

Oh yeah, somewhere in there you have either written a blurb, or had it done for you, suggested and approved cover art and chosen an excerpt for the website. Easy peasy.

Phew. Yeah, all after you've been over this book so many times you can quote whole passages. But it is your baby and you love it so it's not so bad. And you know this is the final thing before your brilliance is exposed to the world...or so you think. I haven't even touched on promo yet. Websites, blogs, guest appearances online, live book signings, reader conventions, writer conferences, social networking, chats, yahoo groups, advertising, newsletters... but that is a topic for another day.

Those of you who know me, know I sometimes hate this business as much as I love it. All that is written above is actually the part I love, believe it or not. Crafting and honing the story is what I live for. It's some of the other crap that goes along with this biz I hate, but that again is for another time.

Cat

LET THE 28 DAYS OF HEART BLOG TOUR COMMENCE!!

2010-02-01T06:49:00.006-05:00

28 days. 28 novellas to benefit the American Heart Association. 28 authors blogging their hearts out...

Yes, the 28 Days of Heart author blog tour has begun. Look for a 28 DoH author at a blog near you.

TODAY

Find me visiting Savannah Chase's Blogspot and talking about 'series'

I'll be speaking about the month of love and the 28 Days project at Selena Illyria's Blogspot

I'm at Lena Austin's blog writing about 'important' books and why mine are NOT among them for a reason

Finally, I'm on Lissa Matthews' Wicked, Whimsical and Random blog talking about how charity starts at home

AND this is just the beginning... stay tuned!

NEW REVIEW: PRIVATE LIES

2010-01-29T13:41:00.004-05:00

"...Cat Johnson exceeded my expectations with her comically endearing story PRIVATE LIES. Jax’s independent nature and opinion of her mother’s schemes kept me chuckling especially during some of the more candid and embarrassing conversations. Jax’s honesty, hurt over her husband’s betrayal, anger over the whole situation and lust for a bartender blend into one wacky fun storyline that’s full of many ‘OMG, she didn’t just…’ moments and several ‘oh yeah, you go girl!’ scenes as well. The sex scenes are hot and Shane is absolutely loveable. Oh, and I imagine you want to know what happens with the soon-to-be ex? Well you’re just going to have to pick up a copy to find out – but I have to tell you, when Jax gets even she does it with style. This is the perfect story to warm your heart and tickle your funny bone on a cold winter’s day.

PRIVATE LIES is one of the 28 Days of Heart stories being released through All Romance Ebooks during the month of February. All profits generated from sales of these titles will be donated to the American Heart Association to help combat the number one killer of women."

5 Blue Ribbons

Chrissy Dionne, Romance Junkies

All Romance eBooks Proves They Have Heart by Going Red

2010-01-26T09:08:00.001-05:00

All Romance eBooks Proves They Have Heart by Going Red

Posted using ShareThis

ARe 28 DOH

2010-01-17T19:20:00.001-05:00

SEXY SATURDAY-WIN AN eCOPY OF 'BLISS'

2010-01-16T11:26:00.005-05:00

Here's the deal... Promo Goddess Stella Price came up with this idea and invited us, her author friends, to play along. Each Saturday a bunch of us will post a portion of a sex scene on our blogs. You, our lovely readers, read the scene and then post a comment with what song you think would best fit the scene. I will choose one winner at random from all the comments received before midnight eastern time Sunday, then post that winner on Monday. That winner will have one week to email me to collect thier prize, which will be whichever book I am giving away that week.

Got it? Good. Here's today's scene from my newest paranormal release, BLISS. The winner will receive a PDF of Bliss. And don't forget to visit the blogs of my friends, Stella Price, Tilly Greene and Bianca D'Arc.

BLISS

Love's Immortal Pantheon, Vol. 3

Psyche, Adelfa, and Bliss. Three beautiful sisters. One timid, one selfish, and one caring; but all three hungry for the pleasures of the flesh.  

Upon gazing at her beauty, Eros, the god of love, demands the virginal Psyche be brought to his bed. Never mind that this is in direct defiance of the all-powerful goddess Aphrodite, who loathes her earthly rival.

Psyche has her own feelings about whose bed she’d rather be brought to, and it’s not that of the mysterious being who summons her. Led by Bliss, the three sisters hatch a surprising deception of their own that will hopefully satisfy all their needs.

Lust. Jealousy. Betrayal. Sex. Lies. Love. The truth will be revealed in the end, but will they all survive it?

Excerpt (RATED: Mature for adults only)

She waited for him inside. The woman with the face that had Aphrodite green with envy. Psyche, the creature who made his heart soar, and she was his. Even the arrival and intrusion of her entourage into his sanctuary didn’t diminish the happiness of finally having her.

It had been all Eros could do to stay away until full darkness. Now, he needn’t delay any longer. Psyche lay waiting in his bed. Yet still he stood on the wrong side of the door. He pressed his palm against the wood and willed his wildly beating heart to calm.

Feeling ridiculous for hesitating, he grabbed the doorknob. He’d bedded countless women over the millennia. This one would be no different. The falseness of that idea screamed through his brain. This one was vastly different. This was the woman he’d defied Aphrodite for when he stood before the goddess and swore Psyche was taken care of. That she would never be seen by a mortal man again. That wasn’t a complete lie as she would be his, and he was an immortal. Though he doubted Aphrodite would appreciate the technicality.

Putting the goddess out of his mind, Eros entered the room and moved into the blackness. The illumination from the stars shone through the window opening and allowed him to see just the outline of the wide bed draped in white gauze. He aimed for the bulk of the mattress.

A fluttering began low in his belly when he thought about what it would mean to love her in complete darkness. Would every other sense heighten because he’d deprived himself of seeing her? He shuddered in anticipation of the coming pleasures.

After reaching the bed, he slid his hand along the coverings, seeking her, but he found only the cool, smooth bedding. No warmth. No body of the woman he craved. “Psyche?”

“Here.” Her voice, barely louder than a breath, originated from the dark corner to the side of the window.

Eros moved toward the sound, careful to not step into what little light came from the night sky through the opening. She couldn’t see him. His lie to Aphrodite depended on no one, not even Psyche, knowing the man to claim her would be him.

Hands extended, he eventually found her there in the corner and finally touched the object of his desire for the first time since laying eyes upon her beauty. Had it been only that very day? It seemed as if it had been far longer than that since she had entranced him. “Love, here you are.”

He heard her swallow before she answered. “Yes.”

Smiling, he ran one hand up to cup her face. He felt the softness of her hair.

“You don’t talk very much, my lovely, but after having met your extremely verbose sister, I think I’m grateful for that fact.” She drew in a sharp, audible breath and he regretted the statement. “I apologize. She is beloved to you and I shan’t speak ill of her again.”

Beneath Eros’ fingers, she trembled. He opened himself, seeking the cause. Her emotions flooded him, a tangled mix with fear dominating all the rest. “Please don’t be afraid of me. I would never hurt you. You do believe that, don’t you?”

“Y-y-yes.”

The pounding of her heart vibrated through the hand he had pressed to her back. He sensed the doubt that told him her answer was less than truthful. That pained him.

“No, you don’t believe it yet, but you will, in time.” He bent his head low and breathed in the scent of her. Clean cotton, lavender water, and woman. The hand on her face traced a path down her throat to her collarbone, before breaking away. His hand roamed lower, down over her curvaceous hip and she trembled harder. A thought struck him, one that hadn’t occurred to Eros before. “Am I the first man to touch you?”

“Yes.”

No other answer could have made him happier. He dragged one finger down her arm and felt a shudder run through her. His hand found her cheek again and he leaned in and let his lips brush her jaw, then trail down her throat.

Her head tipped to one side and allowed him greater access. Taking it he stepped closer and let his lips claim hers. He pressed one leg between her thighs as his mouth worked on hers. Her breath quickened and a new emotion flowed from her and through him. Desire. He groaned as her need filled him, mingled with his own, and settled low in his gut.

So hard from wanting her he throbbed, Eros pressed his erection against her hip and felt her reaction to it. Fright mingled with curiosity. “What you fear will only bring you pleasure. I swear to you.”

Doubt radiated from her.

“What will make you believe me? Tell me. What can I do?”

She hesitated. “Maybe if I…touched you first.”

His laughter sounded too loud as it filled the darkened room. “Touch me all you want, my love.”

She began slowly, tracing the tips of her fingers first over his face, then down his chest until she finally ran just the tip of one finger over his length. Eros’ eyes closed from the sensations running through him at even that small contact of her hand on his cock through the thickness of the fabric covering him.

“If you’re going to explore, you need to do it properly.” He lifted the fabric out of the way and placed her hand on him again. She jumped when she connected with his bare flesh.

“There. Now, you can really touch me and see there is nothing to fear.” It took all of his will to continue to speak rationally with her hand on him.

“You’re right. You’re perfectly average.”

Eros choked. “Average?”

“Yes.”

“I assure you, woman, I’m not average.”

Download the eBook at ARe

FIND YOUR BLISS...

2010-01-15T07:50:00.003-05:00

Psyche, Adelfa, and Bliss. Three beautiful sisters. One timid, one selfish, and one caring; but all three hungry for the pleasures of the flesh.  

Upon gazing at her beauty, Eros, the god of love, demands the virginal Psyche be brought to his bed. Never mind that this is in direct defiance of the all-powerful goddess Aphrodite, who loathes her earthly rival.

Psyche has her own feelings about whose bed she’d rather be brought to, and it’s not that of the mysterious being who summons her. Led by Bliss, the three sisters hatch a surprising deception of their own that will hopefully satisfy all their needs.

Lust. Jealousy. Betrayal. Sex. Lies. Love. The truth will be revealed in the end, but will they all survive it?

EXCERPT (rated G)

Prologue
The soft swish of the door opening told Eros he was no longer alone. Drawing in a deep breath and letting it out loudly, he let his annoyance be clearly heard by whoever had disturbed him.

“Sigh all you want, Eros, but I’m not leaving. You’ve kept your own council to the exclusion of all others for far too long already.”

In no mood to be social, Eros didn’t bother to turn to face his friend. “I simply find my own council superior to that of any other. That’s all, Erato. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Sorry, but no.” Erato moved further into the room and sat in the chair directly in front of Eros’ chaise, thereby blocking his view of the hills beyond his window. This was the vista he’d spent he didn’t know how many hours staring at of late.

Another sigh emanated from the deep sorrow within him.

“If you insist on being here, at least make yourself useful.” Eros thrust his empty cup forward. When Erato made no move, Eros nodded toward the flagon of wine on the table between them. “Pour one for yourself as well, my friend. It’s from Dionysus. Ever since I ‘befriended’ his maenads they’ve been most generous with his private stock. It does incredible things to a body.”

Erato raised a brow. “I know exactly what Dionysus’ private stock can do, thank you. I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself.” Eros shrugged. He rose and splashed the deep claret liquid into his cup since it had become more than obvious that Erato wasn’t going to. “Though I must warn you that after drinking a bit more of this, I’ll most likely be summoning a few of the serving girls. Given that you don’t partake of orgies any longer since you’ve found your one true love in Acantha, you would do best to leave.”

“I’m not leaving and you’re not drinking any more of that.” Erato rose and grabbed the cup from his hand, sending scattered droplets into the air.

Brushing spilt wine from his hand, Eros frowned. “Why, my friend, would you take your life in your hands and do something so foolish?”

“I’m the only true friend you have. You’d never harm me, and you know it.” Erato scowled, and after placing the cup on a table out of Eros’ reach, sat again.

“Don’t be so sure.” For the first time since the unwelcome intrusion, Eros noticed Erato held a bound ream of paper in his hand. “Is there a purpose to your visit? Or are you here simply to annoy me?”

“Oh, there is a purpose.”

The book in Erato’s hand landed heavily on the end of Eros’ chaise. He barely gave it a glance, instead focusing on Erato. “You are the man of words, oh great muse of poetry. Not I.”

“Read it, Eros.”

He snorted in disgust. “I don’t read.”

Shaking his head, Erato grabbed the item back. “Then I shall read it to you.”

Couldn’t a man be left to wallow in sorrow and loneliness in peace? Eros leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “If you must. Forgive me if I take a nap while you do. I’m suddenly very weary.”

He heard Erato rifling through the pages. The man was actually going to read to him. What lunacy had gotten into his friend? Against his wishes, Eros found himself suddenly curious.

Erato cleared his throat. “My name is not important, but the story I tell is—"

“Not exactly Shakespeare, is it?” Eros cracked open one eye. “Why am I being forced to listen to this?”

“You’ll see.” Erato turned his gaze back to the age-yellowed parchment he held. “I am an old woman now. I feel my death upon me. Almost all whom I know and care for are dead. That is the reason I dare defy the gods and tell the truth which has never been told before. Not another living mortal knows what I do, until now. My tale begins in my youth, when I was a girl of seventeen—”

Eros sighed loudly. “Wonderful. How old is she at the time of the writing? How many years worth of this drivel must I suffer through the telling of?”

Ignoring him completely, Erato continued with the reading. “—working in the palace of the King and Queen of Miletis as a handmaiden caring for their three daughters, Bliss, Adelfa and Psyche—“

His attention captured now, Eros sat up, eyes wide open, his heart pounding. “Where did you find these writings?”

“In Sicily. I was conducting an inventory of the contents of the palace library. I found this hidden behind the books. It appears to have been there for quite some time.”

He eyed the book that most likely held the truth he’d long ago seen buried. The past he’d hoped would stay buried. The memories of which snuck up on him a few times a century and kept him secluded and morose until he could force back the darkness with enough wine and women. “Have you read it?”

“Oh, yes. Every word and I must say for the first time in our long friendship I actually feel as if I understand you, Eros. Now I see why the god of love hates love so passionately.”

eBOOK AT ARe

http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bliss-401249-157.html?oid=8

Author site

www.catjohnson.net

BRINGING THE WILD WEST BACK...ON TODAY'S TERMS

2010-01-06T12:10:00.002-05:00

I received a wonderful early Christmas present this year when I discovered UNRIDDEN had been nominated for The Romance Studio’s CAPA Awards for Best Erotic Contemporary Romance and I was up for Favorite Erotic Romance Author. With the upheaval of having Unridden released in May under the Linden Bay Romance label, and then re-released as a best seller for the second time in 6 months in November through Samhain Publishing, to have this validation that the story stands on its own two feet as far as readers and reviewers are concerned was wonderful…

For those who may have missed TRS’s review that led to UNRIDDEN being reviewer-nominated for a CAPA, here is a snippet….

“…Cat Johnson is an author who brilliantly captivates her readers luring them into her world time after time. Every delightful tale she writes is brimming with passion, humor, action, and love. She immediately captures her reader’s attention with her clever plotting, compelling characters, and the simmer passion that she creates. Once you have read one of her stories you will be hooked.

Unridden launches a new series for Ms. Johnson that is sure to play on readers’ fantasies with wicked delight. What woman doesn’t dream about two sexy-as-sin cowboys and the simmering passion and naughty delights that can be found with them? Jenna is hooked and this sassy and a bit neurotic city slicker is having the ride of her life! These appealing characters are unpredictable, outrageously funny, and dynamic. The witty and snappy repartee between them will have the reader laughing out loud. The secondary characters add a little spice to the story and work well to move the story forward. Readers will still be thinking about these characters long after the last page is read. The sexual escapades are truly delicious and add sensual heat to burn up the sheets. Each scene is masterfully crafted, each emotion real and touching. The backdrop of the rodeo circuit works well with this plot, paving the way for extreme action, danger, and pulse pounding adventure. This is a story that shouldn’t be missed!

Fans of Cat Johnson prepare for her to unlock your deepest desires with this memorable story!”

Overall rating:

Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Shannon, The Romance Studio

What I find particularly motivating in writing this series about the romance of the modern cowboy is that it brings the Western Romance genre out of the dark ages of the historical romance, where the heroine was a fainting violet and the hero so stuck in his own principles of being a gentleman sex was out of the question. The esteemed Eloisa James blogged just yesterday on the Barnes&Noble blog about how sad that true westerns were hard to find. By true she meant set in the late 1800’s in the Amercian West. I dare say she is wrong. The western romance is alive and well, it has simply been brought into the 21st century, and thank God for that.

Cat

MY KINGDOM FOR A FUEL NOZZLE

2010-01-02T08:04:00.001-05:00

January 2, 2010

Day 2 without heat and I'm inspired to blog.

So far 2010 is proving to be 'character-building', shall we say? After waking yesterday to a 50 degree house and outdoors in the twenties, the husband spent New Years Day battling the furnace at the end of which he emerged filthy and carrying a tiny brass fitting that he declared the culprit for our lack of heat. Being New Years Day, and the fact all the trades in NY, including plumbing supply houses, are union, no one was open so in a last ditch effort, said part is now soaking in my nailpolish remover, in hopes to rid it of a possible clog.

Keep in mind we woke to the sound of snowplows this morning so no, it hasn't gotten warmer here in the northern 'burbs of NY State. So what did we do for heat? This is the part where all you people who are building or renovating a home, or just interested in various home heating methods, should take note.

Thankfully, when we installed a new tile floor in the kitchen a few years back, we put electric heat beneath the floor. Easiest thing ever. Buy the wired pads at a home supply store, lay it over the subfloor, beneath the mortar and tile, run a wire to a thermostat on the wall and viola! Floors that make your toosties happy on a cold morning. However, our house was built in 1734. What walls are insulated are not insulated well. The windows and doors we have yet to replace are drafty. The kitchen area, a later addition, is built over a slab. You get the picture. So with the floor set at 70 degrees last night, the kitchen was 58 this morning. Not bad since the living room was 50.

Which brings us to the wood burning stove insert in the living room fireplace. Yes, that was running too when we went to sleep last night, but since it is an old 1970's Franklin, it isn't as efficient as the newer airtight models. That went out pretty early in the night.

But the bedroom is the real success story of the great heat outage of 2010. A single electrical, oil-filled heater set on medium kept our bedroom 65 degrees. (My southern friend is grumbling that is too cold right now, but, being a Yankee through and through, I like a cold room to sleep. I usually sleep in a room that is 58-60 so 65 was like a spa.) But what about the electrical bill, you say? That is what I said myself, but after a lecture from the husband about the efficiency of the oil-filled heater and a comparison of electrical rates compared to the price of home heating oil, I don't feel too guilty about running it all night. We are in an emergency situation, after all.

Anyone who has experienced burst pipes during a northern winter are shouting, your pipes will freeze, idiot! I was ready to forgo my warm bedroom and donate the electric heater to the basement to keep the pipes from freezing, but there was no need. Our forefathers really knew what they were doing back in the day. My house may be old and crooked and not very well insulated, but it is built well and logically. The direction the windows and porch face means that I am in shade for the hot summer, so even though we sleep on the second floor, we don't need an air conditioner. The house is always a good ten degrees cooler than the outdoors in summer. The deciduous trees and angle of the sun in winter means the house gets full solar warmth in winter months. And the pipes, well the basement was dug into the ground and the foundation is made from giant boulders. Some of the beams are whole tree trunks, pretty cool. But anyway, the basement is warmer than the upstairs so we're not worried about the heating pipes. And the hot water heater is separate and still running, thank God for that, so we are good and I could take a shower when I get brave enough to face the cold bathroom.

Today, Saturday, we are going to first hope the nailpolish remover did the trick, then begin searching for a replacement part if not. Meanwhile, the snow is falling unabated. Truly beautiful, even though we'll have to drive in it. I've got 4-wheel drive and a truck so old a few bumps and bruises won't hurt it any. Adds character. And I literally learned how to drive in this weather (I'm flashing back to one winter trip to driver's education, the car full, where the girl at the wheel sent us into a spin on the ice and we all yelled, "no brakes!" from the back seat. Ah, good memories.)

So there you go, my 2010 so far. I may have to break the temporary ban on Quiches and bake one so the kitchen heats up a bit more. On another note, my career... I got an IM yesterday evening, the Linden Bay Romance website was officially no more, as expected, as promised. I swore I wouldn't go look, I did anyway. I cried like a baby to see all my old books off sale. Then I texted one of my consultants with the news. He called within seconds and sweetheart that he is, he let me cry and told me how sorry he was, then he made me laugh, even while I was crying, and that was it. Self-pity over. Back to work.

Happy New Year to all. I'm heading back to the bedroom where it's warm.

Cat

THE DAWN OF A NEW YEAR

2009-12-31T10:19:00.001-05:00

New Years Eve. A time for reflection, goals and resolutions, change, introspection, and a chance to look toward the future.

All of this has never been more true for me than this year because at the close of 2009, Linden Bay Romance will be shut down. No I don't think someone will be waiting by the computer to disable the website at midnight tonight, but then again, I don't know, perhaps these things can be set up in advance. What I do know is that as of 2010 I go from an author with over 2 dozen published full length novels, novellas and short stories, to one with just a handful.

So what am I doing? For one, I have made my Facebook page, which had been private for a bit because of some issues, public again. I need a strong web presence to build my career and for better or worse, Facebook is part of that marketing plan. I am trying to focus on reworking my backlist to get them back out there. And to keep my sanity I began that cooking project I told you about in the last post.

How is that going? Well there have been ups and downs in the Julia Child department. Successes include the yummy Cream of Mushroom Soup and the incredible Leek Quiche, complete with homemade crust so flaky and good it was like heaven. Even so, after a Quiche Lorraine and 2 Leek Quiches, the husband did ask "You're not making another quiche again tomorrow, are you?" So I guess I'll take a break on the quiche for a bit.

Failures include a horrible Garlic Soup, so bad I went back and checked the recipe numerous times to make sure I hadn't forgotten any ingredients. My CIA-trained (the Culinary Institute not the covert organization) chef friend who spent 6 months cooking in France commented "Julia Child's recipes are outdated. You should have roasted the garlic and added potatoes." So there you go, not my fault entirely, though I do think I poured the hot soup into the egg yolks too fast, which made it ugly.

I had full intentions of trying French Onion Soup the following day, which proved to be 4 degrees out and I decided it wasn't worth braving the weather to get the ingredients. So my cooking is stalled for a bit, which is good because it is incredibly time consuming and I had edits on 2 books to complete, and of course, my entire backlist to rewrite and peddle.

That is the state of the union on this New Years eve. It looks like I am snowed in for the duration, which is fine. I could use a day in after this hectic holiday season.

Meanwhile I wish you all a happy, healthy and safe new year. Now go forth and enjoy the dawn of 2010.

Cat

On another note, my free reads are back up on ARe for download.

THE FINE ART OF PROCRASTINATION & FRENCH COOKING

2009-12-27T18:25:00.000-05:00

As a testament to the fact I will do pretty much anything besides what I am supposed to be doing, today I read Julie Powell’s “The Julie/Julia Project” blog from 2002 and cooked two recipes out of my new cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. (To see the beginning of my new obsession click HERE)

Yes, I should be working on Jack (Red Hot & Blue, Book 2) to submit to my editor so I can get a date and get my now out of print backlist back out there. Instead I made Quiche Lorraine for breakfast and Cream of Mushroom Soup for Dinner, with food shopping for ingredients wedged in the middle there.

How did the recipes come out? Well I cheated on the quiche because 1) I had no lard to make fresh crust and 2) I did have a frozen piecrust. Aside from some over spillage onto the cookie sheet in the oven, it was very tasty. The soup was easier than I thought though I kind of had to cheat there too. I am SURE I had half & half in my hand in the foodstore. I know I put it in a shopping cart. Then I remember pushing said cart down the aisle when my husband said, “Um, that’s not our cart”. So there you go. Some poor soul has my half and half, and I had to make my cream of mushroom soup with skim milk rather than the cream the recipe called for that I was going to substitute half & half for. Julia Child is rolling in her grave, I am sure. I didn’t skimp on all the butter the recipe called for, but I did kind of make the diet version. Though I felt no guilt having a big bowl of it for dinner, I am sure it will be better when I have the cream.

So what did all this cooking do for me today besides mean that yet another day went buy that I didn’t write? Well, my hands are pretty dry from doing all those dishes from all those pots that seem unavoidable in french cooking. I now want one of those sexy 1950s housewife aprons I saw on Amazon.com by Jessie Steele. I was inspired to clean the kitchen, though I didn’t get to half of it. And I am getting creative with the leftovers because french cooking leaves a lot of waste. The egg white and the mushroom stems and onions left from today’s recipes that I could have thrown out will be a tasty Mushroom Onion Eggwhite Omelet for my breakfast. (I get very creative when procrastinating and using leftovers. It’s kind of an art for me.)

So that’s it for today. Have to get back to my cookbook and see what I want to make for New Year’s Eve.

Bon Appetite!

Cat

WHAT WAS UNDER YOUR TREE? MAYBE MORE THAN YOU REALIZE...

2009-12-25T10:29:00.002-05:00

What did you get this morning when you tore open that wrapping paper?

Did you get a Kindle or Sony eReader? Then stick around and I'll tell you how to start filling it up for free. For the rest of you, what else did you get?

An iPod Touch?

An iPhone?

A new fangled Google Android phone?

A Blackberry?

A Palm?

A netbook?

Then you got an eReader too and you don't even know it! Yup. There are apps that will allow you to quckly, easily, wirelessly fill your device with ebooks right this very moment. Talk about instant satisfaction.

You can download the Stanza app for the Touch or the iPhone and connect instantly to Project Gutenberg if free classic reads are your thing. Or connect to All Romance eBooks and check out one of the many free reads listed there through Stanza. There is also a free Stanza Desktop version that you download onto your computer which will convert your non-DRM Word and PDF files and wirelessly send them to your Touch or Phone. Got the Google phone instead? The Aldiko app works the same as Stanza.

For eBooks with Digital Rights Management (DRM) it is a little trickier but the eReader/Secure Microsoft format and the Stanza app is said to handle it on the iPhone/iPod Touch. Don't quote me, I haven't tried it personally yet. I wouldn't recommend downloading a Secure Adobe PDF or Secure Microsoft eBook for your first attempt at reading eBooks. I guarantee it will be an exercise in frustration because even I have trouble with DRM/secure eBooks.

Barnes & Noble has an app that allows you to download and read eBooks on your phone. Amazon has a Kindle app for smart phones too.

New to eBooks? Then go and check out these free reads and see how you like reading on your new device. There are many many formats available so make sure you get the one that is right for your device. IE The Touch uses ePub (unless you covert another format with Stanza Desktop first) And here is the ARe FAQ for how to get eBooks purchased from other vendors onto your Amazon Kindle and lists the various formats and procedure for the different smart phones and reading devices .

FREE READS FROM

No matter what you got, or didn't get, or what holiday you celebrate, I wish you all a beautiful day and happy reading.

Merry Christmas!

Cat

...TIS THE SEASON

2009-12-22T10:07:00.002-05:00

Just a few days left and no, I'm not done shopping yet. I blogged about it over at Eat Something Sexy-Confessions of a Romance Writer.

I also included my favorite last minute gifts to give in case any of you need a suggestion.

I wish you all a wonderful and moderately stress-free holiday!

Cat

GOODBYE 2009, HELLO 2010

2009-12-20T10:47:00.003-05:00

12 days until the new year. 2009 has been a mixed bag of good and bad. I suppose all years are, but 09 seemed even more so. I anticipate even more major changes in 2010 too.

So what's happening? It was a year ago that Samhain Publishing announced the purchase of Linden Bay Romance. That meant many changes for all of us, the biggest being Samhain's decision to close Linden Bay's virtual doors at the end of 09, which as I've mentioned, is upon us. What does this mean for me and my books? I am slowly working on getting the biggest sellers re-rereleased. Both Rough Stock and Unridden have found a new home at Samhain and at least some of my military books will end up there also beginning with Trey, the first story from Red Hot & Blue, releasing there in an expanded form in April '10.

The rest of my backlist is up in the air. I am deciding whether to just let those books go out of print (both in eBook and print) next week, or if I will seek new homes for them. With my time and energy limited right now, it seems more logical to spend that time working on new books for the cowboy series, and making sure the military books are rewritten for re-release with Samhain. What does that mean for all of you? If you've had your eye on any of my trilogies, the more romantic comedy stuff featuring firemen or hot computer geeks, it may be now or never to get them. They've already been pulled from Fictionwise, Books on Board and ARe. They are still for sale at Linden Bay Romance .com though I am not sure for how much longer. If you search hard enough on Amazon they are still up in Kindleformat for now, and some of the paperbacks are still around until they sell out. They are all still up at My Bookstore and More for now.

It's a bittersweet time. I've had months to reconcile saying goodbye to my babies and the fact that I'll go from an author with over 2 dozen published works to one with just a handful overnight. But to be perfectly honest, the time did help, and so did the absolutely phenomenal sales even my re-releases have been getting, that makes me realize my writing career is by no means over, but just taking off.

No tough sell here, just a heads up. I have no idea when the books will disappear from sale completely and I couldn't let it happen without some sort of explanation. I'm still here, I'm still writing. No worries, just changes.

I bid happily goodbye to 2009 and welcome all that 2010 brings and wish you and yours all you could want. Here is what the first half of 2010 will bring from me to you...

FEBRUARY 2010

BUCKED (STUDS IN SPURS BOOK 2-Samhain Publishing)

BLISS (Love's Immortal Pantheon Vol 3-Tease Publishing))

PRIVATE LIES (28 Days of Heart Charity Campaign to benefit the American Heart Association-All Romance eBooks)

APRIL 2010

TREY (RED HOT & BLUE BOOK 1-Samhain Publishing)

ARE YOU PROUD OF WHAT YOU'VE DONE? OR SHOULD YOU BE ASHAMED?

2009-12-12T09:19:00.005-05:00

While I was occupied with proofreading ARe's Wildfire newsletter yesterday (yes, I am the one to blame if it goes out with a typo), the program on the television I was mostly ignoring as I worked changed from the noon news to a game show. As the contestant sought to become a millionaire, and I was about to turn off the TV, one question captured my attention. It was about Randy Pausch and The Last Lecture.

The one hour plus video of a lecture delivered by a little known professor at Carnegie Mellon University captured the nation's attention. The video on YouTube now has over 10 million views. Why? Because Randy was dying of pancreatic cancer and that was literally his last lecture to his students.

Even though by some strange coincidence that proves it is indeed a very small world I happen to be friends with Randy's cousin who is a member of my Junior League, I watched Randy's final months play out in the media just like everyone else. For once the media got it right; instead of just covering the lives and deaths of celebrities who don't deserve the time we give to them, they devoted lots of time to Randy's final months as he tried to leave a legacy for his family to hold onto after his death.

Being reminded of Randy and the exemplary way he ended his life with grace and wisdom, and 2009 coming rapidly to a close, made me think. If your life ended tomorrow, what would you leave as your legacy? Look back at the past few months.

Are you proud of what you've done? Or should you be ashamed?

Think about it.

Cat

Watch the Last Lecture on YouTube

WIN UNRIDDEN AND ROUGH STOCK TODAY

2009-12-09T15:22:00.001-05:00

The Blackraven's Erotic Cafe Blogspot has posted my favorite Christmas memory AND they are giving away my two latest cowboy releases, Rough Stock and Unridden, to one lucky winner.

Go check it out HERE, but don't delay, contest ends 10 AM CST tomorrow.

Also, remember my interview will post there on December 22nd.

Cat