Long and Short Of It - Interview

Today, I've been interviewed by The Long and Short of It (http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/interviews.htm) Reviewers. Head over that way if you're interested in checking out what I had to say.

Once you've read it, visit LASR's weekly contest where you can win an autographed copy of Delinquent Daddy now and, as soon as it is released, an autographed copy of its companion book, Hot Commodity. http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/contest.htm

Up for Book fo the Week!

The "Long and the Short of It" romance reviewers run a weekly contest for people to vote on which book looks like the best based on its review.

My story "­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The Trouble with Tomboys" was reviewed by them this week and is up for Book of the Week. Voting runs from Saturday, August 28th through Sunday August 29th: So, if you'd like to help me win best book of the week, just go to

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm

today or tomorrow and click on my book title. Thanks so much.

TTWT WINNERS!

I picked THREE winners instead of two like I said I would. So, honestly, everyone had a better chance of winning than they originally thought.

The lucky person who won a paperback copy of The Trouble with Tomboys is:

Lydia Kang

(she hosts a lovely blog over at The Word is My Oyster, by the way).

And the two people who each won an ebook copy of The Trouble with Tomboys are:

Roxy L.

and

Krista P.

Sadly, no one guessed the mystery of my heroine's name, so no Amazon gift cards were awarded. Sorry. If you're curious, the answer to B.J.'s real name is...yeah, you never would've guessed...Banner Jewel.

Totally insane, right? Okay, yes, but there's a story behind it, so don't knock it outright.

That's all I have for today. Congrats to the winners. I hope you enjoy your prize.

It's Here - No Joke

Yay! The interview that was supposed to post yesterday is live today. Due to illness, it had to be put off a day. But it's up now--I've actually seen it! So, please click HERE if you'd like to read my interview with the lovely Claire Ashgrove. Thanks!

Interviewed at Molly Daniels Blog

Molly Daniels has interviewed me on her blog : Molly's Musings. So that's where I am today. And yes, Lydia will be there too (she might only be able to say MA, BA, and DA these days, but trust me, the woman still knows how to give her opinion about things)!!

Before you go, though, my first story, the young adult romance, got all jealous because The Trouble with Tomboys has been hogging the lime light recently. Ergo, The Stillburrow Crush would like to announce a few new reviews she's received lately.

A Top Pick from Night Owl Reviews, she rated a 4.75 out of 5:

"The Stillburrow Crush has already made it into my book discussions, and I have already recommended this book be read. Linda Kage is an author I will whole heartedly follow, and in fact, I have already purchased another one of her stories. She took a clichéd book topic and made it new, and she most certainly made it exciting.

To conclude, The Stillburrow Crush Is a MUST read and I hope girls and women of all ages read this. The Stillburrow Crush more than exceeded my expectations."

And Amaterasu Reads Reviews gave her a 5 out of 5:

"I think of this book as my luckiest find for the year. No other book has topped it in my list...These are real issues they were facing. Its about family, love and acceptance of what we really are. The characters felt real, their emotions mirroring those that we feel. Linda Kage has written a marvelous story about love and the choices we make in that shapes our lives."

Okay, I'm done with you now. Have fun at Molly's! Thanks.

Interview - Romance Books "R" Us

The Trouble with Tomboys released yesterday (in case you weren't aware), so of course I have a contest running to win free copies on my website (HERE). It closes on Friday, August 13th, and I'll announce winners within the month.

But meanwhile, Romance Books "R" Us interviewed me today about The Trouble with Tomboys. If you're interested, feel free to check it out.

During the interview, I provide a never-before posted excerpt of the story. I know...exciting, right!!

And that's all I have to report for now. Take care.

TTWT Review

The Trouble with Tomboys is officially released today!!!!

And I already have my first review.

Here's what Single Titles : We Love Fiction had to day about TTWT:

(4 Star Rating)

"When B.J. and Grady spend one night of passion together, only to have an unexpected surprise a month later, the two opposites are thrown together whether they like it or not.

B.J. Gilmore likes cigars, poker, and flying her plane. When Grady Rawlings, a widower with an unapproachable demeanor, needs a pilot; B.J. plans for his overnight business trip. B.J. is not put off by his rough exterior and pushes Grady to experience something he has not felt in awhile; being alive. After a one night affair, they part and go their separate ways until a month later when B.J. finds she is pregnant.

Trouble With Tomboys throws together a by the rules follower Grady, with a feisty wildcat B.J causing quite a ruckus in their wake. B.J. is not one to beat around the bush; her refreshing honesty will have her winning a place in readers hearts. Enormously entertaining and a difficult book to put down." --Reviewer: Emily

And I didn't even pay them to say this. Aren't they just the sweetest?

If you'd like another opinion, check out what Lydia thought of TTWT when I handed her a copy.

See. She thinks the story is totally drool-worthy. Yum!


I know, you simply MUST get your own now, right? Well, here are a few buy links.

Paperback : The Wild Rose Press Amazon.com Books-A-Million

Ebook : The Wild Rose Press

Hope you enjoyed TTWT's countdown party. We will now return to regular programming...I think. Wait. Since when has anything I've ever said been regular?

Oh, well. See you later anyway.

TTWT Countdown : DAY 1

For the last day on my countdown to the release of The Trouble with Tomboys, I have sitting across from me in plush, comfy chairs the hero and heroine of my novel: Grady Rawlings and B.J. Gilmore. They’ve agreed to come in for an interview to help celebrate DAY 1.

ME: Welcome to my blog, you two.

GRADY: Thank you, Ms. Kage. It’s an honor to be here.

BJ: Whatever.

ME: (A bit discombobulated by my heroine’s slouched and bored demeanor, I fumble through my notes until I finally find my interview question. Ah! Here they are. Clear throat.) Okay. First question. What are your biggest fears and greatest joys in life?

BJ: (Snorts) Biggest fears? What kind of pansy question is that?

GRADY: B.J. (his voice is full of reprimand)

BJ: What? It’s a stupid, corny question. Next thing we know, she’ll be asking how we met, like we’re on some lame, dating show.

(At this point, I blush and madly scratch out the next question on my list)

GRADY: Regardless, please keep in mind this woman invented us. We wouldn’t even exit if she hadn’t put us down on a paper in the first place. Humor her, will you?

BJ: (Big sigh, eyes rolling) Fine. Grady’s biggest fear is losing someone he loves.

GRADY: (Teeth gnashing) I think I can answer for myself.

BJ: Right. Like you were going to admit that aloud?

GRADY: If you think turning the lime light on me just so you won’t have to say how scared of snakes you are—

BJ: I’M NOT SCARED OF SNAKES! Just because I don’t like the disgusting, slimy—

GRADY: Oh, gimme a break. You scream every time you see—

ME: (Lifting hands and waving them madly) Guys! Whoa. Hold up, there. Let’s not start a fight over such a simple question.

BJ: (Quirking an eyebrow my way) Who says we’re fighting?

(I’m the one who lets out a big sigh this time. After taking a moment to calm myself, I continue)

ME: Maybe we should just move on to the next question. What are your greatest joys in life?

BJ: I think you need to put one of those “Need to be eighteen” warnings up before I can answer that question. Seriously. (She hitches her thumb toward Grady) Look at what I’m married to here. What do you think my greatest joys are?

GRADY: (Laughs)

(It’s a rich, full sound that takes my attention away from B.J. I still think it’s strange to hear his laughter, I kind of get caught staring at him. He has such a beautiful smile; it lights up his entire face, and I feel all smug I created such a handsome hero)

BJ: (Scowling) Hey, I know he’s eye candy and all, but could you stop undressing my man with your eyes.

(This time my blush is more like a total body sunburn; I swear even my toes are red. I clear my throat and quickly look away)

ME: Maybe interviewing you two was a bad idea.

BJ: Gee, you think?

ME: Alrighty then. That about wraps up this enlightening interview. B.J. Grady. It was a pleasure to meet you in blogosphere.

GRADY: The pleasure was ours, ma’am. We appreciate the effort you went through to get our story out there for the world to read.

(Not even daring to look at him, I hold back a little shiver as his low, Texas drawl works through me. But, wow, does that man have a great voice.

From the corner of my eye, I watch him take B.J.’s elbow and escort her off into the sunset. And there goes my plans for a grand interview. Sigh.)

So…since my characters aren’t really the interrogating type, I think I’ll spend the rest of this post, thanking everyone who helped me make my book possible.

Oooh! Dedication time.

To my great, wonderful, awesome, amazing, handsome husband. This one is for you. You’re the inspiration behind all my stories because you let me know happy endings aren’t just in fiction. Every day I discover something new to love about you. Thank you so much for marrying me.

And to the rest of my family (there’s just too many of you to name, sorry): Your unending love and support makes it really hard to write about tragic, tortured characters, but it encourages me to keep on trying anyway.

To Claire Ashgrove and Jackie Bannon who made me think TTWT actually had some substance to it. Thank you so much for the critique and ego boost. It was exactly what I needed.

Finally, to my editor for this story at The Wild Rose Press: Stephanie Parent. Thank you so much for putting up with me. You rock.

And with that, I bid you farewell. Tomorrow's the big day! SQUEAL.

TTWT Countdown : Day 2

THREE GUESES

There are TWO days left until The Wild Rose Press releases my adult romance, The Trouble with Tomboys, and the countdown party here is going hot and heavy.

If you missed the first day of the countdown, you may not be aware I'm throwing a contest to win a copy of the book, so check out my CONTEST PAGE on my website if you'd like to enter.

OR

Have a little fun now and play this contest on my blog instead.

Here's what's happening:

The heroine’s name in The Trouble with Tomboys is B.J. Gilmore (hopefully you’ve caught onto that fact by now!!). But if you read the deleted prologue yesterday in my outtake excerpt, you’ll know Grady tries to find out what the B and J represent way back when he’s seventeen. She refuses to tell him her full name, and he doesn’t get his answer (well, HALF his answer) until minutes before marrying her.

So, I gotta know… can you figure out B.J.’s full name? I’ll give everyone three guesses. Leave your B.J. answers in the comments section and if someone actually gets the answer right by the end of tomorrow--August 5, 2010--then I’ll send a $25 Gift Card from Amazon.com to the first person who guesses correctly.

Have fun; guess away!

And don’t worry if you don’t win anything here, there’s still that chance for you on my contest page over at my website. You don’t have to guess anything there to enter, just toss your name into the drawing!!

TTWT Countdown : Day 3

DELETED SCENE

I deleted The Trouble with Tomboys' Prologue from my original version. So, for Day THREE of the TTWT Countdown party, I've brought it back for you to enjoy before the story is available and you start on Chapter One.

So...I hope you enjoy!

See you again tomorrow.

Deleted PROLOGUE
(Raw and Unedited!)

--In fear of having a super long post, I've only provided a portion of the deleted scene. Click HERE to read the ENTIRE prologue--

Twelve-year old B.J. Gilmore slouched, good and relaxed, in the middle of her sofa, watching NASCAR and eating from a microwave bag of Orville Redenbacher when her seventeen-year-old babysitter plopped down next to her.

“Where’s Rudy?” Amy asked, shaking a closed bottle of pale pink fingernail polish.

“Don’t know.” As she answered, B.J. tossed a single fluff of popcorn into the air so she could try to catch it with her teeth. When she did, she glowed in triumph and munched happily, leaning around her sitter to see the television.

Amy let out an annoyed sigh. “You know, B.J., it’s not considered ladylike to throw food in the air and catch it with your mouth.”

B.J. rolled her eyes. Humph. As if she wanted to be a lady. All the supposed ladies she knew were stuck up snobs who only liked to gossip about everybody else behind their backs. Why in the world would she want to be like that? Besides, if being a lady meant she had to wear a dress, then she’d rather pass anyhow.

Defiantly tossing another kernel in the air, she once again caught it in her teeth. “Cool,” she said, grinning over and nudging Amy with her elbow. “Did you see that? Two times in a row.”

“Yes,” Amy replied dryly. “It was soooo impressive.”

B.J. frowned, folding her arms over her chest as she turned her attention back to the race. Well, she thought it was impressive.

Crossing a pair of tanned legs, Amy stopped shaking her bottle and twisted the cap off. She applied the lacquered polish and hummed lightly under her breath. B.J. figured she was trying to make a point that all ladies should cross their legs and sit with their backs as stiff as sheetrock while singing a pretty tune. Well, no way was B.J. going to do that. She was going to stay slouched there until—

The smell of the polish finally hit her. Wrinkling her nose, she lifted the collar of her t-shirt, covered all her breathing holes, and stared wide-eyed at the opened bottle. “Lord have mercy, Ames. That crap stinks to high Heaven.”

“But doesn’t it look nice.” Amy grinned and held out her hand to admire her finished thumbnail.

B.J. lifted a brow. “Whatever.”

At her blasé answer, her babysitter sucked in a breath and sent her a brief, irritated glance. “Don’t tell me you’ve never worn fingernail polish before?”

“No,” B.J. spat, appalled.

Living with a widowed father, two older brothers, and one younger brother, B.J. had to guess this was the first time fingernail polish had ever found its way inside her home.

But fingernail polish? Bluck.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Amy said, her eyes wide before they gave a single long-lashed blink.

B.J. snorted. “Why would I put that junk on? It’s gross.”

“Gross?” Amy repeated, and threw her head back to laugh. “You know, B.J.,” she added on a delighted sigh. “You have the oddest notion about what’s gross. I bet you’d like fingernail polish if you used it.”

“Yeah, well, I’ll just take your word for it,” B.J. grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and hiding her nails behind her armpits so her beautiful and extremely girly babysitter couldn’t see the mangled mess.

She knew what was coming even before Amy said, “Want me to paint your nails?”

“Hell, no.”

“B. J.” Amy sighed. “Please watch your language.”

“Heck no,” B.J. revised. “Get that stinking goo away from me.”

“Oh, come on,” Amy coaxed. “Just let me do it this once.”

“No.”

“You’ll like it. I promise.”

“No. I promise I won’t.”

Firmly screwing the cap back on, Amy said, “Just give me your hand. We’ll test one finger first and if you don’t like it, I swear I’ll take it off.”

“How about we don’t and say we did?”

“Give me your hand already.”

“No.”

Without warning, Amy dived for B.J.’s arm and tried to pry her hand from behind her back. What followed was a brief wrestle of which B.J. refused to budge and Amy worked harder. Finally, B. J. leapt off the couch and ran for all she was worth.

Amy chased after her.

Every time her sitter caught a hold of her, B.J. managed to wiggle free and dash off again. She could tell the seventeen-year old had grown tired five minutes later because Amy started taking longer to find her. She was hiding in the kitchen pantry and grinning over her stealth when the doorbell rang. Knowing Amy would be busy answering it, B.J. inched open the closet. When she saw the coast was clear, she stepped out and curiously wandered toward the front room to see who was calling.

Amy’s boyfriend had come to visit.

“I rented a movie,” he announced as Amy him let inside.

“How sweet,” She cooed, then grinned and sighed as she slumped her back against the door after shutting it, her gaze one huge pool of adoration.

B.J. rolled her eyes at her sitter’s way-too-obvious affection, even though her own thoughts turned kind of mushy themselves. But good golly, Miss Molly. Seventeen-year old Grady Rawlings had to be the most beautiful human on earth. He towered over six feet by a good four inches, though he looked taller because of his lean, wrangly frame. He may have been in tennis shoes and a baseball cap, but he was undeniably prime Texas stock.

And though B.J. was one hundred percent tomboy, she was also one hundred percent boy crazy about her babysitter’s boyfriend. As Amy leaned in for a kiss, B.J. watched with fixed fascination. Grady closed his eyes when he pressed his mouth to Amy’s. She wondered why. Did it make Amy taste better? How’d he know where to put his lips when he couldn’t see nothing?

He lifted his hand to capture the back of his girlfriend’s head. B.J. studied his wide fingers spreading across Amy’s scalp, speculating what it’d feel like to have a boy’s mouth pressed against hers. Amy certainly seemed to like it. She melted against him and gave him a dewy, dazed smile when he pulled back. In return, Grady sent her a smile that made B.J.’s stomach feel funny.

Before she could duck out of sight, he lifted his face, and his eyes moved across the room, pinning her to the spot.

Feeling frozen, B.J. gaped back.

“Hey, B.J.,” he said, his gaze changing from the heavy-lidded look he’d been giving Amy to a wide, friendly grin.

Go HERE to finish the scene!

TTWT Countdown : Day 4

This is day FOUR in the countdown party for the release of my adult romance. Today, I'd like to introduce all THE PLAYERS in The Trouble with Tomboys. In addition to their name and what part they play in the story, a couple characters have allowed me to quote them.

Enjoy! I'll see you again tomorrow for day three.

******

The GILMORES

B. J. Gilmore : HEROINE
“What can I say? My lucky number’s two. And when I get two twos, I figure, hell... Might as well bluff, huh?”

***

Jebediah (JEB) Gilmore : B.J.’s Father:
“I’m still your pappy, and that gives me the right to worry about you iffin’ I want to.”

***

Dellie Gilmore : B.J.’s deceased Mother

***

Buck Gilmore : B.J.’s Oldest Brother

***

Phyllis Gilmore : Buck’s Wife

***

Little Girl Gilmore : Buck’s daughter (I can’t recall naming her… how awful of me)

***

Leroy Gilmore : B.J.’s Older Brother, though younger than Buck
“Woo-wee, little sister. You sure hog-tied him around your little finger, didn’t ya?”

***

Rudy Gilmore : B.J.’s Younger Brother
“Don’t even start. I’ll be out and ready to go in a few minutes.”

******

The RAWLINGS

Grady Rawlings : HERO
“Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?”

***

Amy Bennett-Rawlings : Grady’s deceased wife and second or third cousin of B.J.’s (she was some kind of distant relation anyway)

***

Bennett : Grady’s deceased son

***

Tucker Rawlings : Grady’s father
“I get a little overprotective and irrational when it comes to my children.”

***

Tara Rose Rawlings : Grady’s mother
“It’s D.J., right? D.J. Gilmore?”

***

Granger Rawlings : Grady’s grandfather
“Missy, I’m way too young to croak yet.”

***

Jo Ellen Gerhardt : Grady’s younger sister
“Honey, do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? You’re going to have a baby. A baby.”

***

Cooper Gerhardt : Jo Ellen’s husband
“Thanks…I think. Just don’t go mentioning that night again, okay?”

***

Tanner Gerhardt : Jo Ellen’s infant son

***

Emma Leigh : Grady’s younger sister & Jo Ellen’s twin

***

Bran : Emma Leigh’s husband

***

Caine Rawlings : Grady’s youngest brother
“Don’t tell. Not knowing will bug him to death.”

******

The SMARDOS

Ralphie “The Junkyard” Smardo : B.J.’s best friend
“I shoulda known better. And you were right. Nan’s already done heard about it and thinks I cheated on her.”

***

Pete Smardo : Ralph’s father
“If you lose us those tires, boy, it’s coming out of your wallet.”

***

Nan Lundy : Ralph’s girlfriend
“That’s my man, so keep your damn paws off.”

******

OTHER CHARACTERS

Dr. Carl : B.J.’s OBGYN
“This gal here has about the most ideal equipment for a pregnant woman I’ve seen in a long time.”

***

Lara Alberts : Receptionist at Dr. Carl’s Office
“Well, hey there, B.J. I didn’t realize it was time for your yearly already. I thought you visited more around the end of the…Oh my! You’re…you’re…”

***

Gabe Watson : Gossipmonger at Gas Station
"We’ll know soon enough when she starts growing a pooch or not.”

***

Ulrick Pullson : Gossipmonger at Gas Station
“I just want to know who supposedly knocked her up.”

***

Rick Hopper : Some guy who wrecked his truck

***

Hammond Weatherly : Houston businessman who does business with Rawlings Oil.
“Was it a boy or girl?”

***

Sal : Waitress at Tommy Creek Diner

***

Della : Sorry, I can’t tell you who she is and give any of the story away. But don’t worry, you’ll find out in the Epilogue!

***

Jace : Once again, sorry, you’ll have to find out who this is on your own.

==============================

So....which character intrigues you the most???

The Trouble with Tomboys Countdown

It's five days until my first contemporary adult romance story is officially available to purchase in all its formats (ebook and paperback), so YEP I'm throwing another countdown party to celebrate.

With my first YA story, I had a ten-day countdown, but that seemed to last WAY TOO long, so I'm shortening it to five this time around to see if that goes better.

On the first day of this countdown, I guess I should provide you with a blurb, video, and excerpt in order to let you know just what story we're throwing a countdown party for! And without further ado:

The Trouble with Tomboys
By Linda Kage
Available : August 6, 2010
from The Wild Rose Press

THE TOMBOY

Pilot B.J. Gilmore is Tommy Creek, Texas’s tough tomboy who loves to fly planes and gamble and doesn’t give a whip what anyone thinks or says about her…until Grady Rawlings steps into her life.

PLUS THE WIDOWER

Heir to an oil dynasty, Grady has inner demons to battle. Ever since his wife and unborn child died two and half years ago, he’s developed a deep-seated hatred for sympathy and can’t handle anyone feeling sorry for him or treating him like some pitiful widower.

EQUALS TROUBLE IN TEXAS

Grady hires B.J.'s plane service to fly him to Houston for an overnight business trip. While there, she coaxes him into accompanying her to a late dinner, where she decides it’s time for him to move on with his life. A month later, she turns up pregnant with his baby, and neither of them is prepared for the chaos that follows.

EXCERPT

"I heard about five minutes ago that someone had knocked up B.J. Gilmore.”

That finally evoked the response he’d expected. Her face drained of color, and she dropped her bag of popcorn, spilling kernels around her bare feet.

“Who told you that?”

Grady folded his arms and stared hard. “I overheard Gabe Watson telling Ulrick Pullson about it at Herb’s Quick Stop. Both of them already knew.”

“Who?” she demanded, and then she shook her head furiously. “I...I just wasn’t sure how to announce it,” she answered quietly. “I mean, was there any way to break it to you easily?” Grady opened his mouth, but B.J. hurried to add, “One thing was sure, I definitely wasn’t going to tell anyone else until you knew.”

She stopped suddenly as if just realizing something. Then she scowled and pressed her hands to her hips, snapping, “Wait a second. What even makes you think this is your kid?”

She’d already given it away, but his answer was a quiet, heartfelt, “Because I’m not that lucky.”

B.J. looked like she was going to cry, and he felt like a heel for saying such a thing. He wasn’t typically a rude man. But B.J. wasn’t the type to break down and bawl when her feelings were hurt either. So, why did the two of them together seem to bring out the worst in each other?

God, he wanted to scrub his face with his hands and mutter, “What a disaster,” but he didn’t want to hurt her any further. She already looked like she was on the edge and might crumble any second.

He sighed then and really did scrub his face with his hands.

“I guess we’ll need to get married,” he announced, sounding none too pleased.






If you'd like to enter my contest in an attempt to win a free copy (print or ebook) of this story, then head right on over to my contest page HERE and sign up. Good luck!

I'll see you all tomorrow for DAY 4 of the TTWT Countdown!

The Trouble with Tomboys -- NOW FOR SALE

I'm too excited NOT to share.
But the print version of The Trouble with Tomboys, my second book (first adult romance), is now available to buy as an early bird special from The Wild Rose Press.

You just gotta go to THIS LINK and see it there on its virtual bookshelf, waiting for romance lovers around to the world to purchase. Doesn't it look beautiful?!

It's extremely exciting to see your book out there for everyone else to read.

***********************

But I'm not done yet. My fourth book, HOT COMMODITY, has a cover!! HC will be out in November from Champagne Books. Here's a blurb:

SHE MARRIED THE ONE MAN SHE WAS TRYING TO AVOID

Thinking to assure a business merger with the wealthy, successful Cameron Banks, Olivia Donovan’s mother drags her to Las Vegas for a business convention, demanding she meet Banks and seduce him into wanting to marry her. But Olivia’s finished being Little Miss Yes-mother-whatever-you-say-mother. So, she sneaks away, intending to rebel and marry the very antithesis of Cameron Banks.

Who she finds is a drunk hottie that takes her to new heights of pleasure and shows her a side of herself she never knew existed before.

But after her amazing night in her new husband’s arms, she awakens the next morning only to discover she married and slept with the very Cameron Banks she’d been trying to avoid.

Is Cam the devil she feared, or will he end up being her one true hero?

To celebrate, I've created a video to go with the story.

'Kay, I'm done gushing. Hope you all have a good week!

The Trouble with Tomboys - Release Date

My second book, The Trouble with Tomboys, has a release date. It will be available in ebook on Friday, August 6, 2010 and print copy sometime shortly before or after that (SQUEAL!!). So, keep your calendars open.



I don't think I've shared the blurb on my blog yet--though it's been up on my website for a few weeks--so I'll do that now:

THE TOMBOY

Pilot B.J. Gilmore is Tommy Creek, Texas’s tough tomboy who loves to fly planes and gamble and doesn’t give a whip what anyone thinks or says about her…until Grady Rawlings steps into her life.

PLUS THE WIDOWER

Heir to an oil dynasty, Grady has inner demons to battle. Ever since his wife and unborn child died two and half years ago, he’s developed a deep-seated hatred for sympathy and can’t handle anyone feeling sorry for him or treating him like some pitiful widower.

EQUALS TROUBLE IN TEXAS

Grady hires B.J,'s plane service to fly him to Houston for an overnight business trip. While there, she coaxes him into accompanying her to a late dinner, where she decides it’s time for him to move on with his life. A month later, she turns up pregnant with his baby, and neither of them is prepared for the chaos that follows.


I've also had a video trailer for The Trouble With Tomboys uploaded on my YouTube Page for a few weeks. But if you haven't checked that out yet, you can go HERE to watch it.

BUT...I have not had an excerpt posted, giving anyone a sneak peek at the story, until TODAY. So, head on over to http://www.lindakage.com/excerpt/tomboy.html if you'd like to get a taste of Grady and B.J.

If you have any more questions about the story, maybe the following will provide the answer you seek:

The Trouble with Tomboys
Publisher : The Wild Rose Press, Champagne Line
Digital Price : $ 6.00, Print Price : $ 12.99
Release Date : August 6, 2010
ISBN : 1-60154-790-0
Pages: 250
Rating : Hot

Awards and Announcements

There are a ton of things happening lately, plus I've received a bundle of awards. So, please bear with me while I share all this amazing information with you. I'll start with announcements.

As you can see a little to the north, I already have a book cover for my adult contemporary romance story, The Trouble With Tomboys, which will be published by the glorious Wild Rose Press! WOW. It's surreal to actually see the faces of my characters. My editing process seems to be going at warp speed, so I have a feeling I'll be able to share a release date for this book with you in only a few months...if not sooner!

For my YA Romance, The Stillburrow Crush, I have a WIDGET up (as you can see to the LEFT there), showing the countdown to the release of my first book...right down to the very second. There's another big WOW in my writing journey. Oh, and feel free to share the widget with whomever you like!

The cover of The Stillburrow Crush was shown on The Story Siren's blog. I'll be giving away free goodies there after the new year. Plus, I'll be donating a copy of my book to The Princess Bookie Blog, for their "Around the World 2010 Debut Author Challenge." You might want to check that out.

Then...I've got a blog interview in the works for the end of February, plus I'll be interviewing the amazing romantic suspense author, Nancy J. Parra, at the beginning of February.

	In other people's news, My wonderful critique partner, Claire Ashgrove, had her second book (ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...IS BIG BLUE EYES) released last week from The Wild Rose Press. Big round of applause for her. Then, Heather Snow--from my writing group--recently started her own blog called Heather's Historical Hodgepodge. I'm already an avid fan there. She posts every Tuesday, if you're curious. And the biggie: Tess Hilmo, a blogger buddy of mine, just announced she sold her first book, With A Name Like Love, to Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Did you hear that??? Farrar, Straus & Giroux!!! I'm so in awe.
Now for the awards.
Loyal Friend Award	I received the "Loyal Friend" Award from Robyn, over at Putting Pen to Paper. Thank you so much, Robyn! You're the sweetest!
Who Loves you Award	Then, or maybe it was before that, I received the "Who Loves You" Award from Laura Gerold, over at Laura's Reviews.
Super Comments Award	And both Laura and Robyn bestowed "The Super Comments" Award on me sometime during all that. Thank you, thank you, guys. You're truly TOO good to me.

And finally, Tricia J. O'Brien at her blog, Tailspinning passed the "Honest Scrap" Award to me at the end of November. For this award, you're supposed to tell five to ten "honest" things about yourself and then pass the award along to five to ten other bloggers for them to do the same.

I think I'm already taking up too much time and space here, so I'll do all the award passing along later (probably after the new year) and share some "honest" things about myself then!

So...Until Thursday. See you guys later!

I SOLD MY SECOND BOOK!!!!

I was going to title this post "Woes to Wows," but I have a feeling my current title will get more attention.

Anyway, as of November 18, 2009, I was offered a contract for my second book!!!

It had been exactly a year and six days since I'd received an offer for my first book. Sadly, I had submitted seven of my finished manuscripts a total of twenty-five times to a variety of ten publishers. Crazy, huh? The first twenty-two of those twenty-five submissions were rejections, of course, though okay, in six of the rejections, an editor was interested enough to ask me to resubmit my story after I made revisions, so we could call those half rejections if you like (sounds better to me, anyway).

Twenty-two fails out of twenty-five tries... and all within twelve months. You can probably imagine my frustration and mounting depression. But I can’t say I learned nothing from the experience… and I’m still learning. A writer can find out a lot about a publisher from a rejection letter, even some things they don’t mention in their submission guidelines. Some places don’t want the secret-baby, billionaire’s mistress kind of theme in their books and other places would actually prefer to receive these category-line plots. Some places want an even mix between hero and heroine’s point of view. Other places want it to be mainly HER story (this is all in the romance publishing world, by the way--I'm not so knowledgeable in other genres). I could go on with examples, but I won’t bore you. My main point is: it’s all a matter of trial and error.

And out of twenty-five tries, I made twenty-two errors (yep, that sounds like me). Just three more to go and I’d be out of submissions...All filled up with rejection. So, when reply twenty-three showed up in my Inbox on the morning of the eighteenth, I wasn’t so optimistic (Imagine that). But I opened the letter anyway… and in the blink of an eye (well, okay, I blinked a few times to make sure I was seeing what I was really seeing), all my woes turned into one big, “Wow.”

I just sold my second book.

At first, I was a bit breathless and way too excited, I couldn’t have told you much of anything past, “Wow. It’s a miracle.” But since then, I've calmed down AND received my signed contract, so I’ll spill all the juicy details I know. This book is an ADULT romance as opposed to my first book, which is a young adult romance. It will be published by the same publisher as my first: The Wild Rose Press.

It's currently titled THE TROUBLE WITH TOMBOYS, and I think that will stay the same. In a rating scale of sweet, sensual, spicy, hot, to erotica, it's "hot," which will be really embarrassing for me when it comes out. For people that know me, there will be a lot of gasping going around if they read this story. "Linda Kay! I can't believe you wrote something that... that... naughty." But there's a lot more to it than just bedroom scenes, so don't worry too much.

Since I'm still in the editing stage, there is no release date set yet, but fear not, I will most definitely keep you updated on those details. And if you want to know what it's about, here's my one line blurb : Grady Rawlings can't seem to get over the death of his wife, but tomboy B.J. Gilmore refuses to give up on him until she drags him back to the land of the living. And that's all I have to say about that.

So, here’s my motto for the day: Keep on submitting; it does eventually pay off!

On another funny note, a few hours after my big "Holy Cow, I sold a book" moment, I received rejection number twenty-three. SOMEONE must want to make sure I stay humble, huh?!