Reunited Lovers

Don’t Forget Me is my first reunited lovers book. The hero, Nando Avrogado, and the heroine, Kit Maldonado, were together in a previous Konigsburg book, Long Time Gone. But I always wanted to do more with them—they were a couple of those secondary characters whose stories seem to be worth telling. But if they’re still together, there’s not much story to tell, so sorry guys, had to break you up!

I’m not alone in this, of course. A lot of authors have played with the reunited lovers theme. Jennifer Crusie does it in Maybe This Time, where the hero and heroine have actually been divorced and come together again through trying to foil some particularly nasty ghosts. Susan Elizabeth Phillips does it in Fancy Pants where the first half of the book shows the hero and heroine meeting and parting and the second half shows them reuniting. And of course there are all those historicals where hero and heroine are actually married and parted and reunited, like Eloisa James’s charming This Duchess of Mine.

The tricky thing about reuniting the hero and heroine is finding a credible reason for them to have been apart in the first place. If either has been too dastardly, it becomes hard for you to reunite them (unless, of course, the dastardly one has now reformed and wants desperately to be forgiven). On the other hand, if the event that drove them apart seems too trivial, you doubt their ability to commit. There’s got to be a legitimate reason for them to have broken up, but not something so awful that you just can’t see them ever getting together again.

In the case of Kit and Nando, the precipitating event was cheating, which is a sort of standard way to break things up. But I didn’t want Nando to be one of those guys who just can’t seem to settle down. In their case, the breakup came after a series of increasingly bitter fights as they came closer to the date when Kit was due to return to school from her time in Konigsburg. I’ve seen that happen—I think most of us have. As couples approach a turning point, the stress makes them break apart. A casual affair with somebody else is a way to escape making the real decision.

So now having broken them apart (bad author, bad, bad author), how do you bring them together again? Again, a lot depends on the couple themselves. You don’t want to create a situation where either of them has just too much to forgive. Otherwise, you wonder just why your hero or heroine is such a wimp. In Don’t Forget Me, both Nando and Kit struggle against getting together again largely because they’re both afraid of being hurt after they managed to heal (more or less). Both have told themselves they’ve moved on, but neither one really has. In their case, they’re brought together by a song, “You Don’t Know Me,” and a dance. And, of course, by the torches they’re carrying for each other that are bright enough to light Carlsbad Caverns.

So, of course, they do reunite—this is romance, after all, not Annie Hall or 500 Days of Summer. Here’s the blurb:

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Another of my Allure Author buddies has a short novella out in our Alluring Tales: Night Moves series! Check it out!

Branlyn Carmichael has been having dreams. Sensual, hot dreams about a stranger with long, blond hair and pale eyes. A stranger yet he is somehow familiar. Nightly he visits, awakening not just her body, but also her memories. Memories of her childhood home and the horrible tragedy she witnessed there.

After fifteen years of running, it is time to go back to face her past. She can no longer deny the events she has seen or her connection to them. When she returns she finds her dream man waiting for her not in her mind but in her bed. He is flesh and blood claiming to be her protector, sent to shield her from a dark seductive power that wants to possess her body. A power named Gregorian.

Now she is caught between the light and the dark. With no way out except for complete surrender.

Download a sample excerpt to read at Smashwords!

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Summer’s two winners are Marika Weber and Elizabeth H.! Congratulations, and please email Summer to let her know which ebook format you want at katerothwell@gmail.com.

That question that writers either love or hate: where do you get your ideas? I usually hate the question, only because I often don’t know any answer other “on dog walks.” But I can finally give an explanation for how a story came into being. I’m talking about Unnatural Calamities, the book that came out yesterday.

Go on, ask it. I’ll just wait here. Where did I get the ideas for that book, you ask?

I began Janey’s story as an exercise. I’d just read a fun Harlequin Presents and it had a few great tropes (if you need a definition, here’s a link to a trope site https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage but watch out, that site will suck you in and spit you out hours later.)

That Harlequin contained a millionaire, a woman living under a false identity, and a secret baby. Ha, I thought, I can do better than that using even more romance standards. I decided to pile on as many clichés as I could: twins, mistaken identity, secret baby, amnesia, men with odd first names, a kidnapping, a rich guy, a fish out of water—all the while keeping the story believable.

About two chapters in, soon after I’d introduced the “grungy bad boy with mystical powers to attract women,” I became more interested in the actual characters and their story. Toph and Janey turned into real people for me and I wanted to make sure they got a fair shake.

So I continued writing, now employing my usual method—I usually write character-driven stories and I love me some tension. But I still managed to work in the romance standards, mostly disguised as people you’d meet on the street. If you pick up a copy of Unnatural Calamities, and you’re a romance reader, you might see many familiar figures or situations—but all twisted to fit a story I grew to love.

She has a deft hand with banana flambé…and a touch that sets his body on fire.

Janey knows all too well she looks a wreck. What hard-working chef wouldn’t, operating on three hours of sleep? Stuck in a dull Connecticut town, taking care of her beloved niece, Rachel, Janey spends her days looking for a job and her nights working high-end catering gigs.

Just her luck, she runs into Mr. Perfect two days past her designated laundry day. And she’s just found out her niece is passing her off as “Mom” to avoid the embarrassment of admitting her real mother, Janey’s identical twin, is serving time.

Despite Janey’s questionable fashion sense and the juicy gossip about her checkered past, venture capitalist Christopher Dunham finds himself drawn to her spark. And warmed by her obvious affection for Rachel, so like what he feels for his own daughter.

When sexy, way-out-of-her-league Toph offers her a business loan, Janey can’t believe her long string of bad luck with bad boys has come to an end. At least, until a blast from her sister’s shady past turns up the heat on their attraction. And sets off a chain of events that could snuff out the flame just as their love starts to come to a boil…

Product Warnings: A comedy of errors, mistaken identity, poor girl meets rich guy, kidnapping at gunpoint, and hot handcuffed sex in a hotel bathtub—and that’s all before lunch.

I’d like to give away two copies of Unnatural Calamities or any other book by Summer Devon (including any m/m’s I’ve written with Bonnie Dee) winner’s choice from https://summerdevon.com.

THANK YOU!
Kate/Summer

Psst! Remember, continue to post in order to increase your chances to win
The Dragon with a Cup of Joe Contest!

For those of you who have to have a paper copy of a book in hand, you’re in luck! Three great ssssssmokin’ stories await you. While you’re admiring the cover and reading through the sexy blurbs, maybe you can answer a question, too.

What is is about printed books that calls to you? Or are you an eBook convert?

Buy at Samhain
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Two men, one woman and some red-hot loving.

“True Heart” by Delilah Devlin

True can’t believe his brother Lonny rented out their isolated hunting cabin to a city girl. With a herd to keep alive, who has time to babysit? Erotica writer Honey needs no distractions to finish her next book, but the Wyatt brothers set her imagination free. Then a fire forces her to seek shelter under their roof—and the temptation to do some “research” is overpowering.

“Winter Fire” by Jess Dee

Rachel and Jackson can’t imagine being with anyone else, but Jackson never dates his twin sister’s friends. At the twins’ birthday weekend at a mountain resort, Rachel tries to forget him by indulging in a fling. Garreth weaves a fantasy that brings Jackson to their bed. Funny thing about his fantasies….they have a way of coming true.

“Triple Dare” by Lexxie Couper

Anna can see trouble is written all over Joseph and Rob, two sexy Aussies on a snowboarding trip to the Rockies. Sure enough, they end up needing her survival skills. Stuck in a remote cabin, the temperatures rise until a double dare turns into a triple threat.

Warning: These stories contain two men loving one woman in ways that break every fire code invented and are guaranteed to warm you on the coldest winter night.

Read an excerpt

The Dragon with a Cup of Joe Contest

What can you win?
This lovely “Lady and a Dragon” coffee cup that comes in a very pretty box.

What do you have to do to enter?
Post a comment—here or on my Facebook page. I follow the KISS motto! (Keep It Simple, Stupid! :))

This contest lasts until December 20th, so there are plenty of chances to enter!

You need something to talk about while you’re here today, don’t you?—besides the pretty coffee cup. Here’s a question:

Would you be more afraid to be trapped on a rope bridge over a canyon
or in a dark cramped cave?

(Also, don’t forget to check out my Contest page! Go there for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com!)

For those of you who asked, the cup comes from Christi’s Gifts & Consignments, 870-230-1877. And yes, she can order more!

I posted a lovely review for A Four-Gone Conclusion at Wild & Wicked Cowboys. I’d love for you to stop by there and say hello! I’ll be busy here working on getting the next cool contest posted then switching gears to slam down pages on Lone Heart!

Oh! And the winner of yesterday’s Facebook-related contest is…Gabi Wurst! Gabi, send me an email! ~DD

Secondary characters add color and help to display different sides to a hero or heroine’s personality. Sometimes, I have fun giving hints of what’s to come in follow-up stories. Enjoy this snippet from the opening of A Four-Gone Conclusion where you meet ALL the Logan brothers over a typical family meal. 🙂

One devilish night…or a chance at heaven?

Lone Star Lovers, Book 5

Sam Logan’s foster sons have a bad rep in Two Mule, Texas. Most of it earned. When it becomes clear they don’t plan on giving up scootin’ after every pretty pair of boots in town anytime soon, he issues the one thing he knows they can’t resist: a challenge. Find a wife.

The oldest, Johnny, is actually grateful. He’s had his eye on Mean Ellie Harker for a long time, and Sam’s challenge is the kick in the pants he needed to ask her out. Except before he can make his move, his brothers kidnap her right out from under his nose. Now, instead of being one question away from victory, he has to compete for the woman of his dreams.

Ellie thought she’d be a dried up old spinster before Johnny finally untangled his tongue long enough to ask for a date. But instead of teaching him better uses for that tongue, his brothers have whisked her away to the ranch. At first she’s furious…then intrigued when she starts to wonder what it might be like to have not just one sexy cowboy dedicated to her pleasure, but four…

Warning: Four handsome cowboys. Four choices. Will it be a single sordid night or a chance at heaven as she savors every luscious inch of the Logan brothers?

“It’s time you boys found yerselves a wife.” Sam Logan made his pronouncement then waited, watching the four younger men seated at the table from the corner of his eye. He didn’t have to wait long for his words to sink in. They exploded in the room with the force of a silent grenade.

Johnny’s jaw closed with a snap, and he laid his spoon down on the scarred oak table. His black winged brows drew together, nearly meeting over his dark eyes as he raised his head.

Sam suppressed a smile. That look could make the toughest hombre gulp, but Sam wasn’t the least bit concerned. Johnny tended to look mean when things changed. His oldest boy hated any kind of change.
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