HelenKay Dimon

I was reading an interview with author Gillian Flynn at USA Today about her new book, DARK PLACES. She says in the interview, “”Somehow, I’ve always been attracted to the underside of human nature.” Yeah, I know the feeling. Well said.

Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her.

As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben, a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started–on the run from a killer.

Must get caught up on my work so I can read this.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and to all of the other moms out there!

Four years ago today I was sitting at work and got a call from Kate Duffy at Kensington. Not just any call, THE CALL. She bought a novella that afternoon and then put it in the WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD BOYS anthology with Lori Foster and Erin MCCarthy. It was a good day. Since then, I’ve sold 8 single titles, including a recent sale in category romance to Harlequin Intrigue, and 10 novellas. Awesome. Just awesome.

Huge thanks to all who stop by here, buy my books, send me nice emails, tell your friends about my writing and provide support. I am eternally grateful.

I saw on Gawker that there’s a debut book by Paula Froelich coming out called MERCURY IN RETROGRADE. It’s chick lit, about the lives of three women in a Soho apartment building. Works for me, but that’s not the interesting part. The part that caught my attention is the change in cover.

Of the two covers below, one was nixed and the other is the final one. I’m not sure I love either one, but I actually liked the one the publisher dumped much more than the one it kept. Can you guess which is which?

From Publishers Marketplace:

FILM RIGHTS
Michele McPhee’s book on the Craigslist killer, optioned to Sony TV, to be produced by Judith Verno, by Jody Hotchkiss of Hotchkiss and Associates, on behalf of Jane Dystel at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

Love reading true crime novels but am always amazed at how quickly they come out following some horrific tragedy.

The fabulous Shannon Stacey is giving away copies of two of my books – YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY and IT’S HOTTER IN HAWAII.

Go forth and enter.

In case you haven’t seen one somewhere else, I posted an excerpt of my October release, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO, on the Brava blog. Go check it out.

Cosmo online has an article about the lies men tell to get you…well, out of your skirt. These seem a bit obvious to me, but I’ll pass them on in case anyone out there is in the middle of dating Hell. I’m also including my thoughts on each. To the extent this makes the dating experience worse, I apologize.

Dating Lie #1: “I’m in between jobs.”
How I read this: You will be supporting his lazy ass for decades if you get messed up with him.

Dating Lie #2: “I never move this fast on the first date.”
How I read this: Sure, I bet he says no to women all the time. Riiiight. He’s probably slept with every woman you know including your sister and that odd cousin who always struck you as asexual.

Dating Lie #3: “I’ve never had a serious girlfriend.”
How I read this: He’s a liar, gay, married or lives with his mother. No matter which one it is, most women are smart enough to run.

Dating Lie #4: “I’ll call you.”
How I read this: Just kick him in the shins now because when he doesn’t call – and he won’t – you’ll wish you had injured him.

So happy I’m not dating.

I have good news. Alison Kent was nice enough to offer up two books for last weekend’s giveaway. Thank you, Alison. So…the winners are: Victoria (comment #8) and MarthaE (Comment #14). Congrats ladies! Email me with your contact information and we’ll get those books out to you ASAP.

I have a signed copy of Alison Kent’s latest, NO LIMITS, and it’s looking for a new home. If you haven’t read an Alison Kent book you are really missing out. She writes sexy romantic adventure. Love her books. And the cover on this one is gorgeous. Have a look:

Simon Baptiste’s latest SG-5 mission just went south in a major way. It seems like a good time to take care of some business back home in Louisiana. Simon knows it ain’t going to be pretty. He’s got old enemies in Bayou Allain who won’t exactly roll out the red carpet. But Simon’s first night back is more than he bargained for. Not only has the homestead gone to hell in a hand basket, but there’s a half-naked woman hiding inside it—a woman whose face Simon knows all too well. It’s Michelina Ferrer, the sultry spokesmodel for her family’s Ferrer fragrance empire—and Simon’s been staring at her picture on a billboard outside his Manhattan apartment for weeks…

Micky Ferrer came down to Bayou Allain looking for her old college friend, only to discover that Lisa Landry has been missing for days. As soon as Micky starts asking questions, someone runs her car off the road. She’s hiding out in the old Baptiste place when Simon shows up—and he’s the hottest thing she’s laid eyes on since she got to town. Simon agrees that something strange is going on and that Lisa’s disappearance may be tied to it. As he and Micky search for answers, the sweltering heat makes it hard to keep their heads straight or their hands off each other…even as they unravel the small-town secrets that some people are willing to kill for…
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Want to win it? Let’s talk about Louisianna, the setting of this book. The sweltering heat makes it a fabulous place for a romance novel. One of my favorite Louisianna-set romances is LUCKY’S LADY by Tami Hoag. Tell me your favorite. If you can’t think of one set in Louisianna, tell me your all-time favorite romance setting and the title of the book. Leave a comment here and I’ll pick a winner by Monday morning.