HelenKay Dimon

I actually kind of hate Halloween, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from enjoying the day. I’ll be fine. You go have fun.

Halloween Animations

Can I just say that I suck at promo? Let me count the ways…

1. I have not one, not two, but three October releases. That still makes them new releases. Do I talk about them non-stop and visit blogs and otherwise make myself a nuisance until potential readers say “fine, we’ll order one of the damn things” and then actually do it? Uh, no. I forget to blog for most of the release month. Well done!! So, here’s my pitch: HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO is absolutely my best single title. Really. [Unless you hate HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO, in which case, I've done better and you should totally buy my other books.] KISSING SANTA CLAUS is a sexy holiday anthology and my novella, It’s Hotter At Christmas, will be featured as a “RED-HOT READ” in Cosmo’s December issue. How can you resist all the hotness? I didn’t think so. TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT includes novellas by the same three authors as KISSING SANTA CLAUS and we’ll likely never share an anthology again (yeah, I’m not above using guilt), so you should get it. And this is the less expensive version, so there’s no excuse.

2. I am in a charity anthology called GIFT OF LOVE (Berkley, June 2010) with Lori Foster, Heidi Betts, Ann Christopher and a bunch of other talented authors. It truly is an honor to be in the anthology, though you would never know that by my failure to talk it up. The book is available for pre-order and you will go to Hell if you don’t order it. Okay, that’s too much. You won’t go to Hell – not for this, anyway – but the proceeds do benefit an important cause. Also, this is my first “sweet” (ie, it’s not spicy sexy) romance and my first romance to feature a kid. Those two things are not going to happen very often in my books, so get on it.

3. My cover for LEAVE ME BREATHLESS (Brava, March 2010) – have you seen it? Probably not since I forgot to post it. My smart webmistress put it up on my blog, but I failed to mention it. Yep. Promo pro. Well, the book is up for pre-order everywhere and here’s the cover:

4. And did I mention that my first Harlequin Intrigue, UNDER THE GUN, is available for pre-order? I probably forgot but will fix that now. It costs less than $5. Certainly you have $5 to try my debut category romance, right? Thought so. Just pre-order it before I get violent.

I vow to do better with promo from now on. Well, I hope to do better. Saying “vow” is probably too strong, but you get the idea.

No, I’m not referring to the movie. I’m referring to me. Library Journal reviewed KISSING SANTA CLAUS – yay!! It named the authors as “Kauffman, Donna & others”** which, believe it or not, is not the most flattering thing ever. Oh, well. At least the book is in there and the reviewer liked it!

Kauffman, Donna & others. Kissing Santa Claus. Brava: Kensington. Oct. 2009. 326p. ISBN 978-0-7582-3884-9. pap. $14. CONTEMPORARY

Continuing the Brava tradition of sexy holiday anthologies, this trio of steamy stories takes readers from cozy wintry towns to lush tropical resorts, providing romance with all the sizzle fans have come to expect. Holly Berry Bennett reluctantly returns to Willow Creek when her parents leave her in charge of their Christmas store and finds love—and uncovers secrets—with an old school friend in Kauffman’s “Lock, Stock, and Jingle Bells”; the owner of an endangered bed-and-breakfast is forced to give shelter to the gorgeous lawyer who’s threatening to foreclose in Jill Shalvis’s “Bah, Handsome”; and a woman with an unbelievable run of bad luck is stranded on Kauai, HI, during the holidays under the watchful eye of a determined cop in HelenKay Dimon’s “It’s Hotter at Christmas.” VERDICT Unforeseen romance, a dash of mystery, and Brava’s brand of hot sex add zing for fans who like their holiday reading on the lusty side.

**Others = Jill Shalvis & HelenKay Dimon, in case you didn’t get that.

There’s an article on CNN called Why Women Love Vampires And Men Don’t. The most interesting part is the “why men don’t” which goes like this:

Dudes just don’t dig bloodsuckers, since vampires pretty much look like girls. We prefer zombies, because we love chainsaws, flamethrowers, and samurai swords.

And because, on some level, we know that besides being vehicles for sperm, our other important, if lesser, genetic imperative is to defend our loved ones from hordes of unthinking, flesh-eating metaphors for current social anxieties.

To most guys, vampires are the monster movie equivalent of that sensitive man-sponge in college who plays acoustic guitar in order to seduce chicks. They’re what you get when you cross your average Renaissance Fair enthusiast with a mosquito.

As for the women:

Women love bad boys – they’re exciting, and the chance to change him, to break him like a horse, must be an irresistible challenge. If self-destruction weren’t seductive on some superficial level, then no one would ever need rehab.

There you have it. The love for True Blood, Twlight and numerous paranormal romances explained.

Some lovely people have emailed reviews for KISSING SANTA CLAUS.

There’s this from Romance Reviews Today:

It’s Hotter at Christmas combines atmosphere, interesting characters, and a mild mystery to produce an engaging romance.

Don’t miss KISSING SANTA CLAUS for its humor, holiday spirit, and sexy romance from three talented writers.

This from Romance Junkies:

I believe this may be my favorite story in this anthology simply because of Marissa’s lack of self-preservation once she’s irritated and Ted’s calm condescending demeanor – add a bit of sexual energy and they definitely could use a bit of snow to cool them off.

KISSING SANTA CLAUS is a praiseworthy contemporary anthology full of hunky heroes and sassy heroines. Each story brought a smile to my face and a chuckle to my heart as the characters struggle through their own personal conflicts. Whether you’re a big fan of the holiday season or wish the whole month of December would fall off the map Christmas themed stories seem to always strike a chord and instill a sense of hope into the reader’s heart.

Awesome! Thank you to the reviewers.

I’m not a big memoir reader. A few years ago I read a bunch and kind of burned out on them for some reason. But this one has me curious. Why? I grew up in an area of Pennsylvania (Lancaster County) with a huge Mennonite population and this is about a woman who returns home to her conservative Mennonite family when her marriage breaks apart. Sounds interesting and a bit different from every other memoir out there.

Here’s the scoop on Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen:

Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her brilliant husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her with serious injuries. What was a gal to do? Rhoda packed her bags and went home. This wasn’t just any home, though. This was a Mennonite home. While Rhoda had long ventured out on her own spiritual path, the conservative community welcomed her back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda’s good-natured mother suggested she date her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.) It is in this safe place that Rhoda can come to terms with her failed marriage; her desire, as a young woman, to leave her sheltered world behind; and the choices that both freed and entrapped her.

The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed Phillip Roth. I found this exchange interesting:

WSJ: What do popular writers such as James Patterson and Nora Roberts have that attracts such huge numbers of readers?

Roth: I don’t know their books. They are entertainers. They aren’t writers. And entertainers have a wide appeal. People love entertainment. They have a different kind of magic.
__________

I don’t think he’s trying to be offensive or he wouldn’t have added the part about magic. Honestly, his view strikes me more as odd (and misguided) than condescending, though there’s a healthy dose of that in there as well. Does this mean if your books entertain people then you are not a writer or just that all popular fiction is nothing more than entertainment? Makes me wonder what he thinks his books offer readers.

And has someone informed Nora that she’s not a writer? Get on that.

I’m blogging at Access Romance Today about opening paragraphs. Check it out here.

I’ve been a bad blogger. I don’t really have any excuse except that once I got out of the habit, I really got out of the habit. My vow is to get back on track next week, strive to be interesting and all that. In the meantime…

Book I will not be reading:

HOW TO BE A MOVIE STAR by William J. Mann – I’m sure this is brilliant. USA Today loves it. Me, well, I hate Hollywood tell-all books. If I want that kind of information I’ll just watch E!.

Book I’m thinking about buying:

ABANDONED by Cody McFadyen – This is billed as a psychological thriller. I’ve never read this author before, but the book sounds creepy and the copy totally grabbed my attention. Want a taste?

For FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett, the wedding of one of their own was cause for celebration. Until a woman staggered down the aisle, incoherent, emaciated, head shaved, and wearing only a white nightgown.

No one knows who she is or where she’s come from—or why she’s chosen to appear in a church filled with law enforcement agents. Then a fingerprint check determines that the woman has been missing for nearly eight years—that once she was someone’s wife, someone’s mother…and a cop. Imprisoning her in a dark cell, depriving her of any contact with the outside world, her enigmatic captor was a man she didn’t know and who seldom spoke, who punished her only when she failed to follow his most basic instructions designed to keep her alive.

Series I want:

The Blood Lilly Chronicles by Julie Kenner. I love the covers and packaging. This seems much darker than Kenner’s usual writing. I’m in!

I’m over at the new Rom Con contemporary romance blog talking about some of my favorite reluctant heroes in Romance novels. Stop by and say hello. While you’re there check out the information on this reader convention.