HelenKay Dimon

Every month I do a drawing for a Amazon gift certificate from those who comment on my blog. We have a winner for May. It’s…

Lois M. (comment #5 on the Taking Stock post) – Congratulations!!!! I sent the gift card to your email address. Enjoy!

It is so easy to forget the real reason behind Memorial Day. Aspiring author and Army officer Jessica Scott summed it up best on her blog:

My daughters will one day be able to look up their dad and me and find our military records out there. My grandfathers were part of World War II. My husband and I are both part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

With any luck, by the time they’re old enough to understand all that, the wars will be viewed as having been worth it. As having been the right thing to do. We’re too close right now to be able to make those judgments. Maybe with time, we’ll be able to see things more clearly.

Remember that this weekend is not about barbecue and picnics. Take some time to teach your kids about our military traditions. Teach them to say thank you to the grizzled VietNam vet you pass in the store. Teach them that there are those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the last century so that their moms and dads could live in peace and raise them, knowing that there are wolves guarding the gates.

But above all, remember the fallen this weekend. Remember those who have served. Their names might have been lost in the sands of time, but their sacrifice has not been.

And if you’re not reading Jessica’s blog, you should. It is at times heartbreaking and always honest.

This week’s topic is summer. I’ve written several books set in Hawaii. Is a sort of perpetual summer there, so I thought I’d offer an excerpt from one of those. This is from IT’S HOTTER IN HAWAII. Here’s the pretty cover:

Cal kept trying to pull Cassie back to the car, but she dragged her feet and slowed him down. His dark burglar outfit had helped him blend into the night but it would soon be a hindrance. In a few hours the warm Hawaii sunshine would roast him like pork chop.

Cassie smiled at the thought.

Then she focused on Cal’s broad back. His muscular arms moved in a controlled rhythm. Every line in sync, every movement calculated. A silent strength radiated off of him in waves. How a man could look this good and be this insufferable at the same time was a mystery.

If she didn’t have such a desperate need for help to clear Dan’s name, she would have run screaming in the opposite direction from this guy. She had been around enough military men to know that Cal Wilson was one of those you stared at, maybe even worked into your nightly fantasies, but then ran like hell when he started looking back in your direction.

The bottom line: when it came to women, Cal was dangerous. And obnoxious. Over-the-top obnoxious.

“For a military man, you’re not very good at obeying the chain of command,” she said.

He scowled at her over his shoulder. “You pulling rank?”

That sounded good, so she decided to try that. “Absolutely.”

He reached out and opened the car door in front of them. “Let’s go.”

So much for being in charge. “Do we have an actual destination in mind or is the idea to drive around in circles until I vomit?”

He ignored her and walked around to the driver’s side of the car without answering.

Not so fast. “Ummm, hello?”

Cal stopped then marched back to her. Judging from the harsh lines etched on his handsome face, he was ticked off.

Well, join the freaking club. She wrestled with her emotions on a nearly hourly basis, rocking back and forth between wanting to cry over Dana and wanting to scream in rage. The horrible events of the last few weeks twisted her nerves, making her less tolerant of his Neanderthal act than she might otherwise have been.

“You don’t scare me.” She said it and actually meant it.

“Oh, really?”

“Not even close.”

The tension on his face eased a bit. “The plane is in the hangar.”

Cassie wondered how she had lost the thread of the conversation. That happened almost every time she talked with Cal. “When exactly did we decide to visit a plane?”

“Cassie.” The tone was a warning.

“Don’t pull that macho crap. What’s going on?”

He held up his hands. “Oh, I forgot. You’re in charge.”

She wasn’t about to back down now. With her knees locked and her legs braced apart, she stared him down. Unfortunately, she had to look up to do it. “That’s right.”

“Okay, boss lady, what’s your suggestion?” He dropped his hands along with the mocking tone.

“First, lose the attitude.”

Be Sure To Visit Today’s Other Snippeters!

Jody Wallace
Mari Carr
Lauren Dane
TJ Michaels
Eliza Gayle
Ashley Ladd
Emma Petersen
Shelley Munro

I was interviewed the other day for a newspaper article. The reporter asked me to tell her something about my life/self that would surprise readers. The request made me smile. With blogs, online interviews, Facebook and twitter I’m thinking people already know more about me than they want to know.

Now, I’m not an over-sharer. I’m actually really careful about what I say and where I say it. Sure, I mess up now and then, but I do try to stick to boundaries. There are authors who, in my view, go waaaay overboard in telling us all about their personal lives. While I appreciate a good “overcoming adversity” story, I don’t want to know that a beloved author married a serial killer knowing he was a serial killer or that she’s tried 43 different meds to try to get her mental health issues under control over the last month. I just can’t wipe that sort of information from my mind once I know, so I’d rather not know it.

So, naturally, I am going to tell you five things you probably don’t know about me. None of these stray into TMI (Too Much Information) territory since they are about movies and books rather than my marriage.

1. I read the last page of every book first. I’ve always done it and can’t break the habit.

2. I can watch any movie on tv, no matter how terrible it is. I’ve seen some doozies on Syfy and Lifetime. It’s a sickness. Once I start, I can’t stop.

3. I haven’t read a single romance author pre-Garwood/Krentz/Howard. That means no Heyer, no Woodwiss, no Rogers. Basically, if the author helped “invent” the genre, I probably missed her books and have no interest in doubling back and reading them now.

4. I’m thinking I’ve read Amanda Quick’s RAVISHED 15 times. For some reason the whole Gideon/Harriet romance makes me smile. I think the book is quintessential Krentz/Quick.

5. I have a hard time telling historical romance covers apart. All the pretty dresses look the same to me. Every time I go to buy a new one – which is rare because historical romance is not my favorite – I stumble because I’m convinced I’ve already read the book. That’s why I appreciate Courtney Milan’s PROOF OF SEDUCTION and Tessa Dare’s newest trilogy because the covers don’t look like every other historical cover. And don’t get me started on yellow dresses on historical covers. Hate them for some reason.

So there. Some information and not one bit of TMI.

Wanted to say a big thank you to all those who bought A PROPER SEDUCTION. It hit the bestseller lists at Books on Board, Amazon, My Bookstore & More and other online stores. Since this is my first ebook, I was worried no one would try it and am truly grateful many of you did.
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Want to mention (again) for all those who live in the San Diego area, I will be teaching a writing workshop at MiraCosta College in June. You can read more here. I’ll be teaching a romance writing workshop in the fall.
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In fact, if you’re wondering gee, where can I meet HelenKay, check out my events page.

I have a question for readers… Do you want authors to indicate the sensuality level of books on their website book pages?

I ask because the levels differ on my books. The Intrigues are sexy but not anywhere near as graphic as my Bravas. My novella in the upcoming charity anthology, THE GIFT OF LOVE, is “sweet” (ie, no sexual activity on the page). On the opposite side, my Bravas are sexy and my Samhain short, A PROPER SEDUCTION, is an erotic romance – ie, much more graphic because the sexual aspects drive the story.

So, as a reader, do you want to know sexuality levels when you look at my Bookshelf page or do you not care? Just wondering.

I’m actually blogging at two places today. I’m at Access Romance talking about why I wrote A PROPER SEDUCTION. Some of them are very personal.

I’m also at The Pink Heart Society talking about something a bit less serious – the virtues of men who are “rough around the edges.”

UPDATE: I don’t have a Saturday Snippet this week. The topic was music and, honestly, I couldn’t figure out what to post on that topic. Instead, I give you a book I want to buy…

I got an email about this book from Publishers Weekly. I have no idea why I got the email or why I opened it, since I usually delete the 4,000 spam-looking emails I get every single day, but this one caught my attention. Happy it did. The book is a debut called STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens.

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two year old realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor pulls up in a van as she’s about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all. Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent as the captive of psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered life back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

The truth doesn’t always set you free.

I have to wait more than a month for this…bummer.

This is Jack, one of the three (spoiled) animals that live in my house. And, to be clear, this photo is from three years/three pounds ago.

Jack is a pretty typical cat in that he goes back and forth between wanting to be left alone and wanting the undivided attention of the humans in the house (see previous comment about being spoiled). Jack was born with one eye. We adopted him, he had a little surgery to close up the empty socket and all is well.

Seeing is not Jack’s problem. Jack’s problem is food. In a strange fluke that was totally the fault of the humans in the household, Jack got lost. He didn’t just get lost. He got lost in North Carolina. We lived in Maryland at the time. The fabulous rescue people told us not to worry, that they would find him as soon as winter came. They were right. We lost him on Labor Day weekend. He was returned to us on MLK Day. When he got lost he weighed about 9 pounds. He came back at 13 pounds. Honestly, he looked like he ate another cat. We had to buy a new litter box because he couldn’t fit his butt in the old one. We have been fighting the weight issue every since.

Thanks to being lost, Jack now has a great love for turkey and chicken. Not sure what happened in North Carolina with Jack to cause this great love, but it’s there. Jack also likes to sneak the dog’s food. For whatever reason, the dog (Jemma) has forgiven Jack.

Jack also steals the food from the dish of our other, much smaller, cat named Oliver. As you can see, Oliver loves Jack and doesn’t hold a grudge.

Jack is now on low-cal food. He is displeased. I’ve tried to explain that doing things like eating my muffin while I answered the front door caused this. He is not buying it. He is too busy being…well, a cat.

My first ever romance short story, A PROPER SEDUCTION, is out today from Samhain. This is an ebook and it’s inexpensive – only $2.50 and even less at the bookstores I link to below – so you should definitely buy it. To entice you further, Samhain describes this as a Red Hot! That means the sensuality level is smokin’ hot.

If somehow that description didn’t make you want to buy it – and I just don’t know how that would be possible but whatever – try this:

Don’t get even. Get everything…

Justin screwed up with Lauren, and in the past she’s made no secret of the fact she loathes him. So when she walks into his office flashing miles of long, lean legs, his brain cells misfire. Three nights of meaningless sex? He’s all over it. Not only does he have the chance to unleash his desire for her, it’s the opening he’s been waiting for—to convince her to give him more.…

You can buy it at My Bookstore & More or Books On Board or Amazon.

Go forth and purchase.