Archive for category reviews

news!

Dec 21

Posted by kate in a walk in the dark, across the east river bridge, interviews, reviews | 1 Comment

I’ve been too busy to post much around here, but a few things have happened in the last couple of weeks. So, without further ado…

1) I’m the featured author this week over at Lou Sylvre’s blog. You can click on the link to see everything, including an interview with me and excerpts of Blind Items and Across the East River Bridge.

2) Across the East River Bridge is now available from All Romance Ebooks!

3) Reviews! Across the East River Bridge got a great review from Sensual Reads. My Christmas short “A Walk in the Dark” got a great review from Queer Magazine Online.

4) The Dreamspinner Advent Calendar (in which you can find “A Walk in the Dark”) got a little shout out from Lambda Literary.

5) Now is as good a time as any to remind you that I’ve got a Christmas-related freebie over here. It’s on the website or you can download it as a PDF. It’s about two lost souls who find each other at the top of the Empire State Building on Christmas Eve.

Otherwise, I’ve been keeping busy, mostly with work, writing, and Christmas shopping.

reviews and things

Nov 16

Posted by kate in across the east river bridge, reviews | 2 Comments

I woke up this morning to find two new reviews of Across the East River Bridge:

MM Good Book Reviews gave it 4 hearts:

This is a great story that drew me in because of the interesting historical facts as well as a doomed 1870’s love story and the present love story. I must admit that I am a bit of a history nerd and love finding out new historical facts especially when it’s blended in with fiction and this author does that beautifully. This isn’t a light read; I’d class it as medium as we have two historical researcher’s digging into a mystery that is over a hundred years old and they are trying to figure out their attraction to each other; while one of them is fighting it and two ghosts are interfering with them as well.

And Cecilia Ryan at Three Crow Press gave it 4.5/5 stars:

The characters were engaging, and the mystery that formed the basis of the plot was interesting to watch unfold, with satisfying glimpses into history dotted along the way that were a bit like uncovering buried treasure. All in all, it was an entertaining read with perhaps a little more substance to the plot than you might normally find, and strong enough characters, setting and writing to hold up to the increased complexity. I can honestly say I just enjoyed reading it, in a simple sort of way that makes me perfectly happy.

(This was an especially nice review for me, since Cecilia and I are both members of the same online writing community, and we have had some, let’s say, spirited discussions. So I’m especially grateful that she took the time to read the book!)

—

I have crossed the 50,000-word threshold on my NaNoWriMo novel, and I’m currently about 60% of the way through my outline, so there’s still a lot of story to go. And there are fantasy elements! If you had asked me two years ago if I saw myself ever writing fantasy, I would have laughed at you, and yet here we are. Just goes to show it’s good to keep an open mind!

a few tiny things

Sep 23

Posted by kate in across the east river bridge, reviews, the boy next door | 2 Comments

Earlier this week, I ordered a bunch of goodies to give out at GayRomLit. (Bookmarks, postcards, and stickers!) I’m tinkering with the website some this weekend to match my new designs, starting with the new banner on the top of my site. It’s not a radical change, I know, and this banner is less sexy than the old one, but I like it.

Also, Fallen Angel Reviews gave four angels to The Boy Next Door.

I spent a good chunk of tonight putting together a Special Features post for Across the East River Bridge that has a ton of photos, plus historical background and some suggestions for further reading. The characters in the book are fictional, but there’s some real history tied into the plot with the ghosts. That post will go live a couple of days before the book comes out.

cover art, new story, other news

Sep 17

Posted by kate in across the east river bridge, blind items, reviews | 3 Comments

I have a bunch of announcements!

1. Across the East River Bridge, due out October 12 from Loose Id, has cover art, as you can see. (Valerie Tibbs was the cover artist.) I will have some cool stuff (a book trailer, an excerpt, some special features) up in the coming days. (The link brings you to the book page, where you can read the blurb.)

I’m pretty excited about this book. It’s about two old academic rivals who team up to solve an old mystery and then, naturally, fall in love. They investigate the deaths of two men who died in 1878. The novel is kind of a tour of Brooklyn, as Finn and Troy, my two main characters, visit neighborhoods all over the borough in search of clues. There’s also a glimpse into the Brooklyn of the 1870s, which was pretty fun to research. (Well, it was fun to research if you’re me, because I’m a nerd.) The book is kind of a love letter to the borough I’ve called home for the last five years.

2. I will have a story in Dreamspinner’s Advent Calendar this year. It’s about a guy who is in love with his roommate’s boyfriend. Look for that in December. (It will be available as part of the advent calendar, or for individual download.)

3. Here’s a pretty nice review of Blind Items from Top 2 Bottom reviews (4.5 out of 5 kisses!).

I think those are the big things. Here in New York, it’s cooled off some, so I guess fall is here. (We had a pretty mild August, so I’m sad about seeing summer go.) I’m still writing away, working on a few different new projects. Hope you all are having great weekends.

review, broadway, november

Sep 7

Posted by kate in blind items, nanowrimo, new york, reviews | 1 Comment

First, thanks to Night Owl Reviews for the great review of Blind Items!

Second, among other things, I went to see the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying on Broadway this weekend. I have to say, ~~Harry Potter~~ Daniel Radcliffe was pretty great! It’s a fun show.

Third, I’m thinking about National Novel Writing Month already, and have this completely crazy idea. I spent some time today writing out several pages of notes. So I hope that works out!

this and that

Jun 11

Posted by kate in baseball, blind items, reviews | No Comments

Some bullet points!

• Brooklyn Pride is this weekend, although unfortunately, the weather is pretty crappy, gray and rainy. (You may recall that I went to the street fair last year—oddly, this year’s festivities haven’t been advertised hardly at all, so it looks to be a small celebration, though there is a parade tonight I might go watch if it doesn’t get rained out.)

• I’m also hip deep in the second round of edits for my upcoming Dreamspinner novel Blind Items and I’m writing a new novel that I’m really excited about, so that’s also taking up my time this weekend.

• Here’s a really nice review of The Boy Next Door.

• I recently joined the local RWA chapter, and it seems to be a pretty great group of people. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend the national convention in a few weeks, which is a real bummer because it’s in New York.

• And right now I’ve got the Yankees game on, which mostly looks like watching it rain int he Bronx. Well, happy Saturday and happy Pride!

a couple of reviews and some lofty goals

May 15

Posted by kate in kindling fire with snow, reviews, the boy next door | No Comments

The Boy Next Door reviewed by Joyfully Reviewed: “The Boy Next Door is an engaging tale of a man caught between family and love.”

Kindling Fire with Snow reviewed by Jenre: “Those of you looking for a sweet read that’s not too high on sugar will like this book and I recommend it with a grade of ‘Very good’.”

And now I find myself with two days in which I don’t have much to do other than write, which is such a luxury lately that I’m inclined to shut myself in. I have the goal of writing 10,000 words on my current WIP between now and the end of tomorrow, which is possible, I think, but definitely challenging. And I have a few much-lamented WIPs that I should get back to. So, you know, write write write!

events and a review

Mar 14

Posted by kate in conventions, reviews, the boy next door | No Comments

First, The Boy Next Door got 4 ravens from Blackraven’s Reviews.

Second, I’ve added an events page. I’ll be adding to this as I confirm my plans for various conventions and things this year, but so far, I will for sure be at the Rainbow Book Fair in New York on March 26th and the GayRomLit retreat in New Orleans in October. I’m super excited for both!

review roundup

Feb 9

Posted by kate in kindling fire with snow, reviews, the boy next door | No Comments

Reviews for The Boy Next Door are starting to roll in!

4-star review from Three Dollar Bill Reviews:

This is the kind of story I enjoy … I love how “down-to-earth” it is.

By the way, I am working on a sequel, which will be Neal’s story. I’m still writing it, so I don’t have an ETA on that, but it is in the works.

4.5-star review from Tj at Jessewave:

The characters of Lowell and Jase really came to life for me and their revived friendship and budding romance felt very real. But the road to love is not an easy one. Jase has a troubled ex-wife Karen, who is understandably hurt from Jase’s rejection of her, and tries to control his life by threatening his custody of their daughter. As much as I wanted to hate Karen, and at times I felt that she was a bit of a harpy, I could also understand her pain, a pain that anyone who has had an unrequited love will understand.

The Boy Next Door also made Loose Id’s bestseller list 2 weeks in a row, so thanks to everyone who bought the book. And thanks to the reviewers for taking the time to review! Book bloggers are seriously awesome.

And, bonus, a new review of Kindling Fire with Snow from Val Kovalin:

The author did a good job with the subtle, precise details (much of it through dialog) that communicated their opposite personalities and cultural backgrounds (introverted Jewish guy, extroverted Irish-American). Also, I was very impressed with the vivid details, including landmarks and street names, which made Brooklyn come alive as a setting for this engaging story about second chances. Recommended.

Pssst. The Boy Next Door is available here!