And now a tribute from our agent - JOSH GETZLER!

So in honor of Rocco’s blogaversary, I’ve agreed to write a post, and needed to figure out something that would be both about books and about cats. (It actually wasn’t presented to me that way, but I figured it was only correct and appropriate that I do so…)

I realized that within the amazing subset of my client lists that is comprised of cozy mystery writers, I had quite a number who write about, either primarily or peripherally, cats. Sometimes, as with Rocco’s own Toni LoTempio, the cats are the foci of the book. Nick (who’s based somewhat clearly on a dashing feline with a blog) quite directly assists Nora in solving crimes.

Sometimes, as in Sheila Webster Boneham’s mysteries, the cats are important, but somewhat less anthropomorphic. They certainly play significant roles, but get directly involved on the crime front only occasionally (albeit importantly). One difference in Sheila’s books is that Sheila writes about many more animals than cats—a dog is vital, one of her books has a story arc about birds, and the theme of the series is Animals in Focus rather than, say, Cats on Film.  

Finally there is Jeff Cohen, in whose E.J. Copperman books there is nary a cat. Or I should say there WAS nary a cat, because one day, before the second Copperman book came out, I got a call from Jeff.

“Man, I don’t understand my publisher. A full third of the cover is taken up by a large, serene cat. And you know what’s funny about that?”

“What, Jeff?”

“There’s not ONE DARN CAT IN THE BOOK! I don’t even LIKE cats!” (Don’t worry, Cozy Readers, he’s still a nice guy!)

We called his wonderful editor and explained the problem.

“Tough,” said Shannon. “We love the cover. He needs to put in a cat.”

So on one page in An Uninvited Ghost, a cat walks across the lawn. And gets a third of the cover and the spine drawing. It wins Best Supporting Actor with less screen time than Judy Dench in Shakespeare in Love.

I find this all fascinating, and a little baffling. On the other hand, it goes along with any genre. Romances have their particular requirements (not simply a bare-chested cat—er, guy—on the cover); so do Westerns and noir and many science fiction novels. They sell books. And that’s why we have cats that spell, cats that drive, cats that teach Spanish, cats that scuba dive, and of course, cats who solve crimes like Rocco—I mean Nick!

Happy Blogaversary, Rocco!

--

Josh

Heather Massey's Sci-Fi Romance Giveaway! MEOW!

Congratulations, Rocco, on your third blogaversary! Meowza!

Given my love of science fiction romance, I'd like to help celebrate Rocco's longevity with a giveaway contest.

This is a puzzle contest. Kind of like a word search, but without the word clues. The first commenter to figure out the phrase the titles below form will win first prize: a print copy of Sharon Lynn Fisher's GHOST PLANET (sponsored by me; contest limited to U.S. residents).

If you've already read GHOST PLANET, fear not. You can still enter because whether the puzzle is solved or not, all other visitors can leave a comment for a chance to win the second prize: the choice of two available digital titles from my back list. Click here to see the books.

If, in one week from the date of this post, the puzzle remains unsolved, I'll pick two winners at random (in which case, check back here to see if you've won!)

 REBEL (Cat Star Chronicles) – Cheryl Brooks

ON HER WATCH – Rie Warren

CAPTIVE (Survival Race #3) – K.M. Fawcett

CAUGHT IN AMBER – Cathy Pegau

ONE FOR KAMI – Charlene Wilson

TIN CAT – Misa Buckley

HARRY'S SACRIFICE (Resonance Mates #5) – Bianca D'Arc

EVOLUTION: ANGEL - S.A. Huchton

COLD WARRIORS – Clare Dargin

A KISS FOR A CURE – Sidney Bristol

THE PORTAL – S.E. Gilchrist

About the author

Heather Massey is a lifelong fan of science fiction romance. She searches for sci-fi romance adventures aboard her blog, The Galaxy Express. She’s also an author in the subgenre. To learn more about her published work, visit heathermassey.com.

Read a sci-fi romance for a good cause

Please consider purchasing a digital copy of my steampunk romance short story "Steambot Rampage" ($.99 at Smashwords and Amazon). All proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society in memory of L&L Dreamspell founder Linda Houle. Thanks for your support!

Miranda James helps ROCCO celebrate!

Miranda James is the pseudonym of Dean James, a seventh-generation Mississippian long transplanted to Texas. A mystery fan since the age of ten, he wrote his first novel at the ripe old age of twelve. The only copy of The Mystery of the Willow Key vanished years ago, but since it was highly derivative of the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden mystery series, that’s probably a good thing.

     I blame Nancy Drew for my life of crime. Reading it and writing it, that is.

     I was ten when I borrowed The Secret of Shadow Ranch from a cousin. It was the first mystery I ever read, and I was hooked. Then, to my delight, I discovered this was only one of a long series of adventures in which Nancy solved mystery after mystery. Just as exciting, I soon found other amateur mystery-solvers: the Hardy Boys, the Dana Girls, Judy Bolton, Trixie Belden, and many more. By the time I began reading adult mysteries, my love of the amateur detective was completely entrenched.

     When I decided I wanted to write a mystery myself, I knew my main character would be an amateur. After all, I’m not a policeman, or a lawyer, or a private detective. But I do have a healthy dose of curiosity about the world around me and the people in it. Charlie Harris, the sleuth in my “Cat in the Stacks” series, is just like me in that respect. He’s also about my age (fiftyish, if you must know), he’s a librarian, he grew up in Mississippi, and he has a Maine coon cat. That’s as far as it goes, however. (I have two cats, by the way, neither of which is a Maine coon. Also, Diesel is much better behaved than my two.)

     I wanted to incorporate my knowledge of, and love for, these juvenile series books into one of my own books, and in the new book, The Silence of the Library, I have done so. I created a series character in the mold of Nancy Drew and the other girl detectives and called her Veronica Thane. The author of the series, Electra Barnes Cartwright, was inspired by Mildred Wirt Benson (the first writer, aka “Carolyn Keene”, of the Nancy Drew series, Margaret Sutton, author of the Judy Bolton series, and Julie Campbell Tatham, the original author of Trixie Belden. In fact the book is dedicated to their memories.

     The most fun part of writing this book for me was the “excerpts” from the first Veronica Thane book. I reread some of my favorite girl detective stories from the 1930s to get a sense of the style in my head, and off I went. I hope readers will get a kick out of this aspect of the story. Of course, The Silence of the Library includes murder – a subject that usually didn’t come up in the classic juvenile series books. But when you get a number of rabid book collectors together, with hints of a rare and highly collectible volume, something deadly is sure to happen.

OUR GUEST POSTER TODAY - LINDA O JOHNSTON!

     Hi, Rocco, and thanks for inviting me to your blog again.

            I'm Linda O. Johnston, and I'm a real animal lover.  That's why I write the Pet Rescue Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime.  The latest Pet Rescue Mystery, TEACUP TURBULENCE, was just published this month.  I usually have a theme involving pet rescue in this series, and TEACUP TURBULENCE is no exception.  It focuses on people who care enough about animals to move them from one location, where they might not find new homes, to someplace where that particular kind of pet is more in demand.  Sometimes it's done by pilots relocating them by flights in private planes.  Those flights can be direct, or in relays, as they are in TEACUP TURBULENCE.  People can also drive the pets from one locale to another.  The point is to move the animals from places they might be in danger to those where they can more easily be taken in by a loving family.

            I believe that this happens more with dogs of different sizes, breeds or backgrounds than it does with cats.  As far as I can see, cat lovers may have certain types they prefer, but I believe that people will adopt cats who are available nearest them and don't necessarily resort to long-distance rescues.   But, Rocco, feel free to correct me.

            In any event, the small dogs featured in TEACUP TURBULENCE were saved from a puppy mill far from Los Angeles, where my protagonist Lauren Vancouver runs her wonderful no-kill pet shelter HotRescues.  Although there are usually too many teacup-sized dogs in Los Angeles, in my story they're highly in demand thanks to a special ad campaign run by Dante DeFrancisco, the benefactor of HotRescues, who also owns a major chain of pet stores called HotPets.  HotPets is selling HotPets Bling collars for dogs.  The popular ads show tiny dogs wearing them, and people become so enamored of their cuteness that they want to adopt those little dogs.  That puts the dogs highly in demand--which is a great thing for those rescued pups, who aren't being adopted quickly around where the puppy mill was located.  It's a win-win situation for everyone... except, since it's a cozy mystery, someone gets murdered.  In fact, in the Pet Rescue Mysteries, "no-kill" refers to pets, not people!

            These kinds of rescues actually occur.  There are quite a few wonderful organizations with volunteers who use their own private planes or other vehicles to relocate animals to the places where they're most likely to be adopted.  I applaud every one of them! 

            How about  you?    

Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year.   Since then, Linda has published more short stories and novellas, plus 35 romance and mystery novels, including Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne. 

Linda’s Pet Rescue Mysteries, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, feature Lauren Vancouver, a determined pet rescuer who runs a no-kill shelter.  In this cozy series, “no-kill” refers to pets, not people!  

And watch for Linda's new Superstition Mystery Series coming soon from Midnight Ink!

Visit Linda's website: www.LindaOJohnston.com  and friend her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaOJohnston

IT'S BLOGAVERSARY WEEK! MEOW!

Meow – a very fond thank you to all those who’ve been following me the past three years! 2014 promises to be a good year, with lots of interviews, giveaways, our annual KIDS NEED TO READ FUNDRAISER (featuring an article personally autographed by Nathan Fillion!) and the release of the human’s first cozy mystery, MEOW IF IT’S MURDER this coming December. (Although who wrote more of it – the Human or myself – is still being debated, meow) This week we will feature guest posts from some of our favorite guests: Tuesday: Linda O. Johnston; Wednesday: Miranda James; Thursday: Heather Massey (with a giveaway!); Friday: the Human’s agent (and mine by extension) Josh Getzler; concluding Monday, February 3 with a guest post by the indominitable MARY JANICE DAVIDSON. MJ is giving my readers an exclusive peek at a chapter from the next Betsy book, due out in July! So…let’s get this party started! Last week’s giveaway winner is Katherine Ivan! Congrats, Katherine! And now…..let’s get this party started – on deck tomorrow – Linda O. Johnston!

I interview....ANNIE KNOX! Author of the "Pet Boutique" mysteries!

Meow! My guest today is mystery author Annie Knox!

While Annie Knox does not commit--or solve--murders in real life, her love of animals is 100% real.  She's also passionately devoted to 80s music, Asian horror films, and reality TV.   Annie, her husband, and their spoiled cats (Todd, Iphy, and Squeak-a-doodle) make their home in a small town in north Texas, just blocks from the town’s courthouse square. 

R:  Welcome, Annie!  Tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in writing.

My path to writing has been a long and winding one.  When I was in high school, I started writing really bad poetry, and I thought “this is what I want to do.”  Then my parents convinced me that medicine was a better alternative.  Alas, that didn’t take, so I took a creative writing class in college, and I thought “this is what I want to do.”  Again, my parents intervened and suggested law school.  After law school and a Ph.D. program in political science, I happened to take a community creative writing class, and I thought “this is what I want to do.”

That time, I actually started doing it.

R: What drew you to the MYSTERY genre?

I started writing romances, but my lovers kept tripping over dead bodies.  I guess I’m just the tiniest bit morbid, but I love the inherent conflict in unnatural death and I love the puzzle of figuring out who did it (and why).

R: Tell us about your new series, PAWS FOR MURDER.

Paws for Murder is the first in the Pet Boutique Mysteries.  Izzy McHale, my sleuth, studied hard to be a fashion designer for people, but her life takes a series of unfortunate turns and she creates a new nich for herself designing and selling clothes for critters.  She lives in a small tourist town in north central Minnesota.  The town may be small, but the trouble is big, and it always seems to land on the doorstop of her shop, Trendy Tails.

R: You also write under another name. Can you tell us something about those books?

Yes!  I write under the name Wendy Lyn Watson.  As Wendy, I wrote a cozy series called the Mysteries a la Mode (I Scream, You Scream; Scoop to Kill; and A Parfait Murder).  Tally Jones owns and ice cream parlor in a small Texas town, and she’s dishing up clues almost as often as she’s dishing up her small-batch high-end ice cream.  There’s a great romance thread in these books, so if you like a little “awww” with your mystery, I highly recommend them.

I’ve also written a historical romance called “Once Upon a Wallflower,” and I’m working on two more projects as Wendy.  In fact, one is an edgy, comedic mystery that I simply cannot wait to get back to (deadlines!).

R:  Do you have an “how I got my agent” story you’d like to share?  How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?

Why yes.  Yes I do.  Before I’d ever heard of a cozy mystery, I was starting that edgy, comedic mystery mentioned above.  I was a member of Romance Writers of America, so I submitted it to a chapter contest.  The final round judge was Kim Lionetti, at the time an editor for Berkley.  She asked to see the whole thing . . . which I didn’t have.  A few months later she called to say she was joining Bookends Literary Agency, but she hoped I would consider her for representation.

It took me a couple of years to finish that book (what with moving, starting a tenure-track job, etc.), but when I was done I happened to run into her at another RWA conference and ended up sending her that edgy mystery.  And that’s all she wrote!

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?

I’m pretty low maintenance.  I need caffeine (diet coke or tea).  And it helps if I’m working with someone else.  It keeps me accountable and focused to be sitting next to someone who is working.

R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?

I’m just visiting, right?  Because I love having my rights and indoor plumbing … But if it’s just for a visit, I’d love to travel to Regency England to experience what it was really like.  Not the sanitized version we get in romance novels, but the real deal.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

Despite the PG13 nature of my cozy mysteries and my professional decorum when I teach, I actually swear like a drunken sailor when I’m “off duty.”  Okay, maybe not a drunken sailor … but a tipsy tugboat captain.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done? 

Gone skinny dipping in Lake Superior.  At night.  In November.  It was foolish, but exhilarating

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?

First, I hope they laugh.  Second, I hope they pick up on the themes that run through all of my books:  the importance of family, whether by birth or by choice, and the things we’ll do to protect them.

R: What are you working on at the moment / next?

Right now I have a lot of balls in the air.  I’m finishing up the second Pet Boutique Mystery (Groomed for Murder), I have edits on that edgy mystery that I love so much, and I’m putting together a new series which remains—for the moment—top secret.

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Used to be a plotter, but deadlines are turning me into a pantser.

R: What do you do when you’re not writing? Any hobbies or party tricks? :)

Ha!  I’m kind of a homebody.  I love watching movies (especially scary ones), hanging out with my friends, spending time with my cats.  I do like to indulge in other creative pursuits.  I used to quilt a lot, and in the last couple of months I’ve taken classes in painting furniture and making stained glass.

R: Where can we find out more about you and your work?

I have two websites:  wendylynwatson.com and annieknoxauthor.com.  I also spend a fair amount of time on Facebook (/wendylynwatson and /annieknoxauthor).

R: Do you have any advice for beginning writers?

Write, write, write.  Don’t try to recreate what someone else has done, but do free-writing exercises and experiment with genres until you find your own natural, unique voice.

R: If you weren’t a writer, what would you be doing?

I actually love my day job teaching political science and advising pre-law students … so that’s what I’d be doing if I weren’t writing.

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  - Day .

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully) – both, but I have cats

Beach or Pool?   - beach

Steak or salad?  - salad

Favorite Drink?  - Diet Coke

Favorite Book?  - Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn

Favorite TV Series?  - right now, The Americans

Favorite Movie?  - A Room with a View

Favorite Actor: - Robert Downey Jr.

Favorite Actress: - Glenn Close

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada? – Pina Colada

Hawaii or Alaska? - Hawaii

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Mother Teresa (I’d hope some of her love and charity would rub off

If I had just one wish, it would be to have the time to write as much as I want.

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be No one.  My live is great and I can’t imagine living another one.

Thank you, Annie for a great interview!

Here are all the places you connect with Annie (and Wendy too)

Web:  wendylynwatson.com

annieknoxauthor.com (in development but will be running by the time this posts)

FB:  /annieknoxauthor and /wendylynwatson

Annie will give away  a signed copy of Paws for Murder and a Packer stressball (Packer is Izzy’s pug bulldog mix)to one lucky commenter!

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post with your name and email address (entries without email will be disqualified). For extra entries, you can do any or all of the below:

* Follow my blog (+ 1 point)
* Follow me on Twitter (+ 1 point) (Link: https://twitter.com/RoccoBlogger)
* Tweet about the contest (+ 1 point)
* Friend me on Facebook (+ 1 point) (Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToniLotempio)#!/

* Mention the contest on Facebook (+ 1 point)
* Mention the contest on your blog (+ 1 point)

Winner will be chosen at random using random.org.  Don’t forget to mention all you’ve done in your comment. Good luck! Contest ends Midnight, Jan 26!

New Year, New Us! Meow!

Meow! Can you believe it’s 2014!!!!!!!! And we hope it’s going to be a STELLAR year! The human has two books coming out later this year…a paranormal suspense, SOAPSUDS SEX AND SILVER BULLETS, coming from Entangled Publishing in July, and the much awaited (by me, at least) first in the Nick and Nora series, MEOW IF IT’S MURDER, December release. But don’t worry, we still plan on continuing our author interviews/giveaways/guest posts and, of course, we will have our annual KIDS NEED TO READ fundraiser coming in September this year! Hope all of our readers had a happy and healthy holiday season! Join us next week when our guest is author Annie Knox and then….the week of January 27 is my third blogaversary! Can you believe it! the blog began on January 25, 2011…and we have lots of guests and surprises coming up that week, so be sure to drop in! And how did you like the Golden Globes Sunday? Did your favorites win???????? Congrats also to our five Kimberly Raye giveaway winners: Libby, Tonette, Osolemio, Barbed1951 and bluepooh1! Until next time, ROCCO INCREDIBLE BLOGGINGCAT

Happy January with KIMBERLY RAYE!!!!!!

Today my guest is bestselling author Kimberly Raye!

Bestselling author Kimberly Raye started her first novel in high school and has been writing ever since.  To date, she’s published more than fifty-eight novels, two of them prestigious RITA Award nominees.  She’s also been nominated by Romantic Times BOOK reviews for several Reviewer’s Choice awards, as well as a career achievement award.  Her books have been featured in numerous magazines, including Cosmo and Better Homes and Garden.  Most recently, her DEAD END DATING series for Ballantine Books was optioned by Disney for a television pilot.  Kim is currently writing steamy contemporary reads for Harlequin’s Blaze line.  She lives deep in the heart of the Texas Hill Country with her husband and their young children.  She’s an avid reader who loves Diet Dr. Pepper, Twitter, chocolate, and alpha males.  Kim also loves to hear from readers.  You can visit her online at www.kimberlyraye.com.

And now…Kimberly!

R: Hello, Kim and welcome. What drew you to the PARANORMAL genre? 

K: Thanks, ROCCO!  Well, I’ve always been a huge Stephen King fan.  I started reading him when I was only ten years old.  A short time after that, I discovered Janelle Taylor and fell in love with the romance genre.  Pair the two and it doesn’t get much better!

R: What writers in your genre would you say have made the greatest influence on your writing?

K:  For romance, it has to be Susan Johnson.  When I read BLAZE, it literally changed my life and made me desperately want to write romance.  Along the way, I also fell in love with Janet Evanovich and Maggie Shayne.  All very different writers, but they all contributed in their own way.  Janet Evanovich for the humor, Maggie Shayne for the heart-pounding paranormal elements, and Susan Johnson for the pure, intense romance that she brings to every book.  I love them all!

R: The Human and I are both huge fans of your “Dead End Dating” series. How did that come about?

K:  I love the Stephanie Plum series and I wanted to find a paranormal equivalent.  A character who was personable, funny, and someone you would want to be friends with.  I came up with Lil who is a vampire and a closet romantic.  Very contradictory terms, but it works for her because she’s like your BFF, but with fangs.

R:  is there any of you in the character of Lil?

K:   I, too, am a die-hard romantic.  I cry during Mastercard and SPCA  commercials and I have a secret stash of MAC cosmetics.  Lil, however, tends to be a little more kick-ass than yours truly.  Sure, my secret self kicks a little ass imagination wise, but in reality I’m a pretty tame football mom.

R: Tell us about the latest entry in that series, Here comes the Vampire!  Why did you decide to self-publish it?

K:  Readers kept asking for it!  I wanted desperately to publish it much earlier, but Random House still owned rights to it and legally, my hands were tied.  I’ve read a lot of messages posted by various readers who were upset with me because they felt I was withholding the book on purpose.  Not true.  I finally received the official letter releasing rights back to me in October 2013, and I self-published the book in a matter of weeks in November.  I know it’s hard for readers to understand some of the legalities of publishing, but I couldn’t legally put the book out until I had an actual release in hand.  I hope readers will understand and know that I did my best!

R: Which of (your character)  adventures was the most fun for you to write? Were any of them the least amount of fun?

K: I love writing Lil.  She will always be one of my most favorite characters to write.  I also loved writing Jess Damon, the lead character in THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS, the first book in my new series for Montlake romance (Amazon).  Jess is a reformed succubus/wedding planner determined to find her own happily ever after.  Unfortunately, happiness isn’t all that easy to come by since her mother is the devil (no, really).  Both Lil and Jess are like my besties and it’s always fun to write a new adventure for them.

R:  Do you have an “how I got my agent” story you’d like to share?  How did you feel when you got the call your first novel had sold?

K:   I actually sold my first book before I got an agent.  I’ll never forget—I had submitted my book to Silhouette Shadows (it had won several local contests and drew the attention of one of the editors who was judging)  and had been waiting for months before The Call finally came.  It was Karen Taylor Richman telling me that she wanted to buy my book.  I was at work that day and let out a scream that brought the entire office running.  Definitely a happy moment!  The agent came later (around book six) and was much easier to get because I was already a published writer.

R: What’s a must have for you when you are writing? What aids the creative process?

K:Diet Coke, Diet Coke and more Diet Coke.  Seriously.  I can down a six pack in less than two hours when I’m working.   Maybe it’s the caffeine.  Maybe I’m just thirsty.  Either way, it works, and if it ain’t broke . . .

R: If you had access to a time machine, which historical moment would you travel to and why?

K: I would travel back to the era of the Salem Witch Trials.  Then again, I’d probably be someone they would burn at the stake so maybe I should stick to the old south during the Civil War.  I’ve always been a huge fan of historical romances set during this time period.

R: What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to know about you?

K:  I’m addicted to reality TV.  I’ve been an avid fan of everything from Jersey Shore and Teen Mom to Buckwild and Duck Dynasty, and while I can’t stand some of the characters, that’s part of the fun of watching.  It’s a love/hate thing.   That, and I LOVE Cupcake Wars.

R: What is the craziest thing you've ever done?

K:  Quitting my job to write full-time.  Writing is such a hard field to actually make a living in and you’d definitely have to be crazy to try.  At the same time, I’ve always been a glass is half full type of gal.  In other words, anything is possible so if you believe in yourself and your work, then stop fretting and take a chance!   

R: What do you hope readers will most take away from your writing?  K:That life and love should be fun.  I like injecting humor into my writing and I hope readers will chuckle a little and have a few laughs!

R: What are you working on at the moment / next?

K:  I’ve just finished up my next Jess Damon book, THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, for Amazon’s Montlake Romance.  I also have a new Texas Outlaws trilogy out this month (January, February and March) with Harlequin Blaze.  It features a trio of hot, hunky cowboys desperately trying to outrun the legacy of their outlaw father.

R: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

K:  A little of both.

 R: What book is on your TBR shelf you can’t wait to get to?

K:  I just bought the new Jennifer Probst book.  Can’t wait to start it!

Just for Fun:

Night or Day?  Night.

Dog or Cat? (answer carefully)   Dog (I have a spoiled Red Heeler named Dakota and rabbits—I have two).

Beach or Pool?  Beach!

Steak or salad?  Steak

Favorite Drink?  Diet Coke

Favorite Book?  Susan Johnson’s BLAZE

Favorite TV Series?  Sons of Anarchy

Favorite Movie?  Madea’s Xmas (just saw this and laughed my a#$ off)

Favorite Actor:  Brad Pitt

Favorite Actress:  Jennifer Lawrence

Dirty Martini or Pina Colada?  Dirty Martini

Hawaii or Alaska? Hawaii

Finish this sentence:  If I could meet anyone in the world, past or present, it would be Brad Pitt (I know I’m shallow, but he’s SO hot)

If I had just one wish, it would be to end world hunger (I know it sounds uber pageant-like, but it’s true.  I hate to see suffering.)

If I could trade places with anyone in the world, it would be Angelina Jolie (what?  I told you he was hot!)

Folks, you can find Kimberly  on-line at www.kimberlyraye.com or friend her on Facebook (and no, there’s no page to Like—you can be her actual friend!)

Kim will be giving away three autographed copies of my new Montlake book THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS featuring reformed succubus Jess Damon, and two autographed sets of my new Texas Outlaws trilogy .  So that’s FIVE giveaways in all, folks! To enter leave a comment below WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS and which book you prefer.  Contest closes midnight, Jan. 12.  For extra entries, you can:

·       Follow moi on Twitter @RoccoBlogger

·       Friend the Human, ToniLotempio, on FB

·       Friend Kimberly Raye on FB

·       Follow our blog

·       Tweet or FB about this giveaway (3 extra entries)

Be sure to mention all you do in your comment. Good luck!
Up Jan. 21: Annie Knox!