Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

By Robin Kaye Heat—Lord knows we’ve had enough of it in Maryland lately. When I found out the topic for the month was heat, I wasn’t thrilled. I really not a person who like temperatures to rise above seventy-five degrees unless there’s fifteen percent humidity, and if you’ve ever been to Maryland, you’d know that it’s not known for low humidity. It’s been well over a hundred here for several days and I’ve had just about all the heat I can stand. Then I thought about my characters and how they feel about heat. Now that’s an entirely different story. They love the heat—and no, I’m not talking about the weather. Heat is the one ingredient that every romance must have. Yes, even the Amish ones. There has to be that attraction, that spark, that threat of internal combustion for two characters to even want to get to know more about each other. So how do we put that on the page? I haven’t a clue. I just start writing and it happens. Honest. I know, that’s not hel...

By Robin Kaye Summer is always an exciting time of year. This summer especially because I just sold a new series to Sourcebooks – The Domestic Gods Gone Wild! Series. You’ll get to meet the heroes and heroines in my next book, Yours For the Taking . It will be released in January. If signing my new contract wasn’t exciting enough, the same day I signed on the dotted line, I received a phone call telling me that my book Too Hot to Handle won the Holt Medallion for Best Romantic Comedy! The thing I love most about the Holt Medallion is that it is judged by readers, the very people I write for, not the publishing elite. I’m completely over-the-top because Romeo, Romeo won last year too, so this year’s win completely shatters my concern that it was all a big fluke. Well, almost. The Romance Writers of America’s National Conference takes place every July. This is something I look forward to all year. For those who don’t know me, I’m a bit of an extrovert. (okay, you in the peanut gallery...

By Robin Kaye Today is my birthday so I thought I’d have a kind of reverse birthday party. Since I’ve already received a few rather spectacular presents, I thought I’d give away the gifts—three copies of Breakfast in Bed, the third book in my Domestic Gods series to lucky commenters. First, I have to show you what I got for my birthday, or, should I say, what I got so far since the day is definitely not over yet. I received a package from my mother and stepfather. I opened it to find a present wrapped in green bubble wrap. I have to say, I do love bubble wrap, especially the green variety. Back to the present—a quick glance through very cool green bubble wrap made me wonder if it was one of my books, which was quite odd, especially since I have plenty of my own books. I opened the card first because we all know it’s the polite thing to do. Okay, fine, I admit I only opened the card first because my daughter was watching. If she hadn’t been, I’d have been all over the present. In my opi...

By Robin Kaye For those of you who haven’t been following the blog long, you probably don’t know that my husband is not the most romantic guy. Actually, I usually say he’s about as romantic as a stump, and really, what’s romantic about a stump? Nothing. Now don’t get me wrong, he has other great qualities—he’s a Domestic God after all, which in my book, counts for a lot. However, when it comes to the cards, flowers, chocolate, and gifts thing he’s so not into it. For Valentine’s Day this year, I received a kiss and an “I love you.” Although nice, it’s no big whoop since I get those the other 364 days of the year too. Still, there was one day in our twenty + years of marriage that he actually did something romantic. In fact six years later, I’m still pinching myself. Really. Though after such a huge success, I think he’s under the misconception that he’s still on the positive side of the romance-meter, and according to his calculations, is good for the next nine years. At the time, our ...

I’m sitting at my desk writing my blog while watching the snow fall. Last weekend, we received between 36 and 40 inches, but with snowdrifts topping 6 feet, it’s hard to tell if we got that added 4 inches or not. Today and tomorrow, we’re expected to receive another 20 inches of the white stuff. Lucky us. So here I am, hunkered down in the house, writing my blog and wondering why they chose a bleak month like February to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I concluded that in the days of old, there was little to do during the short winter days, so why not celebrate love, cuddle up with your Valentine, and enjoy. Imagine my surprise when, after a few minutes of research, I discovered I was wrong. Here’s what I found out about Valentine’s Day… Valentines Day began as a Pagan fertility festival called Lupercalia (February 15th), which involved nudity and whipping (and no, I’m not talking about whipped cream). During the festival, the boys whipped the girls’ bottoms to stimulate fertility— though ...

By Robin Kaye When I was a going to college outside of Philadelphia, I discovered the most amazing place—Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. It is where I escaped to when I had campusitis. You know, when you just have to get away. I either went to Longwood Gardens or The Brandywine River Museum both of which I still love to visit. Now that I’ve returned to the area, my family and I have become members of Longwood and go at least once a month. It’s a year round venue since they have both indoor and outdoor gardens, and we always look forward to our visits since the gardens are constantly changing. They are, in a word, spectacular. Longwood Gardens has gardening classes, visiting performers from musicians to world-class ice skaters, Symphony and Fireworks shows, and a myriad of other events so there is usually something wonderful going on there. This year we started a new tradition, we celebrated Thanksgiving there. They have an incredible restaurant that serves the world’s...

By Robin Kaye It’s a virtual party, but in my humble opinion, those are the best kind. You can come in your jammies if you want and no one will snicker at you. There’s no need to dress up or do your hair, and there’s no need to diet for a week before hand. No one will count how many drinks you have, or how many times you visit the dessert bar. We’re all just happy you’re here. We’re so happy in fact that we’re giving away a copy of Breakfast in Bed to a lucky commenter. So come on in, make yourself comfortable, and be sure to make some small-talk to be entered. Here’s an excerpt of Breakfast in Bed : Rich followed her to the kitchen and leaned against the breakfast bar, staring at her as if he could see beneath her clothes. It was unnerving, and she reminded herself of all the reasons she didn't like him. "I know you don't like me much." Becca took a cup from the cabinet. Ah, and he was a mind reader too. "I don't know why, but it doesn't matter." ...

And the reviews are rolling in. Here are a few of the reviews and quotes that have come my way: "A fun and spicy story. Robin Kaye is a fresh new voice in romance fiction." ~Susan Donovan, New York Times bestselling author of A in't Too Proud to Beg "With snappy dialogue, complex characters, and an intricate web of relationships, Kaye has created an extended family that's both honest and enjoyable." ~Whitney Kate Sullivan, Romantic Times Magazine - 4-Star Review "Robin Kaye's books are vacations for the soul. Indulge yourself." ~Maureen Child, USA Today bestselling author of Conquering King's Heart Breakfast in Bed is a fun and sexy romp from beginning to end. The characters are ones you would love to call friend. Author Robin Kaye has a knack for reaching right into the reader's heart and giving them a story to match their deepest desires. Becca and Rich are perfect for each other. The chemistry leaps off the page whenever they a...

By Robin Kaye Crazy Holidays is more like it. My third book, Breakfast in Bed will be out by New Year’s Day, and my blog tour is heating up--check my website calendar for all the stops and giveaways on my Virtual Blog Tour. My next book, As Good as He Gets is due in a few days and isn’t quite finished yet. Twinkle Toes, my ballerina daughter, is dancing in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker for the next two weeks, so her normal dance schedule has made the jump from crazy to certifiable. My son is down with pneumonia and has had to go back and forth to the doctors three times this week alone. My mother-in-law is visiting next week to see Twinkle Toes’ performance. My husband is working to finish the drywall in the living room (one of the four rooms currently under construction) so we can put up our tree. And I have yet to buy one Christmas/Hanukkah present. I’ve either become very Zen about the holiday stress, or I’ve completely gone off the deep end and just haven’t noticed. In eith...

I’ve spent the last three days trapped in a room with two of my critique partners, working on their Golden Heart entries an average of 16 hours a day. We only stopped to eat, although I have to admit we’ve spent a lot of time laughing. We honestly can’t help it. When the three of us get together, we invariably burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter, tears streaming down our faces, unable to breathe, and since we shared a recent cold/bronchitis, we end up coughing too. It ain’t pretty. I met Laura and Deborah, last April at a writer’s retreat. They are sisters and have since adopted me. We were instant friends and soon began meeting and critiquing each others work. They live in my area, and there’s something to be said for meeting at a Starbucks less than a mile away from my house, especially when I spend 18 hours a week driving. They’re relatively new to writing, and working with them on their manuscripts has taught me a great deal. When I began to critique other’s work, something...

By Robin Kaye Actually, since this blog is posting November 2nd, it began yesterday but it’s not too late to join in the fun. NaNoWriMo is for all of you who have said, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.” Here is the perfect opportunity to cross off another item on your bucket list! Go right to NaNoWriMo.org and enter. NaNoWriMo is easy. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. I know it sounds daunting but it’s very achievable. The trick is to turn off your internal editor and just write. It’s amazing what happens when you do just that. Sure, you’ll write a lot of crap, but once you get into the groove, you’ll find diamonds among the less than sparkling words. Let’s face it, so many people say they want to write but in my humble opinion, they over think it. Sometimes you just have to sit down and do it. You can think a book to death, but unless you actually write it, it will never come to fruition. Write the book of your heart. There will be plenty of time in the future to do...

By Robin Kaye with a little help from her friends My pulse raced. I was afraid to breathe as I reached out to take it in my hand. It was hard, smooth, unyielding. I licked my lips in anticipation waiting to take possession. It was mine, all mine. My only regret was that it didn't come with batteries. No, I'm not talking about B.O.B., Romeo, Romeo just won the Golden Leaf Award for Best Single Title! I'm still amazed. Romeo, Romeo was up against two wonderful books, Stolen Fury by Elizabeth Naughton and The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal. Winning awards is great and I've truly been blessed, but when it comes right down to it, every time I get fan mail, I feel the same thrill. Writing is such a solitary occupation, and when someone recognizes my work, I get such a rush. I just received a 4-Star Review for Breakfast in Bed coming out in the December Romantic Times Magazine and better yet, one of my fans sent it to me with a note that she couldn't wait to r...

By Robin Kaye Have you ever stopped and wondered how the heck you got where you are? I had a moment today when I did exactly that. I had just gotten out of the shower after eating lunch--I know, I should have taken my shower at a respectable time, but I began work, as usual, after making my first pot of coffee at 6:30 this morning, wearing my pajamas and ended up working in them until it was almost time for me to leave. Before my shower, I made lunch for myself and my home-schooled daughter, the 13-year-old ballerina, and left her with instructions to do the dishes. After getting myself back together, I investigated strange noises coming from the direction of the kitchen and found my 120 lb. yellow lab with his front paws on the kitchen counter slurping up the last of what was almost a quart of my homemade spaghetti sauce. Twinkle-Toes had neither done the dishes nor put away the leftovers. Sambuca, my dog, looked at me with a guilty sauce-laden face and I wondered how I got there. I n...

By Robin Kaye My friend Kate Duffy, the Editorial Director for Kensington, died Sunday and I spent Monday and Tuesday before writing this, laughing and crying (sometimes simultaneously) thinking about our time together. Kate was only 56 when she died, but she’d been referring to herself as a crusty old broad since I met her. Kate was wise beyond her years. She had a wicked sense of humor, and was the biggest proponent of the romance genre. In my opinion, she was the most outstanding author advocate God put on this earth. Kate was blunt—she never sugarcoated anything, but she was also one of the most giving and insightful women I ever met. Kate Duffy was a living legend in the world of Romance publishing. But to me, she’ll forever be my favorite crusty old broad. I met Kate at my first writer’s conference five or six years ago on the patio of Hilltop House, the old hotel that used to house the Washington Romance Writers Retreat. She invited me to sit with her and asked me about my work....

By Robin Kaye My youngest daughter was born with a very rare genetic disorder (she’s one in a million in more ways than just one.) It took us over a month for her to be diagnosed. My husband and I spent the first three years of Isabelle’s life trying desperately to keep her alive. During that time, it seemed as if there wasn’t a week that went by when we weren’t rushing her to the hospital with pneumonia, 106 degree fever, or seizures. She had five operations between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. Between Isabelle and my other two children (a 4-year-old and 18 month-old), I don’t think I slept a full night in all that time. Before Isabelle was born, I read everything I could get my hands on and I admit to being somewhat of a literary snob. I had eclectic tastes, but I always made it a point to read all of the Oprah books. After I had Izzy, I realized that the Oprah books were, more often than not, depressing. My life was depressing enough. I didn’t need to read about the nasty reali...

By Robin Kaye I was reading a blog recently and the author mentioned finding a box of his cassette tapes, most of which were mix-tapes. My mind immediately went back to my teenage days when conversations revolved around who liked who, how lame Barry Manilow was, and how hot Jim Morrison looked before he died. Now, he died well before I was into him and the Doors, but still, you have to admit he sure looked hot before he died…well, maybe not just before he died, but you know what I mean. Back then, if I was not making mix-tapes, I was listening to the tapes my boyfriend dejour, best friend, or I made. What about you? Do you remember the hours you spent picking the favorite songs? Wondering what the guy you were crushing on, or a guy you were dating—would think of your hard work. If a guy made me a mix-tape, I knew he was hooked. Why I didn’t think the same rule pertained to me is still a mystery. Making a mix-tape for someone was a big deal. It wasn’t something you made for a casual da...

By Robin Kaye In my next book, Breakfast in Bed , Rich Ronaldi really can’t cook. He’s never been allowed in his mother’s kitchen. He doesn’t know what a pyrex pan is. He’s never been taught how to do dishes. He never set a table. The man is spoiled, sure, but he was also deprived an education in life 101. His mother thinks nothing of it. Rich is the prince, after all. If food isn’t microwavable, Rich is afraid to touch it. When he realizes the only way to be an equal partner in a relationship is to be able to put something more on the table than microwaved coffee, he finds a Domestic God Coach to teach him to cook and clean. I had such fun writing about Rich’s adventures in the kitchen and every other room in the apartment. And believe me, they were adventures! When I was coming up with the story for Breakfast in Bed, I thought long and hard about people who say they can’t cook. I’ve always been amazed by seemingly intelligent people who say they can’t cook. I mean, really, how hard i...