Dogs on holiday

You know what isn't easy? Finding a hotel that will accept dogs. And won't cost a year's wages (and we're talking my dad's wages, since he's paying for it).

This year is a...significant birthday for both the parentals, and they're both organising secret celebrations for the other. Mum has booked a holiday for Dad's birthday, but that's not hard to do: so long as there's a beach and the potential to walk for miles, plus a nice pub or two, he's happy. He spends half his time in hotels so he prefers self-catering holidays (besides, he doesn't cook).

Mum's requirements however, are...more difficult.

Very sweetly, she's requested the presence of both my brother and I for whatever goes down. She likes hotels, since she doesn't stay in them very often and always ends up doing all the work in a self-catering cottage (her words: I seem to remember Dad washing up and paying for meals out, and I help with cooking, but whatever). It's also got to be in this country, since she hates boats and airports, and the idea of the Channel Tunnel spooks her out (bloody island living). The thing is, if bro and I both go, that means there's no one to take care of the Demon Puppy. This is no problem when booking a cottage, since quite a lot of places take dogs. Hotels, however?

Finding a hotel in the right place, that's nice enough to be a special occasion treat, that doesn't cost a fortune, is hard enough. Then tell them you want to bring a sweet, small, well-behaved little dog (and try to keep a straight face), and you can reduce the results by about 95%.

I did find one gorgeous place, absolutely perfect. So perfect, it's fully booked. Rats.

Here Kitty Kitty is released today!

The latest in the Sundown Investigations series (this is my Cat Marsters hat, you understand). Wow, can you believe I've written twelve of these?

Nathan and Wolfe always fought like cats and dogs -- because that's what they are. But there are some things that test even the loyalty of a werewolf, and now the ruthless jaguar shifter is Wolfe's number one enemy.

Newly bitten by a shifter, Kat's trying to juggle student life in a strange city with turning into a big cat once a month. If that's not enough, she's in heat, and the fever is only soothed by the darkly handsome Wolfe, who's more than happy to satisfy her mating needs.

But someone else is chasing Kat: the wickedly sensual Nathan, seducing his way across continents to find her. Does he really want to help Kat, or is he just out for revenge against his former partner? And when he catches her, Kat's going to have to decide whether she wants the loyal Wolfe or the insanely exciting Nathan.

Or is it possible for her to have both?

Warning, this title features menage and same-sex scenes. There is a lot of naughtiness, some terrible puns, and verbal drooling over hot men.

Don't forget, you can still enter my contest to win a free download of Here Kitty Kitty! Details below...

Win a download of Here Kitty Kitty

Yep, I'm offering a free PDF download of my newest Cat Marsters title, Here Kitty Kitty, to one lucky winner. All you gotta do is answer one simple question.

Nathan shifts into an animal that gave its name to a kind of car. What animal is it?

Email me with your answer before Saturday (24th Feb) and maybe you'll get lucky! (No wait, Get Lucky was my last release. You'll get Here Kitty Kitty). Mark your answer Here Kitty Kitty. Good luck!

PS: need a hint? You can find the answer on my website.

My Valentine's Day, by Kate Johnson, aged...

Aged 11. Boys are icky. Urgh, I don't want a Valentine from them.
Aged 12. Wonder if any of the cute boys in my class will send me a card?
Aged 13. Why aren't there any cute boys in my class?
Aged 14. No, seriously.
Aged 15. So boys in general aren't icky, but all the ones I know in the specific are. Which is why none of them have sent me a card.
Aged 16. Who wants a Valentine's card anyway? It's all stupid crass commercialism.
Aged 17. Maybe if I cut my hair and lost a few pounds I'd get a card.
Aged 18. Or how about highlights?
Aged 19. Who cares about Valentine's cards? I'm so fabulous now I'm probably scaring them all away.
Aged 20. Why did I have to scare them all away? Valentine's Day sucks.
Aged 21. And there are all these smug couples being smug. Why would I celebrate a day devoted to smugness?
Aged 22. I'm going to spend the day with someone who does love me: the cat.
Aged 23. The cat died. On Valentine's Day. Did I not say this day sucked enough?
Aged 24. Success, a card! Shame I absolutely don't fancy him.
Aged 25. This year I'm absolutely not getting my hopes up.
Maybe.

Johnny Depp and Pierce Brosnan make Romantic Novelists’ hearts throb

New from the RNA (my bits are in red). And just to prove the polls are accurate, three of these have been my heroes. I mean...in books. Dammit.


Johnny Depp and Pierce Brosnan make Romantic Novelists’ hearts throb

Members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association have voted Johnny Depp as the
Number One Perfect Romantic Hero in a poll to mark Valentine’s Day.
According to these authors, a romantic hero should be gorgeous, deliciously
sexy, intensely masculine and have a commanding presence.

‘We should be qualified to judge,’ one writer commented. ‘After all, we
create these heroes on paper every day.’

The top ten male celebrities voted the Perfect Romantic Hero were:

1. Johnny Depp

2. Daniel Craig

3. Sean Bean

4. Richard Armitage (Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! Not only did I base Harker on him {I'm going all Pygmalion here, aren't I?}but also Wolfe, in next week's release Here Kitty Kitty)


5. Hugh Jackman (who inspired both Dark in Almost Human and Adam in Drive Me Daisy)


6. Colin Firth

7. Alan Rickman

8. Pierce Brosnan

9. George Clooney

10. David Tennant (again, yes! DT was the basis for Finn, who was the hero of Duty and the Beast but also popped up in many a sequel, since I couldn't quite let him go)


A second poll, taken by members of the RNA bravely admitting to being ‘over
a certain age’, voted for male celebrities over fifty who’ve ‘still got it’.
Remarkable for his appearance on both polls, Pierce Brosnan took the crown
for the over fifties by a huge margin.

The top ten Over-Fifty Perfect Romantic Heroes were:

1. Pierce Brosnan

2. Harrison Ford

3. Ranulph Fiennes

4. Bill Nighy

5. Liam Neeson

6. Sam Neill

7. Sean Connery

8. Peter O’Toole

9. Clint Eastwood

10. Omar Sharif

The likeable ex

My musings on this subject can be found on the Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books site. A while ago, I emailed SB Sarah to gripe that all the ex-girlfriends (and boyfriends) I'd been reading were all cookie-cutter gorgeous, evil bitches, hated instantly by the heroine. Usually, hated because she was gorgeous, which is the sort of petty, immature reaction I hate in a character (yes, we're all jealous of the beautiful people, but to make the decision that beautiful = evil without even exchanging words with the goddess in question is unacceptable, either in real life or fiction).

Sarah, I begged, do you or the Bitchery know any sane, well-adjusted exes? Are there any beautiful love-rivals who aren't evil? Are our heroes and heroines really so stupid that they'll fall for someone with a heart of pure evil just because it's topped by a pretty face?

I got some interesting answers...

Red Carpet party

No, it's not to do with the Oscars or the Baftas (I do love a good 'what the hell was she wearing' session after those, though), but with the romance novel awards season, unsurprisingly timed to coincide with Valentine's Day.


To come to the Changeling party and read excerpts from the nominated books, just join the Changeling Press readers loop.

Cat hit by mouse

No, really.

It's his own fault (I was going to take a picture of the mouse teetering on the edge, his paw on the wire, but as I hit the button he actually pulled it down on himself).

It's a good job he's pretty.

The Overtures

So last night we went to a 50th birthday party. The birthday boy is the other half of the duo my brother plays in--his daughters joke he's their adopted brother. Anyway, we get there and they're going on about the Overtures, and how fabulous it is to book them, and can you believe they're playing here? And my mum and I exchange confused glances. The who? (Incidentally, The Who really is one of the best band names ever, isn't it?).

The Overtures, my dad says. They played at Elton John's wedding. Paul McCartney said they played the Beatles songs better than the Beatles did. They're the best 60s tribute band in the country. I'd have thought a 50th birthday party was a slight step down, unless it's, you know, Sarah Ferguson's or something, but what do I know?

So, there you go: that's what I have in common with Paul and Elton. The band really were fantastic. Apparently when my brother saw them last they were just a good tribute band. Now they have roadies. Roadies in band t-shirts. That's progress.

Anyway, none of this has anything to do with anything, I just thought I'd mention it. Other news for today includes: being reminded about the CAPA awards, which are the only reason I'm getting out of bed on Thursday; and a letter to tell me I didn't get the job at the animal shelter. Probably they were afraid I'd start stealing cats. Which is ridiculous. I'd probably only steal kittens.

RT gives I, Spy? four stars!

Yay! Yippee! And...um...that's about all I can say, actually, since as I'm not a subscriber I can't read the whole damn review, just the rating. I shall be looking for a copy of Romantic Times in town today, but hopes are slender, since I've never seen one there before.

If you are a subscriber, you can see the review here--and pelase tell me what it says!

Here Kitty Kitty

I don't know how or why it's taken me so long to write a werecat book, but I finally got my arse in gear and did. Here Kitty Kitty is out 22nd Feb from Changeling, and I've just been sent the gorgeous cover for it!


Nathan and Wolfe always fought like cat and dog -- because that's what they are. But there are some things that test even the loyalty of a werewolf, and now the ruthless jaguar shifter is Wolfe's number one enemy.

Newly bitten by a shifter, Kat's trying to juggle student life in a strange city with turning into a big cat once a month. If that's not enough, she's in heat, and the fever is only soothed by the darkly handsome Wolfe, who's more than happy to satisfy her mating needs.

But someone else is chasing Kat: the wickedly sensual Nathan, seducing his way across continents to find her. Does he really want to help Kat, or is he just out for revenge against his former partner? And when he catches her, Kat's going to have to decide whether she wants the loyal Wolfe or the insanely exciting Nathan.

Or is it possible for her to have both?

Something weird

So, I picked up a bag I hadn't used in a while, and found some loose change in the bottom. Last time I used this bag was apparently when I went to Dublin for the day with Amy, because I found the flight itinerary and the coins were Euros.



For those of you who don't know, the Euro was adopted as a single currency by about a dozen countries, mostly mainland Western Europe, in 1999, and by 2002 had totally replaced individual currencies like the Franc and the Lira (and thank God, because last time I visited Italy the Lira was worth about 0.003 of a penny).

Anyway. Several EU countries didn't adopt the currency (according the the Euro website, this is either because they 'opted-out' or because they didn't meet the criteria. I don't know what these criteria are, but I don't think it's to do with having a strong economy, since Slovenia's in and Sweden is out). The UK is one of the countries to Just Say No...and yet, I notice we're included in the little logo on the Euro coins.

Why is this? The 20c coin there is Greek and minted in 1999, when there might still have been some debate about the UK joining (and learn a new currency? There are people here who still think in pounds, shillings and pence. Well, up until 1971 we still used them). But the 50c coin came from Ireland in 2002. Why does the logo still have the UK on it?

According to the website, it's because we're in the Euro Area but have Opted Out. Which is basically saying that we haven't officially said no yet (unlike, say Switzerland or Norway, who were smart enough to not get inolved in the first damn place). Is this so that when Mr Bean sells out to the EU, they won't have to make new coins? I think it is. I think they planned it all along.

Just remember, you heard it here first. Okay, you probably didn't, but pretend you did, k?

I just had to buy this

Especially since it's actually a kid's t-shirt (yes! I can fit into kid's clothes! Well, sorta), and was therefore only £3.50. I love supermarket clothes.


In case you can't read it (I tried to stretch it out but I'm, er, not very flat anywhere) it says Forget love, I'd rather fall in chocolate. Since it was actually on a stand facing the vomitorious Valentines displays (can you tell I loathe V-Day?), I thought it was especially funny.