Capturing Cate

First day fun!

Breakaway, the fourth and final book in the Corrigan Falls Raiders series, is HERE!

Who’s a bad blogger? Uh… me.

Another new release has come and gone with minimal fanfare from me. Well, I did some guest posts and that sort of thing, but actually mentioning it on my own blog? Apparently I couldn’t be bothered.

Sigh.

Anyway… Winging It is out! The third book in the Corrigan Falls Raiders series, and it may be the last one… I can’t decide. I really want to write Dawn’s story, and Toby’s story, but… well, I want to write a lot of other stuff, too! This pesky day job really cuts into my writing time.

If you’re interested, you can get a copy of Winging It at Amazon, or wherever else fine e-books are sold.

Wow. Okay, in my defense, I’ve Tweeted some, and I’ve Facebooked some, but clearly I have NOT kept up to date on blogging!

Missed two whole book releases. Shameful!

Hometown Hero came out a couple months ago, and I liked the reviews it got–I felt like they were fair, and pretty much understood what I’d been trying to do. I would have liked it if they’d produced more sales, but Hero is outselling the first book in the series, so… that’s moving in the right direction, right?

The contract with Berkley was for two books only (I assume they would be interested in more if sales justified it, but I’m not sure sales really did. I mean, the books are still on the shelves, they’re still selling, but the initial burst is over). There’s a third book I really want to write (the story of Zara’s brother and his adjustment to the outside world after being in prison for so long… and, of course, the woman who helps him enjoy his freedom!) but it’s kind of a weird situation. Normally I’d say I should write it and if the publisher doesn’t want it I can just self-publish it, but almost all of the sales for this series have been print (I assume because the e-books were pretty expensive) so I wouldn’t have access to the same market if I self-published. A self-published print book isn’t going to get bookshelf space across the continent. So… I don’t know. The series is on hold, I’d say.

And, of course, we had the second book in the Corrigan Falls Raiders series, Playing Defense. It’s been really fun to hear about people reading it, and again the reviews have been almost all favourable. Readers love Chris Winslow as much as I do, and they seem to like Claudia just fine as well. So… yay!

And sales have been steady. Never overwhelming or anything, but people seem to be picking it up. An example of the importance of price, I’d say–at $2.99, why not give a new-to-you author a try? Of course, by the time Amazon and the publisher get their cuts, there’s not a whole lot left for me, but… building an audience, I tell myself. And, of course “don’t quit the day job.” I tell myself that pretty often! Lucky that I more-or-less, most-of-the-time enjoy my job. If only it didn’t have to start quite so early in the morning, and then go quite so late in the evening. Oh well!

And there’s a date set for the release of the  third Corrigan Falls book – May 9th. I’m a bit wary about promoting that date too hard because Playing Defense got bumped off schedule several times, so I don’t think I’ll be posting too much until I actually see the book go up on Amazon or somewhere with that release date. But, at least tentatively… about a month to go! Yay!

I’m not a huge fan of self-promotion (ie. it makes me develop huge, incredibly itchy, internal hives) but I’ve put together a few humble-brags in honour of my recent release.

Oh, wasn’t I surprised when Kirkus called Just a Summer Fling “A bright, warm, intelligent love story from a promising new voice in romance.” I mean, it’s just Kirkus, of course… not like it’s one of the big guns.

Romantic Times said “Cameron’s latest is a light-hearted, sexy romance that readers will not be able to put down. Her engaging storytelling and the equally engaging characters set within a strong plot are the highlights of this story. Josh and Ashley’s chemistry sizzles, and the tension between them is intense. Solid pacing and easy banter cap off this immensely enjoyable story.” But they only gave it 4 1/2 stars. I mean, sure, that’s the same rating they gave to Lisa Kleypas’ and Nora Roberts’ new releases, but still – where’s my extra half-star, RT?

Publishers’ Weekly thinks “Cameron’s characters are complex and well crafted, and each one, from the main protagonists to the various personalities living in Lake Sullivan, feels real—not always likable, but admirably sincere.” But they don’t even do ratings, so it’s hard to really know what they think. I mean, maybe some readers don’t like complex and well crafted books, right?

Guilty Pleasures gives Just a Summer Fling 4 1/2 stars and calls it “a romance with substance and smarts.” But, really – where’s that extra 1/2 star?

Joyfully Reviewed said “Sweet, sexy and humorous Just a Summer Fling was just a truly fun read. ” Sure, maybe the “just” is a play on the title of the book – or maybe they think it’s just fun, and nothing more. (Okay, things are moving away from the “humble-brag” and toward the “author’s internal voice makes her question everything positive”. Huh… might be time to step away from the keyboard…)

There’s a lot of pressure in the writing world to have a signature style. Some authors are funny, some are steamy, some are sassy, etc. The idea is to let readers know what to expect when they see your name.

I’ve been at this writing thing for a while, and I’ve never been quite sure what my style is. My books are sometimes funny, but they’re not generally laugh-riots. There are moments of heat, but they tend to come late in the books and aren’t super-kinky or anything. Sassy? Meh, maybe – depends on the character.

But I’ve been reading reviews of my new books, and the comment that makes me proudest? The one that makes me think, yeah, I did what I wanted with this book? It’s when someone says the book is “smart”. I don’t mean mathematical-formulas smart, and I hope the reviewers don’t either, because if they do, they’ve read the wrong book. But “smart” like the readers aren’t expected to turn their brains off in order to enjoy the book. The characters don’t do stupid things in order to make the plot work, the settings fit into our understanding of the real world, etc.

That’s what I want to be known for, I think. Writing smart books that still engage readers’ hearts.

It’s gratifying to read that people think I got that right.

That’s right, Centre Ice is #1 on Amazon!

Well, it’s #1 in its category.

Well, it’s #1 in the sub-category.

The sub-sub-sub-category?

Yes, it’s #1 in  Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Children’s eBooks > Sports & Outdoors > Hockey

It kicked some stupid Wayne Gretzky book out! Suck it, Wayne Gretzky!

My debut Cate Cameron novel is also part of the debut of Entangled’s new Teen Crush line – category romance for the YA crowd! And they’re doing some really fun promo to start things off right…

Okay, for those of you who will read Center Ice… this cover is cute, and I like it and it kinda captures the spirit of the book. But my characters never go skating together, my heroine doesn’t wear jeans, the story is set in late summer… huh.

Think of the cover as a sort of metaphor. A symbol, not a graphic depiction of reality. This cover symbolizes my book. And if you’re reading on an e-reader you’ll hardly see the cover anyway! It’s all good.

Things are starting to feel real around here!

I’ve got a cover, and a mention in Romantic Times:

“Set in a small Vermont town popular for vacationers, Cate Cameron’s Just a Summer Fling is going to be a fun and romantic getaway starting next summer!”

That sounds about right.

It was supposed to be sunny today. Instead, grey and almost drizzling.

A good day for sitting inside by the fire, dog at my feet, cat on the back of my chair… as I swear at my computer and rant and rave about technology and all the different ways it tortures me.

Okay. Deep, calming breaths. Everything will work out. This is a small challenge, and I will meet it. Eventually.

Maybe.