Cate: Katie is here to spread some holiday cheer! Katie, please tell us
a little bit about yourself.
Katie: I started writing when two people showed up in her head and
wouldn't leave until I told their story. They had a party, invited a few
friends over. Now I spend my days doing the bidding of imaginary people. I live
in a city made for sin on the edge of a desert with my husband, two daughters,
no pets, and enough lemon bundt cake to give a refugee camp an obesity problem.
Cate: Love it. :) What do you love most about Christmas?
Katie: The presents. Not receiving, I don’t really care if I get
something. I like to give. I like to surprise people with a gift they didn’t
know they wanted but ends up being perfect.
Cate: It's a great feeling, isn't it? Do you have a favorite memory of a Christmas past?
Katie: Christmas and I have had a difficult relationship. Six years ago
on Christmas Day my husband died. I was 27 and I had an 18 month old daughter. I
went through all the typical stages psychiatrists like to blather on about
until I reached a point where I was totally happy being single. In fact I'd
decided to never marry again. Kind of an odd declaration for a romance novelist.
Then I met Rogerio. It might have been that I hadn't been involved with anyone
in years but I was instantly attracted to him. The fact that he had a black
belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, was a pastry chef, sexy as hell, and from Brazil
had pretty much everything to do with it. Then I got to know him and discovered
that all that stuff paled when held up to his kind, compassionate nature. My
daughter fell in love with him from the moment they met. He went to all her
school functions, helped her with homework, taught her to ride a bike, all the
dad stuff. He just needed to suck it up and ask me to marry him because I sure
as hell wasn't going to do it. I knew he wouldn't do anything showy. What he
did will go down in history as the single most ballsy proposal ever. On the
five year anniversary of my first husband's death, on Christmas Day, he asked
me to marry him. He hedged his bet by showing up with a five carat ring. How
was I going to say no to that? His goal was to give me a happy memory of
Christmas. And he did. One year later, two weeks ago, I gave birth to our
beautiful daughter Scarlett Sophia.
Cate: Such a sweet story! And bittersweet. If Santa could grant one wish, what would you ask for?
Katie: I’d ask for my whole family to be together on Christmas morning.
I have four brothers, one sister, and a whole slew of nieces and nephews so
getting us all together in one place is a bit difficult. I’m kind of getting my
wish this year. My youngest brother has been in Malaysia for two years and he
will be home just before Christmas this year. The whole fam damily will be here
the day after Christmas to see him. Almost.
Cate: What a wonderful reunion!
What was the best gift you’ve ever received? What made it so
special?
Katie: My engagement ring. It was special because the man attached to
it is so amazingly wonderful.
Cate: He sounds it. :) Any favorite Christmas recipes you’d care to share?
Katie: I’m kind of known for the world’s best hot chocolate. My
daughter calls it Polar Express Hot
Chocolate. My husband calls it Eight Ounces in a Cup = Ten Pounds on Your
Butt.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups whipping cream
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
6 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups of milk chocolate chips
Instructions:
Stir together the whipping
cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a crockpot.
Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture
is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish as
desired.
Cate: Tell us about your latest release, and where readers can find it
online.
Katie: Never Say Just is about an ex mercenary/assassin whose past
comes back to haunt her. When a group of Force Recon Marines show up to pull
her butt out of the fire she has to learn to let someone fight beside her. You
can find it wherever ebooks are sold!
Decadent Publishing http://www.decadentpublishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=569&osCsid=4v7ius91s5rjqnqb8lbg173e72
Cate: Care to share a blurb or excerpt?
Katie: You betcha!
Haunted by her past of murder for hire and skinning people alive to
gather vital intelligence, Kat Boudreaux wants nothing more than to hide away
in her sprawling mansion with the love of her life--her daughter. But then
Private Gump and his band of Bubbas land on her doorstep. Her brother and his
unit of misfit Marines insert themselves with the misguided need to protect her
from someone hell-bent on vengeance.
For Shooter, it's love at first sight, though he wouldn't be caught
dead admitting it. When Kat is nearly fatally injured while saving his life, he
knows he's found the woman for him. Together, they fight side by side to get to
the bottom of the threats. Kat's daughter is kidnapped and this ex-assassin mom
reverts back to old habits to save her. Saving Kat and her daughter is easy,
taming the shrew that is Hell Kat Boudreaux might mean losing his favorite
appendage.
~Excerpt~
Shooter leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Bar?” Oh God yes. Yeah,
this evening will be brought to you by Jack Daniels and Jim Beam. I ordered a
shot of whatever was closest and downed it. Shooter handed me a mint julep
while he sipped his scotch. Bless that man. I scanned the room for the enemy. I
had honed this skill over several missions for GSA. It’s amazing how quickly
things come back to you when you were threatened.
My gaze fell on the first threat, Louise LaLourie. Why her parents had
named her Louise with a last name like LaLourie was completely beyond me. Of
course she had sported several other last names over the years but she always
returned to LaLourie. At one time she desperately wanted to be known as Louise
Boudreaux. But, I was married to my husband at the time and he had shown her
the no trespassing sign right away. Louise held a flute of champagne in her
hand, her cunning eyes searched for the next Mr. LaLourie. Her sights fell on
me and she stalked forward. I’m not kidding, she stalked, like a lioness,
toward me. I looked over at Shooter. I needed to warn him that the most bedded
woman in New Orleans was on the prowl. He was busy at the bar fighting for his
constitutional right to get good and shit faced completely missing my look of
caution. Since I knew Louise watched me I smiled and prayed the words “die,
bitch, die” were not tattooed on my forehead.
“Oh my gawd. Are you finally out of mourning?” Her accent was so thick
you could cut it with a K-Bar. “I understand grieving, but honey you can’t put
yourself in cold storage for the rest of your life. But you are looking great.
Look at you. I was afraid you’d locked yourself up in that big ole house and
either ate or drank yourself to death. I am so relieved to see you looking as
good as ever. Who are you wearing, darlin’? You look positively wonderful.”
Of course her compliments were about as real as her boobs, but I smiled
back and said, “Versace.”
“Donatella?” Louise asked with pity in her voice.
“No, Gianni. It went up for auction at Sotheby’s a few years ago and I
just had to have it. Though this is the first time I’ve worn it.”
Edna could look forward to a big, fat Christmas bonus this year. The
envy on Louise’s face was priceless. It was worth coming to this damn ho down,
and I mean ho down, just to see her face turn a lovely shade of green. She
would have given a lot to own an original Gianni but she didn’t and I did. Take
that you nasty bitch.
Shooter took that moment to turn around and hand me another cocktail.
His eyes went big and he tried to take a step back but the bar was in the way.
I hadn’t taken in what Louise wore until that moment. She wore a black, too
tight to breathe, strapless Dolce and Gabbana that made her boobs spill over
the tops. Truth be told I had that same dress in my closet at home. But I would
never choose to accessorize it with a purple leopard bra that poked
strategically above the neckline. Her lecherous eyes zeroed in on Shooter. She
had the sniper in her sites and he was about to feel the full force of Louise’s
slut-o-matic up close and personal.
“Well, hello. You must be Kat’s brother?”
“No, Louise,” I interrupted, “This is my date.” I choked on the last
word.
Louise didn’t care. She wouldn’t care if a man was in bed with his wife
on their wedding night, she believed all men were available. “And what is your
name, gorgeous?”
“Shooter,” he smiled and leaned into her gaze a slight come and get me
smile smeared across his face. I seriously wanted to pop his eyes out with a
shrimp fork but I reigned in my rage.
“And what is it that you do, Mr. Shooter?” Translation: Can you afford
me? She said as she pressed herself up against his body shamelessly exposing
all her voluptuous assets.
He raised his hand and extended a finger. Shooter pushed the tip of his
long thick finger into the center of Louise’s forehead forcing her to take
several steps backward. His gaze had gone from playful to deadly. “I kill
people,” his whisper was sinister.
Cate: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Katie: I am a military history junkie and I love strong women, you
can’t get stronger than a woman who made a living slitting throats. More than
military history or strong women, I like watching people change for the better.
Cate: Anything else you’d like to share?
Katie: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Cate: Merry Christmas to you!
Woot! Katie has her Santa hat on!
Katie: I will give a copy of Never Say Just to one random commenter.
Get those fingers flying people and comment away!
Cate: Thanks so much for being part of the 12 Days of Christmas! Hope
you have a jolly holly holiday! And I hope all your family makes it home to see your brother. :)
