You all know that I adore Blaze. They’re fun, they’re sexy, and I just adore writing them. And, by the way, I’m really excited about my April release, Night After Night… Just got the cover and I love it! Sad for you, though, because that was a tease! I’m not going to show you the cover until next month. Bwahahahaha!

Now for the tell. For those of you who read my earlier blog about what to do about a lonely 11 year old cat? I made my decision. For Christmas, I got a new kitten. Her name is Ginger Snap and here’s a picture! A fluff ball with claws! Turns out, Ginger has two modes: psycho and dozing. Not asleep, just dozing. I just had to stop writing because she was going nuts trying to eat my feet. The older cat (named Tali) spent the first 2 weeks hissing at her, but I think last night they actually tried to play. Then again, it might have been that Ginger was playing, Tali was trying to kill. Hard to tell!

And now…the FREE BOOK! Yup, I’m offering the prequel novella to my new Bridal Favors series for free. ENJOY! Go to my website for all the information.  Here’s the back cover copy:

WILD CHILD – Lady Gwendolyn is playing with fire. She has a habit of wandering into illicit places with gentlemen just to see how well they kiss. It’s dangerous, but she can’t seem to stop herself and no one in her family is up to the task either.

THE QUIET ONE – Sir Edward Murray is the man who can tame her. He may be just a country baronet, in town for a spell then gone, but the vivacious Lady Gwen draws him as no other. So he devises a carefully plotted campaign to capture the lady as his own. But he never guesses the depth of the lady’s spirit or the power of her passion.

SECRETS! – Why is Lady Gwen risking herself and her reputation with her scandalous forays? When Edward uncovers the truth, he is caught in his own stratagems. She figures out his deceit and may never forgive him. Can Edward convince her that some things aren’t as wicked as they seem? And that love is the wildest ride of all?

I was going to do a blog about Halloween candy and that I don’t have kids at home anymore. (Sniff) Which means I can’t steal their candy anymore. (Waaahhhh!) But I’ve got a bigger dilemma on my hands.

For about 8 years, we’ve lived happily with two cats – a boy and a girl. Sadly, the boy is gone now. He went out one day (I have indoor/outdoor cats) and never came home. I’m pretty sure he’s never coming back. And yes, I have cried some big tears over that.

But now I’m left with a petite girl cat named Tali who may be small, but she’s quite the huntress. She’s 10 years old now (or is it 11?) And maybe she’s lonely without the other cat. She’s certainly been more loving and a whole lot more demanding. But I don’t know about introducing a new kitten into the house.

The primary problem is that I travel a LOT. So I can’t sit at home and make sure new kitty knows about litter boxes and the like. But on the other hand, Tali will probably be very lonely without us at home when we do travel. And of course, the worst case scenario is if the new kitty and the old one do NOT get along. OMG, that would be AWFUL!

So…give me advice, give me stories! Have you managed to introduce a new cat to an old one? Was it okay or a disaster? Tell me, tell me! I’m dreaming about new kittens almost every night. (Apparently, I want a new kitty). Anyway, one random commentor will get a copy of my newest blaze In Good Hands by Kathy Lyons.

My husband is out of town this week. This is a rare event. Usually, I am the one flying off to conferences and the like, but this time, I am at home feeding the cats as he goes off to do his job. No problem. I have plenty of work to do and I’m perfectly capable of surviving on my own for a week without him.

Or so I thought.

Here’s the problem: I work at home and set my own schedule. No, let me rephrase that. My children and my husband set my schedule and I just write according to the time allotted to me in their days. Except I’m empty nesting now (yeah!). And with my husband gone, I don’t have him waking me up in the morning as he bumps around getting his coffee, showering, etc. I don’t have him coming home and saying, what’s for dinner? Want to order pizza? (Answer: yes!) And even my cats don’t wake me up since we have an automatic feeder. (Yes, I’m THAT lazy).

So with my husband gone, NO ONE sets my schedule. I get up when I feel like it (and I rarely feel like it). I work when the mood strikes–later and later every day. And I forget to stop when I get going. Lunch at 4pm? Okay. Is it midnight already? I think I’ll get a snack.

I’ve gotten a ton of work done this week. (Finished my next Blaze!) But I am so off schedule that I don’t know what time it is, what DAY it is, or even what I’m supposed to be doing when. There is NO schedule at all, and it’s throwing me. I never actually STOP working, and I fear that could build into a problem. Frankly, the whole thing is just weird. I’ve never before been completely on my own with no responsibilities beyond I have a book due in X number of months. It’s freaking me out!

So now it’s your turn. Any advice? Or is the advice: go ahead and enjoy the freedom. And if I’m working at 2 am, then at least I’m working. One lucky commenter will win a copy of my latest blaze, In Good Hands, by Kathy Lyons.

I have discovered lately that I am a slave to my cat. And (here’s the shocker) perhaps that’s not so bad a thing. Here’s why.

Yesterday, I had a phenomenal writing day. I wrote 17 pages. Why? Not because I was inspired. Heck no! It was because my cat decided to sit on my lap and stretch her chin across my forearm. I thought it was rather endearing and sweet, so I let her stay as I

continued to type. Until that moment when I would usually stop typing and get up to wander about the house, check email, or do something else for a bit. Oops. Can’t do that with a cat on my forearm. And, btw, she has claws, so if I shifted too much, she dug them in. Not deep. She knows better. It was simply an “I’m sleeping, don’t bother me” message.

So I had a choice. I could dislodge her completely or keep writing. I decided to keep writing. This went on for hours and by the end of the day, I had 17 pages. Woo hoo! Thank you cat!

On the not so helpful level, the same thing happened a few nights ago when I was watching tv. Again I was faced with the choice of dislodging her to go to bed or just hanging out and watching more tv. Result: I stayed up way too late watching tv that wasn’t worth my time.

So here is the inescapable conclusion: I am a slave to my cat. If she sleeps on me, I am frozen in place unable to switch gears. This is completely ridiculous, I know. And yet the situation persists. Anyone else out there a slave to your pet? Please tell me I’m not alone! And some lucky commentor will get a copy of my latest Blaze: In Good Hands by Kathy Lyons.

We here at the Blaze blog have been talking about our pets. Not necessarily on the blog itself (I’m writing this in advance of the holidays, so I don’t know what other people have done) but certainly behind the scenes. And given that we are smack dab in the middle of the holidays, I’d like to talk about the gifts my cats have given me.

I have two cats, both adopted from the local humane society. One is a lovable, loud, purring mass of male cat called Bandit. Here is a picture of Bandit in his usual habitat. Yes, he’s asleep on my chair taking up all of the chair. His other natural habitat is sitting in front of his food bowl crying for more food. Just because he ate ten minutes ago doesn’t change the fact that he’s hungry now.

What gifts do I typically receive from him? Well, mostly laughs. He’s not the brightest feline on the planet. When my other cat is chasing things, he’s usually about ten minutes behind. Yes, a full ten minutes. He’s the one looking for the mouse underneath the couch when the creature has run past him and into the kitchen and is now lurking behind the refrigerator. But he’s adorable in his stupidity…er, less than brilliance. And his purr never fails to cheer me up.

My other cat is Tali. She’s my huntress. She’s fast, smart, and has a talent for bringing me gifts of another sort. Here’s a picture of her (on my desk) with her most benign kill. That’s a Kathy Lyons keychain lion at her feet there. It has been appropriately killed and gifted to me. Other presents have included all manner of rodent and bird, both living and dead. The most Bandit ever killed was a full box of Q-tips. But he was quite proud of himself. He walked around with one hanging out of his lips like a cigarette.

Suffice it to say that I adore my cats, no matter what they give me. I have been known to tell my husband to be careful because he might disturb the cats when he climbs into our bed. I should note that they’re usually sleeping on his pillow when I say this.

So what presents have your pets brought you this holiday? Hopefully it’s an abundance of love and affection. But there are other joyful things that they bring too. Tell me, tell me! (Or confess that you’re pet free but think my cats are adorable). One lucky commentor will receive a free Kathy Lyons book like Taking Care of Business, my November release.