Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Interview with Cate Masters


Here at the Lark Journals we are thrilled to have Cate Masters as our guest blogger.

Cate Masters’ novels, novellas and short fiction appear at The Wild Rose Press, Eternal Press, Wild Child Publishing/ Freya’s Bower and Shadowfire Press. Her flash and short stories are published with The Battered Suitcase , A Long Story Short, Dark Sky Magazine, Cezanne’s Carrot, The Harrow, Flesh from Ashes, Quality Women’s Fiction, Phase, and The Writer’s online edition. In 2005, Pennwriters awarded her second place in its annual Short Story contest for her literary story, All is Calm, All is Bright. Her freelance articles have appeared in The Sentinel, Carlisle. The proud mom of three adult children, she currently lives in central Pennsylvania with her husband, Benji the dog, their dictator-like cat, Chairman Maiow, and dozens of characters inhabiting her imagination. Visit her online at www.catemasters.com and http://catemasters.blogspot.com, or follow her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Cate-Masters/89969413736?ref=ts or Twitter: www.twitter.com/catemasters.


Her contemporary romance, Going with Gravity, is now available from The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/going-with-gravity-p-3539.html?zenid=9a21831541a26a30f60bab5323b0f23e

She’d love for you to check out the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9C0LCXFZww
Reviews have described Going with Gravity as: “so compelling I did not want to put it down. The sexual encounters were sizzling and the ending was unexpected. There were moments of poignant emotional conflict.”

And “What happens is what storybook romances are made of and what everyone hopes for in their lives. But, you will have to read this romantic and heartwarming novel to learn just when and why Allison realizes she might have met the right man, and why Wes made sure to meet her on that fateful flight. “

And praised the hero: “Wes, the hero, is so darned sexy, I wanted to take him home. I’m not talking about his finesse with the spicy part of loving; it’s his class, style and solidness of character. Wes struck a chord with me that makes him a keeper. There’s the part where Allison meets him again under somber circumstances. The way Ms. Masters describes the whole scene allowed me to visualize it. It’s hard to find the exact words to describe how it made me feel but it is no surprise to me that Allison could connect with a guy like Wes so readily. He’s written in such an approachable way, I fully believe that love at first sight can happen.”



Here’s the story blurb:

Publicist Allison Morris plans her own life – what’s left of it – around the life of her boss Michelle McCarter, the ex-wife of a famous rock star. When Michelle needs emergency public relations patchwork in Hawaii pronto, Allison arranges a flight to the dream destination. At the airport, she meets Wes Hamilton, a six-foot-three sun-bleached blond whose blue eyes and dazzling smile rekindle her fizzled-out sizzle. A world-renowned surfer, Wes captivates her with his charm and wit, though his easy fame and on-the-edge lifestyle are the polar opposite of her own. When their jet loses its fuselage in mid-air, she takes advantage of what she thinks are her last minutes alive with Wes. The plane lands safely. Wes takes care of her when her carefully constructed life begins to unravel. When Michelle accuses Allison of using Wes to gain fame for herself, Allison’s world falls apart in an explosive confrontation. Wes is waiting with open arms when she has nowhere else to go, but can Allison learn to stop planning and go with gravity?



And here’s the excerpt:


Allison pulled her portfolio from her laptop case and set it on her lap, afraid to open it. As soon as the articles had arrived on her fax machine, she’d shoved them into her bag, then hopped in the shower. Delay tactics only worked for so long. The moment of truth had arrived. She opened it and thumbed through. Eleven pages. Eleven. And these were only the newspaper articles from the past two days. TV and online news sites surely covered more. And then there’d be the inevitable blogger. Uncontrollable, overly opinionated and accountable to no one, they were the worst.

Michelle had arrived on Oahu with a bang, and then had the audacity to blame Allison for not doing her job to quell the media. She held up one photo of a topless Michelle prancing in the surf, laughing. Rumors and innuendo could be stopped with logic and tact, but to downplay this photo, she’d need a good explanation. When Michelle’s logic and tact failed her so obviously, Allison had to wonder about her mental state.

A hulking figure filled the aisle, stowing his bag in the overhead compartment.

Those shorts. That shirt.

It was him.

He checked his ticket, looked at her and smiled. His blond hair fell across his forehead as he sat next to her, his shoulder bumping hers. “Hello again.”

For two years, she’d rubbed elbows with stars of all magnitudes without so much as a blink, and fended off paparazzi following the wife of megastar James McCarter.

With two words, she’d been reduced to the rank of dreamy-eyed teeny bopper.

He smiled, raised an eyebrow.

She realized, then, she hadn’t responded. And her mouth hung open.

Make that drooling dreamy-eyed teeny bopper.

She flashed a smile. Think. Damage control is your business. Put it to good use for once.

“Hi.” Oh, yes. Very witty. What a deft deflection of his charm.

She turned back to her articles, but sensed the weight of his stare.

He frowned at her reading material. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to read over your shoulder. I take it you’re a closet fan of the poor little rich girl?”

“In the same way I’m a closet fan of train wrecks, I suppose. I guess you’re not a fan.”

“Of hers?” He chuckled. “God, no. She’s awful. Her publicist should be shot.”

Shot. Of course. Working fifty-five to sixty-five hours a week wasn’t enough to keep the spin spinning fast enough for the rest of the world. The one guy who’d interested her in the past two and a half years thought she made a good candidate for execution. Her life was in such a rut, she’d need mountain climbing gear to get out.

“If you’re a fan, I didn’t mean to offend.” Sincerity had wiped the smile from his face.

“Actually, I’m..” She turned and smiled, “…her publicist.”

26 comments:

Kathleen said...

Cate, Thanks for being here today. I got such a chuckle out of your excerpt.

Cate Masters said...

Thanks for having me, Kathleen! And thanks for your kind words. I had such fun writing Going with Gravity - glad to hear it's fun to read!

margaret blake said...

Very interesting, Kathy and Cate. and I really liked the excerpt, blurbs and news about Cate. I did a double take when I saw the name Carlisle, as this is about 70 miles from here. Of course it is not that one but one in Pennsylvania. Fascinating.

Sharon Donovan said...

Hi Cate and Kathleen. Cate, I first heard about Going with Gravity at the roast and have been smiling ever since! Best of luck with sales! How can this book not be a winner?
Sharon

Cate Masters said...

Thanks Margaret! Yes I'm always interested to find cities with the same names in other countries, as well as within the US. Pennsylvania has many, I suspect, because it was one of the original states and so many carry over from England, such as York and all its variations.
Thanks for stopping by!

Cate Masters said...

Hi Sharon! I had such fun at the roast! And that Oliver - he's wonderful, so attentive to every need!
Thanks for the kind words. Much appreciated.

Ilona Fridl said...

Cate, I loved the excerpt! Hope you get good sales with it!

Helen Hardt said...

Great to see you over here, Cate!

Cate Masters said...

Thanks Ilona and Helen - you guys are so great!

Susan Macatee said...

Great excerpt, Cate! Sounds like a great story!

Best of luck with it!!

Cate Masters said...

Thanks so much, Susan! I appreciate you stopping by.

Emma Lai said...

Hey, Cate! I've got Going with Gravity in my TBR. Unfortunately I haven't made any progress into the pile since August if you can believe it. Maybe once baby starts sleeping more...?

Cate Masters said...

Emma, so good to see you here! Hope all's going well. Can't wait to see pics!

Margaret Tanner said...

Hi Cate and Kathleen,
Great interview. Terrific excerpt,Cate, as always. Your imagination is so fertile and you certainly have got the gift of putting the words on paper. Mega sales I hope.
Regards
Margaret

Mary Ricksen said...

Good luck with sales Cate, sell a million!
Great blog Kathleen!

Cate Masters said...

High praise, Margaret! I'm humbled, thank you. Thanks for your kind words!

Cate Masters said...

Thanks Mary! You're such a sweetie!

Diane Craver said...

Hi Cate and Kathleen,

Great excerpt! I want to read Going with Gravity. And, Cate, I'm so impressed with your success as an author - you have some great publishers for your books!

Cate Masters said...

Hi Diane, thanks for stopping by! I agree, my publishers are great! Hope they feel the same about me *snicker*

Maggie Dove said...

Cate,

Going with Gravity seems out of this world!

Maggie

www.maggiedove.net

Cate Masters said...

Thanks so much, Maggie! And congrats on your release today! Angel of Windword soudns wonderful.

Tanya Hanson said...

Hi Cate, what a terrific blurb! Good to read more about you, too


Hugs,
~Tanya

Cate Masters said...

Thanks very much, Tanya! I appreciate you stopping by.

Debra St. John said...

Fabulous read! Congrats on all of your great reviews. I hope they keep coming!

Cate Masters said...

This crazy wind knocked our power out or I'd have been back earlier.
Thanks so much Debra! That's so sweet!

Kathleen said...

Thanks so much for being here Cate and thanks to all who left comments.