Book Releases

Holding On (Colorado High Country #6) —
The Colorado High Country series returns with Conrad and Kenzie's story.

A hero barely holding on…

Harrison Conrad returned to Scarlet Springs from Nepal, the sole survivor of a freak accident on Mt. Everest. Shattered and grieving for his friends, he vows never to climb again and retreats into a bottle of whiskey—until Kenzie Morgan shows up at his door with a tiny puppy asking for his help. He’s the last person in the world she should ask to foster this little furball. He’s barely capable of managing his own life right now, let alone caring for a helpless, adorable, fluffy puppy. But Conrad has always had a thing for Kenzie with her bright smile and sweet curves. One look into her pleading blue eyes, and he can’t say no.

The woman who won’t let him fall…

Kenzie Morgan’s life went to the dogs years ago. A successful search dog trainer and kennel owner, she gets her fill of adventure volunteering for the Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team. The only thing missing from her busy life is love. It’s not easy finding Mr. Right in a small mountain town, especially when she’s unwilling to date climbers. She long ago swore never again to fall for a guy who might one day leave her for a rock. When Conrad returns from a climbing trip haunted by the catastrophe that killed his best friend, Kenzie can see he’s hurting and wants to help. She just might have the perfect way to bring him back to the world of the living. But friendship quickly turns into something more—and now she’s risking her heart to heal his.

In ebook and soon in print!


About Me

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I grew up in Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, then lived in Denmark and traveled throughout Europe before coming back to Colorado. I have two adult sons, whom I cherish. I started my writing career as a columnist and investigative reporter and eventually became the first woman editor of two different papers. Along the way, my team and I won numerous state and several national awards, including the National Journalism Award for Public Service. In 2011, I was awarded the Keeper of the Flame Lifetime Achievement Award for Journalism. Now I write historical romance and contemporary romantic suspense.

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Seductive Musings

Saturday, July 07, 2007

In memory of Kathleen Woodiwiss




So, who was the first romance author you ever read?

Kathleen Woodiwiss was my first. Somehow I got my hands on a tattered copy of The Flame and the Flower, and the story captivated me. I must have been about 14 when I read it. The book was first published in 1974, I think, so it was a few years old by the time I read it.



I remember being utterly swept away by Brandon and Heather's story. Heather was so abused and innocent, and Brandon was... Well, what can you say about a hero who rapes the heroine. Of course, he didn't realize that's what he was doing, at least not the first time. The sex was hot, not by today's standards certainly, but for it's time, it was pretty scorching, opening up possibilties for women as writers and readers to explore their own sexuality and their relationships with men.

That's what romance novels are really about, after all. That's what makes them inherently feminist — powerful tools for women in changing their lives and visioning the world in new ways.

I didn't understand much about sex then, just the basic Tab A into Slot B mechanics. But I knew the moment I finished reading her book that I wanted to write stories like that one day.

Kathleen Woodiwiss is why I write romance. It's as simple as that.

I read Rosemary Rogers and other early romance authors, also, and I loved their novels, too. But Kathleen's books stood out for me. Who can forget Shanna? My friends and I had a dog-eared copy of that book. I can't tell you how many times I read it or how often we traded it back and forth. Anyone who read that book never forgot it.

And then there's The Wolf and the Dove. Wonderful story.



I didn't follow her later novels, but I'd hoped to have a chance to meet her one day and thank her for the hours of escape and for the inspiration she gave me.

My condolences go out to her surviving family, and I know that many of us in the world of romantic fiction, both writers and readers, will be saddened to learn of her passing.

4 comments:

Nes said...

I'm so sorry to hear about her passing. May she rest in peace.

My first romance was Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers. Damn, I loved that book.

That book was being passed on secretly from one friend to another when I was a freshman in high school. By the time I got that book, it was tattered too. Gads, I loved Ginny and Steve and I read every single book about them.

My second most memorable romance book was Love, Cherish Me by Rebecca Brandewyne. Anyone else read that? I still have my tattered copies of both books.

Like you said, Pam, that's what romance is all about....

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. :)

Debbie H said...

It was Victoria Holt books. The mystery with the romance. I was thirteen when I started reading those and then went to Kathleen's books. She will definitely be missed.

Romance does give us power to let ourselves dream and take that step into the unknown in our lives. Thank you for doing that for me!

See you in a few days!

For me it was Daphne DuMaurier, Anya Seton, Mary Stewart - but when I read Kathleen Woodiwiss, I was in shock almost at what I was reading, it was so different. I just heard about her passing and was saddened. She was a huge contributer to today's romance. She and others led the way.

Anonymous said...

Kathleen Woodiwiss was the first romance author I read. I was about 13 and my mom gave me the book to read because I kept pestering her to let me read one of "Mom's books". Mom read romance for as long as I could remember and I wanted to know what was so great about them. I found out and haven't stopped reading them since. I'm sorry for Ms. Woodiwiss' passing but am glad I was able to experience her writing for as long as I have.

Thank you Ms. Woodiwiss....
you'll be missed.

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