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

Thursday, January 24, 2008

A wonderful, beautiful day


Not much longer now... April 1 is just around the corner (well, sort of).

Today I had a wonderful, beautiful day. I really needed it, too, because this week started with a big blow. Mondays suck anyway, but mine really sucked. I found out early, early Monday morning that a friend of mine in Denmark had been found dead. It was really a crushing surprise, one of those kicked-in-the-stomach moments. I didn't even bother to wear mascara to work, because I knew I'd spend the day crying and that all that Lancôme would end up in my bra.

The blow was especially crushing because he called me in July and left a message that I never returned. When I got the message, it was 2 AM in Denmark. So I opted to wait till the weekend... and then I forgot. And now I have the message, and that's all I have, besides old photos.

Farvel, Henrik, min ven. Og tilgive mig!

But today, with this week's paper on the stands, I played a wee bit of hookie and combined work with adventures.

First I went to DSH Perfumes, the parfumerie I mentioned a while back. Dawn Spencer Hurwitz makes perfumes the way they made them in France 300 years ago, using all natural essences and doing it by hand, drop by drop. She has the most incredible sense of smell, and she's wildly creative. She has a lot of Hollywood clients, in addition to a strong clientele base on both coasts and in Paris. BUT she happens to live in my town. (She has all her scents online at www.dshperfumes.com. Too bad no one has invented an iSniff program yet...)

She and I got to know each other last summer, and when I suggested that we collaborate in connection with Unlawful Contact to create scents to go with the book, she thought it would be a great idea. So I gave her a finished copy of the manuscript to read, and today I went to her studio to see what she'd come up with.

It was fascinating! She'd taken notes from the books — about the scents I mention in the story, together with character traits for both Marc and Sophie, then had set about making "sketches" that she felt represented them. I sampled both and love them! We talked through her notes, and she let me sniff many other essences she was considering using in the final forms of the scents.


Would you like to know what Marc smells like? Mmmmm.

One of the things she wanted to make sure of was that the two go well together, because the thing that struck her most about the story was how much the two of them belonged together. She doesn't want a "Sophie" scent that clashes with the "Marc" scent. And I think she did a brilliant job of making the two of them fit and compliment one another. Sophie's scent has an innocent eroticism to it, a young energy that could be described as very "fairy sprite," while Marc's is darker, deeper and has a strong male sensuality to it. Both scents are very sexual.

Of course, when these scents are done, she will be making them available to customers as a limited edition, and I will be giving some away in contests right here on this humble blog. Dawn is one of those people who believes that all the good things in life should be affordable to everyone, so there will be "sample" quanties avialable for very little.

I can't tell you how fun it was to feel my characters turned into smells! There's really a "young, sexy fairy-girl" and a "older, sexy bad boy" feel to the scents.

But that's not all...

This past year, I also met Deanna and Tara from Vamp Bags. They make designer handbags that are super-sexy and eco-friendly. They're made in the good, ol' US of A, so no slave labor is involved. And I think they kick the pants off pretty much everything out there on the designer scene. (You can check out last fall's line at www.vampbags.com.)

Deanna and Tara are avid romance readers, so today we met for coffee and had what turned into a three-hour-long conversation (oops!) like long-lost friends. I now have the loveliest bag, which is perfect for a writer/editor. I can't tell you all how much I love it! AND I'm going to be giving away a Vamp bag together with the perfume and an autographed copy of the entire trilogy as a prize in honor of the book's release in April. So that's like a... $500 prize? Something like that.


A sample of the sexy stuff the Vamps turn out!

In the meantime, I plod away on Untamed. My characters are up to a wee bit of hochmagandie at the moment, and those scenes area always the toughest to write. I've been getting up at 3 AM — no, I'm not kidding — to write and then working all day, trying to get caught the heck up.

Oh, and, of course, I have ARCs for Unlawful Contact so I'll be giving one of those away soon, too.

Stay tuned for details!

Now get on the phone and call the people you love, okay?

11 comments:

Christi said...

Pamela, I am so sorry to hear about your friend. Losing someone (unexpectedly or not) is tough- way tough. But on a lighter note I am way JAZZED about the "aromas" coming soon, plus the thrill of winning something. April is creaping slowly but I have a 10 yr. anniv. trip to NYC in mid-March, so after I get back, whallah! April!. So, keep writing and smiling and enjoying your snow capped mountains. have a blessed day - Christi in TX

Ronlyn said...

I'm so sorry about your loss honey. I've been thinking of you. Life is crazy.
(((((((((hugs)))))))))

Sin said...

How very sad, Pamela. I'm really sorry for your loss and you and his family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Here's to hoping Untamed will stop giving you fits and you get caught back up :)

I can't wait to smell the perfumes and read the book. And that is a great bag!

Christie from e-mails.
PS. I finally pushed the "publish your comment". :)

Cheryle said...

Pamela I so sorry to hear about your friend. It is always a sad thing when someone you love passes.

I am thrilled about all the good stuff that has happend for you this week though. Perfume and Handbags, oh my what ever is a girl to do!

(((HUGS)))

Debbie H said...

Pamela, I am so sorry you lost your friend. We all get busy, thinking we will catch it later and forget. HUGS.

Did I hear ARCS? Whoo, Hoo!

I would love to smell those scents, especially while reading the book.

Can't wait to read UNTAMED, either. It's been a while since we've heard from those hunky Scotsmen.

Christi, good to see you again! Thanks for your kind words. And the scents are SO amazing. I'm wearing "Sophie" on my left wrist and "Marc" on my right, and I love them! The cool thing is how HOT they smell together. They really fit well, which is what Dawn is trying to achieve with them. A few more tweaks — she's still playing with the scents — and they'll be ready for April! You have a blessed day, too!

Ronlyn, dear, thanks so much. And you're right. Life is utterly daft.

CHRISTIE! I'm so glad you hit the "Post" button. Welcome from lurk to my blog. Everyone here is very friendly. No snark on this blog. :-) And thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers. Mine go especially to his family. I can't imagine what they're feeling.

Cheryle, thanks so much for your thoughts. I really appreciate it! And, yes, handcrafted scents, eco-chic handbags. It's going to be a blast!

Debbie, you're so right. We always think we have all the time in the world, and it's just not true. And I guess that's what hurts the most — well, besides his being gone — is that I didn't take the time to say hello, and now I can't.

And, YES, you did hear the word "ARC." Also, I'm thinking that it might be time for an excerpt from those radgie Rangers. Hopefully tomorrow...

Anonymous said...

Pamela I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. His family and friends including you are in my prayers. May God rest his soul.

That is amazing about the perfums! I have never heard of anything quite like that and I can't wait to smell them I'll have to get some samples at the very least. Too cool! And cool on the purses as well I'll have to check out their website!

I hope you have a great weekend hon.

HUGS

Anonymous said...

Pamela, I sorry to hear of your friend's passing; it's never easy having to say good bye. Hugs & love coming your way.

I'm so glad you had "A wonderful, beautiful day", you're a wonderful, beautiful person and deserve it.

Now get to work and get caught up. Just kidding LOL!

Can't wait to try the scents y'all developed. ARCs, bags and scents... Oh my!

Have another wonderful day, even though it is Monday.

Christi said...

Hey Pamela, Just out of curiosity, if these fragrances are a hit (which i don't know why they wouldn't be) would you & Dawn consider making follow-up compatiable fragrances for Julian (something musky, dark and sexy to fit his name) & Tessa or Kara & Reece???? I see a big hit here with this! Let us know when Marc/Sophie are available. Christi

Laurie D. said...

My condolences on the loss of your friend. I hope you have lots of good memories to help ease the pain.

I'm waiting for an ARC from Romance Junkies for review - I can't tell you how excited I am! It should be here any day.

squiresj said...

I was so sorry to read about your friend in Denmark. It must have been quite an adventure to live in Denmark and attend school. I loved reading about the perfumes and the handbags (love no slave labor - something my 21 year old daughter would campaign against.
God Bless.

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