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, February 28, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me! Happy Contest to You!



I only get to celebrate my birthday once every four years. When I was little this was very upsetting because well-meaning (read: stupid) adults would say things like, "So you don't have a birthday this year, do you?" I would turn, lip quivering, and look up at my mother for some sign that, yes, I would get presents and a cake. And all the adults would laugh.

This is how chain-saw murderers are made.

Fortunately, I managed to get through it without going altogether mental, though an incident with a really horrid Sunday school teacher pisses me off to this day. She forgot my birthday when the February birthdays were celebrated, and when I pointed this out she told me that since I didn't really have one it didn't matter. She lumped me in with March birthdays, and I was terribly upset. I was 5 at the time.

As I got older, I really didn't care as much, though I do tend to celebrate the real ones. (Not this year because of my deadline.) If my birthday only comes every four years, I might as well make the most of it, right? Today is Leap Day and in honor of my special day — I turn 11 today, thanks very much for asking — I want to share something with one of you!

And that something would be an ARC of Unlawful Contact.



Given that we're only a month away from the release date, I thought I'd get rid of the extra ARC I have sitting here by sharing it with someone who hasn't read it already, someone perhaps who hasn't even posted on this blog out of fear of being eaten alive by blog aliens. So if you lurk or if you haven't already read the story — sorry FOPs, but then you get signed copies of the book — this is your chance.

All you have to do is post, and your name will be entered into the hat. It's that easy. You may say flattering things if you choose or feign interest in Leap Day birthdays. That's all good and fine. But the winner will be chosen randomly. And all you have to do is freakin' post.

I'll draw a winner on Sunday evening with the help of my son's fine fedora.

Starting next week: "Pamela's Prison Diaries, or Goldilocks Goes to Jail."

I'll share my hour-by-hour experience of being locked in the women's unit at the county jail, complete with my "arrest" mug shot. As Unlawful Contact grew out of my experiences covering prison issues, I thought it would be fun to share one of the inspirations behind the book — my own time behind bars.

That's right. I'm so hardcore. I'm just Pammy from the block, but the block ain't some city street. It's D-Seg — that's Disciplinary Segregation for those of you who haven't done time. Actually, though I did get yelled at by one guard, I did not get thrown into isolation. But I digress...

And because it's my birthday, I get to give myself a present, and here it is:

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not entering the contest but I do want to say a Very Happy Birthday to you hon and many many more! Plus I can't wait to read the adventures of Pamelocks in Jail LOL! HUGS dear!

Christi said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PAMELA...
HAAAAPPY BIRRRRTHDAAAAY TOOOOOO YOOOOOUUUU! (That was me singing)

I love birthdays! I hope you have a fabulously blessed day. Christi

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Pamela!!! and thanks for the contest!!!

Mollie said...

Happy Birthday! I'd like to enter.

I know I should know the answer to this but is Unlawful Contact a stand alone or part of a series?

Phyl said...

Happy Birthday Pamela! I love lurking here and would love even more winning your contest. Can't wait for this book. Enjoy your day!!

Leiha said...

I wouldn't think you were a day past 10, LOL. I hope that you have a wonderful birthday PC! I know that you're under deadline but this is your special day, take a moment to celebrate.

Ronlyn said...

Happy Birthday Beautiful!!!

Hi, Jenn — Thanks so much for the good wishes! You're a peach! I'll be digging through my old files tonight to find my notes and the articles I wrote about my jail stay. My mug shot is in there, a long with a photo of my hands in cuffs. I hope you'll all enjoy it. And LOL on "Pamelocks."

Hi, Christi — Thanks for the serenade! You have a lovely singing voice. LOL! And thanks for the good wishes, too. :-)

Thanks, Debbie D! And you're welcome! It's my pleasure. I love sharing my stories with you.

Hi, Mollie — Thanks for the birthday wishes! You are officially entered. Unlawful Contact is the third book in my I-Team series. It can stand alone, but you'd definitely get more out of it (Julian fans, got any comments on this? LOL!) if you read the other two first (Extreme Exposure, Hard Evidence). There are characters and such that carry over. It's the same bunch of characters, but each book focuses on a different I-Team member. Thanks!

Hi, Phyl and welcome! I'm so glad you posted. You're entered into the contest. Good luck! And thanks for the birthday wishes, too! :-)

Leiha, my sushi queen! So good to see you here. And thanks! LOL! How young 10 seems to me now that I'm 11. I will try to do something fun. Am getting my hair done. I'll be doing a lot of deadline writing (you know how that is from your work with Karen), but who knows? Benjy made me breakfast and hid a sweet birthday card in my laptop so that when I opened it in the coffee house I started crying... at which exact moment (of course) a man walked up to me and asked, "You're the editor of the newspaper aren't you?" "Yes," said I, sniffing.

I'm not sure if everyone on this blog remembers, but Leiha is in the story, together with Su. She gets a moment alone with Marc. LOL!

And thanks Ronlyn, dear! No real plans apart from writing, but that's what I love to do, right?

KJ said...

Happy Birthday, PC! You should come chat with us Wild Women again sometime...and drag Libby along...she's been MIA for months, lol. I hope you don't work too hard today and are able to take some time and enjoy your day.
Hugs,
KJ

Brenda said...

Happy Birthday, Pamela!
Enter me in the contest and thank you for sharing your birthday present with us. I can't wait to see your mugshot and hear about you doing 'hard time'.
;o)

Lin said...

wishing you a Special Happy day that you will remember until the next one!

Unknown said...

Happy Birthday!!! And huge congrats on the RT Top Pick!!! What a fabulous gift.

Morgan said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to one of my absolute favorite authors! Ronlyn (I'm her baby sister by the way) turned me on to your books last fall and I have had a blast reading them! My kids get quite desperate when they see one of my "kissy books" laying around... aparently I drop the ball with things like cooking, laundry, etc. when I am caught up in your books! My BF Jim however is another story... one day he caught me on my cell phone on my way out of Borders and I was very excited to have "Hard Evidence" in my hot little hands. (I think I read the first three chapters in the romance section before I even paid for it!) Jim shared in my excitement and said "YAY! HOT SEX FOR ME!" Apparently you inspire my amorous side! (And let's just face it... who doesn't want to have hot sex after reading about Julian?? YUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!) Well... I believe I've just proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I got my mothers gift of gab.... or curse of not being able to shut my mouth... *shrug* Soooooo.... HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!!!!

Ronlyn said...

Damn Mo. Tell us how you really feel. LOL
PS Pammy, Mo wants to be put in your drawing. ;-)

Morgan said...

See now... I didn't want this to have to happen.... Both of us commenting on the same blog is just DANGEROUS! Next thing you know we'll be slinging sisterly love type insults back and forth and Pam will have to throw both of us off her site.... I really don't want to be kicked off! I really like her! So please my dear sister.... keep your wiseass comments to yourself! *grin* I love you!

L said...

Who knew this whole time I've been contributing to the delinquency of a minor? Frick! Ah well, it's so worth the hard time.

In any case, Happy Birthday, Dangabaetch! MWAH!

Sara said...

Hey Happy Birthday Pamela! I really did remember, I've been thinking about you for the last few days and wondering how old you were...I thought maybe 8? I was going to post on facebook but this is better!

What a lovely custom to give out presents on your birthday...thanks for the contest chance, hope I win!!!

Cheryle said...

Happy Birthday Pamela! May all your wishes come true and may you have the Best Birthday!

Holy heck! I go out to get some highlights in my hair and come back to find a zillion posts! Hurray! The more the merrier!

First things first: Please note the widget to the right on the main page of this blog. That widget was a lovely birthday gift from my dear Libby, the Badass Warrior Princess herself! Thanks, Liberty! I love it. I hopeI don't sit there watching it every second though. LOL!

KelliJo, thanks so much! It's been a while since I've been to a Wild Women chat. I know Libby has been swamped with school, and I've been writing. But we'll have to get it together one of these weeks!

Hi, Brenda, and thanks! That's right, me and Martha Stewart, jail dawgs, baby! LOL! It actually was a pretty scary experience, but also very educational in a not-always-good way. I'm glad you posted!

Hi, Lin, thanks for the birthday wishes. You all are making it very memorable for me. :-)

HelenKay! Mwah! Thanks for the good news! I had no idea! And thanks for forwarding the review. Top Pick and 4.5 stars. I'll take it! LOL!

Morgan, when I saw your post I thought I was getting an email from one of my heroes. WEIRD! BUT then I realized who you were. Yes, Ronlyn speaks of you. LOL! I am delighted to know you enjoy my books, and am doubly delighted to know your husband enjoys them, also. I've heard from several readers about this "after-burn" phenomenon that drives them to "take it out" on their hubbies. And all I can say is, COOL! And, no, I won't kick you off my blog for sister banter. I have a sis, and I wish she'd post. She lives far away, and I miss her. So banter away!

Hi, Ronlyn, thanks for clarifying for me what Morgan was getting at. She was a bit vague. LOL!

Libby Loo, that's right! What would your DH say if he knew you'd given lemoncello to a minor in your own kitchen??? LOL! Thanks for the lovely widget! Can't wait for our movie date. I'll bring the Puffs, cuz I'm going to cry when they cut off her head. You know it, and I know it.

Sara, thanks so much! I am actually 11. I'd rather be 8. Sadly, I doubt I'll live to 21. But I try not to think of that. LOL! Good luck in the drawing!

Thanks, Cheryle, for the wonderful wishes! I really appreciate it. :-)

Happy birthday!

We had a secretary at my primary school who had her birthday only once while I went there :D I thought it was pretty sad, then my mom reasoned with me that, yes, she did get older every year, just that it was a secret!

Anyway, hope you have a fabulous day, and thanks for the contest!

Ronlyn said...

*snort*
what's the fun of keeping my wiseass comments to myself??

I jsut work would stop bugging me so I could have more fun today.

Welcome, Anixela! Too funny about your mom's explanation! Thanks for the good wishes. And you're welcome! Good luck!

Ronlyn, I don't know what's wrong with your employer that they expect you to work rather than having fun with us on the Internet. I mean, really! Do they think that's what you want to do? Yo, get a clue, bossman! LOL!

Sorry I'm late honey, but I love you and I hope your b-day was wonderful :) (((HUGZ)))

Aimee, dear, you're not late at all! I hope you have a good night! And thanks so much for the good wishes. I miss you! XOXO.

Rosie said...

Good God, Pamela, that pic brought me out of lurkdome. *G*

Happy birthday sweetie. Hope you had a wonderful, wonderful day!!!

Hugs to you!
Rosie

Anonymous said...

Happy Belated Birthday PC! I told my kids about you yesterday, and they thought it was pretty cool that you were only 11. And they were very concerned that you DID in fact get to celebrate your birthday every year.

I hope you have a wonderful year full of success, fun and hugs from your boys.

Karen

P.S. Can I be included in the drawing?

Hi, Rosie,

Isn't he hot? Gosh, I don't even need to see the rest of his body when his face looks like that. (Not that I would turn down a chance to see all of him, mind you!) Thanks for the good wishes!

Hi, Karen -- See? Kids understand how I felt. People always say, "Oh, that must be so much fun to be a Leap Day baby!" And I think, "It sure didn't used to be fun." It was just a reason to never have your name read on the announcements at school. And places like MySpace don't let you enter a Feb. 29 birthday. LOL! As if I don't know what my birthday is... Anyway, thank your kids for their concern and understanding. As for you, YES, you are entered into the contest. And thanks for the birthday wishes!

Happy Day Late Birthday - I plead an overworked day at the office for missing it yesterday. And I do so love that picture - now that's who I picture Marc as :)

Lisa said...

Happy Birthday a little late Pamela!

May you have many more:)

Just wanted to say I loved Hard Evidence and I look forward to Unlawful Contact.

Love the pic of the hottie, I'm going to pretend it's my vision of Julian. Yum.

tweety! said...

Im still, Im still Pammy from tehj block..........that was me channelling JLO for you PAMMOO...see even the names rhyme.....sigh. Im so clever. anmy ways im here in NZ, and I just discoverd the only place in the small country of the LODR movies that sells your books- guess what its freaking faraway- bt still il pay for shipping and such and such just to be thrilled by ur brilliance. Ok enough rambling by me, Hope you Had a GREAT!! Birthday even if you didnt celebrate. Goodluck with your future writings, and i cant wait to read 'em.

Anonymous said...

happy birthday pamela
congrats on teh book, 41/2 stars from RT.

such a hot cover, count me in.

kim h

Hi, Kristie, so sorry to know you're working so hard! And thanks for the good wishes. That's really my image of Marc, as well. Dang, I don't think I'm ever going to get sick of looking at that picture! LOL!

Hi, Lisa. And welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed Julian, er... Hard Evidence so much. And you go right ahead and imagine the guy in this photo to be whichever hero you want him. Any way you slice him, he's yummy!

Hi, Tweety, I'm so glad you found someplace that carries the books in NZ. (LOTR is my all-time favorite film, by the way). Sorry the store is so far away for you, but I guess it helps if they have free shipping. I did have a wonderful birthday, thanks. Everyone here helped make it wonderful. Thanks for the good wishes!

Hi, Kim H, you're in! And thanks for the congrats. I was really pleased with that news, I must admit. It was a great birthday present. And thanks!

Anonymous said...

If that pic is your inspiration for Mark, I would love to see who inspired Julian. I'm sure you shared the pics back when you were creating him, but throw a newbie a bone, would ya?????? Thanks a million! Have a great night!

Morgan said...

I'm such a dingbat... I'm still trying to figure out this whole blogging thing... That last comment about the pic was from me...

Morgan, my inspiration is a certain Duncan McLeod shot... Duncan with a pony tail, razor stubble,, etc. I'll try to find it and email to Ronlyn to email it to you. :-)

Morgan said...

Thank you so much! If you'd like you can email it right to me at Artemis_2400@yahoo.com. Ya know.... get's it to me a little faster and all... lol.

Anonymous said...

you are welcome

kim h

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday, belated as it is. You are so great for getting this story out. I can't wait to read UC. Loads of luv doll.

the other pam

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"I am an artist. I am here to live out loud."
—Emile Zola

"I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day."
—James Joyce

"Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery."
—Jane Austen

"Writers are those for whom writing is more difficult that it is for others."
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"When I write, I feel like an armless, legless man with a crayon in his mouth."
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—the character of Chaucer in
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