Kate Canterbary's Blog
November 12, 2021
Sebastian Stremmel: Finally.
This has been a long time coming. A really long time. We first met him--cringingly, awkwardly--in Riley Walsh and Alexandra Emmerling's story, Preservation, and then he grumbled his way into the Walsh family Christmas story, Thresholds. Will Halsted was super unimpressed, by the way. He was Cal Hartshorn's pet project in Before Girl though much has changed since they scowled over glasses of red wine in a ravioli speakeasy.
Save the date, y'all. Mark those calendars. Call the babysitter. Get your cozy reading space ready because once you start, there's no stopping with this one. Sebastian Stremmel's story is coming December 28!
Eight weeks of forced proximity is a long time to hate someone you’re trying not to love.
Sebastian Stremmel doesn’t need another headache. He has enough of his own without Sara Shapiro, the noisy new reconstructive surgeon, stomping all around his surgical wing with her chippy, chirpy cheerfulness.
But Sebastian doesn’t usually get what he wants.
No one gets under his skin like Sara - so much so a heated “debate” and an exam room left in shambles later, they land themselves in eight weeks of hospital-mandated conflict resolution counseling. Now they’re forced to fight fair…which quickly leads them to playing dirty when no one’s looking.
They know it’s a mistake.
They promise themselves it will never happen again.
They swear they got it out of their systems.
They didn’t.
Author’s Note: Grumpy/recovering people-pleaser sunshine. Introverts attract. Enemies-to-lovers in the workplace. Banter, bicker, and button-pushing foreplay. Don’t tell the friend group, get jealous when the friend group tries to fix her up.
Heat: rip her clothes off before you get the front door open.
Angst: big laughs, big feels, no ugly crying.
A Few More Author’s Notes:
Ebook Preorders: None at this time! If that changes for B&N, Kobo, and Apple, I will be sure to let you know. For Kindle readers, please anticipate a live release into Kindle Unlimited on December 28.
Audio: The amazing Natalie Duke and Connor Crais will be performing Sara and Sebastian, and the audio will land in February.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Must read seasonal rom-com from my dear friend Julia Kent! Shopping for a Turkey features Scottish football player Hamish McCormick and Amy Jacoby as they navigate unusual cultural norms, new traditions, and the undeniable attraction between these two characters, who have appeared as supporting players in Julia's New York Times-bestselling Shopping series.
Join the conversation in my private reader group
Read all my bonus and deleted scenes
That's all the big news from me. It's enough, right ;)
Stay well, my friend!
xo kate
October 10, 2021
5 things I've learned this month
It's one of those oddball times when I don't have a lot of explosive news to share but it's also been awhile since we've chatted, and I didn't want another day to pass without saying Hi! How are you doing and what's going on in your world? Have you read anything wonderful recently?
As for me, I'm doing all right. Keeping on keeping on, as many of us are. Here's a few things I've come up with in the past month:
This one should be common sense: I love writing outside when the autumn weather sets in but cooler temps don't eliminate the chance of me getting sunburned. Ask me how I know…
This one is adulting: Planners can be very good fun and very pretty but they're nothing more than an adult sticker book if you don't actually do the work you've planned.
This one is literally spicy: I've determined I love the warm, cozy spice flavors of autumn but not necessarily the ~pumpkin~ aspect. I love pumpkin very much--I've been trying to start my own pumpkin patch for years--though I'd prefer a spice cake donut to a pumpkin spice one.
This one sounds bonkers to non-authors: It doesn't matter how many books I write, each one will come with double-ended author's amnesia. I'm certain of it. I will always forget how to do it at the start, struggle mightily through the most of it, and then immediately forget that struggle as I blaze through the final items on my punch list.
This one might interest you: I'm not to the end of my punch list yet but I know you'll love Stremmel and Sara.
In other news…
ON SALE: Audible surprised me today by putting Boss in the Bedsheets on sale this weekend. That's just about 10 hours of Jason Clarke and Emma Wilder, and it's one of my all-time favorite audio productions of my books. Jason is just soooo Ash and Emma totally captures Zelda.
MUST READ: I was very excited to receive an early copy of Kat Ryan's debut novel, Coming Home, this month. It is a delicious brother's best friend, back after a decade away story, with plenty of steam and heart. Grab it now. I think you'll love it. I also read Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer, which was a Schitt's Creek-inspired delight. I read the whole book hearing Alexis Rose's voice in my head.
MUST LISTEN: For audios, I've been listening to a bunch of books I've previous read the old fashioned way. This month, it's been Sarina Bowen's True North series. I'm obsessed with the narration by Zachary Webber and Susannah Jones on Fireworks.
AROUND THE WORLD: If you've been around for a bit, you might remember that a bunch of my titles are in the process of being translated for foreign editions! I have several titles scheduled for publication this year and next, and can't wait to meet foreign language readers around the world.
If you're interested in reading an early copy of a foreign edition, please follow these links to get more information and sign up for one of my Advance Review Copy teams. *If you've already visited these forms, there's no need to sign up again :)
I hope you're keeping your hands clean and your books dirty. Stay well!
xo kate
August 20, 2021
August 2021 Update!
I did make a whole bunch of zucchini bread this month. When I say “a whole bunch," I'm talking about six full loaves. That's what happens when your neighbor sends over three forearm-sized zucchini. Here's the recipe I used (I didn't have any nutmeg so I went with pumpkin pie spice instead) and I loved how these turned out. Some thirteen-odd years ago I had a life-altering slice of zucchini bread and while this recent batch was very solid, I'm still tinkering with how to reach a more pound cake-like consistency. Depending on how aggressively Henri blows through local gardens this weekend, I might be waiting until next summer to tweak the recipe again.
In news that is neither hurricane- nor gourd-centric, members of my private reader group voted on their all-time favorite reads from me this week and I wanted to make sure you also had a chance to get in on the action, even if you're not in the group. You can vote here!
We're in the final weeks of summer vacation and shopping for school supplies and new shoes (kids just don't stop growing, do they?!?), and as much as I'd like to have a great announcement about Sebastian Stremmel and The Worst Guy , I've prioritized beach days and family hikes and ice cream dates this month. I trust you'll hang with me a few more weeks :)
In the meantime, my friend Mae Wood recently released Wildflower , a later-in-life romance featuring a silver fox single dad and lady beer maker (is it brew mistress? must explore) reconnecting in a small Vermont town after decades apart. I hear the audio is especially wonderful.
Stay well, my friend.
xo kate
There were probably some typos in there. Maybe even a wrong link. It's okay. They're like summer sun showers. It's not clear how they happen but they make us stop, look around, and say, “Huh. That doesn't happen every day.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Now in audio: The Belle and the Beard
New projects: Sebastian Stremmel's book
WhisperSync audio bargain: Before Girl, narrated by the amazing Jason Clarke and Virginia Rose
New narrator alert--rerecorded with Tim Paige: The Magnolia Chronicles
Recent recommendations: I stepped away from hist-rom for a contemporary breather and stumbled onto the Well Met series by Jen DeLuca after it was recommended as a cozy, low stress read that won't wreck your emotional machinery in the Heaving Bosoms Facebook group a few weeks ago. These books are exactly that. Cozy. Low stress. Romantic and satisfying though less steamy than books I often recommend.
July 31, 2021
July 2021 Update!
It's blueberry season in my part of the world and in the true spirit of Annette Cortassi and Hard Pressed, I baked some muffins jammed with blueberries. I didn't gather my berries like Annette but I did hit up my local farm stand. Close enough, right?
I should warn you, there's some mythology surrounding blueberry muffins in this area. Years ago, a department store used to sell fresh-baked blueberry muffins and they were legendary. Everyone loved the Jordan Marsh muffins. When I sit back and think about it now, I don't fully understand the rationale behind a department store selling muffins (clothing, bedding, shoes…muffins?) but I'm not exaggerating when I say they achieved legend status. People would make the trip to these stores specifically for the muffins. Shoes be damned.
Anyway, here's the recipe I used, if you want to channel your inner Annette. I couldn't bring myself to dump a full teaspoon of sugar on the top, even if that's the proper way to achieve the iconic crunch and crackle. Now I just need to decide what to do with all the local cherries I keep buying…
In non-fruit news, Missing In Action got an update! If you visit Amazon or Audible, you won't see this cover because it seems to be stuck in Glitchville but this is fun too :) I'm sure sending this message to you will trigger some kind of comical lever and the new cover will populate. The universe is funny like that.
I am still negotiating the balance between summer vacation with a young child at home and writing books, so I don't have much to report on the Sebastian Stremmel front…more on him soon!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
WhisperSync audio sale: Before Girl, Hard Pressed, and Fresh Catch
Updated audio: The Magnolia Chronicles
New audio: The Belle and the Beard
New projects: Sebastian Stremmel's book
Recent recommendations: I continue my Summer of Lisa Kleypas with the Bow Street Runners series. Please be sure to check the reviews for content warnings as there are many.
May 25, 2017
Mark your calendars - PRESERVATION is coming June 13
Two lonely hearts.
Just once, she'd like to be someone's first choice.
She's strong-willed and spunky, but she's left picking up the pieces from her ex's lies and manipulations, and daydreaming about taking a scalpel to his scrotum.
Flying under the radar is what he does best.
He's laid-back and loyal, but he wants the most off-limits woman in his world, and nothing will ever make that a reality.
An arrangement of mutual benefit.
Two months, four dates.
Five, if things go well.
Five at the most.
But possibly six.
Definitely no more than six dates.
Only the appearance of a romantic relationship is required, and they expect nothing more from their time together. There will be none of those benefits involved.
One wild weekend.
After waking up in bed together—very naked and even more hungover—the terms and conditions of their arrangement no longer apply. Now they're faced with something riskier than exposing their fake relationship: letting go of the past and zipping up the future.
Some things have to fall apart before they can be put back together.
Add Preservation to your TBR.
Preorder it!
★ Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2nbdvg9
★ Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2mxUZBG
★ Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2nbjS3e
★ Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2nb5l7x
★ Kobo: http://smarturl.it/nukgyb
★ iTunes: http://smarturl.it/p527qv
★ Google Play: http://smarturl.it/preservation
May 13, 2017
An update on PRESERVATION
Those aren't the sort of things anyone likes to hear about, and they're not what anyone likes to experience.
Knowing that, I hope you're already thinking that I'm not thrilled to be sharing any of this, and that if there were an alternative, I would've found it.
I have a personal complication (several of them, actually), and I have rescheduled the release of PRESERVATION for June 13.
My time and attention are urgently needed in other parts of my life. This is truly an instance of personal matters taking precedence over professional.
I know this is frustrating. I know that many of you have been planning for this release, and I only hope you know how incredibly difficult it is for me to make this decision.
Your preorders will not be impacted. They're still open (you're welcome to order away), and my Amazon rep insists all the wonky cancellation/price changing/disappearing from stores issues have been resolved.
I'm so, so, so, sorry that this has happened. It's not what I wanted.
March 14, 2015
Who wants Sam's story?
If you're excited to read an ARC of NECESSARY RESTORATIONS and post a review, send me a PM with your Kindle email address (the @kindle.com one).
Here's a little sample:
"Side note. Why do they call you 'the runt'?"
"Is it not obvious?" he laughed.
"No," I said. "In fact, from where I'm sitting—" I hooked a finger around the band of his boxers and peeked below. "I'd say quite the opposite."
