Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Awakened
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.katedouglas.com/
CITY: Healdsburg
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://www.katedouglas.com/about-kate.html
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2006091659
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2006091659
HEADING: Douglas, Kate
000 00463cz a2200169n 450
001 7037346
005 20150303090449.0
008 061204n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2006091659
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |d DLC
053 _0 |a PS3604.O9274
100 1_ |a Douglas, Kate
374 __ |a Authors
375 __ |a female
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a Douglas, Kate. Wolf tales II, c2006: |b t.p. (Kate Douglas) p. 3 of cover (lives in Northern California)
953 __ |a lh03
PERSONAL
Born in CA; married Doug; children: two.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. KCEY Radio, Turlock, CA, copywriter, beginning 1972; newspaper reporter; writer for e-publishers, including Hard Shell Word Factory, Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id, and Changeling Press.
AWARDS:Winner of an unpublished writers’ contest.
WRITINGS
Author of online books and novellas, including Wolf Tales, Dream Catcher, Crystal Dreams, Dark Spirit, Dark Refuge, Feral Passions. Contributor of stories to anthologies, including Hot Alphas, Claimed by the Mate, and Wild.
SIDELIGHTS
Kate Douglas is a writer of romance and erotica novels, many of which feature supernatural characters. Before becoming a full-time fiction writer, Douglas worked in radio and as a newspaper reporter. In 1972, she joined KCEY Radio, a station based in Turlock, California, where she worked as a copywriter for several years. Douglas went on to write for a small newspaper in California, covering a variety of topics, from sports to crime to local events. She became inspired to write fiction during the mid-1980s, when she had a dream that was a complete story. Douglas wrote out the story and sent it to publishers. However, the book never sold. Meanwhile, Douglas wrote other works that she sold to e-publishers, including Hard Shell Word Factory, Ellora’s Cave, Loose Id, and Changeling Press.
"Wolf Tales" Series
In 2006, Douglas released her first physical book through Aphrodisia, an imprint of Kensington Publishers. The book was part of her “Wolf Tales” series, which includes a dozen novels and several associated novellas.
In an interview with Suzy Spencer which appeared on Spencer’s self-titled blog, Douglas discussed the themes and characters that set the series apart from other books in the genre. She stated: “When Wolf Tales, my first erotic romance, with Kensington Publishing came out in January 2006, it was one of the first romances from a mainstream publisher to break the unwritten rules of the genre. I had same sex lovers, group sex, and even relationships that some readers termed bestiality between characters who were shapeshifters. Of course, my argument is that as long as the creature is sentient and still thinking ‘human’ thoughts, it’s not bestiality, but the book definitely broke all the rules.”
"Sexy Beast" Series and "Demonslayer" Series
In the “Sexy Beast” series, also released by Aphrodisia beginning in 2006, Douglas collaborates with different authors for each book. Among her collaborators are Kathleen Dante, Devyn Quinn, Anya Howard, Lydia Parks, Lacy Danes, and Morgan Hawke.
In 2010, Douglas launched the “Demonslayers” series with Demonfire. Other books in the series include Hellfire, Starfire, and Crystalfire. In Demonfire, Douglas introduces the volume’s protagonist, Eddy, a female reporter who does not initially give credence to rumors of supernatural events in her town. Her father suggests that alien races may exist, but Eddy disregards his statements on the matter. Meanwhile, people in her town have been reporting that the statue in the square is gaining the ability to move. Eddy again blows the reports off. However, when the statue bursts through the walls of her house, she is forced to take the rumors of the supernatural more seriously. A strange man named Dax explains the happenings to Eddy as the actions of a demon race bent on destroying humans. Eddy and Dax recruit others to help them stop the demons from taking over Earth. Reviewing the volume in Booklist, Nina C. Davis suggested that it presented “an offbeat take on the popular demon trend without leaning on chick-lit tropes.”
"Intimate Relations" Series
Intimate, released in 2015, is the first book in Douglas’s “Intimate Relations” series. Marielle “Kaz” Kazanov is a model with an alternative look whose agency has just let her go. However, Jake Lowell casts her to model for a line of intimate jewelry. Jake and Kaz jump into a physical relationship with one another. Over time, they become more emotionally connected. Meanwhile, a stalker threatens Jake, and Kaz deals with her sister’s death. “Danger, deft characterization, and a tight plot make this a thrill ride,” asserted a critic in Kirkus Reviews.
The third book in the series, Awakened, tells the story of a recently fired barista named Mandy Monroe and her housemate and eventual boyfriend, Marc. Together, they deal with family trouble and a threatening stranger. A writer in Publishers Weekly remarked: “Charismatic supporting characters round out the fast pace of this novel.” The same writer suggested that “fans who like their romance sizzling” would enjoy the book.
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 15, 2010, Nina C. Davis, review of Demonfire, p. 45.
Publishers Weekly, October 19, 2015, review of Intimate, p. 61; May 30, 2016, review of Awakened, p. 43.
ONLINE
Kate Douglas Home Page, http://www.katedouglas.com/ (February 16, 2017).
Kensington Publishing Web site, http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/ (February 16, 2017), author profile.
Suzy Spencer Blog, http://suzyspencer.com/ (March 12, 2013), Suzy Spencer, author interview.
About Kate Douglas
I should have just said, "it's all about me," right? But it's true, you know...each of us takes our own road on our journey to whatever we end up doing, and I really do believe that some people just seem to know they are meant to write. I've felt that way since I was little, but it took me a while to figure out exactly what course my career was going to take. I started out writing radio copy for KCEY radio in Turlock, California back in 1972. How could I know at the time that those 30 and 60 second commercials would help me write "back cover copy" as an author? I also wrote and illustrated an educational cartoon strip for mosquito abatement districts around the country for a number of years. If you remember Skeeter Mosquito cartoon booklets (they were handed out in a lot of elementary schools) from the seventies and eighties, that was me. Fortunately, they had little if no impact on my writing...
In the mid-eighties, I was a reporter for a small town weekly newspaper where I covered everything from high school sports to drug busts, including a huge forest fire that burned much too close to our house. I got a lot out of that job--how to meet deadlines, how to write concise prose (well, I do try... ) and what people are really like in emergencies. How they react when terrible things happen, or wonderful things. I think I connected more with a world outside mine during that short three year stint than I ever would have in my fairly insulated middle-class life. It was an experience that changed the way I see the world around me.
All during this time, I was reading romances, and thinking that one day I'd like to write them. One night--it was around 1983 or so--I actually dreamed an entire story. I felt as if it was some sort of gift from an unknown muse, and I got up and wrote--in longhand--as much as I could recall. I still have that legal sized notepad, covered with my always illegible handwriting. From those scribbles, I started to write.
I entered the first three chapters in an unpublished writers' contest and won first prize. I thought I'd be published within the year, so I worked really hard at finishing the book. I called it Rite of Passage, and then I found the names of publishers willing to look at a manuscript without an agent (there weren't many) and I sent it off. And waited. You could only send to one publisher at a time (they didn't take simultaneous submissions) and of course it was printed and mailed in a big box with enough postage to get it back if you wanted it returned. It was a slow, arduous, and ugly process.
And depressing, when the rejections showed up, often months after submission. For what it's worth, many submissions and rejections followed. While I waited, I wrote. And wrote some more. Rite of Passage was never sold, but...
In 1998, I sold a different story to a small ebook publisher, and of course this was before anyone knew what an ebook was. I continued writing for epublishers: Hard Shell Word Factory, now owned by Mundania Press, Ellora's Cave, Loose Id, and Changeling Press. It wasn't until 2005, a full twenty years after finishing that first romance and after writing many other stories for epublishers, that I signed with Kensington Publishing in New York. That first book got its start at Changeling Press as an online serial, and it changed my life.
In January 2006, Kensington launched their Aphrodisia imprint of erotic romance with Wolf Tales, a compilation of the first five stories from my online serial. It's a sexy paranormal series about a lost race of shapeshifters called Chanku. I was the imprint's lead author, eventually writing twelve novels and nine novellas to complete the Wolf Tales series. After that series ended, I wrote an erotic science fiction romance series--Dream Catchers--which included the opening novella, Dream Catcher in the NightShift anthology, and two novels: Dream Bound followed by Dream Unchained which tied up the story arc.
During that period, I was also writing a series for Kensington's "not erotic" Zebra imprint. DemonSlayers was completed with four novels--DemonFire, HellFire, StarFire, and CrystalFire, as well as the novella Crystal Dreams in the Nocturnal anthology. But I really missed my Chanku, and I returned to their world with the Spirit Wild series, which follows the lives of the children of the original Chanku characters from Wolf Tales. I'm having fun with that series, even though Kensington is no longer publishing them. Paranormal romances aren't as profitable as they once were, but luckily I have wonderful, loyal readers who don't seem to mind who publishes the stories, as long as I keep writing them.
The dynamic of the original Wolf Tales series has changed, and my shape shifting Chanku now live in a world that knows of their existence. The first book, Dark Wolf, released in April 2013. Both Dark Spirit and Dark Moon released in January 2014 (and can be read in either order). Dark Refuge released in May 2014. All four books are available in both ebook and print format. Dark Wolf and Dark Moon are published by Kensington Publishing, while Dark Spirit and Dark Refuge are the first in the series that I've brought out independently, with assistance from Beyond the Page Publishing. I am currently working on the fifth in the series, Dark Terror.
In the spring of 2014, I signed with St. Martin's Press, another traditional New York publishing house willing to take a chance on me with a romantic suspense series set here in the northern California Wine Country where we live. Tangled was in the HOT ALPHAS anthology with New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh that released in May 2015. My first novel in the series, Intimate, came out December 1, 2015, with the second one, Redemption, released December 29. The third and final story, Awakened, came out June 28, 2016.
I am absolutely thrilled with the way the series turned out--reviews have been terrific for the first two, including a great one from Publisher's Weekly for Intimate, and another great one from Manhattan Book Reviews.
I also have a three book erotic paranormal series with St. Martin's--Feral Passions, which is part of the SMP Wolf Games collection. Feral Passions released as an ebook duet with AC Arthur in Claimed by the Mate, Vol. 1, and in a print three book anthology titled Growl with both AC and Eve Langlais. Wild Passions is out in Claimed by the Mate Vol. 2 and will release in October 2016 in the Wild anthology, again with AC and Eve Langlais. The final book in the series, Dangerous Passions will come out at a date yet to be determined.
My husband is still putting up with me after well over four decades, though I'm convinced it's got to be hell living with me when I'm on deadline...which is most of the time. We've got two grown kids and a total of six perfect grandchildren. Doug and I have recently moved out of the mountains and are now back in the small wine country town of Healdsburg, California. And, as always, I'm usually in my office, working on the next book.
ABOUT:
A life-long California native, Kate Douglas has been lucky enough to call writing her career for most of her adult life, but it wasn’t until she discovered the world of the sexy paranormal that she really found her niche. She’s having such a terrific time creating more Wolf Tales for Kensington’s Aphrodisia line as the imprint’s lead author, that she’s still waiting for someone to call and tell her it was all a big mistake,—now with her new DemonSlayers series taking off, she’s definitely having the time of her life. Married for almost forty years to her very own hero, Kate is mother to two amazing adults and “Dabba” to five perfect grandchildren—and two granddogs. Kate gives credit for much of her success to the fantastic cadre of generous and talented authors who have helped her over the years. She is a firm believer in the philosophy of “paying it forward.”
Kate loves to hear from her readers. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/katedouglas.author or email her directly at kate@katedouglas.com. Join her newsletter for updates on bookstore visits, signings and contests for a chance to win books. The link to join is on the front of her webpage at www.katedouglas.com
QUOTED: "When Wolf Tales, my first erotic romance, with Kensington Publishing came out in January 2006, it was one of the first romances from a mainstream publisher to break the unwritten rules of the genre. I had same sex lovers, group sex, and even relationships that some readers termed bestiality between characters who were shapeshifters. Of course, my argument is that as long as the creature is sentient and still thinking 'human' thoughts, it’s not bestiality, but the book definitely broke all the rules."
A Q&A with “Wolf Tales” Author Kate Douglas
date: 12 Mar 2013by: Suzytag: BDSM, erotic romance, Fifty Shades of Grey, Kate Douglas, Wolf Talescomment: 4
Kate Douglas has been writing erotic romance for the Aphrodisia imprint of Kensington Publishing* since 2006. So when Publishing Perspectives asked me to do a story on the erotica market, Kate was one of the first authors I contacted. My email interview with her about the erotic romance market was so informative that I decided to post it here, just as I did with my interview with Anne Rice.
So now I give you Part I of my Q&A with Kate Douglas, author of the sexy paranormal Wolf Tales series:
Kate Douglas
Kate Douglas’s “Dark Wolf” hits bookstore shelves on April 30, 2013.
Suzy Spencer: How does erotica differ from erotic romance?
Kate Douglas: From my point of view, erotica is more the sensual journey and growth of the main protagonist which may or may not have a strong plot and doesn’t always end happily. Erotic romance, which I write, stays within the parameters of romance fiction, which means you have strong characters who eventually find a happy ending. With the more traditional romance, there were generally two main characters—a hero and a heroine. Erotic romance often mixes the dynamic. My stories tend to follow a polyamorous theme with multiple partners, often same sex relationships, and graphic encounters, but the stories also have a lot of action outside the sexual relationships and always end on a positive note. Because they’re also paranormal, I think I can get away with more extreme sexual dynamics verging on kink, without it being offensive. The caveat of “my world, my rules,” means I can establish the mores of my world and then create characters my readers connect with to the point where they’ll accept just about anything. And yes, I’m always pushing that.
SS: How has Fifty Shades of Grey changed the erotic romance market?
KD: I think that Fifty Shades has brought erotic romance out into the open, and the fact that it was BDSM (bondage, domination, and sadomasochism) themed and so successful makes publishers think that’s all that readers want, but the story I get from the readers following my various series is completely different. My stories are not BDSM themed—in fact, if anything, the main theme of my books is that love is the most powerful emotion, and it’s what matters. Yes, they love the eroticism of my books, but what keeps them coming back is that I write with a strong theme of love and acceptance. I like to say that love is love and the rest is friction…and there’s always a lot of friction, among multiple partners across racial and gender lines.
My reading demographic—at least the readers who contact me—crosses the spectrum. I have a large gay audience, a lot of African American readers of both sexes, younger readers (my standard response to fan mail from readers who identify themselves as underage, i.e. high school students, is to tell them to write back to me after they’re 18) and some who are into their 80s.
Science fiction star Anne McCaffrey, who passed away at 85 last year, was a huge fan of my Wolf Tales series. She loved the sexy stories, but really liked that I had one reoccurring “hero” who was in his sixties. Of course, I also have a lot of perfectly normal, middle-aged women who just love romances reading my stories, but the point I’m trying to make—and obviously not making all that clearly—is that, while Fifty Shades is a BDSM themed novel, it was the marketing that got it out in front of so many people who might not otherwise have read erotica or erotic romance, and if that’s the book that brought them into the genre, they might think that’s all that’s out there.
And it most certainly wasn’t the first, though it’s definitely topped everything else in sales. I definitely think it’s good for the genre as a whole. The more people who discover books that push boundaries, the more readers who will be looking for more stories outside their usual reading patterns.
Kate Douglas
“Wolf Tales,” Kate Douglas’s first erotic romance for Kensington.
When Wolf Tales, my first erotic romance, with Kensington Publishing came out in January 2006, it was one of the first romances from a mainstream publisher to break the unwritten rules of the genre. I had same sex lovers, group sex, and even relationships that some readers termed bestiality between characters who were shapeshifters**. Of course, my argument is that as long as the creature is sentient and still thinking “human” thoughts, it’s not bestiality, but the book definitely broke all the rules. The thing that kept it within the tenets of the genre is that it had a happy ending. That book is, as far as I know, now in its 11th print run, though sales haven’t even come close to Fifty Shades.
QUOTED: "Charismatic supporting characters round out the fast pace of this novel."
"fans who life their romance sizzling."
Awakened
Publishers Weekly.
263.22 (May 30, 2016): p43.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Awakened
Kate Douglas. St. Martin's, $7.99 mass market (320p) ISBN 978-1-250-06478-3
Douglas lures readers into a web of suspense and romance with her third Intimate Relations contemporary (after Redemption). Mandy Monroe is
upset after losing her job in San Francisco, where she worked as a barista, and saddened when her sister leaves town to travel to Washington,
D.C. Mandy has had a crush on her housemate, Marc Reed, ever since he began to ride his old bicycle by the coffee shop where she worked. As
Mandy and Marc finally give in to their shared passions, they realize that there is potential for a relationship that will go beyond a mere one-night
stand. Their relationship seems to progress very quickly, even by the standards of people who've known each other for some time. When a
hypnotherapist assists Marc with his interpreting his dreams, Marc begins to understand much more about his past, and the fracture in his
relationship with his father increases. And when someone seeks to harm Marc and Mandy, he is determined to find out who's behind the threats
and keep his new lover safe. Charismatic supporting characters round out the fast pace of this novel, which will likely appeal to fans who like
their romance sizzling with the suspense taking on a less important role. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Awakened." Publishers Weekly, 30 May 2016, p. 43+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA454270598&it=r&asid=9be40a3bd3e46f5ad054d4dea9f10c88. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A454270598
---
QUOTED: "Danger, deft characterization, and a tight plot
make this a thrill ride."
2/5/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1486332334336 2/3
Intimate
Publishers Weekly.
262.42 (Oct. 19, 2015): p61.
COPYRIGHT 2015 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Intimate
Kate Douglas. St. Martin's Press, $7.99 mass market (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-06476-9
Douglas (Lethal Deception) combines heart-pounding suspense and sensual scenes in this contemporary romantic thriller, the first of a series set
in the wine country of Northern California. Tattooed, pierced Marielle "Kaz" Kazanov has just lost her modeling representation when she meets
sexy photographer Jake Lowell, who's searching for a model to show off intimate jewelry for a new assignment. Still mourning the death of her
younger sister, Kaz isn't looking for Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now will certainly do, and she and Jake have explosive chemistry. As the two grow
closer, a mysterious stalker tries to expose Jake's deepest secrets, while someone else makes multiple attempts on Kaz's life. Douglas ably ratchets
up the tension, drawing the reader ever deeper into the mystery before revealing shocking surprises. Danger, deft characterization, and a tight plot
make this a thrill ride that will have readers eagerly expecting the next in the series. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds. (Dec.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Intimate." Publishers Weekly, 19 Oct. 2015, p. 61. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA432383119&it=r&asid=13eb6d5f4246813125ec794d6ba2c793. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A432383119
---
QUOTED: "an offbeat take on the popular demon trend without leaning on chick-lit tropes."
2/5/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1486332334336 3/3
Demonfire
Nina C. Davis
Booklist.
106.12 (Feb. 15, 2010): p45.
COPYRIGHT 2010 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Demonfire.
By Kate Douglas.
Mar. 2010. 352p. Zebra, paper, $6.99 (9781420109993).
Eddy is a no-nonsense reporter who leaves stories of alien races to her father and scoffs at such notions as the town statue coming to life. Until
said statue attacks her home. According to the mysterious Dax, demons are crossing over to Earth, determined to disrupt the balance between it,
Abyss, and Eden, and to destroy them all. Eddy and Dax know they can't stop this catastrophe on their own, and luckily for them, alien races
aren't merely the stuff of fairy tales after all. A ragtag band of races goes forth to stop the demons, but time is running out. Douglas, best known
for Wolf Tales (2006), launches the Demon Slayers series, a slightly different breed. Here she creates a blend of adventure story and light
paranormal romance that offers an offbeat take on the popular demon trend without leaning on chick-lit tropes.--Nina C. Davis
Davis, Nina C.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Davis, Nina C. "Demonfire." Booklist, 15 Feb. 2010, p. 45. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA219830834&it=r&asid=79e081b178f4e4d60454f64d93c14850. Accessed 5 Feb.
2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A219830834