Chapter 1
Tiburon, San Francisco, present day.

Ella Walsh cast one last look at the naked man sleeping in her bed, then frowned down at the note she was trying to write him. What the hell was the guy’s name? She’d hooked up with him in one of the tourist traps down by the beach last night and brought him back to her apartment for some hot and dirty sex. The sex had been mediocre, and his name still escaped her.

She settled for writing Hey, what’s up?—the universal Californian dude greeting—and went on to tell him that breakfast was in the refrigerator, coffee already brewed and to lock up when he left. He’d do what she told him. She’d already implanted the instructions in his mind and he wouldn’t be able to deviate from them. During sex, she avoided using her empath abilities to access her hook ups’ minds, but making sure they left and forgot what she looked like was essential.

She checked for her weapons and keys and headed for the door. While she fumbled in her pocket for her sunglasses, she screwed up her eyes against the blinding sunlight, barely glancing at her million-dollar view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco looming in the mist across the bay.

As she headed down the driveway from her basement apartment a screen door rattled above her head and she immediately went for her weapon. She spun around to see her neighbor’s eight-year-old grandson waving at her from the balcony of his house. She waved back and he beckoned her urgently. After another quick look around, she turned back.

“What’s up, Tom?”

He didn’t smile. “That thing? It came back last night.”

“The thing under your bed?”

“Yeah. I saw more of it this time. You know in those alien movies when those creatures with the long bony fingers hug your face? It looked like that except more like long fingernails than claws.”

“Your gran lets you watch those movies?”

He shrugged off the question. “What should I do?”

“Don’t go under the bed.”

“Ella, that’s stupid. I—”

She put a finger to her lips as his voice rose. “I’m serious. The first night I get a chance, I’ll come over and check it out with you.”

Tom studied her for a long moment. “You really believe me, don’t you?” His face reddened. “No one else does. They all think I’m a wuss.”

“I believe you.” She hesitated for a second. “Just keep it to yourself from now on, and we’ll deal with it together.”

“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “As long as you let me help you catch it.”

She nodded. “I’ll definitely need your help. Work permitting, I’ll try and come over tonight.”

“Thanks, Ella.”

She smiled, and then started to walk down the hill toward the oceanfront path that would take her to the Tiburon Ferry terminal. It was only a twenty-five-minute ride into San Francisco. It also gave her the necessary separation between her job and the rest of her life. Not that she had much of a life, but the older she got, the more she needed to distance herself from the craziness of dealing with Otherworld.

The thing under Tom’s bed didn’t worry her too much. It was unlikely to harm him, but it still needed investigating. If it was bold enough to allow itself to be seen, it might be stupid enough to try and take a bite out of the kid. And, whatever the species, bites were never good. Tom’s ability to see the creature so clearly was more disturbing. He obviously had some emerging psychic talent and, as a registered empath, she was required to report in with both governments if she saw the gift in anyone else. Like she’d ever do that.

Some gift…

copyright@Kate Pearce 2013
Harlequin Enterprises Inc
Carina Press, April 8th
preorder price: $2.99

Here’s the back cover blurb.
Supernatural Branch of Law Enforcement empath Ella Walsh sucks memories from people’s heads. The job fills her mind with others’ nightmares and leaves her with little time for love, but if she doesn’t pair off with a mate of the government’s choosing soon, the psychic blowback will destroy her powers and her sanity.

They resist at first, but they can’t deny the simmering heat between them. As the killer’s strikes grow closer to home, their bond gets tighter. And when the murderer finally traps Ella, her developing link with Vadim might be the only thing that can save her.

Think Moonlighting meets the X-Files
Even better, the book is up for pre-order everywhere at $2.99!
Carina Press, April 2013

It’s a big day in the House of Pleasure world. The end of an era.
I’ve loved writing these books, but I felt I needed to start something new before I lost my mind. LOL
Simply Scandalous was a complex book to write. I wanted to tie up a lot of loose ends, find Happy endings for Richard and Emily and introduce some of the new characters who will be inhabiting the new world of The Sinners Club next year.
I felt like I was juggling fifteen balls in the air at once, and I hope I pulled it off!

If you read this during Xmas week, pop over to my FB page and contribute to a discussion about the books. I’ll be giving away a few in celebration of the series and as a thank you to my fans.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Speaking of misbehaving… Ella’s gaze came to rest on the broad shoulders of an unknown black-haired man who was studying the vending machines with deep suspicion. He wore a nice dark suit, white shirt and tie, which meant he was either a regular government employee, or some religious groupie that had inadvertently slipped through security. Male was probably a more appropriate word than man, because Ella could already tell there was something not quite human about him. As Ella approached, he turned more fully toward her, and she got her first good look at him. She sighed. He was way out of her league. With his pretty face, height and distinctive cheekbones he could have graced the cover on any magazine. Her appreciative gaze dropped to his broad chest—imagining him, preferably without his shirt on. She’d just bet he worked out.
“What’s up?” Ella asked as he continued to study her.
He looked even more confused. “I beg your pardon?”
His Russian accent was as divine as his cheekbones, and she actually wanted to squeal a little. She gestured at the five-dollar bill in his hand and spoke very slowly. “Are you having trouble with the vending machine? Don’t they have those in your country?”
His sapphire-blue eyes narrowed. “Yes, they do, and you don’t need to worry about whether I can understand you. I spent four years at Harvard, so I speak American.”
“You do?” She flashed him her best smile. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”
His shoulders slumped. “Do I need change for the machine?”
Ella fished out a crumpled dollar bill from the pocket of her ripped jeans and put it in his hand. “Here you go. This one’s on me. Don’t ask me to recommend what’s good. They all taste like shit.”
He smiled and her hormones started singing the Hallelujah Chorus. “Thanks. That’s very nice of you.”
He spoke as though he was still feeling his way with the language. She had to wonder just how long it was since he’d last graced her country’s fair shores. “I don’t do nice. I’m just trying to keep you moving along so that I can get some hot chocolate.”
“Then I’ll get out of your way.”
Ella waited while he punched some buttons, slid the dollar into the slot and bent to retrieve his plastic cup of hot watery goodness. His ass was nice too…
He straightened, then nodded to her. “Thanks again.”
“Your shields are very good,” Ella said. In fact, they were exceptional, but he didn’t need to know that. “What branch of the SBLE are you in?”
He leaned one hip against the countertop and looked down at her. “Are you always this inquisitive?”
“Yeah, I find it cuts out the need for small talk. I’m not good at that.”
“I noticed. I’m glad you approve of my shields. I’ve been working hard on improving them.”
“Why’s that?” She got her hot chocolate and blew on the scummy brown surface. “Did they fail you?”
The irritated look he gave her was quite impressive. “That’s none of your business.”
“True.” She smiled sweetly at him. “If you want to make them even better, I’d focus on the center. You’re still a little thin there. I can see your anger building up and that’s never a good idea.” She turned back toward her office. “Nice to meet you, and good luck with whatever it is you’re doing here.”

Soul Sucker comes out from Carina Press in April 2013.

Here’s the blurb

Disowned and disinherited by his aristocratic family, Jack Llewelyn survives on his wits and his ability to nurse officers returning from the Napoleonic Wars. He is prepared to go to any lengths to clear his name, but fate, and the Duke of Diable Delamere, have different plans for Jack. Soon, he will be hunting a missing spy, discovering old family secrets, and risking his life pursuing a woman who has changed beyond recognition Only then will he be able to face his lost love, ask her forgiveness and finally deserve his very happy ending.

I love this story which is very old-skool romance with a big plot, misunderstandings, smugglers, spies and beautiful feisty ladies.

It will eventually be available through all the digital outlet and is currently already up on kindle! at $4.99

Sometimes I think it is interesting to post after a book came out about how I came to write it and what I felt about the characters etc by the end. Simply Voracious ended up being a slightly different book for me. It is quite long, about 93,000 words but even after all that, I still felt that by the end I was just setting the new relationship off rather than giving them their complete Happy Ever After.

I have no idea why that happened , except that I felt these characters, Paul, Lucky and Constantine were lovely people who had all ended up in a situation that they hadn’t quite expected, and were almost all at different points in their individual love stories. That meant even getting them to a point where they decided to commit to each other took a while. So I suppose, it is more of a story about people falling in love and less about their sexual kink. That’s not going to make everyone happy, but sometimes you just have to write the book the way the characters seem to need it and not how you first envisioned it in your mind.

I love this one because it’s a little less angsty-I know shocking!! but as, I said, these people just turned out to be remarkably kind to each other and willing to do whatever it took to make the others happy. That made me smile when I was writing. I didn’t even really see them as a threesome until I got close to writing Paul’s book, although Lucky soon proved to me as a character that she had all the strength and love and understanding to deal with Paul. She’s Constantine’s mirror image.

I put my Simply’s in two distinct categories There are the shocking angsty ones like Sexual, Sinful, Wicked, Insatiable and Carnal and then there are the more thoughtful ones- Shameless, Forbidden and Voracious. Some readers like both, others like one type or the other. I just like to write them all. Lucky me!

The last book in the series, Simply Scandalous concerns two couples- brother and sister, Richard and Emily Ross. Philip’s legitimate children. Both of them will find happiness-not with each other obviously, Emily’s love story has been growing through several books and Richard’s is just beginning. I’m very happy with that book too although the complexities of wrangling two loving couples nearly made me tear my hair out! But it was all worth it in the end.:) That one will be coming out in late December 2012, so not that long to go! I’ll have an excerpt up soon.

Much more to come this year and next-check out my website for info!

Here’s the announcement

A series of Regency mysteries set in the village of Kurland St. Mary from Kate Pearce, writing as Catherine Lloyd. A shy spinster and a bed-ridden hero from the Napoleonic Wars must work together to prove that a murder has been committed in their small peaceful village and then solve the case. In a three book deal by Deidre Knight of The Knight Agency to John Scognamiglio at Kensington Publishing.

I know it doesn’t tell you much, but the first book involves our feisty heroine, Miss Lucy Harrington, the Rector’s oldest daughter and Major Robert Kurland, late of the 10th Hussars, and heroically wounded at Waterloo. Major Kurland is stuck in bed with very limited mobility and it is Miss Harrington who has to do a lot of the sleuthing in the quiet little village attached to the manor house. Think of it as Rear Window meets a young Miss Marple, and you’ll get the idea.

But don’t worry if you still prefer romances to mystery. I won’t stop writing as Kate Pearce, complete with all the naughty bits!