TV's Top Shirtless Guy Moments of 2009

Other than the obvious error that Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore) should have been in the number one spot, this is a verra good list...

clipped from insidetv.aol.com TV's Top Shirtless Guy Moments of 2009 While this scene technically occurred at the beginning of season 2 in 2008, we'll let it pass since the season carried over into 2009. Plus, it's just too good not to include. As the dashing Nate Archibald, Crawford has plenty of half- and almost-naked scenes with various women. But nobody ever sticks with the same partner for long on 'Gossip Girl,' so way to spread the heat around, guys. Here's the opening of 'Summer Kind of Wonderful.' 10. Chace Crawford (Nate Archibald), 'Gossip Girl' This year offered plenty of hot and steamy TV moments, but some of the best featured hunky, half-naked guys. It was like an instant party for all of us female viewers out here, whether you're into sexy vampires, rough-gem bikers, or scrappy high school football players.

Drum roll, please...

And the WINNER of the Holiday Book Giveaway is...

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Wendy Wallach ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Congratulations, Wendy!
(Please email me at kim@kimberlykillion.com with your snail mail addy)

And thank you to everyone who signed up and is now following me here at Wowf about Writing. Be sure to stop by in January to check out my Valentine's Day Contest I will be hosting.

May you and yours have a very prosperous and romantic New Year.
xoxo Kimberly

Happy Holidays from William Lawson...

I will never get tired of this marketing campaign. Here's hoping you all buy someone you love a little William Lawson this holiday season...

clipped from www.youtube.com

Ho, ho, ho...'Tis the season for gift giving and Kimberly Killion must be feeling verra generous this year. She's giving away a sled-full of books...


Highland Dragon by Kimberly Killion
Her One Desire by Kimberly Killion
An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James
Claiming the Courtesan by Anna Campbell
Untouched by Anna Campbell
Tempt the Devil by Anna Campbell
Before the Scandal by Suzanne Enoch
Death Angel by Linda Howard
Too Good to be True by Kristan Higgins
Wild Sight by Loucinda McGary
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spears
Everything Forbidden by Jenna Petersen

You have to do two simple things to enter:
1) Go to Kimberly's website and fill out the form on her contest page
2) Follow Kimberly's blog, Wowf about Writing!

GOOD LUCK and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Contest Rules: One entry per person per contest period. Contest winner will be announced on Kimberly Killion's website and blog Dec. 26th, 2009. All entrants must be 18 years of age or older

Foreign Sales

To my great surprise, I received an advance this week on a foreign sales to Thailand. I was so tickled, I emailed my editor only to find out not only did my debut book, HER ONE DESIRE, sell to Thailand, but also to Brazil, Germany and Japan!

The book releases in June 2010 in Germany and was re-titled Im Kerker der Sehnsucht. I won't even pretend to know how to translate the, but I babelfished it, and the best I can tell, the German publisher re-titled the book: IN THE DUNGEON OF DESIRE. :)

If you think that's fun, the snippet on the cover (the words in the green bar) translates like this...
They defied the danger together - and began a play with the fire

More comparisons...
The English product description on Amazon.com
Secrets and lies have a price that must be paid in blood through the generations. In medieval Scotland, Laird Calin MacLeod must choose between avenging his father's death and surrendering to the passion he finds in the arms of his enemy's daughter.

The product description on Amazon.de
Tower OF London, 1483: Lizzy, the daughter of the executioner, must flee, because she stole an explosive document. The prisoner Broderick uses the opportunity likewise to the escape. Pursued of their enemies they come themselves dangerously close…

Facts, Fiction, Research...oh my...

Readers often email me to ask me about research. Sometimes they simply want to know if I hold a Masters in history and sometimes they want to point out what I did wrong.

Well, I don't hold a Masters in history. In truth, I never like history in school, but I do enjoy researching now. Partly because it is a means to procrastinate and partly because I find it fascinating. I recently had a woman email me to tell me how much she enjoyed my latest release, HIGHLAND DRAGON, but also pointed out that my heroine was liable to make the hero and his kin sick because she had picked rowan berries and they ate them. Apparently raw rowan berries will give you a stomach ache. I didn’t know that. Which is what I told her. LOL She was so tickled to discover that she had taught me something, that she dug out the newspaper article she had read on the subject and mailed it to me. FROM SCOTLAND!

I didn’t mind. Actually I thought is was kind of cool. We writers have so much to worry about that sometimes, yes, we can get the research wrong. For example, in HIGHLAND DRAGON, I also used the scent of honeysuckle to describe my heroine. Prior to publication, one of my critique partners pointed out that honeysuckle was not native to Scotland. Sheesh! What’s a girl to do? So I changed the name of the flower to the Gaelic word for sugar: siùcair.

Is it really that important to get it all right? Well, there are some readers out there who would say yes. I for one, like to focus on the romance and hope for the best, but if you are one of those crazed-diehard-must-get-it-right people, then here are a few website to assist you with your research…Enjoy!

COSTUME:
12th & 13th Century Clothing - Definitions
18th Century Costume Terminology
By the Sword
Historical Clothing Terms
Crinolines Fashion History
Deb's Historical Research Page
Measurement in the Middle Age
Medieval Clothing Terms
Medieval Fashion Glossary-Images
Noble Ware
The Tudor Shoppe
Clothing Of The Fifteenth Century

SCOTLAND
History of the Scottish Kilt
History of the Tartan
Reconstructing History — Scottish Historical Clothing Research
Scottish Women's Clothing

ITALY
Italian Dress
Italian Renaissance Clothing 1420-1520
Italian Renaissance

DICTIONARIES / GLOSSARIES:
Arms and Armour Terms
Emotion Thesaurus
Color-terms
Dictionary of Baby Names, Meanings and Origins
Dictionary
Etymology Dictionary
English/Irish Dictionary
Herb & Spice Dictionary
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
MSN Encarta
Navy Slang
One Look
Pirate Glossary
Regency Cant and Expressions
Regency Lexicon
Renaissance Faire Glossary
Scots Dialect
Scots Terms
Scottish Vernacular Dictionary
Sex-Lexis.com
Ships Glossary
Slang

MEDIEVAL:
Terms for Castle, Armor, Weaponry
Clothing Terms
Job Listing
Insults and Slang of the 15th Century
Medieval English Towns
Knighthood, Chivalry & Tournament
THE MIDDLE AGES-Lots of Links

FOOD:
Medieval-Themed Restaurants
Medieval and Renaissance Food
The Medieval Kitchen

MONEY:
Historical Money
The DiCamillo Companion
Money in Florence, Italy
Measurement in the Middle Ages

NAMES:
Baby Names
Fake Name Generator
Regency Names
Medieval Names
Medieval Naming Guide
Scottish Boy Names
Scottish Girl Names
Scottish Names 101
Victorian Era Names

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If that isn’t enough to make your eyes cross, feel free to visit my writers page for more...

Huzzah!
Kimberly Killion
______________________________________________________________
HIGHLAND DRAGON ~ ON SALE NOW!
4-STARS from RT Book Reviews "This is a tale to cherish."
http://www.kimberlykillion.com/