Guest Kathy Lyons - What My Cat Does to Me in the Winter!

What My Cat Does to Me in the Winter! 

By Kathy Lyons 

It’s cold where I live. There’s snow on the ground and my cat spends her days on my lap even when I have to reach over her back to type. Her favorite thing to do is go outside for a while and get nice and cold. Then she runs inside and worms her chilly, wet nose to some part of my body. Her favorite spots are under my shirt against my belly or if I’m sleeping, she’ll settle against my neck. Brrr! 

That’s Cinnamon’s favorite winter activity (as far as she’s told me). But I have a few favorite things to do when it’s nippy outside. Guess which is my current favorite! 

1. Curling up with a good book while lounging under a thick blanket. And my cat purring against my belly. 

2. An extra chocolately mocha hits me just right on a cold morning.  

3. Fun leggings 

4. Baking. It heats up the house with yummy smells! 

5. Racquetball tournament season. Every weekend, I’m making grown men cry as I trounce them on the court. 

Answer: C -- Fun leggings!  I bought a package of cheap fun print thermal leggings. They’re too hot to wear other times of the year, but in winter, I love blinding anyone who sees me!  Here’s a picture. Yes, those are leggings! My husband claims they’re so loud, he can hear them downstairs.  

As for the other things. A good book comes very close, but I love that all the time. Right now I’m reading Rebecca Zanetti’s Scorpius Syndrome books and loving them. If she weren’t such a great person, I’d hate for setting the quality bar so high. 

An extra chocolately mocha hits me right EVERY morning. Racquetball is a year round sport for me, though the winter is indeed tournament season. But I don’t compete that often anymore. I’m starting to feel my age. *sigh*. Though it is always fun to beat an arrogant guy in a sport! And baking … um, not my thing. Whenever I try it, the house gets filled with very yucky smells. Burned fish anyone? Yeah, I didn’t think so. 

So now it’s your turn. What are you doing to make yourself smile this winter?   ** One lucky commenter will get all a set of all three of Kathy Lyons’ GRIZZLIES GONE WILD ebooks! And in the meantime, check out The Bear Who Loved Me by Kathy Lyons. 

Blurb:

WHEN AN ALPHA MEETS HIS MATCH . . .
Between singlehandedly running her bakery and raising her teenaged nephew, Becca Weitz thought she had a decent grip on "normal." Then her nephew vanishes, and life as she's known it changes forever. Local legends are true: bear shifters exist . . . and her nephew is part of their clan. As is Carl Carman, the sexy, larger-than-life man who has sworn to find her nephew-and the other young shifters who've gone missing.

As the leader of his clan, Carl is surrounded by enemies. He's learned the hard way that keeping a firm leash on his inner beast is key to survival, though his feelings for Becca test his legendary control. Then danger stalks too close, and Carl realizes he must unleash the raging, primal force within to protect everything he holds dear. But can Becca trust his grizzly side with her life-and her heart?

Excerpt:

More. Power.  

Thoughts came slowly to Carl Carman, but each word reverberated with power. That was the best part of being a grizzly bear. Simple words meant simple, strong deeds. Human complexities were nonexistent in this state, though they echoed in the back of his mind. He was on a mission, had come to this Christmas tree field on a clan purpose. That he took joy in what he did was a trivial detail. 

Now. 

He braced his legs, shoved his claws deep, and then he thought it. One word, and the power crashed through every cell in his body. 

Destroy. 

He did. 

What he held, he uprooted. 

What he gripped, he crushed. 

Whatever he touched, he tore apart. 

Joy. 

He grinned, though he grunted with effort. He tasted blood—his own—and the coppery tang was sweet. Human language tried to intrude in this moment, but the grizzly had no interest in it. His language was action, power delivered with thrilling ease. And he liked to rip things apart. So he continued and was content. 

Until something else disturbed him. Red and blue flashes across his retinas. At first he flinched away from the lights, but they roused the rational part of him. Red. Blue. 

Police. 

With a roar of fury, he began to tuck the animal away. His bear fought the shift, holding on to his shape with every ounce of his determination. But in this, the man was stronger, the mind crueler. With steadfast will, he folded the grizzly into an envelope in his mind. It had taken him years to master it. A thing that large doesn’t origami into a tiny flat rectangle easily. 

His bones shifted and most of the fur thinned and disappeared, though some fell to the ground. His face tightened, and the strength in his arms and claws pulled inside, shrinking as it was tucked away. He straightened, the grizzly hump now gone as the energy coiled tight inside. His eyes burned. Damn, how they burned. But in time that last vestige of dark power would fade and his normal cool green color would return. Quiet control and long, complex sentences would be his norm. Though his first words as a human were always the last snarl of his bear. 

“Shit.” 

“And Merry Christmas to you, too,” said a familiar female voice, though that particular holiday had passed months ago. His vision settled, and he saw Tonya dressed in her patrol uniform as she leaned against her squad car. The lights were still flashing, and at dawn, those colors would be seen far and wide. 

“Flip off those lights,” he growled as he started searching for his pants. He was out here swinging in the breeze for all to see, and though that rarely bothered him, naked and vulnerable was not a good idea around her. 

She opened the door of the squad car and used one hand to flip off the lights while the other aimed her phone at him. Jesus, she was taking pictures. 

“I’ll tear that thing out of your hand,” he snarled, “and I won’t be gentle.” 

“Promises, promises,” she said with a sigh. But she did drop the phone. “Doesn’t matter. I already got my holiday screensaver.” She pushed off the car and sauntered over, her hips swinging in a tantalizing rhythm. 

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Kathy Lyons is the fun, contemporary side of USA TODAY bestselling author Jade Lee. She loves sassy romance with lots of laughter and sex. Spice is the variety of life, right? Okay, so maybe two kids, two cats, two pennames, and writing over 50 books has messed with her mind, but she still keeps having fun.

Check her out at www.KathyLyons.com. Or hang out with her sexy historical half, Jade Lee. Titled heroes with dark secrets are Jade's passion. Especially when they fall for women who add more than just spice to their lives. Find her at www.JadeLeeAuthor.com. Facebook: JadeLeeBooks Twitter: JadeLeeAuthor