Home Page of Kathleen Eagle, Romance Author

Kathleen Eagle

Bestselling Author of
WHAT THE HEART KNOWS

WHAT THE HEART KNOWS	THE LAST TRUE COWBOY	THE NIGHT REMEMBERS	NEWS AND PREVIEWS
APPEARANCES	LINKS	BIOGRAPHY	BIBLIOGRAPHY

Welcome to the Eagle's Nest!

Happy 2000! Well, the big night came and went, and my computer still works. I thought Y2K was going to give me an excuse to buy a newer, shinier, zippier model. Oh, well, back to the Pentium 100 until the work-in-progress is complete. I'm cocooning within the walls of my office now, surrounded by deep woods, deep snow, while deep into creating a new story. Winter is good story-telling time. Good reading time, too, so let's talk books.

Have you read WHAT THE HEART KNOWS yet? It's available in hard cover now, but maybe you're waiting for the paperback release in June. Either way, let's see if I can tempt you to put this one on your must-read list...

Only the dog knows the truth, and he's not talking...
The dog's name is Crybaby, a name that says a lot about owner, Roy Blue Sky, and about his strained relationship with his son, Reese, the hero of my latest book, WHAT THE HEART KNOWS (available now in hardcover from Avon Books). The story begins with Roy's death, but Roy and Crybaby are important characters throughout the book. Roy knows his two sons, Reese and Carter. He knows what they've done and what they have yet to do. He knows what's going on at the casino on the Bad River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. (Don't look for it on the map; it doesn't exist.) Roy has lived long enough to make mistakes, learn from them, and set his course on making things right. He knows a lot. And Crybaby knows the truth about Roy's death.

But it is what Reese Blue Sky and Helen Ketterling know in their hearts, the truths their minds have yet to accept, that is the heartbeat of this story. They knew each other years ago—yes, that kind of knew—but there were differences they thought insurmountable. They went their separate ways, each carrying a secret. Yes, for her it was that kind of secret. His is a manly man's secret—you know how men are about their tender zones. Over time secrets have a way of quietly multiplying, but from the moment Reese and Helen meet again, they both know the heart's own truth: Love will out.

WHAT THE HEART KNOWS combines threads I've been collecting in my story box for many years. With generous help from my brother-in-law, who's on the gaming commission at Standing Rock Reservation, and from a reader who's a medical doctor, I found a fascinating pattern for those threads, looping them through a bit of Lakota folklore to make connections between tradition and contemporary reality. As always, I was inspired by people, and I worked from character. Personal touchstones are present in every one of my stories, and this one is dedicated in memory of a tall basketball player and a short one—a former student of mine and my father. You'll see how it all fits together when you read WHAT THE HEART KNOWS.
Click on the cover above to read the Prologue.

NEWS AND PREVIEWS OF COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Big News! WHAT THE HEART KNOWS has been recognized as a standout for 1999 by two national publications. Book Page listed it as one of its "1999 Top Six Romance Picks." Library Journal just named WHAT THE HEART KNOWS to its list of "The Five Best Romances of the Year." This is the third time one of my books has made LJ's prestigious list! I am truly honored and most appreciative.
My next book, THE LAST GOOD MAN, is due out in hardcover next July. I just put the finishing touches on it, and my editor, Lucia Macro, says, "It's a new leap for you and I adore everything about it." Like THE LAST TRUE COWBOY, it's set in Wyoming. When Savannah Stephens returns home with her little girl, all she wants to do is hide. A mastectomy has left the once-successful "Lady Elizabeth's Dreamwear" model emotionally as well as physically scarred, unemployed and flat broke. She agrees to marry rancher Clay Keogh, a childhood friend whose proposal she'd once ignored. This is a story about the healing power of love.
During the RWA National Conference in Chicago last summer I was honored to receive the Midwest Fiction Writers' Northern Lights Novella Award: Best contemporary novella of 1998 for "Waiting For Mom," my Mother's Day story published by Silhouette.
In September I was honored at the Romantic Times Convention in Toronto with the Career Achievement Award for Contemporary Novel. I'm deeply grateful to RT—Kathryn, Carol, the whole staff—for this award and for all RT does to promote Romance.
Minnesota readers: Check out the February issue of Minnesota Monthly magazine for a feature on Minnesota romance writers, including yours truly!

PERSONAL APPEARANCES
February 9, 7:00 p.m. — Borders Books, Bonaventure (next to Ridgedale), Minnetonka, MN
February 13–20 — "The Waldenbooks Romance Cruise" on board Holland America's "Veendam." Just call me Cruisin' Kathleen! Lots of romance writers are scheduled for this one. For more information, contact your local Waldenbooks store.
March 11-13 — Embassy Suites Old Market, Omaha, NE. I'll be keynoting the RWA Region 2 "Two Hearts" conference, along with Betina Krahn and Jennifer Crusie. There will be a book fair, open to the public. Check out the web site Twohearts.8m.com or e-mail Pam Crooks at pacrooks@radiks.net.
March 18, 1:00–3:00 p.m. — Waldenbooks, Northtown Mall, Blaine, MN. March is Romance Month at all Waldenbooks stores. You'll be able to buy four paperbacks, get the 5th free! I'll be signing with Connie Brockway, author of the fabulous new "McClairen's Isle" trilogy.

SUPER LINKS TO SUPER SITES
You'll find all kinds of great book news on all these wonderful sites, including more Eagle tidbits. Check out:

Bookbug on the Web, my home base, where book lovers go for all kinds of delicious book bytes. There's always a lot to check out here, so visit often.
Midwest Fiction Writers, my home RWA chapter. You'll discover that some of your favorite writers are members of this prolific group. Minnesota is great writing country. You got it; it's the winters.
You'll find my interview with Amazon.com here. And, of course, you can order many of my books from them.
Check out Avon Books and Harlequin Books, my two publishers, and Romantic Times online.
Lots of action at the fun-filled Avon Ladies site: a happenin' message board, links to some of my writer pals, and other surprises.
Read my interview in the October Romantica! online newsletter.

THE BEST IS YET TO COME CONTEST
Congratulations to Lodeen Smith of Manassas Virginia! Lodeen was the winner of an autographed copy of WHAT THE HEART KNOWS and a horseshoe worn by my horse, Zephyr. I hope it's already bringing her good luck.
Lodeen's wish for the 21st century is for "a genuine realization by people that we are all one race on the face of the earth: Human. Men and women are the only difference, and that is a gender thing. We all come from different ethnic backgrounds, but we have the same needs and wants—food, shelter, love, dignity, care for ourselves and others. Hope springs eternal!"
Hear, hear! You're a true romantic, Lodeen. WHAT THE HEART KNOWS is just the book for you. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest. Once again, there were close to 100 entries—lots of great wishes for the new century. May all our hopes and dreams be realized!

For those who want to reach me via the U.S. mail, the address is now: Kathleen Eagle, c/o Midwest Fiction Writers, P.O. Box 24107, Edina, MN 55424-0107. I haven't moved, but the box has.
Now, it's back to work on the next book-with-no-name. Beginnings are scary, but this time the book I just finished offers a springboard into the next one. You see, Clay Keogh of THE LAST GOOD MAN has a half brother, Kole Kills Crow. Kole is the father of Savannah's daughter, and he's been on the run for sometime now. Excuse me while I try to catch up with him...

Happy Winter Reading!
Kathleen Eagle

BIOGRAPHY and BIBLIOGRAPHY

kateagle@mindspring.com