Four and a half stars!!

ABLE-BODIED gets four and a half stars from Romantic Times BookReviews!!

Here is the review:

ABLE-BODIED (4.5) by Karen Foley: In this meltingly hot story, Reiki healer and sensitive Hannah Hartwell flees Boston after a crooked police officer frames her when she won't sleep with him. She disappears in the night, accidentally taking some money with her. Setting up her new business in North Carolina, Hannah meets Ransom Bennett of Delta Force, a man wounded in both body and heart. She works to heal him even as the powerful erotic connection between them explodes. But danger lurks. Ransom is wonderful and sexy, a strong, silent hero who protects those he cares for. Hannah is appealing and sweet. This is a wonderful romance you won't be able to stop reading. —Page Traynor

This review is the best Christmas gift I could ask for, especially considering how difficult this book was to write. I distinctly recall having just a week left before my deadline, and having to travel to upstate New York for business for two weeks. I literally locked myself into my hotel room over the weekend, lit my creativity candle, set my energizing crystals on the table beside me, and wrote for two days. I barely ate, barely slept, and kept thinking, "How am I ever going to finish this book without compromising the characters I've come to love so much?" I mean that sincerely; I love the hero in this story so much. Ransom Bennett is abrasive and rude and completely intimidating, but the heroine sees past that to the tender heart he tries so hard to hide.

I'm so thrilled that this book received such a wonderful review, and I hope that my readers love the story, too!

Merry Christmas!

Robert Pattinson Photos

With nothing much to do tonight (I'm in a Dallas hotel for two weeks on business), I thought I'd just post some gorgeous photos of Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. Enjoy!!

Love at First Bite

I can't believe this has happened to me; I've been bitten by the Twilight bug. In my own defense, I've only seen the movie twice, but mostly because I'm on business travel in Dallas for two weeks, am stuck in a hotel without a car, and not a theater in sight.

I read the first book when it came out, but confess that I found the story unforgettable. No disrespect to Ms. Meyer, but I found the writing a little on the insipid side and couldn't understand why Edward--the vampire hero--laughed, grinned, chuckled, and snickered his way through the story. I found his habit of sneaking into Bella's bedroom (our ordinary teenage heroine) to watch her sleep a little on the creepy side, and if the author had made one more reference to his "crooked smile," I was going to toss my lunch.

Ah...but then the movie came out.

I have two tweenie daughters, so we played hookey from school on the day the movie was released, had lunch at a nice restaurant and went to an early matinee. I sat, completely enthralled, for the entire two hours, wishing I could replay some of the scenes just to watch the expressions on Edward and Bella's faces. The music score was beautiful, the cinematography was breathtaking, and the emotion and chemistry between the two star-crossed lovers left my own heart beating faster and wishing I was, oh, about thirty years younger! I think Kristen Stewart did an amazing job, and she was absolutely luminous in her portrayal of Bella. I wasn't so sure I was going to like Rob Pattinson in the role of Edward, but he was perfect. I completely bought into the intensely smoldering looks he gave Bella, his barely-restrained passion, and his own tortured existence. And if I hadn't known he was British by birth, I'd have never guessed his American accent wasn't the real deal.

Here are some outtakes from a recent Vanity Fair shoot...I love these first two photos.

And here's a picture of Robert Pattinson that I really like...

A talented musician in real life, Rob Pattinson really played the piano in the movie.

Another VF outtake:

I'm thrilled that this movie is doing so well in theaters, and that a decision has been made to film the sequel, New Moon. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these two talented young actors.

Autumn in New England

There's nothing better than autumn in New England, and everything that comes with it. I love baking that first apple pie, or simmering that first pot of mulled cider. I love going to the farms and picking out pumpkins, and then enjoying a cider donut or a bit of maple sugar candy. I love watching the trees explode with color and feeling the air change. There is a certain amount of sadness in bringing the boat in for the winter and hauling the docks in, but then there's the anticipation of long, cozy evenings curled up by the fireplace with a cup of something hot and a good book. Yes, I love autumn in New England. Last weekend, we went up to Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH to celebrate my mom's birthday. Check out this amazing cake; we called it the Alice in Wonderland cake. The kids loved it!

My mom rented a five-bedroom home in the mountains that was spectacular, and my two sisters and their families joined us there. Here's a picture of part of the family room (there's a whole other seating area that's not shown):

The cathedral family room had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over a birch forest, and the morning sun through the branches caused it to glow with brilliant orange and yellow. It was fabulous. We took walks in the woods, rode the gondola up to the top of the mountain, ate delicious food, poked through some of the local shops, and generally had a fun, relaxing weekend.

I didn't want the weekend to end. I loved seeing my sisters, and really loved how much all the kids enjoyed each other's company. They only see each other once or twice a year, so this weekend was a real treat for them, as well. Here's my daughter, Caitlin, with my niece, Sophie.


And here are all the kids (Colleen Caitlin, Brenna, Emma, Sophie, & Jack), with Papa sneaking up behind them in true monster style!


Here's a picture of Colleen and Caitlin, who are only a couple of months apart in age. Colleen moved to Florida seven years ago, but she's a New England girl at heart.

Just like me!

Desert Storme

Today's blog is dedicated to my dear friend, Storme, who has bravely volunteered (repeat, volunteered!) to do a six-month deployment to Iraq. She and I first met many, many moons ago when we both worked at an office on Pease AFB. I immediately liked her; she has this energy and enthusiasm and killer sense of humor that I couldn't resist. I think we've been friends for about twelve years. A lot has changed in both our lives during that time, but her passion and enthusiasm for her job hasn't changed at all.

So here she is, over there somewhere, with a former colleague and military officer, LTC Rich Hornstein. I guess it really is a small world when you can work for somebody in Massachusetts, and then run into them again halfway around the world. Doesn't she look adorable in her BDUs? Better yet, doesn't he look adorable in his BDUs??

I admire Storme so much for what's she's doing, and trust me when I say it's important work. I admire and respect our military personnel, that goes without saying, but there's something so inspiring about a civilian woman who is willing to give up her family and support system (not to mention sex and alcohol!!) and spend six months in a hostile environment, where the workdays are long and the climate is harsh, doing what she believes in.

So, Storme, this one's for you!! Come home safely!

The Language of Love...

I came home from work the other day to find a package waiting for me from Harlequin. I opened it to find the German translation of Flyboy! How totally cool is that? I took German in high school and college, and even lived in Germany for five years, but as I tried to read my own story, the words were...well, totally foreign! There's a whole vocabulary out there that they didn't teach us in German class, LOL! Here's a peek at the cover...

Roughly translated, the cover reads:

3 Sinful Romances

Sultry Nights on the Beach, by Colleen Collins (English title is Shock Waves)

When Sparks Fly by Jill Monroe (English title is Share the Darkness)

Fly with me to Paradise by Karen Foley (English title is Flyboy)

I met a woman at the RWA conference last year who is a German bookseller, and this past July we ran into each other again in San Francisco. She was excited to tell me that Flyboy was being published in Germany, but I didn't realize it would happen so soon. I just think it's way cool!

My New Cover!

Coming in February...now this is what I call a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Subject: Ransom Bennett,
Delta Force Operator
Current status: Injured but still hot-blooded!
Mission: Regain crack military reflexes. Prove
he’s ready for active duty.
Obstacle: Hannah Hartwell. Fascinating.
Tantalizing. His new neighbor.

All Ransom wants is to get healthy enough to
return to the field. But sexy Hannah is testing his
composure. The woman is under his skin…but she’s
also fleeing a shady past. Damn! Hasn’t he learned
not to play with fire?

Still, Ransom can’t help exposing her secrets…and
a lot more! Then it’s on to his post-injury mission.
The highly clandestine operation will involve
delicate negotiations, complex maneuvers and
fiery explosions.

And that’s just in Hannah’s bed!

Uniformly Hot! The Few. The Proud.
The Sexy as Hell!