Phantom of the Opera turns 40!

Phantom just turned 40!

The debut was 9 October 1986 in Her Majesty's Theatre, London.

I just learned about the 40th today from Instagram randomly showing posts in my feed from an anniversary celebration last night with Michael and Sarah and Andrew Lloyd Weber. 

If you go to my IG and look in the Stories, I linked to a few videos. 

Phantom of the Opera made me the singer I am. My 7th grade choir teacher took us to see it Fall 1989 at the Ahmanson Theatre in LA. I bought the Highlights tape at the souvenir booth and played it incessantly until I got the full score double-tape set as a gift.

I was 12 in 1989 and singing along with PotO took my voice from a girl’s to a young woman’s. When we performed some of the songs later in spring, I was the only one with the range to hit the high notes in “Masquerade”.

Singing "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" as a solo got me a lot of surprised praise from the parents in the audience. They couldn't believe my voice came from me.

(I was 4'10" or so at the time.)

My choir teachers would come to rely on me for pitch and ability, and my range reached 4 octave plus 5 notes by age 15.

When my junior high choir teacher was retiring, my high school teacher set up a commemorative moment at our concert and all of us who had her could perform for her. I sang "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" as a senior.

Mrs. Reynolds passed in 2022. 

I had intended to become a Marine Biologist, but the math reqs for that degree were beyond my brain, so I went to college as a Vocal Performance major.

All because of falling in love with Phantom.

I wrote in 2023 about the closing on Broadway after 35 years.

Chapters of Love brings you free books!

One person will win a gift card to Amazon, B&N, or iTunes

Visit the Chapters of Love promo here

Find your next romance among these FREE ebooks. Click on the covers of the books you want, sign up to learn a little more about the authors, and start reading. Don’t forget to enter to win the gift card. Enjoy!

You do not need to subscribe to a newsletter to enter the giveaway. Subscribing will not increase your odds of winning. All newsletters you choose to subscribe to will include an unsubscribe link in each email. You may opt-out at any time.

DARE TO LOVE HIM release day!

DARE TO LOVE HIM is live!

Buy from me | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble | Apple | Eden Books | Google Play | Kobo | Amazon |

Goodreads | Bookbub |

I was raised to be an elite socialite, the prize trophy on a wealthy man’s arm—not a small bed and breakfast owner’s wife in the mountains.

Shane is the small-town guy I never should’ve hooked up with more than once.

My first kiss. The first to touch me. The one I gave my body to in his old truck.

It should’ve stayed merely physical, but visiting his B&B each July is my escape from a life of duties and expectations my Bel Air parents drummed into my head.

One week a year of carnal bliss.

Shane always tries to convince me to stay longer (with orgasms), but I think we’re on the same page—friends with really good benefits and nothing more.

Until he says he loves me.

And he wants me to make a choice—give him a real chance, or we’re done.

I can’t. We can’t.

I’m supposed to find a suitable husband, not shack up with a hot country boy in the middle of Nowheresville, Colorado!

Even as I try to convince him we’re too different, I’m really afraid he won’t want me long if I take the leap and he’s stuck with me every day. I’ve worn a mask to survive in L.A.’s high society my whole life and my façade hides a mess of anxieties and self doubt.

My parents’ affection always came with conditions, after all.

Can I summon the courage to risk losing everything I’ve been to take a chance on love?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

*He falls first

*Very steamy

*Meet as teens

*Summer fling becomes more

*Small-town boy

*Big-city rich girl

*Family expectations

Thank you for supporting this story all the way back to when I first started writing it.

New paperbacks are arriving!

Paperbacks for Series Starters!

Kissed and The Bassist Gets Snowed In have new paperbacks!

Kissed - B&N | Bookshop.org | $19.99

TBGSI - B&N | Bookshop.org | $14.99

The Roommate's Secret Crush - B&N | Bookshop.org |

Setting these up isn’t the exact same as creating ebooks, so bear with me.

I have to change the formatting of every book for the distributor.

And…they tell me it takes a week before each PPB is ready.

The Neighbor's Flirtatious Glances releases 8/18/2026!

 Releasing next Tuesday!

The Neighbor's Flirtatious Glances

Amazon | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Eden Books | Everand | Google Play | Kobo | Ream Stories | Smashwords | Thalia |

Goodreads | Bookbub |

When my roommate kicks me out in favor of her cousin, a two-month cat-sitting gig seems like the perfect opportunity to earn the down payment for my own apartment.

Then Mr. No-Shirt moves in next door.

Suddenly, the ocean view isn't the most captivating scenery out the window.

Mr. No-Shirt turns out to be thirty-eight-year-old Mackenzie Beckett, a chiseled man thirteen years my senior.

I should say no to his dinner invitation, but something about my gorgeous neighbor has drawn me to him since the first time our eyes met.

Which is anything but practical—I’m only in town eight weeks, Mac is way too old for me, and I have goals that require my focus, not a boyfriend! Yet, the more time I spend with him, the easier it is to forget all the reasons this shouldn’t work.

Is this budding romance a situationship, or the start of lasting love?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

The Neighbor's Flirtatious Glances:

*Age gap

*Slow burn

*He falls first

*A cat who may or may not be matchmaking

*Beach town setting

*See each other through windows before meeting

*No third act breakup

Kiss Me at Christmas is back in stores with a new line-up!

 Happy Half-Christmas Day!

A new edition of KMAC is here!

Disclaimer: If you bought this collection when it released a few years ago, there were a couple different books in it versus now.

I’ve removed When We Were Young and Make You Feel My Love because they’re no longer published - so today’s set has my current Christmas books.

KISS ME AT CHRISTMAS

A Holiday Romance Collection

Christmas has a way of making minor miracles happen when you least expect it.

This set includes five contemporary romances where happily-ever-after couldn’t happen without the holidays—the most wonderful time of the year.

THE BASSIST GETS SNOWED IN

A ROCKSTAR CHRISTMAS WEDDING

THE DRUMMER FALLS FIRST

CHRISTMAS AT JAKE AND BETH’S

THE BEST FRIEND’S CHRISTMAS CONFESSION

This collection is intended for readers eighteen and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

Amazon | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Eden Books | Google Play | Kobo/Kobo Plus | Smashwords | Now discounted to $9.99!

Please make sure the store is showing this cover and this blurb before purchasing, or I can’t guarantee you’re getting the newest file.

Enjoy reading!

Free Romance Books Today Only!

The Romance Book Blast is back with free books!

Click here for free romance stories!

Free Romance Books today only! #romancebookblast

 

The Romance Book Blast is back with free books!

Click here for free romance stories!

Stuff Your E-Reader is BACK! Free romance books today only!

https://www.romancebookworms.com

Merry Christmas, lovely readers!

I did a thing. 

For the first time ever...

ARCW is FREE!

But ONLY through December 29th!

That means you can read ALL of Dylan and Jen's love story for absolutely free.
Zilch. Nada. Zero pennies.

Start with The Bassist Gets Snowed In (always free) and continue to the HEA with A Rockstar Christmas Wedding.

Are you a voracious romance reader?

Stuff your Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Play device now.

I cannot promise these books will be free past today, so please act quickly. Amazon, especially, has a habit of reverting them to paid at the worst timing for the author and readers.

A Rockstar Christmas Wedding

Smashwords | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Amazon | Google Play |

Blurb:

Organizing a Christmas Day wedding in two weeks is insane.

Dylan proposed the week of Thanksgiving and suggested a Christmas wedding. We met on Christmas Eve, but he means this year. It’s a private argument I’m winning—until he tells his rockstar friends and their wives who are my best gals. Now everyone’s excited!

Complicating things? I took a pregnancy test the day before that proposal, Dylan lives in L.A., and I live in Big Bear. That baby’s coming in six-ish months, so we need a house, which I have on the mountain—we met in a snowstorm—but he doesn’t want the two-hour commute.

It’s the first big test of our relationship and it scares me.

Which will win—my practical side or the magic of the season?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations. 

A Rockstar Christmas Wedding:

*Sequel to The Bassist Gets Snowed In
*Very steamy
*Found family
*Rockstars
*Big city vs small town
*HEA

Get My Book for Free During Ream Raid!

 

Get My Book for Free During Ream Raid!

Dear Readers,

I’m thrilled to announce that my book, The Bassist Gets Snowed In, will be available for free on Ream as part of the Ream Raid promotion! From December 14–25, 2025, you can get my book and many others for free or for followers only.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to discover new stories and support your favorite authors. Check out the full list of books here: https://reamstories.com/shelf/mbv7i9h9Bylj

Happy reading!

Best,

Carla Krae

Love in the Limelight release day!

LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHT is live!!

Eighteen rock star romance authors.

Sixteen full-length series starters.

One scorching boxed set.

Start reading: https://books2read.com/loveinthelimelight

Get ready to fall hard for the rockers who rule the stage and the lovers who bring them to their knees! From smoky backstage secrets to arena-worthy love stories, these rock gods play for keeps—and the passion is off the charts. Whether you crave bad boys with guitars, tortured lyricists, or the ultimate redemption arc—LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHT has your next rock star obsession waiting in the wings.

Turn up the volume. Fall in love. Repeat.

Featuring stories from:

Jessalyn Jameson • Jade C. Jamison • Gillian Archer • Madelynne Ellis • Heather E. Andrews • Carla Krae • Susan Griscom • Jenna Galicki • TL Travis + Ann Lister • Layla Dorine • Tami Lund • C.D. Gorri • Kacey Shea • S.R. Watson + Ryan Stacks • Kella Campbell • M.J. Schiller

Grab your front row seat to love—before the curtain falls!

FREE for a limited time! 

99c Romance Books today through Dec. 1st!

 

Start shopping 99c books now.
 

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving yesterday!

Cover Reveal - Love in the Limelight anthology!

Surprise Cover Reveal! 

 LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHT 

18 Rock Stars. 16 Full-Length Romances. 1 Explosive Collection.

Get ready to fall hard for the rockers who rule the stage and the lovers who bring them to their knees! From smoky backstage secrets to arena-worthy love stories, these rock gods play for keeps—and the passion is off the charts.

 Eighteen rock star romance authors.

 Sixteen full-length series starters.

 One unforgettable boxed set.

Whether you crave bad boys with guitars, tortured lyricists, or the ultimate redemption arc—LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHT has your next rock star obsession waiting in the wings.

 Turn up the volume. Fall in love. Repeat. 

Featuring stories from:

Jessalyn Jameson • Jade C. Jamison • Gillian Archer • Madelynne Ellis • Heather E. Andrews • Carla Krae • Susan Griscom • Jenna Galicki • TL Travis + Ann Lister • Layla Dorine • Tami Lund • C.D. Gorri • Kacey Shea • S.R. Watson + Ryan Stacks • Kella Campbell • M.J. Schiller

      Grab your front row seat to love—before the curtain falls!

Add LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHT to your GoodReads TBR here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243337264-love-in-the-limelight

The Romance Book Blast is back!

 

The Romance Book Blast is back with free books!

Click here for free romance stories!

Help me name Ellie and Mac's romance!

What do we call this book?

I'd LOVE if you all would help me finalize the title for Ellie and Mac's romance.

My current working title is The Neighbor's Window to Love.

But I'm not 100% sold on it yet.

It's The Guy Next Door #3.

Previous books in the series are:

The Roommate’s Secret Crush (describes both characters)

The Best Friend’s Christmas Confession (describes both characters)

So this book also needs to fit the titling convention.

One suggestion has been - The Neighbor's Stolen Glances...

But what do you think?

Thanks in advance!

If there's a winning suggestion, you'll get thank you credit when the book releases, so get brainstorming.

The Romance Book Blast is back! #romancebookblast #freeromancebooks #romancereaders

Free Romances Today Only!

The Romance Book Blast is back with free books!

Click here for free romance stories!

RELEASE DAY! The Best Friend's Christmas Confession - A Friends-to-Lovers Holiday Romance novella

The Best Friend's Christmas Confession 

A Friends-to-Lovers Holiday Romance 

(The Guy Next Door #2)

The Best Friend's Christmas Confession:

*Next-door neighbors

*Friends to lovers

*Secret feelings

*He fell first

*Found family

*Holiday romance

*Steamy

*HEA

It's release day for my NEW stand-alone novella, just in time for Half Christmas!

My store | Ream Stories | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Eden Books | Google Play | Kobo | Amazon | Everand | Smashwords | 

Goodreads | Bookbub | 

Two lonely friends. One holiday movie. A little whiskey and wine.

It’s the recipe for truths and revelations that will change our lives forever.

Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love hosting my friends. This holiday is building to be as fun as always—until the last bit of family I have makes it clear I’m not wanted in the most callous way possible.

My first thought is to seek comfort from my next-door neighbor and best friend Kell, but I never expect to end the night in his bed with secret feelings laid bare. This could be an epic mistake, or the start of something amazing with a man I trust more than anyone else.

Have I unwrapped the best Christmas present a woman could ask for?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

Stuff Your Ereader day is BACK! Free romances today ONLY!

Stuff Your Ereader Now!

17 categories of FREE romance books

CLICK HERE

Are you a voracious romance reader?

Stuff your Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple Books, or Google Play device now.

I cannot promise these books will be free past today, so please act quickly. Amazon, especially, has a habit of reverting them to paid at the worst timing for the author and readers.

Here's another sneak peek of The Best Friend's Christmas Confession, releasing June 25!

Sneak peek snippet #2:

The Best Friend's Christmas Confession
The Guy Next Door #2 

 
My store | Ream Stories | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Eden Books | Google Play | Kobo | Amazon | Smashwords | 

Two lonely friends. One holiday movie. A little whiskey and wine.

It’s the recipe for truths and revelations that will change our lives forever.

Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love hosting my friends. This holiday is building to be as fun as always—until the last bit of family I have makes it clear I’m not wanted in the most callous way possible.

My first thought is to seek comfort from my next-door neighbor and best friend Kell, but I never expect to end the night in his bed with secret feelings laid bare. This could be an epic mistake, or the start of something amazing with a man I trust more than anyone else.

Have I unwrapped the best Christmas present a woman could ask for?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.
 

The Best Friend's Christmas Confession:
*Next-door neighbors
*Friends to lovers
*Secret feelings
*He fell first
*Found family
*Holiday romance
*Steamy
*HEA

Goodreads | Bookbub |

Kell's POV:

When I knocked on Adrienne’s door, I was greeted with a smile and the most delicious smell I’d encountered in I don’t know how long. “I hope you like cookies,” she said. “I know you aren’t asking for anything to work on my toilet, but I couldn’t not give you something for my appreciation—so, I baked.”

I swallowed hard. “Um, I don’t eat cookies.”

“What? Everyone eats cookies.” She looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head.

“Maybe one. After I fix the toilet.”

I didn’t want to be rude. Plus, she seemed like a normal, nice girl, but we’d just met. No way to know yet if she was the type to take rejection poorly.

I carried my supplies into the bathroom and swung the door out of the way.

“So, why don’t you eat cookies?” she asked from the other side.

Seriously? “I’m not really a sweets guy,” I lied.

“Then you’re in luck—I made chocolate chip with a brown butter dough and dark chips.”

As if she wasn’t tempting enough, the woman loved to bake?

If she made the hallway smell amazing often, I might have to move.

“Hey, can I see what you’re doing?”

I sighed, the old mechanism kit in my hands. “You want to learn?”

“Yes, please.”

I opened the door. “You can open the new kit.”

She examined the plastic package. “Hold on, I have industrial-strength scissors.”

I’d let her try before ripping into it, though these kind of packages were often beyond the strength of women’s hands since they were a pain in the ass for grown men, too.

But, her scissors did enough.

Then I talked through the installation, her black silky hair brushing my arm as she leaned in to see in tight quarters. “Pretty much the easiest plumbing issue you’ll face as a resident.”

“Thanks. I’d never had a reason to know about the inside of a toilet before now.”

I washed my hands and gathered the trash.

“How did you learn to be handy? Seems to be a dying art these days.”

“I was raised right.”

“Well, I’m grateful. Now for your reward!” She skipped out.

I was willing to take one cookie home, but she insisted on me trying a bite now. How could I resist those eyes? A nibble, and the flavors burst on my tongue.

I swallowed a moan.

“Not bad.”

She laughed. “I guess you really aren’t a sweets man. Thanks again, Kelly. I won’t monopolize your day.” Then moved out of the kitchen. “You work tonight, right?”

I paused on my way to the door. “Yeah. At six.” The bar was open six-to-two. It was admirable how much unpacking she’d gotten done. “You know, this place looks astonishingly good for you just moving in.”

Adrienne revealed a brilliant smile. “Thank you! Efficiency is a thing with me. I labeled my boxes with specifics so there would be no ‘where the hell did I put that?’ moment before my new job Monday.” She sat on the sofa that included two throw pillows. “I haven’t finished in the bedroom, yet, or gone grocery shopping, but there’s one more day.”

“Do you need help getting to know the neighborhood?”

“Actually, that’d be great. I’d otherwise be on Google.”

We sat down with her laptop and an internet map so I could enlighten her.

Did you know TBFCC can be purchased from me today? Buy Now