Kate Lloyd's Blog, page 9
September 21, 2021
Celebrating the Release of A Lancaster Family Christmas
Last night my husband asked me if I was putting up Christmas decor early or if it was left over from last year. “A photo-shoot,” I said. “I need to take pictures of prizes for a Keeping up with the Amish Facebook group online event on September 30, two days after RELEASE Day, September 28th. I’m excited! And I enjoy these Christmas decorations. They’re staying. You must join the Keeping up with the Amish Facebook group to be part of the online event and have a chance to win some fun prizes.
People ask me where I get my ideas. The story of A Lancaster Family Christmas took root in my mind after speaking to a Mennonite relative who lives in Lancaster County, PA. Then the fun began.
Some authors outline their stories. I see the advantages, but I first visualize the beginning and the ending and the general storyline, then fill in the blanks. So much fun for me to unravel the story, meet and develop the characters, and embark on a fictional adventure in my head that often keeps me up at night.
Have you entered my 100 e-book giveaway at Goodreads? If you’re waiting for the paperback, it will be available September 28th. I can’t wait to hold one in my hands!
Lastly, there’s a fun giveaway right here! Enter for a chance to win this beautiful wall hanging made by an Old Order Horse-and-Buggy Mennonite. Size: 37” by 37” Winner will be announced on September 29.
Sorry, but only those in US may enter because of postage costs. Winner has three days to reply.
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Celebrating A Lancaster Family Christmas with 3 Giveaways
Last night my husband asked me if I was putting up Christmas decor early or if it was left over from last year. “A photo-shoot,” I said. “I need to take pictures of prizes for a Keeping up with the Amish Facebook group online event on September 30, two days after RELEASE Day, September 28th. I’m excited! And I enjoy these Christmas decorations. They’re staying. You must join the Keeping up with the Amish Facebook group to be part of the online event and have a chance to win some fun prizes.
People ask me where I get my ideas. The story of A Lancaster Family Christmas took root in my mind after speaking to a Mennonite relative who lives in Lancaster County, PA. Then the fun began.
Some authors outline their stories. I see the advantages, but I first visualize the beginning and the ending and the general storyline, then fill in the blanks. So much fun for me to unravel the story, meet and develop the characters, and embark on a fictional adventure in my head that often keeps me up at night.
Have you entered my 100 e-book giveaway at Goodreads? If you’re waiting for the paperback, it will be available September 28th. I can’t wait to hold one in my hands!
Lastly, there’s a fun giveaway right here! Enter for a chance to win this beautiful wall hanging made by an Old Order Horse-and-Buggy Mennonite. Size: 37” by 37” Winner will be announced on September 28.
Sorry, but only those in US may enter because of postage costs. Winner has three days to reply.
a Rafflecopter giveaway Follow
September 14, 2021
Goodreads Giveaway
With summer just about over, I’m eagerly waiting the release of my latest novel, A Lancaster Family Christmas, on September 28.
Would you like to win a copy of A Lancaster Family Christmas? Now’s your chance! I’m giving away 100 eBook copies on Goodreads. Check it out here. You have until September 27th to enter!
August 24, 2021
Congratulations
Please help me congratulate Ally Devine, winner of these two unique, hand-sewn dolls. Many thanks to all who entered.
My new book, A Lancaster Family Christmas, releases Sept. 28. Preorder on Amazon and save on the Kindle eBook!
August 18, 2021
Lancaster County versus New York
People often give me a quizzical look when I tell them my two favorite places to visit are Lancaster County, PA, and New York City. What two locations could be further apart and yet so close together on the map?
Fond memories of Lancaster County in autumn.
I’m not visiting the Big Apple in the near future for a multitude of reasons. Lancaster County is another story. I can’t wait to get back! Just thinking about Lancaster County makes my blood pressure lower. I could write a whole book on what I love about that area, including the many friends I have made.
Patience is often required when traveling behind a buggy. Worth it!
When chatting on the phone with a Mennonite relative in New Holland, PA, recently, a story began to coagulate in my brain that would incorporate both Mennonites and Old Order Amish. And why Christmas? I don’t know about you, but I love Christmas stories all year round.
Anyone who knows me knows I love giveaways! But my new book, A Lancaster Family Christmas, does not release in paperback until September 28, 2021.
The cover of my new book, A Lancaster Family Christmas, releasing Sept. 28. I couldn’t love this cover more! Preorder on Amazon and save on the Kindle eBook!
I love these dolls sewn by an Old Order Mennonite Horse and Buggy seamstress that my friend Herb of Zook’s Fabrics located for me. Sadly, he is selling the business, but we plan to remain in contact. He and his wife have even visited me in our Seattle home.
If you have a hankering for these unique dolls, please enter my giveaway! Winner must respond within three days. US only. (Sorry, Karla and all my other Canadian friends. )
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July 27, 2021
Summer Writing Giveaway Winner
Please help me congratulate Christian Jenssen-Solberg, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card plus a signed copy of either Stage Fright or From Rome With Love. Many thanks to all who entered.
July 21, 2021
Summer Writing and Giveaway
I find copious research is required for writing a good fiction novel. When I read a novel, I can tell if the author has put time into verifying the details. Whether it be about Great Britain or Italy, places I’ve been to often. I even lived in Rome but when I wrote From Rome with Love, I found myself checking my facts about the city and the people. And drug addiction, art theft, Mussolini, plane crashes, and more. The story takes a lot of twists and turns as did Stage Fright, the story of a woman traveling through England on a coral tour. I have visited every town she went to and studied voice for years, but I still had digging to do—which I enjoy. For me when an author doesn’t get the details right the whole story falls flat. I admit to being a picky reader.
I love the covered bridges of Lancaster County!
Now, I find myself calling friends and family in Lancaster County, PA, an area I have visited and written about often. But things are changing, and I want to paint a realistic picture.
Fun to browse in an Old Order Amish friend’s wholesale only quilt shop.
Can you guess what I’ve been writing about? But it’s too early to spill the beans. I don’t even have my cover yet and a copyeditor is about to work on a line edit. Writers can be blind to their own spelling, grammar mistakes, and unanswered questions.
A Lancaster County farm after corn harvest.
Speaking of questions, I’m working on Discussion Questions for the end of the book today. Do you find them helpful? Do you belong to a book club that might use the questions? Many of my favorite authors don’t write them. I am also including a recipe. But that will have to remain my secret for now.
Hard to resist the many snacks in Bird-in-Hand!
Can you tell how I spend my days? No wonder I have trouble sleeping. A word or idea will pop into my mind, and I don’t want to forget it. Paper and pencil are always by my bed.
For fun, a GIVEAWAY! A $100 Amazon Gift card to be used as the winner chooses. Plus a copy of either From Rome with Love or Stage Fright. Winner has three days to respond. US only unless you read Kindle.
June 15, 2021
Summer Reading Giveaway Winner and Favorite Pics
Please help me congratulate Amy Linderman, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card plus a signed copy of either Stage Fright or From Rome With Love. Many thanks to all who entered.
Kate’s Favorite PicsA day of sunshine, followed by a stretch of gray days filled with rain make me wonder if the calendar is playing tricks on me. Throwing on a jacket for my morning walk doesn’t seem right with the first day of summer only a week away!
Even my part-polar bear husband needed a jacket when sitting outside!
We use Piper’s plastic kiddie pool to gauge the rainfall.
The recent rain has caused the rhododendron petals to fall.
Pansies after the rain shower sparkle so prettily.
Drying off Piper after her bath is almost like walking through the rain!
June 8, 2021
Summer Reading Giveaway
It’s finally almost feeling like summer here in the Puget Sound. Except for last night, the last few weeks have been wonderfully sunny and warm, as those of you who follow my Instagram and Facebook accounts know. The long daylight hours make up for the short, gray, and rainy days we endured in the winter. When the summer solstice rolls around on June 20, we’ll have 15 hours and 59 minutes of daylight, from sunrise at 5:11 a.m. to sunset at 9:10 p.m. My husband, who needs to jet off to work early, and I take morning walks. Not having to worry about flashlights and reflective gear is wonderful!
Gray summer days make good reading too!
Summer and reading seem to go hand in hand. There’s something about being outside with a book, whether it’s at a beach, in the backyard, or by Piper’s kiddie pool, that is so relaxing. Reading has so many benefits such as reducing stress, improving memory, and increasing brain power. It helps develop empathy, expands attention span, makes me a better writer and so much more. Most of what I read falls within my genre of clean contemporary romance and Amish fiction. While I read all year long, summer is when I might try out a different genre or a new author.
Piper enjoys sitting outside while I do some reading, at least until something distracts her.
I also find I read differently in the summer. In winter I snuggle under a blanket in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea nearby. If not a library book, I underline passages and jot down notes in the margins if I notice clever word usage or a twist of phrase I want to revisit. In fact, I may read the book again as if it was a textbook. I learn much from other authors.
Not quite a throne, but having the time to read does make me a feel a bit like a princess.
My summer reading this year includes Golden Girls by Elin Hiderbrand, Family Reunion by Nancy Thayer, The Newcomer by Mary Kay Andrews, The Cottage Guesthouse by Robin Carr, and The People We meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery. Amish author Shelley Shepard Gray and talented Suzanne Woods Fisher are two of my favorite authors. Can’t wait to read their recent releases.
What’s on your summer reading list?
To help celebrate reading I’m giving away a $100 Amazon gift certificate and a copy of either of my latest novels, Stage Fright or From Rome With Love, your choice of paperback or eBook. US and Canada only. Winner has three days to respond.
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May 18, 2021
Congratulations and Favorite Pics
Please help me congratulate Barb Dawson, winner of the $100 Amazon gift card plus a signed copy of either Stage Fright or From Rome With Love. Many thanks to all who entered.
Kate’s Favorite PicsSunny days and time with my husband and Piper, made for a wonderfully relaxing weekend getaway.
My husband walking the beach with Piper.
Neighbors are getting a new buoy.
Whales have dug in the sand for shrimp.
Our pump produces my favorite water.
A splendid sunrise up at the beach.
