Kimberly Keyes's Blog, page 2
November 17, 2015
Chasing a balanced life, or what my lack of blogs says about my current situation
I really don't mean to be the worst blogger in history, as in so slow to post a blog it's not worth checking my blog page! But life happens, ya know?
I'm loving what is happening in my career. Finally published after years of writing, writing, and more writing!
The writing was never a chore, but the dashed hopes at times hurt. Caused setbacks.
And still I strove to be better, write faster, more gripping and exciting books.
After all these years of honing my craft and I'm more determined than ever to be an author people love to read. I still dream of being a best-selling author.
The best-selling part, well, that takes being a great writer, but it also takes promo work. It takes getting my name out there and letting folks know me. That takes TIME.
TIME.
I have known for a long, long time, sooner than my time, you might say, how valuable a commodity time is. I've doled my time out to this, that, and him, and her, always striving for balance. Always trying to keep in mind PEOPLE must always come first, (and puppies) then my art, and then the minutiae of life--which includes work and bills and yard work.
Balance is hard!
And sometimes it's down right impossible.
Like now.
Here it is. My mom is sick. Cancer sick. FIGHTING cancer sick, and I need to be there for her. I love her and hate to see her suffering and need to do what I can to keep that from happening. It's hard to stay ahead of that monster. She has suffered, in spite of my best efforts.
Hospice companies are not all the same. :-( I swear the first company we had her with almost killed her.
People you hire to do her laundry don't show up.
She gets a chest cold and you worry she's going to get an infection and die.
She stops eating because she's not hungry so you cook and run food by in the hopes of tempting her to eat.
You take her little dog to live with your dogs, and thus initiate a new member into the BDC (black dog club).
So my life is out of balance.
I have an edit due my editor for my upcoming release, THE TROUBLE WITH TIGERS, promo work--as in interviews and guest blogs, tweets, posting to fellow writers blogs and posts, Facebook posts, THIS (blogging). My website is a wreck thanks to the fact I tried to update it, but it's really my mom who is the master-mind behind its design and she currently has double vision...:-(
I have two WIPs (works-in-progress) that are more like distant memories. I have to do the day job that actually pays the bills and feeds my puppies. I have to clean, and jog, and sleep. I have to see friends and visit sick friends, and visit sick friends in hospital. And friends are getting the short end of the stick, darn it.
My BIBLE study, which I was so excited about rejoining has taken the hardest hit.
I'm bummed for a multitude of reasons, and feeling a wee bit behind--and I am sooo not a procrastinator. But I'm also excited about my career (my writing career!!) finally taking off, and some interesting developments in my love life involving an old flame....
So that is my blog for today after such a long break.
Is anyone reading? lol. If not, has that ever stopped me from writing in the past? No.
Because I am a writer. It's what I do.
I'm loving what is happening in my career. Finally published after years of writing, writing, and more writing!
The writing was never a chore, but the dashed hopes at times hurt. Caused setbacks.
And still I strove to be better, write faster, more gripping and exciting books.
After all these years of honing my craft and I'm more determined than ever to be an author people love to read. I still dream of being a best-selling author.
The best-selling part, well, that takes being a great writer, but it also takes promo work. It takes getting my name out there and letting folks know me. That takes TIME.
TIME.
I have known for a long, long time, sooner than my time, you might say, how valuable a commodity time is. I've doled my time out to this, that, and him, and her, always striving for balance. Always trying to keep in mind PEOPLE must always come first, (and puppies) then my art, and then the minutiae of life--which includes work and bills and yard work.
Balance is hard!
And sometimes it's down right impossible.
Like now.
Here it is. My mom is sick. Cancer sick. FIGHTING cancer sick, and I need to be there for her. I love her and hate to see her suffering and need to do what I can to keep that from happening. It's hard to stay ahead of that monster. She has suffered, in spite of my best efforts.
Hospice companies are not all the same. :-( I swear the first company we had her with almost killed her.
People you hire to do her laundry don't show up.
She gets a chest cold and you worry she's going to get an infection and die.
She stops eating because she's not hungry so you cook and run food by in the hopes of tempting her to eat.
You take her little dog to live with your dogs, and thus initiate a new member into the BDC (black dog club).
So my life is out of balance.
I have an edit due my editor for my upcoming release, THE TROUBLE WITH TIGERS, promo work--as in interviews and guest blogs, tweets, posting to fellow writers blogs and posts, Facebook posts, THIS (blogging). My website is a wreck thanks to the fact I tried to update it, but it's really my mom who is the master-mind behind its design and she currently has double vision...:-(
I have two WIPs (works-in-progress) that are more like distant memories. I have to do the day job that actually pays the bills and feeds my puppies. I have to clean, and jog, and sleep. I have to see friends and visit sick friends, and visit sick friends in hospital. And friends are getting the short end of the stick, darn it.
My BIBLE study, which I was so excited about rejoining has taken the hardest hit.
I'm bummed for a multitude of reasons, and feeling a wee bit behind--and I am sooo not a procrastinator. But I'm also excited about my career (my writing career!!) finally taking off, and some interesting developments in my love life involving an old flame....
So that is my blog for today after such a long break.
Is anyone reading? lol. If not, has that ever stopped me from writing in the past? No.
Because I am a writer. It's what I do.
July 23, 2015
Spotlight on Jill Shalvis--Lucky in Love review
Today I want to talk about Jill Shalvis, one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. There's a few reasons I love her work.
First, her books are just plain good. Total page-turners, as in you just want to keep turning those pages to see what’s going to happen next. They have the important ingredients of yummy heroes, and steamy sensuality—and most of the time, great, relatable heroines.
Second, as a romance writer myself, I get a lot out of her books because, while every one of her books is good, I can see a progression in her writing skills from her earlier work to now--and that gives me hope that I will one day be as good a writer as I aspire to be.
Where is she strongest? In her sexy a hell, bad boy heroes. Where does she sometimes lag? In developing conflicts that make a book a page turner. It's forgivable because, like I said, her books are just good in spite of that fact, and as an author I get how difficult it is to create an impossible situation that you can then solve. Why is it hard to create? Hel-looo? Because the situation is IMPOSSIBLE to fix. But we in our awesome authorness figure out a way, thank you very much. Or not. Sometimes this impossible conflict isn't so believable. It is the author's job to make it so. In. Some of Shalvis's early works, the conflict is kind of...lame. But, and this is the most important part, the other parts of her book make you as a reader NOT CARE! (much).
I love her latest series, Animal Magnetism, featuring three totally hot, almost-brothers, and revolving around a veterinary clinic in nowheresville, USA. Of course that means there are lots of dogs--and who isn't a sucker for sweet, four legged, furry creatures? She's definitely hit the mark there.The series covers the romance of bad-boy Brady, a special ops pilot who's been lured home by his almost brothers, Adam, a dog-trainer and ex-search and rescue military operative and Dell, (Yes, Dell, a not so sexy name) a smoking hot veterinarian. Brady’s and Dell’s stories will have you falling in love with the characters in the series, so much so that you’ll forgive the somewhat weak conflict in Adam's story (Read that one third. :-))
But today I want to talk about a book in her Lucky Harbor series. Yes, she's another author whose done a series surrounding a small, happy town where everybody knows everybody, ala Susan Mallory, Roxanne St. Clair, and others. Shalvis does it superbly! Hey, there's a reason authors write these series. Readers love 'em. I sure do, as do my romance novel loving friends.
As I disclaimer, I’ll admit occasionally you'll run into one romance or another within the Lucky Harbor series where the plot is a little weak on conflict, or the heroine doesn’t grab you. But the book will still be a page turner due to Shalvis's yummy heroes and compelling attraction relationship between said hero and heroine. Can you say SEXUAL TENSION? Hell, can you say yummy SEX?
Today I want to talk about Shalvis’s LUCKY IN LOVE. To date, this is my FAVORITE work of hers. If you want a great summer, easy read that’ll fill your heart with delicious angst and the joy of falling in love, this is your book. It’s a girl-next-door meets bad boy, then takes a walk on the wild-side romance.
Mallory has always been the good girl of her family, especially as compared to her siblings. Her good-girl complex drove her career choice, and she works at the local hospital as an RN. She’s got a huge heart with a capacity to love those less fortunate, and this leads her to champion a health services clinic to service teens, drug addicts, homeless, and the local poor.
Ty is a retired SEAL medic who works as a mercenary now doing dangerous search and rescues. He’s in town recovering from a serious knee injury that’s taken him out of the filed, but the real recovery he needs involves a certain helicopter accident he had while a SEAL, in which he was the sole survivor.
The two accidentally meet. Mallory is drawn to Ty because he’s a haottie, but also because she’s a little tired of being pigeon-holed in her self imposed prison of always doing the right, responsible thing. Ty sees a woman whose capacity to love breaks down the guard rails he’s erected around his wounded heart.
Their romance will draw you in, and leave you with a smile on your face. Heat level is HOT (my favorite! :-))
First, her books are just plain good. Total page-turners, as in you just want to keep turning those pages to see what’s going to happen next. They have the important ingredients of yummy heroes, and steamy sensuality—and most of the time, great, relatable heroines.
Second, as a romance writer myself, I get a lot out of her books because, while every one of her books is good, I can see a progression in her writing skills from her earlier work to now--and that gives me hope that I will one day be as good a writer as I aspire to be.
Where is she strongest? In her sexy a hell, bad boy heroes. Where does she sometimes lag? In developing conflicts that make a book a page turner. It's forgivable because, like I said, her books are just good in spite of that fact, and as an author I get how difficult it is to create an impossible situation that you can then solve. Why is it hard to create? Hel-looo? Because the situation is IMPOSSIBLE to fix. But we in our awesome authorness figure out a way, thank you very much. Or not. Sometimes this impossible conflict isn't so believable. It is the author's job to make it so. In. Some of Shalvis's early works, the conflict is kind of...lame. But, and this is the most important part, the other parts of her book make you as a reader NOT CARE! (much).
I love her latest series, Animal Magnetism, featuring three totally hot, almost-brothers, and revolving around a veterinary clinic in nowheresville, USA. Of course that means there are lots of dogs--and who isn't a sucker for sweet, four legged, furry creatures? She's definitely hit the mark there.The series covers the romance of bad-boy Brady, a special ops pilot who's been lured home by his almost brothers, Adam, a dog-trainer and ex-search and rescue military operative and Dell, (Yes, Dell, a not so sexy name) a smoking hot veterinarian. Brady’s and Dell’s stories will have you falling in love with the characters in the series, so much so that you’ll forgive the somewhat weak conflict in Adam's story (Read that one third. :-))
But today I want to talk about a book in her Lucky Harbor series. Yes, she's another author whose done a series surrounding a small, happy town where everybody knows everybody, ala Susan Mallory, Roxanne St. Clair, and others. Shalvis does it superbly! Hey, there's a reason authors write these series. Readers love 'em. I sure do, as do my romance novel loving friends.
As I disclaimer, I’ll admit occasionally you'll run into one romance or another within the Lucky Harbor series where the plot is a little weak on conflict, or the heroine doesn’t grab you. But the book will still be a page turner due to Shalvis's yummy heroes and compelling attraction relationship between said hero and heroine. Can you say SEXUAL TENSION? Hell, can you say yummy SEX?
Today I want to talk about Shalvis’s LUCKY IN LOVE. To date, this is my FAVORITE work of hers. If you want a great summer, easy read that’ll fill your heart with delicious angst and the joy of falling in love, this is your book. It’s a girl-next-door meets bad boy, then takes a walk on the wild-side romance.
Mallory has always been the good girl of her family, especially as compared to her siblings. Her good-girl complex drove her career choice, and she works at the local hospital as an RN. She’s got a huge heart with a capacity to love those less fortunate, and this leads her to champion a health services clinic to service teens, drug addicts, homeless, and the local poor.
Ty is a retired SEAL medic who works as a mercenary now doing dangerous search and rescues. He’s in town recovering from a serious knee injury that’s taken him out of the filed, but the real recovery he needs involves a certain helicopter accident he had while a SEAL, in which he was the sole survivor.
The two accidentally meet. Mallory is drawn to Ty because he’s a haottie, but also because she’s a little tired of being pigeon-holed in her self imposed prison of always doing the right, responsible thing. Ty sees a woman whose capacity to love breaks down the guard rails he’s erected around his wounded heart.
Their romance will draw you in, and leave you with a smile on your face. Heat level is HOT (my favorite! :-))
June 8, 2015
I think about all sorts of things and imagine blogging ab...
I think about all sorts of things and imagine blogging about them and have to chuckle. People may want to be privy to others' private lives, foibles, and sufferings, but they don't necessarily want to know what other people are thinking. (They're more interested in what they themselves think!)
UNLESS what someone else is thinking can enhance their lives.
That thought brought me to this: I love a good book and can share my impression about which ones I believe are "the good ones."
So, I'm going to blog a bit about some of my favorite romance authors, why I love 'em, and which of their books I love.
I'm starting with Nora Roberts. Well, not really Nora, but her alter ego, J.D. Robb. The way I imagine it, Nora's popularity gave her power, as in "Hey, my publisher, I want to write a romance/crime/futuristic series about a tough lady cop who was severely traumatized as a kid." And though this sub-genre of romance is hardly booming, I'm guessing her publisher said, "ok."
Besides, everything Nora Jones touches turns gold. Except...
When I tell people I love the J. D. Robb "In Death" series (the only series of Robb's there is) I USUALLY get a response of a scrunched up brow and something to the effect of, "I tried one of those. I didn't really get into it."
I shake my head and remember I felt the same way about the first one I read...or...listened to (more on this in a moment). Then I found myself stuck, wanting to find a new book by one of my favorite writers, but nothing really struck me, so I grabbed another in the "In Death" series. After that, I was hooked. Since then, I've "read" as in "listened" to, all of them, up to DALLAS TO NEW YORK. (I haven't gotten the rest yet because of compatibility issues with my iPod, but that's another story.)
I'm amazed and enthralled by this series. If you like romance, and if you like series, and if you like audible books, and if you like mystery, and if you like fantasy, and if you are not squeamish about some heavy duty childhood trauma, this series is for you!! If you are just plain adventurous, this series is for you. If you love great characters...well, you get the picture.
First, I HIGHLY recommend listening. This series is read by Susan Erickson. She does an amazing job of bringing all the characters to life. I love her narration so much, that even though I have access to all of Robb's ebooks, I have been reticent to read them myself. I want to hear Erickson do the Hero' Roarke's brogue. I want to hear her snarky heroine, Eve Dallas, and especially I love Dallas's side kick, detective Peabody (who reminds me so so much of one of my dearest friends that I love her!).
Plot:
Every J. D. Robb novel has a murder which must be solved by the end of the book, hence the death theme, as Detective Eve Dallas, the main protagonist of the series, is a homicide detective. Nothing new or amazing there, although the plots are usually interesting and discovering who the villain is is not so easy that the reader knows who the bad guy is from the middle of the book.
Romance:
Every book in the series has a romance, and maybe a side romance as well. This is where Robb's skill as a writer shines through. The romance is always between the same two characters, Dallas and Roarke, her uber wealthy husband. And does Robb pull it off? Does she make their relationship exciting and satisfying book after book after book? YES. When you're looking at over 40 books, that is no small thing. Robb manages to do this by building the relationship between Roarke and Dallas, slowly, over time, so that they fall deeper in love as the series progresses. This gives the reader that emotional punch every good romance needs.
World Building:
Did I mention these are futuristic books, set in the 2100's? There are flying, personal vehicles, funky clothes, hi tech communication devices, space stations, other planets besides earth where people live. It's very well done, very believable.
Characters:
At first I did not like Eve Dallas. She is not a particularly warm or lovable character. I thought, oh, here we go. Another pithy, hard-assed female lead. And to a certain extent, this is true. I would say, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, neither Nora nor J.D.'s forte is creating relatable likable female characters.
Having said that, Dallas does grow on you. She may not inspire warm gushy hugs, but she has integrity and grit. Her character is admirable, and you will find yourself rooting for her.
Conversely, Dallas's side kick, Detective Peabody is totally lovable, as is Peabody's boyfriend, Mcknab. (Not sure if I spelled his name correctly.)
Then there's Roarke. A self-made, gorgeous, Irish billionaire who came up from the wrong side of the tracks, who happens to adore his lady. What's not to love about him?
I highly recommend reading this series, in order, starting with one. The first three may not knock your socks off, but if you keep with the series, J.D. Robb's characters will come alive for you and you will be hooked, awed, and amazed, just like me.
Happy reading!
UNLESS what someone else is thinking can enhance their lives.
That thought brought me to this: I love a good book and can share my impression about which ones I believe are "the good ones."
So, I'm going to blog a bit about some of my favorite romance authors, why I love 'em, and which of their books I love.
I'm starting with Nora Roberts. Well, not really Nora, but her alter ego, J.D. Robb. The way I imagine it, Nora's popularity gave her power, as in "Hey, my publisher, I want to write a romance/crime/futuristic series about a tough lady cop who was severely traumatized as a kid." And though this sub-genre of romance is hardly booming, I'm guessing her publisher said, "ok."
Besides, everything Nora Jones touches turns gold. Except...
When I tell people I love the J. D. Robb "In Death" series (the only series of Robb's there is) I USUALLY get a response of a scrunched up brow and something to the effect of, "I tried one of those. I didn't really get into it."
I shake my head and remember I felt the same way about the first one I read...or...listened to (more on this in a moment). Then I found myself stuck, wanting to find a new book by one of my favorite writers, but nothing really struck me, so I grabbed another in the "In Death" series. After that, I was hooked. Since then, I've "read" as in "listened" to, all of them, up to DALLAS TO NEW YORK. (I haven't gotten the rest yet because of compatibility issues with my iPod, but that's another story.)
I'm amazed and enthralled by this series. If you like romance, and if you like series, and if you like audible books, and if you like mystery, and if you like fantasy, and if you are not squeamish about some heavy duty childhood trauma, this series is for you!! If you are just plain adventurous, this series is for you. If you love great characters...well, you get the picture.
First, I HIGHLY recommend listening. This series is read by Susan Erickson. She does an amazing job of bringing all the characters to life. I love her narration so much, that even though I have access to all of Robb's ebooks, I have been reticent to read them myself. I want to hear Erickson do the Hero' Roarke's brogue. I want to hear her snarky heroine, Eve Dallas, and especially I love Dallas's side kick, detective Peabody (who reminds me so so much of one of my dearest friends that I love her!).
Plot:
Every J. D. Robb novel has a murder which must be solved by the end of the book, hence the death theme, as Detective Eve Dallas, the main protagonist of the series, is a homicide detective. Nothing new or amazing there, although the plots are usually interesting and discovering who the villain is is not so easy that the reader knows who the bad guy is from the middle of the book.
Romance:
Every book in the series has a romance, and maybe a side romance as well. This is where Robb's skill as a writer shines through. The romance is always between the same two characters, Dallas and Roarke, her uber wealthy husband. And does Robb pull it off? Does she make their relationship exciting and satisfying book after book after book? YES. When you're looking at over 40 books, that is no small thing. Robb manages to do this by building the relationship between Roarke and Dallas, slowly, over time, so that they fall deeper in love as the series progresses. This gives the reader that emotional punch every good romance needs.
World Building:
Did I mention these are futuristic books, set in the 2100's? There are flying, personal vehicles, funky clothes, hi tech communication devices, space stations, other planets besides earth where people live. It's very well done, very believable.
Characters:
At first I did not like Eve Dallas. She is not a particularly warm or lovable character. I thought, oh, here we go. Another pithy, hard-assed female lead. And to a certain extent, this is true. I would say, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, neither Nora nor J.D.'s forte is creating relatable likable female characters.
Having said that, Dallas does grow on you. She may not inspire warm gushy hugs, but she has integrity and grit. Her character is admirable, and you will find yourself rooting for her.
Conversely, Dallas's side kick, Detective Peabody is totally lovable, as is Peabody's boyfriend, Mcknab. (Not sure if I spelled his name correctly.)
Then there's Roarke. A self-made, gorgeous, Irish billionaire who came up from the wrong side of the tracks, who happens to adore his lady. What's not to love about him?
I highly recommend reading this series, in order, starting with one. The first three may not knock your socks off, but if you keep with the series, J.D. Robb's characters will come alive for you and you will be hooked, awed, and amazed, just like me.
Happy reading!
May 23, 2015
Big Day
I've been putting building my social media platform on the back burner. Focusing more on building my writing skills, writing, making money at my day job to support my writing, and writing.
But that's all got to change now.
I just signed my first contract with The Wild Rose Press. Super super excited! I'm finally going to be published. I'm going to have a real ISBN for my book, which people will be able to buy, and READ. It'll be ebook primarily, with the ability to be printed on demand.
Now I've got to get my name out there, and, oh yeah, keep writing.
When I finally put my fingers to use typing away at my laptop computer, creating FICTION, I found what I was always meant to do. Nothing makes me feel more...satisfied? Real? Hard to explain, though I should try to do a little better than THAT. After all, I am a writer!!! Anyway, I am a very lucky woman because I found that thing I was meant for. The hard part is wanting to succeed. Not to be famous, not to be rich (though getting paid to do this would be absolutely fantastic) but to be acknowledged as a damned fine writer whose works people love to read.
Writers want to be read! At least this writer does.
So I'm going to build my brand.
If you've stumbled across this post, and you love reading romance novels, please subscribe to my blog. Once and a while,I may say something here that catches your interest.
But that's all got to change now.
I just signed my first contract with The Wild Rose Press. Super super excited! I'm finally going to be published. I'm going to have a real ISBN for my book, which people will be able to buy, and READ. It'll be ebook primarily, with the ability to be printed on demand.
Now I've got to get my name out there, and, oh yeah, keep writing.
When I finally put my fingers to use typing away at my laptop computer, creating FICTION, I found what I was always meant to do. Nothing makes me feel more...satisfied? Real? Hard to explain, though I should try to do a little better than THAT. After all, I am a writer!!! Anyway, I am a very lucky woman because I found that thing I was meant for. The hard part is wanting to succeed. Not to be famous, not to be rich (though getting paid to do this would be absolutely fantastic) but to be acknowledged as a damned fine writer whose works people love to read.
Writers want to be read! At least this writer does.
So I'm going to build my brand.
If you've stumbled across this post, and you love reading romance novels, please subscribe to my blog. Once and a while,I may say something here that catches your interest.
October 22, 2014
Test - test- test
Test - test- test
