Kelly Cain's Blog, page 4
August 28, 2017
Connections: A Steamy Short Story
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To say Casie Armstrong is shy on first dates is an understatement. When she receives a Twitter message from a tattooed, self-identifying IT nerd, she finds comfort in online anonymity. After weeks of messaging, texting, and phone calls, they finally decide to meet. When they do come together, will it be as hot as their online hookups? Or will Casie revert to her normal introverted self?
Connections was first published under the name Spending Time with RandyRob in Fuse Literary’s annual holiday reads anthology for charity, The Stockings Were Hung (Hot Holiday Reads #3). Connections is the standalone version with an added scene.
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Purchase Connections: Amazon
Works in Progress (WIPs)
I always seem to be in the middle of one project or another at various stages of the process.
Outlining
Thinner Than Water – A “sliding doors” story of a woman living two very different lives – one with her adoptive parents and the other with her birth parents. Novel
Drafting
1936 – A woman discovers who her grandfather really was as a younger man making a life for himself and his family in depression-era Mississippi. A screenplay
High School Hate – A couple has a terrible breakup in high school, and continue that trend over the next few years. Will they have a second chance at love when they meet at their high school reunion, or will they continue to make each other’s lives miserable? Short story
Revising
Scale Steps – Winning a trip to Scotland to meet the star of her favorite television show may seem like a dream, but this grieving woman only wants peace… and fun.
Faith Harris has lost her faith in love, in life, in her own ability to cope with all that is thrown at her. First she lost her father to a sudden illness while in the midst of her own divorce. Then she left her glitz-and-glam job as a Hollywood studio attorney. Now her college-bound daughter has left home and she’s alone and ready for a change. So when she wins a trip to Scotland, she jumps at the chance.
The highlight of the contest is spending the day with Andrew Spence, the star of her favorite television show, Skye. While Faith is a huge fan of Skye, she hadn’t given much thought to its star. Andrew is surprisingly open and friendly, and once he discovers Faith’s plan to hike up a nearby mountain the following day, he invites himself along. Their attraction is undeniable, but Faith is fearful of opening her heart again; especially to someone who is on the cusp of fame, potentially dragging her back into the life she’s tried to put behind her. She tests the waters of this unconventional relationship, but the distance, and social media backlash from the very fandom she is a part of, almost destroys their fragile bond. When Faith discovers that Andrew has been hiding his knowledge of her industry connections from her, it may obliterate it completely.
Querying
Disparate Soul – Sixteen-year-old Christine has always received grief for the fair skin and green eyes she inherited from her Irish grandmother, which belies her African-American heritage. She gained something else from her grandmother – unique abilities she’s so far struggled to comprehend: the capacity to understand languages, get impressions from someone’s favorite food, and even to heal.
When Christine reconnects with her childhood friend, Oliver, she learns he’s part of a clandestine order, the Derwos Society, that protects the set of five paintbrushes which each have their own powers. But meeting Oliver was no accident. A timeline-altering paintbrush has been stolen from the order, and he’s been sent from the near future to retrieve it. Christine agrees to help, after being promised she’ll discover more about her powers along the way.
As Christine learns more about her own family and their position in Derwos history, she questions if she’s on the right side. She must choose to trust in her childhood friend’s motives or contemplate if the Derwos sub-group has the more pure cause. Making the wrong choice could prove to be the end of the world as they know it; and deep betrayal of her family. A YA (Young Adult) low fantasy novel. Book 1 of The Sacred Brushes series
Connect Online
Places to find me online are below. Please come by and give me a like, follow, or friend. I’d love to connect.
August 27, 2017
Connect online
Altered
reviews: 58
ratings: 84 (avg rating 3.76)
Déjà You: Stories of Second Chances
reviews: 9
ratings: 13 (avg rating 4.54)
Connections: A Steamy Short Story
reviews: 3
ratings: 3 (avg rating 4.00)
The Stockings Were Hung (Hot Holiday Reads, #3)
reviews: 3
ratings: 8 (avg rating 4.38)
Love Unlimited: Anthology
reviews: 4
ratings: 4 (avg rating 4.00)
August 22, 2017
Release Day for Love Unlimited Anthology
I’m really excited to share my short story, Summer Healing, out today!
Title: Love Unlimited Anthology
Authors: Bryana Beecham, Geralyn Corcillo, Laura Chapman, Katie Leonard, Kelly Cain, Anne Hamilton, Zainab Muhammad Shahid, Samantha Bryant, Lizbeth Durano, Therese Gilardi, Amy Gettinger
Release Date: August 23, 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction
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About LOVE UNLIMITED
Explore the unlimited nature of love and its many incarnations in the Love Unlimited Anthology, featuring eleven stories that cross generations, cultural backgrounds, and borders. Love Unlimited will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and envelop you in the wonderful and complex human emotion the world calls “Love.”
Bryana Beecham — Love Letters to the Universe
Geralyn Corcillo — In Her Space
Laura Chapman — Smyth Saves the Date
Katie Leonard — SuperMom and the Theory of Mind
Kelly Cain — Summer Healing
Anne Hamilton — The Shining Girl
Zainab Muhammad Shahid — Kaneez’s Bulbul
Samantha Bryant — Flygirl’s Second Chance
Therese Gilardi — Paris in April
Lizbeth Durano — Starting Over
Amy Gettinger — Kiss My Sweet Skull
Where to Find LOVE UNLIMITED
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36096719-love-unlimited
Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/loveunlimited
August 11, 2017
Start Your Engines Release Week
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but my good friend, Jim Cangany, has a new book out this week. You don’t want to miss it (check out my review here). Scroll down to the bottom for a giveaway opportunity.
Start Your Engines
Jim Cangany
Published by: Crimson Romance
Publication date: August 7th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Buckle up for a race for the championship and the prize of a lifetime in this heartfelt reunion romance.
When racing team director Brad Thomas needs a new driver, his boss insists there’s only one answer: Gabrielle Marquez. The Indycar ace has newly returned to the United States after becoming one of the European circuit’s top drivers. But ten years ago, Gabrielle caused a crash that ended Brad’s racing career and killed their mutual best friend, along with the burgeoning crush they were exploring.
Gabby’s ready to put the past behind her, even though she knows making amends and regaining Brad’s trust won’t be easy. Rebuilding their professional relationship paves the way for healing, and old feelings soon rekindle, but a rival’s dangerous game of sabotage may threaten their team’s chance at the title.
Then an irresistible offers lands on Gabby’s windshield, forcing her to choose between her heart and her hard-fought career. Will achieving her professional dreams mean personal sacrifice?
Sensuality Level: Behind Closed Doors
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
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EXCERPT:
The AES machine flashed across the finish line as the starter waved the green flag, the prismatic paint job displaying every color of the spectrum.
“God, she’s beautiful.” The moment Brad had uttered the words, he realized he wasn’t sure if he was referring to the car or its driver. He was happy he didn’t have his microphone on, though.
A video feed of Gabrielle’s progress was in a corner of his computer screen. As she barreled down the long backstretch, which was five-eighths of a mile in length all by itself, he checked her speed. She was zooming at over two hundred miles per hour.
At Gabrielle’s request, the team had disconnected her speedometer. Brad was to report her speed when she finished the first lap and again when she completed the attempt. He was to say nothing else.
Brad held his breath as she flew down the front straight, the song of the turbocharged engine sweeter than an opera singer, and completed lap one. Her speed flashed on the screen. It was all Brad could do to keep from shouting.
“Two hundred point thirteen. Everything looks great.”
The first lap was pole-winning speed.
Down the backstretch and into turn three, the line Gabrielle took was as smooth as soft-serve ice cream. Exiting turn four, she drifted up so close to the white concrete retaining wall, Brad flinched and closed one eye for a moment.
The close call didn’t slow her down, though. She took the checkered flag, completing the run with a two-lap average of 200.2 miles per hour.
“Congrats, Gabrielle, you just set a Continental Series track record.”
“Yes!” Her shout almost burst Brad’s eardrums.
Scott gave Brad a thumbs-up but pointed at the scoring pylon. There were two cars left to make their qualifying attempts. One of them was Chas.
By the time Gabrielle was out of the car and had her helmet off, the number seventy-seven had the first lap in the books at just under 199 miles per hour. He was no threat. The team gathered around her to wait for Chas to make his attempt.
Brad gave Gabrielle a fist bump, but nothing more. He didn’t want to jinx anything.
The Thornton Industries machine looked fast as it took the green flag. Brad reached out and took Gabrielle’s hand. A pleasant tingling sensation went up his arm when they touched. She didn’t pull away. Rather, she held on. It was a perfect fit.
Nobody said anything as Chas came into view coming out of turn four. Brad kept his focus on the scoring pylon as their rival completed lap one.
199.96.
Gabrielle loosened her grip a touch as the group let out a collective sigh of relief. Chas wasn’t far off Gabrielle’s time, but catching her could be a tall order. It was an order he couldn’t deliver. His second lap was a tick over two hundred miles per hour.
Gabrielle was on the pole.
For the most important race of the season.
At the most historic racing venue on Earth.
Amid a cacophony of whoops and shouts of elation, Brad took Gabrielle by the shoulders.
“You did it.” At that moment, someone bumped him into Gabrielle, which brought his lips to hers. The moment they made contact, fireworks went off. Brad wasn’t sure if they were real or imagined, but he didn’t care. Kissing the woman in his arms was electrifying.
Her lips were soft, with a hint of blueberry from her lip balm. His thumb stroked her cheek and wiped away a tear. All too soon, she pulled back. He opened his eyes to find her red-cheeked but smiling from ear to ear. He recovered his senses enough to take her wrist and raise her arm.
“Presenting your pole winner for the Memorial One Hundred, Gabrielle Marquez.”
Author Bio:
A lifelong resident of the State of Indiana, Jim Cangany is proud to call himself a Hoosier. The youngest of eight children, he grew up in a household full of books and people. Thanks to the influence of his older siblings, Jim gravitated toward fantasy and sci-fi when looking for something to read. He wrote his first story at age fourteen. A school project, The Magic Coin was a fantasy that involved a king, some bad guys, and, not surprisingly, a magical token.
These days, Jim writes romance on the sweet end. If you ask him what is a guy like him is doing writing romance, he’ll reply, “Those are the stories in my head.” A believer that the world has enough doom and gloom, he likes stories with a happy ending, regardless of genre.
He lives in Indianapolis with his wonderful wife Nancy, sons, Seamus and Aidan, and kitty-cat Maria.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter
GIVEAWAY!
July 31, 2017
Goodreads Review – Start Your Engines
Start Your Engines
by Jim Cangany (Goodreads Author)
4 stars
I’ve read this author before and he writes great sports romances. More than that, he actually makes obscure sports interesting and a wonderful backdrop to the romance happening between the main characters. Not to say that open-wheel racing (yup I learned a new term) is obscure. I know it isn’t however it is obscure to me having never watched a race in my entire life… and I’m a mega sports fan. After reading this story though, I actually watched racing that happened to be on when I flipped the television on Saturday. That’s the thing with this author – he doesn’t hit you over the head with the sport, but he does effortlessly weaves the action into the story where by the end, you’ve learned enough to be dangerous.
Cangany writes sweet romance so I’ll lodge my long-standing complaint there wasn’t enough heat for my liking, but there was passion between the main characters, and love. Their backstory was unique enough to pique my interest and although this was certainly guaranteed to be a HEA, I was a little concerned with our lovers’ fate.
Highly recommend for anyone who likes any romance, sweet, sports, or otherwise.
Oh, a warning. Do NOT finish this book the night before you have a 3-hour road trip. You may or may not break some speeding laws.
Full disclosure – I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 29, 2017
RELEASE DAY FOR DEJA YOU
E-books 99¢ RELEASE DAY SPECIAL
Paperbacks $10.99
TITLE: Déjà You
PUBLISHER: Emerald Lily Publishing
RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2017
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon | B&N Paperback |Paperback
In Déjà You, five authors share stories of second chances, as varied in telling as the writers themselves.
Kelly Cain’s We’ll Always Have Oahu takes us on a whirlwind New Adult romance set in the 80s between a young woman on a high school graduation trip and a handsome Navy sailor.
Bianca M. Schwarz transports us to 1760 in The Pearl with the story of Marcus Landover, who attends a card party and ends up with more than he bargained for in the beautiful Sophia Chelmsford.
Amanda Linsmeier’s Joy and Sorrow reunites lovers separated by death in a Women’s Fiction tinged with the unusual.
The Eyes of the Heart by Jamie McLachlan gives us Rosalina, who is forced to confront her attraction and the truth about her blindness when a new gardener is hired at the Greystone house.
Finally, C.H. Armstrong brings us Mr. Midnight, where tragedy reunites two star-crossed lovers, but misunderstandings soon rip them apart. Now, six years later, the stars are realigning with the help of the smooth voice of a late night radio DJ.
Some of the stories are sweet, some sad, some steamy, but all carry the same theme. Déjà You is a collection of stories for those who believe in love, but most of all, second chances.
The Birth of Déjà You
About two years ago, a group of five novice writers signed with the same small publisher, each inexperienced in the publishing world yet committed to understanding the process and finding success. Through their mutual dive into unchartered territory, Amanda Linsmeier, Bianca M. Schwarz, C.H. Armstrong, Kelly Cain, and Jamie McLachlan reached out to one another and became instant friends, sharing laughs, tears, and the struggles of life and writing. We soon dubbed ourselves “Book Besties.”
During the fall of 2016, we decided to write a book of short stories together. As friends, we wanted to combine our talents to create a collection that would inspire hope and happiness. After much deliberation, we chose the theme “Second Chances” and decided to title this anthology, “Déjà You.” Though each story contains the same theme, they all are as unique as the author who wrote it. Including New Adult, Women’s Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, and Contemporary Romance, each short offers a different take on the theme and involves varying heat levels, from sweet to steamy.
About the Authors
Kelly Cain has published a multicultural adult and new adult romance, but she writes across genres and age groups, currently penning book one of a young adult urban fantasy series. Most of her stories are set in Texas with frequent travels to her home state of California, and all of her stories have an excess of food weaved throughout.
If she’s not writing, she’s probably reading. Or maybe cooking. Check out her website for recipes for dishes featured in her books, and some other fun stuff. She has two adult daughters and lives in a suburb of Houston, Texas.
Kelly is the author of Altered, a new adult multicultural romance and Connections, a steamy short story exclusively available on Amazon. Visit her on her Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Tumbler.
Bianca M Schwarz was born in Germany, spent her formative years in London, and has a US passport, but she considers herself a world citizen. She lives in Los Angeles because that’s where they make movies and she used to work on them. She writes novels because that’s kind of like making a movie in people’s heads and because she just loves books. Bianca has one son, because that’s all she can handle and she tolerates her husband because, well, she loves him and there is no help for that. Visit her on her website, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Amanda Linsmeier is the author of Ditch Flowers and Beach Glass & Other Broken Things. Her writing has been featured in Portage Magazine, Literary Mama, and Brain, Child Magazine. Besides writing Women’s Fiction, she loves reading and writing fables, fairytales, and fantasy, and sometimes she pretends her Hogwarts letter is still coming. She can be found blogging about writing and books at amandalinsmeier.com. When she’s not writing, she works part-time at her local library and brings home more books than she has time to read. Amanda lives in the countryside, surrounded by trees, with her family, two dogs, and two half-wild cats. You can Amanda’s blog for book reviews and random musings, or check her out on Twitter or Facebook for more information.
Jamie McLachlan is the Canadian author of Mind of the Phoenix, an Amazon Bestseller in Dark Fantasy and the first novel in the Memory Collector Series. The third, Rise of the Phoenix, is set for release in summer of 2017. When not writing, Jamie reads, dabbles in various crafts, and spends time with her family. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
C.H. Armstrong is an Oklahoma-native transplanted in the Midwest. A life-long lover of books, she made her author debut with the 2016 release of her historical fiction novel, The Edge of Nowhere, which was inspired by her own family’s struggles during the one-two punch that was The Great Depression and The Dust Bowl. Armstrong is currently working on two young adult novels and is a regular contributor to the Minnesota-based women’s magazine, Rochester Women. Visit her on Twitter, Facebook, and her website.
For more information on Déjà You or the Book Besties, visit their website, or find them on Twitter or Facebook.
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April 19, 2017
Goodreads Review – An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
5-stars
I’m such a history fan. I loved reading one with POCs being brave and covert and important, and based on real characters. I recommend this highly to fans of histfic AND romance. Yes, there’s a hot romance too!
Please hurry and give us the next installment in this series!
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