K.C. Burn's Blog, page 4
November 19, 2013
Newsletter Contest – win books, gift cards or swag!
Contests, contests, contests!
If you sign up to receive my newsletter (>> there’s a sign up box over on the right), you’ll not only get notification of my new releases, but also some exclusive content and contests! I’m sending out a newsletter on Friday (
In addition, I’ve got an interview up at The Romance Reviews where I’m discussing Cast Off. If you want to know a little more about the book and characters, or want a chance to win a copy, get on over there!
October 30, 2013
Cover Reveal for Pen Name – Doctor Chicken!
It’s coming November 22! I’m so excited. Well, and terrified – this book is a bit of a departure for me.
The gorgeous cover is by the talented Anne Cain.
Available for preorder at Dreamspinner Press – ebook and print.
Sometimes Stratford Dale feels like Doctor Chicken consumes his life. It’s his pen name for a series of wildly popular children’s books. They were his brainchild; he meant for them to be a way to pay his many bills while he pursued his dream of publishing graphic novels. But the Doctor Chicken contract was a raw deal; instead, he churns out book after book for a pittance, leaving him broke and no closer to his dreams.
Stratford’s dreams of love have fared no better, but he’s still trying. After yet another disastrous date, he’s intrigued by a man going into a cooking class—so he takes the class too. Vinnie Giani is a successful, self-made man who is charmed by Stratford’s bow ties, sharp humor, and clumsiness—which leads to an opportunity to take Stratford in for stitches. Vinnie is, above all, responsible, having taken on the care of his mother and sisters from a young age. Perhaps it’s natural when he begins to treat Stratford more as a child who needs a parent than as an equal partner. But when Vinnie tries to “fix” Stratford’s career woes—including the Doctor Chicken problem—and ends up making the situation worse, their fledgling relationship may not withstand the the strain created by blame and lies.
October 26, 2013
Street Team
Want to join my brand new street team? Help me get the word out about new releases and contests? There will be the opportunity to win swag and prizes, and maybe even get some info about upcoming books before anyone else. Ask to join the group on Facebook and read over the requirements… they’re minimal, I promise you!
October 5, 2013
Birthday Bash Winner!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to enter my contest, helping me to not only celebrate my birthday but also to help me test out my new Rafflecopter account. I feel a lot more comfortable using it now
The winner for this contest is Jillian Toomey! Congratulations! Jillian, I’ll email you about your prize.
I’m also going to be changing the format of my newsletters slightly, which will not only have contests, but also information on my new releases as well as exclusive previews for upcoming releases, just sign up below for my newsletter. I’m intending to send out a newsletter every two months, with a special delivery to announce new releases.
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; }
/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.
We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
KC’s News & Muse Direct To You!
* indicates required
Email Address *
First Name
Last Name
Email Format
html
text
mobile
var err_style = '';
try{
err_style = mc_custom_error_style;
} catch(e){
err_style = '#mc_embed_signup input.mce_inline_error{border-color:#6B0505;} #mc_embed_signup div.mce_inline_error{margin: 0 0 1em 0; padding: 5px 10px; background-color:#6B0505; font-weight: bold; z-index: 1; color:#fff;}';
}
var head= document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0];
var style= document.createElement('style');
style.type= 'text/css';
if (style.styleSheet) {
style.styleSheet.cssText = err_style;
} else {
style.appendChild(document.createTextNode(err_style));
}
head.appendChild(style);
setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
var mce_preload_checks = 0;
function mce_preload_check(){
if (mce_preload_checks>40) return;
mce_preload_checks++;
try {
var jqueryLoaded=jQuery;
} catch(err) {
setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
return;
}
var script = document.createElement('script');
script.type = 'text/javascript';
script.src = 'http://downloads.mailchimp.com/js/jqu...
head.appendChild(script);
try {
var validatorLoaded=jQuery("#fake-form").validate({});
} catch(err) {
setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
return;
}
mce_init_form();
}
function mce_init_form(){
jQuery(document).ready( function($) {
var options = { errorClass: 'mce_inline_error', errorElement: 'div', onkeyup: function(){}, onfocusout:function(){}, onblur:function(){} };
var mce_validator = $("#mc-embedded-subscribe-form").validate(options);
$("#mc-embedded-subscribe-form").unbind('submit');//remove the validator so we can get into beforeSubmit on the ajaxform, which then calls the validator
options = { url: 'http://kcburn.us4.list-manage.com/sub...?', type: 'GET', dataType: 'json', contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
beforeSubmit: function(){
$('#mce_tmp_error_msg').remove();
$('.datefield','#mc_embed_signup').each(
function(){
var txt = 'filled';
var fields = new Array();
var i = 0;
$(':text', this).each(
function(){
fields[i] = this;
i++;
});
$(':hidden', this).each(
function(){
var bday = false;
if (fields.length == 2){
bday = true;
fields[2] = {'value':1970};//trick birthdays into having years
}
if ( fields[0].value=='MM' && fields[1].value=='DD' && (fields[2].value=='YYYY' || (bday && fields[2].value==1970) ) ){
this.value = '';
} else if ( fields[0].value=='' && fields[1].value=='' && (fields[2].value=='' || (bday && fields[2].value==1970) ) ){
this.value = '';
} else {
if (/\[day\]/.test(fields[0].name)){
this.value = fields[1].value+'/'+fields[0].value+'/'+fields[2].value;
} else {
this.value = fields[0].value+'/'+fields[1].value+'/'+fields[2].value;
}
}
});
});
$('.phonefield-us','#mc_embed_signup').each(
function(){
var fields = new Array();
var i = 0;
$(':text', this).each(
function(){
fields[i] = this;
i++;
});
$(':hidden', this).each(
function(){
if ( fields[0].value.length != 3 || fields[1].value.length!=3 || fields[2].value.length!=4 ){
this.value = '';
} else {
this.value = 'filled';
}
});
});
return mce_validator.form();
},
success: mce_success_cb
};
$('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').ajaxForm(options);
});
}
function mce_success_cb(resp){
$('#mce-success-response').hide();
$('#mce-error-response').hide();
if (resp.result=="success"){
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(resp.msg);
$('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').each(function(){
this.reset();
});
} else {
var index = -1;
var msg;
try {
var parts = resp.msg.split(' - ',2);
if (parts[1]==undefined){
msg = resp.msg;
} else {
i = parseInt(parts[0]);
if (i.toString() == parts[0]){
index = parts[0];
msg = parts[1];
} else {
index = -1;
msg = resp.msg;
}
}
} catch(e){
index = -1;
msg = resp.msg;
}
try{
if (index== -1){
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
} else {
err_id = 'mce_tmp_error_msg';
html = '
'+msg+'
';
var input_id = '#mc_embed_signup';
var f = $(input_id);
if (ftypes[index]=='address'){
input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-addr1';
f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0);
} else if (ftypes[index]=='date'){
input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-month';
f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0);
} else {
input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index];
f = $().parent(input_id).get(0);
}
if (f){
$(f).append(html);
$(input_id).focus();
} else {
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
}
}
} catch(e){
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
$('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
}
}
}
September 27, 2013
Week-long Birthday Bash – $15 Giveaway
Oh, so many wonderful memories of my birthday – and it’s tomorrow, thanks for asking There was that time I had to work a 12 hours shift. Or how about that time my mother called exactly one month late? Or when my dad called 3 days late? Well, okay, so that’s every year. My thirteenth birthday at my cousin’s wedding. With a horrifying number of polkas. Or what about that one where I was at a conference and spent my birthday alone on the other side of the country? I did splurge on a very nice meal and read a good book, so it wasn’t all bad, but it was a little weird.
Fine. The actual day of my birthday hasn’t always been fabulous. Fortunately, I’m not one of those people who gets really squirrelly about it, and I’ve certainly had some wonderful birthday celebrations in the vicinity of the day. Like last year, a girls’ trip to Boston with the two women I’ve been friends with since we were all ten – we all turned forty last year within less than a month of each other. Or a trip to the UK. Or this year, when hubby and I are going to San Diego for the weekend.
As a happy coincidence, I just signed up for Rafflecopter – for those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a way to have giveaways that don’t rely on my counting up comments and using random.org to choose a winner. However, I’ve never used it before and want to test it out, before my blog tour in a few months. I thought a birthday bash would be exactly the best way to do it!
You’ve got until the day my dad remembers to call me… well, that’s maybe too nebulous. Let’s say until Friday October 4, end of day, to share with me here one of your favourite birthday memories, and/or enter using one of the other methods via Rafflecopter, giving you another chance at a $15 Amazon or All Romance eBook gift certificate.
September 15, 2013
Winner for Suicide Prevention Week Giveaway
Thanks to everyone who participated in the hop, and to those who stopped by and commented. Hopefully, we’ll have made a difference!
Thanks to the super useful site, random.org, the winner of the gift certificate is…. Kat!
Kat – I’ll email you about your prize.
And… not including myself, there were 25 people who commented. That’s a nice round number to donate. I’ve sent The Trevor Project $25.
September 13, 2013
Fall Into Romance Blog Hop – Tons of Prizes!
Get over to The Romance Reviews for their Fall Into Romance Blog Hop! There are lots and lots of great prizes (including what I’m offering for a Q&A) and over 100 blogs/sites participating. The hop starts today and goes until Sept 21. You will need to log in through TRR to ensure you get your chance to win.
September 8, 2013
Suicide Prevention Week Blog Hop Giveaway
I chose to participate in this blog hop because I think it’s a worthy cause. It makes me feel sick inside that such a large number of people find their lives so unbearable that such a final step seems like the answer. Because it is final. There is no chance for it to get better. I wish there was some way to tell them that it’s not the answer. I wish there was a way for everyone who felt that hopeless to be able to find help.
Because of what I write, I am at least aware of a number of issues that affect the LGBT community, and one of those is a higher suicide rate, especially among teens. Much of that is the direct result of bullying or not being accepted at home. I do what I can in my personal life to try and promote acceptance and tolerance, because I’d be much happier if we could all get along. Support each other. Have a bit of camaraderie and decency as part of the human condition. And perhaps that’s naïve of me, but I’m a romance author. I long, with all my heart, for a happy ending. For a happily ever after. For everyone to find love and acceptance.
I don’t know what the answer is. I’d like to think my books maybe give people a lift in their spirits, and maybe a bit of hope. As part of this blog hop, though, I’ve got a very easy way for you to contribute, too. Enter the grand prize drawing by signing in using the Rafflecopter widget and comment on this post. I’m also going to give you a little more incentive. Add your email address to your comment and I’ll enter you into a contest for a $10 gift certificate to Amazon or All Romance eBooks (winner’s choice) for those commenting on my site. In addition, for each comment on this post, I’ll donate $1* to The Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope we can make a difference. For more information about National Suicide Prevention Week, please check out their Facebook Page. I’ll contact/announce a winner after the end of the hop.
*to a maximum of $100 because I’m an author, not filthy rich
September 4, 2013
It’s Release Day! Cast Off is finally here!
For this book, I committed to a super tight deadline about… oh… 3 hours before we got an offer on our house. Within a month, we moved across the country and somehow I finished it (squeaking in about 20 minutes before midnight on deadline day) in a bare bones corporate housing apartment in Pasadena.
But despite all the teeth gnashing and hair pulling, I was able to get Rick and Ian’s story out. I have a total soft spot for Rick, and Ian is exactly who Rick needs. I hope you enjoy their story. There are a few cameos by Kurt and Davy from Cop Out, as well as the O’Donnells and a brief appearance by Ivan and Parker from Cover Up.
Thirty-five-year-old Rick Haviland is a well-respected speech pathologist, but while his friends are all settling into relationships, he refuses to give up his no-strings-attached club boy sex life. For him, relationships are dangerous; he’s got a secret to hide. When he meets Ian O’Donnell, an account manager with a local tabloid, Rick figures his personal rules for relationships should be enough to keep him safe from more than a one-night stand.
When Ian comes out of the closet, tired of anonymous hook-ups and keeping secrets from his large Catholic family, Rick is right there, and he’s just the sort of man Ian might like to get to know better.Their attraction is immediate, electric and mutual. Ian convinces Rick to break more and more of his rules, and his defenses crumble. But someone watches, someone who’d like to see this new relationship fail. When Ian’s job becomes a means to expose Rick’s secret, it could destroy both their careers and their hearts.
Cast Off is available at Dreamspinner Press in ebook and print formats, as well as All Romance eBooks. I’ll update the Cast Off information page with Amazon and Barnes & Noble links as soon as I have them.
August 8, 2013
Cover Reveal – Cast Off is Coming Soon!
The third in my Toronto Tales books is coming September 4 from Dreamspinner Press! Those of you who’ve wanted to see Rick and Ian’s story? This is for you! The talented Reese Dante created a lovely, lovely cover for me!
Thirty-five-year-old Rick Haviland is a well-respected speech pathologist, but while his friends are all settling into relationships, he refuses to give up his no-strings-attached club boy sex life. For him, relationships are dangerous; he’s got a secret to hide. When he meets Ian O’Donnell, an account manager with a local tabloid, Rick figures his personal rules for relationships should be enough to keep him safe from more than a one-night stand.
When Ian comes out of the closet, tired of anonymous hook-ups and keeping secrets from his large Catholic family, Rick is right there, and he’s just the sort of man Ian might like to get to know better.Their attraction is immediate, electric and mutual. Ian convinces Rick to break more and more of his rules, and his defenses crumble. But someone watches, someone who’d like to see this new relationship fail. When Ian’s job becomes a means to expose Rick’s secret, it could destroy both their careers and their hearts.
Cast Off is available for preorder at Dreamspinner Press in ebook and print formats.
If you’d like a release day reminder, just sign up for my newsletter at the top right of the page!