K.J. Reed's Blog, page 4

And the winner is…

[image error]Animal Kingdom!

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Wait, huh? Oh, right. The Derby, not the blog contest. Yes, I know that my blog reaches all kinds of people, but the equine variety is another story. Animal Kingdom was a long-shot for the Derby, especially since he changed jockeys last minute! But he managed to take the Derby, leaving everyone with the reminder that on game day, it's anyone's race.

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Huh. That was almost insightful for me. I should quite while I'm ahead.

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Now, for something a little more close to home. The blog entry! Oh, there were some awesome suggestions for what you would name your racehorse…if you had a bajillion bucks to buy one. (Seriously, did anyone actually listen to hear how much each one of those horses were truly worth? You could buy Subway franchise for less.)

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But the winner of this contest happens to be ….. (are you imagining a drumroll in your head? You should be…) Jessica B! Her answer of How's The View really gave me a giggle, though her actual win was simply a luck of the draw. But everyone had fantastic answers. Thanks for stopping by to play, and Jess, check your email in the next few days.

Kentucky Derby Day – Name Your Racehorse

[image error]It's the Kentucky Derby today, and I'm super excited! My mother was practically born and raised on a horse, and I've had a love of riding since she first put me up in the saddle at 6 months old. (Uh, with help, of course!) Sadly, I've gotten away from riding but the love of the animal still reigns.

I watched Seabiscuit and Secretariat this last week to get me in the mood. And I wore a big floppy hat around Target in celebration. (Okay, not really.) But I do love watching the fashions that emerge. They seem slightly more subdued than what we saw at the royal wedding…cause wow… Thank God for that.

[image error]I also LOVE the names that owners give their horses. Let's face it, the rules of naming a horse are actually a little more strict than you'd think. Sure, you can just call it Bob when you're at home in the stables. But to register the name with the Jockey Club, it has to fit certain criteria. The most famous one being that the name must be shorter than 18 characters. Other rules include no deceased celebrities or people's names (without written permission), no trademarked or copyrighted material, and no vulgar and/or obscene names.

[image error]The last one, let's face it, is a little bit of a bummer. But hey, just for giggles, what would YOU name your racehorse? Let's ignore the last, "vulgar" rule and stick with the rules of: 18 or less letters, no brand names or trademarks, and no celebrities or notorious people's names. Oh, and no stealing names from horses currently entered in this year's Derby! Names may be as short as you wish.

All those who leave a comment by 11:59pm Eastern time with their fictional horse's name will be in the drawing for all 4 of my books! Songbirds, Text Me, Faithful to a Fault, and my newest release, Strike a Chord!

So come on, hit me with your best racehorse name!

The Pen Name

Why would an author use a pen name? It's a question I get asked a lot, actually. So I answered with a few reasons (some mine, some other authors) for why an author might be using a pen name. to read the blog post and watch a funny video as well.

Canine Inspiration with Keri Ford

Today's guest blogger is Keri Ford. She's come to talk about the inspiration behind the big dumb mutt in her new release, In The Hay. The dog behind the fictional dog? Mine! My own moronic-but-always-well-meaning dog was who she modeled the pup after. Let's see what made her choose this furry fellow over another.

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This is Clyde.

 

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Adorable, isn't he? I think so. The very proud owner of Clyde is my critique partner, KJ Reed. (KJ Note: Proud? Right. Sure. Proud…) KJ graciously let me put her dog in my latest release,  In The Hay.  I think maybe she was hoping I'd take him home with me for a few weeks for research. (KJ: Few weeks, few months, forever…whatever.)

 

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How could you not just LOVE this guy?? Seriously KJ. 24-7 adorable lovable guy, right there. I can't imagine being angry with this fellow. So what if he ate your whole plate of M&M Cookies when you were out of the room. (How about the time he got ahold of some paper towel from his cage and ripped it to shreds?)

 

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Look. At. Those. Eyes. So easy to forgive when he drank your hot chocolate OUT of your mug this past winter. (I happen to love hot cocoa. And it was the last packet I had in the house.)

 

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And sure, I get that when your Marine husband is away on duty, you all but have to medicate the poor guy for depression…but look at him…. (Anxiety causes him to do very stupid things at very inappropriate times. Like, all the time. I mean, just look at him. He's…well, just look at him.)

 

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Loveable cuteness. You are one lucky woman and thank you so much for letting me borrow you dog for my story. I think Nicolette found him … just as charming at times as you do. (Charming. Annoying. They're the same thing, right?)

 

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Anyone have any pets? If you could have any one pet in the world, what would you have? (Please! Take mine!)

 

My fourth contract with Ellora's Cave

Very cool stuff. My fourth contract with Ellora's Cave has just been signed. This one, Strike a Chord, is revisiting the three main characters from Songbirds, my first-ever EC book. It's showing them a year later, how life is now for them and if they're still one happy threesome.

It's going to be a Naughty Nooner, which means it's a short little delicious snack for readers. Just a quick peek to check in on Cross, Ava and Knight. But I had several people asking me if these three were going to span the test of time. Hopefully I can shed some light on that with this story.

No release date that I know of. Likely sometime this summer. That just depends on how things are with my editor and Ellora's Cave itself. But I'm very excited about this new story and hope everyone likes it!

I'm currently working on Brice and Mary Ellen's journey. We first met Brice and Mary Ellen in Text Me, my second book, got another sample of them in Faithful to a Fault. And now, they finally get their story in a currently untitled novella of their very own. These two were ones I've been asked about the absolute most. And I had intended on showcasing their relationship from the start. I've just had some bumps along the way, so it'll take awhile to get to them. But I'm so excited for their story to be out there as well. Here's hoping I can finish their book sooner rather than later!

Have a great weekend, everyone.

KJ

New Facebook Page

I've decided to take the leap into a Facebook fan page. It's getting too hard to manage both my private facebook profile along with two pen name profiles. So from now on, I am going to be using only my author facebook page. As soon as I have notified everyone from my KJ Reed facebook profile that I am switching, I will be deleting the profile completely. If you would like to "Like" me on my author page, then we can continue to have fun and get updates on what's going on. Just click on the facebook button below!

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"I can't win!"

I showed Hubs a picture of my critique partner, Keri Ford. Now, just to clarify, it's not as if I keep framed photos of my critique partners lying around. She had taken author photos for her website, and sent me a few different choices, looking for my opinion. So they were saved to my desktop from the day before. I opened it up, and said "Do you want to see what Keri looks like?" Mostly because I always wonder what people look like when I hear stories about them. I figured maybe he did too.

 

"Sure," he replied. I think he was pretty disinterested, just passing by, but was willing to take a second. He later came to regret that decision.

 

I opened the photo, and he immediately said "Oh, she's very pretty!"

 

Apparently I sighed or twitched or breathed funny or SOMETHING (though I don't know what), because he immediately looked at me and began the backtracking. "I mean, not as pretty as you. No. Not at … are you…okay, I mean she is definitely pretty but not as…I. Okay fine. She's a troll. Are you happy?" He then stomped off and plopped on the couch in righteous anger and sulked all night. Every so often, I would hear him grumble, "Hate that game…can't win…surrounded by women…you're my only ally, Clyde…" Yes. The dog. Our completely idiotic Goldendoodle who would eat paste if we left the cap off. That's his ally.

 

And this is what becomes of an indecisive husband who can't figure out if you're upset that he thinks your CP is prettier than you, or upset that he thinks she's not pretty. Male Brain Implosion in three…two…one…

 

*By the way, he was right the first time. She's a pretty little country thing, isn't she?

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The Reckless Vagina

Yeah, quite the title, huh? But it serves a purpose, I swear. I'm blogging on Passionate Reads today, talking about the stigma about women drivers being, well, reckless. Or just bad drivers in general.

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CLICK HERE to read the post and watch a few funny videos as well.

Man Candy – Mandle Bars

No clue what Mandle Bars are? Well, let me be the first to introduce you to one of my favorite parts of the male anatomy. And no, you don't have to unbuckle a guy's jeans to get to it. (Surprised?)

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You know when a guy is really cut, his muscles are very defined, there's like -2% body fat on him…okay. I'm going to give you a moment to mop up the drool. Good to go? Let's move on. On either side of that delicious 6-pack you reach the mandle bars. The cut right above the hip bone that sort of sticks out and is basically perfect for grabbing onto during some, well, let's say some late night riding. Riding? You get the picture. Much like you would hold on to HANdle bars on a bike…if a guy is cut just right, you now have MANdle bars.

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I've seen some good mandle bars in my day. Oh, yes. I'm blessed with a job that almost requires me to search out the best looking men in half-naked poses and study them for inspiration before getting down to my true work. (I know. It's a rough life…but someone has to do it.) But I have to say, these are quite possibly some of the most delicious and well-defined mandle bars I've ever seen…

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Congratulations. You have now passed Mandle Bar 101.

Free Printer Paper!

I'm such a couponing nerd. Big time. But I can't help it, I just can't. Saving money is fantastic to me. And now, the more I write, the more contracts seem to come my way. But here's the problem with that…I'm using a LOT of paper! Most contracts have to be printed out and mailed in to the publishers. So that's a lot of paper. Right? Well, here's a deal that made my heart sing: FREE PRINTER PAPER!

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That's right. Free. Now, you have to pay the cash up front. But you get a rebate. It's simple. Watch and learn.

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[image error]Staples is running a sale right now (Sunday, 3/20 through I believe Saturday) where if you buy one ream of HP multipurpose paper (priced $5.99), you get a rebate of $4.99. (Limit 2) So in reality, the paper costs you $1. Right? Well, there's also a $1 off any HP paper with COLORLOK Technology coupon. So if you use that coupon when you pay for the paper, your paper is not $5.99, it's $4.99. And then you get a $4.99 rebate. So…free! (Not including tax, which would be less than a dollar.) The rebate is simple as well. It just prints off on your receipt, you take that to your computer when you get home, fill out a form online, and the check is mailed to your home.

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CLICK HERE for the coupon. Use zip code 90210 and search under "Office Supplies" on the left hand side.

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Go ahead. Get something for free. Printer paper can add up, so why not take advantage?

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Deal originally scooped from The Krazy Coupon Lady.