M.K. McClintock's Blog, page 4

New Release: Join me on THE TRAIL TO CROOKED CREEK

The Trail to Crooked Creek, a new romantic and adventurous novella in the Crooked Creek series is now here to fill your hours (and e-readers) with joy. It's also available in print for those who like to hold paper.

Join me, Leah Tennyson, and Wesley Davenport on a journey of strength, selflessness, and the profound impact of love.

For devoted e-readers:

Amazon Kindle  (in KU)

For the paper people:

,,Paperback   ,,Large Print About The Trail to Crooked Creek

Everyday hero...

Cinnamon-Roll Coffee Cake and a Book Recommendation

The day began with me not wanting to get out of bed, so I started Laura Franz's The Seamstress of Acadie. I'm not too far in yet, but so far so good. I'm really drawn to the setting and way of life, and Blackburn. I'm excited to read more!

Coffee Cake, anyone?

Before we get to more books, let's have a look at this super delicious Cinnamon-Roll Coffee Cake. Now, it tastes nothing like a cinnamon roll except that it has cinnamon, a delicious topping, and is good enough to want all the time. I've h...

Mini Post: Discovering a Dream

Snow is falling. Again. Though not a lot. Again. This morning there was a layer of ice everywhere. Again.

It's been an odd winter.

Thank goodness for baking and books. Cakes, cobblers, muffins, breads, and more have filled the house with delicious scents all winter long. Studies (somewhere, and no doubt super scientific) have shown that engaging in baking activities can reduce stress levels, improve focus and concentration, and even boost overall mood and well-being.

I'm in 100% agreement.

T...

Mini Post: Do you want to be magical?

Have you ever wanted special powers? I don't mean sixth-sense gifts like heightened intuition or awareness, though those are great. I'm talking about actual magical powers.

I'm still on a re-reading marathon with books (always the case when I'm in laser-focus mode on a new manuscript), and a recent book included Key of Light by Nora Roberts from The Key Trilogy. Now, one thing I do appreciate about Roberts's talent is her ability to make magic feel so normal. Her Three Sisters Island trilogy do...

Mini Post: Perspective

“No two persons ever read the same book.” Truer words and all that, and while he spoke of books, Edmund Wilson could have been speaking of any form of art.

I know when I read a book, I may picture the characters differently than the author intended, or I may view a hero's rebellious nature as attractive when it's meant to be a cautionary tale, or I might find a villain amusing or even sympathetic when the author might have intended that character to be off-putting. If I don't enjoy a book, I as...

Mini Post: Tomorrow

Each day presents a chance to make a difference, to learn something new, or to simply appreciate the beauty of the world around us. What will you do with your today, before tomorrow comes?

Revisiting My People in THE TRAIL TO CROOKED CREEK

I love to revisit my people and discover what they've been doing since our last adventure. Each encounter is a chance to catch up on their accomplishments, experiences, and the daily joys of their lives. It's like unlocking a treasure trove of memories.

Of course, when I say "my people," I refer to the characters to whom I devote a great deal of my life. I first heard the phrase in "An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" and thought it a far better way to describe characters, because fictional or not,...

Mini Post: Heroes and Angels

Heroes and their angels came in all forms, literally and metaphorically. In The Trail to Crooked Creek, Wesley and Leah are both hero and angel (happens often in my books), and each play their parts with grace, admiration, and courage.

May we each strive to be a hero, angel, or both in our lives and in the lives of others, and focus on those people and things that bring forth and inspire joy and beauty.

—MK

Apologies, but the text on this image may not be as easy to read on mobile devices.

Mini Post: New Manuscript Edits and Books for Gifts

With all the cold and snow (lots of beautiful snow), I've spent a little more time indoors than usual, and today that means a lot of bookish stuff going on, including edits for the upcoming book, The Trail to Crooked Creek, and book shopping (I found so many great new books!)

I stumbled from one page to the next and landed on the gift idea page for American Historical Romance. The Women of Crooked Creek is in great company!

Mini Post: Winter Beauty, Inspiration, and Times Gone By

Pretty, isn't it? No, that's not a question; it is beautiful in this part of the country. I selfishly wish that it was less populated and that fewer people came through here during the summer, but it's nice to share the beauty of the area with others.

  

I remember when I first came to Montana in 1999. What a different place it was back then, and oh how I miss it. I'd already spent most of my life in the Rockies, so it was familiar, yet wilder and grander in some ways. Land that was once farmed ...