Karen Docter's Blog, page 177
August 13, 2017
**Author Peek** Interview with Margaret Mizushima, HUNTING HOUR (A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery)
**Author Peek** Interview with Margaret Mizushima
HUNTING HOUR, A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery
INTRODUCING…Margaret.
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full-time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
Hello, everyone! And thank you for hosting me on your blog, Karen. I’m Margaret Mizushima, author of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries, a series set in my home state of Colorado. I’m married to a veterinarian, and I balance writing with assisting him with his clinic and our Angus cattle herd. I haven’t had much time for hobbies lately, but I love to read and to hike in the mountains whenever I have a chance.
1. What genre(s) do you write and why?
I write mysteries. I’ve always loved to read crime fiction, and I’m addicted to watching true crime documentaries on TV, so it seemed like a good fit. I wanted to work in a veterinarian as a character, so I created Cole Walker, DVM, a vet who has a rural clinic outside the fictional town of Timber Creek. He needed a crime-solving counterpart, so I added Deputy Mattie Cobb and her German shepherd K-9 partner, Robo. Together they solve crimes that affect their peaceful mountain community while a love interest sparks between Mattie and Cole; she’s already head over heels about her partner Robo.
2. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
I would love to be able to fly. Have you ever had those dreams where you fly? I often dream that I’m teaching people how to fly; I tell them to lean forward, spread their arms, and we all take off. So simple! Those are the best dreams ever!
3. Do you ever get stuck when you’re writing a book? What do you do to get “unstuck”?
Yes, I get stuck occasionally—wish I didn’t, but I do! I usually get up from the keyboard and walk around the house for awhile. Or I visit about the next few plot points with my husband or a writing friend, and we brainstorm together. Things almost always come clear soon.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
One of the hardest parts of writing for me is slogging through the middle section of the first draft. I usually know the beginning and end of each book, but the middle is often a challenge.
5. If we came to your house for dinner, what would you prepare for us?
Since we raise cattle, we have our own grass fed, Angus beef in the freezer. So if you were a meat-eater, I’d grill a steak for you with baked sweet potato fries and a salad. If you were vegetarian or vegan, I’d ask my husband to cook Asian food for us.
6. What is your typical day like?
After a simple breakfast of a green smoothie or gluten free toast, I head upstairs to my home office with a cup of herbal tea. I light a candle and write for three to four hours. In the afternoon, when I’m brain dead, I work on my bookkeeping duties for our business.
7. What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why?
My editor pointed out that I sometimes skimp on Deputy Mattie Cobb’s emotional component whenever I write scenes where she and Robo are tracking someone. I think it’s easy for me to write Cole Walker’s emotions, because most of his are related to animal care and taking care of his kids. I know those experiences intimately. But I have to stretch when I write Mattie’s scenes, so they often demand the most revision.
8. How likely are the people you meet going to end up in your next book?
Not very likely. I might borrow traits from real people here and there to create a character, but I don’t put the people themselves in my stories.
9. Tell us about your hero. Give us one of his strengths and one of his weaknesses.
My primary protagonist is Mattie Cobb. She brings a lot of baggage from her past that has made her a loner who is slow to trust. This becomes a double-edged sword for her, giving her one of her biggest strengths which is also a weakness. She is independent and spunky, but her distrust gets in the way of her forming relationships and working with partners. Teaming up with her K-9 partner becomes her mission in life.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
Book three in the series, Hunting Hour, releases August 8, 2017. When the story opens, Mattie has withdrawn from Cole and his kids to work on issues from her past; but when she and Robo find a junior high student dead behind the high school, everything changes. As the investigation heats up, another child goes missing, and this time it’s one of Cole’s daughters. Matti and Robo lead the entire community in the hunt for the girl, hoping to catch a kidnapper before it’s too late.
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Be sure to come back to learn more about Margaret’s novel, HUNTING HOUR, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
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Links to Margaret’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://margaretmizushima.com/
Blog: http://margaretmizushima.com/blog/
Books/Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/y79oaabo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/margmizu
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMargaretMizushima/
~~~
Thanks, Margaret, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
August 11, 2017
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with MAKE ME FORGET (The Walker Brothers Book 4) Author Amanda Adams #recipe ~ Grandpa’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with AMANDA ADAMS!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, AMANDA ADAMS and her favorite recipe for GRANDPA’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!
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MAKE ME FORGET
The Walker Brothers Book 4
BY AMANDA ADAMS
BLURB
At last a woman will bring Derek to his knees in this final book of The Walker Brothers series.
Derek is in Vegas for his brother’s wedding.
A bachelor party. A little gambling. A week of fun with his brothers.
What could possibly go wrong?
He could fall in love, that’s what.
But when her past comes calling, it will challenge everything he thinks he knows about family, loyalty…and love.
MAKE ME FORGET
The Walker Brothers Book 4
BY AMANDA ADAMS
Excerpt
He thought about asking for permission to kiss her, warning her of his intention. But he didn’t want to risk saying the wrong damn thing, not when he wanted to taste her more than he’d wanted anything in a long, long time.
Holding her gaze, he took his time, made his intention known. He gave her long seconds to push him away, turn her head, anything to deny him this kiss. She didn’t move away, didn’t stop him and the world faded around him as he closed his eyes and finally took her mouth.
He lifted both hands to her head, holding her close, devouring her as she opened to him. They weren’t dancing, but he didn’t care that his feet stopped moving. The music faded. Everything faded as he explored her, memorized her taste, the way her hands fisted in the back of his jacket, pulling him closer. She was pure fire in his arms, a wildfire burning out of control.
Laura tore her lips from his with a soft sigh and dropped her forehead to his shoulder. “This was a bad idea.”
He wanted to argue, he really did, but he couldn’t risk pushing her. She was ready to bolt, he could feel it in the tension in her shoulders, the way her body shuddered when he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. For the first time in years he had absolutely no idea what to say. He always had the answers, was full of advice for his brothers. But with her he felt like he was walking the razor’s edge. “I’m glad you’re here.”
She smiled. He knew because he felt the slight pressure of her cheek pressed to his chest. “Me too. That’s the problem.”
He didn’t say another word for long minutes and noticed that most of the wedding crowd was gone. His brothers tapped him on the shoulder one by one as the next half hour wore on, taking their wives up to their hotel rooms. To bed.
Which was where he wanted Laura. In his bed. He was rock hard, his body humming with a strange energy he’d never felt before. He knew it wasn’t the music or the candlelight. It was her. She was doing something to him. He’d hooked up with women before, but this felt different. Maybe it was because he knew the clock was ticking, the minutes slipping through his fingers to disappear, just like she was about to.
When the deejay announced the final song, they both stilled. Laura lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up into his eyes. “I guess this is it. Our last dance.”
No. He wasn’t ready to give her up yet. He needed her name. If she walked away now, she’d haunt him for the rest of his life. He knew it the same way he knew everything else, gut instinct. “It doesn’t have to be.”
Her smile was sad. “Yes. I’m leaving in a few hours, Derek.”
“Stay with me.” Lifting a hand to the back of her head, he buried his fingers in her hair and gripped the back of her neck with just a hint of the turmoil that was raging through him at the thought of never seeing her again, never knowing her last name. “Stay.”
Laura gasped at the pressure as he angled her chin up, their lips inches apart. When she licked her lips, he bit back a groan. He worried for a split second that this would be too much for her, too aggressive, too demanding, too fast. But her breathing came hard and fast and her eyes grew dark with desire. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”
The next words flew out of his mouth before he could censor them. “I’m not asking you to. Just, don’t go. Not yet.”
Her smile was wistful and full of something he remembered all too well, the expectation that the person she was dealing with was going to disappoint her. “So, what? I go up to your hotel room with you, we cuddle and drink champagne and I fall asleep in your arms with all my clothes on?” She raised a brow. “You really expect me to believe that? After that kiss?”
“What kiss? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It was a gamble to be sure, but he had to try to charm her. Nothing else was working. And he couldn’t lose her after just a few hours together. He didn’t understand the urgency he was feeling, the way his heart pounded or his lungs labored for air. All he knew was he couldn’t let her walk away.
Meet Author Amanda Adams…
Sign up for Amanda’s VIP Reader List! http://bit.ly/AmandaNews
Amanda Adams writes super-sexy, new adult and contemporary romance. A full time author, Amanda spends her days trying to walk more and type less. If she eats a salad for lunch, she makes sure to reward herself with chocolate after (as any reasonable woman would do.) Amanda believes in true love, love at first sight, and every other cliché because lightning struck her in high school and she’s been happily married to her sweetheart ever since. Her books are free of cheating–with a guaranteed HEA–but hold on tight…it’s going to be one hell of a bumpy ride.
~~~
Links to Amanda’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon US- https://goo.gl/4RF7e1
Amazon UK– https://goo.gl/CJ1Bc8
Amazon Worldwide- http://getbook.at/MakeMeForget
iBooks- https://goo.gl/ybTWYZ
nookBN- In Progress
Kobo- https://goo.gl/Qvg6JV
Connect with Amanda:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaAdamsAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmandaAdamsAuth
E-mail: amandaadamsauthor ( at ) gmail.com
Web: www.amandaadamsauthor.com
I hope you enjoy the recipe Amanda is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 327 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
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GRANDPA’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Note from Amanda: This is a family recipe – modified and perfected by my dad. The cookies are fluffy, almost like cake instead of cookies. Enjoy!
PART I
1) Preheat oven to 380 degrees
2) Melt 2 sticks of butter + 2 sticks of margarine
3) Stir in to melted butter: 1 tsp vanilla, 1.5 cups lightly packed brown sugar (set aside on lowest heat)
PART II
4) Into separate bowl (dry) 5 cups flour, 1.5 cups sugar, 2 heaped tsps baking soda, 1/2 to 1 cup (to taste) of ground pecans, dash of cinnamon
5) “stir it all up real good”
PART III
6) Pour butter mixture into dry ingredients and stir until your hand hurts
7) When COOL, add 4 large eggs
8) STIR – STIR – STIR
9) Stir in full pack of milk chocolate chips
IF it’s TOO stiff – add 1 egg
IF it’s TOO sticky – add a couple spoons of flour
10) Place cookies on pan and bake for 10.5 minutes.
If your oven runs “hot” or “cold” adjust temperature or baking time as needed.
Enjoy!!
~~~
Thanks, Amanda for sharing your book and recipe with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
August 10, 2017
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s: Bacon-wrapped Catfish
It’s time for Karen’s Killer Fixin’s! Over the years, I’ve filled two 4-inch, 3-ring binders with my own creations as well as recipes my family and friends were willing to share with me. I simply love to cook and want to share that love with my readers. So every Friday, I share one recipe I think you and your family might enjoy. It might be a main course recipe. A cookie or baked item. Candy. Salads. Whatever strikes my eye and fancy…which today is BACON-WRAPPED CATFISH!
I used to fish a lot (long time ago) and loved catching catfish because the meat is solid and not fishy. However, I haven’t been fishing in forever so I have to get my “catch” from the freezer section at the grocery store. Fresh or frozen, this recipe is a treat. How can you go wrong with BACON?! Yeah, yeah, I know I have a problem. Everything’s better with bacon. 
August 9, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Leave The Night On (A Cottonbloom Novel) by Laura Trentham
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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LEAVE THE NIGHT ON
A Cottonbloom Novel
BY LAURA TRENTHAM
Blurb
Love, betrayal, and sweet revenge–life in Cottonbloom is about to get a whole lot hotter . . .
Sutton Mize is known for lavishing attention on the customers who flock to her boutique on the wealthy side of her Mississippi town. So when she finds a lace thong in her fiance’s classic cherry-red Camaro, she knows just who she sold it to: her own best friend. In an instant, Sutton’s whole world goes up in flames. . .
Wyatt Abbott has harbored a crush on Sutton since he was a young kid from the other side of the tracks. He witnessed Sutton’s shocking discovery in the Camaro at his family-owned garage–and it made him angry. What kind of man could take lovely, gorgeous Sutton for granted? But then Sutton comes up with an idea: Why not give her betrothed a taste of his own medicine and pretend that she’s got a lover of her own? Wyatt is more than happy to play the hot-and-heavy boyfriend. But what begins as a fictional affair soon develops into something more real, and more passionate, than either Sutton or Wyatt could have imagined. Could it be that true love has been waiting under the hood all along?
LEAVE THE NIGHT ON
A Cottonbloom Novel
BY LAURA TRENTHAM
Excerpt
If their first kiss was about revenge and their second about sealing their bargain, this kiss belonged to just the two of them. Gentle, yet devastating, the kiss made him want to stay in limbo with her forever.
Wyatt took her mouth in a series of gentle nips and forays, not wanting to push her too far, too fast. But, Sutton wasn’t playing by the same rules, her hands spearing into his hair and tugging him closer.
Her throaty, breathless sigh made his typical morning erection even more painful. Was she even aware the sexy little noises she was making drove him insane? He pulled back. Her eyes were closed but she’d pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, letting it go slowly, as if she was aware he was watching and wanted to tease him.
She ran her hand down his chest to his arm, the pull she exerted light but commanding, and hooked her leg over his. Her nipples poked at the thin fabric of her tank top. Through it all, her eyes remained closed. He didn’t want to be a faceless fantasy.
“Look at me.” His voice was roughed with sleep and more emotion than he wanted to claim.
Her eyes fluttered open, the shadows cloaking them both a blessing and curse. As much as he attempted to keep his thoughts hidden, he longed for all her secrets.
“Wyatt, please.” Her voice was husky and wanting.
His name on her lips offered satisfaction. If he could only have her for a little while, he not only wanted to leave her with memories she’d never forget, but make sure she understood how desirable and powerful she truly was.
Meet Author Laura Trentham…
An award-winning author, Laura Trentham was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee. Although, she loved English and reading in high school, she was convinced an English degree equated to starvation. She chose the next most logical major—Chemical Engineering—and worked in a hard hat and steel toed boots for several years.
She writes sexy, small town contemporaries and smoking hot Regency historicals. The first two books of her Falcon Football series were named Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine. Then He Kissed Me, a Cottonbloom novel, was named as one of Amazon’s best romances of 2016. When not lost in a cozy Southern town or Regency England, she’s shuttling kids to soccer, helping with homework, and avoiding the Mt. Everest-sized pile of laundry that is almost as large as the to-be-read pile of books on her nightstand.
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Links to Laura’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/leave-night-laura-trentham
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31450643-leave-the-night-on
Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/178426-cottonbloom
Buy Links: AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO
Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
~~~
Thanks, Laura, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
August 8, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Finding Abby (Whispering Pines Mysteries) by Rhonda Blackhurst
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
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FINDING ABBY
Whispering Pines Mysteries
BY RHONDA BLACKHURST
Blurb
Abby Sinclair is fiercely independent, successful, and a single mom to nine-year-old Cooper. Five years ago her ex-husband, and ex-cop, Hunter, was sentenced to prison for beating her nearly to death. Now, Hunter is out of prison and ready for revenge.
When Abby’s dear, elderly friend is found dead, she inherits idyllic Whispering Pines Resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Moving provides the perfect answer to escape from Hunter. Abby, Cooper, and her father, Jeremiah Jordan, move and begin to build a new life. There she meets Gabriel Coleman, who works to convince her it’s safe to open her heart once again. But is it a risk she can afford to take?
When someone begins terrorizing her, Abby finds herself in a game of cat and mouse. As she struggles to discover who she can and cannot trust, singling people out one by one, she grows closer to Gabriel. Just when she thinks her world is safe, it’s knocked upside down as she’s faced with an unexpected nemesis intent on taking everything she has. Has she trusted all the wrong people? The battle has turned into a war and Abby is forced to learn a hard and fast lesson in trust and love.
FINDING ABBY
Whispering Pines Mysteries
BY RHONDA BLACKHURST
Excerpt
“Sam, another one!” he called. “And leave that woman alone. They’re nothing but trouble, man. Trust me!”
“Don’t you think you had enough, dude? I said I was cuttin’ you off. How you getting home?”
“None a yer business.”
“Go home, Hunter. I’ll call ya a cab.”
“No, you won’t. You’ll get me another beer, that’s what you’ll do.”
Sam took the empty bottle from in front of him, tossed it behind him into the recycle can, and turned back to Hunter, both hands resting on the edge of the bar, looking like he was holding himself up. “You’re drunk, Hunter. Go home. I’ll call a cab.”
“And I said no you won’t. Whatever happened to customer service? Now gimme another one.”
“No can do.” Sam picked up a wet rag and wiped the bar in front of Hunter, tossing the rag back where it had been. “But what I can do is call a cab.” He reached for the phone.
Hunter pushed himself back from the bar and stood up, steadying himself before grabbing his keys. “Forget it, man. I don’t need no stinkin’ cab. And I won’t be coming back to your stinkin’ bar.”
He stumbled to the door, pushing it open, the fresh air and fading orange glow of the sun setting nearly assaulting his senses after the smoke-filled, dark and dingy bar. What in God’s name was becoming of him? He had nothing and now he couldn’t even get a beer when he wanted one because of Sam feeling some sense of moral obligation. He’d show him a thing or two.
He got in his car, went to put his key in the ignition of the old Ford pickup he bought when he got out of the pen. He fumbled with the keys, dropping them on the floor. He felt around until he grasped them where they’d landed under the seat.
This time, he got the key in the ignition, revved the engine and spun out of the parking lot onto the country road that led into town. But he hadn’t gotten more than fifty yards when the familiar lights from one of the cars he used to drive before Abby had taken it away from him sounded its siren and pulled him over. He pounded the steering wheel, cursed a blue streak that made the blue lights on the patrol vehicle pale in comparison, and pulled over, half on the shoulder, half still on the road. She was gonna pay for this.
Meet Author Rhonda Blackhurst…
Rhonda Blackhurst works as a Restitution Advocate in a District Attorney’s Office by day and lives vicariously through her characters at night. She’s the author of The Inheritance, Finding Abby, and the Melanie Hogan cozy mystery series. She is a member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Sisters in Crime (National and Colorado Chapters) and an avid NaNoWriMo participant.
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Links to Rhonda’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website:
https://www.rhondablackhurst.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/rjblackhurst
Blog:
https://www.rhondablackhurst.com/blog
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rhonda+blackhurst
Books2Read:
https://www.books2read.com/u/b5Oeel
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Rhonda will give away a copy of FINDING ABBY to one lucky reader who comments on her **Author Peek** or Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs. Thanks, Rhonda, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
August 7, 2017
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Ethan’s Daughter (Templeton Cove #7) by Rachel Brimble
KAREN’S KILLER BOOK BENCH: Welcome to Karen’s Killer Book Bench where readers can discover talented new authors and take a peek inside their wonderful books. This is not an age-filtered site so all book peeks are PG-13 or better. Come back and visit often. Happy reading!
~~
ETHAN’S DAUGHTER
Templeton Cove #7
BY RACHEL BRIMBLE
Blurb
There’s safety in solitude isn’t there?
Single dad and best-selling thriller writer Ethan James has no problem being Templeton Cove’s most famous recluse until a surprise visit from the past plunges him into a real-life crime drama just as feisty nurse Leah Dixon barges her way into his world.
Ethan’s first priority is to protect his daughter. His second priority is to keep Leah out of this dark web and that means out of his bed. Except Leah isn’t going anywhere; she’s afraid little Daisy is in danger.
Ethan couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to Leah but pushing her away may be even harder!
ETHAN’S DAUGHTER
Templeton Cove #7
BY RACHEL BRIMBLE
Excerpt
On the other side of the front door, the kitchen/dining room stretched from the front to the back of the house. Even though it was in semi-darkness, Leah could see straight through to some French doors at the back, the only illumination coming from the overhead light of the stove as it glinted on steel toward the center of the room.
Snapping her gaze to Daisy, Leah’s opinions on personal tastes flew to the wayside. The little girl’s eyes were wide as she chewed her bottom lip. Leah frowned. “Are you all right, sweetheart? Do you want me to knock?”
Daisy nodded and raised her arms toward Leah as though asking to be picked up. “Yes, please. Daddy might be mad.”
“Oh, Daddy won’t be mad.” Leah bent down and picked her up, hitching her onto her hip as Daisy’s arms wound around her shoulders. “If Daddy’s mad, I’ll show him how to calm himself down real quick. Don’t you worry about that.” Leah lifted the brass knocker and let it fall a little harder than necessary.
No answer.
Narrowing her eyes, she knocked again.
She was readying to knock a third time when the door swung open.
“I told you to get the hell out of here and not come back.” The man’s dark hair sprouted from every angle, his raging eyes bulging and his right hand swathed in a blue and white––and bloodied––dishtowel. His gaze held Leah’s for a split-second before he snapped his attention to Daisy. “My God, Daisy. What are you…” He cupped Daisy under her armpits, wincing slightly as he pulled her from Leah’s arms to hold her close. He pressed a lingering kiss to her temple, his raging eyes hidden behind his closed lids.
Leah stared, completely stunned by this flannel-shirted, blue jeaned, incredibly good-looking man…despite the bulging eyes. She coughed in a bid to find her voice. “Mr. James?” She planted her hands on her hips. “You’re Daisy’s father, I presume?”
He opened his eyes and Leah stepped back.
Apparently when his eyes had softened and were filled with regret rather than rage, they looked good. Really good.
She stilled. Oh, good Lord. Be damned if those weren’t the eyes of Templeton’s reclusive novelist, Ethan James.
Meet Author Rachel Brimble…
Rachel Brimble lives with her husband and two teenage daughters in a small town near Bath in the UK. After having several novels published by small US presses, she secured agent representation in 2011. Since 2013, she has had seven books published by Harlequin Superromance (Templeton Cove Stories) and an eight coming in Feb 2018. She also has four Victorian romances with eKensington/Lyrical Press.
Rachel is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and Romance Writers of America, and was selected to mentor the Superromance finalist of So You Think You Can Write 2014 contest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find Rachel with her head in a book or walking the beautiful English countryside with her family. Her dream place to live is Bourton-on-the-Water in South West England.
~~~
Links to Rachel’s website, blog, books, etc.
Link to Follow Tour:
http://tastybooktours.com/tours-master/ethans-daughter-rachel-brimble
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35093730-ethan-s-daughter
Goodreads Series Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/161969-templeton-cove
Buy Links: AMAZON | B & N | GOOGLE | ITUNES | KOBO
Author Links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
~~~
Thanks, Rachel, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
August 6, 2017
**Author Peek** Interview with Rhonda Blackhurst, FINDING ABBY (Whispering Pines Mysteries)
**Author Peek** Interview with Rhonda Blackhurst
FINDING ABBY, Whispering Pines Mysteries
INTRODUCING…Rhonda.
Before we get started talking about your writing, tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what you do for a living (if you’re not a full – time writer) what hobbies you have, etc. Whatever you’d like to share to introduce yourself.
I grew up on a lake in northcentral Minnesota, but have lived in Colorado for 22 years, long enough to be considered a native. But part of my heart will always stay in Minnesota with the lakes and forests. I work as a Restitution Advocate at a District Attorney’s Office by day and squeeze in writing time in the evenings and on the weekends. I love to walk and hike—anything in nature, really, as long as it doesn’t include spiders or snakes—read, spend time with my grandbabies, and enjoy our cabin in Estes Park.
1. What genre(s) do you write in and why?
My first book, The Inheritance, is a stand-alone contemporary women’s fiction. My other four books (Shear Madness, Shear Deception, Shear Malice, and Finding Abby) are mysteries, three of them cozies. Having grown up watching Murder She Wrote, and wanting to be Jessica Fletcher, it was only natural that I would love to write cozy mysteries. They’re engaging, light, and usually have a happy ending.
2. What’s your favorite beverage?
Seltzer water with a splash of cranberry or orange juice. Boring, I know, but oh, so good. A&W 10 is the runner up.
3. If you had to listen to one song over and over again for a whole day, what would it be?
I have two songs I would listen to. I can’t choose between them. One is The House that Built Me by Miranda Lambert. The house I grew up in was like my best friend. My parents sold that house long after I’d moved out, but it was still like losing my best friend. The second is Watercolor Ponies by Wayne Watson. That sucker gets me every time, reminding me how fast time flies.
4. What is your least favorite part of writing?
My least favorite isn’t the writing part but is still part of the writing process. Waiting to get the manuscript back from the editor. When it finally appears in my inbox, I make sure I’m in a good place–mentally, take a slow, deep breath, and then click on the file.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
As long as I had Internet access, I would live in a cabin in the woods. I used to love the TV Show Gentle Ben and dreamed of living out in the wilderness. However, since I’m not a fan of eating meat, that could be a problem. Maybe a cabin on the lake. There’s something about the sound of waves or flowing streams that spark my muse.
6. Are you an avid reader? When you do read someone else’s writing, what is your favorite genre?
Yes, I love to read. I was once asked if I had to choose between reading and writing, which would it be? I couldn’t choose. That’s like having to choose between two of your children. I love to read cozy mysteries (of course), mysteries, and thrillers. Not horror though. Unless it’s Stephen King. And then I’m choosy.
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
My ideas come from everywhere and nowhere. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s true. I’ll see something or read about something in the news and think, “What if that would happen in Birch Haven, MN?” (Birch Haven is the fictional town in which my cozy series is set.) And from there my imagination takes off. Also, when I’m walking or running I carry a mini digital recorder because that’s when I get a lot of ideas, and I know I won’t remember them when I get home.
8. Tell me about your ideal reader .
My ideal reader depends, shifting with whichever book I’m writing.
9. If you were to choose one superpower, what would it be?
Time travel! I would love to meet my ancestors and the great people who made our world what it is today.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
I’m trying my hand at non-fiction with a book titled Transform Your Life by Finding Peace Through Gratitude. My hope is to have it published in time for Thanksgiving. And during Camp NaNo in July, I began the fourth book in my Melanie Hogan cozy mystery series, Shear Murder. I’m shooting for the first part of 2018 for publication.
~~~
Be sure to come back to learn more about Rhonda’s novel, FINDING ABBY, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench blog.
~~~
Links to Rhonda’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website:
https://www.rhondablackhurst.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/rjblackhurst
Blog:
https://www.rhondablackhurst.com/blog
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rhonda+blackhurst
Books2Read:
https://www.books2read.com/u/b5Oeel
~~~
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Rhonda will give away a copy of FINDING ABBY to one lucky reader who comments on her **Author Peek** or Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs. Thanks, Rhonda, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Congratulations Week 07-31-17 Blog Giveaway Winner!
CONGRATULATIONS WEEK
07-31-17
BLOG GIVEAWAY WINNER!!
~~~
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with Catherine Dilts…
**SPECIAL GIVEAWAY**: Catherine will give away a copy of STONE COLD BLOODED (or Book One, Two or Three in the series, winner’s choice) to one lucky reader who comments on her **Author Peek** or Karen’s Killer Book Bench blogs.
Thanks, Catherine, for sharing your book with us!
WINNER: EILEEN AW!!
~~~
There’s still time to WIN from Tara L. Ames’ TWO giveaways:
Tara L. Ames Blogger Blitz Hosted Love Kissed Promotions
August 2-9 Enter for a chance to win a $25 Gift Card to Amazon https://promosimple.com/ps/bf15 Hosted Love Kissed Promotions
Multi-Author Giveaway 8/1-17
Join our Author Team and enter to win fabulous author prizes including ebooks, swag, paperbacks, & more!
Giveaway link: https://promosimple.com/ps/bea3 Hosted by Parker Sinclair & Magic Quill Graphics
~~~
You’re always a winner when you pick up a Karen/K.L. Docter novel!! All stand alone, Happily-Ever-After stories. No cliffhangers!!!
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT MY GOODREADS GIVEAWAY!
Win an autographed copy of Killing Secrets, Thorne’s Thorns Book 1!
ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE:
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/244867?utm_medium=api&utm_source=giveaway_widget
Contest Dates: July 15 – August 15, 2017
5 Winners ~ U.S. Only
GOOD LUCK! HAPPY READING!
~~~
All giveaway winners chosen by random.org from reader comments with the exception of Rafflecopter giveaways which are determined and announced offsite by publisher/authors. Thank you!
August 3, 2017
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with THE RISK TAKER (Alpha Aviators Series Book 1) Author Tara L. Ames #recipe ~ Rum Runner!
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s
**AUTHOR SPECIAL**
with TARA L. AMES!
Welcome to my Friday bonus feature called Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special**!! Today, in lieu of one of my own recipes, I’m going to introduce you to a new author who will share one of her favorite recipes. Not only will you and I occasionally learn how to make something new and delicious, but we’ll get a chance to check out some wonderful authors. Introducing author, TARA L. AMES and her favorite recipe for RUM RUNNER!
~~~
THE RISK TAKER
Alpha Aviators Series
BY TARA L. AMES
BLURB
Sexy, Hot Alpha Aviators…they have their wings, but they’re no angels!
Top Gun Navy Aviator Michael Merrick thrives living on the edge but when he refuses to abort a mission, he is forced on leave and heads home. Missing the action, he needs a distraction and what could be better than a green-eyed blonde with a quick tongue and a hot bod for rockin’? Commercial Artist Samantha Jackson still mourns the loss of her fiancé, a reckless daredevil, and avoids getting involved with another risk taker at all costs until Mr. Sexy Aviator Man rocks her Southern parts and threatens her secure world….
THE RISK TAKER
Alpha Aviators Series Book 1
BY TARA L. AMES
Excerpt
Oh Lord, not again. Samantha Jackson frowned at the phone barking in the back pocket of her shorts. By the ringtone, Sam knew it was her mama calling to nag her some more about getting her butt back home to North Carolina in time for her baby sister’s wedding.
Well, hell, Sam wasn’t about to answer it. Not when she was perched atop a ten-foot scaffold against a wall on the beach in Key West, sketching out a design for a client. Or, when she still had three jobs to finish, or when she—heaven help her—spotted a well built, half-naked guy behind aviator sunglasses, striding along the ocean’s edge several feet away. Whoa. Where had he come from?
As much as she needed to return to her work, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the gorgeous hunk. His rock-solid chest gleamed in the low sun. And his biceps were sculpted and buffed. Whew! He was hot. So hot, it made the thermometer gauge on her Southern parts jump at least five degrees.
Sam couldn’t believe the way her body was reacting. Clearly, she had been overwhelmed by grief for so long that sex had been the last thing on her mind.
Tall, lean and smooth, he had a body of a runner. His navy swim trunks clung deliciously tight to his narrow waist, and his legs, long and muscular, cut through the surf with ease. If the beach had been filled with people, there would’ve been a swarm of women circling him like sharks. She probably shouldn’t be staring at Mr. Muscles when she still mourned the love of her life.
Broad shoulders straight, the guy carried a t-shirt and towel in his hand and slowed his pace. It was a shame she couldn’t see what was behind those tinted aviators. A flurry of grays, blues and greens flashed before her as she tried to imagine his eye color. He suddenly tossed his belongings onto the beach and dove in the white-crested waves.
No. No. No.
“Come back.” Sam moaned. She wanted him to stay on the shore—where she could admire him—not take a plunge in the choppy Atlantic. No doubt some women would’ve dived in after him, if there had been any on the beach. But not her. Even if she didn’t have a grieving heart, no way would she do that, not with all those slimy slithering fish and human-eating carnivores preying about. She would ride her horse back home any day over swimming in the ocean.
Inhaling the fresh salty sea air, Sam gazed at his powerful shoulders and arms slicing through the water. He would make one fine subject to sketch. Too bad it was time to say goodbye to the sexy merman. She had to get back to the mural. There was still lot to be done in a short period of time.
She shook her head at her almost completed sketch of Rambo the shark, about the size of an SUV, taking a humungous bite out of a big juicy, bulging burger about the size of a Mini Cooper. If only she could draw that half-naked guy instead. But that wasn’t what the customer ordered. As a commercial artist, it was her aim to please, and she promised the owners of JD’s Seafood Bar & Grille, plus two other clients, that she would have all their jobs done by the end of week before she left Key West and headed for home.
Dammit.
The darn sun was about to fall below the horizon. She had no choice but to call it quits. Determined to stay away from distractions tomorrow, like staring at gorgeous half-naked guys strolling on the beach, she sealed a paint can. As she tossed the brushes into a bucket, her gaze wandered in search of that sexy merman, but he was nowhere in sight. Darn. She would’ve liked to have seen him one more time.
On steady feet, she collected her cooler and the bucket filled with brushes and started her way down the scaffold, taking one rung on the ladder at a time.
“What the heck is that supposed to be?” a low, husky male voice called out from below, startling the crap out of her.
Great. An art critic with a Southern drawl. Ready to put him in his place, she shouted back to him without bothering to look over her shoulder, “Can’t you tell it’s a shark eating a burger?”
“Since when do sharks have chests for dorsal fins?” his voice boomed.
“What?” She peered up at the wall. Lord have mercy. In her haze of lust, she’d sketched out a male chest instead of a dorsal fin. She scrambled to climb back up the ladder but her hand missed the top rung, sending the bucket and little cooler in the air and her body backward right into the arms of—Holy crap, it was the guy from the beach! Her panicked expression reflected in his aviator sunglasses.
Standing, the guy held her and spoke in a smooth voice, “If you wanted to be in my arms, all you had to do was ask.”
Meet Author Tara L. Ames…
Tara L. Ames is a Michigan native with a penchant for creating highly sensual empowered stories about brave, hot men and strong-willed sexy women. You can find her Alpha Aviators Series on Amazon, coming this summer. She also wrote under the name Khloe Adams along with two other authors. Now living in Florida, she is actively writing another series in between taking care of her family, reading and enjoying the sun. Qigong/Tai Chi/Sudoku are her three biggest addictions besides chocolate.
~~~
Links to Tara’s website, blog, books, etc.
Amazon http://amzn.to/2unLrNh
iTunes http://apple.co/2eGiKFN
GooglePlay http://bit.ly/2vzd9VS
Newsletter http://bit.ly/2mnjFwb
Sign up for my newsletter and learn about contests and sizzling hot releases!
I hope you enjoy the recipe Tara is sharing today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy Eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 325 recipes and counting with this posting. Hope you find some recipes you like. If this is your first visit, please check out past blogs for more Killer Fixin’s. In the right hand column menu, you can even look up past recipes by type. i.e. Desserts, Breads, Beef, Chicken, Soups, Author Specials, etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
RUM RUNNER
Ingredients
0.75 oz Captain Morgan Grapefruit rum
0.5 oz Captain Morgan Original spiced rum
0.5 oz Banana Liqueur
0.5 oz Grenadine
0.5 oz Orange Juice
0.5 oz Pineapple Juice
0.5 oz Lime Juice
Glass: Hurricane Glass
Add above ingredients into a shaker
Shake with ice and strain into a Hurricane Glass
Garnish with orange slice
~~~
Tara has TWO giveaways to share with her readers:
Tara L. Ames Blogger Blitz Hosted Love Kissed Promotions
August 2-9 Enter for a chance to win a $25 Gift Card to Amazon https://promosimple.com/ps/bf15 Hosted Love Kissed Promotions
Multi-Author Giveaway 8/1-17
Join our Author Team and enter to win fabulous author prizes including ebooks, swag, paperbacks, & more!
Giveaway link: https://promosimple.com/ps/bea3 Hosted by Parker Sinclair & Magic Quill Graphics
Thanks, Tara, for sharing your book with us!
Don’t miss the chance to read this book!
Congratulations AUGUST Blog Subscriber Winner!
Time to announce the AUGUST 2017 #WINNER of my Monthly Blog Subscriber Giveaway, where special readers can win a read or coffee – two of my favorite things—on me!!!
And the winner is…
jeanna_massman…
Congratulations! You have won a $5 gift card from Amazon or Starbucks (your choice)! I’ll contact you privately to arrange for delivery of your gift.
Dear Readers,
If you missed this month’s giveaway, you can still subscribe to my blog at http://www.karendocter.com/ to get my blogs delivered straight to your email and be entered EACH MONTH into a random drawing for #FREE $5 gift card. On the first of each month, I’ll draw one name at www.random.org from all of my subscribers to receive the card.
More wonderful perks to subscribing to my blog? The blogs, when they appear in your Inbox, are pretty and easy to read. You can discover new authors, recipes and reader fun…and many of the authors sponsor GIVEAWAYS just for commenting!
If you’re only in the mood to receive my Special Release Alerts, you can subscribe to my mailing list instead. This is NOT a newsletter, but the occasional Karen/K.L. Docter news release.
Thanks for joining me on Karen’s Killer Book Bench!!
Karen/K.L.
To avoid SPAM filters, I’m announcing this random giveaway on the blog so that all current subscribers will know who won. If your name is announced and you don’t hear from me and can’t find an email in your SPAM folder, please contact me at kldocter@yahoo.com. Thank you!
Winners selected by random.org.
