Karen Docter's Blog, page 263
July 27, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Paula Martin
IRISH INHERITANCE by PAULA MARTIN
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview
INTRODUCING…PAULA MARTIN!
1. How did you get started writing?
I’ve written stories for as long as I can remember, starting with school stories and graduating to (very cheesy!) romances when I was in my teens. When I was in my twenties, I adapted and expanded one of those teenage stories and submitted it to a publisher. They accepted it and gave me a contract for two more, which I produced during the next two years. After that, family and career got in the way, and it was another 7 or 8 years before I had another novel published. I also wrote short stories and articles for magazines from time to time. Once I took early retirement from teaching, I came back to writing novels again, and have had six published since 2011.
2. What genre(s) do you write in and why?
My novels have all been contemporary romances. They’ve been classed as ‘sweet’ although I do have some bedroom scenes, although I concentrate on the emotional side of the relationship rather than any graphic descriptions. It is the genre that comes naturally to me, but all my books have more than just romance. Secondary characters provide support or opposition or some element of intrigue, and my two main characters have to work hard to reach their happy ending!
3. What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
Quite often, I’m going through the next conversation between my characters – or else trying to work out how they’re going to resolve all the problems I’ve thrown at them.
4. What is your favorite part of writing?
I enjoy the editing and polishing stage. This is when I tidy up any loose ends, and concentrate on the actual writing – finding the right words or improving the style and phrasing.
5. What is your least favorite part of writing?
Not exactly my least favourite, but I find the first draft the hardest. ‘Carving granite with a teaspoon’ is a phrase that describes that first draft. All the time I want the story to be finished so that I can get on to the next stage of tidying it up and (as above) polishing it. I try to turn off my internal editor while I’m writing the first draft – but can’t always do that, so it can take me a long time to write.
6. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who would they be and why?
That’s a difficult one, because (a) I don’t think I would like to have celebrity parents, (b) I’m not wildly interested in celebrity anyway, and (c) most celebrities I might choose are young enough to be my own children, not my parents! After a lot of thought about this question, I might choose Julie Walters as a mother, not because she is a brilliant actress, but because she is so down-to-earth in real life, and has a great sense of humour. As for a father, well, you can’t get much better than Hugh Jackman, can you?
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
The seed of a story can be sown by something that may seem very trivial at the time, but once it’s planted, it starts to grow. One idea came to me while I was relaxing on the sundeck of a Nile cruise ship; another from an online article I read about an apartment in Paris that had been abandoned for over 70 years; and another from seeing a film star’s signature in a visitors’ book in a small museum in Ireland. The original seed may form only a small part of the story that eventually evolves; the rest is a result of a tangle of twigs and branches that grow from that seed, which I try to untangle as I write the story.
8. Tell me about your ideal reader.
Someone who, like me, enjoys a story about ‘real’ (and often very ordinary) people they can relate to, which is why I don’t write about billionaires or playboys or Arab sheiks etc. I want my readers to empathise with my heroine, and fall in love with the hero – and it doesn’t matter how young or old they are. My stories can be enjoyed by every age range – one of my youngest readers is 18 and one of my oldest is in her 80s.
9. What is your “go to” routine that helps you get in the mood to write? Special beverage? Music? Etc.
There’s nothing special – except, maybe, for ‘habit’. I do all my writing in the evenings, so when it gets to a certain time, I switch off all other distractions, and open my latest chapter. The only thing I do to get into the mood is to read through the early part of the chapter, or maybe the one before.
10. Tell us about your latest book.
My most recent release was ‘Irish Inheritance’.
Editor’s Note: For the book blurb, be sure to come back on Wednesday when Paula will not only share the basic story with us but an excerpt!
~~~~~~~
Links to Paula’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: http://paulamartinromances.webs.com
Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/KtlU6Y
Blog: http://paulamartinpotpourri.blogspot.com
Buy links for ‘Irish Inheritance’
USA Amazon http://amzn.to/1fZlqr4
UK Amazon http://amzn.to/1fKiyxq
Smashwords http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/405113
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Paula and her book, IRISH INHERITANCE, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Paula is giving away a digital copy of IRISH INHERITANCE (PDF or Smashwords Voucher) to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Don’t miss this chance to read these great stories! Thanks, Paula, for sharing your series with us!
July 24, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with J. Morgan
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with J. MORGAN!
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, J. MORGAN, and his favorite recipe for JMO’S ULTIMATE APPLE PIE FILLING!
WERE LOVE FINDS YOU
The Southern Werewolf Chronicles Book Three
By J. MORGAN
From
Desert Breeze Publishing
Available August 2014
Book Blurb
Y’all are cordially invited to the wedding of the century.
Madison Lee has been through the ringer over the past year. She discovered she’s a werewolf. Family she never knew existed landed on her doorstep. Her fiancé, Nicholi, has been kidnapped.
If she can survive a sudden outbreak of spilt-personality, Vampires dying to kill her, and assorted hired killers and long lost relatives showing up uninvited, oh, and an old girlfriend of Nicholi’s who may or may not be trying to steal her man, her life might just work out.
Whoever said being a Southern Deb lied. Being one, just makes it easier to deal with the crap her life had become. With her head held high, Madison is bound and determined to plan the perfect wedding. She dares anyone to come between her and the I dos she’s waited her whole life to hear.
About the author…J. Morgan.
Surviving a long bout of sanity, J. Morgan found a muse willing to work cheap and began work on his first book. Since then his imagination has been seen running wild on several occasions. Luckily the straight jackets have been limited to his time away from the computer. When not writing, Jmo can be found in front of the TV pretending to write while really watching endless hours of drivel and laughing at the voices in his head who are constantly feeding him plotlines. While, the voices may not be in total control just yet, one day they hope to have a book deal of their own, ‘til then J. Morgan will continue to get to spend the royalty checks.
~~~
Links to J.’s website, blog, books, etc.
My Yahoo Newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmorganslair/
My Website
http://www.freewebs.com/jmorganslair/
Facebook
jmorganauthor@facebook.com
My Blog away from home
http://jennmorgan69.wordpress.com/
To sample some of my books, you can find me at either of these fine places on the internet.
Desert Breeze Publishing
http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/brands/J.-Morgan.html
Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/J.-Morgan/e/B0032R8BFE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1366412334&sr=8-1
I hope you enjoy the recipe J. is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 154 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. shares…
I like pie. I mean really like pie. Seeing them, smelling them, eating them, and cooking them. I know that last one might sound strange coming from a big burly man from the South, who was raised on hunting, fishing, and football. It’s equally strange that same said guy also writes Romance novels but to me cooking and true love go hand in hand. Cooking and true love are both about passion. At an early age my grandmother taught me that love is not all about emotions, it’s also a lot of hard work. Same with cooking, you can’t just throw ingredients into a bowl and expect everything to work out just because you want it to.
One of the first things she ever showed me how to cook was pie. At the time my favorite was of course, apple pie. As I grew older, I experimented with her recipe until I think I improved upon perfection. Today, I’d like to share my ultimate apple pie filling with you. I’d share the pie crust recipe with you, but pie crusts are personal things, and you guys probably have a better recipe than I do, which more times than not equals the freezer section at Walmart.
Jmo’s Ultimate Apple Pie Filling
3 cups apples
1/3 stick butter or margarine
Tablespoon Maple syrup or Teaspoon Maple flavoring
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon to taste
In a sauté pan melt butter. Add peeled and sliced apples. Now, apples are a personal choice. My nana liked to use Granny Smiths, but I’m a Red Delicious man myself, but this recipe is about what you like, so use apples of your choice. Once you’ve got the apple choice out of the way and the apples are in the pan sprinkle cinnamon over them. Cook until the apples begin to soften and caramelize. Then stir in sugar and brown sugar and maple syrup or maple flavoring. Place top over sauté pan and slowly cook, stirring occasionally to make sure apples do not burn or stick to pan. When the apples are nearly completely cooked remove from burner.
Spoon filling into your artfully made crust, or as in my case, the one from Walmart. By this time the oven should have been preheated to 350, so remember to do that because I always forget. The filling should fill a small pie crust and come slightly above the bottom crust in a dome shape. Before adding top crust, I usually add a few pats of butter to top of filling. At this point I hold my breath and pray I can get top crust in place without it cracking as I set it place. If I get this stage to work, I gently pinch the crust together along the edges and make slits in middle of crust. If crust flip doesn’t work, I piece crust back together and hope people are too amazed by the taste to comment on my presentation. Allow pie to cook until the crust has reached a golden brown, or about 30 to 45 minutes. I get hungry smelling the filling cook so usually haunt the oven watching it cook, so my time frame might be off.
Once done, let cool for as long as it takes you to find a knife to cut it. Serve with vanilla ice cream or a nice hunk of sharp cheddar cheese. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your recipe and upcoming release, J.!
**Final Day** A Dangerous $.99 Summer Book Sale!! Killing Secrets by K.L. Docter
A Dangerous $.99 Summer Book Sale!!
**FINAL DAY**
“K.L. Docter has written a fabulous story in Killing Secrets that has everything: nonstop action, suspense, excitement, great characters, and a wonderful hot couple.”
~ The Reading Cafe ~
“Fast-paced, full of suspense and a roller coaster ride of emotions for both you and the characters.”
~ eBook Cafe ~
“Compelling characters, in particular, the heroine, a mom, who shows us her heartbreak, guts, and courage.”
~ Kim Cresswell ~
“The pace of KILLING SECRETS is practically a character in itself as Docter’s plot hurls you through unpredictable twists & turns that veer in intriguing directions as a web of lies & secrets become revealed.”
~ Angel Wing Buyer ~
This is your last chance to pick up this romantic suspense thriller for only $.99! Get your copy today at these online stores and save $3.00! Tomorrow will be too late!
Amazon: goo.gl/BzGZLc
B&N: goo.gl/wsqVxB
Kobo: goo.gl/KM563U
iTunes: goo.gl/pg58wN
Smashwords: goo.gl/I7K4o3
Happy Reading!
July 22, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: A Piece Of My Heart & Shape Of My Heart by Kemberlee Shortland
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!
DOUBLE FEATURE
A PIECE OF MY HEART
SHAPE OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 2 & 3
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
~~~
A PIECE OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 2
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
Book Blurb
Mick and Kate thought they were falling in love. Kate hadn’t been just the girl next door. She’d been Mick’s life, and he hers. When an unforeseen force draws them apart they’re left with wounds that refuse to heal. Now, ten years on, Mick’s father’s will should have been straightforward, except his addendum was like ice water in Mick’s face.
It’s essential that Mick and Kate work together to save his family’s farm. Mick doesn’t count on his new manager being accused of murder, and Kate doesn’t expect a dangerously seductive woman from Dublin to claim Mick is the father of her child.
Kate thought she was falling in love with Mick all over again; however this newest revelation is too much for her. She is determined to finally say goodbye to her childhood sweetheart forever, but Mick has other plans for Kate’s future. And none of them involve goodbye.
A PIECE OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 2
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
Excerpt
“What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you too, Mick.” She opened one eye to look at him.
He stood just inside the solicitor’s office door. He’d expected Kate at the funeral service yesterday, but he couldn’t see any reason for her to be here today.
He scowled in her direction, then strode to reception. The clerk behind the desk turned a harried glance his way, continuing to sort folders beside her computer. “Can I help you?” she asked, not bothering to stop what she was doing.
“Michael Spillane to see Tighe Lynch,” he grumbled.
Finally looking up, the clerk said, “He’s expecting you. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
As the clerk reached for the intercom, he turned back to Kate. If this hadn’t been his father’s solicitor’s office and if today hadn’t been the reading of his father’s will, he would have appreciated the sight of her in her smart dark blue suit, white blouse with the Irish lace trim, and matching blue pumps. She sat calmly, her head against the wall behind her, eyes closed. She bent her shapely legs under her and crossed them at the ankle, her hands folded in her lap.
Her emerald eyes hid beneath lids edged with thick dark lashes. He knew the exact shade of them since he’d looked into them so often in the past. They were eyes no man could forget.
Her normally unruly black hair was pulled back in a twist and away from her heart shaped face.
When they were kids he used to love it when she left her hair down. The tight curls of it bounced over her shoulders like springs when she ran. He’d seen her like that once last year when he’d been home for a couple days during Christmas.
They’d been invited to join the Conneelys, but he’d convinced his father not to go. He couldn’t bear being in the same room with her for so long, but she’d delivered food and he’d suffered anyway.
He recalled how he’d stiffened just watching her walk across the farmyard. As he did now. He mentally shook himself. This wasn’t the time or place to get an erection. The business at hand was the will and what she was doing here now. Not the fact that just looking at her could make him stiff.
Clearing his throat, he repeated, “You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here?”
Her eyes fluttered open. The look she gave him made his heart skip a beat. His groin tightened again watching her tongue smooth its way over her lips. She had no idea just how erotic that simple act was. She was about to speak when a door opened behind him. Both of them spun to face Tighe Lynch.
“Mickleen,” Tighe exclaimed, using the common endearment and thrusting his hand into his. “Welcome home, lad. I just wish it were under different circumstances. I can’t tell you how much Donal will be missed.”
Mick could only tip his head at the man’s kindness. Words were still too hard to come by.
Tighe grasped Kate by her shoulders as she stood to greet him and kissed her on both cheeks. “Kate. Lovely as ever. Won’t you both step into my office?”
Not one to stand on ceremony, Mick strode through the door ahead of Kate and Tighe and went right into the solicitor’s office. He knew where it was. Was it really only a little more than two years ago he’d been here to discuss his mother’s will?
His scowl deepened when Kate walked through the office door ahead of Tighe. He got the perfect look at her shapely bum as she was forced to step between him and the desk to the seat beside him. He shifted in his seat, crossing his legs and pulling his coat around him to hide his erection. He kept his mind on wondering why she was at the reading of his father’s will to keep his libido under control.
Surely, she’d earned a regular wage for the time she spent cleaning his father’s house and cooking his meals. She was hired help and would have been paid accordingly. So there should be no reason why she should be here today. Unless there was something the solicitor knew and wasn’t telling them. Yet.
“I thought this was just a formality, Tighe. Why is she here?” He couldn’t even use her name. Just the feel of it in his mouth would leave him tongue-tied.
Tighe stopped him with an upheld hand. “If you’ll both bear with me, I will explain.” The solicitor turned to a folder on his desk and opened it, extracting two documents. Holding one before him, he said, “This is your father’s will, Michael. It’s all very straight forward. In it, the farm, the stock, the land—almost everything is left to you.”
“Almost?”
“We’ll get to that, lad,” Tighe said.
Tighe looked at Kate and held up the second document.
“This is the addendum to the will.”
“Addendum?” she asked.
“An addendum means that instead of making up a whole new will, Dad just changed it.” Mick, not looking at her, directed his statement to the solicitor and waited for the shoe to drop.
Leave it to his father to make this more difficult on him than it already was. Wasn’t it bad enough he couldn’t get rid of the tremendous feeling of guilt for not spending more time with him? He never wanted to believe—or admit—his father was that sick. Sure, Kate called him regularly with updates. He heard everything she’d said, but why the hell hadn’t he listened to her!
“Changed the will?” she asked. “Is that right, Mr. Lynch?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Tighe replied. “It means he added something into the original will.”
“When was this?” Mick asked.
“If you’ll allow me, I’ll read what Donal has bequeathed. If you have any questions we can go from there. Right?”
Both Mick and Kate nodded agreement. Tighe read the will as it stood and then the addendum. Mick couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “That bastard!” he muttered. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the wide glares both Kate and Tighe gave him at the curse.
“Mr. Lynch.” Kate’s voice came on a whisper. “What does this mean? I don’t understand it.” Her eyes were big as she clutched the arms of her chair now, knuckles as white as her face. Gone was the cool Kate he’d seen in the waiting room. In a matter of minutes she’d gone from radiant to ashen. He was sure he wasn’t looking too good right about now either.
“Yes, can you explain it in plain English?” he asked. Why do will readings always have to be so damn dramatic?
“In plain English, your father left everything to you, Michael. However, the addendum states if you try to sell the farm, I have instructions to give everything to Kate.”
SHAPE OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 3
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
Book Blurb
Gráinne has moved back to Dublin to get her life straightened out. She dreams of college and a better life. She’s working for her brother, Kieran, in his newly reopened pub, The Blues Tavern, but the money isn’t enough to support herself and pay tuition. Moonlighting at The Klub! as an exotic dancer seems to be her answer fast money.
John ‘JD’ Desmond is a detective working undercover in the Blues Tavern. The Klub!, owned by Jimmy Malloy, is being used as a drug front, headed by the notorious Taylor Wade. JD had intended to get Gráinne to snitch for him, but when he falls in love with her, things get complicated.
When Gráinne witnesses Jimmy’s murder, she and JD are forced to go on the run until Wade can be apprehended. Wade lives up to his nickname, The Hunter, and JD and Gráinne quickly find themselves at the end of a gun and running for their lives.
SHAPE OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 3
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
Excerpt
Over the next couple hours JD tread lightly around Gráinne and peace settled between them. He hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to her again with the evening prep, but as he looked at his watch he knew her shift ended soon.
He’d tried almost every tactic he could think of to get her to reveal more about herself and he was getting anxious at her continued aloofness. He didn’t want to have to resort to seducing her. While the idea of getting her into bed was appealing, he just preferred to do it under other circumstances. He fancied her like hell, but he couldn’t let his libido get in the way of his job. She was his best hope at getting the information he desperately needed. So he’d have to resort to another tactic if he was going to get her to talk. Blackmail was one he was loath to use, but at this stage in the game, he had little choice.
There was a lull in the pub now that the afternoon crowds were gone and the evening prep had been done. If he was going to confront her, he had to do it now.
Gráinne stood at the end of the bar flipping through a magazine. The twinkling Christmas lights over the back bar shone on her dark hair. As she moved, the highlights reflected like electric current through the strands curling around her face. His heart thumped a little harder looking at her.
He reminded himself he wasn’t here to bartend. He was here to gather information. His future depended on it. He couldn’t afford another wasted day so it was now or never.
His pounding heart made it suddenly hard to breathe. He hated having to do this to her.
“Gráinne, can we talk?”
“Talk?” She put her magazine aside. “About what?”
“I think you know.” He locked gazes with her. He could tell she was nervous by the way she started fidgeting.
Then she turned away, refusing to look at him for longer than a millisecond. “My love life is none of your concern,” she told him, reminding him unnecessarily of their previous discussion.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Then I don’t know what you mean.” She spun on her heel, intent on leaving the bar area.
He grasped her arm. To his surprise, she didn’t struggle. But something odd happened as he loosened his grasp. He felt something powerful pass between them. His fingers tingled as he touched her. It radiated up his arm and shot through his body.
For the second time today, he felt himself stiffen, and wished that circumstances were different, that she was naked beneath him and gazing up at him with eyes he knew would undo him.
She glanced over her shoulder, but not directly at him. “Let me go.” Her barely audible words shook him back to the moment. It wasn’t a command, but he couldn’t help noticing her words were tinged with pleading.
“Will you stay to talk with me? I think this is important.” His own voice was softer now. When she relaxed he reluctantly released his hold. She kept her gaze averted, her arms folded protectively in front of her, refusing to look at him. He knew she was waiting for something, anything, to draw her away.
Reaching under the bar, he extracted the black plastic sack he’d brought in with him today. He knew the item inside would shatter any peace he hoped to make with her.
He looked at the sack for a moment, thinking about what could never be between them. There was a job to be done and it didn’t include getting emotionally involved. He hoped the more he reminded himself of this fact he’d eventually come to believe it.
Sighing, he extracted a black velvet bra and held it up for her inspection. She only cast it a side-glance.
“I take it you know where I got this.”
“Anne Summers?”
“No.”
“Well then, I have no idea.”
He saw her swallow hard then move over to the taps to pour herself a cola. She swallowed deeply from the glass.
“I think you do. Let’s not . . . dance . . . around the subject, Gráinne. We both know where I got this, and I’d lay odds at Paddy Powers your brother doesn’t know what you’ve been up to.”
His heart ached as he forced himself to goad her.
The look she shot him would have incinerated the average man, but he wasn’t average. He was a man with a mission, and Gráinne was the only one who could help him.
“By that look, I’d say I’ve hit the nail on the head.”
“So, what of it.”
“Why haven’t you told Kieran?” he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
“I somehow doubt he’d understand why I’m . . . moonlighting.”
JD chuckled lightly. “Moonlighting? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
“Just stop. What do you want from me? Not that it’s any of your business what I do on my own time.”
“I need your help.”
A single brow arched over her eye. “With what? Wait, let me guess,” she seethed, throwing her hands on her hips. “You want a private show. Or you want me to entertain some friends. And you’re going to use this,” she fingered the bra he still held in his hand, “as a bribe to get me to do it for free.”
“Not quite. While I wouldn’t mind a private show, it’s not entertainment I’m looking for.”
“What’s this?” Kieran suddenly appeared behind the bar, startling them both. JD saw Gráinne’s face go pale, and thought she would faint then and there.
About the author, Kemberlee Shortland…
Kemberlee Shortland was born and raised in Northern California in an area known as America’s Salad Bowl. It was home to many authors, including John Steinbeck, and for a while Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson. In 1997, Kemberlee had the opportunity to live in Ireland for six months where she ended up meeting a man who convinced her to stay. Kemberlee is now celebrating her seventeeth year in Ireland and has been lucky to travel the country extensively, picking up a cupla focal along the way—a few Irish words.
Kemberlee was an early-reader and has been writing since a very young age, and over the years she has published many travel articles and book reviews, as well as worked some notable authors who’ve set their books in Ireland.
After publishing travel articles since 1997, Kemberlee saw her first short stories published, and now has eight published books to her name and half a dozen others languishing in a drawer.
Away from the computer, Kemberlee enjoys knitting and other needlecrafts, playing with her Border Collies, castle hunting, travel, reading, gardening, and cookery. One day she hopes to have time to learn to play guitar properly.
~~~~~~~
Links to Kemberlee’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.kemberlee.com
Tirgearr Publishing: www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Shortland_Kemberlee
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Kemberlee-Shortland/e/B003C0F7C6
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kemberlee
Blog: www.kemberlee.blogspot.com
Blog: www.heartshapedstones.blogspot.com
Blog: www.hearticles.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KemberleeShortland
Twitter: www.twitter.com.kemberlee
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kemberlee
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/2980907.Kemberlee_Shortland
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Kemberlee is giving away a digital copy of the Irish Pride Series to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Don’t miss this chance to read these great stories! Thanks, Kemberlee, for sharing your series with us!
July 20, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Kemberlee Shortland
THE IRISH PRIDE SERIES by KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview
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.
Thank you for having me on your fabulous site today.
I’m originally from Northern California, from a place known both as America’s Salad Bowl (because of the agriculture) and as Steinbeck Country (because John Steinbeck was from there and set many of his stories there). The town I come from, Carmel, was founded by artists and writers, some whom include Jack London, Robinson Jeffers, and Mary Austin.
In 1997, I fulfilled a dream of seeing Ireland. I had intended to visit for six months. I did that but while here, I met someone and . . . well, I kinda never left. I’ve been writing since I was very young, while at the same time holding down ‘the day job’ to make ends meet. When I relocated to Ireland, I changed gears a bit and started a travel consultancy. Friends were already referring their friends to me for travel advice so it all fell into place, especially since in that six months I’d seen almost every county on the island. I did consulting for fifteen years. The company was wound down during the recession, which was about the same time my work started selling. I have a history in various aspects of the book business, so after much deliberation, we (the hubs and I) launched Tirgearr Publishing as a formal publishing company in Feb 2012.
When I’m not writing or preparing our authors books for publication, I’m usually found at the beach behind our house with our dogs and looking for medieval pottery amongst the shells and stones, or at home gardening, or knitting. I also love music, mostly 60s and 70s, but my tastes are quite eclectic.
1. How did you get started writing?
I don’t rightly know. I’ve pretty much been writing since I could spell. I was an early learner for both words and math, thanks to mom. I was writing full sentences before kindergarten, and by the time I reached 1st grade, I was doing fractions and short division. I do remember going to the library specifically to borrow picture books. I’d take them home and write the stories I saw on the pages. Maybe that was my start. I also remember when I was about fifteen sitting with my younger sister in her room, music coming from the stereo in my room next door . . . the Beatles were singing Paperback Writer and I thought, “I’m going to publish a book one day,” and here I am. I’ll thank Ringo for the inspiration (no one ever thanks Ringo!).
2. What genre(s) do you write in and why?
Funnily enough, I cut my teeth on historical romance. With the exception of an erotic romance I published under my pen name, everything has been contemporary. Not surprisingly, most have also been set in Ireland. I don’t know why it is, but I prefer reading historical romance, but write in contemporary. I’m pushing my boat out now that all the book are published in my Irish Pride Series. My WIP is a time travel; my first. It’s set in 1014 for most of the book. I’d love to write mystery or thrillers, but I don’t have what it takes. The romance always gets in the way. I just love developing characters and putting them together in situations where they have to grow as people and find resolutions so they can be together. I love a happy ending . . . pointedly a romantic happy ending. I think that’s mostly because I’m an emotional writer. I write about all the senses to make my characters more believable. If the reader can get inside one of my characters and live through a situation with my character and have the same emotional responses as the character but in a real way, then I’m happy and have done my job well.
3. What do you think about when you’re alone in your car?
More often than not, I’m the passenger, and when we’re driving somewhere, I’m usually thinking about how to work through a particular storyline or the work waiting for me when I get back . . . that is, when I’m not sleeping. I’m a big baby. Put me in the car and take me for a ride and I’ll fall asleep within minutes. These days, with my work hours, sometimes I need to catch the Zs when I can. 
4. What is your favorite part of writing?
I love when I’ve plotted out a story and have done my research, then suddenly I find something in the research that matches what I already plotted. In a way, it feel as if I channeled the history.
For example: in my WIP, The Dairy, my heroine, Eve, is a 21st century relation to Brian Boru from the early 11th century. She is thrust back in time and over the course of the story, must meet her ancestor to tell him of his fate. It’s no secret Boru was murdered at the end of the Battle of Clontarf; his army wins the battle but Boru is murdered by a traitor. In the story, my heroine stays with Boru in his tent during the battle, trying to convince him he must leave or be killed. Boru’s history tells that the family banshee came to him the night before the battle and foretold the battle results. She was called Aoibheann (Eaveen, or Eve, in English) and she stayed with him in his tent during the battle, trying to get him to save himself. If you’re following, my heroine is Eve, she’s a family member who foretells the battle outcome, and she stayed with him in his tent. I knew *nothing* of this when I plotted the story, but found historical documents which say this happened. Kinda freaked me out, but also kinda cool.
5. What is your least favorite part of writing ?
Finding the time with my current schedule. I love writing. I have files full of story ideas and brief outlines. But there’s only 24 hours in a day, and I have to sleep sometime! Fortunately, as our company grows and we’re able to hire on more help, I can start allocated *me time*. The question becomes, which project do I start first?!
6. Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who would they be and why?
Oh, wow, that’s a tough one. I don’t really follow celebrities. Let’s go with Liam Neeson, because if I were kidnapped, he would stop at nothing to have me back. And Helen Mirren, because . . . well, because she’s just awesome.
7. Where do you get the ideas for your stories?
Absolutely everywhere. I people watch, I situation watch, I eavesdrop, and I’m nosey. I also get a lot of ideas while I’m researching, watching the news, or just driving in the car. I love plot(pity) parties when I’m stuck, and occasionally, I’ll ask the hubs, because sometimes his replies are completely obscure but make so much sense. Here are examples from my Irish Pride Series —
Rhythm of My Heart — Started out as an erotica about a wannabe rock star and a talent scout. The story quickly got in the way after I went through a period of listening to a lot of blues music,. It still wasn’t going as planned until discovering an Irish singer called Jack Lukeman. That was it—the thing I’d been missing. Kieran’s voice. He’s not just a guitarist but an amazing singer but I couldn’t hear his voice in my hear. Jack was Kieran. Kieran was Jack. Now that I could hear my character, really hear him, and he told me what *he* wanted—not a recording contract, but love.
A Piece of My Heart —I wanted to tell the story about something no one else has written about before, especially in romance. I already had the main story plotted out, but needed something as a catalyst to bring my hero and heroine back together. An addendum to the father’s will, forcing Mick and Kate to find a way to save Mick’s heritage, was the perfect solution. Part of the addendum gave Kate the dog which Mick had given to his father when his mother died. The dog had to be an important secondary character but how? Inspired by our two Border Collies, Daisie and Poppy, both rescues, I focused on one of Ireland’s other great tragedies . . . not a political one but one of animal abuse on farms. Both of our dogs were ‘throwaways’ their farmer owners no longer wanted, for whatever reason. This story echoes how we came by Daisie, who was originally called Molly when we got her.
Shape of My Heart —I wanted to tell the Grainne’s story. She’s Kieran’s sister from book one. She’s turning her life around and wants to go back to school, but the tuition is too high for a working class girl. I asked my husband how someone could make fast money, legally, and he said stripping. But the industry doesn’t come without problems. There’s fast, easy cash available . . . if you’re willing to sell your soul.
8. Tell me about your ideal reader.
For me, my ideal reader is someone who loves reading about real people, someone they can connect or identify with. I write *real people*. They’re people who work hard for what they have; it’s not handed to them on a silver platter. They’re not perfect; my heroines have real woman figures and my heroes are realistically flawed. They could be anyone . . . a struggling musician and a woman who’s suffered at the hands of a loved one, the nurse from next door and a man working in a museum basement, the woman who craves higher education and a man serving your pint across the bar. No Fortune 500 characters for me.
Also, my ideal reader is someone who not only loves a good romance, but also loves Ireland, whether they’ve visited or not. If they haven’t, maybe my stories inspire them to think about traveling.
8. What is your “go to” routine that helps you get in the mood to write? Special beverage? Music? Etc.
These days, to concentrate, my old brain needs to have as much peace and quiet as possible. Distractions , like waiting email, dogs throwing toys in my lap, nearby construction work, etc, keep me from being about to concentrate properly. Once I’m in The Zone, though, you could set off firecrackers beside me and I wouldn’t hear them. lol I *love* music, but can’t really listen to it anymore while writing. I’ll listen to a number of songs before writing, which can get me in the mood for a particular scene, but once I’m writing, it has to be quiet.
As for ritual-ritualss, when I sit down, I don’t want to have to get up for a while, unless I absolutely have to. I take the dogs out back to chase the ball for a while so they’ll sleep, visit the bathroom (TMI?), pour some Diet Coke, grab some almonds, and get myself behind the keyboard. The almonds keep me from chewing ice, which I really love while writing. One root canal later cured that habit.
9. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
I have a few projects on the go. I just published the last book in the Irish Pride Series — Shape of My Heart —but readers have been asking for stories from some of the secondary characters through the series, so I’ll have to ponder that. In the meantime, I’m working on my first time travel, The Diary, and I’ve been contemplating a whole new series.
I also write erotic romance under the pen name Scarlett Valentine. Awakening was published two years ago, so I’ve been working on Beguiler and Conquered to get them out. The lapse was caused by starting a publishing company and it takes most of my free time these days. But I’m plugging along.
Thank you so much for hosting me today. It’s been fun chatting with you.
~~~~~~~
Links to Kemberlee’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.kemberlee.com
Tirgearr Publishing: www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Shortland_Kemberlee
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Kemberlee-Shortland/e/B003C0F7C6
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kemberlee
Blog: www.kemberlee.blogspot.com
Blog: www.heartshapedstones.blogspot.com
Blog: www.hearticles.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KemberleeShortland
Twitter: www.twitter.com.kemberlee
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kemberlee
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/2980907.Kemberlee_Shortland
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Kemberlee and Book Two (A Piece of My Heart) & Book Three (Shape of My Heart) of her Irish Pride Series, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. If you missed the first book in the series, Rhythm of My Heart, check out Friday’s (July 18) Karen’s Killer Fixin’s! Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Kemberlee is giving away a digital copy of the Irish Pride Series to one lucky reader who comments on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog. Don’t miss this chance to read these great stories! Thanks, Kemberlee, for sharing your series with us!
July 17, 2014
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **Author Special** with Kemberlee Shortland
Karen’s Killer Fixin’s **AUTHOR SPECIAL** with KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND!
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, KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND, and her favorite recipe for GAELIC STEAK AND CHIPS!
RHYTHM OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 1
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
Book Blurb
Artist Representative, Eilis Kennedy, gave up a singing career so that other women could have a fair chance at having their music heard. Having suffered rejection from callous men in the industry, she thought she would get away from ‘casting couch’ mentality. But when she finds herself in the office of Fergus Manley, all bets are off. Disgusted by his continual come-ons and lewd invitations, Eilis is looking for ‘the one’ who will take her career to the next level, getting out from under Fergus’s controlling thumb.
Aspiring blues guitarist, Kieran Vaughan, is looking for his big break. But after suffering near bankruptcy at the hands of an unscrupulous business partner, Kieran is left picking up the pieces. He’s unsure if the debts will ever be paid or if he’ll ever have a chance to do something with his music. At his whit’s end, he’s about ready to throw in the towel and find a full-time job with real hours.
When Eilis discovers Kieran playing in a seedy pub in Dublin’s Northside, she knows he’s the one rare talent she’s been searching for. With her know-how and his talent, Eilis will finally get everything she’s been waiting for. Neither of them count on the powerful attraction from first meeting. Eilis is so rocked by Keiran’s forthright words that it sends her running. Kieran risks being arrested as he chases Eilis across Ireland.
Seeing what’s happening between Eilis and Kieran, anger wells inside Fergus and he steps up his pursuit of Eilis. Refusing to let Kieran get in his way, Fergus vows to add Eilis’s notch to his bedpost, whatever it takes.
Will Kieran be able to protect her?
RHYTHM OF MY HEART
The Irish Pride Series, Book 1
By KEMBERLEE SHORTLAND
Excerpt
Dublin’s Northside looked far different by day than it did at night. Last night’s storm had been one of the season’s worst. Huge puddles hampered traffic, and trash had collected in the corners of doorways and blocked the gutters. The lingering breeze was still crisp and signaled the imminent winter. Wisps of dark clouds streaked the pale blue sky but remained reminiscent of last night’s tempest.
As the taxi drove through Dublin’s inner city, a blur of tacky euro shops, shoddy newsagents and off-licenses, all with shop fronts that had seen better days, flashed by.
Finglas wasn’t noted as one of Dublin’s prime locations. This was a large blue collar suburb in a rapidly expanding city. Lack in a pride of ownership was evident, as residents struggled to make ends meet, which gave the area a rough underbelly. The Little Man Pub was a perfect example of both.
Eilis wrapped her arms around her middle, instinctively protective. Was this the compromise she must face to get where she wanted?
When the taxi slowed at a junction, she pressed herself back in her seat. A group of out-of-work young men sipping something from a paper bag spun their heads and looked at her.
Just this once, just this once, she chanted to herself.
Just this one trip to find Kieran Vaughan and that would be it. She’d never have to come back to this place ever again. She could stay safely tucked away in her D2 house for the rest of her days. She’d worked hard for that house. She deserved it. She deserved it all the more now by putting herself through this.
Long ago, Eilis had vowed never to set foot in the Northside again. But if it took this one last visit to get what she needed, it would be worth it.
The taxi pulled around the corner and the now familiar entrance to The Little Man Pub came into view. Nicotine-stained curtains were pulled across windows, reflecting the unkempt street. The façade’s red and black paint was weather-faded to pink and gray. The ‘M’ on the sign hung askew and swung in the breeze, and the ‘P’ was missing altogether. Had she not been here last night she would have thought the place was shut.
She pulled some money from her purse to hand to the driver. “I’ll wait fer ye, luv,” he said, waving her money away. “Taxis can be hard to come by ‘round here.”
Eilis was suitably taken aback. “Thank you. I won’t be a moment.”
She swallowed hard, got out of the taxi then entered the pub.
Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room. The few men sitting around the bar turned their gazes in her direction. Understandably. A well-groomed businesswoman in the pub was surely a novelty. These men were long since retired, or long since employed. Their stubbled faces meant they hadn’t shaved in several days, or possibly weeks. The dim light hid the worst of their unkempt appearances, but nothing could disguise their unwashed clothes. A pong in the room wafted into her nostrils, causing her stomach to lurch again.
Shoulders back, she strode to the bar.
The same man from last night stood behind the counter. He was short and pudgy with missing front teeth. His disheveled appearance made him look like one of his patrons. Had he not been behind the counter she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.
His striped brown and white shirt had frayed cuffs and was open to mid-chest, showing a sweat-stained t-shirt underneath. His brown trousers had seen much better days and were held together not with a button or belt, but with a bit of twine looping between his belt loops, his round belly spilling over. The only thing holding up the trousers was his equally round bum. It seemed to push the waistband up in the back as his belly pushed it down in the front. The sight would have been funny if her stomach hadn’t been flip-flopping.
Her voice cracked when she first spoke, but it picked up strength in her determination to make something of this horrid trek. “A-are you the proprietor?”
A broad gap-toothed grin creased the man’s face and, loud enough for his patrons to hear, he said, “I’ll be who ever ye want me to be, luv.”
His friends burst into laughter. Eilis felt the flush rise in her cheeks. Not because she was embarrassed, but from frustration. She just wanted to get this meeting over with and she wasn’t in the mood to spar.
She stood her ground. “I’m looking for the man who played guitar here last night. Kieran Vaughan. We have business. Will you please tell me where I can find him?” She looked the man in the eye, much as she could, considering she stood a good half-foot taller than him, even without her heels.
“No, miss, I doubt you have any business with himself. ‘Speshly a fine lass such as yerself. Now, if ye were to come home with a real man like meself, well . . .” He left the rest unsaid, the insinuation hanging in the air.
Her gaze never wavered as she stared the little man in the eye.
“Sir,” she smiled sweetly, honey dripping from her words. She leaned over the bar just enough to give him a glimpse of the swell of her breast through the opening of her blouse. “I doubt you have anything I would be interested in. Besides, you don’t really want me to find out why this place is called The Little Man, do you?”
This earned the publican long oohs and sniggers from the patrons, who were now on the edges of their seats waiting to hear the disagreeable little man’s response.
Obviously taken aback by such a brazen retort, the man stood gaping and red-faced at her for a moment before he got his wits about him. He winked at the men around the bar. “Oy does like me birds feisty!” That only encouraged more laughter.
Eilis could have enjoyed the banter if only the man wasn’t so repulsive. All she wanted to do was meet Kieran Vaughan and get out of Finglas as quickly as possible.
When the laughing stopped, Eilis’s gaze never wavered as she said, “Well?”
“Well what, loov?” he asked, wiping the tears from his eyes with a dirty bar towel.
“Are you going to tell me where to find Kieran Vaughan?” He was trying her patience, but she did her best to keep the frustration out of her voice.
Then she sensed someone step up behind her and straightened instantly. Somehow she knew it was Kieran. The feral scent of him permeated her senses and quickened her pulse. Butterflies replaced the strange ache in her stomach that had been there just moments before.
She slowly turned and looked up at the most handsome man she’d ever seen in her life. She found herself instantly speechless.
She’d seen him on stage the night before and knew he was handsome. But this close up . . . Never before had she seen such blue eyes. As she gazed into them, they changed from the light steel blue to the color of storm clouds heavily ringed with gunmetal. That he had dark brows and thick lashes only made his gaze seem more intense.
“Ye’ve found him, loov,” said the little man, taunting her. “Now what are ye goin’ ta do with him?”
The hammering of her heart and the pulsing blood in her temples blocked out the noise in the room as she looked into Kieran Vaughan’s eyes. To her dismay, her knees actually quivered.
Something in the pit of her belly ached. No, something else. It was like warm melting honey running through her marrow. In that moment she longed to touch him, to brush the unruly wave of his dark hair away from his face, to feel his lips against the pads of her fingers, to . . .
When he spoke she almost didn’t hear him.
“Like the man said, now that you’ve found me, what are you going to do with me?” His eyes sparkled with unabashed mischief.
“Anything you want me to.”
RHYTHM OF MY HEART
Irish Pride series, Book One
Kemberlee Shortland
http://www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Shortland_Kemberlee/rhythm-of-my-heart.htm
About the author… Kemberlee Shortland.
Kemberlee Shortland was born and raised in Northern California in an area known as America’s Salad Bowl. It was home to many authors, including John Steinbeck, and for a while Jack London and Robert Louis Stevenson. In 1997, Kemberlee had the opportunity to live in Ireland for six months where she ended up meeting a man who convinced her to stay. Kemberlee is now celebrating her seventeeth year in Ireland and has been lucky to travel the country extensively, picking up a cupla focal along the way—a few Irish words.
Kemberlee was an early-reader and has been writing since a very young age, and over the years she has published many travel articles and book reviews, as well as worked some notable authors who’ve set their books in Ireland.
After publishing travel articles since 1997, Kemberlee saw her first short stories published, and now has eight published books to her name and half a dozen others languishing in a drawer.
Away from the computer, Kemberlee enjoys knitting and other needlecrafts, playing with her Border Collies, castle hunting, travel, reading, gardening, and cookery. One day she hopes to have time to learn to play guitar properly.
~~~
Links to Kemberlee’s website, blog, books, etc.
Website: www.kemberlee.com
Blog: www.kemberlee.blogspot.com
Blog: www.heartshapedstones.blogspot.com
Blog: www.hearticles.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KemberleeShortland
Twitter: www.twitter.com.kemberlee
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kemberlee
Pinterest: Time suck! Not on there. But I’m sure it’s only a matter of time
Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/Kemberlee-Shortland/e/B003C0F7C6
Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kemberlee
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/2980907.Kemberlee_Shortland
Tirgearr Publishing: www.tirgearrpublishing.com/authors/Shortland_Kemberlee
I hope you enjoy the recipe Kemberlee is sharing with us today on Karen’s Killer Fixin’s. Happy eating!
Karen
P.S. We’re at 153 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GAELIC STEAK
Recipe from A Piece of My Heart
Irish Pride Series, Book Two
Kemberlee Shortland, www.kemberlee.com
Ingredients
1 tbsp real butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 or 4 tbsp finely diced white or yellow onion
8-10 oz. beef tenderloin or Porterhouse steak, fat trimmed well
1 shot, about 2 tbsp, Jameson Irish Whiskey
6-8 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish
Method
Heat the butter and oil together in a large heavy skillet and sauté onion until soft, but not brown. When done, remove from the pan and increase the heat. Add the steak and fry on both sides until desired doneness.
Place the steak on a serving plate and keep warm under foil in the oven, on low heat. Return the onions to the pan and add the whiskey, then burn off the alcohol while mixing with the onions and meat juices. When the flames subside, add the cream and mix well. Bring to a simmer and salt and pepper to taste, adding some of the parsley and cooking until tender.
To serve, remove the foil from the plate and pour sauce over the meat. Garnish with a sprig of fresh parsley and serve immediately. Traditional accompaniment: Homemade, hand-cut steak chips.
STEAK CHIPS
Ingredients
1 pound of potatoes, suitable for deep-frying
Sunflower oil – enough for deep-frying
Sea salt to taste
Malt vinegar (optional)
Method
Peel and parboil potatoes. Drain and lay out on a cookie sheet to cool. When room temperature, cut potatoes into thick slices and gently place into preheated deep fryer until golden brown and tender. Serve immediately with the steak.
[See Interview & Book Bench blog for rest of series next week!]
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Kemberlee is giving away a digital copy of the Irish Pride Series to one lucky reader who comments on today’s Karen’s Killer Fixin’s blog, Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blog (next week). Don’t miss this chance to read these great stories! Thanks, Kemberlee, for sharing your series with us!
July 16, 2014
A Dangerous $.99 Summer Book Sale: Killing Secrets by K.L. Docter
A Dangerous $.99 Summer Book Sale!!
July 17 – 24, 2014 Only
“K.L. Docter has written a fabulous story in Killing Secrets that has everything: nonstop action, suspense, excitement, great characters, and a wonderful hot couple.”
~ The Reading Cafe ~
“Fast-paced, full of suspense and a roller coaster ride of emotions for both you and the characters.”
~ eBook Cafe ~
“Compelling characters, in particular, the heroine, a mom, who shows us her heartbreak, guts, and courage.”
~ Kim Cresswell ~
“There were times when I found myself hearing noises.”
~ Dealsharingaunt ~
NOW AVAILABLE FOR $.99 FOR A LIMITED TIME!
Amazon: goo.gl/BzGZLc
B&N: goo.gl/wsqVxB
Kobo: goo.gl/KM563U
iTunes: goo.gl/pg58wN
Smashwords: goo.gl/I7K4o3
Happy Reading!
July 15, 2014
Karen’s Killer Book Bench: Worth The Trade by Kristina Mathews
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!
WORTH THE TRADE by KRISTINA MATHEWS
~~~
WORTH THE TRADE
More Than A Game ~ Book Two
By Kristina Mathews
Book Blurb
After inheriting majority ownership of the San Francisco Goliaths baseball team, Hunter Collins wants to prove to herself and the rest of the league that she’s got what it takes to build a champion. Her first move is to trade for a hot left-fielder. He’s got it all, speed, power, and a desire to win. Not to mention undeniable charm.
Marco Santiago is tired of being the new player in town. This is his fourth team in six years and he’s facing free agency at the end of the season. He wants nothing more than a long-term contract. Hitting on his new owner probably isn’t the best way to secure his future with the team.
They’ll both give anything to get their team to the World Series, even their hearts.
WORTH THE TRADE
By Kristina Mathews
Excerpt
“Have dinner with me?” Maybe it was jet lag. Sleep deprivation. Or some seismic anomaly affecting his brain waves. Maybe going more than six months without sex had been a really bad idea.
“I’m sure you’ll find plenty to eat at the post-game spread.” Did her hesitation mean she was rattled? “We have an excellent caterer.”
“No. I want you to have dinner with me.” He leaned toward her, knowing she’d deny him, but he wanted to linger near her a little bit longer.
“I can’t.” She squirmed, avoiding his gaze. “It would be a conflict of interest.”
“You’re only conflicted because you’re interested.” He kept his smile to himself. He was getting to her. Almost as much as she was getting to him. Even though she wasn’t at all his type. Or maybe she was, she just worked so damn hard trying to hide it.
“I’m only interested in winning the division and making a strong run in the postseason.” She turned her head to look out the window as if to show she was unaffected by the chemistry between them.
“Aren’t you a rotten liar?” He chuckled softly. Oh yeah, he was definitely getting to her. “Don’t join in the poker game at the next owners’ retreat. You’ll be wiped out.”
She whipped her head around so fast the car shook. “I happen to be a very good poker player. I can hold my own against anyone. Anytime.”
Interesting. Her strong reaction told him two things. She was insecure about her place among her fellow owners. And yes, she was interested in him on more than a professional level.
“That explains your wardrobe.” He leaned back, not ready to leave her just yet. “You dress like you do to fit in with the old boys’ club. But you can’t hide the fact that you are all woman.”
“And you can’t hide the fact that you don’t want to be here.” She dared look him straight in the eye, but couldn’t hold his gaze.
“I’m starting to come around.” He gave her one last smile. “I think I’m going to like San Francisco. I think I’m really going to like it here.”
Marco slid out of the seat and headed into the ballpark acting like he owned the place.
The game had ended by the time he got through security and onto the field. The Goliaths had held their lead and a good portion of the crowd lingered, singing along to Tony Bennett. One of the on-field reporters recognized him and rushed over to be the first to interview him.
About the author, Kristina Mathews….
Kristina Mathews doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t have a book in her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn’t until she turned forty that she confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she was busy writing.
While she resigned from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she’s remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent club member or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a lifelong love of books.
Kristina lives in Northern California with her husband of more than twenty years, two sons and a black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073 miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet with hardwood floors and serve as a “Ball Dudette” for the San Francisco Giants.
~~~~~~~
Links to Kristina’s website, blog, books, etc.
http://kristinamathews.wordpress.com
http://amazon.com/author/kristinamathews
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/30540
www.facebook.com/kristinamathewsauthor
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Kristina is hosting a Rafflecopter giveaway across all of her blogs so be sure to check back in on Wednesday’s Killer Book Bench as well as her other blogs on the tour. And don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Kristina, for sharing your stories with us!
Congratulations Week 07-07-14 Giveaway Winners!
CONGRATULATIONS WEEK 07-07-14 GIVEAWAY WINNERS!
Karen’s Killer Book Bench with KIM CRESSWELL!!
Giveaway: Kim will give away an eBook of her short novel thriller, LETHAL JOURNEY, and an eBook of THE KILLING TRUTH (True Crime eBook Bundle) to two separate readers who comment on her Monday Interview or Wednesday Book Bench blogs. Thanks, Kim, for sharing your stories with us!
WINNERS!!
Robin Driscoll wins LETHAL JOURNEY!!
Jan K wins THE KILLING TRUTH!!
[All winners chosen by random.org. Thank you.]
July 13, 2014
**Author Peek** Interview with Kristina Mathews
WORTH THE TRADE by KRISTINA MATHEWS
**AUTHOR PEEK** Interview
INTRODUCING…Kristina Mathews.
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’m from Northern California, I live in a fairly small town in the heart of Gold Country. I grew up in the Central Valley, the Bay Area, and Lake Tahoe before moving to Reno to attend the University of Nevada. I met my husband in college and he brought me home to his family, literally. I lived with his parents for five months before the wedding. He lived at the house that would eventually be our first home. My mother-in-law is the one who got me hooked on romance novels. I was an elementary teacher for six years until I had my second child. I now work part time at their former elementary school as a paraeducator and yard duty. One of the best parts of my job is helping primary grade students become better readers. I also love greeting the kids as they get dropped off in the mornings and I get to inspect their projects before anyone else. I’m also a big baseball fan. Huge, huge fan of the San Francisco Giants.
1. How did you get started writing?
In high school, I mostly wrote in journals. I don’t think I would have survived the teenage years without dozens of blank books and a way to express myself. My Junior/Senior English teacher really encouraged me in my writing, although I’m sure I frustrated her by either turning papers in late, or if I didn’t particularly care about the subject matter, not at all. She did read a portion of one of my papers (turned in on time, for a change) in front of the class, and I guess that’s when I knew I wanted to write. Becoming a teacher seemed like a safer bet, however.
2. What appeals to you about the genre that you write?
I love contemporary romance because it’s real. The stories could be about my best friends or neighbors. I spent most of my life searching for answers in books. Having a magic wand or going back in time wasn’t going to happen for me, but reading about flawed characters who can overcome their pasts and their misconceptions about love made me believe I could find love, too.
I write about baseball players because I love the game and the characters who play it. Plus, I have to watch or at least listen to the games, it’s research. Just like that trip to the ballpark.
3. What is your favorite part of writing?
I love getting caught up in the world of my characters. They become real to me, and I love helping them find their happily ever after. I love when the writing flows and I get excited about what’s going to happen next.
4. If you had to give up writing and do something else, what would you do instead?
I enjoy being a paraeducator, it’s kind of like being a grandparent. I get to cheer on my students’ success and help them grow, but without the total responsibility of a teacher. Plus, I don’t have to do report cards. The assessment I do actually helps the teacher and I come up with the best plan to help them learn.
5. What’s your favorite meal of the day?
Dinner. Especially a steak dinner, with roasted potatoes, green beans, and a simple salad. Add a glass of red wine or an IPA, and I’m good.
6. Which are your favorite characters to write, the female characters or the male characters
? The heroes and heroines, or the villains?
I like to write the male characters. They come a little easier for me. Maybe it’s because I’m the only female human in my house, or maybe it’s because I spent a lot of time at the fraternity house in college, but I feel like I get guys. I’m always the one at the Super Bowl party watching the game with the men. At weddings, I’m over by the bar picking some guy’s brain about the new outfielder my team has acquired from his favorite team.
I also like to write men who I hope will be good role models for my sons. They have their father, uncles, and grandfather to look up to, but in popular culture, men are either real jerks or real wimps. I hope I can show men who are strong, kind, and loving. They make mistakes in trying to wrestle with changing views of what a real man should be, especially when faced with how to deal with the women in their lives.
7. Are you an avid reader? When you do read someone else’s writing, what is your favorite genre?
I read almost daily. I mostly read contemporaries, but I’ll pick up a paranormal, romantic suspense, or historical if it’s an author I like. I don’t like dark or depressing books. There’s too much of that in real life. I prefer to read about the way things should be, instead of the way they are.
8. Many writers dream of having the ideal location to write. If you could live anywhere in the world or live a particular lifestyle, where would you be answering these questions right now?
I can write in different locations. My living room, the front seat of my car while waiting for my sons to finish baseball practice or film class. I like to write at my family’s cabin near Mt. Shasta because I have to go into town to get internet, so there is less distraction. I have written in a tent, on the beach, even in the teacher’s lounge. But I would like to have a door that actually stays shut, so that my family doesn’t interrupt during the good parts. Although, somehow I don’t think they will leave me alone even then.
As for the ideal lifestyle, I think I would like to be able to travel more with my family. I would love to visit all the Major League ballparks someday and go to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall Of Fame.
9. If you were a color, what color would you be and why?
During baseball season, it’s tempting to say Orange, but the only reason I wear the bright color is because I love my team. I actually prefer a dark rose color, that color that seems to look good on almost anyone, no matter their coloring.
10. Tell us about your next book & when is it being published?
I don’t have a release date yet for the next book in the series. I’m hoping to finish Making A Comeback in the next few weeks and get final approval. It features Annabelle Jones, trying to resurrect her modeling career after her divorce and Nathan Cooper, the pitcher who was suspended for steroid use and is now recovering from an injury. Annabelle is forced to rely on her neighbor after a car accident and he must prove to himself and the girl of his dreams that he’s not a bad guy after all.
I’m also working on Bryce Baxter’s story. He is the bad-boy shortstop in the first two books who can’t keep his hands of the lovely sideline reporter Rachel Parker. When he signs the contract of his life, he’s not sure he can live up to it. But it’s even more important for him to step up as a father.
About the Author…Kristina Mathews
Kristina Mathews doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t have a book in her hand. Or in her head. But it wasn’t until she turned forty that she confessed the reason the laundry never made it out of the dryer was because she was busy writing.
While she resigned from teaching with the arrival of her second son, she’s remained an educator in some form. As a volunteer, parent club member or para educator, she finds the most satisfaction working with emergent and developing readers, helping foster confidence and a lifelong love of books.
Kristina lives in Northern California with her husband of more than twenty years, two sons and a black lab. A veteran road tripper, amateur renovator and sports fanatic. She hopes to one day travel all 3,073 miles of Highway 50 from Sacramento, CA to Ocean City, MD, replace her carpet with hardwood floors and serve as a “Ball Dudette” for the San Francisco Giants.
~~~~~~~
Links to Kristina’s website, blog, books, etc.
http://kristinamathews.wordpress.com
http://amazon.com/author/kristinamathews
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/30540
www.facebook.com/kristinamathewsauthor
~~~~
BE SURE TO COME BACK to read more about Kristina and her new release, WORTH THE TRADE, on Wednesday’s Karen’s Killer Book Bench. Happy Reading!
~~~
**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Kristina is hosting a Rafflecopter giveaway across all of her blogs so be sure to check back in on Wednesday’s Killer Book Bench as well as her other blogs on the tour. And don’t miss this chance to read this great story! Thanks, Kristina, for sharing your stories with us!
