J. Kenner's Blog, page 98

Hump Day Books: New or Notable Reads (January 30 edition)

Looking for a good book to read to beat  t he mid-week doldrums? 

Why not check out these nine new or notable books (this week, there’s a bonus classic!)!  There’s something here for everyone!

Gone with the Wind

This may not be a new book, but it is most definitely notable! I just finished (re)reading Gone With The Wind, and if you haven’t had the pleasure, run–don’t walk–and get yourself a copy. It’s epic, it’s romantic, it’s tragic, it’s fascinating. I love this book. And despite the fact that half the time I want to smack her, I love Scarlett. Watching the movie in a few weeks! Can’t wait!


Water From the Moon (Futures & Securities)

New in Digital!

Learn more at http://www.tereseramin.com


How to Misbehave (Novella)

 

HEAVEN’S THUNDER — A Colorado Saga

a Colorado Saga – with an emphasis on Colorado’s silent film industry (cameos by Tom Mix, DW Griffith, Mary Pickford, Will Rogers and lots more)

Learn more at www.maryellendennis.com

Chey’s Cowboy (Bridleton)

Just released! A brand new contemporary western romance!

Learn more at http://www.BeckyBarker.com


An Affair to Dismember (Matchmaker)


A Taste of Reality

feature screenplay novelized!

Learn more here


Snoops in the City (A Romantic Comedy)

Now free at all etailers!

Learn more at http://darlenegardner.com/


Crazy Thing Called Love

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right.

(And OMG, my current book -- Release Me -- hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Damien Stark on Pinterest–counting down to the U.K. release of Release Me!

I have had such a great time talking with readers about how they imagine Damien Stark from Release Me … but I think it’s an equal thrill seeing how much fun my publishers are having with him as well.

 

 

 

I love what Headline/Eternal Romance has done in anticipation of the January 31 on-sale date of Release Me in the U.K. — they’ve created a board on Pinterest specifically for Damien Stark!

And I am absolutely in with love some of the images they’ve selected so far.

How fun!  Be sure to check it out and follow the board!

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right.

(And OMG, my current book -- Release Me -- hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Movie Mania

I’m over at the Whine Sisters today chatting on about the movies I saw this weekend.

Come on by and share the last movie you saw, or what you want to see!

Mom’s Meat Sauce-the best spaghetti sauce in the history of the world

It’s Food Friday! And I must really love you guys because I am about to share one of the things that makes me the happiest in all the world.  As a kid, I gorged on this stuff.  As an adult, I eat a lot of it, too (although I don’t eat wheat anymore, so I either use gluten free pasta or use zucchini that has been turned into “pasta”).

Truly, y’all should bow at my mother’s feet, this recipe is so good.  Try it.  I bet you’ll love it!

What follows is the recipe that she gave me when I went away to college.  I eyeball the ingredients now, which just goes to show you that this recipe is idiot-proof.  You can tweak the ingredients and it’s still a major yum-fest.

Without further ado …

Mom’s Italian Meat Sauce

2 T. Olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 lb ground beef

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 lb mushroom, diced (I always use more)

1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 t dried

1 #3 can Italian Style tomatoes (to this day, I do not know what a #3 can is. Go with the normal sized can, about 15 oz)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce (or thereabouts)

1 4 oz can tomato paste (or thereabouts)

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1/8 t red pepper

1/4 t allspice

1/2 t oregano

1 t basil

1 bay leaf

1 t sugar (I never use)

(Note, I tend to use more of the spices, and I almost always double or triple the entire recipe)

In a 5-6 qt heavy pan, heat oil and saute onions and garlic lightly. Add meat. Brown meat, stirring to break up pieces.

Add green pepper/mushrooms. Cook 2 minutes.

Stir in other ingredients.

Cover and cook 2 hours over low heat.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serves 4-6 (enough for about 1lb of spaghetti).

Let me know what you think! Got any recipes you’d like to share?

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right.

(And OMG, my current book -- Release Me -- hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Release Me is in its third week on the USA Today list! Saying thank you with an eReader!

I’m so incredibly thrilled that Release Me has hit both the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists … and is still on the USA Today list for the third week … and at an even better placement than last week!!  Woot!!

I so appreciate all the great reviews and word of mouth for Release Me … and to show my appreciation, I’m giving away the winner’s choice of a Kindle Paperwhite 3G  or a Nook HD! Just enter via the Rafflecopter below! There’s lots of ways to enter, and to help spread the word even more!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’m guest blogging today about writing in multiple genres! Come by, say hi, and you may snag a signed copy of Release Me and a gift card!

I’m guest blogging today over at Vampires, Werewolves & Fairies. Oh My! and today I’m talking about writing across multiple genres.

 

Do you have a favorite genre or to you genre-hop?  Come by, say hi, and enter to win a signed copy of Release Me along with a $15 Amazon gift card!

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right.

(And OMG, my current book -- Release Me -- hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

Hump Day Books: New or Notable Reads (January 23 edition)

Looking for a good book to read to beat  t he mid-week doldrums? 

Why not check out these eight new or notable books!  There’s something here for everyone!

The Human Division #1: The B-Team

I just adore John Scalzi (even sat next to him once at a booksigning!) and I was so excited when I saw the note about this serialized story in my inbox. Haven’t read it yet, but I can’t wait!


Set the Night on Fire

Learn more at Libby Hellmann’s site

$.99 cents through January 21; $2.99 through Jan. 28!


A Lily on the Heath (The Medieval Herb Garden Series)

Learn more at colleengleason.com

New Release!


Demon’s Curse (Imnada Brotherhood)

Learn more here!

Book #1 in the Imnada Brotherhood series. Sample now at Pocket After Dark!!


Roses For Chloe

A haunting romance at a Southern plantation.

Learn more at elainegrant.com




A Lover’s Gift

Lynn’s lateset release from Samhain Retro Romance!

Go to Lynn’s site


Sweet Dream Lover (Live-Love-Laugh)

Sex, love, and chocolate–what more could you ask for?

Learn more at www.karensandler.net


Children of Angels: Book One of the New Nephilim Series

“A boy gets angel powers! An ‘oh-wow!’ fantasy for readers 10 & up.”

Learn more at www.kathryndahlstrom.com/

See the YouTube Video!

Today, life is an octopus

Yup, today is an octopus kinda day.  Actually, more like eight octopuses* because eight writhing tentacles just isn’t enough to describe the kind of wild, all-over-the-place kind of day I have facing me.

What’s on my plate?  Let’s look, shall we?

writing (duh! but I need to hit a certain minimum page count in order to ensure end-of-the-month sanity);
laundry (because the good folks of my home town look askance when one sends their kid to school naked);
grocery shopping (because despite the fact that I gained 5 pounds over the holidays, I must still eat and feed my children–they’re very demanding that way);
bills (because I didn’t finish yesterday);
Medicaid (because my mother’s renewal came up and the state gives you about 2.5 seconds to pull all the necessary documents together)
email (because I sluffed off while I was jamming toward a deadline and now my empty inbox is full again)
To-Do list (it’s really only helpful if I use it and organize it.  102 overdue tasks just ain’t working for me)
Proofing (I have 3 books in queue for uploading to B&N and Kindle and other retailers, and while I can pawn off much of the work, I have to do the final proof myself)
Holiday lights (yes, they’re still on the house)
Holiday decorations (we have an open area above our front door that can be accessed only by climbing over a ledge and risking death while scooting down a thin catwalk thingie.  Like an idiot, I decided that putting a small tree and fake presents there would be a fun thing for the holidays.  Now I have to go clean it up. Or keep it until next year….)
Filing.  I would say that I have three boxes of things to file, but that would be a lie.  It’s more like ten boxes.
Schooling.  Because yes, the little one needs to work on reading and math and history and science.  Maybe if I have her pay the bills and proof the books  (reading and math).  And for science?  Well, I suppose she could cook dinner!

And I’m sure there’s more that I’m forgetting!

How about you?  Are you sailing smooth today?  Or battling 900 things from 10,000 directions?

*fun fact:  Octopuses is probably more correct than Octopi because “octopus” is not Latin-based, but instead came from the Greek.  Interested?  Read more here!

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right.

(And OMG, my current book -- Release Me -- hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

 

The First Rule of Write Club: Please welcome guest blogger – and mystery shopper – Kelly McClymer!

I’m excited to have Kelly McClymer as a guest blogger today! (And I was even more excited when I learned that Kelly was a mystery shopper — how cool is that?)

If you haven’t checked out Kelly’s books, you’re missing a treat!  In the blog, you get insight into one of Kelly’s upcoming books, but if you want a taste right now of Kelly’s awesomeness, be sure to snag a copy of one of her titles!  Why not check out The Fairy Tale Bride?  It’s free!!

And now … here’s Kelly!

 

First things first: Happy Birthday MLK!

While I was trying to figure out how to begin my guest post (thank you for inviting me Julie!), I woke up with the thought, “The First Rule of Writing Club is…”

Like most dreams, the thought was incomplete and vaguely disturbing. I worried at it while I brushed my teeth. And then I felt the answer settle in. The First Rule of Writing Club is: Be Interesting. And then my editor kicked it and changed writing club to write club.

That first rule meme spawned by “Fight Club” applies to a lot of things. But for writers, trying to come up with a first rule that rings true is just as hard as it is coming up with an idea, fleshing out characters, plotting, and writing scenes. Being interesting is what is hardest for me. My ideas all come from combining incidents from my life (boring) with a (very) large dash of “Hey, what if…?”

 

For example, my upcoming new Secret Shopper series, which begins with Shop or Let Die, introduces Molly Harbison, a harried stay at home mom of two who tries her hand at earning extra money by becoming a secret shopper and ends up being one of those types who seems to stumble over crime wherever she goes. I drew on my own hands-on research into the job.

Yes, that means I was a mystery shopper in real life (and a harried mother of three). Picturing high stakes? High tech? A martini, shaken? Not so much. My highest stakes were the grade my scheduler gave my report (like in school, some graders refuse to give top grades on principle that nothing is ever perfect , and the time factors that could nullify a report (if you don’t beat the ticking clock, you don’t get paid).

Some people think mystery shopping is one of those scam jobs, like stuffing envelopes from your home. But it is a vital underground industry, used to keep service standards set at large chains. Legions of women (and a few men) troll the job listings on dozens of mystery shopping sites. And (not unlike writers), they populate discussion boards sharing tips on everything from how to avoid getting caught making notes for your report to how to qualify for the best shops (spas, resorts, fancy hotels, high end restaurants, etc.).

The bonus for me was that I learned a lot about people while firing up the timer in my pocket, carrying a camera, and hiding a notepad in my purse. Not every employee enjoys having to smile just because there’s a customer in front of him. Some coffee shops actually have a set temperature range for “hot” coffee. Most of all, there’s a lot more that goes into smooth service than one might imagine from in front of the counter.

A lot of what I learned went into the work that Molly does in the novel. But, keeping the first rule of write club in mind, I applied a liberal dose of “Hey, what if…?” Because even I have to admit that it is boring to watch people do their jobs pretty well most of the time. And so much more interesting when things go wrong.

In writing, I changed a lot of the specifics to protect the innocent (and guilty), so I can’t tell you a real tale from my mystery shopping. But I can tell you about my daughter’s experience working for a fried chicken joint while in high school: she got shopped and received a perfect score and a $100 gift check. Twice. Her reward for listening during training and actually following the script? A few of her fellow employees gave her grief. (The $200 mitigated that pretty thoroughly). High school, high drama. Those were the days.

Little did I know that one day I would be on the other side of gifting rewards for perfect service. I’d tell you more, but…the First Rule of Mystery Shopping is: you don’t talk about Mystery Shopping.

[Note: I will break that rule for anyone who is thinking about trying mystery shopping for a flexible income stream. Drop me an email on my website if that applies to you.]

About Kelly: After writing for traditional publishers for a decade (romance, fantasy, and young adult novels), Kelly McClymer has discovered the fun of following her own muse and throwing over old traditions in favor of new creative paths. She plans to enlist her critique group and beta readers in helping her decide when her novels are ready to go to the copy editor, ebook formatter, and be put on sale. The critique group is solid, but interested beta readers are always welcome to sign up for her newsletter to get first news of a novel ready for beta. You can find out more on her website http:kellymcclymer.com, by following her on Twitter http://twitter.com/kellymcclymer, or Liking her on Facebook http://facebook.com/kellymcclymerbooks.

JK here again!  So, who other than me now wants to go be a Mystery Shopper?  Have you ever done that? What’s your funkiest job?  Let us know!

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right.

(And OMG, my current book -- Release Me -- hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! Color me psyched! Have you got your copy yet?

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.

 

Educate me, please, cyber-pals and Goodreads reviewers: How do you make those animated gifs?

This GIF, for example, I found in the reviews of Release Me. (cool, huh?)

Not that I pop over to Goodreads and read the reviews of Release Me or anything (ahem), but if I did, I would undoubtedly notice a lot of really cool animated GIFs that look like they’re tiny, looped clips of television shows or movies.

And my curiosity runneth over.

How do you make those things? I would love to figure out how because … well, no particular reason, I just want to know. Can anyone share? Point me toward software? A tutorial? A magic potion I must drink to be inducted into the GIF-making club? (And if it matters, we’re 100% Apple at our house, so Windows-based software does me no good).

Thanks in advance, y’all!

P.S. Did you see that I have a Bargain Books section now? Check the Navigation bar or the side bar on the right. (Pssst! My USA Today bestselling Aphrodite's Kiss is still free at Amazon and iTunes for just a little bit longer!)

P.P.S. And why not scroll down and share the post? After all, sharing is sexy!

XXOO

--J.K.