Kristen Brockmeyer's Blog, page 2

Five Things Friday

#1 My gallbladder is a rowdy punk and I now glow in the dark.
I've been in and out of the doctor's for the past several months, probably for a funky gallbladder, although that's still not confirmed. Yesterday, I got radioactive dye injected into my arm and then they put me under a machine to watch what happened. I asked the nurse whether she could see my gallbladder, did it have a mohawk and was it flipping her off. Hopefully she won't recommend me for a neuro scan next.
#2 For some reason, this song is now stuck in my head.


#3 It's going to be a Cub Scout kind of weekend.
I'm going to be hanging out with these guys on Saturday and Monday:


We'll be planting flags at a military cemetery on Saturday and participating in a Memorial Day Parade on Monday.
#4 These two are mine.
The little one doesn't know he's not a Cub Scout.


#5 Monday is Memorial Day.
Please be sure to thank your troops for their service.

That's all. Have a wonderful weekend! [  

MaGM#1: Meet Author Diane Burton

Welcome to the first-ever Meet and Greet Monday, where we pull an author or reader of romance out from out of that book they're buried in, drag them in front of everyone and introduce them. Please wave hello to today's featured guest, author Diane Burton!

First, I'll ask Diane a series of random questions, just because I'm nosy.

What is your middle name? Marie

Goes good with my middle name - Ann! 
Where were you born? On an Air Force Base in Illinois. My dad was in the Army Air Corp (predecessor of the U.S. Air Force. He met my mom at a roller skating rink. The rest is history. LOL
That's just gotta be one of the best parent meeting stories - can't you just picture them holding hands, skating around the rink? These are not Diane's parents. But aren't they cute? Photo CreditWhat would you do if you won the lottery? Pay off our mortgage and our children’s mortgages; set up college accounts for the grandchildren; take my family on a cruise; donate to my favorite charities; invest the rest.
Hmm, I don't see anything in there about buying a hovercraft. Just sayin'.
What's your favorite holiday? Thanksgiving. No gifts, just family getting together for a traditional meal. I love cooking for Thanksgiving because I don’t have to think about what to prepare—same thing every year. 
I love Thanksgiving, too. Sometimes my birthday even falls on it, which is doubly awesome, but the turkey is the definitely best part. Mmm, tryptophan...
What color socks do you have on? I’m not wearing socks. I usually go barefooted in the house unless my feet are cold, then I wear plain old white socks.
Diane, you a closet hippie. Rock those bare feet! Take a look at Diane's pic again and tell me she doesn't look like has hippie tendencies...

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If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?Right where I am. We moved to be close to our grandchildren. Besides, I love West Michigan.
I'm kind of fond of West Michigan, myself. Which is good, because I live here, too.
Do you still have a camera that uses real film?Yes, but I never use it. Hubs has cameras from the early 1900s.

I love old things, and my grandpa used to collect antique cameras. What a fantastic hobby!
But does Diane's husband have one of these? Photo CreditNext, I asked a little about Diane's professional life. She's an author, you know. Writes out of this world stuff. Literally.

Pick up the book closest to you. Turn to page 12. What's the first full sentence on the page? This is hard because I usually don’t read print books. I’ll answer with what’s on my Kindle. From In The Black by Sheryl Nantus: The two hundred-plus miners jumped to their feet as one, stomping their booted feet in a deafening chorus.
Who is your favorite author of all time? Jayne Ann Krentz. She is so versatile, writing contemporary romantic suspense, historical romantic suspense (as Amanda Quick), and futuristics (as Jayne Castle). I discovered her back in the 1980s when she wrote for Dell Candlelight. And I’ve read all of her books. I even found a futuristic she wrote before that.
What are you currently working on? A contemporary mystery featuring a female P.I. It’s set in a small, fictional resort town on Lake Michigan. The Case of the Bygone Brother will be available in July.
The Chameleon: Latest Release from Diane BurtonWhat book have you released most recently? The Chameleon (An Outer Rim Novel): Think Legally Blond meet Mata Hari. Socialite Jileena Winslott appears to be the spoiled, bubble-headed daughter of an industrial magnate. In reality, she’s her father's smart, savvy aide, who yearns to run the family business. When her father sends her on a covert mission to the Outer Rim, she has the chance to prove herself. But he insists she take along a fake fiancé—the man she’s secretly loved for years.
Can we read a little of it? “The company belongs in the family,” Jileena said.
“You have to accept that your brother is dead.”
Despite her heartache, she stood in front of her father, hands on her hips, determined to bring this to a head. She’d danced around the subject long enough, dropping hints that he ignored. He may have groomed her older brother to take over, but she wasn’t going down without a fight. “I am family.”
With his trademark stare—one that made competitors back off and employees quake—he pinned her in place. “You don’t have what it takes to replace me.”
His remark sent such an arrow of hurt through her she snapped, “Neither did Konner.” The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to retract them.
Father slumped back in his chair. The desolation in his expression broke her heart.
Immediately, she dropped to her knees in front of him. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I shouldn’t have—”
In a gesture she remembered from childhood, he smoothed her hair away from her forehead then tipped up her chin. “What you say is true. He had no stomach for this cutthroat business. And neither do you, thank the Divine One.” He patted her head twice. “You don’t have to worry about that. Now get up. We have work to do. Plans to make.”
“Plans?”
“Baby, I’m sending you to Galeria 7 to check out this discovery.”
“To the Outer Rim?” Jileena’s jaw dropped. While her father had sent her on discreet missions before, he’d never sent her that far from the Central Planets—especially since Konner had died out on the Frontier.
“You will check the site and do your own analysis. Put that geology degree of yours into practice. If, indeed, it is high-grade lambidium, you will negotiate mining rights with the local tribe.”
“M-Me?”
He’d done it again and seemed to enjoy surprising her. He couldn’t mean it. He wasn’t sending her. He had to be teasing. Yet he’d never been intentionally cruel. At least, not to her.
“I certainly can’t send Sindaro. As soon as reporters learn he left for the Rim, rumors would fly and negotiations would fail.”
He was right about that. If secrecy was paramount, Father had to send someone whose presence was innocuous. Someone like his fluff-brained daughter.
“Discretion is imperative. No one will suspect you are going out to the Rim for anything other than a vacation.”
Hope began to trickle through her. He’d never had her negotiate anything as important as mining rights. He was giving her a chance. A chance to prove herself.
I love your writing, Diane. I'm a big fan of yours after One Red Shoe, and I can't wait to try your Sci-Fi on for size. Where can we buy The Chameleon?AmazonSmashwords KoboBarnes & Noble
And where can we stalk you at, social media-wise?WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebookGoodreads: Diane Burton AuthorPinterestAmazon Author Page
Thanks for playing, Diane. And everyone else, be sure to come back next week and meet another talented writer, Melissa Keir! [  

Five Things Friday

Meet the faces hiding behind the books.A quick list of random things, in no particular order:

#1 Thundercats are go for #MaGM.
It's official: starting on Monday, I'll be interviewing readers and writers of romance for my new blog feature, Meet and Greet Mondays. Matter of fact, it's so official, it even has it's own registered hashtag. 

#2 If you're coming out of anesthesia, try not to speak. At all.
Just hypothetically speaking, of course, because you might do one of the following things: 
Call the nurse by a co-worker's name and ask her to cover the reception desk for you, because you're going home for the day.Overhear the doctor telling your mother that he didn't find anything wrong with you during the tests and holler "Well, f*ck!"Loudly call the anesthesiologists sneaky bastards because they didn't warn you before they knocked you out. When the nurse refers to you as "kid," indignantly inform her that you're almost 34 years old and you're not a child... and you'll sound just like a 4 year-old when you say it.#3 If you live in Michigan, cover your plants tonight. 
There's another frost advisory. What month are we in again?
#4 Motown released it's first hit on this day in 1964.It was Mary Wells' My Guy. 


#5 If it looks like a baby chicken, peeps like a baby chicken and a duck sat on it for 20+ days, then trust me, it's a baby duck. 
I discovered this exact situation at my farm last week: Mama Duck doesn't care if her "ducklings" look like chickens. She will still bite your face off if you try to argue semantics with her. 

That's all. Have a great weekend! [  

Five Things Friday

A quick list of random things, in no particular order:

Happy Mama's Day, all you mamas. Image Credit: Elis LidsFact #1: You should be celebrating Independence Day today!
(If you live in Romania.)

Fact #2: I'd like to feature you on my blog.
If you're reading this post, I'm going to make the assumption that you're a writer of romance, a reader of romance or a close relative of mine. Specifically, I'm looking for romance writers and readers to interview for a new blog feature called "Meet and Greet Monday," but if you're a close relative of mine and would like to be on my blog, feel free to message me, too. 

Fact #3: Meet and Greet Monday will not start this Monday.
Instead, I'll be prepping for a colonoscopy and an upper endoscopy... and that's all I'm going to say about that. You're welcome.

Fact #4: Jaxon is not really Justin Bieber's first cousin.
Book #3 is rolling right along and Cora just told Jaxon she doesn't care if he's Justin Bieber's first cousin, he doesn't have the right to trash her aunt's hotel room. They don't like each other. Yet.

Fact #5: Are you a mom? If so, you're not the Best Mom in the World.
I'm sorry. That title belongs to my mom. But I'll bet you're an extremely close second and I hope you have a WONDERFUL Mother's Day! 

That's all. Have a great weekend! [  

Five Things Friday

A quick list of random things, in no particular order:

Fact #1: Fabric glue needs time to cure.I know this now from experience: don't attempt to glue Cub Scout patches on your son's shirt a half-hour before his meeting and expect them not to slide off like greased banana peels just in time for uniform inspections.
Fact #2: The traditional publishing world experienced another earthquake today.
Harlequin just got bought by Harper Collins. Probably doesn't mean anything to you if you don't write romance, or say, don't have a book in progress that you'd planned on finishing this month and submitting to them. But if you do? Whoa.

Credit: weknowmemes.comFact #3: Jaxon and Cora just met... and it's not love at first sight.Book #3 is in progress. Book #2 will probably languish in a drawer until I can motivate myself to either fix it or rewrite it, but in the meantime, I'm planning to finish Cora and Jaxon's story this month, during my MMRWA chapter's MarNoWriMo. What I do with this book remains to be seen. (See Fact #2.)
Fact #4: Today is a potato-bacon-cheesy-corn chowder day. It's a cold and drizzly 52-degree fall spring day and I've been thinking about dinner since lunchtime. Send me an email if you'd like the recipe. 
Fact #5: Save your lingerie in case you get famous someday.Someone paid $14,000 for the bra Marilyn Monroe wore in the movie Some Like it Hot. You just never know.
That's all. Have a great weekend! [ 

Book Review: The Best Medicine by Tracy Brogan

I'm not sure if I want you to read this book or not. I mean, I completely loved The Best Medicine. I've read it twice already and it has earned a paperback place of honor on my keeper shelf. I'd even consider myself a newly-minted perma-fan of Tracy Brogan. But if I recommend this book to you, I will have to share Tyler, and I don't want to do that because he's my book boyfriend.
Book: The Best MedicineAuthor: Tracy BroganPublisher: Montlake RomanceGenre: Contemporary RomanceRating:  [  [  [  [  [  (5 out of 5 hearts!)

About the Book:Everyone in Bell Harbor thinks career-minded plastic surgeon Evelyn Rhoades needs a husband. Everyone, that is, except for Evelyn…sort of. Even if she did want a husband (which she doesn’t…most of the time), she’d never let something as intangible as fate determine who she marries. No, if she’s going to find someone to spend her life with, she’ll do it scientifically: with a carefully crafted list of criteria and an Internet dating site.
But when intoxicated, law-breaking Tyler Connelly crashes into her life by way of a stolen Jet Ski, unruly emotions defy common sense. Sure, he’s sexy, charming, and determined to win Evelyn’s affection, but all evidence points to him being the worst possible choice. He’s too young for her. Too irresponsible. Too underemployed. And, oh yeah, he’s her patient.
But Tyler knows firsthand how the best-laid plans can crumble under the weight of destiny. Now all he needs to do is to teach Evelyn that, in matters of the heart, love often supersedes logic.
My Thoughts:This is the first Tracy Brogan novel I've ever read and I can honestly say I haven't felt this way about an author since Emily Hemmer. Okay, that sounded creepy. Not a stalker, ladies, I promise! I'm just so excited to have found a book that can snag me emotionally while making me laugh out loud. The Best Medicine is seriously a must-read if you're a fan of humorous contemporary romances, for three reasons: it's written with a skewed, laugh out loud sense of humor, there's a realistic and quirky heroine, and the hero is will make you drool. Like, a lot. 
Don't believe me? Let me present some evidence:
Skewed Sense of Humor (Exibit A)I could give you so many examples. Divorced parents that send each other Gorilla Grams and pick up the other's dry-cleaning, only to drop it off at the Salvation Army. Friends that drop Portuguese phrases like foda pena in daily conversation. Blind dates who think testicular implants are going to be the next big thing (and they're willing to let you in on the ground floor). But, in my opinion, this opening sentence says it all: 
"Birthday parties, in my opinion, are a lot like pelvic exams--a little uncomfortable, a little awkward, a little too personal, but an unavoidable yearly nuisance--like a pap smear, only with presents."   
Realistic and Quirky Heroine (Exibit B)Evie is great. She's skeptical of anything smacking of true love, after the humorously volatile example her parents set for her (see above), and she's afraid to have children because she doesn't know how to entertain them. Plus, she never has food in her apartment. Kids need to eat. And when she finally decides that her biological clock has been ticking long enough and she should cave to the pressure of the close-knit Bell Harbor community, where life is like a Viagra commercial followed by a Toys 'R' Us advertisement (oh yeah, Tracy is great with comparisons), she makes a list of what she wants in a future husband. A weighted list with things on it like "civic awareness."  
Drool-Worthy Hero (Exibit C)Tyler. Connelly. Don't tell my husband, but boy-oh-boy did this man make me drool. If I was single and he was, well, real, I'd give Evie a run for her money. He's hot, funny, works harder than three normal men put together and has a protective streak a mile wide. A real-life knight in shining armor who is not afraid to buy tampons. Lots of tampons. He might not meet the requirements on Evie's list, but I'd take him with a quickness. I mean, if I weren't married. And if he was real.
I can't stress this enough: buy this book. (Well, pre-order this book. It goes on sale May 13.) Read this book. Love this book. Really, that about sums it up. I'm just super glad I spontaneously bought Brogan's Highland Surrender at my MMRWA retreat a few weeks ago. I can't wait to see what she does with historical romance.
About the Author: Tracy Brogan is an award-winning, bestselling author of both contemporary and historical romance. She was a Romance Writers of America® RITA Finalist for Best First Book (Crazy Little Thing), and a two-time Golden Heart Finalist. Her latest titles include Hold on My Heart and Highland Surrender. She resides in Michigan with her husband, their children, and their overly indulged dogs.
Connect with Tracy Brogan:Blog FacebookTwitterGoodreads 
Buy the Book:AmazonBarnes and Noble
Disclaimer: I received a free advance review copy of The Best Medicine from Tracy Brogan, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Five Facts Friday

A quick list of random things, in no particular order:

Fact #1: Learning German is fun. 
Hubs and I decided to use DuoLingo on a whim (best free language learning tool ever), and now I can tell my husband I love him (Ich liebe dich) and give him an affectionate nickname like Gummibärchen (gummy bear). We're thinking if we keep this up, we'll be fluent when we finally get enough money together for an overseas vacation. Like 15 years from now.

Fact #2: Lucky in Love is finally in paperback. 
Buy it at Amazon, tell all your friends how awesome it is and help me save enough money to go to Germany!

Fact #3: Gallbladders are tricky beasts. 
Mine is apparently about to explode, and has been masquerading its malfunctions as a vitamin deficiency. We're on to it, though, and an ultrasound has been scheduled for next Monday. It had better not try and interfere with my MMRWA retreat weekend, is all I can say...

Fact #4: There will be autographs and they will probably be cooler ones than mine.
If you're local, I'll be at two upcoming book signings:

     4/11  Romance Writers Reception, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
              Kazoo Books, 2413 Parkview, Kalamazoo, MI 
     
     4/17  Ransom Library Author Fair, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
              Ransom District Library, 180 S. Sherwood, Plainwell, MI

Fact #5: RPG means more than Rocket-Propelled Grenade.
Apparently, there's this huge group of people that enjoy Role Play Games (think Final Fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons). And I think I might be one of them. I'll know for sure after this weekend. Friday is Tabletop Day and we're celebrating with friends, snacks and Pathfinder.

Not that I've been blogging predictably at all lately, but I'll be MIA again for another week or so. I'll be back April 14, hopefully all fresh and motivated from my first writer's retreat. Until then, woohoo, I'm on vacation! 

Book Review: Primal Instinct by Janie Crouch

Man, I love Harlequins. I’ve been reading them since I was like 8 or 9 years old, when both of my grandmas would save them and sneak me grocery bags full on the Sundays when we came to visit. Those first Harlequin Romances were the reason I wanted to be a romance writer! So when Janie Crouch offered me an ARC of her debut title Primal Instinct, a Harlequin Intrigue, I said “Yes, please!” and can’t tell you how glad I am that I did.  
Book: Primal InstinctAuthor: Janie CrouchPublisher: Harlequin IntrigueGenre: Category SuspenseRating:  [  [  [  [  ]  (4 out of 5 hearts!)
 About the Book:A killer stalks the city streets, and one FBI agent is determined to bring him down in Janie Crouch’s Primal Instinct.
On the crowded streets of San Francisco, a serial killer watches and waits. Known only as “Simon Says,” he lures his next victim while the FBI grasps for answers. Desperate, they turn to Adrienne Jeffries. Adrienne has an uncanny talent for getting inside the city’s most dangerous minds. But first she’ll have to get past agent Conner Perigo. Skeptical of Adrienne’s abilities, Conner begrudgingly enlists her help…unprepared for the powerful attraction that could jeopardize their focus. With little time, and everything to lose, they must work to find Simon’s next victim—before he does.
My Thoughts:I have to admit, being a freshly-minted writer myself, I was rooting for Janie before I started Primal Instinct. Getting a bad review on your first book sucks (been there, done that) and I don’t likehanding them out. But I didn’t need to worry—after reading Janie Crouch’s first novel, I am very happy to say that she didn’t disappoint me in the least.
Primal Instinct grabbed my attention first because of the cover. I like the film noir/Alfred Hitchcock vintage vibe that it has going on. And then I started reading… very quickly, actually, because Janie threw me right in to FBI agent Conner Perigo’s frustrating case and it caught my interest. He’s desperate for any lead that will help him and his partner catch a serial killer that’s terrorizing San Francisco and thumbing his nose directly at the FBI at the same time. But when his boss tells him to basically blackmail Adrienne Jeffries, the former FBI “Bloodhound” with some bigtime special skills, into helping out with the case, he’s less than thrilled.
Like flint and steel, Conner and Adrienne strike sparks off each other right away, even though they’re the angry kind. Their relationship has a big element of friction, which I liked, because you know that they’re going to make up for all that animosity later on. I also thought that Adrienne’s personality was appealing—she was no shrinking violet and she faced the frightening aspects of her gift with gritty determination. And I’m a sucker for a protective alpha, which Conner definitely was. They make a great team without either of them having to be at all wishy-washy.
I also enjoyed the twists that Janie put on what could have been a familiar storyline. The side-effects of Adrienne skills were realistic and frightening, and the effect that their relationship had on the things was really interesting and unexpected. And, while I’ll admit I did figure out whodunit (I’m good at that, though—ask my often-annoyed husband why he doesn’t like watching movies with me…), Primal Instinct’s resolution felt solid and satisfying and I enjoyed it immensely.
My final verdict? I’m giving Primal Instinct and Janie Crouch lots of love. If you like Harlequin romances like I do, I highly recommend this one. Can’t wait to see what this shiny new author has in store for us next!     About the Author: Janie is a member of Romance Writers of America, Virginia Romance Writers and KOD (Kiss of Death – the Romantic Suspense Writers Group). When she’s not listening to the voices in her head (and even when she is), she enjoys traveling, long-distance running, movie-watching, knitting and obstacle course adventure racing. Most of all, she loves to laugh and smile. And she’s tremendously thankful she has so much to laugh and smile about. (For Janie’s full bio, go here.)
Connect with Janie Crouch:Blog FacebookTwitterGoodreads 
Buy the Book:AmazonBarnes and NobleHarlequin

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Primal Instinct from Jamie Crouch, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. 

Back on the Blogging Train

I can't even believe I've let almost a month go by without blogging. For shame! But, I do have several excuses:

Lucky in Love
I've been designing a new cover for Lucky in Love, since the dpi on the picture I used for the ebook would have shown up as blurry on a print cover. I'm a little bummed, since I was really attached to the other one, but with a fresh look, Lucky might find more readers.

MarMoWriMo and The New Book
Image Credit: Austin ExpatSeveral members of my RWA chapter have gotten together to do a March version of NaNoWriMo. We're all on an email loop almost daily, sharing our word counts and cheering each other on, and it's been a great experience. I'm pulling in at just under 10K on my next manuscript and, with the help of the stressful productivity aide, Write or Die 2, I have plans to write many more words this month. I've said it before: Write or Die is scary, but it works.

New Website
I finally bit the bullet and bought a domain name. The address kristenbrockmeyer.com isn't exactly a hot commodity on the domain name market, so it was pretty simple. My whole website is pretty simple, actually. That hasn't stopped me from tweaking and fiddling the layout half to death.

Real Life
Oh, yeah, I'm a wife and mom, too! Life on the farm with a 9 year-old, a 2-year old, and assorted dogs, ducks and chickens is never boring. Plus, there's Cub Scouts, the whole baking things semi-professionally thing (cupcakes, anyone?), and the fact that the husband and I are trying to get our finances in order sometime this decade so we can buy a house. And we're doing all this while being buried in this incessant Michigan snow - 6+ inches in the forecast tonight and it's almost mid-March!

As usual, I'm swamped, but I would want it any other way. The kids are being fed, the word counter keeps rising and those darn dishes will get done eventually! [  

New book!

Image Credit: Broken BarnetJust in the last hour or two, I've worked out a plot for my next book, and it's coming together like gangbusters. I've got a Harlequin line picked out for it already (Desire), 819 words down in a fresh new MS Word document and I'm off to get an outline scribbled down before I blank on everything and forget where I'm going already.

My advice to anyone out there that wants to write romance or write professionally in any genre, really? Join a writers group. I don't think it's a coincidence that I'm all fired up and full of ideas just one day after a great session with a bunch of like-minded professional romance-inistas. [