Sophia Kimble's Blog, page 8
January 7, 2015
Contests – Coffee Time Romance & More
I’m giving away a $20.00 Amazon gift card on Coffee Time Romance, stop by for your chance to win.
Contests – Coffee Time Romance & More.
Writing a Letter to your Younger Self by author, Rose Lange, and a Giveaway
Welcome authorRose Lange with somewriting tips and New Year Giveaway. Be sure to scroll down and read about Rose's book, Gracie's Plan, and enter our giveaway!
"Hi everybody, thanks for stopping by! First, I'd like to thank Sophia Kimble for so graciously hosting me, I truly appreciate it.I'll be honest, this blog post didn't come easy to me at first. I kept racking my brain, trying to think of a writing tip. Trying to decide what to write about period, but I was stuck! Then one day, it hit me...
January 1, 2015
Sophia Kimble~Pierogies
Stop on by Romance Recipes and learn how to make pierogies with me!
Originally posted on Romance Recipes:
Hello and welcome to Romance Recipes where I am happy to introduce you to a new author and a new recipe! Two of my favorite things! Today I am bringing you author, Sophia Kimble, and her recipe for Pierogies along with an introduction to her new release, Protect Her. Please join me in welcoming Sophia and savor her recipe for Pierogies as you read about her new book!
Pierogi...
New Year...New Giveaway!
I'm starting off the New Year with a new giveaway.
Scroll down to see a description of all the prizes and be sure to enter to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Golden Alexander is trapped in a nightmare.
Trying to flee her hallucination of a demon, she runs heart first into the brooding alpha male she’s been dreaming about for years, and then her nightmare really begins.
Kris Pietka is done with women . . . he’s broken. But when he meets Golden, an overwhelming need to protect her tests everything he thought he knew about himself, and the paranormal.
A bond forged centuries ago thrusts them together as they search for a way to break an ancient Druid curse prophesying their demise. Racing against the clock, they travel from Vermont, to the Carpathian Mountains in Poland, and the Scottish Highlands in search of answers and a way to break the curse.
But something evil watches—it covets, and time is running out.
Two things have helped Nicole cope since the murder of her husband. One is running her detective agency, and the other is her guardian angel, Mira. When Mira is killed by a demon, Nicole accepts the help of a Ridge, a long-haired, cigar-smoking diamond in the rough with wings. Things go from bad to worse when a replacement guardian cannot be found. She has to trust Ridge, which is tricky when she realizes there are no demons or angels, just parasitic aliens that humans have built the myths of these celestial beings around. Ridge isn’t an angel or a devil, but an alien half breed known as a Midworlder. He is also way too sexy for his own good.
Earrings by Perfectly Honest author, Linda O’Connor
You never know where your words will take you…
When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s ‘fiancée’ for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor. Sam O’Brien, aka ‘Dr. Eye Candy’, is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down. But when his ‘fiancée’ helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, he might have done things a little differently because somehow his ‘fiancée’ ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted. Lies and deceit – it’s a match made in heaven!
Hope only wants to find out if her ability to infuse euphoria or despair with her touch makes her the devil's spawn, or his exterminator. But when the woman who raised her is murdered by something not human, she loses the only family she knew and discovers one she might wish she hadn’t.
Drawn back to the home town she vowed never to return to, her ability is seen as an asset to everyone but Hope, and she doesn't know who to trust. Her family wants her to help them overcome an enemy oppressing the human population, while the man of her dreams is courting her for the Underworld.
Time is running out, and Hope’s choice may be made for her, as she discovers she’s a pawn in a bigger game played by a merciless ruler who doesn't lose.
Convinced by her mother that she’s not woman enough to keep her husband, Annabelle O’Sullivan files for divorce after two years of marriage. Shortly thereafter, she enters an abusive relationship that leaves her frail, scarred, and broken. She’s convinced this kind of love is the only kind she’s worthy of.
Annabelle also never thought she’d see her ex-husband, Kade Hoffman, again. But when her Aunt Gracie passes away, she’s not only inheriting her antique shop, but that it comes with a life-changing catch: that she and her ex-husband must live together in her aunt’s cabin for two months before either can inherit anything.
Can she break down the barriers of her past and find the courage to love again?
As the go-to wedding planner, Suzy can’t find her own wedded bliss and has one shocker of a wedding day. It doesn’t help that she’s still pining for her high school sweetheart, the one who got away. Handling neurotic brides is the best part of Suzy’s day until her son brings home a bombshell from Europe.
Alexandra, a beautiful marketer with a “touch” of OCD, falls for a bad-boy cop who's married and possibly stalking her. But he sure is sexy. Alex tries to stay at arm’s length after she puts her job—and life—on the line for the officer who isn’t always a gentleman.
Hope hates her name, looks, and frizzy hair. As a high school counselor, she dishes out sage advice to students, yet can’t see she’s enabling her deadbeat, stuck-in-the-seventies hippie parents. After tragedy strikes, she reexamines their relationship and discovers a secret that almost went to the grave.
Friends since high school, the thirty-something women meet every Thursday at Coconuts for their own form of friendapy.
December 31, 2014
Congratulations to our December Giveaway Winners!
Congratulations to you all. You will be contacted by each author via email with information regarding your prize.
Have a safe and prosperous new year.a Rafflecopter giveawayBe sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries.
Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests
December 30, 2014
Strengthening Your Point of View by Alice Abel Kemp and a Giveaway.
Writing Tips for Strengthening Your Point of View
Alice Abel Kemp
Point of View (POV) is something new writers struggle with. It’s so easy to slip from one character to another. And, yes, Nora Roberts does it. Head-hopping. But at the risk of insulting you, I have to point out that very few of us will ever be as successful or as skilled as Nora.
In addition, failing to maintain a consistent POV in each scene is an easy give-a-way for editors and agents to recognize a beginner. So rule number one is keep the POV straight, and when you become a New York Times best-selling writer, you can deviate all you want.
According to my good friend and frequent writing teacher, John Foxjohn (http://www.johnfoxjohnhome.com/), here a few things we ought to avoid that weaken the POV of our characters. These are sense words.
Such as: Mary saw the stranger across the street, and her heart stopped. Instead: Mary’s heart stopped when the stranger appeared.
Mary thought I don’t want to talk to him. Instead: Mary didn’t want to talk to him.
She felt a chill when he looked at her. Instead: His gaze sent a chill up her spine.
Mary heard the door slam across the hallway. Instead: When the door slammed, she froze.
You get the idea? We don’t think ‘I see the stranger.’ No, the stranger appears and we react.
This one takes practice, and a good critique partner helps us see what we can’t at first.
Happy writing and much success in the new year. But most importantly, keep writing!!
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Join Alice and many other authors for a chance to win in our Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway!
Scroll down to read all about Alice's books.
Margaret Angelo, a New Orleans homicide detective, works to catch a serial killer, the Slasher. Despite the sexism of the NOPD, she heads the task force to stop this killer, who kidnaps women, assaults them, and gets off on licking their bodies before he kills them. Although devoted to her job, Margaret longs for a life partner. She reconnects with a high school acquaintance, Jim, whom she hires to paint her house. They begin a relationship, but Margaret is kidnapped by the Slasher and faces certain death. The other detectives manage to rescue her although the Slasher escapes their trap. He is losing control and hunts Margaret down, determined to finish her. With Jim’s support, can she escape this mad man?
A divorced professor, Marilise, struggles with an unintended pregnancy from a foolish one-night stand. When her high school sweetheart, Tommy, shows up as a student in her class, she’s scared to get involved. He’s a short-tempered homicide detective working on a case where a sportscaster is accused of shooting his ex-wife. Tommy is attracted to the new Marilise.
She attends the sportscaster’s trial to see Tommy testify. In the bathroom on a break, she overhears a thug threaten a woman juror to vote not guilty. She tells the judge and becomes a target and a risk to a local politician’s plans. Tommy and Marilise rekindle their relationship while he attempts to protect her. Can their new relationship survive the threats and will he accept her pregnancy?
NOVELLA
A young woman finds the love of her life in a crummy waitressing job at a country club where she’s forced to wear a revealing red halter top. The hot romance falters when he says the worst thing possible in the middle of sex. Can she forgive him? Or trust him?
Alice Abel Kemp is a former sociology and women’s studies professor at the University of New Orleans. But the university has no responsibility for the stuff said here. She’s lived in New Orleans for a long time after attending graduate school at the University of Georgia (Go Bulldogs!). She’s worked to transform herself from an academic writer to a fiction writer, a slow process. Some folks might remember her women’s studies textbook, Women’s Work: Degraded and Devalued, published by Prentice Hall in the 1990s.
Happy Holidays,Sophia
Be sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries.
Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests
December 25, 2014
Giveaway for The 12 Days of Christmas
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas,My true love said "It's Here!
The tree is full of presents, so you
Must have been a good girl all year!"
The time has come to announce this year's 12 Days of Christmas winners. I'm so glad you were able to join us and I hope you enjoyed our posts about the holidays and how we love to celebrate. I also hope you found a book or two you were able to relax with as you sat by the fire in the twinkle of the tree lights and sipped a cup of hot cocoa.
Scroll down to see the winners listed in order of the prize won. First winner listed, won the first prize listed. You will be contacted via email.
ON BEHALF OF ALL PARTICIPATING AUTHORS IN THIS YEAR'S BLOG HOP
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Ho, ho, ho...Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays,Sophia
Be sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries.
Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests
December 24, 2014
Cocktail Recipe for The 12 Days of Christmas
On the 11th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me....
A new twist on Champagne, a giveaway, and A Second Chance for Murder!Be sure to scroll down to enter our giveaway, and read all about Ann Lacey's, A Second Chance for Murder.
Champagne Holiday Punch
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
2 cups cranberry juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 bottle champagne (Korbel Brut works great)
Small amount of Grand Marnier (or any orange liqueur you prefer)
Red sugar
Green sugar
In a saucepan, bring water, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Discard cinnamon and cloves.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a large pitcher.
Add cranberry juice and pineapple juice.
Chill in fridge until ready to serve.
At serving time, add 1 bottle of chilled champagne.
When serving, put the red sugar, green sugar and Grand Marnier in a three-part dish or in three separate bowls. I use this divided dish and it works out really well. Dip the rim of the champagne glass into the Grand Marnier (or whatever orange liqueur you’ve using) then into one of the sugars. Then pour the punch into the glass.
Serve from a pitcher, if you use a punch bowl and ladle, the champagne tends to run down the side of the glass.
For large parties, I love to use little charms around the stem of the glass. I have a limited number of champagne glasses so it helps my guests keep up with their glass.
This is not my recipe. You can view the original by clicking on any of the photos, but I can tell you I will be trying it this New Years!
When a young woman is murdered during a party at the family estate and local authorities are unable to find the culprit, Lady Thora Mannington decides to take matters into her own hands and sets out to find the killer herself!
Fearing for his impulsive sister’s safety, her brother, Nyle turns to his friend Lord Garren Huntscliff for help. Though his investigating days are over, Garren cannot refuse his troubled friend. No sooner does he take on the case than two more deaths occur and he soon discovers that he is matching wits against a dangerous and clever killer. Complicating his effort is the lovely Lady Thora, who insists on joining forces with him yet refuses to adhere to his cautions, continually places herself at risk and is so disarmingly enchanting that he finds himself falling for her. Now Garren has two things on his mind, find a crafty and elusive killer and keep the reckless Lady Thora from becoming a victim herself!
As part of The 12 Days of Christmas Celebration, Ann donated a $25 Amazon gift card to the prize list. Be sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries. Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests
About the Author
I spent much of my life in New Jersey but have also lived in Florida and Wyoming. I currently reside in the lake region of central North Carolina. Living close to water, there are days when fog rolls in off the lake and creates an eerie mist. I love it but my dog, Molly, takes one look and refuses to leave the house.
When I’m not writing I read (lately with the help of a powerful pair of readers). For me there’s nothing better than a good who-done- it or a steamy romance! On rainy days, I enjoy watching old movies especially film noir and I can spend hours in an antique store.
I have recently moved to North Carolina and I’m delighted to say that southern hospitality truly exists!
Connect: Website | Twitter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Starting December 14th (the First Day of Christmas) and running through December 24th, visit our hosts daily, as they will be sharing their favorite holiday recipes, movies, songs, memories, traditions, gift and decorating ideas. Come back on December 25th to find out if you won one of the 16 fabulous prize packages.
Happy Holidays,Sophia
December 23, 2014
Family Tradition for The 12 Days of Christmas
On the 10th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Presents, a giveaway, and Unleashed by Rachel Lacey!Be sure to scroll down to enter the contest, and read all about Unleashed by Rachel Lacey.
My favorite family tradition growing up, and one I still do today with my husband and kids is opening one present of your choice on Christmas Eve. It was always so hard to choose the one I wanted to open, but such fun!
What happens when you find the right one at the wrong time?
Cara Medlen has a serious case of animal attraction. And it’s not because of all the foster dogs she’s rescued. She’s got it bad for her incredibly sexy neighbor. Her one rule: Don’t get attached. It’s served her well with the dogs she’s given to good homes and the children she’s nannied. Yet the temptation of Matt’s sexy smile might just convince her that some rules are made to be broken.
Matt Dumont doesn’t need his skills as a private investigator to detect disaster on the horizon. Cara is everything he thought he’d never find—gorgeous, funny, and caring. But there’s no way he can start a relationship just as he’s about to move to another state. Talk about bad timing. As their attraction sizzles too hot to deny, they’ll have to make a decision: forget the consequences and let loose, or forget each other and let go…
Buy Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo
As part of The 12 Days of Christmas celebration, Rachel donated a Bark Less, Wag More Coffee Mug & Author Swag, paired with a $10 Starbucks card from Cynthia Gail to the prize list.
About the Author
Rachel Lacey lives in North Carolina, with her husband, son, and their own rescued pup. She volunteers her spare time with Carolina Boxer Rescue and truly has a passion for helping our furry friends. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America as well as her local Heart of Carolina RWA chapter.
Connect: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Starting December 14th (the First Day of Christmas) and running through December 24th, visit our hosts daily, as they will be sharing their favorite holiday recipes, movies, songs, memories, traditions, gift and decorating ideas. Come back on December 25th to find out if you won one of the 16 fabulous prize packages.
Happy Holidays,Sophia
Be sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries.
Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests
Tips on Gifts for/from Writers by Maureen L. Bonatch
Join me today with Maureen L. Bonatch and some excellent advice on gifts for writers...
And don't forget to scroll down and enter our December Christmas Extravaganza!
Gift giving and/or receiving tips for/from writersDo you know where your gifts are? If you’re like me, by this date you’ve gotten most of them purchased, crossing off the easy ones on your list first.
But then there’s…them. The other ones. You know, the people that no matter what, you can’t figure out what to get for them, or understand how they choose that ‘special’ gift for you that looks like it came out of someone’s basement or garage.
If that ‘special someone’ (we writers don’t like to be called weirdoes…okay, some of us may revel in it, but not everyone, best not take the chance) is a writer, here’s a few tips in giving and receiving gifts this season.
1. Anything with a quote on it and you’re pretty much a ‘shoe in’.
This is a person that spends more time on a sentence than it takes to devour a fruitcake (and you know those things tend to linger. The fruitcake that is, not your writer friend, they’re usually introverts and itching to head home like a prisoner on house arrest.) These random quotes may make no sense to you, but a writer-ly person will pause and marvel at your thoughtfulness and how you just ‘get them’.
~As you’re opening the card from your writer friend…know that they scoured that card rack (or wrote their own card since none could express what they wanted to say) to find the verse that ‘spoke to them’ the most. So read the darn thing! Even if it makes no sense to you, do the smiling and nodding thing.
2. Journals, tablets, notebooks, sticky notes…see the theme here?
Paper! Explanation shouldn’t be required. Even with a laptop and illegible handwriting most writers can’t be without paper despite having a stash worthy of a hoarder.
~So…if you’re opening a lovely journal or notebook from your writer friend… look inside the darn thing! You can see by the eager gleam in their eye that there’s surely a deep, thought-provoking inscription inside that they consider the ‘gift that keeps on giving’ for you to cherish for years to come.
3. Old books, or new books, heck probably any book.
You’re Golden! It’s a book and we adore them. Caressing their covers like a newborn babe. Lovingly displaying them like trophies on the bookshelf, coffee table, in the bathroom. Looking as if the books are multiplying faster than rabbits. The neatest write’s abode is challenged to avoid book clutter.
(Psst..easy peasey last minute gift here…surely you’ve got some books lying around? Even if they’re used or old- hey, that adds character. Just say how you chose it just for them.)
~If you’re receiving the book. Know your writer chose it with you in mind and if they love it—they have their own copy already, so don’t plan on re-gifting that baby. Your writer friend will remember. They may forget to eat, shower, dress, or who you are when they’re absorbed in a story, but they never forget a book.
Happy Holidays!a Rafflecopter giveawayJoin Maureen and many other authors for our Christmas Extravaganza Giveaway! Enter to win!
HOPE ONLY WANTS TO FIND OUT IF HER ABILITY TO INFUSE EUPHORIA OR DESPAIR WITH HER TOUCH MAKES HER THE DEVIL'S SPAWN, OR HIS EXTERMINATOR. BUT WHEN THE WOMAN WHO RAISED HER IS MURDERED BY SOMETHING NOT HUMAN, SHE LOSES THE ONLY FAMILY SHE KNEW AND DISCOVERS ONE SHE MIGHT WISH SHE HADN’T.
DRAWN BACK TO THE HOME TOWN SHE VOWED NEVER TO RETURN TO, HER ABILITY IS SEEN AS AN ASSET TO EVERYONE BUT HOPE, AND SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO TO TRUST. HER FAMILY WANTS HER TO HELP THEM OVERCOME AN ENEMY OPPRESSING THE HUMAN POPULATION, WHILE THE MAN OF HER DREAMS IS COURTING HER FOR THE UNDERWORLD.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT, AND HOPE’S CHOICE MAY BE MADE FOR HER, AS SHE DISCOVERS SHE’S A PAWN IN A BIGGER GAME PLAYED BY A MERCILESS RULER WHO DOESN'T LOSE.
This book is so good! Pick up your copy today!
CAN LOVE CROSS THE BOUNDARIES MORTALS HAVE ERECTED TO REJECT ALL THAT CANNOT BE EXPLAINED?
AS THE LAST WITCH IN THE TURNER LINE, CELESTE DOESN’T KNOW IF SHE’S FINALLY FOUND TRUE LOVE OR IF HER GRANDMA CAST A LOVE SPELL TO CONTINUE THE TURNER LINE. DANE JOHNS IS A MAN NOT EASILY FORGOTTEN, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT CELESTE PLANS TO DO. BECAUSE HE HAS ONE BIG FLAW. HE’S A MORTAL.
DANE JOHNS DOESN’T KNOW IT BUT HE’S UNDER A SPELL, AND CELESTE TURNER IS THE CURE. MYSTERIOUSLY HEALING HIS INJURY WHILE CAPTIVATING HIS HEART, DANE IS ENCHANTED. ALTHOUGH ONCE HE DISCOVERS CELESTE’S SECRET HE MUST DECIDE IF HE’S CHARMED ENOUGH TO NOT ONLY ACCEPT LOVE INTO HIS LIFE, BUT THE WORLD OF MAGIC.
GROWING UP WITH FOUR SIBLINGS HAD MAUREEN FAMILIAR WITH ESCAPING INTO A GOOD BOOK, OR THE RECESSES OF HER MIND. SHE REALIZED LATER IN LIFE EVERYONE DIDN'T HAVE CHARACTERS TELLING STORIES IN THEIR HEADS, OR WEREN'T ENVISIONING MAGIC AND MAYHEM WITHIN THE EVERYDAY. THIS, AND LONG WALKS IN THE BEAUTIFUL STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA SPAWNED A LOVE OF WRITING.
SINCE HER DESIRE TO BECOME A SOLID GOLD DANCER WAS THWARTED WHEN THE SHOW WAS DISCONTINUED, MAUREEN OPTED TO PURSUE OTHER PATHS. ATTEMPTING TO CONQUER NEW ENDEAVORS PROVED FRUITFUL WITH HER FIRST NOVELLA, WHILE OTHER ATTEMPTS, SUCH AS CHALLENGING A FEAR OF HEIGHTS WITH PARASAILING, WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THEREFORE SHE'S CHASED OTHER INTERESTS, THOUGH NONE-THE-LESS-DARING, BUT CLOSER TO THE GROUND, SUCH AS BELLY-DANCING, BECOMING A SELF-PROCLAIMED TEQUILA CONNOISSEUR, FULFILLING HER ROLE AS BIKER BABE TO HER ALPHA HUBBY AND SURVIVING TWINS, AND MOTHERHOOD (SO FAR).
PENNING STORIES BOASTING LAUGHTER, LIGHT SUSPENSE AND SOMETHING MAGICAL IN THE HOPE OF SHARING HER LOVE OF FINDING THE EXTRAORDINARY IN THE ORDINARY WORLD.
Happy Holidays,Sophia
Be sure to sign up for Sophia Kimble's newsletter to be the first to know of new contests and earn bonus entries.
Follow Sophia's blog for the latest posts on writing tips and contests
