Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that you have a wonderful 2015.

Gifts of the Magi: A Speculative Holiday Collection

The Speculative Fiction Guild have put together a speculative fiction anthology to raise money for the Indy Reads Books literacy charity. They have an Amazon Countdown sale going on right now.  Every 99 cent purchase gives 63 cents of profit to Indy Reads Books. 

The Countdown is until Christmas day, so it will be 99 cents until Saturday afternoon (1pm PST), then it will bump to $1.99 until Monday evening (6pm PST), when it will be $2.99 until midnight beginning Christmas Day.

These are some wonderful authors that have written some awesome stories. Please consider purchasing Gifts of the Magi and support a great charity at the same time.

Thanks,
Carol

Holiday Paperback Sale

 

My publisher is having a Holiday Paperback Sale for two days only. Any of the paperbacks on their site will be available for $3.00 off regular price. The purchase must be made on the SCP web site and use code BV5JK96G at the checkout.

My books, Saved by the Sheriff and A Kitchen Affair will be available at the discount price on December 14th and 15th. They make great holiday gifts for anyone who loves a good romantic suspense novel. You can purchase my books at  http://ow.ly/FLmm8 and make sure you use the code above to get your discount.

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

Carol

Black Friday E-book sale

The Kentuckiana Authors, which I am a member, are having a Black Friday Weekend sale. E-books are 99¢, including my romantic suspense novel, "Compromised." Stop by and check out the great books we have to offer. http://ow.ly/F2Gub

Happy Thanksgiving

Christmas Catalogs

Does anyone besides me miss the old Sears and Penney's Christmas catalogs? What is your favorite Christmas memory?

STRESSED! What to Write?

 

Yes, I'm a bit stressed and have been for about a month or so. You see, while I am published as a romance writer, I have always wanted to be published as mystery writer. I started writing my first mystery book in 2009. I have about five chapters finished on it. Why only five chapters? Well, my romance writing kept pulling me back. 

I published my first romance in 2009. In 2010, I decided the mystery I had started could be a series. However, that first book would not work as Book 1 in a series, so I started the first in the series in 2010 while also working on a romance that was published in 2011. 

I kept getting ideas for more books in the series before I had even finished the first book. I actually have plot ideas for fourteen books in that series! In 2012, I kept writing romance though because I was in the "groove" writing that. I published three romances in 2013 and for NaNoWriMo in that year, I started on the third book in the mystery series. Whew!

So, here it is nearing the end of 2014 and I'm doing my best to get my most recent romance published, but still wanting to write that mystery series. I even have a publisher picked out to submit it too, if I ever get that first book finished. I did a lot of editing recently on Book 1 and have about five chapters written. Then last month, I hear this little voice in the back of my head saying, "Come back to romance."  I have seven and a half chapters finished on a romance and also the urge to work on another one that is only up to chapter one. Sometimes I wonder if I need some Prozac to relieve my stress.

So, today I am home from my day job due to the snow we had last night and I will be writing. All I need to do is figure out which genre I'm going to work on. Wish me luck.

Carol

 

Nerds

We finally scraped our old television that we bought in 2005 and got a new HDTV. I may never write another book again.

All I want to do is look at that sharp picture. My husband and I were watching The Big Bang Theory last week and were looking at all the things in the background that we never noticed before. Shelton and Leonard actually have a book on their bookshelf about comets that is the exact same book that my husband has on our bookshelf. Nerds.

Carol

Eleven things I learned at Magna cum Murder XX

I spent the weekend of October 24-26, 2014 at the Magna cum Murder mystery writing conference. For those that don't know, Magna cum Murder is a conference for both mystery writers and readers. The last time I attended it was held in Muncie, Indiana and sponsored by Ball State University. Now in its twentieth year, it is still sponsored by Ball State, but is now held at the historic Columbia Club in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, the perfect atmosphere for discussing mysteries.

While this wasn't my first Magna, I'm still sort of a newbie for this conference, last attending in 2010. I had a wonderful time this year listening to all the guests and panelists talk about the aspects of writing mysteries and thrillers. Below are a few of the things that I learned this year.

11. When sharing a hotel room, make sure to exchange cell phone numbers with your roomies prior to the conference so you can find them when you get there. {{waving at Marian and T.}}

10. Some beads used for Rosaries can be poisonous. Thank you, Lucy Zahray (The Poison Lady) for that information. She's always so informative.

9. The elite military unit, Delta Force, really does.... I mean, really doesn't exist. (Sorry, John)

8. Parnell Hall is still as funny as ever. Don't let him tell you that he isn't a good panel moderator, because he is.

7. A lot of murders happen in small towns and especially in coffee shops, at least they do in mystery novels.

6. Prior to the conference, check the window washers schedule at the hotel so the audience isn't so distracted at your panel. Although, it was really funny.

 

photo courtesy of Beverly Ray

5. I have yet to win the Swimsuit competition. Those that attended the conference will understand.

4. John Gilstrap's favorite curse work is "F--k!" Thank you, John. Your answer will forever be burned into my memory.

 

3. I learned how to bury a dead body so its more difficult to find. Could come in hand someday, for one of my books of course. The presentation by Karen Cooper, CSI retired, from Florida was fantastic.

2. I could listen to Dorothy Cannell tell her story about Cedric over and over and each time still laugh out loud. She's a wonderful person.

And, the #1 thing I learned at Magna cum Murder XX: Jeffery Deaver is not nearly as creepy in person as he looks on the back of his books. I loved talking to him during our elevator ride from the tenth to the second floor and then again later when he signed a book for me.

I tip my hat (if I had one) to the Magna cum Murder staff who did an awesome job with this year's conference and I look forward to attending again.

Carol

Sisters in Crime Blog Hop

During the month of September, members of the Sisters in Crime writing organization are participating in a blog hop. Below are my answers to a few questions.

1. Which authors have inspired you?
As a romantic suspense author, I have been very inspired by Lisa Gardner. Ms. Gardner is my favorite female writer. Her books are well written and always leave you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what will happen next. I strive to write as well as Ms. Gardner. It's pretty hard to decide which of her books I like the best, but two do come to mind, Alone and Hide. Oh, and I also like The Perfect Husband. Honestly, I have never read a bad Lisa Gardner book and I've just about all of them.

2. What's the best part of the writing process for you? What's the most challenging?
The best part of the writing process for me is when I'm really in "the zone." That's when I'm sitting at my computer typing away on my book and the next thing I know, I look up and I've been writing for hours.
What I find most challenging is dealing with interruptions. For instance, since starting the blog post, my husband has texted me six times. Those types of distractions break up my thought process and I can't get into "the zone" when I am being interrupted.

3. Do you listen to music while writing? What's on your playlist?
Sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I don't. Whether it's music or the television in the background, I have to have some sort of noise around when I write. I cannot write in total silence. Nope, can't do it. My musical tastes are 70's classic rock. My favorites are Boston, Eagles, Steve Miller Band, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. However, lately I've gotten hooked on music by the actor, Christian Kane. His music is classified as country, but has a good southern rock sound to it.

Lastly, I'd like to make a recommendation on an author for you to try. J.M. Madden writes romances between 'combat modified' military men and the women who love them. I met J.M. this past weekend at a writers convention and I'm really looking forward to start reading her books. Please stop by her site and give it a look.

Carol

Sisters in Crime Blog Hop
#SinCBlogHop

Imaginarium 2014

 
I spent this past weekend at the Imaginarium Writing Convention Held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Louisville, KY and what fun that was. Besides meeting so many new and wonderful authors, I made lot of new friends. I helped man the Kentuckiana Authors table, an organization that I am very proud to be a part of.

I was a guest panelist on several of the discussion panels and attending a few others. There were such good topics covered for just about any genre you could think of. Unfortunately, there were too many good panels and I missed a few I would have loved to attend because there was another one at the same time. Scheduling conflicts is something you just have to deal with at conventions and pick the panels you want to attend the most. With any luck, you can meet up with the authors from the panels you missed in the bar, lobby, or at their table and pick their brain a little. My favorite workshop that I attended was "A No-Nonsense, No-Gimmick Approach to Marketing Your Books" presented by Eric Beebe, who was also my neighbor from across the aisle. He gave fantastic information about marketing your book for the most sales. I will definitely be purchasing his book that he has coming out next month about marketing.




In addition to learning so much about writing, so many exciting things can happen, like below. Five minutes into my first panel, the fire alarm sounded and everyone had to evacuate the building. Luckily, it was nothing and we were allowed back inside after a short wait outside. Thank goodness it wasn't raining, hot, or in the middle of the night.

Then, there are just some fun people.

                                                                                           

Per Bastet Publications

Publisher and Author, Tony Acree and myself

Frank Hall, owner of That Book Place and the Gaming Director for Imagininarium

And finally, a big thanks to the Convention Director, Steven Zimmer. He put on an awesome convention and one that I will definitely participate in again and again. Thanks to all that were involved in making this a very rememorable weekend.

Next month, I get to do this all over again at Magna cum Murder in Indianapolis. 

Carol

*I borrowed a couple of the above photos from Facebook friends, but I failed to write down their names to give credit. If you took any of these photos and would like for me to take them down or give you credit, please e-mail me at cpreflatish@yahoo.com

Welcome author Kenzie Michaels

Today, I want to welcome my friend and fellow author, Kenzie Michaels who has a new book out. I'm turning my blog over to her today so she can tell you about it.

Carol

Kenzie: 

What do you get when you take an imaginary friend, a bar, and single girl on the town with friends?

You end up with a girl thinking she’s found the perfect ‘Mr. Rebound’, only with a twist:

He’s an alien who has been in love with her for years.

Here’s an excerpt from Heart’s Last Chance, which arrives Sept 12^th from Secret Cravings Publishing.  This is after a night of passion, and Tricia is out with her friends.  Enjoy!

Everyone has an imaginary friend at some point, right?  Well, what if you discover yours is actually an alien who is fascinated with Earth? 

Tricia Alexander's dreams are haunted by a mystery lover.  When she discovers the man she met in a nightclub is from another planet, will she accept his story or kick him out?

Brock was young Tricia's imaginary friend and confidant, and watched her grow up over the years.  After gaining permission from the leaders of his planet, he sought to bond with her twice before, but with little results.  When he's given a final chance, will he succeed?  Or will a family crisis prove too much?

Excerpt:

"Jayne’s right. You haven’t talked or texted Brock at all. What gives?”

Tricia shrugged. “He said he’d meet us at the restaurant at six-thirty. He had a few things to do today.” Brock, Brock, Brock, please text me in fifteen minutes.

What’s your phone number? You never gave it to me.

346-5124.

Gotcha. Are you okay?

I’ll explain later. Just a moment, please.

Becky gaped at her. “And you trust him to show up? Are you insane?”

“Trish! I can’t believe you let that man get away.” Lara set down her cup. “That’s the oldest trick in the book, next to sneaking out in the middle of the night. I can’t believe you, of all people, would fall for that.”

Tricia’s phone chimed.

Are we still on for dinner? Six-thirty, right?

She smiled and read it out loud. “Told you he could be trusted.” She texted back.

Yes, thank you. We’ll meet you in the lobby.

No problem. Wear something sexy?

What’s your idea of sexy?

“No fair texting at the table,” Lara protested, grabbing the phone from Tricia. “‘What’s your idea of sexy?’ What the hell is that about?”

Tricia grabbed it back. “He wants me to wear something sexy. To some guys, it means no underwear. Others it means low-cut. I just want to know if I should go for the stripper heels and the little black dress, or my new outfit from Banana Republic.” Her phone chimed again.

You bought something with bananas on it?

You said you wouldn’t spy on me.

You seemed to be in distress. Wear the new outfit. I like bananas.

Thanks for hosting me today Carol!  Here is where I can be found:

Website: www.mollydaniels.wordpress.com (The Chosen series now has its own page!)

Blog: http://kenziemichaels.blogspot.com

Face Book Page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Kenzie-Michaels/248105468603737

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kenziemichaels

You can purchase Kenzie's book, Heart's Last Chance at Secret Cravings Publishing, Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and All Romance eBooks.

Bio:

Kenzie Michaels is the 'wild child' of author Molly Daniels. They cohabitate nicely

inside the brain of a woman in Indiana who's the mother of three and 'Aunt

Molly' to the entire neighborhood. A devout chocoholic, her hubby has learned

to watch out when the characters in her head take over and not get too upset

when the words are flowing and all concept of time is lost. (LOL)

The Imaginarium Writing Conference

I will be attending The Imaginarium Writing and Film Conference in Louisville, Kentucky on Sept 19-21, 2014 and have received the list of panels I will be participating on:
Friday 4:00 PM Happy Ever After
Friday 5:30 PM Destroying the Archetypes - Writing Good Romance without a Formula
Saturday 5:00 PM Mysteries Today
Saturday 8:00 PM The Authoress' Guide to Good Steamy Romance
Sunday 3:00 PM What to Write…


Between panels and when I'm not attending another panel as a spectator, you can find me at the Kentuckiana Authors booth. Please stop by and say hello. 

Carol
 

Booksigning

On Friday July 11, I will be signing my books at The Opal Gypsys on E. Market in New Albany, Indiana from 5:00 - 8:00 along with authors, Bill Noel and Atty Eve. It's located across the street from where the farmers' market is held. The signing is in conjunction with Night Out New Albany, so lots of things will be going on downtown. If you're in the area, please stop by, say hi, and buy some books.

"Final Vow" by Kathleen Brooks: A review

Final Vow by Kathleen Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


What can I say about this book that I haven't said about the previous books in the series? This was a fantastic book, as were they all. I'm so hooked on Kathleen Brooks' books. This one was full of a combination of action and romance. I loved that. I highly recommend it and can't wait to start on her next series.



View all my reviews

A Look Toward Retirement: Round up of my vacation

Counting weekends, I've been away from my day job for ten days and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have actually be able to not check my work e-mail or my voice mail messages and haven't even wanted to. This vacation has given me a look into what retirement may be like for me. I'm not quite old enough to retire yet, but in a little less than five years, I'm eligible to retire from my government job. Now, whether I can afford to retire at that time will be the question. But, this week has told me that I won't go crazy sitting at home all the time and that I am disciplined enough to not just sit on the couch and eat all day. I wrote this week and wrote a lot. Oh, I did take the occasional break to watch a cooking show now and then, but hey I get breaks at my day job too. After I submitted my finished manuscript to the publisher on Tuesday and attended my writers group on Wednesday, I took the rest of the week off. Well, except for Thursday.

On Thursday, I had a table at the Jeffersonville (Indiana) Public Library's Authors Fair for National Library Week. Once the writing is finished, you have to push your wares. I had a great time, meet some wonderful people, and putting some faces to some online friends I had never met in person. There were 36 authors in attendance, included Karen Robards, NY Times Best Selling romance author. She was probably the most popular author there and I was in awe of her. I'm really looking forward to attending again next year.

This week was probably one of the best vacations that I've ever had and it has convinced me that I can survive retirement....someday.

Carol

50 to 1: A Movie Review

First, a disclaimer, my favorite actor, Christian Kane stars in this movie, so I'm just a teeny bit bias in my review, but even if he wasn't in this movie it was still great. I saw 50 to 1 the movie today and was highly impressed. What a wonderful movie that anyone can go see. I laughed, I sang, and I cried. Who doesn't like an underdog or a long-shot. This movie tells the story of the 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mind that Bird and the journey of the owners and trainer to winning the fastest two-minutes in sports. It starts Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane, Maddie Duetch, William Devane, and real Mind That Bird jockey Calvin Borel. Famed horse trainer, Bob Baffert also made several cameo appearances. I think of everyone in the movie, Calvin Borel stole the show. Playing himself, he was a wonderful actor. He's always been my favorite jockey and I loved that he was able to be in the movie.
Most of the filming was done in New Mexico, but the cast and crew invaded Churchill Downs for two weeks of filming.
During their cross-country tour, the cast kept calling this a feel-good movie. It wasn't till I watched it that I realized what that meant. You leave the theater with such a great feeling of the little guy getting it over on the buy guy. No one at the Derby gave them a chance and especially no respect. At least that the way the movie depicted it. I wonder if Baffert really did say those horrible things about Bird and his crew. If so, I've lost all respect for that man.

The acting was superb! Each and every one of that actors gave their all and you can tell. Christian Kane, as owner Mark Allen, was spot on. Not to mention Kane had two of his songs that played in the background during a scene in a bar. Kane has always been a favorite actor of mine, and his acting here was not disappointing.
The only distracting part of the movie was in a scene with Ulrich and Duetch where Ulrich's earlobe had two piercing holes in it. I couldn't keep my eye off his ear, but none of the movie was bad at all.
I'm hoping to go see the movie again and can't wait for the DVD to come out.
I tip my black cowboy hat to all the actors, writers, director, and producers for taking a wonderful story and bring life to it again.

Review - "Confederate Moon"

Confederate Moon by Kayelle McClive
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I purchased this book at an Authors Fair because the book takes place near where I live. I don't normally like werewolf or vampire books, but I was pleasantly surprised reading this book. It was fantastic and not at all what I expected. The author is an excellent writer and I didn't want to put the book down. She did a wonderful job of being able to visualize what was happening. Her description of the love scenes was perfect.

This book is also written in first-person. I wasn't sure how I was going to like that either, but it worked. I can't imagine it being written any other way.

Kudos to Ms. McClive and I am so looking forward to the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Upcoming Book Signing

Mark you calendar, I will be at the Jeffersonville Township Public Library, 211 E. Court Ave, Jeffersonville, Indiana this Thursday signing my books.

In celebration of National Library Week, the Jeffersonville Township Public Library will be hosting an Author Fair on Thursday, April 17, from 3-7 p.m. There will be over 25 authors participating in this event. The list of bestselling authors coming to the library includes Nancy Jensen, Alanna Nash, and Karen Robards. A few locally known names including Barry Bernson, John Boel, Bob Hill, and Dale Moss will be present as well.

Below is a video made by fellow author and aquaintance, Parnell Hall. He has several funny videos like this on YouTube. I hope to see you at the Authors Fair because I don't want to feel like Parnell does in his video. Thanks.

Carol

2014 Authors Fair - Madison, Indiana

I spent the night of March 14 and all day on March 15 in Madison, Indiana at the 4th Annual Authors Fair at That Book Place bookstore. As usual, I had a wonderful time and our gracious hosts, Frank and Kim Hall, as well as all of their workers, took very good care of us. A big THANKS to them for all that they did.

Friday night's panel discussions were held at the Ponderosa Steakhouse next door to the bookstore. Panels were held on genre mashups, the art and craft of writing, and traditional vs electronic publishing. Participants answered a lot of questions throughout the evening for some very informative sessions.

Saturday was the actual Authors Fair. I shared a table again this year with author, Molly Daniels/Kenzie Michaels. It's always a fun time with Molly around. It was like a big party and so wonderful seeing old friends and meeting new ones. The weather wasn't too bad with a little wind and chilly temps keeping us on our toes. I think we only had to grab the canopy a few times to keep it from blowing away, like last year.

Fellow author, Kayelle McClive also stopped by to show us her new paperback, "Confederate Moon," but couldn't stay this year. We missed you Kay.

Also sharing our table was mystery/fantasy author, James Peercy and his wife, Claudette, all the way from Texas. Both James and Claudette were super people and, as you can see by James' outfit, so much fun to have around.

We were also located next to the Three Fates Press. Above are my good friends,  T. Lee Harris and Marian Allen. They had a lot of people stop by their both.

Unfortunately, both the crowd and the number of authors were a lighter this year. Hopefully, that was due to the Milton-Madison bridge over the Ohio River suddenly being closed. I did sell some books and handed out lots of bookmarks and cards, so I'm calling the weekend a success.

Frank promises that next year's 5th Annual That Book Place Authors Fair will be a blowout. I, for one, can't wait. County me in, Frank. I can't wait.

Carol

Authors Fair

I'm in Madison, Indiana at the 4th Annual That Book Place Authors Fair. Tonight, I participated on one of the discussion panels.

Tomorrow, I'll be signing my books starting at 10:00 am. If you're in the area, please stop by.

Carol

Book update

Back in October and again in November, I wrote about my NaNoWriMo book. I'm happy today that it has been submitted for consideration for publication and I hope to hear something in the next few weeks.

When I work on a book, I, as many writers do, try to visualize how the characters look and how the location of the book will add to the story. One way that I do this is to find pictures of people who I think would look like the characters and how the locale of the book would look. I have a collection of photos in a file on my computer, but want to share them with fans of my books. I have created two boards on Pinterest for "A Mountain of Deception" and for another book I'm working on called, "Best Dressed Cowboy." You can find these boards at Pinterest - A Mountain of Deception and Pinterest - Best Dressed Cowboy. don't worry if they look a little bare, I'm only just started to pin for "A Mountain of Deception" board. I'll also be added more boards as ideas for new books come to me.

One more bit of news that I'm excited to share and that is related to what I have mentioned above is that in April, if all go as planned, I'll be meeting the actor, Christian Kane, who I modeled the main character in "A Mountain of Deception" after. It will be pretty cool to get my picture taken with the hero of one of my books.
(Update: I was unable to meet Christian Kane, as I had hoped. Before the tour from his movie, 50 to 1, made it to Louisville, he had to leave to start filming a new TV show that he will star in. I was so disappointed, but happy that he will be on TV weekly this fall.)




Thanks for keeping up with me. Hopefully, I can start posting here a little more often.
Carol

Acquiring Trouble by Kathleen Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Another fantastic book from Kathleen Brooks. I can't get enough of this series and the characters. You just immediately fall in love with every single person in that little town. This books made me cry happy tears again.

One of my favorite scenes is the brothers on their horses trying to save the cattle from the fire. Great action and I could picture the whole scene in my mine.

I definitely recommend both of Brooks' series.



View all my reviews