Signing at Karen's Book Barn

I'll be having a signing at Karen's Book Barn in La Grange, Kentucky on November 19 from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Find more information at the Facebook Event Page.

Carol

Holiday Bazzar Booksigning

On Saturday, November 5, I will be at the Tri Kappa Christmas Bazzar located at the Springs Valley High School PE Complex, 356 S. Larry Bird Blvd, French Lick, Indiana. The event is from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. It will be a great time to find some Christmas gifts for family and friends. I'll have all of my books there and  hope to see you there.

Happy Halloween

Post Conference Report and Next Appearance

My experience at this year's Imaginarium Creative Writing Conference was not disappointing. As expected, it was awesome! It's always so good see old friends and meeting new ones and this year was no exception.

I was a member of four discussion panels during the conference and each one was well attended. That's one great thing about this conference, not only can you buy some great books directly from the authors, but if you're eager to learn more about being a writer or getting published, there are a seemingly endless number of panels to learn just about any aspect of the business.

From the time I set up and discovered my table neighbors were Melissa Goodman, Amy McCorkle, and Glenn Porzig, I was a happy camper. All three won awards at the conference. Congrats! Leah Pugh, was also a fantastic neighbor, but I forgot to get a picture of her. Sorry, Leah, next time.

I was so happy to see James and Claudette Pearcy again. They came all the way from Texas.

Of course, it's always good to share time with my friend, author, and fellow Hoosier, Molly Daniels.

And, last but not least, my friends at Per Bastet Publications who won the award for Best Press. Congratulations to them, also.

Imaginarium is my favorite convention to attend and I look forward to it every year. The one thing I kept hearing over and over from attendees is how nice everyone is and that is so true. Everyone, whether an author, publisher, editor, or filmmaker, was always happy to spend time talking to visitors and sharing information.

Kudos to the head honcho, Stephen Zimmer for putting on the best conference around. I don't want to miss any names, so I will just add that all of Stephen's staff and volunteers spent countless hours to make everything run so smoothly. My hat is off to all of you and I'll see you next year.

If you missed me at Imaginarium, my November appearances will be on November 5 at the Tri-Kappa Holiday Bizaar in French Lick, Indiana and November 19 at Karen't Book Barn in La Grange, Kentucky.

Carol

Enter the Imaginarium

My favorite event to attend of the year is coming up. Imaginarium 2016 arrives in Louisville, Ky this coming weekend, October 7-9, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel! A convention all about creative writing and the imagination, featuring over 130 professional guests conducting 3 days of panels and workshops on all genres of writing, the craft of writing, editing, publishing, blogging, filmmaking, social media, game design and much more! Gaming, cosplay and a costume contest, a film festival, an expo, live entertainment with music, magic and even a burlesque cabaret are all yours to enjoy alongside our national-caliber programming. Network, learn, and have fun among creatively-minded individuals all weekend! Explore our schedule and then browse our guests and the rest of the site to see everything that Imaginarium has to offer! Full weekend passes and single day passes available.  http://www.entertheimaginarium.com/

The Vendor Hall will be open free to the public to purchase books from authors in all genres. I will be there all three days with all of my books to sign and sell. I hope to see you there. 

Carol

September Appearances

On September 8, I will be at the New Albany-Floyd County Library Authors Fair from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. There will also be a panel discussion during this time where myself and other authors will be discussing our writing process. The Library is located at 180 W. Spring Street, New Albany, Indiana.

On September 18, I will participating in the Kentuckiana Authors Book Blitz at 300 Spring Street, Jeffersonville, Indiana from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm. I hope to see you there.

Photo challenge - Colorful

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I've started taking pictures again. I hoping that doing that during the day will keep my mind fresh to work on my books in the evening. Starting in August, I'm doing a 31 day photo challenge. I have a daily list of photo themes that I will try to achieve. To get me started, I've picked my own topics to shoot for the next three days. Today's theme was "colorful." Below is a photo of my Impatiens flowers in front of my porch.

New Book and New Photographs

I wanted to give an update on what's been going on with me. No, I don't have a new book coming out yet, but I am about to start on the final chapter of my next book, "Her Bluegrass Beau." Without going into details, because they could change in the editing process, this book takes place in Kentucky when Karri Taylor comes to Kentucky to sell her great-aunt's farm that she inherited. While staying in Kentucky, she has second thoughts about selling when she meets the handsome neighbor, Jake Duncan. I hope to have the book released in early 2017.

The next news is that I am going to start taking photos again. No, this will not take time away from my writing. I'll be setting up a schedule allotting time for both. Photography has always been a passion of mine since high school. It's more or less a stress reliever for me. Periodically, I'll post some photos here as I plan on taking part in some photo challenges. Until I post some new ones, here are a couple landscapes that I took some time ago.

This was taken just down the road from my house on one of my morning walks. It's best viewed large.

I took this one as I was driving home one evening. This is also be viewed large.

Check back later for more updates and photos.

Carol

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day, United States!

Phi Beta Psi's Day at the Park

 

My next appearance will be Saturday, June 25 at the Phi Beta Psi Day at the Park. The event is located at Wirth Park in Oakland City, Indiana from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Central Time. I'll have all of my books there to sign and sell. https://www.facebook.com/events/1016932385062525/

There will also be lots of craft and food vendors and live music all day.

Edinburgh Outlet Mall Authors Fair May 28

On Saturday, May 28, 2016, join me, and so many other authors, at the Authors Fair at the Edinburgh (Indiana) Outlet Mall, just off of I-65 at exit 76. We'll be located at in front of the mall between the Claire's and Charlotte Russe outlet stores. The Authors Fair runs from 10 am - 5 pm EDT. Not only will you find some great books, but the Outlet Mall has hundreds of stores for your shopping pleasure. Get that Christmas shopping done early.

The Edinburgh Outlet Mall is located at 11622 NE Executive Dr, Edinburgh, Indiana 46124.

I hope to see you there.
Carol

National Wine Day

Today is National Wine Day. This should be a national holiday, don't you think? I love to write scenes in my novels where the characters are sharing a meal and I try to always include wine. I'm not a wine connoisseur, so I had to do a lot of research to write the scenes where they have to order wine. I had to figure out what wine would go with the type of food they were eating. I have to admit it was so much fun reading and learning about the different types of wines.

 

Surprisingly, the best place I found for wine research wasn't on the Internet. It was in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, which included a chart inside defining the different types of wines.

One of the more interesting things I learned about wine is that different wines should be served in different style glasses.  For instance, red and burgundy wines are served in a glass with a larger bowl. Rosé wines should be served in a glass with a flarred lip to allow the wine to flow out of the glass and onto the tip of the tongue where the sweet taste buds are located. However, if you don't have a glass with a flarred lip, don't feel you need to run out to buy one. Rosé wines are similar to red wines, so the larger bowl glass for red wines works very well. White wines are served in a similar style glass, but a bit smaller. Who knew? Sparkling wines and champagne should be served in a long stem flute glass. 

One thing that I was amazed to find out is that sherry is a type of wine made from white grapes. Remember watching the television show, Frazier? He was always drinking sherry with his brother. Dry sherry is considered an appetizer wine and served cold, or it can be sweet and served at room temperature after a meal, like on Frazier. On that show, they usually drank it from a very small sized glass, but according to my research, it should be served in a glass similar to the red wine glass, but shorter.

If you want to see how well I put my new knowledge of wine to work, check out my book, "A Kitchen Affair." Links are available on the book page of my web site, http://bit.ly/XkR1uJ

If you're interested in learning a little more about wines, please visit fellow author, Mysti Parker's blog.

Cheers,

Carol

"A Kitchen Affair" 99 cent sale

Today, I am guest blogging on on Jana Richard's blog about my backlist book, "A Kitchen Affair."

On her blog, you will find my recipe for Chocolate Rum Cheesecake, which is one of the dishes served in the book. If you purchase "A Kitchen Affair" now online you will receive the updated edition, which includes a recipe at the end of each chapter. That's 12 recipes in all. In honor of my guest appearance on Jana's blog, you can now purchase the e-book of "A Kitchen Affair" for 99¢ on many of the online stores. You can find the buy links below.

When culinary student Jenny Marshall struggles to pay her tuition, she decides to become a Personal Chef to make ends meet. The most eligible bachelor in town, Derek James, happens to also be a millionaire and he has a crisis. Two days before his Thanksgiving dinner party, his cook has to quit due to a family emergency. Desperate, he hires Jenny to cook for his party and there's chemistry from the start. He likes her, she likes him, but a manager at his company has set her sights on Derek and does everything she can to sabotage the relationship. Everyone thinks Colleen is the perfect match for Derek; everyone that is, except Derek. He desperately wants Jenny in his life. However, Colleen has other plans to keep that from happening. What lengths will she go to in order to keep Derek and Jenny apart?

Buy Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WmABwI
B&N: http://bit.ly/1SYbpys
iTunes: http://apple.co/1TrPYAi
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Z4U8SQ

This sale ends on or around May 24, 2016.

Carol

Now Available in Paperback

For the first time, my novella "Spring Forward, Fall Back in Love" is now available in paperback. You can find buy links to several online retailers on my web site at http://CarolPre.com

Blog Hop: Mountain of Deception

Read below about my book, "Mountain of Deception" and then click at the bottom to check out some of my fellow authors who are taking part in the Book Hooks Blog Hop.  

Tessa Cooper, having taken a year long sabbatical from teaching English at a university in order to write a mystery novel, winds up living in the mountains of Tennessee. The last thing on her mind is falling in love. Then she meets the man building the garage behind her cabin. Sexy Silas Newberry is a man with many secrets, and Tessa is determined to find out what they are. But when things start going in the wrong direction, can Silas keep her safe without revealing his biggest secret of all?


Excerpt:

Silas sat his beer down hard on the counter and walked over next to Tessa. “Damn right, I’m jealous. He’s blonde, has blue eyes, tanned skin, tall, and muscle bound. Isn’t that what women swoon over?”

Tessa finished washing the glass, dried her hands, and turned to Silas. “You have nothing to worry about. I love running my fingers through your long brown hair, and I can’t resist your rugged, slightly bristled face with your deep blue eyes.” She touched his long hair and ran the back of her hand down his cheek ever so lightly. “As for tanned skin, well if you remember, when we first met in August, you had very tanned skin from working outside so much and then there are those muscles.” She ran her hands down his arms. “Every time I see you in one of your shirts that hug your muscles tight, I want to rip it shirt off with my teeth.” She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him. He drew her closer in a hug. She didn’t know how she could be so lucky to find someone like Silas, someone she had grown to love so much.

When the kiss ended, she made her final claim, whispering, “Most importantly, I love you, and you love me. So, like I said, you have nothing to worry about.”

In one swift motion, Silas picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

Buy links: 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1qHs2lZ

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1S7HrH4

B&N: http://bit.ly/1Ndc36P

ITunes: http://apple.co/1SEBCRl

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1qHwgd8

Hardback: http://bit.ly/1RVRyyd

Book Hook Blog Hop

Drop Everything And Read day

April 12 is Drop Everything and Read Day. Take some time and start a new book today.

Booksigning season has begun

My first booksigning event of the season is this weekend and I can't wait. This event is like a family reunion and I'm so looking forward to seeing all the authors and readers again this year.

The organizers of the event are Frank and Kim Hall. I can't even express how amazing they and their volunteers are to the authors. They take VERY good care of us.

The event itself will have over 50 authors, representing all genres of books. No matter what you read, I would bet you will find it at this year's Authors Fair.

Books are reasonable priced and the authors are more than happy to sign their books for you. Food and refreshments will also be available on site.

The weather is going to be perfect to take a drive, so if you find yourself in the Madison, Indiana area on Saturday or Sunday, please stop by and visit. Admission and parking are free.

Carol

I was fingerprinted

This past week, I was at two police stations and fingerprinted at one of them. Now don't worry, I've not turned to a life of crime. It's just the opposite. This is going to sound a little odd, but for Valentine's Day my husband and I applied for our concealed carry gun permits. That may not sound romantic to some of you, but my husband and I share a love of sport shooting.

It's in his genes and was passed to me when we got married. He and his father owned a gunsmith shop, not to mention that they were both police officers at different times. My husband was a town police officer when we met and after he was hired as a deputy sheriff, talked my mother and I into getting our first gun permits about thirty-five years ago. He was the first person to take my fingerprints when I applied for that gun permit. How romantic, right?

Back then, fingerprints were taken with ink and wow, what a mess! Since we were dating, he came to my house and fingerprinted my mom and I at our kitchen counter. Permits back then were paper applications that had to be filled out and, along with the fingerprint card, like you see on the right, were mailed with your payment to the State Police for processing and approval. Those permits expired after four years and at the end of my four years, my husband had moved on to another job.

To reapply, I had to go through the whole process again. By then we had gotten married and he moved on to a different job. We were living within city limits then and I had to apply with the town police department first and get fingerprinted there. That was interesting too because the officer that fingerprinted me then was a friend from high school. We laughed so much, I didn't think he was ever going to get my prints done well enough to read. Time went by and that permit expired and I never got around to getting it renewed. We had started a family and for me, the sport of shooting took a backseat to diapers, toys, and well, sleep.

The State I live in now has a lifetime concealed carry permit and we have talked about each of us getting one for a long time. On Valentine's Day, while we were both sitting at our computers, I suggested that maybe now was a good time to apply for our permits. So, at the same time, both us started filling out the applications, which are now online. We scheduled our appointments at the city police department south of where we live to get our fingerprints done. Then, on Wednesday went to have them done.

Things sure have changed since the last time I was fingerprinted. It's all digital now, no more inky fingers to try and get clean afterward. The officer, who by the way looked like a teenager to me, sprayed my hand with water and told me to rub them together for a few seconds. Then, he took each finger and rolled them on the glass-topped device. The print popped up on the computer screen and indicated if the print was readable or not. He had a little problem with me and had to re-roll three of them. He said the ring finger is always the hardest, but my pinky finger on my left hand proved the most difficult. That was the last one he had to take and it took three tries to finally get a readable print. My husband was next and he said his all went through the first time. After we left there with our confirmation of getting our prints taken, we had to stop by the Sheriff's Department for them to complete the process. Thus, fingerprinted and then at two police departments on the same day. Now, we just wait for the applications to be approved and receive our permits in the mail.

As a writer of mystery and suspense, I found this experience invaluable as research for a future book. Hmmm, I wonder if I can write this off on my taxes as a research expense?

Carol