Welcome to my feature where authors share about the hobbies, careers, or passions of their characters.
I’m pleased to introduce today’s guest, Jude Hopkins…
The Play’s the Thing
I always wanted to write a play, which is why I instilled that same desire into Hadley Todd, the willful protagonist of my debut novel, “Babe in the Woods.” For my play, I always imagined a witty comedy that would light up Broadway before it was made into a movie. Hadley, however, is still smarting from a bad breakup, so she wants to write a play about a woman’s last moment of innocence before she realizes her love affair is over. Hadley wants her play to warn vulnerable women about the blackguards most likely to leave a girl heartbroken and avoid them before it’s too late. (She is the perfect example of a “too-late” girl.)
For a play-writing class in graduate school, I did write a scene from a play set in a restaurant starring a younger man and a woman in the halcyon days of first love. And I inserted that scene into “Babe in the Woods” because Hadley was ruminating over her failed love with her previous beau, wishing to return to the wonderful time they had together. Hadley remembers the scene as she dozes off one day, anguished by the memory.
So, throughout the book, Hadley seeks an answer to the question, “Can we ever find the last moment of our innocence”? She likes the idea of writing a drama that can be staged with characters similar to her ex, then explain to him, in precise language, how much he hurt her by leaving her—without his walking away as he did in real life. But there’s the not-insignificant problem of a writing block. Where to begin? Her friends tell her that once gone, innocence can’t be recovered, but wisdom gained from the experience is certainly valuable. They urge her to use that wisdom to find a mutual love because love shouldn’t be such hard work. Find love, then write the play.
Instead Hadley falls for a younger man, an aspiring rock star who reminds her of her former lover. After seeing him as possible fodder for her play by watching his way with women, she promises to introduce him to her Hollywood music biz connections. But things get complicated. Hadley doesn’t find the ready answers she’s looking for after enlisting him in her scheme. After a trip to California with the younger man, she comes to realize that her friends were right. She needs a mutual love—and she might just have one right before her eyes. But when she returns to her hometown to claim it, she finds situations—and people—aren’t exactly what she thought they were. Does Hadley learn from her journey, both metaphorical and literal? Or does she remain stuck—not only with writer’s block but also with her love life?
And, most important, does she sit down in front of her computer and begin writing the play she knows is within her?
It’s all there, ready to unfold, in my novel, “Babe in the Woods.”
Timber! She’s Falling in Love
Blurb:
It’s September 1995, the first year of the rest of Hadley Todd’s life. After living in Los Angeles, Hadley returns to her hometown in rural New York to write and be near her father. In addition to looking after him and teaching high school malcontents, Hadley hopes to channel her recent L.A. heartbreak into a play about the last moment of a woman’s romantic innocence. But she seeks inspiration.
Enter Trey Harding, a young, handsome reporter who covers sports at the high school. Trey reminds Hadley of her L.A. ex and is the perfect spark to fire up her imagination. The fact that Trey is an aspiring rock star and she has L.A. record biz connections makes the alliance perfect. She dangles promises of music biz glory while watching his moves. But the surprising twist that transpires when the two of them go to Hollywood is not something Hadley prepared for.
Excerpt:
“Have you ever fallen in love?”
He winked at her. “All the time.”
She’d have the last word, something she realized was important to her. “I think it’s wrong, all these women you lead on. Don’t you? I mean, they may get attached, fall for you. But you seem to use them, to see what you can get out of them for your own purposes. I think that’s wrong, They’re human beings, after all. With feelings.”
He turned around, his eyes drained of any light. “They use me, too. It’s not like they’re not getting anything out of it.”
“What am I getting out of this?” she asked him, if not rhetorically.
He stood on one hip, a move that made him appear more rakish than usual. “I really don’t know, Miss Todd. I wondered that myself. I thought perhaps you were bored or intrigued. Or maybe you’re a control freak.” He took a step toward her so he was within half an inch of her face. “Or maybe you’re just like the rest and can’t resist me.”
Hadley stood her ground. “How do you know when it’s over? The moment when love, or lust, turns into something else. Something not as passionate?”
“I don’t think about it,” he said, returning her gaze. “It’s something that happens. Maybe it’s not one moment. It just is.”
Jude Hopkins has published essays in The Los Angeles Times, Women Writers, Women’s Books, Medium and elsewhere, as well as poetry in numerous journals. Her work can be found on her website https://www.judehopkinswriting.net/. Twitter/X: @HeyJudeNotJudy
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I am originally from Springfield, Mo., in the Ozarks and about an hour from Branson. Currently, I live in Kansas City with my husband and our two young children.
Tell us a little about the book and your writing
This is my debut novel, though I have written and queried a novel and a novella before, plus written lots of short stories and unfinished ones.
One thing that stands out about writing “Skye, Revised” was the struggle to get it done. I got restless and resistant at times and even paused once to write an entirely different manuscript (a beachy romance novella).
However, I don’t know if I could have or would have done it differently. During one of my so-called non-productive periods, I decided to write some of the book from my antagonist’s point of view. That inspired me to get back to the story. So I guess it was actually a productive break. Not sure I would have come up with that if I would have plowed ahead. That said, I hope to get more efficient with each subsequent book.
What book have you read that you wish you had written?
“The Dovekeepers” by Alice Hoffman or “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte.
What was your first job?
My first job was at Heritage Cafeteria, an eatery many elderly people frequented. I was 17. I bussed tables and worked behind the buffet. It was fun because most of the other people who worked there were in high school, like me. It was also tiring work and my hair would always smell like the back kitchen after I left.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read your book?
I want readers to feel transported and as if they escaped from their normal lives, if only for a bit.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
I’m good with reviews that aren’t five stars, of course—but a truly bad one? I’d prefer no review.
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?
I would love to write a thriller or suspense. I have some ideas and I think it would be really interesting to experience writing one and learn those particular beats.
If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could have 3 (inanimate) objects, what would they be?
My phone and Kindle (hope we have Wi-Fi) and one of those water bottles that makes any water safe to drink.
Have you written any other books that are not published?
Yes, I have an unpublished manuscript about a woman who follows her NBA player boyfriend to Miami and all the drama that ensues. I also have a few unpublished novellas, including that beachy romance I mentioned earlier. I put it up on Radish for a while, but have since taken it down.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
I met and shook hands with Jimmy Carter on an international flight. He was lovely and walked through the plane meeting everyone.
How did you come up with the title?
The title for the book was originally “Life, Revised”— it fit the theme and I probably had the term “revision” floating around in my head. I tweaked it to “Skye, Revised” later because I liked it better and it was a bit more specific.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Appreciate what you have, even if it seems “less than” from the outside. You never know the truth behind someone else’s surface. I hope the book inspires people to look at their lives a bit differently.
What if you got the life of your dreams … and it turned into a nightmare?
Excerpt:
“Skye, Revised” Excerpt
By Pamela Spradlin Mahajan
Chapter One
Skye
“Really? You’re going to wear that?” I said.
Teddy gave his outfit a once-over. “Yes…” The corner of his mouth inched up into a smile. “Is there something wrong with it?”
I wrinkled my nose as if a reeking can of fly-ridden garbage sat rotting nearby. “Khakis, Teddy? Pleated khakis?” I hadn’t even mentioned the cheap tucked-in polo shirt. “It looks like the uniform you wear on the show.”
Teddy swiped his jacket from the coat rack by the door and slipped into it. When it was sixty-one degrees in Los Angeles, you wore a jacket. “And, again, I ask: what’s wrong with that? Come on, Skye. We’re gonna be late.”
I exhaled an exasperated gush of air.
“You look great, by the way. The black really makes your blonde hair stand out.” Teddy lifted my knee-length coat from the rack and slid it over my form-fitting dress. I glanced down at the sheer cutout stretching across my collarbone.
“Well, it’s a nice place. I want to make a good impression—to look like we belong there.”
Teddy’s outfit did not demonstrate that we belonged anywhere worth being—especially not somewhere like The Hibiscus. It attracted A-list, red carpet fixtures the way spandex boy-cut underwear attracted wedgies. I was quite certain pleated khakis would be nowhere in sight, unless they were being worn ironically.
I side-eyed his chain-store-salesman look once more. It never failed—no matter how many slim, trendy trousers or jeans I picked out for him from Banana Republic or Asos, he still reached for the very same familiar item in the bowels of his closet. The very one I was trying to direct him away from. Honestly, what was the point?
My body ached with the exhaustion of defeat as I slid into the passenger seat of Teddy’s hatchback.
“Are you excited? You’ve been wanting to go here for years,” he said as he maneuvered out of the parking lot.
I’d be more excited if your outfit didn’t embarrass me.
I mumbled a nondescript response and we sat in silence for several minutes. As we pulled onto the 101, Teddy grasped the leather-wrapped steering wheel with one hand and rested the other on my bare knee. I glanced at his hand, watching the tendons move beneath his tan skin.
Then I gazed out the window as decrepit buildings morphed into sleek, glossy high-rise apartment complexes. Los Angeles was forever an unsettling contrast between seedy and superior, sad and spoiled. The only consistent thing was its palm trees. As I studied a tree outlined against the sky, my stomach knotted into a mixture of excitement and dread. We had never been to The Hibiscus before—we’d never been anywhere close. Teddy considered Red Lobster a classy establishment, for God’s sake. In my opinion, anywhere you have to wear a bib while eating is definite no no.
I took a measured inhale. The thought of Teddy’s stale outfit being scrutinized by L.A.’s hippest wasn’t the only reason for my frazzled nerves. I was replaying a conversation between us from several days earlier, searching it for hidden meaning. For clues.
Pamela Spradlin Mahajan is the author of “Skye, Revised,” a women’s fiction novel with a delicious dash of magical realism and romance. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and creative writing from Missouri State University and a Masters from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Her recent short stories have appeared in the online literary journal “They Call Us” and she has been honored in the WOW! Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest. A native of Springfield, Mo., Pamela lives with her family in Kansas City, where in addition to writing women’s fiction, she also works as a copywriter, journalist, and reseller.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Kerrie Faye…
Good morning, Kerrie. So happy to have you as my guest today. Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
Thank you, Alicia, for having me on your blog! I am originally from Western Kentucky. I grew up in the small town of Cunningham where the livestock probably outnumbered the human population back then (maybe still does). After many moves around the country, my family and I now live in Colorado with our sweet Saint Bernard, Maggie, and my son’s newly adopted kitten, Shadow. I like to say that there is far less humidity here living in Colorful Colorado, but not nearly enough barbecue.
Tell us a little about how Dead Girl came about.
Dead Girl, in some ways, is an homage to my hometown in Kentucky. For the setting of the book, I drew heavily from the local high school I attended and my experiences growing up near the Mississippi river bottoms. I took those familiar memories and created an alternate Kentucky where Ember, the teen protagonist, could battle her demons, both literally and figuratively.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read your book?
“Courage Conquers” is a phrase Ember, the main character in Dead Girl, learns from her dad. I hope readers take that with them. Fear can be crippling, causing one to not live and experience this life to its fullest, but a little courage can conquer even the most challenging fear.
What do you want your tombstone to say?
“She took the road less traveled.”
If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please 🙂
If I could spend the day with anyone from Dead Girl, it would be with Erick. He is based off of someone I knew growing up, who sadly, is no longer with us. While I exaggerated and made up much about the Erick in the book, the essence of the real Eric is there. If we could hangout, I think I would want to just spend the day talking, reminiscing about our days in FBLA and the teachers and classmates we shared. In the end, I would just want to give him a hug and tell him I miss him.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
Does Oprah count? I was in the audience and made an ass of myself. Good times.
How did you come up with the title?
The title hints at a tragic event that the main character experiences. She becomes popular after surviving this horrible prank and is known as the “dead girl.”
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
When I set out writing Dead Girl, I didn’t necessarily have a theme or message in mind. It was only afterwards that I realized that God was using me to share a very important message. My main character is bullied to the point that she doesn’t want to live. But it is through her darkest moment that she finds her purpose. I hope that anyone who is struggling with this life will find hope through Ember’s journey and realize that they are a blessing and that their own life has merit.
How did your interest in writing originate?
I have always been an avid reader, but I never imagined myself as a writer. Then in 2018, God put it on my heart to give writing a try. I joined NANOWRIMO that fall and wrote my first manuscript. After that, I fell completely in love with the craft of writing.
Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
Jay Kristoff is currently my favorite author. He writes adult fantasy. I adore his prose. You are dropped into these unique worlds that he has created, and you are completely immersed. Additionally, he writes with incredible voice.
Which do you prefer: Board games/card games or television? Reality TV
Dying has its perks…mostly.
Excerpt:
“Can I kiss you, Ember O’Neill?”
Butterflies took flight in Ember’s stomach. Slowly, she nodded her head. She had been waiting for this moment. Ever since she let her guard down and began trusting him, she had imagined what it would be like to kiss his perfect lips.
Logan reached up, placing one hand under her hair at the base of her neck. Electricity buzzed throughout her body. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek pulling her closer.
Ember held her breath as his lips parted and pressed against hers with the lightest touch. In an instant, their bodies became one. The world melted away. It was just Ember and Logan on the dance floor.
Too soon, he pulled away. Eyes sparkling in the disco light, his tongue darted across his bottom lip.
The kiss was sweet. Perfect. Ember smiled, remembering to breathe.
“You taste better than I imagined.” Both dimples asserted themselves as his lips shifted into a devilish grin.
Kerrie Faye is a Gen X wife and mom who found her passion to write later in life. A graduate of Murray State University, she has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Raised in Western Kentucky, where her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, takes place, the author currently resides near the Rocky Mountain Flatirons in Colorado where there is far less humidity, but not nearly enough BBQ. Her debut novel, DEAD GIRL, published on February 26, 2024 by The Wild Rose Press.
Please help me welcome today’s guest, Sadira Stone…
Thanks so much, Alicia, for hosting me today and introducing me to your readers!
Today is release day for Love, Legacy, and Little Green Aliens: An Over-40 Beach Town Romantic Comedy. This fourth book in the series was so much fun to write!
Book blurb:
HEA vs. a curse, a ghost, and a plague of ETs.
According to the Anagnos family curse, second son Xander is doomed to failure. When he inherits his Uncle Gus’s business in Trappers Cove, Washington, Xander jumps at the chance to prove himself. Of course, he plans to remake the schlocky, alien-themed souvenir shop into something trendier and more upmarket. Who wouldn’t want that?
Hannah Leone, that’s who. Reporter for the Trappers Cove Beacon, Hannah is hell-bent on protecting Souvenir Planet, the beloved icon that draws thousands of tourists to their quirky beach town. The Beacon is struggling to survive, and there’s no way Hannah will let an inconvenient crush stand between her and the biggest story to hit Trappers Cove in ages.
Caught in a battle of wills and sizzling desire, Xander and Hannah discover the bizarre depths of Uncle Gus’s alien obsession. When disaster strikes, they’ll need Xander’s innovation and Hannah’s connections to save Souvenir Planet. But if these hard-headed foes don’t lay down their arms, the town they love will pay the price.
Come back to Trappers Cove for a steamy, laugh-out-loud, rivals-to-lovers romance full of found family, beachy fun, and out-of-this-world mystery.
Love, Legacy, and Little Green Aliens is available from all major online bookstores.
Trappers Cove is a delightful mash-up of my favorite Pacific Northwest beach towns, including Ocean Shores and Long Beach, Washington, Cannon Beach, Oregon, and Half Moon Bay, California. There, you’ll find all the tacky, kitschy beach fun your heart desires—Go-Karts, mini golf, an arcade, a haunted lighthouse (Can’t wait to write that book!), a vintage boutique, a farmers market, the perfect bookstore, all the best beachy snacks, Salty Dog Saloon & Brewery, and Madame Zora’s Psychic Emporium. With her tarot cards and woo-woo wisdom, Zora plays an important part in bringing lovers together in Trappers Cove.
But the star of Main Street is Souvenir Planet, a sprawling, space alien-themed tchotchke emporium inspired by a real-life wonder, Marsh’s Free Museum in Long Beach, WA.
Step through Marsh’s portal, and time slows down. There are so many marvels to explore, from a huge variety of seashells, to every kind of souvenir you can imagine, plus home décor, sweet treats, and…here’s where it gets weird…mangy taxidermized creatures, including a two-headed calf, a similarly blessed piglet, and Jake, the alligator man. There’s also a collection of vintage penny arcade games you can play—the ones that work, anyway—and all kinds of historical curiosities.
A trip to Long Beach isn’t complete without a visit to Marsh’s, and you’d better allocate at least a few hours. This place is absolutely fascinating!
In Love, Legacy, and Little Green Aliens, I added an extra twist to my souvenir shop. The combination of losing his beloved wife and enduring the pandemic knocked owner Gus Anagnos off-kilter, and by the time he expires on his shop floor, leaving Souvenir Planet to his nephew Xander, Gus has blossomed into a full-blown UFO believer, nearly bankrupting himself in the process. So not only must Xander remake the shop into something more mainstream and profitable, he has to pacify hordes of UFO fans and Hannah Leone, the Trappers Cove journalist hellbent on preserving this beloved icon. Add a boisterous ghost and a family curse to the mix, and Xander’s facing a fierce struggle.
About the author:
Award-winning contemporary romance author Sadira Stone spins steamy, smoochy tales set in small businesses—a quirky bookstore, a neighborhood bar, a vintage boutique. Set in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, her stories highlight found family, friendship, and the sizzling chemistry that pulls unlikely partners together. When she emerges from her writing cave in Las Vegas, Nevada (which she seldom does), she can be found shaking her hips in dance class, playing her guitar (badly, but getting better), exploring the Western U.S. with her charming husband, cooking up a storm, and gobbling all the romance books. For a guaranteed HEA (and no cliffhangers!) visit Sadira at https://sadirastone.com
Please help me welcome Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy with 10 Moments that changed her life…
Giveaway!! Lee Ann is giving away a copy of her book to one lucky winner! She will draw a name from the commenters and the winner will have a choice between ebook, print and audio.
My grandfather died when I was nine. Although not my first death in the family, I was very close to him and it impacted me in a huge way. Because of his death, I became even closer with my grandmother.
I grew up in a blue-collar inner-city neighborhood. My extended family lived within a few blocks. My dad, after his Army service, had worked at a meat packing plant in my hometown but it closed and he became an over-the-road route salesman. At the end of fifth grade, he got a new job with the USDA and our family relocated more than 300 miles away to a small town.
On the night of April 24, 1975, a major tornado ripped through the town and mobile home park where I lived. My dad was injured but survived. We lost everything except the clothes on our backs and what we could sift through the rubble to find. I saw both the best and the worst of human nature because of this experience.
I joined Air Force Junior ROTC in high school. As part of the cadet corps, I found a niche in high school. I learned leadership, discipline, how to navigate an airplane, and how to lead. My highest rank was Major. I also met my future husband. I had the opportunity to travel to several different Air Force bases and enjoy experiences I would otherwise have never had.
After high school graduation, I enrolled in classes at our local junior/community college. I had been undecided about continuing my education until right before graduation. I made lifelong friends, was on the campus newspaper staff and literary magazine. I first saw real publication in those years and continued my education at a four-year university.
One of my English professors encouraged my writing when he told me I had the potential to become a writer. He stated it didn’t mean I would but that I could. My goal of becoming an author expanded with his words and led to a job in radio broadcasting. I wrote ad copy, voiced ads, and eventually worked an on-air shift. I hosted talk shows and interviewed several celebrities.
I married my high school crush after many years apart. I was thirty-two and almost settled for a solitary life. Through marriage, I realized a long-time dream. We bought land in a wooded area in the Ozarks which fulfilled my dream of living in the woods.
I had written and had publications for years but with my husband’s encouragement, I began to write seriously. I penned a novel, which eventually sold, and began my career as an author. My husband was my cheerleader, my beta reader, and was willing to take me anywhere in the country for research.
I had children, first twin girls and then my son. I was a stay-at-home mom with them until my son was in the second grade, when I became a substitute teacher. When I changed jobs to become first a reporter then editor of the local paper, my children rolled with the upgrade. My kids are now grown but remain a vital part of my life.
My husband, the rock I leaned on, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. His health declined and he had to stop working. The last two years of his life were filled with surgeries, hospital visits, long-term care facility stays, and additional health issues. By late 2018, it became evident he would not live long and was put on hospice care. He died in January 2019. I was not ready to become a widow. We would have celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary that year. I have, however, five years, later adapted to my status and kept on keeping on.
A story and a family as big as Texas.
Excerpt:
“I gotta tell you what I want,” he told them. “If I die.”
“You won’t,” Rachel said.
Boone shook his head a little and stopped. The slight movement made his head whirl.
“Just in case,” he said. Speaking took a lot of effort and strength he didn’t have. “You get six cowboys to carry me to bury. I want you both to walk behind, you’re all the family I got here. Then, the gals from the saloon can follow if they will. And I want a dead march. I reckon they should be in there somewhere with a drum to beat slow and a fife. Mac’ll know what I mean if you don’t. And get a preacher or someone to read that bit from Corinthians about seeing through a glass, and faith and charity.”
“Boone, you’re going to live,” Rachel said. She’d released his hand and was bathing his fevered forehead with cool water. “Don’t fret about all that now.”
He shut his eyes and tried not to worry. She sent his brother to fetch his friends, and when they returned, he listened.
“Get him to drink the laudanum,” Deacon said. “Mac, go down and see if you can’t get some hot water, maybe a cot or table. If one of us digs out that bullet where he lays, it’s gonna bleed all over the bed.”
Rachel lifted his head up so he could drink the opiate, and once he did, it wasn’t long until he could feel the numbing effects of it. Her capable fingers also undid the bandage and took away the garlic. Then, she washed the wound. The lye from the soap burned, and although she used a light hand, it hurt where she touched.
A cot was brought, and his friends lifted him onto it. Boone moaned, couldn’t help it because the movement sent pain radiating out from his chest through his body. The cot was lower than the bed, but as he began to slide into darkness, he was aware that Rachel held him on the right side, his brother on the left.
They were speaking to him, but it didn’t make much sense by that point. Boone liked the sound of their voices, especially Rachel’s, but his thoughts drifted toward Kentucky and home. His mind rolled back the years, and before he slipped into drug-induced oblivion, Boone relived scenes from his past, from his boyhood to the war to on the trail. He remembered when Ezekiel was born on a cold March day and the night his father died, sick with an ague. Boone saw his mother’s face when he rode away to war and remembered dancing with Ma at Jacob’s wedding.
Then, it all faded, and he knew nothing at all. His last thought was wondering if he’d wake again or if he would be dead.
From an early age, Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy scribbled stories, inspired by the books she read, the family tales she heard, and even the conversations she overheard at the beauty shop where her grandmother had a weekly standing appointment. She was the little girl who sat at the feet of the elders and listened.
As an author, she has published more than sixty novels and novellas written as both Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy and as Patrice Wayne for historical fiction. She is also the author of a new Faery Folk series from Evernight Publishing writing as Liathán O’Murchadha. Her books are found in many places, online and in brick-and-mortar stores including some in both Ireland and Australia. Her current publishers include The Wild Rose Press, World Castle Publishing, Evernight Publishing, and Champagne Books.
She spent her early career in broadcast radio, interviewing everyone from politicians to major league baseball players and writing ad copy. In those radio years she began to write short stories and articles, some of which found publication. In 1994 she married Roy Murphy and they had three children, all now grown-up. Lee Ann spent years in the newspaper field as both a journalist and editor and was widowed in 2019.
She teaches 7th and 8th graders each Sunday at church.
In late 2020, she hung up her editor’s hat to return to writing fiction. A native of St. Joseph, Missouri, she lives and works in the rugged, mysterious, and beautiful Missouri Ozarks.
Please help me welcome my good friend, Maxine Douglas, with an interview and new release…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
Although now I consider myself an Okie (Oklahoma), I was born and raised in Wisconsin, the dairy capital of the world. LOL Yes, I know those in California will argue that point with me and that’s okay with me. I got married for the first time in my 40s to my best and long-time friend, Randy, whom I lost in 2018 to cancer. Will there be a second chapter? Only God and time will tell. I am a proud mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. I had dogs, cats, and horses throughout my life. I am blessed to have Simon, my rescue kitty, who keeps me company 24/7. I have friends, many I consider family, that I cherish in both Oklahoma and Wisconsin. I am a full-time caretaker to my son’s significant other while he’s at work, so writing these days is limited to nights and weekends.
Where did you get the idea for Winds of Change?
This is the second in the Men of the Double K series, which is an off shoot of the third book in the Brides of the Chisholm Trail Series, The Cattleman’s Bride. When I finished that book the other Kennedy men (Beau, Cordell, and Johnny) said they had stories to tell. So like any author who listens to the voices in their head, I wrote the blurbs and story ideas for Men of the Double K. Winds of Change is Cordell’s story.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
I wrote contemporary and time-travel when I was first published. A couple of friends of mine finally asked me to do a box set with them after they realized that I would be willing to write a western. I grew up with Zorro as my hero and watch so many TV westerns that writing one seemed natural to me.
What is the most difficult thing about writing a book?
Because I am a caretaker, finding the time to write is an issue. But where there’s a will there’s a way, and I generally find a way at some point.
Are there any tricks, habits or superstitions you have when creating a story?
I tend to “watch” TV while writing. It has carried over from never studying without the radio on. I also start a chapter writing by hand and then type it onto the computer, which then I usually end up adding a few things while I’m typing. I also print out what I’ve typed and edit what I’ve written before moving on to the next point of view (POV) or chapter.
What was your first job?
Like many my age (I’m a 50’s baby) my first job was babysitting. I then got a job at Prange’s in the junior department as a sales clerk. It was the 70s and Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” was a big hit; I grew to hate the song because it was constantly played in that department.
What’s the main thing that you could get rid of in your life that would give you more writing time?
As horrible as it may sound, being a caregiver but for reasons other than for myself. The disease my son’s significant other has (Huntington’s) is a death sentence, hereditary, and there’s no cure only medication to lessen some of the symptoms. It is hard not only on her, but also the entire family watching her disappearing mentally and physically over these past few years with more to come before all is said and done.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
All reviews good or bad. I think a writer can learn from the bad ones, even if some of them are spiteful. I don’t always look at them, but when I do I appreciate the time the reader took to leave one. Thank you for that 😊
What is your favorite quote?
“There is no such thing as great writing—there is only great rewriting” by Hemingway. He had great insight into a writer’s soul. One of my favorite movies is Midnight in Paris, there are great Hemingway quotes in that movie.
Your most prized material possession? Why?
Family and friends because without them where would I be?
What do you want your tombstone to say?
Besides the usual information, it says “A Love As True As Ours.”
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
LOL … Even though they support me and buy my books, my brothers and son have said they don’t want to know what is going on in my head when I write my stories. My friends are completely supportive.
Your favorite…
Movie: Too many to choose from, but to name a few: Midnight in Paris, The Holiday, Book Club, Queen Bees, Gone with the Wind, White Christmas.
Music: Rock n Roll and Country
Place you’ve visited: Antietam and Harper’s Ferry for research. Las Vegas for fun. Galveston to relax.
Place you’d like to visit: Scotland, England, Paris, Denmark
TV show from childhood: Zorro, The Virginian
TV show from adulthood: Again too many to choose from, but here are a few: The Tudors, The Voice, Murders Only in the Building, When Calls the Heart, Outlander, The White Queen
Sports team: Wisconsin Badgers / Green Bay Packers
Thanks, Maxine…great interview! I have known you for years but learned a few new things about you.
Readers, check out Maxine’s upcoming novel, now available for pre-order…
Can a grieving heart learn to live again with the unwanted help of family?
When Cordell Kennedy’s young wife dies, his life falls apart and he leans on family members to care for his daughter and maintain his focus on running the Double K Ranch. After a year of juggling fatherhood and work, he believes the time has finally come for him to hire a woman to care for his daughter and his home.
Mollie Sheffield lived most of her childhood in a New York City orphanage until the age of fourteen when the Fitzgerald family secured her services to act as a companion to their invalid daughter. When her charge passes, the Fitzgeralds allow her some time to find another position.
Cordell and Mollie have been thrown together by the Kennedy clan. Can Mollie fulfill her desire to become a mother and wife when she falls in love with a man who doesn’t believe he can share his heart again? And can Cord see past his pain to find the love in Mollie’s heart?
Excerpt:
Texas, 1889
Cord drove the buggy down the rutted lane to his brother’s ranch house. Secured safely next to him, Beth had chattered the five miles. Whatever she was talking about made her happy because she laughed and giggled the entire way.
“I don’t know what you are gabbing about, little girl, but I’m so glad you are happy,” Cord commented, smiling over at her. “You know where you are, don’t you, Beth? You get to see all your cousins today and play as much as you want.”
Beth looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling like diamonds. “Cousins.” She giggled and smiled then turned her attention back to the ranch standing at the end of the road. The old family homestead where Cord and his brothers grew up. Now it belonged to Cyrus and his family, which was fine with Cordell. He much rather preferred a place of his own now that he had Beth to care for.
“Let’s see if we can find you a nanny, shall we, Beth? Do you think your aunts will help us find one for you?” Cord asked, not really expecting Beth to either fully understand or answer. “Maybe having someone for me to talk to would be nice as well. Not that I don’t love talking to you because I do, but a little adult conversation other than our family would be nice, don’t you think?”
Cord laughed, shaking his head. “I think your pa has lost his mind.”
Why is Cyrus’s buckboard wagon out front? Cord wondered, pulling around and stopping next to the well-kept wagon. Whose trunk is that? It looks too new to belong to the family.
“Uncle Cordell!” His younger nephews Adam and David greeted them as they ran from the back of the house. “Johnny and Pa are in the back watching the beef cook. Ma and Aunt Jessica are in the kitchen with Miss Sheffield.”
“Who is Miss Sheffield?” Cord jumped down, patting each of his nephews on the head as he walked around to Beth who was squirming, wanting to get down to play.
“A lady that came back with Ma and Pa from town,” David replied, reaching for the bag as Adam tied off the horse and buggy to the hitching rail.
“Must be an old friend of your ma’s then,” Cord muttered, suspicion seeping through him. Why wouldn’t they have mentioned an old friend coming to stay? Especially since that friend was a woman.
Beau walked out from the house with Colin on his shoulders. “Remember what I said earlier today. Be careful what you wish for, brother,” he said as Cord walked past him and into the front room where he put Beth down to play with her cousins.
“Boys, can you keep an eye on Beth for me? I need to talk to your ma and Aunt Jessica,” Cord said, following the sound of cheerful female voices to the kitchen once he was satisfied that Adam, being the eldest of the two boys, would keep an eye on his daughter.
“I’m so glad you came, Mollie,” Jessica was saying.
Humph, that must be the Miss Sheffield the boys said was here. I don’t ever remember that name being mentioned, but then again, I’m not in on their secrets.
“I must say, I was surprised to learn it was your parents who told you about me,” responded an unfamiliar female voice with an accent not unlike Jessica’s, just more pronounced. The lyrical softness was all female, unfamiliar female that sent Cord’s mind spinning.
“We are happy that you came,” Suzanne responded. “You’ve met most of the family, except for Cordell and Elizabeth.”
“The family that I’ll be working for?”
What the heck? Cord stood in the doorway, picking his mouth up from the floor. Gathering his wits, because there was no way he was going to raise a ruckus during a family dinner, he walked into the kitchen.
“This is where all the important people are,” Cord said, glaring at both of his sisters-in-law before glancing over at the beautiful woman sitting at the table. Her dark hair was up with curly strands escaping here and there. There was a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled somewhere between green and brown. Cord couldn’t take his eyes off her lips, full and deep pink.
Maxine Douglas first began writing in the early 1970s while in high school. She took every creative writing course offered at the time and focused her energy for many years after that on poetry. It wasn’t until a dear friend’s sister revealed she was about to become a published author that jumpstarted Maxine into getting the ball rolling; she finished her first manuscript in a month’s time.
Maxine and her late husband moved to Oklahoma in 2010 from Wisconsin. Since then, Maxine rekindled her childhood love of westerns. She now writes both American Historical, Contemporary Romance, and on occasion YA Cozy Mystery. She has a son, two granddaughters, a great-granddaughter, and a grey tabby named Simon, as well as three adult stepchildren. Although Maxine misses her family, she has many friends now considered Oklahoma family.
One of the things Maxine has learned over the years is that you can never stop dreaming and reaching for the stars. Sooner or later, you touch one and it’ll bring you more happiness than you can ever imagine. Maxine feels lucky, and blessed, that over the years she’s been able to reach out and touch the stars–and she’s still reaching.
Maxine loves to hear from her readers. So, come on by and say “Hello”; she would love to hear from you.
I am thrilled to welcome my dear friend, Tina Fausett, with a fun interview and her fantastic new release…
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I was born in Oklahoma City and currently live there in a historic neighborhood with my best friend, Draco (minpin/chihuahua mix). My home is a 107 years old…I sometimes like to refer to it as my life in ruins. My main focus is on my children and granddaughter.
Was there anything unusual, any anecdote about this book, the characters, title, process, etc, you’d like to share?
This book is a work of fiction, however, most of the characters are based on people I know. I don’t care how old you are, I think everyone can agree that dating is hard, but I truly believe it gets harder the older you are. We change, we know what we want and don’t want, and I know for myself that I’m not willing to settle…we get set in our ways. Women in my age range (Baby Boomers) have typically spent a lifetime working and being caregivers…to our children, our husbands, our parents, our spouses’ parents, to grandkids…now a lot of us don’t want to do that with the years we have left, and I think that’s difficult for a lot of men… So, in discussing men and dating and sharing experiences, my friends and I decided that newly widowed and divorced men, bless their hearts, really needed help learning how to live again as well as how to date a contemporary older woman and the idea for a Widower Whisperers’ business was conceived. Though we didn’t actually form a business, I decided to write about it.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Unrequited?
Deep down, I’m a hopeless romantic. I would like people to come away feeling good and understanding that it’s never too late…never to late to fall in love, never too late to pursue writing, art, a business…your dreams. And to know that on the inside, most of us seniors still feel young on the inside.
What actors would you like in the main roles if your book were made into a movie?
Susan Sarandon, Steve Martin, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren
What is your favorite quote?
“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” I mean who hasn’t said it…or at least wanted to say it?
If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please 🙂
It would have to be with Thomas Fitzsimmons. I’d be picking his brain, cooking and/or baking. He’s intelligent, well read, has a sense of humor and he likes to get in the kitchen and stir things up. I just find it such a joy when a man likes to cook…for a multitude of reasons.
What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?
I was told by an agent that I wasn’t commercial enough. What has been the best compliment? I was told by the same agent that she couldn’t put my manuscript down all weekend, and I wrote like the classics. That being said, I still wasn’t commercial enough. That was years ago!
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
Ha! Almost all the main characters are based off people I know. The idea for the book came from my 50th reunion. People kept coming up to me saying they remembered me and my red hair. I have high school amnesia and didn’t remember most of them. My graduation class had almost 1,000 people. A couple of different men kept asking if I remembered them and showing me their badges with their graduation pictures on them. Young or old, past or present, their faces didn’t ring a bell. One man was a bit tipsy and actually got upset (I figured he must have been a big deal in high school and expected everyone to know who he was). Later I asked a friend (Betty in the book) if I had dated him or something, because according to her, I don’t recall going out with a couple of guys that were really cute. She didn’t think so, but out if it all I thought what if…what if there was really a story between them and a reason she doesn’t remember him. Except for his looks, Thomas is one hundred percent fantasy…much to my chagrin…he’s almost too good to be true! Darrell on the other hand…
What do your friends and family think of your writing?
That’s a mixed bag. I have such wonderful, supportive friends. Sometimes, I’m not sure if they’re excited if I base a character off them and/or something that’s happened to them or they’re terrified what I might write. But they are always so sweet. As for my family…they’re supportive of my endeavors, but my granddaughter has helped me a lot. She taught me about different writing apps and is great for getting a young opinion. I’ve been writing most of my life, and I feel that people who don’t write, don’t really don’t grasp what we do… It’s like they think if you’re not a best seller and a household name, you’ve just got this little hobby that you piddle around at.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
Absolutely Darrell! He is a culmination of some of my worst dating memories.
How did you come up with the title?
If the story was based on a relationship that Sally and Thomas had in high school, and he was disappointed that she didn’t remember him and didn’t return the crush he had on her…the one word that came to mind was Unrequited.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Yes, definitely. I think it was said by one of the bachelorettes in The Golden Bachelor. She said something about when you get older, people don’t see you anymore. There isn’t a lot of respect for elders these days…it almost feels like people are just waiting for us to pass on and quit taking up space. I would love for the younger generations to understand that we still have the same feelings and fears…that we’re capable of falling in love again…and we’re not dead till we’re dead. I started this book prior to the pandemic then health issues and 4 surgeries caused me to quit writing for a couple years…I can’t tell you how happy I was to see The Golden Bachelor and the chance those beautiful women had to be seen and to shine.
How much of the book is realistic?
Probably way too much. A lot of conversations and a few of the scenes actually happened…I’m positive a man will now think more than twice before asking me out.
Getting Old isn’t for sissies…and neither is falling in love
Blurb:
After a coffee date from hell, Sally Estes and her friends come up with an idea for a business-The Widower Whisperers, LLC. They train Newbies, recently widowed and divorced men, on how to start living again and to do the things their wives used to do for them. The hardest part is teaching them how to treat and court a contemporary woman. Little did Sally know this new venture would change all their lives forever, bringing back a man from her past she can’t remember and a history she wants to forget. What started out as a promising enterprise now threatens to destroy her friendships and everything she’s worked so hard for.
Excerpt:
His head was bent but Elaine could see the trace of a tear escape from the corner of his eye. She stretched forward and ruffled his hair. “Could we get back to Sally?”
“Yes, let’s,” he mumbled without looking up.
“I was just reading an article about her and some of her girlfriends starting a business called the ‘The Widower Whisperers’. Ghastly name I know and doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but catchy.
“They evidently help widowed and divorced men…newbies, they call them, get back into the swing of life and train them how to do the things their wives did for them, as well as getting them ready to start dating…I think they even have a course called ‘Women 101’. When I first saw their ad about four months ago, I kind of thought it was a ridiculous idea and had no clue Sally was involved. But it looks like they’re doing really well and have so many male clients that they’re going to branch out to females soon.”
“That’s charming and I wish them all the luck in the world, but it has absolutely nothing to do with us.”
“Well, if you think about it, it really is a good idea. It’s hard for most people to start over. You know what it was like after you and Gayle divorced. I remember what it was like dating after Jake died, before I met you. It was horrible. Men were absolute idiots, thinking they were suave and debonaire. You’d go to dinner, and they’d be putting down the ex, drinking too much, start trying to hold your hand and talking about back rubs…” She shivered and ran her hands over her arms. “It was creepy, and I don’t imagine it’s gotten any better as we’ve aged.”
First off, I want to say that I never pictured myself this old writing about people this old. But we’re not dead yet and I realized there’s definitely a market and a need to tell our stories. (I think the fascination with the Golden Bachelor proved that). My favorite place is New Orleans where I once lived. A native of Oklahoma City, I grew up with a southern mom and she used to tell me I had swamp water in my veins. I’ve owned an antique store and art gallery, been a pickle pusher (I had a company called Red Hot Mamma’s Pickles), I’ve sold real estate in the Big Easy and OKC, yet I am always drawn back to writing. I’ve written mainstream, a children’s book that’s not published, some mystery and suspense with romantic and paranormal elements and even erotica. I can say, quite proudly that I have two Raunchy Read Awards. A rather haughty an unimaginative woman once asked if I regretted not focusing more on my intelligent side. woman. In response, I quoted Einstein. “Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
Please tell us a little about yourself, where are you from? Where do you live now? Family? Pets?
I was born and raised in northeast Ohio in the industrial city of Youngstown. After receiving my degree in Communication Arts, I was hired by a major retail chain to conduct new hire training. One day, at an inter-departmental meeting, I met this handsome guy with gorgeous blue eyes who, eighteen months later, became my husband. A few years into our marriage, a job transfer sent us to southern California where both our sons were born. Seven years later, that same job sent us back to northeast Ohio where we’ve lived ever since. Our older son and his family now live in Wisconsin, and our younger son and his fiance live in the Los Angeles area. Thank goodness for the luxury of keeping in touch through video calls and for the convenience of long-distance traveling! Until a few years ago we always had a cat or two wandering around the house, but we are currently a pet-free household.
Where did you get the idea for Gullible?
The idea for Gullible came to me as I was walking home from a neighbor’s house one summer evening a few years ago. Although my original idea was much different from the novel I ended up writing, the two main characters remained the same. I wanted the story to be about a female con artist and the target of her latest scheme, a wealthy man who collects valuable antiques. As I was researching the types of antiques the male character would have in his collection, I came across a YouTube video about the Singing Bird Pistols and knew immediately that I wanted these extremely rare treasures to be the focal point of my story. The ideas started snowballing after that, and before I knew it, Gullible was born.
Why did you choose this genre (is it something you’ve written in before)?
Suspense, crime novels, and mysteries are my favorite genres to read and, as it turns out, they are also my favorite genres to write. I’ve tried my hand at writing other types of stories, such as women’s fiction, but I didn’t have the same interest and enthusiasm for those projects. That’s not to say that, if I come up with a great idea for a story, I won’t write something in a different genre in the future. For now, though, I’ll stick with romantic suspense.
What do you want readers to come away with after they read Gullible?
I want readers to have found Gullible to be one of those books they couldn’t stop reading but, at the same time, didn’t want the story to end. Those are the novels that occupy a permanent space on your bookshelf.
Would you rather have a bad review or no review?
Let’s be realistic—not everyone is going to fall in love with Gullible, and I’m okay with that. We are all entitled to speak our minds and I firmly believe that everyone’s opinion counts. However, for those who didn’t find Gullible to be an enjoyable read, I would appreciate receiving an insightful critique telling me why they didn’t like the story. My experience so far has been that poor ratings are accompanied with a snarky comment, or no comment is given at all. Perhaps these unsatisfied readers don’t realize that their honest feedback might serve to help me become a better writer.
What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?
I like to laugh and to make people laugh, so one of these days I would love to try writing a romantic comedy or a tongue-in-cheek women’s fiction novel.
If you could be a character in any of your books, who would you be?
I would be Louise, the retired kindergarten teacher who cares for the widower Patrick’s four-year-old son Oliver. What a perfect job she has! She’s great with children, so caring for Oliver is more a pleasure than a chore, and she has full rein to manage the household for Patrick in the absence of his deceased wife. She’s performing a job she loves, she’s treated like a member of the family, and for her dedication she receives generous compensation. That’s what I call a win-win situation.
If you could spend time with a character from your book, whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? (PG-13 please 🙂)
I don’t need to think twice about this answer! I’d love to spend a day in the kitchen with Carmella Ricci, Siena’s grandmother. Carmella would give me lessons on how to make her favorite Italian dishes—and maybe teach me a few Italian phrases at the same time. I’d also pump her for details on what Siena was like as a child.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
All my characters are unique, but they all have snippets of personalities and traits I’ve borrowed from family and friends. What better way to make my fictional characters jump off the page than to model them after people whom I’ve known for years?
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
Definitely Veronica! Her constant need for attention, her backstabbing, her habit of making everything about her, and the way she manipulates Jonathan would drive me crazy after only five minutes. She’s that character you love to hate.
Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
When we lived in Southern California I brushed elbows with a few TV personalities, but the most famous person I ever met is Bill Clinton—although it was more of a shake of his hand in greeting than truly “meeting” him. While campaigning for Hillary in 2016, Bill and his entourage made a stop near the bank I was working for at the time in Downtown Youngstown. I was at the front of the crowd when he stepped off the campaign bus and he made a beeline straight for me. (I always joke that he picked the best-looking woman in the crowd!) Now, regardless of your political leanings, he is a former president and deserves our respect. I should have been poised and gracious and said, “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.” Instead, nervous at being caught off guard, I blurted out, “Nice to meet ya, Bill!” I will never live down the embarrassment! And why didn’t I think to get a selfie with him?
Even the most cunning femme fatale has her weakness.
Blurb:
Siena Ricci is shrewd, seductive, and an expert in the art of deception. Masking her identity behind the guise of Marie Lacroix, a specialist in antiques and objets d’art, she swindles her employer’s wealthy clients out of their valuable possessions. She hasn’t yet met the man she can’t manipulate, but then the con she’s playing on Jonathan Woodward has only just begun.
Jonathan proves to be an easy mark, but he’s also enticingly irresistible. As their relationship heats up, her plot to steal his multi-million-dollar antique treasures begins to unravel. Noticing a subtle change in Jonathan’s demeanor, Marie questions whether she’s still in control of the con or if she’s blindly become the gullible victim of her own scheme.
Excerpt:
Marie entered the crowded restaurant at half past six. She spotted Gus sitting at the isolated table against the back wall, their usual spot.
“Welcome to Maestro. Do you have a reservation?” The young hostess was new and didn’t recognize Marie as a frequent patron of the establishment.
“Actually, I’m meeting someone,” Marie explained as she brushed past the girl. More than a few heads turned when Marie entered the dining area, and the chatter dropped a decibel or two as she wound her way across the room. Her lips curled into a sly grin. Nice to know she hadn’t yet lost her touch.
Gus stood as Marie approached the table. “Hey, doll,” he said, his endearment accompanied by a light kiss on her cheek.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “The auction ran longer than expected.”
“Not a problem.” Gus spoke with an accent that had been cultivated in the Bronx and a voice that was damaged by too many cigarettes. “I ordered you an Old Fashioned.” He slid the whiskey glass in her direction.
“Thanks. Why am I not surprised to find a drink waiting for me?” Marie smiled affectionately at Gus as she swirled the liquor around the ice cube to blend the flavors.
“I enjoy spoiling you. Always have.”
They clinked their glasses together. “Salute!”
A confirmed bachelor in his late fifties, Gus’s light brown hair was thinning and graying at the temples, but he could still win over the ladies with his rugged good looks and smooth mannerisms. He and Marie’s father, Dominic Ricci, grew up in the same neighborhood and were often mistaken for brothers. When Marie and her sister were born, Gus was the only person Dominic considered to fulfill the role of godfather to his daughters. Marie adored Gus and, in Dominic’s absence, relied on him for counsel and guidance. Their inherent bond had also proved to be a good foundation for their mutual business dealings.
The waiter set a plate of piping hot calamari with a side of marinara sauce on their table.
“Thanks, Manny.” Gus winked at the waiter, a gesture Marie recognized as his customary way of conveying his gratitude.
“That was quick,” Marie commented.
“I told Manny to serve the appetizer as soon as you arrived.” Gus placed a few calamari on Marie’s plate before serving himself.
Marie dipped a piece into the marinara. “I’m starving,” she said, taking her first bite. “I skipped lunch today. Too busy.”
“My guess is you probably skipped breakfast, too.” Gus swallowed his food before continuing. “You can’t survive on coffee alone, doll. You’re thin enough as it is.”
“You know my motto. A woman can never be too thin, too beautiful, nor too wealthy.”
“Well, you’ve got the first two covered,” Gus declared as he took a sip of his scotch. “And, I may have a plan to help you with the third.”
Rosemary Kubli writes the type of books she loves to read – intrigue and suspense mixed with a pinch of romance and a clever plot twist or two. Her professional experiences run the gamut from Human Resources and training to accounting and banking, with publishing being her most recent endeavor. Aside from the seven years she lived in southern California, she has always called the northeast corner of Ohio her home. Discover more about Rosemary by visiting her website – www.rosemarykubli.com.
Loyalty to a stranger opens her to more danger than she’d ever imagined.
Believing she’ll get to report gritty news, Callie accepts a job at her hometown newspaper. Instead, she’s assigned the gardening column—a subject she knows nothing about. She begs advice from a tight-lipped neighbor when he admits he’s a retired gardener, even though his mannerisms and speech suggest he’s anything but. Not knowing the full truth doesn’t matter—she needs his help. The townsfolk think him strange and warn Callie to keep her distance, but she regards him and his family as friends. Learning their horrifying secret doesn’t deter her, even though loyalty will draw her into danger.
Author Bio: Sheila Hansberger/ S. Hansberger, is an artist and author. For the past forty-plus years, original watercolors and commercial art assignments have kept her busy with galleries and private clients. Other than an occasional magazine article or press release, her writings took a back seat to her artwork. In 2004, she began a five-year stint as Newsletter Editor for the National Watercolor Society. The job reminded her how much she loved writing. She then joined two national writer’s groups, attended classes, podcasts, and conferences to hone her skills. A book club, beta readers, and critique partners lent advice about her work. To date, her computer’s memory holds four novels (three finished), plotting for additional novels, and the beginnings of two children’s books.
In addition to her fine art/writing careers, her background includes work as a graphic artist for a printing firm; owner/manager of a property management company; owner/operator of a one-hundred-year-old, rustic sales barn and apple orchard; and board member of various volunteer organizations. Her three children, all raised with help from her devoted late husband, are precious lights in her life, as are her three grandchildren.
Deadlines are part of Hansberger’s existence, and she gives 110% to whatever project is in front of her. She says, “Some days I paint with watercolor; some days I paint with words. Life can be hectic, living like a ping-pong ball, bouncing back and forth between tasks, but at least I am never bored!”
Maeve Jackson is starting over after a broken engagement—and mustering out of the Army. No job and no prospects, she spins out on black ice and totals her car.
When struggling vintner Luke Kaylor stops to help, they discover they’re distantly related. On a shoestring budget to convert his vineyard into a winery, he makes her a deal: prune grapevines in exchange for room and board.
But forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin kickstart a five-generational mystery with ancestors that have bones to pick. As carnal urges propel them into each other’s arms, they wonder: Is their attraction physical…or metaphysical?
His groin aching as his jeans tightened, he wanted her. No longer able to block the impulse, he wrapped one arm around her back as he cradled her head in his other hand.
Her eyelids fluttering, she threw her arms around his neck and, with a muffled moan, pressed closer.
Their bodies silently communing, he ran his lips over her throat, sucking at her supple skin and moving his lips along her collarbone.
Encouraged as she shuddered and tilted her hips against him, he nudged open her shirt’s top button and nuzzled her breasts. Then he drew her to him in a deep kiss that left him wanting to slip off her clothes and feel her warm, soft skin against his. The urge to take her overpowering, he eyed the bed.
Whoa. What am I doing? As if shot with a water cannon, he pulled away, breathless.
She regarded him through wide, shellshocked eyes.
Like the lights coming up in the theater, the feverish mood broke. His arms fell to his sides as he stepped back. “Sorry, I–”
“No, I’m as much to blame–”
“I don’t know what came over me.” A nervous, self-conscious laugh escaped his lips.
“So suddenly, right?” Nodding, she met his gaze. “Like an outside force took over…” She swallowed, took a deep breath, and glanced away. “This isn’t the first time I’ve felt this way.”
“Me, neither.”
****
Inspiration for Kissing Kin
The earliest idea for the paranormal romance first came to me during 2020 because of the striking similarities between Covid and the Spanish Flu of 1918, but publishers convinced me that no one wanted to read about pandemics. Time passed. My manuscript languished.
Then I noticed a handmade cookbook my grandmother had constructed during the 1930s depression. It’s made of two cardboard flaps reinforced at the edges with duct tape and held together by two metal ring binders. Originally given as a Christmas present to her oldest daughter, I inherited it decades later. That modest book inspired me. (In fact, I used some of its recipes in Kissing Kin: Simple Sponge Cake, Mother’s Soft Gingerbread, and…a formula for the treatment of chicken lice with nicotine-sulfate.)
The general tone of the cookbook was chatty, reading more like a journal than a collection of family recipes, but it motivated me to begin drafting a five-generation story of forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin with ancestors that have bones to pick.
What inspired the setting? Travel–and a missed turn!
Whenever I visit provocative places, encounter new experiences, sample different ethnic foods, or chance upon stimulating people, I’m inspired. Ideas flow. (I should’ve been a travel correspondent.) There’s something about traveling that takes me out of my rut and propels me into new realms of possibility.
I’ve written some of my best concepts sitting in noisy airports or hotel bathrooms at midnight (so I don’t wake my husband with the light). Being out of my element and in new environments stimulates my imagination.
As I visit new destinations, I’m infused with innovative ideas, envisioning scene after scene, like vignettes flowing from one to the next and the next.
In Kissing Kin’s case, my husband and I spent Christmas week hiking and horseback riding in Big Bend National Park twenty years ago. You’ve seen the area on maps–the southernmost tip of Texas that borders the Rio Grande and dips into Mexico. Spanning more than 800,000 acres of Chihuahuan desert, mountains, and rivers, Big Bend is larger than the state of Rhode Island–and filled with lions and bobcats and bears. Oh, my!
Driving home early that New Year’s morning, we missed the turnoff in Alpine and followed TX-118 north. Snow-covered and glinting against the frosty blue January sky, a remote jumble of mountain peaks and ranges beckoned as they rose above the desert floor. I was enchanted. Gazing at the sky island for the first time, wide-eyed, I wondered whether those rocky pinnacles were mirages or optical delusions.
But as the craggy peaks loomed larger (a mile high, I later learned), I realized they were no hallucination or Fata Morgana. A hasty glance at the map told us these were the Davis Mountains. As we approached, vertical basalt columns rose like thousands of giant fingers reaching for the sky. The palisades, buttes, and bluffs towered above both sides of the road with a raw, majestic beauty, and I breathed a contented sigh, almost as if coming home.
That missed turn took us only a half hour out of our way, but as we drove through those mountains, my life changed. From that day to this, the area’s held my heart and imagination. Wild Rose Pass became Book I of the Trans-Pecos Series, and Kissing Kin has become Book II. Both novels are standalones with dissimilar genres–Wild Rose Pass is a historical novel, while Kissing Kin is a paranormal romance.
So what was the inspiration for Kissing Kin? A combination of discovering the magical beauty of the sky island, as well as recognizing the sentimental value of a humble booklet.
Author of the Trans-Pecos, Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, as well as Kissing Kin, Fox Tale, Wild Rose Pass, The Keys: Voice of the Turtle and more, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, IT technical editor, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her mews—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.
Author Alicia Dean 