Cover Reveal - White Christmas Kiss

I warned you a few blog posts back that this would be a busy time with lots of books coming out.

But that's a good thing.

So, here it is - the cover for my Christmas romance, White Christmas Kiss.

Isn't it beautiful!?

I love this story and I loved writing it. Some stories lay close to your heart and this is one of them. Maybe because I wrote it during a difficult time in my life and also because I loved redeeming the bad girl! I delighted in giving Rachelle a chance for love. And the settings were such fun to create.

Here's the blurb:

Rachelle runs a little wedding chapel on the Coderica Passenger Liner. Two years on the passenger liner haven’t helped her find peace from past mistakes. Ray brings his girlfriend on the Coderica’s grand cruise to Europe. When his plans to marry her in the little chapel go horribly wrong and the relationship fails, Ray and Rachelle are drawn to each other like moths to a flame. Romance blossoms in Europe, culminating on Christmas Day. But the cruise ends, and Rachelle isn’t sure she’s ready to leave the Coderica with Ray. Will the memory of their white Christmas kiss be strong enough to bring them together forever?

There is a song in the book, and my friend's musical daughter is composing the tune for it. I can't wait to hear it. Here are the words to whet your appetite:

White Christmas kisses

We share with tomorrow’s wishes.

How long will they last?

Wishes last forever,

Hope never fades and dream roads lead on,

When you’re right here,

Under the falling snow,

Under the Christmas lights,

Wrapped in my arms tonight.

Don’t let go tonight.

Together we’re more beautiful than the garland tree,

The robin in flight.

Dream on, sweet lover, dream on forever,

Our white Christmas kiss lives on,

‘Til we reach the end of Christmases bright,

And hold each other’s hands through the darkest night.

Open lips, closed eyes, open hearts,

Keep your heart open forever, my love.

Don’t draw back,

I love you now.

White Christmas kisses,

Are tomorrow’s wishes,

Come true today.

I love you tonight,

When the lights are bright.

I love you forever,

Even if they dim.

Kiss me under,

The white.

Open lips, closed eyes, open hearts,

Keep your heart open forever, my love.

Don’t draw back,

I love you now.

White Christmas kisses,

Are tomorrow’s wishes,

Come true today.

I love you tonight,

When the lights are bright.

I love you forever,

Even if they dim.

Kiss me under,

The white.

What Inspired His Halloween Kisses

People have asked me whether I'll ever write a biography. I've always said my life is too boring for that. But come to think of it, I have had a few adventures. I suppose everyone's life is dotted with adventures here and there and the mundane in other places. Talk about the mundane, I love this: The Mundane Goddess

Anyway, typical me, I do get off topic way too easily, but today I want to share what inspired the opening scene in my Halloween novella, His Halloween Kisses, which should be coming out close to 31st October this year.

Ali is a young single, starting off in life. She lives with her room-mates and tries to make a bit of extra cash house-sitting for people. On Halloween night, it's blowing gusts outside and the lights go off in the house where she's staying all by herself. Strange noises and sensations send her senses and fears into overdrive. She calls her brother but his friend answers the phone. He comes to her rescue and kisses her in the dark! The kisses they share blow them both away, and thus begins a rather tumultuous relationship between Byron and Ali.

When I was a young adult living with three friends, I used to house-sit sometimes. Usually I accompanied my one friend, but once I did it on my own. A stupid decision. The house was set off a main road in a not-so-cool area of Durban at the time. The owners of the house even told me that the neighbour was a bit weird and creepy, and that I must stay away from him. Once alone at night there after work, I felt rather frightened, as you can imagine. The one night, there were many funny sounds. The house truly did seem "haunted." I use to move a heavy couch in front of my bedroom door at night just like Ali did in the story.

Anyway, my boyfriend at the time (who is actually now my husband) came to visit me there the one night. We kissed and wow, were those kisses atomic! I'd say they were one of the best I had while dating. Fuelled by fear??

So, the opening scene in His Halloween Kisses was partly inspired by true events.

I never house-sat alone again after that!

Here is an updated trailer of my book: His Halloween Kisses

Cover Reveal - My Halloween Novella

The cover for my Halloween Novella has arrived and it's GORGEOUS! AMAZING! FANTASTIC!

Here it is:

I love the colours and the atmosphere! And the little black cat sitting on the writing.

It was hard to write a Halloween book. Being a Christian, Halloween is considered by many of my faith as evil and not something we should ever celebrate. It hasn't really taken off in my country, especially the trick or treat side of it because of the crime factor, but it's becoming more popular. I've actually done a fair amount of research on the origins of Halloween and personally believe it has no evil origins. It may be used for evil purposes. I stand to be corrected though. I just like the festive feeling of having a day to dress up or make goodies, etc. I see the fun aspect of going scary - it actually helps us to deal with scary and fearful things in a way. So, no, as a Christian, I'm not anti-halloween but I don't go for witchcraft and Satanism, those types of things. I personally believe though that as Christians, we should be open to other people's beliefs. I respect those who think it's wrong but I also hope they respect me and accept that I don't see anything wrong with taking a day out of the year to celebrate and have fun in a "scary" way.

Anyway, here is the blurb of my novella. It's a fun, short read with a more young adulty feel than my other books.

Blurb:

Ali’s never been so scared. She’s housesitting for a colleague on Halloween night, but the lights have gone out, and terrible noises and crashes send her imagination into overdrive. When her brother’s friend comes to her rescue, he kisses her in the dark several times. Once back in the light, Ali is embarrassed at allowing him to kiss her. Byron tries to ignore his strong attraction for Ali, especially seeing he’s not ready for a relationship. When Ali finds out why, she runs away, but life has other plans. What can bring them together? Fate, faith, or the memory of his Halloween kisses?

I'm not going to post an excerpt yet as it's still in the editing phase. Should be up fairly soon.

Book Spotlight Shea Ford

I'd like to welcome fellow Astraea Press writer Shea Ford to my blog today. She's talking about her brand-new release - The Stone of Kings. I'm going to give away a secret. I've read the book and I'm not lying, it was amazing! It had so many good things to it. You wouldn't be disappointed. Beautifully written, full of juicy historical info, set in Ireland (my daughter's favourite place in the world), and filled with real characters and a gripping plot.

Over to you, Shea...

Thanks so much, Kathy, for hosting me today! I’m thrilled to introduce The Stone of Kings to everyone! I’m one of those quirky folks who actually like to write research papers. After I finished college, I would get cravings to be assigned a research project. TSOK is a blending of my love of research and history with my love of fiction. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much I did writing it.

Tagline: Just open the book...

Blurb:

Twelve year old Ardan is hopelessly distracted because he wants to meet a real faerie. But when he gets his hands on a mysterious red book loaded with faerie spells and accidentally sends himself three hundred years into Ireland’s future, he soon learns that there are more important things on which to focus his attention. Throw in some immortal druids, fun storytelling, a touch of forbidden romance, along with the music and antics of the legendary Irish harper, Turlough O’Carolan, and you’ll become swept up in a very real Irish mythological adventure.

Excerpt:

Abandoning his work as he was so prone to do when he got excited about something, Ardan led Thomas into the library, but not before doing the forbidden—he opened its closed door.

Once inside the room, both of them forgot about looking for a story book. On Bresal’s hand‑carved writing desk was his curious little red book. The old scholar must have been distracted by the sight of his musician friend nearing the cottage from the library window and neglected to hide the book as usual. Its pages lay open, and unmistakable magic hovered over the leaves. They heard light random notes, like the sound of the tiniest of wind chimes played by a faint breeze. As they gaped, they noticed each tinkling sound corresponded with a tiny point of light which would burst and disappear above the book.

Thomas breathed out a gasp of surprise. “Who is this Bresal fellow anyway?”

Ardan could not answer. He began to wonder the same thing. His pulse quickened as he neared the book.

“What are you doing?” Thomas dropped his voice to a whisper as he grabbed onto the boy’s shoulder. The color in his face had drained away.

“I merely want to read it,” Ardan said. He shrugged away Thomas’s hand.

“I do not think we should go near it.”

But Ardan continued nearing. Despite his own warnings, Thomas followed closely behind. Ardan picked up the book and began to turn the pages. He expected to hear more sounds and see the lights dance quicker, but instead, these features decreased until the pages settled again.

“What does it say?” whispered Thomas.

“Some is in Irish and some English.” Ardan’s gaze, as expected, went for the Irish text. He read aloud, “Solas agus airy biedh tú, Leabhar na mianach mo lámha chun saor in aisce.”

Right away, the tinkling noise intensified as did the lights. But what shocked Ardan was the book lifted from his fingers and hovered in front of him.

“Saints be blessed,” said Thomas and he let out a burst of high‑pitched laughter.

They both stared in awe a moment until Ardan saw Bresal and Turlough advancing toward the house from their walk in the garden. “No,” he gasped. His heart hammered at the trouble he would be in if Bresal found them out.

“Does it say how to reverse it?” asked Thomas, his voice raised in pitch.

Ardan’s gaze scanned the pages, desperate to avoid punishment, but none of the lines written in Irish appeared to fit the need. When Ardan reached for the book to try another page, it shied away from him. Frantic, he read aloud one of the English lines without comprehending the meaning.

“A need I have to mend a mistake, a new time please, for lives are at stake.”

Nothing happened.

“This sounds like the right one,” said Thomas. “Perhaps you should say it in Irish.”

Ardan could not find the Irish counterpart and so struggled a moment with the translation then said, “Is mór agam a cheartú botún, le do thoil A am nua a shaoradh ó na terror.”

The book filled the room with such a bright light, Ardan could see nothing else.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Author Bio:

Shea McIntosh Ford is also the author of Harp Lessons and lives in Florida with her loving husband of eleven years and two boys, ages four and six. Growing up, she lived under the delusion that prejudice and bigotry were no longer being taught to children. Oh, how much she has learned. After feeling powerless as a first year teacher when one student adamantly said that Americans should send ALL Mexican’s back to Mexico, Shea has found her voice through her writing. While she knows that bigotry probably won’t be eradicated altogether, at least she’s doing her part to help decrease it.

Social Media Links:

Blog

Facebook

Twitter: @SheaFord1

Amazon

Author Interview and Spotlight - Brooke Williams

Today, I have Brooke Williams on my blog talking about her book, Someone Always Loved You.

A Bit About Her:

Brooke Williams is an award-winning author and freelance writer. She began her career in radio, both on the air and behind the scenes. She did a brief stint in TV news and then took on her most challenging job as a stay at home mom. During the few quiet hours in her day, Brooke writes articles for a number of clients as well as fiction creations such as “Someone Always Loved You.” Brooke has also written “Beyond the Bars,” a thriller, “God in the Kitchen,” a Christian novel, and “Taxi Delivery,” a Christian Romance. Brooke looks forward to the December 9^th release of “Wrong Place, Right Time,” a romantic comedy and the February 2015 release of “Accept this Dandelion” inspired by the Bachelor TV show. Brook has been married to her husband Sean since 2002 and has two daughters, Kaelyn and Sadie.

Blurb:

His first day on the job, ambulance driver Jay has a horrible accident. The victim of the crash is thrown into a coma and Jay keeps vigil by her side. As their lives, past and present intertwine; a story of love through time unfolds. An intricate drama including adoption, love, suspense, and plenty of questions, Someone Always Loved You is a novel that keeps the mind churning and the soul alive.

Excerpt:

It was his first day on the job.  He had studied the maps for days at a time and he knew the city streets better than the back of his hand.  He knew the fastest routes at every time of day.  His first passenger would not die on his clock.  Not a chance.  With the siren blaring, he drove swiftly, but gently, so the emergency medical technician in the back could work without disruption.

      “She’s losing a lot of blood, Jay,” the EMT shouted.  “We gotta get there fast, man!”

      “Not a problem,” Jay replied.  “I called ahead.  They have her blood type ready.  Plus we’re already there.”

      Jay only glanced back for a moment.  He just wanted to see the look on the seasoned EMT’s face as the man realized he’d just taken the quickest ambulance ride of his career right through the city during rush hour. 

The woman darted out of nowhere.  In his glory, Jay never saw her. 

      The second he looked away had been one second too long.  As his eyes fastened back on the road ahead, the ambulance pulled under the emergency room over hang, and he caught the worry in her eyes an instant before the impact.  The sickening sound jolted him backward into his seat. 

Author Interview:

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a former radio announcer turned freelance writer/author.  I spend 12 years in radio both behind the scenes and on the air. I even did a brief 5-month stint in TV news as the on-air traffic reporter at a local station. That was a pretty big disaster since I don’t like make-up, don’t care about my hair, and am rather directionally impaired! Most importantly, I have been married to my husband Sean since 2002 and have two beautiful daughters: Kaelyn, 5, and Sadie, 18 months.

Why did you write “Someone Always Loved You”?

I have always loved to write and I always thought I had a book in me somewhere. When I graduated from college and began my career in radio, I quickly realized that I missed one particular aspect about college life…writing papers! I was still writing, but 60-second scripts for radio are a whole different world from long form writing. I have had an idea in the back of my head to write a book that included a character in a coma in order to examine what she hears and thinks. When I came up with the prologue for a book…a scene that caused a woman to fall into a coma…I HAD to write it. Once it was written, I had to know what happened. I couldn't NOT write it!

Do you spend a lot of time plotting?

No, hardly any at all. I like to just sit and write and see where things take me. I might have a general idea, but what I write today would be different than what I would have written yesterday. Any plotting I do when I’m not actually sitting and writing would change by the time I sat down so I try not to think about things too much when I’m not at the computer. Sometimes I can resolve issues I have created for the characters and they are always in the back of my mind, waiting for attention again!

Which character is your favorite in this book?

I’m attached to all of them in a number of ways, but the obvious choice would be Jordan. She’s one of the main characters and she happens to be in a coma for most of the book, but we still get to know her rather well through her memories and the thoughts she has as well as the conversations she overhears. A lot of her memories are things that happened to me growing up. That being said, a lot of the things about her are completely made up as well. She has a lot of characteristics I admire as well, such as her self-less nature.

As a mom of two, how do you find time to write?

Good question. I sometimes wonder that myself! I attribute my writing time to the fact that I have been stringent about naptime! My older daughter is 5 and she doesn’t really nap anymore. But she is still okay with going to her room for an hour or two when the baby naps. We still call it naptime, but we both know she’s not sleeping in there! The strangest things happen in her room and surrounding areas during “nap” time. But it’s all the time I have to write, so I cling to it! That gives me 1-2 hours a day to work on writing items. Freelance writing is my career so I often have client deadlines and so forth. Novel writing is my true passion and I do that work as often as time allows. I have carved the time out because I will always be a mom first and foremost, but the writer in me cannot be held back! I know my girls will be in school and away for much of the day soon enough. I enjoy every moment I have with them now. I will have more time to write than I know what to do with soon enough. Until then, I take my hour and my fingers fly!

Do you have any Works in Progress?

Too many to count, really! “Someone Always Loved You” is a self-published novel that I have never been able to let go of, but I have several novels under contract that I AM letting go of to publishers! “Wrong Place, Right Time” is a romantic comedy that comes out December 9^th. “Accept this Dandelion” is slated for a Feb 2015 release. And “Mamarazzi” comes out in August 2015. All of those novels are clean romantic comedies…what I like to call cute little love stories. I even have a children’s book under contract for Feb 2016 called “Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut.” I couldn’t be more excited about any of those ventures and I look forward to writing more as soon as possible!

Have any advice for aspiring writers?

The best advice I can give is to keep at it. When I first wrote “Someone Always Loved You,” I actually tried to get it published and failed. I gave up on writing and didn't go back to it for a full decade. Now I feel like I wasted a lot of time. Getting something published feels like a needle in a haystack scenario. But if you don’t keep looking for that needle, you will NEVER find it! You need to write because you love it. If you love what you are doing, you already win! As for getting published, it will never happen if you don’t try. Keep trying and you’ll find the avenue that’s right for you.

Buy Link:

Amazon

Online links to connect with Brooke:

Website

Facebook

Goodreads

Email: authorbrookewilliams@gmail.com

Great to have you, Brooke and I wish you all the best for your book.

My Struggles with Publishing

Nearly two years ago, my first book came out. What an amazing feeling to get my first book contract. I was over the moon. My dreams had come true! Yes, I felt nervous what people would think of my book out there in the big wide world, but I knew doors had opened up to me of endless possibilities. I wasn't far off.

Getting published opens the door for more contracts. You learn from the editing process, your writing improves and other publishers see you have a presence out there already. It gives you credibility like a graduation certificate or a CV with job experience inside.

The first year after being published was a whirlwind for me. I wrote several more books and within the year, had another five out. I didn't expect it to happen so fast and felt overwhelmed by the new responsibilities that went with promo, marketing and editing. I tried to slow down in my writing, but if you love something and can't stop doing it, how do you slow down?

Well, the last year has been the complete opposite to the previous year. It's been a very frustrating year for me. I've started writing under a pseudonym in a different genre and wrote three books under her name. I sent in those books in the last quarter of last year and the beginning of this year. I also sent in Book 2 of The Creators series - a book called "The Dance of the Firefly." The edits just didn't come. I waited and waited. Checked my emails, and waited. I was so used to a flurry of activity - the fast and efficient processing of my books into the world. It didn't happen. I decided I needed to write more books for "Kathy," so I wrote a Christmas novel (book 3 of my Weddings Girls Series) and a Halloween novella. Of course, I didn't think - those would only be able to come out in the last quarter of the year because they're holiday romances. I certainly didn't plan that well. But I really did want some holiday romances as they're fun to write and promote on specific times of the year.

Well, I've recently found out that my books will all be coming out round about the same time this year - two years after my debut novel came out and one year after my last novel came out. That means a whole year without a single new release. When I realised that, I was devastated. Since September last year, I've written seven books (including two novellas) but not a single one will reach the world until September this year. It's very hard to feel like you've disappeared into oblivion for a whole year. It's not good for your fans or regular readers.

The other thing that makes me really nervous is how will I keep up with the marketing of six books coming out in the space of three or four months? I don't know how it's going to work, but I have to just do it.

Some days, I wonder if I should go the self-publishing route. At least then I have control over the times when my books come out. I can have regular releases and not explosions followed by complete stillness. But I know I'm not ready. I need to work with editors more, I don't have the finances to hire a cover designer (although I could try a hand at it myself) and I like having the backing of a publisher to promote for me and just give me credibility until I've made a solid reputation in the writing world.

I have to say though that I'm amazingly excited for the last part of this year. Waiting so long for a book to come out, it almost feels like my debut novel is coming out. It's been so long. Am I ready to welcome six books into the world?

Oh, I've just remembered something. I also have a short story coming out in a fall anthology in October. That means more promo. And one thing did happen this year which just broke the pain a little bit - my short story in the Astraea Press Valentine anthology came out. Not quite the same as your own book but it did give me some joy. Was lovely to read all the other stories too. You can buy it here: Amazon

I think the biggest lesson I've learnt from this year is patience. I was spoilt in my first year of publishing - having five books out in one year. I don't think that's the norm. I think it happened because Astraea Press was pretty new then and their publishing schedule wasn't very crowded. I believe the same about my first Ubuntu novel - the line was new and I got in nice and quick. Things have changed. I've learnt self-control and discipline. I've learnt tenacity. I keep on writing even when I see no immediate fruit for all my hard work. I've learnt to put my health and my family first and not allow the writing to become my obsession. It's been hard but a valuable lesson.