Author Interview with Kim Watters and a Giveaway

Alexis: Today we have inspirational romance author, Kim Watters who is giving away A SEASON OF LOVE to one lucky commenter. Welcome Kim!

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? 

Kim: Always? As a kid I used to make up stories in my head and even act them out a bit. I usually got pluses  (elementary school) or A’s on any creative writing assignments I turned in. The biggest clue for me though came in my teens when I read a book and didn’t like the ending or thought it should be different, I rewrote it to my satisfaction. So as an adult, I made the decision that I wanted to write a complete book—my way.

Alexis: What are you working on now?

Kim: I’m currently working on another book that takes place in Dynamite Creek, a fictitious town in Northern Arizona. The small town seems to have struck a chord with readers and I love weaving characters from previous books into other books. I have an extensive list of characters, places, and even events that happen in this town to keep things straight and always on hand to generate more ideas. Brewing Up Love takes place in a struggling coffee shop where the hero and heroine are forced to work together to make the business profitable or lose something very important to them. Sorry I can’t give away any more.

Alexis: Why did you choose this sub-genre of romance? 

Kim: I’m not sure I would say I chose it, more like it chose me. For years I kept submitting to Harlequin and receiving rejections. Almost ready to quit writing, I had a conversation with God one night. He’d given me the talent to write, so what did He want me to do with it? The next morning I received an e-mail via one of my various loops stating the Love Inspired line at Harlequin was going from 4 to 6 books a month. It didn’t get any clearer than that. I tweaked the manuscript that I’d been working on, submitted it, and three weeks later I got the e-mail asking me to call the editor. The rest, they say, is history. This is my 4^th book with Love Inspired.

Alexis: Where did you get the idea for this story?

Kim: What can I say, I love kids and pets. But in researching ideas for this book, a friend of mine told me about something that stuck in my mind. The Arizona Army National Guard has a service for personnel being deployed overseas to care for their pets when there isn’t anyone else. I thought this was a wonderful idea and that gave me the inspiration to write this novel-with a few changes of course. Of course I also wanted to set another story in Dynamite Creek because of the small town atmosphere so I got to thinking about what types of businesses there would be. I’ve also always wanted to do a Christmas story because there is something magical about that time of year, so blending them all together was really neat.

Alexis: What was the first romance you ever read?

Kim: To be honest? I can’t remember. But once I became a teenager, I raided my mom’s bookshelf and cut my teeth on books written by Victoria Holt, Phyllis Whitney, and Dorothy Eden to name a few. I loved them and couldn’t get enough. My older sister also brought home the old Harlequin Romances and I devoured those as well. From there I was hooked on romances and the happily-ever-after. Now I’m glad that I get to contribute and my own books grace the bookshelves in my library.

Alexis: Thank you so much for visiting us here on Happily Ever After Thoughts :-)

Kim: Thanks for having me Alexis.

Alexis:  Check out this great excerpt from A SEASON OF LOVE
 

Ethan momentarily lost himself in Holly’s presence. Her swept back locks exposed her long, elegant neck and straight, slightly upturned nose. But it was her vulnerability that got to him.

Despite her attempts to keep it all together, he sensed just below the surface she suffered and struggled with her son, the shop, everyday life. 

He should step away. Instead, when she turned her head toward him, he found himself staring into her deep green eyes that had seen so much pain. A pain he could identify with. He’d lost his father at a young age, and several of his friends in Afghanistan. But even that couldn’t compare to losing one’s partner, one’s soul mate. 

He had no experience with that sort of loss, yet he felt the need to comfort. Protect. He wanted to draw Holly into his arms and absorb her pain and blend it with his own.

Blurb:

The Soldier’s Gift

Just in time for Christmas, a tall, dark and handsome Scrooge visits Holly Stanwyck’s holiday shop, threatening eviction. But once landlord Ethan Pellegrino sees the single mom’s plight, the former soldier becomes her protector instead. Suddenly he’s helping her with her struggling business and bounding with her troubled son. A wounded veteran come home to heal, Ethan is no stranger to sorrow. But something about the pretty widow fills him with hope. Will Holly be able to let go of her own painful past to see her future by his side? 

Alexis: For more information about Kim Watters, visit these sites

www.kimwatters.com

www.muchcheaperthantherapy.blogspot.com
www.loveinspiredauthors.blogspot.com
www.craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com

Alexis: Don't forget to comment to win A SEASON OF LOVE!

Sneak Peek at PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Lexi Post on Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop

Welcome to the another week of Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop! Each stop on the blog hop will have an author posting a "fragment" of his or her paranormal work on Fridays and Happily Ever After Thoughts is featuring its paranormal authors.

Today I am giving a sneak peek into PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW which won’t be out until 2014. When this scene opens, Braeden is asleep. The rest is obvious ;-)

Always, Lexi

Cold. Braeden rolled onto his back. Something itched his ass. He scratched at it, but the dominant feeling was cold. Blindly, he reached for the quilt he had crawled under when Kat left him and grasped nothing.

It must have fallen off the bed. Damn.  Opening his eyes reluctantly, he stared up at the night sky, the stars twinkling in the crisp autumn air. “What the fuck?”

He sat up and stared. His ass itched because he was lying on grass. Where the hell was he? Had he been kidnapped while he slept? Slowly, he stood, surveying the area for any threat, but all he could make out in the darkness were trees and grass, the crickets loud enough to give a person a headache.

“Shit.” No wonder he was cold. There was frost on the ground and he’d been lying on it naked as the day he was born. Seeing his pants nearby, he quickly put them on along with damp socks and his boots. Where the hell was his shirt?

Since it was black, he might never find it, but his bag stood out like a lone rock in a flat meadow. Burrowing into it, he pulled out another t-shirt and his suede jacket. Once clothed, he grabbed his car keys and pushed the small flashlight on the ring. Sweeping it around, he found his cell phone and Rolex. It was only half past midnight. He hadn’t even been asleep two hours.

“What the hell is going on?”

No one answered him, but the crickets kept chirping. The sound of an owl in the distance added to the night, but other than that, he didn’t sense a single human in the area. 

Recent Observations

           I recently went to visit my son, who lives in a lovely town just outside Dallas. It was a delight to spend time with my son and his girlfriend but I have several observations from that trip.

            I am not a world traveler (although I’ve been all over the world between the pages of books). I don’t go very many places but I am learning. So I took my big purse (all the better to accumulate those little bags of roasted peanuts and a bottle of Diet Coke), a fully loaded/fully charged Kindle in said big purse, and several paperback books I thought my son’s girlfriend would like that I stuffed into my small carryon. Oh, and let’s not forget the ziplock bag of frozen homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs and sausage that was placed in a lunch-pail type insulated bag along with several containers of blue ice so it would remain frozen until I arrived.  This was placed in my carryon under the pile of previously mentioned paperback books.

            First observation. I am not sure what either paperback books or the insulated lunch bag looked like going through the X-ray machine at the airport, but it was enough for the security people to have a conversation with each other with a lot of pointing and head nodding and….well, you get the picture.  Fortunately, the person who looked through my bag was very kind although he did go through each one of those paperback books I had packed. He also went through the insulated bag. In the end though,  I was allowed to take my spaghetti sauce with me….which was a good thing, because my son told me not to get off the plane if I didn’t have it (he was only kidding….I think).

            Second observation. Dallas is a lovely place, but not at all what I expected. What did I expect? Well, you know, I’m not really sure but it occurred to me as my son was showing me the city, that I based all my knowledge of said city on what I research for my historical romances. And since all my research is of a historical nature, most of the pictures and information I see is from prior to 1900. Dallas now looks nothing like the Dallas I see in those old pictures, but I’m thinking, this is a good thing and I’m looking forward to visiting again….next time, I’ll get to see Galveston, another place I’ve seen only in photographs!

As always, happy reading!

Marie

Guest Author T. K. Hardin, Author of Erotic Horror

Have you ever had something you felt like you just had to do? Well, for me that was writing my own version of Dracula. I first read Bram Stoker’s Dracula when I was about twelve years old. I think it’s safe to say I have been obsessed with vampires ever since.

My biography doesn’t lie; I have always been drawn to the macabre with a fondness for anything with fangs. Even as a young child I was fascinated with werewolves, witches, and vampires. While other girls were playing “house” with their Barbies, I was playing, “Let’s bite Ken,” or “Ken is a werewolf.” Ha. Ha. Ha.

Like many classic villains, I never felt that Dracula had a fair shake, so to speak. In truth, I never saw him as a villain at all. For so long now he has been the man of my dreams. Maybe that’s why in my story Mina has dreamed of him all her life.

This story is more a part of me than I can fully describe. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life to write this book, as if I was working up to it. 

A few people have asked me why I wrote this book as T.K. Hardin. Especially, since I still put my name (Tracey H. Kitts) so prominently on the cover. I have chosen to write this book as T.K. Hardin simply to let my regular readers know that this book is a change from the norm. Although there are elements of horror in many of my other books, they are not erotic horror stories. Normally, I write erotic paranormal romance. Though there is certainly a love story in Dracula: In The Flesh, there are also many other elements that might offend someone expecting something a bit milder. My beta readers loved the story just as well as my other books. However, I didn’t want anyone walking into this one without fair warning. Dracula: In The Flesh is not for the faint of heart.

Dracula: In The Flesh is what I believe the story should be. In one instant it is brutal, violent and frightening, and the next heartbreaking and romantic. I am thrilled to present this book to readers and I sincerely hope that everyone enjoys this story as I have.

Book Info:

Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer, is traveling to Castle Dracula in order to finalize a real estate transaction. He has been personally requested by Count Dracula. What Jonathan doesn’t realize is that Dracula’s interests do not lie with him, but with his beautiful fiancée, Mina.

As soon as he saw her face, Dracula knew the ritual was a success. After all these long years, his love has returned to him. However, many things (such as Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker) stand in the way of their happiness. Sure, he could kill them all and take what he wants. However, his greatest desire is not to possess Mina, but to love her and have her return his love.

Therefore, Dracula’s fate and the fate of those closest to her lie in Mina’s hands. She has dreamed of him all her life. But what will she do when she learns her dark prince is real? What will happen when she knows him, not as a dream, but in the flesh?

WARNING: This book contains graphic violence, and graphic sex. This is NOT a romance novel, although there is a romance involved. This is Erotic Horror and might offend some readers.

Purchase your copy here:

http://www.amazon.com/Dracula-In-the-Flesh-ebook/dp/B00F2RILFC/ref=la_B006H4U0LW_1_20?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379090541&sr=1-20

Author Bio:

I write paranormal, sci-fi, and fantasy romance. I have wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I write what I enjoy in the hopes that others will enjoy it as well. I've always been drawn to the macabre. Vampires, werewolves, you name it. I've never written about the paranormal because it's popular. I do it because that's what I'm interested in. If the vampire fad ever passes, I'll still be sitting here in my Dracula cape, getting my fang on.

I write erotic horror under the name T.K. Hardin.

Links:

Facebook –

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tracey-H-Kitts/73968579374

Website – http://www.traceyhkitts.com

MIDNIGHT ON THE DOUBLE-B by Kayce Lassiter on Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop

Welcome to the fourth week of Paranormal Fragment Fridays Blog Hop! This will be the last week. Each stop on the blog hop will have an author posting a "fragment" of his or her paranormal work on Fridays, and Happily Ever After Thoughts is featuring its paranormal authors.

Today, I am happy to post a fragment of a scene in my romantic short story, Midnight on the Double-B. Here the fairy godmother, Delta Jane, tells Kylah McCombs who she is and what she is about to do for Kylah. Hope you like it :-)

That’s my story, smart-alec and sassy, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast!

Love ya, Kayce.

 

 

Fragment from Midnight on the Double-B: 

“How’d you get here anyway?  I didn’t hear your motorcycle pull in.”

“Ah, I didn’t feel like eating dust today, so I just popped in.”

Kylah smiled to herself.  “On your broom?”

After a moment of silence, she turned to find the strange woman looking at her with a self-satisfied grin.

“Honey, it don’t make no sense for you to go pissin’ off your fairy godmother at a time like this.  You’re gonna need me to get out of this jam and catch that handsome young beast you’re working for.”

Oh my God, she’s freaking crazy.

“Nope,” the woman replied, “not crazy.”

Kylah stared at her.  “Did I say that out loud?”

“No.”

“You psychic?”

“You might say that, but your thoughts are the only ones I can hear.”

Oh, my freaking luck.  If she really were my fairy godmother, I’d have to shoot myself.  Now how do I get this crazy bitch out of my kitchen?

“Oh, now that’s just downright rude.”

“What?  What’s rude?”

Kylah’s heart pounded in her chest.  This was getting creepy.

“Calling me a crazy bitch just isn’t right.  I’m standing right here.  I’m a terrific fairy godmother.  You’re just lucky it’s me and not that hair-brained Gretta, always parading around in a thong bikini she shouldn’t be caught dead in.  Tough to find a place to look when you’re talking to that one.”

Kylah stared.

What the hell?

“Now, let’s talk about that handsome Michael Beasty.”

“Let’s not.”

The woman pointed a sharp, green nail at Kylah.  “You’re as rude as your young man.  Keep it up and I’ll file to get you another FGM.  I don’t have to do this, you know.”

“Do what exactly?”

“Get you married off to that handsome man you’re working for.”

“What?”  Kylah’s voice jumped about three octaves.  “Married?  To the devil?”

Delta Jane’s eyebrows rose sharply.  “To the devil?  Nooooo.  That would be a special assignment, requiring an FGM from the Special Forces Unit.  I’m only regional.”

 

Be sure to check out the other fragments on the blog hop!

The Best Man by Kristan Higgins

This is a great story to read when you just need total happiness.  Higgins crafted a masterpiece of drama, tension, and overwhelming love.

The vineyards of New York supply a beautiful and dreamy setting, although Faith Holland and Levi Cooper have to resolve inner issues in order to truly appreciate the colors and scents of the valley. 

Faith’s biggest upset is she was left at the altar by a perfect man-he would prefer another perfect man.  Better to find out before the rings are exchanged. 

Levi never liked Faith, or so he says, until he’s a lonely Chief of Police with a bitter memory of a three month marriage.

Many small family issues pull Faith and Levi together and apart repeatedly.  And they aren’t the usual problems.  

It would be so much easier if everyone just said what was on their minds, but that only happens in the movies-definitely not in a romance novel.

This is a novel I wish hadn’t ended as Faith and Levi were so richly characterized that I didn’t want to say goodbye.  Faith had a sweet innocence that Levi’s alpha character wasn’t sure how to handle, so they learned about each other at a turtle’s pace along with the help of Faith’s leg-humping helper dog (that’s a hint about another of her things to deal with), a nosey yet caring family, and lessons on communication.

I’m already checking out what other books by Kristan Higgins I can get ahold of-fast.

Enjoy, Dawn