Kieran Kramer

Winner, winner… Ada H!!!

Abigail Sharpe‘s debut with Forever Yours, WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY?, releases today! Congratulations, Abigail!!

This dynamic author (who’s always smiling whenever I see her) is also a mother, a karaoke singer, and a very active volunteer in her local romance writers organization. She’s currently serving as president of First Coast RWA.

Jessica Lemmon, author of TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE, dubs Abigail’s debut as “a rich and rustic tale of family, friendship, and love guaranteed to lasso your heart.”

Today Abigail is sharing some fun facts about her debut novel and would like to invite you to enter her Goodreads giveaway (ends May 9th) of her book.

Please give our guest a warm welcome and tell us what you like most about cowboys and cowboy romances for a chance to win an e-copy of Abigail’s book as well as a signed copy of my book, LOVING LADY MARCIA.

Welcome, Abigail!

Who Wants To Marry A Cowboy
Forever Yours
May 7, 2013

Something Borrowed, Someone New . . .

There’s nothing florist Ainsley Fairfax won’t do to help her sister get the love of her life—even if it means taking her place on a bachelorette weekend at a Wyoming ranch so Cecelia can sail off with the man of her dreams. Ainsley is determined to spend the time keeping her head down and her heart safely tucked away—until an encounter with the ranch’s hunky owner gets her heart—and steamy desires—to bloom . . .

Riley Pommer doesn’t want to be lassoed into any relationship. But with the family ranch in dire straits, Riley knows his sisters’ crazy plan to turn the ranch into the setting for a dating competition—and using Riley as the bait—is the only thing standing between them and foreclosure. But the rules of the game change the instant Riley lays eyes on the spirited Ainsley. Now, as others try to stampede over their love, can Riley prove to Ainsley that true love is a prize worth fighting for?

5 Fun Facts About WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY? 

1. The characters of the final version don’t match the original.
While the final version of Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy features eight women vying for the attentions of the unwilling Riley, the original story had 16 women competing for his affections.  I introduced them all at once in the manuscript, like a roll call.
Riley’s family consists of him, his brother, and his two sisters, and Ainsley has a sister.  In the original, Riley’s oldest sister had a toddler and his father was still around, plus Ainsley was an only child.
Secondary character Meagan Donnelly’s name was originally Siobhan Clough, but none of my beta readers knew how to pronounce it or what her heritage was.

2. Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? is my first complete novel, but it’s been rewritten so many times I could have three other manuscripts done instead.  
I learn quickly, though.  I’m lucky enough to have a two-book contract, and the second book, Who Wants to Marry a Doctor, was written only once.  Now, I haven’t yet gotten any markups back from my editor, but I’m hoping that statement stays true.

3. I have a Mary Sue in Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy?  According to Urban Dictionary, a Mary Sue character is usually written by a beginning author. Often, the Mary Sue is a self-insert with a few “improvements” (ex. better body, more popular, etc). The Mary Sue character is almost always beautiful, smart, etc… In short, she is the “perfect” girl.  Except my Mary Sue (her name is Robin) is me without the self-improvements.  Well, okay, she might weigh less.  Her most notable Abigail trait is the ability to talk a cowboy’s boots off. (No, not that way.) She works computer support, which was my job in college.  The story she tells about a man who used his mouse upside down really happened to me.

4. My book birthday is exactly a year after I got an offer on the story.  May 7, 2012 – May 7, 2013.  It seems so fast and yet so slow at the same time.  May is my new favorite month.  (Don’t tell April.)

5. I work as a technical writer, so even when I’m not writing, I’m writing.  Making the move to fiction was hard – my critique group kept telling me the story read like a user manual.  Insert Tab A into Slot B.  I eventually learned to suppress my instructional side and let the romance take over.

###

Share your favorite cowboy romances with Abigail and win an e-copy of WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY? and a paperback copy of LOVING LADY MARCIA. Giveaway open to US/CA. Ends 5/10.

If you’ve found this post on Kieran’s Goodreads page, click here to leave a comment.

Abigail is a Boston-bred Yankee now eating grits and saying “y’all” in North Central Florida. She dreamed more of being a stage actress or joining the CIA than being an author. While she still enjoys participating in community theater productions and singing karaoke, the secret-agent career was replaced by hours at her computer, writing stories of love and laughter and happily ever after.

Abigail lives with her husband, two kids, and one crazy princess puppy. She is part of a kitchen blog with friends – chickletsinthekitchen.com – and you can keep up with her on Goodreads or at her website – abigailsharpe.com.

~***~

Claiming your prize: Winner will be contacted via email and will have 7 days to reply, or a new winner will be chosen.

~***~

Winner, winner…Anita!!!

The lovely Jennifer McQuiston‘s debut, What Happens In Scotland, was dubbed as “Clever and funny, charming and romantic…” by New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean, and I agree wholeheartedly! Jennifer is an amazing writer, and you will love this book! What Happens In Scotland is the Victorian era’s answer to The Hangover: two people who end up married and barely remember a thing. Get ready for some laughs and some real heart, too.

Please give this award-winning author and double-Golden Heart® finalist a warm welcome to the blog and leave a comment for a chance to win Jennifer’s debut as well as one of my books. Feel free to tell us, dear reader, what book or books you’ve read that put a twist on pop culture (movies or other books). Or perhaps you have a question you’d like to ask our intrepid author. She’s had all sorts of interesting jobs and has worked very hard to achieve her writing success.

And isn’t that cover stunning? I want that purple plaid!

Welcome to the blog, Jennifer!

Amazon | B&N | indiebound

What Happens In Scotland
Avon
February 26, 2013

When recent widow Georgette Thorold wakes up in a Scottish inn with a wedding ring on her finger and lacking all memory of how she came to be there, she does what any well-bred lady with a modicum of sense and a distrust of marriage would do: she panics, clocks the wickedly handsome stranger in her bed over the head with a chamber pot, and runs.

James McKenzie, Esquire has either spent the evening protecting a very naïve, and—dare he say it—very drunk young lady from the advances of every disreputable character in the town of Moraig, or he has gone and married a pretty, scheming thief. Not that his own head is entirely clear on the matter, but when the woman in question repays his kindness with a knock on the head, the bill for her room, and the theft of his purse, an embarrassed James is determined to track her down and show her she picked the wrong solicitor to swindle.

As Georgette sets out to discover exactly what happened during her forgotten night, she uncovers a man that seems far more a hero than a rake. But when they finally meet, instead of sweeping her into his arms and kissing her senseless, he serves her with a summons, claiming she is a thief. Now the fight is on, and the only question is was it a night worth remembering? Or a mistake they would both rather forget?

5 Fun Facts about WHAT HAPPENS IN SCOTLAND:

1. What Happens in Scotland is my midlife crisis
Well…it might be more accurate to say that writing romance that is actually my midlife crisis, given that I already had a perfectly good career in hand when I turned myself over to this madness. But What Happens in Scotland was, appropriately enough, conceived while planning my 40^th birthday party with good friends in Las Vegas, and so I can claim it as my midlife crisis if I want to! I was plotting a new story idea and thinking about preachers dressed like Elvis, and the result is a historical that many reviewers have called a “Victorian-era version of the Hangover.” I *might* have watched the movie for inspiration… and I would love to hear which storylines the readers can note as parallels!

2. My debut novel is actually my fifth finished book.
That’s correct! I have previously written…(drum roll, please)
1) A novel based around an 1854 cholera outbreak that literally had my hero and heroine falling into bed as people fell dead outside their door.
2) A novel based around a syphilis misunderstanding (the physician hero thinks the heroine’s dead husband gave her syphilis and is determined to save her; she is determined to hide the fact the marriage was never consummated).
3) A novel based around the heroine falling in love with the lawyer who is prosecuting her sister, and who teaches her how to pick pockets in Covent Gardens (Oliver Twist-style).
4) A novel with an impotent hero (hint: he gets over it) and a heroine pregnant from her former fiancé.
I don’t know why I never got any of those published, LOL!! But I am glad What Happens in Scotland is the one everyone will know me for… because being known as the author who wrote Love in the Time of Syphilis might not have been the smartest career move.

3. What Happens in Scotland is the first of a 3-book series
I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to sign a 3 book deal, and I am excited about the other two books in the series. Summer is for Lovers will be released September 24, 2013. It is an unrequited love story set in the Victorian seaside resort of Brighton, and features a heroine who swims in secret. Moonlight on my Mind will be released in Spring/Summer 2014. Both books feature heroes introduced as secondary characters in What Happens in Scotland, including David Cameron (a man with a salacious past) and Patrick Channing (a man who is hiding from his future).

4. I decided not to use a pen name, because I am actually pretty proud of what I have accomplished.
I have had a few anxious moments since making that decision… all of them after my book was released and I couldn’t take it back! It was a hard decision to make, but the truth of the matter was I wanted to see my name in print, not a make-believe name. Plus, now I get to sit next to some pretty cool authors at national book signings when they line us up alphabetically… those Mc names are quite popular among historical romance authors, never mind that mine is real!

5. Romance Writer is just the latest in my long line of weird jobs.
I have been the girl who cleaned up the dog poop at a veterinary hospital, the girl whose job it was to pick up the dead birds at a poultry farm, the girl who baled hay when all the redneck boys were too busy playing baseball, and the girl who flipped burgers in college while all the sorority girls walked by. I think I can safely say I’ve moved up in the world, writing emotionally satisfying stories that make people happy!

###

Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of WHAT HAPPENS IN SCOTLAND by Jennifer McQuiston and a signed copy of DUKES TO THE LEFT OF ME, PRINCES TO THE RIGHT. Giveaway open to US/CA. Ends 4/19.

If you’ve found this post on Kieran’s Goodreads page, click here to leave a comment.

Jennifer McQuiston lives in Atlanta, GA with her family, a houseful of pets who are sometimes better behaved than her children, and the characters who wake her up to write at 4am. An infectious disease researcher by training, Jennifer has learned through trial and error that trying to incorporate public health messages into her historical romances doesn’t work. Although, then again, don’t we all need to do our part in a cholera outbreak, even if it means falling into bed?

Connect with Jennifer:
Author site | Facebook | Twitter

~***~

Claiming your prize: Winner will be contacted via email and will have 7 days to reply, or a new winner will be chosen.

~***~

Winner, winner…Dawn Hiob!!!

2011 Golden Heart finalist Kimberly Kincaid may be an awesome cook, have amazing shoes, and be the cheeriest person I know–but she’s also a fabulous foodie romance writer! You have to check out her totally scrumptious debut e-novella, LOVE ON THE LINE, the story of a rough-around-the-edges detective who needs a little TLC and the woman who finds her way to his heart via his stomach.

Today on the blog, Kimberly offers a heartwarming explanation of why food means so much to us…not just as a way to fill our bellies but as a way to fill our hearts. Please give her a warm welcome and leave a comment for a chance to win her novella as well as a signed copy of one of my books.

Welcome, Kimberly!

Food Is Love

One of the first pieces of advice I was given as I started out on my journey as a writer ended up shaping my career so much more than I ever thought possible. It was simple enough, but those are the snippets of wisdom that sometimes have the most impact.

“If it’s at all possible, write what you know.”

Chocolate peanut butter filled goodness!
photo credit: Kimberly Kincaid

Being a very eager fledgling, I sat down and pondered this pretty hard. I knew I wanted to write romance, and contemporary felt like the best fit for my ideas. But I needed something to tap into, something to base my characters’ world on that would engage readers and give me the chance to dip into an environment where I could hit all the notes of sexy and sweet.

And then it hit me. What I needed was a kitchen.

From the time I was small, I have loved to be in the kitchen. My mom is a fantastic cook, and we have German and Italian heritage that passed on the notion that food is love. I grew up happily helping with (and tasting) countless dishes, many of which are still favorites of mine to this day. But the best thing about the food isn’t the actual cooking (although I confess—I do love it). It’s the sharing of a meal, a sharing of that love and caring and intimacy that comes with creating something nourishing for another person.

It’s that food is love.

I re-discovered this concept when I married my husband. Like my family, his is also one steeped in culinary tradition. Every Easter, without fail, you can count on two things. We all get together to celebrate, and the best part of the day isn’t the ham, the spring veggies, or the fresh-baked rolls (those are good too—that’s another post!) It’s my mother-in-law’s homemade Easter candy, and if food is love, this stuff is one hundred percent head-over-heels infatuation.

My mother-in-law, Marie, has tempered chocolate and mixed up filling to make Easter candy ever since my husband and his siblings were small. It’s a tradition that changes a little every year, with the experimentation of flavors and ratios. There’s no actual written recipe (sorry, friends), but even if there was, I doubt I could

Kimberly tempering chocolate
photo credit: Kimberly Kincaid

recreate it with the same tasty finesse, because the God’s honest best part of making it is that we do it as a family. Everyone gets together one day a few weeks before Easter, and for the whole day, we boil, stir, mix, melt and wrap. We laugh a LOT. Even my kids, ages 11, 8 and 6, take part in the preparation. I won’t kid you—it’s a ton of labor, and it’s not easy to get things just right. But the closeness we all get from the act of cooking a family recipe together is what reminds me why I write what I do.

The act of being in the kitchen isn’t about the cooking. It’s about the love. And that is something that I weave into every one of my stories in some shape or fashion, whether it be a family relationship that affects my hero or heroine, or an intimate relationship that blooms between them over time. I write foodie romance because to me, one of the truest passions in the world can be found down the hall in most of our houses.

So tell me, reader friends! What are some recipes you make with the ones you love? Are they sweet, like mine? Or are they sexy, like in my books? And what new recipes and traditions would you love to incorporate into your kitchens?

Amazon

Violet Morgan puts the personal in personal chef, catering to clients who want the full cooking experience rather than a culinary drop-and-dash. But when her brother’s police detective partner is injured in the line of duty and needs help during recovery, she makes an exception. Violet lost her father to the job seven years ago, and worries for her brother’s safety every day. The last thing she wants is to get up-close with her brother’s career-cop partner…again.

For Noah Blackwell, being a detective isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s a legacy. So when he’s forced to take mandatory leave and deal with the trauma amnesia keeping him from identifying his shooter, it’s a literal case of adding insult to injury— and now he’s got to deal with an unwanted culinary caregiver on top of it. Never mind that he and Violet shared a steamy, secret kiss last New Year’s Eve. She rejects everything related to the job, and Noah’s not about to be distracted from recovering his memory and getting back to what he does best. No matter how pretty Violet is.

Despite their differences, Violet and Noah share a surprising bond in the kitchen that grows into something neither of them expect. But as Noah heals and their feelings for each other extend from the kitchen to the bedroom, Violet knows she must make an impossible choice. She may wear her heart on her sleeve when it comes to food, but can she risk it all to put love on the line?

###

Kimberly will give away one digital copy of her foodie novella, Love On The Line, the story of a rough, gruff cop and the sexy chef who wins his heart by way of his stomach, to one commenter! In addition to Kimberly’s novella, you can win a signed copy of LOVING LADY MARCIA (US/CA). Giveaway ends 4/12.

Kimberly Kincaid writes contemporary romance that splits the difference between sexy and sweet. When she’s not sitting cross-legged in an ancient desk chair known as “The Pleather Bomber”, she can be found practicing obscene amounts of yoga, whipping up anything from enchiladas to éclairs in her kitchen, or curled up with her nose in a book. Kimberly is a 2011 RWA Golden Heart® finalist who lives (and writes!) by the mantra that food is love. She is thrilled to have collaborated on a Christmas anthology with Donna Kauffman and Kate Angell, titled The Sugar Cookie Sweetheart Swap, to kick off her Pine Mountain foodie series with Kensington this October. Her first full-length novel, Turn Up the Heat, will follow in February 2014. Kimberly resides in northern Virginia with her wildly patient husband and their three daughters. Visit her any time at www.kimberlykincaid.com or come check her out on Facebook and Twitter.

~***~

Claiming your prize: Winner will be contacted via email and will have 7 days to reply, or a new winner will be chosen.

~***~