Hello everyone! Thank you for the wonderful turn out. I’m glad I could share something fun and interesting with you all.
I would like to announce the winners of both the Grand Prize and my personal giveaway.
Hello everyone! Thank you for the wonderful turn out. I’m glad I could share something fun and interesting with you all.
I would like to announce the winners of both the Grand Prize and my personal giveaway.
Welcome everyone to my Winter Wonderland! Curl up on the couch and sip your cocoa while I share my exciting news.
First, let’s give #Hopswithheart a big hug for giving us a chance to spend some time together this holiday season!
www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com
Click HERE for the Grand Prize Giveaway: A $75 GIFT CARD
I’m also hosting a special giveaway for a print copy of my first book, An Irresistible Shadow.
Enter my Rafflecopter giveaway HERE.
I’ve been working on a fun little project, a series of three novellas whose stories intertwine. When I started writing the first story, I chose to go with the theme of winter. The more I wrote, the more pleasantly surprised I became by the characters and the story. Oh how I’ve enjoyed writing the journey of these characters.
I’ve decided to share the cover of my novella as well as an excerpt. Something enticing and fun to keep you entertained.
A simple country girl at the mercy of a cold-hearted thief with more secrets than scruples.
Blurb:
As a widow, Jessamine gained the freedom she’d always desired. Her late husband left her his sole possession, an inn on the north road to Scotland. When a trio of gentlemen appear at the doorstep of her isolated inn during a snowstorm, Jess can’t help the curiosity coursing through her veins. Eavesdropping on their conversation only entangles her in their web of deception.
To the petite innkeeper, Edmund is a wealthy thief. Allowing her to think what she will, he decides to use her to his advantage. That is until she hides the stolen jewels and refuses to reveal their location. Never cowed by a challenge, Edmund issues an ultimatum: return the jewels or repay the debt with her body.
Excerpt:
“I would rather chew my own arm off than lie with one of those men.” Jess waved her hand at her sister’s ridiculous statement. She crept closer to the room when the sound of raised voices reached her ears.
“Well, I don’t give a damn how it gets there, once the Duke’s men discover the theft, it’s only a matter of time before…”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Monty. No one knows our involvement in any of this, besides the job is nearly done.”
Jess pressed her ear against the door and strained to hear the conversation.
“Why did you pick this god-forsaken place for the rendezvous anyway? You normally have such class.”
An unladylike snort escaped her before she could stop it. The door swung open and Jess stumbled through the doorway. She caught herself before she tumbled to the ground and staggered to right herself. “My apologies, my lords. I came to see if there was anything else I could do for you this evening.”
The silent one glared down at her as he closed the door.
“Well, well,” the leader said as he stood and approached her. He clasped his hands behind his back.
Jess swallowed and backed up against the wall. “I’m dreadfully sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I…”
“How much did you overhear?” he asked, his gaze sharp.
She studied his eyes; the blue-grey reflected the fire, betraying no emotion. Her throat constricted. Are they going to kill me? She pressed her hand to her neck. “Nothing,” she whispered as he leaned closer.
The scent of whisky and tobacco clung to him. His breath brushed against her neck as she turned her head to the side, avoiding his scrutiny. “Liar.”
Her heart raced as he leaned back and chuckled. Jess felt the heat rising to her cheeks. The urge to lash out struck her, but she refrained. “I promise to forget what I heard, to leave you in peace. Please…let me go.”
“What do you think, shall we let her go now that she knows our little secret?” A cruel smile played on the corners of his lips. The first true emotion he displayed, and it terrified her.
“What a pain in the arse,” the scruffy one said as he lit another cigarette. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved this time.” He exhaled a plume of white smoke.
The silent one shrugged. Then he surprised her by opening his mouth. “You’re in charge of this circus. You take care of her.”
Without shifting his attention from her, he held out his hand behind him. “Give me those irons, Monty.”
The scruffy man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pair of irons, the kind Scotland Yard issued. She stared in disbelief as he dropped them into the leader’s hand.
“Keep the key.”
The man tucked the key back into his pocket and exhaled another puff of smoke. “Women ain’t nothing but trouble.”
“Show us to our rooms.” The leader gripped her wrist, and she winced from the pressure of his fingers against her skin.
She jerked her hand trying to free herself from his grip. “Let me go. I’m not going to run.”
His grip tightened, and she whimpered involuntarily.
“Not so tight!” she hissed at him. The pressure on her wrist lightened a bit, but he refused to release her.
“Let’s go.” He tugged on her arm as they walked together toward the second floor where their rooms waited.
“These three,” she said, pointing to the doors. “Your rooms.” The scruffy one took the room on the right and the silent one took the room on the left, leaving Jess and the leader in the hallway staring at the door with a red flower on it.
“Let me go now.” She stared at him. “I promise not to say a word.”
He opened the door and shoved her inside. Jess stumbled and collapsed onto the bed from the sudden movement. Flustered, she righted herself just as he closed the door and slid the bolt home. He turned to face her.
“You’re staying here tonight.”
I hope you enjoyed the glimpse of my upcoming novella. My intention is to have it releasing in the next few months. The second and third novella following close behind the first. Please feel free to leave comments and/or questions. I love hearing from readers!
Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
~ Kirsten ~
Spring has finally come, and for many of us in the US, we’re ecstatic. This winter has been brutal and unwilling to retreat to make room for the glorious season of spring. 🙂
In honor of this season, I’d like to share one of my favorite poems with you.
I absolutely love the imagery and the language he uses. My favorite words are mud-luscious and puddle wonderful. They make you think of standing barefoot in a mud puddle, letting the soft brown dirt squish between your toes. So gross and yet so delightful.
Spring also brings my favorite flowers…Lilacs and Hyacinths. It’s not just the clustered purple beauty of these flowers that draws me, it’s their overwhelming fragrance. It makes my heart soar when I pass the garden and catch their sweet scent on the breeze. Here are some pictures from my own garden when I lived in Kentucky a few years ago. I was THRILLED to actually have found a WHITE hyacinth. 🙂 Aren’t they gorgeous?
I’ve also included a few other pictures from my garden for you to enjoy. (Yes, these are my own personal photos.)
Happy Spring everyone!
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Welcome to my humble blog and thank you for joining our little blog hop.
Once upon a time, I was a carefree little girl that was able to do what most people couldn’t…find a four leaf clover.
All I had to do was walk into a field, look down, and pick up a four leaf clover. It baffled most of the people around me. My family always teased me that I was the luckiest girl alive.
I pressed every four leaf clover I found. They were hidden in books all over my mother’s bookcase. She would open a book and a handful of them would flutter to the ground. Alas, most of them did not survive, their brittle leaves crushed with the slightest pressure.
As I grew, my knack for finding these tiny green treasures became a game to me. I would challenge my brother to see who could find one first. He has yet to win that contest. 🙂
One time when I was in college, I was horseback riding through a thick green pasture overlooking the soft valleys in Eastern Pennsylvania. I happened to glance down and saw a four leaf clover burried in the lush grasses. It stood out as if it was standing alone atop a mound of dirt, begging for me to pluck it and add it to my collection. So I did.
All those four leaf clovers and I have yet to win a fantasy vacation or the lottery. I’m still waiting on my book to be turned into a movie. Meeting Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch would be nice too. But the truth is, I’m already the luckiest girl in the world.
I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful children, a family that loves and supports me, friends who encourage and harass me on a daily basis, and a fantastic community of authors and readers who love romance as much as I do. I don’t need a pot of gold to make me happy. I just need to be aware of how lucky I truly am every day of my life.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!
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Click here to view the list of the rest of the blog participants! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Thank you all for participating in the Love is in the Air Blog Hop.
The winner of my giveaway prize is Mary Reiss.
Congratulations!
Have a fantastic day everyone.
This is the year of the FROG for me. All this blog hopping! It’s so exciting. Welcome…
As you might have guessed by my blog’s title, I’m a sucker for romance. Nothing makes me happier than love. 🙂
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, I want to share my all time favorite romantic movies. I was going to do ten, but I thought, what the heck, let’s do 20! Love is in the air…
Kirsten’s TOP 20 Most Memorable Romantic Films
(In no particular order)
1. Gone with the Wind
2. The Mummy
3. Amelie
4. The Illusionist
5. Sleepless in Seattle
6. Last of the Mohicans
7. It Happened One Night
8. Romancing the Stone
9. Persuasion
10. Dirty Dancing
11. Bridget Jones’ Diary
12. Singing in the Rain
13. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
14. An Affair to Remember
15. Pride and Prejudice
16. Willow
17. When Harry Met Sally
18. The Princess Bride
19. The Philadelphia Story
20. Jane Eyre
(I kinda took leeway with numbers 15 and 20. I like all the films based on the same story. Each of them is unique.)
I hope you enjoyed my list. 🙂 If you haven’t seen some of the films mentioned above, I highly recommend trying them out. Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends. *hugs and kisses*
~ Kirsten
Win a free ebook and custom jewelry (US residents only, sorry) : a Rafflecopter giveaway
Here are the links to the other awesome blogs involved in the blog hop.
My Salute to the Scottish and their Brogue
It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for a sexy Scotsman. Is it the kilt? Their strength? Their beautiful homeland?
While all those things are points in their favor, what clinches it for me is their accent. I may be crazy, but there’s nothing sweeter than the sound of a deep Scottish brogue. My addiction began at an early age when I saw Sean Connery in Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade. The love of the accent only grew when I heard Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, and David Tennant. Now I’m hopelessly lost in brogue.
I’ve never been to Scotland. The only time I’ve ever heard the accent was in movies or interviews with actors who hail from Scotland. So yes, I may have romanticized it a bit. Just like I’ve done with the British accent. That blame I lay at the feet of Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Is there something wrong with a proud, red blooded American woman finding those accents irresistible? No.
Everyone who knows me understands this fascination, this obsession I have. They know it’s a part of what makes me unique. They also know that it inspires my writing.
An Irresistible Shadow has a hero who is half Scottish. The second book–I’m working on it now–will also feature a half Scottish hero. There are plans for a third book in which the hero is one hundred percent Scottish Highlander. It seems as though my subconscious refuses to relinquish the allure of Scotland and her handsome sons. So I have to give Scotland some credit. They know how to grow ’em.
My books also feature some very strong Scottish women, who I envy and admire. The scenery sets the perfect backdrop for a story. All in all, it’s no wonder that Scotland inspires me.
I tip my hat to you, Scotland, for bringing inspiration to this American girl and ruining me for any other accent…because yours is the most swoon worthy. Hands down.
Click here to enter Kirsten’s Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Click here to enter the Burns Night Blog Hop Giveaway (Prizes which are 1 x $50 Amazon GC and 5 x $10 Amazon GCs): a Rafflecopter giveawayHere is the list of the participating blogs:
1. | Love, Lust and Lipstick Stains | 9. | Inner Goddess | 17. | Nina Mason |
2. | Samantha Holt | 10. | Hunter S. Jones | 18. | Kate Robbins |
3. | A Dirty Book Affair | 11. | Christina Phillips | 19. | Scenes from a Chaotic Mind |
4. | Anne Conley | 12. | Andrea Bellmont | 20. | Sarah Bella |
5. | Em Taylor | 13. | Isobelle Cate | 21. | Joanne Wadsworth |
6. | Kirsten S. Blacketer | 14. | Storm Chase | 22. | Anne Stenhouse |
7. | Willa Blair | 15. | Ceci Giltenan | ||
8. | Nicole Hurley- Moore | 16. | Tarah Scott |
Hello Everyone! I am so excited to be participating in a Blog Hop, hosted by the amazing women at The Diva Ladies.
I am offering a give away which will include a free copy of my eBook, An Irresistible Shadow, in any format you’d prefer, as well as a key chain featuring the cover of my novel and a charm bracelet made by me. 🙂
Enter HERE for a chance to WIN
Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to browse and hope to see you again soon!
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