romance authors

ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 𝟙 𝕐𝕖𝕒𝕣 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜-𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕒𝕣𝕪

𝓗𝓪𝓹𝓹𝔂 1 𝓨𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴-𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝓮!

𝑅𝑒𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓁𝑒𝒹 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝓅𝒽𝑒𝒸𝓎
𝐵𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝟣 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒢𝓇𝑒𝓎𝓁𝓎𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒢𝓊𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓃𝑔𝑒𝓁 𝓈𝑒𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓈

Yes, 1 year ago today (11/19/2019) I celebrated a major event in my life ~ the publication of my debut contemporary fantasy/paranormal romance.

ℝ𝕖𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕝𝕖𝕕 ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕔𝕪
𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝟙 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕪𝕝𝕪𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕟 𝔸𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕝 𝕤𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤

Book Blurb:

When a kickass guardian angel must battle Heaven and Hell to save innocent lives, all the while fighting her own raging desire for a dark guardian working for Hell, feathers fly. In this first of a three-part series, a fallen archangel confronts Greylyn with an ultimatum she can’t refuse. With the devilish Kael by her side, they will seek out the truth of the prophecy and rekindle a forgotten love story for the ages.

This story had been playing around in my head since I was a teenager (and no, I will not say exactly how many years ago that was). Finally, after doing all the expected things in life – college, career, marriage, kids – I had the opportunity to indulge my creativity side once again AND IT FELT SO GOOD! Now I can’t seem to stop the story ideas from coming, and I do not want to stop them!

Book 2 of the series, Revelations, is currently being formatted and a book cover being created so I hope to have Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) available before the end of 2020 (would be nice to end this crazy year on a up-note!).

I’ve been playing around a bit with this webpage and have added a tab for “Character Introductions” so please check that out so you can become more familiar with our cast as they continue their adventures.

What’s a birthday (or book-day or book-aversary) without GIFTS?!?!!

To celebrate the anniversary of the unleashing of Greylyn and Kael onto the world, I would LOVE to gift everyone with a sneak peek into the second book of the series, Revelations. For everyone who responds to this post with a celebratory comment to mark this milestone, I will send the sneak peek to your email (please make sure to leave your email address in the comments).

But That’s Not All!!!!

One lucky participant will receive a signed copy of Rekindled Prophecy along with some cool book swag. Winner to be announced this time next week!

Thank you to all who have followed me thus far. I hope you’ve had a chance to read Rekindled Prophecy and you are looking forward to the next book in the series.

Love & hugs to all!

Social Media Links:

newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/gDp4Jr

Facebook Author Page ~ https://www.facebook.com/KCFreemanAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KCFreeman5

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19024932.K_C_Freeman

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kc-freeman-author-425a541b5/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kvcfreeman5/

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BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kc-freeman

July Author Spotlight — M.J. Kaestli

The fireworks are over, unless you live in my neighborhood which seems to think two weeks before and two weeks after the 4th of July is primetime for fireworks until all hours of the night.

So why should we stop the fireworks? And this time, I don’t mean the ones that go BOOM and frighten my tiny puppy.

These fireworks come from a seemingly endless pool of fiery romance. So let’s meet the source of this fun, steamy romance that’s better than a roman candle backfiring and hitting your neighbor’s leaf pile…

M.J. Kaestli writes Young Adult (YA) Dystopian Romance. She writes strong female leads who don’t know they were born to conquer the world.

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Hi, M.J.! Thanks for joining us. Please give our readers an introduction of yourself, not just the writer in you, but who you are.

I’ve created and shared stories since I could speak and written them since I could
hold a pen. I publish under M. J. Kaestli and I’m primarily writing YA Dystopian
(currently 5 out of 7 books in series).

On top of writing, I’m also a book reviewer. I post weekly book recommendations
on my website, YouTube channel, Instagram and Facebook. If you enjoy YA,
Dystopian, and Urban Fantasy, then come check out my reviews!

I live in Vancouver Canada and I love and go for nature walks along the sea wall
or in the forested areas. I hope to someday soon add a dog to those walks and my
home. I will admit, I often walk in the off-leash section of the park just so I can pet
all the dogs. It’s time I get my own…

What genre do you prefer to write and why?

My first love is Dystopian and I have since I was a kid. I think the reason is
because my dad was a survivalist. Any and every illness, turn in the economy,
governmental change, and new technology were all viewed as potential culprits for
bringing the end. How life as we knew it would soon end was weekday
conversation at the dinner table in my house.

I used to have regular nightmares as a kid and often daytime anxiety as well. I
thought way too much about how or if I would survive our looming destruction.
When I discovered Dystopian books at first it was a comfort because it represented
the reality I lived in and always ended well.

I know it sounds like I should hate Dystopian, but I think it safely explores
elements of humanity that really opens the mind to what surrounds you. I don’t
write out of fear of the future but more out of wanting to see the world on a wider
spectrum, to consider what I’ve never considered.

Do you write under a pseudonym? What made you decide to do so/or not? What
inspired your pseudo?

Yes, M. J. Kaestli is a pen name. There were a few reasons why I wanted to
publish under a pen name but I’d say the most prevalent is because I want to write
so many different genres. I’m a fan of grouping genres together under one
umbrella to protect the reader and ensure they continue to get what they want
without confusion.

I knew I wanted this pen name to feature strong female leads so I drew inspiration
from the strong women in my life. The M is for Michelle which is my real first
name. The J is for Jean which was my mothers name. And Kaestli was the maiden
name of my great-grandmother. I never got to meet her but was inspired by stories
of her as a child. She seemed to have more spunk and attitude than what was
deemed appropriate in her day.

Do you have a small or large circle of author friends? How do they help you
become a better writer?

My circle of non-writer friends has become rather thin. Most of my friends both
locally and online are fellow writers.

I’m heavily involved with my local Nanowrimo community. We formed our own
group outside of the annual writing challenge and host weekly write-ins. I think
writers need to be constantly surrounded by other writers, even just to have people
who make you feel normal.

As writers, we sacrifice so much of our personal time and money in pursuit of a
dream most think isn’t realistic. It’s too easy to give into self-doubt, insecurity, or
doing something easier with our time. We need each other for emotional support.
There is also a huge perk to get an extra set of eyes on your work or to have
someone to bounce ideas off of. Collaboration helps to keep the words flowing,

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or do you prefer writing series?

I’m incapable of writing short stories or stand alone novels. If the idea isn’t
multiple books with complex plots then I can’t get excited enough about it to get
through the writing process.

The State Series has overlapping timelines with multiple character points of view.
It has taken me longer to finish than I would have liked so moving forward, I plan
to work more in worlds with multiple series while releasing the timeline and main
character. I hope this speeds up my process while holding the integrity of what I
love in the finer details.

Do you base characters off people you know If so, do you let them know before
they read the novel?

Everyone and everything I’ve experienced in my life has an impact on my writing.
Modeling characters after real people isn’t something I do with intent, but can
happen organically. And yes, if I become aware of it (which usually takes time for
me to see it) I will tell them.

My main character Freya in The State Series was just a character to me until I
finished writing the first 3 books. While editing, I realized that Freya in so many
ways was my mom. She passed before I finished writing Compliant and so I never
got the chance to tell her.

What does success as a writer look like to you?

This is a hard question as there are multiple levels of success. Naturally, I want to
earn enough money that I don’t have to do anything else to live. I want to focus
full-time on writing and have the money to hire out all the background work I can
so that I can write even more.

But there are other kinds of success than money. I think my biggest moment as an
author was receiving feedback from one of the first people who read Compliant.
She read it in less than 24 hours and reported she was a “bad mom” because she
couldn’t put it down. To me, knowing I’ve touched someone’s life is success.

I feel that the world is made a better place through reading and storytelling. It’s an
honor when I can help connect people with stories that impact them, both as an
author and reviewer.

Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice or strictly as a business?

It’s definitely both and more. I feel like when I started taking my writing seriously
was when my life really began and I discovered who I am. It’s spiritual,
therapeutic, entertainment, social, all the things.

It’s also a business because if you want to share your stories with the world, you
have to spend money to get them out there. Publishing is expensive. And if I want
my stories to touch lives (which I do) I have to pay money to market them. There
has to be a balance of both income and spending. Plus, the more income I receive,
the more backend work I can hire out, and the more books I can write.

Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?

Of course! I love to read my reviews because it helps me to figure out what the
readers liked about my books so I can try to give them more.

The most negative review I’ve received was someone hated my main character
(and wrote paragraphs about how much and why) but then closed with saying they
would still recommend my books because the story’s so good.
I laughed, shrugged, and thought they must have really loved my story because
they really hated Freya. I want people to feel something when they read my books.
Even hating my character is better in my mind than writing one that’s forgettable.
You have to take the good with the bad because someone else told me Freya was a
real person to them. We each have our own tastes. My books aren’t for everyone
and I accept that as I don’t like every book I read that others love.

What is your favorite childhood book?

Monica Hughes became my favorite author in elementary school when my teacher
read our class Space Trap. It was the first Sci Fi book I was exposed to and that’s
when I discovered I love to read.

I later found Invitation to the Game at my library, the first Dystopian novel I read.
I was forever changed. I checked all her books out multiple times and they had a
huge impact on shaping my young mind into the person I’ve become.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

The moment I understood what an author was as a child. I used to talk people into
corners telling them my stories before I could write. Once I realized why I had no
friends, I started to quietly write my stories down. At the time, I didn’t know it was
a possible answer to the question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
Ideas have always come easy, it’s the writing that was hard. As I’m also dyslexic, I
struggled to get through the writing process as I was continually challenged with
spelling, grammar and the use of language. That kept me blocked until I realized
one day that 40 was just around the corner (I was 36.5).

I set out a very clear goal to write every day because I had to finish at least 1 novel
before 40 and self-publish it. I was about 6 months late on publishing Compliant,
but I had written about 6 books by 40 and published the first 3 in series by the end
of that year.

I still struggle with sentence structure, grammar, spelling, all those things that
received the red pen strike from my English teachers. But, I learned that the only
thing that really matters is I tell my stories to the best of my ability. Between
editors and all the software’s available, I have no longer allow my limitations to
hold me back.

Thanks so much for joining us, M.J.

If you want to learn more about M.J., her books, and what she has coming up in the future, you can find her at the below links.

Her website & blog: https://www.mjkaestli.com/

Purchase link for her latest book: http://mybook.to/Compliant

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H8Z34QX?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjkaestli/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjkaestli/

Book Review YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6Zxh5Fz7FQuEQ0-D-uy61w?view_as=subscriber

Until next time, dear readers! Stay safe, Stay cool!
KC

Location! Location! Location!

How many times did I hear that when we were looking to buy a house? But that’s not what we’re talking about today.

When it comes to my writing I’m a stickler for authenticity. Writing fiction gives me a lot of leeway, especially writing fantasy fiction. I can create whole new worlds! It’s fun and exciting. But when it comes to writing real places into my stories…I want it to be spot-on accurate so if the reader finds themselves in that particular location they will recognize it from my stories.

Let’s take Rekindled Prophecy – Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series. For a good chunk of my adult life I lived in Northern Virginia (metro DC). Book 1 includes locations that I am quite familiar with, including the “fictional” bed & breakfast that serves as the main location. Why? Because it was the setting for my own wedding back in 2000.

Therefore, when I wrote those scenes I was confident in my descriptions. If you drove up the winding driveway to a magnificent manor straight out of the pre-Civil War period, perched on top of a high hill, with dark green shingles and a rugged stone entranceway…you’d know you were in “Gaelic Haven”. Although the inn is now permanently closed (and went by another name – Killahevlin when it was in operation), you’d know this was the location of Kelly and Matthew’s wedding, and more importantly…where Greylyn and Kael first kissed (under the gazebo overlooking the koi pond in the back yard) — which happens to be exactly where my hubby and I said our “I Dos”.

Book 2 of the series has a number of familiar locations too — a club in downtown DC that I frequented TOO much as a young twenty-something; the National Cathedral; etc. But there were also places I have never been – for instance (while trying not to give out too much information since the book isn’t released yet): Mount Kailash. Never been there. Probably never will as my bucket list does not include climbing incredibly tall mountains in blizzard conditions. Also, I have a fear of heights so no mountain climbing in my future. But I wanted it to be authentically described so I researched sherpa villages in the Tibetan mountains. Since I’ve never been to one myself, if you have and you read the second book of the series and find discrepancies…please contact me so I can fix it.

For Book 3 (currently under major revisions because I decided to break it out into two books) I drafted the story which takes place almost entirely in Ireland. My lifelong desire is to visit Ireland and the more I research for the book, the more I want to go.

Quick fun story connecting Book 1 and Book 3 – no spoilers, I promise. The inn in Book 1 (real name was Killahevlin). When I recently put in a search online for Killahevlin, I was brought to Killyhevlin – an actual inn in Ireland AND it happens to be EXACTLY the place (county, town, on the same lake) as where our heroine, Greylyn, originally rose from the grave and presumably lived her human life. Coincidence? I knew nothing of the actual Irish inn until this point and now my future vacation plans include staying at Killyhevlin.

Now, where was I? Oh yes! Book 3 locations. I got amazingly lucky to find someone over social media who lived twenty years in the same town that takes up the beginning of the book (not Killyhevlin, someplace else). When I initially wrote the scene it came off more “Coney Island” than what it really was. My informant was able to correct all my nonsense so now the scene is more authentic and that makes me happy. Thank you, Laurine! You’re an angel!

I may write fantasy, but my stories still need to hold their own truth. And part of that lies with LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

BUT WAIT! There’s more!

You love fantasy fiction, right?
Then you must check out the latest from Katherine Gilbert!
Cursed in White

*****

A lost girl desperate for safety, a wary boy with uncertain loyalties, and comrades who seem more like enemies–can they work together to avoid a paranormal disaster?

When Evan Brendan is forced to chase an escaped gryphon to an island occupied primarily by clueless tourists, a famous lighthouse, and the occasional giant teddy bear left on a motorcycle, he discovers a scared runaway teenager with lightning powers she can’t control. Despite her objections and his better judgment, he takes his father’s advice and recruits her for The Will, the secret organization he’s reluctantly been part of since birth. But what terrible secrets from her past might he be bringing into his well-ordered world?

Suddenly finding herself in a parallel dimension in a mansion complete with a cryptic gryphon, a silent revenant, a disturbing, too-pretty boy who smells like cinnamon, and his quirky feline familiar, Carrie Summerland has to learn to cope with her little-understood powers. But after a nightmarish initiation into this highly-dubious supernatural organization, can she trust these seeming new friends–or her own emotions?

Amid the haunted landscape of Jekyll Island, Georgia, where ancient oak trees drip with Spanish moss and hide the island’s dark past, Evan and Carrie must discover the secrets that The Will and Evan’s father are hiding and dig into the truths of Carrie’s past. With the help of the parkour-loving and occasionally pirate-garbed vampires of Savannah, Georgia, and hindered, helped, or confused by Evan’s past inamorati (a gamine tree nymph and a much-too-flirty succubus), they must find the source of a growing vampire madness and stop whoever is using it to try to take over the world.

On a Katherine Gilbert wackiness scale of 1-to-10 sarcastic talking cats*, this one is a 7.

*Warning: Not all stories contain talking cats. Wackiness may take other forms.

The More in Heaven and Earth series is all set in the same magical universe filled with angels, witches, werewolves, demons, vampires, ghosts, and many other supernatural creatures. They can be read in any order or as stand-alones and will introduce you to a variety of fascinating characters, as they take you to various parts of this unusual earth.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08521TP88/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

For more from Katherine Gilbert, you can find her at the below sites:
Website: http://katherinegilbertauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Katherine-Gilbert-Author-102573417043950/
Amazon author’s page: http://amazon.com/author/katherinegilbert
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/katherine-gilbert
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18141907.Katherine_Gilbert
AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/profile/katherinegilbert/
Love Romance Reads: https://www.loveromancereads.com/katherinegilbert.html

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Until next time…Virtual hugs to all!
KC

Lessons Learned and Big Announcement

First, let’s get the BIG announcement out of the way because quite frankly I’m too tickled pink to put this off.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE…

After some fantastic reviews from The Naked Reviewers last week, they chose my paranormal fantasy romance book, Rekindled Prophecy – Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series, as their Book of the Month for March 2020!!!!!

The book was also named as the Book of the Week from 2/26/2020 to 3/4/2020!

Somebody pinch me! Okay, not THAT hard! Geez, now I’ll bruise.

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Now for the original posting for this week ~ Lessons Learned from my first book signing event at Penned Charleston this past weekend.

To sum it up – it was a series of unfortunate events which ended happily ever after.

Should travel the night before the event. I was stuck in a traffic jam on I-26 EAST towards Charleston with all lanes blocked due to a horrific accident. Nowhere to turn around, just had to sit there and continue sitting for a long time. Ended up 1 1/2 hours late!
Bring an assistant! Can be anyone, friend, foe, hubby, kids! Just bring someone to help out so the author can make trips to the ladies’ room and get food/beverages. Initially the hubby was supposed to attend with me, but he was easily persuaded to ditch me to take our youngest son to a wrestling tournament in Fayetteville, NC. Figured I’d be okay on my own, but easily see now how having a helper with me would have made the whole experience run more smoothly and enjoyable. Also assistants were working the venue by walking around and visiting all the tables and mingling with the guests/readers to direct traffic to their author’s tables. Assistants also freed up their authors to walk around and meet new authors and just mingle.
Double-check swag before the event. I found a typo on the bookmarks as I was sitting at the table Saturday. To say I was horrified is an understatement!
Bring more swag! Some authors had some serious swag at their tables. Some had raffles going for their super swag. I had bookmarks with typos, postcards with book info (which I ran out of), candy (mints and chocolate), and mini hand sanitizers.
Personalized labels for swag (such as the hand sanitizers) can be easily purchased I learned from one incredibly helpful author assistant. One lady had personalized packaging for candies and chocolates!
When the venue doesn’t provide linen table cloths for the tables, bring your own nice linen table cloth, not a flimsy plastic tie-dye one.
Check into vinyl posters and heavy duty easels. Most authors had 8-10 foot posters set up behind and beside their tables. I had a foam board 12×18 book poster propped up a stack of books on a chair beside me.
Purchase easels for posters and something to connect the banner to the table.
Purchase book stands so the books aren’t just laying down on the table.
Sneak in snacks. The venue said no beverages or food to be brought in – they provided water stations and some appetizers were handed out in the beginning during setup (which I missed due to #1). I ended up eating more of my own candy which was supposed to be just for visitors to my table.

Sounds a bit like a disaster, right? Actually, it wasn’t at all! I met a lot of amazing authors, author assistants, bloggers, reviewers, cover artists, and most especially readers! I learned a lot! I made some contacts including a lovely author in my local area (Hi, Haven Cage!) who also organizes local author get-togethers, and I now have a Reiki healer to call locally when my chakras are imbalanced. So, HUGE WIN!

Sadly, I ended up leaving right after the event rather than staying for the 60s-themed party that evening (another Lesson Learned – STAY FOR THE PARTY!).

Hopefully this Lessons Learned segment will benefit other newbie authors as you go to your own book signing events.

Well, I’m off to celebrate my Book of the Month award with some of my leftover chocolate from Penned Charleston!

I hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Epic Fail but Will Always Try, Try Again

Last Friday (2/7/2020) evening I held an Author Reading from my debut fantasy/paranormal novel, Rekindled Prophecy – Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/bzoaBE

Well, that was an outright disaster!

Several lovely friends showed up to listen to me read, and asked questions, made comments and generally it was an overall good time.

So what went wrong?

I coughed throughout the entire reading!

No, I don’t have the flu, or the corona virus.

What I had was allergies to all the drywall and general construction dust from my office. The room has been under renovations for some time now, and completely unusable, but I insisted (to myself) that I should do the reading from my office (mostly to avoid any of the other people living in my house from intruding – most of the time they respect the sanctity of my office).

You’ve been warned, but if you’re interested in listening to the reading and the Q&A session, here’s a link to the video on Facebook.

Now I am a self-proclaimed non-techie so I haven’t figured out how to edit the footage yet, and I’m rather certain there wouldn’t be a lot left if I took out all the coughing. My next best alternative is to record the whole thing, but then you’d miss the discussion and Q&A.

In lieu of a teaser for this week, you may have to work for it to listen through the reading of the Prologue from Rekindled Prophecy. Now there’s a lot of controversy these days in the literary community about prologues and epilogues, but I LOVE them and use them frequently. Every book in the series will start with a prologue giving the reader a glimpse from Greylyn’s past that has significant impact on her present and future. It’s a peek behind the curtain.

But if you don’t want to wade through my coughing fits to listen to the prologue, please direct message me here or on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KCFreemanAuthor/ and I’ll send you a word document copy of the text.

Next month, I’ll make another attempt at a live reading from my book and hold another Q&A session. Because…why not? It was fun, despite the coughing.

A Belated “Teaser Tuesday”

Folks, the holidays have me so scatter-brained, I didn’t realize the day, thus “Teaser Tuesday” will have to be a bit late. We need a good name for Wednesday teasers… any suggestions?

How about:

Wowza Wednesday!

We’ll table that discussion and get down to business since I still have holiday shopping and wrapping…and don’t even mention holiday baking to me yet because I just can’t even right now!

So, a teaser? A teaser? What shall I tease this week from the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series? Should I stick with Book 1, Rekindled Prophecy, which by the way would make a perfect gift for the fantasy/paranormal fiction fan in your life?

Or should I leap forward and give you lovelies a taste of Book 2, Revelations? Maybe skip way ahead to Book 3, working title, Remembrance? Or way, way ahead to Book 4 (yes, I finally decided that Book 4 is definitely in order, there is no way I can fit all this story into just 3 books), working title, Redemption?

For the sake of not wanting to spill the beans too soon on future books, we’ll stick with Rekindled Prophecy for today. Although, with the working titles of the other books, I am considering renaming the first book to just Rekindled. Any opinions on the subject, please shoot me a comment here or direct message me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KCFreemanAuthor/

Today, I’d like to introduce you to one of my all-time favorite villains — Olivier.

Olivier is a fallen archangel. It’s rumored he whispered evil tidings into Lucifer’s ear which led to his Fall. Quite honestly, it’s anyone’s guess who is the worst of the worst — Lucifer or Olivier.

Olivier wants the prophecy fulfilled, even though he’s not completely sure of what it entails. He knows enough to be dangerous. Apparently, he’s the ONLY ONE who wants this. Heaven is against it. Hell will do anything to stop it. So what will our heroine do with angels and demons fighting to keep this prophecy from reaching fruition?

How did I come up with Olivier? Well, the name is from one of my favorite actors of all time. Laurence Olivier. Actually…Sir Laurence Olivier. He was knighted by the Queen of England. Cool, huh?

But this Olivier, while debonair looking and always stylishly dressed in designer suits and power ties, is nothing like the actor who played Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice nor Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights.

No, this Olivier is more Thor-looking with Loki’s sharp wit and designs for destruction.

So let me peel back the curtain a tad, and let you discover Olivier for yourselves.

***

“Well, my boy,” said the larger man in a Dolce & Gabbana suit while he slapped the other man on the shoulder. They had watched the petite guardian pick herself up and sprint away from the bloody carnage behind the bar. They had the best vantage point for the battle, hidden in the shadows atop a crumbling service station a couple blocks away. “You’ve done a fine job of keeping track of our girl over the years. I’ll admit that I’m thrilled you defied my brother so long ago and chose not to kill her. Not many can get away with such disobedience. But this gamble has really paid off.”

Smiling, Kael replied, “Always glad to be of service to you, sir.” Teaming up with one of the most notorious tyrants of Hell had been dangerous, but he wouldn’t change a thing.

“Not much longer now until we can set things in motion with our little angel. I’ve waited long enough.” Without so much as a farewell, the large, hulking man vanished into whirling tunnel of air with only the sound of his laughter continuing to resonate in stifling humidity.

***

Happy Holidays! I’ll be back next week for a Christmas Eve Tuesday Teaser!

Teaser Tuesday

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

It’s the day after Cyber-Monday, a four days after Black Friday (hope everyone finished their holiday shopping and everyone is giving and receiving books this year), and two weeks since the release of my debut fantasy/paranormal novel, Rekindled Prophecy (Book 1 of the Greylyn the Guardian Angel series).

If by chance you haven’t finished your shopping, and the person(s) on your list enjoy reading fantasy/paranormal fiction, check out this little teaser from the above story. Regardless of the completion of your gift-giving list, check out this excerpt from the book.

***

Just as a small ray of early morning sun peeked between the slate-gray clouds, the shadowy outline of Gaelic Haven came into view. There were no lights on in the main house or the Carriage House. Breathing a sigh of relief, she tiptoed from the car to the Carriage House and opened the foyer door without so much as a creak.

“Didn’t realize you were such a partier, Greylyn. If I had known you wanted to party all night, I could’ve joined you.”

She froze in place. Despite the sarcasm, there was an underlying tension behind his words. The words were more clipped than usual. Greylyn didn’t know what to make of it and was too tired to care. Ignoring him, she reached for the door to her room.

The shadow at the top of the stairs pounced like a preying tiger to stand between her and the door. The little light that was available in the foyer from a small tabletop lantern reflected the gold in his eyes as they stood almost nose to nose, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. No matter how she tried, there was no looking away.

How could she be this tired and still be so affected by his closeness?

Without warning, his hand came up to her face, causing her to flinch. Instead of striking as she expected, his hand caressed the place just below her eye where she had been sliced earlier. His fingers softly moved over the now dried and crusted blood. Her skin warmed, as if she’d stepped too close to a bonfire.

His eyes strayed back to her own. The pupils enlarged, registering alarm and something else she couldn’t place. In a strained, gruff voice, he whispered through clenched teeth, “Who or what did this to you?”

It was difficult to think, much less speak or move, with Kael this close to her. His hand, still cupping her face, paralyzed her. She repeated to herself, “This is the enemy. This is the enemy,” in an effort to free herself from his hypnotic gaze.

The best she could manage was to say, “What’s the big deal? Worried that someone else might kill me before you’ve had your chance?”

She had wanted to sound sarcastic. Instead, her words came out more like a breathy whisper that ended with a pitiful squeak.

He leaned in closer, a mere inch or two from her face, his eyes locked on her own. “I don’t want to kill you, Greylyn. I would never allow anyone else to hurt you either. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

***

If you are enticed by the above teaser, please check out the entire story. Rekindled Prophecy is available on numerous book retail sites, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible, Walmart eBooks, Google Play, Abebooks, Book Depository, Alibris, Better World Books, and Indie Bound.

Here’s a link to the ebook at Amazon, but the hard cover is also available.

Also, I’m trying to build up my newsletter. If you believe you’d enjoy regular updates about the book, the series, general discussion of all things related to guardian angels, my silly rants and ravings on a myriad of topics, please check out my newsletter signup at http://www.eepurl.com/gDp4Jr

As an added enticement, I’ve joined with 9 other authors in a December Reader Appreciation/Newsletter Buildup campaign. Leann Ryans, L.P. Dillon, Becca Dawn, Nora Nolan, L.V. Lane, Krya Fox, Rowan Thalia, KC Freeman. V.T. Bonds, and Mandi Konesni have joined together to offer 24 days worth of prizes in December.

From December 1st through the 23rd, one person on our newsletter subscriber list will be chosen each day to win a prize leading up to the grand prize drawing on the 24th. The grand prize winner will receive 15 ebooks, an audiobook, 3 paperbacks, and Amazon gift cards totaling $50.

You must sign up for all 10 newsletters to qualify to win a prize. The winner each day will be notified and announced on Facebook once their subscriptions are verified. Each author is responsible for delivery of their book and prizes to the winner.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LCoDbQsFeACRukRT_t0ZjyTQLDs7oKdXezS9HsCADgY/viewform?fbclid=IwAR25TxaSx_2wYzQgdX4-JfGXz-SgFHnb31SqsNlxJqav6Tay4_O7YVgb5BU&edit_requested=true

Happiest of holidays to everyone! Ciao for now! Come back next week for another teaser.

RELEASE DATE in T-6

It’s been a long road, and the journey has been fraught with ups and downs, highs and lows, bouts of bliss and troublesome turmoil but my dream is just steps (okay, days) away from fruition.

REKINDLED PROPHECY, the first book in the Gryelyn the Guardian Angel series, is set to be released TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019!

Here’s a few links to pre-order if you’re so inclined:

https://www.amazon.com/Rekindled-Prophecy-Greylyn-Guardian-Angel/dp/1643900919/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=rekindled+prophecy&qid=1572382925&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Rekindled-Prophecy-Greylyn-Guardian-Angel-ebook/dp/B07ZHMNMGZ/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=rekindled+prophecy&qid=1572382942&sr=8-2

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rekindled-prophecy-k-c-freeman/1134332705?ean=9781643900919

So what is REKINDLED PROPHECY about, you may ask.

***

Guardian angel, Greylyn saves innocent humans from their own inner demons or the more nefarious real ones. She’s overdue for some rest and relaxation, but upon finding her archenemy already entrenched at an authentic Irish bed and breakfast, she knows her vacation is over before it ever starts.

Enemies for over four centuries, Greylyn has fought the dark guardian, Kael; and fought her desire for him. This time, however, she must work with the dashing dark guardian to protect innocent lives. It’s a deadly gamble. One she has no choice but to take.

But the situation is far more treacherous than she realizes as a notorious fallen archangel holds the lives of a mother and her unborn child over Greylyn’s head to force her to consummate a dormant, but deadly prophecy. One so deadly that Heaven didn’t even write it down.

The Rekindled Prophecy: Greylyn the Guardian Angel is an urban fantasy/paranormal novel with strong undertones of romance and sex appeal between two enemies – one working for Heaven, the other working for Hell.

***

Why classify as urban fantasy AND paranormal? Well, I tossed around those too genre descriptions in my head that finally had to admit defeat on choosing one because the story is BOTH!

The Wikipedia definition of URBAN FANTASY is: Urban fantasy is a fantastic genre, though many consider it to be a subgenre of fantasy, in which the narrative has magical rules or elements operating in an urban setting. Works of urban fantasy may be set in the real world and introduce aspects of fantasy, or in a fantasy world with operating rules recognizably similar to ours.

The story takes place in modern times (mostly) in the real world. In the first book, Greylyn hops between the rural Shenandoah Valley to the dilapidated run-down neighborhoods of the Washington, DC. She’s a guardian angel with more power than even she realizes after 450 years of roaming the Earth saving humans from their own inner demons and the more nefarious real ones. In later books, she’s travel all around the world, sometimes in a fallen archangel tornado of sorts, sometimes in a commercial plane from Tibet, and sometimes in her pride and joy — 1968 British racing green Camaro.

Wikipedia’s definition of the PARANORMAL genre could use some elaboration, but in short it is: Paranormal fiction is a genre of fiction whose storylines revolve around the paranormal.

Another defintion for paranormal genre is: Paranormal (Fantasy): Books with a paranormal setting or characters with paranormal abilities such as clairvoyance or telekinesis. Technically a sub-genre of fantasy, but you’ll often see it called ‘Paranormal fiction’ or ‘Supernatural fiction’.

This story has guardian angels, dark guardians (more on that later), shifters, ghosts, oracles, angels, demons, exorcisms, ESP, psychics, demonic monsters you’ve never even heard of (but I’ve researched), so we can tick mark paranormal as well.

Now I researched multiple sources, multiple definitions until my the red in my bloodshot eyes blurred away my vision (improved by Lasik) so I compromised – or not. Actually, maybe it’s a case of wanting the best of BOTH worlds.

Greylyn the Guardian Angel has ALL of it!

She’s a guardian angel.

She battles supernatural bad guys all the time, including dark guardians (Hell’s version of the guardian angel).

There’s an ancient prophecy. One so dangerous that Heaven wouldn’t even allow it to be written!

Neither Heaven nor Hell wants to see the prophecy comes to fruition so now Greylyn has to contend with resistance on all sides. Only one notorious fallen archangel (and not Lucifer) wants this prophecy to happen, and he will stop at nothing to make Greylyn fulfill it.

Now you may ask why isn’t REKINDLED PROPHECY classified as paranormal romance since there’s a hot, sexy dark guardian too and the back cover blurb does mention “strong undertones of romance and sex appeal between two enemies – one working for Heaven, the other working for Hell.”

I love Paranormal Romance and read it constantly, when I’m not writing – of course. But the romance part wasn’t the focus of my story. At least it wasn’t the intent of my focus on the story. Don’t worry – there’s plenty of romance, but it’s a slow burn over multiple books in the series. (I say “multiple” here because as of now, we are at 3 books, but my evil author brain kicked into gear while I was editing Book 3, so…. ). The focus of the series is the prophecy and what Greylyn must endure and rediscover about herself, her history (which she conveniently doesn’t recall before waking up in a grave in the outskirts of Ireland over 450 years ago), about Heaven and Hell, and about the power of the spirit….yes, even the power of love.

It took me years to write this story. Okay, maybe not years. But definitely years to polish it to where I was comfortable enough letting go to release it into the world. As most authors, confidence in one’s own product is a small stream. Depending on the writer’s high, there may be a drought and the water barely trickles. Also, I suffer from what I’m sure many other authors suffer from…there is always a rewrite burgeoning under the surface so I could edit this story until my fingers fall off and then I’d finally invest in that voice-dictation technology everyone keeps telling me to invest in.

The moral of this story…my story, not the book…is to not give up and sometimes just go with it. Hit the SEND button on your email to countless literary agents and publishers or hit the PUBLISH icon on Amazon or another book publishing site. To quote Nike, JUST DO IT! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

In reality, I could probably still edit, revise, rework Greylyn’s story until I die. But then you, the reader would never get a chance to read it. Maybe you love it (hopefully you LOVE it). Maybe you don’t. Maybe guardian angels just aren’t your thing. Maybe you prefer shifters (oh, by the way there is a spunky shifter in this story, but she won’t be truly seen until Book 2…but, I do have a short story in the After Dark: 9 Modern Takes on Classic Fairy Tales anthology which details her own story in much greater detail. Be warned though – that story is targeted for an Adult audience).

https://www.amazon.com/After-Dark-classic-rewritten-exciting-ebook/dp/B07PW8M972/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=kc+freeman&qid=1573657832&sr=8-1

REKINDLED PROPHECY and the rest of the series is for New Adult and could by also be considered Young Adult – a little cussing, some fight violence, and one kiss.

But guardian angels are definitely my thing and I want to share them with you, with the world!

Author Shout-Out to Serenity Rayne on the Pre-Order of Her New Book: Hunt Little Wolf

Hunt Little Wolf: The Aurora Marelup Series by [Rayne, Serenity]

🔥 Pre-order Now!🔥🔥

🐾˚ •。🐉 ˚ ˚☠️˚ ˛🌙* 。🐺🐾 ˛° 。🐺* ° ˚ 🐉 🌙 🐉˚ .🐾 。
*˛˚ HUNT LITTLE WOLF
˚. ★🐉🌙 *˛ ˚☠* ✰。🐺˚ ˚🐾。* ˚ ☠ 。✰🐉˚🐺* ˚ 🌙

🐺 TWIN Sammich!
🐺 Paranormal Reverse harem romance.
🐺 Betrayal, lies, broken hearts
🐺 Strong ass female main character.
🐺 True mates / Fated mates
🐺 Wolves, dragon, and bear shifters
🐺 a 💩ton of plot twists
🐺 Why choose romance! 🐾

us:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZPLRP56
uk:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZPLRP56
au:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07ZPLRP56
can:
https://www.amazon.com.ca/dp/B07ZPLRP56

BLURB

My name is Aurora. I am the first of my kind. After I ascended, it became clear to my Guardian’s that I wasn’t your average Lycan. My father’s noble bloodline has gifted me with powers unheard of for a Lycan. Half Lycan. Half dragon. I am a lethal hybrid of the two. With the help of my mates, I am hunting down the traitors to my kingdom, one by one.
The Strigoi may be an ever present pain in my ass, but even they can’t compare to what I feel waiting for us. I feel that something lurks in the background, a puppeteer pulling the strings of the usurpers.
With only two mates left to gather, my harem is almost complete. With their added strength, I will finally be able to avenge my family and take back my Mother’s thrown.

On my blood, I will triumph over my enemies… let my bloody coronation begin.

True mates,
blood and gore.
Why choose romance
Cliffhanger

***

Congrats, Serenity!

Author Shout-out to the lovely Charlene Namdhari on her latest release: Reigns to Her Heart (Fire & Ice Book 2)

Image may contain: one or more people and text

HAPPY RELEASE DAY to my dear friend and an amazing author, Charlene Namdhari!

❤️ Release Day ❤️ Reigns To Her Heart (Fire & Ice Book 2) is Live ❤️
Trigger warning: Domestic Violence

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2orqsbA

Smashwords: bit.ly/2pviCOY

Kobo: bit.ly/2pv856g

Apple: https://books2read.com/u/4NQ8nx

Reviews on Goodreads: bit.ly/2mw5sQu

Blurb: She’s afraid to love. He’ll teach her how.

Reece Bentley is a self confessed playboy. He dictates the rules of how when and why. That is, until a one night stand with a sexy, sassy stranger leaves him mystified, breaking his own rules and craving more.

Three years ago, Aria Singh finally walked out on an abusive husband. Her retribution ended in a one night stand with a fiery stranger. Now, with her past safely behind her, she’s built a new life solely for her and her daughter. Fate, however, has other plans in store for her when a blast from her past, rocks up at her door with the wrong set of cabin keys.

Firmly of the opinion he’s in cahoots with her husband, she isn’t prepared to accept his explanations, no matter how sincere he appears.
Baffled by the stirrings of his own heart, Reece isn’t prepared to lose his mystery woman a second time.

Will Aria give in to the sexual storm brewing amid the Wyoming icy blizzard? Can Reece make Aria believe that this playboy can love deeply and be the one to reign as king of her heart?

***

KC Freeman – Contemporary Fantasy & Paranormal Romance Author