Karen Kelly: Smoking Hot

Hello Everyone!

Thanks so much for having me back again Lee.

Paranormal will always be my first love. I grew up dreaming up different worlds. One of my favorite shows was Bewitched. Next I discovered romance books and I was hooked! I loved getting lost in the world an author created. I can see heads nodding. Yep, romance readers are a whole different breed and we love it!

When I stumbled across the word nephilim one day my interest was piqued. I learned that centuries ago angels came down to earth and mated with beautiful women. Their offspring were called nephilim and some thought they were demigods. That started the wheels turning in my head. Part angel, part man. They would probably have a good heart, being part angel and all. But then I began to wonder what kind of man they would be. Think about it for a moment. The powers of an angel, but the soul of a man.

If you've read any of my books then you know I love writing steamy love scenes. Yes, these angels have a naughty side. They don't live by the same rules as angels. In fact, they break all the rules, then make up new ones as they go along. But can they handle my "not quite so" good girls? 

***

Excerpt from Smoking Hot:

A rush of adrenaline surged through Raine. The exhaustion she’d felt when she turned off Old Red’s engine was gone the instant she came inside and sensed someone else in the house. Every fiber of her being was on high alert.
"Show yourself!"
He stepped out of the darkness.
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open, then snapped closed. She’d expected an unbathed drifter with a scraggly beard, not a cowboy who looked like he was made to fulfill any woman’s fantasies. He wore his clothes as if the black T-shirt and dark jeans had been made to fit his broad shoulders and muscled thighs. She hadn’t seen anything so delicious since being talked into going to that male strip show in Fort Worth.
She quickly regained her composure. He might be easy on the eyes, but he was still trespassing. "Who are you?" she asked. When he continued to stare, she wondered if he had a few missing brain cells. "Do you understand what I’m asking," she said, speaking slowly.
His eyebrows drew together, then relaxed as a lazy smile formed, as though he realized exactly what she was thinking and the joke was on her.
She bristled. He stood in the middle of her living room as if he belonged there and then had the audacity to smile, completely disregarding the fact she held him at gunpoint. She aimed the gun lower.
His smile vanished.
That was better. He wouldn’t think the situation was so damned funny if she blew his balls off. "I never miss what I aim at," she added for good measure.
"The bank is going to be robbed," he blurted.
Robbed? Yeah, right. Why would anyone want to rob the bank? The risk would be higher than what they could steal.
He suddenly closed his eyes.
What the hell? He acted as if he was about to leave. Was he planning to plow right past her? She tightened her grip on the gun. "How would you know the bank is going to be robbed?"
He opened his eyes, looking put out that she’d guessed his intentions and foiled his plan to escape. "Trust me," he said.
"You break into my home, then tell me to trust you. I don’t think so, cowboy. Turn around and put your hands on the wall." It was a shame the guy was a few bricks shy of a load because he was damned attractive. Not that his appearance would influence her. She’d met her fair share of good-looking criminals who tried to talk her out of handcuffing them. Their charm never worked.
"The Randolph bank is going to be robbed tonight," he repeated his warning.
Okay, she’d play his game and see exactly what he was up to. "And how do you know this?" He crossed his arms. She tightened her grip. "Don’t make me nervous." She motioned for him to lower his arms.
The slow smile appeared again, but this time it reached all the way to his eyes, crinkling them at the corners. The stranger was starting to piss her off. Their gazes locked and she found it difficult to look away. His eyes were an intense blue, mesmerizing. He broke the connection. His gaze slowly drifted downward as if he mentally removed everything she wore.
Her body began to ache with a need that burned low in her belly. When he finally raised his head, he wore an expression that said he knew exactly what effect he had on her and that she’d stopped thinking about shooting him. Maybe, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t start up again. She raised her chin, daring him to try something and see what she was capable of doing.
"You’re not willing to trust me?" he asked with a slow Texas drawl. He slipped one thumb into his pocket, his fingers tapping lightly against the denim.
Against her will, she watched, mesmerized by the motion of his fingers tapping, then brushing lightly against his pocket. With supreme effort, she forced herself to concentrate on getting him in handcuffs. She stifled a groan. That thought created a wealth of unwanted images.
Somewhere between Fort Worth and coming home she’d lost her edge. A month ago she would’ve had this guy in custody by now and be reading him his rights.

***

I'd love to send a copy of Smoking Hot to one lucky person who leaves a comment. Be warned, the title says it all. The love scenes go beyond hot all the way to scorching.  The contest will end at midnight June 24th.

So, if you had your own personal nephilim, what would you do with him?

Karen Kelley

www.authorkarenkelley.com

***Karen's winner is June M!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing address!***

A Writer's Life: Fruit, Flowers and Forward Planning

Delicious!

At the moment I'm hard at work on the final draft of my next book, Jewel Under Siege. It's not difficult to concentrate on writing work when the weather's as bad as it has been lately. It's warmer inside our old house than out, which makes a change. On the other hand, as we've had a bumper crop of strawberries in the bigger greenhouse this year, there's always the temptation to take a stroll down the garden at regular intervals to pick (and eat!) some. I started my writing career producing features for gardening magazines, and it's lovely to mix business with pleasure. Growing fruit in the greenhouse is easy. Opening the door on a cold morning and inhaling the lovely fragrance of the ripe fruit inside is amazing. It's protected from the worst of the weather, as well as the blackbirds and squirrels who love strawberries as much as we do. I can pick the fruit in the warm and dry, however wet and cold it is outside, and then there's the fun of eating it.

Once the strawberry plants have finished producing, the older, worn-out plants will be replaced with some Brompton stocks. They’re easy to grow, and if you don't have a garden or greenhouse you can keep them in pots in a conservatory. Sown at this time of year they'll flower in the dark, cold days of February and a packet of nearly 200 seeds costs less than $3 (£2/€2.50). Best of  all, they have such a lovely perfume it really lifts the spirits. It gives me a real kick to walk into my  greenhouse while winter still has its grip on the garden, and smell their heady fragrance.

By KENPEI

This year, I'm putting coffee grounds around all my seedlings as it's supposed to deter slugs. It’ll be interesting to see if this idea works. A lot of coffee drinking goes on at Tumbling Towers. I like the idea of recycling the waste product  and beating slugs at the same time! 

If I can stop the bugs eating my Brompton stocks, the plants will keep growing until the weather gets really cold. Then they'll mark time until the days start to lengthen, after Christmas. When that happens, they'll push up their spikes of white, pink, red or purple flowers. To experience their lovely summery perfume will be a real treat on days when the mornings are dark, the afternoons short and winter feels endless.

What's your favourite flower?

If you'd like to keep up with the latest news about Jewel Under Siege, you can subscribe to Christina’s newsletter by sending her an email at christinahollis@hotmail.co.uk with the word “subscribe” in the subject line. You can also read her blog at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, and see a complete list of her published books at http://www.christinahollis.com.

Why Go to A Reader's Conference by Michelle Styles

Signing at Loveletter Convention

To put it simply – readers’ conferences are great ways to meet other like minded people and to really learn more about something you are passionately interested in. It is a chance to meet the authors who create the books but also to discuss with other people about the genre and the books you love. And  it doesn’t matter if you don’t really know the language, the common currency is the love of the books.

Readers at the signing, patiently waiting.

Recently I went to the 2^nd Loveletter Convention in Berlin, Germany.  My German is practically nonexistent. Luckily the vast majority of the people attending were kind and could speak some English.  The readers who attended were not just from Germany, Austria and  the German-speaking part of Switzerland but from around Europe including some from Denmark, and Croatia. But there were contingents from Belgium and the Netherlands as well. And everyone attending was passionate about books and in particular romance books.

The atmosphere was incredible. Because it was my second time, a number of people remembered me from last year. I am now officially the Author in the Red Shoes. Luckily I wore them again as I couldn’t find another pair of shoes that I loved as much and was as comfortable.  Several people were lovely and had brought gift bags as a thank you to authors  for attending the conference and for giving them such pleasure. I was really touched.



Annie Burrows and Michelle Styles in Regency costume.

My favourite part of the conference had to be the Blind Dates where I had the chance to meet with a random group of readers. Last year it was about 7- 10 readers. This year, just before we started, I discovered that we would be rotating tables.  Cue a quick downstairs for me to retrieve more books as I figured the best way to break the ice was to give away books as there was no guarantee that the readers had ever heard of me.  Everyone was enthusiastic.

Later at the signing, I was surprised by the number of people who wanted English books, rather than the very lovely reprint of Gladiator’s Honour in German which I was signing. I absolutely loved the cover of the German version. My daughter now has the poster that Cora (German Harlequin) let me take. 

 Many people do prefer to read in English because then they can read the author’s words, rather than the translator’s interpretation of those words. Also with the advent of The Book Depository which has free worldwide shipping and  ebooks, it has come to savvy readers’ attention that the English mass market  paperbacks cost about  one third of the German. And then there is the time factor, dedicated readers want to read the latest offering wherever it comes out.

I

German reprint of Gladiator's Honour
which was made into a poster for the event
by Cora

did several workshops including one with Annie Burrows where we dressed up in order to explain a bit more about the Regency. I played a nouveau riche Mama who was desperate for her daughter to marry well but to marry for love. Annie played a Dowager Countess who wanted to remain in London for the Season for her own highly private reasons.

We had a great deal of fun. And that is what I think a successful conference is about – fun. The main difference between a writer’s conference and reader’s conference is that when you go to a writer’s conference you are meeting fellow writers  who may or may not be your rivals and when you go to a readers’ conference you are connecting with readers who are just passionate about books and the genre.  Once again I was made to feel like a Rock star.

Michelle Styles writes  warm witty and intimate historical romance in a wide range of time periods for Harlequin Historical, Her next book with be published in November 2013 Paying the Viking's Price. To learn more about Michelle and her books visit www.michellestyles.co.uk

 

 

Cat Devon: The cupcake maker and…the vampire!

My book SLEEPING WITH THE ENTITY features Daniella Delaney, owner of Heavenly Cupcakes.  She’s opening her new cupcake shop in Chicago. But she’s having a hard time convincing the local business association—namely Nick St. George—that she’s a good addition to the neighborhood. Daniella hopes that her famous red velvet cupcakes will be enough to melt any man’s heart. But Nick is no ordinary man. He’s got fangs.

Why a cupcake maker as my heroine you might ask? Well, I had this vampire hero.  What would be the total opposite of his darkness?  A very cheerful and talented cupcake maker, of course.  Vampires don’t eat cupcakes.

Naturally I had to research cupcake makers like Neda, the owner of Sugar Monkey in Naperville, who was so generous with her time in giving me a tour of her shop and answering my many questions. I hope I didn’t give too many of her baking secrets away.  Her cupcakes are simply awesome!  I listed her in the dedication to this book.

Naturally I had to set the books here in my hometown Chicago, which is a city of neighborhoods like Old Town, Boystown and Greektown among many others.  And now there is Vamptown.  Not that you will find that name on any map or Google search.  You see, only vampires know about Vamptown and they like it that way.  They don’t want humans invading their turf, tempting them to take a bite.  As the head of the Vamptown clan, Nick St. George does not want a cupcake shop opening in his territory.

Daniella Delaney is the daughter of the local funeral parlor owner.  She didn’t want to get into that line of work, so she followed her passion for baking, studying in NYC.  Now she’s back again, ready to open her own shop with her father’s help.

No problem, Nick thinks.  He can compel her to go elsewhere.  Vampires can always compel humans.  Except for Daniella.  He’s stunned to discover that he can’t make her do his bidding.

When word gets out that she’s immune to compelling, the other vampire clans – mostly the Gold Coast clan – want her. Compelling is big in vampire lore.  It has to do with the eyes.  Take a look at Ian Somerhalder’s eyes – he plays a vampire on The Vampire Diaries.  A vampire looks into a human’s eyes and can make them obey their command.

                Here’s the scene from chapter 1 of SLEEPING WITH THE ENTITY.

“You don’t really want to open your store in this area.”  Nick’s words had an almost hypnotic rhythm to them.

“Yes, I do.”

He frowned and stared directly into her eyes.  “No, you don’t.”

“Yes,” she said emphatically.  “I do.”

His frown deepened and those stormy gray eyes of his narrowed.

She laughed.  “You seem surprised,” she said.  “Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?

“I believe you may turn out to be more challenging than I expected,” Nick said slowly.  

Nick was great to work with.  Later in the book, he is dealing with Gold Coast vamps trying to investigate Daniella.

               

“Your boss broke the truce when he first sent you here,” Nick said.  “And again by having you come to the flash mob.  If I find out that you were behind the wheel of that Hummer that tried to mow Daniella down, then you will wish for a death by decapitation.”

“I wasn’t trying to kill her.  That Hummer is hard to drive.  Besides, I’m not afraid of you,” Andy said, despite his trembling voice.  “You haven’t killed any vamps or humans in over a century.  Your reputation is based on stuff that happened ages ago.”

“I haven’t killed any vamps or humans that you know about,” Nick said.  “Unlike your boss, I don’t brag about my work.’

I’ve been asked if all the books feature the same hero and heroine.  No, they do not. But they do appear in each book.

 The second book THE ENTITY WITHIN features vampire Demon hunter Damon Thornheart and witch Zoe Adams.  Vampires and witches do not get along, especially when she accidentally unleashes dangerous demons into Vamptown.  There are 3 books in the series so far.  SLEEPING WITH THE ENTITY out now, THE ENTITY WITHIN in about two weeks out July 2nd and LOVE YOUR ENTITY out Dec 31. 

 One of my favorite questions my publicist forwarded on to me was from I Love Vampire Novels, who asked for five things not many people know about me. Here they are in no order:

1) I write on a purple laptop

2) One of my fave artists is English watercolorist JMW Turner

3) I own a Ouija board and have used it

4) Imagine Dragons is one of my fave new musical groups and I write to their music

5) I’ve traveled to 21 countries around the world.

Oh, and a sixth thing is my favorite cupcake flavor is red velvet.  What about you?  What are some of your favorite cupcake flavors?   

          

For more info on Cat’s books visit her website at www.catdevon.com or like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/catdevonauthor or follow her on Twitter @catdevonauthor.  SLEEPING WITH THE ENTITY is out now and THE ENTITY WITHIN comes out this July 2^nd.

Finding the Story in a Song

I fell in love with country music late in life even though I grew up with it.  I remember an 8 track tape my parents loved (note they loved it, not me).  I couldn't tell you who the singer was, but I can still sing most of the songs..."Roll muddy river, roll on muddy river, roll onnnnn.  I've got a notion you'll go to the ocean..."  I grew up and forgot about country for a while.  It was my parents' music, so it couldn't be cool.

But then I started watching country videos and was hooked all over again.  I discovered that country songs could tell an entire story in under four minutes.  Tim McGraw's, Don't Take the Girl.  Travis Tritt's Tell Me I was Dreaming...heck that whole trilogy.  (And as someone who loves writing trilogies and series, I love that he did a trilogy of songs!)

When I started writing, I discovered that sometimes it wasn't the songs telling A STORY...it was a song telling MY STORY.  The biggest example was Keri Noble's Piece of My Heart.  There was no video with it, but I played that song hundreds of times as I wrote Same Time Next Summer.  That song fit the mood of the book, and it fit the story.  To this day, whenever it plays on my iPod, I'm immediately back on that beach in Ohio with my characters.

This month, the final book in my A Valley Ridge Wedding trilogy is out.  I so loved writing A Walk Down the Aisle. In the first two books in the trilogy (You Are Invited... and April Showers) readers met Sophie and Colton, a seemingly perfect couple.  But here's the thing, no one is perfect.  No relationship is perfect.  But I think that sometimes we shine even brighter because of our imperfections.  More than that, I think relationships are stronger when people have to work at them.

The book was on the shelf when I bought a copy of Lady Antebellum's new album, Golden.  It's awesome (that's not a shocker...love them!).  And as I listened, I heard the title song, Golden and realized, they were singing my book.  If you replaced the word Witchita with Valley Ridge it would be perfect.  You can almost see the book's hero, Colton, a farmer, walking through his fields and reveling at a sunset.  You know that he keeps Sophie close to his heart and in his dreams.  What he has to learn in the book is to accept her flaws...no not only accept them, but treasure them.

Listen to the song as you read the book.  If you've already read it, listen and let me know if you think it's as perfect a fit as I do.   I'm anxious to see if anyone else finds the story in the song.  Have you ever read a book and had it remind you of a song, or vice versa??

Holly

PS On a totally unrelated note, I have a short story that's free today for Kindle.

All in the Family – Virginia Kantra

As writers and readers of romance, we tend to focus on the main couple in our stories—you know, man + woman = pair bond. But as women, I think we're hard-wired to pay attention to relationships. All relationships. No man is an island...even if, like the Fletchers of Dare Island, the characters live on one. And no couple can stay marooned in their own little world forever.

Your family helps shape who you are and what kind of person you might want to spend the rest of your life with.

For us to trust in our couple's happy ending, we need to believe that they can make a life beyond the time frame of the story. And that means that they must share their lives outside their relationship. Somehow they must integrate their work, their friends, and their families.

This is the stuff I love to write. My first books (now available for Kindle and Nook) featured the MacNeill brothers. And now I'm writing about the Fletchers, three generations with this wonderful, messy mix of family ties and conflicts.

My new release, Carolina Girl is a reunion story, about first times – first crush, first sex, first big, big mistake – and second chances.

It's about Harvard-educated, New York PR executive Meg Fletcher, who thinks she has everything she’s ever wanted until she loses it all. She comes home to Dare Island to help out at her parents' bed-and-breakfast and runs smack into sexy builder, Sam Grady, her big brother's best friend in high school, who wants...Meg.

I hope you'll enjoy meeting them!

The Fletchers had lived on Dare Island for four generations. Tom Fletcher had served twenty years in the Marines, but Sam remembered the summer Meg’s father had moved his family back into the old house falling down above the bay. Sam’s home life that year had sucked. Stepmom number two—pretty blond Julie, with her magazines and manicures—had moved out at Christmas, and before the school year was even over, Angela, broody, moody, and already pregnant, had been installed in her place. Once Sam might have been excited over the idea of a half sibling, but not then. He was fifteen, for Christ’s sake. It was embarrassing, having a father who couldn’t keep it in his pants sticking it to a woman twenty years younger. 

The old man, of course, had swollen up like a bullfrog over this evidence of his mojo. “You better watch yourself, boy,” he said to Sam. “Got yourself a little brother or sister now coming up behind you. That’s half your inheritance.” 

It made Sam sick. 

That afternoon he’d escaped on his bicycle, taking his time going home after killing a couple of hours on the beach. It wasn’t like anybody would miss him. It was lame, not having a car. The old man had promised Sam a new Jeep Wrangler when he turned sixteen, but with all the fuss over the baby coming, who knew what would happen? So Sam straddled his bike at the bottom of the drive near the rental truck, watching the new family move in: a quiet boy about his own age, with big hands and shoulders; a skinny girl maybe a couple years younger; and a happy little kid who barreled in everybody’s way. 

The front screen slammed. The girl came out of the house and down the walk. Sam was making a study of breasts that summer, as many as he could see up close or get his hands on. This girl was too young and too thin to have much of his new favorite thing, but he liked the way she moved, quick and determined. Her hair was dark and short and shiny. 

She caught him watching and looked straight at him instead of down and away like most girls. Her head cocked at a challenging angle. “What are you looking at?” 

You. He flushed. “Nothing.” 

--from Carolina Girl

So how do you feel about families and friends in romance? Do you think they add to the romance? Or distract from the main couple? Do you have a favorite fictional "family" (Julia Quinn's Bridgertons, Suz Brockmann's Navy SEALS, Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Chicago Stars)? I love to hear from readers. Leave a comment for a chance to win the first book in the Dare Island series, Carolina Home. 

Connect with me through my website on Facebook on Twitter @VirginiaKantra or join my mailing list!

***Virginia's winner is Patsy T!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing address.  Thanks!***

Anna Campbell: Literati Was Lovely!

by Anna Campbell

One of the really fun parts of being a writer is getting out and about to meet readers and other writers. On the weekend of the 17th and 18th May, I headed a couple of hours south to the Literati Festival which is put on every year by the wonderful folk at Gold Coast Libraries.


In 2013, there was a huge romance presence at Literati which was held at the brand new Upper Coomera Library. Apart from me, we had queen of romantic suspense Helene Young, New York Times Bestseller Keri Arthur, and author of clever, funny contemporary women's fiction Lisa Walker. There were 14 authors altogether, including thriller writer L.A. Larkin and Y.A. writer Paula Weston.

I was invited to take part in two panels. The first was called A Recipe for Romance and was designed for people writing romance (or at least contemplating it!).  Here's a photo of me with the moderator Louise Pieper of Gold Coast Libraries and Helene Young who looks elegant as always! We had a small but very enthusiastic group of participants, including Destiny author Jennifer St. George who added the perspective of someone published in category romance. There's a photo of Helene and me with Jen below the dawn shot.

The kind folk at Literati had put all the authors up at the very swish Watermark Hotel in roadwork-plagued Surfers Paradise and we all congregated there for a wonderful dinner. It was lovely to have a chance to catch up with everyone in such an informal setting - although my attention focused mostly on the spectacular dessert buffet!

Slightly the worse for wear, I was up early the next morning and managed to walk the couple of blocks to the beach. Isn't this shot of dawn at Surfers Paradise gorgeous? It was a perfect, although chilly day to come.

Following a very giggly breakfast with two lovely people I don't see nearly enough of, Keri Arthur and Helene Young, we all trundled off for the 9am panel at Upper Coomera Library. To my surprise at such an hour on such a cold morning, we had a room full of people there to hear about the Course of True Love.

Moderator Louise Pieper ran a really fun session with me, Helene, Keri and Australian women's fiction author Lisa Walker whose books include the wonderfully named LIAR BIRD. This panel was mainly designed for readers, so we covered things like our writing journey, our daily lives, and where we get our inspiration.

My last photo is from this panel. From left to right, Keri Arthur, Anna Campbell, Helene Young and Lisa Walker. Don't we all look jolly?

As you can probably tell from the photos, Literati was huge fun. I think it's such a great thing that Gold Coast Libraries make such events available to their locals - not to mention everything was free!

So have you ever met one of your favorite authors? If so, please tell us about what happened. If not, who would you like to meet? And why?

Anne McAllister: Family Reunions

When you have a family the size of ours and as spread out as ours is now – with groups in Texas and Montana (times two) and Iowa (times two), the chances of them all getting together are limited, generally to, well, weddings.
And the last wedding was seven years ago.
Finally, this year, we decided it was time to have a ‘family reunion.’  In the interest of making sure as many got there as possible, we picked a place in Minnesota which is within a two day drive or a single flight (non-stop if desired) for anyone concerned. That meant – nonstops to Minneapolis and a reasonable quick drive from there. A kid-friendly place where there was fishing and swimming and golfing and generally hanging around with no pressure (oh, and some said, a bit of ‘shopping’ wouldn’t be bad, either.
We found several options, picked one.
And here we are!
Minus one – the oldest grandson who is playing baseball in North Carolina and living right on the beach this summer. (Hard to convince yourself he should give that up for a week with us). 
So, this will be short because there are nine adults and ten kids clamoring for attention. There’s a shopping expedition heading out in a little while, and a couple of boys playing with remote control cars under my feet, and two more who want to go fishing and a little girl who needs to tell me all about going to the Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead and museum in DeSmet, South Dakota yesterday.
So, forgive me for saying I need to go pay attention to them. I’ll be back next month and give you a full report.

Read and eat—Kandy Shepherd

Reading and eating good food are two of my favorite past-times. Combine them and I’m in heaven. I’m not talking about nibbling on chocolate as I read (my guiltiest of guilty pleasures!) but of visiting a wonderful bookstore that has a really good café or restaurant—or vice-versa.

Browse books between courses at Berkelouw Book Barn

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting two Australian venues that combined food and books in a most appealing way. First was the Berkelouw Book Barn at Berrima, in the Southern Highlands of NSW.

Second was the Whileaway Bookshop & Café in the tropical far-north Queensland resort town of Port Douglas. (Last year I also visited some wonderful bookstore/cafes in California but, unfortunately, didn’t take down the names or take photos.)

Snack and choose books at Whileaway Bookshop & Cafe

I’m the first to put my hand up for the pleasure of e-book reading. The convenience and portability has me hooked. I love seeing a novel that interests me in an on-line book store, and reading it on my iPad or Kindle just a few minutes later. I like being able to transport lots of books on one device, too.

Lunch every bit as pleasurable as the books (Berkelouw Book Barn)

But there’s something about paper-and-ink books—I’m resisting the terms “real” or “old-fashioned”—that still has me hooked. I still love the experience of visiting a bricks-and-mortar bookstore and browsing the shelves. To be able to savor both that experience and a delicious lunch, is very appealing.

An old-fashioned book press

The Berkelouw Book Barn in the grounds of the Bendooley Estate is renowned for its fine offerings of new, secondhand and antiquarian books. But my last two visits there were prompted by lunch at the new Bendooley Bar and Grill. The barn is a huge, open space with cathedral ceilings, exposed timber beams and stone fireplaces. 

So simple, so delicious at the cafe at Berkelouw

The restaurant offers first-rate contemporary cuisine, stylishly presented. What fun to order lunch and browse the books between courses. Both times I’ve visited, I’ve gone away with a stack of new books and memories of an excellent meal.

Lots of popular fiction at Whileaway

I came across the delightful Whileaway Bookstore & Café on a short vacation—recommended for good coffee and food. Both cafe and bookstore were convivial, well-stocked, and with friendly service. Again I really enjoyed the experience of being able to browse books and enjoy good food.

If this is a way to keep independent bookstores flourishing, I’m all for it! What about you? What do you think of bookstore/cafes? Have you any recommendations? Do you worry you’ll spill coffee all over your new book? Do you prefer e-books to print books? Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!

Kandy Shepherd writes fun, feel-good fiction.

Her new contemporary womens fiction e-book, Reinventing Rose, is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, and other e-book retailers.

Kandy’s romances include the Amazon bestseller The Castaway Bride, Something About Joe, and the award-winners Love is a Four-Legged Word and Home Is Where the Bark Is.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Freebie Friday!

Summer has taken a long time to reach us in the UK. We’ve had the coldest May for 50 years. But the sun has been shining for four days in a row and the dh – catching up in the garden — has “caught” the sun. 

In the spirit of the season — and aware that everyone needs something fun and flirty to read when they’re lying in a shady spot, something long and cool within easy reach — I’ve set Eloping With Emmy free this weekend.

It’s yours for a click of the mouse to download from Amazon (wherever you are in the world!) right now and until Tuesday 11^th June.

Emmy and Brodie each have a clear cut goal in mind — she has a stated objective; he’s determined to thwart it. She’s smart, but he’s smarter – and having made the mistake of aiding her getaway, he’s not about to repeat his error. There is the added problem that Emmy is deeply attracted to Brodie. This is particularly awkward as she’s supposed to eloping with someone else. A someone else she has to convince Brodie she’s determined to marry.

Eloping With Emmy is a classic road trip romcom and as I was writing it, the chase across England and France played out like a movie in my head. Actually, if tbere's anyone out there who would like to turn it into a movie I own all the rights so do get in touch! Any ideas who should play the lead parts (and links to gorgeous blokes and lively women) gratefully received. J

There’s a taster on my website

Meanwhile, here are the links – just one click and the book will be on your reading device before you can say Jack Robinson. Don’t keep the news to yourself. Emmy is counting on you tweeting about her, sharing the news on Facebook, or just about anywhere to be honest.

Also available in English here - 

 Canada
 Germany
 France
 Italy

What people are saying about Eloping With Emmy ...

"I caught myself thinking half way through the book this is like a madcap comedy with Cary Grant in the lead... only to have the hero think the exact same thing within the next 2 pages. One for the keeper shelf."   5 stars, Amazon Review

"Wow!  The story was so well written, the characters came alive and everyone knows an "Emmy". The twists were well planned and the dialogue vibrant and cleverly written.  Highly recommended, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time."  Smashwords, janebaylis1979

"...non-stop action with dynamic scenes and vivid characterization."  Romantic Times

I've been a Liz Fielding fan for years now and she never disappoints. Eloping with Emmy has all her trademark wit and original plotlines and it fizzes along like a vintage 50s rom com yet - has an undercurrent of heartfelt emotion.  5 stars, Amazon Review