Showing posts with label new release. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new release. Show all posts

Friday, March 10, 2017

HE GAVE ME BARN CATS


Author Maria Santomasso-Hyde

is visiting today as part of her

HE GAVE ME BARN CATS

Blog Tour with MC Book Tours.

Her book is scheduled to be

released March 14 by Dancing Lemur Press.








Introduction


Charlotte, 6-1-09



Apparently, my name is Charlotte now. The woman keeps saying it in my direction―and I like it. The way she says it makes it sound like I’m something special, “Charrrr-lit.” It’s like she’s trying to purr; maybe I can teach her how.

I’m B.C.―Barn Cat. The woman’s friend told her to name me “Charlotte” because I was living in the barn and that’s the setting of the book Charlotte’s Web. The women laughed and thought they were so clever. Whatever. All I know is I like the way the woman says my name, so I tend to perk up and listen when she says it. Also, it sounds classy. Perhaps Queen Charlotte would be better, since I am regal, especially for a B.C. I have large, golden eyes and a silky all-black coat that looks like something humans would pay a lot of money to wear. I’m sensually slim, and humans find me quite attractive and want to touch me all the time.

Since I’m the voice of this book (for now), I need to take a minute to warn you. If you got this book because you saw the title and thought this would be about cute, little kitties, then you’re only partly right. As a cat, I know deep, mysterious things. If a person wants to spend time with me, then he or she will learn to be quiet and still, to listen, to be calm. Then the human will think more deeply, and they, too, will know the mysterious things. That’s why we cats were worshipped in the ancient days (the good old days).

*****



If you’re looking for a story that will touch your heart, you’ve found it in this tender story of love, loss, and inspiration. You could win your own copy, just check out the giveaway details.

◊ He Gave Me BARN CATS
◊ by Maria Santomass0-Hyde
◊ Published by Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
◊ Available March 14, 2017
◊ $10.95, 6x9 Trade paperback, 134 pages
◊ Genres: Christian Fiction / Christian Life-Death, Grief, Bereavement
◊ Print ISBN 978-1-939844-21-7 eBook ISBN 978-1-939844-22-4
◊ Order through Ingram, Follett Library Resources, or from the publisher
◊ $3.99 eBook available in all formats

Inspired by true events...



        Maria has cared for her very ill mother for many years. Her burdens are heavy, causing a sadness bordering on darkness.  When she discovers her historic barn is now home to a mother cat and kittens, she feels lighter than she has in years. As the kittens grow, they teach her as only animals can do.
          Then tragedy strikes. As Maria loses her family, the darkness envelopes her like the heavy fog that blankets her Blue Ridge Mountain home each morning. She creates a scorecard:  God: 9, Maria: 0.  Her questions turn into anger at God.  She searches to find answers as to why her loving God would take away so much in such a short time.
          How will she learn to trust again? Can the kittens in her barn help her heal?

HE GAVE ME BARN CATS is available for pre-order in print format at following sites: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books A Million, Everything Cats, Foyles, and Chapters-Indigo.

HE GAVE ME BARN CATS is available for order in eBook format at the following sites: Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Amazon.

Be sure to add HE GAVE ME BARN CATS to your shelf on Goodreads.



Formerly a newspaper reporter, Maria Santomasso-Hyde now owns Alta Vista Fine Art Gallery.

She lives in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, with her husband, Lee, and The Queen of the Universe (Roma, their Black Cat) … and other Black Cats who decide to move in.

Connect with Maria on her

Come join the blog tour and learn more about Maria and HE GAVE ME BARN CATS by visiting the following blog:

March 8 - Rockin' Book Reviews - Guest Post
March 10 - Defending The Pen - Excerpt
March 13 - Reviews by Crystal - Q&A

Alex J. Cavanaugh - Guest Post
March 14 - Thoughts in Progress - Review
March 15 - Open
March 16 - A Bluestocking's Place - Excerpt

deal sharing aunt - Review
March 17 - Juneta @ Writer's Gambit - Q&A
March 20 - Reviews From the Heart - Review

The Story of a Writer - Feature

CBY Book Club - Excerpt
March 21 - bookworm1102 - Excerpt

Storey Book Reviews - Excerpt

Celticlady's Reviews - Feature



Giveaway Details:

This is a tour-wide giveaway for two (2) print copies (U.S only) and two (2) eBooks (international). To enter just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions.


Saturday, February 18, 2017

BULLETS ARE FLYING! - FORBIDDEN BY F. STONE


I'm thrilled to be part of the book launch of

Forbidden

 by
 F. Stone

Better Wear Your Flak Jacket









Synopsis:

Year 2047, City of Samarra, capital of the Republic of Islamic Provinces & Territories

Fifteen American travelers have vanished. Surrendering to Mayor Aamir's demands, Captain Sharif becomes the reluctant keeper of his city’s bloody secret – and the witness, Eliza MacKay. The devout Muslim is horrified to discover that if he exposes the cover-up, his family will suffer dire consequences.

The CIA has the lying Sharif in their cross hairs. Sharif’s only hope is to prove his country's government is free of guilt. Secretly, he hunts forensic evidence. Cryptic messages, backstabbing informants, and corruption threaten Sharif’s resolve to see justice served. When he discovers the shocking truth, he and MacKay become the targets of a ruthless killer.

Sharif is tortured by his attraction to the impetuous Eliza MacKay. In spite of her struggle with PTSD, he’s drawn to her vivacious personality. Islam forbids the intimacy he craves. In desperation to save Eliza, Sharif plots an act most forbidden and fatal.

ΩΩΩ

MY REVIEW:

One of my favorite things about this book is the dedication. Once you read that you’ll know the heart of Forbidden.

Set in the year 2047, politics and religion combine to create a volatile atmosphere for a coup. Police Captain Hashim Sharif meets a feisty Eliza MacKay, after the brutal murders of her companions. Working to expose the truth becomes a dangerous journey through betrayal, government corruption, and multiple assassination attempts.

The setting, the politics, but especially the principles and faith of the lead character, Captain Sharif is both heartwarming and a breath of fresh air. His Islamic faith, intelligently described, features prominently in the story as Eliza MacKay tests his virtue, and he proves her determination.

Despite fighting PTSD, Eliza MacKay surprises her protector every step of the way. No wilting flower, Eliza starts out fighting and continues the fight all the way to the last page.

If I have any criticism, it’s that I wish a few of the key players had been mentioned earlier in the novel. Still, I highly recommend Forbidden, a novel that is superbly written, with well-crafted characters, a twisting plot, and non-stop action.

James Patterson says to write a novel as if it’s a movie playing out for the reader. Ms. Stone does this beautifully.

Truly suspenseful this intriguing novel tells a sweet love story and has the kind of ending you’ll love. Kudos, Ms. Stone!



ΩΩΩ


Enter your name in my rafflecopter for a chance to win:

-   GRAND PRIZE:  AMAZON coupon valued at $100 USD,

-   Second prize:  Amazon coupon $50,

-   PLUS five ten dollar amazon coupons.

ΩΩΩ

LAUNCH SCHEDULE

February 13:

Review by Lily Eva Blake


February 14:

Guest Post with Pat Garcia

Review and Guest Post with Juneta Key


February 15:

Featured in OPAL Magazine

Guest Post with Lily Eva Blake


February 16:

Review and Showcase with Nicki Elson

Showcase with Jennifer Lane


February 17:

Showcase with Nancee Cain

Interview with Tyler Wiegmann


February 18:

Review and Showcase with Yolanda Renee

Showcase with Michelle Willms



ΩΩΩ

Romance Under Fire
Author Feather Stone / F. Stone / Judy Weir:


On our cattle ranch, when an animal was in distress or injured, I was put in charge of nursing it back to health. Never mind that I was just a kid and hated the sight of blood, but I had to muster up the courage to apply home remedies. My survival rate was pretty good. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that I would progress to nursing – humans. After one year into nurses training, I bolted. Bed pans and chronic diseases pushed me in different direction; a career of dealing with drug addicts, murder, suicide, fatalities, and biker gangs. In 1983 I graduated with honors as a paramedic and worked in the City of Edmonton’s Emergency Services.

For the next twenty years, I came face to face with scenes most people would rather not think about. I loved it. Having experienced life in the most deadly and gut wrenching events, and work alongside the police service, I gained the fodder for creating intense novels.


My first novel, The Guardian’s Wildchild, was published by Omnific Publishing in 2011. The setting is on a naval ship, under the command of a surely man who is under suspicion of treason. When a battered woman is brought to his ship for execution, he has no idea that she is about to turn his disciplined life into chaos – and that she is no ordinary woman. The Guardian’s Wildchild has a rating of 4.1 at Amazon.

Social Media Links: Stop by and say hello at:







Ω




Friday, December 16, 2016

BOOKS ON AUDIO





Memories of Murder 
Detective Quaid Mysteries Series
Book 2
Audible Audio Edition



Decades ago, the seeds were planted. Today, dark, fathomless eyes rake the image before him.

One final task, and the transformation is complete. Steady fingers screw intricately carved horns on each side of a stiff brow, and a gargoyle suitable for Notre Dame scowls from the smoky mirror in satisfaction. A jagged smile rips through his smooth, hairless face, and inked, reptilian scales caress his naked body. A laugh of hideous resonance emanates from his gut as the demons of hell welcome Lucifer into their fold.

In a dungeon-like chamber, his Lilith awaits. The kidnapped daughter of a nun, groomed to fit the final piece in the complex puzzle for world domination. Will Lucifer marry his bride, on the summer solstice?

Only two things stand in his way: his greed and Detective Steven Quaid. 


***

Murder, Madness & Love

1st book in the 

DETECTIVE QUAID SERIES



$.99 cents Amazon Kindle
December 21 & 22


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
FELIZ NAVIDAD!


Thursday, September 8, 2016

BABY MOO'S DEBUT!

I'm truly thrilled to help Julie Flanders announce the release of her latest book:



Blurb:

Baby Moo has a dream. He wants to travel the world and sing on the stage of the Sydney Opera House! While he loves his home at Sunrise Sanctuary, it hasn’t been the same since a piglet named Nathan showed up and stole all the attention away from Moo. Jealous of the new baby, Moo decides now is the time to make his escape and pursue his dream.

But the world outside the sanctuary gates is not quite the fun and exciting place Moo imagined, and he quickly finds himself in big trouble. Moo's friends Missy the dog and Ruthie the cat rush to help him, and land in some trouble of their own.

Lost and frightened, Moo and his friends must rely on each other to find their way back home. Will they ever see Sunrise again?


Release date: September 8, 2016 from Native Ink Press

Links:

Buy on AMAZON



Julie Flanders will donate $1 to Sunrise Sanctuary, home to Baby Moo and numerous other rescued animals, for each copy sold in September.


Help Julie spread the word!

Please Tweet:


Baby Moo's Great Escape by @JulesFlanders is here! $1 will be donated to @sunrise_ohio for each copy sold in Sept.  http://tinyurl.com/gpuomwm




Have you ever written or considered writing a children's book? 




Monday, September 28, 2015

LAGUNA NIGHTS

Today, author Kaira Rouda is here to discuss her latest release Laguna Nights, with a behind the scenes guest post!

The story behind Laguna Nights and the new Laguna Beach Series
by Kaira Rouda

Whether you were a fan of the MTV Reality TV Show Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and its spinoff, The Hills, or not, you’ve probably heard about the shows. These lightly-scripted, trail-blazing reality shows focused on the lives of real life high school students, juniors and seniors, at Laguna Beach High School.
The series aired three seasons, beginning in 2006, but it changed life in my town forever. Many of my friends blame the show for the crushing onslaught of tourism. Other locals still won’t forgive the school system for allowing MTV access to the kids and found it exploitative. The original contract had approved filming on the high school campus, but was renegotiated to exclude high school scenes.
I’m relatively new to Laguna Beach, but my family and I love it here. My sons are now graduates of Laguna Beach High School – and the ceremony is the same as it was in the show, as are many things about the town and its high school kids. At my favorite hair salon, my friend and stylist had just gotten married. She showed me the gorgeous photos and I said, “Those should be in a magazine.”
That’s when the rest of the salon customers and staff started laughing at me and one kind soul explained by handing me US Weekly where her wedding had a four-page spread. Another handed me a People magazine, and there it was again. Well, yes, Ashley’s wedding had been in magazines, lots of them, as she’d married Jason Wahler of reality tv show fame, specifically Laguna Beach.
A big fan of the show herself, of course, Ashley encouraged me to write a series about what happens to kids after that type of instant stardom. She had a lot of insight, of course, but my stories are completely from my imagination. So Madison and Josh’s story is ten years after their fame on the television show. Josh was the bad boy, and Madison – called Holly on the air – was left heartbroken, for all the world to see, and re-watch with the series on demand. Madison has run as far away from celebrity as she could, while Josh is still trying to catch it again.
Laguna Nights does share many of the same settings that made the television show so much fun to watch. There’s the hot tub scene at a house in Three Arch Bay, a private, gated community in South Laguna.
When Josh and Madison find themselves back at Fisherman’s Cove shooting a scene, I based that scene on an incredibly beautiful beach used often in the production, and one that even was the setting of my son’s music video. It’s a gorgeous spot.
Madison’s hotel is called the Mondrian in the story, but is based on the famous Montage Resort in Laguna Beach.  Their dinners in town are at a charming bistro on Forest Avenue, a place much like Alessa.
I’m so lucky to call Laguna Beach home and I’m excited to share a little bit about this special place through my new series. Fun fact: the cover photo of Laguna Nights is a photo by my son, Trace. He took it at the beach in Laguna one night. It really is that magical here.


Madison Alcott was back in her hometown, caring for her sick mom and working long hours at the best resort in Laguna Beach. She never imagined she'd return to the place where she became famous on the hit reality TV show Laguna Nights, and the place where she was humiliated on national television. Fortunately, the past had stayed tucked away until her old high school boyfriend appeared in the lobby.

Josh Welsh was a superstar by age eighteen, the bad boy break-out star of Laguna Nights. Since then, his star had lost its shine and he barely was holding onto his Hollywood status. When he was asked to host a new reality travel show, he jumped at the chance. The only problem was the first episode was shooting in Laguna Beach. Of all the reasons Josh didn't want to return home, he hadn't even imagined the worst scenario: running into Madison "Holly" Alcott.

Josh's connection to Madison was still as strong as her anger at his betrayal. When the new reality series forces them together, they must face Laguna Nights past and present, and navigate a journey where nothing is as it seems.

Excerpt:


It was an early Friday afternoon in February and Madison Alcott stood on the balcony of the Mondrian Laguna Beach, a luxurious Craftsman-style hotel perched on an oceanfront bluff. She needed a moment of zen before her latest group arrived from LA and her favorite place to breathe was this balcony. Typically, the winter breeze would be chilly, but not this year with global climate change. She was comfortable outside in her simple black dress, no jacket needed.

     Her long blonde hair blew softly in the ocean breeze as she looked out at the sparkling blue water stretching out to the horizon. Waves crashed on the shore, a sound she found soothing and had since she was a child. It was a constant, that swooshing water sound, more dependable than anything or anyone else she’d known. She closed her eyes and imagined herself lying on the warm sand, wearing her favorite red bikini, soaking up the sun, laughing with friends, maybe even holding hands with Dolby, lying side by side.

     She opened her eyes and looked down. Directly below her, a young family – two fit, gorgeous parents with two towheaded toddlers – frolicked in the resort’s signature mosaic swimming pool. The young father tossed one of the children up in the air, eliciting squeals of joy from the child, before he swam to his wife and pulled her to him for a kiss. Madison sighed.

     “That should be me, us,” she said, her words drifting on the warm air of the empty patio, and checked her watch. The group check-in would begin in just twenty minutes and she needed to be sure everything was ready. All the she knew about the group was that they were a bunch of picky entertainment execs. The booking agent had been light on details about the group’s members, but heavy with expectations of service, food, and confidentiality.

     “My group will expect complete privacy, the finest in service and flexibility,” the man had said to Madison over the telephone.

     “Of course. Um, flexibility?” she had asked. She’d stopped taking notes as flexibility was typically not one of the demands.

     “Sometimes, they change their minds. So, although we’ve set the agenda for the week, well, it is all subject to change,” he had said.

     Madison had leaned back in her chair, inhaled a deep breath and had counted to ten. She was up to her eyeballs with entitlement, especially with Hollywood types. “I’m sorry, but we’ve scheduled the best table at our oceanfront restaurant just for your party. They cannot simply decide not to show up on Saturday night.” She had been proud of herself, being firm and she hadn’t let her voice waver.

     “We’ll pay whatever. Just know, it may happen. See you on Friday,” he had said and hung up.

     Flexibility, Madison thought, walking toward the front desk, crossing the thick carpet of the lobby before stepping onto the dark wood floor of the reception area. All three staff members smiled at her and she returned their grins.

     “Can’t wait to see who’s in this group,” Chrissy said, eyes twinkling behind her wire-frame glasses. Chrissy had been with the resort for as long as anyone could remember and she still became star struck every time a celebrity checked in. Even if she didn’t recognize the person until Kevin, also a guest reception employee, showed her online. They still joked about her lack of rock star knowledge, missing the chance to ogle both Eric Clapton and Sam Smith within months of each other. She’d still proudly added them to her celebrity sightings list, Madison knew.

     “We’re so ready to be flexible,” Kevin said, tugging at the lapel of his sport coat, his red hair glowing in the spotlight aimed at the seascape oil painting behind him but instead shining on his hair because of his 6’4” height. “I did a walk-through of all of the suites. They’re ready. Champagne on ice. Strawberries dipped in chocolate. Everything chilled and waiting. We’ll make them love us.”

     Madison doubted that but smiled anyway. She loved her team. They were family to her, the reason she’d stayed on even though she should have moved on when the company had offered a promotion to a property in Sun Valley. Instead of manager of group sales, she would be a vice president of guest services. She’d told them she couldn’t leave Southern California - that it was home. But the truth was, it was the people here who worked at the resort that she couldn’t leave. And her mom, of course.

     Her earpiece crackled to life and Madison cupped her hand over her ear. “Five minutes to arrival,” said the van driver who’d picked the group up at the private airport in Irvine.

     “Got it,” Madison said, into the small mouthpiece. “Any insights?”

     “Dickheads,” the van driver said as Madison’s heart fell. She’d suspected it would be a long weekend, but the confirmation saddened her. It wasn’t as if she had anything else to do, she reminded herself, pushing Dolby and his strong broad shoulders out of her mind. She knew he’d never be able to forget what he’d watched, no matter how many assurances she made, no matter how long ago it had happened.  It was the same with her last attempt at a relationship, and the one before that. They would tell her it was fine, that they could handle it. But that was always a lie.

Kaira Rouda is a bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary women's fiction and sexy modern romance novels that sparkle with humor and heart. Her women's fiction titles include HERE, HOME, HOPE, ALL THE DIFFERENCE and IN THE MIRROR. Her bestselling short story is titled, A MOTHER'S DAY. Kaira's work has won the Indie Excellence Award, USA Book Awards, the Reader's Choice Awards and honorable mention in the Writer's Digest International Book Awards. Her books have been widely reviewed and featured in leading magazines.

She lives in Southern California with her husband and four almost-grown kids, and is at work on her next novel.
*****


Congratulations Kaira!







And in case you haven't heard my latest release is

Just in time for Halloween.

Which reminds me are you ready with your WEP Halloween tale?

Remember to Sign up on October 1st
&
Post between October 21 -23

Don't you just love a good scare?







Monday, September 14, 2015

A PEACH OF A PAIR

Introducing author, Kim Boykin, she's here to introduce and discuss her latest release
A Peach of a Pair.

AND IT ALL STARTED WITH A BUS TRIP

Last year, I was having a glass of wine with my editor who wanted to know what was next for me.  I told her, I’d thought about writing a sequel to The Wisdom of Hair, but I wasn’t thrilled with the storyline that had my protagonist barefoot and pregnant when the first novel had ended when she’d just had her first child. “So, what else do you have?” my editor asked.

I wanted to wow her with another quirky tale and a great original title, so I pitched a story I’d started several years ago about two elderly spinster sisters called A Peach of a Pair. The idea for the story came from my great great aunt who traveled from the bottom of southwest Georgia to Arkansas to see a faith healer in the late 1940’s. Women didn’t travel alone, and there weren’t a lot of women on the busses. So, to be on the safe side, she rode the whole way to Little Rock with her arms crossed and a hatpin under each arm. If a man got too close to her or fell asleep and his head flopped onto her shoulder, she’d jab him with the pin. Unfortunately, when she got to her destination, she found out the faith healer had been run out of the state, and she got back on the bus and went home.

While the hatpin incident isn’t in A Peach of a Pair, the idea of traveling a great distance for healing is. I loved the idea of setting out on an arduous journey full of hope and faith that there is healing on the other end. That’s what happens to poor Lurleen, the eldest sister, who is dying of congestive heart failure, but not because she wants to go on this trip. Her sister Emily, took something from her when they were barely twenty.

As Emily says, “What happened to Teddy was Emily’s fault, and she’d paid for it a thousand times over, losing her mother to a broken heart. And the seven years Lurleen lived in the same house as Emily but didn’t speak to her, didn’t take anything from her hand. The shunning wasn’t a religious edict. Goodness no, they were raised Presbyterian. But Lurleen had taken right to the practice. Even with the gravity of events, Emily was sure it couldn’t last, but she’d been wrong.” Even fifty years later, Emily wants to right the scales so badly, she badgers poor Lurleen into getting on a Greyhound bus and riding all the way from Camden, South Carolina to Palestine, Texas to see a faith healer.

My editor loved the title, loved the story so much, I thought she would buy it on the spot, but then she said, “Where’s your young protagonist?” The truth is, when you publish you’re put into a box. All authors are because it’s easier for publishers to sell us that way. We can’t just be storytellers, which is what I wanted to be. I was so excited about my pitch to her, I’d forgotten Penguin put me in the sweet Southern box complete with a young protagonist.

So I did what every author does; I made her up on the fly. “Uh. Her name is Nettie Gilbert and she’s a ‘Bama belle in her last semester at Columbia College, and, uh, she receives an invitation to her baby sister’s wedding back home. BUT her own fiancé is the groom. So she quits school and goes to work for two old maids in Camden, South Carolina and the bus trip for healing ensues.” 


The interesting thing about this is, in the original version of the story, Nettie was a young girl on the bus, but she was also a plot device to hear the sister’s stories, to understand the riff, and their complex sisterhood. When I started to write, I was a little concerned that Nettie would be overpowered by Emily and Lurleen’s great big voices, but it turned out Nettie held her own and then some, even though Emily and Lurleen do hijack the story from time to time. But the story worked and turned out to be an examination of an indestructible sisterhood and a wild ride to forgiveness.


"Palmetto Moon" inspired "The Huffington Post" to rave, It is always nice to discover a new talented author and Kim Boykin is quite a find. Now, she delivers a novel of a woman picking up the pieces of her life with the help of two spirited, elderly sisters in South Carolina.

April, 1953. Nettie Gilbert has cherished her time studying to be a music teacher at Columbia College in South Carolina, but as graduation approaches, she can’t wait to return to her family and her childhood sweetheart, Brooks, in Alabama. But just days before her senior recital, she gets a letter from her mama telling her that Brooks is getting married . . . to her own sister.

Devastated, Nettie drops out of school and takes a job as live-in help for two old-maid sisters, Emily and Lurleen Eldridge. Emily is fiercely protective of the ailing Lurleen, but their sisterhood has weathered many storms. And as Nettie learns more about their lives on a trip to see a faith healer halfway across the country, she’ll discover that love and forgiveness will one day lead her home.
 Excerpt:


Dear Nettie,

It might seem cruel to send this letter along with a proper invitation, but I couldn’t bring myself to call you, and I wasn’t given much notice regarding this matter. I also know you well enough to know you would have to see the invitation to truly believe it. Although I do regret not having enough time to have them engraved.

I’m sorry to be the one to give you the news about Brooks and Sissy. I love you, Nettie, and I love your sister. I’m not condoning her behavior or the fact that she is in the family way, but you are blood. You are sisters. No man can break that bond, not even Brooks.

There’s money and a bus ticket paper-clipped to the invitation. I’ve checked the schedules. You should be able to leave Columbia on Thursday the week of the wedding after your morning classes and get back by Sunday night. I know how you hate to miss class, and if you are also missing some wonderful end-of-the-year party, I’m sorry. So very sorry.

But the milk has been spilled, Nettie. Come home and stand up with your sister. She needs you. She’s a wreck, and it makes me worry about the baby.

Just come home.

Love,

Mother

*****

Almost everything she learned about writing, she learned from her grandpa, an oral storyteller, who was a master teacher of pacing and sensory detail. He held court under an old mimosa tree on the family farm, and people used to come from all around to hear him tell stories about growing up in rural Georgia and share his unique take on the world.

As a stay-at-home mom, Kim started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since. While her heart is always in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, she lives in Charlotte and has a heart for hairstylist, librarians, and book junkies like herself.