KIMMIE'S FAVORITES HOLIDAY BLOG BASH WITH DEBRA PARMLEY

HAPPY WEDNESDAY ALL! I HOPE YOU ALL ARE DOING WELL. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR COMING ON OVER HERE TO BOOK OBSESSED CHICKS AND HAVING A LOOK AT SOME OF MY FAVORITE LADIES AND THEIR BOOKS. 

TODAY WE HAVE THE SWEETEST LADY EVER, DEBRA PARMLEY. I MET HER AT LORI FOSTER'S RAGT IN JUNE AND ADORED HER RIGHT AWAY. SUCH A TALENTED LADY AND SO RESERVED. I THANK DEBRA FOR SHARING WITH US. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Debra Parmley at the RAGT signing. It was her Birthday

FOR THE HOLIDAY EVENT, I ASKED DEBRA WHICH ONE OF THE BOOKS SHE HAS WRITTEN IS HER FAVORITE, AND THIS IS WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY.

Historical romance is my favorite romance genre and within that genre my favorite of all my books is my newest, which is set in the 1920’s.  Trapping the Butterfly is set in 1926 in Hot Springs, AR and has gangsters and flappers.

This is a story I’d wanted to write for quite some time and it is the first story I sold on proposal, before the first page had ever been written. I’ve been drawn to the 1920’s for quite some time, but when I first started writing it wasn’t a time period that publishers were receptive to. So I was thrilled when my publisher said yes and immediately began to pour through the research files I had collected on the era and the setting.

The Arlington Hotel, where Bethany and her aunt and uncle are staying, is a grand old hotel, which still has the hot baths it was once famous for. I’ve stayed there twice and enjoyed “taking the baths” so it wasn’t a stretch for me to be able to close my eyes and see this story unfolding in front of me. Al Capone used to rent the entire fourth floor though there is no “official” record of the dates he stayed there.

Bethany is my youngest heroine and she’s also my favorite. She’s seventeen going on eighteen and getting ready to celebrate her birthday and to bob her hair and cut up her corsets before her controlling aunt and uncle catch wind of it. Three men have their eyes on Bethany. The detective who is investigating Al’s gang, the man her aunt and uncle want her to marry, and one of Al’s gang who intends to make her his moll. I had so much fun writing Trapping the Butterfly and waiting to see what would happen to Bethany and if she would manage to free herself or be trapped. I hope you will have as much fun reading this one.

Buy links for Trapping the Butterfly:

Amazon: Kindle

http://www.amazon.com/Trapping-Butterfly-Debra-Parmley-ebook/dp/B00CB46Y5S/ref=la_B002BM9H4A_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384896581&sr=1-4

Barnes and Noble: Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trapping-the-butterfly-debra-parmley/1115098237?ean=2940016749389&itm=1&usri=2940016749389&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-pi83yymdE50-_-2:2940016749389&r=1

Desert Breeze Publishing: epub

http://www.desertbreezepublishing.com/trapping-the-butterfly-epub/

Not available on Sony

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KIMMIE'S FAVORITES HOLIDAY BLOG BASH WITH MONICA BURNS

AND THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES!!!! 8 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

PLEASE WELCOME TALENTED AUTHOR AND MY FRIEND, MONICA BURNS. MY VERY FIRST LORA LEIGH'S RAW CONFERENCE IN MARYLAND WAS PIVOTAL FOR ME, IT'S WHERE I MET MOST OF THE AUTHORS WHO ARE NOW MY DEAR FRIENDS. MONICA BURNS IS JUST ONE OF THOSE LADIES THAT I LIKED RIGHT AWAY. SO INTELLIGENT AND VIBRANT, MONICA JUST HAS SOMETHING ABOUT HER THAT SHINES. I LOOK FORWARD TO EVERY CONFERENCE SO I CAN GIVE THIS LADY A HUG... OR HAVE A PILLOW FIGHT WITH HER AS WE DID IN THE HOTEL LOBBY AT RT IN KANSAS CITY THIS PAST MAY.

MONICA BURNS

I hope this holiday season finds you well, happy, and joyful in the presence of family and friends, making memories that will last a lifetime. The holidays have always been a HUGE deal in my family with big and small traditions that run from the first of December through the 6th of January. But beginning in 1998, the holidays became painfully bittersweet events for me. When I lost my Dad in 1988 (he was only 52), that first Christmas without him was so hard. My family found it difficult to recover from his death, and it became even harder when my Mom died on December 19th ten years later.

At that point, all the joy seemed to disappear from the holidays. I had a difficult time every year trying to get in the mood because I was longing for the past. Then in 2006 I discovered a different meaning of what the holidays were all about. On December 16th of that year a beloved uncle died. I always try to attend all family funerals, but this one was even more important. It wasn’t just because Uncle Klaus had been so dear to me, because his wife was also my godmother. I had to be there for her and my cousins.

It was a difficult, painful visit, but when I traveled home to Richmond from St. Louis a couple of days after my uncle’s funeral, I found myself rediscovering what the holiday is really about. It’s about giving of yourself and being kind to others. It was amazing how many really nice people I met on my trip home.

• The lady driving the rental car shuttle who offered my sister and me tissues as we cried together at the loss of our uncle, our parents, our grandparents, the happy times we had as kids;
• The security guard who laughed when as she asked for my ID, and I responded, “What! You don’t know me! Why everyone knows me!” She was still laughing as she handed me back my ID, and I grinned, saying, “See, you won’t forget me NOW!”
• The young sailor, who politely reassured me that our flight was delayed, not canceled, as I thought I’d heard.
• The exhausted stewardess, on her last leg of a 15-hr shift, who joked her way through the usual pre-takeoff monologue;
• The man with the kind smile who handed me my carry-on bag at my transfer stop, which got stowed about nine seats back from where I was sitting;
• And the waitress at the Waffle House who looked dead on feet yet greeted me with a smile.

All of these wonderful strangers touched me at a time when I needed to be warmed and healed. They displayed the true spirit of Christmas. As always at this time of year, my family will be celebrating the holiday with our usual traditions.

Traditions that my daughters and husband love and anticipate. At least a month before the holiday, my girls ask, “you are making XXX (there are several favorite dishes they want). There are other important annual activities such as our in-home Advent service, friends old and new arriving for our special traditions and events. But most important of all is the warmth and kindness of strangers who exemplify the true meaning of the holiday.

No matter what your beliefs, I hope you encounter someone who happens to show you a kindness or that you’ll show a complete stranger a kindness yourself. The world with all its horrors could use a whole lot of love and kindness, don’t you think?

Monica Burns

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KIMMIE'S FAVORITES HOLIDAY BLOG BASH WITH MARIE NICOLE RYAN

WOW CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S ONLY 9 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS? THIS YEAR HAS FLOWN BY SO QUICKLY....

TODAY IT'S AUTHOR MARIE NICOLE RYAN ON DECK AND I AM SO PLEASED TO HAVE THIS LADY WITH THE BOC. *GASP* YET ANOTHER TALENTED LADY I HAVE YET TO MEET IN PERSON, BUT I ADORE HER ALL THE SAME. HER WRITING IS REFRESHING AND RACY.. I DARE YOU TO GIVE MARIE NICOLE RYAN A TRY...

Loving the Lawman--you name it there’s a lawman out there for you. Be he a sheriff, a US marshal, a Texas Ranger, or even a Pinkerton detective, they all have one thing in common: the driving determination to bring robbers, killers, and all-around bad guys to justice. The fact these iconic cowboys can accomplish this and still win the heart of the woman of their dreams is what makes them so amazing as heroes of historical western romance novels.

The Loving the Lawman series starts with SEDUCING THE SHERIFF (Cord and Star’s journey). Just an advance warning, this is an erotic historical western, so hold on for the ride.

Half dressed and going for naked…

 Starlight Tyler needs to lose her virginity, as in yesterday. With her mother, a Pinkerton, and a wealthy man she doesn’t love on her tail, there’s only one place to cut their cruel intentions off at the pass—get herself back into the arms of long-lost love, Cordero Tate. Pronto.

 She never expected to be tripped up by someone else’s past.

 Sheriff Cordero Tate is a haunted man on a mission. Come hell or high water, he’ll round up every member of the gang responsible for the deaths of his wife and unborn child…and make damned sure he never puts his heart on the line again. As in never impregnating another woman. One look at Star, though, and all the old feelings come back in a rush. Worse, she’s just as determined to brand him as hers as he is to keep her chaste.

 Their exploration of ways around that impasse lead to three nights of unbearable sensual pleasure. Until her past catches up to her…

You can find Marie-Nicole on the web at:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/MarieNicoleRyan.author/

Twitter: @marienicoleryan

Web site: http://marienicoleryan.com/

TAMING TALIA, Loving the Lawman 2, Available now

MASTERING THE MARSHAL, Loving the Lawman 3 (TBA)

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KIMMIE'S FAVORITES HOLIDAY BLOG BASH WITH AUTHOR MARIN THOMAS

 HAPPY SUNDAY ALL!!! I WOULD LIKE YOU TO ALL WELCOME AUTHOR MARIN THOMAS TO THE BOC. MARIN IS JUST ONE OF THOSE WRITERS THAT YOU BEGIN HER BOOKS AND NEVER WANT TO PUT THEM DOWN. ASIDE FROM HER AWESOME SENSE OF HUMOR, MARIN KNOWS HOW TO WRITE A FABULOUS ROMANCE. I HAVE YET TO HAVE THE PLEASURE OF MEETING MARIN IN PERSON, BUT I AM HAPPILY A MEMBER OF HER STREET TEAM. MARIN'S WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCES ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITES AND I HOPE YOU WILL GIVE THEM A TRY!

I love writing holiday stories!  There's something so heartwarming about a romance when not only the hero and heroine experience the magic of Christmas but also the children.  I guess that's why my latest book, Twins Under The Christmas Tree (Oct 2013) is my current favorite.  It has all the ingredients needed for a magical happy-ever-after for the adults as well as the heroine's twin boys, Javier and Miguel, who receive the best presents of all—a new daddy and a puppy named Bandit. 

Back Cover Blurb:

Cowboy Up, Daddy! 

Conway Cash is finally ready to settle down, and he has the perfect woman in his sights. The only thing is, he's dead set against being a father—and Isi Lopez has twin four-year-old boys. When he finds himself roped into babysitting for them, life starts getting complicated! 

Kids or no, Conway soon discovers he and Isi make a great couple. And hanging around with her kids isn't so bad—that is, until they beg him to be their new daddy. The pressure is piling up for this formerly footloose cowboy…but with some luck, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit, Conway just may find himself in the center of his own ready-made family!

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MARIN THOMAS ON THE WEB: http://www.marinthomas.com/

KIMMIE'S FAVORITES HOLIDAY BLOG BASH LINDA MCMAKEN AND HER THREE NOT SO LITTLE BAERS

HAPPY FRIDAY ALL! WELCOME TO DAY 4 OF KIMMIE'S HOLIDAY BLOG BASH!

PLEASE WELCOME MY FRIEND AND TALENTED AUTHOR, LINDA MCMAKEN TO THE BOC!

I had the great pleasure of meeting Linda at my very first Lori Foster's Reader's Appreciation Weekend in Ohio back in June of 2012. Linda is one of the warmest ladies I have ever met, with such a great personality. She always has people laughing. That great sense of humor is what grabs the reader with her The Baers Books, it's what totally got me stuck on her and I hope if you haven't read this series, it will get you stuck too! Linda has such a great way with words, I pretty much let her have at it here with today's blog post! 

All About "Baers"

Ideas for books come from the strangest places. Joe Baer and the Baer Brothers sort of sneaked up on me one summer day. My family and I were taking a trip to the western U.S. with tickets in hand for the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne Wyoming. We'd never been that far west before, so for us Easterners it was quite the adventure with long stretches of prairie, mighty rivers, and vast cattle ranches.

Thousands of cattle dotted the hillsides and we were stunned by how many. Most of us never realize how many of those four-legged critters it takes to feed a nation all those hamburgers!

As conversations tend to get a bit weird when we travel, my kids began telling awful cow jokes and my husband started naming cows that were close to the road; "That brown and white one, that's Mrs. Sirloin, over there is Mr. T-bone and that large black one, well, that would be Mr. Roast."

My thoughts however went to the ranchers and the families that lived there. I wondered who they were, and what their story was. Then I made the mistake of letting my muse actually speak aloud; (a rare thing, as her thoughts are well, weird) "I wonder what would happen if one of these cattle ranching cowboys fell in love with a vegetarian?"

Well, after an hour of horrendous "where's the beef" jokes, my Baer brothers saga began to take shape. All it took to finish the idea was the rodeo and a few hundred absolutely delicious cowboys attired in chaps, spurs, and hats. The Baer's became a family and my imagination dropped one vegetarian named Abby Clark into their world.

In book one, Baer Truth you meet Joe Baer and Abby Clark, they seem to be such opposites. She's a vegetarian rocker with neon-streaked hair, tattoos, and a hot temper. Joe is a no-nonsense beef rancher, with a jaded heart, and a ranch in jeopardy, but he still believes in the cowboy code of honor. Outwards appearances aren't all they seem, and inside, they are surprisingly alike. They both have family issues that have burdened their hearts, both want a place to call home in the deepest sense of the word, both value family, and want to be part of a family.

Of course, they are different and that is where the fun comes in. The realities of ranch life are vastly different from Hollywood's version – but there's still magic in "riding off into the sunset" and that keeps these hearts together even after they discover the Baer Truth.

Baer Necessities features Connor Baer, the eldest brother that left the ranch after a nasty disagreement. He returned to help younger brother Joe save the ranch and in the process has a run in with the hard-headed and stubborn Jesse McIvey.

They’d been an item way back in high school before both of them ran from the small burg of Sentinel the first chance they got. What they find is that sometimes what you want most is right in front of you. Of course, that will require moving a wayward grizzly, her current boyfriend, and a stolen satellite.

Baer Facts gives Matt Baer, (a newly discovered brother) the chance he has always wanted, to live life his way. Becoming the newest sheriff of Sentinel should be easy, is should have been a western version of Mayberry. Then he found himself on the business end of Callenda’s sword. She’s a ragin’ Cajun that has been put into the Witness Protection Program, and he has been charged with protecting her. Between Russian mobsters, a group of Renaissance Faire performers, and a sister from hell, these two have really got to move some mountains to follow their hearts.

Linda also writes humorous mysteries as Jocie McKade. Jocie’s latest release is High Frequency, book one of The Between the Lines series.

Contact Info:

Website – www.linda-mcmaken.com

Blog – www.makenwords.blogspot.com

Facebook –http://www.facebook.com/makenwords

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/makenwords

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/makenwords

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Linda McMaken, Margie Hager and Myself at RAGT in June 2013

LINDA'S LATEST WRITING VENTURE HAS BROUGHT HER TO THE WORLD OF MYSTERY WITH
HIGH FREQUENCY BY JOCIE MCKADE

KIMMIE'S FAVORITES HOLIDAY BLOG BASH ~ BETH WILLIAMSON/EMMA LANG ~

HOWDY ALL!!!! Please welcome my awesome friend and fabulous author Beth Williamson/Emma Lang to Book Obsessed Chicks. I was very blessed to meet Beth at a conference in Maryland over three years ago. It really hasn't been that long, but it seems like I have known her a lifetime... In a good way of course. I don't know if I can properly express what this woman and her friendship mean to me. She is the one who brought me over to the Western side of romance and I have been happily stuck there since. 

History buffs unite!

History teaches us many things, not the least of which is that studying history is a way to understand ourselves, our culture and our future. I am a true blue history nut and simply love to read about, hear about and experience history as much as I can.

So as a writer, how can I not love to craft historicals?

There are many popular genres of romance novels, and I’m proud to say that many of the long-standing ones are historical. Yes indeedy, westerns, regencies and medieval (my three favs) are still popular. Why is that, you might wonder? Well for the very reason that people (like me) love history.

It transports us to another place and time, perhaps another country or hemisphere. It allows us to dive into a deep pool of something we will never experience in our lives. Each word, each phrase, and each setting cocoons us, gives us a banquet on which to feast.

Once we’re comfortable, then we can become someone else. Reading a book is like taking a journey through someone else’s eyes. What better person than a woman from another era? Yes, it might have been messy and not so glamorous to be a woman in 1250, 1805 or 1870 but that doesn’t matter a whit.

Magic, pure magic, puts us into her mind, her body and her heart. We experience each tear, laugh and passionate moment right along with her. That, ladies and gents, is romance at its purest form.

Historical romances will never go out of style. No siree, never. Have we ever stopped reading about the Egyptians or ancient Greece? Hell no. It’s the very fact that we can become someone who will never be again and live their lives—that’s the draw.

My latest release, THE FORTUNE, from Samhain Publishing, transports you back to the 1840s, to the Oregon Trail. Life was hard for the pioneers, much harder than any of us can imagine. It’s real, it’s historical, it’s gritty and emotional.  This is the first prequel in the Malloy family series – the beginning of the legacy that has defined my writing career.

Exactly where I want to be as a reader and an author.

I love to play the game of “What if” with myself and imagine who I could be if I had a wish. I think, and for those of you who know me don’t fall off your chair, I’d love to be in the wild west. Westerns and the raw, untamed wilderness of the American West call to my soul. Perhaps I was there in a former life, and I had loved deeply enough to draw me back.

*sigh*

Yep, that’s pure romance y’all. So, now everyone else play along with the “what if” game. If you could be anyone and anywhere in history, who and where would you choose?
http://www.bethwilliamson.com/

Yep, that’s pure romance y’all. So, now everyone else play along with the “what if” game. If you could be anyone and anywhere in history, who and where would you choose?

Running from the past…and running out of time.

French-born Francesca Chastain came to New York with her family to find a better life. Now she is fleeing a nightmare. Her past chases her from New York and she must run, and run hard.

Her journey to the land of milk and honey is interrupted by the accidental squeeze of a trigger. And the man on the other end of her blunder is a man like none other she’s ever met.

After three years working Oregon-bound wagon trains, John Malloy has almost saved enough money to start his own horse ranch. And almost met the end of his life at the hands of fiery, green-eyed Frankie, a confusing, frustrating woman who responds to his flirting—then disappears.

No one is more relieved than Frankie when John races to her rescue, but now they’re trapped in the wild. And the shadows of both their pasts are closing in…

(The Malloy Family, Book 9)

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COMING FEBRUARY 25, 2014

KAKI WARNER with her Christmas Tale ~ MIRACLE IN NEW HOPE ~

I  had the pleasure of reading Kaki Warner's Miracle in New Hope in November of last year and it stuck with me. I am so happy that I stumbled upon Kaki's books. I am totally in love with them all. Kaki writes from the heart and isn't afraid to make her characters face their emotions and for that the reader comes out winning when they read Ms. Warner's books.

Here's Kaki!

Hello and Merry Christmas!

Ever since my novella, MIRACLE IN NEW HOPE, came out last Christmas, people have asked what inspired me to write a western historical with a paranormal twist.

Years ago, I read a short story about two people penned in a collapsed building. Being somewhat claustrophobic, I wondered how I would cope with being trapped in the dark, unable to move and barely able to breathe. Would I give in to the fear, or would my mind create a way out of the nightmare…a pathway to hope?

Meet Daniel Hobart, a gifted carpenter with a scarred face and an empty heart. Haunted by the past, he lives a reclusive life in the Colorado Rockies…until a week before Christmas, when an avalanche levels the store where he’s buying supplies. Buried alive, running out of air, his mind spiraling into choking terror, he’s about to give up when out of the icy blackness comes a child’s cry.

But there is no child.

His imagination? The ghost of his lost son? Proof that he’s losing his mind?

After rescue, Daniel suffers through a series of unexplainable events that leave him so shaken he sets out on a hazardous quest to learn the truth about a lost little girl, a grieving widow, and his own sanity.

What he discovers, instead, is that in the season for miracles, love is the greatest of miracle of them all.

Here is my review of Kaki Warner's MIRACLE IN NEW HOPE

Widower, Daniel Hobart has taken up residence in New Hope. He leads a solitary life and because half his face is marred by scars, he believes that the townspeople dislike him and they avoid him. Several years ago he lost his wife and young son, and carries the guilt of not being able to save them deep within himself.

When a snow slide slams through the general store he is at, Daniel is trapped under six feet of snow, with little air to breathe. When he calls out for help, he is answered by the voice of a child, a young girl. Daniel believes the young girl is trapped as well, but when he is finally rescued and inquires about the child, he is told there was no one else trapped. Daniel begins to hear the young girl’s voice imploring him to help her and thinks he may be going crazy. Then at his cabin, he sees a young girl, with whom he speaks to. Her name is Hannah Ellis and she asks Daniel for help, but disappears before he is able.

Daniel goes back into town to inquire about this Hannah Ellis, and finds that she is the missing and presumed dead little girl of young widow, Lacy Ellis. Hannah disappeared while on a trip to another town and was believed to have perished in the cold. Lacy Ellis, after almost a year of searching has just about lost hope until she hears Daniel's story. When Daniel says he is going to try and find Hannah, Lacy and her skeptical brothers join in the search.

Although Miracle in New Hope is a novella, it is a complete and compelling read that I enjoyed immensely. Kaki Warner has brought two damaged people from different walks of life together to achieve the same goal. Daniel is scarred on both the inside and out, but he is a good man just trying to get by. Lacy has lost so much and even though she has the help of her well-meaning brothers, she still needs understanding.  This novella is one of persistence and hope and I cannot wait to read more by Kaki Warner, as she is one of my favorite Western authors.

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