Tag Archives: Kensington author

My special book signing pen

21 Thursday Mar 2019

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Yes, I do have one! šŸ™‚

This last Christmas, it was what I asked Mr. Johns to get for me. I wanted a fountain pen that I could use when signing books, and he came through!

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I love the way a fountain pen writes, and my jots and scribbles of book ideas and reminders to myself just feel that much more momentous when written with a fountain pen.

I also have a little stash of ink cartridges that come in different colours. I started out with pink, and I’m currently using a black cartridge, but I also have green, purple, blue and red waiting for me! Sweet anticipation.

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I never thought I’d be a pen person. But here I am! And I love my pen! šŸ™‚

So if I sign a book for you going forward, you know which pen I used to do it!

 

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Have you read my March release yet?

4.282079.512.9781335510570Heā€™s always been the oneā€¦

Sheā€™s always been just a friend!

Grace Beverly spent years hopelessly in love with her best friend, Billy Austin. Now heā€™s back in Eagleā€™s Rest, Colorado, determined to provide the best life possible for his four-year-old daughter. Heā€™s just not sure how. Helping Billy navigate the world of parenting is a one-way ticket back to heartache. Yet how can Grace say no to her oldest friend?

Harlequin

Amazon

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A deep, personal attachment to my desk

11 Monday Mar 2019

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I get very attached to my writing desks. I spend a lot of time at those desks, and I crank out book after book there, so it stands to reason that they’ll become somewhat special to me, won’t they?

I came across this old picture of my last writing desk. It isn’t the most attractive photo. It doesn’t show things in good light or even with a clean floor! But it represents a certain phase in my life–when my son was in young and we constantly stepped over a lake of Lego.. But this was a few years ago–he’s in middle school now, and the lake of Lego has turned into a mountain. Where does the time go?

Still, this was my desk, and it was where I wrote my books while life happened around me.

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I’ve had this roll top desk since I was about 23 or 24–before I even met my husband. My parents picked it up for me from an estate auction, and they drove it out to my downtown digs where I was working part time and writing full time. I wrote my first published novel at this desk! It has good mojo.

My husband and I still have this little oak desk–there is no way I’ll EVER get rid of it! I just love it too much. It’s currently in a different room, and my husband uses it, but I’m still a little protective of it. “Be gentle. Don’t pull too hard on that… You have to be careful with that knob…” What can I say? I’m attached.

That brings us to my current desk. I love this desk, too. It was a reward to myself for all my hard work, and I still spend hours and hours typing away at this desk. Except now there is so much more elbow space!

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This desk is MUCH more comfortable to work at, and it feels good to spread out a bit. It has room for everything I need from files to my printer. It’ll be a beast to move when do move house again, but I think it’ll be worth it!

I love the bookshelf space this desk boasts–and I have my entire set of published novels stashed on this desk. It’s definitely my little happy space.Ā I don’t think I’ll change desks again. This is the desk I intend to die behind. šŸ˜‰

 

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Have you read my March release yet?

4.282079.512.9781335510570Heā€™s always been the oneā€¦

Sheā€™s always been just a friend!

Grace Beverly spent years hopelessly in love with her best friend, Billy Austin. Now heā€™s back in Eagleā€™s Rest, Colorado, determined to provide the best life possible for his four-year-old daughter. Heā€™s just not sure how. Helping Billy navigate the world of parenting is a one-way ticket back to heartache. Yet how can Grace say no to her oldest friend?

Harlequin

Amazon

Dinner, cake and a scarf–hooray!

04 Monday Mar 2019

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My twentieth book came out this month, and I’ve mentioned that I decided to celebrate this one. But being the celiac person who can’t eat out, it limits my celebratory activities. So my big plans were to have my parents come for dinner. I asked my dad to make a cake. He is bound and determined to find a way to make a good gluten-free, dairy-free cake, and has been trying his hand at different recipes and tricks for a little while now. This time around he tried again with chocolate chips and a boiled icing. My husband made dinner, and we all had a big, African meal and cake for dessert.

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My husband got me a book page scarf that I’ve been lusting after for the last while, which I’m just thrilled with. It’s so neat–the print on the infinity scarf is made from real pages taken from A Study in Scarlet by Sherlock Holmes. I haven’t read this one, but I think I might have to now, just so I can say I’ve read the book on my scarf. LOL!

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My almost 11-year-old son was the photographer, and my mom and I decided that women of a certain age require a selfie, just to make sure we get a decent picture. šŸ˜‰ So here we are–after a delicious meal and cake.

And that was my little, introverted 20th book celebration with the people I love most. ā¤ It was great!

Ten more releases, and I’ll do it again. šŸ˜‰

 

*If you’d like a closer look at that scarf, here’s a better picture of it:

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A box of books!

20 Sunday Jan 2019

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Look what arrived at my door!

Actually, I was coming home with a friend after we’d picked up our kids from school, and I saw the box at my doorstep. So I opened it up with her–and then proceeded to sign a couple of copies for her as we drank tea. šŸ™‚

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Now these are called ARCs, or Advance Reader Copies, and they’re a first for me! With Harlequin, I get the exact copies that will be on the selves, but with Kensington, it works a little differently. These copies say clearly that they aren’t for sale, and they’re meant to be used to send to reviewers, so that is what I am going to be using these for.

More details on that in a few days!

But for now, this is Yours Truly taking a selfie with my very first Kensington Amish romance!

I can’t WAIT for this one to hit the shelves!

 

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Creative recycling

03 Thursday Jan 2019

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Last month, I received the page proofs for my May 2019 release, THE BISHOP’S DAUGHTER. Basically, this is what the book will look like once it’s on paper, and I had to look through everything to find any typos.

All 300 pages.

This is what it looked like mid-process.

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There were only three mistakes that I could find in the whole manuscript, and at the end of the job, I had 300 pages to dispose of. I didn’t want to toss them out in a bundle together, because that’s a full novel, yet unpublished. And while I did start my son on shredding it, that was taking forever.

So I did this, instead! It was Mr. Johns’s idea, actually.

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Pichu the Quaker parrot, now has novel proof page cage liners. šŸ™‚ He hated it at first. It was different, and he whines when things are different. But he’s used to it now, and I’m set for a while for paper for the various trays he uses around the house.

The life of an author’s bird…

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Have you picked up my book yet? You can get it online or find it on the shelves in your favourite bookstore all this month. šŸ™‚

4.280109.512.9781335478924

 

Two stubborn hearts. One ranch.

Could Montana Twins unite them?

With orphaned twin infants to care for, Casey Courtright hoped to buy the ranch he works onā€”but he canā€™t match Ember Reedā€™s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if sheā€™ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

Our Christmas

27 Thursday Dec 2018

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This Christmas was a special one, because it was the first Christmas where my mom and dad have lived close by in a very long time!

This year, I got some gifts that meant the world to me. Mr. Johns got me a fountain pen with different coloured inks for book signing. So if I send you a signed book, it’ll be signed with pink ink! Well, until this ink cartridge runs out, and then I’ll move on to green, I believe. I have options. Mr. Johns has always been my biggest fan, and I’m so thankful for him. It just wouldn’t be Christmas without my handsome husband to snuggle up with.

My son bought me a necklace. Ā There is nothing quite so lovely as your little boy buying you something pretty and being so very proud of his efforts. He went shopping with his grandfather for it, and just to make the wrapping complete, he tossed in a fresh potato to throw me off if I decided to shake anything. LOL! I love this kid.

My parents got me something really special this year… It’s a Royal Albert dish to go on my desk, and it’s in my late grandmother’s china pattern, Old Country Roses.

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Those were the most meaningful gifts I received this Christmas… well, the physical ones at least. A family to love and cherish–that’s what really counts the most, isn’t it?

We were all together, and my heart was full.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season, too!

Canadian sledding

13 Thursday Dec 2018

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When we got our lovely dump of snow, we did what every family with a 10-year-old boy does, and we went sledding. šŸ™‚

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It was fun! I was expecting for it to hurt more. It’s been that long since I’ve gone sledding, Ā and there is a fair amount of falling out of the sled, and laying on your back wondering if you sprained anything. But I walked away with minimal injury.

This is me after dumping out the sled. Just proof that I actually went down several times, in case you needed it.

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Mr. Johns got cold before me or our son did. But in his defence, our son is ten and was born in northern Canada, so he’s acclimatized. And I was wearing an arctic parka.

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I hope you’re enjoying your winter as much as we’re enjoying ours! Have a wonderful Christmas season, everyone! ā¤

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Have you ordered my book yet? You can get it now, or you can wait to find it on the shelves in your favourite bookstore later this month. šŸ™‚

4.280109.512.9781335478924

 

Two stubborn hearts. One ranch.

Could Montana Twins unite them?

With orphaned twin infants to care for, Casey Courtright hoped to buy the ranch he works onā€”but he canā€™t match Ember Reedā€™s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if sheā€™ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

 

 

Peanut Butter Snowmen

10 Monday Dec 2018

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We are an allergy family, so making Christmas cookies can be a challenge. But there is one kind of cookie we CAN have, and that’s peanut butter. So back when my son was small, I started making peanut butter cookies in the shape of snowmen for the holidays.

It’s become a tradition in our home, so last week my son and I started our first 2018 batch of snowmen. šŸ™‚

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They’re easy! Just pick a peanut butter cookie recipe, and they turn into this!

 

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Delicious! I took the pictures to show family my handiwork, and by the time I thought, Oooo! I should be put these in a blog post, well, this was what was left. šŸ˜‰

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They were delicious! And there will be more. This is how we roll at the Johns home. ā¤

 

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Have you ordered my book yet? You can get it now, or you can wait to find it on the shelves in your favourite bookstore later this month. šŸ™‚

4.280109.512.9781335478924

 

Two stubborn hearts. One ranch.

Could Montana Twins unite them?

With orphaned twin infants to care for, Casey Courtright hoped to buy the ranch he works onā€”but he canā€™t match Ember Reedā€™s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if sheā€™ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

Christmas lights

06 Thursday Dec 2018

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Our town is officially all lit up for Christmas. We have this little park in the centre of town–it’s a spray park in the summer for the kids to cool off, and in the winter, they flood the running track and it turns into an outdoor skating rink through the festive trees.

When I took these pictures a few days ago, we’d melted. Ā But it still looked so pretty!

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We’ve since gotten a nice dump of snow, but I haven’t gotten back to the park after dark, so these are still my best pictures of the lights from this Christmas.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful holiday season! Take good care of each other. ā¤

*****

Have you ordered my book yet? You can get it now, or you can wait to find it on the shelves in your favourite bookstore later this month. šŸ™‚

4.280109.512.9781335478924

 

Two stubborn hearts. One ranch.

Could Montana Twins unite them?

With orphaned twin infants to care for, Casey Courtright hoped to buy the ranch he works onā€”but he canā€™t match Ember Reedā€™s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if sheā€™ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.