Tag Archives: love inspired

20th Harlequin!

28 Monday Jan 2019

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This March, my 20th Harlequin romance will be released. This is a big milestone, and one that I’ve been looking forward to. It’s just such a nice round number, and it feels… accomplished. Does that make sense?

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This comic is SO true when it comes to celebrating these things. I tend to just pat myself on the back and move on to the next book, but I feel like this time I really should pause a moment and enjoy it.

I’m not sure what I’ll do. I think I might have a family dinner complete with a decadent dessert. I’ve never had a release party before, because I’m too introverted to enjoy that kind of thing. But now that my parents live closer, I might have a teeny celebration with my husband, son and parents… that would be nice!

Oooh! And I just thought of it now, but I’ve been wanting one of these, and this might be the perfect occasion to pick one up!

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We’ll see… but I do feel like I need to do something to mark this event.

I’ve worked for it.

❤

 

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4.282079.512.9781335510570He’s always been the one…

She’s always been just a friend!

Grace Beverly spent years hopelessly in love with her best friend, Billy Austin. Now he’s back in Eagle’s Rest, Colorado, determined to provide the best life possible for his four-year-old daughter. He’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?

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Foot in Mouth

17 Thursday Jan 2019

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I’m new to being forty, but I’m liking it! I’ve noticed that Facebook’s algorithms are choosing a different type of ad for me now. Instead of diet fads and beauty hacks, they’re sending me adds for slippers and mukluks.

They finally get me! Because I’d actually like to buy a decent pair of mukluks now that I’ve seen multiple ads for them. 😉

The one thing I’m not very good with is realizing how old I look. In my head, I look a lot younger, it seems. And I’ve proven that by suggesting a 35-year-old woman was “my age.” This was not because she legitimately looked 40. She’s beautiful and really does look like a tight, well-maintained 35. But in my head, so am I! I immediately apologized when I realized my error (and she looked at me aghast) and told her that it it only reflects on how delusionally young I think I look still… Here’s hoping there are no hard feelings, because she’s kind of extended family, and I really like her.

Follow your dreams

 

But my forties are treating me well. Here are a few things I’m enjoying about them:

  1. No one expects me to be to be thin anymore. “Good Lord, she’s in her forties. Leave her alone.”
  2. Nothing is marketed for me. Except slippers and mukluks. And life is cheaper when the barrage of marketing passes you by!
  3. I’ve been working at my writing career seriously for almost twenty years, and that hard work is paying off. It feels good!

So there you are–I’m enjoying forty, but I’m still putting my foot in my mouth. Because apparently,  that’s my MO. 😉

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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. 🙂

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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 on—but he can’t match Ember Reed’s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if she’ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

Cowboys and Twins, oh my!

14 Monday Jan 2019

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I have eight releases scheduled this year, so far… and I have another cover to show you!

This one is for my May 2019 release, Her Twins’ Cowboy Dad, which is the second book in my Montana Twins miniseries.  I couldn’t be more excited about this cover! Aren’t those twins just the cutest? And the rain storm passing in the background… This cover is seriously everything I dreamed for this book–it really is!

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A cowboy committed to bachelorhood
…until these little Montana Twins change everything

Thanks to his dysfunctional family, cowboy-to-the-bone Colt Hardin insists marriage and fatherhood aren’t for him. But then his uncle dies, leaving Colt the ranch he’s always wanted—and the herd to his late cousin’s mischievous twin toddlers. Now Colt must find a solution with their pretty mother, Jane Marshall. Can these little cherubs show Jane and Colt what a family can truly be?

 

Coming May 2019

Cover Vs. Cover

15 Thursday Nov 2018

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I love when Harlequin uses my book for their Cover Vs. Cover ads. And this time around, Her Cowboy’s Twin Blessings went up against The Rancher’s Baby Surprise.

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I’m a little biased, of course… 😉

But you should definitely read both! Kat Brookes is a new Love Inspired author, so this is her debut!

The Rancher’s Baby Surprise

~~~~~~~~~~

Her Cowboy’s Twin Blessings

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 on—but he can’t match Ember Reed’s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if she’ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

They are both hitting the shelves January 2019!

Another box of books!

22 Monday Oct 2018

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Look what arrived the other day? A brand new box of books! This book comes out January 2019, so there’s still a little time before it hits the shelves. But I couldn’t be happier with how this story turned out. It’s my first book in my Montana Twins miniseries. Cowboys and twins–hard to go wrong! 😉

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And here I am, posing proudly with my book. I just love to cover for this one, and I think you’ll enjoy it. I cried writing this one. There is one particular scene where after writing it, I had to go take a break and have a cry before I could move on. I have a feeling it’s going to be a tear-jerker for my readers, too. It’s the story of a mother’s last, desperate prayer…

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You can pre-order it here:  ❤

Amazon

Harlequin

It hits the shelves in bookstores everywhere January 2019, but you can get your copy a month early, starting in December 2018, if you order through the Harlequin site! 🙂

Coming in August!

22 Thursday Mar 2018

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This August, I have a new book coming out–the last book in my Comfort Creek Lawmen series through Harlequin’s Love Inspired–and I think you’re going to love it!

I just got my cover art, and I’m allowed to share it with you all of you!

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What do you think? Falling leaves, a red-headed heroine, cute kid… I couldn’t be happier!

I’ll give you more info closer to the release, but for now, I’m just loving my cover. 🙂

Comfort Creek Lawmen

18 Thursday Jan 2018

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This February, the second book in my Comfort Creek Lawmen series will be released, and you can pick up a copy anywhere books are sold!

Comfort Creek, Colorada has a county-wide police sensitivity training course hosted by the local police department. This is the location where the stubborn cops being disciplined for various infractions come to “do their time.” And they generally have an option: cooperate with the Chief of Police’s unique methods and assignments, or do the book work about feelings and appropriate reactions to them in the basement. This is the best patrolled town in America!

THE LAWMAN’S RUNAWAY BRIDE comes out this February everywhere Harleqins are sold!

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Winning the Lawman’s Heart

Forced to work with the woman who left his brother at the altar five years ago, police chief Chance Morgan must also face his own guilt. Sadie Jenkins’s return to town stirs feelings he thought he’d buried along with his soldier brother, who died overseas. Almost kissing Sadie the night before her wedding was a mistake—one he won’t make again. For Sadie, planning a remembrance ceremony for the town’s military men will help build her event-planning business. But working with Chance is bringing up all the emotions she once ran from. Is she ready to finally take that leap into the future…with him?

You can pick up a copy early on the Harlequin site, or wait until it hits the shelves in your local bookstore, Walmart or anywhere else you buy your Harlequins. But I do think you’ll like this one! 🙂

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You can also pick up the first book in the series, if you’d like to collect them all.

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A Family for the Officer 

Officer Bryce Camden never expected his two-week stint in Comfort Creek, Colorado, would mean diaper duty. But that’s exactly what happens when he stays at the local bed-and-breakfast where Lily Ellison is fostering an abandoned baby girl. Bryce is drawn to the lovely B and B owner, but being a dad is not part of his plans. His troubled past has shown him that he’s not the nurturing type. But he soon finds himself wishing he didn’t have to leave. Because Lily and the baby have taken root in his heart and made him think that maybe he could be a family man after all…

 

Full Grown Woman

06 Saturday Sep 2014

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When I was a girl, I couldn’t wait to grow up. Being a grownup would be fantastic! I could do what I wanted. I could wear grown up lady clothes. I could go the bank by myself (the ultimate in my childish fantasies) and talk with authority. I would lay in bed at night, picturing my grown up life…

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And then I grew up.

Ironically, I found myself in a world that idolizes childhood. Women are encouraged to look as young as possible for as long as possible. Women who dress their age in Hollywood are called “matronly.” Oh, and that isn’t a good thing. Women are pressured on every front to act younger, look younger, and feel younger. Our childhood dreams of growing up are met with derision.

You don’t want to be… matronly… do you? Heaven forbid you look like a grown woman!

640px-SandraBullockMay09Call me matronly, but I no longer feel like I’ve achieved something if a complete stranger across the street thinks I’m alluring. There was a time when I took pride in drawing a few looks, and while I do still think I’m beautiful, I’m past trying so hard for it. I’m mature enough to know that beauty lies deeper. While I don’t think it’s my responsibility to be a “hot mama,” it IS my responsibility to be a good mother, a devoted wife and a noble person. My power no longer comes from flirtation, it comes from intelligence. I’ve grown up.

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this, but I’m a grown woman who enjoys being a grown woman. I like walking into a bank without supervision, and I do talk with authority. You know why? Because I’m a grown woman who has some life experience, who has achieved her own dreams and worked toward something. I have something to offer the younger women coming up behind me.

And that’s a good thing. There is nothing wrong with growing up. In fact, there is everything right about it. I highly recommend it.

 

Burning the Beans

05 Monday Aug 2013

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I’m a terrible multi-tasker. I like to think that I can juggle ten things at once, but I really can’t. The two things that don’t seem to be mixing well lately are my writing and my cooking.

I’ve been burning everything I cook for the last few days, but I’ve gotten a bunch of great writing done. Seriously–this manuscript is flowing so easily. It just pours out of me, chapter by chapter, and I tend to lose track of time. It’s great for the book, and bad for whatever meal I’m trying to throw together.

My husband works some long hours, and when he gets home from a twelve hour shift, he’s hungry. The other day, I served up some chili (burned at the bottom of the pot.)

Pot-o-chili[1]

“I’m really sorry,” I said. “It burned, but I think it’s still edible.”

“No, it’s good.” He tucked in and ate a huge portion.

“Does it have that smoky, bbq taste?” I asked hopefully.

He shook his head. “No, it reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking.”

“Really?” (Swell of love!) He was about to earn some Brownie points with that one.

“She always burned the beans,” he said.

What can I say? I’ll bet his grandmother was doing something else at the same time as cooking, too. And I’m sure it was equally important as messing with the love lives of characters on a page. We “interesting women” have to stick together and defend our burned beans to the bitter end. 😉

Rewrites

29 Monday Apr 2013

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First drafts are ridiculously fun! You get to sit down and create a novel from the blank page… Alright, more honestly, create a novel from a carefully crafted outline, but still–it’s the most fun.

Rewrites are harder on the ego.

I just got a call from my editor telling me that she’ll need to me do some rewrites on THE RANCHER’S REDEMPTION. But while the request for rewrites blows my fantasy of never needing to be edited, it’s not bad news. In this industry, any answer that isn’t a flat out No, go away, is good news! She likes the story and she likes my writing–I just need to do some rewriting to get this story into Love Inspired shape.

Rewrites are a lot of work, but they’re worth it, and I’ll tell you why:

Harlequin Love Inspired knows what sells.

It’s as simple as that. They are the top romance seller for a reason, and if they want a rewrite, I’m giving them a rewrite! So while it’s a lot of work, I’m actually very excited about this stage. I’m one step closer to a second Love Inspired book being accepted, and that’s where I want to be.

It’s time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

Not my muscle, but I like to think that if my writerly determination was turned into a wrestler, that's what it's arm would look like. ;)

Not my muscle, but I like to think that if my writerly determination was turned into a wrestler, that’s what its arm would look like. 😉