Welcome to My Author Blog
Thanks to The Kids Did It and The Mommy’s Island for hosting this fun giveaway!
I’m giving away an ebook and audiobook of my latest sports romance, Rivals, which includes a beach volleyball scene. Also up for grabs is a $10 gift card!
Enter to win on the Rafflecopter!
Paddle over to these participating blogs to win more beach gear!
Happy spring, northern hemisphere writers! Join us for a monthly venting of our hopes and fears at the IWSG, Alex Cavanaugh’s brainchild.
Thanks to our helpfulco-hosts this month: PK Hrezo, Pat Garcia, SE White, Lisa Buie Collard, and Diane Burton.
April 7th’s question: Are you a risk-taker when writing? Do you try something radically different in style/POV/etc. or add controversial topics to your work?
Sometimes anxiety prevents me from being brave in my personal life, but I have taken some risks in writing. My March release, sports romance Rivals, was the first time I wrote a novel in present tense. I like it! It’s fun! And another risk with Rivals (especially financially, eek) was the creation of my first audiobook. I’ll share more about the wonderful world of audiobooks in May.
As a psychologist, I need to broach uncomfortable topics to be effective, and another way I take risks is to incorporate squirmy themes into my stories. Twin Sacrifice dives into recovering from childhood sexual abuse, and the Blocked trilogy explores falling in love across the political aisle.
One big motivator to take risks: the support of fellow writers! Thank you to Nicki Elson, Ellen Jacobson, Shannon Lawrence, Pat Garcia, Valerie Ullmer, Sheri Hollister, Natalie Aguirre, Alex Cavanaugh, and Diane Wolf (I hope I’m not missing anyone) for your great support.
What risks have YOU taken?
I’m thrilled to launch my 9th novel into the world! Many thanks to awesome early reviewers for taking the time to read this sports romance.
Title: Rivals
“I embrace my rival. But only to strangle him.”
“Absolutely loved this book. The rivalry was spot on. This book has it all, humor, love and sports.” ~Michelle from Besties & Books
“The uncanny portrayal of recruiting high-profile athletes in Rivals completely transported me into the story. I became so invested in Lauren Chase’s success! When Coach Chase met Coach Trent, the chance of finding love on the recruiting trail turned into such a charming contest–a game more meaningful than they could ever imagine on the court or field.” ~Gwynn Harrison, Head Swim Coach, Bridgewater College
“Fun read that captures the best of the greatest sports rivalry in the midst of a smoldering romance.”~Kevin Kropf
Join our group to share our insecurities and writing progress. Thank you to Ninja Captain Alex Cavanaugh for creating this wonderful community.
The clever co-hosts for the March 3 posting of the IWSG are Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen Jacqui Murray, Chemist Ken, Victoria Marie Lees, Natalie Aguirre, and JQ Rose. Thank you for co-hosting!
March 3 question – Everyone has a favorite genre or genres to write. But what about your reading preferences? Do you read widely or only within the genre(s) you create stories for? What motivates your reading choice?
While I still have a soft spot for the genres I write (sports romance and romantic suspense), my book club and Goodreads friends have helped me branch out:
Science Fiction like Dark Matter and Ready Player One.
Historical Fiction The Nightingale and The Dutch House.
Magical realism such as The Snow Child. (I’m not a fantasy fan, mostly because I find real life so damn interesting, but a touch of the fantastical can work for me.)
Reading fascinating psychological thrillers like The Silent Patient even encouraged me to write one myself.
I’ll read anything that has compelling characters who make me laugh and cry. How about you? How closely do your favorite genres match your writing and reading preferences?
I’m gearing up for the release of my new sports romance, RIVALS! If you’d like to spread the word before the launch on 3-19-21, you can sign up HERE.
Thank you to IWSG author Ellen Jacobson for reading an ARC, and for author Darcia Helle hosting me on her blog today.
Thanks to The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island for hosting!
In addition to a $10 gift card, I’m giving away an advance reader copy of my new sports romance, Rivals. It’s only $.99 to preorder HERE.
Enter on the Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveawayAnd hop over to these lucky blogs!
(I love the colors on this cover! Well done, Kelsey.)
Oppressed by society and cursed by the color of her hair, Charissa had hardly seen the world beyond the four walls of her home. So, when her husband leaves for extended military duty, she takes the opportunity to tour the city her brother once loved. Little does she know the Fates have other plans in store for her when she runs into an exotic woman in the Rhakotis District. The encounter will change her life forever.
About the Author: Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist in the state of North Carolina. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading. For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.
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Cover Reveal created by YA Bound Book Tours
Happy February, writers! Join us for the Insecure Writers Support Group here.
I’m thrilled to co-host this month, along with Louise – Fundy Blue,Mary Aalgaard,Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon!
February 3 question – Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?
Blogging has been wonderful for building relationships! The best part of IWSG, for me, is the community of writers I’ve come to know. And blogging offers more freedom and ownership than social media.
In 2010, authors from my small publisher started a blog hop– the beginning of my friendship with awesome author Nicki Elson. Since then, Nicki and I began a productive and fun critique partnership! She recently helped me select audiobook narrators.
I’ve also befriended quite a few warriors from the IWSG Ninja Army: Alex Cavanaugh, L. Diane Wolf, Natalie Aguirre, Chris Fey, Ellen Jacobson, Anna Simpson, Roland Yeomans, Pat Garcia, Stephen Tremp, and Feather Stone.
(I apologize in advance for my difficulty commenting on Blogger from my MacBook unless there’s a pop-up comment form. Clearing my cache doesn’t seem to work anymore.)
I appreciate all of your support in writing and publishing! If you’d like to spread the word about my new release, sports romance RIVALS launching 3-19-21, please sign up on this form.
In addition to Nicki Elson critiquing my baby, I’m grateful to Diane Wolf for her book design! You can find Rivals on Goodreads and pre-order on Amazon.
I’ll share my adventure creating my first audiobook for Rivals in a future post. It’s been so cool.
Love is in the air! We hope you’re the lucky winner of our February monthly gift card event featuring Victoria’s Secret!
This event is HOSTED by The Mommy Island and The Kids Did It and sponsored by the awesome bloggers, authors, and Etsy shop owners!
Find Your Way Over To The CoHosts!
Still Blonde… after all these YEARS!, Raising 3 Savvy Ladies, Versatileer, Angie’s Angle, This Frugal Family, Beautiful Touches, Deliciously Savvy, Dine Dream Discover, The Frugal Grandmom, Simply Sherryl, Sonya’s Happenings…, It’s Free At Last, and Mom To Grandma!
Enter the Giveaway!
ONE entrant will be selected by the entry form to win a $100 Victoria’s Secret Gift Card! Open for entry WW, 18 years and older from 02/01/21 at 12:01 a.m. ET thru 02/28/21 at 11:59 p.m. ET. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. A winner will be chosen after/around March 01, 2021. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the notification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. See Rafflecopter for official rules. The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island are responsible for sending the winner their prize.
Dummy/fake accounts including Twitter and Facebook are ineligible for entry and will be blocked. Authentic accounts only are eligible to win.
Remember this is an OPTIONAL giveaway and you DO NOT have to enter if you do not like how many entries there are. The bloggers listed have come together as a collective to give a gift card to a winner. Rude comments and complaining will not be tolerated.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Happy 2021, writers! Join us for this supportive monthly gathering to vent our hopes and fears. You can sign up at our founder Alex Cavanaugh’s blog.
Thank you to this month’s collegial co-hosts: Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise – Fundy Blue!
How’s your writing? I’m gearing up to publish my next sports romance, RIVALS. We’re working on the cover design, and I’m scheduling a day off work in March for the release. Since I’m self-publishing, I want to avoid the typical Tuesday of traditional publishing launches. What do you think of releasing a book on a Friday? I’m considering 3/19/21.
Question: Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?
Ooh, I like this question. My first two pet peeves as a reader are the very errors that plagued my early writing:
Jennifer Lane Books 