Wednesday, October 22, 2014


Kristy McCaffrey, Author

Canyon de Chelly and the Navajo

By Kristy McCaffrey

Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de shay) National Monument is located in northeastern Arizona within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. Rock art and other excavations reveal human habitation for at least 4,500 years, encompassing not just the Navajo but the ancient Anasazi as well. In the 18th century, the canyon became a major stronghold of the Navajo—the high walls offered protection, and the streams helped grow corn crops and peach trees.

It was here that Kit Carson, under orders from James Carleton—governor and commander of New Mexico Territory—sought to purge the Navajo and relocate them to the Bosque Redondo in New Mexico. The Long Walk, an arduous journey which encompassed well over 50 separate treks led by the U.S. Army, occurred from 1863 to 1866. The accounts of death by starvation, sickness, or violence left an indelible trauma on the people. Although they were allowed to return to Canyon de Chelly in 1868, they would never forget this painful period of their history.

Today, the Navajo still occupy Canyon de Chelly, tending sheep and raising crops.


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CONTEST ALERT!!  Kristy will be giving one commenter an ecopy of COWBOYS, CREATURES, AND CALICO VOL. 2 as well as an ecopy of THE WREN, Book One in her Wings of the West Series.



Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico Vol. 2
~ Includes Kristy's short story "The Crow and the Coyote" ~
In Arizona Territory, Hannah Dobbin travels through CaƱon de Chelly, home to the Navajo, in search of a sorcerer who murdered her pa. Bounty Hunter Jack Boggs is on the trail of a vile Mexican bandito, but with the shadows of Hallowtide descending, more dark magic is at hand than either of them know.

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The Wren
Captured by Comanche as a child, Molly Hart was assumed dead. Ten years later, Texas Ranger Matt Ryan finds a woman with the same blue eyes.



Monday, October 20, 2014

DEAD BUT NOT GONE by Kathleen Rice Adams

Dead but Not Gone

By Kathleen Rice Adams

Every year at Halloween, people dredge up every ghost story, spooky campfire tale, and urban legend they can find. Something draws humans to the supernatural, the unexplained, and the patently creepy, even though most of us fervently hope we’ll never experience the phenomena in person.

Ghost stories are nothing new. Neither are ghosts. In fact, quite a few of America’s most famous…and notorious…former citizens reportedly still inhabit their favorite “haunts” a century or more after their corporeal forms left the building.



Abigail Adams
John and Abigail Adams not only left their mark on history as the second President and First Lady, but also as the first residents of the White House. The presidential mansion was still under construction when the couple moved out after John’s single term as President, but Abigail—a tidy, down-to-earth woman—reportedly lingers yet. During the Adams’s tenure at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Abigail hung her wash in the East Room because she found that to be the driest, warmest place on the property. During the Taft administration, the East Room became a popular spot for hosting receptions. That’s when the President, guests, and staff began reporting a ghostly Mrs. Adams, clad in a mop cap and lace shawl, sauntering through with armloads of spectral laundry. To this day, guests sometimes report a soapy fragrance in the room.



Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
The third Vice President of the United States, Aaron Burr is best known for the duel in which he killed Alexander Hamilton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Although Burr was acquitted of murder in the incident, both he and Hamilton appear to have been so scarred by the bitter political rivalry that haunted them during life that they stuck around after death to do a bit of haunting of their own. The owners, staff, and guests at a New York restaurant located in what once was Burr’s carriage house have attributed flying dishes and moving chairs to Burr’s unseen hand. Similar poltergeist activity has been reported in the Greenwich Village house in which Hamilton died.



Benjamin Franklin
Possibly one of the most brilliant intellects ever to roam the planet, Founding Father, writer, inventor, philosopher, and scientist Benjamin Franklin was more than a bit eccentric. Among his favorite earthly haunts during life was the library of the Philosophical Society he helped found in Philadelphia. After Franklin’s death, the society erected a statue to his memory. Perhaps they shouldn’t have bothered. Reports of his “free spirit” roaming the halls are legion. Less common, but no less credible, are sightings of the statue dancing through the Philly streets.



Andrew Jackson
The seventh President of the U.S., Andrew Jackson could be boisterous, argumentative, and temperamental. (While in office, he beat a would-be assassin to the ground on the steps of the Capitol building.) Old Hickory died in June 1845, but as large a presence as he was in life, nobody should have expected him to leave and be done with it. He didn’t. In 1865, Mary Todd Lincoln reported confronting a “cantankerous” ghost she insisted was Jackson’s swearing and stomping about the second-floor Rose Room, which had served as Jackson’s bedroom. Stomping, cursing, and loud laughter occasionally echo in the space even today, earning the Rose Room a reputation as the most haunted location in a structure with more than its share of resident ghosts.



Jesse James
One of the most notorious outlaws in the American West, Jesse James’s motives remain the subject of debate. Perhaps the American imagination’s unwillingness to let James go is the reason he hasn’t gone. Since the day he died more than 130 years ago, folks have reported unearthly goings-on at the Kearney, Missouri, farm where James grew up. Now a museum, the property is subject to doors opening and slamming all by themselves without setting off security alarms. Lights move inside and outside the buildings, and on foggy mornings, the pounding of hooves, muffled shouts, and gunfire can be heard in the nearby woods.



Enigmatic third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson embodied the clash between American ideals and the reality of the American experience. In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson wrote “all men are created equal,” yet he owned slaves and was outspoken in his belief that Negroes were an inferior race. Today, phantom footsteps and happy, if mysterious, humming and whistling at Jefferson’s home, Monticello, are attributed to his presence. Mary Todd Lincoln (who seemed prone to ghost sightings), reported seeing Jefferson in the Yellow Oval Room at the White House. In addition, hauntingly beautiful violin music sometimes emerges from the Oval Office while it is unoccupied. Jefferson was fond of playing the violin while relaxing in the room.



Marie Laveau
The truth about Marie Laveau is so buried in legend as to be indecipherable. Born a free woman of color, she’s often called the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, but it’s more likely she was a devout Catholic who embraced some African and Creole traditions in her role as a healer. Regardless where she stood on the mystical, Laveau was a beautiful, wealthy woman who remains a source of fascination more than 130 years after her death at the age of 98. People visiting her grave to seek a variety of intercessions have reported seeing the gauzy form of a woman wearing a tignon (a turban women of color were required to wear). The same figure has been seen at the New Orleans house where Laveau’s cottage once stood.



Robert E. Lee
Considered one of the most brilliant military tacticians in history, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led vastly outnumbered Rebel forces to a number of significant victories over better-equipped Union troops. Exhausted by the war and heartsick about the conflict’s toll on his beloved Virginia, Lee lived for only five years after the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. At his death, it appears he regressed to happier times and returned to his family’s home in Alexandria, Virginia. There, the spirit of a young boy about four years old is thought to be Lee’s. Much like the general in his childhood, the boy is mischievous: He rings doorbells, moves objects, and giggles in the hallways. Occasionally he is seen romping on the lawn with a ghostly black dog and the specters of two young girls who are thought to be his sisters.



Abraham Lincoln
Possibly the most often-sighted ghost in the U.S. is reputed to be the sixteenth President. It seems only fitting that Abraham Lincoln would return from the Beyond, as he was a firm believer in the supernatural. Lincoln’s presidency during a pivotal point in American history and his tragic assassination seem to have bound him to the White House for good. Among those who’ve reported post-mortem encounters with Honest Abe are Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower; First Ladies Grace Coolidge, Jacquie Kennedy and Ladybird Johnson; presidential children Susan Ford and Maureen Reagan; Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (who, in a tremendous breach of international protocol, encountered Lincoln fresh from the bath, nude). Lincoln makes his presence known in the Lincoln Bedroom, the Oval Office, the Rose Room, and the East Room, where his body lay in state. Lincoln’s ghost also has been reported in Springfield, Illinois—near his grave, walking the streets around the original courthouse, and wandering through his former home.



Dolley Madison
Wife of fourth U.S. President James Madison, Dolley Madison often is applauded for her social grace and elegant taste. The White House Rose Garden was her proudest accomplishment. Evidently, she continues to maintain a proprietary interest in horticulture. When First Lady Edith Wilson directed the staff to dig up the roses, a “very angry” apparition that looked a lot like Dolley chased them from their work. The project was abandoned. Others have reported detecting the scent of roses in several of Dolley’s favorite rooms.



Can you tell I’m fascinated by ghosts? When the opportunity to contribute to the Prairie Rose Publications anthology Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico, Vol.2 came along, I knew exactly what kind of Halloween creepiness my story would include.




“Family Tradition”

A failed bank robber and a phony psychic find their soulmates after she accidentally summons a pair of dishonest-to-goodness ghosts.

Haunted by his kin’s tradition of spectacular failure, bank robber Tombstone Hawkins is honor-bound to prove his family tree produced at least one bad apple. Carnival fortuneteller Pansy Gilchrist has masqueraded as a gypsy spiritualist for so long she’s started to believe her own spiel. When she accidentally summons a pair of real ghosts, dishonesty may not be the best policy…but it’s all they’ve got.

Excerpt:
She had no choice but to play out the con. “What question weighs your mind?”

“I’ve suffered a recent…setback.” A soft chuckle rippled across the space between them. “Ask your spirits how to remedy that.”

“The future is a vast, open plain. Without more to go on—”

“If you’re legit, they’ll know what I mean.”

As if maintaining the ruse weren’t difficult enough. She stalled for time with more deep breaths. “My guide wishes to know your name, so he may call upon the proper advisors.”

Silence expanded to fill the tent before he spoke. “Hawkins. Tombstone Hawkins.”

Her eyes snapped open. Finally, a chance to regain control of the dodge. “It’s not wise to mock the spirits.”

“Ain’t mocking nobody. That’s my given name.”

“Sounds like you should be contacting the Beyond yourself instead of inconveniencing me.”

The smirk she’d noticed earlier broadened into a full-fledged sneer brimming with sarcasm. “Please go on. I ain’t seen an act this entertaining since I was knee-high to a toad—and that’s been a mighty long while.”

The sparkle in dark eyes, the broad shoulders hunched over the chair, the amusement stretching his lips all spoke of a man for whom a rough-edged kind of charm came naturally. If pressed, she would admit this saddle tramp’s raw masculinity could enchant a less worldly woman. Cleaned up, he might even be attractive.

Too bad he was such an insufferable clod.

Directing her gaze to the crystal ball, she lowered her voice into the singsong rhythm that never failed to lull gullible marks into a trance of their own. “Spirits, Tombstone—” A giggle bubbled upward. She cleared her throat. “Tomb—” She nearly choked trying to catch a snort. Damn the man’s name anyway. “Mr. Hawkins seeks—”

His flattened hand crashed down on hers, practically pressing her palm through the tapestry. She glanced up.




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About Kathleen Rice Adams

A Texan to the bone, Kathleen Rice Adams spends her days chasing news stories and her nights and weekends shooting it out with Wild West desperados. Leave the upstanding, law-abiding heroes to other folks…even Kathleen’s good guys wear black hats. Find her online at:



CONTEST!! Kathleen will be giving away a digital copy of the Halloween anthology, COWBOYS, CREATURES, AND CALICO, Volume 2 to someone who comments. Be sure to include your email address in your comment for a chance to win.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Interview with C. Marie Bowen


C. MARIE BOWEN

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS


What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done? 

I bungee jumped. My husband and I and our youngest son were on a visit to Colorado. We spent the day at Heritage Square riding the alpine slide and decided to try the bungee. No, I wouldn't do it again.

What adventure would you like to have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were no problem?

I would go on an African photo safari or take a cruise around the world.

Who are some of your favorite authors?  What commonality do you see in them? 

Robin Hobb, George R.R. Martin and Diana Gabaldon. Although their stories are vastly different, they write with such richness that you become part of their world. They are excellent world builders and their characters grow and change across the story.

I believe color says something about a person’s personality.  What’s your favorite color?
Hmm. I actually have two. One is a light burgundy. Darker than pink, lighter than wine. The other color is peach, not orange and not gold, but somewhere in between. They should never be worn together.

If you could have a do-over life, what one thing would you do differently? 
That is so hard. Every choice would change where I am, and I'm pretty satisfied with how things turned out. I guess I wouldn't let the bullies see me cry in seventh grade, and I would have learned much earlier not to care what people thought of me.

What would you do again?
Have my kids. They are the best things, the best times and the best friends I've ever known.



What is your writing process from conception to finished MS?
I get an idea, or a character, or a setting. I set up a story board and throw every crazy idea at it. Then I organize the ideas. Some change, some fall by the way side, but eventually I have a loose chapter outline. Then I round up the characters and hope they cooperate. As any writer will tell you, they often have minds of their own. I follow the outline and write the story, then go back to the beginning and fix the POV's, backstory, pacing, etc. The first draft gets it all, then I trim.

Are you a planner, panster or both?
I'm the planner. The characters are the pansters. They wander off and misbehave. My husband once asked me what I was thinking about. I had to explain that I wasn't thinking at all. I was listening to two of my characters argue about what they were going to do.

How did you research for your book?
Hunter is a character in book two of the trilogy I'm writing. The research for Hunter and Lily Graham was done on line using maps, historical records, you tube videos, anything that would help.

What is your all-time favorite movie?  TV show?
Movie – The Princess Bride or Stardust.
TV show – Firefly.

How important do feel writing workshops are to any writer?
Essential. As with anything you do in life, you have to learn how to do it. Those skills are not simply bestowed upon you. Workshops are teachers helping students. You can be both your entire life, depending on what you know and what you are trying to learn. 

If you could learn one new skill, fear and money no deterrent, what would it be?
I would learn how to ride a motorcycle.

If you had a million dollars to donate to any one charity, what would it be?
I'd need three million. Meals on Wheels for seniors, Women's centers (Medical and safe houses), and The Humane Society.

What advice would you like to give to an aspiring writer?
Write something. Take classes and join a writer's group. Enter contests. Find a critique partner, or three. Learn to take constructive criticism. Trust yourself enough to know that sometimes the critics are wrong.

Did anyone mentor you or help you along the way?  Please tell us about your mentor
 and what you feel they contributed to your writing career.
I took a self editing class through RWA. The teacher was fantastic. One of her stories is in Vol. 1 of the Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico anthology. Linda Carroll-Bradd changed the way I look at my writing from the ground up. Next would be the two critique partners I have now, C. A. Jamison and Jodi Hale. They are both outstanding writers and I am very lucky to have fallen in with them.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
From my mom:  Raising kids is easy. All you need to do is feed them and love them and let them grow up.

If you could live anywhere in the world you wanted to, where would it be?
(Language is no barrier)
There are a lot of places I'd like to visit, but only two places I'd like to live. Either in Denver, with my mom and family, or in Chicago with my two boys.

Where do you write? 
At my computer desk in the front room.

How much time do you devote to writing each week? 
Too much right now. I'm starting a business and the learning curve is kinda steep. I write every day for 5-6 hours. That includes editing and media.

Do you have a day every week that you take off?
On the weekends I like to hang out with my husband. Even then I usually get an hour of writing, critiquing, media or editing in.

What is a genre that you have not attempted that you would like to try?
Fantasy. Like Robin Hobb or GRRM, build a world from the ground up.

Is there anything you would like readers to know about you?
I can't think of anything you haven't asked.  I'll have to get back to you on that one.

CONTEST ALERT!! Connie will be giving away an ebook copy of Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico, Vol. 2 to a commenter. Be sure to include your email address in your comment to enter.





C. Marie's contribution: Hunter and Lily Graham


Hunter and Lily Graham is an unforgettable tale of a beautiful school marm’s love for her children that surpasses all. When a Cajun bounty hunter known only as “Hunter” shows up, Lily Graham knows he, and no one else, can help her save a young girl.


Hunter will need his unusual tracking skills to help Lily Graham find a missing child. Dealing with Lily will be a different problem entirely.

BLURB:

Hunter hoped to beat the winter storms south, and be snug on a riverboat before the Kansas snow began to fly. Instead, his spirit guides sent him east toward Wichita, with no hint at what he would find. His Cajun upbringing fostered respect for his special talents, and life as a bounty hunter taught him to ignore those tiny voices at his own peril.

After collecting a bounty in Wichita, he thought his side trip was over. Then he saw Lily Graham. Beautiful and desperate, she fell to her knees and begged for his help. A child was missing and a young life was in danger. Hunter would need to call upon his extraordinary skills to find the child, but time was running out. And what would he to do about lovely Lily?

Excerpt:

Hunter stood and touched the door. It moved. He drew his revolver and glanced toward Lily. She was pinned to his side. He tipped his head to her, she nodded, and then he pushed open the door with the barrel of his Colt.
            They moved into dark interior and Hunter stepped sideways, away from the door. From the back of the house, a chair scraped across the floor. Dim light spilled from the doorway ahead. He stood still and allowed his eyes to become accustomed to the dark front room. Senses extended, he could feel the room ahead, one man seated at a table. To the left, through the opening was another room. Susan would be there. He slid his gun into his holster.
            Hunter stepped around a chair and put his back to the wall beside the opening. Wind blew the front door ajar and leaves skittered across the floor.
            “Hummel?” the man in the next room called. “You back?”
            The scrape of the chair again. Hunter watched the light from the doorway dim as the man stepped into the opening.
            Hunter slammed his fist into the man's nose, and felt it dissolve beneath the blow. He followed the man as he stumbled into the kitchen, reaching for his gun. A quick slice across the man's windpipe, and he fell onto the table, and then slid to the floor. Hunter knelt and cleaned his blade on the man's pant-leg. He caught a glimpse of Lily's skirt as she disappeared into the adjoining room.
            “Hunter …”
            He rose, slid his knife into the sheath at his back and followed Lily into the room. The light from the kitchen lantern illuminated an empty cot. 

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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

What Spookiness Lurks In Your Backyard?


Author, Tanya Hanson

I’m a California beach girl who loves those cowboys. My firefighter husband and I love to travel and spoil our two little grandsons. We just got back from New Orleans and Savannah! God has greatly blessed us with happiness and health and I’m humbled to have won a couple of writing awards. Find me at www.tanyahanson.com

What Spookiness Lurks In Your Backyard?

One never knows what spookiness lurks in your own backyard! And being October, well, I wonder if the vibes are eerier when we get nearer to Halloween.

Now I’m not talking about bodies buried in Gramma’s garden, or skeletons in the attic. I mean, local places with their own ghostly cachet.


THE MISSION

Like the San Buenaventura Mission of California’s central coast, not far from my homestead. It was established by Franciscan padre Juniper Serra in 1782 (his last) and is sometimes visited by a gray-robed spectral monk! It’s been going on for years. A local woman, awash in family troubles, had just lit a candle when she saw the monk by the church door. He was dressed in flowing gray robes tied around his middle. Although certain she was at church alone, she was not convinced he was a spirit--she even reported feeling warmth emanate from him. But as soon as he smiled at her, he disappeared.

Thing is...Franciscans wear brown!

Hmmmm. How about ghosts in a church? What do you think about that? Or about spooky stuff in general?


THE MODERN MISSION

But that’s not all you get today. I am thrilled to have been invited to be part of the Halloween anthology from Prairie Rose Publications. 


Cowboys, Creatures and Calico, volume one 


Wow, did I have fun writing my first-ever creep-fest. Here’s some  quick words on my story, The Bridesmaid:


It ain’t all white lace and a wing-ding 1880’s bacherlorette bash. There’s a woman drowning in a well.

Except the well is dry...

Four nights in her dreams, a handsome cowboy tries to kiss her...letting Lydia think she's close to finding true love. Off to Colorado for her friend Milly's wedding, she's stunned to realize her cowboy is...Milly's bridegroom.

She's standing right in front of him, the beautiful woman Garner has ached to kiss for four long nights. Milly's bridesmaid. Can he betray his bride...even as his love for Milly turns to terror?




OUTLAW LOVE

And if you don’t mind, since I have your undivided attention, here’s a word or two about my other new release. Outlaw Ahab Perkins has run roughshod through many of my books at The Wild Rose Press, so I reckoned it time to settle down this charming bad boy and let him find his soul and true love.  Which he finally does in Outlaw in Love, last in a trilogy.

On the run from his gang, having robbed his own sister, outlaw Ahab Perkins has no place to go but good. He’d give his heart to Teresa in a single beat...if the beautiful woman in gray weren’t a...nun.

Unbeknownst, Teresa Avila is as wanted as Ahab, hiding out in disguise at a rundown mission. After her crimes and her evil stepfather’s abuse, she’s convinced she’s not good enough for any man, not even the outlaw she’s falling for.
Enter a burned-out homestead, an abandoned little girl and a kindly sheriff...can both find love as they guide their souls out of darkness?


Give Away Alert!! Tanya will be giving way a Kindle copy of the Cowboys, Creatures, and Calico, volume 1 anthology to one commenter and a Kindle copy of Outlaw Love to another commenter.  Be sure to include your email address to enter. 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Interview With Author, Krista Ames

Krista Ames, Author

Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Krista now resides in Northern Lower Michigan.  She is married to a very supportive man who allows her to follow her true passion of writing and never complains when she is pirated away on her computer for hours.    Krista is also a mother of 4 ornery children who keep her plenty busy.  With an addition of 2 beautiful chocolate lab sisters and a playful kitty, there is never a dull or spare moment in her household. 
Krista has always loved to read and would often sit up for hours into the night not able to put down a book until she was finished.  She still reads when she can but her main focus is creating her own stories to share with the world. 
She loves to communicate with her readers so please feel free to drop her a line anytime at krista@kristaames.com  or visit her at http://www.kristaames.com   or http://www.apassionforromance.blogspot.com.


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The Interview

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?  
Oh well, not sure this would be adventurous to some but you just have to take into account my sheltered life lol.  So after twenty years, I finally got up enough guts to ask my husband for a divorce after being unhappy for a good portion of that twenty years.  When I finally took my kids and left, I went to my niece’s house and got a tattoo, my first lol.

What adventure would you like to have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were no problem?  The first adventure for hubby and I would be 2 plane tickets to Ireland.  I want to go there so so, so bad!

Who are some of your favorite authors? 
I love this question J  My all-time favorite is Linda Lael Miller.  Then there’s Diana Palmer,  Lisa Jackson, Debbie Macomber…the list goes on and on.     
What commonality do you see in them?  
I never thought about commonality before but at least for a few of them, it’s the western theme.  I’m a sucker for a cowboy so a good western romance is my favorite.  Mostly contemporary however I have read a few historicals and liked them.

I believe color says something about a person’s personality.  What’s your favorite color?   Blue – however I don’t see myself as a blue person, I’m pretty happy and upbeat most of the time.  I’ve just always been fond of blue, and dark blue, not baby blue J

If you could have a do-over life, what one thing would you do differently?  
Actually, I don’t really want a do-over.  I believe things happen for a reason and I just can’t do the what-ifs because I’m happy where I’m at and all the mistakes and great things that happened in my past played a part in where I am now.  
What would you do again?  
There are a couple things I’d like to relive, exactly how they happened…the birth of my 3 wonderful children and I would love to marry my hubby all over again.

What is your writing process from conception to finished MS? 
A cluster.  Seriously.  I get an idea, write whenever I have time until I finish.  There’s always a kid that needs to be run somewhere or picked up and at least during the summer, never a quiet moment, until bedtime.  I usually stay up til between 2am and 4am because it’s so quiet.  Of course then there’s the other ideas that pop into my head while I’m writing one so I always get thrown off on another tangent.

Are you a planner, panster or both?  
I am totally a panster.  I mean I know how I want my story to go kind of but I don’t write out any outlines or guidelines.  I just let the story write itself.
How did you research for your book?   I usually research via the web or asking other authors and friends if need be.  I only wish I could tell you I travel to do the research J

What is your all-time favorite movie?  TV show?  
All-time favorite movie is the original, The Wizard of Oz.  All-time favorite TV show is actually a cartoon lol, Scooby-Doo !   Of course these two date back years.  The I have favorites right are too many to pick just one but the list grows.  Same with TV whenever I find new shows to watch and fall in love with.

How important do feel writing workshops are to any writer? 
I’m probably not the one to give a worthwhile opinion on this never having done them but I’d like to think they are very beneficial and I would love to have the chance to get to one sometime.

If you could learn one new skill, fear and money no deterrent, what would it be?   
Are we talking writing skill or a profession or trade?  I’d love to become a veterinarian and open an animal shelter, both large and small.


If you had a million dollars to donate to any one charity, what would it be?  I am actually a sucker for dogs and cats and with so many strays and abused around everywhere it’d be probably some humane charity but tying with that would have to be a children’s charity for sure. 

What advice would you like to give to an aspiring writer?  
Never give up.  Becoming a published author is a long trying battle but if it’s really what you want then just don’t give up.

Did anyone mentor you or help you along the way?  Please tell us about your mentor and what you feel they contributed to your writing career.   
There is one author that has never hesitated when I’ve asked for her opinion or help.  She’s a great author herself and such a wonderful person, love her dearly!  Kate Douglas !!  She has given me tips and endless encouragement.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?   
The same advice that I try to give, just don’t ever give up!

If you could live anywhere in the world you wanted to, where would it be?   
I’m honestly not sure where I’d pick.  There are so many places I want to go but I’d like to find somewhere that has a mild temperature all year long, a comfortable 70’s type of thing.  Does that exist?

Where do you write?  Wherever my laptop is.  I move between my bedroom and the dining room table.  I like the latter best because I can spread my stuff out.  I wish I had an office but not that lucky yet.  Hubby promises soon so we’ll see J

How much time do you devote to writing each week?  Do you have a day every week that you take off? 
I try to write as much as possible but with 4 kids, I never know how much I’ll get so I don’t really set a specific goal other than to just write.  I try to take the weekends off from most of my work but even then I still find myself writing when I feel the urge.

What is a genre that you have not attempted that you would like to try?   
I haven’t published in Paranormal or YA yet but I’m definitely working on a few things.

Is there anything you would like readers to know about you?  
I love meeting new people so I hope you’ll drop me a line or pm me on facebook J






Harper’s Wish
A Montana Series Christmas Novella
Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year, but for Harper Donaldson it’s just another day.  Orphaned at an early age, she doesn’t have a single good memory of Christmas. 
But, when a Santa’s Mailbox mysteriously appears in the lobby of the post office where she works as postmistress, Harper wonders what it could hurt to send her own letter to Santa.
Could he bring her the family she’d always wanted?


Buy Links:     Roane Publishing     Amazon    Amazon (UK)    Barnes and Noble 
Kobo    Smashwords     All Romance eBooks


Other Books by Krista Ames

Take Me Home, Cowboy
A Western Escape
Ally Kincaid returns to Freewill, Wyoming, to see her father after a two year absence. Anticipating a quiet family reunion, she finds herself butting heads with her father’s foreman instead. The man’s arrogance and sexy drawl push all her buttons, making her wonder what he’s hiding beneath his cowboy swagger.
Matt Gentry walked away from the past and shies from the future. No ties means no one gets hurt…until the boss’s daughter, a hot, green-eyed blonde, tempts him to break his own rules.
When tragedy strikes, will building tension and pride destroy their growing attraction or show them the way home?

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Second Nature
If a second chance presented itself, would you take it?
When the love of Dana's life leaves without a word, moving on is the last thing she wants to do.  Despite loving him, she believes she will never see him again but, little does she know, she's being set up for a night that will change her life forever.
Nicholas, A Navy man, did the only thing he could to save the woman he loved.  Driven by a secret, he disappeared and now returns, years later, with hope for love.  With one opportunity, will he be able to make things right, or is it just too late? 
Will she resist the desire she has for a second chance or will it be Second Nature?


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