It's Spooky Time for This Author! by Kathryn Hills #RomanceGems

It may be the heart of summer, but it sure feels like Halloween to me! Great, since I LOVE all things mysterious and spooky. This year I’m getting back to my paranormal romance roots with two new releases.

First up GHOSTS OF NEW ENGLAND: SKULLERY BAY - Releasing August 16, 2021

An anthology unlike any other, it features...

4 Different Centuries

4 To-Die-For Romances

The Same 2 Ghosts! 

Widow’s Walk (1737)

RITA nominee & Best Selling Author, Lisa A. Olech

He’s the infamous pirate, Captain John Jacob Wilder.

She’s the daughter of his fiercest enemy.

Their love is the beginning of the legend.

Cast to the Wind and Waves (1837)

Best Selling & Award-Winning Author, Kathryn Hills

She’s the heiress determined to restore Fairwinds to its former glory.

He’s the solicitor working as a caretaker because of the deadly curse.

Their love will rebuild the legend.

The Bootlegger’s Daughter (1924)

Best Selling & Award Winning Author, Nancy Fraser

She’s the daughter of one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals.

He’s her bodyguard, and not at all what he seems.

Their love will return dignity to the legend.

Jilly’s Dilemma (Present Day)

Best Selling & Award-Winning Author, Nancy Fraser

She’s the new owner of Fairwinds, a flaky artist who talks to ghosts. Repeatedly.

He’s the staid, young professor there to document Fairwinds' history.

Their love will make you believe in the legend.

Watch the Trailer for Ghosts of New England: Skullery Bay

Next, I'm headed back to the beach with SAND, SALT, AND SPIRITS - A LAST CHANCE BEACH ROMANCE - Releasing November 2, 2021

Can a weekend visit to Last Chance Beach undo decades of brokenhearted memories? Conjuring up some island magic might just be the trick. Or treat!

Kyle Worthington hasn’t returned to Last Chance Beach in years. He’s worked hard to prove himself to his overbearing father and the rest of the world. Now it’s October, and the vacation island paradise is celebrating the season with an island-wide Fall Festival. Family obligation demands he participate. Everyone will be there, including the ghost that haunts his grandparents’ B&B.

The running joke that Kyle never sticks with anything—not a career or a woman—will continue to plague him. Unless he brings a knockout of a date to the weekend-long event. Cassandra Corwin fits the bill perfectly. Kyle’s had his eye on his brilliant, beautiful coworker since day one. But Cassie is an enigma, a loner. There’s no room in her life for anyone except Odin, her goofball of a Great Dane.

Will this woman of mystery agree to Kyle’s scheme to impress his family? Can two near strangers from opposite worlds survive family gatherings and back-to-back Halloween events while pretending to be a couple? Kyle’s father seems hell-bent on derailing everything before they even shout “Boo!”

Or will the island’s magic prove too powerful for them to resist?

***

I hope you'll join me for some sexy, spooky fun later this summer and autumn. You can find all my book news at the links below!

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Amazon Author Page ~ BookBub

THANK YOU for reading!

~ Kathryn

The Tale of the Polite Ghost by Kathryn Hills #RomanceGems

It was a dark and stormy night…

Kidding! It was a beautiful spring day back in 2011, and I was visiting Salem, MA for a writer's conference - NECRWA’s (New England Chapter Romance Writers of America) “Let Your Imagination Take Flight.” The lobby of the historic Hawthorne Hotel was overflowing with writers, all checking in via one small, seriously overwhelmed front desk.

I stood in line with everyone else, checking our watches, sweating a wee bit. It was 3:00 PM. Most days that wouldn’t be a problem. It’s a standard check-in time. But on this day, many of us had tickets to attend Donald Maass’ bonus workshop, beginning in thirty short minutes.

When it was my turn, I watched the desk clerk activate my plastic room key. Twitching, I glanced at my watch again and stifled a groan. 3:15 – Fifteen minutes. Yikes! Sign-in complete, I spun with my luggage to encounter the epic line for two tiny elevators. They were lovely with brass trimmings and red velvet interior back then. However, they were not lovely when you have only minutes to heave your bags into a room on the fifth floor, change, and be back downstairs to learn things, and be social. I’ll step back here and add I was a VERY NEW WRITER, and I was pitching my first book to an editor that weekend. I needed all the help Mr. Maass could give me!

Hawthorne Hotel, Salem, MA

Out of the elevator in a flash, I schlepped my stuff to the designated door, inserted the plastic key, and… Nothing. (cursing) I tried again. Nothing. (more cursing) One final failed attempt more sent me rushing back to the elevators to make the long trek to the lobby for another key. I fidgeted in place as I waited. Then...a hunch! I raced back to my door. Perspiration dampened my face as I stood before it. With that plastic key in hand, I muttered, “Please, can I get into my room?” I inserted the key, the door unlocked, and I was in.
Yay! That was super-weird. Now hurry!

Fast forward to later that night. I DID make it to the extra workshop and learned lots of great things from Mr. Maass. My friends and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner out, making a night of it. Everyone said their good-byes and went their separate ways. I returned to the fifth floor, slid my plastic key into the lock, and, you guessed it…… Nothing. Several tries later, I had an idea. “Please, may I get into my room?” I asked sweetly of whoever or whatever might be listening. Lo and behold…the door opened.

Each day—Friday through Sunday—those magic words were required to open the door. Without exception. The addition of “may I” ensured a speedy entrance. “Let me in!” left me standing in the hallway like a jerk. I know, because I tested this bizarre ritual throughout the weekend. Not once did that door open without a well-mannered request.

So, there you have it, a polite ghost. Or a manners-obsessed ghost? Perhaps someone’s mother, grandmother, or governess? Or just a busting ghost that laughed and laughed at the dummy in the hallway. Take your pick. I share this story because it’s a fun ghost story—not a scary one. Ghosts, spirits, whatever you call "them," are often NOT scary, in my opinion.

I’ve stayed at The Hawthorne many times since and haven’t encounter that spirit again. Maybe you will if you visit. But remember to brush up on your manners first, and “please” tell me if you do. I love a good ghost story!

What does any of this have to do with my books? Paranormal experiences spark my imagination and serve as inspiration. Visit my website to learn more.

Thanks for reading. Happy Halloween!

~ Kathryn

Don't forget our October Giveaways!

Every Day is Treat Day in October, and I'm giving away a signed copy of Haunting Highland House - A Time Traveler's Journey. I'll even include a surprise spooky treat! To be entered in my random drawing, leave a comment with your email address written out (not as a hot link). The deadline for doing this is Halloween. I’ll draw the winner's name on October 31st by 12:00 PM CDT and notify that person by email and by leaving a comment on this post soon after.

Please note: This signed book and treat can only be sent to winners within the continental U.S. If the selected winner is outside that area, the prize will be an ebook.

Wait! There's more!

Click here to enter our No Tricks—Just Treats Rafflecopter today for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards. Enter often and tell your friends! (You can also click Monthly Giveaways on the Menu Bar of the blog to see details of the current month’s Rafflecopter and to enter it.)

Timeless: A Ghostly Adventure by Jan Scarbrough #RomanceGems

With Halloween approaching, I thought I’d tell you about my one and only ghost story. It started with a cover for inspiration. The original cover showed a man and a woman, probably in love, and a little girl in the background. Of course, I thought, the child must be a ghost!

I needed a character who could communicate with my little girl ghost. Enter Jeff Halstead, the hero and my reluctant medium. I call him reluctant because he’s not sure of his spiritual gifts.

When Beth Abbott receives a surprise inheritance from her birth mother, she travels to the family’s nineteenth century mansion in Old Louisville, now a bed and breakfast and run by Jeff. And guess what? They have a history together that they know nothing about, but our ghost does!

Writing the story was an adventure, because I needed to do a bunch of research to make it all come together.

I pulled out a couple of books from my library: Haunts of Old Louisville by David Domine, and The Great Louisville Tornado of 1890 by Keven McQueen. I wanted to use information from both books as inspiration and background for my story.

I went to the Internet for other research. It’s strange what a novelist needs when writing, and the Internet is a handy place to find that information. Some of the things I researched were Baxter Square Park (Louisville’s first park), a party game called Flip Cup, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the events of September 11, 2001. I also researched a hill in Louisville’s Cherokee Park where people sled in the winter. It is called “dog hill.” I investigated carriages from the 1890’s and period clothing.

After all that, I put the book together, making it a Gothic romance with ghostly elements!

Dale Epley, my friend who is also a medium, said this about my book: Timeless is a beautiful love story that intertwines two different lifetimes, and Jan has done an incredible job of introducing reincarnation and numerous other “Spiritual gifts” that we all possess in a clear and concise way that will help you to understand the possibilities, even if they are not in your reality yet.

So, if you want a non-scary ghost story for Halloween, take a look at Timeless!

Amazon Kindle

Apple Books

Kobo

B&N Nook

*****

Every Day is Treat Day in October. To be entered in the random drawing for Timeless leave a comment with your email address written out (not as a hot link). The deadline for doing this is 2 days from now. I’ll draw the winners name on October 24, 2019 and notify the winner by email and by leaving a comment on this post.

By the way, in case you wonder why Authors give away books, it’s simple. We give away books to introduce new Readers to our writing. The best way to thank an Author who gives you a book is to post a review of the book. Just a few sentences saying why you liked the book is all that is needed! Do this, and we’ll adore you!

Click here to enter our No Tricks—Just Treats Rafflecopter today for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards. Enter often and tell your friends! (You can also click Monthly Giveaways on the Menu Bar of the blog to see details of the current month’s Rafflecopter and to enter it.)

Isn't She Grand? by Kathryn Hills #RomanceGems

Snow swirls hypnotically across the windshield as we pick our way through Crawford Notch. And it strikes me… Isn’t it odd that we never visit this iconic location in good weather? I suppose “good” is the debatable word. After all, these are the White Mountains of New Hampshire in winter where snow is considered white gold.

Toasty-warm during the picturesque drive north (White Mountain National Forest is approximately 3.5 hours from Boston) I can’t help but touch the frosty windows as excitement has me fidgeting. One more turn and the road will widen. Then we’ll see her. Stark white and magnificent, topped with a shiny red roof. Distinct against the bluish-grey of the tallest mountain in the northeast. Our home away from home for a long winter’s weekend—the glorious Mount Washington Hotel!

The Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods, NH

This marvel of modern ingenuity for its time (construction finished in 1902) was built by New Hampshire native Joseph Stickney, a gilded-age industrialist who made a fortune in coal and railroads. He spared no expense, from the steal and granite structure to the heating, plumbing, electricity, woodwork, and furnishings. Wealthy visitors flocked from northern cities to behold its grandeur (see the hotel’s link below for more history).

My first visit to the grande dame—now an Omni resort—was for a ghost-hunting/paranormal event in 2016, hosted by Strange Escapes. The founder of this unusual travel company, Amy Bruni, is best known for her role as an investigator and researcher on Syfy channel’s Ghost Hunters. My daughter and I were Amy’s guests on that occasion, along with over one hundred like-minded “escapees,” paranormal enthusiasts, celebrities, researchers, and other authors. The event was exciting, thought provoking, and it marked the beginning of more trips to haunted locations with the group. I highly recommend the experience if you enjoy exploring the unknown in style (see Strange Escapes’ link below).

Since then, I’ve returned to the Mt. Washington Hotel many times with family, friends, and my daughter for another escape. Simply put, we love the place! Yet what about this iconic location entices us and so many others to return? “It’s haunted, you know.” I can’t tell you how many have whispered those words to me. Followed by, “One time, when we were there…” and ghost stories gush forth. Few mention the luxury accommodations or spectacular mountain views first. It’s typically the thrill of other-worldly experiences coupled with the five-star resort. A close encounter with spirit on the way to the slopes or while filling your ice bucket? Yes! However, I’d say it’s more.

The Great Hall

I’ve been lucky enough to reflect while writing in the elegant Great Hall or slouched in a wicker chair in the garden corridor. Two of my “favorite haunts.” For me there is a deep sense of residual history. Feelings...impressions... Pride, joy, sadness, celebration, toil – the essence of past lives. The hotel is haunted, in my opinion, by Princess Carolyn, Joseph Stickney’s widow. But also, by those who have worked there and been guests. Souls who’ve left a mark—good or bad—which imprints on some guests today.

Charles Alling Gifford

One personal experience is the day I met the architect and builder of the Mount Washington Hotel, Charles Alling Gifford. I discovered his handsome countenance in a portrait, hanging in The Gifford Room. Tucked away in a discreet corner on the main floor, the door to his room was closed, yet I felt compelled to sneak in. I stood before him as seconds stretched into long minutes. Charles Gifford left his mark on me that afternoon, inspiring a character in my Time Traveler’s Journey Series. (Allen Whitman, the architect of Highland House) Call me crazy, but it was a profoundly haunting experience when Mr. Gifford stepped beyond the veil to spark a character.

Here’s a bit about Haunting Highland House
Psst…there’s a $0.99 Kindle sale currently on Amazon

She’s looking to escape her man troubles. Instead, she finds the man of her dreams. There’s only one problem. He’s dead.

Living in a haunted house and uncovering a gateway in time were not in the job description when Samantha Merrill agreed to be the property manager of Highland House. Old photos of the reclusive master of the manor captivate her, yet she’s terrified when he appears out of nowhere. How can Robert Pennington be making love to her by the parlor fireplace when he died over a century ago? Robert Pennington is a powerful industrialist charged with caring for an ailing father, a meddling mother, and two wayward siblings.

Weary of his burdens, he longs for change. Is he ready for a woman from the future? His disciplined world turns upside down when the mysterious Samantha Merrill crashes his sister’s birthday ball. He is wildly attracted to this intriguing beauty, but is it magic or mischief motivating her? When Sam vanishes before his eyes, he knows only one thing for certain. He wants her back.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the tale of my haunted love affair with one of New Hampshire’s grandest hotels. Maybe you have your own ghost story? I’d love to hear from you. And a great big thank you for visiting my first blog post with these awesome Romance Gems!

~Kathryn~

To learn more about me and my books, visit my website

Sources & Links

The Omni Mount Washington Hotel

Strange Escapes

YouTube of the Strange Escapes 2016 Mt. Washington Hotel event

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