THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SALE By Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless #romancegems

By my reckoning, today is the Eighth Day of Christmas.  This is a holdover from my Catholic childhood, when my mother insisted on leaving the Christmas tree up until January 6^th, which she called ‘Little Christmas,’ aka the Epiphany.  Dad wasn’t Catholic, so things were always interesting in our house.  Many of our neighbors considered December 13^th the start of the twelve-day countdown, ending on the 25^th. 

These days, I applaud the way everyone finds their own special way to celebrate the holiday season, no matter what their beliefs.  Why else would the movie theaters be really busy on December 25^th, with a lot of Hollywood Blockbusters released that day? 

Now that New Year’s has come and gone and we’re into a new Roaring Twenties decade, I wanted to start the year off right with my biggest sale ever. Rather than a gift of Eight Maids-A-Milking, I have on offer my SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS Volume One Box Set of Sweet Western Historicals.

 

Regularly $8.99, you can grab it now for only 99 cents.  

If you haven’t started reading about Brody Mason his brothers where, one by one, these Alpha Male Cowboys in nineteenth century Arizona meet the one special woman destined to be their “forever love”, now is your chance.  Volume One includes the bonus Prequel Before the Brides, a novella not available for sale outside of the boxset.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZW9SVZK

Before the Brides … Ten years earlier Brody and Laura’s romance started it all.

Brody’s Bride …  Laura’s Back!  And right in the crosshairs of Brody’s sworn enemy.  Can he keep her safe and forgive the past?

Bradley’s Bride …  Amanda has something their sworn enemy vows to get his hands on, no matter who gets in his way.  Despite himself, Bradley is soon drawn in. Fighting his past, fighting his feelings, and ultimately fighting for their future.

Braydon’s Bride …  Globe-trotting Henrietta is unlike any woman Braydon has ever met.  When she turns his lighthearted wager into her own personal triumph, he knows they are meant to be together.  But how to convince her! 

If you prefer a little more heat with your romance, and a contemporary setting, watch later in the month for the release of UNTAMED.  The story Roundtable Reviews describes as, "Imagine Nancy Drew meets Sex in the City."  

And if I could possibly impose on your time, my gorgeous cover for UNMASKED  is in a cover contest at All Authors. Please vote here https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/6729/ and help to share.  Very excited for this opportunity for my cover designer and I.  She deserves this recognition for her work. 

I wish everyone good health and much happiness in the year ahead.  Let’s go out there and make things happen!  Leave a message saying what you're looking forward to in 2020.  I will pick a random winner for one of my e-books of your choice.  

Kathleen

THANKSGIVING... CANADIAN STYLE By Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless #romancegems

As you read this, I am most likely stuffing half a turkey to roast while we go for an afternoon hike.  It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and normally the weather on the west coast is mild and pleasant.  The children are grown with busy lives, but will likely stop by over the weekend.  There will be leftovers when they do. I love my butcher who understands half a turkey is plenty for many of today’s families.

Since I have so much to be thankful for, I also celebrate US Thanksgiving next month.  I love the way the holiday kicks off the Christmas season and festivities.  The first few years I had a hard time finding a fresh turkey here in November, but I seem to have started a trend.

Some years back, my Dad and my sister and I used to do an annual road trip to Portland, Oregon on the US Thanksgiving. We’d arrive at the hotel in time for dinner, shop ‘til we dropped for two whole days, one day downtown and one day at the mall, then drive home on Sunday with our Christmas shopping complete.  I remember the year the car’s trunk would not close with all our purchases stowed inside.  Stuff was being shoved onto laps, and under feet.  A group of bellmen gathered around making bets as we repacked and reorganized, and burst into applause when the trunk finally did close. 

At the time Sis and I were both divorced and Dad was widowed, so those days were fun and memorable father-daughter road trips that none of us will ever forget.  Lives change.  Dad remarried.  Sis remarried.  I met my real-life hero and the trips are no longer, but the memories live on.    

As part of my treat this month, comment below to win.  Let me know what country you are reading this in, and if Thanksgiving is celebrated where you live.  Don’t forget to include your written email… at dot com etc. I’ll pick one random winner on Monday.  You can even choose your heat level from my historical romances. 

Mild (sweet) BRODY’S BRIDE

Medium (spicy) ANORA’S PRIDE

Burn-your-fingers-hot.  Very, very sexy.  TABOO

For any dedicated fans who have read everything of mine, BISHOP’S BRIDE launches this month if you’d rather receive an advance copy.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XM358KP

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!

And there are fabulous monthly prizes!  Check them out!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a230/

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.)

In the meantime, if you haven’t met the seven Mason Brothers, Book 3 of the series, BRAYDON’S BRIDE, is on sale next week, starting Wednesday, for only 99 cents.

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TM3RGYG

THE BLANK PAGE @ kathleenlawless #romancegems

Songwriter Natasha Bedingfield wrote a great song about staring at a blank page called "Unwritten".  So it's not just writers daunted by that initial blank page we face at the start of an entirely new story.  Some start out typing gibberish, just to see letters appear and get their thoughts flowing.  I don’t type gibberish, but I do believe some words, any words, are better than no words.

However, for the past month or more I’ve been buried in re-writes.  That’s where those dashed-off early pages get lovingly revised.  I’m working on a series, which requires a lot of revisions to make sure the overall story arc holds up and that I don’t mix up my facts from one book to the next.

And much as I do enjoy the revision process, (I truly believe good writing is re-writing) I found myself getting antsy to ‘write new’.  To stare down and master that empty page.  To add up my word count every day. 

This is a writer-ly exercise which is imminently satisfying when all is going well, and rife with disappointment in the event of a stall.  None-the-less, high numbers or low, that word count is proof positive that I am being productive every single work day.

Years ago, I used to work on more than one book at a time.  Since mornings are my best time to create fresh, I would work on a first draft at that time.  After a short break for a walk and a bite to eat, I would settle in with my editing pencil to revise a different book in the afternoon.  (Notice the lack of distractions with social media in those good old days.) 

How could I have forgotten how well this process suits me?  Easy! I got caught up in the ‘finish-the-book-fast’ mentality of independent publishing. 

So, I took a breath and revisited the system that works best for me.  My muse is far happier.  The creative right brain is balanced with the editorial skills of the left brain.  Best of all, the books are getting finished and released at the speed they were intended to be. 

Currently I rely on Kale Quinoa Muffins for the brain food I need in the morning.  These are delicious.  I whip a batch and freeze them so I can pop one in the microwave each day to get me fueled up for writing.  (gluten free)   

Kale (or Spinach) — Quinoa Muffins with Cheese

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed, soaked in water for 20 minutes, then drained well

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, or kale, trimmed and cut finely

1 cup crumbled feta

1 cup shredded cheddar

1/4 cup chopped parsley

4 large eggs, beaten

Combine quinoa with 1 cup water. Boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Cook onion until it’s translucent in olive oil. Add kale or spinach to onion with garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook till greens are wilted. Let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine kale or spinach mix and quinoa with feta, cheddar and parsley. Pour in beaten eggs. Mix well. Spoon into muffin pans.  (makes 12) 

Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375 F, or until tops are golden brown. Cool on rack.

Book 1 of my Seven Brides for Seven Brothers series, BRODY'S BRIDE is available at a special pre-order price of .99.   If all goes well with my new-old writing system, Book 2, Bradley’s Bride won’t be far behind. 
To read more about BRODY'S BRIDE or order your copy, go here.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SRHCQK8

Speaking of brides, make sure you enter our June contest.  It's all about brides and weddings.

To see the gorgeous prizes and to enter our June Rafflecopter, visit our Monthly Giveaway Page: https://romancegems.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_28.html .

Or you can click this short link if you wish: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a224/ .