Author: Katie L. Carroll (Page 36 of 142)

Book Blitz IT WAS ALWAYS YOU by Ashelyn Drake

July 11, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

I’m happy to welcome Ashelyn Drake (also known as Kelly Hashway) to the Observation Desk to celebrate her latest release, a contemporary romance called IT WAS ALWAYS YOU. Welcome, Ashelyn!

IT WAS ALWAYS YOU by Ashelyn Drake is live! Grab this #ContemporaryRomance today!

♡ http://amzn.to/2t0dxdK ♡

IT WAS ALWAYS YOU blurb:

Aria Carmichael and Nate Dixon have the perfect friendship—completely ignoring the fact that they’ve been in love with each other for the better part of twelve years.

When a night filled with too many drinks lowers their inhibitions, they both question if they could take their relationship to a new level.

But a job opportunity threatens to put more than just physical distance between them. Will their romance end before it’s even truly begun?

Add to your Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35080758-it-was-always-you

Sign up for Kelly’s newsletter! http://bit.ly/2pvYT07

Website: www.kellyhashway.com

Blog: http://kellyhashway.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyhashway

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KellyHashway

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/khashway

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KellyHashway

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kellyhashway

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Hashway/e/B004B3W3CU

Grab your copy of IT WAS ALWAYS YOU on Amazon today!

♡ http://amzn.to/2t0dxdK ♡

Also available on #KindleUnlimited!

Cover Reveal GUARDIAN’S TOUCH Touched by Afterlife Book 2 by LA Dragoni

July 5, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve had the pleasure of getting an early read of LA Dragoni’s latest paranormal romance GUARDIAN’S TOUCH, Touched by Afterlife, Book 2. I have thoroughly enjoyed both books in the series and am thrilled to be part of the cover reveal for book 2. Welcome, LA!

Guardian’s Touch, Touched by Afterlife, Book 2

by LA Dragoni

Life has returned to normal for Tamara and Dex after helping a horde of ghosts cross over. Their brush with the afterlife affirmed one thing: happily ever after is real.

When odd pranks around the farm escalate to destruction, Tamara fears mischievous teenagers are vandalizing the neighborhood. Then Dex starts to act out of character. Meanness slips into his usually playful disposition. One day he even ridicules a co-worker publicly. Tamara watches helplessly as he seems to lose the ability to control his own actions. When Dex’s abnormal anger turns violent—toward Tamara—their happily ever after is threatened. Desperate to help Dex and herself, she sends out a silent prayer for help.

She didn’t expect Cal to come to her aid.

Coming August 1, 2017

Pre-order now.

Mark as to read on Goodreads.

Follow LA Dragoni on Amazon or BookBub.

Ghost Touch, Touched by Afterlife Book 1 ebook is marked down to just $0.99 for a limited time.

For fifteen minutes each night a portal opens in Tamara’s barn and a horde of ghosts spills into her yard. Their leader, Cal, a quiet, unassuming cowboy, fulfills an aching loneliness the death of Tamara’s mother left behind. Tamara can help the ghosts cross, but can she let Cal go?

Available in ebook, audiobook, and print from Amazon.

Also available on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and other e-tailers.

About the author:

LA Dragoni isn’t too particular about who falls in love or where they fall in love. Whether it’s paranormal, mythical, or time travel, LA simply considers it her job to divine their story and share it with you. She lives in Central Oregon with her husband and children, but haunts ghost towns and cemeteries throughout the west, in search of the next adventure to sift through her storytelling brain. Learn more about LA and her work at ladragoni.com

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July #InkRipples: The Hero Is the Villain

July 3, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

When I think about the July #InkRipples topic of heroes/villains, I always think about the many quotes along the lines of everyone is the hero of their own story (there are so many versions of this quote with different attributions, I’m not even going to try attribute a direct quote).

I think this idea is especially interesting when applied to villains. The most interesting villains feel totally justified in their actions in their own minds as opposed to a villain who is presented as simply an evil character. We may judge those actions to be horrible, but for whatever reason–be that twisted or misguided or maybe a little justified but still ultimately bad–the villain considers themselves the hero.

On the flip side, others may view the hero of a story as a villain. Perhaps what the hero sees as a justified, noble deed is harmful to another. Now the person being harmed may be harming others and the moral thing to do is to stop them, but they will still categorize the hero as a villain in their own mind. And no hero of a story should be perfect…that would be boring. Heroes need to have flaws.

As a writer, it’s really all about how the story is framed. Vengeance can be a way for a reader to relate to and root for a hero, or it could be the means by which a character becomes a villain. I find stories with lots of shades of gray in the good vs. evil area to be incredible compelling.

What’s your take on heroes and villains?

#InkRipples is a monthly meme created by Katie L. Carroll, Mary Waibel, and Kai Strand. We pick a topic (July is all about heroes/villains), drop a ripple in the inkwell (i.e. write about it on our blogs), and see where the conversation goes. We’d love to have you join in the conversation on your own blogs or on your social media page. Full details and each month’s topic can be found on my #InkRipples page.

January 1654? – A Legend is Born #CaptainKiddHistory

June 30, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

Today marks the start of a new feature here on the Observation Desk called #CaptainKiddHistory. These historical tidbits about Captain William Kidd are told by Billy, the main character of my upcoming middle grade adventure PIRATE ISLAND. Billy discovered and wrote down these tidbits while doing research to find Kidd’s lost treasure but before he actually looked for it on Pirate Island. Let’s give a big welcome to Billy!

January 1654? – A Legend is Born

by Billy Bonny

Credit: 18th century portrait of William Kidd by Sir James Thornhill. Public domain. Billy’s comment: Totally not how I picture Kidd looking (way too stuffy and proper).

Pointing out the day someone is born seems kind of boring. But in the case of someone legendary like Captain William Kidd, it’s totally worth noting. The trouble is that no one is quite sure when he was actually born. Some sources claim he was born in 1645 and others in January of 1654. That’s a nine-year difference; a lot can happen in nine years. That’s like two-thirds of my whole life! (My birth date is June 22, 2004…just so you know for sure if I ever become famous one day.) It is known that he was born in Scotland, but no one is sure exactly where.

Even worse, there is no good evidence of what he was up to until the late 1680s. That’s 30 or 40 years of lost history when it comes to Kidd. I know he lived a long time ago, but you’d think the life of an infamous pirate (or not-pirate as I would say…but that’s a later post) would be better documented. What about all those non-famous people that lived at the time? Is there any record of them ever being alive? It kind of makes me happy to be alive now when it’s so easy to find out what everybody is up to.

The full list of #CaptainKiddHistory posts by Billy Bonny:

January 1654? – A Legend is Born

1688 to 1689 – Mutineer and Captain

1690 to 1695 – The Archenemy and the Wife

December 1695 to September 1696 – Privateer, Not Pirate

September 1696 to October 16, 1697 – The Bucket Incident

1698 to April 1699 – A Privateer Prize and the Return of the Archenemy

June 1699 – Proof of Treasure

July 6, 1699 to May 23, 1701 – Trial and Execution

PIRATE ISLAND blurb:

A thrice cursed island, a legendary pirate treasure, and one not-so-brave boy. What could possibly go wrong?

For centuries, the whereabouts of Captain William Kidd’s lost pirate treasure has remained a mystery. When Billy’s best friend, Andy, proposes they look for it on nearby Pirate Island, Billy thinks it’s just another one of their crazy adventures. It’s usually Billy who ends up in trouble as a result, but he goes along for the ride…like always. The more he delves into the life and death of Kidd, the more he thinks the treasure is real and that it might be buried on the small island in Long Island Sound. Billy—nope, call him William—becomes obsessed with the captain of the same first name. He even believes he’s possessed by Kidd’s restless soul. Now he and the spirit of a long-dead pirate are leading the crazy adventure on Pirate Island. And what they find is far bigger than the treasure they imagined.

Now available for pre-order! Get it on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kobo, IndieBound, and many other of your favorite book sellers.

Recognizing Different Kinds of Productivity

June 21, 2017 / Katie L. Carroll

I’ve been feeling particularly unproductive this year, in part because I haven’t been doing much drafting. It’s my favorite part of the writing process and the one that creatively feels the most fulfilling. I feel whole when I’m in the midst of a draft and able to lose myself in the process of adding words to the page.

The other part of feeling unproductive is being pregnant. With the bad colds all winter long, the morning sickness for the first half of the pregnancy, and the fatigue and swelling that’s come with the last trimester and warmer weather, I haven’t exactly been racking up the work hours. I get that my limits are temporary and necessary right now, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t frustrating as well.

So I’m trying to recognize other ways I’ve been productive this year. The obvious one is I’m growing a baby (no small feat!). I’m also bringing a book baby into the world in October with my middle grade adventure PIRATE ISLAND. I’ts the first time I’m self-publishing a book, and I’ve learned a ton about the process this year, much of which I’ve enjoyed…even when it’s slightly frustrating and takes more time than I had hoped.

Then there are those other little guys (The Boy and The Prince) who demand so much of my time. The Boy flourished in kindergarten and is on his way to being a big first-grader. The Prince is learning and growing so much and will start preschool in the fall. I’ve been doing my best to spend as much quality time with those two before baby (a.k.a. The Gentleman) comes.

I’ve been working on a picture book, doing some freelance work, and working on other small projects as well. Then there’s the veggie garden (we picked our first peas of the season the other day), prepping for baby (six months worth of laundry washed, sorted, and folded and new mini-van purchased), blogging, and all those other things that require time and attention (grocery shopping and dinner, I’m looking at you!).

So, yeah, I think it’s fair to say that I’ve been as productive as I can be with the time and energy I have right now. And it’s important to recognize that (even blog about it) to validate that I’m doing stuff…even if it’s not all the stuff!

What kind of productive have you been lately?