Cocktail Suggestions And a Review Or Two!

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

February is nearly over. I have to confess it’s not one of my favourite months. I suffer from what I call my February Funk. Luckily there are birthdays and anniversaries and Valentine’s Day in there to help it speed by.

Yesterday I indulged in a little retail therapy. Tonight I think I’ll give myself a manicure. I have Dying Embers by B.E. Sanderson to read. I’m already getting chills! I might also sip a cocktail or two.

I’ve pinned some great ideas on my Cocktail Hour pinterest board. What’s your favourite beverage to curl up with in front of the fire? Or to sip while reading or watching a movie?

I’ve tried this one and I loved it: Dark and Stormy. Candied ginger, ginger beer and rum. Yum!

Two lovely reviews for OFF THE GRID you can find on Goodreads! If you head on over to either of these two lovely review sites you can enter to win a $25 gift certificate!

Sassy Moms Say Read Romance

Huge secrets, drama, mystery, betrayal, cover ups, murder, romance, twists and turns on every corner kept me on the edge of my seat. Off the Grid sure satisfied my craving for that mystery I have been craving.

Sophie had to be my favorite characters in the book. She has a huge heart of gold wanting to help every patient in need. However, Sophie puts her own life on the line to help out a very pregnant Kellie. I loved the fact that they had scenes at a medical clinic in Vancouver.

Off the Grid’s book cover does not do the book justice.

4 out of 5 kisses

Undercover Book Reviews

HOT DANG!!!! Yes, I’m trying to make my review as nicely worded as possible! Folks this book will have you on edge! The suspense it brings, the romance it gives, the balance it has of the characters and story plot show the remarkable skill of the author! The twist you don’t see coming… Yep, enough to expose enough truth, but why is it held back… If you haven’t read Off the Grid yet, you are missing out! I believe this will be a hot book for 2015!

* The Wild Rose Press * Amazon * Kobo * All Romance Ebooks (ARe) * BookStrand * iBooks *

Available Now

#8Sunday:

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Karyn Good

Another Sunday, another eight lines to share. This weekend it’s all about attraction and that first tumble into love.

From my new romantic suspense, OFF THE GRID.

A committed doctor to Vancouver’s inner city, nothing fazes Sophie Monroe—until a pregnant teenager shows up at her clinic on Christmas Eve requesting sanctuary.

No soft music played. The dim lighting was courtesy of an unlit dingy hallway. The smell of antiseptic and desperation laced the air. It didn’t matter. Sophie wanted to meet his challenge. She didn’t want to dodge. Or object. She wanted to kiss the hell out of Caleb Quinn.

Make sure and check out the other great offerings or continue on down the list @ The Weekend Writing Warriors.

* The Wild Rose Press * Amazon * Kobo * Barnes and Noble * All Romance Ebooks * BookStrand * iBooks

Cover Reveal For Exposed; More Romance, More Suspense

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

Coming in 2015

EXPOSED (Aspen Lake Series, Book 2)

Kate Logan needs a safe haven. A place to start over after her modeling career disintegrates in scandal. But her hometown of Aspen Lake isn’t the sanctuary she hoped. Her vow of a low-key life is disrupted by a break-in and other strange happenings at her boutique. As the chair of Aspen Lake’s Gothic Revival Festival, she’s also drawn the ire of a religious fanatic. Kate is up to her stilettos in drama and intrigue including one sexy carpenter who’s determined to get in her way.

New to town, Seth Stone is seeking inspiration and solitude to concentrate on his art. Short on funds, he agrees to take on a second job restoring the damage to Kate’s Closet. Trouble erupts along with the desire to get to know Kate better. When he’s used as a pawn in a smear campaign against his gorgeous boss Seth fights back. But now the whole town is watching. Including the man determined to further his own agenda. Time is running out with nowhere to hide.

I’m so excited to finally be sharing Kate and Seth’s story, which I began writing in 2009 during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). It was such a mess I put it away and let it stew for a couple of years. Now it’s time to tell their story. This is the cover that gives face to it all. I love it. It captures the small town feeling of my fictional town, Aspen Lake. And those eyes! Perferct. Because more than one person is watching Kate’s every move.

And here’s another little something I wrote in 2009. A Christmas tale for the now defunct Prairie Chicks Write Romance blog. So, if you’ve already raed it – thanks. But if you haven’t, here it is…

His Family

“Tell us the story, Daddy,” pleaded Emma.

Ella chimed in, “Tell us. Tell us.”

Stefan Dalakis glanced down at his four-year-old twin daughters. Each one had a strangle hold on a leg. He pretended to try and shake them loose.

“Daddy!” Little arms wrapped tighter around his legs as they giggled and shrieked.

“You don’t want to hear that old story. It’s Christmas Eve. A time for Christmas stories.”

“No! The other story.” Emma let go long enough to tug on his pant leg. “Please? Please?”

“With sugar on top?” Ella gave him her special look, the one calculated to break the most stubborn soul.

Continue reading →

December News, Manicures and Leftovers

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

It’s that time of year when we’re all running around in circles. Or maybe that’s just me. Some of you are probably organized and have tamed the beast that Christmas can become. Me? I’ve decided this is a go-with-the-flow year. Do what I can, skip what I can’t and see what happens. Hopefully, it’s not anarchy.

Might be a good idea to indulge in a little pampering to reduce stress.

Like maybe a home manicure?

Remove old color with polish remover and a cotton ball.

Trim, cut and file nails to your length of choice. As for shape, there are two main options: square or rounded. And neither form will chip more than the other.

Soak hands in a bowl of warm water for five minutes. Add two tablespoons of a bath powder or your favorite liquid soap to soften nails. Make sure the water’s not too hot or it will dry out your hands and nails.

Soften by applying cuticle oil or lotion on dry hands.

Push back cuticles so they don’t get in the way of the polish. Leave the cutting of cuticles to the professionals.

Exfoliate hands with a body scrub or homemade mixture of olive oil and kosher salt or raw sugar. Scrub for two to three minutes, then wash thoroughly.

Moisturize dry hands by applying a rich moisturizer.

Polish. Apply a base coat first, then apply two thin coats of polish. Finish with a top coat.

I actually prefer home manicures to salon ones. And if you’re into making gift baskets there might be someone special on your list who would love a Manicure Basket.

I also know a lot of you will be cooking turkey this holiday season. I can’t wait. Roast turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes is one of my favorite meals. I won’t be cooking one this year as someone as already volunteered to do that duty. Lucky me, I get to sit back and eat with none of the prep work. It also means I won’t have to deal with leftovers. But if I did, the following is one of my favorite recipes, my Aunt Alma’s Creamed Chicken.

Aunt Alma’s Creamed Chicken

2 cups cooked chicken (or leftover turkey)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
½ cup of sour cream
½ cup Milk (or maybe ¼ cup) You get to decide on the consistency.
Dash of Pepper
A Few Peas (we use frozen and about a hand full)
1 ¼ cups of grated Cheddar cheese
Half your favorite biscuit recipe (we use Bisquick)

Heat to boil (on stove) soup, milk, sour cream, pepper, and some frozen peas. Put in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese, heat in oven until bubbles. Cover with ½ recipe of your favorite biscuit rolled thin in squares. Bake about 20 minutes at 350 F.

The secret ingredient in both recipes is the cheese. Cheese makes anything taste good.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Books make great gifts!

Available Now

* The Wild Rose Press * Amazon * Kobo * Barnes and Noble * All Romance Ebooks * BookStrand * iBooks

Off The Grid (Downtown Eastside Series, Book 1)

A committed doctor to Vancouver’s inner city, nothing fazes Sophie Monroe—until a pregnant teenager shows up at her clinic on Christmas Eve requesting sanctuary and claiming the baby’s father is one of the city’s most influential businessmen. Sophie is in over her head and thankful when aid shows up in the form of an attorney who’s a little too confident and a lot too sexy.

Family Law expert Caleb Quinn just wants a date, a chance to prove he isn’t the elitist jerk Sophie assumes. Helping deliver a baby is not what he has in mind. But before long protecting a traumatized teenager and her son become his first priority. Even if saving them pits him against the baby’s father, a childhood friend. A man who will do anything to keep his dark side private.

But justice never comes cheap. Will doing the right thing cost Sophie and Caleb their reputations? Or their lives?

Continue reading →

Today’s The Day: Off The Grid is Available!

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Karyn Good

Sexy Suspense

It’s Relase Day for my romantic suspense, OFF THE GRID!

The Wild Rose Press * Amazon * Kobo * All Romance Ebooks (ARe) * BookStrand

This story is set in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, British Columbia, infamously known as one of Canada’s poorest urban postal codes. A historical ‘skid road’ because of the city’s history in timber and logging. And known to sex trade workers as the Low Track. The area is plagued by urban decay associated with poverty, drug use, crime, and violence and has the horrific statistics to match its reputation. Hundreds of women associated with the DTES Low Track have gone missing since the 1980’S. Hundreds. Twenty-six of those women were murdered by convicted serial killer, Robert Pickton.

Fortunately, for the many people who call the Downtown Eastside their home, the DTES is also known for its community activism. As developers move in to gentrify the neighborhood and push them out, activists move to stop them.

These statistics were the inspiration for activist Dr. Sophie Monroe, Family Law expert Caleb Quinn, and corporate development kingpin Jason Drummond.

Blurb:

She wants to save the world. All he wants is a date.

But justice never comes cheap. Will doing the right thing cost Sophie and Caleb their reputations? Or their lives?

Excerpt:

Casual relationships weren’t her thing. Once she’d yearned for more. For the commitment other women scoffed at. Then she’d learned her lesson. It didn’t mean she didn’t crave family. She refused to ask about the woman from his office. It was none of her business. Neither was he. But renewed determination to resist him didn’t mean he wasn’t getting to her.

So she stepped back. “I can’t do this with you. I need to know I matter. That I’m the only name on your list.”

Caleb took her face in his warm hands. “Sophie, right now there is no one else but you.”

She wrapped her hands around his wrists and tugged them away. “But there’s a long line behind me and I’m choosing not to join the queue.”

“Don’t.” He refused to let go of her hands when she tried to release them, brought them up between them. “Don’t toss this aside.”

“I don’t do casual.”

“There won’t be anything casual about it.”

There you have it! I hope I’ve intrigued enough to purchase a copy of Off The Grid. Happy Reading!

Romantic Suspense Novel Excerpt, Off The Grid

Posted on October 19, 2014 by Karyn Good

Smart, Sexy Suspense

What are Sundays for if not reading? My romantic suspense releases on November 7th. Here’s a excerpt to entice you.

Her brows rose. “I’m smart enough to know you’ve got a conflict of interest. You need to decide whether you can proceed fairly and objectively. Because yes, I believe her. Why would she lie to us?”

God help him, her chin went up. Her eyes flashed with her need to take him down a peg. His fingers clenched inside his pockets. Her challenge, the heat of it, inspired absolute honesty.

“Because anyone who knows you or who’s familiar with your work knows you’ll do whatever it takes, go balls to the wall, to champion a victimized young woman from the Low Track. And if taking sides hands you a chance to take down the man who’s determined to clean up the Downtown Eastside, all the better. Jason Drummond is pain in your ass. Of course, they came to you.” And hell, since he was destroying any chance at a relationship he might as well go for it. “And I don’t know what your history is with Marnie, but you’re doing it as much for her as you are for Kellie. So maybe I need to be the one asking, how objective are you?”

“You see me as a do-gooder who doesn’t question facts, just reacts. Part of my job requires cutting through all the bullshit and believe me, I hear a lot of it. I’m a great lie-detector. Don’t confuse nonjudgmental with sucker. And, yes, Marnie is important to me. But I can be her friend and know she’s not perfect, far from it. I know even if I believe Kellie about paternity, I’ll need to double check anything coming out of Marnie’s mouth.” She inhaled a deep breath. Let it out. “Because…Marnie…she doesn’t have the greatest track record with the truth.”

The dejection in her tone tugged at him. He resisted moving in closer. She had scoffed away all his attempts to explain Tiffany. She didn’t want to believe him. Or in him. “Just because Jason is a friend of mine doesn’t mean I’m not interested in getting to the truth.” He pointed at the door. “Or doing what’s best for that child in there. So let’s agree we both have agendas, but we’re most interested in the truth.”

Available for pre-order from Amazon.

Coming November 7th from The Wild Rose Press.

*If you’re interested in reviewing Off The Grid let me know and I’ll hook you up! karyngoodauthor at gmail dot com

Soup, Suspense and October News

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Karyn Good

Smart, sexy suspense

Tis the season for Halloween Blog Hops and a chance to win prizes and hook up with some great authors. Taking place from October 27th to the 31st. There will be a grand prize as well as prizes at the different stops!

In other news the sun is shining and there is still an amazing amount of warmth left in the air. It’s the day after Canadian Thanksgiving and I’m stuffed to the brim. It’s all good.

Time for cuddling up in blankets and making soup – one of my favorite things to do. Probably because you can fudge the recipe and it usually turns out. I have a butternut squash sitting in my pantry ready to be turned into a delicious soup. Creamy, Curry Butternutt Soup is one of our favorites!

Meanwhile I’ve received the first round of edits for my second Aspen Lake book, Exposed. Hard at work!

Latest News

Off The Grid releases November 7th. In it Sophie Monroe, an inner city doctor and activist, and Caleb Quinn, a high-priced Family Law lawyer, join forces to save a victimized, pregnant teenager. Available for pre-order at Amazon.

Excerpt:

A glimpse at Off The Grid’s hero, Family Law Attorney, Caleb Quinn.

Caleb Quinn was smart. His new letterhead, business cards, and prime parking spot proof of how hard he worked. He was ranked one of Canada’s top lawyers under forty. He’d made partner at the unheard of age of thirty-two. He was charming. Ask anyone. Women enjoyed his company. He was discreet. Generous. In bed and out of it.

He was attracted to Dr. Sophie Monroe, wanted to get to know her better. So what? Sexual attraction wasn’t a crime. It was the second decade of the twenty- first century, people hooked up. He picked up a scarf, tossed it back, tuned out the most annoying Christmas song ever recorded. An over-crowded department store at closing on Christmas Eve? How much lower could he sink? Like the gift of a scarf was going to improve her opinion of him. He’d probably have more luck if he showed up with a package of tongue depressors.

*If you’re interested in reviewing Off The Grid let me know and I’ll hook you up! karyngoodauthor at gmail dot com

Old News

A friend has been hard at work creating new postcards for Backlash! Since we’re talking heroes…

Thank you Elizabeth Lang, who also happens to be an amazing author of Science Fiction thrillers and Science Fiction Romance! And fellow member of The Saskatchewan Romance Writers

Other News

I’m part of a incredibly talented writing group! I thought I’d leave with a look at their upcoming and current releases.

If Regency Romance is your thing: Mary Balogh‘s Only Enchanting, Survivor Club Book 4 releases October 28th!

This is Book 4 of the Survivors’ Club series, after The Proposal, The Arrangement, and The Escape. Hugo’s story has been told, as have Vincent’s and Ben’s. Now it is the turn of Flavian Arnott, Viscount Ponsonby. He is the Survivor who suffered a severe head injury as a cavalry officer during the Napoleonic Wars, with resulting memory loss, the inability to think or speak coherently, severe headaches, and sudden rages. He spent three years with the other members of the group at Penderris Hall in Cornwall, recovering and learning to cope with his remaining handicaps.

Flavian is handsome, witty, charming, and aloof. His heart was broken when his beloved fiancée broke off their engagement soon after he was brought home from the Peninsula and married his best friend. The double betrayal has left him cynical and apparently quite immune to the lures of romantic love.

Agnes Keeping, a young widow, lives in a small village with her elder sister. She is a water colorist and loves to wander about the countryside painting wild flowers. She had a relationship with her husband of very mild affection and believes herself to be too sensible and prosaic ever to feel the pangs of a romantic passion, though she recognizes that such love does exist. Her friend Sophia, Viscountess Darleigh, is in a deep love relationship with her husband, the blind Vincent, one of the other Survivors.

Women’s Fiction with Romantic Elements: Annette Bower‘s Woman of Substance is available now!

Robbie Smith tries walking a mile in another woman’s shoes to validate her master’s degree research. Even though her professor doesn’t approve, Robbie disguises herself and moves in the world as a large woman, because the women in her research group declare, “You will never know what it’s like to be fat.”

All Jake Proctor wants to do is to spend as much time as he can with his dying grandfather Frank, the only father he’s ever known.

While in and out of disguise, Robbie sees Frank and Jake. Robbie is drawn to the tall, dark, kind man in her neighborhood, but she can’t divulge the truth about her about her oversized self and jeopardize all the hard work she’s put into her research. She has to see her thesis through to the bitter end. Even if it means deceiving the man she’s grown to care about.

Jana Richards‘ One More Second Chance is coming soon from The Wild Rose Press and part of the Lobster Cove series.

Dr. Alex Campbell has an agenda —finish his contract to provide medical services in Maine, pay off his medical school debt, and head back to his real life in San Diego. But when he meets Julia Stewart, all his carefully laid plans are put in jeopardy.

Julia Stewart, Lobster Cove’s high school principal, swears she’ll never let another man drag her away from the home she loves. Her aging parents need her, and the Cove is where she wants to raise her daughter. When her mother’s illness brings her and the big city doctor closer together, panic sets in. Her marriage taught her that men don’t stay. Can she put aside the heartaches of the past and trust Alex enough to accept the love he’s offering? Or will her fear of abandonment mean she’ll send him away forever?

More from the works of The Saskatchewan Romance Writers coming next month!

See you later in the month for some blog hop goodness and chances to win!

Romance, Suspense and Autumn Fun

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Karyn Good

Smart, Sexy Suspense

Summer is over and the season of pumpkin everything is upon us! On the Canadian Prairies fall comes early and leaves early. It’s a very short season in which to pack in a lot of fun.

Last year’s corn maze fun!

Obviously, we made it out alive. No small feat considering I’m generally lacking any sense of direction. Thank goodness I had these two lovely ladies and a friend with me. No white flag needed.

So much fun! Have you ever tackled a corn maze? I’d forgotten how tall the corn grows!

Latest News

November 7th, the release date for Off The Grid approaches. I can’t wait to share this story with you. It’s set in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, Canada, which is infamously known as Canada’s poorest postal code. In it Sophie Monroe, an inner city doctor and activist, and Caleb Quinn, a high-priced Family Law lawyer, join forces to save a victimized, pregnant teenager.

Jason Drummond might not be as invincible as he’d like to think.

Excerpt:

Just who is Jason Drummond?

Jason Drummond was toying with his prey. But Caleb hadn’t gotten to the top of his game by snapping at any old bait. Jason oozed arrogance, occupying as much space as possible. The faint derision he wore like spray cologne an offensive maneuver. Too bad his nerves showed in the occasional spin of his wedding ring. They’d played poker together enough times for Caleb to know his tell.

*If you’re interested in reviewing Off The Grid let me know and I’ll hook you up! karyngoodauthor at gmail dot com

So excited! It’s also the first book in a three part series. In Book Two: The heroine is part of the rich and famous set. The hero owns a private security firm that specializes in protecting them.

Continue reading →

Tilting At Windmills

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Karyn Good

Sanity is a slippery slope at times. We all know this. We’ve all fought our share of four armed giants and lost. None of us as innocent as when we started out. Certainly, as supporters of the romance genre, whether as reader or writer, we’ve defended against countless giants in the form of cynics and naysayers. Some might say we are the Don Quixote of the literary world. The laughingstock. The discounted. The delusional.

Romantic ideals don’t put food on the table. No matter the ideal is food for the mind. Reality must be dealt with. But how we deal with it is up to us.

I saw Man of La Mancha at Globe Theatre last night. Can you tell? In case, like me, you’re unfamiliar, it’s a play within a play. Tax collector, writer, soldier, and unfortunate poet, Miguel de Cervantes, is tossed into prison and is waiting his hearing by the Spanish Inquisition. First, however, he must defend himself against his follow prisoners to save his most precious possession. His unfinished novel, Don Quixote. The trials and tribulations of a mad knight.

Don Quixote is a lot bonkers. He’s read too many books about chivalry and knights and romance. Poor sot. Determined to resurrect the notion of chivalry, he sets out on a journey.

I shall impersonate a man. His name is Alonso Quijana, a country squire no longer young. Being retired, he has much time for books. He studies them from morn till night and often through the night and morn again, and all he reads oppresses him; fills him with indignation at man’s murderous ways toward man. He ponders the problem of how to make better a world where evil brings profit and virtue none at all; where fraud and deceit are mingled with truth and sincerity. He broods and broods and broods and broods and finally his brains dry up. He lays down the melancholy burden of sanity and conceives the strangest project ever imagined…. to become a knight-errant, and sally forth into the world in search of adventures; to mount a crusade; to raise up the weak and those in need. No longer will he be plain Alonso Quijana, but a dauntless knight known as Don Quixote de La Mancha. – Miguel de Cervantes, Man of La Mancha

Yeah, there are days I’d like to lay down the melancholy burden of sanity too. Then again, I am a romance writer and reader. So…there you go. Fortunately, I haven’t read so many romance novels my brains have dried up. Or given me unrealistic expectations, a familiar taunt and most insulting insinuation by the way.

Here’s the thing. You know he’s nuts. But…you can’t help but root for him, even if there’s a little pity mixed in. He sees the world, not how it is, but how he wishes. In this age of text messages and the illusion of 750 Facebook friends, why not dip your toe into the pool of delusion. Not as a full time job, of course.

I come in a world of iron to make a world of gold.- Don Quixote, Man of La Mancha

I loved this play. It inspired me to think and wonder. I’m not quite sure I understood it all, but that only makes me want to see it performed again. Because, you see, I couldn’t help but relate to Don Quixote. And that’s the thing about this play. There’s a little Don Quixote in all of us. Reality can break a person. Therefore, we must bend it a little to suit ourselves.

Which loops me back to romance. Romantic fiction is necessary. Stories filled with sole purpose of traveling the winding, uphill road to a happily-ever-after are important.When reality presses in, pick up a romance novel. Immerse yourself in modern acts of chivalry. Spend some times with heroes or heroines who you know will fight to figure it out. Let them inspire you. Give you a few precious moments of peace. Of adventure. Turn the pages, dream the impossible dream. At least for awhile.

When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be! – Miguel de Cervantes, Man of La Mancha

If you get a chance to see Man of La Mancha I hope you take it. I hope it inspires you. I hope it brings out the Don Quixote in you, my fellow travelers.