Ebook Boxed Set Deal: Closer To Danger

Posted on February 9, 2018 by Karyn Good

Hi Everyone,

It’s Friday and I know readers everywhere will have their noses buried in a book! And if you’re looking for a edge-of-your-seat read, look no further than this boxed set of 6 books, which includes BACKLASH. What a deal! The whole set of six ebooks costs about $3.00 dollars depending of which country you live in!

Our romantic suspense boxed set, CLOSER TO DANGER is now available!

Amazon US * Amazon CA * Amazon UK * Amazon AU * The Wild Rose Press

BACKLASH

When dedicated teacher Lily Wheeler interrupts a vicious gang attack on one of her students, she vows it won’t happen again. But her rash interference puts her in the path of a cold-blooded killer and the constable tracking him — a man she has little reason to trust, but can never forget.

Constable Chase Porter returned to Aspen Lake to see justice done, not renew old acquaintances. But when he rescues the woman he once loved from a volatile situation, he realizes his feelings for Lily haven’t lessened over the years.

Now, the dangerous killer Chase has sworn to capture has Lily in his sights. Can Chase and Lilly learn to trust each other again before it’s too late — or will old insecurities jeopardize their future?

My Inspiration for Chase Porter!

My inspiration for Lily Wheeler.

So, if you’re looking for a romantic suspense to read, or 6, check out this boxed set! That’s six ebooks! Don’t miss out on this deal!

Know of any other good book deals we should be aware of? Please, share in the comments!

Story Settings and What’s Next!

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Karyn Good

Like all readers I have favourite story settings. Some real, some fictional, most are a combination of both. One of my favourite story settings is found in this incredible novel, now motion picture, ROOM by Emma Donoghue. The importance of place is paramount. One room is five-year-old Jack’s world. Another is the farm Green Gables found in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. The inspiration of which is found in Cavandish, Prince Edward Island. I was lucky enough to visit Green Gables Heritage site.

I fell in love with the Chesapeake Bay area because of Nora Roberts book Sea Swept. Was fascinated with Tara Janzen’s Steele Street series and her chop-shop turned special ops heroes based in Denver.

My own fictional setting of Aspen Lake is based on a resort area I spent a lot of time at when I was a young child. I also worked there for a couple of summers while I pursued my post-secondary education. I met my husband while working at Moose Mountain Provincial Park. I have very fond memories of this area. And although I’m a city girl at heart I love reading and writing about small towns.

Modelling Aspen Lake after this region seemed a natural thing to do. Especially considering I was a novice at writing. There was a very clear picture on the environment and the social construct of the place in my head and the missing details were easy to find.

But now that I’m writing the final book in this series, I’m starting to think about the next series. For this series, I’m heading Into The Woods…

And into northern Canada. Which provides endless options as that encompasses a vast space.

writing

“Northern” Canada encompasses all land above the country’s 60th parallel, which is divided into three territories (from west to east): Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Upwards of 90 per cent of the land in all three is strictly uninhabitable, a barren wasteland of rock, ice and snow, meaning most populated areas are located either in the southern region or close to the coast of some lake, river or ocean. Even then, “habitable” is very much in the eye of the beholder. Even in the cities, it’s not at all uncommon for winter temperatures to dip below -40˚(C). J.J. McCullough J.J.’s Complete Guide To Canada

But how far into the north of 60 to venture, and how far west to explore? What topics do I want to explore with this series. One thing I’ve learned? Creating a setting for your story is more than local fauna and flora, or brick and mortar buildings, although it’s important to get those right too.

Although I don’t write fantasy or science fiction I’m fascinated with world building. And also with the rules of magic. The Rules of Magic, According To The Greatest Fantasy Sagas Of All Time. I’m not reading much fantasy or science fiction at the moment, but I am watching the television version of The Shannara Chronicles.

writing

The stakes are high. The bad guy is actually a worthy adversary. And the actors are pretty. When they’re not screaming in terror. Because, hello, demons.

In an interesting article by Malinda Lo on world building. In it she repeats Holly Black’s, author of the Spiderwick Chronicles, six questions to use when establishing your world’s rules about magic or science. Also, her thoughts on power, rituals, food, etc. My setting will be a contemporary real-life place. There might not be magic. But I can’t help but apply her questions about rules and power when thinking of developing a potential setting. Because, Power? That’s a theme, big or small, we all explore in one way or another.

Who has it?
Who abuses it?
Who wants it?
Who rejects it?
What does it mean to each of them?
How far will they go to use it, get it, gain it, or deny it?
What does it cost them?
What does it mean for the people around them?
How does their attitude to power break them off into groups?

That’s where I’m at. What are some of your favourite story settings?

My 2016 Word Of The Year

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Karyn Good

One Word To Guide Me!

Discipline! My Word For 2016.

This is a photo of Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia which we visited in the summer of 2014. It literally sits atop rock. As in granite. I have no idea how it hasn’t been washed away. One of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world, it’s now operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The original lighthouse was built in 1868. The keeper lit a kerosene oil lamp at sundown every night shining a red beacon on the eastern entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay.

One Word To Keep Me On Track!

Discipline! I didn’t have to think very hard to come up with my word for 2016. Organization was my 2015 word and I actually felt I achieved some measure of success. Choosing discipline seemed a good way to compliment the work I’ve already been doing. Unlike last year’s word, this year’s choice of discipline is geared towards my writing life. As in setting aside specific times to write and guarding and enforcing it. Working at keeping the distractions to a minimum. And in the end, upping my production.

One Word To Bring It All Together!

That’s a lot pressure to place on a single word. But I find it easier to keep one word front and center, rather than a list of resolutions. Compounded by the fact I’ve never succeeded at keeping one past New Year’s resolution. Ever. And it gives me leeway to set monthly goals and revise ones that aren’t working.

And In The Darkness…Wait! What?

Never mind that. Hopefully at the end of 2016 I’ll have finished one book and written another. All with the help of one ten letter word.

Do you pick a word of the year? One that describes what you want to achieve in the upcoming year?

Fictional Settings: More Than Time and Place

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Karyn Good

Setting transports readers to a different time and place. I recently saw an article on what reading does for anxious people. That’s me. I’m a worrier. Reading transports me to another place in the blink of an eye. The setting can be familiar or exotic. But it always has to be meaningul to the characters, which in turn makes it meaningful to me, the reader.

As a writer setting is a tool used to enhance characters and their actions and reactions. It drives suspense. It supports the political and social environment of the story. Setting creates a mood or a feeling in the reader. Or I should say this is a continuing work-in-progress.

My fictional setting of Aspen Lake is that of a small resort town on the prairies. It is modeled after a real-life resort town. A place that is near and dear to my heart. I spent many sunny beach days there as child. I worked in the park for a couple of summers as a teenager. I met my husband there. Have camped their with my own family. It is important to me.

But in BACKLASH, Book 1 of my Aspen Lake series, that isn’t the case for my hero, Constable Chase Porter, who grew up with an abusive father and couldn’t wait to leave. Now he’s back and picking up the trail of wanted gang leader and living next door to the girl he left behind.

And damn his scheming excuse of a realtor to hell. A quaint, post-Victorian home, his ass. Unless crumbling and broken-down constituted quaint. In that case, he’d nailed the description. Fine by him, he didn’t have forever in mind. A couple years tops, unless he hit the transfer to anywhere else lottery. He hated tranquil and quiet. He preferred noise and movement. Life after nine in the evening. Anonymity.

EXPOSED is Book 2 in the Aspen Lake series and will be released sometime this autumn. Seth Stone is the new guy in town. He’s downing a good job of keeping his head down until Kate Logan, boutique owner and head of Aspen Lake’s annual Gothic Revival Fair (which includes the Mad Man’s Ball), becomes the target of a fanatic.

More lights, more candles, more pumpkins decorated the impromptu ballroom. Tables covered in white linen with bronze runners held vases bursting with fall flowers. Swags of purple hung down from the roof. It should have looked cheesy, but somehow it all came together with enough shadow to be mysterious and enough light to cast a spell. Seth focused on the nooks and crannies and the plenty of places to hide and countless ways to make trouble.

MIKE and GRACE’S story is the third book in the Aspen Lake story and a work-in-progress. Their pattern of avoiding each other is broken when a cold case pushes local Grace Bighill and Constable Michael Davenport together. Rumors threaten secrets which in turn tests the loyalty of all involved.

Her head swivelled owl-like. The rest of her was scared to move in case any dust escaped her person and landed on any one of numerous pristine surfaces. He seemed to have a thing for beige. Beige furniture. Beige lamps. Beige carpet. Okay the carpet probably came with the place so technically not his fault. But still…Grace made a mental note to clean her whole house which at the moment looked like a yarn factory and pastry shoppe had a war to which there was no clear winner.

I had a hard time narrowing my favourite fictional settings down to three. But this post is long already. If you’ve made it this far – thank you for sticking with it. I decided to pick a book from my childhood, one book pre-kids, and one I read with my book club and is also one of my all-time favourite books.

I can’t think of a book in which the fictional setting impacted me more than Room by Emma Donoghue. Told from the point of view of five-year-old Jack. I was captivated from page one.

I flat the chairs and put them beside Door against Clothes Horse. He grumbles and says there’s no room but there’s plenty if he stands up really straight.

We’ve all met at least one five-year-old along the way. They’re not the most reliable of narrators. But seeing things through Jack’s viewpoint, his thought process, his dialogue, is what makes this novel the incredibly moving and dramatic work of fiction.

In The Mists of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley takes us back to Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. The Arthur legend is a favourite of mine and has been since forever. But Bradley’s version is very different and told from the perspective of the women of Avalon. it is a powerful look at double standards, male dominance, and the idea of predicting the future.

And then, in one great act of Druid magic, to protect the last precious refuge of their school, they had made the last great change in the world; that change which removed the Island of Avalon from the world of mankind. Now it lay hidden in the mist which concealed it, except from those initiates who had been schooled there or those who were shown the secret ways through the Lake.

It’s tempting to think of adjectives holding the power when describing setting, but in the above it’s the verbs that grab your attention and hold it.

It was Canada Day yesterday and I can’t think of a more Canadian setting than Green Gables as found in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. One of my most beloved stories.

To the west a dark church spire rose up against a marigold sky. Below was a little valley and beyond a long, gently-rising slope with snug farmsteads scattered along it. From one to another the child’s eyes darted, eager and wistful. At last they lingered on one away to the left, far back from the road, dimly white with blossoming trees in the twilight of the surrounding woods. Over it, in the stainless southwest sky, a great crystal-white star was shining like a lamp of guidance and promise.

It’s a panoramic look at what Anne, an orphan, thinks is going to be her new home given to us through Matthew’s eyes. The beauty is in the details.

What are some of your favourite fictional settings?

Me! Standing on the spot that inspired Lover’s Lane!

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 →

A Valentine’s Day Gift Hop

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Karyn Good

Valentine’s Day approaches! Welcome to the Valentine’s Day Gift Hop celebrating all things romance, and that includes books and chances to win. Yes, there are prizes to be won, new authors and review sites to discover. So, come on and join in some sexy fun!

I don’t know about you but sometimes I forget to put in the time and give a little care and attention to the man in my life who deserves it most. Life is full of things tempting our attention away from each other. We take each other for granted. More and more often we forget to say thank you. Nothing wrong with a day that reminds us to be loving, or romantic, or grateful.

So, I guess this Valentine’s Day I’m gonna flirt a little over dinner.

Comment below to be entered to win a digital copy of my romantic suspense, Backlash and a $5 Amazon gift card! Have fun hopping around and visiting and entering to win all kinds of prizes including two grand prizes.

Displaying BloghopPrizes.jpg

I also have a new romantic suspense coming out on November 7, 2014.

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

Excerpt:

Bookmark_Off the Grid 7x15

“What about you? What matters to you?” Her gaze settled on him and didn’t waiver.

She was countering with a move of her own, looking ahead to putting him into check because she didn’t think much did. He wondered what she’d do if he mentioned her. Suggested she mattered more than was comfortable. More than was reasonable. How fast would he find himself out in the snow?

“Justice. Fairness. Liberty.” Chess was his game and he still had a few moves left. “We’re not so different you and I.”

Now back to the Valentine’s Day Gift Hop!

Our Christmas Tree Tradition

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Karyn Good

The Wild Rose Press is giving away 25 $25 gift certificates this December. That’s a lot of books! All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter at The Wild Rose Press blog. Each day there are entertaining posts about all things Christmas.

Today is my day and I’m talking about Christmas trees. Come over and join me and enter to win.

I love Christmas trees and I put up two of them each year. One real tree and one artificial tree. I display my ornament collection on the real tree and my kids creative talents on the other tree. All the ornaments they’ve ever made hang there. So many wonderful memories.

You can also win here on my blog. I’m giving away a digital copy of my romantic suspense, Backlash.

So head on over and enter to win! Also comment here for a chance to win Backlash. Do you have a real tree or prefer an artificial one? Or no tree?

A Hitwoman Gets Lucky, Shoe Lust and Kobo News

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Karyn Good

My review of The Hitwoman Gets Lucky by JB Lynn. Bonus: it’s free!

I’m a fan of Janet Evanovich and her Stephanie Plum series even though I stopped reading at Book Eight or so. For me that’s a long time to stick with a series since I’m more of a trilogy gal. So, when I found JB Lynn on a friend’s blog I couldn’t resist giving her books a try. I downloaded her free offering on Amazon and kind of started in the middle.

Maggie Lee is a hitwoman. Accompanied by God and Armani (it’s not what you’re thinking, trust me) she sets out for Atlantic City to do a favor for her murder mentor, Patrick Mulligan. Barry Manilow is involved, too. But she doesn’t have a thing for him like she does for Patrick. Who has way too many rules, one of them about getting lucky.

The Hitwoman Gets Lucky is a spunky novella with a cache of eccentric characters, including a lizard and a dog. Maggie is delightful. Patrick has an unusual code of ethics but he sticks to them. And it’s clear he cares very much for Maggie. It’s also clear Maggie wants to get lucky with Patrick. There’s great chemistry there. And lots of laughs.

This is the first free offering I’ve downloaded from Amazon. I know, I’m behind the times. I kind of viewed it as a trial run of the series. Would I continue reading? And paying for the rest of the series? Yes, I would. Without hesitation. Who can resist the adventures of a reluctant hitwoman with a heart of gold? Not this reader.

Also, total random love. Pink patent shoes. With bows.

Plus: Backlash is available on Kobo!

Do you like hitwomen stories? Pink shoes? Free books?

Winter Wonderland Scavenger Hunt

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Karyn Good

Starting today, December 1st, and ending on January 15th, Night Owl Reviews is hosting The Winter Wonderland Scavenger Hunt!

There are 15 great prize packages.

The Winter Wonderland Scavenger Hunt

Check it out!

End of November Update

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Karyn Good

One day until the end of November and it’s snowing. Again. NaNoWriMo is over. Mustaches and beards disappear. Hopefully. And all is well with the world. Except here comes Christmas. I used to be an uber organized person. Now, I’m not. I don’t know what happened. I have no excuse. The good news is I remember most things.

November did see me taking part in a writing challenge, just not the official NaNoWriMo. At this point slinging out 50,000 words that require major rewriting at the end of it doesn’t work for me. I tried it once. I ‘won’. I ditched 95% of those words but have kept the same characters and the same town. That’s it. I’m much happier with the story this time around. My goal for November was 500 words a day. It was an informal challenge supported by my writing group. We weighed in everyday on our private Facebook page and inspired each other. I didn’t keep super strict track but I’m pretty sure it’s all evened out and I’m on pace to slightly exceed that goal.

Obsession (Kate and Seth’s story) is currently sitting at 30,745 words. 13,693 of those words written prior to November. Here’s a sneak peak at the first paragraph.

Kate Logan figured hiking the long road back to self-respect sucked at the best of times. These weren’t the best of times. The splintered wood of her boutique’s back door jamb was rough and sharp under her fingers. With her bank account sitting at next to zero, repairing the break-in damage was an expense she couldn’t afford. She had insurance, but collecting took time.

I’m also working on a manuscript called Off The Grid. Today I signed up to pitch it to Harlequin’s Dana Hamilton on January 4th as part of their Speed Dating with Editorial Assistant Dana Hamilton opportunity. We’ll see what happens.

And this morning I was busy jotting down an idea for the first scene of the third book in a trilogy that doesn’t have a book one or two. Just plenty of ideas about three adopted brothers and three women who understand about sacrifice.

On December 5th I’m giving a reading along with Mary Balogh and Annette Bower called Some Enchanted Evening…A Romance Reading.