Five Summer Reading Tips

Night Owl Reviews wants to help you out! They are giving away a Waterproof Kindle Paperwhite (USA Only) and 119 $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards (Worldwide) in a Summer Fun Reader Scavenger Hunt.

We’re all busy. I think it’s likely safe to say we’re all stressed about something, too. But, if you’re like me, you have a pile of books waiting to help you relax. And we all know, at least we bookworms know, that summer is the best time for reading! Or that reading is a great way to leave life behind anytime of the year. But for those of us living in the northern hemisphere June is all about summer. Therefore, summer reading!

My summer reading list:

Five Tips To Tackle Any TBR Pile

Tip number one is to listen to more audiobooks! Fun fact: June is also audiobook month! My favourite place to listen to them is in the car, but I’ll also listen to them while doing some mindless chore, too. For some reason, fantasy and non-fiction are my go-tos with audiobooks. Confession: romance is harder because – sex scenes. I just can’t with the sex scenes in audio. In ebooks or paperbacks – heck yeah! But definitely check out how to access audiobooks from your local library, and here is Techradar’s Best Audiobook Sites for 2019. I’m currently listening to: The Candle and The Flame by Nafiza Azad.

Tip number two is to set a summer reading challenge. Or set a goal. Find a friend to read along with you. One summer our writing group read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. We all wanted to read a classic and it was fun to read along with others! So easy these days to set up a private Facebook group where everyone can chime in or you could get together every week to weigh in with your thoughts. Set up a group text. Then set some goals, like read this many chapters by this date, and away you go. Again, your library might have summer reading challenges to join.

Tip number three is a suggestion to sign up for Litsy! Book lovers unite on this social media platform. It’s like Instagram, only for readers. And with no advertising or promoting allowed. Great for book recommendations and for connecting with other readers. I also found a pen pal group. We’re called the #poutinepenpals. Because we’re Canadian, eh. This is also a way of keeping track of your reading. Disclaimer: there are some serious book lovers to be found there. As in some post monthly stats! And those stats are super impressive. Never thought I’d consider myself a slacker when it came to reading! Also, there are a lot of fun challenges to take part in, too.

Tip number four is to own your reading preferences! There’s nothing wrong with liking a certain type of book and sticking to that type of book. And don’t continue with a book if you don’t like it. That’s why the library is a great place to get books. You can quit a book and not feel guilty or pressured to continue to read it because you paid for it. Also, the library likely has some summer fun of it’s own happening and a good place to check out summer activities for you or any kids you might have in tow. Because we certainly want reading to be part of any child’s or teen’s summer activities. Let’s all be on our phones a little less and have our noses in a book a little more.

Tip number five is to branch out if you’re in a rut. Try something different. Again, the library is a great place to head to if you’ve lost your enthusiasm for reading. Ask for recommendations from friends. Or check out book review sites. Listen to a book podcast. Did you know that Reese Witherspoon has a book club called Hello Sunshine? Check out Modern Mrs. Darcy, who’s always ready with a book recommendation.

Until next time…

What’s everyone else reading? Right this very minute? Or hoping to read this summer?

Jana Richards’ New Small Town Contemporary Romance!

It’s Friday and you’re asking yourself: “What should I read this weekend?” If you like small town, contemporary romance, then I’ve have just the book for you! And if, like me, second chance romances are you’re absolute favourite, then this is the book for you! If you like tales of forbidden love, family conflict, and babies, then same! Bonus – you get a chance to enter Jana’s giveaway!

Five Things You Need to Know About the Masonville Series

  1. This small-town series is set in the fictional town of Masonville, North Dakota. I’ve given the town a population of 6,000 because I once lived in a town of that size. It’s big enough to have a lot of services, like a hospital and vet clinic, but small enough that everyone knows your business!
  2. In each of the books, the characters have a past trauma or unhappiness they must work through before they can be whole again. And before they can accept love into their lives.
  3. Right now I have four books planned for the series. Several of heroes and/or heroines in each book work in the town’s veterinary clinic. Two of the heroines and one hero are brother and sisters from the Saunders family.
  4. This is the fourth romance series I’ve written. I think I’m getting the hang of this thing! Each book in the series will be a stand-alone story, but as with every series, I think the reading experience is enhanced when read in order.
  5. I am currently at work on book 2 of the series, Garrett and Blair’s story. Garrett is Lauren’s brother, the heroine from CHILD OF MINE, book 1, and Blair works at the vet clinic with Cole, the hero from book 1. See? It all fits together!  

Lauren didn’t intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband’s funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she’s not sorry. Cole’s given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He’s been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she’s afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn’t his.

Cole’s been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother’s. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren’s heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Amazon * B&N * iBoooks

You can find Jana Richards on Goodreads! Twitter! Facebook! Bookbub!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I also have a giveaway happening, so if you want another chance at a $25 Amazon gift card visit HERE!

Until next time…

What’s you’re plan for the weekend?

Karyn’s Giveaway Week Four

Holiday Winner Week Three is…

******** Annette ********

A Chance to Win!

Holiday Giveaway Week 4 ($25 Gift Card to Amazon) Karyn Good Romantic Suspense Author

We are heading into the home stretch and I hope everyone is ready, or almost ready, for the holidays. I hope you spare a minute from your busy schedule to tell me about your favourite tradition? If you don’t do the holidays, you can let me know about any tradition you hold dear. I want to hear about them, too!

I will draw a winner on December 31st! 

Our Christmas Traditions:

  • Books! We all receive a book on Christmas Eve! I love picking out books for my kids, especially now that they are older, as in they are adults, and definitely have their own opinions about things. I love hearing whether they enjoyed the book I picked for them, or didn’t enjoy it. 
  • Lights! I love hopping in the car and going on a light tour. We get into a pyjamas, sip hot chocolate and take a tour of the lights. 
  • Games! I try and find a new game every year. This year it was a trivia game for my husband and I to play together. Last year it was the pie in the face game. My daughter wants to play that one again!
  • Getting together with family and sharing a special meal. I do love turkey and all the trimmings. And, of course, the people. It’s not all about the food. Really, it’s not! Although, I do love mashed potatoes and gravy! 

Until next time…

Tell me a favourited tradition! 

Karyn’s Holiday Giveaway Week Three

Holiday Winner Week Two is

*********JudyE********

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY WEEK THREE

Karyn Good

Head on over to my Karyn Good Facebook page for a chance to win this week’s giveaway and like the giveaway post to be entered to win. This prize pack contains an adorable calendar featuring hardworking police dogs and their handlers; a candle that smells like chocolate; some actual chocolate; and an adorable button.

Buttons make me think of collections. I don’t have a lot of collections besides the obvious which would be books, but I do consider my Christmas tree ornaments a collection of sorts. One of my favourite things to do at Christmas is decorate the tree. Once I’m done I can sit beside it at night, and remember where I found them, or why I thought they were special.

Karyn Good

Until next time…

You can also share your favourite Christmas ornament or figurine here to be entered to win!

Karyn’s Holiday Giveaway Week Two

Holiday Winner Week One is…

********Brea*********

 

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY WEEK TWO!

Karyn Good, Giveaway,

That’s quite the red and green theme I’ve got going on. But I thought a lovely notebook for jotting down your 2019 goals and a pair of cheery mittens to wear while getting out and getting things done would be just the thing needed for this time of year.

I am trying very hard to become a better list maker. That is to say – organized!

So, are there any list makers in the crowd? If so, tell me your tips in the comment section to be entered to win. If you’re like me and you’re not a list maker but you’d like to be, mention that in the comments for a chance to win. If you like to wing it mention that too!

And kind of on topic – here’s one of the items on my Christmas list!

The 5 am Club

Winning starts at your beginning. And your first hours are where the great heroes are made. Own your mornings and you’ll master your life. 

The 5 AM Club

It sounds kind of terrifying. I’ve never been particularly productive at 5:00 AM. However, the older I get the early I get up, so I might as well get something done. Like lists!

Until next time…

Let me know your opinion of lists in the comments. And, good luck!

Karyn’s Holiday Giveaway Week One

Welcome to Week 1 of My Four Weeks of Holiday Giveaways!

Thank you to those who entered!

The Winner Is – Brea!

Karyn Good Giveaway

It’s already very Christmasy out there! And busy! If you’re like me, you don’t relish venturing out to malls and such. I love giving gifts! I don’t want to sound all grinchy! But I would be less than honest if I said I enjoyed shopping, especially this time of year. This time of year generally has me feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and overthinking.

Some suggestions for de-stressing!

  1. Take a sniff of citrus! Apparently, smelling a lemon boosts feelings of well-being.
  2. Experiment! Ditch some old traditions and adopt new ones. You don’t have to do the same thing every year.
  3. Spend less time on social media! Theodore Roosevelt is right – Comparison is the thief of joy.
  4. More sex! Orgasms increase endorphins.
  5. Just say no! It’s okay to say no to holiday parties by saying you already have plans. Staying in with a book and a cup of tea is a plan, after all.

In the comment section below, tell me your favourite way to relax at home during the holiday season for a chance to win a prize pack containing a candle, a calendar, and chocolates! All very Canadian, especially the calendar with its adorable pictures of Vancouver City Police Dogs, which also supports a couple of great causes.

*Don’t forget to leave your email address so I know how to contact you if you win.*

Until then…

Or until next week! Good luck!

Winter Solstice Tradition & Giveaway Announcement

Ready, Set, Go!

The holidays will soon be upon us. American Thanksgiving falls on Thursday and December is just around the corner and might see some of us celebrating either Hanukkah or Christmas. Also, the shortest day of the year shows up on Friday, December 21st. If you’ve got a different celebration or holiday going on, please let me know. I’d love to hear about it.

I like the idea of celebrating the winter solstice. It seems like an ideal opportunity to indulge in some downtown from all the holiday hustle and bustle that is our house during the Christmas season. A night to designate to a new tradition, that could be holiday themed or not holiday related whatsoever. (Also, I don’t think I’m doing myself any favours by calling it a ‘season’ and I probably should stop it. Like immediately. My need for routine does not lend itself to the disruption of adding another season into the usually acceptable Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.)

Winter Solstice

I think I’m going to pick going to a yoga class as my new tradition!

Of course, of the regular things still need doing and I’ll be working on another light round of edits for GONE, Aspen Lake Series Book 3. I’m so excited to be getting closer to a release date. I’m finishing up a book proposal that I’ve been hard at work putting together. But there’s still plenty of time leftover for fun. Especially here on my blog where I’ll be giving away a gift pack each Tuesday starting next week until December 18th. That’s four weeks of giveaways. Also, don’t forget about my current giveaway (a $25 Amazon GC) here!

*Announcement*

4 Weeks of Giveaways

Until then…

I want to know what it is you like to do in December. A favourite tradition, activity, or special outing that might be religious based, winter based, self-care based, or maybe has no significance whatsoever except you just like to do it in December.

November Blahs and a Giveaway!

 

November is not my favourite time of year. I find it’s generally a transition month. That nowhere month when it’s technically still fall, but it sure doesn’t feel like it. There is snow on the ground, a decided chill in the air and it feels like winter. That time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, at least here in the middle of the Canadian prairies, where you’re busy digging out the winter coats, boats and snow shovels, and trying to acclimatize.

So, let’s brighten things up a bit! Where do you like to go for a quick getaway? Someplace far or near, you retreat to when you need a change of scenery? Staycation or vacation, tell us your spot to unwind and be entered in a chance to win a $25.00 Amazon gift card!

 Also, starting Tuesdays at the end of November I’ll be giving away a prize pack each week for four weeks to celebrate the holidays! Likewise, good things coming to Newsletter subscribers in December, so sign up and join in the fun!

Until then…

Be sure to enter to win!

 

Giveaway and September Wrap Up!

Giveaway Announcement

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From October 11th until October 28th, 2016, sign up to receive my newsletter and be entered for a chance to win a $25.00 gift certificate to one of the following: Amazon, Kobo or Barnes and Noble. Winner announced on October 29, 2016!

Choose the Newsletter tab at the top or the Subscribe to Karyn’s mailing list option on the sidebar!

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Signing up means receiving news of future books, cover reveals, deals, contests and giveaways!

Top Three Images of September

www.karyngood.com

My revamped office!

I’m back in my revamped office after a two month writing break! It feels great to be back writing in a space that inspires me.

Queen City Marathon #yqr

That time I walked 20.1 km.

On September 11th I walked a half marathon and checked a major item off my Life Goal List.

Prairie Inukshuk

The Inukshuk we found on our Sunday drive.Top Book I Read

I don’t know about you, but for me fall Sunday’s are meant for drives in the country and discovering hidden gems.

Top Book I Read!

I read one book in September which is very unusual for me. Thank goodness I really enjoyed the one I finished. Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase is our October book pick. If you’re interested, you can even try a sample of either the book version or audio version at Eve Chase’s website!

writing

Writing Life

Now that I’m back in my office and in a neat and organized space, I need to get back into a regular writing schedule. I do better with schedules.

How about you? Do you like the freedom of winging it? Or are you most productive when adhering to a schedule? Or do you enjoy a little of both?

Today is Book Release Day!

The release date for my latest romantic suspense, EXPOSED, is finally here!

You can find Exposed in the following places:

The Wild Rose Press

Amazon * Kobo * Barnes and Noble * All Romance Ebooks * BookStrand

Someone’s always watching…

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 celebrating by giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card and a fabulous little red leather wallet I picked up on Vancouver Island this summer. So check out my rafflecopter giveaway and see what you need to do to enter! The winner will be notified within 48 hours of the contest ending by email.

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can also find me answering questions at Jana Richards blog!

Fall is my absolute favourite time of year! Pumpkin everything, cozy sweaters, backyard fires, and changing colours. Out comes the crockpot for those fabulous soup and stew recipes. There is change in the air. It’s a time to set goals and forge ahead.

It’s fall in Exposed, too!  My heroine Kate Logan is, among other things, the current head organizer of the Aspen Lake annual Gothic Revival Festival. Plenty of pumpkins, wheat sheaves,  black crows and Edgar Allan Poe readings to go around. There is even a Mad Man’s Ball!

edgar allan poe

So tell me, what’s your favourite thing about fall?