Tag Archives: Karyn Good

The Storytellers’ Bouquet

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Marketing and promotion is an interesting challenge. Especially, when no one knows your name. Writers are always looking for ways to sell more books and create that word of mouth buzz that gets the whole ball of words rolling.

In that spirit, I’ve teamed up with three wonderful authors: Jana Richards, Lesley-Anne McLeod, and Annette Bower to put together a free promotional giveaway called The Storytellers’ Bouquet. It includes links, excerpts from books and four short stories for your enjoyment.

You can find this free download offering on my HOME page or BOOKS page. Just scroll down the page until you find it.  Happy Reading!

Please, pass it on.

Tuesday’s Table Welcomes Author Joanne Brothwell

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Hi Karyn! Thanks for inviting me to share my favourite recipe on your blog! I’ve chosen a dish that best represents the relationship between Sarah and Evan, the main characters in my book, Stealing Breath.

Sex in a pan.

Joanne: I’ve chosen a photo that isn’t actually the recipe, but a very interesting photo, nonetheless, because it is so damn hilarious to me. This is a cake baked by a local book club, celebrating their first meeting of the season. Gee, do you think they like the book, Fifty Shades of Grey? So funny.

Karyn: I”ll have to pass this photo on to my book club’s September host because we just happen to be reading Fifty Shades. I think either cake would be the perfect dessert: the cover in cake form or Sex in a Pan. I wonder if Judy (our host) could make a table center piece of Christian Grey out of modeling chocolate?

So, without further ado, here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

Sex In A Pan Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups milk
1 (1 ounce) square unsweetened chocolate, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
To Make Crust: In a medium bowl, mix together margarine, pecans and graham cracker crumbs. Pat into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned; allow to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and confectioners sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham cracker crust.
Prepare chocolate and vanilla puddings with milk as per package directions. Allow pudding to set before pouring on top of the cream cheese layer. Spread remaining 3 cups of whipped topping over pudding layer; swirl melted chocolate throughout whipped topping.

Cover and refrigerate for about an hour. For leftover pie, keep frozen in a tightly covered container. When ready to eat, just cut off a piece and allow to thaw; keep rest frozen.

Nutritional Information  (Even though it’s sometimes best not to know)
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 463 | Total Fat: 30.6g | Cholesterol: 25mg

Recipe from All Recipes http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sex-in-a-pan-iii/

Karyn: Well, that’s pretty self-explanatory! Thanks for stopping by, Joanne! What recipe or meal or drink best represents your favorite hero and heroine?

Author Joanne Brothwell

 

 

Joanne Brothwell 

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Twitter @JoanneBrothwell

An ancient evil has resurfaced, the soul of the Indigo Child is at stake. Beware those with the Stealing Breath…

By Joanne Brothwell

Deep in the backwoods of North Dakota, twenty-one year old Sarah Ross is searching for a missing child when she is attacked by a glowing-eyed, transparent… creature. Sarah survives, destroying the monster by using mysterious abilities she didn’t even know she had.

Bloody and bruised, Sarah flees the scene and runs directly into Evan Valente, a handsome, charismatic stranger who helps her back to safety. But what is Evan doing out in the forest at five in the morning?

Turning to a healer, Sarah is shocked to learn her eyes bear the mark of the Indigo Child—an evolved human with the ability to feel the emotions of others. But her indigo aura also makes her an easy target for those who wish to consume her powerful essence.

Soon, Sarah is falling deeply in love with Evan and wants nothing more than to follow her heart and trust that he is the man he says he is. But she can’t ignore the lingering feeling that Evan is hiding a terrible secret. The deeper she digs, the more danger she faces, leading her on a course that will force her to face the darkest, innermost parts of her soul.

Carnivalesque: Dressing For Your Author Brand?

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It’s Thursday and we’re officially back! It’s Carnivalesque, the Travelling Blog Show time once again. Join Jana Richards, Hayley Lavik, Janet Corcoran, Joanne Brothwell and myself. Every week, we discuss various hot topics and share our unique opinions.

Today it’s Joanne’s turn to ask the question:

With Word On The Street (a Canadian book and magazine festival happening in several cities on Sunday) happening this weekend, I’ve been thinking (more like obsessing!) about what to wear. Do you think it’s important as an author attending public events to dress in a way that reflects their platform? If yes, what does that mean for you? Drop by here and join the conversation!

Word on the Street – Saskatoon

Are We Happy Yet?

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Camping makes me happy!

Our September book club pick was a departure from the norm for us. We read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, Or, Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun. Her words, not mine. We usually read fiction. I can’t say as I’m a fan of self-help books or non-fiction, but it was interesting to delve into the idea of being purposefully happy.

I mean, hey, who doesn’t want to be happy? Or happier, as the case may be. I didn’t finish it (which means I pay a $10 fine to the pot), but it was an awful lot of information to take in. It was a twelve month project for the author and each month she created a list of resolutions she wanted to work on. Daunting. Yes. Yet, it did raise some interesting questions. And I learned happiness according to Gretchen Rubin takes a lot of work. I’ll enjoy finishing this book, I found Rubin’s voice and style to be appealing and very easy to relate to.

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.”  Aristotle

This I know to be fact. However, sometimes it takes me a couple of think-throughs to realize I’m unhappy because of my own state of mind. It’s so easy and simple to set the blame elsewhere. On the state of the economy. Or the price of peas.  But really, I’ve got to look at what’s happening with me to figure out why I might be ‘off’. You know, a little on the sour side.

“Act the way I want to feel.” One of Rubin’s Twelve Commandments

I actually found this advice to be helpful. If you want to be happy, act happy. And it makes sense, right? Smile more. What’s that saying? It’s the second best thing you can do with your lips. Be happy for someone else. Laugh. Watch The Big Bang Theory. That always works for me. Work at at.

Howard: Are you planning on kidnapping a woman?
Sheldon: Sarcasm?
Howard: Yes, but mixed with genuine concern.

I mean, come on, how can you not find that hysterical?

“There is no duty we underrate so much as the duty of being happy.” Robert Louis Stevenson

Five Little Things That Make Me Happy! Because it doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be mindful.

  1. Pretty flowers.
  2. Fresh peaches.
  3. Sitting around a backyard fire.
  4. Autumn leaves.
  5. Cuddled in a fuzzy blanket.

“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” James Openheim

Oh, one more thing.

6. Chocolate Flavored Vodka. (As with all good things:best used in moderation.)

How about you? What five little things make you happy?

 

My Thoughts on Jane Eyre

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I don’t claim to be a lover of classic literature, more intrigued by it than anything, as my time spent with it has been brief. But I am an advocate of expanding the reading experience. If you can do it with a group of other readers I figure all the better. I’ve always wanted to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and now I can claim I have thanks to our Carnivalesque Summer Reading Challenge.

Hayley, Jana, and I are sharing our final thoughts over at Hayley‘s blog.

However, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts here as well. Let me start off by saying it was a slow go. It took me literally the whole summer. Although, that largely has to do with our house being in a state of chaos due to main floor renovations. My favorite reading spot was dismantled for two months and…

Okay, enough with the excuses.

I still don’t know what I think of it. Having said that, I did enjoy it and most importantly it made me think.

Setting:  The mid 18th century is not a time period I’m familiar with nor read in. I’m assuming Charlotte Bronte lived in the time period she wrote in. So, contemporary for her and historical for me. I don’t know if that makes a difference or not.  It’s an interesting thought, though. Authors write historicals, but is it the same?

I don’t know. It’s something I’m going to have to give more thought to. I do know Bronte’s style and voice struck a cord with me. I had no problem envisioning the various places Jane found herself in. Bronte’s way with description has inspired me to think even harder about how I use words.

Jane:  I wonder how ‘feminist’ this literature seemed at the time? A story about a young woman who largely succeeds due to her own ingenuity and strength. She’s no shrinking violet. Even though she receives an inheritance that gives her the power to greatly better her circumstances I like to think she’d have succeeded without it. I admired her strong sense of faith, and her steadfast sense of right and wrong. I wondered where she managed to amass all her courage. For someone who has received little to no affection, she manages to be very together. There were times I found it impossible to believe she was eighteen years old. However, I found it impossible not to root for her. Damn it, I wanted that happy ending for her so bad and I’m so glad she got it. Without losing any of the qualities that made her so special and that set her apart: her wit, her common sense, and her values.

Mr. Rochester:   I’m a contemporary romance writer. I love my modern day heroes. I’ll say this: he was very human. The best thing about reading books with others is sharing opinions. You can read some of ours here. This proved helpful and I was very interested in what others had to say about Rochester. There were times when I didn’t know what to make of this guy. Did I like him? I’ll say this, by the end I saw him differently then when we were first introduced. I’m now a fan of redeemed heroes. I believe he loved Jane with his whole heart and that she was the one woman for him. I saw a man who tried to do the right thing and then was burdened by the force of those choices. There were times when I wish he would have kept his mouth shut. Then again, the story would not have the power it does.

Am I glad I read it? Absolutely.

Introducing Tuesday’s Table

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“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”  Julia Child

I swear that is one of my favorite quotes. Whatever your relationship with food, everyone has to eat. Indeed many of us have very strong feelings about food. We have experiences around food. Some of our best discussions happen over food. Our thanks, our welcomes, our condolences are often accompanied by food. We travel to experience new places and different cuisines.

I grew up on a farm outside a small prairie town. We gathered together at fall suppers, after church lunches, banquets, and buffets. This time of year lunches and suppers are packed up and driven out to the fields to feed hungry harvesters. My Dad would have been up early and late coming in, working hard at getting the grain in the bins.

When I was a kid sometimes my mother would make bread. She would cut off the heel of a still warm loaf, smear it with butter, and give us a taste. Delicious. When I smell of baking bread I think of my childhood kitchen. Another thing about my mom? She loves to bake. She usually follows up an invite to come and dine with an offer to bring something. We always, always, request dessert. You can trust my son to ask, “Is Grandma bringing dessert?”

Memories and food go hand in hand.

And food and romance? How many first dates take place at a restaurant? I had a friend who went out on a supper date with a guy who made the unfortunate mistake of ordering spaghetti. Not only was that first swirled fork full messy, it was piping hot. What’s a guy to do but spit it back out? That whole date was a gong show. I’m pretty sure it was also their last. Good thing she ended up with an entertaining tale to tell.

There are all kinds of stories out there revolving around food. That’s what Tuesday’s Table is about. You’ll find those stories, maybe a recipe, some pictures, guest bloggers and the books they write. Starting next Tuesday you can find them here.

Sometimes, you get to dine with princesses in a Disney castle.

If you’re lucky, you’ll find a Knight in Shining Armour.

Our character lunch at Disney World was one of those memorable kind of meals. As soon as we stepped into that castle and saw Cinderella in all her finery I felt eight years old again. The meal was excellent and afterwards we spent time with Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Ariel, and Belle. Again, it took me back to my childhood. We ate all our meals at the kitchen table, except on those occasional Sundays when CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Channel) aired a Disney movie. Out came the TV trays, we filled out plates and headed to the family room for a treat. With access to only two channels, you made the most of those opportunities.

Have a memorable meal in your past? One you’ll always remember?

“Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.”  Julia Child

Manic Monday

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It’s the second last Monday of August. How did that happen? Harvest is in full swing here on the prairies. Wheat being one of our staple crops with the first attempts at planting dating back to 1753. Stats like that one always make me smile. When I was a little girl I remember thinking everyone’s grandparents had come from somewhere else. Mine were immigrants to this country by way of Poland, Norway and Sweden. It wasn’t until I started school and began learning about the long and rich history of our First Nations people and that of the first European settlers coming later at the beginning of the 18th century that I realized how new our roots were to Canada.

My romantic suspense novel, Backlash, takes places in the month of September. My fictional setting of Aspen Lake, being a resort town located at the foot of the scenic Moose Mountains, would still be surrounded by farmland. Frost is on the ground in the morning. Days are still warm. Nights are filled with stars.

I love to savor the approach of autumn. Warm enough to enjoy the beach during the day and cool enough for backyard fires in the evening. The air smells different. It’s heavy with dust of harvest, the scent of ripening fruit, and the bittersweet smell of brand new back-to-school supplies. We’re mixing the daytime summer fashions of shorts and flip-flops by adding jeans and light jackets to our evenings.

And let’s not forget the stars. So bright. A startling reminder of the vastness of the universe. With the sun setting earlier we have more time to enjoy them. I never fail to look up and wonder what others in past centuries have thought about as they gazed up at the same stars.

What is your favorite part about this time of the year?

I’ll sign off with this is a snippet from page 97 of Backlash. It’s early evening in the middle of September. Chase, Lily and Jason were involved in a incident earlier in the day. Lily is waiting for Chase to come by and let her know what’s happening.

Lily led Mike out onto her front steps and lifted her face up to catch the leftover heat from the setting sun. It didn’t help. The bone deep chill remained. She rubbed her arms, wishing for a sweater.

She wondered where Chase was and why he’d sent an emissary. “So, he’s with his aunt?”

 Here’s What Reviewers Are Saying About Backlash!

5 Stars

“Chase and Lily are made for each other; they complement each other so well.”

“The description of the enforcer was so vivid that it seemed that I could actually envision the soulless enforcer in front of me.”

CozyReader at The Romance Reviews

4 Stars

Ms. Good sure spins a tale of deceit and a trail of clues that lead right to a climax I never imagined.
Need some suspense to keep you up long into the night? Why not giveBacklash a chance. Immerse yourself in the strong sense of right and wrong, with a great cast of characters.

Sunflower at Long and Short Reviews

 A Rating

Add to that, this book is fabulous on the suspense side. Lots of high-stakes danger, really evil bad guys (super-creepy spider tattoo guy), and it kept me guessing how the author was going to resolve it all till the very end. Overall this was a fabulous book and definitely one that reminds me why I LOVE to read! Perfect entertainment and escape!

Christi Snow at Smitten With Reading

 5 Stars

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW… could i say WOW anymore? You bet! I don’t have time to write my full review now, BUT if you enjoy romantic suspense with killer sexual tension and a smokingly HOT yet tortured lead, then y’all need to read this!!

Sheryl on Goodreads

A Hero’s Blog Hop

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I’m so excited! I’ve signed up for my very first blog hop.

http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/p/heros-blog-hop-hop.html

July 27 til July 31

And there are Prizes:

Grand Prize: Kindle Fire/Nook Color (or equal gift card)

Second Prize: $50 Gift Card

Third prize: Swag Pack

Join in the fun on Twitter starting tomorrow: #HeroHop

Stop by my blog between July 27 and July 31, leave a comment with my Hero Post and be entered to win a $5 Gift Card from The Wild Rose Press.

The Romance Reviews Sizzling Summer Reads Contest

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The Sizzling Summer Reads Party starts tomorrow (July 1) at 12:00am EST. There are more than 400 prizes up for grabs during the whole month of July. Grand prize is a $100 Gift Certificate!

You’ll have a chance to win a digital copy of my romantic suspense, BACKLASH, on July 7th!

Last Day of My Virtual Book Tour

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It has been an amazing two weeks. I’ve gotten to meet a lot of great people and enthusiastic readers. I have one last stop. Today I’m at Kacey’s Konnections with a couple of thoughts. It’s your last chance to enter to win the $25 GC to Amazon so stop in and say hi!

 

 

 

What he’s sworn to protect, she’s willing to sacrifice to save those she loves…

Backlash is available from: The Wild Rose Press ,  Amazon – Print ,  Amazon – Ebook ,  Barnes and Noble ,  Bookstrand ,  All Romance Ebooks