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.

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.

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

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 →

Baton Blog Hop

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Karyn Good

I’ve been invited to the Baton Blog Hop by JB Lynn, who writes laugh-out-loud suspense and mysteries, along with goosebump-raising thrillers. Sounds good, eh? The extra great news is she usually has a contest running and now is no different so check out her Contest Page and enter to win!

Time to answer a few questions!

1) What am I working on?

I’m working on my second Aspen Lake novel. Life is small town Aspen Lake is heating up again, on the streets and between the sheets. Kate Logan, boutique owner, is fighting to get her life back on track. Seth Stone, starving artist and carpenter, is leaving reality behind to start again. But when a extremist religious group move to Aspen Lake and make it their mission to shut down the annual Gothic Revival Festival Kate is organizing, trouble brings them together.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I guess it differs because it’s my voice telling the story. Hopefully, what you’ll find is everyday men and women who don’t have all the answers and are looking to find their place in the world. Along the way they find their happily-ever-after. Also, Aspen Lake is a small town in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Not many of those around, LOL.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I write romantic suspense because that’s what I love to read. I love torturing my characters. I love strong male leads, and smart female heroines. But I also love a good villain. I not sure what that says about me…

4) How does your writing process work?

Gosh, it’s all over the place. I fit it in when I can, but I try to write everyday. Therefore, I write in chunks. My writing groups holds three or four writing challenges a year. I love those and writing long side and being inspired by writers I admire.

Passing the baton.

Meet Elizabeth Lang, who I have privilege of knowing! Elizabeth is a science fiction and fantasy writer and author of The Empire series. Lucky you, you can check out some free stories and other things here.

Happy Reading Everyone!

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?

A Kind Of Review Of a Book I Loved!

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Karyn Good

Tonight is book club! What would I do without my monthly Sanity Seekers get together? Especially with this winter’s crazy weather. Half the roads around my city are closed and they’re not recommending travel on the other half.

Spring where art thou?

Thank goodness for great books. And our March selection (thank you, Jodi) was indeed one of those great reads. Before I Go To Sleep is S.J. Watson‘s debut novel.

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle- aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life—and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more un- believable it seems.

This book was lent to me and handed over with a less than stellar recommendation. As in I didn’t like this book but here you go, enjoy. That’s the great thing about book club. The varied opinions. Because this psychological thriller drew me in from the very first page. I could not put it down. The writing is deceptively simple and direct. And Watson had me guessing until the very end. My mind did back flips trying to figure out who the bad guy was. You wouldn’t believe one of the scenarios I came up with. You become that desperate to figure it out. And that was part of the appeal. The guessing. The wondering. You know it’s bad. Very, very bad. As her paranoia ebbs and flows, so does yours.

95% of the books we read for book club are literary fiction. My personal reading is 98% HEA. It evens out. But I was thrilled to read a book with a strong plot that was descriptive in a way that wasn’t fanciful but practical. The last couple of books we’ve read have been very descriptive. And that’s wonderful. But sometimes a tree is just a tree.

What’s also interesting is the story on how this book came to be written. For any writer who’s considered a creative course or retreat to add focus you might be inspired by Watson’s story.

I can’t remember the last time I didn’t simply snatch minutes here and there to read a few pages but settled in for an afternoon and immersed myself in a book. Thanks for a great read SJ Watson. You took my mind off winter in epic storytelling fashion.