Where Romance and Suspense Collide

Author: sandra@sandrakerns.com (Page 1 of 16)

Writing Motivation Needed….Acquired!

Motivation.

Yep, that’s what’s been missing from this author’s life the past couple of years.

Okay, so there were the restrictions due to Covid, which did play a small part. As much as I like to think I could be a hermit, I really do need to socialize even if it’s just going to the grocery store and chuckling with someone over the sorry state of bananas. Staying home all the time had me doing something I don’t do a lot of when I am actively writing… which is reading. Why you might ask? Because when I read, I don’t write. I mean, I get sucked in and just keep turning pages. And if I don’t get sucked into one book, having a Kindle, I just quickly download another. Oh, so dangerous for book junkies such as myself.

All that said, I don’t think that was the main reason for my lack of motivation. To be honest, I think it was more a case of burnout. Check this out:

           

August of 2012 (the release of my very first book, Her Master Defender)
September 2012 (Her Master Detective released)
November 2012 (Her Master of Hearts released)
February 2013 (DreamStalker released)
April 2013 (Rose of Steele released)
June 2013 (Callaghan’s Conundrum released)

That’s six novels in less than twelve months! Crazy right? I kept up with that for a year or so before slowing down to two or three a year. It wasn’t a problem for a while. The characters kept demanding their stories be written, so I was driven to do so. The problem? Eventually, they drove me right into a wall. I was fried.

After the release of the first two books in the Wicked Investigations series, (Suspect: Family – 2019 and Suspect: A Whisper – 2020) I made a few attempts at new books, but nothing was really calling to me. The characters were flat and I had no desire to breathe life into them if they weren’t going to cooperate. I mean really, who needs the aggravation? [Sorry, writer humor. 🙂 ]

Crashing waves

Where I walk every morning now.

Then comes May 2021, and hubby and I buy a house in Florida! Woohoo! Yippee! Yay! Yes, I’m thrilled I always wanted to live here. Unfortunately, it meant several 2000 mile drives: 1st to look for the house; 2nd drive back to CO and pack some things for when we; 3rd drive back to close on the house in FL; 4th drive back to CO to get that house ready to sell – stage/pack – sell – close and hit the road for; 5th relocate permanently to Florida in October. Six months, five 2,000 mile trips (with dog), two homes, bills, arrangements, cleaning, packing, unpacking, AUGHHHHHH!

Between Two Worlds – Kindle Vella

Yeah, writing was not high on my priority, though I did post ten episodes in Amazon’s Vella of a sci-fi fantasy  I’ve been playing with off and on for several years, Between Two Worlds.

Now it’s the week before Thanksgiving and we’re still painting and unpacking, but I’m getting antsy. I keep trying to write, but not really going anywhere even with NANOWRIMO going on. However, this morning I got the best motivation possible in an email from Smashwords.  Here’s the crux of it:  This is a brief note to let you know that one of our partners recently reported sales or downloads of 23 of your books. (44 sales or downloads were reported.)

23 of my books! While I know this is a small drop in many writers’ royalty buckets, it was very exciting for me to get that email. So, I went to my dashboard and checked it out. In the past 60 days, every book I’ve written (that’s 28 different titles) sold at least one copy (and most multiples of them) through retailers that Smashwords sends my books to.  The retail sites were Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo. And I didn’t DO anything special to get them there. No promotions, no posts (this is the first one in a long while as I’m sure you know), no ‘appearances’. Nothing. WOW! I was floored. Thrilled of course, but floored. Again, not anything scream-worthy as far as royalties go (i.e. making money by writing), but still amazing considering I have NOT been sitting in front of the computer working my buns off for months. I can’t begin to tell you how excited that made me and…

…you got it, MOTIVATED!

That said, while the Christmas novella I’ve been playing with may not make it out this year, I’m definitely getting back in the game. If y’all are still willing to buy my books, I can darn well get busy writing more of them for you.

So, a HUGE thank you to everyone who has purchased recently or in the distant past. I hope you continue to enjoy my characters and their stories. I promise to knuckle down and get some new pages out to you in 2022 (if not sooner)!

Happy reading!

Sandra

Play the Holly Jolly Facebook Hop & Meet New Authors

I shamefully didn’t post the news about the Holly Jolly Facebook Hop sooner,

but there is still plenty of time for you to get in on the fun AND the prizes!

holly-jolly-hop-promo-2

Welcome to my stop on the Holly Jolly Hop! This hop runs thru December 20th.

The Prize for my part of the Stop ~ $25.00 Amazon gift card.
About my book:  Two Sisters. Threatening Calls. Mastering Fears.

Blaze and Brooke, sisters of the Masters brothers, return home with their hunky fiancés for a double wedding. Before they settle in, the sisters each receive calls from different people, threatening their    fiancés. Scared but determined not to lean on their brothers or Lazaro and Manus, they secretly prepare for a battle while finishing last minute wedding details. Things go from bad to worse, but Blaze and Brooke have learned from the Masters, literally. They’re not going down without a fight.

If you love Christmas, snow, romance, and a little suspense, Mastering the Brides is the book for you.

Find MASTERING THE BRIDES on Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2ggEncM

TO ENTER:

🎄 Like my page (so I can tag you if you win – not required but greatly appreciated):

https://www.facebook.com/SandraSKernsRomanceAuthor/
🎄 Tell your friends about this giveaway by sharing this post!
🎄 Follow me:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SandraSKerns

Pinterest:  http://www.pinterest.com/sandrakerns96/

Goodreads: https://goodreads.com/AuthorSandraSKerns

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-S-Kerns/e/B00BQMUH0O/
🎄 COMMENT with the Christmas gift you never received.  – EXAMPLE – I wanted a Bouncing Tigger (I was thirty something with 2 kids) but neither my husband nor my boys took me seriously. Sheesh!
🎅 HOP HERE NEXT FOR MORE GIFTS:  https://www.facebook.com/CyndiFariaAuthor
🎅 Enter to win the GRAND PRIZE Kindle Paperwhite & find a list of all stops & giveaways on the hop here:

{Big Giveaway} Holly Jolly Hop! Kindle Paperwhite or $50 GC

* This giveaway is open until midnight EST, 20 Dec 2016. Open internationally. Random winner selected from comments. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Facebook is not responsible for this jolly giveaway!

The Chain of Love ‘Winners’

Congratulations to the winners of

the Chain of Love Rafflecopter event!

Chain-of-Love-FB-Cover-Covers

 

While I hope everyone feels like a winner having read six great stories from six amazing authors, I would like to announce our ‘official’ winners of the Rafflecopter event.

Nina Jerome won the Kindlefire – and copies of all of the Chain of Love books included.

David Craft won copies of all the ebooks.

I hope everyone had fun with the Chain of Love Facebook event, playing our games, finding Cameron for the Rafflecopter, and of course, reading the books. We all had so much fun writing these stories and spending time with readers and friends.

If you enjoyed the various stories I hope you will follow the various authors and check out their other books as well. In hopes you enjoyed A Chance Event, here is a link for you to join my mailing list and receive two (yes 2) free ebooks when you do: updates and special offers from Sandra.

Thank you, from myself and all of the Chain of Love authors for playing and reading. Without our readers we would have to look long and hard for inspiration.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Sandra

Fun with Research for Next Release

IMG_1099Saddle up for some Fun with Research on my Next Release!

If you’ve heard me talk about research in the past, you know I consider it a necessary evil for writing.

The problem started in high school. Yeah, I know, you don’t want to go there. Neither do I, but that’s where it started. Remember those dreaded research/term papers? You had to make outlines, notecards, quote
s, bibliographies, works cited pages and the list goes on. The two worst parts for me were the outlines (I still get nauseous thinking about outlining) and research for the notecards. I honestly didn’t mind reading the books for information, but having to make note cards to PROVE that I did was really annoying. It wasn’t so much I had to prove I did the research as the fact that I wasn’t going to use those cards to write the paper. Once I handed them in for the ‘pre-work’ grade, I doubt I looked at them again.

HOWEVER, over the past few years I’ve come to realize I can have fun with research. Hallelujah!

Nowadays my research is much more hands on. I wrote another post about this subject almost two years ago as a guest on Jessica Aspen’s Blog. I wanted to give you an update on my latest research experience – Guest Ranches.

My current WIP (work in progress) will be the first of the new Masters Men series, Master Security. It features Chance Dugan who was introduced in Her Master Match, and Marley Jasper, owner of the Jasper Ranch. (If you need to brush up on the Masters Men, feel free to click here for information on the first Masters Men Series.) I figured if I was going to feature a guest ranch in my book, I should probably know what running one entailed. Cue research.

Okay, so I had to do a little, very little, searching on Google to get started. It didn’t take many keystrokes to find a place to contact. I sent an email to the General Manager of C Lazy U Ranch. It wasn’t long before he responded and we arranged for a call. I sent him some questions ahead of time. His answers weMain Lodge at C Lazy U Ranchre very helpful, but he suggested I really needed to see things for myself and invited me to visit. My niece went with me so when I ran out of questions or forgot to take pictures she could pick up the slack.

So, we went to the ranch and it was amazing. The C Lazy U is a premier guest ranch in the U.S. located in Granby, Colorado. Our cabin was unbelievably comfortable and had fireplaces in both rooms. We went ho
rseback riding and snowshoeing. We joined others in the community area of the main building for lunch, dinner, and breakfast. All the meals were good, but the dinner was definitely outstanding. All of the employees were friendly and welcoming. There must be a requirement that the cowboys are good looking, because they would all look great on a book cover. Also, the female wrangler (that’s her in the picture at the top of the post) who led our trail ride grew up on a dairy farm. If you remember ChancRiding at the C Lazy U Ranche from his cameo appearance in Her Master Match, he grew up on a dairy farm, too. So, now I have a contact to find out more about how a small dairy farm works. Bonus!

The only issue was the C Lazy U is so much more than my heroine could handle as a family guest ranch. It turned out, that wasn’t a problem either, because David Craig, C Lazy U’s General Manager, also arranged for us to visit a nearby family-owned and run guest ranch, the Drowsy Water Ranch. C Lazy U is huge and open year round while Drowsy Water is open from June through mid-September. That is much more likely what my heroine would be able to deal with as a family-owned guest ranch. Even though Drowsy Water wasn’t open right now, Justin Fosha, one of the owners gave us a tour through the knee high snow as well as giving us a better feel of what a family-owned and run guest ranch would entail.

So, if you want to see what all this FUN RESEARCH results in late this spring, you’ll keep an eye out for the first installment of the Master Security series. While I don’t have a final title yet, the working title is WRANGLING DUGAN. If you’d like a little teaser, keep reading. If you like that title, or have a suggestion for a different one, leave a comment.

Chance waited in silence for Marley to continue.

“Early this morning someone broke into the main house.”

The pencil he’d been tapping snapped in two. He stared at her. “The main house as in the one you and your parents live in?”

She shrugged. “It’s just me. My parents moved to Arizona when dad sold the ranch to me. I guess Colorado wasn’t dry enough for them.”

Chance ignored her attempt to break the sudden tension. “They actually got inside? Your security system didn’t go off?”

“Oh, it went off. As soon as they stepped one foot in the kitchen, I pulled the trigger on my father’s old shotgun.”

“You shot them?” He knew his eyes were wide as saucers, but he hadn’t expected that.

“Maybe, I’m not sure if any of the buckshot hit him or not. I aimed at the door’s frame. It’s a ranch. Shotguns are the security system.”

He rubbed his temple again while he tried to come to terms with the image of her facing off with a would-be attacker in her kitchen with a shotgun.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Don’t forget to check out Sandra’s most recent release, A Chance Event – A Chain of Love novella.

Chances with Chain of Love

Take a ChanceChain of Love banner logo (1)

with

Chain of Love Romances

Chain-of-Love-Chance-EncounterThat’s right ladies, we’re celebrating curvy women and those hunks who chain their hearts. I know, chains sound so harsh, but these women are strong-minded and not afraid to push buttons. If the heroes don’t have a way to chain their hearts together, they might lose their chance with these luscious ladies.

The Chain of Love series is a group of six novels by six different authors who write in various s
ubgenres of romance. We have contemporary, spicy contemporary, paranormal, shifters, suspense, and erotic. However, somewhere in each book you will find a character named Cameron. While you read, make note of that character and then enter the Rafflecopter below for a number of chances to snag: a Kindle Fire 6, An E-book from each Chain of Love author, or a $ 25 Amazon Gift Card (US). OR, if you’re one of my international readers, an E-book from each Chain of Love Author (a book other than the Chain of Love novella).

The giveaway isn’t the only reason to take a chance on these books. Heart-pounding, breath-stealing, soul-searching love is the best reason. These heroes and heroines are definitely put through their paces before they have a chance at love. Give them some help. Be their cheerleaders when they start to doubt. Commiserate when they hit a roadblock. And celebrate with them when they see the light at the end of that long, long, road to happily ever after like so many others before them.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you would like to check the six books out, their links are below.

Lucky Break: A Chain of Love Novella (Reedsville Roosters Book 3)  2/3/16

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ABEJ1WW

Curvy Diversion: Chain of Love Book 2 (Curvy Love) 2/5/16

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AITIRHK

Smart Alex: A Chain of Love Novel (Smart Investigations, Inc. Book 1) 2/7/16

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A8R1KXK

A Chance Event: A Chain of Love Novella 2/9/16

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ABDM5C6

Cupid: Chain of Love (Angels of Death Book 4) 2/11/16

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ACH0R0I

Cinder: A Chain of Love Novella (Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romances Book 6)  2/13/16

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ACOAQH0

A Chance Event – A Chain of Love Novella

Chain-of-Love-FB-CoverI’m Changing it Up! I’ve Gone Curvy!

The Chain of Love series is all about Curvy Women and the Men Who Chain Their Hearts!Chain of Love banner logo (1)

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I’ve …

  • Teamed up with 5 other authors to bring you
  • 6 novellas for $0.99 each
  • to be released on a rolling basis February 3rd thru February 13th
  • A Facebook Event to win fabulous prizes
  • Rafflecopter

All of the stories have ‘Curvy’ heroines and a hero to temp her beyond reason. They range from sweet & sensual to erotic and the genres vary between contemporary, paranormal, and suspense. Not all of them are centered on Valentine’s Day, but all are about love and romance.

Final Cover

Release Date 2/9/16

A Chance Event

A Frazzled Event Planner.  Charlene, owner of Ever After Events is in Event Planner hell. It’s less than a month before Valentine’s Day and her schedule is insane. If that’s not enough, her sister calls and wants her to plan her wedding for Valentine’s Day. She declines, but little sister never takes rejection well.

A Mugging. It’s late, storming, and Charlene’s frustrated and ready for a spiked cocoa. She packs up her  little rescue dog and a bag full of work to take home and locks up the office. U
nfortunately, she’s so distracted in her head and by the gale-force winds, she doesn’t hear someone coming up behind her.

A Doctor on a Mission. Dr. Martin DelaHardt is late to meet his sister. The fact he hasn’t driven in a snowstorm in over five years, just got back to Colorado today, and is exhausted won’t matter. Still, he pulls into a spot only to see her walking in the other direction. Irritated, he follows her and finds her beside an unconscious woman on the ground. His detective sister takes off after  the mugger leaving him in charge of the victim.

He came home looking to find some peace and recharge after years of working in impoverished and war-torn areas where he lost as many patients as he saved. The last thing he wants to do is be responsible for someone. As he starts to check her out he finds himself drawn to her more than he’s ever been to any woman before. Unfortunately, there’s a tiny mutt sitting on top of her growling at him. How’s he supposed to help her if he can’t touch her?

If you like strong-minded, curvy heroines and handsome heroes who prefer enough woman to hold onto, you’ll enjoy Sandra S. Kerns’ A Chance Event.

Pre-order A Chance Event on Amazon now, so you can be first in line when doctor’s hours begin!

Now here’s a peek at the other five books on pre-order by five amazing a
uthors linked with me in the Chain of Love series!
Chain-of-Love-Lucky-Break

Release Date 2/3/16

Lucky Break (Reedsville Roosters 3) by Holley Trent

Baseball tore Edy Wallace’s family apart when she was a child, and now she paints all athletes with the same broad brush. She refuses to have
some player running around on her like her father did to her mother, so she avoids getting involved with the scoundrels on the team her father manages.

When Reedsville Roosters slugger Al Felton breaks his leg during spring training and needs a special escort home to Baton Rouge, her father calls on her for a favor she can’t refuse. Al’s not a man who’s so easy to ignore, but Edy refuses to let her guard down. His charming smile and pretty words appeal, but she’s convinced that he’ll be one more man who’ll choose baseball over her.

CurvyDiversionWpink

Releasae Date 2/5/16

Curvy Diversion (A Curvy Love Novella) by Aidy Award

Curvy girls deserve a vacation!

Danica’s run through her eleventeenth sub in as many months and is pretty sure she’s lost her Dominatrix mojo. So when Grant, an old pal, asks her to do him a favor jumping in on a last minute photoshoot in Costa Rica, she’s all in for a vacation, especially from the BDSM scene at Angels and Devils.

Grant can’t wait to get Danica on film or into his bed. He’s done with the friend zone and this trip to paradise is the perfect opportunity to show his college crush he’s the man in charge, of her career and her bed.

A hurricane, a treehouse, and the well-laid plans of the last guy Danica thought wanted to be more than friends has her questioning whether she can survive the storm or a vanilla relationship. All when this trip was just supposed to be a Curvy Diversion.

If you like curvy girl BBW romance with some BDSM power play between a sexy photographer and a Dominatrix you’ll love this book!

Chain-of-Love-Smart-Alex

Release Date 2/7/16

Smart Alex (Smart Investigations, Inc. Book 1) by Sam Cheever

A killer finds himself behind the curvy on getting what he wants.

Matthew Smart has lost his Assistant, Cameron, in a brutal killing. Devastated, Matthew has to find out who murdered his employee while interviewing potential replacements. Strangely, the applicants all seem to be blowing off their interviews. So when a bold, softly curved beauty named Alexis McFadden shows up in his office looking to fill the position, he’s tempted to hire her just because she’s the only one who wants the job, although he doesn’t believe she’s a good fit.

Lucky for Alex, a tricky new case convinces Matthew that he can really use her help. But what if Alex is smart enough to get herself hired against all odds, while in the eyes of a cold-blooded killer, she’s too smart by half?

Chain-of-Love-Cupid

Release Date 2/11/16

Cupid (Angels of Death) by ML Guida

Cupid, has a terrible secret—she’s color blind.

After accidentally shooting her intended target with an aversion arrow, she tries to fix it by a shooting a passion arrow. But Lethal, the sexy angel of death she’s had a crush on forever, blocks her path. Shot by passion’s arrow, he now thinks he’s in love with her.

Lethal knew Cupid was his angel-mate from the moment he saw her. He’s never claimed her because an angry demon promised murder. But when she shoots him with the arrow he can’t keep his true feelings hidden any longer.

The demon makes good on his promise and pursues Cupid, but not to kill her. She has a hidden power he wants, one that Cupid doesn’t even know about. Only true love can unleash her power and by working together, their love will crush the demon bent on destroying them.

Chain-of-Love-Cinder

Release Date 2/13/16

Cinder (A Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romance) by Jessica Aspen

When curvy Cinderella meets a charming reluctant alpha can he save her from a step mother who means murder?

Cinder Vandeburg dreams getting away from her overbearing step mother and getting a real job—one that pays. When her step sisters are finalists in a teen modeling competition at a chic resort in the beautiful mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, her step mother offers her an opportunity: prove herself a competent personal assistant and earn not only a stellar referral, but a bona-fide introduction to the movers and shakers of the modeling world. This is Cinder’s chance at freedom but as usual, her step mother seems to find fault in everything she does—even when she sends her to seduce suspected modeling judge, Aiden Burdock.

Aiden is no modeling judge. He’s a tour guide with a pack of bachelor wolves depending on him to rustle up quality clients and keep their business afloat. But Aiden never wanted to be an alpha. He dreams of freedom and running wild in the hills. Having six…no seven…now eight wolves depending on him for leadership and jobs is more than he counted on when he fled pack expectations in Colorado. But his alpha tendencies can’t be ignored and when he sees curvy Cinder being treated as the runt of the litter, he lies and says he’s a judge to get her away from her malicious boss.

Now Aiden is faced with how to tell Cinder he’s just a working stiff, like her, and a wolf shifter to boot. As Aiden and Cinder’s fairy godmother build up her self esteem and she starts falling in love with a man of secrets. Cinder’s step mother is determined one of her daughters will win the modeling competition. Even if it means she has to go all the way—and permanently eliminate the competition.

Lions and wolves and bears, oh my.

Discover why readers love the twisted tales of Jessica Aspen’s Sexy Shifter Fairytale Romance.

Remember, all are available for pre-order now. Be the first to have them waiting on your Kindle as each one is released!

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