Happy Book Day to a dear friend! Reckless Hearts by Heather Van Fleet is NOW available!! #amreading

Today I'm SO excited to take part in a dear friend's release blitz!!! Reckless Hearts by Heather Van Fleet is NOW available!

 Be sure to check out the release day festivities and grab your copy today!! Squee!!

About RECKLESS HEARTS:

Between boot camp and two TOD’s in Iraq, my buddies Max, Gavin and me have been through some serious hell. So the last thing I ever expected was to find the biggest challenge of my life back home.

My girlfriend died. I couldn’t even attend her funeral, let alone tell her goodbye or that I’m sorry I wasn’t there like I should’ve been.

But she left me a gift. The best and scariest one I could’ve ever asked for. One I didn’t think I could handle…until the day I saw her tiny blues looking up at me in that airport. Chloe.

Now here I am, raising my baby girl—with the help of my two best friends. Things couldn’t be better. Until she walked into my life.

All I wanted was a nanny. Someone to take care of my girl when I couldn’t. What I didn’t count on was Addison, the brown-eyed temptress with a body of sin, and everything I didn’t need, but suddenly wanted.

Get Your Copy:

Amazon | BN | BAM

Exclusive Excerpt:

He answered on the third ring. “Hey, Gav. You busy?”

“Not Gav.”

My face warmed at the sound of Collin’s voice.

“You there?”

“Um, yes. But I need to speak with Gavin, please.” Keep breathing, keep calm. You’ve got this.

“But I need to talk to you first.”

I clenched my teeth. “May I talk to him, please?”

“Nope.”

I threw my head back against the couch and groaned. “Why not?” If he was going to be short with his answers, I would be short with my questions.

“Need to talk to you about something first. Told you that.”

Could’ve sworn I heard the words Needs to eat your pussy is more like it in the background, but my mind was scrambling like the eggs I’d cooked for breakfast.

“Shut up, asshole,” Collin barked.

I spun a loose string around my finger. “What did you just say to me?”

Total déjà vu.

The wind slapped against his speaker. “Are you driving?” I unraveled the string from my finger and bounced my knee. “Because in the State of Illinois, it’s illegal to drive and talk on a cell phone unless it’s hands free.”

“Damn it, no. She’s putting that shit in her mouth.” He grumbled something else, and the sound of baby giggles tugged on my already floppy heartstrings.

I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about Chloe. I’d only been around her twice, but I kind of missed the little thing.

“Not driving. Just playin’ at the park.”

Playing at the park. Why did the image make me grin? Collin pushing Chloe in her swing, her little baby legs bouncing up and down as he did.

“Why are you calling Gavin anyway?”

“None of your business.” My smile fell. “Can you just put him on?”

“I told you I needed to talk first.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Then talk.”

“Gonna take you out tonight.”

Shock pulled me into an upright position, and I stood so fast that a pile of clean towels fell to the floor. “Um, take me out?” I scrambled to pick them up.

“Gonna apologize. Again. Buy you food, return your sweater too. If you have plans, then cancel them.”

“Uh, no. Don’t think so.” At the simple thought of seeing him again, my stomach clenched in both excitement and unease. “You’re not going to pull that in-charge bullshit on me. And besides, what makes you think I want to see you anyway?”

“You don’t wanna see me, sweetheart?”

I slapped my hand over my eyes. Sweetheart? Seriously? “No. I don’t want to see you, pumpkin. Not when you got me fired from my job the other night with your ultimate-fight-club thing.” I blew out a quick breath. “Besides, I just…can’t.”

“I need a better reason.”

“Are you serious right now?” What was with this guy and his incessant need to be an asshole?

“Dead serious.” He laughed. “I’ll be by your apartment at six to pick you up. Dress casual. Gonna take you to dinner, and then we’re gonna talk. You’re going to get a free meal and an apology. Can’t get much better than that, am I right?”

About Heather Van Fleet:

Heather Van Fleet is stay-at-home-mom turned book boyfriend connoisseur. She’s a wife to her high school sweetheart, a mom to three little girls, and in her spare time you can find her with her head buried in her Kindle, guzzling down copious amounts of coffee.

Heather graduated from Black Hawk College in 2003 with an associate degree and has been working in the publishing industry for over five years. She is represented by Stacey Donaghy of Donaghy Literary.

Connect with Heather:

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Enter Heather’s Giveaway:

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Guest interview with author Ken Lange and beasts living between realms... #amreading #indie

Hello, my lovelies! Today we have a special guest interview. Big shout out to Ken Lange! Take it away, Ken...

Blurb

My name is Viktor Engel Warden, and I’m here to tell you that there’s more to this world than you might suspect.

There are things that slither and pass unseen through the night, and it’s my job to stop them. But sometimes that’s easier said than done. Twenty years ago, I ended a nightmare that would’ve brought the world to its knees. I thought it was over…but I was wrong.

The Cult of Fenrir has returned, and they’re stronger than ever. Now I’m in a race to find the survivors of that day so I can stop them again. Permanently. If I get things wrong…which I wont…but if I do…it might just bring about the apocalypse. But, hey, no pain, no gain, and all that BS. Right? Yeah, I’m not buying it either.

Interview Questions

What is your main character’s motivation?

Viktor is a complicated guy, but his main motivation would have to be putting one foot in front of the other to get the job done. He’s a fighter in every sense of the word. The man is unwilling to give up, he’s incapable of compromising his core beliefs, and he’ll stand up for what he thinks is right. Of course, ‘what he thinks is right’ isn’t always what’s legal or currently socially acceptable. Don’t expect that to stand in the way of doing what needs to be done.

Then there’s the choice aspect of his personality. He’s a strong believer that everything is choice. While every situation is different and has the ability to limit a person’s choices, it never prevents them from making one. There are times when none of the available options are good, but there’s always a choice, and it’s up to the individual to do the right thing. His entire life is a constant reminder that we are free to make any choice we desire, but we are not free of the consequences.

What is his secret strength/weakness?

The simple answer to both: his moral code. First and foremost, he won’t interfere in certain situations, even if doing so would make his life easier. He’s exceptionally inflexible here, which is why it’s both a strength and a weakness.

If he says he’ll do a thing, he’ll do it, no matter the cost to him personally. There’s a long list of other ethical things he believes in, but those will be touched on throughout the series. Long and short of it is this: he’s willing to fight and die for those beliefs. That’s what makes him a very dangerous man, and at times predictable, but not in the ways his adversaries would hope.

Any philosophical issues in this story?

The story is meant to entertain, but it also shows a man who’s trying to do right, even if it isn’t the easy or polite thing to do. He won’t ignore a problem, he won’t shy away from his responsibilities, and he fully accepts who he really is…not the person others think him to be.

I touch on issues of tolerance and acceptance a few times, but not for the reason you might think. I’m not making a conscious decision to put it in there…it’s just how I see the world.

It doesn’t matter to me what label is placed on you. What matters to me is: are you a decent human being? If the answer to that is yes, we can be friends. That being the case, I know a wide range of people. That’s why I use a diverse set of characters that span the gambit of human nature. I feel that it comes closer to accurately representing the world as it is, and keeps me from confining myself to a narrow margin of the population.

When did you start to write this one and why?

That’s a tough one. It’s been rumbling around for well over two decades in one form or another, but it wasn’t until 2010 that I got serious about it. That’s when I put a lot of it to paper and shared it with friends…it was terrible. The good thing is, all that research, note-taking, and terribleness led to figuring out different elements of the story and retooling the book to actually make sense.

Now as to the why. I’m fascinated with Norse mythology. The description of Odin’s palace, and the other gods’ homes are fantastic. They describe them as gleaming metal palaces that roar through the skies...kind of sounds like the way primitive man would describe a spacecraft.

No, I’m not an ancient alien kind of guy, but I won’t deny that the idea of them not being gods and possibly something extra-terrestrial in nature helped the concept along.

When will it be available?

15 November.

What’s next in this series or in your next book?

Galen’s Peace should be next in the Warden Global Novels. Of course, the title is subject to change, this one’s did. I’m also working on the follow up to my first novel, Accession of the Stone Born…Yes there’s a title, but I’m not sharing it yet since it’s going to take place after Galen’s Peace. Don’t fret, it’s not far off.

Where do you get your ideas?

Reading, art, and music. The reading gets me out of my own head and expands my viewpoint, not to mention the fact that I love it. The artwork can be almost anything, a photo, painting, even a well-done font can trigger an idea. At other times, it’s music that gives me that spark. Once it’s there, it doesn’t go away and rattles around in my head until I do something about it.

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

I’ve always been fascinated by a great story; it’s my escape from reality into the magical realms of the written word. It’s always intrigued me how scratches made on clay, stone, wood or paper can touch people so deeply. I’m truly an introvert, and this is my way of sharing the worlds spinning in my head with others.

For me, writing heals the heart, rebuilds a broken soul, and gives hope to a failing body. It allows me to walk amongst the stars and go places that otherwise I couldn't, and it gives me the humanity that I've lost along the way.

What is the hardest part about being a writer?

Trying not to ‘good idea’ myself into oblivion. Sometimes, I’m plagued by what I think are fantastic ideas then I write them down and run with it, only to realize that maybe it wasn’t as good as I’d thought. Well, at least not yet. That’s the thing about ideas—they can be used at a later date.

Where did you get the premise for this book?

I was reading a lot of Norse mythos, and because a lot of it has been destroyed over the centuries, I had questions…so this is me filling in the blanks, and retelling some of their stories, along with my own.

Was there a part of the story that was difficult to write?

The opening for this book was the trickiest. I actually removed the prologue—you can find it on my blog if you want to see what it originally sounded like—and finished the book, never fixing the part where I actually introduce the character. So that’s why there’s a journal entry now instead of having to wait for several chapters to get the character’s name.

What advice would you give to other writers?

To be themselves and not try to be someone else. It’s a lot easier that way.

Get your copy here!

Amazon US | Amazon UK |  Amazon Canada

Thanks for stopping by!

Shampoo that makes your hair thicker, saves you time, AND smells like heaven... Yes, please! #TryItTuesday #AmazonPrime

Try It Tuesday . . . Wherein I review things and stuff.

Losing a TON of hair in the shower? Feel like the hairline is on the rise? Yeah, me too.

Ever since a terribly stressful event in college, plus my seborrheic dermatitis (which I now have under control thanks to this product), multiplied by having a baby and my hair had seen thicker days. Until I started using this awesome shampoo!

Seriously. It was love at first scrub.

Today's product: Organic Argan Oil Shampoo (hair growth therapy)

Where to find: Amazon

Average cost: $26 (totally worth it)

Lasts: Until the bottle runs out, which will probably be a while for me because I only wash my hair two times a week and use a quarter-sized amount

Karen's rating: 

Why is this such wonderful shampoo?

Of course, I was skeptical at first--because I naturally always am--and didn't have very high hopes, but after about two week I could totally tell a difference. HOLLA.

1) It actually works. I can see new growth around my hairline, which I seriously never thought would ever thicken up.

2) It smells ahhhhmazing. Like, professional salon shampoo amazing.

3) I don't find clumps of hair on the shower floor after I've washed my hair. For real. I used to find gobs and wads and gunks of hair. Not now. It's staying firmly rooted to my scalp. Score.

4) Saves me time. I don't have to use conditioner anymore. The argan oil in this shampoo is rich enough to condition my hair.

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Wanna see more red balloons go by? Thought so. Check out my previous reviews*

*Reviews are my own opinions, I am not paid to promote any items.

Slow Cooker cookbook

Belvita Breakfast Biscuits

Klean Kanteen

KidKraft Bookshelf

Little Blue Truck

BareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara

Jojoba Oil

Freezing Herbs

Disposable Bibs

Toddler proofing cupboards

Snoozies (slippers)

Nongshim Shin Noodles

Nivea Lotion

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Written while waiting for supper to cook . . . karen

Deadlines. How to write with them. #MondayMotivation #amwriting #writeon

Monday Motivation . . . Writerly things and stuff.

So you think you can write?

Yes? Me too. Mix in the day job (for me it's keeping up with an adorably rambunctious toddler), family, friends, social life (what's that, right?), and just plain old day-to-day living and things seem--erm, a bit hectic. And still, writing somehow happens. Now, an exciting opportunity comes your way and suddenly *cues dramatic music* a deadline stares you in the face. EEP. 

You're totally stoked but also slightly--yeah, okay, definitely--terrified. All the words must be written by a certain date. For someone like me, a pantser who occasionally tosses in a timeline or rough one-chapter-ahead outline just for kicks and giggles, this is that moment. That moment where the snizzle gets uber serious and meeting those daily word counts is more than something I'd like to do . . . it's something I must do.

My current deadline project was for a historical fiction anthology. I had to come up with a one-sentence pitch, a synopsis, and the opening scene. Whaa?? Totally did it. Now the wait is on to see if my proposal gets picked. *fingers crossed*

So, let's get technical... How do you realistically make a deadline work while still living life? Excellent question.

#1 What needs to be included in your proposal? Or how long does the manuscript (MS) need to be? When is it due?

After you've determined these things, you can make a daily word count (WC) goal. I gave myself a day to write the rough draft of my proposal (pitch/synopsis); although, I'd been researching events/places and mulling over themes for a few days prior.

Let's say you're working on a MS that's 15k words (approximately 60 pages), and you want to complete it in 30 days. This means a minimum of 500 words a day must be written. You could break it down even further and write 250 words before work and the last 250 before bed. I find that making goals to reach for is extremely helpful for me.

#2 How do you find time to write? 

This is a tough one! For me I used to write before my day job and during my lunch break. Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, I usually write before the toddler wakes up and during his naptime--if I'm on a deadline I'll write after he goes to bed. But I've found that writing after 7pm isn't my most productive time, because my brain is pretty much mush by then.

#3 To outline or not to outline...that is the question. 

As I've confessed, I'm a pantser by nature. For this particular project, it was a proposal, so plotting was a must. I found Jane Friedman's post on writing a synopsis very helpful. And this post on writing a book blurb really helped me refine my story idea, so that I could write the one-sentence pitch.

When I'm writing a MS, I always refer to Michael Hauge's plot structure for story structure guidance.

#4 Just write. 

It's as simple and as mind-blowingly (I'm a rebel, I take liberties with words) difficult as that. I have to constantly remind myself of this, but don't edit as you write. Spelling, eye color, names...all of those things can be fixed later. The important thing--especially while writing under a deadline--is to make sure words are being typed onto the page.

#5 Annihilate distractions. 

Yeah, so, erm, this is an extremely difficult one for me. I'm so easily-- Ooo, shiny thing. 

Turn off the social medias. Stop checking email. Don't watch TV (unless that's part of your writing ritual). And one that almost sends me into a tailspin...turn off the cellphone. It's not forever. Just for a certain allotted amount of time. Even if it's only thirty minutes. Every. Minute. Counts.

#6 Roadblocks in the Muse's fast-lane. 

Yup, they happen...to everyone, even if they don't talk about it. Something I have recently started doing: using the <insert thing here>. Get your mind out of the gutter. What I mean is, if I can't figure out a specific and it's really bothering me, I'll use a placeholder and come back to it later. I had several of these in the middle grade (MG) novel I recently finished. 

How about you? Are you writing under a deadline? Have you? What's your secret? I'd love to know.

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Story prompt:

Want more motivation? Who doesn't? Check out more of my Monday posts.

Scoop of Encouragment

5 Elements of a Story

10 Writing Tips That Can Help Most Anyone

Creative prompt + Immediate goal = Focused muse

It Keeps Imaginary Friends Alive

Sometimes writing is hard

5 Tips to Find Motivation

Star Wars on Writing

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Writing is rewriting is coffee is chocolate is rewriting . . . karen

Comfort zone. *smashes out* Words. *writes like the wind* Brownies. *eats them all* #winningcombo #TGIF

Friday Feed . . . Doing things and stuff.

Call me Karen. (writing words)

Me this week. Chuggin' coffee and bangin' out the words. I had gotten my historical romance pitch/proposal--you remember, the one I'm trying to get accepted into an anthology that's set to be pubbed next year--all shiny and sent off to my agent, when she let's me know that I need sample pages of the actual story. Written. Words forming sentences and everything. Eeeeeeep. Like, ASAP. 

*panics*

I wasn't even sure I could do that. I mean, I don't normally write historical fiction, so I had planned to read a ton of it before writing the story. Anywho, I wham-bammed out FIVE pages. Got them all shiny, and now, they're in my agent's hands. Double Eeeeeep.

Current mood . . .

Even if my pitch doesn't get picked for the anthology, this was such a good experience. Pushing myself out of my normal genre and comfort zone has been intense, but extremely beneficial and worthwhile. 

Luke, I am your mother. (kiddo corner)

This week started out on a high note, Monday we went to an awesome new play place with friends and then out for donuts. Then, Lukey got a fever. We had to cancel our plans for Tuesday and Wednesday because he wasn't feeling well. So we just hung out at home. Read a ton of books, ate a lot of fruit, and chilled.

By Wednesday afternoon, he was feeling like a new toddler. So Thursday's playdate still happened. WOOT. Today we have another playdate, and then Saturday is our super busy day. 

Saturday morning is Touch a Truck. Whaaaa?! Lukey is gonna LOSE his MIND. Holla. Then, Saturday afternoon I'm going to a friend's house to work on my DIY fence post growth chart project. You remember, the one where I spent wayy more then what the blogger had spent on hers. Ohh well. Still super excited to see how it turns out.

Pix for your viewing pleasure . . . 

Just keep swimming. (all the randomness)

You're born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult, you only have 206. (Sited)

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Enjoy my Friday Feed? Here's more to delight you.

8 April

1 April

25 March

18 March

11 March

19 February

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Crayons: rainbow paste in my toddler's mouth . . . karen