Retreat, Interrupted

Retreat, Interrupted is my story for the Summer Romance on Main Street boxed set. In this book, I return to my fictional town of Lake Willowbee.

Cassie Stone is a failure. At least, she feels that way. She is a writer who hasn’t written in two years. She’s lost her publisher, her agent, her friends. Now, she returns home to Lake Willowbee to bury her father and take care of her mother, who is slowly losing her mind to Alzheimer’s.

Ben Bridges is the chief of police and mayor of Lake Willowbee. His town is dying and its only hope is Cassie Stone and the book festival, the highlight of the summer. With all she has on her shoulders, can he add saving the town?

Is Cassie the teenager he remembers who ran away at the first opportunity, or has she become the woman he can rely on, he can fall in love with, who will stay?

My cover artist, Elaina Lee, of For The Muse Designs, has created another beautiful cover.

Cassie was my funnest heroine to write so far. Making her a writer let me connect with her flaws and quirks all too well. Unfortunately, she is suffering from a case of writer’s block I hope no writer will ever have to suffer. (knock on wood)

I can’t wait to read all of the other stories in this set and to let readers experience

Summer Romance on Main Street

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Jill James, romance writer

Deadly Deadlines

Image via clip art

This summer, the ladies here at the Authors of Main Street put out a new collection of novellas, focused on weddings. The Weddings on Main Street collection was well received, with more than twenty 4/5 Star Reviews, in just over a months time. I am just thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful group of writers, and more importantly, people. Working with them this summer on this, and future projects, has been a highlight.  It also led to new opportunities for me.

Thanks to the wedding boxed set, I created a wedding series that I planned to do on my own, outside of the set.  A publisher took interest, and offered me a contract. A publisher with whom I am very excited to be a part of their contemporary romance line. This means I am officially a hybrid, which I admit sounds a lot less cool than being an Indie. But it means an opportunity for me to possibly reach new readers, with the assistance of a larger budget and more resources, in terms of marketing. I was ecstatic with this change in circumstance, despite it making me sound like a really slow, hipster vehicle. 😛

The week I signed the contract I already had the first two books, in the series, written and was working on number three. It seemed like a piece of cake, a good old walk in the park, until I sat down at my laptop. Suddenly, I was working on someone else’s deadline, making use of someone else’s resources, and someone else would be counting on me to help make a name of their brand. YIKES!!

Image via clip art

It took me almost a week to write more than a sentence or two. It was driving me crazy. I certainly spent some time worried that I was going to ruin this opportunity. It was a case of the deadly deadlines. I am used to working on my schedule and suddenly, I couldn’t write at just any pace and I was accountable to someone other than myself. I had signed a contract for heaven’s sake.

At some point, I just had to get over it and work. Writing is what I do, what I love, and I would do it whether I was publishing or not. So, big girl panties on, I sat down and just did it!  It had to be done and the story was all in my head, I just needed to get over the jitters.

Some days words flow like crazy and I wish I didn’t have to stop for real life things, such as cooking dinner or picking my son up from school. Other days, I keep an eye on the clock, willing it to be the end of my scheduled work day. It’s a process and I am so excited to finish this series, work with this new publishing house, and reach out to a larger fan base with my book babies. It’s been a great summer professionally. In between my deadly deadline issues, the exciting release of Weddings on Main Street, and getting some work done on other projects, I did find time to enjoy summer vacation with the kid.

 

On this blog we love authors and supporting them in this industry. So, I shared my deadline story now we want to hear about your next deadline or most recent one. We want to hear about your new release, if you have one. I don’t like the term “pimp your book”, so let’s call this a “Book Shout Out”. Let our readers know what you are up to and where to find you on social media, so they can track you down. Ready, set, gooooooooo!

*fyi: the readers here are mainly sweet to mild heat, so we ask you keep that in mind w/ any excerpts, descriptions or images you post about your stories. Thank you in advance!

Image via Flickr Creative Commons

Thanks for stopping by today, wish me luck readers and writers on this new hybrid adventure. I feel blessed to be able to do both and I cannot wait for the next installment of The Authors of Main Street, which you can expect out in early 2015! We are plotting and planning and scheming away. 🙂

Wishing you well in fiction and real life,

Kelly Rae

Summertime Madness

San Diego, CA

Summer is here and I couldn’t be happier, days of sun and swimming lay ahead, for the kid and me.  Like most, we have plans to travel a bit. Our first trip will be in full swing, when this post goes live, on Independence Day! We will be in gorgeous Southern California, with family watching fireworks near the beach. Hooray!

As we travel, by car, from Oregon down into California, we will be making stops from the top to the bottom of the state. Along the way we get to attend a 1-year-old birthday party, see for the first time a new baby to our family, visit every grandparent my son has (there are a lot of them), go swimming in pools and oceans, eat good food and catch-up with our loved ones. I wonder if it will all be exhausting as it sounds? Ha!

Golden Gate

Unfortunately for me, this will be somewhat a working vacation. Oh the dangers of being your own boss – you forget to schedule REAL vacation time! 🙂 The good news is that I have so much going on, in my writing life, that I will need to work a little each day in order to stay on track. I have promoting and fine tuning to do on my novella series, One Day at a Wedding. The first of which was released with the wonderful ladies here on Main Street in our newest boxed set Weddings on Main Street.

I would love to hear about your vacation plans for the summer or just in general what kind of vacation style do you enjoy? Our first trip is all about visiting family and friends. Check out our poll and share your faves with us, feel free to comment as well and start a discussion about your best vacation ever!

I would also like to take a moment, this being Independence Day, to wish everyone a happy holiday, may you spend it with those you love and cherish most. USA! USA! USA!

Wishing you only the best in fiction and in life.

Kelly Rae

 

 

All of the lovely stories below are available in the newest Authors on Main Street Boxed set! We are all so proud of the entire set and hope that those of you who have read it would consider writing a review and letting others know what you thought of our collection of weddings!

Being an author isn’t all about the writing.

Back in my young, naïve days of writing–oh, circa 2004 LOL I thought writing a book was the hard part about being a writer. (Yes, you can all laugh now.) I was like the little kid in the back seat of the car. “Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” The End seemed to be at the end of a dark tunnel that I was traversing forever.

Flash forward to joining RWA (Romance Writers of America) and learning about agents, and editors, query letters, a synopsis, and submitting. Needless to say, writing the book is not the hardest part.

Flash forward again to going Indie and I’ve learned a whole new brand of hard. Formatting, uploading, checking book descriptions, reading TOS for each vendor, pricing, cover art, editing, and etc. Because the list is never-ending. But it can be a little easier with a group like the Authors of Main Street. A couple do formatting. One does the cover. We all have input (sometimes that is funny all by itself) and we can discuss anything about the book.

So today I thought I would try to make a picture with text for putting on Facebook. I like Photoshop but I’m not great at it yet. Well, I’ll let you be the judge. But be gentle, still working on that thick skin us writers are supposed to grow. 🙂

Wedding Surprise

I thought that my box set Holiday Babies would consist of three novels: the stories of the two oldest Ramsay sisters, Madelyn and Roxanne, and that of their mother, Barbara.

But what could I do when many readers emailed me asking for the stories of the two youngest Ramsay sisters, Claire and Tiffany, and that of stepsister, Monica?

A heartwarming holiday story, set in South Florida.
Dedicated to her patients, the serious Dr. Madelyn Ramsay never had time for fun. An unexpected health problem jolts her into the realization that there’s more to life than just work. But can she handle the charming and secretive Dr. Nick Preston who carries his own package of disillusions? Can she allow two newborn twins to worm their way into her heart?

This story will take you from the heart of Kentucky to South Florida and Atlanta, and then to Iraq and Germany.
Fearless reporter, Roxanne Ramsay, doesn’t think twice before traveling for important assignments, even in a war zone–until her last trip leads her to a life-altering mistake.
At his best friends’ wedding, Dr. Greg Hayes, who has a serious phobia of planes, can’t take his eyes off the lovely maid of honor. Getting involved with the strong-headed and too generous reporter involves more complications than the bright doctor has ever faced in the OR. Yet what wouldn’t he do to save the love of his life and her baby?

Widowed for seven years, Barbara Ramsay lives and breathes for her five grownup daughters and their babies. She’s also used to chatting over the phone with her good friend, Lou. But why has he invited her to come to Paris with his TV Network crew? Powerful News Director, Lou Roland is certainly not marriage material, yet he has suddenly decided he wants Barbara in his arms. Can the over-fifty confirmed bachelor and the widow loyal to her husband’s memory find true love and share a future?

I decided to give in to my readers’ demands and write Claire’s story at the same time the Authors of Main Street organized a new box set.

WEDDING SURPRISE (Holiday Babies Series II) will be part of the 11 book box to be published in June, WEDDINGS ON MAIN STREET.

Claire and life-long boyfriend, David, faced many challenges over the years, and there were times when she thought she would lose him. Finally, Claire’s dream of a wonderful white wedding to the man she loves is about to come true. Then Adriana, the high-school classmate who’s tried to snatch David several times, makes an announcement that threatens to destroy the couple’s happiness. The Ramsey clan all pull together to help, but do Claire and David love each other enough to stay together?

 

I can’t wait to read the ten other stories in WEDDINGS ON MAIN STREET.

Second Chance Wedding by Leigh Morgan

 

 

 

On June 9th, my stand-alone novella, SECOND CHANCE WEDDING, will be available as part of the 11 novella boxed set from Authors of Main Street: Weddings on Main Street.

I hope that you like the cover as much as I do. SECOND CHANCE WEDDING is a story of coming home again, healing, and a second chance at finding love to last a lifetime. Lemons and flowers – it seemed to fit. Sweet, with a bit of sizzle and summer heat. (A bit of spice – 3/5 flames)

 

 

Excerpt from SECOND CHANCE WEDDING:

Life converged on Mel MacAlister with a ferocity it hadn’t shown since she lost both of her parents in a car accident halfway through kindergarten. There were those in her profession who announced with a kind of elitist superiority they found charming, that children in general didn’t have clear memories before the age of two, and after a traumatic loss at the tender age of five, any memories she specifically may have had of her parents, were most certainly the product of fantasy more than memory.

What a load of crap.

Mel remembered.

She remembered the scent of her mother’s perfume on her pillow after Melody MacAlister snuggled with her. She remembered the deep rumbling sound of her father’s laugh when the three of them danced to the Steve Miller Band in their kitchen that always smelled of fresh baked bread. She remembered chocolate cake for breakfast and eggs for dinner. She remembered “silly Saturdays” spent by the lake, and the fact that the lake was called a pond, even though it was way too big to be called a pond. She remembered being carried to bed in strong arms and read to every night to keep the monsters out of the closet and away from under the bed. She remembered the stench of the hospital; the creepiness of the funeral director; the sadness on her grandmother’s face as the big men with expressionless faces lowered her parents into the black earth.

She remembered the first day at her new school, Shute Pond Elementary, in the small-town named after the lake that was too big to be a pond. She remembered one blond-haired girl coming up to her where she stood alone on the playground at recess, hand thrust out like she was an adult business person saying hello. Instead of saying “hello”, she said, I’m sorry your parents are dead. I want to be your friend. My name’s Wendy.

Now, here she was, twenty-eight years later, rehearsing for tomorrow’s walk down the aisle as Wendy Doonan’s maid of honor.

Yep, a lot had happened in almost three decades. Fate had been kind to her for the most part since she first met Wendy. Until now. Until today. Until she had to come face to face with Conall O’Malley, her first, and only, real love.

…

 Conall loved four women in his lifetime: his mother, his niece, Kitt MacAlister, and her pain-in-the-ass granddaughter, “Mel” MacAlister. Her real name was Sunshine Melody MacAlister. When he had stolen her lunchbox while walking home from school in second grade, she punched him in the face. His father was so angry with him for what he called tormenting a wee girl. She had been a “wee” girl then. She still was a half-pint. When his mother saw his blackening eye, she said, you’ve been hit by sunshine, laddy. If I were you, I’d treat something so bright with more respect from now on.

Post Script:

I’m dancing on sunshine, anticipating the June 9th release of SECOND CHANCE WEDDING, and all of the marvelous wedding novellas set to release in Weddings on Main Street. Enjoy! I know I will.

Once Upon a Wedding – COVER REVEAL!

Wedding Novella Series – Book 1

 

Welcome to my COVER REVEAL DAY!

Once Upon a Wedding will be available June 9th, as part of the newest boxed set by The Authors of Main Street, titled:Weddings on Main Street.

You are cordially invited to attend more than eleven weddings this summer, as told by the lovely writers who brought you the Best-Selling Christmas Anthology, Christmas on Main Street. The reception to our boxed set was beyond our imagination and it seemed only natural to get together again, this summer.

Eleven writers, with distinct voices and brand new tales all surrounding wedding season. Is there anything more romantic than a wedding? Whether you are getting married, in the wedding party, or a guest it’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of the day.

Unless, you are a single, late 20’s gal, who is plain tired of weddings and everyone asking her when it’s her turn. In Cassie Anderson’s case, the magic of the day wears off pretty quick. Granted, it could also be the horrid dresses taking up valuable space in her closet, a closet that wouldn’t even fit her own wedding dress, if she could find a man. 🙂

As Cassie’s friends from high school and college get married and pair up for life, she has high hopes for it being her turn – one day. Even when she does meet someone whom she can’t seem to shake, she fears it will never happen. Every time she sees Dan Simmons, who has gotten very hunky since high school, the spark and sheer magnetic pull between them is palpable – but their timing is always off, way off!

Luckily, Cassie has a best friend, Thad Carlmont, who is her constant companion and date to all of these events, so at least she doesn’t have to go stag. Even if Thad spends most of his time, as her date, trying to score other lonely wedding goers, he makes a better date than her bouquets.

Each time she attends a wedding where Dan is also a guest she wonders, if maybe this time, the timing will be just right!

Check it out on June 9th, and see what happens between Cassie, Dan and the much too handsome Thad.

I am thrilled to be a part of the Authors of Main Street and I know our new readers, and those who already enjoy our work, are going to love this new anthology.  Cassie, Dan and Thad are jumping up and down waiting for their chance to meet you, this June 9th, and share the first book in their novella series.

All month-long, this blog is dedicated to cover reveals and sneak peeks, into the novellas that will make up, Weddings on Main Street. So, make sure to check back, ask questions, and get into the wedding spirit with us – all summer long.

 

Summer Release Schedule for my Wedding Novella Series:

June 9th, Once Upon a Wedding RELEASING in the Weddings on Main Street Anthology

July 15th, Every Other Wedding (2nd Book – Dan’s Story) RELEASING

Aug 15th, Title TBD (3rd Book – Thad’s Story) RELEASING

There may be more to come. I have ideas and characters speaking to me all the time, be sure to check back here or on my website (www.kellyraebooks.com)to make sure you don’t miss any news about the Anthology, or my Summer Wedding Series.

Also, you can find us all on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/authorsofmainstreet, where we love to interact with readers/friends.

Or sign up for our newsletters, here on this blog, and you will be kept up to date on new releases from each author individually, and all anthology news, as well. Thanks for stopping by today!

All the best,

Kelly Rae

 

 

Real Life Love Stories…Say What?

Here on Main Street we write fiction, which is my preferred state of being most days. 🙂 I find the lives I create are often so much more exciting than my real life, which to be honest is fine by me, exciting doesn’t always equal a positive. I am not much for real life drama, I prefer my drama in a book or on a screen.

Writers create a great escape for others to leave the stress and worry of their lives behind. We offer characters who are accessible and relatable, who inspire and who almost always find their Happily Ever After. Which is what we all want isn’t it? At least, until we can obtain it for ourselves, reading about it helps!  have always thought so anyway.

For this blog I thought it would be interesting to discuss real life love stories. To Google I went, typing in variations of GREATEST REAL LIFE LOVE STORIES to see what I could find. Although I knew a lot of the stories already, I have to say I was rather shocked by the results. There seems to be a popular ten famous love stories on the lists I found, all with two shocking similarities, death and infidelity – sometimes both. Am I to believe that in order to have a GREAT love, one of historical proportions, it must result in death and/or begin with adultery? I hope not, but take a look.

Lancelot & Guinevere – Photo Credit to Romantic Fae

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Marc Antony & Cleopatra – Marc Antony was married and left his wife Octavia for Cleopatra. When Octavia brought an army to revenge their actions, they killed themselves rather than be torn apart.  *infidelity & death

 

• Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor – They were both married when they met, later married and divorced each other twice, before giving up on a life together. Although, both have claimed the other to be the love of their lives, despite marrying other people after their time together. *infidelity

 

• Tristan & Iseult (Isolde) – Iseult was married to Tristan’s uncle when they met and fell in love. When King Mark finds out about the affair he kills his nephew in a rage and Iseult they died of grief after having seen Tristan’s corpse. *infidelity & death

 

• Lancelot & Guinevere – Guinevere was married to Lancelot’s friend and “boss” King Arthur when they fell in love. Once their affair was discovered, after years of rumors, Guinevere was sentenced to die by fire for her infidelity. Instead she was sent to a convent where she stayed until death. Lancelot was removed from the Knights of the Round Table and died a lovesick hermit. *infidelity

 

• Napoleon & Josephine – While married to each other, history reports they both cheated a time or two. Once divorced it is said that Napoleon continued to pine for Josephine (it’s rumored he carried violets from her garden in a locket until his death) and she was the last name on his lips as he died, not that of his current wife. *infidelity

 

• Prince Edward & Wallis Simpson: Wallis Simpson was married when they met & fell in love, she did eventually get a divorce and married the Prince. But his family was very disapproving of their romance, because of the affair and because she was an American. He eventually abdicated his throne in order to be with Wallis. *infidelity

 

• Voltaire & Emilie du Chatelet – Emilie was married to a Marquis when she met and fell in love with Voltaire. They did not keep their love a secret and at one time even lived together in a house owned by her husband. They were together until Emilie’s death. *infidelity

 

• Lord Nelson & Lady Emma Hamilton: Lady Emma was married when they met and fell in love, their affair took London by storm as they did not feel the need to keep it a secret. They even went so far as to live together as lovers in the same home as Lord Nelson. *infidelity

 

• Prince Khurram & Mumtaz Mahal Begum : Mumatz was the 3rd wife of Prince Khurram and most revered it seems since he built the Taj Mahal in her honor, when she died giving birth to their 14th child. *culturally accepted polygamy (infidelity)

 

• Prince Saleem & Anarkali – Prince Saleem fell in love with a slave, Anarkali, to the disapproval of his parents. Their love was forbidden and a battle between father and son ensued. When the King won, he demanded Anarkali’s death and Saleem said he would die too. A deal was struck when Anarkali offered her life if they spared Saleem and allowed them one night together, which they were granted, before she was buried alive in a brick tomb that stands today. *death

These are not new stories to me, but I never really looked at them as a group. I have to say I am a little unnerved by the similarities, across cultures and centuries the greatest love stories passed down through time are all tragic. So, to this I say thank you to fiction for creating Happily Ever After’s (Shakespeare with his Romeo & Juliet be Damned 🙂 )! Real life needs writers like us, who make you laugh and smile and fall in love with book boyfriends who won’t cheat on you or sentence you to death!

Needless to say this blog did not go where I thought it would when I started researching earlier this week. It was fun, but not nearly as awe-inspiring or lovely as intended. I think I will settle for a great love, that doesn’t make history – seems the safest bet! LOL

Thanks for stopping by today, if you haven’t signed up for our newsletter, please do and you will be the first to hear about our next boxed set.

If you would like to read some of my made up love stuff, lol, check out my website at www.kellyraebooks.com. Wishing you all the best in fiction and real life.

Kelly Rae

P.s. As I was telling my son (11-years-old) about my day of research for this blog, trying to highlight the death aspect more than the adultery side, he was mostly interested in Helen of Troy and the way she started the Trojan War. He says to me, “Well that just shows you how much we love our women, when we aren’t cheating on them!” Yup, that sums it up…Eh-gads! 😉

Downton Abbey On Main Street

As I look back to the finale of season 4 of Downton Abbey, I wonder why this show above others has so gripped me.

Admittedly the fashions are FABU, darling. Every episode is a sartorial work of art.

Upstairs, it’s beads and silks and spangles glowing in the candlelight. Downstairs, it’s homespun charm and organic earthiness.

But the real appeal for me lies with the daily trials and tribulations, both large and small, of the people who make Downton Abbey their home. From a toothache to an unplanned pregnancy, from secret love letters to post-coital death. All of it holds me captive, especially when I realize these circumstances play out whether one is wearing an apron or a party dress from Paris. People are essentially the same whether they live upstairs or downstairs, whether they were raised on a pig farm in the nursery with a nanny.

The show is a study in contrasts, but it also illustrates what binds us together. And there’s something for everyone; romance, treachery, manipulation, petty squabbles, a smile at the seaside.

A village resides at the Abbey, different families, different destinies, different windows to peek in.

Quite like the stories we’d find on any Main Street.

The theme of this blog is that the authors each provide a different window to peek in, a different story  to enjoy. And yet each one is resonates with what binds us all–love and family.

Check out the offerings of the authors here and find your new favorite way to enjoy the captivating story of humanity.

And the clothes are pretty good, too.

Pajama Eve

(Gratuitous – My Kid was/is a Super Cute Kid Photo)

Every family has their own blend of holiday traditions, at this time of year. My favorite is actually one I inherited from my ex in-laws; and although I didn’t keep the husband, I did keep Pajama Eve. Every person who spends Christmas Eve with me receives a new pair of pajamas to impress Santa, with cookies and hot cocoa on the side.

Even though my son knows what to expect, there is a part of him that is still excited to see what new set of PJ’s he is getting. It allows him the opportunity to open one present on Christmas Eve. Which used to be enough, but in recent years he now spends at least fifteen minutes trying to weasel one more present out of me before bed.  I suppose that is the new addition to the tradition, until he is grown. At least I hope it ends when he is grown.  🙂

It really gets everyone in the spirit of giving and receiving. Plus, who doesn’t love new warm pajamas on a cold winters night?

My other favorite tradition is having gooey, cinammoney (it should be a word, don’t you think?) pastries prepped and ready to bake Christmas morning. This is more important to me than whatever might be for dinner. I have included one recipe for this delightful treat below, but there are many varieties to choose from. I generally lean towards the ones with icing, go big or go back to bed!

Before I take my leave I just wanted to express how grateful we all are to our readers. The success we have had with our new Christmas on Main Street Boxed Set has really touched all of us here. We have been the #1 Inspirational Best Seller for more than a week and continue to rank in the top 1-3 in Romance and Anthology Categories. If you don’t have your copy yet, click the cover on the side bar and see what all the fuss is about!

Writing books is a career, true. But it is also a huge expression of who we all are or dream to be and to have it so well received has been thrilling for all of us! So, thank you again for all of your support, reviews and referrals. We are blessed! Happy Holidays and please share your traditions with us in the comments, maybe we will be inspired to try something new.

 

CHRISTMAS TEA RING

Ingredients:

1 (1 pound) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed (or make your own) 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.	Roll bread dough into a rectangle 8 inches wide and 15 inches long. Spread butter over the bread, leaving about 1/2 inch of a long edge unbuttered. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a bowl and sprinkle the mixture over the buttered part of the dough.
2.	Starting with the long edge opposite the unbuttered edge, tightly roll the dough over the filling; seal the roll along the unbuttered edge to make a log.
3.	Lightly grease a 12-inch round cake pan or baking dish; place dough into the pan and form a ring, pinching the two ends together to seal. Use kitchen scissors or sharp knife to make cuts 3/4 inch deep into the outside of the ring. Twist the cut sections of dough slightly to reveal filling.
4.	Cover the tea ring with a cloth, place into a warm area, and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
5.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6.	Bake tea ring in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Cover with a sheet of aluminum foil after 15 minutes if tea ring starts to brown too quickly. Let tea ring cool in pan for about 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling on a wire rack.
7.	Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, and vanilla extract in a bowl to make a smooth frosting. Spread top of the tea ring with frosting.