FREE eBOOKS TODAY!

Here's a list of some free books if you got a new eReader for Christmas and want to load it!
There's no guarantee they will be free when you read this blog but I'm writing this on Boxing Day.
(That is December 26th to anyone not from British origins.)

THE DREAM JUMPER'S SECRET - FREE Dec 26-28, Suspense, Thriller with Romance and Military elements

CHRISTMAS IN WHISTLER - FREE Dec 25-26 Pure Contemporary Romance, 3/5 Sexy rating

MAIDEN'S VEIL - FREE Dec 26,27 - Women's Fiction with Romantic, Historical Elements

AMOUR - PermaFree - Historical with Strong Romantic Elements - Continuing Story in Serie


THE DREAM JUMPER'S PURSUIT - FREE Dec 28-30 , Suspense, Paranormal, Thriller

THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE - FREE Dec 29-31 , Award-Winning Bestseller, Book 1 in Suspense, Thriller, Romance, Supernatural series

The Tale of Two Cities - Classic!

Twenty-eight and a half Wishes - Enjoyable mystery, First in the Series

And here's a link to CRIMINAL CHRISTMAS - a 8-Book Suspense Set (Each book is less than 20 cents!


Here's a Link on Amazon to see what's free today on their bestseller list.

Book Covers Drive Me CRAZY!

Book Covers drive me absolutely Bat-Poop, Around-the-Bend Crazy. I want to tear out my hair.

Because it is entirely possible (and probable) to judge a book by its cover, having a compelling book cover that represents the story is absolutely imperative. You don't want a photo of a pretty pastel-colored house with a flower garden if it's Suspense, nor do you want to have a bloody knife, if your story is Women's Fiction. Those are obvious examples but there are so many grey areas that I drive myself to Chardonnay when trying to decide on a book cover.

I am a person who sees everything from 27 different angles so a final decision never actually happens. I have to give up changing, looking, tweaking. I have to actually get so frustrated, tired and broken in spirit, that I give up, like some wild mustang that has to be shown who's boss in the ole corral. Don't get me started on how long it took to decide on this cover:

Recently, I had the opportunity to change my cover for a non-Indie novel of mine published with a wonderful publishing house. Don't get me wrong. Taking away some of my torture by making me a cover and then not letting me have a say in it, was wonderful in a way.
This book (which I LOVE!) had a cover that did not represent my story very well. At least the hero was wrong. The hero on the cover has skinny, adolescent-girl arms, wears a mint green polo and has a very tall head with a clean-cut look. In the book he is described as someone more, shall we say, ruggedly manly. On Pinterest, he is Sawyer, that hunk from the hit TV show LOST.

Don't ask me how I got the publisher to agree to changing the cover but I did. I then went to all the Stock Photo sites and spent about 3 days trying different things, playing around with ideas. I hardly left my office for hours on end.

The story of Necessary Detour is Rear Window (Hitchcock) meets The Bodyguard. The woman is in turmoil as she finds distraction in spying on the strange family next door.

I finally decided that I wanted to have both characters on the cover and eventually came up with this...

I sent my idea off to the publisher and the cover artist came up with this...

I love it! Although I did like the stars and lake in the first one, the new cover represents the two heroes much better. She's a Rock Star, running away from a life and a stalker and he's trying to not get involved with the woman who's moved next door on their remote, uninhabited lake. It's a Romantic Suspense, so this font works really well. Thank you, cover artist.

One cover down.

Then I decided to change a cover I have control over. I wrote a Fan Fiction novel for Kindle Worlds in the Lei Crime category and it isn't doing as well as I'd hoped. The story is a kick-ass mystery whodunit and with the support of the author of the original series, Toby Neal, I just assumed it would take off like a 747 in a tail wind. It hasn't and I can only think it's the cover with the reference to the Rocky Horror Show (bloody font) or the young woman on the cover who might suggest she's younger than she actually is in the story. Because I'm not sure what the novel's problem is, I'm trying cover first.

I asked my buddy Bob, who is a world famous Hawaiian photographer and has the photo site Photo Images Maui, if I could have a lava photo. For free. 'Cause we're friends. He said yes and I tried a few things with his GORGEOUS photos of lava.

I finally ended up with a design that the group of authors at Lei Crime Kindle Worlds Facebook Secret Group approved. Toby Neal too, which is like saying the boss approved. She's very hands on with her Kindle World group and the way she helps us and cares about our projects I have to think she's an amazing mother. Toby suggested the font be bigger in the title and she was right! (We have to leave space at the bottom left so Kindle Worlds can put their logo on there.) Last night I uploaded the new cover but have yet to see the change on Kindle Worlds. We'll see if the new cover helps.

I actually really like this cover.
Today.
Tomorrow is a different story.
See what I mean about indecision?

As of this moment, my other covers are working for me just fine. I think. What do you think? I might get the artist to change the busy box set 3D cover. Check out my Amazon page and let me know what you think of my covers. Kim Hornsby on Amazon

Kim Hornsby is the Bestselling Author of THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE, available on Amazon books. her stories usually involve a Suspense, a Romance, and a touch of Supernatural.

Chicken Enthusiast Looks Engaged!

Watching The Bachelor news these days is wildly exciting as they leak bits and dribbles of information to us Bachelor Nation fans in anticipation of the Season 20 Bachelor Debut, January 4th, on ABC.
This week ABC released the list of lovely women vying for the hand of Ben Higgins, the software guy who lives in Colorado and builds homes for poor Hondurans in his spare time. Ben is every nice girls' ticket to dreamboat city.

Among the contestant information fed to us were the professions of the 28 women. Yes, you heard me. They have 28 women this year! Why so many, you ask? Well, twins added 1 extra to the pile and then they brought back two former contestants, Becca and Amber, the latter of whom was fresh off Bachelor in Paradise, still scratching her mosquito bites, no doubt. So that's 3 extra. Who knows what they were thinking?
But, the huge number of women isn't the big news this week. Oh no. The biggest news is that one of the women listed her profession as a Chicken Enthusiast. Has this got you wondering what that is, like the rest of the Nation?

After reading all the blogs and articles, and watching Jimmey Kimmel make fun of her supposed job by saying she might work the gravy gun at KFC, I have to say that some people totally get it and some do not. I'm pretty sure there is no such profession as a chicken enthusiast people. But I am sure there will be lots of people who protest that it sounds like a stupid job and those who argue that this Tiara Soleim sounds a bit unusual,which to them won't be a compliment.
I happen to think it sounds like the best profession I've seen on The Bachelor, maybe ever. And I've been a HUGE fan since the first season with what's his name. Ya, him.
Last week, anyone creeping her name on social media could see that she has a very good job, one that kind of explains those gorgeous teeth. But she must have a fun side also, one that has a degree of crazy-wackiness in this woman that just might translate well to great TV viewing. Remember when Bachelor Nation campaigned for Amy Schumer to be the next Bachelorette? People want funny! So often, the girls are boring and careful, and I for one would love to see a chicken enthusiast explain herself.

If you find her on Instagram at Mizz_Minxy, you'll see that she leads a very active life that involves chickens. Even her Dad likes chickens, looks like. That's the spirit! There's a particularly cute photo of her with a favorite chicken whose name escapes me right now. But hey, look at those fingernails. Is that a clue into the psyche of the chicken enthusiast? Did you think frivolous the same time I did? Yes you did.
Here's my main thought on this chicken enthusiast profession that everyone (including Kimmel and Fallon) are talking about this week:

Could it be that someone is actually making fun of The Bachelor reality show by throwing this crazy profession back in the faces of those hungry producers who need a good hook to keep the show fresh? (I'm imagining a young producer begging Tiara to do more chicken schtick for the camera so he can get a funny shot of her.)

If you creep Ms. Soleim on Instagram, you'll see that she rides horses inarguably better than most of the population, has tons of smiley friends, loves the outdoors, competes in a snow sculpture competitions with her family, water skis, models wedding gowns, looks fab in a bikini, and kisses chickens. At that last one I'm thinking, okay, I kiss my dogs and let them lick my face sometimes so I can't fault Chicken Lady for this. How does this translate to the love connection? From what I've read about Ben the Bachelor, he's adventurous and outdoorsy. And benevolent. I have to think that Ben will love this woman. Also, didn't his bio say his physical type was Black Lively? Look below...

Here's a photo of Tiara and Ben, released by ABC on the DisneyABC site from the first night. She looks totally engaged and there isn't a chicken in sight. Oops, did I say "engaged?" (And where is his right hand???) It kind of looks like she's guarding that gown opening with both hands ready to slap him away, doesn't it?

Other professions not getting nearly as much attention this week in the same entertainment news circles are Cowgirl, Unemployed and Mathematician. (I needed spell check for that last one!) Mathematician is what happens when a perfectly lovely and brainy woman puts her real, money-paying profession on the application form without any hint of her tongue planted firmly in her cheek.

Soon enough we'll be watching the show and will forget what they they all do for a living, instead calling them by names like Onion Girl or Black-Boxed Butt Girl or even Drunk Girl, and you know there's always one of those in every crowd. But, until the show gets rolling, I'm having fun anticipating what the chicken enthusiast who looks like Blake Lively will say and do!
How about you?
For the full list on the appropriately All Things Bachelor Site, visit the International Business Times, click here.

Kim Hornsby is a National Bestselling Author and invites readers to try her free romance novella on Amazon Kindle that's based on The Bachelor, called THE HUSBAND HUNT.

Find Kim on Amazon
Click here...

I'm an Indie Author

I sit at my desk at least 6 hours a day, 7 days a week
My neighbors know how I write a sex scene
I live inside my head for at least half of the day
I smell my own print books
I wake up at 5 a.m. with an idea and have to get to my laptop
My kids eat frozen pizza and microwaved lasagna when I write
I disguise begging to ask friends to review my book
Some months I pay out more in promo than I make
I fret about self promotion and appearing brash
I take rejection on the chin and keep going
Favorite words are "BookBub said yes" & "I just typed The End"
I have a to-do list with the words Mail Chimp and Pic Monkey
I tweet, post, promote, review, blog, design, and dialogue in my head
My friends mostly read the NY Times Bestseller List
My enemy is formatting
My husband doesn't read books
My kids have no idea
Strangers have written nasty reviews about my heartfelt work
I don't watch TV unless it helps my writing
I stop to think if it's "its" or "it's"
I'm getting fatter every year and don't really care
I have to do this or go slightly crazy
Commas drive me crazy, frustrated, and mad
I was just horrified to see "crazy" on consecutive lines
When I wake, I remember my latest book and smile
Some of my favorite peeps, I've never met in person
I go to workshops titled "How to Brand Yourself"
I give workshops called "How to Survive Your Virgin Year in Publishing"
I put together box sets of books and give proceeds to charity
At a writer conference, I have a room of 300 friends
A 5 star review is like a present at the door
Pictures of cozy reading corners make me happy
Getting a box of my books in the mail is heaven
I make enough money to help with groceries
My critique group understands me
I organize writer retreats in gorgeous houses in the woods
A few neighbors think I'm a bit of a celebrity
Writing this made me feel good
I have somewhere to go every day, even if it's just in my head

I'm an Indie Author

Kim Hornsby is the Bestselling Author of THE DREAM JUMPER'S PROMISE.
Find more about Kim at www.kimhornsbyauthor.net