When the world looks grim, having something to laugh at and enjoy, is worthy and necessary. I used to sing for a living. That felt like I was giving people a moment of pleasure, maybe even helping some forget their troubles for a brief time. Now I write novels. My audience can be entertained whenever it suits them, not having to come to a show of mine.
For years, I haven't admitted that I write romance novels. And some would say my books are light on the romance. I don't write formulaic romance where the hero is introduced on page 3 and the first kiss happens by page 10, etc. I write stories where the romance creeps in, almost organically.
I recently spoke at Bouchercon -- The World Mystery Conference -- on a panel about Romantic Suspense and when questioned why I write this genre, I said that love makes the world go round and I think if you are compelled to write suspense, having a romance in the story balances things out so the only message is not "Watch Out--the World is a dangerous place!" but something more hopeful.
I want women to know that the world is full of love too. And not just romantic love but familial love, neighborly love, even stranger love. I don't mean a one night stand either. Yesterday I had a conversation with a stranger where we found common ground and exchanged information that may make life better for a family member of mine. It was ten minutes of sharing information, out of nowhere, in which both the stranger and I ended tearing up. These moments are everywhere when you remain open to listening and taking time.
For that reason, I write a romantic story line in every book. No woman in need of good love is left behind. She gets her happily ever after when I'm in charge. And there are no shades of grey in my books, just plain grey. And no hiding behind fetishes and calling it love. No degrading college girls with light torture. I want my readers to feel pampered, lovely, not frightened. I want to show empowerment and possibilities.I decided this autumn to compile a group of 12 happy, holiday romances to sell at rock bottom price, everywhere. I wanted to offer something fun and satisfying this year. We need it, Ladies. It's been a stressful year as a nation, as caregivers and as women.
On November 14th, we launch that set of 12 novellas (shorter than a novel and longer than a short story) but if you want to make sure you get your set now, feel free to go to the site where you buy ebooks and reserve your copy. It'll be auto-delivered to your inbox on the morning of the 14th and then you can start reading. And being entertained.
Our catch phrase has been "Fall in Love this Christmas"
Links at the bottom for sites like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.I wrote a brand new novella with never-before seen main characters but borrowed Pepper from my Dream Jumper series as a best friend. My holiday romance is set on Maui and occurs during the evacuation of a community in the path of approaching lava from Kilauea's volcano. Two people end up on Maui at a mutual friend's house for Christmas and find themselves perfectly matched.
I like to write about people who've hit bottom and are trying to pick themselves up to make something of their lives.
Here's a sneak peak from the center of my novella, Maui Kalikimaka:
****
He’d just
slipped in to the steamy water of the outdoor hot tub when Lena came around the corner in a turquoise
one-piece swim suit. Even though Lena probably looked great in a bikini, she
looked breathtakingly beautiful walking across the deck to the hot tub in a
one-piece suit. Kalani was a sucker for long legs. She’d pinned her long hair
up and carried a towel at her side and walked like a model on a runway. He had
to stop himself from whistling. That would have been the old Kalani, the one
who used alcohol for bravery, like a shield. The new Kalani realized he didn’t
have the right to openly judge a woman’s physical appearance with his cat calls
and whistles. Still, he greatly admired Lena’s physical appearance.
She didn’t
make eye contact with him but slipped quietly into the steamy water. Even
though the outside temperature was the low-seventies, the hot water was a nice
contrast and judging from Lena’s sigh as she sank into the bubbling water, she
thought so too.
“Are you
one of those people that like to go from the hot tub to the pool?” He tried to
not stare at her look of sheer relaxation and pleasure.
“Probably not,”
she smiled. “I haven’t had enough to drink for that.” Lena looked over to him.
“I’m not sure if that kind of humor is distasteful to a recovering alcoholic.
I’m sorry.”
The world
was so full of references to drinking alcohol, Kalani hadn’t really noticed.
“Not to me. I only know that I can’t drink alcohol any more, but, like a lot of
alcoholics, I have no problem with other people drinking.”
“Was it
hard to give it up?” Lena swept the water back and forth in little waves
towards her chest, sending ripples over the tops of her breasts.
“Yes, and
no. By the time I realized that I was on a destructive path and had lost some
very important people in my life, I’d hit rock bottom.” He remembered the
morning he woke in a strange tourist woman’s bed at a Kona coast hotel, with no
recollection of how he got there, or where his dog was. The feeling of having
hit an emotional brick wall, told him he’d gone as low as he ever wanted to go.
“Drinking was slowly ruining my chances for having a great life and if I wanted
to make something of myself, it would have to be without alcohol. I went cold
turkey, started going to meetings, and haven’t had a drop since that day. It
happened two days after I told you I was hot stuff in bed, if you need a
reference.”
Lena smile
at him kindly. “I knew you’d had a lot to drink that night we met, but I still found something
about you that was sweet.”
Their eyes
locked and then Lena looked away.
*****I wrote Kalani as a recovering alcoholic because it's a theme of interest to me and shows great strength by overcoming an addiction. Strangely, a review on our Amazon site asks what this author (me) actually knows about alcoholism. I was married to an alcoholic, my two best friends are in the program and family members go to regular meetings. I think I have a pretty good understanding of the disease.
If you're reading this and would like to experience that feeling of falling in love at Christmas, you'll get a copy of Romancing the Holidays. I hope you feel thoroughly entertained and pampered when you read these stories!
12 Novels, 13 Bestselling Authors, plus Christmas Recipes
Here's where to find the Box Set of Novels - Romancing the Holidays
Happy Holidays, Everyone!
KIM HORNSBY is an Amazon #1 Bestselling Author who lives in Seattle, writing Suspense and Romance. Find her on Amazon to see how she opened shows for Jamie Foxx and The Smother's Brothers in Hawaii, then became a novelist.
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