All the Books!

 I was lucky enough to have parents who read to me and who prioritized having books in the home because they were readers too. (My mother was an insomniac, and read a mystery a night. My father favored history and biographies. My brother is a huge reader, fiction, non-fiction, it doesn't matter. 

I am a huge fan of libraries because even with an allowance, I couldn't buy all the books I wanted to read as a kid. I loved going to the library. One or the other of my parents took us every week and I've had a library card since I was old enough to write my name with one of those chubby pencils. My parents also had a very laid-back attitude toward content. If I COULD read it, I could read it, if you know what I mean. When  my high school required permission slips for my  honors history class to read William Styron's Confessions of Nat Turner, they signed the slip without thinking twice.

Styron was a graduate of Duke University, as am I, and in my freshman or sophomore year, he came to the school and read to us from his work in progress, which turned out to be Sophie's Choice. I don't remember that much about the evening, just that the prose was so clean and clear and sexy without being pornographic. I was already thinking about being a writer--or rather, making a living as a writer--and I was thrilled to be in the presence of "a real writer," even though my own mother made a living as a columnist for one of the local papers.

I like to give books as presents. And I like to give money to organizations that support literacy and reading. 

If you have a young child, you probably know about (the awesome) Dolly Parton project Imagination Library. Her foundation provides a free book a month for children up to the age of five. She created the foundation in honor of her father, who was "the smartest man she knew" but unable to read, which kept him from achieving his dreams. You can sign up for the program here. (It's not just in the US, but in the UK, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, and Australia. 

Everybody's favorite actor/literacy advocate, LeVar Burton has just launched a Kickstarter campaign to reboot the beloved PBS show Reading Rainbow. (Not everyone is a fan, see crankypants Washington Post article here) and it's gotten a lot of buzz. You can even get a cool t-shirt. Here's the link to the kidkstarter campaign if you want to read the pitch and/or donate. 

Haymarket Books has a program they call Books Not Bars and aims to get books (they publish) into the hands of people incarcerated this holiday season. But there ae also organizations that work to provide books for prisoners that come from all kinds of publishers. The rules are pretty strict. Holy books of all faiths are always welcome, as are books like dictionaries. How-to-draw books are regularly requested. Here's a good article posted by the PDX organization that provides books. 

Welcome to the giving season!!

 have reached the point in my life where I really don't need anything. Books are always welcome, gift certificates for massages and facials are appreciated, and I never say no to a box of chocolates. But I love it when people give gifts in my name, particularly when they know the causes I support.  I'm for feeding hungry people. I support literacy. I think science is important. I read banned books. I believe we're in a climate crisis. 

If you're looking for a gift for that hard-to-buy-for person, here are my go-tos. 

Organizations that feed people. 

Jose Andres' World  Central Kitchen. If there's a natural disaster or a humanitarian disaster and people are hungry, Jose and his team are there. Charity Navigator rates it 4/4 (100%) in all categories. 

Meals on Wheels provides meals for seniors and it's a godsend. Charity Navigator rates individual programs and they consistently score in the mid-90s to 100%.

Project Angel Food provides medically tailored meals for those facing critical and life-threatening illnesses. Charity Nasvigator gives them a 100% rating. 

All for Lunch works to end school lunch debt and donations pay off that debt so everyone can get a lunch that doesn't consist of "sunbutter" sandwiches. Charity Navigator has not yet rated.

 

Stuff Your Ereader: Witch Edition

Free books--who doesn't like them? Get them here.

Paranormal romance of all sorts, including the first in Kat Parrish's Ostrander Witches series, Deus Ex Magical. DEM is a short, sweet read (with a tiny little bit of spice) and it was a ton of fun to write. It takes place in Seattle (where I've been) and Martinique (where I'd like to go.) 

I love these "stuff your ereader" events because they feel like going on a shopping binge except there are no credit card purchases to pay off down the road. Instant gratification and more books to read.

All the books have witches in them. Check them out here. 
 

A holiday for one?

 

This is the cover for the story I wrote for the Gingerbread Kisses collection. In the anthology, the story is called "A Holiday for One" becuase my brain kept auto-filling every time I had to fill out a form or turn in the manuscript. In the blurb, the story is credited to Katherine Tomlinson instead of Katherine Moore, my USAT bestselling author alter ego, which is sort of annoying, although the name is correct in the book itself. 

This is the first time I've done "vector" covers for my Christmas stories and I'm pleased with the cover. It's one of a series I've written in a new location--Silver Springs, Colorado. I expect there to be about two dozen stories set in that world. I still love Silver Birch, Washinton, but I wanted to play around in a new location. I'm hoping my readers will fall in love with the new location and the new cast of characters and the new stories I'm telling. They'll all be written around the holidays, beginning with the winter holidays (New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day) and divided by season. I have a special fondness for Halloween and Christmas, so expect a lot of stories set in fall and at the end of the year.

Let the holiday season commence!

Gingerbread Kisses

And what better way to begin than with a Black Friday-Cyber Monday sale on this collection of sweet holiday romances (with gingerbread a common theme because who doesn't like gingerbread?) 

I'm particularly fond of the gingerbread cake form, which I always made with a combination of molasses and honey, which I thought made it especially tasty. And a ton of ginger. Because there is no such thing as too much ginger. My mother always made a lovely, luscious lemon sauce to drizzle over the cake, but I've been known to make cream cheese frosting with bits of crystalized ginger chopped up in it. But it's great plain. 

The story I wrote for this collection is A Holiday For One? It's centered on one of my favorite themes, which is found family. My parents died when I was pretty young and my younger brother, who lives a continent away, is a Grinch. He and my SiL are always traveling to some warm place at Christmas, so I haven't celebrated with him since we were both at the kids' table at our grandmother's. So I've been one of the orphans and strays at friends' tables, and hosted a few holiday parties myself, including one epic one that my neighbors talked about for years!!

Expect more Christnas stories for me as December unrolls. I have two stories in another anthology that's coming up. But for now--Check out Gingerbread Kisses for 99 cents. Get Gingerbread Kisses here.

 

Fantasy writers unite for those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

 

Over 1,000 pages of romantasy!

In the heart of the storm, love shines its brightest.

Of Storms and Stardust is a collection of over 30 enchanting fantasy romance short stories and novellas, where beloved tropes ignite the imagination—engagement balls, enemies turned lovers, slow-burn romances, and destined fates. From forbidden love and second chances to cozy fairy tale retellings and trials of destiny, each tale offers a spark of hope and heart.

100% of proceeds will support those impacted by Hurricane Helene, reminding us that even in the fiercest storms, love and community can weather anything.

You can find the anthology here.

Cinderella stories--a new collection

 Do you like "Cinderella" stories?

Here are three very different takes on the beloved fairytale, two with a modern spin and one that's straight up romantasy.

Fashionista--set in present-day Chicago

Midnight Princess--set in modern France

Bride of the Midnight King--set in a mythical land run by vampires.

Three empowered women who just need a little magic to make their dreams come true. The romance is a bonus!

Collected for the first time--these retellings of a beloved fairytale were fun to write, and will--I hope--be fun to read.

The collection is part of a series of retellings that includes Three Beauties (Beauty & the Beast) and coming soon, Three Dreamers (Sleeping Beauty) and Three Towers (Rapunzel). The books join my stand-alone retellings, The Road Past Winter (East of the Sun and West of the Moon), and Wolf Bride (a romantasy version of Red Riding Hood).

I was lucky to snag the cover from Sharon Brownlie of Aspire Book Covers. I've bought a lot of covers from her in the past in all the genres I write, and this one fit the mood of the collection perfectly. 

You can find Three Dancers here. It's free on KU.