10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me 

1) I’m shy. Seriously, painfully so. Until I’m comfortable in a situation, of course. Then I’m (lovably) loud and obnoxious.

2) I’m a country girl at heart. I LOVE living in the D.C. area; I like having access to different cultures and experiences (hitting  museums during the day and the 9:30 club at night…really, who can complain about that?), but there will always be a part of me that longs to be back on my farm in Maine. There’s something truly soul soothing about acres of forest with nothing to keep me company but a full moon, cold-air brightened stars, and the distant howl of a pack animal. Distant is preferable.

3) I have had one dream my entire life: to write for a living. As an adult, I recognize that the “for a living” part is not likely to be anything but a dream (and more realistically, it will continue to be a money-sucking hobby). But nothing can stop me from writing. It will always be one of my great true loves, and what I’m best at doing.

4) I like tasting things. Wine, beer, exotic meats and cheeses, bizarre liquid concoctions, strange foods in countries all over the world, you name it…I just like the new experiences that textures, flavors, and smells bring. It’s all so wonderfully complex and beautiful. And it’s why so many of my characters love flavors too.

5) My best friends are my sisters, and always will be. I can’t risk getting on their bad sides; they have too much dirt on me .

6) I’ve been with my significant other for fifteen years. That’s a long time for him to tolerate me! Hopefully he’ll make it a bit longer, despite my terrible habit of ignoring him when I’m writing.

7) I tend to mull over plots for a long time, letting them pepper my dreams and haunt my waking moments before putting them to bed on paper (if I finally decide to; only one book in ten makes the cut). Consequently, I have “ah-ha!” moments at the oddest times. I’ve had to stop runs or jump out of showers with soap in my hair to write down ideas. The Ærenden series took 15 years to come to fruition, and I’m still discovering new plot pieces ever day.

8) When I’m immersed in writing, I see my characters everywhere. I even talk to them in the car when I’m driving alone. Yes, I know that’s a little bit crazy. Please don’t commit me.

9) I have a rather strange sense of humor and tend to deliver jokes in such a dry way that people sometimes don’t realize I’m joking. Oops. Here’s a hint: I’m joking most of the time.

10) I earned a near perfect score on the logic section of my GRE (I missed one question). It would’ve been nice if that section had counted, since I didn’t get time to study and sucked at the rest of the exam. Oh well. I’ll get my masters degree some day! In my spare (hah!) time.

Speaking of time. I’m off for a four hour nap before my crying alarm clock goes off again….catch you all tomorrow!

For now, I’m excited to reveal the book cover (by Lance Ganey) below. Let me know what you think and enjoy your first look at a Gildonae!

I’m also working on the book blurb, and would love to know your thoughts. Weigh in with your comments if you like #1 or #2 better (or a combination of the two, none of them, etc).

Thanks!

Kristen

1) Ærenden: The Gildonae Alliance

Several months after Meaghan’s return to Ærenden, the kingdom’s war has taken a turn for the worse. The Mardróch army hunts the new King and Queen, destroying villages in its wake. And Meaghan and Nick, training for battle in their remote section of wilderness, are far from safe. Danger hides in shadows and behind innocent faces. Allies become foes. Each day is a fight to survive. But in the end, only one threat matters. And it’s a threat they’ll never see coming.

2) Ærenden: The Gildonae Alliance

Several months after Meaghan’s return to Ærenden, the kingdom’s war has taken a turn for the worse. Garon has doubled his efforts to find the new King and Queen, commanding the Mardróch to leave no survivors in their hunt. Meaghan and Nick remain protected in a remote section of wilderness, but they are far from safe. As they train for battle, each day becomes a fight to survive. Dangers hide in shadows and behind innocent faces. Allies become foes. Friends turn into enemies. And in the end, only one threat matters—a threat too impossible to believe.

The first book in the Molly’s Tears series, Of the Ashes (synopsis below), is ready for a beta read round. To avoid confusion with my YA series, this is an adult contemporary romance with adult scenes, so volunteers must be 18 or over and also be aware that adult content is present. If you don’t like love scenes, please don’t volunteer as I don’t want to offend anyone .

If you do like adult romance novels and are interested in reading over the next three weeks or so (due date August 21) and providing your opinion on the novel, I’d love to have you on board. In exchange, you will receive a free digital copy of the novel when it’s published, in whatever format you prefer (just keep in mind that due to KDP regulations, formats other than Kindle will arrive 3 months later than Kindle formats). If we (those of us who own Sean Tigh Press) decide to publish paperback versions of this book, that format will be an option instead; however, at this point, we are undecided on doing anything more than eBook versions. We’ll let Beta Readers know which formats they can choose from closer to launch time.

You will also have your full name (unless you request otherwise) listed in the acknowledgments section of the book.

What’s needed for a good Beta Reader:

1. A good eye for errors. Although a professional content editor has gone through this manuscript, everyone misses things, so the more eyes the better. This doesn’t mean you have to catch everything (remember, everyone misses things and believe me, I don’t expect my Betas to be my editors), but I just request you have a decent enough grasp of English language and structure to catch obvious things the editing team may have overlooked.

2. Interest in Romance novels. If you don’t like contemporary romance novels, please don’t volunteer. I know it’s exciting to get advance reads on books, but you’ll have a hard time gauging the book if you don’t have a good understanding of the genre.

3. Ability to be honest. Okay, so before you say, “well, duh” it’s actually difficult for some people to be frank when dealing with an author directly. If you hate a scene, say so. If you think something doesn’t work, please let me know. If you don’t think the character is acting “true” to their personality, share it. The only thing I ask is you explain why in some short form or another and that you be polite about it. You won’t hurt my feelings and by being honest, you’re doing me a great favor. I’d rather have this feedback now, when I can fix what multiple people are saying is wrong, rather than in scathing one-star reviews after the book’s been published. For me, speed of launching a book is not nearly as important as quality. Readers will forgive delays a lot more easily than mistakes!

4. Don’t be offended. If I don’t take all of your suggestions, please don’t be offended when you read the final work or feel like your efforts weren’t appreciated. The reason authors have multiple Betas is to achieve a variety of opinions, and the “majority” typically rules. I promise, no matter what decision I make on your feedback, I consider each comment carefully and take it into strong consideration. Beta Readers have my utmost respect in this process!

5. Confidentiality. This probably doesn’t need to be said, but just in case…. As a Beta Reader, you’ll need to keep this book to yourself. Please don’t share it with family/friends and definitely not digitally with anyone or any source (remember: copyright laws prohibit this anyway).  And please, please keep the details secret to avoid spoiling the book for anyone who has yet to read it. Reviews and telling people about it and that you’ve Beta read it are okay. It’s just sharing the actual book and details that can cause problems.

If you’re interested and can meet the deadline, please contact me through the contact form on this website or PM me through Twitter or Facebook. I will need your full name, names of a few romance authors you typically like, your email address and which format you prefer for Beta Reading. I can offer PDF or Word. The only request I have is that if you choose word, you please keep “track changes” on when you make edits. I am unable to go line by line to figure out what changes are made. With either PDF or Word, you may also make notes on a printed version and send back a scanned version to me. However, again, please ensure you make the notes obvious (commas in black pen among black type are easily overlooked).

Thanks again to all of my volunteers!

Kristen

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Synopsis:

Micah Mitchell has worked most of his life for one goal — to build a career as a successful guitarist. Just when his dream comes true, an accident shatters his wrist, ending his ability to play. Lost and heartbroken, he fills his time with new projects, including decorating his empty house.

Recently fired from her position at an upscale design firm, Sandra Martin is unable to say no when Micah offers her a job. Despite her reservations, she soon learns she can do more for him than select paint and furniture. With the help of his friends, she guides him to reinvent the way he sees himself and find acceptance in his loss.

But when he wants to include her in his new life, will her own heartbreak keep her from finding happiness with him?

OF THE ASHES, the first novel in the Molly’s Tears contemporary romance series, knits complex, realistic characters into a modern plot. Focusing on imperfect people, it explores the importance of friendship and family, of struggle and loss, and of how others can teach us to live through trying times, to become better people, and to rise out of the fire, rebuilt from the ashes.

I’ve had a couple of book clubs express interest in using Ærenden: The Child Returns in upcoming discussions, so I thought I’d put together a question sheet to aid the club leaders (download Book Club Questions here). If you have any thoughts on these or additions you think might be worthwhile, please feel free to contact me.

SPOILER WARNING: Please don’t download/read these questions until after you’ve read the book; spoilers are present.

Enjoy reading!

Kristen

What do you think?