Christmas came early

Back on the 2nd of December, I did a guest spot on Romancing the Book. I wrote about Making Time To Write During the Holidays.

As part of my day on RTB, I awarded two lucky winners a copy each of A Piece of My Heart and the short story sequel Constant Craving. Those winners are Danielle DoNascimento and Afshan Nawaz. Congratulations ladies!!

I've recently received an email back from Danielle and asked her if it was OK to share it online. She kindly said yes. So here it is . . .

I thought I'd email you to report to you what I thought of your novels 'A Piece of My heart' and 'Constant Craving'. I must congratulate you Kemberlee. That was the most fascinating and intriguing story I have ever read. I love it. And I do not like when I say this, but I absolutely loved it. At first I was saddened but by then I had understand along the way! Mick and Kate were super fascinating characters. Your story portrayed a lot of emotions. Love, anger, distance, etc. It was quite amazing and it had me trying not to ball over with tears! I loved the scenery of Ireland. To think that even in other countries....some follow old tradition, Neh? Even more the characters...were truly amazing. The legend of the stones was interesting too! Tell do they really exist? Either way I feel the need to go to Ireland to tour around.I have always wanted to travel you know. But I read both of your stories...and I was quite....shocked and very happy they had a very good happy ending. I didn't like Flann though! He was a mean heartless person and Gob? Oh Geez! But I loved Michael and Kathleen. Though stubborn they were headstrong and knew what they wanted! I am truly writing to you to congratulate you and ask that you keep up the good works! I'll be looking forward to purchasing your stories :D! Tell me are Irish men truly handsome? I wouldn't mind have one of my own. LOL! Anyways...Thanks for choosing me in the contest. I am so thrilled to have won something and just finishing your novels....I fell in love!

Your Fan For Always,Danielle DoNascimento!
P.S. Keep up the good work!

Needless to say, this is one of the nicest things anyone has said to me in a long time. It's like Xmas came early! Thank you so much, Danielle for your very kind words. {hug}

I wanted to share items of interest --

I'm taking a holiday break from posting articles over at Hearticles: Articles from the Heart. I'll be back again on 7 January 2011. Mark your calendars and bookmark my blog.

21 December I'm participating in another Long and Short of It Reviews' programs, which is part of the Jingle Bell Blog Fest. Drop over and check out my exclusive interview with the man himself . . . Mr Ho Ho . . . Father Christmas . . . Santa . . . KRIS KRINGLE! Believe me. If you thought you know Kris, think again. A few spiked eggnogs and the man was babbling like a baby :-) I'll be giving away another pair of books, so be sure to post your comments on the day.

To all of my readers and all the reviewers who've taken the time to read and comment on my stories -- your support and comments mean the world to me and I want to take this opportunity to give a big THANK YOU.

Happy holidays everyone!!

~ Kemberlee
PS . . . You can catch up with me on Facebook. I love meeting up with readers and new friends.

A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving for under $5!

The digital versions of A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving have just been repriced for the holidays.

You can now download a digital version of A Piece of My Heart for $3.99 through Smashwords!

Mick and Kate thought they were falling in love. Kate hadn't been just the girl next door. She'd been Mick's life, and he hers. When an unforeseen force draws them apart they're left with wounds that refuse to heal. Now, ten years on, Mick's father's will should have been straightforward, except his addendum was like ice water in Mick's face.

It's essential that Mick and Kate work together to save his family's farm. Mick doesn't count on his new manager being accused of murder, and Kate doesn't expect a dangerously seductive woman from Dublin to claim Mick is the father of her child.

Kate thought she was falling in love with Mick all over again; however this newest revelation is too much for her. She is determined to finally say goodbye to her childhood sweetheart forever, but Mick has other plans for Kate's future. And none of them involve goodbye.

Constant Craving is also repriced at Smashwords at an amazing .99 cents!

The perfect life Mick and Kate thought they had was slowly dissolving. With Mick obsessing about the farm and Kate thrown into a life of domesticity, both lose some of what they'd fought so hard to regain.

It all comes to a head when Kate suspects Mick of having an affair. Kate’s parents step in to give each of them advice from their own years of marriage.

Now, both Mick and Kate have set their own romantic plans in motion, but it could all fall through when Kate nearly blows up the kitchen.

With Christmas around the corner, what better gift can you give than these two stories? And both for under $5!

Smashwords offers versions for all popular ereaders on the market, including Kindle, Sony, Nook, and Stanza, as well as HTML, PDF and RTF.

To read excerpts for both of these stories, log into my website where you'll also find reader and reviewer comments.

As always, I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to drop me a note and let me know your thoughts.

It's all good!

Like those great Steve Miller Band lyrics go — Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future! I know it's been a few weeks since my last post. I've been busy and a lot has been happening. Some writerly, some not. But it's all good.

For those of you who don't know, I keep a blog called Hearticles: Articles with Heart. You'll find a variety of writing-themed articles aimed to help other writers. I know I'm a relatively new author, but I enjoy sharing what I've learned with others. My latest post is Writing is Writing and aimed at writers who think they haven't had time to write. I grumble about it sometimes, then realize that I AM writing, just not fiction. But it's all good, as you'll see when you read the article.

It's all good with A Piece of my Heart, which is still selling well, as is the sequel, Constant Craving. And Christmas is coming . . . just saying! ;-)

My current WIP is The Diary. This is my first time travel and I'm having a lot of fun with it. The Diary is a project I've worked on in bits and pieces while writing the Irish Pride series, but now that those books are completed and starting to publish, I've gone back to The Diary and have HIGH hopes it will be published before April 2014, as this will be the 1000 year anniversary of the event in my story — The Battle of Clontarf. So it's all good there too.

What's coming up for me —

2 December - Romancing the Book will be hosting me for the day. Drop over and visit!

21 December - The Long and Short of It Reviews will also have me back on their blog for the day during their month-long Jingle Bells Blog Fest. I'm SO lucky! Kris Kringle let little ol' me into his workshop on the North Pole where we sat with a cup of tea and had a chat about the man behind the beard. Would love to see you there, too.

I love to hear from readers, so be sure to drop me an email, even if it's just to say howdy.

~ Kemberlee

And the winners are . . .

First, let me say a huge thank you to all of the entrants of my September month-long contest. Some of the answers were very interesting, some amusing, but all were most welcome.

The draw was done by none other than our dog Poppy. Poppy has a thing for paper, and she's probably the world's best fetcher. Well, she's the best in our world.

Each entrant's name was put onto a piece of paper and wadded up, then put into a container. Poppy was sent to fetch each name in order of placement. She first drew the third place winners, which was just as well since she brought me TWO at once. Then we drew second place, and finally first place.

As you can see, this was a totally impartial drawing. :-)

Without further ado --

Third Place - Ms. Yadira Alonzo, Ms. Sidolitta Mateo and Ms. Donna Womble!

You have each won digital versions of A Piece of My Heart and the short story sequel, Constant Craving. Ladies, If you have a specific ereader, please let me know and I will send you an appropriate copy for that reader. Otherwise, they will be sent to you as a PDF. Please let me know ASAP so you don't have to wait.

Second Place - Ms. Kathi Barton!!

You win an autographed copy of A Piece of My Heart, Constant Craving on disc, a certificate of ownership of land in Ireland (compliments of A Piece of Ireland), and a plush Jess dog toy. . . Molly's puppy from A Piece of My Heart.



First Place - Ms. Jennifer Mathis!!!

You have won an autographed copy of A Piece of My Heart, Constant Craving on disc, a certificate of ownership of land in Ireland (compliments of A Piece of Ireland), AND a ladies silver Claddagh Ring!


---> If you're curious about the answers, log into the contest page where I've posted the answers.

There was only one correct answer to the bonus question. A bit of lateral thinking was required for this one. That person's name is on my quotes page, as is the image of the actor portraying him! You'll find the answer on the contest page, too.

The winner of the bonus question goes to Mercedes McCoy! Your prize for guessing correctly is a box of Irish chocolates. Yummmmmm! And yes, the chocolates will be in the box when you receive it ;-)

Big, big, big congratulations to all my winners! And thank you to everyone who entered. I don't know about you, but I had fun.

---> Join me tomorrow, 2 October, at You Gotta Read, where I'll be talking to the gang there and answering reader questions. Please stop over and say hello!

September is contest month!!

Yes folks, you heard right. For the month of September, I will be hosting a contest. And what a contest it will be. At least, I hope you think so.

I'm celebrating the release of not only a lovely new website, but also the long-awaited release of the short story sequel to A Piece of My Heart — CONSTANT CRAVING.

September is the month of romance and love in Ireland. All month, people from all over Ireland gather in Lisdoonvarna, County Clare for the annual Matchmaking Festival. This tradition dates back decades, to a time when parents would bring their sons and daughters of marriageable age to the town and hire the local matchmaker to organize some weddings. This took place just after the last harvest of the year, which was the only time during the year when farmers could take time away from their homesteads. Without matchmakers, it would have been near impossible for farmer's children to find husbands and wives on their own because they would have spent most of their time on the farm. This was especially true for island folk.

Another love tradition revolves around the Claddagh Ring. The original ring was designed around 1690 in the Claddagh region of Galway City. This ring has long been used as an engagement ring, the tradition of which continues today. The Claddagh Ring got its design from the old pre-Roman Fede Ring, which was a band with two hands clasped in the front, signifying the hands of friendship and the bond between husband and wife. The Claddagh Ring goes on to include a heart between the hands which is crowned. The heart represents love, the hands friendship, and the crown loyalty.

Claddagh Rings may be given as friendship rings or promise rings, worn on the right hand with the crown pointing out (hold your hand upright and the heart and crown face upright).

As an engagement ring, or even as a wedding band, the ring is worn on the left hand and worn with the crown pointing out, as above.

Above all, these rings must be gifts of love and never purchased for oneself!

The Lisdoonvarna Matchmakers Festival and the Claddagh Ring feature in A Piece of My Heart, so what better time to have this contest!

So here it is. The contest is simple. Answer five questions and submit them to me. On the first of October, all entries will be put into a container and randomly drawn, third to first place.

ALL BUT ONE ANSWER can be found on this website. The bonus question is a pure guess for you. The answer has no bearing on the other questions and will not affect your entry into the draw. It's just for fun and to see how well you really do know me. And . . . the person who gets it right will get an extra treat in their prize package!!

OH! You want to know what you'll win? There are FIVE prizes on offer —

Third Prize - Three winners will get digital copies of A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving. These are PDF versions, but we'll be happy to supply an e-reader specific copy on request.


Second Prize - An autographed copy of A Piece of My Heart, Constant Craving on disc, a certificate of ownership of land in Ireland (compliments of A Piece of Ireland), and a plush Jess dog toy. . . Molly's puppy from A Piece of My Heart.

And the Grand Prize - An autographed copy of A Piece of My Heart, Constant Craving on disc, a certificate of ownership of land in Ireland (compliments of A Piece of Ireland), and a ladies silver Claddagh Ring!

And yes, the winning Claddagh Ring is given with all of the meaning the ring signifies!

So get your thinking caps on. The contest will run until midnight 30 September, that's Irish time . . . 4pm PST or 7pm EST.

Click here to enter!!

Good luck!

{Disclaimer: The photos shown above of the dog and ring are not the actual prizes, but representations from those line of manufacture.}

AVAILABLE NOW: Constant Craving

Available now: Constant Craving, the short story sequel to the award winning A Piece of My Heart.

The perfect life Mick and Kate thought they had was slowly dissolving. With Mick obsessing about the farm and Kate thrown into a life of domesticity, both lose some of what they'd fought so hard to regain.

It all comes to a head when Kate suspects Mick of having an affair. Kate’s parents step in to give each of them advice from their own years of marriage.

Now, both Mick and Kate have set their own romantic plans in motion, but it could all fall through when Kate nearly blows up the kitchen.

Reviewers are already hot on this story. Log into my site to see what they're saying.

Constant Craving is only available as a digital download through Smashwords and Kindle. Smashwords offers a Kindle version, as well as versions for your own digital book reader. Log in to read an excerpt, then click on the links to buy your own copy.

Don't forget that A Piece of My Heart is also available on Smashwords and Kindle. With the holidays coming up, what better gift for the one you love than a download of both stories onto your loved one's reading device?!

OK, hands up. Who noticed I've got a newly designed website? And it's purple!! I'm lovin' it :-) And I hope you do to.

I've also added the links to my articles blog, Hearticles: Articles with Heart. I publish articles for writers every other Sunday. The most recent just published on the 22nd. My topic was Romance in History. Drop over to read the full article and be sure to leave me a comment or question. While there, if you haven't read them already, look at the other articles and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

As well, my non-author blog, Heart Shaped Stones, also got a facelift. I don't have a regular posting schedule, but I recently posted an article with some fabulous recipes of my own. Check out Farm to Fork to see what I cooked up with those fantastic office-grown tomatoes! Put your bib on!!

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Contest

To celebrate the release of Constant Craving and the newly designed sites, I'm hosting a month-long contest for the month of September.
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I'm posting a notice here on the 31st at which time I'll tell you about the rules of the competition and about the THREE prizes.
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Winners will be announced by a random draw on the 1st of October.
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So bookmark this site and come back on the 31st to enter your chance to win!

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Celebrations Galore!

The Long and the Short of It Reviews is celebrating their third anniversary in style. They're having a scavenger hunt that runs from August 2-29 and culminates in a two-day live author chat that final weekend (28th and 29th) in their Yahoo Groups, during which they'll announce the winners.

What are the prizes? THREE Nook eBook Readers that come with $50 Barnes and Noble gift certificates AND are already pre-loaded with dozens of romance and juvenile fiction eBooks, including A Piece of My Heart!

How to win? Log into The Long and the Short of It Reviews and follow their simple instructions. Click on the LASR Logo to follow the scavenger hunt on my site.

Good luck!!

Also, A Piece of My Heart (<---click here) is now available in the Kindle Store at Amazon. Finally!!

Read the excerpt for this story and the reviews on the book's page here on my website. A Piece of My Heart is currently available at a number of online retailers, including Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada and others. Also through Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million (in-store orders taken), Booktopia (AU), CoffeeTime Romance, Eason Booksellers (Ireland), and Smashwords.

Be sure to bookmark my site and come back for more information later in the month for a contest with more fabulous prizes. My contest runs the month of September and will celebrate the launch of my newly designed website AND the highly anticipated release of the short story sequel to A Piece of My Heart -- Constant Craving!

The perfect life Mick and Kate thought they had was slowly dissolving. With Mick obsessing about the farm and Kate thrown into a life of domesticity, both lose some of what they'd fought so hard to regain.

It all comes to a head when Kate suspects Mick of having an affair. Kate’s parents step in to give each of them advice from their own years of marriage.

Now, both Mick and Kate have set their own romantic plans in motion, but it could all fall through when Kate nearly blows up the kitchen.

Wow! Can you imagine? You'll have to read the story to find out how that happens.

Until then, head over to The Long and the Short of It Reviews and get winning a Nook!

As always, I love hearing from readers, so drop me an email!

~ Kemberlee

Now available at SMASHWORDS

A Piece of My Heart is now available at Smashwords for $7.49usd.

Available in electronic formats for ereaders, including --

Kindle Reader

Sony Reader

Stanza Reader

Palm Reader

HTML

PDF

Plain Text and

RTF (rich text format)

A Piece of My Heart is also available in print through --

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon France

Amazon Germany

Amazon Japan

Also through --

Barnes and Noble

Books-A-Million (in-store orders taken)

Booktopia (AU)

CoffeeTime Romance

Eason Booksellers (Ireland)

Kalahari (Kenya)

Kindle (available soon, but see Smashwords)

Libreriauniversitaria (Italy)

Saxo (Denmark)

Click this graphic for more info on the LASR anniversary competition.

Celebrations start 2 August and end 29 August.

Join my one-hour live chat at 1pm EST (list membership required)

I will be participating in the LASR treasure hunt.

Come back 1 August for more details and how to play!

I've received The Versatile Blogger Award

I've been given the Versatile Blogger award. A big thank you to Marsha A. Moore for selecting me to receive this award. To accept it I need to:

1. Thank those who loved me enough to bestow this gift.
2. Share seven things about myself.
3. Bestow this honor onto 15 newly discovered or followed bloggers–in no particular order–who are fantastic in some way.
4. Drop by and let my fifteen new friends know I love them.

Seven things about myself:

1. I'm an Aries by birth, but a Gemini by creation. When it comes to writing fiction, I'm a night owl all the way. But when I blog, I seem to do my best work during the day.

2. I was born and raised in Northern California, but after a 'journey of a lifetime in 1997' I returned to live on a small island in the North Atlantic--Ireland.

3. I have two rescued Border Collies. Both have special birthdays. Daisie is 8 years old today, 4 July. She's our Independence Baby. Poppy was born on 25 December, so she's our Christmas Baby. She'll be 7 this December. We used to work both on sheep, but Daisie has dysplasia now and Poppy prefers cows!

4. I'm an avid knitter. When my great aunt was alive, she was 96 when she taught me to crochet and make doll patterns. She lost an eye when she was 3, but could crochet faster than anyone I ever met. We used to crochet together while she told me stories of 'comin' west in a covered wagon.' She was full of stories. 96 and a memory like a crystal bell. My father taught me to knit when I was very young. He was a parachute rigger on the aircraft carrier USS Kittyhawk and part of his duties including sewing, as he was responsible for parachute repairs, too. After a few years away from hand crafts, I picked up the sticks again and started crocheting and knitting, and haven't looked back.

5. {standing up to face my peers} My name is Kemberlee and I'm a yarnaholic! My preference is for anything unusual, including hand spun, hand dyed, regional, and anything friends make and share with me. I prefer fire colors and colors from the sea. Purple and red being my all-time must haves. This item could probably be included with #4, but when you see me in a yarn shop, you'd know why I had to separate them ;-)

6. I love Mexican food. What more can I say??

7. I have a fabulous guy in my life--my husband, Peter. We met 25 August 1996. On the one year anniversary of meeting, 1997, he gave me a traditional Irish Claddagh Ring as a promise to love me always. On the same day in 1998, he gave me an engagement ring. And on 25 August 1999, we were married in Ireland. We're also married twice! Because there was too much family on both sides to get everyone together, we returned to California to marry with my family present on 9 September 1999. Yep, 9-9-99! Peter calls me his second wife! He's such a messer, but I love him anyway.

Fifteen bloggers, in no particular order, who I think are fantastic:

1. Charlene Raddon - She's a great friend and wonderful romance writer. And it turns out we're related too, as we just discovered this year! Her blog on writing is always informative and well presented. She really knows her stuff when it comes to writing.

2. Peter Shortland - This is my husband's blog, but I love the stuff he posts there. It's all random and quirky, and great for a laugh at times. His blog reflects who he is...quirky, fun and imaginative.

3. Crystal Reviews - A great pal who writes great reviews. She's honest and forthright, giving honest reviews of what she reads.

4. Evin O'Keefe - Ev's an expat like me. We have loads in common so lots to talk about. She's a fabulous photographer and has several blogs, all of which I follow. Slainte Cork - Another of Evin's blogs I follow. She helps me stay in touch with Cork, too, as I've spent most of my time in Ireland there, as my husband is a Corkonian.

5. Elizabeth Delisi - Liz's blog is full of fun reads. I love her Monday Grips and Friday Happies.

5. Cathie Dunn - I'm a voyeur on my friend's lives, which is why I love to follow Cathie's blog. It's not all about the writing. I get to stay in touch with her through her posts, and follow her experience in the country where she lives.

6. Elizabeth Chadwick - I love Elizabeth's books, and equally her blog. So much information and personal experiences from her research adventures here. I also find her use of Akashic Records interesting.

7. J.A Konrath - I haven't met J.A. (though we're 'friends' at Facebook) and have yet to read his books, but his blog is an amazing place for new authors to learn about the industry.

8. Vampire Chix - I don't read a lot of vampire books, but I love Michele's blog for it's diversity. And she's given me some great suggestions for reads.

9. Michele Hauf - This is Michele's personal blog. This blog contains things she doesn't write about on Vampire Chix.

10. Long and Short Reviews - A great blog for meeting authors and reading reviews. Another great bunch of ladies running the site and loads of information.

11. Heroines with Hearts - This is a relatively new blog, but a great bunch of ladies running it, and great information.

12. Carolyn Ivey - A fun blog full of interesting stuff, particularly men in kilts! Information on all things Celtic, and a damn fine person to boot!

13. Coffee Time Romance - A great blog for keeping up with the romance industry, authors, books, etc. They also sell ebooks.

14. Passages to the Past - Awesome blog for all books historical. So many books, so little time!

15. Marc Ferris - I've known Marc longer than anyone, except my family. His blog is always full of interesting stuff, from memories from home to his own writing adventures. Marc's my go-to man for stories from home. He's a great story teller.

Upcoming Events

{2 July} Apologies! My website is down at the moment due to a server crash.

The crash has also knocked out some of my graphics and images.

Please bear with me and come back soon!!

In the meantime, please check out some of my Articles and visit me at Heart Shaped Stones.

I'm feeling very authorish at the moment. I get to post some upcoming events that involve me and/or my book, A Piece of My Heart!

First of all, I want to say congratulations again to both Lisa Finch and Ashley Applebee who won signed copies of A Piece of My Heart during my recent visit with Long and Short Romance Reviews. The prize package also includes a 1 square foot plot of land in Ireland, which is part of a land preservation scheme through A Piece of Ireland, as well as a surprise gift. Not saying what it is, but let's say an intimate location to read my book with some candles and something sparkly in a glass would compliment your reading pleasure!

Mark your calendars for 2 July. That's this Friday! I will be interviewed at Heroines with Hearts. This is a relatively new site which is getting a lot of attention with authors and readers. Run by Toni Lynn, Debra St. John, Paula Martin and Ana Morgan, Heroines with Hearts focuses on romance novel that feature strong heroines and great storylines. I'm honored to have been asked to be included and can't wait to chat with the ladies. Please come by to see what we chatted about, and drop a comment and let me know what you thought of A Piece of My Heart, or just to say hello!

The week of 21 July, Sidolita, Donna, Linda, Audrey, Sandi, Joyce, Karyn and Carol at the Lovely Ladies Book Club in Rhode Island will be reading A Piece of My Heart and having a follow-up discussion. I know as part of their last book discussion, the group traveled to a nearby vineyard where part of the book was set to have their discussion. Maybe I can convince them to come to Ireland for the discussion of my book! Now, that would be something! Enjoy the book ladies. I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

My adventures aren't over with Long and Short Romance Reviews. They're celebrating their 3rd anniversary in August and I'll be part of the celebrations. They're giving away not one, not two, but THREE Barnes and Noble Nook ereaders!! More details to follow toward the end of July, but you will need to bookmark my website and come back for a treasure hunt in August. How fun will that be??

Also, I've started a new blog where I'm posting articles about writing and writing life. Articles will be posted every other weekend. The first article is called Researching a Setting-Specific Story, which deals with the top five aspects of writing stories with specific settings: Location, History, Culture and Tradition, Language, and People of the region in which you're setting your story. Recently published is an article called Blowing the Curtains. This article defines what we perceive as traditional romance, erotica and pornography, and explains the changing tides of public perception, expectation and attitudes toward sex in what we read. This article is featuring in the July edition of the Scribbles newsletter at the Central Coast Writers Group, a branch of the California Writers Club, which just celebrated their 100th year anniversary! You must be a member to read their newsletters, so if you're on the Central Coast of California, or born and raised there as I was, and are a writer, this group is invaluable!

My publishing schedule for articles currently looks like this, but is subject to change:

11 July - The Importance of Senses - We'll go beyond the basic six senses we're all familiar with (sight, sound, hearing, touch, taste and intuition) and talk about some of the interoceptive senses.

25 July - W5+H+M - These are the five W's in journalism used for basic information gathering, particularly in police investigations. This formula is especially helpful for writers of all fiction genre, not just thrillers.

8 August - Shaking Your Tree - We'll talk about how using your own family tree can help you define your writing, from name gathering to events in history.

22 August - The Fallacy of Writer's Block - We'll discuss the theory behind writer's block and how it really does exist.

Bookmark this blog and come back often to read the articles. I value any and all feedback, so click on the comments section and let me know what you thought of each topic. Let's have a discussion!

Last but not least, I'll be launching a newly designed author site soon, and to celebrate I'll be hosting a contest! You'll want to come back for that. The prize will be wonderful!

I'll have some other news coming up soon, but you'll have to come back to learn about that! It's all exciting though. Promise!!

I hope you're all enjoying the summer, wherever you are.

~ Kemberlee

Congratulations to Lisa and Ashley!!

Congratulations to Lisa Finch and Ashley Applebee. During my recent visit at Long and Short Reviews this last month we ran a couple of contests and Lisa and Ashley have won a signed copy of my book, A Piece of My Heart, a certificate of ownership of a square foot of land in Ireland from A Piece of Ireland, and a surprise gift!

I'd like to say a massive thanks to all the wonderful ladies at Long and Short Reviews. I had a brilliant time participating and meeting everyone. You have a great review and interview staff there.

While my interview and author spotlight are over, I'm still working with LASR as they gear up to celebrate their 3rd anniversary this August! They'll be giving away not one, not two, but THREE B&N Nook ereaders. They'll come preloaded with some wonderful books, including A Piece of My Heart.

They'll also be hosting a two day live chat 28 & 29 August from 9am to 9pm, EST. Yours truly will be hosting Sunday the 29th from 1pm EST, or 6-7pm Irish time. Mark these dates in your calendar and drop over to their newsgroup for the chat. You must be a member of the LASR group on Yahoo Groups to attend. It's free AND easy! And it will be loads of fun.

And when the time comes, don't forget to enter the contest to win one of those fabulous B&N Nook ereaders!

As always, I love hearing from readers, so just click the contact link above and drop me a note.

~ Kemberlee

My author spotlight this week

Please join me at Long and Short Reviews, as I'm the spotlight author for this week. We're hosting a contest there where the winner will get a copy of my book, a piece of Irish land, and a surprise gift...
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR

I'm also posting a different article each day on their blog...
http://longandshortarchives.blogspot.com/

Day 1 - Researching A Setting-Specific Story (not just historical research, but location, culture, language, regional practice, etc)

Day 2 - The Importance of Senses (using other senses besides the basic five: scent, sight, touch, hear and taste.)

Day 3 - W5+H+M (who, what, where, when, why + how + motive)

Day 4 - Romance vs. Erotica: How Much Sex? (when romance becomes erotica and the change in the romance and erotica industries)

Day 5 - Shaking Your Tree (using your family tree for character names, story ideas or researching family documents as a way to research historical facts)

And while you're on their site, check out their review of A Piece of My Heart. Reviewer Camellia said: Kemberlee Shortland’s thorough character development and the world-rocking love scenes make A Piece of My Heart captivating, but most of all it is the long-suffering love that hides but abides, cries but never dies that makes this beautiful tapestry of a tale memorable.

Please come by and say hello!

~ Kemberlee

Questions and Answers A PIECE OF MY HEART

Occasionally, I get questions about character motivation or other plot elements, so I thought I'd open up a dialog here on the site. So here we go...

While A Piece of My Heart has been getting fantastic reviews, I've also received comments about Mick's attitude.

How did you perceive how he dealt with the illness of his parents? Would more background story have helped you understand his motivations?

How well did you feel Kate dealt with Mick's denial?

Please, use the comments icon below and let me know your thoughts, or ask me the questions on your mind. I enjoy hearing from readers, however you felt about the story.

~ Kemberlee

New reviews posted for A Piece of My Heart

I wanted to thank Clever Divas and You Gotta Read Reviews for their recent reviews of my book, A Piece of My Heart.

Clever Divas said: 'I felt as if I were a part of Kate and Mick’s life cheering them on for their happy ending.'

You Gotta Read Reviews said: 'I love Irish women- strong and independent with the ability to love deeply.'

I also received a note from a reader called Rae who said: 'I started your book on the plane and finished it with tears in my eyes.'

And recently another reader, Kathleen, said: 'I started your book last night, but I'll need a man to finish it!'

I'm am forever humbled and grateful when readers enjoy my stories. While I enjoy storytelling, it makes me feel good that others enjoy what I write as well. So please, if you've read A Piece of My Heart, or any of my other stories, send me an email, post a comment, or catch me online at Facebook and let me know what you thought.

~Kemberlee

Never a dull moment!

I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted, but I have good excuses. Really I do!

OK, I don't have much of an excuse for April, other than it was my birthday, then my husbands. We didn't go anywhere special, but we did spend a couple days in Dublin City. I blogged about this on my personal blog, Heart Shaped Stones, for anyone interested in a non-tourist part of the city.

After that, we've been getting out house ready for a family visit. It takes a while to get me motivated to clean, so I tried to do a little every day. Between stressing over a clean house, doing my 'day job', writing, keeping the dogs happy, and housewifely things, I also prepared for a great couple days with Long and Short Reviews.

I was remiss and didn't post a heads up message here, but my interview is posted at Long and Short Reviews from 4 May. Then on the 5th, I participated in a day-long chat with the LASReview newsgroup. This link will take you to their newsgroup on Yahoo Groups to the first of many questions passed my way. The others are linked at the bottom of this first message.

The whole experience was great fun. Good thing, as LASR is author spotlighting me on 7 June for the week! You *must* drop over to their site, as they'll be publishing a few articles I've written for the event. The spotlight will be on the Long and Short Reviews blog. When I have direct links to my articles I'll post them here, but until then, drop over and check them out. The LASR team really have a great set up for authors and readers.

After birthdays, cleaning house, visiting with the LASR group, 'day job' stuff, and getting dogs into the kennel last minute, my cousin then arrived on the 9th with his extended family. We had several days of touring around the Greater Dublin area and South Tipperary. Holidays are always too short so we were really sad to see them all leave last Friday. We had a wonderful time and made many memories. We hope they return again soon, and often!

After recouperating over the weekend, I'm now back onto my normal schedule and wondering where the last few weeks have gone. Holidays are like a good meal. It can take a long time to prepare, but a few moments to eat, then we're left with nothing but memories. And in this case, a lot of laundry that built up.

Today I received a lovely review on my book, A Piece of My Heart, from Clever Divas: If readers enjoy happy endings, Ireland and animals, they will be sure to snatch up this book and read it as soon as they possibly can. Thanks so much to the reviewer!

So, what's in store for this week? Still catching up on laundry, and also working on some new fiction. And looking forward to our next few days off and wondering where it will take us.

I will be posting an article about my cousin's visit on my personal blog, Heart Shaped Stones, which will include photos. That's also on the cards for this week, so keep checking the page. I'll be posting a note on my Facebook page when the blog is up.

Until then, I hope you're enjoying reading my book, A Piece of My Heart. I love hearing from readers, so please use the link above to send me your comments. And if you haven't read it yet, chapter one is posted on the book's page, and if you log into the LASR newsgroup, chapter two is there!

Thanks for stopping by!

Let's chat!

I've created an author page on Amazon and started a discussion forum for A Piece of My Heart. If you've read the book, head over and share your comments. I'd love to hear them.

~ Kemberlee

Three for Three Thursday!

I received some lovely surprises today. The first came from my friend Charlene Raddon in the form of a short review for A Piece of My Heart. She said, "I just finished reading Kemberlee Shortland's new romance, A Piece of My Heart. To read a book set in Ireland, written by someone who really knows the country, is a breath of fresh air. I so enjoy the lovely flavor of Ireland she's captured in her story. Kudos, Kem. I love it." While Char is a long time friend, I highly respect her honesty. She never says something she doesn't mean. So I appreciate her comments with tremendous thanks. I've learned a lot from Char about the publishing world over the years.

For the uninitiated, Char is a multi-published and multi-award winning author of historical romance. Her backlist includes Tender Touch, To Have and To Hold, and Forever Mine, and The Scent of Roses written as Rachel Summers. Her stories have consistently been five star reads. Unfortunately, life through Char a curveball at the height of her career, but she's getting back in the game. I can't wait to read her next book! She's such an incredible storyteller.

Check out Char's blog. She's a wealth of information about the publishing world, as well as historical and family research.

The second surprise I received today was also from Char. Wednesday she posted an article called Is Research Really Necessary. In the article, she used A Piece of My Heart as an example of writing what you know. I really love her articles, but of course, this one is near and dear to my heart.

The third surprise came in the form of another book review for A Piece of My Heart. Mary Gramlich of The Reading Reviewer said, "Wonderful story with just enough drama to stir the pot, a touch of tortured past to keep you guessing and more than enough relationship drama with Mick and Kate to make the reader keep hoping." Thanks so much, Mary! I'm glad you liked the story. A great read for St Patick's Day, eh?!

I'd like to thank everyone who's read A Piece of My Heart, whether a book reviewer or a reader. I really appreciate your support and your wonderful comments. You're all setting the bar very high for the next book in the series! :-)

~ Kemberlee

A gold ring from I Read Romance!

What a lovely read to curl up with right before St. Patrick’s Day. If you love sweet, romantic Irish movies like The Matchmaker, Waking Ned Devine or Once, and enjoy the works of Maeve Binchy, you will enjoy Mick and Kate’s tale. Childhood sweethearts driven apart by a misunderstanding, brought (unwillingly) back together by a quirk in Mick’s father’s will.

As they work through their grief and their lingering issues with each other, a string of events seems orchestrated by Fate to drive them apart again. There are some stock villains and quasi-villians, but the two main characters stand out as just flawed enough to keep things interesting. Ms. Shortland adds a finishing touch of Irish magic to bring it all to a satisfying end. Fáinne óir duit, Ms. Shortland!
~ Seanachie, I Read Romance

"Fáinne óir duit" translates to "a gold ring to you."

I'm so chuffed! Not only is the reviewer named after the traditional Irish storyteller, the seanachai, I get the honor of receiving a gold ring review!! :-)

I have to say this has been one tough weekend in the Shortland household, but this review makes everything seem much brighter. Go raibh míle maith agat, Seanachie!

I love hearing from readers, so be sure to drop me a note and let me know what you thought of A Piece of My Heart.

And keep checking back. I'll be posting the contest very soon!

~Kemberlee

Prestigious CTRR Award for A Piece of My Heart

A Piece of My Heart has just won the prestigious CTRR Award from Coffee Time Romance: "This award recognizes outstanding writing styles in all book types and genres. Your book has received this award because I feel it is above and beyond a 5 Cup Rating."

Kemberlee comes from Northern California and is very familiar with many top-notch names in the literary world; John Steinbeck, Dean Koontz and Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few. As soon as she could hold a pen, her talent sprung forth, and I am glad she has not stopped. A Piece of My Heart is just one story that this reader will not forget. Over the last eleven years in Ireland, (oh, I am sooo envious); she has been studying the history and culture of Ireland. Be sure to stop by her page and get to know more about Kemberlee where you were find some great pictures, too. Kemberlee indeed has talent and it does not only lie in writing, once you get to know more about this outstanding lady, you will see what I mean.

I have to admit the emotions are threefold in A Piece of My Heart. When Mick and Kate ache to be with each other, I could practically see it in their eyes and hear it in their voice. The way they try to hold their control intact is so beautifully penned. I love the part about the circle, and the place they shared. Kemberlee Shortland creates a stunning read that touches upon the heartstrings. The storytelling is at its best. The descriptions are marvelously crafted and the characters absolutely lifelike. With emotions turning faster than a roller coaster, she allows the reader to visualize parts of Ireland with romance and a bit of suspense along the way.

~Cherokee

I continued to be humbled by the reception A Piece of My Heart has been receiving over the past few weeks since its release. I really love this story and I'm glad so many others are do too. This story is very close to my heart personally, and I hope the secondardy message in the story is taken to heart.

Thank you to all the readers and reviewers who've commented on my story.

If you've read A Piece of My Heart and want to let me know your thoughts, please use the link above and share your comments. I love hearing from readers.

~ Kemberlee

Booksellers galore!

The latest website to jump onboard to sell A Piece of My Heart is Ireland's very own Eason Booksellers. Eason has more than 80 bookstores across Ireland, and while I'm working on a deal to get my book on their shelves, they've listed it on their website. This is a boon for Irish buyers, as it's slightly cheaper to buy through Eason rather than Amazon.co.uk

A Piece of My Heart is available through all Amazon websites, and many other sites. Here are the links. I hope you can find one near you!

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
Amazon France
Amazon Germany
Amazon Japan


Barnes and Noble
Books-A-Million
Booktopia (AU)
Kalahari (Kenya)
Libreriauniversitaria (Italy)
Saxo (Denmark)

And coming soon to:

BookStrand
Fictionwise
Kindle

With St Patrick's Day just around the corner, what better what to show a loved one you care than giving them a copy of A Piece of My Heart. This is an Irish set contemporary romance story, offering the reader a reading experience that will transport one into the heart of the Irish countryside. Log into the book page to read an excerpt. And watch this space for my upcoming contest! Send me an email if you wish to be notified when the contest has posted. At the same time, let me know what you thought of the book.

~ Kemberlee

Wired without the caffeine!

I've just received a lovely review from Coffee Time Romance for my recent release, A Piece of My Heart.

I have to admit the emotions are threefold in A Piece of My Heart. When Mick and Kate ache to be with each other, I could practically see it in their eyes and hear it in their voice. The way they try to hold their control intact is so beautifully penned. I love the part about the circle, and the place they shared. Kemberlee Shortland creates a stunning read that touches upon the heartstrings. The storytelling is at its best. The descriptions are marvelously crafted and the characters absolutely lifelike. With emotions turning faster than a roller coaster, she allows the reader to visualize parts of Ireland with romance and a bit of suspense along the way.
~ Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance, 5 cups

Thank you so much, Cherokee! Your kind words were just what I needed to start my day :-)

I want to thank all of the reviewers who've commented on A Piece of My Heart. Your reviews have humbled me and made me appreciate the extra time it took to get the story right.

While I enjoy hearing from the professional world of reviews, I love to hear from readers! Use the link above and let me know how you liked A Piece of My Heart!!

~ Kemberlee

I'm humbled beyond belief!!!

Satisfying Irish Romance , February 5, 2010

Wilma G. Walter

5 Stars

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Kemberlee Shortland has worked many wonderful elements into her novel, A Piece of My Heart.

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The novel begins with a great hook that introduces us to the major conflict between Kate and Mick, the central characters. Add the lovely Connemara setting, a shady character who provides some truly suspenseful moments, Molly the Border Collie (I dare you to *not* fall in love with her!), elements of family history, a tart with a wicked Dublin accent, some ancient Irish magic and you get a very satisfying, well-paced romantic story.

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When I sit down with a romance, I'm always curious about how the author will write the love scenes. Ms. Shortland didn't disappoint me in this arena, either. I've got to say that A Piece of My Heart contains perhaps the sweetest love scene I've ever read. There's a lovely balance between the physical intimacy and all of the emotions swirling around it. So many authors come close to achieving that balance, but fall short. Ms. Shortland gets it right. I'm sure I'll turn to those pages again and again when I need a bit of that sweetness in my day. I look forward Mick and Kate's follow-up story, to see what Ms. Shortland has in store for them.

.

Willie,

I can't thank you enough for such kind words. I've had to read and reread it several times to be sure it was ME you were talking about and not someone else. Reviews like this are meant for the likes of those on the NY Times best seller list. Not little old me! I can't tell you how humbled I am. Thank you SO much!!! If you were standing here now I'd give you a big hug and a kiss...to hell with what the neighbors think ;-)

.

~Kemberlee

Whoo hoo!! A Piece of My Heart is now available in six countries. I say SIX countries. Well, through Amazon anyway. But I'll take what I can get! Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Amazon France, Amazon Germany, and Amazon Japan, of all places.

Things are moving right along. A Piece of My Heart is now also available at Barnes and Noble, and will soon be available at Fictionwise, Kindle, BookStrand, and Books-A-Million.

Reviewers seem to be happy with the book so far, as it's received two FIVE STAR reviews so far...

Viviane Crystal at Crystal Reviews says: "A Piece of My Heart is terrific romantic/suspense fiction to savor and share with family and friends."

Detra Fitch at Huntress Reviews says: "***** FIVE STARS! Kemberlee Shortland has written a heartwarming story that will long remain in my mind. Recommended!"

Go raibh míle maith agat, ladies!

Coming soon: Constant Craving, which is the short story sequel to A Piece of My Heart. "The perfect life Mick and Kate thought they had was slowly dissolving. With Mick obsessing about the farm and Kate thrown into a life of domesticity, both lose some of what they'd fought so hard to regain. It all comes to a head when Kate suspects Mick of having an affair. Kate’s parents step in to give each of them advice from their own years of marriage. Now, both Mick and Kate have set their own romantic plans in motion, but it could all fall through when Kate nearly blows up the kitchen."

What's up with that woman? And Mick, well, Mick's a typical bloke, so there's loads of room for misunderstanding and reconciliation. We like reconciliation :-) This story should be available soon. I'll post the publication date when I have it.

On other news: The other two books in the Irish Pride Series include The Rhythm of My Heart and The Shape of My Heart. I'm currently working on re-editing these and hopefully they will be available at some point in the future. So watch this space for more information on those. Until then, you can read excerpts at the above links.

Contest: I'll be posting a contest here in the coming days, so bookmark this site so you can enter. Lots of fun prizes, so get reading!

I love hearing from fans, so please be sure to drop me a note at the above link and let me know what you thought of A Piece of My Heart, or any of my other works.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kemberlee

RELEASED!

It's official! A Piece of My Heart has been released!! It's currently availale on Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble, but will soon be available on Books-a-Million, Fictionwise, Kindle and others.

Already the story is gathering acclaim. Viviane Crystal of Crystal Reviews said: "A Piece of My Heart is terrific romantic/suspense fiction to savor and share with family and friends."

And today, Huntress Reviews gave A Piece of My Heart FIVE STARS, saying: "Kemberlee Shortland has written a heartwarming story that will long remain in my mind. Recommended!"

Whoo hoo! What a way to start the New Year.

Watch this space for the upcoming contest to celebrate the launch of A Piece of My Heart.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kemberlee