Available on iTunes!

Just a quick note to say, A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving are available at iTunes. If you have an iPhone and like to read on it, or other Mac device, head over to iTunes and download your copies! Two books for under $5. Can't beat that in recession times :-)

These books are available through Smashwords in all digital formats, so pop over there for a version suitable for your reading device.

On another note, I will be republishing my first two short stories, Tuttu-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like A Lady in the near future. Both of these stories are set in my hometown, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Originally published in the No Law Against Love anthology from Highland Press, these stories are based on just two of the crazy laws from Carmel -- when it was illegal to eat ice cream on the streets of town, and one still on the books, having to obtain a permit to wear high heels! Yes, it's true. You still need a permit. Though, the ice cream ban was repealed.

Stay tuned for republishing news.

In the meantime, find me at Facebook and watch for new here and there for upcoming publications.

~Kemberlee

Digital books abound!

I just thought I'd mention that most of my short stories are now available on their own, outside of the anthologies in which they were originally published.

So, fire up your Kindle and take a look: Tutti-Frutti Blues, Moondance, The Power of Love, A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving!

The sequel to Tutti-Frutti Blues, Dude Looks Like A Lady, will be available soon on a stand-alone basis, but can still be found in the anthology No Law Against Love.

Tutti-Frutti Blues now on Kindle

My publisher, Highland Press, is working on putting up all my short stories onto Kindle. The latest is the first short story I published called Tutti-Frutti Blues.

Tutti-Frutti Blues was first published in an anthology called No Law Against Love, the procedes of which did and still do go to breast cancer awareness charities.

Tutti-Frutti Blues is also the first story in a duet of stories, both of which are set in my home town of Carmel-by-the-Sea in California. The second book in the duet is called Dude Looks Like A Lady, which is coming soon to Kindle to watch this space, as the man says.

Here's what the readers have said about Tutti-Frutti Blues --

I picked up No Law Against Love becuase of a writer local to my home town of Carmel by-the-Sea, California. Kemberlee Shortland's story, "Tutti-Frutti Blues" and "Dude Looks Like a Lady", brought back memories of the small town I grew up in. Shortland's style of writing is both fun and creative; I look forward to reading more of this authors work in the future!

~ T.Zwagerman, reader

Tutti-Frutti is a special love story filled with romance between two people that is so unique in its own way. A little ice cream with no spoons could turn out delightfully wicked with that one special person. Ms. Shortland crafts an adorable little romance! It had a certain flare to it with the slippers and such a zany day, quite uplifting!

~ Linda, Romance at Heart Magazine

I love hearing from readers so drop me a note.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kemberlee

The Power of Love now on Kindle

Need I say more?

My short story, The Power of Love, is now available on Kindle.

Holiday in the Heart was published in November 2006 from Higland Press and is still available through Amazon as a paperback or Kindle and Smashwords digitally. You can find more information on The Power of Love and Holiday in the Heart on my website.

Here's what the reviewers have said --

"Shortland writes a powerfully emotional story that moved me to tears with an intensity that took my breath away." ~ Marilyn Rondeau

"Kemberlee Shortland's heart-rending tale will leave the reader in tears. Never has a story been so aptly named as this one! The depth of emotion displayed between Ethan and Elaine is simply stunning. Kemberlee Shortland proves herself to be a true force in the romance genre with this gem!" ~ CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

It brought me to tears just reading these reviews!

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did writing it. I love to hear from readers to post a comment or drop me an email.

Book Trailer: A Piece of My Heart

Thank you, Goddess Fish Promotions, for a wonderful video of A Piece of My Heart, part of the Irish Pride series. It's wonderful to finally put a face to both Mick and Kate.

Inspiration

I've been asked a few times what inspires me in my writing. I'm afraid my answers are probably the same as many writers. I get my inspiration from what I see or experience around me -- observing people, hearing stories, reading old diaries, researching family history, and of course music.

In the case of A Piece of My Heart, I was inspired by a number of pieces of music. As I'm sure many already know, the title alone was from one of Janis Joplin's most famous songs. The first part of the song goes like this:

Didn't I make you feel like you were the only man I ever wanted and needed?
And didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can ? (you know I did)
And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough,
I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.

I can't put it any better than an anonymous posted on sing365.com who said: To me, this song signifies a woman's love. How it is unstop(p)able. This song is how true love should be defined. You can break my heart, but I won't leave you and I won't stop loving you. Yes, you have been a jerk, but I fell in love with (you). I see more to you than how you can hurt me. When you hold me in your arms, you are someone different than the juvenile and cruel man that hurt me. I will always forgive you and love you, because my heart is strong. I am tough, and you can take my heart, rip it to pieces, and then eat it, but only you can do that. Because I love you and I have already given you my heart anyways. This song shows the side of love that most people never want to deal with, or don't even want to a(c)knowledge that it exists. It is inevitable, the people you love will hurt you, but will you let them "take another piece of your heart"?

To answer the question, of course you will. Because hope lives in love. Where there's love, there is always hope.

This was the base of my story, A Piece of My Heart. The deep love between Mick and Kate gets torn apart by another person's jealousy. Deep down, they still love each other, but Mick can't get past the event that tore them apart, and Kate doesn't understand the events that pulled him away from her. Over the years, they're forced to remain in contact, albeit limited contact, as Kate cares for Mick's parents. Every time she sees Mick, she has hope they can get past whatever it was that pulled them apart. And even if they don't have a future together, they can at least remain friends. She still loves Mick, therefore has hope things will turn around for them. Going back to the anonymous quote above, yep, that's exactly my Kate . . . I will always forgive you and love you, because my heart is strong.

But Mick isn't as hard as he seems. He's suffered hurt too. But men will be men and sometimes it takes a miracle for them to get over their pride and find ways to get what they want when it comes to real love. For Mick, it takes a strong woman to do that.

The song that inspired me to write the scene where Mick and Kate finally come together was written by the amazing and sadly late Christy Hennessy. The song is I Will. Take a listen --

By the way I feel tonight
I'll love you all my life
I know I will,
Let's take it from the top
and make a brand new start
Please say you will

How beautiful is that?!

I have to say I'm inspired by a lot of Christy's music. Drop over to his website and click on Discography. Some of his songs are linked to clips, like If I Were to Fall, I'm Looking Up To You, and Roll Back The Clouds. I really like Roll Back the Clouds!

Drop over to Christy's website and check out his discography. Or go right to his Platinum Collection.

So, what inspires you? Drop me a note and let me know.

New review from The Pagan and The Pen Reviews

Recently The Pagan and The Pen Reviews agreed to read A Piece of My Heart and the short story sequel, Constant Craving. Arriving home from a very long weekend I found this review in my in-box. I'm so very appreciative!

This pair of books presents an adorable and realistically romantic story of two high school sweethearts who never lost love for each other. Ms. Shortland writes Mick as the kind of many that any woman would love to have the chance to have, hold, and heal. Kate is a powerful, independent but innocent woman with a firm grasp of what love means.

In A Piece of My Heart, Kate and Mick share a lot of commonalities: an inheritance, a need to reconcile the past, and a sense of lost connection. Their reactions to each other and to the situations in which they find themselves are delightfully realistic, and their passion for each other is steamily respectful; a line that most authors have trouble walking. Predictably (why else do we read romance novels?!?) Kate and Mick work through their problems and the story ends with something akin to “…and they all lived happily ever after.”

One of my biggest problems with most romance novels is that they only deal with the heat, the passion, the chase that leads up to the long-awaited (and extremely satisfying) coupling. Yet few novels dare to delve into what happens when the after-glow fades and the couple is forced to live together with normal trials and tribulations. This is where Kemberlee Shortland shines.

Constant Craving is a wonderful short story that takes place a year after Kate and Mick buried the hatchet and shook the standing stones. There is little classical romance to be found here; instead Kate is tired, has baby blues from a recent birth of twins, and finds herself bogged down by housework. Mick is sexually frustrated (gotta wait for a while after babies are born!), tired from working the farm, and spends all his free time working on repairing the house. How they manage to rekindle the romance, and reconnect as lovers is a beautiful story and is more than just icing on the cake; it’s a story of REAL love, and how it endures, perseveres, and grows.

~ Keri Stratton Alley, The Pagan and The Pen Reviews, 4 Tarot Cards



Thanks Keri!!!

Happy New Year!

It's the 18th of January and I'm still playing catch up. Happy New Year!!

A great New Year surprise came in my email this morning -- A fabulous new review for Constant Craving!! What a great way to start the day. Here's what Huntress Reviews has to say . . .

FOUR STARS! This short story is a sequel to "A Piece of My Heart". If you have not read the previous title, I highly suggest you do so. You will not find yourself lost if you do not, however, the characters went through a lot and knowing about those events would make this story more special. (The price for "A Piece of My Heart" is low and the price for this sequel is [at the time of this review] under one dollar.) Both titles are part of the Irish Pride series.

To me, the nicest thing about a short story or novella is that there is no room for "filler". Every word of the story is needed and none are wasted or added. I, as the reader, am guaranteed a good tale in a small amount of time. And this author, Kemberlee Shortland, writes some fantastic stories!

Kemberlee Shortland has a creative writing style that easily communicates to readers all of the ardent feelings which Kathe and Mick feel for one another. Readers who have been married and then had kids will especially enjoy and empathize with the Fairhills' delimma. This story may be short, but it will linger in your mind for a long time.

Thank you SO much, Detra, for your kind words. Indeed, what a great way to start the day!

On other fronts, I've re-started posting articles over at Hearticles: Articles with Heart. I started out the New Year with Januarye - The Door to the Year. This piece discusses the significance of January and the New Year, and some of the things on my 2011 To-Do List.

More recently, I posted a couple Review Quickies, which is a new feature on the site. Drop over to see what I've been reading, and how writers can learn from the experts. In this article, I discussed Flipping Out by Marshall Karp and Switch by Grant McKenzie.

Upcoming events for me this year start off with a guest spot at Book Soulmates eMag. Stay tuned for the date for that one.

Thank you to Long and Short of It Reviews. The Jingle Bell Blog Fest was great fun. Seems their readers really enjoyed my exclusive pre-Xmas interview with Kris Kringle! And why not? He's a big fan of romance stories.

As a reminder, A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving are on sale over at Smashwords. You can get BOTH for under $5!! Chose your format, including Kindle.

As always, I enjoy hearing from readers, so drop me a note the next time you're cruising through.

Happy New Year and all the best for a wonderful 2011!!

~ Kemberlee