Romance Author Kemberlee

AVAILABLE NOW

2012-01-21T15:27:00.011Z

Tutti-Frutti Blues
book one of The Carmel Charmers Series

Town therapist Maisie Daniels is having a bad day. A failed alarm clock makes her late for work, she's locked herself out of her house and worse, she's half way across town when she realizes she's wearing her bunny slippers. A double scoop of tutti-frutti ice cream is just the ticket to boost her mood.

When Sergeant Jake Hennessey spots a woman in bunny slippers muttering to herself in the park, he wonders if she's one of the local eccentrics. When she steps from the ice cream parlor with her double dip in hand, Jake decides not to cite her for eating ice cream on the street, a recent ban, but invites her to dinner instead.

When Jake arrives at the restaurant and sees Maisie in her bunny slippers, he knows instantly that he could love her.

Tutti-Frutti Blues is available in your format from Smashwords or for Kindle for just $1.99.

~ AND ~

Dude Looks Like A Lady
book two of The Carmel Charmers Series

Pamela Howard can't believe what she let her friend Maisie talk her into—a charity costume contest where she's made to dress as King Louis XVI. Her partner, dressed as Queen Marie Antoinette, reminds her of a man she's spent five long years trying to forget.

Hank Delacroix is ready to throttle his friend Jake. Hank is a great clown around his 49er teammates, but six-inch heels and a poodle on his head are a bit much. He has to be the tallest drag queen in the state. When he meets his Louis partner, he can't keep memories of the only woman he ever loved from waking in his mind.

When Hank realizes Louis is his ex-fiancé, he has to find a way to make her stop running away from him so he can finally apologize.

Dude Looks Like A Lady is available in your format from Smashwords or for Kindle for just $1.99.

SAVE 99c when you buy The Carmel Charmer Series which includes both Tutti-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like A Lady for just $2.99.

Available on iTunes!

2011-08-04T13:06:00.005+01:00

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!

2011-07-04T11:54:00.006+01:00

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

2011-05-08T12:29:00.008+01:00

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

2011-04-20T14:05:00.003+01:00

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

2011-03-28T15:07:00.005+01:00

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

2011-03-04T09:31:00.027Z

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

2011-02-07T16:30:00.002Z

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!

2011-01-18T10:09:00.005Z

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

Christmas came early

2010-12-14T11:23:00.006Z

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!

2010-11-23T17:06:00.006Z

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!

2010-11-12T11:24:00.004Z

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 . . .

2010-10-01T19:41:00.007+01:00

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!!

2010-08-31T12:04:00.014+01:00

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

2010-08-26T22:49:00.015+01:00

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!

2010-08-02T11:38:00.008+01:00

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

2010-07-22T00:34:00.007+01:00

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 --

Also through --

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

2010-07-04T11:23:00.002+01:00

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

2010-06-28T14:39:00.011+01:00

{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!!

2010-06-14T19:20:00.009+01:00

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

2010-06-07T20:30:00.002+01:00

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

2010-05-29T17:50:00.002+01:00

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

2010-05-25T10:57:00.007+01:00

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!

2010-05-17T17:23:00.003+01:00

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!

2010-03-31T21:51:00.003+01:00

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!

2010-03-18T16:21:00.005Z

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!

2010-03-14T00:40:00.002Z

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

2010-03-01T11:07:00.004Z

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!

2010-02-24T13:03:00.005Z

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!

2010-02-20T10:22:00.003Z

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!!!

2010-02-09T14:49:00.007Z

Satisfying Irish Romance , February 5, 2010

Wilma G. Walter

5 Stars

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

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.

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

2010-01-26T14:50:00.006Z

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!

2010-01-21T20:37:00.004Z

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

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2009-12-20T12:28:00.007Z

Happy holidays, everyone!

I don't know about you, but I can't believe the big day is just around the corner. For the first time in ages, I got my gift shopping done three weeks ahead of time. That's saying a lot because I'm normally the Queen of Last Minute Shopping.

We have a living tree we bring in every year, and last night we put the lights on and a few ornaments. Only a few, as the main box with most of the holiday decorations has gone missing since our recent house move. It's here somewhere, and we'll probably find it in the spring when we do the big clean. But, it's only a little tree so it's actually lovely with just the fairy lights and the few ornaments.

Now comes food time. While it will only be our little family this year, himself, myself and the two hairy kids, I'm still baking a pie or two (can never have too much pumpkin pie in my book), will roast a turkey, and make a few trimmings. I try really hard to convince myself it's just another dinner, but instead of chicken we're having turkey. Thinking of it this way keeps me from stressing out over the whole ordeal. But it will be great. Every year we get up, have breakfast, open our gifts, play with the dogs, and basically have a nice day. Until it comes time to shower and dress and make the long drive to my in-laws for the big dinner. While it's always lovely and we enjoy seeing them, having to make the long journey after a long, lazy day, when it's dark and the weather is bad, is hard. So this year we're staying home, staying in our PJs, and exercising some of the Seven Deadly Sins...particularly gluttony, sloth and greed. And not necessarily in that order! :-)

Speaking of Seven Deadly Sins, DESIRE! Which brings me to Constant Craving.

I've just uploaded the cover for 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.

A Piece of My Heart's publication has been pushed into early January 2010, and will be available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise, Kindle, BookStrand and Books-A-Million.

Constant Craving will be available as a download only, and will be published on the novel's coattails, and will be available through CoffeeTime Romance and Kindle.

Please check back for updates on the exact publication dates for both, which should be the first week or so of January. Each story page will have links to where you can buy the stories.

Also, watch this space for an UPCOMING CONTEST to launch A Piece of My Heart.

I really enjoy hearing from my readers, so drop me an email at the link above, or you can find me on Facebook.

Just for fun, I had the please of speaking with Kris Kringle recently. Check it out on my other blog.

However you celebrate, have a wonderful, safe, and joyous holiday season.

~ Kemberlee

A Piece of My Heart/Constant Craving - Updates

2009-12-09T15:04:00.005Z

It's been a while since I've updated this page, but I have good reason. I've been knee-deep in edits. The publication date for A Piece of My Heart had been pushed back due to our recent home relocation. Once I was back up and running, I dove right back into edits, working with the cover artist, photographer, editor, and whatever else that's come up in order to get this book done. I'm thrilled with the results and I hope you will be too.

After I received a glowing advance review, we've decided to include a quote on the cover. Thank you to Viviane Crystal at Crystal Reviews for her outstanding and much appreciated comments on A Piece of My Heart...

Kemberlee Shortland is a pro at depicting numerous romantic moments in a stimulating, unique way that never gets boring or repetitive and evolves to a crescendo experience. The good guy/bad guy scenario unfolds in a credible manner that in turn creates a full-force reaction where one finds Flann a totally despicable character and roots for his demise, while eagerly anticipating how Mick and Kate will recover their obviously lost but not forgotten love! Ms. Shortland's style has definitely matured over the last few years, and A Piece of My Heart is terrific romantic/suspense fiction to savor and share with family and friends.

Log into A Piece of My Heart to read an updated excerpt and for information where you can pick up a copy of this book.

There's also been some movement on Constant Craving, which is the short story sequel to A Piece of My Heart. This story will be available by download only through Coffee Time Romance, as are my other short stories. Have a look at My Books for direct links to those stories at CTR.

Check back for more information the release dates for both stories, which will be SOON.

Also, bookmark this page and check back for the upcoming CONTEST to celebrate the joint release of A Piece of My Heart and Constant Craving.

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!

~Kemberlee

A Piece of My Heart - The Cover

2009-10-21T10:45:00.003+01:00

Happy dancing!

I just got the final version of the cover for my soon-to-be-release Irish set novel, A Piece of My Heart.

I love this cover. My cover artist, Charlie Alldredge, has been amazing. It's like she looked into my head and saw what I was trying to convey. She came up with what I was thinking and made is awesome. Thanks, Charlie!

I want to send a special thanks to Chris Williams who donated the photograph of the stone circle. He was in Ireland this summer and made a special effort to search out stone circles where he traveled. Thanks, Chris!

I'm really happy with this cover and can't wait until it actually binds the pages of my story. Seeing my cover is a real inspiration to finish up the edits!

Watch this space for the books release!

Please, drop me a note and let me know what you think of the cover. I enjoy hearing from people reading my stories.

~ Kemberlee

A Piece of My Heart - Update

2009-09-24T06:15:00.003+01:00

Hi there,

I'm still slogging away through the editorial process. I admit, I'm not very quick about them. I try to take my time so the story is just right. But it's all coming together now. And we're working on cover art, which is cool. I've seen a mock-up and it's just what I had in mind. I can't wait to see the finished version. When I have it, I'll be sure to post it here!

I was hoping to have a release date for the end of October, but as my husband has recently taken a new job, it requires us to move. Today last month, everything was normal, doing the same things as usual. And today we're moving to the other side of the country, selling our house and moving our little family. I keep saying how everything has turned upside down for us, but in reality it really feels like it's all turned right side up! I guess it's the glass is half full/empty and we're feeling like it's pretty full at the moment.

My publisher and editor have been marvelous about my delay, but we're all working hard to make this the best first novel ever. I can't thank them enough.

So stay tuned, and be sure to drop me a line. I enjoy hearing from readers.

~ Kemberlee

A PIECE OF MY HEART

2009-04-20T12:05:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I know! It's been a busy few months.

But Spring is in the air, flowers are blooming, trees are leafing out, and there's a certain energy in the air. I've cast my sail into the wind and am letting it guide me through the season.

I've received the edits for A Piece of My Heart and have been working diligently on them.

I'm also thinking of some ideas for the cover art and hope to speak with the cover artist soon.

I don't have a release date as of yet, but hoping for some time in the Autumn for pre-Christmas sales.

I'm really excited about this story, as it's very close to my heart.

Here's a decription of the story --

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 fathers’ will should have been straightforward, except his addendum was like ice water in his face. It’s essential that Mick and Kate work together in order 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 that 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 a goodbye.

Pop over to read the excerpt. This is a wonderful story, if I do say so myself.

Don't forget that my short stories are still available as part of their anthologies and as individual stories though Coffee Time Romance.

No Law Against Love at Amazon and at B&N
Tutti-Frutti Blues at Coffee Time Romance
Dude Looks Like a Lady at Coffee Time Romance

Blue Moon Enchantment at Amazon

Moondance at Coffee Time Romance

Holiday in the Heart at Amazon and at B&N
The Power of Love at Coffee Time Romance

I enjoy hearing from readers so be sure to drop me a note!

~ Kemberlee

Everything is available now!

2008-10-28T12:46:00.003Z

I mentioned in previous posts, my publisher is making all of my short stories available from previously published anthologies at Coffee Time Romance. The latest to be added to the list is Moondance.

Moondance was originally published in the Blue Moon Enchantment anthology. It's still available at Amazon, but my short story is now available through CoffeeTime Romance.

Blánaid thinks there's something wrong with her. It's been months since she's dated, and even if she makes the first move to invite a man out, it seems he can't run away from her fast enough. If it weren't for her best friends, Ronan and Siobhan, Blánaid is sure she'd go crazy with loneliness and despair. Then, one night while watching the sunset, Ronan kisses her and suddenly, the world as Blánaid knows it is thrown into turmoil. She turns to Siobhan for advice and a shoulder to cry on.

Can Blánaid face the truth in Siobhan's words?

The instant his lips touched Blánaid's, Ronan was sure he'd found Heaven. Ever since meeting her, he tried to find a way to tell her how he felt about her. When he overheard her telling Siobhan she never dated the friends they hung out with, he kept his feelings to himself- until this night when everything seemed so right. And he thought she felt the same when she returned his kiss. But when she realized what was happening, she ran from him. Ronan was sure he'd scared her off forever.

Can Ronan settle for just being Blánaid's friend?

The Power of Love is my Christmas time romance. It was republished earlier this year at Coffee Time Romance. The book in which it came from, Holiday in the Heart, is still available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

When Elaine discovers she was pregnant, she hesitates telling her husband, Ethan. They were newlyweds and wanted to wait until they were ready to start a family. Ethan surprised her by accepting early parenthood, embracing the idea more fully than either of them expected. But when they receive bad news after a prenatal exam, both must face that their charmed lives were about to come crashing down around them.

Do Christmas wishes really come true? Elaine would stake her life on it!

Tutti-Frutti Blues is also available at Coffee Time Romance. This story is still available in the No Law Against Love anthology, which is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

Town therapist Maisie Daniels is having a bad day. A failed alarm clock makes her late for work, she's locked herself out of her house and worse, she's half way across town when she realizes she's wearing her bunny slippers. A double scoop of tutti-frutti ice cream is just the ticket to boost her mood.

When Sergeant Jake Hennessey spots a woman in bunny slippers muttering to herself in the park, he wonders if she's one of the local eccentrics. When she steps from the ice cream parlor with her double dip in hand, Jake decides not to cite her for eating ice cream on the street, a recent ban, but invites her to dinner instead.

When Jake arrives at the restaurant and sees Maisie in her bunny slippers, he knows instantly that he could love her.

Dude Looks Like a Lady is also now available at Coffee Time Romance. This story is still available in the No Law Against Love anthology, which is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

Pamela Howard can't believe what she let her friend Maisie talk her into - a charity costume contest where she's made to dress as King Louis XVI. Her partner, dressed as Queen Marie Antoinette, reminds her of a man she's spent five long years trying to forget.

Hank Delacroix is ready to throttle his friend Jake. Hank is a great clown around his 49er teammates, but six-inch heels and a poodle on his head are a bit much. He has to be the tallest drag queen in the state. When he meets his Louis partner, he can't keep memories of the only woman he ever loved from waking in his mind.

When Hank realizes Louis is his ex-fiance, he has to find a way to make her stop running away from him so he can finally apologize.

Thanks for your support and for reading what I write. I hope you enjoy it. Watch this space for news on A Piece of My Heart. This is my first published full length novel. It's set mainly on the west coast of Ireland...

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 fathers’ Will should have been straightforward, except his addendum was like ice water in his face. It’s essential that Mick and Kate work together in order 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 that 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 a goodbye.

With Christmas coming, don't wait to pick up one of these stories for your someone special. All of the anthologies are still available through Amazon, and you can pick and chose the ones you want at Coffee Time Romance. Just click on the links above for the ones you're interested in. Short excerpts are available on my website if you want to read a little of the story before making up your mind. Be sure to check out the reviews for each book to see what readers are saying about my stories.

I love to hear from fans, so be sure to drop me a note.

~Kemberlee

Second life for the little guys

2008-08-20T15:22:00.009+01:00

I mentioned in my last post that my publisher is making all of the short stories available from previously published anthologies, which includes all of my short stories, at Coffee Time Romance.

The Power of Love was republished earlier this year. The book in which it came from, Holiday in the Heart, is still available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

When Elaine discovers she was pregnant, she hesitates telling her husband, Ethan. They were newlyweds and wanted to wait until they were ready to start a family. Ethan surprised her by accepting early parenthood, embracing the idea more fully than either of them expected. But when they receive bad news after a prenatal exam, both must face that their charmed lives were about to come crashing down around them.

Do Christmas wishes really come true? Elaine would stake her life on it!

Tutti-Frutti Blues is now available at Coffee Time Romance. This story is still available in the No Law Against Love anthology, which is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

When Sergeant Jake Hennessey spots a woman in bunny slippers muttering to herself in the park, he wonders if she's one of the local eccentrics. When she steps from the ice cream parlor with her double dip in hand, Jake decides not to cite her for eating ice cream on the street, a recent ban, but invites her to dinner instead.

When Jake arrives at the restaurant and sees Maisie in her bunny slippers, he knows instantly that he could love her.

Dude Looks Like a Lady is also now available at Coffee Time Romance. This story is still available in the No Law Against Love anthology, which is available from Amazon and other online booksellers.

Pamela Howard can't believe what she let her friend Maisie talk her into - a charity costume contest where she's made to dress as King Louis XVI. Her partner, dressed as Queen Marie Antoinette, reminds her of a man she's spent five long years trying to forget.

Hank Delacroix is ready to throttle his friend Jake. Hank is a great clown around his 49er teammates, but six-inch heels and a poodle on his head are a bit much. He has to be the tallest drag queen in the state. When he meets his Louis partner, he can't keep memories of the only woman he ever loved from waking in his mind.

When Hank realizes Louis is his ex-fiance, he has to find a way to make her stop running away from him so he can finally apologize.

No word yet on when Moondance will be available as a standalone story, but it's still available in the original anthology, Blue Moon Enchantment, which can be bought through Amazon or other online bookseller.

Thanks for your support and for reading what I write. I hope you enjoy it. Watch this space for news on A Piece of My Heart.

~Kemberlee

Some good news to share...

2008-08-15T11:13:00.006+01:00

I've signed the contract with Highland Press for my novel A Piece of My Heart. It will be released sometime in 2009. As soon as I have a cover and release date I'll be sure to post them here. For now, I'm thrilled to see one of my novels make publication AND in print no less. Yay! You can click the above link to take a peak of this story.

Also, my short stories are being rereleased as stand-alone stories through Coffee Time Romance. Currently, The Power of Love is available. This story was part of the Holiday in the Heart anthology, published in December 2006, and still available through Amazon.com.

The other short stories will be available at Coffee Time Romance shortly. Those stories include Tutti-Frutti Blues, Dude Looks Like A Lady and Moondance. As soon as those stories are available, I'll post an update. These stories are also still available through Amazon...Tutti-Frutti and Dude are in the No Law Against Love anthology and Moondance is in the Blue Moon Enchantment anthology.

Things are cruising along here. I'm working on a new story project and waiting for edits on A Piece of My Heart. Otherwise, it's life as usual here...putting up with rain and trying to keep the leprechauns under control! ;-)

As always, I love hearing from readers, so drop me a note from my contact page.

Thanks for reading.

~Kemberlee

A Piece of My Heart

2008-04-17T13:26:00.003+01:00

Just had to send out a massive WHOO HOO! One of my contemporary Irish set romances has just been accepted at Highland Press for publication...

A Piece of My Heart

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 fathers’ Will should have been straightforward, except his addendum was like ice water in his face. It’s essential that Mick and Kate work together in order 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 that Mick is the father of her child. Kate thought she’d been 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 a goodbye.

When I have an expected release date, I'll be sure to post it here.

And wish me luck, because the publisher has asked to see the other two books in this series, Just Once and At Last, which I've sent.

Exciting times ahead for sure!

Don't forget that my short stories are still available. Log into My Books and click on each story for purchasing info. All profits and author royalties for No Law Against Love are still going to breast cancer awareness so be sure to buy copies for all the ladies in your life!

~ Kemberlee

The Power of Love

2008-02-21T11:32:00.005Z

The Power of Love has been released for individual sale through The Author's Lounge and through Coffeetime Romance. This story was originally published in November 2006 as part of the Holiday in the Heart anthology through Highland Press, but now fans can buy this story on a stand-alone basis.

When Elaine discovers she's pregnant, she hesitates telling her husband, Ethan. They were newlyweds and wanted to wait until they were ready to start a family. Ethan surprised her by accepting early parenthood, embracing the idea more fully than either of them expected. But when they receive bad news after a prenatal exam, both must face that their charmed lives were about to come crashing down around them.

Do Christmas wishes really come true? Elaine would stake her life on it!

What the reviewers are saying --

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

But this story at The Author's Lounge
Buy this story at Coffeetime Romance

And if you want to buy the full anthology, Holiday in the Heart is still available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Tutti-Frutti Blues received Honorable Mention

2007-03-23T16:58:00.000Z

Tutti-Frutti Blues received an Honorable Mention at the 2006 RIO Awards for Excellence. Not too bad for my first published story, eh?!

Tutti-Frutti Blues was set in my hometown of Carmel, California back in the late 1980's when it was illegal to eat ice cream on the town streets. The law was enacted when ice cream litter was a major problem in the town. When Clint Eastwood became mayor he saw the law repealed. This story was in the No Law Against Love anthology anthology published by Highland Press in February 2006. The theme of the collection was seemingly silly laws around the world, which is why I used the ice cream one.

Also in this anthology is the sequel to Tutti-Frutti Blues called Dude Looks Like a Lady, which hit upon a law still on the books in Carmel...the high heel ban! Anyone wanting to wear shoes with heels taller than 2 inches has to obtain a permit from the town. One look at the cobbled sidewalks and the tree roots coming up through the streets will tell you how easy it is to fall in high heels. When the law was enacted back in the 1970's it was because so many Disco Stu's were falling on their faces on the uneven pavement. Dude Looks Like a Lady is a playful story set a year later from Tutti-Frutti Blues.

Both stories are must reads, if I do say so myself! =-)

The No Law Against Love anthology is still available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

And don't forget that all author royalties and publisher net profits of the sales of this book go to breast cancer awareness!!

Happy reading!

~ Kemberlee

Nominated for the RIO Award of Excellence!!

2007-03-18T18:12:00.000Z

How cool is this? Tutti-Frutti Blues was nominated for a RIO Award! It's a terrific honor just to be nominated by such a prestigious group. Many thanks RIO!!

Nominations were announced last week on the RIO blog and the winners will be announced there next week.

Tutti-Frutti Blues was published February 2006 in the anthology No Law Against Love, published by Highland Press. This book is in paperback and still available; all author royalties and publisher net profits going to breast cancer awareness. You can get your copy through Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble online, or ask your local bookseller to stock it on their shelves!

UPDATE:

Last month, the anothology Blue Moon Enchantment was nominated for the P.E.A.R.L. Award. My story in this collection is Moondance.

We didn't place, but to be in the company of such authors as Sherrilyn Kenyon and Susan Grant, who can complain?!?! It was still a great honor to be nominated. Authors in Blue Moon Enchantment won in the Best Short Story category though so it was a great boon to authors and our publisher, Highland Press.

The winners list can be viewed on PNR's website. Congratulations to all the winners!

As with No Law Against Love, Blue Moon Enchantment is still available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, or by asking your local bookseller to stock Highland Press titles.

As always, feel free to drop me a note or leave a comment. I love hearing from readers.

~ Kemberlee

P.E.A.R.L. Nominee for 2006!!

2007-02-17T11:46:00.000Z

I know it's been a while since I've posted any news. It's been a busy time with the holidays, our trip home to California for Xmas and New Years, and getting back to work. However, there's some news I feel I must share.

Blue Moon Enchantment has been nominated for the 2006 P.E.A.R.L. Award awarded through ParaNormalRomance.org. How cool is that?

My story in this anthology is called Moondance and is set in the southwest of Ireland on the Dingle Peninsula on the Three Sisters Promontory. This is the story of two close friends looking for love and finding it in each other...with the help of the magic of the Blue Moon...a second full moon that appears in the same month.

Here's what just two reviewers have said about Moondance --

Author Shortland writes a tale of love that is not so very far if we are just willing to reach for it. A wonderful story filled with pent-up passion and discovery of love. ~K.Montgomery

Kemberlee Shortland's splendid portrayal of Blanaid's concerns about possibly losing the friendship she has with Ronan will resonate with readers everywhere. ~Deborah Wiley

Winners haven't been notidfied yet, but you can be sure I'll post that message!

I have to say it's an honor just to be nominated. While my story isn't overly paranormal, the majority of Blue Moon Enchantment is. I count myself lucky to be in a collection with such esteemed writers.

Wish us luck!!!

BTW, No Law Against Love is also being nominated for best new authors at PNR. So if you're a PNR member, vote for us!!!!

And don't forget, Holiday in the Heart was released the first part of December. It's still selling like hotcakes so be sure to get your copy. My story in that collection is The Power of Love, another Irish set story, this time in Limerick City. Elaine and Ethan are blessed and cursed. The power of love plays a strong part in bringing this story to a happy ever after.

Belated Happy New Years to all. Wishing you a year full of romance!

~ Kemberlee

Holiday in the Heart anthology NOW AVAILABLE!

2006-11-26T15:35:00.000Z

Just in time for Christmas!!

Holiday in the Heart is now available and shipping. My story The Power of Love is included in this holiday collection of short stories.

Like Moondance, The Power of Love is also set in Ireland, this time in Limerick City.

When Elaine discovers she's pregnant, she hesitates telling her husband, Ethan. They're newlyweds and wanted to wait until they were ready to start a family. Ethan surprised her by accepting early parenthood, embracing the idea more fully than either of them expected. But when they receive bad news after a prenatal exam, both must face that their charmed lives are about to come crashing down around them.

Do Christmas wishes really come true? Elaine will stake her life on it!

Blue Moon Enchantment is still selling like hotcakes. My story Moondance is in this book, which went on sale in October. Reviews continue to come in --

Author Shortland writes a tale of love that is not so very far if we are just willing to reach for it. A wonderful story filled with pent-up passion and discovery of love. ~K.Montgomery

Kemberlee Shortland's splendid portrayal of Blanaid's concerns about possibly losing the friendship she has with Ronan will resonate with readers everywhere. ~Deborah Wiley

As well, No Law Against Love is still available and racking up donation funds for various breast cancer awareness groups around the world. All of these books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble online, as well as many independent shops which can order via the book's ISBN number. So jot them down and be sure to get your local bookseller to order them and stock them on their shelves. They're great for holiday gifts. And Xmas is just around the corner, like it or not!

I hope you enjoy reading all these stories. Drop me a note and share your feelings about my work and these collections. Don't forget you can read excerpts from all my stories. Click on My Books.

Happy holidays!

~Kemberlee

News Updates

2006-10-17T00:42:00.001+01:00

As I mentioned in my last report, I've just signed a contract for another short story with Highland Press, this time for their Holiday in the Heart anothology, which is being released just in time for the holidays. My story is called The Power of Love. Like the last story, this one is also set here in Ireland; this time in Limerick City.

Limerick City is not only the home of my two newest characters, Ethan and Elaine O'Donovan, it's also home to the woman who enspired this story, in part anyway, who is also called Elaine. Elaine is the sister-in-law of one of my closest friends (Isabo Kelly) and when we were having a "good auld chin wag" one afternoon, Elaine was instrumental in helping me get through a bit of the story I was having trouble with. So to say thanks, I've set my story in her hometown and have given my heroine Elaine's name. OK, so Elaine O'Donovan also looks a little like the real Elaine, but sure, no harm, as they say! Thanks again for your help, Elaine!! {hugs}

I've updated my site to include a short excerpt from The Power of Love. I hope you enjoy it when it hits the stands at the end of November.

When Elaine discovers she is pregnant, she hesitates telling her husband, Ethan. They were newlyweds and wanted to wait until they were ready to start a family. Ethan surprised her by accepting early parenthood, embracing the idea more fully than either of them expected. But when they receive bad news after a prenatal exam, both must face that their charmed lives were about to come crashing down around them.

Do Christmas wishes really come true? Elaine would stake her life on it!

Onto other news, Blue Moon Enchantment is still selling like hotcakes. My story Moondance is in this book which went on sale a couple weeks ago. And the reviews are spilling in. Log into the story page and see what readers and reviewers are saying about this anthology and my story. I'm well chuffed! I especially loved the review from K.Montgomery over at the Amazon page who said --

"Shortland writes a tale of love that is not so very far if we are just willing to reach for it. A wonderful story filled with pent-up passion and discovery of love."

Right on!!

In this story, Blanaid and Ronan are meeting on the Middle Peak on the famous Three Sisters promonatory on the Dingle Peninsula. It's just past sunset and the full moon is shining above them.

"It's a marvelous night for a moondance," she softly sang. "All the stars up above in your eyes. A fantabulous night to make romance, 'neath the cover of October skies."

How ironic is it that this is October and Blue Moon Enchantment has been released! As well, while it wasn't a blue moon (the second full moon in the same month), I did witness the most incredible full moon on Saturday the 7th. Would you believe it had the most amazing pale blue hue? It hung in the sky so large I felt I could reach out and touch it. We get some great full moons here, but my picture taking abilities haven't been honed to take a good moon picture. They turn out more like spotlights in a center of the image. Anyway, it was fabulous and I'll always remember it in my mind's photo album.

As a reminder, this month is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month around the globe and the net profits from the sales of No Law Against Love are being added up and will be going to various breast cancer awareness groups in the countries the book has been selling in.

Unfortunately, the main bookseller in Ireland dropped the ball on our arrangement to stock NLAL in their shops, but watch this space as there's something fabulous in the works!

All of these books are available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble online, as well as many independent shops which can order via the book's ISBN number. So jot them down and be sure to get your local bookseller to order them and stock them on their shelves. They're great for holiday gifts. And Xmas is just around the corner, as much as we all hate to think about it this early in the season. It's barely time for ghosts and goblins, let alone gobblers and cobblers!!

There's still no word on Constant Craving, which is being considered at Highland Press for another anthology. They're up to their eyeballs in edits for the holiday books so watch this space, too, in the event that I get word sooner rather than later. And keep all your crossables crossed for me that it makes the grade.

For those who haven't had a chance to look yet, I also run a fun blog, which is linked above. That's set up for all my non-author stuff. Check it out and see what I get up to when I'm not nose deep into writing fiction!

That's about it. Thanks for checking in. And as always, I enjoy hearing from people who've enjoyed my writing, so please use the link above to drop me a note, or leave a comment below.

~ Kemberlee

NOW AVAILABLE!!

2006-09-23T15:45:00.000+01:00

Well, Blue Moon Enchantment is now available!!! (happy dancing begins) Blue Moon Enchantment is the second volume in the Blue Moon duo of books. The first was Blue Moon Magic, which was released in May.

The theme of the Blue Moon anthologies are things that happen once in a blue moon. Blue moons are when two full moons appear in the one month. If conditions are right, the second full moon takes on a blue tint, which is where the phrase comes from. So, blue moons are rare, as are special wishes.

My story is called Moondance and is set on the Dingle Peninsula in the southwest of Ireland at a place called the Three Sisters promonatory near Ballyferriter village. Moondance is based on a lovely quote I found that says. "Love that's true happens only once in a blue moon."

Blanaid thinks there's something wrong with her. It's been months since she's dated, and even if she makes the first move to invite a man out, it seems he can't run away from her fast enough. If it weren't for her best friends, Ronan and Siobhan, Blanaid is sure she'd go crazy with loneliness and despair. Then, one night while watching the sunset, Ronan kisses her and suddenly, the world as Blanaid knows it is thrown into turmoil. She turns to Siobhan for advice and a shoulder to cry on.

Can Blanaid face the truth in Siobhan's words?

The instant his lips touched Blanaid's, Ronan was sure he'd found Heaven. Ever since meeting her, he tried to find a way to tell her how he felt about her. When he overheard her telling Siobhan she never dated the friends they hung out with, he kept his feelings to himself- until this night when everything seemed so right. And he thought she felt the same when she returned his kiss. But when she realized what was happening, she ran from him. Ronan was sure he'd scared her off forever.

Can Ronan settle for just being Blanaid's friend?

You can read an excerpt from the story here.

Reviews are already starting to come in for this fabulous collection. Check out Huntress Reviews. Detra says, "If you want some sweet dreams, read one of two of these stories just before bed. Terrific!" Thanks Detra!!!

Get your own copy of Blue Moon Enchantment, online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Ask your local bookseller to get it shelved as well! Amazon is offering a two-book special when you buy Blue Moon Enchantment with Blue Moon Magic. Collect the set!

Other big news: I've just signed the contract for my next short story, which will appear in the Xmas anthology called Holiday in the Heart. My story is called The Power of Love. This story is also set in Ireland; this time it's Limerick City. I'm working on a blurb page now so stay tuned for site updates. Thanks to Elaine in Limerick who inspired this story in part.

Don't forget that No Law Against Love, published in January, is still available in the stores and online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It's a great collection to take with you and all net profits are being donated to charity. Any books sold in Ireland are going to benefit the Marie Keating Foundation's breast cancer awareness program.

You can read excerpts from both of my stories in this book on my website, Tutti-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like a Lady.

I hope you've had an enjoyable Summer. I hate to mention it, but Xmas is just 3 months away. Don't wait until later in the year to stock up on some great reads to give away as gifts. Load up on some Highland Press anthologies. They're a great investment in both your pocketbook AND in your emotional well-being.

As always, I enjoy hearing from people who've enjoyed my writing, so please use the link above to drop me a note, or leave a comment below.

~ Kemberlee

Blue Moon Enchantment

2006-06-09T12:52:00.000+01:00

As promised, I've posted an excerpt of Moondance, which is part of the Blue Moon Enchantment anthology being published by Highland Press this month. This is volume two of the Blue Moon duo of books, the first being Blue Moon Magic, which has just gone to print. Both books are available through Amazon for orders, as well as other booksellers.

The theme of the Blue Moon anthologies are things that happen once in a blue moon...blue moons are months with two full moons in the one month. If conditions are right, the second full moon takes on a blue tint, which is where the phrase comes from...blue moons are rare.

My story is called Moondance and is set on the Dingle Peninsula at a place called the Three Sisters near Ballyferriter. Moondance is based on a lovely quote I found that says. "Love that's true happens only once in a blue moon."

Blanaid thinks there's something wrong with her. It's been months since she's dated, and even if she makes the first move to invite a man out, it seems he can't run away from her fast enough. If it weren't for her best friends, Ronan and Siobhan, Blanaid is sure she'd go crazy with loneliness and despair. Then, one night while watching the sunset, Ronan kisses her and suddenly, the world as Blanaid knows it is thrown into turmoil. She turns to Siobhan for advice and a shoulder to cry on.

Can Blanaid face the truth in Siobhan's words?

Can Ronan settle for just being Blanaid's friend?

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned for the next collection from Highland Press, A Recipe For Love. As I mentioned, I've submitted a story called Constant Craving that I'm hoping they'll publish too. For those who have emailed me about Just You, Constant Craving is a visit back to Kate and Mick in Connemara. I'm hoping this story will be included, but if it's not for some reason, I just might post it on the website as a freebie read.

And of course, there are many more stories locked in my head trying to get out. I'm still working on The Diary and hope to have that finished this summer. I've submitted the "Just" novels to Poolbeg Press in Dublin City and am still waiting for them to come back with some positive comments. Currently, chicklit dominates the Irish shelves. However, I believe Irish readers are getting tired of cookie cutter plots and shallow characters that all read the same from book to book. I think Irish women are ready for a good ol' traditional love story...a relationship story between a monogomous couple. That's probably a topic for a future message.

I hope your summer is getting off to a great start and that you're looking forward to a few days away for some R&R. Don't forget that No Law Against Love, published in January, is still available in the stores and online through Amazon. It's a great collection to take with you and all net profits are being donated to charity. Any books sold in Ireland are going to benefit the Marie Keating Foundation's breast cancer awareness program.

As always, I enjoy hearing from people who've enjoyed my writing, so please use the link above to drop me a note, or leave a comment below.

~ Kemberlee

Springtime in Ireland

2006-05-30T21:57:00.001+01:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated my page. A lot has been going on behind the scenes though, so this message will undoubtedly be longer than usual.

My sister visited earlier this month. We drove up to Dublin City for a few days, which was great. We visited the National Gallery again and finally, after all the other times it never worked out, I was able to see one my most favorite paintings in the world...Meeting on the Turret Stairs by pre-Raphaelite-influenced artist Sir Frederick William Burton, a native County Clare man. The painting was inspired by the Danish ballad called Hellelil and Hildebrand, which is a love story between a Danish princess and one of her twelve personal guards.

I can't begin to say how amazing and beautiful this painting is. It's listed as a watercolor, but it's actually a type of watercolor called gouache. Basically, gouache is a water based paint that is very thick so it looks opaque rather than translucent like traditional watercolor. This particular piece comes over as oil based because the colors are still so vivid. The detail is incredible. It's difficult to really tell in most pictures I've found online, but the texture of the knight's tunic, the etching on the scabbard, the feather lining on the dress, the chainmail...it all has been intricately painted...every link, every stitch, every feather, every hair...so that it takes on a lifelike quality. The detail on the knight's tunic resembles that from the Book of Kells, which is housed in Trinity College. And the lighter blue band around the lady's dress is a wonderful Celtic weave, as is the etching on the scabbard.

One normally has to make an appointment to see this painting in the National Gallery, but we lucked out to be in the gallery early enough in the day that there were workers in the office where this painting is on display. It's a restoration/file/research/etc room in an upper floor of the original gallery building.

The National Gallery also houses the famous once-missing Carravagio painting called the Taking of Christ, and another of my most famous paintings, the Marriage of Strongbow by Daniel Maclise. The figures on this painting are almost lifesize. The canvas takes up most of one wall in a grand ballroom in the gallery.

I emailed with a researcher at the gallery not long after returning home and one of the things I was told was that Maclise enlisted the assistance of friends who specialized in Irish history, architecture and such and used their research to create this stunning painting. I would have loved to have been in his studio when he was painting this one. Every person has a "soul", if that's the right way to say it. It's like each person was a real person. No two faces are the same or even remotely similar. Each costume is unique, and there is a lot of detail in some of the fabric, too. It's really quite incredible.

Anyone wanting to visit the National Gallery can do so 7 days a week. The gallery is open almost every day of the year and admission is free. And they have a great cafe and a store in the new Millennium Wing where you can buy prints of some of the most popular paintings, as well as books, notecards, blank books, and anything else to do with art and the works on display.

May has been a busy one, as I mentioned. I've had another short story published with Highland Press newest anthology called Blue Moon Enchantment. It's the second volume to Blue Moon Magic which was also published this month, both of which are available through Amazon. My story is called Moondance and is set on the Dingle Peninsula here in Ireland. I don't have an excerpt up yet or a publication date, but as soon as I do, I'll make a note here. Should be soon though.

The theme of the Blue Moon anthologies are things that happen once in a blue moon...blue moons are months with two full moons in the one month. If conditions are right, the second full moon takes on a blue tint, which is where the phrase comes from...blue moons are rare. Moondance is based on a lovely quote I found that says. "Love that's true happens only once in a blue moon." This story is based on a couple finding true love in an unsuspecting place.

I've submitted a story called Constant Craving for Highland Press's next anthology called A Recipe for Love, due out in July. For those who have emailed me about Just You, Constant Craving is a visit back to Kate and Mick in Connemara. I'm hoping this story will be included, but if it's not for some reason, I just might post it on the website as a freebie read.

Next up is a short story for Highland Press's anthology for the holidays called Christmas Wishes. The working title for my story is Last Christmas and will be a story of Christmas miracles.

I'm still working on The Diary and hope to have that finished this summer. I've submitted the "Just" novels to Poolbeg Press in Dublin City and hope they come back with some positive comments. Currently, chicklit dominates the Irish shelves. However, I believe Irish readers are getting tired of cookie cutter plots and shallow characters that all read the same from book to book. I think Irish women are ready for a good ol' traditional love story...a relationship story between a monogomous couple. That's probably a topic for a future message though. Suffice to say, I'm hoping to hear something positive from this publisher.

I've also been doing some reading. A favorite read this month was by Kathy Lette called How to Kill Your Husband (and other hand household hints). I don't think it's available in the US yet, but Amazon.co.uk sells it. Although it's chicklit, which I don't normally read, this one was really funny. I love Lette's caustic sense of humor. I was able to find Lette's backlist in a shop in Dublin City while there and read through those, too, but they're just not as good as How to Kill Your Husband. I also picked up another Linda Howard and a couple other authors that are in the TBR pile.

I have a sad confession. I don't ever normally jump on bandwagons, but with all the hype over the Da Vinci Code, I finally started reading the book by Dan Brown. It's OK, but I'm only about 80 pages into it and I know how it will end...mostly thanks to the press, but it's kind of obvious. I know I'm right because my DH read the book and told me I was right. I just can't believe what poor editing the book got before it was published. As a writer, reviewer, line editor, all I want to do is red mark all the mistakes as I'm reading. It's really distracting. As far as the story goes, aside from being predictable and poorly edited, it's interesting to see how so many could get the wrong end of the stick about fiction turn fact,. It's easy to see how people could believe what Dan Brown wrote is true. Anyway, I'm sure my feelings of the book may change when I get to the end, but this is what I think at just reading as far as page 80.

Just for fun, for those Ireland-philes out there, Spring is springing around Ireland. The pastures are green, the gorse is still blooming yellow, and the hawthorne is blooming everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Here's a picture of a tree in a park we take our dogs to. You can see how big the tree is by the little picnic table under it on the left...it's just barely visible on the left of the tree behind the boulder. The boulders are as big as our dogs, both of which are Border Collies, as many will know.

I think that's me caught up.

As usual, I love to hear from readers. Just click on the contact me link above and drop me a note, or use the comments link below to leave a commenton the site itself.

Thank you to those readers who have emailed me these past months. Your encouragement and kind words have meant a lot and give me the courage to keep writing.

Until next time...

~Kemberlee

A Bestseller

2006-02-19T13:59:00.001Z

Who would have thought that No Law Against Love would be shelved beside the likes of Dan Brown and Memoirs of a Geisha? But it's happened.

Douglas Books in Douglas Village, a suburb of Cork City, has agreed to sell our anthology and placed it on the shelves with some of the cities best selling novels. This makes the second bookstore in Ireland that is carrying the book.

The first is Macroom Books. They have the anthology in their front window and on the table just inside the front door.

Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling the best last week so was unable to contact the main book wholesaler for Ireland, but I will be doing that this week. I'm also contacting one of the main breast cancer awareness foundations to see if we can get their support, and I'm planning on posting a copy of the book to two of the nation's top media programs, one TV and one radio, both of which do book promotions, especially if the book is for charity. If we can get the support of the cancer foundation and the support of the media then we're a shoe-in for the wholesaler to pick us up. So, wish me luck...on all fronts. If we can make some substantial sales here in Ireland, Highland Press has promised to donate those proceeds to an Irish cancer charity.

I'm almost done with my bookmarks and bookplates, so if anyone is interested in adding them to your collection, drop me an email. Just send me a SASE and I'll pop them in the post.

I've got my inclusions for Hurricane Mercedes' gift basket for the Regis and Kelly Show. I'll be including Maisie's Tutti-Frutti Body Bar (handmade, all-natural ) and Hank's Scented Wig Powder. Those are being posted this week along with a pair of land certs from our company A Piece of Ireland. While the soap and powder fun items, the land preservation scheme is serious. Who knows? Maybe one day they'll come to Ireland and want to see their parcel!

Remember, ALL author royalties and ALL net profits from the publisher are being donated to breast cancer research and prevention, and we're being supported by the American Cancer Society, and hopefully one of the cancer foundations here in Ireland. More on that next week.

Thank you to everyone who's already bought a copy of No Law Against Love. Your support of this book and the charity is greatly appreciated. I hope you're enjoying the stories as much as we enjoyed writing them. Admittedly, Tutti-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like A Lady are my first short stories, but I found that I really enjoyed them. So, keep your eyes open for All Time Love, which is being considered for the Once In A Blue Moon anthology (May 2006), and Dancing In The Moonlight, which is being considered for the No Law Against Love 2 anthology (January 2007). Both will be published by Highland Press. I'm also submitting proposals for their Recipe for Love anthology (for release by June 2006) and their Christmas anthology (for release by December 2006).

No Law Against Love is still available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as the publisher, Highland Press. So...BUY THE BOOK!!

And don't forget to drop me a comment at the link below or by dropping me an email. Now that I have stories out there, I'd love to hear how my readers feel about the stories.

~ Kemberlee
PS...As a reminder, previous posts have been archived. You can access them at the links below.

Delivery Day!

2006-02-15T21:12:00.002Z

First let me say Happy Belated Valentine's Day! I hope you had a lovely time with your loved one.

My Valentine's Day was good. It started off when I received my first box of books and they look great. No Law Against Love is a traditional trade size paperback with a glossy cover and heavy grain, easy to read pages. Even though I've already read many of the stories as a contributing editor, I'm having a great time re-reading them and all the ones I haven't read yet. This is one great little...scratch that...one great BIG collection of fabulous stories. I'm enjoying them all so much that I can't pick just one that I like the best.

Amazon has us listed as a regular book now and we're still available on Barnes & Noble, so grab your credit card!!

Please drop me a message to let me know if you've received your copy the book and what you think of it.

Good News -- No Law Against Love is being stocked in our local bookstore here in Macroom! I drove by this afternoon and they have a copy in the front window beside the front door. Very well positioned at eye level.

Douglas Books in Douglas village, part of the greater Cork City area, will be stocking the book as soon as I get copies to them, which will be Friday afternoon. They seemed very keen on stocking the book and may even host an autographing if the book sells well.

I'll be contacting Eason's this week, too, which is the largest book distributor in Ireland. They have 50 of their own shops and supply most of the independent shops around the country. If we can get in there, we'll have a wonderful donation for the cancer charity in October. If we can make some substantial sales here in Ireland, Highland Press has promised to donate those proceeds to an Irish cancer charity.

I've finished the design for the bookmarks and will be printing and laminating them. They're going to look great! I'm working on bookplates now. As I mentioned before, anyone who wants them need only send me a SASE.

Remember, ALL author royalties and ALL net profits from the publisher are being donated to breast cancer research and prevention, and we're being supported by the American Cancer Society, and hopefully one of the cancer foundations here in Ireland. More on that next week.

I'd like to send a special thanks out to a lady who's been dubbed Hurricane Mercedes. She's the daughter of author Jacquie Rogers and is the self-appointed marketing whiz for No Law Against Love. Her current project is putting together a gift basket that will be sent to the Regis and Kelly Show. Kelly Ripa loves romance stories and Regis's wife is a supporter of breast cancer awareness programs so Mercedes got the idea to send a basket full of goodies from the authors that represents some of the stories. I'm donating a handmade, all natural body bar in Tutti-Frutti scent that I'm labeling Maisie's Tutti-Frutti Body Bar and an old fashioned powder and puff that we're calling Hank's Scented Wig Powder. I'm also including an additional gift for both Regis and Kelly from my husband's land conservation program, A Piece of Ireland.

Thank you, Mercedes, for going over and above the call of duty on this one! I hope the show appreciates all of your hard work like we, the authors, do.

Happy reading everytone! And...BUY THE BOOK!

~ Kemberlee

Sold Out?

2006-02-12T00:39:00.000Z

Wow! Can you believe it? Our book No Law Against Love went to print Monday, it started shipping on Tuesday and by Thursday all the books that were printed had sold out! Barnes & Noble had us ranked at #70 by Wednesday - that's #70 - then Thursday we'd sold out and are now back to the "out of stock" notice. At least they have us listed.

You may have noticed that Amazon has pulled our page. They've done this without an apparent or valid reason. The publisher, Highland Press, is trying to sort this out as we speak...so to speak.

However, you can STILL order by going through Amazon's backdoor. Click on the bookcover to the right, and it will take you to the order page.

You can be sure that the book has gone to reprint, so all outstanding orders will eventually be filled. Very soon, I hope.

Anyone who still wants to place a preorder, contact Highland Press directly, or myself. Especially if you're in Europe. Good news! The book is also being printed in the UK and will ship all over Europe. Yay!!

Some grrrrrrrreat news to share - I've managed to get a bookstore in Cork to stock the book. When my copies arrive this next week, I'll take some into the shop and hopefully they'll sell out immediately :-) We'll also talk about the prospects of an autographing. Wouldn't that be fun?!

I'm also going to hit up the bookstore here in Macroom this next week, and the bookstores in Killarney. From there, I'll be contacting the major bookstores around the country. AND I'm hoping to get some support through one of the Irish cancer groups, as any sales I make over here will benefit the cancer programs here. Stay tuned, as "they" say.

BTW, who are "they"?! LOL

Please drop me a message to let me know if you've received your copy the book and what you think of it.

Oh, and I'm making up some autogaphed bookplates and doublesided laminated bookmarks. If you've bought the book, drop me an email and I can organize with you to get some of these. They're free if you send me a SASE and *promise* not to resell the book for profit. Yeah, there are a few sad souls out there doing that already. The charity is the one losing out. Remember, ALL author royalties and ALL net profits from the publisher are being donated to breast cancer research and prevention, and we're being supported by the American Cancer Society, and hopefully one of the cancer foundations here in Ireland. More on that next week.

Happy reading! And...BUY THE BOOK!

~ Kemberlee

IT'S A BOOK!

2006-02-06T20:43:00.000Z

I've heard that publishing a book can be like having a baby. If it's true, I can believe it with the No Law Against Love anthology. It was pure pleasure in the conceiving, and exciting and thrilling watching the growth. And the labor process has been a real bear. But delivery day is near.

The book has gone to print today, which means it will be available by Valentine's Day. Those with preorders should receive the book by this time next week.

I'd like to thank everyone for your patience. You will have this wonderful collection of stories in your hot little hands very soon. I hope you enjoy our little baby as much as we, the NLAL authors, have enjoyed conceiving it.

Know that I'm as anxious as you are to finally hold this baby in my hands, too.

Drop me a note or comment to let me know what you think of the book when you receive it. I'm looking forward to hearing your comments.

~ Kemberlee
PS...Don't forget you can still buy copies of No Law Against Love at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Read excerpts of my stories here on my website. Tutti-Frutti Blues and Dude Looks Like A Lady

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2006-02-04T21:26:00.000Z

The Good - Reviews are still coming in for No Law Against Love. The latest is from Romance At Heart eZine, which had something great to say about each of the stories. Reviewer Linda had this to say about yours truly --

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!

Dude Looks Like A Lady is a read where the characters and the settings are all quite believable. The storyline is great making it a fantastic read about romance that last throughout many years. Ms. Shortland has penned a story that touches the heart and leaves a wonderful sigh.

I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I read these reviews. They're my first reviews, so it made me feel great about my writing ability. Reviews can be heaven or hell for a writer. A good review can make you soar. A bad review is like a rejection from an editor or agent and send you into the pits of depression that lasts for days. So getting good reviews on my first publishing efforts has me soaring, as you can imagine.

The Bad - The printer is having issues with formatting. No Law Against Love was supposed to be available at the end of January, then it was pushed forward a week. Now the publication date is pushed forward until next week. I wish I could say I have a date, but I don't. We're all still hoping it will be available by Valentine's Day.

The Ugly - Well, this is what the authors and the publisher will get if the printer doesn't perform soon. ;-) At least the eversion will be available soon, and reviews are still coming in.

You can still place preorders through Amazon. B&N took the preorder option down thanks to the tardy printer, but you can still put No Law Against Love on your wish list there.. And you can always place your orders with the publisher, Highland Press.

In the meantime, I'm working on a new short story for Highland Press's next anthology called Blue Moon. If things get worked out with the printer, the Blue Moon anthology should be available around June or July. This is a straight romance, no silly laws, and is entitled All Time Love, which is enspired by a new song of the same title by Will Young. It's a lovely song and I'm hoping readers will think the story is too.

I'm also working on another silly laws short story for No Law Against Love 2, which will be released around this time next year. This story is called Dancing in the Moonlight and will be set in Seattle, WA this time.

I'm also still working on The Diary, a chapter of which can be read on this site. This is my full-length historical set in Ireland.

Bookmark my site and check back often for updates on the publication of No Law Against Love. We're pushing for publishing early this weeks so that it's available for Valentine's Day. Cross your fingers for us, light some candles, say a prayer...everything will help ;-)

~ Kemberlee

"NO LAW AGAINST LOVE" ACCOLADES

2006-01-27T21:43:00.000Z

First and update about distribution - "No Law Against Love" went on pre-order on 9 Janaury and was intended to go to post on the 28th. However, there was a problem at the printer and now the book will go to post on 4 February. Anyone who's pre-ordered their books by then, should see them delivered before Valentine's Day.

Another note - "No Law Against Love" will also be available in electronic download from Highland Press, AND they're putting together a large print version for those with eyesight issues. Just contact the publisher if you're interested in a large print version.

Now, for some exciting news. "No Law Against Love" is getting some great press. Highland Press's owner, Leanne Burroughs, has been interviewed by her local newspaper, High Spring Herald in Florida. I encourage everyone to read it.

Additionally, the Lake City Reporter, also in Florida, interviewed contributing authors Jeanne VanArsdall and Patty Howell. Unfortunately, I don't have a link for the article, but the jounralist, Lindsay Dawney, began her report with, "Two Columbia County writers are breaking the laws of love and fighting breast cancer along the way."

The Owyhee Avalanche newspaper in Idaho published a short article on author Jacquie Rogers, who once lived in the state. Her daughter, dubbed "Hurricane Mercedes," has been acting as mom's press agent :-) Go, Mercedes!! Jacquie is also mentioned on the Golden Network, an international chapter of RWA.

Historical Novel Society did a brief write up, as has Central Florida Romance Writers, Home News Tribune in New Jersey, and Huntress Reviews has given us our first amazing review. AND Kristi Ahlers has been interviewed by Stars & Stripes, which should be available soon.

This has all been a great learning experience for us all, especially in publicity, marketing and simply putting ourselves forward to tell everyone we can about "No Law Against Love," our stories and the charity, breast cancer prevention.

"No Law Against Love" is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, by special order through your local bookstore, and of course through Highland Press directly.

Finally, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you and give my deepest appreciation to all of you who've ordered this book...for yourself or for a loved one. All author royalties and all publisher net profits on "No Law Against Love" are going to the American Cancer Society for their breast cancer prevention program.

Now...BUY THE BOOK! :-)
Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Highland Press

~ Kemberlee

NOW AVAILABLE!

2006-01-09T10:50:00.000Z

The No Law Against Love anthology is now available for pre-orders from the Highland Press website and through Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and all major online booksellers. Keep your eyes open for No Law Against Love to be available through Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Books-A-Million, Borders, Powell's, and more. Be sure to ask your local bookseller to stock No Law Against Love on their shelves.

Pre-order today. Books will be posted on 28 January, just in time for Valentine's Day. Buy a copy for every woman you know to say how much you love her.

--> Remember, ALL net profits go to benefit breast cancer prevention and awareness through the American Cancer Society.

Thank you to all of those who have left comments here about the release, and to those who have emailed me privately with your thoughts. This project is a very exciting one, not only for me, but for Highland Press. We're all looking forward to a successful launch of Highland Press and for big sales of this book. There's not one person who hasn't been touched in some way by breast cancer. Whether it's been through direct personal treatment or knowing someone is or has suffered this terrible disease, it has effected us in some way.

The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing steadily from an incidence of 1 in 20 women in 1960 to 1 in 7 women today. According to the American Cancer Society, 211,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year. 85% of women with breast cancer have a negative family history.

-->Breast cancer is not exclusively a disease of women. For every 100 women with breast cancer, 1 male will develop the disease. The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,600 men will develop the disease this year.

Detection is the first line of defense. A woman needs a mammogram if she's over 40, has a family history of breast cancer or has seen changes in her breasts.

Net profits from the sale of this book will go towards research and prevention and awareness of breast cancer. It will help to provide more affordable mammogram testing and treatment for those on limited income. So buy No Law Against Love for all of your lady friends, or anyone who enjoys great romance and wants to contribute to such a worthy cause.

Thank you for supporting No Law Against Love and breast cancer awareness!

~ Kemberlee

HaPpY nEw YeAr!!

2006-01-01T21:46:00.000Z

I hope that the holidays were wonderful for you and that you're well on your way to upholding your New Years Resolutions!

I now have the official promo cover for No Law Against Love. Yay! It's really lovely. This cover mimicks the one for the anthology itself but has been personalized for each author.

click to visit Highland Press

This cover will be in addition to my own cover graphics for each story. Each personal cover will be on the page before each story in the anthology. And are used here on the site on the story pages.

and

Thanks goes to DeborahAnne MacGillivray for the anthology cover, as well as the site design for Highland Press. She's worked very hard over the weeks to get not only the site up and running, but the pages for this anthology, which include posting the blurbs for all the stories and the author bios.

A special thanks should be given to Leanne Burroughs, who owns Highland Press. She's put her own writing aside in order to get this new online venture going, and has been an editing demon so that she can make the deadlines in order that this anthology will be available by, if not before, Valentine's Day. She must be setting some Guinness Record with her work!

My biggest writing project this week has been putting together a list of links for all of the authors in the anthology, which you can find on my Links link. Most of the contributing authors have live sites, but a couple are still working on theirs. Their links will be added as soon as I have the author's new URLs, so stay tuned.

No Law Against Love is still on schedue for release in February. As soon as I have a release date and information on pre-orders, I'll post it here. The book will be available through Highland Press and through Amazon.com in electronic downloads and paperbacks.

While you're waiting, you can sneak a peak at my short stories by going to My Books above. All of the No Law Against Love stories are based around some crazy laws around the world. You'll see a collection of contemporary, historical and paranormal inclusions in the book.

My own Tutti-Frutti Blues is the first story in the duet I've contributed and is based around a now repealed law in my hometown that banned the eating of ice cream on the streets. Dude Looks Like A Lady is the second story and is also based on a law that is still on the books, amazingly enough, though not enforced, that says one must obtain a permit to wear shoes with heals higher than 2 inches!

Enjoy these sneak peaks. In the mean time, while you're waiting for the announcement to go and place your pre-orders, save your pennies so you can buy a copy of this book for all of your friends.

** REMEMBER: All proceeds from the sale of this book are going to breast cancer research.

If you'd like to see what kind of crazy laws are in your state or country, check out Crazy Laws.

~ Kemberlee
PS...click comments below to leave me a message. I'd love to hear from you.