SPECIAL: Irish Pride Box Set

IRISH PRIDE BOX SET
includes three novels and one novella
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon CA
Amazon AU

Or BUY HERE

SALE

$2.99

Hello readers!

Celebrating the start of a new year, I'm offering my Irish Pride series box set at the special price of just $2.99 (value $17.96!)

This sale is only available via Amazon (all sites). Get yours while you can.

And I'd love to hear your comments when you've read the books. Please leave a review on the Amazon site where you've purchased the series.

What to expect of this box set?

This box set includes:

Rhythm of My Heart - Eilis Kennedy, gave up a singing career to become an Artists Representative with Eireann Records. Kieran Vaughan is just the talent she needs to contract who will really launch her career, while at the same time getting her out from under her boss's thumb. Fergus Manley vows to have Eilis in his bed at any cost.

A Piece of My Heart and the short story sequel, Constant Craving - Ten years after their break-up, the addendum in Mick's father's will forces Mick and Kate together to save Mick's heritage. Kate thought she was falling in love with Mick all over again, but a new revelation is too much for her. She is determined to finally say goodbye forever to her childhood sweetheart. Mick has other plans for Kate's future. And none of them involve goodbye.

Shape of My Heart - Gráinne moonlights at The Klub! to earn money for college tuition. John ‘JD’ Desmond is an undercover detective. The Klub!, owned by Jimmy Malloy, is being used as a drug front, headed by the notorious Taylor 'The Hunter' Wade. JD wanted Gráinne to snitch for him, but things get complicated when they fall in love. When Gráinne witnesses Jimmy’s murder, she and JD are forced to run for their lives.

If you've already read books in this series, and have reviewed on the books' pages on Amazon, perhaps you'll copy those reviews onto the box set page as well. I can only obtain ad space for the box set once I meet the minimum reviews quota. Thanks!

Happy new year, everyone. I hope your 2017 is wonderful!

AVAILABLE NOW

IRISH PRIDE SERIES BOX SET
by me...Kemberlee Shortland :-)

Price: $7.99 (SALE $2.99 through Sept!)

Buy Here: Tirgearr Publishing

This box set includes all of the stories in the Irish Pride Series:

Rhythm of My Heart - Eilis Kennedy, gave up a singing career to become an Artists Representative with Eireann Records. Kieran Vaughan is just the talent she needs to contract who will really launch her career, while at the same time getting her out from under her boss's thumb. Fergus Manley vows to have Eilis in his bed at any cost.

A Piece of My Heart and the short story sequel, Constant Craving - Ten years after their break-up, the addendum in Mick's father's will forces Mick and Kate together to save Mick's heritage. Kate thought she was falling in love with Mick all over again, but a new revelation is too much for her. She is determined to finally say goodbye forever to her childhood sweetheart. Mick has other plans for Kate's future. And none of them involve goodbye.

Shape of My Heart - Gráinne moonlights at The Klub! to earn money for college tuition. John ‘JD’ Desmond is an undercover detective. The Klub!, owned by Jimmy Malloy, is being used as a drug front, headed by the notorious Taylor 'The Hunter' Wade. JD wanted Gráinne to snitch for him, but things get complicated when they fall in love. When Gráinne witnesses Jimmy’s murder, she and JD are forced to run for their lives.

I can't keep calm, it's Irish Pride Week!

I hope you're all looking forward to Irish Pride Week as much as I am. I have lots in store for the week, including book excerpts, Q&A, a quiz or two, and much more.

I'm giving away spot prizes, and at the end of the week, there's a grand prize which has been donated by Macroom Land trust . . . your very own piece of Ireland!

And let's chat about Ireland.

‪#readmeimirish‬ and ‪#‎irishprideweek‬ will get you there at Facebook, or click this link and go direct --

https://www.facebook.com/events/420936188042159

The books in the Irish Pride Series are releasing this week --

7 April - Rhythm of My Heart
9 April - A Piece of My Heart
11 April - Shape of My Heart

To celebrate this series, my publisher, Tirgearr Publishing, is offering the Kindle titles at just 99c through April!

Today, I'm celebrating the re-release of Rhythm of My Heart. Follow me over to Facebook for all the excitment!

Let's rock and roll!

I can't keep calm. It's Irish Pride Week!!

Irish Pride Week 7 - 11 April

Join me on Facebook for the week of 7 - 11 April to celebrate Irish Pride Week.

This is an all week event to relaunch my popular Irish Pride Series.

Monday 7 April - relaunch RHYTHM OF MY HEART
Wednesday 9 April - relaunch A PIECE OF MY HEART
Friday 11 April - release SHAPE OF MY HEART

The series has been re-covered by the amazing Kim Killion, featuring some of today's top romance models.

The week will be filled with fun and prizes, so head over and join the event today. Tell your friends.

https://www.facebook.com/events/420936188042159

#readmeimirish and #irishprideweek will get you there too.

Join me! The craic will be mighty ;-)

Music To Write By

At 4pm EST/9GMT, I'll be on Red River Radio talking with some friends about the music we write by and what inspires our writing. I thought I'd post a few of those songs here for your listening enjoyment, along with some of the expected questions.

I hope you get a chance to listen. If the time doesn't suit, click the link when you have time, as the show is streamed afterward.

• • •

Were any of your books inspired by a song? If so, which?

My stories aren't really inspired by songs . . .  I don't hear a song and say "I'll write a story to go with that." But all of my published books are titled after songs. Some songs to resonate in the stories though, as a line in a song might reflect a scene or a character's mood or thoughts at the time.


Do you find yourself including music within your books?

Do you mean adding song lyrics into stories? That's a tough call. The Fair Use Laws say you can use about 10% of a total work but doesn’t specify lyrics. Record lables say 0%. But record labels are also the ones trying to copyright performers' names . . . Cher, Madonna, Adele, etc. Even if your legal name is the same as a recording artist and you publish with that name, the label has been known to file a law suit demanding you stop.


Do you use music for mood, pacing, etc in your novels?

Normally I don’t write with music on in the background, but for certain scenes I will. A good battle scene requires some Carmina Burana.

Love scenes require some great make-out music. The Greatest Gift by Robert Plant melts me from the inside.

Have you taken a song title for a book title?

All of them so far-

Rhythm of My Heart (Rod Stewart)
A Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin)
Shape of My Heart (Sting)
Constant Craving (KD Lang)
The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood version)
Moondance (Van Morrison)
Tutti-Frutti Blues (inspired by Little Richard's Tutti-Frutti)
Dude Looks Like A Lady (Aerosmith)


Are any of your characters musicians?

Yes, Rhythm of My Heart - Kieran Vaughan blues guitarist, Eilis Kennedy former singer.


Do your characters' musical tastes reflect yours?

More so the characters’ tastes reflect their character. It just happens that my characters and I share similar tastes.


What kind of music do you listen to when you write?

Aside from the formerly mentioned Carmina Burran and makeout music for love scenes, I tend to not listen to much music while I'm writing. I will listen a lot while researching though.


Is there any type of music you will absolutely not ever listen to?

Ecclectic tastes. Listen to anything I like.

Heavy rap is out but I’ll sometimes listen to Eminem.

Most jazz but I like Diana Washington.

Must be in the mood for most classical but I can listen to songs like Clare de Lune, Moonlight Sonatta, and Variations on a Theme of Paganini (Somewhere in Time).

Some authors make playlists for every book. Have you done that?

I do have some files on my YouTube account which have songs which I listened to during the research process of my stories.

Example – Rhythm of My Heart

Rythm of My Heart Rod Stewart
You Do Something to Me – Paul Weller
The Longer – Gary Moore . . . the 15 minutes version

Example – A Piece of My Heart

A Piece of My Heart – Janis Joplin
If You Don’t Want to Love Me – James Morrison
I Will – Christy Hennessy

•    Constant Craving – KD Lang

Example – Shape of My Heart

Shape of My Heart – Sting
I Just Wanna Make Love to You – Etta James
It’s A Man’s World – James Brown

What are some of your favorite musicians?

I listen to a lot of classic rock David Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), John Bulter, Estas Tonne, Daft Punk, Crosby/Stills/Nash, Imelda May, Janis and Jimi, etc.

If you had the chance to put together the perfect band, who would be in it? (Drums, vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard)

Tough one. So many great vocalists out there. I think Led Zeppelin already cornered the market – Plant on vocals, Page on guitar, Jones on keyboard and other instruments, Bonzo on drums . . . Jason Bonham on drums. How do you improve on that?

What is your favorite instrument in the band?

Second to a great voice is the guitar. I’d listen to an hour long guitar solo before a ten minute drum solo any day.


If you were stuck on a dessert island and had only one album to listen to, what would it be? (Yes, this assumes you had unlimited power but no wi-fi)

One album? Another tough one. It would either be –

Celebration Day/Led Zeppelin – Recorded live in 2010 for a one-off reunion concert, featuring Jason Bonham on drums.

David Gilmour’s Comfortably Numb Live Concert.


Do you ever get songs stuck in your head that simply won't go away? How do you purge them?

I don’t get many bad ear worms, thank goodness. When I do, I’ll put on some great music to drive out the demon worm. That is, unless, the earworm is a great tune, in which case it’s calling to me and I need to hear it. A few songs are like that. Those are the ones that need to have the volume on high and the dogs in the other room :-)

Turn this one up!

TAGGED: The Next Big Thing

My lovely friend and fabulous romantic suspense author, Cathie Dunn, has tagged me on The Next Big Thing. I hope I can live up to the expectation of being 'the next big thing' :-)

• • •

What is the title of your work in progress?

Well, my next book is already written and waiting to be published this time next year. It's called Shape of My Heart and is part of the Irish Pride Series. The working title of my WIP is called The Diary.

Where did the idea for the book come from?

I’m always fascinated by questions. One that came up when I was looking for my next story to write came while I was watching the time travel movie, Back to the Future. It had been stressed to Marty to “Never meet yourself” as it could create a paradox and alter the course of history. So the question came to my mind, just how would the course of history be changed if just one event back in time changed? Living in Ireland now, I have such an incredible history to draw from. I’ve become interested in the Viking history of Ireland and thus the Battle of Clontarf came up, which also meant Ireland’s greatest High King, Brian Boru. What if one thing at the Battle of Clontarf had changed and Brian had not been murdered in his tent? What of Ireland’s future then??

What genre does your book fall under?

Time travel. The Diary starts in contemporary 2014, but the heroine goes back 1000 years to Ireland to 1014, the year of the Battle of Clontarf.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Oh my! Let's see --

My hero is called Darragh. Darragh is old Irish for 'mighty oak', the oak being one of the strongest trees on the planet . . . kind of the strong, silent type in the tree world.

Darragh is the chieftain of his clan. He emulates his namesake but can kick some Viking bootie when the time comes.

The actor I envision when I'm writing Darragh is Anson Mount, lately of Hell on Wheels. In this particular picture, I can see my Darragh walking across this field in his wool and leather, sword in one hand, shield in the other, preparing to go against his foe, whomever it might be, to protect his people and the woman he loves.

Speaking of which, my heroine is a little more complicated in that, as this is a time travel story, she has two personas. The story opens in the year 2014 and she is Eevean O'Brien. She's an artist with Irish heritage. After being told tales of the O'Brien clan (the name originating from Brian Boru . . . O'Brien meaning 'of Brian'), Eevean's interest in Ireland grew. She's read everything there is on Brian Boru, and as an artist, she's painted the visions she gets from reading the tales. And from the graphic dreams she's had since childhood.

For many reasons, Eevean decides to travel to Ireland. While there, she discovers a secret portal to the past, back to 1014, to the Battle of Clontarf and to the side of her ancient ancestor, Brian Boru. In 1014, she is known as Aoibheann. She is the same woman yet not. If not for her spirited and tenacious personality, she would not survive such a journey, nor to such a time, and certainly not such a place.

The actress I can see playing this character is Kat Dennings, lately of 2 Broke Girls, and most particularly with this look. Eevean/Aoibheann has much of her looks, though not quite as busty, I have to say ;-)

What is the one sentence synopsis for the book?

A troubled past, a troubled future: A woman travels to Ireland to find herself and discovers much more than she expected.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Perhaps a little of both. Owning a publishing company makes it easier to get my work out there. However, everything I publish undergoes the same rigorous editing as all of our authors. If something isn’t working, the editors, and proofreaders, will tell me. And sometimes brutally honestly, which is what I appreciate. I don’t hire editors who pussyfoot around just because I’m the boss. If it doesn’t work, say so. And they do!

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

As The Diary is currently a work in progress, the first draft hasn’t been finished yet. However, with regards to the Irish Pride Series, each of those books averaged about seven weeks for first draft (Rhythm of My Heart 6 weeks, A Piece of My Heart 8 weeks, Shape of My Heart 7 weeks . . . Constant Craving doesn’t really equate as it’s a short story and only took a couple days).

What other books would you compare this story to withing your genre?

It’s difficult to compare The Diary to any other story because I’ve a twist in the story I’ve never read in any other book. However, I do know there are a few authors out there who’ve written both Brian Boru stories and stories set against the Battle of Clontarf, such as Pat McDermott (Band of Roses) and of course the incomparable Morgan Llywelyn (Lion of Ireland, etc).

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Probably what inspired me to write this story was my own journey to Ireland in the mid 90s. Sort of a journey to find myself.

What else about your book may pique the reader's interest?

Anyone who loves historical romances, time travel or Ireland, will love this story. Or at least I hope to. I've tried to create a rich tapestry here . . . to be cliche! I'm striving for a balance between a wonderful love story and dramatic history of the times . . . a real epic tale! 

• • •

Okay, so it's my turn to tag some writer friends whose writing, voice and attitude I admire. 

Kristi Ahlers
http://kristiahlers.blogspot.com
If you haven't read The Trouble Series yet, do! The Trouble with Trouble is you can't put them down!

Dellani Oakes
http://dellanioakes.wordpress.com
She has a way with scenes . . . battle action one minute, bedroom action the next ;-)

Charlene Raddon
http://www.charleneraddon.blogspot.com
Wonderful historical romance. Like a step back in time.

Kate Laity
http://katelaity.wordpress.com
Hugely versatile author with a keen imagination.

Elizabeth Delisi
www.elizabethdelisi.blogspot.com
Clever whodunits and paranormal stories

Carley Bauer
http://fromcarleyslaptop.blogspot.com
Another wonderful historical romance novelist.

Lynette Willows
http://romancethethrillquill.blogspot.com
Part of a unique writing team with Carley Bauer. Great storyteller.

Have fun girls!

•❤•

Review: A Piece of My Heart by Ginger Dawn Harman

I had a wonderful surprise in my 'in box' last night--this wonderful review for A Piece of My Heart by Ginger Dawn Harman.

I'm continually delighted when new reviews come in for this book, especially as it's now two years old. However, in light that the next book in the series, Rhythm of My Heart, will be out this summer, I'm not surprised with the renewed interest.

And don't forget that Constant Craving is the short story sequel to A Piece of My Heart. You don't want to miss that one!

Thanks so much, Ginger, for a wonderful review. I'm SO happy you enjoyed the story.

So, without further adieu, here it is! --

A Piece of My Heart by Kemberlee Shortland A Book review by Ginger Dawn Harman

Kemberlee Shortland has charmed and captivated this reader with a romantic fictional novel titled, A Piece of My Heart. The novel begins with Mick and Kate who have been disconnected for several years. Mick lives in Dublin and has pursued life away from the farm in which he has been raised.  His work, selfishness, and dissatisfaction with his current life have consumed an unresolvable tension that keeps him away from his family and past.  During this same period, Kate has remained in the Irish countryside where she's been managing and helping to care for Mick's dying parents.  With the death of Micks parents, Attorney Tighe initiates the reading of the will.  This revelation of the will astonishes them and now they must confront their past and future.  This and several other tensions like Deaman O’Flannery keep the narrative alive and is the core of the story.

Mrs. Shortland’s characters endear themselves to the reader with their candor, wit, and determination for love and respect.  With A Piece of My Heart, the author has created several moments where the characters are brave enough to look back on their life and imagine themselves making different choices with resolution.  Furthermore, Mrs. Shortland takes great pains in painting such an accurate and authentic Irish backdrop throughout this novel that it's nearly impossible not to find one transported to Ireland where one watches Gaelic football, listens to the wireless, visits pubs, and drinks in the solstice moonlight of the ancient stone circle.  My favorite part of the novel was the scene that included the Claddagh Ring with its hands for friendship, heart for love, and crown for loyalty.

A Piece of My Heart is unlike any other romance I have ever read.  It has a great contemporary style with a slight erotic flare. With this noted, the sensual petting is done brilliantly with a sensation of foreplay between the author and reader until the very last chapter!  Additionally, this is first in the Irish Pride series.  I was very excited to learn that the story of Mick and Kate continues.  Solid writing and storytelling, excellent characters, and romance make A Piece of My Heart a novel you won't want to miss. I highly recommend.

Digital books abound!

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

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

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

Book Trailer: A Piece of My Heart

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

Inspiration

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How beautiful is that?!

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

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

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

New review from The Pagan and The Pen Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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



Thanks Keri!!!

Christmas came early

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

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

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

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

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

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

I wanted to share items of interest --

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

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

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

Happy holidays everyone!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's all good!

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

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

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

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

What's coming up for me —

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

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

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

~ Kemberlee

And the winners are . . .

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

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

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

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

Without further ado --

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

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

Second Place - Ms. Kathi Barton!!

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



First Place - Ms. Jennifer Mathis!!!

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


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

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

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

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

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