Sheik Defense - Some Like It Hot!

It's been a great week so far.  Beautiful balmy temperatures on the prairie.  Okay, hot the way I like it.  And a contest win!  

First off - Tried out some electric bikes the other day and rode around the old warehouse district.  The bikes were great fun.  You could really fly with little effort and I could see they'd be a great way to get around town.  On our test run, it was a reminder of how things used to be, as we rode by the faded brick buildings that had survived the Great Depression and a record-breaking tornado.  Fast forward a "few" years - and there we are cruising past, fantasizing about owning one of these fantastic bikes.  In the end, we decided that maybe they'd be a bit impractical as the majority of our year is not conducive to bike riding - that is if you're a wimp like me and like everything hot, including weather - these bikes are a pipe dream, at least for now.

So, while everyone whines about the heat, yesterday I spent all day on the deck where it was wild life central.  The bird bath was full of water and the birds were battling over whose turn it was.  A couple of times I had to clap my hands and let a slow-poke know that it was time to pick up his towel and go, and let another bird have a bath.  Meantime other birds were scrapping over who got to feed at the feeder and the woodpecker decided that our house was fair game.  While all this was going on, a squirrel decided that an empty plant pot should be moved from under the deck so that he might roll around in it like it had been marked - this plant pot is for squirrel entertainment purposes only.

Hot weather, bikes and wild life aside, there's other things going on this week
- good things.  Sheik Defense won best cover art in the Affair de Coeur's annual cover art contest in the Hot Guyz Patrol category! 

The voting was going on all last week.  And now the results are in!  Because, just as the heroes in my book should be hot - steaming even.  So is the cover of Sheik's Defense.

It was a nail-biting wait as the votes came in over the space of a week.  Especially since there were so many other hot guys gracing the covers of the books in the running.  Never mind the other categories - I had my faves in each one and cheered them on as the week progressed.

I'd love to say that I designed and orchestrated the making of this cover but that's not the case.  I have the good people at Harlequin to thank about that.  I didn't have much to do with this gorgeous cover other than suggesting my thoughts on how my hero should look.  After that it was completely up to them to come up with a model who fit and a background I can't help but love.  And they obviously did a fantastic job!  Way to go Harlequin!

Thanks to all of you who voted!  Your votes made this happen!!

Congrats to all the other fab covers who semi-finaled in Hot Guyz Patrol and the other categories!
Hot Guyz Patrol     Almost Kiss     Gorgeous Gals        Uniquely Yours  

So I'm off to enjoy another hot summer day!  Have a fantastic weekend!

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
...a world you never imagined

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Desert Justice Delivers Sheik Defense

It's hard to believe that the fourth and last book in the Desert Justice series is on store shelves today, although the e-book isn't available, yet.  It's kind of a two step launch for while the paperback copy is available now, the e-copy has a week or so to wait.  You'll find the paperback at Walmart, Target, Superstore and other stores and, of course, Amazon.


That's my promotional schtick.  Let's get down to basics.   Desert Justice was the first series I ever wrote.  Really, stand alone was my thing until I discovered the beautiful world of series where those characters I grew to love can show up again in other books in the series.  Why didn't I visit the land of series before?  You tell me why not, for I don't know.  What I do know is how it feels to send the last in the series out into the world.   It's "an I can't believe that time is here already" kind of feeling.  Time sped up as each book in the series launched.  It was like each set of characters was in a rush to get their story out there.



Faisal, the last Al-Nassar brother to star in the series, didn't keep quiet even after I wrote the last word of his story.  He was in a rush to be reunited with the love of his life, Ava and he wanted the whole world to know about it - okay, he just wanted his book launched.  And that wasn't going to happen as long as his brothers had the stage in the three books that preceded his.  And while he wasn't willing to give up his snowboard and his single status he was definitely interested in a romantic reconnect.

Ava on the other hand, had more important things to think of - survival for one, especially in the beginning.  Although she did dream of Faisal, how it was, how it might have been...

Okay let's dispense with my fantasy and move on to theirs and how it really happened.

He's the one she can't remember, she's the one he can't forget… 

Tossed overboard, Ava Adams had been left for dead, drifting at sea. But security specialist Faisal Al-Nassar was determined to find her. He owed her father a great debt and had never forgotten the connection he and Ava had once shared. Yet after rescuing Ava he discovered she barely remembered him. 

Amnesia had left Ava uncertain of who had tried to kill her. She did know, however, that Faisal was a man she could trust. The sheik's embrace was familiar and enticing…and possibly even more dangerous. How could she succumb to feelings for her protector when what she didn't know could get them both killed?

Excerpt from Sheik Defense:

“It was less than an hour since Faisal had received that fateful call that Ava was missing. Now he looked long and hard at the face of the young woman who lay dead on the cold steel of the examining table. Her hair was long, almost to the middle of her back. She was brunette and a few years older than Ava. After that, the similarities stopped.

He’d insisted on viewing the body in the hope that the similarities would somehow give him a much-needed clue. Now he didn’t know why he’d bothered. It was depressing and frightening all at the same time. Looking at her frightened him for Ava and saddened him for the deceased woman’s family.
“She may have been asphyxiated,” the coroner said.


He listened as the coroner went into some detail on why he believed that could be a possibility.
“Her eyes are bloodshot. Classic sign of asphyxiation.”

A chill ran through him like none he’d felt before. He’d stood in this position many times but never had he felt the haunting fear that the person before him could have been someone he knew and loved. He almost took a step back. That thought combined with the cold steel and sharp smell of disinfectant that depersonalized death was almost too much. This wasn’t Ava but someone had loved her.

Regret and anger snaked through him as he thought of how this young woman had died unnecessarily, how it could just as easily have been Ava on that slab. The reality was as disturbing as it was unthinkable. Whether they could prove it or not, he was sure that this woman had died of unnatural causes. It wasn’t right or fair. And he knew it happened much too often. He’d thought of adding a branch of investigations geared solely to violence against women. He’d seen too much of it in his work. But now wasn’t the time for such considerations.

Five minutes later, Faisal was heading across the hospital parking lot to a charcoal 1967 Mustang he kept in Miami for his rare visits to the city. He slipped behind the wheel and leaned back against the plush leather, the keys in his lap, his arms crossed and a frown on his face.
A woman who supposedly should have been Ava was dead. The fact that the decedent had been in Ava’s room and Ava was still the registered patient indicated that Ava was the target. Now there were questions that needed to be answered, and quickly.

Where had Ava gone? He tamped down the panic he’d felt at losing her when he’d only just found her.”

Pick up a copy at Walmart, Target and other stores, as well as 

online bookstores including Amazon.

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Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

...a world you never imagined!

The Trap is Set as Bullets Fly!

So all in the name of research, or really - just a cool thing to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon - I made my debut at trap shooting.  Actually, it was my first time shooting a shotgun which I was told after the fact, was too big for me.  My aching shoulder and burning cheek thank you for that information - a little too much, too late.

It really wasn't the day for anything outdoors but when things are planned in advance, the weather often doesn't cooperate - at least not on the prairies.  We're known for weather that is so unpredictable that often one thinks that the weatherman really just rolled the dice on the last prediction.  Today, the wind was crazy strong and there was rain in between.   Weather aside,  I learned a lot 25 shots later.   Like, on my first shot - lean into the gun and you won't plant your foot squarely on the instructor's foot, hard enough to bruise, when the kick throws you backwards.  Or, on the second shot, the fact that the empty shells actually spit out with a bit of force when you empty the gun.  Again, as I rub my cheek, who knew!

So with a simple call "Pull" - let the bullets fly so you can take that clay pigeon down.  Look at that - I'm already into the lingo.  Now, it's just a matter of getting that trap.

All in all, I think with a few more attempts I have a good shot - pun intended - at winning most improved.  In the meantime, while I wait for my most improved medal or maybe while they get one made, it was fun.  I met some interesting people and yes, this is fantastic research.  I'm already thinking of the possibilities.  And given the chance, I'd try it again.  Although wild things - like the squirrels I feed regularly or the geese that landed in a field on the way home - breath easy, any shooting will be strictly at inanimate objects.


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
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Sheik's Rule - Release Day!

Today the first book in the Desert Justice series is being released.  Sheik's Rule is on store shelves, online and brick and mortar, wherever Harlequin Intrigue are sold.

He's an investigator on a mission, but it's impossible to ignore the brilliant woman helping him complete it… 

His sister's life is at stake, and despite his wealth and power, Sheik Emir Al-Nassar feels helpless. At least heading his family's security agency provides him with resources to track down her kidnappers. But when the ace profiler he's sent turns out to be K. J.—Kate—Gelinsky, Emir is furious. Finding the kidnappers' desert hideout is dangerous enough without the distraction of a beautiful woman. 

But K.J. is unlike any woman he's ever known. Her fearlessness and incisive mind inspires Emir's admiration. And her compassion breaches his guarded heart. Still, rescuing his sister is a perilous mission. And allowing desire to cloud his focus could endanger them all. 

I'm excited to have Emir tell his story.  He's the oldest of the Al-Nassar siblings and for years he and his twin have shouldered the responsibility of keeping his family together since his parents tragic passing when he was in his early twenties.  In fact, being too serious is what gets him into trouble with his heroine, Kate.  When his sister is kidnapped he recruits help and when he discovers she's female he reacts in a way that puts him immediately at odds with her.  But the two of them together prove to be a powerful combination as they race the clock to find Emir's sister before it's too late.

Setting plays a large role in any story and can be a character in its own rite.  It can act as an antagonist or protagonist as it helps or hinders the hero.  Morocco I found was a powerful setting that really affected the direction of the story.

I loved the setting of Morocco, roaming the streets of Marrakech - exploring the Medina and heading into the Sahara.  It's an amazing place that I visited once a long time ago but would love to explore again.   Memory only takes you so far because after all, the characters needed today's Morocco not yesteryears.  But research found some interesting sites and great information, and found me a new site to follow on Twitter - Magical Morocco.

So, the paperback version is out (e-book comes out April 1).  Copies are available at most bookstores and, of course online at:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ITunes and Kobo.

And, there's more...

Mark your calendars and follow the by clicking here.  That will take you to the Goddess Fish site, scroll down for a list of the participating blogs.  Drop by, enter a comment, ask a question or just say hi.  I'll be hopping from blog to blog all day.  And there's a prize to one reader at the end of the day,  a $20 Amazon gift certificate.

---------------------------------------------------------------

There's always lots going on and while I don't cover all of it here on the blog, most of it is in the newsletter that gets mailed out whenever there's news.  Plus, there's usually an exclusive contest and really, I do try to be a bit entertaining.  So, if you haven't signed up for my newsletter, The Walkabout - now is the time to stop missing out, sign up here:  Signup to The Walkabout 


Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

Coming soon; Book 2, 3 and 4 of the Desert Justice Series.

A Bio? - Even the Dog is Stressed

Okay, so the dog wasn't too stressed except that his lunch was delayed.  Me on the other hand, there was just a little sweat.  It's not that this was the first bio I've ever written, or even the second.   But there I was poised with the publish button on my new website that had been out of commission for over a week, before I even hit the publish button, but that's another story.

All the drama was exhausting.

I hesitated.

Stopped.

Couldn't do it.

Why?

I made the mistake of reading the bio.  No good, I told self.  Why?  It's all true.  It's me, it really happened.  Maybe it needs more reality...

But really, does anyone care that I'll devour chocolate chip cookies and can't keep a full package in the house.  Is letting them know that I once killed an influx of spiders with a can of hairspray relevant?  Seriously, none of that was there but what was, well it just wasn't grabbing me.  Maybe there's only so many times you can read about your own life - or at least skim the surface of it.

So back to square one and the original bio.  You know I think I agonized too much.  I love reading biographies, what was so hard about writing a brief bit about myself?  Once I sharpened and shortened, it's not bad.  I think it's interesting and well, it's all true.  It's my life, short form, the relevant parts... the bits that hopefully really matter to me as a writer - and the rest, well I'm not filling in the blanks at least not this go around...

Cheers to Canada Day!

 and to the upcoming Fourth of July!

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Hello World - Google Maps!

Yesterday we had one of those sweeping winds, the kind of prairie winds that rattle the bare trees and clear the dust off the sidewalks.  I'm not a fan of those winds but I suppose they have their purpose.   So it was into one of those hairstyle destroying winds that I found myself and where I soon wished that I'd at least worn a touque.  Why?  Because I discovered that a touque has more than one purpose:  A)  It keeps your head warm and B) It hides a bad hair day

The day began well enough, very early as it does when I'm wrapping up a story.  It means long hours and often many cups of coffee.  The day began just before five and, as I mostly do, I listened to a playlist again and again because -  I'm not really hearing it.  Instead I'm hearing the voices of my characters and the pulse of the story as it barrels to the end.

But finishing that last chapter is only the beginning of having a final story ready to head off anywhere.  The end takes me right back to the beginning and going through the story to pick out the obvious problems, clean it up and in a way, sew it up.  Then off it goes to my beta reader.  And then... well, that's anther post.

Yesterday, after I'd been in the world of fantasy for too long and I'd run out of people to annihilate...  Okay, it wasn't quite that bad but I needed a little fresh air.  Now at this point I've been in my basement office for most of the day but it was time to emerge and see what was going on.  So, without pulling a comb through my hair, and without a stitch of makeup, and still looking basement pale, and story sapped, I threw on a jacket, sunglasses - grabbed the dog and went.

Half way through my walk I see at a distance this little car with bright green sides and some sort of red contraption on its roof.  I think to myself that it's some pretty fine advertising and I continue on with my walk.

Routing around the neighbourhood and returning home, I come face to face with the little car and as it slowly drives by I turn to look at it and see what it's advertising.  It's one of those freeze frame moments as I realized that this isn't an advertisement, well maybe it is, there is Google on the side of the car.  But the thing on top is a camera and I'm looking straight at it.  It's the Google street view car.  It was a moment of horror when even the driver looked ominous.

At that point there was nothing to do but keep on walking and resign myself to the fact that I'd been  google mapped.

My only hope now is that they photoshop.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
https://www.facebook.com/Author.RyshiaKennie
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New Release - Legacy of Fear

Imagine a language - lost.
Imagine, a unique language that is written, not spoken.

Imagine, a language written by and for women.

Imagine - the possibilities of such a language.

My latest romantic suspense is out!
Just released...

Legacy of Fear

Andra Vandersan is an expert code breaker, as fiercely independent and beautiful as she is brilliant.
Working at the highest levels of deciphering, she's always remained at a safe distance from the seamy underworld of Hong Kong's criminal elite--but that's about to change.  When her next-door neighbour is brutally murdered in a way that suggests the work of the Chinese triads, two things become clear:  Andra was the intended target of the hit, and the assassin is going to return.

Max True is a world-class linguist, a colleague of Andra's who once helped her break a code that would destroy a terrorist cell.  When he shows up at Andra's door with a mysterious message, they realize that they may have stumbled on a long-lost women's language that holds the secret to incredible power--and one that the most vicious men in Hong Kong will stop at nothing to get their hands on.

As Andra and Max work to solve the puzzle of the language, they find themselves in a desperate race against time to escape the mysterious forces who all want the secret of the message--even as they surrender to the forces of an undeniable passion that brings them inexorably and irrevocably together.



Check it out at online bookstores.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Fatal Obsession - One Novel, Two Novels, Three Novels - More

Fatal Obsession

Five novels - one boxed set!

Fatal Obsession is a boxed set of five romantic suspense novels just released this week.  These stories are dangerous and they're hot.   And that's not all that's good about them, they're on sale, the whole set for 99 cents at all online bookstores.  How hot is that?

So, yeah I have an inside scoop on it all, a reason to be excited.  My novel, Fatal Intent is included as part of the set.

So here's what's inside Fatal Obsession:

Deadly Shadows by USA Today Bestseller Jaycee Clark
The first book in the gripping and sexy world of the Kincaid Brothers.

Haunted by the past, writer Jesslyn Black never again wants to experience the soul-shredding pain of losing someone she loves--but a murder in the small Colorado town she's been hiding in forces her to come out of her shell and face her greatest fear.  Running from his own loss, Aidan Kinncaid has travelled to the town strictly on business but soon finds himself embroiled in the hunt for a killer--before he can track down the one woman who might be able to mend his heart.  Together Aidan and Jesslyn must fight for second chances at love before a killer destroys both their lives.

Trace Elements by Kate Donovan
Special Agent Annika Trace is the hottest thing in law enforcement - at least on TV.  But things change for Annika-a.k.a. actress Nikki Gower--when she is called on by the real FBI to help gain the trust of one of her fans: a four-year-old kidnapping victim.  Special agent  Josh Saxon, however, isn't happy:  he doesn't need some Hollywood star interfering in his case.  Yet as Josh and Nikki spar over the best way to get the job done, Josh discovers firsthand just how Nikki makes the airwaves sizzle.

Lethal Obsession by Kate Douglas
As an undercover agent, Kat Malone has always had enemies.  Now one of them is back and viciously stalking her, and Kat--alone, and pregnant, and in over her head--is in desperate need of help.  After a lifetime of cleaning up his brother Riley's messes, Seamus O'Rourke is left with one last mess:  protecting Kat, his brother's former lover.  Tensions mount and passions flare as Kat struggles to save her child, and Seamus must find the strength and determination to protect the woman he's grown to love.

Point of No Return by Rita Henuber
While investigating a string of recent kidnappings, no-nonsense Marine Major Honey Thornton's first suspect is none other than her sometime lover, former CIA agent Jack O'Brien.  But Jack has his own problems:  after his brother and sister-in-law are mysteriously killed and their daughter becomes a kidnapping target, he finds himself unwilling to trust anyone--even Honey.   With suspicions flaring on all sides, political turmoil stirring, and desire burning between them, Jack and Honey must decide whether they can truly trust each other as they fight to bring down the madmen responsible.

Fatal Intent by Ryshia Kennie
An expedition into the Borneo rain forest is a dream trek for entomologist Garrett Cole, until a brutal murder turns the trip into a nightmare.  Lost and panicked, Garrett has no choice but to put her trust and the fate of her team in the hands of the mysterious and rugged Aidan to guide them to safety.  With a killer still on the loose and undeniable passion flaring, can she trust the one man who claims to be their rescuer?  Or are Aidan's good intentions just another of the jungle's illusions?

Check it out at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and other online stores.  You can't be entertained much more economically than that!

And coming up - International Author Day!  Yes, you heard right.  It's official, there'll be giveaways - and it's coming up in the next week, check back for links to the blog hop to celebrate it all.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Good Luck With Number Eleven

It's coming up elevens.

I have a good friend who swears by the luck of the number eleven. Using that theory as a starting base, I have to say that today is a very lucky day for in the world of alphabet blogging, today is time for number eleven.  Wait for it...

Drum roll...

It's center stage for the ravishing letter K.

And what does K have in store us besides holding one of the luckiest placements in the alaphabet?

Well, let's see:

K is for kill which is an ugly word for most people but in the world of romantic suspense, it becomes a necessary word.  It's an active word that describes the evil that gets perpetrated before the hero and heroine put a stop to it all and ride off into a ravishing (each other) type of sunset.

K is for kudos.  A strange kind of word that probably began as a slang but now has found it's place

right along every other word in Dear Old Merriam's pages.

K is for King.  Yes, I had to go there.  Stephen King, the author who made me a horror addict as a teen.  I don't read a lot of King now but I am rereading The Shining because you know there's now the new book, yes I admit I forgot the name but it's waiting on my bookshelf, you know the one - the one where Danny grows up.

Okay one more and then I have to go and pay some attention to that book that just won't finish itself.

K is an abbreviation for a few things, one of them a thousand.

So now it's off to work another hour or so before it's time to enjoy a Saturday evening.

Here's a little k - for good luck.

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

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Work And I Love It!

It's the first Wednesday of the month and following the tradition that Alex Cavanaugh has began, here it is, the Insecure Writer's post:

Tonight's post was the proverbial pulling teeth.  I almost shoved the computer away and said that's it - I cave. 

But I didn't.

Sometimes writing is like that.  Every morning I set my alarm early - before the lights in other houses are on, even here far away from home,  I'm in front of my computer beginning the word count for the day.  Although word count, that's probably, no is, a misnomer.  I don't go for word count.  I learned a long time ago, that for me that's not an effective way to write.  It means extensive revisions that can spin a story out long after I write the end. 

Sometimes it's tough.  There are few people that understand what you're doing, why you are doing it or why your "little hobby" should be called anything but that, never mind work.  But you have to swim through all of that and just keep writing.  It's the only way to eventually make it in this business.

Once I dreamed success would mean the publisher of my dreams would publish my book, market me and put me on every bookstore shelf.  Now times have changed and the dream, well it's there but it's adapted.  I still want that original dream but right now success means getting published by small presses and alternative publishing.  It means promoting myself and extra hours at the computer to do that.  Yes, the publishing industry has changed but the dream is the same - writing success.  And despite all the advise out there, it really only boils down to one word for success - readers.

But to find readers I must write well and then promote what I've written.  But even time to write is difficult in a world where success and what you  do is judged by how much money comes in.  Under a certain bar and it's not considered work.  Interesting term, work.  Because if you don't have work attached to what you do, quantifying it as a gainful means of employment, then what you're doing is a hobby and no one can figure out why you can't stop everything to answer the phone or go for coffee or take grandma to her church bazaar or whatever. And sometimes those interruptions are valid for I will admit that what my work is, is flexible.  But because of that flexibility, often, long after everyone has had supper and settled down for the nightly sitcom, I'm back at the computer for a few more hours.

Sorry everyone, it is work.  I am busy.  I'm writing a story.  It's work and I love it!

Now excuse me - after a good days work, I believe it's time to enjoy what's left of a cool desert evening.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
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Fatal Intent on sale now for .99 cents at online book stores.

Stand Back - It's a Canuck

Been spending a few weeks south of the border, escaping at least part of the long winter I know is waiting for me.  Crossing one border usually isn't too much of a culture shock.  The States are similar to Canada in a large number of ways and in just as many, they're not.

So today I went to the UPS store to see if there was any way I could settle a mailing issue.  Note to self - you can't get mail if you don't have a mailbox.

Anyway, in the course of the discussion, one clerk looks at the other and says
"Well, that confirms it.  I knew the area code was somewhere in Canada but the accent, didn't you hear it?  Canuck."   She looks at the other clerk with satisfaction and then turns to smile at me.  I think I recoiled in horror, okay not quite but: 

A - no one has ever said I have an accent.  It's all of you I say - not me. 
And B - Canuck, no one has ever called me that either - ever. 

I was reminded that I'm a person of interest, a foreigner. I was one of those people, the ones I meet on planes, in other countries, in public transport - just everywhere.  People with stories that are different from mine.  They're fascinating and I'm their worst nightmare because I want to hear all about them. 

Now I'd become one of them.  One of the others - the one with the accent.  I mean it's easy to feel foreign when you're traveling in a country where your native tongue is not theirs and where the customs are radically different from yours.  But here the similarities run as close as the disparities.  So, no, I wanted to say - it's you, you have the funny little accent not me.  No, the look the clerk laid on me said it all - it was me.

Me?

A fraction of the price at home.

Sure I knew I was in a foreign country.  I'm reminded every day.  Retail shops alone are a good reminder.  Like the other day when I was gawking at the Canadian Whiskey disbelieving of the price.  Of course, I'm disbelieving of the price of any liquor south of the border but this one in particular.  Made in Canada, it sat here thousands of miles from its manufacture point marked at a price that can only be called extraordinarily cheap - possibly even giving it away, cheap.  And the day before that I scoured the dairy section looking for cream and only seeing artificial creamer.  At home, it's parked by the milk and it comes in a cardboard container, which I have since found it does here too but it's buried beneath a massive selection of creamers.  Anyway, maybe I should have taken those and any number of other clues that, not only was I foreign, but I just might just be the one with the accent.

So with that reality check I headed off down the road.  There we stumbled on the salsa lady, selling out of the back of her van by the side of the road.  Unemployed temporarily she said after greeting me with a cheery hello that she hurled at me long before we were in speaking distance.  After getting my salsa she offered her e-mail address in case I should like the salsa and she wasn't at her usual roadside haunt.  I did.  Will definitely be e-mailing her for more.  Fortunately, except for spelling issues - I think e-mail is relatively universal.  No accent there.  

So now it's off to the family selling tamales and fruit of all kinds at another roadside stand.  We left
with a bagful of fruit - 12 limes for a dollar!  Unheard of in Canada or at least the corner I'm from - not the limes, the price.  The tamales, well we'll be back for a roadside lunch one day soon.

It was a day of moments that would never have happened at home because, wait for it - I'd be shoveling snow and thinking of past trips and future stories.

And one last word on the accent thing - you will never, ever, hear me say that one dreaded word - eh.    Because well,  there was that classic Canadian throwback to the eighties, Bob and Doug McKenzie ... enough said.

Ryshia

 

Travel away to Borneo where murder and romance steam up the jungle - 

Fatal Intent on sale for .99 cents at most online retail book outlets.

 

www.ryshiakennie.com
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Santa Fe and Onward

Everything seems to be in slow time.  I suppose when you're on the road life is like that.  On the way further south, we spent a few days in a surprisingly laid back place, Santa Fe.  Low slung adobe buildings catch your attention immediately.  The more modern downtown is hidden from the interstate.  And a year after my first view of Santa Fe, we ventured in and discovered that the heart of Santa Fe is how it was a hundred or so years ago.  Coming from a place where the old has been too often razed, this was refreshing.  Narrow lanes bracketed by laid back adobe houses whose elegant rich comfort are hidden behind wide thick wood doors and arched doorways.

Santa Fe - for artists, it's a mecca.  A mecca for art of all kinds; from sculpture to oil to artists of another kind - cooking.  Not only that but yes, there are writers and writers' conferences. There were also cooking schools and writing schools but most of all there was
art.  Eighty-four galleries in a stretch of about four blocks.

It was there where I had the most expensive lunch of my life but the most entertaining.  Who knew that water could cost eight dollars a bottle.  But what topped everything was a woman who was really the caricature of a place or time or theme.  Scarlett O'Hara, obviously not her or even someone that remotely resembled her, not her looks but her airs.  The resemblance was in her southern drawl that included the mention of numerous "high end encounters" and was peppered with darlings.  The conversation was a window to another world, of business, entitlement and airs.  

But enough of peeks into other people's lives.  It was off to see the galleries.  Bronzes and oils were everywhere, galleries cozied against more galleries.  The amount of talent in that one little area was overwhelming.

And after an exhausting day both to feet and pocketbook it was off for something a little more realistic, wood stove cooked pizza and beer.

And with the road and Santa Fe now behind me, I've been settled in a place that's not quite home for a week or two.  More on that later.

And in the meantime, I'm giving away two copies of my paranomal romance, Ring of Desire and my historic set on the depression era prairie, From the Dust.  Both are contests on Goodreads.

And last but "not least":

My latest book - Intent to Kill is out!

First there was Fatal Intent, a tale that took romance and suspense to the dark reaches of the Borneo jungle.

Now, Intent to Kill takes love to the heart of Cambodia where in the shadow of Angkor Wat, passion ignites amidst evil that is generations in the making.  

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
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Chugwater Chili

I love being at home but there's something about being on the road that provides these unique little surprises and like I said in my last post, is just inspirational because every place has a story and every story only makes me ask - what if?

Less than an hour down the road from Douglas, Wyoming, is the quiet little village of Chugwater.  We would have flown, or driven, if you prefer, right by except for the intriguing billboard announcing Chugwater Chili.  What was intriguing about it?  Well, it wasn't the typical hotel, motel or fast food advertisement, plus it was all alone with only rugged wilderness surrounding it.  That got our attention, plus it was lunch time and we were hungry and truly sick of another variation of "fast food".   And, well, a confession, we'd tried out the same chili last year.  So we hit the exit ramp and you know, you just can't pass up those opportunities.


Chugwater Chili has an interesting story - check out their website if you're interested.  But it appeared to me like a small place collaborating with each other to succeed.  Because besides the chili there were Chugwater t-shirts, spices and other parapanalia and an inventory of books propped in holders on tables. 

Last year there was a gas station, this year the sign outside of Douglas warned of a 65 mile drought as far as gas.  The waitress in

Chugwater was quick to tell us the story of a man who drove into the building.  The aftermath?  Well, the gas station is no more, the culprit has been detained and people are out of work as a result.  Not a pretty story and I suspect one that went deeper than the short version we got while paying for our meal.

Despite what was probably a major financial hit for the residents of Chugwater, it carries on.  So if you're in the vicinity I'd definitely recommend it as a much more colourful dining experience than one offered by any of the available chains. 

Not only that but the chili was tasty!

Now I'm sitting in front of a wood fire in the heart of Santa Fe - and well that's another story.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Intent to Kill

A ruthless band of smugglers will stop at nothing to strip Cambodia of its priceless ancient artifacts, even if it means using and killing female tourists.  Journalist Claire Linton knows she's on the story of a lifetime.  But for Claire, it's personal too: long before her "Uncle Jack" came to the U.S., he was held captive in the nightmarish killing fields of Cambodia, and Claire senses there might be a connection between that long-ago bloody history and the dark crimes plaguing the country today.


Simon Trent is a burnt-out Interpol agent who disappeared after his last case turned fatal.  But with the resurgence in smuggling and all signs pointing to the man who once escaped his grasp, he comes out of hiding to finish the job that's haunted him for years.  What he doesn't see coming is Claire, the beautiful and headstrong reporter who may be a threat to his case - and to his heart.


As Claire and Simon reluctantly join forces to unravel a mystery that reaches deep into her family history and may be his only chance at redemption, they must fight to stay one step ahead of a brutal killer - and one step away from the dangerous feelings building between them.


My latest romantic suspense, Intent to Kill, was released this week and is now available at online bookstores including: 

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Time Wrangling or Dog Biscuits?

Why is it that fall seems to bring that rush of too much to do.  Maybe it's not the same everywhere but here on the prairie it seems that whether you have kids or not, whether you farm or not - we're all affected by the cries of back to school and rush to get the harvest in before the weather turns for the worse.

For  me, I'm hearing the cry of getting a story done that has languished way too long.  It's been a year

that's been slightly disjointed, fragmented by the demands of life.  And that, for now, is as good an excuse as any.  Although I suspect that the story might have fared better if I streamlined my writing life. 

Streamlined.  Maybe organized is a better word.  My old methods of jumping in here and there working on one project or another has, as the volume has escalated, caused chaos.  The chaos is headlined on my computer, let's call her Old Faithful.  She's been keeping me company since 2007 but now the battery is weak and her body is sagging.  I'm parked at my kitchen table, afraid to leave the safety of a solid surface and a nearby electrical outlet.  I'm cleaning up five years of files before transferring to a new computer.  In the meantime, I'm hoping no one jostles my shaky power connection as I sheer the chaos of over-bulging files and realize that when in doubt - save might not be the best option.

It's been a year of splitting my attention between a number of projects.  And instead of dividing my time equally, I found myself spending too much time with one while leaving another lie.  And that's where organization comes in - time slots.  Can I write more than one story at a time without losing momentum on another?  I know I will do it, have done it - just not efficiently.   I suspect there is a better method.  I'm still scratching my head on that as I continue to delete and move but I suspect that the answer lays beneath all those stacks and stacks, of really unnecessary files. 

Sigh - oddly the state of my computer files reflects that of the life of my current protagonist.  Irony or what?  

But, it's been a long day and so as not to get it together all at once I'm going to move on to something a little more relaxing.  Making dog biscuits.  I see a shaggy head look up at the mention of one of his favourites.  So here it is, Rourke gives them a triple star.  Of course, he is only one dog and he does have slight favourable leanings to the cook:

Rourke's Salmon Biscuits

1 can salmon (about 200 grams)

1/2 cup water

pinch of dill

a dash or two of lemon
a dash of pepper

bake at 325 - flip the cookies after thirty minutes
and continue to bake for another half hour.

Turn off oven but leave cookies in the oven until it cools.  

Cookies will harden just a bit more

And for this first Wednesday in October, the recipe is the best bit of writing procrastination I have to offer.  

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com

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In the Beginning...There Was Darkness

Writers should really be provided with an accurate road map when beginning this crazy journey to publication.  Seriously, that would make it all so much easier.  A map that says begin here at point A writing said story which when completed you will submit to Publisher A.  If Publisher A accepts remain on course for Plan A.  

If Publisher A rejects they would direct the author to the next best route for their project.  Said author, revises or not according to instruction, and then goes back to their map and follows the new route to the next publisher and so it goes.  Each step a clear route on the map.

No wait that would be utopia and this is the real world. In the real world one struggles through learning craft and writing story after story that is published or not.  And eventually you may find a substitute for said map, an agent, but not before you've spent many, many hours and learned much of the process for yourself.

But first, to succeed you must enter no man's land.  It's a dark brooding place filled with highs and lows, hopes and dreams, excitement and bouts of disappointment that dive you into moments of darkness where you threaten to never write again. Don't go there - writing takes the darkness away every time. 

And there is no map.  I'm sorry to say, it's a jungle out there.  You can plot a course but it is only guesswork whether or not you'll arrive at your destination in one piece or whether your story is sturdy enough to make it to the end.

And that's why in a utopian world a map would be ideal especially as you first venture into the world offering your writing and fearing that it's about to become the sacrificial lamb at the alter of something bigger than you can quite comprehend.  Wait, that's no fear, that's reality.  If you're lucky you'll get no rejection, no scathing comments.

Scathing comments?

Maybe, maybe not.  But every rejection draws its ounce of blood.  After awhile you'll get callouses.  If you've got a strong stomach and a huge dose of fortitude, you'll make it through the dark hours where eventually there's light. 

But if you're a writer - do you really have a choice?  So strap on that backpack, pick up the map you've outlined for yourself and write on.  And whether you're a writer or not, appreciate the book you're reading just a little more as you consider its author's journey.  I know I will.

Stop by on Friday, August 9 when I'll be hosting, as part of the tour for Theo Roger's latest book - How to Get Good Reviews On Amazon.  So stop by, and check out a valuable reference for any writer's shelf.



Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Kindle Fire Give Away, Sale and More

It's been an interesting few days.  I assisted in the shingling of a garage.  Not so horrific for some of
 you possibly handier than me.  But combine an all thumbs approach to tools with a "slight" dislike of heights.... well let's just say that making it safely off the roof with only two matching blisters on each of my big toes was a great feat and worth celebrating. 

And today well - drama of another sort.  My eyes are blurring over as I recover from "worst case scenario" losing an entire scene in my story.  Rushing to the backup drive which seems to have a restore button for the entire folder but no cut, copy or paste option for a few thousand words or so.  Handwriting, I really have to say is an art and I don't have it.  My hand hurts and my writing has dissolved into the depths of atrocities.  But the scene is safely returned.

Now on to the good news:

I'm giving away a Kindle Fire 7" HD along with some other romance writers, The Kindle Book Review, and Digital Book Today.  We are also giving away $200 worth of Amazon ecards.  There is no purchase necessary and it's easy to enter.  Click here to enter.
(http://www.thekindleromancereview.net/kindle-fire-giveaway/)



And in other news - my latest romantic suspense, Fatal Intent is on sale at Amazon for 99 cents now through July 31.



That's it for now.  I'm heading outside to enjoy some sunshine.  But before I go I'm making sure I backup.  Sore hand and all I'm grateful that I had that backup.

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com

Going Once, Going Twice - Gone!

This weekend my travels took me through the dark and crowded mazes of the garage sale.  I got to stick my nose into the fine art of the garage sale from the proprietor's side of the table.  I held a garage sale for my mother who had a collection of unique and interesting things acquired through years of gathering and neatly storing.  There were things that dated back to my grandparents and even my great grandparents.  It's amazing what a shelf can hold when you dig to the back of those neatly stacked piles.

It was weeks of preparation and doubts that customers would even come through the door.  Worse, we chose of all weekends, the one weekend in May that has had rain consistently over every year I can remember.  Don't ask me why about either the sale or the rain but somethings just are.  Fortunately, the rain greeted us only one day but even that I didn't notice, I was too busy hopping from one customer query to another.

It is on the working floor of the garage sale that you meet the underpinnings of the garage sale circuit; the antique dealers, the unique dealers and the scroungers.  They are the people that scoop up everything they think they might resell or what may be of value.  Value is a two pronged sword and often value only meant interest - two or three dollars worth.  But who knew that a plastic phonograph/radio with a chunk out of its side was worth even that.  After all it was worthless to one dealer but worth a gentleman's argument for another two.  And that iron stove that almost amputated toes, well it went out the door, rust, ancient coal dust and all.  

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There are people who just collect, there are people who collect and recycle and there are those - well, those that just like to snoop and discover something unique or just plain reuseable.  And you know, I don't mind garage sales, most days, I mean arriving as a customer.  I like snooping through new old stuff.  I don't know what's with that.  But I do know as I sat in my plastic chair poised to process yet another transaction that I couldn't help going through the book table to my left.  And yes I did rescue one, then two and finally three.  But I didn't get that book, the one that one man had me leaping out of my chair for the hundred dollar bill he claimed was between it's pages.  Wrong.  And I didn't bother to tell him that it was too late for April Fools.

But most of all what I got from that garage sale were characters, characters with more stories than I have time to tell in such a short blog post.  It was that moment in time when my life intersected with people I might not normally have met.  Fantastic fun for anyone, invaluable for a writer.

And my find from the sale - besides those books, a portable exerciser for abs.  And if I don't use it - it's too small to hang clothes on!

Any finds in your day?

Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com
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Eldon Taylor - I Believe

Today is the launch of Eldon Taylor's latest book, I Believe.  It is a book launch that I was again asked to take part in and was happy to oblige as I've found with Eldon's books, they might be non-fiction but they're entertaining as well as thought provoking.  Better yet, Eldon Taylor writes one inspirational book after another.  So first off Eldon's provided some answers to often asked questions and we'll follow it all up with my review.

Q and A with Eldon Taylor

What was the motivation and inspiration behind your latest book, I Believe?

I have spent over thirty years investigating why people self-sabotage or limit themselves, thus experiencing so much less then their highest best!  What I have found is the reason rests solely in their beliefs--not their religious beliefs so much as their life beliefs.  I found this to be true when I was conducting lie detection tests and discovering criminality, and equally true when I worked with elite athletes, business executives, professionals and lay people alike.  The bottom line is this:  What you believe always matters!  It's like a web that fastens itself to belief-anchors, causing disheartening mediocrity in place of the glorious success we all seek.

I Believe spells out the power of belief and how it influences everything from our health and longevity to our success with out relationships and life.  Astounding as it may seem, belief  can (and has) defied our so-called laws of science and it has done so over and over again.  As ordinary and trite as it may seem, belief nevertheless makes all the difference in success in all walks of life.  Knowing how we acquire our beliefs, and which beliefs serve us while others sabotage us, is critical to maximizing our individual potential.  I Believe:  When What You Believe Matters!  was written to empower you with the roadmap to decipher and re-write the programming governing your life.  

 If you don't mind sharing, as the author, how has the belief in positive thinking impacted your life?

Years ago I had the proverbial chip on my shoulder.  I began paying my own way at age 12, paying my parents room and board and buying my own clothes and school books.  I left home at an early age filled with anger directed at my parents.  I could go on, but the point can be summarized this way as well.  You could fairly say that back then, the bumper sticker stating "Life sucks and then you die," accurately reflected my beliefs.  As time went on, both my education and avocation, revealed something truly important:  I could not blame anyone else for the problems with my life and I was the only one who could change it!  I basically learned how to examine all of my beliefs, and how to change those that were not working for me.  As a result, I have been happily married  for over 30 years, am successful in my career and feel that I am on the spiritual path for me.  Also my business is focused on teaching others the techniques I have learned and today it helps people all around the world uncover their highest potential.  The thank you notes I receive daily truly do brighten my life.

What is the first and foremost message you want your readers to receive from I Believe?

That they were born with all the gifts they need to fully maximize this life experience.  If things are not going as well as they had once hoped, then it is time to reassess their beliefs and to choose once again.  The fact is, there is a truly remarkable and near unlimited power that resides within all, that is the very essence of our individual uniqueness.  All we need to do is tap into the source of our ability and express the gift that is who we really are.

Are there any final words of wisdom you'd like to share with your readers?


I would leave this thought with everyone.  Most of us believe what we believe without ever truly examining it.  In that sense, we live out counterfeit lives.  As children we pretend to be many things and out make belief often becomes how we walk and talk.  We change our clothes and we change our personality.  Our behavior and our language can be totally different when we are in Levis and boots versus a three-piece suit.

Many of us have learned to be effective chameleons, just so we can feel as though we fit in, but in the process we have neglected the discovery of our selves.  We have learned to avoid rejection and thereby limited what we might try.  We are full of what I have called the "no-don't syndrome"--all those negatives that inform us we might fail, we're no good, we're not old enough, we're stupid or skinny or fat and so on.  This too has become part of our belief network, as we have the various defense mechanisms that protect us from pain and rejection.  We think in sound bytes taken from our culture and race to consume the latest whatever in a never ending need for more.    In the end, it is our self-doubt that prohibits our higher realization of who we are and perhaps why we're here.  The subtitle of I Believe is "When What You Believe Matters," and that about sums  up the answer for creating the person you were meant to be, for what you believe--the tiniest of beliefs, always matters!

 

Eldon Taylor has spent over 25 years researching the power of the mind and developing scientifically proven methods to use this power to enhance the quality of your life.  I Believe is a book that will not only inspire you, but will highlight the kinds of beliefs you hold that may be causing you to fail.  In the process, it will provide you with the opportunity to choose, once again, the beliefs that drive your life.  Eldon is having a wonderful launch party so you really should check it out:   http://www.progressiveawarenesspromotions.com/it/13e/index/J.php

My review of I Believe:
(Four stars)

I Believe begins with a tantalizing forward that alludes to the fact that we don't have to lead an ant-colony like existence, that there can be more.  I Believe is a testament to the power of the human mind and how it can influence out lives.  As usual, Taylor's effortless writing style had me immediately hooked as I read how what you believe can affect everything in your life from your character and your success or lack there of, to potentially - your health.  Remember Maslow's hierarchy?   Are you self-actualized and if not what level are you at?

"The power of belief, the absolutely awesome

incredible power of belief, is the genie in your life.

Let me say that again:  The absolutely awesome and

incredible power of your belief is the genie in your life."

What I didn't expect were some of the religious references and I found that they didn't weave as smoothly as some of the more scientific facts.  However, Taylor skillfully brings forward more proof of the power of belief by weaving science with other stories, many from his own experience, that combine in this non-fiction read to make you forget at times that you're not just reading for sheer enjoyment.

All in all, I Believe was a thought provoking read that I'd recommend for anyone interested in exploring the power of the human mind.

 

So if any of this has you as intrigued as I was, I'd suggest you check out the book launch site.  There's a lot of things going on for this launch and some big name sponsors too.  Check it all out here to take part in what looks to be an exciting book launch - click here to go to "I Believe".

Ryshia

www.ryshiakennie.com