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Showing posts from 2014

2014 Reflections

Reflections are based mainly on the 2014 resolutions I made earlier this year: 2014 Resolutions Weight loss - Lose 30 to 40 pounds. I did lose 30 pounds, but that last 10 pounds (making it 40 pounds lost) has been a bear to lose. I went from 191 to 161. I did make it to 159 a few months ago but it didn't last long. I probably lost a total of 100 pounds if I could count the same pounds I lost multiple times. Update and Create Web Sites - Updated my author's page and my husband's art Web site. Created my Web designer's site. Actively look for new clients - I didn't really look for new clients but I still found 3 new sites to create this year. One was recently and I'm still working on it. Write more by writing at least two books in work in process list and finish 3rd novella in the Lana Malloy Paranormal Mystery Series - Somewhat done. I mentioned the book I had three quarters completed, and I'm happy to say I did finish that book and plan to release in

Merry Christmas

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Wishing all a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May your season be blessed with all the joys life has to offer. Give your friends, children, parents, and pets a hug. Love and cherish every moment spent with them. Kim Cox

Review for Tommy's Amigo by Nancy Carty Lepri

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Tommy’s Amigo by Nancy Carty Lepri is a heartfelt story about faith and friendships, and about a young boy being bullied at school because he’s Mexican. His friends, Macy, Susan and Tommy’s amigo, Diego, know that Beth and Kenny are bullying him, but Tommy is afraid to tell his grandmother or his teachers. His amigo is a tiny guardian angel who encourages him to have faith and Diego doesn’t judge him when he makes mistakes. This book includes many lessons including not worrying unnecessarily about things before they happen because they may never happen. Have faith by giving your prayers time to be answered; as well as, how to deal with bullies. It’s also about how true friends standby you no matter what and who are always there when you need them. This story focuses on positive ways to handle difficult situations. I highly recommend this story. Also the Author of  Tiny Angel .

Black Friday - Store Wide Sale 50% Off all Titles

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Into the fray, with more sales today. BLACK FRIDAY - TWO-DAY STOREWIDE SALE - Amber Quill Press - November 28, 2014. Through Saturday 11/29/14, get any Amber Kisses, Novellas, and Novels (both "Regular" and "Extended" length) for a 50% discount*. Yes, that's 50% off*...all imprints, all genres, all authors...from now through Saturday! ‪#‎ ebooks‬   ‪#‎ sale50‬   ‪#‎ blackfriday‬   www.amberquill.com (Note: Discount applies to e-books only and does not include AmberPax Collections or books labeled "Amber Briefs" or "Amber Shorts." Books listed on our "Clearance" page will remain discounted at 75% off. Additionally, books already priced at $.99 are not included in this special sale.) Visit us at  amberquill.com !

Review - Dear Viking by Lori Soard

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Dear Viking is a sweet romance that will pull at your heart strings. Rök Erikson’s new found Christian faith clashes with the traditions of his Viking family; he fights against falling in love with Leani as the duty he feels for his family demands he avenge his brother’s death. While Leani’s life hangs in the balance, she feels guilty for taking the life of another and places her punishment in the hands of her savior. As Rök’s and Leani’s faith is tested over and over, Lori Soard handles these characters’ inner and outer struggles like a pro. 

On Sale - 50% Off - 3 Days Only

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Amber Quill Press -  Suspicious Minds 50% off in electronic format now at http://www.amberquill.com/store/p/226-Suspicious-Minds.aspx Blurb: In the city of Boston lies a story of revenge and hidden identity. Ryan Donatelli, posing as Thomas Randolph, sets out to avenge his sister's death, even if it means using Sam Southard's daughter to do it. After all, Ryan is sure Sam's responsible. Natalie Southard is determined to keep her family business out of the hands of known crime boss, Nick DeMarco. After her father is killed, Natalie and Ryan are forced to run for their lives. But, will they live long enough for their hearts to heal once everything is revealed? Genres: Romance / Romantic Suspense / Romantic Thriller Length: Novel (58k words / 188 paperback pages) Review quotes for SUSPICIOUS MINDS: "5 Stars!...Will keep you reading right to the end. Kim Cox's characters are so well developed that you feel like you know them. The plot contains en

The Writing Urgency

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Why do I feel the urgency to get all the stories in my head written? I have no clear clue, but all of a sudden I feel this determination. Could it be my age? I am older. Or is it something else that has me excited to write again. Yes, that too. The Journey I’m over 50, closing in on 60. OMG!!! Where did the time go? I’m sure age has a lot to do with it. Laid off from my day job, I started back to college at 50. Some of you may have read about that in my post: College After 50 . School is more time consuming than work. Who would’ve thought it? You see, unlike a job, when you go to class, the work doesn’t end there. When you get home, you still have more work to do and deadlines that have to be met. That’s similar to writing. Lay-off and College After the lay-off, I thought, Oh I’m going to be able to write more . Well, that didn’t happen. I think I wrote one novella, Get Out or Die and started another one, The Wedding Crasher . So, needless to say, writing took a back

Book Review - Loose Ends by Terri Reid

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Loose Ends  is the first book in Terri Reid's A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery  series. This was a fun read. It has many great elements including funny and spooky. I purchased Loose Ends  after reading an article Terri Reid wrote in Ditch The Publisher: 40 Indie Authors on Their Unique Self Publishing Journey , edited by Haley Sherman. I was very impressed with her article and her success in self-publishing and this series sounded like something I would love to read. Mary O'Reilly, the main character, was an ex-Chicago cop who had a near death experience after being shot on the job, and ever since has been able to see and talk to ghost. At times, she also has visions about their death and is stuck in that time for a while which proves to be a bit dangerous since landscapes are bound to change over time. Ghosts are actually drawn to her because of her ability. She does her best to help them move on. Ghosts can't pay for her private investigator services. That'

Writing and Reading Updates

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Writing As you can tell by my other posts recently, I have been reading and researching the aspects of self-publishing and I've decided to try it, so now I'm switching my focus to my own writing so that I have something to self-publish. I have at least four books to consider: my novella that's half finished with a working title, The Wedding Crasher , The Kidnapped Bride , Honeymooning on Cape Cod , etc. (many of the titles I'm considering) - this is the third novella in the Lana Malloy, paranormal suspense series ; or full novels: All This time - a romantic suspense novel that is three-quarters completed, For the Love of Money - a mystery novel about one-quarter completed, or Shattered Hearts - mainstream women's fiction novel that's about three-quarters completed and it's the first book I started writing that was meant for publication. You can read the short blurbs on these at my Web site kimcoxauthor.com. Right now, I'm leaning toward the Lana M

Most Resent Web Designs

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It has been a productive year in Web Design. Actually it started the last half of last year. Since then, I have obtained three new clients. The new clients already had Web sites that I upgraded to a better, more productive design. The first, contract with last year, was Mountain International , a small manufacturing plant in Brevard, North Carolina. From their Web site: "Mountain International is a manufacturer  of custom packaging bags and protective pads, filtration, and sonic bonded fabrics, premoistened wiping cloths, and a wide variety of items made from disposable woven and durable fabrics." This year, I contracted with American Garage  to revamp their Web site. American garage basically sells flooring products for garages, manufacturing companies, gyms, etc. This has been the most complicated site I've worked on so far, creating a database with literally hundreds of products. From their Web site: "American Garage has over 50 years experience with Chemi

Book Review - Self-Publishing Books 101

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Self-Publishing Books 101 : A Step-By-Step Guide to Publishing Your Book in Multiple Formats by Shelley Hitz and Heather Hart Self-Publishing Books 101 is a free Kindle eBook on Amazon.com right now.This book is very informative and helpful and I gave it five stars; although, I don't believe this book should be the first book read on self-publishing. The mere volume of information can be overwhelming for someone just beginning to think about self-publishing. I didn't realize this, since it wasn't the first book I'd read and I'm a bit technologically inclined, until an author friend pointed out her confusion, and I will explain that statement at the latter part of this review.  That said, I think Self-Publishing Books 101 is the best of all the books I've read on self-publishing so far due to all the options and choices introduced. First, lets look at the book's contents. Part One: Foundation for Publishing Success This section starts out with chapte

The Writing Process Blog Hop

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Thanks to Elizabeth Delisi , for tagging me in The Writing Process Blog Hop. Read about Elizabeth Delisi’s writing process here . At the end I’ll be tagging a few other authors, so please do follow those links to their blogs and interviews. Click on any of the book covers below to purchase them or go to my website at Kim Cox, Author . What am I currently working on? That’s a loaded question. ;) I’m working on two different books right now and have about eight books in different stages of completion and ideas for about three more series.  However, my main focus is on  The Wedding Crasher . This book will be the third book in the “Lana Malloy Paranormal Mysteries” series. Lana is a Psychic Private Investigator who's paranormal abilities grow with each book. In the first book, Haunted Hearts ,  included in the Enchanted Holidays anthology, Lana could only see, hear, and talk to her great aunt (a ghost), and she could only hear other ghosts. Blurb: Will  Lana Malloy

Self-Publishing Research

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I'm very exited at the prospect of self-publishing and I can't wait to get started. However, as with any great idea it needs to be researched. I had this idea about two years ago but I was told I shouldn't pursue it as I wouldn't be respected in the publishing industry anymore. This made absolutely no sense to me but I held off. It's not like I'm a brand new author. I have one full-length book in print, Suspicious Minds , and two novellas in anthologies: Haunted Hearts in Enchanted Holidays and Get Out or Die! in One Touch Beyond , along with a number of short stories that have appeared in different e-zines, and an adoption story that was published in True Love magazine. I also have numerous books in different stages of completion from only a few sentences to three-quarters completed. Research To get started, I downloaded a few books on self-publishing. I now have a total of 15 books on the subject. So far, I've read 3 books which I will discuss them h

Is Spring Finally Here? Updates, Etc.

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Spring Well Spring appears to come and go each week. Hope everyone is enjoying warm weather for a change. It was pretty warm today, around 60 degrees but warmer would've suited me better. Temperatures this week have been from the 20's to the 70's. What a range! However, the heatwave is on the way, 79 degrees by this time next week. Updates Reading, Movies, and Ideas Since the last time I wrote here in March, I have finished "The Vow on the Heron" by Jean Plaidy, the 10th book of the Plantagenet series, and started "Passage to Pontefract", the 11th book in the series. I have less than 100 pages out of 366 to go. I'm loving this series. I love books and movies with knights, kings, queens, etc., That leads me to one of my favorite shows right now "Reign" about Mary Queen of Scotts and Francis II, Prince and later King of France. My son tells me that the next "House of Night" book will be the last. I've read them all e

Crazy Day, Crazy Weather, Crazy Dreams

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I marveled in the sunshine for the last few days, thinking Spring is here at last, but today, the wind began blowing in the cold air and now there is snow on the deck. What a week it has been and it is not over yet. Monday, I was out in the field program monitoring for my day job. It was so nice when I started my late lunch that I didn't want to go back to my office but I did. The sunshine warmed and tingled my skin as I sat in the car at a park with the windows down, breathing in the fresh air, eating lunch and reading a little of the 10th book in Jean Plaidy's Plantagenet series. Loving these books. See image to right. Tuesday was nice but not as nice as Monday until later in the day. And even earlier today, it was downright warm about 3 p.m. It was only an hour later that the wind began blowing in the cold air and by the time I left work, I was chilly in my thin, white jean jacket. The drive home was pretty scary with the threat of trees falling. As soon as I left the