Beth Rhodes Has A New Book Out!

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I got the newsletter today from Beth Rhodes - and she has a new book out. It's titled Counter Strike. This is number 5 in her Hawk Elite Security series. Beth writes military romance novels, and they're always good. 

And yes, I've already purchased a copy. Here's the blurb:

She buried her fighting spirit along with her father twelve years ago…

Marguerite Bellamy Fuentes spends her life hiding from the Mexican cartel, who murdered her family. She's terrified of their retribution should they find her and unable to commit to the man she loves for fear he'll suffer the same fate.

He follows orders, doesn't give them…

By the book operative for Hawk Elite Security, Jamie Nash globe trots all over the world at Hawk's command. But now he's tired of the rat race, and he's ready to settle down. He wants to marry Missy, and he's quite capable of keeping them both safe…if she follows the rules.

Then Jamie is taken hostage. Faced with losing him, Missy's fighting spirit awakens and with it her need to right the wrongs done to her family. Her life with Jamie might be safe, but she can no longer stand by and do nothing. It's time to stop hiding and face the enemies from her past. Jamie doesn't agree. He spent years making sure no one can find her.

Will Missy's determination to fight for justice drive away the man who has been her rock? Or will they learn to take on the world together?

If this piques your interest, please check it out on Amazon! Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Counter-Strike-Hawk-Elite-Security-ebook/dp/B08BJB2VB3

That's all the news for now! Thanks for dropping by!

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© 2020 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 39 And Free Books!

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We interrupt this blog post to present a bit of important Shore Leave news...

They have actually posted the schedules on the web BEFORE the conference started this year! This is nearly unheard of. You can see them here: Shore Leave 39 Schedules

We now return to our regularly scheduled blog post...

Yes, I'll be attending Shore Leave again this year. Looking forward to the writing workshops, the art show, and meeting a few authors. I hope to do a blog post from there as well.

And if you see me there, it may pay to hang close by! Well, within a reasonable distance—I like my personal space. Anyway, I might just be handing out a few free books—not only those with my stories, but from other writers, too! Yes, I know these aren't all sci-fi titles, but the folks who attend these shows don't just read sci-fi! And if they do, I feel it's my duty to broaden their horizons. I'll have horror, romance, and more, more, more! Here's what I have lined up so far:

Tales From the Bully Box, an anti-bullying anthology

(with my story, One Above Zero)

Seeing What Develops, a romance by Terri Deno

Outside the Lines, a romance by Beth Rhodes

All the What Ifs, a coming-of-age story by Angela Lynn 

Gothic Blue Book III (Graveyard Edition), a horror anthology

(with my poem, The Ballad of Drunken Jack)

Mostly Dark, a flash fiction collection by Miranda Kate

Human 76, a post-apocalyptic anthology by Lisa Shambrook and many others

(includes my story, The Song of Aiden)

A Symphony of Dragons, a collection of dragon tales by Lisa Shambrook

Dead Men's Tales, a pirate-themed horror anthology

(with my story,  Skarett's Treasure)

Giving away these copies is a great way to help the authors gain a wider audience and for me to reclaim a little free space around the house, especially since I either have another hard copy of these, an eBook version, or both.

Even if you don't want a free book (yeah, like that would ever happen...), please stop and say hello—especially if you are a writer, and doubly so if you are a reader!

See you there!

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Dear American Diabetes Association

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I hadn't planned on writing another blog post so soon, but it seems another public service announcement is in order.

A few weeks back, I was going through my mail. It was full of letters from various charities, each asking for a donation. This isn't unusual. I get about a dozen requests per week. Most get recycled.

One of them, however, was from the American Diabetes Association. What caught my eye were the mailing labels they sent. A lot of charities give mailing labels as a bribe an incentive to donate. If I kept all the mailing labels I get from charities I'd need to rent a warehouse to store them. These were different. They had classic motorcycles and cars on them. I'm old enough that I'd actually driven and ridden on some of those machines. They are the best mailing labels I've ever received.

Cool mailing labels

I was hooked. I had to give them a donation. I was doing my civic duty and all that crap. In addition, another writer I know, Beth Rhodes, is a diabetic, so helping her, albeit indirectly, was a plus.

As an added bonus, if you donated a certain amount you'd get a free tote bag. Now, I need another tote bag like I need more mailing labels, but it was part of the deal and I planned on accepting it graciously.

So, I sent in my check.

A couple of weeks later I found a tote bag wedged into my mailbox.

The original bag...

It's an OK tote bag. It, you know, holds stuff. So far, so good.

I thought that was the end of it.

Today, I found out differently.

After coming home and parking the car, I went to the mailbox. I could see it wasn't closed. There was a package sticking out. I removed the item. What did I find but another tote bag. Great. I didn't need one; now I have two.

I went back for the rest of my mail.

And found another tote bag.

And another.

And another.

The other four...

I had so many bags I needed a bag to hold them. Sadly, this was not a problem.

I don't know how the mail person got them all in there. The mail I wanted was in the mailbox, too. Looked like the dog had chewed on it—and I don't have a dog.

Standing at the mailbox, I pondered the significance of this event. Had the ADA sent out five tote bags to everyone who had donated? Was the USPS about to succumb to a burden they couldn't possibly handle? Did I get someone else's tote bag? Or, should I say, four other people's tote bags? Would the ADA go bankrupt from the postage fees? What should I do? I'm not even sure if my donation is tax-deductible now since the value of the bags is probably more than what I sent.

It says they're a non-profit organization.
If they weren't before, they are now.

Someone at the ADA had made a terrible mistake and it was all my fault because I had given a donation. I felt so guilty about what I'd done I went to the ADA website and made another donation. I figure the way they're handing out tote bags they'll need it.

And if you haven't donated to the ADA yet, you might want to—before it's too late—for them. Just make sure you say "no" to the tote bag.

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

All The Things I Need To Catch Up On

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First, there's Terri Deno's update to the book she's working on. I need to get out to WriteOn and see what she's done. Here's a link to her blog post:

Truths of a Shy Writer: The Next Chapter is Live: For weeks I've been trying to get more chapters up of In Another Life . Yesterday I finally succeeded in getting one new chapter out the...

In Another Life
by Terri Deno

Next, there's Beth Rhode's book, Outside the Lines. She's up for nominations at The Romance Review. I need to get on there and vote for her.

Outside the Lines
by Beth Rhodes

There's also my own story, Where the Money Is, that needs editing so I can submit it again.


Finally, there's all the statistics to compile from Goodreads. I've started, but that's about all. Just too much going on right now!

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Beth Rhodes' Book Letters From Home

Free for a little while longer!

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Beth Rhodes: COVER REVEAL--Outside The Lines

Update: it is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

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Saw this cover reveal on Twitter originally. I knew she'd have a blog post up and I wanted to let everyone know she has a new book coming.

COVER REVEAL! Even on Twitter #sexy #lighthearted romance that will make you want to live in #Vermont Coming 12-10! pic.twitter.com/yfTwWMcLE5

— Beth Rhodes (@BethRhodes99) November 6, 2015

Excerpt and link:

Beth Rhodes: COVER REVEAL--Outside The Lines: COMING, DECEMBER 10, 2015 For the first time in her life, good-girl Maria Rodriguez throws aside caution for an all-consuming des...

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Beth Rhodes - Unwanted Vows

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Beth Rhodes, one of the writer / bloggers I follow, has a new book out through Boroughs Publishing! The title is Unwanted Vows and it's available for Kindle at Amazon. It's also available in Epub and PDF format directly from Boroughs.

Just in case you couldn't tell from the cover, Beth writes romance. From the Amazon site, here's a bit more of what it's about:

To safely raise her daughter, Samantha Hollister must join wounded U.S. Army veteran Morgan Lawrence in rediscovering an old love that never truly disappeared.

WOUNDED
Samantha Hollister is done relying on other people to take care of—or abuse—her. Her ex-husband is out of the picture now…like her family home, the haven she intended to seek. Her father just sold it to her high-school sweetheart, the man who abandoned her many years ago for the army. The man who still makes her heart flutter. But Samantha has vowed to never be led astray again. She has a daughter.

WANTING
Despite being injured in action, Morgan Lawrence lives life to the fullest. Each day is a gift, and after five years he is finally one step away from opening a resort for wounded veterans like himself. Unfortunately, a woman stands in his way. And while she has changed, Samantha remains everything he’s ever wanted. Now it’s a matter of helping her see which promises are meant to be broken, and that being strong doesn’t mean one has to fight alone.

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© 2012-2014 K. R. Smith All rights reserved