For me, 2012 was kinda a bad year. 2013 was kinda a good year. So 2014 is going to be a GREAT year! I have some plans and goals to share, and I hope making them public will help to keep me on track.

This is what I have lined up for 2014.

I’m starting of the year with a blog hop this coming weekend, January 3-5. There will be a ton of prizes to win like a Kindle Fire, gift cards, lots of free downloads, and more, so I hope you’ll come along.  Find out more at http://justromance.me/

I will be one of 6 authors hosting a boardroom at Lori Foster’s Reader & Author Get Together in June. We have fun plans for “Build Your Own Hero”, a historical costume show, lots of prizes to give away and more.

My Tuesday Teaser will evolve into an ongoing story about Sand, one of the wolves who went with Quill to rescue Ellie, and Miss Amanda, one of Sky’s working ladies who is just about ready to quit the business and settle down. I’ll be picking that up the second Tuesday in January.

My goal is to finish the rough draft of Wolf’s Vengeance by the end of January, and have the polished draft submitted to Liquid Silver Books by March 1. Unless, that is, I change my mind again and decide to publish it myself.

Next up will be Wolf’s Princess at last. This will be the finale of the After the Crash series and I would love for it to come out at the end of October, 2014. That is when the plane took off, so it would be a nice way to tie it all together. Of course, that depends entirely on how long it takes me to write it, and Liquid Silver’s schedule. I would need to have it turned in to the publisher by mid July at the very latest. We’ll just have to see about that.

I’ve been invited to be part of a Paranormal Halloween Box Set with authors I admire and respect like Paige Tyler, Tigris Eden, Michele Villery, Opal Carew, Randi Alexander and others. I have a story in mind that has to do with Eddie’s feline ancestors, but depending on what my available time is, I might just do a bit of a re-write of Sherry’s Wolf and use that one. The story has to be turned in by August 1.

I also want to write a Christmas novella. It will be a New Adult inspirational contemporary love story with a humorous touch, no sex but plenty of romance between a Marine home on leave and a recent college graduate. I’ll self publish that one and hope to have it out in mid November.

I’ll take December off from writing (I never seem to do any writing then anyway) and then be charge for 2015.

Whew! That’s four books I plan for this year, plus the ongoing Tuesday Teaser. Can I do it? We’ll find out. Wish me well!

Happy New Year!

It’s the time of the year when we tend to review where we’ve been and what we’ve done over the past 12 months.  Here’s my review:

I worked at the day job. Wrote in the evenings and weekends. Worked overtime at the day job. Wrote. Worked. Edited. Worked more overtime. Knitted. Worked.

Not too exciting, huh? LOL

Well, let’s be more specific. Here are the highlights of my year as a writer:

Three books published this year. Eddie’s Prize in February, Ellie’s Wolf in August, and Wolf’s Oath in October. The first two were published by Liquid Silver Books, and I put Wolf’s Oath out myself. I wanted to see if self-publishing would work for me. The jury is still out on that, and my plans for future self-publishing are on hold.

Three books released in audio format. I had Sleeping With the Wolf, Wolf’s Glory, and Wolf Tracker put out by Brick Shop Audio, and Eddie’s Prize will be released early in 2014. There is a certain thrill in hearing a professional voice actress reading words I wrote and bringing characters to life.

Wolf’s Oath Chosen for a Book of the Month. Yes, this past month, December 2013, the a GoodReads forum  chose Wolf’s Oath for their Book of the Month discussion. That’s a big deal for me and I’ve enjoyed that group and the people in it.

The last couple months have been difficult for me, writing-wise.  The day job has been uber stressful, with mandatory overtime and deadlines that we race to meet. I leave home at 6:30am and get home at 5:15pm, scramble to make supper before I have to go out to church, or an SCA meeting, or my knitting group, or my writers group. Those are all things I enjoy, but overtime has sucked the fun out of it. On those nights when I am home and can write, I’m so tired I don’t seem to be able to write. I sit at the computer and try, but words just don’t come.

That sounds terribly whiny. Sorry! I get that way when my creative outlet is shut down. I need to write for my sanity, and since I haven’t been writing… That is going to have to change in 2014. It will change in 2014! 😉 I am going to try to focus on positives, and improve what I can instead of whining about things I can’t change. One of the things I feel really good about is reader feedback. Several of you have let me know that you enjoy the books, asked questions that made me think about aspects of the After the Crash world, and have made suggestions for future stories and characters. Thank you so much!

My next post will be about my plans for the New Year. My goals may be crazy, but we’ll see how it goes.

My ten year old niece came to stay with me this weekend. I am single, with no children, so kids kind of freak me out. Still, we’re having a good time. We had pizza. baked chocolate chip cookies, and watched the movie Wreck It Ralph. The biggest hit so far was playing dress up with some of Auntie’s historical costumes. My niece is a free spirit who loves to ham it up for the camera. I wonder if she will be an actress or something in the public eye. She’s not shy! These were my favorites. Which do you like?

Did you know I’m scared of flying? I didn’t know I was. Twenty years ago when I was in the military I flew from time to time. I don’t remember being scared of it then.

But three years ago I went to Lori Foster’s Reader & Author Get Together for the first time, and since I live in North Dakota and the event was in Ohio, I decided to fly. I boarded the plane in a rain storm. We were grounded for a half hour past the original time of departure because of lightning. Once we were in the air it was like being on a rollercoaster. (I hate rollercoasters) Up and down. I felt like I was on skis, running a crazy mogul course, with no control. By the time the plane landed in Minneapolis where I was supposed to transfer to another plane I really, REALLY didn’t want to get on the next plane. My brother lives in Minneapolis. Maybe he could leave work, come and get me, and put me on a bus back home.  I would lose my money for the ticket, but who cared? Al I could think about was the fact that in my books, a plane leaves Minneapolis and crashes.

Well, I did make my connection, and I survived the plane ride to Ohio. I managed to get back on the plane to go home too. I haven’t flown since. A good friend now comes with me to the RAGT, and we drive. I would really like to attend other conferences, but…  I’ve never yet been lucky enough to get into Authors After Dark, and I’m disappointed about that, but maybe a teeny bit relieved too. I would rather not have to fly!

Just thought I’d let you know in case you weren’t sure. 😉

I’ve heard horror stories about pain following root canals. I’ve had root canals before, but I never had much pain afterward. A little soreness, a little discomfort, yeah, but not real pain.  Right now I’m in screaming pain. I cried for an hour earlier. Tylenol 3 doesn’t touch it. I just want it to end. I am, in case you haven’t figured it out for yourself, a big baby when it comes to pain. I’ve decided to take tomorrow off work. I’m pretty sure no one wants to listen to me whine at my desk.

Makes me wonder what sort of dental care they have in my future world. The electric drills are a no go, but would they have anesthesia? What material would they use for fillings? Omaha is far more advanced than the small surrounding towns, so would city people have better dental care than rural people? When the railroad comes would it allow people to travel further faster to get dental care?

See? This is the stupid stuff I think about all the time. What if? Try asking the dentist these sorts of questions while he’s looking in your mouth. He said it was always interesting to work on me. Hmph.

The Day Is Finally Here!!!!! Last Blood (House Of Comarré #5) Is Available To Buy!!!!

Last Blood is the 5th (and final) installment in the captivating story of Mal and Chrysabelle.

(For those that may have somehow missed this exciting saga scroll down for a special offer on book 1)

In the final showdown between the forces of dark and light, Mal and Chrysabelle face not only Tatiana, but the ancient evil that now controls her: the Castus Sanguis. Chrysabelle gathers her friends and family around her, forming a plan to bring an end to the chaos surrounding them. But the Castus is the most powerful being they’ve ever come up against. Defeating such evil will require a great sacrifice from someone on the side of light.

One of them will change sides. One of them will die. No one will survive unscathed. Can Chrysabelle save those she cares about or will that love get her killed? What price is she willing to pay to draw last blood?

Get the book now in either eFormat or Paperback at

Barnes and Noble HERE

or Amazon HERE

Special Offer!!!!! For Book 1 In The Series – Blood Rights!!!!!!

For those that haven’t joined the journey yet right now you can get book 1 in the series for just $2.99 for either Kindle Or Nook!!!!

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About The Author

When the characters in Kristen Painter’s head started to take over, she decided to put them on paper and share them with the world. She writes paranormal romance and the gothic fantasy vampire series, House of Comarre, for Orbit Books. She has also been published in non-fiction, poetry and short stories. The former college English teacher can often be found online at Romance Divas, the award-winning writers’ forum she co-founded. She’s represented by Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency.

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On Thursday a friend of mine who volunteers at the local cat rescue and shelter emailed me to ask if I could foster a kitten. I’ve always said I would never have a kitten again. They’re so much work to take care of, and they make messes, and they climb things they shouldn’t, etc. But this little kitty was scheduled to be euthanized on Saturday if they couldn’t find someone to take him for a month. Of course I said yes.

I brought him home yesterday and he is scared spitless. My two older girl cats are scared even more spitless. Somehow this 1.75 pound kitten has managed to dominate the other two. I’ve named him Ming the Merciless. If you’re a Flash Gordon fan you’ll recognize the name.

It’s a male domestic shorthair with a cream colored belly, a gray and black tabby back, mittens on his front paws and boots on his hind paws. He’s probably about 12 weeks old and he was in the pound for a week, several days past the “Must Terminate” date.

Now that he’s getting a little more used to his new (TEMPORARY) home, he’s learning to play. He still won’t let me touch him, though. That might take time. Meanwhile, he has claimed the top of the armchair as his throne and likes to sneer at the world in general while looking around with a regal air.  Meanwhile, the other two cats cower in the bedroom and hurl outraged insults at him from under the bed.

I was told I would have him for about 3 to 4 weeks while he had his shots and worming, etc. Kittens usually get adopted pretty quickly. He’s fairly well behaved. He’s used his box (and kicked sand all over the bathroom!) Since kittens don’t come with an Off switch, I’m looking forward to passing him on to his furrever home.

I do think that with a little time and love he’ll make someone a wonderful feline friend.