Wednesday, September 14, 2022

The Billionaire Cowboy's Christmas by Kris Bock

 


The Billionaire Cowboy's Christmas
by Kris Bock

The Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series by Kris Bock 

 

Who wouldn't want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves. 

 

The Billionaire Cowboy’s Christmas – coming November 10  


Book Blurb:

 

He has everything this Christmas, but all he wants is the quiet ranch life he’s losing… 

 

When Josh Tomlinson’s Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery, the formerly tight-knit family is suddenly on edge. Seeking advice, Josh reluctantly contacts family friend and now attorney, Carly Garza. His business is serious, yet he can’t believe Carly’s morphed from a long-legged colt of a girl to a sophisticated woman. Besides, he knows the intelligent Carly has no interest in a quiet, rugged cowboy like him. 

 

Carly’s crushed on Josh for years, and she plans to ask him out now that she’s back in Last Stand. She’s hoping he’ll finally see her as someone other than his younger brother’s middle school girlfriend. But when Josh needs advice on how to handle his family’s lottery win, his client and billionaire statuses put him firmly out of reach. If only her heart could ignore the sparks that flare between them. 

 

They’re already keeping the family’s lottery win a secret from the town. Can they also hide their budding romance during the most magical time of year? 

 

RELEASE DATE: Nov 8, 2022 

ISBN: 978-1-957748-86-3 

 

Peek Excerpt: 

 

“I’ve been thinking about your question the other day,” Carly said after a while. 

“Which one? I feel like I’ve been questioning everything.” 

“What would you do if you could do anything? That one.” One corner of her mouth pulled up. “The one I tried to avoid since I’m not the one with all the money. But you were right. It is a good question. Of course, you might come up with an answer you don’t like. You might discover that you want to do something you can’t possibly do, because it requires too much money or too much of something else. Like I don’t think I could be an Olympic figure skater, even if that was my dream and even if I had your riches, because I didn’t start training in childhood and probably don’t have the talent anyway.” 

“No, that’s true. Huh. You know, I’m going to be rich enough I could probably buy a pro football team if I wanted, but I still couldn’t be a pro football player. Well, unless I bought a team and forced them to let me play. Funny to think about that.” He studied her. “You didn’t actually want to be a pro figure skater, did you?” 

“How should I know? I’ve never skated in my life, unless you count sliding around in my boots on frozen cattle ponds. No, that was just a random example of when the question isn’t too useful. I think it could be useful a lot though. For example, your mama said she and her friends talked about hiring cleaning people if they won the lottery.” 

“Yeah. That’s going to be her Christmas present. Don’t tell.” 

“Okay, but imagine if she hadn’t won the lottery.” She gestured with her free hand. “Maybe y’all couldn’t afford to hire a cleaning person with the current budget. But if your mama decided she really didn’t want to do cleaning anymore, if she hated that job and would rather do anything else, then maybe she could get a part-time job and make enough money to pay a cleaner. She could sell baked goods at the farmers market to make money. Maybe she’d have to work more hours baking and selling than she would’ve spent on cleaning, but she might prefer it.” 

He frowned. “Do you think she would?” 

“I have no idea, but I bet she never asked herself that. ​That’s my point. If we don’t think about what we love and what we hate and what we want to do in life, we might get stuck in a rut when we don’t need to be there.” Carly tipped her head back so the sun shone full on her face. “Now she can do whatever she wants, of course. She doesn’t have to take care of all of you, so she can spend more time on self-care.”  

“What’s that mean?” He’d heard the phrase, but it sounded like one of those New Age things that didn’t make much sense, like lighting scented candles so you’d feel calm or energized or whatever. He’d never yet met a candle that took away the strain of working for twelve hours in a freezing rain. 

“It’s simply where you take care of yourself, whatever that means to you. Bubble baths, a massage, spending an afternoon reading.” Her nose wrinkled. “It’s one of those things you’re supposed to do when you have a lot of stress, but of course people who have a lot of stress don’t usually have the time or money to do those things. But my point was, Ava saw cleaning the house as part of her job, so she did it. She never thought about other options. If you don’t spend some time thinking about what you really want out of life, you’re not going to move toward your goals.” 

Josh scratched his head. “Wait a minute, are we talking about Mama or me or you here?” 

“Well, I meant to talk about myself but got off track.” She grinned. “Sorry. I was trying to make the general point that it’s probably good for people to think about their priorities and their wishes once in a while. Lots of people do New Year’s resolutions, but that’s not quite the same. People resolve to lose weight or get in shape because they think it’s what they’re supposed to do. I doubt most people really think about what they want to do with their lives.” 

“And you’ve been thinking about it?” 

“Yes, darn it! You got me thinking about it.” She tossed her head. Her braid bounced and glowed in the sunlight. 

“Well, good, I guess,” Josh said. “Why should we be the only ones facing these hard questions?” 

 



Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels, plus fun content about cats, announcements of new books, sales, and more. 

 

Kris also writes mystery and suspense novels. In the Accidental Detective series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven. If you love romantic suspense by Mary Stewart or Barbara Michaels, try Kris Bock’s stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue in the Southwest. Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.)  

 

Kris is also writing a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get a short story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers. 

 

Kris Bock 

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Monday, September 12, 2022

Read Herring Riddle by C.K. Fyfe

 


Read Herring Riddle
by C.K. Fyfe
A Cozy Mystery Short Story

Blurb:

For Laura, house-sitting at an old Victorian mansion seems the perfect job. However, little does she know that the house holds an abundance of secrets, including a mysterious book that’s much more than it seems. When the owners’ cat goes missing, Laura accepts help from an unlikely source to find the feline. But in doing so, has she crossed the line between fantasy and reality? 


Excerpt:

Laura gulped and stood rooted to the spot. A pair of large, glowing eyes stared at her through the leafless trees. Their orange pupils matched the flaming sunset blanketing the spring sky. She internally berated herself for not remembering what her grandpa had taught her about wild animal encounters. Was she supposed to run, or hide? 

It was a moot point, seeing as how her feet refused to move. She shoved her trembling hand inside her purse and rummaged for her new glasses: bifocals the optometrist insisted she needed for her over-the-hill eyes. Though she’d recently turned forty, Laura denied her age. Rather than face reality, she declared herself to be twenty-nine-and-holding to anyone who broached the subject of her birthday. 

Her shaky fingers fumbled over a soft leather eyeglass case. Seconds later, she donned the bifocals and adjusted the lenses up and down until she pinpointed the correct angle. Whew! A wave of relief washed over her. The eerie eyes were only eyelid windows illuminated by lamps. 

She blew out a breath. None of this would have happened if she’d arrived earlier. Out here, each dirt road looked identical to all the others. Of course, it didn’t help that the residents of the small rural community offered directions via landmarks instead of street names. Somehow, Laura had found the abandoned schoolhouse with a busted bell, Mr. Jensen’s blue barn, Mrs. Marley’s red rooster mailbox, and finally, the Digbys’ Victorian mansion. 

Wispy shadows loomed over the center turret, which divided the house in half. Dense climbing ivy grew wild across the mansion’s exterior, making it appear as though it could benefit from a good shave. The row of broken bricks on the crumbling front porch steps resembled chipped teeth. Taking in the myriad facial features, she mutely questioned if the house was alive. 

Laura shuddered at the notion and took several cautious steps forward. Gravel crunched beneath her feet, echoing in the silent night. She proceeded down the path and hastened her pace past a long hedge of tall evergreen bushes. Rustling and growling in the branches sent shivers throughout her body.  

“Mrrowr!” 

Laura whirled around, her chest heaving from fear and her lungs wheezing for air. She squinted at the ground. 

“Meow!” A brown tabby cat dashed out of the bushes and raced toward the house. 

“What’s your hurry?” Laura pushed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose, not expecting the feline to fire an answer back, and kept walking. Gravel gnashed on the path behind her and a forceful pressure on her shoulder stopped Laura cold in her tracks. She gasped and peeked at the masculine, mud-smeared hand glommed onto her shoulder. “W-Who are you?” 



Author Bio:

C.K. Fyfe has always enjoyed a good mystery. Fyfe's childhood love of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys led to a grown-up love of writing cozy mysteries with quirky, funny, and kindhearted characters. Fyfe lives in "The Wolverine State." Much like wolverines, Fyfe's villains have vicious dispositions, but the clever sleuths know how to tame their foes' tempers. 





Friday, September 09, 2022

NEW PREORDER -- JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE

Join me in announcing JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE is now available for preorder from Amazon for release on September 29. This is book 2 of the sweet, small town, family-oriented Texas Hill Country Mail Order Brides Series. It will be available in e-book and print, and will be enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.

https://www.amazon.com/Jesse-Order-Bride-Caroline-Clemmons-ebook/dp/B0BD64JC1D/

Book 2 of the series


Sheriff Jesse Cameron is from Scotland. He believes in the law and in justice, and does his best to serve Harrigan County citizens. Rosalin Arnold hates the way she’s forced to live and vows to improve her life. After months of plotting, she seizes her chance.

Here’s the blurb:

What will happen when her lawman husband learns the truth about her criminal past?

Sheriff Jesse Cameron is dedicated to uphold the law of his adopted country. After leaving Scotland, he came to Texas, and learned he liked the place and the people—at least, most of them. He keeps Harrigan County free of troublemakers with his “strict but fair” policy. Now that he has a steady job and has bought a house, he figures it’s time to find a wife and start a family. He and his best friend write to the same matchmaker, hoping their brides will be sisters or friends. Jesse hopes his wife will provide a peaceful home and welcome him each evening with a good meal and a warm smile.

Growing up in an orphanage left Rosalin Arnold too naïve to avoid being trapped in the clutches of an evil man who has her picking pockets. Those who’ve tried to escape him have always failed and were severely punished—or killed. In spite of that, Rosalin has been plotting to get away and seizes her chance to escape. She takes her best friend with her, and also an adorable boy of eight. All she and her friends want is a home where they can live without constant fear. She prays she has successfully evaded the devil who has tentacles everywhere.

What will happen when her past catches up with her, and she’s forced to confess everything to Jesse? Of course Jesse will defend her, but will he forgive her lies?   

 

Rosalin Arnold


I hope you’ll preorder JESSE AND THE MAIL ORDER BRIDE. This entire series is set in fictional Harrigan County, which I squeezed in between the real Bandera and Medina Counties. I like this part of Texas, and hope you’ll enjoy visiting via reading. Books open new worlds.


Texas Hill Country Scene

Stay safe and keep reading!