Bonus Short

Hey, Hungry Readers,

I posted a bonus Short story featuring Jia and Ken from Of Kings and Queens on both Ream and the newsletter. It's subscriber only, and maybe shows a sneak peak of a character or two from the upcoming Troubled by Love. 

Both books can be read on their own without the short story, so if you want to save it for later, it's going to stay up in both places. 

Happy reading!

New Release: 7 Things About Of Kings and Queens

1. I started thinking about Hawaiian holidays in DC, and while King Kamehameha Day is a holiday I have complex feelings about (monarchies bad, flowers good), it is a chance in the DC area for local Hawaiians and people who enjoy Hawaiian culture to gather up with flowers, music, and dance. 

2. I do like putting folks in food and hospitality, which has made the pandemic a tough thing to incorporate. There are brief references to past pandemic cancellations included in this. 

3. Another thing I seem to enjoy doing is picking two overworked, never have time to date folks, and giving them a sudden attraction and a bit of free time to explore. 

4. And, yes, they do find time to go to a museum too. 

5. I have been intentionally focusing on characters that were not lawyers and not politicians, and well, the streak ends here. There is a politician who appears, and Ken is a lawyer. 

6. Also Diana, Adriana's florist colleague from Aloha to You is Ken's aunt, and she shows up and there is mention of Adriana. Aloha to You is not required reading to understand anything that happens in Of Kings and Queens.

7. And here's the blurb and buy links.

Jia has been focusing on work.  Working somewhere that is not either of the rival restaurants that helped her parent's divorce make the news.  
But the DC celebration for King Kamehameha Day brings her Ken, someone who seems unconnected to the family drama.  
Ken's been making some life changes, so his mom volunteers him to help his aunt at her flower shop.  He finds himself with a box of lei at a new to him celebration trying to impress a woman he just met.  
Fate seems to have brought Ken and Jia a little fun.  But maybe, they aren't as unconnected to each other's drama as they thought.   

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3Wj3NdD

Apple: https://bit.ly/3OvWpcS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/41UWIRx

Scribd: https://bit.ly/3omQNa8

Universal link: https://books2read.com/u/bQAPVv

Print: https://bit.ly/3MoW0pT

New Release - 7 Things About Clear as Ice

1. Sibling relationships are fascinating, and Sienna was so much fun when I wrote Repeated Burn, that I knew she would need her own story.   

2. I talk about this in the acknowledgments too, but yes, I did start teasing a hockey story and then discover my sports superstitions meant I couldn't work on it in season, and so it has been a longer wait than I planned, I appreciate the patience of readers who have now waited a bit for this. Even though obviously this is a fictional hockey league that should have no bearing on any pro sports things happening.  

Also, because some excerpts were posted to my blog, and I wanted to make sure people knew that, Bookbub and I are currently in negotiations about whether this is a new release.  There are lots of words that I never posted, but I understand that Bookbub wishes to be cautious   

3. Raven and Marcus show up here from Repeated Burn, and there are some references to Maya, Lulu's coworker from Bored by the Billionaire.

4. I wish I could tell you that I planned to write a very slow burn to follow the speedy hookup, catch feelings later story depicted in Bored by the Billionaire.  Oh wait, let's absolutely say I planned that as intentional contrast.  (I promise there is some burn at the end.)  But it turns out that the life of a pro-athlete is really busy.  Who knew?  (Everyone.  I know.) 

5. I always end up having to research things for stories, for this one I learned more about hockey (there are things I wondered about as a fan but didn't need to know), volleyball, goalies styles, injuries, and travel.  

6. This story was written during a pandemic but exists outside of it.  Or before it.  Also, there will be an epilogue posted next month to the newsletter for folks who want to see a little more of Marcus, Raven, Lulu, Aiden, Sienna, and Al.  

7. And here's the cover copy: 

Sienna is no stranger to social media.  When she unwittingly starts something claiming there are no Asian Americans in hockey, and then discovers there is one on her hometown team, she knows it's up to her to make amends.  And given her new no dating this year rule, she won't have any trouble keeping things professional.

Al is used to people acting like he's the first or only Asian American in hockey. As the Domes' season moves towards the playoffs, he knows how to keep focused just on hockey.  Even as Sienna turns out to be more than he expected in so many ways.  

Available at multiple etailers: 

Zon: https://amzn.to/3AxKDr4

Apple: https://apple.co/3PtQZMx

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3pvCSeS

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/mvXreX

Print books are in progress.  

Books for Donation Receipts

It's been an overwhelming week of news. 

Following the lead of others, particularly R. M. Virtues, I would like to offer folks books in exchange for donation receipts. Or a query review, if that is a thing that you are into.

With so many things calling for attention at the moment, I am not going to be super picky about where you donated. 

With recent legal news in Florida and Texas, Lambda Legal might be a great option. There's also romance folks raising money for the Transgender Education Network of Texas here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/heafortranskids-tent

Food is always a concern in troubling times, so Feeding America or World Central Kitchen are options.

I know I have readers in Japan, if there are places that are more open to donations for you, I'm going to trust that. 

Some fine print.

This will be for ebooks. I don't have capacity to be shipping at the moment.

Send me your receipt either using the contact form or emailing tara+contest @ tarakennedy dot com.  

My preference is to route you through Book Funnel for the freebie. If you hate that, let me know in the email, along with your preferred format (mobi, epub) and I'll send it to you. 

$5 - donation - 1 novel or 2 novellas

/shorts

$10 donation - 2 novels or 1 novel and 2 novellas/shorts

$15 - 2 novels and 2 novellas/shorts or 4 novellas/shorts

$20 - Query Critique or 2 novels and 3 novellas/shorts or 5 novellas/shorts

$25 - 7 titles of your choice, or query critique plus 1 title

$30 - 8 titles of your choice, or query critique plus 2 titles

$35 - All 9 titles or query critique plus three titles

Novellas/Shorts are: Bait Girl, Aloha to You, Repeated Burn, Bored By the Billionaire, and Cocker on the Porch, which is currently not for sale anywhere.

Also Let's Talk About Fictional Sex is novella length.

Novels are: Undercover Bridesmaid and Hot Bartender.

Query Critique means I will review and make suggestions/revisions on your query for up to 3 rounds or 60 days, whichever comes first.

I will update this post when the offer is closed. 

New Release - Bored By the Billionaire

Newsletter folks got a heads up on this, but Bored By the Billionaire is here!

1. I have great respect for Amtrak's quiet car.  But the idea of creating characters who got kicked out amused me.  
2. I came up with the title for this first, which almost never happens for me.  I had read an interview where someone said dating billionaires can get boring.  And that intrigued me.  I've read a lot of billionaires.  
But yes, I could also see how eventually hanging out with all these folks born into money might wear on you.  
3. I wanted to write two characters who got together fast.  So fast they skipped over things like jobs and last names.  
4. I also appear to be interested in breakups.  How they happen and how trying to avoid emotional mess may not work. (To be clear I love avoiding emotional mess.  I'm not saying it doesn't ever work.) But the messiness is fun to explore in fiction. 
5. My love of the DC museums shows up here again.  
6. For those who've read Repeated Burn - Marcus, and some of the other staffers at the Hotel Camden show up here.

7. Blurb: Lulu Williams is bored with dating billionaires.  She has just ditched the latest and is on a late night train back to DC when she encounters a handsome stranger.  They get kicked out of the quiet car together and agree to go from the train to a hotel room to explore this sexual tension.  Lulu figures Aiden will be the perfect palate cleanser.  He wasn't supposed to also be an interesting guy who doesn't treat her purse mogul life as a cute hobby, who takes her to museums, and eats fried food from a bag.  And he especially wasn't supposed to be a billionaire.

 

Available at multiple etailers:

Zon: https://amzn.to/3piQgma

Apple: https://apple.co/3deLu3l

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3DmgQQv

Universal: https://books2read.com/u/47O6GL

Re-Release - Repeated Burn

As long time readers might recall, I had a story called Repeated Burn, that originally appeared in the Do It Again Anthology.  The anthology (which has now been sunsetted) worked around a theme of second chance or bouncing back.  As I thought through who to write about, I thought about Raven.  Raven had shown up in Aloha to You as Adriana's fellow small business owner and purveyor of excellent brownies.  (And tea. Let's not forget that tea.)  

As it developed I decided that it was essentially a spinoff of the City Complications Series, so I'm re-releasing it as the first in the City Entanglements series.  For those of you who like to adhere to reading order, I wrote Repeated Burn to take place in approximately the same time frame as Aloha to You, which is to say they can be read in either order and nothing will be spoiled. 

Raven is already having a bad Monday, and the appearance of her ex's new ex is not helping. She delivers Sienna to her brother Marcus, planning to wash her hands of the whole thing. But the universe seems determined to throw her and Marcus together. Marcus is used to cleaning up his little sister's messes. They usually don't involve attractive women. He is drawn to Raven's independence and her confidence. But Raven's been burned by those who claimed to love her time and again. Will she be able to trust that Marcus is ready for the long haul?

TL:DR version of the blurb

*Coffee shop and bakery owner

*Meets corporate hotel dude

*The older brother of her ex's new ex might be the hotness

*Contains brownies and so much coffee

Buy links

Zon: https://amzn.to/2TUtZza

Apple: https://apple.co/2SjHiZu

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3gWaAFX

Universal: https://books2read.com/links/ubl/mldGZW

And paper link: https://bookshop.org/books/repeated-burn/9798201696856

Release Day for the Do It Again Anthology

When we first started chatting about the Do It Again Anthology, we had the idea to do an anthology where the books centered on a second chance or bouncing back theme.  I love second chance stories.  But as I thought about what to write, I thought about Raven.  Raven had shown up in Aloha to You as Adriana's fellow small business owner and purveyor of excellent brownies.  (And tea. Let's not forget that tea.)  I have plans for quite a few characters in the City Complications Series, but I didn't previously have a plan for Raven.  And then I thought about Marcus, who shows up in a story that isn't out yet, and suddenly I had an idea.   

And so Repeated Burn was born.  The idea of Raven, having been dumped by her boyfriend right as her business was starting and having to revisit all of that when said ex moves on again.  That his newest ex shows up because she doesn't know what to do.  That Raven would deliver the new ex to her brother Marcus and that she and Marcus would find themselves drawn together. Except, of course, when you've become used to people doubting your dreams, well, it's hard to trust that you can date someone who won't be a problem.  And on Marcus' side, when you've fallen into the role of helping your sister clean up her messes, it gets hard to step out of that role.

It was also important to me that there wasn't really rivalry between the ex's.  Sometimes that's warranted.  But just as often, no one understands the specific foibles you had been dealing with like your ex's other exes.  

My TL:DR promo: 

*Coffee shop and bakery owner

*Meets corporate hotel dude

*The older brother of her ex's new ex might be the hotness

*Contains brownies and so much coffee

Buy links

Zon: https://amzn.to/31ehcWi

Apple: https://apple.co/2nJXSBY

B&N: http://bit.ly/2ohpT4o

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2mF0npb

Universal: https://books2read.com/u/bWBonz