I have to start off this post with an apology. I’ve been MIA for a while. The truth is I’ve also been MIA from writing for a while. First, I’ve been dealing with a terrible “brain fog” that I can’t seem to solve completely. This makes it difficult to focus in the same way that I once did. The ideas don’t’ flow, and frankly, the voices that once lived in my head have been pretty silent lately.
Maybe it’s also a form of burnout. After 16 books, written while working full-time “day jobs” that also includes writing, I just don’t feel the same excitement or urge to sit down and write my books. I managed to write a Christmas novella last year, which was only 20,000 words, and even that was a struggle.
I also wonder if the COVID pandemic, and all the drama, worry, crazy politics, and angst surrounding it, made writing more difficult. Just like it became less important to put on real clothes and makeup every day, it seems somehow less urgent to write about fantasy romance. (Although you’d think it would be the opposite.)
I hope things change at some point because I do miss creating new characters and places. I miss writing in many ways and the joy I felt as characters came to life in my head.
But I WILL do better about communicating with you.
I'm so excited to celebrate the upcoming release of my latest book, CHRISTMAS CHARADE! It's part of the HOLIDAY FAKE-OUT box set, with 22 other romance authors, including NYT Bestselling Author, Heather Graham.
Perhaps the most exciting part is that the new book allows me to return to the "Covington Falls Chronicles". My heroine is related to an important family in Covington Falls, GA. She's the niece of the mayor's wife, Catherine Manning who my readers might remember from my first book, MARRY ME.
CHRISTMAS CHARADE
Maggie Lewis left her hometown of Covington Falls, Georgia three years ago with a broken heart and a dream to become a sculptor. Maggie’s family never understood her passion, preferring she act like the perfect Southern woman. She found a haven in Raleigh, NC, working as a waitress at Sullivan’s, a popular family-owned restaurant, while building her reputation as an artist.
Now, she must return to Covington Falls for her cousin’s Christmas wedding. She can’t face returning alone, particularly seeing her HEX (heinous ex-fiancé) again. So, she invents a boyfriend. Then she has to find one to take to the wedding.
Turns out Maggie’s new “boyfriend” is closer than she thought, and she has a way to convince him to be her fake date to the wedding.
Wyatt Sullivan once had dreams of being a country music superstar. The sudden death of his parents meant giving up that dream so he could take care of his five younger siblings. Now, he runs Sullivan’s with them. Then Maggie Lewis offers a way to finally pursue his music career. All he has to do is agree to be her fake boyfriend at her cousin’s wedding.
Maggie and Wyatt are prepared to fake a relationship, but they’re not prepared for the very real feelings that begin to develop. Can they find the courage to take a chance on love and end the Christmas Charade?
I did something a little crazy last weekend...I expanded my family, adding a new puppy to the household. He's a 5-month-old French bulldog (or Frenchie as they're often called). His name is OREO because his chest is mostly black with a big white patch in between. Officially, he's a brindle Frenchie. Brindle generally means the Frenchie is dark with lighter hair mixed in. Although his front is black, you can see brown mixed in on his back and legs.
Oreo is the sweetest little guy, so calm and mellow. He hardly ever makes a sound, although he will let out this high-pitched whine when I pen him up. It's quite a sound. Aside from some chewing and a lack of potty training, he's a dream puppy. Unfortunately, he had a "cold" when I got him, with sniffles and an awful cough. I took him to the vet and they gave him all kinds of meds. I also had to do nebulizer treatments for a week, but he put up with that pretty well.
Oreo joins his big sister, Cocoa, my 1-year-old teacup Chihuahua. By contrast, she isn't always so sweet. In fact, her nickname is Cujo (and she's earned it). At first, Cocoa wanted nothing to do with him, but she's slowly coming around now. She hates when he "steals" her toys. However, yesterday they played together for an hour in the backyard. PROGRESS!
Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. Look for CHRISTMAS CHARADE, a brand-new Covington Falls Chronicles book as part of the Holiday Fake-Out box set.
Christmas Charade-Covington Falls Chronicles
The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama.
Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.
In fact, moving is one of the most anxiety-driven, exhausting things you can do, as I realized this past month. After 16 years in my apartment, my roommate and I got the bright idea to look for a new place. For one thing, the apartment was getting old and many things needed to be fixed that would be hard to do with us living there. Then there’s my dog. The apartment doesn’t really allow pets.
Since our lease was up at the end of July, we started looking in early June. You should know that the rental market is VERY tight right now in the US, as is the residential housing market. There weren’t a lot of available places and the ones that did show up were quickly snatched away. We found one promising townhouse, but with multiple bids on the place, we lost out.
Finally, a realtor friend agreed to help. Just when we were both ready to give up and stay in our apartment another year, a listing came back on the market. It was in the right area and around the same rental price. Turned out to be a condo complex and we’d be renting from the owner. The place was older, but bigger than our current apartment and very well maintained.
As a bonus it’s gated, with security, two pools, tennis courts, a fitness center, and a clubhouse. We even loved the owner, who seems like a decent, funny guy.
We put in a bid and it was accepted!
Unfortunately, once all the paperwork was processed, we only had a week to get packed up and move! You ever tried to move that fast? It’s crazy!
Still, we love the new place, and we’re very happy.
Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. Look for CHRISTMAS CHARADE, a brand-new Covington Falls Chronicles book as part of the Holiday Fake-Out box set.
Christmas Charade-Covington Falls Chronicles
The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama.
Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.
My baby turns 1-year-old this month. I’m talking about my 4-legged fur-baby, Cocoa. She’ll officially be one on June 23rd. Being a puppy mommy has been quite an adventure.
Here are some things I’ve learned:
·She’s a “deer head” Chihuahua in that she resembles a deer, with a longer nose and face. (as opposed to an “apple head”, which has the classic round features seen in most commercials and dog shows. In fact, the deer-head is not recognized by the AKC.
·Cocoa is a bundle of energy, and she only stays still if she’s sleeping.
·She is VERY stubborn. Training is difficult. I’m pretty sure giving her a treat her to “stop” doing something has mostly taught her that doing the bad thing results in a treat.
·She has a temper like a angry toddler when not allowed to do what she wants. (Her nickname is Cujo and she’s earned it.)
·Unlike many Chihuahuas, she seems to like most people and animals. She tries to greet most people we meet on our walks, but then gets skittish and runs away.
·She’ll bark at other dogs when they’re far away and then cower when they get close.
·Her new favorite activity is playing “chase” with my niece’s huge bunny (Bun-Bun).
·Cocoa adores my roommate and goes nuts when she comes home from work.
·She loves her Gammy (my mom).
·She will eat almost anything, including poop, dead lizards, wood chips from plants, grass.
·She LOVES to tear up anything of the paper variety and if you try to take it away from her, she will turn into Cujo.
Here’s to another year of adventures, Cocoa! Now, let’s see pics of your fur-babies!
Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. Look for CHRISTMAS CHARADE, a brand-new Covington Falls Chronicles book as part of the Holiday Fake-Out box set.
Christmas Charade-Covington Falls Chronicles
The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama.
Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.
Today, I'm getting my first COVID-19 vaccine shot. Here in the U.S., most states are using the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Astra-Zeneca vaccine is awaiting final approval for emergency use. The fact that we have three vaccines that were developed so fast is a modern-day miracle.
There is a lengthy period of trials and testing here in the U.S., which includes exploratory phases, pre-clinical trials, new drug applications, and 4 phases of vaccine trials. Everything has to be vetted and approved by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's easy to see how this process can literally take years.
Look at how long it took to develop other life-saving vaccines:
- Polio - Around 3 years, but that was only after decades of research
- Measles - Around 2 years
- Mumps - 4 years
- HIV - The first trials for a vaccine began in 1987(and they're still ongoing)
The fact that it took around 9 months for four vaccines to be developed and approved for emergency use is absolutely amazing. A truly heroic effort by scientists and medical experts that will end up saving millions of lives. I don't know that we would've had this result at any other time in history.
Hopefully, it will allow us to return to normal life soon.
Have you been vaccinated yet?
Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. Look for CHRISTMAS CHARADE, a brand-new Covington Falls Chronicles book as part of the Holiday Fake-Out box set.
Christmas Charade-Covington Falls Chronicles
The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama.
Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.
Last year became something of an unintentional hiatus from writing...at least the fiction writing side of my life. Some ongoing health problems made it nearly impossible to focus the way I needed in order to create stories. Plus, I'm sure the ongoing COVID crisis made things even more difficult.
BUT...a writer friend convinced me to be part of a holiday box Holiday Fake-Out. As the title suggests every story centers around a fake holiday date. This set features an eclectic mix of authors, including NYT Bestselling author, Heather Graham. The set features many different kinds of romance, from contemporary and suspense to paranormal.
Holiday Fake-Out
Need a date for the holidays? Oh joy…We've got you covered with 22 fake holidates to heat up your season!
Travel from small towns to cosmopolitan cities, snow covered mountains to gorgeous mansions. You'll
meet sexy billionaires, brainy tech gods, buff journalists, sinfully cocky athletes, and sizzling hot chefs. They're naughty and nice (and everything in between) and they're enough to fulfill any romantic fantasies.
These 22 swoon-worthy heroes are ready to be your *fake* plus-one at holiday events, from Christmas weddings to Chanukahand Kwanzaa celebrations. Each starts out as a charade, and though they might lie to family, friends, or co-workers, they won't be able to fool themselves when a very real romance develops.
As for my, I am returning to a familiar place...A place called Covington Falls, the setting for my popular inspirational series. I'm introducing a new family this time. Actually, a few of them debuted in my first book, Marry Me. I'm enlarging the family tree of Covington Fall's mayor...or rather his wife's family, Catherine Manning.
Christmas Charade - Covington Falls Chronicles
The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama.
Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.
Can you believe it’s my 4thAnnual Super Bowl Commercial Round Up? I’m actually late with this post since the Super Bowl aired last night. This year was unusual in that several of the big-time advertisers (Budweiser) decided not to run spots and instead donate $$ to charities in light of COVID-19. Still, there were some bright spots.
Here’s a look at my favs…
Rocket Mortgage – Certain is Better
This spot features Tracy Morgan informing potential homeowners why certainty is better than “pretty sure” when it comes to a mortgage.
Amazon – Alexa’s New Body
This hilarious spot features actor Michael B. Jordan as a particularly sexy “Alexa”. A woman imagines MBJ in a variety of situations, with LOL results. The reaction of the husband is the best part!
Anheuser-Busch – Let’s Grab a Beer
This one is a little more serious than others on this list. It’s about getting together to commiserate and celebrate life’s wonderful & awkward moments.
Cadillac – All Electric Car
Nostalgia is always popular in SP spots, and this one calls back to the classic cult film, Edward Scissorhands. This spot cleverly features Wynona Ryder, who played Edward’s girlfriend in the original movie. Now she’s the mom to Edgar.
Huggie’s – Welcome to the World
The “Awwwww!” award goes to this Huggie’s spot that welcomes new babies born. So cute! The spot is shot from the “perspective” of the babies.
eTrade – Workout
A skinny kid decides he’s going to work out so he can “become the best”. In the end, he may not bulk up, but he can get his financial future in shape with help of eTrade.
Tide – Jason Alexander Shirt
This spot shows the abuse heaped on a shirt, which has the face of Jason Alexander on it. Just funny & clever.
Toyota – Upstream
File this one under heart-warming and inspirational. We hear a phone call to perspective adoptive parents being warned that the baby girl they hope to adopt had her legs amputated. The parents take the baby anyway, and she goes on to become an Olympic swimmer.
Scott’s Miracle-Gro – Lawn & Garden Giveaway
This spot introduces a contest of a lawn makeover using a number of celebrities such as Martha Stewart and John Travolta with his daughter.
3D Doritos – Flat Matthew
Matthew McConaughey has gone flat and life isn’t what it used to be. 3D Doritos to the rescue!
GM – No Way Norway
Will Ferrell tries to take on Norway since they sell more electric cars than the US. With appearances by Aquafina and others.
State Farm – Drake from State Farm
The State Farm spokesman “Jake” has a stand-in named Drake. The best cameo is Paul Rudd as the stand-in for Cardinal’s QB Patrick Mahomes.
BTW, you can see most of the Big Game spots for yourself and decide which are your favorites.
Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales.
While most people make New Year’s Resolutions, authors tend to make Writer’s Resolutions. At least I do. Every year I have grand plans to write X number of books. Unfortunately, I made very little progress is my writer goals due to continuing health issues that mess with my ability to focus, which makes creative writing extremely difficult.
Plus, the craziness of 2020 made it hard to even think about writing. But once again, I'm hoping to get back on track for 2021. I do have plans and plenty of ongoing projects to keep me busy.
I still want to reissue my inspirational series, COVINGTON FALLS CHRONICLE. I also hope to continue with that series. There are so many characters begging for stories in my quirky Southern town. I also want to get back to working on a new series called THE LOST ROYALS about separated siblings who find out they are royalty.
Finally, there is a joint project/series that I want to publish with one of my author friends. It’s a modern-day take on Cinderella featuring a pair of magic shoes and a cursed Stepmother who might not be as bad as everyone thought.
So those are my plans…now to get writing!
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. The Christmas in Shellwater Key boxes et will release this winter.
Are your holiday decorations up yet? Are you one of those people who puts up a tree and lights right after Halloween? I don't know why, but just pulling everything out of the storage boxes is enough to warm your heart. Every piece evokes memories of your childhood or when your kids were little. They might make you think of your parents or grandparents.
We all have traditional decorations that must be set out every year. I now have two places to decorate...my apartment and my parents' house. My parents have all the ornaments and decorations that I grew up with. We collect the Hallmark dated ornaments, which started waaaaay back in 1976.
As you can imagine there are quite a lot of them at this point. There are also ornaments that my brother and I made, including a set of nativity characters.
My apartment is a little more eclectic as it's a mix of my things and those of my roommate.
Do you have special decorations that must be put up every year? Where did they come from and what do they remind you of?
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of the three popular series, Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales.
Looking for a great read that will put you in the holiday mood? Download the Christmas in Shellwater Key box set, on sale for only 99 cents. Enjoy three fun & festive holiday tales set in sunny Florida.
If my eyes look a little baggy it’s because I have a new baby. Only this baby has four legs and fur. I have a new puppy; the first dog I’ve had as an adult. I have to say it’s kinda like dealing with a toddler.
Meet Cocoa…my Teacup Chihuahua.
It’s been on my mind to get a dog for a while. I’ve been living in my apartment for years and technically not supposed to have pets. But I decided a small dog might not be noticed. At first, I thought about getting a French Bulldog or Boston Terrier. I checked the shelters and there weren’t many small dogs.
Last week I talked to someone who had a couple of Boston Terrier puppies. I made an appointment to see them. The puppies were barking their heads off and already looked larger than I wanted. But next to them was a tiny brown puppy. I thought it might be a miniature pincher.
Nope…it was a 5-month old Teacup Chihuahua that probably weighed 2-lbs soaking wet. She was quiet and shaking. I asked to see her and not much later I was taking her home.
Even though she’s 5 months old she hasn’t really had any training. We’re working on potty training, her bad biting habit, letting me put her collar on without a meltdown, and the fact that the “shy” act is a bit of a put on. She is a good sleeper, thank goodness. Only gets me up once in the night to go to the bathroom.
But she can be super sweet and there’s nothing better than her little warm body snuggled into my neck as she sleeps. The little grunts and grumbles she makes are so cute. She does this funny little hop when she’s excited. She loves carrots, chasing balls, and playing with a little fuzzy chicken.
I think we’re gonna have a lot of fun.
Tell me about your fur-babies!
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of three popular series, Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales.
I can’t believe it’s October already! In so many ways time seems to have stopped mid-March and yet the calendar keeps changing.
I wanted to share something a little more lighthearted this month. It’s a Halloween decorating idea that is super cute and easy for even non-crafty people (which I definitely am) can do.
Now I did not come up with this idea on my own. I was in Party City looking for decorations to put up in my apartment for my roommate’s birthday a couple weeks ago. Since the Halloween decorations were already out in full force, I looked around and came upon a display of clear round ornaments with tiny Halloween-themed lights inside them.
At first I wanted to buy the ornaments, but of course, they were just for the display for the lights. Still, I loved the idea so much that I decided to make some for my apartment.
I bought 8 sets of lights, including ones with tiny pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, and bats, as well as simple colored lights. I also bought a string of lights with pumpkins on them. Mine came from Party City, but I’m sure you can find similar lights at other stores.
Then I bought clear plastic balls at Michaels. Again, you might have another craft store that sells something like that. Since Christmas décor is also already out they aren’t hard to find.
NOTE: Make sure you get ornaments that come with two halves that you fit together. If you get the regular ornaments with only a small hole at the top the lights won’t fit. (I realized this after buying the wrong kind of ornaments.)
Then you put batteries in the lights, put them inside one half of an ornament, and snap the two halves together. Then you can hang them wherever you want.
It turned out really nice.
The best thing is, I can change out the lights inside the ornaments for different holidays. I’ll probably try fall colors for Thanksgiving and then red & green for Christmas.
Do you have any cool Halloween decorating ideas? Please share them with me!
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of three popular series, Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales.
While many may know me as an author, I also have a “day job” as an advertising copywriter. That means I come up with the words for marketing materials, from TV commercials and radio spots to print ads, and brochures. I also do a lot of social media and blog writing.
Right now I’m working as a freelance copywriter so that means “I” am the boss! Before my current role, I worked at an ad agency for 10 years.
My job requires me to do a lot of research so I can develop ad copy and blogs. I’ve learned so much about different subjects. When I was at the ad agency we worked extensively with hospitals and health plans. As a result, I learned so much about healthcare topics. I can tell you about heart surgery procedures, heart disease, orthopedic surgery, cancer treatment, women’s health, diabetes, rehabilitation techniques, and on and on.
As a freelancer, the subjects I write about are a lot more varied. I work with a company that produces blogs and web pages for car dealerships. I have learned a lot about different models and car systems/features. With some of my clients, I’m assigned a blog topic. With others, I’m able to choose from a list of available topics. In a single day, I can go from writing about the best fishing spots near Branson, MO to the gas mileage of a Jeep Wrangler. Look at these topics…
·Phishing schemes
·Sensory processing issues
·Remote learning
·How to pick the right college
·STEM education and STEM jobs
·Best roof materials for hot climates
·Best wheelchairs for seniors
·Best camping sites in Missouri
·Lead Magnets
·How long laptop batteries last
·Wound care
·Backyard landscaping ideas
·South Carolina real estate
·Best Nashville neighborhoods
·3D scanners
·Training your dog to become an AKC Trick Dog
·Dental implants
·Different kinds of valves
·Chevy Suburban
·Mazda CX-5
Obviously, I’m not an expert on valves or AKC training. I don’t truly understand “scientific” medical terms (that’s truly another language). But I do know "a little bit about a lot of things".
My job is all about learning new things and that keeps it interesting. I couldn’t do it without the Internet, though. It makes my job possible. Google is definitely my best friend.
What’s the most interesting thing about your job?
Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of the three best selling series, Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales.
