books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, General, Literary, and Historical Fiction, Guest Author

A Victorian Era Criminal Leads Police on a High Speed Bicycle Chase

Diana Belchase here: Criminals, police, and bicycles? Mimi Matthews once again regales us with a funny story about mayhem in New Jersey as the law tries to keep up with the newest technology of the 19th Century. Enjoy! Welcome guest blogger, Mimi Matthews: In September of 1896, British newspapers reported the remarkable use of a bicycle in a New Jersey murder case.  The case involved … Continue reading A Victorian Era Criminal Leads Police on a High Speed Bicycle Chase

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books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews

Snow joke

Author Kathryn Jane‘s very funny take on the vagaries of Vancouver weather. Enjoy! Hello, Mother Nature? It’s me again, Kathryn Jane. Just a quick question. Do you have another rooky at the helm?  I mean since the idiot who sent us a snow storm a couple of weeks ago? Um, may I suggest you set your margarita aside, peek out from under your beach umbrella and check … Continue reading Snow joke

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books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, General, Literary, and Historical Fiction, History, Biography, Memoir, and Politics

A Proposed 18th Century Tax Bill Targets 27-Year-Old Spinsters…And Their Cats!

Author Mimi Matthews astounds us once again today, not only with her encyclopedic knowledge of history, but with this delightful piece about a proposition to tax old maids of twenty-seven! I know you’ll enjoy. Now, here’s Mimi Matthews: The 1777 edition of the London Magazine includes an interesting letter to the editor in which a gentleman—who signs himself as ‘A Friend to the Community’—has appended a … Continue reading A Proposed 18th Century Tax Bill Targets 27-Year-Old Spinsters…And Their Cats!

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books, General, Literary, and Historical Fiction, Mysteries & Thrillers, Romance & Women's Fiction

Are You Ready to Go Rogue?

Congratulations to Manda Collins who has just released another terrific historical. I love blue stocking romances, and if you do, too, I know you’ll love her books as much as I do. Here’s Manda talking about her newest release. Take it away, Manda! Great being here! This is Manda: It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone, but its even harder (for me) … Continue reading Are You Ready to Go Rogue?

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books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Guest Author, Romance & Women's Fiction, Video

Once You’ve Flashed Your Podiatrist … You Can’t Help but Become a Writer

  Diana Belchase here: Today I’m super excited to welcome guest blogger Chris Campillo to BookSmart! Chris is the kind of person everyone loves — she’s the girl next door, a gal who always has your back, a phenomenal writer with a great sense of humor, and a stand up comic. When this Texas mom isn’t taking care of her kids, her home, and working … Continue reading Once You’ve Flashed Your Podiatrist … You Can’t Help but Become a Writer

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books, Children, Middle Grade, and Young Adult, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Writer's Den

YA’LL Fest: Where All the YA Fans and Authors Meet Up!

Author Sharon Wray brings us highlights from this year’s YA’LL fest — a Young Adult book festival in South Carolina. Enjoy! Last week my daughter, my mother, and I held fast to one of our favorite traditions: Going to Charleston, SC for YA’LL Fest, the largest annual Young Adult Book Festival and book signing. With over forty authors and their publishers, publicists, and book store owners running the … Continue reading YA’LL Fest: Where All the YA Fans and Authors Meet Up!

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books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Romance & Women's Fiction

All I Want For Christmas

A chance to win a $25 gift card just for adding your Christmas wish list below. Who would pass that up? Thanks to author Chris Campillo whose fantastic book, “Then He Showed Up,” is out this week! Hysterical. Take it away, Chris! by Chris Campillo, Guest Author Do you remember when you were a kid and this was the most exciting time of the year? … Continue reading All I Want For Christmas

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Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Guest Author, Mysteries & Thrillers, Romance & Women's Fiction

Move over Jack Reacher…Enter Gil Malloy!

Diana here: Today one award-winning author interviews another! Join me in welcoming Lena Diaz as she interviews Gil Malloy, whose newest book, Blonde Ice, is heating up bookshelves everywhere. 😉 Don’t forget to leave a comment on the KissAndThrill.com website to be entered for a free copy of Blonde Ice! Take it away Lena Diaz! Meet Crime Fiction Novelist R.G. Belsky and the newest installment in the … Continue reading Move over Jack Reacher…Enter Gil Malloy!

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Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Guest Author, Mysteries & Thrillers, Prize, Romance & Women's Fiction

Abbie Roads Does it Backwards

Hi everyone! Diana here. Today’s guest is Abbie Roads whose new, and fantastic thriller, Race the Darkness is out, TODAY! I got a chance to see it early as a reviewer, and I will say you’ll be up all night turning pages. She does an incredible job of meshing unforgettable characters, bound in their own pain, with gripping atmospheric settings. Against this eerie landscape, good … Continue reading Abbie Roads Does it Backwards

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Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Guest Author, Romance & Women's Fiction

Nan Dixon on the Couch

Diana here: One of my favorite recurring features is Author on the Couch by Abbie Roads. A mental health counsellor by day, she writes incredible thrillers by night, and interviews authors on her cyber-couch in her spare time. In this post, she’s interviewing my Golden Heart sister and wonderful romance author, Nan Dixon, for the second time. Abbie, who is also a Golden Heart sister, really knows how to ask the … Continue reading Nan Dixon on the Couch

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Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, General, Literary, and Historical Fiction, Guest Author, History, Biography, Memoir, and Politics

Death at the Needle

Author Mimi Matthews guests today, writing about the tragic life of the seamstresses who made those wonderful gowns we salivate over in historical romances. For those of you not familiar with Mimi Matthews’ blog, it’s one of the best researched historical fashion and culture websites out there. I’m a huge fan. Keep reading to see why. Death at the Needle: The Tragedy of Victorian Seamstress Mary Walkley … Continue reading Death at the Needle

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Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Guest Author, Mysteries & Thrillers

Solving Cold Cases: One Match at a Time

Author S.A. Taylor shares important and mind-boggling information about solving cold cases with forensic evidence as she reports from the Killer Nashville conference.  Lost and Found: Solving Cold Cases One Match at a Time By S.A. Taylor When you hear about a mass disaster, what event comes to mind? Earthquake? Tsunami? Terrorist attack? That was my first thought until I attended the Killer Nashville writer’s conference in October. There I … Continue reading Solving Cold Cases: One Match at a Time

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Children, Middle Grade, and Young Adult, Romance & Women's Fiction

COVER REVEAL: BEFORE TOMORROW BY PINTIP DUNN

By Sharon Wray (originally posted on SharonWray.com) One of the best things about being an author is having other authors as friends. And one of my Golden Heart sisters, as well as a great friend, has a surprise today. I’m so excited to share with you the cover reveal for BEFORE TOMORROW by New York Times Bestselling author Pintip Dunn, a FORGET TOMORROW novella from Logan’s … Continue reading COVER REVEAL: BEFORE TOMORROW BY PINTIP DUNN

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Guest Author, Writer's Den

10 Reasons C3 is the Place to Be for Writers and Readers!

Austin Camacho is incredible. Not only is he former military and the author of ten gripping books, he is also the force behind the C3 Conference. C3 is short for Creatures, Crimes and Creativity — and the event is geared at writers, from those yet to pick up a pen to bestsellers, as well as fans of genre fiction. Whether you love horror, mystery, thriller, … Continue reading 10 Reasons C3 is the Place to Be for Writers and Readers!

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books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Writer's Den

Kick-Ass or Quiet? Female Sleuths From Miss Marple to V.I. Warshawski

Jess Lourey and Shannon Baker are thriller and mystery writers who have, between them, published a whopping 19 books. When they realized Jess’s thriller, Salem’s Cipher, and Shannon’s mystery, Stripped Bare, were set to launch on the same day, September 6, these friends joined forces for the Lourey/Baker Double Booked Tour.  Doesn’t that sound delicious? (I promise you it’s better than double chocolate, chocolate-chip cookies!) … Continue reading Kick-Ass or Quiet? Female Sleuths From Miss Marple to V.I. Warshawski

Diana Belchase42 Comments
books, Cooking, Crafting, Creating, Art, and Design, Humor & Travel

My Top Six Summer Humor Reading Picks

The dog days of August are certainly here, and while dripping with sweat isn’t all that fun, humor books can give us the lift we so desperately need as we wait for Autumn’s cooling breath. Author and book reviewer, Bella Gavellon, regales us with her wonderful sense of humor as she tells us to fend off the perils of summer and cautions us stay safe … Continue reading My Top Six Summer Humor Reading Picks

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books, Mysteries & Thrillers, Romance & Women's Fiction

A Series Finale, Saying Goodbye to Mystic Glades

Author, Lena Diaz, announces the last, highly anticipated book in her award-winning series. It’s with mixed feelings that I announce the upcoming end of the MARSHLAND JUSTICE mini-series. On August 23rd, the fourth and final book, HOSTAGE NEGOTIATION, makes its way into the world. While I’m extremely excited for readers to experience this incredibly emotional story, I’m sad to see my time in the town … Continue reading A Series Finale, Saying Goodbye to Mystic Glades

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books, Children, Middle Grade, and Young Adult, General, Literary, and Historical Fiction, History, Biography, Memoir, and Politics

Chloe’s Book Club: The Long Winter

Another Laura Ingalls Wilder report by author Kathleen Ernst. I so appreciate Kathleen reminding me how great these books are — both in a literary sense and as history, connoting the hardships of those who came before us, to whom we will always be grateful. Chloe’s Book Club: The Long Winter by Kathleen Ernst The Long Winter has always been one of my favorite books in … Continue reading Chloe’s Book Club: The Long Winter

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Guest Author, History, Biography, Memoir, and Politics

Historical Novels and Proper Forms of Address

Whether you are a fan of Historical Novels or Regency Romances, the forms of British address for the aristocracy can confuse even the most seasoned anglomaniac. Author K.J. Charles has given us the ultimate guide and cheat sheet below, and her fans have added even more information in the comment section.  So if you are interested in understanding how Charles, William, and George get their … Continue reading Historical Novels and Proper Forms of Address

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books, Fun Stuff & Author Interviews, Mysteries & Thrillers, Romance & Women's Fiction, Writer's Den

All about Sharon Wray.

The story of author Sharon Wray’s journey to publication is so inspiring! Please join me (Diana Belchase) in congratulating her on her sale and for her Daphne du Maurier nomination, too. The following article by Sarah Andre couldn’t have said it better!   All About Sharon Wray By Sarah Andre Sharon Wray supplied all these photographs…take a look at them…aren’t they SO Sharon Wray?! She’s … Continue reading All about Sharon Wray.

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