Snow in Oregon!

by Kristen James

A light dusting of snow fell on the valley floor yesterday so we took the kids and headed up to the deeper snow  to sled.

 

We were lucky and timed it just right for the perfect conditions: powdery snow and sunshine!

I had never gone sledding with the kids before so it was a blast to take one at a time down the hill.

Before we left the mountain, a snowstorm blew in and sent down a torrent of fat flakes. Luckily there was a group of people playing in a meadow and they had several fires going. We borrowed one to warm up and drink our hot cider.

 

 

 

Here’s a picture I took the same day, from my house. We have eight bald eagles that have been flying up and down the river and playing. They’ll fly together or sit in the trees and chirp in a song like way.

We keep a list of animals we’ve seen from our house, and it includes otters, mallards, Canadian Geese, wood ducks, pheasants, quail, blue heron, great horned owls, hawks, white and black tail deer, and a few more domesticated animals like cows, sheep and goats. There’s at least 100 animals on our list! Last week, we saw two bucks play fighting in the field across the river. It looked like a larger buck was teaching a spike how to fight for next year. There’s such an abundance of wildlife and beautiful scenery here; I feel so blessed to call Oregon home!

 

 

Kauai Spy Games

by Kristen James

Click here to sample or purchaseKauai Spy Games – a bestselling book in “Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue” on Kindle.

Only 99 Cents for a limited time!

39 5-star reviews.

Seasoned covert operative Jeff Ivanov knows something is stirring in paradise. His never ending antics and perchance for romance got him a two year leave, aka paid vacation, to his childhood home of Kauai. The Garden Island, however, is a hotbed of nationalities with hidden national agendas. Even while enjoying the island Aloha life, he can’t miss the gorgeous Russian ladies flirting with scientists and engineers from Kauai Missile Base. When his old team members start to show up, the party’s on. Of course their mission isn’t condoned or even recorded. The Na Pali Seven do not exist.

As the son of a US Naval Captain and a Russian born professor, his role is to use his Russian connection to block the Russians from getting too close to the enamored scientists. The assignment gets real easy when Anya saunters into the bar and into his sights. They play the game together but emotions are dangerously real.

The Na Pali Seven could be responsible for stopping the largest and most devastating attack on US soil and Ivanov might be falling for the enemy.

Get it here!

“This book was a fantastic fast paced read full of action and intrigue! I love books that delve into the secret world of our armed forces and their special ops teams that protect us from hidden dangers everyday! As a woman, I especially enjoyed the strong female characters in the book. I hope there is more to come for the Na Pali Team as well as Jeff and Anya.”  ~5 star review

Embers of Hope, Flickers of Passion

by Kristen James

Embers of Hope, Flickers of Passion

A story about balancing motherhood, friendship and romance…

Savanna dreaded telling her family and friends about her failed marriage so much that she hid it while living in another state. But she can’t stay away when her best friend Cassie loses her husband, who dies on duty as a firefighter. Savanna quickly returns home to help, longing to find herself again and make a home for her daughter. She meets Mike’s best friend, Jason, the man who talked him into staying with the department just before the fatal fire. He’s also the man who once saved Savanna’s life. Though hurting herself, something deep inside her won’t let her walk away. Jason needs her but she’s off limits on so many levels. She’s falling for this sexy firefighter but he confuses her to no end. Savanna’s a single mom with secrets, and she could lose her best friend over him.

Review from Melissa from There For You:
I am a woman. If you cut me, do I not bleed? If you offer me chocolate, do I not take it? If you offer me romance, do I not read it?! Of course I do, I am woman. Let me introduce you to my newest weakness. Romance novels by author Kristen James. I met Kristen via an interview I recently did on her (Interview) and decided to try her book. Boy is the woman, and reader, in me happy I did! Embers of Hope, Flickers of Passion is a well written love story, reminiscent of the movie Backdraft, in the fact that the main character, Jason, is a firefighter and his best friend, Mike, is killed in a fire.

The central characters of the story are Savanna, her best friend Cassie, Cassie’s husband Mike and Mike’s best friend Jason. The story starts off with Savanna moving herself, and her infant daughter Aubrey, or Bobby Boo as she is affectionately called, to Texas to help her best friend, Cassie, recover from the very recent death of her husband Mike. Mike is a firefighter who is killed in the line of duty. Mike’s best friend, Jason, is held accountable by himself and Cassie, even though he was not involved in the accident. Savanna quickly realizes that Jason is the firefighter who saved her life a few years before.

Being the mother hen that she is, Savanna soon decides that she not only needs to repair Cassie but also Jason, thus throwing herself in the middle of the two since Cassie blames him. The reader soon realizes that Savanna needs some saving herself as the last 2 or so years of her life with her ex-husband Eric have been horrible. After hearing parts of Savanna’s story, and an intense internal feeling of need, Jason also feels the need to help Savanna.

A beautifully woven plot, Embers of Hope, Flickers of Passion, will have you crying with Cassie, cheering for Jason, and praying Eric does not return to distinguish the flames that are spreading between Jason and Savanna. A romance novel that any woman with a history of being burned by love, and has hopes to rekindle the flame, can enjoy. Next up, More Than Memories, in the Kristen James romance novels.

I hope today you get your daily helping of romance and chocolate! Enjoy your day :)) -Melissa

A room without books is like a body without a soul. -Cicero

How to Be a Full Time Writer – now available!

by Kristen James

How To Be A Full Time Writer and Editor

 Through Ghostwriting, Freelance Writing, Editing, Co-Writing and Your Writing

Do you love your job? You should! If you don’t, I’d love to help you create a job you love.

I created my own job through a mix of publishing and editing, and then I began ghostwriting. This allowed me to set my own hours, choose my projects, and work from home while dropping the daily commute. I share the sites I used, provide resources, and give tips for finding work, bidding, winning projects, avoiding problem clients and projects, and earning more money.  These tips include actual, winning bids and things to watch out for. You can use some or all of the methods that have worked for me to create a job perfectly suited to your interests and passions.

This is a great way to earn extra income, offset a crisis after job loss, or earn a living. For me, being a “full time” writer means earning full time pay, and not necessarily working eight hours a day.

In How to Be A Full Time Writer, I share:

  • My story
  • Ways to make money online related to writing, editing and publishing
  • How to get started and create a winning profile
  • What not to do
  • Tips to win more projects
  • Red Flags – time to walk away
  • How to price your bids
  • How to make money through your own writing
  • Secrets to selling more ebooks

Whether you’re completely new to online freelancing or already working, this book will jump start your projects and save you time and headaches from problem projects and clients. This 70 page guide cuts the fluff to give you easy to use information, tips and links.

Sample or purchase here.

Coming Soon – In The Land of Huckleberries and Wokas

by Kristen James

In The Land of Huckleberries and Wokas, a Native American adventure novella, was expanded from a short story that placed 32nd out of 12,000 plus entries in Writer’s Digest Annual Writing Competition. (Wokas are pond lily seeds from the Klamath marshes.)

The stories weren’t just stores, after all. Snow Bird had listened all through her childhood to scary tales of braves raiding camps and taking slaves, but she had never truly feared such a thing happening. When others told her these stories, her father patted her head and smiled, reassuring her that the elders used stories to keep the children close to camp.

Yet now she sat with her hands bound in front of her while her captors drank from the river. They had rushed into camp and attacked those around the dinner fire. With knives tied to their wrists and clubs to swing, they had hit and stunned the adults in a confusing blink of the eye.

Snow Bird is taken far from her home and people, but she refuses to give up hope. She is surprised by someone who wants to help her, and surprised by her own bravery and strength.

***

I started thinking about this short story and had to the tell the rest of it. It’s similar to my Native American novel The River People, but set in eastern Oregon in the Klamath Basin.

I’ll keep you updated and post a link when it’s available on Kindle.