new releases

Costa Rica – sneak peek

by Kristen James

Costa Rica (preview the first chapter on Amazon.) 

You can read the first 10% of any book on Amazon so I like to share from other parts of the book. This is near the beginning, before they leave Oregon:

Costa Rica by Kristen James

She barely registered when the front door swung open. Drew walked into the hallway and dropped his keys in the dish. The hallway light flicked on.

“Holy mother!”

His squeal spooked her into sitting straight up, and remembering why she’d been waiting for him. “Drew?”

“Annalisa? You scared the bejesus out of me. What are you doing sitting in the dark?”

She didn’t immediately answer. That must have clued him into her mood and he stepped closer, leaning on the door frame to wait. They’d always been straight with each other (ironic, isn’t it?) and skipped the lead ups.

“Vincent’s cancer came back. There’s another tiny tumor. It’s not treatable anymore.”

The air swooshed out of him. “Oh.”

He stood for a minute and then walked into the living room and slumped down in the recliner across from her. This was a painful moment, but he didn’t rush to her. He didn’t even sit with her. They sat in silence except for his occasional exhale. Drew didn’t really cry–this was as close as he ever came.

The light was just a soft one from the hallway, but it seemed too bright for this conversation. She waited a long time before speaking again. “They asked us to come over Friday night for a barbeque. I said we’d bring a salad. Vincent would have called you, but he said it’s been hard to get a hold of you.”

That last little line had a wealth of ill will. She’d been shell-shocked till that moment, but then she realized Drew had let his best friend down. Didn’t Drew understand that? Vincent was fighting for his life, and Drew was busy chasing skirt. And what if she had needed him? He hadn’t been there for her either. He had slowly and quietly packed up his emotional ties to her and left a shell. Her guilt, for that moment, evaporated.

Drew said not a word in response. Once upon a time this handsome man had been her rock, her friend and her guiding light. Now she wanted to slap him.

He finally realized she was glaring at him and glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s way too late to call him.”

“Yeah, it’s almost midnight.”

“You were out way past midnight just yesterday.”

“But I don’t do that all the time…” Her thought lost steam. “I’m not the one…”

Drew looked at her, really gazed into her eyes. His expression showed alarm and then dread. There it was, out in the open. Maybe they weren’t going to say it, but he had to know she was suspicious.

She had not once ever, ever doubted him. Even as they drifted apart, she didn’t question him, check up on him or wonder what he was doing. She envisioned a crack racing across that large stone bridge of trust, and it fell in a loud, painful crash.

She got up and went upstairs to bed. Drew never followed.

 

COSTA RICA

Annalisa and Drew have always dreamed of going to Play Flamingo, Costa Rica, with their best friends, Vincent and Melinda. But now they’re out of time.

Annalisa feels their marriage is just a shell for others to see–there’s nothing left inside. She wonders if they can rekindle their love in paradise, but there’s so little left. They gave up on their marriage along with their dream of having children.

Time is literally slipping away from Vince and Mel. Vincent’s cancer is back–his tumor is inoperable and he won’t do chemo again. This trip is now or never.

Costa Rica – the trip that inspired my novel

by Kristen James

I realized I went to Costa Rica before I began blogging so I’m not sure if I’ve ever shared any photos. I did write about getting the idea while on the trip, actually while walking on the beach. I wrote a summary in my journal then and even started the story after we returned, but it would be three years later when I finished the project. There were all kinds of little details that I incorporated into the book–I’m finding more and more that I love to use a real setting so I can find little things to make the story come to life.

We stayed by Playa Flamingo, just like my characters, and walked or rode bikes around the area for ten days, through warm rainstorms and sunshine. We went in July, the wet season, and I set the book around the same time so I could describe the area as I experienced it. My characters went to the same restaurants and beaches we did, although I made up the resort at the end to make the plot work. Annalisa and Drew even rented bicycles from Claudia as we did. We were riding along on a muddy road in our swim suits, barefoot, when a Tico waved and called “hello,” and I used that in the book too.

While the book is filled with tension and conflict, along with high moments and the beauty of Costa Rica, our trip was all fun. My husband has an uncle living in Costa Rica, and we ate a few authentic meals with his tios and got advice on navigating the area and culture. We also went fishing off the beach for rooster fish…and I ended up catching  sting ray. We took turns fighting what we thought was a fish for forty minutes while a crowd gathered, but when we got it in closer we realized what it was. Luckily for us, the line snapped and we didn’t have it free it by hand.

We spent our time walking or riding all over the place, to different beaches and places to eat. Getting away from our normal lives gave us space and time to think, and that sparked my creativity and my new story idea.

When it was time to return home, we rode the local bus back to Liberia and the airport, which was a fun experience in itself. A man stood up during the ride to play a guitar and sing. Then we stayed in an ancient motel–the building was 200 years old. We just don’t see that in Oregon. I think we spent something like fifteen bucks for the room.

Here’s a few of my pictures:

 

honeymoon 004 honeymoon 006  honeymoon 010 honeymoon 019  honeymoon 040 honeymoon 041 honeymoon 042

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

honeymoon 037

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few fun little things. Whenever we were out walking, we would hear or see big iguanas fall out of the palm trees. It didn’t seem to hurt them. There were also little geckos everywhere that chirped at night. We spotted glowing fish in the waves. While walking through the jungle to the beach, we saw hundreds of tiny bright orange crabs. There was color everywhere and new things to see. Of course I’m dying to go back!

Because I live close to the Oregon coast, it was hard not to contrast the two places. I hinted at that in the book, too. The rugged and wild Oregon coast, where the book begins, captures how the characters feel. Then, in peaceful and tropical Costa Rica, they begin to work through their problems and discover what’s important to them.

I want to share a sneak peak from the book too, but I’ll make a separate post for that.

New Release: In A Field of Oranges

by Kristen James

In a Field of Oranges

It’s finally here!

Sergeant Lance Smith lost his men in Afghanistan, lost his wife to divorce, and came home to an empty life. He expected to come home with his best friend, Jared. That didn’t happen either. There is one thing he needs to do. He’d promised Jared he would visit his sister if anything happened to him. It doesn’t seem like much, but Lance needs something to keep him moving forward. He just needs to track her down first.

Once a nurturing heart and a competent psychiatrist, Sierra Thomas is now hiding from the world. She tried to make a difference and failed. She couldn’t stop her brother—the brother she’d raised—from enlisting in the Marines. Then she failed her patients, ending her career. She retreated to her family’s orange groves, hoping to forget the pain of her past.

In a world where you can lose everything in any given second, it’s dangerous to open your heart. But giving up and living “dead” isn’t what life is about.

~ ~ ~

Teaser:

Inside, Sierra still sat on the sofa, looking sleepy. She watched Lance walk in and stood up, reaching for the tray.

“No, let me do that.” He lifted it before she had a chance. “I’ll take this to the kitchen.”

She nodded, and that’s when he noticed she was unsteady on her feet. He dropped the tray back on the coffee table and gently took her by the arms. “Maybe you should sit down.”

She didn’t, though. She looked up at him with deep, needy eyes and a face that clearly said, “Kiss me.”

She’s high on that pain pill.

But knowing that didn’t stop the desire rushing through him or keep him from running his hands up the bare skin of her arms. She let her gaze drop to his mouth, and that sent him over the edge. Pure, hot lust spiked right through to his groin. Fighting and losing, he brought a hand to her chin and slowly, thoroughly kissed her. Her lips felt soft and pliant, and her body leaned into his. She was kissing him too, the kiss growing deeper, her body pressing even closer. A pleasurable haze had descended on him, so he almost didn’t feel her stiffen.

She pulled back and looked at him. “That’s why you can’t stay long.”

Preview the first chapter or buy on Kindle  (Prime members can borrow for free.)

New books and free books oh my

by Kristen James

I love sending new books out into the world. It’s such a privilege to create something and share it with others. Of course, I get a little nervous too, but mostly excited.

Costa Rica has been out a few weeks and In a Field of Oranges will be going out very soon too. Yea! It seems like I’ve been writing and writing, so it’s thrilling to see these two stories come to completion and ready to share. Then I’ll actually be caught up on my works in progress and ready to start a brand new story. It’s one that’s been swirling around in my head for months and months, but I forced myself to hold off on writing it so I could finish my current project list. It’s in the early, can’t-share-or-I’ll-jinx-it stage, but I’ll say the story revolves around two sisters.

And just an update: I’ve added a new “Free Ebooks” tab to my site! Currently, Embers of Hope is free on Smashwords and Kobo, and will probably be free in Kindle too. I still get excited over each and every one of my novels, and I just adore Savanna’s story. It’s about being a mom, a friend and falling in love.

The Fairy and Her Giant is free on Kindle, Smashwords, Kobo and other places. I really can’t say where I got the idea for that story, but it was a blast to write–it has a fairy and pirates!

Well, back to writing I go. Take care!

Goodreads Giveaway!

by Kristen James

Most of the country seems to be talking about very cold weather… meanwhile it’s not that cold here but I’m fighting a cold. It hit suddenly last night, seemingly a product of staying up way too late the night before, except that it’s still here a bit today. So I’m sitting by the fire and writing, working on the last 1/3 of In a Field of Oranges. (I like feeling the different tones in my different works. It’s even more apparent when I’m promoting one book while writing on another.)

My Costa Rica Goodreads giveaway went live today, so I wanted to share that. Enter here!  There’s 10 signed copies up for grabs. While we’re on the topic of Goodreads, did you know you can friend me there, mark me as a favorite author, add my books, review my books, add my books to your favorite lists…just saying, you can do all that and probably more. It’s a fun site for book lovers.

And here’s a fun little teaser from the book, when Drew and Annalisa rent bikes to explore the area:

They splashed through a few big puddles when they couldn’t navigate around them, and dirt and sand caked to her feet and legs, but she didn’t care. Because she was wet and dirty, and hot from the humidity, she pulled her shirt off. At some point, Drew pulled off his tank top and tied it around his head, making her laugh.

They came across a small farm house, way up on the hill to their right. Two men were sitting in chairs at the bottom of a long set of stairs. One raised a bottle as they passed and called, “Mis amigos!”

Annalisa waved before she looked back to Drew’s grinning face. They were zinging through sun spots, making it look like they were going much faster than they actually were. It seemed the road did turn back toward the highway and their destination. Drew pointed up ahead. Another creek crossed the road, but this one wasn’t dry like the other ones they’d rode across.

She slowed down. “How are we going to cross that?”

“It’s the tide making it higher. Look. That must be close to Playa Brasilito.”

Where he pointed, the dirt turned to sand and, beyond that, the beach and ocean. They watched the ocean water rush in for a full minute before Drew turned to her with a crazy light in his eyes.

“Come on, we can make it across,” he said.

“What?” She gave him a no-way-in-hell look. She didn’t want to die on vacation.

“I’ll go first to make sure it’s safe.” He flashed his I-can-do-anything smile, picked up his bike, and began wading across.

“Drew!”

“I got this. The current isn’t strong. It just looks fast.” He went step-by-step into deeper water. She held her breath as the water went up to his shorts and then over.

“You’re all wet now!” But he was making progress and stepped safely on the other side. Okay, she could do this, too. It wasn’t that deep. Just a warm creek. Preparing, she dropped her shorts and put them in the bike’s basket. They’d been getting their flip flops wet so she kept them on and began across, holding the bike up out of the water as much as she could. The bottom half still got wet. The ground felt steady, and the sand provided traction. Just before she hit the halfway point, the bike lifted up.

Drew stood right in front of her, taking the bike.

“Thanks.”

It only took a minute or two to walk across, and only so long because they were stepping carefully. “I can’t believe we did that!”

“Guess you’re dressed for the beach already.” His gaze traveled down her body and back up, and his expression changed…to desire. She didn’t think of a decent reply in time and turned away, embarrassed.

“Guess we need to lock up the bikes.” Drew picked an almond tree to park the bikes under, and secured them both with the cable and padlock, his bare back to her. He really had been working out. She had noticed before, but not noticed.

Get it now on Kindle