Showing posts with label Donna Kauffman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Donna Kauffman. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Aloha to Donna Kauffman and SNOWFLAKE BAY - The Brides of Blueberry Cove


Hello! I’ve been traveling the internet highways and byways this week, talking about my new Brides of Blueberry Cove release, SNOWFLAKE BAY, so thank you for stopping by today and hanging out with me for a bit. And thank you, Kim, for having me over to play!

Fall is finally here, and I know it’s an unpopular sentiment, but I can’t wait for winter! Yes, it’s true, I do miss the long daylight hours, and I’m perfectly content to watch the leaves turn all those lovely autumn colors while the temperatures start to dip. But that’s just the prelude, the appetizer, to my favorite season. I like bundling up. I like burrowing in. I like getting out all my thick, warm sweaters, and my fuzzy slipper boots. I like throwing another blanket (or three) on top of my already big and puffy down comforter. And don’t even get me started on having a fire crackling in the fire place!

I live in the Blue Ridge mountains in the western part of Virginia, so along with the nip in the air comes a lot of white stuff on the ground. And yes, there is shoveling. A LOT of shoveling. But it’s good exercise, and kind of hard to complain when you look around and feel like you’re in a snow globe wonderland. The black bears who hang out in my yard all summer long finally go into hibernation, so I can put the feeders back out and happily welcome dozens of different species of wild birds, along with the deer families who come by to nibble on the corn and the salt lick, and even the hawks who make a home in the high branches of my towering pines.

In SNOWFLAKE BAY, the heroine, Fiona McCrae, has come back to her hometown of Blueberry Cove, Maine to re-launch her design business on a smaller scale than she’d been operating in her premiere shop in Manhattan. And though she loves being back and close by her family again, she’s kind of sort of forgotten about just how cold it gets up there in her home by the sea. When the story opens, she’s fighting her way through a particularly windy, skin-chapping afternoon, struggling to get inside her childhood home while bogged down with binders and wedding planning flotsam and jetsam for a meeting with her bride-to-be sister, all the while being essentially eaten alive by the wool scarf that has plastered itself to her damp, wind-ravaged face, her lip-balmed lips, gotten tangled in her hair, and well…you get the picture. Naturally, this is when she runs into her childhood crush--old family friend and Christmas tree farmer, Ben Campbell. The same guy who always saw her as the nuisance kid sister, and even nicknamed her fireplug due to her short, stout frame as a child. Did I mention she’s also wearing a thickly padded, red winter parka? I know. So unfair. And yet…

So, maybe I’m a little more in love with winter than Fiona is at that moment, but the other part of winter I love is that it’s also the holiday season. Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and in Blueberry Cove, a wedding, just to make it a truly memorable time. Ben Campbell being back in town is guaranteed to make it all that and more for Fiona McCrae, who finds herself tangled up in something a lot more challenging—and more tantalizing—than a wool scarf!

What is your favorite season? Are you a winter wonderland person, too? Don’t leave me alone out here in the cold! Thanks again to Kim for inviting me over today. Hot chocolate anyone? 


lighthouse, portland, maine, ocean, shore, water
Lighthouse in Portland, Maine
Public Domain (link)

There’s no place like seaside Blueberry Cove, Maine, at Christmas—and there’s nothing like a wedding, the warmth of the holidays, and an old crush, to create the perfect new start…

Interior designer Fiona McCrae has left fast-paced Manhattan to move back home to peaceful Blueberry Cove. But she’s barely arrived before she’s hooked into planning her big sister Hannah’s Christmas wedding—in less than seven weeks. The last thing she needs is for her first love, Ben Campbell, to return to neighboring Snowflake Bay…

As kids, Fiona was the bratty little sister Ben mercilessly teased—while pining after Hannah. But Fi never once thought of Ben like a brother. And that hasn’t changed. Except Fi is all grown up. Will Ben notice her now? More importantly, with her life in a jumble, should he? Or might the romance of the occasion, the spirit of the season, and the gifts of time ignite a long-held flame for many Christmases to come…

Something old might just become something new…

Includes a DIY wedding project!

“Kauffman’s stories show that the bravery to reach for a connection is all we need to discover joy.” –Publishers Weekly on Sandpiper Island



USA Today bestselling author of the Bachelors of Blueberry Cove series, DONNA KAUFFMAN has been gratified to see her books get rave reviews in venues ranging from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmopolitan. She lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains in western Virginia, where she is presently applying her crafty DIY skills to decorating her new mountainside abode. Well, when she isn’t busy trying to keep the bears from hanging out in her flower and vegetable garden all day and night! With her new Brides of Blueberry Cove series, Donna’s been having a blast applying those same restoration and design skills to doing some fictional wedding planning. Of course, if that means haunting all those lovely antique shops and flea markets that are so plentiful in her new neck of the woods, well, it’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make. When she’s not finding ways to take her love of all things rustic and vintage and give them a fabulous seaside, coastal Maine wedding party twist, she loves to hear from readers! You can contact her through her website at donnakauffman.com.


Atlantic puffins landing on rock at maine coastal islands national wildlife refuge complex free stock picture
Puffins in Maine
Public Domain (link)


 Mahalo, Donna, for sharing SNOWFLAKE BAY with us!  I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Answer Donna's question - what is your favorite season?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 3, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 4.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

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Book 1 and 3 in the series ...

Monday, December 22, 2014

Aloha to Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis, and HelenKay Dimon - TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT

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Prepare to have your toes curled by some of the holiday's hunkiest heroes in this hot, hot, hot collection. . .

Donna Kauffman Unleashed

Hired to watch a billionaire's pets over the holidays, Emma Lafferty ends up trapped in a mansion with her employer's sexy great-nephew--and heir--whose motives are as shady as his desire is crystal clear....

Jill Shalvis Finding Mr. Right

With another lonely Christmas looming, the brilliant Maggie Bell has a eureka moment when she decides Jacob Wahler, a rough and rippling contractor, is so wrong he has to be oh-so-right...
HelenKay Dimon Can You Hand Me the Tape?

One week before Christmas, Natalie Pritchard loses the naughty tape she made for her now-ex-boyfriend. Only her nemesis, the sexy criminal defense attorney Spencer Donovan, can help--but can she afford his price?



I am giving away a print copy of TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about a "good night" - what would that be for you?  Remember, this is a family friendly blog so keep 'em clean.  To me a good night is a bottle of wine, Hawaii Five O, and a back rub from my hubby!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, December 27, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, December 28.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Donna here, Jill here, and HelenKay here


Saturday, March 15, 2014

Spring Fling with Kensington - Donna Kauffman's SWEET STUFF

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After a very cold, snowy, and slushy winter, I am ready for the breezy scene on Donna Kauffman's cover.   I could also indulge in cupcakes ... as SWEET STUFF is Book 2 in the Cupcake Club Romance series:

Double Fudge…Toasted Coconut…Key Lime…Strawberry Cream…

Every bite is a mouthful of heaven.

And the women of the Cupcake Club are bringing their appetites …

Riley Brown never imagined she would find her bliss on Georgia’s quiet Sugarberry Island after years of Chicago’s city life. With a new career and fantastic new friends, she’s got it all—except for eligible men. But a gig staging a renovated beach house delivers a delicious treat—six feet of blue-eyed, gorgeous writer as delectable and Southern as pecan pie. Quinn Brannigan has come to Sugarberry to finish his latest novel in peace, and suddenly Riley has a taste for the bad boy author that no amount of mocha latte buttercream or lemon mousse will satisfy …

Riley’s friends are rooting for her to give in to her cravings and spice up her life, but it’s Quinn who needs to learn that life’s menu just might include love, in all its decadent, irresistible flavors…



I am giving away a print copy of SWEET STUFF to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  What's your favorite flavor of cupcake?  I love yellow cake topped with fudge icing!

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 22, 10 pm in Baltimore. 

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 23.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Donna and her books, check out her website at donnakauffman.com.

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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Aloha to THE SUGAR COOKIE SWEETHEART SWAP with Donna Kauffman, Kate Angell, and Kimberly Kincaid


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The Girl Scouts in the neighborhood delivered the cookies I ordered.   I enjoy buying the thin mints ... but I enjoy making sugar cookies.   Enter the holiday anthology, THE SUGAR COOKIE SWEETHEART SWAP:

Where There's Smoke by Donna Kauffman

When flames from a recipe gone disastrously wrong send hunky fire-fighter Will Mason to pretty Clara Parker's rescue, the sparks really begin to fly! And once Will gets a taste of Clara, he aches for more than just a little sugar from the famously single food columnist...

The Gingerbread Man by Kate Angell

Folks have always told fun-loving Abby Denton that her anatomically correct Gingerbread cookies are...impressive. But those erotic cookies have nothing on the sexy stranger Abby saves from a snowy country road. Could Lander Reynolds be the Christmas treat she's truly been longing for?

Sugar And Spice by Kimberly Kincaid

When caterer Lily Callahan goes up against hotshot pastry chef Pete Mancuso in the bake-off of the season, the stakes are high - and scandalously passionate. Will the gorgeous gourmand steal Lily's heart - and the top prize in the Christmas cookie competition?

Public Domain (link)

I am giving away a print copy of THE SUGAR COOKIE SWEETHEART SWAP to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  How do you like to decorate your sugar cookies - sprinkles?  icing?  red hot cinnamon candies? 

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 23, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 24.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Check out the authors' websites for more about their books:

Donna Kauffman, donnakauffman.com

Kate Angell, kateangell.com

Kimberly Kincaid, kimberlykincaid.com


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Aloha to Donna Kauffman and PELICAN POINT

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One of my local friends has promised me a trip to Sandy Point on the Chesapeake Bay.   She noted that it might not offer the crystal clear waters of Hawaii, but it will reveal a comforting view of marine living. From its website (link),

This 786-acre Maryland State Park is located along the Northwestern shore of the majestic Chesapeake Bay. The park’s beaches and picnic areas are well known for their breathtaking scenic water views that overlook one of Maryland’s true treasures, the Chesapeake Bay. The park was first opened on June 25, 1952 and has provided its guests with various activities and services ever since.




Indeed, the crystal clear waters of Hawaii are hard to forget, especially those along the Mokapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail.
From its website (link),

The Makapu‘u Point trail, within Kaiwi State Scenic Shoreline, offers outstanding views of O‘ahu’s southeastern coastline, including Koko Head and Koko Crater. From the trail’s destination at Makapu‘u Head, one is rewarded with magnificent views of the windward coast and offshore islets, as well as the historic red-roofed Makapu‘u Lighthouse built in 1909, which makes a stunning picture against the deep blue sea below.




There is something about lighthouses that that pique my interest ... enter Donna Kauffman's PELICAN POINT, kicking off her new series, The Bachelors of Blueberry Cove:

Blueberry Cove, Maine, is as small-town as small towns get. More than a little quirky, it has sheltered generations of families. But there's always room for a new face…

Fixing things has always been Alex McFarland's greatest gift and keenest pleasure. But with her own life thoroughly broken, she's signed on to renovate the dilapidated Pelican Point lighthouse, hoping to reconnect with herself. The last thing she expects is to find herself falling in love--with the glorious coastline, with age-old secrets and welcome-home smiles…with rugged Logan McCrae, the man she just might be able to build new hopes on.


DIY is so much better with two...





I am giving away a print copy of PELICAN POINT to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about points, coves, lighthouse, and/or blueberries - what do you love about them?

I eat blueberries - a noted superfood - every morning atop my granola!

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 16, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 17.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Donna and her books, check out her website at donnakauffman.com.

Check out my pictures of Makapu'u Point on my travel blog, ALOHA ON MY MIND, at this link.