Spreading love

Spreading love

Sunday, December 13, 2009

MARCHING ON!

Received wonderful news this week about my upcoming release date. Curling Up will be released by Red Rose Publishing on March 25. Expect to be seeing me at various blog spots in March: http://www.moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/ and http://www.rosesofprose.blogspot.com/. I love those groups and always look forward to chatting with them.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

RED ROSE COOKBOOK

I am proud to present a holiday cookbook comprised of Authors from Red Rose Publishing. For those interested in acquiring the book, they can go the following link:
http://www.delilahkstephans.com/kissindontlastcookbook.pdf

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Back in time for Fall!

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I've been in the press box furiously rewriting three books. Two of them-- Catching a Cuban Curveball and Curling Up --- were recently contracted for Red Rose Publishing. Expect these books to be released sometime in 2010.
In the meantime, I hope to finish the third soon and get that one contracted as well.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

A CAJUN COLD in JULY

This morning, I received more great news. How to Cure a Cajun Cold has also been added to the Ebook roster at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/. Here's the link to my page: http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?PST=B7&WRD=kt+bishop&box=kt%20bishop&pos=-1

Monday, July 20, 2009

PICKING COTTON update

Just found out great news today. Picking Cotton is among the books Red Rose Publishing has made available at Barnes and Nobles as a E-book. Wow! I've always wanted to be in bookstores. What a thrill! All I need now is a few sales.....

Saturday, July 18, 2009

WELCOME BACK

I've been away for the past several weeks submitting three Interracial/Multicultural Romance novels. As soon as they get accepted, will give an update.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

MEMORIAL DAY FESTIVAL

Welcome.... Lisa Lipkind Leibow
Red Rose Publishing Author Lisa Lipkind Leibow took time from Memorial Day to drop by and discuss her latest book, Double Out and Back. The book will soon be released by Red Rose Publishing.
K.T.: What is your reason for writing books?
LLL: I write fiction. Most of my projects are book-length. I write novels because I tend to think on a grand scale and I love the challenge of weaving together a lengthy plot with large casts of characters. However, I write short stories, too. My short story, Lessons From a Squirrel can be found in the Winter 2008 issue of the Pisgah Review.
KT: What is your favorite genre to write about?
LLL: I don’t consider myself a genre writer. So, this is a difficult question for me to answer. Double Out and Back is mainstream fiction. It has some elements of historical fiction, multicultural fiction, chick lit, and dark romance. I guess if I had to classify it, I’d call it smart Women’s fiction.
KT: Tell us about your writing process?
LLL: I spend a lot of time getting to know my characters before I set out to animate them in a written scene. I “interview” them and craft detailed back stories for them. Much of this never makes it into the story. But knowing a character’s motivations and how they would react in a given situation based on their past experiences helps me to make a character come alive on the page when I drop them into the plot. For me, writing fiction is a lot like method acting. A director might give an actor a five minute explanation of what his motivations should be to utter one line of dialogue. And these motivations permeate the performance, coming through with facial expression, posture, gesticulations, and inflection of the actor’s voice. Someone watching the performance can infer a lot about an actor’s motivations and emotions without a lengthy narrative explaining where he’s coming from. When I write prose, I work hard to balance dialogue and narrative to give the reader a vivid, sensory experience with realistic, fully-drawn characters.
KT: Who are some of your influences as an author?
LLL: I’m heavily influenced by what I love to read. I have so many literary heroes, I could write volumes on the subject. I’ll share a few with you here. I’m in awe of Alice Munro’s ability to sum up an entire lifetime in a sentence. I love the quirky characters of John Irving , the vivid, detailed descriptions of Ayn Rand, and the strong, pithy dialogue of Ernest Hemingway. I admire the character driven fiction of Julia Glass and the expertly plotted tales of Steven King. I admire the boldness of Barbara Kingsolver to tackle multiple, first-person points-of-view in one novel, and Amy Tan’s ability to carry me to a time and place I’ve never been and make it seem real to me.
KT: Do you see yourself writing books forever?
LLL: I’m not one to think in absolutes. I see myself writing until my muse stops courting me and until writing ceases to satisfy my need for a creative outlet. Since I can’t imagine when that day might arrive, I guess that’s as close to hoping to write “forever” as I’ll admit.
KT: What makes this book so intriguing?
LLL: What’s striking about Double Out and Back is that it explores from a literary perspective, some of the social issues faced by a generation that has more options than ever when it comes to starting a family. What fascinates me is that when it comes right down to it, even with the technological advancements in reproduction and healthcare, families still must rely on one another to thrive.
KT: Anything else you're working on?
LLL: I routinely share that I am perpetually almost finished with my second novel. I also have a first draft of a young adult fantasy novel awaiting my attention, as well as several other projects in the research phase.
KT: Give us an excerpt—
“I’m ready!” Summer sprinted from the bathroom, where she had just rinsed her mouth with her favorite cinnamon-flavored mouthwash and inserted her diaphragm. It was probably overkill, since she also wore a birth control patch, but she refused to take any chances.
Summer sped through the condo, running through rooms all lined up in a row, from the tiny antiquated bathroom through the eat-in kitchen with her grandmother’s old Formica table and vinyl chairs, then past Jeremy’s hideous bachelor sofa that dominated the living room. Some people called the condo a railroad flat while others called it shotgun-style. She liked the former description better; it sounded less violent. Although, she supposed, she would have a greater chance of dodging a bullet racing through her home than she would of escaping a train barreling through it.
Summer dashed past the entrance of the small study alcove off the living room and into the bedroom where Jeremy waited. She pounced on the finest mattress and linens – her and Jeremy’s sole splurge.
Eagerly, she wrapped her arms and legs around Jeremy. She expected him to return her playfulness, but tonight he pulled away from their tight embrace and held her at arm’s length, his hands on her shoulders. His hair, so black it looked blue, always captivated Summer. His eyes, equally alluring in their darkness, were solemn.
“We have to talk,” he said.
“Now? What is it?” she asked.
Summer untangled herself from him and pulled up the patchwork quilt. Jeremy swallowed hard, but still he said nothing.
Summer said, “Tell me. It can’t be that bad.” She combed his dark bangs with her fingers.
He cleared his throat.
“Jeremy, tell me. You’re making me nervous,” she said.
“Okay,” he said, “here goes.” He cleared his throat again, and then said, “Summer, I've never told you that,” his speech accelerated, “I’m adopted.”
“What?” she asked.
“I’m adopted,” he repeated. “That’s why I want us to have a baby so badly.”
She released a chuckle, feeling a great sense of relief. “That’s your big secret? Oh, Jeremy, you had me scared out of my mind.” She moved closer to him. “I was thinking, some horrible disease, or you used to be a woman,” she said and then laughed, adding, “I guess I wonder, though, why you didn’t tell me before.”
Jeremy’s face looked pale and tense. His normally sonorous voice became tinny. “I remember when I was five years old. Two neighbors from down the street, both mothers of big families. Between them they had nine children. They gossiped on the playground at my school while I was bouncing up and down on a seesaw with my friend. Maybe they didn’t know I was there, but I heard them clear as anything. They were talking about a local couple planning to adopt a baby and one said, ‘I would rather be childless than to adopt someone else’s problem.’ Problem! Can you believe it? I was only five, but I knew I was adopted. From that day on, I vowed never to tell anyone. It’s none of their business.”
Summer pressed her hand against Jeremy’s shoulder, guiding him to rest on the bed again. He didn’t budge. She kissed him and asked, “Adopted?”
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“So you’re telling me now? As foreplay?” she asked, laughing aloud.
Then he relaxed into a smile and said, “I know it may not seem like such a big deal, but it is to me. I really want to have a baby so I can know someone who is part of me. I want my children to feel certain they're wanted. Plus, I've never had the experience of knowing someone biologically related to me. You need to be sure, too.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I have no idea what’s in my genes. Hell, someday our kids could look like…like the jolly green giant – nothing like either one of us. You would wonder, right?” Jeremy retreated.
“That doesn’t matter to me.” Summer scooted closer to him. She contemplated how seriously Jeremy took this. How could he worry about this when having a child was years away? Summer felt positive she would be concerned about giving birth to a healthy baby when the time came, and not how much the baby looked like her or Jeremy.
Jeremy’s confession brought them closer together. He shared with her what he believed to be his deepest, most intimate secret. Jeremy smiled, revealing clean, white teeth. The top two front teeth overlapped just enough to make him look real, not like an airbrushed GQ type. Summer’s freckled nose rested against Jeremy’s nose. When she looked into his eyes from that vantage point, she spied his heavy, neat eyebrows. His chin felt smooth against her chin.
Jeremy smiled. “The thought of you having my baby just thrills me. We could have a son or daughter with your gorgeous eyes, silky hair, and my golf swing; or with your long legs, my black hair and flair for logic. It's phenomenal no matter how I imagine it. Plus, whoever our baby is, that little boy or girl will be the first person biologically related to me I’ll ever meet. It’ll be great.” He looked unsure for a moment. “Don’t you think?”
Summer realized that being privy to Jeremy’s secret – something that shouldn’t even have been a secret – added pressure to give her husband a baby, and soon. She stared at the window, unable to meet his gaze as she spoke. She hoped they could finally stop talking and get back to sex.
“I look forward to being the one to give you that dream,” she said.
Although she didn’t verbalize it, what she really meant was that she looked forward to it someday. This was not the first time he had pressured her to have a baby. So far she had been successful in postponing the baby question until after she graduated from law school, after she passed the Bar, and now she made the excuse of waiting to achieve partnership at Intamin, Whalom and Cobb.
Deviously, she distracted her husband from reproduction with seduction. She pressed herself against him and kissed him deeply. Over Jeremy’s shoulder, she peeked at her left ring finger, which showed off a spectacular oval diamond set in a platinum ring. It symbolized their love.
She took pride in being married to Jeremy, a handsome, intelligent man with a fantastic future at one of the largest CPA firms in the world. For her, finding a good husband had been as important a goal as making partner. With diamond and diaphragm firmly in place, even with their lips locked together, the corners of her mouth floated into a smile.
To learn more about me and my upcoming novel, visit me on my website, http://www.lisalipkindleibow.com/ and at Red Rose Publishing, http://redrosepublishing.com/bookstore/product_info.php?cPath=62_92&products_id=402

Saturday, May 9, 2009

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY

Wishing the author moms a Happy Mother's Day. I was a guest blogger with the cool authors at Roses of Prose. Click here For a look at my interview, go to http://www.rosesofprose.blogspot.com/.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

COTTON CATCHING ON

Talk about starting with a bang! Picking Cotton made its way onto the Red Rose's best seller list, entering the sixth position. The Interracial Sports Romance, starring M.L. Cotton and Jennifer Monet', peaked as high as fourth. The rest of the week, it hovered around the ninth position. To debut in the Top 10, cracking the Top four, is a big thrill.
Here's a sampling of compliments from my fellow authors:
Betty Ann Harris: "I think it's just fabulous! I really do believe the sports combined with the multi-cultural genre is going to make this book really sell. I wish you the very best of luck. I recommended to my son that he should purchase it and read it. He LOVEs sports, and of course he likes the girls too!''
Sherin Nicole: ''That's gotta be a great feeling! Cheers to staying power.''
Nancy O'Berry: "Picking Cotton is doing a fantastic job! Congratulations on your success!''
Gracen Miller: "Congrats on hitting the best seller list!!! That's awesome!!! Sounds like you did the right kind of promotion.''
Kathleen Rowland: "I love the spirit of your story, and I'm impressed that your cover artist captured it. This cover just draws me in...... Interracial romance is very big now with our global world. ''

Monday, April 20, 2009

GOING TO THE WILD SIDE!

My blog tour today stopped at Wild Romantic Ladies, where I chatted with fellow Red Rose Authors Nancy Famolari and Raven Starr.
Here's that interview: http://wildromanticladies.blogspot.com/2009/04/kt-bishop-is-back.html

Thursday, April 16, 2009

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!

Today,
Picking Cotton was officially released by Red Rose Publishing. Today, I was a guest on Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem blogspot plugging the book.
Here's a link to the interview: http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-welcome-authorkt-bishop.html.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

HAPPY EASTER

Wanted to wish everyone a happy Easter. I had the distinct pleasure of being a guest on wicked thorn and roses. Here's my interview on the blog site that features Paranormal artist Gracen Miller.
http://wickedthornandroses.blogspot.com/2009/04/please-welcome-authorkt-bishop.html

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

MY OSCAR SPEECH

It was a great effort all-around, I can't take all of the credit.
Creative Trailers, with Julie Skerven, produced the video. Sensitivity sang the song The Love I Love to love, and I get a composer/writer credit. Wow! Feel like we won a Grammy for best song writing group in Pop music. "I’m so glad that you like the trailer,'' Julie Skerven said.

Monday, April 6, 2009

THE EARLY REPORTS

The Trailer of Picking Cotton has received rave reviews. I'm real encouraged for success after its April 16 at Red Rose Publishing:
Here's a sampling from authors and editors, two of whom I value their opinion very highly:
1. Rochelle Weber, an author and who edited Picking Cotton: "I greatly enjoyed the trailer.....Thumbs up!''
2. Author/Reviewer Desiree DeCleves: "Nice Trailer.''
3. Author Barbara Harris of Red Rose Publishing: "I really enjoyed the video trailer. It made me interested in reading the book. I think my Darkhorse Conspiracy is coming out the same day as your Picking Cotton. It's pretty exciting.''
4. My unbiased cousin Shirley Rice, who works in accounting for a Alabama newspaper: "That was great, I can't wait to read the book!''
5. Author YL Stokes: ''I love the trailer for Picking Cotton, Awesome job.''
6. Author Megan Rose: "It's very classy. I like it very much.''
7. Author Kathleen Rowland: "Congrats, you are making a nice splash! I love the website!''
8. Rookie Author Kate Appleton: "I just checked out your blog and watched the trailer - great stuff! I can't wait to read the book! Good luck!!!''
9. Author Dee Shore: "That was really well done. Love it.''
10. Author Delores Walker: "A good trailer.''

Sunday, April 5, 2009

GETTING A TRAILER

Take a look at the video trailer for Picking Cotton, which will be released on April 16 at Red Rose Publishing: http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Rp5Kp2TH

Thursday, April 2, 2009

April Showers

While counting down the days to the release of Picking Cotton on April 16 at Red Rose Publishing, I got this great quote from Erotica writer Megan Rose:
"A great writer is someone who can capture the reader's heart and mind, without force or coercion. ''
Words to live by. Indeed.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

MORE HAPPY RETURNS

I'm continuing to get praise for my cover Picking Cotton. Here's what they had to say:
1. One of my favorite authors, Amber Leigh Williams: "Congrats on the beautiful cover.''
2. Author/reviewer Desiree DeCleeves: "A very nice cover.''
3. Stephanie Spalino needed only one word to describe it: "Cool.''
4. Dee Shore: "I love the color! It's so lively. ''
5. Paranormal Romance writer Cynthia Eden: ''That is a fabulous cover! Congrats!''

Sunday, March 1, 2009

And the beat goes on......

Other authors were gracious enough to share their opinions of my beautiful cover of Picking Cotton:
1. Paranormal romance author Bliss Anderson: "I love that cover! It's clean and crisp and who will resist?''
2. Delores Airey (wow 2 Deloreses): "Nice Cover.''
3. Yoyo: ''I love the cover for Picking Cotton.''

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Emerging from the covers

I'm so excited about Picking Cotton soon getting released from Red Rose Publishing. For those who hadn't seen my cover, look to the right.
What a great design by http://www.asharceneaux.deviantart.com/. Thanks a lot, Ash.
Here are comments from other authors and book dignitaries:
1. Delores ''Magnolia'' Walker of Red Rose Publishing: "Nice.''
2. Betty Ann Harris, a Spellbinding romantic suspense author with Red Rose Publishing: "Great eye-catching cover! I love it. ''
3. Rochelle Weber of Red Rose Publishing: "Cool! I do love our cover artists.''
4. Veteran author Carol North: ''It's great. it has that clean, classy style that says "Red Rose."

Thursday, January 29, 2009

KICKING IT WITH KT

Happy Belated New Year. I stopped by and visited with the lovely ladies at Deadly Vixens. I had plenty to yap about today, including this weekend's Super Bowl.
http://www.thedeadlyvixens.com/2009/01/welcome-author-kt-bishop.html