KISSING KIN

KISSING KIN
by Karen Hulene Bartell

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GENRE: Paranormal Romance

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BLURB:

Maeve Jackson is starting over after a broken engagement—and mustering out of the Army. No job and no prospects, she spins out on black ice and totals her car.

When struggling vintner Luke Kaylor stops to help, they discover they’re distantly related. On a shoestring budget to convert his vineyard into a winery, he makes her a deal: prune grapevines in exchange for room and board.

But forgotten diaries and a haunted cabin kickstart a five-generational mystery with ancestors that have bones to pick. As carnal urges propel them into each other’s arms, they wonder: Is their attraction physical…or metaphysical?

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EXCERPT

Our shoulders rubbed each time we moved. The downy hairs on the back of my neck tickling from the electricity passing between us, I shivered as the currents barreled down my spine.

“Cold?” Eyes wide, he caught my gaze.

I opened my mouth to speak but, forgetting what I meant to say, lost myself in his inviting brown eyes and could only nod.

He reached his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, sharing his body warmth.

With the faint scents of leather and saddle soap wafting from his jacket, his nearness was intoxicating, and I was tempted to lean into a kiss. Yet huddled together on the bone-chilling ledge, I gazed instead at the rugged wilderness surrounding us, content to savor the sweet ache of longing. If more is meant to be, it’ll happen.

Then thoughts of Cody froze me like a blue norther. Why did he come to mind?

****

So close, Luke felt the rise and fall of her chest each time she breathed. Her hair tickled his ear, raising goosebumps–and possibilities. If she turns toward me or gives any sign…But her sigh signaled something else. He side-glanced to read her mood, but she stared at the scenery, apparently oblivious of his rising libido.

“Want…” His voice cracked. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Want some water?”

“Sure.” She turned her head quickly, her hair brushing his cheek with a citrus scent.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author of the Trans-Pecos and Sacred Emblem series, Karen is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life, who writes multicultural, offbeat love stories. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved often, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Texas Piney Woods with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.

Connect with Karen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell
MeWe: https://mewe.com/i/karenbartell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HuleneKaren
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell
Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/
Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Kissing-Trans-Pecos-Karen-Hulene-Bartell-ebook/dp/B0CRJ6P13V/ref=sr_1_1

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Q & A With …

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

That’s a tough question because I wish I could have several abilities. It would save time if I could bilocate–that is, be present in two different places at the same time. There have been times in Texas that I wished I could dowse or locate water with a tool called a dowsing rod.
However, if I had to choose one paranormal ability, I would like it to be psychometry–the ability to learn information simply by touching a person or object.

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

I used to rescue, train, and rehome mustangs and other equines in need. I’m a terrible rider, yet I love working with horses.

When writing descriptions of your heroine, what feature do you start with?

I start with my heroine’s inner thoughts and fears. First, I get into her mind, then her physical features.
In Kissing Kin, I don’t depict the female protagonist’s appearance until the male protagonist describes her on page six. “Despite the puffy vest, her figure beneath was lithe and slender. Her tight jeans emphasized her derriere’s curves, and she moved with a dancer’s grace. She wore her tawny brown hair in a pixie cut that emphasized her haunting eyes. No makeup, her face was bare except for the freckles on her button nose.”

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I’m a pantser, no question about it. I do make short outlines of what happens next, but I’m too spontaneous to follow any extended framework. Besides, when I “play dolls” with friends, that is, brainstorm my plot, I often prefer their ideas to mine, which makes for far more interesting plot twists than I’d devise.

Did you learn anything from writing Kissing Kin? If so, what?

While writing Kissing Kin, I was led into several new areas of research, for example, the value of warranty deeds versus quitclaim deeds; the effects of nicotine on sharpshooter leafhoppers; and the causes and symptoms of PTSD. However, the most entertaining exploration included picking and stomping grapes in two central Texas vineyards. I love hands-on (and feet-on) research 😉