Kim McMahill

The publisher of, Marked in Mexico , and my upcoming novel, Desperate Dreams , is participating in the Night Owl Reviews Spring Fling Web Hunt (like a scavenger hunt). There are lots of prizes being given away including a Kindle, and Inspired Romance Novels has donated a three-chapter critique. The web hunt runs from April 1 through May 15, 2012. See http://inspiredromancenovels.com or http://nightowlreviews.com/nor/pages/springflingdetails.aspx for more information.

Check out the great Marked in Mexico review at http://tifferzbookreview.blogspot.com

All of my trade paperbacks and ebooks are available through  http://amazon.com and other on-line retailers. Some or all of my paperbacks are also available at the following bookstores and gift shops. Bookstore, 109 N. Bent Street, Powell, Wyoming The Bookworm at 8702 Pacific Street, Omaha, Nebraska Hotel Terra, Teton Village, Wyoming Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa, Teton Village, Wyoming The Wild Burro Bookstore, Hot Springs, South Dakota Probst Western Store, Greybull, Wyoming Cooke City Store, Cooke City, Montana Thank you for your continued interest.

I would like to post a special thank you to Bonnie McCune, Shelia Bolt Rudesill and Carlene Havel for sharing their thoughts on how the adventures in their lives have inspired their writing. I hope everyone enjoyed the different perspectives on this topic as much as I did. So, no matter how routine or far-flung it may seem, just be sure to Embrace the Adventure .

Though not a guest, I couldn’t resist adding a post to the mix on how adventure inspires writing. I love to experience new cultures and environments and many of these attributes and characteristics often find their way into my stories. Those who follow my work may have noticed that Mexico has shown up more than once. Primarily, it’s a place I’ve spent a great deal of time exploring as a traveler, day-tripper and volunteer. The country is a geographically diverse area of beaches, mountains, deserts and jungles and all hold their own unique beauty and story. Some of my most favorite sites to visit are the Mayan ruins, and I have used Chichén Itzá and Cobá as jumping off points for several novels, Marked in Mexico and Deadly Ruins . It’s impossible to visit these archeological treasures and not feel the mystery.   The Mayan people still reside throughout the area, yet there remains much disagreement as to the reasons the grand cities were abandoned.   Remarkably well preserved r...

What could be more routine than running to the grocery store? Yet I recently learned something about perspective on such an errand. A group of three people preceded me through the exit: a young woman, a boy about four, and a girl perhaps six. The woman stopped at the door. "Oh, no," she wailed. Meanwhile, the kids jumped up and down, whooping and laughing. The grownup was probably caught up in practical concerns about umbrellas, hairdos, and dampened clothing. The children accepted the inevitability of the rainstorm with glee. Everyone leaving the store that morning would get wet, some joyfully, some with chagrin. I followed the little family into the rain, determined to relish the simple adventure of an unexpected cloudburst. 

The adventure of my life was my forty-five year career as a nurse. Most of my stories are written about people with unreasonable hardships—the people who survived horrendous odds. I have a library of facts that begins in a Jewish nursing school on Miami Beach. An elderly mama yenta reigned as house mother in our dorm. Tuition included free lunches in the kosher cafeteria where I was introduced to matzah ball soup, latkes, blintzes, and learned the difference between water and egg bagels. On Purim the patient trays were decorated with tiny plastic wine glasses with strips of shiny purple cellophane flowing from them. It was my first look at a culture different from my own. (I later worked in a NICU in Saudi Arabia.) The first death I witnessed was a young mother with three children and a handsome husband. I’d been jealous of her. It took quite a while to be able to look at myself in the mirror after her death. I learned about misconceptions and strength of character. Most of my career...

Everyday Adventures: "The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings," said author Rudyard Kipling. That's certainly my perspective, and from this attitude, I see each day as an adventure and each person as an opportunity to learn more. In my new novel, A Saint Comes Stumbling In , I drew upon a number of everyday adventures I've experienced myself to add to the plot. One example is the exercise and weight-lifting that heroine Joan attempts. Like Joan, I was a novice years ago and hesitated to insert my small and female self into the world of muscular men. But taking a deep breath, and with a supportive husband at my side, I plunged forward. I've now been weight-lifting for about 30 years. You wouldn't know it from looking at me (I'm not muscle-bound), but I enjoy it and feel good afterwards. Another example is the fear Joan faces when she has a massive water leak. That comes straight from my life. Who knows why...

Embrace Adventure – the word adventure usually conjures up visions of fun and excitement, but adventure is anything that exposes us to something new, often pushing the limits of our comfort zone. So, beginning this weekend, with posts changing every couple of days, I will be hosting guest authors who will be sharing how the adventures in their lives have inspired them and their writing.   So please join us as we explore the gamut of life’s adventures.

Great covers really enhance the marketability of a book and, when attached to my work, fantastic designs make me giddy. I just saw the mock-up for, Desperate Dreams, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. In the meantime, here are my two favorites to date.

Who knew? March 1 is apparently National Peanut Butter Day. I must admit I like the tone and taste of that.