Kim McMahill

As I watch the news every evening and see all the devastation occurring across our draught-ridden country I can’t help but think about how different this summer is from the previous year. 2012 will be marked as a year of destructive wildfires, excessive heat and failed crops. This morning the Missouri River level at Omaha, Nebraska was 14.83 feet. On this date last year the river was at 35.27 feet, well above the 29 foot flood-stage. The river peaked on July 1 at over 36 feet and laid waste to homes, farm ground, highways and parks, just to name a few.     I wonder, and somewhat fear, what next summer will bring, and desperately hope we see a middle ground to alleviate the suffering of so many. Note: river level data obtained from http://waterwatch.usgs.gov

I’m very pleased to share a preview of the cover for my upcoming novel due to be released August 24. Big Horn Storm is a contemporary western romantic adventure set in rugged mountain country. The story combines a too-close-to-home military crisis, harrowing horseback escapes and an attempt to reconcile the past in an action-packed thriller.

Join me today on Rick Bylina’s  blog where, “The Only Rule: Writers Write! Everything Else is a Guideline,” as I look at fishing stories and fiction. It’s a great blog site with penty of humor, good writing advice and reviews.

A while back Bonnie McCune was an author on my Places of Impact guest blogger series. She wrote an amazing and touching piece about the World Trade Center. This Thursday and Friday, July 19 and 20, Amazon-Kindle will offer FREE downloads of her latest novel, “A Saint Comes Stumbling In.” Just click on  http://A Saint Comes Stumbling In and request your free copy for downloading.

Sometimes all the further one needs to look for good advice is a fortune cookie. For years I’ve carried around a tiny strip of paper stating, “Happiness isn’t in having what you want, but rather wanting what you have.” No truer words have ever come from a bland dessert. I also had to smile when I read, “You have a charming way with words and should write a book.”

My next novel, Big Horn Storm , is scheduled for release on August 24, 2012. I hope you’ve been following my feisty heroines as they’ve gone up against some really bad guys in the jungle in Marked in Mexico and fled from an oppressive authoritarian government through the desert southwest in Desperate Dreams . But, my latest heroine may be facing the deadliest challenge yet as she squares off against a foreign military aggressor in the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. How could this happen, you may ask? To find out, mark your calendars and check back often for hints, facts, excerpts and news.

I’ll be a guest on RomCon’s Contemporary Blog on July 8. Please stop by http://romconinc.com  and leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Desperate Dreams.

I hope everyone enjoys a fun and safe Independence Day with family and friends. God Bless America!