Kim McMahill

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Romancing the West Blog Tour. In keeping with the celebration of cowboys I enjoyed a weekend at a professional bull riding. The PBR is definitely not my daddy’s rodeo, but the cowboys are the toughest and it is truly an exciting and entertaining event to witness. And lastly, a special thanks to Sara Ellwood for organizing the blog hop. Check out Cowboy Charm for more info.   Be sure to visit http://addictedtoebooks.com to learn about inexpensive ebooks from a wide variety of authors. Big Horn Storm was featured on the site yesterday and Marked in Mexico awhile back.   Also, Big Horn Storm is currently available for download for a limited time directly from the publisher, Prism Book Group , for only .99.   I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

 WELCOME TO THE ROMANCING THE WEST BLOG TOUR  Click Here Why do we enjoy writing and reading about the West? What is it about cowboys that is just plain irresistible? Over thirty authors and bloggers tackle these and other questions by explaining why we love Romancing the West.    But that’s not all, as you enjoy some awesome blogs and find fantastic books, for every post you comment on with your email address , you will be entered for some amazing prizes. The Grand Prize is a swag pack which includes books (both ebooks and paperback), Amazon gift card, custom made butterfly jewelry, book cards, magnets and much more all tucked away in a keepsake box (Available to US residents only). The winner will be announced on February 26 at 10 PM EST). For more details on the prizes visit Cowboy Charm   When most of us think of the West our minds inevitable drift to rugged and remote landscapes where life is tough, but the people who survive and even thrive despite the har

The week surrounding Valentine’s Day was a fun and busy time for readers and writers of the romance genre (see posts below). Thank you to everyone who participated in the various celebrations and activities and congratulations to the winners.   But not to worry, as one party ends another begins. Check back later this week for the Romancing the West Blog hop which kicks off February 22 and runs through February 25. Meet the cowboys who capture the imagination and find out about more opportunities to win great prizes.

LAST DAY!!! Don’t miss out on your opportunity to WIN some great prizes on our Home is Where the Heart Is Blog Hop!! Just go to www.prismbookgroup.com/blog  for heartfelt stories of home. Then follow the Hop links for more stories and opportunities to win great stuff including two grand prizes of $40 Gift Cards to the winner’s bookseller of choice and an awesome swag pack. Prism Book Group's daily installments of the short story, A Blizzard Wedding , resume tomorrow. Be sure to stop by and comment for more giveaways.

When paradise turns deadly, flee into the jungle and fight for your life. Stop by The Log Line Blog  today, February 16, and comment on Marked in Mexico’s logline to be entered in The Logline Blog’s monthly contest where one luck winner will receive a $20 Amazon or ARe gift card.   Candle Light Read’s, Home is Where the Heart Is, Blog Hop continues today. Go to www.prismbookgroup.com/blog and join nine Prism authors for their heroes and heroines heartfelt stories of home. Then follow the Hop links for more stories and opportunities to win great stuff including two grand prizes of $40 Gift Cards to the winner’s bookseller of choice and an awesome swag pack.    And, if you haven’t already done so, go to Amazon.com or click  here to get your free Kindle download of Cutter’s Bizaar , by Bud Rudesill. The promotion ends Sunday, so don’t miss this opportunity to e njoy a jaunt through four decades of fashion and glamour photography in Cutter's Bizaar.

There are a lot of exciting things going on this weekend.   Candlelight Reads' , Home is Where the Heart Is, Blog Hop starts today. Go to www.prismbookgroup.com/blog and join nine Prism authors for their heroes and heroines heartfelt stories of home. Then follow the Hop links for more stories and opportunities to win great stuff including two grand prizes of $40 Gift Cards to the winner’s bookseller of choice and an awesome swag pack.    Next on your fabulous freebie weekend, click here or go to Amazon.com   to get your free Kindle download of Cutter’s Bizaar , by Bud Rudesill. The promotion runs this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Don’t miss this limited time opportunity to e njoy a jaunt through four decades of fashion and glamour photography in Cutter's Bizaar .   And, please join me on The Logline Blog ( http://theloglineblog.blogspot.com ) tomorrow, February 16, where Marked in Mexico will be featured.   The Logline Blog holds a monthly contest for a $20 Amaz

A very happy Valentine’s Day to all.   Enjoy the day, but keep it real.   Love can’t be measured in dollars or grand gestures.   Love is expressed in kindness, consideration, thoughtful deeds and an overwhelming sense of joy at being together.   Today shouldn’t be a day of disappointment due to unmet expectations of commercial creation. Valentine’s Day is about spending time with the one you love or reveling in the possibility.

With Valentine’s Day approaching publishers, authors and readers of all subgenres of romance are gearing up to celebrate.   Please join Prism Book Group  on their  Blog for a week-long celebration of romance. There will be prizes and daily installments of, A Blizzard wedding, the third collaborative effort by Prism Book Group Authors. I was on an adventure during this go-around, but if you’ve been following our free short stories you’ll remember that I contributed to our kick-off venture titled, Lightning Strikes . Second in the series was After the Storm and now it’s time to enjoy A Blizzard Wedding .   Free downloads of the first two short stories are available at PrismBookGroup.com or on Amazon.com.

Fin del mundo , the end of the world. I’ve been there and it was amazing. From Ushuaia, Argentina we traveled to Tierra del Fuego National Park where the Pan-American Highway terminates, 11,065 miles from its beginning in Alaska. The stark beauty of this vast area was breathtaking—so much empty space with so few people. It truly felt like the last frontier.   Despite Tierra del Fuego’s claim to fame, we found ourselves heading further south to round Cape Horn, a massive barren rock jutting out of a tumultuous sea. It was a humbling experience being so far from everything familiar and at the mercy of something so powerful.   In the early years of navigation the waters around the Cape where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans collide were feared.   The conditions created by strong winds, large waves, powerful currents, and at certain times of the year, icebergs, claimed many lives and spawned rough and rugged frontier outposts fit only for the hardiest souls. We heard reports that

Penguin chicks at Otway Sound near Punta Arenas, Chile - could anything be cuter?

When looking through my bookcase I must admit I have a rather diverse collection. I know people who only read fantasy, westerns, self-help or historical romances, but I guess my tastes run the gamut of genres and styles. I have a number of non-fiction books, mostly travel, survival, nature and cultural exploration, such as Paul Theroux, Peter Canby, John Krakauer, Edward Abbey, and Aldo Leopold, to name a few, but I lean heavily toward pure fiction. I like to be entertained and I love happy endings.   In contemplating how I arrived at my reading list I started to associate certain works with those whom I share an interest. My husband and I both read Clive Cussler and James Rollins (these are my favorite at the moment). I’ve given the Hunger Games and The Host a shot upon my niece’s recommendation; read mainstream fiction my sister passes down to me such as Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown, Linda Howard and Karen Robards; and my mom and I conquered Jan Karon’s Mitford series together. W