Kim McMahill

With the expense of transporting manufactured materials such as milled lumber, shingles, concrete, etc., rural villagers take advantage of the abundance of natural construction materials. Leaf houses can be erected quickly, especially when tackled by a family or community, are made of sustainable materials, and are functional for the environment. These homes are a common part of the landscape throughout the country. I stayed in this house on the island of Makira.

Welcome to this week’s Book Hooks blog hop. Here’s a little teaser from my romantic suspense adventure novel , Marked In Mexico .   This novel has 58 reviews (33 are five star ratings on Amazon with an average rating of 4.5 stars. I hope you enjoy this highly-rated adventure! Excerpt Under any other circumstance the words, “kill another person,” at the end of a sentence would have terrified her, but the way Jack said it only made her heart ache. He had killed before, but it clearly hadn’t been easy and he obviously hadn’t gotten over it. Jessica took his hands in hers and turned them over. They were large and rough. He’d carried no weapon, so he obviously could have killed the man with his bare hands. Whenever he touched her, he was so gentle she just couldn’t believe it was possible. Though he had done nothing but try to protect Megan and her, there was clearly much more to Jack than he had shared and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the rest of his story, but felt t...

Ushuaia, Argentina is the southern-most city in the world. This unique and remote small city (most would call it a town), is an amazing place and a gateway to many natural wonders. And, just the idea of being fin del mundo , at the end of the world, was enough to make the imagination soar.   

My favorite movies involve exciting adventures, such as in Sahara or Australia , which is why I write what I write.   I also enjoy a good action flick. In fact, I have all the Bourne and Mission Impossible movies on DVD, which I re-watch at least once a year. But, with our ever evolving automobile technology will those classic car-chase scenes change? In a recent car commercial a car sensed an object behind it and automatically applied the brakes. How would Jason Bourne hotwire a vehicle on a rooftop parking lot, throw it into reverse, speed toward the lip of the building, and catapult the car over the ledge? In the future will smoke just roll from the tires as he floors the gas pedal and the car brakes? And, what about stability control? The instant a car senses a slip, it shuts itself down. This one has actually plagued me while trying to get up the last switchback on a steep snow-covered dirt road leading home. I could see dry ground just feet away, but my SUV dec...

There are definitely signs around Yelapa verifying that a few tourists are discovering this small haven not far from Puerto Vallarta, but day-to-day life continues to rule, from mules hauling materials to a local maintaining his fishing boat.

Those who know me or have followed me for very long know that I drag my feet when it comes to taking a technological step.   I was one of those writers and readers who vowed I would never read anything but a bound book that I could hold in my hands and manually turn those paper pages. But, some of the newer authors aren’t always stocked in bookstores and the price of a Kindle book is often cheap enough that I don’t mind inching away from my top handful of authors to give a new writer a chance, and I was missing out on all the free Kindle books I saw being promoted. So, rather than jumping in with both feet, I decided to take baby steps and downloaded Amazon’s free Kindle App for my computer.   I was amazed at how easy and enjoyable it was, and now free books were just a click away.   Soon my confidence grew and I got a Kindle, which I now read almost exclusively. So, if you’re on the fence about digital books, the free Kindle App for your computer may be a way to test the...

Small artisan and general merchandise shops hugged a shady cobble-stone street not far from the waterfront. Unlike many places in Mexico, we were able to browse the diverse selection of wares with little sales pressure. I’m generally not much of a shopper, but the quaint setting and laid back atmosphere was hard to resist.

Welcome to this week’s Book Hooks blog hop. Here’s a little teaser from my contemporary western adventure novel, Big Horn Storm . I hope you enjoy the adventure, suspense, and dash of romance. Excerpt   A heavily-armed man in uniform shoved Deuce out the back door of the barn in the direction of the shed. He stumbled into view, his hands tied behind his back. When his head came up, Niki could see that his eyes were nearly swollen shut, and blood ran down his face, soaking his hair and shirt. The man kicked Deuce hard in the small of his back and shoved him to the ground. Deuce struggled to rise to his knees, swaying, but keeping his balance. The soldier slung his automatic weapon over his shoulder, backed away several paces, pulled his pistol from its holster and raised the weapon, leaving no doubt in Niki’s mind of his intentions. Deuce was about to be executed.   Blurb   Niki Garat tolerates her job and the city, but she lives for her summer vacat...

The following short stories were written by Prism Book Group authors in round-robin style during various promotional events.  Each author took a turn with the story (I participated in Lightning Strikes ), adding the next scene, with the freedom to take the book in any direction , and at times incorporating suggestions of event participants . These stories are offered free of charge directly through the publisher at http://Prismbookgroup.com or through Amazon.   I hope you enjoy these free and fun short reads. Lightning Strikes - After a storm, a major power outage leaves two at-odds neighbors dependent on each other. Forced to unite, will their animosity for each other crash like thunder or will they discover love as lightning strikes?   After The Storm - Bonded by a harrowing cat rescue, Luke and Rachel are instant friends, but they can’t deny their attraction despite their business relationship. Rachel worries dating her boss is a bad idea, but soon the least...