Kim McMahill

Here’s what’s coming up in November. November 1 – All Saints Day November 1-2 – Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) November 3 – Daylight Savings time ends (fall back an hour) November 5 – General Election Day in the United States November 11 – Veteran’s Day November 13 – Caregiver Appreciation and Sadie Hawkins Day November 20 – Universal Children’s Day November 21 – Great American Smokeout November 28 – Thanksgiving Day November 29 – Black Friday

I was going through files on my computer recently and deleting old stuff I no longer needed and came across a bunch of memes I created for A Foundation of Fear . There was such a lag between when I made these and the actual release of the novel, that I forgot about them. So, please bear with me as I share these a bit after the fact. I’m totally techno-challenged, so I was pretty pleased with myself and don’t want them to go totally to waste.

"A journey into the wilderness is the freest, cheapest, most nonprivileged of pleasures. Anyone with two legs and the price of a pair of army surplus combat boots may enter." — Edward Abbey

When I put out a call for cheap and free short stories, I didn’t know how much response I would get. I’m overwhelmed by the number of quality stories I received and want to thank all of the great authors who participated. I began the series with my own free download, A Formidable Foe , so it seems only appropriate to end the Super Summer Shorts series with my perma-free prequel novelette to the Risky Research Series . So, if school and holidays has you too busy for a full-length novel, check out A Formidable Foe or scroll back through my July, August, and September posts for more great short story ideas, but be sure to check the price as some of the books may have been on limited-time specials. Thanks again to all of those who provided stories and to all of you who downloaded these great books. I hope maybe a few of you found your new favorite author. Blurb from A Formidable Foe University Student and criminal justice major, Devyn Nash, is convinced a serial killer is target...

Southern France’s Rhone River winds its way through idyllic countryside dotted with vineyards and charming villages on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. Its journey begins in the Swiss Alps and ends near the beautiful city of Arles, France. This waterway offers an amazing opportunity to enjoy a scenic and historic look at Provence. On a recent visit to the area, we marveled at ancient roman ruins, the medieval walls surrounding the city of Avignon and its amazing architecture, vineyards thriving along the hillsides, vibrant markets, and walked in the footsteps of Vincent van Gogh. Someday I hope to return and continue to explore the cultural and historical roots of this humble yet impressive place.

Nothing says fall like apple cider, so we had to check out Cider Days in Lakewood, Colorado this past weekend. The festival, which celebrates Lakewood’s agricultural heritage, was held at the Lakewood Heritage Center, which is a neat place to visit any time of the year with its ten historic structures and over 40,000 artifacts showcasing the history of Lakewood. Aside from the usual vendors that seem to appear at any festival of any theme, this one had a lot of fun twists. Apple cider and all things apple were plentiful. Aside from food, we really enjoyed the vintage tractor pull and other demonstrations including apple pressing, butter making, the sock knitting machine, chair caning, and fresh backed apple crisp in the 1930s farmhouse. It turned out to be a great way to spend a beautiful fall day in Colorado. 

The fourteenth short story in my Super End-of-Summer Shorts series is, The Warehouse Tour , K.A. Cummins. Keep reading to learn more about this short story and author, K.A. Cummins. Blurb Jill Baker's brother and his friends disappear during a haunted Halloween tour in an old warehouse. She's convinced something sinister lurks inside—hiding in the dark, behind the masks and costumes. As her options to find her brother dwindle, Jill must be willing to face her fear and enter the warehouse, if she hopes to uncover the truth. Bio K.A. Cummins is a math lover, techie, consumer of mass amounts of information, art enthusiast, a homeschooler, and an indie author. She also enjoys seizing opportunities for adventure, when they arise. Her work has appeared in Havok Magazine and she’s a former contributor to Lands Uncharted. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest for the 3rd Quarter of 2016 and was runner-up in the Realm Makers Scholarship Con...

October dates to remember run the gamut from internationally recognized to encouraging kindness to actual holidays. Here are a few to keep in mind. October 1 – International Day for the Elderly October 4 – World Smile Day October 6 – Oktoberfest Ends in Germany October 14 – Columbus Day and Thanksgiving Day in Canada October 16 – Boss’s Day October 19 – Sweetest Day October 24 – United Nations Day October 26 – Make a Difference Day October 31 – Halloween