Kim McMahill

It always feels like spring is just around the corner once March arrives. I love having longer days. Here’s what else is happening in March. March 1 - Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday March 2 - Ash Wednesday March 8 - International Women's Day March 13 - Daylight Savings begins at 2:00 a.m. (spring ahead one hour) March 15 - Ides of March March 17 - St. Patrick's Day March 20 - International Earth Day and Spring (Vernal) Equinox

Fishing stories have become synonymous with exaggeration. No harm is ever intended, but after countless retelling of the story, it often morphs into something much more interesting and exciting than the original. The two-pound fish that took several minutes to reel in evolves into an eight-pound monster which battled valiantly for hours before succumbing to your superior skill. This is how many of my real-life adventures have infiltrated my action-adventure novels. I’ve explored numerous Mayan ruins tucked into steamy bug-infested jungles in several countries, yet I’ve always managed to avoid running into looters or ruthless kidnappers; I’ve pondered the current of the Rio Grande, but have suppressed the urge to jump into the churning mud and attempt an illegal border crossing; and I have ridden horseback down a terrifyingly steep slope in which stopping was not an option as scenes from Man From Snowy River flashed through my mind, all without a single gunshot from a foreign enemy aim

The Merriam Webster definition of fiction is, “something invented by the imagination or feigned; specifically: an invented story.” To me this means that fiction is limited only by the author’s imagination. As long as the story conveys its intended message and entertains the reader, almost anything goes. One of my favorite movies is, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. This story is riddled with implausible and unrealistic scenes, but to me it doesn’t matter—it makes me laugh, it makes me smile, it reminds me to live life, just don’t sit around and dream about what’s out there. So, the next time you pick up a novel go all in. Don’t worry about if something can really happen, just relax your mind and let yourself be entertained.

  FEBRUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER - HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! Since Valentine’s Day is coming up later this month, I thought I’d talk about romance in fiction. I don’t consider myself a romance writer, but all of my novels contain some degree of romance. I write adventure, suspense, crime, and disaster fiction. There are many reasons for bad behavior including greed, revenge, and power, but probably the strongest motivator for good deeds is love. I don’t discount the possibility of love at first sight, but when two people survive an amazing, outrageous, or dangerous adventure, they inevitably forge strong and lasting bonds and often find love built on respect and shared experiences. And, an underlying romance theme offers the opportunity for a happily-ever-after ending even if other aspects of the story don’t have a very positive outcome. So, whether you enjoy pure romance or romance as a subgenre, pick up a book and have a great Valentine’s romance.       FREEBIES A Formidable Foe (nove