Kim McMahill

I love to travel, to see the world, to learn about other cultures. But there is so much more to travel than beaches, pretty scenery, or exciting activities, it’s also about changing the way we see the world and our place in it. On one of my favorite PBS travel shows, the host closes each episode with the following quote. It struck a chord with me, so I have part of the quote in my blog header. Here is the rest.    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” - Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain

Book Reviews serve a variety of purposes and are very important to readers and writers. Reviews help other readers choose books. A review provides information about a book that a marketing blurb may not. Sales and reviews factor into a bookseller’s algorithm. Mo`re book sales and reviews help a book achieve a higher ranking on a bookseller’s site, which provides more exposure for a book and its author. Additionally, more reviews may get authors noticed by book clubs, blogging communities, book review sites, and other promotional venues. Lastly, many authors do read reviews and may find helpful feedback in articulate reviews to improve their craft. For example, saying “I hated the book” isn’t helpful, but explaining that you find multiple points of view confusing, there were too many grammatical errors, there was too much detail and it slowed the story down, or there was too much profanity, gives the author feedback to consider. Conversely, pointing out what you liked about a book i...

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day no matter how you choose to acknowledge the day. Whether you spend it with someone special, curl up with a good romance novel, or treat the day like any other, enjoy!

The days are getting longer which makes me happy. I know there is a lot of winter left, but seeing more light feels like we’re over the hump. I hope your new year has gotten off to a great start and many wonderful things come your way in 2025. WRITING In late January, I participated in the Winter Book Fest fundraiser at our local library. It was a great way to connect with readers, and it was a lot of fun. I hope to do more in-person events in the coming year. 2024 saw the release of the first three novels in The Beartooth Chronicles . I’ve been working with my editor on the final edits for the fourth novel, Evil Under the Mountain, and it’s slated for an April 2025 release. We are already moving forward on the fifth novel in the series, Winter Resurgence . It will be released in late summer or early fall, probably September 2025. If you still haven’t jumped into this series, the first two novels are available to download at a special discounted rate from most major online boo...