Cliff House - The Rum Runner: The Legend of Captain John Stewart

I discovered a continuity issue in one of the chapters of Cliff House and corrected that. I originally said the first and seconds books in the trilogy, Cliff House and Rum Runners, were standalone reads. I no longer believe that. They should be read in order, and all three should be read, or the emotional impact is lost. You can buy each one separately, or you can buy The Rum Runner: The Legend of Captain John Stewart. It is a three-volume edition. It is more cost effective to purchase the trilogy in one volume rather than in three, but it is rather large.  

When I originally wrote Cliff House in 2012, it was the first book I wrote of the trilogy. I immediately wrote the opening draft of the prequel, Rum Runners. I have not made many changes to it; however, I completely rewrote Cliff House after one of Harlequin’s former editors, Denise Zaza, showed interest in working with me on the story in 2013. She was not interested in a prequel, but I felt it was essential. That short association did take Cliff House in a different direction. She wanted me to pattern my hero after Christian Grey. I did change Edward into a billionaire businessman, and that changed the entire story. She questioned the differences I was making due to that change, and I questioned her Christian Grey suggestion. I decided to take all of my writing in a new direction at that time, and Cliff House and Rum Runners sat on the shelf for thirteen years. 

Although I appreciate the kindness of Denise Zaza and my editor, Laura Kelly, at The Wild Rose Press, I decided after 2013 that I would no longer seek traditional publishing. I prefer to maintain control over what I write.   
 
I will continue to offer the Cliff House Trilogy, but the three-volume edition will be offered as well. Here is the description I will use at Amazon for The Rum Runner: The Legend of Captain John Stewart: 

A century-old curse. 

A house that hungers. 
A love that refuses to fade. 

When investigator, Caroline Oliver, braves an approaching hurricane to infiltrate a decaying estate on the rocky Maine coast, she expects secrets. She doesn’t expect Edward Kelly. 

Rumored to be over a hundred years old. 
Beautiful. 
Haunted. 
And hiding a past the world was never meant to know. 

A century earlier, Captain John Stewart, rum runner and fierce protector of the woman he loved, survived a storm no man should live through. The ocean gave him life, but not mercy. The miracle he carried ashore built his fortune, took his soul, and awakened something dark within the walls of the mansion he named Cliff House. 

Now the house is alive. 
Lonely. 
Vengeful. 
And it remembers every scream. 

Caroline’s arrival stirs long-buried echoes: a love sacrificed in the name of righteousness, a house corrupted by sin, and a destiny waiting to be fulfilled. 

To survive, she and Edward must face: 

A power born in forbidden waters. 

A house possessed by the sins of its past. 

A legacy of love stretching across generations. 

And a final choice between mortality and eternity. 

Because some storms never truly end…
they wait. 

And some loves are not lost… 
they return when the world needs them most. 

For readers of Outlander, The Witching Hour, and gothic romance with a sacred heart: a three-book saga of tragedy, healing, and a love strong enough to defeat death itself.  

The Cliff House Trilogy in one powerful volume.  

And here is my new back cover blurb for the book:  

The house remembers. The sea refuses to drown. And love endures beyond death.

When a hurricane threatens the Maine coast, corporate investigator, Caroline Oliver, seizes her chance to enter the crumbling Cliff House, a remote mansion rumored to be haunted, cursed, and owned by a man who should be long dead. 

Edward Kelly has fought these walls for a century, hiding the truth of what he became the night a storm claimed his crew and delivered him into immortality. Cliff House knows the secrets of the man the sea refused to drown. Cliff House has fed on them, hoarded them, refused to forgive them. And, now, Cliff House has learned to kill. 

Caroline arrives determined to uncover a corporate mystery. She finds instead a man who has carried one heartbreak across time, and a house hungry for the living. But storms never stay buried. Love never dies quietly. And the past has come home to collect.  

A sweeping gothic saga of forbidden love, sacred sacrifice, and redemption stronger than death.  

Here is the new cover: 

 

 

Grandpa Hare and the Great Pie Robbery

Grandpa Hare is old. He is bowlegged. He is slightly arthritic. But, oh my, he is spry. He is also full of clever ideas. Or so he thinks.

When his birthday rolls around, Grandma Hare starts baking her famous carrot pies. The only problem? They’re known as the worst pies in Bunchberry Hollow!

Each birthday, with a twitch of his whiskers and help from his three playful grandsons, Grandpa hatches plans to make those awful carrot pies vanish before anyone has to eat them.

Full of woodland charm and gentle humor, Grandpa Hare and the Great Pie Robbery is a heartwarming tale about family, mischief, and the lessons that come with growing older and wiser.

Perfect for readers ages 4 - 8 and fans of Beatrix Potter, this story reminds us all that a good heart, and a little honesty, are the best recipes of all.

Available at Amazon as a paperback book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVWTDM5H

 

The Last Book of the Cliff House Trilogy is Live

In the tradition of the great Gothic romances, the Cliff House Trilogy is a haunting story of secrets, temptation, and survival where passion wars with peril and the past refuses to stay buried. For fans of Daphne du Maurier, Victoria Holt, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Sarah Waters, and Susan Hill, Cliff House is a sweeping Gothic tale of secrets, survival, and forbidden desire, where every door hides a choice and every choice comes with a cost.

Book One - Cliff House: 

Some houses hold secrets.
This one keeps them alive. 
Espionage brought her to Cliff House.
Now the secret she came to discover won't let her go.

Caroline never meant to stay. Edward Kelly never meant to care. Yet the longer she remains, the more the house breathes around her. Watching. Waiting. Deciding. Caroline soon discovers that Cliff House is more than a home. It is a presence, a predator, and perhaps a prison.

Book Two - Rum Runners:
A prequel

Ruth Wilson came to heal the living. 
The coast gave her a man the sea refused to drown.

1921. Prohibition has turned the New England coast into a hunting ground. Smugglers slip across black water, lawmen lie in wait, and those caught in between risk everything.

When Ruth Wilson takes work as a private nurse in a house perched above the sea, she expects convalescence and quiet. Instead, she finds herself entangled in Captain John Stewart’s dangerous world of rum running, secrets, and shadows. Trust is as scarce as daylight, yet the pull between them is undeniable.

But every tide carries betrayal. As violence rises with the waves, Ruth must decide whether she is willing to risk not just her future, but her heart, in a house where every window looks out on danger and ghosts rise up in the mist. 

Rum Runners, the second book in the Cliff House Trilogy, is a story of forbidden love, whispered deals, and the cost of survival, when loyalty and conscience collides with desire.

 

 

 

Book Three - Scavengers:

They came seeking secrets. 
Instead, they became prey. 

On a storm-torn coast stands a house with a reputation as dark as the cliffs beneath it. Some say it's haunted. Others whisper it hides a secret worth killing for.

Into this shadowed world step Edward Kelly and Caroline Oliver, bound together by fate and pursued by enemies who will stop at nothing. The closer they draw to the house, the more they discover that survival demands more than courage, it demands sacrifice.

Scavengers is a Gothic suspense novel of hunted lives, hidden truths, and the perilous cost of secrets too long kept.

Book One and Two are standalone novels. Book Three must be read last.  

 

 

 

Everything I know about Canva, I learned from ChatGPT…

…and trial and error. Lots of error. (Be sure to read the warning below so you don't get into trouble at KDP.)

I had no idea how cool Canva was until I started playing around with it. Now I'm addicted. I think I spend more time on Canva than I do writing. I'm usually the last person I know to try something new, so chances are you already know how great Canva is. If you don't, just ask ChatGPT -- or Gemini -- or whatever LLM you prefer, and they'll give you step-by-step instructions on how to use it. 

ChatGPT created the images I needed, and then I played with them at Canva. I gave ChatGPT my story in The Christmas Church, then we created prompts together that described what my characters were doing, what they looked like, what they were wearing, and what style I wanted the images to be in. I asked Chat to create the illustrations in the style of Thomas Kinkade, and I think it did a great job.  

Once I had the images, I created the children's book, The Christmas Church, at Canva. It is also a video at YouTube, if you'd like to watch it. The book design is different from the video, but the story is almost identical. I tweaked a few things in the book, and the snowflake design is different. 

Now, here is a very important warning. If you use Canva, don't use their elements if you plan to publish your book at KDP. Canva may allow you limited copyright for use of their elements in a book you design and create on Canva, but Amazon is stricter. There are people who have lost their KDP accounts because they were using Canva elements that Canva allowed. So don't use Canva's elements, have ChatGPT create everything for you because you will own the copyright. Also, save the original images you get from ChatGPT in case KDP ever wants to check if you own the copyright. That way you can show the original file, and prove you are the rightful copyright holder of those images. 

Here are the descriptions and the YouTube video for my story, The Christmas Church: A Children's Story of Faith and Angels.  

On a snowy Christmas Eve in 1965, Max and his sister Julia set out with sleds, ready for adventure. But a sudden blizzard swallows the world in white, leaving them lost and afraid - until a mysterious old man rescues them and leads them to a glowing church in the storm. Inside, they hear wondrous stories of Jesus, angels, battles in heaven, and the power of God’s messengers. This storybook video is meant to encourage children (and the child in all of us) that even in the darkest storm, God’s hand is near. The print storybook version is available at Amazon if you'd like the paperback version of this story for Christmas.

 

The video was created with Open Shot Video Editor, and the narration was created at ElevenLabs, (but that's probably another blogpost for another day). 

Here is the link to buy the book: The Christmas Church 

 

Medical Transcription and Career Step

I studied medical transcription through Career Step several years ago when it was a legitimate work-from-home opportunity. There were numerous companies that hired medical transcriptionists to work from home, and many of them hired the students from the school I studied at. Sadly, that occupation has changed considerably, and a lot of those jobs have now gone overseas or are done by artificial intelligence. The school has branched out considerably and now offers numerous courses. I love and recommend Career Step; however, I am no longer an affiliate there. The reason for that is that they change their affiliate provider fairly often, and it has become a problem for me. If you have come to this site from an article I wrote about medical transcription jobs, the school is Career Step. Their website is https://www.careerstep.com/. I recommend the school because they have a wide variety of courses in the medical field, but I do not recommend medical transcription anymore. As I said, I am no longer an affiliate there. I will not receive a commission if you sign up for any of their courses.  

Best wishes. I hope you find the right career for you.

NetGalley review for Death on Deck by Verity Bright

I just registered with NetGalley. I know I'm late to the game, but what a great site. There are so many wonderful books to choose from that it's a little overwhelming. I put in a request to read three books, but so far only one request has been approved: Death on Deck (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 13). This is an advanced reader copy, and the actual publication date is March 13, 2023. So keep an eye out for it when it is released. Of course, you can always start with book one in the series if you are not familiar with this. It is written by a husband and wife writing team who use the pseudonym, Verity Bright. I have never read any of their books, but this was a stand-alone title. Here is the review I left at NetGalley.

Thank you "Verity Bright" for bringing me a much-needed escape from today's scary and heartbreaking headlines. And on this luxury cruise, with a fun and witty companion, it was an escape in style. So thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced reader copy. I'm new to this writer and series, but I've already searched out book one in this series, and I intend to read it when I finish the books on my current reading list.

This was fun from the beginning, and it kept me very engaged until about halfway through. At that point, I wondered if I could finish. I am easily bored, and the elaborate descriptions of food and ship went a little "overboard" for me. After halfway, it just became a matter of wanting to know the ending even though my attention was drifting a little.

There were some questions along the way. The biggest one was when Eleanor threw open a porthole window to gulp some salty sea air. I thought portholes didn't open on ships because of the danger of flooding. Can't have the ships sinking. That took me out of the story and sent me to Google. I'm still unclear as to whether portholes open or not. Some say yes. Some say no. I just don't think that anything that kicks the reader out of a story is a good thing. That scene wasn't really necessary anyway, and a temporary loss of a reader isn't good. It was a few hours before I resumed reading. (The question became more important later on.)
 
I also questioned how someone can "nod vociferously" or just bow from the shoulders.

Even though it became cumbersome, there were some great descriptions of the Celestiana. I loved the gold room with its staircase and model of the solar system and the description of the passing Auriana as a "floating skyscraper." However, it seemed the food was described more often than the ship was. It got to be a little much. Some of it just seemed like filler to make the required word count.

But I did enjoy the story, Eleanor's relationship with Clifford and her staff, and the very likable protagonist. The "Verity Bright" writing team have a great "voice," and I loved the banter between Eleanor and Clifford. I loved the banter. Period. I thought the dialogue was mostly great. I also liked the humor, and this is one of the lines that made me chuckle out loud: "I thought I was expected to languish about elegantly, exerting myself about as much as a dying duck."

Thank you again for an enjoyable cozy. This was a very good mystery. I give it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. 

Ebook - Mystery of the Fox Down Dog will be free Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and Day 2022

I am running a free promotion for my new novella, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories. The digital version will be free on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2022. The digital version will also be free on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, 2022. I have included the link to the book in this post. It is also available in paperback, and hardcover, but I am not running a promotion for those formats. The link and a five-star review are also in this post. Thanks! 

Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKVCP213

Here is my first review: 

5.0 out of 5 stars
Humor and horror in just the right mix

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 5, 2022

"This is a fun collection! Kennedy writes very well, blending mystery, quirky humor, crime, and horror in a set of stories with an array of different characters and settings. In the most chilling story (to me), which felt rather Stephen King in mood, a ouija-board-like toy does exactly what we all fear a ouija board might do; while on the other end of the dark/light spectrum, the funniest story covers a few quick episodes in the lives of Darrel and Lloyd, muddleheaded criminal disasters. But to me the standout was the longest story, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog, in which the role of small-town amateur sleuths is played by an elderly married couple who happen to be retired CIA agents. Emily and Arthur are a delight!"

See my previous post for a larger image of my cover. Thanks again!

New Fiction Novella

I just released the hound. Well, not exactly. I just published a new novella, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories. It is available in digital, paperback, and hardcover. The link, a five-star review, the cover, and an excerpt are below. If anyone stumbles upon this, I hope you enjoy! 

Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKVCP213

Here's my first review: (Actually, it's my only review.)

5.0 out of 5 stars
Humor and horror in just the right mix

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 5, 2022

"This is a fun collection! Kennedy writes very well, blending mystery, quirky humor, crime, and horror in a set of stories with an array of different characters and settings. In the most chilling story (to me), which felt rather Stephen King in mood, a ouija-board-like toy does exactly what we all fear a ouija board might do; while on the other end of the dark/light spectrum, the funniest story covers a few quick episodes in the lives of Darrel and Lloyd, muddleheaded criminal disasters. But to me the standout was the longest story, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog, in which the role of small-town amateur sleuths is played by an elderly married couple who happen to be retired CIA agents. Emily and Arthur are a delight!"

Here's a larger image of my cover: 

Here's an excerpt from the fourth story in the novella. This short story is entitled, Night on Big Foot Mountain.

     It was a frosty night. Slips of snow eased over the sloped roof and fell with soft, steady plops onto the ground below. Orly waited for some sign, not knowing what it would be, but certain he would recognize it when it came. It could be the hoot of an owl, a light in the woods, or a dark shape along the old farmer’s road. 

     It came as a soft whistle, forlorn and eerie, easily mimicking the winds that would blow down from the north and hiss through the narrow cracks around his windowsill. But there was no wind tonight. An old floorboard creaked outside his door. Orly held his breath, waiting for more sounds. There was another creak, then another. A door was eased back on rusty hinges, then silence. 

     He waited until he saw three dark shapes emerge from the shadows and disappear into Sump Woods. They were met by other dark shapes. Orly wrapped his wooly scarf around his head, slung his knapsack over his shoulder, then moved across his room as quietly as his bulk would permit. Orly was a big man, big enough to fight Jack Dempsey according to his papa; but, truth was, he’d rather cut off a finger than lift it against anyone. Quiet reflection was as important to him as the illicit moonshine still in the woods was to his papa and brothers.    

You can read a much longer excerpt at Amazon with the "Look Inside" feature. The long excerpt at Amazon is from the title story, Mystery of the Fox Down Dog. Thanks!

A Five Star Review and a New Cover

Kristine, and Kimber the Magnificent, at Pages & Paws have reviewed Thirteen Miracles and have given it Five Stars! Here is the link to the full review: https://pagesandpaws.com/2020/10/07/thirteen-miracles-my-new-best-bud/

They are my first readers and my first review. (Well, technically, my editor also read it, but she doesn't count. She was working and not what I would call "a reader".)

I am on wings after this review. I didn't know what to expect because some of the reviews at Pages & Paws are a little on the scary side. (Actually, they're a lot on the scary side.) So, for my book to be labeled "a gem" and to get a five-star review from this formidable review site was more than I'd hoped for or expected!  

Please visit the blog and check out the review. Here's the link again:

https://pagesandpaws.com/2020/10/07/thirteen-miracles-my-new-best-bud/

Here are some of my favorite bits: Bebo is now Kimber's new best bud. That made me cry all by itself. And Kristine said Thirteen Miracles is "a little Narnia, a little This Present Darkness, a little The Shack, and a bit Hatchet all rolled into one." She also said it "packs a wallop" and that, "There's so much joy and hope in the final pages" that she's thinking of "buying stock in Kleenex!" She called it a "beautifully written story that's warm, invigorating, and maybe even a little bit extraordinary." Called it "nimble, creative, and fresh," and said it was, "brimming with engaging, lively characters who learn and grow. Ditto credible dialogue and enough mystery and intrigue to keep you guessing until the last page." She also gave it a rare 5 stars!! Which, according to her rating system, means: "Superb. Our highest rating. Better than bacon! A remarkable achievement. Must have a transcendent theme. Rings heart bells. May qualify as life-changing. Would read over and over and over." 

What writer wouldn't want to get such a review?

It was one exhilarating review, and I am smiling from ear to ear as I read it -- in between sobs of joy! I'll always be grateful to Kimber the Magnificent and the equally Magnificent Kristine.

Wow.

And, on a much lesser note, I have a new cover. I had run some small test ads at BookBub, and my first cover did not do well. My second cover did even worse. This is actually the third cover, and it performed like a champ in a test ad at BookBub. 

Thirteen Miracles Now Available

Thirteen Miracles is now available at Amazon in both digital and print formats.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JDTNSML

It is also available at Barnes and Nobel in paperback and hard cover.   

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thirteen-miracles-dl-kennedy/1137716871

Once again, here are the blurbs and an excerpt, as well as the trailer. 

Short blurb: A woman's search for God ends in a miraculous rescue mission in the marijuana fields of the Devil's Backbone.

Here is the longer back-cover blurb:

Legend says it was the landing spot for Lucifer when he was cast out of heaven. That's not the only thing it's known for. It is also a land of marijuana fields, opium poppies, kidnappings, and drug-related killings. It's the last place you would expect to find God, but Abby Welles is looking for Him there. Her search will lead her on a miraculous rescue mission inside the heart of The Devil's Backbone. But she is running out of time, and she may have already run out of luck.

+++

Here is an excerpt:

The black bird was back, or whatever it was,
and it was in Scarface’s gunsight.

     It was perched on a dead tree overhanging the mountainside, watching the activity below. Something in the bird’s gaze and mechanical head movements troubled her. Was it watching the activity or controlling it? She silently ridiculed the thought. She was being paranoid. This place did that to her.

     The rifle fired, and she jumped. An unexpected explosion ripped through the early morning quiet.

     Scarface gave a sudden shriek of pain and fell to the ground, clutching his face with blackened and bloodied hands. Unearthly sounds accompanied his cries and repeated off the wall of rocks. Bebo joined in the chorus, barking furiously, teeth barred. Abby wanted to silence him but knew it was pointless. His barks were lost in the sea of strange sounds.

     She tugged on him, pulling him back. He had strayed too close to the edge. Once he was on safer ground, she strained to see where the other noises were coming from. Had the weapon backfired? Was shrapnel pinging off rocks? Not that it would explain what she was hearing. These were more like animal yips and howls, but not quite.

     Whatever was producing these noises wasn’t apparent from her vantage point. Fear gripped her every muscle and nerve as the sounds continued and grew more bizarre. Surely these weren’t the natural sounds of nature. They didn’t even seem to originate from anything she could see—or ever would see—in this world. 

+++

Here is the trailer: 

 

 

Interview Questions: This interview is a combination of questions from the Smashwords Interview feature and a Q&A with my niece.

Describe your desk

I'll paraphrase Zola Levitt. For evidence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, one need only look at my desk. Everything on it is moving from a state of order to disorder.

When did you first start writing?

In eighth grade. I had an amazing teacher, Mr. McIntyre. He gave us contracts at the start of the year. We decided what grade we wanted to earn. I wanted an "A", but that meant I had to write three short stories. He read those stories out loud to the class. Fortunately, he was an actor, and he did a really good job reading them. The class laughed like crazy and everyone enjoyed my stories. I've been writing ever since.

What do you want readers to know about your Christian book, "Thirteen Miracles"?

There are a lot of layers to "Thirteen Miracles" and a lot of archetypes. For example, I think of Abby's husband, Charles, as a "type" of Christ. He goes into Satan's territory hoping to save his wife. I also want readers to know in advance that this is mostly a story about a woman and a dog in a wilderness survival story. So there is not a lot of dialogue. I think that no matter how many people are with us in this life, we are ultimately alone with God in the wilderness. I want readers to feel they have been inside Abby's head, heart, and soul by the end of this story. But my goal is to tell a good story. I hope I've done that in "Thirteen Miracles."

What is "Thirteen Miracles" about?

It's about a woman's search for God. Abby has gone to Mexico to write a book about miracles and to meet a Christian mystic who has the gift of prophecy. After some family struggles, Abby is reeling. She has lost her faith and feels that she must connect with God again if she is ever going to recover from her depression. She feels that she must get away from the "screaming commitments" in her life in order to do that.

On her journey, she is separated from her guide and must survive on her own with the help of an albino boxer named Bebo. As she attempts to find her way home, she discovers that two sixteen-year-old boys have been kidnapped by drug runners. She decides she must try to free them from their captors, and the book follows her journey inside The Devil's Backbone as she attempts to survive the wilderness and free the hostages, but she has some supernatural resistance to her goal as well as some natural ones.

You have called this a supernatural adventure, is that the best description of your story?

Yes. It is a Christian, supernatural adventure. I also think of "Thirteen Miracles" as a missionary story. As human beings, we have been separated from God and must find our way home. If we do, our goal is then to attempt to rescue others who are being held captive. But, it is an allegorical story in many different ways. It is the reader who will decipher the symbols and decide if they succeed or not. I don't want things to be taken too far, however. It is just a story, after all, with symbolic undertones. Above everything, I want the reader to experience a good story and be impacted by it.

Will this appeal to non-Christians?

Maybe. I'm not sure. I can't see this appealing to people who don't believe God exists. I think it would be offensive to them. In fact, I think there are many Christians who would be offended by "Thirteen Miracles" as well. Christians who don't believe in miracles will have a problem with this book. Christians who don't believe in an unseen, demonic world will have a problem with this book. I have a disclaimer at the end of the book. It states that my goal was not to teach doctrine or theology. It was to tell an entertaining story. I hope I succeeded, but that is up to the reader.