We have Kimberly Frost with us today for "When I'm not writing". She's on tour to celebrate the re-release of her Southern Witch series with Berkley. The promo materials describe the series as a "coming of age in the world of magic" story, in which urban fantasy meets humorous mystery in small-town Texas. The main character is a plucky pastry chef Tammy Jo Trask, who comes into her spell-casting powers unexpectedly. As her adventures continue, she learns the secrets of her supernatural heritage and embraces her butt-kicking destiny.
The giveaway ends today so make sure you enter!
When I’m not writing, I like to travel the world, and I do that in two different ways. First, and most frequently, I travel through reading books. I have traveled through time to the Scottish Highlands, Regency England, Victorian Toronto, and Ancient Rome. I have visited small towns, farms, jungles, and famous cities before they were famous. I have been to places of legend like Camelot, Atlantis, and Mount Olympus.
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Tremont House Hotel[/caption]I also travel in the conventional way via planes, trains, and automobiles. Sometimes the travel is done for research purposes. I recently set a Southern Witch series novella titled “Magical Misfire” on Galveston Island during the yearly holiday celebration of Dickens on the Strand. Because Galveston is less than an hour from where I live, my best friend joined me and we drove over. We stayed at the Tremont House Hotel, which is rumored to be haunted, and walked around the area so I could take pictures and gauge the distances. One of the characters in the story is the ghost of a Victorian prostitute known as Sullied Sal, so my friend and I went to the site of a famous brothel. There are no prostitutes in residence now, but there was a very friendly horse in the yard. The tour of the area made everything so much more vivid while I wrote that story.
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Literary Pub Crawl[/caption]Another place that I’ve visited recently for Southern Witch series research is Ireland. In some places, it was as stunningly green as I’d seen in pictures. In other places, like Dublin, it was very urban and hip. We went on a fantastic and funny Literary Pub crawl in the city. There were only five stops, but we quickly realized that it was easier to get through a half-pint rather than a pint in the time allotted. The actors were wonderful, but I remember almost nothing of what they taught us about James Joyce and Oscar Wilde. Perhaps drinking half of the half pints would have been better. ;)
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Kinsale Fort[/caption]England, too, was on the research agenda, and my friend and I traveled to York. I saw where the Bronte sisters grew up and wrote their famous novels. The cemetery on the grounds was stunning. I’m not sure why cemeteries appeal so much to writers—maybe it’s the sense of history and that each person had a life story—but I know many writers of different genres who enjoy them.
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Montreal Church Boats[/caption]Now, I don’t want you to think I am ALWAYS writing. I do sometimes travel just for fun. A recent trip to Montreal was wonderful. There were so many beautiful churches, and it’s a city where you can walk from place to place. I feel it’s great whenever possible to explore a destination on foot because it’s easier to take pictures that way and to spend as little or as much time as you want at each site. In my experience, some of the best food and local color is discovered spontaneously and by accident.
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High Tea[/caption]The other tradition that was begun when I took a cruise a few years back is for me to have “High Tea,” which is an English tradition where there is, of course, tea, but also scones with cream and jam, sweets, and small sandwiches—cucumber, salmon, pimento, etc. The whole experience is lovely and delicious. I highly recommend having High Tea when you travel…or even in your own city. It’s a decadent little vacation all its own.
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Thanks so much for visiting us, Kimberly! For more Kimberly, check out these links or click on the tour button for the other stops on the tour:
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Here's the scoop on WOULD-BE WITCH:
In the small town of Duvall, Texas, the only thing that causes more trouble than gossip is magic.
The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets in the way of the supernatural are a few untimely visits from the long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket—an heirloom that happens to hold Edie’s soul—is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it’s time for Tammy to find her inner witch.
After a few bad experiences with her magic, Tammy turns to the only one who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers, but the locket isn’t the only thing passed down in Tammy’s family. She also inherited a warning…to stay away from anyone named Lyons…Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository
And here's where it all began:
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Kimberly is giving away an autographed copy of WOULD-BE WITCH. Follow the Rafflecopter instructions to enter!
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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favourite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!
Authors, would you like to visit us? Please email me at jenn (at) tyngasreviews (dot) com and we’ll set it up!
I loved the original covers, but the new ones aren't bad to look at either!
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