Tag: contemporary romance

#NewRelease: Jase by @AuthorKristina Knight

On April 17, 2020 by kristina

Hi, readers! I’m excited to tell you it’s RELEASE DAY! Today is the day that Jase, book 3 in my Nevada Cowboys trilogy, releases to the wild! This book – and the series! – was so much fun to write. Three hard-headed brothers, three feisty women, lots of banter and just the right amount of smolder made Gage, Connor and Jase three of my all-time-favorite heroes.

Here is just a little bit about the book and then we’ll get right to the good stuff – the excerpt!

Jase Reeves lives his life by rules: never get emotional at the poker table and never get emotional with women. But when he meets self-help author Sabrina York all bets are off. Sabrina enjoys fame and fortune writing her female-empowerment books, but she could do without the reputation – that of the Oldest Living (Supposed) Virgin in Vegas. Blowing up her entire life because sexy gambler Jase Reeves has shown an interest in her? Sabrina has already written the book on that, but staying away from Jase isn’t as simple as closing the cover of her favorite book. And for Jase, melting the heart of the Vegas Virgin might be his greatest gamble yet…

Buy Jase: Amazon B&N iBooks Kobo

Available Now!

And the Excerpt:

“Getting lucky is exactly what gambling is all about. Despite me almost losing my shirt to you, I’ll still buy you that drink.” He didn’t want her to leave, didn’t want the night to be over, and that was odd. It was usually a simple thing to walk away from a hand of poker or a woman. But, apparently, not this woman.
She smiled at him, and he thought it was the first real smile she’d offered since she sat down with him at the table. They crossed into a better lit area of the casino floor. Her eyes were green. A crisp, clear emerald that reminded him of Ireland and a tournament he’d played there when he first hit the poker circuit.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Getting a drink is always a good idea. Especially when the drink includes a few more minutes with the beautiful woman who beat me at my favorite game.”
“You need a new hobby.”
“But you still want that drink,” he said.
She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”
“We’ve passed three chip-cashing stations, and we’re coming back up on the tables. You want that drink.”
She stopped, and her cheeks pinkened in the casino lighting. “You’re a distraction.”
“I could say the same about you. I don’t usually lose.”
“Everybody loses.”
“I lose less than most.” His shoulders straightened. Jase couldn’t help it. Playing cards was one thing in his life that remained the same. Didn’t matter what was happening with his family or the ranch or his business. A flush was a flush, a straight a straight, and a full house would always beat two pair.
She started walking again, and this time turned toward the bank of elevators. “How do you lose less than most?”
“I don’t gamble.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “We just spent the better part of two hours gambling.” She stopped before the elevators and hit the penthouse button.
“I spent the better part of two hours studying you and playing cards. There’s a difference.”
“So when does gambling become gambling, then, instead of just playing cards?”
“When you lose sight of your goal. My goal was a drink with you.”
She pressed the up arrow again. “Then you not only gambled.” She stepped into the car and pressed a button. The doors began to close. “You lost.”

Buy Jase: Amazon B&N iBooks Kobo

Books . Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight . New Release

#CoverReveal: Nevada Cowboys by Kristina Knight

On February 16, 2020 by kristina

Publishing is a weird thing. We write our books and send them off to our editors and a few rounds of edits later we send our little book babies out into the world. And they are out there. We don’t really have the opportunity to make changes or adjust little bits or bobs that maybe our readers caught but we didn’t.

That, I think, is as it should be. Because, I don’t know about you, but I could pick a book to death changing this comma or that incomplete sentence (used for emphasis, of course) or that spelling oops (seriously, how did we miss that oh-so-obvious misspelling?).

When I turn that final edit in, though, it’s like a release for me. That book is still mine, but it’s a signal to my writer brain (and heart) that it isn’t just mine now. It’s my editors and my readers and, yeah, even the haters.

But every now and then, authors get the chance to do something a little different. We get to re-release books. And that’s what I’ve been working on for the last month or so.

A couple of years ago I had a cowboy trilogy out: three brothers, their ranch outside Las Vegas, their stories. I loved that series but my publisher (Crimson Romance) was bought out by a bigger publisher (Simon & Schuster) and they allowed us (not just me, all the authors) to request rights back on our books at a certain time.

The time for my cowboys – it’s now! And I’m finding that digging back into their stories is so much fun. I’ve fallen in love with Gage and Connor and Jase all over again…and with Callie, Miranda and Sabrina, too. I’m so grateful to my editors Jess Verdi and Julie Sturgeon who helped me get these books ready for the world back in 2016 and I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to re-read their stories and clean up those last few typos (that I swear some word processing gremlins had to put in there because the three of us couldn’t have just missed them!) and develop new covers for them.

Today I’m sharing those new covers – and blurbs – with y’all! Book 1 of the trilogy releases this month, but you can order book one now and pre-order books two and three!

Here’s a bit about the series: Hot Las Vegas nights get even steamier for these three powerful, wealthy businessmen with cowboy roots and the strong, independent women who fall for them. What happens in Vegas certainly won’t stay there as these successful tycoons win at love.

Gage, Nevada Cowboys Book 1:

Hot shot property developer Gage Reeves is taking Vegas by storm – that is, until his brother makes him the face of desperate bachelors everywhere. Enter Callie Holliday, who is trying to get a new, upscale spa off the ground. Callie’s connections in Vegas run just as deep as Gage’s, but unlike Gage’s family past Callie’s is pristine. They make a deal: her business venture, his building but what starts off strictly professional turned decidedly personal. Will Gage and Callie risk their professional success for a shot at love?

Buy Gage today: Amazon BN.com iBooks KOBO

Connor, Nevada Cowboys Book 2:

Vegas Nightly publisher Connor Reeves is close to meeting a big-time career goal: making his magazine a state-wide must-read. The only problem? His biggest competition, a larger publisher based in Colorado seems to know his every move. Miranda Clayton is tired of society parties and shopping, but her tycoon father refuses to take her seriously. Her solution? Beat him at his own game by going to work for his top competitor, Connor Reeves. Connor isn’t fooled by Miranda’s act for a second. He knows exactly who she is; the question is what does the lady want?

Pre-order Connor today: Amazon BN.com iBooks KOBO

Jase, Nevada Cowboys Book 3:

Pre-order Jase today: Amazon BN.com iBooks KOBO

Kristina Knight

#NewRelease: Be My Heartwarming Valentine

On February 11, 2020 by kristina

It’s a magical place, is Christmas Town, Maine, and the writers of its stories can’t wait to go back each year. They start planning the next roster of stories as soon as the current one is finished. They exchange names of characters and businesses and keep a bible of what’s been done so far. Even the writers change from year to year. No one leaves Christmas Town because she wants to, but sometimes other responsibilities require a trip out of town.

Every now and then, we change things up. One year, we covered Thanksgiving and New Year’s as well as Christmas. For Christmas of 2019, we released our 2018 stories as an anthology. And now, as the new roaring 20s are putting on their fresh clothes, we have eight new stories in the Be My Heartwarming Valentine: A Heartwarming Christmas Town Box Set.

Stop by and sign up for our newsletter. You’ll find free reads and other fun stuff there. New information will be showing up as we wind down to release day on February 11.

Here to give you the Cliff’s Notes synopses of our stories are this year’s authors. Click on their links to find out more about us—we love visitors!—or to sign up for our newsletters.

Table for Six by Anna J. Stewart

When overwhelmed widowed single mother of three Cora Leonidis’s mother-in-law “buys” her a personal chef at Christmas Town’s bachelor auction, she doesn’t know whether to be relieved or horrified. But from the moment Giovanni Renzo appears on her doorstep, Cora feels an immediate connection to this wanderer. She’s not the only one who’s loved and lost. While Giovanni is there to make her life easier, Cora hopes to heal his heart…and prove it’s okay to love again.

A Tale of Two Rings by Beth Carpenter

Two years ago, Alden Moretti ended his engagement with Mindy Rose and left Christmas Town. Now his grandmother has volunteered him to participate in the Christmas Town bachelor auction as an excuse to return. His assignment: convince Mindy to give back his grandmother’s diamond engagement ring. But after a few trips down memory lane with Mindy, Alden is having second thoughts. Can he leave Mindy behind once again?

The Apple of My Eye by Melinda Curtis

Young Lizzie Lincoln buys Steve Haepner at the auction for one hundred schmeckels and wants to keep him, much to single mom Abigail’s horror. Apple farmer Abigail doesn’t date. However, she needs an electrician and since Steve claims he’s not interested in dating her, it’s too good of a deal to pass up. But soon, Abigail is thinking she may have spoken too soon…

Romancing her Valentine by Cari Lynn Webb

When Tessa Collier places the highest bid on the last bachelor at Christmas Town’s Valentine’s Day auction, she only wants one thing – a fake date to accompany her to her ex-husband’s gender reveal baby shower. But there’s nothing pretend about Tessa’s reaction to her bachelor – professional skier, Ryan Reeves. When Ryan offers his terms for their arrangement, Tessa must decide if one impulsive decision might lead to heartache worse than attending that baby shower alone or to her forever Valentine.

Visit Cari Lynn’s website

A Place to Hang Her Heart by Liz Flaherty

Although he was the instigator to the end of their long marriage, Rob Rahilly still needs to know Christy is happy after her solo move to Christmas Town, Maine. When his job ends in early retirement, he goes to New England to see how she’s doing, and ends up in a bachelor auction. Will the only woman he’s ever really loved take another chance on him, or do some hurts go too deep for the wounds to heal?

Join Liz’s Facebook author page

Knock Down My Heart by Anna Adams

Georgia Bardill’s daughters decide Sven Dante, their mom’s handyman, is the perfect prince for her. Naturally, they volunteer him for the town’s bachelor auction on the condition he takes out their mom and then makes them a snowman. A single mom, a slightly reluctant do-gooding “prince” bachelor, and sweetly manipulative little girls make Knock Down My Heart a heartwarming Christmas Town romance!

Follow Anna on Facebook

Love Fixes Everything by Claire McEwan

When Carrie Porter’s friends bid on handyman Gage Flanagan in the Christmas Town bachelor auction, and then gift his services to her, the single mom is embarrassed to accept their charity. But Carrie sets her pride aside to learn all she can about home repair from the surly bachelor. Only Gage isn’t quite as grumpy as he seems. As they work together to repair her historic home, Carrie and Gage realize that the love they feel might just repair their hearts as well.

Head Over Heels by LeAnne Bristow

High school English teacher and former college gymnast, Karen McFadden, wants nothing more than to open her own gymnastics facility, but a math learning disability makes completing the paperwork for a business loan almost impossible. The last thing Daniel Lassiter wants to do is get stuck with an attention-seeking diva who wants to relive her college glory days, but when his accounting services put him in the library’s bachelor auction, he has little choice but to help her. He doesn’t believe that she wants to open the gym so she can help underprivileged teens. She doesn’t think he’ll stick around long enough to find out. Will they realize what’s right in front of them before it’s too late?

Visit LeAnne’s website

Buy Links Amazon Barnes and Noble

Books . Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight

#BookRec: Kristan Higgins’ Good Luck With That

On June 10, 2019 by kristina

I think I’m probably the last reader in the universe to pick up Kristan Higgins’ Good Luck with That, which landed on a slew of “best of” lists for 2018 and even won Fresh Fiction’s Best Book of 2018. But I did finally pick up the book. Not only did I pick it up, but I loved it. Seriously. L-O-V-E-D. I brought the book along on our 20th (gah, 20!!) anniversary cruise a few weeks ago and couldn’t put it down. It visited a couple of beaches (and still has some St. Maarten sand in it’s binding!), and the pool deck, and had several people asking me what I was reading (I told them all to get a copy), and came close to finding a new home in the ship’s library, but at the last minute I couldn’t part with it. So no instead of sailing the high seas, Georgia, Marley, and Emerson are living on my keeper shelf.

The book follows three friends who meet at a “fat camp” as teenagers, and walks the line between women’s fiction and romance. Here’s the blurb: Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.
For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it’s coming to terms with the survivor’s guilt she’s carried around since her twin sister’s death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it’s about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother’s and brother’s ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.
But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson’s dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

What I loved about the book: Kristan writes some of the best “friendships” out there. Seriously. I have the same conversations with my friends, have the same thoughts, wonder about the same issues…Her book-people are like real-people, which really invests me in the book overall. Marley was hysterical her moment-in-the-mirror was so empowering. Emerson was..heartbreaking (and my one issue is that I wanted more of her). Georgia was frustrating and strong and so, so…lovable, especially when she just couldn’t love herself.

If you’re in the mood for a heartwarming, friends-girl-power read, definitely pick this one up. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

By the way, what are you reading right now?

Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight . Tips

We All Need #SelfCare

On May 20, 2019 by kristina

It’s been a hectic start to 2019, gang, and I can’t quite believe we’re staring down June already. I kind of thought we were still in March last week (and not just because of the weather!) and then I realized we *couldn’t* be in March still because we’re back from our anniversary cruise (which was wonderful!) and state testing just finished up for bebe.

Over the weekend bebe and I had a little craft-a-thon. She’s been wanting to make surgeon masks (I dunno, she hates doctors…maybe she’s planning a heist?), but didn’t want “regular surgeon masks, Mom”. So, a little You-Tubing and a little craft-stash stalking and we were ready to go. I (of course) did the bulk of the sewing because the actual sewing machine scares her ( she lives in fear of running over her fingers with the needle… *whatever*). The point isn’t that we sewed a surgeon mask, the point is that it reminded me – I haven’t been sewing lately. For, like, nearly a year.

I like sewing/quilting. It’s sometime creative that is outside the realm of writing, so I use a different part of my brain…and yet, I get writing (plotting, character ideas, scene thoughts) done while I’m taking time away from the computer.

bebe & her mask

Sewing has been part of my self-care routine for…well, since before bebe. But as she’s grown up and needed more (and sometimes less) of my time, as my writing career has grown to the 20 book mark, as RadioMan and I have tried to carve out dating time while also raising a kiddo and having careers…the list goes on, but self-care has kind of fallen to the wayside. And that isn’t a great thing, I don’t think.

Self-care is time that I spend just on (and for) me. It’s reading a book just for fun, it’s taking a walk at

a nature preserve, it’s brainstorming with a writer friend, it’s a date with RadioMan, it’s movie time with bebe. It’s all the things that remind me that as much as I take care of RadioMan and bebe and my career, I also need to make time to take care of me – and sewing should definitely come back into that part of my life.

Because the hour or so we spent on the project? Was filled with laughter and silliness. It reminded me how much I enjoy making “things”, and how much I get out of the process. Things like a calmer mind, a new scene idea, a memory of bebe laughing so hard she fell off the chair…So, I’ve resolved to add sewing in to my routine a little more. I mean, I do have about 3 UFO (unfinished objects) in the crafting stash….

Oh! And if you find yourself in need of a “reason” to take some time for self-care, give this (5 Reasons to Love Yourself) a read. I read this a few weeks ago and loved it. For the past year or so I’ve been trying to give myself a break/give myself permission to focus on me – at least a little bit of the time – because self-care is really important. And self-care doesn’t mean you don’t love your DH or kids, it just means you recognize the need to refill your own well, to give yourself a break.

Books . Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight . Writing Tips

How to Create a #BlockSchedule

On April 29, 2019 by kristina

Earlier this year – and by this year, I’m technically talking about December of last year! – I decided I needed a planner change. Y’all know I’m a Happy Planner fan and have been for a long time. That hasn’t changed. But I was finding that having the three dividers just wasn’t working for me. I was getting lost in my day, skipping over things that needed to be done…It was time for a planner change. I’d been looking at the Teacher Planners for quite a while and decided to pick one up and customize it to what I wanted it to be. You can read more about why I chose a Teacher (and created a Writing Notebook and incorporated a Mini-Happy-Planner, too, here).

What I like about blocking out my days is that everything is in order. When I was dividing my days into three “areas” – Home, Writing, Family – I was forever skipping over the things I didn’t want to do (hello, unfolded laundry!) in favor of what I wanted to do (why, there you are project I’m not set to start for another 3 weeks!) and missing a LOT of stuff. And not just the “mom” stuff of dusting or carpooling, but sometimes even writing stuff. I needed a better solution and after Googling a lot and reading a few “plan a better life” type books, I thought block scheduling would be a huge help. Only, when I first started, I was simply setting up the blocks in my Teacher Planner like I had my old planners – a box for house stuff, a box for writing…and it was the same vicious cycle of skipping over X in favor of Y. So I adjusted and created a time-blocked schedule where each time-block of the day has specific tasks. So far, it’s working. Here’s how I set it up.

Step One: Figure out how many time blocks you need. I like having five blocks, some people like four, some six. Whatever works for you, try it. Five made sense to be because there are five basic “parts” to nearly every day in our house: getting up/getting bebe off to school, morning, lunch/early afternoon, after school run/homework/practices, and dinner/evening.

Step Two: Make a list of all the things you do daily: working out, meal prep and eating, house chores, grocery shopping, writing/editing, post office and school runs. Everything you do should be on this list. Don’t worry about prioritizing the list, just get everything down so you can see all the things you do in a week. Feeling a little overwhelmed? Don’t worry, that’s what the next step is all about.

Step Three: Figure out what Key Activities fit the best in each block. A “key activity” is a most-important: you should have a “most important task” for each of your blocks. If you have five blocks, choose your five most important activities and think about where it makes the most sense to put those activities. Create a new list, with the number of blocks you’ll be using, and fill those in. My five are: Working Out, Writing, Business (which includes graphics/websites and additional writing), Family, Me Time. Once I’d figured out my focus for each block, it was time to fill in the other activities.

Step Four: Fill in the “extras”. For me, working out fits best when I first get up, but during that block I’m also getting the kiddo off to school, having breakfast, showering, and even doing a quickie email and social media check. I’m also most productive, writing-wise, in the mornings. So I set up my second block as a strictly Writing block. No social media, no email, just me and the pages. BUT. I can fit in a few loads of laundry while I’m writing (because no one should be stuck in a chair for 3+ hours!) or unload the dishwasher. Next comes lunch and my Business block: a check in with email and social media and a little outside time, maybe 20 or 30 minutes. Then back to writing if I haven’t met my daily goal, or time with graphics, editing, website updating and that kind of thing. My third block is the Family block – it’s the school run, homework, karate practice. Then comes the Kristina block – it’s me time, time to read or watch a favorite show or maybe sew or do something else creative.

It may sound weird that separating my blocks out by time works better than separating out by task, but it does work for me. If you find you’re struggling to get things done or that your planner feels like a jumble of “stuff” that you can’t keep up with, consider changing up how you plot your days – you may just need a change in your planner scenery!

Books . Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight . New Release

Coming Soon: A New Multi-Author Series!

On January 14, 2019 by kristina

Hey, readers! I have big news to share – some of you might have an idea because I’ve been hinting at it on social media for the past week: I’ve been asked to be part of a new multi-author continuity!

For those of you who don’t know, a continuity is a series of books set in a similar place or within the same family or sometimes even the same town. In our case, this continuity uses the similar setting: all 10 books (yep, 10!) take place during Matchmaking Week at the fictional Joy Island in the Bahamas! How fun is that?

Here’s the 4-1-1 on Matchmaking Week: Joy Island is owned by a set of eccentric twin sisters who are matchmakers (by choice and also by profession). During Matchmaking Week, a slew of couples come together for a week of no cell phones/outside contact and lots of romance! It’s been so much fun to write! My book features opposites Ethan and Aster. Here’s the blurb:

Moonlight Match

Resort to Romance
Ten delightful—and standalone—novellas linked by one matchmaking week. You’ll want to devour each one! This is Moonlight Match:

Aster Harrington believes in love but love doesn’t seem to believe in her. She’s tried online dating, set-ups, and even chance encounters at her local coffee place. All she’s gotten in return is a series of men more interested in her last name – or their cell phones – than they are in her. She’s hoping Goldie and Ginny, the matchmakers who put not only her parents but her grandparents together, can work their matchmaking magic for her…

Some call Ethan Talbot rigid, but he prefers to think of himself as prepared. Nothing can prepare him for seeing Aster Harrington again – or finding out she is his match at Matchmaking Week. Aster is the daughter of a hotel magnate who regularly appears in tabloids. Neither of those attributes are on Ethan’s list for the perfect wife. But he finds he can’t simply walk out on Aster – or his well-meaning if slightly dotty cousins, Goldie and Ginny. He can get back to the business of finding a suitable wife once he’s back in New York. How much harm can Aster do to his plans? After all, it’s only for a week…

Moonlight Match releases March 12, 2019 RESORT TO ROMANCE SERIES

Get ready for ten weeks of romance in the Bahamas with a new series brought to you by some of the best authors in the inspirational and sweet romance genres…
It’s Matchmaking Week at an all-inclusive resort on a private island in the Bahamas. Each guest has been expertly paired and is here to enjoy one full week with their match. While there’s no money-back guarantee on the paid trip, the participants are guaranteed to find love!

You can pre-order now by clicking the Amazon link above; this book will be exclusive to Amazon for the first 3 months. And, mark your calendars for February 19, 2019 when book one, A Meddled Match, hits retailers!

Books . Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight . Tips . Writing Tips

How to Create a Vision Board for Writing

On January 7, 2019 by kristina

I love Pinterest. Next to Instagram, its my favorite of the social networks because of all the pretty pictures. If you follow me at all on Pinterest you know I have boards for all kinds of things: favorite quotes, meals that I’ll probably never make, inspiration, and I even have pinboards for each of my books. My book pinboards are filled with nature pics and some quotes and (naturally) the models and actors that I think represent the characters in my books. These pinboards are very much like vision boards for me, and while I create them in the beginning stages of each draft, I add to them throughout the writing and editing and publishing process. These pinboards help me keep my vision of the books fresh while I’m trudging through the middle (middles are HARD for me, people!), and last year as I was setting up my planner I thought: why aren’t I making pinboards for other things? I should do that and so I did.

I made a vision board for 2018 on Pinterest. It was beautiful. Filled with quotes I like, pictures of places I’d like to visit or that inspire me…you get the idea. The problem was that while I filled that board up quickly, I forgot to go and check in on it (which made for a fun surprise this year when I discovered in again…but I digress). I wanted a vision board for my year that would actually work to inspire me – that I could see every day and not forget about. That meant it needed to be a physical board, not a digital one. The big problem with creating a big poster or cork board sized vision board is the size of my office and the fact that it doubles as a guest room.

Page 1 of my planner vision board

I kept thinking and wondered if I could create a vision board that would live in my planner for the year. I use my planner daily, so I wouldn’t lose track of my vision. I could add to it throughout the year because I use the Happy Planner/discbound system, that was a bonus. I played around with that idea and it turns out, I could. And I did. And I am so excited about it!

I wound up putting the vision board in my project planner because that’s what made the most sense. So far I’m really loving it. When I see those images I chose to represent my expectations and hopes and plans for the year, it just makes me happy and inspires me to keep moving forward. So much, that I wanted to share the process with you guys because I think it could help you, too! Here’s what you need: glue, a few blank pages that will fit into your planner, and clippings from various magazines or digitally printed. The images can be words that are inspiring to you, nature images, inspirational/aspirational sayings, and even people that inspire you if you’re so inclined. If you don’t have any magazines laying around, contact your local Goodwill – most have stacks and stacks of magazines that you can buy for $1/bag.

Another planner vision board page

Step One: go through the magazines page by page looking for images, headlines, and even bits of text that make you happy in some way. Cut them out and stack them in piles. I made piles of nature pics, some health/wellness images/words, inspirational words, and even a couple of pics of people (Oprah!) who inspire me. The number of clippings you have will vary, but I think a solid number is probably 20-30 clippings.

Step Two: decide how many “sections” you want for this vision board. I used three sheets of planner paper, and “titled” each page according to what it represented. I have a page for work (writing), a page for home, and a page for health/wellness because those are my top three areas this year.
Step Three: figure out which images you want on what pages and/or, if you’re just doing a single page, which section of the page. I like to have one big image and then I fill in the rest of the area with quotes and pictures that either reinforce what I see in that image or that build upon it.

The “home” page from my vision board

Once you’ve figured out what goes on that page, it’s time for Step Four: start gluing! Rubber cement or glue sticks work well, but I prefer a tape runner (I use a TomBow) because it isn’t as messy but it keeps things in position. For my vision board, I also used washi to tape the pages together so that they fold in on one another. Speaking of, washi would be a great way to stick images to your pages and add a little more color/texture to the overall piece. That’s it. You’ve created a vision for your year that can be tucked into your planner (or put on a cork board if you have one!) that will keep you inspired for the next year.
Do you like vision boards? What would you like to create a vision board for?

Books . Contemporary Romance . Kristina Knight . Tips . Writing Tips

January Goals & Planning for 2019

On January 1, 2019 by kristina

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you my planner setup for 2019. Well, it’s 2019 and I know we’re only a day in, but I’m already loving my planner! But, as I was setting it up and my planner was getting thicker and thicker I realized something: I needed just a little separation. 2018 brought about a lot of new things here at Casa Knight: bebe started karate, which leads to several practices each week, RadioMan started a new job that not only includes sportscasting but also running a radio group (and all the meetings, late nights, and ballgames that entails), and I started working part-time outside the home.

Kristina’s “mini”/family and health planner

All of that means our family schedule is packed. It also means that, many times, our family schedule takes up space that I need to have dedicated to my writing…and when I don’t, some of the business parts of my writing can be put off or (gasp!) forgotten. Which is where Separation comes in. I decided to split out my writing from our family planning (although some of the same appointments go in both – because it never hurts to have some things in multiple places). So, I bought my first Happy Planner Mini (this one, an hourly format) that I’m not using hourly but as a workout, food, and water log, along with appointments and family things.

Kristina’s 2019 Planner

Kristina’s Project Planner

My main planner (a BIG sized Happy planner, in the Teacher layout will be my business planner) remains, with sections for writing, social media, planning, refilling the well, you get the idea). And, I created a project planner. This is only a planner in the loosest sense of the word – I’m using parts of a Happy Notes BIG, with sections for different writing projects (those contracted through NY and those that are INDIE), ideas for my blog and social media, and a few non-fiction ideas, too. This is one of the project pages, from my book that is coming out in March. Speaking of plans, it’s the beginning of a new month and that means it’s time for GOALS! Meanwhile, let’s recap December:

Set a daily writing goal on Sunday of each week (Sunday is my planning day); my minimum writing goal will be 1,000 words. – CHECK
Finalize a partial/synopsis for my agent. – CHECK
Finalize the novella edits and formatting in preparation for the March release (I just saw the cover and I canNOT wait to share with you guys!). – CHECK

Despite the craziness of December, I did meet my three main goals, so I’m super happy about that. Now for January’s goals:

Continue setting daily writing goals on Sunday, with a minimum goal of 1,000 on writing days
Begin tracking my food and water intake, along with workouts, in my mini planner. Health is going on the front burner this year because…well, because it needs to. And by health I do mean physical, but I’ll be doing some mental-health things, too. Stay tuned!
Start writing my next full length project, with a goal of pitching by the end of January. In addition, continue working on my next contemporary series idea, this one with the goal of pitching mid-February.
Begin working on plans for my book releasing in March, including a cover reveal and creating a dedicated page for it here on my website.

If you’ve got a goal (or twelve) for January, feel free to share in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

FoodFriday . Kristina Knight

Kristina’s Hot Chocolate

On December 14, 2018 by kristina

I adore hot chocolate. Seriously. I’m not big on coffee, and I’m really particular about teas (and actually prefer them iced – I know, I’m a Philistine!) so when I go for a hot beverage more often than not it’s hot chocolate. Which I’m also particular about because there is a difference between hot cocoa (which is fine, but not my favorite) and hot chocolate (which, when made correctly, is divine). Since we’re into the cold months, I thought I’d share my grandmother’s hot chocolate recipe. Here we go!
The ingredients:

1-2 tbsp sugar – this is completely optional and is actually an estimate…I actually just use a couple of healthy pinches
2 cups whole milk – 2% milk will work but do not, no matter what you think, go to 1% or skim…I’m begging you
4 oz/1 cup dark chocolate chopped (I use my Ninja Food Prep so the bits are super fine, it makes for a smoother overall drink)
splash of vanilla extract
whipped cream
peppermint stick, candy cane, or puffed peppermints if you’d like a hint of mint

The directions:
First things first, the chocolate needs to be melted so pop it into a microwave safe bowl and blast it in 45 second increments, stirring between each blast, in a microwave until it’s nicely melted. While you’re melting the chocolate, it’s safe to start on the milk. Using a sauce pan over medium heat, warm the vanilla and milk until it’s at the scalding phase – you’ll know it’s at the right heat when it’s 180 degrees…or, if you don’t have a handy thermometer, when there are bubbles around the edge but it isn’t boiling. If you make a mistake and the milk boils, my suggestion is to start over because that will give the drink a grainy texture. Turn the burner to the low setting and begin to add in the melted chocolate, stirring as you do. Once the chocolate and milk are well blended, pour into mugs, top with a bit of whipped cream (the kind from the can, not Cool Whip) and add in the peppermint if you’re in a mint-chocolate mood). Serve.

A couple of notes: This makes about four servings, depending on the size of your mugs, which probably means leftovers. Yay! And, yes, you can keep this for a bit by storing whatever is left in a covered dish/mug in your fridge for up to three days. Reheat over the stove as reheating in the microwave can lead to uneven temperatures and a drink that isn’t as smooth as the original. Also: I do mean use dark chocolate (some call it bittersweet), this recipe won’t be the same (it will still be fine, but not as good in my opinion) if you use either semi-sweet or milk chocolate…if you do use either of those definitely nix the added sugar, as it won’t be needed. I keep chocolate chips on-hand in my house, Nestle’s Dark are my favorite for this recipe.

There you have it – the perfect (in my opinion) hot chocolate! Do you have a favorite cold weather hot beverage? Feel free to share!

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