​The Booksigning itself was quite busy! I was not expecting so many people and was extremely grateful for my friend who came to help.  Thankfully, she has retail experience so had little trouble handling the crowds and keeping everyone in line happy until their turn!
 
It’s especially fun to meet readers I’ve interacted with through the years on social media. Some I feel as though I’ve know them forever I think meeting Mrs. Claus was the biggest surprise though! LOL. 

Did you spot the new items on my table that are in stock and will be available for sale now at my direct shop?

​And then we moved on - ready for photos of Louisville?  We need to start with our hotel – we stayed at a historic hotel downtown. I LOVE historic hotels. This one did not disappoint!  Not only was the hotel a fun place to stay, they are known for the invention of the famous “Hot Brown” meal.  The thing when described sounds awful, but, taste it and my oh my oh my! 

My favorite thing was going to Churchill Downs home of the Kentucky Derby! I loved learning about Secretariat – his normal heart was much larger than the average horse! Do you know that the ONLY gate number that no one has ever won a derby race from is #17? Yep – owners and jockies wince when they draw #17.  I may have to bet on that gate horse till I die – odds are it’s bound to winner eventually LOL. And of course, you can’t be at the Derby and not at least try on a hat—and let me tell you, I came with in inches of buying that big pink sucker! LOL – fortunately, good sense kicked in, I mean, where the heck would I wear it?? 

I think that's enough Kentucky overload for now! 
I'm still working on Sweet Courage - am desperately behind, but chugging away.  Say a prayer that things go faster now that i've gotten a handful of other things taken care of! 

​Catch you next week! 

Today was a very busy day for me - but my daughter changed the baby's sleep schedule so instead of housesitting while she napped this morning, I was entertaining her till nap time so I couldn't get the blog written early - so very sorry! 

I should probably start with my friends house remodel - here are some work in progress photos of the kitchen - you remember how it started? There's still more painting to be done - but even so - pretty different huh?  Still need appliances installed - second coat of cabinet paint - cabinet handles - and then when it's all done the paper protecting the floor and counters can be tossed out. 

then we have more photos from Kentucky  - the book bash - was overwhelming. SO many readers, and so much work, at one point, I actually forgot my name lol! One reader brought me a lovely gift, and another is Mrs. Santa Claus! Another reader and I have been online friends for years - FINALLY we got to meet in person! Then there were lines of folks and I wasn't as ready as I could have been.  One reader I'd never met before had to set up venmo for me on my phone lol ! And another had to help me make sure my ebook cards worked. I'd have been in quite the pickle without those two ladies! Oh and I can't forget the nice reader who volunteered to drive this starving author and her assistant/friend to dinner when the hotel restaurant closed at 7pm! So many great people. 

After all the hard work, there was an after party. Lots of dancing and laughing and motivation to go on a diet!  Though I did put all my poundage aside and danced like it was high school again! lol :) First photo is my author friend Elle James, some of you might remember her from when we took an author cruise a few years back. 

The grandbaby is on a new sleep schedule. When I was raising kids, I put them down for a nap at a particular time of day and let them sleep till they woke up, then put them down in the afternoon. My daughter has this strict schedule and at four months the baby is now doing two hours of sleep with two hours of awake time, only she doesn't seem to agree with the program so today was a bit of a challenge for us. We'll see how it goes! 

as for writing - hasn't been easy to stay on schedule, but I knew that with the new baby which is why books are now three months apart instead of every month. I did get some words in yesterday and am sticking to the schedule no matter what! 

​okay, that's it for today - better late than never! 

Let’s pick up on Kentucky.  I had a photo taken with a thoroughbred stud named Life is Good.  In North  Texas there’s a thoroughbred track. Out of curiosity, I looked up what horses run and discovered that so far this season one of Life is Good’s ‘children’ has won a bunch of races – that was so exciting. Now I have to figure out how to find and read the horses in the upcoming races and their sires. I would really love to see one of Life is Good’s sons race.
 
In the afternoon of our first day in Lexington we went to a little town, I think it was called Midway or something like that lol. Anyhow, we had a tasty little lunch. The most fabulous cream of asparagus soup ever. Sadly I didn’t take a photo, but everything we ate was clearly farm to table and what a difference!   My friend did take a photo of me in front of the cute book store – after all, authors HAVE to go book stores.

​Then we have day two in Kentucky.  I didn’t get near as many photos as I should have. We went to Waveland property. It’s always fun for me to visit historical locations. In this case I learned the origin of two things. The first, the lovely lady showed us the loom and the weasel (which looks like the steering wheel of an old ship lol) and something else. She explained that they loaded the yarn onto the weasel and when it was full it would make a pop sound. Then they would give that to the person who had the large loom. Who knew that’s where the lyrics- Pop goes the weasel came from!  They also showed us a bed in one of the back buildings.  Like many of the beds we saw from the 1800s, it was a rope frame with a stuffed mattress on top. The tour guide showed us how after the ropes stretched, there’s a massive wooden key that is used to tighten the ropes so everyone can… sleep tight. LOL – I just loved learning those expressions.
 
Apparently, I thought very highly of lunch because I have lots of FOOD photos from day two in Lexington LOL.  I will say all of it was crazy delicious! Just don't ask me what any of it was LOL - though the first one - the baked brie was amazing! 

​We also went by Keeneland race track. It was really nice how it’s all open so you can walk around the original betting booths, and the seats, and the edge of the track. I really do like horses and racing. Should probably have been born in Kentucky LOL.  

And of course, you can’t go to Kentucky without visiting at least ONE distillery. So we picked a pretty one. Castle and Key.  And it was really lovely how they refurbished an abandoned distillery. I bought a bottle for my son in law who likes bourbon. ​

If you want to see how busy the preorder party was after all this sightseeing, you need to pop over to my youtube channel and get a look at a few of the 600 people attending! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL6Ud4GSBNs&list=PL6l_TXWcJ1-hRnRtceLWNV5nnwJg2T_1w&index=3

And I think that's enough for one day! I promise I'll get back to the business of books soon! 

​Well Kentucky so far has been beautiful and the book signing was crazy!  I’m not used to people standing on line to see me and at one point I was so tired from signing and talking that a woman handed me the conference booklet to sign my photo (everyone was doing this) that I just stared at the page and the lady softly leaned forward and whispered, ‘your name is Chris Keniston’ lol.  I said thank you and signed. I seriously blanked out on what was I supposed to do because I had been multi tasking for hours!
 
We’ll start with Lexington – our first morning was WinStar horse farm. What a gorgeous place and I learned so much more about thoroughbred horses.  They take darn good care of those babies. I’d never seen horses with mesh blankets or face covers to protect from flies. All the horses I have ever been near are just flicking their ears and swishing their tails to get rid of the bugs.  Then again, I’ve never been by horses as valuable as these thoroughbreds! 

Since I'm the one doing all the photo taking most of the pics are just scenic or of my friend. It's really nice to have been here in the foal season!  And one horse Constitution - a stud - that horse had so much personality it was hilarious - reminded me a bit of Mr. Ed and of course when I turned on the video he stopped performing! LOL 

And what would a horse farm be without the foals!  The younger ones stick close to mama but spook easily.  A crunch sound on the grass and they back up - but SO cute - and you can see the mask on this mama's face! 

I learned SO much so of course - this will be incorporated into the new books - not just the Honeysuckle books but the next wave of Farradays will have to have some thoroughbred learning on Connor's ranch!  It will be great - 

​Sorry to keep this short - but trip isn't over - we'll be running out the door again - catch you next week! 

One of the downsides of writing when you're tired - you forget to save and have to start all over. Yep - that's what I'm doing now! 

I am currently packing and sorting for my trip to Lexington. I'm signing books at the Knockout Book Bash.  Now I remember why I don't do these very often - it's a lot of work!  I've got books piled everywhere, old signage and new signs to make, and then there's clothes - that part would be so much better if I hadn't gained twelve pounds this year LOL. 

Anyhow, while I'm prepping for the book signing, I'm also hosting the annual girls' weekend. Yep. In the middle of everything else I'm sorting mail, dusting tables and frames (can anyone tell me where the heck all this dust comes from? LOL), and of course, bathing the dog was a must! ​

As you can see from the bed - there's a lot of books to pack and that's not all of them. Some are already in the suitcase. If I'd had a brain in my head I would have boxed it all up and shipped it - but no one said I had a brain LOL.  

Of course the next photo is our snack table - what is a girls' weekend without lots of carbs? LOL. Of course I gained two pounds this weekend, but I enjoyed every minute of it! the third photo was Sunday morning before everyone arrived. I kept meaning to take another photo with the whole gang, but never got a round tuit. lol. And yes, dominoes is addictive! 

What I didn't have time to do this week is personally check up on my friends remodel project. Thankfully, the contractor is really good at working without a lot of supervision and he sent some photos. The upper cabinets are up. The lowers have to wait until the floor is down. The floor has to wait until the walls are painted and the plumbers are done fixing the sewer lines.  I can hardly wait- already it's SO different from before!  Another thing done was the floor was leveled. No more sunken living so folks can fall and break their ankle or neck! 

ADid I mention during all this, I also had to squeeze in a baby shower for a friend's daughter and a birthday dinner for my middle grandchild? Yep - busy week/ weekend! 

I have however been a good girl and written EVERY day! Which means we're on track for an August release of Sweet Courage! I'm hoping y'all are going to love this as much as the other K9 books. 

And that's about it for me for this week - next week I'll be reporting from Louisville Kentucky!  See you then! 

Why are there never enough days in the week to finish your to-do list? LOL

I have been trying to get organized for my book signing next weekend -- or is it this weekend? LOL - anyhow - I've got books to back, and signs and so much - sigh - and of course I had a houseful of friends here this weekend for our annual get together! All of which means while I'm stacking books and other things for Kentucky, I'm also trying to sort through mail, clear off tables, put away toys, dust (why is dust never ending?), all the basics for a warm welcome. 

As you can see - the pile of books on the spare bed. And that's not all of it - there was already some books in one of the suitcases!  Next photo is some of the snacks for ten women!  Of course, this means that yours truly gained two pounds this weekend - but who can resist all those goodies!  Then there's a photo of the domino game - it was early sunday so not everyone was here from the hotel, but can't let a minute go by without playing! LOL. 

Did I mention during hosting this weekend I also had to escape briefly to attend my friend's daughter's baby shower? Yep - I did.  And then there was celebrating my older granddaughter's birthday because I'll be gone on the actual day. Yeah - like I don't have enough on my plate LOL. 

Did I mention that I'm also working on Sweet Courage? Yes, that's on track and I hope you're going to love it as much as the other K9 books! 

What I simply could not make the time to go see in person is the project house for my friend. Thankfully the workers can chug along without me!  But I did get a few photos out of them.  Some of the upper cabinets are up on the wall. The lower ones can not be installed until the floors are installed and they can't do that until the plumbers are finished, sooo. here is the photos of the cabinets, as well as a photo of the floor leveled. Yay! No more sunken living room for someone to fall into ! 

What a difference from the way this kitchen started out! So much more cabinet and storage space. I can hardly wait to see it all done. 

Next week, I'll be reporting from Louisville Kentucky! 

Have a great week! 

As y'all know, I'm getting ready to head out to Kentucky in less than two weeks!  I have never been to Kentucky and I'm quite excited - I'm also pretty stoked to have learned how to do preorders for the book signing!  I ordered them ahead and will bring them with me - it's kind of fun getting ready.  The only challenge is I'm also hosting a group of longtime friends coming to my neck of the woods for our annual summer get together.  Another friend of mine and I go back and forth hosting and this year it's at my house - just a few days before I leave for Kentucky.  Can you spell STRESS? lol.  Yep, trying organize, pack and clean. I did however on a small burst of energy (something I'm lacking considerably since gaining those 12 pounds while my daughter and grands were staying with me) I finally hung up the three tile pictures I brought back from Rio De Janeiro.  They look pretty nice in my kitchen - though I think one of these years I may get around to changing the frames. ​

The first framed tiles are Copacabana beach - you can tell because the mosaic sidewalks are wave shaped. The second is Ipanema Beach (remember the song? Tall and tan and young and lovely the girl from Ipanema goes walking...) - you can tell because the mosaic sidewalk is more chain linkish in shape. And lastly, the Christ the Redeemer tiles. 

Back to helping my friend remodel her house, there's been quite a bit of progress this week.  They cut out the window and I am SO thrilled with how much light comes in.  As you can see from the first photograph - this is the view of the back wall from the front door.  There was a pony wall we took down and there's a sunken living room that will be leveled - after all the thing is a fall hazard for young and old! Because we closed up some of the glass door panels to allow for more cabinetry, we decided to cut out a window in the dining room. It's a little messy and it was a cloudy day - but here's the new view! ​

Even though I wasn't standing all the way back by the door when I snapped the photo - you can see the fan light is turned off in the second photo and yet, there's more light in the room than the first photo with the fan light on!  It's just a huge difference. And that wall between the full length window and the door is where a peninsula will be for homework or other projects. I can hardly wait till it's finished. 

As for book news - well, I finally was able to move forward on Sweet Courage - the book releases in August and I have been STUCK for weeks.  When you've written as many books as I have, keeping the stories fresh can get tough. I mean, how many ways can folks 'meet' lol. I think we -yep had to go to my friend Kathy Ivan and her sister for brainstorming help- came up with something that works. I'm kind of excited about it. Fingers crossed I can carry it through! 

Now, I can use some advice from anyone with a green thumb.  I was given an orchid plant when I returned from Brazil.  It was lovely and I was quite proud of myself for keeping it in bloom for almost four months!  The flowers have died and the leaves fell off. So I cut back the two brown stems and cut the green stem off above a nodule (that's what the internet said to do lol).  Now I'm going to water it every week as I have always done, but since I have always had a brown thumb that can kill the heartiest of plants, if someone out there is good with orchids - tips please! 

And now - another week of juggling grandkids, work, home, and now... guests! 

​See y'all next week! 

On this day of barbecues and swim parties, it is so very important to remember the reason for the day. 

Thank you for your service has never seemed enough for those in the armed forces who every day put their lives on the line so that I can watch my grandchildren play in the swimming pool. But it is most definitely not enough for those who gave up their lives, their futures, their Mondays watching their own children or grandchildren play in the pool - nor the children in the pool who won't have their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, or grandparents there to watch because those servicemen chose honor, loyalty, service, and sacrifice for the rest of us. 

I hope that everyone is having a peaceful and joyous day - and for all of those who have lost someone in service, I truly thank you for their service and am deeply sorry for the loss. 

Anyone who knows me well knows that every loss of a military life makes me cry.  I can't help it.  It truly breaks my heart. Please be respectful, and please remember the reason we fly our flags today in the front yard and barbecue in the back yard. 

​This truly is a great country and we shall always owe it to those who serve and those who gave their all. 

oh what a week!  Actually, most of it went quite well.  Every morning I pop over to my daughter's house so that I can help with the baby while she runs the older kids back and forth to school and therapy etc. 

Then came Friday. OYE! Woke up and my mouse didn't work. I can't work without a mouse. I hate those little pads on the laptop. But, since I keep spare mice in the drawer -no problem- right? wrong. The new mouse for when this died didn't work - needs two hours to charge - so I went for the wired mouse - except it didn't work either - grrrr.  Okay- I ordered two new mice and went off to my daughters.  Borrowed her wired mouse- except -nada. Didn't work either. NOW I'm starting to put two and two together.

As soon as my daughter came home I asked her to check her mouse and mine on her laptop - and no surprise - they both worked - blast! 

So - off to Microcenter I go. Thankfully, mid afternoon there aren't that many people waiting. I only had to wait about fifteen or twenty minutes for the tech to look at it. I love that store because so many of my problems can be fixed in five minutes by someone who has any tech skills since we know I have none. Now - I DO know when all else fails, turn the machine off, wait five minutes, and turn it back on.  That didn't work. Not when I did it, not when the tech guy did it. 

After what felt like an hour - and may well have been - and testing my mice and their mouse on my laptop and then on theirs, it was determined that my laptops USB and USBC ports were not registering anything. The downside - my two year warranty expired about six weeks ago - grrr. OF course, I need my laptop so I paid the $59 for the diagnostic and prayed for an easy fix. Since both my husband's computers are broken (one won't charge, one has keys that won't work- the space bar being the most critical) and the tech guy said it would be 24 to 48 hours before they'd get back to me, I did what I did last time my computer crashed two years ago - I went to pick up a cheap computer.  Except - there is no longer such a thing. Long story short - $1200 later I have a working computer and a two year additional warranty. 

I learned something from this - I hate Windows 11.  Let me repeat that - I HATE Windows 11.  after spending one hour searching how to capture a screenshot, Microcenter texted me.  THere is no problem it must be my mouse. Apparently one tech guy doesn't talk to the other. So I packed my new computer up and drove back.  My computer most definitely was working normally now. The tech guy backed me up and said it wasn't working a few hours ago - I returned that horribly expensive and annoying new laptop (My credit card and interest rate are much happier now!) and because the diagnostic said the computer is fine - I was able to buy another 2 year warranty.  

Kept my Friday interesting - frustrating - but interesting! 

I was however a very good girl and worked all weekend to make up for lost time on Friday! I even made a little banner to share about my booksigning coming up next month in Kentucky!  

I think it turned out okay - don't you? Just a little more than three weeks! If anyone is from Lexington or Louisville and has suggestions on things I MUST SEE - please share! I know I'm going to go see Churchill Downs and checking out horse farms will be very helpful for a woman who is always writing about horses and barns and things! But anything else will be great too! 

Okay- I'm going to sign off here - Hopefully I'll have some nicer rehab photos for you next time! 

 I figure we'll start off with news on Sweet Devotion! It is releasing officially on May 19th - but - it should be available on my storefront TOMORROW!  Isn't that wonderful for folks who don't want to wait? https://www.chriskeniston.com/sweet-devotion.html 

And here's the opening scene (unedited of course!) for Sweet Courage! 

"Clear the area!"
Shrill voices. Screaming. Hanson running at a full gallop. Get away. Move. Clear the area, get everyone out.
"Clear the area!" The words tore out of him. His legs — tree stumps, both of them, heavy and wrong and not moving fast enough. Move. Had to move. Had to save everyone. Heat. Lord, so much heat pressed in from every side. Dust so thick he couldn't pull air through it. Lungs burning. Keep moving. Water. Suddenly water everywhere. Swim. Had to swim. Arms like lead, gravity yanking at his boots, pulling him down. Ripples of water overhead. The sky dark and fiery gray and wrong.
"They're attacking!" A voice, muffled, overhead somewhere.
Bursts of red and orange and yellow exploded above him like the Fourth of July. The air stank of fuel and ash and something worse. A dark shape spun between the fire and the water. Growing. Closer. Bigger. A truck. How was there a…
Kick. Move. He had to get away. Screams everywhere. The convoy, where was everyone, where had they… ? The pressure built in his chest. Breathe. Long deep breaths but nothing came. No air. He couldn't see, couldn't breathe, couldn't find… "Aiden!" His voice swallowed by water. Still in the water. Where? How? "Gideon!"
Groans. His buddies. Somewhere. He kicked out, pulled his arms through the water, the light hit his face and then the water was gone and he was running, burned grass under his boots, black smoldering holes in the earth, smoke burning his throat. Move. Stay safe. Find them.
Screams again. One louder than the others. He locked onto it and ran harder, harder than his legs should have been able to carry him, toward the sound coming from under a pile of burned wood. A structure. Had it been a house? A cabin?
The cry came again and with both hands he grabbed at splintered wood and charred beams, throwing them aside with the ease of tossing bags of feathers. He had to move faster. The screams were getting louder. One more board. Gripping the corner, he flipped it out of the way. A final scream pierced straight through him.  Not Gideon. Not Aiden. Not his sergeant—a baby!
"No!"
Sucking in a deep breath, Hanson Taylor sat up straight. Surrounded by dark, he blinked. Silence embraced him. He blinked again, looking down. Soaked. His shirt was soaked. Tangled around his legs, sheets were drenched with sweat. His sweat.  Swinging his legs around, he braced himself on the edge of the mattress. Where the hell was he?
His eyes squeezed shut, he tried to remember. Tried to understand. As if someone had drilled a hole in his brain and let all his memories pour out, he could not remember where he was.
A light tap on the door. “Hanson, honey, are you all right?”
Honey?
The hinges squeaked as the door inched open. “Can I get you something?”
He blinked. A woman, older but not old, concern etched on her face. But who? And then, like a light bulb in the dark, he remembered. Mrs. Sweet. Alice. He was at his sergeant’s ranch. Relief washed over him. The nightmare was just that, a senseless dream.  “Sorry, yes. I’m fine, and, no. I don’t need anything.”
“You may not need anything, but how about a mug of warm honey milk? That will help you sleep.”
Sleep. At this moment the last thing he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep—or dream. Then again, the worry in the woman’s eyes made him reconsider. “That sounds…nice.”
Her frown flipped to a smile. “Good. I’ll have that ready for you in just a few minutes.” Mrs. Sweet turned on her heel.
Hanson glanced at the old fashioned alarm clock on the nightstand. Three in the morning. Had he woken the poor woman out of a deep sleep? Damn.  Shaking his head, he pushed to his feet, at least that was now stable. One thing they’d managed to re-teach him at the hospital. It had taken months, but now, finally, he could at least stand steady on his feet, move one foot in front of the other. They were no longer heavy like tree stumps and did what his mind told them to do. One thing in his upside down life that was normal. If only his mind could do the same.
Under any other circumstance, this room would be a nice place for a vacation. Simple décor, not too girly, not too manly, mostly—welcoming. The attached bath made it easy for him to wash up his face, brush his hair and teeth, and put on dry clothes. Staring at himself in the mirror, at least now he looked more presentable. Enough not to scare small children.  Taking another second, he let his mind run through what little he remembered. The Sweet ranch, Ms. Alice. His sergeant had already returned to base. His wife, whose name escaped him, lived here with his brother. Cooper? No. Carter. That seemed right, yet wrong. Carson! That was it. His brother Carson and his family.
For now, he'd done enough tug of war with his mind and his memory. Straightening to his full height, he sucked in a calming breath and moved toward the kitchen. At the doorway he paused, looking, studying, trying to paint a memory.  A single light over the stove, the quiet sounds of Alice moving with purpose in the early dark, a massive table that had seen years of family meals. Set on the same table was a large steaming mug. Knowing he wouldn’t remember, he walked in and took a seat.
“When my Charlie couldn’t sleep, worrying about some problem or other, I’d make him warm honey milk. Honey has lots of healthy properties and warm milk, well.” She smiled and shrugged.
“I’m sorry I woke you.”
“You didn’t.” She shook her head. “I always get up at this hour to start breakfast. Unlike chickens who rise and rest with the sun, a rancher’s work starts in the pitch of dark.”
“I didn’t know that.” He curled his hands around the warm mug, before lifting it to his lips. The warmth more soothing than he’d expected. “This is delicious. Thank you.”
Her head bobbed as she tied an apron around her waist.  Slowly, signs of a morning routine emerged. Clint, Alice’s husband was first to the table. Carson, who was apparently going to work the ranch this morning instead of his normal day job, followed shortly after.  The conversation was minimal, but smiles were abundant. Happiness draped every corner of the room with a goodly dose of love and family. 
It had been explained to him more than once, that for him to make any kind of additional progress, he needed to be in a relaxed stress-free environment. An environment that matched the Sweet family ranch. Too bad the only thing all this normalcy succeeded at was reminding him how his new world was anything but normal. 
Sweet Courage is available for preorder at all vendors! and soon you'll be able to sign up for notification of direct early release on my website soon! 

​Now - shall we move on to the kitchen and bath remodel for my friend? We'll start with a refresher on the before - and where we are now? I love that this home will now have a pantry- small, but a pantry! Ignore the floating wires - when the electrician finishes- they'll be gone! 

As soon as all the sheetrock is up and repaired around the house - then the cabinets can go in - it's going to be amazing, I can feel it in my bones LOL - The kitchen was SO impractical before - there will be way more counterspace and so many more cabinets!  

I hope everyone with human and fur babies had a happy and peaceful Mothers Day! 

Next week I'll have more on the master bath- that shower is coming along - 

​Okay- back to work - have a good week!