Posts in Category: Kary Rader
Hiccups and A Taylor-Made Life: An Interview With @KaryRader
Hey! One of my writing friends, Kary Rader, is now on tour for her recently released new adult novel, A Taylor-Made Life. Kary graciously agreed to answer my never-ending questioning tirade as part of her stop at my blog because she’s awesome. Also, be sure to read to the very bottom for a really cool giveaway!!
Let’s go!
Me: Why do you write?
Kary: The simplest answer is — Because I have to. I really don’t know what else I’d do. Writing is so much a part of who I am. At first it was a release for me to expel pent up emotions, but now it’s more. I want to bless and encourage with my words and stories.
Me: What’s the last song you listened to on purpose?
Kary: Michael W. Smith’s Breathe – it encourages me to give thanks for everything I have, to realize words on a page don’t mean anything unless they touch and inspire—and no matter what I write I can’t do that by myself.
Me: What is your favorite salty treat?
Kary: Any kind of nuts-pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds
Me: Where did the idea for A Taylor-Made Life come from?
Kary: Five years ago while I was pregnant with my youngest child, my husband was diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma cancer. It was a difficult and emotional time in our lives. He’s now well and cancer free, but last year when a friend’s daughter was diagnosed with cancer, all those emotions came flooding back. I felt so helpless. Through my prayers, I asked, “What can I do?” and God gave me the scripture Acts 3:6, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee….” I write stories. That’s what I had and that’s what I gave – this story.
Me: Here’s a free plane ticket! Where would you like to go?
Kary: Up until two years ago, I would’ve said Australia or Europe, but now I’d have to say Richmond, VA to visit my sister.
Me: That’s so sweet! What are you going to do right after you finish this interview?
Kary: Fix my kids breakfast—but only this once. I’m really looking forward to school starting. Oddly enough, they’re not.
Me: School starts for me on Thursday. Adios, summer! Would you rather have hiccups for the rest of your life or feel like you need to sneeze but not be able to for the rest of your life?
Kary: Well, as you might imagine, I’ve put a tremendous amount of thought into this and can honestly say I’d prefer neither, but I do have a great remedy for getting rid of hiccups-a spoonful of sugar. I know it seems very Mary Poppins-ish but it really works. 🙂
Me: I’ve never tried that, but I always have the hiccups so I’ll have to see for myself if sugar works! What’s the name of the book you’re reading?
Kary: I just finished Tangled by Emma Chase—the most fun I’ve had reading this year. It was like reading Ferris Bueller all grown up. A romance 100% from a man’s POV—a conceited, hilarious, pig of a man.
Me: I’ve heard of that book but haven’t read it yet. What scares you?
Kary: Nothing for very long because I know to whom I belong, and He is always with me.
Me: Pop or soda or soda pop or Coke?
Kary: Diet Coke
Me: Cats or dogs?
Kary: Cats
Me: Good answer! What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
Kary: My God – literally and figuratively in all things.
Here’s more about Kary and A Taylor-Made Life:
Kary Rader is a part-time Twitter sage, stay-at-home mother of three, and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head. Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished with words. It’s the power of words that creates and destroys. Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. With the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.
Author Links:
Website/Blog: www.karyrader.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaryRader
FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/KaryRaderauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998567.Kary_Rader
They lived the life they were given; they loved the life they made.
Cheerleader Taylor Smith doesn’t want to die a virgin. Unfortunately, if the terminally-ill leukemia patient doesn’t find a lover or a stem-cell match within months, her fear will become reality. When her cancer mentor is revealed to be a hottie entrepreneur from California, it seems fate might finally be on her side.
Tech-geek Gavin Taylor has everything he ever wanted, except someone to grieve for him when he’s gone. With his melanoma cancer beyond the help of his riches, he agrees to participate in a cancer patient mentoring program where he’s matched with a dying teen from Texas. Despite his immediate attraction, the Silicon Valley whiz intends only to provide friendship and happy memories to the beautiful, young woman who is determined to win his love.
When it’s discovered that his frozen sperm and her harvested eggs could lead to a cure, Taylor’s mother offers to be a surrogate. And Gavin must decide if he can risk the heart he has never given and a child he’ll never know to a girl he just met.
You can purchase A Taylor-Made Life here:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DU52U5K
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/334257
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18012643-a-taylor-made-life
Now it’s time for the giveaway! Here are the details, rules, and the Rafflecopter link:
Giveaway: $25 Gift Card to Amazon, a Charm Bracelet, a Crochet Hat, and SWAG for A Taylor-Made Life, and Queen of Jastain.
Giveaway Rules:
Giveaway begins August 1st and will end August 30th 11:59 EST. The winner will be announced by email.
Open to U.S. residents only
We are not responsible for items lost in the mail & have the right to disqualify anyone, at any time.
Personal information given by the applicant in the giveaway will never be shared. All information is deleted once the giveaway ends.
Good luck!
Winners, and a #NewAdult #CoverReveal by @KaryRader
Drum roll, please! I have the winners of the Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop. Would you like to know who they are?
The winner of the shiny Kindle Paperwhite is Maria Maltais!
The winner of the huge swag pack and the $25 gift card is Kristi Chambers!
The winner of the $5 gift card to the book store of their choice is Connie Phillips!
Congratulations to all the winners!
Okay, time to switch gears to a New Adult cover reveal by author Kary Rader. Commence the cover petting in 3, 2, 1!
I love it! Here’s the blurb:
Cheerleader Taylor Smith doesn’t want to die a virgin. Unfortunately, if the terminally-ill leukemia patient doesn’t find a lover or a stem-cell match within months, her fear will become reality. But when her cancer mentor is revealed to be a hottie entrepreneur from California, it seems fate might finally be on her side.
Tech-geek Gavin Taylor has everything he ever wanted, except someone to grieve for him when he’s gone. With his melanoma cancer beyond the help of his riches, he agrees to participate in a cancer patient mentoring program where he’s matched with a dying teen from Texas. Despite his immediate attraction, the Silicon Valley whiz intends only to provide friendship and happy memories to the beautiful, young woman who is determined to win his love.
When it’s discovered that his frozen sperm and her harvested eggs could lead to a cure, Taylor’s mother offers to be a surrogate. And Gavin must decide if he can risk the heart he has never given and a child he’ll never know to a girl he just met.
About Kary:
Kary Rader is a stay-at-home mother of three, avid reader and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head. Her book Queen of Jastain, published by Crescent Moon Press released this past April. Kary is currently in the process of self-publishing a book that is close to heart, and is sure to touch the lives of all the readers that encounter it. A Taylor-Made Life releases this summer. (Look for the cover reveal coming soon!)
Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished with words. It’s the power of words that creates and destroys.
Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. And with the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.
Website: http://www.karyrader.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaryRaderauthor?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KaryRader
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18012643-a-taylor-made-life
Because Kary is so cool, she’s offering a giveaway! Here are the details:
Prize: A signed copy of Kary’s book Queen of Jastain, and E-ARC of A Taylor-Made Life and a charm bracelet.
Giveaway Rules:
- Giveaway begins June 21st and will end June 24th 11:59 EST. The winner will be announced on June 24th on Kary Rader’s Facebook page.
- Open to U.S. residents only
- We are not responsible for items lost in the mail & have the right to disqualify anyone, at any time.
- Personal information given by the applicant in the giveaway will never be shared. All information is deleted once the giveaway ends.
Just click on the Rafflecopter below!
Queen of Jastain by @KaryRader
Two days ago, Crescent Moon Press released Kary Rader’s Queen of Jastain out into the wild. Let’s all just stare at the gorgeous cover for a moment. *sigh*
Kary says, “Queen of Jastain is an Epic Fantasy Romance I began writing over two years ago. This story is so close to my heart and I’m all gooey and giddy inside to share it. You can find out more about the individual characters HERE on my website which also includes a map of the world.”
I love books with maps. They make the fantasy world so much more authentic. Here’s the blurb:
The Light brought her to him, but does he have the faith to make her his queen?
For twenty years, Avant plotted revenge against the dark king, but when a mysterious woman suddenly appears, everything changes. Although his prophetic Gift reveals she’s the Seed of Light chosen to restore the Crown, his overwhelming attraction to the women threatens his long-held plan for revenge and two decades of fidelity.
Abby Randall is inexplicably transported from Dallas to the medieval land of Jastain. There she meets Avant, who claims she’s the foretold champion of his people. While the hot guy has her hormones pumping, his crazy talk of defeating an evil king leaves questions to his sanity. Through his supernatural Gift, Avant transplants his memories into her, but neither are prepared for how their hearts intertwine.
Together they embark on their quest, but when Abby and Avant come face to face with destiny, will they sacrifice what matters most to provide a happily-ever-after for the people of Jastain?
Excerpt:
When Avant climbed back to the cave, his hair was wet. He’d slicked it back from his face and tied it into a little ponytail with a leather string. The sexy shadow of a light beard softened his angular jaw, and the thick waves of his hair shined with chestnut highlights in the morning sun. It was a good look for him, but then again, what wasn’t? Abby ran her fingers through her own tangled tresses and pulled her hair back. What she wouldn’t give for a hairclip.
“Would you like a thong for your hair?”
She giggled at the word thong, certain that what she pictured was not what he referenced. “Do you have an extra one? I’d like to get it out of my face, and I don’t have anything.” Actually she had her own thong, but she sure as hell wasn’t putting it in her hair.
He immediately unlaced the tie at the neck of his shirt and handed it to her.
She gasped and put a hand to her face to hide the heat in her cheeks as his shirt fell open below his breast bone. “You don’t have to do that.”
Her blood coursed wildly at the sight of the smooth muscles of his chest. A soft sprinkling of dark hair beckoned her fingers. She swallowed hard.
“It’s all right. Please use it. It will be a hard day’s journey with hair in your face.” His words rang in her mind so sincerely she forgot her embarrassment, but her eyes kept flitting to his heavenly chest.
“Thank you, Avant, and not only for the lace but for everything you’re doing to help me.”
Holding her gaze, he nodded once, and her heart fluttered. Was it getting warm in the cave? She wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead.
“It is time to be off if we are to make it to the next shelter before nightfall.” He picked up his pack and walked to the mouth of the cave. She grabbed her bag and followed.
Climbing down proved to be more difficult than going up. The muscles required to lower herself from one level to the next worked her thighs and butt like no gym equipment she’d ever experienced. It was like doing hours of squats. She trudged down the mountain with the previous day’s tumult weighting her down like the “freshman ten.” Avant helped her along on the steeper steps, but, for the most part, she made them on her own, clippity-clopping in those damned Docinis all the way.
When he reached the bottom, he disappeared around an outcropping. Abby took the last little step to the base and hurried after him. As she turned the corner, Avant grabbed her arm and spun her around. Driving her back against the rock, he pressed the length of his rigid body against her. His face, barely three inches from hers, clenched in thin lines of stress. Her heart raced…with fear.
She was pretty sure it was fear.
Whew! That’s some great tension!
Kary’s bio:
Kary Rader is a part-time Twitter sage, stay-at-home mother of three, and slave to the characters and worlds inside her head. Always creative, she’s drawn to stories with fantastical worlds and creatures. With a little bit of magic and divine guidance, there isn’t anything that can’t be accomplished with words. It’s the power of words that creates and destroys. Vanquishing evil and injustice while finding eternal love in the process is all in a day’s work. With the help of her critique partners and master cartographer imaginary places come to life.
You can find her at: