Tag Archives: Kelly Hunter

LOLA AND THE SINGLE DAD: Release day blog post featuring Kelly Hunter!

G’day.

Yes, Aussies really do say that, although ‘Hi’ works equally well. ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning’ works a treat if we’re feeling more formal. Aussies can do formal, when pressed. Come to think of it, ‘G’day’ is clearly a sneaky protest against English formality. Who knew?

Even though the heroine Lola and hero Max in Lola and the Single Dad are Aussies living in Aus, I don’t think they use a lot of slang. They never, for example, look like a stunned mullet or chuck a sickie. No one pops the esky in search of a cold one. No one wears thongs on their feet. I even refrain from mentioning all the deadly creatures just waiting to have a go, ya mug. I know I’m writing for an international audience. I want my words to be universally understood.

And yet… there’s a tone to my Australian stories that I can’t erase. If the slang doesn’t get you, the spelling just might. And the humour…that can be downright self-deprecating, but that’s okay because we make fun of everyone else too. We exaggerate, satirise, and stereotype. Even when we try to be dreadfully good and keep a lid on it, irreverent humour will out.

For my heroine Lola, saving face is not a thing. She puts herself out there, over and over, and has a go. When she gets smacked down, she gets back up, dusts off and tries a different approach. She’s resilient. That’s a global trait rather than an Australian one, but resilience is more important than ever these days, don’t you think? Resilience and humour are excellent companions.

I’m thrilled to bits to be closing out the multi-author Outback Babies series for Tule. There are four stories all up, and while each can be read as a standalone, they’re all set in the small country town of Wirralong and characters do weave in and out of other stories. So whaddya reckon? Are you keen? 

Because here they are:

And have a good day.

 

About the Author

Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn’t think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn’t have anything to read. Eventually she decided that writing romance suited her far better than throwing sterile screw-worm flies out of airplane windows, and changed careers. Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family, 2 dogs, 3 miniature cows, a miniature pig, a 3-legged cat and a small flock of curious chickens. There are still flies, but their maggots don’t feed on flesh. Bargain. Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.

Tule Publishing June 2022 Releases

Read more about our new releases for June!

GIVEAWAY: We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book of their choice from the June releases. Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of the month.

 

Love at First Spark by Sarah Fischer and Kelsey McKnight (American Heart)

Release Date: June 2, 2022

Hazel Oaks Resort, Book 2

Love is a numbers game…

Kay Hangler has a mind for numbers and a passion for the matchmaking app she helped to create. This Fourth of July weekend, her company is hosting a singles event at the historic Hazel Oaks Resort. Fun, sun, and romance are on the schedule for dozens of potential couples while Kay stubbornly flies solo…again. While she trusts her algorithm, she hasn’t personally tried it—until the resort’s handsome and friendly sailing instructor dares her to put it to the test.

Finn Stark was born on the water and comes from a long line of sailors. While he enjoys his summer gig teaching sailing at the resort and restoring boats, he’s longing to meet someone special. When a pretty brunette wanders into his boathouse and promises she can find his perfect match using numbers, Finn’s skeptical.

Finn doesn’t believe true love can be calculated, but Kay’s built her entire career on this belief. Will their numbers add up to a future before the Fourth of July fireworks, or is their romance destined to fizzle out?


Grim and Bear It by Heather Novak (Muse)

Release Date: June 6, 2022

Love Me Dead, Book 2

Poppy’s skull over heels in love, and not even death can stop her…

Poppy Grim dreams of starring in a real-life rom-com. Instead, she’s an overworked, lonely grim reaper with chronic motion sickness from ferrying souls to the afterlife. She adheres to all the reaper handbook rules except one—she regularly visits the love she lost twelve years ago when she passed. She’s not worried—humans can only see her when they are about to die, after all—until Jake looks up and says her name.

Supernatural Investigator Jake Robinson wants to leave active duty because of past on-the-job injuries, but he’s determined to finish solving the most important case of his career first. His plans sink like the Titanic—his ghost roommate’s favorite movie—when he sees Poppy.

With death looming, they both risk everything—including their hearts—and work together to keep Jake alive while he stops the people threatening his family. But love is a losing game when the punishment for a reaper-human relationship is permanent removal from existence.


Falling for the Doctor by Nan Reinhardt (American Heart)

Release Date: June 7, 2022

The Lange Brothers, Book 2

They were in it for the fun, but never expected the storm…

Life for hometown ER physician Dr. Max Lange has always been sweet. He loves his job and is dialed in socially with his family, friends, and community. But lately, something feels like it’s missing. When a visiting doctor pulls him in for a hot kiss and asks him to play along in order to avoid unwanted attention from a hospital administrator, Max knows exactly what he wants and needs—the lovely Dr. Mitchell.

After a tragic error shakes her confidence beyond repair, Dr. Lauren Mitchell has abandoned her career in cardiothoracic surgery and instead works as a lead medical consultant for a top cardiovascular technology company. She enjoys her simple life on the road—hotel rooms, room service, and no emotional entanglements.

When a violent storm throws her into service at St. Mark’s hospital, Max has only a few days to prove to Lauren that they belong together, while she must reevaluate her career…and her life. Will Max’s love be enough to make River’s Edge and Max her home?


The Baby Whisperer by Fiona McArthur (Holiday)

Release Date: June 9, 2022

Outback Babies, Book 3

The last man she needs is another hero…

After losing her father, brother, and now her husband to their work in the fire service, midwife and mothercraft nurse Stephanie Lee leaves Perth for Wirralong to move near a midwife friend from university. She buys her first house along with the Wirralong Creche, where she’ll be able to immerse herself in looking after new mothers. Stevie’s not looking for romance, but when she meets her home builder, who’s everything she doesn’t want, she can’t resist.

When he’s not remodeling homes with his young crew of at-risk young adults, Eli Grayson is a volunteer for the rural fire service and international disaster relief. Eli’s never tried to resist the lure of a beautiful woman until he meets Stephanie. It’s love at first sight and captivated Eli is determined to win her trust and heart, no matter how long it takes.

She’s afraid to love and lose, but he’s convinced they can both win. Stevie has to answer the question, is Eli—the most compelling man she’s ever met—worth the risk?


To Win a Highlander’s Heart by Gerri Russell (Muse)

Release Date: June 14, 2022

Guardians of the Isles, Book 3

It’s impossible to defy destiny…

Orrick MacLeod is a famed Highland warrior from a powerful clan who can no longer fight. Painful memories from battles plague him when he raises his sword, and he fears that one day he’ll hesitate and he, or one of his brothers, will perish. Leaving his castle to thwart his battle hero destiny, he stumbles across a young woman. Rumors whisper she’s born of fairies, but Orrick only sees a beautiful woman in jeopardy.

Isolde Nicolson is a devoted daughter of her clan, but when she rejected her chieftain brother’s choice of a cruel husband by striking her brother with an arrow, she’s banished. The kindly Orrick shelters her in the safety of the MacLeod castle where they soon unlock hidden desires. Orrick wishes to ask for her hand in marriage, but when he tries to do what’s right, everything goes wrong.

As an incident threatens to tear the MacLeod family apart, a pivotal and bloody battle between English and Scottish forces ensues. Soon the warrior who can no longer fight must stand to protect everything he holds dear.


Lola and the Single Dad by Kelly Hunter (Holiday)

Release Date: June 16, 2022

Outback Babies, Book 4

When love comes to town…

Artisan blacksmith Ned Harrow lost his wife and gained a son, all in the space of a day. Since then, he’s been caring for his son, Ollie, and working to rebuild his business. When his neighbour’s visiting goddaughter offers to help, she’s a lifeline and so much more. Ned knows the beautiful and fun-loving Lola isn’t staying long, but she’s impossible to resist and his heart is cracking wide open.

Actress Lola Darcy has never hit the big time and she’s beginning to wonder if she ever will. She’s in-between auditions when she visits her godmother in Wirralong. The country life and adorable baby she can sing to is a balm to her heart that’s been wounded by so many rejections. Lola loves caring for the sweet babe next door, and his eye candy father makes the visit even better.

As Lola and Ned become friends and perhaps more, the part of a lifetime beckons. Should she follow her dream or create new ones in Wirralong?


Something Deadly on Desert Drive by Kris Bock (Tule Mystery)

Release Date: June 21, 2022

The Accidental Detective, Book 2

Starting over at fifty might be hard, but it shouldn’t be deadly…

Still recovering from an injury that might have permanently derailed her career as an international war correspondent, Kate Tessler is living in her childhood bedroom and pondering her second act when another case lands in her lap. Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried. Their friend Larry married a younger woman who now insists he has dementia and won’t let any of his friends visit. They’re convinced that Larry’s wife and her two adult, dead-beat kids are out to steal his money. Can Kate help?

Soon Kate and her unusual gang of sidekicks are unofficially, officially investigating. But before they can dig out the truth, a murder raises the stakes. Now they need to prove Larry is both mentally competent and not a killer. They’ll have to find the real murderer—without risking their own lives in the process.


Her Fake Boyfriend by Shelli Stevens (American Heart)

Release Date: June 23, 2022

Bro Code, Book 2

Thou shalt not sleep with thy friend’s ex…

Eric Nordland has been in love with his best friend’s girl since he met her. And now that she’s single, the temptation to make a move is killing him. Especially since their paths keep crossing. Dating your friend’s ex is a big bro code violation, but when Hannah comes to him in trouble, there’s no way he’ll leave her to fend for herself.

Coming out of the only romantic relationship she’s ever known, Hannah Jeong isn’t really looking for a rebound. But when the creepy parent of one of her students starts to stalk her, she jumps at Eric’s offer to pose as her fake boyfriend. What she didn’t expect was to start having feelings for a man she’d always seen as just a friend.

The line between right and wrong becomes fuzzier by the day as the attraction between them grows. Keeping Hannah safe from an obsessive man is just as much Eric’s mission as not giving his heart to a woman he can never have.


Escape Girl by Michelle Dayton (American Heart)

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Tech-nically Love, Book 3

You can’t divorce yourself from love…

Emily Saturn’s world is spinning out of control. An intellectual property lawyer, she’s gone rogue from her firm, dealing with a major lawsuit against a predatory software company’s CEO pro bono. When she isn’t looking for elusive evidence she can use—legally, of course—she’s trying to avoid her soon-to-be ex-husband, Bobby March.

After their whirlwind courtship and wedding, Bobby can’t pinpoint what went wrong between them. He’s been working for months on his new career and personal growth, determined to be the man his wife deserves. Desperate to get her attention, Bobby invites Emily to a series of individually designed virtual escape rooms, each one a moment from their love story. Hopefully, the sexy, romantic trip down memory lane will rekindle their intense connection—and clue him in as to how to fix this.

Emily has never been able to resist a puzzle. Or, frankly, Bobby. The more she interacts with her husband online, the more she wants to see him again in person. Which is beyond stupid because Emily knows he’s wrong for her. Right?


The Montana Rancher by Paula Altenburg (Montana Born)

Release Date: June 30, 2022

The Endeavour Ranch of Grand, Montana, Book 3

He’s been keeping secrets. She needs the truth…

Reclusive billionaire and enigmatic ranch owner Ryan O’Connell spares no expense when it comes to the Endeavour Ranch and its charitable organizations. Next up on his philanthropic agenda is a youth group home for troubled teenage boys. When he hires a social worker to work with the counselors and teen clients, he thinks he can take a step back. But her beauty and determination are tough to ignore and even tougher to resist.

Heiress Elizabeth Benson became a social worker after her older sister was murdered, destroying her once-close family. She’s fiercely protective of the boys on the Endeavour Ranch and is determined to learn more about her mysterious boss who is so much more than the quiet cowboy he pretends to be. Too bad their chemistry complicates everything.

Can Ryan trust Elizabeth with his darkest secrets? Or does he risk losing even more than his heart?

MUST LOVE CHRISTMAS: Release day blog post featuring Kelly Hunter!

WRITE THE WORLD YOU WANT TO LIVE IN, THEY SAY

But for me this was bad writing advice.

I’d just bought and taken possession of a little cabin on the outskirts of a sweet country town. Not the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, but let’s just say it needed far more work than I thought it would. A five month wait on heating components and building materials. A twelve month wait for tradesmen.

Was it any wonder that my heroine stumbled across a God with a Hammer who was better than Thor? No story tension or conflict, mind—he simply did whatever my needy heroine told him to do at the end she got a very nice house out of it and he stayed on because he was handy to have around. My fantasy! Better than Thor.

But not a romance. At all.

So I put the story away, and fixed the cabin as best I could, and only once my real-life desire for competent tradesmen waned did I take to the story again. Because while I’m altogether on board with wrapping the end of a story up in a perfection covered bow, the journey to get to that point shouldn’t be a mellow stroll through a perfect world. If it’s too perfect, I’ll get bored writing it and you’ll fall asleep reading it and that won’t do at all.

Must Love Christmas isn’t boring anymore. It’s stuffed with hopes and dreams, and hearts that clamor for love, and a heroine taking her first wobbly steps toward confidence and self-respect. My Christmas gift to her. Merry Christmas, Madeline and Seth. Have a good one.

You can find the story here.

But if you know of any tradesmen looking for work, give me a call.

 

About the Author

Accidentally educated in the sciences, Kelly Hunter didn’t think to start writing romances until she was surrounded by the jungles of Malaysia for a year and didn’t have anything to read. Eventually she decided that writing romance suited her far better than throwing sterile screw-worm flies out of airplane windows, and changed careers. Kelly now lives in Australia, surrounded by lush farmland and family, 2 dogs, 3 miniature cows, a miniature pig, a 3-legged cat and a small flock of curious chickens. There are still flies, but their maggots don’t feed on flesh. Bargain. Kelly is a USA Today bestselling author, a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist and loves writing to the short contemporary romance form.

Fun Facts: The Fairy Tales of New York

All four authors of The Fairy Tales of New York series are here! Who’s ready to chat fun facts about these amazing stories?

KellyHunter-300dpiKelly Hunter

When Amy and Heidi first spoke of writing stories that riffed off fairy tales, stories set around an old Irish pub in Brooklyn, I was so on board. Add convent schools and many brothers and honestly, I didn’t know which bits to sink teeth into first. I chose the youngest brother as my hero, called him Finbar, and promptly made him a musician – a Broadway pit musician to begin with. Possibly a composer. Or maybe a session musician. It got so bad that the other authors took to checking what he was this week. And then he got ambitious. The king of instruments, the violin, for my guy? Done. Insane talent, ruthlessly harnessed? Sure. Steely determination, passion, patience and perseverance? A necessity, given the heroine I had in mind for him. In the end I made him a world-class concert violinist and got busy listening to real-world violinists play. As for that pesky problem of the baby of the family not alpha’ing up? Gone.

 

HeidiRice-300dpiHeidi Rice

In October 2013 I went on a 2-week road trip to the US with my best mate. We decided to Air BnB it, which meant staying in a garage apartment in the Louisiana bayou, a cabin in the Texas Hill Country and a housebarge in Brooklyn among other places. That housebarge stuck with me and when I decided to do a riff on Rapunzel for my story and my runaway supermodel needed to escape from her ivory tower with a hero who had a place for her to stay which would be safe from the press… Well, that housebarge, tucked away in a little marina off Knapp St, seemed perfect. Then I had to figure out why my heroine was running from the press and I remembered the day we walked to Manhattan Beach and – because it was scorching hot and the beach was beautiful and not at all what we’d expected to find in Brooklyn – we were dying to go for a dip but had no swimsuits with us. So we went swimming in our underwear! As you do. Bit mad, especially when all the local Russian Orthodox Jewish mamas started giving us funny looks… Still I’m glad to say we didn’t get picked up for disorderly conduct like Zelda, my heroine, but it was touch and go there for a while…

LucyKing-300dpiLucy King

Way way back when we were brainstorming characters I blithely announced that my heroine was going to be Argentinian, from a family of renowned vintners, and hey, wouldnʼt it be fun if one of her quirks was identifying the wines that best represented her friends? Well, yes, great fun in theory. If I actually knew anything about wine. But I donʼt – other than red, white, yum, bleugh. Luckily for Mercy, though, my husband – the proud possessor of a Diploma in Wine and Spirits – does. The beverages Mercy chooses for Faith, Dawn, Zel and Seb are therefore entirely down to him!

 

 

 

AmyAndrews-300dpiAmy Andrews

The Trouble With Brothers.

We all had a lot of fun writing these books for a lot of reasons. One of them was we had an abundance of brothers we could divvy up between our heroines. But at the end of the mad scrum for sexy Irish/American brothers we had 2 spares.

Ronan and Casey, the twins. I named Ronan after Ronan Keating and  Heidi wanted Casey for some reason I can’t even remember now. I think it might have had something to do with Casey Affleck but I digress….Back to those spare brothers of Faith.

We knew they were delightfully scruffy musicians  – how could they not be growing up in an Irish pub in Brooklyn with a passionately Irish father?? – with their own band who played cool modern stuff with an Irish feel to it – think Mumford and Sons – with a growing YouTube following and a busy gig schedule. The problem came with where did they live? Because we started with them still living at home above Sully’s with good old pop and dependable Faith but soon there were hilarious conversations on our email loop about grown men sleeping in their Spiderman PJ’s in their kiddy bunk beds and it just all felt wrong. Especially if we wanted to use them as future heroes. So we moved them out to some low rent dive they share with a few other struggling musos and they, and we, were much happier.  The problem now is of course – we have two more brothers…..Surely they need an HEA too?

Which of these stories have you read so far? Let the authors know what you thought, or if they’re still on your TBR list!

“What a Bachelor Needs” Sneak Peek and Giveaway!

Bachelor #4 has arrived! Start your bidding…

As if this cover didn’t have us drooling enough… What do you think of this description of Kelly Hunter‘s handyman hero Jett Casey?

Sneak Peek

“I’m having handyman fantasies. Or maybe they’re Jett Casey fantasies,” said Mardie. “Either way, I’m having them.”

“Very healthy.”

“He was ripping up the carpet in the front room and all those muscles were straining…and there was bending… and rolling, and wanton sighing on my part. Have you seen that man’s butt?”

“I’ve seen it. And you are right to be impressed.”

Giveaway!

T3-13 Kellyo enter this giveaway, tell us how much you’d bid on ski champ and handyman Jett Casey. What a Bachelor Needs by USA Today Bestselling Author Kelly Hunter is available now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bachelor Auction Series
Book 1: Bound to the Bachelor by Sarah  Mayberry – Available now!
Book 2: Bachelor at her Bidding by Kate Hardy – Available now!
Book 3: The Bachelor’s Baby by Dani Collins – Available now!
Book 4: What a Bachelor Needs by Kelly Hunter
Book 5: In Bed with the Bachelor by Megan Crane – Coming soon!
Book 6: One Night with her Bachelor by Kat Latham – Coming soon!