Karen Kelley Guest Blogging

I love writing and being a published author.  It’s definitely a dream come true.  Actually, it was almost the dream that didn’t come true.

I fell in love with romances when the kids were little and Karl and I could only afford one vehicle so I was stuck at home most of the time.  Not that it mattered since I didn’t have a driver’s license.  Romance books transported me to another place and another time.  I was hooked.  Then one day I came up with the idea that I could write one.  It looked so easy(snort).

I sat down in front of an old typewriter that we had and painstakingly managed to get three pages.  I think I used a whole bottle of whiteout.  The pages were pretty good, though.  Then I told my mother that I was going to write a book.  She told me that I wasn’t smart enough to write a book.  Wow, talk about a kick in the stomach.  And what was worse, I believed her.  Why shouldn’t I believe her?  I hadn’t finished high school.

A few years later, she said I wouldn’t make it through nursing school, either.  But I had to do something.  My husband had just been diagnosed with a form of crippling arthritis (he was 25 at the time) and was told he’d be in a wheelchair in five years (he’s still not in a wheelchair).  I got my GED, went to nursing school, and finished in the top 5 of my class.

I continued to devour romance books, but I still believed I wasn’t smart enough to write one.  Then one day my son, who was about 12 at the time, found those first three pages I’d written all those years ago.  He came into the living room where I was and asked why I’d quit writing.  He told me those 3 pages were really good.  He was the only one who’d ever seen them.

I had given up my dream because someone told me I wasn’t smart enough.  It still took me another 6 years, and learning more about the craft of writing, before I sold my first book.  (It wasn’t as easy as I’d first thought)

My mother passed away 3 months before my first book came out, a Kensington Precious Gem, but she knew I had sold.  She told me she hadn’t wanted me to be disappointed and that’s why she’d said I wasn’t smart enough.

I’ve sold 11 single titles and 5 novellas since then.  I’m no longer in nursing except to keep my license current.  I’m living my dream and I’m having a blast.

Currently, I’m writing hot, sexy paranormal romances with a lot of comedy. Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind, first book in my planet Nerak series has been nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award.

And this from Romance Junkies on my second book in the planet Nerak series that has just been released:

COSMIC SEX is a laugh-a-minute, out-of-this world romance.   I love Kia’s quirky personality and her no-nonsense attitude. She never lets Nick get away with anything. Nick is a hero with a lot to offer once he gets over his love ’em and leave ’em attitude. The explosive love scenes scorch the pages of this amazing sexy book. I could not put it down and read it in one sitting! Karen Kelley’s creative writing ability and sense of humor is obvious throughout the entire book.   I am eagerly awaiting the next chapter in this awesome series. By Romance Junkies Reviewer: Robin Snodgrass 5 Blue Ribbons.

Just make a comment, say hi or whatever so I’ll know who you are and I’ll put your name in the hat for a chance to win a copy of Cosmic Sex.  And if you want to read an excerpt check out my website at
http://www.authorkarenkelley.com

Good Luck,

Karen Kelley