Category: Writing

Observations on the writing life

Purse Project: Kim Hotzon

What a fun idea! Thanks, MJ for having me here today, sharing the contents of my purse.

This is my current purse— a basic, brown tote from RW & Co.

kim hotzen purse

I tend to switch my purse every 3 or 4 months, depending on my mood, outfit, whether I’m travelling, etc. I favor tote bags because they carry lots of stuff!

I’m pretty good at reducing clutter on a regular basis, shredding receipts, throwing away wrappers, etc. I keep the essentials, things I need.

What’s inside:

kim hotzen purse contents

  • silk scarf (essential for travel and windy days)
  • keys
  • flashlight (you never know when you might need it)
  • Dentyne gum
  • mints
  • Clinique lip gloss and YSL lipstick
  • L’Occitane hand cream
  • sunglasses
  • Kindle
  • I-Pad
  • FlowerBomb perfume
  • Hair elastic
  • African bracelet (from my trip)
  • OPI nail polish for touch-ups
  • Phone and I-Pad chargers (always handy)
  • pens (always two in case one runs out)
  • postcards for my design business (my author business cards have been used and more are coming but they’re great for handing out)
  • a copy of my first book with a matching tote bag (there’s always an opportunity for marketing)
  • change purse
  • magnetized wallet
  • my favorite Eiffel tower keychain which keeps falling off

Things often found in my bag but not today:

  • granola bars
  • water bottle
  • sunblock
  • Band-Aids
  • I-Phone (used to take the picture)

My newest release, A Time For Love In Paris is now available!

kim hotzen cover

In 1975, Elise Sutherland, a young woman from Scotland, travels to Paris, France, to study art at the illustrious Fine Arts School of Paris. Stumbling upon a mysterious old book in the infamous Shakespeare & Company bookstore, her world opens up an undiscovered realm. Elise finds herself in late nineteenth century Paris, becoming the muse of master painter and sculptor, Michel Flaubert. Together, they share their passion for art, architecture and each other.

But their love is threatened by people, time and events in history. Will they find their happily ever after?

Kim Hotzon

Born in beautiful British Columbia, Kim developed a passion for writing at an early age. Her interest in people led her all over the globe, including a two year stay in Japan and a humanitarian trip to Rwanda.

She loves to write contemporary romance stories that feature strong women who deal with compelling issues. Kim enjoys adding unexpected twists, usually involving a dangerous and dramatic backdrop. Her first novel, Hands Full of Ashes, was inspired by her trip to Africa. Her second full-length novel, A Time for Love in Paris, was inspired, naturally, by her trip to Paris. Kim also wrote a short, contemporary romance story for the anthology, Sizzle In The Snow: A Soul Mate Christmas Collection, which became a top seller on Amazon Canada.

She currently resides in the sunny Okanagan of British Columbia with her husband and two children. When not writing, she can be found on the local ski hills in winter, or racing in dragon boats in the summer.

You can get in touch with Kim by visiting her website http://www.kimhotzon.com/ or follow her at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimhotzon

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6491250.Kim_Hotzon

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/pub/kim-hotzon/61/9a8/675

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kimhotzon/

Date Your Mate Month

May is Date Your Mate Month.

MoonlightSerenade Final Cover with Quote

Tokarz de Lobo Garnier didn’t date Delilah Tenney before he claimed her as his mate.

(Moonlight Serenade, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)

JericoBurned_505x825

Stoker Smith delayed claiming Lucy Callahan, but not for long. Nor did they date in the interim.

(And Jericho Burned, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.)

Omega Moon Rising

Their single date is what got Luke Omega and Abigail Grant into trouble.

(Omega Moon Rising available at Amazon)

I guess dating your mate doesn’t include werewolves.

The Importance of Story

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I consider myself a storyteller, first and foremost.

One of my earliest memories is of lying in bed, telling myself what the cowboys on the wallpaper were doing.

cowboy wallpaper

 

A year or so later, my dad took me into the local department store to choose wallpaper for my bedroom in the new house he was building for us. I chose this, because it had letters , and I knew I needed letters to write my stories, and there were toys about which I could make up stories.

childhood-wall-paper-576x1024

Even at aged 3 (yes, 3), I knew I was meant to tell stories.

For me, the story is  about which  books, movies, and even songs should be. One of my husband’s cousins is into film. He runs a couple of prestigious film festivals. For him, movies are about texture and other visual things. Story isn’t even secondary. What is the point?

One of the reasons I love baseball is because it is rich in the “feminine tradition of oral history,  story telling, and gossip.” (Breaking into Baseball by Jean Hastings Ardell) “Baseball loans [sic] itself to story telling.” (Jeff Gellenkirk)

Story pervades every aspect of our lives. From religion to the memes we read on social media, our business plans to our successes (and failures). Story is everywhere.

Today is National Tell a Story Day.

Don’t just tell a story today. Celebrate one.

 

 

Purse Project (Reprise)

Purse project 01

Remember this purse? I really like this purse because of its outside pockets.  But it wasn’t quite big enough.

My portable keyboard didn’t fit.

portable keyboard (1)

I couldn’t carry a magazine.  Or a file folder.

mag and file

So for my birthday, I decided to buy another purse–if I could find what I wanted. I wanted the same purse, only bigger. Only by an inch or two.  Just enough to accommodate my portable keyboard or a file folder.

X-Chromo told me I should check out JC Penney. We went to the Maul together. She guided me through parts I’d never seen before (I am not a fan of the Maul). Nope,nope, nope. Then we went to JC Penney. She went directly to the purse I wanted.

purses 01 (3)

I am delighted. The new one (on the right) has a pocket on the back (although the keyboard also fits inside very nicely).

Purse with keyboard

Release Day!

Now available from Amazon.

Omega Moon Rising

Omega Moon Rising

Abigail Grant has a secret . . . and a plan to keep her younger sister from suffering the same fate. Her strategy would have worked if she hadn’t been seduced by sweet-talking musician Luke Omega. Suddenly she’s plucked from the life she wanted to escape, but her new circumstances only expose her to a different danger—or is it her salvation?

Luke has a secret, too. He believes he can change his destiny through willpower—and a little blue pill. When he inadvertently gets mixed up in the Grant sisters’ troubles and his pack alpha orders him to marry Abigail, his family insists he tell her he’s a werewolf. But Luke claims Abigail is not his life mate. She doesn’t need to know what happens to him on the full moon.

Until he accidentally stumbles across her secret. Then all bets are off.