Coming really soon (like now), and sorta soon (April?)
Wow, this is me: A day late and a dollar short (By the way, an interesting American expression dating from the mid-1950s). There’s a lot that keeps me busy lately, none of which I will bore you with.
Ahem, Snowbound Regency Christmas in paperback form hits Amazon on November 25. It’s available right now in ebook format, so yes, I’m a day or two late. My story is one of three. Now titled “A Christmas Houseguest,” I originally called it “Rosie’s Christmas Hero.” In 1811, Sailing Master Andrew “Andy” Hadfield was a hero when he slid naked down a makeshift rope to escape with fellow shipmates from a prison overlooking Spain’s Bay of Biscay. The success of the escape made him a reluctant hero, but all Andy wants to do is to right a wrong by smoothing the way for the widow of another sailing master. Andy has another heartfelt wish. Will it come true? You betcha, because what better time is there than Christmas, for everything to be made right. And there is a right maid for Andy: She’s a heroine.
Coming is April, 2026, is my Harlequin Historical novel, Navy Captain’s Convenient Wife, which is set in the Mediterranean Sea in 1806, just after the Battle of Trafalgar. Captain John Beattie, a widower, has no life of his own because of the urgent demands of the service. To his horror, he discovers that his young son Allan has been abandoned in Plymouth by the two women he carefully selected to tend him. Because he must return to sea immediately, he has no choice but to throw himself on the mercy of spinster Anna Fontaine, sister of a fellow officer who died after Trafalgar. A marriage of convenience is a popular plot for Regencies, and there’s a reason why: They’re so much fun to both read and write. This one is no exception, plus it takes place in the Balearic Islands, a popular vacation spot. War and love: my jam.
Review Spotlight - Her Smile
The first lesson Elizabeth Ann Everett learns when she arrives in Yellowstone National Park with her family is that you can’t believe everything you read in a book. For example, the “wild Indians” dime-novels authors often cast as villains are nothing like the Nez Perce Elizabeth encounters when she is accidentally swept up by a scouting party fleeing from the U.S. cavalry. While not everyone in the tribal community is happy about Elizabeth’s presence, Kaya does his best to help her adapt to her new and, she hopes, temporary surroundings. In her latest impeccably researched book, RITA and Spur Award–winning Kelly brilliantly captures both the beauty and brutality of life in the American West in the late nineteenth century while also thoughtfully and skillfully illuminating the terrible dilemmas and tragedies confronting Native Americans who simply want the U.S. government to honor its promises. Effectively told from Elizabeth’s outsider's point of view and infused with a deliciously keen sense of humor, this is Kelly at her storytelling best.
— John Charles
Regency Romances
Westerns/Historicals
Short Stories
