Mindy

The Number is 43

by Mindy | Oct 19, 2021 | front page, love in 2020 series, new release, recent

Or maybe 42. (I know. I know. That’s always supposed to be the answer.) Or maybe 47. Or even 53.

It all depends on how you count.

Today is the book birthday for my 43rd book, The F Word. Except I’ve only published 42 books, if you don’t count novellas. I’ve published 47, if you count short stories and anthologies I’ve edited. And 53, if you count boxed sets (or bundles) of existing novels.

So, yeah. It’s a little confusing.

But the precise number doesn’t matter. What matters is that The F Word is live. In all the stores where you usually buy your ebooks. In print on Amazon (and other places, as soon as a certain middleman gets its act together and actually makes the book available as it should have done a week ago…)

What’s The F Word all about? Here’s the back of the book blurb:

When a holiday romance, falling for your boss, and a reality TV show aren’t enough of a challenge—just add a pandemic!

Personal assistant Jen Parker is eager to start her new job on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, supporting Noah “The Casanova Cook” Ryder, a temperamental chef who is judging a blockbuster television cooking show. But Jen, a widow, has a secret mission at the beach—a personal, emotional goal she must accomplish by Christmas Eve.

Noah is famous for seducing a starlet every new season. But with Home Cook America filming during a coronavirus quarantine, the Restaurant Romeo is off his game. The stress of lockdown—not to mention his own long-held secret—has Noah struggling to launch his make-it-or-break-it newest restaurant. And that’s before his longtime business partner turns into his worst frenemy (or is that just a plain enemy?)

Soon, Jen and Noah’s budding attraction is tested by vegan Thanksgiving, the world’s ugliest charm bracelet, and a possessed elevator. Every passing day—and night—ups the ante on their secret pasts. But if this culinary couple can’t stand the heat, there’s no way out of their COVID-locked-down kitchen!

If you fell hard for the feel-good rom-coms of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Tessa Bailey, then grab a seat, because The F Word is the perfect romantic comedy escape for you.

You can read the first chapter here. I hope you like Jen’s story as much as I loved writing it!

Read the First Chapter

Back in the Saddle

by Mindy | Sep 21, 2021 | administrivia, front page

I’m baaaaack!

For the first time in my writing career (and I’ve been writing full-time for thirteen years!) I took a complete break from my day-to-day schedule.

Not a vacation—I’ve taken those, for a few days here, a week there, once for two whole weeks. On vacation, I still think about writing, and I often jot notes to myself for one book or another.

This break was six entire weeks. No outlining. No editing. No writing.

I wasn’t as lazy as this post makes me sound. I had a total hip replacement on the first day of my break. And I spent the first week doing an awful lot of sleeping (including dreams where I thought I was running through fields, shouting words like, “XJWBZQR!” which apparently meant, “I’m free! I’m free!”) And I devoted a large portion of the other five weeks to physical therapy.

I did read a lot—a book every couple of days (which, for this slow reader was a joy!)

And now, I’m back. Refreshed. Eager to work. On a cane, but only part of the time (and I hope to be off it completely in a month or so.)

And I’m deep into final edits on The F Word, which I look forward to sharing with you next month!

Excelsior!

Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft FREE for a Limited Time!

by Mindy | Apr 27, 2021 | front page

Happy spring!

I’m celebrating the season by making the ebook of Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft absolutely free! And this isn’t just any version of Girl’s Guide. This is the 15th Anniversary Edition (complete with a bonus essay!) It’s never been free before.

In case you’ve somehow missed the buzz, here’s the “back of the book” blurb for Girl’s Guide:

Jane Madison has a problem. Or two. Or three.

She has a desperate crush on her Imaginary Boyfriend, a man who doesn’t know she exists. Her doting grandmother insists she meet her long-absent mother. She’s working as a librarian, trapped in absurd costumes and serving up lattes in a last-ditch effort to keep her employer solvent.

In lieu of a well-deserved raise, Jane is allowed to live in an ancient cottage on the library grounds. She soon discovers a hidden chamber filled with magical books that awaken her inner witch.

Her first spell releases a smart-mouthed feline familiar. Her second makes her irresistible to men. Those witchy workings draw a compelling astral enforcer, David Montrose.

Will magic—and David—solve Jane’s problems? Or only bring her more disasters?

“[A]n irresistible tale of power and love, friendship and acceptance… Charming and insightful.” — Romantic Times

Girl's Guide to Witchcraft by Mindy Klasky

And if you’ve already read Jane’s story? Then you’re ready to hear David’s version of events!

The Library The Witch and the Warder by Mindy Klasky

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to start reading!

“Changing of the Guard” Available Today!

by Mindy | Mar 30, 2021 | book view cafe, front page, recent, short stories

My short story, “Changing of the Guard” is available in the brand-new anthology Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day, which releases TODAY!

The “back of the book” blurb for the anthology says:

2020 wasn’t kind to any of us, was it? (And 2021 is off to a shaky start at best!) Pandemic, economic collapse, out-of-control wildfires the world ’round, ice storms, murder hornets…and that’s without even discussing politics.It’s time to send some good energy out there into the world. Good luck, good wishes, good magic, talismans and rituals and lucky charms—you name it, we’ve got it here.

BLACK-EYED PEAS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY is a multi-genre anthology focused on hope. Here you’ll find more than a double dozen tales—fantasy, science fiction, literary, even nonfiction—that will bring a smile to your face and some optimism to your heart.

After all, we’re all in this together. (Except the murder hornets. They’re not welcome here.)

“Changing of the Guard” is a fantasy story about hope and healing. It rose out of a writing prompt to tell a story from an unexpected narrator (in my case, a tree) — and I think it’s my very favorite, among all the short stories I’ve ever written.

You can buy BLACK-EYED PEAS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY directly from Book View Cafe (and, as always, your purchases there support a vibrant community of authors, providing the editor with the highest-percentage royalty anywhere):

www.mindyklasky.com/guardBVC

or as an ebook from Amazon:

www.mindyklasky.com/guardKindle

or as a print book from Amazon:

www.mindyklasky.com/guardAmazon

What’s the Big Idea?

by Mindy | Feb 11, 2021 | elsewhere on the web, front page, love in 2020 series, recent

Today, I’m the guest at John Scalzi’s “The Big Idea”. If you don’t know John, he’s an amazing science fiction writer (and movie critic and blogger and Internet personality extraordinaire). Among other things, he publishes a blog called Whatever, including “The Big Idea” blog series where authors talk about the, um, big idea behind their novels.

And today, I’m talking about what made me decide to write a romantic comedy set during 2020, with the coronavirus an active factor in the book. Check it out!

The Big Idea

And leave a comment over there, letting me know what you think!