recent Archives - Mindy Klasky, Author

“Harmony Lights” in Stores Today!

by Mindy | Nov 16, 2021 | front page, recent, short stories, true love classics

A few days ago, I bought a greeting card at my favorite independent bookstore. It has the words Merry Christmas, written in red and green and crossed out. Then it has the words Happy Hanukkah written in blue and crossed out. Then it has the words Happy Holidays written in red and crossed out. Then it was the word December.

The card made me laugh.

But it’s not entirely accurate. Because Hanukkah is super early this year. The eight-day holiday actually begins the night of November 29.

That means that I had to rush to get my short story, “Harmony Lights”, in stores by today. Because a story about Hanukkah should be available before the actual holiday. You know. To get everyone in the mood for some latkes. And some candle lighting. And a sweet-spicy small town reunion romance. Or as the “back of the book” blurb puts it:

A Hanukkah miracle is the only hope for transforming this small-town second chance reunion into true love.

It’s Hanukkah in the small town of Harmony Springs, and Abigail Cohen is surrounded by latkes, holiday candles, and a mother who seems determined to push her into the arms of the one man she’s vowed to forget.

Abby got over Ethan Weiss years ago. She moved away. She became a doctor. She hardly ever thinks about her first true love.

But when her mother has a medical crisis, Abby must return to West Virginia. And when Ethan shows up on the first night of the Festival of Lights, long-buried secrets are revealed.

The Jewish holiday celebrates an ancient miracle. But can any miracle heal a broken heart?

This story was originally published in Eight Kisses, the Hanukkah romance anthology I co-edited with Lori Ann Bailey. It’s one of my True Love Classics (a collection of romances by USA Today bestselling Harlequin authors, including originals and popular reissues.)

Read a Snippet

Finalist—Best Banter Award!

by Mindy | Oct 25, 2021 | front page, love in the age of covid series, recent

The F Word is a finalist—twice over!—in the Best Banter Contest, sponsored by the Mid-Michigan Romance Writers of America.

What does twice over mean? It means that two different scenes in the book became finalists in the contest! (The F Word was entered in the contemporary romance, published author category.)

Professional editors and agents are judging the final round. My fingers are crossed that I’ll be able to report a win in the next month. But for now, I’m so, so pleased that the MMRWA enjoyed reading my banter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

The Number is 43

by Mindy | Oct 19, 2021 | front page, love in the age of covid 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

“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 the age of covid 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!

The C Word in Stores Today!

by Mindy | Feb 9, 2021 | front page, love in the age of covid series, recent

We authors aren’t supposed to have favorites among our books. Like parents, we’re supposed to say that we love all of our creations equally. We’re suppose to shy away from direct answers and say that our favorite is the book we’re currently writing.

But I’ve got a secret to share: The C Word is my favorite.

I love how the story came to me after a long dry spell, when I feared that I wasn’t going to come up with an original story ever again. I love how the words flowed during the second half of 2020, after months of coronavirus-induced non-writing, when I spent day after day after day fiddling with administrative details instead of putting down new words. I love the characters—how Katie McIntyre is sassy in a way that I never am, how Jason Price covers up his emotions with easy actions until he can’t avoid the weight of those feelings for one more second.

Most of all, though, I love how The C Word is a positive, feel-good book, even though—or, maybe, especially because—it’s set during the pandemic. Sure, the coronavirus makes my characters work a little harder for their Happy Ever After. But success means more when it’s hard-won.

The C Word is available for sale today, as an ebook at all your favorite online vendors and as a print book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. If you want to buy a print copy at your local bricks-and-mortar store, ask them to order it. (You’ll make it easier for them if you tell them that the ISBN—that’s the International Standard Book Number—is 978-1-95018-439-2.)

Here’s the back-of-the-book blurb:

When a one-night stand, a fake relationship, and a demonic cat aren’t enough of a challenge—just add a pandemic.

Sportswriter Katie McIntyre thinks star pitcher Jason Price will be the perfect fling to help her forget her cheating ex. Their hook-up is supposed to end with breakfast.

But the coronavirus has other plans.

Katie unexpectedly becomes her grandmother’s full-time caretaker. When the disoriented elderly woman thinks Jason is Katie’s devoted beau, Katie pitches a pretend relationship to the star athlete. Jason knocks the fake-boyfriend ball out of the park.

Soon, their increasingly real alliance is tested by disastrous cooking, adult-themed donuts, and a hairless, irascible cat. And COVID quarantine inevitably magnifies one small secret (Katie’s) and one tiny lie (Jason’s.) The harder this pair falls, the greater the risk of those hidden truths.

If your heartstrings have been tugged by the feel-good rom-coms Beach Read, Well Met, or The Friend Zone, then pull up a chair, because The C Word is the perfect romantic comedy escape for you.

What are you waiting for? Read the first chapter and buy your copy today!

Read the first chapter