Karin's superpower - knows where the chocolate is

It’s All Good: Chocolate for Her on a Budget

Karin Kallmaker Cheers & Chocolate, Favorite Things 3 Comments

Personal advice on gifting chocolate for that special person in your life – without having to take out a loan. Updated for holidays 2022. Have a personal favorite? Please comment!

If You’re Going Gourmet Chocolate

Moonstruck Chocolatier or Made with Callebaut

My favorite gourmet chocolates are those made with Callebaut. And my favorite truffles are Moonstruck. Edible whimsy. So delicious, so fun. Check out my Chocolate Addicts post with more about my top two picks.

But let’s face it, as much as we may love the good women in our life, our wallets might go ouch. Sometimes we just can’t afford the stuff that was crafted by virgins under a full moon that’s priced as if it actually came from the moon. (Vosge’s, Valrhona, Teuscher et al. They are all excellent, but not for the wallet.) So here are some ways to get some terrific chocolate without taking out a loan. Read More

The skyline of Venice from approaching from Murano Island to the Grand Canal

A Rainstorm in Rome and Self-Portrait of Brain Exploding

Karin Kallmaker Book News, Coin of Love Series, Covered Hearts, Knight of Nights, Velvet in Venice, Wind in Her Hair 0 Comments

I Lose My Heart to Venice

A few years ago, before pandemic restrictions, my wife and I traveled to Italy. Our first stop was Venice where we were picked up by boat at the airport and whisked to our hotel on Murano Island, with the familiar skyline of Venice in the distance.

We were there for all of a few hours before I knew I’d write about Venice through the eyes of a smitten tourist. So many places can’t ever live up to their hype, but for me Venice was all that and so much more. Read More

Star Wars character Rey holds her yellow light saber

The Short Life and Excellent Death of Darth Lumpius

Karin Kallmaker Cheers & Chocolate, LIFE + STYLE 48 Comments

The Force Was With Me

Back in August I knew I would be writing this post and that this would be the title.

Darth Lumpius had visions of immortality. Its evilness was about the size of two Cheerios. A routine mammogram screening discovered the nasty little bugger. Three weeks later Darth Lumpius was no more, aspirations of takeover all for nothing, thanks to a crack team of Resistance fighters: one surgeon, one radiologist, one radiation oncologist, one therapeutic oncologist, and a platoon of technicians and nurses. They each had their own light saber and the Force was with them. Read More

Cover Cowboys and Kisses written by Karin Kallmaker, read by Ann Shanks Etter

Now in Audio – Cowboys and Kisses read by Ann Shanks Etter

Karin Kallmaker Book News, Cowboys and Kisses 56 Comments

Drawing and comment period is now closed. Winners announced in this comment.

It’s always a little weird to hear someone else read my work aloud. Having lived with the voices of the characters in my head, sometimes for years, it’s like hearing familiar music but in a very different key.

So it’s a real relief when a narrator matches my sense of timing, hits the right notes on the humor, and adapts to the story tone to match my words. Ann Shanks Etter has done all that for the brand new release of the audiobook of Cowboys and Kisses. The audiobook is available at Audible, at iTunes, Nook Audio, Scribd, Spotify, Kobo and Walmart, Audiobooks.com, and many other retailers and library catalogs. It’s also available directly from me in mp3 and m4B formats. Read More

Close up of the face and hands of black business woman as she laughs and claps. Behind her another person also claps.

Surviving that First Panel – Moderators and Panelists

Karin Kallmaker Business of Books, Events and Appearances, Resources 1 Comment

Panels are a terrific way in the sapphic fiction world to boost your professional street cred and talk about your work. You’re in the midst of a group of other pros – some of whom might be real rock stars in the room – and you get to learn from them about both their work and how to manage the panel experience.

Panels can be live as part of a larger conference, or a one-off hosted by a bookstore or library. They can be online during a weekend writing course, or an hour of a fun topic organized by authors or publishers as a way to engage readers. Each event will be different, and each will have its own audience.

Please consider this a wide-ranging set of tools you can customize to each event as needed.

Read More