profile of dark-skinned black woman with natural hair wearing a sleeveless top. Golden lights are over her shoulder and a wine glass in front of her.

Finding Nikki Velvet

Karin Kallmaker Book News, Checked Out, Coin of Love Series, Covered Hearts, Knight of Nights, Velvet in Venice, Wind in Her Hair 10 Comments

I have an itchy brain, and it pokes at me when a group of things has one item not like the others. Like when all the towels but one face fold-out on a shelf – what kind of madness is that!? I wish it had kicked in a little bit earlier on my latest project, though.

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One of These Things . . .

If you follow me on social media, you know I was having a crisis of “One of these Things Is Not Like the Other” about my new Coin of Love novella series cover art. It was making my brain itch.

Once the next four installments were planned and the covers set side-by-side with Velvet in Venice, the five covers looked like this:

The itch in my brain was that the lovely gondola, canal, and old building on Velvet was nothing like any of the other covers, all of which featured a character from the story inside and conveyed (at least I hope so) the time period of the story.
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Sapphic Book Bingo graphic

Sapphic Book Bingo Unicorns – Find Them Here!

Karin Kallmaker Events and Appearances, Readers and Libraries 36 Comments

It’s a new year and time for the 2023 edition of Sapphic Book Bingo, organized by the completely awesome Jae.

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Have you not heard of Sapphic Book Bingo? Well. Here’s all the details from Jae herself and links to download PDFs of the two bingo cards – Book Unicorns and the Main Categories.

Find out everything you need to know, then come back here for ideas on my books that will help you fill your Bingo card. You could have some of them on your shelf already. Reread a favorite or find something new!

Subscribe to Jae’s recommendations, by the way. You’ll get a wide range of suggestions and for sure discover some new authors. Her weekly blog posts will have some giveaways!

 

My Unicorns

Just pausing a moment to say that I’ve always wanted a unicorn and thanks to Jae, I’ve realized I have many. Thanks Jae!
Romance without a sex scene: Wind in Her Hair, a 1950s style fade-to-black self-discovery romance. Embrace in Motion also fits the bill in that the main characters don’t have sex before the novel ends. However, one of them has sex, albeit clearly with a woman who is not Ms. Right.
Imperfect sex: Car Pool, which is coming to audio soon! The chili pepper scene, one of the few in my books based on personal experience. Enough said. In A Fish Out of Water sex invokes a terrible curse, so I would say, yes, something goes wrong.Read More

Golden brown cookies with cracks and sugar sparkle on a white plate that features a green-hatted and green-scarf wearing snowman.

Seattle Ginger Spice Cookies

Karin Kallmaker Cheers & Chocolate, Favorite Things 7 Comments

Why Seattle?

This recipe was stumbled upon by my wife, Maria. She thought it would be a tasty treat for everyone at her brother’s house up in Seattle. Somehow I was the one who ended up making them and DANG they turned out perfectly the first time, so preen for me. Everyone loved them.

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Five days later they were getting a little bit dry, but still tasted good, especially dipped in a warm beverage. The ginger kick is there, but it’s not “hot.” The final taste is ginger with other warm spices and the rich goodness of dark sugars mixed with butter. Read More

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!

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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.

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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