No offense to cover reveal parties, but I just don’t have the patience. When I have a cover designed, I fall in love with said cover, want everyone to see it immediately…you get the picture. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like a good party. And that doesn’t mean I don’t want people to get excited about my books. Enter my new idea for a book celebration party: A DOG REVEAL!!!
Read MoreSomething not everyone knows about me is that I go to the movies at least once a week. I go by myself, and because I have a taste for cinematic quality, I don’t go with Mr. Blades. Don’t get me wrong—I love Mr. Blades (so much that I married him!) but his favorite movie is White Chicks, which should pretty much tell you everything you need to know. As we get close to the end of the year, I find myself reflecting upon the best films I’ve seen in 2019.
Read MoreFans have asked and I have answered. I’m in the midst of bringing my entire library to audiobook and I’m pleased to announce that the first one out will be Friended! This five-time-honored and critically-acclaimed YA Rom Com still gives me the most LOLs out of any book I’ve written. I’ve been working with Carlton Powell and Katherine Page, the voices of Jag and Roxy, for the past two months on getting it recorded. I’ve loved listening to the chapters come together.
Read MoreBefore any of us ever knew Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey, he’d played in one of the most brilliantly-acted scenes in Rom Com history eleven years prior. In said scene, he arrives to a dinner party and chats up a colossally famous woman for several minutes, utterly unaware that she is one of the most famous actresses in the world. This, my friends, is me. For reasons unexplained (because I’m a visual person), I have zero recall for faces
Read MoreHot on the heels of an amazing review for The Secret Ingredient from Publisher’s Weekly, I’ve heard great news about the book: it’s been named a Quarterfinalist in the Publisher’s Weekly Booklife Prize! The competition this year was really amazing, with the five titles that made it to the Semifinals scoring 9.5 or above. I am so thrilled to have been honored even though I did not progress to the next round. Here is the full text of the scoresheet/critical review:
Read More…I mean that literally. Go check out the magazine. Because it’s a paper magazine, or a digital version that you have to get a phone/tablet newsstand subscription for. And I literally cannot link to it.
One of the absolute best things about 2019 is that I’ve gotten to write author advice articles for publications like Writer’s Digest and the RWA Romance Writer’s Report. One of the not-awesome things about getting to write these articles is that they’re difficult to share. But print is still alive! People email and private message me all the time to let me know they’re reading my articles. I’ve noticed that print subscriptions are very reasonable these days. You might want to check them out :)
Read MoreMy New Year’s Resolution for 2019 was to institute a strict “no muggles” policy—to fill my life only with people who make it more wonderful and interesting. Entering Romancelandia has been a jarring experience, because I’m no longer used to people who fight and gossip and queen bee and character assassinate. My new top priority, effective immediately, is to institute a “no assholes” policy.
Read MoreMy name is Kilby and I have a childhood trauma to confess: I was the victim of bad dad jokes. If you grew up with a dad who told bad jokes, just reading the title of this article filled you with instant comprehension and maybe even a chill down your spine in remembrance of just how bad your dad’s jokes were.
For those of you who didn’t grow up with dads who told jokes, or didn’t grow up with dads, or grew up with the mythical dad who told jokes that were actually good, you cannot comprehend how growing up with a bad joke-teller leaves scars on your funny bone.
Read MoreFirst things first: nobody goes into the book-writing business to be rich, or famous, or to find happiness. Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you how many ways authoring can be a terrible job. The characters never do what you want them to do, deadlines stalk you like the non-Casper kind of ghost, and the post-retailer royalties are so low, you’d cry if you knew what I make per copy sold.
Read MoreFirst things first: Friended is highly unlikely to win the Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize for Fiction, even though I entered it this year. One thing I love about entering this award is that, win or not, the Publisher’s Weekly folks take the time to write a critical review! After the very odd situation I was in two years ago with the BookLife Prize and Snapdragon, I didn’t know what to expect from the process. But they reviewed Friended and I’m A-OK with the result.
Read MoreI know, I know. That was super-cheesy, the way I said I was “coming out” with my first gay romance. A lot of people didn’t know I even wrote gay romance so the announcement felt a little like—you know what? Nevermind. But, it’s true! I kept it quiet until the ink was dry and the manuscript was submitted, but I’ve now been a few rounds with my editor and I’m finally ready to share the news: my first gay romance, Adam Bomb, will release in 2020!
Read MoreThis is a very quick little blog posting just to let folks know that I’m participating in the #AuthorsForFamilies Charity Auction in benefit of @RAICESTEXAS. I've donated a book marketing audit (at least a $350 value) to the auction in order to raise money to support families and individuals who are facing humanitarian crises as a result of southern U.S. border crossing policy and the current treatment of refugees.
Read MoreIt's time for another installment of Kilby Q&A! This week, I answer 10 questions about my award-winning culinary romance!
Q1: Why write chef? What’s so hot about kitchens? Pun intended. A: Food is such an intimate experience—the cooking and eating of it—of course it’s a place where love belongs. It’s a place that’s really ripe for passion and flirtation.
Read MoreWhat you might not know about me is that I used to be a food, wine and travel writer. I lived abroad for the first time when I was fifteen. When too much time passes before I get to go to a far-flung place, I feel cooped up and restless. I REALLY love to travel, y’all. Pulling out my passport puts me in my happy place. You will see my picture in the dictionary next to the definition of “wanderlust”…
Read MoreWant to see what my characters, settings and story details look like in my head? Check out my Pinterest boards!
I'm a visual person. As I write details, settings and characters into my books, I always “see” my scenes as they happen. My pin boards are a portal into how everything looks, through my eyes.
Sure, there are a ton of pictures of Wentworth Miller on there, but he was my muse for Michael in Snapdragon. Don’t hate me just because he’s so hot…
Read MoreExciting news! This week, I added the first of my stories to Radish, a platform with a focus on serial releases! Books are published in small installments via the Radish mobile app, which focuses on customizing the experience to the smartphone reader.
Twenty years ago, when I first started writing, I released serials, chapter by chapter and week-by-week. I love the excitement (and suspense) created by this format. With Radish, chapters are released on a specific schedule.
So, how does it really work? The first 3 episodes of every story are always free. To read ongoing episodes that are not free, you buy “coins” and use them to unlock the content.
Read MoreTwo new releases in two weeks! I know. I’m crazy. And, before you ask, yes I DO sleep and no I DON’T write this fast. This April 5th release of Crazy Old Money is really the single title release of a story originally published in the Worst Holiday Ever anthology.
So why am I republishing this? Mainly, because this story ties into my Hexagon Universe. If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know what Hexagon is. Long story short, this connects to Snapdragon and Chrysalis and especially to the release that comes out in June called Vertical. And because I’m evil, I’ll be parceling out the keys to this universe slowly. Books from this universe contain: 1) A crackling romance in every story, 2) an element of suspense, and
Read MoreI realized that I talk a lot in my newsletter about how awesome it is to be part of my VIP Reader Street Team. Then, I realized that without knowing what happens there, you' couldn’t possibly understand the degree of awesomeness.
So, here’s the deal: I started my VIP Reader Street Team after I released Snapdragon and Chrysalis in 2017. Snapdragon was my debut novel—when I released it, I had no fans, no awards, no reviews…no track record whatsoever. Anyone who read it was taking a chance on me and I really, really appreciated those who did. That’s where my habit of doing great giveaways for my most faithful readers and reviewers was born…
Read MoreRemember when I posted a whole page on my website about how psyched I was to release The Secret Ingredient, and how I’d started asking folks to support my forthcoming Amazon Scout campaign? Then, remember how, just weeks before my Scout campaign was set to release, Amazon cancelled the program? Yeah. I remember that, too.
I won’t regale you with the long, boring story of what I did next and why it took me so long to just publish it already. What’s most important is that it will be available very, very soon. On March 25rd, The Secret Ingredient will be available across all digital retailers and on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in paperback!
Read More…and hopefully not its last. The New England Chapter of RWA named Friended a finalist in its 2019 New England Reader’s Choice Awards! Best of all, I’ll be at the awards ceremony in Boston, in person! This award (and this RWA Chapter) is close to my heart, as attending the NECRWA conference last April marked my very first book signing, my first 1st place award win (for Snapdragon) and the first time I had the opportunity to sit in the audience to hear my name called to accept an award.
I’m extremely excited to head back to Boston, reconnect with friends I made last year, sign more books, and return as a conference presenter. If you’re a reader and would like to meet me…
Read More
