Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Sweet Home Alabama prequel novel - coming soon! #MFRWauthor #MFRWhooks

Pre-order now!
Amazon US
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Before Melanie Smooter became hot fashion designer Melanie Carmichael, she was known as Felony Melanie, the teenage troublemaker of Pigeon Creek, Alabama. Aching to escape the boredom of small-town life, she gets into many reckless adventures. Her boyfriend, Jake, is always by her side – and the local sheriff is usually close behind.

When Melanie qualifies for the Miss Teen Alabama Regional Pageant in the big city of Mobile, the first prize scholarship could be her ticket out of Pigeon Creek. But can her homemade dresses compete against the expensive gowns, and can a "trailer trash" girl survive when a haughty debutante will do anything to destroy the competition.

Meanwhile, Jake thinks beauty pageants are silly, but he’ll be there to support Melanie – as long as he can avoid getting kicked out by hotel security. Then Jake and his friends start to suspect someone is sabotaging the whole pageant. They try to follow the clues, but it isn't easy when everyone dismisses you as redneck kids.

Melanie needs to prove herself on stage. Jake and the gang need to make sure she gets the chance. Can they show they're more than what people see on the surface? 

Check out the new series featuring “Felony Melanie” a decade before the events of the movie Sweet Home Alabama

Sign up for our newsletter and get Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner's Cabin. These first two chapters from the novel Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium stand alone as a short story. In the future, you'll get fun content about upcoming Felony Melanie novels and other romantic comedy news and links.

Excerpt from Felony Melanie Destroys the Moonshiner's Cabin:


She paused at the edge of the bleachers. She’d be in full view as she went from the stands to the parking lot. Only for a minute, but it was the most important minute of this plan. The ref blew his whistle. Mama turned toward Daddy. Melanie slipped out from under the bleachers.

Don’t look back. Don’t hurry. Be cool. Running would attract more attention.

Shuffling and snorting sounds rose from nearby.

Melanie jerked to a stop and searched for the source of the noise.

It didn’t matter. She had to keep moving. She stepped forward.

Three boys popped up from behind the next car. They raced away as if launched out of a cannon.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Melanie jumped high enough to set a world record. When she finally landed, she gasped for air. Dang redneck boys, starting their Friday partying early with cherry bombs in the parking lot.

Principal Peck shouted from the stands, “You boys git over here!”

The boys took off into the woods cackling like hens.

Everyone in the county must be looking her way. Melanie resisted every urge to look back toward the bleachers. She took one shaky step after another, whispering, “Wasn’t me, nothing to see here, just some blonde girl nobody knows.”

Another voice cut through the humid air. “Melanie Smooter! You’re supposed to be grounded, young lady!”

Melanie glanced back. Adults frowned and shook their heads, while teenagers laughed and waved. Heat crept across her cheeks.

Her mama stood at the top of the bleachers, hands on her hips, glaring. “Earl, you go collect that fool girl.”

Melanie ducked her head and spun away, but it was too late to pretend she hadn’t heard, and way too late to pretend she hadn’t been at the game. Her mama would pitch a fit to end all fits. Melanie would probably be grounded for the rest of the year. Why couldn’t Mama understand? She and Jake were in love. She simply had to see Jake play.

She ran her hands through her hair and swore softly. She should be there when Jake got off the field. He’d want her there.

If she was busted anyway, she might as well enjoy the rest of her last evening of freedom. She veered toward the school building with a grin. This Friday night just got a whole heap more interesting.

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Pre-order Felony Melanie in Pageant Pandemonium now!
Amazon US
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Douglas J. Eboch is a screenwriter and author who wrote the original screenplay to the movie Sweet Home Alabama starring Reese Witherspoon. His sister is the author of over 80 books under the names Kris Bock, M.M. Eboch and Chris Eboch.

Friday, April 24, 2020

A Purrfect Comfort Read - sweet #romance Kittens and Kisses .99 sale #MFRWorg

Kittens and Kisses at the Cat Café: A Furrever Friends Sweet Romance is 99 cents on Kindle (US and UK) until 4/29.

He’s loved her forever. She still sees him as the neighbor kid. Can five desperate kittens bring them together?

Marley is a baker at the new Furrever Friends Cat Café, which is still trying to find its footing. Her nine-year-old son, Brian, desperately wants a kitten, but they can’t have pets where they live. Who has the time to date? Just as well that she’s protected her heart since the father of her child disappeared.

Adam has loved Marley since he was 13, and she was his best friend’s free-spirited older sister. Back then, he fantasized about rescuing her from bandits or dragons. Now he’s 24, and the five-year age gap isn’t so serious. He wants nothing more than to become a family with Marley and her son. But will she ever see him as a man?

When someone leaves a box of week-old kittens at the café, Adam jumps at the chance to be a hero. But herding kittens might be tougher than fighting dragons, especially when two of them fail to thrive. Can Adam, Marley, and Brian save the kittens and find a future together?


Here's a peek at Kittens and Kisses at the Cat Café:

Marley shook herself. “Right, the door. I almost forgot what startled me the first time. We don’t open for another ten minutes. I don’t understand why whoever it is couldn’t wait. Nobody needs coffee that badly.”

Marley strode to the front door. She pushed it open, glanced around, and looked down. “Oh.”

“What is it?” He couldn’t see past her, but something in her voice made him want to drag her back, get out front, and protect her.

She opened the door wider, moving with it so he could see.

He looked down at a cardboard box filled with wriggling fur. “Kittens?”



The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at a small-town cat café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes. Each book is a complete story with a happy ending for one couple (and maybe more than one rescued cat). These sweet romances will leave you with the warm, fuzzy feeling of cuddling a purring cat. Get books 1-3 on Amazon, free with #KU, individually or packaged together as a single volume e-book or paperback at a discount!

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Romance & Rescues, plus Felony Melanie is on the way! #MFRWorg




Here's a peek at my newsletter from this past week. It also included a sale, which is now over. To make sure you don't miss any of the deals or fun stuff, sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter, and you'll also get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café.

I don't even know what day this is of stay-at-home. Of course, I've worked from home for years. (My primary income is from freelance work in educational publishing.) The difference is having my husband also working from home. Fortunately, we each have an office, and we can walk out our back door to the golf course (closed to golfers) to take a walk.

I do have some fun projects coming up. The fourth Furrever Friends novel should be out by the next time I send a newsletter! Romance and Rescues at the Cat Café features Holly and Dustin:

Can getting stranded in a creepy house full of abandoned cats turn these enemies into friends – or even something more?

Also, my brother and I have a release date for our Sweet Home Alabama prequel novel: May 6.
Here’s the link to sign up for our Rom-Com newsletter. If you sign up, in about a week, you'll get an email link to your free preview of the new series. Felony Melanie and the Moonshiner's Cabin stands alone as a short story. Fans of the movie Sweet Home Alabama will love seeing teen Melanie in action!

Cat cafés in the news: From Cat & Craft – Café: You can help us continue our foster and adoption efforts while we're closed to the public by subscribing to our Virtual Cat Lounge Experience. For $2.99 purr week you get 360 Degree Live Video every day 10:00am - 4:00pm; Hosted Live Segments and Special Events such as Purrs & Poses Cat Yoga and Kitten Parties, and a Purrivate Facebook Group.

Voice recognition mistake of the day:
Dear phone voice recognition: The editor's name is Nina, and I don't know her well enough to give her a nickname. Besides, she probably wouldn't be too pleased to be called "Peanut."


Books on My Radar:
A Suite Deal: A Clean Small-Town Romance, by Sue Gibson – an enemies to lovers romance set on a small island. Reviewers liken this to a Hallmark or Lifetime movie, if that is or isn't your thing.

Game Changer (Ruled Out Romances Book 1), by Charissa Stastny – A “clean, witty romance.” A reviewer says, “Opposites attract when the overlooked, sweet girl lands herself the popular football star in this quasi-Cinderella story....With witty dialogue and a fast-paced plot, this feel-good book will stick with you for days.” 

Find me:


Coffee and Crushes at the Café is available free for review from Booksprout or via Story Origin.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Funny stuff, sweet stuff, comfort reads, and free books #MFRWorg


Here's a peek at my newsletter from this past week. It also included a sale, which is now over. To make sure you don't miss any of the deals or fun stuff, sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter, and you'll also get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café.

Voice recognition mistake of the day: I can't really blame this on voice recognition, because I fumbled the pronunciation: "This was the cluster of cheese where she'd hid her Jeep." Makes for vivid, if strange, imagery I suppose. (This was a throwback that showed up on Facebook, from when I was writing The Mad Monk's Treasure.

Is everyone hanging in there when it comes to staying isolated at home? Bear and Panda the ferrets are pros at this, but Bear’s pose here seems to sum up my attitude some days.

Things you should be watching: Simon's Cat If you haven't seen these short, animated videos, check them out. If you have seen some, you can find a big batch here!



All these books are available free in exchange for reviews, through April. Whether you like your romance sweet or spicy or suspenseful, you’ll find something you crave!



Here's a bit of beauty from the desert, a tiny cactus in bloom:

Books on My Radar: 
The Dalai Lama’s Cat by David Michie – this looks sweet and inspiring. Check out this review: “The Most Beautiful Creature That Ever Lived also helps keep the Dalai Lama “in the moment” by gently biting his ankles to remind him to pay attention to her. … And don’t react to a dog invasion with jealousy as it is an emotion that is demanding and takes one further from peace of mind.”

Cute of the day: Zoo shares adorable pictures of orangutans playing with their otter friends. Can you say “Aw!”


Learn more at www.krisbock.com or visit Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page. (For other countries click here.) Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. You can also follow me on Amazon (go to my author page and click on the "Follow" button to the left) or BookBub (button in the upper right corner) if you only want New Release Alerts.

Coffee and Crushes at the Café is available free for review from Booksprout or via Story Origin.

Thursday, April 2, 2020

Need a comfort read? Get this sweet #romance on sale! #99c #MFRWorg

Need a comfort read? Tea and Temptation at the Cat Café is on sale for only 99 cents, April 2-5.


Can two lonely people get a second chance at finding love?

Zach may be a best-selling novelist, but it's been a long time since he's felt truly alive. In the last six months, he moved to the country, his wife left him, and he was diagnosed with cancer. Now he lives in a haze of treatments, writer's block, and simply trying to survive each week. But when a pretty woman comes into his favorite café and throws herself down on a padded bench with a groan of despair, he feels something he thought he'd lost long ago: curiosity.

As a veterinarian, Jenna knows both joy and heartbreak. The former she can share with her clients. The latter she keeps to herself. She learned one lesson from her ex-husband: Men don't want to deal with your emotions.​ It's odd to have a stranger ask about her problems. It's even more of a shock when he offers to solve one of them by fostering the sick kitten abandoned by its owners.

​Zach and Jenna bond over kitten care and build a close friendship. Could they have more? Zach is finally starting to hope for a future, ideally one that includes Jenna, but he can't move forward until he's dealt with his past. Meanwhile, Jenna is afraid to risk her heart on someone who might not survive the next few months.

Get your friends to lovers, mature romance, plus rescue cats in this sweet romance. The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the workers and customers at the Furrever Friends Cat Café, and the adorable cats and kittens looking for their forever homes.


Peek:

  Zach glanced over.
  Long brown hair spilled over a burgundy sweater. Faded jeans hugged her hips and long legs. He couldn't see her face.
  She didn't stir, even when Merlin, the Maine Coon who weighed over 20 pounds, walked across her legs and curled up on her back.
  Snowball meowed, reminding Zach to keep up the petting.
  He got his hand moving again. He needed to get his brain moving. He should be focusing on his story, not shooting glances at the odd woman. But for the first time in months, he felt curious about something.

Kris Bock writes novels of romance, mystery, and suspense. Her Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series features the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats. Get a free 10,000-word story set in the world of the Furrever Friends cat café when you sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter. You’ll also get a printable copy of the recipes mentioned in the cat café novels.