Serials and Scenarios ~ Buy em Books and Buy em Books

I thought I needed to come back around and share some of the places I visited for our Out of the Frying Pan blog tour. 

In case you missed any of them I share parts of pieces of my story and my life at the following places around the world wide web. 

Of course you can get a copy of Out of the Frying Pan at Amazon. 

Without further ado, part two of my blog tour recap. 

http://www.mariaimorgan.com/loving/  about my admiration for a young woman doing great things. 

https://jenpheobus.com/2016/11/23/cats-vs-dogs/ on what kind of worshipper I want to be. 

http://shannonvannatter.com/kelly-klepfer-recipe-for-romance-part-2-of-2/  for my recipe for romance. 

http://shannonvannatter.com/kelly-klepfer-real-life-romance-part-1-of-2/ and the most romantic gesture my husband has ever made. 

http://sarahruut.com/2016/11/15/out-of-the-frying-pan-michelle-griep-kelly-klepfer-review/  Official review post. 

https://moderndaymishaps.com/2016/11/16/smiling-piles-of-ooopsss/ absolutely nothing to do with Out of the Frying Pan, but fun-funny. 

http://www.faithfriendschocolate.com/2016/11/buried-treasure.html?m=1 My love of words. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ There's a Pony Somewhere In Here

I tend towards optimism. Having been called Pollyanna a time or two, maybe a little too much. My mom has said I get it from my dad. She thinks we both encounter a huge pile of horse poo and start digging because there has got to be a pony in there, right?

Maybe I've been gifted with a little more faith. Where I know Who's in control and that I can trust Him. I can't say I always trust or always feel this. Sometimes I get down in the dumps and cranky and feel sorry for myself, overwhelmed or depressed. But I'm always looking for a glimpse of blue in that gray, murky sky. I can't stay down long. Which is something I'm grateful for. I don't have a long list of grievances that I can stew over or chew like a cud. I generally take things as they come, planning ahead to keep the crazy controlled if I can. And accepting it if I can't. I also don't take myself too seriously. Which makes me terrible at grammar and the annoying details of writing a book. Oh, the trade-offs in life. A comma placement isn't going to make me crazy but I sure know some who'd fall on their sword over grammar.

When I run into other optimists I can't help but just bask in their attitude.  This guy, Adrian Solano is from Venezuela and his first experience with snow, ever, was basically as this was filmed. He trained by roller skiing at home in Venezuela and had never seen snow. He had planned to practice a month or so before the trials on actual snow but the border authorities didn't believe his story so he returned home. He finished dead last. But said the best part was falling because then he could get up again. 

Read his story here. 
(And if you feel really optimistic after reading this...sign up to win the $20.00 Amazon gift card I'm giving away. The rafflecopter link is here. http://fernandzula.blogspot.com/2017/02/money-money-moneymoooonnnnneeeyyyyyy.html ) 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Giveaway Fun

In my never ending marketing of...wait for it....drum rollapalooza, my one and only book, Out of the Frying Pan, I'm giving away an Amazon gift card.

You might wonder what the strings are. Well, they aren't too terribly, mind-numbing. Simply a) Join my Author Page. b) Follow Zu-Fer's Facebook page, C) do some dang tweeting. There you go.

Author page: http://www.bookfun.org/group/kelly-klepfer-author-group Hint. You get an extra play for this. Just sayin. And if you tweet every. single. day. you can get 3 entries every. single. day. I mean, it's easy. Not like you have to bake a cake and decorate it. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Serials and Scenarios ~ Wait for it.....OUT OF THE FRYING PAN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Here we go again!

A chance at a free book. Yep. Easy Peasy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  Disclaimer....trip to Europe NOT INCLUDED!

Just click and go. If you have a copy already, THANKS! But win it for a friend. Or enemy. Or for a random stranger. You could use it to prop a wobbly table up. Bird cage liner?

Regardless of how you use it, just go and sign up. Thanks. And tell your friends. That's all! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Around and About

I have a couple links to share. 

For starters, visit Maria Morgan's site where I share my thoughts on a hero who is close to my heart. 

And last but not least, I share a bit about the difference between cats and dogs and what type of worshipper I want to be at JenPhoebus. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Recipe for Romance

I shared a recipe for romance over here. 

It might be just what you are looking for for Thanksgiving. Or not. But you still might be hunting for a free copy of the book. You know, THE book. Wink. Wink. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Romance

Today I was asked to share the most romantic thing my husband has ever done. 

Now this romantic gesture might shock you. 

If doesn't involve diamonds.

Or chocolate. 

Or a massage, rose petals or a perfect-for-us play list. 

You have to go here to read it. Oh, and there's a free copy of Out of the Frying Pan waiting to be won! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ An Official Review Post

Blogger Sarah invited Michelle and I to hang out with her twice. Then she mentioned she'd like to read Out of the Frying Pan. I sent her a copy and she posted about us again. Here it is. 

And completely unrelated is my Modern Day Mishap post. 

I really can't share more than the fact that my life is just weird and I find pockets of hysterical laughter in the oddest places sometimes. Like this morning when my daughter tagged me in a video showing a short grandma falling into a crib. I wept laughed. Should I share it here? Okay. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Tea for Two...Well...Guests

I completed another whirlwind trip to Minnesota. Michelle and I were invited to a tea party as guests. (I love this word...guests...it means we didn't have to do anything but show up! PERK!) 

The tea was worth the drive.

Michelle has been before and the ladies are big fans of hers. They welcomed me with open arms.

First. The food.

Unbelievable amounts of deliciousness. Most items came in dairy free options as well gluten free and everything was delicious. I mean really delicious.

They gave us our choice in hatwear and tea cups. Many, many choices. They have acquired unique head coverings and tea cups through the years of building this special book club. 

And then we talked about books. Not just ours though many of them shared bits of Out of the Frying Pan that were their favorites. And they are eager for book two to come out soon. Hmmmm motivation to write...

I was shocked two hours after lunch when Michelle announced it was time to go. The stories those ladies told. Whoeee there is some serious fiction fodder there. No, actually, if we tried to write up the stories as fiction people would say they were way too unbelievable. True story.

We ended our time together by opening their gift to us. Each of us received a small frying pan filled with hand made artisan gifts. Apple butter, lotion, soap, lip balm, knit scrub pads and dish cloths. Goodness. The gift smelled delicious and the topper was a bouquet made from scavenged silk flowers. Ha. Ha. They literally came from a dumpster. Well, one of the gals used to work at a book store and they were rescued from the fate of the dumpster. She's had them for years and just knew that this was the occasion with which to part with them. 

These flowers and frying pans will show up at our author's table this weekend you can be sure of that!  The dumpster diving sparked a lively conversation. I was able to talk about my grandma's years in a condo that bordered an apartment complex. She was a regular visitor to the dumpster when people moved out. She was always horrified at the things people threw out. I probably still have some items she scavenged and offered to me. 

Did I mention the stories were hilariously stranger than fiction? 

A good time was had by all. Especially me! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Appearances...Keeping Them Up...

I told you November would be a busy month again book wise. 

Here's the first blog post of the month wherein I share about buried treasures. Yes. It's true, I do!

Well. Maybe not the treasures you are expecting. But treasures nonetheless...ask any book lover or Jesus lover. 

http://www.faithfriendschocolate.com/2016/11/buried-treasure.html

Tomorrow I am on the road appearing with Michelle at a writers' tea. I believe we are guests of honor. I assume that because we don't have to make food and there was an invitation. I'll let you know if we are the cleanup staff or something like that. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ My Stars

The weirdest part of being published is being read by people who know me.

That may sound funky to say because the people who know me and love me are going to find my voice and picture me in the whole mix and somehow that's going to ensure that they love my story. Right?

Early on in the "shopping" process where we were given an offer from the publisher we decided to go with eventually a lady from church asked to be able to read the manuscript and edit it because she just loves to edit. I sent it to her over email. Granted, this was just a gesture because our book had already gone through the edited-to-death phase.

This lady, a few weeks later came to me in the church bathroom, of course. "Hey. I've gotten a start on your book. I told you I'd be honest. There are a lot of words. So many I finally have decided the whole plot was about one woman wanting to get flowers out of a dumpster. Is the whole book going to be like that? Because I just don't think it's my cup of tea. I read hard books, I've read Frank Peretti so I'm pretty sure it's not me, it's your book." This comment is paraphrased. 

Fortunately, my co-author is an extremely good editor and multi-published herself. And the critique group I worked with is no-nonsense, get-rid-of-that-paragraph, red-pen-slashing tell-it-like-it-is sucker punchers. So my skin had developed a tough enough exterior that I was able to tell her to please stop reading it and thank her for her time.

Honestly, there are people who aren't going to love this story. I'm okay with that. Because likely, they are folks who don't really "get" me any way. I get looks on occasion. I know when I'm just being tolerated and when I'm being dismissed and when someone truly enjoys my company.

I've also had bloggers who didn't know me from Adam tell me that my interview process caused them to instant click and order Out of the Frying Pan or suggest it for their next book club meeting. And so far they haven't been disappointed. One friend purchased two copies hoping to eventually get one back from her sister who loved it. The other copy went to a friend who's husband is going to be reading it out loud to her during her chemo treatments. This comment alone has made all the struggles worth it. To think that something we wrote could bring escape during a really rough period of time makes me feel so blessed. 

Several people have told me it's been a long time since they read a book that made them laugh out loud. People are loaning their copy to friends. Right now a copy is going around my office. The girls, one by one, are reading it over nights and weekends and during lunch. One plans to take it to Portland next week, another is taking it to Texas in November. We are still in a top 100 on Amazon, in the 60's. We are there with books in the Amish genre and with books written by big name authors. Our 17th review was just posted on Amazon. Three reviews from strangers have been three star reviews, seven gave us four stars, the rest are five star reviews. The most critical three star review made a few comments about errors she'd spotted, one being the airport being mentioned as five minutes away then it morphed into two hours of fast driving...the five minutes down the road referred to the nursing home not the airport so I'm not sure how she misunderstood that. She also questioned "white noise whooshed in his ears" and said "what is white noise?" So I'm thinking she was VERY generous giving us three stars because she did not get us at all. Romantic Times gave us four stars. They rarely, rarely give out five. 

The fact that I review novels has made the reviews very interesting. I won't write a review of a book that would be less than a three star read. Three stars means theres several reasons I liked it but others might like it a whole lot more so I keep those readers in mind. I only give five stars if I feel like the author nailed characters, plot, timing, dialogue and setting/scene. I don't often give five stars. So four is very good. 

I now have an author signing at my local library in November. Where I am likely to run into patients and who knows who else. This is a small town. So I'm using all of the above swirling feelings to help me get through that day. The one where I'm likely going to feel like I've forgotten to get dressed and am walking through crowds in my mismatched underwear! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ My First Podcast!

Michelle and I were guests on Writers & Authors on Fire a few weeks ago. That conversation is now published. Here's the link. http://bit.ly/2dVDvuY This was so fun. We laughed quite a bit and John Vonhof was VERY PATIENT!!! We actually manage to give some tips and helpful advice along the way. 

So much fun. It's an hour. So if you are cleaning or cooking or folding laundry (my favorite times to listen to podcasts) pop it on and enjoy! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Zula's Glossy Mag

Zula is all atwitter. Once you are wide awake and able to handle her chirpy excitement head on over to Zu-fer to see how you can read her interview. I'm pretty sure she got all the details for downloading the free stuff correct. Trust me, don't read it until you have your caffeinated drink of choice in your system. 

It might be a three part process for you to download everything but 1) it's all free until Thursday. 2) next month promises that there will be more...I did an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink style interview that will post in the November issue. So once you have the two steps done downloading the free Amazon reader app and joining the book club you'll be able to one step order next month's during the free period. Win. Win! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ The Rest of the Story...Frying Pan

If you are hankering for more of Fern and Zula's back story, our behind the scenes story is here today. 

And there is still a giveaway going on here! 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Meetings of the Minds.

A serious and animated discussion on the themes and hidden meaning/depth in the plotting and characterization in Out of the Frying Pan punctuated the book club agenda. 

The Connor, Owen and GMA book club is very serious about their books and only read a few a year due to the difficulty with print size and understanding the written word for some members.

Out of the Frying Pan was chosen because of the close relationship they have with one of the authors. Now this in and of itself is a problem. They will tread very carefully when formulating the review and the star rating. The authors know this and would expect nothing else from this finely tuned book club of three.

Of course, GMA is invaluable for the wisdom born of life experience. Plus the stories she has read, the woman knows books. Owen and Connor bring the element of newness and unbridled joy when something really clicks in the story line or mechanics of the novels they choose.

Usually this club meets more than once and discusses different elements of the book each time. The first discussion was over the dual genre. Unfortunately, this took over the full agenda but was finally resolved. Owen methodically counted the red herrings used to show the meeting of expectation for the cozy mystery elements. Connor, who enthusiastically wears his heart on his sleeve, is enamored with the equally solid romance aspect. 

GMA once again steered the book club to the common sense middle road where the book could be dually classified because it met the requirements of both. Of note, Out of the Frying Pan is called a romantic cozy mystery because the romance does not follow the formula of romance to the T. After all, the classic is boy meets girl, conflict, feelings, conflict, parting, reconciliation and happily ever after. Connor teared up a bit as he was forced to concede and agree with the decision they must make. Once decided all jumped on board, but bed time was approaching so further discussion was shelved.

Next month they with get together to discuss the hidden themes within the pages. Already suspicious that love and food will be closely connected they are also wondering about the murder and the motives and looking for the deep human condition that can tie the love and murder together. Hopefully the younger members will get good naps in because this could prove to be volatile.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Wait, There's More....

Our Out of the Frying Pan Goodreads contest is closed. If your name isn't David or Nancy, you didn't win one. Oh, your name is David or Nancy...you might not be THE David or Nancy. But good news! Real good news. There is another contest. Yes. You heard that correctly. And this is an autographed copy signed by both of us, a book you can fold the cover back on and dog ear the pages and give to your aunt's best friend to read when you are done with it. 

Go here to read about why I read, what I like and why. And sign up for that coveted copy. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Books, Books, and Life

Part of me feels a little guilty for just moving forward and not acknowledging the stuff happening in our world. Train wrecks, shootings, racial tension, politics. 

But then what do we do with this upheaval and angst and fear and horror? If we are praying people, we pray, and hope for mercy and cling to our faith. If we are not, we attempt to escape. 

My heart and my prayers are turned not only toward the victims but toward the only hope I have, we have, and I just can't join the discussions over these tragedies and hairpin societal turns and plunges. Because then my focus shifts to the darkness and the seeming hopelessness.

I would hope this silly little book would give someone a break from the world around them. And maybe a sense of hope that though darkness hovers over us, light does break through, and the fat lady hasn't sung yet. No matter how loudly she's rehearsing. Does that make sense?  

I just sent out another free e-book. 

Here's a chance to win a signed copy from Michelle. And a little more about Michelle, and the book.  Yes, I signed it too at our book signing event last weekend! http://eahendryx.blogspot.com/2016/09/michelle-griep-writer-wednesday.html

Serials and Scenarios ~ Crickets

This is strange. I don't know what to do with a quiet moment. I currently don't have a blog post to promote except ones I've already posted. Of course the Goodreads giveaway is still open one more day and Fiction, Faith and Fun is still live with a giveaway. And I'll have another guest blog post tomorrow to promote but right now it's all quiet. I haven't checked our sales ranking. Our reviews have remained at 7 on Amazon. Most of them are 5 star. Michelle hasn't unloaded anything to promote. I'm answering questions for a huge interview for The Book Fun Magazine that reaches thousands of book club members. And will have a smattering of other Q & A's and stuff here and there throughout the next few months while we continue to promote our novel. 

But the huge amount of energy and time that has gone into this book launch the past couple of weeks has created a kind of a momentum. So I guess I write without anything to say. Probably we could just call this normal for Scrambled Dregs, because I often seem to not have a point, right? 

How about I just tell you how much I appreciate all any of you have done. If you've encouraged me, read me, traveled through this process with me, or read my book, thank you. And maybe go to Zu-fer because Zula has a story. 

Thanks and I'll see you tomorrow. 

Serials and Scenarios ~ Where Are We Today?

I'm nowhere but here, kids. I know. This book tour flurry is now down to a manageable soft smattering of appearances. However, I do have a few things. 

Michelle dissects how to do a book launch party, here. 
Zula's POV regarding the book launch party is here. 

What can I add? Oh, that it was a blessing in so many different ways. The best part might have been when the party was almost over, aka safe for curious hands to be touching food and stuff, my grandkiddoes showed up. Of course it was all they could do not to scatter and search for the coolest stuff but fortunately the mocktail table with the bright colors and cherries on toothpicks caught their eyes. I happened to be standing there signing a book. When I passed the book over their heads little boy saw the back cover and my picture. He started pointing at it and his eyes grew huge. 

"Yeah, buddy, that's what this is all about, why we are in Minnesota for the weekend. Grandma and Aunt Michelle wrote this book." He was impressed. Til he saw the food table anyway. 

Enough warm fuzzies to still be keeping me smiling though. Once Upon a Crime was incredible to work with and their store is just pretty perfect. If you are ever in the area and you love a good mystery you should pop in. The poster they made for their front window that publicized our book will be hanging permanently in the store because Michelle is one of their locals. Good people. Great store. 

Michelle is here, today, sharing a bit about her side of the Out of the Frying Pan journey.  

Our Goodreads giveaway is still live. Relz Reviews and Fiction, Faith and Fun are running ones, too. 

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Out of the Frying Pan

by Michelle Griep

Giveaway ends September 30, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Serials and Scenarios ~ Who's My Favorite?

I guess you'll just have to go here for the answer!!! 

Okay. I'll give you a little more to go on. It's one of the characters in Out of the Frying Pan! 

And Sarah Ruut is running an e-book giveaway, too. So you should probably go. 

And Michelle visited there when promoting her last novel, so check it out as well.