Need a #Fall #Romance to Read? Heartfire by Karen Rose Smith is #Free!

Fall is slow in coming this year.  Soon the leaves will be turning brilliant colors.  If you need a romance to read I have two you might enjoy that are set in this season.  And HEARTFIRE, a sweet romance, is FREE!  HEARTFIRE wraps up on Thanksgiving Day.  In my Wyoming-set romance ALWAYS HER COWBOY which is a contemporary sweetly sexy ranch romance, my hero and heroine begin their romance in fall and find their happily-ever-after on Christmas Day.


HEARTFIRE is Book 5 in Karen Rose Smith's Search For Love series. Contemporary, reunion romance with family themes.

"Ms. Smith is one of the best contemporary family drama authors." Harriet Klausner, Reviewer

Tessa Kahill, renowned journalist who traveled the world, is falling in love with her best friend's husband all over again! Tessa and Max Winthrop dated before he met Leslie. But then Tessa left with secrets and dreams to follow her career, and Max married her friend.  With a child and what he considered a "perfect" marriage, Max was devastated when he lost his wife, his son's mother, and Tessa's best friend. A rocky road, a man and woman who are searching for love and a little boy who holds his own secret. They could be a real family if they could all become vulnerable and honest with each other. A heartfire has been burning for years. Will it lead to everlasting love?

HEARTFIRE on Amazon

HEARTFIRE on Barnes and Noble

ALWAYS HER COWBOY, Search For Love series, Book 4

A sweetly sexy contemporary ranch romance with an old-fashioned flavor but a modern twist.

"For heartwarming, romantic tales of love about realistic people in true to life situations, you can always count on Karen Rose Smith." Jane Bowers, Reviewer Romance Reviews Today 

Once a doctor, Zack goes on the road with his Harley to leave the past behind and find a future. He lost his wife and unborn son. He couldn't save Kay and the powerlessness was as difficult to deal with as his grief. Growing up on a ranch that his parents later lost, Zack heads for a life that once brought him peace. After selling his practice in LA, he finds temporary jobs on western ranches until the work is finished. Then he moves on. Until he arrives at the Rising Star.

On the Rising Star, the McIntyre family accepts Zack into their fold. At first his heart is hard against emotions he doesn't want to feel. But Lucy McIntyre begins to change all that...she thaws his heart and leads him to love and emotional healing. Through this healing, Zack realizes exactly what future he wants. Accepting love in his heart helps him save Lucy's brother and find everlasting love.

ALWAYS HER COWBOY on Amazon

ALWAYS HER COWBOY on Barnes and Noble

Also watch for other contemporary novels, each with a different twist, in KAREN ROSE SMITH's Search For Love ebook, print and audiobook series.

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SEARCH FOR LOVE website

NATHAN'S VOW, Book 1 Search For Love series romance/paranormal
JAKE'S BRIDE, Book 2 Search For Love series romance/marriage of convenience, secret baby
ALWAYS DEVOTED, Book 3 Search For Love series romance/mystery
ALWAYS HER COWBOY, Book 4 Search For Love series, contemporary ranch romance
HEARTFIRE, Book 5 Search For Love series, contemporary reunion/family romance
CASSIDY'S COWBOY, Book 6 Search For Love series, women's fiction/romance
HER SISTER, Book 7 Search For Love series, women's fiction 

THE WEDDING PROMISE, Book 8 Search For Love series, sweet romance, romantic suspense

FOREVER IN HER EYES, Book 9 Search For Love series, paranormal contemporary sweet romance

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USA TODAY Bestselling Author Karen Rose Smith is an only child who delved into books at an early age. She learned about kindred spirits from Anne of Green Gables, solved mysteries with Nancy Drew and wished she could have been the rider on The Black Stallion. Yet even though she escaped often into story worlds, she had many aunts, uncles and cousins around her on weekends. Her sense of family and relationships began there. Maybe that's why families are a strong theme in her novels, whether mysteries or romances. Her 95th novel will be released in 2017.

Readers often ask her about her pastimes. She has herb, flowers and vegetable gardens that help her relax. In the winter, she cooks rather than gardens. And year round she spends most of her time with her husband, as well as her four rescued cats who are her constant companions. They chase rainbows from sun catchers, reminding her life isn't all about work, awards and bestseller lists. Everyone needs that rainbow to chase.

Karen looks forward to interacting with readers. They can find her at the links below. 

Karen's Newsletter IN TOUCH

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Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website 

Karen's Cat-Themed Zazzle Store

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Karen on Twitter

SPOTLIGHT on Lara Asmundson, #narrator of CASSIDY'S COWBOY--From Physical Therapist to Narrating a Cowgirl

CASSIDY'S COWBOY is a special book to me.  It's an emotional story about a heroine who has dyslexia and keeps it a secret from everyone but her foreman and her housekeeper. The hero's wife left him and their daughter, and his daughter has withdrawn.  They've come to Cassidy's Twin Pines Ranch to heal.

I knew I needed someone special to narrate this book--to BE Cassidy.  When I heard Lara Asmundson's voice, I realized she was Cassidy.  She had just the right timbre, just the right intonation, just the right inflection for my cowgirl.  And the emotion she injected into the story was perfect.  After our interview, I realized why.  Lara could convey compassion so well because she began as a physical therapist and research scientist.  She spent many years working with and studying stroke patients and their recovery.  When her colleagues remarked on her very warm, calm and friendly voice, the seeds of being a narrator were sown.

What came next?
Lara says, "As any voice actor will tell you, it's not about the voice, it's about the acting.  So,when I decided to pursue voice acting, I was lucky enough to find one of the the best voice acting schools around, Voicetrax, SF.  It's run by an amazing woman with years of experience in the biz, Samantha Paris.  I made my commercial demo in the Fall of 2011 and signed with an agent in San Francisco in January 2012.  I have a body of work in the commercial and industrial narration world that includes a promo for Nike professional NFL uniforms, tv and radio ads for a political proposition in California's last election, a tv PSA for Spare The Air and a tv spot for a new breast cancer gene detection test.

What type of formal training have you undertaken?
"Formal training.  I have taken classes at Voicetrax SF for almost 7 years now.  The classes have included everything from basic acting to improv to creating characters for animation and video games to narration for everything from educational tv to industrial tutorials to audiobooks."

How do you train to be a narrator?
"Training to be a narrator is training to be an actor.  You have to make the story come alive with your voice.  So it is a bit different than being trained to be a film or stage actor.  You have to convey the emotions and the scene of the story with your voice only.  Not always easy!  But acting is acting, so that is where you begin.  Narrating audiobooks is the marathon of narration.  And the challenges are many.  But for me, once I get involved in the story and get to know the characters, it becomes very engrossing.  I get caught up in the story and it develops its own flow."

What is your favorite genre to narrate?
"I am definitely a fiction narrator.  And as for genre, I find myself drawn to romance, fantasy and sci-fi.  But as a reader I am a sucker for a good love story and a strong female lead character.  So if a book has those, as a narrator I know I will be able to give it my best as I will be engaged in the story, too."

How do you create each character's voice?
"When I get the manuscript from the author, I sit down and skim through the whole book, writing down each character, their gender, age and relationship to the other characters.  Basically any detail about that character I can find.  With that information, I can start to figure what they would sound like.  If they are young, they will have a lighter voice as well as if they are female.  But their personality plays a role, too.  Are they kind, impulsive, stubborn, evil, insecure?  Those personality traits help me figure out what they should sound like too.  Once I have decided on a voice for a character, it's pretty easy to keep them straight throughout the story cause now I know who they are.  Though when a character only makes 1 or 2 appearances in a book, I do find that I need to go back and listen to what I did to make sure I'm consistent."

Where did you grow up?

"I'm a California girl born and raised, with a brief interlude on the East Coast (Maine and Massachusetts) for college and post college work."

When you're not working, what do you like to do?
"When I'm not working as a commercial voice actor and audiobook narrator, I spend time with my family.  I have a husband and 2 children ages 7 and 11 and we love spending time outdoors.  We are currently on a mission to visit as many National Parks as we can!  We love camping and hiking.  To relax on my own, I garden, knit and practice yoga."

CONTACT Lara Asmundson
Email: laravoices@gmail.com
Website: Lara's website

Cassidy's Cowboy Audiobook on Amazon

Cassidy's Cowboy Audiobook on Audible

Cassidy's Cowboy Audiobook on ITunes

©2013 Karen Rose Smith

IN TOUCH with KAREN ROSE SMITH ezine

Karen Rose Smith's romance website 

Karen Rose Smith's mystery website

Karen's Facebook Author Page

Sneak Peek--ALWAYS HER COWBOY

ALWAYS HER COWBOY, an original indie novel, is a contemporary ranch romance that's a mixture of sweet and sexy, old fashioned and up-to-date. Although it takes place on a Wyoming ranch, my hero Zack escaped a background as a doctor in L.A. that caused him pain. My heroine, Lucy, is exactly what he needs with her vulnerable faith in her family and her world. Zack, of course, fights his physical attraction for her and constantly backs away from her emotional pull. But this winter night, when Lucy has been reunited with her twin sister, his turmoil is greater than it's ever been.When I chose the narrator to tell this story, Australian Ben Maclaine auditioned and this was part of his audition piece. He was Zack and perfect for this book. I looked no farther.

Here is your sneak peek.

Hesitating a moment, finally Lucy crossed to him.  "What's wrong?"  Zack was quick to answer, "Nothing's wrong. I needed fresh air."

"This is frigid air and the only reason you might want to still be out here is to numb something that might be thawing."

"I don't need a psychologist," he snapped.

"What you need is a friend. I can be that if you let me."

She was so damn stubborn sometimes. "A friend won't help. Nothing will help. I lost my wife and I lost my child and nothing will every bring them back." He couldn't believe the vehement bitterness in just saying it.  Coming closer, Lucy looked up at him. "No, nothing will ever bring them back."

It was as if someone else saying the words finally made their deaths much too real. Zack felt his throat constricting and his eyes stinging and he turned away from her to stare into the dark night.


©2013 Karen Rose Smith



ALWAYS HER COWBOY on Amazon


Listen to a sample or buy ALWAYS HER COWBOY audiobook at:

ALWAYS HER COWBOY audiobook on Audible

ALWAYS HER COWBOY audiobook on iTunes

ALWAYS HER COWBOY audiobook on Amazon

IN TOUCH with KAREN ROSE SMITH ezine
Karen Rose Smith's romance website 
Karen Rose Smith's mystery website



Check out more Sneak Peeks from these authors: Sneak Peek Sunday excerpts