KATHRYN R. BIEL: AUTHOR

I'm sending out 2015 with a cover reveal for my 6th full length novel, Live for This . Here's the blurb: Samirah Lundgren is living the party girl life. While she's trying to forget about her past and put off having a meaningful future, her lifestyle catches up with her, leaving her in a wake of personal destruction. Alone and homeless, she encounters Michael Salinger, a man carrying his own baggage in the form of a spinal cord injury, not to mention his former fiancé is marrying his former best friend. Can a man with a broken body and a woman with a broken soul help each other find the redemption they need to become whole again?  So, are you ready to see the cover, designed by the lovely and talented Karan Eleni? Without further ado... Releasing March 2016. Stay tuned for pre-order links. And happy New Year!

Dear Hasbro , It's with mixed emotion that I write this. Your games and toys have been the staple of not only my childhood but now my children's as well. Today, enjoying a rare day home together, we decided to play a game, one my son got for Christmas, Star Wars Monopoly. As a family, we've seen the new movie (not to mention the previous 6). Both my son and my daughter are anxiously awaiting the 8th installment. So, today, as we cut through the cellophane to reveal the game pieces, my daughter looked at the choices and said, "No thanks. I don't want to play." Why? Because the game pieces gave her the choice of: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Finn, and Kylo Ren. She wanted to be Rey or Princess Leia. Considering that the MAIN CHARACTER and HERO of The Force Awakens is female (REY), you really dropped the ball on this one. I never used to consider myself a super feminist or anything. But I want my daughter to know that there is more to life than makeup an...

Two blog posts in less than a week--you are lucky! Today is one of those days when I reflect, for many reasons. Twenty-six years ago today, my brother-in-law died. I never got to meet him. I wish every day that I had. Fifteen years ago today, my husband asked me to marry him. I wonder how many days over the past fifteen years he regrets asking, but I know how tremendously grateful I am that he asked. This day always seems to be a mixed bag. Lots of people I know are struggling right now. 2015 has been a difficult year for many people I know. There's been death, strokes, cancer, surgeries, heart attacks ... and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I know so many people who are struggling right now. Depression and anxiety are at an all time high. Marriages are being pushed to the breaking point. Some beyond that. The stress of the season is certainly bearing down. There's simply too much to do and not enough hours in which to do it. That's how I've been f...

This is my last post ... while I'm in my 30s. Tonight, while I sleep, before the cats and my bladder wake me up, I'll turn forty. I'm not thrilled. I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that age is a number. However, as I battle wrinkles, acne, and gravity, not to mention stiff joints and terrible eyesight, sometimes I feel like age is a real thing. On the other hand, about five or six years ago, I was sick and the doctors didn't know what was wrong. I was tested for tons of things, including myeloma and lymphoma. One doctor thought I may have a form of vasculitis that only had an 80% 5 year survival rate. I remember thinking that there was a 20% chance I wouldn't see forty. Luckily for me, that's not what it was, and I'm alive and kicking. So, rather than focus on the negative, I'm going to think about the great things that have happened over this last decade. I do have to give my mom props for starting off my 30th year with a surpris...

Dear Stephenie Meyer, You don't know me. You don't care about me. But I care about you. This week celebrates the tenth anniversary of the release of Twilight . Ten years ago, I'd never heard of Twilight . Ten years ago, I had a one year old and was in the middle of my doctoral dissertation and hadn't read a non-school book in over a year. Eventually, I began to hear about this thing called Twilight . Co-workers with teenaged daughters mentioned it. By that time, school was complete, but we were in the middle of a massive house renovation. Then there was another baby. There was still very little time for reading. I was aware that there were movies out. I didn't know anything about them, but every time I saw Kristen Stewart, my impression was that she was about to fall asleep. In Target one day, I found a shirt on clearance. It said, 'Team Jacob' on it. Since that's my son's name, I bought it, not really knowing what it referred to. Then, I stop...

I had that moment today. I was clicking through the radio channels today on my way home from work. Never mind that I'm cruising in my minivan. Never mind that I spend considerable energy talking about bunions and arthritis. Never mind that I look at kids in school today and shake my head at their fashion choices. I knew I was old when I was listening to the radio. The song, Locked Away , came on. Both my kids (who were not with me at the time), really like the song. So I left it on, and was kind of singing along with Adam Levine. Adam Levine has a catchy voice. So, I'm singing along, and then I realize what the lyrics are. It's one thing to support someone in good times and bad. You know, to promise to love someone even if they don't have money. I'm okay with that. That's a good message. I TOTALLY have an issue with the fact that he's looking for a girl to stick by him if he gets sentenced to life in prison. Um, no. Hell, no. What message are ...

My laundry is making me sad. Not because I'm doing laundry, because that's a given in this house. It's because of what's in the laundry. I'm washing the towels and bathing suits for the last time today. The kids go back to school this week (I started back last week), and the pool is closing. My aunt and uncle are so gracious to give us carte blanche use of their pool, and this summer, boy did we use it. The last day of school. I feel like it was yesterday. But it's all done. The beach vacation, the lazy days of summer have faded away, and although it's going to be near 90 and humid today, summer is over here in Upstate New York. The leaves are starting to change, the nights are getting cooler, and pumpkin-spice seems to be everywhere. Normally, I like the change of seasons. I find it invigorating, and one of the reasons that I don't think I could live in a year-round warm environment. But this year, I'm hanging onto summer with a death g...

Last week, all over the interwebs, the phrase #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter was trending. Some pretty famous peoples even tweeted about the rude things people feel free to say to them, just because they're writers. You can read some of those tweets here . I joined in on it and came up with some of my own tweets. They got retweeted several times and had a decent reaction. But the thought has stuck with me, most likely because when I talk about being a writer, people tend to lose that inner-voice that tells them what they are about to say is rude. I've had these things said to me. By people I know. To my face. (FYI, I'm an indie author, which means I'm self-published. This is by choice, not necessity.) So, here's my list of #TenThingsNotToSayToAWriter: "Oh, is this like 50 Shades?" Just because I'm a woman who writes doesn't mean I write erotica or BDSM. That is not the same as women's fiction. Not at all. Oh, and if I did write that, I...

(Don't tell anyone, I'm running a day behind. I should have posted this yesterday, but I spent the day with my kids, and then date night with the hubs. I still think I have my priorities in order). Killing Me Softly is now available! Here's the blurb, in case you missed it: Sadie Perkins has a sixth sense about things—especially people dying. Her clairvoyance has never bothered her until she starts to believe that her visions are causing the deaths of those around her. After her latest relationship ends ... badly ... Sadie swears off love for good. While searching for an uncomplicated life, Sadie finds her hands full not only with a home renovation project but with defending herself against suspicion of murder. There's a fine line between predicting someone's death and causing it. Has Sadie finally crossed that line? Enter contractor Max Schultz, who is not only good at working on houses, but he's good at working on Sadie too. Much to Max...

I'm in an unhealthy relationship, and I don't know what to do about it. No, it's not what you think. Let me set the stage. Flashback to Valentine's Day, about five years ago. Maybe it was six. Either way, my husband got me a Nook. It was a relatively new movement, and I was a little on the skeptical side. I wasn't sure I could give up physical books. But once I downloaded my first books onto my Nook, I was in love. My Nook went with me where ever I went. It has hundreds of books on it. I've spent hundreds of dollars, including on a Nook Simple Touch when my Nook (First Generation) started crapping out. I felt betrayed when my husband bought a Kindle Fire. We are not an Amazon house, we are Nook people. When it came time to publish my first book, I sought out Nook Press, the Nook self-publishing platform. As an afterthought, I also put the book up through Kindle Direct Publishing. But, I'm a Nook person. Two years later, I realize that this is unhea...

Today was my last day of school! GIFSoup This has been my first year working full time, which was quite the adjustment. However, it has been totally worth it to have the job security that I have. I work with great people (and the kids are always great). The peace of mind I get from knowing what I'll be doing in the fall is priceless. So now, I have the summer ahead of me. My next book, Killing Me Softly , is going to be released on July 7th. I'm ramping up into final edits and promo for it. As such, I made this little teaser for it: Killing Me Softly  hasn't even been released yet, and I'm already thinking about my next project. The "L" book, if you will. I have about 73 days of vacation before I report to duty again. While I do work a little over the summer, it won't be like my regular job. So, if I can write just over 1,000 words every day, L will be about done by Labor Day. Seems like a high goal, but I'm going to aim for it. Als...

Two years old. For most parents, it sort of sends a chill down the spine. A little feeling of anxious anticipation/terror. The dreaded terrible twos. This time around, for me, two years old is going to be great. Of course, that's because it's my book that is two, not a toddler. Two years ago, late on a Thursday night, I hit the publish button, and Good Intentions  was released into the world. It was so not ready. It had a horrible cover. It needed more editing. But it was out there. I need to admit something. Like most new parents, I had NO IDEA what I was doing. I thought I had researched. Turns out, it was not nearly enough. You know, like you read What to Expect When You're Expecting  cover to cover, but then have no idea what to do with the actual baby. Yeah, that was me. I'd like to think I've learned. That I've improved my skill. That I now know where and when to ask for help. The last two years have been amazing. When I hit publish, I wanted ...

Congratulations to my friend Glynis Astie, on the release of her third book, French Fry! Let me tell you about French Fry  first (and say that five times fast): Sydney Durand had finally achieved the perfect life she had always wanted. After a whirlwind romance with a charming Frenchman, she endured the three weddings it required to satisfy the members of the newly formed Bennett-Durand clan. All she had left to do was stroll into the sunset with Louis to enjoy their long-awaited happily ever after. But everything changed when the stick turned blue. Suddenly, Sydney finds herself facing the daunting task of becoming a mother before she has even returned home from her honeymoon. Keeping a tenacious hold on her hard-won happiness, Sydney is determined not to give up without a fight – no matter what or who is thrown in her path…and that includes an overbearing mother-in-law, a know-it-all father and her own anxiety about having a baby. Will she finally be able to ...