Craving the Supernatural

This is one of my all-time favorite parts of the writing process--the trailer. It's so amazing to see a book brought to life through media like this. It's also hard to believe that Wolfsbane releases in a mere two months! WOW!! Time sure does fly when you're having fun, eh?

While I have you here, I thought I'd share some more endorsements that have come in for Wolfsbane. Here they are:

Ronie Kendig serves up a mix of machinegun-fast action, touching romance, and more twists than a coil of detonator wire. Get a good grip on the edge of your seat before you start reading! --Rick Acker, author of When the Devil Whistles and Dead Man’s Rule

Wolfsbane is a fast-paced, military suspense with just the right amount of romance to keep readers flipping pages. Ronie Kendig's smooth writing style, realistic scenes, and vivid characters blend beautifully for a must-read experience. A definite keeper!~Robin Caroll, author of Deliver Us From Evil and In The Shadow of Evil

Gripping. Compelling. Gritty. Intense. And that's just the first few pages. You're in for a wild but fulfilling ride. ~Lenora Worth, author of Body of Evidence

Demolitions expert Danielle Roark has been left behind in hostile territory during a mission with Nightshade. Former Green Beret and medic Canyon Metcalfe, beset with memories of another mission gone bad, vows to rescue her, sacrificing everything. As secrets unravel, will Canyon and Dani find healing, closure, and each other? Or will rescue come too late?

Okay, I waited as long as I could today to give y'all extra time to enter--and thank goodness, since two more participants joined today.

Annnnnd because there was such a great response and your enthusiasm touched me so much, I made the choice to pick TWO grand prize winners, as well as two winners who will receive a copy of either Nightshade or Digitalis.


So, without further ado, the TWO GRAND PRIZE WINNERS--who will receive ALL FOUR NIGHTSHADE BOOKS (Nightshade & Digitalis will be mailed this week, then the winners will be placed on my priority list as soon as I get my copies):

• AMANDA -- Thank you for posting about the giveaway on Twitter!
  
• SARA B. - Thank you for posting about the giveaway on Twitter!

• Kimberlyj503
• Deb Piccurelli - Thank you for posting about the giveaway on Twitter!
  

In this post: cover reveal and a GIVEAWAY!!

I am super excited to share this cover with you for FIRETHORN, Discarded Heroes #4! The design team really captured Griffin and even Kazi on this one. They are the closest to the actual characters in the book of all the covers. I will be sending Firethorn in to my editor soon, and it's been one of the hardest stories I've ever written. And I'm a little blown away that this is the fifth book that I've written for a publisher (my twenty-somethingth all together).

So, there's a giveaway...but ya gotta read all the "fine print" first--that is, read the full post! :-D

ISBN: 978-1-60260-785-9

Dismantled and blown,
Nightshade is ready to repay the favor.

Rawkin', don't you think? Do you like the cover--please tell me you do!! It's one of my favorites among all my books now.

Here's a short blurb for this final installment:

Former Marine and current Nightshade team member Griffin Riddell is comfortable. So comfortable he never sees the set up that lands him in a maximum security prison, charged with murder. How will he ever prove his innocence stuck behind iron bars?

Covert operative Kazi Faron is tasked with reassembling Nightshade—the black ops team someone dissected. Breaking Griffin out of a federal penitentiary amid explosive confusion may turn out to be her last assignment. What will it take to convince the fugitive that whoever set him up has also dissected the Nightshade team?

As Kazi and Griffin race to rescue the others and discover the traitor, love begins to awaken in their hearts. Can a covert operative and the felon she’s freed overcome their mutual distrust long enough to save Nightshade? Will anything prepare them for who—or what is coming?

Sound interesting? Great, I knew I could count on you! So, here's the deal on the giveaway: Help me recruit more boots on ground for this mission. All you have to do is Tweet about the cover on Twitter or share a post on Facebook. Be sure to tag me in the post (ronie.kendig on Facebook) and roniekendig on Twitter) so I know you're trying to recruit more boots (readers) for the team!

A drawing will be held next Friday (4/22) and one lucky winner will receive: Nightshade , Digitalis, Wolfsbane, and FIRETHORN. Yep, you read that right--all four books. And you're asking me, But how, Ronie? The last two haven't even been released? Well, that lucky winner will be placed on my list to receive copy as soon as I get my copies. BE SURE TO COMMENT HERE AND LEAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS so I can contact you if you win!!!

Grab your gear and join the mission to save Nightshade.
Will anyone make it out alive?

So, I thought that before I do the reveal on Firethorn's cover, I'd "introduce" you to the model Mullerhaus used for Griffin. I am really happy with this guy; he really fits the persona/character of Griffin "Legend" Riddell.

Another interesting thing is that the sister-in-law of this model contacted me a while back--she's a homeschooling mom as well. She also has a writing blog for her homeschoolers and wanted to interview me. That really was one of the coolest emails I have ever received!

What do you think? Does he fit what you imagined as Griffin? He's perfect to me!

And be sure to stay in touch--I'll be doing a giveaway when I debut the cover for Firethorn!!

I am absolutely delighted to share that NIGHTSHADE, Discarded Heroes #1, has been nominated for Christian Retailing's 2011 Retailer's Choice Award!! I am really tickled that someone in the retailing field--the men/women on the "front lines" of bookstores (online and brick-and-mortar stores) thought of my book when it came to this contest. It's a real honor.

Here is a full list of fiction titles that were nominated:


Fiction: Contemporary Romance

Lydia's Charm, Wanda E. Brunstetter (Barbour Publishing)
Nightshade, Ronie Kendig (Barbour Publishing)
Seek Me With All Your Heart, Beth Wiseman (Thomas Nelson)
Tender Vow, Sharlene MacLaren (Whitaker House)
The Bridge of Peace, Cindy Woodsmall (WaterBrook Multnomah)
They Almost Always Come Home, Cynthia Ruchti (Abingdon Press)
Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball, Donita K. Paul (WaterBrook Multnomah)

Fiction: General

Greater Love, Robert Whitlow (Thomas Nelson)
Her Mother's Hope, Francine Rivers (Tyndale House Publishers)
Unlocked, Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan)

Fiction: Historical Romance

Embers of Love, Tracie Peterson (Baker Publishing Group)
Here Burns My Candle, Liz Curtis Higgs (WaterBrook Multnomah)
The Gathering Storm, Bodie & Brock Thoene (Summerside Press)

Fiction: Mystery and Suspense

Immanuel's Veins, Ted Dekker (Thomas Nelson)
The Bishop, Steven James (Baker Publishing Group)
The Twelfth Imam, Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale House Publishers)

First-Time Authors

Crossing Oceans, Gina Holmes (Tyndale House Publishers)
Life Without Limits, Nick Vujicic (Doubleday Religion)
The Devil in Pew Number 7, Rebecca Alonzo (Tyndale House Publishers)

Here's a bit from the RCA website about this contest and how the finalists were chosen:

Products nominated in the competition were judged on the impact they have had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to hearts and evoke emotion, open minds to new ways of thinking and encourage and affirm Christlike living.

My amazing friend Rel Mollet from DownUnder has an interview up at her blog with Kazi FAron, the heroine of Firethorn, Discarded Heroes #4.

Here's the image of Kazi that I used while writing the story. I'm giving you a sneak peek because--soon, I hope--I'll let you see who ended up on the cover. Oh how I wish the designers could've used this image. I think Elisha Cuthbert just glows!! What do you think?





Don't forget to stop by check out Kazi's interview at RelzReviewz!!

Well, I'm under a pretty heavy deadline at the moment and working to get Firethorn, Discarded Heroes #4 finished (hope to share the cover with y'all very soon--waiting to hear from the art director!), so I've been snowed under with that and sickness (three weeks now--oy!).

I wanted to share some photos with you. As some of you may (or may not) know, my mom was from Ireland (actually born in Sussex, England, but was raised in Dublin Ireland (her father who was born/raised in Ireland)). She died 15 years ago March 12, and this year my cousin Graham Keane got married, so my entire family traveled to Ireland for his wedding.


It really was a fantastic trip, despite some really awful things happening--like my jewelry getting stolen (including a beloved 10-year anniversary ring). I was able to get to know my side of the family and see where I belong, identify with them. One glorious moment for me was when Graham mentioned he and his father having the "stubborn, emotional Keane" trait. I laughed--nooooo, I didn't know anything about that trait. Just massively infected with it. :-D

On another note, I will be participating in a multi-author event on April 23 with three fabulous fiction authors: Elizabeth Goddard, Lena Nelson Dooley, and Dr. Richard Mabry. It's in Frisco at the Mardel on Preston Road. Come out, buy a book, save an author!!