Meet K. Dawn Byrd and Double Identity

Good morning, all. Today, let’s welcome K. Dawn Byrd and her newest release, Double Identity

Good morning, K. Dawn. Tell us a little about yourself. What is the toughest test you’ve faced as a writer?

Finding time to write. I work a full-time job and also a lot of weekends, which means that I have to be really devoted to my writing time. I set aside at least an hour every night, six days a week if possible. The fact that I start with a well-developed plot makes things move faster.

Wow! That’s amazing. Talk about discipline. What accomplishment are you most proud of, writing-related or not?
I’m proud of earning a master degree in professional counseling from Liberty University. I believe this degree helps me to understand my characters better and what makes them tick.
I bet it does. Congratulations on that. What kind of planning do you do before writing a novel?
I fill out character sketches in order to get to know my characters better. I ask myself what their goals are, what motivates them, and what’s keeping them from reaching their goals. Sometimes, I start by writing a synopsis. This gives me information about the plot as it develops. I usually have a pretty strong plot before I actually begin the story because I write all of my books in 30-day marathons. That doesn’t mean that sometimes the story doesn’t take a life of it’s own, surprising me when it takes me down a road I hadn’t planned to travel.

In this past year, I made the transition from pantser to plotter and I found that writing a synopsis first does keep me more focused and on task. Tell me, K. Dawn, why do you write?

I write because I can’t stop. It’s more than a hobby, it’s a passion. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my life!

What are you working on right now?
I’m working on a thriller about a serial killer. It’s a difficult story because there are several twists and turns and I have to be careful how I write it for everything to fall into place correctly.
Oooh, that’s different. What would you be doing if you weren’t writing?
Probably still riding a Harley. I sold my bike in order to have more time to write. On weekends, I’d rather curl up with my laptop and the story in my head.
Do you listen to music when you write?
I must have total peace and quiet when I write. I hate it because it keeps me from writing sometimes when I’d like to.
Same for me. The only music I enjoy is my golden’s soft snore in the office. What do you do for fun when not writing?
I love to read. Romantic suspense or young adult novels are favorites.
How can readers get in contact with you? 
Email: kdawnbyrd@yahoo.com
Twitter: kdawnbyrd
Pinterist: kdawnbyrd
Facebook: kdawnbyrd

Thanks so much for hanging out with me today, K. Dawn. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you better. Why don’t you tell us more about your latest release,


Double Identity.

Seventeen-year old Bree has always wanted a sister. She’s shocked when she learns that her father is alive and her identical twin sister, Cassie, is coming to live with her. She can’t wait for Cassie to arrive. She just knows they’ll be best friends. 

Bree soon discovers that even though they look alike, they’re totally different. Cassie is wild and impulsive. She hates Bree’s little town and everything in it, except Bree’s boyfriend, Luke. When Cassie becomes obsessed with Luke, she’ll go to any length to have him for herself. 
Luke has a secret, which Cassie learns and uses against him. She’s off her medication and will stop at nothing. She says he’s in love with her. He says he loves Bree. Will their secrets destroy them and their relationships?
K. Dawn Byrd
is an author of inspirational novels in several genres, including, historical, suspense, romance, and young adult. Some of her favorite things are chocolate, cars, and her pets. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and riding down country roads in the passenger seat of her husband’s Corvette Stingray. When asked why she writes, her response is, “For the simple joy of placing words on the page!”

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by JoAnn Durgin – My Review

About the book:
Jacob Marston, Starlight, Iowa’s hometown hero made a long-ago promise to the Lord: he won’t kiss a woman until he knows she’s “the one.” Now at age twenty-eight, the rugged firefighter questions if it’ll ever happen. Then, he meets his best friend’s sister, and Jake believes he’s found the woman of his dreams. But what will she think when she discovers his vow?

When Julia makes an unexpected confession on Christmas Day, Jake shares his secret with her, and it looks as though happily-ever-after will make a holiday appearance. 

But somehow, everyone in the tiny town of Starlight learns Jake’s secret, and he’s instantly transformed from town hero to laughingstock. Did Julia reveal his secret? Can Jake forget the humiliation and find his way under the mistletoe to share a forever kiss with Julia?


My thoughts:

Jake’s the ideal hero: a firefighter who exudes boyish charm, a kid magnet, a guy who’s been hurt by an ex-girlfriend who left him because she didn’t appreciate his values, his vows, or his town. Julia’s a pediatric nurse, who loves her family, but she’s grown tired of them fixing her up with any and all available males. Her heart is set on Jake, but distance and other relationships stand in the way.

Don’t you love books that leave you with an “awww” when you flip to the last page? Where the conflict stems more from the circumstances that keep them and their budding romance apart, rather than constant bickering between the hero and heroine? Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is one of those books,  immediately tugging you into the blooming romance between Jake and Julia and leaves you with a satisfied feeling.

Durgin plunks you into the heart of Starlight and weaves you into the lives of the characters. At 145 pages, Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is a good length to read during snatches of time during the holidays. It wasn’t too short, leaving me wishing for more, and not too long to stress me out. Just right for the holidays!  

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe is offered as part of Pelican Book Group’s Christmas Extravaganza for only 99 cents during December. To read an excerpt or to purchase Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, click here. 

Do you like reading stories that leave you with a satisfied feeling? 
Have you been able to squeeze reading into this already bustling holiday season?

Disclosure: I received this book from the author for a fair and honest review.

ACFW December 2012 New Releases

Be still my heart! Check out all the new romances!

A Wedding Date in Hot Springs, Arkansas by Annalisa Daughety — Violet and Jackson both need dates to special events, so they hire a matchmaker to find somebody. Horrified when they meet—they already know and dislike each other from college—but with no other recourse, they agree to “pretend.” After a planned kiss with unexpected chemistry, will this sham arrangement turn into love?. (Contemporary Romance from Barbour Publishing).

The Fairest Beauty by Melanie Dickerson — In this retelling of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs fairy tale, Sophie has little choice but to trust her betrothed’s brother, Gabe, to help her escape the evil Duchess Ermengard. (Historical from Zondervan).

A Christmas Homecoming by MaryAnn Diorio — When Sonia Pettit’s teenage daughter suddenly disappears for seven long years, Sonia faces losing her mind, her husband, and her son as she struggles to forgive her wayward daughter and trust God for her return. (Contemporary from Harbourlight Books (Pelican).

A Promise to Protect by Liz Johnson — Navy SEAL Matt Waterstone knows about keeping people safe. When his best friend’s sister is attacked, Matt promises no harm will come to Ashley Sawyer-not on his watch. But Matt’s not the only protective one. Ashley will do anything to safeguard the residents of the battered women’s shelter she runs. She’s sure she can handle the threats she gets in return. What she can’t handle is the way Matt scales the walls around her heart. Yet when she falls prey to a crime web far more sinister than she’d realized, trusting Matt could be the only way to survive… (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired Suspense).

Sagebrush Knights by Erica Vetsch — Evelyn, Jane, Gwendolyn, and Emeline Gerhard arrive in Wyoming Territory in search of husbands. But when the men awaiting them are not the knights-in-shining-armor they hoped for, it will take a hearty dose of faith to see them through. Will love prevail or bring a not so happy ending? (Romantic Suspense from Barbour Publishing).

Counterfeit Cowboy by Lacy Williams — A con man with a conscience meets and falls in love with a girl way out of his league. (Historical Romance from Love Inspired).

More details for each books can be found at ACFW’s Fiction Finder website.