Magic New Mexico - New #Release and #Fair Fun

So today my blog theme is Magic New Mexico. We're very lucky to live in a state that is chock full of history and ancient tradition. Did you know Santa Fe was settled by Europeans at about the same time as Jamestown? It's true. Did you know we have the oldest church and government building? Also true. Did you know we had the first citizen's militia that would later evolve into the National Guard? That's subject to debate, with some of the eastern states laying claim to the title, but it is true that New Mexico had a citizen's militia decades before any of those in New England. New Mexico was also the site of the first gold rush, centered in the aptly named Golden (just a hop, skip and a gallop from our home) at least 20 years before the first strike in California.

It's also a land chock full of paranormal legends and phenomenon--from the eerie wailing spirit La Llorona, to the haunting of Cimarron's legendary St. James Hotel, to the devil of Devil's Canyon, to the Ghosts Tours of Santa Fe, to the mysterious Taos Hum, to the UFO crash near Roswell, to Native American brujeria (witchcraft), to the many sightings of Bigfoot.

And that makes for a perfect introduction to...

NEW RELEASE BY LEA KIRK!

When the Magic, New Mexico Kindle World first came on the scene, it was one that really caught my attention because...New Mexico!

Yes, the setting is a fictional town in my home state where just about anything can and does happen. It's a mash-up of science fiction and paranormal romance stories about this wondrous place and the people--and not people--who live there.

Fellow author Lea Kirk has stepped a little outside her usual science fiction romance bounds to release a brand new title in the Magic, New Mexico series, Made for Her. Here she is to talk a little more about it.

Thank you, Laurie, for having me on Spacefreighters today. Yes, Made for Her really is a step outside of my normal SFR genre. The thing is, as writers, we never know where our next idea is going to come from. This one came from a dream. A really vivid dream that I woke up from with my heart racing because things didn’t look good for the couple who’d eventually become my protagonists. I ran to my computer and typed up everything I could remember then saved it in a file.

Fast forward a few months, I was messaging in a group chat with Susan Smith and another friend, and Susan invited me write for her Magic, New Mexico Kindle World. At that time I was buried under a double-deadline. I had two stories coming out within a week of each other—a novella for an anthology and the second book in my SFR Prophecy series. It was such a crazy time, so I asked if we could talk about it again after the new year. Thankfully, she said yes.

By the time January rolled around, I’d had time to research what Magic, New Mexico was all about, and there were aliens living in this little desert town! Yay! But, what was I going to write? My Prophecy series was such a different world than Magic, it was the “square peg, round hole” scenario. So, I delved into my file of story ideas and the one marked “Vampire Dream” popped out at me.

Boom! I knew this was the perfect “peg” for Magic, New Mexico. And that is how my first paranormal romance came to be.

MADE FOR HER
By Lea Kirk

Vampires and faeries and snake-shifters. Oh, my!

Donnie McAllister’s dream job turns into a nightmare when she discovers her boss isn’t as human as he seems. Racing against time to return a legendary dagger to the land of the Fae, she must rely on a dangerously sexy vampire to navigate a world she never knew existed. Because if she doesn’t deliver, it’ll cost Donnie her life and leave the ancient weapon of untold power in the hands of her corrupt, venomous boss.

Four hundred years ago one man destroyed everyone vampire Mikhail Cherneski held dear. Now his nemesis is after Donnie, the human woman whose blood calls to Mikhail like no other. For she means more to him than a simple snack to satisfy his despicable eternal thirst. When Mikhail comes face-to-face with his enemy, he must risk his immortal life or watch Donnie suffer the same fate as his family.

Another enchanting story from Magic, New Mexico

Click here to order from Amazon.

About the Author

Lea Kirk loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her science fiction and paranormal romances. She is the author of the sci-fi romance Prophecy series.

Her fascination with science fiction began at six years old when her dad introduced her to the original Star Trek TV series. She fell in love with the show, and may have run through her parents’ house wearing the tunic top of her red-knit pantsuit and white go-go boots pretending to be Lieutenant Uhura. By nine years old she knew she wanted to be a writer, and in her teens she read her first romance and was hooked.

She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wonderful hubby of twenty-seven years and their five kids (aka, the nerd herd).

You can connect with Lea Kirk here:
 Website      Amazon Author Page        Facebook        Twitter       Newsletter 


Experiencing the New Mexico State Fair

We try to hit the New Mexico State Fair every year. It's one of the nation's largest State Fairs and always has a lot to see and do, from farm animals to Alligator and Sea Lion shows, horseshows to live horse racing, an abundance of eclectic foods to try from Indian Fry Bread in the Native American Village to fresh tamales in the Spanish Village to a wild assortment of treats and rarities in the open air food court.

Here's a photo journal of some of the things we saw during a quick visit last Tuesday.

A covered wagon parked on the Fair's Main Street.

 

It was sponsored by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Posse
based in Albuquerque.

 

A stop by the Dairy Barns to grab some fresh ice cream.
Vanilla and Pecan...yum!

We always stop by the huge horse arena to see what shows or events are taking place. Today was a surprise. It was Mule and Donkey Day.

A Donkey Race event.

 

Jumping Mule Puissance. (He got up to 39 inches.)

A little spotted burro cutie.

"Judge me by my size, do you?" The little guy clears 33 inches.

 



Youth showing sheep.

We were greeted by four babies of this rare species when we
entered the rabbit and fowl area. They got quite a bit of  attention!

A big chicken. Pippa can probably ID the breed.

A sweet little bunny waiting for his big moment.

A visit to the agricultural area was decorated with some mouth-watering displays of New Mexican produce and products. We bought some local offerings, like Cowgirl Coffee White Chocolate bars, Green Chile flavored Pistacios, Mountain Man Chocolate Flavoring, Cowboy Cinnamon Cookies, Green Chile Stew mix and a Red Salsa mix. *smacks lips*

 

A few choice chiles--red, yellow and green.

An award-winning display of some of our state's more
colorful corns.

Prize goodies.

Bread Winners!

Champion Wine. New Mexico actually had some of the first
vineyards in the country and produces some excellent wines.

More Wine prize winners.

A stop by the crafts exhibit hall had our cameras working overtime: dolls, models, sewing, crafts, paintings, textiles. So much to see in the big exhibit building. Here are just a few of the highlights.

 

So many BEAUTIFUL quilts. So little time.

 

This Champion was so detailed it looked like a photo.
The artist nailed it, right down to the gnarled hands
and wrinkled jeans. The award was well deserved.

A gorgeous teal, blue and turquoise peacock quilt.

A lovely Native American inspired running horse.

This zebra really caught my eye. Hypnotizing, isn't it?
It won first place plus a couple of specialty awards.

This Best in Show embroidery work was exquisite.

A colorful embroidered seascape.

There was a huge showing of models--everything from horses to Leggos to World War II aircraft and ships. Star Wars models were out in force. Here are just a few.

 

There were four display cases full of Star Wars inspired crafts.

Everyone's favorite "fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!"



Who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!

And of course I had to get a shot of this handsome guy
before we left the exhibits.

We grabbed a late lunch while there, me ordering up some authentic Parr's Greek lamb gyros--delicious!--and David getting a green chile cheeseburger from Asbury Café. Settling down at a picnic table on the grass along main street, we were treated to a spontaneous concert by the Street Drum Corp. They were fantastic!

The Street Drum Corp performing live. 

Words and snapshot alone do not do them justice, so here's a quick video snippet of their jam.

 

 

We had a wonderful time on Tuesday, and we were back on Saturday to catch a couple of races, a rodeo and then our first ever Kenny Loggins concert, live! It was magical. Viva la musica!

 

In closing, I want to mention that Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 is due to release in just 22 days on October 10th! If you haven't pre-ordered a copy, I hope you'll consider doing so now. Or making a purchase within 30 days after release. Why? Because 10% of all preorders and the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.

 

We really want to do great things for this wonderful organization this year, but we need your help and support to do it. You can click this link to see all vendors where it's available for pre-order now:
 

Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2 Universal Link

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed a little New Mexico flavor today. Have a great week!