Hello Everyone!
I hope everyone is having a fabulous summer. Karl and I are still traveling across, over and up and down the US. We're having the time of our lives, well except for the little mishap that sent our RV sliding into the side of a mountain.

Always trust your instincts no matter what. We tried to be prepared when we left Texas by buying a nice GPS that would tell us where you can fill up with water etc but most of all, it wouldn't take us down any unsafe roads. Yeah, right!

The paved road changed to gravel and there was absolutely no way we could turn around. Trusting the GPS we forged onward until we came to a 180 degree corner that we couldn't make. Because of the loose gravel, the RV slid into the side of the mountain. By this time we were already pretty much terrified. The bad thing was, we still had to get around the corner on a steep upgrade. We barely managed to make the rest of the journey up the mountain and make it to the campground. The host and hostess told us they'd been begging the county to put up a warning for RVers because it happens all the time. One unfortunate soul went backwards down the side of the mountain the year before when he couldn't navigate the sharp corner.

We ended up spending 6 weeks in Chattanooga, Tenn getting all the repairs done--like removing the limb from our bedroom wall (I still think it would've made a great hanger for hats), replacing the steps, the awning and the roof and the crushed storage area. 

After everything was fixed we headed for Dover, Tenn for 2 days. The next place was only 30 min away so we drove over without the RV to Bumpus Mills, Tenn to check it out and sure enough the GPS AND OnStar would have led us down an equally treacherous road. Sheesh! The device that took us a safe route was MapQuest and Google maps. We talked to a truck driver while at Bumpus who said he only uses MapQuest and Google maps. So, no matter what you do in life trust your instincts!

On a better note, we got to see a lot of Tenn. It's an absolutely beautiful state. We're in Kentucky right now and loved staying at Land Between the Lakes although we didn't catch any fish. Tomorrow we're off to Illinois. Maybe we'll have better fishing luck there?

 I did get more work done and the third book in my Nerak series is now available for download. Yea! Here's a little more about it:

Undercover cop, Sam Jones, is ready for his vacation, but his plans never included taking an uppity female alien to his cabin deep in the piney woods of Texas. Sure, he fell a little in love when her sister showed him the hologram of Lara, but he didn’t know a Healer would act so damned superior or look so damned hot. He wants to kill her one minute and seduce her the next.

Planet Nerak is perfect, but when earthlings are accidently transported to Lara’s planet one of them infects an Elder. As a Healer, Lara must test earth plants to find a cure, but Sam doesn’t seem pleased by her presence. He should, for she is from a much superior race.

Healers are set above everyone but the royals. A Healer must meditate to keep her mind one with the universe. It is not permitted to touch a Healer less they disturb her aura. Sam does not seem to know these rules, and worse, he doesn’t seem to care.  She only hopes she can find a cure soon because Sam is affecting her aura in an odd, but rather pleasurable way. 

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I hope you enjoy the third book in the Nerak series.
Karen Kelley
www.authorkarenkelley.com

Things I've Learned Living In An RV

Karl and I went fulltime in the RV last October. It has been a time to ponder the meaning of life--okay, we haven't exactly been pondering much, but it sounded good when I wrote it. Mostly, we've been crazy busy with getting the house ready to go on the market, which we finally managed to do. Then getting everything done before we take off on the 21st. These are some things I/we've figured out:

1) My office shrunk! I now pile pillows behind my back and go to it.
2) When it's really cold outside we always run out of propane, usually around 3am and one of us has to go outside and switch it over.
3) Only so much can fit in the RV before I have to downsize again
4) Washing and drying dishes isn't as bad as I remember
5) Only one person can cook at a time
6) RV showers are small
7) If you exercise in an RV it's kind of like what an earthquake feels like---and don't do it if hubby is asleep
8) Solar power won't carry some appliances--like my flat iron! I'm glad I kept my hats!
9) Too many appliances on at one time will throw a breaker
10) The sticker on the outside that says 4 season protection lied, it gets damned cold in an RV. Adding rugs and a Little Buddy heater helped tremendously
11) I finally discovered putting a stone in the oven will keep the heat distribution more even
12) It only take 10 minutes to clean house
13) The national forest service, Bureau of Land Management etc will do your yardwork
14) We can live much, much cheaper in an RV and see the U.S.
15) We get to spend our extra time doing the things we love and less time taking care of the stuff we thought we had to have
16) Finding hotspots for the internet can be tricky, but it's not as important as it once was
17) Nothing beats the feeling of being free to travel to different places, and for the most part, clutter free

"Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind is a close encounter of the hilarious kind. The heroine's nonchalant humor, her quirky mannerisms and her misconceptions about herself on Earth are hysterical. The romance heats up fast with shower scenes and sex toys and remains prevalent throughout. The desire to know what could possibly happen next will make it hard to put this book down." -- Jennifer Madsen, Romantic Times

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I think we've made the right choice but I guess we won't really know until we hit the road. This lifestyle probably isn't for everyone. We bought our RV in 2013 and loved it. Then, when we moved into the RV fulltime we were parked beside the house just in case it didn't work out. Plus, we plugged into the house electricity.

Writing has been a bit of a challenge but one I've managed so far. I just reissued a book from my backlist, Close Encounters of the Sexy Kind. It was nominated by Romantic Times for a Reviewers Choice Award. I hope you enjoy it.
Best Wishes,
Karen Kelley
www.authorkarenkelley.com