Visiting #OldPort #Maine with a Donation for #PetsForVets! #Portland #travel

I was honored to present $1,725.00 on behalf of the
authors of Love Under Fire...beautiful day for a walk
along the harbor-side Eastern Promenade Trail, and a
photo with representatives of Pets for Vets Portland
and the sparkling Casco Bay in the background

A few weeks ago, I posted about an upcoming trip to present a donation to Pets for Vets from the authors of Love Under Fire.  Our visit to Portland, Maine, was wonderful, and I wanted to share the pictures from this event!  

A little background on Love Under Fire:  Twenty-one bestselling authors contributed stories to this Romantic Suspense Box Set, and during the six weeks this special deal was for sale, we raised thousands of dollars for Pets for Vets, a wonderful organization that pairs shelter pets with veterans seeking companion animals. 

We decided to split the funds between the Portland, ME Chapter and the Washington, D.C. Chapter.  As a Cape Cod resident, I'm not too far from Portland, and my son goes to college about an hour away from there.  Plus, we have friends in the area, and I love to explore new places.  I volunteered to deliver the check, and we set up a meeting.

My husband and I had time for a walk along the Eastern Promenade Trail, which runs along the harbor for about 2 miles.  We met the Pets for Vets representatives--including two four-legged ones--above the trail at a beautiful spot overlooking Casco Bay, and I was honored to present a check for $1,725.00.

In the background of the picture is Fort Gorges, a military fort built from 1858 to 1864, and never used as it quickly became obsolete due to advancing technology.  It's now a park, accessible by boat, and somewhere I'd love to explore in the future.

I love that I got to bring a few vintage
treasures from Portland back home!

But there was no time for a boat trip out there on this visit.  Before heading to the Promenade, we stopped for lunch with our son, and then when we arrived in Portland, I eked out an hour to hunt for antique finds at Flea for All.  We've been doing a huge remodel of our very dated 1990s master bedroom, and I was looking for some farmhouse-style decor.  Scored a vintage ladder that will be perfect!  Stay tuned for the pics of the new room...I *think* it's going to be finished soon (fingers crosses, it's been months now).

Later that evening, we meet friends for Happy Hour in Old Port, and they took us to a few of their favorite spots.  My favorite was a bar called Bonfire Country Bar, where they served drinks out of red Solo cups, served us a "Box of Bacon" as an appetizer, and offered a variety of unique seating, including silly bar stools, swings, and saddles.  We had such a great time, and finished up with a late dinner and dancing to a few songs by a local band.

Our "Box of Bacon"!

We had to leave early the next morning (6 a.m.!) in order to be home for a soccer game, but I hope to visit again soon...I still have to explore Fort Gorges, and I hear they do wine tastings there on occasion!  Where do I sign up?

Thanks for stopping by, and please check out all the titles from the Love Under Fire set that raised the money here, and support the authors with a purchase if you need a new read!  My Love Under Fire novel is The Haunting of Hillwood Farm, and it's available in print, on Kindle, and on Audible.  If you enjoy spooky mysteries or romantic suspense, I hope you'll give it a read (or a listen!)

A Donation to #PetsForVets from the Authors of Love Under Fire! #Suspense #Romance #Books #FridayReads

Love Under Fire was a
#1 Amazon Bestseller *and*
A USA TODAY Bestseller!

This weekend, I am honored to be presenting a donation check to the Portland Chapter of Pets for Vets on behalf of all the authors of Love Under Fire!  Twenty-one bestselling authors contributed stories to this Romantic Suspense Box Set, and during the six weeks this special deal was for sale, we raised thousands of dollars for Pets for Vets, a wonderful organization that pairs shelter pets with veterans seeking companion animals. 

While the Love Under Fire Box Set is no longer available as a book bundle, most of the individual novels are now available for sale, many also in print and on audio as well as in ebook format.  Please visit the author links below to read more on what we each write, and to view our available titles! 

Judith Lucci

Love Under Fire title:  RUN for Your Life


A long awaited romantic interlude turns deadly...

Stephany Tullis 

Love Under Fire title:  Blue Lady's MISSION Under FIRE

THE MISSION changed. Her COVER is blown. With NOWHERE to run and NOWHERE to hide, what can she do to SURVIVE?

Margaret A. Daly

Love Under Fire title:  Monsters in My Closet


Can Becky keep her secrets?

Fiona Quinn

Love Under Fire title:  Cold Red

Undercover. Under fire. Under arrest. It's hard to save a special agent's life with your hands cuffed behind your back.

Kathryn Knight

Love Under Fire title:  The Haunting of Hillwood Farm

A dangerous ghost brings them together...but will they survive long enough to find happiness?

Casi McLean

Love Under Fire title:  Reign of Fire

When Love Sparks Fire, Even Ash Burns

K.M. Hodge  

Love Under Fire title: Summer of '78

When you're a serial killer's type...

Linda Watkins  

Love Under Fire title: The Turning
The Witches of Storm Island

It is the Year of Our Lord 1685 and 14-year-old Maude Prichard finds herself at a crossroads in life...

Alyssa Richards

Love Under Fire title:  Chasing Secrets

Her husband's secret tore everything down. A ruthless killer threatens all she has left. It's up to her to make everything right.

Tamara Ferguson

Love Under Fire title:  Two Hearts Under Fire


Can two wounded hearts under fire survive love?




Suzanne Jenkins

Love Under Fire title:  Running with Horses

Moving horses to the high country comes just in time when Mindy and her coffee date witness murder at a Mojave Desert cafe



Valerie J. Clarizio

Love Under Fire title:  The Code Enforcer

Can they overcome their painful pasts--and a murder investigation--to find happiness together?

Stephanie Queen

Love Under Fire title:  Ace Under Fire

Can this bad boy has-been make a comeback to save an old flame?

Uvi Poznansky

Love Under Fire title:  Virtually Lace

Michael sets out to create a virtual reality simulation of the murder. Can he bring the mystery to life? Can he solve its clues in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves?

Inge-Lise Goss

Love Under Fire title:  Diamonds and Lies

When murder upends a diamond heist, can the jewel thief trust the mark who vows to protect her?

Anna Celeste Burke

Love Under Fire title:  Lily's Homecoming Under Fire

Someone in wine country wants Lily dead...

S.R. Mallery

Love Under Fire title:  Tender Enemies

In 1941, when Lily sets up a "honey trap" for Joe, the Nazi, she soon faces a danger she isn't prepared for--falling in love.

Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Love Under Fire title:  Buckle Bunny

The last guy to call Maggie a buckle bunny didn't make his eight seconds

Jinx Schwartz

Love Under Fire title:  Baja Get Away

Sometimes love is murder

Aaron Paul Lazar

Love Under Fire title:  The Asylum

Carmen has a secret, and his name is Dr. Micah Worthy

Chris Patchell

Love Under Fire:  Deception Bay

She's armed. He's dangerous. Together, can they stop a killer from tearing a small island community apart?


Thank you for supporting the authors who contributed to Love Under Fire!  Please stop by my blog again next week, when I share the pictures from our visit to Portland!  You can sign up for my newsletter below as well to keep up with book news and events.

Kathryn Knight books 
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True Ghost Story from 'Salem's Lot - Kathryn Knight

True ghost stories are particularly eerie.  While I write about ghosts, I’ve never actually seen one.  However, our good friends have had quite a history with a ghost they call Granny Griffin.  Granny Griffin happens to reside on the farm Stephen King depicts in his novel ‘Salem’s Lot, although he changed the name in the book to Griffen farm.  The farm is located in the Maine town of Durham, where King grew up.  His best friend, Randy, lived on the 200-acre dairy farm, which dates back to the 1860s.

This isn't the actual farm, but it gives off that spooky vibe

In the early 1970s, Carlene Griffin was unable to care for the farm and had to walk away from it.  My friend’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. W., bought it, with all its furniture, treasures, and apparent ghosts.  As a child, my friend found photos from the Civil War while exploring the attic!  The first news of the ghost came when Mrs. W was approached by a medium in town, who insisted she had a message from the other side that needed to be delivered.  The medium wrote a note from Granny Griffin to her daughter Carlene, telling her not to worry about the fight they’d had before she died.  Mrs. W. was charged with delivering the note to Carlene, who was still living on the property in a renovated hen house.

My friend saw the ghost of Granny Griffin on several occasions, the first being one night when he was about 13.  A figure appeared in the doorway of his bedroom, wearing a long house coat.  He assumed it was his mother, but when he asked what she wanted, she did not answer.  As she turned away, her gray bun was clearly visible.  In the morning, Mrs. W. denied checking up on her son during the night—and he realized he had never, ever seen her wear her hair in a bun.

The father, Mr. W., remained skeptical.  Until the night he heard footsteps and rose to check the house.  He saw someone descending the stairs and followed the figure down the steps and into the kitchen, where she disappeared.  When he returned to the bedroom, Mrs. W awoke to ask what was wrong.  Mr. W. replied, “We’ll talk about it in the morning.  But let’s just say I believe you now.” 

 

The ghost in SILVER LAKE has a message to share as well…and despite their painful past, Rain and Jason are forced to reunite to help the desperate spirit.  The ghost in GULL HARBOR is a bit angrier…but she has her reasons, and Claire is determined to figure them out—and Max is determined to keep Claire safe.  If you enjoy ghost stories spiked with romance, I hope you’ll check out the blurbs for Silver Lake and Gull Harbor from the links above!