K.R. Mattson's Blog

Welcome to the next stop in your tour of the Shattered Lands. The Wildlands!

The Wildlands is a rugged place. A place where only the strong and ruthless survive. Its towering mountains, jagged cliffs, and deep forests protect its sources and yet create a thriving habitat for those seeking to evade the law.

Cool breezes mix with tangled brush, and pines sway in the night. You can smell the seasons as they come and go. Winter holds a sharp scent of the death of the old. Spring, as new things sprout to life. Summer, the hot wind whipping through your hair bringing with it a softer, almost imperceptible hint of the wildflowers blooming on the slopes. And fall, an aroma of plentiful, and yet, a threat of the season yet to come.

Wild buffalo shake their horns as their thundering hooves can be heard against ravine walls. The howls of wolves and shrill yelps of coyotes ring through the night.

War darkens the horizon…

In the wake of destruction, revenge drives Arioch en Kyrida to hunt down the man responsible for destroying half his village. His search leads him to a town where truth is hoarded and secrets lurk in every corner. Solely focused on making his target pay, Arioch cares little for the whispers of approaching evil until he is strongarmed into helping protect one of his most recent nemeses. If Anthi Klarkson doesn’t drive him insane—and if he manages to keep her alive long enough—they may be able to help stop the incoming war in its tracks. But someone wants Anthi dead, and they’ll do anything to achieve that mission.

Zinnia Klarkson wants nothing more than peace for her mourning family, but nearby attacks, kidnappings, and rumors of impending war steal all hope of a quiet life. When a mostly-dead man lands on her doorstep, hunted and without strong chance of survival, she is thrust into a covert operation that threatens her family’s safety. As secrets grow and answers remain veiled, Zinnia must choose between helping a ragtag group of reluctant allies or keeping her family out of harm’s path.

Trust must mend what was once shattered and courage must be sought as a second All Lands War threatens to decimate the six lands.

Shattered Reaction is a New Adult Christian fantasy Snow White & Rose Red retelling.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Reaction-Lands-Book-ebook/dp/B0BQRHF9Y2?ref

And, of course, this tour is to celebrate the release of the final book in the Shattered Lands series!

About Shattered Lands 4: 

One last mission. One final battle.

The last novel in the Shattered Lands series, Shattered Redemption is a Rapunzel-inspired story with elements of faith, family, and danger.

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Redemption-Lands-Book-ebook/dp/B0FB9GKYWB?ref

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235303738-shattered-redemption

To continue your tour of the Shattered Lands, follow this map:

– The Southern Lands 

Lucy: Tour of the Coastlands and Forestlands 

– The Northern Lands

Kristina: Tour of the Snowlands

Karlissa: Tour of the Wildlands (that’s me!)

– The Mid Lands

Katja: Tour of the Highlands

Courtney: Tour of the Lowlands

Hey guys, this is your exhausted author signing on.

For the past year (in reality four days) I’ve been writing a novella for The Cornerstone Collection that Beyond the Bookery hosted. I’ve also attended an EMS conference and worked 40 hours since Sunday morning after getting back from the conference. So yes, I am now, to be considered, a permanently exhausted pigeon.

Word of advice: Please, please do NOT wait until the last possible hour to write and publish your book.

This is my beautiful cover that Mountain Peak Edits and Design aka Madisyn Carlin made for me! It is really breath taking. I hope my writing did it justice.

Whitney McRether is a Deronian, a fierce warrior of the north mountains where pain and death are viewed as something to be embraced. But when a stranger is dragged into the village by her brother, Whitney sees no other choice but to defy tradition and stand in the way of the stranger and death. The longer he stays, the more trouble lands on their doorstep…and the harder it is to let him go.

Serve the Queen at all costs.

As a bounty hunter to the Queen, that’s exactly what Knox Schilling did. Until his hunt for two traitors lands him in Deron and the gaping jaws of death. He’s viewed the uncivilized warriors as barbarians, until a young woman risks everything to rescue him from his plight. For the first time in years, someone stands up for him and he finds himself drawn to the welcoming soul.

Enemies of the past and present begin close in, loyalties are tested, and lies and dark truths are drawn to the surface. Can they weather the storms together or will it ultimately break their growing bond of friendship?

At this point, A Noble Rescuer is only available in digital form. I would like to get a paperback available. However, that will take time.

Here’s where you can find A Noble Rescuer !

Release date was technically yesterday…so yes, I am posting about my book that released a day late so, I am sorry about that. Thanks to Madi and Brooklyn O’Brennan and all the other people who promoted my book on social media yesterday and in the future. You guys are amazing. I couldn’t do it without you.

Here’s some notes I jotted down while writing this. None of these are spoilers, so breathe easy. This will give you an idea of the chaos that ensued.

“I don’t want to fight anymore.”

“Then I will fight for you.”

Snitch is weasel’s name

Reindeer Newen

Knox reindeer Bowzer

Svetan gets frozen in the end?

Deron massacred. Svetan goes on a rampage.  

If you’d like to review free ARC copy of A Noble Rescuer, contact me by the contact page or by commenting. Please include your blog/social media link where you will be sharing and/or goodreads or amazon profile.

Thank you all!

Hey all! I’ve been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award! Which is actually kinda funny cause I’ve never really seen myself as a sunshine blogger, especially since I post so little. But hey, it got you another post to read…eventually. XD.

Thanks to Faith, Fiction, and Fairytales for nominating me!

The Rules:

Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog. Thank the person who nominated you.Provide a link to your nominator’s blog. Answer your nominator’s questions. Nominate up to 11 bloggers. XD. Probably not happening for me. (Yes, I’m a little rule breaker. ;))Ask your nominees 11 questions.Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts.

XD. Prepare for weirdness.

What are three words that describe you at your core?

Geez. This is already hard. Probably very much task-oriented.

Goofy. Yes, very goofy. Kinda comes with being the middle child though. AKA Not my fault.

Anddddd tactless. Anyone who’s been around me in any situation knows I have no tact. I can sit there and think about how to say something with tact for five minutes and it still comes out the wrong way. XD. Not the greatest attribute when you work on an ambulance.

What is a book that has touched you at soul level?

XD. Oh, the Fallen by Abigail K Harris.

Who is your greatest mentor?

Um…everyone? I have a very shattered personality (meaning lots of different comfort zones with lots of different people). I share things with one person that I won’t share with another and each person has a special ability to offer their advice for each situation. I will share some things with my partners at work that I won’t share with family and friends and vice versa.

You know how they say it’s sometimes easier to talk to a complete stranger than someone you know? Well that happens a lot to me and while people aren’t complete strangers they do have their own little attributes that I understand and know they can help in a mentorship[ way while someone else I know couldn’t for various reasons.

Who is your current favorite musical artist?

XD. This is like an algebra quiz.

Ummmm. I listen to a LOT of different artists but right now the song that’s kinda been touching my heart is Hill I Will Die On by Alec Benjamin.

It kinda brings life into perspective for me. You know, we all kinda choose which hill we’ll die on and for me it asked the question “are you okay with that?” And if you aren’t “are you gonna change it?”.

What is your vision of a perfect afternoon?

That is a broad question.

Probably either the day I had at work a couple days ago where it was busy enough to keep us moving and the calls we had weren’t that bad. We got to drive through some amazing places on the way to calls.

Or curled up in front of a cozy fire with a comedic movie like Mitchell’s vs Machine’s in the middle of winter when the snow is floating down with this thick snowflakes that cover the trees so beautifully.

How many years have you been blogging and why did you start?

Haha. I don’t even remember. Two maybe?

I started cause I wanted to continue writing and share it with the world at that point in my life. I also knew if I didn’t share it with the world no one would know about my book so that was incentive. XD.

What is a fact about you others might find strange?

Um. Everything? I change a lot actually. Which is strange to some people. A year ago I wouldn’t touch nail polish with a ten foot pole and now I paint my nails a lot. It’s kinda a therapeutic thing putting it on and then peeling it off a few days later. Yeahhh. It never lasts long.

Also how I’ll talk non-stop with one person and barely exchange a word with another even if I have the same comfort level with both people.

Also the fact I’m an introvert but I can also be perfectly comfortable talking with complete strangers. Actually more comfortable talking with complete strangers sometimes instead of people I know semi well.

So that was a lot. Sorry.

What is your go-to recipe when cooking for friends/family?

Biscuits, sausage and eggs with cheese. YUM.

What is your absolute favorite Bible verse?

Probably the one about ‘love hath no man than this than to lay down ones life for his friends’

What are the last three books you’ve read? Which is your favorite out of all of them?

Probably should wait until I finish the one I’m reading right now cause I honestly don’t remember what the last three were. I can say for a fact they were Madisyn Carlin’s books and they’re all good so there’s really no choice there.

The book I’m reading now is The Inheritance Games. I’m halfway through the book and still have no clue what’s going besides that I’m mad at the MC for kissing some rando guy she’s obviously not supposed to like. geez dude, just go away. Other dude, you need to get your act together and come save her. NOW.

There. That’s the end of that rant. 0:)

What is the biggest thing you want to impart on your blog’s readers?

Gee whiz. This is worse than an algebra quiz. Omg. Ummm. I guess it’s okay to be different and quirky. Some people won’t want to accept it and will think you’re weird and give you these super strange judgmental looks but as long as you’re following God, you don’t gotta please everyone.

TADA! The end. Now for nominations.

Madi’s Musings

M.L.Milligan

(Yeah just doing names cause I can’t find their blog links)

Bree Pembrook

Lucy Peterson

Brooklyn O’brennan (She’s on instagram)

History Girl AKA Tori AKA YOU BETTER DO THIS.

Kristina Hall

Kaitlyn Phillips actually all the Phillips so good luckkkk!

Abigail K Harris

Sarah Lawton

Faith Gilliosa

Rebekka Waner (did I spell that right?)

And anyone else who wants to do it!

I suppose I have to make up eleven questions now. Mwah ha ha!

Will you touch nail polish with a ten foot pole? Why or why not?What is your favorite emoji?What’s your dream job? Anything at all putting aside schooling or anything. XD my sister just split open her finger while filing her nails. Don’t ask me how. And when I told her “I guess you’re not putting polish on that nail” she said “I’ll just put it over the bandaide”. Anything like this happen to your recently? PLEASE. Share ALL the details. What’s your favorite salad dressing? What have been your three most recent reads? What’s your fav and why?Do you eat more processed foods or organic foods?Who’s your favorite song artist? Why? Do you usually sit stiff as a board and listen to music when others are around or do you rock out to it?
Are you scared to drive in bad weather (or ride) or do you view it as an adventure? What is the scariest thing you can imagine ever happening to you? (Or the scariest movie you’ve watched, take your pick). Can you talk to strangers easily or does the thought terrify you?

There we are! Have fun, girls!

If anyone else would like to do this go ahead! I’d love to see all your answers to these questions! Thanks for being such great supporters!

Hey all. This past month has been pretty busy. Like always it seems. But I’m enjoying it. Besides the fact that we haven’t had a working shower for the past three weeks…

This’ll be a short post about generally nothing cause I feel bad having this website and not posting anything on it.

Things You’ve Been Doing or Seen?Grocery Store Fire. Totalled the building sadly.  Fireworks were going off in the basement and the floor collapsed in front of firefighters twice while they were doing interior attack. Quite exciting.Life Flight. COOLEST THING EVER! Coolest people ever too!OMG. This night was crazy. Ended up in a town over an hour away at 4 in the morning after all night of running emergency calls. Best night ever though. My partner rocked. The only thing worse than trying to paddle through these waves was trying to paddle back to shore in a canoe a couple weeks later in the same conditions. So much harder. We almost gave up and left our fate to the hope that some Gilbert would come rescue us like in Anne of Green Gables. Sadly, reality. Favorite coffee brand ever!Stupidest Thing You’ve Done This Month?

Tried to break the ice with a coworker. An introvert trying to have a normal conversation with another human when their personalities naturally clash is like the Alamo.

My advice.

Just smile and nod.

And then go scream in a bush.

Recent Reads?

The Copper Gauntlet and The Iron Trial

Looking forward to ARROW!

And recent movie watches just cause I finally watched Ever After. I was super nervous about it cause it was 2 hours long and an old movie and usually I don’t like old movies but this Cinderella retelling was totally worth it. WATCH. Then let me know your favorite part. Mine was with the Gypsies in the forest when Mr. Prince tried to save the girl after they got lost. XD XD. You’ll know what I’m talking about.

And yes, I cried at the line “then you don’t deserve her”. That was fantastic. And the quote at the end “I’ll give you the same mercy you gave me.” Such a good phrase. Really shows the truth of what we put into something that’s what we’ll get out of it.

WATCH IT.

Welp. That’s the end. This is a free for all post so message me about your own answers to these! I love to hear from you!

July…and Some of August

Hey all! Feel like I need a new catch phrase for the start of a new post or something? Maybe “Gather ’round, maties!” Or “Pew pew pew, the long overdue news from yours truly!”

Sidetracked.

Anyone know what this post is gonna be about?

Yeahhh. Its another cover reveal!!!!!! I mean how often can we say we knew about the next best seller before it was even published? *halo*

Sadly I feel like I’ve barely heard anything about the making of this book. Not as much as I usually do. I guess it’ll be more of a surprise when I get to read it!!! Any wayyyy. The cover!

Doesn’t that look amazing? I just LOVE the cover.

XD. I have no idea what a reticule is, but I’m somehow certainly on board with clobbering Wyatt with it.

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Series: Book Six in the multi-author Hearts of the West

Current Tagline: Danger and romance abound when childhood nemeses Aimee and Wyatt are forced to work together to solve a mystery.

Release Date: 9/17/24

Preorder

Author Bio:
Madisyn Carlin is a Christian, homeschool graduate, blogger, voracious bookdragon, and author. When not spending time with her family or trekking through the mountains, she weaves tales of redemption, faith, and action.

Want to connect? https://linktr.ee/madisyncarlin

And I’ve heard from a super secret source that the author is looking forward to researching the setting of Heart of Strength and I’m sure she’ll dig up all sorts of brilliant tidbits that we get to swoon over.

Yours truly…signing off…

Hey all! No doubt you’ll be getting a ton of updates soon about A Silent Hope‘s release today! I’m so excited and feeling kinda old and behind the times. I had no idea it was happening this soon. I think I had it on my calendar for…June? XD As I said. Behind the times.

So here’s some tidbits from this sure-to-be-amazing wounded lion retelling!

Blurb:

Can hope be found when everything seems hopeless?

When illness threatens her brother’s life, deaf peasant Calaine Kalen vows to do anything to save him—including finding work near a war-torn area overrun with giants and nefarious schemes. When war threatens Prince Renner Leorin’s kingdom, he vows to save it no matter what—even if that means convincing a surly former enemy to help. Neither peasant nor prince ever imagined their efforts would place them in each other’s path.

She needs a cure. He needs a miracle. Can tragedy bring two unlikely hearts together, or will heartbreak shatter any hope of both love and saving those they care about?

A Silent Hope, a New Adult, faith-filled retelling of The Wounded Lion, is a standalone novella, complete with tropes like rags-to-riches, concealed identity, and a deaf heroine. It is part of the Hope Ever After series, a collection of twenty hopeful and uplifting fairy tale retellings. Each book is written by a different author, so it can be enjoyed in any order. The proceeds from this series are donated to the O.U.R. (Operation Underground Rescue) to rescue children from exploitation and trafficking.

And finallyyyyyyy.

GOODREADS

PURCHASE!!!!

So don’t wait! Go get it!!!!!! You won’t regret it!

Hey all! Today I’m going to throw some epicly amazing release news at you so don your shields!

Today is the release day for the Black Rose Collection that we’ve all been waiting for! Contained under the amazing cover are seven novella’s by seven different authors just waiting to be cracked open! Tales of treachery, friendship, and romance abound.

So are we ready for a sneak peek??????

Couldn’t resist. XD

BLURB:

Receiving a black rose is a death sentence.

In these seven lands, receiving a black rose is a death sentence. When these perilous flowers endanger their lives, a woman must help her best friend regain his memories before it’s too late, a huntress finds herself becoming the hunted, and sworn enemies are forced to work together—if they don’t first kill each other in the process.

Seeking the truth turns perilous for an innocent business owner and his betrothed when they come too close to uncovering a secret someone wants to remain hidden. When a couple’s daughter is born with a deadly birthmark, can they escape in time? Or will they lose their daughter to evil? False accusations and threats force an innocent man to flee and fight for his life—but his path to freedom is threatened by memory loss. And when two friends become unexpected enemies, can loyalty overcome duty?

In this collection of seven Christian fantasy romance novellas, characters will learn the value of faith and trust as danger grows and justice is threatened.

____
From authors Madisyn Carlin, Kristina Hall, Vanessa Hall, K.R. Mattson, M.L. Milligan, Kaytlin Phillips, and Saraina Whitney comes The Black Rose Collection, a New Adult Christian fantasy anthology.

I know I know. Mine are like little stories after all those tiny pull-quotes from the others, but hey, you enjoyed them right? Riiigggghhhhttttt?

Nooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww for the TROPESSSS!!!!!! AHHHH! Some of these sound so coool!!! To be honest I had to ask one of the participants what tropes were in my story cause…welll….I didn’t even know.

Anddddd for my inspiration board that I made three days ago so its pretty much just inspiring you to read my story….or stare at the board until your eyes pop….

Have I WOWed you yet? No? Yes? (“Karli stop you’re just putting up too much awesome stuff!”) Tough luck. THERES A GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Thats right! A giveaway!!!!

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Enter to win a Black Rose paperback, autographed bookplates, character art, and an adorable bookmark, notepad, and pen. Giveaway runs 3/7 – 4/8.

*Open to U.S. residents only due to shipping costs.

GIVEAWAY ENTRANCE OF DOOM CAUSE YOU’LL COME OUT TOO AMAZED AFTER READING THE BOOK THAT YOU’RE DOOMED

ADD TO GOODREADS

And guess what else?????? What! There can’t be more amazing stuff added to this!

Yes there can! Order within the first month of the release (3/7) and get a bunch of free goodies!!!! All detailed in the graphic above!

LET US KNOW YOU ORDERED TO RECEIVE GOODIES!

FYI I think I’m in charge of sending out the character cards so don’t be surprised if they’re a touch late. I’m working very hard at making them amazing for everyone’s benefit. XD. Plus I mean I gotta go to Walmart and have them printed off etc etc so yeah…. Working diligently on that. *halo*

Feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions or if I missed anything! Or if you just wanna say somethin’ too. That counts. *grins*

Today is the day, guys! Today I get to bring to you a very special cover from a very special author who is writing a very special book.

Releasing 3/20/24, A Silent Hope is bound to hit the world by storm.

Why? you ask? Why?
Because, my friends, MADISYN CARLIN WROTE IT AND ITS GONNA BE AWESOME!

Anyway, here’s the blurb so you actually believe me.

BLURB:
Can hope be found when everything seems hopeless?

When illness threatens her brother’s life, deaf peasant Calaine Kalen vows to do anything to save him—including finding work near a war-torn area overrun with giants and nefarious schemes. When war threatens Prince Renner Leorin’s kingdom, he vows to save it no matter what—even if that means convincing a surly former enemy to help.

She needs a cure. He needs a miracle. Can tragedy bring two unlikely hearts together, or will heartbreak shatter any hope of both love and saving those they care about?

A Silent Hope, a New Adult, faith-filled retelling of The Wounded Lion, is a standalone novella, complete with tropes like rags-to-riches, concealed identity, and a deaf heroine. It is part of the Hope Ever After series, a collection of twenty hopeful and uplifting fairy tale retellings. Each book is written by a different author, so it can be enjoyed in any order. The proceeds from this series are donated to the O.U.R. (Operation Underground Rescue) to rescue children from exploitation and trafficking.

UUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Why do we have to wait so long for thisssss?

But, without further ado, here’s some graphics then the cover. I promise I’ll show oyu the cover….eventually. Saving the best part for last. *halo*

WOW. That is crazy. Makes me wanna track down those naughty kidnappers and whack ’em over the head more times than a monkey with a paddle ball. Eesh.

Ahhhh!!! Its so beautiful!!!!! I can’t wait to see what Madi comes up with for a Wounded Lion retelling!

PREORDER!

ADD ON GOODREADS!

INSPIRATION BOARD!

Don’t forget to preorder cause its gonna be great!

Hey everyone! Totally not because I have a lack of things to post about I’ve decided to swing by this week with a sneak peek of my week’s goals and activities.

Pretty jam packed this week with all the studying I have to do on top of work and preparing for this upcoming weekend (aaaahhhhh I’m SO excited!). Imma just throw you guys my little goal sheet. Its rough. Its not pretty. But it keeps me on track.

Stuff on the left is for this coming week. Stuff on right is from last week.

You’ll notice my little Arrowhead part there.

The Arrowhead EMS conference is one of the things I am super excited for this week! Its all about building EMS with trainings, mental health courses, hands-on preparation for the real deal. Plus they have this cool expo with lots of amazing stuff. EMS companies come from all over with ambulances, a helicopter once, etc and display what they do to help the community. Plus they bring cool gadgets. One of my favorite vendors had water-resistant pocket notebooks last year! I also found my favorite beanie there. If you’re lucky and I’m not crazy shy this weekend you’ll get some pics of the conference.

Don’t gloat. Yes I am still learning how to be a proper human being. Gonna be honest, one of my inner struggles is gloating sometimes. It comes and goes but I really want to make sure I am encouraging and not always trying to one up others. (Its challenging not to try to always be on top as a middle child).

Learning everyday is going to remind me that even though I’m tired and I already know the stuff they’re talking about and I don’t want to listen, I have to cause somewhere in there, even though I’ll be dragging one foot after another to keep going, I’ll learn something that will help me and help others in the future. That little sliver of knowledge is all worth it.

Chill. Yeah. Just chill.

Work with others. Ha ha. Yeah. Plenty of good stories there. Long story short, I’ve grown up liking to do stuff on my own. Especially when its a one person task. I never like asking for help or even realizing that there is help right next to me. I’m learning though, albeit slowly, to choose my battles and use my resources to achieve the best outcome. Which means I have to let the cop lift the mega mover and not try to do it when he’s literally standing right behind me just waiting to help. Or let the person standing next to me open the O2 tank instead of struggling frantically with it while my mind is all jumbled up. Its real hard to let go.

Keep a clear head. Meeting new people is scary, you guys. Freaky. Lets hope I don’t trip over my words and tie my tongue around my foot a few times in the first attempt at socializing.

SO there it is!

What are your goals for the week, month, or year? Are you looking forward to something coming up or left in a ‘wow’ coma from something amazing that just happened? Let me know!