• My Own E-Bookstore!

    I’m excited to announce that I have my very own e-bookstore(s) and you can now buy my e-books directly from me via either my Shopify store or my Story Origin store! Click on the images if you’re someone who wants to support authors directly. My Story Origin sells e-books only, but sells internationally. My Shopify store sells ebooks, paperbacks and audiobooks, but it is set up for the US, because of tax reasons.

    I’ve set up book bundles of my series, so there is a New York Friendship Bundle and a New York Spark Starter Set in the Story Origin store. Click on the image below for the links.

    New York Friendship Series

    A romantic comedy box set with the covers of Partner Pursuit, Is This for Real and Caper Crush and three women having coffee at a brunch place in NYC

    Three interconnected, feel-good, standalone, closed-door romantic comedies set in New York City in one box set!

    This set includes:

    Partner Pursuit: Audrey is a workaholic lawyer who is determined to become a law firm partner. Jake is a fun-loving music marketing executive who would never date a lawyer. When Jake moves in next door, and sparks fly, will Audrey choose love or career?

    Is This for Real?: Take one relationship recluse writing a novel with a fake-dating trope. Add in one yummy romantic guy shanghaied for her romcom research. Layer in a history of genuine friendship on top of her recent heartbreak. Is this a recipe for true love or disaster?

    Caper Crush: She’s an emotional artist. He’s a reserved accountant. When they team up to solve who stole her painting, will they find love?

    “Overall I have loved this series.”

    Lemon Nail Fiend Book Blog

    “[Partner Pursuit] is an old-school romcom! If this book was a movie, JLo or Reese Witherspoon would play the female lead, with Matthew McConaughey as the love interest.”

    – Stephanie

    New York Spark Starter Set

    This shows the cover of My Book Boyfriend with a couple in a garden with their backs to each other, both holding a book and the cover of Love Is an Art with a couple, their back sot each other and a very bad painting on an easel

    My Book Boyfriend and Love Is an Art â€“ the first two closed-door, happy-ever-after, standalone, interconnected books in the New York Spark series!

    My Book Boyfriend: Lily loves her garden. Rupert wants to bulldoze it. When feelings grow, will they blossom or turn to rubble?

    Love Is an Art: A Fish Out of Water Romantic Comedy

    Tessa: He hates lawyers. So I’m a lawyer pretending to be an artist. Forgetting one tiny detail: I can’t paint. Zeke: She’s the worst artist I’ve ever seen.

    “Kathy Strobos has proved to me again why she’s one of my go to authors, for HEA, for feeling happy and warm and making the world feel a better place.”

    – Tara from TheWoollyGeek on Instagram

    Free E-Book Copy of A Scavenger Hunt for Hearts

    As always, A Scavenger Hunt for Hearts is free when you sign up to my newsletter.

    What do you think of my own e-bookstore?

    Have you ever wanted to own a bookstore?

  • Shepherd’s Book Recs: Find Your Next Favorite Book

    the cover of a book where she is covered in paint and he is in a suit, they have their backs to each other
    Love Is an Art

    Shepherd’s Book Recs: Find Your Next Favorite Book! Shepherd’s ask authors for their book recs, and so it’s a great site to find your next favorite read. They asked me to recommend five of my favorite books around a theme with the release of Love Is an Art. I was so honored.

    I love their site. It feels like walking into a bookstore and asking for recommendations and being given so many good ones.  As they say, “it’s like wandering the aisles of your favorite bookstore.”

    As the founder writes:

    To start, I’ve asked 9,000+ authors to share five of their favorite books around a topic, theme, or mood and why they love each book. This infuses each book with magic and meaning.

    Then, we give readers fun and unique ways to follow their curiosity down rabbit holes and bump into those books and authors. At every step, you meet the person who recommended that book, the book list it came from, and what they are passionate about.

    Ben Fox

    My Shepherd’s Book Recs: Find Your Next Favorite Book To Read

    If you click on the image above or this link to the site, you can read why I chose the books I did.

    I wandered around the site and found so many books to read based on their recommendations. #neverendingTBR Lol.

    For example, Partner Pursuit would fit in this list of the Best Chicklit Books on Lawyers from a Former Big Law Attorney. If you liked Partner Pursuit, you might want to check these books out. Or if you’ve read any of those books (which includes The Undomestic Goddess and Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed), then you will probably also like Partner Pursuit.

    a picture of a romantic comedy book cover with new york as backdrop and a couple on a bicycle for two

    Fun to Explore: What other authors liked Sophie Kinsella?

    There are so many fun ways to explore the site. For example, I searched for other authors who’d chosen The Undomestic Goddess as one of their favorite books. I found the list above, but also a list by Octavia Butler of The Best, Romance, Chicklit and Women’s Fiction Books.

    Love Is an Art is also featured on the RNA Blog!

    Love Is an Art is also featured on the Romantic Novelists Association Blog, along with an interview of me giving writing tips and explaining how my journey to publishing. I think most of you know that I was in the RNA’s New Writer’s Scheme. I cannot recommend that highly enough to unpublished writers. It really made me so happy to see one of my books featured on the RNA Blog. They also asked me what was the inspiration behind Love Is an Art and what was the hardest part of the book to write.

    Let’s Talk

    Had you heard of Shepherd’s before? Did you go check it out and find any books to add to your #TBR? And if so, please share in the comments below.

  • Love Is an Art! Teaser

    Look at this great teaser trailer for Love Is an Art. It’s so clever. I love it!

    Love Is an Art Book Trailer

    Love Is an Art Blurb

    the cover of a book where she is covered in paint and he is in a suit, they have their backs to each other
    Love Is an Art

    Here’s the blurb:

    He hates lawyers. So I’m a lawyer pretending to be an artist. Forgetting one tiny detail: I can’t paint.

    Tessa: There’s something about the way the blond guy laughs and leans in to listen. My gaze keeps returning to him.

    The only problem is, we’re at an art gallery after work, and I’ve swapped my lawyer suit for a paint-splattered shirt. I’m pretending to be a struggling artist, acting as bait to entice a scammer who conned my friend out of thousands of dollars.

    I look pathetic. But still, I approach Hot Guy.

    Our glances meet, and an awareness shimmers across. He offers to buy me a drink–we’re definitely flirting–and then he asks me what I do.

    Just when Scammer Guy is in earshot.

    I have no choice but to say I’m an artist. I can tell Hot Guy later that I’m not.

    But then he says he hates lawyers.

    Now what?

    Zeke: She’s the worst artist I’ve ever seen.

    And I hate that that makes me suspect that she’s lying to me. After my ex-girlfriend cheated on me, trust is in short supply.

    She makes me laugh, and it’s one adventure after another with her. Definitely different from my workaholic lawyer ex.

    Maybe it’s time to give love a second chance.

    All is fair in love and litigation, but when truth and deception clash, can you trust your heart?

    *The romcom books in this series are interconnected standalones set in the same world. Each can be read as a pure standalone with a guaranteed happily ever after.

    A Scavenger Hunt for Hearts Audiobook!

    My author reading aloud of A Scavenger Hunt for Hearts is now all up on YouTube so you can listen to the whole book read aloud by me there. You can click the image above for the link. It’s like attending an author reading but in the privacy of your home 🙂

    Let’s Talk

    What are you watching/reading? I’m watching My Demon and Please Marry My Husband (both k-dramas). I’m reading When In Rome by Sarah Adams. And I’m hard at work on my next book.

  • My Book Boyfriend Blog Tour #2!

    photo of book cover with two people with backs to each other in a  garden

    Thank you so much to all the bloggers and reviewers on the My Book Boyfriend Blog Tour organized by Rachel’s Random Resources and here’s post #2 about the tour! For post #1, click here.

    Here are some excerpts from the reviews. To see the full review, click on the links. I am so grateful for all your positive reviews and so touched that my words found a home.

    Thank you to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers for this great review: “A great pick for Contemporary Romance fans, and book lovers alike, for the love and laughs, but also the chance to see a bookish ending that’s all deserved!” as well as this lovely quote:

    “Today’s the day all your bookish dreams come true! How so? Well, because a particular author took a particular idea đź’ˇ that every book lover has had at some point or another, and made it a reality… in a story at least!”

    Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

    Malloch Books gave this lovely review on Instagram. Their feed has many great book recommendations, so definitely follow them on Instagram: “This ticked so many boxes for me: community, library, book-based romance. I found this to be a perfect summer read with lots of swoon worthy moments and happy little dances along the way. I found Rupert adorable, he gave major Labrador vibes, and I just wanted to hug him.”

    This review definitely made do a happy little dance 🙂

    Books, Life And Everything also gave this lovely review: “This is a well written, enemies to lovers romcom, with a varied cast of characters and a great community feeling.” 

     “There is plenty of humour in the story and a wry look at people’s reading habits and likes. I enjoyed all the sessions which Lily led in her book club – her love for reading is quite infectious. Most of all, the secondary characters add real colour and humour to the story to go alongside the growing romance which you feel is inevitable.”

    Books, Life and Everything

    YorkshireCarly’s Book Reviews recommended My Book Boyfriend as “the perfect summer read,” but also made this interesting point:

    “I enjoyed that the two main characters Lily & Rupert are both huge book worms, because mainly it’s the female protagonist that loves books so it was quite refreshing and the romance was adorable.”

    Yorkshire Carly

    More Reviews from My Book Boyfriend Blog Tour #2

    Thanks so much for these reviews too! I agree that book readers are definitely sexy, don’t you?

    “Rupert was an ideal bookish hero with oodles of swoonsomeness and proved book readers are sexy. “

    The Enchanted Emporium Bookshelf

    “I could see this as a Hallmark movie, it’s that cute.”

    Inspired by PMDD

    I also recommend following these bookstagram accounts for more great book reviews:

    “This was a cute, heartwarming, enemies-to-lovers story and I really enjoyed it.”

    https://www.instagram.com/mrsljgibbs/?hl=en

    “It was wonderful to read about books in a book.. . I love New York and books set there always have a special place in my heart. The setting was accurate–felt like I was in downtown.”

    https://www.instagram.com/bookishllly/

    “Strobos gives us a quick and light read, with realistic characters showing community as well as friendship, my heart felt warm for them all. . . This is an author I will be picking up again and a series I will be following.”

    https://www.instagram.com/nlcraigwrites/

    Let’s Talk

    Thank you again to all the book bloggers and to Rachel’s Random Resources! Next up is the book tour for Love Is an Art!

  • My Book Boyfriend Blog Tour

    Thank you so much to all the bloggers and reviewers on the My Book Boyfriend Blog Tour organized by Rachel’s Random Resources!

    It was amazing! Here are some excerpts from the reviews. For the full review, click on the link for each blog.

    My Book Boyfriend was such a cozy, lighthearted, and heartwarming read! The bookish theme absolutely won my heart. I was looking for a quick read for my long flight back home for the semester break, and this was just perfect. The story played out like a rom-com movie in front of my eyes. It was so enjoyable!

    Lily and Rupert had sizzling chemistry from the very beginning of the story. I really enjoyed seeing how they worked through the conflict that divided them! The witty banter, along with their bookish conversations, just made me melt. One of my favorite parts of the story was the realistic dispute between Lily and Rupert. Many enemies-to-lovers books have a supposed “enmity” just for the sake of it, but the way the trope was implemented in My Book Boyfriend was perfect!

    I loved seeing how Lily and her friends came together to save the community garden. The community vibe was present all throughout the story, which made reading it so touching. The NYC setting was such a bonus too! 

    Highly recommend!  

    What Irin Reads

    Many of the book bloggers have been reviewing my books since the beginning, and it makes me so happy that they keep signing up to review another one. I consider that the hugest compliment! And I’m also so thrilled that new bloggers have signed up.

    Reviews from Returning Bloggers

    Thank you to Zooloo’s Book Diary for this review: “I devoured this in one setting. I knew I would. Kathy’s writing is so easy to lose yourself into. She writes real characters, whose plight are relatable and generally feel pretty real! I feel like this could be a story your friend is going through. I adore Lily and Rupert.” 

    As you know, Splashes Into Books always creates a rhyming review–and I’m always blown away by her ability to do that. She called My Book Boyfriend a “fab, fun read.” And here’s part of the review:

    “Can she trust him to be true or is he leading her astray,

    Can they be together, come what may?

    A fun read full of character and dilemmas, too,

    Where sometimes you hope your dreams can come true!

    For my complimentary copy of this book, I say thank you,

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and this is my honest review.”

    But definitely check out the full poem review at Splashes Into Books!

    Tizi’s Book Review brought some tears to my eyes as she wrote: “There are authors that you don’t even need a blurb of their books to know that you will read it anyway. And Kathy Strobos is for sure a great addition to that kind of list of mine!” As did Tara’s Bookish Blog: “Kathy Strobos has proved to me again why she’s one of my go to authors, for HEA, for feeling happy and warm and making the world feel a better place.”

    So we were already on a sure thing for me in knowing I’d enjoy this book, but in case these things aren’t ticking your boxes, I shall add that Kathy’s writing is wonderful, it’s engaging, the kind of writing where you forget your reading and two hours later you swear it was only 5 minutes ago you opened the book. She writes fantastic characters, ones I love or fall in love with, never perfect, always realistic, relatable and flawed people you really connect with.

    Tara’s Bookish Blog

    Thank you so much to Beauty Addict for this touching review (and definitely check out the rest of her review on her site):

    “Having already read and loved Partner Pursuit and Is This For Real? by Kathy Strobos – I knew I was going to love My Book Boyfriend just as much – and I totally wasn’t wrong.
    My Book Boyfriend
     
    is a beautifully written story with fantastic characters – a total must-add to your TBR pile this summer.

    Beauty Addict

    Thank you so much for these reviews too!

    “This was a great summer read, it was a real page turner… A great quick cozy read

    https://www.instagram.com/scotsbookworm/

    This was a cute romance. . . This made me reminisce about all the times I visited my younger sister when she lived in NYC.

    https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/

    Such a cute, easy read with a great take on the enemies to lovers romance trope. . . I flew through this so fast, I was instantly hooked.

    https://www.instagram.com/insomniacbookwormbookreviews/

    Let’s Talk

    Thank you again to all the book bloggers! I’m going to do a Part 2 to cover the rest of the reviews. Such positive reviews make it all worthwhile!

  • Go on a date with Love Is an Art

    Go on a date with Love Is an Art! The paperback is now out on Amazon!

    Here’s the blurb:

    He hates lawyers. So I’m a lawyer pretending to be an artist. Forgetting one tiny detail: I can’t paint.

    Tessa: There’s something about the way the blond guy laughs and leans in to listen. My gaze keeps returning to him. The only problem is, we’re at an art gallery after work, and I’ve swapped my lawyer suit for a paint-splattered shirt. I’m pretending to be a struggling artist, acting as bait to entice a scammer who conned my friend out of thousands of dollars.

    I look pathetic. But still, I approach Hot Guy.

    Our glances meet, and an awareness shimmers across. He offers to buy me a drink–we’re definitely flirting–and then he asks me what I do.

    Just when Scammer Guy is in earshot.

    I have no choice but to say I’m an artist. I can tell Hot Guy later I’m not.

    But then he says he hates lawyers. Now what?

    Zeke: She’s the worst artist I’ve ever seen.

    And I hate that that makes me suspect that she’s lying to me. After my ex-girlfriend cheated on me, trust is in short supply.

    She makes me laugh, and it’s one adventure after another with her. Definitely different from my workaholic lawyer ex.

    Maybe it’s time to give love a second chance.

    All is fair in love and litigation, but when truth and deception clash, can you trust your heart?

    I’d like to take you on a date with Tessa and Zeke in Brooklyn.

    Go on a Date with Tessa and Zeke in Love Is an Art

    Zeke and Tessa have their first date in DUMBO, Brooklyn. DUMBO stands for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. That’s the Manhattan Bridge framed by the buildings.

    Then Zeke and Tessa walk down to the waterfront and see this pathway, which has such a beachy feel.

    And indeed it leads to beach down by the East River.

    From there, let’s head back to the restaurants. Look at that beautiful Dutch architecture. I just love the rounded windows.

    And walk up to rooftop of this building. There are more restaurants up top here so Zeke and Tessa grab dinner. Here’s a view out one of the windows.

    Here’s one last view to leave you with! But the date continues now with a bike ride. And much more.

    Thank you!

    Thank you so much to all the readers, reviewers and bloggers who have already left such positive reviews of LOVE IS AN ART. I can’t wait for you to meet Tessa and Zeke!

  • Black History Month Book Recommendations

    For Black History Month, I thought I’d give some book recommendations of some of my favorite books by black women authors. Many of these are classics, and heart-breaking, but I love them.

    • How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon
    • Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall
    • Passing by Nella Larsen
    • Corregidora by Gayle Jones

    Short Summaries of Each Book Rec

    How It Went Down

    How It Went Down is a very quick read, but also heartbreaking. I read it for my book club. “When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white. In the aftermath of Tariq’s death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth.”

    Corregidora

    Amazon describes Corregidora as the tale of blues singer Ursa, consumed by the hatred of the slave master who fathered both her grandmother and her mother. And that sentence alone gives me chills. I read this in college and still remember it vividly.

    Brown Girl, Brownstones

    I discovered Paule Marshall and absolutely LOVED Brown Girl, Brownstones. Maybe because it was set in New York and because my mom firmly believes in buying a brownstone in NY. I remember waiting anxiously for Marshall’s new releases. I was so excited when Daughters came out.

    Brown Girl, Brownstones is about a Barbadian immigrant family living in Brooklyn. The protagonist is a ten-year old girl who strives to define her own identity “as she struggles to surmount the racism and poverty that surround her.” Her father wants to return to Barbados and her mother is trying to save money to buy a brownstone in Brooklyn.

    Passing

    Passing was published in 1929. (I love books set in the Roaring ’20’s). Set primarily in Harlem, “the story centers on the reunion of two childhood friends—Clare Kendry and Irene Redfield—and their increasing fascination with each other’s lives. The book examines each woman’s approach to passing for white. Irene, who is insecure, seems to envy Clare’s confidence and also resent it.” She fears that Clare has made a dangerous mistake by pretending to be white to her racist husband. (from the Wikipedia summary).

    #TBR Pile for YA Black History Month Book Recommendations

    I have both these books in my #tbr pile as well as The Hate You Give. My daughter recommended One Crazy Summer and the rest of the series.

    One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia is “the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls who travel to Oakland, California in 196 in search of the mother who abandoned them.”

    The Young Landlords by Walter Dean Myers: “They were out to save the world–and were lucky to save their skins.” A bunch of young kids buy a building.

    #TBR for Romance Books

    And on my #TBR for more fun reading: The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory and In Rhythm by JN Welsh.

    The Proposal: “When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part—they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans… At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. . . “

    In Rhythm by JN Welsh
    I love the cover too!

    I bought In Rhythm because the protagonist is a female DJ. And she actually falls for a Dutch guy. (I’m half-Dutch). “With a shared passion for music and an intense mutual attraction, the pair should be totally in sync. Instead, Zazzle’s reputation has Velvet hitting Pause.” I just started reading it and I love the way JN Welsh writes. Her dialogue is so realistic. But it does have a content warning that it deals with addiction.

    Let’s Talk

    Do you have any book recommendations?

  • Happy Valentine’s Day 2020!

    Happy Valentine’s Day 2020!

    Yes, these are dolls. My husband refused to model 🙂

    I personally like spending Valentine’s Day reading or watching a good romcom. Although if some attractive guy wants to make me breakfast in bed, I’m all for that too!

    Yummy! Plus all that unruly hair!

    Until I met my husband, I don’t think I ever had a date for Valentine’s Day. It was Galentine’s Day for me. When my daughter was due in February, I was really worried that she’d was going to be born on Valentine’s Day. A friend asked, “Why?” And I said, “I gather you’ve always had a date for Valentine’s Day!” (Thankfully, my daughter was not born on Valentine’s Day.)

    Fallen Chocolate Cake Recipe for a Happy Valentine’s Day

    Fallen chocolate cake in ramekins
    Fallen Chocolate Cakes in Ramekins. Image from FamilyStyleFood (with another recipe I will have to try)

    Here’s my go-to recipe for Valentine’s Day: the fallen chocolate cake from Cooks Illustrated. In my draft MS, my protagonist Audrey makes this for Jake when she wants to impress him with her cooking. He is duly impressed. 🙂

    Ingredients

    8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for ramekins

    8 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped;

    4 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    ÂĽ teaspoon table salt

    ½ cup granulated sugar

    2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour plus extra for ramekins

    Butter and flour (or use cocoa powder) eight 6-ounce ramekins.

    Instructions:

    Melt 8 tablespoons butter and chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost simmering water, stirring until smooth; remove from heat.

    Beat the eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt, and sugar until the ribbon stage – the color will be pale yellow and the volume is nearly tripled. The mixture will drop from the beaters in a heavy thick ribbon. This usually takes about 10 minutes with the hand held mixer.

    Pour egg mixture over melted chocolate and butter; sprinkle flour over egg mixture. Gently fold egg and flour into chocolate until batter is completely mixed.

    Pour batter into prepared ramekins. (At this stage, you can put them into the fridge for about 8 hours. They’ll need to come back to room temperature [about 30 minutes] before you bake them)

    Bake in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until the the cakes have risen over the rims. They’re done when they have a thin crust and the center jiggles when you tap ramekins.

    Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake (didn’t need to do that last night cuz Kellie had buttered so enthusiastically) and invert onto a plate. Let the cake cool for about a minute before removing the ramekin.

    When Adam Met Evie

    When Adam Met Evie
    When Adam Met Evie by Giulia Skye

    And if you’re looking for a fun escape read, my friend Giulia Skye just published her book When Adam Met Evie. Woohoo! We met on the train to the Romantic Novelists Association conference in Leeds several years ago.

    I highly recommend When Adam Met Evie. The characters are very believable and engaging, the story hooks, and the setting is the Australian outback–what more could you ask for?

    Here’s the blurb:

    “When former Olympic Swimmer, Michael Adams—now reluctantly Canada’s hottest reality TV star— insults his fake showbiz wife on social media, he escapes the ensuing scandal and jumps on the first flight to Australia. Desperate to experience ordinary life again—if only for a few weeks—he becomes “Adam”, just another tourist traveling through the Outback. But with a reward out for his safe return and his fame’s nasty habit of catching up with him when he least expects, he needs a disguise… and he’s just found it.

    Sweet and scruffy British backpacker, Evie Blake, is taking a year out of her busy London life. Tired of lies and liars, she’s looking for adventure to heal her broken heart. So when the hot Canadian she meets at the campground offers to be her travel partner through Western Australia’s wild Kimberley region, she grabs the chance, unaware he’s got the world out looking for him. He’s just a down-on-his-luck traveler, right? ” From Goodreads.

    Let’s Talk

    What do you like to do on Valentine’s Day? Do you have any romcom or romance book recommendations? Any recent romcom movies you’d recommend? Happy Valentine’s Day 2020!