McKenna Dean Romance

My Christmas Present to You

I sat down to write this post and realized it’s been a while… I aim to update this blog at least once a week, but lately it’s slipped to once a month. Not because I’m not busy behind the scenes but because there is little to share along those lines. I’ve reduced my time on Twitter to a fraction of what it was before. You can find me on Mastodon now, a kinder, gentler place. Twitter is standing on…

Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok and all that other nonsense #twitterexodus #mastodon #tiktok

I confess, I’m a bit fed up with social media right now. I don’t spend much time on Facebook unless I am participating in a specific group event or checking in with a particular community. I mostly cross-post to it, and have had some moderate success with Facebook ads. But this past week, several of my ads have been rejected (won on appeal, but still) for no discernable reason, and in 7 days I’ve…

Rosanna Leo’s Darke Passion (Dark Paranormal Investigations Book 1)

I am THRILLED to be part of Rosanna Leo’s cover reveal for Darke Passion! I adore her contemporary romance Handymen series. If you’re not familiar with Rosanna, she writes both contemporary and paranormal romance. Her novel A Reluctant Attraction, Handymen 3, is one of Oprah Daily’s 50 of 2021’s Most Anticipated Romance Novels. I love her Handymen series to pieces. Not only are her characters…

Mystery Loves Democracy Auction…and You’re the Winner!

I’m so excited to be a part of this terrific auction to raise money for the Mystery Loves Democracy Auction Sept 18th through Sept 24th (starting at 12 noon today PST, 3 pm EST)! Here’s a direct link to one of my packages: Ginny Reese Mysteries Gift Package  I’ve participated in similar auctions for voting rights and women’s rights run by romance organizations, so I’m thrilled to find a cause to…

Hello Books Promotion: An Embarrassment of Itches is FREE!

Hey! How would you like to receive a weekly email notifying you of great book deals in the genre of your choice? Not just reduced in price but FREE? Welcome to Hello Books, a new subscription service like BookBub but where all the books are free! Right now until August 15, you can get a FREE copy of An Embarrassment of Itches (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 1). By signing up, you’ll be notified of…

Killer Nashville, Awards, and a Giveaway!

Love mystery and suspense? I know I do! I also love participating in N.N. Light’s Book Heaven events–I get to discover so many new-to-me authors when their stories get showcased! This time the event is a weeklong event spotlighting mystery and suspense stories from all your soon-to-be-favorite authors. Here’s the scoop! Enter to win a $45 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card–just enter the…

It’s An Embarrassment of Itches… I mean Riches!

  I never thought I’d be typing this sentence but here goes: An Embarrassment of Itches is a RONE finalist, a Silver Falchion finalist, and a Royal Palm Literary award semi-finalist. In fact, I didn’t realize how many awards it had been nominated for until I went to make the graphic for this post. You know, I’m starting to think maybe this book is halfway decent. 🙂 The winners of the Silver…

A Month Long Reader Event with Free Books? Sign me up! Summer Fling 2022

Great Scott! This year’s Summer Fling event kicks off later today and it’s not too late to join the party! This is a massive reader event where you get your choice of books across different genres: Romance, Mystery, Supernatural, and Dark and Light. As a reader, you’ll be able to request featured books for free from over 50 select authors–all you have to do is read and review! It’s a month-long…

The Remington Steele Syndrome: The Bias Against Women

I was a huge Remington Steele fan back in the day. It was the one show I had to watch each week. I loved the premise: a woman trying to make it as a private detective figures out that she’ll be more successful if she creates an imaginary boss–a decidedly masculine boss. She cobbles the name together out of things in her office and Remington Steele is born. In many ways, it’s a sheer stroke of…

It’s Not My Problem YOU’RE on a Diet

I enjoy romances. I think every story is better with a romantic subplot, be it a thriller or hardcore military sci-fi space opera. I’ve written everything from slash fanfic, to steamy paranormal romance (Redclaw Security), to passionate, but closed-door historical romances (Redclaw Origins), and now cozy mysteries, which aren’t romances at all, but have a romantic arc (Ginny Reese…

First they came for the pregnant people…

I started to post this on Facebook, and then realized I needed more room to say what I have to say. TW for SA, forced birth, loss of civil rights. I may lose followers over this but I think it’s important that we understand ending Roe v Wade is not just about “stopping abortion”. If it was about that alone, then sex education and free birth control would be available to all.  Roe v Wade was…

An Embarrassment of Itches is Shortlisted for a Selfie Award!

A bit of a funny story here. See, I tend to submit my stories to a lot of awards contests. Not because I have an inflated idea of their worth–it’s mostly because I figure the more eyes I get on my stories, the greater the chance they will be seen and read by even more people. And if they final or win awards, the extra validation doesn’t hurt either. This year, I found myself with my first ever…

Who Do I Have To Kill To Win A RONE Award?

Hah-hah. Just kidding. But it made you look, right? 🙂 I write cozy mysteries, so it amused my husband to suggest I would kill for an award. I told him if his brilliant idea for a blog post title backfired, I was blaming him. An Embarrassment of Itches is up for a RONE Award for Best Mystery, and voting in this category to advance to the next round is now open! This is a prestigious award, and the…

How to Vote in the RONE Awards: An Embarrassment of Itches

Goodness, I’m late getting this post up! SO much has been going on. The Dog Days of Murder (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 2) was released April 2, and your response has been delightful! If I didn’t tell you before, An Embarrassment of Itches (Ginny Reese Mysteries Book 1) won the Mystery Category in the PRG Reviewer’s Choice Awards, and has also won for Best Animal Story and Best Cozy Mystery in the…

An Embarrassment of Itches Spotlight and #Giveaway

What a whirlwind of events this month! The Dog Days of Murder had a smashing release day, and I’m thrilled at the reception it has received! I also found out that An Embarrassment of Itches has been nominated for a RONE award, and I’ll be doing a post later this week about how the voting process works to make it to the next round. As a debut author under a new pen name, I’m not holding my breath…

The Dog Days of Murder is available for Pre-order Now!

You’d think I’d be better at this book launch/new release thing by now but nope, not really. 🙂 It dawned on me that I hadn’t made a formal announcement regarding the upcoming release of the next Ginny Reese mystery! *dopeslap* That’s right–The Dog Days of Murder is coming out April 2 (because I didn’t want to release it on April Fool’s Day) and you can pre-order it now from Amazon and these…

Romancing the Vote: The Most AMAZING Auction ever!!

Whew! Have you checked out Romancing the Vote’s auction to raise money for Fair Fight yet? If not, why not? You won’t BELIEVE the amazing items up for grabs! No, seriously, if you haven’t gone to look yet, run and do so now! Facetime with your favorite authors! Manuscript critiques by industry leaders. Copy editing, cover art, consults with scriptwriters and show runners! Autographed books, gift…