Welcome to my Second Acts Series!

Today, we have author Kim Handysides sharing several colorful acts and introducing the Stolen series.

Here’s Kim!

I am an author-in-waiting. My books (one completed, one in progress and one in planning) and the right publisher are poised to meet. It’s going to be some time this year. The stars and my aptitude are aligned. But it’s taken almost half a century to get here. Let me explain:

When I was a kid I was either going to be a biologist —sucked at math, so forget that, a writer or a Shakespearean actress —cue the trumpet flourish. I studied English and Dramatic Art at the University of Windsor, but graduated in Communications Studies—you know TV, radio, film production.

My first career related job was as a copywriter for radio. You get to wear many hats in a small market. Within a 2-year period, I morphed into newsreader, reporter, disc jockey, producer, music director and freelanced as a Master of Ceremonies and a club DJ.

I fell in love with Montreal on a vacation, decided it would be my new home and either work in radio there or write a novel. Two days before my holiday ended, I got a job as an overnight DJ at a major radio station. Within the next five years I was a DJ, Music Director, TV field producer and weather woman, and created my own production company with two other women. Throughout this time, I began voicing commercials, documentaries, and acting in films and summer theatre. I once was on a film set with Robert De Niro, and though he was only 13 years old at the time, did voice work with Ryan Gosling. I became primarily a voice actress and over the next 20 years moved to the top of my field in my city.

I also wrote during this time, because I’ve got ‘creative energy overload’. Mostly for the media outlets I worked for, but also for magazines and newspapers. And I started writing novels. Romance novels because frankly, it was the time of my life when I was falling in love with Mr. Keeper. (Married 21 years now) I got to the point when I started to get requests for re-submissions from a New York Harlequin editor, but when children entered the equation my free time evaporated. I figured I’d get back to writing when they went to school. But lo and behold, in Grade 1 my oldest was a very bright and very unhappy dyslexic, with no accommodation available for her, so I began to home school. Both of them. And that lasted nine years. (Kids are currently straight A students in college and university.)

Fast forward to now. It’s been almost four years in the making, but I’m extremely proud of the Stolen series, based on the reluctant love stories of the Beaumont family, Matt, Arabella and Seb. Stolen Kiss features the first of the Beaumonts, Matt and his lady-love-to-be Ruby. And it’s actually more of her story than his.

Stolen Kiss opens with Matt Beaumont doing just that. Stealing a kiss from blueblood, Ruby Jamison, that ruins her life and launches them into a chase to retrieve a stolen ’73 orange convertible. Weaving through betrayal and blackmail, they run into border issues, are helped by an aging hippie godmother and crash on the scene of a mob-related drug bust. But will their blossoming love survive the journey?

Stolen Heart pits marina biologist, Arabella, with her awkward high school nemesis, ex-Marine, Gus MacIsaac. The mob threatens the Beaumonts to keep incarcerated Seb quiet. Gus, the last person Ara ever wanted to see again, becomes her bodyguard. Following whale sharks in spite of voodoo threats, a tropical storm, and engine troubles, Gus attempts to break the barriers erected around Ara’s solitary heart.

Stolen Love will be Sebastian’s story. All I know about it so far is that Seb is on a path of redemption, wanting nothing to do with his former mob ties. His social worker, Mari, a single mom of three young kids has her hands full and has no time for love. Especially with a billboard handsome ex-con with a shady past and no solid plan for the future.

Where to find Kim…

Website | Facebook Page | Facebook Profile | Twitter

Joanne here!

Wow! I’m simply blown away by your creative overload. If you’re ever looking for another creative project, consider writing a memoir. BTW…The Stolen series sounds delicious.