Delsora Lowe's Blog
November 17, 2022
'Tis The Season... Here's to Reading Holiday Books
‘Tis the Season--
Time to read holiday stories, watch holiday movies, and get in the mood for holiday cooking, present wrapping, cutting down the perfect tree, hanging lights, colorful bulbs, and nostalgic ornaments, decorating the front door with a wreath, delivering fresh baked cookies to neighbors and co-workers, or whatever holidays and holiday traditions your family practices.
For those who know me well, you know it ‘tis also the season to marathon watch holiday movies and read seasonal books.
Exciting for me is to introduce my two holiday books released this season. But I also want to share the holiday books that are either read, with some on preorder or waiting to be read on my e-reader. This is not geared as a recommendation blog, but to share with you the titles and covers that drew me in enough to purchase and read. I, of course, looked up my favorite authors and grabbed their holiday books, but I also found many new-to-me authors.
So here goes—A partial list of my reads for 2022. Stay tuned in December for another list.
Christmas Reunion (Christmas in Angels Glen) by Sue Ward Drake (Oct 2022)
A sweet reunion, second chance at love, enemies to lovers, holiday romance. Stranded in a blizzard together, as adults the two get to know each other again. A stand-alone novella that is part of a 3-book series.
If You Believe in Love by Luanna Stewart (Nov 2022)
Sparks fly immediately when two are caught in a blizzard, alone in an inn with only the chef who shows up for meals. But peace and quiet of enjoying the snow and pitching in to run the deserted inn during the week before Christmas doesn’t last long, when a cast of disruptive characters descend to share holiday cheer!
The Fireman's Christmas Wish (The Lange Brothers, Book 3) by Nan Reinhardt (Oct 2022)
Setting out to help an old friend get over his dislike of the holidays, she has her work cut out for her. The two end up on an adventure that includes getting to know each other better and finally recognizing what they had each missed over the years.
The Baker’s Heart (A Balsam Grove Christmas Book 1) by Marianne Rice (Oct 2022)
Professional enemies become partners and more in a sweet tale of finding what was missing in life and finding each other during the holidays.
Holiday Heart Wishes by Lucinda Rice (2021)
Caught in a storm, the two meet when one rescues the other. A surprise brings them together to spend Christmas week together.
Christmas Town Bake-off: A 7-book Connected Holiday Romance Collection (Oct 2022) by Melinda Curtis, Anna J. Stewart, Cari Lynn Webb, Beth Carpenter, Cheryl Harper, LeAnne Bristow, Tanya Agler
Another annual Christmas town anthology with the familiar setting and some repeat town characters, plus a magical gazebo. Love these collections that I have read over the years.
Charming a Fairytale Cowboy by Katie Lane (Aug 2022)
A fairytale, fake romance with a delicious cowboy. He doesn’t know what he has gotten into when he makes a trip from the big city to a small town and meets his Cinderella. A fun book about two trying to pass off a fake relationship to the heroine’s family. Not easy with all her big brothers watching over her.
The Bells of St. Dickens: A Dicken’s Holiday Romance (A Dicken’s Holiday Romance, Book 10) by Judy Kentrus (Oct 2022)
A second chance at love, as two join together to repair the town’s old church bells in an historic landmark. Throw in Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, adorable children, and lots of holiday fudge, and you can’t help but have a sweet holiday romance.
Snow Place Like Holly Pointe by Cindy Kirk (Dec 2022)
Two friends from childhood meet up after many years. Some things have changed. Some things have not. But overcoming adversity with someone in your court is foreign to both. Finding a true partner is an unexpected and cherished holiday gift for old friends. And experiencing the true meaning of an involved and caring small town whose residents, after being tested, still know how to open their hearts for common good lead to happy endings all around.
Rocking the Cowboy’s Christmas (Rowdy Ranch Book 4) by Vicki Lewis Thompson (Nov 2022)
Love at first sight. Add in a cute baby who meets Santa for the first time, a romantic sleigh ride, loving, but meddling families, and two people finding themselves as they work through basing a relationship on barely knowing each other, and you have a fun ride of a holiday love story.
Seabreeze Christmas (Summer Beach Book 4) by Jan Moran
A lovely second-chance at building a new life, resurrecting a business, reconnecting with family, and finding new love. Add in an involved and sometimes interfering town of wonderful characters, a hint of a magical, Christmas fantasy, and this book will warm your heart and vault you into the holiday spirit.
Have you read holiday books yet? If so, let us know which ones you enjoyed!
Time to read holiday stories, watch holiday movies, and get in the mood for holiday cooking, present wrapping, cutting down the perfect tree, hanging lights, colorful bulbs, and nostalgic ornaments, decorating the front door with a wreath, delivering fresh baked cookies to neighbors and co-workers, or whatever holidays and holiday traditions your family practices.
For those who know me well, you know it ‘tis also the season to marathon watch holiday movies and read seasonal books.
Exciting for me is to introduce my two holiday books released this season. But I also want to share the holiday books that are either read, with some on preorder or waiting to be read on my e-reader. This is not geared as a recommendation blog, but to share with you the titles and covers that drew me in enough to purchase and read. I, of course, looked up my favorite authors and grabbed their holiday books, but I also found many new-to-me authors.
So here goes—A partial list of my reads for 2022. Stay tuned in December for another list.
Christmas Reunion (Christmas in Angels Glen) by Sue Ward Drake (Oct 2022)
A sweet reunion, second chance at love, enemies to lovers, holiday romance. Stranded in a blizzard together, as adults the two get to know each other again. A stand-alone novella that is part of a 3-book series.
If You Believe in Love by Luanna Stewart (Nov 2022)
Sparks fly immediately when two are caught in a blizzard, alone in an inn with only the chef who shows up for meals. But peace and quiet of enjoying the snow and pitching in to run the deserted inn during the week before Christmas doesn’t last long, when a cast of disruptive characters descend to share holiday cheer!
The Fireman's Christmas Wish (The Lange Brothers, Book 3) by Nan Reinhardt (Oct 2022)
Setting out to help an old friend get over his dislike of the holidays, she has her work cut out for her. The two end up on an adventure that includes getting to know each other better and finally recognizing what they had each missed over the years.
The Baker’s Heart (A Balsam Grove Christmas Book 1) by Marianne Rice (Oct 2022)
Professional enemies become partners and more in a sweet tale of finding what was missing in life and finding each other during the holidays.
Holiday Heart Wishes by Lucinda Rice (2021)
Caught in a storm, the two meet when one rescues the other. A surprise brings them together to spend Christmas week together.
Christmas Town Bake-off: A 7-book Connected Holiday Romance Collection (Oct 2022) by Melinda Curtis, Anna J. Stewart, Cari Lynn Webb, Beth Carpenter, Cheryl Harper, LeAnne Bristow, Tanya Agler Another annual Christmas town anthology with the familiar setting and some repeat town characters, plus a magical gazebo. Love these collections that I have read over the years.
Charming a Fairytale Cowboy by Katie Lane (Aug 2022)
A fairytale, fake romance with a delicious cowboy. He doesn’t know what he has gotten into when he makes a trip from the big city to a small town and meets his Cinderella. A fun book about two trying to pass off a fake relationship to the heroine’s family. Not easy with all her big brothers watching over her.
The Bells of St. Dickens: A Dicken’s Holiday Romance (A Dicken’s Holiday Romance, Book 10) by Judy Kentrus (Oct 2022)
A second chance at love, as two join together to repair the town’s old church bells in an historic landmark. Throw in Mrs. Claus, the Grinch, adorable children, and lots of holiday fudge, and you can’t help but have a sweet holiday romance.
Snow Place Like Holly Pointe by Cindy Kirk (Dec 2022)
Two friends from childhood meet up after many years. Some things have changed. Some things have not. But overcoming adversity with someone in your court is foreign to both. Finding a true partner is an unexpected and cherished holiday gift for old friends. And experiencing the true meaning of an involved and caring small town whose residents, after being tested, still know how to open their hearts for common good lead to happy endings all around.
Rocking the Cowboy’s Christmas (Rowdy Ranch Book 4) by Vicki Lewis Thompson (Nov 2022)
Love at first sight. Add in a cute baby who meets Santa for the first time, a romantic sleigh ride, loving, but meddling families, and two people finding themselves as they work through basing a relationship on barely knowing each other, and you have a fun ride of a holiday love story.
Seabreeze Christmas (Summer Beach Book 4) by Jan Moran
A lovely second-chance at building a new life, resurrecting a business, reconnecting with family, and finding new love. Add in an involved and sometimes interfering town of wonderful characters, a hint of a magical, Christmas fantasy, and this book will warm your heart and vault you into the holiday spirit.
Have you read holiday books yet? If so, let us know which ones you enjoyed!
September 7, 2022
Easing Into Fall - So Long, Summer
A Calming View and Dreams...
Visiting my son’s house with the wonderful view of a cove that leads out to the Atlantic Ocean, with sailboat’s white sails bobbing on the water beyond the jut of land and a tiny bridge leading to an island, always calms me.
On a very hot day in Maine, I sit under the ceiling fan in the cool living room that lets in the ocean breeze but not the heat of the sun. And I listen and watch and dream about my bucket list, which includes my own house with such a view. A place that inspires me to write.
But alas, even though I love my little landlocked view from my writing desk, these water views inspire me to write. So, with a day off from computers and writing, and with words and images insisting on churning through my mind, I grabbed my phone and wrote a stream of consciousness…
The continuous, high chirps emanating from the leaf cover.West bound wind off the ocean furling leaves bright green to dark, depending on how deep the sun penetrates the canopy of the huge oak standing between me and the ocean.The water a constant movement of ripples headed toward beach.A white gull’s lazy travel, swooping and landing on the barely submerged sandbar.The water morphing from the color of cement gray to a tailored, summer weight, wool-gray to light turquoise to yellow-green and back to a darker turquoise as the ocean laps against the opposite shore of the cove The barrier of bright pink and deep red blossoms gracing bushes of dark green-leafed, sea-side roses in the yard across the street.
The hum of the nearby interstate traffic weaving from one end of the city to the other, broken by sirens racing down the highway and a plane roaring into the summer sky from the nearby airport.Then back to the consistent chirp, chew, chew, chirp, chirp buzz of birds.Saturday afternoon, away from computer and household chores and headline news I want to make disappear. The news that makes me regress to my innocence, fifty years ago when I was first old enough to understood policy and politics, hate and love, kindness and cruelty… 
Today, I concentrate on the sounds, and the feel of comforting breezes and hot sun and water rippling from the light puffs of wind and nature living its life in the sheltered trees.
Those thoughts, scribbled to clear my brain, allowed creativity to be unlocked.
The tranquil view and the quiet of the house and neighborhood with only sounds of wind and birds and an occasional meow as Luna wandered into the house and plopped down next to me on the couch, her head gently pushing against my leg as she leaned into my caress, helped to settle me.
Views and pets calmed my anger at the world we live in that can’t treat every human being with respect and love.
Thank goodness for serene scenery, nature’s sounds, and dreams of a room with a view where I can get lost in words that will lead to a story with a happy ending. My escape from a harsh world. And…the reason I write romance.
What's Your Favorite View? And ... Why?
Visiting my son’s house with the wonderful view of a cove that leads out to the Atlantic Ocean, with sailboat’s white sails bobbing on the water beyond the jut of land and a tiny bridge leading to an island, always calms me.
On a very hot day in Maine, I sit under the ceiling fan in the cool living room that lets in the ocean breeze but not the heat of the sun. And I listen and watch and dream about my bucket list, which includes my own house with such a view. A place that inspires me to write.
But alas, even though I love my little landlocked view from my writing desk, these water views inspire me to write. So, with a day off from computers and writing, and with words and images insisting on churning through my mind, I grabbed my phone and wrote a stream of consciousness…The continuous, high chirps emanating from the leaf cover.West bound wind off the ocean furling leaves bright green to dark, depending on how deep the sun penetrates the canopy of the huge oak standing between me and the ocean.The water a constant movement of ripples headed toward beach.A white gull’s lazy travel, swooping and landing on the barely submerged sandbar.The water morphing from the color of cement gray to a tailored, summer weight, wool-gray to light turquoise to yellow-green and back to a darker turquoise as the ocean laps against the opposite shore of the cove The barrier of bright pink and deep red blossoms gracing bushes of dark green-leafed, sea-side roses in the yard across the street.
The hum of the nearby interstate traffic weaving from one end of the city to the other, broken by sirens racing down the highway and a plane roaring into the summer sky from the nearby airport.Then back to the consistent chirp, chew, chew, chirp, chirp buzz of birds.Saturday afternoon, away from computer and household chores and headline news I want to make disappear. The news that makes me regress to my innocence, fifty years ago when I was first old enough to understood policy and politics, hate and love, kindness and cruelty… Today, I concentrate on the sounds, and the feel of comforting breezes and hot sun and water rippling from the light puffs of wind and nature living its life in the sheltered trees.Those thoughts, scribbled to clear my brain, allowed creativity to be unlocked.
The tranquil view and the quiet of the house and neighborhood with only sounds of wind and birds and an occasional meow as Luna wandered into the house and plopped down next to me on the couch, her head gently pushing against my leg as she leaned into my caress, helped to settle me. Views and pets calmed my anger at the world we live in that can’t treat every human being with respect and love.Thank goodness for serene scenery, nature’s sounds, and dreams of a room with a view where I can get lost in words that will lead to a story with a happy ending. My escape from a harsh world. And…the reason I write romance.
What's Your Favorite View? And ... Why?
December 25, 2021
Celebrating the Seasons Reading Holiday Romances …
We celebrate many sacred holidays in December…among them Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Thanksgiving is over. And New Year’s Eve is ahead of us. I am sure I have missed many sacred celebrations. But since this is not what my blog is about this month, I’ll not give you a rundown.Instead, I have given you another list of holiday books I have read this season, or plan to continue to read in December and into the new year. And this list doesn't include the holiday books on my WISH LIST! Yes, I do love holiday-themed books
As stated in last month’s list, the books mentioned below are not listed as recommendations, but as books I read, that are written by authors I know, new authors whom I wished to try, as well as covers and titles that caught my eye. Exploring holidays that I know little about has been a fun, learning experience, especially when seen through the lens of romance.
I hope everyone has a lovely holiday, no matter what or how you celebrate.
Feel free to leave your own suggestions, in the comments, about holiday romance books
you enjoy at this time of the year!
THE LIST of BOOKS I READ
Thanksgiving (Oct 2009) – Janet Evanovich
A fun family romp over Thanksgiving, after two meet in a most unconventional way. Throw in a wool-eating rabbit, an “abandoned” baby, two cars destined for the junk yard, a self-absorbed fiancé who jilted the heroine, insecurities, lust, love, a pregnant horse, interfering moms, and the charm of Williamsburg and you have a recipe for a holiday Rom Com.
No Ordinary Christmas (Sept 2021) – Belle Calhoune
An unexpected, and not necessarily welcome, Christmas reunion. Old love, new sparks fanning the embers remaining from lost love, and a little help from the small-town busybodies. Will the spirit of the season bring the two back together?
Eight Nights of Apricot Cookies (Nov 2021) – Roni Denholtz
As Erica cleans out her grandmother's home, she searches for her favorite holiday apricot cookie recipe. With a little help from the neighbor, who also adored her grandmother and loved the same cookies, they start on a quest to find the recipe before the end of 8 days of Hanukkah. And a recipe at the end of the book!
From This Moment (Nov 2021) – Melody Grace
Friends to lovers on the rebound. Can a self-proclaimed bachelor and man-about-town allow himself to find true love? And will his best friend trust him enough to let him get close?
Red Velvet Crinkles and Christmas Sprinkles (Nov 2021) – Maria Imblazano
Fired and at a loss, Bella returns home only to find her parents need help in their shop over the holiday season. She's thrown together with her high school crush—the one who both betrayed her and motivated her as a teen—to help save the business, as she works to save her career. A fun journey through the world of retail during the holidays. And a recipe at the end of the book!
A Sailor’s Perfect Christmas (Nov 2021) – Dari Laroche
As Alex takes over his father's marine salvage business, he is tasked to plan a holiday company party. When he meets the perfect woman, whose job in education allows her time off during the holidays, she pitches in. Spending quality time together leads to a holiday romance.
If Snowflakes Were Forever: A MacLeod's Cove Novella (Dec 2021) – Luanna Stewart
A delightful and fun romp of a story about two characters, each in isolation, on a journey of discovery about their own lives. Until their worlds collide and they find the journey may be more interesting together.
Let It Snow (Oct 2019) – Nancy Thayer
A story of friendships, work buddies, and finding love, new friends, and forgiveness at Christmas, amidst the lovely scenery of island life on Nantucket.
Kwanzaa Angel (July 2012) – Shirley Hailstock
The nightmare from her high school years is back in town, and he keeps showing up at every town Kwanzaa celebration. The chemistry is hot. She’s a successful business woman looking to expand, but he betrays her a second time – this time through his own business dealings. Can they find a way to make their growing love work this time before he heads home after the week of Kwanzaa celebrations?
Christmas in the Duke’s Arms (Dec 2021) – Julie Johnstone
An unrequited love and a marriage of convenience merge into a lovely romance between two who are so different and wary of the other. But each brings out the best in the other and love wins out!
Yours ‘Til Midnight : A Kwanzaa Kisses Holiday (Book ONE of 9 books by different authors released individually during December 2021) – Jailaa West
A very spicey, Cinderella quick read, where the hero is left with no clues to follow in order to find the woman he falls in love with, at first sight.
Caught Up in Candy Cane Kisses (Dec 2021) – Shannon Robinson
A second chance at love with the help of a few matchmakers and a cookie baking / fundraiser contest. And a recipe at the end of the book!
Scoring Over the Holidays: A Holiday Sports Anthology (Dec 2021) – Sierra Hall, Alexia Chase, Alexis Anne, Cathryn Fox, Daniela Romero, Kimberly Readnour, Lisa Lang Blakeney, Megan Ryder, Melissa Ivers, Mira Lyn Kelly
Holiday stories featuring sports stars. The stories run from hot to sweet.
One Christmas Wish (Oct 2021) – Brenda Jackson
Two people, both heartbroken for different reasons, find someone who listens and shares. But both are off-limits for different reasons. Heartwarming tale of loss and finding second chances through trust and love.
It’s Christmas Cowboy (The Sons of Chance) (Nov 2021) – Vicki Lewis Thompson
A quick read of second chances and unrequited love that brings two together to celebrate Christmas Eve after being stranded in a cozy cabin during a blizzard.
Kisses and Lemon Snowflake Cookies (Christmas Cookies) (Dec 2021) - N. Jade Gray
A self-conscious, out-of-towner, helps her aunt in her bakery and meets the Mr. July fireman of the fundraiser calendar fame, who also doesn’t have much confidence when it comes to women, in the cute holiday match-maker story. It helps that said fireman loves lemon snowflake cookies. And a recipe at the end of the book!
Sleigh Bells Ring (Oct 2021) – RaeAnne Thayne
Childhood friends reconnect to find true love, as one family is ready to move on from the ranch owned by their recently deceased grandfather, while the other is invested in a property she has no hold on. Against all odds, can they make true love work?
Kwanzaa ‘Pon a Time (Nov 2021) – Marcia King-Gamble
Meeting her brother’s best friend, from their service in Afghanistan, pushes every button the heroine thought true. But stuck together over the Christmas holiday, as maid of honor and best man for her brother’s Kwanzaa wedding, she soon finds the truth and true love.
The Christmas Escape (Oct 2021) – Sarah Morgan
A multi-layered journey about relationships: childhood best friends, marriage, career choices, all in the spectacular settings of London, the British countryside, and the remote Lapland in Scandinavia.
TOO MANY BOOKS, TOO LITTLE TIME: BOOKS I PLAN to READ
A Cowboy’s Christmas (The McGavin Brothers, Book 6) (Nov 2017) – Vicki Lewis Thompson
Duke the Halls (Nov 2021) – anthology with Christi Caldwell, Jennifer Ashley, Anna Bradley, Grace Burrowes, Kerrigan Byrne. Tanya Anne Crosby. (Six historical stories about love during the holidays.)
A Sweetwater Canyon Holiday Trio (Dec 2017) – Maggie Lynch
Christmas Holiday House (Oct 2020) – RaeAnne Thayne
Candleglow and Mistletoe (Oct 2016) – Josie Riviera
Tis The Season for Romance (Nov 2021) - Diana Dawn, Susan Horsnell, Josie Johnston, Mary Morano, J. F. Lowe, A. M. Olenick, Andra Dill, Jakki Frances
The Christmas Boutique (Oct 2019) – Jennifer Chiaverini
One More Christmas (Dec 2020) – Sarah Morgan
Mischief Under the Mistletoe (Oct 2021) – Stephanie Rowe
Christmas on Peachtree Lane (Nov 2020) – Jules Bennett
New Year’s Miracle: A Sweet Stonewater Novella - Book 4 (Nov 2021) – Ginny Frost
There’s Only One Holiday at Christmas (Collection 2018, 2019, 2020) – Jackie Lau
Dear Santa, I Really Tried: A Holiday Anthology from Naughty to Nice (Nov 2021) – Kathryn Shay, Lisa Mondello, Patricia McLinn, Barbara McMahon, Chantel Rondeau, KT Pec, Day LeClaire
A Cowboy’s Christmas (The McGavin Brothers, Book 6) (Nov 2017) – Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Doctor's Instant Family (Oct 2018) – Mindy Neff
Gifts of Love (two stories) (Oct 2009) – Lisa Kleypas and Kay Hooper
November is the Season of Abundance...
First published in Romancing the Genres on November 16, 2021 - The theme of the month was Abundance
Speaking about abundance in November, the first thing to come to mind is a Thanksgiving table laden with way too much food, most of it rich and heavy. And usually, there is an abundance of family and friends gathered around that table.
But for me, and for anyone who has read my November RTG blog over the last few years, the one thing I have an overabundance of, at any time of the year, are books on my Kindle. And in November, that overabundance is in the category of holiday romance—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and any other November / December seasonal holiday.
Below are the seasonal books I read. I’m sure each of you have lists of holiday books you enjoy. And some you may reread each year.
So, enjoy a quiet moment with a book, amid all the rush of the season.
This year my holiday rush includes another special event, the marriage of my daughter. So, I am happy to say a few of these books contain holiday weddings.
This list is not considered a recommendation (since we all have different reading tastes,) but is a list of books I have read in the last two months. I have another list I plan to read the rest of November and into December. I do go a bit overboard on holiday books, but then I do love reading them all year round. Enjoy!
Snowflakes & Stockings (Oct 2021) – Marianne Rice
A sweet, small-town romance, with opposites attract, each character brings out the best in the other, until a holiday secret could derail all they’ve built together.
Tinsel and Tatas: A Holiday Romantic Comedy Anthology (Oct 2021) – Kilby Blades, Serena Bell, Kameron Claire, Dylann Crush, Hope Ellis, Melonie Johnson, Tawdra Kandle, Stina Lindenblatt, Elizabeth Lynx, Claire Marti, MK Meredith, Susannah Nix, Tracey Pedersen, Marika Ray, Piper Rayne, Arell Rivers, Brenda St John Brown, Sylvie Stewart
Eighteen quick reads, ranging from sweet to steamy. The money raised from this anthology goes to Young Survival Coalition for Breast Cancer, which is an international organization to help women under the age of forty who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Spirit Of Christmas (Sept 2019) – Fern Michaels
A transplanted small-town heroine gets called back from the big city, and the thriving company she built from the ground up, to fulfill her grandmother’s dying wish. Before she can get back to work, she is thrown into a crazy holiday schedule and a comical cutthroat, annual holiday competition between inn owners. With a few of her grandmother’s matchmaker friends, she is partnered with the inn’s lawyer. A fun romp through the backend world of running an inn, of course, leads to a HEA.
Christmas Town Homecoming A 10-Book Connected Holiday Romance Collection (Oct 2021) – Melinda Curtis, Anna Stewart, Anna Adams, Cheryl Harper, Liz Flaherty, Leigh Riker, Beth Carpenter, LeAnne Bristow, Claire McEwen
Love these annual anthologies, with novelettes from Harlequin Heartwarming authors. All take place in Christmas Town, Maine, a town that celebrates Christmas all year round. Each anthology brings back characters and locations the reader has seen in past stories and adds new ones. They even mentioned my hometown in one of the stories. 😊 This book has connected 10 high school reunion stories, which is a lot of fun.
Christmas, Alabama (Oct 2017) – Susan Sands
Experience the over-the-top, small-town Christmas cheer, and the harried lifestyle of two characters from the big city—one an event photographer, the other an ER physician. Add in crazy families and friends, and you have a holiday Rom-Com with a touch of serious drama.
Cole for Christmas (Oct 2021) – Janet Raye Stevens
A meet-cute, mistaken identities story, between two who end up working together to pull off a holiday wedding in a Maine blizzard. Add in fun and quirky secondary characters, a bit of slap-stick comedy, a great setting on the ocean, and lots of chemistry between the fill-in event manager and the sous chef who must take over the chef’s job, and you have an entertaining RomCom.
Home for the Holly Days (Holly Point) (Nov 2021) – Cindy Kirk
The third book in an annual Christmas series in a sweet town in Vermont, where celebrating Christmas is a huge part of their economic base, so you get to know the business owners, who come back in every book, plus the new featured couple—this time a sweet reunion.
A Big Easy Christmas (Oct 2021) – Sue Ward Drake
A duet of novelettes about the Guidry brothers, family, and friends. The first is a follow-up look at characters from
Walking the Edge , as they celebrate Christmas in New Orleans. The second story is about two who meet around the Guidry Christmas dinner table and celebrate New Year’s Eve together. Full of New Orleans atmosphere.
Christmas Mountain Romance (Dec 2020) – Susan Hatler
A trilogy of sweet romance novels that take place in Montana. I enjoyed book one, and look forward to reading the next two in the series, as we move into late November and December.
Mistletoe Kiss with the Millionaire: Heirs to an Empire Miniseries, Book 4 (Oct 2021) – Donna Alward
A fake-engagement, friends-to-lovers, millionaire romance that gives the readers wonderful architectural and culinary romps through London and Paris, as well as glimpses of the French countryside at the chateau and the English countryside at the manor. Lots of family and corporate workplace fun and drama. This is the fourth book in a series, where the reader will reconnect with characters from past books, but definitely can be read as a standalone, with a lovely holiday ending.
A Lot Like Christmas (Sept 2021) – Jennifer Snow
The smalltown baker who bakes everyone else’s wedding cakes, would love the chance to bake her own. But love seems elusive, until a friend’s older brother comes to town for the holidays. Only home to regroup, a wandering doctor who goes from country-to-country with Doctors Without Borders, finds he needs to do more than regroup after the last assignment. Instant attraction and a chance to spend a few fun weeks with each other…could this lead to true love.
Gift-Giving Cowboy (Nov 2021) – Vicki Lewis Thompson
Book 10 is a combination end to one series and introduces characters and a new location for the next cowboy series. Throw in lots of Christmas-on-the-ranch traditions, and a love story between two unlikely soul-mates and you have a fun ending to the Buckskin Brotherhood series.
Saving Christmas (Nov 2021) – Peggy Jaeger
If you read last year’s Christmas book, the prequel, you will now see the heroine all grown up. With the loving help of her parents and the “irritating handyman,” the heroine finally believes in acceptance and finds love–sweet and funny, all rolled into one. The prequel is super sweet, but this book can be read as a stand-alone.
Do you have a favorite holiday book OR a list you plan to read?
Speaking about abundance in November, the first thing to come to mind is a Thanksgiving table laden with way too much food, most of it rich and heavy. And usually, there is an abundance of family and friends gathered around that table.
But for me, and for anyone who has read my November RTG blog over the last few years, the one thing I have an overabundance of, at any time of the year, are books on my Kindle. And in November, that overabundance is in the category of holiday romance—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and any other November / December seasonal holiday.
Below are the seasonal books I read. I’m sure each of you have lists of holiday books you enjoy. And some you may reread each year.
So, enjoy a quiet moment with a book, amid all the rush of the season.
This year my holiday rush includes another special event, the marriage of my daughter. So, I am happy to say a few of these books contain holiday weddings.
This list is not considered a recommendation (since we all have different reading tastes,) but is a list of books I have read in the last two months. I have another list I plan to read the rest of November and into December. I do go a bit overboard on holiday books, but then I do love reading them all year round. Enjoy!
Snowflakes & Stockings (Oct 2021) – Marianne Rice
A sweet, small-town romance, with opposites attract, each character brings out the best in the other, until a holiday secret could derail all they’ve built together.
Tinsel and Tatas: A Holiday Romantic Comedy Anthology (Oct 2021) – Kilby Blades, Serena Bell, Kameron Claire, Dylann Crush, Hope Ellis, Melonie Johnson, Tawdra Kandle, Stina Lindenblatt, Elizabeth Lynx, Claire Marti, MK Meredith, Susannah Nix, Tracey Pedersen, Marika Ray, Piper Rayne, Arell Rivers, Brenda St John Brown, Sylvie Stewart
Eighteen quick reads, ranging from sweet to steamy. The money raised from this anthology goes to Young Survival Coalition for Breast Cancer, which is an international organization to help women under the age of forty who are diagnosed with breast cancer.
Spirit Of Christmas (Sept 2019) – Fern Michaels
A transplanted small-town heroine gets called back from the big city, and the thriving company she built from the ground up, to fulfill her grandmother’s dying wish. Before she can get back to work, she is thrown into a crazy holiday schedule and a comical cutthroat, annual holiday competition between inn owners. With a few of her grandmother’s matchmaker friends, she is partnered with the inn’s lawyer. A fun romp through the backend world of running an inn, of course, leads to a HEA.
Christmas Town Homecoming A 10-Book Connected Holiday Romance Collection (Oct 2021) – Melinda Curtis, Anna Stewart, Anna Adams, Cheryl Harper, Liz Flaherty, Leigh Riker, Beth Carpenter, LeAnne Bristow, Claire McEwen
Love these annual anthologies, with novelettes from Harlequin Heartwarming authors. All take place in Christmas Town, Maine, a town that celebrates Christmas all year round. Each anthology brings back characters and locations the reader has seen in past stories and adds new ones. They even mentioned my hometown in one of the stories. 😊 This book has connected 10 high school reunion stories, which is a lot of fun.
Christmas, Alabama (Oct 2017) – Susan Sands
Experience the over-the-top, small-town Christmas cheer, and the harried lifestyle of two characters from the big city—one an event photographer, the other an ER physician. Add in crazy families and friends, and you have a holiday Rom-Com with a touch of serious drama.
Cole for Christmas (Oct 2021) – Janet Raye Stevens
A meet-cute, mistaken identities story, between two who end up working together to pull off a holiday wedding in a Maine blizzard. Add in fun and quirky secondary characters, a bit of slap-stick comedy, a great setting on the ocean, and lots of chemistry between the fill-in event manager and the sous chef who must take over the chef’s job, and you have an entertaining RomCom.
Home for the Holly Days (Holly Point) (Nov 2021) – Cindy Kirk
The third book in an annual Christmas series in a sweet town in Vermont, where celebrating Christmas is a huge part of their economic base, so you get to know the business owners, who come back in every book, plus the new featured couple—this time a sweet reunion.
A Big Easy Christmas (Oct 2021) – Sue Ward Drake
A duet of novelettes about the Guidry brothers, family, and friends. The first is a follow-up look at characters from
Walking the Edge , as they celebrate Christmas in New Orleans. The second story is about two who meet around the Guidry Christmas dinner table and celebrate New Year’s Eve together. Full of New Orleans atmosphere.
Christmas Mountain Romance (Dec 2020) – Susan Hatler
A trilogy of sweet romance novels that take place in Montana. I enjoyed book one, and look forward to reading the next two in the series, as we move into late November and December.
Mistletoe Kiss with the Millionaire: Heirs to an Empire Miniseries, Book 4 (Oct 2021) – Donna Alward
A fake-engagement, friends-to-lovers, millionaire romance that gives the readers wonderful architectural and culinary romps through London and Paris, as well as glimpses of the French countryside at the chateau and the English countryside at the manor. Lots of family and corporate workplace fun and drama. This is the fourth book in a series, where the reader will reconnect with characters from past books, but definitely can be read as a standalone, with a lovely holiday ending.
A Lot Like Christmas (Sept 2021) – Jennifer Snow
The smalltown baker who bakes everyone else’s wedding cakes, would love the chance to bake her own. But love seems elusive, until a friend’s older brother comes to town for the holidays. Only home to regroup, a wandering doctor who goes from country-to-country with Doctors Without Borders, finds he needs to do more than regroup after the last assignment. Instant attraction and a chance to spend a few fun weeks with each other…could this lead to true love.
Gift-Giving Cowboy (Nov 2021) – Vicki Lewis Thompson
Book 10 is a combination end to one series and introduces characters and a new location for the next cowboy series. Throw in lots of Christmas-on-the-ranch traditions, and a love story between two unlikely soul-mates and you have a fun ending to the Buckskin Brotherhood series.
Saving Christmas (Nov 2021) – Peggy Jaeger
If you read last year’s Christmas book, the prequel, you will now see the heroine all grown up. With the loving help of her parents and the “irritating handyman,” the heroine finally believes in acceptance and finds love–sweet and funny, all rolled into one. The prequel is super sweet, but this book can be read as a stand-alone.
Do you have a favorite holiday book OR a list you plan to read?
January 1, 2021
The Importance of Setting Goals for the New Year
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re too small.”
~ Richard Branson ~ So This is the time of year when we evaluate what we did over the past year, and reassess. A new year is a time for new beginnings, so part of that evaluation of the past is also looking to the future. What did I not accomplish last year? What do I want to achieve in the new year?
For me, especially this year, now is the time to forgive myself for, in my mind, falling short in the past year. And part of that forgiveness includes reviewing last year’s goals and understanding what it was about those goals that prevented me from accomplishing them. Now obviously, in a year of turmoil like that of 2020 there are so many reasons why I didn’t manage to check off my long list of projects I hoped to complete. This is the time where I need to:
FORGIVE
FORGET
REASSESS
MOVE ON
So here I go! I'm starting fresh for 2021 with renewed hope and drive to accomplish what I set out to do last year. If I don’t complete this goal-setting exercise every year, I have no reason to finish anything. I have no guide. I have no drive. I have no hope. So my words to guide me for 2021 are DETERMINATION and OPTIMISIM.
Do you chose words to help you focus in the New Year?
This year, I looked at the goals I set last December and realized I accomplished almost nothing on my list. But instead of beating up myself for “failing”—okay, I’ve already done that, plenty—I have taken those goals, tweaked them, and thrown them into the 2021 file. And… I’ve sent them off to my weekly Goals Reporting group. They are good at holding me accountable. Or at the very least, encouraging me along the way.
A fresh start!
So, I encourage all of you to take a risk. Write down not only what you think you can accomplish, but what you dream you might accomplish if all the stars align. You might not complete all of those goals, but if you don’t aspire to anything, you have nothing to aim for.
Goals will be different, depending on what your objective is.
Examples of annual goals for a writer could be: • Setting an annual word count • Books to be completed: written, edited, formatted, and/or released • Conferences and other skill building activities • Promotion – which could include a schedule for social media, trying new social media or promotional sites, a plan for soliciting reviews, building a review or street team, working with experts to enhance what you do or learning new tools, guest blogging, website update schedule for better SEO (Search Engine Optimization) • Reaching out to a friend(s) or joining a group to help keep you on task.
Believe in yourself and chances are you can accomplish a lot more than you ever dreamed.
Setting goals down on paper gives you that roadmap for your journey to a destination. Whether you're an artist, a reader of romance books, or working from home for pay, setting goals gives you something to strive for. For example, as a reader who wants to keep track of how many books they read, by belonging to Goodreads, you're able to track the number of books you read annually. Or you can look back on your purchases of books and check-off the books you read.
Along the route to accomplishing your goal, you may need to take a detour, or double back, or change course altogether, but at least you started out with a target in mind. And when you do need to change course, you do so with the intention of knowing the end goal and therefore still aiming to accomplish something. This is a mindset I think many of us need as we head out of a year that was full of obstacles, pitfalls, and unpleasant surprises. Look forward to the positive, jut that chin in the air with determination, and plow forward into what one hopes will be a new, bright, and optimistic journey. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
~ Milton Berle ~ And remember…what doesn’t get completed this year…well, there’s always rolling over that goal to 2022.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and productive year in 2021 in whatever endeavor you chose to pursue.
~ Richard Branson ~ So This is the time of year when we evaluate what we did over the past year, and reassess. A new year is a time for new beginnings, so part of that evaluation of the past is also looking to the future. What did I not accomplish last year? What do I want to achieve in the new year?
For me, especially this year, now is the time to forgive myself for, in my mind, falling short in the past year. And part of that forgiveness includes reviewing last year’s goals and understanding what it was about those goals that prevented me from accomplishing them. Now obviously, in a year of turmoil like that of 2020 there are so many reasons why I didn’t manage to check off my long list of projects I hoped to complete. This is the time where I need to:
FORGIVE
FORGET
REASSESS
MOVE ON
So here I go! I'm starting fresh for 2021 with renewed hope and drive to accomplish what I set out to do last year. If I don’t complete this goal-setting exercise every year, I have no reason to finish anything. I have no guide. I have no drive. I have no hope. So my words to guide me for 2021 are DETERMINATION and OPTIMISIM.
Do you chose words to help you focus in the New Year?
This year, I looked at the goals I set last December and realized I accomplished almost nothing on my list. But instead of beating up myself for “failing”—okay, I’ve already done that, plenty—I have taken those goals, tweaked them, and thrown them into the 2021 file. And… I’ve sent them off to my weekly Goals Reporting group. They are good at holding me accountable. Or at the very least, encouraging me along the way.A fresh start!
So, I encourage all of you to take a risk. Write down not only what you think you can accomplish, but what you dream you might accomplish if all the stars align. You might not complete all of those goals, but if you don’t aspire to anything, you have nothing to aim for.
Goals will be different, depending on what your objective is.
Examples of annual goals for a writer could be: • Setting an annual word count • Books to be completed: written, edited, formatted, and/or released • Conferences and other skill building activities • Promotion – which could include a schedule for social media, trying new social media or promotional sites, a plan for soliciting reviews, building a review or street team, working with experts to enhance what you do or learning new tools, guest blogging, website update schedule for better SEO (Search Engine Optimization) • Reaching out to a friend(s) or joining a group to help keep you on task.
Believe in yourself and chances are you can accomplish a lot more than you ever dreamed.Setting goals down on paper gives you that roadmap for your journey to a destination. Whether you're an artist, a reader of romance books, or working from home for pay, setting goals gives you something to strive for. For example, as a reader who wants to keep track of how many books they read, by belonging to Goodreads, you're able to track the number of books you read annually. Or you can look back on your purchases of books and check-off the books you read.
Along the route to accomplishing your goal, you may need to take a detour, or double back, or change course altogether, but at least you started out with a target in mind. And when you do need to change course, you do so with the intention of knowing the end goal and therefore still aiming to accomplish something. This is a mindset I think many of us need as we head out of a year that was full of obstacles, pitfalls, and unpleasant surprises. Look forward to the positive, jut that chin in the air with determination, and plow forward into what one hopes will be a new, bright, and optimistic journey. “If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”
~ Milton Berle ~ And remember…what doesn’t get completed this year…well, there’s always rolling over that goal to 2022.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and productive year in 2021 in whatever endeavor you chose to pursue.
December 13, 2020
Putting A Little of Yourself into Each Book
Ever wonder where writer’s ideas come from?So do I! I am what is known as a pantser or organic writer. So most of the time I get a kernel of an idea—a character, a setting, or a scene playing out in my head—and I start writing. I never know where that idea will take me.
My newest hero, Sam, was established as a secondary character in The Legacy of Parkers Point , book one, in the Starlight Grille series. I loved Sam, so I decided he had to have his own story.
Logical progression of the series meant
Come Dance With Me
would take place in the winter.I had written the first few chapters, when the title came to me from song lyrics I heard as I commuted to work. Usually I agonize over titles. Instead, the title had me envisioning the ending—a Christmas Dance—with the hero and heroine in each other’s arms. In this case, the title, and the ending, helped drive the plot, theme, setting, time of year, and character arcs.
t times, words seem to flow from my brain to my fingers without conscious thought. When I reread what I wrote, I have no memory of thinking about those words or scene. In this case, during the editing process I realized many scenes evolved from memories of my high school dances. Remember the romantic teenage yearnings of getting ready for a dance?Here are some examples of where my muse took over by conjuring up memories and turning them into something to fit the story.
· I sewed my own high school Christmas dance dress, floor-length, maroon velvet, sleeveless, jewel-necked, slim-fitting. I found out at a reunion that the guys still remembered that dress. My heroine wears staid colors and classic designs. I am sure my muse decided at this point that my hero wished to see the heroine in bright colors, and makes it happen.
· My dad was a chaperone. He stood on tip-toe the entire dance, tracking my every move. I remember ducking my head as I slow-danced, praying any dance partners would not notice my dad. When one of the star football players, one of a handful of blacks in our school, asked me to dance, I nearly swooned. I had a mad crush on him. Later, when he asked me to a rock concert, my dad grilled him in the front hallway—just like he did with every date my sister and I ever had. In this story my heroine is a chaperone and invites the hero to help chaperone. They also attend a rock concert together.
· A classmate of mine sent a poem to Muhammed Ali and as a result got to meet him. My hero writes a jazz piece for Muhammed Ali. As I wrote the scene, I had him writing for the Queen in mind, but my words turned into Muhammed Ali right before my eyes.
· Our school had recently integrated (a fact I was unaware of at the time, and thought was the norm). There were a few biracial couples. In my tight-knit, progressive, and accepting Quaker school community, those who were in biracial relationships were accepted, but not in the country as a whole. My hero and heroine are a biracial couple. Hopefully the world has changed since I was a teen, but I know the truth—we have a long way to go.
Add to the memories are the impact of growing up in a city where I had access to classical concerts at the Kennedy Center, and the influence of the music culture of the 60s, including my love of Motown, jazz, and blues, and you have the seeds for a story that germinated and grew as my muse took over.So, I hope you enjoy Come Dance With Me , and the excerpt below, where I have played with facts of my life to create a modern fictional love story that culminates at the Christmas Dance.
EXCERPT She watched his graceful body climb the three steps to the stage. She sat close enough to see Sam’s fingers stroke the keys. The notes swirled around her heart and straight to her toes. Ashley closed her eyes and swayed to the slow, sensual rhythms. His tempo eased from slow to fast. Her feet tapped out the beat, the sounds coursing a hot path through her veins. The ebb and flow of jazz, like making love, engulfed her entire being. She held close the urge to moan and sigh. Unlike the night she sat with Mary Beth, now she imagined Sam played only for her.
To think she owned his recordings, but never imagined she’d ever meet the man. His music had been the one thing that made her feel alive these last few years, and now she knew him…like a friend. He still scared the stuffing out of her. But not in a bad way. She hadn’t expected him to like her, and treat her like a friend, when she’d agreed to this after-school partnership. But here she sat.
“He’s something, isn’t he?”
Ashley swiveled toward the voice behind her. A petite, red-headed woman grinned.
Do you have some stand-out memories of high school that might lend themselves to being part of a story or a scene?
November 26, 2020
70 Plus Authors on Coffee Time Romance & More - Nov 27 - 30
This year has been long and painful in so many ways. Reading romance and watching romantic movies helped me through a year of sadness and trial. So, this blog is in thanks to the many writers of romance who help us forget our pain and look on the bright side of life. No matter the genre or the tone of the story, romance ALWAYS gives us the happily-ever-after that helps restore faith in goodness and the hope that joy and redemption will win out.
Please join me and over seventy authors on the Coffee Time Romance & More blog, from Black Friday through Cyber Monday (November 27-30), to see what 2020 has brought us in wonderful stories that span the breadth of genres within the romance field.
I give you my promise, these stories will take you away into another world, where for a few hours you can suspend reality and live in a world built by your favorite author or those authors you have yet to discover.
To celebrate the Thanksgiving season, I offer up my new fall wedding novella, The Love Left Behind , a story of forgiveness and second chances that culminate at Thanksgiving dinner, and, of course, a sweet epilogue that foreshadow the happily-ever-after future.
Her only worry was the out-of-control mother-of-the-bride, until the past slammed head first into the present.
Marlee Thomas looks at life head-on. No looking back, no second chances on what could have been. Except to thank her great aunt one more time for giving her love, a home, a legacy, and the means to mold an event planning business she loves.
Brian Mason is on his own. Left behind is his family’s law firm legacy and a disastrous marriage born out of family loyalty. He’s starting fresh, away from the big city where his surname is infamous.
Coincidence finds Marlee and Brian face to face for the first time in twenty-seven years. She the event planner, he the divorced father of the bride.
Mixed signals, a secret baby, instant passion ignited years ago, and second chances divide the years. Can either forgive past mistakes to learn to love again? Here’s to a thankful season as we journey from Thanksgiving to the holidays and the celebration of a new and positive year!
Please join me and over seventy authors on the Coffee Time Romance & More blog, from Black Friday through Cyber Monday (November 27-30), to see what 2020 has brought us in wonderful stories that span the breadth of genres within the romance field.
I give you my promise, these stories will take you away into another world, where for a few hours you can suspend reality and live in a world built by your favorite author or those authors you have yet to discover.To celebrate the Thanksgiving season, I offer up my new fall wedding novella, The Love Left Behind , a story of forgiveness and second chances that culminate at Thanksgiving dinner, and, of course, a sweet epilogue that foreshadow the happily-ever-after future.
Her only worry was the out-of-control mother-of-the-bride, until the past slammed head first into the present.
Marlee Thomas looks at life head-on. No looking back, no second chances on what could have been. Except to thank her great aunt one more time for giving her love, a home, a legacy, and the means to mold an event planning business she loves.
Brian Mason is on his own. Left behind is his family’s law firm legacy and a disastrous marriage born out of family loyalty. He’s starting fresh, away from the big city where his surname is infamous.
Coincidence finds Marlee and Brian face to face for the first time in twenty-seven years. She the event planner, he the divorced father of the bride.
Mixed signals, a secret baby, instant passion ignited years ago, and second chances divide the years. Can either forgive past mistakes to learn to love again? Here’s to a thankful season as we journey from Thanksgiving to the holidays and the celebration of a new and positive year!
July 5, 2020
Winter Holidays in July...
It's July … and July means holiday movies on Hallmark. So I thought I would re-run my November "Romancing the Genres" blogs with all the holiday books I read up through November 2019. I know … I love to read holiday books and I love to write them. In fact, I'm editing one right now. To give you inspiration on a summer July day, check out my neighbor's "Christmas in April" photo. I took this one late night right after a blizzard, after our mild winter, when my neighbors reactivated their holiday lights and built a snowman. 
I live for romantic holiday books. And I do love to write them. So, here’s my list of fun and recent holiday releases, from some of my favorite authors and a few newly discovered authors.
Christmas Baby for the Billionaire , by Donna Alward (October 1, 2019)
I love Alward’s books, and have been reading her stories ever since she handed me a free book after I missed her book signing, years ago. I tried to thrust my money into her hand. Really, I did.
After an unforgettable, summer vacation fling, an unexpected pregnancy brings the mother
and unsuspecting, billionaire father together at Christmas time. Can two people from different economic backgrounds and from two countries (a small, coastal town in Canada and the heart of New York City) find common ground, and eventually love? Lovely scenes of the holidays in both rural and big city settings, great descriptions, and real-to-life characters who struggle to find love and personal happiness, but eventually do in each other.
Wrapped Up in You
, by Jill Shalvis (September 24, 2019)
I’ve enjoyed this series by Shalvis and was excited to see a Christmas book. Set in San Francisco and part of a series about a community of friends bonded by their small enclave in the middle of the city, I’ve looked forward to each book about characters previously introduced. Hot, feisty, sensual, heartfelt, angsty, this book stands up to the others in the series. Although not a ton of Christmas, it does end on a sweet note on Christmas Eve (do not read further if you don’t want to know the ending overview, even though is it a romance and all romances end this way,) where both the hero and heroine finally are settled and feel fully accepted by family and friends in the series community that Shalvis has so beautifully built.
The Trouble with Christmas
, by Amy Andrews (September 24, 2019)
A new author to me, I will definitely buy other books. Fast-moving, humorous, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue and internal thoughts, engaging, quirky, stellar descriptions, brooding and hot hero, and heroine who can’t seem to avoid finding and creating trouble as she finds herself, and as a result helps the hero find himself. What more could you want in an endearing holiday story about finding your true north star and an unexpected love?
Lavender & Mistletoe
, by Donna Kaufman (September 24, 2019)
Donna Kaufman is another favorite author. I love this series that takes place in Blue Hollow Falls in the mountains of Virginia. Lots of snow, a baby goat, Christmas cheer, and an endearing discovery of love. This one is an extremely sweet with lots of heat novella, about two characters with the same unique experiences, who have never been able to relate to others. The perfect match, but one that takes a bit of matchmaking by friends (from previous stories) for the characters to realize they are meant for each other. A lot packed into this shorter story.
Romancing the Holidays
, an anthology, by Annie Seaton, Susanne Bellamy, Monique McDonell, Ebony McKenna, Kris Pearson, Ashley Logan, Shirley Wine, Anne Kemp, Susan Downham, Sofia Grey, Gudrun Frerichs SP (November 1, 2019)
A variety of eleven heartwarming and steamy stories of Christmas from the other side of the equator gives the reader a fun look at the holidays from a different perspective than mine (which is cold and snow and all that goes with holiday planning in northeast USA.) I love discovering new-to-me authors and look forward to reading other books by my new-found friends, who are authors from Australia, New Zealand (one by way of the US and one by way of Germany), and the West Indies.
Cocoa & Carols,
by Marianne Rice (November 1, 2019)
Marianne writes contemporary romance, located in Maine. She has several not-to-miss series. This holiday story is her second in the Wilton Hills Christmas series. A stranger to town is welcomed at Thanksgiving by a big, raucous, fun-loving family. Throw in a handsome and kind oldest son, lots of Christmas merriment, a production of The Christmas Carol, and an adorable dog, and you have a sweet tale of fulfilling a dream of fitting in and small-town hospitality with a happily-ever-after at Christmas.
Eight Nights to Win Her Heart,
Ronnie Denholz (October 18, 2019)
A sweet, with a good amount of heat, novella. After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, he begs for a second chance and sets out to redeem himself over the eight days of Hanukkah. A heartfelt rebuilding of an already loving relationship, with healthy sprinkling of Hanukkah events with family and friends.
All I want for Christmas is You, by Miranda Liasson (October 29, 2019)
So much fun to revisit the folks from Angel Falls and watch the relationship between two friends grow from forever friends into the love they’ve both tried to hide from themselves and their families. Both sweet and hot, cathartic and crushing, the ride through this book is a rollercoaster of emotions and full of Christmas cheer and loving families. Oh, and lots and lots of bakery products, including a ton of chocolate.
It Started with Joy by Cindy Kirk (November 1, 2019)
A widowed, temporary foster mom, works to give a child a Christmas to remember. But when she falls in love with the child and a new man in town, all three find a second chance at happiness. A little bit of hot, with a lot of sweet Christmas activities, in the snowy town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And a group of secondary characters who all have heartwarming stories of their own, in this revised, re-release of one of the books in a fun former Silhouette series. PS – I read this series back when, but somehow missed this lovely story. Now I can’t wait to reread the rest as they are again released
If Wishes Were Earls, by Luanna Stewart (March 13, 2017)
This is a re-released book in 2019, but I had to add it, because I loved this book. Stewart’s underlying sense of humor permeates this story about an adventurous spinster miss who, directed by an intriguing note and an enchanted keepsake, stumbles upon a dark, isolated,
and mysterious manor house and the earl who is equally dark, tortured, and mysterious.
But he’s got his work cut out for him when the fearless heroine gets snowed in and proceeds to undermine every single thing he ever thought he held true, as she searches out all his secrets. A fun, sexy romp featuring a hermit, earl hero who has met his match with an unconventional heroine. Warning, lots of snow and cold weather, making for cozy, warm, and hot scenes in the Victorian manor.
Come Dance with Me (Oct 2017)
~ my own holiday story ~
Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights
sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?
I live for romantic holiday books. And I do love to write them. So, here’s my list of fun and recent holiday releases, from some of my favorite authors and a few newly discovered authors.
Christmas Baby for the Billionaire , by Donna Alward (October 1, 2019)
I love Alward’s books, and have been reading her stories ever since she handed me a free book after I missed her book signing, years ago. I tried to thrust my money into her hand. Really, I did.
After an unforgettable, summer vacation fling, an unexpected pregnancy brings the mother
and unsuspecting, billionaire father together at Christmas time. Can two people from different economic backgrounds and from two countries (a small, coastal town in Canada and the heart of New York City) find common ground, and eventually love? Lovely scenes of the holidays in both rural and big city settings, great descriptions, and real-to-life characters who struggle to find love and personal happiness, but eventually do in each other.
Wrapped Up in You
, by Jill Shalvis (September 24, 2019)I’ve enjoyed this series by Shalvis and was excited to see a Christmas book. Set in San Francisco and part of a series about a community of friends bonded by their small enclave in the middle of the city, I’ve looked forward to each book about characters previously introduced. Hot, feisty, sensual, heartfelt, angsty, this book stands up to the others in the series. Although not a ton of Christmas, it does end on a sweet note on Christmas Eve (do not read further if you don’t want to know the ending overview, even though is it a romance and all romances end this way,) where both the hero and heroine finally are settled and feel fully accepted by family and friends in the series community that Shalvis has so beautifully built.
The Trouble with Christmas
, by Amy Andrews (September 24, 2019)
A new author to me, I will definitely buy other books. Fast-moving, humorous, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue and internal thoughts, engaging, quirky, stellar descriptions, brooding and hot hero, and heroine who can’t seem to avoid finding and creating trouble as she finds herself, and as a result helps the hero find himself. What more could you want in an endearing holiday story about finding your true north star and an unexpected love?
Lavender & Mistletoe
, by Donna Kaufman (September 24, 2019)
Donna Kaufman is another favorite author. I love this series that takes place in Blue Hollow Falls in the mountains of Virginia. Lots of snow, a baby goat, Christmas cheer, and an endearing discovery of love. This one is an extremely sweet with lots of heat novella, about two characters with the same unique experiences, who have never been able to relate to others. The perfect match, but one that takes a bit of matchmaking by friends (from previous stories) for the characters to realize they are meant for each other. A lot packed into this shorter story.
Romancing the Holidays
, an anthology, by Annie Seaton, Susanne Bellamy, Monique McDonell, Ebony McKenna, Kris Pearson, Ashley Logan, Shirley Wine, Anne Kemp, Susan Downham, Sofia Grey, Gudrun Frerichs SP (November 1, 2019)
A variety of eleven heartwarming and steamy stories of Christmas from the other side of the equator gives the reader a fun look at the holidays from a different perspective than mine (which is cold and snow and all that goes with holiday planning in northeast USA.) I love discovering new-to-me authors and look forward to reading other books by my new-found friends, who are authors from Australia, New Zealand (one by way of the US and one by way of Germany), and the West Indies.
Cocoa & Carols,
by Marianne Rice (November 1, 2019)
Marianne writes contemporary romance, located in Maine. She has several not-to-miss series. This holiday story is her second in the Wilton Hills Christmas series. A stranger to town is welcomed at Thanksgiving by a big, raucous, fun-loving family. Throw in a handsome and kind oldest son, lots of Christmas merriment, a production of The Christmas Carol, and an adorable dog, and you have a sweet tale of fulfilling a dream of fitting in and small-town hospitality with a happily-ever-after at Christmas.
Eight Nights to Win Her Heart,
Ronnie Denholz (October 18, 2019)
A sweet, with a good amount of heat, novella. After breaking up with her long-term boyfriend, he begs for a second chance and sets out to redeem himself over the eight days of Hanukkah. A heartfelt rebuilding of an already loving relationship, with healthy sprinkling of Hanukkah events with family and friends.
All I want for Christmas is You, by Miranda Liasson (October 29, 2019)So much fun to revisit the folks from Angel Falls and watch the relationship between two friends grow from forever friends into the love they’ve both tried to hide from themselves and their families. Both sweet and hot, cathartic and crushing, the ride through this book is a rollercoaster of emotions and full of Christmas cheer and loving families. Oh, and lots and lots of bakery products, including a ton of chocolate.
It Started with Joy by Cindy Kirk (November 1, 2019)
A widowed, temporary foster mom, works to give a child a Christmas to remember. But when she falls in love with the child and a new man in town, all three find a second chance at happiness. A little bit of hot, with a lot of sweet Christmas activities, in the snowy town of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. And a group of secondary characters who all have heartwarming stories of their own, in this revised, re-release of one of the books in a fun former Silhouette series. PS – I read this series back when, but somehow missed this lovely story. Now I can’t wait to reread the rest as they are again released
If Wishes Were Earls, by Luanna Stewart (March 13, 2017)
This is a re-released book in 2019, but I had to add it, because I loved this book. Stewart’s underlying sense of humor permeates this story about an adventurous spinster miss who, directed by an intriguing note and an enchanted keepsake, stumbles upon a dark, isolated,
and mysterious manor house and the earl who is equally dark, tortured, and mysterious.
But he’s got his work cut out for him when the fearless heroine gets snowed in and proceeds to undermine every single thing he ever thought he held true, as she searches out all his secrets. A fun, sexy romp featuring a hermit, earl hero who has met his match with an unconventional heroine. Warning, lots of snow and cold weather, making for cozy, warm, and hot scenes in the Victorian manor.
Come Dance with Me (Oct 2017)
~ my own holiday story ~
Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights
sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?
May 15, 2020
Welcome Pamela S. Thibodeaux
I am pleased to feature a guest on my blog. Welcome Award-winning author, Pamela S. Thibodeaux.
Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story!
Tempered Fire,
Tempered Series, Book 3
Blurb: Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood. Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber's father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact?
Excerpts:
Although told from entirely different POV as the actual events, these bits and pieces of two scenes are favorites of mine because they’re very personal …. Many moons ago a young, basically shy, definitely not overtly popular girl stood on the fringes of the homecoming bonfire. A boy she felt strongly about was on the platform introducing the Homecoming court or some ‘sweetheart’ or another. He glanced out over the crowd, their eyes met, and her heart was never the same….
~ ~ #1 ~ ~
She fidgeted, unable to keep still for the excitement curling in her gut. Being Junior Maid on the Homecoming Court was not all that was causing her heart to flutter and her stomach to clench like a nervous fist. She was used to that, being both Freshman and Sophomore Maid before. But the boy she had noticed, really noticed, for the first time last night had her as nervous and excited as an untrained filly.
“I met the guy I’m going to marry last night,” she remarked, raising sparkling eyes to her father’s teasing gaze.
~ ~ #2 ~ ~
Her mind worked back to the eve of homecoming when he’d gazed up at her from the crowd of students. Their eyes met, lingered, and she was infinitely grateful the flush, which started in her toes and worked its way into her cheeks, could be attributed to the excitement and not to the heat in his gaze which had caused the blood to singe her veins. She’d wondered why she hadn’t noticed before how incredibly handsome he was.
For fun, check out five, short audio bloopers: https://soundcloud.com/user-409410129
Links for Purchase:
Audio: http://bit.ly/TemperedFireAudio
Kindle http://amzn.to/1uRR2WW
Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/Zwr3X2
Nookhttp://bit.ly/1VjuesY
B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1mF4CL6
Smashwords http://bit.ly/1h4vmLr
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tempered-fire
*Get a code for a FREE copy of Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams & Tempered Fire HERE !
You’ll find Pamela S. Thibodeaux at these Contact Links:
Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com
Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/psthibnewsletter
Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux
https://www.facebook.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1jUVcdU
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
Thibodeaux is the Co-Founder and a lifetime member of Bayou Writers Group in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Multi-published in romantic fiction as well as creative non-fiction, her writing has been tagged as, “Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ and reviewed as “steamier and grittier than the typical Christian novel without decreasing the message.” Sign up to receive Pam’s newsletter and get a FREE short story!
Tempered Fire,
Tempered Series, Book 3
Blurb: Harris is a good girl on the brink of womanhood. Stanley Morrison is a young man at the start of his life. For each other, they have always felt the fireworks that two people in love should feel. But the questions about his past, his pride, and Amber's father might be the end of what could be a strong relationship. As the two try to protect their budding romance, some unlikely but powerful forces conspire to keep them apart. Will they survive the wishes of everyone around them with their relationship intact?
Excerpts:Although told from entirely different POV as the actual events, these bits and pieces of two scenes are favorites of mine because they’re very personal …. Many moons ago a young, basically shy, definitely not overtly popular girl stood on the fringes of the homecoming bonfire. A boy she felt strongly about was on the platform introducing the Homecoming court or some ‘sweetheart’ or another. He glanced out over the crowd, their eyes met, and her heart was never the same….
~ ~ #1 ~ ~
She fidgeted, unable to keep still for the excitement curling in her gut. Being Junior Maid on the Homecoming Court was not all that was causing her heart to flutter and her stomach to clench like a nervous fist. She was used to that, being both Freshman and Sophomore Maid before. But the boy she had noticed, really noticed, for the first time last night had her as nervous and excited as an untrained filly.
“I met the guy I’m going to marry last night,” she remarked, raising sparkling eyes to her father’s teasing gaze.
~ ~ #2 ~ ~
Her mind worked back to the eve of homecoming when he’d gazed up at her from the crowd of students. Their eyes met, lingered, and she was infinitely grateful the flush, which started in her toes and worked its way into her cheeks, could be attributed to the excitement and not to the heat in his gaze which had caused the blood to singe her veins. She’d wondered why she hadn’t noticed before how incredibly handsome he was.
For fun, check out five, short audio bloopers: https://soundcloud.com/user-409410129
Links for Purchase:
Audio: http://bit.ly/TemperedFireAudio
Kindle http://amzn.to/1uRR2WW
Amazon Print: http://bit.ly/Zwr3X2
Nookhttp://bit.ly/1VjuesY
B&N Print: http://bit.ly/1mF4CL6
Smashwords http://bit.ly/1h4vmLr
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tempered-fire
*Get a code for a FREE copy of Tempered Hearts, Tempered Dreams & Tempered Fire HERE !
You’ll find Pamela S. Thibodeaux at these Contact Links:
Website address: http://www.pamelathibodeaux.com
Blog: http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com
Newsletter: http://bit.ly/psthibnewsletter
Face Book: http://facebook.com/pamelasthibodeaux
https://www.facebook.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/psthib @psthib
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pamelasthibodea/
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1jUVcdU
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/pamela-s-thibodeaux
Instagram: https://instagram.com/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
April 28, 2020
Creating Story Out of a Kernel of an Idea: Free Short Story
Years ago, I wrote a short (800 word) story and submitted the tale to Woman’s World magazine. The story was rejected. But I couldn’t let go of the idea that was born out of my daughter’s stories about life in the Colorado mountains. One of her jobs was to teach young skiers. Most of her little students were children of wealthy families and visiting celebrities.She drove me up the mountain to see the ski areas where she worked. The views were spectacular. On the way back down valley, she pointed out a wooded area that had an old wooden bridge that went over the Roaring Fork River and snaked up a hill to disappear over the crest. It turns out a Saudi prince owned one of the most expensive properties in the U.S at the end of that road, on the other side of the rise. A few years later the 56,000 square foot estate on 90,000 acres sold for forty-nine million dollars, down from the original asking price of one-hundred and thirty-nine million.
The germ of an idea for The Prince’s Son was born.
I purposely did not put a prince in the story I wrote for Woman’s World, since they like feel-good stories about people just like you and me. And prince’s don’t fit that category
