Love makes the world go around....with a little help from Cupid by Peggy Jaeger

 Our theme this month is Cupid, falling in love, and Valentine's day. Since the 14th has come and gone ( happy belated, btw!) I got to thinking that, as a romance author, I actually play Cupid's role.

Society's image of Cupid is typically a small chubby boy-child in a diaper, with blond curly hair and angel wings,  sporting a secret smile, and armed with a bow and arrow. 

While I'm a girl and a long way from being a child(!), I resemble the little cutie in the chubby, blonde, smirking department. See?

Hee hee.

So it's not wrong to say I play the role of Cupid, sans arrow, when I'm getting my characters to fall in love. 

My favorite couples to write are ones that, ordinarily, wouldn't meet and fall in love. The opposites attract trope is actually a mirror of my own HEA. Hubby and I came from two different worlds growing up. He from a stable, loving, multi-sibling family, blessed with money and status. He had advantages I could only dream of when it came to schools, friends, and opportunities for the future. My humble beginnings included a single divorced mom,  being an only child, alcoholism and living paycheck to paycheck and sometimes not even that. Little was expected from me for my future and most thought I would turn to the dark side and not amount to much.

I didn't. 

One of the main reasons I didn't was because, as a latch key kid, I spent most of my afternoons when school let out in the public library while my mother was at work. The library opened up worlds to me I didn't know existed and I knew from a young age I wanted more to life than I had.

So what's this got to do with Cupid, you ask? My favorite books to read as a child where the happily ever after ones. As an adult, I switched from fairytale HEA's to  grownup ones, which led me to write my own HEA's, thereby assuming the role of matchmaker, of Cupid.

Get it?? hee hee

Many of my romance novels center around couples who, by some quirk of fate ( okay, me. I'm the quirk of fate!!)meet, fall in love, have some kind of external force move them apart, and in the end,  realize they can't live without one another, so they make their own happily ever after ending. Or I make it for them, which is more the point.

I may not have angle wings and wear a diaper (yet) but I do so love playing Cupid.

The latest couple I've thrown together is in BAKED WITH LOVE the third installment of my Match Made in Heaven series. 

Maureen and Lucas have been friends for ever, each secretly in love with the other. Why haven't they told one another their feelings? You'll need to read their story to find out but it involves a secret one of them has.

Intrigued? Here's a little more about BAKED WITH LOVE...

Innkeeper Maureen O'Dowd lives to cook and bake, spoils her family and friends, and is an expert at keeping secrets, especially about the man who's held her heart for years.

Police Chief Lucas Alexander is dealing with an aging father and a moody teenage son, and he's in love with a woman who only want to be friends.

How can these two fiercely private people reveal their feelings for one another without destroying the friendship they already have? And if they're successful, will another secret, if revealed, drive a wedge between Maureen and Luca that can never be repaired?

And as an added bonus, the e-book is on sale for just #99cents until March 11, 2021. If you haven't read it yet, now is a good time since the price will revert back to normal after that.

Until next month, peeps. Stay warm. Stay healthy. Wear your mask and wash your hands - sorry, it's the Nurse in me that has to say that.

If you're looking for me, here I am: 

Blog me // Tweet me // Buy my books // Friend me // Pin me // read me // picture me // watch me // review me

and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter here : Newsletter

The end of a series...I think not by Peggy Jaeger

 I've got a holiday post all ready to go on my usual date of the 27th of the month, but I wanted to take an extra day this month to let you all know a few exciting things coming down the pike for me in 2021.

First, yesterday, the third - and supposedly final - book in my Match Made in Heaven series, BAKED WITH LOVE, released. This was by far my favorite book in the series to write because the friends to lovers trope is my end-all, be-all favorite romance trope to read and, therefore, write.

When I sent it off to my editor I actually cried because I was already missing the O'Dowd sisters, their feisty grandmother Nanny Fee, and all the men who found an HEA with the sisters. I was truly in a funk because I wouldn't be seeing them anymore. I had two more series I had to write the second and third books for, plus my indie book series. I was sure to be so busy I wouldn't really miss the O'Dowds and the New England town of Heaven, right?

Yeah, no. Turns out, your favorite characters really are like your children and you miss them terribly when they're not around.

I found that out after I finished the WILL COOK FOR LOVE series. Kandy Laine still had 4 sisters left to find their HEA.

So, I concocted a new series titled A PRIDE OF BROTHERS, which not only features Kandy Laine in cameo roles in each book, but also lets me delve into at least one sister's life - Abby, who starred in APOB: RICK, the first book. The brothers in the series are Josh Keane's brothers - and Kandy's brothers-in-law. Book two, which I am almost finished with is titled APOB: AIDEN, and features the youngest Keane bro.

So, since I couldn't let go of the Laine's and Keane's and was able to reintroduce them in a brand new series, I figured I could do the same with the O'Dowds. 

Makes sense, no? Heehee

Drumroll please....As soon as the third APOB book is completed, I'm starting a brand new series set again in Heaven, New Hampshire, titled HEAVEN'S MATCHMAKER and staring Olivia Joyner - whom we met in book 2, TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS. 

Olivia is a third generation professional matchmaker and I've already got 4 books plotted out. It pays to be a hermit during a quarantine, folks!

Until then, I hope you gift yourself and the romance readers on your holiday gift list a copy of BAKED WITH LOVE. It's available at all retailers, plus the print edition is available at my website store at the drastically reduced price of $ 10.00. There's still time to get it by Christmas, peeps.

I won't see you again until after the 25th, so I want to wish everyone a Happy Hanukkah, A Merry Christmas, and a Blessed Kwanza!!!! See you on the 27th and I hope you get a lot of great books as presents this year ( with mine included, heehed!)

Looking for me? Here I am: Website: ~ Facebook~ Twitter~ Goodreads~ BookBub~ YouTube

~ Instagram~ Pinterest:~ LinkedIn ~ Amazon Author Page:~ Authors database~ Triberr

What is Kindle Unlimited? by Judith Hudson

Kindle Unlimited, or KU, is an Amazon package where voracious readers can download and read as many ebooks as they want from the over one million books in the Kindle Unlimited library for the flat rate of $9.99 per month.

 

Now might be a good time to sign up when, due to the Corona virus, it is often difficult to get to the physical library.

And bonus - e-books arrive germ free!

You may have noticed the tantalizing price of $0.00 on many kindle ebooks and wondered, how can I get that? Well if  you're enrolled in KU you can!

 

 

How do you know which books are in Kindle Unlimited?

Above is one of my books on Amazon, and you can see the $0.00 Kindle Unlimited price as circled on the Amazon book page above.  

Because I live in Canada, my KU account is attached to my Canadian Amazon account. And yes, there are only 2 reviews on my Canadian account, because Amazon won't share the American reviews. 

Come on fellow Canadians, show me some love!

You don't have to have a kindle e-reader to take advantage of Kindle Unlimited. You can download a free Kindle app to your phone or tablet, as in the other circled item in the picture above. (I talk more  about how to do that here.)

Americans can find KU on amazon.com, and customers in the UK, Germany,  France, Italy, Spain, India, China, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and  Australia can sign-up for Kindle Unlimited in their local online Amazon  store. Amazon is planning to continue expanding the service to other  countries soon.  

And yes, you can find many of my Fortune Bay books HERE on Kindle Unlimited.

Happy reading!

Judith Hudson

PS. Don't forget to enter the Monthly Gems Giveaway.

 

It could be your month to win!

Veranda Beach? Balcony City? by @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

When we were young and broke we didn't have the money for a fancy vacation and exotic travel was for other people. Most of us back then had no choice but to opt for Veranda Beach (if you lived in a house) or Balcony City if you lived in an apartment that actually had a balcony. Once we were homeowners we graduated to heading out with a tent to a campground or hitting Backyard Valley. (I've been known to soak my tootsies in my babies' blow up pool.)

With the warnings to stay close to home this summer and international travel curtailed, I'm excited to share that even though you're hanging out at home, you can visit Last Chance Beach for a wonderful, romantic escape!

Here's my cover for Hangover Husband:

What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay there...

Sometimes youthful crushes can carry over into adulthood.

Hangover Husband is a sweet, sassy friends-to-lovers short story.

Hangover Husband was born in my mind several years ago and I never got a handle on a conflict that would be strong enough to carry the weight of a full-length novel or novella. But I loved the idea of a hasty Vegas wedding and the aftershocks it could cause.

What seems like a good idea after a fun night on the town, can seem like a disaster in the bright light of day.

What's a girl to do but ask for an equally hasty divorce?


The writers who've brought Last Chance Beach: Summer's End to life invite you to hang out, put your feet up, sip a tall cool one and enjoy all that summer has to offer: sunshine, cool shade, great drinks and the most romantic stories you'll find!

AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW! AT THE AMAZING PRICE OF 99 PENNIES

Relax and enjoy the read...

Don't forget in all this excitement that we still have our monthly giveaway going on:

MONTHLY GIVEAWAY

Finding Summer Fun for a City Kid by Peggy Jaeger

This month's theme - Summer Days and Summer Nights - leaves the door open to each of us to interpret just what we want to write about. Summer, obviously. But what pertaining to summer? Hmmm...

Well, I grew up in New York City - a city kid, for all intents and purposes. And as such, there weren't too many places aside from public concrete parks, municipal pools, or crowded city beaches a kid could find solace from the grueling city heat and have some fun during the two months of school vacation.

My mother worked full-time and couldn't afford to take time off to stay home with a child during the summer months, so until I was seven years old she had to hire a babysitter to watch me and make sure I stayed safe. The woman who did watch over me had five other children of varying ages to keep watch over so activities were mostly television viewing, eating lunch, and if we were lucky, playing outside on the street for an hour when the temps weren't scorching so much you could fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Not exactly a Leave it To Beaver or Brady Bunch existence.

The summer I turned nine, though, is one I'll remember forever because I finally got to do something I'd never done before: go to camp.

It wasn't sleep away camp like you see in the movies where kids are transported to idyllic locations in the deep woods, surrounded by a pristine lake for water activities, and staffed with camp counselors whose very existence is to make kids happy. No scary stories told around the campfire or marshmallow s'mores. No sleeping in tents or wooden dormitories.

No, I went to a daily camp where I was picked up by a giant rambling school bus every morning at 7 am and transported to the wilds of Brooklyn ( and that's a joke for anyone who knows Brooklyn!), namely Sheepshead Bay, to attend CYO camp. Many may recognize those initials. For those that don't they stand for Catholic Youth Organization camp.

From the name you may be picturing Sister Act nuns in thick black habits with gold crosses dangling from their necks and rulers in their hands ready to give a thwack to anyone who gets out of line; hours spent in silent reflection, on knees that are numb from kneeling, and continual prayer.

No.

CYO camp was the opposite of what you're thinking. It was actually loads of fun.

The counselors were all older teens and college aged kids who themselves had attended CYO camp in their younger years. We had daily Mass first thing each day yes, but that's where the overt religiosity ended.

We swam in the ocean every day for two hours; we made lanyards into bracelets, necklaces, and even pins. We had daily arts and crafts. We learned how to cook a few things - then ate what we'd made. Maybe that's where my love of cooking started, because until then I'd never been allowed to make anything more than a bowl of cereal at home.

I learned to swim, really swim, that summer. If you've ever swam in the ocean with the currents tugging at you, you know how different it is from swimming in a calm pool. I turned into one strong and confident swimmer that year and to this day ( 5 decades later) I'm still a strong swimmer.

The sense of camaraderie was strong at CYO camp. We were with our own age group, all mixes of nationalities and races, and all levels of intelligence. I had cooking class with the loveliest girl with Down's Syndrome. My swimming partner was a boy whose family had relocated from Haiti. My  best buddy during arts and crafts was an Asian girl named Lili.

That summer was one of the happiest in my memory bank in a childhood that didn't have too many happy stories.

Did you go to camp as a kid? If so, what are your happy memories of those times?

Now, since this is a writers blog, I must ( I simply must!) promote my current release which  just so happens to take place in SUMMER in the Seacoast of New Hampshire, surprise, surprise. Hee hee

VANILLA WITH A TWIST is part of the One Scoop or Two Summer series from the Wild Rose press and tells the story of ice cream parlor owner Tandy Blakemore and the man who walks into her shop one summer day, changing her life forever. It's a sweet, small town romance and I had to do a lot of vigorous research eating all kinds of ice cream to get the flavor for the story just right. ( hee hee!)

And, please don't forget out monthly giveaway.

Until next month, peeps, enjoy the long days of summer and never forget the fun you had as a kid ~Peg

Romance is a perennial, not an annual by Peggy Jaeger

This month's topic is Romance in Bloom. A cute theme since we are in the merry month of May when most of our country has flowers in bloom, or at least is starting to. Thankfully, Covid hasn't spread to plants.

 The months of April to June - typically what we refer to as Springtime - are when gardeners begin cultivating and planting the crops/flowers they want to grow. It's a time of birth and, in some cases, renewal, where we see perennial flowers come back from dormancy and hibernation. If you know anything about gardening, you recognize that annuals are plants or crops you plant once a year, they grow, and then they die. If you want to see them again next year, you have to plant them again next year. Perennials are flowers that come back year after year - if you take care of them, that is. Nothing grows from neglect.

I tend to think romance and love are perennials.

Let me 'esplain.

People celebrate the "date" something happened in varying ways. Wedding anniversaries come around once a year. The date is fixed and there are some that are 'celebrated' more than others, such as years 1, 5, 10, 25...you get the picture. Once per year you make a big fuss over the date you got hitched. I got married on December 26, 1987, the day after Christmas ( also another day we celebrate once a year)

Some celebrate the day they had their first date. For me it was October 27,1993. I'll never forget the date because it was close to Halloween ( another perennial event).

Engagements are another date people tend to remember and celebrate - or at least think of. I got engaged on New Year's Eve 1996. ( Again, another date we celebrate once a year - see a pattern here yet?)

So, why do I see romance as  perennial?

Easy.

Here's the Webster's definition of perennial: lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring. 

Doesn't that sound like the kind of love and romance you want in your life? Or are lucky enough to have? Lasting for infinity. Enduring. Recurring.

Sounds good to me, no?

I received some very sound advice from an elderly patient who happened to be a florist, long ago right before I got married. He told me that the secret to staying happy in marriage for eternity ( he'd been married 60+ years) was to do  3 things:  weed out the little problems before they overgrew and took over,  always talk to one another ( he believed in talking and singing to his flowers) and cultivate the relationship daily by always remembering that love was a living force and needed to be cared for, otherwise it would wither and die.

Sound advice that I took to heart. And because of it, my marriage has lasted 33 years. If that's not the definition of perennial....

And speaking of love, my newest book released last week. VANILLA WITH A TWIST is a sweet romance about a small town, single parent,  the choices she's made in her life, and an engineer at a crossroads in his who walks into her ice cream parlor one summer day and changes her life - and his - forever.

And don't forget to enter our monthly giveaway here: GEMS IN BLOOM



Now, go care for and cultivate your relationships!

Until next month, lovely readers ~ Peg

Return to Welcome's Next Book by @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

Amazon Exclusive

Our theme on Romance Gems this month is What's Next? And I've done something a little different with my small town romance series, Return to Welcome. Available NOW!

I've joined two different series by taking a character from my Love at Christmas books and moved him to the lovely town of Welcome, WA, where it's not-so-easy to return.

Amazon Exclusive

                     

Max Whyte moves to Welcome where he hires single mom Kaylin Simpson to reno his home. Her new job is Kaylin's first piece of good luck since moving back to town. Seems simple, right? But returning to Welcome never is...


Linking two series has been fun and interesting for me. I get to revisit characters I haven't "talked" to in a long time and I get to set the story in a familiar place I created two years ago and have "visited" three previous times. It's new and familiar all at once. I hope you take this journey with me.

And just to sweeten things today only, Craving Jake Return to Welcome Book 3 is available for #FREE here: Amazon Exclusive

Returning to Welcome was easy…staying will be a challenge. Especially when someone is determined to drive her out.

Brianna Bowler has returned to her small town of Welcome to help run Bowler’s Dog Rescue. She’s also doing everything she can to set aside thoughts of her high school crush Jake Morrow. Jake appears to be with a perfectly perfect sprite of a woman. (Not that she minds how opposite she and the sprite are. Really, she doesn’t.)

Paramedic Jake Morrow has a woman in his house: she cooks, cleans, clings —and irritates the hell out of him. He’d felt sorry for her, injured, alone and broke, and offered to help. Big mistake.

What would really make Jake’s day? His ex-girlfriend finally moving out. But she won’t take his word for it that things are over.

What’s worse is Brianna Bowler's return to Welcome. Their shared tragic past and attraction burns between them as Jake accepts that things aren’t quite right with his ex.

A break-in at the dog rescue, smashed windows, and a stolen laptop all add up to serious trouble for Jake and Brianna. But with his ex in the wind and escalating, Jake’s protective instincts rise as events take a deadly turn.

With the love of his life in danger, Jake comes to see that some women can’t be set aside, not even for their own good…but others want revenge.

Below is our monthly rafflecopter draw. This giveaway ends on Jan. 31 so you have lots of chances to enter. Come back often!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a233/

Love at Christmas @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

I don't think there's a more love-filled season than Christmas. Even if your holiday is blue, as mine is this year, love fills us. For me, it's love for my sister who passed away in June. And it's love for my brother who is suffering terrible pain from his cancer as I type this. Yes, some years Christmas is hard.

We all have years like the one I'm living. That, oddly, is a comfort. The idea gives me strength because hey, if everyone else can survive Christmases like this one, I can, too.

But this post is about love, not grief. It's the love I feel for my other siblings, for my children, and their children that will help me through. I remind myself every few minutes of all there is to be grateful for. My health is good and so is my husband's. We're planning a winter getaway and we're looking forward to lots of family time and fun over the holiday.

I'm blessed. I truly am.

My first Christmas romance is titled Not-so-Blue Christmas and is about grief and love and second chances. I'm pleased to have written it. Even now, I take comfort from Kirk and Miranda's story. I hope you do, too.

Love at Christmas contains three outstanding, warm-hearted Christmas romances that readers love.

In these stories love straddles the American/Canadian border and brings joy to three unique couples…

AMAZON EXCLUSIVE

Not-so Blue Christmas:  In this second chance at love romance, Kirk Fontaine can't bear to talk to anyone, let alone enjoy Christmas. Away from home, in a small harbor city in Canada, broken-hearted Kirk's lost and alone until one small dog refuses to give up on him.

Vibrant widow Miranda Bailey is ready to move into the next phase of her life, except this Christmas is shaping up to be the worst since her husband's death. But instead of hiding, she takes charge, and drags Kirk into her Christmas miracle.

Invitation to Christmas: Tom and Jordyn
Jordyn Bailey kissed Tom Fontaine last Christmas.

But their parents are engaged...

For Jordyn keeping secrets in a family determined to mesh their lives is all kinds of crazy. Secretly sleeping with Tom could get messy because she's on the baby track while he's on the party track.

If they're careful and keep their attraction under wraps maybe it will burn out and they can be friends.

Now...It's Christmas again and Tom wants to unwrap everything, including Jordyn.

One Crazy Christmas: Cade and Karyn
Between them, they have five daughters. They live in different countries. But love doesn’t give a fig about that because this is One Crazy Christmas…

Karyn Whyte is a busy single mom of two, the owner of Whyte’s Christmas—a woman who would like to meet a convenient man—one who lives nearby, has no baggage and makes no demands. Oh, and he must like curvy women.

Cade Devine’s a devoted single dad to three little girls. Sure, he’s got his hands full, but that doesn’t mean he wants to be alone. At a mutual friend’s wedding, interest flares at first sight. Enticed and attracted, they break free of their constraints for one long weekend of passion and deeply satisfying companionship.

With five other hearts at stake Karyn and Cade accept that responsibility must win over the love they’ve found. Fate can be cruel and sometimes love hurts. Accepting an invitation to Christmas with their newlywed friends brings Karyn, Cade, and their children face-to-face and anything can happen when love and family come together on one crazy Christmas…

Don't forget to enter our RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY We're being extra generous this month to help our readers celebrate. 

Life Is A Journey @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

Forgive The Cliche...

As writers, we're supposed to avoid them at all costs and come up with a more original or creative way to say the same thing. But the thing about cliches is... they're true. Life is a journey (not a destination) and I don't want to say it another way.

I remember when I was a young girl thinking, "When am I ever going to be older?" I didn't have a specific age in mind, I just wanted so much to Be Older, to do stuff and things older people got to do. Time and the elusive older stretched out like the horizon - unreachable and endless. Oh, silly girl.

What Seemed So Great About Older?

Well, for one, it looked to me like none of those 'Olders' were getting told what to do. (Cue the buzzer: WRONG). Let me preface this next one with: it was the seventies. All the Olders got to smoke cigarettes and drink out of fancy glasses, they got to stay up late, wear makeup, and say bad words. They were so darn cool. I, at the graceless, scrawny, awkward age of seven (eight, nine, and ten through twelve) wanted to be that. Cool. Older.

When The Hell Did That Change?

I can't pinpoint it exactly, but I think I was about forty when I realized I was that mythical creature, that perceived unicorn: Older. Maybe you read that and thought, "Jesus, honey. Forty?" What in hell's bells was I doing in those previous twenty some odd years?! Believe it or not, I was adulting, aka, being older. I just didn't feel like I was.

Delusions, Confusions, Illusions...

Among the aspirations of being Wonder Woman, a beach bum, a writer, an actress, and a veterinarian, I developed a strong desire to be and do something less popular in the Age of the Independent Woman: I wanted to have lots of babies and be a stay-at-home mom. I wanted a house with a white picket fence and a dog and a garden. I wanted to be a PTA mom who volunteered at her kid's school and have a bunch of mom friends. And guess what? I got my wish. Mostly. I married at age twenty, had my first daughter just after I turned twenty-one (my second five years later) and I did and had all the stuff and things. Only, it wasn't quite what I'd hoped. Or envisioned. Or... hang on, I'll get there.

Life Is A Journey

See, I'd spent a long, long time thinking it was a destination. I thought once I got there (Older), I'd be all set. Mission accomplished, goal achieved, an arrival well met. Can I again say: Oh, silly girl. Motherhood was everything I thought it would be. My friendships, my sweet little house, my charming little life in my cozy little town... close enough to perfect. It was that whole pesky marriage thing throwing a wet blanket on my party.

I Make Light... 

It's been many years since those dark days, so I can. Revisiting those days is something I chose not to do, at least not often. Suffice to say, the road was bumpy as hell. Divorce is ugly. So ugly. It's an experience I wish on no one. If you've been there, and if you've traveled that road with kids in tow, I'm preaching to the choir here. In fact, my fellow travelers (along with my need to purge the toxins of that experience) served as motivation for writing my first novel, Livvy Takes the Long Way. Livvy's journey is based strongly on my own...

About Livvy Takes the Long Way...

Livvy Handler is at the crossroads of her life. Married to a man she now can't recall ever loving, although she must have. She must have believed she did. How could she have gotten here - at this precipice - otherwise? Livvy knows she has to get out, but that word - how, how, how - repeats like an endless echo in her mind. She's trapped in a gilded cage of her own design, her own choices. Or is she?
When a face from the past returns, Livvy comes to believe it might be the sign she's waited and longed for; her path to freedom from a man who tears her down as if for sport. Should she takes the fork in the road that leads to who-knows-where, or stay on the one paved with unhappiness but safety and familiarity? Tread water for the sake of her child, or swim fast and hard to a new life? These are the private dilemmas of a woman quietly breaking down.
It's also the metamorphosis of a woman discovering her worth, realizing her strength, and finding her way. It's a story for any woman traveling the hard road, fear and doubt lodged firmly in heart, but undeterred and head held high. And it's the story for any woman who thinks she can't...

Forgive Me...

This perhaps isn't your traditional romance book, but don't worry, it has a happy ending! When I learned that this month's theme is about Life Lessons, I knew this was the book I wanted to share with you. I poured so much of what I've learned in life into that story. Honestly? It was terrifying to put something so close to home out into the universe, something so vulnerable and exposing. There was a time when I hated Livvy and felt so angry with her for doing everything the hard way (yes, there's psychological subtext in there) but I've come to love and understand her so much better now that... well, now that I'm older.

As For My Journey... 

I love every bump, twist, and turn in the road thus far. Yes, even the bad ones, the stupid ones, the impulsive, and destructive ones. They brought me to the here and now, a place where I live in infinite gratitude for the life I get to live. It's not perfect, nor do I want it to be (how boring that would be!) but it's hard-won and worth every skid mark and road rash I snagged along the way. Life itself is the destination. Here. Now. Tomorrow. Every day after. I arrived at it forty-eight years ago and so far, it's a pretty nice place...

Care To Share? 

I'd love to hear about YOUR life lessons and how they impacted the way you live! Here are ours:

 Oh, and here's our November Giveaway!

November is the month for Gratitude, Appreciation, and counting your Blessings if you are religious and/or philosophical. Grateful, Thankful, Blessed—that's what we Romance Gems Authors feel. Join us this month in celebrating the Life Lessons we all learn. Enter our November Rafflecopter now for a chance to win 1 of 5 Amazon Gift Cards. 

You can also enter by going to the Monthly Giveaway Page HERE

November Life Lessons Rafflecopter

Lazy Summer Afternoons by Nora LeDuc #Romance Gems

The summer I turned 13, the local movie theater announced they'd show beach-themed movies at Saturday matinees. Hot guys flexing muscles, tan girls showing off their two-piece bikinis--this sounded terrific to me and to my two best friends. I volunteered my mother as our chauffeur and crossed my fingers she'd agree when I asked her to drive us.

Thankfully, she did. So when the weekend rolled around, we headed to the big screen. My mom dropped us off by the ticket booth out front and reminded us she'd pick us up right there. Then we paid for our tickets and entered through the double glass doors. Inside, a cushy red carpet ran the length of the dim foyer. Posters of movie stars in their upcoming films decorated the walls. We paused and pointed out the ones we liked. Most of the movies had already played in better theaters, but we didn't care. We were in a magical world where any story was possible, and in our imaginations, we were the stars.


We bought our snacks and chose our seats on the side aisle. This way we could talk and glance at the incoming audience, hoping to spot boys! Sadly, although a mixed group filled up one third of the rows, there were no teenage males that day. Finally, the lights went down. Now if you follow our Gems Blog, you know that we have book boyfriends, male characters from the book that we love. Well, my friends and I had movie boyfriends. We also had a few rules about our process. You couldn't choose your boyfriend until the show started and you saw him on the screen. Once you did, the other two friends had to agree that you were a match. Luckily, this movie had three teen heartthrobs, which was perfect, one for each of us. Choosing was easy. I wanted the one I thought was cutest. No other qualifications mattered. Fortunately, this story had lots of cuties running around on the white sand and surfing on their boards. They also always gathered in the evenings by a fire with the girl of their dreams.

Truthfully, I remember little of the plots, but I do recall the fun we had together on those afternoons. Giggling, sighing, and ah-ing we became captivated by our fictional characters. And the following Saturday, we did it all again.

My Saturday Matinee Movie Friends Today!!

Don't forget you can follow me on BookBub. Find my books where you can fall in love with a character too.

Unbreakable by @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

A Story

 It's a quick one. Some time ago, while scrolling my social media pages, I came across a status update from a friend of one of my daughters. They were teens at the time. It was the usual melodrama of which most (if not all) us females can raise a hand to and say "Guilty as charged!" But one sentence really caught my attention. She said, "It's over. I'm broken. He's broken me." It made me angry. Not at the boy though. At her. I wanted to shake her and say, "Screw him, honey. Don't you dare give him that kind of power over you!" Then I reminded myself how easy it is to be objective when you're just a spectator. So, I wrote this instead. It's for any girl - grown or young - who's ready to hear about her strength. It's for after a well-deserved pity party, that pint of Haggen Dazs, the retail therapy, and the cry fest. Ready? Here we go...

Broken

https://www.deviantart.com/daniel-rocal/art/Broken-Heart-396777338

We hear this word so often in the context of humans, of human relationships. It bothers me. It gets right under my skin and digs like a splinter - one of those tiny ones you can feel but can't quite get at. Broken? Yes, I know what they mean, how they mean it, and that is exactly why it bothers me. Another thorn - or splinter, I suppose - you rarely hear guys use this term about themselves. Broken. It's usually girls. And that makes... me.... crazy. Not because I want guys to feel this way, but because I don't want girls - women - to feel this way.



powerofpositivity.com

Be Unbroken

Indulge me and my need to share this message for anyone who is feeling like that six letter word: You are not broken. You are unbreakable, unbroken. Things get broken, humans get hurt. That may sound like semantics, but it's psychology. To suggest that you are broken - that someone has broken you - is to say that you are nothing more than glass, or a toy, or any inanimate object that can be turned into non-working pieces. You are not that.

You are not glass, or wood, or plastic. You are flesh and bone and mind and body. Yes, something may break your bones, puncture your skin, but you have been made, designed to heal.
You are neither fragile, nor delicate, nor incapable of fortitude. Words will not destroy you... unless you give them the power to. Your heart will continue to beat, air will still fill your lungs. You will inhale and exhale as you have always done. Your lungs and your heart are telling you - you are not broken.

Truth

When your heart has been hurt - hurt, not broken-  and you believe at that moment you will never love, never trust again, know that you are wrong. Cry. Feel. Hurt. Do all of those things. But then? Well then, put it away. Let it go (don't sing it, don't sing it... too late). 

Carry lessons, not burdens on your back or bitterness in your heart.

You may not know it yet, but in your mind, you're building your 'perfect-for-you' guy with the help of the 'not-right-for-you' guys. 

Thank them for their contributions to your growth, because now you know what you don't want from another human being. More importantly, though: you are building you. If you are building yourself with jagged pieces, you will be a jagged human. You're worth more than that. So much more.

Indomitable Spirit

So, embrace your hurt and your heartache. And if you're not ready yet, it's okay. Come back to this, or things like it every day until you don't need to. One day the hurt and heartache will become your badges of courage, a testament to your strength. You'll bear those invisible scars with pride and dignity because you have let nothing, no one, break you. No one broke your spirit, it is indomitable. No one has undermined your self-worth, stole your ability to be kind or to care. You've recognized your own faults, and forgiveness has set you free.

You are unbreakable.

My Why

For all the things that make me a woman - from the obviousness of biology, to my roles as a daughter and mother, my privilege of having a great network of female friends and acquaintances, and my own experiences in the subject, it has been my passion and joy to use my platform to encourage and inspire other women through my heroines. 

The women in my new series, Welcome to Chance, are all so different, and yet they each find their own strength against whatever obstacles I throw their way. They are a nail-biting, rollercoaster joy for me to develop as the series grows and I hope you'll enjoy their journeys as much as I do. Book One, Mae's Cafe is now available HERE. Book Two, Rosabelle's Way releases on July 31st, and Book Three, Georgie's Secret, in September. Four through Six will follow on a similar schedule. - xoxo

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RELEASING JULY 31ST

Don't Forget the July Giveaway!

This month we're having fun with Beaches and Book Boyfriends!

(P.S. My book boyfriend for all time: Fitztwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Tell me yours in the comments!)



Our Rafflecopter is open, so you can go online and enter! The Giveaway runs through July 25.

You can watch a video about our giveaway in Movie Theater or on YouTube. (I appreciate LIKEs and shares on your social media pages.)

The Monthly Giveaway page lists all the prizes. Enter often and tell your friends about Romance Gems.

Romance Gems July Rafflecopter Giveaway