As If July Wasn't Steamy Enough by Nancy Fraser

I love summer...the heat...the bright sun...even the humidity (nothing like a free sauna). I like being able to take my grandchildren to the lake or just walk along the beautiful Bay of Fundy.

Bay of Fundy at Low Tide. Walk on the ocean floor anyone?

It's obviously not been as easy a task this year but, with social distancing in the forefront of our minds, we've made a couple of trips to either swim, kayak, or walk on the bottom of the ocean floor at low tide.

It's really quite a spectacle to behold.

Most years summer has also meant a slowing down, a relaxing, of my writing schedule. Most years, but not this one. I'm computer-deep in three huge projects, and loving every minute of them

The first...well let's just say...it's still a secret. At least for a few more days. Keep visiting though and you'll soon find out.

Here's a hint ....

My second project is one I've been putting off for ages. I'm about to jump headfirst into self-publishing. I've been dependent on four absolutely wonderful publishers for the past twenty-odd years. They keep me publishing, they keep me editing, and they keep me learning.

I'll still write for at least two of them as I go forward but it's time for me to grab my own destiny by the sexy bits and take control of what and when I want to publish.

The third project concerns my side business...Notes From a Romantic's Heart Author Services. While most of my business has centered around book trailers, I'm now branching out into custom covers and...heaven help me...book formatting.

As if July wasn't busy enough already, I have a new short story releasing later this month. It's the second release in my Lusty Liaisons series from The Wild Rose Press and their Scarlet line of steamy romance. Of course, it fits right in with this month's theme of Steamy Days & Steamy Nights.

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Tax consultant Katherine Weller isn't ready for a relationship after a divorce that left her empty. But when her best friend suggests she set up a sex-only date through Lusty Liaisons, a unique and exclusive dating service, she's uncertain but intrigued.

Maybe a hot romp with a sexy, younger man is exactly what she needs to take that confident first step into her new life as a single woman.

The release date is July 20th, but the story is up for pre-order on Amazon.

While you're there, check out the first story in the series, Touch Me. I'll be giving away two digital copies of Touch Me to those who comment on today's blog. Tell us what you're doing to celebrate summer and be sure and leave your email address so I can contact you if your name is drawn.

Watch the trailer for Trust Me:

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Don't forget to enter our July Rafflecopter for your chance to win one of three great prizes. You can find the full details on our Monthly Giveaway page or use this Short Form. Either way...what are you waiting for?

Until I'm back again later this month, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read and STAY COOL !!

Nancy

Unfiltered by @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

First: Happy New Year and New Decade! 

How exciting, right?! Okay, if I'm being honest, it took me a bit to feel it, that excitement. For me, 2019 was nice. The good things that happened over the year were greater in number and impact than the bad. I know 2019, we've been great friends these past twelve months. But this new guy, this fancy even number guy 2020. Hmm. Not so sure about you, buddy. You gonna bring good stuff? I've got my eye on you, you know.

Kidding aside, I really am excited for the new year. I love the promise of what might come, the fresh-start feeling, and - I confess - the fact that it brings me into the decade we move to Florida. Sure, it's not until almost midway through, but still... it's getting closer!!

Hang With Me, I'm About To Get Super Honest

There was one thing that occurred over the course of 2019 that was not so cool. I lost control of my health and gained a considerable amount of weight. Like 25lbs worth. I am at the fitness level of a ninety-year-old right now. I wish I was joking, but I'm not. And, if I'm being brutally honest, I hate how I look these days. I spoke in detail about it in this social media post:

Yikes

My apologies for the f-bomb in there. What I've left out of the above post is that I took at least ten pictures before I found one vaguely okay enough to save... and filter. I'm never going to look that smooth in real life. My makeup will never be that on-point. I know this, and it's okay. It is what it is.This is basically me looking my best without cosmetic surgery! That's what I kept telling myself, at least. Believe me, I'm well-aware of the pitfalls and negatives of creating what is essentially an illusion. Especially when I see an unfiltered picture. (LOL). See example below. So, no. I'm not going unfiltered any time soon. #sorrynotsorry

Can ya blame a girl for wanting just a little smoothy-smooth?! A bit of brighty-bright?! And let's not even get into what happens when someone takes an unauthorized photo. Actually, that's what really set this resolution vibe going. Let's just say... it was bad. So, so bad. As in hell, no, I'm not showing you that picture. That picture showed the truth and it was painful.

No Crybaby Whining, I Swear!

It's only whining when you do nothing to change your situation! And I am changing my situation, one day at a time. But since I did some woe-is-me stuff up there, allow me to balance by saying this: I am ridiculously blessed and fortunate, and I'm grateful every day for this life I get to live. I love what I do, I am loved and supported, and I have no real complaints considering what other people are dealing with in the world. I have this one, very fixable problem, and it's in perspective.

Thank You

Well, my segue skill is not on point here, but thank you, kind people who take the time to read my posts and my books. You can never truly know how much it means to us writers. While I may not know your struggles and challenges, I know they exist and so my hope for you in this new year is that you have peace, patience, and love within and for yourself. P.S. One promise I made to myself when I began writing with intent to share was to be honest and open, good or bad. So, whether I go filtered or unfiltered in my photos, I can promise I'll always be real and authentic with my words and actions. ;)

Almost Forgot

The authoring stuff, duh! Quick heads up. I'm hard at work on book five in the Welcome to Chance Series and expect a February release! This has been the easiest... and yet most difficult one to write. There is SO much I want to tell you! But then this post would be the equivalent of a book. What I can do is direct you to my Newsletter, where not only do I give a sneak peek and an exclusive detail, but I'm also offering a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card! Interested in starting the series? Image link below will take you to my website. Or click HERE.

 

Last But Never Least! Check Out Our January Promotion:

What's Next?

Our January Promotion is named What's Next and has Amazon Gift Cards for prizes. What's Next ends at 11:59 p.m. on January 31st. 

You'll find details about What's Next on our Monthly Giveaway page.

Be sure and visit on Jan. 6 when Kathryn Hills will present a special What's Next group post!

Spend The Holidays in Chance by @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

Happy second day of December! In my corner of the universe (New England) the month came in with a snow & ice storm. Luckily for me, I got to stay in my jammies and all day yesterday and only step outside to let the dogs out. (#sorrynotsorry)

Today, so far, looks to be a repeat which is great news for my Welcome To Chance series. Book five is well underway & I can't wait to see where it goes! Even though it seems strange that I don't know what will happen in my stories, I love the element of surprise. Tomorrow's new release, book four, is no different from the first three in that department...

Each book tells the stories of a community (think: Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, Friday Night Lights, and This Is Us) but with one pair taking "center stage." They each caught me off guard in the direction they took. In book one, Mae's Cafe, I'd envisioned William Grant as a Mr. Rogers type guy and definitely not the love interest for Mae. He had other ideas though, and I'm thrilled he did. Mae and William may be my favorite couple (don't tell the others).

In Rosabelle's Way, I intended for them to get married, but fate had a different plan for these two. I also had no idea that the normally irritating, chauvinistic, and self-absorbed Miles Hannaford would become an endearing (in his own way) guy.

My original plan for Charles and Georgie Brightsider had nothing to do with Chance! They, along with Feather Anne, were going to be their own stand-alone book... or so I thought. Once again, the characters had their own plans, so I followed their lead. I'm so glad they ended up in Chance, because their epic romance is a favorite of mine.

Ah, at last. My guy, Bruce, finally gets his turn. I adore this big lug. He's the back home boy every girl had a crush on, and every guy wanted to be like him. Football star, all-around good guy, brooding, handsome... and not over his one unrequited love. He's a man with a lot of layers and I can't wait for you to read his story.

Right now, books one through three are only .99 on Amazon & I'm offering signed books at a holiday discount on my website. In celebration of tomorrow's official release of Grady's Promise, I'd love to give one reader the first three books in the series FREE! Simply comment below & include your email address (written out as dotcom) if you'd like to be entered to win.

Last but not least! I'd love if you'd subscribe to my newsletter for all the latest news, giveaways, & more! Sign up HERE

What's New on Romance Gems?

I'm glad you asked. Come on in and check out our decorations!

Home Page Cover Art Gallery — That's the beautiful 3D Cover images you see on the right sidebar of the home page. If you see something you like, just click the image and you'll be taken to the Amazon page to learn more and/or to buy.

Holiday Book Fair, a special page created just for you, our faithful readers. Our Holiday Book Fair is filled with dozens of Holiday Romance Novels. They're sure to thrill you, and they're priced low—some are even free! Visit our Holiday Book Fair which will be here until the end of December and check out all the bargains. Great stocking stuffers for your friends who read!

Movie Theater — Watch our new December video and the other new ones from our Authors. They'll put you in the holiday mood.

Check out our Monthly Giveaway page featuring our December promotion, CANDY CANE KISSES. This month we have bigger prizes and more prizes.

Thanks for visiting with me today.  Our December Rafflecopter entry is HERE. Happy Holidays!

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