Oops UPS by Karen Kelley

Our daughter-in-law, son, and grandson sent us the prettiest flowers and box of goodies for Valentines Day. Apparently, UPS was swamped because we got a new driver that was not familiar with our area. One of the neighbors at the top of the hill got the first package (maybe). All I know is we never saw it. Bummer.

But what fun to get it today! A brand new package with exotic tulips that will bloom in a few days (I hope. I don't have a green thumb), a box of specialty candy, candle, pen and pretty notebook and other fun stuff. I love boxes with goodies.

Speaking of goodies, my brand new, first Romantic Suspense in a while, is available. I always get nervous when I have a new book out, but so far the feedback has been really good. The story features a hot sheriff and a sassy FBI agent, and she definitely invades his territory. Check out the excerpt:

Broken Justice:
 

Makala sat a little straighter in her chair as Gage nodded to Landry, then came inside. She wasn't up to seeing the sheriff again. She'd wanted to unwind a little, then maybe she would be able to get a few hours of shut-eye. She said a silent prayer he wouldn’t notice her. Yeah, right. The restaurant wasn't that big. Even if it was dimly lit, he would notice her sooner or later.

He didn’t look in her direction as he made his way to the bar, so she was able to study him. His stride was purposeful, as if he didn’t take unnecessary steps without a reason. As he walked, he pushed his Stetson a little higher on his forehead.

He needed a shave—or not. The slight bristle of hairs on his face gave him a ruggedness that suited him. His dark hair was a little too long as well. Just brushing his collar. He had broad shoulders. She’d bet there were plenty of muscles under his beige uniform shirt. He didn’t strike her as the type who sat behind a desk all day. She guessed him at six feet one, maybe an inch or so more.

Her gaze lowered. She liked the way his jeans fit. Snug, low on the waist. She sighed. And there was just something about a man who wore a holstered gun on his hip — damned sexy.

He spoke with the bartender, then took the glass of Coke the man handed him, dropping bills on the counter. He turned and scanned the room, his gaze stopping on her. One thing she could be sure of, Gage didn't look any more pleased to see her than she was to see him.

Great, he was walking right toward her. Maybe she could down her beer and then rush out. No, she wasn’t about to let him think she was running away. She watched as he walked toward her. He definitely had a nice easy stroll. As if he owned the bar.

“Mind if I sit?” he asked, his voice just a little gravelly.

She liked the way he sounded, rough, with just that little bit of an edge. Wow, she must be more tired than she’d thought. She was not going to get caught up in the way Gage walked or talked. She had a feeling this man was going to be trouble. Who the hell was she kidding? She knew damn well he was going to be trouble.

“Be my guest.” She picked up her bottle of beer and took a long, slow drink. It didn’t stop the heat from beginning to build inside her.

The legs of the chair scraped across the floor as he pulled it out. He sat, leaning slightly back, and stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Have you ever been to the mountains, Miss Madigan?"

Was he looking for a fight? “No, is that a pre-requisite for going after the fugitive?”

“It’s not necessary, but it would sure help,” he drawled. “There’s all kinds of bad things in the woods.”

“Are you going to be one of them?” She raised an eyebrow and watched him silently for a moment. If he even thought for one minute that she would walk away from going after his cousin, then he was going to be sadly mistaken. She never had, and never would, back down from anything or anyone.

Gage grinned. Her heart fluttered again. Why the hell did he have to grin? It changed his whole face. He seemed more relaxed, easier to talk to. The next thing she knew, she’d be telling him all of her dark secrets. That damn sure wasn’t going to happen.

“I won’t be your problem, Miss Madigan. Nope, it’ll be the grizzly bears and wolves that you’ll have to watch out for.”

Yeah, she was afraid there was a wolf sitting right in front of her. A wolf in sheriffs clothing.

                                                                

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Romance Gems is celebrating a year of romance. We have a love-ly giveaway for the month of love. (Pardon the pun.) Our February Giveaway includes:

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Third Prize - $10

Fourth Prize - $5

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Best Wishes,

Karen Kelley

www.authorkarenkelley.com

Unconventional Christmas by @ElsaKurt #RomanceGems

Christmas Eve

Growing up, my Christmas tradition comprised two very different celebrations. On Christmas Eve, we went to my Oma and Opa's house (my German grandparents) where we basically ate all day long.  

The main meal graced the long dining room table at around two - a meal my Oma prepared, cooked, and served single-handedly (because she trusted no one with her good china or her recipes). We'd eat until bursting, then men would wander off to watch football, and the women would clear the dishes (this was the seventies and early eighties, mind you). The kids carried on a steady litany of requests to open presents. When the adults couldn't take a minute more of our begging, they'd make a production of swearing they heard sleigh bells outside. We'd hush in anticipation. A knock on the front door made us gasp. Then, a hearty, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!" followed - along with a couple extra jingle, jingles - and my grandmother would announce, "I wonder who that was," to which we'd scream, "Santa!" Shortly after that, we'd tear through the gifts like Tasmanian devils.

Tradition Check

I learned, much later in life, that this was not how most families handled the whole Santa business. In fact, it was my first husband (and father to my two grown daughters) who looked at me as if I'd just come off of Crazy Island when I explained how we celebrated Christmas.

He said, "What do you mean, Santa delivers the presents on Christmas Eve and you open them? All of them?"

"Duh," I said.

"No. That's just... wrong. Santa comes Christmas Eve night, while the kids are asleep, and they open the presents on Christmas Day morning. Have you not seen a single Christmas movie ever?"

My mouth opened and snapped shut. Wait. He was right. Damn.

 

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, we packed up our gear and went to my father's parents, my Abuelo and Abuela. My memories of how we celebrated there are bizarrely hazy. Of course we ate and open presents and did all the stuff and things, I'm certain. But what I remember of those visits revolved around watching this cool new channel called MTV, where I could see videos of my favorite bands singing their songs. I recall swinging around and around the railing out front, sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch of my grandparent's three-family house, and sneaking up to the third floor to meet the tenant's newest litter of kittens. Weird, right? My only explanation is that we really spent the lion's share of time with the German side of the family, especially when the Cuban side all moved to Florida.

Fast Forward

When raising my daughters, my then-husband and I repeated the "my family on Christmas Eve," and "your family on Christmas Day" tradition. I can only hope my girls' recollections are as fond as my own. (I'll have to ask them this Christmas). I finally understood how exhausting it had been for my parents - the packing up, traveling, unpacking, repeat - sigh. I hosted as often as was fair, but we still did a LOT of traveling back then.

Little Further Forward

After my ex and I divorced, we kept the routine the same. Christmas Eve, mine. Christmas Day, his. But it sucked waving goodbye to my kids on Christmas morning just as much as it sucked for my ex to not see the girls on Christmas Eve. Eventually, we evolved into us all - my "new" husband and me, the girls, and my ex and his wife - celebrating Christmas Day morning together, so we both got to watch them open presents. We also conferred and co-ordinated. You get this, we'll get that. Go half and half? Sure, why not. And we also agreed to spend an equal amount so neither parent "outshone" the other. 

Christmas 2019

This year, we're really re-writing the script. You ready for this? My husband and I are flying to Florida this year for Christmas... and staying with my ex-husband and his wife... to celebrate Christmas with our girls. Five days of unconventional family-ing. Crazy, right? Our daughters - now twenty-seven and twenty-two - are still both a little amused and bemused. How the heck do they explain us, their unconventional parental units to friends and boyfriends? Hopefully, it's by saying something like, "Yeah, I know it's weird, but my parents are divorced and remarried to other people, but it's cool because they're all friends and that makes my life easier."

I mean, that's what started it all in the first place: wanting to make divorce a little easier on the girls. We hated making them a statistic. We hated the tension, the anxiousness, the awkwardness, the sadness, the guilt... the ugh of divorce. Plus, I think we were tired of hating each other, too. So, in the end, we're all making out pretty darn good in this deal. 

Side Note: Most people, upon hearing our story, cringe for our respective spouses. They usually wonder how they cope with us being so involved in our exes lives, thereby pulling them in, too. My husband and my exes' wife - who I jokingly refer to as my sort-of sister-wife - both readily acknowledge the strangeness of the situation. But they're also both "all in" kind of people. They get it and they love the girls, and that's usually all the explanation needed. My husband put it best (if not originally) when he said in response to someone's raised eyebrows, "Listen. We've got a perfectly imperfect life, and I love it."

Embracing the Oddness

I used to envy the ultra-conventional families and wish mine looked like theirs. Now, I'm just happy for them and hope their life is what I envision it to be like. But I love my unconventional life, too. It was fought for and hard-won. Despite whatever battle scars we may all have, we're on the other side of it and appreciating where we're at. This, as my beloved Cary Grant was known to say, is the good stuff. 

See you in the new year! xo - Elsa

DECEMBER GIVEAWAY NEWS

Our December Rafflecopter has 5 Amazon Gift Cards as prizes. Be sure to enter often to improve your chances of winning, and, please, tell your friends about Romance Gems—our Authors, our books, our blog posts, and our Giveaway every month.

Complete information on the contest can be found on our Monthly Giveaway page.

Watch our December Promotion Video, Candy Cane Kisses, and share the celebration with our authors. You'll also find this video and many others on our Movie Theater page. You can also watch our videos on YouTube.

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!

LESSONS LEARNED? #giveaways

By Caroline Clemmons

Our theme at Romance Gems for this month is Life Lessons. Most of us have so many life lessons we’ve learned in our lifetime that choosing one is difficult. Here are several I’ve learned:

While there are a few villains lurking, most of those we meet are good, dependable people. My husband (Hero) and I were driving through a depressed area (bad part of town) when we had a flat. Hero pulled over and got out to change the tire. We don’t think of ourselves as old, but we are not spring chickens. A young man pulled up and got out to help us. He was a bit scary in his wife-beater shirt and the appearance of a gang member. I’m embarrassed to admit that at first I wondered if he was going to rob us. Instead, he insisted on changing the tire. My husband was relieved (he has Parkinson’s and his strength is not what it used to be). Hero offered the young man cash for his help but the Good Samaritan wouldn’t accept. He said his mother would never forgive him if he had not stopped to help us.

Never say never to your children. When our eldest daughter was preparing to go to grad school a couple of hundred miles away, she went there to look for an apartment. Her sister accompanied her. I had assured our eldest that she would not be able to find an apartment with a dishwasher and a second bedroom for her office for the amount of rent she could afford to pay. When she returned smiling, she had found a two-bedroom duplex with nice size rooms, on a cul de sac, fenced back yard, and a kitchen that included a dishwasher and nice refrigerator. It turned out to be a perfect place for her. Her sister confided that the other places they checked were dumps and this was the last stop on their list. Our eldest is not a fan of shopping for anything. Her sister said she was afraid whatever the last place looked like, her sister would take it because she was tired of looking. Thank goodness the search worked out well.

Under the same life lesson, I’m reminded of when my parents and I moved back to Texas when I was a few months shy of eight-years-old. I was obsessed with Roy Rogers and cowboys—actually, I still am. I was disappointed when we settled in a cotton farming community. When we took a trip through ranching country to visit my grandmother, I was certain we’d finally see cowboys riding the range. My dad told me that was only in movies and never in real life. About halfway to Grandmother’s we passed a group of cowboys on horses rounding up cattle. I was beyond excited. Poor Dad was stuck having an exuberant kid chattering in the back seat for the rest of the trip.  

A difficult lesson for me (and I'm still struggling with this one) was learning not to compare myself to other writers. Of course we write because we want to, but in addition most of us are consumed with making good royalties. When I hear that so and so is making a million or more a year, I sigh. Of course I would love to make that amount! Who wouldn't? But, that writer’s path is not the same as mine (obviously). I am supposed to be in competition with myself but not with other writers. This is something about which I must remind myself frequently.

As years have passed, I’ve learned that material things are not as important as I’d once thought. When we downsized six years ago, we had to part with many possessions I hated to lose. Still, I have more than I need. Having a fancy car or a large house is nice, true, but family and friends are the things in life that are really important.

Priorities have changed as I’ve grown older. Recently I realized that I don’t have to impress anyone. Of course I want my family to be proud of me but they take me as I am. You could say I’ve mellowed. If people see me without makeup and in sweats, that's all right. I'm the same person no matter what I'm wearing.  

Life Lessons 101

I'm always amazed at those who say if they had it all to do over they wouldn’t change a thing. What? Didn’t they learn anything? I’ve made a lot of mistakes and have learned too many life lessons to list. I hope I’ve learned from each mistake, even though I can’t change anything about the past. Learning from our mistakes helps us now and in the future.


I'm offering one of my e-books, winner's choice from my list on Amazon at my Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/ 

As I mentioned above, our theme for November is Life Lessons. Comment below to share one of your life lessons with others.

Don’t forget to enter our Rafflecopter drawing to win an Amazon gift card!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a231 

Tell your friends about our blog and our great prizes!

My last words are to remind you of my two new releases. MELODY, Angel Creek Christmas Brides book 7 at the universal Amazon link http://mybook.to/Melody  Each of the books in this series is stand-alone but why wouldn't you want to read each one? I'm honored to be included with this great line-up of authors. There were five brides last year and six this year. Mine is a bit differnt than I usually write. Fans have told me they love this book! MELODY is also in KU.

The box set CHRISTMAS WISHES, Where Wishes Do Come True, is set in Hopeful, Colorado. Available at your e-book vendor for only 99 cents, the tiny price is for all new stories by 15 authors! My story in this group is WINTER WISH and it's the first one in the set. The Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Wishes-Where-wishes-come-ebook/dp/B07XXJPMW9/

Release Day! by Liz Flaherty #RomanceGems

Actually, it was yesterday, and that's when I'm writing this--make sense so far? Read through to the end--there's a giveaway...and the raffle. October has been an exciting month!

When I’m asked which is my favorite of my own books, I generally say it’s the one I’ve just finished, and that’s true. My emotions are still roiling around in those pages and I’m still feeling odd about saying goodbye to those protagonists.

It’s also true that there are favorite scenes from every book, most beloved characters from each one, and places that years later I still remember—not just their names but how they felt. Like the Cole-Porter-titled businesses in the Lake Miniagua Series, the River Walk in The Debutante’s Second Chance and Jar of Dreams, and Peacock, Tennessee. Peacock was the setting of One More Summer, the story that took me ten years to sell.

The one that to this day has the strongest hold on my heart. I’m not going to say why—even if I knew for sure or could put it into words; books you love or don’t are your choice, not the author’s. But after One More Summer came out in 2012, I wrote a sequel to it. Not because I wanted to, really, but because the story was waking me up at night with unreasonable demands. (That sounds goofy, doesn’t it? But it’s very close to the truth.) And then it took five years to sell.

Now, here it is, and here is another story with an aching, smiling hold on my heart. The Healing Summer is Carol's story. Carol in her size 16s, still taking classes at 38 without a degree in sight, Peacock's favorite hair stylist, and one of my favorite heroines of all time. I hope you like her, too.

Blurb: When Steven Elliott accidentally rides his bike into Carol Whitney’s car at the cemetery, the summer takes on new and exciting possibilities. Long friendship wends its way into something deeper when their hearts get involved. Feelings neither of them had expected to experience again enrich their days and nights.  But what happens when the long summer ends? When Carol wants a family and commitment and a future, Steven isn't so sure. He’s had his heart broken before—can he risk it again?

To be eligible for the Random Draw Giveaway for a paperback copy of

The Dark Horse (and a bag of goodies--always goodies!), leave a comment with your email address. For winners outside the continental U.S., the prize will be an ebook.

The deadline for entering this giveaway is Tuesday, November 5, at 6:00 PM. I'll notify the winners next day by email and here in comments on my blog post.

***

Last day to enter the October Giveaway! Full information can be found on the Monthly Giveaway tab above. You can also enter by clicking HERE.

Writing Series? @ConstanceBretes #RomanceGems

Do you like to read series? or in this case, a few interconnected books? I never started out intentionally writing a series. It just happened. While concentrating on one hero, another hero close to him pops up wanting me to tell his story too!

As is the case with my story, Love Songs. The hero in this story, Jake Ackerson, is a band leader, CEO, and a hot Native American! The woman he loves, Jennifer Summers, comes back to town as a well-known singing artist and agrees to sing with his band temporary while she tries to decide what to do with her life.

While writing this story, Jake's band, White Sands, bass player, Vincent Carter, was demanding his story be told. Why? I have no idea why, of all the characters in Love Songs, his name kept coming up. I think he wanted his happy ever after....

On a lonely road, Vincent stops and helps a real estate agent, Char Johnson by changing her flat tire. Char insists on paying him for his help in some way, so he asks her to go to the wedding of Jake and Jennifer as his date.

Vincent is struggling with trying to keep his brothers and sisters together as a family, but one family member continues to be obstinate and difficult. Meet Patrick Carter. Hero in Jade's Redemption. Patrick tries to separate himself from his family, by moving away and becoming a Police Chief for a mid-size town, where he meets Jade Harlowe, a woman with a shady past, a former police officer now a 911 dispatch officer.

Just when Patrick finally thinks he's got himself separated from his family, Vincent strolls back into his life and wants Patrick to be his best man at his upcoming wedding to Char!

The two brothers share a painful, horrible past. Can they bridge the gap that separates them and be the brothers they both long for?

Am I going to continue with the series? I've been thinking about it. There is still one brother who is believed to be too badly scarred to find love. He's been pretty quiet, but I think he's just too shy to ask for his story to be told.

So, in keeping with the theme this month, Beaches and Book Boyfriends, I have three more book boyfriends to read about besides the one I'm offering below.

Don’t forget to jump in and get your name in the latest giveaway, Beaches and Book Boyfriends. I’ll be giving away a free ecopy of Midnight Escape.

Here's the rafflecopter:

Romance Gems July Rafflecopter Giveaway