Happy Belated Birthday to D*mn Near Perfect by Nancy Fraser

 Okay, I admit it ... I love birthdays! Not mine, in particular, but birthdays in general. First and foremost, on a personal level, would be the celebrations of family and friends.

On a writer's level -- it's a Book Birthday that excites me!

Two days ago, my first self-published book was released. After working simultaneously with four different publishers over the past 25 years, I decided it was time to take the plunge and just "do it", and this was the first result:

Beth Andrews has given up on ever finding a happily-ever-after. Still smarting from a bitter divorce, she’s decided the only thing she truly needs is sex.

Unfortunately, wanting sex and actually finding it are two very different things.

Jonathan Tucker is perfectly satisfied with his bachelor lifestyle. He has a wonderful career, a kick-ass new condo, and any woman he wants. As often as he wants. At twenty-seven, he’s convinced he’s living life exactly as it should be.

Will the older, albeit sexy, ad executive and the handsome, talented artist both find there’s more to life than what they have now? Or, will they be satisfied with what the both claim to want—d*mn near perfect sex!

Warning: This book contains language and sexual situations some readers may find HAWT!

Of course, there's also a trailer.

For those who like a little fun, there's a Jigsaw Puzzle so you can reconstruct my hunky cover!

You can get you're copy for the awesome price of just 99¢ on Amazon!

While I'm celebrating, let's also not forget the Last Chance Beach: Summer's End box set. It was an absolute honor to work the the other 13 Gems authors on this project!

Available on Amazon for the same great 99¢ price!

And, don't forget Cocktails on Last Chance Beach for FREE!

And, finally, what's a celebration without a sale! One of my favorite books out of all I've written, Time and Again is a perfect example of my genre jumping writing style. Part contemporary, part sci-fi/paranormal, part time travel, part suspense, and all steamy!

You can find it on sale until September 4th at all these retailers: 

Amazon | B&N | GooglePlay | Kobo

Don't forget this month's Comment & Win Contest.

Until my regular day next month ... stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe, stay well read!

Nancy

Every day should be Valentine's Day if you write and read Romance! by Peggy Jaeger

February 14th 2020  has come and gone but, at least for me, the spirit of Valentine's Day is still going strong!

Hey: I write romance - every day is love day for me! Hee hee

Now, if you're like my dear hubby, you might believe Valentine's day and a whole passel of other days during the year, were invented as celebratory days by Hallmark in order to sell greeting cards. He truly believes this, which is why the man has never bought a greeting card in his life and will probably go through the Pearly Gates someday without ever having done so.

But....

Maybe he's on to something. I mean, why just celebrate love on one day of the year? I don't know the origin of Valentine's day and didn't want to take a deep dive into the annals of history to find out why we as a society celebrate the day, but I do know it's a day devoted to love. And for me, love is everything.

As a romance writer - and avid romance book reader - EVERY DAY is devoted to love in my house. I don't need a card from my husband to tell me he loves me. He shows me he does every single day of our marriage.

I certainly don't need candy to remind me of how sweet I am ( heehee). Those extra calories when I'm trying to get into a Mother of the Bride dress for May are not necessary nor wanted. Well...maybe wanted just a little, but I need to exercise some control here.

While I love flowers, the exorbitant costs of roses is ridiculous - and especially on 2.14. since the price is jacked up by most retailers and florists. Instead of flowers that will wither and die within a week, I would much prefer a plant that lasts longer and which I can look at every day as a reminder of love.

And while going out to a fancy restaurant is nice, I'm the type of girl who much prefers to cook for the man I love, then snuggle down and watch a movie on the couch with him afterward, in our comfy clothes and maybe with the fireplace roaring in the background. That is my definition of a romantic evening, peeps!

As writers, we live by the adage of show don't tell. I don't need one day of the year in which to have my husband show me he loves me by bringing me a present, or taking me out to dinner. He shows me every single day why he is my hero, why I was so thrilled he asked me to marry him 175 years ago, and why every day is a day devoted to love in my house.

Does that sound a little sappy? Okay, if it does. I can live with that. But I truly think the world would be a much lighter, brighter place if people showed one another love every day, in every way they could.

Every day should be Valentines's Day.

My very first Valentine's themed book 3 WISHES, is featured in our February book fair.

 Valentine’s Day is chocolatier Chloe San Valentino’s favorite day of the year. Not only is it the busiest day in her candy shop, Caramelle de Chloe, but it’s also her birthday. Chloe’s got a birthday wish list for the perfect man she pulls out every year: he’d fall in love with her in a heartbeat, he’d be someone who cares about people, and he’d have one blue eye and one green eye, just like her. So far, Chloe’s fantasy man hasn’t materialized, despite the matchmaking efforts of her big, close-knit Italian family. But this year for her big 3-0 birthday, she just might get her three wishes.

3 WISHES is available in ebook and in audiobook.

Since February is the Romance Gems 1st anniversary ( YAY!) and to celebrate our One Year Anniversary, we have a big Valentine Book Fair with sigh-worthy romance novels at great prices. We also have a Rafflecopter with some great Amazon Gift Cards up for grabs.

Watch the February video in the Movie Theater or drop by YouTube to view it.

Then visit our Valentine Book Fair and grab some captivating romance novels, sweet treats without calories!

Remember peeps: love is love is love is love....every day of the year!
Until next time ~ Peg

New Beginnings by Karen Kelley #RomanceGems

I’m ready for fall. August in Texas can be brutal. Not to mention what a crazy month it has been. We were staying with our daughter and her family until our house was ready. We didn’t think that day would ever come. But it did and we’re all moved in. After 3 ½ years of traveling in a 350 square feet fifth wheel to see 39 states, we’ve settled down again in a home without wheels. I have to admit, we were a little sad, but this is a brand new adventure. We’ll still travel, but in a different way.

We also celebrated (a few weeks early) our 50^th wedding anniversary. Wow, has that much time already gone by. They say time flies when you’re having fun. I guess whoever said that was right. Our kids surprised us with a party and a cruise. Karl and I are super excited. We’ve only been on one, and it was very brief, but we had a blast. This time we’re headed for the Mayan ruins! This has been on our bucket list for a while.

Then we headed to Port Aransas with our son and grandson for 5 days. Our grandson is 9 and we had a great time teaching him how to fish. We walked on the beach and collected shells and a whole lot of new memories. Speaking of which, our son did a collage of pictures and had them put on one sheet in a beautiful frame.

But then they flew back to Michigan. The house is quiet once again. Now it’s me and Karl. I have an office again and plan on having a lot of new releases. If you haven’t had a chance to grab my newest, Bless Your Heart, is the start of a brand new series and just released this month. It has a sexy, small town flavor. I hope you enjoy my, It’s A Southern Thang series (intentionally misspelled, pronounced with a Texas drawl).

Our new Monthly Giveaway starts August 4, and it's Winner's Choice with great options for prizes. Take a look at it.

Best Wishes,

             Karen Kelley
             www.authorkarenkelley.com

                                                                   Purchase now or read
                                                                      for free in KU

Bless Your Heart by Karen Kelley #RomanceGems

    

  Buy now or

read for free in KU

     I love the South, cowboys, and romance. Until we started traveling, I’d thought everyone was pretty much the same. I guess we are, but I discovered each state had something really special to offer. There were some states we learned not to order Mexican food because it was more often than not closer to original Mexican dishes. I’m too used to TexMex, I guess.

     Buffalo burgers were really dry because they don't have much fat. Frog legs---forget it, I'm not going there.

     But what’s up with Michigan and their mac and cheese? It’s like gourmet food. They even have it as an entrée. I don’t think I’ve ever had mac and cheese as wonderful as what I had in Michigan. Same with their root beer. I love it!

     And I thought curds were something from a nursery rhyme. No, curds actually exist! I ordered some in Wisconsin just to try them. They're wonderful, melt in your mouth, fried cheese. We need curds in Texas, although I’m not sure we could do as well by them.

     And the accents. I love someone with an accent. I have an English friend and I could listen to her talk all day. But not on the phone. If she talks too fast, I can’t understand a word she says. 

     But Texas has always been home and I love being back. All our traveling in the RV inspired me to start a brand new series, It’s A Southern Thang. Yes, I meant to spell thing like thang.

     I love the townspeople, country life, and the falling in love in the first book, Bless Your Heart. I drew on my memories growing up, like my aunt’s sweet tea. How all the cousins eyed the jugs and wondered which one she had made. It was the worse tea I’ve ever tasted. Seriously! It would make your toes curl and your hair frizz. We never had the heart to tell her how awful it was, though. We just talked about her tea when she wasn’t around, but it wasn’t gossip because every bit of it was true.

     Since I titled this first book Bless Your Heart, I've realized how often I actually say it. How funny. If you want to know the meaning, this is how Riley, the hero, explains it:

     Yeah, and I knew when a woman said, bless your heart, it could mean something entirely different. It was all in the way they said it. It could be commiseration if someone in the family died or something, or shock that you’d gone through a traumatic event, like a car accident or were getting a divorce. It could also mean go screw yourself. The words could drip with sarcasm, so you knew they didn’t really give a damn about you. I had a feeling Whitney leaned toward the latter.

     The first book is a little spicy, with humor, and a whole lot of down home country. I hope you enjoy Bless Your Heart as much as I enjoyed writing it.   

     Don't forget to enter our rafflecopter for a chance to win great gifts! 

BEACHES and BOOK BOYFRIENDS is the Romance Gems Julytheme. Enter our drawing for a chance to win 1 of 3 Amazon Gift Cards and fun beach books too! Read the post, leave a comment, and enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway.

Happy Reading,

Karen Kelley

www.authorkarenkelley.com