Stories from a magical place... by Liz Flaherty #RomanceGems

It’s a magical place, is Christmas Town, Maine, and the writers of its stories can’t wait to go back each year. They start planning the next roster of stories as soon as the current one is finished. They exchange names of characters and businesses and keep a bible of what’s been done so far. Even the writers change from year to year. No one leaves Christmas Town because she wants to, but sometimes other responsibilities require a trip out of town.

Every now and then, we change things up. One year, we covered Thanksgiving and New Year’s as well as Christmas. For Christmas of 2019, we released our 2018 stories as an anthology. And now, as the new roaring 20s are putting on their fresh clothes, we have eight new stories in the Be My Heartwarming Valentine: A Heartwarming Christmas Town Box Set.

Stop by and sign up for our newsletter. You’ll find free reads and other fun stuff there. http://heartwarmingchristmastown.com/join-our-mailing-list/ New information will be showing up as we wind down to release day on February 11.

Here to give you the Cliff’s Notes synopses of our stories are this year’s authors. Click on their links to find out more about us—we love visitors!—or to sign up for our newsletters.

Table for Six by Anna J. Stewart

When overwhelmed widowed single mother of three Cora Leonidis's mother-in-law "buys" her a personal chef at Christmas Town's bachelor auction, she doesn't know whether to be relieved or horrified. But from the moment Giovanni Renzo appears on her doorstep, Cora feels an immediate connection to this wanderer. She's not the only one who's loved and lost. While Giovanni is there to make her life easier, Cora hopes to heal his heart...and prove it's okay to love again. 

Sign up for Anna's newsletter at www.AuthorAnnaStewart.com 

A Tale of Two Rings by Beth Carpenter

Two years ago, Alden Moretti ended his engagement with Mindy Rose and left Christmas Town. Now his grandmother has volunteered him to participate in the Christmas Town bachelor auction as an excuse to return. His assignment: convince Mindy to give back his grandmother’s diamond engagement ring. But after a few trips down memory lane with Mindy, Alden is having second thoughts. Can he leave Mindy behind once again?

Beth’s newsletter link is https://bethcarpenterbooks.blogspot.com/p/home.html

The Apple of My Eye by Melinda Curtis

Young Lizzie Lincoln buys Steve Haepner at the auction for one hundred schmeckels and wants to keep him, much to single mom Abigail’s horror. Apple farmer Abigail doesn’t date. However, she needs an electrician and since Steve claims he’s not interested in dating her, it’s too good of a deal to pass up. But soon, Abigail is thinking she may have spoken too soon…

Sign up for Melinda’s newsletter at https://www.melindacurtis.net/signup

Romancing her Valentine by Cari Lynn Webb

When Tessa Collier places the highest bid on the last bachelor at Christmas Town's Valentine's Day auction, she only wants one thing - a fake date to accompany her to her ex-husband’s gender reveal baby shower. But there's nothing pretend about Tessa's reaction to her bachelor - professional skier, Ryan Reeves. When Ryan offers his terms for their arrangement, Tessa must decide if one impulsive decision might lead to heartache worse than attending that baby shower alone or to her forever Valentine.   

Find Cari Lynn at https://carilynnwebb.com/

A Place to Hang Her Heart by Liz Flaherty

Although he was the instigator to the end of their long marriage, Rob Rahilly still needs to know Christy is happy after her solo move to Christmas Town, Maine. When his job ends in early retirement, he goes to New England to see how she’s doing, and ends up in a bachelor auction. Will the only woman he’s ever really loved take another chance on him, or do some hurts go too deep for the wounds to heal?

Find Liz’s Facebook author page at https://www.facebook.com/authorlizflaherty/

Knock Down My Heart by Anna Adams

Georgia Bardill's daughters decide Sven Dante, their mom's handyman, is the perfect prince for her. Naturally, they volunteer him for the town's bachelor auction on the condition he takes out their mom and then makes them a snowman. A single mom, a slightly reluctant do-gooding "prince" bachelor, and sweetly manipulative little girls make Knock Down My Heart a heartwarming Christmas Town romance!

You can get in touch with Anna at https://www.facebook.com/AnnaAdamsAuthor/

Love Fixes Everything by Claire McEwen

When Carrie Porter’s friends bid on handyman Gage Flanagan in the Christmas Town bachelor auction, and then gift his services to her, the single mom is embarrassed to accept their charity. But Carrie sets her pride aside to learn all she can about home repair from the surly bachelor. Only Gage isn’t quite as grumpy as he seems. As they work together to repair her historic home, Carrie and Gage realize that the love they feel might just repair their hearts as well. 

Connect with Claire at http://www.clairemcewen.com/contact---newsletter-1.html

Head Over Heels by LeAnne Bristow

High school English teacher and former college gymnast, Karen McFadden, wants nothing more than to open her own gymnastics facility, but a math learning disability makes completing the paperwork for a business loan almost impossible. The last thing Daniel Lassiter wants to do is get stuck with an attention-seeking diva who wants to relive her college glory days, but when his accounting services put him in the library's bachelor auction, he has little choice but to help her. He doesn't believe that she wants to open the gym so she can help underprivileged teens. She doesn't think he'll stick around long enough to find out. Will they realize what's right in front of them before it's too late?

Find LeAnne at http://www.leannebristow.com/

Buy Links

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Be-My-Heartwarming-Valentine-Christmas-ebook/dp/B07Z8CXBWP

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/be-my-heartwarming-valentine-anna-adams/1134146353

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/be-my-heartwarming-valentine

iTunes: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1485268890

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And...I forgot...A #Valentines party is going on at #RomanceGems! Visit and CELEBRATE A YEAR OF ROMANCE with us! Enter our #Giveaway and find new #books in our #BookFair! http://RomanceGems.blogspot.com

#Blog #Romance #Anniversary #RomanceReaders

And also, don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter for this month's prizes! http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a234/

...a good tail wind blowing... by Liz Flaherty #RomanceGems

"You never will get where you're going

If you never get up on your feet

Come on, there's a good tail wind blowing"

 from "Put One Foot in Front of the Other," by Jules Bass and Maury Laws.

What's next? It was January's topic here on Romance Gems, and a very fitting one it was, too. I think I speak for all 20-some of us--and gesture for us as well--by throwing my hands up and saying, "What's next?" I'd include a few swear words in there, too. Maybe some tears. I might growl instead of speak. I might open a bottle of wine. I might finish it off.

The year has had rough beginnings for many of us. Loss, illness, surgery. Some of us feel we've been betrayed by a professional association and its membership. I don't know it for a fact and it's stuff we mostly keep to ourselves, but probably some of our private lives aren't what we wish they were. Heartache is company we keep whether we want to or not. Some of us can't bear the political climate.

But we're writers. We deal with emotion every single day. If not our own, then that of the people on our pages. We are pleased when we (or our people) make readers laugh or cry because we've done it to ourselves first. And we've done it because we've mined the awful stuff for what we can use. It's how we get through the day. How we put one foot in front of the other. (Maybe not all of us. I remember feeling terrible because grief fed my muse, but it was the truth. I think it silences it for others.)

I'm still in an anesthesia-fed fog, which I've been bemoaning for the nine days since I had disc surgery that left my fingers miraculously un-numb. I'm not sure how long I can blame the anesthesia, so I'm trying to work my way out of it, and that's what's next for me. Being healthy and thinking about spring and flowers and moving forward on my work-in-progress.

Come to think of it, that's a "what's next" I wish for everyone--at least all Romance Gems and other writer friends. I end my weekly newspaper column the same way every time, with "Have a good week. Be nice to somebody."

Make it happen. We're writers, after all.

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Almost forgot, today's the last day to enter this month's Rafflecopter. The prizes are great, as usual, and we are so grateful to you for spending time with us.
Full information on the Rafflecopter drawing can be found on our Monthly Giveaway page. You can also find the the entry form HERE.

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Coming soon, and available for pre-order now...

Oops, almost forgot something else! Caroline Clemmons is the winner of the goody bag from my post of a few weeks ago! Congratulations, Caroline, and thanks for commenting!