She Plays a Mother on TV by Nora LeDuc #RomanceGems

TV Moms are one of my favorite subjects. Take your pick, you can find all kinds of mums on the small screen. I've chosen a few for us today.

Every Wednesday, we can tune in to "The Goldbergs." Here we have a prime example of an embarrassing, meddling smother-mother. Beverly Goldberg. She's the kind that's always at the school, making sure her children are treated fairly and perfectly because her kids are...perfect. (I bet we've all known a few women like Bev.) Although Beverly learns a lesson about parenting from her misguided efforts, she can never quite cut those apron strings. I've always been more intrigued by the history behind the scripts that are inspired by Adam Goldberg's video recordings of his family's lives. Yes, Beverly is his mother who occasionally makes an appearance in the show. More than once I've read the true-life happenings of the clan had to be toned down for a G audience. Darn.

Another popular TV mom is Marie Barone of "Everybody Loves Raymond." Marie is the parent of two grown men, Raymond and Robert. Raymond, the oldest, continues to be Marie's obvious favorite. This does not go over well with his younger brother Robert, but doesn't stop Marie. She also feels free to give unwanted advice to her sons who are often too afraid of her to cross her. As a mother-in-law, Marie knows little about boundaries and often barges into Ray and his wife's home without a knock and usually at inconvenient times. If you think about it, Marie might remind you of a relative or a friend who means well but is a little too close. And here's a trivia fact for authors-the actor who played Marie's husband, Peter Boyle, was a cousin of Kensington Editor Kate Duffy.

Don't you dare open your mouth when I'm asking you questions.

Before I finish, I must add Clair Huxtable from the former "The Cosby Show" to this list. (Forget Bill.) Every Thursday night, I loved to see what Clair was wearing. Her colorful style of clothing fascinated me. She seemed able to put on anything and look wonderful, but the character of Clair was so much more. As the stable center of the family, she was a wife, a lawyer, and a mom of five who actually talked to her children about their problems. Then, she gave them good advice. She could be funny, but stern when needed. Clair showed us that although mothers worry about their children or make mistakes with them, they will turn themselves upside down to love and guide them into happy, well-adjusted adults. That's a mother.

I have written two stories with moms. My latest, Christmas at the Easy Breezy, takes places in the White Mountains of NH. If you're looking for a happy uplifting book this story is for you. The main character, Darcy Malone, is divorced and a mother of a five-year-old. Darcy is desperately seeking to connect to the family she's never known. Little does she realize what she'll find when she arrives at the Easy Breezy Diner and meets the sometimes-grumpy owner Leo Homes.

Please Follow Me on Social Media and Stay Healthy, Nora.

AmazonCentral, Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter

The Daffodils Are Coming!The Daffodils Are Coming! by Nora LeDuc #RomanceGems

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
(William Wordsworth)

With my stay at home life, I'm more eager than ever to get out and spot New England's signs of spring. I especially love the trumpet-shaped flowers, the daffodils. Their welcoming bright yellow, orange, or white colors welcome all who pass and raise my hopes for summer. So let's not waste time. Since car rides are allowed in our state, I'm off on our search for these harbingers of renewal. I'll add a few interesting landmarks along our way.

Molly Stark House at Pages Corner. Molly 
married General John Stark.

Before we leave, I check my yard. I discover the newest grouping I'd planted last fall near the road. They've survived the overflow of sand and salt from the plow truck and being buried beneath a mound of snow. Sadly, their buds haven't opened yet. But we've more to find. I hop in my vehicle and drive to the Pages Corner Cemetery that was named for the original land owners. Their daughter, Elizabeth Page (aka Molly Stark) lived on the corner and married Revolutionary War Hero John Stark.

Pages Corner Cemetery flowers--white building houses a horse-drawn hearse-
thanks to the town hearse restoration committee

But refocus! The plants are up at the cemetery! A long row of them, courtesy of our garden club. Their petals flutter in the wind and beckon me to snap their picture. I oblige. You might be curious about the white building in the grave yard. It houses a restored 1870 horse-drawn hearse.




I travel a few yards to the town line. Here, multitudes of daffodils are growing. Woo Hoo!! The residents of our community planted these for our town's 250 birthday celebration a few years ago.

                                          Roadside mass of flowers thanks to our town garden club                                         

Finally, my car chugs up the nine-hundred-foot-hill to the Center. There I make a glorious discovery. In front of the Caleb Stark Statue, the old horse trough contains a cheery display on this gray day. In case you're wondering, Caleb was Molly and Gen. John Stark's oldest son. Caleb is often depicted in paintings, chasing after his father who tried to leave him behind when John rode off to fight at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Yes, Caleb caught him and became the aide-de-camp to the general. We end our brief tour here. I declare our flower hunt a success on a cool April afternoon.

In the background, statue of Revolutionary soldier Caleb Stark

Now as the days grow warmer and longer, I grab my laptop and sit on the deck or by the windows. I dream of gardens rioting with color and stories filled with challenges and sometimes danger where love conquers all.

Before I sign off, I wanted to let you know my newest book, Christmas at the Easy Breezy will be in pre-order in June. The characters will celebrate with an outdoor spring wedding! Maybe you'll spot a daffodil.
Love to all,
~ Nora

****

Wait, there's more!!

Our monthly Rafflecopter is waiting for you and with an added chance —the Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt.  Complete information can be found on our Monthly Giveaway page. Yes, Easter is over but you can still enter. Just check out my Facebook page and my BookBub page to find my egg. Please like and follow me while there!!