Out with the Old...In with the New by @karilemor #RomanceGems

 

The year that shall not be named is gone and so we look forward to something better. But in order to do that I need to make sure I put positivity in my attitude. Stay away from the news and focus on all the wonderful things life has to offer. And there are SO MANY things to be thankful for.

I have a wonderful husband, three beautiful children, 2 adorable grandsons, and I’m getting a new baby granddaughter in early May. The though of buying little girl clothes and bows again (2 of my 3 children are girls) is so exciting.

I’ve got great friends, online and off, who support me and help me through the hard times. My extended family are all lovely people who keep in touch as best they can.

And I’ve done more writing than ever before.

This year will be a whirlwind with releases. The one I’m most excited about is my Love on the Line series. It’s what I like to call “Romance with a splash of Danger”. Heavy on romance and light on suspense.

The first three books, Wild Card Undercover, Running Target, and Fatal Evidence, originally released in 2017.  Unfortunately, recently, the publisher put the books at a ridiculous price of $9.99 for digital. Yeah, I know. I wouldn’t even buy my own books at that price!!

But now I have control over them and will be rereleasing the first three books in Jan, Feb, and March. They’ll be at a much more reasonable price of $3.99.  And I’ve added a new scene or two to each book!!

The really exciting thing is this series has three more books coming right after it. We saw Chris, Jack, and Scott in the original series, but we also got glimpses of their other army buddies, Drew, Keith, and Nick.  So now these new guys will finally get to tell you their stories and find the women of their dreams.

These books will follow the first three in April, May, and June. So you can binge the whole series all at once if you hate waiting for the sequels. FYI, the books are all stand alones and can be read in any order.

For those who enjoy my small town contemporary Storms of New England series, I will be releasing Greg and Luke’s stories later this year.

And I have another surprise book coming out closer to Christmas. More about that at a later date.

Wild Card Undercover will be released TODAY!!! And you can get it at most retailers. More information and LINKS for them are here:  WILD CARD UNDERCOVER 

 

Stay positive, remember the blessings we do have, and read lots of romance!!

Kari

 

Good Luck for 2021 by Jan Scarbrough

Winter Wonderland is our January theme. I’m not into winter, probably because the days are so short and it’s dark and gloomy. We rarely have snow in Kentucky, so the winter sports are not very common here.

In my book Timeless, a contemporary Gothic romance, my heroine Beth does go sledding.

“Want to go sledding?”

His question came out of the blue, completely unexpected. “Sledding?” I asked in a stunned tone.

“A bunch of us are going to Dog Hill this afternoon. It will probably be crowded, but it is a lot of fun.”

“Sledding?” I repeated myself. It sounded fun, but going with Eric? I wasn’t sure about that….

Dog Hill in Louisville’s Cherokee Park never lost that name even after the city built a fenced dog area in another part of the park. Eric told me its history during our ride through streets now blackened with snowy slush. Baringer Hill, as it’s officially called, isn’t for the faint of heart on a snowy day. I stood at the top of it, looking down its long and steep incline wondering if I would chicken out.

“You’ll be in for a wild ride,” Eric said. “Are you up to it?”

If I’d wanted adventure, I was going to get it. The hill was crowded with teenagers and adults. A few children were sprinkled here and there, but this was definitely not a beginner’s hill….

Determined not to let my courage fail me, I took the sled, walked down the hill a little ways to where snow remained packed, dropped the plastic vehicle to the ground, and sat down cross-legged. I paddled with my gloved hands, digging my fingers into the snow, which had basically turned to ice.

The ride started slowly but picked up speed until I was soon flying down the bumpy slope. Cold wind stung my face. My blood rushed with exhilaration as I held on for dear life. All too soon, I was at the bottom, swerving to avoid a tree, and then toppled sideways as I skidded to a stop. After picking myself up and brushing myself off, I trekked up the hill.

The sled was surprisingly lightweight and easy to pull during my hike. Panting hard, I wondered about my sanity. It wasn’t often that I saw my life flash by me like I’d seen during that ride. Exciting, yes. Smart, no….

My own winter includes much calmer pursuits. One of the things I do is feed birds and watch them. This December a special bird showed up at my feeder. It was little and white. I’d never seen such a bird! My neighborhood FB group identified the little guy as a white zebra finch. 

Zebra finches are not native to Kentucky and are kept in captivity. A white one is a mutation. The neighborhood group reported someone’s birds had escaped. My little white guest must have been one of them.

I felt that the little white finch must be good luck.

Beth from Nature’s Portraits by Beth came over to try to capture a photo of the little white bird. She visited my back yard for several days and captured some beautiful pictures. But she had no luck spotting the little white bird.

I do have some special wild birds that do look festive in the winter. The shrub is a winterberry bush, enjoyed by the cardinals, mockingbirds, and especially flocks of robins.

Cardinals are believed to be good luck. “Native American lore states if a cardinal is seen, it is believed that individual will have good luck within 12 days of the sighting.”

I must say I have plenty of good luck around my house with the little white bird and my yard full of cardinals. I look forward to 2021 being better than 2020!

You can follow Beth on FB at Nature’s Portraits by Beth. She sells her photographs, and you can find her email address on her page if you want to purchase a winter bird.

Labors of Love by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

We've started 2020, which means in one more year I'll be sending my second child off to college.

It might seem like I still have time, but the truth is, it's going to go faster than I'm prepared for. My oldest is currently in college, majoring in Music Education, and I felt like I blinked and she was gone.

When children decide where they want to go, and what they want to do, it's so exciting. I love watching my daughter and sons grow up and become their own person. It's a beautiful privilege. I'm grateful and anticipate the years to come.

But it's also sad. Soon my home will not be the center of their world, and I have to adjust to that. I think I'm doing a good job. I hardly ever cry, but I sure do hug them a lot. Thankfully, they're sweet and indulge me.

At Romance Gems we're asking WHAT'S NEXT for everyone, and my "next" is helping my son prepare for the SAT. I've got to dust off my study skills and hone my ability to think differently. (I'm not looking forward to it.) But I love him, and I will labor right alongside him.

Sending children off to college leaves one with so many emotions and much hope for the future. I believe my husband and I have raised kids who will contribute well to our world.

My children! My 7th grader is on the left. My freshman in college is in the middle. And my upcoming Senior is on the right.

You know, it's funny. As I write this, I realize that the book I'm currently editing is about a son who returns from college after a five year absence to a family who is equal parts overjoyed to see him, and equal parts sad he had to be gone so long. It's interesting how what I'm writing sometimes mirrors what I'm currently going through.

The book is called The Inventor's Heart. It doesn't have a release date yet or a cover, so I can't share it with you yet. But it's book 13 in my series, and Alex and Julia are in many other books. They are members of my core families, so they've made several appearances in earlier stories.

I'm looking forward to this book hitting the shelves. Julia has Dyslexia and Alex is a genius. This creates conflict for the characters, and Alex has to work hard to prove to Julia that she's as brilliant as he is. I enjoyed writing this story. Helping Julia feel worthy became a labor of love for me. I'm a Special Education teacher, and I wanted to write a romance with a character who had to overcome similar obstacles as some of my students. This book has brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion.

I can share an excerpt with you, though:

“I’m…stupid, Alex.”

His eyes flashed.

“I am.”

Thunder appeared on his face. “You. Are. Not. Stupid.”

“Yes, I—”

He clutched her shoulders. “No,” he ground out, anger sizzling from him in waves.

But his forceful reply couldn’t change what was. She eased out of his hold and stood, putting the chair between them. “You’re so smart. What you can do boggles my mind, and you need a wife who can be your partner in all ways.”

Alarm slashed across his face, and he went rigid. “What do you mean?”

She gestured toward his designs on the wall. “I can’t help you with your work, and I’ll probably cause you trouble if I try. You need someone who can walk with you, support you and help…broaden your reach.” She shook her head. “That’s not me. I wouldn’t even know where to start."

Pain grew in each line of his face. “With me. You start with me. You be Julia. That’s all I need.”

To read any other books in my series, click here.

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What’s Next in 2020? By Jan Scarbrough #RomanceGems

Every year, I make my writing goals. In 2018, I concentrated on revising, re-editing, and republishing five books in my Bluegrass Reunion series. I had gotten the rights back and wanted to update and polish them before self-publishing them.

That was 2018. In 2019, I finished revising the series with Kentucky Cowboy and Kentucky Rain. My other goal was more ambitious: a trilogy called Ghost Mountain Ranch. It would tell the story of Hank, a secondary character from the Montana Ranchers, a series I wrote with Maddie James.

I did finish the first book in the trilogy, and because it was a romance, Hank got his happy ending. However, life happened: my husband got sick and so did I. Currently the first book is with my editor. I’m almost finished with the second.

So, my goal in 2020 is to finish all three books and self-publish them. I’ve included the cover for the first book. I’m not sure I’ll keep the cover or the title. What do you think?

If you’ve read yesterday’s group blog, you’ll find I hope to get back on track personally in 2020. I have some chronic health issues that I must live with. But I want to get moving again: taking horseback riding lessons again, going to the gym, walking, volunteering, and helping with the grandkids. I have archery and volleyball contests to attend, not to mention basketball and football games.

What are your plans for 2020?

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