Not Blooming @karilemor #RomanceGems

Our theme this month is Romance in Bloom.  I know plenty about romance but the bloom part I’m a bit weak in.  My mom is one of those people who has a bona fide green thumb. Growing up, we had so many plants all over the house. We had five picture windows, and every one of them was filled to the brim with plants.

The kitchen window over the sink housed many of the cacti and smaller plants. We even had a Venus Fly Trap at one point. My sister and I used to love feeding it hamburg.  Watching the greedy little mouth close up was fascinating.

The most impressive window was the one in the living room. It was a huge bay window that went from floor to ceiling. The curtain over it closed in front and at times we used it as a stage. But first we’d need to move all the plants. They hung from the ceiling and graced small tables in front of it. I used to joke that we didn’t need a Christmas tree, we could just hang lights on all the plants.

So it was quite disappointing when my thumb turned out to be black. It caused plants to die. Even the ones where people said, “Oh, you can’t kill that plant. They’re so hearty.” It never failed that every year while I was teaching, I’d get a plant or two from a student or a group gift from the class. After telling everyone how much I loved it and thanking them, I’d give it the sign of the cross and last rites. Then I’d take it home to die.

The only hope these poor greens had was if my mother happened by before they were completely dead and took pity on it. My mom took in more foster plants from my house than anything else. And miraculously, she always managed to bring them back to life and make them healthier than they were before. And no matter how much she told me how to take care of them, mine always died. Good thing my kids yelled and cried if I didn’t feed them, otherwise I could have been in deep trouble.

For a few years I actually bought fake flowers and stuck them outside in the wall by the road. They looked amazing and people wondered how I kept them so fresh for so long. Yeah, most people caught on to my trick after a while. My kids teased me something awful, but none of them offered to plant and take care of something real so it didn’t bother me.  I’ve accepted the fact I am not a plant person.

But romance, now that’s something I know a little about. I started pilfering my mom’s Harlequins when I was about twelve. That started my deep love for anything romance.  Most of the books I read for pleasure are most definitely in the romance category. And not that many years ago, I tried my hand at writing romance. 

My newest series, the Storms of New England, now has three books out and book 4 should be making its arrival this summer.  The newest, Stolen Dreams, is a favorite since Alex Storm is very organized and OCD in many ways. So many of his quirks come from me (or a few of my children) and so he is familiar. Luckily Gina, whose grandmother lived next door, absolutely loves Alex’s quirks. It takes him a while to finally figure out that she’s the one he’s been looking for his whole life.

You can take a peek and read the first chapter at these retailers:

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Perfect Placement @karilemor #RomanceGems

As I’ve grown older, I’ve found that I’ve gotten more particular about certain things. I definitely have some quirks. Often, they drive me crazy, but I can’t seem to let them go.

Everything needs to be done in a pattern or to a count of eight. 

The bedspread needs to be exactly centered on the bed.                                          

Both the throw pillows must be lined up perfectly. 

I will fix the chairs at the table so they are all pushed in.                                      

The items on the kitchen counter need to be in the same spot always.                         

When I put the kettle on to boil, it must be right inside the rings of the burner.

I could go on and on. And, of course, when my husband disturbs the things I’ve placed accordingly, it drives me crazy. If something is out of alignment in my line of vision, I get so distracted that I can’t continue with what I’m doing until I fix it. You can imagine this keeps me from getting as much work done as I should.

In my newest book, STOLEN DREAMS, the 3^rd book in the Storm of New England series, middle brother, Alex, is an uptight perfectionist. If you’ve read the first two books, you’ve probably figured this out.

In Alex’s story, we see him with Gina, who’s been a constant visitor at her grandmother’s house next door. Now that her Nonna has passed away, she needs to clean out the house and get it ready to sell. Who better than Alex Storm, the king of organization, to help her?

The problem for Alex is that Gina makes him lose his tightly held control. Which is more than uncomfortable for him. If you want to see how this free-spirited bohemian wraps control freak Alex around her little finger, the book is out TODAY!!

Here’s a little sneak peek. Gina is at a local hang out and meets up with a group of women who have all dated Alex at some point. They have a lot to say about Alex and his strange mannerisms:

“I could have done with the lackluster sex positions, if it weren’t for some of his…odd behavior.” Cara wrinkled her nose.

Kelsey nodded. “The straw wrappers. Oh, my God. He honestly couldn’t sit at a table if I’d crinkled one.”

“Yep, he had to press it neatly, then fold exactly in half and then half again.”

“Then, half again. And he’d do it with my wrapper, too.”

Gina kind of thought it was cute he did this. Did these women seriously ditch Alex because he liked to fold straw wrappers?

“How about the no walking on a crack thing?” Kristan accepted the new drink the waitress had delivered.

“Oh, God, yes. Taking a walk with him on any kind of sidewalk was painful. He tried to do it without you noticing, but if you actually watched his feet, he’d take a smaller step or larger one, so he didn’t step in the wrong place.”

Gina sampled her wine, then set the glass down. “Step on a crack, and you break your mother’s back. Alex loves his mother.”

The others chuckled.

“Did you notice he always starts a set of stairs with his right foot?”

“Or that he washes his hands to a count of eight?”

“He does lots of things to a count of eight. Like rubbing your back or wiping the table.”

“And if he does something with one hand, like scratch his leg or tap his fingers, he has to do it with the other, too.”

“Lining up the salt and pepper shakers, so they are exactly in the middle of the table.”

“Straightening pictures that I didn’t even realize were crooked.”

Gina’s head went back and forth like she was watching a ping pong match as she listened to them bullet point Alex’s quirks.

“I love to make sure my necklaces have the clasp showing. It actually makes him twitch, and he has to fix them so they’re in the back.” She fiddled with the long chain she wore. “And when he does, he always cops a feel.”

“You sly lady.” Kelsey raised her glass.

“All of those quirks are what makes him Alex. I think they’re adorable.”

Hanna’s eyebrows drew together. “After a while, they can drive you crazy. You must not have known him that long.”

“I’ve known him since we were babies. We lived next door to each other until I was six, then hung around together every summer and any other time I visited my grandmother. I’m well aware of his idiosyncrasies.”

Ashley held up both hands. “Like his planner. It’s unbelievable how much he depends on that thing.”

“He can’t live without it.” Kristan nodded.

“If he deviates from it, he almost has a nervous breakdown.”

“Or he has to erase what was there, and rewrite the new activity so it’s accurate.”

“That’s true,” Gina admitted. “And he adds something in if it wasn’t there. But he follows it to the letter.”

She leaned in closer, gazing at all the women. “What you have to understand is how to use that to your advantage. You need to get creative. If you write in it what you want to happen…it will happen.”

Again, their eyes and mouths opened wide.

And in celebration of my newest release, my publisher has put both Elusive Dreams and True Dreams on SALE for ONLY 99c for the next two weeks. Grab them now since they'll be going back to full price soon. 

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