New Beginnings by @karilemor #RomanceGems

The Dog Days of Summer mean summer is winding down, but any time something ends, you often have something new to take its place.

Last summer I had a thirty plus year teaching career come to an end. I retired. And headed out on a new journey with my husband in an RV for six months. You can check my FaceBook, Instagram, or Twitter feeds for information on that trip as I documented it in many pictures. One of my earliest posts on Romance Gems also listed the good and the not-so-good of our trip.

So now I’m starting on my new adventure of full-time writer. I have to say I’ve been busier than ever. Part of that is the new grandson who was just added to the family. No grandmother can resist cuddling and holding a newborn baby. Such sweetness.

The other thing keeping me busy is the new series I’ve got coming out soon. So many people say, “Write what you know,” and I’ve lived in New England my whole life so I’m pretty familiar with the place. The series is a small-town contemporary revolving around the Storm family who originate from the community of Squamscott Falls, New Hampshire.

It’s a fictional town, but the name comes from the original name of one of the towns near Portsmouth. There is an actual Squamscott River and Squamscott Falls. And the Storm family is one of the best I know. They’ve all got their quirks and faults, but they love each other and stand by each other unconditionally. This is something I know also. My family are the best and have been so supportive of my retiring early so I can follow my newly discovered passion of writing.

The first story, Elusive Dreams, follows one of the older cousins, Erik Storm. He’s moving into his grandparents’ house on the coast of Maine so he can adopt and raise two orphaned children he saved overseas. But an injury has left him barely able to walk, so he enlists the help of his introverted loner neighbor, Tessa, to help him. They embark on a marriage of convenience but both have issues they need to face before they can become a true family.

The second book, True Dreams, follows Sara Storm, the youngest sister of Erik, looking to find herself in the small town of Hyannis on Cape Cod. Instead she finds TJ Bannister, guilt ridden, tortured hero, and son of major rock and roll icons, who wants nothing to do with that life anymore.  (release in 2020)

There are many more Storms to come in the Storms of New England series so keep your eye out for them. Elusive Dreams releases Aug. 26, 2019 on most retailers.

Here’s an excerpt:

By the time she got the child settled and went back to the family room, Matty lay next to Erik on the couch, his eyes closed. Erik sat sprawled, his head back and eyes also shut. She sat in the comfy chair next to the couch and waited for him to notice her.

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, then he spoke softly. “Thank you for trying to help. I appreciate it. I’m not sure anything would have worked.”

“Erik, these kids need you. I’m sorry I jumped in with that marriage thing, but it was all I could think of so you could keep them.”

“It was a great idea, Tessa. I can’t ask you to do that though.”

Her heart broke into little pieces at his words. It was a great idea. Just not with you. Isn’t that what he meant? Maybe it would have worked with some other pretty girl who wasn’t a freak of nature. Who could be in a crowd and actually talk to people without twitching and having a fit.

“Maybe if I call and ask for a different social worker.”

“Maybe.” Nothing else would come out.  

When Miss Abernathy was here and she’d mentioned the marriage thing, Erik had perked up. It hadn’t been her imagination. Obviously, it was only because of the children. When he actually thought about it, he must have realized what life with the frigid freak would be like. And even the children couldn’t make him do that.

For a few short minutes, she’d actually thought she could have Erik Storm as her husband. The elusive dream she’d tucked away since she was a teen. Not that she wanted him forced against his will. But it would have gone a long way toward fulfilling her dreams of a husband and family.

Matty slept soundly and Erik looked like he might be too. She swallowed the sorrow that rose up inside her. It wasn’t like this was any different than anything else in her life. Why should she be disappointed now? Because she’d stupidly believed for one brief moment she might have a normal life. Kind of.

Standing quietly, she walked toward the door. Would he even know she’d left? If he needed her, he’d call. Maybe he wouldn’t. It might be too big a price to pay.

When she twisted the knob, he rustled on the couch.

“I need to think about this, Tess. Let’s sleep on it and talk tomorrow.”

Translation: I’ll figure out a way to keep the kids without marrying you.

~~~

Preorder now:

  

Amazon         Barnes & Noble        Apple

 For up-to-date information on all my books, sales, and new releases, sign up for my mailing list.  www.karilemor.com

~~~

Don't forget to enter our August Rafflecopter Giveaway. We are celebrating the Dog Days of Summer with great prizes as well as free books. Check out our GIVEAWAY tab above for complete information. You can also reach the entry by clicking HERE.

Lazy Summer Afternoons by Nora LeDuc #Romance Gems

The summer I turned 13, the local movie theater announced they'd show beach-themed movies at Saturday matinees. Hot guys flexing muscles, tan girls showing off their two-piece bikinis--this sounded terrific to me and to my two best friends. I volunteered my mother as our chauffeur and crossed my fingers she'd agree when I asked her to drive us.

Thankfully, she did. So when the weekend rolled around, we headed to the big screen. My mom dropped us off by the ticket booth out front and reminded us she'd pick us up right there. Then we paid for our tickets and entered through the double glass doors. Inside, a cushy red carpet ran the length of the dim foyer. Posters of movie stars in their upcoming films decorated the walls. We paused and pointed out the ones we liked. Most of the movies had already played in better theaters, but we didn't care. We were in a magical world where any story was possible, and in our imaginations, we were the stars.


We bought our snacks and chose our seats on the side aisle. This way we could talk and glance at the incoming audience, hoping to spot boys! Sadly, although a mixed group filled up one third of the rows, there were no teenage males that day. Finally, the lights went down. Now if you follow our Gems Blog, you know that we have book boyfriends, male characters from the book that we love. Well, my friends and I had movie boyfriends. We also had a few rules about our process. You couldn't choose your boyfriend until the show started and you saw him on the screen. Once you did, the other two friends had to agree that you were a match. Luckily, this movie had three teen heartthrobs, which was perfect, one for each of us. Choosing was easy. I wanted the one I thought was cutest. No other qualifications mattered. Fortunately, this story had lots of cuties running around on the white sand and surfing on their boards. They also always gathered in the evenings by a fire with the girl of their dreams.

Truthfully, I remember little of the plots, but I do recall the fun we had together on those afternoons. Giggling, sighing, and ah-ing we became captivated by our fictional characters. And the following Saturday, we did it all again.

My Saturday Matinee Movie Friends Today!!

Don't forget you can follow me on BookBub. Find my books where you can fall in love with a character too.