Sunscreen and Ice Cream by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

My mother grew up in a small town in south Texas. It's about thirty minutes from the border. My god-sister affectionately called this town "the armpit of the south". (She grew up there, too.)

It has a working drawbridge, one stoplight, and it used to have the best ice cream parlor anywhere. (They served Blue Bell.)

My great-grandfather was the owner and operator of this quaint little parlor, and his sons kept it open until the 90s.

We would visit my grandparents every summer, and fortunately, not only were they close to Mexico, they were close to South Padre Island. We went to the beach faithfully and enjoyed the white sand and the clear water. I loved every minute, despite the slather of sunscreen I had to put on.

And while I mastered riding the waves, I never could get the hang of building the perfect sandcastle. And believe me, I tried.


After we wore ourselves out, my uncle and grandparents ALWAYS took us to get ice cream. It was tradition. And a good one, too, if you ask me.

When I look back on my life, I realize everything I have and everything I am, is because of my family. They are my rocks, the heart and soul of me.

And this makes them the foundation of my books. The one thing my fans always mention after reading one of my books is their delight with the family aspect of the stories. If I don't have enough scenes that feature family moments, my editor makes sure I put them in. When a book club discusses one of my books, we talk about the family events sometimes as much as the love story.


My romances are absolutely a tribute to one of God's greatest gifts, but they are also a love story to the family. My family. It's a joy I can't describe, and I'm grateful I get to say thank you in books.

The Texas Brides of Pike's Run series is here for you to treasure! There are 19 books in the series, and I am self-publishing. The prelude, book 1 and 2 are ready! Book 3 is available for pre-order.

Prelude: Saving Sarah
When Sarah breaks their budding courtship for reasons unknown, Michael will stop at nothing to find out why.

Book 1: Welcome Home
Emma is everything Kyle has ever wanted, but she betrayed him.

Book 2: The Sheriff's Gift
Forbidden kisses with the sheriff weren't part of the schoolteacher's plans.

Book 3: The Cowboy's Charms
She's his enemy's daughter, but this cowboy can't help falling for her.

Website ~ Amazon ~ B & N ~ BookBub ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Pinterest 

Our giveaway for July is still going on! Y'all be sure to enter here!

Our Favorite Day by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

I'm so excited to finally share this! I've been waiting for December so I could tell y'all about it.

My family has a wonderful Christmas tradition. We call it Christmas Feast.

The first weekend in December we pull out the Christmas decorations -- we have A LOT -- so we can trim the tree and the house.

While the kids and my Prince Charming put everything out, I cook. I make all kinds of appetizers and finger foods. I use all my best and cute party platters, and our table is FULL of food. We eat for days after, which is just another great thing about it.

We listen to Christmas music, and the kids get all excited about each ornament they pull out and hang up. It's wonderful.

Y'all should know that I spend about 5 hours in the kitchen. My feet and back kill me by the time I'm done, but it's soooo worth it. I wouldn't trade it at all. The menu consists of:

1) Deviled eggs -- a riot ensues if I don't make these
2) Pigs in a blanket
3) Cheese tray
4) Cream cheese with jalapeno jelly
5) Jalapeno poppers
6) Pizza rolls
7) Parmesan crusted chicken tenders
8) Stuffed mushrooms
9) Veggies and dip
10) Egg rolls
11) Cookies galore
12) Taco sticks
13) Apples and a fruit dip
14) Pot stickers
15) Queso
16) Salsa

It's a lot. But it's sooooo great. I change it up each year, but only a little bit.

Once everything is done, we fill our plates and watch Home Alone. And the kids still giggle. They're 19, 17 and 13 now, but it doesn't matter. They love every bit of this day, and we have every intention of continuing it even after they're grown and gone. This year my daughter helped me with cooking, and she did such a great job. It only took three hours. I sure wish I had two ovens, though. That's for the next house, I guess.

Here's a little look into what it's like for us. The kids are younger in this video.

It's traditions like these that make it easy for me to write like I do. The best thing about my books is the family feel in them. I think it's become a trademark for me, because my readers remark on it often.

I'm glad I can evoke homey feelings in my stories. Hopefully it shows the love I have for my family and friends, and gives readers a sense of what life is all about.

What reminds you of family? What do you look forward to -- it doesn't have to be a Christmas tradition. Comment below and I'll send a copy of any book in my series to one lucky person -- winner can choose the book. Please leave your email!

And don't forget our December contest and giveaway! Enter CANDY CANE KISSES and win prizes! For all the details, visit our Monthly Giveaway page. Or, go straight to the ENTRY FORM.

 

Thankful by Karen Kelley #RomanceGems

I'm thankful that I don't have to go back to Cosco and the grocery store again for quite a while. We did that today and I'm drained! I'm thankful all the presents have been bought. Okay, I still have a few to wrap.

Christmas really is my favorite time of the year. I love the memories I have. When my parents became very ill, my husband and I brought them to live with us. It was right before Christmas. I quit work and transformed my dining room into their bedroom because it was large enough to fit Mom's hospital bed and a regular size bed for Dad so they could be together.

Dad had end stage cancer and Mom had had a stroke that left her unable to turn or even feed herself. They required a lot of care but I figured I was a nurse and Karl was a paramedic so, along with home health, we could manage. And we did.

The night before Christmas, I was still up at midnight finishing everything that needed to get done. I had an iron skillet with cornbread almost done and pies cooling on the counter when I heard them talking about how good the cornbread smelled (hint, hint?). They both had this thing about cornbread. I still smile thinking about it.

As soon as I took it out of the oven, I cut them each a slice, poured them a glass of milk, and carried it in to them. While we all ate cornbread, we laughed and talked. It's one of my favorite memories. Yes, I was totally exhausted, but somehow it didn't really matter anymore.

Dad passed two weeks later and Mom lived another sixteen months.

I don't remember the times I was so tired my feet ached. I remember sharing stories, laughing, hugging--and yes, eating hot cornbread at midnight on Christmas Eve.

I hope everyone makes really good Christmas memories.

Don't forget to enter our cool giveaways this month.

 

Remember to enter CANDY CANE KISSES. For all the details, visit our Monthly Giveaway page. Or, go straight to the ENTRY FORM.

 

Karen Kelley

www.authorkarenkelley.com

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

By Caroline Clemmons

This season resurrects so many memories for each of us—some good and some not so nice. Fortunately for me, Christmas brings happy memories. Certainly, some are better than others, but this is a happy time—my favorite time of year.

What’s the first Christmas you remember? 

Mine is when I was three. My parents and I moved from North Texas to Southern California when I was ten months old. By the time I was three, we lived in a home I loved in a suburb of Bakersfield.

That year the family Christmas Eve celebration was at our home.  Around twenty extended family members were assembled for dinner and… Santa! One of my favorite relatives, Buster, knew Santa personally and went to the airport to pick him up. Though I adored Buster anyway, this fact cemented him in my favor permanently.

Sure enough, Santa came in loaded down with toys. He gave me a rattan doll buggy and a doll. I remember the look on the face of my 9-month-old niece, Linda, as she stared wide-eyed at Santa. Probably the same expression was on my own face. When all the toys had been delivered, Buster took Santa back to the airport so he could catch his plane to the North Pole in time for his sleigh run. I didn't question why Santa had to take a plane when he had that sleigh and reindeer.  

That's me with the buggy
and doll from Santa.
No snow--it's in 
Southern California.

Santa—Buster’s older brother, Roy—wore a luxurious red velveteen suit trimmed with artificial fur that looked real to a child. Years later, I learned my half-sister, Clarice, had sewn that costume. She was the best seamstress I’ve ever known. That suit was handed down in the family for decades.

The summer before my eighth birthday, my parents and I moved back to Texas. I missed those wonderful Christmas gatherings until the year my husband and I took our infant daughter there. The evening was as wonderful than I remembered.  By this time, Roy had passed Santa duties to my half-brother, Herschel.  He was so impressive that even several teenaged guests were awed.

For years, when kids told me there was no Santa, I argued with them. I had seen Santa and he had personally handed me toys! That Christmas remains an outstanding memory and the first of many wonderful Christmases in my life.

For this Christmas, I wish you joy, peace, and love--and the wonder and faith of a child. Merry Christmas! 

I’m giving away a copy of one of my e-books to one person who comments today. Winner's choice from my Amazon Author page at https://amazon.com/Caroline-Clemmons/e/B001K8CXZ6/

In addition, we have a great Rafflecopter giveaway for the month for our CANDY CANE KISSES GIVEAWAY. This is five Amazon Gift Cards. Grand Prize is $30, 2nd prize is $25, 3rd prize is $20, fourth prize is $10, and fifth prize is $5. 

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Fill Up Your Stocking! by @karilemor #RomanceGems

When I think of Christmas morning, my best memories are of waking up to find my Christmas stocking on the end of my bed. My sisters and I would spend at least an hour or more going through the contents, sometimes trading the tiny gifts, and almost always sampling a little piece of candy or two.

Each year there was a variety of toys to keep us occupied, like the little plastic maze games, that had a tiny ball inside. You had to tip the toy in different directions to get the ball to go through the maze and end up at the finish.

We always, always had one of the Life Saver books with about a dozen rolls of Life Savers in it. I’d trade my Pep O mint roll for my sister’s Fruit flavor. If there was anything root beer flavored, she’d get that and grudgingly give me something in exchange. At least a few foil-covered Santas nestled among the other occupants of the stocking.

And then at the bottom, snugly sitting inside the toe, was an orange. Once we got older and understood who filled the stockings, we realized the orange was to take up space. And the stocking on the end of the bed was to keep us upstairs a little longer so mom and dad could sleep later. Especially since my mom stayed up much of the night wrapping her last-minute gifts.

It was a brilliant idea and one I used with my own children. And if you wrap most of the little gifts, you get even more time to sleep as they have to unwrap each one. And cleanup and throw away the wrapping paper before they could open new gifts.    

Some of the other candy I loved, that only made an appearance at Christmas time, were the filled raspberry candies and the chocolate oranges. Without a doubt, those would be on the counter or coffee table when everyone else showed up for dinner. And I’d nibble on them happily all day long.

What are some of the candies you remember, either good or bad, that were always there at Christmas when you were young?  What was, or still is, your favorite?

In my newest book, Elusive Dreams, Erik and Tessa are adopting two children he rescued from Kandahar. They have to start their own Christmas traditions with their new family. Here’s a little snippet of Christmas morning:

~~

“Santa came. Daddy, Mama, Santa came.”

Erik opened one eye and turned toward the voice. Matty’s curl-covered head rested on the bed next to him. It was too early for this. Glancing at his watch, he noted it was a little after six. But if they were going to open gifts and get down to New Hampshire, they should probably get started.

“How do you know he came already?” Could he buy himself a few more seconds of Tessa’s warmth by playing Devil’s Advocate?

“There’s stuff under the tree,” Matty whispered like it was a secret. Were he and his siblings ever so adorable on Christmas morning? For some reason, he figured they were more obnoxious than anything.

Tessa stirred, her head nestling on his chest, her hand moving to play with his dog tags. He loved when she did this. Though this morning, he couldn’t really enjoy it.

“Wake up, my sleeping beauty. We’ve got some very anxious elves waiting to get Christmas started.”

~~

 

                                                   

ELUSIVE DREAMS

Of course, there's more. There's CANDY CANE KISSES, our December Rafflecopter!

Remember to enter CANDY CANE KISSES. For all the details, visit our Monthly Giveaway page. Or, go straight to the ENTRY FORM.

Happy Holidays from Romance Gems!