Beach Ya You Could Use A Good Read! ~ #RomanceGems M.J. Schiller

There's not a lot of beach reading for this fair-skinned Irish girl. Most of my summer reads take place from about 40,000 feet up. When I'm strapped into a seat with no other demands placed on me, that's when I get to read. But after I reach my destination, I'm more likely to have my laptop out so I can write and keep on top of social media. And if I'm really on a roll with writing, or if I'm really behind, (much more likely the case these days), I'll have my laptop out while flying too. Unfortunately, this means I don't have a lot of time to read. That's something I hope to change in the future.

When I think of the beach, though, I think about taking walks with my hubby, hand in hand, during the twilight hours of the day, or jumping waves with my family, oftentimes extended family, as we all enjoy getting together on beach vacations.

From a vacation to Door County.

I also have a rather terrifying memory from one year when we visited the Gulf Shores area. We noticed pretty quickly that we were getting pulled far down the beach while we were playing in the waves, and we were continually having to make our way back up to where we started. But when the water began pulling us out, away from the beach, we panicked. If you've ever been caught in a riptide, you'll understand the strange feeling. Even knee-deep in water, you can struggle against this invisible attacker. I was able to get a few of the kids to safety, but my husband had to go out to rescue our son Ryan. I was so scared. And I had a right to be, as it was difficult to get back in. At one point, my husband threw Ryan ahead of him, hoping to get him out of the tow, and he did. Then, luckily, he was able to make it back himself. Just a reminder to you, if you should be beaching it this year, be aware of your surroundings and where your loved ones are, so you know if they're in trouble.

I don't want to end on an unhappy note though. I do love traveling to warm climates, hunting up seashells, and drinking boat drinks, along with all the other things that go with relaxing and getting away from the demands of everyday life. We also like to learn about the history of the area when we visit places, and I'd be lying if I said I don't enjoy going out to eat.

From same vaca.

I would leave you with a little sneak peek from my upcoming Last Chance Beach Romance, but it isn't due out until January of 2023, so I haven't written it yet, which would make that hard. ;) Instead, I'll share a beach scene from THE HEART TEACHES BEST. Here's a blurb to set it up:

He’s the cop.

Cooper Sullivan is the cop in charge of investigating a murder outside of a Los Angeles nightclub. The famous romance author, Sydney Essex, has been found strangled in the parking lot. When the young officer returns to the scene of the crime the night after the murder, he gets involved in a fight in order to protect a woman, who he realizes afterward, is the victim’s sister. Soon he finds himself torn by his attraction to the irresistible brunette teacher, and his need to maintain a professional distance.

She’s the teacher.

Laney Essex is distraught over her sister’s death, so the high school English teacher returns to the bar where the crime occurred to find answers. To her dismay, she is only left with more questions, many centered on her developing relationship with Cooper Sullivan. Is the pull she’s feeling towards him reciprocated? Or is the handsome detective only showing her professional courtesy, or perhaps even pity?

But he’s the one teaching her lessons of the heart.

When Laney receives a threatening phone call from Sydney’s murderer, it quickly becomes evident that the man who killed her sister is after her, too. Can Cooper figure out who the killer is before it’s too late? And if he does solve the case, will it be just another file stamped “CLOSED” in red, and locked away in a drawer? Or will the sparks that have been flying between the two finally ignite?

Excerpt ~

This scene takes place when Laney is still in shock after the killer breaks into her hotel room. Cooper, his partner Aidan, and Aidan's girlfriend Jenna take Laney to the beach to distract her and break through the fog of fear muddling her brain...

When they got to the beach, they found a spot in some light shade and spread out. As late as it was in the afternoon, the beach was fairly deserted. Aidan and Jenna took off to play in the waves, leaving Cooper and Laney alone. She sat with her hands around her knees in a relaxed position, staring out at the waves without speaking. At first, Cooper talked about this and that, ignoring that it was virtually a one-way conversation. After a while, he fell silent, trying to come up with something else to say. He stared out over the waves like she did.

“Laney. When I went to talk to the chief, I asked him to take me off your case.”

Her head spun in surprise, then she seemed to swallow the information with resignation. “I understand. It’s a good decision. It’s not safe to be around me.”

“No! Oh, no, Laney, you don’t understand.” He turned her head so he could look into her eyes and make sure he had her full attention. “I asked him to take me off the case because--I tried to explain before, but I guess I didn’t do a very good job.” He sighed, then started over. “I didn’t ask to be taken off the case because I’m worried about the danger. I asked to be removed because… Laney, when I’m with you, my thoughts aren’t very...professional.” He saw a glimmer of understanding in her eyes. “In fact...” he took a couple strands of her hair between his fingers, sliding down their length, all the way out to the ends. Then he released them to touch her face, his gaze flickering back and forth between her eyes. “...my thoughts when you’re close like this are about as far from professional as you can get.” His heart was in his throat. He leaned in and softly kissed her lips, meaning to stop there, but he felt himself falling deeper and deeper.

There was a point at which Cooper knew the kiss would explode into something else—something so intense it wouldn’t have mattered if every man, woman, and child on the beach had been watching them, he would have had no choice but to lean her back onto the sand so he could tear off her borrowed swimming suit—and that point was approaching like an express train. With difficulty, the gentleman in him overcame the pure animal lust, and he pulled back. As he did, he opened his eyes to take in her reaction. He saw, to his great pleasure, that she was having trouble resurfacing from the dark place within where her desire swam.

Hopefully, that makes you want to run to the beach with some hunky policeman with broad shoulders. In the meantime, share with us what the perfect vacation would be for you. Would you want to escape to a mountain cabin? Take in a Broadway show? Hit the sand? Or do something else altogether?  

If you'd like to read the rest of Cooper and Laney's story, you can find it here:


Amazon: mybook.to/TheHeartTeachesBest

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-heart-teaches-best-mj-schiller/1118627507

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-heart-teaches-best-1

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/heart-teaches-best-real-romance/id825996257



Thanks for reading! I guess this will be my last blog post here, (look for an announcement tomorrow), but you'll be able to find all your favorite Gems on Facebook on the Romance Gems: Where Authors and Readers Meet page. And you can always catch me at M.J. Schiller, Romance Author. Until next time, enjoy your summer!

SOME LIKE IT WET by M.J. Schiller #RomanceGems

First off, you may have noticed that I'm not Kathryn Hills. We did a switcheroo, but Kathryn will be back next month, don't worry.

When I heard the theme this month was April Showers Bring May Flowers, as a romance writer my mind went to a place that normal people’s minds wouldn’t have. Shower scenes! But, since we don’t have a warning on this blog, I need to keep it clean (which I think is funny because, ya know, with the soap and all…). But which shower scene should I share?

 

In thinking through my options, I realized something. I like my characters wet! Whether it’s Killian and Bridey (SIN WORTH THE PENANCE) in a shower on the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland, or Sam and Kyle (TO HELL IN A COACH BAG) doing the same in Denver. I’ve got Josh and Cassie (ROCK ME, GENTLY) falling into a pool in Vegas, and the teenaged Chase (ABANDON ALL HOPE) daring Hope to skinny dip, along with the adult Chase and Hope in the waves near Los Angeles shooting a music video. There's also the scene in SATAN, LINE ONE where Killian walks in on Josie in the tub. Even in ROCKED BY GRACE we have Zane coming to apologize to Grace on her fire escape during a storm. And there’s dozens more. I mean, you gotta see what the hero looks like wet, don’t you? Just search stock art sites and you’ll see how much people like a guy with drops of water clinging to him.

 

Holy moly! If I keep on with this, we’re all going to need a cold shower. I will share a scene with you, but first…are you a shower person, or a bath person? I love to send little gifts, but when I'm looking at bath bombs, I sometimes struggle to remember which of my kids and their girlfriends are shower people, and which are bath takers. My sister is a notorious bath addict--although she refers to them as wishy-washies--and I follow that family tradition. Some would say I’m a little obsessive about my foaming bath salts, but a gal needs her suds, right?

Here's a shower scene (clean) from ABANDON ALL HOPE. First I'll give you a blurb to help you make sense of things. 

It was one of those mornings for newspaper-writer/photographer Hope Creswell.

 

The alarm clock didn’t go off and she cut her finger on broken glass. Twice! Not one to let such things get her down, Hope headed into her assignment meeting with excitement, only to leave it stunned. Her new assignment is to trail the sensational rock-star, Chase Hatton, for an article. Chase Hatton. No one knows the power that name holds for her. No one knows of the childhood friendship that blossomed into romance, only to abruptly die on the night of Hope’s senior prom. No one knows of the ache still filling her heart. 

 

What starts out for Chase Hatton as an average publicity trip to Chicago suddenly becomes complicated.

 

Chase's manager tells him Hope Creswell will be interviewing him in the morning.

He spent eight years trying to forget Hope, and now she would be in his penthouse in a matter of hours?

 

When Chase opens the door to his penthouse and finds Hope on the opposite side, his heart begins beating a rhythm the rocker has yet to capture in any of his music.

 

The smoldering embers of their former romance are fanned by their mere proximity. Will they both be burned again? And what about Hope’s boyfriend, Phillip? Where does he fit into the picture that Hope is developing?

 

As Chase let the hot water pour over his body, taking with it all the salt and sand which were deposited on his skin earlier, it dawned on him that on the other side of the shower wall, Hope was naked. His movements stilled and he stared at the marble as if he could bore a hole through it with his eyes. On a whim, he reached out with both hands and touched the wall, then leaned his forearms against it, letting the water flow over his back. He could just make out her voice over their combined water use, singing. Since she hadn’t turned on the jets yet, he was able to make out the melody of “In Your Eyes,” the song they were shooting the video for. It hadn’t even been picked up yet by many stations, but obviously she'd heard it. Did she guess the lyrics were written with her in mind?

All I want is to forever be lost in your eyes,
To sing you my love, and to hear your reply.
I strum in the dark, put my heart on the stage,
To the roar of the crowd, but it’s your voice I crave.

I pace in the shadows and wait for my cues,
All the while wondering why I must pay these dues…

He pushed his arms out straight and raised his head to let the water tap dance on his eyelids and flow over his lips and chin. Then, he hung his head between his arms and let it pound into his shoulders, losing himself in the sensations. He reached down and finally turned off the shower, then stepped through the open marble doorway to grab a towel from the bar.

He rubbed his hair, then patted the moisture off his body before wrapping the towel around his waist. He moved over to the mirror, which was veiled in steam, placing both hands on the marble counter to lean against it. He still heard her sweet singing, if only in his head. He snatched a hand towel out of a basket and rubbed an oval in the steam to peer at his reflection. Why the hell did he ever agreed to let her do this story? Her nearness was like poison running through his bloodstream, burning him from the inside out.

The landline rang in his bedroom. He thought about Hope’s email message and rushed to pick it up before the second ring. “Hello?” He noticed the jets turn off in the next room; she must have heard the phone, too.

Over the static, a male voice replied, “Hello?Is Hope Creswell available?”

He hesitated only a second, moving in the direction of the door. “Umm…she’s in the tub. Just a minute.” He hurried into her bedroom and up to the bathroom door. “Hope, you have a phone call.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be right out.” She sounded flustered. She opened the door, jumping a little when she saw him standing there with a towel wrapped around his waist, holding out the receiver. Her eyes grew wide, and she quickly reached up to secure her towel with one hand and grasped the phone with the other. Then she waited, pointedly, until he left.

He knew he shouldn’t be listening in on their phone conversation, but he had to get dressed, didn’t he?

“Phillip. How are you? …Do I have my own room?” 

Chase smiled. His plan to make Phillip nervous about the accommodations worked. 

“Well of course I have my own room. What sort of a brazen hussy do you think I am? Oh. That sort of brazen hussy. Oh my. You have been away too long.” She laughed in that low, sultry way that gave him goose bumps. “You’re in London? That’s fantastic. No kidding? Tomorrow? Sure, let me get a piece of paper to write this down.” He heard her rummaging through a few drawers before she, evidently, discovered a pad of paper and something to write with. “Go ahead. The Sunset Astoria Hotel. Isn’t that expensive? Well, of course I’m worth it. I never questioned that,” she teased. “But can you afford it? What do you mean something special? All right,” she said with a sigh. “I guess I’ll have to wait then. I’ll see you tomorrow night. You, too. I will. Goodbye.”

He listened for any type of reaction to the phone call—an excited squeal, happy humming, Hope throwing the phone against the wall—but he heard…nothing. 

It sounds like What’s-His-Name is on his way back.

He knew perfectly well his name was Phillip, but he preferred not to acknowledge that. 

It’s not like the two are engaged. And I’ll be damned if I let her walk out on my life again. So, I’ve got tonight.

 If you'd like to find out who comes out on top with this one, you can purchase it here:

Amazon:  mybook.to/AbandonAllHope

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/abandon-all-hope-mj-schiller/1115678168?ean=2940016478500

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/abandon-all-hope-1

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/abandon-all-hope/id804684527?mt=11

Thanks for reading! And let us know which you prefer, shower or bath. Inquisitive minds want to know!

It's All About The Characters by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

Summer has arrived! I'm a teacher, and this season brings much needed rest and fun. Summer is also when I can read and write to my heart's content. My children are older, so I get to spend more time with books and the characters within them.

I -- much to my family's affectionate frustration -- form attachments to the people in the stories I read. I can't help it. I worry, I laugh, I cheer, and I cry right along with them. I bet a lot of you are the same.



It's hard for me to let go when I finish a book. If it makes me feel something, I think about it for several days. And, of course, I re-read my favorite parts.



As the years have gone by, I have collected books I love, which can be found here, and books I enjoyed reading, which can be found here.

My attachment to characters extends to the one's I've created, as well. It's so hard to let them go, and I have discovered their lives have continued in my mind. So....I started a blog called, "The Story Continues". Here, I will be posting extra scenes and short stories that allow these people to live on.


Isn't that wonderful? I never have to leave them! (My family will probably shake their heads at me -- fondly, of course.)

Right now, I'm posting a three part story about Elinor, a feisty and rule-breaking debutante, and Trap, a rowdy cowboy. These two formed an attachment with each other in The Cowboy's Embrace, and I had a lot of fun learning about them. I felt their story wasn't over and had to delve further into their relationship. Come visit "The Story Continues" to see how everything goes for them!

Do you have a character, or characters, who have stayed with you? Answer in the comments and two people will win a free copy of Saving Sarah or Welcome Home!

In other news, y'all might remember that I was orphaned by my publisher in March. I have two books back up with the third coming next week.

If you would like to sign up for my monthly newsletter, click here.

Saving Sarah
Historical Romance

Sarah Kerry's world is shattered when a man from her past, Liam Devlin, shows up with proof that, if shared, would send her father to the noose. In order to keep Liam quiet, she must break her young courtship with Michael Lonnigan and marry Liam instead.

Michael is crushed and angry when Sarah abruptly ends their courtship, but he knows something isn't right. He's seen the new man hanging around the Kerry family and believes the man is blackmailing the woman Michael loves. Unwilling to let her go, Michael will do whatever it takes to save Sarah and make her his own.

Welcome Home
Historical Romance

Emma Prescott, determined and selfless, flees from wealth and her murderous father, wanting the love and forgiveness of poor cotton farmer, Kyle Lonnigan.

Although Kyle refuses to forgive her for her part in his father's death, Emma stays and works her own farm. Over the next several months, Emma proves to Kyle she is not the spoiled girl he remembers.

Emma's sudden re-entrance into Kyle's life only conjures long-buried painful memories. Kyle does his best to avoid her, needing to keep the pain at bay, and stopping her from reminding him of their last moments together before bullets shattered their world. But, he is unsuccessful. The love he denies is too strong, and soon Emma and Kyle are tumbling headlong into the past and passion.



I hope y'all have a wonderful start to your summer! And remember our giveaway!


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My Sister is Always Right by @KaraONealAuthor #RomanceGems

Happy anniversary to me! One year ago I joined Romance Gems, and it has been wonderful. I've learned so much and read so many amazing books that I feel like I hit the jackpot when I found these ladies!

This mark has also brought up memories about how I started this writing journey. Seven years ago this month I received my first publishing contract. And I can't even begin to tell you how happy and awed I was!

Happy, because someone liked my book, and awed because...well...

I had written a book. Me.

And it was all thanks to my sister.

My daughter                 My sister

I have always been an avid reader. I would pick up just about anything. (Except horror! I would have nightmares.)

After years and years of reading, of staying up late and telling myself, "Just one more chapter.", I got pretty picky and critical about the direction of a story. And if it didn't have a happy ending, what was the point?

One day I finished a book, and as I huffed and puffed about how it had worked out, showing my irritation with how an author could do such a thing, my sister said in her most matter-of-fact, quit-your-whining, fictional-characters-aren't-real tone, "Write your own ending.".

Well, that shut me up and opened up a whole new world for me. Thank God for sisters. They call you on your annoying habits and show you what you can really be if you put your mind to it.

And now I'm blogging and working with some of the best writers I've ever had the pleasure to know and read.

Romance has been in "bloom" for me for the last seven years, and it always will be!

Some of you might remember that I was orphaned by my publisher, and now I'm navigating the world of self-publishing. I'm happy to say that I'm about to put book 1, Welcome Home, onto the seller sites! Yay!

It's been an interesting journey, but so worth it! And if I hadn't found the ladies at Romance Gems, I might still be wallowing in despair at being "orphaned". (Anne Shirley would so sympathize with me!)

Thank you so much for joining us each day, and remember to enter our May giveaway! To enter, click here.

BLOOMIN' CRAZY! by Hannah Rowan #RomanceGEems

I am so jealous of my fellow Gems who have gardens to plant during this “stay home” time.

 While I don’t miss much about having a house now that we’ve moved to a condo where all the maintenance is taken care of for us, I do miss having a garden. 

My condo community offers little garden plots we can reserve, with reservations being open for about five minutes at dawn on a cold, rainy day in October for the following spring. Somehow I missed it. 

So the Gems are busy with Romance in Bloom, and I’m trying to squeeze some gardening into a three room condo which at least has some East-facing, large windows and a screened in (very tiny) balcony.

One of my indoor gardening success stories is the rather frightening cactus that began as a small, six inch potted plant given to me for my birthday by my son several years ago. I’ve had many run-ins with this prickly plant. The worst occurred when I carried it to the sink intending to spray some water on its leaves, and I tilted it too far, sending it careening out of its pot. At which point, yes, I grabbed it! I spent several hours pulling needles out of my palms with tweezers, and I tried to follow advice to wrap a towel around it or use a deflated bicycle tire to pick it up. Nope. I managed to get the thing into a box and deliver it to a local florist, who, for extraordinary sums of money, re-potted it in a larger pot. Since we were moving at the time, my cactus remained at the florist for a while, thriving in the shop window. By the time I returned for it, the shop owner had grown quite fond of it, and it was almost as tall as I am.

My other plants live on a rack in front of the window in a crazy jumble of leaves. I water them but I’m kind of afraid to get in there to sort out the tangled mess.

When faced with some garlic that had begun to sprout, I planted the cloves and was rewarded with some tasty sprout similar to scallions. They lasted until the untimely demise of my garlic garden.  Poor, droopy garlic!

But I’m not giving up! I have high hopes for my latest gardening project—mini-tomatoes and a lavender plant that will, with any luck, grow very nicely on my screened in balcony. Let’s just hope they don’t meet the same fate as my garlic.

Our May giveaway and theme are in full swing. First Prize: $20, Second Prize: $15, and Third Prize $10, all paid in Amazon Gift Cards.

Best of Luck to everyone in the drawing! Click: Rafflecopter giveaway to enter!

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PLAYING FAVORITES by Hannah Rowan #RomanceGems

“Who is your favorite grandchild?” one of our grandsons asked the other day.

“You’re all our favorites,” my husband and I both said.

Because who can pick just one favorite anything?  Not me.

I can’t even begin to name a favorite movie.

Favorite food?  Chocolate!  Or ice cream!  Or maybe chocolate ice cream.  Then again, I’ve grown fond of cherry vanilla lately.  And pistachio, which I only tried for the first time last year, but boy is it good!  And let’s not forget butter pecan and coffee. Okay, let’s just say ice cream is my favorite food.

What?  You expected me to say hamburgers or steak or chicken?  Favorite food that’s not a dessert?  If I must—how about soup?

My favorite drink?  Coffee.  Or tea. It depends.  What time is it?  Where am I? Am I trying to relax or stay awake?

My favorite alcoholic drink?  I’m teaching myself to like red wine.  So I like cabernet.  Except those times when I like pinot noir.  But merlot is really tasty, too.

Shouldn’t it be simple to name a favorite color?  Of course it is!  I just love blue.  Unless I’m wearing black, which I do a lot since it goes with everything.  Then again, red is so energizing.  So red.  Or black.  Or blue.

Do I have a favorite sport?  Not a sport to watch because there aren’t any of those I like, but I do enjoy swimming an awful lot.  I’d have to say swimming is my favorite sport, unless you count Zumba, though I’m not sure if that’s considered a sport or exercise.

How hard would it be to choose a favorite band?  Simple.  It would be the Beatles.  Or the Rolling Stones.  Or the Beatles, or…who can choose just one?

Now, a vacation spot should be fairly simple to select.  Anywhere warm when it gets cold in New Jersey.  Anywhere I haven’t been before. Any of the places where I’ve been and enjoyed and want to return to.  Which includes a lot of places.

Or a TV show.  Again, there are way too many to pick from.  Naturally I gravitate toward This Is Us.  Unless I’m hooked on 90 Day Fiancé.  Or Law and Order reruns.  Depends on the mood, doesn’t it?

But there is one area where I’m the model of decisiveness.  I’ve decided (and you can see I do have a little trouble making up my mind about things) that my favorite book of all time is…THE LITTLE RED HEN!  I do so admire this chick’s spunk.  All along she asks for help planting her wheat and harvesting and milling and baking her bread any everyone is too busy.  But, oh boy, when that bread comes out of the oven and fills the air with its delicious aroma, and all the friends suddenly come around being oh so friendly and looking for a slice of that freshly baked goodness, she shoos them away.  I love, love, love THE LITTLE RED HEN!

What, just because I’m a romance author you thought I was going to say GONE WITH THE WIND or any book by Nora Roberts, or something like OUTLANDER?  All fine and lovely books, to be sure, but nothing, nothing can compete with THE LITTLE RED HEN, my inspiration and my heroine!

What’s your favorite book and why?

~~~

November is the month for Gratitude, Appreciation, and counting your Blessings if you are religious and/or philosophical. Grateful, Thankful, Blessed—that's what we Romance Gems Authors feel. Join us this month in celebrating the Life Lessons we all learn. Enter our November Rafflecopter now for a chance to win 1 of 5 Amazon Gift Cards.   

Enter Here

You can also enter by going to the Monthly Giveaway Page (https://romancegems.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_28.html )

Going into November we will be celebrating the Season of Giving Thanks. The Romance Gems want to impart some of our Life Lessons as part of the celebration. You can enjoy some of our wisdom via our Life Lessons video.

For those who've already reviewed the great prizes and just want to cut to the chase, here's a direct link to the CONTEST ENTRY PAGE.

Oh How I Hate to Get Up In the Morning! by Hannah Rowan #RomanceGems

Early to bed and early to rise makes me very, very tired and cranky.

Sure, there are times when I get up at the crack of dawn, but it’s usually because we’re headed to the airport for a very early flight.  And really, since I generally stay up all night packing before a trip, “getting up” is really nothing more than ending the little nap I take before heading to the plane, where I sleep through the flight.

On a recent quick trip down the shore for our anniversary, my husband woke me with great excitement, talking about the sun coming up and the beautiful sunrise and all that.  Our room had a lovely balcony facing the ocean and I would have delighted in sleeping in the sunshine streaming through the window.

Yes, the sun came up.  That’s exactly what it’s supposed to do.  If it doesn’t happen, go ahead and wake me up.

I’ve been a night owl all my life.  Even as a baby I sat in the crib looking around far into the wee hours.  I did the old cliché reading under the covers with a flashlight until I couldn’t see the print anymore because my eyes were so tired.

I missed more school buses because I overslept than any kid in history, but I can honestly tell my children I walked miles to school up very steep hills.  Truthfully, I ran most of the way so I wouldn’t be late.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t change my biological clock.  I’ve managed to get up for work in the morning for many years, but I can’t seem to manage the other end—going to sleep at what most people would consider a reasonable hour.  Thus, I fall asleep with my nose in the newspaper or my head on the keyboard very often.

What I don’t understand is why it’s considered virtuous to get up before the sun.  My body can get out of bed, but my brain doesn’t follow until much later in the day.

So many writing-advice books tell us to get up an hour early to get our writing kickstarted for the day. I can’t even imagine what sort of writing I’d produce under such a system.  I’m sure it would make no sense at all.

Night own or morning lark.  Which are you?  And have you been forced to change your natural tendency because of some circumstance in your life?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every Day is Treat Day in October. To be entered in the random drawing for a $5 Amazon gift card, leave a comment with your email address written out (not as a hot link). The deadline for doing this is 2 days from now. I’ll draw the winners name on October 11, 2019 and notify the winner by email and by leaving a comment on this post.

Click here to enter our No Tricks—JustTreats Rafflecopter today for a chance to win Amazon Gift Cards. Enter often and tell your friends! (You can also click Monthly Giveaways on the Menu Bar of the blog to see details of the current month’s Rafflecopter and to enter it.)

Books & Reading Trivia by @JoanReeves #RomanceGems

Gee, I hope I got it right today.

The last time I thought I saw a date without a post, I mistakenly published something on Karen Whiddon's day.

I pleaded insanity and threw myself on the mercy of the court. *LOL*

This morning, I quickly put together a post because I didn't want to send you into the weekend without a Romance Gems post.

For your entertainment—or at least I hope it entertains you—I offer...

Book Trivia: Things You May Not Know

1. The longest sentence ever printed is 823 words, and it's from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. In today's world, that's a chapter in many books.

2. There’s a word for loving the smell of old books. You walk into a vintage bookstore, and that scent hits your nose.

That smell is created by dust and other particulates in the book’s life. It’s called Bibliosmia. Don’t ask me who invented the word.

3. Authors' names didn’t used to be printed on the covers of their books. The covers of the first printed books were considered artworks, and they were covered in drawings, leather and even gold—so much so that there wasn’t a place for the author’s name.

4. The first book ever written using a typewriter was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

5. President Theodore Roosevelt is said to have read one book every day.

6. The three most read books in the world? The Holy Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung, and a Harry Potter book (don’t know which one).

7. Icelandic people read more than anyone. (What else would you do in such a cold climate?)

8. Illiteracy is still a huge problem throughout the world. One in five adults around the world can’t read or write, with the highest rates in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

In the United States, 43% of adults are functionally illiterate. There are many organizations that tackle this problem globally and within our country. In the U.S., Reading Is Fundamental is one.

In Canada, 40% are considered to have low literacy skills. You can donate to ABC Life Literacy for Canada.

Internationally, there's Book Aid International.

Think about adopting a literacy organization and donating either or both of your time and money. In fact, think of it as growing the book reading audience.

9. The country with the highest literacy rate is Russia. (Surprised?)

Have you got your book entertainment for the weekend? The Authors of Romance Gems have lots of books available. We even offer some free books.

Check out the Free Books page to see a few of them. Wishing you a happy reading weekend!

Be sure and enter our September Giveaway: Back to School? Back to YOU! We have some great prizes with the Grand Prize of an Echo Dot with Alexa or $25.00 Amazon Gift Card. Good luck everyone! Enter often and please tell your friends.

September Rafflecopter Opens at midnight, Sept. 4.

Writing and Weather by Karen Whiddon

As I write this, it's the middle of the hottest month of the year in Texas - August.  Temps are routinely 100 degrees or more, with heat index 105-109.  It's stifling and awful.  You'd think I'd be used to it, since I've lived in this state 41 years.  But I never have adapted to summer here and at this point, it's clear I never will.

My writing time for my contracted books is 2-5 pm.  I sit in my comfy recliner, usually with one of my dogs curled into my side, laptop on my legs.  This time of the year, I struggle to stay awake.  Even with AC and the ceiling fan on, the heat makes me drowsy.

My favorite season for writing (for anything really) is winter.  Fire in the fireplace, mug of hot apple cider or cocoa, a light blanket over my legs... ahhh, heaven.

Though a good thunderstorm is always nice.    There's nothing better than the sound of rain hitting the room, thunder booming in the distance.

Ah, but most of the time a writer writes inside.  Whether at home or in a coffee shop.  Sometimes, in the spring or fall, I'll sit outside in my yard swing and write there.

However, this is a busy time for me.  I have a synopsis due 9-1, edits on a book due 9-9, and a book that's due 9-15.  I love when it gets like this!  A busy writer is a happy writer!

Don't forget to enter our September Rafflecopter Giveaway – Back to School ... Back to You!
The prizes are listed on our GIVEAWAY TAB above, along with the entry form. You can also click HERE to go straight to the entry form!

Kids are back to school. Now it’s time to pamper yourself a little. September’s Giveaway features Winner’s Choice of Amazon Gift Cards or Gifts for Reading and Pampering.
Dates: Sept. 4 through 27^th. Winner chooses from gift item or Amazon Gift Card.

NO DO-OVERS FOR ME! by Hannah Rowan #RomanceGems

Do you save books to reread?  Do you like to repeat old movies?

I have friends who have books they call “keepers,” which they keep on their shelves to pull  out when they’re feeling down and want the comfort of a familiar story, a guaranteed happy ending.

I don’t get it!

I can’t read a book more than once.  Sometimes I’ll pick up a book, not realizing it’s one I’ve already read, and I know by the time I get to the second page.  No matter how much I enjoyed it the first time, I must put it away.

If I’m reading a romance I can be sure I’ll get a happy ending.  The suspense for me is figuring out how the author is going to accomplish that when at first the two people involved seem so unlikely to be compatible.

I like surprises in the stories I read.  I like books where I’m wondering how the author is going to pull this off. I enjoy discovering that a supposedly sweet and wholesome character is actually the evil mastermind behind whatever dastardly deeds are going on.

On the other hand, there are times when I’ve figured out the mystery before the characters in the book do.  Really, how can they be so oblivious?  I’m excessively excited when I turn out to be right.  I’m even more excited when I’m wrong for a good reason.

I cannot re-watch movies or TV shows.  I’m not even happy with the remakes of movies I’ve already seen in their original form.

There are too many new stories out there for me to be interested in one I’ve already finished.

Do you enjoy revisiting a favorite story? If so, can you tell me why?

Don't Forget the July Giveaway!

This month we're having fun with Beaches and Book Boyfriends!

Our Rafflecopter is open, so you can go online and enter! The Giveaway runs through July 25.

You can watch a video about our giveaway in Movie Theater or on YouTube.

The Monthly Giveaway page lists all the prizes. Enter often and tell your friends about Romance Gems.