I WILL TAKE IT WITH ME by Hannah Rowan #RomanceGems

Before the recent Romance Writers of America national conference in New York City, many authors were inundating Facebook with packing issues.  The conference officially lasted about four or five days, though some people came early or stayed late.  Still I was stunned by the lists of items people were reporting putting in their suitcases.

Some of the authors had shoes, shoes, and more shoes.  It sounded like they had entire suitcases just devoted to shoes.  And outfits for workshops, different outfits for meals, outfits for lounging, and really jazzy outfits for the awards ceremony.  I think several authors were lugging along more outfits than I own.

Now, when I’m travelling I admit I don’t get any sleep the night before because I’m obsessing over what’s in my suitcase.

I must have my teabags and my Splenda.  What if I get to a hotel—it’s been known to happen—and all they have is herbal tea or only one or two teabags in the room?  What a nightmare!

Since the invention of e-readers I no longer have to weigh down my luggage with books.  In the old days I had to make sure I had enough books to cover however much time I was going to be away plus several extra in case of emergency. This made for an extremely heavy suitcase even if I limited myself to paperbacks.

Now I also have my tablet loaded with e-books.  Lots and lots of e-books because I never know if I’ll be stranded somewhere and what if I run out of books?  And I lie in bed worrying about whether I remembered to pack my charger.

I toss a few paperbacks into my bag, just in case.

Then I have magazines in my carry-on if I’m flying.  It’s so satisfying to actually finish reading a magazine that’s been languishing on my coffee table for months and throwing it away, leaving room in my luggage for…well, probably for buying any interesting books I find while wandering the airport.

I generally fool myself into thinking that I’ll get some actual work done in my down time instead of ordering movies on the hotel TV.  So I must pack legal pads, notes, and possibly some research books I’ve been meaning to read more carefully.  And pens.  Many, many pens because what if I have an idea and I can’t write it down because my pen is out of ink?

My laptop goes into my carry-on bag as well, leaving very little room for anything else, but I do manage to squeeze in a mouse, and a back-up mouse, and batteries, and again, the charger.  Because I hate trying to respond to email on my tablet or my phone, and I kid myself into thinking I’ll use those notes and research books to do some actual writing.

Somewhere in there I might find space for a second pair of shoes, two or three t-shirts and a pair of jeans.  But only after I make sure I’ve got all the important stuff covered.

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This One's For the Dogs by @AuthorElsaKurt #RomanceGems

Hello to the dog days of summer! 

I know many people are tired of summer by now, but it's my favorite season, so August can go as slowly as it wants in my book. In fact, if you're inclined to torture me for some reason, all you need to do is post a pumpkin spice anything meme on my Facebook page. Please don't, though. I'll cry.



When I heard about our theme, the Dog Days of Summer, the double meaning got me thinking of all the summers over my lifetime with our various dogs. (Not to mention the cats, fish, gerbils, rabbits, and hamsters.) Growing up around animals gave me a natural affinity and affection for them, so much so I can't imagine life without our furry brood. These days we have three Shih Tzus, the newest of which just came home on Monday and weighs a whopping 2.5 lbs. Her name is Lola (sing it, come on, I know you want to!)

My love for all things great and small led me to always expect that I'd grow up to work with animals in some capacity... but there were a few other career ideas, too. In no particular order, I wanted to be:


1) A movie star
2) Writer
3) Artist
4) Singer
5) Veterinarian
6) A person who lived on the beach
7) Dr. Doolittle
8) Grizzly Adams' wife
9) Zookeeper, but not for the monkeys (I didn't like monkeys & still don't).
10) Wonder Woman



Let's just say one out of ten, folks. One out of ten. Although, in about four years, number six will sort of come to fruition. In fairness, I suppose a few of my great ideas were a bit... unrealistic. I can't sing. Too shy to act. Moderate art skills at best. Wonder Woman, no elaboration needed. Same for Dr. Doolittle and Grizzly Adams' wife.

As for the more possible career aspirations, I took myself out of the running because - instead of college - I married, had children, and was a stay-at-home mom. Sure, I could've gone back to school, but that wasn't the choice I made. Bye-bye zookeeper job and veterinarian. All for the best, though. I can't even squash a bug, so there's no way I could ever euthanize an animal.

That leaves writer. For a very long time, I thought I'd edged myself out of that role, too. Then I decided it didn't. Once I gave myself permission to be more than I thought I was allowed to be, I discovered I could be all the things on that list, too. I could write myself - or a fictional version of myself - into those roles any time I want. Oh, and of course they always have animals!

If I had to pick one story out of them all though, A Billion Reasons is where I gave myself the most freedom to indulge in every young girl fantasy. Ironically, it's a short story in an anthology called Billionaire's Club. In it, my main male character, Griffin Pierce, is an old-money billionaire with a sprawling mansion in upstate New York. His philanthropist wife bred Irish wolfhounds and donated the money to charity, and when she passed away, Griff honored her legacy by continuing her operation. When he realizes he needs help, he hires the enigmatic dog behaviorist Jenna Maxwell. 

The story, though short, is complex, romantic, and sexy, and as a bonus, it features six Irish wolfhounds with unique names: John Wayne, Cary Grant, William Powell, Jimmy Stewart, Myrna Loy, and Kate Hepburn. Basically, I got to fulfill a bunch of  "I wish's" in one shot. It has a May-December romance (my favorite) dogs (lots of dogs) a billionaire (because why not?) and a job I'd totally dig (dog behaviorist).

Here's an excerpt from A Billion Reasons:

Jenna slung her battered duffel bag over her tan, too thin shoulder and hopped off the last gritty step of the Greyhound bus. Her dark brown cowboy boots kicked up a cloud of burnt sienna dust. She grinned and shook her head. That sure isn’t city dust. She slid a black hair elastic off her wrist and whipped her long, pale-blonde hair into a quick ponytail as the bus door closed with a hydraulic hiss and lumbered away. 

Her eyes swept over the acres of green grass, manicured shrubs, the horses grazing in the distance, and a lake peeking out from between the trunks of tall evergreen trees. All under an endless blue sky, unobstructed by skyscrapers. Jenna took a deep breath, letting the clean air fill her lungs. Then she promptly began coughing. Apparently, her city lungs were rejecting the fresh country air.

Someone was supposed to meet her at the bus stop—a groundskeeper or some other hired help—but she was alone by the winding dirt road.  Jenna sighed and squinted at the speck of white in the distance. Averly Estates. Her home for the next twelve weeks... unless she got caught out as a fraud.  If that happened, then... No, don't think about that. It'll be fine. Dog Behaviorist. Please, how hard could it be?

Anyhow, she hadn't completely lied on the application. Okay, dog walker might be a bit of a stretch from dog behaviorist. But with a little help from the internet and a fancy looking—albeit fake—certification award, Jenna thought she could pull it off. 

She cupped her hand against her forehead and took another sweeping look across the estate.  A tree-lined, pea-gravel road branched off from the main road and wound a meandering path to the great house. She guessed it to be maybe a mile or so away. Nothing for a professional dog walker. I mean dog behaviorist. 

Of course, she’d not factored in the blazing ninety-degree heat and one hundred percent humidity. Or the lack of skyscrapers for shade. Crap. Jenna dropped her duffel on a small patch of grass by the road, took a quick glance around, and peeled off her semi-sheer blouse. Then she rummaged around inside her bag for a tank top. Her arms were through the holes, and her head bowed when a deep voice called out.

“There are facilities at the main house, you know.”

Jenna froze, then hurriedly pull the top on. “What the hell—” In her haste, she yanked the elastic halfway out of her hair and had pulled the tank top on backward. She straightened, squinted around, and found the source of the voice. It was a ruggedly handsome, older man. Jenna guessed him to be in his mid-forties. Or a well-aged fifty. Jenna eyed him coolly. Damn, even the help dressed nicely here. Shit. Jenna’s worn-out duffel held a meager array of shorts, tank tops, bathing suit, vintage tees, one dress, and her undergarments. Her purse her all her otherworldly goods—toothbrush and toothpaste, mascara, one tube of plum spice lipstick, and seventy-seven dollars. Oh, and half a pack of cinnamon gum.

“You always sneak up on people like that?”

“No, Miss…”

“Maxwell. Jenna Maxwell,” she filled in. It was actually Jenna Caldwell, but he didn’t need to know that. The less anyone around here knew about Jenna, the better.

“Yes, of course. Jenna Maxwell, professional dog behaviorist from New York City. I apologize. I was resting against that tree over there and, well, I fell asleep,” he said with a shrug. He glanced down at her bag. “Is that all you brought?”

“All I need.” She added her own shrug and hoped it looked nonchalant rather than embarrassed.

The man stared at Jenna for a long moment. A faint smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Right, then. Follow me, please. You don’t mind if we walk, I hope?”

“No, no, not at all.” Hundred-degree temps, four-hour bus ride… a mile-long walk sounds peachy. Jenna suddenly realized that he never introduced himself. “And you are…”

“You can call me Griff.” He said nothing more.

Griff. Okay, I guess that’s all I’m getting.

 Jenna sighed. This guy wasn’t the first uppity staff-of-rich-people she’d ever dealt with. Mrs. Lannister in her fancy penthouse had a secretary named Johan who treated Jenna like a peasant. All while ironing Mrs. Lannister’s underwear, no less. Despite Johan and his snooty attitude, things had been going well for Jenna. The anonymity of the bustling, never sleeping city had caused her to lower her guard enough to make acquaintances, if not friends. Ophelia from the bodega set aside the best mangos for her. Abram at the coffee shop remembered just how she liked her coffee. Though she always kept her head down and baseball cap on while walking the dogs, she began to occasionally smile and wave to the regular faces she saw. She should’ve known better. Familiarity breeds attachment. Attachment attracts questions, and questions attract trouble. Until she’d let her guard down, she’d weaved through New York like a ghost, unnoticeable in the sea of faces. Fake identifications, burner phones, library internet, and landlords who like cash. She’d lulled herself into believing that the city was perfect for anonymity—it was for nearly a year—but then she must’ve gotten sloppy.

Out of the blue, a small white envelope arrived at the Lannister’s penthouse addressed to Jenna. Johan handed it to her with a sniff and a reminder that ‘Mrs. Lannister’s penthouse was not her personal post office.’ With shaking hands, Jenna tore open the seal and read the note.

Hello, dearheart.

Time to come home.

-yours always, Me

He’d found her again. Like a relentless wolf tracking a scent, or a feline stalking its prey, he was edging closer. Worst of all—he wanted her to know he was coming for her. Jenna felt a chill run down her back and shot a surreptitious glance at Griff to see if he’d noticed. He did. She spoke quickly before he could question her.

“So, Griff. What’s the boss ladylike?”

“The…boss lady?” Griff turned slightly, his brows drawn together.

“Yeah, owner of this grand upstate estate. Ha—that’s funny. Upstate estate, sounds funny, right?” Jenna laughed alone. Griff raised an eyebrow at her.

Okay, note to self. Really good-looking, no sense of humor.

“What, may I ask, makes you believe the… boss is a she?”

Jenna had a smart retort ready, then realized that all along she’d just assumed it was a woman. She halted. From her purse, she pulled the printout of their last email. It stated confirmation of her employment, details of the job, and the address. Signed: G. Pierce.

If I piqued your interest, you'll be happy to know this anthology featuring five intertwining stories is only .99. You can pick it up on Amazon HERE. Thanks for stopping by & enjoy these lazy hazy days of summer (and stay cool!).

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 Reach the entry form by clicking HERE.

The Montana Ranchers Series: Collaboration Can Be Fun by Jan Scarbrough #RomanceGems

“They were all one big family, after all. Blended by kinship and friendship. And love.”

Maddie James and I go back a long way—back to our Kensington Precious Gems days and amusing paperback book signings at Walmart (where men and women pushing shopping carts looked at us like we had two heads each).

When Maddie suggested we write a contemporary Western series together, I was in. Over time, we developed the idea of a Montana family complete with a patriarch, James, and his second wife Liz. The stories for the MontanaRanchers Series are set on the fictitious McKenna Ranch in Montana, near Yellowstone National Park.

I was tasked with writing the first book about stepbrother Brody, a Professional Bull Rider. Then Maddie wrote about James’ children by his first wife—Callie and Parker. The end of the four-book series was to be the story of Mercer, James and Liz’s daughter together.

As things go, our ideas grew, and we decided to write a prequel to the whole series that would be free. It would set up the series by telling the story of how James and Liz met.

Here’s the fun part. We wrote the Montana McKenna’s Prequel one chapter at a time. Maddie wrote the first one. I followed, dropping a bomb at the end of chapter two that Maddie had to deal with. We had a general agreement about where we were going with the story—a happily-ever-after ending—but we didn’t know how we were going to get there.

Mercer finally finished and published, I took a look at all the characters. Poor James had died. That’s part of the original story, leaving Liz a widow. Everyone had a happily-ever-after ending except poor Liz. What to do? Give her one! Go to my website to see how fifty-five-year-old Liz gets her happy ending.

Home for theHolidays, Book 7, is the story of a loyal wrangler Hank, who will get his own happily-ever-after ending soon in Ghost Mountain Ranch.

Maddie has a spin-off series based upon TheMontana Ranchers called TheParker Ranches, Inc. by Maddie James.

My Ghost Mountain Ranch Series is in the works. 

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Glued to a Desk? Tips for Staying Active While Writing by Nancy Fraser #RomanceGems

Are you a desk jockey? Does your livelihood rely on your ability to stay seated for hours on end?

Summer is upon us (at least here in North America) and with it the urge to bolt from my desk and enjoy the bright light. The sunshine calls to me ... begging me to come out to play!

So how does a writer, or any other desk-jockey profession, manage to keep their butt in the chair when there are so many things to distract? And, assuming we stay in our chairs, is that really good for us?

There are some definite “rules” for those who must spend an inordinate amount of time seated at a desk and tied to a computer. The following are just a few:

• Invest in an ergonomic chair, comfy but not too plush. Your back, hips and legs need support. A couple of years ago I purchased a high-end office chair made by Serta®. It’s the best $250 (on sale) I ever spent.

• Along that same vein, if your desk job involves a lot of keyboarding (e.g., a writer such myself), make sure you have your keyboard angled properly so that your wrists and hands remain in as straight a line as possible. A 90-95 degree angle is best for avoiding carpel tunnel.

• Take breaks every hour or two. Even if it’s only to walk around the house. Avoid turning that hourly walk into a trek to the kitchen (coffee excepted, of course).

• Do NOT eat at your desk. Studies show, people who consume their meals or snack at their desks tend to gain weight faster than those who are still sedentary but refrain from bringing food into their office area.

• Keep a water bottle handy. Sip frequently rather than go without and then down an entire bottle at one time. This helps to reduce foot and ankle bloat by evenly distributing the intake of fluid.

• Familiarize yourself with desk-ercises. I’ve including a handy chart for a few suggestions.

• If you’re someone who can walk and type, consider a treadmill desk. However, WARNING: Studies have shown that a treadmill desk does not lead to weight loss or even weight management and has been shown to reduce overall productivity. Personally, I can’t picture being able to type complete chapters while walking. The treadmill desk works best for people whose jobs are phone-centric with only data entry (e.g., customer service call centers), rather than those who have to type expansive amounts of text.

• Use of other forms of equipment (e.g., stationary pedals or sitting steppers) beneath the desk will also stimulate both energy and stave off swollen ankles. The under-desk pedal bikes can be found for under $75 at both Walmart and Amazon. The sitting steppers are under $20 from Amazon.

• Vary your work to stave off boredom. Boredom leads to improper posture and slouching of hands/wrists. As a writer, I find breaking my work up into blocks for creating new work, attending to social media, or switching between works-in-progress helps to keep my brain active. When the brain is active, the body follows. Usually.

• Engage your brain. Stimulate your body’s energy by pushing the limits of your creativity. Think outside your normal genre. I’m currently in the final edits stages for a book so far out of my comfort zone it comes from outer space!

These are just a few suggestions for helping us survive our desk tether. Of course we still have to find a reasonable way to block out that enticing sunshine.
I’d love to hear what others do to keep themselves at their desk without tiring themselves out.

Until next month, keep writing, keep moving, keep engaged.

Nancy

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Who writes dogs into their books and why. @BonnieEdwards #RomanceGems

August's theme is dogs and pets. It is an old knowledge now that dogs on covers sell books. This knowledge is from before the internet and before self-publishing became a viable choice for authors. This conclusion came from focus groups. They gravitated toward cover art with dogs. (And horses and children, too)

Dogs were not really characters then, but sometimes they'd show up as a means to get the protagonists together on the page.

Today, in my books at least, the dogs I feature have real purpose in the stories. The books wouldn't be the same if they weren't there.

They are matchmakers. They are heroes. They are sources of conflict and resolution. They are sounding boards. They are tools used in a romantic suspense. They have opinions they seemingly express with gas emissions, smiles, nudges, and effective glares.

Also, the dogs in my books mean something to me, personally. I bring some back to life to live again between the pages. (I sniffle when I write them.) Some are still alive and part of my life today. One passed away while I wrote a trilogy of books with her having a starring role.

Amazon Exclusive

Which brings me to Love at Christmas, A Collection. These three stories span the Canadian/US border and Bella features in each one. She was a sweet poodle-cross who chose the hero for her owner. Bella brings more people together in the following two books.

Love at Christmas is always a bargain at half the cost of separate purchases of the trilogy.

And it's August already...Christmas is around the corner. (say 4 little boys I know)

In Love in a Pawnshop, I introduce an opinionated pit bull, named Razor. But one book wasn't enough for my Beau (more about him on the 15th) and he's been a big part of my Return to Welcome series starting with Finding Mercy.

He appears briefly again Loving Logan but in Craving Jake he rises to hero status when he saves lives and warns of danger. Craving Jake will be released in early September. When I return from a much-needed holiday, I'll be sharing links for a pre-order to my newsletter subscribers. You can sign on here:  Bonnie's Newsy Bits

I'm excited this month to kick off our Monthly Giveaway here:  a Rafflecopter giveaway For contest rules and a list of prizes check out our Monthly Giveaway Page.

Our Tribe by Karen Whiddon #RomanceGems

Friends.  People who share your interests or values.  When you're young, making friends is easy.  You strike up a conversation on the playground or in the lunchroom.  In high school, they might belong to the same club or athletic group.  In college they could be your roommate or someone you study with. Sometimes friends follow us from childhood to old age. 

When one becomes an adult, most often friends are made at work.  That can be a bit trickier, because we often don't get to choose who we work with.  Or through volunteer work, which is how I met a lot of my friends.

  The folks who also volunteer for Legacy Boxer Rescue share the same passion for saving dogs.  We not only support each other in this, but in other ways as well.  When my husband suffered complications from heart surgery, numerous people stepped up with offers to help.  We get together sometimes for happy hour or just to swap stories.  We stay in touch on social media.  We grieve with each other over the loss of family members, whether human or canine.  I honestly don't know what I'd do without my rescue peeps.

Last, but not least, I have my author friends.  We either met at writing conferences over the years, or at writing organizations or critique groups.  We stay in touch on social media (most of us are introverts!)  We often reconnect at a conference or a luncheon or a seminar.  Writing friends are supportive too.  They'll commiserate when we are busting our butt to make a deadlines, or juggling bills waiting for a publisher payment.  They celebrate successes too - making a bestseller list, winning an award, or just finishing a book.  I love my writer friends.


Since I moved around a lot growing up, I'm always envious of people who have friends from childhood all through life.  I have a few with whom I've reconnected on Facebook or Instagram, but we don't truly know each other the way we would have if we'd spent years as friends in person. 

How about you?  Where do you meet most of your friends?   Have you had any since you were a little kid?

Dog Days of Summer by @JoanReeves #RomanceGems

Summer is waning, and I've been waning most of the last few weeks.

Have you wondered why you haven't seen me commenting on the blog lately?

Did you miss me on social media?

In case you want to know if I'm in hiding or just goofing off (I wish), the truth is I'm currently undergoing torture treatment for my "messed up" back.

I'm actually not supposed to be on the computer for a couple of weeks. (Don't tell my chiropractor!) The deal is for every minute I spend online, I have to spend another minute off-line. And that's with a max of 30 minutes at a time on the computer. Sheesh! I can't even get through my email in 30 minutes!

What's A Girl To Do?

This girl learned something very valuable. When you are in enough pain, you'll do whatever the doctor or anyone else says to do to make it go away. So I've listened to the doctor and followed his instructions tried to follow his instructions.

See Joan's Books on Amazon

So today's post is brief. I'd be more talkative, but I a Windows update killed my Dragon dictation software and my techie husband hasn't been able to resuscitate it yet.

Our new Monthly Giveaway starts August 4, and it's Winner's Choice with great options for prizes. Take a look at it.

In conclusion, make the most of the last day of August. Visit Romance Gems every day and be entertained by the great authors here.

Be bold, be brave, be kind—to yourself and others—and, most of all, be joyful!