Ready, Set... Stop? by @ElsaKurt #RomancesGems

Hello & Happy Spring!

Aren't these some strange times? Scary, too. I've been feeling all the same feels - good, bad, everything in between - as you have, I'm sure. But any time things get scary, I like to do what the great Mr. Rogers said to do:

I am so proud to say I'm married to a helper. My husband has been in law enforcement for over thirty years, and is now a lieutenant for a small PD after spending twenty-one years as a city LEO. To state the obvious, I'm concerned for his safety and health... but then, that's really nothing new.

When we were first getting serious, I told him about my daily worry and fears for him. What he said then still holds true today. He said, "You can't live in a state of fear, or worry about the things out of your control.  If you do, you'll just curl up and die. You have to just live and love more fiercely. Forgive faster. Hold tighter. Be present." He also reminded me that anything could happen to anyone at anytime, not just him.

After I thanked him for doubling my anxiety (lol), I thought about what he'd said. And, of course, he's right. But don't you dare tell him I said so. I try to live as present as possible, let the small things roll off my back, and have faith that no matter what comes our way, we'll get through it.

Anxiety still tries to take control, and sometimes it wins but only the battle, not the war. Conscious breathing exercises help, as does meditation. Since many of us may be experiencing elevated anxiety right now, I like to share some things that have helped me.

1.  The four second breathing exercise several times a day slows your mind (and heart rate!). Inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four. Do this five to ten times (or more). 
2. Another (slightly strange) helpful technique is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). (See Photo Below)
3. Grounding with the five senses. (See Photo)

I hope these benefit you as much as they have me. Oh, and a huge source of high anxiety? Social media. Even before the pandemic, I made a point of clearing my social media feed of negative/toxic posting and people. It's not "sticking your head in the sand" to virtually walk away from the daily bombardment of opinions, "news" articles, and hyperbole from so-called experts, so consider spring cleaning that Facebook feed!

Without minimizing the effect and concerns about Covid-19, this can be an amazing time of renewal for the world. We are literally be forced to stop. Stop running, racing, rushing everywhere every day. Stop and appreciate nature, our families, our essential workers, our lives.

As an introvert, I love being home for extended periods of time. I've been training my whole life for this (as the meme says) and I have found a million things to do. I cannot fathom being bored! Thanks to the world closing indefinitely, I've cleaned out the basement and garage, started my garden, written three-quarters of book six in Welcome To Chance and... wait. Let me talk about that for a sec!

Book six is well under way and due to release early (May?!) I'm running a "Help me pick my cover post on my Facebook page & I'd love YOUR input, too! Here's the (WIP) blurb and options:

I've also released The Two Tenleys ahead of schedule AND you can have a chance to read it for free! Click HERE for details. You can also find it here: The Two Tenleys

I'm also joining in on the fun for our Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt! Simply check three of my pages

Pinterest ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

to spot my Easter egg, then visit the Rafflecopter entry form and enter the date, author, and where you found the egg for your chance to win! (More details on the Monthly Giveaway page!)

Read and Renew by Jan Scarbrough #RomanceGems

#StayHomeAndRead

I don’t need to tell you how crazy and stressful it is right now around the world. I’m staying at home and ordering food and groceries. The final book of my trilogy is coming along—slowly! My doctor advised me not to even watch my grandchildren now that they’re out of school. It’s tough being “high risk.”

I’m doing a few things while “social distancing.” Cleaning the house is NOT one of them. I’m watching our governor’s briefing at 5:00 every day, followed by the president and his advisors. I’m riding the exercise bike or walking—alone. I’ve watched the Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam on Facebook. This is about a pair of bald eagles building a nest. I hope they will eventually have eggs and babies.

Facebook is also a good place to tour thoroughbred horse farms. Many have live videos. Yesterday, I watched one from Lane’s End Farm where they even took viewers to see the grand mare Zenyatta on her sixteenth birthday.

And I’m reading. I’ve finished one ebook and am on to the next. Some of my books are participating in book sales sponsored by ebook retailers.

Take advantage of two months free at Kindle Unlimited, where every page read means payments for authors and publishers.

I have 4 e-books on Kindle Unlimited.

Smashwords has an Authors Give Back Sale
March 20, 2020 - April 20, 2020
My Montana McKenna Books, Bluegrass Reunion Books, Tangled Memories and more are 60% off, making some of them free.

Monthly Giveaway

We have a couple of ways to win our Amazon Gift Cards for our April Giveaway. Go the Monthly Giveaway page for details.

I’m participating in the Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt. Simply check three of my social media sites until you find the Easter Egg. Find the egg and then return to the Rafflecopter form to enter the date, author, and where you found the egg to claim your entry.

Twitter

Facebook

Website

Spring Thoughts and Contest Kickoff by Nancy Fraser #RomanceGems

Spring is my favorite season of the year. It's a time of renewal, of both body and spirit. The winter clothes are shed in favor of a good pair of walking shoes, a lightweight jacket, and...if your spring is like mine...an umbrella.

This year things will be different. Yet, the promise of spring and of renewal, gives me hope that we can overcome our current obstacles and once again enjoy the peace of mind we so desperately need.

I've spent the past few months in solitude. January and February were by choice, as I hibernated to avoid the winter flu. Little did I know how my hibernation was going to become not a choice but a necessity. And, like many others, I found myself struggling to accept that I couldn't just pick up and go whenever I wanted.

I had no trouble occupying my time and my mind when I was running the show. Reading, my own writing, everything fell neatly into place. Once staying inside was out of my hands, those same fun pasttimes grew increasingly tedious. As the days and weeks closed in, I knew I had to find new hobbies. New outlets for my restlessness. And find them I did.

Here are some of the things I'm doing to keep busy:

Every day, I make a phone call to a complete stranger at one of our two local nursing homes. I first spoke with the resident managers and asked them if they were willing to compile a list of names of those who had few or no relatives. Both were eager to comply and gave their lists to their main switchboards. I call each day at a set time, the person answering the phone gives me the name of the resident I'll be speaking with and a little bit about the person. Then, she connects me. And, for ten to fifteen minutes, I'm lifted out of my own bout of seclusion self-pity and into another person's life. It's amazing.

Last week, I cleaned out my two linen closets. Having traveled a lot over the past few years for both writing and pleasure, I had a lifetime supply of hotel soap, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. I boxed those all up and dropped them off at the womens' shelter near me. I have to say, I've become an expert at dead-drops!

I've also started an indoor herb garden using...of all things...toilet paper tubes to hold the growing plants in place.

I've got five different herbs, some green onions, and garlic started.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to grow actual toilet paper.

I just finished a book trailer for an author friend and next week I'm going to turn in the revisions to my very first cookbook. I know that if I don't keep busy, I'll go crazy, so I'm looking for other ideas. I'd love to hear from all of you about what you're doing to pass the time in self-isolation.

I'm also participating in this month's Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt. You'll find a hidden egg somewhere on one of the following sites:

My Website ~ My Facebook Author Page ~ My Twitter Page

Once you've located the egg, just come back to the Rafflecopter form below and enter the information requested on Egg Hunt task. While you're there, also complete the other tasks for even more points!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The complete information about this month drawing can be found on our Monthly Giveaway page.

Until next month, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay well read!

Nancy

We Got Winners and More Contest News by Nancy Fraser #RomanceGems

April Showers bring May Flowers! It also brings news of our March Rafflecopter contest winners and a brand new contest!

Our March drawing had 3,903 entries, which is a fantastic number. A huge "thank you" to all who participated, liked, followed and shared.

Here are the two lucky winners from the March contest:

First Place ~ $20 Amazon Gift Card: Darlene Owen

Second Place ~ $10 Amazon Gift Card: Karoline (no last name)

Our April Rafflecopter Drawing has a new feature. We're repeating our Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt from last year. The only difference is, this year the answer to our contest will be entered directly onto the Rafflecopter entry form.

Here's how it works:

Authors who choose to participate will include a link to two or three of their social media sites. On one of those sites, you'll find a hidden Easter egg (okay maybe NOT so hidden). Once you've located the egg, go to the Rafflecopter entry task and complete the required information. You'll need the date of the post, the author's name, and the social media location where you found the egg. You may claim one entry a day on any day where the author indicates they've hidden an egg. If an author choses to not participate, there will be no social media links to follow.

We have asked the authors to leave the egg up for at least 72 hours so that everyone has time to enter.

The April contest began at 12:01 a.m., Saturday, April 4th (today) and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 30th. Be sure to watch for my post tomorrow to grab your first entry!

The prizes for April are:

First Prize: $20 Amazon gift card
Second Prize: $15 Amazon gift card
Third Prize: $10 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best of luck to everyone! Happy hunting!

Nancy

Reading and Writing by Karen Whiddon

What to write about when our world is in chaos?  Like a lot of other authors, I haven't felt much like writing.  My creativity has been shot.  I've been constantly checking stats, reading articles, and worrying about things that are out of my control.

One of the things I've been doing to cope is reading.  And then I realized that maybe, just maybe, writing my romance books might be a good thing, a helpful thing.  There are lots of others out there who also want to escape into a book.   So I've come to a new appreciation for this job of mine.

Speaking of books, I have a new Harlequin Romantic Suspense out April 1st.  Snowbound Targets!

 You can purchase this book on Amazon here:  BUY NOW!

We will be running a Rafflecopter drawing again this month with three prizes of $20, $15 & $10 gift cards. The drawing will run from 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, April 4th through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday April 26th.   Click here to go to the entry form

Get away to Fortune Bay with this 3-books-for-99¢ deal! - by Judith Hudson

I hope you are taking advantage of this period of self-isolation to get some reading done. I sure am! This week I treated myself to two new books by my favourite small town romance authors and settled in with coffee, then later wine, to enjoy.

But then I decided to get back to work. I put the first three books of the Fortune Bay Series (Pacific northwest small town romance/women's fiction) together into an e-book boxed set.

And because I know a lot of folks are worried about money these days, I'm offering the boxed set

on amazon this week at the ridiculously low price of 99¢.

 

If you don't have a Kindle e-reader, you can download the app to your phone or tablet (it's free!) and start reading today. 

Find out how on my blog.

Here's what Amazon readers say about the Fortune Bay books:

"A Wonderful, heartwarming story!"
"A Cottage Country Romance That Will Leave You Wanting More"
"I'm not even sure where to begin other than to say read this book..."


In a lake side village in the Pacific northwest, a ramshackle cabin by the lake is a haven for people at the crossroads of their lives. I'll let you in on a little secret - these three books are how I first envisioned the series, as a trilogy devoted to three women getting their lives on track and finding love in the process.

Summer of Fortune
Maddie wasn't looking for romance when she moved to Fortune Bay for the summer. She was just glad to find a place to stay that she could afford, where she could set up her dark room and work on the photographs for her first solo show.
A troubled childhood had left her a loner. It was just easier that way. But now she was even more alone since her daughter had gone and live with her father for the summer.
Maddie wasn't expecting to meet a group of people who would change her life - including her landlord Jake Murphy, a single father himself, who just might teach her that she could have it all, friendship, family and happily ever after.

The Good Neighbor
Frankie's life is going just fine, thank you very much. She has a lovely house on Majestic lake and a good job teaching at the local high school. What she doesn't need is Sean Murphy moving in next door and shaking things up. He seems like just the kind of guy her father would approve of - a black mark against him in her eyes.
What she doesn't see are the demons Sean is hiding, the daughter he gave up as a teen, who he'd give anything to find today.

Home For Christmas
Louise is coming home for Christmas, but just for Christmas. She had finally gotten out of Fortune Bay and now that her pastry course is finished, her future awaits her in Seattle, a long way away from her old job at the Fortune Bay Cafe.
Her old friend Blue has moved on too - he can't wait forever, hoping she'll see how much he cares. Growing up, he was her shoulder to cry on, but it's time to move on.
But, with Christmas festivities swirling around them, Louise's live take a sharp turn. Can Blue really turn his back on her now, when her whole future is at stake?

So lose yourself in the world of Fortune Bay for a while. The real world will still be spinning when you get back.
But don't wait, this offer is only good until Sunday!

Until next time, take care, and take time to read.

Judy Hudson

Find out more at www.JudithHudsonAuthor.com
 

 

April Fool Wedding? by @JoanReeves #RomanceGems

I love weddings! The flowers! The cake! The smiles! Everyone is happy!

In today’s world where couples live together and often have children without marriage, getting married seems to have become the ultimate commitment if not the ultimate love story.

Weddings are celebrated in ceremonies ranging from small, family-only events to splashy galas costing as much as a house.

Ancient People Knew What Was At Stake

It wasn’t always like this. Ancient history tells us that marriage was first a private, domestic affair.

According to Curious Customs of Sex and Marriage by George Ryley Scott (out of print but available at used book outlets), the basic function of marriage was to multiply. After all, the population was small. The planet needed more people. Marriages were simply a way of sponsoring procreation.

You may kiss the bride. Go forth and procreate.

The Not So Distant Past

It didn't take men long to decide that the value of a woman—daughter, sister, or any female related by marriage—lay in making marriage contracts that enabled them (the men) to gain more wealth and power.

Women weren't given a choice. I'm sure most of them weren't too happy about being told whom to marry.

Marriage was a hard sell to most men too. Those testosterone-fueled beings didn't embrace the concept. They took persuading which is probably why the dowry played such a big part in landing a man who would enhance a father's power and wealth.

Perhaps that explains why so many nations (remember, just about all society was patriarchal) experimented with Polygymy, a form of plural marriage in which a man is allowed more than one wife.

The more times a man could marry, the more dowries he could claim and expand his power base. (The female side of this is Polyandry, a form of polygamy whereby a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Unfortunately, there were no dowries given for men so there was no financial reward for having to deal with more than one man at a time.)

Eventually, in most civilized nations of the world, monogamy was accepted almost universally, at least in theory, as the perfect form of marital union. As we all know, nothing and no one is perfect, but monogamy was probably what kept the world rocking along for a couple of millennia.

Marriage of Convenience

Another classic tradition in the wedding arena is the Marriage of Convenience in which an unwilling man or woman is forced into a marriage.

Sometimes this is because of the need for protection or for economic reasons.

I explore that theme in my romance, April Fool Bride. In my story, Madeline Quinn, an oil heiress, needs a husband, but men only see dollar signs when they look at her.


Mad Maddie, as the tabloids christened her, decides a marriage of convenience is the answer. She turns to the one man in the world she can trust, her housekeeper’s son who always treated her like a little sister when they were kids growing up together.

Jake Becker hasn’t seen Maddie since the night she tried to seduce him. Why should he help the woman who changed the course of his life? Simple. Revenge.

The Marriage of Convenience is one of the most popular tropes in a romance. What do you think of it? Is it one of your favorites?

Until next time, stay healthy and escape cabin fever with a good romance!