The Woman in the Mirror by Liz Flaherty. #RomanceGems

Do you ever feel as if you lost yourself somewhere along the way? If you've had a bad time or an extraordinarily good one, do you ever look in the mirror and wonder exactly who's looking back at you? Because you've changed, and you're not sure what to do with the person who's there.

I'm feeling thoughty here--can you tell? I'm always, always whining about how much I hate change, yet when I look back--over bad times and extraordinarily good ones, it's an ongoing cycle, isn't it? It's what keeps life new and interesting. And, yeah, sometimes awful.

But if it weren't for change, and my kicking-and-screaming caving to it, I would:

• Never have changed jobs and I'd have been stuck with working one I hated.
• Never have married the man I did because he wasn't the first person I loved.
• I'd never have had a third child.
• I'd have given up the first time a publisher said Nope.
• Or maybe the second.
• For sure by the twenty-third.
• I'd have kept my hair short.
• And let it go gray.
• I'd still be writing longhand on lined paper and thinking I wasn't good enough.
• For anything,

So, no, I don't always know the woman in the mirror, or, for that matter, the man I'm married to. I don't always like either of us. There are days when I do feel like I've lost the person I was. Because I have. Because every re-invention in every time of life is change, it's often hard, and it's always necessary. I think maybe I like it.

The post above isn't new. I found it when I was out cruising around trying to avoid the place in the scene I'm writing when I realize I turned the wrong way at the last corner. I thought maybe I shouldn't use it here because this is, after all, a writing blog.

But what is writing if not the recording of change? What we write--including fiction--wouldn't have much purpose if the story didn't start where something changes. I love knowing this. It feels almost like that "secret handshake" we used to laugh about published authors having.

Carol's life is about to undergo some changes in The Healing Summer, starting when Steven Elliot rides his bicycle into the side of her car in the cemetery. I loved their story!

Be sure to sign up for this month's Romance Gems giveaway https://romancegems.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_28.html

Is Romance Dead? by Laura Hunsaker

I just read an article by the L.A. Times that asked "Will Kissing Ever Make a Comeback" and had the image of two metal figures wearing masks and kissing. (link to article here).

Is this a thing? How would that work?

He inhaled the scent of her hand sanitizer, mmm...lemon. She placed her gloved hand against his cheek. They gently pressed their masks together...

Okay obviously I'm being facetious here, but as a romance writer, I can't help but think about how I would write a romance and incorporate it.

I like escapism, so in my stories, I don't address it, but maybe I should? What say you all? Should our Romances being written right now reflect everything going on?

While I may have used a wee bit of snark at first, I wonder if I could make it work?

Lucy walked in the door from her first day back at work, instantly took off her mask and tossed it in the laundry pile. Washing her hands she called for her dog. Bruce, her lab, was ready to go.

"Who wants a walk? Who's a good boy who wants a walk?" She stuffed her mini hand sanitizer in her pocket, and grabbing his leash, she took Bruce out for his evening walk.

Once out on the trail, Lucy saw her neighbor Van out with his dog. Every day for a couple months now, they'd wave at each other and smile. But not today. She was prepared to finally talk to him. With restaurants being closed to inside dining, she was planning to grab a to go order and hope he wouldn't mind sitting on her porch. The weather was beautiful and she was excited to talk to someone after being cooped up for so long.

"Hi Lucy!"

His mask was his favorite hockey team and she thought that it was cute how every one of his masks she had seen had all been different masks for the same team. Hers had cupcakes on them, because she just really thought it was cute.

"Hi Van! Hey, I don't know if you're up to it, but I was thinking of grabbing some dinner from Apple Garden tonight, and thought maybe you would want to join me? We could eat on my porch and you can bring your dog."

He smiled, she could tell because his eyes crinkled above his mask. "That sounds like a lot more fun than my night of streaming that new movie everyone is talking about and some leftovers."

"It's a date."

***

I guess it wouldn't be that difficult to add in some of today's happenings without it taking over the story. What do you think? Would you prefer escapism? Would you mind seeing a tiny bit of reality mixed in? Will kissing ever make a comeback ;)

 If you're in the mood for something you can really escape into, my Time Travel Romance Highland Eclipse is only $.99

Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  Smashwords  |  Goodreads

A member of an elite Time Ops team called the Eclipse Agents, Declan Wallace’s job is to jump through time. He maintains order in the timeline, he hunts down those who would time jump for their own purposes. But sometime Fate intervenes.

After a lifetime of living with illness, Lady Fiona McClure is proving to herself that she is finally healthy in an attempt to swim across the loch. If she makes it, maybe then her overprotective father won’t treat her as a child anymore. When she is snatched and dragged ashore by a man who thought she was drowning, her heart races for reasons that have nothing to do with the swim and everything to do with the man standing before her.

With a mission to finish, Declan can’t allow distractions, and Lady Fiona is definitely a distraction. But he’s discovering that living for the next mission isn’t as exciting as it used to be. Staying in the past is forbidden, but Fiona McClure is his destiny.


Don't forget to enter the June Giveaway!

Romance, Pirates, and Summer Vacations by @MaddieJames

Have you ever been haunted by something? Felt a pull so strong you had to give into it? 

Years ago, when the children were young, probably about six- and eight-years-old, I insisted we take a family vacation. It was spring break and truly, I needed the departure from my students, and well, just from life. Bonus, the ocean was calling. Haunting me, perhaps. Odd thing because I’d never been to the east coast. That didn’t slow me down though or stop the melancholy feeling about going there.

Credit: digidreamgrafix.com (Deposit Photos) 

I chose Nags Head in the Outer Banks (OBX) of North Carolina because the name of the town had always intrigued me. I stumbled across an ad for a reality company in an issue of Southern Living and called for details. Soon, we were set, and off we went.

Once there, I was entranced by the area, the people, the food, and the laid-back atmosphere. That was our first trip of many. Even after my husband and I divorced, I found ways to get there, be it spring, summer, or fall. The kids and I went one summer when they were teenagers. We had a yard sale to pay for a motel room and pooled all our dollars for other expenses. It was a quick, cheap trip but one of my most memorable. We ate sandwiches out of a cooler all week, swam in the ocean and the motel pool, and just chilled.

There have been other trips. We have stayed up and down the OBX from Corolla to Ocracoke Island and pretty much everywhere in between. A couple of times I went solo, which was fun, but I missed my people; other trips included extended family where we would rent a big beach house oceanside and just play all week. There was always one night of family putt-putt golf competition, and every family took a turn at making dinner for the entire crew. We always reserved at least one evening meal for the local seafood buffet.

Copyright credit: Jorg Hackemann (Deposit Photos)

A few times we went with my parents and my sister’s family. Once, we stayed just down the beach from the infamous Inn at Rodanthe, the house featured in the movie, Nights in Rodanthe. A more recent trip was with my offspring and their significant others and families, and one set of in-laws. My grown children and I also took another trip to OBX about ten years after the first cheap trip—but this time we rented a big old oceanfront Nags Header on the historic register. We had more money to spend, and if I remember correctly, we consumed quite a few rum popsicles. Adult children are fun! We also may or may not have encountered a ghost that week—fodder for a story perhaps?

And yes, this haunting of the ocean, this lure to the sea, and the OBX has been a source of writer inspiration for me and has influenced my stories and my muse. One cannot visit these barrier islands and not leave with a sense of the past, of pirates, of the colonies, of escape and intrigue, and perhaps even treasure hunting….

Cover Art: Jacobs Ink, LLC

I’ve set one romantic suspense novel, A Perfect Escape, in the barrier islands, and a time-travel trilogy, The Forever Trilogy.

Let’s talk about the trilogy. Edward Teach aka Blackbeard called Ocracoke Island in the OBX home for some time. Around 1718 he wreaked havoc over the eastern coastline and then finally was beheaded in a battle at sea. The Governor of Virginia had ordered him stopped. Losing his head was the thing that stopped him. On the islands you can find many references to the infamous pirate and I found the pirate folklore fascinating. I dug in, read and researched a lot, and wrote my own version of the pirates that lived there.

That research turned into a trilogy of stories surrounding some legend and lore of Blackbeard’s missing head after he was decapitated—actually, the lore has more to do with a silver-plated cup that was supposedly created from his skull. Fun, huh?

I began writing this trilogy years ago, not long after my first trip to OBX, and I can say these characters haunted and consumed me for some time. The stories were originally crafted when I was still learning how to write—before I was a published author and nearly two decades before Indie publishing became a thing. A small publisher picked them up years ago, and I’ve since had the rights reverted to me.

Cover Art: Jacobs Ink, LLC; template by Covervault 

Over the years—just as I kept returning to OBX—I have returned to these books and reworked and polished them. They have been reconfigured and retitled. I’m sure they are still not perfect—and that is okay with me. Most of my vacation trips to OBX were not “perfect” either, by some people’s standards, but they were memorable all the same.

I can only hope for that with any of the books I write—that readers think they are memorable.

The Forever Trilogy is this series centered around pirate lore. If you like history, pirates, suspense, time travel, paranormal elements, soul mates, and happily-ever-after endings, you might like these books. They are available at my online bookstore as well as all ebook retail outlets.

And while I have you, Jan Scarbrough and I write a western romance series and for ten days in June, we are offering the box set for 99 cents. I hope you check it out! Click for universal buy links—this one goes off sale on June 17.

Cover Art: Jacobs Ink, LLC; template by Covervault

Lastly, please don’t forget about our Summer Nights Rafflecopter Giveaway! Go HERE for details. Signup and I hope you win!

****

Maddie James writes to silence the people in her head—if only they wouldn’t all talk at once! 

Whether writing traditional contemporary romance or building paranormal worlds, bestselling romance author, Maddie James, pens stories that frequently cross a variety of romantic sub-genres. Sweet or spicy, suspense or comedy, western or time-travel, her heroes and heroines are always chasing one thing—the happily-ever-after. 

Affaire de Coeur says, “James shows a special talent for traditional romance,” and RT Book Reviews claims, “James deftly combines romance and suspense.” Visit her at www.maddiejames.com.

Her books are available at ALL RETAILERS and she also sells direct from her own online bookstore, SAND DUNE BOOKS (which is where you can find the deals and discounts!)

It's National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day! Let's all Celebrate by Connie Vines

Even those who know her/his way around the kitchen, are able to relate to the occasional--or daily kitchen mishaps.  

Writing, Painting/Drawing, Music, and Cooking are classified as the 'Arts".  I find creative people are usually gifted, to some degree, in all of the Arts. (I'm also inclined to include gardening under the Arts umbrella, however, that's another blog post.)

Culinary arts, in which culinary means "related to cooking", are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals.

I must admit most of my 'heroines/heroes" are able to cook.  However, as in real-life, there are Kitchen Klutzes in my novels, too.  I must also confess, I routinely have more than my share of kitchen mishaps.  Especially, since we have all been spending a great deal of time cooking family meals these past couple of months.

June 13th honors those who would like to cook and be in the kitchen, but it just doesn’t seem to work well for them. After all, it is National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day.

Klutz:  most commonly referred to as a clumsy person.




Kitchen Klutzes are the people who set out with the intentions of being like Ree Drummond, Molly Yeh, Gordon Ramsey, or even the great Julia Child as they open up the cookbook.   Mixing bowl or Kitchen Aide mixer and ingredients on the counter, they imagine knife cuts as swift as Wolfgang Puck or Bobby Flay. However, reality quickly dissolves all those dreams as smoke billows from the oven, skillets erupt in flames, and salt is mistaken for sugar. Those knife cuts turn bloody, cookies and fingers are burnt, cakes go flat. The Kitchen Klutz has struck, and visions of spilled milk are pitifully cried over.

It may be necessary to keep a first aid kit and fire extinguisher handy when Kitchen Klutzes are around. Eat a sandwich before going over to dinner. Be ready to call 911 and have your favorite take out restaurant on speed-dial if things don't go well.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalKitchenKlutzesDay

There several ways to celebrate this humorous holiday.

Laugh at yourself. Share your mortifying stories of kitchen failure over a slice of microwave pizza.

Give your favorite Kitchen Klutz the gift of cooking classes. Or, better yet, offer to cook.

Watch your favorite cooking flops show.

Don’t forget to share your stories and celebrations using #NationalKitchenKlutzesDay on social media.

Or try a few of these never fail meals.

Walking Tacos

Heat a can of chili in the microwave (in anticipation of stove top misadventures).

Take smaller single-serving packs of Fritos and then slice them open on the side, then serve the chili right inside the packets of Fritos. Add in additional toppings of cheese, diced onions and minced jalapeños. You just hand everyone a fork and they each have their own individual servings of Frito Chili. It makes for an easy cleanup too!


Crab Fondue (For that Romantic Evening Meal)

Nobody really needs a reason to eat more cheese, but this crab fondue recipe is a good one. Crab meat (or imitation crab) and packaged cheese, this fridge and pantry meal is easy yet satisfying.

8 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 pound processed cheese, like Velveeta
1 cup dry white wine
12 ounces canned crab meat
1 dash of Old Bay seasoning, or to taste
In a fondue pot, slowly melt the cheeses in the dry white wine.

Fold in the crab meat.

Heat through.

Serve with crusty French bread, cut into squares.

Please share a recent, or memorable meal, you prepared. You know, it's the story which is forever embedded in the family oral history.

Let me share my first kitchen mishap.  I was a new bride and prepared Gumbo for dinner  (my husband is from Louisiana).

Gumbo requires a thickening agent.  I like okra (my paternal grandmother was from Texas and she prepared fried okra).  I also added ground sassafras powder.  This adds a fruit sweet flavor and also smells like root beer.  It is part of Cajun and Creole cooking--also a thickening agent.



Well, my gumbo had to be pried from the pot because it had the consistency of a paste.  Very thick, very hard paste. The rice, cornbread and pecan pie were delicious.  Not a healthy meal, for certain, but it stuck to our ribs for several days.


HAPPY NATIONAL KITCHEN KLUTZES DAY EVERYONE!

Connie Vines


Remember to sign up for Romance Gems Contest!





Connie Vines Website

Roughing It is out now!

I am so excited to bring you guys the latest in the New York Empires series! I write as Kenzie MacLir with my friend author Heather Lire, and not to brag, but our Hockey Romances are pretty awesome. ;)
Roughing It is in Kindle Unlimited right now, so if you have KU, it's free to read. If you don't, click here to sign up for it, looks like the first month is free.

The series is written in anthologies. Each book has 3 stories about different Empires players, and Against the Boards is going to be Kyle Sandberg's story.

Caught in the Crossfire by Stacey Agdern

Bryce Emerson only agreed to draw an account of the Empires Goalie Tryouts to humor his brother. But when a vision convinces him the woman who saved his prized pen from a snowy grave is in danger of being injured by a faulty mask, he takes it upon himself to make her a new one.

Goaltender Carly Fein is trying out for the New York Empires, and the last thing she needs is the complication of an artist. But when she agrees to let him make her a new mask, Bryce Emerson finds his way under her skin.

Can Bryce and Carly figure out what happens when they’re caught in the crossfire of love and hockey? Or will the stress of new love and competition drive them apart.

Crashing the Net by Isabo Kelly 

Billionaire Connor Evans needs a challenge. Trying out for the New York Empires’ hockey team fits the bill, even if it is just a publicity stunt and a way to shut his twin brother up. Running into the woman who left him six years earlier, a woman he’s never gotten over, is not part of the plan. Once he sees Matty, though, Connor knows he can’t let her go again. But he’s got secrets he can’t risk sharing. And Matty is the one person who could uncover those secrets if he lets her get too close. 

After traveling the world, Matilda Thomson is ready for a real job and a more stable life. Her internship with the New York Empires will give her the experience she needs to move into that future. But first, she has to face Connor again, and one of the most painful losses she’s ever experienced. The only way she can move forward is to confront her feelings and risk her heart one more time.

Heat and passion spark as hot as ever between them. But trust doesn’t come easy. And if Connor can’t open up and let Matty in this time, he’ll lose her forever.

Against the Boards by Kenzie MacLir

Kyle Sandberg is living his best life. He’s one of the top hockey players in the world. Has two amazing best friends and all the sarcastic hockey t-shirts he could wear. After his own family turns their backs on him, he’s happy playing for the Empires and hanging out with his own found family. What he doesn’t want is his pain in the ass twin brother back in his life or a mate.

When paramedic Faith Church left Puerto Rico for New York, she had zero intentions of getting involved in the local pack. Having had her fill of pack politics, she was ready to go lone wolf. But being left alone was too much to ask when her cousin was the Alpha’s mate.

What neither was counting on was Fate, having her own plans for them. A chance encounter at a traffic accident changes everything. Kyle and his wolf are willing to go with Fate’s plans. But Faith, having finally broken away from her pack’s expectations wants nothing to do with Fate, or Kyle. Too bad her wolf disagrees…

The other books in the series are just $.99 each right now, but the sale is just for this weekend! Grab
Going All In and Icing the Puck now!

Add The Empires to your Goodreads shelves




Don't forget to enter the June giveaway!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

SUMMER DAYS AND NIGHTS by Kathleen Lawless @kathleenlawless #romancegems

I love June.  It’s the start of summer, along with some cool celebrations like summer solstice.  Living in the Pacific Northwest, our evenings stay light enough to read outside until bedtime.  We also don’t have a lot of mosquitoes or bugs, so reading outside is definitely an option in my new chair hammock.  Every bit as comfy and relaxing as a traditional hammock, but much easier to get in and out of, as well as sporting the required drink holder. 

Years ago, I started a summer solstice ritual of taking a rose to the closest body of water (in my case the beach) where I make a wish and throw in the rose.  I am pretty sure I have had a character or two adopt this ritual as well. 

Last birthday, my three children surprised me with a gift that lasts all year long.  Each month, shortly before the new moon, I receive a single red rose to enjoy before I take it to the beach, make a wish, and toss the rose to the sea gods.  I wonder what the neighbors think of my monthly ritual with the rose.

I have two new releases this month.  UNDERTOW is an extremely hot contemporary romance.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08957VNNK

A revenge-sounds-sweet-story that takes an unexpected turn.    Here’s a sample:

CHAPTER ONE

“You don’t recognize me, do you?”

Sloan Hardt gave the red-headed beauty his sexiest smile: the tilted head, the frank blue-eyed interest, and the “come keep me warm” crooked half grin.  “Should I?”

“We went to school together.”

“What school?” Sloan challenged, convinced she was mistaken.  He would have never forgotten such a looker.

“West Bend High.”

“Apparently I owe you a drink and an apology, Miss . . ?”

He waited expectantly, having already checked out her unadorned ring finger.

She met his gaze, her eyes the color of warm sherry.  “I think I’ll keep you waiting a little longer for that.  See if it comes to you.”

“That would be cruel beyond words.  What are you drinking?”

“Champagne, of course.  What else at a wedding?”

“You’re here for a wedding?  What a coincidence.  Me too.”

“It’s no coincidence, Sloan Hardt.  We’re here for the same wedding.” Miss Red turned and sashayed away, leaving him with his mouth hanging open as she greeted his brother. 

After the redhead left, Steele went over to Sloan with a grin.  “Jeez man, pull up your jaw.  I know she looks good, but—”

“Who is she?”

“Are you kidding me?”  He cocked his thumb toward the departing redhead.  “Little Cassidy Ferrill.”

“Fatty Ferrill?”

“Be kind.  She had a serious crush on you, man.”

***

If memory served, Cassidy had never been much for crowds, so he took the hunt out onto the ship’s Promenade Deck.  Up-deck he spotted a flash of red hair shimmering in the sun and sped up his pace, careful not to spill the champagne he’d picked up on the way.  As if she sensed his pursuit, Cassidy turned and waited for him. 

“I bear champagne and an apology.  Shame on me for not knowing who you were.”

She dipped her fingers in the champagne and flicked them playfully his way.  “Double shame.”

His grin widened.  “I should be punished.”

“Spanked perhaps,” she said in a way that sent blood surging to his loins.  This was a whole different Cassidy from his memories.

“To getting reacquainted.”  He chinked the rim of his glass to hers.  “So how are we going to amuse ourselves, stuck out here at sea for days on end?”

Cassidy flashed him a half smile over the rim of her glass.  “I would think that was obvious.  We’re going to be lovers.”  

Mmmmm . . .   Sloan could definitely weave a few fantasies about Cassidy. “How do we get started?”

“Just like this.”  She plucked the empty flute from his hand, set the glasses on a table, wound her arms around his neck and pressed against him. 

Sloan’s arms encircled her with an unerring confidence, pulling her near. 

At the first touch of her, the first taste of her, the years flew back, confusing his senses.  Cassidy had been everybody’s pal and nobody’s sweetheart, a stand-in for his prom date who was home with the measles. 

***

Cassidy had waited a lifetime for this moment—step one in making Sloan fall for her—and she kept her eyes wide open for his kiss. 

It didn’t disappoint.  His lips were soft at first, firm, shaping themselves to hers in a series of tiny nibbles that promised great things to follow.  He didn’t try to force his tongue down her throat, but let her set the pace as her lips opened of their own accord, her tongue instinctively seeking his.

Cassidy felt as if the well of pent-up feelings inside of her drained into Sloan, leaving her empty.  She clutched his shoulders as her body melted into him, and then, like a miracle, she felt a surge of renewed energy.  As if he took what she offered, doubled it and refilled her wellspring. 

Yes, the boy next door had turned into one fine specimen of a man.  And he was going to fall in love with her so fast, he wouldn’t know what hit him.  Right before she dumped him on his muscular tush.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08957VNNK       

  

From the other muse, who writes sweet western historicals, comes a second-chance romance, MAIL ORDER OLIVIA on June 25^th.  This was my first mail-order bride, secret baby romance, but was such fun to write, it won't be my last.  

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086JFJ6YC

What do you like best about June?  Comment below and enter our     Rafflecopter Draw.  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/21df08a238/

CHICKENS ON MY SIDE OF THE ROAD by Hannah Rowan #RomanceGems

The topic of city girl vs. country girl seems to be popping up frequently in my life lately. I was reminiscing with my daughter-in-law about a brief, unfortunate time when I left New Jersey as a child and moved to Michigan for a few months that felt like a century.

Why?

Chickens!

Imagine the culture shock of a kid moving from very urban Newark, NJ, to a farm in Michigan that included not just an outhouse, but chickens. Chickens who pecked at my skinny little nine-year-old legs every time I walked through the yard on the way to said outhouse. It was terrifying.

Chickens seem to be the current must-have item for many people I know. A friend in northern New Jersey built a palace for her new brood. Another acquaintance ordered 50 baby chicks through the mail. At the assisted living where I work, we joined a farm project where we borrowed an incubator and hatched 12 baby chickens. We had to turn the eggs every 90 minutes. Do mother chickens do this? When do they sleep

I recently read a book called HOW TO SEDUCE A TEXAN by Karen Kelley about an out-of-her element city girl reporter who goes undercover to a dude ranch to do an exposé on the hero, who is on to her and puts her in the most primitive accommodations imaginable. And that included not only chickens but a psychotic rooster. I felt her pain.

Now I’m not only reading about chickens but I’ve acquired four grand-chickens with the names Checkers, Siren-head, Cupcake, and another one I can never remember because who names their chickens? At least these chickens are safely confined in a lovely chicken coop—isn’t that what you call the houses chickens live in? Because this isn’t really my area of expertise. But I don’t want to think about the possibility of eating a creature I’ve been introduced to by name.

My grand-chickens aren’t about to become anyone’s dinner anytime soon, as far as I know. Their function seems to be wandering around making strange little sounds and laying multicolored eggs at an alarming rate.

I’ve been sent home with many, many eggs every time I visit. So although I don’t want to make a meal of a creature I know on a first name basis, it seems I have no compunction about munching on my…potential great-grand-chickens. Is that a thing?

In self defense I learned how to make something called a frittata, in a big old iron frying pan, which again reminds me                                                  of country living, but what could
I do?  My world has gone so chicken-crazy that my husband started talking about whether we could have a few chickens on the little balcony of our tiny two bedroom condo. If that ever happens, I’m flying the coop.

Don't forget to enter our monthly Rafflecopter drawing for some great prizes in Amazon gift cards! You can find the complete details and full entry form on our Monthly Giveaway page. Or, you can enter via the Short Entry Form.