2024-03-19

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Do You Ever Feel Like Giving Up? ~ #LoveChatWrite



 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "Do you ever feel like giving up on writing? If so, what motivates you to keep going?"

To which I can only say: All. The. Time. And: damned if I know.

Honestly, I think it's just sheer pig-headedness. I mean, I love writing and I have plenty of stories I still want to write but I think anyone in their right mind would have given up by now. 

Creating worlds and characters is fun. And whenever I'm upset or confused or don't know what I think about a topic, writing things down is how I figure out how I feel, or what I want. So I don't think I could ever stop writing entirely. 

BUT the business of writing is often frustrating and overwhelming. I don't like that part nearly as much. In a perfect world--one in which I did not have to worry about marketing or making money from writing--I'd write all the time and not be bothered about whether or not my stories found their perfect audience; because of course they always would! In our very imperfect world, however, I have to rely on hope and pig-headedness and ignoring the small voice that says, "continuing to do the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results is madness" and instead hold to the idea that Da'Vine Joy Randolph said recently, "it would not be on your heart if you weren't meant to do it."

I don't know if I actually believe that, but it sounds good and I'm going with it!


Now, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page and find out what she has to say on the topic of giving up. And don't forget to check out her book, The Boy in the Pink Convertible.




What secrets does a photograph hold? When Megan Forrester finds a old, worn photo of herself and a young boy, it propels her on a quest to find him, but along the way she finds herself, and maybe a little romance, too. Can one small photo change the course of her life?

Waiting For The Big One
LA Love Lessons 1.0




One girl, two guys and a quest for ultimate satisfaction.

Aspiring actress Gabby Browne refuses to consider her best friend, and personal trainer, Derek Novello for the role of soul mate fearing sex will ruin their beautiful friendship. When she meets Zach, she's convinced that he could be The One. Too bad Derek isn't willing to share-leaving Gabby forced to choose between two sexy co-stars.

An early morning earthquake provides Gabby with the impetus she needs to stop waiting for the stars to align and finally cast her leading man.


https://books2read.com/the-big-one

2024-03-12

Romance Writers Weekly ~Hobbies? ~ #LoveChatWrite



 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked the question, "What other hobbies do you have besides writing?"

Being the prickly wordsmith that I am, I'm giving that "other" some serious side-eye. Because writing isn't a hobby for me. If I'm feeling upset or emotional about something my first instinct is to write it down. To get it out of my system. Eventually, I'll probably want to alchemize those words and emotions into fiction. But whatever else it is, it's not a hobby. 

Creating graphics and covers--that's closer to a hobby, but still not quite.

I think I approach cooking as a hobby (at least some of the time). Knitting is definitely a hobby, as well as embroidery (even though I haven't embroidered anything in YEARS). Gardening...that's not even a hobby; it's an occasional interest. I have A LOT of interests that don't quite make the commitment threshold for hobby status. And I satisfy most of those interests by giving them to my characters as activities/jobs/hobbies/etc. 

I'm sure I engage in several more activities/interests that should qualify as hobbies, but where would it end? Is wine tasting a hobby? Is travel? Or exercise? Or reading? But I think I'll stop here. 


Now, hop on over to Jenna Da Sie's page to learn about her hobbies. 











Old Sins, Long Shadows

Children of Night, Book Two

Living forever is hard. Loving forever? Impossible. 


Of all the mistakes Conrad Quintano has made, driving Damian away is the one that haunts him the most. He hates the fact that he's hurt the man he loves more than anything. For the sake of the twins, though, Conrad and Damian parent as a united front, a challenge that grows more and more difficult with each passing year. And with Conrad in his weakened state after his kidnapping, it grows more difficult than ever to be around the one man he can't have. 

But an old enemy's mission to create a dangerous new breed of vampire threatens the twins' lives, and it's now more important than ever that the estranged lovers put the past behind them, or everything they hold dear might be ripped apart.


Buy ebook and/or print: https://books2read.com/u/31KAka


Read on Kiss: https://read.writekiss.com/details?book_id=609c0f98ca942135801ca731

2024-03-11

Musical Monday: Ricky Martin - La Mordidita


I've been doing a lot of exercise lately--walking, biking, swimming, yoga--so I wanted to post an upbeat, exercise-y song. AND I just got back from Costa Rica, so something with a little bit of Latin flare seemed right. So here's something to get your blood pumping. 

2024-03-05

Romance Writer Weekly ~ Favorite Scents ~ #LoveChatWrite




 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked "What's your favorite scent and does it help in your work?"

Yeah, as I think I've mentioned before, I don't realy have favorites. I love all the scents. Ad they absolutely help me in my work. I love to select the perfect scents for whatever book I'm writing--be it perfume, candle, tea, incense or some combination of all of them. I find them even more useful than the right music for getting me (and keeping me) in the right mood. Faster, too! 


Now, hop on over to Brenda Margriet's page to find out if she has a favorite scent. And don't forget to check out her book, Taking His Measure.



THE COMPLETE BENDIXON SISTERS SERIES

Three steamy, open-door, full-length contemporary romances with all your favourite tropes!

 

* Second Chance * Grumpy/Sunshine * Forced Proximity * Best Friend’s Younger Sister * Virgin Hero * Forbidden Love * He Falls First * Enemies to Lovers * Single Dad * Starting Over

 

Allegro Court


Determined to save her beloved construction company, Mattie Bendixon makes a reckless wager with Marcus Temple. All he has to do is stay in his hated hometown for one month. All she has to risk is her heart.

 

Gateway Crescent


Neither flighty Jo Bendixon nor steadfast Luke Donwell prophesies the temptation flaring hot and bright between them. It might scorch them to the heart…or spark a match made in heaven.

 

Crossroad Corner


Will Danson can't stop thinking about his captivating business rival. Camryn Bendixon won't be distracted by the sexy single dad standing in her way. They are competing for construction bids and career-making contracts—but it is her battered heart that he truly wants to win.






Scent of the Roses
Oberon Book 1.0

Scent of the Roses (book one in the Oberon series) is a slow-burn, second chance, paranormal romantic suspense story featuring a (42M) former bad-boy cop and the (36F) girl who got away. 

Available now in print and digital formats.
 
“An intriguing mystery complete with long-lost loves, twists I didn't expect, mysticism, murder, and great multi-layered characters…set in a magical small town. What's not to love?”
 
“This is one story you don't want to miss reading! I become totally immersed in this intriguing mystery.”
 
“The characters that make up the small town of Oberon California are beautifully eccentric. The two main characters of Scout and Nick were exactly what a real couple should be yet so many authors shy away from.”

2024-02-27

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Do You Believe in Magic? ~ #LoveChatWrite



 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "Do you believe in magic? Tell us why or why not."

Well, obviously I do. Anyone who's read any of my more "contemporary" romances knows that there's a little magic in almost all of them. And those that don't have quote/unquote magic, have a healthy dose of synchronicity, serendipity, and coincidence to take its place. 

One of the major inspirations for my Oberon series was a series of conversations I had with other women I knew at the time at a coffee shop near our kids' school. Everyone had a story to tell about the odd and semi-supernatural things that they'd witnessed or experienced. 

Could there be logical, rational, skeptical, "scientific" explanations for all of them? Sure. But I don't know what's one-hundred-percent true, and I don't think anyone else does either. Although, yes, I know many people think that they do. I just happen to think they're deluding themselves. 

So, why not believe in magic? It makes life more fun, it doesn't hurt anything, and what if it is true? Anyway, that's how I look at it. #ChangeMyMind


Now, hop on over to Brenda Margriet's page to learn whether she believes in magic. And don't forget to check out her book, Taking His Measure.



THE COMPLETE BENDIXON SISTERS SERIES

Three steamy, open-door, full-length contemporary romances with all your favourite tropes!

 

* Second Chance * Grumpy/Sunshine * Forced Proximity * Best Friend’s Younger Sister * Virgin Hero * Forbidden Love * He Falls First * Enemies to Lovers * Single Dad * Starting Over

 

Allegro Court


Determined to save her beloved construction company, Mattie Bendixon makes a reckless wager with Marcus Temple. All he has to do is stay in his hated hometown for one month. All she has to risk is her heart.

 

Gateway Crescent


Neither flighty Jo Bendixon nor steadfast Luke Donwell prophesies the temptation flaring hot and bright between them. It might scorch them to the heart…or spark a match made in heaven.

 

Crossroad Corner


Will Danson can't stop thinking about his captivating business rival. Camryn Bendixon won't be distracted by the sexy single dad standing in her way. They are competing for construction bids and career-making contracts—but it is her battered heart that he truly wants to win.


https://books2read.com/TakingHisMeasure






Sound of a Voice That is Still

Oberon: Book 3

Sound of a Voice That is Still is set in January/February and features four different couples celebrating Valentine’s Day.

Well. “Celebrate” might be something of an overstatement in some cases.

https://books2read.com/SoundVoice

2024-02-26

Musical Monday: Leaving On a Jet Plane ~ Peter, Paul, and Mary


 So, this song has nothing to do with what I'm writing, but it's stuck on repeat in my head, so what else was I going to choose? 

I'm going to be flying later this week--for the first time in six years!--which seems momentous. And...that's it. 

I don't even have a travel-related excerpt to post because I'm so busy trying to get ready.  So, hasta la vista! 



2024-02-19

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Where Would You Live? ~ #LoveChatWrite



 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked the question, "If you could live in another country, which one would you choose and why?"

Wow. This is a tough one. There are so many places I'd like to live. But, if I have to just pick one, and I'm being at all realistic, I'd say Ireland. 

First of all, I could actually do it. Both of my maternal grandparents were born in Ireland, so I qualify for citizenship. But I also think it's beautiful. I like the weather, the culture, the music, the food. I can't speak a word of the language, but I'd love an excuse to try and learn it (I am horrible at languages) but lucky for me, I can get by just fine there speaking English.  


Now, hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page to learn where she'd like to live. And don't forget to check out her book, Come Back to Me.






What would you do if you could go back in time to find your soulmate? For Skye Blaine, the answer is clear: she would do whatever it takes to be with the one she loves. 


Follow her as she travels through time in search of her heart's desire, finding that the path to true love is never easy, but always worth it. 


Will she find her happy ending? This page-turning story of love, sacrifice, and courage is sure to captivate and inspire. Don't miss out on this unforgettable journey through time!


https://amzn.to/3thW8BR

New Release!






Put a Ring Around the Rosie

A Games We Play/Whole Latte Love Story

February 14th is just another day...until it's not!


Timing is everything. After three years, Rosie and Alex's friendship has finally caught fire. But is Valentine's Day too much, too fast? 

https://books2read.com/RingRosie

Musical Monday: Best I'll Ever Be Sister Hazel


 So, this song has been around for awhile, and I actually listened to it a lot while I was writing some of the later Oberon books. It's sooooo Seth!  But this accoustic version is one I hadn't heard until recently and it's perfect for the book I'm working on now. A secret project that I still can't talk about. 

Suffice it to say I have a hero and heroine who both think a lot about loss and missed chances. It's supposed to be a RomCom but I never do understand the assignment!



Since I can't share that, however, here's a sneak peek at the ninth Oberon book, and my tortured teen hero:

            Seth chopped savagely at the ground beef browning in the pan, using the spatula like a cleaver as he took out his frustrations on the dinner he was making; reducing the meat to hash.  So, he’d said he was making burgers––so what?  Change of plans.  Deal with it.  And if she was disappointed?  If she didn’t like it, or if she didn’t want to deal?  Well, then she could damn well feed herself.  

            He wasn’t in the mood to shape the meat into nice, round patties, or to even think about anything that might require that much patience or restraint, two things he was pretty much out of, at the moment.  So, all the little details, things like slicing onions, hunting up pickles, toasting rolls or waiting for the friggin’ ketchup to drip out of the bottle, were flat out not gonna happen.   They were all completely beyond his abilities to deal with.  

            Not to mention inquiring as to how Deirdre might want her meat cooked.  

            He didn’t want to inquire about that.  He didn’t want to inquire about anything.  So, with his plans to make hamburgers gone to hell, like everything else in his life it seemed, he did what he always did when things got tough.    He wussed out.  He turned to his family for assistance. 

            A batch of his mother’s tomato sauce, one of several with which she’d stocked his freezer, simmered in the smaller of his two saucepans, while the water for pasta bubbled away in the other.  He paused in his massacre of the meat to add some salt and a pound of Rotelli to the water, then went back on the attack.  

            Not that the beef needed to be further subdued, but he was just so...fucking...pissed...off!  He was furious––with the world in general, and with women in particular.

            He was angry with Cara for waking him up too early this morning, for filling his mind with all her stupid, lame-brained, half-baked theories, for confusing the hell out of him.  He was angry with Jasmine for being at the center today––when it should have been empty.  For being helpful.  And cheerful.  And too damn smart.

            But, first, last and always, he was angry with Deirdre.  

            For being too good of a liar.  

            For dropping that bombshell on him about the dogs.  

            For acting so concerned when he’d gotten upset, for sounding so sincere, looking so sweet.  

            And for the way she thought he could just turn his feelings for her on and off at will, like I’m some kind of fucking light switch––that most of all.

              Time and again he’d gotten his foolish hopes up, only to have them shot down.  Something––the words she’d say, the way she’d act––would make him think the two of them were going somewhere; but the minute he responded– Wham! Like a knee to his balls she’d smash his hopes flat.  Take that, sucker!  Blam!

As he mashed at the meat, grease splattered the stove.  God, he was pissed!  He was angry, horny, miserable and...confused.

            What the hell was he doing wrong, all of a sudden?   How come nothing he tried seemed to work with her?   He never had that problem before.   All the other girls he’d hooked up with had melted for him, with almost no effort at all; even the ones who’d had a reputation for being cold.  Not that there’d been many of those.  And they’d all seemed to like sex at least as much as he did, too.

            But, shit, what did he know?  He’d never even left Oberon for more than a few weeks at a time.  Maybe Jasmine was right.  Maybe there was just something wrong with the girls he’d been hanging with.  Or maybe it was Deirdre who was screwed up.

            “Want some help?” she asked, coming up behind him.  He was so angry, he hadn’t even heard her come in. As she laid a hand on his back, he flinched away.  

            “Seth?  What’s wrong?”  She looked surprised by his reaction, maybe even a little hurt.  She has to be kidding, right?  If anyone should be feeling hurt right now, it was him.

             “Nothing.  Just...don’t do that anymore.”  Under normal circumstances, or even half an hour ago, he’d have been perfectly happy to let her touch him––as much as she wanted.  For two whole years it he’d daydreamed endlessly about it: in bed, in the shower, when he was with other girls.  

            In vivid detail he’d imagine how it would to feel if he were with Deirdre instead, if it were her hands touching, stroking, squeezing him.  But, now, when she was here and making him crazy?  When she’d just gotten through admitting that she hadn’t thought of him at all while she was gone?  When she’d, only a few minutes earlier, been complaining that he was rushing her?  And when she wouldn’t let him touch her back?  Now, having her touch him was hell.

            “Sorry,” she mumbled biting her lip, looking like, any minute, she might start bawling.  

            And, oh, fuck, no.  He couldn’t deal with that tonight, either.  He grabbed a large bowl from one of the cabinets and shoved it into her hands. “Here.  Why don’t you make us a salad, okay?”

              “Okay.”  She took the bowl and headed for the refrigerator.  “I thought you said you were making hamburgers?”  

            “I changed my mind.”   He turned off the heat under the pan and added the mostly-pureed meat to the sauce.  “I didn’t feel like it.  We’re having spaghetti.”

            “Oh.  Well, whatever it is, it sure smells good.  Did you just make that sauce?”

            “What?”  He turned to stare at her in disbelief.  “In ten minutes?  Of course not.  Don’t you know it takes hours for sauce to cook?”

            Deirdre shrugged.  “No, not really.  I just always used the stuff that comes out of jars.”

            Of course she did.  Shaking his head in disgust, Seth turned back to the stove.  He thought briefly about offering to teach her to cook, but then changed his mind.  He didn’t want to teach her anything.  He didn’t even want to talk to her at this point.  The pool house had never seemed as small or as crowded as it did this minute.  He had no idea how he was going to get through the night.  Especially if it was anything like last night.


https://www.pgforte.com/the-oberon-series



And Shadows Have Their Ending

Oberon Book 9.0


The last two years have not been kind to Seth Cavanaugh.  But, he's suffered and grown and he finally feels ready to put his troubled past behind him.  So, doesn't it just figure that the girl who caused all the trouble in the first place should pick now to return and cause him even more torment?

 Deirdre Delaney Shelton-Cooper has spent the past two years trying to forget the events that marked her first visit to Oberon, but can you ever really forget the memory of your first love, no matter how painful those memories are?  It's just her luck the boy she put herself through hell for has turned out to be such a loser.

 

 After a disastrous reunion, they'd both be content to have nothing more to do with each other, if only fate--and one very determined angel--were not conspiring against them.

 

 There are some wounds that time can't heal.  There are some dreams that won't come true.  But, sometimes, if you're lucky, shadows have their ending.  And the love you'd just about given up on returns.