It's the 20th of the month again, and I hope you've already marked it on your calendars! Why? Because this is the day when you get a chance to win free e-books at the Sweet Romance Reads Café!
Today, the nine authors of our next anthology, Sweet Christmas Kisses 5, have answered an interesting question: Where did you grow up -- and is your book set in the same area or have you chosen a different place? You will see that we are an international bunch of authors with plenty of interesting backgrounds. Milou is winning the prize, though - she managed to live in nine countries before she was 18 (if I counted right!).
Liwen Y. Ho - grew up in Taiwan & California, and her story will take you to the SF Bay Area, California.
Milou Koenigs grew up in - gasp! - Belgium; Burundi; Canada; Connecticut; Illinois; India; Israel; Kenya; Massachussetts; Pennsylvania; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Switzerland; Uganda - and her story is set in the fictional small town of Green Pines, Illinois.
Christine Bush was born in New York, grew up and lived in Pennsylvania, USA ... and her story is set in a small town in Maine,USA.
Beate Boeker - grew up in Germany and Iran, and her story takes the reader to Florence, Italy.
Jean C. Gordon was born in Niagara Falls and grew up in a small town in Western New York. She tried city living in Los Angeles, CA, for college before returning to Upstate New York. Her story is set in a small town in Central New York.
Josie Riviera is from upstate New York and has placed her story in Calitri, South Carolina.
Mary Alford is a native Texan who's still living in Central Texas. She stuck to her roots and set her story in a small Texas town, but then, as sometimes happens, the plot took her to Bitter Creek, Colorado.
Kristin Wallace grew up mostly in sunny Miami, Florida where she doesn’t get to the beach nearly enough. Her SCK5 book is set in Florida, but a small town called Palm Cove. Not like Miami at all, but it sure is a fun change of pace.
Roxanne Rustand lives in the country with her husband, two rescue dogs, some rescue cats and three horses--and all of them keep her busy when she isn't writing. In May, she and her daughter are going to Paris for two weeks and her sweet romance novella will be set there. She says it will be such fun doing the research for this story! :)
So, readers, now it's up to you: From all of the locations above, which one sounds the most interesting to you? What place would you most love to read about and why?
Three lucky winners will get a free e-book from one of our authors!
We're looking forward to chatting with you at our café, so come on over: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SRRCafe1/
Thursday, April 19, 2018
April is the Month of... by Milou Koenings
What's April?
 |
| STIL |
I mean, March is the coming of spring, May is the month of spring and weddings, and June is coming of summer and weddings, too. But somewhere in there, April seems to get lost.
So here's a look at some of the national observances that are officially slotted in the month of April.
If there's one thing that characterizes April, it seems to be the sheer diversity of things celebrated then.
It's the month of:
Amateur Radio Month - my parents were big fans of that!
It's the month of:
Amateur Radio Month - my parents were big fans of that!
Celebrate Diversity Month
Community Service Month - definitely a biggie in the town of Green Pines where my romance novels are set. I guess the next full-length novel in the series is being rescheduled to take place in April, then. (For those of you who read Reclaiming Home, it's Gerry's turn to find love.)
Distracted Driving Awareness Month - yeah, none of us want that...
Financial Literacy Month - yes!
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| JACKELIN SLACK |
Fresh Florida Tomato Month - sounds delicious to me. Any of you
Floridians celebrating this one?
 |
| Keith Luke |
Keep America Beautiful Month - Spent an hour yesterday picking up litter on my street as I was walking the dog. I guess I was unknowingly feeling the spirit of the times. (Let's not get into how so much garbage could end up in one little cul de sac!)
Mathematics Awareness Month
Month of the Military Child
National Canine Fitness Month - working on that, but I'm not sure who's walking whom!
National Couple Appreciation Month - Isn't that we do in writing romance novels — celebrating couples every day of the year?
 |
| Pablo Heimplatz |
National Fresh Celery Month
National Jazz Appreciation Month - Spyrogyra, anyone?
National Pecan Month
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| Trust "Tru" Katsande |
National Poetry Month - how does an evening of poetry reading with pecan pie sound?
National Straw Hat Month - finally, a chance to wear them!
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| Stephen Hocking |
Pets are Wonderful Month - what else is there to say?
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| George Lucian Rusu |
And my personal favorite: It's the National Month of Hope - may it last all year long for everyone!
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| Johannes Plenio |
Milou Koenings is a USA Today bestselling author. She
writes romance because, like chocolate, stories with a happy ending
bring more joy into the world and so make it a better place.
Her Green Pines sweet romances, I Love You Three, The Kampala Peppermint Twist, Reclaiming Home, and Sweet Blizzard are available on Amazon, Amazon.uk, iBooks, Nook, Kobo and all your favorite e-book retailers.
Sign up for her newsletter, so you'll be first to know about new releases!
Don’t forget to sign up for the Sweet Romance Reads newsletter. Scroll down the right side of our blog and enter your email address under Newsletter Signup. And come join us in the Facebook Sweet Romance Reads Café , where we get to know each other and every so often we have the greatest parties!
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Pre-order: Bree – Perfect Match by Raine English
She’s traveled the world. He’s never left Nebraska. They say opposites attract. But that was before these two were matched up.
When Bree Wilson receives an invitation for a free one-week vacation to the island of her choice, her gut tells her it’s too good to be true. But how can she refuse an offer from a good friend? Especially when it’s to promote his new online matchmaking travel agency. However, she wasn’t prepared to spend seven days with Jayce Owens, the most annoying man she’s ever encountered. Forget finding love. Will she even last the week?
Bali is a long way from Nebraska. And Jayce Owens is entirely out of his element. He’d expected to meet a sweet country girl, not a sophisticated, well-traveled woman with a tenaciousness that drives him crazy. To make matters worse, when they get lost while hiking, he discovers that neither one of them has brought enough supplies to last more than a few hours. Could this once-in-a-lifetime vacation to find his perfect match wind up costing him more than his heart?
Available on Amazon. Pre-order today and have it delivered to your Kindle on May 1st!
Grab your beach umbrella and prepare for six weeks of romance and fun in the sun with a brand-new series brought to you by USA Today bestselling authors…
Meet the women of Perfect Match!
BREE (Raine English)
MARNI (Aileen Fish)
MOLLY (Julie Jarnagin)
JADE (Rachelle Ayala)
AVA (Denise Devine)
MAEVE (Josie Riviera)
~*~
USA Today bestselling author Raine English writes sweet small-town contemporary romance, along with paranormal and romantic suspense. She’s a Daphne du Maurier Award winner and a Golden Heart finalist. To receive information on all her new releases, you can sign up for her newsletter, join her street team, visit her website, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
The Lives & Loves of Five Brothers by Liwen Y. Ho
I'm so excited to share my new release with you today! This book, A Single Spark, also kicks off my brand new series called The Spark Brothers. Through these books, you'll get an inside look at the lives and loves of five brothers: Aiden, Brandon, Colin, Darren and Evan Spark.
Book one focuses on big brother, Aiden, and his nemesis/love interest, Abby Dearan.
This story has a little bit of frenemy attraction, mistaken identities, and lots of divine intervention. Throw in some sparks (pun intended!), and you've got yourself a sweet and fun romance. This new release is only 99¢ for a limited time. I hope you'll pick up your Kindle copy HERE today!
Book one focuses on big brother, Aiden, and his nemesis/love interest, Abby Dearan.
Former boy band hottie, Aiden Spark, distanced himself from everything he valued—faith, family, and fame—when he lost his girlfriend. A decade later, he’s still hiding behind his grief when he accidentally texts a woman who’s all too curious about his identity.
Burned by the men in her life, deejay Abby Dearan has chosen to focus on her newfound faith in God and use her radio presence for good. Her plans are thwarted though when a text message—and the irritating man who sent it—won’t leave her in peace.
Aiden can’t forget the woman who reminds him so much of his first love; Abby can’t remember the last time a man made her feel so beautiful. To make matters worse, it’s impossible to avoid one another when their siblings and friends—not to mention, divine intervention—keep pushing them together. Will the sparks igniting between them end up in flames or romance?
This story has a little bit of frenemy attraction, mistaken identities, and lots of divine intervention. Throw in some sparks (pun intended!), and you've got yourself a sweet and fun romance. This new release is only 99¢ for a limited time. I hope you'll pick up your Kindle copy HERE today!
Don't forget to subscribe (click HERE) to the Sweet Romance Reads newsletter for:
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Monday, April 16, 2018
New Release: Texas Ranger Showdown by Margaret Daley
Q: How long have you been writing and what other careers or jobs have you had?
A. I’ve been writing for forty years and I taught school for twenty-eight years.
Q: Would you tell us about your current book release Texas Ranger Showdown?
A: “Stop me.”
She was taunted by a killer.
Margaret Daley’s thrilling Lone Star Justice series continues, this time pitting radio therapist Dr. Caitlyn Rhodes against a methodical murderer. First, her patients are found dead, then the mocking phone calls start. The evidence is pointing Texas Ranger Ian Pierce to one conclusion: he must protect Caitlyn from becoming this vicious killer’s next victim…before he loses the woman he once loved—for good.
Q: Where did you get your inspiration for this story?
A: I wanted to do a reunion story, where a couple has a second chance at love. I wanted a story about forgiveness and let go of the past.
Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: “Stop me,” the message from the killer.
Q: How do you choose your settings for your books?
A. Since this is part of a series about Texas Rangers, I will need to set it in Texas. Thank goodness it is a big state.
Q: Do you base your characters on people you know or are they totally made up?
A: My characters are parts of people I might know and some totally made up.
Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I just completed my 5th book in this series out December 2018 called Lone Star Christmas Witness.
Q: If money were no object what vacation would you like to take and why?
A. To Tahiti. I went there years ago and loved the place. If not there, I would pick Australia. I haven’t been there but love the country.
Q: What is the silliest thing you have ever done?
A. It isn’t the silliest thing but embarrassing—coming out of a restroom with toilet paper hanging out of my pants.
Q: What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
A. Getting up in front of a large audience and giving a speech.
YOUR BIO –
Margaret Daley, a USA Today’s Bestselling author of over 105 books (five million plus sold worldwide), has been married for over forty-seven years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling or being with her two granddaughters, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense/mystery thread and corralling her cats that think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret visit her website at http://www.margaretdaley.com.
Link to sign up for my newsletter on front page of website: http://www.margaretdaley.com
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Sunday, April 15, 2018
Springtime Salad by Alicia Street
As the spring season takes hold and all the trees begin
blooming with pink and white and orange buds, my coffee and sweet tooth urges
start turning to fresh fruits and vegetables. I love how each week seems to
bring another choice for those of us who live in the temperate climates where
seasons change.
This winter was a tough one and I’m more than ready to
lighten up with sunshine and healthy foods. Not that I’ll ever give up my
coffee and cookies. J
Here is my favorite salad lunch to have after an afternoon
walk in the fresh spring air.
1 quart strawberries, cleaned, tops cut, sliced
1 10 ounce bunch or package of fresh baby spinach, rinsed if
needed
6 leaves fresh romaine, cleaned and chopped
6 leaves butter lettuce
1 Tablespoon chopped purple onion
1 avocado, peeled, sliced
6-10 asparagus stalks, washed, trimmed, blanched in boiling
water
1 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes
¼ cup walnut or almonds
½ 16 ounce package of penne pasta
Optional feta cheese, crumbled to taste
Combine all ingredients in large bowl and toss with your
favorite dressing. I recommend a balsamic vinaigrette.
What things do you do to renew yourself in the spring?
Alicia Street is a USA
Today bestselling author and a Daphne du Maurier
award-winner. A compulsive reader of every genre, she writes
both sweet and spicy romance. She spent many years as a
dancer,
choreographer and teacher.
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