Celebrating Father's Day by Liwen Y. Ho

It's Father's Day, and I'll bet somewhere near you is the smell of crispy bacon wafting in the air. There's just something magnetic about men and meat, don't you agree? My family has been celebrating all weekend long, first with my dad yesterday, then with my father-in-law today. As expected, there will be lots of eating involved because that's how we celebrate any big occasion in our family.

Speaking of fathers, I was thinking about the fictional ones I've written about in my books. In most of my stories, a dad makes a brief appearance, often times in a character's thoughts or memories. There are two books, however, that feature a father as one of the main characters.

The first book is Drawn to You, which stars Lucas Choi. He's a straight-laced police officer who gets a second chance with his high school nemesis, Sam.

Feisty and adventurous, art teacher Sam Koo is used to getting what she wants, including talking her way out of traffic tickets. When it comes to money matters though, she’s a lost cause. Her studio is in trouble, and there’s no way of charming herself out of this mess.

Police officer Lucas Choi is the last person she expects to rescue her. Handsome and rule-abiding, he was the best—and worst—part of her high school experience. When they meet a decade later, he’s still on her case and quick to point out her flaws.

Their differences drive each other crazy, but also draw them closer. The attraction is tangible, yet so are Sam’s fears. Will she choose to protect her heart or trust the only man who ever rejected her?

The second book, Tropical Kiss or Miss, features Matthew Chan. He's a hardworking newspaper reporter looking for a second chance with his wife, Olivia, and son, Micah.

Two friends-turned-lovers learn to give each other and their marriage a second chance.

Therapist Olivia Chan can’t wait to escape it all—a failed marriage, a struggling practice, and her son Micah’s recent health scare. The Hawaiian getaway she planned, however, gets rained on—quite literally—by a tropical storm and the unexpected arrival of her estranged husband Matthew, who’s determined to win her back. 

Forced to confront the past, will Olivia and Matt learn to love again? The fear of rejection is great, but God’s grace is greater. With the help of their son's prayers, this marriage might just weather life’s storms and come out for the better.

The fathers in these stories are great guys, but they are both struggling to make things right with the women and kids in their lives. I had a lot of fun bringing Lucas and Micah to life and giving them the happy endings they so needed. 

How are you celebrating Father's Day? Do you like reading romance books starring dads? Let me know in the comments below! I look forward to reading your replies.

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What Makes a Hero? By Margaret Daley

Obsessed is my second book in my Everyday Heroes Series. I finished a 10 book about strong women, so I decided to showcase what makes a hero. What do you think makes a hero? I would love your input into the qualities a hero has.

In my first book in the series, Hunted, was about a man who was camping by a river and saved a woman thrown off a high bridge. In his free time, he and his German shepherd often participated in search and rescues. This SAR came unexpectedly while he was taking some down time for himself. From that moment on, his life was very different as he tried to protect and save the woman he rescued.

In Obsessed the hero is a firefighter who specializes in arson cases. When his next-door neighbor is stalked by an arsonist, he is drawn into her life and forms a connection with her that fire can’t destroy. The blurb for Obsessed that will be released July 20^th: 

Stalker. Arson. Murder.
When a stalker ruthlessly targets people she loves, a woman flees her old life, creating a new identity as Serena Remington. Her plan to escape the madman and lead him away from family and friends worked for three years. Now he's back. With nowhere else to run, her only choice is war. Quinn Taylor, her neighbor and a firefighter with expertise in arson, comes to her aid, but will it be in time to save her?

Pre-order: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo and Google Play.

Catching the Bouquet by Alicia Street

June always bursts with weddings and one of the best parts of the celebration is when the bride tosses her bouquet.

The tradition began in England when wedding parties got a bit out of hand and single women tore at the bride’s clothing believing the pieces would bring them luck in finding a husband. Eventually brides began tossing their bouquets instead, and they remain to this day a symbol of hopefulness for women who have yet to find their true love.

In my newest sweet romance, The Leftover Bride, the heroine has caught several bouquets at weddings, but she cannot seem to find Mr. Right. In fact, she has terrible luck with men and has begun to believe she just isn’t meant to ever be a bride and that the whole idea of catching a bouquet is meaningless.

What about you? Have you ever caught a bouquet at a wedding? Did your bouquet land in the hands of someone who found love?

Personally, I adore flowers and, regardless of the superstitious nature of it, I like to believe a bridal bouquet brings special luck in love to the woman who catches it.

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.

Alicia loves to connect with readers~

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Goodreads

Travels and History by Merrillee Whren

In the USA, today is Flag Day. Recently, my hubby and I traveled to visit our girls who live on the east coast. Our older daughter lives in Baltimore, and many times when we visit, we travel to an interesting area near Baltimore. We have been to Annapolis, where the Naval Academy is located, Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. We've made trips to Gettysburg and Philadelphia, where we took in the history of those two places.

As we planned our trip this year, I told my daughter that I wanted to go to Ft. McHenry. She was surprised that we had never been there since it is located on the Baltimore Harbor. I said we had seen it, when we sailed on the harbor, but we had never actually been to the fort. So we made plans to visit the historic site.

Here is a photo of my hubby and me, standing at the entrance to the fort. 

Ft. McHenry is famous for a battle in the War of 1812. The battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," which became the US National Anthem. At the visitor center we watched a film about the battle and writing of the song. We listened to a ranger talk about the flag that flew over Ft. McHenry. I learned something that I didn't know before. That flag had fifteen stripes instead of the thirteen we know today. There were fifteen stars and fifteen stripes on the flag. They had added stripes when they added stars. Eventually, they came to realize that the flag would look rather bizarre if they continued to add stripes each time they added a star, so they settled on thirteen stripes for the original thirteen colonies. You can learn more about the fort by clicking here.

 Here is a photo of the fifteen-stripe flag.

"O'er the ramparts we watched."

Do you have a historic site that you have visited or would like to visit? What has prompted your interest in this site?

Book Five in my Front Porch Promises series, A BABY TO CALL OURS, is ready for preorder. Reserve you copy now.

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Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of  thirty-five plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.

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Goodbye, Kindle Worlds!

If you haven’t heard the news, Kindle Worlds will be shutting down forever in mid-July. After years of providing this popular form of fan fiction, Amazon will unpublish every single Kindle Worlds book, including mine.

I was honored to have been chosen as an author for Melissa Storm’s First Street Church Romances Kindle World. My stories, Love's Second Chance and Love’s Christmas Wish, were such a joy to write. I haven't decided what to do with them in the future but changes would need to be made to each story. Here’s where you can grab a copy of the current versions before they’re gone forever:

First Street Church Romances: Love’s Second Chance

Can two broken hearts find healing together? 

Brad McIntyre is much too young to feel so disillusioned with his life as a deputy sheriff. Esperanza De La Cruz has left the only home she has ever known to work at Sweet Grove’s daycare. When someone steals her car, Deputy McIntyre comes to the rescue. 

There’s an instant attraction between them, but they’re both broken on the inside. Esperanza's father is in prison for intoxicated manslaughter and she's afraid that Brad won't want to be with her because of it. 

Brad is thinking of leaving the only career he's ever known but pretends that everything is fine. His desperate prayers seem to go unanswered. 

When they start spending time together and their feelings for each other begin to grow stronger, it complicates things even more. When the truth comes out, will it pull them apart or will they find a second chance at love and in life together?

https://www.amazon.com/First-Street-Church-Romances-Novella-ebook/dp/B0741LN3PK

First Street Church Romances: Love’s Christmas Wish

Can an unlikely Santa and Mrs. Claus help make a little girl’s Christmas wish come true? 

Justin’s life is a mess. At twenty-three, he’s jobless and in debt. Even though he’s young, he agrees to become Sweet Grove’s Santa Claus as a last-minute replacement. When the woman who was hired as Mrs. Claus never shows, he convinces Hope, who he’s had a crush on since high school, to take her place. 

Hope has returned to Sweet Grove to visit her parents for Christmas. Her life in Hollywood has been nothing like she hoped it would be. Instead of finding success as an actress, her career has gone nowhere. She takes the job as Mrs. Claus because she needs the money. Desperately. 

And then a little girl comes along with a Christmas wish that they both feel inspired to help make come true.

https://www.amazon.com/First-Street-Church-Romances-Christmas-ebook/dp/B077DYV5VW

Cindy Flores Martinez is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes Christian Romance. She has an MFA in Creative Writing with an emphasis in Screenwriting. Her debut novel, Mail-Order Groom, started as a screenplay and movie project, which she shopped around Hollywood, New York, and other parts of the world. You can learn more about her at www.cindyfloresmartinez.com

Five Reasons Why A Vacation Is Good For You by Josie Riviera

If you’ve read any of my books, you know I’m fascinated with discovering new places and traveling. As summer nears, many families are beginning to organize their travel plans.

Here’s five reasons why a vacation, whether it be a ‘staycation’ at home, or an elaborate holiday, are good for you:

First, you get to relax. So much of our time is focused on work that we need to spend a few days allowing ourselves to play.

Second, without job constraints, you’ll be able to enjoy quality time with your loved ones.

Third, plan a few hours during your vacation to do nothing but relax and soak up the sights. Allow your thoughts to wander, whether you’re fishing by a lake, or sitting in your backyard enjoying the sunshine.

Fourth, casing your mind from the strain of everyday life is proven to reduce stress.

Fifth, take the opportunity to learn new skills, whether enrolling in a French cooking class or learning how to water-ski. (I’ve never done either!)

And, remember that armchair travel is also a good way to escape to a new, exotic location.

What are your summer plans? Please leave your comments below.

If you enjoy a sweet romance set in a delightful location, Maeve, the sixth book in the popular Perfect Match Series, is now available. Grab your copy today and travel to the exquisite French island of Corsica.

 I loved writing this book, and hope you will love it, too!

This is Maeve’s story…

He’s all business. She loves to laugh. When business conflicts with pleasure, what could possibly go wrong?

Maeve Doherty needed a hard-earned break from Ireland’s rainy weather, as well as caring for her younger brother. When the offer from Perfect Match to enjoy a week on an island of her choice arrived, she hesitated.

But not for long.
 

She’d always wanted to visit Corsica. Besides, who passed up free?
All right, so she'd spend the week with a match. On her dating profile, she’d added that she was a workaholic. Hopefully, so was he.
 

Edward Newell had one thing on his mind when he reached Corsica, and it didn't involve meeting a perfect match. Dating? Love? Romance? Not for him.
He was determined to find the picture-perfect location for his thriving hotel chain.
 

When unexpected attraction burns for the beautiful Maeve, and business conflicts with pleasure, what could possibly go wrong?

Find all the Perfect Match novellas at Amazon!

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet romances that read like Hallmark movies. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband. They share their home with an adorable shih tzu, who constantly needs grooming, and live in an old house forever needing renovations. 

Have you ever tried something you were afraid to try because it mattered so much to you? I did, when I started writing. Take the chance, everyone, and just do something you love.

 Follow her on Bookbub.

 

Have you ever tried something you were afraid to try because it mattered so much to you? I did, when I started writing. Take the chance, everyone, and just do something you love.

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