Saturday, July 30, 2016

Meet the Authors of Sweet Romance Reads

Hey, do you like sweet romance?

We’re a group of 26 NY Times, USA Today and bestselling authors—some indie, others traditionally, several hybrid published—who write sweet romances in a variety of subgenres. We’ve joined together to promote our books and build a community for readers who enjoy a sweeter read.

Wondering how we define a “sweet” romance? Our sweet romances emphasize emotional intimacy and may contain sexual tension (G to PG heat levels), but there are no explicit sexual details.

We hang out at the Sweet Romance Reads Café, our private group
page on Facebook where we interact with readers every day with interesting or funny posts, new releases, cover reveals, sales, special events and giveaways. Come on over and check us out!
 
Want to get the inside scoop on our new releases and a free gift? Our newsletter comes out six times a year and is filled with special content that's only available to our subscribers. You can sign up for our newsletter at www.sweetromancereads.com and receive a complimentary ecopy of "A Bouquet of Sweet Romance Stories."
 
And now...the entire list of authors of Sweet Romance Reads. If you'd like to know more about any author, simply click on her picture.
 
Beate Boeker

www.christinebush.com
Christine Bush

www.BooksByLynCote.com
Lyn Cote
www.melindacurtis.net
Melinda Curtis

http://margaretdaley.com
Margaret Daley

www.deniseannettedevine.com
Denise Devine

www.raineenglish.com
Raine English
http://donnafasano.blogspot.com
Donna Fasano
www.cindyfloresmartinez.com
Cindy Flores Martinez
www.jeancgordon.com
Jean Gordon

www.gracegreene.com
Grace Greene
www.loisgreiman.com
Lois Greiman
www.shannahatfield.com
Shanna Hatfield
www.juliejarnagin.com
Julie Jarnagin


www.ciaraknight.com
Ciara Knight

www.miloukoenings.com
Milou Koenings

http://victoriapinder.com
Victoria Pinder


https://josieriviera.wordpress.com/
Josie Riviera
http://monarisk.com
Mona Risk
www.karenrock.com
Karen Rock


http://roxannerustand.com
Roxanne Rustand


www.magdalenascott.com
Magdalena Scott


www.patsimmons.net
Pat Simmons


http://aliciastreet-roystreet.com/
Alicia Street


http://www.kristinwallaceauthor.com
Kristin Wallace
www.merrilleewhren.com
Merrillee Whren


Sweet Romance Reads has two boxed sets of heartwarming, holiday romances.

www.amazon.com/dp/B00NDEO7T0
Sweet Christmas Kisses 1


www.amazon.com/dp/B014LZJXGQ
Sweet Christmas Kisses 2

Stay tuned for Sweet Christmas Kisses 3 in September - on pre-order soon!


Thursday, July 28, 2016

Work in Progress: Me! - by Magdalena Scott



In an effort to rediscover my waistline, my weekday menu changed drastically this summer. I've also increased my daily walking mileage. I have lost a little, mostly where I wanted it to disappear. One of these days I might even find my hipbones.

I've also been working to wrap up my Serendipity, Indiana series. THE RING, Book #5, releases TODAY. Book #6 has a cover and is partly written, and #7 won't be far behind.

The great part about all this is that I love it. Healthy food tastes better to me now than high-calorie meals or desserts (yes! me, the girl who always liked the frosting better than the cake). I'd rather walk than do any other exercise, and I read somewhere that the best exercise to choose is the one that you'll do. And writing, while not always easy, is worth the groaning and hair-pulling. There's no feeling like re-reading a story and enjoying it.

If I'm lucky, I'll continue to be a work in progress. And I hope I'll be producing works-in-progress in the way of books for a very long time.

Is summer a good time for your works in progress? Do you have projects waiting for cooler weather?


***
Magdalena Scott is a USA Today Bestselling Author of small town sweet romance. Visit her website to learn more about her books, sign up for her newsletter, et cetera:
http://www.magdalenascott.com/

Buy your copy of THE RING here:


Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Time is ticking as I wait for birth to happen

The weeks and days that you wait to give birth are far different than I imagined. Guess it's hard to imagine, but no one told me that in the third trimester contractions start early to prepare your body for the big day.
I thought it would just be kicks until the big day to push.
And as a scheduled person who likes to get things done on time, this unease of when the big day
arrives is also kind of stressful.
What's keeping me sane is how I love putting everything together. I know in old movies and magazines they say to let the husband put the changing table and crib together, but honestly, that's not me. I need to put things together and I found my electric drill. So I assembled all the furniture in our small place.
Our daughter will sleep on something I made her and it gives me a sense of purpose that the day's work is done.
I also avoid the heat and humidity as much as possible. I live in Florida, near the beach and every time I step outside I feel like I'm melting.
The weekly doctor's visits remind me that any moment life is about to change is scary and exciting. I want it to be done, but at the same time I'm scared out of my mind.
Then there is the writing. This summer has been editing and writing for me. At least this keeps my mind on something other than the baby and I get to be a bit of myself.
Who will be the next heroine of the next book? I don't know, but at least this was fun to try to figure out and start.
But then every other second, I'm back to wondering if I'm ready to be a mom and do we have everything. Is there something else I can be doing that keeps the stress low but helps me understand. Probably not. I'd have found it.
This whole about to give birth thing is nothing like the movies. It's kind of painful. It's kind of sweet. It's kind of anxious. It's kind of exciting. I have always loved secret baby stories. It's my secret crack that I love to pick up at a book story and read for a few hours. I guess now I want to read one where the father makes it back before giving birth.
I cannot imagine going through all this without my husband. If I say, I need or can you get me, he's right there. I know so many single moms do it on their own and I say 'that's awesome,' but for me, I waited a long time to even find a guy I'd like to marry. I assumed I'd be single forever and sometimes my life seems like this amazing trade off I made. Other times it's just shocking and real and amazing.
So does anyone have any Secret Baby recommendations for novels where the guy makes it back in time for the big day? I seriously want to read that novel. It sounds like something that will make my mind be easier as I wait for my own big day. (I'm sure next month's post will be about being a first time mom with a baby at home.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Let's Celebrate! by Pat Simmons

This month, we celebrated the 4th of July, followed by National 7-ELEVEN Day. Can’t get enough of those Blue Raspberry Slurpees.
 But it appears I’ve been missing out on other celebrations, such as National Lollipop Day (July 20th). I’ll take hard candy over a piece of dark chocolate any day. However, there seems to be a conflict of interest. Panda Express sent me an email that announced July 20th as National Fortune Cookie Day. I can skip the cookie, but could go for a serving of their chicken and string beans. The next day, Online Fabric proclaimed July 21st as National Junk Food Day. How fabric and junk food mixed made me open the email.

It's National Junk Food Day

And these fabrics are pretty sweet.”
Mars candy, Nestle, and Kellogg had their licensed logo fabrics and supplies on sale. Who knew, and I’ve been sewing for thirty plus years.
Clearly, I’m sheltered, so I searched for a list of other days of celebration. Trust me, I can’t make this stuff up.





January 3rd is Festival of Sleep Day. Did you know that July 10th was Clerihew Day? Hmm, I had no idea. If you like vanilla ice cream, then you missed that national celebration yesterday. Bummer. But here is one celebration I don’t plan to miss out on: July 30th National Cheesecake Day. I’ll take one slice of white chocolate caramel macadamia nut cheesecake please. There’s more. Check out http://all-funny.info/real-list-of-national-days.

Finally, out of curiosity, I had to check to see if one of my favorite pasttimes was listed. Ah-ha! November 1st is National Authors Day. Like I said earlier, I can’t make this stuff up. http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-authors-day-november-1/
In case you want to try a new author, imagine me standing in the middle of the road, waving my arms for you to stop. Just add me to your list. It’s probably safer.





*******************

                                               
Not only is Pat Simmons the author of No Easy Catch featured above, she is an multi-published author of more than a dozen Christian titles and is a three-time recipient of the Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country.
As a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth, Pat is passionate about researching her ancestors and then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering experience. God is the Author who advances the stories she writes.
Pat is currently overseeing the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions. She has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Pat converted her sofa-strapped, sports fanatic husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur, and administrative assistant who is constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter.
Read more about Pat and her books by visiting www.patsimmons.net or on social media.
Download her latest release JET: Back Story to Love Led by the Spirit for only .99

Saturday, July 23, 2016

The 120% Rule


I’ve been working with my sister to plan my parents 50th wedding anniversary vow renewal ceremony. It’s been fun to pick out the venue and the flowers and cake and the dress. Yep, it’s been just like planning a wedding. You see, my parents planned a wedding in three days before he was shipped out to Vietnam, so this is a first for them. No one is going to throw a borrowed dress on my mom, the photographer will show up (I hope), and they were able to choose their cake.

Fast forward fifty years and my parents are happily married and enjoying retirement. They travel all over the world, play golf, have date night every Friday night. It’s inspiring to see a couple still spending quality time together after all these years. Their big day is scheduled for August 6th, so I’ll definitely share some pictures of their original wedding and the vow renewal during my next scheduled post on August 23rd.

During this planning process, everyone asks my parents how they’ve made it work all these years. My mother and father always respond with the same advice, it’s the 120% rule. You love and give to your partner more than you give to yourself, that’s how a marriage survives.

For some reason, the last time I heard this I was inspired to do something extra special for my husband. The other night he mentioned to a guest about his mother’s orange pound cake. She passed away two years ago and I know how much he misses her, so I decided I’d attempt to make an orange pound cake from scratch. I knew it wouldn’t be his mother’s recipe, but I did my best. I’m happy to report that I didn’t burn the house down, and I was rewarded with a bright smile and request for a second piece. I think seeing him happy I ended up with the gift more than he did.

I guess my parents are on to something, you really do have to care more about your partner in life more than you care about yourself.

In case you’d like to know what recipe I used, please click here

I did make one substitution. I did orange glaze instead of syrup by combining two tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice with one cup confectioner sugar.

******

Ciara Knight is a USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author who writes 'A Little Edge and A Lot of Heart' that spans the heat scales. Her popular sweet romance series, Sweetwater County (rated PG), takes readers into small town romance full of family trials, friendly competition, and community love. 

Through this weekend only, you can download In All My Wishes for FREE!! Also, you can receive the prequel novella, Riverbend, for free by subscribing to my newsletter. Click here to subscribe.


 At the age of fifteen, Anna Baker was ripped from her childhood home, and her one true love, vowing to return the minute she graduated high school. 

Professor Liam Harrow once believed his childhood sweetheart would return home to him, but during college he faced reality and hardened his heart to love. 

When Historic Hall faces demolition, both Anna and Liam search for options to save their childhood memories, but when secrets unravel and the truth of Anna’s childhood departure is revealed, it could corrupt their memories, risk their present, and destroy their future. 

Friday, July 22, 2016

Birthday Shoes by Julie Jarnagin

"Give me some ideas for your birthday," my husband said.  
Of course, I gave the standard, "I don't need anything." I really don't need anything, but my husband is a smart man. He knows better than to be empty handed on my birthday.  
Through the course of the day, I named off a few things I might like. Some of those candles we use. Perfume. We'd recently talked about him ordering new running shoes. My own workout shoes were getting worn, so I mentioned that new shoes might be a good idea for me too. 
A few days later, we met for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, a Vietnamese restaurant close to campus. As we were paying for our meal, he looked at me and asked, "What kind of shoes did you want for your birthday?" 
I'd assumed that I'd either mentioned running shoes or that he knew I was referring to our earlier conversation. "Running shoes for working out," I told him.  
He gave me a look that, as his wife of fifteen years, I instantly recognized. "Why? What kind of shoes did you buy me?" 
He tried to play it cool, but I could see right through him. Some advice for the ladies, when you're searching for a husband, terrible liar is a great trait to look for in a man. 
I let him off the hook and didn't ask more questions, assuming he bought me sandals because mine looked pretty terrible from all the walks to the playground with our boys. The next day my husband sent me a text that read: You have a choice. Early present or wait until your actual birthday.
My husband is notorious for not being able to wait to give gifts. The day he bought my engagement ring, he told my mom he was going to wait a while to actually propose. So what did he do? He proposed that evening. 
I, of course, opted to open the present early--because I'm way too much of a control freak to enjoy the build-up of a surprise. 
When our seven-year-old and two-year-old sons helped me unwrap and open the box, I instantly saw a red felt bag with Christian Louboutin in fancy letters across it. 
I'm somewhat of a cheapskate, so my heart stopped. I didn't know exactly how much a pair of those shoes cost, but I knew it was a number that would make me too afraid to actually wear them outside. 
From the bag, I pulled out an adorable pair of black wedge heels that I instantly adored.  
Turns out, that my husband had done a little research on what kind of shoes a woman would love. Christian Louboutin (with the signature red sole) was at the top of the list, and he started searching for a pair. When he discovered that the retail price might give his frugal wife a heart attack, he found a slightly used pair for a more reasonable price (but still more expensive than any other shoe I've ever owned).  
So I asked for a boring old pair of running shoes, but my husband got me a pair of Christian Louboutins. That sums up why being married to Kevin all these years is so great. While I keep my life small, predictable, and familiar, he does things big and throws his whole self into them.  
Kevin, I absolutely love my shoes, and I'll cherish them always. I love you. Julie
New Release! 
Cowgirl in the Kitchen

Just as she's about to make her dream come true, disaster strikes. The only way she can get back in the saddle is to strike a bargain—with a man her family despises. 

Jentry Lawson's dream of becoming a world-class barrel racer is about to happen—until she and her horse are injured in a terrible accident. Forced to move back home to Texas to recuperate, her Dallas-based brother makes her an offer she can't refuse. He needs someone he can trust to oversee the renovation and grand opening of his new restaurant. If she'll take that on, he'll finance her return to the arena. It doesn't take Jentry long to discover she bit off more than she can chew. Swallowing her pride, she asks for help from Gavin Easton—a man her brother despises. But he's the one person who can make the restaurant succeed. 

People in Glover never thought Gavin Easton would amount to anything. Ever since his own restaurant in town burned down, he's taken odd jobs to provide for his niece, whom he is raising alone. When beautiful and stubborn Jentry offers him the perfect job, his first reaction is to turn her down flat. No way he's going to do anything to help her brother! But there's more at stake than his pride. Can he trust his future to the woman whose brother tried to ruin his reputation—and his life? 

Besides, how can he manage a restaurant, when he can't manage his heart?



USA Today Best Selling author Julie Jarnagin writes sweet and inspirational romance. She grew up in a small Oklahoma town where her family farmed and ranched. These days she lives in a not-so-big city with her amazing husband and two young sons who tolerate all her nerdy quirks. Julie earned a B.A. in Journalism / Professional Writing from the University of Oklahoma and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. www.JulieJarnagin.comSign up for her newsletter to be the first to learn about new releases and free books:http://eepurl.com/5y5k

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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Beach Angels by Milou Koenings




Every once in a while, you meet someone who restores your faith in humanity.  This week, for us, it was at the beach.

chairs on beach
Beach party, anyone?
 
I took some of my kids to the beach with a friend and her little boy. My friend's little boy, Eli, has Downs syndrome. He's thirteen but looks like he's six.

At the beach we go to, there are various areas where businesses have concessions to rent out chairs and parasols. Some have wooden gazebos set up, too.  The friendly owner of the particular concession we'd been to last time had given me his phone number. I texted him that we were coming with special-needs children—would he please reserve a gazebo for us?

When we arrived, we discovered Roy had saved us the one closest to the water that connected to the boardwalk. Wow, I'd forgotten to mention it in my text, but he'd remembered we had a kid in a wheelchair.  

We were intending to spread out sheets and just picnic on the wooden floor, but within minutes, he had brought us chairs and tables. When he noticed my friend had trouble easing into the low beach chair, he brought three more to stack them, so she'd have a higher chair. He did the same for some of the kids. With boundless enthusiasm, he lined the sunny side of the gazebo with parasols. And as the sun moved across the sky throughout the day, he kept moving those parasols for us, too.

But I eyed the array of extra chairs and more tables than we really needed, plus the parasols and added them all up in my head. This was going to be expensive. Whatever—might as well make it nice for the kids, I figured.

We thanked Roy and Eli went up to shake his hand. Roy was so taken by him and the other kids that he couldn't do enough for us. The whole day, either he or his father, who works with him, kept stopping by to make sure we didn’t need anything. Sometimes people aren't so welcoming of families with special kids, so we were very grateful.

Roy offered to take the kids up to the lifeguard tower to meet the off-duty guards. Next thing we knew, Eli was waving at us from the window way up high. The kids got a tour of the all the emergency equipment. They stood on a surfboard and sat in a canoe.  They were in seventh Heaven.

beach
Spot the surfer?
 
After I retrieved the kids from their impromptu field trip, Roi started asking me about Eli and his mom, who is also disabled. I told him how Eli's father had left them when Eli was two, unable to handle having a son with Downs. No one's heard of him since. Usually, people hear this story and make sympathetic faces. But Roy was so shocked that he froze.

"How can a father do that? How can any man do that?" he asked, incredulously. I shrugged—unfortunately, I know too many of these stories to be shocked by such behavior.

"No, really," Roy insisted. "My sister adopted two foster kids and she's also alone. I'm over there every day. I go over all the time, so those kids know they might not have a father, but they've got an uncle. Kids need a man in their life!"

I couldn't have agreed more, but I was touched by this guy's passion about it. We talked some more and it turned out he volunteers regularly with special-needs kids. Well, that explained why he was so good to us, I thought.

But we weren't the only ones he was being good to. Roy sent his father to us with an enormous platter of watermelon.  The kids were too excited about it for me to turn it down and say we'd brought our own food. Add another expense to the bill, I thought. 

Roy's father stayed to chat a few minutes and told me later that Roi had hired him when he realized how depressed his father had become once he'd retired. "I was a little lost, and driving my wife crazy," he admitted. "So now I work for my son," he chuckled. "I get to be a beach bum all day—what could be better?"

"He's getting married in two weeks, you know," he added. "They're moving so they can be in walking distance of us and of her family, too."

Wow. Families that stick together. I wanted to cry to know that still exists.

Later in the afternoon, Roy showed up with ice creams for everyone. Eight of them —that's got to be at least another $20, I added mentally.  Whatever, for one day in the summer, let's live it up.  Besides, by then the kids had ripped them open and had chocolate melting all over their chins.

We stayed longer than we'd expected. The sun was low in the horizon when we decide we had to go home. We packed everyone up. Then I went looking for Roi to settle up the bill. The guy really had treated us extra special. No matter how much it is, I told myself, I'm going to give this guy a really good tip.

He saw us, all packed up, and came over to say goodbye. He shook all the kids' hands.  Then Eli gave him a hug and just had to give him a blessing. That's what Eli does—when he meets someone he really likes, he insists on putting his hands on their heads and giving them a blessing. The boy can't talk, but his meaning comes through loud and clear anyway.

And then, Roy refused to take any money. At all. I tried to insist. 

"No way," he said. "I let you think you'd pay so you would feel okay about accepting things, but this is my treat."  He grinned. "It's for me, it makes me feel good!" he said, in the nicest way, as if we were the ones doing him a favor by not making him take money. "And next time, you better tell me when you're coming too," he said to the kids.

Next to us, an older man on a lounge chair was watching. I saw him wipe a tear from his eye.

I couldn't cry till I got home and got everyone to bed. But in a world that lately seems so full of creeping darkness, it was so good to know there are still a few angels out there.


Oh and, yes, I do think I feel a surfer/beach hunk romance novel percolating in the back of my mind!



Milou Koenings is a USA Today best-selling 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, Reclaiming Home and Sweet Blizzard are available on Amazon and Amazon.uk

You can find her on her website,www.miloukoenings.com, on TwitterFacebookPinterest, or Instagram.



 
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