Text Messages Gone Wrong by Pat Simmons

I'll admit I can be lazy when it comes to responding to texts--I call it me being busy. But AI should accept responsibility when it'a not smart enough to deceipher what I mean when it does the voice dications. Here's one from today. My mom was actually looking for an old friend to come with me. She told my sister who said, "It's probably Kerry. You know how that AI is."

This one here---don't make promises you can't keep! I can't find the original text from years ago, but it was similar to this one to my son and daughter:

It seems like an encouraging text--and it is, but one morning, AI dicated as "God's gives us new Mercedes every morning." That prompted a call from my daughter who wanted to know if I had proofed my text. Of course, I hadn't. Needless to say, my son and daughter didn't hold God to what I promised. Let me just say first that one the next blooper. Somehow, my friends can tell when I'm doing voice dictation. I don't have any art friends, but I have plenty of author friends:

So what's the moral of my story. If I don't get back to you right away, expect a response within 48 hours. ---------------------- Pat Simmons is a multi-published author of fifty-plus Christian romances. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth, a five-time recipient of the RSJ Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance, and the 2022 winner of the Leslie Esdaile “Trailblazer” Award. Pat lives in St. Louis, Missouri, holds a B.S. in Mass Communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, and has worked in radio, television, and print media for over 20 years. She serves as a publicist on the board of the Christian Book Lovers Retreat (CBLR). Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.

Check out her Christmas in July titles:

When a Regency Wallflower Says Exactly the Wrong Thing

Miss Lissa Gardinier is determined to be a proper Regency lady. Unfortunately, she has a habit of saying exactly what she's thinking.

Excerpt

Last year during that first dance with Mr. Collingworth, upon seeing him excitedly discuss his dog breeding, she had been encouraged to also speak without restraint. So she had voiced her exact thoughts rather than hiding behind a vapid facade. “Why in the world would you name a dog Lickspittle Furrybottom?”

At Mr. Collingworth’s startled look, Lissa realized that she’d said that out loud now, in this dance with him.

“… Not that it’s not a lovely name,” she added lamely.

Mr. Collingworth didn’t believe her, and his conversation faltered. She regretted that, for she hadn’t intended to be rude to him.

“Er … did I speak of Lickspittle Furrybottom?” he asked.

Lissa did a mental shriek at her mistake. “We spoke briefly about her last year. You were worried about her compatibility with Snout Droolalot.”

About the Book

A Christian Regency Romance novella with secrets, suspense, and a dash of humor

In Regency-era London, Miss Lissa Gardinier enters her second Season seeking a marriage in order to escape her mother's constant criticism. So she represses her cheeky remarks behind a quiet, innocent facade.

The enigmatic Lord Jeremy Stoude is dismayed when a chance encounter with Miss Gardinier entangles her in his world of secrets and subterfuge. He cannot afford to be distracted by Lissa’s charming smile and unflappable demeanor.

As danger stalks them and true feelings come to light, can Lissa and Jeremy navigate the labyrinth of society’s expectations and their own insecurities to find love?

Ready to enjoy the full adventure?

Download Lissa and the Spy for free when you join my newsletter!

Romance Writers of America by Janice Lynn

 I just returned home from attending a wonderful conference. It was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was my first time in New Mexico, so that was also a fun addition to the amazing time I had with people who speak to my very being--romance writers. 

The conference offered wonderful classes, connecting with industry professionals, and for me, one of the biggest bonuses, spending time with authors. I left the conference feeling reenergized to dive into my writing.

Several of us visited Old Town. I loved popping into the side streets and speaking with the shop owners and employees. There's an amazing vibe in those shops. My favorite was Smoke Signals, which is a shop that sells authentic items. The owner makes peace pipes. Gorgeous peace pipes. I don't smoke at all, but I was tempted. Very, very tempted. My friend talked me down. LOL. 

We also got fancied up to attend the award ceremony. Shirley Hailstock was acknowledged for the Lifetime Achievement Award. She has fought for the romance industry many years and

very much deserved this award. 

 It was a wonderful, inspiring conference. This organization made such a positive impact on my writing career and it was a pleasure to attend it's conference again. I hope to see you there some day.

USA Today, Wall Street Journal, & Publishers Weekly Bestselling author JANICE LYNN lives in Tennessee with her Prince Charming and their princes and princesses, her vivid imagination, an adorable Maltese named Halo who's the true royalty of the house, and bunches of unnamed dust bunnies that moved in after Janice started her writing career. In addition to writing romance, Janice is a nurse practitioner, a quilter, a military mama, and an avid supporter of the Quilts of Valor Foundation. www.janicelynn.com  

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We Make Plans and Life Gives Us A Petting Zoo Parade by Merri Maywether

Life is messy. We make plans and backups for those plans. Even after we’ve thought of everything that could happen, we’re still surprised. And that’s what makes life fun and funny. 

For that reason, I love including small moments of chaos in my stories. Then my characters use those moments to fall in love. That’s my favorite kind of unexpected twist. 

Most of the time, the ideas come from real life. I’ll be in a moment, mentally preparing for what could happen. Then I think, if I write it, it did happen. 

My husband sits in his cozy chair and watches as I commit the story to paper. All the while, I am quietly giggling.

This week, I thought I’d share one of those imagined scenes that made it into One More Kiss. It’s a second-chance romance about how two people’s lives were affected by a delayed goodbye kiss.  

I had a lot of fun writing it. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading it too. 

P.S. The picture of the bicycle came from an exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum. The heroine in my story would have loved seeing it, so I shared it with you. And no chaos occurred while viewing it. 

💝 💝 💝

 “Do you have rats here?” Eric sounded as uncertain as Troy felt. Three Creeks was rural, and woodrats usually roamed in more isolated areas. Once, a curious bear roamed the halls of the high school building. There was the occasional mouse. 

A shadow shifted on the baseboard, and a chicken strutted across the hall like it had places to be and didn’t have time for the men in the auditorium. 

Brock was the first to react with words. “That’s not good.” With several long strides, he closed the gap between where they stood and the action in the hall. 

Troy was behind him, and the heavy footsteps of the men who had helped set up the auditorium followed. 
They stepped into the hall, and a fuzzy, long-eared bunny that had been following the chicken and whatever it was chasing froze. The duck that had been following waddled around. If there were people other than the men in the hallway, it could have been an animal parade. 

A beam of light shone through the open doorway at the end of the hall. That answered the first question. They knew where the animals had come from, sort of. But why? 

A woman’s scream from the end of the hall seemed to motivate the animals to go from parading to scurrying down the hall. Brock scooped the bunny and clutched it to his chest. “It’s the petting zoo.”

 
“What kind of rat is that?” Clearly, it was a woman who wasn’t familiar with farm animals. If Troy were to take a guess, he’d say it was Alana. 

“It’s okay.” Chloe’s authoritative voice echoed through the hall. “It’s a guinea pig.” 

That meant things had gone from bad to worse. The parade had diverted into a search-and-find mission.

💝 💝 💝

One More Kiss is available for preorder at Amazon  📚

Story Inspiration by Merrillee Whren

One of my writing goals is to write at least one book set in every state where I have lived. I have lived in eleven. I have written books set in nine. I still have Illinois and Arizona to add to my list. This latest book is set in Arizona, where I currently live. I still don't have a definite title for this book. For now, I call it Hannah's Story. Hannah was a secondary character in the last book of my Kellersburg series, Hometown Girl. This series is set in the small fictional town of Kellersburg, Ohio. The series features stories of faith, family, and love. 

Hannah is the friend of Samantha Dawson the heroine of Hometown Girl. I've taken Hannah out of the Kellersburg series and moved her cross country to Arizona. The hero and owner of the Arizona ranch, Mac, is a widower with grown children. In order to keep the ranch on a good financial footing, his kids have convinced Mac that they need to make the place a guest ranch. The ranch has been a part of his deceased wife's family for several generations, and he doesn't want to lose it. Hannah is hired by the main investor in the project as the hotel manager. The photo above of the saguaro was partly an inspiration for the book. This twisted saguaro is in my neighborhood. The ranch's name is Rancho Saguaro Retorcido, which translates to Twisted Saguaro Ranch. 

Near the area where I live, there are numerous guest ranches. A few years ago, I attended a weekend retreat at a guest ranch for a mission, Unite4Africa. They build schools, churches, and wells for water. They give orphans goats and sanitary products to young girls so they don't drop out of school. Besides learning about this worthwhile endeavor, we also had some fun. Staying at the ranch was definitely part of the inspiration for the book. Here are some photos I took.

Here is an AI produced picture of what I think my hero and heroine look like. I didn't find any real photos that did the trick, so I thought I would give AI a chance. What do you think?

This new book is a May-December romance. How do Mac and Hannah resolve all the issues related to this kind of romance? What do you think of May-December relationships? 

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 forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.

Why Christmas in July Is the Best Reading Holiday Nobody Talks About and a free holiday romance. book by Josie Riviera

 Every July. I turn the air conditioning down to a temperature my electric bill will never forgive, I make a mug of green tea, I pull a blanket over my lap, and I read a Christmas romance novel. Outside here in the southern U.S., it is ninety-five degrees, and the cicadas are deafening. Inside, I am perfectly, contentedly pretending it is December.

There is a reason Christmas in July has become a genuine cultural tradition. Retailers figured it out years ago, but readers knew it long before the sales did. Christmas stories are all about slowing down, candlelight, and the sense that love might arrive before the year runs out.

Crank down the thermostat, and give yourself a Christmas in July. Along with several other great authors, I'm offering my sweet romance, Christmas in the Air, FREE with Newsletter signup.

Consider it my gift to you.

Are you a Christmas-in-July reader, or do you save your holiday romances strictly for December? Please tell me in the comments below.

Josie Riviera is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, historical, and inspirational 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 renovation.

Sign up for her newsletter and get a FREE ebook on her website: josieriviera.com

A New Season Sale! by Liz Flaherty

Once upon a time, my husband and I drove over a bridge with a sign giving the crossing the name Fallen Soldier Bridge.

It was one of those things you just don't forget. One of those things you know you need to do something with, but what? 

That explains the genesis of Fallen Soldier, Pennsylvania, from which came the A New Season Trilogy, the stories of Syd, Riley, and Dinah. They've loved before. Lost before. Gotten their hands dirty in working through life. Learned. 

They are no longer young. They've never been perfect. But they're starting over.

And their stories are on sale for 99 cents.

Amazon: A New Season

D2D:  A Year of Firsts

            Reinventing Riley 

           The Summer of Sorrow and Dance 

I hope you spend some time in Fallen Soldier and that you enjoy the trip. Thanks!