Friday, January 31, 2014

A Proposal on Bent Knee by Merrillee Whren

When a person sees this image, he or she knows that it is a marriage proposal. Romance readers and writers love marriage proposals as part of a happy ending. When I was writing my latest book, I wanted to include a marriage proposal. I became curious about the origin of the bent-knee marriage proposal. So I did a little research. Although this tradition has been around for many, many years, there doesn't seem to be any historical origin for it.

The proposal on bent knee may be symbolic of a religious ceremony, knights receiving an award, or surrender. No matter what the origin, the gesture implies that one is offering himself or herself to the loved one. In my story, I wanted the heroine to be the one to propose. What do you think about having the heroine propose?
~ * ~
Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. Please visit her website or connect with her on Facebook.

Her latest release is A Place to Call Home.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Top 10 Incredibly Romantic Quotes by Donna Fasano

ro mance

noun –
a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love.
a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, or remoteness from every day life.

verb –
court; woo.
another term for romanticize.

Most women crave it. Most men are either scared of it or think it's a waste of time. That's why women turn, again and again, to romance novels. Love stories satisfy that need for excitement and mystery.

I've searched out some entertaining quotes about romance. Enjoy!


"I love your feet because they have wandered over the earth and through the wind and water until they brought you to me." ~Pablo Neruda (Sounds like Pablo might have had a bit of a foot fetish. Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, only with what you are expecting to give—which is everything." ~Katharine Hepburn (Ah, Ms Hepburn… beautiful and wise.)

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. " ~Rita Rudner (I used this quote in The Merry-Go-Round.)

"We loved with a love that was more than love." ~Edgar Allan Poe's Annabell Lee (Okay, this is a tad cheesy and if my husband ever said this to me I would respond, "Huh?".)

"Love doesn't sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all of the time, made new." ~Ursula K. Le Guin (This quote appealed to the cook in me, AND for the fact that it's true.)

"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same." ~Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (Ah, Heathcliff. *drool*)

"I don't wish to be everything to everyone, but I would like to be something to someone." ~Unknown (That's not asking for too much, is it?)

"Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it." ~Swedish Proverb (Damn right!)

"Romance is the glamour which turns the dust of everyday life into a golden haze." ~Elinor Glyn (THIS is what I try to capture in my romance novels.)

And lastly, although I am a romance author and I love happy endings, this quote touched my heart.

"True love stories never have endings." ~Richard Bach

Donna Fasano is a USA Today Bestselling author whose books have sold nearly 4 million copies world wide. Visit her on the web at her blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Wanted: Sweet Romance Readers by Melissa McClone

Do you enjoy reading sweet romance novels? If so, you may be interested in joining our Sweet Team.

The Sweet Team is a group of readers who are given sweet romance novels in exchange for honest reviews.

Join our Sweet Team!
Sweet Romance Reads wants to make this as easy for readers as possible and get the kind of books you enjoy into your hands (and your e-readers!) We've set up a survey for you to take to tell us the kinds of romances you like to read. That info is used by our Sweet Team admins to match your reading preferences with books written by Sweet Romance Reads authors. Click here to see our list of authors.

From time to time, after you sign-up, you will receive an email from an author with a description of the book she'd like to have read and reviewed. If the story sounds like something you'd be interested in reading, reply back and the author will send you an ecopy of the book. The only request we make is to post your review on Amazon (and anywhere else you enjoy posting to) within 6 weeks of receiving the book.

We don't want any of this to become a burden to our Sweet Team readers. If you start a book and decide it's not right for you (and you wouldn't enjoy finishing it) just send the author an email. No further questions will be asked, but this way the author knows not to expect a review.

If reading and reviewing romances sounds interesting, please consider joining our Sweet Team. We'd love to have you!

Click here to take the survey and sign up for our Sweet Team.

Friday, January 24, 2014

The Magic of Scotland by Helen Scott Taylor

I love travelling vicariously through books and some of my favorite reads are those set in romantic places where the setting is brought to life so vibrantly it is nearly a character in the story.

I am one fourth Scottish and Scotland is a place I love to read about, especially the Highlands. (Can't beat men in kilts ☺)There is so much history there with the castles standing watch over the lochs and cloud-topped mountains. I've been researching this area for my latest Army Doctor's books and learned a lot about Scottish Mountain Rescue. These brave souls are all unpaid volunteers who have expertise in mountain climbing and winter sports. They often risk their lives to save others—true heroes.

I love visiting historic manor houses and castles. Luckily for me we have plenty of these dotted all over the UK. Many in England are owned and managed by the National Trust, but in Scotland I discovered that often the manor houses and castles are still owned by the aristocracy. They do something that I haven't come across in England (apart from Buckingham Palace), they live in the historic properties, but still open them to the public.

The last time I visited Scotland, a few years ago, my husband and I visited Floors Castle in the Scottish Borders, home to the Duke of Roxburghe. It was a strange experience walking around the castle and noticing the personal possessions of the family scattered around. One could easily imagine walking around the corner and bumping into the duke—great inspiration for a story!

Even the traditional Scottish faire sounds wonderful. Here's a recipe that particularly took my fancy.

Chicken in the Heather

Ingredients:
One whole chicken, minus giblets
Just under half a cup of light cooking oil
Half a cup of clear heather honey
Salt and pepper (freshly ground black pepper if you have it)
3 ounces of French mustard
Half teaspoon curry powder
One clove chopped garlic

Method:
Place the chicken in an oven-proof dish. Mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Cover the dish and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375F/190C/Gas Mark 4 for an hour. Baste the chicken thoroughly with the juices and sauce and return to the oven for another half hour uncovered to brown. Serve with boiled or creamed potatoes and fresh vegetables.

~ * ~
 
Helen Scott Taylor won the American Title IV contest in 2008. Her winning book was published in 2009 to critical acclaim, and was a Booklist top ten romance for 2009. Since then, she has published other novels, novellas, and short stories in both the UK and USA. Helen's latest book is set in Scotland! The Army Doctor's New Year's Baby is #4 in her series. Helen lives in South West England near Plymouth in Devon between the windswept expanse of Dartmoor and the rocky Atlantic coast. As well as her wonderful, long-suffering husband, she shares her home with a Westie a Shih Tzu and a burmilla cat. Find Helen on FaceBook and Twitter, or visit her website.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Looking Back While Facing Forward by Patricia Knoll/Patricia Forsythe

While I realize that January is supposed to be a time of looking forward, I invariably find myself looking back, as well. There are always things we leave behind from one year to the next, things we started in January and which didn’t even last two weeks – like the Cabbage Soup Diet, anyone remember that one? Shudder! There are always things we meant to do, not just starting a diet and finally losing those twenty or thirty extra pounds, but clearing out unwanted items, shedding things we’ve collected over the years and never use, like the melon baller I’ve never once employed in the production of melon balls.

Sometimes good things are left behind, like a budding friendship or romance we didn’t pursue and allowed to drift away. It could also be a project we started or intended to start but never completed. There are years when we lose loved ones and we wonder how we’re going to live without them – and yet, somehow we do. We treasure the nostalgic feelings, the memories, the possessions they left us and we hang onto the lessons they taught us. Picking up one of their precious belongings, or recalling what we learned from them, are what enables us to move into the future.

I’ve been thinking about this more than ever this month because at Christmas I received a card from a friend I hadn’t heard from in years. We’ve known each other since the age of three, grew up together, went to school together, shared absolutely everything throughout our adolescence, but then we drifted apart into different interests and different friends, careers, marriages and families. Hearing from her made me realize there had been a hole in my life that was just her size and it was time to fill it. One weekend very soon I’m going to dig out the old pictures I inherited from my mom, the old high school year books my mom saved and make the six hour drive to see her. She remembers everything about childhood that I remember, her two sisters were friends with my two sisters, and our parents were friends, too. She’s a valuable source of memories with which I want to reconnect. Looking back but moving forward at the same time gives richness and meaning to our lives. It’s a lesson I don’t want to forget.

~ * ~

Patricia Knoll has held a number of jobs, including teaching school, working as a librarian and as a secretary, and operating a care home for developmentally disabled children. Her favorite occupation, though, is writing romantic comedies in which the characters get into challenging, humorous, or outlandish situations and then work their way out. Each situation and set of characters is different, so sometimes the finished book is as much a surprise to her as it is to the readers. She is the author of 25 romance novels for Harlequin and Kensington Books and is thrilled to now be able to make some of her backlist available for sale online. She writes her online e-books as Patricia Forsythe. Visit her at patriciaforsythebooks.com.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Why Do You Read Romance by Lyn Cote

That’s an important question to me, a romance author. I’m going to share my ideas and I hope you’ll share yours and tell me if I’m nuts or right! :-)

Over a decade ago I received a letter from a man in Australia. He’d just read his first Love Inspired Romance. It was Hope’s Garden my third, (2000). He said that he’d recently buried his wife of 66 years (That’s SIXTY-SIX YEARS) and that he began to read romance to remember her.

WOW. That letter was an eye-opener.

Authors know readers read fiction for emotion.
Romance readers read for a special, a specific emotion--romance.

Why?
Why do we like to read about romance?

Tell me what it is that draws you back to romance?
The Happily Ever After?
The intense conflict between hero and hero?
Experiencing the physical attraction between hero and heroine vicariously?

What? Tell me. Authors want to know what you read romance to find!

If you haven’t run into me before, I’m an inspirational author who will have written and published 40 books (both historical and contemporary romances) by the end of this year. I live in the northwoods of Wisconsin by a lake in a cottage with my real life hero and four cats. I have my own blog which features Strong Women and Brave Stories on my website.

Lyn Cote's latest eBook release Two Seasons of Romance contains four short, sweet, light romances set in two seasons—summer and winter. The four romances are about the power of love to transform lives with hope.

The digital book is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.




Friday, January 17, 2014

On Fresh Starts and New Novels by Ginny Baird

There’s nothing like the start of a new year, filled with hope and possibilities. In some ways, this fresh beginning mirrors the start of a new novel. I imagine the glorious cover image and cover copy as glimpses into the future – a preview of the coming journey. Picking up a new book stirs the same excitement as opening the new year’s calendar, examining all the pretty pictures for the months ahead, and happily anticipating what those months will hold. And then the journey begins with January: Chapter One.

Every month we live through carries us a bit farther along in our experiences and understanding. Just as each new chapter helps a story gently unfold, enlightening us to the protagonists’ struggles. But unlike in real life, the trials and tribulations we face in a book aren’t are own. They’re ours to encounter vicariously. So too can we live out that happy ending, and feel uplifted and renewed when we finally reach The End.

I once heard a sermon on “The Well-Punctuated Life” where our human existence was explored in literary terms. Each well-punctuated life needs all the things you’d imagine going into a story. Paragraphs and chapters for divisions of events and time; exclamation points for the high notes and question marks when we seek understanding; not to mention periods and capital letters, indicating one moment is done and a fresh one has begun. Much like we begin again each year in January.

During this cold winter month, I hope you’ll find at least one good book to keep you company. One that will engage you and hold you enraptured in its tale, as you travel along – chapter by chapter – with its hero and heroine. For there’s nothing like a novel to sweep us away, and no finer genre to fulfill this mission than romance.

Ginny Baird writes sweet romance and contemporary romantic comedy. You can visit Ginny at her website or connect with her at Facebook page and on Twitter.

Her newest release, Special Delivery: A Valentine’s Short Story, is now available at Amazon and other outlets.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

The Gift of a Snowstorm by Milou Koenings

The doldrums are upon us. You know - those weeks after all the glitz and excitement of the holidays when everything seems quiet and, let’s admit it, rather boring in comparison. Yet if we’ve had any transformative moments or made any resolutions in the last month, this is the time they take root in us. This is the time when, far from the bright lights, tender seeds have space to sprout and grow.

After all, while holidays are meant to be times of joy and reflection, they don’t always turn out that way. There’s the stress of family visits, the rush of last-minute gift shopping. Cooking up a storm and running out to the grocery store a half-dozen times for last minute ingredients. And that’s all in addition to our daily lives: work, school, household chores. It’s enough to push anyone - or, at least, me - beyond the breaking point.

With four teens in this household, our daily lives are already crazy. Name an extra-curricular activity - basketball, sewing, gymnastics, choir - and one of the kids will be doing it. Two of these kids are disabled and chronically ill, so we’re dealing with the insurance company and doctors almost every day, too. Time for reflection? Forget about it!

Don’t get me wrong - I love to cook and I especially love holiday cooking. There’s nothing better than being able to create a special meal for the people you love. But I think you’ll understand if I say that adding all the extra hustle and bustle to our daily lives can leave this family pretty worn out and I’m glad when it’s over.

But this year, a miracle happened. It came in the form of an unusual, exceptionally severe storm. We live in an area that gets an inch of snow once about every four years. Ten days ago, we were battered by a two-day thunderstorm that gave way to the worst snowfall this city’s had in two hundred years. The power went out - and with it our heat. Our street was impassable, blocked by three feet of snow. Eventually, the lights and heat came back on, but we’re still snowed in. It’s been eight days since the kids went to school because the school building still hasn’t got its power back.

We ate by candlelight. We huddled together under blankets and played board games to keep everyone entertained. I took my daughter sledding, something she’d never done before. We built snowmen and snowwomen (what can I say, my 14-year-old’s a stickler for accuracy!) and made hot chocolate. Some of us shoveled snow for hours then made more hot chocolate.

With no school bus to run for, we all slept late. No one can go out shopping. Instead of store-bought gifts, the kids made me birthday cards with whatever they happened to find in the house. They’ve told me more about their lives in the last few days of hanging out together than I’ve heard all year.

After dark, we take a walk in our backyard, knee-deep in snow and watch it sparkle like stars around our legs. Each night, as we stand there, our breaths frosting, I whisper like a prayer my favorite Yeats poem:

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

There they are - the stars and the dreams spread all around us … It’s been one of the most romantic weeks I’ve ever had.

I think school will start again soon, if not tomorrow, then the day after. We’ll be going back to work and before long these days will be a memory. But, somehow, I know the center of our family will hold stronger now. Our best gift this year came after the holidays. We haven’t just weathered this storm - we’ve blossomed in it!

What’s the most wonderful thing that’s ever happen to you in challenging weather?

Milou Koenings writes romance because, like chocolate, stories with a happy ending bring more joy into the world and so make it a better place. Her new release, Reclaiming Home, A Green Pines Romance, is available at Amazon and Kobo.

You can find her at her website, Facebook and Twitter.

Monday, January 13, 2014

A Chocolate Pause by Aileen Fish

I was very startled when I went shopping two days after Christmas to see Valentine’s candy displays filling the shelves at the markets. Already? It’s as though we see the calendar in terms of chocolate. Even if we disguise it at Christmas with white chocolate Christmas bark, we manage to slip in into as many occasions as we can.

On Facebook we are often asked which we’d prefer on a first date – chocolates or flowers. Those with allergies often chime in against the perfume of roses, and those on diets root for the pretty stems.

But how wonderful would it be if your charming beau-to-be arrived with book in hand? Not for him to read if the night is dull, but some tome he’s read that he thinks would appeal to you.

I think that would be a great idea. You can tell so much about a man by his books. Just the fact he enjoys them is sexy, in my book. Don’t you think? I realize it’s possible to have a perfectly fulfilling relationship with a man who would rather hold a gaming remote than an ebook reader, but deep inside me is a gal who longs to hear someone ramble passionately about the story that made him stay up so late he almost slept through him alarm.
What do you think? Chocolates, flowers or a book? Which would you rather be surprised with?

Aileen Fish, author of The Bridgethorpe Brides series, is an avid quilter and auto racing fan who finds there aren't enough hours in a day/week/lifetime to stay up with her "to do" list. There is always another quilt or story begging to steal away attention from the others. When she has a spare moment she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their families, and her fairy princess granddaughter. Her Regency novella The Viscount's Sweet Temptation is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and other outlets. You can find Aileen at her website or Facebook.

Friday, January 10, 2014

The Simple but Great Pleasures by Joanne Hill


Christmas is starting to be a distant memory but thankfully some of it gets to stay with us a few weeks longer. The tree is always put away on January 6th (although ours literally came down on Christmas Day when the old tree collapsed - but that’s another story!), and of course there are the presents.

It was getting a really simple present this Christmas gone that reminded me of just how inexpensive life’s great pleasures can be.

I‘d been in a bookshop the week before and randomly picked up the new Bridget Jones novel. I own both the movies on DVD and have seen them many, many times and I think, somewhere, I might even have the soundtrack on CD. But I admit… I’d never read the books. I think it’s because I missed them when they first came out and sometimes reading a book after watching the movie just doesn’t work. But I’d heard good things about the new story in spite of the – you know – the terrible thing that happens – so I was intrigued. I read the first few pages in the store and knew that this year, buying me a Christmas present was going to be dead easy for the kids. The only thing I wanted was to read that book.

Come Christmas Day, there it was under the tree -  “Bridget Jones - Mad About the Boy.”

Naturally, the day was spent reading -  in between the cooking.  And nibbling on liquorice allsorts and scorched almonds.  It rolled over to the next day when I was jokingly informed the only thing I’d done had been lie on the couch. That was indeed my plan, and actually may not have been far from the truth because at some time on Boxing Day, I’d not only finished the book, but the allsorts and the scorched almonds.  (And I have to say – I LOVED the book!!)

I took a photo of it to Tweet and thought, you know, it’s a perfect gift -  confectionary and a can’t-put-down book. It is indeed a very simple pleasure - and books are so much nicer when you get to unwrap them, don’t you think?

So I got to thinking about other simple presents I’ve loved. There was a book about the staff at a library who adopted a cat they called Dewey. A cheap (I know it was cheap because my son told me the price, it was so amazing) china mug with a lid so I can have a coffee at my desk at work –  I use it every day and people still compliment it. And of course, one can never go wrong with favourite chocolates and lollies.

So please share. What simple or cheap gifts have you received in the past that have brought you a lot of joy? Birthday, Christmas – maybe, given we’re romance readers here, even a Valentine’s Day gift? 

Joanne Hill is the author of four romance e-books including a short story anthology “Love The Commute,” which is currently free on most e book sites. Other titles include “Blue Creek Bachelor,” “Daniel’s Bride,” and “Falling for Jack”. A former president of Romance Writers of New Zealand, Joanne is a librarian for a research centre. Although she gets to write about local and family history, help people track down their ancestors, and read old newspapers and magazines - all in the name of research! - she still prefers to read and write novels set in the present. Joanne lives in Auckland, New Zealand. Visit her on the web at www.joannehill.com

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Holding on to Resolve by Sierra Donovan

We're a week into the new year ... how are those resolutions coming along?

I read a gloomy article last week that said only 8 percent of us keep our New Year's resolutions. In addition, more vaguely, "most of" us fail within the first week.

Can't say I'm any different. I'm often tempted by New Year's resolutions. An unspoiled January is an enticing sight -- kind of like fresh snow with no footprints on it. We haven't stepped outside, so we haven't messed it up ... yet.

But sooner or later, we have to go out that door to get to the car. Snow's gotta get walked on. And in the new year, life's gotta be lived. We can't get through a day without making some marks.

They say most resolutions fail because we give up when we mess up. I think it's because when we mess up -- as we inevitably will -- we lose the initial motivation of that enticing clean slate.

But if a resolution is worth making, it's worth sticking to it. That's true whether the resolution was made in January or September. If the only enticement to keep a resolution is perfection, no wonder we blow it! The best we can do is try to keep our footprints on the walkway where they belong.

So, go ahead. Make some tracks. And if you do mess up?

As long as you're out there, what the heck ... make a snowman.

* * *

Sierra Donovan is a wife, a mother of two and a writer, though not always in that order. Her job and greatest joy is helping people find true love on the printed page. She's a firm believer in old movies, Christmas, chocolate fudge and happy endings. To find out more, feel free to drop by her website.

* * *

Sierra is the author of Meg's Confession and Love on the Air, which was a Holt Medallion finalist. Her next novel, No Christmas Like the Present, is due out in October 2014 from Kensington Books. Her books are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Roxanne Rustand's Winter Chili Recipe

Where did the last two months go?  It seems like just last week that I was thinking about all of the family members coming home for Thanksgiving...and suddenly we are in January. The wonderful Christmas season flew by--and now those of us in the Upper Midwest are buckling down for more cold, more snow, and high winds that will be driving our wind-chills way into the sub-zero range.  Brrrr! 

We live on an acreage in the country, on a windblown, dead end gravel road, so on snowy days the farthest I get is out to the barn to do my horse chores.  But I love this weather!  After getting supper started in the crockpot, it’s a perfect time to work at the computer in my office, with a nice cup of fragrant tea at my side--and without the temptation (or even the possibility) to run to town for errands.  And later, curling up by the fire with a good book while listening to the wind howl outside is a perfect way to spend an evening. 

Have you had a chance to enjoy books from all of the authors here?  Becoming part of this group has introduced me to some authors I hadn’t read before, and what a delight it is to be catching up on their wonderful backlist!  And I’ve read and enjoyed books by the others for a long time. What a wonderful group this is! 

For those of you who are also enjoying winter weather, here’s our family’s favorite chili recipe--great for a snowy evening!   

CHILI
4# ground beef, browned
2 medium onions, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp cumin seed
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder 
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Two   28oz cans stewed tomatoes
Two cans  red beans (rinsed well and drained)
2 cups water 

Mix everything in the crockpot, and simmer on low all day.  Season to taste.  Enjoy!
 
Roxanne Rustand has written over thirty books for the Harlequin Superromance, Everlasting, Heartwarming, Love Inspired, and Love Inspired Suspense lines. Her two new independent releases are sweet, contemporary romances:  Comeback Cowboy, and  Summer at Briar Lake, which was released this month.  She lives in the country with her husband, three horses, and a goofy, talkative Border Collie her husband refers to as Elmo the Wonderdog. You can learn more about Roxanne and her books at www.roxannerustand.com, or find her at www.facebook.com/roxanne.rustand.author

Friday, January 3, 2014

Finding Balance by Melinda Curtis

My New Year’s resolution actually started last September. As an empty-nester, I’d gotten into the habit of working long days. I’d get to my computer by 7:30 am (after the Today Show’s first half hour), and turn off my laptop at 9 pm (when my 3 pm caffeine hit faded). In September, I realized I’d written five books in 2013. When I told Mr. Curtis, he gave me the look that said, “Uh, yeah. I knew that.”

Reality check. I needed life balance. I wanted to find balance, it was just…work always beckoned. My writing muse wanted to Riverdance some more. But even I had to admit, I was tired, maybe even burnt out.

And so it was in September that I made an effort to disconnect. I took Saturdays off to go to run errands and go to the movies with my husband (even the bad movies). I made friends at the gym. Those friends convinced me to run some fun 5k races (running doesn’t begin to describe my pace). I made time to visit my mom. But I was still tired and maybe – as my daughter pointed out – I was missing my kids more than I wanted to let on and replacing them with work.

One day, I saw someone on Facebook post a picture of a puppy in need of a home. A small puppy, a happy puppy, a puppy that needed love and attention and training. A puppy who seemed to need me when no one else did anymore. Tally slowed down my production schedule. She slowed down my life. But she was so much work! And then a funny thing happened – I found balance! Tally gave me a reason to stop and have lunch away from my desk, to take walks when the sun came out, to play ball in the backyard. She also created reasons for Mr. Curtis and I to spend time together beyond bad movies and stale popcorn.
Yes, we take Tally on 5K Runs in a stroller!
At this time of year, when we’re recovering from the rush of the holidays and thinking ever-so-briefly about the year ahead and the changes we’d like to make, I’m not recommending bringing home a puppy. Instead, I’ll say you have permission to seek out more balance or health or love or whatever would make you happier in whatever avenue best suits you. But first, you have to get up out of your chair to do it!

Here’s to a new year filled with opportunities to disconnect, to redirect, and to reconnect to what’s important in life. What are you missing when you sit too long at the keyboard or spend too much time away from your family?

Melinda Curtis writes the Harmony Valley series of sweet romances for the Harlequin Heartwarming line. Brenda Novak says: “Season of Change has found a place on my keeper shelf”. Melinda also writes independently published, hotter romances as Mel Curtis. Jayne Ann Krentz says of Blue Rules: “Sharp, sassy, modern version of a screwball comedy from Hollywood's Golden Age except a lot hotter.” Melinda is married to her college sweetheart, and has three kids in college. She follows the NFL because one young quarterback is from her hometown, and follows Duke basketball because Mr. Curtis has a man crush on Coach K. You can learn more about Melinda and her books at www.MelindaCurtis.net.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!


Here are the 2014 goals/resolutions from some of the Sweet Romance Reads authors! 

In 2014 I'm going to organize my social media and promotion activities to best utilize my time so I can write more. I'm also going to read more for pleasure.




 My New Year's Resolution is to enjoy life's little moments and try not to worry so much.




  
My main resolution for 2014 is to promote, advertise, chat, blog, and be visible, communicate with my fans through Twitter, Facebook, newsletters, events and direct mails.

Mona Risk
Author of Christmas Here and Now


In 2014, I will get back into running and swimming because when I'm feeling good and healthy the writing goes much better!

Melissa McClone
Author of Home For Christmas
  


My New Year's resolution for 2014 is to develop a much more disciplined schedule, where I unplug the Internet and turn off the phone for three hours each morning and do nothing but write.

Ginny Baird
Author of Baby, Be Mine (Holiday Brides Book 5)




In 2014 I will finish the half-written manuscripts sitting on my computer, and I will stop eating soooo many cookies while I do my writing and editing work. 



In the new year, I'd like to find more balance. I tend to push too hard toward goals and responsibilities.  I need to remember this life only comes around once.

Melinda Curtis
Author of Dandelion Wishes


During 2014, I'm determined to find calm and balance--calm and balance in my professional life, calm and balance in my personal life.

Author of Reclaim My Heart



Publish one cozy mystery and one fun, sweet romance in 2014!






My resolution: This year I'm going to be neat, tidy and the most organised person in the world. I really am.




I resolve to begin and end each day with gratitude, and in between, to do the best I can with what I have.



To love better, eat better and work smarter. 



I'm focusing on health in 2014, both so I can be around to watch my granddaughter grow up and because I know my productivity will improve.