Thursday, November 30, 2017

Sweet Romance Reads Presents - The Best Christmas Party of the Year!


 
Don't miss the best Christmas party of the year!
Wednesday, December 6th
2pm to 8pm EST
 
 
 
*~*~*
 
Did you get your copy yet of the annual Sweet Romance Reads holiday boxed set?
It's still only 99 cents. Hurry before the price goes up!
 
 
Usher in the holiday season with 14 heartwarming all-new, stand-alone stories from New York Times, USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Sweet Christmas Kisses 4 takes you from the Pocono Mountains to sunny Florida, and as far away as Portugal.


Amazon:          http://a.co/600caJ1
B&N:              http://bit.ly/2g8xyO8
Kobo:              http://bit.ly/2xgU0sG
iTunes:            https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1285643154
Google:           http://bit.ly/2viH7g4

*~*~*



 

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Christmas with the McClains - by Magdalena Scott

Today's blog is brief, because I'm guessing you're short on time right now. I hope you're able to find a way during the hurry of the season to take a deep breath and enjoy the special people in your life and blessings of each day. 

I have a limited time price promotion for you, on some of my McClains series titles.

Through November 30th, you can get the ebook version of titles 1, 2, and 3 for the price of one. 





You can find all of the McClain series at these vendors:

iBooks
Kindle
Kobo
Nook
Smashwords

Have a wonderful holiday season! And if you want to connect with me, all the links are here.


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. Remember to join the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe too.

Sunday, November 26, 2017

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year




Hello, Mary Alford here. I hope you each had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I confess, I’ve been waiting for this time of the year for a while. With the celebration of Thanksgiving over, it’s now officially a countdown to Christmas.

All around us are signs of the season. Decorations, Nativity scenes, brightly decorated Christmas trees, and Santa at the mall.

 
 
And if your one of the lucky ones, you’ll have snow for the holidays. Here in Texas that is a rare event, but it still it doesn’t hurt to dream.
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do to get in the Christmas spirit is to read a good Christmas romance, and there are so many out there.
As an author, I love to write about Christmas romances and this year, I have two Christmas romances out.    


Love’s Sweet Homecoming, which is out now, is my First Street Church series novella set in the fictional town of Sweet Grove, Texas.  
Blurb:
Donovan Henderson is finally coming home to Sweet Grove, Texas. Yet it is not to the sweet homecoming he’d once envisioned because he is not the same man he was before he left for the war in Afghanistan. After surviving an IED attack that ended his career with the marines, Donovan feels like half a man. Can this wounded warrior find his place in Sweet Grove once more? And will Donovan accept the love that has been standing right before him all along.
Ava Richards lost her husband to the same war that took Donovan’s leg. Even after two years, Ava is still crippled by the loss. Unable to move forward with her life, she is stuck in the past. Yet the more time she spends with her husband’s best friend, Donovan Henderson, the more Ava longs for a second chance at life…and love.
Can Ava convince Donovan that he doesn’t have to leave Sweet Grove to rebuild his life? And is it possible for two wounded souls to help each other learn what true love really means again?
 
 
And on December 1st, Christmas In Delaney Mountain, my Christmas Romantic Suspense novella, comes out through White Rose Publishing, book two of the Delaney Mountain Series.  
Blurb:
Kara Edwards has been looking over her shoulder for years. After being kidnapped and held hostage by a man who claimed to be her late husband's friend, she's no longer in the trusting business. She moves to Delaney Mountain with one expectation: to outrun her stalker. Never does she expect to meet a man like David Delaney—one who not only makes her want to trust again, but to love again, too. David Delaney is drawn to Kara from the first moment he meets her. There's an attractive strength behind her no-nonsense caution and independence. He knows Kara is running from something, but nothing prepares him for what she has to say. When Eli Redford escapes from prison, Kara and David find themselves on one side of a Christmas Eve showdown that brings everything to a deadly head.
So what about you? What’s your favorite Christmas romance?
 
About Mary:
Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author Mary Alford grew up in a small Texas town famous for, well not much of anything really. Being the baby of the family and quite a bit younger than her brothers and sister, Mary had plenty of time to entertain herself. Making up stories seem to come natural to her. As a pre-teen, Mary discovered Christian romance novels and knew instinctively that was what she wanted to do with her over-active imagination. She wrote her first novel as a teen, (it’s tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day), but never really pursued her writing career seriously until a few years later, when she wrote her first Christian romance and was hooked. Today, Mary still lives in Texas, and still writes about romance. In fact, she can’t think of anything else she’d rather do. Learn more about Mary Alford at: www.maryalford.net where you can sign up for her newsletter. Also feel free to send her an email to maryjalfordauthor@gmail.com.
 
Sweetreads Newsletter

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
 
And remember to join the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe too.
 
All the best…
Mary Alford
 
 

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Wives MUST Buy Correct Christmas Gift for Husbands (1896)





Yesterday was Black Friday!
Have you recovered yet?


I love the Victorian American Era, and constantly study original, vintage sources for the fiction I write. Why? Because an accurate, true-to-history backdrop for fiction makes all the difference.

Not long ago, I came across an article that made me laugh. So much has been the same about Christmastime and Holiday Celebrations in the United States over the last one hundred and fifty years--and so much is drastically different.

http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/2771

Throughout the Victorian Era, Americans enjoyed (can anyone truly enjoy?) Christmas shopping...without "Cyber Monday" or any online shopping at all. Most of us associate "catalog" shopping with the nineteenth century, so you're likely to be surprised how late such an option came into being.

http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/3243


http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/3236

Through most of the era, Americans did their Christmas shopping the old-fashioned way. Store by store. In December's bone-aching chill. Without climate-controlled malls and certainly without central heating.

To make matters worse, merchants knew how to guilt women into finding "just the right gift". Merchants probably do the same thing today--I just haven't noticed.

I did notice, however, this charming newspaper advertisement in the Clinch Valley News of Tazewell, Virginia, published on December 18, 1896. Because certainly, if that young wife whom the Harrison, Surface & Company targeted in their advertisement precisely one week before Christmas Day, hadn't yet found that perfect gift, then shame. Shame on her! She'd better hurry in and spend a full twenty-five cents on a men's handkerchief. If that's not enough, she might splurge on shirt studs ranging from 25 cents to a full 75 cents.

Before we chuckle at how very little wives had to spend on their husbands in 1896, let's compare a dollar value then vs now.

What cost $1.00 in 1896 would cost $29.25 in 2016. (latest year offered)

The Silk Umbrella (Best) offered by this clothing department store at $3.75 (ouch!):
What cost $3.75 in 1896 would cost $109.67 in 2016. (latest year offered)


The offerings of the fine clothing department at Harrison, Surface & Company is best taken in full context. The ad itself, given it is roughly 121 years old and is now digitally scanned (and who knows whether the poor quality is due to age or a failure of newfangled technology)... so I've provided a transcription of the article as well as the original (I mean, the facsimile.).

Clinch Valley News of Tazewell, VA. 18 December, 1896.

Now, the careful transcription, everything spelled in context [sic], keeping as close as possible to the same run-on paragraph structure.

GOT A HUSBAND?

Of course you have, or you would not be reading this ad. What are you going to do to make his Christmas happy? Do you know that lots of men dread the coming of Christmas? yes, indeed, they do. And it is all because they are so often remembered with something that they do not want. Don't let anything of that kind mar your husband's Christmas.-- Here's a store full of things for men, bought to sell to men, bought to delight men, bought for men to wear. Want a happy place to come to, if you have a husband or brother on your Christmas list. We've bought to sell to "him" and that we know what "he" needs and wants are here and waiting for you. What a happy man he'll be who discovers his wife try to hide a HARRISSON, SURFACE & CO. bundle from his sight. Not many misgivings can that lucky fellow have about his Christmas.

Men's handkerchiefs, 10c., 15c., 20c., 25c.
Silk handkerchiefs, 50c., 75., $1.00.
Walking Sticks, 35c., 50c., 75c.
Silk Umbrellas, $2.50, $3.00, $3.75.
Cuff Buttons, 25c, 50c, 75c, $1.00, $1.25, $1.50, $2.00.
Fine Neckwear, 25c, 35c, 50c, 60c, 75c.
Dongola and Patent Leather Slippers, $1.00, $1.25, $1.50, $1.75.
Fine Gloves, 75c, $1.00, $1.25, $1.50.
Shirt Studs, 25c, 50c, 75c.
Scarf Pins, 25c, 50c, 75c, $1.00.
Collar Buttons, 10c, 25c, 50c.

Harrison, Surface & Company.
Clothing Department.

TAZEWELL,   --   --   --   --   --   VIRGINIA.



Do you feel the same type of pressure while Christmas shopping for loved ones today?

Does anything about Christmas shopping in 1896 surprise you?


http://www.KristinHolt.com/


I love writing books about holidays--well beyond "the holidays" of Christmas and New Year's (though I do write those, too). 

http://www.kristinholt.com/holidays-in-mountain-home-series

The Halloween Short Story I gave away last month is part of this Holidays in Mountain Home Series. Have you read that story? (The Witching Eve) I'd love to hear what you thought.

Have you signed up for our Sweet Romance Reads Newsletter

Copyright © 2017 Kristin Holt LC

Friday, November 24, 2017

#Black Friday by Pat Simmons

Today's is a bargain hunter's paradise. Doorbuster specials, one of a kind treasures, and a long shopping list. As an author, I have some bargains of my own, including a new release, PRAYERS ANSWERED BY CHRISTMAS--$1.00 off until midnight on Cyber Monday. It's Book 2 in the Gifts from God series. COUPLE BY CHRISTMAS was Book 1.

I hope you will download one today.
However, I would be remiss, as a Christian author, if I didn't take a commercial break and share this snapshot that a relative posted on Facebook. What a great reminder of the reason for this season.


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Pat Simmons has celebrated ten years as a published author with more than thirty titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors and then casting them in starring roles in her novels.
She is a three-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. Pat describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering experience.
Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has worked in various media positions for more than twenty years. Currently, she oversees the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions.
She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country and converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatic husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur.

Readers may learn more about Pat and her books by connecting with her on social media, www.patsimmons.net, or by contacting her at authorpatsimmons@gmail.com

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

I'm thankful for...Readers! by Julie Jarnagin


Happy Thanksgiving, Readers! This year, I'm thankful for YOU. If it weren't for all our wonderful readers, we wouldn't be able to do what we love.

When we spend hours writing new characters and worlds, we do it because we want to create something wonderful for you to enjoy!

So thank you for reading and for supporting the Sweet Romance Reads authors! I look forward to another year of writing and getting to know my readers.

What are you thankful for this year? 

Julie Jarnagin is a USA Today bestselling author of 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.com


Meg - Beach Brides Series: Meg Mullen's community theater is on the verge of closing if she can't raise the money to save it, but she's running out of time and needs a miracle. Television producer, Elliot Campbell, finds a message in a bottle from the perfect female contestant for his reality dating show. All he has to do is talk Meg into taking the job, convince her to choose one of the contenders, and figure out how to keep from falling in love with her himself. 

Have you signed up for Sweet Romance Reads newsletter? It's full of great info and fun stuff from our authors.