Taking a Break by Merri Maywether

This October, Randy and I took a weekend hiatus from teaching and writing to visit our sons, Chris and Charlie, in Arizona. Chris is thirty-one, and Charlie is twenty-eight years old.  

When they were little, our weekends were wrapped up in attending their school events. So the weekend was a visit to routines of the past. 

In the weeks leading up to our trip, we planned. 

Chris and Charlie wanted comfort food. Meatloaf, roast beef, and barbecue chicken. And, nary a vegetable was requested, so I planned on having a lot of raw fruits and vegetables. 

Because it was a whirlwind weekend, I made all the meals in the crockpot. We’d go out for the day and return to the house to have a hearty meal and play games. The raw fruit and veggies turned into great nibbling food.

On Friday, we visited the interactive Van Gogh exhibit in Scottsdale, AZ. I studied art history in college but didn’t do anything as clever as study Van Gogh’s self-portraits side by side. 

I was awed.

Vincent Van Gogh captured the aging process in every picture.

The way he used color to capture sound and motion was a testament to his genius.

The exhibit was touching, inspiring and prompted me to question; What stories will inspire people one and two hundred years from now? 

The adventure continued the next day with a viewing of Hamilton.

A year ago, we were in our own homes, talking every weekend, for hours, on zoom. 

I told the boys about watching Hamilton on Disney Plus. Seeing their reactions to the live show made it that much better.

They talked about both shows for the remainder of the weekend. Yes, a mom win!

I boarded the plane back to Montana with a healed heart and mind full of ideas for stories. 

I also was awakened with a keen awareness. Sometimes the cure for a tired heart can be found in the easiest place —with family.

Now that I've shared my story. I have a question for you. What are some things you do to fill your well when you feel yourself getting tired?

p.s. Here is an easy recipe for roast beef in the crockpot. We had no leftovers.

Merri Maywether lives with her husband in rural Montana. You can find her in the town's only coffee house listening to three generations of Montanans share their stories. Otherwise, she's in the classroom or the school library, inspiring the next generation's writers.

🎃  🎃  🎃  🎃  🎃

A Sweet October Read by Merri Maywether

🥣 Start with a mixed-up meet-cute set in small-town Montana

 🥄Add some community fundraisers and holiday activities.

👪 Combine them with a close-knit family

🎃 and we have a sweet holiday romance.  

For a limited time, Paradise Hills Trick or Treat is available for 99¢ at your favorite online retailer. 

 

           Amazon | Apple  | B & N | Kobo 

 

THE MISTLETOE PUPPY... and lots of other fun reads before Christmas Roxanne rustand

In just a few days, my new novella, The Mistletoe Puppy, will be released at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all of the major online booksellers.  

This book has been quite an adventure for me, because in the past, someone else handled the complexities of publishing my e-books. I'll have to admit, the learning curve was steep and I've needed lots of coaching.  But to my astonishment, apparently one CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  Even if that "old dog" is pretty slow at it.  :)

The Mistletoe Puppy is part of my six-novella Coupled by Christmas series. All of them will be released in October, November and December of 2020. 

One other thing--this novella is part of another series, Puppies for Christmas, written by many of your favorite authors here on Sweet Romance Reads! What a treat, because each one is just 99 cents.  I love animals of all kinds and cannot wait to read them all! There are some links at the bottom of this post.

On another note, do you see leaves changing to autumn colors in your part of the world?  

Last weekend, I got to visit Lyn Cote up in the North Country, and it was gorgeous!  Brilliant autumn leaves. The sparkling, azure waters of uncountable lakes. And loons. There were lots of loons! 

I live almost four-hundred miles south. We don't have loons, or get to hear their beautiful, eerie cry. 

But we do have an occasional male peacock and a fat, grumpy guinea fowl who came from who-knows-where, and who like to raid the bird feeders on our deck. I would definitely trade these two noisy birds for a pair of loons, if anyone is interested...but these big rascals are waaay too fast to catch!

   !

Back to our holiday series: 

Each of the six stories has two things in common: puppies and Christmas!

Each week, one Puppies for Christmas novella by a Sweet Romance Reads author will debut through early November!

Here's the line up:

Oct 1st-Beneath Northern Lights by Lyn Cote

Oct 8th-Mistletoe Puppy by Roxanne Rustand

Oct 15th-Christmas Redemption by Laura Scott

Oct 22nd-Puppy Love and Jingle Bells by Merrillee Whren

Oct 29th-Joy Comes to Bedford Falls by Susan Aylworth

Nov 5th-A Christmas Puppy to Cherish by Josie Riviera

So do you love puppies? Christmas? 

Then why not pre-order all of them! Just click the titles above one by one and learn more about the books. 

If you pre-order them, then you won't miss one.

OH, AND THE BEST PART---THEY'RE ALL JUST 99 CENTS EACH!!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season ahead,

Roxanne Rustand