Favorite Holiday Board Games by Josie Riviera

One of my favorite holiday activities is getting together with family and friends and playing board games. Board game night is an inexpensive way to fill many evenings not only at Christmas, but throughout the year.

Board games are for all ages, and make you laugh and chat, think and strategize, and develop patience--especially when someone snaps up Park Place and Boardwalk. (Those of you who play Monopoly will understand.)

My family usually purchases a new game every Christmas, and then we set aside New Year's Eve to play the game together.

However, we oftentimes revert to our old favorites--mine being Monopoly, and our children and grandchildren choosing the game, Sorry.



Do you have any board game favorites? Please list in the comments below.


 Love a sweet emotional story and Kindle Countdown?

Snag my holiday romance, A Snowy White Christmas, only 99¢ for a limited time.

Speaking of New Year's, pre-order my newest sweet holiday romance, A Chocolate-Box New Years.

If you love Film Noir and pasta making and Italian food and star-gazing, (and chocolate, of course!) this book is for you. Order today on Amazon, and the full-length novella will be delivered to your inbox on New Year's Eve.

My sincere good wishes to all our readers for a beautiful, peaceful, and blessed Christmas season.
Happy Holidays!

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet 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 renovations.

 

To see her latest family adventures, follow her on Instagram.

And remember to join our Sweet Romance Reads Facebook cafe.

 

 

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month by Josie Riviera

Did you know that October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month?

Approximately 3.3 million dogs are put in shelters each year. Sadly, oftentimes these dogs are abused and abandoned.

But two things are certain: 

Each dog deserves a forever home, and

You’ll be saving a dog’s life if you adopt.

Interestingly, in a recent study from Amazon Audible and dog behaviorist Cesar Milan, audiobooks were found to calm dogs in kennels.  A recommended list of audiobooks includes To Kill a Mockingbird and Anne of Green Gables.

Audiobooks for Dogs.

When you adopt a dog, the benefits to humans are unlimited. Studies prove that an animal can improve your health and make you happier. And, your dog will love you unconditionally.

If you can’t adopt a dog, consider volunteering at your local shelter. Dog walkers are always appreciated!

Many of my readers are aware that I own a 7 year old shih tzu named Henry. (He's Batman in the above photo!)

Although the dog isn’t referred to by name, there is a shih tzu mentioned in my inspirational holiday romance book, Holly’s Gift.

Still on sale for only 99¢, and free on Kindle Unlimited.

Also available in Paperback and Large Print Paperback.

Six of our sweet romance read authors wrote a heartwarming series set in Snowflake, a fictional small-town in Colorado.

My contribution was Holly’s Gift (Small-Town Christmas Wishes Series Book 5)

Miracles don’t always come easy. Sometimes it takes a secret wish to light an angel’s way.

 Have you ever adopted an animal from a shelter? Please leave your comments below.

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet 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 renovations.

To see her latest family adventures, follow her on Instagram.

And remember to join our Sweet Romance Reads Facebook cafe.

The Sound of Silence by Josie Riviera

How many times have you gone for a walk outside without your phone and headphones? My husband will rush back to our house if he forgets either, because for him, silence is a real trial. In fact, many people associate silence with loneliness and solitude.

I, however, prefer absolute silence, especially when I write. Perhaps because I’m a musician, if I hear music, I start analyzing the chord structure, or tuning in to the lyrics.

Studies indicates that silence reaps both spiritual and emotional benefits. Many people in today’s culture depend on tech devices: phones, incoming text messages, and the constant distractions of social media clutter our thoughts.

However, silence is said to soothe the mind and restore stability.

The following are some ideas to get you in the habit of entertaining silence:

Walk silently with a friend, or by yourself

Employ deep breathing exercises

In the morning, engage in a few moments of private prayer before beginning your day.

Have you ever made a deliberate decision to entertain silence and be alone with your thoughts? Please leave your comments below.

Be sure to pre-order your ebook of Holly’s Gift at the introductory sale price of only 99¢! Delivered straight to your inbox on September 30^th, this inspirational romance will warm your heart for the holiday season.

Miracles don’t always come easy. Sometimes it takes a secret wish to light an angel’s way.

When Holly steps into a homeless shelter looking for an MIA piano student, she notices a distinct lack of Christmas cheer—because a handsome building inspector is forcing the shelter to temporarily close down.

Holly knows bad guys—she was married to one. Yet when the man asks her out, she finds absolutely not warring with absolutely yes.

Tim Stewart doesn’t hold his breath waiting for God to answer prayers. He went from homeless desperation to television stardom to relative obscurity while God stayed silent. But when Holly barrels into his life, her steady faith sparks hope for a dream of his own. Even if it means praying for a Christmas miracle—one last time.

Order your copy of Holly's Gift for only 99¢ today!

Enjoy all six books in the series by our very own Sweet Romance Reads authors:
Mia’s Gift by Cindy Flores Martinez
Caro’s Gift by Jean C. Gordon
Nate’s Gift by Jackie Castle
Sara’s Gift by Kimberly Rose Johnson
Holly’s Gift by Josie Riviera
Taye’s Gift by Pat Simmons

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY bestselling author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet 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 renovations.

 

To see her latest family adventures, follow her on Instagram.

And remember to join our Sweet Romance Reads Facebook cafe.

Chestnuts Roasting on An Open Fire by Josie Riviera

Well, how about chestnuts just roasting?

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for roasting chestnuts in the oven:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. On the flat side of the chestnut, cut a large X with a sharp paring knife to the skin.
3. Place your pared chestnuts on a shallow baking pan. Roast in oven for 30 minutes and shake pan to rotate chestnuts for even roasting.
Peel chestnuts as soon as they are cool enough to handle, because once they cool completely, they will be difficult to peel.


Enjoy!

And, did you know that in Europe, Asia, and Africa, chestnuts are often used as a substitute for potatoes?

In Candleglow and Mistletoe, my sweet romance novella set in the mountains of North Carolina, the hero and heroine stop for roasted chestnuts at a street side vendor.



Here’s the blurb:

Noelle Wentworth doesn’t mind getting away from St. Augustine to fill in at her ailing aunt’s candle shop. A few weeks in Snowing Rock will help her get past the humiliating memory lapse that ruined an important piano concert—and, ultimately, her marriage to her overbearing duet partner.
She’s mentally rehearsing for her comeback performance when the bus she’s riding in slides off an icy mountain road.
And one deep, calming voice emerges from the confusion to slow her racing heart—right before his ruggedly handsome face kicks it back into allegro.
Gabe Waters is usually prepared for anything—as a professional stuntman, his life depends on it—but nothing prepared him for Noelle, the unattainable high school crush whose bravery saved him from more than just a bully’s flying fist. There’s no hint she recognizes him, but Gabe knows that face, those eyes…and he sees something that wasn’t there before. Distrust and apprehension.
Their unexpected attraction kindles something as warm and sweet as a holiday candle. But the weight of their pasts could turn the promise of love to ashes.

Candleglow and Mistletoe is also available in paperback and audiobook.

Check out the video here.

Josie Riviera is a USA TODAY Bestselling Author of contemporary, inspirational, and historical sweet 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 renovations.

And remember to subscribe to the Sweet Romance Reads newsletter on the right sidebar for: 

• Fresh new short romantic stories

• Our latest news about new romances we hope you will enjoy

• The chance to win prizes and books

• Personal insights on each author

Invitations to Facebook and Goodreads Events


A sincere Happy Holidays to you and your family.
May the good will of this special season bring you peace, hope and joy.

Babies in Books

“This is not a monkey. It’s an o-ran-gu-tan.” The three-year-old boy pointed at the picture on his electronic tablet. “You don’t know anything, Mon-Mon,” Scott added as his brothers, Brian and Ethan scowled at me suspiciously. The little sweethearts are triplets.

“Okay, I see. Maybe we can play the orangutan game,” I said with my most amiable tone of voice. I badly wanted to cooperate with the triplets I was babysitting while their mother, my young cousin, was at the doctor.

“No, too tricky for you.” Brian shook his head and Ethan protected his tablet behind his back.

Playing on the tablet was too tricky for a writer and grandmother!!!

A month ago I had the pleasure of hosting fourteen children under twelve for Christmas dinner and their week vacation. Among them we had two sets of twins and one set of triplets. All adorable and so good at using their ipads and their parents’ iphones! Even the three-year old triplets tapped their little fingers faster than I can ever do it.  

I also regularly babysit my grandchildren. The exhausted young parents never hesitate to bring their little angels—or monsters, depending if I’m full of energy or at the end of my patience—to spend two to four weeks with Grandma and Grandpa’s. I love chatting with them.

Is it any wonder that I have become quite an expert at taking care of young children?

“Write what you know,” a well-known editor advised during one of her workshops.

Have you ever featured children in your story?

I had several babies in BABIES IN THE BARGAIN; a teenager in NO MORE LIES; a baby girl and four little boys in AN UNUSUAL CHRISTMAS.

Children add a touch of humor and emotion to our stories, and bring smiles in our lives.

Babies play a major role in my Holiday Babies series.

Books in this series can be read in order or as stand-alone reads.

Holiday Babies Series:

Holly Jolly Christmas: Prequel to the series.

Christmas Babies: A sweet and powerful Christmas Story.

Valentine Babies: Can he love a woman expecting another man's baby?

Mother's Day Babies: Never too late to find love and happiness.

Wedding Surprise: Is it the worst or best wedding surprise?

Christmas Papa: Who's my Papa, Mommy?

On Christmas Eve: We want a mommy for Christmas.

“Mona Risk knows how to pull a reader into the minds of her well-crafted characters. Her work takes us on a journey be it local or overseas.”~Night Owl Reviews.

Easy Cheesy Baked Rigatoni by Denise Devine

This is my newest creation for a chilly winter night. I threw it together one night when I couldn't think of anything to make that we hadn't eaten lately. It was an immediate hit. My husband loves it and always eats too much. It's super creamy and so good!

Easy Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

1 box (16 oz) rigatoni

1 jar spaghetti sauce (any of the cheese-added variety)
½ ring of sausage (such as Hillshire, etc.)
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 soup can of milk
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese (parmesan or mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cook rigatoni in a large saucepan, drain and pour immediately into a lasagna pan.
Pour spaghetti sauce, soup, milk and sour cream into large saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, thinly slice sausage and add to mixture. When sauce is smooth and bubbly, pour over rigatoni noodles, top with shredded cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and pan is bubbling.

Let sit for 10 minutes then serve.

As always, any recipe can be modified to your tastes. Feel free to experiment!

Note:  This recipe makes a lot of sauce, but trust me, it’s not too much. Rigatoni absorbs a lot of moisture when baked and this casserole (or hot dish, as we call it in Minnesota) will come out of the oven very creamy, but that is what makes it so good. As it begins to cool, it will thicken.

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Denise Devine is a USA Today bestselling author who wrote her first book, a mystery, at age thirteen and has been writing ever since.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her newest publication, A Merry Little Christmas, is on sale now for 99 cents. And, yes, it includes a pet!

Sign up for our newsletter and keep up with Sweet Romance Reads! Locate it on the right side of our blog and enter your email address under Newsletter Signup.

 

Want the latest news? Join us at the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe to chat with our authors.

What's a Facebook party? by Denise Devine

Have you ever wondered what a Facebook party was or why you would attend one? Simply put, a Facebook party is an online celebration for a specific purpose. For readers, it’s an event to meet new authors, find great books and win prizes. That’s what this post is about—connecting readers to authors and great books.

Do you have to know someone or be invited by someone to attend? Not usually. Most parties are open to the public. If you receive an invitation on Facebook, that means someone in your list of friends invited you to a party. However, if you see a post in your news feed announcing a party, that’s an open invitation to everyone. In either case, it’s free and there’s no obligation to buy anything.

Event Page – Most parties are held on a Facebook page set up specifically for that event. Once the event is over and the prize winners are announced, the page is no longer used. The next time a party is set up, a new page will be created by Facebook for that purpose.

Banner – This is important. It will convey to you the theme, date and time of the party.

About Section – This is where the organizers will give you a brief description of what the party is about.

Pinned Post – The first post in the party will list the guest authors in the order they appear, usually one every half-hour. That post will stay at the top.

What do the authors do? First, they introduce themselves, post links to their web pages, newsletters, Amazon author pages, etc. That way, if you want to find out more about a certain author, you can click on the links she provides. If you want to stay in touch with a particular author and receive notification when she publishes a new book, simply sign up for her newsletter or follow her on Amazon. Second, the author will post her newest release along with a 1-2 paragraph description of the book and “buy” links. Third, authors will post party games. A party game is usually an activity posted in the form of an intriguing question in keeping with the party theme, but it’s not limited to questions. Authors come up with all kinds of interactive activities. Holiday parties are especially fun because there is so much ground to cover! At least one prize is awarded in every game.

What’s a party favor?  This is usually a free ebook offered to everyone at the party.

How to participate – This is the easy part! Simply read through the posts as they appear and comment. That’s it. You’ll have to refresh the page periodically to keep up. If you have to leave for a while to answer the phone, make supper or whatever, you can simply click out of the page and come back later. The posts will stay up in the order they were posted for a long time after the party closes. The winners are usually chosen the next day to give latecomers and people who had to leave for a while a chance to read through all the posts and comment.

Winners – What’s a party without prizes? They vary from party to party, but the most common prizes are free ebooks, printed books, book bags, bookmarks, personalized notebooks, jewelry and Amazon gift cards ($5-$10). Grand prizes can be large Amazon gift cards ($25-$100) or a new Kindle. The amount and type of gifts vary from party to party. The winners are chosen after the party closes—usually the next day. Sometimes the authors choose the winners, sometimes they are chosen using a random generator. Either way, you can’t win a prize unless you participate by commenting.

To get you started, I’ve provided three Facebook parties within this post that I found under “Events” on my personal Facebook home page (not the timeline). If you aren’t aware of this feature, Events will be listed on the left side. On my page, it’s toward the bottom. I have included the links to these events below.

Have fun and I hope you win a prize!

 

Kathi Daley Books Halloween Spooktacular – Going on now through 10/31

https://www.facebook.com/events/1807306899516140/

 

November 10^th –  Third Annual Cowboys and Christmas Release Party

https://www.facebook.com/events/1581040595557067/permalink/1686354905025635/

 

November 14th - Gobble Till You Wobble! (Grand Prize - Kindle)
https://www.facebook.com/events/559407924255395/

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Denise Devine is a USA TODAY bestselling author of romantic comedy, contemporary romance and she also loves to write inspirational fiction. She wrote her first book, a mystery, at thirteen and has been writing ever since. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. She writes about true love, happy endings and stories that touch your heart. For more information, visit her Amazon Author Page or her website.

Have you subscribed to the Sweet Romance Reads newsletter yet? If not, you can sign up here.


Want the latest news? Join us at the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe to chat with our authors.
 

Sweet Christmas Kisses 3
On sale now for only 99 cents!

Amazon - http://indi.uno/1i9UeJv
B&N - http://indi.uno/1JsnLXM
Kobo - http://indi.uno/1ErAkUy
iTunes - http://indi.uno/1NFPAA5
Google - http://indi.uno/1Ep9cp2


 https://www.facebook.com/events/559407924255395/

A Christmas Conspiracy by Patricia Forsythe

     

I hate to say this, but I think my fellow Sweet Romance Reads authors are trying to make me gain weight.  Autumn and Christmas goodies have been cropping up with alarming regularity on our blog, and frankly, I take this personally.  I mean, seriously, how is a person supposed to resist making (and devouring) Christmas Cut-out Cookies, and Harvest Cookies?  If I press my nose close to my computer screen, I swear I can smell them enticing me to make a place for them in my cookie jar – and on my hips.

It’s a conspiracy, but it’s also the holiday season.  This is the time when we bake, or otherwise concoct, things we would never touch otherwise.  Fruitcake, anyone?  It’s a traditional Christmas treat.  Even though it’s much maligned, I suspect there are people who really like it and would eat it at other times of the year if they could only find it.  On the other hand . . . eggnog?  Would anyone drink that in the middle of August?

And what about things we remember from our childhoods?  Family recipes that our elders made that we’ve never quite replicated?  My grandmother made the best popcorn balls, a skill I’ve never been able to master.  Auntie Gladys was an artist with pound cake and cinnamon rolls, and Aunt Christine punched out a mean doughnut . . . .

See?  There I go, falling into the conspiracy of Christmas treats.  Well, now that I think about it, baking and eating a few Christmas goodies wouldn’t be so bad, would it?  I mean, really?  Who am I to buck centuries of tradition?  Hm, think I’d better run to the supermarket.

If you’d like to join the conspiracy, please stop by our Sweet Romance Reads Café on Thursday, December 10^th for a party and recipe exchange.  We’ll be featuring recipes for cookies, pies, cakes, breads, and any number of other indulgences.  Come join the fun!

Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter which comes out three times a year and features sweet, romantic short stories.  Just look on the righthand side of this screen, scroll down, and sign up.

Patricia Forsythe is the author of many romances, both traditionally and electronically published.  Her current release is in the Sweet Christmas Kisses 2 anthology.  Lucky Break Christmas: Second Honeymoon is the story of two people trying to make a marriage work in spite of bad luck, a crazy hometown, and interfering family members.  Visit her at patriciaforsythebooks.com.