The Miracle of the COVID-19 Vaccine...by Kristin Wallace

Today, I'm getting my first COVID-19 vaccine shot. Here in the U.S., most states are using the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Astra-Zeneca vaccine is awaiting final approval for emergency use. The fact that we have three vaccines that were developed so fast is a modern-day miracle. 

There is a lengthy period of trials and testing here in the U.S., which includes exploratory phases, pre-clinical trials, new drug applications, and 4 phases of vaccine trials. Everything has to be vetted and approved by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It's easy to see how this process can literally take years. 

Look at how long it took to develop other life-saving vaccines:

- Polio - Around 3 years, but that was only after decades of research

- Measles  - Around 2 years

- Mumps - 4 years

- HIV - The first trials for a vaccine began in 1987 (and they're still ongoing)

The fact that it took around 9 months for four vaccines to be developed and approved for emergency use is absolutely amazing. A truly heroic effort by scientists and medical experts that will end up saving millions of lives. I don't know that we would've had this result at any other time in history. 

Hopefully, it will allow us to return to normal life soon.

Have you been vaccinated yet? 

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. Look for CHRISTMAS CHARADE, a brand-new Covington Falls Chronicles book as part of the Holiday Fake-Out box set. 

Christmas Charade - Covington Falls Chronicles

The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama. 

Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.

   

 

AMAZON  /  ITUNES  /  BARNES & NOBLE   /  KOBO 

(Google Play coming soon!)

A #Halloween Decorating Idea by Kristin Wallace

I can’t believe it’s October already! In so many ways time seems to have stopped mid-March and yet the calendar keeps changing.  

I wanted to share something a little more lighthearted this month. It’s a Halloween decorating idea that is super cute and easy for even non-crafty people (which I definitely am) can do. 

 

Now I did not come up with this idea on my own. I was in Party City looking for decorations to put up in my apartment for my roommate’s birthday a couple weeks ago. Since the Halloween decorations were already out in full force, I looked around and came upon a display of clear round ornaments with tiny Halloween-themed lights inside them. 

 

At first I wanted to buy the ornaments, but of course, they were just for the display for the lights. Still, I loved the idea so much that I decided to make some for my apartment. 

 

I bought 8 sets of lights, including ones with tiny pumpkins, ghosts, spiders, and bats, as well as simple colored lights. I also bought a string of lights with pumpkins on them. Mine came from Party City, but I’m sure you can find similar lights at other stores. 

 

Then I bought clear plastic balls at Michaels. Again, you might have another craft store that sells something like that. Since Christmas décor is also already out they aren’t hard to find. 

 

NOTE: Make sure you get ornaments that come with two halves that you fit together. If you get the regular ornaments with only a small hole at the top the lights won’t fit. (I realized this after buying the wrong kind of ornaments.)

 

Then you put batteries in the lights, put them inside one half of an ornament, and snap the two halves together. Then you can hang them wherever you want. 

 

It turned out really nice. 

 

The best thing is, I can change out the lights inside the ornaments for different holidays. I’ll probably try fall colors for Thanksgiving and then red & green for Christmas. 

 

Do you have any cool Halloween decorating ideas? Please share them with me! 

 

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She is the author of three popular series, Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. 

Road Trip and an Excerpt ~ Jean C. Gordon

My husband and I are recently back from a bus tour (my first) to Lancaster County--Amish Country--Pennsylvania. Confession #1: I am generally not an Amish fiction fan. But a group of friends invited us to join them, and the tour included the play JESUS at the Sight and Sound Theater. Confession #2: I've been to lots of high school plays, but I'd never been to a professionally produced play before. Also, the tour was stopping on the way at a Chalk Talk, which sounded intriguing.

The Entryway to the Chalk Talk

Chalk Talk is an old-time storytelling form in which the storyteller illustrates his/her story while telling it. It was fabulous. Our tour guide bought the storyteller's pastels drawing and raffled it off on the way home. One of my friends won the picture.

Next up was dinner at an Amish home, followed by checkin at the Eden Resort, where we stayed overnight. The next morning, we stopped at an Amish Bakery and a quilt shop, where I took several pictures for my daughter and another friend who quilt.

Then, on to the theater. We couldn't take any pictures or videos inside, so you'll have to take my word for it that the scenery props were breathtaking, the acting and singing were exquisite, and the story was wonderful.

Afterwards, we stopped in the gift shop in the theater basement. It was about the size of our local Walmart. Our time in Lancaster ended with dinner at an Amish buffet.

Our Travel Group

Have you ever taken a bus tour? Where?

I had another first on the way home. I hosted my segment of the Small-Town Christmas Wishes Series Release Party in the Sweet Romance Reads Cafe from our tour bus. This is a sweet/inspirational series from Sweet Romance Reads authors Cindy Flores Martinez, Jackie Castle, Kimberly Rose Johnson, Josie Riviera, Pat Simons, and me. Each is a standalone story that can be read by itself. If you haven't read my story and need some enticement to, read the except below.

Small-Town Christmas Wishes

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Welcome to Snowflake, Colorado—a small town where wishes come true! When six old high school friends receive a letter that their fellow friend, Charity Hart, wrote before she passed away, their lives take an unexpected turn. She leaves them each a check for $1,500 and asks them to grant a wish—a secret wish—for someone else by Christmas. It sounds simple but the friends soon discover that it isn’t as easy as it seems! With the clock ticking, will they make it happen in time?

Join Mia, Caro, Nate, Sara, Holly, and Taye on their journey to make a wish come true—and find love along the way.

Excerpt

Caro Price opened the door to the This and That Shop, her mind and heart heavy with her long-time friend Charity’s last request. A request she and five of her high school Bible club friends had just heard about at the Green and Son’s law office. While she had once considered the five others close friends, she’d rarely seen any of them after her first couple of summer breaks from college. A pang of regret pricked her. She’d severed the roots she’d worked so hard to establish as a teen. Things had seemed so simple then. She didn’t know if she’d ever get that feeling of belonging back again.


She scoured the variety store’s displays for the blue and silver tinsel ropes her grandmother was sure they’d have. How on earth could she honor Charity’s request—to secretly make a real difference in someone’s life by Christmas—with the holiday only six weeks away? She hadn’t lived in Snowflake since she’d left for college fifteen years ago. Even with her grandmother’s updates, she didn’t know enough about what was going on here to choose someone to be a secret angel to.


“Mommy,” a red-haired little girl shouted. “Look. It’s our Jesus people. The ones that got lost.”


“Hope, please come over here and try on these boots.” A woman about Caro’s age with slightly darker red hair lifted a pair of pink and white snow boots and motioned the little girl to her.
“But Mommy, you gotta see.” The little girl picked up and waved what looked to Caro to be a ceramic figurine of the Madonna.


“Careful. Put that down before you break it.” The woman rushed over and took the piece from the girl’s hand.


“Can we get it, Mommy? Daddy said he was going to find our Jesus people … before he got dead.”


While the mother gathered the little girl to her, a tall boy who looked to be in his early teens walked toward them. Something about him was familiar, but she didn’t know any kids that age in Snowflake, or back in Aurora, for that matter.


“Like that was ever going to happen,” he muttered under his breath as he passed by her.


The woman lifted her head and her teary eyes met Caro’s. Caro busied herself rummaging through the pile of garlands on the display. The shop was an eclectic combination of new, gently used—as she suspected the boots the woman held were—and overstock items with some antiques thrown in.


She finally found what her grandmother wanted, but something made her linger. So she turned her attention to a display of holiday socks, remembering how when she was a child, her grandmother had bought each of them a pair of socks for every holiday. Impulsively, she picked up a pair with reindeer for each of them, one in red and the other in black. When was the last time she’d done something impulsive? Certainly not in the ER, where her work was crisis management on the best days and life and death on the worst. Here in Snowflake, away from the hospital, she could breathe again.
The shop bell rang, and Caro looked up to see the woman and two children leaving. She meandered over to the nativity scene. It was beautiful, the figures glazed in vibrant colors.


“Lovely, isn’t it?” The store clerk startled her, making Caro glad she hadn’t been holding the figure she’d been reaching for.


“Yes, it is. May I ask where you got it?” The little girl’s words bounced around her head.


“From an estate sale.”


Then it probably wasn’t the actual nativity scene the little girl had been talking about. But one like it.

“It was made by a local artist, now deceased, in the early 1900s, one of several.”


Caro nodded and lifted the tag attached to the creche. $299!


“Are you interested?” the clerk asked.


“No just curious. Thank you.” Curious and looking for an easy out for her friend Charity’s request. But, like the secret angel gifts they’d made in high school, Caro believed any gift she made with Charity’s money—if she chose to keep the money and make a gift—should make a real difference to the recipient. She wasn’t sure giving the little girl the nativity scene fit that bill. Caro had a sad feeling that the little girl’s family might need more practical help to brighten their Christmas. Besides, Charity had left $1,500 each for their gifts. Despite the way the little girl—Hope she’d thought the mother had called her—had tugged on Caro’s heartstrings, she had to think bigger.

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Annual Back to School Celebration...by Kristin Wallace

It's the most wonderful time of the year...no it's not Chrismas...yet. It's a wonderful time for parents as kids head back to school. I don't have kids myself, but I do enjoy seeing all the posts showing those "First day of (fill in grade)" pictures all over social media. Although, I have to admit that seeing pictures of high school friends who are now dropping their kids off at COLLEGE really freak me out. Aren't we all still 17? No one I know is old enough to have kids that age.

Seeing the kids in their brand new clothes as they head off for another year brings back a lot of memories. I remember taking that list of school supplies to the store and hunting down everything you need. Pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, protractors, Trapper Keepers. Getting new textbooks that we promptly covered with brown paper bags, which we then “decorated”. In some schools, they don’t even have textbooks anymore, but a tablet like an iPad. I guess it does save their backs from having to cart around so many books, but you can’t cover them with a paper bag and draw on them.

There’s the wonder of getting your first locker, which didn't happen for me until Junior High. Or what we referred to as Junior High. Now, I think it’s called Middle School in most places. Where I went to school, we were in elementary school until fifth grade. Then some County official thought it would be a great idea to send all the sixth graders to one school. Can you imagine? A whole school of 11-12 year olds in one place? That’s like the basis of a horror film, right?

So since I can't share back to school photos of my kids, I will share a couple featuring a VERY cute little girl who happens to be me, circa Kindergarten. 

   

So tell me your favorite “Back-to-School” memories? Did any of you do the brown paper bag book covers? What kinds of traditions do you have with your kids now?

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, is available now. 

AMAZON  /  APPLE BOOKS  /  B&N   /   KOBO 

Chicken Noodle Soup For Your Taste Buds by Kristin Wallace

Everyone has been talking about food lately, with many of my fellow #SweetRomance authors sharing recipes. Yesterday was #NationalDoughnutDay. Is it a coincidence that a gourmet doughnut shop just opened within walking distance of my place? They make all these amazing flavors like the chocolate on chocolate with chocolate mousse filling pictured here. Plus, they had white chocolate, dulce de leche, cookies & cream, and key lime pie, among others. Is it a conspiracy to get me to eat more doughnuts? Maybe! 

 

However, I also want to show that I’m trying to eat healthier. Tonight I cooked homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s not my recipe. In fact, I stole it from my parents…who got it off the back of the chicken bouillon jar. It is DELICIOUS and so EASY to make!

Here’s the recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Start with chicken bullion. I like the “Better Than Bullion” brand for this recipe. It’s not a powder or cubes like some brands. It has more of a thick paste consistency so it’s creamier. 

Ingredients:

·       6 Tablespoons of chicken bouillon 

·       Half of a rotisserie chicken diced into small pieces (Note: You can use whatever chicken you want, but it does need to be cooked. Rotisserie chicken is easy as you can buy it cooked at the store. You can use more than half of the chicken, it just depends on how much you like)

·       8-10 cups (2 ½ quarts) of water

·       A package of frozen vegetables (I use 2 small bags, 1-corn and 1-mixed as I like a lot of corn and most frozen varieties either don’t have corn or only a very little. Use whatever veggies you like though.)

·       Egg noodles (This recipe says to use 6 ounces but I say screw that! The noodles are the best part! Use as much as you want!)

Directions:

·       Dissolve the bouillon in the water in a large pot

·       Add the chicken (diced), frozen vegetables, and egg noodles

·       Bring to a full boil

·       Lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the egg noodles are soft.

·      ENJOY!

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her latest book, SECOND CHANCE HERO (Palm Cove Tales), is available now.

   AMAZON  /  APPLE BOOKS  /  B&N   /   KOBO 

May New Releases from Sweet Romance Reads Writers

Julia

Vickie McDonough

The War Between the States may have ended, but prejudice is still strong among the families journeying together on a wagon train headed down the Santa Fe Trail.

Julia Scott is traveling to New Mexico with her father and younger brother. Her pa fought for the North in the war where her two older brothers lost their lives. Pa is looking for a fresh start in a new place, but Julia just wants him to be happy again.

Taylor Marshall, a Southerner who fought for the Confederates, is on his way to Colorado to raise horses. He’s attracted to Julia, but her father adamantly forbids them to talk to one another.

Circumstances continually throw Julia and Taylor together, and their attraction grows. Will a forbidden romance bloom? Or will they go their separate ways when the trail splits?

Available for pre-order on Amazon

Mail-Order Mishaps

Vickie McDonough, et al

Dreams of Finding Mr. Right Go Wrong in the Old West
in four novellas

The Marriage Sham by Vickie McDonough

Texas, 1888

Mail-order bride Zola Bryant is devastated. Her newlywed husband is dead. But even worse, they were never truly married because the man who wed them was an outlaw not a preacher. What will she do now that her life and reputation are in tatters?

Other novellas:

The Bride’s Dilemma by Susan Page Davis
Romancing the Rancher by Linda Ford
The Galway Girl by Erica Vetsch

Available on Amazon

Finding Love Again

By Margaret Daley

Two wounded people, too afraid to trust...

Laura Williams first encounters high school principal, Peter Stone, when he suspends her son for fighting. New to town, the widow and mother of four struggles to hold her family together.

Peter is drawn to Laura and wants to help her and her son, both of whom are hurting, but he's no stranger to pain. It's a daily struggle to overcome his own past. Will these wounded souls find love again, or will rocky pasts destroy all hope for a happy future?

Available on Amazon

Lone Star Standoff

By Margaret Daley

Presiding over the trial of a powerful drug cartel member, Judge Aubrey Madison finds her life threatened, and Texas Ranger Sean McNair isn’t taking any chances. Protecting the widow and her twins comes naturally to Sean—maybe too naturally for a guy who’s convinced he shouldn’t have a family. But he can’t help wishing for a future with Aubrey…if he can keep her alive.

Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo and Google Play

Sweet Horizons

By Jean C. Gordon

There’s nothing like a wedding to bring people together, but family dynamics can be complicated, especially newly blended ones.

Sonja Cooper is thrilled that her daughter Lauren is marrying Jesse Brewster and giving her a ready-made granddaughter in the irrepressible 3-year old Shelley. The fact that Jesse is also Sonja’s business partner in the launching of the Morrison Mansion B&B is just a bonus.

Custom bike shop owner Jeff Brewster is also delighted that his son Jesse is marrying Lauren and building a new family. The one awkward aspect is the unexpected attraction he feels towards Sonja. For although Sonja feels the same spark, having been burned in her divorce from Lauren’s father, she’s determined never to be dependent on a man again.

Then the Indigo Bay Business Association pits Sonja and Jeff against each other by having their businesses compete for the coveted “New Business of the Year Award.” All’s fair in love and war, but hearts don’t always listen!

This is the 3rd novel in the Indigo Bay Second Chance Romances series, but all books can be read as standalones.

Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and  Kobo  

(Pre-order now; Releases May 23)

Opposites Attract

Lyn Cote

What could unite a disgruntled DA and the pretty teacher, responsible for his hung jury? Perhaps a little boy in need of love . . .

Young and eager, Patience begins her first year of teaching. One first grader, Jackson, sparks her concern. Can she help him start off his school years on the right foot? She knows first hand what getting a reputation for trouble may do to a child’s future. A stint of jury duty takes her out of the classroom, away from Jackson, and into conflict with Jackson’s dad, by-the-book DA Gil Montgomery. Her “not guilty” vote means he’ll have to try the assault and burglary case over again. And she’s upset that her absence had a bad effect on Jackson. He’s been branded the “class troublemaker,” just what she was trying to prevent.

After Gil’s wife left him, Gil and his ex-wife’s conflicting parenting styles continue to jeopardize Jackson’s emotional well-being. As irritated as Gil is with Patience, he soon realizes she is the key to helping his son. And Gil wants to be a better father than his dad was to him. Patience is willing to help. But is Gil willing to “hear” her as she uncovers evidence for the re-trial that could change his mind about who assaulted Bertha Perkins and stole her valuable antiques?

Four unlikely couples find opposites do attract even in the Shadow of Myster~

Available on all online bookstores, click below.

https://booksbylyncote.com/SWBS/books-by-lyn/the-heart-hopes

It's Another Bargain Books Day

Don't Miss These Deals

99-Cents Through May 17 Only

Ellie Alexander is in love. And the only thing sweeter would be if Libby, Natalie, and Stephanie, her three unmarried, unattached granddaughters, could find the same happiness. Maybe with a little help from her and her beau Blake Parker . . .

A Match Made in Williamstown by Jean C. Gordon — Libby Schuyler has avoided dating since her break-up with college-sweetheart Jack Parker. Out of nowhere, Jack shows up claiming Ellie is swindling his grandfather, Blake, through a travel agency partnership they’ve formed. Libby and Jack team up to protect their grandparents and get to the bottom of Ellie and Blake’s business and romantic relationship. While Libby and Jack fight their reignited attraction, Ellie and Blake conspire to bring the two together.

A Match Made in Freedom by Lisa Belcastro — Stephanie Gould loves life on Martha’s Vineyard . . . until she runs into Kay and Tim, her former business partner and her ex-fiancé, who just returned from their honeymoon. Surprised by the heartache she thought was gone, Stephanie heads to the Berkshires to visit family and friends. Arriving in Stockbridge, Stephanie meets Captain Henry Lewis. Little does Stephanie know, her grandmother has already met Henry, and Ellie thinks Henry is perfect. Stephanie has no interest in dating, Henry included. If only Henry didn’t turn up everywhere Stephanie goes. When he walks up beside her at the Norman Rockwell Museum, Stephanie can’t deny her attraction, but she’ll do her best to fight it.

A Match Made in Sheffield by Terri Weldon — Natalie Benton bounced from one foster home to another until she landed on Ellie Alexander’s doorstep. Natalie’s vagabond childhood caused her to yearn for a secure life, which led to Natalie’s five-year plan: complete her law degree, marry the perfect man, become a partner at Montgomery, Haynes, and Preston, and produce one child. Getting arrested wasn’t in Natalie’s plan. Needing a public defender wasn’t in her plan. Falling for Grady Hunter, her public defender, definitely wasn’t in her plan. Can Grady convince Natalie there is more to life than her five-year plan? Is Ellie the only one who sees a future for Natalie and Grady?

Christian Romance —Free for Kindle Unlimited Members

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