Audiobooks for the Family by Shaleen Kapil

When I begin driving cross-country, as I will be here in just over a week, I love to listen to audiobooks. It makes me eager to get back on the road. But I’ve also learned that the audiobooks force me to slow down my pace (I’m a fast reader, finishing an average size book in 4 hours), and that means that I remember the book for a much longer time.

But since having kids, I’ve had to rethink which books I choose to listen to in the car. I have an 8-year old son and a 6-year old daughter. Romances and mysteries seem inappropriate. I tried one that I thought was sweet and tame enough (while they watched a movie), but it still made me uncomfortable when my son stopped to listen.

Sure, sometimes we listen to kids stories like Geronimo Stilton and The Magic Tree House Series, but they are only an hour long, and I have to feign real interest. So, last year I spent some time thinking of choices the family might enjoy. My list is a little unusual, but here it is:

1. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper: Technically a YA book, but it is written with broader appeal. This is more like the grown-up language of the Hunger Games than the childish language of The Lightning Thief. Yet, I have several friends who have read this book aloud to their elementary-age child. The main character has cerebral palsy and a photographic memory. She is brilliant, yet she can’t do the things other children can do.

2. The Girl Who Chased the Mood by Sarah Addison Allen: Sarah Addison Allen always writes lighter, magical books, but this one really shines. Some of her books have darker undertones like murders, but this one is more secrets and less dead bodies under trees (like The Peach Keeper). A girl moves to a town and tries to find the answers to secrets about her family and the town.

3. Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Coast Trail by Cheryl Strayed: A memoir from Strayed about hiking the PCT. This was made into a movie. She does talk about her mother’s death and her own divorce, but I think any questions wouldn’t be too embarrassing to answer.

4. Emma by Jane Austen: How can you be surprised that she landed on my list? Romance in the most gentlemanly way. Emma is safer than explaining why Kitty is in trouble in Pride & Prejudice.

5.The Alchemist by Michael Scott: Again, this is technically YA Fantasy, but it is fun for adults. It is another play on old myths and legends. Warning: there is a lot of violence but it is magical and against mythical creatures, so more like Harry Potter in that way. I fell into this series on accident when I was supposed to be reading The Alchemist by Cuelo (another safe read, but it is more philosophical than fun for a road trip).

What family-friendly suggestions do you have for me this year?

Shaleen is a writer, yoga-teacher, professor, and avid reader. She typically reads up to four or five books at one time. One self-help, one non-fiction (these days on urban planning), one fiction for upstairs, another for downstairs, and perhaps another on Kindle. Find out more at www.shaleenkapil.com or Like her on Facebook.

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Who We're Meant To Be by Patricia Forsythe

On my bulletin board, I have a quote from Dolly Parton that says, “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”  I’ve also heard it said, “Be who you’re meant to be.” 

No one could say that Dolly Parton isn’t an original.  She is uniquely talented and gifted in many ways.  Early on, she figured out what she wanted her look and her personality to be – big hair, big bosom, big nails, big heart.  She’s never swerved from that.   She’s well into her sixties and is proud of who she is because she was smart enough to find her path at a young age and stick to it.

Not all of us are so lucky.  Figuring out who we are is actually harder than it might appear to be.  So many people have expectations of us – friends, family, colleagues, strangers.  Most of the time, how we see ourselves is completely different than how others see us.    

When creating book characters, it’s fun for authors to play around with this idea.  A book heroine might see the hero as big and scary even if he is sexy.  His sisters will see him as their sweet baby brother or a big old teddy bear.  It’s all about perception.

Who says we can’t change the way we are or the way people see us, recreating ourselves just like an author creates characters?  How many times have we heard someone say they hit rock bottom and were so low, depressed, and discouraged that they had nowhere to go except up?  Then, they went on to become exercise gurus, famous chefs, entrepreneurs, or just better people.  I know this sounds a little preachy, but even at a late age, we can discover who we’re meant to be.  I’ve decided I want to be a master gardener.  So far, I’m really good at pulling weeds, but it’s a start.

How about you?  What would you like to recreate about yourself? 


Patricia Forsythe is the author of many romances, both traditionally and electronically published.  Her next book will be Her Lone Cowboy, a Harlequin Heartwarming novel available in June 2015.  Visit her at patriciaforsythebooks.com.

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Oh, the places you go....

Do you like to travel?  What are some of your favorite places?  I'm such a homebody that I'd be happy to simply stay at home in the Upper Midwest, where the lovely spring rains have turned the

landscape into endless shades of lush green, and the crabapple tree by our house is blooming.

This morning is rainy, which I love, so I went outside and snapped a photo. When the rain stops, it will be time to plant the garden! Not that I have a green thumb--except for the weeds--but it's such fun to imagine that, maybe this year, everything will grow in orderly fashion, and produce loads of vegetables.   :)

 Though I love being at home, my husband earns trips through his company now and then.  We recently got back from our first trip to the Virgin Islands.  It was so lovely there! Lovely beaches, beautiful turquoise water, and oh, the tropical fish!

Have you ever been snorkeling?  I never had, it was such fun see to schools of colorful fish swirling through the water just a foot or two away.

And now...I am imagining the story I would like to write, set in this beautiful place.  A sweet romance...or maybe a romantic suspense...

Do you have travel plans this summer?  What are you looking forward to the most, now that warm weather is on its way?


God bless,
Roxanne Rustand

Roxanne is the author of over thirty-five traditionally published novels, three self-published novels and a novella (A Scottish Christmas) which is part of the Sweet Christmas Kisses anthology.
www.roxannerustand.com    www.facebook.com/roxanne.rustand

Grandmothers on Mother’s Day

While browsing through my old blog posts I came across the following one that brought tears to my eyes. It was published on my own blog in May 2008:

Today I celebrated Mother’s Day as a daughter, mother and grandmother. My son-in-lay invited four generations of women to lunch. My daughter and her two little daughters, 4 and 2, and my son’s daughter, 3, visiting from Chicago, my mother and myself.
Lunch was lovely. We ignored the spilled glass of orange juice, the I-don’t-like-it whining and the crumbles forming a hidden mess under the table.

It took fifteen minutes to sit the ladies for the picture of the century. Moving my mother and her walker to a strategic place, and then having her hold on the rail of the restaurant's entrance stairs wasn’t too difficult, but gathering three laughing, squealing and squirming little girls and having them stand still for two seconds was an enormous challenge. But the effort was worth the pain. The children are growing too fast and we don’t know how long we will be blessed with my mother’s presence.
Sometimes Mother’s Day is a difficult time. I know it is extremely difficult for my cousin who lost her mother’s a week ago. For her and her family, Mother’s Day consisted in a trip to the cemetery to deposit flowers on a new grave.
 Enjoy your mothers and enjoy your day as a mother.

My mother left us two years later.

To honor her I wrote a romance novel called MOTHER'S DAY BABIES, a novel full of emotion and humor, and dedicated the book to “the mothers we celebrate on Mother’s Day and those we remember with love.”

 I had two great models for my middle-aged heroine, my mother and mother-in-law. Both always spoke their own minds and distributed good advice whether you wanted them or not.

My mother-in-law was a funny person with a sharp wit.

My mother told us to always 'look your best'. She practiced what she preached. Mom professed that being nicely dressed, combed and jeweled helped her forget she was a very sick person. The assisted living residents complimented her and tried to follow her example. The staff admired her positive attitude.

Most of my books include a grandmother among the characters. Depending on the setting of my stories, the children call her grandma, abuelita, nonna, yaya, or baboushka, but the grandmothers in my various novels have a lot in common.

Like my mother and my mother-in-law, they adore their grandchildren, cook delicious meals, and often meddle in their children’s life —for the children’s good, of course. They are strong women who have encountered their shares of problems and learned life’s lessons from personal experience. They are also generous mothers who would go out of their ways for their families.



This book is my contribution to a box of mostly sweet romances, LOVE BLOOMS ON MAIN STREET.
Barnes & Noble Pre-Order: http://ow.ly/LCayI
Kobo Pre-Order: http://ow.ly/LCaC4
Amazon http://ow.ly/LF60i

Mona Risk is a USA TODAY bestselling author of sweet--and not-so-sweet--romantic comedies. You can view all her books at www.monarisk.com or sign for her newsletter. 

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Spring Cleaning Tips by Donna Fasano

Spring always puts me in a cleaning mood. I want to scrub off the winter doldrums, open the windows, and let in some fresh air. Here are some of my favorite cleaning tips for those pesky jobs.

To freshen up your garbage disposal: Run water into drain, full hot. Turn on garbage disposal and pour in about a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent. Let water and disposal run until the suds are rinsed away. Or grind up slices of lime or lemon peels while flooding the drain with hot water.

Coffee-maker Maintenance: Mix 2 cups white vinegar with 2 cups water in the coffee pot. Pour the vinegar water into the reservoir and press the "brew" button. The vinegar mixture will remove the mineral deposits from the heating element. You might even see bits of it in the "brewed" mixture. If you do, mix a new batch of vinegar/water solution and brew again. Then brew plain water several times to rinse the inside of the coffee-maker.

Burned food in the bottom of a pot: Add a squirt of liquid dish detergent and half an inch of water to the pot. Bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the water cool to room temperature. The burned food should clean up quickly.

Accumulated grease on cookie sheets: In a GLASS bowl, mix ¼ cup baking soda with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a thick paste. Smear mixture on cookie sheet and scrub with small, circular motions, pressing firmly. Rinse and repeat until cookie sheet is clean and shiny. Wash sheet with soapy water and rinse well before using. Don't get the cleaning mixture on your clothes. It could remove the color from fabric.

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For sluggish drains: Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by ½ cup of white vinegar. Cover and let bubble for a few minutes. Then flush with a couple quarts of boiling water.

For a stale-smelling microwave: Mix 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave until the water boils, about 3-5 minutes. Steam will collect on the interior walls, loosening any greasy residue. Wipe down with a paper towel for a fresh, clean microwave.

Wood Floor Cleaner: An 85-year-old friend recommended white vinegar to keep wood floors sparkling clean. Add 1 cup vinegar to a gallon of warm water and sponge mop.

Narrow-necked Vases: If you can't get your hand down the neck of your flower vases, use Alka-Seltzer. Fill the vase half full with water. Drop in 2 Alka-Seltzer tablets and let the fizz do the dirty work for you.  Drain and rinse.

Range Hood Filters: Once a month or so, soak hood filters in hot, hot soapy water. Rinse before replacing. This will keep them grease-free and in good working order.  

Clean Cutting Boards: For wood cutting boards, sprinkle with course salt and rub with ½ a lemon. Plastic cutting boards can be run through the dishwasher. Once a month or so, soak plastic cutting boards in a mild bleach solution (2 tablespoons bleach to 2 quarts of water).

Garbage Container: wipe the inside and outside with a soap solution (1 teaspoon dish soap to 1 quart warm water). This will get rid of any lingering odors or messy drips.

I'm always looking for tips to make cleaning faster and easier. What tips do you have to offer? 

~  ~  ~

Donna Fasano is a USA Today Bestselling Author who has written over 30 romance and women’s fiction titles. She's a 3-time winner of the HOLT Medallion and recently won the Books & Pals Readers' Choice Award for Best Romance. Learn more about Donna at her blog, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Sign up for her newsletter to learn about her new releases. She loves to hear from readers. 

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In Defense of the Rose...Or Not by Melinda Curtis

I've always loved roses. My grandmother had a beautiful garden which featured various varieties of roses. My mother planted roses throughout her garden. I love their buds. I love it when they open. I love the sweet smell. And I especially love to be given a bouquet of roses! Sigh...

When my husband and I bought our house, my mother planted three different varieties of roses in our backyard. A beautiful yellow climbing rose, a traditional red rose, and a circus rose (which have always reminded me of the yellows and pinks of sherbet). Now, 25 years later, those rose bushes still thrive, but the trunks are thick and you could open an IV with the thorns, they're so very long, thin, and sharp!

I've tried cutting them back regularly. They come back with a vengeance - almost like a weed! My climbing rose has been sending shoots underground and toward my brick walkway. My husband cut back the circus and red roses because they sent shoots into the pool filter equipment. I've starting to think of them like the plant in the Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey II) - don't turn your back!

Is this any way to think about my beloved roses? Is there a plant or flower that you've developed a love-hate relationship with?

Melinda Curtis is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes both sweet and steamier romances. Her latest release - One Perfect Year - is a sweet, light-hearted romance from Harlequin Heartwarming.

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Lyn Cote Reviews an Amish Romance, A Wedding for Julia

A Wedding for Julia by Vannetta Chapman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm not a regular Amish reader but I've enjoyed two of Vannetta Chapman's Amish romances, The Christmas Quilt and now this book.

This is a tried and true romance trope, THE MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE. I always enjoy these stories where people fall in love after they are married.

In Indiana, Julia is an only child of parents who were blessed with her in their later years. She's a dutiful child but one with a dream, to run an Amish cafe in her home.

All seems smooth till she discovers that upon her mother's death UNLESS SHE IS MARRIED she will be homeless and must go to her parent's relatives in PA, a place she's never known.

At the age of 37, she does not want to leave her hometown but the only way she can stay is if she marries.

Enter Caleb, the man who delivers her groceries every week (I think many of us would like that service!). Caleb is a newcomer from the Amish PA and has admired Julia from afar. He has long given up the idea of marriage till he find Julia in tears.

And mix in an Amish teen suffering from betrayal by someone she loved. This adds another dimension to this charming story.

This is an especially tender romance with a stirring climax. I highly recommend this story to those who enjoy Amish as well as those who enjoy a sweet romance! Do you enjoy Amish stories?--Lyn

View all my reviews

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