Stuff..... by Christine Bush

 It took years and years to accumulate all of my marvelous, beautiful, memorable stuff.

It is amazing.

It is breathtaking.

It is also overwhelming.

And pretty much worthless to me today.

Do you have stuff like this?  Extra sets of lovely dishes.  So you could feed an intimate dinner for 36? Hmmm. I’m not doing that anymore.  And if I HAD to, I’d use the absolute best paper plates, probably.

I saved them, of course, for my kids.  Then I tried to give them away.  They were rejected like a case of poison ivy. 

“No thanks,” they said.  “They take up too much room.” How did they get so smart so young?

Then there’s grandmothers hutch (which held the dishes).

“Not our style, thanks but no thanks.” Polite, and definite.

Downsizing is a challenge when you have a lot of “stuff”.  We sold some, but not much.

 It’s emotionally hard to declutter.  There are memories galore.   I solve this by taking pictures of my precious, memorable, loved, (and pretty much worthless) stuff, and store it in the “cloud” (which is like having unlimited closet space, PLUS, you don’t have to dust it!)

And once I got started, it got easier. I found out there are lots of people who NEED a lot of the extras that I have been storing. It’s given me a lot of joy to donate furniture, nick –knacks, and LOTS of books,

 

 I've donated LOTS clothing for folks who appreciate these things, or to make money for a worthwhile cause.

I’m not done, but I’m on my way.  And it’s actually starting to feel good. How about you?  What about your “stuff?”  I’d love to hear! 

Christine Bush is a USA Today Bestselling author of romance, romantic mystery, and suspense.  She can be found living in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania with her husband and 2 lazy cats, and spending time with her 13 grandchildren.   When she’s not writing, she’s teaching Psychology at a local college, and working with clients in her private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist. She loves to hear from readers and writers!

 

Check out her story of romantic suspense, "Almost Anonymous".  When life takes a treacherous turn, Cassandra has to do the impossible to begin again.  And it takes some very unusual friends to find her way to a newer, safer life!

https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Christine-Bush-ebook/dp/B06XDYK512

 

 

www.ChristineBush.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762
http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent

Cruise With Your Muse by Kristin Wallace

Sunrise on the Caribbean

If you’ve been swamped by late-winter storms…I’m sorry. I might make your suffering worse with this blog, which is about the cruise conference I just went on last week. It was a conference with my local writer chapter, Florida Romance Writers…on a cruise ship. We do this conference every other year, but this time I somehow wound up as the conference planner. 

We went on a Royal Caribbean ship from Fort Lauderdale to Cozumel, Mexico. Having a conference on a cruise ship is both wonderful and challenging. The best part is simply hanging out with other authors for four days. Unlike a huge conference like RWA Nationals, we had about 50 people so we really get to know each other better. We also get value time with editors and agents, which you can never get at another type of conference. There were workshops and other group events, including our famous Floridian Idol where 2 pages of a manuscript are read out loud (anonymously of course) and then the panel of editors and agents give their immediate feedback. We also had the honor of hosting NYT and USA Today bestselling author, Jennifer Ashley as our Keynote Speaker. 

The challenges come from the simple fact that you are on a ship in the middle of the sea so you are pretty much at the mercy of the crew. You never know if the projector will work the way it’s supposed to…and it often didn’t. You have to be flexible and try not to freak out if something doesn’t

go the way you planned. (Or at least fake being calm and collected.)

I think the best thing about the Cruise Conference is meeting new people and making new friends. On this voyage, we had authors from Texas, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and even Belgium. Some were just starting out and others were multi-published, both traditionally and indie. I hope we’ll all keep in touch. I know I feel like I made 50 new friends. 

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Her next book, SECOND CHANCE HERO, is part of a new Palm Cove Tales trilogy, and is available for pre-order now.

Second Chance Hero is the follow-up to The Heiress Games trilogy. This story features Serena Douglas, who not only lost the Armington fortune, but also managed to escape the competition without falling in love…or so she thought.

It all starts with a new challenge…and hairless cat named King Tut. Serena has a chance to win a $10 million fortune. All she needs is a job. Too bad the only one willing to hire her is the one man she’s been trying to forget since she was a teenager. 

Pre-order today

AMAZON   /   ITUNES    /     BARNES & NOBLE    /  KOBO

A Who's-Ready-for-Summer? Cover Reveal ~ Jean C. Gordon

 

Leave those below-freezing/below-normal temperatures behind
with Sweet Horizons' cover glimpse into summer.

Starting in May 2019 the Indigo Bay Sweet Romance series continues with six new books in the spinoff Second Chance Romance series. Come fall in love with the small beach town that started it all...

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.

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Counting the days.... by Roxanne Rustand

It's March--and about time!  After a winter of record-breaking cold and snow here in the Upper Midwest, I am so ready for temps above freezing, sunshine and Daylight Savings Time to bring a bit of cheer to this loooong  winter. 

We've been feeding the birds constantly, trying to help them survive the brutal cold, and it just amazes me that they seem to have weathered the Polar Vortex much better than we have! God's amazing planning for these tiny creatures, with their bare, toothpick legs, never ceases to amaze me.

Some of you are in warmer parts of the country, and have no need of 1200 gram Thinsulate boots, hand warmers to tuck into your 200 gram Thinsulate mittens, and layered clothing, but for us, the news that we might reach the mid 40s this next week is a dream come true.

With that in mind, I just have to post a photo of spring to remind us all that it isn't far away.  And I really shouldn't complain about a bit of cold, when so many of us have faced far worse this past year--terrible tornadoes. Mudslides. Devastating forest fires.  Flooding. Hurricanes.

How have you fared? Have you been in the path of any of this awful weather?  I pray that you have stayed safe thus far, and that you enjoy a safe and blessed time this year.
Leave a comment, to be entered into a drawing for a free e-copy of  Comeback Cowboy!

Roxanne Rustand

USA Today Bestselling Author

High Country Homecoming,
Love inspired 6/2019

Montana Mistletoe,
Love Inspired      12/2018

Falling for the Rancher, Love Inspired  6/2017 

Birthday Reflections by Donna Fasano

I hit a milestone birthday last week and I’ve been doing some thinking about how I’ve lived my life. Have I achieved success? Have I helped others? Am I living with purpose? Have I learned from my struggles? Have I been true to my deepest values? Yeah. Deep, deep thoughts, right? 

I’ve spent a large part of my life writing romance novels. Now, I realize that I’ll never save the world with my writing. But I do feel that my happily-ever-after stories have the ability to lift spirits, warm hearts, and put smiles on faces.

One of my most memorable fan letters arrived in the spring of 1995 and was written by a woman who lived in Oklahoma City. She had lost eleven friends and family members in the horrible bombing. One of my Harlequin books came out that same month and the woman said that she had gotten lost in one chapter of my book each night for ten nights. She thanked me for giving her a respite from her grief. That letter made me cry.

Creating characters and inventing stories has brought me a great deal of joy. Will my books change the world? No. But I hope they’ve offered readers a bit of joy. In fact, if my life were a book, I think I’d like the title to be A Little Joy Every Day.

If your life were a book, what would your title be?

Please look for my novels wherever eBooks, Paperbacks, and Audiobooks are sold.

About the author: Donna Fasano is a USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author of sweet romance, contemporary romance, and women's fiction. Discover more about her, her books, and her favorite recipes at her website. 

Can you believe it's already March? Where has this year gone? Have you pulled out your green clothes to wear on St. Patrick's Day? When I was young, I liked to go without green on St. Paddy's Day, because I have green eyes--something most people didn't notice. If someone pinched me, I'd got to pinch them back.

I'm sure ready for spring. My poor pansies have had a struggled to stay alive the past few months. Our winter has been very up and down this year, with more downs than ups. So I stayed inside when I could and spent a lot of time writing. I completed three novellas in three months. Be watching for several new collections that I'm in. The Lady and the Lawman and Christmas Next Door both release this year.

In the meantime, I have re-released a series that was previously published--South Carolina Brides. It was a stretch for me to write these books since my heart lies in the West and I grew up in Oklahoma, but my hubby and I took a trip to Charleston for research, which helped a lot. 
Here's what Mutiny of the Heart is about:

Heather Hawthorne has no reason to like Lucas Reed, the man who deserted her cousin Deborah when he learned she was carrying his child. Lucas Reed is an American whose fight for liberty ruined her father's wealth, which led to his death. Deborah's dying wish is that Heather take little Jamie to his father in Charleston. But how can she leave the child she's come to love as her own with a man who never wanted him?

Here are my new covers for the other two books in my 

South Carolina series

These are a couple of the many pictures I snapped on my 

visit to South Carolina.

As I mentioned, I grew up in Oklahoma, which has only been a state for 112 years. You can imagine my delight at seeing buildings and majestic houses that were over three hundred year old in Charleston. One highlight of our trip was eating at Paula Deen's Lady and Son's restaurant in Savannah. I'll close with one more picture--Paula Deen and me. Wink.

Here's where you can follow me online:

Website: www.vickiemcdonough.com  

Newsletter sign-up: https://madmimi.com/signups/80262/join

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/vickie-mcdonough

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VickieMcDonough

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickiemcdonough

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/VickieMcDonough/

Help Lyn Cote Choose 4 Cover Models~

I am about to talk to my cover artist about a new series of sweet romances. And covers do sell books.
So I need your help finding ATTRACTIVE as in faces that attract your attention and make you want to read their stories. 

I need 4 cover models for this upcoming series, “Opposites Attract.” The 4 are subtitled “Clean and Wholesome Romance in the Shadow of Mystery.”  

I have the first "possibles" on my blog, click here to go and give your opinion. I will hold a drawing of all commenters and give away a few $10 Amazon gift cards to random commenters. Why not help me out?
 Thanks!--Lyn Cote