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. 

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Why September Is My Favorite Month ~ Jean C. Gordon

September is my favorite month for so many reasons. First my birthday is in September and our wedding anniversary is September 8. Second, September weather is usually nice, not too warm, not too cold. Also living in the Hudson River Valley between the Adirondack Mounts and the Catskill Mountains, we get beautiful fall foliage. And there's local apple cider and apples of all colors, descriptions, and flavors. I favor a nice crisp Empire apple, but there are so many other tasty ones, too.

September is also back-to-school time in our area. I was nerdy enough to look forward to going back to school, right through college. Then, there was getting our daughter and son off to school and, after that, putting our granddaughter and grandson on the bus.

This September, I have another reason to like the month ~ the debut of my holiday story Caro's Gift, which I really enjoyed writing. It's Book 2 in the Small-Town Christmas Wishes series from six Sweet Romance Reads authors:

1. Mia's Gift by Cindy Flores Martinez
2. Caro's Gift by Jean C. Gordon
3. Nate's Gift by  Jackie Castle
4. Sara's Gift by Kimberly Rose Johnson
5. Hold's Gift by Josie Riviera and
6. Taye's Gift by Pat Simmons

They can be read individually, but the overarching premise of each book in the series is so heartwarming, you won't want to miss a single one. All six are available for preorder for 99-cents now and will release together on September 30 at 99-cents for a limited time.

Small-Town Christmas Wishes

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.

Caro's Gift
Friendship, memories and wishes are powerful things and in the small town of Snowflake, Colorado they combine to form a memorial to a lost friend. Following her death, Charity Hart left six of her close high school friends, including Caro Price, fifteen hundred dollars each and an assignment to use that money to grant someone else’s secret wish by Christmas.

Temporarily back in Snowflake to help her beloved grandmother recover from an illness, nurse practitioner Caro is on the hunt for a recipient for her secret angel gift. A chance encounter in a specialty store focuses Caro’s interest on a red-headed little girl fascinated by a nativity scene.

Caro’s grandmother has matchmaking on her mind as she pushes Caro and her neighbor, Simon Novak, together. It turns out that Simon coaches the little redhead’s older brother at the high school. With Simon’s help, Caro tries to learn more about the family and it quickly becomes apparent that the widowed mother and her two children are struggling financially. But is there more going on than meets the eye, for Caro sees flashes of fear in their eyes.

Christmas is the season of wishes, and Caro, with God's guidance, is determined to make one little girl’s dream a reality! And, maybe, just maybe, fulfill a dream of her own!

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The holiday are just around the corner... Roxanne Rustand

I don't know about you, but the older I get, the faster the months and years seem to fly. Goodness--seems like summer just started, and here we are in September!


Something that makes the holidays seem even closer is that I've been working on five Christmas novellas--and now I have the covers.  Makes it seem more real, looking at the cover art!  Here are two of them.

It was such fun writing these sweet romances, that take place in London, Ireland, Scotland, Paris and Montana.  Adventure, the Christmas holidays, and finding that perfect someone when my heroines least expected it--it was a joy to read "The End" on each of them.

But it isn't so easy, trying to think up a series title!  The cover artist kindly came up with "Coupled by Christmas" because I am so slow and inept when it comes to naming anything. Especially a series!   :)

Do you like that one, or do you have any ideas that would work?
If you have any thoughts either way,  I would be grateful!

Thanks in advance!

Blessings,
Roxanne Rustand

Lyn Cote Asks for Feedback

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THANKS for any feedback. It's hard to know what image or words will attract someone who has not read anything by me before. So tell me what you think. DON'T HOLD BACK! Lyn Cote (PS-This book isn't on sale yet, but for more info, click here.)

Sour Cream Fudge Cake with Butter Cream Frosting by Donna Fasano

This cake is rich, moist, and chocolaty, the filling is decadent, and the frosting adds just the right sweetness. I recently baked this cake for a special occasion and it was a huge hit! Give it a try.

Sour Cream Fudge Cake with Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

For the filling:

1/2 cup Nutella Hazelnut Spread

For the butter cream frosting:

1 stick butter

3 cups confectioner sugar

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°. Spray two 8 or 9 inch round pans with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, sour cream, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally, for about 3 minute. Divide evenly into pans.
3. Bake until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, about 28 to 32 min. Do not over bake! Allow cakes to rest in the pans for 15 minutes. Remove from pans and place on wire rack. Cool completely! (If cakes are not cool, the Nutella filling will melt and you'll have a mess on your hands.)
4. For the frosting: Beat the butter with electric mixing until fluffy. Add confectioner sugar, sour cream, and vanilla, and beat until combined, fluffy, and of spreading consistency.
5. Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread Nutella on cake, top with second layer, and spread frosting over the top and sides.

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This month, I am offering my book HER FAKE ROMANCE for just 99¢ for Kindle readers. Here are a few reviews:

“I loved the emotional build-up with just the right amount of sexual tension.” ~Kindle Reader

“…strong characters, heated passion.” ~Romantic Times

“The author's style was pure delight, fun and funky. Modern and very entertaining. I never would have thought that a fake romance could be so funny and emotional at the same time. HJ Top Pick!”  ~HarlequinJunkie.com

About the book:

“Mom, get a life!”

Her teenage daughter's words are daunting. True, struggling single mom Julia Jones hasn't had a date in over a decade, but she could still catch a man--if she needed to! So Julia, who claims not to want a husband, finds herself entangled in a fake romance.

Ryan Shane is tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome. And he just so happens to need a no-strings date himself. Their plan is perfectly thought out. Until a conveniently staged good-night kiss turns into very inconvenient passion...

This book contains bonus material that includes several delicious recipes! Grab this deal in the Kindle Store.

Happy Eating and Happy Reading!

Christmas Next Door by Vickie McDonough

For many people, the first of September is the beginning of the Christmas season. I'll admit that I always used to start my holiday shopping early, sometimes even before September. It sure made December less stressful, and it allowed me to shop for deals. Now that my kids are all grown, we've pared down on gifts, so shopping doesn't take very long.

As a prelude to Christmas, I'd like to tell you about my newest release: Christmas Next Door.

This was a fun collection that I did with my good friend, Susan Page Davis. The main idea was Susan's concept. We created a small Texas town, and every year at Christmas, the pastor's wife and daughter request donations for baskets for the poorer families. The whole town takes part. Each year, a mysterious benefactor has donated the meat. No one knows who that person is, and it creates quite a stir as the townsfolk guess who it might be. Join us for a visit to Wiseman, Texas at Christmastime. We hope you enjoy meeting the townsfolk and help them to solve the dilemmas they're facing. 

One interesting note, our publisher had the proposal for Christmas Next Door five years before finally buying it. So if you're an author with a proposal at a publisher, don't give up hope, even if it takes a long time to hear back.

Click here to purchase on Amazon

Click here to purchase at Barnes and Noble

Click to purchase at Christianbook.com

Why Gladiolas are Special to Me by Lyn Cote

The photo above is meaningful to me because gladiolas in late summer bring back sweet memories of my mother. Her birthday was the first week of September. We lived at the edge of town with a farm across the road. They grew gladiolas and had a stand on the highway nearby every year. A dollar for a bunch of glads. My brother and I always saved our nickels and dimes and bought her a bouquet for her birthday. Her friends knew this and gave her the large glass vase in the photo to hold this yearly gift. Now do you have something such as gladiolas that bring back memories of a gift given or gift received? Please share.I really enjoyed hearing from you!--Lyn Cote

My latest romance is now on pre-order for 99 cents. It is book 4 in my 'Opposites Attract" series. Each story is connected but each is complete in itself. I rarely discount books other than the first in a series so this is your chance to get my latest for 1/4 the regular price!   Click here for more info.