Category Archives: Family Saga

First Dates…

My dear writing friend and multi-published author, Susan A. Wall  is celebrating 20 years of togetherness with her man ( which is wicked awesome, isn’t it??!) and that got me to thinking about relationships and first dates.

I’ve been very open about my first date with hubman because it set the tone for our relationship and marriage. For those of you who don’t know the story – and there can’t be many because I talk about it ad nauseam!  –  for our very first date we flew to Boston for the day from NYC. I’d never been on a plane before so it was uber exciting from that standpoint alone, but we toured the city and then wound up in the North End for a delicious, multi-course dinner.  Believe me, I was not watching the calories at that meal! A quick flight back to NYC because he had to work the next morning, and I had knew I was in love forever.

When I write about first dates, I always try to give the couple something memorable to do. In my newest release FIRST IMPRESSIONS, Pat and Clarissa’s official first date out and about is when they go to a Boston Red Sox game. It’s her first professional ballgame and it signifies a big change in their relationship when the game ends. Here’s a little sumthin’ sumthin’ from the day:

When Quentin handed her the huge chocolate ice cream laden with rainbow colored sprinkles, stuffed into a plastic baseball cap with the team’s logo on the side, Moira grabbed him with her free arm and kissed him soundly.

Pat snuck a glance at Clarissa, and, while he handed her a soda and sat down, whispered, “I’d like to think I’d get the same kind of thank-you from you if those two weren’t around.”

Without even thinking about the consequences, Clarissa snaked a hand around his neck and pulled him in for her own kiss.

When her lips spread over his warm and full mouth, she didn’t care who saw them or knew what they were doing. He felt so damn good and tasted even better.

“Oh. My. God!” she heard Moira cry.
“Don’t look now,” Quentin said, a laugh flowing out of him, “but you two are on live television.”

Clarissa pulled back when the words registered. She quickly found the jumbotron across the backfield wall and sure enough, she and Pat were front and center. The entire stadium shouted catcalls and cheers. Before she could take a breath, Pat grinned and pulled her in for another kiss, this one heart-stoppingly hot. She could hear the cheers reaching a fever roar, and the irony of the situation pushed through her mind.

When Pat pulled back, grinning, her hand still around his neck, she took a moment to catch her breath.

Clarissa experiences many firsts with Pat throughout the book that set the tone for their relationship….much the way that first date flight to Boston did for my hubby and me.

So, what was your first date with your significant other? Memorable? Laughable? Regrettable or unforgettable? Details, please, so let’s discuss….

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Skating on the edge of romance

Today is wednesday, so that means it’s  MFRWBookHookBlogHop day! Click on the link down below to find your new favorite author… but first

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here’s a snippet from my very first book SKATER’S WALTZ. Tiffany and Cole are visiting their family home in Carvan, Ct and things are getting heated and hot between them….

Her finger roamed down to the corners of his mouth, outlining them, then on to the small dent in the middle of his chin. An impish grin fanned across her face. “I remember being little and wondering if I smoothed this line away would I be able to see inside you, like it was a door or some kind of opening to your insides. Dumb, huh?”

“Sweet,” he said, softly. “Little girl sweet. Never dumb.”

Her eyes traveled up to his and locked there.

“When I got older I wondered what it would be like to kiss it.”

His breath hitched.

“Would it taste like soap, left over from shaving, or would it be all spiky and nubby because you missed a few hairs. Or would it taste uniquely like you do. I still wonder about that.”

“Tiffany.”

Knowing what he was about to do, and to whom, should have sent him jumping off the couch, running in the other direction. Instead, when his head came down to hers all Cole could think about was how much he wanted to taste her again, how he wanted to lose himself in her, and how both those feelings somehow seemed right, even though he knew they shouldn’t.

Her body tensed as he inched closer. When his lips finally captured hers, she turned fluid under his hands.

Her smooth, small body slackened beneath him as his lips gently moved across hers, tasting them, savoring them. Releasing his grip on her arms, he leaned on his elbows and ran his fingers into her hair, cupping her face while holding fistfuls of the glorious mane.

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Virtual Book Tour Begins…

Hey, Peeps – I’m starting my Goddess Fish Virtual Book Tour today on Reading Romances. Click on the link to read my interview and if you leave a comment you will be entered into a rafflecopter drawing! Sweet- visit me, maybe win a prize.

I’m talking about my new release FIRST IMPRESSIONS, book 3 in the MacQuire Women. This is Padric Cleary and Clarissa Rogers’ story.

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Virtual Reality hits home!

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This tuesday I will embark on my very first VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR through Goddess Fish and I can’t wait!! 8 exciting weeks of visiting blogs and answering questions related to writing and life to promote my newest release FIRST IMPRESSIONS. I’ll be live blogging about the events on the days they occur, but here’s a list of my planned stops.

I hope you can join me on my very first BOOK TOUR!!! And don’t I lovelovelovesaying that.

October 6: Reading Romances
October 13: Rogues Angels
October 13: It’s Raining Books
October 20: Romance Novel Giveaways
October 27: BooksChatter
November 3: Booklover Sue
November 10: Jbiggarblog
November 17: The Reading Addict
November 24: Lisa Haselton’s Reviews and Interviews

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Our Sexy Date ~ #MySexySaturday

Welcome to the 112th week of My Sexy Saturday.

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This week’s theme: Our Sexy Date

A sexy date could be anything: the day they first went out, the day they first kissed, the day they got married. It could be a couple’s sexy anniversary date or maybe a date they met for the very first time. It could be a date in space, a foreign country or just around the corner. Now matter the particulars, just make it sexy, sexy and sexy. We did mention sexy…right?

Sexy can be anything, such as romantic moments like walks on the beach, a home cooked meal or even in another galaxy. It could be two lovers here on Earth dreaming about the day where they go on a magical vacation to another planet. Or staying right here at one of those wonderful places we can find in our own world.

Readers want to see those characters, the ones who can’t get enough of each other as well as ones who are fighting their way back to being part of the world once again. These are the types of characters they can’t forget, the one they want to take home and keep forever. Readers love the kisses, the looks or touch of each and every one of our characters.

Sexy has nothing to do with looks or status or even wealth. It doesn’t demand perfection and it isn’t pretentious but it does make us want to read those books.

We know that everyone has their own idea of sexy and we all love sexy! CLick on the link down below and hop to other sexy blogs.

But first, here’s a SEXY DATE between Clarissa and Pat from my newest release FIRST IMPRESSIONS. Who knew picking apples could be so much fun…or so sexy?

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“Come on. Let’s pick.”

They strolled along row after row of apple-laden trees, looking for the perfect additions to put in their pail. The fresh, pungent smell of the fruit ripening on the trees, the cool, subtle fall breeze billowing about them, even the riot of changing colors in the panorama of hills surrounding them, all had Clarissa thinking this was a perfect day. She wanted to memorize every part of it.

At one point, Pat pulled out his phone and said, “Let’s get a picture of your first time.” He pulled her in close and with the orchard framed behind them, held up the phone.

“A selfie? Really?” She laughed out loud. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen. Smile like you’re having fun and enjoying this.”

“I am,” she said, facing the camera and doing as he asked.

She heard the shutter click several times before he lowered the phone. “How many did you take?”

“A couple.” He played with the phone for a few seconds, then stuck it into his back pocket. “You need a few to get the perfect shot.”

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Tech”NO” savvy!

I’ve never kept it a secret I am technically backward. I truly believe I am not made to live in the digital age. I don’t find  technology  intuitive, user-easy, or even logical. Plus, I’m a kinesthetic learner, so I need to do something innumerable times before I understand it and can be left on my own without the fear of wiping an entire hard drive clean, or blowing up a PC or emptying a bookmarked library.

This brings me to my newest need-to-learn item. I’ve already suffered through learning how to program an Ipod, Ipad, Smart phone (ever wonder why they are called that? Because they are waaaaaaay smarter than me!), and my MAC laptop. And by suffered I mean it in the literal-ist sense of the word. It seems whenever I actually master a device, it becomes obsolete and I need to upgrade and shatter the learning curve again.

But I digress…I was talking about my newest techno-need.

At my book signing last weekend, I accepted cash or check for payment. A few lovely people wanted to know if I accepted credit cards. Good Lord, how could I, I thought? I’m not a business, not in retail or sales. Well, yes, apparently  I am. So, how does one who does not own a store or a  credit card machine accept credit cards you ask? Well, I’ll tell you. Square.

That’s right, you heard me. SQUARE. S-Q-U-A-R-E. Never heard of it? I hadn’t either until last weekend and today I bought one. Square is this little teeny device that looks like…well… a square,  like this:square

See? It’s shaped like a square. It attaches to your smart phone ( told you they were!) like this:

Square-Registerand you can do credit card transactions with a swish.

Now, there was an app I had to download onto my phone ( a friggin’ nightmare, but I did it!) and then a series of commands you had to follow to attach your “sales” to an actual money account ( another friggin’ nightmare!) but I did it and when the app did a test transaction, everything seemed to go okay. The whole process took me waaaaaaay longer than it would have taken someone from the age of birth to 35, but the end result was I DID IT and now when I go to my next book signing at the NJRWA conference this month, I can actually offer a credit card transaction to anyone who ( please, GOD!) wants to buy one of my books.

And just when I think I’ve got a handle on this, I heard the other day on the news  there is a new Iphone out. ***** le sigh****

Listen, support an author through the normal channels: Amazon or directly from The Wild Rose Press! My newest book FIRST IMPRESSIONS is out and here are the official buy links. Use them….you’ll be happier and I’ll be…well, less techno challenged.

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Take me out to the Ballgame…

 

Welcome to MFRWBookHookBlogHop. Click the link down below to join the hop…maybe you’ll discover you next favorite author.

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 Before you do, here’s a little sumthin’ sumthin’ from my newest release FIRST IMPRESSIONS. Baseball is America’s sport and when Pat takes Clarissa to her first professional game, well, more than just the balls fly…sparks do as well. Here’s a taste of the day….

When Quentin handed Moira the huge chocolate ice cream laden with rainbow colored sprinkles, stuffed into a plastic baseball cap with the team’s logo on the side, Moira grabbed him with her free arm and kissed him soundly.

Pat snuck a glance at Clarissa, and, while he handed her a soda and sat down, whispered, “I’d like to think I’d get the same kind of thank-you from you if those two weren’t around.”

Without even thinking about the consequences, Clarissa snaked a hand around his neck and pulled him in for her own kiss. When her lips spread over his warm and full mouth, she didn’t care who saw them or knew what they were doing. He felt so damn good and tasted even better.

“Oh. My. God!” she heard Moira cry.
“Don’t look now,” Quentin said, a laugh flowing out of him, “but you two are on live television.”

Clarissa pulled back when the words registered. She quickly found the jumbotron across the backfield wall and sure enough, she and Pat were front and center. The entire stadium shouted catcalls and cheers. Before she could take a breath, Pat grinned and pulled her in for another kiss, this one heart-stoppingly hot. She could hear the cheers reaching a fever roar, and the irony of the situation pushed through her mind.

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Book signing reflections…

On Saturday, Sept. 26th I had my very first official book signing event. I know! booksigning1

It was wonderful seeing so many friends and a whole bunch of people I hadn’t connected with in a while. My heart was overflowing with the love and support that came my way for those 3 hours. It was hosted at Kristin’s Bistro and Bakery  in downtown Keene on one of the most beautiful Autumn days we’ve had so far. You all know I lovelovelove the Fall and  New England is without doubt the best place to be on the planet during the time of year. While I was able to visit with friends – new and old – Marsha (Kristin’s lovely mom) kept the chocolate chip and cranberry scones and cider coming and I swear I gained 5 pounds just from inhaling the delicious aromas wafting through the establishment.

booksigning2Sales were amazeballs, but aside from that, it was wonderful the amount of people who came out to support a local writer. After the radio interview I did on WKBK with Dan Mitchell on Thursday, I really did hope I’d get a good turnout, and I did. Never let anyone ever discount the power of the radio or word of mouth. It works.

So what did I learn from my first official signing I can take with me for the next one?
First and foremost, don’t be so nervous! I woke up that morning with a pain in my stomach like I was in labor again.  I couldn’t eat, my hands were shaking and all I could feel was a sense of doom – no one would show up, or people would and would laugh at me. Why? I have no idea, but it was running through my head the whole time. When I saw the first few people who came in were dear friends I hadn’t seen in a while, I started to feel a little less nauseous. The gig started at 11 and by 11:30 I was able to breathe again normally.

Second, thank everyone, even those people who just stop and take a free scone and don’t buy a book! Manners matter and the perception of how you conduct yourself, even with people who aren’t fans, is important.

Third, be gracious. I heard from several woman this phrase, “I’m so proud of you!” I kept thinking, “Why? I haven’t cured cancer or done anything noble.” The declaration was usually followed by another statement like this: “You took something you had a passion for and made it happen. Not many women take a chance like that.” This surprised me because most of the gals saying it, I consider movers and shakers and risk takers.

Fourth, have food and drink available for your guests. The scones were – no surprise – a big hit, but I heard so many people say how nice it was to have apple cider on a Fall day. Thank you again, Marsha, for your foresight!

Fifth, make sure you have all your media stuff  like bookmarks, postcards, business cards, available. A few people came in to Kristin’s just to get their daily baked goods, coffee, et al. They weren’t there to see me ( silly fools!),but several did stop and listen to me talk to someone I was signing for, then took a few business cards, or post cards with them, so perhaps they’ll get home and look me up on one of my media sites, and decide to give one of my books a try. ‘Nuff said.

Last, learn that it’s okay to promote yourself. I truly do not like talking about myself. It makes me feel…conceited somehow.  But if I’ve learned anything these past 6 months, it’s that as a writer in this present time, you  need to self promote as much as you can. How you do it -graciously and without being obnoxious – is as important as the need to do it. Writing is a crowded society right now. To stand out you have to write something good and be willing to put yourself out there to sell it.

All in all it was a wonderful day. Next one is the New Jersey chapter of RWA conference in October, where – Yippie – I’ll be signing again. Hopefully, my nerves will be much less then. We’ll see….

FirstImpressions_w9816_2_85FIRST IMPRESSIONS available now!!

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It’s Release Day!! Yippie!

I am sosososos happy to introduce you to my next installment of the MACQUIRE WOMEN. FIRST IMPRESSIONS is book 3 in this wonderful family’s story.

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Reputation is everything when you live in a small town…or is it?
Family Practice Doctor Clarissa Rogers’ first impression of Padric Cleary is biased and based on gossip. The handsome, charming veterinarian is considered a serial dater and commitment-phobic by his family and most of the town. Relationship shy, Clarissa refuses to lose her heart to a man who can’t pledge himself to her forever.

Pat Cleary, despite his reputation, is actually looking for “The One.” When he does give his heart away, he wants it to be for life. With his parent’s marriage as his guidebook, he wants a woman who will be his equal and soul mate in every way. 
 
Can Pat convince everyone – including Clarissa – she’s the only woman for him?

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One Sexy Boy

This week’s theme for My Sexy Saturday is: One Sexy Boy

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We all know it just takes one sexy boy to get us going. That boy will turn into the man of our dreams. They can start out on the wrong side of the tracks, the right side of the tracks, the rich side or even the poor side. They can be good or they can be bad, we will love them all the same. They can space ship captains or one who is hired to protect us with their lives. They can be farmers and casino owners and the list goes on and on. But all of them started out as one sexy boy. They give us hidden looks, a longing gaze, with love’s promise shining in their eyes and all the things that come with love.  We love sexy and it’s always so fun to share.

Readers want to see those characters, the ones who can’t get enough of each other as well as ones who are fighting their way back to being part of the world once again. These are the types of characters they can’t forget, the one they want to take home and keep forever. Readers love the kisses, the looks or touch of each and every one of our characters.

Sexy has nothing to do with looks or status or even wealth. It doesn’t demand perfection and it isn’t pretentious but it does make us want to read those books.

We know that everyone has their own idea of sexy and we all love sexy!

Here’s a snippet from my new release FIRST IMPRESSIONS.

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When she heard Pat’s low, calm voice, she realized where the kitten was. She donned the shirt he’d pulled off the night before in his haste to get as naked as she and padded out to the kitchen.

He stood at the stove, shirtless, low-slung sweatpants covering a butt her fingertips itched to squeeze. The muscles in his back rippled while one hand turned the bacon in a frying pan with a fork, the other held the kitten close, her little body perched up on one of his massive, naked shoulders. The sight of this big, brawny, hard as steel-bodied man holding the tiny kitten so lovingly, stopped her heart.

“Your mommy should be waking up soon,” Pat told the kitten, rubbing his chin along its back. He pushed the frying pan to a back, unlit burner. “Let’s get you fed.” He turned and spotted her.

“Hey.” His wide smile disappeared almost instantly. Placing the kitten down on the floor, he moved to her lightning quick. “Clarissa, what’s wrong?” He pulled her into his arms.

“Nothing’s wrong.” With a sniff, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Then why are you crying?” His hands smoothed up and down her back, the natural heat from his body warming her inside and out.

She pushed away and swiped at the tears. The eyes peering back at her were filled with worry. She touched his cheeks, the feel of the scratchy stubble across them igniting something deep and sensual inside her, and said, “Because I’ve never woken up happier in my life as I did two minutes ago.”

His brow cleared and his grip tightened.

Visit My Sexy Saturday to discover a whole bunch more super sexy boyfriends.

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