Not just because we had our first substantial snow this season and the temps were freezing – that’s expected in my neck of the woods.
No, I had a very busy day yesterday and it’s still busy right now at 3:40 in the morning here on the East Coast.
On Wednesday’s I visit my parents who live in the next state over from me and, basically, take care of them for the day. I do their grocery shopping, cook for the week for them, clean their house, and do any errands they can’t do since Covid hit. My parents don’t drive – and never have – so I am their errand girl, picking up their prescriptions and shopping for their needs. They have been social isolating since February because they both have underlying health concerns. Since I am truthfully the only person they “see” if they get sick, I know it’s because I brought it into them, so to say we have all been diligent in preventing that wouldn’t be a lie. So that was my morning.
Now, unless you’ve been living under a rock and not following me ( lol) you know that BAKED WITH LOVE released yesterday.
Release day for an author is a busy one for a myriad of reasons, none of which I’ll go into here. Suffice it to say I logged in mucho hours yesterday on my social sites. The reviews that have come in so far have been amazeballs, so at least that’s one worry off my back.
I did a podcast with author/blogger Kristine Raymond. That episode released yesterday, so I had to listen to it to make sure I sounded coherent ( I did, most of the time) and then because I wanted to garner support for her podcast, and let’s be honest – my book – I did a large scale social shoutout for it over all my sites as well.
When the mail arrived yesterday afternoon I received the loveliest of surprises. One of my readers sent me a beautiful holiday gift. I embroider myself so I know just how much time and effort went into making the 8×11 counted cross stitch. If you don’t sew, believe me when I say it’s considerable!
And…just so you understand the reason I’m an insomniac ( because there aren’t enough hours in the day, truthfully!) today I’ve got an extra blog piece over on the Romance Gems about what’s coming up for me in 2021.
No rest for the weary, peeps. Today I’ve got a full schedule as well!!
Covid has forced a change in our Holiday shopping habits in 2020. Cyber Monday may still be a thing, but BLACK FRIDAYmay turn out to be an even bigger digital sale day.
So, having said that, many of my romance books are on sale for #99cents right now, making your digital shopping not only easy, but economical, too!
And dont forget my website store! All the print books listed there are just #10.00 waaaaaaaaaay below Amazon, B&N, Kobo and all the others charge! WAAAAAAAAAAY BELOW ( just in case you did’t hear me!)
My friend and writing sistah RONI DENHOLTZ, is the latest WRP author to have a book in the DEERBOUNE INN series. MEET ME AT THE INN is the second Deerbourne Roni has penned!
Here’s why Roni decided to do a second book in the series:
“At the end of “Enchanted Vermont Nights,” Tarren is dumped by her boyfriend, Chad, who attempts to go back to his old girlfriend, Tarren’s cousin Brianna. I felt sorry for Tarren when I finished that novella, and decided she deserved a happy ending, too! So I wrote “Meet Me at the Inn!”
Just look at the gorgeous cover:
Blurb
Actress Tarren Reilly is still smarting from being dumped by her former boyfriend–whom she stole from her cousin. Reeling from the pain she has caused, she agrees to a fake relationship for publicity reasons.
Country singer Clint Jackson has wanted Tarren since they first met, Together, they visit the Deerbourne Inn for the Thanksgiving holiday, where he plans to suggest they take their phony relationship to the “friends with benefits” level.
Both Tarren and Clint are dealing with personal issues from prior entanglements. As they draw closer, can Tarren and Clint deal with their pasts and turn a pretend relationship into the real deal?
Excerpt
“We should enjoy a comfortable night at the inn.” She replaced the phone, meeting his eyes. “Everyone thinks we’re sleeping together.”
It popped out of his mouth. “We could be.”
Tarren stared at Clint as a shimmer of excitement swept up her spine.
They could be? Yes, they could be sleeping together, but–
“What I mean is,’ Clint continued, his eyes gleaming, “everyone thinks we’re a couple, for real. We’re already friends. We could be–friends with benefits.”
Roni Denholtz is the award-winning author of 20 romance novels and novellas; 9 children’s books; and over a hundred short stories and articles. She lives in beautiful northwest New Jersey with her husband and adopted dog.
She has volunteered with school organizations, her local animal shelter, and served as President of New Jersey Romance Writers. She collects girls’ series books like the Nancy Drew mysteries. She enjoys traveling, photography, and most of all, reading!
So you all know I write a monthly blog column/post for THE ROMANCE GEMS blog. It’s the 27th of every month and the topics vary. Today, though, I’ve got an extra post and there’s a little gift/giveaway attached to it. Hop on over and check it out — and make sure you leave me a comment so I can enter your name in my little contest. THE ROMANCE GEMS
Multipublished, talented author CHRYS FEY joins me today to talk about Christmas music, holiday parties, and her newest book FROZEN CRIMES, book 5 in the Disaster Crimes series.
Here’s Chrys…
I love Christmas music! With Frozen Crimestaking place during the winter season, I was able to write about a Christmas party Beth and Donovan have at their house. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mention a couple of my favorite songs, such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by The Carpenters and “Where Are You Christmas?” by Faith Hill.
During one specific scene, I had to find a fun song with a beat that could get pregnant Beth and her sexy husband Donovan moving and dancing together. I didn’t want to use “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree,” because, well, I don’t like that song. (Sorry.) I was listening to my Christmas playlist on Spotify when “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey came on. I started to bopped around in my chair while writing about the Christmas party. I was having fun and knew right away that song was the answer. Picturing my characters dancing to that number and having fun made me smile.
EXCERPT # 1
“All I Want for Christmas Is You” came on next. When the beat picked up, Donovan rocked back and forth to it. Beth laughed. This wasn’t exactly a great song to dance to in someone’s arms, with its fast tempo, but Donovan had some moves, and her belly didn’t even deter him. She bopped to the music, moving her shoulders, lifting her hands into the air, and shook her hips back and forth. Laughter bubbled out of her mouth.
Mariah Carey, the diva herself, and Donovan’s dance moves were the two things that could get Beth out of her funk. The lyrics were perfect, too. All she wanted for Christmas was Donovan. Him and only him. This Christmas and every Christmas after it. Forever. And ever.
EXCERPT #2:
Later that evening, after snacking on delicious hors d’oeuvres and chatting with their guests, Beth went looking for a free seat to take a load off. Literally. She rubbed her belly. Her feet were killing her, even barefoot. Plus, another one of her all-time favorite songs was on—“Where Are You, Christmas?” by Faith Hill—and she wanted to be able to lip-sync and act it out like a fool where no one would be able to see her. She headed for the dining room, where not many people had been all evening, planning to plop down in one of the chairs around the table and fake belt out this epic song.
Songs Mentioned in Frozen Crimes:
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by The Carpenters
“All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Michael Bublé
“Where Are You, Christmas?” by Faith Hill
Other Christmas Songs I Listened to while Writing Frozen Crimes:
“Carol of the Bells” by August Burns Red
“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” by John Lennon
“Last Christmas” by Wham!
“Do You Hear What I Hear” by Carrie Underwood
“Carol of the Bells” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
“Carol of the Bells” by Mannheim Steamrollers
A QUESTION FROM CHRYS: What are your favorite Christmas songs?
FROZEN CRIMES…..
When disasters strike around every corner, is it possible to have a happily-ever-after?
BLURB: Beth and Donovan are expecting their first child. Life couldn’t get any better…until a stalker makes his presence known. This person sends disturbing messages and unsettling items, but it isn’t long before his menacing goes too far.
Hoping for a peaceful Christmas, Donovan takes Beth to Michigan. Days into their trip, a winter storm named Nemesis moves in with the goal of burying the state. Snowdrifts surround their house, and the temperature drops below freezing.
Except, the storm isn’t the only nemesis they must face. Everyone’s lives are at stake—especially that of their unborn child. Will they survive, or will they become a frozen crime?
To get the exclusive prequel to the Disaster Crimes series, sign up for Chrys’ newsletter. By signing up, you agree to receive Chrys Fey’s newsletter. After you confirm subscription, you will receive an email (so check your inbox and spam folder) with directions on where to snag your eBook copy of THE CRIME BEFORE THE STORM.
Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com
I’m nervous and excited at the same time!!! On October 14, not only does my new San Valentino Holiday RomCom MISTLETOE, MOBSTERS, & MOZZARELLA release into the book reading world, I’m also having an entire day Facebook Party/event to celebrate it. This is a first for me and I am wicked angsty! Hee hee
I’ve been a guest at many a FB event, but never the hostess and driving force. It’s not easy, either. There’s a bunch of stuff involved behind the scenes but I think I’m getting it all done correctly. I guess we’ll see on the day of the event, won’t we?
I have a wonderful array of author friends joining me, everyone from my WRP sistahs to my NHRWA sisters! All genres of romance will be on display, too, which is great. Like a really fabulous dinner party, it pays to have an eclectic group in attendance.
Here’s the schedule of my lovely friends who are helping me celebrate:
Please take a minute and join me, read an excerpt from the book, and make a comment so you can be entered to win at the rafflecopter! You gotta be in it to win it!
It is ALWAYS such a pleasure for me to host my guest today. Amazeballs writer JOANNE GUIDOCCIO has been a writer-friend for almost 5 years – ever since she hosted me on her own blog when my very first book released. Joanne is a one-click author for me because her books take me away from the world for hours of reading pleasure, and today, she’s here, talking about her newest release NO MORE SECRETS.
If I wasn’t already an avid reader of her work, I would become one just based on the blurb for this book, alone.
Here…come visit with Joanne ~
Inspired by Two Francescas
Twenty-five years ago, I sat with eyes glued to the big screen as Meryl Streep assumed the role of Francesca Johnson, an Italian war bride, in the romantic drama, The Bridges of Madison County. Based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller, the film focuses on a four-day love affair between two middle-aged lovers, Francesca and Robert Kincaid, a National Geographic photojournalist brilliantly played by Clint Eastwood.
Having spent years in a passionless marriage, Francesca falls deeply in love with Robert and contemplates leaving her loyal husband and teenage children. Here’s a moving excerpt that captures Francesca’s dilemma:
Francesca: Robert, please. You don’t understand, no one does. When a woman makes the choice to marry, to have children; in one way her life begins but in another way it stops. You build a life of details. You become a mother, a wife and you stop and stay steady so that your children can move. And when they leave, they take your life of details with them. And then you’re expected to move again only you don’t remember what moves you because no one has asked in so long. Not even yourself. You never in your life think that love like this can happen to you.
Robert: But now that you have it…
Francesca: I want to keep it forever. I want to love you the way I do now the rest of my life. Don’t you understand…we’ll lose it if we leave. I can’t make an entire life disappear to start a new one. All I can do is try to hold onto both. Help me. Help me not lose loving you.
Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that I needed tissues for the last third of the movie.
One year later (1996), I watched the movie on VHS with my mother, another Francesca. She was also moved by the storyline and provided her own perspective on the affair.
Five years younger than Francesca Johnson, Mama also left Italy during those post-War World II years. Mama settled in the Italian section of Sudbury (Canada), while Francesca Johnson ended up in the lush countryside of Iowa. I gather from the book and film she was the only Italian in that town.
As Mama’s thoughts traveled back to the late 1950s and early 1960s, her eyes glistened with tears. She shared her own stories and those of friends and relatives who had emigrated to Canada and the United States. As I listened, I started to imagine writing a novel about an Italian woman’s immigrant experience.
I was still teaching at the time, but I managed to come up with a very rough outline of the storyline. And then, I put it aside when the details of my own life became more challenging.
While cleaning out my files in 2018, I discovered the outline. I revamped the storyline, adding three more POVs, a psychic companion, and a more contemporary setting.
Take a look at No More Secrets…
Blurb
Angelica Delfino takes a special interest in the lives of her three nieces, whom she affectionately calls the daughters of her heart. Sensing that each woman is harboring a troubling, possibly even toxic secret, Angelica decides to share her secrets—secrets she had planned to take to the grave. Spellbound, the nieces listen as Angelica travels back six decades to reveal an incredulous tale of forbidden love, tragic loss, and reinvention. It is the classic immigrant story upended: an Italian widow’s transformative journey amid the most unlikely of circumstances.
Inspired by Angelica’s example, the younger women share their “First World” problems and, in the process, set themselves free.
But one heartbreaking secret remains untold…
Excerpt
Angelica smiled at her nieces. “You’re probably wondering why I’ve summoned you here in the middle of winter. I didn’t want to wait, in case…”
The three women exchanged alarmed glances.
“Ma said you were better,” Velia said.
“Did something happen this week?” Nora asked.
“I have been given a reprieve,” Angelica said. “I wanted to talk with each of you while I was at my strongest.”
An awkward silence followed.
Angelica sighed. It was going to be more challenging than she thought. She had hoped for more signs of openness. Right now, the three of them had reverted to wariness. “I’m hoping we can all share without judgment. As the eldest, I will start, but before I do so, I’d like all your assurances that you will follow suit. I don’t want to be the only one baring my soul.”
Each niece lowered her head, avoiding contact with Angelica and each other.
“Sharing is caring,” Angelica said in a sing-song voice.
Each woman smiled in spite of herself. But still, no promises were made.
“All right then,” Angelica said as a note of exasperation crept into her voice. “Let’s make a deal. If I succeed in shocking you, then you have to share.”
The younger women exchanged glances and smiles.
“Why now?” Nora asked. “Aren’t you afraid we’ll share your innermost secrets with our mothers, who will, in turn, broadcast them across Canada and Italy?”
Angelica laughed wickedly. “Go ahead, but do keep in mind that both of them have weak hearts.”
“I’ll share,” Teresa said in a loud voice that startled everyone.
A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Joanne Guidoccio writes cozy mysteries, paranormal romances, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.
Peggy Jaeger, Author 