Land of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

Happy Memorial Day.

While we're enjoying time off from work, family barbecues, parades and cold drinks...please take a few minutes to remember those who fought and continue to fight for the freedoms we enjoy. Freedom isn't free.

Cover and a Teaser...Muffins & Mistletoe, a holiday novella

When this cover arrived in my inbox a few weeks ago, I couldn't stop smiling. In fact, I still can't stop smiling whenever I look at it - it's just a happy cover.

I gave my cover artist a few details of the story and ask for a "small-town, happy" feeling cover. As always Elaina Lee from For The Muse Designs came through and exceeded my expectations.

November 1st is coming up quick and blogging as taken a back seat while I get the final edits done on this story. So, today in celebration of release being only about two weeks away...here is a little teaser from Chapter 1.

MUFFINS & MISTLETOE

(A Starlight Hills Holiday Novella)

Welcome to Starlight Hills! Mountain views, small town charm, and one little bake shop, where romance is always on the menu.

Christmas is the best time of year to be in love in Starlight Hills. Cold nights perfect for snuggling, plenty of mistletoe to be caught kissing under, and an abundance of gingerbread muffins for sharing under the stars. But when Corinne Mackenzie turns down a proposal from the man she loves at the Thanksgiving table, it could be the worst time of year instead. Convinced the only way to fix the biggest mistake of her life is to enlist the help of the town's resident matchmaker, she's got a plan to make this the best Christmas ever.

After his proposal is rejected in front of family and friends, Jimmy Crane knows his only chance of surviving the holiday is to avoid the woman who stomped on his heart. The only obstacle to his plan is his matchmaking mother and Corinne's knack for getting him under the mistletoe.

CHAPTER ONE

     Corinne Mackenzie had no choice but to seek out the help of the town matchmaker.

Her down-filled coat flapped against her knees as she rushed down the street toward the Starlight Hills Civic Center anxious to get out of the cold. The coat did its job insulating her body from Old Man Winter, but nothing could keep the chill from her heart these days. Though the morning sun glistened on the branches creating the illusion of warmth, the wind sliced across her face with it’s arctic blast reminding her it was December. The thirty-foot-tall Norway Spruce stood at the center of Triangle Park to her right. With its boughs adorned with festive red bows, the town’s holiday symbol barely swayed an inch against the same icy gusts that tugged the hood from her head.

Inside the entryway, she stomped the snow off her boots while she did a quick scan of the area for any sign of Jimmy Crane. Then she came to her senses. Of course Jimmy wouldn’t be here. He’d been avoiding her.

She knew it.

The whole town knew it, too.

Her heart sank to her down-covered knees.

Even though she was the editor of the Starlight Hills Herald, Corinne couldn’t stop the small town gossip mill from grinding out the sordid details.

For the first time in her life, she had to screen her calls. Amazing how many men crawled out of the woodwork once word got out she had commitment issues. Which she didn’t. She got scared, maybe she got cold feet—but she did not have a problem committing!

Jimmy must have had been screening his calls, too. Or maybe her number had been blocked. Either way, he’d made it clear he didn’t want to talk to her.

Refusing to step down from the Preservation Society’s Holiday Gala Committee was her last hope at forcing them together. He needed to know how wrong she was, how miserable she was without him. She had to apologize and set things right between them, but how could she when the stubborn man wouldn’t take her calls?

If she had any hope of not losing the man she loved, she had to resort to desperate measures.

Slipping off her coat, she hung it on the rack beside the door and spotted her target. Elizabeth Crane, the muffin baking, matchmaker extraordinaire. Corinne pushed Jimmy out of her thoughts and focused instead on the woman coming to greet her with a bakery bag in one hand and a wide smile on her face. Elizabeth “Bitty” Crane had an uncommon knack for what some would call meddling, but most knew it was pure matchmaking skill. Corinne had never known Bitty to be wrong when she announced a couple fit. If only her brother, Dalton had listened before he eloped with Melanie, but he didn’t, and now he was alone and miserable.

She refused to follow in Dalton’s footsteps, or those of their parents before them. She’d come to her senses, hopefully before it was too late. She wanted Jimmy Crane. They were meant to be together. If that meant enlisting the help of his mother, so be it.

* * *

Corinne and Jimmy's holiday romance will hit the shelves November 1st!

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July!

Today we celebrate our independence day. It's a day to remember the convictions of a group of visionaries back in 1776 who were determined to make their visions of a free society a reality.

The Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 men representing the 13 colonies.

 "Yankee Doodle," one of the patriotic songs in the United States prior to the Revolution. Originally sung by British military officers to mock the unorganized and buckskin-wearing “Yankees” they fought against in the French and Indian War.

Festivities including concerts, bonfires, parades and the firing of cannons and muskets originally were part of the colonists celebration of King George's birthday, this changed almost immediately after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. A tradition which continues today with parades and firework displays all over the country.

A few years after the war ended and each colony adopted the constitution, congress convened again to put forth the original "Bill of Rights."

Today I stand with those who believe in that original document and everything it stands for. Today I stand with those who believe it's time for us to "Restore the Fourth."

https://cms.fightforthefuture.org/july-4th-celebrate-4th-amendment-post-it-everywhere/

Have a safe holiday!

Memorial Day - Honor the Fallen

Today we open up the grills, fill pitchers with sangria and chill the beer. We wave flags at parades and hang them on our houses. We celebrate the official launch of the summer season with our families and friends.

Don't forget to give thanks, salute and observe a moment of silence for the men and woman who sacrifice so we can enjoy the freedom to celebrate in any manner we choose.


Today let us remember, we are the home of the free BECAUSE of the brave!

Amen.

Holiday Singing?

I will be the first to admit that I cannot sing.

11 months out of the year, I belt out the tunes and sing along to my favorite songs ONLY when I know I am alone, like in the car or in the shower. BUT come December, all the restraint goes out the window and I sing along to the holiday music no matter where I am.

In the mall, at the office, in the grocery store...I feel no shame singing along (usually off key) to the strains of White Christmas or Santa Baby. My iPod is loaded up with holiday albums of all old favorites like Johnny Mathis and Bing Crosby - but is also just as loaded with Christmas tunes from Michael Buble and Mariah Carey. (I'm actually a sucker for new holiday releases...much to my family's dismay.)




Last year I started playing a holiday station on Pandora, so for the 5 hours I'm there every work day there is no escaping the sounds of my lovely voice drifting through the office. (I guess it's a small blessing for my co-workers that I'm pretty much alone in my office most of the time!)

What about you? Do you sing along with the holiday music?

And while you're singing along with your favorite tune, why not take a chance in my December giveaway? There's still time to enter! Check out my Rafflecopter below (the prize description can be found here.)


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Take A Holiday Chance

I'm having a December contest!

The prize is a 3-pack of travel sized handmade holiday scented soaps (and one of my new logo pens!)

I recently found Carol of Wild Herb Soaps on the Etsy site and fell in love with the quality of her soaps.

Since I write time travel romance to times when store bought soap wasn't an option - I thought it would be fun to offer some "Travel Soap" for a lucky winner this holiday season!

This December travel set includes small sample sizes of  Christmas Bliss,  Holiday Spice and  Honeycomb Lemon scents for a total of 1.5 oz wrapped in a raffia bow. (Contest open to US residents only, sorry!)

Here's how to enter!


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On the holiday wish list

What I'm Reading: Lakeshore Christmas by Susan Wiggs

What I'm listening to: Holiday music on Pandora

I'm starting to lose count of all my family and friends boasting posting they're done with their holiday shopping. Seriously, some of these crazy people were done weeks ago! (I may have to block them from my Facebook  news feed, it's really starting to annoy me.)

I wish I could be one of those "early-bird" shoppers, but I have several picky hard-to-buy-for people on my list. And the kid's lists are even more challenging, scoring the right color and size for the teenagers is always a fun afternoon. Haha.

The malls are hot. The crowds overwhelming. Sometimes I convince myself a giftcard is the best option, and then I feel like a scrooge for not getting a more personal gift. I do love to shop online - shopping in my PJs is SO much more fun!

Choices, choices...too many choices.

This year when I was asked what was on MY list, I tried to be practical:

Slippers
Socks
Hats
Scarves
B&N gift card (to feed my eBook addiction)

The family told me I am BORING. (Can you imagine?) You see, they KNOW me and they know when it comes to my wish list, I am usually anything but practical.)

So...they want a better list? Here is list #2.

Shearling slippers from LLBean (because my feet are worth $80 slippers right?)
Pandora Charms for my bracelet
B&N Giftcards
Anything chocolate
A new moleskin notebook that fits in my bag
A weekend away (with hubby!)
(Hats, scarves and gloves still apply!)


Not sure that list #2 is so much better than list #1, but at least it's more specific. I'm thinking of printing out the list and hanging it on the refrigerator so there are no excuses when anyone says they didn't know what to get me this year.

How about you? Got anything that's a "must-have" on your list this year?

Happy scribbling and shopping (but not at the same time!)

A Monday Myth - Four days off to write!

Ah yes, the lure of four days off from the day job...what to do with all that time? Yes, I started out with good intentions.

First came Thanksgiving. All the cooking, cleaning, eating and drinking = no writing, all play. (It's a holiday, I feel NO guilt!)

Friday, I woke up with more good intentions to sit at the computer and get some words written on the WIP. I refuse to do the Black Friday thing and instead we stayed around the house, eating leftovers. More company for cake and coffee that night = no writing. (And I did order one thing online...so does that count as Black Friday shopping?)

Saturday, nail appointment (for some festive holiday color and sparkles!) and dinner reservations with family in the early evening = more drinking, more eating and more laughing...but no writing.

Sunday arrived and the lure of the stores and some sales finally called to me. First we went out to breakfast then we hit a few stores, restocked the refrigerator after being full of Thanksgiving fixings, bought a few Christmas gifts on the list and even bought a coat for the new puppy! I enlisted son #2 to sit and watch a romance (While You Were Sleeping) for an online plotting class I'm currently enrolled in. And yes, you guessed it - none of that equaled any time to write.

Last year, the lack of writing for the last four days would have made me sad, would have given me fits of guilt.

This year, I've embraced my lifestyle. I spent these few days surrounded by the family I love, enjoyed leisurely breakfasts and watching the Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. Not every day must be spent in pursuit of ONE goal. The goal of spending time with the family came first these last few days.

But...it's Monday morning and the pull of the WIP calls to me, so it's back to the 5:30am alarm for me.

Hope you enjoyed some time this Thanksgiving weekend doing what makes you happy!

Happy Scribbling my friends.

A Monday Myth - Thanksgiving is a family holiday

THEN:

Growing up I loved Thanksgiving.

Either the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would be on in the den or we'd venture into the city to stand in the cold with the throngs of people eager to see Snoopy and Santa.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was rarely before 4pm to give any relatives attending the parade ample travel time - and there was always those few relatives that didn't drive and needed to be picked up, etc.

Our Thanksgiving table was always filled to capacity with family and sometimes friends. There were the years we had the adult table and the kids table. Lots of good food, wine when I was old enough, and warm family memories will forever be held in my heart.

Before dessert, the sounds of the football games would drift into the dining room from the den and the men would disappear. After dessert the couches and chairs would be full of bodies too stuffed to move and falling asleep to the laughter of jokes and the family chaos a holiday brings.

Thoughts of Christmas and want we wanted to put on our lists floated around the room - all of us comparing what we'd hoped Santa would bring.

The last guest rarely left our house before 11pm.

NOW:

Over the last few weeks my mailbox has been flooded with the ads from the large retail chains announcing their "doorbuster" Thanksgiving day sales that begin at 8pm on Thanksgiving night! These same stores announce their opening on the holiday at every commercial break when I sit down to watch TV at night. (I can't believe they're proud of this behavior.)

For years now Thanksgiving has been overlooked by the stores as an actual holiday - we jump right from Halloween decorations to Christmas decorations. Now it's not at all about family, about the one non-religious day the whole country unites around to give thanks for all the good in our lives - NO, it's now about the start of the holiday buying season - it's about the all-mighty buck.

It's about having no respect for the retail employees who will work their tails off over the next few weeks with ridiculous hours while the stores try to cash in on every single buying second of the day they can. Don't those people deserve to spend a holiday dinner with their families too? I feel terrible for the people that will leave their dinner table at 6pm to be at their registers in the Targets and the Kmarts to greet customers at 8pm.

For me, I have no intention of leaving my house. I will get up and the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade will be playing in my living room - from start to finish. My husband and I will be cooking and my kids will be home - sucking up the memories. Our guests will arrive and they will be greeted with smiling faces, lots of food and the promise of passing out on my couch till after midnight if they so choose!

After dinner the holiday music will be turned on and over dessert and coffee my family will NOT talk about black-Friday sales. For one day, we will give thanks for what we do have - not what we want. We'll give thanks for the loved ones seated at our table, because you never know who won't be there next year.

There's plenty of time for holiday shopping - I refuse to let it intrude on a family holiday. (As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of NOT patronizing any store that opens on Thanksgiving night at all for ANY of my holiday shopping this year. I know, I'm getting old and cranky, but this has really managed to get under my skin this year.)

How about you? Will you be out patronizing the stores that open on Thanksgiving?

The holiday 15 minute rule

How is it only a week before Thanksgiving?

Once again I feel like the holiday has come way too fast and I'm so not ready.

This year it's our turn to host the family for Thanksgiving, and I haven't even started shopping yet. I lay the blame for my lack of being in holiday mode solely at the feet of Hurricane Sandy and our being powerless at our house for 10 days. Running my refrigerators on a generator for 6 hours a day didn't instill enough confidence for me to run out and buy a 25 lb turkey before now.

The day job requires me to be there five hours a day, hubby just started a new job that keeps him from home for 12 hours a day (including his commute time...poor guy!) and add to the mix 3 kids, 2 cats and a brand new puppy being housebroken and you've got a recipe for CONFUSION!

So I am instituting the "holiday 15 minute rule." I'm a big fan in breaking everything down into small bite-size chunks - everything from saving for a big purchase to a project that's huge and daunting - everything just seems more doable in small doses.

Not familiar with the 15 minute holiday rule? Here's the way things run in my house...

(1) Make a list of all the things that need to be done for the holiday. (And I mean ALL the things! Everything goes on the list.)
(2) Tackle the items on your list in 15 minute bursts. Don't be afraid to delegate - give the kids 15 minutes to do something on the list - even if it's folding napkins or making those holiday place cards.

For example, in 15 minutes I can pull out the holiday decorations from storage. In 15 minutes I can go through the pantry to determine what staples for the holiday baking I need to stock up on. In 15 minutes I can make the holiday food shopping list...etc.

By breaking it down into 15 minute chunks of time several times a day, I can accomplish most of my holiday stress list without being all that stressed - then I can concentrate on the larger issues like setting aside enough time to bake the pies, actually DO the holiday shopping and cooking the meal.

I also add in a few 15 minute time slots during the day to write 500 words and a coffee/tea break ('cause nobody's happy in my house if I'm stressed out!)

Now I need some easy holiday recipes, because I'm just tired of serving the same old things! Do you make anything easy and special for a change of pace?

Happy scribbling my friends!

 

Fireworks and First Kisses

Tomorrow we celebrate Independence Day and although July 4th wasn't declared an official federal holiday until 1870, the American people have been celebrating this event since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That's right, we didn't wait for congress to decree it a holiday - we already knew it was!

In 1776, after the Continental Congress voted to adopt the resolution for independence, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail that the day "will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary festival" and the celebration should include "pomp and parade, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of the continent to the other."

In 1778, even though the revolution was still being fought and that declaration was still not much more than a piece of paper giving us a purpose to fight for, George Washington gave his men double rations on July 4th to commemorate the event.

In 1781 Massachusetts was the first state to officially observe July 4th as a state holiday.

And we've been celebrating this important event in our history for the last 236 years. Americans have put aside the 4th as a day to set off fireworks, enjoy picnics and parades with our families, friends and neighbors. And believe it or not, I look forward to the fireworks on this one day even more than I covet the chocolate desserts that are always found on my holiday tables! (It's NOT a day for shopping, even though the retailers try to entice us with all the sales!)

Along with memories of fireworks, I also have quite a few memories that involve first kisses while those overhead explosions are filling the sky with lights - fireworks in the sky, explosions of fire in your stomach - oh yeah, some good holiday memories!

In the spirit of first kiss fireworks, here's a brief except from my work-in-progress, "One Night In Prosperity."

Aidan Caldwell's finger still under her chin, his thumb rubbed along the side of her mouth, pulling her thoughts back to him. “Lilly, I need more than a nod. Say it and maybe I’ll believe you this time.” 

His deep voice and dark eyes demanded an answer.

Again, all she could do was nod.

Waves of golden brown hair spilled from under the brim of his hat. Warmth filled his gaze and she sucked in a ragged breath at the realization he was going to kiss her. His arm encircled her waist and he pulled her to his chest while his lips captured hers. Light and sweet, those warm lips danced along hers. Passion simmered just below the surface, she was sure of it.

Unable to stop herself, she let the tips of her fingers run along the muscles of his arms, across his wide shoulders to the edge of his neck. Rugged and sinewy, just as she expected.

His fingers threaded through the hair at the base of her neck, hot goose bumps peppered her skin everywhere he touched. His lips left her mouth to glide along her jaw on the way to her ear.

"I can't do this without you," he whispered.

 By the time he released her with a heavy sigh, her legs wobbled beneath her.

I hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday, filled with fireworks overhead and a memorable kiss of your own! Do you set off fireworks or does your town put on a display?