Archives for December 2018

Winter Blogfest: Jana Richards

December 26, 2018 By 12 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card .

Christmas Memories

When I think of Christmases past, it’s not the gifts I remember. It’s not even the decorations, although there are a few decorations that are dear to me, like the ornaments my grandmother made from egg cartons, glitter and pipe cleaners. The Christmas memories that are most precious for me are those spent with family sharing the food of the season. 

When I was a little kid, I participated in the children’s concert at church on Christmas Eve. I’d have a part to recite and Christmas songs to sing along with all the other kids. For our efforts, we received a small brown paper bag filled with candy, nuts and a Christmas orange. How I loved that little treat bag! Today getting a mandarin orange is no big deal; you can get them at the grocery store year round. But back then, they were only available at Christmas, making them very special. I still love them.

After the concert, we gathered at my maternal grandparents’ house to open gifts. How we all got into their tiny house I have no idea; Granny and Grandpa had six children and fourteen grandchildren, but somehow we squeezed in. I know we opened gifts, and I was probably excited about them at the time, but I can’t name one gift I received back then. What I do remember is Granny’s dining room table overflowing with food. Everything was homemade, from the fresh bread, cookies and cabbage rolls, to the pickles Granny had preserved. The potatoes and carrots and other vegetables came from the massive garden Granny and Grampa lovingly tended over the summer. But the star of the show was Granny’s apple strudel, also homemade. It was light and flakey and delicious, and since Granny’s been gone, I’ve haven’t tasted a pastry nearly as good. 

Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, we went back and forth each night for dinner to the homes of my aunts and uncles on both sides of the family. So much food! I remember my mother baking cookies and Christmas cakes for weeks leading up to Christmas. None of it ever went to waste. 

To this day the thing I most enjoy about Christmas is being with friends and family, sharing some laughs and a good meal. May all our Christmases be spent with the people we love, eating the food we love.

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She can’t handle one more lie. He can’t tell the truth.

Harper Lindquist is convinced she’s found the answer to her financial prayers. Unless she pours cash into crumbling Solace Lake Lodge, she’ll lose her family’s legacy. Her would-be savior arrives in the middle of a Minnesota blizzard and she’s determined to prove to her reluctant, and trapped, financier the lodge is a sound investment. But Harper isn’t completely honest with him. And she has no idea the lake is hiding secrets of its own.

Ethan James is a liar, but his money is very real. He isn’t convinced a broken-down inn is a smart investment opportunity. But the more he understands Harper’s dreams and desires, the more he wants to be the man to make them come true. The trauma in both their pasts means neither can fully trust the other. They must find the courage to love, to trust, and to accept, or yesterday’s sorrows will keep them apart.

About the Author: When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist, and in 2018 “Lies and Solace” won Best Contemporary romance in the I Heart Indie contest.

In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada with their Pug/Terrier cross Lou. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com

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Winter Blogfest: Katie Baldwin

December 25, 2018 By 3 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free hard copy of my book – A Kiss to Build a Dream On – sent to anywhere free in the US! .

Cheers to Santa!

Santa, the magical elf with the big full bodied laugh, enjoyed a cocktail. Or at least that was what my sister Maura and I believed. While other children left milk and cookies out for the delightful Old Saint Nick, my mother suggested that a martini would be a perfect gift for Santa. After all, he had spent most of the night already passing out gifts; didn’t he deserve a good jolt? 

My sister and I were very young, and we didn’t know anything about a “good jolt,” but we did know that disagreeing with Mom in December could potentially knock out several choice gifts from our list. Santa was, after all, watching all the children of the world in a most Orwellian way. 

But it bothered us that we were not able to see the mythical disappearance of cookies that our friends always talked about. Our mother reminded us that Santa was in a one-horse open sleigh flying around the world in December. Why on earth would he want cookies when he could enjoy the warming effects of vodka? So a martini was placed on the coffee table near the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, and off we would go to see all the beautiful decorations in our neighborhood with visions of sugar plums dancing in our little blonde heads. 

If you’re wondering why we didn’t go to sleep with visions of sugar plums… well, when I was about five, our family began opening presents on Christmas Eve. That way, potentially – I’m not admitting to anything here – a precocious five-year-old would not open all her presents before everyone else woke up on Christmas day and claim that “Santa left them that way.” I was an adorable child. 

So, we would all get in the car, prepared to see the magic of the neighborhood lights, when our mother would “forget her purse” and have to run back to the house to get it. About 15 minutes (which roughly translates to 3 hours for children) later my Mom would come back to the car, pink in the cheeks and grinning. 

Later, when we returned home, we always found that Santa had come and gone. In his wake, he left piles of presents and an empty martini glass. It never occurred to us to equate Mom’s pink cheeks to the rather dazzling display of gifts.

And if the to/from card atop each present from Santa had a familiar script, we didn’t notice in our great zeal to get to our presents. Of course, in our family having zeal was fine; attempting to open the presents “like an animal” was another thing entirely. Our family opened each of the presents individually; none of this “group rip fest” for us. With gifts from Santa, our parents, and Grandma Jo, unwrapping presents was a monumental task. Our Grandma was not only a tape-happy present wrapper, but she also enjoyed wrapping everything from a sweater to a bundle of socks in festive paper. We would easily find ten presents under the tree from Grandma Jo. It would take us a good five minutes to open one of her gifts as she would tape the present so securely that we grunted to garner the strength to rip open the paper. This easily added an hour to the “unwrapping” event. But in the end, surrounded by toys, we each had a huge smile on our face. 
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As I look upon my childhood, it occurs to me just how magical the holidays really are for children. I can’t remember the countless hours my sister, and I would stay up at night giggling and trying to guess what Santa would bring us, both of us in matching nightgowns and tousled hair. I do know now that we did not miss out on anything by not leaving cookies out for Santa. We still had our “empty cookie plate” thing. It just involved a glass and a really good grade of vodka. Only the best for Santa, after all. 

Happy Holidays!

KatieB

Bethany Michaels leads a fairly isolated existence, but she longs to be an outgoing and sexually confident woman. When her celebrity crush comes to town, and literally falls at her feet, her prayers seem to be answered. But can she protect her heart while still experiencing true passion?

Hollywood celebrity Aidan Shannon, drunk and lost in small-town Virginia, finds himself in the home of a beautiful woman, and he finds her more than just a little alluring. Bethany is voluptuous and nurturing, fragile, yet steely. And that is a problem for a man who never wants to be tied to another woman again.

Living in the now is good enough for Aidan and Bethany for the short term. When the universe steps in and shows them what’s important, will Aidan take a chance on love a second time around when his girl needs him?

About the Author: Katie Baldwin has a secret life. During the day she is a mild-mannered administrative assistant at a prestigious University. By night she writes fantastical tales of romance and mystery. When she is not pacing her home working out dialogue in her mind, she is baking scones and working out dialogue in her mind. Aside from writing, she has a ferocious passion for the Green Bay Packers, Nutella and her MinPin/Chihuahua mix dog-baby, Marley. She can be found on twitter waxing eloquently about all of her passions. Go Pack Go! She can be reached via twitter @katiebwrites or her website: http://www.authorkatiebaldwin.com/

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Winter Blogfest: Ellynore Seybold

December 25, 2018 By 2 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of any three of her ebooks!

My Christmas Tradition

One Christmas tradition I still practice, is to put real candles on the Christmas tree. A tree with candles burning on it is my favorite memory from childhood. We might have been dodging bombs, but for some reason Christmas Eve in the living room with family always seemed so peaceful. After the presents that were under the tree were opened, the Weinachtsmann (Christmas man) also  paid a visit and brought another small gift. In the old days  we had real spruce trees  to decorate. Now I use an artificial tree and in addition to real candles, have electric lights that look like candles. 

The world has changed so much since the days of my childhood, some for the better, others for the worse, but mostly just a sideways change. If there is something that has not changed in the years, it is called tradition.
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During the Reign of Terror in France in the late 1700s, the people amused themselves by watching the heads of nobility roll. When Eduard falls in love with Countess Annise in 1793, he fears that as a commoner, he will never be allowed to court her. Annise is staying with her aunt because her parents have been arrested by the revolutionaries and condemned to die by the guillotine.–yes, he may court Annise, after he gets her parents out of prison…any way he can.

About the Author: Ellynore Seybold has traveled widely and enjoyed many activities including being a wife and mother. With her husband deceased and children grown and living far away, she writes mostly historical romantic novels. She lives in the desert Southwest with her two cats.

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Winter Blogfest: Desiree Holt

December 25, 2018 By 12 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a print copy of ILLEGAL USE OF HANDS (US and Canada only; digital other locations).

Why I Love Christmas

I think Christmas has to be my favorite holiday for so many reasons.

 Number One, of course, is that as a romance writer is gives birth to so m nay wonderful love stories. 

Of course, love is wonderful all year round, but it seems to take on a new life at Christmas. And it isn’t just the mistletoe either, that is responsible for so many unexpected kisses. No, it’s the entire ambience—the excitement of a holiday where the spirit of giving is so prevalent. It’s the time of year to pick out a gift for that special someone, to show them you love them—or still love them. 

I really enjoy writing Christmas romance scenes, where the hero and heroine are having a romantic dinner in front of the fireplace, with garlands of fir draped on the mantel and red Christmas candles lighting the room with their glow and giving off the scent of evergreen. And of course, the very special presents the couple exchange.

It’s also a time of so many traditions. Do you know where mnay of them came from?

Christmas cookies, for example. This began in ancient times with the winter solstice  but in the Middle Ages focused entirely on Christmas. Bakers  brought the ingredients to big celebrations and making the cookies became a community activity.

The sixteenth century is the first time evergreens, which previously had been adorned outside where they grew, were brought inside. It began when he word spread that Queen Victoria had her German husband, Prince Albert, set up a tree inside their palace. Lights began to adorn the trees, according to rumor, when Martin Luther was walking through a forest, saw the stars twinkling trough the branches of evergreens, and wanted to recreate it.  

And where in the heck did egg nog come from? Rumor has it that the English aristocracy created the creamy drink as an elite beverage, and added rum to keep it from spoiling. The word came from the eggs used to create the base of the drink and “noggin,” the cups it was served in.
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And finally, because I love romance, here’s why we kiss under mistletoe. Legend has it that the gods used mistletoe to resurrect Odin’s son, Baldur, from the dead. Baldur’s mother, Frigg, made the plant a symbol of love and vowed to kiss anyone who stood under it. 

All of these and more are why Christmas is such a special season, and also called the season of love. Be sure to hang your mistletoe and give out plenty of Christmas kisses.

Happy holidays, everyone. 

Or hot chocolate with rum and a candy can to stir it. Or egg nog, that once a year drink. And special Christmastime presents like snow globes. And I love listening to the carolers, seeing all the wonderful Christmas decorations through towns and cities.

Cody Alvarez needs to find a wife by New Years Day or he will lose the ranch his uncle willed to him.

Libby Morris just needs, for once in her life, to feel desired. Sensual. Appealing. Especially after an intense reshaping at a high-end spa.

When Madame Eve of 1Night Stand invites them to Christmas Week at the Castillo Lodge in Alaska, Cody and Libby are not given the names of the partners chosen for them. As they wait to learn the identities of their one-night stands, they discover an incredible spark of chemistry and a connection stronger than either has experienced before. Will spending a very erotic night together ruin their arrangements or offer another option?

About the Author: USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and contemporary on a variety of heat levels up to erotic, a genre in which she is the oldest living author. She has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.

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Winter Blogfest: Gail Kittleson

December 25, 2018 By 3 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win one digital copy of my novella, Kiss Me Once Again to a winner in the US only.

Christmas in World War II 

The winter of 1944 produced a cynical take on the words, Peace on earth, good will to men. In the throes of another great world war, perhaps soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge recalled their fathers mentioning hearing enemy troops singing Stille Nacht across No Man’s Land on December twenty-fourth. 

Now, they were stuck in the Hurtgen Forest, dug into freezing foxholes, and suffering from Trench foot, dysentery, and worse.  Dreams of Christmas with their families back home were just that…dreams. 

Back on the home front, loved ones anxiously awaited word…a letter, a radio broadcast mentioning their son’s unit or ship. But in homes all across the United States, what arrived instead was a telegram. Everyone dreaded them. 

So did Glenora Carson and her father. Glenora had tucked away all hopes of romance when her high school beau died at Pearl Harbor. Now, her little brother’s ship had been hit by a Pacific typhoon and tension laced the air as she and her father waited to hear if he was alive. 
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Having sacrificed her college scholarship to work in the family garage, and taken over her mother’s household duties when she passed years ago, Glenora’s life is full of work…but empty of dreams. 

Some relief arrives when Hank Anderson steps over the doorstep of the falling-apart garage…this recuperating wounded warrior has a way with her father as well as a mechanical bent. Too bad Glenora has sealed her heart off from love—she has no idea what other changes may result from getting to know this gentle, mountainous man. 

No one ever accused Glenora Carson of being a breathtaking beauty. Her tall, gangly figure and angular face are more solid midwestern stock than Hollywood glamour. But Joe liked her. He even told her, “You’re the one for me.” He gave her a locket with his picture inside, to remind her of him while he was away, serving his country on the U.S.S. Arizona.After December 7, 1941, Glenora shelves her dreams of attending college on the scholarship she was offered by Iowa State University, locks her heart away, and focuses on holding down the home front by helping out the family business – Carson’s Garage. The grease-stained overalls didn’t do much to compliment her female figure, but they cover her female heart well enough.That is, until Hank Anderson, a wounded warrior back from battle, walks into the garage and into Glenora’s life.Is an old maid’s future Glenora’s fate, or will Cupid throw a wrench in her plans?

About the Author: When Gail’s not steeped in World War II research, drafting scenes, or editing, she facilitates writing workshops and retreats in Iowa and Arizona, where winters find her enjoying the incredibly gorgeous Ponderosa forest under the Mogollon Rim. Favorites: grandchildren, exploring WWII sites with her husband, walking, reading, meeting new people, and hearing from readers who fall in love with her characters. Gail taught ESL and instructed college writing courses, and believes we’re here to grow and learn.

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Winter Blogfest: Rachael Richey

December 25, 2018 By 2 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook copy of my latest book, Practising for Christmas..

 My Christmas in Cornwall

I love Christmas, but what I don’t love is when the shops start selling Christmas themed goods even before Halloween.  It’s just like when they start advertising ‘Back to School’ items at the beginning of the summer holidays!  For me, the build up to Christmas starts at the beginning of December.  I reckon that’s quite long enough for the excitement to mount.

My favourite part of the Christmas season is definitely the days leading up to Christmas.  My son and I generally go to buy a tree the weekend after he breaks up from school (or this year, University!), usually around mid December, and spend the next day or so decorating the house, and beginning the Christmas cooking. 

But my absolutely favourite time of Christmas is Christmas Eve.  I like to get up early and really get stuck into the cooking, music on in the background, and preferably with some tinsel in my hair.  At some point in the day someone will usually realise there is something we’ve forgotten to buy, so my husband and son will be despatched off to fetch it, usually coming back with an extra load of chocolates.  We traditionally have a buffet supper on Christmas Eve, then late in the evening, put the presents around the tree ready for the morning.  

Then later still, when everyone else is in bed, the stockings filled and hung up, I like to creep back downstairs and sit with just the Christmas lights on.  And then on the way back up to bed I still take a look up in the sky – just in case!  

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

A remote coastal cottage; a group of old friends; the Christmas holidays. It’s just the break Olivia needs to help her relax and forget her worries. What could be more perfect? But that was before she found a handsome unconscious stranger on the beach. Add in a case of mistaken identity, a lot of kissing practice, and an inquisitive best friend, and things begin to get more than a little complicated.

The large bump on Adam’s head hurts, but he refuses to go to the hospital—or back home—and eventually accepts Olivia’s offer of hospitality. When her friends arrive the following morning, a chance remark catapults them both into a bizarre and amusing situation that promises to make it a Christmas to remember.

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In late 2000 the family moved to Cornwall where we have lived ever since.

I began writing stories at the age of seven, and have been obsessed with writing ever since.

My debut novel, Storm Rising, is the first in the NightHawk Series, closely followed by Rhythm of Deceit, Cobwebs in the Dark and The Girl in the Painting.

I signed a publishing contract with the Wild Rose Press in 2014 for the whole series and all four books are now all available in both e-book and paperback format.

In May of 2017 my first standalone romantic comedy, Breaking All The Rules, was published by the Wild Rose Press. A second standalone romcom,Practising for Christmas, was released on 12th November this year, just in time for Christmas!

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’d like for Christmas

December 25, 2018 By 24 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Welcome to another edition of Top Ten Tuesday!  This week is all about books I’d like for Christmas.  As fellow book lovers, I’m sure we can all agree that books make wonderful presents!  Here are some I’d love to see under my tree this year.

The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1) by Bernard Cornwell-I’ve been watching this show on Netflix and I love it!  In my experience books are usually better than the movie or show.  I’d love to start reading this series.

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Hunting Prince Dracula (Stalking Jack the Ripper #2) by Kerri Maniscalco-I really enjoyed Stalking Jack the Ripper and need to read more in this series!

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Escaping Houdini (Stalking Jack the Ripper #3) by Kerri Maniscalco-See above.

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How to Be a Tudor by Ruth Goodman-Her book How to be Victorian was excellent, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

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My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows-This book was so much fun!  I borrowed it from the library and would now like my own copy.

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Six of Crows (Six of Crows #1) by Leigh Bardugo-Another book I borrowed from the library that I would now like to own.

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Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo-See above.

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Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon by Jane Austen-I’ve read most of Jane Austen’s work, but none of these stories.

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Have you read any of these?  If so, what did you think?  What books would you like for Christmas?

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Winter Blogfest: Linnhe McCarron

December 24, 2018 By 10 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win one free copy of Fool Me Once, Kindle ebook. .

Four-Legged Love

This has been a great year, with Fool Me Once, Book 1 in The Riverwood Series, released in August by The Wild Rose Press. Seeing it offered for sale on Amazon was a special and memorable day. Book 2, A Bitter Wind Blows, is a stand-alone sequel. It’s under contract and in the process of edits.

Riverwood is a planned equestrian community, co-developed by Horse Country Real Estate agents, Ronnie Chandler, Ricky Ahlers and Andee Barton. It’s underwritten by The Westlake Group, venture capitalists from Virginia. Yes, it’s a Romance so a relationship soon develops between Ronnie and Luc Deschaines. 

But the Riverwood series was never intended to be just a love story. It’s set in the fictional town of Emery Pond, in Tennessee, and the characters ride in the very real Big South Fork National Park, acclaimed as “the trail-riding capital of the southeast” (for good reason). Book 3, Signs of Life, and Book 4, Ride A Pale Horse, have been submitted to the publisher. These are horse books for readers who love to read about horses!

Reviewers have said “the author’s love of horses shines through in every chapter of every book” and “the author obviously knows her way around a barn.” The stories are filled with the miracles and minutiae of horse ownership because the main characters all have horses…and the horses all have personalities. (Horse people most often have other animals and readers will enjoy meeting the characters’ quirky cats and dogs as well).
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The company of my animals sustains me all year but never more so than at Christmas time when I especially appreciate the gift of their unconditional four-legged love.

Ronnie’s past is still a secret, held close and shared with only her colleagues at Horse Country Real Estate, Erica Ahlers and Andrea Barton. And with Mindy-Morrison-Myers, Ronnie’s nearest neighbor, best friend, riding buddy and confidante. No one else had yet learned who her ex-husband was. She had moved halfway across the country, had planned never to see him again, finding a job in a profession where he’d never in a million years think of looking for her.
Ready for a bigger challenge than selling small cabins, the three realtors attract The Westlake Group, venture capitalists from Virginia, to underwrite the creation of Riverwood, a planned equestrian community.
But now Senator Evan Parker is in Tennessee on a fact-finding trip. When his path unexpectedly crosses Ronnie’s, he demands a second chance, but Ronnie is fast falling in love with Luc Deschaines, one of her new investment partners.
Evan has Ronnie, all of them, over a proverbial barrel; infuriating as it might be, they grudgingly admire his cunning. Ronnie has no choice but to capitulate, but not at first and not easily.

About the Author: Linnhe McCarron is a native of New England. She served as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Air Force and presently lives in Tennessee. She has two gaited horses, Luc, a big black Tennessee Walker, and Jax, a McCurdy Plantation Horse. She rides often in Big South Fork National Park.

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Winter Blogfest: Abby Gordon

December 24, 2018 By 3 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of boxed set of Carnal Connections .

Reindeer Magic

When I turned twenty-nine, life was nothing what I had thought it would be. I was a single mother with three sons, living with my parents. I was working full-time, taking a heavier than recommended load of classes to finish my degree, and exhausted. But you can’t ignore the season when you have children though so I tried. 

Mom loves Christmas though and pulls everyone in whether you really want to or not. And she gives everyone lists.

One of the items on my list, with a specific date to do it was pick up the poinsettias and other floral needs. The older two were playing with friends and my youngest son, whose birthday is Christmas Day, needed Mommy time. He ooh’ed and aah’ed at all the street decorations. I could tell he was smiling and waving because of the reactions from pedestrians. A bright-eyed, smiling toddler is hard to resist, especially at Christmas time. Halfway there, I found myself smiling and waving as well.

The florist called out when we entered. Everything was ready and I diligently went through everything, comparing it to Mom’s list. The florist smiled at my son, asking if he was excited for Santa’s visit. My son nodded eagerly, saying we were going to be baking cookies that afternoon. The florist asked if he was putting out anything for the reindeer as Santa loved it when people remembered them.  My son shook his head. The florist chided me, hadn’t I told my son about the magic reindeer food? 

OH, the look my son gave me! The florist said he had some extra, would my son like some? Big brown eyes lit up, then he asked about his older brothers giving some also. The man said he just so happened to have three extra bags of magic reindeer food. He went to the back as two assistants took everything to the car. Returning with three sandwich size baggies of oatmeal mixed with glitter, the man told my son that everyone in the family should throw some out in the yard to make sure Santa was extra happy. My son held the bags close, promising that he’d make sure everyone did.

Christmas Eve night arrived. My brothers were home. There was snow on the ground. My sons were so excited that I didn’t think they’d ever go to sleep. The cookies and milk were put on a special table by the fireplace and my youngest insisted we all troop onto the screen porch and throw the magic reindeer food. My brothers rolled their eyes but tossed. My parents and I did ours then my sons did the rest. My youngest practically dumped the rest of his bag on the top step. Convinced Santa would come and be very happy they’d remembered his deer, all three sons went to bed and fell asleep quickly.

When males’ resistance declined or immune generic cialis pharmacy http://robertrobb.com/duval-doubles-down-on-argument-hes-already-won/ system weakened, the pathogenic bacteria in the body will multiply. Kamdeepak capsule, which is one of the best herbal remedies to cure buy sildenafil india the wrong practice of over masturbation. People who want to easily consume it might prefer a order viagra prescription Professional to a Generic black which is a hard pill and stronger. Most companies and managers instantly recognise the inherent power of teams yet despite this levitra 40 mg http://robertrobb.com/2017/10/ acknowledgement effective team work is elusive in most companies. They were also up before dawn. I’d been inspired the year before though and next to their pillows was a small Lego box for them to play with. My oldest could tell time though and announced when it was six. We trooped down the stairs where they first pounced on their uncles.  I went to the kitchen to start the coffee. Half grumbling about the hour, adults insisted on caffeine before anything else.

But my youngest was wild to see if the reindeer had liked the magic food. Putting my mug down, I picked him up and went onto the screened porch. His squeals brought everyone else to join us. The oatmeal was gone, leaving only the glitter twinkling in the porch light. Hoof prints bigger than any deer I’d seen in the area were in the snow. What delighted my youngest the most – on the second step were two prints, larger than even my brothers’ hands, and the oatmeal my son had dumped was gone. 

Suspecting my father or brothers might have done something, I glanced at their faces but they were as stunned as the boys were. 

My sons still remember the magic reindeer food.

I remember how Reindeer Magic gave me hope in something more.

A one-night stand between the world’s hottest singer/actor and a London bartender becomes public fodder when he brags about it on a morning radio program. Fired from the Lincoln Hotel, hounded by the tabloids, Jessica Munroe holes up in her flat, haunted by memories. In his private Caribbean island studio, Sean Livingston pours out his heart into the lyrics. Finally discovering what’s been happening to Jessica, Sean focuses on one thing – making her his for more than one night and sets out to rescue her and introduce her to his life. But the secrets of the past won’t stay hidden and Jessica knows that hers could take Sean from her just as she falls in love with him. To keep the perfect woman at his side, Sean will have to pull out all the stops and everything in him to seduce her one last time.

Warning – this book has steamy sex scenes and is intended for adults 18+over. If you love strong women making it on their own and alpha males who will stop at nothing to claim and protect them, this story is for you!

About the Author: Abby loves writing about any and all romance – erotica, historical and contemporary. While variety is the spice of life, she prefers a quiet nook to scribe everything the characters tell her.

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Winter Blogfest: Stephen King

December 24, 2018 By 4 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer.

Christmas with the Kings

I grew up in a loving family home, one of five kids, where Christmas was a time you looked forward to for the entire year. It wasn’t just the presents, it was the vibe. The smell of the open fire, the stocking always found at the end of the bed crammed to overflowing with goodies, no matter how late I tried to stay awake to catch Santa out.  The mountain of scrunched up discarded wrapping paper, that had to be disposed off afterwards, was so high I couldn’t see over it. Dad always went to the pub, while Mum and my Nan prepared a late lunch fit for royalty, and as I became a teen, I was allowed to go to the pub as well – I felt very adult. The lunch was amazing, and was finished off with pudding that if you were lucky, held silver coins. And, at night the family played a card game called Kings, for pennies, and my Nan always used to win. They were very special times, that brought the family together, and petty squabbles with my brothers were in abeyance. 

Now I’m an adult, and my wife and I worked tirelessly, and with massive smiles on our faces, to recreate our childhood for our children. Now, they have all moved out with partners of their own, and I am delighted to say, my wife is still a bigger Christmas addict than ever; and I love it.

Out house is still festooned with outdoor lights that make the city dim when we turn them on. Inside her tree is breathtaking, adorned with baubles collected from around the world. The living areas more resemble Santa’s Grotto, than a suburban home, and I am pleased to report, my children have become a facsimile of their mother.

It’s that one time of the year, when regardless of your beliefs, it’s about family, giving, and love – after sixty years, the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in the King household.

Thirty-Three Days

Jenny is a lonely university lecturer whose consciousness has traveled back in time to her younger body to try to save the future of the world. A young microbiologist is going to release genetically modified wheat that will mutate and ultimately destroy all plant life, leaving nothing but barren windswept dust bowls.

In the past, Jenny finds a love that has been missing from her life; the kind that comes just once in a lifetime. But Jenny can only stay in that time period for thirty-three days. Meanwhile, in the future, fearful Jenny will fail; plans are made to send another back in time-an assassin. How can she choose between saving the man she loves and saving the future?

Another benefit of this technology viagra for women australia is that blend doesn’t go wasted as its absorbed quite quickly. The science of Ayurveda says that tumour forms in http://valsonindia.com/interview-in-dalastreet/?lang=it canadian cialis pharmacy the pituitary gland due to doshas like vata dosha and Kapha dosha. If you are buying medicines from traditional shops getting viagra without prescription then you are denying yourself the fruits of technology. You ought to be constructive, do-it-yourself assured, not cheap levitra pills http://valsonindia.com/category/press-release/?lang=eu to mention have faith in yourself. About the Author: I left Perth, Australia in 1975 to go East and find fame and fortune in the music business as a long-haired rock guitarist. I gave it all up for love and got married. Then, real life took over, children came along and I threatened to write a book for so many years my long-suffering wife eventually pushed me into it by buying me a laptop and said: “No more excuses, do it.” And so began this amazing journey.

Thrillers and crime genres have always fascinated me, and in particular, the dark world of serial killers and police procedurals. I love a good, un-put-down-able, thriller; the kind you just want to read one more chapter of at three in the morning, but you have to get up at six to go to work. Have I succeeded in creating stories that can take people to that place? I hope so.

My first book, Forever Night, was contracted and published by The Totally Entwined Group UK’s now defunct Evidence Press when they were taken over by Bonnier UK. Undeterred it was followed by a trilogy, comprising of Domin8, The Vigilante Taxi and Burial Ground, All were self published due to contractual problems with TEG, even though they gave me an editor to work with in the interim. Months passed in limbo. Repo, saw me return to two characters from Forever Night as new private investigators trying to save a man from jail for a murder he did not commit, which was also also self pubbed until the war with the big bad publisher was over and agreements were signed along with a confidentiality agreement – so I can’t talk about it.

The Wild Rose Press in NY (no more UK publishers for me) contracted Thirty-Three Days, for which I will always be grateful – they are awesome to work with. They have also contracted another Trilogy called Three Deadly Glimpses, the first is due for release on the first of October and is called, Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer. Book Two: Glimpse, The Beautiful Deaths will follow shortly after as it is going through the third round of editing now, and the finale: Glimpse, The Caring Killer will be available next year.

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Buy the book at Amazon.

 

Thirty-Three Days buy link: http://a.co/d/8agAD4r.

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