Top Ten Tuesday: Characters I’d Follow On Social Media

February 25, 2020 By 48 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I’ve been looking forward to this topic for weeks! There are so many characters to choose from that I had trouble narrowing my list down to only ten people.

1. Sherlock Holmes 

Imagine all of the fun he’d have figuring out who the bots and sock puppets were! Once he’d found some genuine people to follow, I think Sherlock would enjoy getting to know them (and potentially discovering their secrets) even more. Facebook seems like it would be his social media platform of choice if he wasn’t still using Myspace.

2. Diana Barry from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables Series

Diana seems like the sort of person who would love Pinterest for the recipe collections alone. Maybe she’d even convince Anne to sign up, too.

3. James Bond 

His Tinder and OkCupid accounts would be incredibly flirtatious.

His LinkedIn account would not be, although the writing style would be so similar that anyone who had accounts on all of these sites would recognize him even before they looked at his stylish photos.

4. Starr Carter from Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give 

Her tweets could go viral within a few hours. I suspect she’d keep her Instagram and Snapchat pages private, though, so that she’d have somewhere to go to talk about things she didn’t want the local news reporting on.

5. Fred and George Weasley
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Their Instagram stories and Snapchats about all of the pranks they pulled would be legendary. We’d just have to make sure their parents never found out they had accounts on these sites.

6. Bigfoot

Somehow his Facebook account would acquire thousands of followers despite the fact that he rarely if ever would actually update it.

7. Jane Eyre

Imagine all of the long, rambling updates she’d leave on LiveJournal. I’d like to think she’d have an anonymous Twitter account, too, to document the evidence of the ghost that she thought might be haunting her new employer’s house.

8. Albus Dumbledore

His Youtube videos would be a minimum of thirty minutes long. If you aced the quiz at the end, you might get rewarded with some wizardly sweets.

9. Moby Dick

His Instagram feed would be completely devoid of hashtags or or explanations of his oceanic home. All we’d see would be photos of places few humans have ever seen before.

10. The Cat in the Hat 

Would he occasionally troll people on every social media platform he could find? Yes. Would I find his status updates amusing anyway? Yes.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With:

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Anticipated Nonfiction Book Releases for the First Half of 2020

January 7, 2020 By 38 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

I had so many ideas for this week’s prompt that I decided to narrow it down to nonfiction titles only. 2020 is shaping up to be an awesome year for finding new stuff to read.

1. The Magical Language of Others: A Memoir by E.J. Koh

Publication Date: January 7

Why I’m Excited for It: This author was abandoned by her parents at age 15. I’m incredibly curious to find out how she survived on her own at such a tender age.

2. Cold Fusion Presents: New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World by Dagogo Altraide

Publication Date: January 15

Why I’m Excited for It: Cold fusion honestly isn’t something I understand very well. I’m hoping this book will change that.

3. Denali: A Man, a Dog, and the Friendship of a Lifetime by Ben Moon

Publication Date: January 14

Why I’m Excited for It: Stories about rescue dogs being given wonderful lives never fail to grab my attention. The fact that Mr. Moon was diagnosed with such a serious type of cancer shortly after adopting his dog only makes me more eager to see if they’ll both get the happy ending I’m hoping for.

4. Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond by Lydia Denworth

Publication Date: January 28

Why I’m Excited for It: I love reading about friendships, especially when they’re explored through a historic or scientific point of view. They’re not given as much attention as romantic relationships, but they’re just as important in my opinion.

5. Almost American Girl by Robin Ha

Publication Date: January 28

Why I’m Excited for It: I’m an immigrant, so I’m always interested in reading other people’s stories of moving from one country to another.
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6. A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home   edited by Nicole Chung and Mensah Demary

Publication Date: February 11

Why I’m Excited for It: My reason for anticipating this book is exactly the same as the one I have for wanting to check out Almost American Girl.

7. Opium: An Intimate History of the Flower that Changed the World by John H. Halpern

Publication Date: March 3

Why I’m Excited for It: I know nothing about this topic, so it will be interesting to change that.

8. Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World
by M.R. O’Connor

Publication Date: April 30

Why I’m Excited for It: I already know the basics of how humans began finding their way through the oceans, mountains, and other parts of the Earth. Will I learn something new from this book? I sure hope so!

9. A Road Back from Schizophrenia: A Memoir by Arnhild Lauveng

Publication Date: May 5

Why I’m Excited for It: I haven’t run into a lot of books about schizophrenia that were written from by someone who had that illness. This sounds like it will be a great read.

10. When a Cowgirl Goes to Sea: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and Circumnavigation by Kaci Cronkhite

Publication Date: June 23

Why I’m Excited for It: What could be cooler than circumnavigating the Earth? I sure can’t think of many adventures to top that one.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With:

Winter Blogfest: Wendi Zwaduk

January 3, 2020 By 5 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a necklace made by the author, along with an autographed swag pack..

Tinsel or Garland… (Or How I Learned the Difference Between the Two)

When I was a kid and we set up the Christmas tree, first, my mother would always plug the little arms into the slots on the tree and grumble about how the tree looked fake. You should know, you’re supposed to fluff the branches of those fake trees, but she’d leave them flat like they were in the box. Our tree had a sort of shelf look. It was always odd, but I never thought it was until I got older and saw other trees. 

Okay, so what does that have to do with tinsel or garland? When I was a kid, we heard the horrors of tinsel. Not the garland, but the stringy stuff that’s sort of draped on the tree. It doesn’t have a cord to hold it together. But my parents referred to that tinsel as the horrible drapey stuff. I know. It’s a technical term. The garland my mother insisted needed to be on the tree was called tinsel. So I thought that’s what it was. 

Fast-forward to when I met DH. His parents put the stringy drapey stuff on the tree AND they used garland. I said, oh, you’ve put on tinsel. They looked at me like I’d stepped off a space ship. Tinsel is the stuff that is thrown on the tree and garland is the stuff on the cord. (Ours never looked as flashy as the one in the photo, but I can’t find a photo of our last Christmas tree.)

Now, I’ve heard the horrors of using tinsel—the drapey stuff. I have cats and dogs and both like to try to eat the tinsel. It doesn’t go low on the tree and sometimes doesn’t go on it at all. Garland seems to be preferred because it’s on the cord. Guess what? The dogs and cats still try to eat it. (And yes, I know the perils of them eating any of it.) 

So I ask you, what’s your preference? I like the look of tinsel, but also garland. I’m rather fond of garland made of pearls. What’s your preference? 
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The last person she expected to fall for her just might be the one she’s been looking for all along.

Bliss McMahon isn’t looking for love. She’s got a degree to complete and a life she wants to live. Besides, love isn’t looking for her. The last and only time she’d tried dating, the whole situation had ended in disaster. Being twenty-one and never going beyond second base doesn’t exactly endear her to the guys, but the one guy she never expected to notice her has. Will she give him a shot or run the other way?

Evan Phillips has a way with the ladies. He can charm them just as easily as he hits homeruns, but this ballplayer has a problem. He won’t be able to pass art history without help. Enter Bliss. Sure, he’s dated her roommate, and yes, Bliss can’t stand him, but he’s not about to back down from the challenge of getting her help. She’s spunky, out of his league and just who he wants. Can the ballplayer convince Bliss he’s up for more than one inning or will she forfeit before the game begins?

He’s ready to steal home in order to win the woman of his dreams.

Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library. Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

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Winter Blogfest: Helen C. Johannes

January 3, 2020 By 4 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a Lord Of Druemarwin, Kindle copy, US only.

Frosted Holiday Bread (aka Stollen) for the Bread Maker

My family has strong German roots, and a traditional holiday treat for us incorporates the candied, mixed fruit associated with dark, heavy fruit cake into a sweet, light, frosted yeast bread. What my family calls “Stollen” has many European variations, some much heavier than ours. We enjoy our version of this bread at breakfast, sliced and eaten plain, although some extended family members prefer to spread it with butter. We also enjoy slices as a midday snack. After years of making “Stollen” the traditional way, kneading by hand, I converted the recipe to work with my ever-so-helpful bread maker. If you are looking for something different to accompany your holiday breakfasts, and you have a bread maker, this recipe makes something traditional easy to provide.

Dough:

¾ cup milk, warmed

2 large eggs, beaten

¼ cup sugar

¼ lb. butter (1 stick) shredded

3 cups flour, sifted

Pinch of salt

1 ½ teaspoon yeast

1 cup candied, mixed chopped fruit for fruit cake

½ cup golden raisins

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Put bread ingredients into the breadmaker in the order listed. Set on Dough and press start. When Dough cycle is finished, remove dough from breadmaker. If dough is too sticky to handle, add up to 1 cup flour and knead lightly by hand. Divide dough in half. Shape into oblong loaves and place on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with oil. Place in a warm, draft –free place and let rise for an hour. Bake one at a time at 350 F for 25 min. Move to cooling rack, brush with butter, and frost immediately.

Vanilla Glaze Frosting: 

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2-3 teaspoons milk

Colorful sprinkles

Blend with a spoon. Frosting will be thick. Spread over hot bread. Immediately dust with sprinkles before frosting sets. Optional: Add any other topping decorations desired using frosting to set in place. Cool completely.

Slice and enjoy.

Lady Raell can fight, ride, and argue politics as well as her brothers. Only being mistress of her father’s household keeps her in skirts. In Naed, the new Lord of Druemarwin, she has found devotion, a kindred spirit, and a marriage promise. But when a forgotten and unwanted betrothal comes to light, she has no choice but to run.
Amidst sweeping revolution, Naed must rally his people, fend off assassination attempts, and fight against claims he’s a traitor. Then he discovers everything about his lineage and family is a lie. And his beloved belongs to another.
With lives and a kingdom at stake, Raell and Naed must find a way to protect the innocent and save their love.

Helen C. Johannes writes award-winning fantasy romance inspired by the fairy tales she grew up reading and the amazing historical places she’s visited in England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany. She writes tales of adventure and romance in fully realized worlds sprung from pure imagination and a lifelong interest in history, culture, and literature. Warriors on horseback, women who refuse to sit idly at home, and passion that cannot be denied or outrun—that’s what readers will find in her books.

Blog | Goodreads

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Winter Blogfest: Jaime Samms

January 2, 2020 By 7 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a  copy of Still Life, and of my more recent Christmas title, Eugene and the Box of Nails to a commenter at the end of the Holiday Tour. Just comment on my post what you remember most about the winter/not hot and dry season growing up.

Snow Days

This year we have had serious snow exactly twice.

The kids have had two snow days.

I’m not even talking a foot of snow and blizzard conditions. I’m just talking about a snowfall that left more than an inch of fluff on the ground. Lots of people will say a few inches is enough to shut their city down, but we live in Canada. I mean. Come on.

I remember wading in snow up to my waist to get to the bus stop, and the bus still came. I remember laughing our heads off as we dove off the side of the road as the snowplough went by. There were snow forts during the March break, because there had been enough snow over the season, we still had enough to BUILD FORTS. In MARCH.

I remember moving back up to my home town after a few years living farther south, and it snowed on November 9, my eldest child’s first snowfall, and I thought—oh yes. I remember this.

And now our schools don’t bother with school because it snowed last night.

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There are so many things we used to do as kids that parents these days only imagine with horror, and I don’t know how I feel about that, really. I just know that sometimes, living only happens when you DO things. Take chances, push past easy.

Which idea happens to dovetail quite nicely with an oldie but goodie holiday story I wrote in the way back, Still Life.

Mac has been living on the edge a long time, out in the world on his own, but the real risk is when he comes back and asks Allan for a second chance.

When Allan Song’s ex, Mac, shows up to model for the life drawing class Allan teaches, he turns everything upside-down. Mac is still as infuriatingly attractive as when Allan first met him—and still trying to figure out where he fits on the gender spectrum. He’s more than a little out of control, and he’s taken some stupid risks that have come back to haunt him. If they’re going to get back together, Allan wants a real relationship—but for that, he and Mac will need to look below the surface.

Jaime Samms is a plaid-hearted Canadian who spends the too-long winters writing stories about love between men and the too-short summers digging in the garden. There are dust bunnies in the corners of her house—which she blames on a husky named Kai. There are dishes on the counter—which is clearly because teenagers! There is hot coffee in the pot and the occasional meal to keep her from starving—because her husband is remarkable and patient.

A multipublished author whose work has been translated into French, Italian, and German, Jaime delights in the intricate dance of words that leads her through tales of the lost and brokenhearted men she writes about to the love stories that find and mend them.

And when the muse is being stubborn, she also makes pretty things with yarn and fabric scraps because in her world, no heart is too broken to love, and nothing is too worn or tired it can’t be upcycled into something beautiful. All it takes is determination and the ability to see life a little bit left of center.

Website

Buy the book at Dreamspinner Press.

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Winter Blogfest: Megan Slayer

January 2, 2020 By 4 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a necklace made by the author along with an autographed swag pack.

My Christmas Playlist

I thought I’d pull together a list of my favorite Christmas songs. I’m kind of picky about what I like at Christmas. I’m not wild about much of the newest versions of the old songs. Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order)

“Jingle Bell Rock” ~ Bobby Helms – It’s just classic. 

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” ~ Bing Crosby – this one makes me sad and think about the people in my life that aren’t there any longer. But it also makes me glad I knew them. 

“Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” ~ Burl Ives – now that I know he was blacklisted, I love it even more. 

“Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)” ~ Gene Autry – we sang this song at school. It reminds me of being in the first grade. 

“Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” ~ Brenda Lee – doesn’t she have the best Christmas songs? Besides, how can you not love it and not think of Home Alone?

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” ~ Judy Garland – makes me sad, yet Christmassy, too. 

“White Christmas” ~ Bing Crosby – it’s just a classic

“Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” ~ Bruce Springsteen – okay, I love how he asks how many have behaved and when he gets a poor response, he says, ah…not many, not many. Cracks me up.  

“Santa Baby” ~ Eartha Kitt – she makes Christmas sexy ? 
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“The Chipmunk Song” ~ How can you not like the Chipmunks at Christmas?

“Little Saint Nick” ~ The Beach Boys – I learned the Muppets version of this song and love both versions. 

“When the River Meets the Sea” ~ Paul Williams, but sung by Robin the Frog and Denver with the Muppets

And…. 

“The Peace Carol” ~ Traditional ~ John Denver and Scooter with the Muppets

I know I left off the Drifters, Otis Redding and Darlene Love among others. They’re on the longer list. What are your favorite Christmas songs? Do you lean classic or contemporary? I’d love to know.

Taylor Fyre never thought he’d find love at the dog park, but when he spots Nicky Campbell and his dog, Nagy, he begins to think the impossible is possible.
Taylor Fyre isn’t wild about dogs. He’s got serious reservations about the animals and the last thing he wants to do is cover a story about the dog park. When he arrives at the park, he realizes facing his fears won’t be easy, but if Nicky Campbell is part of the healing process, he’s ready to start. The handsome, tattooed mechanic makes him want to bare his soul. But Nicky’s got a dog and things could get sticky.
Nicky Campbell would rather keep to himself than talk to new people. He’s tired of being labeled dangerous because of his tattoos. His dog, Nagy, a pit bull mix, faces the same discrimination. When Nicky runs into Taylor at the dog park, he expects a fight. But the more they talk, the more he’s drawn to the polished reporter. If he and Taylor can overcome their differences and be themselves, they might find they have plenty in common and can have the forever they both deserve.
Reader advisory: This book contains expressions of homophobia, references to male prostitution and reference to past abuse at the hands of an uncle.

Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and white hot themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been nominated at the LRC for Best Author, Best Contemporary, Best Ménage, Best BDSM and Best Anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.
When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her husband and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice. She’s an active member of the Friends of the Keystone-LaGrange Public library. Find out more about Megan and Wendi at: http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Pride Publishing.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Guest Blogs Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Aliyah Burke

January 1, 2020 By 4 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win any ebook from my backlist.

Buying a Live Christmas Tree

Happy Holidays!

I hope you’re having an amazing holiday season. We are here in our household, lots of things already planned for 2020 (scary that’s just around the corner).

Unfortunately, I won’t be with lots of family and friends this year, but DH (Darling Hubby for those of you who don’t know how I refer to him as) will be here with me and we’re going to have a quiet holiday. As quiet as it can be with us and the three dogs.

Our thing for the holiday was we would buy a live tree the first year we were in the house we were at, whichever duty station it happened to be. Decorate it and once the holiday was over, we would plant it in the yard. Front or back, whichever would be the best place. It was almost as if we were “home” once we had planted our Christmas tree. We never took them with us when the time came to move to the next place, wanting to leave part of ourselves there for the next family.

We’re both looking forward to the time we can plant the final tree on our property. I do love this season for baking as well and look forward to the house being filled with incredible smells.

Do you have anything that you have to have over the holiday season? Like fruitcake? (Okay, so I’m not a fan of that but I know some people are) Eggnog? A certain type of cookie?

For me it’s divinity. I love divinity and the only time I get to eat it is around the holidays. And I don’t even have to make it, I have it given to me so that is even more of a plus in my eyes.

Whatever your traditions, whatever you do, I hope it is a fantastic and safe one. We can’t wait to see you in 2020. Stay warm (or cool depending on where you are ?) and please be safe.
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Thank you for allowing me to stop in quickly.

From my home to yours,

Happy Holidays!

Sometimes past demons need to be faced before one can embrace what the future offers, and who better to slay them than a Marine?

Gunnery Sergeant Sam Hoch travels to the Pac Norwest upon receiving word his mentor and the closest thing to a father he’s had, has taken a turn for the worse and is in the hospital. Once there he meets a woman who is unlike any he’s ever met before. A former Marine herself, she opens up her home to him so he can be near his family.

Roxi Mammon isn’t positive it’s smart to allow Sam to stay with her, not with her immediate physical reaction to him. She’s heard tales of him from her best friend, his sister, and now having met him she is even more impressed by the man the Corps has turned him into—a silent, strong type. Passion grows between them and soon she finds herself falling for the Recon Marine. And falling hard.

As things escalate between them, Sam has to accept his past doesn’t control him if he plans on keeping Roxi in his future. Can he understand that this is the one woman who can give him something more? Will he silence the fear within him and tell Roxi she’s the one for him? Will he realise that he deserves more than just a temporary home?

Aliyah Burke is a USA Today Bestselling Author who’s an avid reader and never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She is happily married to a career military man. They are owned by three Borzoi. She spends her days at the day job, writing, and working with her dogs. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here.

If you would like to be kept abreast of what’s going on in the world of Aliyah, please join her newsletter: http://aliyah-burke.com/newsletter.htm and/or cozy newsletter: http://aliyah-burke.com/abnewsm.htm

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

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Winter Blogfest: Jodi Payne

January 1, 2020 By 4 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of my new book Soft Limits in either ebook or audio, as the winner would prefer.

Hanukkah Holiday Wisdom

Hello! 

I’m Jodi Payne, and I write contemporary mm and gay romance, sometime a little on the kinky side, sometimes with a western bent, and sometimes with more than two M’s. 

In honor of Hanukkah, which gets slightly less love than Christmas this time of year, I thought I would share a little holiday wisdom for those of you that don’t happen to be Jewish. I am not actually Jewish myself, but my wife is, and I have essentially been a member of her family since I was fifteen, so, I have earned a little cred in this department.

A little cred, a little Yiddish, but sadly, I can’t cook like my mother in law. Especially not at the holidays. You can’t have everything. 

What’s the difference between the seven-branch menorah and the nine-branch menorah?

Something most people who are not Jewish don’t know is that a “menorah” only has seven branches. It is meant to be symbolic of the seven-branched candelabra that Moses set up on the Temple at Jerusalem, which he constructed according to God’s instructions as detailed in the book of Exodus. 

The correct term for the nine-branched candelabra used to light the eight days of Hanukkah is “hanukkiah”. It’s a special lamp used only during the celebration of Hanukkah. 
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It’s not technically incorrect to call a hanukkiah a menorah. All hanukkiah are menorahs. But not all menorahs are hanukkiah. 

Now you have some trivia for your next holiday party!

Chag Sameach! 

(Happy Holiday!)

Have you ever been to an office holiday party? Well, Matthew Kaplan has been to plenty, and he’s not impressed. In fact, he hates attending the annual gathering at his office. This year, though, he’s trying to make partner in his small law firm and does his best to look like he’s enjoying himself, even though he knows the event is really a Christmas party with just the barest hint of a nod toward his own winter holiday, Hanukkah.

Ethan Becker works for a busy caterer, and although all the Christmas music at these holiday office parties used to make his head ache, he’s learned to tolerate it so he doesn’t lose his mind. Sometimes he even sings along. There aren’t enough toe-tapping Hanukkah songs for a party anyway, right?

Matthew is pleased to find latkes on the buffet and escapes the crowd to eat them peacefully in the kitchen, where Ethan recognizes his hunky one-night-stand immediately. Matthew remembers their night together fondly, but certainly hadn’t expected to run into the hottie with the sweet blue eyes again. When Ethan offers to make more latkes for Matthew another day, Matthew jumps to accept the invitation. But Ethan didn’t make them for the party—he hasn’t ever made them at all, in fact—so will their date be delicious or disastrous?

JODI takes herself way too seriously and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her men are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can’t help but fall in love with while they stumble along the path to their happily ever after. For those looking to get on her good side, Jodi’s addictions include nonfat lattes, Malbec and tequila any way you pour it.

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Winter Blogfest: Christine Potter

January 1, 2020 By 18 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

I never understood families who put up their Christmas trees early. I have to say that lately, there has been a whole lot of Christmas Tree Creep.  Right after Halloween is TOO SOON, people—I don’t care what is going on on The Hallmark Channel.  I can sort of kind of get the folks who unspool the lights for Thanksgiving—you’re going to do a fancy dinner, may as well get festive—but in my world, that’s robbing a late-autumn oasis of calm and gravy of its simplicity and loveliness.  Eat the meal and take a nap!

I don’t like to admit it, but I’m slightly old.  So I came up in the sixties, and my parents were the weird, arty family on the block.  We always had live trees, and they never went up before the week of The Day.  One year, my parents actually pulled off the whole Tree and Presents Magically Overnight. I don’t know how they did it, but my sister remembers it, too, so it must have happened.

I found my true love late in life, after a whole lot of romantic chaos best not discussed in a blog about Christmas trees.  And here’s the thing: he’s part elf.  (He’s also a church music director.  Dirty job.  Somebody’s gotta do it.) Ken loves and lives for Christmas trees.  They need to be enormous, live, dripping with a zillion lights and ornaments.  He has a collection of antique Christmas ornaments like you wouldn’t believe.  We don’t even have room for all of them most years, even though we put up three trees: one for the living room, one for the bedroom, and a mid-century modern one in the TV room.  The TV tree’s the only faux one of the bunch: aluminum with blue lights.  It’s very Jetsons, you know?  

Trees in our house go up on Ken’s birthday, December 14.  Raised as I was by almost-Christmas-Eve-is-plenty-of-time parents, that seemed awfully early, but I soon lost my Grinchy ways.  We drive to the Christmas Tree lot that morning, often after a breakfast of pancakes, and pick out two.   Our living room tree is enormous, a ceiling-scraper, and often very wide.  It’s very vintage. Even the lights on it used to be antiques, but we got tired of worrying about burning our house down a couple of years ago and have been rocking the LED’s since the technology got better.  The smaller bedroom tree sits on a table in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror.  That one has lights that get left on 24/7 because Ken likes falling asleep in a room with Christmas lights (another good reason for the LED’s).   It actually is a sweet thing to do.

If we study the effect of the medicine, levitra generika 10mg , it is better to ask a physician for better results. Taking these pills regularly for over 4 prescription viagra weeks or more can help increase penis size safely and effectively. Services such as dmv.org have a couple of drinks or buy tadalafil mastercard usually in stock two and slept. You only need to indicate the number of generic cialis no rx packets you want. Our ornaments tell the stories of our lives: handmade ones from my first apartment in the 70’s.  Presents from students we taught (we’ve both been teachers). Ornaments from my grandparents, from the flea markets Ken prowled, from a summer in Germany–and several from Soviet-era Russia that I found online and had imported. They made it to our house just in time one year.  

It’s all a little exhausting, but it’s a good kind of exhaustion.  And on January 6th, it all goes away.  We’re strict about that.  Keeps it special.  We set aside a day called The De-Christmas-ification and box things up, vacuum, and enjoy having our house simple again.  There isn’t a lot of magic left in our sorry world—but I think Christmas trees are the strongest spell for happiness that we have.  

October, 1962
It’s almost Halloween, but something a lot scarier than ghosts is on everyone’s mind: nuclear war. After President Kennedy’s speech to the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis, Grace Ingraham overhears her parents’ plans to keep her safe. She’ll be sent off to live with a wealthy uncle—in the nineteenth century.

Gracie’s from a family of Travelers, people who can escape into time. Too bad her mom and dad haven’t Traveled since their honeymoon trip to the Lincoln Inauguration. So Grace will have to go alone—even though taking a wrong turn can have serious consequences: like heading for 1890, and ending up …in 2018.

Christine Potter is a writer and poet from the lower Hudson River Valley. She’s the author of the time-traveling young adult series The Bean Books. She’s also a widely published poet with three collections of verse in print. Christine lives in a very old, slightly haunted house with her husband and two spoiled cats.

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Winter Blogfest: Elle Rush

December 31, 2019 By 17 Comments


This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card.

20 in 2020

New Years Eve celebration background. Toast with fireworks and champagne at midnight

I saw something great for the coming year. It was a resolution for “20 in 2020”. It was setting a goal to do something twenty times over the next twelve months. Not per month. It averages to once every two to three weeks. That should be manageable for most people.

I love making resolutions for New Year’s Day. I love making resolutions at any time and saying, “My new goals start now”, but the beginning of the year is an especially good time to do it.  I also like to win. Putting those facts together means I know from experience that I can’t pick more than three serious resolutions for the year. Last year I concentrated on my health and am now exercising regularly. This year, I’m moving on to other goals.

While I’d love to make twenty resolutions for the new year, I think I’ll stick with doing something a multiple of 20 times. 

I might pick a couple of the following things:

  1. Purge 20 books I don’t read from my library.
  2. Purge 20 DVDs from my collection.
  3. Purge 20 pieces of clothing from my wardrobe that are worn out or don’t fit.
  4. Knit 20 hats for charity (I did 14 last year, so this is a reasonable goal.)
  5. Try 20 new recipes.

Some other ideas might be:

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  1. Read 20 books.
  2. Write 20 reviews or blog posts.
  3. Exercise for 20 minutes a day. From experience, I can say taking two 10-minute walks a day is a great break and loosens up your body when you’re sitting all day.

I may even be super-ambitious and try to do all of those. (I did look at walking 20 kilometers a week, but that ended up being about 12.5 miles, and there’s no way that’s going to happens so I’m not going to waste my time.)

Would you be up for 20 in 2020? What would your twenty be?

Twelve friends.
Ten-year reunion.
One $50,000,000 lottery ticket.

The only reason Dr. Doug Little returned to work in his dying hometown was to keep a promise. Two years and he’s gone. The only things getting him through his first couple months are his ten-year reunion and working with his old high-school crush.

Although Jackie Dunn loves her quiet world, her small-town life gets even harder when her part-time hospital job is in peril. If not for her friends’ encouragement, she’d head to the city for better opportunities for herself.

At the reunion, all the returning graduates chip in for a lottery ticket, but nobody expects to win the fifty-million-dollar jackpot. Doug’s share should be more than enough to buy his freedom, but the town doesn’t want to let their new doctor go. Jackie is the only thing that makes Hopewell bearable; the problem is the more time he spends with her, the more he forgets how much he wants to leave.

When he finally finds a way to escape, Doug realizes he’ll be doing it alone. Jackie doesn’t have much time to show him the life he accidentally created for himself in Hopewell is far better than anything his millions could buy him anywhere else.

Elle Rush is a contemporary romance author from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. When she’s not travelling, she’s hard at work writing books which are set all over the world. From Hollywood to the house next door, her heroes will make you sigh and her heroines will make you laugh out loud.

Elle has a degree in Spanish and French, barely passed German, and has flunked poetry in every language she ever studied, including English. She also has mild addictions to tea, her garden, bad sci-fi movies, and HGTV.

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