tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8383348896304309052024-03-17T19:58:26.084-07:00Fried OreosBlog for author, Jennifer WilckJENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.comBlogger545125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-13000434381493890322023-09-11T07:31:00.001-07:002023-09-11T07:31:09.182-07:00Rosh Hashanah<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The Jewish New Year is almost here, and that means it’s time for self-reflection. Thinking about who I am, what I’ve done right, and where I need improvement is one of my favorite parts of this holiday. I love that no matter what we’ve done, God gives us time to reflect and learn from our mistakes. As a person with many flaws, I love there is no end point, or perfect goal we are expected to attain, but rather there is a recognition that we are a work in progress. So while improving myself can seem daunting, just like anything else, I take it one step at a time and try each year to be better. In Judaism, life is full of second chances.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">As I get ready for that inner reflection, I also have to prepare for the actual holiday, and that means food! Rosh Hashanah is always celebrated at my house, and this year we’ll have two big dinners. Friday night, the night before the holiday, we go to temple, but before that, we have to eat. My girls are coming home to celebrate with us—and one is bringing her boyfriend—so I have to cook a quick but delicious dinner. Saturday night, the actual day of the holiday, my parents will join all of us as well, so that will be a more leisurely, but hopefully just as delicious, dinner. So today, I’ll pull out my cookbooks and decide what to make while trying to keep everyone’s preferences in mind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Rosh Hashanah is also when we eat round challah. The rest of the year, challah is a regular loaf, kind of a braided oblong. But for Rosh Hashanah, we make it round, to symbolize goodness without end. We also eat apples and honey for a sweet new year. Those two food items are the most important symbolic foods of this holiday.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In fact, it was the need to bring a challah to her family’s Rosh Hashanah dinner that led the heroine of my book, <i><a href="https://books2read.com/u/bONd9K" target="_blank">Home for the Challah Days</a></i>, to enter the deli of her ex-boyfriend. His family-owned deli makes the best challah around, and Sarah’s holiday isn’t complete without it. They see each other...and nothing happens. Whoa. Well, something eventually does, but first, they both have to get past their own history and a whole lot of issues before they give their relationship a second chance. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This book is my best-selling one ever. It’s funny, and sweet, and sexy, and handles serious issues, too. If you’re looking for a Jewish romance—or really any romance—I hope you’ll give it a chance. And if you’ve already read it, thank you! Please consider leaving a review on the retail site where you purchased it or on Goodreads.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I wish everyone a sweet New Year!<o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-15411238764387777612023-08-22T07:09:00.003-07:002023-08-22T07:09:49.355-07:00Release Day!<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It’s Release Day!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’m so excited that Home for the Challah Days, my very first book with Harlequin Special Edition, came out today. This book was a long time in the making, and I truly never thought it would get published. Through multiple agents and publishers and rewrites and queries, I always hoped that someday, somehow, Aaron and Sarah’s story would get published.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And today, it did! This book is more than just a Jewish romance, more than an enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance trope. It’s a woman’s journey from who she thinks she should be to who she was meant to be. It’s a man’s lesson that responsibility can be shared. It’s a humorous take on age and familial interference. And it’s a look at antisemitism and how community can triumph over evil.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I hope you’ll take a look at it, share it with friends, and spread the word. Because I just made one of my dreams come true.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlDqF82riL3R9Xlq99bXSyxsitdbm3AQ2e-KBswLZgyi1qP3V9Yv6MmmZdlrbIBRQSh8KDZFUlBVWMI9eK83bcV9nBQDKH0h6Ap82WLSBoasibyPtH_20iZvyZVeaxgbKTaHN7Zf2QPu8QQ77MJQz39D905__4P9aU6gsByNfSXKwCNlEp2S9w4hSPnYa/s2650/9781335594228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2650" data-original-width="1675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqlDqF82riL3R9Xlq99bXSyxsitdbm3AQ2e-KBswLZgyi1qP3V9Yv6MmmZdlrbIBRQSh8KDZFUlBVWMI9eK83bcV9nBQDKH0h6Ap82WLSBoasibyPtH_20iZvyZVeaxgbKTaHN7Zf2QPu8QQ77MJQz39D905__4P9aU6gsByNfSXKwCNlEp2S9w4hSPnYa/s320/9781335594228.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><br />Blurb:<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Turning the bitterness of the past...</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Into a sweet future! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;">When big-city advocate Sarah Abrams returns home for the High Holy Days, she's got a lot on her mind--especially whether to marry her perfect-on-paper boyfriend. The last person she wants to encounter is Aaron Isaacson, her first love and the one who broke her heart. But after Aaron and Sarah join forces to fight an act of hate, it's clear that their deep connection never abated. If only they could forgive one another for the past...in time for a sweet new start! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;">From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Holidays, Heart and Chutzpah</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Book 1: <i>Home for the Challah Days</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Buy Links:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Target: <a href="https://www.target.com/p/home-for-the-challah-days-holidays-heart-and-chutzpah-by-jennifer-wilck-paperback/-/A-88760720" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.target.com/p/home-for-the-challah-days-holidays-heart-and-chutzpah-by-jennifer-wilck-paperback/-/A-88760720</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Universal Link: <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bONd9K" style="color: #954f72;">https://books2read.com/u/bONd9K</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Challah-Holidays-Heart-Chutzpah-ebook/dp/B0BN6DFGB5<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/home-for-the-challah-days-jennifer-wilck/1142737912?ean=9781335594228<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Apple: <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/home-for-the-challah-days/id6444678845" style="color: #954f72;">https://books.apple.com/us/book/home-for-the-challah-days/id6444678845</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Kobo: <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unlock-my-heart" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unlock-my-heart</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Google Play: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jennifer_Wilck_Home_for_the_Challah_Days?id=N6WdEAAAQBAJ" style="color: #954f72;">https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Jennifer_Wilck_Home_for_the_Challah_Days?id=N6WdEAAAQBAJ</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-8989505241329401072023-07-24T07:04:00.002-07:002023-07-24T07:04:31.694-07:00Writing Retreat<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">I spent the past weekend at a writing retreat outside of Chicago sponsored by my literary agency. It was a chance to connect in person to other writers, learn about a couple of publishers and some marketing strategies, and most of all, write!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">It was fabulous. I loved meeting Cathie and Jim and Caitlin and Sharon and Maren (and Josie). We had a great time talking and laughing and getting to know each other. We all write different genres, but we all have writing in common. There were a lot of laughs, good food, and of course, chocolate.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">It's been a while since I attended any in-person writing events, and the energy I felt being there was phenomenal. We fed off each other, or at least I did. People inspired me—their writing, their lives, their funny stories. They made my world bigger and smaller in wonderful ways, and I can’t wait to do it again!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9RPjjjMK9e5Ars1qnESxY0MpgkOXtiH-E25bVGt38rsy1GXVZVeEywd9j2jRGGK40XkbskaPlWxj6BWI2KB9Bqn50ps51mQnhdAIW2f7LSarfSjRJJig1AIT6u1pIVmbkCxqnwlIE-62x38Z8y2Pca-ZPFr4ruH6fuoc2qBcxPHTAEUNyTDzrALn3mKx/s466/IMG_2962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="466" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie9RPjjjMK9e5Ars1qnESxY0MpgkOXtiH-E25bVGt38rsy1GXVZVeEywd9j2jRGGK40XkbskaPlWxj6BWI2KB9Bqn50ps51mQnhdAIW2f7LSarfSjRJJig1AIT6u1pIVmbkCxqnwlIE-62x38Z8y2Pca-ZPFr4ruH6fuoc2qBcxPHTAEUNyTDzrALn3mKx/s320/IMG_2962.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">Remember that Christmas in July giveaway I’ve talked about? The contest is drawing to a close and it’s almost time to draw a winner. I would LOVE for you to be the grand prize winner, so you can treat yourself with something from your Amazon wish list! So, make sure you enter today!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">And don’t forget about our “Book Club” where you can find cool new reads to enjoy while you’re lounging by the pool. You can find our Christmas in July (CASUAL!) Book Club on Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/668935547905630" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/668935547905630</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">Enter the Giveaway Here:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><a href="https://kingsumo.com/g/65bm3z/christmas-in-july" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">https://kingsumo.com/g/65bm3z/christmas-in-july</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">Open to U.S. residents only. No purchase necessary. By entering, you agree to receive email offers from participating authors. Unsubscribe anytime.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">This Giveaway is Sponsored by<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 25.68px;">Lori L. Robinett • Tierney James • Marla White • Jennifer Wilck • SK Andrews • Carol Henry • Randy Overbeck<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-14950873703366690672023-07-19T08:22:00.000-07:002023-07-19T08:22:23.511-07:00Christmas (or Hanukkah) in July Giveaway<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyv0eTayzrfu-hMo10PhVO4tVlF_r0Glrzix6h4hHFEMYM1A6zfb1lBuqfpjWflCJPE0upFbcsFSEYtNWDMIoH_WLKipe1ZDG5mrxup3LVkAuEbit7coDFyJo14pYX3g9nmgvicBnZnrYX5mRaE4lhBBYM8BEDj8oJxHBjKeowCebwfVN6LXwyV4U3ebm/s1430/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1430" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyv0eTayzrfu-hMo10PhVO4tVlF_r0Glrzix6h4hHFEMYM1A6zfb1lBuqfpjWflCJPE0upFbcsFSEYtNWDMIoH_WLKipe1ZDG5mrxup3LVkAuEbit7coDFyJo14pYX3g9nmgvicBnZnrYX5mRaE4lhBBYM8BEDj8oJxHBjKeowCebwfVN6LXwyV4U3ebm/s320/Picture1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />July 15 – 31, 2023<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">I really value you – I hope you know that – and that’s why I want to make sure you have a chance to win an awesome prize! I’ve joined forces with some other authors to offer a fun giveaway, with a grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">We’re also having fun over on Facebook. If you want to know more about the participating authors, make sure you join our Christmas in July (CASUAL!) Book Club: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/668935547905630" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">https://www.facebook.com/groups/668935547905630</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">It’s super easy to enter the giveaway:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">Enter the Giveaway Here<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><a href="https://kingsumo.com/g/65bm3z/christmas-in-july" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">https://kingsumo.com/g/65bm3z/christmas-in-july</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">Open to U.S. residents only. No purchase necessary. By entering, you agree to receive email offers from participating authors. Unsubscribe anytime.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;">This Giveaway is Sponsored by<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 25.68px;">Lori L. Robinett • Tierney James • Marla White • Jennifer Wilck • SK Andrews • Carol Henry • Randy Overbeck<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 25.68px;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">And here are a few offerings from specific authors:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b>Jennifer Wilck</b> is an award-winning contemporary romance author for readers who are passionate about love, laughter, and happily ever after. Known for writing both Jewish and non-Jewish romances, her books feature damaged heroes, sassy and independent heroines, witty banter and hot chemistry. Jennifer’s ability to transport the reader into the scene, create characters the reader will fall in love with, and evoke a roller coaster of emotions, will hook you from the first page. You can find her books at all major online retailers in a variety of formats.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Benjamin Cohen, widowed father of six-year-old Jessie, is doing his best to hold it together through order and routine. The last thing he needs is his matchmaker mother to set him up with her next-door neighbor, no matter how attractive she is.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhiZdHHdEu1N3dBER75z66zKXRXvyrnN4m_d1uMzDZWRYZyOYYj3hLNvldwQxi06Mp6y73BK_sdiKqDjM-Fep9ZBvTLSseGoVv_ta3Jt-bhYj1NOfK5mcqwUft6tF6BoSubVSwBfOhujFobASjeGYVGJjAZOZdxUnZaX_jxANgwXyEbPzMihRFXIUKjTf/s2244/WaitingforaMiracle_w14188_ib%2010.24.01%20AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhiZdHHdEu1N3dBER75z66zKXRXvyrnN4m_d1uMzDZWRYZyOYYj3hLNvldwQxi06Mp6y73BK_sdiKqDjM-Fep9ZBvTLSseGoVv_ta3Jt-bhYj1NOfK5mcqwUft6tF6BoSubVSwBfOhujFobASjeGYVGJjAZOZdxUnZaX_jxANgwXyEbPzMihRFXIUKjTf/s320/WaitingforaMiracle_w14188_ib%2010.24.01%20AM.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Marla White</b> started her illustrious career as a storyteller at the age of four by drawing on the TV screen to help Winky Dink get out of mortal danger, earning her a firm spanking. Deterred by the negative feedback, she studied to be a park ranger instead until she realized it was really a TV show about park rangers she liked, not the actual outdoors. After working in television for years, she now teaches at UCLA and writes cozy mysteries as well as fantasies. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Bloodstains and Candy Canes:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The swanky cookie exchange Dr. Mandy Brown reluctantly agreed to attend comes to a screeching halt after a body turns up on the kitchen floor. Tensions escalate as motives for murder come out of the pantry as fast as guests scarf down the pot-spiked brownies, making the hunt for the killer all the merrier.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Bloodstains and Candy Canes” buy links:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/bloodstains-and-candy-canes-christmas-cookies-by-marla-a-white" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">BookBub</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62816691-bloodstains-and-candy-canes" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bloodstains-Candy-Canes-Christmas-Cookies-ebook/dp/B0BD2VXTW5/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=3ZZ6t&content-id=amzn1.sym.8cf3b8ef-6a74-45dc-9f0d-6409eb523603&pf_rd_p=8cf3b8ef-6a74-45dc-9f0d-6409eb523603&pf_rd_r=0W4QG44DF2VECFQSYH0A&pd_rd_wg=ZncQF&pd_rd_r=a4535854-2af1-4edc-a8bc-a4b2c28de9e0&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3F7DNeF" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Books2Read</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/bloodstains-and-candy-canes/id6443378440" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Apple Books</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bloodstains-and-candy-canes-marla-a-white/1142155929?ean=2940186595724&st=AFF&2sid=Draft2Digital_7968444_NA&sourceId=AFFDraft2Digital" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Starlight Mint Surprise Murder Mystery:</span><span style="color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Forced to retire from the LAPD because of an injury, Mel O’Rourke moves to a tiny mountain town to open a bed and breakfast. However, when a dead body turns up in her lobby and the local sheriff chalks it up to natural causes, she’s forced to investigate on her own before her new enterprise folds faster than you can post #B&Bofdeath. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">*The exciting sequel is set to come out in early 2024!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Starlight” buy links<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3ih1s07" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder/id1585527745" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Apple</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3EphXzw" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><a href="applewebdata://B14D9E49-D1D0-418D-99F2-111200A8CA3D/books2read.com/u/bMw0v8" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Books2Read</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder-by-marla-a-white" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">BookBub</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59063839-the-starlight-mint-surprise-murder" style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrtgKSDpJ-13i-4UNNcz-0xH3psbWXdWqhj4p_1HYeNL_PGhfzaO9AMB8-ScyOloydX6wVIbhMKlS6xrctp0gdf4miL0_iu_w2khFJyds1lhGpCFpr56U_tQIWUqNneYpABOkZ2VuOt3Uo43AbuC8AF9qfEVPxoQ9sIgf1NOhsveAo222xueHw7AqyqBH/s500/41A7dEPyX5L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrtgKSDpJ-13i-4UNNcz-0xH3psbWXdWqhj4p_1HYeNL_PGhfzaO9AMB8-ScyOloydX6wVIbhMKlS6xrctp0gdf4miL0_iu_w2khFJyds1lhGpCFpr56U_tQIWUqNneYpABOkZ2VuOt3Uo43AbuC8AF9qfEVPxoQ9sIgf1NOhsveAo222xueHw7AqyqBH/s320/41A7dEPyX5L.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 22.826668px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Besides serving as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, and attending Space Camp for Educators, <b>Tierney James</b> served as a Geo-teacher for National Geographic. Her love of travel and cultures took her on adventures throughout Africa, Asia and Europe. From the Great Wall of China to floating the Okavango Delta of Botswana, Tierney weaves her unique experiences into the adventures she loves to write. Living on a Native American reservation and in a mining town, fuels the characters in the Enigma and Dark Side series. She also helps beginning writers in their quest to become a published author through her workshops and classes. Family and gardening fill her life with plenty of laughter to share with others. Check her out on <a href="http://www.tierneyjames.com/" style="color: #0563c1;">http://www.tierneyjames.com</a> to get a little Lipstick & Danger.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">Blurb: <b style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Knight Before Chaos </span></b><a href="https://amzn.to/2lNoSQ0" style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 11pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://amzn.to/2lNoSQ0</span></b></a><b style="font-size: 11pt;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(#6)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Captain Hunter believed watching Tessa Scott’s children for one night would be an easy assignment. What he hadn’t considered was how much they resembled miniature, domestic terrorists. The former Delta officer discovers, outmaneuvering the Taliban was child’s play compared to keeping three kids from falling victim to a group of not-so-smart burglars. But with their flare for the dramatic and enough plastic firepower to make Darth Vader tremble, the children help Chase make this Christmas one they’ll never forget. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFQQMaQ43Vcj5NN8tlqqBhLaRoXNNmh1xW6kXbASIpuWMC-tp6fi7VhUKUBrbO_rwGU3I-Zj3JNKOSqKP1NA4IGSxxZglvhlhe7LbmPd8mR-H5TbD7O6ATMh60GxO0YYQmILA2PANt2OmZAGJswQY57Ujd2cuJmF1ja9ubHjy9bwFhfpSuegTxEwb731T/s940/Who%20knew%20chaos%20could%20be%20so%20much%20fun_.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMFQQMaQ43Vcj5NN8tlqqBhLaRoXNNmh1xW6kXbASIpuWMC-tp6fi7VhUKUBrbO_rwGU3I-Zj3JNKOSqKP1NA4IGSxxZglvhlhe7LbmPd8mR-H5TbD7O6ATMh60GxO0YYQmILA2PANt2OmZAGJswQY57Ujd2cuJmF1ja9ubHjy9bwFhfpSuegTxEwb731T/s320/Who%20knew%20chaos%20could%20be%20so%20much%20fun_.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><br /></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-49645384144762010822023-07-17T10:56:00.002-07:002023-07-17T10:56:55.641-07:00Washington, DC<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">With about a month until my Jewish romance from Harlequin Special Edition releases, I took a much-needed break and visited my oldest in DC. I loved getting away and spending time with her and her puppy.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The visit was a packed with activities and food!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PPyK4JGJ5-pC5x-XX1SqqwdsrgPEGgEQ4VdHB7DGZSXhhe0EBfMDxwKfbrMLIGTKShqaqWjXzE4zhGKVlNMLgHoS0e1u7FhNOxMymdFHGoANzAw4JIK7vd4q16VbKbJXDhCIY_Um_Kt0GgUdza1hGoguX1jT67LTDHgcKKJY-1Y6kBb2imxJAGarA1AR/s4032/IMG_8366.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PPyK4JGJ5-pC5x-XX1SqqwdsrgPEGgEQ4VdHB7DGZSXhhe0EBfMDxwKfbrMLIGTKShqaqWjXzE4zhGKVlNMLgHoS0e1u7FhNOxMymdFHGoANzAw4JIK7vd4q16VbKbJXDhCIY_Um_Kt0GgUdza1hGoguX1jT67LTDHgcKKJY-1Y6kBb2imxJAGarA1AR/s320/IMG_8366.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br />We brunched at Le Diplomat, a delicious French bistro. I recommend the Gruyere omelet. Dinner was at O-Ku—their sushi was amazing! And Sunday brunch was at Perry’s, for their Drag Queen Brunch! If you’ve never been, I highly recommend. It was fun and uplifting and funny, and I’d take those drag Queens over Moms for Liberty any day of the week!<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78oWuxlj9WMx54skb9YLfZKEQ6BY-teDwNfQ3rYPC0rPLl4rc4RCqUR3_6OjLfB44tYzTfB0zPwVjLShwaREAwzcdvmrRCNbKWBEQ6-wJbPhyHeXbvdukP_5-QqtqDyy8qKsy8alXiG9Dy4lhT7jU3wYPgMN-0aUGcJhA6FdN3mzf58P-TFHznQ90dt1h/s4032/IMG_8367.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi78oWuxlj9WMx54skb9YLfZKEQ6BY-teDwNfQ3rYPC0rPLl4rc4RCqUR3_6OjLfB44tYzTfB0zPwVjLShwaREAwzcdvmrRCNbKWBEQ6-wJbPhyHeXbvdukP_5-QqtqDyy8qKsy8alXiG9Dy4lhT7jU3wYPgMN-0aUGcJhA6FdN3mzf58P-TFHznQ90dt1h/s320/IMG_8367.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br />In between our delicious meals—see, now you know why my books always include food—we visited the Capital Jewish Museum, located in the former Adas Israel Synagogue. The entire museum is fantastic. It’s approachable, informative, and fun. And if you’re going to be there in the near future, check out the Ruth Bader Ginsburg exhibit. It’s great!<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDzBk5Wd07Jb5Gv98uQy0cOOuHLZhZGN8C5lKdDLnnHw1Y4GvGBZE_aHwPQM_MjBw7azIMb30laDauygbJKQxz5sQgenWi-yED4WjnJkFMM6TQINYF43V2e9-eKsAMB92aWF0qKL8Ea4FbLvFKFHuu9R8SQpHyHpewuGMCKq1MlUfV9oGuiATabUOEKdn/s4032/IMG_8337.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDzBk5Wd07Jb5Gv98uQy0cOOuHLZhZGN8C5lKdDLnnHw1Y4GvGBZE_aHwPQM_MjBw7azIMb30laDauygbJKQxz5sQgenWi-yED4WjnJkFMM6TQINYF43V2e9-eKsAMB92aWF0qKL8Ea4FbLvFKFHuu9R8SQpHyHpewuGMCKq1MlUfV9oGuiATabUOEKdn/s320/IMG_8337.jpeg" width="240" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFw07VY_5WXH2Tepe3nj4HL-wPdFusAg3maMFILlv-G2da3LZjHGzBF2jHqCn_0L4cM7UIyKS5GRaZ8GD2jjWZXb973VxtvZZjxNS9clZJUDc2R87R0oZBF8jthVixtn8Bp5XwAdnEEDnvv-TggIu21h8R7ltzlr2L1HtaY5J55ZYRYU8MMPxNg4kqz_rj/s4032/IMG_8339.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFw07VY_5WXH2Tepe3nj4HL-wPdFusAg3maMFILlv-G2da3LZjHGzBF2jHqCn_0L4cM7UIyKS5GRaZ8GD2jjWZXb973VxtvZZjxNS9clZJUDc2R87R0oZBF8jthVixtn8Bp5XwAdnEEDnvv-TggIu21h8R7ltzlr2L1HtaY5J55ZYRYU8MMPxNg4kqz_rj/s320/IMG_8339.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br />We also visited the Hirshhorn Museum for my modern art fix! So much color and texture, not to mention the feminist exhibits were fantastic.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I think this weekend was a perfect representation of who I am as an author. I’m a foodie. I take great pleasure in trying new restaurants and eating delicious meals. Those meals invariably make it into my books, because eating together is a way to communicate and share and learn. I’m Jewish, and I love checking out Jewish roles in different cities. It gives me a feeling of connection to my past and my future. And art, well, it feeds my soul and allows my creativity to flow.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">So, with all of that in mind, it’s back into the writing cave I go!<o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-54981773253690830532023-07-12T01:00:00.001-07:002023-07-12T01:00:00.143-07:00Character Interview: Amber Daulton's Shea O'Bannon<p>Hey there, we have something fun today on the blog. I interviewed Shea O'Bannon, the heroine of her latest book, Trevor's Redemption. First, a bit about the book:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjub2IBoer-2lSEZDj77e78Vh72Jhcc5IqlYg4u-ZhD6TjEWswXBqvbUuCIX_WsDk2EF2YEVwVb3Urt9luIsCJYLi6NPTQhqXBA4ghfiZDifm6DYkiRtbDEJ6foyCaAkOXzEWtcfE5VXwd0NBfr4SIOQJgGzE9LfIorsa78sitmuhPrtA-XDCJRBLv4yQ/s2400/Trevor's%20Redemption.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjub2IBoer-2lSEZDj77e78Vh72Jhcc5IqlYg4u-ZhD6TjEWswXBqvbUuCIX_WsDk2EF2YEVwVb3Urt9luIsCJYLi6NPTQhqXBA4ghfiZDifm6DYkiRtbDEJ6foyCaAkOXzEWtcfE5VXwd0NBfr4SIOQJgGzE9LfIorsa78sitmuhPrtA-XDCJRBLv4yQ/s320/Trevor's%20Redemption.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b><br />Blurb<o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The danger and lies are more than she can handle.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Shea O’Bannon feels like a fifth wheel around her romantically paired-off friends, but there’s too much slime in the dating pool for her to bother with it. Then she sees her two-timing ex, Trevor Madero, serenading the mostly female crowd at a live-music bar. God knows trouble follows him around, but her desire for him rushes back in anyway. After he rescues her from a handsy drunk, temptation takes over.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Determined to prove he never stepped out on Shea, Trevor slides back into her life—and her heart—with forever in mind. Even with the wall he keeps up to protect her, his secret criminal life weighs heavy on his soul and drives a wedge between them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When the truth comes out and his enemies target them both, they’ll have to fight for their love, or kiss it goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>Now for the interview.</p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>What’s your name, where are you from, what’s your occupation, and what’s your personal status (single, divorced, widowed, children, etc)?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hi, everyone. I’m Shea O’Bannon. I was born and raised in southern Colorado, but I moved to Denver for college and never left. I work as a computer graphics designer for KIKA TV news station, and though I enjoy my job, a few of my sexist coworkers and the hotshot news anchors drive my nerves through the roof. I’m single—err, well, I used to be. My life has changed so much since Trevor walked into it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>What’s your goal in life?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Um—let’s skip this question. No? All right then. Well, I gotta think. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">My job is steady, I have a great group of friends, and I’m happy. For the most part. I mean, I suppose I’m on the lookout for the same elusive happily ever after that my friends have found. It would be great to fall in love, have a few kids, and live the dream. Lately, I keep wondering if Trevor is my knight in shining white armor, my own Mr. Darcy? (Sorry, Mom’s a Jane Austen fan, so it rubbed off!) But I don’t need that. Really. I’m good living alone and not answering to anyone but myself.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>What obstacle is preventing you from achieving your goal and why?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I have trust issues. There, I admitted it. Guys have lied to me and used me before, so it’s hard for me to trust Trevor when he tells me he’s crazy about me, that he’ll always respect me and treat me right. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Then there’s Trevor’s ex. Alyson is a manipulative piece of work, and she’s doing her damnedest to tear me and Trevor apart. I’m smarter than she thinks I am, though, so her ploy isn’t going to work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Besides her, Trevor is mixed up with some dangerous people. Criminal types. He’s trapped with no way out, but if he’s truly the one for me, I won’t let him go without a fight.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Who’s your best friend and how would they describe you?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Chanel is the best! She’s the sister I never had and always wanted. She would probably describe me as shy, friendly, overly polite and courteous, and just plain ole good. Ugh. I’m not too sure how I feel about that. I want to be cool, fun, and a total badass who faces life head-on, but if I’m being entirely honest with myself, I’m a low-key, simple girl at heart.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Tell me something about your past—a funny story, a quirky habit, or something you’re trying to overcome.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Overcome? Right, where do I start? My father was in and out of my life, so I never got to know him well, and my mother was often sick when I was little. I grew up fast and learned how to depend on myself. While I don’t mind taking the backseat and letting others be in charge, I always weigh every option and do what I think is best. Most people see me as a follower, one of the herd, but I’m really not. I need to learn how to trust better, especially when it comes to men, but it’s hard when your boyfriend is lying about something and your estranged father shows back up. My life is a mess.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>What’s your favorite color, music, food?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Hmm…favorite color is pale blue, fav music is anything I can dance to, and red wine rules! Okay, so wine isn’t a food, but it’s still delicious.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>Have you been lucky or unlucky in love and why?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Unlucky, definitely. For the longest time, I had a major crush on Chanel’s older brother. Then I learned the hard way that he was a creep. I wasted years pining over him, and I’ll never,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">ever</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, let a man have that much power over me again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><i>What’s your favorite thing about your love interest in this story? Or, what do you hate about them?</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">What I love most about Trevor is how hard he tries to do the right thing, but the one thing that really lights my fuse is that he’s keeping secrets. He says it’s to protect me, but I call bull on that. Relationships are all about give and take, and right now, I’m going to take the truth even if it kills me. And according to Trevor, it just might.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Now that you've met Shea, it's time for an excerpt:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Ow.” Damn the rock concert pounding in her head. Shea smacked her lips, her tongue thick and throat drier than the desert, and dug through her medicine drawer in the kitchen. Finally! She grabbed the crinkly packet, popped some ibuprofen, and chased it with the cool, sweet wash of apple juice. A chill coursed through her as shame heated her cheeks. What had she been thinking, getting drunk and propositioning Trevor, then crying in front of him? Of all the nights for some crazy, horny lady to take over her mind and body. He must think her a fool. Or a louse.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">After she corked the half-empty bottle, she dumped the merlot from hers and Trevor’s glasses into the sink and turned on the creaky faucet. Aargh. Water struck the basin like nails hitting a tin roof. She massaged her throbbing temples as her pride swirled down the drain alongside the wine and water. How many glasses had she indulged in—one, two? What if she ran into him again? Could she act as though nothing happened?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She grabbed her phone from her purse and scrolled through her contacts. Even though she’d dumped Trevor, she kept his name and number. Might as well stamp <i>loser</i> on her forehead. No matter how she played it, she’d morphed into a bitch last night, and he still carried her to bed. She leaned against the counter and tapped the screen, her stomach twisting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Hello?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Trevor’s deep timbre washed over her like the finest caress. She coughed to find her voice. “Hi. It’s Shea O’Bannon.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Silence stretched through the line. He grunted as though clearing his throat. “Hey. I didn’t expect to hear from you. You doing all right?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Other than a hangover and being humiliated? Sure, I’m peachy.” She forced a laugh and pinched the bridge between her eyes. “I’m sorry for how I acted, and thank you for not taking me up on my offer. Had we slept together, I’d be even more embarrassed.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“It’s okay. I’m no worse for the wear. We’ve all had bad days.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She tightened her grip on the phone. Was he letting her off the hook?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I gotta go. I’m at a worksite, and this doorway isn’t gonna frame itself.” He chuckled a little. “Want to meet for lunch? I always work half-days on Saturday, so I’m getting off at noonish.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">She bit her lip as the digital clock on the stove flicked to 11:33. Was lunch a good idea? “Okay. Where?” The words split her lips before she could stop them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“How about Dayo’s Cantina in Westwood? It’s close to my apartment.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Fine with me. I’ll grab directions from the Internet.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“Great. Let’s say one o’clock. I should go home and clean up first.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“I’ll see you then. Bye.” She jabbed the screen, ending the call before she could stick her foot in her mouth. Her stomach gurgled in sudden hunger as her nausea faded. She rubbed her face, wiping off what had to be the stupidest smile ever, but her lips quirked up again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">What had she gotten herself into—a date? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoBodyText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Interested? 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font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://books.amberdaulton.com/trevorsredemption</span></a><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Amazon - </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3WKxXqg" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://amzn.to/3WKxXqg</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Barnes and Noble - </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trevors-redemption-amber-daulton/1143581784?ean=2940160981512" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trevors-redemption-amber-daulton/1143581784?ean=2940160981512</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">iTunes - </span><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/trevors-redemption/id6449718746" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://books.apple.com/us/book/trevors-redemption/id6449718746</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Kobo - </span><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trevor-s-redemption" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trevor-s-redemption</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><o:p></o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Google Play - </span><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=AjbCEAAAQBAJ</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDMEwzRb9X5qDARcyfNZBBJa1N9ykCGkOF8E1VaoLR5ol9UcRB3B2CubbzXro-NzpeborgBCmHmquyAsKmAhBPpMuDCrmy59woNaaz5oIfY1Nv-2GwTQE-bG5nCKH8uAbo05JCiXZUNhn--UBBUqnWgIn42Ido-hxk4t7oVRykkMoynmGakqdJVXCPQ/s1974/Amber%20Daulton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1974" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDMEwzRb9X5qDARcyfNZBBJa1N9ykCGkOF8E1VaoLR5ol9UcRB3B2CubbzXro-NzpeborgBCmHmquyAsKmAhBPpMuDCrmy59woNaaz5oIfY1Nv-2GwTQE-bG5nCKH8uAbo05JCiXZUNhn--UBBUqnWgIn42Ido-hxk4t7oVRykkMoynmGakqdJVXCPQ/s320/Amber%20Daulton.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b><br />About the Author</b><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b>Social Media Link<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Universal link – <a href="https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton" style="color: #954f72;">https://linktr.ee/AmberDaulton</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-decoration: none;">Exclusive Newsletter (free ebook to new subscribers) – </span></span><a href="https://amberdaulton.com/newsletter-signup/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">https://amberdaulton.com/newsletter-signup/</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-52594693121643172952023-07-10T08:15:00.002-07:002023-07-10T08:27:50.348-07:00RomantiConn Recap<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">I’m back from my big reader event and oh my gosh, it was so much fun!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Last year, I made the decision to focus on readers. Seems like a “duh” moment, and maybe it was, but if my books are going to sell, I need to go where the readers are. I looked into large reader events and signed up for several of them. This was a big deal for me. These events are not cheap for authors, and therefore the need to see a return on my investment is key. But, you can’t make money without spending money.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This past Saturday was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/504558821615487" target="_blank">RomantiConn</a>, a reader event hosted by <a href="https://www.kittyberryauthor.com" target="_blank">Kitty Berry</a>. She and her volunteers did a phenomenal job! There were more than 100 authors spread across at least four meeting rooms and hallways in the Trumbull Marriott Hotel. Readers began lining up at ten for an event that didn’t start until noon! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In addition to authors signing their books, we gave away mystery books—a book wrapped in brown paper with clues on the front—a trope, heat level, or something that might draw the reader. They chose the book they wanted and then looked for our table so we could sign it for them. I gave away an older copy of <a href="https://www.jenniferwilck.com/heartoflittlefaith.html" target="_blank">A Heart of Little Faith</a>, and I met the nicest woman when I signed it for her.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">There were also five huge boxes filled with author swag—I donated mugs with my website banner filled with tea—that readers could win. Authors who donated had tickets and our tables were marked with a star. Readers had to do something for each of us in order to get a free ticket. I required readers to <a href="https://www.jenniferwilck.com/contact.html#newsletter" target="_blank">sign up for my newsletter</a>. I’m not sure who won the boxes, but I’m pretty sure they needed help carrying them out to their cars—those boxes were filled!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I sold books—both to people who had preordered from me and to people who stopped by my table that day. I met lots of readers and had so much fun talking to them. I met a Barnes & Noble manager who wants me to sign at her store. I even talked up my <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bONd9K">Harlequin Special Edition upcoming release</a> (I wasn’t allowed to sell that book there, but I had a flyer with a QR code so people could preorder directly from the retailers).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And I met or reconnected with some fabulous authors—<a href="https://jodipayne.net" target="_blank">Jodi Payne</a>, <a href="https://peggyjaeger.com" target="_blank">Peggy Jaeger</a>, <a href="https://www.laquette.com" target="_blank">LaQuette</a>, <a href="https://www.cheriallan.com" target="_blank">Cheri Allan</a>, <a href="https://judykentrus.com" target="_blank">Judy Kentrus</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=clair+brett&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8" target="_blank">Clair Brett</a>, <a href="https://arellrivers.com" target="_blank">Arell Rivers</a>, <a href="https://www.artemiscrow.com" target="_blank">Artemis Crow</a>,<a href="https://www.dvstoneauthor.com" target="_blank"> DV Stone</a>, to name a few. I’m sure I’m missing someone. It was great to see them in person, check out their tables, and just catch up with them or get hugs. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">My next in-person event will be Books, Books, Books in Pennsylvania in September. I can’t wait to meet more readers there!<o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-15268838385237606022023-07-05T07:49:00.001-07:002023-07-05T07:49:00.150-07:00Welcome, Kim Ligon<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">VOICES IN MY HEAD</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Thank you Jennifer for allowing me to opine a few moments on your blog. First, a little about me. My debut novel, “Polly’s List”, came out in August 2022. My second novel with The Wild Rose Press was published this week—“Landing On Her Feet.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I got the idea for my latest book. With great frequency the voices in my head hijacked my hands. I used to be worried about hearing them, but I’ve seen other authors allude to the same thing. If I’m crazy, I’m not alone. When the voices are humming, I take on the role of the medium at a séance. We’re all around a table holding hands and I’m possessed by the character who has something they have to say. Then I move to my keyboard and I type whatever they tell me to. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Sometimes it’s the pure drivel of a jealous character who thinks they haven’t had enough attention in the story so far. Usually, they’re simply being impatient. But often it is wonderful. Spot on. And it gets me over the latest snag in my story or introduces a new intriguing element to the unfolding plot. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Some characters prefer to approach when my defenses are down. They appear in my dreams. In this book, the main evil character went through many iterations as “Danny Mercer”. He appeared one night demanding, “I want a new name. What is menacing about a Danny?” In the final draft he became Dirk Crowe and it must have suited him because he didn’t return to complain and believe me, he’s not the type to go quietly into the good night!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The biggest change in this novel came not from inside my head, but from the one on the pillow next to mine—my husband’s. He liked the story but thought the male good guy was entirely too wimpy. He took the time to help me strengthen Chase’s character and made the story better. For a long time, I’d dubbed the novel “Saving Chase.” I’m lucky my mate didn’t insist on co-authorship.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">If you liked my debut novel, you’ll find some familiar friends in this story. It is not a sequel, but a standalone set in the same fictional small town of Lansdale, Wisconsin. It is a rated G suspenseful romance with a generous splash of faith. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">The voices are growing impatient to work on story three. Gotta go! Thanks again, Jennifer. Have a marvelous summer!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8tXg0lavHNdQMgROqkVvbLmhaVxlziYr2r1BPYKR3X0NdQ0eLmHCfBXKBoXaIb2VHFITMjRkOc7X74ym91sMbfl2DGCewFgGuc7B4i8vWOjWHttVDRTChifLDpzql1F7Q8N9KP-LR5DkfE9InLNPu2rqO3NIXKihHVTxQJYQ0HFYskCt_5-EaqqduoWq/s2243/LandingonHerFeet_w17407_ib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2243" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf8tXg0lavHNdQMgROqkVvbLmhaVxlziYr2r1BPYKR3X0NdQ0eLmHCfBXKBoXaIb2VHFITMjRkOc7X74ym91sMbfl2DGCewFgGuc7B4i8vWOjWHttVDRTChifLDpzql1F7Q8N9KP-LR5DkfE9InLNPu2rqO3NIXKihHVTxQJYQ0HFYskCt_5-EaqqduoWq/s320/LandingonHerFeet_w17407_ib.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br />Blurb</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Kat Russell narrowly escaped death at Dirk Crowe’s hands six years ago. He’s out of prison. To protect her family, she must flee Philadelphia—the only home she’s ever known—with her five-year-old son, Timmy. Is Wisconsin far enough away to escape evil? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Chase Merrick, father of Timmy’s new best friend, wants to help. What is Kat hiding? Why does she insist she must face whatever it is alone? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">When Can Kat stop constantly looking back over her shoulder? Will secrets and shame stop her from accepting Chase’s protection? Or unite them in the face of danger to keep their sons safe? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b>Excerpt</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="Default" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The unmistakable roar of a motorcycle echoed </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">through the diner. Kat stopped where she stood. Her </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">lungs wouldn’t refill. She gripped the counter to steady </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">her trembling legs. Out the front window she saw a red-</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">helmeted rider atop a motorcycle pull out of a space in</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">front of the diner and drive away. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Impossible. Not here. He couldn’t know she’s</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">gone. Not yet. <i>Other people with red helmets ride motorcycles. Get a grip, girl! People are staring. Stop </i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">scowling. </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She wiped away the tear that slipped down </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">her cheek, plastered on what she hoped was a pleasant </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">smile, and resumed pouring coffee. She needed to make</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">a good impression. She had to keep <i>this </i>job.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b>Links</b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Amazon:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">https://www.amazon.com/Landing-Her-Feet-Janine-Ligon/dp/15092497337/<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Barnes and Noble:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">https://barnesandnoble.com/w/landing-on-her-feet-kim-janine-ligon/1143205488<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Goodreads<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123737915-landing-on-her-feet/<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Bookbub:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">www.bookbub.com/books/landing-on-her-feet-by-kim-janine-ligon<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6t7HZICNCGyxiLYG1Li8XrzNydC0zRbIUcYJixxokVnfzBtOPEp14Av2VyYx79A5FMABZL6UNW1PIvu15kcxwuCcSEifWBupIul7lQ56Cn-uuABipq3kV9ILSMZzTI1AAkrzdUuu7BFfEuKXEw9WJdWYmEIMxUILaOJQ-lv8ZOnE-i6yj4NLroOFD95q/s4032/image0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6t7HZICNCGyxiLYG1Li8XrzNydC0zRbIUcYJixxokVnfzBtOPEp14Av2VyYx79A5FMABZL6UNW1PIvu15kcxwuCcSEifWBupIul7lQ56Cn-uuABipq3kV9ILSMZzTI1AAkrzdUuu7BFfEuKXEw9WJdWYmEIMxUILaOJQ-lv8ZOnE-i6yj4NLroOFD95q/s320/image0.jpeg" width="240" /></a></b></div><b><br />Bio</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;">Kim Ligon has been writing stories for most of her life—some on paper and some only in her head. She has lots of source material growing up as the oldest child in a large family in a small town in Wisconsin. Her father was a veterinarian so there were not only lots of children around, but all manner of house pets and farm animals too. Her love of reading comes from her mother who was seldom seen sitting down without a book in her hand. After a demanding career in healthcare information technology, she is now getting to do all the creative things she loves which includes writing her stories to share with you. She lives with her chief encourager and personal romantic hero, her husband of almost forever, in Alabama. Please follow her further adventures at <a href="http://www.spinningromance.com/" style="color: #954f72;">www.spinningromance.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-19626001183071693202023-07-03T07:24:00.008-07:002023-07-03T07:25:33.377-07:00My Books Arrived!<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">My box of paperbacks from Harlequin arrived this past weekend. Forty-five copies of my book, Home for the Challah Days, and I was more excited than I thought possible.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’ve written romances before. And I’ve ordered copies of my books before. In fact, I have a whole bookcase filled with my copies that I take with me to bookstores, reader conferences, and festivals. So, you’d think receiving a box of books in the mail would be no big deal.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">You’d be wrong. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">For one, the boxes I’ve received in the past have been ones I’ve ordered. For a discount, but ordered, nonetheless. This box of books was given to me by my publisher as per my contract, and although I’m not allowed to sell these copies (also per my contract), I can keep them, give them away, use them for swag, etc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">For another, the actual books are different, too, and no, I don’t mean because they have a different title. They’re smaller—mass-market paperback size (think the size you see in Walmart). The cover is matte. And they even have the inserts in the middle of the book that all/most Harlequins have—truth be told, those inserts annoy me as a reader, but as an author? It means the book is real (to me, at least)!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And finally, it means that it’s almost publication day. August 22 will be here before I know it, and my book will be out in the world. This book that I never thought would see the light of day after so many rejections will finally get into readers’ hands. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">So, my excitement is real and different from before. If you haven’t seen it, here it is: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@authorwilckjz/video/7250579556933963050?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7239728539854030379">https://www.tiktok.com/@authorwilckjz/video/7250579556933963050?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7239728539854030379</a><o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-11226083330008531322023-06-26T14:30:00.004-07:002023-06-26T14:30:49.197-07:00It Pays to Answer Your Phone.<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I got some good news this week, and the moral of the story is this: sometimes it does pay to answer those random phone calls.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">If you’re like me, you never answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize. I’ve gotten too many telemarketers and scammers, so I’m always cautious about answering my phone with a number I don’t recognize. I also have phone security apps that weed out a lot of the spam calls.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">So, on Sunday, when my phone rang from a number in Atlanta, and I knew I didn’t recognize it, I let it go to voicemail. And forgot about it, especially when my phone didn’t alert me to a voicemail. Later in the day, I was scrolling on my phone and noticed an alert on my voicemail screener. Usually, those calls are spam, but if I get an alert, I check it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The cool thing about that app is it transcribes the voice mail so I can get a hint at least about the type of voicemail it is. This time, the app couldn’t transcribe the message. I was positive that meant it was a scam. But I listened to it anyway.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Good thing I did, because it was from the contest chair for the Maggie Awards, a contest run by the Georgia Romance Writers. Although it only asked me to call them back, I knew it would be good news of some sort, since you never get calls that you LOST a contest.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I called back immediately, left a voicemail, and unblocked the strange Atlanta number that I’d blocked before. Oops. She called me right back and let me know I’m a finalist in the contest for my book Unlock My Heart. Winners will be announced at their conference in October. <o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-27524790020699732562023-06-19T13:27:00.005-07:002023-06-19T13:27:46.008-07:00It's Real<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It’s been a while since I last blogged. In fact, probably long enough that maybe there are three of you who still read my blog. Oh well, I’ll write for the four of us. Invite your friends if want.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’ve been working on the third book in my Harlequin Special Edition series, and like most writers, I’m plagued by, “what if.” What if the book isn’t as good as the other two? What if my editor hates it? What if I can’t make my deadline? But to be honest, those what ifs aren’t going away. Ever. I’m pretty sure they’re just part of my writing process.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Even after returning from my lunch with my editor—the first time I felt like a real writer with a worthwhile profession—I still looked at my manuscript, gulped, and thought, “Oh, God.” And I think I’m going to feel that way for the foreseeable future.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">When I first started writing, and there was nowhere to go but up, of course I was excited. I was inspired and had ideas pouring out of my head. I had the freedom to play with them, to do anything I wanted with them because no one was looking for them. Once I turned this into a business and had deadlines, and requirements, and readers, well, I have to admit, some of my inspiration disappeared. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’m still writing. I’m still coming up with new ideas, and I still love what I do. Really. Even more so now that I’ve been exposed to people—editors, support staff, marketing people—who depend on me for their business to run. They take me seriously. They’ve given me a necessary piece of support that no one else can, no matter how hard they try. And I’m forever grateful, especially since I didn’t know I was missing it. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">But it doesn’t make sitting down at my computer any easier. I know what I need to write. I know where I am and where I want to get to in my manuscript. It’s the process of actually going from point A to point B that’s giving me fits right now. But I’m not giving up. As I say all the time, writing is a muscle, and you need to use it every day if you want to keep it in shape. So I’m writing, getting to know my characters, discovering new things about them two thirds of the way through the book that I didn’t know about them in the beginning (and making notes to go back and fix that beginning when I’m finally finished.).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In the meantime, book one—Home for the Challah Days—comes out in two months. It’s actually up for <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bONd9K" target="_blank">preorder</a> now if you’re interested. I’m ramping up my marketing again, both for that new book and for my backlist—you can see some book recommendations <a href="[https://shepherd.com/best-books/to-make-you-laugh-cry-and-escape-this-crazy-world](https://shepherd.com/best-books/to-make-you-laugh-cry-and-escape-this-crazy-world)" target="_blank">here</a> that I’ve made that will hopefully entice you to buy some of my books. And I’m doing lots of in-person events, including RomantiConn in July, which you can see <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/romanticonn-2023-a-romance-author-signing-event-tickets-475171509777 " target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-62830943107901801562023-05-24T01:00:00.001-07:002023-05-24T01:00:00.144-07:00Order of the Dragon Knights Series Anniversary Celebration and Sale by Mary Morgan<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hello Jennifer! Thank you for hosting me on your fabulous blog to celebrate my 10-year anniversary with The Wild Rose Press! What an epic adventure since I signed my first contract for </span><b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dragon Knight’s Sword (</span></i></b><i style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Order of the Dragon Knights, Book 1)</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> all those years ago. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Through the Looking Glass with my Writing Career <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I signed my first contract in May 2013, little did I fathom the dedication, time, and energy involved with promoting and marketing my book. By the time <b><i>Dragon Knight’s Sword</i></b> entered the world in June 2014, I was almost finished writing the fourth story in a five-book series. My much wiser and knowledgeable author friends kept warning me of the dangers of letting the business side interfere with my creative writing. In recollection, I recall laughing. Yes, I laughed at these friends. I kept saying, “I’m eager and looking forward to marketing my book! I can do it without any assistants. Bring it on!” What a silly woman I was and should have paid a wee bit more attention to their kind words of wisdom.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I used my vast administrative background to become an efficient task-master. I set a rigorous schedule Monday - Saturday: 5:00am wake-up call, breakfast at the computer to work on all business matters, exercise regime between 9:00-10:00, lunch at noon, and back in my writing cave around 12:30-1:00pm to write until 5:00pm. Saturday was more flexible, but I was sitting in front of my computer screen around 1:00pm until after 5:00. If my day became interrupted by family or emergencies, I made up the writing loss later in the evening. And yes, I worked on those research travel trips, too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What about Sundays? Should I take this day off? Well maybe… On Sunday mornings, I’d print out what I had worked on during the week. I considered this a day of rest while I did line edits for a couple hours on the couch. My daughters laughed and scolded me. <i>“This is not resting from work, Mom!”<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">My routine required a shake-up. When the pandemic hit, you would have thought I’d be in my glory with all this quiet time. Quite the opposite. My knight (aka the husband) required surgeries, and I struggled with what was happening in the world. I slowed down but still continued a slightly modified schedule. Eventually, I became burnt out and needed a break. Those wise words of wisdom from my friends came rushing back to me in late 2021 and 2022. In addition, I had several health issues which were a major signal for me to quit putting this pressure on my shoulders. I called it my “Stress Demon” and <i>she</i> had to leave! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Looking back through this lovely rose-colored looking glass, I honestly can say I would not have done anything differently. Why? Because I’m a firm believer in learning lessons on my journey in life. Nothing is perfect. I’ve had a successful, illuminating career. Yet if I hadn’t pushed on through those early years, I might have gone in another direction <i>or</i> stopped writing. I continue to grow, learn, and now enjoy every single moment of my day. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">And if I want to take the day off or scale back on my word count, I no longer scold myself anymore. Nope! A wiser Mary Morgan Author has emerged, and I’m eager to see how the next 10 years evolve. Psst, there’ll definitely be more Dragon Knights. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCnUKLXzAzm5HmwQMmtq0ligL2aT9d4kDf71ie0_mwa0HCYNLdHHXTHK61LhRvBdPfmf8JoGs5qhSCobcTa2lreX2fn_tCkdjAKTJgTJYpblr3W2kw5OnKajou7TOl4OJwxxgaDsmM13JU-uN-R-ZiCW-WeJyZdHIRBuJbXmbwx2Ew60eyZgX2sSLTQ/s1080/DRAGON%20KNIGHT'S%20SWORD%20Sale%20BookBrushImage-2021-6-3-8-2927.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCnUKLXzAzm5HmwQMmtq0ligL2aT9d4kDf71ie0_mwa0HCYNLdHHXTHK61LhRvBdPfmf8JoGs5qhSCobcTa2lreX2fn_tCkdjAKTJgTJYpblr3W2kw5OnKajou7TOl4OJwxxgaDsmM13JU-uN-R-ZiCW-WeJyZdHIRBuJbXmbwx2Ew60eyZgX2sSLTQ/s320/DRAGON%20KNIGHT'S%20SWORD%20Sale%20BookBrushImage-2021-6-3-8-2927.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Order of the Dragon Knights ~<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">They were an ancient order, descended from the great Tuatha Dé Danann, the Sidhe, or in simpler terms: the <i>Fae</i>. Half-human and half-fae, each knight blessed with mystical powers. Given to them were holy relics from the Fae and guardianship over their Dragons.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">They were known as the <i>Dragon Knights</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, some believed the Order had too much power and they tried to possess it for themselves. They were evil and twisted, and their plan succeeded one fateful night. The brothers of the Clan MacKay—Dragon Knights, fought a battle. Blood spilled onto holy ground, bringing forth the wrath of the Fae. Their relics were taken, and the Order was banished—each name stricken from the hallowed halls of the Fae.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Clan MacKay is no longer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Dragon Knights have scattered across the land.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet out of the darkness, they will each fight for redemption, and the women they love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">For a limited time, </span><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dragon Knight’s Sword</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> is on sale for 99¢ from Amazon. Grab your copy today or collect them all! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sale dates: 5.11.23 – 6.2.23<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Available at </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7QR2T3" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">AMAZON</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">(</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7QR2T3" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F7QR2T3</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> )<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUwMnkrQBikQQcrfGcjVKJhfj7ZjHZhdFHXQZTQNOWNoUI1kuLXAdQuxJz7KYpeU0YatkEVIykK9aSCMWoiFrFJvB5SHmWEvcGzC8oLfchYUL35uh9K_aLC0bLHye_SzOQv3Gwx7o7XOB6xOamqGa8Sp7cAbQIWdHh9_eITby4GtW_23ecMoLDfMCBQ/s1518/Dragon%20Knights%20Anniversary%20BookBrushImage-2023-3-24-7-165.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="1518" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUwMnkrQBikQQcrfGcjVKJhfj7ZjHZhdFHXQZTQNOWNoUI1kuLXAdQuxJz7KYpeU0YatkEVIykK9aSCMWoiFrFJvB5SHmWEvcGzC8oLfchYUL35uh9K_aLC0bLHye_SzOQv3Gwx7o7XOB6xOamqGa8Sp7cAbQIWdHh9_eITby4GtW_23ecMoLDfMCBQ/s320/Dragon%20Knights%20Anniversary%20BookBrushImage-2023-3-24-7-165.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />Book Trailer for Dragon Knights: </b><a href="https://youtu.be/iEruV9P6PtU" style="color: #954f72;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://youtu.be/iEruV9P6PtU</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3beml2UTK63LIUMMiZ1UpuUrIgVB_65_rKfC69zbPA-rigvmYQvUId2nHVjA-0qBC5nPEWa-fmiBY7v9aNF1xppRLP_20QX27HpLzbwpRMu8NCFras9VuBfUYGl28HLRpFnXDrMN9-QS9UXWTZ8-u6ku7sZ042PGQUDXz-AJdUB0oCAECW41VXXpLOw/s3447/MaryMorgan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3447" data-original-width="3280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3beml2UTK63LIUMMiZ1UpuUrIgVB_65_rKfC69zbPA-rigvmYQvUId2nHVjA-0qBC5nPEWa-fmiBY7v9aNF1xppRLP_20QX27HpLzbwpRMu8NCFras9VuBfUYGl28HLRpFnXDrMN9-QS9UXWTZ8-u6ku7sZ042PGQUDXz-AJdUB0oCAECW41VXXpLOw/s320/MaryMorgan2.jpg" width="304" /></a></b></div><b><br />About the Author: <o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Multi award-winning romance author, Mary Morgan resides in Northern California with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Mary's passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. Inspired by her love for history and ancient Celtic and Norse mythology, her tales are filled with powerful warriors, brave women, magic, and romance. Now, the worlds she created in her mind are coming to life within her stories.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of fantasy, then travel back in time within the pages of her books.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Connect with Mary here ~<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website/Blog: </span><a href="https://www.marymorganauthor.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.marymorganauthor.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amazon Author: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Twitter: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads: </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pinterest: </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Instagram: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/marymorgan2/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.instagram.com/marymorgan2/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">BookBub: </span><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Audible: </span><a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Mary-Morgan/B00KPE3NWI" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.audible.com/author/Mary-Morgan/B00KPE3NWI</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">LinkedIn: </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-morgan-2634a77a/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-morgan-2634a77a/</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-48821428704098067592023-04-17T10:08:00.000-07:002023-04-17T10:08:05.447-07:00The End of the Empty Nest<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It’s my last full week of an empty nest. My youngest graduates from college in 10 days. After that, she’s coming home to live here while she works in New York City. It’ll be a temporary move, until she can find an apartment. But until that time, my husband and I will once again have a kid living under our roof.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I’m not upset. I miss both my girls when they’re away, and I’m thrilled she’ll be coming back home for a while. But it will be an adjustment having another body in the house. I’m still getting used to the quirks of having my husband working from home full time. And while Banana Girl will be employed in a hybrid situation, I suspect my working areas will be limited somewhat due to our working styles.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Eating will also change, as she has a much more creative palate than we do. It makes lunches fun, since she’s constantly suggesting food I never would make or order myself but am happy to share when she’s willing. And I’m not going to argue about having an extra “honey” for my “honey-do” list—Oh, you’re going to the dry cleaner? Great, can you take my stuff, too?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">So, this week I’m focusing on getting all my work done ahead of time, meeting my deadlines, and preparing for her “college junk invasion.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">One of the things I’m looking ahead to is my book signing at Barnes & Noble in Easton, PA. I’ll be there on May 6 from 11-4 with several other romance authors. We’ll talk about our books, sign them, and lead panels on topics of interest to readers and writers. I’d love you to stop by—it’s a great way to prepare for the reading mothers in your lives!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMw4K2fWbCqLDqxZ8mGrrL-FbeTje3AanlwbICcmErINQxmpOkY0bjRm5YJn7htD3dyiGJuXeYTEdV_OuWSWzXxcBfeJoBIBjRz7aDMbX1NP4X_zzFzskwtE6NbyORiiJ308-JJdgNZHZR5zXwa2yyIjtqGjfZIQ1T1JTgUQNHDJJaAOo2u07OzUIeWQ/s2304/Featuring%20with%20headshots.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMw4K2fWbCqLDqxZ8mGrrL-FbeTje3AanlwbICcmErINQxmpOkY0bjRm5YJn7htD3dyiGJuXeYTEdV_OuWSWzXxcBfeJoBIBjRz7aDMbX1NP4X_zzFzskwtE6NbyORiiJ308-JJdgNZHZR5zXwa2yyIjtqGjfZIQ1T1JTgUQNHDJJaAOo2u07OzUIeWQ/s320/Featuring%20with%20headshots.png" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-19733236572237016742023-04-05T06:29:00.001-07:002023-04-05T06:29:12.488-07:00Welcome Back, Debby Grahl<p> <span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">Jennifer, thank you so much for having me today.</span></p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">My inspiration for writing is a little different than most. I have a disease</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">of the retina called Retinitis Pigmentosa which causes gradual vision loss.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">I lost the ability to read in my early twenties, but even when I had sight,</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">seeing the printed word was always difficult for me. Reading a book would</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">take me twice as long as a person with normal sight. I became frustrated</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">with this and began to make up my own stories. I used to entertain my</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">girlfriends with these as we walked to school. They were kind enough to</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">listen, and today they’re some of my biggest fans. It wasn’t until the</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">invention of screen-reading software that I was able to put my stories into</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">print. Everything I write is read back to me, but I still have difficulty</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">with some postings. For instance, Facebook. I'm unable to tell if my book</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">cover is upside-down or sideways. This is where my wonderful seeing-eye</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">husband comes in.</span><div><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">I can now look back and laugh at my first attempt in getting published, but</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">at the time I was devastated. An editor was offering a free critique of your</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">first twenty-five pages. I happily sent this in, just knowing she'd love it.</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">Well, when she sent her remarks back, my confidence was shattered. She said</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">she marked everything I'd done wrong in red. Which as far as I could tell,</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">covered the entire twenty-five pages. And to rub salt into my writers ego,</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">she also said, "You have a good story if you could write it." Yikes! I took</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">some writing classes and my new release Island Heat, will be my sixth</span><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">published novel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXnQyYTy5S9nqdFa9vehuhki4TikumkbE0K5EnLMPvuEwN-DIlIqHRSfW7OGk5n7qUH2auIRXZZF_I9BiZzNXEls_6tB4sNg4hNGgEQ3LfzDdf0hw72lg4TMK2j3c7fUHy2KkG5PU_4wwzvV8Dj2LlYCxLLdECkYe6Nup8muAqzEFTLS5aIxTkkiGHQ/s2471/IslandHeat_w17456_med.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2471" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXnQyYTy5S9nqdFa9vehuhki4TikumkbE0K5EnLMPvuEwN-DIlIqHRSfW7OGk5n7qUH2auIRXZZF_I9BiZzNXEls_6tB4sNg4hNGgEQ3LfzDdf0hw72lg4TMK2j3c7fUHy2KkG5PU_4wwzvV8Dj2LlYCxLLdECkYe6Nup8muAqzEFTLS5aIxTkkiGHQ/s320/IslandHeat_w17456_med.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Island Heat blurb: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">When bookstore owner Suzanna Shay and writer Austen Kincade meet on a Who Done It mystery cruise, their instant attraction has them more interested in romance than searching for clues. But when the leading actress in the shipboard murder skit, Austen’s publisher’s wife, throws herself at Austen, she’s furious when he rejects her advances and vows to have Austen no matter what it takes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After the ship docks, with plans for a future together, Suzanna and Austen part, unaware vindictive lies will soon test their newfound love and entangle them in a real mystery that proves deadly.</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;">Island Heat </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Excerpt</span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“There’s a full moon. How about a stroll out on the deck?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Suzanna, you don’t know him. Think about what you’re doing. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Her mother’s voice rang through her head. But as she gazed into Austen’s face, careful was the last thing she wanted to be. She stood. “Let’s go.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">They said goodbye to the Paiges and headed for the doors leading onto the deck. The night was warm with a gentle breeze. Stars filled the velvet sky as moonlight sparkled upon the water.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Suzanna breathed in the salty air. <i>Right now, my life in Charlotte might as well be a million miles away, and I haven’t a care in the world.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“There’s Orion,” Austen pointed. “Studying the constellations is a hobby of mine.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“I find the stars fascinating. And I love having my fortune told.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“I can tell you what your future will bring,” Austen replied. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“What’s that?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">He took her into his arms. “This.” His lips covered hers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">The warmth of his mouth made Suzanna’s skin tingle. This moment came right off the pages of the romance novels she so loved — a moonlit night, a handsome man, and the faint sound of a piano in the distance. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">He held her close. His kiss, gentle at first, his lips moving slowly across hers, skillfully coaxed her lips apart. Their tongues met, and Suzanna let out a low moan as the kiss deepened. Her body molded to his. She slid her fingers through the hair on the nape of his neck. His hand glided up and down her back. His hard erection rubbed against her, and Suzanna’s passion soared.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Austen broke their kiss and gazed into her eyes. In a husky voice he said, “I want you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Suzanna, never one to jump into bed with a man she’d just met, hesitated. Again, for a second, her mother’s disapproving scowl flashed through her mind. She defiantly brushed it aside.<i> There’s no one here to question your actions.</i><i>Don’t let this perfect night pass you by. Besides, who would ever know? </i>the adventurous part of her brain screamed drowning out any misgivings<i>. </i>Who was she kidding? Nothing would keep her from having sex with Austen. “Yes.” she whispered.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“I suggest we get off this deck before we go any further. Your cabin or mine?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Struggling to gather her wits, Suzanna nodded. “Mine.” </span></p></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.9pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk46322413"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>Buy links</u><o:p></o:p></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.9pt 0in 6pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amazon Author Page -- </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.9pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 27.6pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">B&N --</span><span style="color: #954f72; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Debby+Grahl?_requestid=5525094" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Debby+Grahl?_requestid=5525094</a></span></p></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5222r5QmOa91boioqGSL1mwDSsTK6jU5jDxFm4WGFl7c80ElWzw0-F7Qiwjjrm4HPLqHzv4JHKUstZAbzmGzSzGPGiEcGD7yKV-y1BxbzgkE6KwzwlQMoc-JhLSermy58gph9JTmSoeCOI_vUvc_qotj-DVX92PFRzueXcFm8Qn82k5IifEvyY7tetg/s2354/Lisa-Staff-Photography--cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2354" data-original-width="2261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5222r5QmOa91boioqGSL1mwDSsTK6jU5jDxFm4WGFl7c80ElWzw0-F7Qiwjjrm4HPLqHzv4JHKUstZAbzmGzSzGPGiEcGD7yKV-y1BxbzgkE6KwzwlQMoc-JhLSermy58gph9JTmSoeCOI_vUvc_qotj-DVX92PFRzueXcFm8Qn82k5IifEvyY7tetg/s320/Lisa-Staff-Photography--cropped.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br />Bio</u></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Award-winning author Debby Grahl lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with her husband David. Besides writing, she enjoys biking, walking on the beach, and a glass of wine at sunset. Visually impaired since childhood by Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), she uses screen-reading software to research and write her books. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rue Toulouse, a contemporary romance set in the French Quarter, medalled as second place in the Readers’ Favorite international competition, and was awarded first place in the Top Shelf Fiction for the Romance category. His Magic Touch, a paranormal romance, is also set in New Orleans. Her latest book, Island Heat, will be released May 1, 2023, and will be the second book in her three-part Carolina series. The first, Mountain Blaze, released November 2, 2020, has received a five-star review from Readers’ Favorite. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">You can find Debby at the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Website -- </span><a href="file:///C:/Users/dgmud.LAPTOP-ONP52U26/Desktop/D%20Documents/www.debbygrahl.com" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">www.debbygrahl.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Facebook -- </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/debbygrahlauthor?ref=br_rs" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.facebook.com/debbygrahlauthor?ref=br_rs</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bookbub -- </span><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=debby%20grahl" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.bookbub.com/search/authors?search=debby%20grahl</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Twitter -- </span><a href="https://twitter.com/DebbyGrahl" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://twitter.com/DebbyGrahl</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.9pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk46322413"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Buy links<o:p></o:p></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.9pt 0in 6pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Amazon Author Page -- </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.amazon.com/Debby-Grahl/e/B00B34HM26</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 23.9pt 0in 0in; text-align: justify; text-indent: 27.6pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">B&N --</span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Debby+Grahl?_requestid=5525094" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Debby+Grahl?_requestid=5525094</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.546667px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><o:p><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: medium;"></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><br style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;" /></div>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-36305887635192848292023-03-27T11:14:00.000-07:002023-03-27T11:14:04.241-07:00Release Day!<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It’s book release day! That’s right, my fourteenth book is out today. I can’t believe I’ve published 14 books, with several more on the way. Crazy. Here’s the link if you’re interested: Universal Link:</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://books2read.com/u/3k2G5n" style="color: #954f72; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">https://books2read.com/u/3k2G5n</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This release day I’m celebrating a little differently, with two live events. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The first happened this morning via Facebook Live. I’m attending a big reader’s event in the fall, and one of the women offered to interview author attendees. We coordinated it around today’s release, and I had so much fun talking to her. As she described it, it was like sitting down for a cup of coffee and chatting. We talked about my writing process, my reading preferences, and my book. And I’ve gained a new reader, since she tried A Heart Restrained, loved it, and now wants to read the rest of the series. Yay! I answered watchers’ questions and really had so much fun.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The second will happen tonight. I’m going into Manhattan to a place called P&T Knitwear, which is a gift store, bookstore, podcast recording studio and more. I, along with several other authors, will read excerpts from our books, discuss our writing, and sign books for readers. I’ve never done something like this before, and I’m excited to be a part of it. If you’re in the area this evening, stop by!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OajO15qNAAIiF6iUoM4vfknTtKpj5Yqar0KGRTfHILLF6yvNEpva0UR0r20h669gN9_iOy5qowe5Ct_KYNq7dEftJaYldNAJii8_qwBk4un6uvhNlkNS4JkRO2q4rP9RmLfcSvI38qx_L_L2TZbQ1rhWydK4H0IXkVLrCDfdeGfbSLGQVteXmyK_qw/s940/updated%20PTKnitwear_3-27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OajO15qNAAIiF6iUoM4vfknTtKpj5Yqar0KGRTfHILLF6yvNEpva0UR0r20h669gN9_iOy5qowe5Ct_KYNq7dEftJaYldNAJii8_qwBk4un6uvhNlkNS4JkRO2q4rP9RmLfcSvI38qx_L_L2TZbQ1rhWydK4H0IXkVLrCDfdeGfbSLGQVteXmyK_qw/s320/updated%20PTKnitwear_3-27.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Usually, I focus more on social media events, which I’m still doing. I’ve got blogs and reviews tours and social media posts. But I’m trying to reach readers who might not be on social media. We’ll see what happens. <o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">This book was a lot of fun to write, but more difficult than my usual ones. The hero doesn’t show his emotions. And that makes it very hard for me, as the author, to show you, the reader, what he’s feeling. Because I don’t want to say, “he was angry.” I want you to see it. But if I can’t show you his anger, I have to find other methods. So, it was a struggle. But I hope I did it well. Fiona, who does show her emotions, was fun to write. I’m a big fan of strong, independent women, and she is definitely strong and independent. Sassy, too. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I hope you’ll consider reading the book, and if you do, I hope you’ll leave a review. Short, long, good, bad, all the reviews help by making my books more visible. Thanks for coming along on the journey with me!<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-79265976960572758232023-03-08T01:00:00.001-08:002023-03-08T01:00:00.193-08:00Welcome, Alexa Sullivan<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN">Don’t Give Up on Finding Your Voice<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN">I stared at another email from my agent, informing me that a publisher had once again passed on my manuscript. Dejected, I wondered how I was ever going to get over the seemingly 100-foot-high publication gate guarded by mysterious, faceless people my agent was corresponding with. The feedback she kept passing me was incredibly vague – my book just “wasn’t for” the person in question or “didn’t quite captivate” them. What was I doing wrong?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN">This was many years ago. At the time, I was trying to be a YA fantasy writer in a sea of such writers. After several years of working with that agent and failing to get three separate YA books through the publication gauntlet, I amicably parted ways with my agent and took some time to re-center myself. I focused on other things, like my career. And off and on, I kept writing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN">Eventually, I found the inspiration to try writing romance – something I’d dabbled with in the past but never seriously pursued. After self-publishing a sweet contemporary romance, I turned to writing more steamy paranormal romance and finally found my writing home (yes, my home now includes some level of smut). Instead of trying to write something that was popular, I wrote to entertain myself. I included the most random of plot points (like a three-headed Pomeranian hellhound) – whatever would make me laugh. In doing so, I found my voice as a writer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN">It only took about 15 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN">If you’re an as-yet-unpublished writer and not sure what your “brand” is, I would encourage you to set aside worries about what’s popular in the market right now and write only for yourself. If there’s a genre you love to read but struggle to write, don’t write that, either. Find the type of story you both love to read and write, then tell yourself that story. Your voice, like mine, might be a little quirky. But I guarantee it will be authentic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">And authenticity might just sell your book.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOiJ_mJH2r2WFNgjD-p3tJTco6tixndOJkckM-FaVOOii1LLxQcOyfZnecR0l5uOwUMr_4QTLRbvKzJfzPV5_9XWDIzRD9KfuqYWoYY4mtO3Ou8MN5HhmfySm0amhXmsEqSHEFtvwEvnsjRLAjrmI7htpVPi-Wg5n56aMmI9reXP_eREuVcL3Mxk9NA/s2475/IDreamofDemigods_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2475" data-original-width="1544" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOiJ_mJH2r2WFNgjD-p3tJTco6tixndOJkckM-FaVOOii1LLxQcOyfZnecR0l5uOwUMr_4QTLRbvKzJfzPV5_9XWDIzRD9KfuqYWoYY4mtO3Ou8MN5HhmfySm0amhXmsEqSHEFtvwEvnsjRLAjrmI7htpVPi-Wg5n56aMmI9reXP_eREuVcL3Mxk9NA/s320/IDreamofDemigods_Cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />I DREAM OF DEMIGODS<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">By Alexa Sullivan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Blurb</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 14pt 0in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Ro Baird can't cast a spell without setting her own pants on fire—until she kisses her hot new boss, Alex. Suddenly, she's able to access her magic…sort of…and she now has a familiar, who may be more trouble than she is helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Alex Kouris happens to be a soul-stealing </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">demigod<span style="background-color: white;"> of the Underworld. He claims he's trying to leave the life, but can she really trust a man whose magical talents are manipulation and charm? When Alex enlists a shady ex to help him, Ro must risk her heart and her life to save him and humanity from Hades’s evil scheme. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Can she harness her true power to set Alex and herself free?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span lang="EN">Bio<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;">Alexa Sullivan writes humorous, contemporary paranormal romance. Inspired by her previous career in IT,, she imagines a world where the mundane meets magic—and where vampires and werewolves have regular jobs. Oh, and there are cats, too. She lives and works in the beautiful state of Oregon, where she sets all of her stories. When not writing, she can be found hanging out with her husband, walking her cats on a leash, and watching far too much Bravo reality TV.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><b><i><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;">Socials<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;">Website: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.alexasullivan.com/"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #1155cc;">https://www.alexasullivan.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;">Sign up for Alexa’s Newsletter: </span><span lang="EN"><a href="https://www.alexasullivan.com/subscribe"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #1155cc;">https://www.alexasullivan.com/subscribe</span></a><span style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;">Instagram: @alexasullivanromance<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.866667px; margin: 0in;"><span lang="EN" style="background-color: #fafafa; color: #111122;">Buy Link: https://mybook.to/ufacndK<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-14115467703484558282023-03-01T01:00:00.001-08:002023-03-01T01:00:00.179-08:00Check Out This Awesome Series!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qkR2QDstVdIWVAoJSNW4PmCmTO-Tk90x9h9JTFMJDn2rcmnK482EKMyxl0A-Yo9i1llQ42akqHRyE5e0EqSSPwkiWlXsb-JyahRIID3HzsLyv4HgR8s3vdXXMU2hDy36ebvbZmxXU-cknjZ5aZ6B77pcWoq9u1eix-plaCrdPROW3WSTMfcI6rf7Cg/s3264/series%20collage%2011%20ig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="3264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qkR2QDstVdIWVAoJSNW4PmCmTO-Tk90x9h9JTFMJDn2rcmnK482EKMyxl0A-Yo9i1llQ42akqHRyE5e0EqSSPwkiWlXsb-JyahRIID3HzsLyv4HgR8s3vdXXMU2hDy36ebvbZmxXU-cknjZ5aZ6B77pcWoq9u1eix-plaCrdPROW3WSTMfcI6rf7Cg/s320/series%20collage%2011%20ig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Series BLURB:</span></b><p></p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">A wisp of smoke, a swirl of promise, a breath of destiny…a message within the Mortar & Pestle for those who want to believe.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Throughout time people have sought heir heart’s desire. But true love is often elusive.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Carved with Ancient Norse runes, the Mortar & Pestle shows paths to happily-ever-afters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Once you capture the Mortar & Pestle’s scent of magic, you’ll want to read all seven individual romances.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">5 Fun Facts About the Series:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><ol start="1" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Each book has a paranormal element or thread—selkies, gifted heroines, healers, vampires…a bit of magic and a whole lotta love!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The Mortar & Pestle plays a role in each book to bring true love upon an unsuspecting couple in unique ways. Whether it’s used for grinding food or herbs, hitting an adversary’s head [hey, that bowl is heavy!], making medicines, mixing paints, or being uncovered in an archaeological find, the magical bowl finds its way into each of the stories.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The Mortar & Pestle transcends time. Originating with the Norse/Vikings, it is passed on to medieval Scotland, across the sea to 1700s Caribbean pirates, to North American WWII treasure hunters, and lastly it joins with three contemporary couples just trying to find their path, including an emotional vampire, a healer, and an artist.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Each book can be read as a standalone, out of or order, in order! <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Each romance is low-heat (= PG to PG-13/behind closed doors or fade to black – whatever you like to call it!) and some of the authors are offering extra bonus spicy scenes or graphics! Check out their websites for more info.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Inspiration For the Series <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">In early 2022, a group of seven authors got together through Zoom to talk shop, and one thing led to another…and a magical Mortar & Pestle was born! A few of us were in writing slumps. A few were looking for something new or fun to write. Our intention was to talk the biz, and instead, we left, our fingers itching to write a new romance! Each story has a bit of magic and is novella-length, spanning time from 900 AD to modern day. The series takes the reader on an adventure with Vikings, Highlanders, pirates, treasure hunters, vampires, healers, and artists. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">About the authors:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sydneywinward.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Sydney Winward</a> is a writer of action packed paranormal and fantasy romance, and a stay-at-home mom and seamstress on the side. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): her family who are considered an essential, so she’d also bring loads of fabric, her sewing machine, and her favorite book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.jeanmgrant.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Jean M. Grant</a> is a gardener, coffee lover, hiker girl, and cheerleader for her neurodiverse family. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): coffee, lip balm, endless pink sticky notes, and The Rock Dwayne Johnson. Bonus: my island better have fruit, veggie, and loads of flower gardens</span> or I’ll be making a raft to escape.<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.marilynbarr.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Marilyn Barr</a> is an award-winning historical, PNR author who writes about societal misfits and the fate mates who cherish them. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): her spouse (she is totally obsessed with her nerd), caffeine (she’s addicted to coffee, energy drinks, and black tea – and would need gentle weaning), </span>and <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">cheesecloth (for desalinating ocean water</span>),<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span>and<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> some herbivore’s milk to make cheese.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.dvstoneauthor.com/" style="color: #954f72;">D.V. Stone</a> writes several different genres all with a bit of romance and fun. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): a multi-tool like a Leatherman, a kindle, and a satellite hot spot.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://shirleygoldberg.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Shirley Goldberg</a> trolls for funny in life, relationships, and in her writing. Her characters are often of a certain age, although her energy vampire is in his thirties. She loves small, intimate joints with a little dance and music—and her honey. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): since the stranded on a deserted island theme is </span>a <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">fantasy, her family and honey count as one. She’d bring her kindle and a bag of dark Utz pretzels.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Darlene Fredette</a> is an author of heartwarming contemporary romances and an artist at heart. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): her family to keep her sane—they travel together so if she was stranded, so are they! She’d bring a radio so she can listen to music, and a lighter to make </span>a <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">fire because while she is a Survivor fan, she’s not getting her torch snuffed out for trying to get a spark from a flint.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://virginiafrostauthor.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Ginny Frost</a> is a writer, dreamer, romantic. And a total fangirl for Sci-Fi, horror, and fantasy. Must haves for a deserted island (besides essentials): her kindle—completely filled with books and cross-stitch patterns, her cross-stitch supplies in bulk, and a vat of diet Pepsi.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Taglines & buy link:<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRYS2JXY" style="color: #954f72;">Seeker</a> - <i>Nock, draw, release. Her bow is always ready, and if her arrow hits its mark, she will secure her destined soulmate.</i></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Buy link-- Preorder all the books now, each for 99 cents!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS42PKHZ" style="color: #954f72;">Series link on Amazon</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Check out the<span style="color: #2e74b5;"><a href="https://youtu.be/juQwaRm4aEw" style="color: #954f72;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #2e74b5;"> trailer</span></a></span>!<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Check out the <span style="color: red;">free prequel</span> that includes the first chapter of each book in the series - <a href="https://dl.bookfunnel.com/pr1y9i3lee" style="color: #954f72;">HERE</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><strong><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Jean M. Grant<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jeanmgrant.com/" style="color: #954f72;">www.jeanmgrant.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Social Media links:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.jeanmgrant.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Website</a></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> ~ <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://twitter.com/JeanGrant05" style="color: #954f72;">Twitter</a> </span>~ <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeanmgrantauthor/" style="color: #954f72;">Facebook</a> </span>~ <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16582543.Jean_M_Grant" style="color: #954f72;">Goodreads</a> </span>~ <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jean-m-grant" style="color: #954f72;">Bookbub</a> </span>~ <span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jean-M.-Grant/author/B0728KFXP9" style="color: #954f72;">Amazon Author Page</a> </span>~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeanmgrant" style="color: #954f72;">Instagram</a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-45700399547525777732023-02-06T10:12:00.003-08:002023-02-06T10:12:54.960-08:00Time to Take A Break<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">It’s February, and I’m taking the month off. Coincidentally, it’s also my birthday month, so that just makes my break more fun. But really, the two have nothing to do with each other.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I finished the first draft of my second Harlequin manuscript and sent it off to my agent to read. Instead of moving right into the third book, I’m taking a step back and breathing. I’ve got my timeline set up with what’s due when, and I can still make my official deadline of May 1 even without doing anything during February. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">It doesn’t mean I’m doing nothing this month. I’m just doing different things. I have a manuscript that I started at the suggestion of the Princess, and I’m playing around with that this month. It’s fun because there’s no pressure on me. I’m starting to tackle the art sheets for this second Harlequin book, because they are detailed and require a lot of thought. If I want a good cover, I need to make sure I answer the questions correctly. And at some point this month, I have to fix the synopsis for book 2 since what I thought I was going to write and what I actually wrote don’t exactly match.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">That’s no surprise to me. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t write from an outline. I’ve given plenty of talks about it and written plenty of blog posts about it, too. But when publishers offer contracts, they like to know what you’re going to write. So, editors ask for synopses—summaries of proposed additional books. And I wrote them. I didn’t lie. I looked at the first book I wrote that was accepted, and I created two more stories in the series, based on what characters would work and where I thought the stories would go. But then I started writing and my characters took over. My synopsis no longer matches my story. Since the story is good, I’ll change up the synopsis. I’m not the first author to do this. My editor’s been in the business long enough to expect it to happen. All is good, I’ve just created extra work for myself. But that’s how my brain functions.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In between all those tasks, I want to take advantage of things that fill my creative well. Last week a friend and I visited the <a href="https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/virginia-woolf" target="_blank">Virginia Woolf exhibit at the New York Public Library</a>. It was great, and I recommend going if you’re able.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">And as usual, I’m keeping up with my marketing efforts. To that end, if you’re a reader and like giveaways, check out two that I’m participating in:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">VALENTINE’S DAY CHOCOLATE GIVEAWAY</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Feb 1st-14th</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UsZOjfjxOODRacVFdXA5qH60iYB0dxe3xNeKehhnfWBrGwdIxfUvUWKqA3qVkFSJ3_sbqZpi7eEndNCTTpL9T9Of1eF9H6zEurnAjd4WKMSUy31MIfiLzbqhC1gzTAQCyzZNUc3EsgotQGa9AK4mQhoh_aPWKVN3BunQ6DdaJnvs5cW7Z1RYW1uwrw/s810/Valentine's%20Day%20Giveaway(1).png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="810" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UsZOjfjxOODRacVFdXA5qH60iYB0dxe3xNeKehhnfWBrGwdIxfUvUWKqA3qVkFSJ3_sbqZpi7eEndNCTTpL9T9Of1eF9H6zEurnAjd4WKMSUy31MIfiLzbqhC1gzTAQCyzZNUc3EsgotQGa9AK4mQhoh_aPWKVN3BunQ6DdaJnvs5cW7Z1RYW1uwrw/s320/Valentine's%20Day%20Giveaway(1).png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Goodies Given Away Every Day Totalling Over $150</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="https://ellenmint.blog/valentines-day-countdown-giveaway/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">https://ellenmint.blog/valentines-day-countdown-giveaway/</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Cupid</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">‘s brought you a magical box of chocolates. <b>Every day</b>, the heart-shaped box <b>reveals a new treat. Take a bite to discover both </b>what flavor is lurking inside the tempting chocolate shell and <b>a new giveaway</b>.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Each day, return to the site to click on the box of chocolates and discover another fantastic prize. Be swept away this holiday season by gripping romance, pampering treats, cozy gifts, and an amazing offer hidden inside the box of chocolates.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The giveaway is sponsored by these wonderful authors:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Ellen Mint • Kara Kendrick • Jennifer Wilck • Delta James • Jordyn Kross • AT Lander • Sandra Carmel • January Bain • T. Strange • Maggie Sims • J.P. Bowie • Rosanna Leo • C. J. Burright • V.J. Allison</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">and<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdb1aKPH29YRcT2sHW2NRJdBsSBaHN1ucdSVJJSF6JUgkEjXDpOjF9bMXg8Xcl448dcMnJORmGPJXejSs9GPo-Ztb6xaTQVPp8Yz8ylTSEUAD4RQ5431LUrkj6IZ-epvaWXOxFvfVQszyb3OCmtTWcHGadbI5VXrNWqjmOazAuhYC7hTNEEg6fH7XBQ/s1200/WILCK-SteamyContemporaryRomance-Feb-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAdb1aKPH29YRcT2sHW2NRJdBsSBaHN1ucdSVJJSF6JUgkEjXDpOjF9bMXg8Xcl448dcMnJORmGPJXejSs9GPo-Ztb6xaTQVPp8Yz8ylTSEUAD4RQ5431LUrkj6IZ-epvaWXOxFvfVQszyb3OCmtTWcHGadbI5VXrNWqjmOazAuhYC7hTNEEg6fH7XBQ/s320/WILCK-SteamyContemporaryRomance-Feb-23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; color: transparent; cursor: text; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; text-transform: none; transform-origin: 0px 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.026902); white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="markedcontent"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Today, I have a fun surprise to share with you...</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span id="page58R_mcid4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="markedcontent"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.000464);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I’ve teamed up with</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.883827);"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.019327);">50+</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.001219);">fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(0.931818);"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.01415);">Steamy Contemporary</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span><span class="markedcontent"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Romances</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.014469);"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.014979);">to 2 lucky winners!</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;" /><span id="page58R_mcid6" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span id="page58R_mcid7" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span class="markedcontent"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">O</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.018408);">h, and did I mention the Grand Prize winner gets a BRAND NEW eReader?</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.089454);"> </span></span><span class="markedcontent"></span><span style="font-family: "Apple Color Emoji"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.144167);">😁</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;" /><span id="page58R_mcid8" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span id="page58R_mcid9" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span class="markedcontent"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.067857);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">You can win my novel</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.427388);"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.055472);">ADDICTED TO LOVE, plus books from authors like</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.044962);">JILL SHALVIS </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.019238);">and</span> JENNIFER PROBST.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span><span class="markedcontent"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.032694);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Enter the giveaway by clicking here</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.096119);"> </span></span><span class="markedcontent"></span><span style="font-family: "Apple Color Emoji"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.144167);">👉</span></span></span></span><span class="markedcontent" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span id="page58R_mcid12" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.020699);">https://www.booksweeps.com/giveaway/february23</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.016829);">win</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;" /></span><span class="markedcontent"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">a</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.020238);">bundle</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.019537);">of</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.019737);">steamy</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.020056);">contemporary</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;">-</span><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.019629);">romance/</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt;"></span></span><br role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;" /><span id="page58R_mcid13" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"><span id="page58R_mcid14" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span id="page58R_mcid15" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); cursor: text; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span class="markedcontent"><span role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px; transform: scaleX(1.016565);"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Good luck and enjoy!</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><br role="presentation" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box !important; cursor: text; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px;" /><br /><span id="page58R_mcid16" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; -webkit-user-select: text; box-sizing: border-box !important; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: transparent; cursor: text; font-variant-caps: normal; text-align: start; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility; transform-origin: 0px 0px 0px; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-76199263094754908702023-01-16T07:38:00.001-08:002023-01-16T07:38:03.320-08:00I Had A Dream<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I had a weird dream last night. That’s nothing new. I’ve been having a lot of weird dreams lately, ones that I vividly remember, and which make no sense. When I tell my husband about them, he tells me I’m nuts. I kind of agree with him.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">But this dream was different. We’ve all had the anxiety dreams, the ones where we show up someplace unprepared. For me, it’s usually my college campus on finals day, only I don’t know where the class is located, I haven’t attended all semester, and I clearly haven’t studied. This time, I returned to one of those dreams, only I fixed the problem.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In previous dreams, I’d been assigned a project to complete. Usually, I showed up on the day it was due. This time, I had a week left, and while I still didn’t know nearly enough about the project, I’d told the teacher/professor (actually, the Princess’ high school swim coach) that I’d just complete the project by myself. She praised me for my work ethic and my manners. And then I met a bunch of people from various stages of my life who were also working on the project and offered to help me.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I have no idea what this dream means, but I’m hoping it means I’ve gotten ahold of my anxiety. And obviously, it means that manners are important!<o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-5674352344082236732023-01-09T08:34:00.001-08:002023-01-09T08:34:11.252-08:00Ants<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I know I’m one of the few people who like Mondays, but even I have to say this one didn’t start as well as I hoped. Banana Girl texted me to tell me she needed to talk to me about a bunch of things later. Now, I’ve been at this Mom-game for a while, so I know that if it can wait until later, there’s no emergency. No problem.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">However, she then went on to tell me about an ant infestation IN HER SHOES.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">First of all, I don’t like ants. Actually, I don’t like any bug or bug-like thing. Or rodents. So, this is not how I want to start off my Monday. I’m also very confused because I’ve never heard of ants in shoes. I suspect there are ants AROUND where she keeps her shoes. Considering how well (or NOT) her roommates clean their house, I’m surprised this is the first I’m hearing of anything. She’s also not the best at describing things, and texting isn’t the most accurate way of communicating. The last time she had an issue, she told me there was a bunny caught in the pit outside her window (her room is in the basement). The “bunny” was a vole. Anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Although she easily has access to Google, she of course didn’t know what to do, which is why she was asking me. I told her to buy ant traps and to wash the area with vinegar. And to vacuum, a lot. She’ll be fine. I’m just glad I don’t have to live there.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Speaking of ants, the heroine of my upcoming book hates ants, too. I thoughts I’d share an excerpt. Enjoy!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman, serif;">From the surf, Fiona stared in awe as Caleb removed his shirt. For the first time, she glimpsed the black tattoos covering his shoulders, arms, chest, and upper back. He strode toward the water, powerful muscles bunching, bald head gleaming in the early evening light. He looked like a cross between a Roman god and a biker dude—awesome, powerful, and foreboding. She didn’t know whether to be intrigued or put off—she’d never been attracted to the tatted look, but Caleb pulled it off. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman, serif;">She started as the water lapped her feet, pulling the sand away from her. Why did she care whether he had tattoos? He wasn’t her type. He was arrogant and high- handed, and he wanted to buy her company. Still, she couldn’t keep her gaze off him as she ignored her stomach flutters. And he had gotten rid of her ants. He swam to what had to be the middle of the ocean. Okay, maybe not the middle of the ocean, but far enough from the shore no one could get to him unless they were a strong swimmer. She suspected he’d escaped on purpose. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman, serif;">She frowned as she splashed in the water and hopped the waves. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman, serif;">“Is everything okay?” </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman, serif;">Fiona looked at Lexie, who’d splashed over to her, and nodded. “Sorry, just thinking.” </span><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman,Italic", serif;">About work, about your brother... </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvwL_XhQApGQQ7FQuYmdxO8ZttjrptWZYmTK-a3m0lEHmQ4O2-QB9AQr0Jz4goSVeWlZqKgt4DWSf4RcO9Vn-u2gtLmrQB-IFDN_av3uLF1W315cr3zWlEJ_MYT1ZhNb3YPnwtJvcVcRL0U16N6jmm9TV2KKJXG6iiV0jOFQXLjtTX9Df-Z0ag5mpyQ/s1080/AHR%20Book%20Aesthetic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvwL_XhQApGQQ7FQuYmdxO8ZttjrptWZYmTK-a3m0lEHmQ4O2-QB9AQr0Jz4goSVeWlZqKgt4DWSf4RcO9Vn-u2gtLmrQB-IFDN_av3uLF1W315cr3zWlEJ_MYT1ZhNb3YPnwtJvcVcRL0U16N6jmm9TV2KKJXG6iiV0jOFQXLjtTX9Df-Z0ag5mpyQ/s320/AHR%20Book%20Aesthetic.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman,Italic", serif;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-53382850708029870962023-01-02T05:53:00.002-08:002023-01-02T05:53:19.725-08:00Happy New Year!<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your 2023 is healthy and filled with love. Currently, mine is filled with people. The Wilck Household has been a revolving hotel for children, pets, friends, and boyfriends. I’ve loved the full household and the bustle and the love, but I might be looking forward to checkout time tomorrow. Just a little. I think this year I will embrace my “old” status—add in a little extra cranky, and I’ll have the house to myself. Perfect!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Actually, for 2023, I’m trying something new, at least when it comes to my author life. I purchased a year planner for social media. It includes an audit of how my different platforms are doing, as well as daily tasks with a plethora of posting ideas. Hopefully, if I follow everything, I’ll see an uptick in engagement. So, if you see me post something, respond! Answer the question, post a photo, or just say hi. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In keeping with the plan, today’s task is coming up with a word for the year. I’ve never done this before, but I know lots of people who do. Being me, however, I’m going to do this a little differently. I’m going to come up with two. My word for my professional year is “goals.” I’ve made them, and I’m going to stick to them. I hope the word will provide me with a little more focus, something I’ve lost these past few years. I also hope the word will keep me accountable, if only to myself.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In my personal life, my word for the year is going to be “space.” I’m taking up mine and not being afraid of it. I’m limiting my apologies to things I’ve actually done wrong. I’m reveling in my confidence (or at least boosting it a little). I’m too old to hide behind things or to be embarrassed by nothing. Making myself smaller to fit into a box that is of my own making ends now.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">How about you? What are you doing for 2023? Do you have a word (or two) or a plan or a resolution? <o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-70983321602871500312022-12-28T01:00:00.001-08:002022-12-28T01:00:00.177-08:00Welcome Back, Mary Morgan<p><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Hello, Jennifer! I’m delighted to be a guest on your lovely blog today! I’d like to share a</span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><i style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">wee</i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">bit about my new Highland holiday story…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><b><i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;">Wishes Under a Highland</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>Star</i></span></b><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;"> wraps up the last son of Clan MacFhearguis. In writing Alex and Aine’s story, I found a part of my love story woven into theirs. The stars did collide when I first set my sight on the man who would later become my husband. So yes, I do believe in love at first sight. My knight, though tarnished, was older, brooding, and very much like Alex. But we fell passionately in love, and the rest is history.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;">To research Alex MacFhearguis, I had to travel back in time to when he first stepped through a story, specifically, </span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman,Italic", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dragon Knight’s Sword</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;">. With each book in the </span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman,Italic", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Order of the Dragon Knights </span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;">series, I found a stern, quiet, yet complex character. He hid his angst well at being thrust into the role of leader to the MacFhearguis clan. In addition, the loss of his younger brother, Adam, haunted him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;">When this chieftain encountered a half-Fae lass, he believed himself not worthy of her. However, Aine Fraser proved him wrong each and every moment in their time together. She accepted and loved all of the man—scars and his flaws. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12pt;">In the end, they both will understand the meaning and sacrifice in finding true love. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVjA6a_BqzODi2RDymTUKWjBjpZHMZLTAMqrjruGrasSEpMgPZwKDCKJ39rqxpqNbWrw8T83jR2Dn7Ey1xZx782ctQ67RKf50EWb1-SGFYFC_ODznYokxW7vIuq3ZCV3DDyhEXkOiq1MyU2n3QG_yPR8_fNKYqxgIXTzJgKLD5o9bAOJM86yu52u_cg/s750/WishesUnderaHighlandStar_w17060_750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVjA6a_BqzODi2RDymTUKWjBjpZHMZLTAMqrjruGrasSEpMgPZwKDCKJ39rqxpqNbWrw8T83jR2Dn7Ey1xZx782ctQ67RKf50EWb1-SGFYFC_ODznYokxW7vIuq3ZCV3DDyhEXkOiq1MyU2n3QG_yPR8_fNKYqxgIXTzJgKLD5o9bAOJM86yu52u_cg/s320/WishesUnderaHighlandStar_w17060_750.jpg" width="213" /></a></b></div><b><br />Blurb:<o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As chieftain for his clan, Alex MacFhearguis struggles with the burden of an unwanted responsibility. With the midwinter feast approaching, he flees his castle to find comfort and solitude within the forest. Yet on his quest, Alex stumbles into a world filled with magic, mysteries, and a woman with beguiling eyes who could capture his heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When half-Fae Aine Fraser makes a powerful wish, her simple request unlocks the magic she possesses and brings forth a Highlander into her world. Though the man has lost all his memories, she finds her attraction growing for this brooding warrior with each passing day. Unable to deny her feelings, Aine risks everything when she confesses her greatest secret.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Can a beauty who wished for a champion tame the beast of Leòmhann Castle?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sneak preview from Wishes Under a Highland Star:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Alex grumbled a curse and walked away. Striding with intent, he gave a curt nod in passing when Aine stepped from her safe haven. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">She hurried after him. “Ye are bleeding.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“Aye,” he returned, making long strides through the bailey and ignoring her concern.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“The cut requires tending to. Glenna is a healer. I can take ye there,” she suggested, doing her best to keep up with him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“Nae need.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“What do ye mean?” she pressed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Alex clenched his jaw. Rory’s talk about marriage settled like a nettle’s sting. Without a clear path in front of him, he had no intention of luring any woman into his life with false hope. Especially the one who smelled like wildflowers on a spring day with enchanting eyes that beguiled him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“The wound will heal in time,” he gritted out, sweeping past a yew tree and heading toward the sounds of a nearby stream. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Aine grasped his arm with a force that surprised him. “Can ye stop for a moment!”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Halting his stride, he glared down at her. The look he gave her would singe the hair from any warrior or animal. “Do ye have more to say?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">“Why do ye refuse aid?” she demanded, fisting her hands on her round hips. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Her stubborn refusal to leave intrigued Alex. Would she flee if he challenged her? He lowered his head near hers. “Why do ye care?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Her eyes widened, and her luscious lips parted. “Because I do,” she whispered. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Alex’s breathing became shallow and the air around them thick. Her pink lips begged to be kissed. Would they be as sweet as berries? Or as heady as the wine he drank last evening? An ache to take her in his arms filled him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">He wrestled with the conflict—duty, honor, possession. She was pure as new-fallen snow on a crisp morn, and he no better than a rutting stag. Though his hands shook to hold her in his arms, Alex steeled his emotions and moved away from her. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Ye deserve a better man, Aine. Ye are a beauty, and I am but a beast. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Aine’s smile came slowly as she took a step toward him and did the unthinkable. Standing on her tiptoes, she brushed a kiss along his bearded cheek. “Is it wrong to care for ye?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Indecision plagued him as he regarded her—disbelieving, curious as to what his real fear might be. Shoving aside the conflict within, Alex grasped her around the waist. He nuzzled the spot below her ear. “Ye tempt your fate with a kiss, Aine? With a man ye do not ken?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">She lifted her gaze to his—her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue. “Did I tempt ye?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Available from these online retailers:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Universal Buy Link: </span><a href="https://books2read.com/u/31DeYa" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://books2read.com/u/31DeYa</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">Goodreads: </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62672867-wishes-under-a-highland-star" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62672867-wishes-under-a-highland-star</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bookbub: </span><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/wishes-under-a-highland-star-a-tale-from-the-order-of-the-dragon-knights-by-mary-morgan" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.bookbub.com/books/wishes-under-a-highland-star-a-tale-from-the-order-of-the-dragon-knights-by-mary-morgan</span></a><u><span style="color: #0563c1; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 29.333336px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 32px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJim-87EA9uzkoRSgrCcKWduj_fNZ8onyBtfZlZNLerKitIJiW7LMta4xLHX5Y2qGPMLWDLOlcno2Q_1bWc3Jl5UswcAYig5Vl-sd5dI7wQiG7WoDXA7k62qxC9BwBsg3Xiy7b6Msu7VcS_cCDJHID3qraiSuuPsScqMoa1Mpy_Bb0EC0o3xJ2rGMVw/s3447/MaryMorgan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3447" data-original-width="3280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJim-87EA9uzkoRSgrCcKWduj_fNZ8onyBtfZlZNLerKitIJiW7LMta4xLHX5Y2qGPMLWDLOlcno2Q_1bWc3Jl5UswcAYig5Vl-sd5dI7wQiG7WoDXA7k62qxC9BwBsg3Xiy7b6Msu7VcS_cCDJHID3qraiSuuPsScqMoa1Mpy_Bb0EC0o3xJ2rGMVw/s320/MaryMorgan2.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">About the Author<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 12pt;">Multi award-winning paranormal romance author, Mary Morgan resides in Northern California with her own knight in shining armor. However, during her travels to Scotland, England, and Ireland, she left a part of her soul in one of these countries and vows to return.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 12pt;">Mary's passion for books started at an early age along with an overactive imagination. Inspired by her love for history and ancient Celtic and Norse mythology, her tales are filled with powerful warriors, brave women, magic, and romance. Now, the worlds she created in her mind are coming to life within her stories.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-size: 12pt;">If you enjoy history, tortured heroes, and a wee bit of fantasy, then travel back in time within the pages of her books.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Connect with Mary here ~<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Website/Blog: </span><a href="https://www.marymorganauthor.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.marymorganauthor.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Amazon Author: </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Morgan/e/B00KPE3NWI/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Facebook: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.facebook.com/MaryMorganAuthor/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Twitter: </span><a href="http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://twitter.com/m_morganauthor</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads: </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8271002.Mary_Morgan</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Pinterest: </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">www.pinterest.com/marymorgan50/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Instagram: </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/marymorgan2/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.instagram.com/marymorgan2/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">BookBub: </span><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mary-morgan</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Audible: </span><a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Mary-Morgan/B00KPE3NWI" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.audible.com/author/Mary-Morgan/B00KPE3NWI</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">LinkedIn: </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-morgan-2634a77a/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-morgan-2634a77a/</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0in;"><span class="MsoHyperlink" style="color: #0563c1; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></span></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-90757514257335804242022-12-26T07:55:00.003-08:002022-12-26T07:55:26.078-08:00The End of The Year<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">2022 is ending and that means I’m looking ahead to 2023. Maybe I’ve gotten used to the world chaos, or maybe I’m in shock, but I wouldn’t say this has been the worst year. Although the last month hasn’t been great with losing Midnight, but my family is healthy, mostly happy, and settled. Life is moving fast with a college graduation approaching, and change is going to be the norm for all of us.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">One of those changes will be my attempts to write blogs more frequently, especially since there will be a lot of book news that I’ll be eager to share. I’m also going to be changing my marketing strategy, and I’m anxious to see what happens. I hope you’ll stick along for the ride, ask questions if you have them, share with friends, and let me know how you’re doing as well. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year. May your 2023 be filled with love, laughter, and happily ever after.<o:p></o:p></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-8444068201091974582022-12-14T01:00:00.001-08:002022-12-14T01:00:00.172-08:00Welcome, Shirley Goldberg<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">Interview with Shirley and Lucy,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;"> </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.25in;">A Little Bit of Lust</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi, Jenn, I’m Lucy Bernard, the main character in <i>A Little Bit of Lust</i>. Along with Deon Goldbloom, of course. He’s the male lead. I’m here with Shirley Goldberg, who wrote the book. I’ve asked her to talk about writing love scenes, and I’m a bit embarrassed about our subject. I’m not sure why. We’re all adults. [Clears throat] Shall we get started? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: This is supposed to be fun. Relax. Feel free to ask questions. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: Okay. How steamy are your love scenes? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: Everyone’s idea of what is hot in a love scene differs. When my first book, <i>Middle Ageish</i>, came out, one reader told me she thought my sex scenes were “pretty hot.” This surprised me because the love scenes are closed door. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: How to you work up to the first love scene in the book?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: I’m all about discovery, going slowly, a few moans, lots of kissing and…talking. My characters need time to warm up to one another. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: I liked the way Deon and I warmed up, as you put it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: Careful. No spoilers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: Tell us more. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: Some readers like it hot, while others prefer it sweet or steamy. Writing love scenes is more about the feels and less about lust. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: That may be true, but I like the title of the book. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: Thanks, but I’m thinking of Deon saying at one point, “It isn’t easy kissing my best friend.” After he thinks that, he immediately realizes he’s lying to himself. He knows he’s got it bad for Lucy and he worries. The reader picks up on his doubts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: He said that?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: Yes, and there’s a ton of subtext behind that one sentence. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: You love writing dialog, don’t you? Deon and I banter a lot in the book. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley: Dialog is such a great way to let readers get to know the characters. In a love scene, the couple talk, banter, tease, and even ask questions. Sexy scenes can be playful. They can be fun and gentle. A drawn out smoochy scene with agonizingly slow undressing is a way to show the emotional connection between characters. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.3in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy: How difficult is writing a love scene? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">Shirley: If I know my characters well, writing love scenes comes naturally as a logical progression of the relationship. [Pauses] Now, let me ask you a question. What are your favorite genres and how steamy do you like your romances? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">Lucy: I’m all over the place, genre-wise. Women’s fiction, romance, historical fiction, paranormal, fantasy and biography. As far as steam, I need those feels you mentioned. As long as emotion is part of the story, I’ll take my books any way they’re served up. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">Shirley: As a writer, steamy is a new thing for me. So far, my sex scenes are closed-door, so when the characters get heated, the door swings shut and the reader imagines the rest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">But I’m working on a book that takes place in Crete, the largest island in Greece. I lived there for eleven years. My heroine, a widow, rediscovers love and sex. I’ve left the door ajar after a long buildup to the major sex scene. No specific naming of moving parts, by the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;"> Lucy: Sounds intriguing. Anything you’d like to add before we take off? Jenn’s taking us for hot cocoa around the corner. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">Shirley: Diana Gabaldon says that most <span style="color: #0e0e0e;">sex scenes are about “exchanging emotions, not bodily fluids.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: #0e0e0e; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">Lucy: We can ponder on that one. Thanks so much, Shirley, and I appreciate your writing me into your book. Everyone, please post a comment. Tell us if you’re a sweetie when it comes to love scenes or do you like them steamy? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 17.6px; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;">Anyone interested in more of author Diana Gabaldon’s wisdom may like to read her excellent book, <i>I Give You My Body, How I Write Sex Scenes</i>. I’d also recommend her Outlander series, but you’re probably well aware of it already. </span><span style="color: #453ccc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 19.200001px;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #453ccc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #453ccc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePN02PJ3IuWPrJFpXk88Kwr5OKyowNqKmAPZ3211t-by384VXo4rIbaITUBnFoCvNx0y3duw7D0q3QMTwMZ4cGdvTdq7yh9OII-44k13W-d5ENvOZAJ0UL7iZDuN8ajZNJErwBC9bRasJ0ot3Bnh9FK38hIhI51qVOcFhSNSsuvBtuS96E-_-NEguUQ/s640/ALittleBitofLust_w16653_750.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePN02PJ3IuWPrJFpXk88Kwr5OKyowNqKmAPZ3211t-by384VXo4rIbaITUBnFoCvNx0y3duw7D0q3QMTwMZ4cGdvTdq7yh9OII-44k13W-d5ENvOZAJ0UL7iZDuN8ajZNJErwBC9bRasJ0ot3Bnh9FK38hIhI51qVOcFhSNSsuvBtuS96E-_-NEguUQ/s320/ALittleBitofLust_w16653_750.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #453ccc; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;">Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Love-cynical Lucy Bernard delights in her independence. Baking, all things Instagram, the occasional <i>special</i> guy, and most of all hanging out with best friends Deon Goldbloom and Phoebe Karis. But when Deon kisses Lucy at the beach on a chilly afternoon, the two friends jump into a lust-filled romantic weekend. So what’s with slotting her into "ignore" status afterward? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Deon Goldbloom is a widower who can’t move on after his wife's death. Is he a little crazy spending a sexy few days with Lucy and calling it the best time he’s had in four years? Yeah. Except blue Monday comes calling, and Deon isn’t ready for the guilt.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy wonders how a smoochy weekend turns into a friends-with-benefits disaster. And Deon wonders if he’s made the biggest mistake of his life putting Lucy on "ignore." Using all his nerdy charms, he launches a campaign to bring Lucy around. Maybe they can chart a course back to one another if Lucy will only forgive him.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">EXCERPT<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lucy and Deon wandered through the store to the missy department, jammed with displays and sale racks. What to wear on her Marcus date? A dress or jeans? She could use Deon’s advice, but something told her he was in no mood for anything Marcus. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">He stopped at a rounder of sleeveless, scoop neck tops in jewel colors. “Pink.” He chose a top from the rack. “This is you.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She held it against her chest. “Good color for me?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“That guy Steve was totally flirting.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You think? Should I go for it?” Casual tone with an <i>ah-hah</i> on the inside. Her spine tingled realizing Deon noticed their flirtation. And he was irked. He had no right. She’s the one who should be irked. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Depends.” He frowned. “He’s an actor. How long’s he in town for?” His hand scraped his cheek. “I know you’re pissed at me. Ever since that weekend––” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Me?” She flipped the price tag on the pink top and her eyebrows shot up in exaggerated surprise. Pissed at Deon? Sure, but she wouldn’t admit it, not to him. “You have good taste.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I’m sorry about––”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Expensive good taste.” Whatever Deon felt he needed to say, she wasn’t revisiting old wounds.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Lucy, don’t make me come over there.” An attempt at humor, followed by a hangdog look of regret. “Look, I want to talk to you about…can we talk later? At dinner?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Of course. Why wouldn’t we? We always talk at dinner.” <i> </i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You maintain price is no object,” Deon teased, deftly dropping the subject. “A good fit is everything, right?” He moved closer and cupped her chin. “I’m dead serious. About talking.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She twisted away. <i>So this is how he wants to play it.</i> Seriously, a talk? After the Ignore thing, what more could he possibly say? She wasn’t sure she wanted dinner with Deon after all. “Did I say price is no object?” She pulled out a short black dress and danced it on the hanger. “This is cute.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Nice. You don’t wear much black. Try it on,” he urged. “Try them both on.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> In the dressing room, Lucy smiled in the mirror. Deon was acting ultra nice, like he had an agenda. Weird. Close dancing at O’Donahue’s and those long looks she’d caught him giving her in her kitchen a week ago. Mixed messages, definitely. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The pink top showed off her shoulders. At $118.00, it was no bargain, but why did everything have to be on sale? She wasn’t her mother, the ultimate bargain shopper. She wanted this sexy little top so Deon could picture her in it later. With Marcus. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The pink top has punctum. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: 24pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word came back to her, a surprise. Punctum, the word Deon used a while ago on the beach while they were taking photos. When he’d kissed her for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacqlN1XiWVmEY6yZkdz9OpacKO3E3HgJIBYOWN983k-YvR2VvyuuqLNmfDKWer9zan2SeaTjv6ik9Y_R5-2EUZ-OE2rhTIKUnOZQ7Ow5gMUrOLgTBgpHfPBRGDtDlKnGE83JZf6bwT_aWleqxYeOaLauvgs4sFWJsVHLP7F6MB9D5SVv-5YImFYVvgg/s640/Cruz%20Portrait%20Design-7045%2046.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="427" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacqlN1XiWVmEY6yZkdz9OpacKO3E3HgJIBYOWN983k-YvR2VvyuuqLNmfDKWer9zan2SeaTjv6ik9Y_R5-2EUZ-OE2rhTIKUnOZQ7Ow5gMUrOLgTBgpHfPBRGDtDlKnGE83JZf6bwT_aWleqxYeOaLauvgs4sFWJsVHLP7F6MB9D5SVv-5YImFYVvgg/s320/Cruz%20Portrait%20Design-7045%2046.jpeg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Author Bio<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website </span><a href="http://midagedating.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://midagedating.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> offers a humorous look at dating in mid-life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. <i>A Little Bit of Lust </i>is her third book in the series<i> Starting Over</i>, although all her books are standalone. Shirley’s characters all believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and she agrees. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.693334px; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.120001px;"> </span></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-838334889630430905.post-13471219630023257332022-12-07T01:00:00.001-08:002022-12-07T01:00:00.163-08:00Welcome, Diana Rubino<p><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A Tradition of Christmas Past: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Recipe, and My Italian Heroine, Based on my Great Grandmother “Josie Red”</span></b></p><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">My great grandmother Josephine was the matriarch of the family, the mother of my grandfather. “Josie Red” as she was known in downtown Jersey City was way ahead of her time, as a bootlegger during Prohibition, a real estate tycoon, a small-time loan shark, and according to legend, the notorious Jersey City Mayor Hague’s mistress.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Every Christmas Eve, her daughter, my great-aunt Lucretia, a gourmet cook, invited everyone to her house for an Italian feast. Aunt Lucretia always made two types of spaghetti sauce—regular marinara sauce and aglio e olio—but what I remember is it always contained clam sauce, which I wouldn’t touch, so I went for the plain and safe marinara. Kiddies weren’t allowed to, but several adults helped her carry the steaming plates to the long tables set up and covered with holiday-themed tablecloths. She served all the traditional Italian dishes—after the pasta came the ham, then the fruit and nuts, and of course, an array of desserts, always including her famous struffoli (honey balls) and Italian rum cake. My Uncle Eddie tended bar at the other end of the room. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vita Caputo, the heroine of my 1894 New York City romance mystery FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET, is based on my great grandmother. It’s in print, on Kindle, and now on audio with the expressive voice of Nina Price.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RcTWgBPGqEIrIzN8ce4RKY0OaUwT_V3hAX4l-8c4Zzmc2I6aNvzDlXXmaPJWy8JwsbawmMz-TgBq9DlUkfoC-KYZRQZl580f9vwbNFYpdFysYolW4oaczSdkpLVPpuA-GuJNAxWgqhB4ueKFmsEAMd0r1BUXQvCoL8eypsUlakN1l1W9Af62Fl8E6g/s2790/FromHereTo14Graph3Covers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="2790" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2RcTWgBPGqEIrIzN8ce4RKY0OaUwT_V3hAX4l-8c4Zzmc2I6aNvzDlXXmaPJWy8JwsbawmMz-TgBq9DlUkfoC-KYZRQZl580f9vwbNFYpdFysYolW4oaczSdkpLVPpuA-GuJNAxWgqhB4ueKFmsEAMd0r1BUXQvCoL8eypsUlakN1l1W9Af62Fl8E6g/s320/FromHereTo14Graph3Covers.png" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />About FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET:<o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Can an Italian immigrant and an Irish cop fall in love and prove her family’s innocence of murdering his cousin despite</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> poverty and prejudice on Manhattan’s Lower East Side?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It's 1894 on New York's Lower East Side. Irish cop Tom McGlory and Italian immigrant Vita Caputo fall in love despite their different upbringings. Vita goes from sweatshop laborer to respected bank clerk to reformer, helping elect a mayor to beat the Tammany machine. While Tom works undercover to help Ted Roosevelt purge police corruption, Vita's father arranges a marriage between her and a man she despises. As Vita and Tom work together against time and prejudice to clear her brother and father of a murder they didn't commit, they know their love can survive poverty, hatred, and corruption. Vita is based on my great grandmother, who left third grade to become a self-made businesswoman and politician, wife and mother. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 32px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 32px;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 37.333332px;">Excerpt:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As Vita gathered her soap and towel, Madame Branchard tapped on her door. "You have a gentleman caller, Vita. A policeman."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"Tom?" His name lingered on her lips as she repeated it. She dropped her things and crossed the room.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"No, hon, not him. Another policeman. Theodore something, I think he said." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">No. There can't be anything wrong</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. "Thanks," she whispered, nudging Madame Branchard aside. She descended the steps, gripping the banister to support her wobbly legs. <i>Stay calm!</i> she warned herself. But of course it was no use; staying calm just wasn't her nature.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Theodore something” stood before the closed parlor door. <i>He’s a policeman?</i> She looked him up and down with curious intent. Tall and hefty, a bold pink shirt peeking out of a buttoned waistcoat and fitted jacket, he looked way out of place against the dainty patterned wallpaper. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He removed his hat. "Miss Caputo." He strained to keep his voice soft as he held out a piece of paper. “I’m police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"Yes?" Her voice shook.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"I have a summons for you, Miss Caputo." He held it out to her. But she stood rooted to that spot. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He stepped closer and she took it from him, unfolding it with icy fingers. Why would she be served with a summons? Was someone arresting her now for something she didn't do? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">A shot of anger tore through her at this system, at everything she wanted to change. It eclipsed her fear, making her blood boil. She flipped it open and saw the word "Summons" in fancy script at the top. Her eyes widened with each sentence as she read. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I hereby order Miss Vita Caputo to enter into holy matrimony with Mr. Thomas McGlory immediately following service of this summons.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Signed and witnessed, it looked very official. She looked up at Theodore. He flashed her a toothy smile.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"He's <i>pazzo</i>, he's just nuts!" She read it again and again, laughing, her eyes filled with tears of relief and happiness. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Deeee-lightful, isn’t it, Miss Caputo?” The door opened and he stepped aside. There stood Tom in the doorway. Teddy Roosevelt cuffed him on the chin and vanished.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"I would have arrested you, but I was afraid you would resist." He gave her a playful grin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She leapt forward and embraced him with every bit of strength she had left, crushing the paper between them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"You are just crazy!" was all she could think to say. Still dizzy from the shock, the fright, and the anger that blanketed it all, she juggled a new jumble of titillating emotions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"You're the one who should be crazy, crazy enough to marry me, that is." <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">All her doubts vanished at that instant. “Oh, yes, together we are stronger than any force that would dare keep us apart.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In a guarded tone she asked, "You don't mean tonight, do you?" Jadwiga's one-word suggestion flashed through her mind. “Elope.” She wondered if the two of them had planned a slick coup. Was a priest in the parlor waiting to officiate?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He laughed, a halo around his head from the lamp’s glow. "Any night you want. Tonight, tomorrow, next week, just don't make me wait too long."<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"How long were you sitting in there?"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">"A few hours. I figured you were with your family. Your landlady was nice enough to let me wait. I told her I wanted to surprise you, and I think she figured out what it was. So she didn't interfere. Teddy there, who considerately left us alone, is our commish, and the jokester on the force. He'd have to be, to have gone along with this!"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">They went into the parlor and she closed the door, quivering in naughty delight. As she sat on the sofa, he dropped to one knee. He slid his hand into his pocket and brought out a sparkling ring, took her hand and slipped it onto the third finger of her left hand. “Vita, will you marry me?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Oh, Tom…” She held it at arm's length, turning her hand this way and that. It glittered in the lamp’s glow.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">She would have eloped with him at this minute if he’d asked. If a priest stood in this room, they would have been married by now. She threw her arms around his neck, dizzy with happiness, dizzily in love. “Of course I’ll marry you! Tonight, tomorrow, whenever you want! Oh, how I love you!” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He sat beside her and she pulled the pins from her bun. Her hair tumbled to her waist, and he stroked it lovingly as she nestled against his chest. Their lips met and parted. Her mind raced . . . <i>we need to set a date!<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page;" /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><h1 style="background-color: white; margin-top: 8.05pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Purchase FROM HERE TO FOURTEENTH STREET ON AMAZON:</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1><h1 style="background-color: white; margin-top: 8.05pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://getbook.at/NewYorkSagaBookOne" target="_blank"><span style="color: #184c6c; font-weight: normal;">getBook.at/NewYorkSagaBookOne</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH05nT4ai92I82dZJuZINNSZGPN0cs8gllA3VyOXeT0OuMESo6UjR2YnuaBg52ISEICmVmdBD2vh2raheIFNfsIIkqLmA_UO4EQNnDddjILt3LK8kYg0yp1HHI5aSo8dHnKQx8gHaTtFmLvmYO5VzcmVut6QGJvCc6mRDsqYpGX0LVmpYZlmDKnPJ9ig/s224/SpaghettiAglioOlio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="224" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH05nT4ai92I82dZJuZINNSZGPN0cs8gllA3VyOXeT0OuMESo6UjR2YnuaBg52ISEICmVmdBD2vh2raheIFNfsIIkqLmA_UO4EQNnDddjILt3LK8kYg0yp1HHI5aSo8dHnKQx8gHaTtFmLvmYO5VzcmVut6QGJvCc6mRDsqYpGX0LVmpYZlmDKnPJ9ig/s1600/SpaghettiAglioOlio.jpg" width="224" /></a></b></div><b><br />Recipe for Spaghetti Aglio e Olio:<o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ingredients:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One pound uncooked spaghetti<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">6 cloves minced garlic<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">½ cup extra virgin olive oil<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Salt and ground black pepper to taste<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">¼ cup chopped fresh parsley<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 0.25in; vertical-align: top;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese<span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><div style="border-bottom-color: rgb(230, 230, 230); border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-style: none none solid; padding: 0in;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; padding: 0in;"><span style="color: #4d4d4d; font-size: 14pt;">Directions:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: top;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a pasta bowl.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: top;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Combine garlic and olive oil in a cold skillet. Cook over medium heat to slowly toast garlic, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low when olive oil begins to bubble. Cook and stir until garlic is golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: top;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Stir red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt into the pasta. Pour in olive oil and garlic, and sprinkle on Italian parsley and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; stir until combined.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: top;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Serve pasta topped with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 15pt; vertical-align: top;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Connect With Diana<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.dianarubino.com/">My Website</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.dianarubino.com/">www.dianarubino.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://www.dianarubinoauthor.blogspot.com/">My Blog</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">www.dianarubinoauthor.blogspot.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor?ref=hl">Facebook</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor/?ref=hl">https://www.facebook.com/DianaRubinoAuthor/?ref=hl</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/DianaLRubino">Twitter</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://twitter.com/DianaLRubino">https://twitter.com/DianaLRubino</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=diana+rubino">Goodreads</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1V3GCgt">http://bit.ly/1V3GCgt</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1EQWdfJ" target="_blank">Amazon Author Page</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://amzn.to/1EQWdfJ">http://amzn.to/1EQWdfJ</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">My Facebook page “Chat and Promote ... Fans of Historical Fiction and Nonfiction”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="http://bit.ly/2HrCOEQ">http://bit.ly/2HrCOEQ</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>JENNIFER WILCKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16218241106543538422noreply@blogger.com15