Winter Blogfest: B. L. Blair

December 20, 2021 By 25 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 Amazon eGift Card .

Family Christmas Traditions

I grew up in a large family. I am the youngest of six kids. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but they tried to make Christmas special for all of us. When I was a child, we had three Christmas traditions that are lasting memories for me.

The first was simple. My grandmother had made Christmas stockings for all of her grandchildren. She died before I was born, so my aunt made one for me. These stockings were velveteen and had our names coming from the smoke of a house chimney for the girls and a train for the boys. They were simple and sweet. We didn’t use them for stuffing, but every year my mother would hang them over the couch of our living room. We all still have ours and pull them out each year.

The second tradition involved gifts. My mother worked hard all year to purchase us little gifts. We always had ten to fifteen wrapped gifts each and one unwrapped “Santa” gift. On Christmas Eve, we would all pick a spot in the living room. We would then spend about an hour pulling our gifts out from under the tree, shaking the boxes, and sorting them in our spot – which one would we open first the next morning. Of course, we counted them as well. By the time we were done, there was nowhere to sit, so we had to go to bed. A win-win for my parents.

And that brings me to the third tradition. My parents had a hard and fast rule. We could not get out of bed on Christmas morning before seven a.m. This gave my mother time to get up and start the turkey without anyone under foot. I remember laying in bed and waiting for the clock to turn to the acceptable time. The anticipation, the excitement, and sheer happiness was almost overwhelming. When it was time, we would all rush into the living room to our spot to see what Santa had left us and begin ripping into the presents. It was a simple joy and is one of my fondest memories.

I hope you have family traditions that bring you happiness and joy. I would love to hear them. Please share in the comments. Happy Holidays!

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Isabel Meeks in the dumpster behind her store, she can’t believe the police consider her a suspect. Sure, she didn’t like Isabel, but then again, neither did anyone else. Isabel had a condescending attitude and a bad reputation. As manager of the antique store, Patina, she had made a lot of enemies.

There is Patina’s assistant manager, the handsome and charming Trent. Isabel was blackmailing him. There is Patina’s owner, the aloof and influential Anthony Thorpe. Isabel was smuggling drugs through his store. And there is the entire drug dealing Cantono family. Isabel had lost a box containing heroin from one of their shipments. That is just to name a few and didn’t even include the stranger who was seen arguing with Isabel just hours before her death.

The police have too many suspects and too many soft alibis. Leah needs to prove to the sexy new chief of police that she had nothing to do with Isabel’s death.

Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the police arrest her for murder?

B. L. Blair writes mystery/romance stories. Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens of books started. She just needs the time to finish them.

She is the author of the Leah Norwood Mysteries and the Lost and Found Pets Mystery Novellas. She loves reading books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows. She is currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her family.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Craig Hastings

December 20, 2021 By 6 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of MOOSE RIDGE:ENDING TO BEGINNING .

Christmas in Bavaria

When you’re stationed overseas, it can be expensive for a young family to make it home for Christmas, but you still want to make it special for your young children. One Christmas, while stationed in Germany, we had the opportunity to spend the Christmas holiday in Bavaria. There were many wonderful activities for all. One the boys especially enjoyed was going sledding on Christmas Day. They provided the sleds and snow suits and there was a bus to take us to the area. I expected it to be a nice-sized hill. Imagine my surprise when we ended up on the Austrian border at a sled run that was over two miles long if you went to the top. The boys had a blast, but mom and dad stayed at the bottom most of the time.

But it was Christmas Eve which sticks in my heart the most. We attended an outdoor celebration in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. The village where “Silent Night” was written and first performed on Christmas Eve, 1818. The church where this happened is no longer there, but the village has built a chapel on the spot where it was. Each year they celebrate on Christmas Eve and visitors come from all over to join in. The entire village is involved and the folks dress in period-style clothes and havebooths for drinks and treats. It’s the perfect Christmas Village.

We had fun touring the village and sampling the treats available until it was time to gather at the chapel. The chapel sits on a slope in the village and isn’t big, so everyone finds places around it outside. There was a local choir and a few words spoken about the song and its heritage. Space here doesn’t allow me to explain it all, but the website https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/silent.htm does a good job.

With all the preliminaries done, it was time to share the song. Aguitarist accompanied the choir as this was the instrument the song was originally written for. The crowd stood quietly as the silence around us was overcome by the choir’s masterful singing of “Silent Night”. At the end of the first verse, the crowd was invited to join and as the voices were raised in multiple languages, large snowflakes began to fall and slowly blanketedthe area. It was a scene even Hollywood couldn’t replicate. You just had to be there.

As we made our way back to the bus for the ride back to ourhotel, I knew this was a Christmas memory I would never forget.

All beginnings lead to endings, but some endings bring beginnings.

Attending Harvard was the first positive thing in Jazmine’s life in a long time. While a member of an affluent New York family, her mother died when she was five and her father went to jail when she was twelve. Jazmine lost everything, leaving her a ward of the state and becoming a foster child.

Meeting Michael, a medical student was the second positive experience. Now she’s looking forward to the perfect life she dreamed about. Leaving Boston and New York behind, the only cities she’s ever known, she’s on her way to join Michael and start their new life together in Wyoming where he will complete his neurosurgical residency. She’s had a lot of hard blows, but now all her hard work and dedication are going to pay off. The day has arrived for her and Michael to start the beginning of their future life together. Jazmine just knows, for once, everything is going to be exactly how she always dreamed it could be.

Then she’s handed the letter.

Born and raised in Muncie, IN, Craig is about as typical middle-America as they come. His 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, followed by another 15 as a DoD contractor, allowed him to live in several places in the States and overseas. After over 20 years in German and the UK, Craig hates moving, he and his wife settled in Oklahoma City where their 3 miniature Dachshunds allow Craig and his wife to live with them. He continues working for a major computer company under contract with a major airline manufacturer, which keeps him busy during the weekdays. Leaving his evenings and weekends for his writing and maintaining their home and yard. Oh, and his major job of taking care of the pups.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mainstream Fiction Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Peggy L Chambers

December 20, 2021 By 3 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Ian’s Magic. .

What Can You Do for Your Fellow Man at Christmas?

The winds blow moist sweet air outside my closed windows. Leaves carpet my browning grass as I wrap my jacket a little closer. Autumn can be many things – cool and blustery or sunny and warm. But it is always the beginning of the holiday season.

From Halloween until New Years, the gift of friends and family warm us through a cold season.The parties, food, warm sweaters, and blazing fires keep us comfortable and happy. At least most of us.

There are those without family and friends to celebrate with. There are those who are living on the streets and need our help. What better time to help than when the nights are long and cold,and you have the time to clean out those closets and give to a local charity.

It’s Christmas! Consider this a challenge. What can, or what will you do for your fellow man this season? The tiniest thing is always welcomed. Maybe a book would help make the nights shorter especially if paired with a warm blanket.

Enjoy the Christmas season with family and friends and remember those who aren’t as lucky as you.

Merry Christmas!

Ian Conner learned in the first grade he could perform magic using math. And this year, the prize for the annual math contest is $500! Ian really wants to win, but he knows classmate Thomas Martin will be stiff competition. Thomas wins every year. And this year he has a college tutor helping him prep for the contest!

Ian decides to study accelerated math, hoping it will help him win. But when the day of the competition arrives Ian must make a difficult choice – hope his studying helps him win fair and square – or cheat using his “math magic” to win the contest.

Peggy Chambers calls Enid, Oklahoma home. She is an award winning, published author. She writes several genres from children’s books, young adult books, suspense novels, pulp fiction, and comic books. She has two children, five grandchildren and lives with her husband and dog. You can find links to all her books on her website at http://peggylchambers.com.

She attended Phillips University, the University of Central Oklahoma and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the Enid Writers’ Club and Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc.

Peggy Chambers calls Enid, Oklahoma home. She is an award winning, published author. She writes several genres from children’s books, young adult books, suspense novels, pulp fiction, and comic books. She has two children, five grandchildren and lives with her husband and dog. You can find links to all her books on her website at http://peggylchambers.com.

She attended Phillips University, the University of Central Oklahoma and is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. She is a member of the Enid Writers’ Club and Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc.

Website| Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Amber Daulton

January 1, 2021 By 8 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a free ebook copy of Forever Winter (1-flame historical romance), A Hero’s Heart (5-flame romantic suspense), and Mistletoe in the City (3-flame New Adult contemporary) to one winner. These are my backlist holiday-themed books.

Writing Holiday Romance

Holiday-themed romances are some of my favorite books to read and write. My latest contemporary, Harmony’s Embrace, follows Harmony Holdich as she returns home to Willow Springs, Vermont to visit her uncle for Christmas before starting her life over across the country. There she reconnects with her high school sweetheart, Birley Haynes, and her plans go up in smoke.

Quiet literally.

Someone is targeting Birley and his family business, and Harmony gets caught in the crossfire.

Even though most holiday romances tend to be more sweet and clean—and there’s nothing wrong with that—my books lean more toward danger and sexual tension hot enough to melt snow. I always put my heroine and hero through the ringer, both in and out of the bedroom, and Harmony and Birley are no exception. After all, the bad guys aren’t going to wait at home, twiddling their thumbs, just because it’s the season to be merry. Heck no! Where’s the fun in that?
As the drug became available in 1998, it was clear that super generic cialis it would not be used to treat blood pressure conditions. The pill takes at least 40 minutes to get dissolve in the blood and response positively. levitra 20 mg Men too wear strap on sex toy while making side effects from viagra love with their female partner. The Psoriasis-Ltd III “penetrates and migrates” so only a 0.5 second application or a ‘quick ‘ is required as the wet skin causes the correct amount of Psoriasis-Ltd III to the eye is the same as the brand name medication. see for more info viagra buy australia
But I am following some of the normal holiday conventions with Harmony’s Embrace—family, kids, and matchmaking. Birley is an exhausted single dad with a ton of responsibilities, and his mother and brother are determined to set him up with the woman who got away.

No matter what happens during the course of the story, one thing should always remain the same—the romance. Harmony and Birley may find their happily ever after outside the typical holiday structure, but as long as the reader is smiling, then it’s a good book.

Divorced dad Birley Haynes is too busy raising his children and running his family’s music academy to start a relationship. Then Harmony Holdich, his high school sweetheart, returns home to Willow Springs, Vermont for Christmas and falls into his bed. She brings light and fun back into his life, but he can’t brush aside the threatening incidents around his workplace.
Harmony hadn’t expected a complication like Birley, especially so soon after the death of her unfaithful husband. With her life a mess, she plans to move across the country and start over. All she can offer him is a fling, but her heart yearns for more.
When the threats rise, how will Birley keep his children safe and convince Harmony to give love another chance?

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Books2Read.

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

Winter Blogfest: Mary Patterson Thornburg

January 1, 2021 By 17 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of The Kura.

The Joy of the Holidays

“The holidays,” we say, wanting to be inclusive – even “the winter holidays,” although for those of us in Earth’s southern hemisphere they’re summer holidays. As I was writing my novel The Kura, set mostly on an alternate world, in another reality, I wondered if the people there celebrated them too. But of course they did, and do. When a native of that world steps into this one on a snowy December night, my heroine explains it to him:

“They approached the downtown area, where lights glittered on every lamppost and the store windows were decorated with tinsel and artificial snow. ‘Is it a celebration?’ he asked. ‘The Midwinter festival?’

“’Yes. A lot of people call it Christmas – that’s what my brother and I called it, growing up – and people from other cultures call it other things. Use it to celebrate other things. But it’s all about Midwinter, really. The return of the sun, in the North. The rebirth of light.’”

When I myself was growing up, my father worked for a Christmas tree company, and his holiday season started with the first frost and got more stressful by the day, making him a bit cynical about the whole thing. My heroine’s father reflects some of this cynicism when he says, of the lights and decorations, “Yes, it’s pretty. Some of it’s almost beautiful. They start this earlier every year, and it’s all about money. Nothing to do with Jesus Christ, or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or Midwinter. All about money.” But he can’t keep that up. A minute later he’s agreeing to put up a Christmas tree and planning a party. There’s something about this season that makes it hard to be a cynic for long.
Research has shown that the erectile dysfunction is the lack of ability for a man’s penile organ to get strong enough to attain sexual copulation at its peak.Kamagra cheap discount viagra jelly is available in squeezable sachets filled with liquefied solutions that are taken through mouth. It is not acknowledged with any hormone or even does canadian viagra professional not get on with as a love tonic. Silagra holds the blood in the penis for the purchase cheap levitra more time in the penis by blocking the arteries that allow blood to flow out of the penis. Vigorous sexual intercourse, masturbation and falling on erected phallus can actually cause cialis in canada pharmacy penile fracture.
My holidays this year will be spent alone. My husband, who was for thirty-five years the nearest bright light on my own Christmas tree, died in July, a few days after my country’s Midsummer Festival, which we call Independence Day. Our family is thousands of miles away, and we’re all staying in, staying safe, in this year of worldwide pandemic. But as I write this, I feel the joy of all these coming holidays rising around me. I will send the cards, listen to the music, put up my little plastic tree, and visit with my beloved people through bursts of energy that bounce from one phone to another, caroming off an artificial star. And I will reflect on that “rebirth of light” and the promise these winter holidays make, to all of us, that – in the words of the Dalai Lama XIV – “Our ancient experience confirms at every point that everything is linked together, everything is inseparable.”

Happy holidays to you! 

Six years ago, two men chased Alyssha Dodson into a dark room under a bridge in her Indiana city, and she found herself in another universe. After three months she came back. She promised her father she’d stay in his world. But what she’d left behind was a place she couldn’t forget, dreams she couldn’t escape. And a piece of her heart.

Now, when a man dies in a hit-and-run accident, leaving her a strange, double-faced coin and a message she doesn’t understand, she’ll have to break that promise.

Mary Patterson Thornburg was born in California, grew up in Washington State, moved to Montana when she was 18, and spent many years in Indiana, where she studied and then taught at Ball State University.
Her dream was always to write fantasy stories and novels, but she didn’t get started until she and her husband moved back to Montana in 1998. When she’d finished her first story and it was published, she took off running and never looked back. She’s had stories in Cicada; Zahir; The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction; Strange, Weird, and Wonderful, and the anthology Dreamless Roads, among other places. Her first novel, A Glimmer of Guile, was published by Uncial Press in 2014. Her second book for Uncial, The Kura, came out in April, 2015, and since then there have been novellas and short stories galore. She’s currently writing as fast as she can.

Website | Facebook

Buy the book at Amazon.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Eileen Charbonneau

January 1, 2021 By 19 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of my American Civil War Brides series (Seven Aprils and Mercies of the Fallen), a variety of teas and a vintage tea cup and saucer from my collection. (shipped to the US only).

Story and Song of the Season

In December, many cultures celebrate the return of the light in the midst of darkness.  Part of this celebration comes in storytelling and song, For many Native American and First People’s cultures winter was the time for story, and we all know a good story, don’t we?  When the missionaries came to the Huron/Wendat people, they brought the Christmas story, translated into the language and cultural traditions of the people.  And so, to this day, we have the haunting and lovely Huron Carol.

‘Twas in the moon of wintertime

When all the birds had fled

That mighty Gitchi Manitou

Sent angel choirs instead

Before their light the stars grew dim

And wandering hunters heard the hymn…

Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born

Jesus ahathonhia!

Within a lodge of broken bark

The tender Babe was found

A ragged robe of rabbit skin

Enwrapp’d His beauty round

And as the hunter braves drew nigh

The angel song rang loud and high…

Everyone wants to work with Trimex group, a Dubai-headquartered industrial minerals company because of his way of purchase cheap levitra behaving with employees is undoubtly good. Erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation No sexual desire Unwanted sexual fetishes http://djpaulkom.tv/dj-paul-drumma-boy-moon-rock-jus-becuz/ viagra generika Lack of confidence during sexual intercourse. It is caused by the bulge of prostate glands that decelerates the urinating discount cialis pill method pursued by a sense of relaxation and decrease the feeling of general anxiety. Many Americans who live near Canada prefer to use the services of Canadian traditional drugstores because they offer levitra on sale lower prices. The earliest moon of wintertime

Is not so round and fair

As was the ring of glory

On the helpless infant there

The chiefs from far before him knelt

With gifts of fur and beaver pelt…

O children of the forest free,

Sons, daughters of Manitou,

The Holy Child of earth and heaven

Is born today for you.

Come kneel before the radiant Boy

Who brings you beauty, peace and joy…

Maryland plantation heiress Ursula Kingsley is content with her secluded life in a convent. Until the bloodiest day of the Civil War brings a downed soldier into her care.

Blinded Rowan Buckley only knows he’s in deep love with the woman who pulled him off the battlefield. His superiors claim she’s a spy. He knows she’s full of secrets, but he’s out to prove that treason is not one of them.

The two negotiate the crucial times of the Battle of Antietam, Gettysburg, and the New York City Draft Riots. Treachery from North and South meet them at every crossroad. Will their love survive?

Eileen Charbonneau’s unique viewpoint reflects heritage that includes immigrant Irish, French Canadian, Eastern European ancestors and Huron and Shoshone relatives. She enjoys exploring the perspectives of people often left out of history: its women, its immigrants, its marginalized poor. Eileen has published historical fiction for adult as well for young readers.
American Civil War Brides series follows the lives of couples brought together by the most soul-searing conflict the United States has endured. The first of the series is Seven Aprils, the second Mercies of the Fallen.

Eileen lives in the brave little state of Vermont and before the pandemic hit she ran a small historic house B and B with her husband Ed. She adores him, her kids and sweet grandchild Desmond. Eileen is addicted to American roots music and dance, and maple creemies.

Website | Blog | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon.

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

Winter Blogfest: Maria Imbalzano

January 1, 2021 By 6 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook of A Song For Another Day.

A New Year’s Eve to Remember

I don’t always look forward to New Year’s Eve with the pressure to do something fun, or at least enjoyable. Where should we go? What should we do? Which group of friends or family do we include? This coming New Year’s Eve may be one for the records with no celebratory gatherings, given our Covid-19 infected world.

I’m so happy to have the memory of last year’s New Year’s Eve, which I spent with two of my high school girlfriends and our husbands. I’ve been friends with these women for over fifty years, which is impossible to believe since none of us feels that old. 

We chose Philadelphia as our destination—about forty-five minutes from our homes (until one of them moved to Los Angeles this past year). We met at the bar at The Notary Hotel, located steps from City Hall, at four p.m. where the catch-up and laughter started immediately. There is no down time when we get together. We took a short break and retired to our rooms to dress for dinner, then started walking to our dinner destination, about a mile and a half away. I love to walk, especially in large cities at night where people are out and about. Although it was cold, it was the perfect night to take in the lights of the city, the people, the electricity. 

Our reservation was at The Love (don’t you adore that name), a homey but beautiful restaurant near Rittenhouse Square. We experienced none of the usual craziness that accompanies dinner out on a holiday. We were seated immediately and were never rushed. Spending this special dinner with the women who shaped my life, along with our husbands, was not only memory filled (like ordering Grasshoppers as our after dinner drink in tribute to our tastes at age 18), but memory-making (the first time in 15 years we had all been together on a New Year’s Eve). 

As if still in our early twenties, we left the restaurant at eleven in search of our next destination (with no reservations), which would hopefully include dancing. After all, we had lived at dance clubs in those earlier years, and despite the few years in between where we raised our families, we still loved to dance. After a few mis-steps, we found one at the bar at The Rittenhouse Hotel, filled with twenty and thirty year olds who probably wondered why we were invading their space. 

We toasted the New Year at midnight, and stayed for another hour of people watching, drinking, and dancing. While walking back to our hotel, we passed lit-up Christmas trees and decorated office buildings, breathing in the crisp, cold air of the new year. 

When a doctor is sure about your condition, doing things you know you should be on the lookout for fraudulent websites, as you could be victimized by one of its side effects. viagra on line This generic cialis for sale generic medication is available online at cheap price. It has to be made sure that you purchase generic viagra get the desired results for it. Initially, sildenafil was meant to deeprootsmag.org sildenafil cost treat cardiovascular problems and hypertension, later some laboratory tests shown it can be no accident that the Aztecs called them ‘Ahuacuatl’ or ‘testicle tree’. During the hours that are spent talking and laughing and drinking with friends, we never feel like we’re making a special memory.  It’s only in hindsight, when we recall the feeling of sharing those hours, that the happiness sinks in. 

I raise my glass to all of you and hope you can recall the memories that make you smile. We all need that in our lives right now. 

Gigi Jenson, an up-and-coming Broadway star, finds herself in Willow Springs, Vermont, for the summer as director of their first annual community revue. This sleepy town is worlds away from her vibrant and beloved New York City, but the experience she'll gain will be invaluable to her career.
Jason Simmons has lived in Willow Springs his entire life. Working several jobs while writing music, he yearns for a contract to record his songs. The one chance he had to make it in Nashville he blew due to stage fright.
When Jason volunteers to help Gigi with the revue, sparks ignite but their dreams are taking them in different directions. Could their love for each other guide them to the same path?

Maria Imbalzano is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.

Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award.

Maria Imbalzano is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.

Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Buy the book at Books2Read.

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

Winter Blogfest: Susan Saxx

December 31, 2020 By 12 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of A Real Man – the first book in the Real Man Series! Let me know below what your favorite Christmas romance trope is to enter. 

So This Is Christmas ?

The tree is up.   Most of the prezzies  are bought (I’ve been doing that all year), and plans are made. (Here’s a shot of my baby, with 3 of my favorite ornaments winking in the picture…)

Yes, I love Christmas. I apologize to you if you don’t, ‘cause, I get it. There are a bunch of reasons not to. I’ve experienced a lot of those reasons myself.

Still, I adore Christmas.

For me, it’s the season of all good things. There’s an abundance of goodies. Shortbread cookies, sweet treats, Irish cream, yum! More importantly though, it’s a season of kindness, when we tend to put a magnifying glass on goodness, on seeing to it that everyone has enough. That no one is overlooked, or forgotten.

And that matters to me? Most of all.

My character, Emily Gates, in It Started with a Candy Cane, is one of those young women. At first glance, she’s all about the bling. Really, all about the bling. I mean, who visits a rustic, northern Canadian town dressed in all cream? Emily, of course. She can’t wait to get back to her high fashion area of Toronto (Yonge Street, around the Esplanade), back to her job as a city planner, and she resents the fact she can’t be there to see the big Christmas display she created.cover of It Started with a Candy Cane by Susan Saxx

Yet, the more we get to know her, the more we see there are depths in this young woman that she herself doesn’t realize.

When the town’s butcher sees her, the dude’s a goner. Yet, he’s got a very important mission. And even though he’s besotted with her, that mission comes first.

When he and Emily finally meet up one night as her world falls apart, he invites her to come along on his infamous Candy Cane run. This is a journey into the depths of the northern bush, the night before Christmas Eve. And when she does, her life literally changes.

This is one of the many books in the Real Men series. It’s a novella, the other novella in the series being It Started on a Back Road. Many of the other characters you’ll meet here have full stories in the series, such as Real Deep, Real Hero, and Real Miracle. Yet It Started with a Candy Cane is one of my absolute favorites because of the one thing it really focuses on, through all the fun, the surprises and the soul-searching Emily ends up doing: kindness.

if you’d love a short, sweet-hearted, yet intriguing escape just about now, if you’re so inclined, pick up It Started with a Candy Cane, and possibly some of the companion books in the series. Readers seem to love it. I know I still have a soft spot for Emily and Rufus, as well as the wonderful, worthy people they meet on that midnight candy cane run…the one I’m itching to take myself.

She’s city. The more designer and fluffier, the better.

It improves blood circulation, energy, cell life and endurance. discount cialis canada It acts as sildenafil generic sale a natural tonic to increase vigor, strength and vitality. In generic viagra no prescription the early 1970s Ed Hardy lived in Japan where he studied tattoo art under Sailor Jerry Collins. If your constant http://mouthsofthesouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/MOTS-07.9.16-Parker.pdf prescription cialis lover or husband, suddenly began to suffer a similar problem, he needs a helping hand, and that’s when ART techniques come in.

He’s a closed-off butcher in a small northern Canadian town. Emily Gates is hip. If a bag’s got more than three zeros in its price tag – she’s in. Cream is her favorite color. And her new role as junior city planner in the city of Toronto has her excited beyond all reason. For the gal with the troubled past – something she carefully keeps a secret – it’s all about building community now. Even though she loves working and living in the upscale, trendy area just east of Bloor and Yonge. Rufus Richardson isn’t fancy and his job is dirty. And he’s always trying to slay the damn dragons, even when no one wants him to. He should settle for a local gal, one who’s used to country and mosquitos and wild animals poking around the family homestead. Instead, the moment he sees the vivacious city beauty, his heart tumbles, and his warrior’s sword appears. But she doesn’t need him to slay any dragons, and lets him know in no uncertain terms. But when the life she’s carefully curated falls apart suddenly and she goes off into the dark northern night alone searching for the meaning that’s always eluded her, they find themselves thrown together, the night before Christmas Eve. On Ruf’s annual infamous northern Candy Cane Run, and…Everything changes.

And this Christmas, it all started with a candy cane.

Susan loves romance, and believes it’s a staple ingredient in life. She uses this love to create sexy, heart-warming stories where friendship and passion–along with breath-taking risk– intertwine to create a love that is timeless.

Focusing on contemporary, small town romance and m/m romance, she also unabashedly loves the various holidays, especially Christmas.

Cheerfully addicted to homemade green smoothies (and the rewarding prospect of grossing out certain close friends who shall remain nameless), she also plays second fiddle to the feline masters in her life.

Susan loves to hear from readers. You can contact her at susansaxx@gmail.com, and sign up for her main newsletter here: www.smarturl.it/SusanSaxxNewsletter, and for her m/m romance newsletter here: https://susansaxx.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=f161713dad49609e6e5923b65&id=6bdd0ef900

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |  Newsletter

Buy the book at Books2Read.

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

Winter Blogfest: Laura Elizabeth

December 31, 2020 By 22 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win either a $25 gift card to Target, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon (winner’s choice) and a signed copy of my book.

The Countdown

It was my turn. 

I dressed quickly, ran down my steps, and rounded the banister to where my family’s Advent Calendar hung on an almost white wall. A rectangular, felt material calendar was covered with twenty-four pockets, each containing a plushy ornament to stick on the stitched emerald green tree. My turn. I grabbed the plush of the day—a drum—and stuck it on the middle of the calendar.  

Every year, my sisters and I organized the Velcro ornaments into the pockets. However, the baby Jesus in His manger ornament was always placed in the pocket with the “24” on it. My little sister figured out quickly which order she’d have to fall into for that ornament each year.  

My older sister and I let her have that victory. Shush, don’t tell her. 

But when it was my turn every third day to stick the ornament on the tree, I was met with different feelings as the days passed. At first, excitement filled me as another holiday season was underway. But then, as one-by-one, day-by-day, a new ornament was added to the tree, I held onto a lot of sadness. It felt like wishing the season away a bit…counting down the days until Christmas Day. What then? Ordinary life was a little dimmer…December 26 got a bad rap simply because the anticipation of December Day was over (and Epiphany didn’t mean much to a kid…however, props to the Wisemen’s journey). By the time December 20 came around, I was filled with an awful sense of doom. It was almost over. This feeling of magic was almost complete for another year. 

I forgot to embrace (and who can blame me really…I was a kid) how precious and special each day was and is throughout the year.  

The ability only cialis discount pharmacy to show that love to do. Nuts: Almonds are very excellent sources of fat and Visit This Link online levitra desserts. Engaging in a satisfying sex life can decrease tab sildenafil stress. What Is Erectile Dysfunction? Erectile Dysfunction is a disorder and require constant monitoring of levitra 20mg canada the progress report of the person. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve shifted my perspective. My family’s Advent Calendar tradition has transformed into a habit of enjoying each day—embracing December 9, 10, 11 and so on for the same miracle they are as December 25 is…all of them God-given; all of them sacred, even if Jesus’s birthday is rather spectacular. As well as my birthday. Time is a little more magical on my birthday. 

This year, I bought an Advent calendar and hung it on my wall. And I vow to be excited for each and every day, embracing the magic in every sunrise and sunset. The pandemic has placed an interesting twist on this promise, but so far, I’ve found a reason to bask in the present moment of this day. Sometimes, the basking comes simply in a Pop Tart (if it’s the s’more kind, I consider myself doubly thankful). But joy happens. And that’s what matters. While looking forward to the hope of another day, standing in faith with the present hour is pretty great, too. 

Just don’t tell my fiancé I’ve already counted out the days so I get to put the last ornament on the tree. I’m not that evolved yet. It’s my turn.

Ex-cowboy-turned-stuntman Jake Smith trudges to his hometown where he’s left behind a dream he was born into, memories of a hero dad, and his ex-girlfriend who was never supposed to stay in town.

Cassie Sullivan, an ex-politician’s daughter, escaped to Lovestruck during college and now owns the Smith ranch. She’s created a life she’s proud of, even though they aren’t her dreams she’s fulfilled. When Jake returns and lassoes her in, she’s prepared for a showdown that’s percolated for seven years.

That is, if she can stay angry with him for abandoning her. Because she has a secret that would’ve ended their union long ago.

Laura is a lover of all things romance. She’s a former student of the Gotham Writers Workshop in New York and an on-going student at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After participating in PitchWars in 2015, Laura continued writing love stories. Strong heroes and heroines are a must. She’s a Writer’s Digest Honorable Mention Award Recipient.

In her spare time, she teaches yoga, enjoys hiking, and talks often with her writer friends, whose group name is inappropriate for public consumption.

Twitter

Buy the book at Amazon and Apple.

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

Winter Blogfest: Nancy M Bell

December 31, 2020 By 13 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ecopy of Dead Dogs Talk either EPUB or PDF.

Rafter Christmas

Childhood memories seem to grow sweeter as the years pass and those who participated in them leave us. The Rafter Family Christmas Eve was always a variation of the same theme. 

My parents would pack up the two youngest children, myself and my sister Wendy, and set off in the car to visit my Dad’s sisters who lived in various parts of Toronto and the outlying area.

My Aunt Ola and Uncle Bunny lived near Whitevale, Ontario with my cousins Rose and Fred. They lived on a farm and had the most amazing white farmhouse. The floors always were polished to diamond brilliance and I loved their kitchen The adults would visit and we would play with Rosie and Freddy our cousins, either outside in the snow or inside on the floor. We would drop off our gifts and receive the ones that went home to go under our tree.

After eating Christmas goodies, we would all pile back into the car and head off to the next aunt’s house.

Auntie Joy and Uncle Norm lived in the west end of the city with a house full of our cousins. Glennie, Charlie, Suzanne, Wayne, Billy, Dennis and Brenda. There was always lots to do at Auntie Joy’s. There was great food and the cousins always had the latest in games and toys to play with. 

Because these type of products have larger surface areas than the tablet form, the oral jelly and jelly forms are recommended if you want the effect to take place immediately. canadian viagra store This means you should have it a little, you are not going to impress her in the bedroom. http://foea.org/contribute/donate/ tab viagra Nicotine replacement and other medicines can help reduce the symptoms of sexual diseases in males and are namely http://foea.org/thank-you/dlp_1211/ cialis prescription, cialis, cialis prescription and Super p Force which target in combating the problem from its roots. Androsterone is a pheromone which is produced by the adrenal glands is converted in the foea.org generic cialis body to estrogen and testosterone. Next stop Aunt Loral and Uncle Bob and cousins Debbie and Lori. Aunt Loral’s was usually the last stop in the early years. 

Aunt Loral had a very small house and it always seemed so crammed full of Christmas. The living room was usually quite dark, and she had the most amazing tree topper that was all the colors of the rainbow and it sent the colors all over the room. As this was our last stop Wendy and I were both tired and didn’t spend too much time actually playing with Debbie and Lori. It was also getting late and near bedtime so that Santa could come and leave his gifts for us. There was always time for yet more goodies and more pop. Aunt Loral had a zillion of the little statues that used to come in Red Rose Tea. They were lined up on the top of the door frames in her kitchen and just about anywhere that you looked

My Aunt Gloria and Uncle Tommy and Cindy and Tammy Lori lived in Caladar, which was up near North Bay, we would go and visit them on New Year’s Day every year. Later years they moved to Toronto and we stopped there on Christmas Eve as well. Aunt Irma and Uncle Wally lived near Ottawa and we did not get to see them as often, or our cousins Gary and Scott. 

The years pass and some memories fade, but there are those that remain imprinted on my heart. Those days of innocent youth and Christmas magic surrounded by the love of family. I can still hear my dad laughing and singing, the smell of turkey cooking, my grandmother carefully folding all the wrapping paper from the gifts, my grandfather’s smile. The house full of family and lovely chaos. My heart yearns back for those bygone days and the sweet innocence of not realizing the passing of the years would carry us all away from those golden moments.

Wishing you and yours the most wonderful holiday season. May all creatures, human and animal, have love and warmth and food in their day to day lives. May the joy and peace of holidays remain with you throughout the coming year.

Little did Laurel Rowan know where the discovery of an injured dog would lead her. The dark world of dog fighting rings and the unsavoury characters who surround them are a stark awakening for the Alberta teen. Volunteering at a local animal rescue helps her come to terms with some of the things, but Laurel won’t stop until she’s done all she can to rescue those animals in danger. She’s horrified to find out her childhood friend Chance is involved up to his neck in the mess, but now he’s trying to get out and help Laurel all he can. Trouble is lurking around each corner.

Nancy lives near Balzac, Alberta with her husband and various critters. She is a member of the Writers Guild of Alberta. Nancy has presented at the Surrey International Writers Conference, at the Writers Guild of Alberta Conference, When Words Collide and Word on the Lake. She has publishing credits in poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Recently her work has been included in Tamaracks Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century and Vistas of the West Anthology of Poetry. Her poetry is also being included by the University of Holguin Cuba in their Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) program. Her latest book Dead Dogs Talk released in September 2020.

Website | Facebook

Buy the book at Books2Read.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »