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This is a fabulous interview with author Ester Lopez! She's had a close encounter (with a UFO!) and she lives on a 'non-farm' with mini-horses, chickens and cows. :-) Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Ester!!! ~Carissa LovRRs: Hi! To start off, please tell us your name, where you’re from, and what you write. EL: Hi, I’m Ester López. Originally, I’m from Miami, Florida, but now live in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee with my husband, two dogs, two mini horses, and two cows. (My husband thinks we live on a farm, but we don’t). I write sci-fi and paranormal adventure romances.
LovRRs: How did you become an author? Please share a bit of your journey with us. EL: After reading children’s books to my kids, I thought, “I could write better than that.” Well, I studied writing for children and teenagers and realized it was much harder than I thought. The first story that came to me was a story about teenagers, which I may revise someday, but all the other stories are about people in their 20’s. After joining RWA and taking all the classes I could on writing, characters, plots, etc., I finally finished my first novel. My inspiration for “The Abduction,” my first published book, came from my own ‘close encounter.’ “The Abduction” is book 1 in the Vaedra Chronicles Series. LovRRs: Whoa. Wait. Your own close encounter? Tell us more! EL: Yes, I did have a close encounter back in 1989, while driving home from a Campfire outing (I was a Campfire Leader), I had my three children in the van, another two children who were sister and brother, and another two sister and brother with their father, driving through Gulf Islands National Seashore. On one side was the Gulf of Mexico and the other was sand and then the Pensacola Sound. I saw something dark rise up from the white sand on the Gulf side and made a comment about the Navy doing maneuvers with their helicopters. It was September and a school night and getting dark. (The Pensacola Naval Air Station was on the other side of the Sound). The father said to me, "I design helicopters for the Navy and that's no helicopter I've ever seen." Within seconds, on the left side of my van and about 25 feet up in the air, was a UFO, round, with chasing lights in red, green, and yellow. It made no sound, and while I drove seven miles on a deserted road, that UFO stayed with us until we got into a brightly lit area on Pensacola Beach. Then it was gone! LovRRs: That's an AMAZING experience! No wonder why you were inspired to write The Abduction. What are you working on now? Do you have a recent or upcoming release? EL: Now, I’m working on a new paranormal series I call The Angel Chronicles. I’m working on book 1, “The Quest.” I expect to release it sometime in August and book 2, “Between Heaven and Earth,” I plan to release in the fall. What kind of research do you do when you set out to write a new book? EL: Depending on what jobs the characters have, I research a lot of it online, but go with personal experience for the emotional parts. For instance, in The Vaedra Chronicles Series, book 1 introduces the I.S.P. (Interplanetary Space Patrol) which is similar to our Highway Patrol but in space. Book 2, the whole story takes place in a training facility for I.S.P. agents who will be on special missions. Book 3 involves a Lieutenant in the I.S.P., an Admiral in the Vaedran Space Military, our own Space Force, our military and a Secret Service Agent. In “Between Heaven and Earth” an angel discovers he was once human and a police officer. I read books on police procedurals, books on how police officers think, and on military officers. Do you have any work experience involving the elements of romantic suspense (such as working in law enforcement or in the military)? EL: My work experience is when I worked for the National Park Service as a dispatcher and a fee collection officer. My husband was in law enforcement with the Park Service for 27 years. In all those years, I’ve met many police officers as well as other law enforcement officers and their wives. LovRRs: So cool that you worked for the NPS (I thought about being a ranger when I was in college). Which parks did you and your husband work at? Is that what brought you to Tennessee? EL: The next year [after the close encounter], my husband accepted a transfer to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. We had both worked at Gulf Islands National Seashore, where we met. LovRRs: What/who do you like to read and do you have a favorite genre/author? EL: My favorite author is Sherrilyn Kenyon and her Dark Hunter Series. Please share one piece of advice to aspiring authors - what do you wish someone would have told you? Or, what did someone tell you that you’d like to pass on to others? EL: A piece of advice to aspiring authors-NEVER GIVE UP! Study all you can about writing, and just WRITE something every day. Here’s the fun speed round! City, suburb, or small-town? Small town Dark chocolate, light chocolate, or white chocolate? Dark Chocolate Alpha, beta, or both? Alpha Wine, whiskey or punch? Wine Hot dogs, hamburgers, or tacos? Hamburgers Biceps, abs, or buns? Buns LovRRs: Thank you so much, Ester. Is there anything you'd like to add before we say goodbye? EL: Thanks for giving me this opportunity! Readers can sign up for my Readers Group on my website at www.esterlopez.com The Abduction On a lawless moon of Plexus, a resourceful loner struggles to escape his alien, slave-trading father with the help of a beautiful bounty hunter who he realizes is worth more than his ticket back to Earth. Dram, a business man and slave-trader from Chroma, is thinking of making a career change. Too many close calls has necessitated this change, but he just got a brilliant idea... Genesis, a princess from Atria working as a Bounty Hunter for the Interplanetary Space Patrol, has hunted the slave-trader, Dram, for ten long years. When she finally catches the man who abducted all the women of her village, she realizes she's got the wrong person. Adam Davis, born and raised in East Tennessee, has a strange premonition that turns into a nightmare. What could be worse than being abducted by aliens and mistaken for a criminal? Discovering the criminal is his alien father and falling in love with the Bounty Hunter who wants him dead. More places to find Ester...
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You HAVE to check out Laney's books. Her June release, Malicious Desire is ranked #1 in its subcategory on Amazon. Congratulations, Laney! And without further ado, it's the interview. ~Carissa  LovRRs: Hi! To start off, please tell us your name, where you’re from, and what you write. LK: Hi! I'm moonlighting under the pen name of Laney Kaye, published in romantic suspense, contemporary romance, sci-fi romance and erotic romance. (why, yes, I do have commitment issues, why do you ask?). LovRRs: How did you become an author? Please share a bit of your journey with us. LK: As quite an adult-adult, I've had a number of careers, from museum guide to accredited Professional Counselor. Regardless of my job, I've always enjoyed writing -- scribbling massive tomes way back in the pre-computer days, when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. (BTW, hand-written books are a pain to edit! ) Now that I run a private practice, I'm able to devote as much time as I like to my passion, and pretty much spend most of every day writing. LovRRs: What are you working on now? Do you have a recent or upcoming release? LK: In mid June I released what I refer to as 'the book of my heart' - though I also write Young Adult stories I adore under my real name, so really it has a share of my heart, along with two other books. But MALICIOUS DESIRE is a very important story to me, as it features intrinsically flawed and broken characters who navigate physical and psychological conflict on a journey to empowerment. I'm currently working on (rewriting the mess that is!) the second book in the Bent, Not Broken series. LovRRs: What is the most challenging part of writing romantic suspense? LK: Because my romantic suspense is a bit of a mashup of suspense and psychological thriller, with stories based on true-life events and issues, they require a LOT of research for authenticity. As they are very dark tales of redemption and justice, I balance them by concurrently writing light-hearted, steamy sci-fi or contemporary romance. Yes, there are many voices in my head.... LovRRs: What kind of research do you do when you set out to write a new book? LK: It depends on the type of book. Under my real name, I write historical and issue-driven YA, so there is a lot of reading/online research. Under this pseudonym, though, I write across genres. The psychological bent of the romantic suspense makes use of my professional career as a Counselor. Contemporary romances make for fun research - particularly 'The Spirit of Ohana' steamy series, which 'required' a cruise around the Hawaiian Islands! So, yay for authenticity and tax deductions! LovRRs: Do you have any work experience involving the elements of romantic suspense (such as working in law enforcement or in the military)? LK: My personal experience is more on the medical side of the professions often seen in romantic suspense, although I have close family (aka my brain-pickees) involved in senior-level law enforcement. LovRRs: Random question, but what’s your favorite holiday? LK: Absolutely favorite holiday is road-tripping with my teenage daughter (no, I'm not crazy, I swear - although her bags DO take up most of the car!) For the last five years we've used our quarterly road trip to blast music far too loud (Dolly Parton is the current go-to) and to brainstorm book titles and ideas. We generally head to tiny Australian coastal towns and settle in for a lot of bad food and good reading. LovRRs: Please share one piece of advice to aspiring authors - what do you wish someone would have told you? Or, what did someone tell you that you’d like to pass on to others? LK: That there is no 'right' way to write. There are so many things you'll be instructed you must (or must not) do, but many of these nuggets of advice go in and out of 'fashion', and are purely subjective. For example, consider the use of first-person pov. That's always a contentious choice, a love-or-loathe-it proposition. But first or third person actually both work equally well, if skillfully rendered. Almost everything - even including the much derided 'head-hopping' - has successfully been employed by some author at some stage. Many people will say "yes, fine, so you can do that when you're a JK Rowling". But I say go forth, young (or not-so-young) writer, and pen your own path! To hell with constraints. You do not need to know 'how' to write before you start. Just put down the story that is in your heart, write it to the best of your current ability. I promise, it'll still be sitting there, on your screen, when you learn something new. And then you'll rewrite it. And it will be better. Oh, and don't sweat it; literally no-one really knows how to comma anymore. :-) LovRRs: Speed round! Say the first thing that comes to mind! City, suburb, or small-town? Can we go out of the box and say country? Raised in the country, I consider even small-towns suburbia (though I do love them for a book setting, and have otherwise non-related books set in the same small-town with crossover minor characters) Dark chocolate, light chocolate, or white chocolate? Monday dark. Tuesday light. Wednesday dark. Thurs..get the idea? Because I'm a grown up, so I refuse to choose. Alpha, beta, or both? SOOOOOO alpha. But with brains and a sensitive side. Hot dogs, hamburgers, or tacos? Hamburgers, because I can put salady stuff on and pretend like they're healthy. Top, bottom, or against the wall? Yes, please. Cats, dogs, or exotics? Cats and dogs, because I'm greedy and have a menagerie. LovRRs: Any last words before we say goodbye? When you read any book, please, please, please consider reviewing it! Many of us are writing in something of a vacuum - we can see by the sales figures that our books are out there, and we can assume that they're being enjoyed - but without reviews, or reader feedback, or simply a reader rating, we just don't *know*. I'm sure I'm not the only author who won't continue writing a series after the first couple of books, unless I discover readers are loving my characters as much as I do! Malicious Desire *Please note trigger warnings* They think they can break her. But if life hasn't succeeded, how can four men? Now she'll fight for freedom -- and revenge. ~ Terror and forbidden desire stalk the heart of the Australian Outback ~ A trip to the beach with her elementary school class turns into teacher Kayla Petrovic's worst nightmare. Abducted. Held for ransom. For years, Kayla's believed she's nothing more than the whore of her alcoholic mother's taunts, trading her body for a roof, clothes, and money, using men's hearts to heal her emptiness. But when the kidnappers threaten her students, she'll sacrifice everything, including the last vestige of her self-respect, to save them. Hardened army veteran, Captain Nick West, bears his own scars--not all of them visible. He knows how to handle a world turned to shit. He'll get in, retrieve the hostages, and get out, doing little damage--except to the kidnappers. They're fair game. What he doesn't expect is the kick in the chest--worse than the recoil on a sniper's rifle--of recognizing there's something special about the woman he rescues. But, after years of avoiding weakness, he's sure as hell not interested in her. Love is a flaw he cannot permit. Refusing to be labeled a victim, but haunted by PTSD-induced nightmares and ashamed of her illicit desire for Nick, Kayla craves the sweet release of a blade. When a kidnapper tracks her down, hell-bent on revenge, will she find the strength to cast off the demons of her past and save not only herself, but the one man she may be able to love? More about LaneyAn award-winning YA writer and professional counselor in her 'real life', Laney loves to mess with heads by day and imaginations by night. Website > Facebook > Twitter > Instagram > One summer, a very long time ago, I packed up my kids, flew to England, and fell in love. I was keeping a promise. Five years earlier, after watching a King Kong remake showing the giant ape creating havoc in London, my son begged to go there. “When you’re nine,” I said as I ran out of the house, late for some meeting. “I promise.” On his ninth birthday my son pointedly reminded me of the long ago promise. That summer, we flew from Los Angeles to New York, and onward to London, taking a trip none of us will ever forget. The visit to England was momentous for me in one special way, I fell in love with its history, its people, its quaint country villages, its grand estates. When I came home I read Lunt’s History of England and then settled on the Regency period for most of my recreational reading. Jane Eyre was one of my best-loved books. I also read old Barbara Cartlands and all of Mary Stewart’s books. My favorite author became Mary Balogh and she still is today. Her characters have longings and fears and Balogh has a way of making the reader feel and care. I decided I wanted to write books like hers. I didn’t do it right away. Many years passed before I sat in front of my desktop and began writing Scandal’s Child, my first Regency. I’d already published several contemporary books set in the Northern California wine region, but writing a historical romance was quite different. The history has to be correct because there are critics—serious ones—who will point out every rule your heroine breaks. I made mistakes, but I loved the story, so I continued to write in this period. I already had the sequel in mind. That sequel is Scandal’s Bride, out July 10 and available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. My latest Regency is set in London and in Yorkshire. My hero and heroine have longings and fears, just like Mary Balogh’s characters. When revealed, my characters discover their “perfect” marriage of convenience isn’t so perfect after all. Thinking back on that long-ago trip, my daughter was amazed by all the “broken castles.” My son was surprised that Westminster Abbey and Big Ben were intact after King Kong’s rampage. My favorite memory was the tour of York and the climb up a gazillion steps into a church bell tower and the extraordinary view of the countryside. I finally got to write about that. Thank you, King Kong. Scandal's Bride
About Pamela Author of nine novels and eight history books, Pamela Gibson is a former City Manager who lives part time in Northern California’s wine country and part time in the Nevada desert. Having spent the last three years messing about in boats, a hobby that included a five-thousand-mile trip in a 32-foot Nordic Tug with her patient spouse, she now spends most of her time indoors happily reading, writing, cooking and keeping up with the antics of her gran-cats, gran-dog, and gran-fish. Sadly, the gran-lizard went to his final reward. Website > Facebook > Twitter > I'm really excited to have author JM Stewart with us today. I've 'known' Joanne for several years when we both did Six Sentence Sunday (I think that's where we met, Joanne?). I love her books and I think you will, too. And she has the cutest puppies in the world. :-) Welcome, Joanne!!!  JM: Thanks so much for letting me participate! LovRRs: Of course! I’m so happy you’re here! To start off, please tell us your name, where you’re from, and what you write. JM: Hi! I’m Joanne, and I write steamy contemporary romance under the pen name JM Stewart. I’m currently hailing from Gainesville, Texas. LovRRs: How did you become an author? Please share a bit of your journey with us. JM: I started writing…gosh, over 18 years ago now. Started with a dream I had one morning that begged to be written down. I fell in love with the process and along the way, found a piece of myself I didn’t even know was missing. Four manuscripts and many rejections later, I published my first book back in 2010 with a small, indie publisher. LovRRs: That’s so cool about the dream and having to write it down! What are you working on now? Do you have a recent or upcoming release? JM: I’m currently working on book 3 in an erotic contemporary series. I don’t have a release date yet, but I’ll be self-publishing book 1 in a month or so. Working on edits as we speak. :) LovRRs: Woohoo! That’s very exciting! What is the most challenging part of writing military romance? JM: A few of my books have featured military heroes, many dealing with PTSD. I don’t have a military background, though, so for me, the most challenging part is making sure I get all the technical aspects correct. LovRRs: What kind of research do you do when you set out to write a new book? JM: Depends on the book. I am, for the most part, a pantser, so I tend to research as I go. My Military Match series, for example, features Navy SEALs. I got in touch with another author who had military experience and asked her some questions. But for the most part, the internet is a font of information (for my military romances I tend to go to the official websites). LovRRs: Do you have any work experience involving the elements of romantic suspense (such as working in law enforcement or in the military)? JM: I don’t have experience with romantic suspense elements, but I do have experience with PTSD, which many of our service members, past and present, suffer from. I have the disorder, and while it’s not military/war related, I can understand where these guys are coming from and how difficult it can be. LovRRs: That’s incredible and I’m so sorry to hear that you have to deal with PTSD – thank you for sharing.  LovRRs: Please share one piece of advice to aspiring authors - what do you wish someone would have told you? Or, what did someone tell you that you’d like to pass on to others? JM: Never give up. Someone told me this once and it hit home. This is a tough business, and it can be discouraging at times. But, to quote Dory from Finding Nemo, “Just keep swimming.” What do I wish someone had told me? Write from the heart, even if it’s not what’s “hot” in the current market. Don’t be afraid to be yourself, to put your heart, into your writing. Somewhere out there is a reader who will love exactly what you write. LovRRs: What/who do you like to read and do you have a favorite genre/author? JM: My favorite genres are contemporary and historical romance (love a good regency romance!). Love Brenda Novak, Diana Gabaldon. My favorite romantic suspense author is Dixie Lee Brown. Her heroes are swoon worthy. LovRRs: Speed round! Answer the first thing that comes to mind! Alpha, beta, or both? –Both, please. Hot dogs, hamburgers, or tacos? –Tacos Boxers, briefs, or commando? –boxers Cake, cookies, or crumpets? –cookies Biceps, abs, or buns? –oh, definitely buns Cats, dogs, or exotics? –dogs LovRRs: Any last words before we say goodbye? JM: Thanks for having me! If you’d like to learn more about me or check out my books, you can find me here: www.authorjmstewart.com Her Soldier's Touch
More About JM StewartJ.M. Stewart is a coffee and chocolate addict who, along with her husband, two sons and two very spoiled dogs, has been recently transplanted to Texas. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily ever after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her obsession. Visit JM's LoveRomanceReads author page for links to her social media and for more of her books.
It’s July! This means it’s Romantic Suspense/Thriller month here at LoveRomanceReads. We’re highlighting books of romantic suspense, those that make your heart pound a little faster and keep you turning the pages to find out if the killer is really who you think.
​Do you like your stories spiced with danger and a gunfight or two? Or is a psychological thriller more your style? What about the characters you fall in love with? Do you like your characters to be the traditional heroes such as military, police, or firefighters? Or do you prefer your characters to be the ones who didn’t know they had it in them until their back was against the wall? And of course, we have to have our HEA because what is suspense without romance??? 
So what do we have planned for you this month?
I hope you stop by throughout the rest of this month, ask questions, leave recommendations, and most importantly, read and HAVE FUN!
Who is on the blog...
A big welcome to Luanna. Her recipes are to-die for so I'm sure you'll enjoy this one. PLUS, Luanna has a new release out TODAY! To celebrate, Luanne has a giveaway for an Amazon gift card (link is below the recipe). Show her some love, leave a comment, and be sure check out her new book!!! ~Carissa
​Anyone who regularly reads my blog, or who subscribes to my newsletter, knows that I love to cook. I prepare our supper mostly from scratch five days a week (Mr. S. is in charge of the kitchen on the weekends).
As much as I like to cook, I love to bake even more. Of everything I could bake, I most enjoy baking sweets – cookies, cakes, pies, cheesecakes, squares, brownies, etc. (Why am I so hungry all of a sudden?) So, given my love of all things sugary, you may be surprised to discover that I’m talking about a non-dessert. But summer is grilling time at my house and since I have yet to perfect BBQ brownies (I’ve yet to try, to be honest) I’ll share one of my favourite summertime chicken recipes. I discovered this recipe so long ago I don’t recall where it came from and I didn’t make note of the source on the stained recipe card. I suspect it was either Cooking Light, or Bon Appétit. As with many grilled meats, the chicken in this recipe benefits from a marinade, a two-step process in this case. First, the pieces of chicken breast are soaked in a blend of lemon juice and salt for 30 minutes to tenderize the meat. Part B, (anyone else still miss Car Talk on NPR??) the chicken is mixed with the flavourizers (it’s a word, I just made it up) – plain yoghurt, garlic, spices, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes for a hint of heat. If you’re in a bit of a rush, or if, like me, you don’t worry about supper until mid-afternoon, the marinade will do its thing in as little as three hours. But for optimum flavour, it’s best if that magical flavour meld and transfer happens in the fridge overnight. Then you can be sure the fragrant spices have penetrated all the way through each piece of chicken. I’ve found the best way to grill boneless, skinless chicken breast is to cook on fairly high heat for a fairly short period of time. That way you get the nice charring but the chicken remains moist and tender. So, when it’s time to cook, preheat your grill on high. Be sure to oil the grates so nothing sticks. Place the skewers on the grates, cover, and cook for five to ten minutes. (You’ll know where the hot zones are in your grill, adjust placement and rotation of the skewers accordingly. For our gas grill, it’s on the left side toward the back.) Don’t try to move or shimmy the skewers too soon or they’ll stick. When nicely dark grill marks form and the meat is starting to brown (the chicken will be yellow from the turmeric) carefully flip the skewers over and cook a bit longer. The best, and most accurate way to test for doneness is an instant-read thermometer. Barring that, slice into one of the larger pieces of chicken – if it’s no longer pink, then it’s done. Transfer the skewers to a platter and tent with foil for about five minutes. I usually serve the kebabs with a simple rice pilaf and steamed veggies. Or with corn on the cob if it’s in season locally. The best dessert for after this meal (we always eat dessert after supper – always) is a bowl of ice cream. Do you have a favourite summer-time grilling recipe? (If you’ve discovered a recipe for cooking brownies on the grill, please let me know!) 
Chicken Tikka Kebabs
Serves 4 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast ¼ cup fresh lemon juice ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup plain yoghurt 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1 ½ tablespoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger pinch of crushed red pepper flakes Cut chicken breast into 2-inch pieces and place in bowl. Stir in lemon juice and salt, mix well, let sit for 30 minutes. Combine yoghurt and next six ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Stir into chicken, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Soak wooden skewers, if using, for a couple hours. Preheat grill on high for about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and thread onto skewers, leaving about an inch between pieces, discard marinade. Brush grate with vegetable oil. Grill kebabs, covered, for 5 - 10 minutes. Carefully turn them over, cover, and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes. Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer after the shorter time – the centre of the largest piece needs to register 165F. (If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, slice into the centre of a chicken piece and if there is no pink remaining, the chicken is probably done. Leave on for an extra minute if you’re nervous, but not much longer.) (Grills vary in cooking time so consider my times as guidelines only. Safety first!) Remove skewers to a platter and tent with foil for 5 minutes. Serve with rice pilaf. Love Proof
June 26, 2019
Novella Contemporary ~ Small Town Contemporary Unemployed photojournalist Raynor Elliot stops at a bakery near the famous Deerbourne Inn. Not only is he surprised by a job offer at a regional magazine, he recognizes the bakery's owner. Once an awkward high school kid, she now possesses fabulous curves and an irreverent sense of humor. The cozy bakery, with its delicious smells of sugar, vanilla, and spice, has more to offer than tasty cookies. Fiona MacLeod has been plagued for years by the need to make amends for telling The Big Lie. When the victim of the lie strolls into her bakery with his icy blue stare and killer charm, she feels like she's standing too close to a hot oven. Between running her bakery and frosting cupcakes for the Mad River Garden Party, she's pretty sure she's falling in love with this infuriating, sexy man. Can Fiona dredge up the courage to confess, face the consequences, and hope for forgiveness? About Luanna
Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. As soon as she discovered her grandmother's stash of romance novels, all plots had to lead to a happily-ever-after. Luanna writes full time, concentrating on sexy romantic suspense, steamy paranormal romance, and spicy historical romance. Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Luanna has recently returned to the land of her birth with her dear husband and two spoiled cats. When she's not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. Under her previous pen name of Grace Hood she has two novellas published with The Wild Rose Press. ​
​Website > Facebook > Twitter > ​Instagram >   It’s summer and I’ve just completed six weeks of travel for work, family, and vacation. I’ve traveled to Blacksburg and Charlottesville in Virginia to pick up my kids from their colleges, Smithfield, VA—home of the Smithfield hams, Annapolis, MD for a Naval Academy graduation, New Orleans, and Ireland. It’s been fun and exhausting, but I’m glad to be home. After I do the laundry and put away the suitcases, and take a nap, one of my favorite things to do is review my travel journal. Whether or not I spend one night or ten in a place, I always record everything in my travel journal: names of hotels, restaurants, interesting sights, people I’ve talked to, random details and even doodles. While it can feel like work, when I get home I’m always so happy that I’ve kept a record of where I’ve been and how I felt and even what I ate. Here are a few reasons why I love keeping a travel journal: 1. I take a ton of photos and store them on a Google drive when I get home to eventually share on Social Media (I never post while I’m traveling. I’m too paranoid). But when I get home, I print out my favorites and stick them into my journal. After each day, I always keep a few pages blank specifically for my photos. Sometimes I also add things like pressed flowers from a New Orleans courtyard, a napkin from an Irish tea shop, or a ticket to see the D-Day Memorial in Virginia. 2. I always record my day, including where I’ve stayed and eaten. I describe places I’ve seen and the people I’ve met. I try to include obscure details like strange smells and unusual foods—things I know I’ll forget once I’m home. 3. I love to sketch, even though I’m horrible at it, and it’s a fun way to keep my memories. Once I’m done with my doodles, I ask my kids to identify what I’ve drawn and write down in the journal what they think they see. They’re never right, but it’s always fun to be mocked by the young. 4. The other thing I love about having a journal is that I never mind eating alone. Once I’m served, I sit and observe and write the world around me. 5. Although I record my day, I also keep notes on the people I’ve met. Most people don’t carry business cards so I track names, numbers, and people with whom I’d like to stay in touch. 6. Keeping a journal gives me a complete, detailed itinerary of our trip I can share with others who are planning their own trip. I’ve also used my diaries when I’ve revisited cities years later to remind me of things I liked and didn’t like. 7. I always leave space for to-do lists for things I need to remember while I’m traveling such as buy day-of theater tickets or next-day museum tickets or make dinner reservations in the next city. It’s amazing what you can forget while traveling. 8. Since I’m always talking to people when I travel, I keep a separate section of the journal for must-dos. Things that aren’t on my itinerary or in my guide book that I learn about from others and decide to see. I even track things that will inspire me to take a future trip to a new place. 9. I write down all of my financial transactions. Although I keep my receipts, I still keep a running tab of every expense and ATM withdrawal, as well as the daily exchange rates. That way there are no surprises when I get home and open my credit card bill! I also keep track of things I buy that I may have to list for U.S. Customs (depending on the country I’m in). 10. Most important, don’t write in your journal as if others are going to read it. Be as irreverent, funny, whiny as you want. Years later, you will appreciate your own candor!  Tips for travel journals: Keep it small, light-weight, and with a soft cover. A journal with lined paper makes things easier. Carry a few pens that write well. Add in a charcoal pencil for drawings. Bring a glue stick to add in ticket stubs and random Polaroid photos. Don’t worry about getting it wet or covered in sunscreen. The point is to record your real life—the things that really happened—not create some fake trip you think others will enjoy hearing about. This journal is for you, your kids, and grandkids. It’s supposed to be messy, imperfect, and fun. It’s a record of where you went, the things you’ve seen, and the kind of life you’ve lived. It’s a record of who you were and how and why you became the person you were meant to be! I hope you all have a safe summer and happy travels! One Dark Wish September 24, 2019 Novel Military ~ Romantic Suspense/Thriller "Sexy Green Berets, dark secrets, and sizzling chemistry."—Cherry Adair, New York Times bestselling author Her life must be forfeit for his to be redeemed Historian Sarah Munro is not used to being shot at, but that's just what happens while she's poking around cemeteries on Georgia's Isle of Grace, searching for the key to a centuries-old cipher. Her quest has unwittingly drawn the attention of two deadly enemies intent on destroying each other—and anyone who gets in their way. Ex–Green Beret Major Nate Walker is on a mission of his own: to restore the honor of his men. To do that, he is required to stop Sarah—or one of his own men will die. Caught in the middle of a deadly rivalry, Nate can't afford to trust the woman standing in his way. But his heart says he can't afford not to... About Sharon Sharon is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes of novels of suspense, adventure, and love. A wife, mother of twins, and caretaker of Donut the one-eyed dog, she’s addicted to snapping photos and eating Oreos. She writes about the men in her Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets and their smart, sexy heroines retell Shakespeare’s greatest love stories. Website > Facebook > Twitter > Instagram > Happy, happy birthday, CM! I hope it was a special celebration of YOU. And no, it's not selfish to want to be loved and recognized. You deserve it as you are awesome! XOXOXO ~Carissa Let me start with this: I hate my birthday. Not because I’m a year older, not because I’m almost 40. WAH! 40! No, that’s not it. I call my gray hair ‘silver threads’ or ‘wisdom threads’. I’ve made my peace with growing older in the last few years. But my birthday, I hate it with a passion. It’s on a stat holiday, so like people born on Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, or any other holiday, I don’t get attention. I know, it sounds incredibly childish, but I’m like that when it comes to my birthday. When I was a child, school was out already, so I never had a proper party with school friends. As a teenager, my friends would rather go and celebrate the holiday with the bonfire and show in town and as young adults, just about the same and by getting drunk. How is that celebrating a birthday? As an adult, I should be over this. I’m not. Well, almost over it. I want a party. Like a real surprise birthday party for which I know nothing and have organized nothing. Because that’s what happens at a certain age. You organize your own dinner parties, you sit and watch your friends drink (I don’t), and you wait for the fun to start. Sure, it’s nice to catch up with friends but HEY!! Can my awesomeness be celebrated one day out of the whole year? I want to dress up and not know why. I want to have my eyes covered, so I don’t know where I’m going. I want my friends and family to wait in the dark to yell ‘SURPRISE!’. I want to nearly pee my undies out of fear from getting yelled at. But most of all, I just want a party dedicated to me. Does that sound selfish? Maybe. But when you’ve never had something that others have and you want a tiny bit of it, is that selfish? 2019 so far has been a rough year for me. A lot of soul searching, intensive therapy to face traumas, mourning the fact that I’ll never be a mother. I think I deserve some joy for a day. What do you think? Fortunately for me, my group of friends has changed in the last few years and those friends are, for the most, younger than me, and have great ideas for birthday parties. I do enjoy my time spent in their company and trust that I will get what I want eventually because I do the same for them. The heart of the little girl inside me still wants a surprise birthday party. EDIT: When I wrote this, it was early May. It’s now mid-June and I was told to stop any plans I’d made for my birthday, that it was taken care of. I hadn’t had time to make up a lot but isn’t it lovely when you throw something to the universe and it answers this way? So today, happy birthday to me! Pawns
About CMCM Peters would like to be ageless but hasn’t found the fountain of youth just yet. She works in the communications field but her true passion is writing. She hails from Québec and has been back at writing regularly after a long break since college. An eclectic writer, CM is equally at home penning short erotica, quality fanfiction, and elaborate sci-fi and fantasy novels. Whatever genre she is working in, CM always centers her stories around complex, relatable characters. At the moment, she's hard at work on a new novel while preparing another for publication. She’s been published in erotica and romance anthologies, a collaborative book with Gallery Books, and co-edited a few anthologies, one coming in 2019. If she's not furiously typing, you'll surely find her with her eyes staring at the chocolate-brown beam in her living room to organize her next outline before putting it down on paper. Website > Facebook > Twitter > Instagram > I love May! It’s one of my favorite seasons because the rain has stopped, everything is blooming, and it’s not hot enough yet to close the windows and turn on the AC. The other thing I love about May are the fresh, local strawberries. They’re huge and sweet and delicious and I add them to everything: salads, cereal, yogurt, and ice cream. My favorite way to eat strawberries, besides being covered in whipped cream, is in Strawberry Pie. The recipe below is a conglomeration of three recipes: one from my grandmother, one from a young woman who used to babysit my twins, and a 1973 Forum Feasts Cookbook. It takes a little bit more work than the average gelatin-set strawberry pie, but it’s worth it!! And here’s to the last few weeks of Spring!  Strawberry Pie 1 9” pre-baked pie shell 2 pints fresh strawberries, washed and hulled 1 envelope plus 1 ½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin ¼ cup cold water ¾ cup warm water 1 cup sugar ¼ cup kirsch 1 Tablespoon Cointreau Slice each berry into 3-4 lengthwise slices. Blend enough of the berries to make 1 cup of berry puree. Chill remaining berry slices. In a small bowl, combine gelatin and cold water, stirring to dissolve. Set aside. In a saucepan, add ¾ cup warm water and berry puree. Stir until mixture boils. Add sugar until dissolved and transfer puree to a medium bowl. Add gelatin/water mixture to berry puree and stir until dissolved. Strain berry puree through a fine-meshed strainer to remove seeds. Partly fill a large bowl with ice and put medium bowl on top. Stir until mixture thickens into a syrup. Stir in Kirsch, Cointreau, and the remaining chilled berry slices. Mix well but gently and turn into the prepared pie shell. Chill for at least 4 hours. Serve with whipped cream. One Dark Wish September 24, 2019 Novel Military ~ Romantic Suspense/Thriller "Sexy Green Berets, dark secrets, and sizzling chemistry."—Cherry Adair, New York Times bestselling author Her life must be forfeit for his to be redeemed Historian Sarah Munro is not used to being shot at, but that's just what happens while she's poking around cemeteries on Georgia's Isle of Grace, searching for the key to a centuries-old cipher. Her quest has unwittingly drawn the attention of two deadly enemies intent on destroying each other—and anyone who gets in their way. Ex–Green Beret Major Nate Walker is on a mission of his own: to restore the honor of his men. To do that, he is required to stop Sarah—or one of his own men will die. Caught in the middle of a deadly rivalry, Nate can't afford to trust the woman standing in his way. But his heart says he can't afford not to... About Sharon Sharon is a librarian who once studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes of novels of suspense, adventure, and love. A wife, mother of twins, and caretaker of Donut the one-eyed dog, she’s addicted to snapping photos and eating Oreos. She writes about the men in her Deadly Force romantic suspense series where ex-Green Berets and their smart, sexy heroines retell Shakespeare’s greatest love stories. Website > Facebook > Twitter > Instagram > LoveRomanceReads > It was a late afternoon on a Tuesday. Storm clouds were rolling in like taxis during rush hour. Nobody was going out in this weather. My tea was getting cold, so I hit the internet to check the chatter. A post caught my attention. The dame was smart, a writer. She had the sort of imagination that left readers in the thick of a romance they’d kill to make reality. But it wasn’t the romance that was dying. “It’s the reviewers,” she lamented. Even online I could sense tears forming in those baby blues. “They’ve disappeared. There were great comments on the first book, but the sequel...” If she’d been in my office, I would have handed her a tissue. Never could stand to see a broad cry. “I've given away a crate of books and I’ve only received two reviews. What’s going on, Slim?” “Ya got me, sister. It’s a mystery.” Hokey Noir prose aside, this really is a mystery. For those of you who aren’t aware, the publishing industry is a machine. The machine churns out books based on specific criteria: the book follows a trend, the book is by an established author, or the book is an anomaly with guaranteed success. Harry Potter was rejected by over a hundred publishers and it became a world-wide multi-generational phenomenon. Rejection by a publishing company doesn’t mean the book’s bad. It means that book doesn’t check the boxes editors need checked to keep their job at the publishing house. It’s no wonder many authors avoid major publishing houses all together, choosing instead to pour their own funds into editing services and cover art so they can get their work in front of people they really care about, the readers. Once that book is in the hands of readers the waiting begins. And it can kill an author. Take it from the person that spent an entire week at a conference where readers only wanted to reread books by famous authors rather than pick up a title by an indie. Reviews can be the lifeblood of the indie trade. They are what boost a book up the Amazon sales list so other readers can find it. They are what lets potential readers know that a book is worth the effort. More than ads or giveaways, reviews are what can make or break a book. But there is still a reluctance for readers to leave reviews. I’m asking you as a reader, why is that? Works by famous authors will have hundreds of reviews almost the instant they go live on selling platforms. Indie writers can have a book up for months without a review. So why is it that readers aren’t willing to spend a few seconds to review? You can even see this trend on Love Romance Reads. This is a site dedicated to Romance Readers. It’s where authors and readers are supposed to connect. However, a scroll through the author pages yields few reader comments. What would encourage you to leave a review? Is it knowing that just the words “I liked it,” hold ten times the weight of a star review, which itself is more valuable than gold to indies? What prevents you from leaving one? Is it the worry that you aren’t anonymous? Help a writer out and let’s solve this mystery together. Arts of Love You know what they say about those creative types... Playful, rebellious, sensitive and passionate, nobody loves like an artist. These sixteen stories set the stage for racy encounters with bad boy rock stars, sensual actors, and artists seeking their muse. Inside this collection you'll find: * A drummer aching to satisfy the one woman who doesn't recognize that he's a rock star * A writer unaware that his fans and former assistant find him undeniably attractive * An eccentric college professor enticing her protégé with informal lessons on dance, drawing, and desire * A stage manager struggling to remain professional with the show's sexy director Whether you're looking for a playwright provoking her friend's uptight cop neighbor to help with blocking, two choir men battling for the affection of the girl-next-door, or a struggling writer finding an unusual muse in the Japanese countryside, this collection will have you ready for romance. About Harley Harley Easton is a Renaissance woman dabbling in everything life offers. She's worked at a theme park, found expert witnesses, guest lectured at a national museum, and worked with medical students. Putting experience and insanity to good use, She's found her favorite job, writing. Now she specializes in erotic, romantic, and speculative fiction. Who knows what kind of trouble she'll get into next. Website > Facebook > Twitter > LoveRomanceReads > |
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July 2019
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