Words! Words! Words!

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        So, if you read my least blog, you know that I planned to take some Paid Time Off over the Thanksgiving holiday, knowing full well I’d pay for it dearly when I got back to the day job (OMG, did I ever!!! Seemed like everything was on FIRE that Monday morning and believe it or not, I’m still trying to put those flames out) but this blog isn’t about cleaning up the mess. This blog is about how wonderful it was to take that time off.

        And it really was wonderful! I maintained my schedule and woke at 4:30 like I do every morning and then….I wrote and wrote and wrote…and it was fabulous. Two thousand words one day (I know that’s not a lot for some writers, but it’s a lot for me, as I’m a slow writer), fifteen hundred on another day then four thousand and three thousand—that’s not to say I didn’t cut words. I did. A lot of them because I headed for the cliff of no return a couple times.

        And I didn’t write on Thanksgiving (I was busy cooking) but the rest of the days? Can you tell how much I loved being off!

        It became a game for me. Normally, during the work week when I need to head off to the day job, I average between three hundred and seven hundred words, but this? Having some time off to write as many words as I wanted? How many can I do today (of course, it helps when you’re in love with your characters AND they do whatever they want, even if it’s not what I want)? So much fun! The other thing I learned is that I can get up, do something, like make a cheesecake, then come back and write some more.

        After I ran out of words (because that does happen), I did some stuff around the house and then…then I got to sit down and relax and watch a movie if I wanted. Again, it was wonderful! I got to rest as well as do what I love to do. Win Win!

        If this is what retirement for me can look like, I am so ready! Only two years, two weeks and two days to go! Whoooo-hooo!

        Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go! Marie

Good Elf Gone Wrong by Alina Jacobs

 The perfect story to start off the holiday season!  Atrociously funny and smirk-worthy retribution from the people-pleasing and loveable sister to the opposite sister.

Grace plans everything with an enviable skill, which includes her whole family, her friends', and her work cohorts' events.  She never says no and never fails to perfect all details involved.

Her favorite holiday is Christmas, so it's not a surprise that she plans her wedding for this special and glittery day.  The decorations, food, lighting, music, drinks will all engage the wonderful season, and there will never be too much sparkle.

 That's until Grace finds her sister panting under the Christmas tree with Grace's fiancé.  

Of course, it's Grace's fault.  Everything is her fault because she's the one setting up all activities and gatherings.  It' even her fault when her fiancé proposes to her sister.   

That's the final pinecone from the pine tree.  

Grace is excellent at planning, and the plan is now revenge.

She meets Hudson, the bad boy and not her type, on the bus.  How she got so lucky to hatch a revenge plan with him, she'll regretfully learn much later.  Right now, he's the perfect explosion for her sister, former fiancé, and even her love life.

With all the attributes of the boy who shouldn't meet your mom, Hudson plays the part all too well.  He arrives at Grace's family home dressed in black, uncouth actions, bad language, and cozying up to the sister.  It's all part of the plan.

What isn't part of the plan, is that Hudson likes Grace, yet he has a ghastly second mission that she won't like.  It wouldn't matter, but her heart and mind betray the plan by falling for the bad boy-man.

Now it's time to find out if Grace can get her revenge and if Hudson can fulfill his secondary mission without breaking too many hearts.  Including the melded hearts of the two schemers.

Happy reading,

Dawn

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        Happy Thanksgiving! I have to admit, this is my favorite holiday, by far! The smell of turkey roasting, the warmth of family and good friends, the knowledge that Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season. Yeah, it’s my thing.

        In years past, I had a full house and cooked for days, breaking out the old recipes passed down from generation to generation. There’s my mother-in-law’s stuffing recipe (as my son used to say “It’s the bomb”), my grandmother’s cheesecake recipe (it’s a killer…oh so good), my mother’s apple pie (sweet, cinnamony goodness bordering on sinful). So many memories are associated with food and preparing it. The laughter, the teaching moments, the many, many ‘oops’…yeah, sometimes the hand mixer could get away from you and there would be cake batter all over.

        I distinctly remember my grandfather chopping celery and onions for the stuffing while my grandmother supervised. My mother, who believed that as the first-born daughter, I needed to know everything about hosting a big dinner, had me by her side the entire day, basting the turkey, peeling the potatoes and learning her secret for creating the perfect mashed potato, washing the dishes as we went so the kitchen stayed clean (which is something I still do).

        This year, it’s going to be quiet, just the DH and I. And I took the week off from the day job. Yes, I will pay for it when I go back into the office, but that’s all right…I plan to use my time off to my advantage. Cooking, of course, but there’s a few movies I’ve been wanting to see…and I plan to write. A lot. Starting right now.

        And even though it’s going to be quiet this year, I still have so many things to be thankful for. And I don’t just save that gratitude for one day. I am grateful all year long—for family, for friends who have become family, for a job that I love (although the countdown to retirement has begun), for a warm home, but mostly, I am thankful for you, gentle readers, for reading my stories, for liking my characters as much as I do, for giving me the chance to show you some of the worlds I like to create.

Happy Thanksgiving! Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Little Russian by Susan Sherman

 The Great War in the early 20th century was devastating and filled with heartache and brutality.  Regardless, there are things to be thankful for.

Berta Lorkis is a young, Ukrainian Jewish woman who's many attributes are exposed in the changes she encounters in life.  Initially, her self-centered and greedy heart overtakes her life goals as she is brought up with luxury of every kind all around.

She expects to marry a man that can keep up with her demands, even after she returns home to help with the family grocery store.  She figures the hard labor is temporary.

Her attention to a handsome merchant, Hershel Alshonsky, is rewarded with marriage and children.  Hershel is absent for months at a time, presumably selling and buying wheat.  Berta accepts this as long as she can buy anything and socialize to her standards.

It's when her life in Little Russia turns to wondering what she can sell to keep up appearances and food on the table that a new attribute of her is realized.  Hershel comes home less and less.  Berta doesn't believe he's only conducting business.  She becomes frustrated with her life being peeled away one piece of furniture or art and one bite of food at a time.  

WWI is at her doorstep, but Hershel isn't.  With the realization that it's up to her to survive on less and less, she endures the horrors of war, loss and deprivation.  She doesn't know if Hershel is alive or dead, thinking of her and the children, or if he left for a better life.

Years of hardship and rumors that Hershel is alive and searching for her have a small space in her heart.  A space she does not give up on until she fulfills her search, replenishing love.

Happy reading,

Dawn

Time Flies

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        By the time you read this, it will Wednesday, November 12…so I’d like to ask…where has time gone? The days seem to be flying by so quickly, I can’t keep up.

        The day job is kicking my butt. Not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Same with stuff at home…not enough hours to get it all done, plus Thanksgiving is coming up, which means I need to find time to prepare. It is my favorite holiday and I do love all the things that go along with it—the cooking, the baking (I have a killer cheesecake recipe that everyone loves), and all the rest. I will admit I enjoy all that stuff.

        All that being said, I don’t let lack of time stop me from writing. I get up early and write before the day job and household chores have time to kick my butt.

        Speaking of writing, my current work in progress is kicking my butt, too. Why? Well, we’d have to ask my characters that. It seems that they have decided to go off and do things the way they want. Like they have their own agenda and really don’t care about my plot points…or what I want them to do.

        Case in point. I had a plan (and the lead up) to Wyatt and Sheridan’s first kiss. Well, my hero, Wyatt, decided that he didn’t like the timing at all…so he just went and did it on his own before I was ready. I guess he was and it didn’t matter that I wasn’t.

        Of course, him stepping up and stepping out of sequence, just threw a whole monkey wrench into my plan. The worst part? He was right! That first kiss should have happened when he wanted it to, not when I thought it should!

        This is not the first time this has happened. I’ve had many other characters, at one point or another, just completely disregard my plans and just do what they wanted to do. And yes, they were right as well.

        I like to think you can teach an old dog (me) new tricks and maybe, just maybe, I should start listening to my characters instead of being so stubborn (yes, I am stubborn and I’m not afraid to own it) and let them do what they want when they want. It seems these characters I have created in my head know better than me, which is really strange when you think about it. They are my characters! My creations! How can they know better than the person who created them?

        I can’t answer that question. Obviously, I don’t know, but I think it’s time I let them take the lead. That being said, I’m going to open up my work in progress and see what surprises Wyatt and Sheridan have for me. Could be interesting. Could be fun.

        And that’s all for me. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith

 I could not wait to flip the pages of Galbraith's (J.K. Rowling) eighth story in the Strike and Ellacott mystery/romance encounter.

It did not disappoint.

Taking on a controversial case attached to a dismembered body found in the vault of a silver shop, Cormoran Strike and his partner Robin Ellacott are investigating if the body belongs to the boyfriend of a rich client.  They don't necessarily need to know who it is, just whether it's the boyfriend or not.  

This narrow inquiry keeps them from overstepping the police's investigation.  That's the intention, anyway.

Strike's and Robin's probe leads off in many tangents, which includes their suppressed feelings.  Every time Strike or Robin considers revealing how they feel about one another, a roadblock appears.  Whether it's because they can't get together, their cases pull them in different directions, or more subtly they misread each other, their thoughts and feelings don't get expressed.  

More obviously, Robin's boyfriend appears to be a keeper and Strike's reputation doesn't help.

Strike tries to work closer with Robin to give him an advantage, which typically backfires.  He plans to lay his heart at her feet when he gets the chance, and he's incredibly frustrated that the chance hasn't happened yet.

Robin insists to herself that her boyfriend, Ryan, should be the one for her because he's a good guy.  She tries not to admit that might not be enough when thoughts of Strike bombard her.

The last chapter left me stunned.  A grand ending and a grand beginning for the next saga of Strike and Robin's story.  I can't wait.

Happy reading,

Dawn

 

I'm Just Rambling

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        My DH and I have been married for a long time. Forty-five years coming up in January and I just noticed something last night. I have taken on his way of rambling. Let me explain. He’ll start a conversation on a specific topic…and then he starts rambling because one thought will lead to another and another and another. At some point, he’ll say “what was I talking about?”. Well, I’ve gotten really good at recapping, telling him where he started and where he ended up so he can pick up his train of thought and get back to the original topic. It’s kinda like taking a tangled mess of string and unraveling it. I will admit, I sometimes will get lost and instead of unraveling, that string gets knotted. He’s been doing this for as long as I’ve known him.

        Now, for the revelation. I realize, after all these years, my brain has taken up this habit of rambling—silently, in my head—but what I didn’t realize is that I am doing this out loud now. It happened while we were watching a movie and it started when I recognized a character then it went to other movies/shows I had seen him in and then it went to who he had been married to…and then, it went to other movies this actor wasn’t even in! I know! What the heck!!!?!?

        It’s also showing up in my writing, which is probably why I consider myself a puzzler (not a pantster or a plotter…yes, I do write out plot points but there’s no big outline). I write the scenes as they come to me then puzzle them together. So far, that has worked for me, but today, when I sat down to write, I found two places where I had already written the scene…it was just further along in the story. Good grief! All the words, not once, but twice.

        The obvious conclusion? There isn’t one…except I’m rambling! And it seems to be taking over. Does anyone know of a cure?

        And on that note, I’m going to open my current WIP, which is The Madam and Mr. MacLean, and see if I can’t stay focused and not ramble (or repeat myself). Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

MASQUE by Lexi Post is on sale for only 99¢ for a few more days!

Masque by Lexi Post

It’s that time of year! If you like hot romance and ghosts, this story is for you.

Only 99¢ (usually $4.99) 

for 3 more days!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble  | AppleBooks  | Kobo | Amazon UK  | Amazon AU | Amazon CA 

Rena Mills plans to turn an abandoned abbey into a haunted bed-and-breakfast to prove she can be successful without her ex-fiancé. What she finds inside is Synn MacAllistair, the distinguished, self-proclaimed Ghost Keeper. Her dreams soon fill with sexual cravings for him. But are they dreams?

Synn, born in 1828, is determined to free the souls of the resident spirits, blaming himself for bringing the Red Death that killed them. When Rena steps into the old Pleasure Palace, he’s sure he can take her through the after-midnight Pleasure Rooms and stoke her passion to complete the Masque so the souls can cross over. Her innocent fire makes him crave more, but it’s far too late for him.

As Rena begins her erotic journey, her heart becomes more involved with every sensual caress until she discovers by completing the Masque she would lose her ghosts. Synn’s betrayal wars with her compassion for her ghostly friends. Torn, she must make a choice between her financial security and freeing seventy-three trapped souls. Either way, she could lose her Synn.

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend,
loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandannna

 Mika Moon.  You'd think her name gives her away as a witch.  

In the current day of England, there are a lot of rules to being a witch such as don't let anyone know, don't live with another witch, and don't breed.  How can it be any fun to have extraordinary powers if you can't use them?

Mika thinks she's outsmarting the system by starting a blog and giving hints online under an alias.  Her blog reveals tiny witchy secrets.  This helps her still feel like a witch without anyone knowing.  So she thinks.

A couple hours across the country exists a mansion, the Nowhere House, with a few caretakers, an archeologist, a protective librarian, and three young, orphaned witch sisters.  Jamie, the librarian, senses what Mika is hiding, so he sends her a message requesting her assistance in educating the girls.  

Moving frequently, Mika figures this is
an opportunity to do something useful.  Granted, this breaks a huge witch rule, yet she wants to do it.

Jamie, handsome as can be, has no intentions of getting along with Mika.  She's an intrusion to the "family's" carefully contained life.  

Mika's move-in comes with transitions to everyone's life.  Most of it smooth until the fact that now four witches, maybe more, are living together.  It gets worse when an evil source discovers the magic in the house.  

Then all evil breaks loose, and Mika needs to decide if she can risk the witch rules in order to save the family and home that she is very comfortable with.  An increasing and unexpected fondness, bordering on a romantic dalliance with Jaime gives her strength and courage to go all the way.  

As long as no one gets burned, melted, or vaporized, love and happiness will survive. 

Happy Halloween,

Dawn

  

Another Sunday Morning

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        It’s another early Sunday morning as I sit down at my computer and write to you all. Today, it’s raining. Not hard (at least by me), but it is thundering and lightning. And it’s wonderful.

        Not for the dogs so much. Neither one of them likes thunder…or any loud noises for that matter. My smaller girl, and I only say that because she weighs less than her sister at one hundred pounds—my big girl is one hundred and forty pounds—is laying under my desk (as best she can…it’s amazing how ‘small’ she can make herself) where I can rest my feet on her. Gives her comfort to know I am there. My big girl is hiding in the bathroom, where she usually goes when she’s afraid. Sometimes they both end up in there.

        Sunday is my busy day. It’s the day when I get to catch up on all the things I didn’t accomplish Saturday or during the week. It started off this morning with reading my critique partner’s pages (which is always a pleasure and starts me off in a good mood). From there, I ordered needed items from Amazon (not my favorite thing to do, but a necessary evil).

        I also worked on our living trust paperwork (lots of paperwork to fill out) and then I had to renew my girls’  licenses. Maricopa County has a new way of renewing now. It’s online so I had to set up our profiles, etc., but it’s done. They’ll get new tags, too. The last thing I need to do is upload proof that they’ve received their shots, which will have to wait until tomorrow because my printer/scanner is broken and I need to scan their records.

        I’ll have to tell you about bringing my scaredy-cat girls to the vet for their shots…it was straight out of the Three Stooges…my girls are big, as I already mentioned, and when they don’t want to do something, they don’t. Needless to say, after that ordeal, both the DH and I were exhausted…it’s really hard trying to get a dog to move when they’re as big as you and they just don’t want to!              And now, being that the other items on my to-do list are done, I get to do the fun stuff. I get to work on The Madam and Mr. MacLean and hopefully write a few hundred words before I clean out the fridge, make my list and go grocery shopping.

        Yes, Sundays are my busy day, but it’s all good.

        Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go! Marie

What The Hex by Alexis Daria

 Isla Bruja is an island hosting the two largest Latina witch families and their union through a spectacular wedding.  

Catalina Cartagena takes a big breath and brooms herself from New York back to her family's island.  She had escaped the island many moons ago because she wanted to resist being a witch, but as her sister's maid of honor it is time to return.

Catalina's nemesis from high school, Diego Paz, is the best man.  Her luck doesn't seem to be changing.  Granted, nerd to super- sexy is an okay start when she spots him on the island.

Distracting her from Diego, she notices a strange vibe on the island.  Her intuition is confirmed after meeting the groom.  The groom's eyes are distant, which definitely indicates he's possessed by a demon along with most of the witches on the island.

Except Diego.

Time to overcome her negativity toward an old grudge.  Diego and she are the only ones who can exorcise the demon.  

Diego is handsome, smart, and incredibly nice.  What happened??  Catalina is amazed at how easy they get along, yet she remains leery of his approachability.  However, she needs to get over it and make a plan with him to save the families and the island.

After Diego reveals his secret, baring his soul, Catalina is shocked.  They bare more than their souls while fighting the island demon.  

Island magic won't dare miss out on another romance and happily-ever-after as long as Diego and Catalina let their hearts be heard.

Happy reading,

Dawn

I Love Early Mornings

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        Well, folks, it’s another Sunday morning. It’s quiet in the house. Just the dogs and I are awake…well, I’m awake. They are snoring on the futon behind me because it’s still quite early—4:30am when I sat down to write this. After years of getting up at this time, I can no longer sleep in (on rare occasions, I will sleep until five, but that doesn’t happen very often). I don’t even need an alarm, just that internal clock I’ve been training for the past thirty years (hmmm, will I still get up at this time when I finally retire from the day job? I don’t know. Maybe, but why break a routine when it works so well?).

        It’s all good though.

        I love the early mornings when it’s quiet, when it’s still dark out, when my part of the world is just starting to stir. Seeing the sun rise on a brand new day is the best part of my day and it reminds me that I have much to be thankful for (and I am. I count my blessings every day). It’s the perfect time for me to write. Not because it’s early and it’s quiet (I can write anywhere at any time, whether it’s quiet or not) but because I have designated this time for me—before the day job, before everyone needs me, when it’s just me and my characters. I cherish this time with them because once the day belongs to other obligations, I don’t have time for the characters I have created.

        Sometimes, I’m lucky and the words are already in my head before I even sit down…they’ve been percolating in my brain while I slept and can’t wait to come out. Sometimes, it takes me a minute (and some coffee) to get those words flowing, and most days they do come (they might not be the right words, but that’s another story). I have had mornings where I’ve stared at the blinking cursor and had no words at all. Fortunately, there haven’t been many of those days (although, I will admit, with The Madam and Mr. MacLean, reaching my daily word count has been a struggle—I do get the words, it’s just that sometimes, they aren’t the right ones and they get ripped out).

        Speaking of The Madam and Mr. MacLean, I should get back to it before the rest of the world intrudes. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

THIRD ROCK FROM THE COWBOY by Lexi Post has Released!

 

Third Rock from the Cowboy

(Rocky Road Ranch: Book 4)

by Lexi Post

has released!

He’s a cowboy. She believes in ancient aliens. Can they find common ground or are their worlds too far apart?

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA | 

Anthropologist Dr. Silver Collins is used to laughter, derision, or fanaticism when she tells someone she’s an ancient astronaut theorist. So when she receives none of those reactions from cowboy Layne Dawson, she’s intrigued. What also intrigues her is that the man has lived in the same town all his life, is amazingly confident, and is absolutely content with his life. His main goal appears to be to keep everything just the way it is.

Layne, a confirmed bachelor, has never met a woman like Silver, and it’s not just because her hair is completely white at the age of thirty-four. She’s traveled the world, quenching her thirst for knowledge about ancient cultures, determined to make a discovery that will help mankind understand its past. Her sacrifice and drive to reach that goal is something he’s never known and he finds it, and her, riveting.

The more Silver learns about Layne, the more she appreciates him. When it looks like his help could be instrumental in reaching her life-long goal, her respect and gratefulness turn to something more. But when it becomes clear that her life is as alien to him as his is to her, she has to admit they truly are worlds apart. The chances they can bridge the gap are about as low as the chances aliens visited Earth in the past…or did they?

Enjoy the whole series!

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

Website

Lexi Post Updates

Facebook

Instagram

Amazon Author Page

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D2D

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Beachcomber by Karen Robards

 Leaving everything all behind is harder than you think, even if Christy Petrino moves to Ocracoke Island.  Small and peaceful, the residents and tourists think.  So, why doesn't it have the same atmosphere to her?

She left behind her job as an attorney at a large firm - mob owned-, a fiancé -mob family-, and her mother and sisters - mob controlled.  What could be worse?

It gets more perilous.  

The Beachcomber is hunting beautiful brunettes on the same beach Christy rented her cottage.  She looks like his typical target.  Adding to that, she might identify him because she saw him kill a girl.  It's dark during the murder, but any witness is a dead witness.

Luke, staked out next door, is quite an annoying tourist to Christy.  He shows up out of thin air on multiple scenarios.  If only she could know he works for the FBI and she's under surveillance.

That is partly bad (the surveillance) and fortuitous (he's always around).  

It's a cagey show between the hot and sexy man next door repeatedly saving her from being murdered, or whether his job to catch her in connection with the mob wins out.

Happy reading,

Dawn

Keep Going

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        It’s been a week, my fine peeps. The day job is keeping me busier than I want to be (and truthfully, I’m having a hard time keeping up). It’s all good though. I learned how to multi-task a long time ago and that’s the only thing keeping my head above water! On my work-from-home days, I can hear my husband chuckling at me from the other room because he hears me talking to people on the phone and making them laugh (my work-from-home days are busy phone days). I think it’s important to be able to make people laugh whenever you can. I also believe in being kind—to everyone.

        On the writing front, things are going well. I am writing every weekday morning, before the day job, which is my routine. After the day job, I have no functioning brain cells left. Sometimes, I write on the weekend, too. I admit, I took a break yesterday and did nothing except my Saturday chores. Once those were done, I sat my behind on the couch and watched a couple movies—nothing I would recommend though.

        I did have a day early in the week where my word count was dismal and…I had a moment. I don’t know if you’ve ever had that moment where you ask yourself why you continue to write (or continue to do something you’ve done for a long time). The moment didn’t last long. Just a day, but I did have to have a long talk with myself in the mirror. Basically, the gist of it was “pull up your big girl panties and get on with it”. That seems to work well for me and it did. The rest of the week, my word count was really good and The Madam and Mr. MacLean is moving right along.

        Also last week, I participated in a writing workshop. I love those…I always get something good out of them and this one didn’t disappoint. The most important thing I learned is that what works for one might not necessarily work for another. This particular workshop was geared to finding your strengths. I’m going to take the test (hahahahaha, yes, there’s a test to see what your strengths are!). I know at least one of them. Perseverance. I have that by the bucketful! I keep putting one foot in front of the other (yes, sometimes I do the cha-cha, one foot forward, one foot back, but I always get the rhythm and I always keep going).

        And that’s about all for me…it’s Sunday so time to water the plants before I do the rest of my Sunday chores. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie

Watermelon by Marian Keyes

 Doesn't matter what hospital you're in but as Claire Walsh gives birth to her new little angel in London, she is exhilarated.  For a few minutes until her husband, James, sits next to her bed with little interest in the swaddled baby.

He tells her he is leaving her for the woman downstairs from their apartment.

Now what?

On maternity leave, Claire packs up and ventures to her parents and sisters in Ireland.  

Claire doesn't have a problem voicing her opinion, and you certainly will get pagefuls of her contempt toward her husband along with her doubts of marriage, men, and what the hell will she do now.

On another page, she meets a gorgeous man, Adam, and has a night with him.  Loaded with his own baggage, Claire doesn't take the romance too seriously.

Besides, James flies over the pond to discuss how they can remain married.  According to him, it's all her fault and if she changes everything can be perfect.

Push the knife in, twist and pull.  

With a lot of mind-probing and heckling from her family, Claire tries all avenues until she finds the clear path to love and happiness.

Happy reading,

Dawn

Some Time Off and A Lot of Writing

Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

Well, here it is, another Sunday morning (that’s when I write this blog) and I’ve already been up for several hours, working on The Madam and Mr. MacLean (hahahahaha, I’m always up early, usually before the sun comes up because after years of doing so, I can no longer sleep in, even on weekends).
        You know, when I started this story, I didn’t like my heroine very much. She is/was such a different kind of character than I usually write, but I have to say, the more I’m working on her, watching her change, seeing what she can become, the more I like her. She isn’t (or wasn’t) a bad person…just…different, but she is growing on me, and I hope she grows on you, too. Her name is Sheridan.
        I’ve been working on her a lot over the past couple days (I took PTO from the day job as I have too many hours and I need to burn some…my company only allows so many hours to be rolled over to the next year). Anyway, I made a three-day weekend into a five-day weekend, and I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying my time off (oh, I will pay for it when I get back to the office on Tuesday, believe me, but for now, the time off has been wonderful).
        I’ve been writing, as you know. A lot. Both on my computer and long-hand (I try to jot down ideas as they come to me…yesterday, that one idea turned into three hand-written pages…I should have just come into my office and typed, but I was in the middle of doing other things). I’m still all over the place because one thought leads to another and you know how that happens BUT even though I’m not even close to it, I wrote the epilogue. The words were in my head (I woke up with the scene and dialogue so had to run with it). I’ve done this before…written the epilogue before I wrote everything else and it seems to work fine. Gives me a goal to get to. I did not type “The End”. Never do until I’m really there. Actually, I never type “The End” when I finish a story. I always type “The Beginning” because it is the beginning of the rest of these characters lives.
        What else have I done on my time off? Well, I cleaned and did laundry because there’s really no time off from that, but I was also able to watch two movies. I recommend The Thursday Murder Club. Pierce Brosnan is still a hunk and half, even with his white hair. I also watched The Six Triple Eight and admit to getting very ‘verklempt’. I didn’t cry, per se, but my eyes did get all watery and there might have been a tear or two (or twenty) that rolled down my cheek. Good movie, based on a true story. I would recommend that one too, whether you like history or not. The acting was phenomenal!  
        And that’s about all for me…Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!
        Marie

THIRD ROCK FROM THE COWBOY by Lexi Post now available for Preorder!

 

Third Rock from the Cowboy 

(Rocky Road Ranch: Book 4) 

by Lexi Post 

is now available for Preorder!

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA 

Anthropologist Dr. Silver Collins is used to laughter, derision, or fanatism when she tells someone she’s an ancient astronaut theorist. So when she receives none of those reactions from cowboy Layne Dawson, she’s intrigued. What also intrigues her is that the man has lived in the same town all his life, is amazingly confident, and is absolutely content with his life. His main goal appears to be to keep everything just the way it is.

Layne, a confirmed bachelor, has never met a woman like Silver, and it’s not just because her hair is completely white at the age of thirty-four. She’s traveled the world, quenching her thirst for knowledge about ancient cultures, determined to make a discovery that will help mankind understand its past. Her sacrifice and drive to reach that goal is something he’s never known and he finds it, and her, riveting.

The more Silver learns about Layne, the more she appreciates him. When it looks like his help could be instrumental in reaching her life-long goal, her respect and gratefulness turn to something more. But when it becomes clear that her life is as alien to him as his is to her, she has to admit they truly are worlds apart. The chances they can bridge the gap are about as low as the chances aliens visited Earth in the past…or did they?              Releasing September 23

Don't miss the whole Rocky Road Ranch Series!

About Lexi:

Lexi Post is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of romance inspired by the classics. She spent years in higher education taking and teaching courses about the classical literature she loved. From Edgar Allan Poe's short story “The Masque of the Red Death” to Tolstoy’s War and Peace, she's read, studied, and taught wonderful classics.

But Lexi's first love is romance novels so she married her two first loves, romance and the classics. Whether it’s sizzling cowboys, dashing dukes, hot immortals, or hunks from out of this world, Lexi provides a sensuous experience with a “whole lotta story.”

Lexi is living her own happily ever after with her husband and her two cats in Florida. She makes her own ice cream every weekend, loves bright colors, and you’ll never see her without a hat.

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Appointment in Bath by Mimi Matthews

 In the English Victorian age, it's difficult for a young woman to direct her own future.

Meg Burton-Smythe lives a secluded life with her father in Somersetshire.  Her mother died when she was young, so she has very few companions.  Her interest in riding her horse is nearly her sole adventure.

Ivo Beresford, the son of neighbor and long-time enemy of Meg's father, has returned from a European adventure.  Ivo is dedicated to improving the future, specifically with building a cross country train with many depots in the passing towns and villages. 

 

Meg is considering how to convince her father it's time for her to  have her season.  She doesn't need London, but rather in Bath.  This is where her former governess, the closest to a mother she's had, has moved to marry her lover.

On a ride to the river, a beautiful bridge crossing it, Meg fell from her horse.  Riding up on his white stallion, Ivo leaped to her aide. 

An immediate attraction ensued.  When Meg realized Ivo was the son of the family enemy, she searched her mind for a way around someone else's fight.  Ivo didn't  find the grudge too much of a problem.  Looking to the future, he didn't want to waste time on an old disagreement.

Yet, how can a single young lady approach a cranky, old father and disobey.

Secret meetings, secrets rides, and innocent parties bring Meg and Ivo close.  

Ultimately, Meg figures a season in Bath and the advice of her governess is the only option.  Will there be sound ideas to move on from Ivo or can she alter her father's thinking to allow Ivo into their family? 

Love makes crazy ideas happen. 

Happy reading,

Dawn

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A COWBOY by Lexi Post is on sale for only 99¢ for a few days!

 

Between a Rock and a Cowboy

(Rocky Road Ranch: Book 1)

by Lexi Post 

is on sale for only 99¢

until August 27!

 When Amanda Hayden becomes the first Hayden to step onto Rocky Road Ranch in twenty years, sparks fly.

Amazon  | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU 

Tanner Dunn must take the reins of the Rocky Road cattle ranch after his father’s stroke. With a brother long gone, a brother deployed, and his youngest brother wanting to leave for his own career, he has his hands full. Still, he’s adamant his father receives the best care. But when their adversary’s daughter, Amanda Hayden Davis, arrives to provide his father’s therapy because she’s the best, it becomes more than he’s willing to shoulder.

Amanda is not happy she’s been assigned to the patriarch of the Dunn family, nor that she is the first Hayden to step foot on Rocky Road Ranch in over twenty years. But she’s a ray of sunshine compared to the grumpy eldest son. When she’s told to leave before she’s started her work, she doesn’t budge. No one tells her what to do. She willingly argues with Tanner, often winning. Despite that, she finds herself respecting his work ethic, his moral compass, and his heart. It doesn’t help that he also has the shoulders of her dreams and looks amazing in a suit.

Tanner admits he’s grateful for Amanda’s efforts with his dad, but that doesn’t mitigate the damage her family has done to them over the years. It’s the Hayden’s fault Rocky Road may have to become a Dude ranch, something Tanner has fought against for the last year. The problem is, he’s fighting his attraction to Amanda as well. Not only is she kind, but she has a zest for life that he can’t resist. But if he gives in to her, will he lose the ranch? Or will resisting her be the biggest mistake of his life?

Read all the Rocky Road Ranch books!

On That Thought!

 

        Hello, gentle readers! Hope you are all well and staying safe!

        Oh my goodness! It’s been a crazy, busy week! It feels like the more I stuff into my brain, the more my brain multiplies it! Is this normal? Is this how other people’s brains work? Is this why my brain feels overwhelmed sometimes?

        I don’t know.

        I was talking to my lovely critique partner, discussing where and how The Madam & Mr. MacLean is going, and I mentioned that I wrote quite a bit…but I was all over the place. One thought led me to another thought which led me to another thought and of course, I don’t want to forget those ideas or that dialogue so I was in one chapter then another chapter then I’d go back and feed something into a previous chapter. Not only that, but I’m getting ideas and dialogue for the next four books (and yes, I need to write that down otherwise I will forget)! Is that the definition of crazy? I don’t know that either.

        Anyway, my critique partner said, “That’s just how your mind works.”

        And it is…I am a master multi-tasker. My day job requires that I be able to stop on a dime with what I was doing, move on to something else, then go back to what I was originally working on. I feel like I start many things, but it takes a long time to finish the thing I originally started on (mostly because I’ve been interrupted or something needs my immediate attention).

        It's like I’m a butterfly, or maybe a honeybee, flitting from flower to flower. I suppose, after years and years of training myself to be able to do that, I don’t know any other way. In some tasks, I’m very methodical—start here and finish here—but in others, not so much. I don’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I do know that eventually all my tasks get completed. It might not be in the timeline I originally thought, but it all gets done.

        We’re not even going to talk about the rabbit holes I go down. I can start to look up one tiny thing and boom, hours have passed. I learn things though and you never know when one of those little tidbits will explode into something else.

        Is there such a thing as having too much information in your brain? Can a person have too many words? Too many facts? I don’t know that either, but you know, I’m willing to find out. I don't think I have a choice at this point.

        And with that thought (OMG! Another thought!), I should get back to working on The Madam and Mr. MacLean. Stay well! Stay safe! And remember to spread kindness wherever you go!

Marie