So Much To Do

 

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

It’s a beautiful Sunday morning here in Phoenix as I sit down to write my blog (though you won’t read it until Wednesday). As usual, I was up early to enjoy the fantastic weather and get things done. There is so much to do (always—there’s no rest for the wicked – I must be really, really bad) but so much can be accomplished when you get up as early as I do. During the work week, this is my writing time, but on the weekends? It’s my time.

I can catch up on shows that I miss during the week (new show on television – Fire Country – I like it. East New York is pretty good, too).

So what have I done so far this morning besides catch up on my shows? Watered the plants, cleaned out the fridge (which I do every Sunday morning before I go grocery shopping), decided on my menu for the week and made the shopping list for it and made a pot (big pot) of ham and bean soup (I’m getting pretty good at it, too—well, at least the DH thinks so).

And I worked on my Halloween costume for work (Halloween is a big deal at my day job!). All before anyone else is the house is up (not including the dogs who get up with me). I love this quiet time. It refreshes me. Rejuvenates me and helps prepare me for the week ahead. Will that change when I retire in a few years (yes, the countdown has begun)? Will I continue to get up early? I don’t know, but for right now, it suits me. And really, you can’t beat an Arizona sunrise! They are beautiful!

No time to dwell on that though…still a lot to do (my day is jam packed) so I should get to it. Hmmm, maybe I’ll even have a chance to write today (it’s going well right now so I need to strike while the iron is hot).   

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

Marie

Looking for a Halloween Romance?

How about the Headless Horseman for a hero?

PASSION OF SLEEPY HOLLOW

by Lexi Post

Recluse Braeden Van Brunt is not happy to be the Headless Horseman…until he meets Katrina Van Tassel, owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, whose allure bewitches him from the front desk into the bedroom. When he discovers Kat and the village of Sleepy Hollow are cursed to exist only in the present day for one weekend a year, he realizes the sacrifice he must make if he wants to keep her.

Katrina Van Tassel lives between slivers of time. She thought she was through grieving her betrothed’s death, but her dreams flare to life when his mirror-image arrives requesting a room. Drawn to Braeden, she is taken to greater heights of intimacy than she ever imagined, but she can’t be sure if her heart is with him or with the love from her past.

Knowing he must conquer both time and ghosts to keep the only woman he’s ever loved, Braeden must put the past to rest. But the dead won’t rest in Sleepy Hollow.

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Excerpt:

Kat closed the door to her room and leaned against it. Her heart raced so fast it could beat a squirrel up a tree. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes. Braeden’s kiss brought back all those wonderful feelings she used to have with Brom. The ones where her toes curled inside her buckle shoes and her body quivered.

She crossed her arms over her stomach. She hadn’t had those with anyone else since. Not even slightly. What was she going to do? She’d been desperate to get away, and now he would be staying the night. She opened her eyes. Staying in her room. Oh Lord.

Moving to her chest at the end of the bed, she pulled out a pillow and threw it on the floor. She’d already changed the sheets because he was supposed to leave. It had been so hard not to bury her face in his unique scent. It reminded her of the forest after a rainstorm, musky, comforting, making her want to snuggle in for a winter hibernation.

Ugh, what was she thinking? He was Stephen’s brother, a Newtimer, and he would leave tomorrow.

Oh no. The village would be long gone by then. What would happen to Braeden then? She glanced toward the door, listening to the floorboards creak under his weight. Quickly, she pulled her quilt from the chest and grabbed the pillow.

Too late.

The door opened and he ducked inside, obliterating the opening from her sight. He stood stock-still, studying her once again. The lantern light softened his features, proving how different he really appeared from Brom.

Straightening her shoulders, she stepped toward him. “Your room is all set. I’ll just make my bed in the parlor.”

He didn’t move, and she couldn’t go through the door unless he did.

“Braeden? You need to step aside for me to leave.”

“And what if I don’t want you to leave?”

Her breath caught in her throat as tingling sped from her head to her toes. She swallowed hard. “What do you mean?” She turned away to give herself a moment without looking at his handsome visage. “Did I forget something?”

The floor creaked behind her and she stepped forward to inspect the water pitcher. If he touched her again, she’d be lost. 

The Sorbonne Affair by Mark Pryor

 Mystery and love float among the Parisian cafe's while American author, Helen Hancock, has a secret admirer. More likely, not an admirer but someone who thinks it's necessary to hide cameras in her hotel room.

Helen is in the city to direct a small writing seminar and to work on her current romance novel.  After she finds the hidden cameras in her room at the Sorbonne Hotel, she reports them to the US Embassy.  

Hugo Marston is assigned t

o investigate.  One video is highly embarrassing for Helen.  A triste with a student needs explanation, whether it's love or something else.  

Soon, a simple camera investigation turns to murder.  Hugo teams up with a Parisian Lieutenant, Camille Lerens along with breaks to see his girlfriend, Claudia, a journalist.  More help comes in the form of a former colleague claiming the whole affair has something to do with a recently released felon.

Such a tragedy to solve a mystery of spying and murder on the lovely streets of Paris while contenders are eager to keep romance in the air.

Happy reading,

Dawn 

SQUEEEEEE!!!

First let me apologize for posting this late today.  It's release week for me and I'm seriously distracted.  I know watching sales rankings isn't productive, but this is my first new book in several years--and it's a project dear to my heart, as it is about my last couple of years with my mother.

Now for the squeeing part!  In my non-productive time watching rankings, I caught this on Amazon this morning and immediately broke out in tears.

In case you aren't sure where to look, check out the orange banner right below the five stars.  That sucker hit #1 in its category this morning, and I cannot be more excited.  It's so sweet to see that #1 next to the picture of my momma.

This ranking is due to YOUR generosity and YOUR support...

You are the best readers ever! 

Well, today's post will be short and sweet because I have spent so much time staring at rankings that I'm behind on my to-do list.  I have another book to start working on next week, so I've got stuff that needs to be done NOW on this project so I have all the ducks marching in the same direction.

Again, thank you all so much for the support and the love--YOU'RE THE VERY BEST!  And remember, it ain't over yet.  This book needs to go far and wide to hopefully help others who may be struggling with the same issues I dealt with.  So our work isn't done...be sure to share the links below with everyone you know.

CLICK HERE FOR BUY LINKS

That’s my story, thrilled and thankful, and I’m stickin’ to it.  Hang on tight now ‘cuz we’re gonna go real, real fast! 

Love ya,

Kayce 

Welcome Back, Kayce Lassiter!

 

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

It would be remiss of me not to welcome Kayce Lassiter back to the Happily Ever After Thoughts fold. I missed you. Your posts always make me laugh or take a step back and say “hmmmm”! And I so agree with your last post about coffee creamer missing from the grocery shelves. I’m a dedicated Sugar Free French Vanilla fan (though I will use Sugar Free Italian Sweet Cream in a pinch) in my coffee and it has become harder and harder to come by. Hope that changes soon! I've tried just using regular creamer (even half and half) and it's just not the same!

So, what have I been up to? I had a really good writing week, once I got over my problem as mentioned in my previous posts (and even the latest rejection didn’t quell that momentum). On top of that, I (with the help of my lovely and supportive critique partner) came up with two more stories to write even though I’m not done with my current work in progress (again, see my previous posts). I so love the beginning stage of a story. Finding my character names and their back stories, pinpointing the location, coming up with the plot lines. It doesn’t matter that I already had several other stories to write – seven as of last count…that will take me up to retirement from the day job when I can devote more time to writing!

All that being said, I should get back to it…those stories aren’t going to write themselves!

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

Marie                                                                                                

Looking for a Halloween Romance?

Looking for a Halloween romance? How about Frankenstein's monster?

Heart of Frankenstein 

by Lexi Post

Can a monster find love?

In 1718, he was abandoned then betrayed, spurring his relentless desire for revenge against his creator, Victor Frankenstein. It is now the 21^st Century, and despite his fervent wish for death, he still exists, tortured by his crimes, searching only for peace.

Angela Ellis would have frozen to death in the harsh Alaskan wilderness if not for the man who found her on an icy ledge. He calls her Angel, but has no name himself. He is kind, caring, handsome, and scarred both outside and inside. The more she learns about him, the more she wants to know…and the more she falls in love.

He is unworthy of love unless he can confess, but his secrets are buried deep and to reveal them would be to rip out his soul and lose his Angel. Unfortunately, he is given no say in the matter. Nature has a way of revealing all.

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Excerpt:

He stared at her. How long before her body warmed enough to cause her excruciating pain? He had nothing he could give her to take it away, but sleep might help. Rising, he headed back to his counter.

“Where are you going?” The panic in her voice stopped him cold.

“I’m just across the room. I’ll make you warm tea to help your body heal though it may not be the most pleasant.”

“Tea? I think a shot of whiskey would be more beneficial.”

He quickly pulled out his small herb box. Mixing valerian with hops, he poured it into the pot of birch syrup water still simmering on the wood stove. Then he retrieved the cup and emptied the cooled water into the sink. “Alcohol will hurt you in your condition.”

“It sounds like you know a lot—” she coughed.

He was beside her in an instant. “Don’t.” Laying his finger against her throat, he stroked it, ignoring the pleasant feel of her skin. “Coughing will hurt your heart.”

She swallowed against his finger. “Got it.” Her tongue came out again to lick her lips.

He tore his gaze away and pushed back the chair, uncomfortable with the desire pushing through him. He stepped to the stove and poured the liquid into his cup, small pieces of crushed herb floated within it.

As he returned to the chair, her lips lifted in a small smile. “I guess I’m lucky you found me. Do you have a name?”

“I have the tea, but don’t lift your head. Allow me to do it for you.” He tested the liquid with his finger. With his sensitivity to temperatures less than hers, he hoped he had it right.

“Okay, but when will I be able to move again?”

He lifted her head with his hand. “Tomorrow. Until then, you should try to sleep.” He pressed the lip of the cup to her lips, and she didn’t flinch, which was a good sign. Very slowly he tilted it. He pulled it back to allow her to swallow.

“That tastes weird. Is that herbal tea?”

He nodded before remembering she couldn’t see him. “Yes. It will help you sleep so you can heal, but you need to finish it all.”

She lifted her lip at that pronouncement, but as he tipped the cup again, she drank. When she’d finished it, he set it aside.

“Okay, I was a good girl and took all my medicine. Now can you tell me your name?”

He walked away and rinsed out the cup. Over his shoulder, he answered. “You need to sleep now.

“I’ll sleep if you tell me your name.”

He took a deep breath. “I don’t have one.”

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 dashing dukes, hot immortals, sizzling cowboys, 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 Maid by Nita Prose

Sometimes it might be nice to look at life in a simple and easy way to live.  That will keep things moving along in a steady and manageable path.

Molly Gray didn't choose this agenda, but rather it chose her.  She has trouble interpreting what people mean by their actions and words and how to respond.  Her gran used to decipher situations for her and lead her in a proper direction, but after gran's passing Molly is left on her own.

She'll do fine.  Highly motivated to be the best maid at the Regency Grand Hotel, her four years as a maid and quarter century learning from her gran make a pleasing repertoire. 

 Sure that her impeccable work ethic will impress him, Molly makes a morning trip through the bar of the hotel to greet Rodney, the bartender.  She's sure his good looks are just a bonus to the engaging young man.  His pleasant hello's are soon to turn to a second date.

The other employee Molly visits with daily is Juan Manuel.  There's a mutual respect between the two and and a true friendship.  

Molly's well planned life turns into a hurricane when a top client of the hotel is found dead by herself.  

She doesn't have gran to figure out what she should do or how to answer to the police when they charge her with murder.

But Molly isn't alone.  Friends she didn't know she had come to her aid.  

It's a delightful and easy read.  With a mystery solved in crime and the a mystery of which man is her true soulmate come to a happily ever after.

Happy reading,

Dawn