April 5 New Book

Serendipity by the Sea

by Jennifer Vido

Cate Ainsworth is poised to land her dream job when an ex-boyfriend—the guy she once loved who left town with no explanation—returns to their Lowcountry hometown. Their long-denied attraction tugs her in a new direction, but will she risk everything for a second chance at love?A freelance photographer, Knox Price seeks adventure, not commitment. Back in town to care for his uncle gets complicated when he crosses paths with Cate, igniting a spark he can’t ignore. But can he confess the truth about why he walked away?

ISBN: (digital) 9781509247868 ISBN: (print) 9781509247851

Available through these fine retailers…

New Books

I’m starting a new idea this month. In addition to author spotlights and reviews, I’m going to promote one book from my publisher, The Wild Rose Press. In most cases, I have not read these books unless it’s a review book — which I will tell you. I’m just helping out fellow authors. So take a look. Maybe buy one or two. And if you do, please leave a short review for them on Goodreads or Amazon.

If you’re looking for my daily writing tips, tricks, jumpstarts, check out my other site.

Today’s book:

Destiny’s Spring

by Iona Morrison

Category: Romance / Fantasy

Series: Jelly Beans and Spring Things

Desirae Fontaine, better known by her friends as Destiny, is on her way to see her friend Peyton in Blue Cove. Having gone through a lot in her life the past few months, Destiny needs some downtime to reset her life.Her adventure begins on the plane when she meets a sweet older woman named Mila Ferris. Their conversation during the flight leads to her sharing her heart with the kind woman and ends with a bit of unseen magic in a bag of jellybeans.Evan Parker has his own hardships to overcome and could use the help of the kind old gentleman who comes with a little magic of his own. Can two lonely hearts find love and two weary fairies find help in helping Anything can happen. It’s Destiny’s spring.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248056

Available through these fine retailers…

New Month = New Books

Today’s book:

Truth Moon

by Kay Freeman

Category: Romance / Suspense

Series: Truth Moon

It may be Vegas, but the odds of being attacked by your boss and outlaw bikers on the same night—slim.My boss, I should have seen coming. Thanks to the life I left behind, I know an abuser when I see one, and it was just a matter of time until he found out I’ve been lying.As for The Knights of Steel MC, the only way to keep them quiet was to go with them, except the club president’s obsession with me goes beyond their escort service and BDMS clients. I bet my life on it.I can’t trust anyone—especially not my handler. He’s running from his past too, and his infatuation scares me for a different reason.All I know is that if I want my freedom, I’ll need to double down and guard my heart as closely as my body…

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248018 ISBN: (print) 9781509248001

Available through these fine retailers…

April 2 Writing

Birthdays: Giancomo Casanova (1725), Hans Christian Andersen (1805), Emile Zola (1840), William W. Warner (1920), George M. Fraser (1925), Anne Waldman (1945), Sue Townsend (1946), Camille Paglia (1947), Daniel Okrent (1948), Joan D. Vinge (1948), Mark Shulman (1962), Scott Lynch (1978),

Joan Vinge won the 1981 Hugo Award for her book “The Snow Queen”

Quote: “Everything you look at can become a fairy tale and you can get a story from everything you touch.” – Hans Christian Andersen

Tip: Action verbs make your work more vivid and interesting. Each action verb paints a specific picture. Go through your manuscript and change weak verbs to strong ones. For instance, if someone is looking at a picture—are they gazing, studying, pondering, or staring at it?

Jumpstart: Finish this: I closed my eyes, held my nose, and took a drink…

April 1 Writing

Birthdays: Edmond Rostand (1868), Abraham Harold Maslow (1908), Augusta Baker (1911), Anne McCaffrey (1926), Milan Kundera (1929) Samuel Ray Delany (1942), Francine Prose (1947),

Quote: “That’s what writing is all about, after all, making others see what you have put down on the page and believing that it does, or could, exist and you want to go there.” – Anne McCaffrey

Tip: The first week of April is National Library Week. Think about when you go to the library. What genre do you read? Why do you read this one? How often do you go to the library? Do you browse or go straight for your favorite area? Do you use the library for anything other than books? Even small libraries are huge sources of information. Go visit one and take a look around.

Jumpstart: This is April Fool’s Day. Would your character be the one playing the jokes, or the butt of them? Why? What would s/he do?

Review: All About Charming Alice

All About Charming Alice

by J. Arlene Culiner

Category: Romance / Contemporary

Series: Blake’s Folly Romance

Alice Treemont has no intention of falling in love. Living in Blake’s Folly, a semi-ghost town, she cooks vegetarian meals, rescues unwanted dogs, and protects the most unloved creatures on earth: snakes. What man would share those interests?Jace Constant is in Nevada, doing research for his new book, but he won’t be staying. He’s disgusted by desert dust on his fine Italian shoes and dog hair on his cashmere sweaters. As for snakes, he doesn’t just despise them: they terrify him.So why does the air sizzle each time Alice and Jace meet? A romance would entail far too many compromises.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248544 ISBN: (print) 9781509248537

Available through these fine retailers…

REVIEW: 4 Sparklers

Thoughts: This book takes place in the Nevada desert in a town so small, if you sneeze on one end, the person on the other end of town says “bless you”. I know towns like that – I’ve lived in a town like that. Where everyone knows your business. Alice once lived the high life in L.A. married to a cheating film-producer. She hated it. When she inherited her ancestors dilapidated “mansion” in the tiny village of Blake’s Folly, she grabs at the chance to change her life. A herpetologist, she earns a meager living writing articles about snakes, but her passion is taking in stray dogs—which is how she meets Jace. A city boy from Chicago, Jace isn’t sure he likes the bleak quiet of the desert, but he’s there doing research for a book about the old west. A stray dog crosses his path and he’s told that Alice is the one to go to.

What I liked: the characters. Both Alice and Jace grow and change over the course of the book. And since we have both points of view, we know what each is thinking throughout. I liked that Alice is a herpetologist. A very different type of work for a female main character. And the descriptions of the scenery are well done. Overall, a nice read.

What I didn’t like: very little. This is a nice, sweet romance with a HEA that satisfies.

Recommendation: Recommended.

Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

March 30 Writing

Birthdays: Anna Sewell (1820), Paul Verlaine (1844), Seán O’Casey (1880), Jean Giono (1895), Countee Cullen (1903), Alan Davidson (1924), Tom Sharpe (1928), Tobias Hill (1970), Rosecrans Baldwin (1977),

Anna Sewell’s only published work was “Black Beauty”

Quote: “No one really knows the value of book tours. Whether or not they’re good ideas, or if they improve book sales. I happen to think the author is the last person you’d want to talk to about a book. They hate it by that point; they’ve already moved on to a new lover. Besides, the author never knows what the book is about anyway.” – Rosecrans Baldwin

Tip: Start an idea file. You’ll need three: one for characters, one for settings, one for problems or situations. You can keep these as physical files or in a spreadsheet. Then mix and match to come up with stories.

Jumpstart: Plan the perfect date for your main characters. What will they do? Where will they go? What will they wear? What time will they go? (Maybe plan this for yourself!). Have fun.

March 29 Writing

Birthdays: Stephen Bonsal (1865), Howard Lindsay (1889), Ernst Jünger (1895), Judith Guest (1936), Jo-Ann Mapson (1952), Reed Farrel Coleman (1956), Elizabeth Hand (1957), Amy Sedaris (1961),

Stephen Bonsal won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize in History for “Unfinished Business”

Quote: “I work very very hard on the first fifty pages of a book. As I don’t outline, I need a strong foundation on which to rest the remainder of the book.” – Reed Coleman

Tip: What time of day are you at your most creative? Is this when you write? Why or why not? What can you do to make this your writing time?

Jumpstart: Your main character is caught outside in a blizzard. What does he do? Where does he find shelter? Or doesn’t he? What happens?

Springtime Series

My publisher, The Wild Rose Press, is doing a series of seasonal novellas based on either springtime or jellybeans! Here are the first three:

Rescuing Jellybean

by Nicki Pascarella

Category: Romance / Contemporary

Series: Jelly Beans and Spring Things

When Conner Sullivan follows a trail of jelly beans to find an orphaned Sheltie, he immediately knows that he wants to adopt the beautiful dog. The only thing standing in his way is sexy Rainey Thibodeau, the uptight workaholic farmer who runs the Moose Pond Dog Rescue.No matter what, Rainey won’t give in to Connor. So what if he has the body of a Greek god, hair the color of a penny in the sun, and the eyes of an angel. The arrogant ass stole her heart over fifteen years ago, and he won’t get one more thing from her… including the dog called Jellybean.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509247370

Available through these fine retailers…

Jellybean Kisses

by Sarita Leone

Category: Romance / Contemporary

Series: Jelly Beans and Spring Things

Springtime in Polk Corners is anything but sleepy. Blooms, birdsong, and weddings abound… Tara Jackson owns a small confectionary shop where she makes all the sweets by hand. When she is contracted to provide gourmet jellybeans for the biggest wedding of the season, her quiet life is turned upside down. Pete Timbers has just returned to his old hometown. He plans to settle down and build a life in the place he loves so much, but memories of the woman he lost make it difficult. He doesn’t mind standing up as his brother’s Best Man, especially if it means he can find a chink in the armor his former high-school crush has in place. Their history isn’t great, but spring is the time for new beginnings…isn’t it?

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248025

Available through these fine retailers…

When the Hope Rose Blooms

by Annette Miller

Category: Romance / Fantasy

Series: Jelly Beans and Spring Things

Blair Mallone, an elf agent for the Holiday Security Agency, is given the assignment of protecting a magical flower called the Hope Rose. When she arrives in the small town of Garland Falls, MN, she finds security around the rose lacking. But the man charged with the rose’s protection definitely isn’t lacking anything, except taking his task a little more seriously.Lucas Callahan is one of the fairy folk known as a Green Man. He’s been in charge of taking care of the Hope Rose for years. When Blair Mallone comes into his life, he’s surprised at how attracted he is to her. He reminds himself he needs to focus his attention on the rose, but Blair sneaks into his thoughts at odd times.A band of evil fairies have made it their mission to steal the Hope Rose and snuff out its light. Blair and Lucas have to fight their growing attraction and concentrate on protecting the Hope Rose, or all the realms will be destined to despair forever.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509246304

Available through these fine retailers…

March 27 Writing

Birthdays: Heinrich Mann (1871), Thorne Smith (1892), Budd Schulberg (1914), Dick King-Smith (1922), Barnaby Conrad (1922), Louis Simpson (1923), Frank O’Hara (1926), Michael Jackson (1942), Julia Alvarez (1950), Dana Stabenow (1952), Patricia C Wrede (1953), Patrick McCabe (1955), Kevin J. Anderson (1962)

Louis Simpson won the 1964 Pulitzer for Poetry for “At the End of the Open Road”

Quote: “To be a writer is to embrace rejection as a way of life.” – Dana Stabenow

Tip: Don’t make your hero or heroine perfect. Give them a flaw or quirk. Make them real.

Jumpstart: Finish this scene: The day I died…(use: sunshine, ice storm, valentine)