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The Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop is back! We took some time off to enjoy summer, but we are all set to head into fall full of energy and vigour. This week, A.S. Fenichel http://asfenichel.com/blog/ asks: We’re getting into the dog days now. What do you do to relax? Is it a hobby, laying about in the sun or something else? How do you unwind and how does it feed your soul? Summer in Northern British Columbia has been…odd, to say the least. We started July with record heat. I’m not sure what the official high temperature was, but it was near enough to 40C (104F) not to matter. That is INSANELY hot for where I live. Since then, we’ve bounced from cool, rainy weather back to unusually hot days and back again. It’s like we’ve been having mini-summers LOL! That being said, my all-time favourite thing to do when the heat is here is to head out in our small boat. My area is blessed with dozens of beautiful, clear lakes. Sometimes we fish, but all the time I have a book with me. I love to swim right from the boat (thereby avoiding weeds and yucky bottoms) and then laze in the prow soaking up the sun. What do you like to do on the hot days of summer? Be sure to drop me a comment and let me know. Then continue your hop with Clair Brett.
We have been enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures this last week in Northern British Columbia. And by enjoying I mean wallowing, bathing, and soaking in the sunshine. We had a lovely winter, but nothing beats those first hot days of spring. That being said, this week on the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, Leslie Hachtel asks: What is your favorite spring flower and why? Is it the scent? A memory? If you joined me from A.S. Fenichel, welcome! The first sign of spring where I live is the appearance of pussy willows. While not the most vibrant of blooms, these tough, furry, grey blossoms are a sure indicator the weather is warming up. When it comes to cultivated flowers, hardy bulbs like crocuses are next. While they have no scent, they are definitely cheery and bright! Because these are the first to appear, they rank as my favourite spring flowers. However, I am always thrilled when my clematis begins to sprout. While it will be months before we see the blooms fully open, knowing this rapid-growing vine is ready to grow is one of my great delights. What about you? What are your favourite spring flowers? Feel free to share below, then hop over to the instigator of this topic, Leslie Hachtel. When the last time you took a stroll around my website (other than this blog, of course)? You might be interested to see some changes, especially here. I'll give you a minute to go look...
What do you think? I love these new covers! I'm going to be celebrating by giving away a copy of each book. But you need to be a subscriber to my newsletter to end. You can do that here. I hope you'll join us! This week on the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, Leslie Hachtel asks: Spring is just around the corner. What are you most looking forward to? If you joined me from Clair Brett, welcome! Let’s be honest – what isn’t there to look forward to about spring? Especially in these days of physical distancing (I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy!) the advent of spring is even more to be longed for. Here in Northern BC, just because the calendar says it’s spring doesn’t mean the weather agrees. We’ve had some lovely sunny days, but most nights are still well below freezing, which means the daytime melt isn’t enough to rid our lawns of snow. I’d love to be outside cleaning gardens and prepping for planting, but I can’t even see most of my flower beds yet. And as I write this, the sky is low and threatening, with the promise of more snow to fall today. For me, the best part of spring is turning off the furnace and opening all the windows in the house to blow out the fug of winter. Tradition is Mr. C and I turn on The Gypsy Kings and toast the new season with a beer in the backyard. Only then it is truly spring! Be sure to hop on over to A.S. Fenichel and see what she’s most looking forward to. Andrea has a brand new book out (It’s doing really well on the Amazon charts, so congratulations are due!!). If you enjoy historical romance, you should be sure to check it out! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081KSTK2N Left standing on the side while their contemporaries marry into society, four young ladies forge a bond to guard each other from a similar fate . . . Finishing school failed to make a proper lady of Penelope Arrington. But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy has a far more vital role—she and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. So when one of them is about to be married off to a duke sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. If only she didn’t require the aid of London’s most unsuitable rake. Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl naïve to the ways of men. To her eternal chagrin—and to his vague amusement—they have been at odds over the memory of embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings. If the two do not tread carefully, they may end up in a most agreeably compromising position . . . The middle of February in Northern British Columbia is about the time I have to start reminding myself that winter will not last forever. When the ground is covered in four feet of snow it can be hard to remember was grass looks like. So, when it was my time to set the topic for the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, is it any wondering this is what I came up with? Do you get the winter doldrums? How do you deal with cabin fever? If you joined me from A.S. Fenichel, welcome! The good news is we’ve been having a very mild February, so getting out and about hasn’t been too difficult, and true cabin fever hasn’t set in. There have been years when all we can see outside our ground floor windows is a narrow strip of sky because, between the snow on the ground and the snow that slid off the roof, it is piled so high it blocks our view. I’m lucky that I love to read for many reasons, but in the depths of winter it is truly a blessing. I can escape to Regency England or Australia or outer space whenever I want. When I do get too twitchy to just sit and read, jigsaw puzzles are a good option. Usually we only do them in December and early January, but we have been known to bring them out to get through the final dregs of winter. Now that I’ve left my career in broadcasting and am focusing on my writing, I think I may have to come up a few alternate activities. With no day job to go to, there is no reason to get out of the house some days, and when the weather is bad even less incentive to do so. Luckily we have a dog that requires daily walks, and cold and snow doesn’t seem to bother her at all. Bundling up and getting out into the fresh air (even if it does crisp your nose hairs) is always a good way to blow out the cobwebs. How about you? What time of year gets you down the most, and how do you get through it? Be sure to continue your hop with Clair Brett! Clair and I each have a contest you might be interested in joining! I’ve teamed up with 80 fantastic authors to give away a huge collection of Contemporary Romances to 2 lucky winners. The Grand Prize winner also gets a BRAND NEW eReader! You could win my novel, ALLEGRO COURT, plus books from authors like Lorelei James, Piper Rayne, Mia Kayla, and more. Enter the giveaway by clicking here! Clair is also taking part in a BookSweeps Giveaway with other historical authors. That means you have another chance to win another eReader and more than 55 historical romances. Check it out by clicking here! Do you get the winter blues? This week on the Romance Writers blog hop, Leslie Hachtel asks: The doldrums of winter seem to set in for me about now. What are your secrets for feeling better? Living in Northern BC, the winter doldrums are very real. At the winter solstice, the sun rises around 8:30am and sets around 3:50pm, giving us less than 7.5 hours of sunlight. And that’s if it's not overcast. Then the day seems much darker and shorter. But now, more than a month after that shortest day of the year, we are already noticing a difference. We no longer drive to and from work in the pitch black. This, more than almost anything, helps to ease the winter blues. We actually get quite a bit of sunshine throughout the winter. Clear skies make for colder days, but I’ll take crisp blue over gloomy grey anytime. When it is sunny, we do our best to get outside and soak into some Vitamin D. That really does help beat the blues. Having something to look forward to is another way to survive winter, and I am definitely looking forward to a week in Mexico this February! It’s been a number of years since we’ve had a tropical vacation, and I can’t wait to dig my toes into the sand and sip a Pina Colada! Keeping busy is another way to make the days of winter pass. We like to do puzzles, so starting in December the dining room table is taken over. I think we’re on puzzle number 8 right now. It will probably be the last though, as we’ve made it through the worst months now. Do you get the winter blues? If so, how do you beat them? I’d love to hear from you, then be sure to hop over to Jenna Da Sie. She lives in California now, so I am interested to know whether winter doldums are even a thing in the Golden State! ALLEGRO COURT NEWS: I hit Publish on the ebook of Allegro Court on Sunday and it is now available for Pre-Order! It can take a few days to get onto all sites, so if you don't see it yet, give it a little more time. So excited to introduce Mattie and Marcus to the world! On Romance Writers Weekly today, A.S. Fenichel says: It’s HOT! What’s your favorite way to keep cool during the Dog Days of Summer? It can be anything... Well, it might be hot where Andrea is, but right now where I am, it is just pleasantly cool. We’ve had some hot days this summer, though, so I can totally understand where she is coming from! Here’s my favourite way to keep cool on a hot day: There’s nothing better than a swim in a cool, clear Northern British Columbia lake when the temperature is at its hottest. I particularly love swimming right off the boat. No weeds, no leeches, no mucky bottoms or sharp rocks underfoot to worry about it. It’s lovely to drift along with a cold drink in hand, and when the sun gets too intense, drop like a rock into the dark depths and feel the chill wash the heat from your skin.
Of course, if we can’t get to a lake, air conditioning is always a great way to get out of the heat. Not that we have it in our home—most summers that isn’t a necessity in my part of the world. :) How do you cool off? Are you a water person? Let me know in the comments, then head over to Jenna Da Sie to see how that California resident cools off! Whether we like it or not, winter is on it’s way. But there is still plenty of time to enjoy fall first! This week on the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, J.J. Devine asks: What is your favorite fall activity? If you joined me from Leslie Hachtel, welcome! We had a hot and smoky summer here in Northern BC, with forest fires burning all around our province. So the wet September we had was actually quite welcome. That being said, I am glad the overcast skies are gone and crisp, clear blue fall is here. If winter didn’t come after fall, I think it might be my favourite season. Spring in Northern BC is often muddy and ugly and depressing, what with melting snow leaving piles of gravel and garbage behind. But despite the shorter days of fall, we are usually blessed with bright sunshine and invigorating temperatures. Walking the dog is no longer a leisurely stroll, but a heart-pumping activity. Yet there is so much to see in the changing colour of the foliage, and once the leaves are gone our regular walks reveal vistas hidden during the greenery of summer. I also enjoy curling up with a good book and steaming cup of coffee on Sunday mornings in November. For example, this past Sunday, frost glittered on the roofs and lawns, and steam rose from furnace chimneys. It was wonderful to sit all cozy and warm with my dog at my side and simply relax. How about you? What’s your favourite activity during this season? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me a line in the comments and I’ll be sure to reply! Now it’s time to hop on to the instigator of this topic, J.J. Devine. Check out her blog here! Here in Northern BC, September is often one of our most beautiful months. We usually enjoy bright skies, colourful leaves, and warm daytime temperatures. This year it wasn’t quite as nice as we expect, so this week’s topic on Romance Writers Weekly is appropriate: Jenna Da Sie challenges us to write a poem about summer ending. If you joined me from A.S. Fenichel welcome! Here’s my attempt (it’s been a long time since I wrote poetry!). September tears mourn summer sunshine, Clear heralds of the whiteness to come. Blue skies give way to a flat, grey ceiling That presses down our spirits. A pall of red and gold drowns the hills, Until battling winds blow it away. Thin, twisted skeletons wait in silence For the frigid chill of winter dark. Hmmm – I seem to be in a bit of a morbid mood today. I forgot how poetry makes you look inside yourself and search for what you truly feel.
Leslie Hachtel Is up next. Keep on hopping by clicking here. |