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Flash Fiction - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

3/28/2023

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Welcome back to Flash fiction on the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop! This week, we’ve been challenged to write 100 words and have to include spring, orange, and park bench.

As Natalie and Rafe, the characters in my upcoming release, Strictly by the Book, are on my mind, I thought I’d write a bonus scene for them.

Their first in-person interaction is in an airport waiting lounge, when Natalie accidentally rolls her sunflower-emblazoned suitcase over Rafe’s foot. They don’t speak then…and they don’t speak when they each discover they are staying at the same Mexican resort while attending two different weddings. But that doesn’t mean they don’t notice each other.

Here’s one of those times:
Rafe’s nerves were being rubbed raw by the need to smile and chat and generally appear like he was having a good time. He woke early on the day of his sister’s wedding, determined to work off his tension by swimming several laps in the resort’s largest pool.

An open-air stairwell provided a view of his destination. He hesitated at the first landing, arrested by the sight of Sunflower Woman exiting from the corresponding stairwell on the opposite side of the pool.

She had a spring in her step that he envied, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Her colourful loose wrap fluttered as she practically danced on the tiles, pausing at a park bench placed to overlook the ocean. Above her, the rising sun stained the fronds of the palm trees orange. Her dark hair gleamed bronze and copper.

She didn’t stand still long. He had noticed she rarely did. Moments later she stepped onto the beach and vanished from view.

Even though she had been alone, she hadn’t seemed lonely. He used to feel that way, too, preferring his own company to any other. 
So why did a solitary swim no longer seem like the solace he needed?

What did you think? I’d love to hear your comments! Then hop over to Jenna Da Sie for her flash fiction composition

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Want more of Natalie and Rafe? Read an excerpt from their book here!

And if you want to reserve your copy so it appears on your e-reader the day it releases, just click here.
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Writing Buddies - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

3/21/2023

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Our goldfish overwinter in our basement, but soon will be out in the pond!
​I grew up with lots of animals. We had a small acreage and over the years we had cows, horses, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks…and always at least one dog and cat. This week on the RWW Blog, we’re talking pets!
 
Dogs or cats? Or other choices. Or no pets? Pictures please. And how does that help your writing?
 
Comparing dogs and cats is just like comparing apples and oranges. Both are perfect in their own ways. But if I could only have one pet, it would be a cat. They are more independent than dogs, so it's easier to leave them at home when we travel, and yet still give your home that energy of “not just humans.” I know lots of people believe cats are too standoffish to make good companions, and those we’ve had over the years have certainly had their moments. However, there is nothing as soothing as the loud, rumbling purr from a warm furry body curled up next to you.
That being said, our only pets right now are our cocker spaniel/beagle cross, Aspen, and eight goldfish. While the goldfish are fascinating to our grandchildren, I’m attached to them more for their longevity than their personalities, LOL.

Aspen is only our second dog, and the only one we raised from a puppy. She loves to go for long walks, enjoys our boat, and howls at every siren she hears. I have to be careful after a writing stint as she likes to lay directly behind my office chair!

Writing is a solitary occupation. I think that’s why I like to write in our family room, where I still feel part of the action. Having Aspen nearby is also a comfort. I like her quiet, undemanding presence. Except when the mail carrier comes up the street. Or a squirrel runs by on the fence outside the window. Or a fire truck is heard from the highway. Then all bets are off!!

What about you? Do you have pets? Share your stories below. Then hop over to Jill Haymaker. I am fairly certain she has strong views on animals and writing!

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Coming April 13!
​Strictly by the Book
(Book Four in the Silverberry Seduction Seasoned Romance Series. Can be read as a standalone) (Natalie 36, Rafe 42)
 
Pre Order Now $2.99 Ebook, $13.99 Print
Read an excerpt here.
 
An adventurous, go-with-the-flow historian…a scrupulous, stick-to-the-rules scientist…an attraction so wrong it’s absolutely right.

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Chalk it up to Love
Available now
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All fourth grade teacher, ERIN MIDNIGHT, wants is to establish a new normal for herself and her ten-year-old son. Recently divorced, she struggles to cope with being a single mom. Fortunately, her hometown of Aspen Ridge, Colorado, provides the perfect place for her to heal.

BOYD GARRETT’S life changed the day his wife was senselessly killed by a texting driver. No longer fulfilled by his life in the big city, he accepts a new teaching job in the tiny, mountain town of Aspen Ridge, hoping to find an escape from the memories that haunt him.

These two people have learned that with love comes pain. But, sometimes—we get a second chance.
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An Impossible Question - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

3/14/2023

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​Can you answer this impossible question?

If you could be friends with anyone who is alive today, who would you choose and why?

This is one of the topics that I just can’t answer, for a few  reasons:
  1. Friendship is a two-way street. What if I chose someone who didn’t want to be friends with me? How would that work?
  2. I’m afraid to meet my heroes. What if they don’t like me? Worse – what if I don’t like them? I don’t want to ruin the enjoyment I’ve had, whether it is reading their books, watching their movies, or anything else, because they didn’t meet my expectations. Talk about pressure on both of us!
​3. And even if I did decide to befriend someone – how could I narrow it down? There are so many fascinating people in this world, and so many people in my daily life that I would like to know better. How could I possible choose?

What about you? Would you freeze like I did? Or do you know exactly who you would befriend? I wonder if ​PG Forte has the same trouble. Find out here! 

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Pre Order Now in Ebook and Paperback!
Releases April 13

 
An adventurous, go-with-the-flow historian…a scrupulous, stick-to-the-rules scientist…an attraction so wrong it’s absolutely right.

Reserve you copy here!

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Have a steamy St. Patrick's Day!

Twice each year, Aine Murphy ventures into the woods to hold ceremonies to honor the Oak King and the Holly King, never dreaming these Lords of the Forest could be anything more than myth. When the legends spring to life in front of her, how can she help but fall for the sexy demi-gods she's loved all her life?

​Read it now!

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Indulgences - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

3/7/2023

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Photo from last year because we've yet had a chance to do this in 2023
​We have had a few tantalizingly beautiful days here in Northern British Columbia. Saturday I even saw water running down the roads as the snow melted!! Why do I mention this? Read on for the topic for this week’s RWW Blog Hop…

What is your favorite indulgence? A spa day, an outdoor adventure, a glass of wine after a long day?

One of our favourite indulgences is enjoying a beer in our backyard. And the one that is always most special is the first of the year. We have rules, though. The temperature has to be warm enough for only a jacket and it has to be sunny. On the rare occasion we’ve had that beer in January, but so far in 2023 we haven’t managed to catch the right moment.

My other favourite indulgence is a glass of wine before dinner. I love to sit and read and sip, maybe even nibble on some cheese, in the lull between a busy day and making a meal. Unfortunately, it is Lent right now, and I have given up that particular indulgence until Easter.

How about you? How do you treat yourself? Then hop over to PG Forte to see what her favourite indulgences are.

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Pre Order in Print or Ebook Now!

Natalie Minton’s cheerful exterior hides desperation. She’s been out of work for months when her estranged sister appears on her doorstep pleading for help. An offer to write the biography of a local political legend couldn’t come at a better time.
 
Rafe Talbot rejected family tradition and chose medicine over politics. When he stumbles upon evidence of a hidden scandal, his only recourse is to work alongside—and stay one step ahead of—the vivacious scholar hired to chronicle his mother’s career.
 
Natalie’s exuberance strikes sparks off Rafe’s steely severity, luring them to ignore the secrets shadowing their pasts…until the glare of the present exposes intolerable truths.
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Love is in the Air
A Limited Edition Second Chance Romance Collection
 
Sometimes we don't get it right the first time around. That's why life gives us second chances.
 
This limited edition romance collection features 20+ stories of hope, happy ever afters, and the second chances it took to get there.
 
Get it today!
 
All NET Author proceeds are being pledged to Breast Cancer Research Foundation, the highest rated breast cancer organization in the United States and largest private funder of breast cancer research worldwide.
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Take Care of Yourself - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

2/28/2023

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A view along one of our favourite dog walks
​This is the time of year when I need to work hardest at keeping my spirits up. February has dropped a &*!@-ton of snow on us. While it is gorgeous when the sun shines, it also makes summer feel years away. This week on the RWW Blog, we’re answering these questions:

How do you take care of yourself? What do you do to practice self-care?

One way I practice self-care is with hobbies. As I shared last week, I enjoy crocheting. I also like doing jigsaw puzzles and playing cards.

Sometimes self-care can combine with a chore, which kills two birds with one stone. Our dog needs a daily walk, and the weather has to be extremely bad for us not to take her out as she loves the cold. Getting outside always makes me feel rejuvenated and inspired.

I also do ten to fifteen minutes of yoga most mornings. Since I spend quite a few hours sitting hunched over a laptop each day, a few easy stretches keep my neck and shoulder from stiffening up. The flow of it also helps to settle my mind.
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For me, having a routine is also important to my self-care. When we had children, I struggled to become more flexible, to not let a break in the line throw me into a dither. I am better at it now, but I do find myself getting tense if I have too many days in a row with unexpected happenings tossed my way.

What about you? What do you do for self-care? What keeps you sane, LOL!

Let me know below, then hop over to Jill Haymaker to get some of her self-care tips.

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Backlist Spotlight! Get Richly Deserved here!
​
More than twenty years ago, Claudia Aronson escaped an abusive marriage. She built a secure, stable life, and is now only weeks away from realizing a long-held dream—opening her own art gallery. But her well-ordered world is threatened by the compelling, abrasive man essential to bringing her new venture into the spotlight.

Artist Titus Wilcox is reclusive, nomadic, and passionate. His solitary, drifting habits have fed his creative soul, but played hell with his love life. Soon after he meets the statuesque, seemingly-serene Claudia, however, he feels a compulsion to paint a new reality—with her.

When an antique painting reveals mysterious documents concealed behind its frame, Titus and Claudia unite in a hunt for lost riches—a pursuit that takes them into the remote hills surrounding the fabled gold rush town of Barkerville.
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Breakfast For Two

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Sometimes the love you want is right in front of you.

The tiny, mountain town of Peakview, Colorado, wouldn’t be the same without Violet’s Café, and its owner, Violet Woods. Widowed in her fifties, she leads a solitary life with only her cat Lucky to keep her warm at night. All thoughts of romance died with Stan. They had a wonderful, long happy marriage, and she’s content to live out the rest of her life with her memories.

Howard Crandall, Peakview’s only mechanic, is a confirmed bachelor and something of a hermit. When Stan died, he took it upon himself to look out for Violet. Over the years, they have become friends, but it isn’t until the past he has hid from for thirty year past suddenly catches up with him, that he opens up to the idea of finding love. 

Available here
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Busy Hands - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

2/21/2023

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My current project
​I'm getting back in the blogging groove after a couple weeks away. Thank goodness the topic is an easy one…I don’t have the energy to think too hard today!

Share one of your hobbies. What do you do when you’re not writing?

If a hobby is something creative or crafty, then my only hobby is crocheting. I learned as a child but never really enjoyed it. Then, a couple years ago, I needed something to occupy my mind that wasn’t staring at a screen and decided to give it another go. My mother praised using a metal hook instead of a plastic one, so I gave that a try – and I have to say, it makes all the difference! It is so much easier to keep tension even and slip the knots with a metal hook. I’ll never use plastic again.
I’ve made baskets and scarves and hats, but mostly I make blankets. I buy a lot of my wool at thrift stores which means I am often working with limited quantities, and blankets are the best bet in that situation. I’ve complete several projects I’m quite happy with (and several I’ve ripped out and tried again more than once, LOL!). Here are three of my favourites.
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What about you? Do you have a crafty hobby that keeps you entertained? Let me know below, then hop over to PG Forte http://rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com/ and see what she gets up to when she’s not writing or reading.

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The NEVER TOO BUSY Anthology is disappearing soon! Read it in Kindle Unlimited or purchase before February 28.

What's that saying? Never too busy for love?

The characters in this limited-edition anthology have been—until they come across the Never Too Busy Dating app.  It caters to professionals thirty-years of age and older and promises to match them with the person of their dreams. After all, workaholics deserve a happily ever after, too.
Enjoy sultry, sexy stories featuring strong female leads and their determined partners in this brand-new collection!

Includes my short story, Margin of Risk.

His heart isn’t ready to heal. Her soul isn’t ready to trust. Neither is ready for a fake wedding date to restore their fractured spirits.

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Games We Play
The Complete Trilogy

A quirky, family-owned resort on the Jersey Shore is the setting for this erotic, lightly paranormal series. Cousins Brenda, Luke, and Gwyn are determined to turn their failing hotel business around. They have no time for love. They're in no mood for games. But it's not going to matter. Not when they're up against a handful of ghosts, a mischievous boggart, a family curse, and destinies written in stone.
​
Three books that prove that holiday fun doesn't begin or end in December. Book Two, Never Have I Ever, takes place at Mardi Gras. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Get it the set here!

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Vacation Favourites - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/31/2023

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This time next week I hope to be looking at this view again!
​I woke up to a -27C (-17F) morning. This week’s topic on the RWW Blog Hop seems very appropriate!

What is your favourite holiday destination? Mountain, ocean, big city, country?

There are mountains pretty much every direction I look, and the Rockies are only a few hours drive away. While I love that scenery, when we go on a holiday we generally head toward the ocean, or at least somewhere with water. It doesn’t have to be a hot tropical beach (though that is certainly looking good right now – brrrr!) but a river or lake will do.

I wouldn’t choose to live in a big city, but I do like visiting them. I’ve been lucky enough to visit New York City twice, and there is something so vibrant and exciting about it! I do find it exhausting, though, so am always happy to get home, where everything is fifteen minutes away.

What about you? What’s your preferred vacation spot?
 
Then hop over to Leslie Hachtel and find out where someone who lives in Florida goes on vacation!

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Read an excerpt of my vacation romance, No Life But This, here...or add it to your e-reader here!

Abigail Garsson feels trapped in her safe, boring, conventional life. Desperate to escape, she signs up for an adventure vacation on the Portuguese island of São Miguel.

Santos Carregado enjoys introducing tourists to his tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic. At first he barely notices the unassuming Abigail. He soon finds her meek exterior hides a vibrant woman who teases his senses and ignites his passion.

Abigail is stunned to discover the handsome, confident Santos is attracted to her, but his fiery kisses and searing caresses convince her to accept a sensuous invitation.

Will the realities of life shatter Abigail's holiday daydream? Or can the shifting sands of a short-term fling become the rock on which a life-long relationship is built?

(Abigail and Santos both 29)

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Discover Leslie's exciting romance set in Morocco!

Drugged and kidnapped, Lady Shera finds herself on a ship to Morocco to serve the Sultan. Abandoned and alone, she must find a way to escape and confront the people who betrayed her. She gets help from an unlikely source: the man who kidnapped her. When their partnership turns to love, the two must face constant danger to endure. But will they ever be free?


Bound to Morocco​ is available here!
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Recommended Reading - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/24/2023

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I didn't list my current read. I am really enjoying it, but only started it in 2023 so it doesn't count yet, LOL!
​This week on the RWW Blog Hop, we’re sharing our one click authors and favourite book of 2022. After all, writers are readers, too!

I feel kind of bad admitting this, but I don’t buy a lot of books. Seems rather traitorous for an author, doesn’t it? But I subscribe to Kobo Plus, which allows me to borrow books, and the authors get paid each time I do. It seems a reasonable compromise.

(Pssst – all my books are available in the Kobo Plus Catalogue. If you are a Kobo reader, you may want to the check the service out)

I have a decent list of authors that I will definitely pre-order as soon as I see a new book coming. That list includes Jennifer Cruise (please, Jennifer, please release something new soon!), Courtney Milan (same goes – why do I like authors who take a long time to write?) and Susanna Kearsley (ditto!!!).
Authors I trust to write a great story and who I will often binge read include Ilona Andrews (the Innkeeper series has made it to my autobuy list, too), T. Kingfisher (her Paladin series), almost anything by KJ Charles, and when Martha Wells drops another Murderbot book, I’ll start saving my pennies (they as so good but a tad pricey for me).

I also have several authors friends that I can whole-heartedly recommend. Sara Whitney is a new favourite of mine, Natasha Moore and Karen Booth are solid, and for scorching hot rom-coms, try Mellanie Szereto. The last three write older heroines, too.

I’m not going to name a favourite book of 2022. I read and enjoyed so many I wouldn’t be able to decide. But if you have any recommendations I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment down below!

Then hop over to PG Forte and see what her top reads are!

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Looking for a new series? Have you read the Bendixon Sisters trilogy yet?

Start for FREE with Allegro CourtI You can read an excerpt here, or download it from your favourite retailer here.

Mattie Bendixon thinks she sees a way to save her family's constructdion business—if she can convince Marcus Temple to stay in his hated hometown for one month. All she has to risk is her heart.

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Redemption: A Fallen Angel Paranormal Collection
 
Once esteemed immortals find themselves banished from the heavenly realm and condemned to a life on Earth amongst the mortals, unless they find a way back through the veil. Before they can find redemption, they must first learn how to navigate their new life.
 
 Get it here!

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Weather Woes or Wonder? - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/17/2023

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While cloudy days aren't my favourite, they do make for some pretty photos.
​Here’s the topic on this week’s Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop:

What is your favorite kind of weather? Does it inspire your writing?

Today is a dangerous day to be answering this question. The view out my window is grey and gloomy, and we’ve had a lot of fog lately. The trade off is that the weather is much warmer than usual. But in January, I’d rather have several degrees below freezing and blue skies than melting and overcast. Winter is never over here until April, so this warm spell is just a terrible tease.

I live in a place where the changing of the seasons makes a dramatic difference to the amount of sunshine we get. On the shortest days of December, we get less than 7.5 hours of it (when it’s not hiding behind the clouds).

So for me, any day with sunshine is my favourite. I have more energy, feel more positive, and look forward to sitting at my keyboard. If it’s really nice, I’ll go outside to write, and the words often seem to flow easier and faster when I do.

What about you? What’s your favourite weather? Leave a comment below, then hop over to Jill Haymaker for her take on the weather!

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Contest Extended!

Enter to win a brand new e-reader and 40 steamy contemporary romances! 
Includes my holiday fling, fish out of water, tattooed multicultural hero No Life But This. All you have to do is follow me and other participating authors on Bookbub. The more you follow, the more entries you receive. Contest ends January 18!


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Curl up with Montana Pines Winter Romance.

January is the best time for a winter romance in the beautiful mountains of Montana!

​When single mom, Haley, gets stranded in Pine Meadows, Montana in a snowstorm with her young son, the last thing she expects to find is romance with a handsome cowboy. Sometimes your worst days turn into your best.


Discover more here!
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Word for the Year - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/10/2023

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Happy 2023, everyone! It’s the start of a brand new year, with new dreams, new plans, new challenges. This week on the Romance Writers Weekly Blog Hop, the topic is:

Did you make a New Years Resolution? Have you stuck to it so far?

Let me just say – if you’ve already given up on your resolution ten days into the year, you have my sympathy, LOL! If I were you, I pretend I never started and begin again.

I don’t do resolutions, but this year I’ve decided to join a growing trend. I chose a word for the year. As you’ve probably guessed, my word is GRATITUDE.

As an author, I find it far too easy to get caught up in comparing myself to others, especially at this time of year. My social media feeds are full of authors revealing how many words they wrote and how many books they published. While I do NOT want to take away from their achievements (those authors have worked hard and given up a lot to reach those goals) I can’t help but feel a wee bit jealous and/or lazy in comparison.

Which brings me to why I chose GRATITUDE. Maybe my career hasn’t travelled the path I thought it would when I started. But when I look at where I am now compared to when I was ten years ago, I have a lot to be thankful for.

  • My dream was to finish one book. Not even be published, just finish one damn book. I have now published thirteen.
  • People are reading my books! Readers in 66 (yes, 66!!!) countries around the world have downloaded at least one book of mine. I can't express how much that means to me.
  • I have discovered a wonderful, supportive community of authors from across the globe.
  • I spend time every day doing something I love, yet have found a balance between it and my non-writing life that is healthy and fulfilling. Could I work harder at it? Sure. Do I want to? Not at the expense of less time with my growing family (my grandchildren really are adorable, let me tell you!)

So this year, I’m going to work on being thankful for what I have. And while I may work toward achieving new goals as an author, I’ll do it because it feeds me, not because it defines me.

Happy New Year, to you and yours! Now hop over to Leslie Hachtel and see what her new year has in store!

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This week is my tenth anniversary as a published author! I am forever grateful to The Wild Rose Press for taking a chance on my very first story, Mountain Fire. I've grown a lot as a writer since then, but I am still over-the-moon proud of this steamy contemporary romantic suspense.

​A mountaintop mystery leads two conservationists to dangerous obsessions and violent passions.

Natural resources student June Brandt climbs Longworth Mountain for some alone time. But when Conservation Officer Alex Weaver arrives to look into the death of a grizzly bear, June is caught up in the investigation—and fascinated by Alex. 

Alex is attracted by June's competence and coolness under fire—as well as her lithe body and honey-blonde hair. Although their mutual interest in protecting the natural wonders of the area brings them together, they soon realize they view love from very different angles. He offers passion and pleasure, but June wants more. 
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When one of Alex’s colleagues is murdered, June and Alex must work together to find the poacher before other lives are lost. And Alex must look deep inside to discover if he can give June what she deserves.

Available in print and ebook here
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Once Upon a Tablecloth

His eyes swept the room. Neat tables with white cloths lined up like monotonous little soldiers. No flowers, no candles. Thank heavens no mustard and ketchup, though. The walls were wood paneled and dark but the restaurant was clean–always a plus. Cheap metal chairs with red vinyl seats, some of them torn, sat forlornly, obviously trying to hide their shame under the tablecloths and not succeeding. The wooden floor was uneven and worn raw. The bar set-up was pathetic. The scarred wood counter looked as if it had seen its share of brawls, broken glasses and drunks dancing across it. Too few bottles of liquor on the shelves and none of them great quality. It made him imagine a looting by alcoholic criminals with the good taste to take only the top shelf brands. And the capper was the large framed picture above the bar. Dogs playing poker. Nick just shook his head.

Nick saves restaurants but this will be a challenge, especially when he falls in love with the owner.
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