Brenda Margriet
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Creative Busy Work - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

3/4/2025

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My current crochet project
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Camping is a great way to recharge and a wonderful opportunity to take beautiful photos!
​The old saying goes “A change is as good as a rest.” For me, that definitely holds true when it comes to creativity. While words will always be my go-to outlet for my imagination, I do have a couple others. This week on the blog hop, we’ve been asked…

Other than writing, what creative things do you do? How do they spark your imagination?

One hobby that has always brought me joy is photography. This really bloomed with the advent of digital cameras. It was such a release to be able to snap as many shots as I wanted without the worry of expense…and to know right away what I was getting! And then to have one on my phone—well, it’s something I can’t resist. I take literally thousands of photos when we go on holiday, which drives my husband crazy. But I also love going through those photos, teasing out the best ones, and designing photo books. I figure if I’m going to be the one doing the work, there’s no reason I can’t take as many as I want.

A more recent hobby is crochet. I learned the basics as a child, but never really enjoyed it. But a few years ago I took it up again—at first, as something to do while visiting my mother-in-law in her care home, and then for my own relaxation on winter evenings. The main change in my attitude to this craft came about because I started using metal hooks. The yarn slips so easily on and off that I can’t believe anyone would ever use plastic. I mostly make blankets out of yarn I find at the thrift store, so I keep my supply costs low. It’s fun and soothing.

Both of these activities excercise different parts of my brain, and that helps when I sit down at my laptop. The photography also helps me with writing descriptions, as I helps me see things more clearly.

What about you? What hobbies or pasttimes do you have that allow you to express your creativtity?
 
Let me know below, then hop over to Jenna Da Sie to see what sparks her creativity!

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My next release now has a cover and a title!

If you are a member of my newsletter, you'll get the first look on Thursday, March 13. 

If you aren't, be sure to subscribe today! Just click here to receive THREE bonus reads and be the first to learn all my writing news.
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To Tell A Tale - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

2/18/2025

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​There is as fancy-schmancy definition of “trope,” but when a romance author asks you what your favourite trope is, what she is asking is “What story line do you like best?”

And just as readers have favourites, so do authors. And that’s what we’re talking about this week on the blog hop:

Do you have any favorite (or least favorite) tropes?

The beauty of romance is we all know the ending. No matter what trials and tribulations are thrown in our characters’ way, we know they will end up together. And those trials and tribulations also often have a familiar feel. That’s what a trope is…a well-used situation or setting. Here are some examples and which books of mine use them (along with links to excerpts from each book, so you can get a taste of them):

Workplace Romance (Reserved for You, Richly Deserved, When Time Falls Still)
Second Chance (Allegro Court, Turn the Next Page)
Opposites Attract (No Life But This, Strictly by the Book, Too Good for Words)

Almost all my books could also fall under the trope of “Friends to Lovers.” I’ve never been a fan of insta-love (insta-attraction, sure, but not love) so the characters in most of my books become friends before their relationship advances.

Workplace Romance has a special niche in my heart, probably because my husband and I met at work. Second Chances make me happy because I like to see a couple torn apart by circumstances reunited. And Opposites Attract as so much fun – pairing two people that seem completely wrong for each other and watching how they become completely right.

Do you have a favourite trope…or three? I love to hear from you! Then visit Leslie Hachtel to find out her favourites!

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Read an excerpt from RICHLY DESERVED here.

As well as a workplace romance, it features a grumpy artist, a managing business owner, and a lot of steamy heat!

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Two women. Years apart. Linked by common experience and a cottage that has survived since the Civil War. When Rebecca reaches out from the past, Evelyn finds it life changing.

And in their own times, each must discover strength and fight to find and keep true love.

A NEST Award winner in Paranormal!

Read today
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Flash Fiction - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

2/11/2025

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You may be shocked to learn this about a romance writer,  but I’ll take the chance.
Mr. C and I do not celebrate Valentine’s Day.

We made the decision very early in our marriage, preferring to focus on our anniversary in May and other more personal dates throughout the year.

Not that we can ignore Valentine’s Day, of course. It’s all around us, LOL! Including this week on the blog hop:

It’s time for flash fiction using hearts, chocolate, and roses.

Enjoy!

​***
Candace’s feet ached. She’d been on them for hours, dealing with last minute Valentine’s Day orders. She hitched a hip onto the tall stool behind the counter and sighed as the pressure lifted from her ankles and arches.

At the moment, the shop was empty. Not only empty of customers. It was empty of roses, freesia, baby’s breath, alstroemeria, lilies… Her brain was too tired to list the rest.

Men were the worst. You’d think they didn’t know how to read a calendar. February 14th was the same day every year, for Pete’s sake. And the worst of the worst sauntered in on their way home from work, with only minutes to spare before closing, and were shocked, angry, dismayed, and petulant when she couldn’t magic up a glorious bouquet at their behest.

She hoped the hearts of the women they had belatedly remembered wouldn’t be too battered at this evidence of their partner’s inattention.

The bell above the door chimed. She closed her eyes, drew in a breath, and prepared to do what she could for the final poor sap of the day.
When she looked over the counter, she had to adjust her gaze down. The boy was maybe eight, with a thin face and a wing of dark hair falling over his forehead. Bold framed spectacles gave him a scholarly air, despite his youth. The navy-blue puffy parka he wore only emphasized his gawky frame.

“Hello,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to get some flowers.” He pulled a crumpled bundle of cash out of his pocket.

“I don’t have very much left,” Candace said with none of the impatience she’d offered the other latecomers. “I wish you’d got here sooner.”

“I had to wait for my dad to get off work. I made him bring me.” The boy nodded over his shoulder. Outside the wide display window, a large truck sat at the curb, snow frozen on the hood, dirt and grime dulling its bright blue paint.

“I see. Are the flowers for your mother?” She moved toward the cooler, wondering what she could scramble together.

“No. She’d dead.”

He said it so matter-of-factly that Candace had moved on three more steps before it registered. She stopped and looked down at the boy, standing at her elbow. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you.” The words were polite but empty. “They’re for my dad. Mom always bought him flowers for Valentine’s Day. He’d say he’d rather have chocolates, that real men didn’t want flowers, but I know he was only teasing her because he always kissed her for a long time after.”

Her heart splintered. “It’s lovely that you want to do this. Let’s see what we can find.”

Real men might not want flowers, but real men who were raising a son with the perception and sweetness of this boy deserved something special. And after all the saccharine sweetness of the other bouquets, it would be a welcome challenge.

She found a small clay pot in glossy black and stuffed it with florist’s foam. From a bucket in the far back of the cooler she pulled cedar fronds, pine fans, and thin birch branches. A couple of white carnations that had escaped her earlier pillaging added a pop of colour. She stepped back and studied it with a finger on her chin.

“It needs one more thing. Wait here.” She hurried to the storage room where off-season items were kept. She rifled through a box of Christmas décor and gave an exclamation of satisfaction.

Returning to the front, she plucked a thin but strong piece of wire from her supply table. After winding it swiftly around the front and rear axles of the old-fashioned truck she’d liberated from Christmas Past, she poked it into the middle of the bouquet. The truck was almost as bright a blue as the one parked at her curb, and it even had snow artistically painted on its fenders, roof, and hood.

“What do you think?” She turned the creation toward the boy, who been unnaturally quiet as she’d worked.

His face broke into a wide smile. “It’s not what Mom used to get him, but I think it’s perfect. How much is it?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him it was no-charge. But she didn’t want to belittle his gesture by refusing payment. “How much do you have?”

“Twenty-one dollars and fifty cents.”

“Isn’t that lucky! I sell this design for fifteen dollars. Of course, there are taxes on top of that.”

He nodded solemnly. She rang up the sale, took the money warmed by his small hand, and gave him the change, just as the door opened again.

“Everything okay in here?”

“You weren’t supposed to come in, Dad!” Dismay rang clear in the boy’s voice. “I don’t want you to see until we get home.”

Candace swiftly lowered the arrangement below the counter. “I’ll wrap it up to hide it,” she said. “Just give me a minute.”

She ripped off a long strip of paper from the roll she usually used to envelope small, hand-held bouquets. Working on the floor was awkward, but she managed at last. When she lifted it back onto the counter, she got her first look at “Dad.”

He was tall and thin, with the same shock of dark hair on his forehead as his son. Grey tinted his short sideburns and the lines on his face cut deep. She wondered if his wife had died recently, if the lines were grief or simple single-parent exhaustion.

“You have a wonderful son,” she said as she handed the arrangement over to the boy.

Love lifted some of the weariness out of his expression. “Yes. Thanks for helping him. I know you should be closed by now.”

“Not a problem.”

Father and son moved toward the door. As his dad opened it, the boy turned back to her. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she echoed. “Come again.”

She said that to all her customers. But she really wanted to see this pair again. Wanted to see what the man looked like with a smile on his face.

***

I'd love to hear what you think of this little story. Leave a comment below, then hop over to Jill Haymaker
 to read what she has for you!

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Richly Deserved

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.

To these two skeptics, true love is as phony as fool’s gold. But this improbable search for buried treasure could lead to their hearts’ hidden desires.

(Claudia and Titus both 49)

Available in print and e-book here


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Ride into Love

Can friends turn into lovers? After Robin Outlaw loses her beloved husband, can she find love again with someone who has been there all along? On a scenic cattle ranch and with the help of a small, rescue dog. She just might find that what she needs is right there in front of her.

Read today!
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Seasonal Writing - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

2/4/2025

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​Do the seasons affect your writing? Tell us how.

Boy howdy, do they! But maybe not in the way you’d expect.

You’d think I’d get a lot of writing done in the winter. The days are colder and shorter and we spend more time indoors. But my energy is also lower, and it is more of a slog to get going.

I love spring, when the weather is finally warm enough to write outside. Taking my laptop away from my desk always gives me a boost. The ideas start to flow fast and fierce.

As for summer, I always have high hopes. I can write in our backyard and the days are long enough I can still enjoy the sun even when I spend hours at my computer. I plan to get lots of words in when we go camping, away from the distractions of everyday. That doesn’t always pan out, though!

Fall is another boost for me. September often feels more like a new year than January does. I make goals and plans for darker months.

In the end, I probably do the least amount of work in the summer, though I have the most energy and set higher goals. Winter is my most productive, if I am counting words, though it often doesn’t feel like it.

What about you? Do the seasons affect your creativity? Let me know in the comments, then hop over to Jenna Da Sie.

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Have you read my gold rush mystery, RICHLY DESERVED, yet?

​You can read an excerpt 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.

To these two skeptics, true love is as phony as fool’s gold. But this improbable search for buried treasure could lead to their hearts’ hidden desires.
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Heavy Lifting - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/28/2025

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It’s the last Tuesday of January. Which means the cabin fever of February is just around the corner. Trust me, it’s a thing. And it ties in with this week’s topic:

Do you have a fitness routine? What do you do to maintain your physical and mental health?

I don’t mind the first months of winter – what would Christmas be without snow? – and in January I still have some energy. But February is when it begins to feel that winter will never end.

This is where my fitness routine become very important. Making myself get up and instead of slumping on the couch all day is vital to more than just my physical health. It brightens my attitude, too.

Our dog helps keep us moving, as we walk her every day. Over the winter we’ve gradually added longer and longer hikes, and we try and do a couple each week that are over 5km. Also, in the fall, Mr. C and I joined a local fitness centre. We go three or four times a week for more walking (I also use the elliptical and rowing machine). It’s amazing how less than an hour of working out can give me a boost of energy!

In January I registered for a strength-for-life program. I’ve always wanted to learn how to use weights properly, and I am really enjoying the class. The first week I went a little overboard and could barely manage stairs for a couple of days. But I’m getting to understand my limits better and this week, while I still feel it, I am not incapacitated, LOL.

What about you? What do you do for fitness, both physical and mental? Let me know below, then hop over to PG Forte to see what she does to keep active.

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It's always lovely when a reader leaves a positive review...but it is extra special when an author you admire does. Thanks, Ev Bishop, for such a wonderful comment!

"This is a lovely, page-turning story in every way, and I can't recommend it enough."

Read an excerpt from After Words here, or get your copy today!

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Fall For You: Texas Heat
A Heartwood, Texas Novel
 
Jocelyn Barnes couldn’t wait to leave Heartwood in her rearview mirror—even though it meant breaking two hearts in the process. Now, with her career on hiatus and her great-aunt in need of help as she recovers from concussion, Jo finds herself right back where she started, older but not much wiser, and about to make all the same mistakes all over again.
 
Carter Donahue doesn’t believe in looking back. As the chef/manager of his family’s new farm-to-table restaurant, he’s got his hands full. With a goal of turning his legacy into a must-see, Hill Country destination, his focus is on the future. The past? He’d rather that stayed buried. The last thing he needs (or wants) is to dig up those old feelings or fall back in love with his ex—especially when she’s already got one foot out the door. Again.​ ​
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Romantic Chemistry - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/21/2025

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​This week’s topic is a gut check for me. It’s one of those things that, as a reader, you know when you know. As an author, it can feel like sand slipping through your fingers.

How Do You Create Chemistry Between Characters?

Chemistry starts with conflict. Both characters want something. If it is the same something, they are racing for it. If it is a different something, then achieving their goals will divide them. The something can be tangible, like getting a promotion at work, or intangible, such as restoring self-confidence.

This initial spark should soon lead to teamwork, followed by sacrifice. This holds true for all stories, not just enemies to lovers. At some point the characters need to realize that the other person is deserving of attention and respect. Moving forward from that, they need to recognize that the other person has become vital to their own self-esteem. That loving the other makes themselves a better person. And if that means making difficult choices, then they will decide in favour of the other, not themselves.

Chemistry can’t just be built on “ooh, he’s handsome.” It has to have a foundation on a personal, intimate level that goes above physical attractiveness.

Like I said, I know it when I read it. But writing it is hard.

Now hop over to Jill Haymaker to read how she ignites the chemistry!

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AFTER WORDS

A mysterious diary ignites a shared quest…and an unexpected romance.

In this romance, the chemistry builds from work colleagues to friends to lovers. I love to write slow-burns, where the heat grows slowly and naturally. After Words is a great example of this, as Leeza and Gavin move along their relationship path.

Here's what other readers are saying:

"Not your usual romance, it’s even better!"
"This is a lovely, page-turning story in every way, and I can't recommend it enough."
"A slow burn had me eagerly flipping pages!"

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COLORADO WINTER MOON

They meet under the glow of a Colorado winter moon. Can the passion that flares between them unite two people who have given up on love? Will the challenges of family and distance, drive them apart or pull them closer together?


Available on Amazon
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Say What? - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/14/2025

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​I’m going to make a confession.

Writing is hard.

That’s why this week’s blog hop topic is a difficult one to answer.

How do you surprise readers with unique and unpredictable plots?

Every writer is different. Some have great stories to tell but struggle to make their characters feel authentically alive. For some, writing poetic descriptions comes easily, but action scenes are wooden and stiff.

For me, I could write dialogue and inner monologues all day long, but conjuring up obstacles and goals for my characters sometimes makes me want to hide under my desk.

Plot is the mechanics of a story. It is the outside influences that cause a character to act and react, that moves the story from the beginning to the end.

People read romances because they know the ending. They know the main characters will be rewarded for the struggles they go through and end up together. For romance readers, a unique and unpredictable plot is everything, otherwise why bother?

And that’s where I run into difficulties, because I like to write romances that are relatable to me. To my age, my financial station, my family situation. But to keep things interesting, I have to figure out a way to make that relatability different.

Characters with unusual careers help, but only if those careers also impact the relationship. A family, while “ordinary” on the outside, is always a good place to find conflict. Sometimes I have to dig deep to find those nuggets that will astonish my readers and keep them turning the pages.

What do you think makes a book unique and unpredictable? How has an author surprised you? I’d love to hear about it. Then hop over to Jenna Da Sie for her take on this topic.

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Speaking of unique stories...

​My inspiration for AFTER WORDS was the diary of William Henry Smith, a Canadian soldier who took part in the D-Day invasion that turned the tide of World War II. I found a transcription online and was immediately determined to work it into a romance. Each chapter begins with an entry from that diary. These excerpts, in William’s own words, tell a heartbreaking story on their own. Here is a sample of what I included in the book.

July 21st, 1941
The journey starts here. I don’t know if I’ll be able to record everything about it but I’ll try. My mother made me promise that I write in this journal as often as possible. She believes that writing your thoughts in journals keeps you sane. So I promised her, to comfort her. I’ve left home. We left today at noon from Halifax. It was difficult seeing the coast slowly shrink as we left. I hope this trip won’t be too long, I don’t want to get seasick.

June 23rd, 1942
Me and Rodney just got back from London, we had a great time. We went dancing and met lots of girls. There was this really nice girl that I met. Her name was Daphne. We chatted together for a while and I bought her a few drinks. She’s a little shorter than I am and her hair is beautiful. She wants me to come and see her again.

July 3rd, 1942
Got a letter from mom today. Everything’s fine. Maureen and David are fine also. I’m trying to get a pass to have the whole weekend off so I can spend it with Daphne in London.

September 5th, 1942
I got a letter back from mom today. I wrote to her about Daphne and she doesn’t seem very pleased. She doesn’t want me to see her anymore because she wants me to marry a Canadian girl. I didn’t know she felt that way. She’s a thousand miles away so she won’t know if I’m seeing Daphne or not. Thank the Lord for England.

September 15th, 1942
It’s over between me and Daphne.

December 18th, 1942
We’re constantly training on beaches on the Isle of Wight or near Norway. I’m guessing that we’re going to be landing on enemy beaches. This isn’t too comforting. They checked our feet two days ago after marching over forty-five miles and climbing cliffs and later enemy planes tried to bomb our camp as you can see we are a busy bunch.

​September 9th, 1943
I won’t be seeing London again for a while because we’re in Scotland now in a place right by the ocean called Rothesay. Here, I think I’ve done my most difficult training to date. First of all, they brought us in boats 50 yards from the shore and we had to swim back to the shore with our complete kit and Mae West (a sort of life vest). The problem is that the water is freezing. I have never been in water as cold as that. I’m thankful I can swim because lots of the guys can’t swim. You should see, those guys are being showed how to swim in these small swimming pools.

June 5th, 1944
They’ve brought us to the ports and boarded us in these massive ships. This is it, we’re leaving tonight.

June 7th, 1944
As we approached the beaches yesterday, all I could think of was one specific line in the speech General Eisenhower wrote us before we left England, “The free men of the world are marching to victory!” But now, words are jumping out at me. I still can’t describe the horror I saw yesterday as I got out of the L.C.I. I saw my own friends a few feet away from me, have their arms shot off or even worse die instantly in front of me. Everything has a different meaning once you live through it.

July 7th, 1944
I'm going back home. I lost my right foot on those new German mines. We were under fire and I was running to hide in the fields and next thing I knew I was laying in a pool of blood in great pain. But it’s over, the nightmare is over.

AVAILABLE IN E-BOOK AND PRINT HERE
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2025, Here We Come! - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

1/7/2025

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Welcome to the new year! We’re ready and raring to go here on the blog hop. But we’re starting with an easy one:

What are you looking forward to most in 2025?

I am so fortunate to have three amazing things to look forward to this year.

Grandbaby #4 is expected the end of this month.

Grandbaby #5 is expected end in early June.

And in between those two wonderful events Mr. C and I will be spending four weeks in Portugal!

Technically, we’ve been to Portugal before, when we visited the Azores with his family in 2013. But this time we are going to the mainland. We’ll spend a few days in Lisbon after we arrive. Then we have booked a week-long walking tour of the Algarve, where we travel on foot from village to village while our luggage is transported. We’ve never done anything like that before and we are both super excited. After, we’ll recuperate with five days at a beach town, before taking the train to Porto, where top of  my list to visit is the Livraria Lello. This is reputed to be the most beautiful bookstore in the world – AND is famous for being an inspiration for JK Rowling while she wrote the Harry Potter series. We’re following this up with a few days at another beach town on the central coast and then a couple more days in Lisbon before flying home.

I may have written more about Portugal than the grandbabies. But you know family is most important. It’s just I have a lot less control over what happens with them, LOL!
​
How about you? Any special plans for 2025? Share below, and then hop over to Leslie Hachtel!

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AVAILABLE NOW IN E-BOOK AND PRINT!

A mysterious diary ignites a shared quest…and an unexpected romance.

Leeza Boychuk is battling to save a failing business, furious at her philandering ex-husband, and devastated her son has put an ocean between them. The heartbreaking diary she discovers in her grandfather’s effects becomes more than a distraction from the disaster that is her life—it becomes a chance to right a decades-old wrong.

Determined to return the journal to the soldier’s family, she enlists the help of Gavin Fletcher, an enigmatic widower. His calm steadfastness is soothing to Leeza’s tattered soul, until a soul-searing kiss kindles a longing she isn’t ready to explore.

But Leeza can’t abandon her quest…even if it means confronting her feelings for this increasingly intriguing man.

(Leeza 49, Gavin 48)


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Get BOUND TO MOROCCO today!
 
Drugged and kidnapped, Lady Shera finds herself on a ship to Morocco to serve the Sultan. Abandoned and alone, Shera 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?
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The Gift of Time - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

12/17/2024

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Here on the Blog Hop, we always take a break during the last two weeks of the year. Which makes this my last post of 2024. Here’s our topic:

As we close off our blog hop year, what's one thing you have to be thankful for?

I have so much to be thankful for. But I think there is one word that encapsulates it all.

TIME.

Time with family and friends. Time to exercise, to explore. Time to travel. Time to write. Time to love.

Time truly is the best gift we can give and receive.

As this year winds down, I hope you take the time to appreciate both the challenges and joys in your life.

Thank you for being a part of my author journey. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I’ll be back in 2025!

Now hop over to Jill Haymaker to read about what she's thankful for.

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☃🤩 THE PROMISE OF FROST 🎅🎄
Get it today for only 99 cents!

An adventurous kitten, a curious dog, and a matchmaking eight-year-old guarantee this will be a holiday to remember.

☃🤩What Goodreads Reviewers are saying:
 
"Believable, unique characters and realistic romance"
"This book left me with happy, warm thoughts"
"A fun read! Sweet and loving"

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A Peakview Christmas to Remember

Available now!
​
Colette is faced with spending her first Christmas alone. That is until strangers welcome her into their home in the beautiful Colorado Rocky Mountains.. It just might be her best Christmas ever with a little romance sprinkled in.
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Hallmark Movie? - Romance Writers Weekly - #lovechatwrite

12/10/2024

1 Comment

 
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I’m telling you right now. I failed this week’s challenge.

Hallmark movies are known for their delightful predictability. Can you write your own in 500 words or less?

Nope. It appears I can’t. But I think I can do a great set up, at least. Here’s the opening scene for my Hallmark movie. I’d love to know what you think! Leave a comment below with your thoughts.

***

The scent of butter and sugar and flour alchemizing into something delicious to eat usually made Samantha relaxed and peaceful. But not today. Despite the tantalizing aromas wafting around her as she stood behind the bakery display case, her shoulder blades were drawn tight, and her lower back ached with tension.

“Here you go, Mrs. Mueller.” She smiled through gritted teeth and handed the small pink box and a takeout cup to the wizened old woman on the other side of the counter.

“It’s so lovely to see you where you belong, Samantha.” Mrs. Mueller beamed, her dentures too large and bright for her dried-apple face.

Samantha was a La Liste recognized pastry chef, not a smalltown baker. She did not belong here, at her family’s rinky-dink Donut Shoppe. Yes, with two p’s and an e. And if she had to make another plain glazed she might just scream.

“I’m sure your mother is thrilled to have you home,” Mrs. Mueller continued. “Of course, it’s terrible about her fall. What was a woman her age doing climbing a ladder, anyway?”

“She was putting up Christmas lights.” Samantha’s answer was a reflex. She knew Mrs. Mueller knew how the accident had happened. Everyone knew everything in this backwoods town. “Hopefully, she’ll be back soon.”

But until that glorious day, Mom was depending on Samantha to keep the family business going. This holiday season was make it or break it. Customers had been drifting away to the new, fancy coffee shop that had just opened only a few doors down on Main Street.

The bell above the front door jangled as Mrs. Mueller departed. And immediately jangled again when Todd McIntosh walked in.

Todd McIntosh. The boy who’d broken her teenaged heart. The man who’d married and then divorced Samantha’s ex-best friend. And the villain who’d opened the kitschy, up-market coffee shop now draining the life from her mother’s pride and joy.

“We need to talk.”

“No.” Her response was rapid and knee-jerk. As much as she hated being back in the family bakery, she would never betray her mother by consorting with the competition.

Especially when that competition still made her heart thump and her knees go weak in the most annoying way.

“My offer stands, Samantha. I want your recipes, and the right to brand them with your name when we sell them. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“Well, you’ll have to. I’d never betray my family that way.”

He leaned his elbows on the bakery case, dark eyes determined and intent. Goosebumps rippled over Samantha’s arms, despite the moist heat seeping through the door from the kitchen at her back.

“And I appreciate that. But it’s not as if your mother wants to use your recipes. Otherwise, she’d be offering them here.”

A sharp stab of rejection pierced Samantha’s heart. Adding some of her avant-garde specialties to the menu was sure to entice new customers to the Donut Shoppe. But Mom was stubbornly refusing to allow anything but her old, boring recipes.

“It doesn’t matter.” Samantha lifted her chin. “My recipes are not for sale. Especially not to you.”


***

Now hop over to Jenna Da Sie and find out if she did better than I did!

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☃🤩 THE PROMISE OF FROST 🎅🎄
A Seasoned – and Seasonal – Novella

Only 99 cents for the holiday season!

An adventurous kitten, a curious dog, and a matchmaking eight-year-old guarantee this will be a holiday to remember.


Luca Tannon’s new neighbour is a sexy but surly single dad. Which is all for the best since she’s intent on reclaiming her life after a toxic long-term relationship.

Caleb Frost won’t let anything distract him from ensuring his son’s first Christmas as the child of divorced parents is perfect. And that includes the irritatingly intriguing woman living next door.

Everything is going as planned…until it’s not.

(Single Dad, Christmas/New Years, Neighbours to Lovers, Steamy, Slow Burn, Open Door. Luca 32, Caleb 41)
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