PEACE BABY! ✌

It's that time of year up here in the Land of the Midnight Sun when we are fully aware of why this wild, wonderful place has this moniker. The robins chirp all night long because to them, morning is all night! This is great for the mating season, but for humans who desire sleep at 3:00 a.m. it's close-the-windows time. So we can sleep in peace.

The above photo is one of my favorites and whenever I look at it, I get a sense of peace in my heart. Because it's a reminder. 

When we're in a large touring vessel motoring in any of Alaska's ocean waters, and we approach a tidewater glacier, the captain slows the motors. For one thing, it's not wise for a boat to get too close to a tidewater glacer when it calves. Mini tsumanis race outward. There have been kayakers and small boats swamp or flip over by the displacement of water when enormous chunks of ice hit the ocean. Another reason the captain slows the motors is to listen...not just to the lapping of the water on the hull, but to the peaceful silence. Broken only by a flock of gulls, or a shrieking eagle claiming the salmon just beneath the surface.

But most of all, we wait...and wait...and wait...then SNAP! A sound like a thunderclap. Then another. And another...until the air fills with sounds of ice grinding down a massive glacial wall, then breaking off. A nanosecond of pause, then KERSPLOOSH! Into the ocean it goes, all in slow motion. The waves ripple out, eventually reaching our boat and our vessel glides up high on the wave's peak, suspends, then gracefully lowers back, level with the ocean. 

I try to go on these tours at least once every summer. Either in Resurrection Bay out of Seward, Prince William Sound out of Whittier, or Kachemak Bay in Homer. All three offer the grandest that Alaska has to offer. What I like is the peaceful feeling that fills your heart. Nothing to distract you but the forces of nature, the breath-taking beauty, and the marine life. The whales love to show off by breaching around the tour vessels when they slow or stop. Returning whales know the cadence of the bays, they know when the boats motor to the outer shoreline. They'll swim alongside sometimes, roll over, dive, then burst from the water in all their wild splendor.

As they fall back to the sea, I instinctively put my hand on my heart. There's no words to describe the all-encompassing feeling when I experience this. But I do know one thing...whenever I take these boat tours, I really do feel like I'm part of this spectacular marine world. And it's a peaceful one.

Mostly I love going to our cabin. The photo above shows the view from our bluff on the edge of our little cove, on Kachemak Bay. When I want peace in my heart and in my life, I head here, to my happy place. We found it some 28 years ago. It's boat only access, so we don't get a ton of visitors, but we do get kayakers, paddleboarders and the occasional boatload that stops by for a visit.

I think all of us need to find that inner peace that lies within us. It's hard in today's world with all that goes on, but it's there, if we give ourselves time to settle in and let it come to us. A happy place recharges our batteries, and rekindles our spirit. I'm heading down there tomorrow morning, in fact. The first thing I'll do is drag my sea kayak to the beach and paddle out to Otter Rock.

And wait for a whale to breach and bring me the peace I know that lives deep in my heart.

Where's YOUR happy place?

Side Note: The author wears peace sign tee shirts, PJs, and sandals; and sleeps on peace sign sheets and matching quilts. You can take the girl out of being a hippie, but you can't take the hippie out of the girl. Peace Baby!

***

I'm thrilled to announce my second novel, Alaska Inferno is now on Amazon. I'm thrilled to say the reviews are wonderful so far and it's hit a 4.9 rating!

Watch the book trailer for ALASKA INFERNO!   

LoLo Paige was a wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service. She's an award-winning author of two novels in the Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series, Alaska Spark and Alaska Inferno. Her stories contain edge-of-the-seat, invigorating action, strong-willed female firefighters, and romantic suspense. LoLo and her husband divide their time between their beach house in Kachemak Bay, Alaska and sunny Arizona. 

What readers have said about LoLo's books... 

"I could almost feel the heat of the wildfires that surrounded the crews as they staved off threats..."

"The men are wild and yummy and the women are strong and lovingly feisty. The plot moves along at a fast pace..."   

 GET INFERNO HERE!

Website / Bookbub / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Pinterest

 

Spring Is On The Way! Tis The Season For Wildfire by LoLo Paige

Spring Is On The Way! Tis The Season For Wildfire 

By LoLo Paige

LoLo is a contemporary and romantic suspense author. To read the first few chapters of Alaska Spark, click HERE or visit LoLo's Webpage to sign up for her newsletter. 

It's almost time for "break-up" in Alaska, the herald of spring up in these parts. That means a couple of things.

First, we gain daylight up here in mass quantities each day, all the way to Summer Solstice in June. Alaskans celebrate Summer Solstice with enthusiasm because after our long, dark winter, all-night sunlight is our much-anticipated reward! Extended daylight wakes up dormant trees and bushes, spurring new growth in our spruce, birch, and willow. (I still marvel at the miracle that ANY plant up here can survive the ruthless winter temperatures. I sincerely believe it is one of the Wonders of the World).

Second, we warm up, which is another delight. And third…well, the warmth also brings in our wildfire season. We have two susceptible periods of fire season up here: Pre-green-up, the time between break-up, where ice breaks up on our lakes and rivers, and when trees and bushes pop buds and leaf out. It’s super dry during this time, creating low fuel moisture for wildfires.

The second susceptible period for fire is in May and June, when the sun does its thing of never dipping below the horizon line. Temperatures can rise in Southcentral Alaska in Anchorage to the high 80s, and in the Interior near Fairbanks, in the 90s. This shocked me the most when I fought fires in the Interior. How can it get so hot in Alaska, of all places? One summer I worked loading fire equipment into airplanes in Fort Yukon in 97 degree heat.

Our state land mass of 663,268 square miles equates to a ton of action with lightning-caused wildfires, as it does around the Lower Forty-eight western states. Last summer, smoke was so dense in Anchorage from all the fires, that we had severe health advisories, and no one could open their windows. We had several weeks of a rare, 90-degrees. A historic moment: Alaskans overran Costco and Home Depot, desperate for fans to stay cool. Such a rare event they reported it on Channel 2 News!

Growing up in western Montana, wildfire was just as common. I began as a seasonal firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service and fought fires in Montana, Idaho, and California. I later transferred up to Alaska and worked for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, fighting fire in Alaska’s Interior.

When fires happen you are dispatched with your fire crew when requests are made for resources. Most fires are small and require less staff, but in recent years with the hotter, drier summers, fires have quickly grown to massive proportions, as we’ve seen in California, Washington, Montana and other states in the arid West.

Part of our fire training was to work with public outreach to educate homeowners on the urban-rural fire interface, where neighborhoods border wildlands. We made sure homeowners understood the importance of defensible space around their homes.

If you live in an area that is susceptible to wildfires, or bush fires, as Australians call them, it’s a good idea to create “defensible space” around your home. That is, remove all trees and other vegetation within a parameter at least 30 feet or greater, if possible, from your house. And never, ever store your firewood next to your home. You can Google videos of what happens when a wildfire comes through and the firewood stack ignites.

When fires reach trees and crown from tree to tree, rooftops can ignite if trees are too close. The National Fire Protection Association has specific actions to take to prepare homes for protection against wildfires:

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Preparing-homes-for-wildfire

In my first book, Alaska Spark, I write what happens when these things aren’t done and where inaction can lead. And because it's fiction, of course I raised the stakes high for homeowners and firefighters. The story is a romantic suspense/action adventure about the dynamic of people working together in a stressful environment and the friendships and love relationships that form…and complicate things. I love writing about the grit and determination required to be a firefighter.

Much of my novel is inspired by true events. My husband and I were both firefighters in Montana, so I had lots to draw on for the romance *smiley face.*

Despite the back-breaking work and sometimes being terrified on the fireline, I loved my time as a wildland firefighter. It was something I never dreamed was possible or I thought I could do. But growing up in the Rocky Mountains with the romantic notion of working in the great outdoors was something I couldn’t resist.

When I fought fire, I was fortunate to have good leadership and crew bosses who knew fire behavior and always kept safety a priority. I enjoyed the give and take between everyone on a crew, regardless of gender. I worked on a crew where everyone respected each other’s boundaries.

As a female, it was a constant challenge to prove I could do the physical aspects of a job traditionally done by males. Sometimes I worked with old-school thinkers who thought women had no place on a fire line. I worked hard to prove myself to them. Most came around, but there was always that one holdout. I write about this in the novel. Now it’s commonplace for women to work on fire crews. An all-woman fire crew from Montana came to Alaska last summer to fight fires.

As our Alaska fire season progresses, I cross my fingers that homeowners and firefighters will be okay, and no more homes will be lost.

When I watch the evening news and see lines of firefighters in yellow Nomex shirts, shouldering heavy packs and gripping their Pulaskis, I’ll pray they’ll be okay, no matter where they are fighting fire.

They will forever be my heroes.

 For a behind-the-scenes experience on what it’s like to be a wildland firefighter, read Alaska Spark, available on Amazon

Alaska Inferno, the second book in the Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series, is now available for Pre-order

ARE YOU FIRE READY? 🔥🔥🔥

Fighting Fires and Romance with LoLo Paige

As a lover of our wildlands in the American West, I fought wildfires in several western states. I love writing about the grit and determination required to be a wildland firefighter.

As a female, it was a constant challenge to prove I could do the physical aspects of the job. Sometimes I worked with old-school thinkers who thought women had no place on a fire line. I worked hard to prove myself and earned the respect of my male counterparts, even the old-school thinkers who still didn’t think women belonged on the fire line. I write about this in the novel. Many women face this in professions that have been traditionally male-dominated. Now, women make up a healthy portion of wildland fire crews.

Alaska Spark is a story about the dynamic of working in a stressful environment with men and women who live and work together on a fire crew. When I fought fire, I was fortunate to have good leadership and crew bosses who knew fire behavior and kept safety a priority. I enjoyed the give and take between everyone on our crew, regardless of gender. I worked on a crew where everyone respected each other’s boundaries.

My husband and I were both firefighters for the U.S. Forest Service in Montana and I didn’t have to reach too far to write the romance in the story. I had so much fun writing it!

Firefighting made me grow up. I learned that not only did I have the responsibility to watch out for my own safety on the fire line, I watched out for my crew members. We trusted each other; without trust it's difficult for a crew to congeal and work successfully as a team. Firefighting was one of the most exhilarating work experiences of my life.

I’ve just finished writing Alaska Inferno, the second book of the Blazing Hearts Wildfire series, and again I had an absolute blast writing it. This book continues the firefighting adventures of the Alaska Fire Service Aurora Crew and will be released in late March. I raised the ante on the crime elements in the second book with a serial arsonist. I write women who are strong, guys that are calendar-worthy hot, and the romances that are passionate. Romance, fire, and sabotage are an explosive mix.

What has made all of this so special was a reader who said, “Your words moved me after having gone through a traumatic experience fighting a bad fire in Southern California. It helped me to know I’m not the only one who has had these experiences.” This is why I write. If I can make a difference to just one reader, I’ve done my job as a writer.

As I say on my taglines when promoting Alaska Spark: Hope creates heroes and love creates miracles!

Lolo Paige is an award-winning author who writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. Her debut novel, Alaska Spark, won a 2020 Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion and the true-life story that inspired it won a 2016 Alaska Press Club award. Alaska Spark finaled in two RWA chapter contests and was featured in Publishers Weekly Booklife Magazine. In late 2020, Amazon ranked Alaska Spark #1 for Romantic Suspense on their Bestsellers Lists for the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

LoLo worked as a wildland firefighter for the Missoula Smokejumper Base and the U.S. Forest Service in Missoula, Montana. She moved from Montana to Alaska, seeking romance and adventure and found both! After an action-packed career that included fighting fires in Montana, California, and Alaska, LoLo took up writing full time. LoLo lives in Alaska with her husband and golden retriever, enjoying summers at their oceanfront cabin, fishing for halibut and salmon…and writing. Her next book, Alaska Inferno, will be released in March.

Lolo plans to launch two more series in 2021: A romantic suspense crime thriller series set in Alaska and a “seasoned” romance series with older characters and second chance & friends to lovers themes.

Links to Website and Social Media

AMAZON BOOK PAGE               https://amzn.to/3pOUe4B

LOLO PAIGE WEBSITE              https://www.lolopaige.com/

GOODREADS BOOK PAGE        https://bit.ly/3oepCZL

GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE   https://bit.ly/3rVSRTq

BOOKBUB AUTHOR PAGE         https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lolo-paige

BARNES & NOBLE PAGE            https://bit.ly/38Zu0pk

FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE      https://www.facebook.com/LoLoPaigewildlandfire

TWITTER                             https://twitter.com/LoloPaigeAuthor    @LoLoPaigeAuthor

 

A Fantasy Vacation to Alaska...by Kristin Wallace

I’ve been off topic for a good bit this year, since I had 3 book releases back to back (to back). This month, I can follow the theme, which is “My Fantasy Vacation”. Next month I’ll be fulfilling one of those fantasies as I go on an Alaskan cruise with my family. 

I’ve known many people who have gone, and everyone says it’s amazing. I can’t wait. We fly from Florida to Alaska, so from one corner to the other corner. It’s pretty much the furthest you can in the US. I don’t know how many hours that will take. I don’t even want to think about it. There will also be a time big changes, as Alaska is 4 hours behind Florida. Losing those hours is rough. You want to go to bed at like 8 because, of course, it’s midnight back home. It’s pretty easy to wake up, on the other hand. Also, since Alaska is so far north, and it’s the middle of the summer, it will be daylight most of the time, anywhere from 18 to 22 hours a day. The sun barely sets, which I’m thinking will mess with the body quite a bit.

We’re flying into Anchorage, Alaska. From there we’re going on a 4-day train trip into Denali National Park. Then we have a 7-day cruise, which ends in Vancouver. We have excursions booked to see the glaciers, of course. Plus, a fun adventure to see sled dogs. Not sure if we just watch or if you can actually ride in a sled. (I’d totally do that, if they let us.) Whale watching is also on the agenda. There’s sure to be a bear hanging out in National Park. Don’t they just sit around waiting for photo opps all the time? 

So, have any of you done the Alaskan cruise? Tell me your experience? Is there anything I shouldn’t miss? What was your favorite part? Give me some travel tips! 

I’ll actually be on the cruise when it’s my day to post next month, so in August I’ll be back with the update on my trip. 

Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She has three series, Shellwater Key Tales(sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Check out her newest series, The Heiress Games, a sweet contemporary that sees three very different women competing for custody of a pampered pig…and a $120 million fortune. 

Book 1: Least Likely Heiress
Book 2 Not Quite An Heiress
Book 3: The Forgotten Heiress

Available at Amazon, iTunes, B&N, and Kobo

Fireworks in Alaska? by Lynn Lovegreen

I’ve never been a fireworks fanatic, and I think it’s because I’m an Alaskan. We shoot some off on the 4th of July, just for tradition’s sake, but it’s not very dramatic. Remember, this is the land of the midnight sun, which means fireworks are hard to see then.

via Alaska Memes, @907memes on Facebook

Our best fireworks holidays are in the winter, when it’s dark in the evenings. My favorite fireworks memories are from New Year’s Eve and Fur Rendezvous (an Anchorage winter festival held in February). But there are times when it’s too cold to be outdoors for very long without getting frostbite. I admit I can be a wimp about standing around in the middle of a winter night just to see a few man-made sparkles in the air.

So fireworks are not a big thing to me, unless we’re visiting Outside (outside Alaska) and we see some where it’s warm and dark at the same time. That’s always been a novelty to me—back home, it’s either warm or it’s dark at night, not both. 

I guess it’s all in what you’re used to—I love it when I can go to bed in the sunlight in the summertime, but some people can’t sleep when it’s still light out. What’s up with that? ;-)

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. She taught for twenty years before retiring to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering at her local library. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

My Perfect Time and Place by Lynn Lovegreen

This month, we’re talking about our perfect time and place. I’ve already found my place—Alaska. As I’ve mentioned before, this is my home because I love the land, water, and people here. It’s great to be around beautiful landscapes, and friendly, independent  folks. But as an historical author, I’m always looking back in time.

The Alaska Gold Rush ran from the late 1800s through 1915 or so, depending on your criteria. The Gold Rush time period is attractive to me because anything seemed possible and the territory was full of hardy, adventurous people. And while life was not easy for women then, they had more opportunity in Alaska than they normally would have in other places. Many women in Alaska were able to push the boundaries by owning their own businesses, like Belinda Mulrooney, and proving that women were physically as strong as men, like Fannie Quigley. It’s no accident that the territory was one of the first to pass women’s suffrage, and had women representatives like Crystal Snow Jenne, who grew up in Juneau during the Gold Rush, early in its legislative history. 

As you can guess, many of my Gold Rush characters are based on these and other extraordinary ladies. I’m proud to be part of this legacy, and would like to think I would have been as remarkable as my Gold Rush heroines if I’d been there myself. This is as close as I can get, on the beach in Nome in my Gold Rush-inspired clothes. :-)

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

Tam Linsey: Food and a Post Apocalyptic World

Wow, five years Judith and Sarah? Where did the time go? I’m so proud of you both for keeping the Genre-ista’s going strong and steady, and for pursuing your own writing and publishing dreams at the same time. Way to go!

For all you readers, let me give you a little backstory. (I just said the “b” word!) Judith and I met in 2010 during an online class about platform building for writers. I was in the process of switching my writing from contemporary romance to sci-fi, and Judith was cheering me on and keeping me motivated in spite of what seemed like an overwhelming task. I was so honored when she and Sarah started Romancing the Genres and asked me to be a part of it.

Now here it is, five years later, and although I moved on, I remain in contact with my platform partner, Judith. I’ve published three post-apocalyptic novels and two short stories set in a world decimated by genetically modified weeds – yes, there is love after the world ends. 

About a year ago, Audible provided a stipend to turn book one of Botanicaust into an audiobook. Readers call my stories “thought-provoking” and “chilling” along with quotes like “I never would have imagined I would be turned on by a plant.” (That one tickles me!) Most of all, I get comments along the lines of “completely unlike anything I’ve ever read before.” Botanicaust is a crazy mix of cannibals, plant people, immortals, and Amish, but it works, love story and all.

What am I doing now, you ask? When I’m not in the garden or muddling through my day job, I’m working on recording my other books in my tiny, homemade recording studio (also known as the blanket-shrouded closet in my office.) I’m also writing an unsettling post-apocalyptic story about a world destroyed by killer amoebas - I know, first I write about green-skinned seductresses, now the Blob. But I promise, just as Botanicaust isn’t William Shatner hooking up with an alien, my new world won’t be a cheesy conspiracy theory gone wrong. And you haven’t seen the end of the Botanicaust world, either. I plan on giving you the history for the photosynthetic Haldanians, plus there is definitely more to come with Tula and Levi.

I can’t resist one last reader quote to wrap things up. “To all the little Fred Savages out there, I'm sorry, [Botanicaust] is a kissing book. But even if that's not your bag, Tam Linsey has written a solid sci-fi book you will dig.”

In closing, I want to thank you for stopping by. If you’d like to know more about my books, you can sign up for my newsletter at http://bit.ly/Botanicaust or visit my website at http://www.tamlinsey.com. Or, of course, you can also go directly to Amazon if you already know you like post-apocalyptic romance.

Tam lives in Alaska with her husband and two grown children. She lives on a half-acre lot that is more than a garden and less than a farm. When she’s not writing, you might find her in the garden, the orchard, or kitchen.

Other books in the Botanicaust series:

    

Flash of Fire! -Releases next Tuesday

by M. L. Buchman

The heli-aviation wildland firefights of Mount Hood Aviation are back and this time they're being challenged like never before.

Flash of Fire cranks up the heat on the Firehawks series.

There are some series that are just so much fun to write and within those series there are some books that are exceptionally fun as well. Flash of Fire with the searingly-hot, and thoroughly-confirmed-single Robin Harrow and Mr. Stable, Mickey Hamilton, was definitely one of those books.

Don't get me wrong, I've never written a book that I haven't loved. But not many of them have made me laugh so much as I wrote them. Warning: When it's the author talking about laughing, it often has an evil cackle because he so enjoyed turning up the heat on his characters. And I certainly turned up the pressure on these two.

After saving the town of Dawson City, Yukon from a massive wildfire, the pilots are unwinding a bit in the town's tourist attractions. Diamond Tooth Gerties has Can-Can girls who offer lessons to willing tourists. On a dare, the female pilots of Mount Hood Aviation have taken the challenge.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been this happy,” Cal had his camera out and was snapping pictures. “I’ve got blackmail material for years.”

Mickey sat front and center of Diamond Tooth Gerties’ main floor and looked up at the stage, couldn’t look away from it. Gerties Can Can girls were conducting a class and Mickey was being overwhelmed by the spectacle of the MHA women dressed in period costumes, practicing high kicks and stepping in unison.

Laced up form-hugging bodices of black leather. Long legs flashing out from ruffled skirts. Low black heels and occasional flashes of barely discrete black underwear.

The place was packed with Canada Day revelers. The long wooden bar with its bartenders in idealized period costumes of suspenders, straw hats, and those elastic gathers around the biceps of their button-down white shirts. The waitresses in all black Can Can dresses and black feathers in their hair. Gamblers crowded about the roulette and blackjack tables.

But Mickey only had eyes for what was happening on the stage. And if he’d never imagined her on a motorcycle, he’d absolutely never thought to see Robin Harrow in a dress, especially not a risqué piece of French frippery from the Klondike Gold Rush era.

But it wasn’t only his Robin, shining like a golden icon, that was blowing him away.

It was the “his” that was doing it to him.

He was feeling terribly possessive and was discovering that he liked the feeling. A lot. Not that she belonged to him, but more that he was the one who could hold her close, kiss her on the temple until his senses were overwhelmed by her, and could make her laugh.

“She’s laughing,” Vern leaned in from beside him. “I had no idea Harrow could laugh.”

Mickey did. Her joy seemed boundless when they were together. Her amused laugh trickling out at the oddest moments.

“Look at your own lady, buddy,” Mickey wanted to distract Vern from the subject. He wasn’t ready to share his true feelings about Robin with anyone, not even her just yet.

They’d had problems finding a dress small enough for Denise, but they had. The generally silent and deeply reserved mechanic was up there with the rest of the women on full display.

“Life is good,” Vern sighed.

“And how,” Tim agreed, his long legs stretched out before him.

Robin, Denise, Macy, and Jeannie were the four on stage. Carly and Steve had disappeared somewhere, perhaps to walk the town as it wound down after the day’s celebration, perhaps to a quiet hotel room—definitely to escape. The group had left Akbar and several of the other smokejumpers—still stumbling from their week-long ordeal—asleep on a patch of green grass not far from where the picnic table had stood. Only Tim Harada had remained with them, and that only because of his wife’s sticking with the other female pilots.

“You’re not doing yourselves any good from here, boys,” Mark appeared among them.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be up there with them?”

“Harrow may think so, but I’m not that malleable.”

Mickey had to nod. With Mark Henderson, that was one thing that was for damn sure. Though he suspected that if Emily was here…but she wasn’t.

In her place was Robin Harrow. She was chaotic, unpredictable, and screamingly competent. He could feel the stupid happy grin on his face as he watched her throw herself into a stomp-knee raise-stomp-kick-stomp-knee raise routine.

“C’mon,” Mark tipped Mickey out of his chair. Gave Vern a shove. “Get up there if you guys have even half a brain.” He thumped Tim on the arm hard enough to dislodge an elephant. Cal stumbled to his feet quickly enough when Mark moved his way and slung his camera around behind his back.

Mickey decided that if Emily were up there on stage, Mark would have been right there with her from the first second. He was right; Mickey was being stupid. Well no longer.

While the other guys were still protesting, Mickey ambled up to the lip of the stage. It was about four feet above the main floor. He could stand here and watch Robin dreamily as she worked on a cross-over step, or…

He gave a small jump and vaulted up onto the well-worn hardwood.

There was a drunken round of applause and encouraging cheers from the audience that he completely ignored.

Mickey walked up to Robin. She didn’t stop her kick rhythm, but her smiling blue eyes tracked his every step in her direction. In moments the Can Can instructor, a fine-looking woman in her forties with long, dark-red hair, had him holding Robin’s waist from behind to support and steady her.

The other guys, either following his lead or giving in to Mark’s harangue, soon joined him and were added to the line.

By themselves the four women had been merry, laughing, goofy, and beautiful in their blushing self-embarrassment. Only Robin had whole-heartedly thrown herself into the act, raising her skirt high for the kicks, tossing her head as if her hair was billowing waves instead of the elfin chop that it was.

With the four men on the stage, it became a quieter group. Not somber, not dampened. But more intense. He could feel it himself. As he followed the instructor’s guidance on how to lift and twirl Robin, on how to lean her back when she kicked high, the instructor and the other couples fell away.

His awareness of Robin grew until nothing else mattered, not the other dancers, not the crowded bar, not even a very self-satisfied looking Mark Henderson who had taken Mickey’s chair.

Mickey’s arms were full of a beautiful woman in a stunning dress, and he was so gone on her.

The next time he lay her back in a dance step, he kissed that lovely, laughing mouth of hers.

He was far more than gone.

More info / Buy Now links

M. L. Buchman has over 40 novels in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and twice Booklist “Top 10 of the Year,” placing two titles on their “Top 101 Romances of the Last 10 Years” list. He has been nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of 2014” by RT Book Reviews. In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.

He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing and receive exclusive content by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com. 

My Alaskan Comfort Food by Lynn Lovegreen

We all have comfort foods, at least one food we go to when we need stress relief or a reminder of home. In Alaska, that comfort food is often wild salmon.

When I was growing up, our family would go camping at Willow Creek while my dad was fishing with friends. I remember Mom cooking hours-fresh salmon filets, pan-fried with a light cornmeal coating. When we got home, we’d wrap each fish, name, and freeze it. (It kept us girls entertained to come up with the names and write them on the freezer paper.) All winter long, Mom would roast a salmon, announce which one it was this time, and we’d dig in, thanking Gertrude or Sammy or whoever we were eating that night.

Now, my husband is the one that catches salmon, dip-netting on the Copper River. Our favorite way to cook it is grilled, basted with half olive oil and half lemon juice, with a little garlic, chopped onion and spices added. When it’s too cold to grill or we want a change, salmon is also good smoked, or in chowder, quesadillas, omelets, patties…. You get the idea. 

I am so lucky to have comfort food that is tasty and actually good for you, thanks to salmon being omega-3 rich. May your comfort food feed your body and your soul. Isn’t that why we eat anyway, for both reasons?

P.S. Celebrate spring with RTG’s Spring Has Sprung! Join us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/1061234633949174/ or Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/marciakinggambl/spring-has-sprung/ until April 26.

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult/new adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

My Favorite Places by Lynn Lovegreen

Like some of our bloggers, my favorite places have changed throughout my life, but there are threads that tie them together.

When I was growing up in Fort Richardson, Alaska, our housing was next to a small patch of woods. I used to spend hours under the birch trees, making up fairy stories among the ferns and dwarf dogwood blossoms. Later, when I was a teenager, my dad had a boat in Whittier, Alaska. I discovered I loved being on the water, and we explored Prince William Sound, admiring the glaciers cascading into the sea, watching otters and whales. Both places were beautiful to me, but in different ways.

Those woods and the Sound hold special memories for me, but I can’t do those things anymore, now that I don’t have access to the post and the boat has new owners. I do go out on the ferry or other people’s boats as often as I can, but it’s not the same. I still enjoy our family’s condo in Whittier, and Billings Glacier in Prince William Sound is a touchstone I need to see from time to time.

I also have new special places I can go with my husband and daughter and son-in-law, like Denali National Park and Preserve and Homer’s Kachemak Bay. There are so many beautiful and interesting places to see in Alaska. I find wonder and solace in the mountain views or ocean swells. And great stories are in the history of these places, for example from Kantishna in Denali, where I set  Gold Nuggets, my latest book. Instead of telling myself fairy stories, I am writing young adult historical romance, but I’m still inspired by my favorite places.

Learn more about Gold Nuggets at http://www.prismbookgroup.com/goldnuggets.htmlhttp://www.prismbookgroup.com/goldnuggets.html.

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.comwww.lynnlovegreen.com.

My Bucket List by Lynn Lovegreen

I’m a “woman of a certain age” now, so some expect me to have regrets and a bucket list. I don’t, really, because I’ve had a pretty good my life so far. But there are some things I hope to do in the future.

First, I want to go to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, and the village next door, Unalaska. I’m not a reality TV fan (except for Dancing With the Stars—long story), so it’s not about crab boats and their crews. I want to see the history there. You see, Dutch Harbor was bombed by the Japanese military in 1942. And I’m writing a series about World War II in Alaska, so I hope to do some research there next summer. 

Second, I want to publish the series I mentioned above. The first book, about the building of the Alcan Highway, is almost done. Then, I want to write the Dutch Harbor book, and a book about the AlSib program—a part of the Lend Lease program that brought airplanes to Fairbanks for the Russian allies. And I have a few other ideas if I need more than three books in the series. There are some fascinating stories about that time period in Alaska, and I hope to introduce them to readers.

Personally, as I said, I don’t have much of a list. But I do enjoy traveling, so there are a few places I’d like to see. I have relatives to visit in several places around the U.S. And I’ve never been to Ireland, or Scotland, or Australia…okay, maybe I do have a bucket list after all. 

May you cross off the items on your own bucket list, and do all the wonderful things you wish to do in your lifetime! 

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.

My Favorite Flower: the Forget-Me-Not by Lynn Lovegreen

If you know me well, it’s not too surprising that my favorite flower is the forget-me-not. It’s kind of old-fashioned, more of a wildflower than a cultivated one, and it’s also petite. Plus it’s closely associated with Alaska. Please allow me to explain.

The forget-me-not has a sentimental name that goes back a long time. The definition in  Dictionary.com states, “the flowering plant Myosotis palustris, 1530s, from Old French ne m'oubliez mye; in 15c. the flower was supposed to ensure that those wearing it should never be forgotten by their lovers. Similar loan-translations took the name into other languages.” That romantic name is one of its attractions for me. 

Plus, I feel the flower physically resembles me a bit in that it is petite and it grows well without a fuss. I am a bit under 5 feet tall, and forget-me-nots grow in tiny clusters. I have forget-me-nots in several places around my house, but the locations it really likes is in gravel between a garden bed and a brick path, and between stone steps. It doesn’t need to be coddled, and neither do I. Neither one of us is hothouse material.

And, of course, it is the Alaska state flower, and I am a diehard Alaskan. You can find forget-me-nots growing wild throughout the state, and forget-me-not designs on t-shirts, postcards, Alaska Native art, you name it, all over Alaska. 

I always smile when I see a forget-me-not. I hope this post’s photos make your day, too!  

Lynn Lovegreen grew up in Alaska, and still lives there. Her young adult historical romances are set in the Alaska Gold Rush, a great time for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com.