I Bring you good tidings ...Books filled with good Cheer!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

Yippee! The holidays are here, and with holidays come, books, lots of them, and some written by our favorite authors.

You can never go wrong gifting a book, and in this case re-gifting, is permissible, and even flattering. Not that I recommend doing so without at least  a first read.

Word of mouth is a powerful thing, and like hand-selling a book, it's free marketing for the author. I’ve been  introduced to many a new author this way, and they've introduced me to their fans. So, that said, in this time when sharing is caring, I’d like to introduce you to some new and not so new holiday releases, by authors you may or may not be familiar with... at least not yet. Sit back and have  a read!

With pleasure, I introduce you  to an  amazing holiday boxset,  titled, Unforgettable Christmas Dreams. It was penned  by eleven multi-published USA Bestsellng authors, and offered at only an amazing 99 cents.. Now that’s a bargain, if you ever heard of one. Hop over to Amazon and pick up your copy.  Here's the link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZCBXNRY/

Next up, talented, NY Times bestselling author,  Patrice Wilton, gives you  A Heavenly Christmas. Can you imagine having car trouble,with two kids in tow,  and landing in a magical town called Heaven? Everything about this place seems heavenly, including Nick Ryan, local chef with a heart equally as big as yours You’ll want to eat him up.

Of course  you've heard of the incomparable Heather Graham (not the actor,)  but the author of over 200 books and novellas. She is the founding mother of my Florida Writers chapter,  a more delightful and down to earth person you have yet to meet. Heather’s Spirit of the Season, released to the usual rave reviews.  Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect:

Imagine a young widow with no steady job, three children, a dilapidated Victorian house in constant need of repair, and now she takes in her newly orphaned nine-year-old nephew, Davey.

Davey is happiest playing baseball, and our young widow helps him through Little League tryouts – even though her past flame Tim Yeagher, is the coach.  I don't know about you, but I see drama ahead. And if that’s not enough,  fans of Heather’s Krewe books need to be on the look out for Christmas, The Krewe and a Large White Rabbit. Find it on Amazon https://amzn.to/2sUYmba.

Then of course  there’s me. Releasing  two previously written novellas. You can buy them as part of a boxset  at the bargain price of $2.99  or as singles at $1.99. I could not be more pleased  if you Ring in the Holidays with me. https://amzn.to/2D2XWRZ  https://bit.ly/36Nlbgi

Have a Happy Holiday Season all!

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS  Be sure to join her mailing list.

Let the Magic Find You!

By: Marcia King- Gamble

www.lovemarcia. com

Happy Holidays to you and yours!  It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect.

For those of you who’ve been following me over the years, you know that I always start off the new year by creating a vision board.  So, isn’t it fitting to end the year looking back at the highs and lows of 2018? 

For me there were many.  But despite the best laid plans of mice and Marcia, life got in the way. The one thing I’ve learned is to roll with it and deal with whatever is thrown at me. A prominent theme  this year on my vision board is to allow myself to enter the “Zen Zone.” In other words, be more relaxed and open to what life hands me.

Overall, it’s been a promising year, and one in which I’ve learned to make lemonade out of the sourest of limes.  In the whole scheme of things, as one friend constantly reminds me, "Ours are first world problems.” 

I saw how true that statement was when I visited Malawi in October. I had the good fortune to be selected as an Ambassador to UNICEF. Many people there earn thirty-eight cents per day.  At least here in the United States, while we might moan about our income, we have a minimum wage.

 This rare opportunity, though unplanned, was the highlight of my year. Travel is always highlighted on my vision board. But I thought for sure I’d be back in Europe or maybe New Zealand.  Never in my wildest dreams had I expected to be in Africa; a place I’d not been to in several decades. This is a country that required inoculations and the taking of malaria pills.  The journey was hardly a vacation, and definitely an eye-opening experience. For me, it was a much-needed reality check, making me grateful for what I have.  In so many ways, comparatively speaking, I am rich. My wealth goes way beyond money, especially when you see malnourished children greatly in need. 

Giving back to the craft is always on my vision board. This year, I had several opportunities to present workshops; the focus being aspiring writers. I conducted several on self-publishing and marketing yourself on a shoestring. A most recent  workshop focused on how to get published in a tough publishing market.

 As you all know, the publishing market has undergone changes. It's become survival of the fittest, making it even tougher for newbies to break into our world.  Many of these workshops are free and sponsored by the local libraries. As an author, it’s gratifying to conduct them and see how grateful the attendees are to receive tips from a published author.

This was also a year of getting back to work in an industry I enjoy. After taking a long hiatus from the travel industry,  I’ve, returned to a career that is every bit as fulfilling as writing, and equally as rewarding.  I realize just how much I missed it.   It's a business that sparks ideas. Since I’ve always enjoyed meeting people of different cultures, and traveling to exotic lands,  the rewards are that I have to do limited research regarding settings. I usually write about places I've been to, so the smell and the feel of that country or city is authentic, at least from my point of view.  

Another constant theme on my vision board is ‘letting the magic find you.’  By that,  it means remaining more open to possibilities. I tend to be a planner, and at times, way too self-focused. By allowing the magic to find me, I was able to write a book for a series that was a new world to me, and one that I had been resistant to at first. Not because I disliked the concept, I’d just never considered writing about a small, Southern town, as that lifestyle is foreign to me.   

The end result, however was  Magnolia Moments, the cover above. The story is set in the small Southern town of Eighty-Eight. My hero, an executive recruiter comes to town in search of the mother who gave him away. My heroine is in town trying to piece together why her father, a retired doctor is mysteriously getting ill.  Her dad, recently widowed, is now remarried. At the urging of his new wife, he takes out out a huge insurance policy, and then starts getting sick.  Look for Magnolia  Moments, out as an eBook on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, in the next few days. The Eighty-Eight series was created by author, Bettye Griffin.  

In the last several years, Bettye and I have collaborated on the Holiday Sparkle Series; a collection of novellas, focusing on a special red dress that changes lives.  These are the perfect holiday "feel good" stories. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X6BYMFQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_4yMdCbTDA7KVD

Next up, is a novella titled Ring in the Holidays, also being released in a few weeks. Ring in the Holidays will be found on the same platforms.

Overall, it has been a year of opportunity. Many unseen, and many unplanned. Staying in the Zen Zone allows the magic to come to you.  All it requires is acceptance and an open mind, and your dreams can come true.

Happy Holidays all!  Remain humble and remain grateful.  I so much appreciate you!

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Yes Virginia, Thanksgiving is Still a Real Holiday Complete With Romance

Hi everyone! 

I am Young Adult, and now Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. My tagline syas it all, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.  My debut middle grade novel, Courage, was recently published by Harper Collins. More about friendship than romance, it's still a great read for this, or any season. Check my books out at http://babinns.com

After I saw my first Christmas commercial on TV in September, and trees and lights in stores right next to the Halloween decorations, I wasn’t sure the turkey day still existed. (Blink and Thanksgiving is over, especially with the holiday coming so early this year. It's barely a week away)

In the interests of total honesty, Thanksgiving is not the greatest time of the year for the Binns family. My sister's well-loved son died over Thanksgiving more than a decade ago, from a major asthma attack. For years she could not even spend that holiday in the country, she had to be somewhere else to make it through. Even now she still keeps herself isolated. Fortunately she still has her daughter, and two grandchildren. One is a junior and track phenom at Clarke University in Indiana. (You rock, Mikayla!)

That's why I chose to go seek out romances set during Thanksgiving.  I know, Christmas romance is all the rage, but believe it or not, there actually are Thanksgiving-themed romances floating around. At least, a few. Here are some turkey-day stories you might have missed.

In A McClendon Thanksgiving, by Sean D. Young, Faith McClendon put her promising fashion career on hold to support her investment banker husband's climb to financial success. Once he achieved his goals, he dumped her for another woman. In A McClendon Thanksgiving Faith moves home to Chicago (my home town) to hit the “reset” button.

One bright spot is the renewal of her long-time friendship with her childhood best buddy, Michael Montgomery. Michael pretended to be Faith's husband to fend off unwanted attention, gave her a shoulder to cry on, and cheered the loudest when she left home for fashion school. She never knew that he actually loved her, and that time has not dimmed the feeling. Now he decides to break down the walls around Faith’s heart and convince her they can be much more than friends.

This is a story about putting past hurts aside in the hope of finding your HEA with the one you love. It’s about learning not to judge all men because of one bad one. This book demonstrates that there is love after heartbreak. And who doesn’t love a good friends-to-lovers romance?

I write stories aimed at younger readers, so I always love reading young adult and middle grade books with the right touch of romance. Ready or Not by Meg Cabot is both a sequel to her All American Girls, it’s a romantic escapade centered around Thanksgiving.
At Camp David.
With the president’s son.
Who wants to take their relationship “to the next level.”

Samantha Davies is dating the First Son. And now, not only does her art teacher think she’s ready to for life drawing, which means drawing naked people. And the First Son seems to agree. At least, he’s invited her to spend Thanksgiving with him at Camp David. She’s the only one who’s not so sure about any of this. It’s a teenaged romantic comedy set around this almost forgotten holiday, where Samantha and her boyfriend have some decisions to make. (And a little misunderstanding to clear up)

In His Road Home, a 2015 RITA winning novella by Anna Richland, Staff Sergeant Reynaldo Cruz invents a fiancée to avoid an Afghan warlord’s matchmaking. Finding a picture online of a girl he barely knew back home, he fakes an engagement photo, thinking no one else will see it.

When Reynaldo loses both legs and the ability to speak while rescuing a local boy, the image goes viral. He ends up in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where his so-called fiancée, marine biologist Grace Kim, is summoned to his hospital room. The lonely biologist who barely remembers him, has one question: why did you lie?

Cruz can’t explain. In addition to losing his legs, he has a traumatic brain injury causing aphasia, a language impairment affecting his ability to speak. But he can communicate via text. Touched by his funny texts and the determination she sees in him, Samantha, who generally prefers the company to killer whales to men offers him friendship.

She agrees to help drive his classic muscle car across-country at Thanksgiving. His hands-on method of teaching her to operate a manual transmission is the beginning of a spark. She introduces him to the steamy world of South Dakota ice-fishing shacks. This once-in-a-lifetime road trip leads to what feels like real love, and they both learn to look beyond labels into each other’s hearts. But Samantha is uncertain what will happen once Rey is ready to be on his own again.

If humor, youth, and duty are not what you want with your turkey, maybe you are looking for suspense. In that case let me recommend Thanksgiving Protector, a Harlequin love-inspired suspense novel from Sharon Dunn. Border patrol agent Kylie Perry finds herself responsible for the ten-month-old daughter of a murdered informant and the target of her mother's killer. Texas Ranger Austin Rivers, a true lone wolf, finds himself drawn to the new mother and her tiny charge. No, it's not his business, but he is totally man enough to step forward to protect both of them. His heart opens first to the little girl, then to the woman pledged to care for her. (And who doesn't love a man who adores babies?)

Thanksgiving is on the way, but so is peril. Fortunately, Kylie has her Thanksgiving Protector who is discovering he wants to be around both girls for more than just one holiday.

Now it's your turn. Don't let the turkey holiday be forgotten. Please let me know of any Thanksgiving themed romances you can share? Lets push back on the idea that this holiday no longer exists.

Holiday Books with Author Elizabeth Allyn-Dean

It’s holiday book time with Romancing the Genres, and I chose to interview my friend Elizabeth Allyn-Dean, who has written two holiday romances. The first, A Kiss for Solstice, is available now, and I have the honor of revealing its new cover! 

Here’s my interview with Elizabeth:

I know your books have awesome detailed worlds. How do you build a unique setting? 

In the case of my Midnight Sun Supernaturals series, the stories thus far have been set in Alaska, specifically the Anchorage area. What I like about this area is that it's already unique--the largest city in Alaska, but small compared to large cities in the Lower 48; an urban-ish area where it's not unusual to see bears or moose moving along busy streets, shopping centers, or downtown/outside office buildings. I always thought that if I were a shifter of some sort, this is where I'd want to be--on the edge of wilderness. One doesn't have to go far to be away from people, off the road system and outside cell reception. But you've still easy access to all the modern amenities.   

What do you like about creating paranormal or fantasy characters? 

I think what I like best is creating a character that has a specific supernatural characteristic (like the ability to talk to the dead or shift into an animal form), then making them relatable. While I'm guessing none of us can relate to turning into a wolf when we get mad, we can relate to losing our temper or fighting to control impulses that we know will be harmful to act on. And really, who doesn't love the idea of being able to grow wings and fly, or disappear into the woods and forget the real world for a few hours, or reach out to a loved one who has passed on. Besides, it's fun to dream up a character, someone who's about to go through something big, and ask "what if"--how would that life experience be different if the character shifted into an animal form whenever they became too emotional or had the spirits of the dead pestering them all the time?  

What was the inspiration for your holiday novels? 

In the case of A Kiss for Solstice, my initial inspiration came from the song "Like Real People Do" by Hozier. The first time I heard the song, I imagined a kind of reverse and twisted Sleeping Beauty scenario in which a man is killed by werewolves but brought back to life by a witch's magical kiss only to find he's now infected with the werewolf curse. Around the same time, an author friend asked if I wanted to contribute a novella-length story to an anthology called Once Upon a Midnight Solstice. This story seemed like a great fit. Especially when considering pagan lore in which the winter solstice is a celebration of the return of light, the rebirth of the Sun King, Giver of Life. The inspiration for A Heart for My Valentine was a combination of what seemed like a natural progression from the first book and my warped sense of humor. We say we're giving our heart to our beloved, gift innocent heart-shaped tokens, but what happens if someone takes that literally?   

What do you like about writing around a specific time of year?

 I think season can be a character in a story, much like setting. Alaskans are a bit obsessed with seasons, focused on how much daylight we're getting, its ebb and flows. In the case of winter solstice, it's the shortest day/longest night of the year, the temperatures are often bitterly cold, and there's frequently the stress of preparing for the holidays and time with family. Everything seems to be amplified, full of expectations for good or ill. A holiday can be a great cause of conflict. And for a new couple, experiencing their first holidays together, it can be especially stressful--picking the perfect gift that shows affection without going overboard, meeting the family, navigating the minefield of who's family to spend the holiday with, learning the baggage each person carries in regards to that holiday.

You can learn more about Elizabeth Allyn-Dean at:

https://elizabethallyndean.wordpress.com/

Here’s the Amazon link for A Kiss for Solstice:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074Z52GTK

And here’s the cover of A Heart for My Valentine, to be released in a few weeks!

Happy holiday reading, whichever ones you celebrate! Lynn Lovegreen

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for almost fifty years. 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.

Wrapping Up the Year!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com  

We’re wrapping up yet another year, and I’ve always found it a good time to reflect. I call  December my woulda, coulda, shoulda month. No time for regrets, I think about  my “didas”, and I am grateful for good health, because without it, I have nothing.

2017 was a grim year for so many. Floods in Texas, Hurricanes in Florida, Fires in California. Many lost lives.  Many lost homes. Many were despondent. My heart goes out to all those displaced people. But this too shall pass, unbelievable as it may seem..

There’s much to be grateful for.  Whenever I think I have it bad, there are others who have it far worse.  I have a home to live in. I have food on the table. I have supportive friends and family. I have good health. When I get down, I remind myself to stay positive. I focus on what I've accomplished. The good things that have happened,  and will continue to happen; the small difference I made in one person's life.

What did you accomplish this year? What were the highlights?  What made you smile? Where did you go? What did you do? Who did you help? Did you contribute to making our little world a better place?   

Every year I start out promising to do one act of kindness a day. Just one small thing  can make someone smile and feel special. It can simply be letting a person ahead of me in the grocery store line, or thanking a person for making my life a little better. It could be the guy who picks up my trash or the stranger who holds open a door. Everyone needs and wants to feel special.  Sometimes, extrovert that I am, I cross the room at a party to speak to the lone wallflower. I try to pay attention and be aware that not everyone is as comfortable in a crowded room as me. 

Opening your heart, and giving of yourself shouldn’t be something that happens once a year. And giving doesn’t have to be money. Giving of your time can be equally as valuable. Volunteers are needed at so many places. Find  a cause that you're passionate about and volunteer.  Mentoring young kids (our future) is a wonderful way of paying your good luck forward.

Start out each new year with a list of things you want to see, do, and accomplish. This is where a vision board comes in handy. As many of you know,  I design a vision board every year.  As I write, I’m reviewing the one I designed in January of 2017. It's a perfect reminder of what I accomplished and what I did not.  Did life take me in a different direction? How could I have done it better? 

My 2017 vision board had a newspaper article that I'd like  to share.  It’s titled the 2017 Starter Guide and it has a  list of manageable goals. Here are a few  that resonate with me and are easily transferable to 2018:

·         Learn to say no

·         Get enough sleep

·         Don’t go to bed in a state of emotional turmoil

·         Offer to help

·         Do mundane and difficult tasks first

·         Laugh and have fun

·         Have a thankful heart and stop complaining

·         Engage in physical activity

·         Choose your friends wisely

·         Do what is right

·         Compromise

·         Take responsibility for your own actions

·         Look for ways in which to demonstrate kindness

When it comes to physical activity, I’m a huge proponent of exercise. Exercise has gotten me through some of the more challenging experiences of my life. Endorphins are a natural opiate, and there are so many benefits to moving your butt.  Exercise keeps you looking young, and it  keeps you positive. Keeping those endorphins flowing are better than any prescription drug I know. It manages depression, high blood pressure, diabetes, and just think, you’re burning calories and losing weight at the same time.

The end of the year is also the perfect time for “feel good stories.” I’m releasing  two in conjunction with well-known authors, and I'm excited.

 The first is novella number 5 in The Holiday Sparkle series; another collaboration with talented author Bettye Griffin . Last year the first in the series was Love on Lakeview Drive, followed by Naughty in New York, Holiday in Houston and lastly, Loose in Las Vegas. This year we bring you Rockin' The Rockies.   

Novella number 5, Rockin' The Rockies  is set in Aspen and Denver. Yes, the rented red dress makes another reappearance and it again transforms lives. This time, my heroines experience love at a charity event, and it's told from the two heroines points-of-view.   

    

My second release, penned with author, Sandra Kitt, is titled ‘By Design.’  Welcome to the world of the retail store and all its intrigue. This series starts off on the east coast, Fashionistas get ready. Please check Amazon and Barnes and Noble for these releases in the next week or two, but certainly before Christmas.  Be sure to add both to your holiday shopping.

In closing, I'd like to thank you for your support and wish you a safe and happy holiday. Keep that attitude of gratitude going, and good things will come to you.

My wish for you in 2018 is to have all your dreams come true.

Romantically Yours,

Marcia King-Gamble,

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Do you get warm and fuzzy? by Paty Jager

Who hasn’t read Clement C. Moore’s Twas the Night Before Christmas or Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol around the holidays and thought back to the first time they read or heard the stories?

Christmas stories are a way to connect with the feelings of Christmas. Not the commercialism that can overtake the real reason for the season. But a good story with family, friends, and good will. That type of heart-warming story is a way to bring the holiday feelings back into your heart. 

In the heat of the summer as I was finishing up a book in my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series, I decided to write a Christmas mystery.  It was the idea of bringing a large family Christmas to Shandra, an only child, and having her lovable, large, slobbery dog be an integral character in the story. What could be better than a huge dog that is a scaredy-cat be the one to find a dead body?

  

As these thoughts emerged, the story began to unfold in my mind and I couldn’t wait to write it. I had to have it available this Christmas. 

 

I used my suspect chart and started with a dead body. The one Sheba brings to Shandra in a sleigh full of gifts for foster children.  The man is a stranger to everyone. Shandra fears for her dog when they discover Sheba has a cut much like the stab wound that killed the John Doe. Having foreshadowed a bit of Detective Ryan Greer’s past in earlier books, I used that history as the catalyst that brought the stranger to Huckleberry Ski resort.

While my books are murder mystery and keep the reader puzzling over who killed the victims, they also read fast-paced like a suspense.  I love keeping the reader guessing as well as myself. There have only been two of the 7 books where I stayed true to the killer all the way through the writing of the book. I tend to weave in clues along the way that in the end, point to one of my other suspects as the killer. This book was similar. I started out with one suspect on my chart instead of four or five. But as the story grew so did the list of suspects.

This book also included many of the locals of Huckleberry Ski Resort, my fictional ski resort in Idaho.  I enjoyed showing readers Huckleberry at this time of year and the friendships among of the locals. I’ve grown fond of the residents of the little ski resort town and Shandra’s close acquaintances. Not only will this book keep you guessing, if I did my job right, it should give you warm and fuzzy holiday feelings.

Yuletide Slaying published November 15^th.

Book 7 of the Shandra Higheagle mystery series

Family, Revenge, Murder

When Shandra Higheagle’s dog brings her a dead body in a sleigh full of presents, her world is turned upside down. The man is a John Doe and within twenty-four hours another body is found. 

Detective Ryan Greer receives a call that has them both looking over their shoulders. A vengeful brother of a gang member who died in a gang war is out for Ryan’s blood. Shandra’s dreams and Ryan’s fellow officers may not be enough to keep them alive to share Christmas. 

Buy Links:  Amazon / Nook / Apple / Kobo /  Windtree Press

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 25+ novels and over a dozen novellas and short stories of western historical romance, action adventure, and murder mystery. She has garnered a RomCon Reader’s Choice Award for Contemporary Western Romance, an EPPIE Award for Best ContemporaryRomance, and a RONE for Mystery. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. She and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest

Photo source: © Can Stock Photo / Bialasiewicz