January: My “go to” Activity When I Want to Relax and Take Time Out of My Real Life ............................. by Delsora Lowe

Hallmark movies and romance stories take me away from the bad world news. They give me a positive, albeit maybe an unrealistic spin on life, versus the craziness, that seems to get crazier every day in our “off-kilter” world. 

The movies are educational…as in from the perspective of an author, they help me with writing romance. They "show" versus "tell" me by providing visual examples of style, topics, relationship types (good and bad,) lifestyle, various scenery, and locations, etc. 

Watching romantic shows and movies, and reading romance in any form, whether a full novel or a 5-minute short story, are positive reinforcement that show our world has the potential to be able to learn to work together, live in harmony, and help us individually and collectively to see the positive side of life. 

They show us how to be polite and thoughtful toward our neighbors, friends, and those who are strangers to us. For example, holding the door for the person entering behind us. Or, letting the mom with the fussy kid go in front of you in the grocery store line. 

Simple acts of kindness. 

These types of stories and movies let me escape from personal, national, and international woes. It is like burying my head in the sand.

Or like the infamous three monkeys—see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Of course, this scenario is for the pure romance stories. 

Suspenseful romance does have a dose of evil, but in the end, all is rosy. Love and positivity reign. All turns out well for the heroes of the story. And the reader is left satisfied that all is well in the world—or at least the world of romantic fiction. 

 

Unrealistic, sometimes? Oh Yeah! Escapism? Absolutely! A chance to feel safe and “normal?” Yes, for those hours you are immersed in a fantasy of the way life should be—ALL THE TIME! 

 Letting your imagination run with the good things in life, is like a palette cleanser. On a bad day is watching or reading romance like a reset? On a good day, does fictional romance, confirm positivity and your perspective of what life should be—hopeful and kind and full of love? 

 What more can one ask from a few hours of reading or watching a feel-good movie? 

What’s Your Palette Cleanser on a Bad Day? 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

all about love!

Moonlighting

(e-reader only) 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/bMrQva

 

Moonlighting

(also e-reader or in paperback as a collection: Starlight Grille) 

Amazon

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/ 

Books2Read

Books2Read books2read.com/u/mZ5eop 

 ~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~ 

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine. 

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025. 

Social Media Links:
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 

Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe 

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518 

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe 

Photo Credits: 

Cash Register: fee clip art - cash register - Search Images / https://www.vecteezy,com 

Ostrich: free clip art - burying head in sand - Search / clipartmax.com

Love Is Given in Many Forms … by Delsora Lowe

 Love is one of the essentials every being needs. Love comes in all forms.

Family love is one of those loves that should be a given. It’s not always guaranteed. But true family love is usually the first love someone experiences. This love is about modeling, giving attention and unconditional love, and accepting the same in return, between those you are bonded to—whether by genetics or circumstance. Family love is about deep caring for another in your immediate circle. It is a love filled with quality time spent with another, commitment, and touching, as a way of showing that love.

In writing, we use family love, or lack thereof, as a backdrop to round out our characters. Many times, it is in the form of the emotional backstory for a character. The reality of love, given or not given, affects how a character reacts to the many challenges in life and relationships built.

Friendship is love. Some friendships are fleeting, but when you are in that friendship, it means the world to you. Friends are there to back you up, to give you advice, to celebrate your victories, and share with and embolden you during low points in your life. Some friendships last a lifetime. Others may be bonds that last while you’re in certain phases of your life—childhood buddies, college friends, workplace colleagues, neighbors. Some of those friendships fade when your life takes a different turn. And others will endure, despite life going in opposite directions.

As authors, we show how this kind of love impacts our characters, often, through their relationship with secondary characters.

One can show love for an inanimate object. Your love for your job or your church or an organization you volunteer for, is a love of giving. Giving a gift of service or toward a common goal, shows love of a cause. Or one shows love for pets, who for many are an integral part of the family. Pets also return love and can be woven into a story as a supportive secondary character.

Being a true partner to another is love. You make a pledge to a love you choose. You’re invested in that love through thick and thin. You both give and take as a partner. You give affection, respect, trust, and touch, and you open yourself to accepting those same gifts from another. This kind of love is an integral part of a romance novel. Not only must a writer show the physical act of love—a kiss or holding hands—but the author must portray emotion that the reader will feel as they read the story.

Love might not conquer all, stem problems, or cure an illness. But love, to me, no matter the form in which it is presented, is an essential part of having a happy and successful life.

As a writer of romance, always looking for love in each story I write, I can’t imagine a world where love isn’t important.

The challenge, as a writer, as we throw all sorts of obstacles in the path of our characters, is finding a way to help them work through and resolve all the issues that stand in their way of reaching for and accepting love. That means gifting your characters with all the above-mentioned: quality time with a loved one; open communication, including both verbal and non-verbal affirmation from a loved one; gifts that show you are appreciated, which come in many forms—physical, spiritual, and emotional; meaningful communication; and acts of service that are unasked for, but appreciated.

Building relationships between characters has to be shown through verbal and non-verbal communication that helps each character understand those types of communication are a show of love for another and from the other.

When THE END is written on each story, the feeling is euphoria. Not because you, the writer, labored through every word placed on the page, and lived viscerally through the emotional ups and downs as the characters built a relationship full of love, but for the fact, that despite all odds and denial, your characters found, worked for, and then accepted the love of another.

What is your favorite trope in a romance story?

Moonlighting

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/mZ5eop

 

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

PHOTO CREDITS: 
Free Family Clip Art Pictures - Clipartix # 49030 
free clip art church - Google Search
free clip art couples working together - Google Search
free clip art couples helping each other - Google Search
free clip art couples - Google Search 
free clip art couples - Google Search 
Hearts wedding heart clipart free clipart images - Clipartix  Green Pink Heart #11471  
Hearts heart clipart rainbow clipart image 7 - Clipartix

REFERENCES USED FOR ARTICLE: 
The 7 Languages Of Love Expressed By Truly In Love Couples | by Natesky | Hello, Love | Medium  
What Are the 5 Love Languages? Definition and Examples | Psychology Today

What Touches My Heart by Delsora Lowe

February is the month of Valentine’s Day. Throughout my life I have vacillated between loving the idea of the day and wanting to shove my head under a pillow. After all, love isn’t something you can conjure up with a finger-snap. Oh…unless you write romance.

This month’s theme is “what touches my heart.” I do love writing romance, but what touches my heart in a very special way are my three grandsons. So what better way to honor my loves then to combine the two.

Grandson's New Puppy, Hugging and Napping

Huh? My grandsons are 9, 10, and 12, so they aren’t hero material…yet. Now this is a personal opinion, but I am sure anyone who meets my grandsons will agree that they are handsome, of superior intelligence, and above average athletic ability, not to mention sweet and thoughtful and never naughty. Yes, there goes my vivid imagination again. But really, they are wonderful young men. So that leads me to how I combine a love of grandsons with my love of writing romance? 

Brothers Skiing on Beautiful Colorado Day

I have a penchant for writing second chance romances. And many times, either the hero or heroine has a child that factors into how that romance plays out. My grandsons are inspiration for those characters.

Hockey - a Favorite of all 3 Grandson's, Skating - a Favorite of My Character, Bunnie

In my Valentine-themed book Moonlighting, the hero’s daughter, Bunnie, plays a starring role. A precocious ten-year old, she knows the moment she spots the heroine, that Mary Beth is THE ONE for her dad. Just like my grandsons, Bunnie is innocent, but wise-beyond her years. Building her character included adding in pieces of experiences with my grandsons—the way they see the world and go about exploring with exuberance and eyes open to new adventures.

         

Moonlighting - Happy Valentine's Day

Although my grandsons are not yet teens, I swear they know a lot more than I did when I was a teen. They know a lot more than I do now! Maybe it has to do with technology and a greater access to the world. Or maybe it is only because I think they are much smarter than I am, even at my advanced, ahem, I mean mature age.

My book Come Dance With Me, doesn’t have young children, but does center around a group of teens who have formed an after-school jazz group—the setting for the meeting between my outgoing jazz pianist and the buttoned up, efficient English teacher assigned to proctor the group. Helping the group of teens throws the hero and heroine together. But it is through the eyes of and activities with the teens that the two find true love. As I watch my grandsons grow, I can see the passion they have for exploring and learning and beginning to understand what touches their own hearts—all traits I tried to show through the teens in the story.
My new release in April 2019, The Prince’s Son, features a sweet boy who has lost his mother. In the heroine, a cowgirl, teacher, and his temporary nanny, he finds a woman he can love as a mother. Jaime’s wide-eyed wonder at the world, along with his fears, mimic traits I see in my grandsons.

The Prince's Son

Currently I am editing a book with a young boy, and writing another book with a child. Both are younger than my grandsons, but the mannerisms of my dear grandsons always seem to find a way into my young characters.

Even the photo I use on my website represents my grandsons. What you don’t know is that the scenic ocean and lighthouse scene is a cropped photo. What doesn’t show is the bottom half, with a big slate-gray rock upon which are perched three boys, back-to, but looking over their shoulders with huge grins at the camera. The cousins enjoying vacation together on the rocky coast of Maine. When I look at that photo, even in its cropped state, my heart sings.

Maine Lighthouse

I realize as I write scenes with children in them, that I do channel my grandsons—their physical expressions and movements, as well as their sense of exploration, wonder, and everyday adventure in their play and school work.

So, to say my grandsons touch my heart, is indeed an understatement. They are a part of me in every way. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they are in my thoughts and drive the actions I take to be a better person, and behind my actions to treat this earth, my friends, and perfect strangers with respect and love, so the three boys will have a legacy they can be proud of.

My grandsons ARE my heart.

What touches YOUR heart?

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine ~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Lowe’s family visits to Colorado are the inspiration for an upcoming contemporary western series, Cowboys of Mineral Springs, to be released in 2019 and 2020. And her daughter’s wedding and her son’s home, both on the coast of Maine, provided plentiful ideas for the Starlight Grille series (released in 2017 and 2018).

Author FB Page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthorAuthor Website: www.delsoralowe.comAmazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2nRx1Bs
Books2Read Author Page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/DelsoraAuthor Newsletter signup (only sent out when there is news): http://www.delsoralowe.com/contact.html   Author Blog: http://www.delsoralowe.com/blog

Putting A Little of Yourself into Each Book

By Delsora Lowe

Ever wonder where writer’s ideas come from?

So do I! I am what is known as a pantser or organic writer. So most of the time I get a kernel of an idea—a character, a setting, or a scene playing out in my head—and I start writing. I never know where that idea will take me.

My newest hero, Sam, was established as a secondary character in The Legacy of Parkers Point, book one, in the Starlight Grille series. I loved Sam, so I decided he had to have his own story.

Logical progression of the series meant Come Dance With Me would take place in the winter.

I had written the first few chapters, when the title came to me from song lyrics I heard as I commuted to work. Usually I agonize over titles. Instead, the title had me envisioning the ending—a Christmas Dance—with the hero and heroine in each other’s arms. In this case, the title, and the ending, helped drive the plot, theme, setting, time of year, and character arcs.

At times, words seem to flow from my brain to my fingers without conscious thought. When I reread what I wrote, I have no memory of thinking about those words or scene. In this case, during the editing process I realized many scenes evolved from memories of my high school dances. Remember the romantic teenage yearnings of getting ready for a dance?

Here are some examples of where my muse took over by conjuring up memories and turning them into something to fit the story.

·          I sewed my own high school Christmas dance dress, floor-length, maroon velvet, sleeveless, jewel-necked, slim-fitting. I found out at a reunion that the guys still remembered that dress. My heroine wears staid colors and classic designs. I am sure my muse decided at this point that my hero wished to see the heroine in bright colors, and makes it happen.

·         My dad was a chaperone. He stood on tip-toe the entire dance, tracking my every move. I remember ducking my head as I slow-danced, praying any dance partners would not notice my dad. When one of the star football players, one of a handful of blacks in our school, asked me to dance, I nearly swooned. I had a mad crush on him. Later, when he asked me to a rock concert, my dad grilled him in the front hallway—just like he did with every date my sister and I ever had. In this story my heroine is a chaperone and invites the hero to help chaperone. They also attend a rock concert together.

·         A classmate of mine sent a poem to Muhammed Ali and as a result got to meet him. My hero writes a jazz piece for Muhammed Ali. As I wrote the scene, I had the Queen in mind, but my words turned into Muhammed Ali right before my eyes.

·         Our school had recently integrated (a fact I was unaware of at the time, and thought was the norm). There were a few biracial couples. In my tight-knit, progressive, and accepting Quaker school community, those who were in biracial relationships were accepted, but not in the country as a whole. My hero and heroine are a biracial couple. Hopefully the world has changed since I was a teen, but I know the truth—we have a long way to go.

Add to the memories the impact of growing up in a city where I had access to classical concerts at the Kennedy Center, and the influence of the music culture of the 60s, including my love of Motown, jazz, and blues, and you have the seeds for a story that germinated and grew as my muse took over.

So I hope you enjoy Come Dance With Me, and the excerpt below, where I have played with facts of my life to create a modern fictional love story that culminates at the Christmas Dance.

Do you have some stand-out memories of high school that might lend themselves to being part of a story or a scene?

Here’s the blurb and an excerpt of Come Dance With Me: Book 2, Starlight Grille series. 

Improvisational jazz musician meets buttoned up English teacher—will the Christmas lights sparkle or shatter before the dance ends?

Sam Johnson, a burned out, New York City iconic jazz pianist transplanted to small town Maine, finds himself and his muse again through a disparate group of committed teen musicians and their buttoned up, efficient, high school English teacher who is roped into advising the afterschool jazz club.

Ashley Sullivan, an expert in classical music and teaching the bard, is out of her element when it comes to jazz or anything impromptu and desperately needs Sam’s help. What she doesn’t know is Sam has made it his mission before this gig ends to get Ashley to lighten up and enjoy the things in life she denies herself; music, friends, spontaneity, creativity, and yes, love.

When Sam works to rescue her from her childhood fears, Ashley runs the other direction. Can what is done out of love tear apart a relationship before it’s in full swing, or forever cement a love that is true?

 Excerpt: She watched his graceful body climb the three steps to the stage. She sat close enough to see Sam’s fingers stroke the keys. The notes swirled around her heart and straight to her toes. Ashley closed her eyes and swayed to the slow, sensual rhythms. His tempo eased from slow to fast. Her feet tapped out the beat, the sounds coursing a hot path through her veins. The ebb and flow of jazz, like making love, engulfed her entire being. She held close the urge to moan and sigh. Unlike the night she sat with Mary Beth, now she imagined Sam played only for her.

To think she owned his recordings, but never imagined she’d ever meet the man. His music had been the one thing that made her feel alive these last few years, and now she knew him…like a friend. He still scared the stuffing out of her. But not in a bad way. She hadn’t expected him to like her, and treat her like a friend, when she’d agreed to this after-school partnership. But here she sat.

“He’s something, isn’t he?”

Ashley swiveled toward the voice behind her. A petite, red-headed woman grinned.

Links to Come Dance With Me (A Starlight Grille Book 2):

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/ref=sr_1_8?s=amazon-devices&ie=UTF8&qid=1508776988&sr=8-8&keywords=serenity+Harbor

Books2Read – links to various vendors including iBooks, Nook, Kobo: https://www.books2read.com/u/bMrQva  

Links to The Legacy of Parkers Point (A Starlight Grille Book 1):

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/ref=sr_1_8?s=amazon-devices&ie=UTF8&qid=1508776988&sr=8-8&keywords=serenity+Harbor

Books2Read – links to various vendors including iBooks, Nook, Kobo:  https://www.books2read.com/u/b6rQzx

Links to Moonlighting (A Starlight Grille Book 3): on preorder, to be released on December 7

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/ref=sr_1_9?s=amazon-devices&ie=UTF8&qid=1508776988&sr=8-9&keywords=serenity+Harbor

Books2Read – links to various vendors including iBooks, Nook, Kobo: https://www.books2read.com/u/mZ5eop

               

From Cabins to Cottages…Keep the Home Fires Burning

A transplanted big city gal, world-wide traveler, and foreign-service brat, who now lives in a coastal Maine town, Delsora Lowe loves to write about small town heroes from the cowboys and ranchers of Colorado to the game wardens and lobstermen of Maine. Her work in the hospitality industry, rape crisis, admissions, alumni relations, and women’s advocacy has allowed her to interact on a daily basis with real life heroines and heroes. Lowe’s family visits to Colorado are the inspiration for an upcoming contemporary western series in 2018. And her daughter’s wedding and her son’s home on the coast of Maine provided plentiful ideas for the Starlight Grille series.

Website: www.delsoralowe.com

Blog: http://www.delsoralowe.com/blog

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Amazon Reviews for Book One: https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/ref=sr_1_8?s=amazon-devices&ie=UTF8&qid=1508776988&sr=8-8&keywords=serenity+Harbor