I wouldn't be me if ...

‘Tis the season for good cheer, catching up with family and friends, and endless commercials for new cars adorned with a giant red bow. It’s also, in my opinion, the season for indulging in special sweets that recall memories of childhood. You know, those cookies or cakes baked once a year that became ineluctably paired with the jolly elf, holiday decorations, and wishes.

I’ve shared many recipes for such treats over the years and I wouldn’t be me if I let this season go by without another offering. However, rather than dip into my family’s recipe vault, I’m sharing a long time favourite from my friend Judi. She always talks about these soft, delicious, spice cookies at this time of year, a firm family favourite in her house. By the time I got around to asking for the recipe and baking a batch, I could only wonder why I waited so long! 

Legend has it these cookies keep for weeks. I cannot confirm because they don’t last more than a week in this house.

For a brief history behind the name of these cookies, check out this link.

Joe Frogger Cookies

(adapted from Judi Phillips' recipe)

Makes about 2 dozen.

3½ cups flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger.

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

1 packed cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons white sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons dark rum

1/3 cup hot water

Adjust oven shelves to top and bottom thirds and preheat oven to 350F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.

In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar, white sugar and butter until smooth. Mix baking soda into the cup of molasses and add to the butter mixture along with rum and hot water and blend. The mixture will curdle, that's okay. With the mixer at low speed, blend in the flour mixture until well-combined. Dough will be soft.

Drop by liberal tablespoon-fulls onto parchment-lined cookie sheet, spacing two inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes, switching the top and bottom cookie sheets halfway through. Cookies will be slightly plumped and appear dry on top. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely .

Store at room temperature in a covered container. 

These cookies freeze well. 

From my home to yours, may the blessings of the season fill your hearts with joy.

A blizzard … Krista Rhodes has seen a few in her lifetime. 

Snowed in for days … once, when she was a kid. 

Trapped in a house with Dr. Dreamboat … never saw that one coming. Not only cute, he’s also funny and kind and strong and how can she resist? 

Eric Monroe has it all mapped out – drive cross-country to a new job with a brief stop to celebrate a buddy’s engagement. A giant detour with a beautiful, witty, no-nonsense woman makes the journey more fun than he ever thought possible. And bonus – he’s moving to her town.

Except she’s got something she has to do. Maybe. And he can’t ask her to change her plans. Can he?  

Buy now!

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her characters, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband and five hens.

Website ~ Bookbub ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Thankful for Romance by Kathy Coatney

             What do I have to be thankful for? This is a frequent theme in my books, especially my Christmas books. Most of my characters face difficult challenges—some painful and some more of an annoyance, but they always have plenty to be thankful for by the end of the book. 

This stems from the secondary characters. They're the ones who advise and encourage the hero/heroine. These are the characters who are always there for my h/h when the going gets tough. It could be a husband, parent, children, siblings, grandchildren, or friends. Just having these people in their corner is the best gift in the world. Kids, in particular, have such a unique way of making someone feel special and needed, and that is an incredible gift, in my opinion.

 What I love most about romance is that connection between the h/h and the secondary characters. Even if the h/h don't have that special someone in their lives—yet—they still have a lot to be thankful for.

 I also think romances get us through the hard times. I've heard of so many readers that say an author's book has helped them through serious illness and death. Sure there's a happily-ever-after in the end, but when real life is unbearably hard, it's nice to read something uplifting with a guaranteed happy ending. 

I write small-town romances, and I’ve always preferred to set my books in winter, but 

I’ve never written Christmas books—until last year. I've discovered I really, really like writing holiday romances. I think a major reason for that is the thankful theme fits so well with Christmas since the holiday is all about being grateful and helping others. That theme really resonates with me.

          Last year I wrote the Crooked Halo Christmas Chronicles—The Murphy Clan. Each story is about 100 pages and they have guardian angels watching over the couple in need of assistance on their journey to finding true love. The angels sent to guide them are also attracted to each other, so there is a dual romance going on in each story. 

          Last year there were three stories in the Crooked Halo Christmas Chronicles—The Murphy Clan that concluded with a happily-ever-after for the angels, too. I’m currently working on a new Christmas chronicle with two new angels helping bring about a Christmas romance while fighting an attraction to each other.

          I just finished Santa Comes to Snowside, a full-length holiday romance that is with my editor right now, with a November release date. After I lost a dear friend last spring, it motivated me to write this book. She loved Christmas and every year her house was a Christmas wonderland. She was one of my biggest supporters—my critiquer, my beta reader, my everything for writing and friendship. 

          I was so thankful to have known her, and that's part of what drove me to write this book and start a new Christmas series (series title pending) that gives her a recurring role as Jody Claws, and her husband, Nick. Every Christmas they help bring a couple together and spread the Christmas spirit. I hope Jody loves these characters and the story as much I’ve enjoyed creating and writing them.

I look around at my life, and I truly have so much to be thankful for. My husband, children, and grandchildren have all made my life deeper and more meaningful, filling it with joy and happiness. I'm also grateful for the readers here today—for all my readers, in fact, because I love sharing what comes from my heart.

Here is a sneak peek of Santa Comes to Snowside:

Prologue

Snowside, Vermont

When humor exists, love isn’t far behind

          “Well Nicky, where are we off to this Christmas holiday?” 

          Nicholas Claws arched busy brows as he glanced at his wife, Jody, seated beside him in their candy cane red Mini Cooper convertible. He shifted into high gear and punched the gas just enough to throw her head back. The wind tossed her silver curls, producing the tinkling laugh he loved.

          “One of our worker bees found a place I think you’ll love. It’s called WorkForce, and Jack Davidson, the man who started the nonprofit has the kind of giving nature that’s right up your alley. He helps the low income and unemployed find work by providing them with work clothes, write resumes, and even has a hair salon onsite.”

 Jody’s smile warmed him through and through. “I love it! Tell me more.” 

          “Well, our visionary, Mr. Davidson, saw a need in the community, gave up a lucrative career and swanky high-rise apartment on the eastside of Snowside, invested his savings and retirement to buy a rundown warehouse in the industrial section. He’s currently living above it to save money.”

          Jody’s blue eyes rounded beneath wire-rimmed glasses. “And he’s doing this all on his own?”

“Not totally. Mickey Roberts, his uncle, supported his vision from the start, and he manages the hair salon at WorkForce. The downturn in the economy several years ago started Jack on his path to enlightenment. White collar workers were laid off, including his best friend who almost lost everything. Then Mickey struggled after returning from Iraq, and if not for family support he could have ended up on the street three Christmas’s ago.”

          Jody stroked Prancer, the miniature poodle asleep on her lap. “Well, color me intrigued. This sounds like a perfect Christmas project for us, but will we be able to make it home in time to finish our Christmas village?”

          “It might be tight, but we’ve always made it home for Christmas, and WorkForce could definitely use some volunteer support to keep it up and running. I don’t see how we can pass this up, do you?” He flipped the blinker to the left and pulled onto the freeway, heading south.

          “No, we can’t. This project is just what we’ve been looking for. We’ve got a nonprofit that needs a bit of assistance, and we can’t walk away from that, but you haven’t told me much about Jack.”

          Nick might have found the perfect nonprofit for them, but Jody always wanted to know about the people—in particular their relationship status. “Jack’s single, estranged from his parents, and at the moment unattached, but I think there’s a prospect that with your special touch could bring about a holiday romance.”

          Jody lifted her face to the unseasonably warm sunshine, the bare trees marking the beginning of the holiday season.

          “Then we not only need to work on the romance but also bring Jack back together with his parents.”

          “There’s also a teenager named Tony who needs our help, too. He’s a non-believer.”

“Oh my, we can’t have that. We’ll have to come up with a Christmas miracle or two to get him back on track.”

          “You read my mind.”

          “Oh, I do love the challenge of a new project. It’s like the first flush of love. Do you remember when we first met?” 

          His wife looked over at him, rosy cheeks and blue eyes twinkling as bright as the silver bells dangling from her earlobes.

          “How could I forget? You bring it up every year when we start a new project.”

          “So what attracted you to me? My cookies or hot chocolate?”

          A loaded question that he wasn’t about to debate again. There was only one correct answer. “Both.”

          Jody winked at him. “Good answer.”

          Nick pressed down on the accelerator and headed toward Vermont, where they would spend the duration of the Christmas holiday.

#

          Thank you all for being here today. As a special thank you, you can get the first book Be My Santa Tonight, The Crooked Halo Christmas Chronicles—The Murphy Clan, for free at https://tinyurl.com/3t84zp86.

          You can find me at my webpage and sign up for my newsletter to get more free reads at: https://www.kathycoatney.com.

I’m also on Facebook and Twitter at: https://www.facebook.com/kathycoatneyauthor

 and https://twitter.com/kathycoatneykat.

If you want the latest on my writing and fun posts join my Facebook group, The Beauty Bowl at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kathycoatneythebeautybowl.

 

Seasons in the Southern Hemisphere with Susan Horsnell

 My name is Susan Horsnell and I would like to thank Judith and Sarah for inviting me to provide input to their blog.

I’m an Australian who lives in the sunny state of Queensland. With a population of 300, the village I live in now is a few hours north west of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital. We are at the top of a mountain range surrounded by forest. It’s Summer all year round in my neck of the woods, but most of the rest of Australia has seasons just like many countries.

When the Northern Hemisphere is descending into Winter, Australia is awakening to Summer. While temperatures plummet below freezing, ours skyrocket to over 100. Then, six months later, the reverse takes place.

Australia does have small pockets where it snows. In the far south of New South Wales and Northern Victoria is the Snowy Mountains area. This is where Mount Kosciuszko, Australia’s highest mountain can be found- peak at 7,310 feet. There are also snowfalls in Tasmania on the high peaks. The season is a short one and can vary from very little snow to none at all. The majority of the continent’s Winter is cold winds, rain and icy sleet.

MOUNT KOSCIUSZKO

Here, where I live, is a different story. In the north of the continent, we have a Wet Season – December to April and a Dry Season – May to November. Our temperature rarely drops below 22 degrees Celcius-71 degrees Fahrenheit. During the wet season we often experience destructive flooding.

Being such a large continent, Australia suffers from large temperature swings and events. Flooding is a common scourge throughout the country as are bushfires and drought. Our food bowl areas really are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and rarely, if ever, experience victory. She is a strong adversary which those on the land are now learning to work with, rather than against. For decades, many have sought to bend Mother Nature to their will. The light is finally dawning that this will never happen.

Being the wife of a senior Naval Officer for 47 years, we have traveled extensively, and lived in all states of Australia as well as overseas. I grew up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney which have no equal (in my opinion). Since retiring after 37 years of Nursing, we have been pulling our RV around the country and many of the books I now write are based on our experiences of these small country towns.

The Outback Australia Series is based out of Bourke NSW and centers around a team who minister to the outback communities with the aid of the Flying Doctor Service.

DARLING RIVER, BOURKE NSW

Claiming His Charge is the story of a rock star who takes us around the country on tour. I describe the cities, as well as the country towns. This book is Male/Male Romance.

Destined to Shatter is another Male/Male set in and around Sydney.

Healing Jarrod is a man who finds love again and is based around Sydney.

Lost in Love is set in a fictional national park on the outskirts of Sydney.

Eight Letters is a tragic story set in the Darling Harbour area of Sydney.

Scarred is set in Sydney.

SYDNEY AND HARBOUR NSW

Love in the Outback is the story of a city girl relocating to, and falling in love with, the town of Longreach in Outback Queensland. 

STOCKMANS HALL OF FAME LONGREACH QUEENSLAND

All books are Male/Female unless otherwise mentioned.

Over the next two years there will be more stories in the Outback Australia Series and others encompassing some of the small town history.

I do hope you will one day get the opportunity to visit my home country where extremes in weather are common, but the beauty is not.

To follow me, check out the links below:

Web: http://www.susanhorsnellromanceauthor.com/

Blog: http://susanhorsnell.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanhorsnellromanceauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/susan-horsnell

Once again, thank you Judith and Sarah for having me.

Sue 

A celebration of...me? by Peggy Jaeger

In this month's topic we are supposed to explore the ways we "celebrate" ourselves.
I have to tell you I had difficulty coming up with an answer that didn't make me sound a. conceited, b. self indulgent, or, 3. narcissistic.

Let me 'esplain...

I was raised in a strict Irish/Italian Catholic home. The only time we celebrated anything was if it was  a Holy day. I never had birthday parties as a kid, because money was tight and my mother considered it a waste  to celebrate something that came around every 365 days.

I was a straight A student but my report cards were never celebrated. It was expected that I do well just because it was...expected. When I brought home my report card, my mother signed it and said, "Keep it up."

When I got into college - the first in my family ever to do so - my parents' only response was to ask how I was going to pay for it.

See a pattern here? I lived almost my entire life this way. Until, that is, the very first time I was published.

The day my first book went on sale was March 5, 2015. That night I celebrated by making myself a cake and opening a bottle of Skinny Girl Cosmo.

That little ritual has now become a pattern. For every book's release day, I make myself a chocolate/chocolate cake and open a bottle of Skinny Girl. As self indulgences go, it's pretty tame. But it's the one way I celebrate me and my accomplishments.

And you know what? It never gets old. Every new book published ( there have been 18 so far with 3 more planned to release this year ) I get a thrill from eating that cake and toasting myself with a cosmo. Of course I also get a sugar high and a little buzzed, but....

How do you celebrate yourself and your accomplishments? Like I said, it took my until I was 55 years old to do so. How about you? I'd love to hear.

Book #18 released two days ago and I'm so happy it's out in the romance-reading world.
VANILLA WITH A TWIST tells the story of a small town, single mother and ice cream parlor owner who's faced some tough choices in her life, and an engineer at a crossroads in his, who walks into her shop one summer's day and changes both their lives for ever.

And yes, I made a cake and had a cosmo on Wednesday! hee hee

Until next month, peeps ~ peg
Follow me on my webpage: https://peggyjaeger.com/

A beach read to take you away...by Kristin Wallace

It's been such a craaaaaaazy year. I barely know what day it is, let alone the month. The world seems to have stopped sometime in March, like a weird Twilight episode. Since most of us have been on

lockdown, it might be a good time to take a virtual vacation. How does Florida sound? A quaint beach town filled with characters you will love.

I'm talking about my Shellwater Key Tales series. The books have been out for awhile, but now I'm getting ready to release a 4-book Box Set, "Four Tales From Paradise". (I already put together a box set with three holiday novellas.)

These books follow 3 childhood friends who return to their hometown when their lives fall apart. They become involved in reviving the old Paradise Dinner Theatre. 

Four Tales From Paradise – Shellwater Key Tales 

Three childhood friends return to their hometown at a crossroads in life. One slightly past-her-prime dinner theatre in need of some TLC will show them that love and healing is still possible by the time the curtain rises.

Left Turn At Paradise (Layla & Grayson’s story)

Layla McCarthy has spent most of her life trying to outrun the wild reputation of the mother who abandoned her as a baby. Raised by her grandmother, one of the first female surgeons in Florida. Layla puts all her faith in building a career, only to lose everything when her business partner absconds with the company funds. Then she learns her grandmother and great aunt have bought an old, rundown dinner theater in her hometown of Shellwater Key.

Bringing The Paradise back to life will play a key role in bringing about a brand new act in her life. Including a romance with Grayson Kendall, the enigmatic and sexy director hired to produce the first show. At the same time, the mother who abandoned her as a baby returns seeking redemption.

Can she learn to forgive her mother and open her heart to love? 

Coming Home to Paradise (Beth’s story)

This is the companion book to Left Turn At Paradise, telling the story of Layla’s mother, Beth McCarthy.

After years of trying to outrun the memories and guilt, Beth McCarthy has come home to Shellwater Key to make amends. She has survived deadbeat relationships, single motherhood, and a fight with cancer. Now, she faces the most difficult battle of her life…finding a way to connect with the legendary mother she was never able to please…and earning the forgiveness of the daughter who has every reason to hate her. She might even have a chance to find the missing piece of her heart when Layla’s father comes back to Shellwater Key looking for answers. 

Straight On Toward Paradise (Emma & Reece’s story)

As a teenager, Emma Bertram’s perfect family splintered when her father left her mother for another woman. Anger and bitterness, along with the demands of being a professional chef, have kept Emma apart from her father and his new family for years. Then her father and stepmother are killed in a car accident. Returning to her childhood home of Shellwater Key, Emma learns she has become guardian of her two half-sisters.

What Emma knows about raising children could fit on a restaurant napkin. Then there’s her father’s law partner, Reece Casings, who has no trouble telling Emma what she’s doing wrong. The buttoned-up, so-wrong-for-her, but oh-so-handsome lawyer makes Emma’s blood boil. Or is it heart race? 

In the end, Emma will have to learn how to forgive her father…and herself…and trust in love and faith again if she ever hopes to serve up a happily ever after for everyone.

Last Stop At Paradise (Callie & Noah’s story)

When Callie Dalton’s charismatic televangelist husband falls into disgrace, she and their children is taken down with him. Now, he’s dead, and Callie is left with no other choice but to return to Shellwater Key…and the memories of the mother who tragically died there when Callie was just a girl.

A job as the House Manager at the Paradise Dinner Theatre seems like a chance to start over. However, every instinct warns that the sexy and mysterious carpenter, Noah Johnson, could be the most dangerous complication in her life…and her wary heart. 

When she learns his secrets, will she be able to face her own tragic past and embrace the possibility of a love that will finally set her free?

Four Tales from Paradise will launch in a few days so look for it. All of the Shellwater Key Tales books are in Kindle Unlimited right now so you can scoop them up for free if you're a subscriber. 

Check my Amazon Author Page for all of my books. 

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling Author of sweet contemporary and inspirational romance filled with "Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith". It's not too late to pick up her holiday box set featuring three Christmas romances (Finding You At Christmas, Falling For You At Christmas, and Loving You At Christmas). Christmas in Shellwater Key is available on Kindle Unlimited so go ahead and scoop it up now. 

BUY NOW ON AMAZON

Setting Goals to Propel My Writing to the Next Level by Kathy Coatney

FALLING IN LOVE SERIES

When I was offered the opportunity to write this blog for Romancing the Genres about taking my writing to the next level, it came just as I was investing some real time into marketing my books on Facebook (FB).

I have limited fiction writing time because I’m also a freelance photojournalist/editor. I write at least three articles a month and edit three different magazines, so I’m not an author who can write three or four books a year. Two is the best I can do.

I seriously considered hiring someone to do FB ads for me, but one thing kept stopping me. No one knows and loves my books as much as I do, so who better than me to write the ad copy? And if I can do that, I’ll have much better success with my ads, and improve my writing.

So, I’ve decided to give up some fiction writing time for the next 30 days to buckle down and learn how to market the books that are already published. To that end, I’ve committed myself to learning the ins and outs of FB ads. I have set aside time to work on my ads every day, which not only includes writing ads, but searching for new and better audiences, learning the jargon and the different ways to determine if my ads are successful. I feel this is critically important to moving my career to the next level.

There are several steps to FB ads from learning how to maneuver in business ads manager to becoming comfortable with all the steps in creating an ad. My first ad took two days to put together! The second ten minutes, so huge progress there.

THE CROOKED HALO CHRONICLES

Another big step is the ad copy. I needed snippets, headlines, and call to action. Fortunately, I took a blurb class last winter from Kathryn Jane (I highly recommend this class). I spent a lot of time developing new blurbs for all five of my books, worked on call to action, headline and snippets, which gave me enough to get my first ads up and running, but I will also have work on more because, what I’m learning is, you have to keep changing and tweaking your ad copy.

To date, I have managed to put seven ads together, I’ve paused the first three, and I currently have four others running, but I will be pausing another one soon. While the cost per click is in a good range, and I’m getting lots of clicks, I’m worried the photo may misrepresent my book.  Here is the link to the ad. https://fb.me/27qrinMXi6GMOxW

This ad is doing pretty well for me, too.

https://fb.me/1P4EFeoKCm5aINk

I will be keeping it because this photo very closely represents my story and my main character. I will be tweaking the photo on this ad as I want to change the look of the book cover on it.

Here are the two new ads I have out.

https://fb.me/2uN3TBmOpmoYNtu

https://fb.me/2mWo8nnHC9thakV

SHE'S OUT OF HIS LEAGUE

I’m testing these ads with different audiences, text, and photos. If you look close, you’ll see the man laying in the grass is the same model from a previous ad with my book cover on it.

It’s still too early to tell if these ads are successful, but early indications have shown they are at least doing okay. I will keep developing new ads, so that when these aren’t successful, they will be replaced.If you’re like me you’re probably saying, yeah, yeah, I agree with you, but I just don’t want to take time away from my writing, or it’s just too hard and I can’t figure it out.

I used those excuses for the last two years, but it occurred to me that if I want to be a successful, independently published author, I have to learn how to market my books or I will be doomed to write more and more books, faster and faster until I burn myself out.

I don’t want to lose the pleasure of writing my books so I’m determined to learn this. I also believe that just like I had to learn about POV and telling versus showing, that seemed oh so complicated all those years ago, I will learn how to do these ads. I have to.

LEAVE ME BREATHLESS

Before I sign off, just a little bit about my books. I write deeply emotional, small town, romances. I have a three book series out, Falling For You…Again, Falling in Love With You, Falling in Love for the First Time.

I also have She’s Out of His League that is a stand alone at the moment, but I have two more books in the series that will be released shortly.

Leave Me Breathless is a romantic mystery, and I will have more books to follow in that series, too.

I also have a short story series, The Crooked Halo Chronicles, that I will be developing into a full series that has love, romance, and guardian angels. 

You can get Angels R Us for free just for subscribing to my newsletter.

Thank you all. It was lovely spending time with you. I look forward to meeting up with you on FB, TW, and kathycoatney.com.

"If I Could Live for a Week in Any Time Period" by Delsora Lowe

When I was thirty-five, I finally graduated from college. I had an Associate Degree, earned at age nineteen, but then I went on to get married and have children. I was old enough to know what I wanted when I worked on obtaining a Bachelor Degree to finish my last two years of college, while holding down four part-time jobs and raising two young teens.

Margaret Sanger 1922

I fought with the administration of the college, and finally won the right to declare an independent major in Women’s Studies. My thesis was on women’s roles in history and sociology (my loosely-based minors to shore up my self-designed major) using, in part, my grandmother’s work with Margaret Sanger in New York City for my final thesis. I can’t remember how old my grandmother was during her time in NYC, but I will guess 20-25, so she would have been doing this work in around 1915-20.


Now many years later, my mind is foggy on the details and I cannot find the tape recording I made as my grandmother related her experiences, nor can I find my thesis (I think they are in a box in the basement somewhere). But one thing I do remember is my grandmother’s interview and her shrugging and stating her experience was no big deal. To me, a feminist and a student of women’s history, it was the biggest deal ever to know my grandmother, Dolly, was a huge part of the women’s movement history in our country.

My Grandmother "Dolly,"
Charlotte More Meloney, around 1915-20

So, as someone who has never claimed to be brave, I would love to not only put on my brave face but be able to follow my grandmother around for one week during that part of her life. She was a dynamic and brave woman, a huge role model in the way she led her life. I remember when I interviewed her, how she told me when she died and came back in another form, she hoped to be a nurse in Appalachia, riding horseback through the mountains to care for people. She would never marry. I told her that now she could be a doctor, the dream she gave up, and be married too. She shook her head and vowed to stick to her first plan of reincarnation.


My grandmother had attended college as a pre-med student, one of eight women in the course. Four went on to med school. Four married and raised families. My grandmother was in the latter group. She divorced when my mother was twenty-five. My grandfather went on to marry three more times. In Dolly’s mind, and in line with the era in which she lived, she had to make choices.


To me, going back in time and living that one week alongside my grandmother, would be an exhilarating adventure. I can’t imagine the hard work, the stress, the fear of doing work that was considered illegal at the time, all to help give women a choice in what they did with their own bodies. But I know in my heart, I could not stand up to the work and dedication shown by women like Margaret Sanger and my grandmother. Maybe it is my own fear to go out on a limb. Maybe in my younger days, I may have been that brave. I’d like to think so.

Suffragist March, 1913, Washington, DC.

I recently read a romance, Escape to the Biltmore, by Patricia Riddle Gaddis, based in the era during the time my grandmother was probably weighing her college and work options. The story is about two doctors who meet and end up working together. The heroine, an unmarried female who knew

By Patricia Riddle Gaddis

her choice to become a doctor precluded her from ever marrying. The hero, a doctor who was a product of his environment and the era in which he lived. It’s a romance, as I said, so you can guess what happens in the end. But up until then, Gaddis does a magnificent job of portraying how each character handles the life they have chosen and the societal parameters imposed on each.

Reading this novel, brought back all the memories of my grandmother’s stories. I wish she were still here today, to see that she could have had both—a career she was passionate about that would meld with the chance to include having love and a family.


Here’s to my grandmother and all the women who paved the way. And here is to generations of women who follow my generation, who will continue to work and love hard, as they make this world a better place in which to live. And here’s a salute to Women’s History Month.


P.S. Next time we have this topic, remind me to tell you about my actress aunt turned military pilot during WWII. Another brave and inspiring woman.

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, book one to be released in April 2019. 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).

LINKS:

Delsora Lowe FB Page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Delsora Lowe Website: www.delsoralowe.com
Delsora Lowe Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2nRx1Bs 
Delsora Lowe Books2Read Author Page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
Delsora Lowe Author Newsletter signup (only sent out when there is news): http://www.delsoralowe.com/contact.html
Delsora Lowe Author Blog; http://www.delsoralowe.com/blog
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/3829267554
Escape to the Biltmore -Buy on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Biltmore-Patricia-Riddle-Gaddis-book/dp/B07FWDFQHV/


Photo Credits: 

Margaret Sanger 1922: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MargaretSanger-Underwood.LOC.jpg; Library of Congress Prints and Photographs division, reproduction number LC-USZ62-29808.

Suffragist March in Washington DC 1913, Women suffragists marching on Pennsylvania Avenue led by Mrs. Richard Coke Burleson (center on Horseback) U.S. Capitol in background (Library of Congress)

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
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