Go Ducks!

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights of your life to choose love and light.

Wow, in some ways it’s hard to believe that in about 13 hours, 2024 will be gone and we’ll have started 2025 so this is my Last Post of this year. I’m inviting you back to read my first post of 2025 this Friday.

What am I sharing with you today? College Football and Sports Romance.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips introduced me to Sports Romance. It wasn’t “a thing” when she wrote about members of a fictional pro-football team and their struggles to find true love.

However by the time Romancing The Genres launched, May 1, 2011, sports romance was becoming “a thing”. We had a month devoted to sports romance authors in 2011 or 2012.

Confession time: I’m not an avid reader of sports romance. I am an avid follower of college football or more accurately University ofOregon, Duck Football!

My parents met at the UofO.

I attended the UofO and never missed a home football game or track and field meet. I also went to many of the wrestling matches and some of the baseball games. This was between 1959 and 1963 so there weren’t women’s sports to even watch at that time. Well, perhaps golf and tennis? You may note I didn’t mention basketball. I went once a year on Father/Daughter night to watch basketball. No interest there.

But I digress.

Why write a blog post about college football? Because that’s what this post is really about.

After decades of cheering the Ducks, I’m thrilled to be able to watch them play (from the comfort of my living room) tomorrow in The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. They will be playing Ohio State again. They beat The Buckeyes earlier this month for the Big 10 Championship. They also beat them a few years ago.

Three times the charm!

I do come from a family of sports lovers. I grew up listening to major league baseball, the Kentucky Derby, boxing and other sports on the radio.

Am I an anomaly among romance writers? Do any of you follow sport teams and cheer them on, feeling exhilarated when they win and deflated when they lose?

If you want to be able to enjoy the game of football, whether high school, college or pro, I encourage you to check out Diane Weynand’s Lipstick Football. And to make that a bit easier for you, here’s the link to her RTG blog post. 

She certainly made my football game watching more enjoyable.

Learn more about my books, workshops and training on my website JudithAshley.net.

You can find my books at your favorite e-book vendor as well as through Windtree Press. Print books are available at Jan’s Paperbacks in Hillsboro, OR and Arte Soleil in Portland, OR. Get the addresses from my website. And be sure to ask your library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshley.net

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2024 Judith Ashley

Where Are They Now ? – Patricia Sargeant

BOOK I
BROOKLYN MONARCHS SERIES

I feel a little like I’m attending my two-year college reunion. It had been my honor and privilege to be a Romancing the Genres Genre-Ista. It’s a great, warm, professional blogger community. Participating had been a lovely and exciting experience. On the other hand, bowing out had been a hard and painful decision. It’s great to be back, however temporary this visit may be.

When I last walked the halls of Romancing the Genres, I was in the process of releasing Campaign for Her Heart, the twelfth book in the Decades: A Journey of African American Romance series. Decades consists of 12 books, each set in one of 12 decades between 1900 and 2010.  Each story focuses on the romance between African American protagonists, but also embraces the African American experience within that decade.

I was giddy with excitement over the release of a new title and the release of this first-of-its-kind series. But I also was overwhelmed. I’d recently been laid off from my day job and was struggling to get my career back on track. I was in negotiations for a new contract with my first publisher. My wonderful agent was retiring. And I’d entered the new-to-me-world of independent publishing; there was a lot to learn. A lot. Something had to give. With great reluctance, I bid adieu to Romancing the Genres.

BOOK II
BROOKLYN MONARCHS SERIES

During the almost two years that I’ve been gone, I still haven’t gotten my career on track. My first publisher has stopped taking my calls. But before I reach for that bottle of diet Mountain Dew to drown my sorrows, there is some promising news. After my wonderful agent retired, I was fortunate to get another wonderful agent who’s helped me get a contract with a new publisher. (We’ve just finalized the contract. I don’t have a release date yet, but the formal announcement is coming soon.)

On the independent publishing front, I’ve re-issued two of my contemporary romance back titles:

·         Sweet Deception

·         Heated Rivalry

I’ve also re-branded my Brooklyn Monarchs contemporary sports romance series and announced its re-release schedule:

·         Fast Break, Book I, February 2020

·         Smooth Play, Book II, March 2020

·         Keeping Score, Book III, April 2020

·         Game Plan, novella, May 2020

The Monarchs series features the fictionalized professional basketball team. In the first three stories – Fast Break, Smooth Play and Keeping Score, readers meet the members of the perennially losing franchise and cheer them on during their Cinderella season. Game Plan takes place in the off season, after the team has won its first title in franchise history.

BOOK III
BROOKLYN MONARCHS SERIES

The series relaunch and rebranding are in preparation of my wrapping up the Brooklyn Monarchs series with three new stories:

·         Game Time Decision, Book IV, July 2020

·         Her Greatest Fan, Book V, September 2020

·         Watch and Learn, Book VI, November 2020

In these final three Monarchs stories, the team returns intact. The franchise hopes to repeat its championship run, potentially its first back-to-back title in its history. However, the same problem that almost cost them their first title is back – with a twist.

That’s my 2020. I’m doing my best to strategize for a stronger 2021. Thank you so much for your interest in my career. I appreciate your encouragement and support.

Before I sign off, I know we’re in highly unusual and intensely stressful times during this pandemic. My heart aches with every tragedy and is lifted by each act of kindness. Please stay safe and be well.

About the Author

Patricia Sargeant is a national best-selling, award-winning author of mysteries and romance. Her work has been featured in national publications such as Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, Suspense Magazine, Mystery Scene Magazine, Library Journal and RT Book Reviews. She writes romances as Patricia Sargeant and mysteries as Olivia Matthews.

Website: www.PatriciaSargeant.com
Facebook: @AuthorPatriciaSargeant

Twitter: @BooksByPatricia

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=booksbypatricia

Self-publishing success tips from Tara Ames

As an emerging indie author of contemporary military and sports romances, I have enjoyed quite a journey into the world of self-publishing. Since I published my first book The Risk Taker, book 1, Alpha Aviators series back in August 2017, I’ve published a total of five books and two novellas, with three short stories featured in two anthologies and one boxed set. During this time, two of my works received awards, and I became a USA Today Bestselling Author.

And you’re probably wondering how I did it?

Professional Associations, Networking, & Volunteering

About ten years ago, I joined Romance Writers of America and became a member of Florida Romance Writers, an affiliated chapter of RWA. And I’m glad I did it. Not only did I make lifelong friends, but I had also gained valuable publishing insights while serving as the PAN Liaison and president of FRW.

Learn the Craft

By attending workshops and seminars and reading books on the craft, I learned the ABC’s of writing a romance novel. I strongly encourage aspiring authors to learn the craft first before drafting a manuscript. It’ll save you hundreds of painful hours later spent on rewrites.

Write Every Day

I’m in this career for the long run, and I write every single day. My goal is to publish five books a year. So far, I have published three in 2019.

Social Media/Website

If anyone is serious about writing, then don’t wait until the book is finished to create a website or open accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, ME WE, etc. Six months before my first book was released, I opened accounts and started making friends. Typically, I average two hours a day on most of these sites, posting and commenting.

Bookbub/Goodreads

Once your book is completed, open accounts on these two sites immediately and start gathering followers. They’re a great to resource for readers to find your books and post their reviews.

Network on Facebook

I’ve met so many wonderful authors on Facebook. Through them, I was able to participate in two anthologies, a boxed set as well as join author/reader groups. If you don’t understand how Facebook works, watch You-Tube videos and ask your friends or children or grandchildren. They can be great resources.

Marketing

There is stiff competition in the publishing market, especially in the romance genre. In order to gain notice and sell books, it is imperative to spend money on advertising, or you may find it extremely hard to sell your books.

USA Today Bestselling Author

I became one this past February when the boxed set I was in with fifteen plus other authors hit the bestseller list. It wouldn’t have happened if I had never opened an account on Facebook and networked with so many amazing fellow authors or wrote a decent novella-LOL.

In summary, here’s my best advice. Follow your passion and success will follow you. Don’t give up. Network. Learn something new about publishing at least once a week and write every single day.

About Tara Ames: 

USA Today Bestselling Author Tara L. Ames is a Michigan native with a penchant for creating highly sensual empowered stories about brave, hot men and strong-willed women. Now living in Florida, she writes every day in between taking care of her family, reading and enjoying the sun. Qigong/Tai Chi/Sudoku are her three biggest addictions besides chocolate

Website https://www.taralames.com/

Facebook Author Pagehttp://www.facebook.com/taralamesauthor

Facebook Reader Grouphttps://www.facebook.com/groups/TLAmesTeamAlpha/

Facebook Reader Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/militaryromancebooklovers/

Amazon Author Page https://amazon.com/author/taralames

Bookbub Author Page https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tara-l-ames

Goodreads Author Page https://www.goodreads.com/taralamesauthor

Instagram http://www.instagram.com/taralamesauthor

Twitter http://www.twitter.com/taralamesauthor

Contemporary Sports Romance - Pamela Aares

AUTHOR PAMELA AARES

My apologies - due matters beyond her control, Pamela's post was not up on Saturday as promised. This was entirely my fault. I apologize to both Ms.Aares and to our readers for my mistake.

Pamela is offering a free book to all readers who leave a comment and one to everyone who signs up for her newsletter.

 Hi! I'm Pamela Aares-- thanks for stopping by!

I bet most of you would agree that one of the most powerful moments in a great love story is the moment when the heroine or hero has the courage to face the fear that has been holding them back from fully living and step into love.

But is courage the key to love? You bet. Because in order to love fully, a character (or a real life person!) has to be willing to strip away their emotional armor and dare to become the person they would be if they were not held back by fear.

 Stepping into the truth of who we would be if our fears did not hold us back can be scary. Like the heroes and heroines of our favorite stories, we step forward, feel pain and then retreat and its the call of the other-- fueled by the power of desire, the power of love--that pulls us toward wholeness.

Athletes are provocative, courageous heroes. They face fear of failure every time they take the field. In every game they test their love of the game against their skills, endurance and courage. Players that channel that power and move through their limitations and fears improve their performance and excel.

In my new series, Heart of the Game , you'll travel behind the scenes of Major League Baseball and enter the fast-paced world of alpha male, All-Star athletes and the feisty, top-of-their game women they come to love.

Alex Tavonesi, the hero of Love Bats Last , and Scotty Donovan, the hero of Thrown By Love , provide an enthralling taste of major league action and its challenges. They and the fascinating heroines that challenge them take readers on a sensual, captivating journey into the challenges of love.

Taking steps toward the life we dream of can lead us to the life we were meant to live; to the person we were meant to be.

So, as you get ready for your own spring activities, ask yourself: What might I do if I faced up to some aspect of my life that holds me back, something that keeps me from living life as I dream it?

I'm giving away a free copy of Thrown by Love to someone who comments on this post and, if you sign up for my New Release Newsletter within the next week, I'll send you a complimentary copy of the first book in the Heart of the Games series, Love Bats Last.

Author of Contemporary and Historical Romance

Cowboys and Football - What's Not To Like?

By Lex Valentine

I grew up in what I, to this day, call a “cow town.” My hometown is the home of the California

Rodeo and I grew up across the street from a dairy. I was horse crazy which was fine because there were lots around that area.

Lex Valentine

I loved western riding for a long time and then I discovered Walter Farley’s books and I yearned to be a jockey. That didn’t work out too well when it appeared at eleven that I was going to be over five feet tall. Still, I loved horse racing and I began to follow it.

One of the other things I began to follow was football. My oldest brother (he’s 20 years older than me) was a professional referee and a total football addict. He watched both college and professional football. That meant that I watched football too.  I grew up unable to avoid sports.

When I began writing, everyone around me espoused “write what you know.” For me, that meant I could set my books in a small town world with people who lived on ranches and were former rodeo athletes. It meant I could write about characters who played football in college and were drafted to NFL teams. And so I did.

My Christmas Cowboys series is set in the fictional town of Heil, California. It’s a central California town and the main characters all own land adjacent to each other. The very first of these short stories is Christmas Hookup which is free and features a cowboy turned model. In Christmas in Hell, the hero is a former bull rider. For Christmas Catch, one hero is also a former rodeo star. Christmas Wishes features a cowgirl and in Cupid Christmas one hero is a bull rider and the other provides livestock to rodeos.  The town is loosely based on my hometown and the characters all find their HEAs on Christmas Eve. Some of the stories are M/F and others are M/M.

When I decided to write about football my ideas sprung from the controversy over where to build a stadium in Southern California. One proposal for a complex in the City of Industry really took my fancy and thus, the Los Angeles Stars were born in my head. The first of my Out in the NFL books about men who come out while playing or working in the NFL is Scrambling. It’s the story of two best friends who go from the Peewee field to college champions to a new NFL expansion team, the Los Angeles Stars. The two heroes are in love with each other but afraid to say so. What they aren’t afraid to do is come out. With the help of a savvy PR woman, the two men become the first two openly gay players in the NFL.

It’s an angsty book. It’s a tough road for the players. But it’s a story I wanted to tell. I’m working on the sequel now which features a secondary character from Scrambling. Writing about gay athletes is really different than writing about straight ones. Not many professional sports have out athletes.

With these kinds of books under my belt, joining Romancing the Jock was like a Cinderella slipper fit. Just right. I’ll be visiting my horse racing obsession this spring on the blog as I take a look at the Kentucky Derby and thoroughbred horse racing. I’ve played a very realistic horse racing sim for over ten years so I’ll be talking about DerbyFever.com too. I hope you sports fans will come by and check it out!

Lex Valentine

Website: http://lexvalentine.com
Blog: http://sunlightsucks.com

Romancing the Jock Posts:

http://romancingthejock.com/2013/02/personal-foul/
http://romancingthejock.com/2013/01/fear-and-denial-in-professional-sports/

Scrambling Trailer: http://youtu.be/DKf9I3q7Ei8

Cupid Christmas Trailer: http://youtu.be/r-J9SHWnwtQ

 

Sock Rocking Hockey Romance

Toni Aleo

Why being a HOCKEY romance author rocks my socks!
I have always enjoyed the whole romance world, being a hopeless romantic it’s expected but then I discovered that there were hockey romances and my heart exploded.   Honestly.

Big, rough, rugged guys throwing their hearts on the ice for a woman to have? 

UGH YEAH! SIGN ME UP!

But before I get to those sexy men, let me start from the beginning. I haven’t always been a hockey fan. Growing up, I was really into music and singing, things like that. I did do my stint in softball but that was only to keep my sexy girlish figure. When my husband and I seriously started dating when we were 17, I gave up softball (along with my girlish figure) and decided that the only thing I needed was his sexy butt but he wasn’t the only thing I got. Along with his heart, two kids and a bull dog, I was given the love for hockey.

My husband not only plays, but he is a diehard Red Wings fan (Yes. I was a Red Wings fan. I admit it. It was all I knew but that changed when the Predators and Shea Weber walked into my life!) and taught me everything I know about hockey today. It is our thing. We love being together while watching the greatest game ever. It is the most amazing thing in the world, and I couldn’t thank him enough for introducing me to such a great sport.

Now, like I said, when I discovered hockey romances, my heart exploded. The book I read was, See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson and it was pure magic. I hadn’t been a romance reader for a very long time, but she soon had me reading all her books and then every other hockey romance that was out. I LOVE IT! Along the way, I started to write more than I had before. I was writing about peach farmers, cowboys and all kinds of other stuff and then, like out of the blue, I was like ‘what if I wrote about a hockey player?’

It was that silly moment when the light bulb goes off.

It worked, and Shea Adler was born. I have made this world of hot amazing hockey players that make girls swoon something fierce! I get to live in this world and man, what a world to live in. Now to make my world believable I get to do research on hot hockey men and let me tell you, it is the BEST part of my job. I get to go to Galas where I talk to these men and pick their brains. I get to sit on the bench and listen to guys talk. I get to go through play by plays with my husband and make this world I have created, more real. I also get to meet other female hockey fans and man, is it a rush.

That is why being a hockey romance writer rocks my socks.

 Toni Aleo

Author of the Assassins series.
http://tonialeo.com/
Facebook: Facebook.com/tonialeo1
Twitter: tonilovesweber6

Sports, History Collide in New Boxing Romance

By Koko Brown 

Koko Brown

A couple of weeks ago I released my second sports-themed romance, Jezebel. The story revolves  

around a complacent exhibition boxer and a functioning alcoholic dancer during the Great Depression. Sound like a downer? It’s not I just chose to write characters who weren’t so darn perfect they make your teeth ache.

So how did Jezebel come about from a ten year old manuscript? Last, summer I wanted to publish a story right away. As anyone knows in this business, your next book is the best publicity. Unfortunately, my muse had a different plan. After I pulled Heart of Harlem (the original name of the story) out of an archived file folder, I realized how much fun I had writing my soccer romance, Players’ Ultimatum.   

The setting and the plot remained somewhat the same, but the character development received a major overhaul. And I enjoyed every minute of it.  Not only am I a sports fanatic, I’m also a huge history buff.  For this manuscript, I delved into everything from the Harlem Renaissance, social manners/etiquette, period clothing, Broadway musicals, Naval brigs, race movies, the first independent film companies, and about three dozen personal histories of boxers’ who fought between 1899-1950.  

I loved every single minute of it! I discovered Young Stribling, one of the first boxers to become a millionaire. He never fought in a title match, but made his money traveling across America during the Great Depression fighting exhibition matches. I ran across one of the coolest maps detailing “the fun to be had” in Harlem’s nightlife scene during the 1930s.  From this map alone, I was able find the names of lesser known nightclubs, what dances were popular during the time and how important the daily number was for many of the community’s inhabitants. Practically the whole city, considering the money to be made from the racket caused one of the biggest gangland wars in history. Dutch Shultz ring any bells? 

As a writer of a sports-themed romance, I also wanted to make sure that readers got a taste of the sport.  I hate reading a story about a professional athlete who never gets on the field or inside the ring.  In my opinion, that’s not poor character development. On the other hand, because I write romance I also keep the action to a minimum. I always have to remind myself that the hero isn’t romancing the other team or his opponent, his eyes should remain firmly on the prize, which is the heroine.  

All in all, I feel Jezebel really captures the essence of New York City during the 1930s. Hopefully, my readers will get the same enjoyment out of reading it as I did writing it. 

Want to learn more about me and my books?  Visit my official website: www.kokobrown.net.  For more about Jezebel or to read an excerpt, visit: www.kokobrown.net/taginterracialeroticromance/jezebel

For The Love of Baseball

By Elley Arden


I can pinpoint years of my life by baseball memories. I grew up in a dirt pile off the first base line while my father played city rec league in an extension of a promising baseball career that went array during the Vietnam War. He played well into my teen years, often being asked to join teams filled with younger guys, and I saw every game—mostly because I loved my dad, but also because there’s no better aphrodisiac for a sixteen-year-old girl than a summer baseball league made up of home-on-break college guys.



Elley Arden

With formative years like that it’s no wonder I fell in love with a baseball player. I remember watching him play for our high school. I also remember surprising him with a baseball-related graduation present—a weekend trip to see his favorite team. And I remember when he left to play baseball in college, hundreds of miles away. I hated baseball then.

But I got over it, and I stopped blaming baseball for keeping him away from me, and eventually we were together again, married, and I was pregnant, rubbing what we called the Buddha-belly as a sort of good luck charm during games. I remember palming my swollen stomach and whispering to my unborn child, “Help Daddy hit it hard,” whenever my husband was up to bat. I also remember it didn’t really work.

Years later, I remember living in Wisconsin with two kids and missing more games than I wanted to because mosquitos were epidemic, and they ate the new baby alive during night games. Day games weren’t much better, because the baby needing nursing and changing, and my three-year-old talked incessantly, asking me questions about why Dad was doing this, why Dad wasn’t doing that, and I was too tired to think straight let alone answer. I hated baseball…again.

And then life threw us a curve, and my husband stopped playing, and we grew up faster in those next several years than we ever imagined we could. And we both missed baseball. Terribly. Until the day our oldest, then eight years old, stepped up to home plate for his first official at bat, having never played t-ball or organized ball of any sort, because we’d moved too much to know the luxury of that. One swing of the bat, and baseball was back.

Eventually, my husband returned to baseball, too, as a team physician. These days, the sport sets the pace of our lives, and I’m (usually) fine with that. I’m especially fine with it this season, because I have my own baseball-related things to tend to.

Save My Soul: Book One in the Kemmons Brothers Baseball Series is my debut novel from Crimson Romance. In the book, a struggling psychotherapist who still lives at home falls for a bitter, divorced baseball agent. You can read more about the book and me by visiting my website: http://elleyarden.com and following me on twitter: @elleywrites. 

Playing for Keeps by Liz Matis

by Liz Matis 
The Tao of Liz, at  http://www.taoofliz.blogspot.com

My idea for Playing For Keeps stems from my teens when despite Title IX and a 1978 lawsuit ruling in favor of a woman sportswriter who was banned from going into the locker room at the World Series, women were subject to discriminatory practices.

My Uncle Fred was a baseball writer in the sixties and seventies and though he had no problem with
women sportswriters he believed they didn’t belong in the men’s locker rooms. And not because he thought they would ogle the men but because at the end of the day women were ladies and should not be subjected to the crass locker room culture. Now, he came from at different time—hell, he wore Clark Kent type glasses, wore a suit and sported a hat. Though he didn’t think women should be allowed in the locker room I never considered him sexist.

For example, at my grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving Day I was spared from cleanup duty when my Uncle Fred called me into the living room with the other men folk to watch football. I was only nine years old and I still remember it clearly. It left an indelible mark on my female self that women did not have to be relegated to the kitchen. In fact when I got married I had a holiday rule with my husband that when it’s my family’s house I help with the cleanup and when it’s his family’s house—he cleans up.

Anyway, when I decided to write a romance I wanted to write about a heroine I wished I had the guts to be and Samantha Jameson was born. I gave her a hunky football player to challenge her every step of the way.  ~ Liz Matis

PLAYING FOR KEEPS 

BOOK TRAILER

http://youtu.be/HmxQOtF3a-w

 BLURB:   Journalist Samantha Jameson always wanted to be one of the boys, but Ryan Terell won’t let her join the club.

Fresh from the battlegrounds of Iraq, reporting on a bunch of overgrown boys playing pro football is just the change of scenery she needs. If trying to be taken seriously in the world of sports writing wasn’t hard enough, Ryan, her college crush, is only making it harder. As a tight-end for the team she’s covering, he is strictly off limits.

Ryan Terell is a playmaker on and off the field, but when Samantha uncovers his moves, he throws out the playbook. Just as he claims his sweetest victory, Samantha’s investigation into a steroid scandal involving his team forces him to call a time-out to their off the record trysts. But then a life threatening injury on the field will force them both to decide just how far they’ll go to win the game.

Write - and Read - Freely

By Regina Hart / Patricia Sargeant 
Love 'n Hoops 

http://www.authorreginahart.com/home.php
http://www.patriciasargeant.com/books.html

I’m thrilled to be here with everyone at the Romancing the Genres community. I write romantic suspense as Patricia Sargeant and contemporary romance as Regina Hart. I wrote my professional basketball trilogy, The Brooklyn Monarchs (Fast Break, Smooth Play and Keeping Score) as Regina Hart. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to continue them, which segues nicely to the topic of this blog.

Add caption

A group of authors and I recently discussed the impact the self e-publishing success has had on the romance genre. Specifically, that it’s given us the freedom to write the stories that speak to us and the stories our readers tell us they want. (Full disclosure: I haven’t self e-published anything. Yet.) With self e-publishing, we don’t have gatekeepers, those agents and editors who tell us our stories won’t sell. Or tell us certain aspects of our stories won’t appeal to readers.

For example, some of us are a little older now. Some of our readers are, too. Stories about twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings meeting and falling in love for the first time aren’t as appealing as they once were. Many traditional publishers aren’t open to romances between forty-somethings or fifity-somethings – at least not as the main characters. But many writers – and many of our readers – are hungry for those stories. Hungry. We want to write about characters who are more like us, and we understand our readers want stories about people who are more like them.

Which brings me to another story element: careers. Most of us aren’t independently wealthy. Many of us have thankless forty-plus-hour-a-week-jobs in which we aren’t likely to fall in love with our bosses. Ever. Really. Trust me. However, many traditional publishers want the romance, the escapism, the dream of power couples with rich bank accounts. Doctors, lawyers, corporate tycoons. But I’ve heard from readers who want stories featuring truck drivers, construction workers and factory employees. I also know authors who want to write those blue-collar romances. Sort of our “Knots Landing” to traditional publishers’ “Dallas.” (You’ve seen an episode or two; don’t deny it.)

And crossing subgenres! A historical romantic suspense with strong paranormal and inspirational elements. No more, “We don’t know how to market this” rejections. Hurray!

Are you enjoying the self e-publishing boom? What unique story elements have you come across? What story elements are you hoping to read or write yourself?

Weigh in on the topic. I’ll give one copy of Smooth Play by Regina Hart each to two commenters.  
(Be sure to include your email address in your comment.)

Thanks again for indulging me. Happy reading and writing! 
~ Regina Hart

Is Competiton Good for Couples?

By Chanta Rand

My husband and I are natural competitors.  Growing up, we both played sports.  He played baseball and ran long-distance.

  I also ran track, played volleyball, and tried my hand at cheerleading. Unfortunately, the only splits I ever mastered are the ones at the ends of my hair.

As we’ve grown older, we haven’t lost our competitive edge. We’re not gearing up for the Olympics anytime soon, although if living vicariously through our teenagers was an Olympic sport, we’d medal for sure!

The sport we enjoy most is competing with each other. This rivalry oozes into every aspect of our lives. He has an orange Challenger (I call it The Beast); I have a yellow Camaro (Queen Bee). If you think racing is limited to those dudes on Fast and Furious, think again. You should see us racing each other home on the freeway. Is it dangerous? Yes! Is it exciting? Yes! It doesn’t matter who wins. For us, it’s the thrill of the competition. The best part: we have our own way of celebrating afterward. Since this is a PG-13 blog, I’ll spare you the juicy details.

One of our favorite sports is bowling. My husband has three balls (hey, watch it!) and I have two. On random Saturday nights, we sneak out while our teenagers are asleep and we head to Spare Time Lanes to engage in Xtreme Bowling. From 11 P.M. to 2 A.M., we bowl at a cost of $12 for two hours. You can’t beat those rates. That’s almost cheaper than two grande Caramel Macchiatos at Starbucks. As long as you don’t mind the disco balls and strobe lights, you can bowl for hours. Even though we’re fiercely competitive, we consider this our quality time. Powered by Heineken and bravado, I’ve been known to get a Turkey on many occasions. Uh, that’s three strikes in a row for those of you who are bowling-challenged.

We’re both gamblers and risk-takers, so we also love betting. We bet on everything from movie trivia to sports outcomes to who’ll get eliminated on American Idol. The winner gets to name their prize. The penalty for losing varies from anything to folding laundry, washing dishes, watching chick flicks, or eating at the winner’s favorite restaurant.

Once, my husband bet me that Johnny Depp was in the movie, Platoon. Of course, I argued that he wasn’t. I’ve been a fan of Johnny’s since Gilbert Grape. I know all of his movies. Mama didn’t raise no dummy. My husband bet me that I had to wash and wax "The Beast" if I was wrong. Guess what? He pulled an obscure, raggedy copy of Platoon from his crusty old DVD collection. Sure enough–there was Johnny Depp! Who knew waxing was so hard? I had carpel tunnel for a week!

We’ve had some other creative and pleasurable rewards as a result of our bets. Once again, I won’t get into deep detail. Let’s just say it’s enough to fill a romance novel. My point is, all this competition has been beneficial for our relationship. We’ve been married for eight years, and we haven’t had a dull moment yet. In fact, I think healthy competition is good for all couples. Try it, and see for yourself how sports can fuel your passion for each other. I’ll bet you have nothing to lose.

P.S. Check out this pic of me and hubby parasailing in the Bahamas.

My latest sports romance, Delay of Game is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For a list of all of books, visit my site at:

http://www.chantarand.com/

Chanta Jefferson Rand

Author of Delay of Game

Author of Too Hot to Handle

Author of The Highest Bidder

http://www.chantarandblog.com/

You can't expect any sizzle if you don't turn up the heat!