June - a Month of Turning Points and Reassessing ........................ by Delsora Lowe

Hard to believe we are moving into the half-way point of the year. June is known as a month of celebrations; a month when a person celebrates milestones. What comes to mind as visible milestones are weddings and graduations.

I did get married in June, many, many, many years ago. My graduations from high school, and my college associate and bachelor’s degrees, however, were both in late May. So, for me, June is not only about celebrating milestones, but is more about reassessing where I am mid-way through another year. What do I look forward to for the rest of the year, and how do I plan where I want to go (as in both work goals and fun adventures) in the second half of the year.

Some of my June rituals are weekly or bi-weekly visits to the farmers’ market, filling my deck with colorful potted flowers, a tomato plant or two, and a variety of herbs, that grow from seedlings to full-grown plants that I can use throughout the summer in cooking. The grill gets use starting in June, unless we have a few magical, warm weather days in May…or December (HA!). The hum of lawnmowers permeates the air—and at times, the noise snaps me out of drafting an absolutely brilliant piece of writing.

Hey, I have to blame something on the reason why my brain tends to turn to mush as we ease into the summer months.

But, speaking of work, part of my June tasks is to reassess my productivity from January into June. And perhaps tweak my annual goals. Have I edited enough, written first drafts, released books, or kept up my monthly schedule (of which I have a month-by-month grid with story topics,) for producing and submitting 5-minute, sweet romances.

This year, sadly, I have lost a lot of my creative brain. But making a list for the 2^nd half of the year, helps me try harder to actually consult said list and…stick to the plan.

Is it time to reassess my annual goals? ALWAYS! And will I be able take a well-deserved bow at mid-point and celebrate my accomplishments of staying on track as dictated in my new year annual goal plan that kicked off in January? Yes, goal reexamination is part of my personal agenda in June. Is the plan I set out to accomplish this year, reasonable, doable? Or, for sanity’s sake, should I reboot?

But my plans aren’t all work and no play. They also include looking forward to the fun parts of the upcoming summer—my daughter’s family visiting from Colorado in July or August. Spending more time with my grandson here in-state, despite the fact his summer is usually as busy as the school year. And best of all, I'll rejoice in time spent with family and friends, revel in the season of warmth, and applaud the bursts of color that paint our world.

Despite the dreary day as thunderstorms move in, my little corner of the world is ablaze with the color of irises and azaleas and an assortment of flowering trees.

 

What is your favorite part

about

the month of June?

 

The Love Left Behind

A HARTFORD ESTATE (wedding venue) Book

Amazon
(also available in print)

Books2Read  

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 late 2024 or early 2025.

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/

Images:
Celebrating: celebration clipart images - Google Search
Graduation: Free Vector | Free vector graduation poster (freepik.com) 
TimeFlies: Free Vector | Time flies concept illustration (freepik.com)
FrownieFace: Download | FreeImages / Image by Freeimages.com
Flowers: photo by author

 

Dreaming of Sun and Sand…OR…Silently Falling Snowflakes? … by Delsora Lowe

What a choice!

It’s July. And everyone who knows me, knows I love Hallmark and especially Christmas in July, where they run holiday movies all day long. Okay – full confession. By the time I get to the third week of July, I am pretty numb and holidayed-out. However, I still love to read holiday books while sunning by the ocean. And…I love writing holiday books.

As an author who has written three Christmas-themed romances and one that is Valentine-themed, when do I usually do most of that writing? You got it, during the warmer weather of spring and summer.

And many times, when I am working on books that take place in warmer weather, that writing takes place as the weather-gods open up the skies to that cold, white stuff.

The hero and heroine in Come Dance With Me, an interracial, intercultural story about a uptight high school English teacher who has trouble opening up to anything, much less love, are both based on actors I have seen on Hallmark.

As I wrote the hero, I had in mind an actor I saw on “Christmas in Homestead,” a Hallmark movie. Aaron also reminded me of a guy on whom I had a major crush in high school. I watched Aaron “Quick” Nelson when he played the role of a bodyguard to a well-known actress. His role was so sweet as he interacted with the innkeeper hero’s young daughter who loved the movies made by the actress. Plus, in real life Mr. Nelson is a New Englander, so…what’s not to like. I envisioned the actress being Autumn Reeser, a well-known Hallmark staple. And I searched high and low for the perfect cover photo of how I envisioned what these two characters might look like, as I wrote the story.

But I digress…

To address the question about whether I like snow better than sand, or vice versa is a tough question. I can be gazing at a blizzard outside my window and writing a hot, summer scene. That stream of fluffy and frozen, white stuff brightens the sky in its own way. The day is beautiful, cocooning, and comfortable, especially when I know I can stay inside with a cup of hot cocoa, and write, write, write. With a bit of a shiver, I imagine a cozy comforter, snuggled on the couch in front of a roaring fire.

As a writer, it is good to have an imagination, since I do not have a fireplace or a woodstove, so instead I have to crank the heat up and know I’ll be using more fuel to stay warm. I also know that were I to succumb to cuddling on the couch with a comforter wrapped around me, I’d doze off and not get any writing work done. Instead, I crank up the electric heater by my desk and crank up the fire under the kettle, and imagine myself in that sunny clime, as I finish tapping out a romantic, engagement, beach scene that could bring my beach-wandering couple to their inevitable happily-ever-after.

The warmth of the radiator takes my imagination away to a pristine white sand beach, sailboats, and the aqua blue ocean or bay gently lapping against the shore. A couple strolls, hand-in-hand. When the sun becomes too much, they run into the bathtub-warm water, splash around, and cool down before they continue their leisurely walk, picking up beautiful shells as they go.

And occasionally, they stop to turn toward one another for a sun-drenched kiss. And maybe, just maybe, the hero, pulls from his swim trunks pocket a shiny, glittering gemstone, attached to a ring. He slips to his knees in the packed sand and proposes. Okay, since I just had the hero taking a dip in the ocean, I better add that his swimsuit’s inside pocket has a zipper, so that precious engagement ring doesn’t float down and get buried in the murky depths of sea and sand. That would be a total downer for the couple. Or…it could create some tension in a scene that is supposed to be sweet. Hmmm…ideas percolate

See what happens when I crank the heat and imagine, in the middle of winter, sand and sky-blue water and dining outdoors and moored boats? 

The downside of being a fiction writer, the imagination can run wild at any given time. So, picking a snowy day snuggled by the fire, over a breezy, sunny day at the ocean…well, for me, it depends on the mood of the story I am writing, and not the actual season flashing its attributes outside my window. Because in the winter I dream of sand. And in the summer, I dream of sipping hot cocoa by a fire.

Do you have a favorite season?
Do you prefer snow over sand, or vice versa?

 

Amazon

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane - Kindle edition by Lowe, Delsora. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

                       Barnes & Noble

                         The Inn on Gooseneck Lane by Delsora Lowe | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

                    Apple Books

                 TheInn on Gooseneck Lane on Apple Books

Amazon

HolidayHitchhiker: A Sweet, Heartwarming Holiday Romance: Christmas in Angels Glen -Kindle edition by Lowe, Delsora. Contemporary Romance Kindle eBooks @Amazon.com

Books2Read

https://books2read.com/u/mez9AE

Amazon

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

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/bMrQva

~ 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 newest novella is The Love Left Behind. Look for both a Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker) later this fall.

 

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/

Celebrating the Seasons … by Delsora Lowe

I had an oil delivery today and with it came the Farmer’s Almanac Country Calendar. With majestic and inspiring seasonal photos and snippets of stories from farmer’s almanacs that spanned several centuries, the perusal through the pages representing each month gave me thought to the visuals of storytelling.

Seasons tell a story. They are also a part of every story you read, whether used as a descriptive show of the character’s environment or as a way to set mood.

To me, seasons are all about moving forward, hope for the future, new adventures, celebrating past accomplishments and accessing the goals that didn’t quite get completed.

There are things I love about each season. And things that I would just as soon not have to experience. Each season has its own feel, scent, look, taste, sound. Each of these are things we might not notice every time we step out the door or back into our living space, because they are part of our environment. Things we take for granted. Things that are familiar to us—or not familiar at all. And that familiarity or lack of familiarity also has an impact on us.

Seasons can affect our moods. And variants of seasons can bring a continuum from joy to despondency.

Think about a damp and stormy fall day, where the air is heavy. It can be hard to breath, weigh a person down in body and spirit. Or a fall day when the sun is shining, the sky is that deep, bold blue, and there is a hefty breeze. Leaves of yellow, red, and orange swirl around your head, to land at your feet. You breathe in the scent of a wood fire drifting from a chimney, or that of a pile of your neighbor’s burning leaves.

Trees and bushes turn to fall colors. The summer flowers are now barren brown or gray stalks tipped with pods hiding seeds to replant the earth come spring. Or the day is a balmy and sunny 60, after the remnants of the first frost have evaporated before your eyes and the last few nights have been cold—a harbinger of winter to come, but a quick reminder of the summer just ended. After pulling a sweater tight as you hugged a warm mug of coffee or tea that morning to stave off the chill, now your step is filled with vigor. The sun warms your face, as you roll up the sleeves of your light jacket and stare skyward to watch one lone, puffy white cloud get carried eastward by the breeze.

How is winter different from fall, and spring different from winter, and summer different from spring? Is your mood changed by the seasons? Do you look forward to and celebrate each season in a different way?

As a writer, season can be used as a character. Seasons are part of the setting that affect your characters. Two characters in the same story can react to the season in entirely different ways that can cause conflict between the two. Or the diversity of their reactions can act as a conduit to help them form a relationship. The use of seasonal variants can add texture to the writing, whether the seasonal element causes fear, joy, longing, energy, depression. All these elements add depth to the character, the setting, and the atmosphere or mood of the story.

I hate thunderstorms. I grew up overseas and also in Washington, D.C. where we had horrendous storms. To this day, if there is a storm, I can’t sleep and I have to occupy my mind reading or watching a good romance.

I have friends who love to fall asleep to the sound of rain or wind. Not me!

Storms bring back memories of living on a mountain in Taiwan during typhoons, with our windows boarded up, sometimes for half a week or more. We knew when we opened the doors, there would be devastation all around us. But in a recent movie I watched, the storm had the heroine inviting her neighboring couple over for board games. She lit a fire, set out candles, and opened her cupboard of “storm snacks.” The hero showed up at her back door to check on her, expecting to find a worried or scared woman. Instead, he found a romantic setting and the laughter of her friends coming from the living room.

In both scenarios the weather was similar. The reaction was different.

All these elements of seasons provide setting for our real lives and the imaginary lives we write about every day.

The Prince’s Son On Zara West’s List of My Favorite Romances of 2020

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PZD3FNC/
Books2Read
books2read.com/u/b6xzr6
The Rancher Needs a Wife

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Needs-Cowboys-Mineral-Springs-ebook/dp/B07YXB5C4W/

Books2Read
books2read.com/u/bxv56d

~ 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 newest novella is The Love Left Behind.

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/Clip art Attributions:
Moving Forward: Free clipart arrow pointing right 4 » Clipart Station Five Senses: Premium Vector | Icon set of five human senses (freepik.com) Five Senses – Circle: Five Senses transparent background PNG cliparts free download | HiClipart Faces – happy and sad: Free Happy Sad Face, Download Free Clip Art, Free Clip Art on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)