Title: My Kind of Forever
Author: Tracy Brogan
Release Date: January 22, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

As the youngest mayor Trillium Bay has ever elected, Brooke Callaghan wants to prove she’s up to the challenge. She’s stepping out of her practical teacher flats and into her sister’s treacherously high heels…with disastrous results. But if she’s going to (literally) stumble her first day on the job, why not fall into the arms of a handsome stranger?

Leo Walker is a rarity on Wenniway Island. Not only handsome, he’s also single, funny, and—most importantly—interested in Brooke. Unfortunately, his reasons for being on the island are temporary, so in spite of the undeniable chemistry between them, he’s not a forever kind of guy.

When a private investigator arrives with news of a jewel thief hiding on the island, Brooke finds herself dealing with one kerfuffle after another, and Leo proves to be a delicious distraction. What does she really know about him, though? And the biggest question of all? Does this short-term romance hold the possibility of long-term love?

Guest Post: The Risks (and Rewards) of Dating in A Small Town by Tracy Brogan

MY KIND OF FOREVER is the second book in the Trillium Bay series set on a small island in Northern Michigan and tells the story of thirty-five year old Brooke Callaghan who has just been elected as the youngest, and first female, mayor the town has ever had. As the oldest of three sisters, Brooke is accustomed to taking charge and bossing others around, but the stodgy, long-time members of the decisively not-modern city council are determined to keep the status quo. In fact, the only one who seems to take Brooke seriously is Leo Walker, the new bartender whose reasons for being on the island are both short-term and known to him alone.

Despite a budding attraction to Leo, Brooke knows she needs to focus on mastering her new job, especially when rumors of a jewel thief hiding out on the island begin to circulate and the well-established rumor mill goes into overdrive. And speaking of rumors, Brooke is more than a little concerned with what the townspeople might say if they discover she and Leo are spending time alone. Coming from such a small community, in this case, a village with a winter population of just six hundred people, people’s private lives rarely stay private, and modest, pragmatic Brooke doesn’t like the extra attention. Especially since a bad relationship from her past has left her overly cautious.

Although determined to prove to her neighbors and family she’s got what it takes to be a great mayor, with Leo’s encouragement, Brooke comes to realize she’s also entitled to address a few of the more personal aspects of her life, such as finding romance. But when things with Leo get rocky, she falls back into old patterns, believing that love is too elusive and not for women like her. Fortunately, the local community knows otherwise. They see the real Brooke, the one she thinks is hidden. They know her dedication and intelligence and worth, and they know she deserves to have it all. They know she deserves to have a forever kind of love. And so does Leo.

My Kind of Forever Excerpt

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Leo said after everyone else had left and I remained seated in the small meeting room holding my aching head in my hands. “But it sounds like you have your work cut out for you.”

Wow. Did I ever. I’d just spent the past two hours listening to so-called adults bickering about a litany of arbitrary topics. Should Polly’s Popcorn Shop be allowed to sell day-old products? Could the street sweepers add five minutes to their afternoon break? Who was going to play Santa during the Christmas Parade if Harry didn’t come back in time? And the biggest topic of the day? Did everyone see the awnings Tasty Pastries had put up, and who on earth had approved that?

“It’s like they couldn’t even hear me talking,” I said, looking up at him for a response, just to reassure myself that I was, in fact, speaking out loud.

He picked up an empty glass with one hand while wiping a ring of condensation off the table with a damp rag. “I’m not sure they could hear each other talking. Seemed like a lot of monologuing without any listening.”

“But I had an agenda.” I shook my paper at him, now covered in notes that I’d scribbled in the margins about all the other things I wanted to discuss. Things I would have discussed if I could have gotten a word in edgewise. The only one who didn’t interrupt me was my own father, but that’s because he didn’t say anything the entire time. Not unusual for him, but I had hoped to demonstrate a little more power over that cluster of clucking hens. “They were worse than teenagers. I have so many great ideas, but all they care about is the awnings.”

Leo wiped another spot off the table. “What ideas?” He gazed down at me, and I noted how dark blue his eyes were. Depths-of-the-ocean kind of blue. The kind of eyes that made every glance feel significant, even if it meant nothing at all. A flutter of something long-forgotten tickled inside my veins. Attraction. Followed by an immediate need to ignore it.

“Oh, all kinds of ideas.” I smiled tiredly and pushed myself up, because it was nearly five thirty and the Palomino Pub would start filling up with the evening crew pretty soon. “I’ll get out of the way now so you can have the room for dinner guests.”

“Speaking of dinner,” he said, “I’m new around here, so I was wondering, what restaurants do you like?”

“Oh, we have lots of great places to eat. All price ranges. The Windemere Grill is right down on the corner. There’s the Imperial Hotel dining room if you want something elegant. The Feast Well Bistro, Carmen’s Café, and Tate’s Tavern on the Bluff are good, too. At the tavern, you can watch the sun set behind Petoskey Bridge. It’s a great view. And for breakfast, I recommend Link & Patty’s Breakfast Buffet. The pink piggy décor is a little much, but the pancakes are the best.”

“Are you suggesting we have dinner and breakfast?” His dark eyebrow arched just as the corner of his mouth quirked in a ridiculously endearing fashion.

I pushed in my chair with an abrupt scrape. “Excuse me?”

“I was inviting you to dinner. You were inviting me to breakfast.”

That flutter of attraction multiplied even as my mouth fell open for a second. I’m sure it was a great look on me. “I wasn’t. And you weren’t. Were you?”

He laughed, and even though it might have been at my expense, the sound of it sent a flush over my skin and a tingle to places that hadn’t tingled for a very long time.

“I was inviting you to dinner, but not very well, apparently. I’ve been on the island a few days, but I don’t know anyone here, so would you like to have dinner with me?”

I was starving. And he was handsome. And new in town. And looked to be roughly my age. There was no history, no baggage, no reason to say no. But it had been so long since anyone had asked me out, it nearly felt improper. Everyone knew me around here. Everyone would know that we’d had dinner, and certainly everyone would have an opinion about it. And it’s not as if we could go someplace private because there was no place private on the entire island. And there was that issue of the flutter. I didn’t want to be fluttering. Fluttering led to heartbreak.

About the Author

Amazon and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tracy Brogan is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA finalist for her Bell Harbor series. She writes fun, funny stories about ordinary people finding extraordinary love, and she lives in Michigan with her two brilliant daughters and their two intellectually challenged dogs. She loves to hear from readers, so check out her website at www.tracybrogan.com. You can also follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tracybroganwriter.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

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Fashions Fade, Haunted Is Eternal (A Haunted Vintage Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
7th in Series
Kensington (December 18, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

Synopsis

A photo shoot in a graveyard ends in a grave shooting . . .

Cookie Chanel—owner of the chic clothing store It’s Vintage Y’All in Sugar Creek, Georgia—has been hired to dress models for a fashion shoot. The spread will be featured in Fashion and Style magazine’s October issue—so the models are posing in a cemetery. As someone who can see and talk to ghosts, Cookie’s not spooked by the location. But she is surprised when a new ghost appears, decked out in 1920s couture. And she’s shocked when she hears a gunshot. Then a model runs toward her, saying the grumpy photographer has been edited out of the picture – for good. With help from her ghostly pals, Cookie must zoom in on the truth before she’s the next to strike a final pose . . .

Don’t Miss Cookie Chanel’s Shopping Tips!

Guest Post

Unlike the main character in my Haunted Vintage Mystery Series, I don’t have a ghost hanging around all day and night. Though I have visited my share of locations that are reported haunted. I thought I’d list a few of those places and the supposed paranormal activity that occurs.

1. Whispers Estate is a bed and breakfast in Mitchell, Indiana. The house has been featured on paranormal TV shows and has quite a bit of documented paranormal events. On my overnight stay I experienced several unexplained events. It’s a spooky place!
2. Jailer’s Inn- I stayed overnight in a cell! Thank goodness it wasn’t because I’d been arrested. Jailer’s Inn made the Travel Channel’s list of 10 Most Haunted Places. This former jail is now a bed and breakfast. Ghostly sounds and apparitions have been reported. Perhaps the inmates from bygone days are still serving out their sentences. One of the creepiest parts of the place is the courtyard outside. Hangings occurred there so it’s kind of eerie to try to enjoy your breakfast there on a sunny summer morning.
3. Next door to the Jailer’s Inn is the Talbot Tavern. Reportedly many famous people from the past stayed at the tavern. Including Abraham Lincoln and Jesse James. It’s claimed that the bullet holes from when Jesse James shot at the wall are still there today. The southern cuisine like bourbon BBQ ribs and cheese grits are reason enough to visit. However, if you want the possibility of seeing a ghost with your dinner you might want to stop in for a meal.
4. Perryville Battlefield. One the biggest Kentucky Civil War battles was fought there. This is one of my favorite places on earth. The landscape is beautiful and peaceful. A huge change from the days of the Civil War battle which once took place. Apparently, some of the soldiers are still hanging around. There are even accounts of hearing a ghost horse.
5. Louis Cemetery *1 is the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Many people have reported seeing ghosts wandering around the old tombs. I braved a tour of the place in the daytime. After dark might be more than I could handle.
6. Morgan is located on Mobile Point at the end of Scenic Fort Morgan Peninsula. This Civil War fort is obviously full of history but is it full of ghosts too? With breathtaking views of the water and beaches to enjoy, it’s definitely worth the trip. You might run into a specter or two.

About the Author

Rose Pressey enjoys writing quirky and fun novels with a paranormal twist. The paranormal has always captured her interest. The thought of finding answers to the unexplained fascinates her.

When she’s not writing about werewolves, vampires and every other supernatural creature, she loves eating cupcakes with sprinkles, reading, spending time with family, and listening to oldies from the fifties. Yeah, she loves Elvis. She can’t help myself.

Rose lives in the beautiful commonwealth of Kentucky with her husband, son and two sassy Chihuahuas.

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Title: A Merciful Fate

Author: Kendra Elliot

Release Date: January 15, 2019

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

Raised by preppers, survivalist and FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick has a deep-rooted need for a safe place. Her getaway in the Cascade Foothills is her secret. But when skeletal remains are unearthed—those of a murdered man linked to a notorious heist—Mercy realizes she isn’t the only one with something to hide.

Thirty years ago, an armored-car robbery turned deadly. The mastermind was captured. Four conspirators vanished with a fortune. One of them, it appears, never made it out of the woods alive. For Mercy and her fiancé, Police Chief Truman Daly, their investigation opens old wounds in Eagle’s Nest that cut deeper than they imagined. Especially when a reckless tabloid reporter draws fresh blood. It’s clear to Mercy that somebody in this close-knit community is not who they seem to be.

Some are still shattered by the heist. Some still have reason to be afraid. But which one will kill again and again to hide three decades of secrets? To land this case, it’s up to Mercy to unmask a familiar stranger before someone else dies.

Excerpt

“Sit.”

Mercy sat on a stool that was too high for the makeshift table. She didn’t care. They could sit on the ground and she’d be happy with Truman. Currently the home had plywood subfloors and open framing, but part of Mercy loved the empty, bare look; it promised that something fabulous was coming.

Fabulous and practical.

Truman leaned over and poured red wine in the plastic cup by her paper plate. She sighed and buried her nose in her cup. The fragrance was deep and bold, with hints of plum and smoke.

“Italy,” she mumbled into the wine.

“What?” asked Truman.

“I want to visit Italy. How does a honeymoon in Italy sound?”

A grin filled his face, and the sensation of butterflies fluttered up her spine.

Or maybe it’s the wine.

She took a sip of her wine as she studied his face. So familiar and dear to her.

A smile to stop traffic. Eyes that crinkled in happiness. Several scars that testified to his love of law enforcement. Her attraction to him was more than skin deep. She was in love with the person he was. He was a natural leader and easily commanded respect. His people turned to him, followed him, admired him. His natural sense of honor was a magnet for her.

No. It’s not the wine.

He gets me.

He understood how her mind worked, and they fit together like a couple of complicated puzzle pieces. She’d been painfully aware of her missing puzzle piece when he’d been taken away, chained by men planning to kill him, and then rescued thanks to Ollie. The two weeks when no one knew his fate had been the worst of her life. When he’d been returned to her, she’d known she couldn’t waste any more time.

He’d been of the same mind-set and had proposed.

“I’ll try Italy.” He dished spaghetti carbonara onto their plates.

“And what’s on your agenda for tomorrow?” he asked over the rim of his plastic cup. She perked up. “The bank confirmed the money bags are from the Gamble-Helmet Heist. And I have the go-ahead to visit Shane Gamble at the Two Rivers prison tomorrow.”

“What are your thoughts on the remains?” Truman asked. “Did the medical examiner get to them yet?”

“Yes. They spent the afternoon removing the remains, and Dr. Lockhart was going to start an examination tonight. The woman never takes time off.”

“Same could be said for you.”

“Only when I’m deep in a case.”

“I guess this means your weekends are booked for a while?”

Mercy sighed. “I know. The two of us are supposed to be working on the interior of this place … We’ll get it done at some point. It’ll have to wait awhile.”

A grin filled his face.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not the same person I met last fall. Back then, if the cabin had been in the half-completed state it is now, you’d be climbing the walls with anxiety because your safety net wasn’t perfect.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “I had a similar thought earlier, but nearly all my supplies are still intact, so it’d be rough living but doable. I can temporarily live with that for now. Especially with this case to distract me.”

His lips twisted.

“Jealous?” she asked with a grin. “It’s an amazing case, isn’t it?”

“It is. Considering there have been no leads for decades, and the robbery is practically modern folklore. It’s like a buried treasure hunt, and Ollie found the first clue.”

“Is Ollie okay after his morning?” she asked with a small wince. She’d nearly forgotten the teen had made the grisly discovery.

“He’s okay. I spent some time with him and he was very quiet, but I could tell he was processing it. He’s dealt with death before.”

“He’s been through a lot,” sympathized Mercy.

They silently ate for a few moments until he glanced up and caught her staring at him. Longing shone in his eyes, an appetite and craving that had nothing to do with food, and she struggled to find her breath.

How does he do that to me?

“You know,” he said, his voice low and tempting, “this place hasn’t been christened yet.”

Mercy blinked. “People do that to homes?”

Patience filled his features. “That’s not what I meant.” His brown gaze held hers.

“Ohhh,” she breathed as heat flashed through her.

“Dessert.” His smile was sinful, and energy pulsed between them.

She melted. “Yes. Dessert.”

 

About the Author

Kendra Elliot has landed on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list multiple times and is the award-winning author of the Bone Secrets and Callahan & McLane series, as well as the Mercy Kilpatrick novels: A Merciful Death, A Merciful Truth, and A Merciful Secret. Kendra is a three-time winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award, an International Thriller Writers finalist, and an RT Award finalist. She has always been a voracious reader, cutting her teeth on classic female heroines such as Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, and Laura Ingalls. She was born, raised, and still lives in the rainy Pacific Northwest with her husband and three daughters, but she looks forward to the day she can live in flip-flops.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads

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Book Title: Accessible Fine Dining – The Art of Creating Exciting Food in Your Everyday Kitchen by Noam Kostucki, with Chef Quentin Villers
Category: Adult Non-fiction , 128 pages
Genre: Creative Cookbook / Fine Dining
Publisher: Amazon
Release date: Dec 10, 2018

Synopsis

Six months after opening my first restaurant, one of my dishes was selected as “25 dishes to travel around the world”, featuring me next to culinary legend Heston Blumenthal.

Exciting and healthy food doesn’t have to be complicated, and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Over the years, I have seen some of the most exciting dishes come from the simplest kitchens and the most modest ingredients. The purpose of this book is to focus our attention away from the distractions of fancy kitchen equipment and luxury produce and instead focus our attention towards ingenuity in the kitchen and culinary innovation.

For some strange reason, cooking is taught in books as a series of mechanical steps to follow and repeat with precision. I see cooking as a creative art like painting or playing music: it is the freedom of expression that is most interesting to me. When we create from an artistic perspective, we give birth to something new and potentially magical.

The purpose of this book is not to teach you specific recipes, because the ingredients you will find in your local organic food market will likely not be the same as the ones we see here. Nor is the purpose to show you how to imitate us.The purpose of this book is to guide you into thinking about your dishes in a way that elevates them to a fine dining level, from ingredients which are easily accessible to you. Naturally, you will find a few recipes, but most importantly you will find a new way to look at food.

We will share how we think about food shopping, searching for unusual ingredients, the combinations of flavors, techniques, textures, nutritional value, and of course, plating. The purpose of this book is to guide you to become a more exciting, creative and adventurous version of yourself in the kitchen. What separates a craft from an art form is the story behind it; cooking is a craft, while fine dining is an art form.

If you want to create fine dining dishes, start to focus your attention on the different stories a dish can tell. Some stories can be told through your cooking, and others are told through words. Taking the time to present your dishes before people eat is crucial to creating anticipation for the food they will eat.

Excerpt

PLATING WITH PERSONALITY (an excerpt from Accessible Fine Dining by Noam Kostucki)

A friend of mine used to own a restaurant in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. They were serving food on beautiful white plates like everyone else. During their first busy season, they were overwhelmed by the number of guests and ran out of plates. In an attempt to save the day, my friend grabbed some small planks of wood and slapped down big leaves he had picked from palm trees. He served the food directly on the palm tree leaf. He was ready to be shot down by the guests, and to his surprise, for the first time, everyone took the phones out of their pockets to take photos. After that, he got rid of all his white plates and started serving everything on leaves, coconuts, and wood.

We created a dish with squid tentacles, a red Thai gazpacho and a lot of fresh leaves. We wanted guests to see everything. We wanted them to see all the details, and none of our plates did it justice. After a lot of tinkering, we eventually came up with a new idea: we grabbed red wine glasses, into which we served a small layer of the red Thai gazpacho. On top, we sprinkled thin sticks of yellow chard stalks. We then delicately placed squid tentacles on the gazpacho as if it was climbing up the wall of the glass. We finished the dish by placing fresh herbs as if they were coming out of the gazpacho. The result looked like a mini aquarium, and because it was served in a glass, it was at eye level, and guests could pick it up to look at in all directions. It was a magical dish and guests were in love with it.

Another of my favorite plating stories is from a dessert by the American chef, Grant Achatz. He removed everything from the table and put down a new black tablecloth. Waiters stood on both ends of the table and threw splatters of colorful food on it, making it look like a modern abstract painting. They then placed a white bowl in the center of the table, and when they broke it, a cloud of smoke came out. Then, guests ate directly from the tablecloth. It’s another way of breaking the rules of plating, and after experiencing it, you can’t help but tell everyone about it. Great plating makes people want to tell their friends about it.

Experiment with different types of plating. Deconstruct and explode your food, and try creating uniform towers. Let your imagination run free and create bold visual effects. The key to plating with personality is learning to express who you are visually on the plate.

Who are you visually?

Review

This book is inspiring.  It gave me new insights into foods, presentation, and endless possibilities.

The photos in the book are mouthwatering even the dishes that I wouldn’t eat (seafood).  The presentation of the dishes made me think that this was a 5 star restaurant in a large town instead of a small restaurant in the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica.  But as they say, looks can be deceiving.  It is all about using what you have available and opening your mind to taste, texture, and smell.

This isn’t a cookbook per se.  It is more about enjoying food and not being locked into a recipe or expect a dish to prepared a certain way.  It is also about being bold and experimenting and moving outside of your comfort zone.  It is also about eating locally and what is available in close proximity to where you live.

This is a book I will probably read several times because it is a fast read and I think I will pick up on new tips and tricks each time I stroll through the pages and view the images.

We give this 5 paws up

About the Authors

Noam Kostucki

MY NAME IS NOAM KOSTUCKI AND I CREATE SPACES FOR MAGIC TO HAPPEN.

I was an awkward child, so I changed school 5 times. I spent most of my life trying to please others, and be the kind of person I believed everyone else wanted me to be. I wasn’t happy and I struggled to get what I want. Everything changed when I started changing.

I spent the last 12 years creating the life I dream of. I’ve had the privilege to be homeless twice and to speak at Harvard about entrepreneurship. I have grown to be myself more fearlessly than ever before. I am now surrounded by people I love, and who love me.

I traveled over 40 countries, and I’ve helped over 25,000 people create magic. For example, Patryk Wezowski who raised $500,000 in 8 weeks and Esther Perel who gave the 30th most viewed TED talk. Some less public successes include a blind eyed student who experienced his blind eye for the first time and a journalist who left an abusive relationship.

As a university drop out, I was surprised when my first book (personal branding) became required reading at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, as well as receiving the UK Business Speaker of the Year runner up award, and an honorary degree in Business from Hofstra University. As an artist, I was honored to exhibit my photography at the European Union’s Innovation Conference.

My most recent venture is HiR Fine Dining, a jungle culinary adventure. I create a discovery menu of 7 plates per person for groups of up to 12 people. HiR Fine Dining became #1 fine dining on TripAdvisor in Tamarindo within the first month. Within 6 months one of my plates was selected out of 40,000 restaurants by OpenTable as one of “25 dishes to travel around the world for”. I was invited to speak at Chateau 1525, Costa Rica’s most reputable cooking school and our guest chefs include a blind chef who traveled all the way the United Kingdom.

Quentin Villers

Quentin has been cooking in restaurants since the age of 18. He helped his brother build a restaurant for which they received a Michelin Star. Quentin moved to Costa Rica to consult for hotels and restaurants. He managed 3 of the 4 restaurants at Hotel Nayara in La Fortuna, for which he led a team of over 20 people to be selected to enter Relais & Chateaux, a prestigious network of unique luxury hotels with exquisite cuisine. Quentin is a regular guest chef at HiR Fine Dining and consults for a number of fine dining restaurants in Costa Rica.

 

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram

Giveaway

Grand Prize: Win a 4-seat dinner at HiR Fine Dining in Costa Rica (value $580) or win a paperback or ebook copy of Accessible Fine Dining (20 Kindle copies and 10 paperbacks) open int’l to wherever Amazon delivers

(ends Feb 7, 2019)

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Botched 4 Murder (Sophie Kimball Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Kensington (December 18, 2018)
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages

Synopsis

Bowled over . . .

Sophie “Phee” Kimball is getting dragged into the drama again at her mom’s Arizona retirement community. A new board member wants to get rid of two golf courses and replace them with eco-friendly parks, and some of the residents are pretty teed off about it. On top of that, her mother’s book club friend Myrna is being pushed out of the bocce league. These seniors are serious about winning, and Myrna’s dragging them down. She’s so bad at bocce, in fact, that when a community mem.ber’s dead body is discovered while Myrna’s practicing for a tournament, she assumes it was one of her own errant balls that killed the woman.

But before Myrna can be tossed off the bocce court and into criminal court, the police find an arrow in the victim’s neck. It looks like this was no accident—and Phee and her investigator boyfriend Marshall will have to team up to bounce a killer into the slammer . . .

Guest Post

It’s Not Start up Fatigue, It’s Distraction Fatigue

By Ann I. Goldfarb and James E. Clapp, writing as J. C. Eaton

Juggling three mystery series can be daunting, but we’re retired and we should have plenty of time. So how come we don’t? We finally figured out what’s preventing us from maximizing our work time. Other authors have said it’s something called “Start–up fatigue,” but we beg to differ. You see, every time we sit down to write, we find ourselves immersed in something else. It’s a new phenomenon and we’ve named it “Distraction Fatigue.” Frankly, the fault rests with all those cute icons on our computer screens.

Inevitably we have to check our emails. Yikes! What would happen if we missed some compelling bit of news or messages? And those messages all have tentacles. We can spend hours just dealing with someone’s lost dog or the selection of a restaurant that all of our friends can agree on for breakfast tomorrow.

“Not Panera Bread again. We were just there.”

“What about the Corner Bakery?”

“They went out of business.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. It’s been replaced by another Starbucks.”

And so it goes. Then there’s our banking. Ann absolutely cannot concentrate until she knows for certain that no one has hacked into our paltry accounts to rob us of tomorrow’s breakfast money. So we wind up checking those. Another half hour…

Of course, there are the book rankings. Inevitably one of us will sneak a peek at our latest Amazon or Barnes and Noble ranking for a particular book and then drive ourselves nuts over it. And if that’s not distracting enough, there’s Goodreads, which really should be termed, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for Authors.” If we get a great review, we revel in it. If not, Jim ignores it and Ann mopes around. Another distraction.

Then, the mother of all distractions – Facebook. We spend lots of time wishing people a happy birthday and commenting on cute kitties, adorable grandkids, and food other people have eaten. We push the LIKE buttons endlessly and watch videos that range from forest animals crossing streams in winter to crazy people climbing up mountains that even a seasoned mountain goat wouldn’t attempt. Yep, lots of lost time here.

There is one bit of good news. Now that both of us have reached Medicare age (Still not sure how that happened), we no longer have to log into our health insurance company and list the exercises we did for the day in order to reap rewards. Ann usually wrote “Vacuum and dust,” while Jim wrote “cleaning the litter box.” Whew! One less distraction…

Suddenly we remember our website and race off to make a post that will either be engaging, or immediately ignored. Anyone’s guess.

Finally, we’re ready to write. But by now, we really are fatigued. The good news is that we’ve figured out a cure. We just need to find an old word processor that has no internet capability. Then we might have a fighting chance to get our next novel penned. LOL

NOTE: Our posts tend to be tongue-in-cheek so don’t take us too seriously.

About the Authors

Ann I. Goldfarb

New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, she has authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington) set for release in June 2017. In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name.

James E. Clapp

When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. His first novel, Booked 4 Murder (Kensington) is set for release in June 2017. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching.

Website * Time Travel Mysteries * Facebook * Twitter

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Title: The Magnolia Inn
Author: Carolyn Brown
Release Date: January 15, 2019
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

Inheriting the Magnolia Inn, a Victorian home nestled in the East Texas pines, is a fantasy come true for Jolene Broussard. After living with the guilt of failing to rescue her self-destructive mother, Jolene knows her aunt and uncle’s B&B is the perfect jump start for a new life and a comforting place to call home. There’s just one hitch: stubborn and moody carpenter Tucker Malone. He’s got a half interest in the Magnolia Inn, and he’s planting his dusty cowboy boots squarely in the middle of her dream.

Ever since his wife’s death, Tucker’s own guilt and demons have left him as guarded as Jolene. The last thing he expects is for his new partner to stir something inside him he thought was gone forever. And as wary as Jolene is, she may have found a kindred spirit—someone she can help, and someone she can hold on to.

Restoring the Magnolia Inn is the first step toward restoring their hearts. Will they be able to let go of the past and trust each other to do it together?

Dotty Welcomes Readers to The Magnolia Inn

Good morning to all y’all. Thank you for inviting me to your site today to tell you a little about The Magnolia Inn. I’m so excited about this book. The characters became like family to me as I was writing it. Today, I have Dotty with me. She’s one of the four ladies—Sugar, Dotty, Lucy and Flossie—who’ve been fast friends since their youth. I’m going to turn this microphone over to Dotty now, and leave the rest of the post to her.

Hello, folks, I’m Dotty Beauchamp—half Texan, half Louisianan and all sass. I own the Tipsy Gater bar that sets right on the Big Cypress Bayou near Jefferson, Texas. When my good friend, Sugar, told me that she was going to give half of The Magnolia Inn, the bed and breakfast that her family had owned for generations, to her niece, Jolene, I thought she was bat crap crazy. When she said that her husband, Jasper, was giving the other half to his wimpy nephew, Reuben—well, I figured Reuben would sell his half the minute the ink dried on the papers.

I was right! The little weasel sold out his part of the inn to Tucker Malone. We—that would be Lucy and Flossie and me since Sugar was already off in that big ass RV touring the United States—had heard that he was a tortured soul. And dear hearts, we damn sure believed the rumor. He was the best of the best when it came to carpentry work, and from what we heard he only hit the bottle on weekends, but still we didn’t want our precious Jolene in living in that inn with him.

I really didn’t want to hire Jolene when she came to the bar looking for work, but I needed help and she sure enough needed a job. I figured I’d take some flack for it from Sugar, Lucy and Flossie, and I did—believe me I did. But Jolene and I both lived through it.

When we met Tucker for the first time, we were sure that the rumors had been right. His wife had died in an automobile accident a few years back. She’d gone to our church so we all knew her very well, and we’d met Tucker a few times when he showed up at church with her. When she died, he turned to the bottle and lost his important job on the police force over in Dallas. It was rumored that he came to our part of the world to be near her grave site. Poor man, he wore the guilt like a heavy shroud and just couldn’t seem to get past it.

But I’m digressing. When we met him we found out that he was also a Prince Charming. He didn’t have a white horse or a white cowboy hat, or a crown, but he was so sweet and kind, and he had such a sweet nature, that pretty soon, we fell in love with him as much as—well, she didn’t know it then, being as how she had plenty of baggage of her own—but as much as Jolene could it they’d could get past all the obstacles life kept throwing at them.

I see that my time is up. So let me thank you again for inviting me sit a spell and visit with all y’all. And if you’re ever in Jefferson, Texas, come on down to the Tipsy Gater and I’ll give you a free drink if you tell me that you’ve read The Magnolia Inn.

Excerpt

“Why is Tucker a tortured soul?”

“He lost his wife, Melanie, a couple of years ago. She was his whole life,” Lucy whispered. She clucked like an old hen gathering in her baby chickens. “I just can’t believe he bought half interest in this place. It takes a people person to operate a B&B, and from what I hear, Tucker is almost a hermit.”

“I guess we’ve all got our own emotional baggage,” Jolene said.

“Wait until he hauls his damn sorry ass home drunk and you’ve got guests in the place,” Lucy declared.

“She loves Jesus, but she still cusses a little,” Dotty said with a wicked grin.

“He’s a fantastic carpenter. He’s got money to put into the inn. And I’ll cross the drinkin’ bridge when it happens. And . . .” She glanced over at Dotty, who shrugged and winked.

“And just so y’all know.” Jolene took a deep breath. “I’ll be working at the Gator starting Friday night.”

“Lord have mercy,” Lucy groaned. “Have you talked to Sugar about this?”

“Visited with her last night and was going to tell her, but . . .”

Lucy threw a hand over her forehead in a dramatic gesture and then shook a fist at Dotty. “You’re leading our sweet girl down the path of unrighteousness. Jolene, I’ll give you a job in my place of business. Full-time with benefits if you’ll quit the Gator right now.”

“I know bartending, and I can only handle part-time work with the inn, but thank you,” Jolene said and tried to change the subject. “Do I have the recipe for these cookies in Aunt Sugar’s files?”

“I’m sure you do, chère,” Dotty said. “But now let’s talk about the Easter Tour of Homes. Surely Sugar mentioned it?”

“Oh, that.” Jolene was glad Dotty had changed the subject. “She always wanted to be included in it but figured the Magnolia was too far out of town.”

“It might be, but we want to add it this year,” Lucy said.

“It’s, what, like three months from now?” Jolene asked.

“Yes,” Tucker said from the doorway. “We’ll have it ready by then.”

Jolene felt heat rising from her neck to her cheeks. How much had he heard? She motioned to the coffeepot and then to the cookies. “Come on in and meet my friends.”

“Always ready for cookies and coffee. I’m Tucker Malone.” He stuck his hand out toward Lucy.

Her expression said that she’d rather be sticking her hand in a rattlesnake pit, but she put her frail hand in his. “You probably don’t remember us, but we remember you from when you used to come to church with your wife. I’m Lucy Rogers. I own Attic Treasures, an antique store in Jefferson.”

“Jolene told me that a couple of you ladies own antique shops. That’s wonderful.” Tucker brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’m right glad to make your acquaintance, ma’am. I hope to do some business with y’all as we work on this place. We’d like to keep the antique ambience but use modern things like tubs and showers to make things nice for our guests.”

From Lucy’s expression, Jolene could’ve sworn she’d rather have been shaking hands with the devil. “Well, I’ll be sure to give you a real good price on anything that you can use.”

He turned to settle his crystal-clear blue eyes on Flossie.

“I’m Flossie Simmons, and I own Mama’s Place in Jefferson. My antiques are better than Lucy’s.” She winked. “And since Jolene is like a daughter to all of us, I can beat any deal Lucy would give you.”

“And I’m Dotty Beauchamp.” Dotty’s southern accent thickened. “I’m a Louisiana girl from the other side of the Big Cypress Bayou, and I own the Tipsy Gator. I’ve seen you a few times in my bar. You always sit on the last stool in the shadows, right, chère?”

“Yes, ma’am, I sure do,” Tucker said.

Jolene was totally blown away. One minute they were ready to crucify her for letting Tucker live there, and the next they were flirting with him. Good glory! They had to be seventy or older, and he wasn’t a day over thirty-seven.

“We should let you two get back to work,” Dotty said with a broad wink toward Jolene. “And since you’re going to be out of pocket on Friday night, then Sunday afternoon will be our meetin’ time.”

They pushed their chairs back and paraded toward the foyer. Lucy stopped at the hall tree for her coat, and Tucker hurried over to help her into it. “Thank you for the cookies.”

“You’re welcome. Good luck with all this remodeling.” Flossie gave Jolene a quick hug and whispered, “I hope you know what you’re doin’.”

Tucker picked up the last coat from the hall tree and held it out to Dotty. “It’s been a real pleasure to meet you ladies.”

Jolene sank down on the bottom step of the stairs and sighed when Tucker shut the door behind the ladies. Tucker sat down beside her and propped his forearms on his knees. “So you work in a bar?”

“Ever since I was twenty-one. Until then I did waitress work,” she answered. “How much did you hear?”

“I got there when Lucy was offering you a job to quit working in a bar,” he answered.

“Sounds like you heard most of it, then. I’ll be working at a bar on Friday and Saturday nights. I understand that you drink a little on weekends.”

He got to his feet. “I’m going to get a couple more cookies and another cup of coffee to take upstairs with me. And, honey, I drink a lot on Saturday nights.”

“Just so long as we understand each other.” Jolene stood up and headed toward the kitchen. “Right now we could take fifteen minutes off and call it a midmorning snack.”

“Got chocolate syrup?” He followed her into the kitchen. “For the cookies, the coffee, or the milk?”

“Milk, and then I dip my cookies in it,” he answered.

The ladies had called him a tortured soul. Jolene stole glances at him as she got out the chocolate syrup. It was a shame that he’d lost his wife so suddenly. He might never get over it, but she sure wasn’t looking forward to dealing with another weekend drunk—like her mother or that last worthless boyfriend.

Review

A romance set in Texas, how much better could it get?!  And to top it off, it is set in Jefferson Texas, not far from where I went to high school.  And in fact, my husband and I visited this town last summer and was charmed by the small town, its residents, and the landscape.

While the story is somewhat predictable – knowing that Jolene and Tucker would end up together, what adds flavor to the story is Sugar, Dotty, Flossy, and Lucy.  These women take Jolene under their wing and only want to see her happy.  But they are old enough to do what they want and not care what anyone thinks.  I got quite a chuckle out of their antics and matchmaking ways.

Jolene and Tucker have their own set of issues to deal with but it somehow works for them as they learn to trust each other a little more and realize that perhaps what they need is looking them right in the face.  I thought it was interested that Tucker’s deceased wife would speak to him in his thoughts.  She was a wise woman.  There were multiple times that the story was very touching and I felt a bit misty as if I was right in the center of the situation.

This was a fun read and if you are looking for a book set in a small Texas town, in a B&B, and with some sassy characters, then check this book out.

We give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist with more than ninety published books, which include women’s fiction and historical, contemporary, and cowboys-and-country-music romance. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma—where everyone knows everyone else and knows what they’re doing and when—and they read the local newspaper on Wednesday to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young.

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Aransas Evening

Sequel to Aransas Morning

by

Jeff Hampton

Genre: Contemporary Literary Fiction

Publisher: Jeff Hampton, Writer

Publication Date: October 4, 2018

Number of Pages: 346 pages

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE GIVEAWAY! 

Life in Port Aransas was looking breezy and bright for Sam and his friends at the Dream Bean coffee shop. Shelly and Dave were talking marriage, Allie and Bo were tightening their family ties, and Sam was welcoming newcomers to town and falling for a new singer at the Sea Garden. But storms are never far away on the Texas Gulf Coast, and there would be none more destructive than Hurricane Harvey. Would Sam and his friends survive Harvey’s awful fury? And would life in Port Aransas ever be the same again? Find out in Aransas Evening, the sequel to Aransas Morning by Jeff Hampton.

Praise for the Aransas Series

–    “Hampton’s characters pulled me in; hook, line, and sinker.”

–    “The pace of the book is slow and easy, and I slipped into its rhythm like the ebb and flow of the water lapping against the shoreline.”

–    “A lovely story about community, and how family isn’t always the one you are born into.

–    “Isak Dinesen once wrote, ‘The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.’  Jeff Hampton has illustrated that with grace, elegance, and excellent coffee.”

│ Author Website │ Amazon │ Etsy  │

 

 

Today we are thrilled to have author Jeff Hampton join us on StoreyBook Reviews to answer some questions that inquiring minds would like to know the answers!

What made you decide to write a sequel? Any unexpected hurdles in doing this?

I honestly thought I was finished after writing the first book, but then the characters began “speaking” to me again, and I had to find out what would happen to them next. The biggest hurdle was that I was almost finished with the sequel when Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast and devastated Port Aransas. I couldn’t ignore it and not write it into the story, but I also had to be patient and wait to see how the real town and people would react to the storm before I would know how my characters would respond.

 

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

Weaving a historic event like Hurricane Harvey into a fictional storyline and into the lives of fictional characters required patience and caution. It also required respect for the real people who were coping with the real aftermath of a devastating event.

 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

I enjoyed spending more time with characters that have really become like family to me. And I enjoyed introducing some new characters to the mix and seeing how my family would react and seeing if these new friends would become family in their own right. Some did, and some didn’t.

 

Did you first experience rejections when submitting any of your manuscripts for publication?

Oh my gosh, absolutely. I was told, and I’m still told, that my type of stories aren’t selling. My response is, “Well, I’m writing them because that’s what I like.”

 

Why did you decide to self-publish?

It’s pretty simple: My first publisher ceased business, new publishers weren’t interested in my books unless I was willing to pay them to be interested, and the timeframes for publishing with them were either too slow or too fast. So, I decided to do it my own way.

 

How has your formal education influenced or impacted your writing?

My formal education included creative writing and journalism, which are opposite sides of the same coin. There is narrative and literary phraseology on one side, and facts, details and direct quotes on the other side. So, I’m constantly flipping that coin and employing techniques from both sides.

 

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I believe my training in journalism gives me a certain economy of words. I try to say more with less, and I try to let readers fill in some of the descriptive blanks with their own imaginations.

 

What projects are you working on at the present?

I’m stepping away from fiction for a while to focus on a collection of essays that are focused on the theme of community – community in its many forms. I suppose that should not be a big surprise because my fiction generally has been about community.

 

What’s changed for you as a writer since writing your first book?

I have lived more and experienced more and all of that adds to the depth of knowledge and emotion that I have to draw from.

Jeff Hampton has based his life and career in Texas writing for newspapers, magazines, businesses, and institutions. His interest in observing the people around him has led him to write essays, short stories, and novels that explore relationships and communities in their many forms. Aransas Evening is his sixth book, following Aransas Morning, Grandpa Jack, Jonah Prophet, When the Light Returned to Main Street, and The Snowman Uprising on Hickory Lane.

 

║ Website ║ Goodreads ║ Twitter ║ Instagram ║ Amazon Author Page ║

 

 

————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

Grand Prize Winner: 

Signed Copies of all six of Jeff Hampton’s books

2 Winners:

Signed Copies of both Aransas books + Grandpa Jack + a pack of Texas Themed note cards

2 Winners:

Signed Copies of Aransas Evening & Grandpa Jack + a pack of Texas Themed note cards

JANUARY 17-26, 2019

(USA only)

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Check out the other great blogs on this tour

1/17/19	Author Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
1/17/19	BONUS Promo	Hall Ways Blog
1/18/19	Review	Bibliotica
1/19/19	Excerpt	Max Knight
1/20/19	Playlist	Chapter Break Book Blog
1/21/19	Review	That’s What She’s Reading
1/22/19	Guest Post	All the Ups and Downs
1/23/19	Review	The Clueless Gent
1/24/19	Review	The Love of a Bibliophile
1/25/19	Scrapbook	Reading by Moonlight
1/26/19	Review	Forgotten Winds

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Murder of Ravens (Gabriel Hawke)
Mystery
1st in Series
Windtree Press (January 20, 2019)
Paperback: 302 pages

Synopsis

The ancient Indian art of tracking is his greatest strength…

And also his biggest weakness.

Fish and Wildlife State Trooper Gabriel Hawke believes he’s chasing poachers.

However, he comes upon a wildlife biologist standing over a body that is wearing a wolf tracking collar.

He uses master tracker skills taught to him by his Nez Perce grandfather to follow clues on the mountain. Paper trails and the whisper of rumors in the rural community where he works, draws Hawke to a conclusion that he finds bitter.

Arresting his brother-in-law ended his marriage, could solving this murder ruin a friendship?

Guest Post

Today we have Hawke from Murder of Ravens joining us and giving us a little background on himself and his job.  Fascinating stuff!

My name is Hawke. Actually, it’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife State Trooper Gabriel Hawke, but I prefer to be called Hawke. My mother named me Gabriel from the Bible, but my life has been anything but angelic. Which is why I prefer Hawke.

I enjoy my job. Because my Nez Perce grandfather spent time with me, teaching me how to track, I am known as a Master Tracker. I use this gift to help when people are missing in the Wallowa Whitman Forest as well as all over the Northwestern United States and Canada. I also give seminars on tracking at law enforcement conferences.

The ability to track was a skill my Nez Perce and Cayuse forefathers used to find food for their families. These days I use the skills to find lost backpackers and hunters in Wallowa County, the land where my Nez Perce ancestors lived during the summer and winter.

You can tell which direction a person or animal is going to go by the depth of the indentions in a footprint. You can tell if they are hesitant or hurrying. When there appears to be no footprint, you look for other clues to assess which way the creature is going. It could be displaced dirt, sand, grass, or leaves. Everyone leaves a trail, it’s just knowing how to see what is and isn’t there. Knowing the surroundings and seeing what is out of place is also a good way to deduce which path a creature has taken.

It takes a certain skill and focus to be a tracker. Unfortunately, the type of focus it requires can make me single-minded when I get caught up in clues and information that pertains to a case I’m on. As in my first book, the apprehension of the person who strangled a man with a wolf tracking collar on Goat Mountain. I came upon the body and a wildlife biologist. It would have been easy to assume the biologist killed the victim, but the facts and tracks didn’t add up to that being the case.

Back down in the valley, listening to rumors and following the paper trails, I managed to dig up information that slowly helped to build a case. Because I came across the body and had to find the answers, I was allowed more freedom to work the case than usual.

That is the best part about working in a large, rural county. There is a small law enforcement group, few people, and a lot of ground to cover. We are given more latitude to work cases and help out other law enforcement.

 

About the Author

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 35 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Her Shandra Higheagle mystery series has been a runner-up in the RONE Award Mystery category, and a finalist in the Daphne du Maurier.

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Academic Curveball (Braxton Campus Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently Published (October 14, 2018)
Paperback: 281 pages

Synopsis

When Kellan Ayrwick returns home for his father’s retirement, he finds a dead body in Diamond Hall’s stairwell.

Unfortunately, Kellan has a connection to the victim, and so do several members of his family. Soon after, the college’s athletic program receives mysterious donations, a nasty blog denounces his father and someone attempts to change students’ grades.

Someone is playing games on campus, but none of the facts add up.

With the help of his eccentric and trouble-making nana, Kellan tries to stay out of the sheriff’s way. But who is behind the murder?

Braxton Campus Mysteries

Academic Curveball – #1 (October 2018)

Broken Heart Attack – #2 (November 2018)

Flower Power Trip – #3 (Early 2019)

Other Books

Watching Glass Shatter (October 2017)

Father Figure (April 2018)

About the Author

James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College with a degree in English literature. I spent fifteen years building a technology career in the retail, sports, media, and entertainment industries. I enjoyed my job, but a passion for books and stories had been missing for far too long. I’m a voracious reader in my favorite genres (thriller, suspense, contemporary, mystery, and historical fiction), as books transport me to a different world where I can immerse myself in so many fantastic cultures and places. I’m an avid genealogist who hopes to visit all the German, Scottish, Irish, and British villages my ancestors emigrated from in the 18th and 19th centuries. I frequently blog and publish book reviews on everything I read at ThisIsMyTruthNow via WordPress.

Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, my mind, and my body. I decided to pursue my passion by dusting off the creativity inside my head and drafting outlines for several novels. I quickly realized I was back in my element growing happier and more excited with life each day. My goal in writing is to connect with readers who want to be part of great stories and who enjoy interacting with authors. To get a strong picture of who I am, check out my author website or my blog. It’s full of humor and eccentricity, sharing connections with everyone I follow—all in the hope of building a network of friends across the world.

When I completed the first book, Watching Glass Shatter, I knew I’d stumbled upon my passion again, suddenly dreaming up characters, plots, and settings all day long. I chose my second novel, Father Figure, through a poll on my blog where I let everyone vote for their favorite plot and character summaries. It is with my third book, Academic Curveball,, the first in the Braxton Campus Mysteries, where I immersed myself in a college campus full of so much activity, I could hardly stop thinking about new murder scenes or character relationships to finish writing the current story. Come join in the fun!

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The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way
Cozy Mystery
Wild River Consulting & Publishing, LLC (June 21, 2018)
Paperback: 506 pages

Synopsis

Would you move a dead body for the sake of your best friend? Ask cha-cha babe Celia Ewing, a sixty-five-year-old widow who has just settled into Boca Pelicano Palms, the Florida retirement community of her dreams. When Celia’s best friend Marcy calls her and their friend Deb for help in the middle of the night, they find a naked Marcy trapped under the body of her beau, the community’s board president, Melvin. And he’s dead. The three friends secretly move Melvin back to his apartment setting off a chain of events that will threaten to tear their community apart and send them to jail. Melvin is one of a number of residents who are dying under suspicious circumstances; and soon Celia becomes an amateur sleuth in an attempt to identify what she suspects is a serial murderer.

Filled with humorous, witty observations about retirement communities, the realities of getting older, and the promise of new love, the Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way celebrates the deep bonds of female friendships, the desire for companionship at any age, and shows us that it’s never too late to learn how to cha-cha through life.

Guest Post

Thank you, Frances, for being here today.  Today she shares her thoughts on a romance between older people.

Romance with people of a certain age

Do you gag at the thought of an older person in a hot, romantic relationship? Get over it! It’s a subject I’ve dealt with in THE CHA-CHA BABES OF PELICAN WAY. They are babes who hunger for intimacy as much as younger people do. Marcy, an important secondary character, seeks romance actively. Celia, the main character, is more subtle but open to the idea.

If older folks dared to step away from the unwritten rules of “age appropriate” you’d find a vibrant, exciting person who is still very curious and open to life changes. Each time I think there’s a stage later in life where new things stop happening there is a big surprise and something comes along to stir mental juices. Look at the new movie soon to be released, The Book Club. Those women appear quite willing to seek romance. Well, in my novel, it’s The Cha-Cha Club with the same aspirations.

NEWS FLASH: Mature people desire romance as much as younger people. For many, needs and desires don’t dissipate. Why should they? It is adult fun and games and more exciting than video games. Maybe mature romance is not involved with all aspects of what once occurred in youth. Maybe sex takes place, but it might not. It’s slower with creakier backs and limited flexibility, but nonetheless, intimacy is an aspect of mature relationships. Maybe it’s about cuddling, hugging, kissing with your one and only. Holding hands while strolling along a thoroughfare, pinching a cheek, a warm kiss (even in public, heaven forbid) is all part of any romance and doesn’t exclude oldsters. Here is the cry to all ages — find romance and cherish it. Treat it with care. If nothing else, it might be the best medicine you can find.

And being without a romantic partner doesn’t mean the end of life. The romance is icing on the cake, but your life is the whole cake. Take big bites by having good friends and being a good friend. Get people you enjoy together to give dinner parties, go to movies, theater, readings even happy hour. Contact with family is heartening, too. Whatever your interests are, you can find people to enjoy them with you. It’s great if you all have the same interests, but if not, consider trying something new to accommodate someone else.

About the Author

Frances Metzman, a graduate of Moore College of Art and a Masters degree from the University of Pennsylvania, co-authored a novel, Ugly Cookies, by Pella Press. Her short story collection, The Hungry Heart: Stories, was published by Wilderness House Press, February 1, 2012. In 2009 she won a nomination for a Dzanc Books award, “Best of the Web.” In addition to publishing numerous (25) short stories in various literary journals, she has a novel published by Wild River Books, 2018, The Cha-Cha Babes of Pelican Way. Her teaching credits include Adjunct professor at Rosemont College to graduate school, Temple University at OLLI (creative writing and memoir). Other writing workshops, memoir/creative writing, have been given at universities and colleges such as Bryn Mawr, Penn State, Delaware, University of Pennsylvania, Widener, etc. As fiction editor for a literary journal, Schuylkill Valley Journal, she selects and edits the submissions. Many articles, essays, and stories she writes deal with aspects of society that influences relationships for all ages, including the mature set (sometimes tongue in cheek). Many articles are dedicated to improving attitudes toward the mature folks and address myths about “age appropriate” thinking.

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