The Cowboy’s Claim by Sinclair Jayne

Sinclair Jayne, one of my favorite writers and Window guests, joins us today. I love her take on things, and today's post is no exception to that rule. Be sure to comment for a chance at a free book from Sinclair! - Liz

Thank you so much to Liz for inviting me back to her blog. She and I discussed the theme of endings for a couple of reasons. First, I was thinking of endings because both my kids are graduating from college and heading out to new adventures, and I feel like they are really young adults now, and so that is an ending of sorts, and yet also a beginning, a new way of being for me, my kids and me and my husband as parents.

I’ve also been dwelling on endings because my new release, The Cowboy’s Claim, that drops Tuesday, June 18th is the last in a five-book series about former Special Forces Soldiers who arrive in Marietta, Montana in order to fulfill a task or make an amend for their fallen team leader.

In The Cowboy’s Claim, Calhoon Miller is tasked to solve a mystery that his friend, Jace McBride, was determined to solve when he got home after fifteen years in the army. But Jace perishes only weeks from going home. Calhoon has very little information, and yet he is determined to honor his vow. Accompanying him on his investigation is his retired military dog, Kai, and a locums doctor Jory Quinn, who just might have the key to the puzzle. His four other "brothers"—men from his team, have all kept their vow to Jace and have now settled in Marietta and will support him if needed.

Writing the last book in a series is always exciting, and yet for me it’s also poignant—sometimes almost painfully so. With each new book in a series, I build my world bigger—layering in new characters, developing a new romance and HEA for the couple—envisioning a life for them so that by the last book I have three or four committed couples, maybe a marriage, or a baby on the way. They feel so real to me. And they also appear in each other’s books so that by the end, I feel like I too live in the life I built for them. And I find it so challenging to say goodbye.

Writing can be isolating as it does take a long time, or a deep, sustained amount of focus. Doubt is always part of the journey. You need to walk alongside it but keep it from running ahead. I welcome doubt because it keeps me sharp, questioning but happiness and connection are also part of the journey. So, saying goodbye becomes harder the longer the series continues.

I have written three series set in Marietta, Montana, a Tule Publishing created town as well as several other books there in multi-author series so I do get to cheat my goodbyes on occasion. When I head back to Marietta to write a book or set a new series, I can pull in some of my favorite characters. Colt Ewing—now Colt Wilder since he discovered his origins and family appeared in the third book I ever wrote. The book, Seducing the Bachelor, was part of a Bachelor Auction series and then I wrote a series around it, and he is one of my favorite heroes, so I drag that hot, fabulous and busy man into almost every book set in Marietta.

So maybe I cheat goodbyes. I am sort of adding an honorary sixth book to the series—Christmas for the Texas Cowboy, releasing this October where the new team leader of the Montana Coyote Cowboys, Wolf Conte, heads home to Texas to fulfill a promise he grudgingly made to Jace. This will be book four of a series I wrote long ago, The Wolf Brothers of Last Stand, and I bet you can guess why he didn’t want to head home….

What are your feelings about endings? Do you embrace them and the new opportunities and challenges or dip your toe in the chilly water of “next,” and hover for a moment like me before diving in? What book or series was the hardest for you to let go of? I’ll gift a signed print book and some swag to a couple of responders.

Thanks for hanging with me,

Sinclair Jayne

A former journalist and middle school teacher, Sinclair Sawhney lucked into a job as a developmental editor with Tule Publishing nearly ten years ago and continues to enjoy working with authors. As Sinclair Jayne, she’s published over twenty-five romance novels and counting. She loves her cowboys, small towns and HEAs. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s often hosting wine tastings with her husband of over twenty-seven years in the tasting room of their small vineyard Roshni, which means light filled, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Cheers.

Find out more about Sinclair and order her books at https://tulepublishing.com/authors/sinclair-jayne/

Being Stuck by Sinclair Jayne March 13

The Window welcomes the charming and talented Sinclair Jayne today, talking about a subject every writer knows and dreads.

Shout out to the fun and clever Liz for letting me crash her blog this week.

Have you ever been stuck?

I believe it’s more common than any of us want to admit as many women fall into the trap of thinking we need to be some sort of version of Ed Sheeran singing Perfect as we juggle all the spinning elements of our lives-work, and yet sometimes something drops. Or everything does. Maybe even us.

I was emailing with Liz about the feeling of being creatively stuck a couple of years ago on the last book or my Misguided Masala Matchmaker series—Stealing Mr. Perfect. Completely unexpected. I used to be a teacher and taught creativity workshops. I’d researched creativity in writing. I knew the tricks, and then I hit this wall I’d heard about, but had imagined I would never hit it hard. And if I did bump my head or toe on the wall. I would take in a deep breath and walk around or awkwardly clamber over. 

At first, I was more curious than worried. Why this book? Why these characters? I knew my hero and heroine. My heroine had been a main supporting character in the previous three books in the series. She was the driver, the matchmaker and yes, she was loving, enthusiastic and always misguided. She found or stumbled into the perfect match for her family through judgment errors, luck and stubborn misreading of a situation or person. She was lovable and funny. Rani Kapoor’s HEA was supposed to be a slam dunk, and yet I stumbled and missed the basket three times until I was starting to freeze up and fantasizing about throwing my computer out of a window and applying for a job at Starbucks. 

I wrote and revised. Reworked. Started over and over and over again. I Conferenced with my editor and consulted friends. But what I really wanted to do, and what I started practicing was the email to my editor and publisher saying that I didn’t want to write the book. It wasn’t working. The series would work better as a trio. Totally unprofessional and since I’d argued that Rani needed her story to wrap up the series when we were discussing a three or four book contract, my fantasizing about backing out felt like a limp white flag.

I was stuck. And as a developmental editor who has held the hands of many authors who have a crisis of faith and become stuck, I was ashamed of even thinking about not writing the book. It was something I’d never imagined not doing. Writing a book is a journey, a thrilling honor, an adventure, a joy and yeah, sometimes a teeth-grinding frustration in gorging on humble pie. But not doing it? Inconceivable. 

My mind spun round and round. What to do? What was my next step and how did I take it? What finally shoved me back on my feet and out of the ditch was when I imagined telling my daughter—then a college freshman who is absurdly talented and driven and who’d not whined once when she lost several months of her senior year performances, rituals and activities and who was starting college on Zoom--I was giving up. I had flown my resiliency flag my whole life, and it was definitely a theme when I raised my children. When Angela Duckworth’s book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance came out, I read it, gifted it and wouldn’t shut up about it.

I used to teach with someone who often intoned ‘suck it up butter cup.’ And I knew that I had to take a new approach—the fourth attempt to write Stealing Mr. Right. During another Zoom with my fabulously brilliant and creative editor and author Kelly Hunter, I finally realized why I was stuck, when she was trying to guide me in a different direction that felt wrong all the way to my fingertips. She argued passionately that the theme of the book was “What is love.” And that’s when I realized that the book—yes, a romance about a matchmaker who falls in love, wasn’t really about love. It was about identity. Rani’s and my hero’s. 

That’s why I couldn’t write it. I was writing the wrong book. Rani had been defined by others her whole life, and her growth arc was about finally coming into herself. Gaining confidence. Defining herself and taking full agency of her life. Jasminder has been so alienated from his culture and family that he is disconnected from himself and life and only has his career. By setting off separately to learn about themselves, they can love themselves and then fall in love. It was so sudden and so clear that I abruptly ended the meeting, opened the new file and began to write starting on page one. One month later I hit save and send. Happy. Relieved and proud because the book sang. 

Grinding it out might not seem inspirational, but it is effective and gritty. Being emotionally stuck requires, I’ve discovered, a bit more finesse, and self-kindness along with support. When my mother passed last year after several years of decline and illness, I felt totally spent. I was scheduled to attend a writer’s retreat a couple of weeks after she died and vacillated about going. But my husband strongly encouraged me to go as did the three other authors I was meeting. And spending time talking story, talking lives, family and goals while walking in the gorgeous nature that surrounds and imbues Canmore, Canada, soothed and inspired me.  And when I was brainstorming the plot for the fourth book in a new series The Coyote Cowboys of Montana, I felt devoid of ideas. I admitted how empty my brain and heartfelt—how I was again stuck. It felt scary admitting that, and yet they bounced ideas with me for The Cowboy Charm, which released last month. “Use your feelings,” Author, Publisher and bestie Jane Porter advised. “Let them drive the story.” 

Usually when I write, I’m in my imagination. Sure, I’ll grab a snippet from something I read or hear about on occasion, but mostly it’s me and the wild animals rampaging through my head. Harnessing the grief, the exhaustion, the frustration and the disquieting giddiness of relief that the worst had finally happened life, sounded scary. What would happen? Doom and gloom. And yet, The Cowboy Charm was one of the easiest books I’d ever written. It flowed and my hero and heroine, both of whom were at uncomfortable turning points in their lives danced. Even when there was heaviness, The dialog, the visuals, the secondary characters shone with light. I was having fun. My hero was having fun, and my heroine, who was as stuck as I had been, found her groove and fun again.

It was freeing to face something hard head on, not in a stoic way, but in a ‘let’s play’ way. I hope I can seize the chance again. But I do know that after navigating two deeply different but equally challenging moments of being stuck creatively and emotionally, I have more confidence that future me will grab the challenge rather than duck it or pretend it will go away. 

Have you had a moment where you really felt stuck? How did you rise to the challenge? A response will be chosen randomly to win a signed and print copy of the two books that illustrate my most recent moments of becoming unstuck. You can DM or email me at authorsinclairjayne@gmail.com.

A former journalist and middle school teacher, Sinclair Sawhney lucked into a job as a developmental editor with Tule Publishing nearly ten years ago and continues to enjoy working with authors. As Sinclair Jayne, she’s published over twenty-five romance novels and counting. She loves her cowboys, small towns and HEAs. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s often hosting wine tastings with her husband of over twenty-seven years in the tasting room of their small vineyard Roshni, which means light filled, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Cheers.

Christmas Surprises by Carol James

Christmas is a time of joyous surprises. In The Hope of Christmas, Kristin stumbles upon a surprise she never anticipated. Something that might change her world forever.

And I can relate…

Surrounded by those I hoped would be part of my family one day, I sat on the floor of my boyfriend’s parents’ house as he offered me a stack of four wrapped Christmas gifts. “Open the red one last,” he said, “because it’s something you’ve already seen. We bought it together.”

It’s hard to surprise me. I’m generally pretty good at picking up on the signs, and I like to think that, with years of practice, I’ve perfected the “surprised recipient response.” Not to deceive, but because surprises are as much for the giver as the receiver. I love watching the enjoyment people experience when they believe they’ve “gotten” me. 

That Christmas Eve, the gifts were all opened when I realized I’d only unwrapped three boxes. The fourth one, the one that held the mysterious item I’d already seen, was missing. After a cursory search, my boyfriend “found” it under the edge of the couch. At first I was embarrassed to be the center of attention, to have everyone watching as I unwrapped the previously seen gift, but I had no choice but to proceed.

As nonchalantly as possible, I opened the small box that promised to hold something uneventful, so we could get on with the rest of our Christmas celebrations. As I parted the tissue paper, I was greeted by a black felt tale mounted on gray velveteen. A stuffed Eeyore. I grinned. “Wrap this up, and give it to me for Christmas,” I’d said when we’d taken pity on the sad fellow and purchased him weeks earlier during a holiday shopping escapade.

I laughed as I slowly slid him from the box, and his forlorn eyes looked up at me. “I’d forgotten all about…” My words froze. As something around Eeyore’s neck sparkled, his face seemed to glow in the warm lights of the Christmas tree. Tonight he was dressed festively, wearing jewelry. A diamond engagement ring. Words can’t begin to describe my surprise and joy.

Christmas has always been a time of gifts and surprises, even if it’s something we anticipate, something we know is coming. On the night of the first Christmas, to say the shepherds were surprised by the angels is an understatement. Even though God had told them the Messiah was coming, I’ll bet they didn’t expect it to be “that” night. They were the recipients of the greatest Christmas surprise of all time.

That ring is still on the finger where my now husband placed it on that Christmas Eve fifty-one years ago. And Eeyore, having grown faded and tailless over the years, has a place of importance on the shelf in my office. They are reminders of one of the best Christmas gifts I ever received.

The greatest? “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” I Corinthians 9:15

The Hope of Christmas Blurb:

Cameron Blake has everything a man could want. Or so it appears. But in the dark of night, the contents of an old manila envelope remind him that the one thing he truly wants is beyond his reach.

Kristin Hansen returns home after a messy break-up. While her parents think she' s returned to recuperate after surgery on a broken arm, she' s actually escaping from an abusive relationship.

When the pastor of a local church recruits Kristin and Cameron to supervise the building of the church' s float for the upcoming Christmas parade, their hidden secrets are exposed. Cam sees in Kristin what he truly desires... but knows he can never have.

As Christmas nears, can Kristin help him find the thing that' s eluded him all these years? The one thing his heart truly desires? Hope.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Christmas-Holiday-Extravaganza-ebook/dp/B0CK1RJQMN/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IM4VWG2IEBHV

Giveaway:

I will give away one e-copy of my newest Christmas novella, The Hope of Christmas, to one of the people who comment on the blog. I just need email addresses.

Bio:

As an Air Force brat, the longest Carol James ever lived in one place was a year and a half. Maybe that’s why, when she and her husband bought their first home forty-two years ago, they stayed put. She lives in Lilburn, GA with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell Terrier, Zoe.

Loving intriguing stories with happy endings, she writes Redemptive Romance. She has had five full length novels and six Christmas novellas published. Her debut novel, Rescuing Faith, was an Amazon number one best-seller. Visit her website to sign up for her newsletter and get a free short story: https://www.carol-james.com

Carol James

The Cottonwood by Liz Flaherty

You've probably heard me mention the tree before. It's a cottonwood in our side yard. When we first moved here in 1977, she was hardly more than a sapling, but cottonwoods grow fast. They irritate a lot of people, and I've heard them called "junk trees," especially when they're spraying their cotton far and wide, but I've always loved ours. Two of them have come down, and it was good they did--they were too close to the house for safety. 

However, the one in the side yard is still there. She--yeah, I'm almost sure she's a girl--has been struck by lightning more than once, so her main center trunk is dead. Other, lesser trunks have risen around it, though--although we lose one once in a while. The cottonwood is unsparing of herself when she does her spring cleaning.

Take it down or leave it an argument I've won, so far. Cutting the tree down is mentioned occasionally at our house. So far, my saying, "Let's just wait until we have to," has worked, and she's still standing there with her center bare and dead and life climbing all around her. 

The birds love that tree. In the morning, they make excited swoops from it to the suet feeders. The squirrels run up and down and all around it, leaping from the live trunk across the dead center to another leaf-laden branch. If I were a mother squirrel, my heart would be in my mouth the whole time. 

I have always loved trees. We had boxelder trees in our backyard growing up. One of them had swings hanging from a strong, low-hanging branch. It also had a wonderful arrangement that was perfect to sit in, hidden from view. When Mom urged me to stop reading and go outside, that seat in the tree was as far as I got--I took the book with me. 

Speaking of Mom, I was as brokenhearted as she was when they cut down the trees beside our road for the purpose of widening it. The road never got that much wider, but the roadside became silent and unstoried. We no longer picked up windfall apples for pies, no longer gazed in amazement at the tree shaped like an egg, no longer picked up walnuts. 

It gave me the same feeling I get looking down State Road 16 in Denver where trees were taken down. The street looks nice. The curbs. The porches on almost every house. But it's not a pretty street anymore, not sheltering, not do-you-remember? 

But our cottonwood is still standing there in the yard. When leaves are on, she looks like a one of those trees gnomes live in in storybooks; all that's lacking is the door. And the gnome. 

The deer who use our yard as a passthrough appear from behind its wide trunk. The orioles and cardinals make bright spots in its leaves. The evening sun, spectacular on its own, silhouettes through the branches and makes you stop and look, breath suspended for just a glorious moment. 

When we moved here, we talked about moving that cottonwood and its neighbor to the north to different places, but we never did. Now one of them is a cornerstone of our property--although I'm not even sure if it's on our property--and the other is the one in the picture. Beaten and suffering from the involuntary amputation of its strongest limb, it still gives shelter and beauty and pleasure every day and asks nothing in return. 

Relationships are like that. If friendships have lasted a long time, they probably have some bumps and bruises on them. Long marriages are held together not only with love, but with scar tissue as well--many of the branches get broken along the way, and sometimes it's as if lightning has indeed struck. 

Like the tree, relationships offer shelter, pleasure, and respite for the soul. And like our cottonwood, relationships are often messy and require more upkeep than seems fair. But you can't have one without the other, and I don't want to give up either.

Our tree can stay for a while, at least. She seems sturdy to me, and the wildlife and I all like her. It's another thing to feel grateful for, that relationships and trees prosper even when they're not always pretty. 

Have a good week. Plant a tree. Be nice to somebody. 

P. S. I’m assembling a surprise package for a newsletter subscriber, a Window Over the Sink blog commenter, or someone who reviews one of my books prior to September 15. Just drop me an email at lizkflaherty@gmail.com with "Prize Package" in the subject line. (A separate entry for each review!)

 

Newsletter by Liz Flaherty

I don't usually share my newsletter here, but here it is anyway. I hope you enjoy and comment for a chance at the prize package! See you Saturday!

Hello! The corn’s tall and tasseled and smelling sweet and the school buses are back on their routes here in rural Indiana. This summer has gone so fast, hasn’t it? And that’s okay with me. I’m absolutely an autumn person. The sights, sounds, tastes, and smells are like a new beginning to me.

I do love new beginnings, don’t you?

Because of Joe is a favorite from my backlist. I love its setting—Pensacola Beach—and its premise—marriage resurrected—and its theme—family. I imagine my writing has matured in the years since Because of Joe was first released, but the heart with which I wrote it is still the same. I love family, and it doesn’t matter at all whether you’re related by blood or not.

Anyway, a few people have asked for the book lately, which made me happy. However, it hasn’t been in print for…well, a really long time. When I asked Rhonda and R.J. at The Wild Rose Press about it, they were happy to give it a new cover and put it in print. This also made me happy. Find it on Amazon here.



I am re-releasing the Second Chances series with my own Singing Tree Publishing. I have new covers and the series has a different name, A New Season. Remember what I said about new beginnings? I’m excited to have these books back out there. I plan to have them all released by November. Wouldn’t the set make a great Christmas gift?

Book One, A Year of Firsts, is on Amazon in both ebook and in print. If you’d like a signed copy, email or PM me. Here’s the Amazon link.



Speaking of bargains…oh, weren’t we? Well, if you’re looking for one, the eBook edition of A Soft Place to Fall will be on sale for 99 cents on August 26-31! You can find it at the retailer of your choice here or on Amazon here. It’s one of my favorite stories ever and Early McGrath is one of my favorite heroines. I hope you like her, too.



Coming right up!

Well, on October 10, anyway, Harlequin Heartwarming authors—past and present—are going back to Christmas Town! This year’s offering, from authors Melinda Curtis, Anna J. Stewart, Cheryl Harper, Beth Carpenter, Cari Lynn Webb, Tanya Agler, LeAnne Bristow, and me, is Lights, Camera, Christmas Town! We are having such fun with it and hope you like it, too.

We’ll be looking for reviews. Email me or PM me and I’ll put you on the list!



Wishing you the best autumn ever, whether you spend it with football, pumpkin spice, or reading a good book…well, many good books…in your chair with a blanket and something good to drink.If you haven't subscribed to the newsletter, here's the link: http://eepurl.com/df7dhP

I’m assembling a surprise package for a newsletter subscriber, a Window Over the Sink blog commenter, or someone who reviews one of my books prior to September 15. Just drop me an email at lizkflaherty@gmail.com with "Prize Package" in the subject line. (A separate entry for each review!)










See you soon!

New Release from the Writer and the Editor @NanReinhardt

I'm so happy to have dear friend, travel partner, copy editor extraordinaire, and Tule Publishing author on the Window today. She has a new book out--as of yesterday!--which she wants us to know about, and she's also talking about her two jobs. 

Writer as Editor… Or Is It Editor as Writer?

I am a writer—an author. I’m also an editor. If you think those two things seem like a perfectly reasonable pairing, you’d be right on some levels and wrong on others.

Writer Nan and Editor Nan generally get along okay. We mostly stay out of each other’s way when we are supposed to. For example, Writer Nan doesn’t try to rewrite clients’ books as she copy edits, she merely copy edits, even if the urge to rewrite is sometimes strong. Rewriting is not Editor Nan’s job—ever. If the urge gets too strong, Writer Nan might disguise herself as Editor Nan and leave a comment in the manuscript, Something to the effect of “Maybe try…” with a suggestion for a better way to say whatever is clanging for her. Then it’s the author’s call if they want to rewrite.

Editor Nan (from now on, let’s refer to her as EN), on the other hand, is not nearly so polite or circumspect. She charges into Writer Nan’s territory at the drop of the proverbial hat, stopping Writer Nan (whom we’ll call WN from here out) in the middle of sentence if she feels the need and rushes in to fix whatever she thinks isn’t working. Most of the time, WN can keep EN at bay, but she does sometimes get in the way and makes writing much harder than it needs to be.

Here’s the thing that EN just doesn’t get—WN is on a deadline and the time for editing one’s own work is not while one is in the actual process of writing. Editing comes after the first draft is done, and unless a plot point changes backstory dramatically, most anything can be fixed later. WN can even stick a little comment into the manuscript—just a quick CHANGE MADDIE’S HAIR COLOR or RETHINK JACK’S DECISION HERE. Easy peasy, right? EN doesn’t need to be involved at all. But she insists on taking WN all the way back to wherever a switch-up needs to be made and together, they make it and then EN allows WN to move on with the story.

In writing her last few books, WN has been pretty much trying to ignore EN, even when she’s shouting at the top of her editorial lungs. WN has been picking up from where she left off the day before and continuing her writing. Not going back to reread what she’s already written, but rather simply taking up the story and moving it along. It hasn’t been easy, but it has worked pretty well for the storytelling, and WN is hoping she can continue to tell the first draft of her stories without any interference from EN. We shall see…

Thanks for spending time with me today, and thanks to Liz for having me here at the Window. I’ve got a little giveaway package—a backlist book, a handmade bracelet, a River’s Edge map notebook, and some other swag—for one lucky commenter. I had a little hard time coming up with a question for you because not too many of you will suffer my EN vs WN dilemma, so let’s just have some fun. For a chance at this fabulous (cough, cough) giveaway: What was your favorite book when you were kid?

 Home to River’s Edge, book 1 in the Weaver Sisters trilogy
by Nan Reinhardt

 She’s determined to start a new chapter, so why is she still drawn to a man from her past?

When Jasmine Weaver, the chief of staff to a powerful D.C. congresswoman, chose integrity, she didn’t anticipate ringing in the New Year disgraced, unemployed, and sleeping in her childhood bedroom. Now back in River’s Edge, Indiana, identical triplet Jazz has her sisters’ support while she plans her next steps. She agrees to lead the committee for their high school's fifteenth reunion, never dreaming that her co-chair is the man who broke her teenage heart.

As the new CEO of Walker Construction, Elias Walker has taken the family business to new levels of success. He’s buried himself in work to ease the grief of losing his fiancé several years earlier and wants nothing more than to be a carpenter again. He grudgingly agrees to co-chair the high school’s reunion committee, but when Jazz Weaver blows into town, suddenly anything seems possible.

These high school sweethearts have lived half their lives apart. Can they reinvent themselves back in the town where it all began?

Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N Nook | Kobo | Apple Books | Tule Bookstore

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet, small-town romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, woman in her prime. She’s a mom to beloved Son and DIL, and a grandmother to darling Grandboy. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of nearly 50 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.

Talk to Nan at: nan@nanreinhardt.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tule Publishing | BookBub | Goodreads

Stop and Smell the Roses by Darlene Fredette

One day last week, during my book tour with Trickster, I had a guest spot where I talked about working with a group of writers on the Mortar and Pestle series. I tried to jump ship a couple of times, but they pulled me from the deep waters. I’m happy they did as I made some new friends, and I wrote a story I absolutely love.

As much fun as the collaboration was, it may be my last writing project with and without a group. I’m seriously thinking about retiring my writing cap. I’ve considered retiring before, but a story would always call me back to the computer. Redford Falls still has a few more stories to tell, but the drive to write is diminishing. 

There are several factors that push retirement – I’m a

slow writer, I don’t have many hours during the day to write, and I’m terrible at marketing and lack the passion to learn the new avenues. As we get older our priorities change – at least for me they have. I want the everyday pace to slow down and to not worry about meeting deadlines. As
the saying goes – stop and smell the roses.

Should I retire? Never say never, but right now I’m taking a well-deserved break. And what a better way to go out than on a high note with a book I adore like Trickster!

Trickster

A Redford Falls Story, Part of The Mortar and Pestle Series

Can she heal the trickster before he breaks her heart?

Working for a top modeling agency is Jade Parsons’s dream job until her boss suffers a heart attack, and his son temporarily fills his position. Eric’s push-pull approach fuels her frustration. While anticipating the troublemaker’s imminent departure, Jade’s destiny is revealed through a magical mortar and pestle, leaving her heart tormented by whispers of a different fate.

World-renowned photographer Eric Martini returns home to restore his relationship with his estranged father, but wounds from the past haunt him. Enchanted by his father’s feisty assistant, he masks his heart and refuses to give in to desire. Convinced his destined future is already written in the stars—and doesn’t include Jade, Eric’s only choice is to walk away.

Will Jade and Eric find the courage to trust the mythical and smokey signs before their paths are severed forever? 

Two weeks ago, Eric had aired his family’s dirty laundry. Probably unintentional on his part, but he revealed the reason behind his frustration toward his father, and Jade gave her unwelcomed input.

Today she exposed her secret, which felt exhilarating. “I only wanted you to understand you have to let go of the past to be present in the future.”

“And I’m trying. My father and I are on a good path to rebuilding our relationship and for that, I thank you. You forced me to see the error of my ways. I’m sorry for taking out my problems on you. You didn’t deserve my grouchy moods. I was rude and obnoxious.” He raised a brow. “Can you forgive me? Can we start over?”

Smiling, she squinted. “Who are you?”

He strode forward and held out a hand. “I’m Eric Martini. Nice to meet you.”

“No.” Jade pointed a finger. “You, sir, are a trickster.”

“Excuse me?”

“A trickster is someone who has many sides. Disruptive and helpful, troublemaker and hero. I know the man in the office. But I don’t know the man standing in front of me.” She clasped his hand, and a flurry of tingles surged the length of her arm. Warmth flushed her cheeks. Without thinking, she leaned up on her toes and kissed Eric’s cheek. “Thank you for being my hero today.”

Darlene Fredette resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. Retired from a career as Director of Administration and Marketing, she now has eleven published contemporary romance books and is an artist at heart. When she isn’t researching her next book or having a pencil, paintbrush, or a cup of hot chocolate in her hand, she’s with her husband, daughter, and one-hundred-pound yellow Labrador.

Links:

Trickster on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BS1PD9W2/

Website: http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/

Blog: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Fredette/e/B005NAF660/

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But wait! There’s more! I’m giving away a free PDF copy of The Mortar and Pestle Preview. This preview document is similar to the free prequel offered in Book Funnel, but the preview has tons of additional fun stuff – more graphics, book teasers, an inside look at how the series came to life, and much more! To get this free preview, pop over to my author website http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/ and send me a note using the Contact Form on the left sidebar. No rafflecopter, no contest, and no drawing of names. Just send me a note through the secure Contact Form. It’s that easy!

Wrapped Around My Heart by Heather Alexander

 

Wrapped Around My Heart
Heather Alexander
(The Kincaid Brothers, #1)
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: August 29th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Savvy New York designer, Emma Cole, inexplicably falls through time and into the arms of the most intriguing man she’s ever met—Wyatt Kincaid, a hunky cowboy living in 19th century Montana. Their attraction is instantaneous, but the secrets they each carry may keep the two apart.

When a mysterious string of fires set off a chain of events, the couple must come together to uncover the perpetrator.

Fate brought them together through time, but will their love be strong enough to keep them united through the centuries?

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—

EXCERPT:

A sudden crash outside the garage sounded like a car wreck at high speed or, more precisely, a head-on collision. The ground beneath Emma’s feet shook. She lost her balance and stumbled toward the door. Outside, she expected to see a horrible motor vehicle accident and bodies strewn everywhere.

But there was no crash.

No cars.

No one.

Nothing else, except the house and…

She turned back to the garage. Her breath caught in her lungs. What had been the spotless three-car garage was now a two-story wood barn. A buckboard sat to the side. A tall windmill towered behind the wood structure; on the opposite side, a horse grazed in a paddock.

And one very tall and handsome man with piercing blue eyes that rivaled the Montana sky stood before her. His thick blond hair caressed his forehead. He wiped his hands on a rag, then tucked it into the side of his denim overalls. His rolled-up shirt sleeves exposed tanned muscular forearms. Where did he come from?

She glanced at the house, at him, then back again, and trembled involuntarily. The house had suddenly changed. It looked different—the roof had shingles. Smoke billowed out of the chimney, the smell filling her head.

“Ma’am?” The man’s gaze swept over her from head to toe; a gentle smile touched his lips. Something akin to recognition flickered in his eyes. “Are you…lost?”

Who is this guy, why is he here, and how the hell did my life just get turned upside down?

~*~

Heather Alexander writes time-travel, contemporary, and historical romance.

Since she was a child, Heather has been fascinated with time-travel stories and the Old West. After visiting several ghost towns in Montana, she was inspired to combine the two and wrote her first time-travel romance, Wrapped Around My Heart. A Long Island native, she now lives in the south with her family and spends all her free time with her two beloved fur babies. She is currently working on the next book in the Kincaid Brothers series. More information about Heather and her writing is available at booksbyha.com.

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Tour Stop: Jana Richards and the Masonville Series

I'm so glad to have my friend Jana Richards here promoting her Masonville Series. There's a giveaway, too. Be sure to sign up and give her books a try. You won't be sorry!

Strong Enough

The Masonville Series Book 4

by Jana Richards

Genre: Small Town Contemporary Romance

Love can make you stronger, if you let it.

Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.
As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

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Unexpected

The Masonville Series Book 3 

Single dad Ben Greyson wants only to retain custody of his two stepdaughters. A dysfunctional childhood has made family the most important thing in his life. When his late wife's parents sue for custody, a desperate Ben is left with two choices – run away with his girls or marry his next-door neighbor.

Jamie Garven wants to be a mother. She's intrigued by her handsome new neighbor and falls in love with his little girls. Then Ben is faced with losing his children, and Jamie agrees to marry him for a chance at motherhood. They're determined to show the world, and the girls' grandparents, two loving parents.

Their marriage of convenience turns into unexpected love. But Ben interprets Jamie's efforts to save their family as betrayal—they could lose everything, including each other. 

**On Sale at Amazon for .99cents June 3 - 17!!**

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To Heal a Heart

The Masonville Series Book 2 

Two souls in pain, two hearts in need of rescue.

Garrett Saunders' world changed two years ago on a road in Afghanistan. Back home, he feels like a stranger. As he struggles to find his place in the world, he meets a horse destined for the slaughterhouse and a woman bent on rescuing the strays of the world, including him.

Blair Greyson moves to Masonville to look after her ailing grandfather and give her rescue horses a home. Right away she butts heads with a surly former Marine. Despite a rocky start, they come to an agreement: Blair will board Garrett's rescue horse and he'll help with repairs around her farm.

Garrett finds purpose working with Blair—and falls in love with her. But she's hiding a secret. Can she forgive herself and accept Garrett's love, or will she let guilt and regret continue to rule her life?

**On Sale at Amazon for .99cents May 20 – June 3!!**

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Child of Mine

The Masonville Series Book 1

Is Lauren’s love for Cole stronger than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Lauren didn't intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband's funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she's not sorry. Cole's given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He's been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she's afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn't his.

Cole's been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother's. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren's heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

**On Sale at Amazon for .99cents until May 20!!**

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When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.

In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com

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