Final Call - Christmas in July Free Ebook

I almost forgot to share this with you.

STUCK ON THE NAUGHTY LIST  is free at most ebook sellers through August 1, 2024.

BUT NOT AT AMAZON KINDLE!

That's right. Totally free.

"Stuck on the Naughty List is a must-read for fans of small town romance and second chances. This romance will have you rooting for true love until the very end."

"Joan is a master at setting the stage (aka Texas) with wonderful characters and places."—EbookLover

A year ago, Cassie left Ben, the man she loved, so he could have the life he’d been groomed for since birth. Still heartbroken over the break up with Ben—even though it was for his own good—she returns to Capitola, Texas, her small hometown, for Christmas.

She hopes the warmth of old friends will take away the pain of heartbreak. She just wants the comfort of her grandmother's home where she grew up, to help her get through the lonely holidays.

Returning home for the holidays should be a joyous occasion, but for Cassie, it quickly turns into a nightmare. She’s arrested on a trumped-up charge and taken downtown to the police station where she meets the town's new Chief of Police.

Could he be the perfect man to mend her broken heart? Will Fate give her a second chance at love?

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Enjoy STUCK ON THE NAUGHTY LIST, a passionate romance with a lot of heart and heat. Oh, and please post a review if you like it. Even one or two sentences can help other readers find this story which needs some reader love.

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July Winding Down

We decided to spend a couple of days at Rancho Reeves in the country.

It's a bit of a hazy day, but the sun is shining. After more than a week of rain at home, I'm happy to sit on the porch, sip a glass of iced tea, and look out over the wildflowers that are going to seed.

Yes, all the wildflowers are dried and brown. They follow the pattern of life as old as time itself.

It's kind of comforting. No matter the turmoil in the world, nature keeps on ticking away just as it has for millennia.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is a wonderful setting for gathering my thoughts, taking stock of what I've accomplished for the past 7 months, and thinking about how I want to spend the remaining months of 2024. Do you like to look back and then look ahead?

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I Will Not Watch the Olympics This Year

I can't believe it. I simply can't believe someone thought the entertainment at the opening ceremony for the Olympics was a good idea.

The Paris extravaganza had these advertisers: Coca-Cola, Delta, Eli Lilly & Co., Toyota, Visa, and Comcast’s Xfinity.

I was raised to respect every religion—to never mock another's beliefs. To see one of the most profound events of my Christian faith mocked was appalling. 

I couldn't even write about this until now. Why is it that people feel free to do this to Christians? If this had been another major religion, what would be the consequence of ridiculing it or insulting it?

Does our tolerance make people think we are weak? That they can insult our religion? That we will just laugh it off?

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I'm not laughing, and I'm not forgetting. I'm not watching the Olympics. In fact, I'm looking for a list of the other advertisers for the event so I can be sure I don't support them either.

Friday Facts About Rain

Since it's done nothing but rain every day for a week, I can't seem to think about anything but the obvious. Rain.

The Houston area had nearly 36 inches of rain from Jan. 1 to July 1—eleven inches more than normal.

I don't know the rainfall since July1, but I do know the whole area is under flood watch.

FACTS ABOUT RAIN

(1) Rain has a distinctive smell even though it is thought to be odorless. The earthy smell when it first starts comes from moistening of the ground. That smell is called petrichor, as coined by Australian scientists in 1964.

Petrichor is created by a byproduct of the decomposition of organic matter which is called geosmin which may be present in the ground is released in aerosol form when raindrops hit the earth's surface. Humans pick up the petrichor scent that’s present in the aerosols.

(2) Even though we think raindrops are shaped like teardrops, they're not. Most are round and plump like a hamburger bun unless they're larger than 1 mm. When they get large, the shape gets distorted.

(3) The average raindrop weighs about .001 ounce (0.034 grams), and that's less than the weight of an eyelash.

(4) The average speed of raindrops is about 14 mph.

(5) The rainiest place on the planet is Mawsynram in India in Maghalaya state that averages  467.4 inches of rain each year.

(6) The driest place on the planet is the Atacama Desert in northern Chile and southern Peru. This non-polar desert gets an average of 0.019 inches of rain each year.

Of course, sometimes rain may fall, but it never reaches the ground which brings us to our last rainfall fact.

(7) When rain falls from clouds and the air is very dry, raindrops can evaporate as they fall. Falling rain that evaporates before hitting the ground is called virga.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

That's all I have time for now. I've got to give Freddie a quick walk before the next rain shower.

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Review - A Family Affair - Netflix

Wow! Netflix finally came up with a great romantic comedy in A FAMILY AFFAIR starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Effron, Kathy Bates, and Joey King.

They've tried the romcom genre in the past, but most of their efforts have been less than successful. This one hit the bull's eye. If you haven't watched it yet, you're missing a great flick.

Zac Effron is perfect as Chris Cole, sexy, hunky star of action films. He is truly delightful.

Nicole Kidman is perfect as Brooke Harwood, a famous novelist and a widow of 10 years who has had no relationships since her husband died.

Joey King is letter-perfect as Zara, Brooke's self-absorbed daughter who is Cole's girl-Friday who is at his beck and call 24/7.

I don't want to give away any of the hilarity inherent in this second chance, age-gap romance that's exactly what you're looking for in a romcom.

The fact that it shows believable superficial Hollywood type characters who "grow" as people is the cherry on type of this delicious sundae of a movie.

A FAMILY AFFAIR was released June 28, 2024. Directed by Richard LaGravenese and produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, the movie is a winner.

BY THE WAY

If you're looking for a romantic comedy to read, try Just One Look, a second chance romantic comedy that's now available at most ebook selllers: Kindle, Apple, B&N, Kobo, etc.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

An absolute must-see movie. If you want to thank me for pointing you toward it, just leave a comment. *g*

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Politicians and Humor? Seriously?

Why don't we look at the lighter side of politics?

You may well ask, "Is there a light side?"

Yes, and it's found in the funny things past Presidents of the United States have said.

Let's begin with Harry S. Truman who said, "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog."

Abraham Lincoln said this of a fellow politician: "He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met."

Lincoln had quite a sense of humor. He once said, "If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."

One day first lady Eleanor Roosevelt left the White House to visit a penitentiary. When Franklin D. Roosevelt asked where she was, he was told, "She's in prison, Mr. President." To which he replied,  "I'm not surprised, but what for?"

When Calvin Coolidge announced he wouldn't run for re-election in 1928, a reporter asked, "Why don't you want to be President any more?" Coolidge replied, "Because there's no chance for advancement."

In 1980, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter were running for President. When Reagan heard Carter was supposed to appear on 60 Minutes to talk about his accomplishments, he said, "But that will leave 59 minutes to fill."

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer present or not guilty."

Jimmy Carter said, "I have often wanted to drown my troubles, but I can’t get my wife to go swimming."

President Carter, proclaimed as one of the worst presidents ever, also said, "My esteem in this country has gone up substantially. It is very nice now that when people wave at me, they use all their fingers."

"If it were not for the reporters, I would tell you the truth." —Chester A. Arthur

Since I started with a quote from President Truman, I'll end with one. He said, "My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician."

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Which quote did you like best?

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Self-Publishing Potential 2024

Since the first half of this year is history, it's a good time to take stock of what's going on in self-publishing.

Why have so many authors embraced self-publishing?

The answer is easy. Authors enjoy having more control over bringing their stories to readers.

Often, they also have higher income without the middle "man" of the traditional publisher and/or an agent.

That's one of the reasons behind the 17% annual growth rate according to Blurb, founded by Eileen Gittins in 2005.

Blurb is a platform that facilitates creating, printing, and publishing independent books. By the way, traditional pubishing had only a 1% growth during that same time period.

SELF-PUBLISHING REWARDS

In 2022, more than 2,000 self-published authors earned over $100K in royalties, and many of those authors were women. Around 67% of self-published books come from women authors which is quite a contrast to the traditional publishing world.

Monetary rewards aside, self-published works are now being accepted by prestigious awards like the Pulitzer and the British Book Awards. I was amazed to learn that a self-published work can be submitted for consideration.

Self-published books now make up 30 to 34% of all ebook sales, and there are nearly 300 million self-published books sold each year. What does it mean for an author? The market is growing so there's room for new authors.

According to Alex Newton and his K-Lytics reports, 58% of the Top-400 most sold Kindle books of 2023 were romance titles.

For 2024, the forecast from several sources named these as trending genres: Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary Fiction, Romantasy, and Young Adult.

NOT ALL ROSES

Discoverability is the most important factor in book sales for self-publishing authors. Yes, there is room in the marketplace, but there is also tremendous competition. 

You can write the best book in the world, but if no one knows it exists, you may end up as one of the 20% of authors who have no income from writing.

SELF-PUBLISHING IS A 1-MAN BAND

When I started self-publishing, there were no companies offering services like formatting ebooks and print books, cover design, proof reading, marketing, etc. I had to learn how to do it all. I made mistakes too, but I learned from them. Now I'm able to easily format an ebook which means I'm not paying $50-$100+ for this service.

The more you learn to do, and do well, the less overhead you incur. Just make sure that what you do looks professional.

Now there are many companies offering every facet of publishing including proofreading, editing, design, format, distribution, and marketing. These services may or may not be in your budget. That's for you to decide.

BOTTOM LINE

What should a self-publishing author do with the information I've presented? 

(1) Write the best book you can.

(2) Get it professionally proofed and edited.

(3) Package it so it looks as if it came from a traditional publisher—whether you do that yourself or you hire a company to do it.

(4) Learn how to market your book with successful online ads.

From conversations I've had with readers of just about every gennre, most readers don't know, or care, if a book is self-published or traditionally published—unless they are jarred from the story by several typos, wrong word usage, poor grammar, etc. 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Readers are there for the story. Don't give them a reason to be shocked out of the story by poorly presented text. That can be the kiss of death for an author.

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Free App - JustWatch

If you have multiple streaming services, there's an easy way to find a specific movie or TV show.

Visit JustWatch, a platform that's free and offers a way to search quickly for a specific title without going from app to app.

Why scroll through all of the apps on your TV when you can do a search for a title and find what streaming service offers it. 

If you just want to browse, JustWatch it also comes in handy. When you find a show or movie that interests you, you can immediately see which streaming service offers it.

The platform which has an estimated 40M users is free and also offers recommendations, streaming charts, and categories to make finding something to view even easier.

The platform is easy to use, available on several devices, and shows only content that's legally available Netflix, Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and many other streaming services—all in all, they list more than 500.

There is a JustWatch Pro, but the free version is powerful so useful I doubt anyone would want to pay a subscription fee for the Pro level.

PERSONAL DATA

The platform does collect some personal data and may store the digital footprint of the device you’re using, such as your IP address, date and time of access, and identification data of your browser and operating system. 

If you register for a paid account or leave public feedback, they may collect personal information, such as your name or email address. However, the personal information is deleted as soon as the process is complete.

If you don't want to provide that information, using a VPN helps.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you find yourself endlessly scrolling for something to watch, you should try JustWatch. It might save you a lot of time.

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Kiss Her, You Fool!

Have you ever read a romance or watched a movie where a character wants to kiss or be kissed, but...they don't?

Didn't you want to shout, "Kiss her you fool."

I saw that very scene in a rerun of The Big Bang Theory recently when Amy's date said that to Sheldon. 

A KISS IS JUST A KISS

Yes, that's what Herman Hupfeld wrote, "A kiss is just a kiss," in the song, As Time Goes By, the love song from the movie Casablanca. But a kiss isn't just a kiss, is it? We learn early in life how to give kisses. When we're small children, we freely give kisses to mommy and daddy.

"Give me some sugar," Grandma says, and we delightfully kiss her cheek and hug her then squeal as she hugs us back.

When we get older, we learn there are different kinds of kisses. Kisses we give and take from our first puppy love crush. Then, a bit later, we learn another type of kiss—those drenched with passion and fueled by desire. Kisses like that are magical.

HUMAN INTIMACY

In 1971, Desmond Morris published Intimate Behavior: A Zoologist's Classic Study of Human Intimacy. In that book, he discusses the 12 steps of human intimacy. 

He designated The Kiss, or Mouth to Mouth Intimacy, as step 7. Morris doesn't describe that step in escalating intimacy as magical, but it is.

That's why so much attention is given to The Kiss in a romance novel. It's an important step in the growing relationship between the heroine and hero. 

By the first kiss, the couple in question are acting on their desire, and they're curious as to how that kiss will make them feel. Will it knock their socks off or put the damper on their growing desire?

Obviously, much depends on that kiss. If it increases their desire, which it should, then they face the problem of backing away from each other if there are circumstances that keep them apart. 

Of course, they may, for their own reasons, disavow the effects of the kiss. After all, a romance is all about overcoming obstacles to achieve a worthy goal – each other.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Do you have a favorite first kiss scene in a book or movie? Leave a comment and share.

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Saturday Share Recipe - Chocolate Cake in a Cup

Yesterday, I made a large chocolate birthday cake today for my son-in-law whose party was today. I love chocolate—especially chocolate cake.

Many of you love it too, but you don't make it because you may think it's difficult, time-consuming, or you don't want an entire cake hanging around and tempting you.

That's why I came up with Chocolate Cake in a Cup, a little recipe that makes 4 small cakes which are delightfully delicious, easy to make, and won't send your calorie count into the stratosphere.

I shared this recipe several years ago so I'm reprinting it for you today.

CHOCOLATE CAKE IN A CUP

Ingredients
4 tablespoons self-rising flour
3 tablespoons of white or brown sugar (Use an extra tablespoon if you really want a sugar bite.)
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil (canola, safflower, sunflower, or generic vegetable oil)
3 tablespoons chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons chopped pecans or other nuts, optional 

Directions

Into a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, place the egg, oil, sugar, and milk. Mix well. 

Add in the other ingredients except for vanilla and mix well. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Evenly distribute the batter into the 4 coffee cups. Microwaves vary in the way they cook. In my microwave, I cook these for 2 minutes at 1000 watts power. The cakes rise beautifully. 

Depending on your microwave, lightly touch the top of a cake when time is up. If it "springs" back when touched, it's done. If you think you need to cook longer, do it in 10 second increments. Don't overcook.

Remove from microwave and allow to cool a few minutes. You can serve it now as is or with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream.

Even better, make a batch of my chocolate frosting. This makes 2 cups so save what's left in small freezer bags so you can defrost a small batch when needed. 

BEST CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Ingredients
1 stick) softened butter (I set 1 out a couple of hours before I make the cakes so it softens.)
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cream butter. Lower speed and add milk. To that slurry mixture, slowly add the powdered sugar and cocoa. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add the vanilla last and beat well. If the frosting is a little thick, add a tiny bit more milk, teaspoon by teaspoon, until consistency is perfect.  Makes about 2 cups of frosting that's so delicious you'll be tempted to eat it like candy.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

It's such an easy way to make a dessert that's delicious and fast. Let me know if you try this.

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Review - Solver Streaming Online

If you like movies built around solving puzzles, you'll like Solver now streaming online at multiple sources: Freevee, Tubi, YouTube. We watched it on Tubi. 

SIDE NOTE: Recently, I read that Tubi has picked up millions of users since other subscription video sources added ads. (I think the poor economy also may have viewers seeking less expensive streaming sources.)

Solver isn't a big budget film. In fact, it was a Kickstarter created by John Ruby and Jack Kelley for Empire Builder Productions.

If you'd like to know more about how this story turned into a movie, visit Solver's Kickstarter.

Solver is a fun mystery-adventure movie that the entire family can watch.

I enjoyed this story of a young man who, when notified of his grandfather's death, travels to upstate New York to settle Grandpa Ralph's  estate. At his grandfather's cabin, he finds a series of puzzles and clues that lead to startling secrets.

With the first puzzle solved, he's hooked and so is the young woman he knew from years past who still lives in a nearby small town. Like many conspiracy theory movies, the plot revolves around the CIA's Cold War mind-control project, MKUltra.

Starring John Ruby, Jack Kelley, Annie Ruby, and Ann Russo, the movie was filmed in upstate New York in 2016. I liked it enough that I'd be interested in other films from this small production company.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Pop some corn and watch it with your kids who will probably find the puzzle aspect intriguing.

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Hurricane Beryl Journal

The days following Hurricane Beryl have been challenging and a little wacky.

I'll start with Monday when we lost power at 6AM after Beryl made landfall.

Torrents of rain and wind that battered our neighbor's giant pine tree resulting in hundreds of pine cones and broken branches striking the east side of our roof in a 6-hour barragge.

(We have an appointment with an insurance adjuster next week.)

We started up the generator when the rain slacked. (We'll be converting to a whole house backup system because starting a generator in the midst of a hurricane is not fun. Also, propane bottles are now in short supply just as gasoline is.)

Tuesday, Day 2. Centerpoint finally sent a text saying they were aware of our power outage. Duh.

Daughter, her husband, and their dog had already left their no-power home on the other side of the outlying Houston area and went up to our house in the country. We had to wait because Darling Hubby was scheduled for Jury Duty Thursday.

Another Centerpoint text said they'd be letting us know when our power would be restored. Then Hubby was able to reschedule Jury Duty so we loaded up the most valuable food in the freezer and fridge and headed to our house in the country.

Daughter's house had power restored late Tuesday. They headed home that night but needed to stop for gas. 

Guess what? No gas anywhere along I-45. Even Buc-ees was out of gas!

They found a country store in old Huntsville where they were able to fill up with premium, the only grade of gasoline available.

TEXTS FROM CENTERPOINT

Wednesday, Day 3. We did nothing except try to recover our energy. Hot weather without air conditioning saps one's energy. An afternoon text from Centerpoint said they would let us know when they had an estimate of when they'd complete an assessment of the problems.

Yes, they'd switched from estimating the date of power restoration to estimating the date of the completion of an assessment of the problem.

ACTION NEEDED

We realized that power probably wasn't going to be restored any time soon. We decided to go home clean, unplug the refrigerator, and leave it open. We left at 2:30. Stopped for gas at a country store, did 2 propane bottle exchanges, and drove on.

Coming into the Houston area was surreal. It resembled one of those post-apocalyptic movies. Nothing was open—no restaurants, gas stations, etc. No cars filled parking lots. Traffic lights east and west of the freeway were dead.

We had to do the four-way stop thing at intersections where traffic lights were out, but we made it home. 

Temperature was over 100 inside the house. 

Hubby stored the propane bottles in the garage.

I washed out the refrigerator and freezer, pullled it out from the cabinet, and unplugged it. I took time to mop up water that had accumulated behind the fridge from melted ice.

Since there had been no mail delivery since Saturday, there was nothing to collect. We  watered the patio pot plants, roses, azaleas, and our little garden.

BACK TO THE COUNTRY

As we drove away, we recognized that everything will die if the power isn't restored soon so the sprinkler system can run. 

We arrived home only to discover that the WiFi was off. An hour later, we learned that a major fiber optic cable between 2 small towns near us had been severed. WiFi was to be restored Thursday morning. That didn't happen.

Saturday, Day 6. Finally, we have WiFi again. This past week has been uncomfortable, inconvenient, and costly, but otherwise, everything is okay. It could have been so much worse, and for many it has been. My prayers are with those who lost so much more.

 If you have some extra bucks, please donate to a verified fundraiser. You can donate to a specific family that has a verified GoFundMe account or to a verified non-profit organization by clicking GoFundMe Hurricane Beryl Help.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I always look at hurricanes and other disasters like that this way—if you, or someone you love, aren't injured, or aren't injured badly, then everything else is okay and surviveable.

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Calm Before the Storm

Hurricane Beryl is headed our way. It should make landfall west of us around Matagorda Bay sometime after midnight.

Since I've lived most of my life in states subject to hurricane (and in Japan, subject to typhoons) it's not my first rodeo. 

Darling Hubby and I are as prepared as one can be when facing a storm. We had a band of rain yesterday, but today had been sunny until late morning.

When the clouds rolled in, we went outside and did the final hurriance-proofing—moving anything that could be blown about by 40 mph or higher wind into the garage.

As soon as we finished, the rain started. We'll be experiencing these bands of rain for the next 24 to 36 hours. The wind will start later tonight.

We have the generator, and we have water stockpiled in case the pumping station loses power. We'll manage and get through this.

We have plenty of books to read, and we may break out the playing cards and other games if this goes on for very long.

Still need a book to read. Try my 99¢ Ebook Sale offering.

JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES has lots of southern charm, a 10-yr old betrayal, and a man and a woman who should have ended up together.

Maybe they just need a second chance?

This spicy romantic comedy, set in a small town during a high school reunion, is available at Apple, Barnes & Noble, Everand, Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords, and other online ebook sellers.

“I loved this book.” 5 Stars —Netgalley.

Get your copy of JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES, one of my most popular romantic comedy novels, today. Sale ends July 12.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're in the path of this storm, be smart. Take precautions, and be safe.

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Beach Books and Romance

If you've a reader, you know that summertime reading is usually hailed as beach book season. You also know romance novels are promoted as beach books.

It's as if the world thinks it's okay to read romance novels if you're on vacation. Of course, the subtext of that is that it's not okay to read romance the rest of the year.

SERIOUSLY? 

It's especially weird when you consider the romance genre is the biggest selling genre in  North America—in ebooks and print.

The romance genre is so huge that it gave birth to sub-genres of every possible variation.

It's not just a North American phenom. Romance is also popular in Europe, the UK, and Australia. Romance novels are published in more than 90 languages even though most of the authors are from the UK and the USA.

Yet, people—other than readers who love romance novels—feel free to denigrate those who read—and write—"that kind of book." That's literary snobbery, and I've never understood it. 

Critics—other people you will meet in life—will praise novels filled with explicit descriptions of serial nurders or depressing novels filled with emotional trauma, adultery, and characters who never seem to deal with their personal angst.

Yet, these same readers y turn their respective noses up at a  romance novel with the themes of desire and love that usually result in fidelity and commitment.

If you want great stories with plots that make sense and characters who learn lessons from their emotional baggage, consider a romance.

Most people just want to love and be loved. That's what romance novels are all about. The need to connect is a part of the human DNA. So read books that show people learning from their past mistakes and taking a chance on love.

So many people say that romance novels are fantasy because love doesn't last. They tout statistics that say 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. But that means that 50% of marriages succeed.   

Looking for a  good book? Look at a popular romance novel. You'll find a romance sub-genre with the kinds of stories that push your buttons: humor, mystery, suspense, family relationships, historicals, and so much more.

My writing friends and I all have books on sale this summer. Visit our Facebook group to see some of thebooks and meet some great authors: Romance Gems...Where Authors and Readers Meet.

MY CURRENT 99¢ EBOOK SALE

JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES has lots of southern charm, a 10-yr old betrayal, and a man and a woman who should have ended up together.

Maybe they just need a second chance?

This spicy romantic comedy, set in a small town during a high school reunion, is  available at Apple, Barnes & Noble, Everand, Kindle, Kobo, Smashwords, and other online ebook sellers.

“I loved this book.” 5 Stars —Netgalley.

Also available in Print and Audio. (Available in French as 

Jane-Cœur-à-prendre-Jones.) 

Get your copy of JANE (I'm Still Single) JONES, one of my most popular romantic comedy novels while offer lasts.

I'll be putting other books on a 99¢ sale throughout the summer so be sure you check my blog for the dates of each sale or subscribe to my newsletter, I LOVE READING.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

It's hot outside! Stay cool inside and read Romance, the Optimistic Genre.

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