We’re in the throes of house-selling stuff, so today, it’s a quickie! But I want to let you know about some fun stuff going on with some of my author buds.

First of all, my friend Liz Kelly’s new Heroes of Henderson novel came out April 1 and Mr. Wright Now is just as fab as all the other hunky heroes from this fun, fun series. Don’t miss this one. And if you want to just start at the beginning of the series, head to Liz’s website to check out the rest of the Heroes of Henderson. While you’re there, sign up for her newsletter to stay up-to-date with all the happenings in Henderson.

From my bestie, Liz Flaherty, who also happens to be a favorite author of mine comes the news that her Christmas book, The Dark Horse, is now available in Kindle Unlimited, so there’s a fun Easter drawing happening. Liz says, “Happy Easter to you all! I’ll be drawing for a surprise package on May 1st. It’s my daughter-in-law’s birthday, a happy day for our family. All you have to do is keep an eye on my Facebook page, like it if you haven’t already, and answer the question that will show up there on April 18.”

My author pal, Mara Jacobs has a new book out, too! It’s Book 8 in the Worth series, another fabulous series of romances. This one is Worth the Burn and it’s already queued up on my Kindle. The first book in the series, Worth the Weight, is a perma-free on Amazon, so start the series and binge-read straight through!

Finally, Melissa McClone, my author bud from Tule Publishing (we Tule Girls have to stick together!) has a freebie on Bookbub today. Fiance For the Night is free, so grab it now while you can! I promise you’ll become a lifelong Melissa McClone fan and want to buy all her books!

That’s it for today! I’m full of gratitude for Husband, Son, DIL, and Grandboy always, for all my author friends, who keep me well-supplied with reading material and moral support, for beautiful spring days and a world greening up!

Until next week, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

Happy Wednesday, everyone! The cover for A Small Town Christmas is currently in a cover war over Author Shout. We’re firmly in third place, but here’s the great news, you can vote every 24 hours! So I’d love it if you clicked over and voted for my gorgeous cover all week long! Merci, mes amies.

We lost our dear lake buddy, Rich, on Tuesday and we are heartbroken and bereft. He was a kind, generous, and charming man, who always had a smile. Cancer is so evil, and it has taken so many people from my life in the last few years. I know that, years ago, Rich would have died and we never would have known why, so I’m grateful for the medical advances that gave us a bit more time with him after his diagnosis. But, dammit, I want a cure now!

In other news, I restarted Aidan’s story, book 3 in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series–my first start was all background. I see this new beginning as growth as a writer. Previously, I would’ve waited to trash my first two chapters of info dump until after the first draft was done.

Gratitude is important right now because my life is currently full of chaos and gratitude reminds me to breathe. Today I’m grateful for my dentist, who does good work and acknowledges my fears, Husband, who is working so hard to get to our new life, Rich and Moe, who are dear friends, Son, who came over immediately on Tuesday just to hug us when we told him about Rich’s passing, a good time with Liz, Kristi, and Ava over the weekend–writerly friendships are such a gift!

Until next week, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

Today is the cover reveal for Melissa McClone’s Indigo Bay Second Chance Romance, Sweet Do-Over, which releases May 16, 2019! Can. Not. Wait.

When architect Marley Patterson goes out with Von Ryan, she never expects her practical, cautious life to be turned upside down by the handsome contractor. Von is the definition of fun until his proposal sends her into a panic. Marriage is too serious a commitment to make after dating for only six months. Even though she cares for Von, they are too different, so she breaks up with him…

Being rejected hurts, but Von blames himself for not reading the signs and Marley better. He finds solace in work; however, his construction company’s success isn’t enough. He wants to share his life with a woman who’ll love him as much as he loves her. She’s out there. All he has to do is find her, and, this time, be patient for the relationship to develop on its own.
When Marley is assigned to Von’s new project in Indigo Bay, he treats her the same as everyone else—professionally and with respect—though neither can deny a strong mutual attraction still exists. Soon Marley realizes she may have been the problem with their relationship, not just Von’s proposal. She wants a second chance, but after breaking his heart once, will he give her a do-over?

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! Since then, she has published over forty romance novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group. She’s a USA Today Bestselling author and has also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. They do!

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I’m in revisions on Sean and Megan’s story. This is pretty much me for the next couple of weeks. My editor liked the story, had lots of good things to say about it, and really, the revisions aren’t arduous, but they are my same old issues–too much backstory and a heroine who needs to be fleshed out.

Liz and I talked about the heroine thing when we were on retreat last week. Here’s the thing. I know my heroines–I know Megan and I think mostly, I’ve presented her well, but the guys in the Four Irish Brothers Winery series have taken center stage in each book because the books are about them. Not that the women are incidental, they aren’t at all, of course. But I know my guys so well and they’re so much fun to write, especially scenes between two of them or scenes with all of them participating. So, I think I do dig into them more. I did the Art Facts Sheet on the book yesterday and found the perfect picture for the cover–I hope Tule agrees.

Aidan’s story is starting after one false start during retreat because… you guess it, background dump. Now that’s out of the way, I’ll actually start the book. <eyeroll> Yeesh! I like him, but I’m not so sure he’s going to be as easy to know as Sean and Conor were because he’s got a different personality being an actor. We’ll see. I have DIL to depend on for theater advice and she can probably give me the scoop on actor personalities as well.

My life is overwhelming right now, but all in a good, life-is-exciting-new-things-are-coming-along kind of way. Processing here each Wednesday will probably help me cope with a lot of what’s happening, so get ready…I may be dumping on you! For now, gratitude seems the best way to go. This week, I’m grateful for Husband, who is working tirelessly to get the house ready for staging, for Liz, who lets me dump on her every morning, for Son and DIL, who are into the Four Irish Brothers Winery series and offer great suggestions, for Grandboy, who continues to bring light to our lives, and for my friend CL, who is coming to help me pack up the first load for the movers. How blessed am I?

As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

We are in our second day of writing retreat and we think we deserve great thumps of “good job, girls” on our backs. Because we have written, yes, and also because between the two of us, we’ve only bought one pound of fudge and two bottles of wine. No clothes. No sweatshirts proclaiming our whereabouts. We’ve eaten well—we always eat well—talked about everything from character development to eye shadow colors (neutrals work—who knew?), and slept well on the beds in the boutique hotel where we ended up staying.

I am homesick, of course. It happens every time. Nan rolls her eyes when I admit it, but then she calls Jim, so what does she know?

Strictly from a writing point of view, I can’t say enough about the value of a writing retreat. While it’s true it’s fun to spend good-friend time, having someone talk you off the ledge when you absolutely know the book you’re writing is a piece of crap less than stellar is priceless.

We’ve discovered over the years that we are absolutely splendid at naming each other’s characters, that she can beat me at Farkle, and that we share an affinity for fuzzy socks. We have a good time and the annual or biennial getaway days serve to deepen the friendship.

It’s a time for dialing down whatever has us being stressed and dialing up things that make us laugh. While a writing retreat is a valuable tool for getting work done, it’s even more important in its curative treatment of mental health issues.

Good to talk to everyone. Hope you’re having a great week.

Liz, feeling mentally healthy as all get out. 😊

It’s a little before 8 p.m. and Lizzie and I are already settled in our cozy room and we’ve both written a good bit since we checked in around 3 p.m. It’s been a nutty day. Right off, it is cold! Like winter serious cold!

Our reservations were at a state park inn and we couldn’t check in until 4 pm, so we had lunch at this fabulous restaurant here in Nashville, IN — just fantastic food! An amazing cream of chicken soup with spinach and artichokes. Man was that ever tasty! The restaurant is part of an inn here in the heart of town–The Artists Colony Inn. It’s very pretty.

While we were eating, we got a message from the state park inn telling us, we thought, that the heat was out in the hotel. We checked with desk clerk at the Artists Colony and got a price for a room just in case the heat didn’t get fixed by the time we checked in at the state park. As it happened, we misunderstood and the heat was out in the pool, not the whole inn, but the inn was overrun with kids, literally! Not sure why so many kids were there, but honestly, we couldn’t see how we could possibly write there. So we decided not to stay and instead made our way back to The Artists Colony and checked in.

This is a lovely place–our room is charming with quilts on the beds and lots of fun antique-y style furniture. We’ve settled in nicely, opened the wine we bought at Cedar Creek winery earlier in the day and are bouncing ideas off each other as we write. A perfect beginning to the writing retreat.

I’ve gotten a good start on Aidan’s story–used a fun device that I hope will work at the beginning. Not sure yet, but the story’s already moving along. Liz is doing great on her story, too. We’re kickin’ it! Hold a good thought for both of us. More tomorrow.

It’s Sunday morning and I’m still covered up with work, but I can see the light at the top of the heap finally. I’ve been focusing on editing gigs and packing up the house, so I haven’t written a word on Aidan’s book yet. However, I’m in full discovery mode and have even written a synopsis for the story, so I’m already ahead of the game on the book. Now it’s just down to writing, which will begin tomorrow when Liz and I get to our retreat.

I can’t wait for our retreat time–I think we both need the girlfriend time, the writer buddy time, and the away time. I always write well on retreat, so I’m hoping this one is no exception. I’m looking for my muses for this book–Aidan Flaherty is a blond, and not as brawny as his brothers–more arty and lithe, but sexy and very fit because he plays a cop on TV. I’m thinking maybe Max Lloyd-Jones. He’s got my Aidan vibe–sexy, but friendly… hot, but approachable and fun… how about this guy? Max Lloyd-Jones? He’s pretty much got my vote.

For Holly, I was a little stumped until I came across this Australian actress, Adelaide Kane. She’s got the look I’m going for–innocent, yet wise and a little cynical. She’s had a rough start and is a little envious of what appears to her to be Aidan’s dumb luck.

So, here are my new characters–hold a good thought for the story, which will be a Christmas book and even includes a young boy, who will be the catalyst for Aidan and Holly’s story.

Liz and I will blog our retreat here, but don’t get too excited–we tend to mostly write on these shorter adventures, so there may not be too much to report. Hold a good thought for decent weather and safe roads, okay?

As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

Flavor of the Day

A taste for something sexy…

Roma Denata prefers spending her time inventing new flavors at her gelato shop and scratching her sexual itch on the run. Unfortunately, her annoying new landlord is a rash that won’t go away, no matter how often they take their clashes to an unexpected level. And more than her Italian temper reaches the boiling point.

A temporary return to his hometown forces Lucas Calloway to rethink his reasons for avoiding emotional ties. His tenant makes him want more than a daily dose of sleeping with the enemy, and revealing his own disturbing secret is the perfect way to convince her to share hers.

Guilt has destroyed Roma’s appetite for love and trust seems beyond her ability—even when Lucas’s revelation uncovers a common bond. Melting her heart is a challenge he must accept, but the collateral damage inflicted from events of the past may be too much to overcome.

Links:
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Excerpt:

I wonder if Mr. Landlord knows he’s stuck with me yet. The knowledge that Calloway was probably scrambling in his wingtips for a nonexistent loophole rejuvenated Roma as much as the post-sex nap.
     She stretched as she stood, confident she could easily smack the smugness off Lucas’s face with a cup of lemon gelato if he ever called her short stuff again. While she didn’t like wasting her tasty creations, it would fit his sour disposition perfectly.
     The smell of fresh waffle cones lured her to the service counter. A horde of noisy miniature soccer players crowded through the entrance as she washed and dried her hands. “Who won today?”
     The tallest of the under-ten mob smirked at her from beyond the step-up shelf. He was usually the loudest and the first to brag about his exploits on the field. “We did. I’d like a—”
     “Hold on.” She wielded a scoop and smirked right back at him. “Swing the end of the line over here to the counter. I’m playing my reverse card today. And quiet earns you an extra scoop of vanilla or chocolate.”
     A raucous cheer echoed off the walls and then silenced almost as quickly as the kids lined up through the tables curved around to the freezer case.
     “That’s not fair. You’re our sponsor.” The boy at the former head of the line frowned and crossed his arms at his chest.
     “My mood, my rules. It’s not like I’m going to run out even if you all order the same flavor. Besides, we already won the game. No need to be jerks by rubbing their noses in it.”
     He shrugged and sighed, clearly not happy with her reasoning.
     Less than ten minutes later, she handed him a waffle bowl with two scoops of chocolate “Thanks, I guess.”
     “You’re welcome, I guess.” She shared an eye roll with his coach at the grudging thanks before a scene on the sidewalk grabbed her interest.
     Glenn Frasier stood with his back partway to her in a pair of checked shorts and an orange golf shirt. Her nemesis wore the same bad-boy attitude he’d had on since the day she’d first crossed paths with him. The older man appeared to laugh at something his nephew said and Lucas jabbed his finger toward the shop.
     “Ooh, somebody looks ticked off.” Tess’s observation was likely an understatement. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with that envelope you took next door earlier, would it?”
     “I hope so.” Roma met her adversary’s glare through the window and waved. Serves you right for being an ass. “That was my intent after all.”
     He stormed toward the door, but Glenn caught him by the elbow. More pointing and one-sided discussion ensued before the old man dragged his nephew out of sight.
     Good riddance to egotistical trash.
     “Here’s the register tape from the soccer invasion.” Tess chuckled as she leaned in. “He’s the guy, isn’t he? Definite biker vibe and kinda hot for not being my type.”

When her fingers aren’t attached to her keyboard, Mellanie Szereto enjoys hiking, Pilates, cooking, gardening, and researching for her stories. Many times, the research partners with her other hobbies, taking her from the Hocking Hills region in Ohio to the Colorado Rockies and the Adirondacks of New York. Sometimes, the trip is no farther than her garden for ingredients and her kitchen to test recipes for her latest steamy tale. Mellanie makes her home in rural Indiana with her husband of thirty-two years and their son. She is a 2016 recipient of the RWA Service Award, RWA Chapter Advisor, and a member of Romance Writers of America, Indiana Romance Writers of America, Contemporary Romance Writers, and FF&P Romance Writers.
She greatly appreciates reviews and loves to hear from her readers! Contact Mellanie at mellanie@mellanieszereto.com.

When people ask me what I do, my answer sometimes depends on how and why they ask the question. If it’s a random, we-just-met-at-an-event kind of query, I choose my answer based on how involved I want to get in the conversation. I know how bitchy that sounds, but sometimes, you just don’t want to have a long conversation with someone you know for certain is going to immediately chortle when you tell them you’re a romance writer. So those folks get “I’m a freelance copy editor.” Then the conversation can steer toward “Oh, I bet that’s interesting,” rather than a smirking “Really? Like 50 Shades? Heh, heh.” Yeesh…

Sometimes they ask, “What do you do for a living?” That’s easy, I’m a freelance copy editor for a living. I don’t earn enough from book sales to consider it a living, although I’m closer now than I was a few years ago. I can’t give up the editing gigs just yet, and even if I could, I’m not sure I’d would. I love editing almost as much as I love writing.

Then there’s the dilemma of telling someone I’m a writer versus telling them I’m an author. I’ve always differentiated writer from author–my delineation being whether or not I was published. A writer writes. An author writes and sells books, but she also markets and promotes and suffers mightily over rankings on Amazon and making lists such as the USA Today or NY Times bestseller list. So, based on that criteria, either one works for me at this point. However, before I started this article, I looked up both words and guess what! Webster doesn’t differentiate between a writer and an author.

A writer is “one who writes.” An author is “one who originates or creates; a writer of a literary work, such as a book.” So am I the only writer who didn’t consider herself an author until her first book was published? And what was it about being indie published that made me doubt my own authority as an author? (See what I did there? A little word play, tee hee.) Why did I not truly feel like an author until I had a 4-book deal with a traditional publisher? If all I ever wrote were articles on this blog, would I be any less an author than the writers who write and sell millions of books? That’s my question for the universe today–how do you define yourself–writer or author? Does it even matter?

As always, mes amies, remember to hold your face to the sun, be grateful for all things, and love well.

~Nan~

Hey, kids! It’s my BookBub Day! I’m so excited about this feature ad on BookBub! Check it out! I’m holding a good thought that this special price on The Summer of Second Chances, book 3 in the Women of Willow Bay series will spark enough interest that all four books will rocket to the top of the e-book charts.

So if you would pass the word, I’d sure appreciate it, and if you haven’t read any of my Women of Willow Bay books and you enjoy a good romantic suspense story, well, this is a great place to start!