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Authors are Team Players Too
There are many quotes about writing being a solitary pursuit.
“Writing is one of the most solitary activities in the world.”
― The Alchemist
“Writing is a strange and solitary activity.”
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“I am forever an advocate of books, both the reading of them and the writing. There is something sacred to me in that community. Because writing–and reading–is a solitary business. And it’s good to know I’m not alone.”
―
“It’s true that writing is a solitary occupation, but you would be surprised at how much companionship a group of imaginary characters can offer once you get to know them.”
―
While the actual writing and composing of a story is a solo effort, I like Shannon Celebi’s reference to the community of those who read and write. This is particularly true for the romance genre, where readers and authors actively engage and connect through events such as book signings and Facebook parties.
Romance authors also collaborate. This makes the journey much less solitary and a whole lot more fun!
I am currently part of a multi-author project, and it’s been a great experience! We share ideas, brainstorm, and inspire each other’s creativity. The best part is that after working together as a team of authors, we’re able to share our handiwork with readers! From there, we are sharing the wealth, so to speak, with a contribution to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
This project is a 10-author holiday anthology called Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge. You can preorder a copy for just 99¢. The box set will include a brand new story from my Impossible Mission series–Mission: Impossible to Wed.
Each novel in this sweet to steamy romance set has a Mistletoe Lodge, none the same, but all magical, Christmasy and full of Happily Ever After endings. Curl up in a favorite chair and treat yourself to 10 wonderful holiday romances full of Christmas trees, jingle bells and mistletoe. The box set includes new romances from:
Sabrina York
Tamara Ferguson
Jen Talty
Natalie Ann
Pam Binder
Tammy L. Grace
Jacki Delecki
Joanne Jaytanie
Kim Hornsby
Lauren Gayle
As if a holiday box set wasn’t enough fun, we also compiled a collection of holiday recipes. You can download the Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge Cookbook for FREE!
What is your favorite thing about being part of the romance reader-author community? I’d love to hear from you!
Five Things to Enjoy in July
Welcome, July! Summertime is supposed to mean vacations and getaways, maxin’ and relaxin’. I don’t know about you, but summer is just as busy as the rest of the year, maybe even busier with friends to see, family to visit, trips and travel to coordinate, and so much more.
Still, given the choice between frigid gray winter days and warm sunny summer days, I’ll take warm, sunny, busy!
I hope you have events and activities you are looking forward to in July. If your list is looking a little thin, add these five things for a fun, festive month.
1. The Dog Days of Summer. Technically, this term refers to the hottest, muggiest days of summer. I prefer to think of it in terms of four-legged friends having fun in the sun.
2. National Ice Cream Month. Vanilla, chocolate or…dill pickle?! Keep your cool by whipping up a batch of homemade ice cream. It’s easier than you think! Try Mason Jar Ice Cream – just four ingredients and no special equipment!
3. International Kissing Day – July 6. Celebrate with smoochies, pecks, butterfly kisses and the global favorite, French Kissing.
4. Capture the Sunset Week. Someone–not sure who–proclaimed the third week of July as Capture the Sunset Week. Whoever they are, a big thank you! Summertime is the perfect opportunity to pause and appreciate wonderful days that end with one of nature’s most magical moments.
5. Mission: Impossible to Love. Book 3 in my Impossible Mission series releases July 25. Preorder your copy today so you can start reading as soon as Sten and Izzy’s story is available.
She’s in over her brilliant head…
Elizabeth “Izzy” Benson has the brains to rival some of the best IT minds out there. Unfortunately her genius is going to get her killed—or worse, tortured. The Artificial Intelligence drone she’s developed is drawing all the wrong kind of interest, and the one man she thought she could trust is the one man selling her out. Now on the run, she’ll have to roll the dice on a stranger—a very angry Marine—who makes it obvious he doesn’t believe her or want her around.
He’s not buying her innocent act.
Sten Jenkins was a Marine on a mission. That is until Miss High IQ ruined his plan. Now, instead of going undercover as a “Black Hat,” a criminal hacker, to the biggest hacker convention in Las Vegas, Sten has to babysit Izzy while she tries to draw out those who are selling her IT work on the dark web. But it all sounds a little too convenient to Sten when he realizes Izzy’s boyfriend is a global tech wizard, known to have dealings with North Korea.
Now Sten and Izzy will have to decide who’s playing whom and who’s being played in this high stakes game of international security roulette.
Summer is officially here - let's celebrate Seattle style!
The first day of summer is also the longest. This event is known as the summer solstice. That makes it the perfect day to celebrate everything we love about summertime.
Before kicking off the fun, here are a few facts about the summer solstice.
- The summer solstice actually kicks off summer only in the northern hemisphere. It is the unofficial beginning of winter for locations south of the equator.
- Solstices occur twice a year when the Earth’s axis is tilted most closely to the sun. The (northern) summer solstice marks the longest day of the year while the (northern) winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year. For 2019, the winter solstice will be Sunday, December 22.
- Many ancient cultures considered solstices as revered celestial events. Many celebrated the occasion with festivals, gift-giving, drinking and dancing.
In Seattle and around the world, contemporary celebrations still include food, music, dance, festivals and gatherings. Here are a few of the events happening in my hometown this weekend:
Midsommar Seattle – Celebration of Musik
Celebrate the longest day of the year Scandinavian-style with three days of music.
Summer Solstice Soundscapes
Gary Stroutsos will play flute music drawn from worldly influences during a casual reception with food and wine. Head to the lower garden for Native American songs and storytelling.
2019 Fremont Solstice Parade
A giant costume-filled parade hosted by the Fremont Arts Council which includes stilt-walking, nude bicycle-riding and giant-puppets.
Facts Source: What is the summer solstice? The answer might surprise you.
How to make the most of summertime readin' and relaxin'
Ask a bookworm what they most look forward to during summertime and they will undoubtedly answer: More time to read! If your idea of the perfect summer day includes relaxing with a good book and a cool drink, here are a few tips to make the most of summer reading.
1. Organize
Create a TBR list and prioritize which books you most want to read. It can also be helpful to organize books by length, genre, standalone vs. series, etc. You can write out this list or organize content on your ereader.
2. Diversify
There are lots of ways to enjoy books nowadays and each form offers a different experience. Mix it up with print books, ebooks, audiobooks and reader apps on your smartphone.
3. Indulge
Treat yourself to a bookish delight, along with a double scoop of pistachio ice cream! Maybe that’s a visit to the bookstore with an extra $20 to spend. Maybe it means rereading your childhood favorites. Maybe it’s a subscription to Audible or Kindle Unlimited. It could even be a new hammock or beach tote. Whatever makes reading more enjoyable for you!
4. Connect
Some of my best friends are readers and readers are some of my best friends! Share your love of reading by starting or joining a book club, attending a reader/author event, participating at events hosted by your local library or organizing a book swap.
If you haven’t started your summertime TBR list, here are a few suggestions from my list.
The Bride by Julie Garwood
By edict of the king, the mighty Scottish laird Alec Kincaid must take an English bride. His choice is Jamie, youngest daughter of Baron Jamison—a feisty, violet-eyed beauty. Alec aches to touch her, to tame her, to possess her…forever. But Jamie has vowed never to surrender to a man she considers a highland barbarian.
Alec is everything Jamie’s heart has warned her against—an arrogant scoundrel whose rough good looks speak of savage pleasures. While Kincaid’s scorching kisses set fire to her blood, she is determined to resist him…until one rapturous moment quells their clash of wills, and something far more dangerous than desire threatens to conquer her senses…
Hot Addiction by Lynn Raye Harris
When Dex “Double Dee” Davidson was abandoned at the altar by the woman he loved, he threw himself into his military career, training hard enough to get accepted into the elite Black Ops unit known as HOT. The love he felt for Annabelle Quinn burned to ash in the face of her betrayal—so when she crashes back into his life and begs him to save her, he has no problem laughing in her face.
Blackmailed into jilting Dex and forced into an abusive marriage, Annabelle never thought she’d escape the hell of the last five years. But her husband died a month ago and she’s finally free. Except she isn’t. Someone claims that Eric stole a fortune—and they want it back. If she doesn’t return it within twenty-four hours, she’ll be dead—and so will her young daughter. With time running out, Annabelle has no one to turn to. No one except Dex.
When Dex learns that Annabelle’s husband committed treason against the US by selling a top secret military project to the Russians, he has no choice but to get involved. He’ll protect Annabelle and her child, and he’ll find out who’s threatening her. But he won’t fall for her intoxicating sensuality ever again. And if he discovers the secret she’s been hiding from him? It’ll be game over for good…
Mackenzie’s Mission by Linda Howard
Night Wing—the revolutionary test plane with a top secret weapons system—is Colonel Joe “Breed” Mackenzie’s number-one priority—and weapons expert Caroline Evans his number-one distraction. When someone on the inside sabotages Night Wing, Caroline’s late hours and expertise come under suspicion, forcing Joe to choose between allegiance to his country…and love for his prime suspect.
A Spicing of Birds: Poems by Emily Dickenson
A Spicing of Birds is a unique and beautifully illustrated anthology, pairing poems from one of America’s most revered poets with evocative classic ornithological art. Emily Dickinson had a great love of birds—in her collected poems, birds are mentioned 222 times, sometimes as the core inspiration of the poem. However, in existing anthologies of Dickinson’s work, little acknowledgment is made of her close connection to birds. This book contains thirty-seven of Dickinson’s poems featuring birds common to New England. Many lesser-known poems are brought to light, renewing our appreciation for Dickinson’s work.
The editors’ introduction draws extensively from Dickinson’s letters, providing fascinating insights into her relationship with birds. The illustrations, by late 18th century to early 20th century artists/ornithologists, are often so apt as to seem to have been created with the poems in mind. Included are beautiful watercolors by Mark Catesby, engravings of John James Audubon’s paintings, illustrations by Alexander Wilson, chromo-lithographs by Robert Ridgway (curator of birds at the National Museum for some fifty years), paintings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and some of the earliest bird photographs by Cordelia Stanwood. The editors also discuss the development and growth of birding in the nineteenth century as well as the evolution of field guides and early conservation efforts. Brief biographies of the artists are included in an appendix. This book is an eloquent tribute to the special place held by birds in our lives and imaginations, and will make an ideal gift for both birders and poetry readers.
Need more suggestions? I can help. Check out my Code Breakers series for Regency romance and intrigue. Like military heroes? Download my Impossible Mission series. Want a combination of military romance, romantic suspense, dogs and an incredible cast of characters? The Grayce Walters series is just what you need!
What’s on your summertime TBR list?
Mood Music - One Writer's Inspiration
Palm Springs is one of my favorite destinations to visit. It has a glamorous past as a resort town for Hollywood celebrities, actors and entertainers in the 1940s and 1950s. While it might not be the glamorous playground to the stars it used to be, there is still nostalgia to be found.
One of the best places to experience the history of Palm Springs is The Casablanca Lounge at Melvyn’s. They feature nightly entertainment with live performances. Knowing I’m hanging out at the same club that hosted the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Rat Pack definitely inspires my creativity. After enjoying a few hours of music and soaking up the ambiance, I’m ready to dive into the next chapter of my current work in progress, Mission: Impossible to Love.
What inspires your creativity? Does music help or hinder your imagination when you’re painting, writing or engaging in some other creative venture?
If you’d like more information about the history of Melvyn’s and the Ingleside Inn, you can read it here.
