Danna is a quirky character!

Danna is quirky! There's really no other way to describe her. She's colorful in the way she talks, the way she dresses, and in most other areas of her life too. Danna loves to cook and loves to eat. She's a full-figured gal who's comfortable in her skin. At twenty-seven, she's ready to find her perfect mate and is ready to settle down.

You'd think living on a popular island with nonstop tourists, she'd finally run into Mr. Right. Not the case. All she seems to run into is desks and other furniture. Did I mention she's a bit of a klutz? 

Here's an excerpt that will reveal a little more about Danna's personality: 

(This is a conversation with her best friend Erin at the hotel where they're attending the wedding of their co-worker Meg)

Elevating her foot, Danna placed the ice across her toe and draped the towel over it. Relaxing against the back of the chair, she murmured, "He must think I'm loony."

"Who thinks you're loony?"

Danna startled from the sudden presence of Erin. "Holy moly!" She threw her hands out for effect. "Don't sneak up on a person! If I'd been chewing gum, I would've choked on it and you'd have to give me the Heimlich maneuver."

"Not all of us clomp like a camel to alert the world we're on the move."

"I don't clomp like a camel."

"A Clydsedale then. 'I promise I won't be gone long'," Erin mocked. "While you were in here sopping up cool air, I was outside roasting in the heat, babysitting your drink, and guarding your handbag. I assumed when you didn't come back you bumped into someone you knew." Erin sat their drinks down and dropped the handbag into Danna's lap.

"I didn't bump into anyone. I bumped into a desk."

Amusement instantly hit Erin's expression. "You didn't?"

The question was rhetorical and not out of line. "I'm as graceful as they come. Not." If there was a coffee table, lamp table, sofa leg, or desk anywhere near, she'd find it with her toe. "I couldn't take turns injuring the opposite toe. I had to jam the same one as I did when I slammed into Meg's desk a while back."

Erin lifted the towel. "You have ice."

"Thanks to LaRee."

"Who's LaRee."

Danna gestured to the desk. "The guy in the red suit jacket. Kind of cute, right?"

"The jacket? Or the guy?"

"You're a funny girl, Erin?"

"Hey, with you, I never know."

Colorful clothing, overlarge sunglasses, handbags big enough to hold everything including the kitchen sink, and shoes to complement each outfit brought Danna joy. She owed it all to her beloved grandmother who had taken care of her for years while her parents worked. On those precious occasions, her gram introduced her to feathered boas, floppy sunhats with all kinds of designs, pearl necklaces, rhinestone broaches, fancy shoes, dresses with loud colors and lace. She went all gushy inside at the memory of her gram saying, 'Wear colorful clothes whenever you can, Danna. You'll stand out in a crowd. Bright colors are supposed to boost feel-good hormones.' At the time, Danna had no idea what hormones were, but she hung on every word the sweet matriarch of her family uttered. Gone too soon, Danna kept her spirit alive with a fondness for all things bold and beautiful. "The guy, silly."

DANNA is book 2 in my Coffee & Dessert in Key West Series

If you'd like to discover more about Danna > AMAZON 

Thanks for popping in! I appreciate your visit so much!

~ Jan 

     

 

Forging Forgiveness by CB Clark

Today I welcome Christine Clark (writing as CB Clark) to my blog to help celebrate her newest romantic suspense, Forging Forgiveness and to hear about her recent trip to Iceland, which includes a recipe you might be interested in. 

Forging Forgiveness is award-winning author, C.B. Clark's eighth novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she's not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting her next story. 

Here's the blurb for Forgiving Forgiveness:

When small-town college instructor Candace Cooper discovers bloody, bare footprints in the snow while running in a state park deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, it brings back the horrific nightmare of her past.

Detective Aiden Farrell is determined to redeem himself in his new position in Colorado, even if that means ignoring his growing feelings for the beautiful professor he meets during an investigation. His fear that the footprints she saw are connected to a recent spate of missing teens intensifies when Candace is assaulted on campus.

Aiden and Candace join forces, but as they start unraveling the truth, they get closer to each other - and to a killer who'll stop at nothing to achieve his nefarious goal.

Caught between duty and love, Aiden fights in a race against time to save the woman he loves.

You can find this amazing book at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Apple/iTunes

Google

Also available for purchase at Kobo.com and all other major online retailers.

Now on to Christine's post about Iceland:

My recent trip to Iceland was incredible. The scenery was stunning, the people friendly, and the food delicious. The best part of every meal was the bread. That may explain why I gained a few extra pounds while I was there even though I hiked the rugged terrain every day.

There were many different varieties of bread, but my favorite was thunder bread. It's also called rugbraud. A dense, dark rye bread that's slightly sweet and hardy, rugbraud is traditionally baked underground in a geothermal spring. There aren't any volcanic springs near where I live, but an Icelandic local gave me a recipe for rugbraud that can be baked slowly in the oven. It's delicious, especially lightly toasted with peanut butter, but it's also yummy with soup or stew.

Recipe:

2 1/3 cups dark rye flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup golden syrup

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 200 F.

Combine dry ingredients.

Add buttermilk and syrup and stir.

Pour dough into a greased loaf pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake for 8 hours.

Turn loaf onto a kitchen towel and wrap until cooled. This will stop a hard crust from forming.

Slice thinly and serve with lots of butter.

To Follow Christine (CB Clark) you can find her here:

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Stay Close, Novac excerpt

 

It's been a while since I shared an excerpt from my romantic suspense-cozy mystery:

Stay Close, Novac!

 

I hope you enjoy this short scene...

     Seduced awake by the smell of bacon frying and the sound of coffee gurgling, Jessi threw her legs over the side of the bed. An overlarge painting of a fisherman holding a stringer of fish greeted her vision, a reminder she wasn't in her grandmother's beach house.

     Jessi chastised herself for spending the night with her newly-met neighbor, and for being a wimp in general. Who behaves like this? No wonder the stalker continued to rule her world - she was easy prey. What must Ian think? "Oh God," she groaned silently. She'd advanced on him, not the other way around. Kissing him equaled madness. After pulling in a breath of frustration, she blew it out and tried to rationalize her behavior. The kiss was most likely prompted by...by... Crap! She had nothing. In a nutshell, she'd finally lost it.

     The coffee pot no longer made noises and the sound of bacon frying had stopped as well.

     Jessi sprang from the edge of the bed and assessed her appearance in the dresser mirror. Egad! She looked like the spawn of Einstein, minus the mustache. Her short hair stuck out, only one side of her head - the same side where sleep lines creased her face. She looked as though someone had drawn a line down the center of her - one half rumpled, one half not. Her gaze fell to her attire - once again she'd slept in her clothes. But what a great night's sleep it was. She felt refreshed and ready to kick some stalker-butt. 

* Thank you for popping in to read a little bit of Jessi and Ian's story! 

~ Jan

www.authorjanromes.com

Keeping Kylee - revisited with an excerpt and free for 3 days in January

Kylee Steele was a fascinating character to create. She's beautiful, not just in her looks. She's a woman with a big heart, a single mom, and a hardworking bartender who's also a college student. From time to time she's struggled to make ends meet and has had to rely on aid to survive. Now, when possible, she gives back to those less fortunate. 

The one thing she doesn't need in her life is the complication of Quinn Randal's attention. He's handsome, wealthy beyond belief, and a well-known playboy. Rumor has it his fiancée just broke their engagement.  

Kylee's brain keeps shouting "No", but the way Quinn makes her feel when he looks at her has her body shouting "Yes."

Excerpt:

Without taking his eyes off Kylee Steele, Quinn removed his tie and shoved it in the pocket of his tuxedo jacket. A raw and potent charge of sexual energy had sparked the moment he and Kylee set eyes on each other and it was still going strong. The powerful tug wouldn't let loose. They would stare at one another until Kylee was distracted by someone wanting a drink. Minutes later, they went back to the unspoken conversation taking place between them. Quinn made sure his eyes constantly conveyed, "Niiiice" and he interpreted her replies as 'Back at ya'. He snickered at the likelihood that there was no conversation and it was just the gin talking. One thing was for certain, they'd exchanged plenty of hot looks.

Kylee wandered to the opposite end of the bar, but she was still slanting him glances.

Quinn swirled the ice cubes in his glass and finished his drink. He loosened the top three buttons of his stiff-collared white shirt and shifted to get a better look at the voluptuous barmaid. He could watch her all night. God she was gorgeous! She had the most amazing green eyes. When the light hit them, they shimmered like... "Emeralds." He unwittingly finished the thought out loud and coughed to disguise a smile.

Ty Vincent shook his head with disapproval. "No, Quinn."

Quinn grinned at this best friend. "What?"

Ty scolded with a stern look and a tactful low voice. "Kylee is not for you."

"Killjoy."

I hope you'll want to read what happens next for Quinn and Kylee. 

** KEEPING KYLEE IS #FREE ON AMAZON FROM JANUARY 7TH THROUGH JANUARY 9TH **

Here's the link:  AMAZON

P.S. Married to Maggie (book #1 in the series) is #99cents

 

   

 

  

Excerpt, blurb, and a sale for Tucked Away

Hello, folks:

I'm currently working on a sequel to my romantic suspense, TUCKED AWAY. I thought you might like to read a short excerpt to see what book #1 is all about and to perhaps make you wonder where I'm going with book #2. I have tons of ideas for Chloe and Aidan, although how everything will play out for them is uncertain at this point. I have a feeling we'll both be surprised.

Blurb for TUCKED AWAY...

Secrets have cloaked Renee Dutten's entire existence. Placed in the New York foster care system as an infant, she was moved from family to family until high school graduation. With a bright future as a hairstylist in a posh salon, fate steps in and pulls the rug out from under her again. An eyewitness to a mob hit, the federal government becomes her guardian. From foster care to witness protection, with only a semblance of normalcy in between, she now has a higher degree of madness with a new identity as Chloe Barnard, a new address in Ohio, and nothing familiar to cling to. The Feds tuck her away in a campground for the summer, with orders for her to maintain a low profile. Chloe's attempt to be reclusive falls apart right away when she meets Aidan Gerrod. The attraction is strong and her willpower is weak. Wanting him with every speck of her being puts them both in jeopardy and becomes Chloe's biggest struggle yet.

Former Air Force Master Sergeant and ex-Intel government contractor, Aidan Gerrod is unhappy that physical injuries sidelined his military career and a short romance with his Intel boss cost him that job too. Thinking a campground is the perfect location to commune with nature, find serenity and regain his balance until he figures out where to go next, he gets just the opposite. His gorgeous neighbor grabs his attention and stirs a lot of drama.

When trouble from their pasts comes knocking, will Chloe and Aidan face it together? Or will they be forced to go their separate ways to stay alive?       

On to the excerpt...

     Aidan turned onto Market Street. "So we're shopping for clothes and shoes, hot dogs, and a cat."

     "I have no intention of buying a cat. I'm going to adopt the kitten I saw hanging around the campground."

     "Chloeeee, I don't know if that's a good idea. Those cats are strays. They live off scraps and mice."

     "I'm a stray."

     Aidan could tell by the stubborn set of her jaw she was determined to proceed. "From one stray to another, don't do it. You're asking for trouble. Cats are independent by nature. When they're wild, it stands to reason you can expect double the independence."

     "It's the cutest little tabby, Aidan. The poor thing hasn't been on its own long enough to be wild. I'm afraid it will get run over by a car or devoured by a coyote."

     "Still, giving affection to a stray might not pan out." The power of those words hit him square in the face. He, too, was pouring time and affection into a relationship that would probably end badly. Even if it did, he'd never regret the special connection he had with Chloe. "You know what? Adopt the cat. You'll be disappointed with yourself if you don't."

* To start the New Year off right, TUCKED AWAY will be #99cents from January 1st through January 5th. *

You can find it here:   AMAZON

Wishing you all an amazing 2022!

Love, 

Jan

www.authorjanromes.com

An awesome new book by C. B. Clark - Twisted Lies!

Today I welcome to my blog, Christine Clark who writes as C. B. Clark. She's here with a guest post about her new romantic suspense, Twisted Lies.

 

Take it away, Christine...

There's something special about fellow authors. They're always ready to step in and lend a hand. This book release was no exception. When I received notification from my publisher that Twisted Lies would be released September 22, I panicked. With only six weeks before Release Day, I had to scramble to prepare. All in the middle of camping season.

This is a challenging business and not for the faint of heart. Having your book published is just the first step. Once the book makes it out into the world, it needs to be noticed. Somehow, out of the thousands of books published every day, you have to make your book stand out...an almost impossible feat. Yet, that's the name of the game. Unless you're close friends with a celebrity who'll endorse your book, you don't have a chance on your own.

That's where other authors come into play. Twisted Lies is my seventh published novel, and over the years, I've received loads of help from other authors. I don't know where I'd be without their unflagging support. And so, it's with a big, heartfelt thank you to Jan Romes that I'm pleased to present Twisted Lies, a romantic suspense set on British Columbia's rugged west coast. Enjoy!

Blurb:

Athena Cooper's tragic past drives her to seek solace in a bottle. The addiction threatens her legal career, and she risks spiraling out of control. When her dog engineers a meeting with an all-too-handsome hunk, it's lust at first sight...until she discovers his identity.

Businessman Russell Crawford is desperate to find the woman who cheated him out of his inheritance. His shock when she turns out to be the gorgeous red head he had a brief encounter with is only surpassed when she claims his father was a murderer.

Athena and Russ declare a truce and join forces to investigate the mystery of her parents' disappearance from an isolated island off the rugged Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Russ promises to be her safe harbor as they uncover long-buried secrets that rock her very foundation. Can she overcome a lifelong distrust and open her heart to love?

Excerpt:

How was it possible? After all these years? The past she'd been running from had found her. The nightmare was back. The envelope fell from her shaking hands. Her legs wobbled as she rose and stumbled out of the living room and down the short hall to the kitchen.

Afternoon sunlight streamed through the window above the sink. The cozy kitchen, with its walls painted a cheerful butter yellow, and the well-scrubbed laminate countertops, gleamed. The steady hum of the refrigerator and ticking of the antique clock on the wall were the only sounds in the silent house. The pungent smell of fried onions and roasted garlic from last night's homemade spaghetti sauce hung in the air.

The efficient kitchen, with its breakfast nook and view of the tidy, fenced backyard and the rolling, grassy foothills and snow-crested Rocky Mountains beyond, was the reason she'd bought the small ranch. This was her favorite room - the place she sought refuge when life overwhelmed her. How many times had she sat there in the evenings after work, sipping a glass of chilled white wine, watching the birds at the feeder on the back porch, breathing in the sweet smells of flowering Saskatoon bushes, regrouping until she was ready to face the world?

These days, her drink of choice was a cup of herbal tea or unsweetened apple juice. Alcohol was off the table...had been for twenty-one unendurable days.

But today, all bets were off.

** If you'd like to learn more about Athena and Russ, you can find Twisted Lies available at these online retailers:

AMAZON

BARNES AND NOBLE

KOBO

APPLE iBOOKS

BOOKS2READ

About Christine...

Twisted Lies is award-winning author, C.B. Clark's seventh novel published by The Wild Rose Press. When she's not busy traveling around the globe or hiking and camping in the wilderness near her home in northern British Columbia, she can be found in front of her laptop plotting the next story.

You can follow C. B. Clark on social media:

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

Goodreads Author Page

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Amazon Profile Page

Book Bub

 

 

    

Coffee Cup Ramblings and Ridiculous Poetry: Collecting Things

 

Hello, All!

Welcome to another installment of Coffee Cup Ramblings and Ridiculous Poetry. As always, this isn't a well-thought-out post. Just a bunch of nonsense put into words. 

As I drank from my Holly Hobby coffee cup, I couldn't decide what I wanted to write about. Things I Would Tell My Younger Self sounded like a good idea and so did Collecting Things. For reasons unknown, Collecting Things won the mental coin toss. 

I've often wondered what drives folks to collect certain things, mostly because I don't collect anything (except dust and an occasional coffee cup). Am I missing a certain gene? I think I am. (That would explain a lot... LOL)

 

Some folks love to track down treasures like old coins and tools, glassware and arrowheads. Others have a special affection for stockpiling seashells and everyday items such as wine bottles, baseball cards, and sports jerseys. I have a friend who collects rocks from every place she visits. Her rock garden is awesome. My sister is all about Christmas. She goes to estate auctions and garage sales looking for gently used decorations to collect. When Christmas rolls around, those valuables get put to good use and her home tastefully reflects her love for the holiday. 

So this non-existent gene of mine, is it actually missing or just evasive? I'm leaning toward it being a wily little sucker that keeps ducking me. 

Do the things that people gather somehow fill a void or bring comfort? Or is it simply the thrill of a scavenger hunt? Could it be a yearning to own a piece of the past? 

As I'm compiling this post, I'm struck by something odd (which for me is a common occurrence - *big grin*). In a way, I've been a collector all my life. I just didn't acknowledge it until now. I'm a collector of words, which prompted me to jump up from the computer and sort through a stack of manila folders until I found the one labeled Vocabulary. Even before I was published, I amassed sheets of paper and Post-It notes with words that I love. To those who don't write, you're probably thinking that I need to get a life (and yes, I really do need to get one. i.e. last week's post was about mud. Need I say more?). To those who do write, you understand the treasure trove I keep in that manila folder.

 

Yahoo! I actually do collect something. 

In book #1 of my Coffee and Dessert Series, Meg collects glass and ceramic turtles. I'm working on book #2, which is Danna's story. So far she hasn't collected anything. Maybe she has a missing or elusive gene too. 

Are you still awake? Are you up for some bad poetry? If you answered yes to both questions, get ready to be dazzled! (Bedazzled?)  

I always attempt to write good poetry. Seriously, I do. Why don't you believe me? LOL    

Ceramic turtles, I have not a one,

for Meg, collecting them must be fun.

Treasured things don't line my shelves,

not even dusty Christmas elves.

Words crowd my brain, I save them all,

in my folder they stay, until my writing hits a brick wall. 

The scavenger game I do not play,

to those who do, you're extraordinary is all I can say.

Collect special things, as well as moments in time,

why do I always have to make my poems rhyme?  

Until next week, take good care of you and yours!

Wishing you love and joy! 

~ Jan

www.authorjanromes.com