I love that I’m writing romantic suspense again and to celebrate that and my upcoming March 29 release, Decoy Training, I’m having this giveaway! Just earn points for a chance to win autographed copies of Trapping a Terrorist, Darkness Calls, Cold Case Reopened, a Book Lover notepad and pen, NovelTea Chai Latte Tea Tin, bookmark, and $10 Gift Card! You must use your email to login in to the contest, but do not fear. Your email will not be shared with anyone else and will only be used to notify you in case you win! Contest ends at 11:30 pm EST on Sunday, January 16, 2022. To enter the contest please visit my Facebook Fan Page.
#ThrowbackThursday A Quinceanera!
In Latin tradition, girls are given a quinceanera, or Sweet 15, in order to celebrate their passage from girl to woman.
We had a quinceanera for my daughter with our family and close friends as well as a number of her friends. It was a lovely time and I think everyone had a blast!
Part of the tradition is that the women of the family, mom, aunts, grandmother and godmother, each present the young woman with a gift that symbolizes the passage. Things like earrings, bracelets, rings and other items that a woman would wear.
Here are some photos of my daughter, her godmother (my sister), her aunt, her grandmother and me doing that rite of passage.
Here is a photo of my daughter, hubby and me. If you believe in such things, you will notice the orbs that were present in this photo and many of the others. One friend who attended and is a sensitive said the place was haunted. It could be. We had the celebration in an old inn that has been around since 1843.
Romance Book Series: Love or Hate?
Do you love romance book series or do you prefer standalone stories? Personally, I just love series because I love to see what’s happening with the characters from the earlier books. As an author, I love creating a world and seeing how the characters grow over the various books. As a reader, if I really enjoy the characters, I don’t want to see them go because they’ve become like friends to me.
How about you? Do you love or hate romance book series?
P.S. – My fav romance book series is probably more of a police procedural with romance elements, namely the J.D. Robb IN DEATH series.
Monday Morning. Dreams. Goals.
Monday morning. Goals. Dreams. Did your eyes roll or did your mind start thinking about what you wanted to do this week? I’d love to hear what plans you have. As for me, with the weather getting warmer I’ve started planting some things and prepping pots for later. I’ve got a few romance novels to write as well as a recipe book that I want to share with you since so many of you love my recipes and SOUTH BEACH LOVE is just packed with DELICIOUS food! Speaking of recipes, you can check out my Cook’s Treat section for all the recipes I’ve shared over the years.
1 Top Thing to Get You Going on Monday Morning
It’s Monday morning and you want to stay in bed just a little bit longer but you have stuff to do! What get’s you moving? For me it’s a big mug of coffee. I just love to sip my coffee as I sit and write on my laptop. How about you? Take a moment to share what get’s you going on Monday morning.
P.S. – If you’re like me and love your coffee, click here for some fun coffee recipes!
It’s Turkey Time in NYC!
The city is all ready for the big Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Grandstand is up and so are the decorations. They’ll begin filling up the balloons later today. I just hope the wind and chill doesn’t ground the balloons! This is a photo of the turkey in front of the Macy’s grandstand for the parade. When you see it tomorrow on television, you can tell everyone you saw it first here! LOL!
Hope you all have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
#FlowerFriday – My Fav Hydrangeas
One of my fav garden plants is the hydrangea aka the snowball bush! They come in so many different styles and shapes that you are bound to find one that will work in your garden. Just check out the variety in this link: https://yhoo.it/2vw5iJx
Not to mention that hydrangeas will grow will in even poor soils and in either full sun or partial shade. Did you know that you can change their color (as long as they are one of the standard bushes). Make your soil acidic by using aluminum sulfate (or plant food for acid loving plants) to get blue flowers. Add lime to make your soil more basic and get pink flowers.
Hydrangeas also have many different leaf types. There are oak leaf hydrangea and also plants with variegated leaves. So much variety for a plant that’s easy to grow and care for!
Here’s a photo of one type of hydrangea that’s growing in Bryant Park.
