Tag: sisters

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#TravelTuesday More than a Mission & Secret Agent Reunion

Several years back I was lucky enough to be part of a romantic suspense series from Harlequin that included MORE THAN A MISSION and SECRET AGENT REUNION. I loved writing these stories set on a fictional island as well as London and Rome. Especially MORE THAN A MISSION which is one of my personal favorites and was also turned into a comic in both Japanese and Chinese!

These were emotional stories about sisterly love and devotion and of course, romances with strong alpha heroes and action-packed suspense. Plus, they gave me an opportunity to do some first hand research in London and Rome. While I was in London, I also did research for another romantic suspense book that I had planned to revolve around the Knights Templar. That book is still in my ideas journal and I hope to get back to it one day when I have more time to write.

For today, on this Travel Tuesday, I’m sharing some photos from the places I visited and which inspired MORE THAN A MISSION and SECRET AGENT REUNION and will eventually make it into another book! For now, I want to leave you with these images. Just click on a thumbnail to see the full photo!

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Thanksgiving Thoughts and a Giveaway

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Through the wonders of technology, I am able to share these Thanksgiving Thoughts and a giveaway while I am probably busy whipping up a batch of Cranberry Maple Muffins to take to my sister’s house for the holiday celebration.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve got a new blogging gig over at PowerfulLatinas.com and this month’s theme at Powerful Latinas is sisters – La Hermana. It only seems right to broaden that discussion to families in general.

Families often play a role in what we read and write and so this week’s blog at Powerful Latinas is about incorporating family into our writing. In preparing the article, I had the opportunity to chat with my dear friend and fellow author Julia Amanta – EVENINGS AT THE ARGENTINE CLUB. Julia offered up her thoughts on why family is important in our writing and also graciously offered a copy of her book as a giveaway.

So please take a moment to stop by and visit with me there to learn about sisters and family in our writing. Just click here to visit and remember to leave a comment to be entered into the giveaway for a copy of EVENINGS AT THE ARGENTINE CLUB.

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Thoughtful Thursday – Sisters

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve got a new blogging gig over at PowerfulLatinas.com and this month’s theme at Powerful Latinas is sisters – La Hermana.

We’ve got blood sisters and soul sisters, but as women, sisters play a powerful role in our lives. Take a moment to stop by Powerful Latinas and also visit me there for more on the importance of sisters in our lives. Drop by on November 26th to hear more about sisters, family and a wonderful novel by my friend and fellow author Julia Amanta – EVENINGS AT THE ARGENTINE CLUB. Julia has graciously offered a copy of her book as a giveaway, but remember, that’s on November 26th (and continuing through the Thanksgiving weekend).

Here is a photo of my little sister and me! It was taken in Nicaragua after we had left Cuba and were trying to meet up with my parents in the United States. My poor grandparents were hauling us all around Latin America for quite some time thanks to Castro. My mom had to leave us when my little sister was only six months old. I don’t know how she had the courage to do it. I’m not sure I could have.

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This is a picture of my sis and me now (I think she caught up to heightwise, don’t you think? LOL!)

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Thoughtful Thursday – The Code of Conduct Blog Tour

codePlease welcome K.M. Daughters the authors of the romantic suspense novel, Beyond the Code of Conduct (Wild Rose Press), as they virtually tour the blogosphere in June on their first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book Promotion!

K.M. Daughters is the multi-published writing team of sisters Pat Casiello and Kathie Clare. Their pen name is dedicated to their parents Katherine and Michael, the “K” and “M” in K.M. Daughters. Their author career began in January 2008 with contracts from The Wild Rose Press for an inspirational romance, Jewel of the Adriatic, and a romantic suspense novel, Against Doctors Orders, Book #1 in The Sullivan Boys Series. Beyond The Code of Conduct, Book 2 in the series, is rated 4-stars, compelling, page turner, by Donna M. Brown, Reviewer for Romantic Times Book Reviews (June 2009 Issue #304). A contemporary romance, Past, Present and Forever is available in E-book from Sapphire Blue Publishing. Residing in Illinois and New Jersey, the sisters continue to work on The Sullivan Boys Series. Book #3 will release later this year and two additional books are anticipated to complete the series. You can visit their website at www.kmdaughters.com. Follow them at http://twitter.com/kmdaughters!

Also – anyone who leaves a comment by midnight EST time on Friday June 19 will be eligible to win a SINS OF THE FLESH T-shirt and lunch bag!

About the Book

FBI Agency Brass and Sullivan family connections force Special Agent Bobbie Leighton into an undercover operation with inactive Homicide Detective Joe Sullivan.

Posing as a cattleman and his arm-candy wife the couple is assigned to infiltrate NY attorney Bradley Sterling’s illegal operation. Suspected of baby trafficking, Sterling maybe be connected with Joe’s brother, Jimmy Sullivan’s murder.

How do Bobbie and Joe adhere to their professional code of conduct living under the same roof? Can they forget their personal history, ignore their volatile feelings for each other and ensnare their target when they might be next on Sterling’s victims list?

Excerpt

“You want hot? I’ll give you hot.” In one swift motion she picked up a mug off the table and whipped it towards him, a perfect strike.

Lucky for him he still held his jacket in his hand. He swept it up like a toreador in front of his face. The coat took the brunt of the hit, but hot liquid splattered on his hands.

“Ouch. Damn. Stop it.” He dropped the wet coat on the floor. His hands burned and he wiped them on his thighs to stop the heat. It had the opposite effect on his arousal.

She batted her eyes around, apparently for something else to throw at him and tugged at the pillow on the back of the sofa. When it didn’t give, she hopped up on the seat cushion and tugged at it harder. If she realized how seductive she looked, she’d stop doing that. A glimpse of lace panties made him groan.

“Honey, add a sorority sister and a little water on the front of your T-shirt and you have everyman’s wet dream. You’re killing me here.”

The fury mounted on her face and he laughed.

She stepped down from the couch and stormed off to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you.” No response from the kitchen.

Gathering together the launched items, he stacked the books and magazines on the coffee table and tucked her shoes beneath. He kicked off his shoes and placed them in a neat pair next to hers before settling on the couch.

It’s fun to goad her. “While you’re in there could you grab me a beer?”

Realizing a little too late why she had marched to the kitchen, a plate swished past inches from his ear and crashed against the bookcase.

“Damn.” The next plate hit him in the shoulder. “What is wrong with you? Stop it.”

“What is wrong with me? With me? You take off. Leave me here alone to face the home inspection. And you are stupid enough to ask me what is wrong with me?” Each sentence was punctuated with the crash of a dish around him.

Hands empty, she disappeared again, surely on her way to stock up on ammo.

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Thoughtful Thursday – Ponzi Schemes and Social Security

screamMy sis and I were having lunch the other day and got started on the topic of Madoff and the alleged Ponzi scheme he allegedly ran for several years. (Innocent until proven guilty hence the alleged comments.)

What’s a Ponzi scheme? It’s when someone is offered a high rate of return on an investment and the money paid to them comes from other investors and not from any kind of profit made by the company.

So my sis says, “You know who’s got the biggest Ponzi scheme going — the U.S. government.”

To which I went, “Huh?” (I hadn’t had enough coffee that day!)

Carmen, my sister, replied, “Social Security. Think about it. We pay and pay into the system and eventually we’ll get paid from the monies other people are paying into the system.”

Dare I say that both of us added to that comment, “Or not get paid.” Yes, many of us worry Social Security won’t be around when we reach the age where we can collect (which age seems to be getting higher and higher every time we look).

Now, practically speaking, I’m sure Social Security gets monies from other ways, such as interest, taxes, etc., but in general, it’s paying off one set of investors with money from another set of investors. To keep going, it will obviously need lots of other investors out there paying into the system unless some kind of bail out eventually occurs.

What do you think about Social Security? Has it treated you right? If you’re not yet retirement age, are you counting on it being there for you?

My thoughts on this Thoughtful Thursday and looking forward to hearing some of your thoughts on it as well.

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