It's The Most Comfortable Time of the Year

 

New’s Year is over. The resolutions have probably been broken. Valentine’s Day is some weeks away  (that’s if you have someone to celebrate the holiday with), and winter has fallen over the Northern hemisphere so there is nothing else to do but settle at the home and find some comfort. 

A natural association with comfort is comfort foods. Though hot chocolate or mac and cheese may be the thoughts that come to mind, I speaking about comfort books and TV shows. 

For me, I love reading those romance novels that still warm my heart, entertain me with a laugh, and romance. Lately, I have been re-reading Julie Garwood and Julia Quinn (thanks to the Bridgerton series on Netflix that reminded me how much I love the series and the author). As for TV, I’m watching my favorites The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy. 

These favorites of mine just seem to make me melt into my favorite chair or into my mattress and burrow under the blanket. All the stress slips away and my thoughts stop. We all need some comfort especially after the times we have experienced. This is the perfect time of year to seek out that comfort even if it’s fifteen minutes. The mind and body need to recharge so we can face the tasks of daily life. 

Some might call it self-care. That might put some people off so I call it comfort. So, what are your comforts? Is it reading your favorite books? Seeing your favorite TV shows or movies? Or something entirely different? Where do you find your comfort?

Give Thanks for the Simple (Sometimes Silly) Pleasures

With Thanksgiving days away, most of us take the time to reflect on those things we’re most thankful for. I give thanks for my husband and son, and that we’re all healthy. I’m thankful we have enough food to eat and roofs over our heads.

However, I thought it would be fun to list other more simple, even silly, things I’m thankful for. Here’s my list, in no particular order.

·         The Zombie Apocalypse hasn’t happened yet

·         Tom Mison on Sleepy Hollow. He’s not your grandmom’s Ichabod Crane.

·         That first sip of coffee in the morning

·         That first sip of wine with my evening meal

·         Happy Hour at my favorite watering holes

·         Weight Watchers cream cheese slathered on a bagel flat (only 5 WW points plus)

·         Williams-Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter

·         Anything pumpkin

·         Netflix

·         Dark chocolate with rich, red wine

·         Romance novel heroes with their sculpted bodies and lovemaking skills

·         Hallmark Christmas movies

·         Christmas songs

·         Scoring a Kate Spade handbag at a deep, deep discount

·         Scoring anything at a discount

·         The Hangover (I’ve seen it four times and laughed as much each time)

·         Bradley Cooper

·         Any day the sun shines

·         Girlfriends

                       

I could go on and on but then I'd never finish this blog. Below is Tom Mison and the cast from Sleepy Hollow. See why I'm thankful for him? What simple, silly things are you thankful for?

My latest release, A Groom for Christmas, is like a Hallmark Christmas movie, with some intense love scenes. If Hallmark made a movie of it, I'd want Tom Mison to play Jake Falco, The Falcon.

Here's the blurb:

When a young woman hires her hometown’s former bad boy to be her pretend fiancé for the holidays, she finds she can’t wrap up her feelings as easily as a Christmas gift.

New York jewelry designer Graceann Palmer has two days to find a fiancé to bring home to Pennsylvania for the holidays so her matchmaking mama will quit fixing her up with jerks. The Falcon, a motorcycle-riding, leather-clad former high school crush, helped her out once before. Maybe he'll do it again.

Jake Falco, man of many mysteries, is back in town on a mission—one the people of Spirit Lake most likely won't appreciate. When Graceann presents him with her crazy scheme, it gives him something he's always wanted—a chance to get to know Graceann. It also gives him the perfect opportunity to add fuel to his project of revenge.

But as Jake and Graceann grow closer, their engagement-of-convenience begins to feel like the real deal—until Jake’s secrets are revealed.

Can a relationship that began with lies and secrets bloom like a rare Christmas rose into happily-ever-after?