Small Town Brunch with @melissa_keir #RB4U #foreverlove

Welcome to Romance Books 4 U...I'm Melissa Keir, your flight attendant for today's trip. We are traveling to small town Amherst, Ohio. Yes, it's a real town-my hometown and the setting of my Wilder Sisters Series. A favorite place for me to visit when I return home is Hot Dog Heaven. It was a high school hang out and popular restaurant, with a homey feel.

So make sure your seat belt is fastened and your snack tray is in the up position. We're heading off to Amherst where Syn Wilder in Forever Love has returned to her hometown to care for her ailing father, but she's come face to face with her past love.

Deciding to get out of the house, we headed out for dinner at a popular local restaurant. The Armors Diner was located in an old home that had been converted into a homey place to eat. They had a full menu, containing anything that might tickle your fancy, but they had the best Coney dogs and fries. The Armors was a favorite hangout for the high school crowd, so the walls were covered with photos from all the sports stories covered by the local newspaper. The place was packed, but we found a spot at a small table near the large front window.

The Armors held a lot of fond memories from my time in high school. I used to come to the restaurant as much as I could to hang out and visit with my friends. We would always order the large fries and talk about the boys we liked. The restaurant also had its share of sad memories too—mostly surrounding T.J. and our time together. As if just thinking about him caused him to appear, I looked up to find him walking through the door, alone, and heading directly over to our table.

“Hi Syn, Mr. Wilder. Do you mind if I join you? This place is packed, and I hate to eat alone.”

“Hello Thom. Nice to see you. What have you been up to lately? I haven’t seen you since you dated Syn, here. I must have scared you off good,” Dad replied with a grin.

“Mr. Wilder, you didn’t scare me off. Syn decided to run away to the big city and leave this small town behind.” T.J. winked at me, so I stuck my tongue out at him.

I felt like an idiot while they spoke about me, and a little shocked that Dad didn’t remember T.J. being at the recent fire. “Hello—I am sitting right here. You shouldn’t talk about me like I’m invisible.” They continued to ignore me, in favor of the conversation. I took the moment to look at T.J. He certainly had grown up. I studied his profile, trying to find a small part of that little boy who was my best friend growing up. His strong jawline and full lips were new to me. His baby fat was gone, but his strong nose was the same. The aquiline had a bump that always looked like he had broken it, which earned him the nickname Rocky. I loved his smile. It was a full grin that lit up his whole face and made his eyes twinkle. I wish I could go back and have a chat with my teenage self. I would share with her just how sexy T.J. was today. Of course, I would probably also have a few words to say to teenage T.J. too. After all, I wasn’t the only one in that relationship.

My ears perked up when I heard Dad invite T.J. over for dinner tomorrow night. It will be nice to give Dad something to do, but another evening with T.J…can my heart handle it?

The Armors provided a nice dinner among friends. Dad seemed to enjoy talking with T.J. about guns, hunting, and his job at the fire station. Sitting there in the background watching them interact was a treat. Dad was animated, reminding me more of the guy I grew up with than the pale version of himself he had become since my return. He hasn’t been so upbeat in a long time. I don’t think I’ve felt so upbeat in a while, as well. T.J. had many fun stories of life in the station that made us laugh. I was getting reacquainted with the guy I left behind, as he was filling in the missing years.

T.J. had been my best friend growing up. We were childhood playmates. Then, in high school, we turned into a couple. He became my boyfriend. We used to spend a lot of time hanging out at the train depot and talking about our future, but that didn’t last. T.J. was looking for a girl who was sexually active, which wasn’t me. He broke up with me and went on to date other girls who were more physical with him. It was hard watching him move on, but I was going to leave our small town for bigger pastures when I graduated, so I didn’t need to be tied down. Now that I was back, though, would we try to make it work?

Forever Love is book one in the Wilder Sisters Series. 

Fifteen years ago, Syndie Wilder left her small hometown- Amherst, Ohio- to escape the pain of losing her best friend and boyfriend. Deciding that Chicago offered more for an up and coming jewelry designer, she enjoyed the big city life until she chooses to return and care for her father. Taking care of her father and relocating her internet business, Syndie has no time or desire for romance but fate has a way of playing with best-laid plans.

Thom Johnson broke Syndie’s heart all those years ago and regrets it every day. As a firefighter, Thom sets out to protect Amherst and redeem himself for his bad choices. However, he never has forgotten Syndie and the hurt he caused her.

When a chance meeting happens, can the two former friends allow themselves the chance to become friends again, or will the sparks turn a childhood friendship into a forever love?

Amazon Buy Link:http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Love-Melissa-Keir-ebook/dp/B00B0XISFU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

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Melissa Keir has always wanted to be an author when she wasn't hoping for a career as a race car driver.  Her love of books was instilled by her mother and grandparents who were avid readers. She'd often sneak books away from them so that she could fantasize about those strong alpha males and plucky heroines.  In middle school and high school, Melissa wrote sappy love poems and shared them with her friends.  She still has those poems today! In college, her writing changed to sarcastic musings on life as well as poems with a modern twist on fairy tales and won awards for her writing. You can find many of these musings along with her latest releases on her website and blog. 
   
As a writer, Melissa likes to keep current on topics of interest in the world of writing.  She's a member of the Romance Writers of America and EPIC. Melissa is always interested in improving her writing through classes and seminars.  She also believes in helping other authors and features authors and their books on her blog.

Melissa doesn't believe in down time.  She's always keeping busy.  Melissa is a wife and mother, an elementary school teacher, a book reviewer, an editor for a publishing company as well as an author. Her home blends two families and is a lot like the Brady Bunch, without Alice- a large grocery bill, tons of dirty dishes and a mound of laundry. She loves to write stories that feature "happy endings" and is often found plotting her next story.

A Feast For The Senses...

Most of us in long-term relationships sometimes take food for granted. We eat because we’re hungry and it fills a need so that we can accomplish other tasks, but special occasions call for special food and often reminds us of a time when eating was a sensual experience.

I’ve written all sorts of scenes that have included some sort of dining experience and it occurred to me the reason might be because eating engages all of the senses. We can all remember being told not to play with our food but preparation is just that; we wash and cut vegetables, blend spices, lazily stir a sauce until it glistens and tightens to the proper consistency. It’s a hands-on experience. There is also something very romantic about cooking with another person.

There is a scene in one of my novellas where a young artist is trying to impress an older woman into giving their relationship a chance. He’s cooking for her and while making Carbonara, a simple, elegant dish that’s as much fun to eat as it is to prepare, the atmosphere is relaxed but they are learning about one another as the dish comes together.

While the pasta is cooking, he’s dicing the pancetta (Italian bacon that isn’t smoked), and slicing the garlic, setting them to sizzle in a large pan; all the while trying not to slice his thumb because he’s distracted by the sound of her voice. While they’re eating she teaches him how to twirl spaghetti on his fork by laying it against his spoon and ends up licking some off of his chin. Needless to say, their senses are engaged by the time the meal has ended...with a Chocolate Torte. What, you thought I wouldn't sneak chocolate into this?

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful day to celebrate love and romance but special meals don’t need to be elaborate and take hours in the kitchen. Special meals are little celebrations of life, taking the time to enjoy each others company whether it’s a holiday or a Monday night when it’s too cold to go out. Whether or not you have a reason, celebrate a meal as if you do. I’m going to leave you with a recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara, just in case you’d like to try. This recipe is the closest to what I make (I'm one of those cooks who seldom measure and would probably take three pages to explain what Tyler Florence of the Food Network does in one) With only the two of us, I halve the recipe…

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients

1 lb. dry spaghetti

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

4 oz. pancetta or bacon (cubed or cut into small strips)

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 large fresh eggs

1 C freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Black pepper to taste

1 handful of fresh parsley (I use about 1T dried)

It’s important that you prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking. The spaghetti has to be hot and ready when the sauce is finished so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until tender, yet firm. Drain well; reserving ½ cup of starchy cooking water in case the sauce needs to be thinned. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over a medium flame and sauté the pancetta/bacon until crisp. Add the garlic and sauté less than a minute to soften (don’t brown). Add the hot, drained pasta to the pan and toss for a couple of minutes to coat the pasta with the bacon fat.

Beat eggs and Parmesan together. Take the pan containing the pasta off the heat, pour the egg and cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the egg mixture thickens but doesn’t scramble (If using dried parsley, add it here). Thin out the sauce with reserved pasta water until it reaches the desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper to taste. You can sprinkle more cheese (and your fresh parsley if that’s what you’re using).

If you'd like a printable version of this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/spaghetti-alla-carbonara

   

The beauty of this dish is that you can have it for breakfast with orange juice and fresh strawberries or for supper with wine, salad and garlic toast. I’ve even made it for lunch.  

How about you? What’s your favorite romantic meal?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Paris Brandon

http://parisbrandon.com

Did you ever want to just shake things up?

“I aim to misbehave.”

                  Captain Malcolm Reynolds

One of my favorite quotes from SERENITY the Joss Whedon movie that wrapped up the loose-ends left dangling when people of limited vision cancelled his television show FIREFLY. Celebrating the idea of a band of independent-minded citizens that challenged an authoritarian government who cared nothing about individual freedoms, sort of seems fitting this month. I know, I’m a day late for the real party but I celebrated by having a FIREFLY/SERENITY marathonJ.

I get a kick out of people who challenge authority or simply the status quo. I like characters that push the envelope and aren’t afraid to explore the question “what if”. About a year ago, I looked at some of my erotic romance stories and as much as I still loved them all, I thought it might be time to push the envelope and delve into a subject that might challenge me and inspire something new and different.  

Nope, I didn’t stray into the BDSM realm, I leave that for authors who have taken the time to research and understand the practice. I have a wonderful critique partner, Francesca Hawley. She explains whatever I don’t understand but alas, my muse has not supplied me with any BDSM story ideas. I will however, keep you posted. With her, I never know what to expect.

I thought that D/s was where she was going when she suggested BEND OVER, COWBOY. How was my audience going to react to a hero who was willing to let his girlfriend use a strap-on to fulfill one of her fantasies?

My muse had the audacity to flip her feather boa at me before she told me to suck it up. Then she dared me to write the story without straying into the realm of D/s. Did I mention she knows how to push my buttons?

I have to tell you that before this story was released I was a little worried about my readers. They were used to an entirely different kind of story. I didn't need to worry. Apparently, readers thought any man who loved his girl-friend and was up for a little experimentation was their kind of hero. 

As a reader, have you ever been tempted to read something outside your comfort zone? As an author, has any subject outside your comfort zone tempted you to write a story? Leave me a comment and as part of my ongoing celebration of the month, I’ll award someone one of my back list titles.

An Excerpt From: BEND OVER, COWBOY

Copyright © PARIS BRANDON, 2012

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Whether he was wearing jeans and a denim shirt or the tailored tuxedo that covered his lanky frame tonight, from the top of his wavy, pitch-black hair to the tips of his custom-made, size-thirteen, hand-tooled leather cowboy boots, Tyler “Tall” Garrett was the sexiest man Kitty Jones had ever come across.

She’d “bought” the rodeo cowboy two years ago at Marcy Pennington’s Auction for the Arts benefit. It had been lust at first sight and it had taken every penny in her checking account to outbid Livy Winthrop. But damn. The man’s smile could light up a room and it didn’t hurt that he was four inches taller than her five-foot-ten. He was one of the few men around whom she didn’t dwarf when she wore her favorite stiletto heels.

She could still call up the memory of the sparkle that had lit his baby blues that first time, when the gallery lights over the temporary catwalk weren’t shining in his eyes and he could put a face to her voice. The dinner date she’d purchased had turned into breakfast and before the month was out she was pretty much staying at his ranch outside of Fort Worth every weekend.

She got wet every time she thought about sex with Tall Garrett. She got even wetter when she thought about bending her very tough, pleasure-seeking cowboy over and riding him until he screamed for mercy. Less mercy than he might need at the moment, cornered by Livy Winthrop and her herd of dutiful sorority sisters.

She’d bet money that the clueless woman had asked him once again what size his feet were while her little clique tittered. Any minute now she and Tall would be wishing everyone happy Valentine’s Day and ducking out for some real fun. As much as she loved the gallery owner who’d thrown so much business her way, Marcy’s party had become more about tradition for them than a social obligation and she couldn’t wait for their private festivities to begin.

And that would be as soon as Tall flipped a coin to decide which one of them would be rewarded with the fantasy of their choice. All she had to do was win. He finally broke away from the group and as he strode toward her his scowl was something to behold. “I need me a longneck beer and a woman who knows how to behave herself in public,” he announced as he sidled up to her.

“Poor baby, all I have is this,” she said, holding up her champagne flute. “And don’t you dare ask me to snag you one of those imported frou-frou beers that Marcy serves because I don’t like wrapping my tongue around the names and having waiters look down their pointy little noses at me,” she grumbled good-naturedly and smiled when he stepped closer.

His gaze latched on to the top half of her bare breasts. The other half was held up by a glittery silver swathe of some space-age material that was supposed to be as sturdy as chain mail. “I like that dress,” he drawled and stayed focused on her very generous cleavage, peeking out of the scooped neckline of her slinky gown.

“Grabs your attention, does it?” she asked, not bothering to suppress her grin. Hell, she wore her gowns low so he would look. The test was if he brought his gaze back up to hers and was polite enough to look properly appreciative. Which he always did. No woman wanted to be under appreciated, whether she wore a training bra or needed miracle support for her double-Ds.

He was looking around but no one was paying them any mind and she grinned full-out because he’d moved slightly to block her from view. “Uh…yeah.”

“This woman who knows how to behave herself in public—would you want her to do that in private, too?” she asked sweetly.

“You plan on misbehavin’ anytime soon?” he asked, sounding hopeful as hell. His sexy grin made her want to drag him into the nearest dark corner and rub up against him like a cat but she’d just caught Livy’s confused what-the-hell-does-he-see-in-your-big-butt glare.

For someone as astute as the beautiful marketing executive usually was about business, she didn’t have a clue about personal relationships. Livy, with her lithe little cheerleader body and her surgically perfect profile, was a trophy hunter and she couldn’t seem to wrap her mind around the fact that Tall didn’t have any interest in being part of her collection.

Bless her heart.

Kitty had had about all this party she could politely stand and she could tell Tall was getting itchy when he reached into his pants pocket. “I think it’s time for our annual coin toss,” he suggested, pulling out what she knew to be the same quarter he’d used the first time they’d cut and run from Marcy’s annual to-do.

She knew because he kept it on the dresser in his bedroom. “Toss away, cowboy. I call heads,” she said sweetly and watched him flip the coin into the air, catch it and slap it down on the back of his hand.

His lips twitched after he lifted his palm and she knew she’d won again. “You are the luckiest woman alive.”

“Don’t I know it,” she bragged and couldn’t resist winking at him. She’d been flirting with the idea of how this night was going to end since last summer’s Fourth of July impromptu photo shoot when she’d posed him naked except for his chaps and boots. And that raggedy-ass cowboy hat that was almost as battered as he was after surviving riding bulls and anything else he could get his hands on during his ten-year stint on the rodeo circuit.

She smiled and he looked wary, but as usual, very eager. “Are you going to tell me what I’m in for or are you just going to smile all night and make me guess?”

She leaned in close and breathed in the sharp tang of his cologne that reminded her of crisp, dry leaves, earthy moss and sun-warmed leather. “I want to take you to bed and not let you out for days. I want to tie you up and watch your face while I take you every way you can imagine and some I hope you haven’t even thought about yet…

I hope you enjoyed the excerpt! Don’t forget to leave a comment and until next month,

Happy Reading!

Paris Brandon

http://parisbrandon.com

Bend Over, Cowboy-5 Stars, Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

Petting Kitty-Ellora’s Cave

Cross My Heart-NOR Top Pick

Head Over Heels-5 Hearts, The Romance Studio

Assassin’s Kiss-4 Stars Romantic Times Book Review

Celtic Romance

Celtic Romance
by Cornelia Amiri

The month of love, February and the holiday of love, Valentine Day, one of my favorite holidays, will soon be upon us. Valentine Day reminds us that many of our fondest thoughts and memories are of romance, including dating and weddings, courtship and betrothal and these events were just as special to the ancient Celts. Love and marriage was so important to the Celts that they had more types of recognized marriages than any other culture. Under the Brehon (Brehoon) laws of Ireland, there were not one, but 10 types of marriage. I’ll list them.

#1. The man and wife contributed an equal amount of property or finances.
#2. A woman moved to the man's property and contributed little or nothing financially but managed the housekeeping.
#3. A man moved to the woman’s property and contributed little or nothing financially but managed her cattle and her fields.
#4. The husband and wife both had property and managed their own individually, but the children's rights were still safeguarded.
#5. By mutual consent the man and woman shared their bodies, but lived under separate roofs. I call that the have your cake and eat it too marriage.
#6. A man abducted the wife of a defeated enemy. So the woman came to that marriage as a spoil of war.
#7. The man and woman got together only for one night of sex. In modern times we have a slang expression for this relationship, we call it a one night stand. The Celts had an expression as well, they called it a soldier's marriage.
#8. A man seduced a woman by lying to her or by taking advantage of her while she was drunk.
#9. A union by forcible rape. The ancient tale of Camma and Sinorix detail what Celtic women felt about this marriage. After Sinorix killed her husband and forced her to wed him, Camma put poison in the ceremonial wedding cup which they both drank from together. Vengeance against Sinorix was more important than her own life. She used the marriage to get revenge.
#10. Both the man and woman were either feeble-minded or insane.
The Welsh, under the laws of Hywell (whowell) the Good, had the same types of marriages as the Irish, except for # 10.

All types of banter must have occurred regarding these marriages. Going by the way I numbered the marriages, instead of Yo Mama, they might have said something like, “Oh, you must have been born from a number 10 marriage.” And they could have more than one spouse, so an ancient Celtic man or woman could have several combinations of marriages. Can you imagine meeting someone and asking not “are you married?” But “what number marriage do you currently have?” They might reply, “Oh, I have a #1 and a #5 and of course a couple of # 7’s.” . . . And I thought modern day dating was complicated.

To modern man, it seems silly or even cruel to refer to some of these unions as marriages. But it isn’t, because these marriages were not for the benefit of the man or woman, they were for the protection of the children. By recognizing all these unions as legal marriages, the Celts insured there were ¬no illegitimate children. A child born of any of the 10 unions would inherit like any of their parents’ other children. Also the land did not go to the eldest son. The estate was split between all children including the daughters.

Handfasting was another type of Celtic union, it lasted for only a year and a day. It predominantly took place at Lughnassadh (LOO-nahs-ah), the Celtic Harvest festival, celebrated August 1. Single men lined up on one side and unmarried women on the other. They paired off and married for a year and a day. The couple’s wrists were literally tied together during the ceremony. This is where we get the expression "tying the knot". The couple had to return to the same place the following year to make their marriage permanent. They could also end the union at that time by simply standing back to back, facing north and south, and walking out. Going their separate ways, single once more.

Fruit gathering was also part of Lughnassadh. And this was romantically done as young men and women paired off to pick bilberries and didn’t return until nightfall. This included the sweet custom of boys threading the berries into bracelets for the girls to wear that day.

Another important festival for the ancient Celts was Beltaine (bell-tayn), which in modern times we call May Day. The May Queen led the Beltane procession with her ritual courtship of the Green Man. These symbolic marriages of the god and goddess, in the form of King and Queen of the May, were mirrored in human courtship. One of the most popular May Day traditions was to set a basket full of spring flowers or other small gifts at a neighbor’s house without them seeing you. If you got caught, they would chase and then kiss you. Courtships for the ancient Celts would often begin at Beltaine and the marriages would be held at Samhain (Sah-van), which in modern times we call Halloween.

Samhain, as the beginning of the New Year, was the main season of weddings for the ancient Celts. A tradition that survived in Wales, in Montgomeryshire, was on Samhain they made a mash of nine ingredients: potatoes, carrots, turnips, peas, parsnips, leeks, pepper, salt and new milk. A wedding ring was hidden in the mash. Teenage girls dug into the mash with wooden spoons, anxious to learn their fate, for the one who found the ring would be the first one married. The way it was done in Carmarthenshire, was that on Samhian, nine girls made a pancake together, containing nine ingredients, divided it among themselves, and ate it. Before dawn, each girl would have a vision of her future husband.

Moving forward, up to the 16th century, we find one of the most interesting Welsh customs, loving spoons. Celtic handmade love spoons were carved from one piece of wood with symbols on the stem, which had various meaning, from two hearts “We love each other” to an intricate knot meaning “together, forever.” A farmer might carve a vine with flowers on the stem which would mean “love grows.” A sailor might carve an anchor which would mean “steadfast love.” The spoon was the main eating utensil of the day, so by giving a lady a spoon the man was also saying I can provide for you, you won’t go hungry. Love spoons were like engagement rings, if the lady accepted the spoon, she accepted the proposed marriage.

Another quaint courtship custom which began in the 16th and 17th century was bundling. On long, dark, cold winter nights, courting couples were encouraged to share a bed - but they were fully clothed and the boy or girl was sewn into a "bundling bag," a linen sheet that would bind, confine, and conceal the legs, and consequently, private parts of the body. By the late 1600s, Wales's supposedly relaxed sexual morals had become the brunt of English jokes, with the scarcity of Welsh virgins the tired old punch line. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English historians blamed the wayward Welsh for the bundling custom. Though bundling was a perfectly innocent courting ritual. A visitor to Wales reported that female servants were so fond of bundling, they refused to work unless their lovers were permitted to share their beds.

With this romantic romp through the ages, from Brehon marriage laws to bundling, you can get a taste of what courtship and marriage was like for our ancestors. Romance was as important in ancient times as it is today. For as the poets say . . . love is timeless.

For more Celtic/Romance and my books of Long Swords, Hot Heroes, and Warrior Women, please visit my website at httm://CelticRomanceQueen.com