Books of Christmas Past

I was reflecting on the publication of my 60th title, and remembered that my very first publication was in Nov. of 2006--hard to believe it's been nine years. Even though contemporary romance isn't my biggest genre, this book will always have a special place in my heart--and not just because it was the first one I had that hit the shelves.

That year, Wild Rose Press had just opened and wanted some finished, pretty clean, holiday manuscripts. I had just sold my first book to another publisher, but they weren't interested in the shorter, contemporary seasonal piece, so I sent it off to Wild Rose, who bought it and brought it out in record time, meaning it actually came out several months before the book I'd sold a few months earlier. I started a relationship with some great people at a great publisher, and a series I loved, even if it was different from my other books. Nine years later, it's STILL available from Wild Rose. That's a pretty good feeling.

So why did I write a contemporary story as my third try at writing a novel? The first was futuristic romance, and believe me, that one was awful and will never see the light of day. Numbers two and four, both sold, were paranormal. So why the contemporary Western, with a very traditional romance feel, though it's kind of spicy? Because of my mom.

My mother was a voracious reader, loved books of many kinds, but never cared for paranormal. She called it my "woo-woo stuff" and even when she knew I was writing it, she was proud of me, but kind of grimaced at the thought of reading it. So I wrote The Cowboy's Christmas Bride for her. In it, I tried to take as many cliche's of contemporary romance as I could and have fun making them work. There's a bride, a baby, hunky cowboys, Christmas, and a Native American family ghost. I had a blast writing this story.

My mom passed away in the summer of 2005, so she didn't survive to see her daughter published. But the cowboy books, and there have been some more since, have been for her. I think of her a lot at this time of year, and cherish the memories she left me.

If you've never looked at my backlist, you might get a kick out of my somewhat unconventional cowboys. I think it's still at other e-tailers as well, but here it is at the publisher's site.

I've had other Christmas stories, because I totally love the holidays, but that first one will always be as special as the ornaments on my tree that my mother gave me.

Happy reading, and may your holidays be filled with love and light.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT… AND WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!

This phrase usually refers to something we’ve already done, and were not excited enough to want to do again. 

 

I see it with a slightly different filter. I think of the wonderful events and special moments I’d love to repeat.

Like what, you ask?

Participate in more anthologies, travel more, be more organized, spend more time with loved ones living far away, continue to weave the strands of our family tree, take more time to cook and bake, walk more with our beloved dog Rosie... and so much more.

 

T’is the season of gratitude and generosity.

Gratitude is always on my mind once summer fades and we enter my favorite time of year—autumn and winter. The time when leaves swirl and dance on gusts of wind, and trees bare their limbs and fields lie barren in morning mists. 

It’s time to go within, and I envy the trees. Can I possibly bare my soul as they do their limbs?

As a human being, I’m so very aware of how fortunate I am, this year more than ever. Hearth, home, food, family, friends, love. Supportive community, solid infrastructure, transportation, strangers with genuine smiles in their eyes as we connect briefly, passing each other like ships in the night… the list goes on.

As an author, I am honored to have been included in three amazing anthologies in 2015. 

My heartfelt thanks go to:

Marianne Stephens, the RB4U wizard. The Entice Me anthology was my first!

Rose Anderson, the fairy godmother of Exquisite Quills. The Exquisite Christmas anthology is all about romance in winter, and sharing from the heart and hearth. It brings a special sparkle to my Christmas this year.

 

Lois Winston, the magician behind the 88-author anthology, We’d Rather Be Writing. The pages are filled with to-die-for recipes and unique tips that make life easier for writers—and for everyone. A portion of the profit goes to the very worthy No Kid Hungry charity.

These women selflessly arrange forums, platforms, social media events and projects that benefit many writers. Our combined efforts go out into the world, uplifting and entertaining readers around the world. Thank you, ladies.

As I reflect on 2015 in the stillness of winter, I smile. It has been a delightfully enjoyable journey this year with all you wonderful authors and readers. A heartfelt friendship knits us all together. Thanks to each and every one of you.

Please share with us: what are you most thankful for this winter?

GEMMA JULIANA writes all kinds of love stories, from contemporary to paranormal. She has a penchant for romantic international settings. Gemma lives in a cozy cottage in Texas with her very own hero, teen son, and a dog who rules them all. Chocolate and coffee nourish her muse and fuel her creativity. She loves hearing from readers.

www.gemmajuliana.com

http://gemmajuliana.blogspot.com/

amazon.com/author/gemmajuliana

www.twitter.com/gemma_juliana

www.facebook.com/gemma.juliana

https://www.pinterest.com/gemmajuliana/

Guest Blog: @StacyJuba Trials and Tribulations of Princess Hair #RB4U #Romance

Trials and Tribulations of Princess Hair: Been There, Done That and Don’t Want to Do It Again

Transforming into a princess isn’t easy. I can totally relate to my character Jaine’s stress of needing to look like Cinderella. Several years ago when I was planning my wedding, I needed to find the perfect hairstyle. Been there, done that, and I never want to go through that hairdresser craziness again.

First, my stylist tried a pinned up French braid, and although everyone admired it at a Christmas Eve party, I thought it seemed too severe for a bride. In February, at my next haircut, my hairdresser wove my dark locks into an upside down French braid. My future husband liked it, and I knew it would look good at someone else’s wedding, but doubts swirled over whether I wanted it for mine. Since I never wear my hair up, a stranger gazed back at me when I saw my reflection in the mirror.

On my next visit, I came home with a French twist. My mother despised it and didn’t sugarcoat her feelings. “I hate it,” she said. My father thought I looked hilarious and kept chuckling about my resemblance to a punk rocker. With only two months before the wedding, panic flooded over me.

“In the grand scheme of things, how important is your hair?” my fiancé asked.

“Very important!” I shouted.

My mother suggested that I try a “half-up, half-down” style so I’d look more like myself. Following my instructions, my poor stylist braided part of my hair and left the rest falling past my shoulders. “It kind of reminds me of Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz,” she said.

Since I wasn’t marrying the Scarecrow, I nixed that idea and gave her a magazine picture my mother had cut out. It involved pinning up the back with lots of bobby pins and curling it into ringlets at the nape of my neck.

I stared at my reflection. My hair was dressy, but not so unusual that I didn’t recognize myself. I could live with this. Now that we could laugh about it, I asked my hairdresser if all her brides experimented with so many styles. She didn’t answer.

On my wedding day, with the veil framing my face and cascade of cream and pink tinted roses in my arms, I did indeed feel like a princess. It was worth all the aggravation, but. . .now when I need a good hair day, I arm myself with a curling iron, flat iron, and Aqua Net.  

What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella's toes? When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer. Her reign transforms Jaine’s ordinary life into chaos that would bewilder a fairy godmother. Secretly dating her bad boy boss, running wedding errands for her ungrateful sisters, and defending herself from the park’s resident villain means Jaine needs lots more than a comfy pair of shoes to restore order in her kingdom. First in the Storybook Valley series, a blend of sweet romance, chick lit, and fairy tale fun. 

Buy links:

http://stacyjuba.com/blog/fooling-around-with-cinderella/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Fooling-Around-Cinderella-Storybook-Valley/dp/1515390756/ref

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fooling-around-with-cinderella-stacy-juba/1122680940?ean=2940152324976

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/fooling-around-with-cinderella

iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1042194826

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/579068?ref=stacyjuba

Author Bio:

Stacy Juba got engaged at Epcot Theme Park and spent part of her honeymoon at Disneyland Paris, where she ate a burger, went on fast rides, and threw up on the train ride to the hotel. In addition to working on her new Storybook Valley chick lit/sweet romance series, set at a theme park, Stacy has written books about ice hockey, teen psychics, U.S. flag etiquette for kids, and determined women sleuths. When she’s not visiting theme parks with her family, (avoiding rides that spin and exotic hamburgers) Stacy helps writers to strengthen their manuscripts through her Crossroads Editing Service. Stacy is also the founder of the Glass Slipper Sisters, a group of fifteen authors who have published Cinderella-themed romance novels.

Author Links:  

Website and blog: http://stacyjuba.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stacy-Juba/100155471301

Twitter: https://twitter.com/stacyjuba

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/stacyjuba/

HAVE THE TEE-SHIRT

Posted by R. Ann Siracusa

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NOT DOING IT AGAIN.

Our December theme has, no doubt, a slightly different meaning to each of us, depending on age and where we are in our lives.

In my late teens and early twenties, I would have immediately thought about bad dates—like the guy who had snot in his moustache and didn't know it, then tried to kiss me. We only dated once.

In my late twenties, it would have been a declaration that I'm not going to have more children. And I didn't. Three were plenty to keep me in a state of constant agitation. At one point, I did bring up the subject of having another baby. My husband replied "maybe" and then waited until I went bonkers over something one of the kids had done to agree to have another child. That closed the discussion for at least five years. By then I'd come to my senses—or maybe I was menopausal—and we never mentioned it again.

My thirties and forties were dedicated to my work as an architect/urban planner and my family, which included dealing with a son who had 40 turtles and a room full of snakes. I even learned to give them shots. Then, of course, there was riding motorcycles in the desert. I even raced a few desert races and made part of the Barstow to Las Vegas ride once. Never doing that again.

Now, I'm old as dirt, and the theme immediately translates those words into "Bucket List". The things I want to do before I—excuse the cliché—kick the bucket. That's not the same list as the things I need or ought to do, such as clean out my office and my garage, and throw away seven or eight boxes of drafts manuscripts of novels (some of which should never see the light of day).

THE BUCKET LIST

When I Googled the origin of the term Bucket List, I was surprised to read statements like the following on http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/. "I'm not sure I had even heard the term bucket list until the movie came out."

I don't think so!

What planet do these people live on? I'm sure the term harkens to a much earlier date than 2007 when the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman came out. I have no idea where I heard it or when, but I've had a Bucket List (called by that name) since 1993 when I went to Egypt.

According to June Thomas, Kicking the bucket, the phrase used light heartedly to refer to dying—and most likely, the origin of the more recent term Bucket List—has been used since 1785. It's not much of a stretch to come up with the idea of the Bucket List.

Bucket metaphors have been used in the computing industry (and there for in technical literature) since the 1960s, often referring to algorithms for a way of sorting data, called a bucket sort. A bucket or bin may be used to refer to a buffer, or place to discretely distribute data, and can be of fixed size.

How it got transferred to the current terminology is debatable, but many references credit Justin Zackham, screenwriter of The Bucket List as the originator. Personally, I don't believe that, but no one asked me, either.

THE KUDOS LIST

In my research, I discovered that more people than I thought find the reference to a Bucket List either offensive or depressing. I agree in a way. It definitely implies time is running out. On the other hand, the people who have Bucket Lists are usually doing things and crossing them off the list. That's a positive.

I've decided to focus not on what I haven't done but all the things I have done, and call it my Kudos List. Items fall into two categories: Let me Try That One More Time and No Thanks, Never Again. Things I wouldn't do again are, in most cases, because physically I'm unable, not unwilling.

Let Me Try That One More Time

●Hot Air Ballooning

                                                 ●White water rafting on various rivers

●Dog Sledding in Alaska

●Trekking on Shennong Stream, China

 ●Cruising the Amazon fishing for Piranhas 

 ●Climbing to the Acropolis, Greece

 ●Ogling ice bergs & glaciers in Antarctica

No Thanks, Never Again

●Racing motorcycles in the desert

●Para Sailing in Cabo

●Riding camels in Egypt

 

●Riding elephants in Africa and India

●Getting lost in the Medina in Tangiers, Morocco

I wouldn't want to do this again ever. Able but unwilling.

  ●Climbing Machu Picchu, Peru

 ●Climbing the Great Wall in China

 ●Zip Lining in Puerto Vallarta,Mexico

PLACES TO GO, PEOPLE TO MEET, THINGS TO DO

There are still many places I want to go and things I want to see. The next trip on my schedule is to Australia, the seventh continent and the only one I haven't visited.

The last two activities are sky diving and bungee jumping. I'm saving those until I'm ninety. Then if something happens, it really won't matter.

WHAT'S THE MOST EXCITING THING ON YOUR LIST?

Trust me. Do it now! There will never be a perfect time, and you many never get the chance again. The things people most regret in life seem to be the thing they didn't do rather than the things they did do. 

Leave a comment about whether or not you have a Bucket List or about the most exciting thing you've done or want to do.

R. ANN SIRACUSA

TRAVEL FOR EXOTIC FOREIGN LANDS FOR ROMANCE AND INTRIGUE
with a novel by Author R. Ann SiracusaFacebook   Twitter   Website / Blog   Google Circles   Goodreads

Been There... Done That....Cold December Mornings....#RB4U #FoodPorn

Cold December Mornings...

Hello and welcome back to Melissa's Musings. Each ninth day of the month, I drop by to share my thoughts, wonderings, happenings, and life. Lucky you! You're in for a treat today!

If your family is like mine, mornings are not our favorite time of the day. Youngest child--who is now an adult working as an electrician is up and in the shower by 6:00, I'm doing my hair for work or phoning in my movie review to the local radio station by 6:30. At this time of year in Michigan, it's dark...and cold!

It's hard to think about food, let alone have time for yummy meal. Forget cereal... too messy and you have to sit down and eat it. The breakfast bars are okay if you like cardboard. They also leave me hungry about 10 am. Stopping at the local hamburger joint is fine but expensive. With the holidays, I don't have a dollar to spare!

I cut my time down to the second so that I can sleep just those few extra minutes. Beauty sleep is important. I didn't get this way on Botox alone! *wink*

So been there, done that... I've tried to make up breakfast meals ahead of time. They didn't turn out so good. Think messy and boring. But you will receive my special secret recipe today.... just because I love you, all!

I make egg muffins. They are super easy and I make them on Sundays, stuff them in a Ziploc baggie and with a quick pop in the microwave (1-2 min) they are ready to go. You can even make them into a sandwich if you want to give up an extra minute of your rest.

Egg Muffins

6-9 eggs

1/8-1/4 cup milk

Muffin pan

Cooking spray

Extras:

Cheese

Onions (green or sweet)

Bacon

Sausage

Ham pieces cubed

Mushrooms

And anything else you can imagine!

Preheat the oven to 350*. Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray (don't be a Grinch with it...make sure it's coated in the muffin spaces so the eggs come out.) 

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and mild. Wisk.

In the muffin tins, load up your extras. Go all out! Be creative!

Pour the milk/egg mixture over the extras in the muffin cups. Place in the oven and cook at 350* until firm and lightly browned (about 15 minutes or so).

Remove from oven and let cool. You can eat them when warm or place them into plastic baggies for future mornings. 

Now you have a yummy treat that won't waste your precious sleep time. In addition, these are wonderful things to make ahead for the holidays. You can wake up and warm up these on Christmas morning while the children are opening presents or serve them on New Years Eve, before your party guests go home.

Aren't you glad you got to learn from my own trial and error? If you make them, I'd love to hear what you put in them. My favorite is green onions, mushrooms, bacon, ham and cheese.

Now for a treat of a different sort... Yummy Cowboys!

Cowboys Forever 
Six Women—Six Cowboys Forever 
Six Cowboy Love Stories by the best selling authors who brought you Cowboy Up 1&2 

Marry Me Again, Cowboy by Allison Merritt 
An unlikely match made in Texas... 

Cowboy Apocalypse by Leslie Garcia 
Can a former Marine and a Hollywood diva facing apocalyptic changes in their lives salvage new beginnings together? 

Claiming A Cowboy’s Heart by Melissa Keir 
Even broken souls deserve a second chance at love… 

Rock-n-Roll Cowboy by Autumn Piper 
Never judge a rock band by its cover song. 

A Cowboy's Princess by Sara Walter Ellwood 
Oil and water don't mix...neither does Texas oil royalty and an ex-Navy SEAL turned rodeo cowboy until danger forces them together. 

Ride, Cowboy, Ride by D’Ann Lindun 
Can they find freedom together? 

EXCERPT FROM CLAIMING A COWBOY'S HEART:

The horse’s tail rose. A small leg became visible as the birth began. Holding his breath, he waited and watched.

With his gaze on the eminent arrival, he frowned. “Crap. That’s an upside down hoof.”

His friend drew in close. A second leg arrived. “Shit. The foal’s backward. Those are the rear legs.”

“We have to get the foal out now. If we don’t, it’ll drown.” He knelt next to the horse. “Get up front and soothe Cheyenne. I’m going to have to pull the foal out fast, and I don’t want her thrashing around.” Sweat trickled down his spine. Playing God was not what being a veterinarian was about. Losing an animal—any animal—took a piece of his soul. But to lose a new life…it might leave a permanent scar. I’ve been blessed so far. Would the blessing last?

Glancing to see that his buddy had followed his directions, Preston gritted his teeth and seized a hold of the offspring’s legs with both hands. “Ready, on the count of three…. One, two, three.” He heaved with all his strength, observing as the foal came out. Quickly, he tore open the sac, releasing fluid and giving the foal a chance to breathe. He gnawed on his lip, gaze glued on the foal. Was it alive? Come on. He whispered a silent prayer.

Free with Kindle Unlimited or only 99 pennies...(ebook) 
Buy Link: AMAZON

Thank you for stopping by today and be sure to let me know about your own extras!! I'm always up for trying a new treat!