#NewRelease ~ Texas Girls Trilogy by Kristina Knight

Being a writer is the most amazing job in the world. No, I'm not curing cancer but I do get to help people find love, find themselves, and begin living happily. The people in my head are very real to me as I'm writing and my hope is always that something in my books (or any authors books) will connect with 'real' people and help them figure things out.

There is one drawback to all of this, however: I sit in a chair for long hours each day writing my words, editing sentences and some days just trying to figure out what to say. That sitting? Not great for the metabolism or the derriere. Plus, when things aren't going well, chocolate is involved.

Here's how I keep things together in the health department when I spend most of a given day on my ... well, you know: Exercise. 

3. Taking a walk. Wherever I am in the writing, if I'm stuck or just need to clear my head, I'll take a walk. Somedays it's a quick lap around the neighborhood with my book playlist going. Some days it's a longer sweat-inducing walk/jog program. Depends. But walking is a great way to get moving (literally and figuratively).

2. Getting in the water. Most of you know I teach deep water running at our local Y two nights each

week. And I fill in as needed for other classes. And I've been known to hit the pool on my own when I need to clear my head. Water (whether its a beach or a pool) has always been an inspiring place for me.

1. Dance. The picture above is one of my favorite video games - it's sweaty, hard work (Yes, you have to get OFF the couch or office chair) with one massive benefit: if I trip over my clutzy feet no one will see me. I love Zumba - it's works the core, legs and arms. Plus, it's dance so it's over and you're hot, sweaty and feeling great before you even realize its work. The Just Dance games also now have a workout section, so thats another way to get moving and dancing away from the computer.

Okay, what's your favorite way to get moving? 

Kristina’s Texas Girls are back! What a Texas Girl Wants, What a Texas Girl Needs, and What a Texas Girl Dreams are releasing this month! 

About the Books

What a Texas Girl Wants: The last thing Jackson Taylor wants in his life is a down-to-earth girl like Kathleen Witte, so why did he just wake up next to her on a Mexican beach with a ring on his finger? Once they’re back in Texas though, this all-business marriage might just turn into an all-consuming love. Purchase on Amazon

What a Texas Girl Needs: Matias Barnes knows all about society women like Vanessa Witte. It’s part of the reason he left his wealthy family behind and took a job on a ranch. But while Mat knows she’s so not right for him, can he resist her charms long enough to really let her go? Purchase on Amazon

What a Texas Girl Dreams: They are opposites in so many ways, but the more veterinarian Trickett Samuels gets to know footloose and fancy free Monica Witte, the more he wonders if he can convince this Texas girl that having roots will only help her soar higher. Purchase on Amazon

Sneak Peek Inside Reinventing Riley

Living in Central Indiana among a gathering of small towns, one of the fun things for me about visiting cities is their tall buildings. I find them amazing and exciting. I like craning my neck in search of the sky, eating at restaurants not available in cornfield communities, and walking everywhere. And then I can’t wait to get home, where the tallest building in all those small towns is three stories, the sky is big and beautiful, and “everybody knows your name.” 

But it’s the buildings I’m thinking about today, the ones that hold place of pride on corners or stand in groups in the middle of the block, their facades corniced and bracketed. They’re brick and most of them have had windows and doors and purposes replaced over the years. Many of them have been painted in colors more welcoming than the old brick. 

Reinventing Riley is a sweet romance between a rock-and-roll playing pastor and a savvy businesswoman. Their story shouldn’t have anything to do with buildings, it does. When Rye, who’s just sold a business and has absolutely no interest in buying another one, sees the Culp Building in downtown Fallen Soldier, Pennsylvania, it speaks to her. Like all old buildings, it has stories to tell.

Reluctantly, she listens. 

He’s afraid a second time at love wouldn’t live up to his first. She’s afraid a second round would be exactly like her first. 

Pastor Jake McAlister and businesswoman Riley Winters are in their forties and widowed. Neither is interested in a relationship. They both love Fallen Soldier, the small Pennsylvania town where they met, even though Rye plans to move to Chicago, and Jake sees a change in pastorates not too far down the road. Enjoying a few-weeks friendship is something they both look forward to.

However, there is an indisputable attraction between the green-eyed pastor and the woman with a shining sweep of chestnut hair. Then there’s the Culp, an old downtown building that calls unrelentingly to Rye’s entrepreneurial soul. And when a young man named Griff visits Jake, life changes in the blink of a dark green eye.

Reinventing Riley will be released and available on Amazon on May 25. 

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Excerpt:

Rye had loved it when Granny cleaned the bookstore just two bus stops from where they lived. She couldn’t remember the name of the store, only that she’d always called it the reading room. Her grandmother had fretted because no matter how laboriously she cleaned, the shop always smelled like dust to her. Rye, sitting on the rug in the corner that held the children’s books, thought that meant heaven must smell like dust. 

She wondered if the owner of Have A Cup would be interested in a satellite location. Or maybe he’d prefer the competition of another coffee shop. It was funny how coffee shops and bookstores belonged together.

And music.

She didn’t know of any venues in town. No one had mentioned any, although musicians had played at the Dockside at the rehearsal dinner. 

Every town needed music, didn’t it?

She texted Jake. Is there anywhere in town to listen to music?

His answer made her laugh. My house, but it’s dusty here.

Dust. Like a bookstore, or a stage, or the underside of coffee shop chairs where people sat and read or worked on laptops or wrote in coil-bound notebooks. Bookstores felt like hope. So did live music and fragrant, rich coffee. 

The Reading Room.

Oh, good heavens, she could even envision the sign above the entrance that would lead straight upstairs. Actually, there wasn’t an entrance now. That would require some design changes unless she wanted to put the door in the back on the alley. Not a good idea.

What was she thinking?

“Where do you buy books?” she asked Lucy when her neighbor tapped on the kitchen’s French door and walked in carrying a steaming tea kettle.

“Ricky hates tea and I had the water hot before I realized I didn’t want to drink alone,” she explained. “Earl Grey all right for you?”

“Perfect.”

Lucy poured water into the blue-and-white teapot Rye set on the table and snugged a crocheted cozy over it. “Online, usually. Or from the library. Usually I buy them and then donate them to the library.”

“No electronic reader for you?”

“Only when I travel. I like to smell the ink, I guess.”

“What would you think of a bookstore in Fallen Soldier?”

“New or used?”

Oh. She hadn’t thought that far. So much for business acumen. “Yes. Plus an area for live music or readings or other artistic demonstrations. And some kind of coffee and tea shop. Called the Reading Room. Upstairs at the Culp.”

Lucy didn’t hesitate. “Sounds great to me.” 

“It might fail.”

“Might.”

“But it might not.”

All About Liz: USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty started writing in the fourth grade when her Aunt Gladys allowed her to use her portable Royal typewriter. The truth was that her aunt would have let her do anything to get her out of her hair, but the typewriter and the stories it could produce caught on, and Liz never again had a day without a what if… in it. She and Duane, her husband of at least forever, live in a farmhouse in central Indiana, sharing grown children, spoiled cats, and their grandkids, the Magnificent Seven. (Don’t get her started on them—you’ll be here all day.) To find out more about her, stop by http://lizflaherty.net/ or sign up for her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/df7dhP.

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Fall Favorite: Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup ~ @AuthorKristina Knight

I have a ton of fall favorites, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: none of them are pumpkin spice. I do like a slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving (although Sweet Potato Pie will always beat Pumpkin to my tastebuds!), but other than that, pumpkin is just kind of meh for me. 

I do love a cozy, soft fall sweater. A comfy blanket for sofa snuggles. A crisp fall afternoon spent in the football stands. Funnel cakes and apple cider and caramel apples also top my fall favorites list. But at the very top?

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup! It’s a fall favorite for us, although we will make it year round through the colder weather months. But that first pot of fall? It’s always the best because our taste buds have been missing it through the summer heat! I thought I’d share the recipe with you today. 

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Cups chicken broth

2 Cups of Cheddar Cheese, shredded; if using Velveeta, cube it

2 Tb butter

¼ cup Maseca (a cornmeal flour … you can sub regular flour if you don’t have Maseca on hand)

3 tortillas, cut into thin strips of about 2 inches

1/3 Cup Taco blend cheese, used as a topping, optional

2 Tsp cumin

3 Tsp chili powder

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained

Directions

Bake the chicken at 350 for about 20 minutes (until done) and then cut into small cubes. Set aside. In a 5 quart saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and then add in the maseca, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Slowly add in the chicken broth until well combined. Add in the cheese, again stirring constantly until well blended. Add in the seasonings and rotel tomatoes. Stir until blended. Add in the chicken, again stirring until blended. Put the lid on the pan and simmer all ingredients together for another 20 minutes or so. Heat the oven to 450 and bake the cut-into-strips tortillas for 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, top with a sprinkling of the tortilla crisps and the taco blend cheese (this cheese is optional). Serve!

This makes about 8 bowls of soup.

If you try this recipe, I hope you love it as much as we do! And happy FALL!!  

Kristina Knight’s sweet romance, Moonlight Match is available now! 

Moonlight Match is part of the Resort to Romance continuity project ~ 10 sweet romances, all set during a week-long matchmaking event in the Bahamas! 

Aster Harrington believes in love but love doesn’t seem to believe in her. She’s hoping Goldie and Ginny, the matchmakers who’ve matched on two generations of Harringtons, can work a little love magic for her…

Some call Ethan Talbot rigid, but he prefers to think of himself as prepared. Unfortunately, when he’s matched with Aster Harrington at Joy Island’s Matchmaking Week, all those carefully prepared plans go out the window. He can get back to finding a suitable wife once he’s home in New York. After all, how much damage can one week in the Bahamas do to his plans?


Kristina Knight is a contemporary romance author, part-time swim-kid wrangler, and full-time ThinMints enthusiast. You can find out more the book and Kristina on her website, and feel free to stalk follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

What I Love About a Small Town ~ @AuthorKristina Knight

Some of my favorite books - ever - are set in small towns. From childhood favorites like the Little House books to my friend Liz Flaherty's  Back to McGuffey's or One More Summer. As much as I love La Nora's city-based In Death series, its the books that are set in small towns - like Northern Lights or her Bride Quartet - that keep me coming back for more. I could list more small town authors, but I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. I love a small town romance.

I’ve finished up a 4 book series set in a small Missouri town on a lake...very similar to the town where I grew up. There are dairy farms and orchards around it, the lake type of stuff, and there are five men who grew up together. Each of them left town for a while, but they've all come home, and are finding that even life in a small town can be filled with twists and turns.

I’m getting started on a new 4 book series, also set in a small town, but with a hint of danger and suspense - and I’m super excited about it. 

One thing I started doing differently with my first small-town-series is keeping a series bible going - there are character lists and business lists and some general plotting information. I'm going to include blurbs of the different books when I get to that stage, too.

Setting up my town with the series bible is always one of my favorite parts of putting a series together. Figuring out how the town is laid out, where things were located, how those locations might feed into the plots of the different books...there is always a moment at the beginning where it’s just plain overwhelming, but once the town has its boundaries, I find it's much simpler to write without overthinking the location of the local bar or the grocery store in relation to the heroine’s neighborhood or how the residents would get from downtown to a local nature preserve.

I'm also having fun setting up my pinterest boards and finding hero (and heroine!) inspiration for the new series...I've also found some housing inspiration that is making me consider more real-life home renovations for next spring!

Mostly, though, I'm finding myself falling back in love with small towns and farmers and orchard owners...and all the lovely and cantankerous and (sometimes) obnoxious people who live there...and I can't wait to share the books with you all!

Are you a fan of small town romances or do you prefer big cities and a more jet-set lifestyle? And, in either case, what keeps you invested in the hero and heroine?

Kristina Knight’s sweet romance, Moonlight Match is available now! 

Moonlight Match is part of the Resort to Romance continuity project ~ 10 sweet romances, all set during a week-long matchmaking event in the Bahamas! 

Aster Harrington believes in love but love doesn’t seem to believe in her. She’s hoping Goldie and Ginny, the matchmakers who’ve matched on two generations of Harringtons, can work a little love magic for her…

Some call Ethan Talbot rigid, but he prefers to think of himself as prepared. Unfortunately, when he’s matched with Aster Harrington at Joy Island’s Matchmaking Week, all those carefully prepared plans go out the window. He can get back to finding a suitable wife once he’s home in New York. After all, how much damage can one week in the Bahamas do to his plans?


Kristina Knight is a contemporary romance author, part-time swim-kid wrangler, and full-time ThinMints enthusiast. You can find out more the book and Kristina on her website, and feel free to stalk follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Back in the Editing Cave

A couple weeks ago, I visited Fripp Island, South Carolina with a friend for a writing retreat. We watched 

sunsets, ate seafood, and brainstormed new ideas for books. Oh, and we wrote. The Atlantic coastal barrier islands are like no place else. Trees dripping with moss, the marsh, and so many creatures, as where we went was a wildlife sanctuary. 

The book I'm currently writing is set on Fripp Island, so this was a research trip as well as a really fun week. Being immersed in such a beautiful setting that happens to also be my book setting is powerful stuff for a writer. The descriptions come easily and there's a sense of rightness from knowing that everything I'm putting on the page is a hundred percent accurate. All I need to do is look around to nail the scenes and setting.

Sharing this special place where I've gone almost every summer for years was fun. Watching the deer that visited our yard daily, the many birds, the extreme tide, and yes, those incredible sunsets through someone else's eyes was especially rewarding. 

I'm back home writing again. Well, mostly I'm editing right now. I've just completed the line edits for book one in my upcoming Louisiana series, I'm working on peer edits for my current novel, and I've just received my developmental edits from my editor for book number two of the La. series. So much editing...

I hope you all are enjoying this final month of summer. I can't believe the kids here in Georgia are headed back to school already. My daughter left this weekend to return for her senior year of college. They begin rush a week before the semester starts, so it's a good transition to getting up early and keeping to a schedule now that summer break is officially over.

Stay cool, everyone!

Best,

Susan 

The Beach is a Magical Place by Susan Sands

I spent a week at Perdido Key on the Florida Gulf Coast last week. There's something about changing locations from that of a landlocked position to the coast. The salty air, the white sand, and the water--just the sight and sound of it bring instant relaxation. Well, after the packing, the prepping at home for being away, and the six-hour drive. After all that.

We had great weather and ate fresh seafood nearly every day. The key lime pie was awesome! I was at the beach for two days by myself before my daughter and her friend joined me. I'm almost never home alone, and I was able to finish my second Louisiana book during that time. I turned it in a month early, which never happens, so I've created a month to begin a new project. 

I'm home for a week, then I'll head to Fripp Island, SC for a "research trip" with a dear writing friend to work on my new book. Fripp is a barrier island that serves as a wildlife and bird sanctuary. I plan to include some of the island's ecological concerns in my novel as part of the storyline. It's a place I love and where I've visited many times. 

I hope everyone is enjoying summer and getting out to do the things you love!

Susan Sands

Big Happenings! by Susan Sands

 I'm happy to announce I've signed with Harpeth Road to write a new book! Harpeth Road is a new

romantic imprint started by bestselling author, Jenny Hale. So far, I'm completely impressed by the detail and care HR is taking in building my author brand. No detail is too small it seems. To that end, I'm finally collecting emails from readers and will send out my very first newsletter soon!

The book I've signed on the write for Harpeth Road is a low country romantic women's fiction set in coastal South Carolina. It's actually based on real place called Fripp Island, where I've vacationed for years with my family. We have friends who live on the island and this story has its origins with that family. I can't wait to share more as things progress!

I've decided a newsletter should be fun and not spammy, so I'm planning to include some interactive items and always a yummy recipe or two. I've just finished making a newsletter crossword puzzle! Fun and games! I do hope you will sign up at susansands.com!

I'm busy finishing up my second Louisiana novel for Tule Publishing and it's a real edge-of-your-seat mystery. My hero and heroine are having a hard time finding a moment to fall in love. But they will. You know they will. I can't wait for you to visit Cypress Bayou, Louisiana!

I hope the weather is nice where you are and that everyone is safe and healthy!

Take care!

Susan

What is family?

Questions.

That's where all stories start. 

What if?

Something Perfect (the last book of the Hometown Weddings and the second last book of the series) started with the question What if...? and then proceeded with a daughter asking, Who am I? Where am I from? What is family? 

You've seen me ask and answer those particular questions over and over again in my books.  Each character and each story has a slightly different answer. But all those answers are rooted in the same place...Love.  That's what makes a family.

For me, that question of where I'm from—who I'm from—is foundational.  I didn't meet my bio-father until I was in my thirties. Knowing he was out there but not knowing anything about him left me with so many questions.  And as a writer, questions are part of my job description. I had a burning need to find the answers. When I first met him, he tried to answer as many questions as he could. (I come from generations of Appalachian stock with a titled Englishman, a Scottish laird and some Quakers.) He was nice but he wasn't family. As time went on and I grew to know and love him and one day he was. Just like that. Like magic. He was family. Love...that makes family more than DNA.

The Hometown Hearts Wedding trilogy (Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Something Perfect) is all about how a family is made.  Three women become friends and grow into family. Each of them finds their own true love...and their own true family!

There's a short story, Something Unexpected, this summer, then the final book, A Hometown Christmas in September. 

Thanks all of you who've taken these journeys with me! 

Holly

Hometown Hearts

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

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Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

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 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

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Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

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Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

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Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 available 5/21

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

Preorder: Something Unexpected: A Hometown Hearts short story, available 7/21
Amazon

Preorder: A Hometown Christmas: Hometown Hearts #8, available 9/21
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My Month of May by Susan Sands

My birthday, Mother's Day, and my 32nd anniversary are all in the month of May. This sounds like a merry month, right? But it's the same as having one's birthday on Christmas day, pretty much. Everything happens as if it's only one thing. Nothing extra. My birthday often coincides with the same weekend as my birthday, so it shares a meal, gift, and celebration. Yes, first-world problems, I know.

My daughter and my oldest son and his girlfriend over the weekend from Charlotte, NC. We attended a fun Kentucky Derby party in our local downtown. We all ended up getting new sunglasses for my birthday. 

I'm looking toward May as my month of great weather, new beginnings for some publishing stuff (will let you know), and lots of writing. May really is my favorite time of year because it's so filled with the promise of summer, but not nearly over yet. Everything fun is still coming up.

I finally cleaned the pollen from my deck and furniture and got all my outdoor cooking gear ready to go. It's my go-to way to spend some time outside at the end of the day. The birds must agree with the promise of May as well because they are singing loudly out there all day right now. There are also books to read in my pile...

My pent-up need to go out and breathe fresh air and feel the sunshine on my skin is great this year. The community pool is already open to the residents in our neighborhood. A great excuse to wear my new sunglasses, yes?

Have a fantastic month of May!

Susan

First Time Flying Since COVID! by Susan Sands

I've been on a two-week trip, first to Monterey, CA, and surrounding areas, and now I'm here in Draper, Utah (Salt Lake area). I fly home to Atlanta tomorrow. Like nearly everyone else, I haven't gone anywhere much this past year besides the grocery store and the tennis court. 

Several friends have asked how it's been. The flying, the moving about, and whether there are people out and about. I have to say that things have been more open than I believed. American Airlines was at full capacity, which meant there were no seats blocked off. The flight was full. The Atlanta airport was hopping, as was the Phoenix airport, where I made my connection. Everyone wore masks throughout the airport and on the flight unless eating and drinking. All expected. My second flight was from San Francisco to Salt Lake on Delta. Delta is still blocking middle-row seats unless you fly with a companion until the end of April, which was nice. But the San Francisco airport was pretty deserted.

In Monterey, the pier was open and pretty crowded. Hiking trails were open and we dined indoors several times as it was unseasonably cold and windy. We drove down the coast to Pebble Beach and Big Sur, and both were less crowded than normal, according to my friend.

Here in Utah, people are out, wearing masks, and eating indoors.

So, not so different from where I live in Georgia. Certainly, not as different as I thought it would be. I haven't watched the news since I left home two weeks ago, so I have no idea what's happening in the world. Here's hoping it's still turning. 

I wish everyone the very best!

Susan Sands

Everything Old is New Again!

 Is that a trick title or what? LOL

 Yes, it's Spring here so, yes, everything is growing again - the dreaded pollen-producing plants that look so fresh and springy and beautiful but are deadly to many of us are back! My neighborhood is bursting with the bright yellow forsythia bushes and I'm watching a nearby lilac bush that's getting ready. I've ordered 2 new orange azalea bushes for the front of my house... Can't wait to see them in spite of the sneezing and coughing that will accompany their arrival! I love that these are tall and narrow and lose all their foliage in the fall - the color is so dramatic.....

The true subject I was talking about was having to do with my writing plans. And a new contract. 

I'm kind of known for my medieval historicals, especially all my Highlander romances. Out of my 50ish stories written and published, 14 are NOT set in Scotland or involve Highlanders. I've even written 3 Regency-set stories and 2 are set in Scotland (the Regencies are loosely-based on Rock Hudson/Doris Day movies!). 

 

Well, in 2022, I'm going back to the Regency time period but the 3 stories I'll be writing are set in Regency Edinburgh (again! YAY!). And, even more fun for me, the heroes of each story are based on three of my own crushes! 

I have a mad crush on Josh Gates of Expedition Unknown and he is the basis for my hero who is an adventurer who discovers a hidden Roman city in Northern Africa! My other crush is Ian Buchanan - he is an actor best known for playing 'Duke Lavery' on General Hospital....and...sigh...he was my first Scot crush. The third hero is based on a couple geeky science and/or history men from northern England and Scotland.

Although the characters will be different from the men I. . . crush on, there will be something about each one that is about how I see them... So I can't wait to begin writing them! 

So, it should be fun! And the best part (well, one of them) is gathering up research bits and books to prepare for writing them. I need to refresh my memory about the Regency in Scotland and so I have history books, costume/clothing books, maps and more to get ready! 

    Do you like to read historicals set in Scotland? Do you have a preference about the time period or specific place/locations? Even if not Scotland, what's your favorite place to read about? Post below and I'll choose someone who does to get a wee giftie from Scotland! 

 

Terri's latest release was TEMPTED BY HER VIKING ENEMY, the final book in the Sons of Sigurd series that includes books by Michelle Willingham, Harper St. George, Jenni Fletcher and Michelle Styles. Still available in print or digital to read in order or by themselves! 

Coming in August 2021, THE HIGHLANDER'S INCONVENIENT BRIDE is a crossover story between my bestselling MacLerie Clan series and my A HIghland Feuding series! Fan favorites return in this enemies to friends to lovers tale.  

Stop over on my website for more info and some freebies, too! 

A Hard Anniversary

 One year.  Wow. For the one year anniversary of Covid, I listened to Chris Hayes' Why Is This Happening podcast. He visited with a guest, Michelle Goldberg in an episode called One Year of Plague Living. They both live in the city and talked about how difficult lockdown was on them  I loved their point that we all had that shared experience of lockdown during a pandemic, but each experience was different and very individual. They wondered if there was anyone who didn't feel the strain of being shut-up for a year.

I very quietly raised my hand. (Of course, I was alone in the truck with just Tallulah, which made the action a bit quirky...but hey, I've been locked up for a year, so give me a break. LOL)

Imagining is my job and I can easily imagine that if I were a city person who was accustomed to eating most of my meals out and spending my days out and about, this enforced isolation would have been hard to deal with. But I'm a hermit by nature and I feel a bit guilty admitting how very little my life has changed over the last year.  I still write, pot, and take care of minions. Yes, I weighed the risks and still keep the minions a few days a week because their parents are in the healthcare field and their jobs are as necessary as things get right now. But otherwise, my life is mainly Himself and Tallulah. I still talk to family, mainly on FaceTime.  I shop a lot less but I hate shopping, so that's cool. Mainly, I write and pot. Pot and write. Take walks with Himself and Tallulah. Then write and pot some more. I'm either here in Erie, or in the county at The Cottage.

As I write this, I acknowledge that I am beyond fortunate. Not only that my job is inherently solitary, but also I'm hermitty by nature. I'm super lucky that I'm married to my best friend and a year together made me realize how lucky I am over and over again. 

It's not that my year hasn't had heartache. The biggest one was we lost Marge (I've blogged about her here before and she really was the inspiration for the May-December friendship relationship in Something Blue) early on in the pandemic. She was alone at the end and I still feel guilty about that. But I know she knew she was loved. The nursing home let us come for one compassionate visit the day before she passed. We got to say goodbye. Still, there's a hole in our family without her. The minions still talk about her.

It hurt when I canceled our family Thanksgiving and Christmas. The fact I canceled wasn't because I wasn't desperate to see my kids, but BECAUSE I was wanted to see them over the holidays for years and years to come. FaceTime is great, but it's not the same and we all know that. To lose a few holidays and a trip to Disney was so worth knowing that we'd have many holidays and Disney trips in the years to come.

It was an interesting podcast that really left me reflecting about this last year. (Books, podcast, movies...anything that can leaves me reflecting is worth my time.) One of the things I've been thinking about since the podcast is there's a light is at the end of this Covid tunnel. I'm more than willing to hold tight and shop less (I'm always happy to do that), mask up and social distance because someday I won't have to do those things.  Someday soon we'll have family holidays. And to be honest, someday soon I'll be in Disney again. 

And I spent a lot of time this last year (like so many of you) thinking about what's really important. I've always known the answer to that...my family and friends. And yes, I think of all of you as friends. You've made this year so much easier for me. I hope that some of my glee has eased yours as well.

So while I wait for herd ammunity, I'll be potting in HollysWoods Studio, writing (I wrote a pandemic short story last year, aptly named Quarantine and I'm working on a new Hometown Hearts short story now) and hanging out with Himself and Tallulah. I'll take care of minions. I'll go along with my quiet, hermitty life and I'll enjoy every moment this spring out at camp. Today I saw Canada geese and mallards at the pond. And deer have been visiting a lot. Birds are loud when I walk and the snow is finally melting. Yes, we're going to go from ice and snow to the mud season. But I'm okay with that. Summer will arrive and things will be better.

My heart goes out to everyone who's suffered a loss. I hope this next year is a healing one for you. 

Things will be better...that's my lasting thought after the podcast.

However your year has been, I don't think anyone will complain when it's over. And it WILL be over. Until it is, stay safe! 

Holly

 Hometown Hearts:

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Something Blue: Hometown Hearts #6 

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple Books

Preorder: Something Perfect: Hometown Hearts #7 available 5/21

Apple Books, Nook, Kobo, Kindle

HollysWoodsStudio

In Two Years by Susan Sands

I don't like or want to rush time. Every day is a gift and is meant to be lived to its fullest. Having said that, I look ahead some days. With the hope that the storms of today will be over by then. Maybe not in a year, but in two years?

So, if I indulge in a little fantasy today about two years from now, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise, it might look a little something like this:

In two years:

We'll be settled in a new house.

All my kids will be out of college and gainfully employed.

COVID will be a cringe-y nightmare we look back on.

I won't have to wear a mask in the grocery store, or anywhere else.

I can travel.

I'll be outside more than inside.

Kids will all be back in school face-to-face and there will be laughter and learning.

Businesses won't be boarded up and cities will begin to thrive again. 

People will make strides in acceptance and happiness.

I will have a bestselling book. :-) 

These are only a few of so many fast-forwards I hope for. There are lots of bigger and more important things the world needs that aren't here on my first-world list of happy thoughts.

My wish of hope and joy for you all is a given. There will always be struggle and strife and tragedy--the bad and the good together. 

I've started writing book two of my Louisiana series. So, I'll keep you posted on that front.

Since we're not two years into the future, let's all try to live our best lives right now. Pay it forward, be kind, and try to love the ones we're with. Life is nothing if not unpredictable, so we should treasure our days.

All the best!

Susan Sands

Happy Valentine's!

Family.

I've built a life and my writing career around family.

This Hometown Hearts Wedding trilogy deals with families. Friends who become families. Families who are made through adoption. Families who are born...Family. Watching people come together, fall apart, adapt... It's a fascinating process. Every story comes at it from a new direction.

We've talked before about how my real life impacts my writing. In March's book,  Something Blue, I deal with dementia in an older loved one. It's a reality I know about. My grandmother slowly lost her battle with dementia over years. Then we adopted a neighbor who also battled that kind of loss. It's an awful process. And you might be thinking, Holly, that's too grim to read about.  But that's not all there is. My grandmother always knew me and my kids. We visited every day. Even after she couldn't remember our names, she knew she was ours and we were hers. The connection was still there. She knew she was loved and she wasn't alone.

We saw the same thing with our neighbor. The Minions owned her entire nursing home. We walked over regularly. The two littles would dress up in their superhero capes and ride their scooters (you can't ride a bike in a cape). Not only did she know we were hers and she was ours, the entire nursing home knew the Minions. They high-fived their way through the halls. Some days they were Batman and Robin, sometimes they were Superman and the Green Lantern... What I loved the most is how gentle they were with everyone. They didn't worry if our neighbor didn't know their names. They filled her in on their day and chatted away and she loved it. 

We missed those visits last year.

Someone once questioned why we visited if a patient didn't know us. I think that even when memories have gone, when someone is lost in their own mind, they recognize love. They feel it. It's a bright light in a dark place. So we visited. My kids and the Minions learned lessons on patience, empathy and love. And our loved ones learned no matter what they were never alone.

Those are the things I tried to put in Something Blue. Connection. Empathy. Love. I know I write romances and writing about love is obviously a part of that, but I really try to write about broader loves. About family. About all the ways they come together and all the ways they stand together.

I've built a life around family and I've built a career around it.

I am so lucky in both! And Valentine's Day seems like the perfect day to talk about that kind of love.

I hope you'll check out the entire Hometown Hearts series and Something Blue!

Holly

 Hometown Hearts:

Crib Notes: Hometown Hearts #1

Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBook

A Special Kind of Different: Hometown Hearts #2

Kindle, iBook, Kobo, Nook

Homecoming: Hometown Hearts #3

Kindle, Kobo, IBooks, Nook

 

Suddenly a Father: Hometown Hearts #4

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

Preorder: Something Borrowed: Hometown Hearts #5

Available 1/5/21

Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iBooks

PREORDER: Something Blue Available 3/21

Kindle, 

Kobo, 

Nook, 

Apple Books

Preorder Something Perfect Available 5/21

Kindle
Kobo
iBooks
Nook

HollysWoodsStudio