The Good Parts of Alone Time

Joanne Rock

By Joanne Rock

I’ve spent a lot of time alone lately. That probably comes as no surprise. We’ve all been isolated in one way or another for the last few months. I’m not always totally alone, so that’s nice. But I’ve had more solo time than I’ve had in many years.

As an aggressively positive thinker, I try to look at whatever I face through

Rose colored glasses aren't always a bad thing

the rosiest possible lenses. I’m sure some people find that annoying, but it’s my coping mechanism. I surround myself with pretty things in my physical realm, and curate my social media to be purposely uplifting. So it’s in keeping with my approach to life that I’ve looked for silver linings in being alone so often. I thought it might help someone else to share the good that I’ve found.

My new stereo in my office

First and foremost, I like quiet. I always have. There is a deep quietness in being alone that allows my spirit to settle and my thoughts to pleasantly wander. That’s not the case when there is hubbub around me, others making demands on my time, or the general strife of life elbowing me for my attention. My writing lately has been clear and focused, and I know it’s because of the quietness of the times. That’s a good thing. I’m reading more, which is something I enjoy in quiet times. Those are good wins.

Yet, when I want to turn up the music, being alone gives me the ability to make my musical choices all about me. I listen to what I want, when I want, as loud as I want. And that’s pretty darn nice. I bought myself a new stereo system with a level of sound quality I haven’t experienced since before I had a family. Music—in beautiful, full notes—now surrounds me as often as I choose. I’ve been recovering some lost music of my teens and twenties thanks to the wonders of Spotify and their “Song Radio” feature that lets me find songs in similar vein, or released at the same time, as a song in my memory.

I eat less. Now, lest you think I’m depriving myself, I will tell you that I mostly snack and it’s not always healthy. But when I’m alone, there is no “social eating” for the sake of sharing a meal with someone. Buying groceries just for me ensures I don’t buy a treat for someone else that I’ll end up eating too. I don’t snack at night to unwind with anyone. I decide when I’m done for the day, which is usually when I’m done writing. All in all, my eating habits are better when I’m not taking anyone else into account.

My March Harlequin Desire

I dance more. Some of this has to do with having more music around me, of course. I’m more inspired now that the new stereo is at work! But I’m also a little freer with my movements knowing there’s no one else around. If the music calls for a poorly executed pirouette while I’m cooking, I go for it. If I want a Friday night dance party hour, that’s fun too.

All these things have been good for my psyche during a trying time. Embracing my personal joys has helped me feel more content while I miss my friends and hugs from family members. I miss travel and road trips, meals out and people watching. But extraordinary times call for different measures, so I’m diving deep into what I can do to feel more content.

I’ve got a copy of my March book HEARTBREAKER to share with one random commenter. How are you handling the increased isolation? Is the alone time getting to you, or have you been finding some new joys to help you through? Share with me and I’ll announce a random winner from all the comments next week.  

Stuff Your eReader! by Jenny Gardiner

Hello!

Gosh, it's been a few months since my last newsletter, and in that time, it feels like the world has turned upside down. I hope you and your family are safe and well as we all deal with the challenges facing us as a result of the pandemic.

It's truly a stressful time. I consider myself fortunate to have a full-time therapy dog on hand! But there are still moments when even Pippa needs to shelter in her safe space (especially when the vacuum is being used).

Many folks seem to be binging on books to escape stress and anxiety. If your TBR list is bottoming out, I have an easy fix.  Visit Romance Free Reads -- TODAY ONLY -- to download more than 200 free romance books across all genres. 

Be sure to get your free copies of Skirt Chaser and It's Reigning Men Box Set (Books 1-3), which are part of this promotion. My other freebie is Falling for Mr. Wrong.

It's been difficult to focus on writing, so I pushed back the release of my next book to October. It's the first in an all-new series, which means creating a new world and a new cast of characters. Preorder Hard to Get and look for more news about this rom-com series in the future.

Shrimply irresistible…

Lola Quigley can’t believe her good luck when she wins a spot on the Food Channel’s popular Shop till you Drop. The show features amateur foodies competing to produce a prize-winning meal from staples commonly found in food banks, where people often unload their most unwanted pantry items. Having lived on a near poverty-level budget for a few dark years when her life imploded unexpectedly, Lola had grown to love the challenge of creating delicious meals with the cheapest ingredients she could find on the sale shelf of the grocery store, or—in a twist of irony—donated from her local food bank. She just has to win this: the prize money would help her launch the soup kitchen food truck she’s dreamed of starting. It’ll be her way of paying it forward after she managed to dig out of a financial hole she’d doubted she ever could escape.

Levi Patton is pissed. He’s stuck doing penance as a guest chef on an annoying cable reality TV show where overly enthusiastic wannabes try to outdo him with random undesirable ingredients. Will he ever get over the meteoric crash of his career after a food critic found the unmistakable tail of a rat floating atop his bouillabaisse at Levi’s revered Washington, DC, restaurant? Convinced, but unable to prove, that a jealous sous chef sabotaged him, his name is now mud in the food world; he’s drowning in the veritable toilet of the culinary industry: competing on Shop till you Drop. And he’s totally screwed when he ends up pitted against the overly cheerful brunette with the tattoo of Popeye on her bicep, the very woman he’d left at the altar nearly a decade ago.

Posting links below:

Book one of the It's Reigning Men series, Something in the Heir, is free here:

Kindle
iBooks
Nook
Kobo
Google Play

Also Red Hot Romeo is free! A hot Italian, a gorgeous supermodel, and fabulous wines…what’s not to love?!

You can check out the first book in the Royal Romeo series for free here:

Kindle
iBooks
Nook
Kobo
Google Play

And Falling for Mr. Wrong from the Falling for Mr. Wrong series is free here:

Kindle
iBooks
Nook
Kobo
Google Play




Lastly, Skirt Chaser is now free!

Kindle
iBooks
Nook
Kobo
GooglePlay



And if you enjoy these books, there are plenty more in each series to read on and they're very affordable at $3.99!

Nothing like a world emergency to clarify all of the most important things in your life. I'm so very grateful for my wonderful family, my adorable dog, a home with a roof over my head, spring weather so that we can at least be outside and enjoy the blossoming trees and listening to birds singing. I'm grateful for all of those medical professionals willing to put their lives on the line for us, and for the many reporters who also have risked themselves for reporting from Coronavirus hotspots, and experts being available 24/7 on many TV networks to answer questions from a nervous public.

Our country has been through many awful things before, things that required far greater sacrifice, sending millions of our young people overseas to fight in dreadful wars. Staying at home is easy peasy in comparison. We can do this folks! Stay safe and thanks for staying home to protect the vulnerable, those who are immunocompromised, the elderly, and of course our medical care providers on the front line in this new and eye-opening war.

Love you all and stay safe! ❤️

    

  

  

          

    

No Waffle House! By Susan Sands

My how the world has changed since my last post! Did we ever imagine we'd be on almost total

Photo Credit: AP

lockdown in our homes? Unable to get toilet paper or paper towels? Told we can't go to our favorite restaurant or catch a movie on the big screen? Or GO TO WAFFLE HOUSE?

Waffle House never ever closes. But they are shut tight now. The term "social distancing" hadn't crossed my ears until recently. I wonder if I have COVID-19? I wonder if you do? Maybe we already did and don't know it. Those are the questions that run through my mind. I haven't let my own mother in the house in over two weeks. For her own good. For our own good. She doesn't stay home. We are all careful if we have to run the dreaded errand, but mostly we order our groceries delivered. But what about those poor delivery shoppers? Do they have it?

This is frightening and the complete unknown. The health aspects of it for the country and for our mothers, and for everyone. And the ruination financially at our age. We already went through it in 2008. It has been an uphill climb to recover ever since. We aren't young either. We have two kids in college. The market is crashing. Our savings is at risk as is the health of our nation.

I know that my concerns are everyone's concerns. Except that we won't starve to death. Some people will. We have great health insurance as long as we can afford to pay the crazy-high premiums. Some people don't. So, pardon my slightly freaked-out post. It's a freaky time.

I'm praying next month's post will contain great news and great hope for a flatter curve and new cures and vaccines. And small business relief for dentists.

Stay safe and healthy!!

Susan

Making sense of a pandemic by Michelle Styles

Today is the Ides of March (ie the 15^th of March)  and the traditional date for Caesar’s death.

Because I write historical romance set in ancient times, I have a small interest in the various epidemics which have swept across the world. In long ago times, they were slower moving because of the rate of travel but they were deadly. One of the deadliest was the one in 541 AD which helped to re-configure Western Europe.  Then there was the  14 century plague which really did for feudalism and bath houses in Western Europe. And as a result of quarantining from Cambridge University, Sir Isaac Newton discovered the principles of gravity and calculus.

And we can thank early pioneers in public health like Florence Nightingale (among other things she campaigned for  men as well as prostitutes to be tested for syphilis through collecting basic information and produced graphs)   for deciding we need statistics in order to inform public health decisions. This is a fascinating and timely article from the Smithsonian about her work.  Because of this and many other unsung heroes, the world is perhaps far better prepared that it would have been otherwise. Computer models are crunching the new data and working out ways to protect the general population.

As with any epidemic, there is a lot of misinformation and people who are desperate to try anything or think that various methods work. (Hint: face masks did not stop the plague back in the 14th century)

1.      1.  Get your information from your National Centre for Disease Control  or in the case of the UK where I live from the NHS and Public Health England.  This is the current UK advice which includes if you have a sore throat and/or a 100 F temperature to basically assume it is COVID 19 and self-isolate (put yourself into quarantine for 7 days) The 7 day is because research from Germany has shown that the virus is most infectious  at that time.

2.    2.   The best way to behave is to think you have been exposed, are not displaying symptoms but don’t want to put other people at risk – so practice good hygiene. Do not think that these precautions are for other people. It is the people who cheated the system who have managed to spread the virus (no doubt they considered they had good reasons like not wanting to miss a trip of a lifetime).

3.     3.   Boost your chances of only having mild symptoms/no symptoms by ensuring your immune system is the strongest possible. So that means the usual – healthy eating, pro and pre-biotics, not smoking and drinking alcohol in moderation as well as taking regular exercise. All the things in other words doctors and other health professional have advised to keep well over recent years.

4.       4. This is not a movie. It will not be over in a few days but will take 3 -6 months to clear. Everyone needs to play their part. If the Public Health bodies are successful, we will all be wondering what the fuss was about come the summer time. Something that I'm praying for.

In other news:

The Sons of Sigurd series has its first book by Michelle Willingham out and is a cracking read if people need something to do while they are self isolating. From tomorrow (16 March 2020) a free online read by Michelle Willingham which supports this series will be on Harlequin.com

As you can see from the photo, I have had a glimpse of my cover.

I have just sent the full of my last which is a sequel to A Deal with Her Rebel Viking off to my editor.

Stay safe and keep healthy – until next month

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance in a wide range of time periods including Viking, Her book (Book 3 of the Sons of Sigurd) will be published in July 2020 You can learn more about Michelle and her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk