Dani Collins: All About Siblings

I swear it's no reflection on my parents, but my sisters and I ran pretty far afield the moment we were old enough. I left to live in a ski resort for a year, then my middle sister married and emigrated to New Zealand for several years.

She and her husband came back to Canada and she's now remarried, living in Winnipeg. My youngest  left for Vancouver Island until she married an Aussie and now she lives in Brisbane.

Despite all that, we're very close. Here we are together with my kids last summer. I'm on the far left. Do you see any family resemblance at all? It looks like we can barely stand each other, doesn't it?

My kids also fled the nest soon as they could. It's called 'school,' but it feels like payback. My daughter, however, will cop to being homesick. Thus, when her brother was leaving for school, she and her boyfriend made a point of moving to be closer to where my son is taking his classes. I have to admit, it's really nice to call one of them and discover they're hanging out.

This closeness between siblings is something I love to reflect in my writing. I don't know if I could write about siblings who loathed each other. The closest I've ever come is in my February release, Only In His Sweetest Dreams.

It's Book Two in a duet about siblings who grew up on the wrong side of town and find love in the most unlikely places.

In Only In His Sweetest Dreams, Mercedes doesn't hate her sister, Porsha, but she is awfully frustrated with her. She even has to take steps against her, after Porsha abandons her children in favour of partying.

Mercedes can't get pregnant, so it's a doubly big decision to take custody of her sister's children. She doesn't even know how to be a mom, and taking them jeopardizes her job at a senior's complex.

Fortunately (I say that ironically) she has L.C. He's the new handyman. He took this job to fix the damage done by his son, who pulled a B&E on the place. Yes, stellar parenting on his part, but he and Mercedes are drawn to one another despite that. Too bad L.C. has a painful secret that she may not be able to forgive.

In keeping with my theme of siblings, I have just completed a quartet for Harlequin Presents called The Sauveterre Siblings. They're two sets of identical twins. The youngest, Trella, was kidnapped when she was nine.

All four siblings are extremely close, with unique relationships and personalities. In Book One, Pursued By The Desert Prince, (March 1st) Angelique is torn between protecting her sister and her feelings for Kasim while Kasim has sibling troubles of his own!

You can read more about Pursued By The Desert Prince on my website here, or it's available on Mills & Boon now.

Do you have brothers and sisters? Are you close? Geographically? Emotionally? Why do you think some siblings don't get along?

Dani Collins is a USA Today Bestselling author writing for Harlequin Presents, Tule's Montana Born, and herself. 

Would you like a free sample of Dani's writing? Join her newsletter! You'll auto-magically get a link to download Cruel Summer, a short story romance she wrote exclusively for her subscribers. 

Join Dani's Newsletter

Michelle Styles: Upending history

One of the things about history is that while we think it is very settled and we know what went on, every now and then, a new discovery changes things.

So it proved earlier this month when my copy of the Smithsonian magazine arrived. My sister has had  it sent to me for about 15 years because she became tired of thinking  oh Michelle would find this fascinating and sending me the article.

This month's magazine had an article on a recent archaeological dig that had supposedly up ended what  was currently known  about the Minoan civilization and Mycenaean and their relationship to each other..  Because I have a long standing interest in this time in history, I rapidly read the article and my jaw dropped. A bit like how Howard Carter found the  tomb of  King Tutankhamen, this dig led by a husband and wife from the University of Cincinnati found an undisturbed tomb of a high ranking early Mycenaean  back in June of 2015 at Pylos on the Greek mainland.

Bull's head from Crete

The problem with looking at anything in this time period and trying to figure out what went on is a bit like trying to  do a jigsaw puzzle with about 40% of pieces missing. The resulting picture depends a great deal on the skill of the person interpreting  the pieces and sometimes what was though to be a piece of  sky is actually a piece of water or even something else entirely. This tomb adds greatly to the number of pieces that are available.

The story of how they found it  reads a bit like an adventure story   problems with permits meant they were unable to dig where they wanted and settled for what they thought was second best, the season had been okay but not great and was coming to a close and then they discovered it. Rather than finishing at the beginning of June, the dig was completed in November.

Throne room from Knossos

Because context is all, they painstakingly recorded how the grave was set out and what grave goods went where. (This is something that  was missing from many of the early digs -- for example Harold Evans at Knossos) And what grave  goods they were --- gold and silver cups, a variety of rings, beads made from precious stones and more than 50 seals with a skeleton of a man at the bottom, more than 1500 object in all. Included In short, it is probably the most significant find in Greece in the last 50 years.

One of the enduring mysteries about this time is  how much interaction is there between the Minoans on Crete and the Mycenaean on the mainland. Of course, the story of how Theseus  conquered the labyrinth, and destroyed the Minotaur is one of the world's great legends.  But no one knows the precise relationship between Mycenae and the Minoans. There has been much speculation, particularly after  Linear B was  finally decoded in the 1950's, but no one knows for certain. 

Because of how the grave goods were placed, it shows that the people doing the placing knew what the Minoan objects from Crete were used for. That is probable, the two civilizations co-existed together peacefully for a time and there was much trading.

Then in the summer of 2016, the same team made more discoveries on the site, including fragments of wall paintings which were done in the Minoan style. In other words, maybe the experts have had it wrong and that Minoan civilization wasn't completely wiped from the face of the earth. It seems probable with the new evidence that is emerging, the ancient Greeks owe their unique brand of government or democracy to  both the Mycenaeans and the Minoans intermingling. If so, then the roots of civilization will be altered. However, if one is writing historical fiction, one sometimes cannot use the cutting edge theory because it is more about creating a believable world.

So if writing about Theseus and the Minotaur, the old norms would still have to prevail. Even if this discovery holds the tantalizing possibility of upending everything we thought we knew.

Michelle Styles writes witty, warm and intimate historical romance for Harlequin Historical. Her latest SOLD TO THE VIKING WARRIOR is out now. You can read more about Michelle and her boks on www.michellestyles.co.uk 

Christina Hollis—Have A Wooden Heart!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Exchanging beautiful cards isn’t the only tradition linked to St Valentine’s day. In days gone by, before an email greeting could be sent with the click of a mouse, and every town sold all sorts of trinkets, lots of thought and even more work went into impressing your lover. 

Carving lovespoons is a traditional craft that dates back to the seventeenth century. The earliest one, dated 1664, was made in Germany, and both Scandinavia and parts of Eastern Europe have a tradition of carving spoons to give as gifts of love. 

Created by young men eager to impress their prospective fathers-in-law with their skills, the original lovespoons were given to young women before marriage. Different symbols carved into each lovespoon had different meanings—a lock for security, hearts for love, horseshoes for luck and if the suitor was a sailor, he would incorporate an anchor into his design. The more symbols, and the more intricate they were, the better the chance that the young woodworker would win the girl of his dreams.

Wales is famous for its lovespoons and there is a big collection at the National Museum of Wales at St Fagans, near Cardiff. You can find out more here: 

https://museum.wales/articles/2012-09-16/Welsh-Lovespoons-1/

The museum also offers lovespoons created by contemporary woodworkers  in its shop. The more decorative these love tokens look, the less practical they are, but who would want to use something so beautiful? These are gifts to be treasured and admired, not subjected to the rough and tumble of daily life!

Christina Hollis writes contemporary fiction starring complex men and independent women. Harlequin published six of her historical novels under the pen name Polly Forrester, then her first Mills and Boon Modern Romance, The Italian Billionaire’s Virgin, was published in 2007. Since then, she has written eighteen contemporary novels, sold nearly three million books, and her work has been translated into twenty different languages. When she isn’t writing, Christina is cooking, walking her dog, or beekeeping.

You can catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com, on Twitter, Facebook, and see a full list of her published books at christinahollis.com

Her current release, Heart Of A Hostage, is published by The Wild Rose Press and available at myBook.to/HeartOfAHostage  worldwide.

In time for Valentine's!

Not Precisely Pregnant is this month's release! I pitched this romantic comedy to my editor as Shrek meets Pollyanna!  It features two reporters...one who covers hard hitting news stories and one whose reports use the tagline Nice News Matters. To be honest, I do love nice news and think the world could use more of it! Here's the blurb: Nice News matters to reporter Paige Montgomery, aka Pollyanna Paige, reports on news that makes you smile. When she finds herself (not precisely) pregnant and in trouble, she’s rescued by an unlikely savior...cynical newsman, Riley Calhoon. Paige is intrigued with this unprecedented heroic streak, but Riley prefers to keep that particular scoop to himself. Riley might doubt Paige’s reporter’s instincts, but she’s following his story with a tenacity that even he can admire. The problem is, whenever she’s around he finds himself being assaulted by hockey pucks, killer cats and even a run-away trucks. He either has a chronic case of heartburn… or maybe it’s love? Reviews: "...guaranteed to provide plenty of entertainment, and more laughs than should be legal." ~Kelley A. Hartsell, Love Romances Reviews "Holly Jacobs returns with NOT PRECISELY PREGNANT, a wry, warm-hearted screwball comedy featuring an appealing pair of lovers...and an attack cat." ~Romantic Times "Ms. Jacobs has done it again!...Her books are lighthearted joy to read..." ~Carol Carter, Reviewer "In "Not Precisely Pregnant", Holly Jacobs spins a marvelously funny tale about love, ratings, sex and stubbornness." ~Women on Writing "I picked up this book with the intention of reading the first couple of pages to see what it was about. I didn't have time right then to read it. Well, it got read sooner than I thought! Ms. Jacobs grabbed my attention and kept me reading. " ~Lydia Funneman, Writers Unlimited

Other News: Honor Roll: I'm so excited to announce that I'm on Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll now!!  And I want to thank you all...I'm there because of all your support and all the books you've bought,  Thank you! Subscriber Only Giveaway:  I'm so glad that everyone enjoyed the giveaway last month!!  I wanted to do something for all my subscribers this month, not just a lucky few.  So, I've put up a short story that only you can read for free before it goes up for the general public.  It all started with a book.  I went to a house sale and found a copy of Gene Stratton-Porter's The Harvester.  I've always loved her books and had never read this one.  Imagine my excitement!!  I picked it up, took it home and found...   I know...sad, wasn't it?  But, this maimed book did inspire a story.  Newsletter subscribers read it for free last week. It will be up this week for readers on Kindle, Kobo and Nook. So what's up next?  Confessions of a Party Crasher.  It's an older book that Harlequin bought for a line that was in its death throes before Party Crasher ever went on sale.  So it made it to very few bookstores, which means it's probably new to you.  So let's call it a new old book! LOL  More on that soon! Hope you're having a great start of the year!  And hoping 2017 is one of your best years yet! Have a wonderful Valentine's!! Holly

Recent Releases:

Making Valentine's Day Special - Kate Walker

I  have been busy planning a course  ready for the weekend.   Every February I  teach  the ‘Advanced

Romance Writing Course’ with  Writers’ Holiday.  It’s held in the  middle of Wales, on the Pembrokeshire Coast  in the small town of Fishguard.  The hotel we stay – and run the courses  in –the Fishguard Bay Hotel is  set  right above the bay itself so that we have a wonderful view of the sea, the cliffs and occasionally the ferry  that comes in  to dock  from its crossing over the sea from Ireland. 

I love this place, the hotel, the people who run Writers’ Holiday and the students on the courses  - it’s all very special and warm and  happy.  Just what we need in the middle of dark, wet, miserable February.  And we really need to feel that way because every time, in the few days before we set out – days like today – when I look out at the cold, wet, grey and gloomy day,  I wonder why I ever agree even to set foot outside my home, let alone face a long, winding, rain lashed journey.  But  once  I’ve made the trip and I’m in my  bedroom with its wonderful view of the sea, I  feel  so glad I made the effort – and happy at the thought of the time I’ll spend with friends I already know and  the chance of making new ones over the weekend.

I think that’s why I appreciate the fact that this  weekend is always held just around the time when all the shops are filled with bunches of red roses,. Chocolate hearts and teddy bears that they seem to think people want in order to celebrate Valentine’s  Day.  I’ve never been a great fan of Valentine’s day.  It started out as a secret – and rather romantic way   of letting someone know you loved them,. By sending a card. Usually an anonymous one.  Now there are special Valentine’s dinners, wines, presents . . .   I have to admit that I don’t go in for those sorts of things.  

But when I think about my trip to Wales  and the way that everyone who meets up in Fishguard  after  they’ve gone to the trouble of making that extra effort, travelling that journey so we can all be together, then I sort of understand more about why we need something like Valentine’s Day in the dark, miserable days of February – which has to be one of the gloomiest months of the year.  Christmas is behind us, New Year  Resolutions are forgotten,  Easter is still on the horizon . . .

Because isn’t that what Romance is all about?  It’s not just about love and marriage and happy ever after, at least not for me. It’s about my hero and heroine, making that extra bit of effort,   finding ways to show  each other that they care, that they want to be together.   Real romance isn’t about picking up one of the hundreds and thousands of bunches of red roses mass produced  for the 14^th February. Or  handing over a box of chocolates that are piled  high on the  supermarket shelves.  It’s about  finding a way to show the person you care about that you  feel  something special for them – and you want them to know it.

So  that’s really why  this  weekend away in Wales  is  all about the ‘Advanced’ Romance  writing! That’s about finding something special in  your own writing  and to put into the world of your  hero and heroine  to help them forward into that happy ever after.    It’s that that puts the ‘romance’ into their world, not the mass-market cards and gifts. At least that’s how it is for me and that’s what I always hope to put into my books to bring that extra romance into my readers’ lives.

Wherever you are, I hope your Valentine’s Day will be a lovely and a special even for you. I hope that every one of you has someone special who will find a
way to mark this day to brighten up  dark and gloomy February  - and  hopefully the rest of the year.

My  latest Harlequin Presents title was published last year - that was Indebted to Moreno.   Since then I've had another book - my 66th title accepted and bought but I don't yet know its title or exactly when it will be out - but as soon as I have that information I'll share it with you.

What I can tell you is that this  new  title is the first book in a duet of linked stories that I have  given the working title The Scandalous O'Sullivan Sisters.   These two books tell the story of two sisters . The first book - the one that's just accepted is Imogen's st(the older sister) story,.  The one I'm working on now is the younger sister's story - her name is Ciara.


If you want to most up to date news on my books and my writing, check out  my web site  or my blog.  Or you can catch up with me on my Facebook page

Happy Valentine's Day to  you all!

Mercy Dates ~ Jeannie Watt

Hi everyone and happy Friday!


My January Superromance, Molly's Mr. Wrong, involves a once-shy woman who has come into her own. As luck would have it, the guy responsible for the worst date of her life is now one of her students at the local community college. It was a mercy date, you see. Something their mothers had cooked up. And it didn't end well.

I never had a mercy date cooked up by mothers, but I did have my own equivalent the high school mercy date. My school had a yearly girl-ask-guy formal. I decided to take advantage of it and ask the guy I'd been crushing on to go the dance. My big chance. So after a good week of practicing my lines, I approached him in the hall and managed to choke out my request, feeling as if I was going to burst into flames of embarrassment at any moment. Then my crush--who was really, really nice about it--gently informed me that he was going steady with someone and had been for quite some time. 

How could I have not known? That was a question to ponder later, when I wasn't a puddle on the floor. However--like I said, he was a really nice guy--he went to that dance with me. A duty date. And it felt like one. No matter how nice someone is, if their affections are engaged elsewhere, the date can be nothing but that. It sucked.

You know...it still embarrasses me to think about it, even if it doesn't seem like that big of a deal now. It was to an easily-mortified high school kid.

However, those feelings are what inspired Molly's Mr. Wrong and I rather like how their story turned out. Here's a brief excerpt:

The lights were off in Mike’s house when Finn parked in the driveway. Maybe his grandfather really was busy and didn’t have time to help the lady. Feeling slightly better, he started up the neighbor’s walk. The door opened before he reached the low porch and a slim woman with straight honey colored hair that fell just past her shoulders and heavy black glasses that gave her a sexy secretary look stepped out the door to meet him.

“Hi,” she said as she closed the door. “You must be…” Her eyes widening as her voice trailed off and Finn had to stop himself from looking over his shoulder to see what had frozen her expression. “Finn Culver.”

She said his name as if it was an accusation and he had the distinct feeling that he had just crossed that line into the Twilight Zone.

“I am.” He ran his gaze over her, looking for a clue. He sure as hell wasn’t wearing a name badge, so he had to know her from somewhere. Mike said she was new in town, but there was something about her that niggled at his brain.

“You don’t remember me.” The words spoken in the same flat tone as his name.

Angular face, hazel eyes, really nice mouth, kind of wide and full. A few freckles. Big glasses. He was drawing a blank. “You seem familiar.” No lie there.

“It was a long time ago,” she said.

“What was?”

She folded her arms over her chest. “The mercy date.”

Amazon

To learn more about Jeannie and her books, please check out her website or Facebook page.

Stitches in time – Kandy Shepherd

These past few days I’ve been helping my daughter with a sewing project. I’m not allowed to say what it is, as it’s a surprise gift for someone special. Suffice to say it’s a craft project of something decorative and lovely and involved quite a deal of machine stitching.

I went shopping with my daughter for fabric and trim. She’s very creative and it was great fun. All the while I was reminding her that I have a deadline for my next book and I would be able to help her with it but not actually do it. (Not like all those school projects that kept me up late at night…)

My daughter chose some lovely colors for her project

 Suffice to say, I ended up doing much of the machine sewing. Not because she wasn’t willing, but because her own deadlines were catching up with her and I sew so much faster. Of course, I loved working with my wonderful daughter. She’s in her early twenties and in the final year of a long health-professional degree. I know she’ll be flying the nest only too soon. Such special shared moments will become rarer and are to be cherished.

Sewing is a skill I don't think you forget!

 As I dragged out my ancient sewing machine, I realized that I’d bought it when I was about the same age as she is now. It’s practically an antique! The various threads and trims and pieces of equipment in my sewing box brought back memories of the many items I’d sewn using this machine. Clothes, cushions, curtains. Not just because I enjoyed sewing and being creative but because of financial necessity. In those days it was much cheaper to sew all those things than to buy them. If I wanted them, I had to make them myself.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy sewing. I loved it. My grandmother and mother were both trained dressmakers and I learned so much from them. My grandmother gave me an old Singer treadle machine for my eleventh birthday so I could learn on that before I hit the electric machine. (Now those machines really are antiques!) 

This is something like my first machine, given to me by my grandmother

I made clothes for my dolls before I went on to make my own. I didn’t have much money but my wardrobe as a teenager was always much admired!

I marvel that my own trusty machine I saved up for so long for is still going strong and did a great job for my daughter’s project. Of course one of the reasons for that is that it is so rarely used these day so it’s still in good condition. I stopped sewing many years ago. I didn’t even make little outfits for my daughter when she was tiny—something I’d always thought I’d do. Time, or lack of it, was part of it. But maybe I also just lost interest.

My great interests as a young person were cooking and sewing—as well as reading and writing. The reading and writing have never stopped and it’s a dream come true that I’m a published author! I’ve kept on cooking too, still interested in trying new recipes and cooking for my family and friends.

But the sewing has gone by the board. Something once such an important part of my life just doesn’t happen any more. Until my daughter asked for my help. I remembered instantly how to use the machine, what to do to get her project the way she wanted. But I felt a little sad too, maybe remembering the young person I used to be when I did all that sewing and suddenly realizing how many years had passed since then.

“Let’s do more of this,” my daughter said, thrilled with the gorgeousness of what she’d made.

“Yes,” I said, hugging her. “I’d love to.”

Do you have a hobby or interest you once enjoyed but don’t do any more? Or something you’ve kept on doing and can’t ever see giving up? Please make a comment, I’d love to hear about it!

Another of my ongoing interests is gardening which made my Harlequin Romance, Hired by the Brooding Billionaire such a book of my heart to write. The heroine Shelley Fairhill is a gardener who brings back to life not just the neglected garden of the reclusive billionaire Declan Grant, but also his heart.

Hired by the Brooding Billionaire is on sale for just $0.99 between February 9 and February 20 as part of Harlequin’s Billionaire/Valentine price promotion. The special price is only available in the US ((Amazon, Nook, Apple, Kobo and Google) and Canada (Amazon, Apple and Kobo), as well as on Harlequin.com.

Kandy Shepherd is a multi-published, award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

Connect with Kandy on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram

Addison Fox: Zigging and Zagging

I love writing. It’s such a fundamental part of who I am and I feel incredibly grateful that it’s something I’m able to do both for my own personal enjoyment as well as for publication. While the things I love about writing is generally far too long to list, one of the items that ranks near the top is that every book I write is a different experience. The act of story telling never gets old for me because it’s never the same.

The characters are different. The setting is different. And I’m different.

That last point can’t be understated. With every book I work on (and I’m linear enough that I work on one book at a time), I’m older, I’ve had additional experiences and I’ve had an opportunity to continue on life’s journey.

I’ve been formally published since 2010 and actively writing since 2002 and with each book I also realize that I never know all I think I do before I begin writing. For me, it’s virtually impossible to truly imagine a book until I’m deep into it.

Never has this been more true than the book I have coming out this week, JUST ONCE. This is the second book in my Brooklyn Brotherhood trilogy for St. Martin’s Swerve and before I began writing it, I expected the book would be fun and light-hearted. In the early stages of the writing I was even going to make the story a pretend relationship story, complete with ensuing antics between my hero, Landon, and heroine, Daphne.

And then something happened.

I wrote the first few chapters and realized that whatever light-hearted story I imagined had morphed into a serious, rather heavy story about my characters’ journey to finding each other. Landon is one of three adopted brothers and where he comes off as the easy-going, laid back brother, it’s a front for a deeply serious, deeply scarred man still struggling to overcome the pain of his childhood.

I agonized over this book. Would I do Landon’s story justice? Is there still enough fun in the story to keep my readers with me? Did I pull it off? In the end, the answer to the last question will be in the hands of the reader, just as it should be. Once the book leaves my hands it belongs to my readers and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But what I can say is that I am happy with Landon and Daphne. They didn’t take the journey I expected them to take, but they became the characters they were ultimately meant to become. And for me, that makes all the difference. They may have zagged where I expected them to zig, but the journey to get them there made me grow as a writer.  And for me, that’s a happy ever after.

Thanks for joining me today!

XO,

Addison

Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in New York and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her next release, JUST ONCE, the second book in her Brooklyn Brotherhood trilogy from St. Martin’s Swerve, is out February 7. You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com

Roxanne Snopek: The Chocolate Cure

Do you have a favorite smell? I’ve got lots: bread baking in the oven, fresh rosemary on my fingertips, bee balm, anything lemon, sawdust, alfalfa hay, babies, eucalyptus, roasted coffee beans… I could go on.

How about smells you can’t stand? That’s a list I won’t write, except to say that there are many. Many, many. And most of them are chemical or manufactured smells. I’ve a long-standing discussion going with daughter #3 about hairspray, ie: how many gallons does it take to create beauty, the merits of scent-free products and at what point and how far from the house will I set up her beauty station, should our discussion not progress in my favor. :)

In my latest book, THE CHOCOLATE CURE, my hero is recovering from a concussion, which affects his memory early on in the story. He meets the heroine but doesn’t really remember her – except when triggered by certain scents.

I know a little bit about brain injuries from my husband, who was hit by a car while riding his bike as a teen, and suffered a skull fracture. He was lucky to survive – the driver did not stop - and within a few months, made a full recovery. But a few years later, he began smelling things that weren’t there. Gradually his sense of smell disappeared completely. It’s undoubtedly the easiest of our senses to live without, and he’s not hampered greatly by it, but he does miss it when I’m baking cinnamon buns!

We know that there’s a strong link between smell and memory, so wanted to explore that in this story.

Mick’s first words to Maddie are “You smell good, like chocolate.” And from then on, he associates – and eventually remembers, her by smell.

Here’s a few excerpts:

Maddie bent forward, very slowly, keeping her gaze on his, holding his hand. He inhaled a trace of something light and flowery, lotion perhaps. Or her shampoo. It smelled... purple. Like lilac. Remember this. Keep this.

**

Light shone behind her head, renewing the halo he'd seen earlier. A lock of golden hair slipped free of the pins, fell over her shoulder and brushed against his cheek. Her neck was fragrant as a garden warmed by the sun. Lilac, spring breeze, sunshine.

**

The fragrance of shampoo, fresh, like sunshine, or lilacs in springtime struck Mick in the solar plexus and he inhaled reflexively, quenching some deep thirst he didn't know he had and couldn't identify. Her breath was touched with mint, but still, it warmed the wintery air around her... her breath... and her skin and the sparks in her eyes...

**

A whiff of lilacs drifted over him. Mick glanced around. The houses were all laced in snow and frost, the trees bare. There was nothing remotely in bloom. Where did that trace of lilacs come from?

**

And my favorite line of the whole book:

"I was broken," Mick said, "and you cured me, with lilacs and sunshine and chocolate."

**

I so enjoyed writing these wonderful fragrances, not to mention the delicious chocolate. Have you got a story about smells or memory? Visit me at www.facebook.com/RoxanneSnopekAuthor or www.facebook.com/LoveattheChocolateShop I’d love to hear it.

The Chocolate Cure is available at:

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks  | GooglePlay

Nicole Locke: Are You Settled Yet?

Are you settled yet?

I can’t say how many times I’ve been asked this question since arriving in the US on the 17th of December. I'm sure people are simply being friendly and making idle chat. I'm sure they don't truly mean it.

Do they mean it!?  Because that sentence is equivalent to asking a new mother if she’s sleeping through the night. Isn’t it just assumed she isn’t sleeping through the night?

There is no way I am settled. What does that even mean? That I have a routine, that I’ve formed habits?

Because I don’t…I haven’t. I’m sleeping, I’m not. The kids are getting to school on time…they’re not. I don’t even leave my bedroom the same way yet.  I can go straight or turn right to get to the kitchen. Which way should I go? Which is faster, convenient, more scenic?

Does being settled mean my house is furnished because let me share some pictures with you. One is of the living room, and the other of my daughter's room.

These pictures are of the house right now. This is after copious amounts of shopping. Way more shopping than I ever care to do. Going to any store once a month is too much for me. Now I have to go food shopping two times a week, plus the hardware store, and the paint store. Don’t get me started on the online purchases. This is…this is death by shopping for me. And what do I have to show for it? Three mattresses, some bed frames, and a few rugs. Oh, I may have bought some bath towels, too.

But that’s all that people are going to see when they come in. They’re not going to see that I had to change my daughter’s rug three times only to realize none of them worked, so her floor is still bare. That her bed frame came, but the feet were all broken and I've been waiting weeks for replacements.

People aren’t going to come into my house and say: 'Nice paperclips and envelopes!' Or: 'Wow, you really agonized over that toothpaste brand didn’t you?'

Because I did. Absolutely. And that’s a story I’ll share another day when my shudders have lessened, and the store clerks aren’t alarmed anymore by the mumbling.

Quite simply, I can’t seem to have a routine if there’s nothing to routine with. My house is bare.

The horror of it is, you don’t know what you need until you don’t have it. Get out of the bath? Need a bath mat. Want to make fried rice? Buy every ingredient except… soy sauce. Have something stuck in your teeth? Well…you get the picture.

We left some things here in our old home, and are now using our new things, but this doesn’t help at all. There are no habits here. This isn’t the same spoon I’ve been using every day for a decade. I’m not turning on the same hob I’ve used for the last eleven years.

And how am I dealing with the fact I seem to have nothing and yet I’m shopping all the time? Not very well.  In fact, I resent it, am frustrated at it. Just want to set fire and start again. Except, I am starting again and have to buy a laundry basket. 

Does being settled mean what I fear it means. That I feel at home?  Because I don’t. Not at all. Not…yet. But I know something is beginning to happen. I found everyday cheese the family likes. And I think for now, that’ll have to be enough.

In the meantime, I'll keep battling and reporting from the trenches of moving house. Has anyone else moved home? Would love to know how you survived!

-- Nicole :-)

To find out more about Nicole Locke, visit her website, and follow her on Twitter.

The fourth book in the Lovers and Legends series, In Debt to the Enemy Lord, is out now! 

“You have a debt to pay. You owe me your life.”

Chapter 1, excerpt
 

Wales—1290

‘I’m going to die,’ Anwen of Brynmor muttered. ‘And why would that be? Because I climbed a tree and plunged to my death. That’s why.’

She circled the giant oak again. The thick lower branches could easily hold her weight. But it wasn’t the lowest branches terrifying her. No, it was the thinnest sprays of green at the top where she needed to go. She could no longer see her hunting goshawk tangled in the highest branches, but she could hear his screeching.

‘Oh, now you need me, do you? It would have been useful if you heeded me when you broke your creance and flew into Dameg Forest.’

She jumped, reached but missed the lowest branch. Her great blue gown billowed heavily around her legs. She quickly began unlacing the bodice.

‘No, I called and called and you just flapped your little wings, trailing your leather jesses behind you. You care now, don’t you? Now your jesses are tangled.’

Finished unlacing, she shrugged her shoulders until the gown pooled at her feet. Shivering, teeth chattering, she stepped out of the material. It was too cold to be in the forest, certainly too cold to be shedding any layers of clothing. At least it was also too cold for many people to be in the forest at this time of morning so there was no one to protest her lack of modesty. Shaking out any mud or wrinkles, she laid the gown gently on a fallen tree. It was her best dress despite the worn hem and hole in the sleeve.

‘I’d leave you if I could, Gully. But we have England’s fine King,

and Gwalchdu’s arrogant lord, who’d order a hand chopping for losing you.’

The tiny hawk let out a wild screech.

‘Oh, you’re for the death punishment as well, are you? It won’t be me who will be punished, it will be Melun. That kind old falconer never hurt you one day in his life. So I’ll fetch you for his sake, not for your stringy neck.’

Stepping closer to the trunk, she crouched low and leapt. She was rewarded with shredding her hands against the bark and falling on her backside in cold, partially frozen mud.

‘Owwww!’

She sat catching her breath, but not able to catch her anger which bloomed up out of her. Punching the mud, she vented her frustration. ‘Why couldn’t I simply go home peacefully? You know I loathe visiting Gwalchdu village with all its perfectly thatched houses and perfectly cleaned streets.’

Thinking of Gwalchdu angered her more. She sprang up and threw mud at the tree trunk. ‘Then you fly off, making more work for me. And now I’m ranting, you rotten bird!’

Jumping, she grabbed the branch with her lacerated hands. Pain knifed through her arms, but she wouldn’t let go. Swinging her legs, she pushed her feet on to the roughened bark. Her grip slipped and fury arced through her.

It was bad enough losing her pride and yelling at a bird. It was worse yet wanting to sulk. And for what? Only so she could compare Brynmor with Gwalchdu? Her home was superior to Gwalchdu and it always would be.

She bit her fingers deep into the bark. She refused to slip. Strongly Welsh, Brynmor had fought to the end of the war against the English and so would she. Pulling up with all her might, she screamed.