Inspired by Greece - Kandy Shepherd

“ConvenientlyWed to the Greek left me feeling like I had visited Greece,” one reader told me after she’d read my May release from Harlequin Romance.

Her words pleased me. I only visited Greece for the first time in 2015 and I absolutely loved it. I knew I wanted to set a story there, in particular the islands of the Ionian Sea. This is the one.

I’m sharing photos of some of the places I saw that inspired settings in the book. The story is an enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience between food blogger Dell Hudson and hospitality tycoon Alex Mikhalis. 

Their romance is played out on the Ionian Islands in the north of Greece. Think limestone cliffs and the most beautiful sea ranging though shades of turquoise and aqua to navy blue.

Dell and Alex share their first kiss while visiting the Acropolis in Athens. As they are walking up the Parthenon, Dell sees her fist site of the ancient buildings. 

I visited these islands on an amazing swim with The Big Blue adventure swim trip group. Highly recommended! Some of the islands we swam around were inspiration for the fictional islands I created for the book, including Alex’s private island in the book.

We ate at wonderful local tavernas, which were again inspiration for the tavernas owned by Alex’s Greek family.

I loved swimming in the Greek Islands so much I went back again the next year. And I loved the fictional world I created for Alex and Dell that my next book is set there too (stay tuned for details in further blogs.)

Conveniently Wed to the Greekis a May 2017 release from Harlequin Romance in North America; Mills & BoonCherish in the UK; and Mill & Boon Forever Romance in Australia and New Zealand.

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

Nicole Locke - Are we having fun yet?

As you know, my family moved to Seattle from London at the end of December. Things have been crazy, an adjustment, perplexing, and chaotic ever since.

First, there’s the culture shock which I didn’t expect. I was born in this country; how could I be flummoxed by drive-thru menus? But it’s been a while since I lived here. Time’s change.

Second, add in work, kids, renovations, and trying to unpack. Yep. There’s chaos here. And as a family, we’ve been chained to the house, to school, to our desks. We’ve been trying to navigate school announcements and shopping. The myriad of government forms is astounding, and I still second guess myself when crossing the road.

So why are we here?

Ah, because we’ve reached that time in our life when we realize…Time. We want our kids to know their extended family. Also, they’re missing the culture we grew up with. We knew that if we didn’t seize this moment, our son may never know how to kayak, ski, or ride a bike. Our daughter will only know city life, and not the blisters of hiking in the woods for miles because she’s lost.

This gets to the crux of the matter. My fear is that we may have returned too late. The way we’re going, it’ll be a year before any fun happens. We bought ski clothes…and then missed the ski season. The drastic change in daily living has been one hurdle after another. Our kids are young, but habits have already been created.

It took weeks for my daughter to learn she can approach a car differently than her brother. You see, she only knows taxis. And in taxis you all pile into the vehicle from one side. She kept piling in after her brother until he pointed out she could use the other door. My son still shows no interest in driving, and as for that kayak? His nose continues to be buried in books or on his phone.

But this must stop; otherwise, what’s the point of moving? I may have lived here before, but it’s all new to them. They need to see the world with their young eyes, and with all the possibilities of youth. So when they grow up they can embrace what culture they want, and where they want to live. 

When I can, I force myself to stop with all the work needing done. My house is a wreck, and I’ll have boxes to unpack in December. Renovations? I need to pick out paint samples still. The kids should see the open water, and not just the house in shambles.

Thus far, I may have managed only a handful of these moments, but they do exist. Like glimmers of light at the end of a very long, crazy, perplexing, and chaotic tunnel.

How do you stop the hectic schedule of everyday life to have fun?

Nicole :-)

To celebrate the upcoming release of The Knight's Scarred Maiden, I'm attempting to bake Medieval food! Come join me all month at the Unlaced Book Club and guess what food I'm making for a chance to win a signed copy. https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnlacedBookClub  Or join me at the Harlequin Blog May 25th, June 2nd, June 13th and chat with me about my failures! http://harlequinblog.com/



Nicole Locke is the author of Harlequin Lovers and Legends series. For more information about her and her writing, check out her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Susan Sands: Should I Tell Them My Age?

Dear Friends,

I have a confession to make:  I'm turning fifty this week. Yes, I know, we all have to do it sometime, but as a woman really just getting my feet wet in a career where agents and editors might be checking for an expiration date, I wonder if I should admit that to everyone so freely?

I'm proud of every year that I've lived. Every struggle, heartache, and accomplishment. I've got three grown, or nearly-grown kids, and they are my pride and joy. I'll be an almost-empty nester this time next year, with my youngest getting ready for college.

But for all my lack of shame in turning fifty, does it come with a price in this industry? Are we seen as past our prime by those who might consider investing in our career for longevity as storytellers? I really hope not. I feel I've just opened my eyes as a human, as a woman. My ability to absorb and empathize is stronger now, and my perception of things around me is keen--much more so than when I was completely immersed in seeing to my children's every need. I have less busy static in my brain that frees me to think about my writing now, which allows me more introspection.

Sure, I'm still busy, but life is busy. I'm looking forward to some pretty exciting things on the horizon this year. Fifty is looking pretty fantastic right now!

Again, Alabama is free right now, and should remain so until mid-June! Love, Alabama has made its way onto the NetGalley home page, which is very exciting for me, and for Tule. More fun announcements to come!















Please connect with me on social media!

Susan

Motivational Friday: Enjoy (Your) Life

by Michelle Monkou

One of my priorities: Traveling.  My trip to London

Okay, let's notice the boulder in the room -- we all will die.

But that nugget of truth is not the focus of my post.  It's about focusing on the time that you have and living with purpose every day. Yep, I'm continuing my theme from last month.

Don't just be a survivor of life, live boldly and fully. Sometimes that directive is tough.

Look, we're bombarded with our own tough times and then bombarded with national and global events that reflect the worst of humanity, at times. It can get downright overwhelming.

Maybe stepping onto the other side of 50 years old has be navel gazing a bit about what is important in my life. I get hit with news more often than I'd like about a relative, friend or colleague diagnosed with a dire illness or suddenly departed from his/her mortal life. And then there's ageism from various corners of society nipping at my toes as if to remind me of that "pasture" to which I'm supposed to spend my days.  Well, knock on wood, I'm not physically or mentally ready to slow down. Although, those reading glasses are a necessity and a large font is my friend.

But once you set aside ego as your primary motivation for any forward momentum or achievement, then what are the priorities to have, to achieve, to strive toward for that elusive happy place?

And you know what? That list for me is pretty small and simple.

Because for the most part, I'm not sweating the small stuff. And I'm certainly not allowing folks or circumstances a chance to hook their baggage on my bumper for the free ride to dump their issues on me.

Author, entrepreneur, marketer, and public speaker Seth Godin in his blog shared: The difference between who you are now and who you were five years ago is largely due to how you've spent your time along the way.

So I'm purposefully choosing to spend my time enjoying my life (and in a way that is not generally harmful or offensive to humanity).

For my motivational Friday rah-rah speech with cheerleader pompoms, here goes:

Make your list of what would makes you happy.

Make your list of what are your priorities in life.

Make your list of what baggage needs to be offloaded.

Now one day at a time focus on what's important to you. Sometimes a daily motivational nudge from a book or podcast can keep you on track.

And then start enjoying the ride ASAP.

Peace,



Michelle

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