Hockey and Heartbreak

I was going to write about something else this month. You know, something about writing. Or maybe something about my books. Maybe something profound on creating characters or finding true love or…something. But I can't, not today. Not this month.

Because I'm heartbroken.

For those who don't follow the game, hockey playoffs have started. Four rounds of super-intense, heart-pounding, blood-pressure skyrocketing, stroke-inducing, edge-of-your seat excitement. Or despair.

And I'm a Caps fan (that's the Washington Capitals for those who don't follow the game). Enough said, right?

It's early in the playoffs--we're still in the first round. In fact, we played our third game last night against the Toronto Maple Leafs…a young team that was only, maybe, supposed to win one game in the first round.

They've won two. And all three games have gone into overtime. You want a cardio workout? Watch a playoff game in overtime. Trust me, that will get your heart pumping.

Me? I'm probably going to stroke-out before the first round even ends. My hubby won't sit in the same room with me during the games. Even my dog has abandoned me. Honestly, though, you'd think they'd be used to the screaming and swearing and crying by now.

Lisa's usually-lovable dog and normally-attentive hubby. Both have abandoned her in her time of need. Or maybe they just have a really good sense of self-preservation!

Because, you know, I'm a Caps fan. Have been since the late nineties. I should be used to this by now.

That's where the heartbreak comes in. Because I am used to it…and I don't want to be. The Caps, my beloved team, have only made it to the final round--the one for that bright, shiny Cup--only once, back in 1998. They were swept by Detroit, losing four games in a row.

They haven't been back since.

Yes, we've made the playoffs. Repeatedly. This season and last, we've won the President's Trophy (meaning we had the most regular season points out of all 30 teams in the NHL). 

But this is playoff hockey and the regular season doesn't count. Not even close. It's faster, tougher, harder. It's a wild, teeth-baring beast that demands even more from bodies already battered and broken by eighty-two games played since October.

It's a hunger game of an entirely different sort. And if you're a fan, you understand that the stakes are even higher.

I want to believe. I want to believe so much that it's a real physical manifestation: taste, feel, breathe: excitement, anxiety, hope…fear. Especially fear.

Because I'm a Caps fan.

L: Lisa with Mike Richards after winning his game-worn jersey, March 2016 (photo courtesy Washington Capitals); C: Lisa with Caps goalie Braden Holtby; R: Lisa with TJ Osie

Okay, so maybe the Leafs are leading the series 2-1. But it's only been three games out of a best-of-seven series. In the first round. I'll keep hoping…and convincing myself that we can do it. And trying not to stroke-out in the process.

In the meantime, you may want to join my husband and dog and stay far away from me. It's probably safer that way.

For now.

*************************

Yes, I'm a hockey nut and I love writing about the sport! To learn more about me and my different hockey romance series, please visit my website. And if you're a fan looking for a home, please join me in The Sin Bin, a Facebook group of almost 1500 ladies (and a few guys!) who are dedicated fans of hockey and hockey romance!

Happy Easter!

Have you been waiting for signs of spring? I have! Ours has been very slow to show up, I must say. But I also must say, despite the unpredictable weather, I love spring. Feeling the sun warm on my face. Seeing the blossoms and greening up of trees and lawn. And chocolate, I'll be honest. I love an excuse to eat chocolate.

Of course, mixing green with chocolate? I bought this bar for my husband the other day. I'm a dark chocolate girl whereas he likes white chocolate. This one was a Green Tea white chocolate which sounded like it might be interesting.

That's probably the kindest thing we can call it. "Interesting." It had a real vegetable underbelly to it. Yeah. No. I'm trying to stay away from the treats anyway, so this was easy to resist.

You can have treats, though. I've lined up a couple for you in this post, but you'll have to go hunting for them.

In keeping with Spring's abundance, I have four Harlequin titles coming out kind of back-to-back (March, two in April, and June.)

The first two are the first two books in my Sauveterre Siblings quartet. I talked about my March book last month. Book Two, His Mistress With Two Secrets, released April 1st.

His Mistress With Two Secrets

The eldest twin, Henri, discovers his former mistress, Cinnia, is pregnant with his offspring--the latest pair of Sauveterrre Twins.

Henri never intended to marry or procreate; his little sister was kidnapped when they were young and he refuses to be vulnerable to such a thing by having a wife and children.

Best laid plans, chere Henri! He insists Cinnia marry him and move into the protected world the Sauveterres have created for themselves.

Cinnia, however, is hurt that he didn't want her before she was pregnant, so refuses to marry him. Fireworks ensue!

Easter Egg #1 

Here's your first Easter treat. Take a peek at all four books in the Sauveterre quartet by downloading the sneak peek.

Download the Sauveterre Sneak Peek here 

InstaFreebie will ask you to sign up for my newsletter, but you can unsubscribe anytime.

When you get your confirmation email, you'll also get a link to download Cruel Summer, another freebie, this one a complete short story romance that I wrote exclusively for my newsletter members.

The Secret Billionaires

Last year, when I was in the throes of writing my Sauveterres, I was offered a delightful opportunity. Did I want to participate in a trilogy with the wonderful Rachael Thomas and Jennifer Hayward?

Of course I said, Yes please! And by the way, the premise of our trilogy is So. Fun.

The Secret Billionaires are bored tycoons who are challenged by their friend, Sebastien, to go two weeks without their fortunes and their family names.

They go undercover into 'regular' jobs. Rachael's hero masquerades as a mechanic, Jen's hero is a sexy stableboy, and my hero is... wait for it... a pool boy!

We had a riot with these books. You'll see a post about these three books on the 16th of May, June and July, right here on Tote Bags 'n' Blogs.

But here's another treat for you that's linked to them. After we'd put our heroes to bed with their respective heroines (*wink*) I said, "Wouldn't it be nice if we saw Sebastien's romance?" He was the ring leader for this bet, after all.

Easter Egg #2

I wrote a prequel called  which should show up as a free online read at Harlequin.com on April 17th. (That's tomorrow, if you're reading this today.)

Read The Secret Billionaire's Mistress -April 17

Have a wonderful Easter filled with family, treats, and the wonderful promise that comes with this time of year.

Dani Collins is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty books for Harlequin Presents, Tule's Montana Born, and herself. 

Dani lives in Canada with her high school sweetheart. They're empty nesters so, when she's not writing, they're traveling. 

Christina Hollis—Research: It's A Tough Job...

Bristol Docks, via Pixabay

...but somebody has to do it.

I spent last week in Bristol, laying the groundwork for my next book, Women’s Lives In Bristol, 1850-1950. I was born six miles outside the city, and worked at its financial heart for fifteen years. It’s changed so much since I moved across the Severn to live in rural Gloucestershire, I hardly recognised the place. 

Once I’d checked into my hotel and got out onto the streets, I had a bit of a wobble. What on earth had I done? Everywhere looked so different, and I no longer had any contacts in the area. Luckily, some things don’t change. Bristolians are as friendly now as they always were. The first person I asked told me to follow the Blue-Signed Path (as opposed to the Yellow Brick Road) to the old bond warehouse which now houses the Bristol archives. That made me nervous for a different reason. The places around what’s known in the local lingo as the Float Narbour (Floating Harbour) used to be avoided by lone women, unless they were on “business”. 

I was in for another surprise—the whole dockland area has been transformed. It now has sunny plazas, and the water is hemmed with smart apartments. Little front gardens spill flowers onto a wide, level walkway. 

Designed by Brunel (with a little help from Sarah Guppy)
via Pixabay

The Bristol archive was exactly two miles from my hotel room, door-to-door. The weather was glorious, so the walk was easy. It was also safe, although I had to keep an eye out for cyclists and skateboarders. 

I set out on that first morning with only one problem left to solve. As I love food so much, it was a biggie. In the whole of my walk I’d only seen one place serving food of a kind I fancied eating for the whole week. Yes, there were plenty of KFC’s, Macdonalds, Pizza Expresses and the rest, but I only eat that kind of thing once or twice a year, as a treat. The rest of the time, we live on local, seasonal, home-cooked food. Eating out usually means the one or two local places that serve food of the sort I’d cook for myself and my family, if only I had the time. I’m funny that way!

Find out more at http://www.cafecreate.uk.com

It looked like I’d be existing on supermarket snacks, and visits to a teeny-tiny vegan pop-up, next to an enormous and very busy shisha lounge. That didn’t appeal at all, but I needn’t have worried.  When I pushed open the door of the B Bond warehouse, it opened into a small café serving fresh, local vegetarian food. I’m a carnivore, but as the daughter of a market gardener I was brought up to love vegetables and fruit in all their variety. A place where I could work and eat home-cooked food without doing the washing up, all under the same roof? I was in heaven.

Above, you can see a picture posted on social media by the chef. I wasn’t entirely sure about her green-pea-and-vanilla sponge cake (centre back of the pic), though. Peas in cake? That took some thinking about. I mean, beneath its frosting, that cake was green. Green cake? 

The other customers weren’t so squeamish. By the time I’d plucked up the courage to try some, the whole cake had been eaten. They said it was delicious. More fool me, for dithering!

When she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping, Christina Hollis writes contemporary fiction starring complex men and independent women.  Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and she’s sold nearly three million books worldwide. 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.

Beauty Break

A couple weeks ago, I had a running-around day.  I went to the nursing home, picked up a form and had to run it downtown... While I was there, I decided to give myself a beauty break.  Uh, no, I'm not talking about a day at the salon (pedicures are my idea of hell!). I'm talking about a visit to the Art Museum.  I went to the museum for that talk with Ohio artist, Susan Shie, a month or so ago.  She was amazing. I wanted to see the full Earth Stories exhibit.  Here are a few pics in no particular order...

 And here's Susan Shie's piece in the collection.  Uh, if you read my first Day of Beauty, you'll remember how much I like making myself part of the art (see my shadow?).

After the visit, I went next door to Glass Growers.  If you've never been...go.  I drop in every time I'm down that way because they always have something new and cool.  I've mentioned before that I love to collect Erie stuff.  We have a number of prints.  Well, I bought a cool picture of Beach 10 on Presque Isle by Jason Floyd Lewis.  (You can see my reflection in it as well! LOL)

If you're one of my Erie friends, head down to the Art Museum and then stop in and check out Glass Growers.

This isn't a paid endorsement...I just love my city! If you're not in the area, I hope you enjoy visiting through my books and blog.  And if you're in the area, drop in for a real visit!!

Holly

Confessions of a Party Crasher

Everything But a Groom

PS.
Confessions of a Party Crasher is live on Amazon for pre-order and if you haven't heard, the Everything But... series is going to audio and there are sample's up, and the entire series is on sale this month in advance of the audio releases!

A Historical Hero - by Kate Walker

A long long time ago – too many years ago than I care to remember, I  first started to  get to know some of the history plays of Shakespeare.  There was a  television  series called  An Age of Kings  in 1960, one that lasted for 15 weeks, and which showed all  Shakespeare’s history plays one after the other.  One of those plays was Richard III  where Richard was shown as a violent,  cruel and conniving character.  That was how I first thought of him.  But of course Shakespeare was writing the sort of play that would please the royals of his time – the Tudor  dynasty who had  hated Ricard and fought to drive him from the throne.

Then two things happened – one was that I read a book by Josephine Tey called Daughter of Time in which a modern day detective, confined to bed in hospital, set out to investigate the case of those  ‘murdered’ Princes in the Tower as if it was a current day crime. His conclusion was that Richard of Gloucester was not guilty of the crime everyone thinks he committed. 

Then I went to the London Portrait Gallery  -  there I found a painting of the man himself. Richard didn’t look anything like the cruel and violent killed of Shakespeare’s portrayal . His portrait showed a man who was too old for his real years -  Richard was only  32  when he died. That’s the sort of age of so many of my heroes when they are really just beginning their adult lives.   This painting  also made  the  king look like a man worried by life, taking a lot on his shoulders.   He didn’t look like the monster he was painted. 

As a result, for years I’ve been fascinated by this intriguing character.  I read  so many other books – fiction like Sunne in Splendour, We Speak No Treason,  and  factual books  to try and get as cl

ose to the truth as I could.  I even joined the Richard III Society – and when I met my husband, I found that he too was a member of that group, someone who believed that Richard had been maligned.
Daughter of Time in which a modern day detective, confined to bed in hospital, set out to investigate the case of those  ‘murdered’ Princes in the Tower as if it was a current day crime. His conclusion was that Richard of Gloucester was not guilty of the crime everyone thinks he committed.

Back then we never expected that the exciting discovery of ‘The King in The Carpark’ would ever actually happen. We were excited  when the archaeological dig in  - of all places  - a Leicester carpark discovered the remains of  a man, buried there long ago. Even  more exciting, tests and DNA examination proved that this was in fact the skeleton of  Richard III himself,  killed at the Battle of Bosworth and buried hastily in an ancient abbey.  They even managed to do a facial reconstruction to show what he might well have looked like in  life

Last year there was a ceremonial funeral for this long-lost king. He was buried in Leicester Cathedral with the sort of ceremony he never had  back in  1485.   Because of my interest in his story, and my fascination with the man I promised myself – and my husband – that one day we would go and visit the tomb in Leicester Cathedral.  So that’s where I’m going today. 

All those years ago, I never expected that the  king’s remains would be found – the story was always that his body had been thrown into the river and washed away.  So it will a poignant moment to actually see where he is buried. It won’t give me any further evidence as to the truth of who really actually murdered the

Princes in The Tower (if in fact they were actually murdered ) but it will be a special sort of a pilgrimage and a suitable closure to a story that has fascinated me for years.

I am so looking forward to it

Do you have a historical character who fascinates you like this?  Or something that you have  long wanted to do that you have finally managed to achieve? 

You can keep up to date with all my news on my web site blog page  or my Facebook page   where you can find out when I have new books appearing in the shops.

Carole Mortimer: Summer plans!

Hi, Everyone,

I will be attending the Romantic Times conference in Atlanta, Georgia, May 3-7^th. So please come and say hello if you see me there. If not, I will also be at the Grand Book Signing at the conference on May 6^th . I will be signing two of my indie books, the contemporary romantic suspense, Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5), and the Regency combination, The Duke’s Mistress/Claimed by a Marquis (Regency Unlaced 1 & 2). 

Even if you don’t want a signed book please do come and say hi. I would love to meet you.

The pre-order for Wicked Torment (Regency Sinners 1), is now available, and the ebook will be released April 28^th. I absolutely loved writing this book. The hero, Darius Strong, the Duke of Wolferton, is arrogance personified but also so sexy, he made my toes curl as I was writing the story! The heroine, Lady Bea Hanwell, appears prim but underneath that there is a siren longing to break free. Darius gives her that freedom, making for a very sensual and erotic read.

The Regency Sinners series will comprise of 8 books, linked by the heroes’ friendship. There is a mystery linking all eight stories in this new Regency series, which I hope you will find as intriguing as I am writing them.

The stories in my Regency Sinners, Regency Unlaced, Knight Security and Alpha series, are more explicit in their language and sexual content than my other books. In other words, they’re hot, so you have been warned!

I hope to meet some of you in May at the RT conference in Atlanta, Georgia!

 Carole xx

Amazon pre-order link for Enticing Ian (Knight Security 5)

https://www.amazon.com/Enticing-Ian-Knight-Security-5-ebook/dp/B01N141UN6/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1488495663&sr=1-4&keywords=carole+mortimer

This ebook is also available on B&N, iBooks, Kobo, & Smashwords

Amazon pre-order link for Wicked Torment (Regency Sinners 1)

https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Torment-Regency-Sinners-1-ebook/dp/B06VX3MJGM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1488495793&sr=1-1&keywords=carole+mortimer

This ebook is also available on B&N, iBooks, Kobo, & Smashwords.

Website: www.carolemortimer.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaroleMortimerAuthor

Twitter: www.twitter.com/carole_mortimer

Newsletter: www.eepurl.com/2rfzz

Carole Mortimer has written over 225 books in the contemporary and Regency romance genres. She is 2015 Recipient of the prestigious Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award. A USA Today Bestselling Author. Entertainment Weekly Top 10 Romance Author—ever. 2014 Romantic Times Pioneer of Romance. In 2012 Carole was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II for her ‘outstanding service to literature’. She is very happily married to Peter, they have 6 sons, and live on the beautiful Isle of Man.

All That Free Time...

By Jeannie Watt

I retired to Montana last fall. Dream come true, right?

My horses and ponies weren't so sure. However, this is what their life looks like for the rest of the year, so as long as we keep a lot of hay in front of them and a windbreak behind them, they're cool.

After I retired, I thought I would have sooooo much time to write. After all, I wouldn't be commuting, teaching, coming home exhausted, trying to fit in housework and laundry around the job--I would be organizing my new house and writing!

Except, this is what my house looked like when we moved in.

We still have so much to do, but I'm happy to report that we now have sinks and counter tops. And this is the view from my kitchen window...

Which kind of made the lack of amenities like sinks and counter tops bearable.

My mom, who lives about 200 yards away, told me that time is like walking in the mud. When you free up some space, like say by retiring, something else rushes in to fill it. I scoffed. I was wrong. That something else, besides the house, is ranch stuff.

I've been around cows, but other than attending the occasional branding, I never really worked cows personally. That's all changed.

Now the cows run the show. In the winter, its a matter of moving them and feeding them. I'm still learning the tractor, so I open the gates and cut the stings on the bales. Kind of the internship role.

But here's the pay off, come spring...babies!

And a very, very happy husband, surveying his domain. Happy ending, but a busy one!

I hope everyone has a great Monday. If you want to find out more about me and my books, please check out my website or my Facebook page. Also, here's a link to my latest book, A Bull Rider to Depend On, which is, of course, set in Montana.

A BAD BOY WITH A GOOD HEART

Widow Skye Larkin will do anything to save her ranch, even if it means accepting help from bad-boy bull rider Tyler Hayward. But he and his penchant for partying are to blame for her late husband's financial indiscretions, which got her into this mess. She might be attracted to the dark, dangerous cowboy, but putting her trust in another rodeo man is unthinkable.

Ty knows he shouldn't be surprised that Skye isn't convinced he's changed. He wants to prove that beneath the bravado, and no matter what happened on the circuit, he's one of the good guys. Offering her a business partnership is just the first step. What will she do when he offers her his heart?

Conveniently Wed to the Greek - Kandy Shepherd

Do you have a favorite romance trope? “Beauty and the beast”, “Cinderella” and “secret baby/pregnancy” are among my favorite romance story tropes. I love reading them and I’ve also enjoyed writing them into my books for Harlequin Romance.

“Marriage of convenience” is another favorite. I’ve written an “engagement of convenience” and a "girlfriend of convenience" but only now have I written a marriage of convenience story, when a man and a woman marry for reasons other than love. Of course then in a romance novel they fall in love—or admit that they were in love all along. Sigh, I love a happy ending!

Is this wedding for real - or a fake "marriage of convenience" for reasons other than forever love?

 The reason I haven’t tried to write this trope before is that I think it can be difficult to make believable in a contemporary romance. I love a marriage of convenience in a historical novel. For a book set in times when making love, or even kissing, before marriage were strictly forbidden with dire social and personal consequences for people who broke the rules, the “marriage of convenience” is a marvelous plot device to give the characters the freedom of intimacy. After all, they’re married!

Not so easy for a contemporary novel. Many of my fellow romance authors tackle this trope brilliantly with feasible reasons for a marriage of convenience including inheritance, terms of a will, a job, to give a child a parent. I had to think really hard of how I could make it work for my story set squarely in the twenty-first century.

The title of my May release from Harlequin Romance, Conveniently Wed to the Greek, flags from the get go that a marriage of convenience is part of the plot.

I think I’ve given good reason for two very contemporary people, feisty food critic Adele Hudson and her former adversary hospitality tycoon Alex Mikhalis, to undertake a pretend marriage. I hope I make it believable. If you get a chance to read the story, let me know if you think it works!

Do you have a favourite romance trope? Or one you really don’t like? I’d love to read your comment. If you you’d like to be in the draw for a signed paperback copy of Conveniently Wed to the Greek please be sure to include your email address.

Conveniently Wed to the Greek, is 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