Romance Weekly

This week’s challenge comes from the incredible Brenda Margriet:

Summer is almost here, and with it barbecuing season. Let’s share grilling recipes!

The thing I like best is that grilling is so easy and there is virtually no clean up. The other thing I like best is that my husband does the grilling so I don’t have to cook. Which leaves me more time to write.

Here’s one of my favorites: (Ingredients are in bold)

First take a flank steak and lay it in a flat pan. Cover with bottled Italian dressing (may take two bottles) and refrigerate at least one day and up to three days.

When it’s time to make dinner, cut up some peppers and onions. Put on a skewer with whole mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.  Brush the vegetables with olive oil.

Place vegetables at the edges of the fire so they will cook more slowly.

Drain the dressing and discard. Place the steak in the middle of the grill. Sear the meat on both sides for a few minutes until it’s dark on the outside and pink in the middle. The vegetables can cook a bit longer if necessary while you slice the meat. Slice the steak against the grain into inch pieces. Serve with the vegetables.

Another favorite…

Rub olive oil on a skinless, boneless piece of Salmon. Add some pepper to taste. Place lengthwise slices of zucchini (also brushed with a bit of olive oil and pepper) directly on the grill around one side. On the other side of the grill, put ears of corn (wrapped individually in foil). The corn can remain in the husk or you can strip the husks and brush with butter, salt and pepper before wrapping in the foil. Let vegetables cook for about ten minutes before adding the fish in the middle. Cook the salmon slowly and turn once. The fish should be pale pink in the center and flaky.

Dinner’s ready!

Let’s hop over to the fabulous Kathryn Renard and see what she’s cooking…

http://kathrynrenard.com/

Romance Weekly

Welcome to this week’s challenge posed by the fabulous A.S. Fenichel:

Where is your favorite place in the world and why? Share some pictures if you can. Does this place wind up in your books? Feel free to share more than one.

My two favorite places are both tropical. Some people prefer the snow-covered mountains and cold weather. Not me. Give me white sand and the sound of the ocean and I’m in heaven.

Hawaii is incredible. When you step out of the plane, you are greeted with the scents of angels. The air is so incredibly sweet and fragrant. The lush foliage and the magnificent beaches are breathtaking. And the warmth of the people is so welcoming. I wanted to stay forever (and almost did).

Jamaica is my other choice. Although also tropical, it is very different from Hawaii. Everyone speaks English, but it’s their patois that is meant to take your troubles away. Everything is ‘no problem’ or ‘irie’ which means all right. It’s so nice to be in a beautiful place where everyone is, to borrow a phrase, ‘glad you came’.

I do love other places in the world, cities in England and Italy, and I am sure the more I travel, the more I will have other favorites. But now, especially when the chill of winter is still in my bones, I long to be in the warm.

As a matter of fact, I think the sequel to “Payback” should be set in Hawaii. Of course, I’ll have to go back to make sure I get all the descriptions just right.

Let’s hop over to the incredible A.S. Fenichel and hear about her favorite places.

http://asfenichel.com/blog

Romance Weekly

Welcome to this week’s blog hop. Thank you for taking the time to check us out! And here’s the question:

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned about writing? Who did you learn it from?

That’s easy. “Don’t quit”. And I learned it, really learned it, from my husband.

When I was first starting to submit my work, there were rejections. Most writers go through that – even writers like Stephen King and so many others. But, even knowing that this is to be expected, it still hurts.

And each time a rejection came, and I would get depressed and question whether I should keep going, it was my husband, Bob, who would say “don’t quit”.  And so I would go back to the keyboard and keep writing, even when I wondered if I ever would be published.

One afternoon, I got an e-mail from Black Opal Books. It began just like the others. Thank you for submitting “Captain’s Captive”… Only this time it ended, not with a rejection, but with an offer for a contract. I am surprised the neighbors didn’t call 911 since I was screaming so loud. And crying. Tears of joy.

There have been other rejections since that one. But also other contracts. But that first one, the first time a publisher believed in me…

But it never would have happened and I never would have just published my ninth book and started work on number ten if my husband hadn’t regularly said those two words to me. “Don’t quit”.

Best. Advice. Ever.

Just released

Let’s hop on over and hear what the fabulous A.S. Fenichel has learned.

http://asfenichel.com/blog

 

Romance Weekly

Welcome to the blog hop! This week’s challenge comes from the incredible A.S. Fenichel:

When you’re not writing, what do you do? Hobbies, passions, goals…

When I’m not writing, I read. Romance, of course, mostly. Across every genre. But I also like Robert B. Parker for his style and his characters and Stephen King (although I definitely like his earlier books better).  And so many other authors, old and new!

And I go to movies. I love movies. And popcorn is the perfect food.

I, also, as I’ve said before, sew, make jewelry, paint and tend my garden. And, if I’m desperate, I might clean my house. But that’s not so fun. Dust is just one of those things you can never get ahead of, no matter how much you try. And the dog hair… Well, Jakita will swear it’s not her hair. She will tell you (in dog language with that tilt of the head and the big eyes) that it was some other dog who sneaked into the house and spread hair everywhere and then blamed her. How is the dog not bald with all that shedding?

My passion is storytelling. I’ve been doing it all my life, long before I wrote them down, and I hope the stories will keep coming. I have faith.

And my goal? My goal is be a better writer with each novel, with each tale I tell. I hope that my stories will touch people and maybe make their lives better. Or at least take them away for a little while.

I just released my newest in the “Dance” series and I’m pretty excited about it.

Let’s hop on over to the fabulous Brenda Margriet and check out her answers.

http://www.brendamargriet.com/blog

Romance Weekly

This week’s challenge comes from the incredible Jenna Da Sie:

What do you do when writer’s block hits? Share some tips for our fellow writers.

Nora Roberts said there is no muse. There is work. That changed my attitude. Writing is not a hobby or something I to do to pass the time. It’s my job. A regular job, just like any other except I don’t have to punch a timeclock or deal with a micromanaging supervisor. But, I have deadlines and editors and obligations. So, if I think I’m just being lazy, I sit down at the computer and pull up my big girl panties and write. Nora also said you can’t edit a blank page. So, even if what I write is not so good, at least I have a starting point when I sit back down.

But there are days when the screen in my head goes blank. I am clear that I am not just slacking—I am empty. And, in those times, I do something else. I sew, I clean (ugh), I bake, I make jewelry, I play racquetball – anything that is not writing related. After a day or so, my batteries have recharged and I’m ready to go back to the keyboard. And if I bake (and of course, eat it) and then play racquetball, I don’t even gain any weight.

Sometimes, when I tend to the business end, that’s enough of a break from the actual writing to get the creative juices flowing again.

Bottom line: I am a writer. That is what I do. So, even in the times when I can’t muster the energy, I know it’s just a short and temporary break. And that alone is a comforting thought.

 and coming soon…..

 

Let’s hop over and check out the incredible Brenda Margriet’s tips….

http://www.brendamargriet.com/blog

 

Romance Weekly

This week’s challenge comes from the fabulous A.S. Fenichel who also has a new release today:

What can’t you live without? Tell us five things you can’t do without. It can be coffee from your favorite shop or a pink tee-shirt. Whatever it is, tell us about it and why you can’t go on without it.

First on the list is my dog, Jakita.

 

She is my most avid supporter and thinks I’m brilliant. How do I know? Because when I ask her if she likes my books, she wags her tail – a lot! Okay, so there might be a dog cookie involved. But, every day when I sit down to write, she’s right beside me and I couldn’t do without her.

Next would be my computer. Seriously, years ago I had to be dragged kicking and screaming into believing a computer was the way to go. What was I thinking? Do I even have to name all the reasons I can’t work without it? The most important being Google.

Third would have to be my sewing machine. When I’m stuck on a plot or simply need a dose of immediate gratification, I sit down and make something: a skirt, a vest, a dress. Or pillows. (We now have many pillows). It recharges my batteries. We all run out of gas sometimes and sewing really helps me.

Fourth – Racquetball. Love it. I get exercise and when I play, I become totally immersed in the game and the rest of the world just goes away. Then, I can go back to the keyboard with a fresh outlook.

And last, but certainly not least – wine. Do I really need to elaborate on why it’s a must?

 

Let’s hop over and check out A.S. Fenichel’s must haves. And don’t forget to check out her newest book! Did I mention it’s releasing TODAY!

http://asfenichel.com/blog

 

 

 

 

Romance Weekly

Welcome to this week’s challenge. The incredibly talented Brenda Margriet came up with this one:

Telling stories is as old as the first time a caveman came back from a hunt and told about the big one that got away. Every family and relationship has a story or two that gets told at every get-together. What’s that story in your family? What’s that tale that everyone loves to hear told over and over again?  

My husband’s and my favorite is the story of our wedding day…and it’s probably not what you’d suspect.

Bob and I decided to have the simplest of weddings. So, off we went, just the two of us, to a Justice of the Peace. Of course, even though I was wearing a simple outfit, I did have on a veil.

During the ceremony, when the JP asked if anyone objected to the union, he looked around and said, “Oops. No one else here.” It was pretty funny.

We had a ‘lavish’ brunch at Cracker Barrel and came back home to plant our garden. Tomatoes, herbs, squash. Then, we made the mistake of going fishing for a little while. For some stupid reason, it never occurred to us the dogs would pop out the doggie door and dig up all the sweet plants we had just lovingly put into the ground. But, before we could solve that problem, we realized our air conditioner had gone out and we had to call the HVAC guy.

We bought some plastic to temporarily wrap around the outside of the garden, replanted what we could salvage, waited as the air conditioner guy replaced whatever needed to be replaced and, finally, it was time to celebrate our wedding. After cleaning up, we went out to a lovely dinner and then crawled into bed and promptly fell sound asleep.

Romantic? Not in the traditional sense. But every year, when I plant the garden again in the spring, I think of our wedding day and smile.

Now let’s hop over and read the story from the wonderful Jenna Da Sie… http://jennadasie.com/