Romance Writers Weekly

Hello. Happy Tuesday and welcome. Hope today finds you safe and well. Thanks for joining us! This week’s challenge comes from the remarkable Brenda Margriet:

What’s your favorite romance trope to read and/or write? Friends to Lovers? Marriage of convenience? Second chances?

Truth be told, I don’t have a favorite. I read across all genres and tropes. I don’t care where the conflict comes from, as long as it keeps me turning the page. I love unique characters and interesting situations and plots that seem new because the writing is so fresh.

As for my own writing, I prefer lovers brought together due to circumstances. An accidental meeting, a crossing of paths, always makes me think that fate has intervened to bring people together. I like that idea. Days pass and we all develop routines of one sort or another and then, suddenly, that is broken by a chance encounter. The sky opens up, the earth blooms and love is in the air. It reinforces my belief that no matter how bad things get, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel and that love is waiting there, basking in that light and smiling.

                                   

Now let’s hop over to the wonderful Jenna Da Sie and check out her favorites…

https://jennadasie.com

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s hop. We hope you are safe and well. Thanks for joining us. We’re always happy when you do!

I came up with this week’s challenge:

When you’re feeling down, what do you do to feel better?

I want the pain to stop- everyone’s pain. I wish someone could wave a  magic wand and stop hate and violence. But, since that’s not possible, the only thing I can do to feel better is to do whatever I can. I can offer help and love and fight for what’s right and I will. When I can reduce hate and make life more fair for everyone, even in a small way, my life improves.  When I have the opportunity, or can make the opportunity, to get rid of the discrimination and create a more equal playing field for all, I will do it. Because I don’t know about anyone else, but I will never feel better until we all feel better.

Now let’s pop over to the wonderful Caro Kinkead and read about her ways to feel better…

http://carokinkead.com/whenyoureweary/

 

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and welcome to this week’s hop. We hope you are staying well and safe. And we are very glad you decided to join us!

This week’s challenge comes from the impressive A.S. Fenichel:

What inspires you? Do you or did you have a mentor, parent or friend who you credit with making you the person you are today? It doesn’t have to be a person: music, art….

I have great friends that I love and who are there for me and I couldn’t live without them. But for inspiration, I turn to books. Reading inspires me. During the tough times in my life, and there have been more than a few, it was books that saved me. In times when money was tight, I could spend an afternoon at a bookstore and get caught up in all the possibilities before making at least one perfect choice.

I read everything from Stephen King to Kathleen Woodiwiss and everything in between. I read biographies that encourage me and romances that take me to different times and places. I read horror to get my blood rushing and poetry to bring me peace.

It’s all there, between the pages. Goals, love, hope, overcoming conflict. Books have given me strength and taught me what’s important. Reading the words of others makes me feel less alone when I feel sad and shares my joy of life when I’m happy. And, you can turn to them at 3am without feeling guilty for waking them up.

Now let’s pop over to the amazing A.S. Fenichel and find out what inspires her…

http://asfenichel.com/blog

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and welcome our hop. Thanks so much for joining us. We do appreciate you! And we hope you are safe and well!

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

Besides the usual baking of cookies or treats, has anyone baked a really good loaf of bread? Do you have a special bread recipe from a loved one, or one that you’ve come up with yourself? Share your recipe!

Years ago, I had a breakfast catering company and each day I would make a different kind of sweet bread. One of my favorites has always been zucchini bread. It’s delicious, it’s healthy and there was always lots of zucchini growing in my summer garden. Here is the recipe:

2 cups sifted unbleached flour                                    1 Tablespoon baking powder

½ cup unsifted whole wheat flour                             ½ cup melted butter or oil

½ teaspoon salt                                                             2 teaspoons cinnamon

¾ cup white sugar                                                         ½ cup milk

½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)            2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups finely grated zucchini (skin on)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan. Mix flour, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into loaf pan and bake about 50 minutes or until the loaf shrinks and it is slightly springy to the touch. Do not underbake. Test with a toothpick in the center; it should come out dry. Cool on a wire rack and do not slice before it is cool or it will crumble.

Enjoy!

And how about a good book while you snack?

  Book One in the Morocco series

And it’s free!

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/379dxg5jap

Delicious!

Now let’s pop on over to the incredible Clair Brett and see what she’s cooking.

https://www.clairbrett.com/blog

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and welcome! Thanks for joining us! I hope you are well and safe!

This week’s challenge comes from the amazing Clair Brett:

What do you find most difficult about writing what you write? It could have to do with certain scenes, plotting, dialogue, whatever trips you up. How do you approach those things?

The middle always trips me up. I get to about 40,000 words and I go blank. Every time. I know how the book starts, I know how it ends…but the middle…argggh.

I know I should expect it to happen (after fourteen books, it’s become an obvious pattern), even though I hope each book will be different.

And that’s when I break out the fabric and sew something. Or sort through the bling and make some jewelry. Or bake something. Or take the dog for a walk. In other words, I step away and give my brain time to percolate. Sometimes it’s fast, sometimes it takes days. But, there’s no rushing it.

And then, miracle of miracles, the ideas flow.

That’s the thing about writing. Everyone has a different process, a unique way to keep the stories going. So, whatever works for you, works.

And yes, I got stuck for a while in the middle of this one, too….

Speaking of writing…I just got some inspiration, so until next week…

Let’s hop over to the remarkable Brenda Margriet and learn about her difficulties.

http://www.brendamargriet.com/blog

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and welcome to our hop. So happy you’re here! I hope you are all safe and staying well! I came up with this week’s challenge:

Flash Fiction time! 500 words or less using the words herbs, hair and heaven.

Leafing through a catalog, Karen saw an ad for shampoo that promised to be made with only the finest herbs. Apparently, it would make your hair smell like heaven.

She heaved a sigh. As if anyone was going to smell her hair. Just her luck, bees would probably swarm around her head hoping for some pollen and sting her.

She heaved another sigh. Enough of the pity party. Just because Will turned out to be a total jerk didn’t mean it had anything to do with her. Did it? Of course, she had picked him in the first place. She knew she needed to make better life choices. The next time…her thoughts drifted…

She certainly didn’t need a man to complete her. She had a good job, great friends, and a full life. Why, she even had her sweet puppy, who was now cuddled up against her and didn’t care how her hair smelled. Speaking of, the whimpering cut through her reverie. Sadie needed to go for a walk.

Karen put aside the magazine and heaved herself off the bed. She found Sadie’s leash and clipped it to her collar. The pup jumped up, delight in her big brown eyes. She loved walks.

A quick glance in the mirror and Karen decided she was decent enough so she wouldn’t scare away any little children. She led the leaping dog out the front door and down the steps. And collided with a hard chest. A groan from him and flying bits of ice and liquid.

“So sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t see you.”

If he was about to get angry, Sadie’s little barks of delight clearly melted his heart. He bent to pet her and then looked up at Karen. “It’s okay, I needed a bath, anyway.” His hazel eyes sparkled with humor.

Karen pursed her lips in embarrassment. “Can I get you a cloth or something?”

“I’m fine,” he responded, straightening. His face scrunched a little and he tilted his head. “I know this may sound strange, but what kind of shampoo do you use? Your hair smells great.”

Now let’s pop over to the incredible A.S. Fenichel and see what she came up with…

http://asfenichel.com

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and happy Tuesday. Thanks so much for joining us. Hope you are safe and well! This week’s challenge comes from the amazing Clair Brett:

What are your hobbies, or what is a hobby you would like to start, why do these interest you, and how does it make you happy?

My problem is I have too many hobbies and there aren’t enough hours in the day to fit them in. My favorite is sewing. I love to take a length of fabric and turn it into something to wear or something useful. I love the variety of colors and the way cloth transforms with a few simple cuts and stitches. And yes, I now have too many clothes. Wait. Is there such a thing?

I also make jewelry. I love bling! It’s so much fun to play with the stones and wires and make earrings or necklaces or bracelets. I look through catalogs and try to re-create what a see. It’s a challenge – sometimes successful, sometimes not so much – but always fun. And it makes great gifts for my friends.

Then there’s painting. Acrylic on canvas. Like fabric, the colors make me happy. And sometimes I even hang the finished product on my walls.

Oh, and let’s not forget cooking and baking…so relaxing (and inventive) and it’s great to have something to eat when I’m finished.

(No pictures – I ate the food already…)

So you see – too many choices, not enough hours. Because I still have books to write and a house to manage. The good news…I am never bored.

During this time when we are all staying home—at least once a day, find something that makes you happy. It will make things better!

Now, let’s hop over to the fabulous A.S. Fenichel and find out about her hobbies…

http://asfenichel.com/blog

 

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and welcome. Hope you are all doing well and staying safe. Thanks for taking the time to join us! It makes us very happy!

I came up with this week’s challenge:

If you could be any animal, which would you choose and why?

I suppose my first choice—to be Annie with me as the mom.

But that’s pretty predictable. So, my other choice would definitely be – a giraffe. First of all, they’re so tall. As one who has almost always been the shortest one in the room, that is very appealing. And they have great faces with wonderful expressions.

I recently had the joy of volunteering at the zoo and one of my jobs was to help the visitors feed and interact with the giraffes. I fell in love with Nicholas. Who wouldn’t?

 

But as sweet as they seem, giraffes are very protective of themselves and their appropriately named “tower” or group. In fact, when a baby is born, all the females mother it and look out for it. In the zoo, only one male is allowed with all the females, and he becomes very parental to his babies as well.

In the wild, the males declare their territory and the fights for dominance aren’t pretty. Their heads can act as fifty pound clubs to defeat an opponent.

Giraffes are fast and they can kick those long legs in every direction if they are threatened. But, they also kiss and show great affection for the caregivers they know and trust.

Strong and sweet, capable of loyalty, beautiful and graceful. Yes, I would love to be a giraffe.

Let’s hop over to see what animal the fabulous Clair Brett would choose. But first, check out her sale on this wonderful read:

        $.99 on sale!

https://www.clairbrett.com/winn-s-fall?fbclid=IwAR21s2m_16U3wfACmvJoyo2DhAp3N4kf91nhQHTyGNaRowjCwQXy3UXU6l8

https://www.clairbrett.com/blog

Romance Writers Weekly

How are you all doing? I hope you’re staying safe and healthy. Thanks so much for joining us. We are always glad when you’re here! This week’s challenge comes from the incredible A.S. Fenichel:

Tell us about where you write, edit or create. Do you have a special place? Do you need a cup of tea or coffee? Set the writer scene for your writing time.

Okay, here it is.

I know. Messy, right. But I know where everything is and I am really very organized. For example, meetings are taped to the monitor, research books to the left and general notes on the right side. Notes for my WIP are front and center, as are notes for stuff I need to deal with immediately.

If anyone were to come and re-arrange my desk, I would be lost.

What isn’t visible is the sewing table on the far wall behind me. That’s for when I get stuck on plot points and Annie isn’t talking. (She naps a lot).

I usually have a bottle of water next to me, since writing (and editing) is thirsty work. Sometimes I wish I had a glass of wine, but it tends to muddy the process for me.

So, that’s it…not very exciting, I guess, but then no one ever said writing was glamorous.

Now let’s hop over to the amazing A.S. Fenichel…

But first, check out her fabulous book…

It’s available on Kindle Unlimited. https://www.amazon.com/Earl-Taken-Wallflowers-West-Lane-ebook/dp/B081KSTK2N

http://asfenichel.com/blog

 

Romance Writers Weekly

Hello and happy Tuesday. Thanks for joining us. We are always happy when you’re here and we hope you are safe and well. This week’s challenge comes from the amazing Brenda Margriet:

Recipe Swap time! Share your favourite dinner recipe. Can be as easy or complicated as you like.

If a recipe wants to make it to my list of favorites, it has to be simple and not require too many ingredients. So, I chose my meatloaf…

Salsa Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 lb lean ground beef (93-7 is best)

1 jar (15.5 oz) Salsa (can be mild, medium or hot – your choice)

Seasoned bread crumbs

In a medium bowl, add half the salsa to the beef and mix well, then continue to add salsa until the mixture is very moist. (You may not use all the jar, so save what’s left and serve with chips). Slowly add bread crumbs until the meat mixture will hold a shape. Place in a loaf pan and cover the top with more bread crumbs. Cover with foil and bake for one hour, remove the cover and bake another half-hour.

Serve with mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Now let’s hop over to the wonderful A.S. Fenichel and check out her favorite recipe.

And she has a fabulous novella available for free!!! Check it out!

A free novella. http://asfenichel.com/sale/

http://asfenichel.com/blog