Romance Weekly

Happy Tuesday and welcome to our hop. This week’s challenge comes from the fabulous J.J. Devine:

What is your favorite holiday cookie recipe?

Okay, this is one of my best kept secrets, so don’t tell anyone. Betty Crocker’s Sugar Cookie Mix. Well, not just the mix. But it is the perfect base for so many variations. And, I am not the only one who’s figured this out, since the packages are sold out as soon as they land on the shelves this time of year.

I make chocolate caramel turtles by spreading melted caramel over the finished cookies and then dipping them in chocolate.

I make lemon cookies by icing the finished cookies with lemon curd.

And I add pistachios and cranberries to the batter before baking. So good.

And there are so many other options. Just use your imagination. And so much easier than gathering all the ingredients and baking from scratch.

I love shortcuts like this since I once had a breakfast catering service and had to constantly come up with new ideas. And I didn’t have the luxury of time. And it still counts as homemade, doesn’t it?

Have a delicious holiday!

Now, let’s hop over to the wonderful C.L. Marcolini and see her favorite recipe.

http://clmarcolini.weebly.com/blog

Romance Weekly

Thanks for coming to our hop and welcome. This week’s challenge comes from the remarkable Jenna Da Sie:

Write a review or a critique about your favorite show on TV right now.

It makes sense that I would be a fan of “Outlander” since romance is everything. But, this show surpassed my expectations. From the incredibly perfect casting of Sam Heughan as Jamie and Caitriona Balfe as Claire, to the writing, this show has it all. The actors seem born to play these characters and their chemistry is so real, it’s palpable.

Many times a show or movie that is an adaptation leaves much to be desired. But this one manages to capture the essence and magic of the books and bring them totally to life.

Even knowing the story, I am engrossed in every episode. And isn’t that what makes for great television?

Oh, and speaking of time travel….look what was just released!!!!!

Now, let’s hop over to the incredible CL Marcolini and see what show has caught her attention.

http://clmarcolini.weebly.com/blog

 

 

 

 

Romance Weekly

This week’s challenge comes from the wonderful CL Marcolini:

The holiday season is upon us! What do you do to get into the holiday spirit?

Let’s face it…Hallmark movies do it! They are full of the magic of the season, the promise of true, everlasting love and the glory of Christmas. And watching them, I can’t help but get in the mood.

But there is something else. Every year, I “adopt” a family or some children and get them presents. Because, Christmas movies aside, this is a holiday for everyone. Buying gifts for people who wouldn’t otherwise get anything is the true magic of Christmas for me.

I think sometimes we all get so caught up in the season, we actually forget what it’s about. For me, it’s recognizing my blessings and sharing. It’s about giving something to others. Spreading love and gifts. That is the true spirit of Christmas.

 

Now let’s hop over to the incredible CL Marcolini and see what gets her in the spirit….

http://clmarcolini.weebly.com/blog

Romance Weekly

Thanksgiving is only two days away and this week’s challenge comes from the fantastic CL Marcolini:

It’s just not Thanksgiving if there’s no _____ on the table. Share the recipe and a memory about dinners with family.

Here’s one dish that always makes me think of Thanksgiving….

Special Cranberry Sauce. (Or drunken cranberry sauce).

1 – 3 oz package of strawberry or raspberry Jello

1 cup boiling water

1 cup dry sherry (instead of cold water)

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 small can pineapple chunks, drained

½ cup pecans or walnuts (optional)

Mix the boiling water with the Jello in a large bowl and stir until dissolved. Then add the sherry and stir well. Fold in the cranberry sauce, the pineapple and the nuts. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until set.

 

I never had a traditional family Thanksgiving, so I don’t really have memories to share. But I am always grateful for my blessings.

And now let’s hop over to the wonderful C.L. Marcolini and get her favorite recipe and memory…

http://clmarcolini.weebly.com/blog

 

Romance Weekly

Welcome to our weekly hop! This week, I asked the question:

What is your favorite vacation spot and why?

Without a doubt, I have to say Jamaica. It’s the tropics. I love the sun and the sand and when it rains, it’s just enough to cool off the day. I love the accent. Listening to the locals’ speak is lyrical. Just their voices remind me I’m far from home and in a place where I can relax.

But, most of all…it’s the people themselves. They are so kind and welcoming and it seems they are always smiling. Everything is ‘irie” which means ‘all right’ or ‘no problem’.  The local attitude reminds me to take life easier, appreciate simple things, like seashells and wood carvings and the warmth that is everywhere. Or the thrill of climbing a waterfall or just basking in the sunshine.

When life gets complicated or difficult, which is does, I can close my eyes and picture myself back there. And life gets better.

                                                                                                                                  Coming Soon!

Let’s hop over and check out the wonderful Brenda Margriet’s favorite spot.

http://www.brendamargriet.com/blog

Romance Weekly

Hello and welcome to the hop. This week’s challenge comes from the fantastic J.J. Devine:

What is your favorite fall activity?

When the trees change colors, I like nothing better than to get on my bike or jump in the car and ride around looking at the incredible colors of fall. All the shades of red, oranges and yellows are amazing. How do they do that? It’s as if nature puts on a fashion show to let us know that summer had officially ended and the trees have dressed up to prepare for a new season.

Too soon, the leaves drop from their branches and the bare limbs remind us that they are resting until a new show comes after the weight of winter. We just have to be patient.

I love bringing out the teapot for an afternoon break (with cookies, of course) and pulling out my warm sweaters and wearing socks. I love snuggling under the comforter at night and sitting in front of a roaring fire. I love Halloween.

But my favorite is watching the trees show off their glory.

Let’s hop over and see what the marvelous Brenda Margriet likes best….

http://www.brendamargriet.com/blog

Romance Weekly

Welcome to our Halloween hop. The challenge this week comes from the amazing Jenna Da Sie.

Do you dress up for Halloween, and if so, what are you planning this year? What did (or will) you do to celebrate? Or, tell us a favorite Halloween story from years gone by.

I just love Halloween. I always have. Some years I’ve put on a costume, some I just waited for the adorable children to show up. And there have been some great parties.

I think we all like to be scared a little bit. Some more than others. And Halloween seems a pretty safe way to listen to ghost stories and tales of monsters and still be able to giggle.

One Halloween night, it was very cold. A group of us went outside and sat around a fire. We toasted marshmallows and made s’mores and then one of the boys decided it was time to tell a favorite tale. It goes like this….

A couple were ‘making out’ in a car in a lover’s lane one night. There was some rustling noise outside. They ignored it. It came again. And again. Finally, the boy decided to investigate. He got out of the car and the girl heard a little more commotion, then nothing. She called out to her boyfriend, but he didn’t answer. She called out again. She shivered with the cold and the creeping fear.

Then, the dripping started. On top of the car. Drip. Drip. Drip. Finally, she couldn’t stand it another minute. She threw open the car door and stepped out. When she turned to look back at the car…his body was strung upside down from a tree branch above it and the dripping was from his headless corpse.

Happy Halloween……..

Let’s hop over and check out the incredible A.S. Fenichel and her Halloween…

http://asfenichel.com/blog

Romance Weekly

Hello and welcome to this week’s hop. I came up with the challenge this time:

Name your favorite guilty pleasure.

It’s true. I am a proud member of Bachelor Nation. I do love some reality TV. Shows like “Married at First Sight” and “Naked and Afraid”.

I sometimes watch other shows like Lifetime Movies or Hallmark, but I consider that research. Hey, I’m a romance writer. Come to think of it, the three I just mentioned before can be called research, too, right?

Not to give the wrong impression here. I don’t spend so much time sitting in front of the TV. But, a girl needs a lunch break.

I do have another guilty pleasure. I do love shopping. Any kind of shopping. Not buying necessarily, but I love to look. I can get on Pinterest and go for days. And let’s not even mention Amazon or Ebay or Etsy.  I even enjoy going to the grocery store, which I know is an anomaly. My friends have offered me money to do their food shopping since they hate it so much. But all the foods to choose from, the incredible variety…

Okay, since we’re coming clean here…one more. Shoes. I have a lot of shoes. All kinds. Everything from sandals to heels and everything in between. It’s like I can’t help myself when I see a really unusual or really cute pair. My husband has refused to build me another closet, so I guess I have to behave. But wait, I have space under the guest bed….

 Well it is almost Halloween…..

Let’s hop over and check out the fabulous J.J. Devine and see what her weakness is………….

http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/…

 

Romance Weekly

Thanks for coming to the hop! This week’s challenge comes for the amazing Jenna Da Sie:

Create an A to Z post for writing. Ex: A= authors, what type of author are you? B=books, how many book have you published? C=cover photos, how do you choose your cover photos? Etc… (make up your own)

A –Author- What kind of author am I? Hopefully a good one.

B-Books? What kind do I write? Historical and Romantic Suspense.

C-Cover Artist – Jena Brignola – she is the best!

D-Delve deep. Feel it and then communicate it.

E-Editing. At least twice for every book. Sometimes up to four times.

F – Final draft and ready to go. Always get nervous over this!

G-Goofs – always try to avoid those.

H-Help. I get by with a little (or a lot) of help from my friends and editors.

I-as in me. I write therefore I am.

J-Just sit in the chair and write.

K-Know the characters. Very important.

L-Locations? England, Scotland, America and now, Morocco

M-Murder and mayhem. It does keep things interesting.

N-Novels published? So far 9. #10 is still being edited.

O-Over and over which is how many time I read a manuscript before turning it over to my editor

P-Proofreading. Essential. I hate errors in spelling and grammar.

Q-Quitting – Not an option!

R-Research – Always, constantly and as thoroughly as possible!

S – Stars. All 5’s all the time. Wouldn’t that be awesome!

T-Time period? Anywhere from present day to the 1500’s.

U-Under the gun when the book is due.

V-Vivid – what I try to evoke in descriptions

W- Why do I write? Because I have to. The characters make me.

X-Xerox – how I used to copy my manuscripts

Y-Yes! When I know it’s ready to go and I am ready to let it.

Z-Zone as in ‘in the zone’-which is where I need to go to clear my head and come up with plot ideas.

Coming soon!

That was fun. Hard, but fun. Now let’s hop over and see what the fabulous C.L. Marcolini  came up with.

http://clmarcolini.weebly.com/

Romance Weekly

Welcome to the hop and this week’s challenge. I came up with this Flash Fiction Challenge:

In 500 words or less using the words trapeze, oranges and sidewalk.

The oranges dropped from Julia’s grocery bag onto the sidewalk and exploded into a million little bits of sunlight. She watched the fruit for a moment and, sighing, bent to clean up the mess. It was then she noticed a pair of feet had stopped in front of her. She lifted her eyes up, up and up, past long, muscular legs, a flat abdomen, with a six-pack no doubt, and broad shoulders. Her gaze held on a very handsome face and the bluest eyes she had ever seen.

“Can I help?” he asked, and his voice was resonant.

She smiled. “Thanks, but I think I may have to leave most of it where it fell.” She stood and gathered the plastic bag close to her chest so that more of her food wouldn’t suffer the same fate.

“The birds will be happy.”

An optimist. How nice. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. I’m Julia.”

“Mark. Mark McAlister. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too. Do you live around here?”

He laughed. “No, just visiting.”

“Oh.” She wondered if he could hear the disappointment.

“I’m with the circus.”

Julia shook her head. “No, really?”

“I’m a catcher.”

“Like a trapeze catcher?”

“Yes. Just like that. And no, I never miss.”

“I’m so glad.” She hesitated for a minute. “I didn’t know the circus was in town.”

“It isn’t. My family is here and I come to town often. But clearly, not often enough.”

“I love the circus. I always wanted to do tricks on the fancy horses.”

“Well, we might have an opening.”

“Yes, well, I would need to be able to stay on and not fall and break my neck.”

“Well, that’s my specialty. Making sure my partner never gets hurt.”

She sighed. How long had she waited for a man to say that?

Just re-released!        

Now let’s hop over and see what the amazing Dani Jace has come up with….

http://www.danijace.com/blog