Thankful Thursday for March 28, 2024

I know it's been a minute since I last posted, but life's been hectic. Today, however, I just wanted to say, wow. Spring is so amazingly pretty this year! There are wildflowers and butterflies EVERYWHERE. So I guess what I'm most grateful for today is Nature. Here's a video I took this morning while walking my dog. 

This is just down the road from my house and it's exquisite.

Wine Wednesday: Coppola Vineyards 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Wine is subjective. I know people who don't like the wines from certain wineries, or don't like wines made with certain grapes, but in a lot of those cases, I think it's a matter of either not tasting the best wines a particular winery has to offer, or of having tried bottles that have not been handled, shipped, or stored properly. OR (in terms of grapes) just not having found the right wine or style of winemaking. 

I attribute the whole ABC nonsense (anything but Chardonnay) to the latter. Chardonnay is so very versatile that I find it hard to believe that anyone who likes wine cannot find a single Chardonnay that they enjoy. 

But I digress. More on Chardonnay in a later post. 

I like today's wine because I have fond memories of visiting/drinking wine at Francis Ford Coppola's winery in Napa. Also his Sofia Blanc de Blanc is my go-to for sparkling wine. But, the fact is, he no longer owns that particular winery and I have no idea where (other than somewhere in California) the grapes for this wine come from. 

I'm predisposed to enjoy drinking it out of the glass I bought at the winery--waaaaaay back in the day--which is supposedly a replica of the glasses his Italian grandfather used to drink wine out of back in Italy. 

My father's family is Sicilian and whenever I drink a Coppola wine out of this particular glass, I always feel like an extra in the Godfather during one of the scenes where Michael first comes across Appolonia. 

It's a nice wine. Not blow your socks off, but very, very drinkable. The tasting notes suggest blackberries, cherries and spice on the nose. And, of course, I disagree. I almost always disagree. I get the spice, and maybe a little bit of leather, but to me the aroma is dried blueberries with a hint of cocoa. It's medium bodied. Opaque, dark red color--it's the color you think of when you think of wine. Not purple, but not a rusty red, either. Like a deep, deep, deep magenta. No legs to speak of, which is odd given the fact that it's only a 2020 vintage--which is not at all old for a Cabernet. 

I taste toasted oak and--ooh, okay! THERE'S the cherry. It's nice. Juicy and lush. But it's not at all what I think of when I think Cabernet Sauvignon. It's softer. Less bold. If I didn't know better, I'd guess a merlot blend. The bottle suggests pairing it with...well, anything apparently! Steak tacos, prime rib, pasta...these are not the same thing. I would not choose the same wine for all of those...well, unless the choice was wine or no wine in which case, yes please, hit me up! 

And...subjective, you know? I can kind of see the tacos. But the rest...not so much. I would suggest pairing this with charcoal-grilled burgers, steak salad or a nice charcuterie board. I wouldn't say no if you poured me some to go with pasta or pizza but...Chateau Martelena  has my heart when it comes to pizza. Everything else is an also ran. 

For reference, I'm currently drinking it with some sharp cheddar and an apple. And it's good. But, yeah. I think a nice juicy burger would be absolutely perfect. 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Self Care ~ #LoveChatWrite

 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked the question, "What self-care activities do you enjoy?"

Ooh. Great question! I didn't always take great care of myself as a writer, but I've gotten much better about it in recent years. I've been practicing yoga off and on for a VERY long time. Ever since my parents "discovered" it in the late 60s early 70s. And for a while--in the before times--I was taking yoga classes nearly every day. But Covid put an end to that. And then a broken foot took walking off the table as well!

Since moving to Texas I haven't found a yoga studio that I like enough to join. See, I go for the unlimited membership--which requires there to actually be a lot of classes to choose from. And I'm picky. At this point in my life I'm all about the gentle-Yin-restorative yoga classes. Most of the places around here are into Hot Yoga and Power Flows. It's hot enough here for most of the year. I don't need to take a class to break a sweat, I can do that just by stepping outside or turning off the AC. 

Right now, the weather is lovely so I've been going on long walks with my dog. There are A LOT of parks here, some with lovely walking trails. And there are flowers everywhere so it's been pretty nice. 

Hopefully the pool will be open this year (last year it was closed because of the drought and the year before that it was closed because of other reasons) but I swam every day in Costa Rica and I'd really like to get back to that come summer. 

I've also bought an exercise bike (with a built in desk) and positioned it in the coldest room in the house so that's my summer plan. 

Aside from that, I've been intermittent fasting for six years now and it's been fantastic. I also try to eat as much unprocessed food as possible--which has been hard AF living in the land of queso and barbecue. NOT because that's all that's here but because...mmmm. It's all really good. 

So...there's that and bubble baths, occasional chanting, even more occasional attempts at meditation. No wonder I've been finding it hard to fit WRITING into my schedule. 

Balance is tricky. 

Now, hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page to learn what self-care activities she favors. And don't forget to check out her book, Adriana.

Fleeing for her life, Adriana Booth has come aboard Robert Stuart's ship disguised as an old woman. She is smitten with the captain, so the night before they reach land, she discards her masquerade and sneaks into his cabin. In the morning she disappears, but he is determined to find her, which puts her life at risk.

Can he save her? Can their love survive?

https://amzn.to/47yVX4t

Today I'm featuring Going to the Chapel, which is a sort of sequel to Waiting for the Big One. The hero of both books, Derek Novello, is a fitness instructor--including power yoga. So it fits!

Going to the Chapel

An Oberon/LA Love Lessons Crossover Novella

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In Waiting For The Big One, Gabby and Derek went from being friends to being lovers. Now, they're waiting for their "big day". But will it be the wedding of their dreams? Or a bride's worst nightmare?

A quick trip to Gabby's hometown turns into the wedding from hell when Gabby and Derek are plagued by hailstorms, lost reservations, voracious goats, angry bees and enough family drama to fill a barn.

Guess it's true what they say, "The course of true love never did run smooth." But can the happy couple hold it all together, or will their Big Day turn into a Big Mess?

***A different version of this book was previously released as part of the Sapphire Falls Kindle World program.***

https://books2read.com/GoingChapel

Movie Monday: Yesterday

 Today's post is actually a two-fo--music AND a movie.  See, it's my grandson's birthday today and that put me in mind of the Beatles' Birthday Song. My son actually has the same birthday as George Harrison and my birthday is two days later, so we often found ourselves listening to this song on our birthdays. My grandson, not so much. But it's a great song and you can give it a listen here:

So it's probably not going to surprise anyone to learn that I love movies with a bit of magic. Add in romance, humor, and an alternate reality and you have my perfect film. Which Yesterday comes pretty close to being. 

Musician Jack Malick is about to give up on his dreams of making a name for himself. Then he gets hit by a bus and wakes up in a world where the Beatles never existed. He starts playing Beatles  music (what he can remember of it) and ends up with a recording contract and a good deal of fame.

Along the way he also discovers a few other things that are different or missing in his new reality and those are revealed with the perfect amount of subtlety and understatement. The whole movie is beautifully done and I really don't understand why it didn't win more awards. 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Do You Ever Feel Like Giving Up? ~ #LoveChatWrite

 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "Do you ever feel like giving up on writing? If so, what motivates you to keep going?"

To which I can only say: All. The. Time. And: damned if I know.

Honestly, I think it's just sheer pig-headedness. I mean, I love writing and I have plenty of stories I still want to write but I think anyone in their right mind would have given up by now. 

Creating worlds and characters is fun. And whenever I'm upset or confused or don't know what I think about a topic, writing things down is how I figure out how I feel, or what I want. So I don't think I could ever stop writing entirely. 

BUT the business of writing is often frustrating and overwhelming. I don't like that part nearly as much. In a perfect world--one in which I did not have to worry about marketing or making money from writing--I'd write all the time and not be bothered about whether or not my stories found their perfect audience; because of course they always would! In our very imperfect world, however, I have to rely on hope and pig-headedness and ignoring the small voice that says, "continuing to do the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results is madness" and instead hold to the idea that Da'Vine Joy Randolph said recently, "it would not be on your heart if you weren't meant to do it."

I don't know if I actually believe that, but it sounds good and I'm going with it!

Now, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page and find out what she has to say on the topic of giving up. And don't forget to check out her book, The Boy in the Pink Convertible.

What secrets does a photograph hold? When Megan Forrester finds a old, worn photo of herself and a young boy, it propels her on a quest to find him, but along the way she finds herself, and maybe a little romance, too. Can one small photo change the course of her life?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTNGYR9P

Waiting For The Big One

LA Love Lessons 1.0

One girl, two guys and a quest for ultimate satisfaction.

Aspiring actress Gabby Browne refuses to consider her best friend, and personal trainer, Derek Novello for the role of soul mate fearing sex will ruin their beautiful friendship. When she meets Zach, she's convinced that he could be The One. Too bad Derek isn't willing to share-leaving Gabby forced to choose between two sexy co-stars.

An early morning earthquake provides Gabby with the impetus she needs to stop waiting for the stars to align and finally cast her leading man.

https://books2read.com/the-big-one

Romance Writers Weekly ~Hobbies? ~ #LoveChatWrite

 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked the question, "What other hobbies do you have besides writing?"

Being the prickly wordsmith that I am, I'm giving that "other" some serious side-eye. Because writing isn't a hobby for me. If I'm feeling upset or emotional about something my first instinct is to write it down. To get it out of my system. Eventually, I'll probably want to alchemize those words and emotions into fiction. But whatever else it is, it's not a hobby. 

Creating graphics and covers--that's closer to a hobby, but still not quite.

I think I approach cooking as a hobby (at least some of the time). Knitting is definitely a hobby, as well as embroidery (even though I haven't embroidered anything in YEARS). Gardening...that's not even a hobby; it's an occasional interest. I have A LOT of interests that don't quite make the commitment threshold for hobby status. And I satisfy most of those interests by giving them to my characters as activities/jobs/hobbies/etc. 

I'm sure I engage in several more activities/interests that should qualify as hobbies, but where would it end? Is wine tasting a hobby? Is travel? Or exercise? Or reading? But I think I'll stop here. 

Now, hop on over to Jenna Da Sie's page to learn about her hobbies. 

Old Sins, Long Shadows

Children of Night, Book Two

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Living forever is hard. Loving forever? Impossible. 

Of all the mistakes Conrad Quintano has made, driving Damian away is the one that haunts him the most. He hates the fact that he's hurt the man he loves more than anything. For the sake of the twins, though, Conrad and Damian parent as a united front, a challenge that grows more and more difficult with each passing year. And with Conrad in his weakened state after his kidnapping, it grows more difficult than ever to be around the one man he can't have. 

But an old enemy's mission to create a dangerous new breed of vampire threatens the twins' lives, and it's now more important than ever that the estranged lovers put the past behind them, or everything they hold dear might be ripped apart.

Buy ebook and/or print: https://books2read.com/u/31KAka

Read on Kiss: https://read.writekiss.com/details?book_id=609c0f98ca942135801ca731

Musical Monday: Ricky Martin - La Mordidita

I've been doing a lot of exercise lately--walking, biking, swimming, yoga--so I wanted to post an upbeat, exercise-y song. AND I just got back from Costa Rica, so something with a little bit of Latin flare seemed right. So here's something to get your blood pumping. 

Romance Writer Weekly ~ Favorite Scents ~ #LoveChatWrite

 This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked "What's your favorite scent and does it help in your work?"

Yeah, as I think I've mentioned before, I don't realy have favorites. I love all the scents. Ad they absolutely help me in my work. I love to select the perfect scents for whatever book I'm writing--be it perfume, candle, tea, incense or some combination of all of them. I find them even more useful than the right music for getting me (and keeping me) in the right mood. Faster, too! 

Now, hop on over to Brenda Margriet's page to find out if she has a favorite scent. And don't forget to check out her book, Taking His Measure.

THE COMPLETE BENDIXON SISTERS SERIES

Three steamy, open-door, full-length contemporary romances with all your favourite tropes!

 

* Second Chance * Grumpy/Sunshine * Forced Proximity * Best Friend’s Younger Sister * Virgin Hero * Forbidden Love * He Falls First * Enemies to Lovers * Single Dad * Starting Over

 

Allegro Court

Determined to save her beloved construction company, Mattie Bendixon makes a reckless wager with Marcus Temple. All he has to do is stay in his hated hometown for one month. All she has to risk is her heart.

 

Gateway Crescent

Neither flighty Jo Bendixon nor steadfast Luke Donwell prophesies the temptation flaring hot and bright between them. It might scorch them to the heart…or spark a match made in heaven.

 

Crossroad Corner

Will Danson can't stop thinking about his captivating business rival. Camryn Bendixon won't be distracted by the sexy single dad standing in her way. They are competing for construction bids and career-making contracts—but it is her battered heart that he truly wants to win.

Https://books2read.com/TakingHisMeasure

Scent of the Roses

Oberon Book 1.0

Scent of the Roses (book one in the Oberon series) is a slow-burn, second chance, paranormal romantic suspense story featuring a (42M) former bad-boy cop and the (36F) girl who got away. 

Available now in print and digital formats.

 

“An intriguing mystery complete with long-lost loves, twists I didn't expect, mysticism, murder, and great multi-layered characters…set in a magical small town. What's not to love?”

 

“This is one story you don't want to miss reading! I become totally immersed in this intriguing mystery.”

 

“The characters that make up the small town of Oberon California are beautifully eccentric. The two main characters of Scout and Nick were exactly what a real couple should be yet so many authors shy away from.”

https://books2read.com/ScentRoses