Romance Writers Weekly ~ The Hard Part ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop we answer the question, "What is the hardest part for you in writing?"

For me, that changes from day to day, year to year, even book to book. There are times when everything flows and nothing about writing seems difficult, other times when everything is a challenge.

Currently, my biggest problem is focus--or a lack thereof. The last few years have been brutal. My ability to concentrate is at an all time low and I've been taking part in a lot of anthologies--which means shorter stories. I don't do short easily. So, I'm constantly getting 3/4 of the way through a story, panicking at the word count and stopping work to edit everything I've written down to the bones.

I love writing and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing, but it's all the hard part!

Now, hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page and find out what part of writing is hardest for her. And don't forget to check out her book Stay With Me.

Is it possible for a home to keep the essence of previous owners? Can someone reach out from the past and offer help when it’s needed? 

Two women. Years apart. Linked by common experience and a cottage that has survived since the Civil War. When Rebecca reaches out from the past, Evelyn finds it life changing. 

And in their own times, each must discover strength and fight to find and keep true love.

Buy it HERE.

Let's Get Naughty

A Limited Edition Romance Anthology

If you think it's too soon to get on Santa's naughty list...think again.

Cancel your plans and spend this holiday season with 26 romance authors who have teamed up to bring you a delicious holiday treat.

This collection will have it all: fake relationships, second chances, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, workplace romance, age gap, CEO’s, bikers, and falling for the best friend’s brother.

Each of the authors will have an unforgettable, steamy story. So come on over, grab a blanket, and get started on finding your next favorite author today.

Let’s Get Naughty is the perfect anthology for you to binge this holiday season.

https://books2read.com/letsgetnaughty

Romance Writers Weekly ~ How Do You Handle Rejection? ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop we address the question, "How do you handle it when your work is rejected?"

Honestly, it's been a long time since I had a publisher reject me, in part because I've been mostly indie for the last few years, but I've had readers and reviewers who've been less than thrilled with certain of my books, and that's kind of the same thing. 

The biggest problem with rejection, IMO, is that, as writers, we're too close to our work. It's impossible to be objective. If everyone is giving you the same, negative feedback you have to consider that perhaps they're right.

On the other hand, you can't be so easily swayed that you change for every opinion, or you'll end up with something that doesn't satisfy anyone.

All of which is a very longwinded way of getting to the point, which is that the way I handle rejection is by reminding myself that everyone faces rejection sometime. You literally cannot please all the people all the time, no matter who you are. 

Even the most brilliant and/or popular writers who ever lived had critics--people who absolutely loathed them and their work. And some of those people were also brilliant popular, authors--their freaking peers! Somehow, I think that had to hurt even more...unless the feelings were mutual, of course.

Case in point, this list of famous authors who couldn't stand each other's writing: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/608-famous-authors-who-were-not-fans-of-other-famous-authors

Now head on over to Brenda Margriet's page and see what she has to say about handling rejection. And don't forget to check out her FREE book Secrets Under the Covers.

SECRETS UNDER THE COVERS

(Book One in the Silverberry Seduction Seasoned Romance Series. Helen and Nathan both 55.)

Ebook is now FREE!

The peace Helen Mansfield struggled to achieve after the death of her husband is threatened when she discovers a lump in her breast. Determined to keep the alarming news to herself until the biopsy results are revealed, she sets out to wring every drop of delight from her days.

Nathan Spieth stood by his wife while she fought and ultimately lost her battle with cancer. Since then, he’s devoted his energy to rebuilding the career that he neglected during her final years, and all his hard work is about to pay off.

As neighbours and friends, Helen and Nathan’s lives have been woven together for more than twenty years. One impetuous, impassioned night might destroy everything they share—or prove to this fiercely independent woman and determinedly solitary man that love is always worth the risk.

Get it here: https://books2read.com/SecretsUndertheCovers

My new holiday story Christmasing With You will release on November 1st as part of the Let's Get Naughty holiday anthology--available for pre-order now!

Let's Get Naughty 

A Limited Edition Romance Anthology 

If you think it's too soon to get on Santa's naughty list...think again. 

Cancel your plans and spend this holiday season with 26 romance authors who have teamed up to bring you a delicious holiday treat. 

This collection will have it all: fake relationships, second chances, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, workplace romance, age gap, CEO’s, bikers, and falling for the best friend’s brother. 

Each of the authors will have an unforgettable, steamy story. So come on over, grab a blanket, and get started on finding your next favorite author today. 

Let’s Get Naughty is the perfect anthology for you to binge this holiday season.

Buy Links:  https://books2read.com/letsgetnaughty

Romance Writers Weekly ~ What's Your Favorite Scent? ~ #LoveChatWrite

 

This week on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked to "Tell us about your favorite scent and what it evokes for you."

Slight problem. I'm somewhat indecisive. I don't do favorites. I'm a coffee and tea, wine and beer, dog and cat, Spring and Fall, apple and orange, sweet and savory, ocean and mountains and forest and farm and small town/big city type of girl. In short, my typical answer to any favorite either or question is yes. 

But I do LOVE scents. In fact, I wrote about some of my most memorable, evocative scents from my childhood in a post a few weeks ago. One of the things I need when I'm writing is a scent that puts me in the right head space for whatever book I'm writing on. Sometimes it's blackberry sage tea. Sometimes it's bayberry essential oil. Sometimes it's cocoa-tamarind perfume. Right now I've got a "pumpkin woods" scented candle--which smells like cinnamon and pine and is perfect for the snowed-in-at-Christmas story I'm currently working on. The hero and heroine of my last release were both bakers, so I was alllllll about the vanilla. Vanilla tea, vanilla perfume, vanilla scented bath bombs. 

If you want to read a drunken, vanilla-centric conversation between my h/h, you can find it HERE. And if you want to learn more about my books in the shop series, I'll be taking over the Shop Series Readers' Group on Thursday. Stop by and say hi!

  

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/409052699501488

Now, head on over to Jenna Da Sie's page and find out about her favorite scent...

The Name Game  

Games We Play, Book 4

He knows what to do to save her business. She knows what he needs to fix his life!

 

Atlas Beach is experiencing a retail renaissance—and Carly Meyer is determined to be part of it.  But she and her sandwich shop, The Lunch Box, are struggling to stay afloat.

 

Luckily, help is on the way thanks to the Chamber of Commerce’s innovative mentoring program—partnering successful Atlas Beach business owners with some of the newer start-ups. Too bad the mentor assigned to her is the delectable—and highly annoying—Tino DiLuca.

 

Tino knows exactly what’s been hurting Carly’s business and—exactly how to fix it. But his number one solution, changing the name of her signature sandwich, is the one thing she’s not prepared to do.

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/boaKv1

Funnel of Love
Games We Play, Book 5

Rocco DiLuca, owner of DiLuca’s Italian Bakery, is not a happy camper. He’s just found out that his baby sister is getting married—to his former best friend—and he's not invited. But that's not even the worst part. They’ve hired someone else to make their wedding cake! 

Stephanie Sands thinks the Chamber of Commerce’s mentorship program is a great idea! She’s not ashamed to admit that her boutique bakery, Sugar Kink, isn't quite making it. Yet. But the mentor she's been assigned, Rocky D, isn’t just traditional, he’s positively medieval. It’s no wonder his sister wants nothing to do with him! 

Can the two bakers put aside their differences (and the insane attraction they feel for each other) and learn to work together? Or will their dreams fall as flat as a failed souffle? 

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mvoerj

Romance Writers Weekly ~ A Writer's Beginning ~ #LoveChatWrite

The topic for this week's Romance Writer's Weekly blog hop is, "When did you start to write and why?"

The answer depends on what you mean by "start". Like most writers I know, I've been making up poems and stories and song lyrics for as long as I can remember. But I remember exactly when and why I started writing the story that would become my first published book. So let's go with that.

My kids were in elementary school when it occurred to me that they didn't think of me as a writer. It's how I thought of myself, and I had documentary scripts and PSAs, poems, two years as a columnist for a photography magazine, and one published short story, to back up my claim. But most of that had been before their time. So I began writing Scent of the Roses.

It wasn't the first time I started a novel, but now I had a reason to finish it. Once it was done, I started another, just to see if I could do it again. My family was less than thrilled, at that point. One book was a nice thing that Mommy was doing. TWO BOOKS, on the other hand, meant more work and less attention for everyone else. I think I was on book four before it occurred to me that I could probably keep writing--and finishing--books for as long as I wanted to. 

Honestly, at this point, I don't know what else I'd do with myself. So, I guess I'll just keep going.

Now hop over to Leslie Hachtel's page and learn about how she got started writing. And be sure to check out her book, Bound to Morocco, Book One in the Morocco series.

Abandoned and alone on a ship, Lady Shera must find a way back to England. She gets assistance from an unlikely source: the man who kidnapped her. When their partnership turns to love, the two must face constant danger to endure. But will they ever be free?

Buy it here: https://amzn.to/3T1YvBl

The Oberon series was my first published series. I got the rights to it back a few years ago, and had planned on releasing it then, but I was dismayed by how dated some of it seemed. I spent some time trying to determine how much work (and money) it would take to bring it up to date, and decided: Too Much. Plus, with so many people who've written me over the years saying they loved the series...I didn't want to re-write TOO MUCH and spoil those memories.

Soooo...I will be releasing them (starting next year) in a special 20th year anniversary edition, complete with annotations by the author. It's going to be so much fun to revisit all my old haunts. And, who knows, maybe I'll finally get the inspiration I need to finish all the unfinished Oberon novellas and Christmas stories that live on my computer's backup drive?

In the meantime, you can get a taste of Oberon for FREE when you sign up for my newsletter.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/5xxljdbblb

Love wasn't always strawberries and cream for Lucy and Dan Cavanaugh...or was it? In this Oberon prequel, we travel back in time to see how it all began. 

​

Most of the material in this prequel novella (set some eighteen years before the series begins) also appears as flashback scenes in A Taste of Honey.

There are more freebies and goodies on the Oberon Series Page of my website. Click here for info:  https://www.pgforte.com/the-oberon-series​

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Favorite Summer Recipes ~ #LoveChatWrrite

Happy hop day! This week we're asked to "Share your favorite recipe for hot summer days. It can be a drink, a dessert, a meal...anything!"

Well, as it happens, I've already blogged about this subject, and I see no reason to change my opinion, so I'm re-blogging it today. 

For me, nothing says summer quite like lavender, so today I'm going to share a couple of my favorite lavender themed recipes, lavender shortbread and lavender lemonade. Together they make up a perfect snack to enjoy while sitting outside, enjoying the summer sunshine and, of course, a good book!

 

Lavender Shortbread

 

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

2/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lavender

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

 

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the lavender, mint and lemon zest. Combine the flour, cornstarch and salt; mix into the batter until well blended. Divide dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten to about 1inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, about 1hour.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Cookie stamps will work well on these too. Place on cookie sheets.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, just until cookies begin to brown at the edges. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

 

 

Amy's Lavender Lemonade

 

Ingredients

1 tray ice cubes

1/4 cup dried lavender

2 cups boiling water

3/4 cup white sugar

8 lemons

5 cups cold water, or as needed

Directions

 

Place ice cubes into a 2 quart pitcher. Place the lavender into a bowl, and pour boiling water over it. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes, then strain out the lavender and discard. Mix the sugar into the hot lavender water, then pour into the pitcher with the ice.

Squeeze the juice from the lemons into the pitcher, getting as much juice as you can. Top off the pitcher with cold water, and stir. Taste, and adjust lemon juice or sugar if desired. Pour into tall glasses, pull up a lawn chair and a good book, and relax!

Now hop on over to Jenna Da Sie's page for another great summer recipe.

I've just re-released my LA Love Lessons trilogy with all new covers. The spin-off/crossover novella, Going to the Chapel got an cover update as well. This is all in advance of November's release of Christmasing With You (a Christmas sequel to Let Me Count the Ways) which will release as part of the Let's Get Naughty anthology. 

An aspiring actress searches for her leading man; an amnesiac heiress seeks clues to her true identity; and a tarnished movie star finds love and acceptance in the last place she ever expected. Love like this could only happen in LA.

https://www.pgforte.com/la-love-stories

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08PKZJGTR

Available for Pre-order--Now for only .99 cents! 

https://books2read.com/letsgetnaughty

If you think it's too soon to get on Santa's naughty list...think again.

Cancel your plans and spend this holiday season with 26 romance authors who have teamed up to bring you a delicious holiday treat.

This collection will have it all: fake relationships, second chances, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, workplace romance, age gap, CEO’s, bikers, and falling for the best friend’s brother.

Each of the authors will have an unforgettable, steamy story. So come on over, grab a blanket, and get started on finding your next favorite author today.

Let’s Get Naughty is the perfect anthology for you to binge this holiday season.

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Earliest Memories ~ #LoveChatWrite

 This week on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked to describe our earliest memory...

Well, there are a couple of contenders, since it's hard for me to judge exactly how old I was in any of them...or whether they actually occurred. Did I really astrally project during nap time in order to retrieve a forgotten toy? It's impossible to say. I'm more confident in the memory of riding my tricycle while my grandmother watched. 

If I try really hard, I can bring back the scents of the day--the damp bricks of the patio, the green moss that grew between them. I can feel the sun on my skin, the cool breeze. 

Mostly, of course, I remember my grandmother who moved in to help take care of me when I was a newborn, and never left. She came from Ireland (on her own at the age of thirteen--which is its own, very interesting story). But memory is a funny thing. I never heard a hint of an accent when my grandmother spoke until years after her death when I heard a recording and realized it had been there all along. 

This week I'm promoting two books set in the Ireland of my grandmother's childhood--with the addition of magic, of course. Because shape-shifters, demi-gods and faery princesses make every story better!

Now, hop on over to Andie Fenichel's page to learn about her earliest memories. And don't forget to check out her book, Summer Lane: 

Summer Lane

Georgia

It’s a terrible idea to accept a date with the guy I found passed out on my porch, but there’s something about Drew Hill that I can’t resist. I’ve been working as the outdoor activities director at Mountain Ridge Resort for a couple of years and have never been tempted to date a guest. I’ve steered clear of getting involved with anyone. I don’t like to let the grass grow under my feet. I move around. I like it that way. Don’t I?

No one has ever looked at me the way Drew does. As terrified as I am, my Lane family instincts tell me to roll with it. Besides, he’ll be gone in a week. Maybe a few days of heaven are worth a broken heart.

Drew

The last thing I need is to get involved in a serious relationship. Family history taught me counting on anyone will just get you burned and leave you broken. It’s not as if I made a good impression on the stunning Georgia Lane. I got drunk, lost my way, and passed out on her porch. Not my finest moment. Instead of rolling me down the hill, as she should have, she took care of me. She might be the kindest person I’ve ever known. I tell myself to walk away, enjoy my guys' golf week with my friends, and go home unshackled. Still… I'm not ready to walk away from her. One date can't amount to anything. Can it?

Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Lane-Mountain-Ridge-Resort-ebook/dp/B09ZJ9RT91

IRON

Nineteenth century Ireland. Blacksmith Gavin O'Malley is a bitter man, with a heart as hard as the iron he forges. He wants his life back--the one that was stolen from him the day his wife died in childbirth--taking their firstborn son with her. 

When Aislinn Deirbhile, an immortal, shape-shifting fae, arrives on his doorstep, he knows he's in luck. For Aislinn can give Gavin everything he's been missing: A devoted-seeming wife in the image of his beloved Mairead, and children who are sure to outlive their father. Now, all he has to do is find a way to keep her--without losing his immortal soul in the process. 

But Aislinn has an agenda of her own. On the run from a vengeful fae lord who's vowed to either make her his or end her existence, she knows the iron that allows Gavin to take her captive will also keep her pursuers at bay. In order to put herself permanently beyond her enemy's reach, however, Aislinn will need something more. She'll need to win Gavin's heart and convince him to willingly part with a piece of the very soul he's trying to save.

BUY LINKS

OAK

This title was previously published as The Oak King.

Twice each year, Aine Murphy ventures into the woods to hold ceremonies to honor the Oak King and the Holly King, never dreaming these Lords of the Forest could be anything more than myth. When the legends spring to life in front of her, how can she help but fall for the sexy demi-gods she's loved all her life? 

From midwinter to midsummer, Fionn O'Dair rules the Greenworld as the Oak King--a role he feels is beyond his abilities, and one that dooms him to a loveless future, forever craving the one man he can never allow himself to have. How can he resist what Aine offers--the sweet devotion that soothes his aching soul, and the slim chance to live a "normal" life as her husband, if only for half a year? 

Holly King Kieran Mac Cuilenn never desired a human lover--until now. Seeing Fionn and Aine together fills him with longing for the love he threw away and awakens feelings he thought he'd buried with the last Oak King. Is there enough magic in the solstice to correct the mistakes he made years ago? Or is he doomed to be forever left out in the cold?

BUY LINKS

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Swoon-Worthy Heroes ~ #LoveChatWrite

 

This week on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we address the all-important topic of heroes! "What's the recipe for a great hero in your opinion? What character traits to you spin together to create swoon-worthy heroes?"

Well...speaking only for myself, of course, but I love me some flawed heroes. In stories, that is. IRL, I think they'd get old real quick. I think it's a real short hop from flawed to toxic and abusive, and nobody's got time for that!

But in fiction, OTOH, give me your cranky, your jaded, your wounded heroes yearning to break free of the wretched refuse of their pasts and learn to love again...

I don't know about lamps or golden doors, but I got a few heroines (and a couple of heroes, too) who'd be happy to welcome those guys through their bedroom doors, once they've cleaned up their acts a bit.

Because, the hero's journey, isn't that the whole point of fiction? To take flawed heroes and--not change them, no--but to redeem them (if necessary) and allow them to grow.

Take the hero of my latest release, Funnel of Love (info below), Rocky DiLuca. Rocky starts off gruff and close minded with a chip on his shoulder, very set in his ways. By the end of the book, however, he's changed his mind about a lot of things, learned to hope that a better future for himself is possible, and broadened a lot of his horizons. 

That's the best part of writing, as far as I'm concerned.

Now, hop over to author Leslie Hachtel's page and learn more about her heroes. And be sure and check out her book, Stay With Me. 

Evelyn Smith, a nurse, has just escaped from an abusive husband and bought a small cottage in Florida. It is in shambles and the previous owner, the handsome Donovan Hawkins, feels guilty and offers to help with repairs. Evelyn slowly begins to trust again and even love.

Evelyn discovers there is something about the house itself that feels welcoming. Through conversations, she finds that another woman in a similar situation lived there during the Civil War.

The woman from the past was Rebecca Faber, a healer who stumbles on a Yankee soldier who had been injured in a battle. Taking care of him leads to love, but he must flee before he is captured.

Rebecca is forced to marry a terrible man who has killed her father. She is even made to leave her beloved dog behind. Even running away from him doesn’t protect her.

Parallel lives, more than a century apart, unite these woman as they navigate danger and must take risks to survive. And find true love.

Purchase here: https://amzn.to/3cuIJOh

Funnel of Love

Games We Play, Book Five
by PG Forte
Paranormal/Erotic Romance
55K

Special Introductory price: only 99 cents

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/mvoerj

Will Atlas Beach be big enough for both of them?

 

Baker Rocco DiLuca is not a happy camper. He’s just found out that his baby sister is getting married—to his former best friend—and he's not invited. But that's not even the worst part. They’ve hired someone else to make their wedding cake!

 

He knew he and Kristy hadn't exactly been speaking to each other, but he hadn't realized they Weren’t Speaking to each other! Now he has to figure out how to repair their family feud, or forever keep his distance. Unfortunately, his best hope for success is the woman he considers his competition.

 

Stephanie Sands thinks the Chamber of Commerce’s mentorship program is a great idea! She’s not ashamed to admit that her boutique bakery, Sugar Kink, isn't quite making it. Yet. But the mentor she's been assigned, Rocky D, isn’t just traditional, he’s positively medieval. It’s no wonder his sister wants nothing to do with him!

 

Can they put aside their differences (and the insane attraction they feel) to help each other out? Or will their dreams fall as flat as a failed souffle?