This Week's Free Read: Let Me Count the Ways

So...I saw this cute video about a cockatoo (see below) and it reminded me of the parrot in Let Me Count the Ways, which was such a fun book to write, and that was all it took for me to decide that this would be my free book of the week.  Well, that and the fact that I'll be raising the prices on a lot of my books this week--particularly the novellas, including this one. Basically, anything that's currently 1.99 will be either 2.99 or 3.99 (depending on word count) starting sometime soon (whenever I get around to it, it's a busy time of year). And many of my longer books may go up as well. Everything but the Carina and Entangled books, because I don't control the prices of those. Unless I decide to get my rights back and republish them myself--always a possibility. 

Up until now, I've tried to keep my prices low because I sympathize with people who read a lot and don't have a lot of money to spend on books. I mean, I am one of those people, after all. But libraries exist for a reason. And I've had enough people tell me that readers don't buy inexpensive books because they think they mustn't be very good that I've started to think that I might have been making a critical miscalculation all along. I mean, personally, I don't understand that logic, but I do realize that other people might see things differently And I do believe in math, so I have to believe that the people who've run the numbers--and who insist that higher priced books sell better--know what they're talking about. 

Life's weird right now, anyway; logic doesn't seem to enter into much of anything, anymore. And since I'm once again at the "either start selling more books, or stop writing altogether," point, I figure I'll give it a try.  

So...TL/DR: this book can be picked up for free at the link below (this week only) and if you want to pick up some bargains, check out any of the online vendors for the rest of this series and the first three Games We Play books--because those are all definitely going up in the very near future. 

Let Me Count The Ways

LA Love Lessons 3.0

She's thinking fling, he's thinking forever.

Sexy former film star Claire Calhoun is used to having her pick of studly young men. Now that she and Derek have called it quits, however, the actress-turned-entrepreneur is feeling vulnerable. After one mojito too many at a party one night, she decides it would be fun to try something new-in this case, Mike Sherman, her staid accountant and long-time fan.

Claire has been Mike's fantasy since the first time he saw her bare it all for the camera. Now that she's in his bed he'll do whatever's necessary to keep her there. But he's not a stalker, right? He's just a devoted fan.

NEW: look for a new Christmas story featuring Mike and Claire available this Christmas:  Click here to learn more.

https://BookHip.com/ZRDADJT

Musical Monday: A Million Dreams (Pink)

  

All right, I know I said that Rewrite the Stars was going to be THE song for Clay and Allegra to dance to, but this was a serious contender. At the very least, it's going on the playlist!

Musical Monday: America (Jack and Daisy)

  I've always loved Simon and Garfunkel but I have to admit that this is a sensational cover of one of my favorite of their songs. It's the New Jersey Turnpike reference. And I'm feeling intensely political this year (in case you haven't noticed) so...there will probably be more songs like this showing up in here. Sorry, not sorry.

  

This Week's Free Read: Being Mom (A Collection of Poems About Motherhood)

Just in time for Mothers Day

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/6aihh96he3

Wine Wednesday: Sirin Sonoma Valley 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

So, we know I like wine. But my favorite thing is pouring a glass of a really good California red wine--usually a Cab or a Zin--and taking that first sniff, that first taste. It transports me back to happier times. My love affair with California reds dates back to my first trip to California, when I was a newlywed. We camped in Marin, just outside San Francisco--I'm pretty sure it was Mt. Tamalpais State Park. There was an older couple (probably younger than I am now) in a camper set up in the site directly across from us, who invited us over for grilled oysters and wine. My husband doesn't like either one (well, he's learning to. slowly.) but I was in pig heaven. It was a magical night. Later, it started to rain, our tent flooded, we left before dawn, and all of our gear stayed wet for days. 

But this wine--with its deep purple color, its soft tannins, the notes of cedar, violets, and crushed blackberries on the nose, with its bold mouthfeel, the hints of toasted oak, the lingering taste of raspberry and cocoa--brings it all back. It tastes like night in a redwood forest--dark and earthy and smoky and herbaceous. 

I'd pair it with grilled oysters, if I had them. Since I don't, I'm enjoying it by itself. 

This Week's Free Read! A Taste of Honey

So, last Friday was Bealtaine--one of the cross-quarter holidays that fall between the equinoxes and solstices. Bealtaine celebrations are all about fertility, marriage, growth, abundance, etc. And I was surprised by how many of the people I mentioned it to had never heard of it. 

But then again, I'd grown up with the soundtrack from Camelot playing in the background (basically on repeat) ALL. THE. TIME. Or at least that's how it felt. Not that I'm complaining. The music is great, and the lyrics--chef's kiss!

I do love it when song lyrics are clever, grammatical, AND they make sense. 

Anyway, in honor of the holiday, I'm making my Bealtaine-set Oberon book (A Taste of Honey) free for a limited time. 

It's always been one of my favorites.  Grab it while you can!

A Taste of Honey

Oberon, Book 4.0

For Lucy Greco Cavanaugh, life is a dream come true.  She has it all. The perfect family. The perfect husband. The perfect marriage. What more could she wish for?  Other than the chance to do it all again. To experience once more the agony and ecstasy of falling in love with the man of her dreams. To recapture the joy and uncertainty that comes with starting over.

As far as Dan Cavanaugh is concerned, his life has become a nightmare. His storybook marriage is on the line when Deirdre Shelton-Cooper, the runaway daughter of a former girlfriend arrives in Oberon intent on proving Dan is her father. Even though he's convinced the girl's claims are false, Dan decides his only chance to keep from losing everything lies in keeping her very existence a secret from his wife and family.

But, sometimes, what you don't know can hurt you--and those you love. When Deirdre, masquerading as a surfer girl named Monica, accidentally hooks up with their son, Seth, Lucy and Dan are left to wonder: has their perfect, fairy-tale romance, turned into a classic Greek tragedy?

Sometimes you get exactly what you wish for.  And it's more than you'd ever dreamed.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/2srbtprmkt

Musical Monday: You Gotta Be Tough to Grow Old (Delta King's Blues)

  Okay, I gotta admit I love this song. I may have had it on repeat for a while. Yeah, that's pretty much all I have to say. It's a vibe.