Musical Monday: Smoke 2 Joints (Sublime)

   

It's 420. Of course I was going to post something like this. Stay blazing. 

This Week's Featured Read: The Name Game

So...this book has a bit of an interesting background. Ever since I'd introduced Kristi DiLuca in the second Games We Play book, Never Have I Ever, I'd known that someday I'd want to write her brothers' stories. But other than the fact that they're family ran the best bakery in Atlas Beach, I knew next to nothing about them. Then author Tiffany Carby put out a call for books involving sandwiches.

Coming from New Jersey--a state with its own, iconic sandwich--I knew I had to get involved. And, wouldn't you know it? I just happened to have a New Jersey based series already in the works. The title practically wrote itself. Because I wanted it to be game related and the Taylor Ham vs Taylor Pork Roll name dispute has raged up and down and across the state for a hundred and twenty years.

Because if there's one thing Jerseyites can't help but fight over, it's food. 

The Name Game

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 her sandwich shop-slash-food-truck, The Lunch Box, is 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 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.

https://books2read.com/The-Name-Game

Musical Monday: Whatever Gets You Through the Night (John Lennon & Elton John

    

I'd never seen this version before, but I kind of love it. I mean...vocally, it's rough and a little fast (?) but the energy and the HAIR are fire! The multiplicity of cuts to Yoko was an interesting editing choice.  

Wine Wednesday: Decoy 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

So Decoy is put out by Duckhorn and I talked about Duckhorn's 2021 Cab recently. Decoy is a little more affordable, but also quite good.   

This has a lighter feel than the Duckhorn. There's a lot of black fruit--cherry, black raspberry, etc.--on the nose, along with hints of toasted oak and California chapparal. It's an easy drinking wine with mild, silky tannins and a creamy mouth feel. I enjoyed this with pizza

Musical Monday: Sweet Child O Mine (Piano and Cello cover by The Piano Guys)

 

So, I know I said that Clay and his mom would be dancing to Wind Beneath my Wings, but I might have to change that, because this would be pretty sweet as well. Currently, I'm trying to convince one of the other POUR DECISIONS authors to choose it for their groom. 

Guess you'll have to wait a couple of months to see how that played out. lol!

This Week's FREE Read: Giada Mazzi is Living her Best Life

So...I probably should have made this book free LAST week, to coincide with Trans Day of Awareness, but this year has already gotten away from me. So it's free through Wednesday of this week--run and get it! 

I'm enormously proud of this book, but it's been out for about a year now and I don't think anyone's read it. Thanks in part--I can only assume--to the one crappy review it got from someone who didn't bother to read past the first chapter. 

And don't get me wrong--if you don't like a book, by all means write an honest review. But maybe at least be accurate and/or give a character arc a chance to, you know, arc a little bit? 

Mostly I'm disappointed for Giaza's sake. I've been in love with her since her first appearance in The Name Game. And I really think that she deserves a chance to shine a little bit, so I'm making the book free from April 4th through the 8th. 

If you love it, we'd love to hear about it! If you don't, well we're both big girls, we can handle that, too. But maybe give Giada and Ben a chance before you decide you hate them. I try and make my characters realistic, which means that sometimes they make mistakes out of the gate, sometimes there's a bit of a learning curve, sometimes the "course of true love" doesn't always run smooth.  

Giada Mazzi is Living her Best Life

Games We Play 7.0

Life is more than just the lies we try and tell ourselves about what we’ve done and who we are.

 I guess the truth is that I never stopped loving Ben. And I never stopped imagining how different my life might have been if he were only the person I needed him to be, instead of the person that he is. Which is silly, right? I mean, truly; it’s laughable. Because if he were someone else, he wouldn’t be him.  And the world is already full of people like that. What good is one more gonna do me?

Besides, if I’m honest, Ben wasn’t ever the problem. That was me. I was never the person he believed me to be. Oh, I thought I was, in the beginning. I tried hard to be, and that worked for a while. Sort of. But eventually I reached the point where I had to make a choice between living life for myself, or for everyone else.

And when it came right down to that…how could I not choose me?

https://books2read.com/GiadaMazzi

Musical Monday: War (Edwin Starr)

  

Yeah, this is another one that needs no explanation. And requires no notes. F*ck everyone who's brought us to this place yet again. 

Wine Wednesday: Tenuta di Gambini 2023 Primitivo Rosé

 So, the Primitivo grape is the Italian version of Zinfandel. Which makes it a dicey choice for Rosé since there's so much really bad white Zinfandels. In fact, I used to have a wine-dyed T-shirt from Crazy Shirts that claimed, "Friends Don't Let Friends Drink White Zinfandel". Which was a play on the slogan, "Friends don't let friends drive drunk," which--IYKYK--tells you how long ago THAT was. 

Hint: I believe I was writing Scent of the Roses, at the time. But I digress...

This was quite a nice wine made in the Italian style from grapes grown in the Texas High Plains. It's a young wine (as Rosé tends to be). And it was a very pretty salmon color, but oddly cloudy. It actually looked like a Pét-Nat wine, to be honest. 

There were notes of burnt orange, fresh berry, and caramel on the nose. I tasted cantaloupe, strawberry and dried wild blueberry...which makes it sound sweet, which it was not! Lots of minerality, though. Not a bad thing. 

I enjoyed this at the Texas Hill Country Olive Company Bistro along with a lovely salad and a chicken caprese sandwich. I think they paired very nicely. 

This Week's Featured Read: Dream Under the Hill

So...this book ended up being really dark. Every romance book has a black moment where everything appears to be going wrong. This entire book is the black moment for the series. And to make things worse--it's really long. But it ties up most of the loose threads from the entire series in what I think is a very satisfactory manner. 

Yes, there are a few threads left for book nine, but there would have to be, wouldn't there?

It's set around the Spring Equinox, which is why I've chosen to feature it this week. And Cara turned out to be one of the most compelling characters in the entire series--at least in my opinion. 

Dream Under The Hill

Oberon Book 8.0

The Spring Equinox falls in the month that nearly all Native Traditions recognize as being one of Big Winds--big changes.  And big changes have certainly come to Oberon this spring, along with an ancient evil that must finally be laid to rest.

Cara Matthews is a girl with a troubled past and a very troubling present.  The teenage girlfriend of Oberon's newest guru has always looked for love in all the worst places.  And it doesn't get much worse than the Church of Truth, Light and Vision.

Former cop Liam McKnight could have told her that, but he's infiltrated the cult in hopes of discovering some clue to the whereabouts of his missing family members, and he can't jeopardize his mission--not even for love.

In a month marked by birth, death and marriage, the inhabitants of Oberon must all come to terms with what's really important to each of them--important enough to die for. Only one thing is certain; when the winds of change finally stop blowing nothing, and no one, will be the same.

Musical Monday: We Will Rebuild (The Resistance)

 

Well, this one probably doesn't need an explanation. But, in case you're not aware, this coming Saturday's No Kings III day. If you don't already know about events in your area, check out the websites on the poster below. Hope to see you there!

Wine Wednesday: Grape Creek 2022 Petite Sirah

 

So I've been drinking so many blends lately that it was nice to try this Petite Sirah (which is actually 4% Rubired--more about that later). According to Grape Creek's website, this wine is a dense purple "with a touch of garnet." It's not. It's garnet through and through. 

The nose is pleasant. I've had a few wines lately that seemed to have no aroma at all. This is nice--blackberry, cocoa, a hint of espresso, the barest whisper of toasted oak. All as advertised on the website. 

Lest you think I'm just copying from what's online--oh, I'm not. The website refers to this as, "the most moody and melancholy of red wines." And yeah, I don't even know what that means. 

Even if I did know what it means, I wouldn't apply it to this wine, which has a jammy, lively, fruit forward quality, hints of almond, a moderate amount of tannins. And yes, a silky mouthfeel, as well.  

I'd like to pair this wine with something smoky but not too heavy. A charcuterie plate, perhaps. Or maybe a pasta dish--mushroom and pancetta, pasta carbonara, butternut squash ravioli in a smoked gouda cream sauce. Or anything along those lines. The website mentions beef or venison stew, but I can't see that, at all.

So Rubired is a hybrid of two Portuguese grapes, Tinto Cao and Alicante Ganzin. It's only been around since the late 1958 and I think it's mostly used in blends, cheap rosé and grape juice. It originated in California, where I guess it's still mostly grown. I did read somewhere that it had been tried in Australia, but it wasn't very successful. Mostly, it's notorious for being utilized in something called Mega Purple, which is a concentrate used to enhance flavor and color in wines. I think Mega Purple might have been referenced (unfavorably) in one of the POUR DECISIONS books. 

This Week's Free Read

Fun fact: This story originally had the title, The Irish Goodbye. When you read it, you'll understand why. But once I settled on the GAMES WE PLAY series title, all the books got game-themed names, which worked out much better and made this one of my favorite series to write. 

Book One, Truth or Dare was a story I'd been wanting to write for a long, long time. Book Two, Never Have I Ever is probably the most polarizing story I've written--people either love it or absolutely hate it. Two Truths and a Lie is the perfect end to the trilogy, pulling all the threads together...okay, the bouncing back and forth between time periods gets a little confusing, not to mention all the fake names, but overall, I loved the characters and their interaction. 

And it paves the way for all the sequels! I'm up to four right now, with at least one more to go.

Anyway, this freebie will Irish Goodbye on Friday, so get it while you can!

Two Truths and a Lie

Book 3 in the Games We Play series

All work and no play has been the story of Brenda Donovan's life these past few months. Her concern about the future of her family's inn has her tied up in knots—and not in a good way. Between searching for a buyer for the business, and keeping secrets from her cousins, she's had no time to pursue an actual relationship. But pretending to date sexy Max Murphy, the hotel scout who's there to assess the property? That's totally doable. Especially when games, role-playing, and light bondage are included in the package. Falling in love was never supposed to be part of their deal; but now her heart's in play and all bets are off.  

Max has no problem with hiding his true identity from Brenda's cousins. If that's the way she wants to play it, he's all in. But are Luke and Gwyn the only ones he's deceiving?  

It's game, set, and match this time around. And when all the scores have been tallied, and everyone's secrets are finally revealed, will the cousins lose the Wild Geese Inn? 

https://tinyurl.com/2Truths26

Musical Monday: Because You Loved Me (cover by Matt Bloyd)

 

Okay, so here's a small spoiler, although I guess it shouldn't be. Clay's mom will be at his wedding (along with several other members of his family. Shocking, I know!) and I think this song would be perfect for them to dance to. 

Wine Wednesday: 2024 Valravn Chardonnay

 

As I mentioned last week, I got to enjoy some different wines on my birthday--and the days surrounding it. I enjoyed this Chardonnay at dinner with some amazing potato leek soup. This is a medium pale straw color. The nose is bright and citrusy with notes of apricot and honeydew. The flavor is buttery and dry with hints of dried pineapple and toasted meringue. 

I think this wine would also pair well with roast chicken or quiche. 

Valravn is a small Sonoma winery. It's only been around for ten or so years. Its winemaker is a Napa native--and obviously, I love that! You can read more about it here: https://www.valravnwine.com/

Romance Writers Weekly ~Do Your Characters Surprise You? ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop we're asked, “Do your characters ever surprise you? Talk about plots you have fallen into by luck.”

OMG, do they ever! All the bloody time. I think the most egregious example is still Cara Matthews from the Oberon series. Cara first appears in book four. She's the ex-girlfriend of the hero and heroine's son--obviously a very minor character. IIRC, she's in all of one scene. 

She resurfaced briefly in book five as an example of her ex, Seth, falling back into bad company, and then assumes a bigger role (albeit still a supporting one) in book seven.

Book four was supposed to have been the end of it. Book seven absolutely should have been. In fact, I wrote a perfectly lovely scene where she and Seth (who were never destined to end up together) finally resolve their issues and part company.

And then...

The villain of book eight made an unscheduled appearance at the end of book seven. He took one look at Cara and decided on the spot that he wanted her as the heroine of "his" book. In hindsight, that was actually a good idea. However, as a result, book eight blew up into a huge, ungodly mess and I had to shoehorn Cara and Liam back into book nine in order to give them their HEA. Which, apparently, wasn't as EA as some readers wanted, so I brought them back yet again for a sequel novella, Sea Change. 

I was going to offer the Halloween novella, Hungry Heart, for free this week, because it has a forward penned by the aforesaid villain but the book is available through Kindle Unlimited, which means I can't give it away anywhere else. So I made the Forward available as an excerpt. You can read that here: 

https://www.PGForte.com/excerpt-forward-from-hungry-heart

Enjoy! And now, hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page now to learn about how her characters have surprised her. And don't forget to check out her book, Come Back to Me

Come Back to Me

What would you do if you could go back in time to find your soulmate? For Skye Blaine, the answer is clear: she would do whatever it takes to be with the one she loves. Follow her as she travels through time in search of her heart's desire, finding that the path to true love is never easy, but always worth it. Will she find her happy ending? This page-turning story of love, sacrifice, and courage is sure to captivate and inspire. Don't miss out on this unforgettable journey through time!

https://amzn.to/3thW8BR

The Celtic Legends Series

Steamy Historic Romantasy set in 19th century Ireland

 IRON

 When an immortal, shape-shifting fae, arrives on his doorstep, Gavin O’Malley knows he's in luck. Aislinn Deirbhile can give him 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. And all he has to do is find a way to keep her—without losing his immortal soul in the process. 

OAK

 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?

https://www.PGForte.com/celtic-legends

Musical Monday: The 'I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die' Rag (Country Joe and the Fish)

Well, I had a different song planned for today, but then Joe McDonald died. And honestly, given the state of the world, this probably fits better. I learned the words to this song on the playground of my elementary school. Yes, I am that old. 

Wine Wednesday: Duckhorn 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

 

So this is one of the wines I received for my birthday. It has a nice nose--blueberry compote, spiced fruits and hints of violet and cedar wood. It's a DARK burgundy color, medium tannins, not much in the way of legs. The taste is lush, with a lingering, peppery finish. It tastes of cocoa, currant and tart cherry. 

It's very good, but yet again, here's a wine that I'd rather drink on its own than pair with food. If I had to pick a meal to eat with it, I honestly think I'd go with a really good, char-broiled burger with goat cheese and bacon jam. 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ How to Warm Up ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop the question we're asked is, “It's still cold. How do you warm up?”

Well, to be honest, it's not all that cold here, at the moment, but we did have a pretty intense cold spell a few weeks ago and mostly I just stayed inside. 

I coped with the cold by making soup, taking hot baths, and baking. Nothing warms you up like a cup of tea and a slice of Irish Soda Bread fresh from the oven. I curled up under my electric blanket and read. And I exercised. I have a stationary bike and a rebounder--they saw some action. I guess I could have indulged in some hot yoga, as well, but that would have required leaving the house. 

 Anyway, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page now to find out how she keeps warm. And don't forget to check out her book, Montana Pines Spring Forward: Time Moves On!

Montana Pines Spring Forward: 

Time Moves On

A heartwarming romance that will leave you cheering for love to conquer all obstacles.

What Colby Harte didn’t ask for at Christmas was his wife to empty their bank accounts and leave him and his eight-year-old daughter, Emma, a few days before the holiday. At a loss as to how to move on, he takes a new teaching job in the tiny Montana mountain town of Pine Meadows. A new start may be just what they need.

Cheyenne Wilde loves her job at the Pine Meadows Resort in her hometown. The trouble is she’s just turned thirty and can feel her biological clock ticking away. She’s never met a man who made her want to settle down. That all changes when Colby Harte walks into her bar.

When their friendship, built on her desire to help Colby and his daughter adjust to a new environment, begins to turn into something more, the fact that he’s still not technically divorced looms over both of them. Can either of them feel safe acting on the passion that flares between them? Just when they decide to take a chance, the return of Colby’s missing wife threatens to bring it all crashing down. But sometimes love wins.

FIND YOUR HOME IN PINE MEADOWS, MONTANA WHERE EVERYONE FEELS LIKE FAMILY.

https://www.amazon.com/Montana-Pines-Spring-Forward-moves-ebook/dp/B0C4K

FREE DOWNLOAD

I'm celebrating my birthday by making Waiting for The Big One free this week. 

Get it while you can!

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.

Musical Monday: Rewrite the Stars (Zac Efron and Zendaya)

  

Okay. I think this might be it. Forget the other options. This is the perfect first dance song for Allegra and Clay. Even more perfect than Perfect--lol--because I love it too. 

I don't even have to be a Bridezilla to think it should all be about ME. lol! 

I mean, yes, it will have to be an instrumental version, because it really doesn't work on a lyrical level. But maybe that's a me problem more than a Clagra problem. (It's gotta be Clagra, right? Because the other option would be Allay and I just can't see that working.) 

Romance Writers Weekly ~ Non-Writing Time ~ #LoveChatWrite

This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop we're asked, “When you are not writing, how do you spend your time?”

Oh, I like this. MOSTLY I spend a lot of time caring for my grandson or ferrying him to and from school. I also try and do an hour of yoga every day. I spend A LOT of time reading. Other than that, the majority of my time is spent hanging with my friends and family, cooking, shopping. Oh, and charging my car. I spend A LOT of time doing that. 

Ooh. One last thought. I also spend a lot of time creating graphics and coming up with (hopefully) cool giveaways, like the free download offer below. Please check it out, but then...

 Hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's page to find out how she spends her non-writing time. And don't forget to check out her book, Bound to Morocco!

Drugged and kidnapped, Lady Shera finds herself on a ship to Morocco to serve the Sultan. Abandoned and alone, Shera must find a way to escape and confront the people who betrayed her. She gets help from an unlikely source: the man who kidnapped her. They find they need each other. But when their partnership turns to love, the two must face constant danger to endure. But will they ever be free?

https://amzn.to/3FNnEKH

FREE DOWNLOAD

Year of the Rabbit (Urban Affairs)

It was the year of the rabbit, and someone had the brilliant idea to get a bunch of authors together and have them write rabbit-themed short stories in celebration of  the event. 

 Everyone who signed up to participate received a randomly generated set of three characters; three adjectives with which to describe said characters; a setting; an opening line; and a line of dialogue that had to be worked into the story somewhere. 

​My characters were Doc, a drunk veterinarian; Jim, an anxious bounty hunter; and Candy, a picky stripper. My setting was a Hollywood Premier party. And my line of dialogue was, “Why don’t you take off your shirt?”

​This was the result…

https://tinyurl.com/Yr-of-the-Rabbit