It's Spoony June!

It's June and there four fabulous new romances from 

Harlequin Romance

 or

 Cherish 

if you're in the UK.

Pick them up in paper... 

Or download them to your digital device of choice! 

Go!

Amazon US
Mills and Boon UK

Marking Time with a Broken Watch by Shirley Jump

Thanks so much for having me on the blog!! I was asked recently what influenced the writing of THE SWEETHEART RULES and the entire Sweetheart Sisters series, with their meddling grannies. People have asked if I had a grandma like Greta, the bourbon-swilling, matchmaking, sassy grandma who puts my hero and heroine together in the book. My grandma wasn’t Greta exactly, but she was unforgettable, and I think her spirit is in all the grandmas I create. I wrote an essay about her years ago (that got picked up by Chicken Soup, and Woman’s World) and I thought I’d share that with you today to show you the kind of influence I had as a little girl.

MARKING TIME     

I’m late. Again. My fancy digital watch, with an alarm and two built-in time zones, is losing twenty minutes a day. I’ve made three trips to the store this week and every time, forgot to buy a new battery. A mom on a constant schedule, I need an accurate timepiece, so I grab the only other watch I own, a delicate silver one my grandmother left me when she died.

            Nana’s watch is small, with a diamond-encircled face and a sliver of a band. It’s beautiful and petite, just like she was. I’ve always loved it, but rarely wear it. It’s the old-fashioned, battery-free kind that needs winding each night. For me, a person who has trouble remembering to feed the cats, wearing a watch requiring any degree of upkeep is a bad idea.

            The first few days I wear Nana’s watch, I keep forgetting to wind it and still end up late for everything. But by week’s end, its elfin face and ticking second hand are as familiar to me as the feel of Nana’s hand in mine when I was a child.

            Wearing the watch wraps me in memories of Nana. She used to take regular walks around the yard, just to see the loganberry trees in bloom. After dinner, she and Grandpa would walk me down to the 7-11 for a packet of M&M’s. We spent countless afternoons strolling downtown, window-shopping and dreaming of things to buy and adventures we’d have someday.

            Nana appreciated the value of time. Her son, Bobby, died when he was 8 in a tragic accident that left a measure of perpetual sadness reflected in Nana’s eyes. In 1976, Nana herself slipped through Death’s grasp when she had a brain tumor removed successfully. We celebrated the bicentennial of our country that year, cheering for the woman who was still here to sing silly songs and give advice on making potato salad.

            Nana refused to waste a second of the extra time granted to her. She taught me piano, asked about every school day, and waded with me through boxes of photographs and memories, trying to imprint legacies on an eleven-year-old girl who couldn’t know then that time would ever feel short.

            She laughed, she cried, she hugged, she kissed. She lived.

            Years later, when she passed away, Nana left me the watch. In the busy-ness of my life with a husband, two kids, two cats, a dog, a job and a house, I often forget to slow down and really see the little things around me. Bread is store bought, self-scrubbing bubbles clean bathrooms, and my car is a mobile office between soccer games and Brownie troop meetings.

            When Nana’s watch stopped one day -- because I’d forgotten to wind it again -- I was lost. The children and I were shopping, on our way to an appointment that seemed important at the time.

            I stopped in the middle of Wal-Mart and looked around for a clock, muttering to myself, annoyed. The children started whining about missing some show on TV. Spying an opportunity, my son darted across the aisle to a toy and my daughter headed for some books nearby. I had melting ice cream in the cart, cranky kids and someplace I had to be. I didn’t need another frustration.

            I tapped the watch with the futile hope that it would magically start again. When I did, a flash of memory slammed into me with the force of an electrical jolt. Nana, my mother, and I were strolling in the sunshine at a sidewalk sale. We bought a book for a dime, a drink from the soda fountain, and nothing else. Twenty-five years later, I still remember it as one of the best days of my life because every moment seemed to last forever.

            I realized I’d been letting schedules and errands swallow those mini-moments in my own life, ruled by the ticking of a clock that weighed heavy on my shoulders. I abandoned the cart and joined my kids, bending down to see the toys at their level. I marveled at the latest Buzz Lightyear and a colorful new Harry Potter book cover. Hand in hand, the kids and I ambled through the aisles, poking at this toy, pushing the buttons on that one, dreaming of Santa and birthdays and days to come. We wandered by the pet department, made friends with a hamster and chatted with a parrot.

            We arrived home much later, carrying a puddle of ice cream in the grocery bag, and one new goldfish. I’d missed my appointment, but it didn’t matter. After dinner, we explored our neighborhood on foot, hunting for squirrels and rabbits in the summer evening light. We fed the ducks at the pond, soared through the air on swings and played a rousing game of tag. When we returned home, we were exhausted but laughing. And we all had another happy memory to hang onto.

That night, while I turned the tiny knob to wind Nana’s watch, I realized why my grandmother had left me this particular piece of jewelry. Her legacy wasn’t a million-dollar home on a hill or a priceless art collection. Her gift was much simpler, one we often forget in our calendar-driven lives. She gave me the gift of time, wrapped up in a watch that needs daily attention, a continuous reminder that our days pass as fast as summer storms.

In its tiny silver face, I see Nana, and in the ticking of its second hand, I hear the running journey of my life. That’s when I turn off the phone, close the calendar and take the kids outside to greet the first daffodils of spring.

            Tell me, did you have a grandma like that? A special memento she shared with you?

If you like stories like this, please check out the next book in my Sweetheart Sisters series: THE SWEETHEART RULES (warning: shameless plug to follow):

The Sweetheart Sisters are ready to give some old-school lessons in love…

Rescue Bay veterinarian Diana Tuttle is a great single mom, but she has a harder time taking care of herself. Having been burned in the past by her son’s noncommittal father, the last thing she wants is a man who isn’t in it for the long haul—until a foolish one-night stand from her past walks back into her life.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Mike Stark has never wanted to settle down. But when his ex-wife leaves their two small children on his doorstep, he is forced to become a family man in a hurry. His return to Rescue Bay, Florida and fatherhood isn’t easy, but reconnecting with Diana makes the challenge all the more worthwhile. Except becoming the long-term lover she has in mind may be one commitment too many…

Luckily, when Diana’s and Mike’s pasts begin to threaten their future, the Sweetheart Sisters have the perfect scheme to make this second chance last a lifetime.

Buy it here or in a bookstore near you! And read an awesome review here, if you’re so inclined :-)

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway! Tell me, what’s your favorite spring recipe? Anything decadent? Or do you go healthy with that eek-it’s-almost-swimsuit-season attitude?

Shirley

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing romance and women's fiction to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners.

Look for her Sweet and Savory Romance series, including the USA Today bestselling book, THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, on Amazon and Nook, and the debut of her Sweetheart Club series for Berkley, starting with THE SWEETHEART BARGAIN in September 2013.

Visit her website at www.shirleyjump.com or read recipes and life adventures at www.eating-my-words.com.

 HERE ARE THE PRIZES!

Here's the Rafflecopter! You know what you have to do!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring Decadence: Salad Cancels Cupcakes, Right? :-) By Shirley Jump

Around Easter, almost every year, I have a little brunch with my friends. I like to pair something light with something decadent, which is where this combination came from. It’s the Diet Coke and fries theory—one cancels the other, right?

Years ago, I had come across a recipe for Insalata Rustica in Bon Appetit–on that page where people write in about their favorite place they ate at, and ask for the recipe. Long story short, the reviews were right. The Insalata Rustica was AWESOME. The only change I made was adding chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese (not the soft white kind, the firmer kind you buy in a hunk). I like cheese and I like cheese with my prosciutto. So I added extra. It’s a really good entertaining recipe, too. Looks GORGEOUS on the plate (my pic doesn’t do it justice) and is just the right combo of sweet and savory.

Now for my ALL TIME EVER FAVORITE CUPCAKES. And that’s saying a lot, given that I will drive an hour out of my way for a good chocolate or salted caramel cupcake. These are Ina Garten’s recipe (the Barefoot Contessa) and they are DIVINE.

These carrot cupcakes…I can’t even begin to say enough good about them. They were worth every step. Even the little decorative carrot shavings on top (which get cooked in maple syrup!) were worth it. If you like carrot cupcakes or carrot cake, you MUST try these. I know my picture there is a bit blurry, but that’s because I was in such a hurry to eat them

The review for the cupcakes on Better Homes and Gardens said that person had burning issues with their stove. I had no such trouble, so I wonder if it was their stove, or what. Mine turned out perfectly, with just the teeniest bit of crunchiness on top. Perfection. Link to the recipe here.

FYI, the recipe says it makes 22. I got 24 out of the batter, and had extra frosting leftover. Yeah, I know, real bummer on the frosting. Really had to force myself to eat it

I think I can pretend these are good breakfast foods. I mean, they have raisins and carrots in them. Cream cheese is a dairy. That’s good, right?

Hope your spring is awesome and wonderful! And if you’re looking for a decadent read, check out the next book in my Sweetheart Sisters series: THE SWEETHEART RULES (warning: shameless plug to follow):

The Sweetheart Sisters are ready to give some old-school lessons in love…

Rescue Bay veterinarian Diana Tuttle is a great single mom, but she has a harder time taking care of herself. Having been burned in the past by her son’s noncommittal father, the last thing she wants is a man who isn’t in it for the long haul—until a foolish one-night stand from her past walks back into her life.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Mike Stark has never wanted to settle down. But when his ex-wife leaves their two small children on his doorstep, he is forced to become a family man in a hurry. His return to Rescue Bay, Florida and fatherhood isn’t easy, but reconnecting with Diana makes the challenge all the more worthwhile. Except becoming the long-term lover she has in mind may be one commitment too many…

Luckily, when Diana’s and Mike’s pasts begin to threaten their future, the Sweetheart Sisters have the perfect scheme to make this second chance last a lifetime.

Buy it here or in a bookstore near you! And read an awesome review here, if you’re so inclined :-)

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway. Tell me, what’s your favorite spring recipe? Anything decadent? Or do you go healthy with that eek-it’s-almost-swimsuit-season attitude?

Shirley

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shirley Jump spends her days writing romance and women's fiction to feed her shoe addiction and avoid cleaning the toilets. She cleverly finds writing time by feeding her kids junk food, allowing them to dress in the clothes they find on the floor and encouraging the dogs to double as vacuum cleaners.

Look for her Sweet and Savory Romance series, including the USA Today bestselling book, THE BRIDE WORE CHOCOLATE, on Amazon and Nook, and the debut of her Sweetheart Club series for Berkley, starting with THE SWEETHEART BARGAIN in September 2013.

Here's the Rafflecopter! You know what you have to do!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit her website at www.shirleyjump.com or read recipes and life adventures at www.eating-my-words.com.

Monday Mash-Up...

Sorry to have been missing from my blog lately, but we've had a bit of medical drama and my attention has been elsewhere - all good now, but I've got words to catch up on so I've put together a mash-up of some interesting stuff, just to hold the fort. :)

First up, are any of you taking part in the the madness that is NaNoWriMo?  If so, then check out gifted writing teacher Shirley Jump's blog on survival -

"TEN TIPS FOR NaNoWriMo—AKA a month of insanity!

If you’re doing National Novel Writing Month and planning on writing 50,000 words before the end of November, I thought I’d share a few tips and encouragement.

1. HAVE A BASIC PLOT IN MIND BEFORE YOU START: It’s worth spending a few hours sketching out a plot. One of the best things you can do to keep yourself on track is to..."

Read on - http://www.chocolateboxwriters.com/ten-tips-for-nanowrimo-insanity/

Baking for Christmas? Trish Ashley's gorgeous Stained Glass Biscuits are totally gorgeous!

"Stained glass star biscuits are made with a spicy Christmas dough with a boiled sweet glass centre..."

Here's the recipe - 
http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/658513

Looking for a fabulously fun read? Here's a link to Smart Bitches Love Trashy Books review of Amy Andrews, Girl Least Likely to Marry.

"The Girl Least Likely to Marry is a delightfully lighthearted, funny contemporary romance with a heroine who is a socially inept nerdy scientist.  Think ‘Sheldon’, from "The Big Bang Theory", but not as inconsiderate or mean – just someone who learns social rules by rote memory instead of intuition.  Even though this book had some tropes I normally disliked, they were all played for such light-hearted comedy that I was completely charmed."  These ladies are very hard to please, but... well, read for yourself.

http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/blog/girl-least-likely-to-marry

A Christmas Letter from Donna Alward

My guest today is the fabulous Donna Alward who, since she was first published six years ago, has been winning plaudits and prizes for her wonderful warm, emotional romances.

This Christmas, she has teamed up with fan favourites Fiona Harper and Shirley Jump to produce a fabulous threesome of stories (in the UK - the books stand on their own in the US).

Here is Donna to tell you about it...

 

Thanks for having me over to visit, Liz, and helping you celebrate such a great milestone. To be in this business for twenty years takes some staying power. I can’t even begin to imagine the changes that have happened in the industry over that time. I’m six years in and my mind is already blown.  Not only that, but your books continue to be as warm and charming as ever… I looked up to you way before selling my first title and I still do. There are lots of times I ask myself WWLD? (What would Liz do?) Thanks for your ever-present generosity and inviting me to share a bit about my latest release, Sleigh Ride with the Rancher.

 

I wrote this book as part of a trilogy with Fiona Harper and Shirley Jump. I couldn’t have picked two better people to work with. It was a lot of fun chatting back and forth (sometimes even about the books!) and now having the stories out for the holidays. In the US the books have come out back to back – Oct/Nov/Dec. But in the UK the Holiday Miracles trilogy has come out as a single volume called A Christmas Letter. I have serious cover love for this version. In fact, Fiona and I first caught a glimpse of it together! We were in California for the RWA conference and editorial sent it through to her e-mail. Since seeing each other in person is a very rare occasion, it was super special that we were there together. We were just missing Shirley…

 

The cool thing is that each book offers something slightly different while still blending into each other. When I got my antho copies, I read all three from start to finish so I can tell you that’s really true. If you like romantic English settings and a fairy-tale romance, Fi’s title SNOWBOUND IN THE EARL’S CASTLE is for you. If you’re into rugged heroes, independent women, and snow, then SLEIGH RIDE WITH THE RANCHER (mine! Set in frosty Canada!) should fit the bill. And if you like heartwarming, small-town Hallmark-style Christmas stories, you’ll adore Shirley’s MISTLETOE KISSES WITH THE BILLIONAIRE, where she wraps up the holiday (and the entire family!) with a big bow.

 

You can check it out at amazon uk, at Mills and Boon or if you check out the M&B facebook page, you can enter to win a copy (and a chance at a new ereader!)

 

Thanks for having me Liz, and congratulations. Here’s to many more.

Spot the mistake...

The Last Woman He'd Ever Date makes it to Australia, New Zealand and all point antipodean in August.

Gorgeous cover - the Australians seem to just capture the feel of the book so perfectly - and I'm sharing with the lovely Shirley Jump's One Day to Find a Husband, so it's a double pleasure.

There's just one small mistake. Can you spot it?

HOORAY!

That cheer is a slightly manic response to the fact that I have, finally, delivered the pineapple/porcupine book to my editor. I anticipate a fairly swift boomerang response in the form of revisions, since it's long overdue and has only days before it's due in copyediting. I had a working title of THE BACHELOR'S BABY PROPOSAL, but the powers that be have given it the title SECRET BABY, SURPRISE PARENTS.

It's really complicated...

But onwards and upwards. The celebrations have been in hiatus while I wrote until I fell asleep with my face in the keyboard, but this week the lovely Melissa McClone is my guest. She started her writing life with Silhouette but migrated to Harlequin Romance when the lines integrated at the beginning of last year. When she's not writing, or being a mom, she loves to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, her cats and a good book. Something of a soul mate, then. I really, really miss having a cat.

Welcome, Melissa. Tell us about yourself and the exciting WEDDING PLANNERS series.

Wow! Fifty books, Liz. What an awesome accomplishment. I'm currently writing number fifteen. And I'm counting the days until it's out of here. Fifty seems a lifetime away at the moment! Congrats on winning the RT Achievement Award for Love & Laughter, too. Quite the year you're having! Thanks for letting me apart of it.

Being a writer is often a lonely endeavor. We work in solitude (well, as much kids, pets and husbands allow!) as we create our fictional worlds and characters. Making friends, especially authors who write for the same line, is often hard to do in person since Mills & Boon authors live all over the globe, but the Internet has provided a way, and a lifeline, to connect with other writers.

I'm one of six former Silhouette Romance authors who met through a Yahoo group created after we were told our line was going to cease publication. We all had been invited to submit to the new Harlequin Romance line based out of the Mills & Boon office in England and were a bit nervous about what was happening. Let's face it, change is never easy especially when something is totally unknown. The email loop provided us a way to ask questions, get advice and support each other as we made the transition to the new line and editorial staff. A friendship developed even though all but a couple of us had never met in person. Soon we were not only talking about our writing, but our personal lives.

One day, Shirley Jump suggested we write a continuity series together. The idea was friends writing about friends. She even had a first scene drafted and posted it to the loop. We all loved the idea and pretty much ran with it.

The emails were literally flying. It was hard to keep up with all the various time zones and continents involved in the brainstorming. Ideas, characters, plots. Before we knew it, we had a six book series plotted about friends who are Boston wedding planners. We thought our concept was, well, perfect, but our opinion didn't matter. We had to wait to see what the editors at Mills & Boon thought first.

Fortunately, the editors agreed and The Wedding Planners series was born. The first book, Sweetheart Lost and Found by Shirley Jump was an April release. The Heir's Convenient Wife by Myrna Mackenzie was out in May. My SOS Marry Me! is a June release. Winning the Single Mom's Heart by Linda Goodnight will be out in July. Millionaire Dad, Nanny Needed by Susan Meier follows in August. And The Bridegroom's Secret by Melissa James finishes up the series in September.

Once all the books were turned in, we created a blog. In addition to posts by the six of us, you'll find guest blogging by romance authors (Liz is one!), wedding experts and characters from the six books. We run a monthly contest, too.

To give you a taste of The Wedding Planners, here's an excerpt from a scene in Chapter One of my book SOS MARRY ME!

Serena had a checklist for her Mr. Right: polite, attentive, articulate, smartly tailored. All qualities her parents had taught her to value. All qualities Rupert had possessed in spades.

All qualities Kane Wiley lacked.

She unfastened her seatbelt and moved back to where he'd secured the gowns.

What had Belle gotten her into?

Serena checked each of the dress bags. She repositioned three of them. Not much, but she felt better taking control. That is, taking care of her dresses. That was her job even if Kane didn't seem to realize that.

The man was arrogant and rude, the polar opposite of his kind and generous father, who epitomized a true gentleman. If not for the price of the flight--free, thanks to Charlie--and the ability to personally oversee the transport of the gowns, Serena would have found another way to Seattle. But any extra money the Wedding Belles had was going into a fund to pay for their cherished assistant's wedding next June. They couldn't afford to be too choosy after losing money on the Vandiver cancellation and the negative publicity that followed.

She thought about how much Julie and Matt were in love. Her other friends, too. Serena would find the same kind of love, the same kind of forever love, they had found. All she needed was her Mr. Right. One who just didn't look good on paper, but who she could love, too.

Looking out a window, she caught a glimpse of Kane as he performed his preflight walk-around. Light glinted off his sun-streaked light brown hair that fell past the collar of his dark leather jacket. A jacket that emphasized his broad shoulders.

Talk about Mr. Wrong.

Some women might find him good-looking. If they liked tall, classically handsome guys with chiseled jaw lines, square chins, sharpened noses and intense brown eyes.

Serena didn't object to any of those things, exactly. She just preferred them packaged in a suit and tie, and paired with a short, styled haircut and clean-shaven face. She didn't want a man who looked as if he'd rolled out of bed, bypassed the razor and brushed his fingers through his hair as an afterthought.

He glanced up at the plane, at the window she stared out of to be exact. His gaze met her. His eyes, the same color of her favorite dark chocolate, made her heart bump.

Uh-oh.

She hurried back to her seat, sunk into the comfortable leather club chair and fastened her seatbelt. The temperature in the cabin seemed to rise even though the door was still opened. She removed her coat, picked up her sketchpad and fanned herself.

What was the matter with her? Of course, she hadn't been sleeping well lately. Or eating, either. One good meal, and she'd feel better.

She'd like to take a bite out of Kane.

"Hot?"

Her sketchpad fell onto her lap. She looked up.

Kane stood at the entrance to the plane. The interior suddenly seemed smaller. He appeared larger. She gulped.

"Excuse me?" Serena asked.

"Are you hot?"

"I-I..." Something about him made her flustered and tongue-tied and heated. She didn't like the feelings, either. "I'm a little warm."


Serena has a checklist for her Mr. Right. What would be (or was if you've already found him!) on your checklist for your Mr. Right? A winner will be chosen from those who answer in the comment section.

The prize is an autographed copy of my June release SOS Marry Me! on sale June 10th.