The day for pitchers and catchers to report for Spring Training has passed with no end in sight for the baseball strike but I’m hopeful we’ll get to watch the boys of summer this year! In the meantime, I thought a little Man Candy and a new baseball romance – WINNING SEASON – might be a good way to keep me occupied while I wait for the strike to end. If you like sports romance or baseball romances, you might want to check out ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, the prequel to WINNING SEASON. You can read the first three chapters for free on Kindle Vella at https://amzn.to/3v5nVEl.
Celebrating with a High Tea
My daughter and I had a lovely time today at our High Tea at Sweet Tease Tea Room and Cafe! It was so nice to be able to celebrate our new releases – Seoul Searching and The Family She Never Met – and have some wonderful mother/daughter time!
We started the day with two bottomless pots of tea and a delightful carrot ginger soup. Then we were served our next three delicious courses: scones with clotted cream and jam; an assortment of finger sandwiches; and some lovely petit fours.
If you’re ever in the Belmar, NJ area, I highly recommend Sweet Tease for a delightful time. Make sure to call and make a reservation!
Happy happy Friday!
TGIF! It’s Friday and I’m looking forward to the weekend. I need to get in a blast of writing, but I’m also excited about spending some time with my daughter. Hubby got me a gift card to a local tea shop for Christmas and we’re going to do a High Tea on Saturday. Pictures to follow! As for today’s photo model, isn’t he a cute pup? My fur baby is a cat, but if I were to have a dog, a beagle might be high on the list. A beagle is definitely #1 on hubby’s list. But I’d also consider having either a pit bull or an adorable corgy. How about you? Do you have a fur baby?
P.S. – If you love dogs, look for Decoy Training in late March and a free read — Deadly Chase – starting on March 19!
Happy Easter Memories
There is a scene in The Family She Never Met where Lara is very excited about an upcoming Easter Egg hunt and a visit to the movie theater to watch The Sound of Music. This scene was loosely based on my family’s own visits to New York City for the Easter Parade and one very special visit where we did go watch The Sound of Music at Radio City Music Hall.
I remember watching the movie which is still a favorite. In fact, if we ever get to go on our much-delayed Danube River Cruise, we plan to take a trip to Salzburg to do a Sound of Music tour!
When I watched the movie, I immediately identified with the Von Trapp family and how they had to escape Austria because it reminded me of how my family escaped Cuba. I did turn to my mom at the end of the movie to say to her that it was just like us, which is in the scene with Lara and her mother as they watch the movie.
Is the Sound of Music one of your favorites? If not, share your favorite movie with me!
This is a photo of me and my family on one of those Easter trips to the city. From left to right, that’s my grandmother, me, my beautiful mom, my sister, and my handsome father. I suspect my brother was the one taking the photo!
Remembering the Past to Build the Future
Since The Family She Never Met includes many stories from my past woven into the fictional storyline, I wanted to pull out the threads of the real stories for my daughter so that she might understand her family’s history better. That meant highlighting those stories in the book and also providing additional backstory so she could better understand what had happened at the time and what I was feeling when some of those things happened.
So I sat down, pen, highlighter, and paper at hand to flesh out those parts of the book for my daughter and create a very special edition for her. I hope she will read it and appreciate the struggle that made me who I am today and also shaped who she is and what that means for the future.
P.S. – Thanks, to my good friend Jayne for the Cat Mom mug and my wonderful son-in-law Danny for the great typewriter pen holder.
A Loving Moment from The Family She Never Met
The Family She Never Met is a mix of romance between two people trapped in different worlds and a family struggling with the hurts of the past. Jessica and Luis are trying to find their way amidst those obstacles, but even after they acknowledge what they’re feeling for each other, there is a lot for them to overcome to be together. In this scene, they are finally giving in to the attraction that’s been simmering between them. You can read the first part of this scene at https://www.caridad.com/2022/02/02/caridad-teaser-romance-novel/.
Excerpt – For Mature Audiences Only
His heavy weight pressed her into the mattress and a maelstrom of emotions filled her. Comfort. Peace. Need. Such intense need.
She spread her legs and reached down to guide him to her, but he shook and whispered, “Protection.”
He shifted off her only long enough to rummage through his pants and wallet and hastily ease on the condom. And then he was back, staring down at her, his hazel eyes burnished gold with passion.
The earlier rush to this moment was forgotten as he joined with her.
Her breath caught in her chest at the perfection of it. At the feel of his power above her, inside her. He was so big, so strong, but he was hers in that moment. Totally hers as she laid her hands on his shoulders and joined him in the rhythm of their lovemaking until they both slipped over together.
She urged him onto her, but he protested and said, “I’m too heavy.”
“No, you’re not,” she said and dug her fingers into his back to pull him to her. She gentled him, stroking her hands across his sweat-slick skin. Savoring the connection with him.
“Give me a second,” he said and hurried to the bathroom.
She eased under the sheets to wait for him, and he returned quickly and joined her. He tucked her into his side, and she nestled her head on his shoulder, laid her hand on his chest, and tossed a thigh over his. Contentment and satisfaction filled her, but slowly, other emotions crept in no matter how hard she tried to keep them from surfacing.
He must have sensed the tension in her since he said, “Penny for your thoughts.”
“I’m not sure a penny would be enough,” she said and leaned on her elbow to peer at him.
“Sometimes you can think too much,” he said and skimmed a hand across her upper arm to press her back down.
“Avoidance mode much?” she challenged, but truth be told, maybe avoidance was what was needed right now because she wanted to enjoy this night with him. She wanted to explore the feelings that had sprung up so suddenly. So powerfully. She shut down her thoughts, not wanting them to go to the next stage. A stage that would only bring separation and pain.
She didn’t want separation now. She wanted him. Again, and maybe again after that.
She wanted to make the most of their time together.
She’d think about everything else tomorrow.
Order
Amazon Kindle: https://amzn.to/3tPQ7Xx
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3bonSZN
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-family-she-never-met/id1568775092
BN Nook: http://bit.ly/BarnesandNobleFamily
BN Paperback: http://bit.ly/BarnesandNovelPaperback
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-family-she-never-met
Additional Retailers: https://books2read.com/FamilySheNeverMet
A Quick Pitch for The Family She Never Met
Just in case you’re wondering what The Family I Never Met is about, here’s a quick pitch for you!