#ThrowbackThursday – A Day at the Beach

I grew up on Long Island and we spent most of our summers either at the town pool or going to Jones Beach. I love the water and love being near the ocean. When the kids got older, we regularly did trips to Ocean City, Maryland for a vacation at the beach or to Ocean City, New Jersey. This is a photo of my daughter during one of those vacations! So much fun to see my little girl who’s grown into such a wonderful young lady (who’s about to get married in a few months!). I’m really looking forward to more time at the beach in the future!
ocean city maryland vacation

#TeaserTuesday – ONE SUMMER NIGHT Free Read!

This morning I’ve got a teaser for you from ONE SUMMER NIGHT, #1 in my At the Shore Contemporary Romance series set on the Jersey Shore. The e-book for ONE SUMMER NIGHT is currently free at the following retailers:

Order

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL
Audible: https://amzn.to/2l2D0S2
Radish: Read three chapters for free – http://bit.ly/2AERQFk

And here’s your teaser and free read!

Teaser

An offer that’s impossible to accept . . .

Maggie Sinclair has tried everything to save her family’s business, including mortgaging their beloved beach house on the Jersey Shore. But now, she’s out of options.

The Sinclair and Pierce families have been neighbors and enemies for almost thirty years. That hasn’t stopped Owen Pierce from crushing on Maggie, and he’s determined to invest in her success. Now he has to convince her that he’s more than just trouble with a capital T…


Excerpt

With keen interest, Owen Pierce took note of the three women as they hurried away from the dais and into the Sinclair mansion.

“Put your eyes back in your head, Bro. She’s nothing but trouble,” Jon warned in low tones.

Owen bit back the retort that if anyone knew about trouble, it was his brother. Jonathan had always marched to a different drummer and had set out on his own as a teenager to explore what he wanted out of life. Now a successful entrepreneur, he had captured the media’s attention with his innovative designs and daring adventures. That left Owen to shoulder most of the burden of the family’s real estate business, as well as deal with his father’s anger over Jonathan’s latest newsworthy escapade.

He envied his brother’s carefree spirit and determination, especially as Maggie Sinclair marched back onto the patio with her friends, an angry bride, and an obviously inebriated groom. Both the bride and groom looked far from happy as they approached the elaborate multi-tiered wedding cake that had been wheeled out to the middle of the makeshift dance floor.

He worried the bride might plunge the long knife she held into her new husband, but luckily for the newlyweds, Maggie directed the blade toward the cake.

Jon playfully elbowed him. “Seriously, Owen. She’s not for you. Father declared the Sinclairs off-limits ages ago. He would have a stroke if he thought the two of you were involved.”

Involved with Maggie Sinclair, Owen thought and sighed with regret.

In a way, he’d been involved with her forever. He’d like to chalk it all up to a sloppy, hurried, and stolen kiss at eighteen and the allure of forbidden fruit. But since that kiss, he’d watched her mature into a smart, beautiful woman. One who was willing to work hard for the town and business she cared about as well as friends and family. With every encounter, he’d grown more intrigued with the person Maggie had become.

But his father had come down hard on them about mingling with the Sinclairs right after Maggie’s mother’s death. For years, they’d been unable to come to their Sea Kiss home, and even when they’d returned, they’d done so without their father, who refused to be so close to the family he thought had wronged him.

Not that Owen expected that Jon would kowtow to such rules, since his brother was the kind of man who didn’t hesitate to take what he wanted.

He arched a brow and met his brother’s blue-eyed gaze, which glittered with a mix of undisguised challenge and amusement. “Do you think you’re the only one entitled to a little adventure in your life?” he said.

Jon chuckled. “My kind of adventure is way safer than what you may be considering.”

“Why’s that, Li’l Bro?” he asked, appreciating the sight of Maggie in a dusty-rose gown that hugged dangerous curves. Her chestnut-brown hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves and framed ice-blue eyes and a sassy, sexy face that snared his attention every time he saw her.

Jonathan took a last sip of his champagne and barely stifled another laugh. With a shake of his head, he replied, “Because all I risk is an occasional broken bone, but that…” He jerked his head in Maggie’s direction as she stepped back beside Connie and Emma. “That will break your heart.”

Free beach read ONE SUMMER NIGHT contemporary romance

#MatineeMonday – Chef’s Table Asma Khan

One of the things that I’ve been doing for my new Hallmark book is to immerse myself in shows about chefs. I’ve always loved to cook and it’s been interesting to see the backstories about how some chefs began their careers and what their restaurants are like. One of the shows I’ve been watching is Chef’s Table on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/title/80007945). I actually got started on Season Six and while the first two episodes were interesting, it was the third one about Indian chef Asma Khan that had me almost bawling. I say almost because I was on the train while watching it and didn’t want to embarrass myself. But I found myself crying again as I told my daughter about this chef’s inspiring story and the amazing legacy she will leave not just for chefs, but for all women. Every woman reading this post should go and watch this episode. It is a truly amazing story about a woman finding her place in life and helping others likewise find their place. For more on this inspiring chef and woman, please visit http://www.asma-khan.com/.

British chef Asma Khan

#WriteWed – Why I love the Jersey Shore and a Free Read

I live for the warmer months down the shore where I can take long strolls along the boardwalk, sit under my umbrella and read a good book, and get out in my little garden to plant flowers and vegetables. I love being near the ocean and seeing its constant ebb and flow and all the life within its depths – except for the sharks. Luckily no close encounters with one of them. I also love the shore in the winter when I get to savor its peace and majesty without all the summer crowds. I’m blessed to live there and I love sharing it with you in my books, like ONE SUMMER NIGHT. Luckily, this Top 10 Publisher’s Weekly romance is free for the long holiday weekend! So use one of the links below to snag your copy of this lovely beach read!

Free Read ONE SUMMER NIGHT romance

#TransformationTuesday – Goals Reached, New Goals Set

My goal was to lose another five pounds in June and I can happily say that I met that goal. Total weight loss since April 1 when I started this phase and began sharing it with you is 21.6 pounds. Very happy that I was able to accomplish that and along the way, I’m learning what things to eat to keep me full and satisfied. One good article I found that lists these foods was in the NY Post and can be found here: https://nyp.st/303tn83. The amazing thing is that I was intuitively eating many of these healthy foods instead of other less healthy choices. You’ll notice that I didn’t use the word “bad” because I don’t want to get into a mindset of what’s good and bad or whether my behavior was good or bad. Apparently, that’s not a helpful way to tackle eating issues. In any case, I’m pleased with meeting my goals and am setting another goal of losing another five pounds by the end of July. This may be hard since I’ll be at two different conferences in the middle of the month and that’s not only going to challenge me to keep eating healthy, but it will also change up what exercise I can do each day. I’m going to have to stay motivated and find ways to keep moving despite being at the conferences. I’ll share more soon on my journey to get healthier!
Transformation Tuesday Weight Loss Goals

#ManCandyMonday – Jason Morgan and Armani’s Acqua di Gio

I seem to see a lot of men’s fragrance ads lately. Hmm, wonder what that’s about. In any case, today’s Man Candy is Jason Morgan, the new model for Arman’s Acqua di Gio cologne. Thanks to Jason’s Instagram for this awesome shot! You can follow him here: https://www.instagram.com/jasonmorgan35/. Jason is apparently a teacher turned model and hails from Philadelphia. He’s been in a number of different ads and will also be doing promotions for Armani underwear in the future.

View this post on Instagram

📷@ouba43

A post shared by Jason Morgan (@jasonmorgan35) on

Also, check him out in this advertisement for the cologne.

#FreebieFriday – JUST ONE NIGHT Military Romance

Good morning and Happy Friday! Today I’m offering up a free read of one of my military romance novellas that is set on the Jersey Shore. Actually, all the stories in the Take a Chance series are set in towns all up and down the Jersey Shore. All the stories are also about military heroes, male and female, and how they are willing to risk it all for a chance at Happily-Ever-After. I hope you’ll enjoy this sexy read and have a great weekend. To download the free read, please visit https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/mpx6b.