Trimming the Tree & a Guest Blog & #Giveaway

Please take a moment to visit with me today at Fictional Candy as I chat about why I chose Atlantic City as the setting for THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE and also, why I LOVE Prince Alexander!

As I mentioned yesterday, lots of things have made it tough to get in the Christmas spirit, but last night changed all that. I had my baby home to help us trim the tree and we had a visit from Santa! That’s an old tradition in our neighborhood as Santa does a test drive through town with the help of the local fire department. Here’s a short video of that! If you can’t see it here, you can click here to view it.

Then we got to trimming the tree! It’s always fun to put out ornaments and remember from where they came. I’m sharing some of my favorites and some other trimming photos on Facebook. Don’t worry, even if you don’t do FB, you can view the album. Just click here to see the photos!

Here’s a shot of some of my favorite ornaments. No, not the beach Santa, but the five little angels playing in the orchestra. My sister and I used to play in the orchestra and this reminds me of those lovely days. These ornaments were handed down to me from my mom, so they are fairly old.

I hope the spirit of the holidays is with you! Please share some of your holiday favorites with us.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

I’m having a hard time getting in the Christmas spirit this year for a variety of reasons. But the one thing that always makes me smile is a light display that one of the neighbors has up on his home. It’s one of those automated ones where you can tune in to a station to listen. We always have the station on and slow down to watch for a bit as we drive by.

So, I thought I’d share with you another light display. A little over-the-top, but it has to be appreciated.

If you can’t see the video below, you can click here.

#ManCandyMonday Aaron Rodgers & HEA Today & Parajunkee

It’s a busy Monday today! First up, some guest blogs at Parajunkee and at the USA TODAY Happily-Ever-After Blog. Please visit with me as I discuss the destruction along the Jersey Shore and my latest romantic suspense release, THE PRINCE’S GAMBLE.

Also, if you get a chance, please vote for KISSED BY A VAMPIRE over at the Paranormal Romance Guild! I’m nominated for Best Paranormal Romance! Thank you so much!

Today’s Man Candy Monday is a shout out to all my Wisconsin friends! Meet Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. He is such a cutie! Here he is talking about his ‘stache and having some fun. If you can’t see the video below, you can click here.

How to Wrap a Cat for Christmas #cat #funny

You know I always try to find something funny for you on Fridays and with my being a cat person and it being Christmas, this seemed to really fit the bill. To be frank, this must be some mellow cat ’cause I know that if I tried this with mine, it would shred me to tiny bits.

Of course, maybe if my daughter tried it the cat might go along. The cat ADORES my daughter and has from the moment she set eyes on her at the shelter.

Here’s wishing you a good weekend and lots of fun on this Friday! If you can’t see the video below, you can click here to watch!

Making It All Fit by Wendy Ely #Writetip #AmWriting

Today we’re offering up some tips on writing. Wendy is here sharing her thoughts on “Making It All Fit” while I’m visiting Wendy’s blog and chatting about why I put my characters on the couch before I write!

So without further ado, here’s Wendy!

*****

I was scanning through the cable channels Saturday morning looking for a something good to watch. After reading the description of The Crush, I decided to give the movie a shot. The movie was described as a suspense (my kind of genre!) about a college student who had sex with a woman. The woman then became obsessive. I started watching the movie and things that didn’t make sense started jumping out at me.

If you are an author you know what I’m about to talk about. If you are a reader only, you might find it interesting to know about this part of the writing process. When we are writing a book we have to make sure that the actions fit well with the plot. Everything has to run smoothly together or we get our edits back with comments like “Why is she doing this? It makes no sense at all,” or that the details don’t fit with the plot, or that something similar. Our books are like puzzles, every single piece must fit perfectly or the picture is not complete.

So back to the movie. One of the key points is that the college student is house-sitting for a rich stranger. As the owner of the house leaves, he mentions his niece stopping by occasionally for a swim. I had an issue with this. Why would the owner have a stranger live in the house while his niece (an adult) lives close by and can do it? Did not make sense to me. I kept watching. So the college student met the “niece” who happens to be there all the time! He has sex with the niece even though he has a girlfriend and the niece becomes obsessive over the college student. At one point she wraps her hands around his neck and makes him tell her that he loves her. The college student becomes so scared of this chick that he can’t sleep at night. It affects his schooling and the sport he plays. So why doesn’t he leave? I don’t know and that fact alone bothered me. The owner calls the college student who mentions that he had met the owner’s niece. Guess what? The owner told him that meeting his niece wasn’t possible since his niece had taken a trip out of town. Did the college student leave yet? Heck no. I would have packed up my crap and hit the road. He later finds out that she is a ghost and is in love with the college student.

There wasn’t any ghost stuff through 3/4 of the movie. There wasn’t any hint of the movie turning paranormal or even close. I kept watching though just to see how it ended. The ghost woman transformed from being a beautiful woman to an evil entity which the sudden change scared the crap out of me. I couldn’t look at her half the time. Even after the change, the actions didn’t make sense. She told the college student (now locked in the house so he couldn’t leave) that she was the one who would end all of this stuff but then she went into the water with slit wrists. Made no sense. Then she was back in the bedroom telling him he needed to die so he could be with her forever. She did manage to kill him as his girlfriend (who had been ignoring him all through the movie) suddenly appears to save him.

I love watching movies that reminds me of the “right way” to write a story. By showing me everything wrong, reinforced the desire to make everything fit smoothly together. I don’t want a single reader to ask why the heck I threw another puzzle’s piece in the center of the one the reader is enjoying. Thanks, crappy movie writers, for reminding me of this!

A little something about the author

Wendy Ely is a contemporary romance author. She writes some romantic suspense, really hot stories, and the wonderful happily-ever-after. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her own real-life hero and her two teenagers. Wendy loves to hear from readers and you can e-mail her at authorwendyely at gmail dot com.

A tasty tidbit from Wendy’s book: CONFESSIONS

Can Chelsea and Jordan find their child, and rediscover each other?

When Chelsea Montgomery vanished eleven years ago, her hometown thought she’d been abducted. In truth, she’d given up the daughter she’d secretly had with Jordan Case.

Now he confronts her to help find the child. With a little girl’s fate hanging in the balance, will the uneasy partnership — stained by the past — transform into something else?

To purchase CONFESSIONS, please visit http://amzn.com/B00A3FVT84

HONOR CODE by Cathy Perkins

In late October, I had the pleasure of going down to the Low Country Master Class Retreat where I met some fabulous people, including today’s guest, Cathy Perkins! Cathy is here to tell us about her latest release, HONOR CODE.

Take it away, Cathy!

Thanks for inviting me to join you on your blog today, Caridad. Donating the proceeds of your new book, The Prince’s Gamble is a wonderful “give-back” to your community and I hope conditions continue to improve as the rebuilding moves forward.

Just as The Prince’s Gamble was a new direction for you, Honor Code presented a new challenge for me. I’ve always written twisty novels with multiple suspects, numerous red herrings and a few subplots just in case things aren’t complicated enough. A novella was charting new territory.

Novellas fill that gray area (whatever shade you want it to be) between short story and novel. While I usually write complex subplots, with this novella, I stripped those out to focus on the central story and theme. In Honor Code, the story revolves around the way the three main characters choose to live their lives—their code of honor.

Or lack of one.

Here’s a little blurb for HONOR CODE:

In a small southern town where everyone knows each other’s business, veteran detective Larry Robbins must solve the disappearance of eighty-year-old widower George Beason.

When evidence arises that Beason may have left town on his own, it would be easy for Robbins to close the case, but his gut instinct tells him more’s at stake. As he uncovers clues about Beason’s deceased wife and his estranged daughter, Robbins must untangle conflicting motives and hidden agendas to bring Beason home alive.

With HONOR CODE, award-winning author Cathy Perkins delivers a mystery NOVELLA linked to her mystery novel, THE PROFESSOR.

 

Excerpt:

Robbins looked across Miz Rose’s breakfast table at the toddler.

Cute kid.

Tasha cut her eyes and smiled, a natural flirt.

Her daddy’s gonna need a shotgun when this one gets older, he thought—then remembered she didn’t have a daddy.

Daintily pinching the Cheerio between forefinger and thumb, Tasha offered him a cereal circle. Mouth open, he lowered his head. She dropped the Cheerio inside. He kissed her fingers in return, a loud smack that drew laughter.

“Don’t you be encouraging her,” Miz Rose said. “Tasha, you eat that cereal. And use yore spoon.”

The child jammed the spoon into the bowl, spilling more cereal onto the highchair tray, then lifted the mounded spoon toward her mouth.

“That’s right.” Miz Rose turned back to the sink and tackled the older kids’ breakfast dishes. Sunlight reflected off the glass beads in her hair. Overnight, she’d braided her hair into a bunch of cornrows, a sure sign she was worried.

Robbins sipped his coffee, watching both Tasha and her. Two months ago, when he and Child Services dropped the toddler off with Miz Rose, the kid had been a clingy, weepy mess. “Tasha seems happy.”

“She just need to be where folks ain’t angry.”

“Don’t we all?” Robbins considered the mood at home. The tension level there needed to drop below an “orange” threat level, but how was he supposed to change Sharon’s attitude?

“Most peoples forget to think about the other person,” Miz Rose said.

Robbins sat back. The woman had an eerie ability to say things that mirrored his thoughts.

Miz Rose had a point, though. How often did he consider Sharon’s feelings?

What would make her happy? Other than him taking out the trash and cutting the grass? He slurped more coffee. To be fair, how much of the tension in the house was his fault?

Miz Rose dried her hands and stepped across the kitchen. The place—the house and the furniture—was old and worn, but other than the area right around the highchair, it was clean. She wiped Tasha’s grubby face and hands, then plucked the toddler from the high chair and kissed her chubby cheek.

Tasha leaned into Miz Rose, molding against her body, stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked—the picture of contentment.

“I ‘spect you didn’t come over here for my coffee or to check on this chil’. You hear anything about George Beason?”

About Cathy Perkins

Cathy Perkins’ award-winning suspense writing lurks behind a financial day-job, where she learned firsthand the camouflage, hide in plain sight, skills employed by her villains. Born and raised in South Carolina, the setting for HONOR CODE and THE PROFESSOR, she now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her work-a-holic husband and a 75-pound Lab who thinks she’s still a lap-puppy. You can learn more on her website http://cperkinswrites.com

To purchase HONOR CODE, please visit one of these online retailers:

Amazon http://amzn.to/QV32k6

B&N   http://bit.ly/SZIW9k

Kobo  http://bit.ly/VtB12y

Thank you for taking the time to visit with us, Cathy! I wish you all the best with this latest release.

The Sights, Smells and Sounds of Christmas

It’s my day on the holiday blog tour and I want to welcome you all here for my contribution to the holiday tour.

When I think about Christmas Eve, my mind is assaulted by the smells, flavors and sounds of my youth and of my present. It is also filled with hope for the future Christmas Eves and what they will bring.

The smells. Pine, sharp and almost biting as we drag in the tree. When we were kids, it was a visit to the local tree stand. I remember my mom crying one Christmas because she couldn’t afford the tree she wanted and my sister and I chipping in our savings to bring home that tree for her. Today we head out to the tree farm, my husband, daughter and me, and chop down the tree and sling it on the roof, a prized trophy to take home and hang with lights and ornaments collected over the years. Even some ornaments my mom handmade that always get a special place on the tree. They let me know she is still there with us in spirit.

Citrus, garlic and pork, slow roasting in the oven. I would always wake to that smell and know it was Noche Buena. A time for family, friends and hope. In those first cold days in New York, the hope was to go home to Cuba. Volveremos my parents and their friends would say around the holiday table crammed with people and food. We’ll go home, but they never did.

I am home now. Here. My roots in the soil as firmly as those of the tree we just cut down. My love for this Nation as broad and wide as the branches of that pine. Maybe more. My wonderful friend, Lois Winston, made me a beautiful needlework pillow with a motif of American flag designs. She said of all people I would appreciate it best because I was the most patriotic person she knew. It brought tears to my eyes.

The sounds. Pots and pans banging in the early morning, like church bells calling me to rise from bed and come help out in the kitchen because family and company are coming for this very special day. My grandma and mom would be there, bustling about to prepare the meal. To keep traditions alive as they share tales of cooking with their mothers and grandmothers.

Drop a penny in the water and dunk the octopus, one, two, three times, my grandmother would instruct as my sister and I watched the poor little thing curl and slip beneath the boiling water. It always tasted better than it looked!

At night the music would come on and couples would dance, their hips pumping and bodies moving to the sounds of the Latin beats. Later would come a conga around the house, everyone laughing and enjoying being together.

The music is still there in my house. Christmas carols and Gloria Estefan. No congas anymore, unfortunately. I’m a Cuban with a genetic defect: I can’t move my hips and have no rhythm. LOL!

The sights. Deep, forest green broken by the shimmer of glass balls and the painted wood of various ornaments. Some from my childhood, like those my mom made. Others collected over the years by my family. It’s fun to look at them and see the phases of our lives, from Power Rangers to one for a first driving license. Hubby’s always tend to lean toward the Mets and channel surfing. Then there are others I’ve bought in some of the places we’ve been lucky enough to visit. Hawaii. Italy. Our hard work has been rewarded by many opportunities that neither my husband nor I had as children.

I’ve added a tradition to those of the past: A Christmas village. Every year we put it up, although this year my daughter has a new shop, so I had to do it alone. That’s the cycle of things, I guess. In time she’ll take over the tradition and I’ll be the one doing the helping. We try to add something new every year. This year there were a number of additions. A cheese shop my daughter and I bought last year. A flower shop my sister gave me. A hotel, haberdashery and some horse drawn carriages from my lovely friend Gail, who is cleaning up and knew I would appreciate the additions to my village.

Here’s a photo of it! I have more up on Facebook fan page for you to see! Don’t worry if you’re not on Facebook. These albums are open for public viewing.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this view into my holiday memories. Take a moment to visit these other artists and see what the have to share with you for this holiday season.

I hope it will get you all in the mood for some holiday fun or bring back memories for you!

Dec. 7 Lupe Mendez, The Poet Mendez
Dec. 8 Gwendolyn Jerris, Silence & Honeysuckle
Dec. 9 Natasha Oliver, 2 cents
Dec. 10 Regina Tingle, Unsolicited Certainties 
Dec. 11 Caridad Pineiro, Paranormal Romance Author Caridad Pineiro
Dec. 12 Teresa Carbajal Ravet, Sententia Vera
Dec. 13 Nathasha Alvarez, AudaciousLady
Dec. 14 Stephanie Dorman, How Many Frogs
Dec. 15 Karen La Beau, My Life on Canvas
Dec. 16 Annette Santos, The Monga Confesses
Dec. 17 Zoraida Cordova, Zoraida Writes
Dec. 18 Kristy Harding, Kristy Harding
Dec. 19 Nikki Kallio, Purple Houses
Dec. 20 Sujeiry Gonzalez, Love Sujeiry
Dec. 21 Samantha Kolber, Sam Poet
Dec. 22 Thelma T. Reyna, The Literary Self
Dec. 23 Julia Amante, Julia Amante
Dec. 24 Icess Fernandez Rojas