Book Promo - Christmas Singles

Now available through Still Moments Publishing.
Get in the Christmas spirit with these single short Christmas stories!
http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/search/label/Holiday%20Reads

      

                                

                    

Book Promo - Still Moments Publishing Print Titles

Still Moments Publishing

 

Now available in PRINT!

http://www.stillmomentspublishing.com/search/label/Print

 

 

 



Promo - Author Krista Ames

A Writer's Words - Twenty Years Goes By Fast

Twenty Years Goes By Fast

By Vicky DeCoster

It seems like only last week when my husband yelled over the roar of the jet engine into my ear, “I cannot believe it has been fifteen years since we have been alone together in a tube filled with recycled air and screaming babies.” In fact, it was just last week when the two of us headed to a Floridian resort to celebrate the fact that twenty years ago we vowed in front of God, friends and family, and the church janitor to stay together for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, and in sickness and in health—without the need for noise-reducing headphones, costly therapy sessions, and unsolicited advice from the postal carrier.

 

Take it from me: fifteen years is a long time to go without taking a vacation with the one who has seen you (and your hair) at your very worst. Not to worry, our excuse for not going is completely valid and used daily by couples around the world: we have children. But now, they both have finally reached the age where they claim to have never had parents at all, therefore, completely freeing us up to leave town with nothing more than our suitcases and a simple threat: Do not get into trouble or else.

We couldn’t get to our beach chairs soon enough. Hours after leaving our suburban lives behind, we lay sprawled in the sun like two scantily clad lizards. As the sound of the waves immediately lulled us into a hypnotic state, I glanced over at my husband who was slathering sunscreen on his earlobes. He smiled and emphatically said, “Boy, we really needed this trip, didn’t we?” 

I nodded. He was right. We really had needed the time away together. As I watched people with imperfect bodies stroll along the beach in front of us, occasionally stopping to admire a shell or build a sand castle, I wondered what they were there to celebrate. It was not long before a young couple wandered near us, laughing and holding hands. I watched them closely, mesmerized by their energy and obvious love for each other.  As they began to gather shells in a pile, I soon realized their mission as I watched them create two words with the shells in the sand: Our Honeymoon. 

After admiring their work, the young couple walked down the beach until they became tiny dots on the horizon, not realizing that I was quietly blessing them with the wish that they would always remember that moment—that happiness—that love.

Twenty years goes by fast. I turned to my husband and picked up his hand. I held it tightly as I watched waves crash onto the shore and thought about our lives together. Just like all married couples, we had been through a lot, but we were definitely stronger for every experience. I smiled as I remembered my father-in-law’s comment on our wedding video, “You two are perfect for each other.” He was right.

Just then, my husband squeezed my hand, prompting me to look over at him as he said, “I’m glad I married you.” I leaned over and whispered, “Me too.”

And that was the moment that two scantily clad lizards vowed once again in front of God, an elderly gentleman armed with a metal detector, and two stingrays to stay together forever.
 

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”

-Mignon McLaughlin

 

© 2011 Vicky DeCoster All Rights Reserved.

Award-winning humor writer Vicky DeCoster is the author of Husbands, Hot Flashes, and All That Hullabaloo! and The Wacky World of Womanhood. Vicky lives in Nebraska with her husband and two children where she is working on her third book of humorous essays. Visit her at www.wackywomanhood.com

Book Promo - Ride a Cock Horse

Promo - Daytime Cafe

Between The Pages - Special Delivery

Special Delivery
By Gini Rifkin
Wild Rose Press
May 2012

Clover City, Colorado--1888
A mysterious letter and the drop-dead handsome town marshal, are the last things Mariah expects to find making rounds as a midwife.
Mariah McAllister plans to be married before her next birthday. Too bad Marshal Virgil Kincaid barely knows she's alive. Not one to give up easily, she's determined to show him she has an abiding passion for more than her work.
Virgil Kincaid loved a woman once--after she broke his heart, he spent three years in prison. Women can't be trusted, no matter how good they look. He's sworn off relationships in favor of Saturday night poker games. Life is simple--the way he wants it…until a stranger turns up dead in the road.
Forced to work side by side with Mariah, Virgil begins to wonder if she might be his second chance at love. As they trade kisses and oh so much more, he's willing to take the gamble. But when a killer threatens their once peaceful town, all bets are off.

Between The Pages

I love cowboy stories no matter what time period they are set in. There’s just something about a cowboy…sexiness, handsome good looks or even his natural, go with the flow attitude maybe? Well whatever it is, Virgil Kincaid, the cowboy in Special Delivery was one of those. 

In this story set in Colorado in 1888, we meet the hero Virgil Kincaid who after a few too many years brushing with the law and paying his dues, is now the town Marshall of Clover City Colorado.
A quiet place where hardly anything ever happens unless it’s a brawl at the saloon over a game of cards.
Over an apparent murder on the outskirts of town, the Marshall is thrown into an investigation in which the heroine is right in the dead middle of. (No pun intended).
Here is where our heroine Miss Mariah McAllister enters. She is the daughter of Doc McAllister, the only doctor in town and she unnerves the Marshall at every turn. 
She’s extremely independent, self-sufficient and don’t forget head strong. She’s very focused on her soon-to-be expecting patient but just can’t stay out of the murder investigation for the British man she found outside of town.
The chemistry between these two excellent characters is riveting and has the perfect makings for a romance. Trust me I could go on and on but what fun would that be for you? Believe me when I say you won’t want to miss finding out what happens to these two in this once sleepy, little 1888 Colorado town.  I’m sure glad I did !!

Review Rating: 5 Stars

Book Promo - Salvaged

Promo - Author Juliet Madison

A Writer's Words - How to Bake a Novel

How To Bake A Novel
By Juliet Madison

Preparation time: Varies, from months to years.

Serves: Potentially millions (if you’re lucky).

 

Equipment:

· One working computer, word processor, or large notepad and pen.
· One committed writer.
· Optional, but highly recommended: truckloads of beverages and snacks.

Ingredients:
· One main plot
· A handful of sub-plots
· One to a few main characters
· Several minor characters
· At least one setting, add more to taste
· One large cup of emotion
· A splash of humour
· A teaspoon of mystery (or more depending on genre of the recipe, er…novel)
· One or two cups of cold-pressed extra virgin (or not) organic dialogue
· One or two goals
· One heaped tablespoon of motivation
· Two cups of conflict
· One cup of resolution mixed with a happy ending (depending on genre)
· A sprinkling of hooks and cliffhangers
· Optional, but highly recommended: a twist of sexual tension and a dollop of romance!

Method:
1. Prepare by opening a new word document or a new page on your notepad, and give it a title, eg: ‘Best Novel Ever’, or ‘I’ll Think of a Title Later’.
2. Write the opening sentence, or the last sentence, or any words you can think of so you can officially say, “I’ve started writing my novel.”
3. Consume beverages and snacks.
4. Introduce one main character, a goal, and splash in some conflict (save the rest for later).
5. Sprinkle a hook or cliffhanger at the end of chapter one to entice further devouring of the story.
6. Add some of the other characters and sub-plots, and stir in some emotion and mystery.
7. Consume more beverages and snacks.
8. Splash in some humour and keep drizzling in the organic dialogue throughout the whole baking/writing process.
9. Combine the motivation with some more of the conflict for a spicy mixture.
10. If adding the optional ingredient of sexual tension, squeeze a little in now.
11. Continue stirring the plot and the sub-plots together so they combine well, making sure to keep topping up the emotion.
12. Consume beverages and snacks.
13. Add in the remaining conflict, sexual tension, mystery, and hooks.
14. Finish by placing the cup of resolution and happy endings on top, and decorate with a dollop of romance.
15. Bake in a closed drawer or backed-up file on your computer, and leave completely alone for at least a couple of weeks, or more if you’ve forgotten to attend to necessary tasks such as showering, cleaning, feeding the family and pets, seeing real live people, checking the mail…etc.
16. Open the file and give it a taste test. Read through it and make any obvious changes and improvements, adding more of the ingredients as needed.
17. For best results, get a trusted friend to taste test it too.
18. Make further improvements.
19. Bake it for a little longer if necessary.
20. Pull bits of it apart and throw them out. But just in case, wrap them up and store them safely away for future reference.
21. Remove the excess words and overused ingredients.
22. Repeat steps 11 and 13.
23. Add extra sweetness to the dollop of romance if required.
24. Decorate and plate-up the finished piece with all the pizazz you can find.
25. Hand it over to a professional, who’ll probably get you to start over at step 20 again.
26. Repeat steps until it tastes just right, or a deadline forces you to serve it up.
27. Consume beverages and snacks to reward yourself for all the hard work.
28. Attend to the necessary tasks that you’ve once again neglected.
29. Smile politely at people who say, “The novel was great, I read it in one day. Hurry up and write the next one!”
30. Begin at step 1 all over again.

*Note: Results may vary between people. Recipe not suitable for freezing.
© 2012 Juliet Madison
All Rights Reserved

Original Publication:

http://julietmadison.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/how-to-bake-a-novel-a-recipe-of-words/

On The Menu - Halloween Witch Fingers

Halloween Witch Fingers

Ingredients

· 1 cup butter, softened

· 1 cup sugar

· 1 egg
· 1 teaspoon almond extract
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 teaspoon baking powder
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 cup whole almonds
· 1 tube red decorating gel

Directions
1. Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer; gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt, continually beating; refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
3. Remove dough from refrigerator in small amounts. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Use the waxed paper to roll the dough into a thin finger-shaped cookie. Press one almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Squeeze cookie near the tip and again near the center of each to give the impression of knuckles. You can also cut into the dough with a sharp knife at the same points to help give a more finger-like appearance. Arrange the shaped cookies on the baking sheets.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are slightly golden in color, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Remove the almond from the end of each cookie; squeeze a small amount of red decorating gel into the cavity; replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the tip of the cookie.