A big welcome to author Martha Reynolds, whom I discovered on the Amazon Free Bestseller List a few months ago. Her book CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST just delighted me and I wrote to tell her how much I enjoyed it. I’m so thrilled she’s written a sequel and very pleased and excited to have her here today.

Martha  ended an accomplished career as a fraud investigator and began writing full time in 2011. Her debut novel, CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST, was selected as the 2012 Book of the Year in Women’s Fiction by the readers of  Turning the Pages Books.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE is the sequel to CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST, and both books are available in digital and print versions through Amazon.

She and her husband live in Rhode Island, never far from the ocean.

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MarthaReynoldsWriter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheOtherMartha1

Take it away, Martha!

My Top Five Places to Visit in Switzerland

5.            Arosa – located in eastern Switzerland, Arosa is both a summer and winter resort. I traveled there with my mother in the early 90’s. We didn’t ski, but enjoyed gorgeous views from the train window for the entire train ride to Arosa, as we climbed impossibly steep mountains to an elevation of 5,800 feet. A mile high! The delight was in getting there, and the memory I made with my mom, who was in awe of the spectacular mountains. We stopped for lunch at a nearby café, and neither of us could read the menu, which was in German. I ordered pig’s liver for both of us (ugh!). Arosa has been a famous Alpine health resort since 1877, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Mann both stayed there, giving it more notoriety.

4.            Vevey – Vevey lies on the north shore of Lake Geneva, in the canton of Vaud, and is French-speaking. Nestlé has its world headquarters in Vevey, and milk chocolate was invented there in 1875. It’s known as one of the “pearls of the Swiss Riviera,” and boasts gorgeous views and vineyards. Its most famous inhabitant was Charlie Chaplin, and there’s a statue of him at the shore.

3.            Lugano – Lugano borders Italy, in the southern canton of Ticino, and is about as Italian as you can get while still in Switzerland. It takes a few hours to get to Lugano from Zurich, since they’re at opposite ends of the country, but once you spot the palm trees, you know you’ve arrived in a totally different place. Although the area doesn’t have the majestic mountains of other regions, you can still climb, hike, and bike. And the food! Everything is regional and exquisite.

2.            Grindelwald – hey, this is why you go to Switzerland. The three mountains – Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau (translated from German to Ogre, Monk, and Maiden) each top 13,000 ft.  In May of 1987, I ventured to Grindelwald and was surprised to find that the Grindelwald-First lift was celebrating an anniversary and tickets to the summit were half-price. I couldn’t wait! Dressed for a late May day in light clothes and no socks, I quickly discovered how the climate changes. The three-stage lift was once the longest chair lift in Europe, and by stage two, I’d rolled down the canvas side flaps for protection. At the summit, it was a blizzard! (The lift came equipped with a heavy coat, so I didn’t freeze). A respite with “chocolat chaud” and a croissant had me ready to descend, back to verdant meadows and eidelweiss.

1.              Lucerne – If I retire to Switzerland, I want to live in Lucerne. Smack in the center of Switzerland, Lucerne has it all. Set on Lake Lucerne, it is surrounded by breathtaking mountains, including Mt. Pilatus. The old town is car-free, and the city is easy to navigate. Tradition and modernity stand side by side in Lucerne, and, of course, it has the Blue Balls Music Festival (don’t ask me, I don’t know!).

My latest novel, CHOCOLATE FONDUE, continues the story of Bernadette Maguire, whom readers met in CHOCOLATE FOR BREAKFAST. Read the first book before the second if you can. It picks up right where the first one left off, at the Hotel de la Rose in Fribourg, Switzerland. Both books are available in digital and print versions through Amazon.

My Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Reynolds/e/B008ZUH11I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1367666576&sr=8-1

…and we are so thrilled with how quickly things are moving along! The painting is done in the living room, hallways, foyer and stairwell. Breakfast nook has the base and paint for the Venetian glaze. The dining room walls are painted and the painters are working on the trim. The kitchen cabinets are all in and primed for paint and the new countertops are set. The hardwood floor is being laid as I type…all in all, we’re looking great! Well, actually, we’re a dusty mess, but the timing looks great. We should be close to done by the end of the week and completely finished by early next week. I’m so excited! Can’t wait to get in and start living in this new space, cooking in my new kitchen, and serving dinners in my new dining room. Tim Edens and his crew are amazing!

Here are some pictures of the progress.

Today, I’m Interviewing Romantic Suspense Author, Robena Grant, whose new 3-book Desert Heat Series begins releasing this month with the first book,  Unlock the Truth. Robena writes contemporary romance about ordinary women who are thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Travel and discovering new places brings her great pleasure, and she often includes these discoveries in her stories. She is Australian by birth, lives in Southern California, and has two grown children. Robena may be contacted at: www.robenagrant.com where she blogs weekly, or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

So, Roben, tell me: When did you first begin writing romance?

I started writing in 2000. I thought that I was writing romance but soon discovered (when I joined RWA) that what I’d written were two women’s fiction novels. I tried for several years to write for Harlequin, but my stories were too long and never fit cleanly into a line. I was always crossing genres. Then about three years ago I developed an interest in romantic suspense, and wrote the Desert Heat series.

How do you get ideas for your stories?

My ideas come from observing something or hearing something said. My mind then takes whatever it was and toys with it. Before I know it I have the beginning of story. I really enjoy observing human nature and for me the character generally shows up first, then I put him or her in an appropriate setting and it takes off from there.

Which writers have influenced you?

Jenny Crusie, for her ability to make me laugh about the most ordinary of situations, Pat Gaffney for her pure writing brilliance, and Amy Tan for introducing me to a culture that I know little about but showing that the human condition changes little from one culture to another.

What are you working on at the moment?

I just finished a contemporary romance with a European influence, and I’m halfway through a second one, and although I’d intended writing no more suspense, there is a suspense trying to insert itself. ; )

What do you find most challenging about writing?

Sitting in the chair, and not because I don’t want to write, or don’t have enough new ideas, but because I have low back pain issues. I’ve tried writing standing up but can’t do that for long periods of time.

Do you have any special quotes or sayings that you keep visible in your work environment to help inspire, motivate, and encourage you?

“Don’t be defeatist it’s very middle class.” ~Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess, Downton Abbey~

“Hope…the thing with feathers.” ~Emily Dickinson~

What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a writer?

“Every love story, buddy story, partnership story, is about the exchange of gifts: emotional, spiritual, or personality, and they come from the character’s strongest traits.” This quote was taken from a course that I took from Laurie Hutzler, Media Consultant for film and television.

What advice do you have for a new aspiring writer?

Don’t try to write like anyone else. Don’t be afraid to let loose and put your true feelings on the page. You’re offering the reader something of value…a little piece of you.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

Travel is my number one joy. Reading is a close second, because if I can’t afford the first I can always travel in my mind if I have a good book.

Unlock the Truth is available in print and all digital formats at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and The Wild Rose Press.

It’s that time again! This week’s snippet comes from one of my two new books (both are due out this summer).  ONCE MORE FROM THE TOP  is Carrie and Liam’s story, two people who had a very brief, but passionate love affair and then are separated for 16 years. In this snippet, Liam is wandering around Carrie’s Uncle Noah’s marina. In the bait shop, on a public bulletin board, he discovers a photo of a boy who looks almost exactly like his own nephew and it gives him pause…and then…

Didn’t they say everyone has a twin somewhere? Jamie would probably get a kick out of knowing that his was here in Michigan.

He started to pin the picture back up when his heart began to pound in his chest and his mouth was suddenly dry. Stepping out into the sunlight, he stared at it again. The boy looked to be about Jamie’s age, fifteen.

Fifteen…oh, Jesus, no way!

His hand shook as he tried to swallow the fear that welled up in his throat and attempted some quick calculations in his head. Fifteen years and nine months ago, he and Carrie Halligan were in his bed in Montreal.

Thanks for stopping by and please don’t miss the other Weekend Writing Warriors.   Head on over and check out the work of dozens of other writers. You’ll be so glad you did!

Today, I’m so excited to welcome guest blogger, Linda Morris, who is a multipublished writer of contemporary and historical romance. She writes stories with heart and heat. Her latest book, By Hook or By Crook, released last month from the Wild Rose Press.
When she’s not writing, working, or mommying, she’s doing yoga, reading, working in her flower garden, or baking delicious things she probably shouldn’t eat. She believes that there are two kinds of people: pie people and cake people, and she is definitely one of the former. Her years of Cubs fandom prove she has a soft spot for a lost cause. A beat-up old copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s Ashes in the Wind that her mom bought for her at a garage sale years ago was her gateway drug into the world of romance novels. Her all-time favorite romance writers include Laura Kinsale, Patricia Gaffney, Elizabeth Delancey, and Marjorie Ferrell. Current favorites include Julie Anne Long, Erin McCarthy, and Shannon McKenna. Take it away, Linda…

Hi, Nan. Thanks for having me here today! My latest release, By Hook or by Crook, is a road romance, a genre that I love. In my story, a spoiled heiress, Ivy, teams up with her father’s security consultant, Joe, in a last-ditch bid to prevent the (she’s sure) disastrous marriage of her little sister to an MMA fighter. Convinced that her sister’s fiancé is only after the family’s money, Ivy expects to fly out from Chicago, locate her sister, talk sense into her, and prevent the marriage. Joe thinks her meddling is inexcusable, but she’s the client, so he agrees to travel with her to help locate the wayward couple.

When they arrive in Vegas, they discover that her sister’s fiancé never showed for his scheduled MMA bout and the couple is now missing. They go on the road in pursuit of the couple, battling irate gangsters and their own growing attraction along the way.

Working on this story got me thinking about some of my favorite road romances, and why I love this trope so much. I think that it’s because it takes the characters and puts them in a crucible together. They can’t run away, and they can’t avoid each other: They have to work together to solve whatever problem or achieve whatever quest they’ve set for themselves. It can sometimes allow unlikely couples to form: couples that would never have given each other the time of day in a normal situation, but in extraordinary circumstances, they find something to like and even love about the other person:

Take a few of my favorite Hollywood films that use this trope. The all-time classic example is It Happened One Night, with Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable. Claudette is the spoiled daughter of a wealthy industrialist who runs away when her father threatens to stop a marriage he doesn’t approve of. Lost and unused to taking care of herself, she loses all her money and quickly goes hungry as she travels cross-country to join her fiancé. Along the way, a down-on-his-luck newspaperman recognizes her and agrees to help her in return for a scoop on her story. This is a classic opposites-attract story. Gable plays the cigar-chomping, smart-mouthed newsman and is the perfect foil to Colbert’s naïve heiress. Of course, Gable soon develops feelings for Colbert and becomes torn about helping the woman he loves reunite with her fiancé.

Another charming (although admittedly more sordid) version of this story is told in Back Roads, starring two of my favorite actors, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field. Field is a prostitute who is solicited by Jones, a down-on-his-luck boxer. He can’t pay her after they have sex, much to her disgust, but he “saves” her by punching out a vice cop who is about to arrest her. They flee to avoid arrest and later decide to hitchhike cross country to try to start new lives in California. This is a great forgotten romantic comedy from the early eighties.

The last of my favorite road romance films is Romancing the Stone (and it gets bonus points for having a romance novelist protagonist). Kathleen Turner stars as a sheltered, naïve romance novelist who must travel to Columbia to deliver a treasure map as ransom to save her kidnapped sister. She is quickly diverted onto the wrong bus and winds up alone in the jungle. She encounters Michael Douglas, an expatriate American adventurer who reluctantly offers to help her to a nearby town because he knows she may die otherwise. He eventually comes to believe the treasure map is legitimate and talks her into finding the stone rather than simply handing the map over to her sister’s kidnappers, with the intention of stealing the stone from her when they find it. Of course, true love rises to save the day before he can pursue such a dastardly course of action.

So there you have it: a few of my favorite celluloid road romances. If you love this genre as much as I do, leave me a comment and let me know your favorites!

While you’re thinking, here’s a quick snippet from By Hook or By Crook, which comes after Joe and Ivy have shared a kiss. Poor Ivy is still trying to fight her feelings:

“I can see you’re not going to make this easy,” she said, her tone brittle. “You know perfectly well what I mean. You and me, and our kiss. We just…comforted each other in a difficult situation.”

The awkward words didn’t exactly express what Ivy meant, and her frustration grew as Joe’s grin deepened. A dimple appeared in his cheek when he smiled fully.

“Yes, thank you for comforting me so well,” he quipped.

“Very funny.”

“I mean it,” he said, reaching out to take her hand, brushing his thumb across the back of hers. The simple touch raised the fine hair on her arms. “I’d like to comfort you all night long.” His voice lowered, grew husky, and Ivy’s skin was on fire from the inside out.

She pulled her hand away with effort. “The cabin was a special situation,” she explained. “Not really the real world. Now that we’re back in the real world, I think we ought to try to put things between us on a professional footing once again.”

“The real world? I didn’t know we’d ever left it.

Tell me about this distinction. Why is this motel parking lot the real world, but a cabin an hour or so away is magically not?” His jaw had that pugnacious angle that it took on when he made her life difficult, and Ivy sighed.

“When you put it that way, it sounds silly.”

“That’s because it is silly.”

Thanks for having me here today, Nan. I love to hear from readers. You can find me online at http://lindamorrisbooks.com/, or follow me on Twitter at @LMorrisWriter. My author page on Facebook is located at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Linda-Morris/130241710320644?ref=hl.

We’ve started the reno work on our downstairs and wowza! This is the first time anyone else has ever done work on our house (outside of people laying floors or carpet), so a whole new experience for Husband and me. Honestly, I’ve never even had to call a repairman for anything—Husband is a genius and if anything breaks, he fixes it. So, other workman in our house pulling up carpet, tearing out cabinets, and doing demo work is disconcerting. However, we’re maintaining our zen, something we agreed to do before we ever started.

It also helps to have a great contractor and we do! Tim Edens is a wonder! He’s conscientious, kind, talented, and he has terrific ideas. He sold Husband on the idea of painting our oak kitchen cabinets, something I really wanted, but hadn’t broached because Hubs is pretty hard over about keeping the wood natural.  Yay, Tim!!

So here’s the list of things that are going to happen in the next three weeks:

• Kitchen remodeled with a some cabinets removed (like over the peninsula) and new ones put in (like cabinets to replace the old built-in oven/micro)
• Kitchen cabinets painted
• Kitchen wallpaper removed and walls painted
• Dining room wallpaper removed and walls painted
• Foyer, hallway, stairwell, and upstairs hall painted
• Living room painted
• New hardwood flooring throughout the downstairs, except in the living room, where we’re keeping the carpet
• New stove/microwave
• New countertops
• New lighting in the dining room

I’m already in love with the more-open kitchen. It’s so light and airy and the paint will make a huge difference as well. I also know that the new kitchen will make cooking much more appealing. Somehow, I’ve lost the desire to be creative in the kitchen and although, I know part of that is simply the result of 40 years of making meals day after day, I believe it also has to do with the fact that our kitchen was dated and cramped. Cooking will always be a part of my life, especially as we ease into retirement. Husband’s dietary restrictions don’t allow us to eat out very often, so I’m going to be  preparing meals for a helluva long time to come. How lovely to do it in a brand new kitchen!

Here are some before pictures:

Here are some “during” pictures–this is demo, but look how much bigger the kitchen looks already just by removing the bulkhead cabinets!

I’ll post pictures and progress reports as things move along so you all can watch with me as my house becomes new again!

I’m busy, busy doing revisions and edits on the two new books that are coming this summer to an e-reader near you, so here’s another snippet from my published novel, Rule Number One. It’s still the same night and Katy discovered that Jack was pretending to be her hired escort. She was plenty pissed and stormed out of the event and took a cab home. Jack’s too attracted to let it go, so he goes to her house, rings the bell, and starts over, introducing himself and telling her that he’d only stopped by to see if she could come talk to him about staging his mother’s house. It’s been on the market for almost a year and it’s not selling. She agrees, but remains very cool. When he gets back in the car, he surprises her with a text message, asking if they can please consider this a fresh start.

Katy sat down on the steps and thumbed the screen’s keyboard. U humiliated me.

I know, U R right, rat = me.

U invaded my privacy.

I’m a bastard.

She smiled in spite of herself as an unfamiliar tingle zipped through her veins. A rat bastard, she texted back.

OK, rat bastard. May I come in and apologize again?

Can she resist his charm? I’m not telling!

Thanks for stopping by and please don’t miss the other Weekend Writing Warriors.   Head on over and check out the work of dozens of other writers. You’ll be so glad you did!

Last week, I gave you a snippet of my novel, Rule Number One, which was published last year. Here’s another quick eight for you from that book. Hope it intrigues you enough to go here and buy it, or here if your e-reader of choice is a Nook. FYI, Rule Number One is also available in print from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble for those of you who still read by turning pages.

Setting up the scene, we’re still in the very beginning of the book, where Jack has shown up at Katy’s and she’s mistaken him for her hired escort…he hasn’t actually figured it out yet…

“We’re dating?” Jack asked, watching her finger style her auburn bangs.

What the hell is going on here? Who does she think I am?

“Well, yes.” She gave him a what-kind-of-idiot-are-you look. “At least this time, Andrea sent me someone who looks older than seventeen and understands what black tie means. The last guy she sent for a formal event actually wore a Bob Marley Rasta guitar T-shirt under his tux jacket, and God save me, flip-flops!”

I’m having a great time sharing these snippets with you! Thanks for stopping by and please don’t miss the other Weekend Writing Warriors.   Head on over and check out the work of dozens of other writers. You’ll be so glad you did!

It’s been a busy week and it’s only going to get busier as we head out to spend a week with Grandboy and Son and DIL. Can’t wait to get my Nanny hands on that sweet baby! He’s growing up so fast, I can hardly stand it.

I’ve been offering snippets from my two WIPs for last nine weeks, so for week 10, I thought I’d do something different and give you 8 sentences from my published novel Rule Number One, which is available at Amazon and Barnes&Noble both as an e-book or in print. The book blurb is “Decorator and home stager Katy Ruth Gilligan has sworn off men. She’s been married to two no-good cheating weasels, so when handsome book publisher Jack Walsh shows up on her doorstep and pretends to be her hired escort, she’s not one bit amused. Jack’s back home from traveling the world as a journalist, ready to take over as CEO of his family’s publishing business. Not only does he want to hire Katy’s firm to renovate his family’s historic building, he’s also very interested in exploring the attraction between them. At first, she’s humiliated and furious, but the job will put her on a fast track to success. Despite the fact that she’s drawn to her new client, Katy’s determined to protect her heart. Can Jack convince her that the third time’s a charm?”

This snippet is the first eight sentences in the book:

“You’re late.”

She didn’t even say hello when she opened the door. Jackson Walsh stepped back. She was unbelievable! Tall, probably about five nine and curvy—like Marilyn Monroe or Jennifer Lopez curvy—bosomy, wide hipped, and…delicious. A woman you just wanted to strip naked and ravish. Her eyes were huge and dark brown, they reminded him of rich chocolate. Jack felt those eyes all the way to the center of his soul, but that wasn’t where the feeling was manifesting.

Thanks for stopping by and please don’t miss the other Weekend Writing Warriors.   Head on over and check out the work of dozens of other writers. You’ll be so glad you did!

I’m deep into rewrites/revision on The Music Is You, so I’m sticking with another snippet from  Like Fine Wine this week. The revision work is hard, but satisfying when I reread what I’ve done and realize how far I’ve come in the past three years. My writing is maturing and I’m learning so much. In spite of how arduous it is to cut and cut and cut, and then rewrite and rewrite, I know that my stories are getting better with each pass, and that I’ll be proud to put them out there for everyone to read.

So, to set the scene: Last week, we saw Will and Julie post-kiss and Julie’s appalled to realize that Will has reawakened her libido. She’s racked with guilt because her attraction to Will feels like she’s betraying Charlie, even though he’s been dead a year. The other problem is Will is younger by 13 years, and she’s not at all interested in playing cougar, not when she’s almost a grandmother. After the kiss, Will announces that he’s attracted to her, but Julie is giving him all the reasons why their getting together is a terrible idea, and she’s just told him she’s way too old for him:

“Bullshit.” Will’s voice trembled. “I’m thirty-nine years old—in most cultures that’s considered an adult.”

“Well, I’m fifty-two and in this culture that’s considered practically a senior citizen.” My heart still pounded. My face was feverish and a trickle of sweat ran between my breasts.

Oh great, a hot flash.

I was mortified and frustrated…and longing to hurl myself back into his arms and kiss him stupid.

More of both Like Fine Wine and The Music Is You as the weeks progress. Thanks for stopping by and please don’t miss the other Weekend Writing Warriors.   Head on over and check out the work of dozens of other writers. You’ll be so glad you did!