Readers Choice Award Finalists!
I just learned that two of my books have made it through the first round of voting in the 2015 Readers Choice Awards, from The Romance Reviews. They’re up against some fantastic competition, so they’ll need all the votes they can get. If you have a moment, pop over and give them some love, okay? If you’re not a member of The Romance Reviews, you’ll have to sign up, but they only want an email addy and you can unsubscribe right after voting.
Great story, rich with detail that brings the freezing cold snowy environment… into glorious technicolor!” –Amazon reviewer
…hopes, fears and angst, beautifully portrayed…in this superb story.” -Splashes Into Books
Thanks so much to everyone who voted in the first round – and to all of you who are voting again now!
Day #1 of 100 Days of Happiness
The brilliant author Nancy Robards Thompson recently issued a #100DaysofHappiness challenge and I’m taking her up on it. If you’ve been following me for a while, you might recall my 100 Days of Bikram Yoga challenge, where I not only did 100 straight days of Bikram yoga, but I blogged about it most days as well. 100 day challenges apparently work for me.
So here’s my entry for Day 1.
As some of you know, our youngest daughter left for university this past weekend, leaving me a little… forlorn. Motherhood has been my primary identity for well, most of my adult life. Natural childbirth, breastfeeding, homeschooling, the works. Attachment, baby. All the way. Plus, I’m a Scorpio. We grab on. Tight. (Mama Doesn’t Share Food!!)
Which was all great. Until now when my primary task IS to let go.
Some things were easier when our girls were smaller. For instance, we could tuck them into bed, set the alarm and know they were safe. Some things were almost unbearably sweet: the fresh-from-the-bath smell when tucking them into bed. The full-belly laughter. The innocent, wide-open trust in their eyes. The hand-holding.
But there was lots to counteract that easy sweetness: screaming fits, hours-long bedtime rituals where I just wanted to spray them with Nap-Time (come on, you’ve thought about it too!) not to mention the power-struggle between 30 pounds of arched-back fury and a non-negotiable car-seat. In the dreaded mommy-van.
As our daughters have grown into independence, I’ve morphed as well. But this milestone, last chick launched, is forcing me to evaluate my life and goals. The Next Stage of my life is here. How do I want to play it? (And for the last time, Honey. Naked Wednesday is NOT a thing.)
So this is my Day 1 of Happiness: I’ve got a wide-open world ahead of me, with three fantastic adult children and a husband who loves me even when I get broody and existential. I’ve got a career I love, with readers who remind me that exploring the landscape of relationships through fiction is important. I’ve got excellent friends who also love me, despite my neuroses, or what I call The Adventures of Roxanne’s Brain.
Change can be hard. But life is very, very good.
Millionaire Daddy, 99c. Even better with clothes on!
The Millionaire Daddy Project… a fairy tale? Let’s see.
Kingdom? Check. Bachelor Dane Bergman’s restaurant business is definitely his kingdom.
Prince? Check, that’s Dane, though he just thinks he’s rich and powerful.
Princess in jeopardy: Dani, Dane’s unexpected, unknown-until-now preschool daughter. A tough nut, this one. Just like her daddy.
White knight: that would be Pamela Atwater, who’s also manager extraordinaire, devoted pinch-hitting nanny, loyal friend and – surprise! – a sweet, sexy seductress as well. She’s the only one who can bring father and daughter together.
Battle scenes? Sure, but they are more face-to-face and emotional than army-to-army with halitosis and maggots. (FYI, my characters all have excellent oral hygiene and since it’s my fantasy, there is no need for bugs, ever. Period.)
Happy ending? You know it. Though you may shed a tear or two as well. Rights are wronged, truth comes out, people discover untapped potential and love conquers all.
Read the full post at Entangled Indulgence where I share the best ever recipe for sangria, too.