Love Note from the Lake: March 2021
Happy Spring and welcome to the latest Love Note from the Lake! Although spring is officially here, the temperature in my neck of the woods isn’t quite agreeing. But I’ve got irises and rhubarb peeking through the ground, so that makes it real! What signs are you seeing?
Granny Love
I got to spend time with this little darling recently and oh, my heart! She’s going to be two soon – how can that be?? She and I spent some time making stone soup in her little kitchen, then adjusting flavours, and taste-testing inside her princess castle. I’ve had some great meals lately… but this one was simply the best. 🙂
As some of you know, I’ve embarked on the Simon Fraser University Editing Certificate Program. Don’t worry, I’m NOT quitting writing – I’ve got lots of stories on my to-do list. But I wanted to add to my skill set and I really enjoy working on stories with other authors. Since I was already doing it, sort of, I decided I might as well learn to do it, properly.
If you want to learn more about Roxanne’s World, ask to join my private Facebook reader group. I love our little book loving community!
Today’s Love Note
Today’s Love Note goes out to William Harris, a reader I’ve gotten to know since writing for Tule Publishing. Lots of people think that men don’t read romance. Well, William proves that smart men absolutely do. He has been an enormous champion for authors, so much so that he now moderates a Facebook Fan group called Main St. Marietta. Readers of my Tule books will recognize Marietta as a lovely, fictitious town that many of us wish we could visit In Real Life.
Since retiring, William has returned to student life, aiming to complete his history degree next year, which impresses the heck out of me. Despite his workload, he still has time to read, review, moderate and send encouraging messages to his favourite authors. I’m SO LUCKY to be one of them. Every author needs their Ideal Reader when they’re creating, to counteract that pesky inner critic. William, you’re mine. One day when we meet in person, I’ve got a big hug for you.
As an example of his kindness, William reminded me that today is World Down syndrome day, which reminded me of Mark, in The Chocolate Comeback, the character with DS who brings the hero and heroine together. Today on the Main St. Marietta page, William is celebrating me and several other Tule authors who include developmentally disabled characters in their books. I simply love that Tule allows us to write these “bigger” stories… and that readers like William appreciate them.
Thank you, William, for being my Ideal Reader. And just an all-round fine person.
Fresh air, wide open skies, new love
The first four full-length books in my Wild Sky series are now all out! Originally titled Three River Ranch, each book in this series has been updated and re-edited, and received a gorgeous new cover. If you’ve been with me for a while, you might recall these stories.
If you’re a newer reader and have missed these, I urge you to give them a try; set in Montana with wild mustangs, service dogs, babies, wounded heroes, these books are dear to my heart. They launched my career, put me on bestseller lists and connected me to many, many wonderful and kind readers – like YOU! I’m glad to see them alive again and hope you’ll give them a warm welcome.
Until the next Love Note from the Lake… stay well and happy reading!
Love Notes from the Lake
If you wonder what I’ve been up to lately, this photo might explain it. Walking around the lake with Ray and Luna is a never-ending joy
The people in our new community are wonderful, too. My new next-door neighbor Ruth, in fact, is the inspiration for this newsletter. I love Ruth. She appreciates people and isn’t afraid to shout that from the rooftops.
Ruth is also a phenomenal cook and frequently asks us to “help her” by tasting her mushroom risotto, or double-crunch chicken, or blueberry coffee cake. We do her this favor because that’s what friends are for.
On her Facebook page, Ruth posts beautiful Loves Notes highlighting the important people in her life. Even though I don’t know most of these people, reading them always brings a smile to my face.
So, with a nod to Ruth, that’s what my revamped newsletter is about. Love Notes. Reminding people – YOU – what you mean to me and why.
I’ll also update you a bit on my life and my books, but honestly, that bores me so there won’t be much of it. (Also, if you want to know about that, ask to join my private Facebook reader group. I don’t post much on “regular” Facebook anymore, being more of a small group kind of gal.)
Love Note #1
My very first Love Note goes out to Kim of ReadYourWrites book reviews. Kim – Kimmie to me – has been with me from my very first book. For a writer just starting out, when no one has ever read your books before, to have someone you don’t know post that they LOVE it, well. That does something for a fragile writer’s heart. (Kim, one day when we meet in person, I’ve got a big hug for you.) Kim is more than enthusiastic and kind, however; she’s also unflinchingly honest, which is vital in a reviewer – and a friend. When she starts off hating a character of mine – and she’s hated a few – she says it. Then she says something to the effect of “… but I read the book anyway because I knew Roxanne would make it worth my while – and she did.”
Ah, Kimmie. Thank you. Thank you!
Audio Books
In other news, a year ago, Tule Publishing negotiated a fantastic deal with Blackstone Publishing for the audio editions of my books. Over the past several months, they’ve been produced, and are now all available.
Narrator Felicity Munroe does an amazing job with my Montana Home and Love at the Chocolate Shop books, as well as A Dog Called Valentine and was kind enough to tell me that recording my books helped keep her spirits up during those early dark days of Covid-19.
Three River Ranch – relaunched as Wild Sky Romance!
Finally, I’m excited to announce that my very first series is being relaunched! The series, originally titled Three River Ranch, has been languishing on the bottom shelf, so to speak, so we’ve updated and re-edited the books, given them fresh covers and new titles and they are now being released as the Wild Sky series. If you’ve been with me for a while, you might recall these stories.
If you’re a newer reader and have missed these, I urge you to give them a try; set in Montana with wild mustangs, service dogs, babies, wounded heroes, these books are dear to my heart. They launched my career, put me on bestseller lists and connected me to many, many wonderful and kind readers – like YOU! I’m glad to see them alive again and hope you’ll give them a warm welcome.
Until the next Love Note from the Lake… stay well and happy reading!
Love, Roxanne
A Dog Called Valentine
Today’s Teaser: A Dog Called Valentine
The dog lay in the back of the chain-link run, his head on his paws, his eyes deep and soulful. And hopeless. He was bigger than she expected. Dirtier. Stinkier. Sadder.
“Oh, my,” Lily said. “What’s his name?”
“Valentine,” Ariel replied. “He was a flea-market puppy, purchased last year as a Valentine’s Day gift by a guy for his girlfriend. She dumped them both by spring, and Valentine’s been bouncing around since then.”
Lily raised her eyebrows. “He looks a bit like Marley, from the movie. Can’t we call him that instead?”
“Sorry,” Ariel said, not sounding sorry at all. “Every new owner has tried to change his name. It’s the only one he knows. I think everyone expects him to be like the movie dog. Then they get him home and find out how energetic he is. He doesn’t listen, they say. He destroys their furniture. They can’t walk him. He runs away. He jumps on the kids.”
Lily’s heart ached. “And with each new home, he gets worse.”
“Underneath that dirty, matted coat is an adorable personality just waiting to be released by the right person.”
Lily and the dog surveyed each other. The tilt of his head and his half-cocked ears suggested that Ariel was right. It’s just that there was so much of him. And so much mud.
Lily bit the inside of her cheek. He needed so much. Would she be equal to the task? “Keep in mind, I’m no Cesar Millan. I’m more… See Spot Run.”
“You’ll be fine,” Ariel assured her. “A little basic obedience. You know, sit, down, off, heel, maybe a couple of tricks. Oh, and get him used to grooming. He enjoys rolling in stuff. A bath and a good brushing and he’ll be gorgeous.”
Not likely. But he had that heart-tugging quality in spades. “You haven’t had much luck, have you, boy?” she murmured. “No one’s ever even gotten to know you.”
She knew what it was like to strike out, over and over again. And be overlooked.
Copyright c 2019 by Roxanne Snopek