Did You Pick A Hobby? Or Did A Hobby Pick You? by Laura Hunsaker

 I saw a meme online that said: Now that you're over 40, choose a hobby or one will be assigned to you.

Then it offered: 

Plants

Bird Watching

Hiking

Sourdough

Knitting/Crocheting

How true is this?

Birds. I seriously pay attention to birds now. Why? I never asked for this! And I enjoy it! I've been sitting in my backyard watching hummingbirds, doves, yellow finches, even a hawk! And today...boy are we in for a treat. Today I saw this cool looking bird (maybe a robin with that orangey-red chest?). I went to take a pic of him, and, well...I don't even know. Did he jump? 

I have no words for the silliness of this bird. But tomorrow morning when my dog and I sit outside after our jog, I'll have to see if this guy comes back. I've been doing my DuoLingo outside, maybe he's been listening in? I'll have to try speaking to the bird in Korean to see if he's been paying attention ;)


Tell me your hobbies! Did you pick up a new one recently? Or do you have a long-running one you'd like to share?


In my book Dangerous Past, Lark's hobby is her bullet journal, and I think she'd get a kick out of my bird buddy.

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She’s running from her past…

Lark Seawell is the daughter of a serial killer. His reputation has long been a shadow looming over her since his arrest when she was a child. Especially since she’s the one who called the police. She has spent her entire life trying to live as anonymously and quietly as possible. She is not her father’s legacy.

He wants to be her future...

FBI agent Jay Sutherland is visiting a friend in a small mountain town when free spirit Lark asks for help with her injured dog. He is instantly enamored with her, and their one night stand stays with him far into the next morning, though Lark is long gone. When his partner realizes that she is the daughter of The Highwayman, Jay refuses to believe Lark is anything like her father.

What happens when she stops running…

When a trail of dead bodies follows Lark on her cross-country drive, the FBI believes she’s the killer. How can the sweet woman who rescues injured animals and makes him feel things he hasn’t felt in years be a murderer? The bodies don’t lie. Jay knows there’s more at play. If he’s wrong, and Lark is as much a monster as her father, he may be the next target…

*Author's Note: This book contains a sunshiney heroine, a gruff hero, a couple of goofy dogs, some intense action, and begins when a one night stand leads to more...

Winter Flowers by Laura Hunsaker

 If you've been around here for a while, or if you follow me on any social media platform, you'll know a husky adopted me last year. I take him out twice a day for a jog or a hike in the desert.

and the desert behind my house has gone through 4 seasons all in one month! We had a week of rain, a week of snow and wind, and a week of gorgeous weather. This weekend we'll be over 80 so who knows what the following week will hold!

One thing that's been really cool lately, is the amount of flowers in the desert. I don't think I've ever seen so many-they literally carpet the desert floor.

I've been loving the wildflowers I see every day. Who knew the desert held such beauty?

These orange ones are my favorite, so if you see them in my marketing photos, now you'll know where they came from! In my work in progress (WIP) that I'm writing right now, my heroine lives in the Pacific Northwest, rather than the desert, and I will definitely find a way to involve the beauty of the Redwoods and the forests. In this story, the heroine is woken up in the middle of the night to her roommate being murdered. She bolts and runs to get help, but help never comes. Please look forward to the next book in the Fatal Instincts series.

In the meantime, since I'm still writing that one, grab Dark Past, book 1 in the series, where it all began.

Some secrets won't stay quiet...


The small town was supposed to be safe...

Kate Landry is tired of running. Thinking she's safe, she settles in the small logging town of Chester, California to manage a cafe. She may be keeping a low profile, but she's hoping to return to a normal life.
When FBI agent Kyle Donovan visits to Chester to stay with a friend, and to recover from his latest case, he never expects to meet sexy barista Kate.

But someone is following Kate...

Kyle worries he brought trouble to her door, while Kate worries her dark past is coming after her.
With danger lurking around every corner, her safe haven isn't as safe as she'd thought. Kate will finally have to trust someone enough to tell him her secrets. Secrets that may just get them killed...

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All Dressed Up And Nowhere To Go by Laura Hunsaker

 Last spring my brother-in-law got married. There was some confusion about what to wear, so I bought several dresses and had the intention of returning the ones that didn't work out. Well, one dress wound up being a knockoff of the real one. Thanks Amazon. it's not as well-made and very obviously not the same dress. My daughter told me it looks like a fairy princess costume. And it does actually remind me of costume material rather than wedding guest gown material. However it wasn't returnable. So I have a fairy princess costume I will be wearing on Halloween. I just need a flower crown and some wings.

While I finally have a use for this wedding guest dress, I know I can't be the only one who has outfits with nowhere to wear them. I saw online this fun idea of having a Nowhere To Wear It themed party and I desperately want to do this. Everyone meets up at a restaurant/pub/cafe/place of choice, and they are dressed in their Never Got To Wear It Outfit. The posts I've seen make this look so fun! Friends dressed to the nines, all in a fantastic outfit, and the best part is that everyone has one!

I need to convince my book club to do this at our next meeting!

What is your Never Got To Wear It/Nowhere To Wear It outfit?

And speaking of weddings, don't forget that Dreams of the Future, my wedding short story set in the Fatal Instincts universe is out now!

All dresses are fabulous and the men are in kilts, even the groomsman who is dragged in last-minute and has to borrow clothes!

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Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up…


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. How can she pull off the wedding of their dreams when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess? There’s a lot to do, and so little time to do it. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.

Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to get back to the church…

Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding. This should be a happy event, yet It seems everything is going haywire. A caravan of wedding guests breaks down on their way to the venue, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the wedding has to be moved inside. Yet the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. While the striking brunette walking down the aisle ahead of him wants nothing to do with him, even she can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?

In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

GOOD-BYE SUMMER!

                                                      by Judy Ann Davis 

Summer has slipped away. Fall marched into Central Pennsylvania without the rains we had hoped for. The last three months have been dry. We've even had water alerts because of the drought which affected our town's water source of deep wells. Our usual brilliant orange, gold and scarlet leaves are now brown and dried, not the vibrant colors we had hoped for and usually see in October. On a more joyful note:

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY - is finally finished!

I’ve been trying to get this second chance mystery and romance finished and released for almost two years now. There are over twenty-five reasons why a person procrastinates. I can truly believe five of mine are:  Task aversion, distractions, feeling overwhelmed, indecisiveness, and decision fatigue.

However, there is one reason, which is wrapped up like a ball of tangled string and which affects me as a writer the most. It’s the fear of having existing mistakes in the manuscript—whether they are spelling, grammar, or development errors. Luckily, I have a good friend who is a wonderful editor. Yet, my insecurities still exist.  Finding Love in Pine Valley was released on September 14^th. I'm thrilled the book has placed me in Amazon's top one-hundred for friends to lovers romances.

The cover blurb follows.

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY    

Lena Starron knew that leaving her two-timing ex-husband and her job in New York as a writer would be a challenge. Starting over always is. But she never thought she’d return to her old hometown in Pennsylvania where two new jobs awaited her, only to discover she had no place to live. 

Wyatt Taylor of Taylor Tree Farm hired Lena to organize and open a new café while she also worked writing publicity for Pine Valley’s 200th Anniversary Celebration. Even though it has been five years since his painful break-up with his fiancé, Wyatt hasn’t been able to get his life or his home in order. When he learns Lena needs a place to live and work, he offers office space and room in his house.

To help raise money for town’s Recreational Park and its much-needed new playground equipment, Lena agrees to organize a two-day, fall Jamboree at the tree farm. When her expensive, antique jewelry box is stolen, she must determine whether it’s for true monetary value—or does someone want to see her fail and leave town. 

Together, as Wyatt and Lena untangle the mysterious web surrounding the robbery, will sparks fly? And will they be brave enough to find their second chance at love?

LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Love-Pine-Valley-relationships/dp/B0FPR3GFH4/ 

                                       LINK to my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE   

Breaking the Block by Laura Hunsaker

Back to school time is in the air, and in my area we're on week 3. The past month of my life has been back to school everything, not just for my children, but also because I work in a school. Things are slowly settling down now, and as that happens, my off-time is becoming mine once again. 

Lately I've been dealing with writer's block; more than likely from the stress of work. But to combat it, I've been just writing anything. Stream of consciousness, journaling, or even a story I've been toying with. I do this to push past writer's block, because ignoring it doesn't help, and forcing the words never works. If I just write stuff without the pressure of anyone ever seeing it, that's what helps me.

I have a story right now that's been simmering for about a month. I'm beginning to think I might be able to do something with it. Maybe not the whole thing, but parts of it for sure. I have one scene that just doesn't want to leave my brain, so this one will definitely wind up in a story. 

I think writer's block is such a fascinating thing because not too many other jobs have that. Can you think of any? Maybe artists? Songwriters? 

I've been listening to a lot of new music as well, hoping to help push past this block, and so often lyrics will speak to me as the vibe to a scene I'm writing. If you follow me on Twitter/Threads/BlueSky, you'll see me posting a nightly writing playlist, with lyrics that stuck with me. I feel like this helps me a lot. It sets the scene for me, and gives me the whole feel for a scene.

So writers, how do you combat writer's block?

Readers, feel free to chime in with pushing past some form of burnout or block in your own jobs!

And if you want to read my latest, it's a short story about a wedding with so many mishaps and shenanigans, that you'd think something like that could never happen, except that it did! To me ;)

Dreams of the Future

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Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up…


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. How can she pull off the wedding of their dreams when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess? There’s a lot to do, and so little time to do it. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.

Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to get back to the church…

Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding. This should be a happy event, yet It seems everything is going haywire. A caravan of wedding guests breaks down on their way to the venue, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the wedding has to be moved inside. Yet the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. While the striking brunette walking down the aisle ahead of him wants nothing to do with him, even she can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?

In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

New Book Drop! by Laura Hunsaker

 This week I had a surprise book release! It's a short story set in my Fatal Instincts series, and it's the wedding of our first two characters Kate and Kyle. It's a 10,000 word short story and it is fantastic!

I decided to drop this story the week of my own wedding anniversary, since that was the inspiration for this story. At my wedding, a lot of things went wrong. I don't think I realized too much of it in the moment, but as I was writing this story, and it all came back, I realized how many things went haywire!

I don't want to spoil such a fun book, but there are some shenanigans and there's a crabby DJ who only plays Celine Dion. (He did do this at my wedding. He literally played the Titanic song. At a wedding).

So grab your copy of Dreams of the Future and enjoy!

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo  |  Google Play  |  D2D  |  Goodreads

Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up…


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. How can she pull off the wedding of their dreams when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess? There’s a lot to do, and so little time to do it. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.

Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to get back to the church…

Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding. This should be a happy event, yet It seems everything is going haywire. A caravan of wedding guests breaks down on their way to the venue, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the wedding has to be moved inside. Yet the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. While the striking brunette walking down the aisle ahead of him wants nothing to do with him, even she can’t deny the sparks that fly between them.

With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?

In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

This Is The Skin Of A Reader, Bella by Laura Hunsaker

 With the Tik Tok ban, then it coming right back in less than 24 hours, I noticed that the algorithm changed. I love seeing book recs and book reviews on the socials, but one thing I don't like is when people bag on other readers for what they read. And for some reason the new algorithm feels I need to see readers bashing other readers for what they like.

I know that this blog is full of authors who write the spectrum from closed door to spicy, so I feel like we are all pretty respectful of each others' books and readers. Usually the people who mock readers aren't readers themselves. But every now and then, I see something online that disappoints me in the book community.

All the Fourth Wing, and ACOTAR hate is driving me bonkers. It wasn't my jam, but if someone is coming to reading through whatever trends on BookTok, that's a good thing. This is more than just someone saying they didn't like a book. It's very much, "Oh you only read smut, that's not a real book." Or "Fourth Wing isn't even smut, don't say you read smut when it's just Fourth Wing." See? There's no winning here.

Twilight.

It's easy to poke fun at, it's easy to bash. I am absolutely guilty of joking around with my daughter about Twilight. However. I feel like the difference is that I loved Twilight. Twilight is what got me back into reading, back in 2008. I had just had a baby and I hadn't read for pleasure in so long, that the hype got me. I tore through that series. Then I went to the library and found some Paranormal Romance that hooked me and the rest is history.

In my opinion, whatever gets people reading is a good thing. And I feel like we went through this with Fifty Shades of Grey back in the day. And I know we'll go through it again, but I would love to see readers supporting readers, rather than bashing them. And Romancelandia is usually really welcoming. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone start something that's new to them, and suddenly everyone around is saying things like, "You are so lucky to read this for the first time!" Or "welcome, you're going to love it here." So you can see why I was so disappointed in what TikTok apparently feels I need to see; readers mocking what other readers love.

That's a no from me. So let's each rec our favorite series. Doesn't matter the genre. Share your favorite books with us! Mine would be the Ilona Andrews Hidden Legacy series. It's top tier and probably my most re-read. What's yours? 

BRINGING HOME THE CHRISTMAS TREE

 by Judy Ann Davis

“Who we are is where we’ve been, who are parents are, where we lived, who are friends were and are. All these influence what we see and how we see it, how we talk and what we say, how we think and what we think about, what we believe and what we value. We are our histories.”  
                                  ~ Jerry Apps, Renowned storyteller, author, educator and historian
                                                                                               ~ from Living a Country Year

As December rolls around, often into a snowy wonderland for northern states’ residents like myself, we look forward to holidays and the simple joys of country living. When I was growing up, it was an exciting time for farm kids to get the family Christmas tree. Never was there any discussion about visiting a Christmas tree farm or buying one. Bundled up and with boots on, we trudged through the white stuff, searching our own woodlands for an evergreen tree to fit in its rightful place in the corner of our dining room. Even a less-than-stellar, often lopsided, Charlie-Brown-like pine or spruce tree would do. After all, we were going to position it with its best side looking outward, weren’t we?

Our ornaments were glass, shiny, and old—and in all the colors of the rainbow along with silver, white, pink and other variations. We also had small plastic Rudolph reindeer ornaments to add to the seasonal vibe. Mother usually let us decorate without any interference, except with the warning not to throw the icicles on the tree, as we were apt to do as we tired of the final step. The plug for the light was one set into the floor. We were also sternly reminded not to drop anything into it—like tiny metal hangers used to fasten the bulbs on the branches. 

The tinsel on the tree was silver and thinner those fluffy ones of today and served to help hide the holes between the branches. Our colored light bulbs each had a reflector with mirrors on each point of the star to send up a dazzling display. Beneath the tree was a white skirt with a manger scene and a score of cardboard houses where a bulb from a string of lights could be inserted in the back of each to illuminate the vivid paper windows. On top, a lighted angel sat looking out and guarding our cozy farmhouse. When we finished, our tree was sometimes gaudy, but always a lovable one. The lights were a merry sight to behold when lit in the evening. The fresh pine scented the air with a pleasing, clean smell. 

Now, with the multitude of new and various holiday decorations for trees and our homes, I wonder whether we’ve lost the true delight and excitement of digging out all the boxes with old treasured ornaments and re-engaging in the fun of discovering familiar things that were so much part of our past and traditions. The humble tree reflected a multitude of joys in many Christmas celebrations of long ago.  

It truly was a part of who were, where we’ve been, how and where we lived, what we believed, and what we valued. It was our histories.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Award-winning novella, ADELENE ~THE VIOLINIST, 

is Book 2, in the “Musical Christmas Series,” and took first place in the
2023 Oklahoma Romance Writers’ of America Contemporary Short Awards. 

Just $1.99

Will Adelene Almanza discover the long-forgotten secrets of the old schoolhouse 

hidden away in its boarded-up attic? And will the sparks of love 

ignite a second time for her and a long ago love?

 

 

Fall Vibes Only by Laura Hunsaker

 Today at work we changed out the Thanksgiving/Fall decorations for Winter/Holiday decorations, and I have to admit, it made me sad. Even my neighbors have put their decorations up earlier this year.

I don't think I'm ready for winter yet! In fact where I am, we've barely had our autumn, let alone winter weather. So I decided to keep up my fall decorations. At least for the next few days.

It made me wonder why I love fall so much when I'm really a summer girl at heart. I really think it's less that I love fall (although pumpkin spice everything is my jam), and more that I love the break in weather, and the last slow days before the crazy busyness of the holiday season starts. I'm enjoying the nice weather, I'm enjoying not having to be everything everywhere all at once. I'm enjoying the last of this year. I'm not quite ready for the end of the year yet. 

So for now, today, it's still fall for me, and my desk. At least until Fall becomes Fall-la-la-la time.

What is your view? Are you ready for the Winter holidays? Or are you dragging your feet and in denial like I am?

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter! I have a small bonus short story going out to newsletter subscribers first.  Sign Up Here

Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up.


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. It’s hard to do when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.


Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to help some stranded guests…


Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding, when he is immediately tasked to help. A caravan of wedding guests break down on their way, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. But the striking brunette he’s walking down the aisle wants nothing to do with him.


With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?


In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

Did I Write Non-Fiction? by Laura Hunsaker

I've kept a small secret that isn't a secret. If you've read DANGEROUS PAST, you'll have seen a page with the Fatal Instincts book titles. One of them said "Coming Soon..."

I'm thrilled to share that I'm almost done with edits on a surprise(ish) short story called DREAMS OF THE FUTURE!

This is a wedding story for Kate and Kyle from DARK PAST. And I have a beautiful cover to share. I've included the blurb,

This story is based on my own wedding, and all the things that didn't go to plan. I actually cut some things since I was worried readers would say it was too unbelievable! I would like to call this my first non-fiction story! LOL My wedding anniversary is this month, so it feels like I should release it as soon as possible, but I'm realistic. It's easily going to be summer, but I can't give a firm date.

The way to get this story for free is to sign up for my newsletter but it will be available for everyone after that for just $.99 after the first week.

That being said...here is the beautiful, gorgeous, amazing cover:

Kate Landry is soon to be Kate Donovan, if only the groom would show up.


Maid of honor Cara Nguyen wants everything to go smoothly for her best friend's wedding, yet almost immediately, the wedding turns into a fiasco. Kate and Kyle deserve to have the wedding of their dreams, and Cara wants to make it happen. It’s hard to do when the flowers are delivered to the wrong location, the groom is missing, and the lovely sunny day has become a sweltering hot mess. She definitely doesn’t have time to get distracted by a sexy groomsman in a kilt.


Kyle Donovan is ready to marry the love of his life, but first he has to help some stranded guests…


Dash Helms is in the small town of Chester, California for his friend Kyle’s wedding, when he is immediately tasked to help. A caravan of wedding guests break down on their way, one of the groomsmen misses his flight, and the beautiful maid of honor is the only thing he can concentrate on. When Dash is asked to step in at the last minute as a replacement groomsman, of course he says yes. But the striking brunette he’s walking down the aisle wants nothing to do with him.


With everything seeming to go wrong, what can go right?


In this wedding short story written for Kate and Kyle from Dark Past, the cast of the Fatal Instincts series comes together to celebrate their friends. With everyone in the same place at once, and romance in the air, can this small town handle them?

AN OLDIE FROM THE PAST - KEY TO LOVE

                             by Judy Ann Davis

"Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness," so says Oliver Wendell Holmes. . . and the father of Elise Springer, the main character.  http://www.amazon.com/Key-to-Love-ebook/dp/B00DNO9S8K

KEY TO LOVE is an oldie from the past and a romantic mystery full of snappy, humorous dialogue. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll race against the clock with Elise as she tries to find the person who murdered a state trooper.

The cast of characters include the heroine, Elise Springer, an architect; hero Lucas Fisher who owns a car restoration garage and drives a restored Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am; and Lucas’s little orphaned nephew, Todd, who’s addicted to animal crackers and The Fox and the Hound storybook. 

 

You'll laugh with Elise’s grumpy, but astute father, her wise-cracking brother, Fritz, and a no-nonsense director of Child and Youth Services, Twila Pedmo.

BOOK BLURB:

When architect Elise Springer's father is injured, she immediately leaves San Francisco to care for him. The last person she expects to encounter in her Pennsylvania hometown is her childhood friend, Lucas Fisher. 

Lucas is investigating his brother's mysterious death, and Elise can't resist lending a hand. Lucas longs for the close family ties he never had. He's back in Scranton to set up a classic car restoration business and build a future. The torch he carries for Elise burns brighter than ever, but before he can declare his love, he must obtain the legal rights to adopt his nephew--and prove his brother's death was no accident.

As they unearth clues to find the murderer and a missing stash of money, Elise faces a dilemma. Is her career on the West Coast the key to her happiness, or is it an animal-cracker-eating four-year-old and his handsome uncle instead? 

                                      ~ * ~ 

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

               

Best Laid Plans by Laura Hunsaker

In my little corner of the world, school just got out for the summer. The last week of school was incredibly stressful for me, so I took a few days off, now that there are no students. I had so many plans! I was going to do so many things! And it's Memorial Day weekend!

I wound up binge reading some books.

This came about because we got the carpets cleaned, and one of the things we do when we get them shampooed is to get everything off the floor, as much as possible, anyway. This prompted a big spring cleaning, and one of my kids brought out stack upon stack of books that she wasn't interested in keeping anymore. Well, you know, before we could donate them, of course I had to check them all out.

Back in 2016, she came with me to RT Vegas (it was a great book con!), and she was given so so many books! I don't think I've ever seen her so thrilled. So, of course as I saw the stacks of books come out of her room, and I see the RT books that were so exciting that night, I went through them all. I read probably 4 and apparently 2016 was the year of post-apocalyptic YA.

She wound up taking 2 or 3 books back to her room, and I think we had fun reminiscing. So, while I'm kind of bummed to see the books go, I'm glad we got to hang out and chit chat about books together.

So, I wouldn't say I wasted my time off by any means, but I will say that none of my plans got done. ;)

And a quick note! Dark Past is on sale for $.99 right now and until the end of the month, so grab it on the sale price!

Amazon Link

The small town was supposed to be safe...

Kate Landry is tired of running. Thinking she's safe, she settles in the small logging town of Chester, California to manage a cafe. She may be keeping a low profile, but she's hoping to return to a normal life.
When FBI agent Kyle Donovan visits to Chester to stay with a friend, and to recover from his latest case, he never expects to meet sexy barista Kate.

But someone is following Kate...

Kyle worries he brought trouble to her door, while Kate worries her dark past is coming after her.
With danger lurking around every corner, her safe haven isn't as safe as she'd thought. Kate will finally have to trust someone enough to tell him her secrets. Secrets that may just get them killed...

---

Valentine's Fun by Laura Hunsaker

 I know Valentine's Day is over, but I wanted to share one of the gifts I was given.

In my day job, I work at a school. One of my little kindergarteners gave me these adorable little white chocolate hearts!

Aren't these just the cutest? I wanted something to snack on, and thought these would be a great treat, so I tore it open and discovered that...

These are bath soaps. Not chocolates. Yeah.

But on the plus side, they are great little vanilla bath confetti!

How was your Valentine's Day?

And don't forget that my latest novel Dangerous Past is out now!

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She’s running from her past…

Lark Seawell is the daughter of a serial killer. His reputation has long been a shadow looming over her since his arrest when she was a child. Especially since she’s the one who called the police. She has spent her entire life trying to live as anonymously and quietly as possible. She is not her father’s legacy.

He wants to be her future...

FBI agent Jay Sutherland is visiting a friend in a small mountain town when free spirit Lark asks for help with her injured dog. He is instantly enamored with her, and their one night stand stays with him far into the next morning, though Lark is long gone. When his partner realizes that she is the daughter of The Highwayman, Jay refuses to believe Lark is anything like her father.

What happens when she stops running…

When a trail of dead bodies follows Lark on her cross-country drive, the FBI believes she’s the killer. How can the sweet woman who rescues injured animals and makes him feel things he hasn’t felt in years be a murderer? The bodies don’t lie. Jay knows there’s more at play. If he’s wrong, and Lark is as much a monster as her father, he may be the next target…


*Author's Note: This book contains a sunshiney heroine, a gruff hero, a couple of goofy dogs, some intense action, and begins when a one night stand leads to more…