Father's Day Advice for Men by @JoanReeves

Today we celebrate Father's Day.

I'm lucky to be married to a wonderful man who is also  a wonderful father to our children. In my novels, the heroes embody the strength, love, and compassion exhibited by my husband.

At the wedding reception of our daughter, our youngest child, he saluted the newlyweds with a toast that began and ended with heartfelt remarks. In between, he gave some advice for our new son-in-law that was funny, but true.

So, for you men who often seem mystified by the actions of women, I offer this post with 10 rules for a happy life.

This practical advice can help any man, not just a newlywed male. If you take it to heart, you may be surprised by the adoration and appreciation shown to you by the special women in your life.

Ladies, be sure and show this post to the men in your family.

10 Rules Men Should Observe

1. Remember these 7 words: "Yes, dear, it's my fault. I'm sorry." Too many men never apologize because they think it makes them appear weak. Wrong. It makes you human.

2. Make sure you actually know what you did to cause the problem for which you apologize, or you'll create a bigger problem.

3. For good measure, you can add, "Please forgive me." Granting and receiving forgiveness takes love from both parties. 

4. Helping around the house is a way of saying, "I love you." Crime statistics show there has never been a case of a woman killing her husband while he was cleaning the kitchen, taking care of the laundry, or carrying out the trash.

5. Marriage is the meeting of two minds. Don't try to guess what's in your loved one's mind. Just ask—and be prepared to deal intelligently and sympathetically with the answer.

6. When your woman talks, really listen to what she says. Sooner or later, you will be tested in some way on this.

7. If you ask a woman how she is, and she says, "I'm fine." Trust me. She's not fine. It's up to you to figure out what's wrong because many women have been taught to focus on others rather than on themselves.

8. If a woman asks you if she looks okay, the answer is always, "You look beautiful." Unless there is something seriously wrong with her appearance—like she has green stuff stuck between her teeth or the zipper in her pants isn't zipped, etc.—reassure her that she looks great.

9. Don't worry about understanding the woman in your life. Understanding will come with time. Give it time. Be there for her day in and day out. If you do that, she'll always be there for you.

10. A happy wife means a happy life. Shower your wife with love, and be a great husband. Being a great father will come easy to you then.

Happy Father's Day!

Joan Reeves—Keeping Romance Alive…One Sexy Book at a Time—is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. All of her stories have the underlying premise that it's never too late to live happily ever after.

Joan lives her happily-ever-after with her hero, her husband. They divide their time between a book-cluttered home in Houston and a quiet house at the foot of the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch at night, look up at the star-studded sky, and listen to the coyotes howl.

Visit Joan Online and be the first to know about New Books and Giveaways by signing up for her Mailing List/Newsletter.

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With a Little Help from My Friends by Bea Tifton

 Through the years I have been lucky to have made some really good friends. My friends have also been very diverse. Now, I tend to have friends in several different groups. I have my more conservative friends, my tree hugging friends, my music friends, etc. Many, if not all, dance to their own tune, and although I do as well, we find a harmonious way to interact. We’ve had quite a few adventures.

When I was in college, my best friend at the time and I took the train to New York City. We had a stopover at Chicago, and her aunt picked us up at the station. We went to the Sears Tower, then down to a basement pizza restaurant to sample real Chicago style pizza, ears still popping from the elevator at the Tower.  When we got to New York, my cousin met us at the station and let us stay with him for a couple of days. We felt very grown up as we walked around New York City by ourselves. Contrary to what we’d been told, the people of New York were pretty friendly, although I had to speak when we needed something because my friend’s Texas accent was so pronounced that no one could understand a word she said.

Now I have two very different best friends. One of them is a Libertarian married to the love of her life with two grown children. We don’t talk politics or religion, but we always have plenty to say to each other. Even going to Target together is fun. But a word of advice. Don’t get into plastic sword fights at a party supply store when helping your friend shop for her school's Pirate Day costume. The store employees don't like that.

My other best friend is a gay man who goes to my church. We try to eat together once a month after church, just the two of us, no matter what. We talk and talk, solving all the world’s problems, telling scandalous stories from our youth (No, I’m not telling going into those. That’s a blog for another day), or simply talking about what we want to do, where we want to go, what we’ve read, or what we’d like to happen in the future.

It’s so nice to have two such different perspectives from people I trust so completely.  Remember the immortal words of Bernard Meltzer, “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows you are slightly cracked.”

June What a Wonderful Month! by Paty Jager

half of the hay field is cut

Finally! We have warm weather and it isn't raining anymore. Keep your fingers crossed it stays that way. At least until we get the first cutting of hay off the field. ;) 

It's June! Did you know that June is Audio Book Month? Many of the audio book vendors have specials going on this month. Check out your favorite audio book store or if you haven't listened to an audio book join one of the many audio book stores and listen to your first book free! 

I have 9 of my Shandra Higheagle books in audio and am beginning to start on the Gabriel Hawke series. I can "read" more books but listening to them when I walk. So I have become a fan of audio books. 

Another great thing happening this month is our annual Authors4Veterans Giveaway! 

Authors4Veterans is a non-profit organization started by Stacey Joy Netzel and PJ Fiala in 2017. The purpose of Authors4Veterans is simple; they contact fellow authors like myself, asking for a small monetary donation and books, swag and comfort items. They bag them up in beautiful canvas zippered bags and deliver them to Fisher House Wisconsin. Fisher House is a fantastic organization, located on the VA grounds in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where military families who need temporary housing can stay while their loved one receives care at the VA hospital. This is all free to the families. There are currently 84 houses in operation. You can find out more about Fisher House here - https://www.fisherhouse.org/

Authors4Veterans’ came to be as Stacey and PJ both come from strong military backgrounds and they wanted to give back in some way. To date, our author bags have been given to over 115 families. Sometimes families have little notice that they have to rush to the hospital and these bags come in handy as they usually contain toothbrushes, toothpaste, shower soap, hand lotion, etc. in them as well as the books and swag. Families are given a bag upon check-in. Fisher House has shared that the families are often over-come with emotion at the generosity of the authors and how comforting the bags have been.

So, all that said, we also want to give something to our readers! Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win your own Authors4Veterans bag filled with goodies. The giveaway ends at 11:45p CST on June 20th. Four winners will be drawn and announced on June 21st. There are several opportunities for you to enter the giveaway, and of course, sharing it is always appreciated.

Enter the giveaway here - https://authors4veterans.com/2019/06/june-reader-giveaway/

The second pest thing for me about this being June is I'm giving myself a birthday present. I'm going to Iceland through The Authors Guild. We'll meet authors from Iceland and go on literary and scenic excursions. While I'm taking in the sites, I'll also be figuring out how to set a Gabriel Hawke book in Iceland. 

What are you doing this month? Is it a month you look forward to?

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Romance #Readers Will LUV this Event #GameofThrones #Swag

Join us for a “Game of Thrones” inspired event where everybody wins!

Fab #author Dariel Raye invited me to join her in celebration of the many worlds of paranormal romance, sci-fi, and urban fantasy.

Yes, #romance lovers will adore this giveaway!

Authors pooled funds to provide cool Game of Thrones fandom-themed prizes and goodies.

Giveaway will include:

Maps of Westeros
Khal Drogo miniature
Dragon jewelry
plus swag packs of goodies!

Here’s how to enter:

To take part, visit the giveaway page https://wp.me/P5xE8E-t3

You’ll find book covers from all the authors taking part. Click the covers and you’ll be taken to that author’s Amazon page where you can check them out and find new books.

You can enter the contest by taking part in the Raffle Copter giveaway. Sign up for newsletters from the authors of your choice. Please sign up ONLY for the ones you want. 

When you request a newsletter, you will receive free e-books and entry into the fandom contest.

When you sign up for mine, you’ll receive WHERE THE RAIN IS MADE, a paranormal time travel with oodles of Native American mythology.

About Where the Rain Is Made:

A decadent-looking savage has captured Francesca DuVall and her brother Marsh. These days, she spends every waking moment planning escape from the brutal Dog Soldiers' village.

Ethan Gray is a curator at a national museum . . . until he travels through time to help his beloved People. In the Cheyenne world he’s known as Meko, leader of the most revered and fearsome tribe of the plains.

Two cultures and two hearts battle. Violence and death haunt their troubled roads, but when kindred souls collide, love prevails against the greatest odds. From the windswept plains of Colorado to the placid life of a curator, their love is fueled by passion and kindled by destiny.

Good luck in the Giveaway!

These “Game of Thrones” items have been hand-picked for fans of the award-winning HBO series and combined into 3-swag packs for our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

 We hope to see you there!