Regrouping by Paty Jager

Those of you who follow this blog and the writers know I have had an adventurous 2019! I feel so blessed I was able to take the trip to Iceland and that my hubby finally agreed (after 40 years) to go to Hawaii with me.

Pihea trail, Kauai

Both trips have or will be turned into books. I'm working on the next Shandra Higheagle Mystery book that is set in Kauai. A Gabriel Hawke novel will be set in Iceland. It was fun to go to these places and not only see different lifestyles but to also see things with an eye for how I could set a book there. 

With these and other travels that kept me away from my computer, I ended the summer feeling way behind in the projects I had planned to write this year. 

Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland

However, a week ago, I finished book 4 in the Gabriel Hawke series, and I'm back on schedule writing the next Shandra. The next Hawke book is in my mind "stewing and brewing" and I have started digging for the information I'll need to write it. 

While I feared being behind due to my gallivanting, I have found the trips have not only refreshed me, making my writing fun again, it has also helped me regroup and discover my priorities and how I want to continue on my writing journey.  

I've always thought that large blocks of time away from writing would pull me out of the stories and writing all together. After my two trips, one before I started a book and another in the middle of the book, I discovered, being away from the computer and writing 3-4,000 words a day, was good. I came back with a vengeance in my writing and a better grasp of what I want to write and how I want readers to see my books. 

The words didn't stagnate, they blossomed. So while I do agree that you shouldn't let too long of space go between writing, I think, because my trips were inspirational and mind healing, that they were needed to improve my writing. 

Hopefully, my readers will agree after they read the latest books. ;) 

In case anyone was wondering, the next Shandra Higheagle book is titled Abstract Casualty, and is set around an art show that is held every year on Kauai. 

I'm still working on the title of the Gabriel Hawke book set in Iceland. All I know at this point is Fox will be in the title. 

I just realized my post on here next month will be after my Facebook Clue Party!

Mark December 7th on your calendars! It's my annual December Facebook Party and it will be a real Whodunnit! The party will run from 10am to 10pm PST. Myself and 12 western romance authors and 11 mystery/suspense authors will be entertaining you every half hour. If you join the party, you can collect the clue each author gives you and at the end of the party, using a link that will be given to you, you put in the person, place, and thing that wasn't mentioned from the list below, and you will be in the running for one of 2 Kindle Fire Ereaders I'm giving away. The other authors will be giving away things the full twelve hours as well.

Here's the link to join the party: https://www.facebook.com/events/426351174658554/

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 43 novels, 8 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

blog / website /  Facebook / Paty's Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest   / Bookbub

Read any Good #Alien Books Lately - Celebrate World Space Week

The world celebrated World Space Week last month (October 4th through 10th).

Scientists from around the world gathered to talk about whether or not aliens existed, and of course, here in the U.S., there was all that hoopla about Area 51 and the thousands of people who intended to storm the compound searching for dead aliens. As it turned out, thousands didn't show up, but there were plenty of alien enthusiasts who did...dressed up in alien regalia.

There is no direct proof of any life beyond Earth, but the universe is home to a lot of stars. And as research over the past decade has shown, perhaps at least 50 percent of those stars harbor planets. Scientists estimate there are 1 trillion planets in the Milky Way alone. "Surely some of them have undergone what Earth has undergone and developed life, and eventually what we call sentient life," they say. The argument is simply one of probability. "If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy, or for that matter in the universe, then we are truly a miracle," he says. This image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows a cluster of young stars in the Milky Way.


Here's a List of some top Alien books from Amazon. If you're an Area 51 enthusiast or addicted to sci-fi novels, you might want to check them out.

Winter World (The Long Winter Trilogy Book 1)

Earth Unknown (Forgotten Earth Book 1)

The Amber Project: A Dystopian Sci-fi Novel

And according to Ranker, here are the top five Alien movies over the years. 

Alien: Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm
Predator: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, Carl Weathers
Independence: Day Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox
Signs: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Abigail Breslin
Avatar: Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
E.T.: Robert MacNaughton (Michael) Drew Barrymore (Gertie), Henry Thomas (Elliott)

I've seen them all, and particularly loved Signs. It's not just a movie about aliens, but about a pastor who struggles with his faith in God.  

How about you? Do you believe aliens exist? Leave a comment and let us know.

* * *

 “A fantastic fast paced story filled with love, betrayal, and a demon fight that will leave you saddened and breathless.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a read! Absolutely loved getting everyone's perspective on the demons and devils. I really enjoyed Keta Diablo's take of demons - not only demons on the loose but also the internal demons we all must bear." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

"A fantastic story full of mystery, suspense and feisty romance. I really loved the concept. The story held my attention the whole way through." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

I haven't written an alien book....yet, but I have written a great demon story (I SPY A DEMON) now on Pre-order CLICK HERE for only .99 pennies. The book releases November 14th and has had rave reviews.

Thanks so much for stopping by Smart Girls Read Romance. Happy Reading!

  ️

When is a Romance Not a Romance... app

They say that rules are meant to be broken, but…

In Romance, there seems to be one rule that is King… err, Queen.

A romance must have a HFN/HEA (Happy For Now/Happy Ever After)

So, I hope you’ll understand my frustration when I tell you a little story… I play a mobile game on my phone/ipad and yes… there are those ‘lovely’ commercials… They play over and over again… and in a moment of weakness (read – I needed to procrastinate) I downloaded an app called Chapters

Chapters is a choose-your-own storytelling app with some amazing graphics as you work your way through romance stories.  

I was actually really curious to see how this worked... I didn't know anything beyond the advertisements and they looked interesting so there I was starting my first story... and it was kind of exciting that they gave me a free pass for 24 hours to read the story... (more on this later).

The first thing you do is select a story and then the look of your character and the look of the hero. (From what I can see, the 'you' character is always female so if you are a male looking to choose your romance I do not know if you're going to find a book)

I did enjoy the selections of the characters to a point. They have various shades of skin that will cover most Caucasoid complexions and at least one Negroid complected character. [Defining based on the Caucasoid, Negroid, & Mongoloid concepts of anthropology - no judgments made on race here] But for those of us not in either group I do what I've always done in reading romance... I just imagine its me, right?

So in between doing what I SHOULD be doing, I'd go through a chapter. Which meant reading through interactions between characters and picking outfits for scenes. For the most part it's a fun experience, but there are a few things that did start to irritate me. 

I know this is one of those apps where it's going to be 'helpful' if you make an in-app purchase of something. In this case pink jewels. You can earn a couple here and there by finishing a chapter and sometimes you can earn one by making a particular choice from the list, but never enough to get more than one or two 'good' options. 

In this case, you have three options to select. The only FREE option is to "Shut him down coldly." 

Yes, every romance heroine shuts down the hero coldly... what? They don't? Yeah, I didn't think so either. 

If I want to "Shake X's hand and welcome him to town" that's 17 gems

Or, midlevel just "Be nice" it's 12 gems. 

Sigh.

Or, here's another option for the heroine's interaction with her hero:

a character from the town puts down the hero and his efforts to participate in a town event. 

I had two options - 

Free? I can Let her BULLY my hero.

17 Gems - I can stand up for him!

Wow, so if I don't pay to get some of those pink gems I basically being the kind of character I don't like in books... but I don't want to be a 'jerk' but I didn't want to spend the few gems I was earning through 'reading' on a simple decision. 

Prompting me to leave this story and try another.

And I was really enjoying it... a hero and heroine wounded by life.. finding friendship in each other. Soon, they are crossing the line and falling for each other and I was really rooting for them. 

Why not? It's a romance... they're going to end up together right?So, I like myself get suckered into 'buying' a nicer outfit in a scene... [In my defense, I wanted... err, my heroine wanted to look good for her man] But it was very short sighted of me, considering what happened at the end of the story. 

After the hero nearly broke her heart (dark night of the story) the heroine goes to the lake to lick her wounds and suddenly... cue adorbs dog owned by the hero shows up... then the hero makes this big gesture to show how much he loves me... err, HER. (nervous laughter)

And we get a choice! 

"I love you too. And i'm all yours." 

"I care about you. But I can't do it."

Okay so this is a romance right? And my heroine wants to tell him: YES! I'm yours! Let's live Happily Ever After!

But one of the choices COSTS 30 Gems 

THIRTY!

Would you like to guess which one it is?

Yes... if you want to chose to be his - time to shell out the Gems!

So, hoping that there's a 'work around' (and because I didn't have 30 Gems - that darn dress) I clicked the bottom choice and say "I can't do it."

And he walks away... end of story.

What the ever lovin'... That's right... a Choose your Own Romance story ends with two choices... pay up or end up alone.

First - I get it. It's an app. They want to make money! But holy cow I waited through advert after advert in between chapters. 

Second - Remember I talked about the 24 Hour Pass they gave me... Now, I didn't go back to look, but does that mean that if I tried to read another (potentially frustrating) romance... I might have to pay for time or chapters? 

Does that mean if I paid for a story that I wouldn't have to make the horrible decision of having the hero leave me high and dry? Well if that's the thing I would have paid for the story instead of slowly working my way through chapter after chapter to end up sad and... kind of angry. 

A romance is supposed to end happy! Right? 

So my opinion of an app that's supposed to be about romance stories leaves me unable to end happy after jumping through all of their hoops.

If they had told me at the beginning that I would need to save 30 Gems to have my HEA, I would have done it... but I felt like they got me to the end and left me hanging. 

I hope that other people who use the app have a better experience and maybe I'm just one of those silver lining folks... but I wish I'd known that I wasn't guaranteed a HEA ending... 

And I was likely too Pollyanna-ish to consider that an HEA might not be an option in an app that says it's ROMANCE. 

I am NOT trying to dissuade you or anyone else from downloading and using the app, I'm just telling you about my experience. And hope that you'll remember to save those Gems!

Beautiful People #EndNF by @JacquieRogers #KindnessMatters

Strong and Beautiful
#KindnessMatters

by Jacquie Rogers

My daughter and I have had quite a lesson about Facebook this week and it's been a heckuva ride.  First, a little background.

Mercedes in kindergarten

Mercedes Christesen was born with neurofibromatosis (NF1), spontaneous mutation, and is active in the NF community to raise both awareness and research money for the Children's Tumor Foundation.  NF is more than a disfiguring disorder--it causes pain, severe itching, can cause blindness, deafness, cancer, and many other issues, as well as learning disorders.  NF is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

In Mercedes's case, she has some dyslexia, lots of tumors all over her body, inside and out, to the point where she can't stand or sit for any period of time.  There are many issues with these painful tumors that others might not think about.  Wearing anything restrictive would be one.  Bras and anything tight are out of the question.  Shoes are a huge problem because she has tumors on top and on the soles.  For her, walking is like walking barefoot over sharp gravel. 

But with all this, she is the sunniest person I have ever met.  She's a born optimist and she never lets anything get her down--at least, not for long.  That's why I wrote a book using her personality. 

So here's the Facebook post that has us all stunned.

That's 185 reactions, 227 comments, and 200 shares.

200 shares!!!

I created this graphic in 2017 for NF Awareness Month (which is May) and we both posted it on our Facebook pages.  I think my post got 30 or 40 reactions and one share--and that was from my other daughter.  Mercedes posted the graphic and got a dozen or so likes and no shares.  We're both at a loss as to why her repost went viral. Well, pretty viral anyway. LOL.  But not only has it been shared from her page, it's also been shared from several groups she's in.  So all told, over 300 shares as of this writing.

The more shares she gets, the more awareness for NF, so feel free to share on your page.  To go to the original post, click here.

Mercedes is a tireless worker for her cause.  I host a reader party at Silver City, Idaho, every year and one of the events is a charity auction for NF.  The featured authors and other kind souls donate baskets and we auction them off.  Many times the baskets are auctioned two or three times because people are generous enough to give money and donate the basket again.  In the photo below, Mercedes is explaining what NF is and why we need to raise research money while auctioneer Kim Garland looks on.

In the next picture, she's standing behind me with her friend Brew after we just completed the one-mile NF Walk.  Mercedes worked long and hard to get donations for the auction and raffle baskets.

Mercedes, moi, Brew

And here Mercedes is with her friends who worked hard to make the
NF Walk a success.
She's in the back row, second from the left.

Mercedes is definitely a NF Hero and I'm very proud of her.  To be honest, I'm not half as strong as she is.  She's amazing.  So of course I had to write a book that had a heroine who was as strong, optimistic, and determined as my daughter.  And this is it:  

MERCY, BRIDE OF IDAHO

American Mail-Order Brides #43

One woman bent on saving her family. One rancher determined to save his own heart. Is her love enough to save them all?

Mercy Eaton has come to Idaho to marry the man of her father’s choosing in order to help her family make ends meet back home. She just knows it’ll all work out. That's what she's told her sister and her traveling companions all the way from Massachusetts to Owyhee County, Idaho. Then she meets her groom. He's seventy years old. She nearly faints.

Quill Roderick has no intention of marrying. Ever. As far as he’s seen, women leave—first his mother, then his great-aunt, then his first flame. Quill sees no reason to open his heart again, especially to some mail-order bride his crazy old uncle brought for him. But Mercy tempts him like no other with her unruly long red hair, sunshine smile, and the most alluring eyes he's ever seen. Can he keep his heart barricaded from this dangerous fireball, or are her kisses the master key needed to unlock his heart to a whole new world... Love.

"No matter what happens Mercy is determined to be up for the job. She is determined that things go right even if it doesn't. She is also determined to put a smile on her face even if she isn't so sure about it. Quill is determined that he is a lifelong bachelor. See for yourself which one wins!" ~~Amazon reviewer

Mercy: Bride of Idaho is connected to a book by Caroline Clemmons, Patience Bride of Washington.


Happy reading!  

Jacquie's Website | Amazon author page | BookBub

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Honey Beaulieu - Man Hunter series

Hearts of Owyhee series

#

WHAT'S A MAP?

By Caroline Clemmons

Recently I have joined several multi-author projects. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, that’s when several authors each write her or his book within the guidelines of the series organizer. Each book is a stand-alone but reading the entire series enhances the pleasure. It appears to me that these multi-author projects (MAPs) are becoming more and more popular. Certainly, I’ve enjoyed participating in them.

The way each works is the organizer—we’ll call her Jane—decides the set up. Usually this is a small fictional town or location such as a ranch. Jane invites other authors to participate and gives them the guidelines: sweet or sensual, length, contemporary, historical, or another genre such as time travel.  Then, Jane tells her authors the release schedule and any other particulars. Most set up a Facebook page for the authors plus one-drive or Trello to keep up with names and scheduling. This is a lot for the organizer but pretty easy for the participating authors—except for one thing. It’s easier for an author to come up with her or his own guidelines than to follow those of someone else.  

In spite of that, I’ve enjoyed these MAPs and want to share two current Christmas ones with you today.

MELODY, Angel Creek Christmas Brides book 7, releases November 8 but is available for pre-order now! The series is set just after the Civil War when most of Charleston, South Carolina was in ruins and no marriageable young men were to be found. The year before—the fall after the war—five women answered an advertisement for mail-order brides to a small Montana town. That turned out well and many of the remaining bachelors prevailed upon the brides to recruit more Southern Belles to come to Angel Creek. Six more agree to travel there by train to St. Louis, then by riverboat up the Missouri River, then by stage to Angel Creek.

These young women knew each other from school before the war and have remained friends. Melody Fraser is twenty-two and fears remaining a spinster. In addition, she has threats against her fueled by vicious rumors. She is happy to escape Charleston’s destruction and peril for a chance at life in a place untouched by the war. The problem is, she might have stretched the truth a tiny bit.

Nicholas Walker is the new doctor in Angel Creek. He has big, big plans for his clinic and practice as the town grows. He is very efficient and expects to combine a skilled nurse with a wife.  When he learns Melody has only nursed an elderly grandmother, he feels cheated.

They’re in for adventure and excitement. But, will the two grow fond of one another before Christmas or will they apply for an annulment?

The universal Amazon link is http://mybook.to/Melody

On Wednesday, November 13, a 15-author box set of all new stories releases for the amazing price of 99 cents! This limited-time box set titled Christmas Wishes: Wishes Do Come True is a mixture of historical and contemporary stories set in the small town of Hopeful, Colorado. There are three heat levels: from 1 chili pepper for sweet to 3 chili peppers for sensual. The table of contents gives the heat level of each story. So, there are several to please every reader! Preorder yours now at http://getbook.at/Hopeful

Legend says the wishing well in the center of Hopeful makes wishes come true if the wish is made under a full moon. What could making a wish hurt?

Be careful what you wish for!

My story is the first one, Winter Wish. Serena Winters longs for a man who makes her feel loved. She yearns for her own home and children. Until a couple of months ago she had nursed her mother, who had consumption. She lives with her aunt and uncle above their mercantile store. In spite of what her aunt says about wishes being foolish, Serena wishes for a special man.

Brent Adams slips into town hoping no one saw him deliver the load he’d packed in on his mule. He has to wait in Hopeful until he receives funds from the bank. When he meets Serena, he longs to take her with him when he leaves town. But, what will she think when she learns his secrets?

I’ll give away an e-book of MELODY to one person who comments today and one e-book of CHRISTMAS WISHES to one person who comments today.

Misty Mountains, Autumn Leaves, and Garden Tidying

Now and forever more I will associate the pungent minty scent of catnip with my fall garden. I'm in tidying mode, pulling weeds, grass, catnip seedlings, and struggling to root out large mounds of the fragrant herb. It's not that I dislike this old-time plant, not in the least. But several years ago, daughter Elise planted four clumps at either end of the vegetable plot to act as beneficial companions and attract pollinators, which catnip does well. Butterflies favor the blossoms and potato bugs can't sniff out their desired food when potato leaves intermingle with catnip. Since then, hundreds of their offspring have graced every corner of the garden. Flower beds also play host. I'm fond of this potent plant so leave seedlings here and there, and on it goes. Catnip will inherit the earth. So will mint, comfrey, and dill...but I love them all. And, of course, the cats are mad for it.

(Catnip growing in with tansy)

We haven't had hard frost yet, but soon will. As I work outside, I pause to gaze over the meadow and hills rising beyond our farm and admire the changing leaves. Yesterday's overcast sky only muted the beauty--which I don't mind--and the mist made the mountains appear even more mysterious. While walking the dogs into the field I call the back forty, I summon halts to savor the beauty. The dogs stand, nose to the breeze tossing my hair, and sniff appreciatively. Country scents of cows and new mown grass float around us. Barnyard geese honk, birds call, and cows let me know they see us. Pockets of mist hovered between the hills this morning, the subdued bronze and orange in the trees showing through in places. When the sun comes out, these autumn hues will shine. The woods above our meadow are called 'Burnt Woods' by locals because of their flaming color in the sun. Glorious.

(Maples in our meadow)

(Sugar maple at our pond)

(Hills and the neighbor's farm behind our pond. See the Old Order Mennonite Church?)

(Misty mountains in the distance seen on my walk with the dogs)

Meadowlarks still trill from the tall grass, reminding me of spring, while wild geese fly in V's overhead. I've left tangles of asters, bittersweet, and clematis in places in hopes of attracting the wrens who visited our feeder last year. They like a bit of untidiness, as do other birds.

(Fall asters and last of the dahlias above)

(late ground rose)

(Pocket of flowers)

I've been on a bulb planting craze lately, hiding them like Easter eggs to discover in the raw winds of March and balmier days of April and May. These early flowers elicit such joy, how can I resist adding more? I also sprinkled hardy annual flower seeds around for spring color like larkspur, violas, wall flowers, poppies, and sweet alyssum. Spinach is seeded for early greens. By late winter, we're starving for them. This is when the new leaves of dandelions are appreciated for cooked greens.

Hubby Dennis's mother made a wonderful creamy dressing to pour over dandelion greens with bacon and hard boiled eggs. That stuff made anything good. I found her recipe in an old cook book. I could post it for you in spring. She also used it on watercress. One unfortunate spring, the whole Trissel family, apart from baby Dennis, contracted typhoid fever from consuming contaminated water cress. Seems a man who lived above the spring where the cress grew was a typhoid Mary type of carrier with a leaky outhouse. Who knew? All of the family survived because new medicines were available by the early fifties. 

Back to the garden. This garden was my mother-in-law's before I became its caretaker. The first years that Mom Trissel and Dennis's father lived at the farm they had no indoor plumbing and only one electric outlet. She boiled up her wash in an outdoor kettle. And this old farmhouse was built soon after the Civil War. But that's another story. There are many tales to tell from this beautiful valley.

(Our land leading to another farm and the hills seen on our dog walk)

(Gorgeous trees at the church up the road from our farm)

Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees. ~Faith Baldwin, American Family

Instantaneous Communication - by Judy Ann Davis

Have you ever wondered how peaceful it might be if, perhaps, we didn't have instantaneous communications with each other via cellphones, the internet, email, and radio and television? Every day, we are bombarded with news of what is happening in the entire world, whether it affects us or not. And don’t let me get started on how Robocalls interrupt our lives.

How did our instant need to know come about?

On October 24th, 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States was completed. It was one line that connected an existing network in eastern United States to a small network in California via Omaha, Nebraska and Carson City, Nevada, via Salt Lake City. It offered, for the first time, a near instantaneous connection from coast to coast.

The transcontinental telegraph also brought about the demise of the Pony Express with its 400 horses, 120 to 180 riders, and 184 stations manned by several hundred personnel. Riders, who could not weigh over 125 pounds and who traveled an average of 75 miles daily, relied on swing stations along their route to exchange their tired mounts for a fresh one. Riding day and night, the Pony Express could deliver mail in ten days across our nation.

Although I love to Skype each week with my little grandson in Alaska, I sometimes think life was simpler, healthier, and less stressful when letters and corded phones were one of the few ways to communicate. I hate the feeling of having to rush through life—to have to instantly respond to a cellphone call, voice or text message.

Do you have a pet peeve about our instantaneous communications of today? Or am I the only one who’d love to see a hardy, handsome rider on a sleek black horse ring my doorbell with a letter in hand?

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:    

https://www.amazon.com/Judy-Ann-Davis/e/B006GXN502/