SCP Five Favorite Things Giveaway

Congratulations to Kimberly H who won a copy of Love and the Economy! Thanks to everyone for stopping by and commenting. Have a Happy Holidays and be well.

“I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.” 

It's true that if things aren't going so well, just change your thoughts, or do one of your favorite things if you can, and you'll feel better in no time. 

Here are a few of my favorite things.

 1.  Crisp fall weather, perfect for hiking and walking.

       2.    An afternoon cup of coffee with a small piece of chocolate.

       3.  Reading a book on my cell phone with the Kindle App, even though I have a Kindle, the phone is just so much cuter.

       4.     Hanging out with my fiancé, enjoying a movie or just walking.

       5.    My Secret Cravings novella, Love and the Economy

I love all of these things, and I’m giving one away to a lucky blog commenter. Just leave a comment telling me a few of your favorite things, along with your email address, and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Love and the Economy.

CLICK TO RETURN TO FIVE FAVORITE THINGS BLOG

Christmas Blog Hop

A big congratulations to my two winners Gale and Ashley!
And thank you to everyone who stopped by and commented during the blog hop. It was fun, and I liked reading you comments! 

Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

Welcome to my blog! The holidays are a time for giving, and I'm starting the holidays off by giving two commentors on my blog my novella, Love and the Economy, from Secret Craving Publishing. I will be randomly picking the two winners on Tuesday and will annouce the winners on my blog Tuesday. 

 All you have to do to win is leave a comment here about your favorite holiday movie, either big or small screen. 

My sentimental is favorite It's a Wonderful Life, such great emotion in that story. I also love Scrooged, Bill Murray's updated take on the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. And for me it wouldn't be Christmas without seeing the Ron Howard movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas! He gives the Grinch's backstory, which was great to see. 

Winners will receive a PDF copy of Love and the Eonomy

Blub - Just when Andrea Elliot thought life was getting back to normal after the divorce, her ex, Daren is moving back home. While the ink on their divorce papers dried up, so did the U.S. economy, and Daren’s architecture firm. Since Daren can’t afford to support two households and a floundering business, his accountant advises the couple live together in the family home – just till the economy improves. This couldn’t have happened at a worse time for Andrea. She's just started to date again.

Daren still loves Andrea, and sees their new living arrangement as his opportunity to make things right. Once home he takes off his suit and puts on his work clothes, and gets busy re-building his reputation and his ex-wife’s home office. Can Daren see what Andrea desires, and be the present take-charge man she’s always needed, and can Andrea put her pride away and let him?

Story Excerpt

When the empty elevator arrived, they walked in and both reached for the lobby button, their hands colliding. A surge of energy flashed through Andrea as her hand brushed Daren’s, quick like a computer processor working, but she felt it nonetheless. Even though their marriage had ended, and she in fact had been the one who wanted out, being close to Daren still affected her.

”I’m sorry,” he said after their hands connected.

“Me too.” She looked up at him while the door shut. She referred to the elevator button mix-up, but her mind focused on the news they had just received.

Andrea hated to admit it, but standing next to Daren affected her in a surprising way. As they stood in the elevator, her mind conjured up other times they had shared close quarters and took advantage of the moment.

She smiled to herself as she recalled a similar elevator ride in the beginning of their relationship, which ended with her pressed against the wall underneath him, stealing kisses on the way to their hotel room.

She glanced over at Daren. His thick, wavy black hair fell naturally into place and always looked as if someone had just run a hand through his hair, adorning him boyish charm. His piercing brown eyes competed with his hair for attention, and usually won. Admiring his tall, athletic build in his dark suit, she could tell he had put effort into his appearance for this meeting. She wondered if he had something planned later or if he dressed purposefully for seeing her today. She could smell his cologne, not too strong, just the right amount. He had shaved, leaving just a touch of stubble—the way he knows she likes it. Did he do this for her benefit, to help lessen the blow of today’s meeting? As he stood in the corner of the elevator, for a moment she longed to put her arms around him and feel the strength of the muscles noticeable under his custom suit. Thankful he couldn’t read her thoughts, she hoped he didn’t detect how he affected her.

Enjoy kicking off the holiday season with some great prizes and reads!

Return to Christmas Blog Hop! 

Island Surprise

Welcome to my blog, the story tentatively titled Island Surprise continues. This week's writing prompt is future.

The doors to the large ballroom were opened for the award ceremony, and the crowd rushed in. Claire walked in and searched for seats near the aisle, not that she expected to win. She wanted to make sure Sam found her in the crowd. Their book, The Longest Day, was nominated for best romantic suspense. She looked around for Nancy, she was right next to her when the doors opened, but they must’ve gotten separated in the mob.

Friends and others writers she’s known for years, came over to her and give her a thumbs up or showed their fingers crossed for her. It never ceased to amaze her how supportive the romance genre had been, she was happy to be a part of it.

Nancy sat down next to her. Claire’s eyebrows went up, and she let out a soft sigh of relief. “What happened to you? I thought I lost you.”

“Right before the doors opened, Dan approached me and said he wanted to talk to us.”

Claire moved in closer to her friend, “Are you kidding me? I didn’t see him.”

“Well, he saw us, and he says it’s important that he speak with us. I told him I had to be in here for this, and then just got away from him. I didn’t look back, I just moved ahead with the crowd.” Nancy pointed at the empty chair. “Where’s Sam?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t like attending these things.”

“That might be true for his books, but this one is for the both of you. He’ll be here. He wouldn’t miss this.”

Claire heard her friend and knew deep inside it was true. When she and Sam stayed up talking about their work while at the hotel on Maui, she could tell that the characters they created meant something special to him. He wanted to see them in future stories, and was outlining a series for them. Whether she was ready or not she would be spending more and more time with Sam, her heart leaped at the very thought. She took a couple of deep breaths to center herself.

She looked around the ballroom for Sam again, and instead caught sight of Dan entering through an unattended side entrance. A shot of adrenalin raced through her system giving her instant energy if she needed it. “Great, Dan just came in. Why is that door open? And where the hell is Sam?”

Nancy squirmed in her seat. “Maybe we should get up and move.”

“No, we have great seats. The place is filling up. We won’t be able to find three seats together.” This was her big night and she wasn’t about to let a possible murderer ruin it for her.

Thanks for stopping by. To return to Tuesday Tales and more stories from talented authors.

Christmas is a Time for Giving Blog Hop

Welcome to my blog and the Christmas is a Time for Giving/Wounded Warriors Blog Hop.

  

On this the 71^st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, I salute the men and women of our armed forces. And especially those who’ve been wounded in service, and of course those who gave their lives for their country.

I also would like to take this time to salute a member of my own family who I never knew, my mother’s cousin Joseph Gordon of Brooklyn New York. My mother spoke fondly of Joe, who was her age and like a brother to her and her sisters. I knew from family pictures that as a teenager, Joe was a sharp dresser in his Zoot Suit and loved to lindy hop. 

When WWII broke out, Joe, like many of my mom’s friends, enlisted in the air force. They were eager to fly, and wanted to be Tuskegee Airmen, which was the black division of the U.S. Air Force. After graduating from flight training at Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama, he was deployed to Italy with the 99th Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group. I recall vividly seeing pictures of him in his goggles in the cockpit of a plane, proudly displayed on my Grandmother’s bureau.

Unfortunately, 2^nd Lt. Joseph E. Gordon was the only one of my mother’s circle of friends who did not come home. He was one of the 66 Tuskegee Airmen who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. According to a news article, on August 12, 1944 his plane was shot down over France, after escorting bombers to Toulon, France, to destroy radar stations. Fighters from the 332nd Fighter Group began to draw ground fire. P-51 Mustangs flown by 2^nd Lt. Gordon and 1st Lt. Langdon E. Johnson were hit; both pilots were killed.

They are buried at Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in France. According to a government database, Joseph Gordon was awarded a Purple Heart. He was his parents’ only child, and was loved very much by my mother and her three sisters. My said since she never attended a funeral for Joe, she found it hard to believe he was truly gone, and used to search for his face on crowded streets.

I am very proud to honor our veterans, and grateful for their service to our country. The holiday season is a time for giving. I’m asking for at least 30 comments on my blog, and I’ll be donating $30.00 to the charity WoundedWarriorProject.org at the end of the blog hop. So please help by showing your support for an excellent cause, and saying thanks to our wounded military men and women. As a thank you, I’m giving away two copies of my holiday short story, My Holiday House Guest, which is on sale on Amazon. Please leave your email address with your comment to be contacted if you win. It’s a great way to start the holiday season. Thanks for stopping by. 

To return to the Secret Cravings blog hop page to read more blog posts http://secretcravingspublishing.blogspot.com/

If you would like to make a donation yourself to WoundedWarriorProject.org here is the link https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=66

Update - I just made my donation to Wounded Warrior Project!

Dear Carolyn Gibbs,

We want to thank you for your generous donation to Wounded Warrior Project^®. Your gift enables us to provide comfort and aid to injured service members and their families.

Please help us spread the word about injured warriors’ needs and encourage your friends to learn more about Wounded Warrior Project by sending an email or posting on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you again for your gift. This is a summary of the information that you provided.