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Don’t Worry Be Happy I believe in happy endings. While I can’t quite call myself a romance writer, I still believe in happy ever after, or happy for now. Okay, maybe happyish. Since I like to blow things up and kill people off (usually the bad guys), not everyone is going to have their happy ending. Well I’m usually happy about it. I’m having way … Continue reading Don't Worry, I Still Believe in Happy Endings
Brenda Jackson is one of those amazing authors who bring you into a story and make you feel as if you are a part of the community. Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson Narrated by Ron Butler Vashti Alcindor left Louisiana under a cloud of shame and remorse never planning to return. When she inherits her beloved aunt’s B and B, fate conspires to … Continue reading Love In Catalina Cove
Billy sipping his warm beer, watched his sister and her new husband as they twirled around dance floor amid the other glittering couples. He didn’t begrudge Rae her happiness. It was a long time in coming. But he couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy. He sighed as he watched them, the three friends, couples now, best friends since middle school. They’d always had Rae’s … Continue reading Happy Birthday Brenda Mayo Jones
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What’s happening with the Romance Writers of America? I’ve had several people ask me “What’s going on with RWA?” How do I even begin to explain? While the big pimple on the face of the organization might have imploded with the wrongful suspension and false allegations against Courtney Milan, the blemishes we’ve been covering up go much deeper and have been going on for much … Continue reading What’s Happening with the RWA
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I do not believe a writer ever stops learning. If we stop learning, we become stagnate and die. Like something caught in the old pool in the back yard, you can swim around in the sludge for a while a little slimy but happy enough. After a while, the things that begin to grow on the bottom of the pool start to choke out the … Continue reading Stagnate We Die
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The end of a decade. As we prepare to ring in the new year and the new decade, I find myself looking back over the past ten years. So much has happened in such a short time. After winning the Ann Peach Award in 2009 and joining Romance Writers of America, I started truly thinking about being a published writer ending the last decade on … Continue reading What a Decade!
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Some of my favorite things… I love our community Christmas parade. From the time I was in high school until my children were grown, there were very few parades I did not participate in. I have been a clown and a beauty queen. I have marched with the Aurora Woman’s Club, rode on floats with clubs and my church. I have led the parade and … Continue reading What I Love About Christmas
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Narrated by Chris Brinkley and Chloe Miller Winston Brothers Book 5 Veterinary doctor, Roscoe Winston is still nursing a broken heart leftover from high school. He avoids Simone Payton at all costs. With an eidetic memory, Roscoe can’t afford anymore memories of Simone breaking his heart. The youngest of the Winston Brothers, he was somewhat protected from their evil father, but he remembers more than … Continue reading Dr. Strange Beard by Penny Reid
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I am a child at Christmas. No matter how old I get, I am still excited by the Christmas lights adorning houses and stores, intricately woven onto boats and stylishly fashioned on business marquees. I stare in wonder and awe at displays of homemade ornaments and family heirlooms, delicate glass balls, wrought metal sculptures, paintings, and nature crafts. I hum along with familiar songs, belting … Continue reading What Christmas Means to Me
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Narrated by Chris Brinkley and Angela Dawe Winston Brothers Book 4 Beau is the good twin. The handsome twin. The nice twin. So why is he channeling his twin brother Duane when dealing with the female mechanic, Shelly Sullivan? She’s rude. She’s sarcastic. He doesn’t like her. So why can’t he get the painfully beautiful woman out of his mind? He’s lived a charmed life, … Continue reading Beard in Mind by Penny Reid
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Peace on Earth By: Sherri Lupton Hollister 2011 Silver tinsel shining bright Carolers singing Silent Night Bells clanging, pealing ring Peace on Earth the Angels sing Chaos, confusion , heartaches abound There is no Peace on Earth to be found I pray for a calm, quiet place God whispers, “Child I give you grace.” Wadded paper, twists of tape Knotted ribbon, the hour late So … Continue reading A Christmas Poem
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Note: I use chicken breasts. If you prefer dark meat, I suggest thighs. I take off skin, cut meat off in strips. Save the skin and bones to make chicken broth. 4- chicken breasts 1- Cup flour Seasonings: I use cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and celery salt 2- Tables spoon Dukes Mayo 2- Teaspoons honey mustard salad … Continue reading Homemade Chicken Strips
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by Penny Reid, narrated by Joy Nash and Chris Brinkley #3 Winston Brothers Series I am addicted to the BEARDS. I don’t know what I’m going to do when Penny Reid runs out of his brothers. Cletus Winston may be my favorite brother. He is mysterious, unique bordering on strange, extremely intelligent to the point of nerdy but with a beard and a sexy bod … Continue reading Beard Science
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by Will Thomas, Narrated by Antony Ferguson A Barker and Llewelyn Novel London 1892 The newly wed Thomas Llewelyn and the still recovering Cyrus Barker are pulled into international intrigue by the Prime Minister when a British spy is murdered in the streets just a few blocks from their door. Newly returned from the continent, the spy brought back a holy relic that could change … Continue reading Lethal Pursuit
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Evergreen Crystals is the fourth in the Leeward Files Series. Most of you were expecting Red Steel and that’s coming soon, I promise, but I thought I could whip out a little holiday romance, give the gals of Leeward their happy endings and move on, BUT…. When I started writing Evergreen Crystals it was just going to be something sweet and fluffy for the holidays. … Continue reading You Are Invited to a Book Signing
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“Kissing and Other Scandalous Pastimes” Join the fun at The New Romance Café Facebook Page, December 2nd 12 pm until 9pm for our International Release Party! We’re celebrating our first historical romance anthology. It is one of two winter anthologies we’re releasing this year! I am so honored to be a part of this awesome group. My friend and fellow Pamlico Writer, Tammera Cooper invited … Continue reading International Anthology Release Party
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Preparing for the Holidays with Kate Welcome to my virtual café, Kathryn, I’m so glad to have you here today. Kathryn: Thanks, Sherri! So happy to visit you in your cozy café. And feel free to call me Kate. Sherri: Thank you, Kate. I’m excited to have you here for the holidays. You really go all out with decorating and baking, don’t you? Kathryn: Oh, … Continue reading Holiday Chat with Kathryn Louise Wood
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K and S Securities Series by A J Andersen It is difficult to imagine that this is only A J Andersen’s second book. As with Finding Faye, Andersen knows how to hit all the right notes. The relationship between Ana and X is sizzling. At first, I had a little difficulty with the way she left him but getting into the story, it all falls … Continue reading Acquiring Analise
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As Thanksgiving nears, I become increasingly aware of all I have to be thankful for. Somethings are huge and often become just the background of my life. I don’t want to become complacent and forget what I have. I am blessed. I live in a country where I am free to speak my mind, worship the way I believe and have friends who have differences … Continue reading So Much to Be Thankful For
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Thyra was my second interview. We will both have stories in the winter historical anthology published by the New Romance Cafe, Kisses and Other Scandalous Pastimes. Thank you for being a part of my journey as a writer and interviewer. I hope someday to meet in person. Today I have the luxury of visiting with a new writer friend, Thyra Dane. Some may recognize her … Continue reading Interview with Thyra Dane
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In lieu of new author interviews during the weeks leading to Thanksgiving, I’d like to thank the authors who first gave me a chance to interview them for my Creekside Cafe. Donna Steele was my first interview and I’d like to take a moment to honor her kindness and friendship as well as update her interview. Those of you who read the original interview, thank … Continue reading Interview at Creekside Cafe with Donna Steele
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By Nora Roberts This was a hard book to start. Nora Roberts writes her characters so well that I felt as if I were the fifteen-year-old girl hiding in the bathroom while her friends were shot down in the mall theater. Simone Knox kept her head and dialed 9-1-1, her early response saved lives. Reed Quartermain was home from college working at the mall and … Continue reading Shelter in Place
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Do you get discouraged by your word count? Do you have one week that is really fantastic and another that is just not something to be proud of? Yeah, well that’s me. Some days, some weeks I have so much going on at work, with my life, in my head that I don’t get the word count I’d hope for. Doing NaNoWriMo this month, we … Continue reading Fluctuating Word Count
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also known as Merry Simmons I am thrilled to welcome Hannah Meredith to Creekside Café, my dream job if I ever win the lottery or get a million-dollar movie deal, for now, the café only exists on my website. Hannah and I are both members of Romance Writers of America and our local Heart of Carolina RWA. We met at local meeting and became friends. … Continue reading A Warm Friendly Chat with Hannah Meredith
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The Spitfire: Wicked Wallflowers by Christi Caldwell Narrated by Tim Campbell Audiobook Clara Winters dreams of leaving behind her old life at the mercy of controlling men and opening her music hall. No matter how many times she is knocked down, she is bounces back up. When she discovers a man being assaulted on the streets of East London, she knows if she doesn’t intervene, … Continue reading The Spitfire: Wicked Wallflowers
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An abundance of cans of black beans and the loom of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) on the horizon, I decided to prepare a few meals ahead for those crazy weeks when I needed to write or attend meetings and my husband still wanted to eat. I’m not sure why he feels he should have to eat EVERY day but like the family pets, he … Continue reading Black Bean Chili for NaNoWriMo
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My first week of NaNoWriMo 2019 I’m not sure what I expected this week during the first week of NaNoWriMo. My only other experience with NaNo in 2015 was more harrowing. As an inexperienced writer who usually only made five-hundred words per day, trying to triple my output to make my NaNo goal wasn’t easy. I had to really push myself to write every day. … Continue reading My Reflections of NaNoWriMo
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It is so nice to have author Maida Malby here at Creekside Café. Welcome Maida, have you ever been to North Carolina before? Maida: Yes, I have. The first time I came to the US was in 1994 as a participant in the YMCA International Camp Counselors Program. I was assigned to the Sandy Ridge Girl Scout Camp in Bennettsville, SC for two months. I … Continue reading Enjoying the Breeze with Maida Malby
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What Doesn’t Kill Her by Christina Dodd Narrated by Vanessa Johansson When your whole life is built on a lie and you are living a constant nightmare it is difficult to trust anyone, even the man you love. For Kellen Adams, the person she trusts the least is herself. A year-long memory gap, a nightmare and a seven-year-old daughter she never knew threaten to undermine … Continue reading What Doesn’t Kill Her by Christina Dodd
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Read by Hollis McCarthy (Chirp) This cozy mystery is the first in the Blackmore Sisters Series. The setting is the small, oceanside town of Noquitt, Maine. A huge family home the sisters are trying to save and a legacy of tall tales, family lore and antiques still to uncover. Their home, family history and even their cat are somewhat mysterious. What is even more of … Continue reading Dead Wrong by Leigh Ann Dobbs
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Today I’d like to introduce science fiction author and producer, Joe Pranaitis. It’s great to have you here, Joe. I believe you are my first sci-fi author. Welcome to my Creekside Café. Joe: Hello Sherri, thank you for having me. Sherri: My husband and sons are all Star Trek, Babylon 5 and Star Wars fans. Your parents first introduced you to science fiction? The books … Continue reading Star Gazing at the Cafe with Science Fiction Author, Joe Pranaitis
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For years I have suffered a debilitating disease of UNABLE to Plot. I’ve taken classes and courses, bought books and listened to other authors, but when it comes down to plotting and outlining, I freeze up. This year for NaNoWriMo, after listening to several YouTube videos and webinars, I decided to give it another try. In the past when I thought of outlining my story … Continue reading What Happens When a Pantser Plots?
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Second Chances with all the FEELS This was an amazing story. I started crying with the opening sentence and found myself laughing, crying and falling in love with these characters. As the mother of a former soldier who served two tours in Afghanistan, this story touched my heart right from the beginning. I thought Michele handled the PTSD and the main character, Jackson’s loss of … Continue reading Finding Hope by Michele Brown
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Tirza Schaefer, it is great to have you at my Creekside Café, this is my virtual café where I meet the most interesting people from all over the world. If I ever win the lottery it would be my dream job, a place to write, drink coffee and talk to other writers and readers. Tirza: That sounds absolutely beautiful! I’ll be a regular guest there! … Continue reading Coffee on the Porch with Author, Tirza Schaefer
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Part of my Prepping for NaNo Series In most stories there is more than one character. Even in Tom Hank’s Cast Away, Wilson, the soccer ball became a secondary character in the story. He didn’t talk much but he was an important part of the story. In some stories the weather, as in The Perfect Storm or even an animal as in Jaws may be … Continue reading The Role of Secondary Characters and Their Importance to the Story
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With NaNoWriMo coming up I’m thinking ahead to fast and easy recipes. I love rotisserie chicken. I often pick up one for my husband and I on days I’ve spent shopping or running errands and don’t want to cook. Since it is now just the two of us at home, after the first meal we are left with half a chicken or more. While I … Continue reading Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Ideas
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Today I’d like to welcome K G Fletcher, “The Singing Author” to Creekside Café. Wow, when I was doing my research for our interview and I came across this moniker, I thought, I need to know more about this. So welcome to my virtual café, and why are you called the singing author? KG –I am a professional singer/actor as well as a romance author. … Continue reading Chatting With The Singing Author
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Whether a plot driven story or a character driven story someone or something has to be doing the action, at least in most stories. It might be different in a literary novel, but I would think something, or someone has to move the story from beginning to end. A brief explanation, plot driven is all about what is happening, and the characters are secondary to … Continue reading The Importance of Developing Characters (NaNoWriMo)
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My secret weapon isn’t so secret: Sticky Notes and Note Cards, color coated of course. Now many of you probably use Scrivener or some other program. I do have it on my desk top in my office, but I haven’t fallen in love with it yet. Plus, since I also write on a cheap laptop with not a lot of memory it cannot handle something … Continue reading Sticky Notes and Note Cards NaNoWriMo Prep 2
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I have searched the web for programs, YouTube videos, blog posts, and webinars to help me get ready for NaNoWriMo. The one thing I’ve noticed is they are not geared to pantsers. I know, I know, if I’m a pantser how can I “get ready” for NaNo? Well, when I was preparing for my very first NaNoWriMo in 2015 I knew I had to have … Continue reading Preparing for NaNoWriMo As a Pantser
What do you do with instant mashed potatoes? Do you have leftover hurricane supplies or food pantry items you’re not sure how to use? For my homemade potato pancakes I prefer to use real mashed potatoes whenever I have them leftover. Of course, raising six sons, there weren’t many days when they didn’t finish the mashed potatoes. I learned that instant potatoes will work in … Continue reading Potato Recipes
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Chirp Audiobook Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux is the best at what she does but she’s not prepared for the Archangel Raphael or the mission he has for her. In a world where the monsters are real, and vampires and angels are interdependent upon each other, a human has little chance of survival. Thankfully, Elena is a little more than human. A born hunter, she heals … Continue reading Angels’ Blood by Nalini Singh, read by Justine Eyre
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Sherri: I’m chatting today with Nina Romano, whom I know as @ninsthewriter from Twitter. You know what they say about seven degrees of separation, well, we have a mutual friend, award-winning cozy mystery author, M. K. Graff. Since meeting Nina through Twitter, I have wanted to host her on my website. I am so excited to finally be able to welcome to my Creekside Café, … Continue reading Cooking and Chatting With Nins the Writer
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By Marie Savage A Book Review Luke is a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy. He has a girl in every “port” or stop, they know the drill, have a little fun until it’s time to say good bye. He’s a truck driver, a wanderer, he has no time for relationships. Aimee Jo has a dream of becoming a singer. She is on … Continue reading Asphalt Cowboy’s Girl
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Happy birthday to this dear lady who is not just a friend but my mentor, too. When I first met Marni, she was hosting the Writer’s Read at a bakery in Washington. Her open heart and gentle manner made trusting her with my rough, less than eloquent prose, easier. I have often described sharing my writing as being like standing in a Walmart parking lot, … Continue reading Happy Birthday Marni “M K” Graff
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Ingredients: 1 shot Birddog Blackberry Whiskey 1 shot Chambord Blackberry Liquor 1 shot Rumchata Also good over vanilla ice cream Especially with some toasted pecans Toasted Pecans ½ cup of rough chopped Pecans 1 Table spoon of Butter Coarse Salt 2 Tablespoons Pre-made Caramel sauce Melt butter, toast pecans, add salt and caramel sauce. Continue reading Blackberry Cream Triple Shot
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The Conall Clan Shifter Series Budapest Fairy Tale Book 4: Conall Clan by Donna Steele Marcel Tremblay never expected to be the new alpha of the Northeast Territory, especially not at his age. A few weeks ago, he never imagined he’d be on a plane, his plane, well, the pack’s plane, and on his way to Budapest. Life is funny and for this shifter and … Continue reading I’m Joining the Conall Clan
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Finding Faye by A J Andersen Finding Faye is A J’s debut novel. YES, her very first novel. I debated whether it deserved a four or five-star rating. I mean, if I give her a five, what does she have to look forward to? If I give her a four, does that mean I didn’t like the story? No, actually, I believe anything three and … Continue reading Amazing Debut Romantic Suspense Author
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The Main Characters of Chrome Pink Interviewer: The two of you are the main characters in Chrome Pink, how did you meet? Rae: We met at the opening of the Bryant Foundation Art Gallery. Logan: No, we met at the bar where you were singing Karaoke. Rae: But I didn’t learn your name until the gallery. Logan: True, you rode off angry. Rae: You talked … Continue reading Interview with Rae and Logan
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Grin and Beard It by Penny Reid, Narrated by Chris Brinkley, Cielo Camargo When Jethro Winston stumbles upon a beautiful woman lost and stranded in the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, he has no clue that she is the award-winning actress, comedian and writer, Sienna Diaz. The curvy, vivacious woman makes him smile and he falls a bit in love with her that very first … Continue reading I’m In LOVE with The Beards!
Originally posted on BREATHE: Michelle Garren Flye:
Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved reading. She loved reading more than anything else. She would wake, pick up a book and start reading. She read as she ate, as she brushed her teeth, as she walked… She even found a way to prop her book up on the bedside table so she could… Continue reading The author and the bookstore
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