#8Sunday #SundaySnippets: India's Birthday

I'm done with part #3 of Anton and Lenora and taking a little breather before I move on to part #4. Since my birthday is coming up soon, I thought I'd share a bit on birthdays from my romantic comedy, Afterglow:

India is a kindergarten teacher of a certain age, who is in the midst of getting a divorce from her husband of thirty years. And also in the midst of a budding love affair with a handsome young doctor named Mitch. Eva is her best friend.

My birthday fell on a Thursday that year and coincided, as it happened, with Eva's and my last day of community service. Eva thought a birthday at Darrow with the derelicts was about as appealing as a birthday spent having your tonsils removed without anesthesia. I thought otherwise. Between work and the Darrow Street Mission, I’d been busy. And busy was exactly how I'd wanted to be. I felt about my birthday much as I felt about my divorce. Given a choice, I think I’d rather not. Given a choice, I would have skipped merrily ahead to Friday, when Mitch would come pick me up in his

brand new SUV and we’d head out for what Eva called The Great Northern Adventure.

Thanks for stopping by! For more great snippets please visit Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet  Sunday 

                                      

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage. 

 

For more on Afterglow, please visit my Afterglow web page 

 or Amazon:

 
 

                                                                                                                                                                 

Shoe Planters

Have you wondered why there's a high heel with flowers on the cover of  my new romantic comedy, Afterglow? It's because the main character, India has the brilliant idea of turning old shoes into shoe planters to sell for charity. For lots of reasons which I won't give away here, the shoe planter project turns out to be more than India bargained for.

Shoe planters aren't a new idea. The folks at Fun Flower Facts  say that you can make planters out of just about anything.
There is, of course, the high heel planter:

Planter photo from Fun Flower Facts

But they've also made planters of old cars, old guitars, old bicycles, and even an old piano.

Planter Photo from Fun Flower Facts

If you want to know how to make your very own shoe planter, check them out here:

http://funflowerfacts.com/2012/08/28/fun-and-creative-garden-planters-and-containers/

And if you'd like to see what happens in India's great shoe caper, check out Afterglow, available  now at:
Champagne Books
and Amazon

#SixSentenceSunday: Afterglow is here

My brand new romantic comedy, Afterglow, was released this week. Isn't it pretty?

In celebration, I'm doing six sentences from the the book. Enjoy!

“A related issue,” I said.
“I’ve got a bank card,” he said.
“They don’t take plastic. Cash only.”
“Who are they and why do they want three hundred dollars
in cash?” It sounded as though Mitch were fully awake now.


India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage. 

For more fabulous six sentences, please visit Six Sentence Sunday

Purchase Afterglow here:
Champagne Books:

Amazon

ARE

#SweetSaturday: At the Darrow

Hi Saturday Samplers!
It's been an exciting week for me because my new romantic comedy, Afterglow, released on Monday. India's best friend Eva is forever getting them both into awkward situations, one of which results in the them doing community service:

It was, for Eva and me, the first night of our community service. She came over to get me after school. “Ready to do penance?” she asked. She had dressed for penance, a black t-shirt
and black jeans, the Eva-version of sack cloth.
The Darrow Street Mission’s dining room had cinder block walls that were painted an alarming shade of tennis ball yellow. The room smelled of burnt coffee and something I would have identified, if pressed, as canned peas.
“Charming,” said Eva, taking survey. “They certainly know how to enhance the whole dining experience.”
We were met in the industrial strength kitchen by an industrial sized woman named Elba. “You the convicts?” Elba asked, her dark eyes dancing over us with something like amusement.
“No,” Eva said and I said “Yes.”
“Uh huh,” Elba folded her ebony arms. “What do you know about rice?”
“Rice?” I asked. “You mean, how to cook rice?”
“What do you think I mean?” Elba asked, sounding slightly annoyed.
“She’s the one who cooks.” Eva cocked a finger at me.
“I know how. To cook rice,” I offered.
“Okay. You do the rice.” Elba turned her stare on Eva. “And you clean out the storage room.”

Click here for more Sweets to satisfy your Saturday!

Afterglow Blurb:

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage.

Buy Links

ChampagneBooks:http://champagnebooks.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=628

Amazon: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books/book-detail-page?ie=UTF8&bookASIN=B00AXUUG74&index=default

ARE: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-afterglow-1039661-149.html

Afterglow is here!

It's here! It's here!
Afterglow has arrived, with a new cast of characters to love and laugh with. 

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage. 

I hope you'll have a read!!
Purchase Afterglow here:

Champagne Books

 

Afterglow book trailer.

Here's the book trailer for my romantic comedy, Afterglow!

Afterglow will be released in early January by Champagne Books.

Cover Reveal: Afterglow

I've got a brand new cover for my brand new romantic comedy, Afterglow!

India Othmar isn’t having a great year. Her husband of thirty-one years has left her for their son’s ex-girlfriend. Her grown children have moved home. Her best friend Eva seems determined to set her up with every oddball in their small Massachusetts town. And her most significant relationship these days is with Cherry Garcia.

But India is more resilient than she thinks. And though it will take a broken arm, a lawn littered with engine parts, some creative uses for shoes, and a scandalous love affair of her own, she learns, much to her surprise, that her life hasn’t ended with her marriage.



Afterglow is coming to Champagne Books in early January

#Sweet Saturday Samples. Afterglow is coming in January

It's nearly time to cue up the lights and break out the bubbly.  Christmas will be here before you can say 'Is that you, Frosty?'  And in January, just as your settling in for a long winter's nap my new romantic comedy, Afterglow will arrive. Perfect for a long winter's read.


Here's a little sneak peak at Afterglow, the story of a woman of a certain age who learns that love can bring happiness  the second time around. In this scene, hero Mitch makes his feelings for heroine India clear.

I was nearly too embarrassed to face Mitch. Upending a suture kit had been bad enough, but this… I mean, here we were having a friendly dinner. And here was Red, turning it into something sordid. I did face Mitch though. I owed him an apology.

“That bit about…You’re not a boy,” I said.

            Mitch smiled. “Nice of you to acknowledge that.”

            “And Red Lansing is an idiot. An idiot who jumps to conclusions.” I could feel my face go hot. Mitch was grinning at me. “I guess it is kind of funny,” I said.

            “I don’t think it’s funny at all,” Mitch took my hand and kissed the place where the cast had been. Which, had I wanted to delude myself, could have been misconstrued as a friendly kiss. The next kiss, though, was a direct hit. On the lips, with feeling, and there was no misconstruing that at all.

            Mitch took my chin in his hand. “I’ve wanted to do that ever since you showed up in my ER,” he said.

            “I don’t know what to say,” I stuttered out.

            “Maybe you should think about it,” Mitch said. “I’ll go home and you can think about it.” He fished his car keys from his pocket and let himself out the door. Halfway down the stairs he stopped and turned. “Don’t think too long,” he said. And then he was gone.

Please visit Sweet Saturday for more delicious samples.

#SixSentenceSunday: Afterglow

I'm excited to announce that my romantic comedy, Afterglow, is coming to Champagne Books next January. It's the story of a divorced middle aged woman who is given is a second chance at happiness. 

Here's a six sentence excerpt:

“I double dog dare you,” he said.

            I’ve raised two kids. I’ve taught school for twenty years. Sometime in the middle of the last century, I had actually been a kid. If there was one thing I’d learned from all of this experience, it was that nobody can ignore a double dog dare. Not even if the darer is a medical school graduate and the daree is a middle aged teacher in pajamas and flip flops.

For more great six sentence excerpts please visit Six Sentence Sunday