An Alpha Males Take on FROZEN and a Fun Announcement!

Posted at Mar 31, 2014 4:33 pm

I am not ashamed to admit that when I took my daughter and granddaughter to see FROZEN in the theater I was completely sucked in by the songs, the story, and the animation. Yeah, I know there’s always a hidden message in kid’s movies these days. No more of the road runner outsmarting the coyote just for laughs. However, when we took the DVD camping with us this weekend and my husband (the alpha male) watched it, I was amazed at all the messages he found in it that I didn’t really miss, but didn’t zero in on like he had.

Yeah, I got the whole power of love, family, sisters-before-misters messages. But here’s what the alpha male found and I have to say I was very impressed.

1. First impressions aren’t always true

2. Don’t judge a book by its cover

3. Be yourself

4. Take action, perseverance pays off

5. Everyone has their own agenda

6. Family will always be there in times of trouble

7. Don’t close off opportunities

8. Don’t let fear shut you down

9. Take risks to find success and happiness

And my absolute favorite messages the alpha male learned from Olaf:

10. No matter how much you fall apart (literally) you can and should always pick yourself up and move forward.

11. Be optimistic

Pretty impressive, right?

I think, he was also highly entertained by the movie (and our daughter and granddaughter singing and acting out the songs). And though he loathed to admit it, he totally dug Olaf and the trolls. I think I might have to keep this guy around. J

And now for my fun announcement (drum roll please!) . . .

April 7-28, 2014 Avon Books will be celebrating the 3^rd Birthday of Avon Impulse. Since I am one of the (as my editor likes to call me) pioneers of the Avon Impulse line, I wanted to have a little celebration of my own.

Each week during the Birthday Celebration I will be posting interviews with my heroes and heroines from the Sugar Shack series. Yep. Matt and Kate from Second Chance at the Sugar Shack, Dean and Abby from Any Given Christmas, and James and Kelly from Somebody Like You, will make a reappearance. And guess who’s going to be doing the interviews. Me? Nope. The one and only Letty Silverthorne will be jumping in to interrogate—I mean quiz—the couples she had a transparent hand in putting together! I promise I won’t even try to rein in my favorite backseat-driving ghost. So it should be fun.

The prizes for each interview blog will be a complete set of signed Sugar Shack books and a $10 gift card for Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice).

Also, during the Avon Impulse Celebration, Somebody Like You (James and Kelly’s story) ebook will be on sale for only 99 cents! So tell a friend.

On the days of the interviews I will post an announcement to Facebook and Twitter so no one will miss out.

7 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day E-Book Giveaway!

Posted at Feb 14, 2014 10:08 pm

Happy Valentine’s Day! To celebrate I’m giving away FIVE e-book downloads of Confessions of a Secret Admirer–A Valentine’s Day Anthology to 5 randomly selected commenters.

These downloads won’t work on Kindle so you must be a mobile user and have an iPhone/iPad/Android or a Nook.

Giveaway ends February 15, 2014 at noon (MST).

Here’s your question . . . if you were/are single (I promise I won’t tell your spouse!) on this Valentine’s Day, who would you choose to lay a big old smooch on?

I’ll go first (don’t tell the Hubster!) . . . I would lay a smooch on Antony Starr who plays Lucas Hood in Banshee. The man is just too hot and steamy for words. Ha! Bet you thought I’d say Broncos #87! Fooled ya.

All right, spill . . .

13 Comments

Confessions of a Secret Admirer Giveaway!

Posted at Feb 4, 2014 4:31 pm

I’m very excited about the release of Confessions of a Secret Admirer–a Valentine’s Day Anthology with amazing authors Jennifer Ryan and Jennifer Seasons! To celebrate I wanted to have a fun giveaway.

Giveaway includes Confessions of a Secret Admirer–a Valentine’s Day Anthology Ebook, Swarovski crystal heart necklace, Notepads, Ghiradelli chocolates, pink stuffed monkey, and a Sweet, Texas coffee mug filled with pink pearl coated chocolates.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and tell me if you’ve ever had or have ever been a secret admirer, or who your secret crush is. And if you don’t have a story, feel free to make one up. I’ll reward the most creative with a signed copy of Sweetest Mistake (Jackson Wilder’s story).

Giveaway ends February 11, 2014 at 5:00 pm (MST). Winner(s) will be randomly selected. As always, this giveaway is open to my international friends.

Now . . . go forth and confess!

54 Comments

WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO?

Posted at Jan 17, 2014 4:43 pm

Anyone who knows me knows I love football. And I’ll admit after the Super Bowl I go into a bit of a depression knowing I have to wait forever to see my teams out on the field again. I also have to admit that I don’t just watch football for the love of the sport. There are some gorgeous men out on those fields. Take my latest crush Eric Decker #87 on the Denver Broncos. Or my forever crush on Troy Aikman. But when it comes down to the final playoffs for the Super Bowl, it’s all about football. So what’s a girl to do when her two favorite quarterbacks are playing against each other? I guess I’ll just have to be fickle and cheer for them both!

Who are you rooting for this Sunday?

5 Comments

Early Wacky Black Friday Giveaway

Posted at Nov 14, 2013 3:57 pm

Call me crazy but the only thing I’ve ever loved about Black Friday is the crazy Black Friday Target Lady who has now been retired from Target ads. I say bring her back!

I’ve participated in this insane, I’ll-beat-you-over-the-head-with-my-$10-popcorn-maker-if-you-get-in-the-way-of-my-$5-omelet-skillet shopping blowout day exactly once. I have to admit, I just don’t need that $10 popcorn maker badly enough to risk bodily harm. Nor do I wish to be out amongst shoppers who can be just rude (and scary) and customer service people who can be exhausted and cranky. I’m really not much of a shopper to begin with. I usually go to a store with something specific in mind and I’m outta there in a few minutes.

My weaknesses are TJ Maxx, Gordman’s, and Sam Moon’s. In those stores I can wander aimlessly for hours and I never leave the store without a substantial ding to my pocketbook. Heaven forbid there are holiday decorations involved!

For this giveaway there will be THREE winners! Each will receive a Sweet, Texas coffee mug, a box of Anything But Sweet candy conversation hearts, and a signed book of your choice (choose from Second Chance at the Sugar Shack, Any Given Christmas, Somebody Like You, For Love and Honor, or Anything But Sweet.

All you need to do is leave a comment here on my blog. Tell me whether you engage in Black Friday Shopping and what you’d be willing to stand in line (in the cold) all night to buy.

Winners will be randomly selected. Giveaway ends and winner will be announced Sunday, November 17, 2013 at 6:00 (MST) pm. As always, this giveaway is open to my international friends.

SWEETEST MISTAKE–Book 2 in the Sweet, Texas series will be available on December 31, 2013. I have some fun things planned so stay tuned. SWEETEST MISTAKE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER. Just go to my home page and click on your favorite place to purchase books (available in both e-book and print).

32 Comments

What’s for Dinner? Contest!

Posted at Oct 21, 2013 4:21 pm

Revisions on SOMETHING SWEETER (Jesse Wilder’s book) are done! Now deep into a new project (which I will announce soon) and I need your help for a scene I’m working on.

If this guy showed up at your door, what kind of dinner would you cook to impress him? Not talking surf and turf, something more on the comfort food level.

Let’s make this a contest! Winner will receive a Sweet, Texas coffee mug and Anything But Sweet candy conversation hearts. Deadline is Friday, October 25 6:00 pm (MST). As always, this contest is open to my international readers.

9 Comments

The Joke Is On Who? + Giveaway!

Posted at Oct 10, 2013 2:47 pm

I love Halloween! I love going into haunted houses! I love scary (not gory) movies!

So with three exclamation points you get the idea. I decorate the inside of my house for my own enjoyment but I’ve always wanted to decorate my entire yard so all the kids will want to come and get spooked. Problem is I live out in the country where you have to drive your kid to the neighbor’s house. There are only about 15 houses in the area and none of them do the trick-or-treat thing. So you have to take your kid to a subdivision to get the goodies. It’s a bummer.

And then there are those years where you spend hours trying to find or create the perfect costume. I’ve worn some doozies. Like the time I dressed up as a Hershey bar and wore a big garbage bag with white tape lettering. I never could really figure out if people were laughing at me or with me. Okay, I’ll admit, it was a last minute costume but I thought it was a creative five minute solution.

Today I’m giving away a print copy of Anything But Sweet, the first book in my Sweet, Texas series, a Sweet, Texas coffee mug, and a box of Anything But Sweet candy conversation hearts, plus bookmarks and cover flats for Anything But Sweet and Sweetest Mistake (available for pre-order now).

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me about the best Halloween costume you ever bought, made, or designed.

Winner will be randomly selected. Giveaway ends and winner will be announced Friday, October 11, 2013 at 8:00 (MST) pm. As always, this giveaway is open to my international friends.

25 Comments

Seasons of Change Giveaway!

Posted at Sep 26, 2013 3:06 pm

This morning I had to put on my winter boots, coat and hat to go outside and feed the cow and dogs. Where did summer go? For days it’s been raining and cold. I’m hoping we can move back into those nice warmish days with crisp air and gorgeous fall colors.

I’m also moving into a fun new writing project that centers around Valentine’s Day (more on that to come in future days). So while my body is adjusting the cooling temperatures and the foliage is in checkout mode, my mind needs to be focused on spring and all things in bloom. This happens a lot when you’re writing. I’ve often been at the computer writing a story that takes place in the heat of summer while it’s snowing outside my window. Needless to say this really messes with my already clogged up brain. So fall and winter here we come. Best part about that? Less to do outside and more time for reading, my favorite pastime!

To celebrate the seasonal change, I’m giving away two sets of Sweet, Texas coffee mugs (for that nice cup of tea or hot chocolate), a box of Anything But Sweet candy conversation hearts, and signed print copies of Anything But Sweet.

All you need to do is leave a comment and tell me what your favorite season is and why. Or you could tell me what seasons you like to read about in your favorite books. Do you like those cozy winter time books where the hero and heroine need to snuggle? Or maybe you like summer books where the hero and heroine are stretched out on the beach.

Giveaway ends and 2 winners will be announced Friday, September 27, 2013 at 8:00 (MST) pm. As always, this giveaway is open to my international friends.

44 Comments

Angels in Heaven

Posted at Sep 4, 2013 4:39 pm

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers these past weeks. Heaven has gained another angel. My beautiful Mom passed away around midnight last night amid an amazing lightning show that had me thinking she was already in heaven throwing another of her fabulous parties. I was very fortunate to have been able to tell her how much I loved her and she was able to tell me the same. I will miss her very much.

Be the first to leave a comment

Retail Therapy!!! + Giveaway!

Posted at Aug 29, 2013 1:59 pm

In last Sunday’s ads there was a sale on athletic shoes (not that I’m athletic by any means) but my camping sneakers are beyond pathetic. I usually tromp through mud and wade into rivers and lakes then ride the ATV while wearing them so yeah, they’re a mess. I figured I’d toss them and replace them with my better pair. Then, of course, I get to buy new ones! The sale ad had this amazing pair of pink Nikes and I wanted them bad. So I went to the store and discovered that not only were those shoes not available they haven’t been available for a couple years. How stores can advertise something that isn’t actually available is beyond me.

Sadly, my appetite for pink athletic shoes had been whetted. I looked everywhere in town and also online. Yeah, there were pink shoes but they were either an almost purple pink or they had some weird combination of colors like lime green. Not what I wanted. Yesterday I had to run to Fred Meyer to pick up a few groceries and figured I’d wander into the shoe department. Just in case.

They had the same pink ones everyone else did. But as I wandered further down the aisle my hungry-for-pink gaze landed on a pair that I swear had the golden light of heaven shining down on them.

Voila! I’d found my shoes.

They aren’t pink but they freaking sparkle! The best part? They were on sale. And the cashier gave me a $10 off coupon.  And I had another coupon that gave me $6 off. And they came with an extra pair of shoelaces! When all was said and done I’d paid about $20 for a pair of sparkly Sketchers. Retail therapy rocks!

For today’s giveaway please leave a comment about the last item you bought for retail therapy. As a thank you I’ll give away ebook downloads of Second Chance at the Sugar Shack, Somebody Like You, and a box of Anything But Sweet conversation hearts candy to four commenters.

Giveaway ends and winners will be announced Friday, August 30, 2013 at 8:00 (MST) pm. I can’t do my usual Friday/Saturday Giveaway because the first Boise State game is Saturday night and you really don’t want me trying to do something relatively intelligent while I’m screaming “Go Broncos!”

Thank you! (Go Broncos!)

24 Comments