Well, hello, handsome. Don't you clean up nice!

Dear ,

Today I'm thinking about weddings. Last night I dreamt that I was getting married again—fortunately, it was to Mr. Bloom! Although I'd not have been surprised to have been saying "I do" to Jason Mamoa since right before bed my darling husband was watching a movie that featured that hunka burn'n love and I mentioned I thought he was attractive.

Mr. Bloom was stunned—but not speechless—that I'd find a man who "looks like a caveman" (his words) good looking. I had to explain that some women (and admit that I was among them!) love the fantasy of a stone-age hero to romance us (as much as a caveman would be expected to woo a woman!).

So weddings... I've been married twice—the first time was an unregrettable Happily For Now that lasted 14 years. The second time, a Happily Ever After, that will celebrate15 years in November.

For my first marriage we were dirt poor. And my parents, who lived three time zones away, weren't in any better financial shape. So I bought a summer dress at a budget-friendly department store, one of my seven roommates made a cake, and my man and I tied the knot in our living room with a small group of friends. My sister, who was one of my many roommates, was my only family in attendance.

Years later, and already in my forties, I suppose I could have had the white wedding with a professional photographer and flowers and a catered meal... but Mr. Bloom and I, both taking our second shots at this Happily Ever After thing, were happy to keep it simple.

We planned the event to coincide with American Thanksgiving (which I have to make clear, being a Canadian 🇨🇦) since my whole family was going to be visiting my sister in Seattle. It was to be the first time we'd all be together in almost two decades. My mom decided she wanted something new to wear for our very low-key wedding, so I took her to my favorite clothing store—the local thrift shop.

And what did I find? An actual wedding dress that fit as though it had been custom-made for just me! And so, in my sister's living room, with Mr. Bloom in a tux me dressed as though we having a princess wedding, we said our vows in front of eight family members—including our two sons from our first marriages.

Yup. I've been married twice and neither wedding cost more than $100! And honeymoons? A weekend road trip with husband #1 and nothing formal with Mr. Bloom... I don't know if I'm the dream or the nightmare bride, but I should get points for being consistent!

• 👰🏻 Are you married?
• 👸🏽 Was it a fairytale wedding, one you'd planned since you were young?
• 👩🏼‍⚖️ A courthouse union?
• 💃 A Vegas affair?

Tell me... I'd love the inspiration for my work-in-progress.

This new hero is a quirky billionaire, motivational speaker and the heroine is a plant whisperer. I see him wanting all the flash in his wedding and her leaning toward a quiet event... we'll see what they decide in a few months!

Speaking of books... you know I had to...

Rhodes to Love, the fourth book in The Mixed Six-Pack series, will be published on September 9 and is available for pre-order for just $0.99—just for you!

Like in Third Party (Josh and Paige's story), there is a wedding scene in Rhodes to Love—actually, there are two since this is a fake marriage story, so Adam and Lizzy get one wedding early in the story and one in the epilogue—because even those of us who don't like to be the center of wedding attention, love to eavesdrop on Happily Ever After vows, right?

Read an excerpt from Adam and Lizzy's first wedding—the fake one—right here.

Love at First Kiss Novellas

The second pair of "Love At First Kiss" college romance novellas launched this past week. You can read Change of Heart by Suzana Thompson and Winning Her Love by Alexa Stone. All the books in this shared world series are just $0.99 right now.

This is my favorite review of my own book in this series, Mind Over Splatter:

"Matt and Abbie truly do not see each other coming and their feelings growing. I’ve read a few BBW books and this is the first that truly captured for me how uncomfortable a heavy girl can feel in her own skin. I loved how Matt drew her out of herself and doesn’t realize she may not be as comfortable with herself as he is. This was a good, fast read that caused me to one click the others." ~Michele R. on Amazon.com

The reason I love this review is because, like this reader, I've read a good number of BBW books (that's Big, Beautiful Woman - or curvy girl, if you prefer), and so often the heroine's weight feels like an add-on since she never struggles with accepting her size. As a woman who does struggle, I wanted to tell a story that shows this insecurity and celebrate the men who love us just the way we are. (I'm looking at you, Mr. Bloom! 🥰)

More book deals for you

Joining group promotions is one of the few ways indie authors reach new readers. Odds are, it's how you found me...

Here are four titles that you can find in the four group promos I'm participating in this week. Even if the book doesn't look like your thing, have a look to see what other titles are hiding behind it. Each promo has lots to choose from.

Since I'm writing a billionaire romance, that's what I'm reading these days (and loving Annika Martin's Billionaires of Manhattan series!). So here are some billionaire's to dream about showering their riches on you.

That's it for me this week.

I do hope you'll write and tell me your wedding story.

And that you'll have a peak at the wedding excerpt from Rhodes to Love.

love&marriagestuff,

Danika

xo