January 15, 2021

Hello Dear Reader!

My Christmas tree still stands in the family room. There are two smaller ones in other parts of the house too. It’s the first time in my adult life I’ve left all decorations up past the first week of January. The lights add an extra layer of cheer to the house so I always dread packing them away. But it’s on my agenda this weekend, it really is.

Granted, I’ve been a little busy these first two weeks of 2021. Moving our son to Wyoming last week took a lot out of me. And then there was the ice storm before we left which brought down a lot of limbs and part of our siding. So, packing, hauling branches, and filing an insurance claim dominated the calendar. Oh, and there's a book to write, of course. Meeting the daily word goal is always at the forefront of my mind. 

In bookish news, I’m halfway through reading the short stories in Sweet Romance: An Anthology and I’m loving them! One of the most exciting aspects of having my story curated for this collection was “meeting” other fellow authors who write in the genre. If you’d like a sampling of free novellas by some of the anthology authors, here’s a promotion happening now through the end of March. https://books.bookfunnel.com/atasteofsweetromance/1jri4l0skt

Sweet Romance: An Anthology was also nominated for a 2021 Swoony Award on Goodreads! It’s currently #2 on the list. You can vote here if you think it’s award-worthy, and also check out the other romance books nominated. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/155602.2021_Swoony_Awards

Lastly, I’m continuing the Clean My Shelves Giveaways into the new year since it seems to be such a hit. I’ll pick TWO lucky winners from those who send me their choice by replying to this e-mail. Below are the titles. Be sure to check out the photo of the pretty covers too. Please take note: all of these are lovingly USED books. Sorry, non-US friends, I can only ship within the US. If by chance I choose someone outside the country, I’ll offer a $5 Amazon gift card instead. 

The contest closes on Sunday night, 11:59 p.m. CST. Winners will be notified on Monday via e-mail and announced in the next newsletter. 

Here are your choices: 

The Nantucket Inn by Pamela Kelley

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

Fannie Flagg’s Whistlestop Cafe Cookbook

The Magical City (a coloring book)

Now Go Home by Ana Maria Spagna

Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover’s Soul

A Cure for Dreams by Kaye Gibbons

Until next time and Happy Reading!

Dawn