Southernism of the Week: Howdy - Is it cold where you are? Colder than a banker's heart on foreclosure day at the widows' and orphans' home? In the South, a lot of comments on the cold weather seemed to be a bit raunchy. Skip over these next few if you’re so highfalutin’ you’re easily offended.

• It's colder than a well digger's butt in January.
• It was colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra.
• It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table.

Southern Treat of the Week: “Buttermilk pie is an old-fashioned pie that's especially popular in the American South (Georgia in particular). This light and smooth pie gets its flavor from buttermilk, a bit of vanilla, and some lemon juice. Other ingredients include flour, eggs, butter, and sugar.” –TasteAtlas.

Here’s a recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen: Old-Fashioned Buttermilk Pie

Doug’s Rom Com Faves: Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

Steve Carrell is a recently divorced forty-something reentering the dating scene. He seeks out advice from a player (Ryan Gosling), who in return asks for help maintaining his first serious relationship. The script is smart and extremely funny, the characters are adorable, and the cast (which also includes Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, and Marisa Tomei) is excellent.

Kris’s novel Whispers in the Dark is on sale for 99 cents for two more days. Take a book vacation and enjoy archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. Reviewers give it a 4.2-star average: “A great read with a strong plot line & likeable characters!” Get it from Kris Bock’s Amazon US page or Amazon UK page.

Find New Authors and Books

Spring Clean Reads Free for Review: Time to top up that To-Be-Read pile? All of these books are free for review! You’ll find all genres, especially romance, fantasy, and science fiction. Leave honest reviews in a timely manner to get approved for more books in the future. Check out the options: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/hjrrzPw

YA & NA Free for Review: Check out dozens of Young Adult (with teen characters) and New Adult (with characters roughly ages 18-22) ebooks that are free in exchange for an honest review. You'll find lots of fantasy, plus romance, comedy, horror, sci-fi and more. See the choices here: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/LFN8SNY

Prescription for a Lonely Heart, by Rosalie Jardin: Two unlikely friends make a pact: “If we’re both still single when we’re thirty, we’ll marry each other ...” They reconnect at their ten-year high school reunion in this friends to lovers standalone romance. Readers call it sweet with likable characters.

When Time Stands Still (Second Chance Romance Book 1), by Sara Furlong-Burr: Ten years after Luke and Elle broke up, Luke is in a car crash. When he wakes, he's forgotten the last ten years. His family asks Elle to see him, hoping to ease his recovery. Emotional and powerful, readers say.

Undercover Quickie, by Skylar Sweeney: "Life undercover isn't easy, but add some life under the covers and things can get real hot, real fast!" A mercenary plus a cop tackle crimes and each other. This novella is free so you can check out the series.

If you’ve read the Felony Melanie books, please leave a review on Amazon or another site, or recommend them to your friends. Reviews help readers find great books, and they help authors keep writing. Review book 1, Pageant Pandemonium, on Amazon here. Review book 2, the Big Smashup, here.

If you don’t have the books yet, they're free for people willing to review. Get book 1 via Story Origin here. Get Book 2 free for review via Story Origin here. Or Visit the Amazon series page to buy the Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels.

You're receiving this because you chose to sign up for our newsletter. If you want to unsubscribe, no problem – see below.