Southernism of the Week: “Coffee so strong it’ll walk into your cup.” Anyone feeling the need for that as we head into a new year?

We spent Christmas week in Arizona with our mother. The Phoenix area is not quite your typical winter wonderland, but it is good for hiking and taunting friends elsewhere who are buried under show in below-freezing temperatures.

Here’s a group of Arizona cacti trying to stay warm.

Southern Treat of the Week:  “According to Southern lore, you will have good luck for the entire year if you have the traditional New Year's Day supper. In the South, that means a meal of collard greens, hoppin' John, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and pot likker soup.” Get recipes from Southern Living.

If you haven’t yet read Kris’s book Coffee and Crushes at the Cat Café: a Furrever Friends Sweet Romance, it’s free on Kindle until Jan 1! Kari doesn’t have time for love when she’s opening her new cat café. She’s busy hiring employees, fighting with the health inspector – oh, and welcoming 16 shelter cats. But when a sexy master baker walks in, she can’t let him get away. So what does she do with the guy of her dreams? Set him up with her sister, of course. Visit the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series page on Amazon US or Amazon UK. Please share with any romance and cat lovers you know!

We are heading into a new year, and although it may be just another date on the calendar, it tends to give people a sense of optimism at the chance of starting over, developing new habits, or simply having a better year than the last one. Here's Doug panning for gold in Alaska last summer. We hope your coming year is fantastic and brings many great new things!

Find New Authors and Books

Sweet Romance Giveaway: Stock up on contemporary and historical romance e-books, and even a few paranormal and romantic suspense titles – all "sweet and clean" and all free when you sign up for the author's newsletter (unsubscribe any time).

Reason to Laugh: If you love to laugh, check out these freebies! You can sample mysteries, romance, science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and more. All come with a big dose of humor. Each requires a newsletter sign-up, but you can unsubscribe any time.

Books on our radar

The Rift In Our Reality: A Sweet Young Adult Romance, by Amy Proebstel: "Perfect for the readers of Midnight Sun by Trish Cook and John Green's A Fault in Our Stars. Winning means staying alive. Losing means giving up. I’m not a quitter. That’s why I’m still alive when every doctor agrees I shouldn’t be. At almost seventeen, I’m still ticking off the boxes of my dream bucket list. I’ll keep pushing for the seeing-eye dog…but only because romance seems too far-fetched. A girl can dream. Right?"

Love in a Contract: Christmas on the Trail, by Britney M. Mills: "Brooke White has been struggling to keep her late husband’s ATV rental business afloat for the past year. On what would've been his twenty-fifth birthday, she learns he has an inheritance, but she'll only get the money if she enters into a year-long marriage. Her late husband's best friend is willing to help, especially since he blames himself for the accident. Will a marriage of convenience lead them to forgiveness and happily-ever-after, or will they let the past destroy any chance of a future together?"

Kris's ferrets hope that the new year is cozy and snuggly and includes lots of naps.

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Visit the Amazon series page for Felony Melanie: Sweet Home Alabama romantic comedy novels or find the links to other ebook retailers.