Looking Back On 2020 And Some Of My Favorite Reads

 It's hard to believe we are hours away from the end of 2020. I'm not sure any of us will ever forget this year.

In January, my husband and I were told our cat, Willow, had kidney failure and was giving 3-6 months to live. It was devastating news. We changed her diet, got her one of those little fountains to encourage her to drink more water...we didn't want to lose her any sooner than we had to.

Luckily, she's still with us. Despite the grim diagnoses, Willow is doing well and she still wakes me up every morning for her breakfast.

Working from home, my husband and I have been less impacted by COVID than a lot of people. Our lives didn't change all that much from day to day, but that didn't mean we weren't affected. Over the summer, my brother and his wife tested positive and had to quarantine for two weeks. Either had any of the harsh symptoms you hear about on the news, so once the quarantine was over everything went back to normal for them.

I learned the benefits of grocery pick-up and searched  the internet for recipes so I could cook more at home. 

One of the greatest blessing through all the craziness has been my love of books, both writing my own and reading some great authors. Some of my best reads this year were:

 

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What were some of your best reads of 2020?

 

Here's to hoping 2021 will be a great year with lots of reading and writing. Happy New Year!

Happy Book Birthday To Strictly Professional

 

 Ten years ago today I became a published author. My first book, which was then called Hidden Threat, released on December 30, 2010 through The Writer's Coffee Shop publishing house. It was an exciting day for me as I'd never in my wildest dreams thought I would become an author.

Five years later, the publishing house decided to close its doors and I had to decide whether to find another publisher or take the leap into self publishing. In the end, I decided to self publish.

But in the publishing world, five years is a long time. I'd learned a lot about writing and publishing in the five years since Hidden Threat was first released and I decided I wanted to do a bit of revamping before releasing it again to the world.

Instead of just slapping a new cover on the book and republishing it, I decided to do a complete rewrite of the story. There was a lot of head hopping in the original book, something very common for first time authors, and I wanted to fix that to fit more in line with my other, more recently written stories. 

In the end, I added an additional 15,000 words to the original story and changed the title of the book to Strictly Professional to better showcase this sexy office romance. 

Cali and Matthew's story will always be close to my heart because their romance was my first published novel. It set me on this path of writing and publishing...a path I never imagined going down, but that I absolutely love. 

To find out more about Cali and Matthew's story, or to pick up a copy, click HERE.

 

Chili Mac & Cheese Recipe

 About a month ago, I got a Ninja Foodi on the recommendation of my sister-in-law. She has one and loves it. 

As I've been exploring how to use the Ninja Foodi, I've been scouring the internet for recipes. One day my husband was watching someone on Youtube who does welding videos and came across a video the guy did about a Ninja Foodi recipe.

Long story short, we tried it and I'm glad we did.

Here's the recipe:

• Olive Oil
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 onion
• 4 celery stalks
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1tbsp chili powder
• 1tsp cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1lb dried macaroni or pasta of your choice
• 1 green pepper (diced)
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

The best part of this recipe is how simple it is.

Put a little Olive Oil in the bottom of the pot (about 1tsp) and turn on the sear/saute button. Once the pot if hot, add ground beef. Brown the meat and then add in everything else except the cheese. Cook under high pressure for 4 minutes. Once the dish is finished cooking, stir in half the cheese and serve using the remaining cheese as a garnish.

If you like chili and pasta and have a ninja foodi, I would highly recommend giving this one a try.

What I'm Currently Reading

 Since Christmas is only days away, I decided to choose a holiday themed story to read next. This book is from one of my favorite authors, Serenity Woods

 

If you write an email to a friend about a fantasy involving your gorgeous boss, don't send it to All Staff...

Meg

It’s not easy to reinvent yourself, but my thirteen-year-old son and I are ready for a new start. Old Maggie was a magnet for disaster, but New Meg is going to be elegant, sophisticated… and blonde. I’ve landed a dream job at the other end of New Zealand as PA to three rich directors who spoil me rotten, I’ve found a beautiful new apartment, and I feel reborn.

Then I write an email to a friend describing in vivid detail what I want to do to the sexiest of the directors—involving melted chocolate and/or whipped cream—and mistakenly send it to All Staff. It turns out that New Meg is pretty much just Old Maggie with different packaging. Some things never change.

Stratton

I’ve wanted Meg since she first walked into my office with her soft lips and sexy curves, but she wears another man’s ring, so I’ve steered well clear… until now. My mind’s been occupied anyway since I broke up with my ex, Natalie. She’s desperate to have me back and won’t take no for an answer—so I’ve come up with a brilliant plan, to hire a fake fiancée for Christmas to prove to her that we’re done.

After sending her hot-as-hell email, Meg confesses the truth about her past, and it gives me an idea. She can pretend to be my fiancée, and I can protect her from the guy she’s running from. Sounds like the perfect plan, right? Her teenage son’s no problem because we get on great. Sharing her room? That’s more of a challenge, but I’ve always had excellent self-control.

Yeah, I know. I keep forgetting about the melted chocolate. What an idiot.

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On Sale For 2 Days Only - Get Tangled In His Embrace For Only 99 cents

I decided to surprise everyone with a sale on my holiday novella, Tangled in His Embrace. This ebook normally retails for $3.99 and it's currently on sale for 99 cents. That's a 75% savings!

If you love second change romances, you're love Tangled in His Embrace. Even single moms deserve to find their happily ever afters.

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Apple

Nook

Kobo

Google Play

The Next Installment Of Stephan and Brianna's Story Is LIVE

 

The 5th book in my Finding Anna Series is now available at Amazon, Apple, Nook, Kobo, and Google Play. If you loved the first 4 books in the series, you're not going to want to miss this next installment in the series. Click on one of the links below to purchase your copy.

 

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3fyvTMp

Apple: https://apple.co/2J9j3YY

Nook: https://bit.ly/3lc7SfC

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2HGb7y8

Google: https://bit.ly/3l5cUKH

Sneak Peek Saturday - Change (Finding Anna, Book 5)

 

As gently as I could, I eased back into bed and pulled her against my chest. She released a soft sigh as she nestled her backside against my stomach. I pressed a kiss to the back of her head and closed my eyes, letting the sound of her breathing lull me to sleep.

The next thing I remember was the feel of lips pressing against my collarbone. I sucked in a deep breath and was rewarded by the sound of giggles.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, keeping my eyes closed.

“Giving you kisses.”

Without warning, I grabbed hold of her hips and flipped our positions. She was now staring up at me with a huge smile on her face. It was so good to see her this happy.

“Good morning, Sir.”

I brushed the hair out of her face and gave her a proper kiss. “Good morning, Brianna.”

She ran her fingers through my hair and down my back. I felt my body responding, but I couldn’t give in this time. “What time is it?”

“Almost nine. You must have been tired.”

I felt a smile tug at the corner of my lips. “Someone wore me out last night.”

A pretty blush stained her cheeks.

Available December 15, 2020

In this long-awaited next installment, Brianna and Stephan are settling into their new home outside of Le Sueur. The river that runs behind their house provides a peace Brianna had never found in the city.

It’s been three years since she stood in a courtroom and faced the man who’d held her captive and altered her life forever. Since then, she’d been trying to move on with her life...trying to find her way.

The move was part of that. Too many people knew who Stephan was—who she was. They needed a fresh start.

But demons are funny things. They follow you wherever you go. With the help of Stephan and a new therapist, Brianna will have to face the changes in her life and confront her fears.

 

Order your copy today!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3fyvTMp

Apple: https://apple.co/2J9j3YY

Nook: https://bit.ly/3lc7SfC

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2HGb7y8

Google: https://bit.ly/3l5cUKH