December Blog

Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I love this time of year and what a fun way to end a year.  Only 10 more days until we see 2019.

Today is the first day of winter and we have been getting some nasty weather.  Twice, in as many days, we have lost power.  Not good, but at least it’s at night so I can go to bed with warm blankets and a good book.

Speaking of good books….  I found Noelle Adams with Bookbub. I’m not sure if Hired Bride was free or on sale but a definite find. I hadn’t read anything of Noelle Adams but have since purchased another book.

If you are an author you might want to note the excellent branding that Noelle has. I love marriage of convenience plots and it’s looking like that is the main plot points in her stories.  She also writes in series, but stand-alone books.  I get caught up in her characters so I know I will be picking up stories to follow her secondary characters.

Hired Bride is part of the Beaufort Brides series. There are 3 books in this series. I just started Part-Time Husband (Trophy Husbands) and I love it.

I’ve been watching a lot of Christmas Hallmark movies and the tag I’d attach to Noelle Adams books is “Hallmark story with heat”.  The stories are predictable and sweet but ….,  there certainly is an erotic element in them.  Of course, this is only the second one I’ve read so far and Part-Time Husband is hotter than Hired Bride so I may revise on the heat level as I read more.

Buy yourself a good book for Christmas. It’s a gift you’ll love.

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The Season Of Love

I love to write stories. Especially on days when words flow faster than I can type. What I don’t like is marketing. Maybe it’s because I was raised in an era where it was considered bad manners to ‘toot your own horn’. Or in more modern day terms proclaim your own success or accomplishments.  And yet now, to successfully sell something you have to market it. And more and more, that is expected of the author or an artist. Even successful stars are promoting their own movies. At least they are good, even great, at being in the public eye.

I finished “The Season Of Love” late last year. Too late to do much more than get it out there. So this year I’m going to try to educate myself on Marketing/Promoting.  The time is right for a Christmas Anthology, and this blog is hopefully the first in what I hope will be a successful promotion campaign.

The Season Of Love is a collection of five short stories.

Bahama Christmas – Alone on a Christmas cruise, Santa or maybe the Christmas Angel has a gift in store for Maddie

A Divorce for Christmas – It’s a gift that doesn’t need to be wrapped with a bow

The Age Of Love – Ariana, and Joel find meaning in Cougar Love

No Perfect Marriage – Separated parents need to provide a united front. Is the house big enough for both of them and can they live together until after the holidays?

Spontaneous Love – Perfect isn’t the way to a loving happy married life.

If you have suggestions on marketing I would love to hear from you in a comment or email me at LavadaDee@gmail.com  I’m thinking I can use all the help I can get.

 

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Bahama Christmas

After being pretty quiet on the news front, Bahama Christmas is giving me something to blog about. Jillian Chantal is featuring Bahama Christmas over on her blog today. It’s an interview and I love Jillian’s questions. They make me want to pull out my luggage and book a cruise.   So for a bit of cruise ambiance pop over it’s at http://jillianchantal.com/2014/11/20/lavada-dee-and-bahamas-christmas/

 

And, Bahama Christmas is also featured on Snowglobes Festive & Fun mini contest. This contest runs from today through Nov. 26^th. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with the Title and Name of the author of the cover your voting for and your email address. Snowglobe is at http://snowglobeawardcontest.vpweb.ca/mini-contests wishing you all luck.

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SnowGlobe Award Contest

Jennifer Snow is holding her annual Holiday Contest. I judged for this contest last year and was impressed with the quality of writing. My Christmas book last year (No Perfect Marriage) wasn’t released in time to enter it. I vowed to not have that happen this year and with that motivation Bahama Christmas is an entry.

This is a really a great contest for Authors and Readers with prizes for both. Right now they are holding the Simply Christmas mini contest. And the prizes for this one are:

Author Prize:

• A book cover ad in Still Moments Magazine
• A book cover ad in the chat room on Coffee Time Romance & More website

Winning Voter Prize:

• $10 Amazon Gift Card (delivered wirelessly)
• e-copy of The Mistletoe Melody

The schedule for the mini contests are:

• Simply Christmas Nov. 6-12
• Warmth of the Holidays Nov 13-19
• Festive & Fun Nov 20-26 (I may enter Bahama Christmas’s cover in this one)
• Catchiest Opening Line Nov 28 – Dec 4
• The contest closes Dec 5^th with a Last minute cover contest

Take a break and pop over to the website at http://snowglobeawardcontest.vpweb.ca/ you’ll be glad you did. Oh and be sure and send me a post if (when) you win. You can do that in a comment to this post or email me at Lavadadee@gmail.com In return I’ll send you an e-book of one of my Christmas stories to say Congratulations.

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New Release in time for Christmas.

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a release or much of anything new to report. At least writing wise. Life just sort of got in the way. Well that plus retirement. And, while I’m loving it I do miss not getting the creative high from seeing a book I’ve written launched.

Bahama Christmas, is a short Christmas story. I’ve been trying to do one a year with the end product being an anthology that I’ll do a print run on as well as an e-book.

Blurb:

Maddie Coleman is ready to move on, but first she has to get through the holidays. It has been two years since her fiancés death and her friends and family are ready to help but Maddie doesn’t want any help. She doesn’t want blind dates and feeling like the fifth wheel. Solution, a cruise and not the ones for singles.

Dane Matthews has long denied his feeling for Maddie but no more. With a mission in mind he books on the same cruise. He’s tired of the big brother roll he has been cast in. What once was a big age difference is no longer the case because her twenty four years to his thirty five pales in light of the woman she has become.

As the ship pulls out of port Maddie turns from the rail and right into Dane. The years fall away and she is again the young girl with her school crush. Her excitement at seeing him quickly morphs into the old guilt. He rejected her once, will he do it again.

It’s for sale at most online bookstores, search for Lavada Dee or go to my books page and click on one of the links.

 

 

 

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Merry Christmas

 May your stocking be filled with books to keep you warm on these long winter days

 Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Fun, and Healthy 2014.

 

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I’m Late, I’m Late

I’m feeling like the White Rabbit in Alice In Wonderland.  According to industry news the best time to publish a Christmas Story is in October.  And, as you can see “No Perfect Marriage” didn’t make it.

It’s been a hard year writing wise and I’m hoping to do better next year which reminds me is just around the corner.  So better late than never and No Perfect Marriage is a fast fun read. Like last years A Divorce For Christmas this story could happen to anyone.  You, family, or friends it’s about real life and the work it takes to make a marriage or a relationship work.

Below is a short excerpt.

Kade stood in the open doorway looking rumpled and… sexy. If he was surprised, he hid it behind a smirk as he stepped back to give her room to enter. “I’d invite you in, but apparently you don’t feel you need an invitation.”

Guilt had Sandra on the defensive, and again she reminded herself it was her house too.  Before she could say anything, Kade did it for her. “Guess I need to change the locks.”

“Guess you do.”

Silence settled between them. Nothing new here.  The only communication they had ever really been good at was in bed and that had gone south when Kade started working fourteen-hour days.

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I am in celebrating mode already.  Last Sunday we had an early Christmas morning with the grand kids.  Two little guys, seven and four, plus a Giant Schnauzer puppy launched us all into the spirit.

This week I’m attending The Romance Studio Christmas Party and would like to invite you to join us.  There will be prizes to add under your tree.   Just comment as you browse through the pages. I’ll be giving a copy of A Divorce For Christmas away and TRS is giving away a gift card, value $100 minimum to one lucky reader plus other prizes from the TRS prize vault

Hope to see you there.  🙂

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