Darlene Fredette and CHERRY RED: A new One Scoop or Two Story!

Darlene Fredette is here to give us a peek at her new release, CHERRY RED. She's also got a list of her Top Ten artists on her music playlist. Unlike Darlene, I can't listen to music when I write because I'm too easily distracted. Fellow Canadian Darlene has chosen several Canadian artists for her list. Blue Rodeo's one of my favourites, too. Welcome Darlene!

Darlene's Top Favourite Music

I love many genres of music from rock and roll, country, pop, blues, jazz, etc. I enjoy listening to music while I write, clean the house, have a bath, lounge outside, and drive in the car. One of my most favourite times listening to music is when my daughter and I take a trip to visit my aunt. My daughter loads our playlist and as soon as we hit the highway, the music comes on and we sing until we arrive in my aunt’s driveway three hours later.

Here’s a list of just some of the artists in my playlist.

1. Michael Bublé

2. The Rolling Stones

3. The Bee Gees

4. Elvis

5. Cold Play

6. Blue Rodeo

7. Train

8. Florida Georgia Line

9. Patsy Cline

10. Barenaked Ladies

11. Shania Twain

12. All Christmas music and much, much more!

Who is your favourite artist in your playlist? 

Author Bio:

Darlene resides on the Atlantic Coast of Canada where the summers are too short, and the winters are too long. She writes contemporary romances with a focus on plot-driven page-turners. When not working on her next book, she can be found with her husband, her daughter, and her yellow Labrador.

Blurb:

This summer, ice cream entrepreneur Carly Redd's only focus is expanding her business—until she's coerced into attending her ex's engagement party. Showing up without a date is unthinkable. She reluctantly agrees to be escorted by her brother’s co-worker, although doing so breaks her rule of not dating firefighters.

The daughter of the town’s fire chief should wear a Do Not Touch sign, but firefighter Noah Harding's interest blazed the moment he saw Carly. Agreeing to be her fake boyfriend is a no-brainer, but convincing Carly to trust him with her heart is harder than extinguishing a fire.

Overstepping the platonic-only rule is as dangerous as fire and ice swirling into a tempting combustion.

Excerpt:

“This might seem like a strange question, especially since we’ve just met, but would you be interested in going out for a coffee? Or an ice cream?” Noah rested an arm on the bar.

Carly glanced down at her jeans and black T-shirt embroidered with the company name and logo…a cluster of red cherries. In a room full of women all dolled up in fancy—and some a bit scanty—dresses, why would this incredibly handsome man ask her on a date? “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested…”

Noah raised a brow. “I know you like ice cream, so is it the coffee, or me?”

“What? No. I mean, yes.” She took a second to collect her scrambled thoughts. “I like coffee. I just don’t hang out with firefighters.” Not that he was a real firefighter. Did impersonators count in her rules of men to avoid? She never dated a stripper, but she wasn’t sure she could have a relationship with a guy who was paid to take off his clothes and have other women fawn over him. Not that the guy asked her on a date…just a simple coffee. His frown made her feel badly. “I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”

“Burnt in the past? No pun intended.” He smiled.

She couldn’t help but smile back. “Something like that.”

Buy Links:

This link will bring you to my website which has links to all distributing sites for my books.

Universal Purchase Link: http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/2021/04/my-books-purchase-links.html

Social Media Links:

Author Web Site: http://darlenefredette.blogspot.com/

Blog: http://findingthewritewords.blogspot.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Darlene-Fredette/e/B005NAF660/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarleneLF

It's RAINBOW SPRINKLES Book Birthday!

 D.V. Stone is celebrating the 1st birthday of her book RAINBOW SPRINKLES and I'm helping her spread the news! Until July 23, 2021 RAINBOW SPRINKLES will be on sale for .99 cents. That's a great way to mark the occasion!

Blurb:

Retired and widowed Gloriana Jones is forging on with the plans she and her late husband dreamed of—bringing joy and happiness, one ice cream cone at a time, to Lake Unami. But bad weather is drowning her dream. A trip to Upstate NY is bittersweet for Nathan James. He is excited to see his first granddaughter but without his wife he’s lonely. When his car breaks down, he heads to the only light he can see, an ice cream shop. With aid from a heavenly source, electricity sparks, but will the two weather the summer storms and find love a second time? Or will their hopes and dreams melt away?

Excerpt:

“Do you mind if I wait until the tow truck gets here?” He plucked the wet shirt away from his chest with the long fingers of one tanned hand. “It must be electrical, even the radio stopped working.” 

“No, you’re welcome to hang around as long as you need.” Gloriana riffled through a cardboard box under the counter, pulled out an extra-large t-shirt, and tossed it to him. “Here you go. The restroom is through there.”

Mr. Gorgeous beamed a perfect toothy smile. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”

When he disappeared into the hallway and the door clicked shut, Gloriana fanned her face. What the hot fudge was wrong with her? 

“Coffee. Make coffee.”

Buy Links:

Amazon    Barnes & Noble   iBooks  

Author Bio:

Born in Brooklyn, D.V. Stone has moved around a bit and even lived for a time on a dairy farm in Minnesota before moving back east. Throughout her wandering, she always considered herself a Jersey Girl. She met and married the love of her life, Pete—a lifelong Jersey Man, and moved this time to Sussex County. They live with Hali, a mixed breed from the local shelter, and their cat, Baby.

You can find out more about D. V. by following her on Social Media

 

Website           Amazon Author Page             Facebook         Twitter             Instagram

Pinterest          Bookbub        Goodreads      Newsletter       YouTube

 

Blogs

 

Welcome to the Campfire Blog          Peek Through the Window    

 

Other Books by

D. V. Stone

 

Rock House Grill

One man’s choices. One woman’s Impact

 

Felice, Shield-Mates of Dar

One foolish thought. One brutal act. Instead of a peaceful alliance––war.

 

Agent Sam Carter and the Mystery at Branch Lake

Agent Sam Carter and the Mystery at High Pointe Tower

Mid-grade paranormal

 

Contributing Author

Australia Burns

Five Things About ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE by Charlotte O'Shay

As someone who is fascinated by the events of World War II and its aftermath, I'm always interested in a book set during that era. Charlotte O'Shay combines the uncertainty of going off to war with the sweet promise of ice cream, and she tells us five things we should know about this book. ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE is part of The Wild Rose Press's summer series One Scoop or Two about everything ice cream. Welcome Charlotte!

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ALWAYS, ALMOND FUDGE

1. Always, Almond Fudge begins on the eve of America’s entry into WWII. Our country had barely recovered from the ravages of the Great Depression when Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States entered WWII. Is it any wonder this generation was called the greatest? Merry and Anthony knew the value of enjoying life’s simple pleasures—like ice cream.

2. The vacation ritual of getting ice cream every evening after dinner like Sebastian’s family does was one we enjoyed with our children. We all saved pennies through the year, counted them up and spent them in ice cream and sweet shops we visited on our Cape Cod vacations.

3. Always, Almond Fudge is a love letter to my parents, who were a quintessential love at first sight, age-gap couple if there ever was one. Anthony is very much like my father—happy go lucky, athletic, and confident. Somehow we never realized we were poor (we were seven kids) in part because Dad always worked as hard at home as he did driving a truck. He was a true partner to my mom, as he cooked, cleaned, changed diapers and fixed whatever needed fixing in our old house. 

4. The title Always, Almond Fudge is a statement, an inside joke, a salutation and a promise of forever.

5. The fictional town of Langford, Rhode Island was inspired by the Rhode Island town where my daughter and her family live. The kind of town where generation after generation thrives and no one ever wants to leave. Like Langford, there is a small town beach beyond Main Street and a gazebo with a bench overlooking a quaint marina.

Blurb:

On a lengthy car ride to their annual seaside vacation, a mother recounts the true story of a sweet family tradition.

It's the summer of 1941 in the seaside town of Langford, Rhode Island, and seventeen-year-old Meredith Franklin works as a server at Seymore's Ice Cream Shoppe.

When aspiring baseball player Anthony Fanelli strolls into the ice cream shop, his teasing banter leads to romantic sparks and dreams of forever love.

Their whirlwind courtship comes to an abrupt halt on December 7, 1941, when America enters World War Two, forcing the couple to put their future on hold.

Decades later, a treasure trove of wartime letters details the romance of Merry and Anthony and the sacrifices of a generation.

Excerpt:

 Merry swallowed. Her powers of speech deserted her as she soaked in his animated features. What was happening to her? A planner by nature, Merry wasn’t ready for the way her imagination was flying off, far into the future. A future where she’d see the strong planes of Anthony’s tanned face every day for the rest of her life. Frightened by the strength of her vision, she occupied her trembling fingers, rearranging the cups and napkins behind the counter. It was getting near to nine p.m. She had work to do to close the shop.

“So, I’ve come for my ice cream. Your favorite.”

“You’re very confident,” she said. Her heartbeat fluttered then galloped forward with a curious combination of nerves and exhilaration.

He pressed his big hands to his thighs and shrugged. “Confident is the only way to go through life.”

Merry felt herself sinking deep into his densely lashed eyes. “I couldn’t agree more. Okay, Mr. Anthony Fanelli, which flavor do you choose?”

Buy Links:

Books2Read Universal Buy Link  

(click above link for Amazon, Kobo, Apple/IBooks, Barnes & Noble Nook & Google)

Author Bio:

Author Charlotte O’Shay was born in New York City into big family and then married into another big family.

Negotiating skills honed at the dinner table led her to a career in the law. 

But after four beautiful children joined the crowded family tree, Charlotte traded her legal career to write about happily ever afters in the City of Dreams.

Charlotte loves to challenge her heroines and heroes with a crisis and watch them figure out who they are while they fall in love.

Social Media: 

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Julie Howard's New Release: SEA-SALT LAVENDER FOR APHRODITE

Julie Howard visits today with a look at her June 3, 2020 release, SEA-SALT LAVENDER FOR APHRODITE, part of the One Scoop or Two summer series from The Wild Rose Press. All the books in this series relate to ice cream in some way. In the case of this book, the heroine Rosella operates an ice cream food truck business in a beach side community. And since Aphrodite is Rosella's dog, it's fitting that Julie is talking about her all-time favorite books featuring animals. Welcome Julie!

My top 10 favorite books that feature animals and pets

What is it about furry creatures that captures our hearts? The first book that ever made me cry was Where the Red Fern Grows. I read it in the fourth grade at least five or six times and cried every time. It’s a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young boy and his two dogs. Black Beauty, the story about a horse, was another childhood favorite.

Aside from those, here are the rest of my top ten favorite books that feature animals, in no particular order:

No. three – Animal Farm. This is a classic story and allegory about how power corrupts.

No. four – Charlotte’s Web. I always wanted a pig for a pet after reading this story. Maybe someday…

No. five – Life of Pi – This one’s a bit grim. But I love this tale about a boy who travels across the ocean with a tiger aboard a small craft. Or was it a tiger?

No. six – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. This is more about the autistic boy who sets out to solve the murder of a dog. Beautifully written.

No. seven – Jonathan Livingston Seagull – I’ve reread this one more than a dozen times. An uplifting story of a seagull with dreams of a bigger life.

No. eight – Moby Dick. I hated this book the first time I read it in high school. I read it again a couple of decades later and now it makes my top ten list. Those classics have great meaning!

No. nine – Can I slip in Game of Thrones, based on the dragons? I devoured this series and would the author please finish it soon.

No. ten – The Black Stallion. Another childhood favorite and the movie based on this book is also one of my favorite movies. An enduring classic in my mind.

And here’s my own book that features a smart standard poodle named Aphrodite. Sea Salt Lavender for Aphrodite, a cozy mystery, released this week.


Sea-Salt Lavender for Aphrodite

A case of murder with sweet complications

Blurb:
Rosella Rivers enjoys the perfect life, loving her new ice cream food truck business featuring exotic flavors. But her beach view parking space is not so lovable when she finds an acquaintance stabbed to death in the boardwalk bathroom.

Detective Mark Pruitt knows murder is bad for small-town Olympus Bay. He must find the suspect before he strikes again. When he first sets eyes on Rosella, the only witness, he is smitten. However, there's no time for romance when danger lurks. 
Together he and the lovely ice cream maker must discover the killer before he turns his sight on Rosella.

Excerpt:

The echo of a drip-drip-drip resonated from within. Rosella glanced around, wishing a man would pass by, someone she could send inside on her behalf. On this side of the structure, though, the beachfront was hidden from view and the building backed by sand dunes. Unless someone needed to use the facilities, they wouldn’t approach. 

“Mick?” 

A distant chime from the town clock made her heart sink. Ten a.m. Opening time. She had to get back to her truck. A fresh round of anxious yips sounded. She scooted to the corner of the building and peeked toward her truck. Aphrodite stood at attention, straining at the leash. The dog barked twice at spotting her and renewed efforts to break free of the tether.

She returned to the doorway. “Mick, I’m just going to step inside since I’m a little bit worried, just to make sure you’re okay. Let me know if I shouldn’t come in.” No response sounded. “All right, coming in.”

The odor hit her first. Heavy, sweet, sickening. Then her eyes registered the scene. Mick lay face down in the middle of the tile floor, a steady stream of deep red blood winding its way toward a drain.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2xdqkl3

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/sea-salt-lavender-for-aphrodite/id1508636065?ls=1 

Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sea-salt-lavender-for-aphrodite-julie-howard/1136868422?ean=2940162717829

Author Bio: 

Julie Howard is the author of the best-selling Wild Crime and Spirited Quest series. She is a former journalist and editor who has covered topics ranging from crime to cowboy poetry. Now she edits an online anthology, Potato Soup Journal, and spends many delightful hours writing her books.

Author Links:

Website: http://juliemhoward.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/juliemhowardauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18116047.Julie_Howard 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07D6CS4NQ

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/julie-howard?list=author_books

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_JulieMHoward

#NewRelease from Peggy Jaeger: VANILLA WITH A TWIST

I'm very pleased to have Peggy Jaeger as my guest today. Her new release comes out on May 20, 2020. VANILLA WITH A TWIST is part of the One Scoop or Two series from The Wild Rose Press. Buy it now on pre-order and have it delivered automatically on May 20, 2020 for just .99 cents. Best of luck with the new book, Peggy!

5 things about Tandy Blakemore from VANILLA WITH A TWIST

Getting to you know your heroine when you are plotting her out is a fun exercise in developing a fully formed, unique person you want on the page. I typically cull through pages on Pinterest to find a “type” I am looking for, that way I can actually see my characters as I write them

My Pinterest page for VANILLA WITH A TWIST is here: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/vanilla-with-a-twist/

If you click on to the page you can see who I based my heroine on, from a physical standpoint.

5 things to know about TANDY BLAKEMORE I came up with after I got her physical persona down are:

1. She’s a natural redhead ( obviously) and has always thought she looks like a carrot. Since money is tight, though, she’s never wasted her pennies on hair dye.

2.  She was third in her high school class but couldn’t go to college for lack of funds and childcare issues.

3. When she gave birth in the local hospital, no one in her family came to see her because they were ashamed she was a single, teenaged mother

4. She never curses in front of her son, but uses arcane figures of speech and phrases to show her anger or frustration. Jeezum crow is a favorite!

5. She’s never been out on an official date with a man. The boy she got pregnant by was an itinerant worker and they used to meet in the dairy barn on her farm for the assignations.

I could go on but it’s always better to read the book and get to know the character that way, hee hee.

Blurb:

Tandy Blakemore spends her days running her New England ice cream parlor, single-parenting her teenage son, and trying to keep her head above financial water. No easy feat when the shop's machinery is aging and her son is thinking about college. Tandy hasn't had a day off in a decade and wonders if she'll ever be able to live a worry-free life.

Engineer Deacon Withers is on an enforced vacation in the tiny seaside town of Beacher's Cove. Overworked, stressed, and lonely, he walks into Tandy's shop for a midday ice cream cone and gets embroiled in helping her fix a broken piece of equipment.

Can the budding friendship that follows lead to something everlasting?

Excerpt:

For a few moments, she regarded him with a look his mother would have called insightful. The corners of her eyes narrowed, she dipped her chin a hair, and she pulled her mouth into another appealing pout he was tempted to kiss.

“I bet,” she said after a long, drawn-out sigh, “you were the kind of kid who took apart clocks and fans and vacuum cleaners to see how they worked.”

“It was more washing machines and lawn mowers and anything with a motor, but yeah. I was.”

She shook her head, her own lips forming a lopsided grin. “Your poor mother.”

“She survived.”

Tandy rolled her eyes and shot her hands to her hips. “So it’s working again?” She thrust her chin at the ice cream machine.

“For now.”

“Okay, well, I can live with for now. And you think you know the real reason it’s been acting up?”

“I definitely do. But like I said, the water to the machine needs to be shut off to fix it.”

“Okay. Well, we close at nine.”

“I’ll come back a little before then. Get things ready. Is that okay with you?”

“I guess it’ll have to be.” She bit down on the inside of her cheek as her brows pulled together. “And you’re sure you want to do this?”

“If I weren’t, I wouldn’t offer, Tandy.”

Why her reluctance to have him help was such a turn-on was something he considered while he waited for his ice cream.

Buy Links:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0868XXYQC

Nook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vanilla-with-a-twist-peggy-jaeger/1136710329?ean=2940162687870

Applebooks  https://books.apple.com/us/book/vanilla-with-a-twist/id1505095515

Author Bio:

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.

A lifelong and avid romance reader and writer, Peggy is a member of RWA and her local New Hampshire RWA Chapter.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"

Social Media links:

Website: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072?ref=bookmarks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/videos?view_as=subscriber

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjaeger_author/
Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggy-jaeger-296ab878/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Authors database: https://authorsdb.com/community/15814-peggy-jaeger
Triberr: https://triberr.com/tribe/strong-women--loving-men