Romance Writer’s Weekly #lovechatwrite

This week on our blog hop we were asked to compare the relationship with the characters in your book with real life relationships. How do they differ and how are they the same?

Tough question. I suppose in fiction or real life every relationship is unique in some ways.

The most glaring way they differ would be that I write romance so there has to be a happily-ever-after. No matter how bad things get, you know there is light at the end of the tunnel. In real life, I think we are often flying blind with no idea if any given relationship will last forever or end tomorrow. Oh, we build trust for someone over time and have a pretty good idea about the future, but things change. No one goes into a relationship expecting a bad ending. I used to be a divorce attorney and let me tell you I got to be an expert in shattered dreams. Also, being a female, I’m aware that my relationships are written from a female perspective. My heroes may not be the same as if they were written by a man. I try to be realistic, but let’s face it, I’ve never been a man.

But how are they the same? Both in my real life and books, characters experience ups and downs, good days and bad, times they are happy and times they just want to run and hide. Both types of relationships are filled with emotion and self-doubt and require work to make them succeed. Both also can be very rewarding. They say you write what you know so I suppose there is a little of me in every one of my heroines and probably my heroes, too. My own relationships pop into my stories, I’m sure. After all, we all just want to see those happy endings for characters and the people we care about. I believe love always wins 🙂

check out my Peakview Series for heartwarming stories filled with the power of love.

If you want to get another author’s take on this topic, hop on over to PG Forte’s blog at http://rhymeswithforeplay.blogspot.com to see what she has to say. And check out her book below at htttps://books2read.com/u/boaKy1

Wow! Where did the last six months go?

Today I came to this site to update my header to a fall scene (something I do about this time every year. What did I see? My last post was entitled “Spring?” and dated February 21st. I had no idea it had been that long since I posted! That was before most of us had even heard of coronavirus or Covid-19. If we had heard of it, it was something far, far away in China. It wouldn’t ever affect our lives here in the United States. If you read my last post, the heaviest thing on my mind was if the danger of frost was over so I could plant spring flowers. My, how our world had changed in the last six months! No matter where you fall on the political spectrum of all of this, I think we will all agree our lives have been changed in ways we never imagined. Quarantine, social distancing, mask mandates, schools closed, events cancelled–all concepts that were completely foreign to me six months ago, concepts that were completely foreign to me for the over sixty years I’ve been alive. And yet, here we are. Living day to day and trying to make the best decisions possible for ourselves, our loved ones, and all of society.

To say it’s been a wake-up call would be too simple. We’ve all had to examine our lives and what’s most important to us. Some things have fallen by the wayside, while others have become more important. Apparently, writing on this blog fell by the wayside for me. I’m not happy about that. I like to interact with all of you who read this, but it happened. Anyway, I’m back, still writing, and getting ready to make a long distance move back home. For the most part, my life has been thankfully untouched by all that is going on around me. My loved ones are all safe and healthy and learning to deal with our new normal. I try to make smart decisions each and every day. I hope all of you are doing the same.

I’d love to hear from you, if you want to leave a comment. Let me know how you’re doing. We’re all in this together. Much love to all.

romance on sale

Hi everyone, my latest release, Mountain Cowboy, is on sale for $0.99 today and tomorrow at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DX7526T  You’ll want to meet sexy horse trainer, Tex Ranger, and see how he finds more than he was looking for when he accepts a job at Walker Horse Ranch. MC final cover front 2 - Copy (463x800)

Things you see at airports

I’m not a frequent flyer, I don’t travel that much and when I do, I usually opt for a road trip instead. I’ve never been a big fan of flying. But my daughters have recently moved out of state and I frequent Denver International Airport to pick them up and drop them off.  There is something I love about airports.  Every time I sit there waiting, I am amazed at how busy the airport is. At any given time of day , there are literally thousands of people coming and going. Last week, I picked my daughter up on a Wednesday morning.  Who were all these people traveling in the middle of the week? Didn’t they have jobs? Or maybe they were traveling for work.

airport 2

Anyway, last Wednesday, my daughter’s plane was slightly delayed, so I was sitting and waiting for her arrival, when I noticed this line of people. They were all clearly very excited, jumping up and down and conversing among themselves. After watching, like those around me for a few minutes, I walked over and asked if I could take a picture of them for my blog. I spoke to the lady that seemed to be in charge of the group. She told me that her son was coming home after a mission trip for their church to Brazil. They hadn’t seen him in two years! So his parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and cousins had all assembled to welcome him home. As she told me their story, the lady who had been sitting next to me, a stranger, broke into tears of joy for them. As anxious as I was for my daughter to get there, it had been three months since I’d seen her, I found myself hoping that their son go there first so I could watch their celebration. Well, he did, and they all went crazy jumping up and down and taking their turns welcoming him home. This is one of his sisters.

airport 1

Shortly thereafter, my own daughter arrived,  and though she had been gone a much shorter time, I was equally excited to have her home.

airport 3

Airports are happy places, places where people reunite with loved ones. They remind us of the value of human relationships. I love airports!