The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series

I read about these books from a couple blogs I follow. They look really good. The authors are trying to earn some money to help them in the publishing process. A worthy cause. Take a look and see what you think. I know they are not everyone's cup of tea, but I would like to read them. 

The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series 
Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors.

"Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford
Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin
Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson
Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White
Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver
Book 6: Immersed in Love by Jennifer Griffith

Home Matters by Julie N. Ford

According to her mother, Olivia Pembroke was born to be a star. But how is she supposed to be famous when she can't even get a decent acting gig? Her lucky break comes when she lands an audition for a wildly popular home improvement show. Even though she has no design training and has never even held a power tool, she refuses to let that stop her. She's confident that her destiny is finally within reach.

When her affections are torn between her heartthrob co-host and the irritating, yet somehow endearing lead contractor, does she continue to reach for the stars? Or does she design a new happily ever after? One that leads not to the fading lights of fame and fortune, but to a love that will burn forever.

Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin

Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go.

Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she lose her mother, but she had to drop out of nursing school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Nursing home. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

Righting a Wrong by Rachael Anderson

Seven years ago, Cambri Blaine fled her small hometown of Bridger, Colorado after her senior year ended in a fiasco. Only Jace Sutton knew the real reason why—that she was a spineless coward. Now, seven years later, her father's been in an accident and needs help, and Cambr has no choice but to return home. So with trepidation, she takes a leave of absence from the landscape architecture firm where she works and boards a plane, hoping against hope that Jace is no longer around and that the past can stay where it belongs—in the past.

If only life worked that way.

Jace never expected to see Cambri again. After she’d led him on, bruised his heart, and left town without a backward glance, he was forced to pick up the pieces and try not to hate her for it. Eventually, he put it behind him and moved on, creating a life for himself in his beloved hometown. But now that Cambri is back and looking more beautiful and sophisticated than ever, some of those old feelings resurface, and Jake instinctively knows, for the sake of his heart, that he needs to avoid her at all costs.

If only it were that easy.

Lost and Found by Karey White

Lydia was supposed to have an adventurous and exciting summer. Instead she's done nothing more than read and eat takeout. Now it's time to go home, and what does she have to show for it? A big fat nothing. Unless, of course, her trip to the airport somehow turns into something more than just a flight home.

Blake feels like he's been sent on a wild goose chase. While work is piling up back in Denver, he's on the other side of the country, hunting for some mysterious box that his grandfather left him. Well, no more. Nothing inside that box could possibly be more important than the opportunity to make it as the youngest partner at his firm. So he's going home, and that's that. But that's before he discovers his flight has been cancelled.

When these two strangers meet at the airport, they make a split-second decision to search for the box together. Maybe with both of them on the hunt, Lydia can have her adventure and Blake can find the box. And maybe, if they’re lucky, they’ll even find some romance.

Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver

Thirty seven year old Francie Davis, a recent widow and empty nester, gets to attend college at last. She’s sure her luck has changed when she also lands a job on campus that will pay her tuition, as administrative assistant to a history professor. When her handsome new boss yells at her on the first day of work, Francie worries she will never be good enough.

For Professor Alex Diederik, life is going downhill fast. Not only is his bitter ex-wife trying to poison their only daughter against him, but now his one place of solace—his work environment—is being complicated by his attractive new administrative assistant. She drives home his feelings of failure as a husband and father, and Alex wonders if hiring her was the right thing to do.

Francie will have to put aside her hurt and insecurities or risk her dreams, while Alex must look outside himself if he’s to mend the breach with his daughter. And, perhaps, find someone who can help heal his pain.

Immersed in Love by Jennifer Griffith

Lisette Pannebaker speaks five languages and has a brilliant business plan—personal language immersion. Clients can hire her to shadow them and speak all day in any language they need to learn for business or travel—whatever.

But there’s a major hitch: she’s far too pretty. Clients with less than honorable intentions sign up just have Lisette at their side. Solution? A make-under. Way under.It works like a charm. None of her male clients show her the least bit of interest.

Until… Erik.

Erik Gunnarsson is charming, kind, and smart—everything she’s ever looked for. Even though he seems to have a secret and she swore she'd never date a client, Lisette is tempted to shed her disguise—even if it means jeopardizing her career.



Giveaway Details
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 10/31/13

Bloggers who put up a spotlight post about these books on their blog can enter to win an additional $25 gift card or paypal cash.  See details in the Rafflecopter.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Busy, Busy, Busy

Life is busy right now. Busy and a bit exhausting. So what is going on in my life, you might ask. Well...

In July I made my Etsy store live. You can see it here. That was one of my New Year Resolutions. And I did it! Now to maintain and update it. I have a number of jewelry items already made that I want to add to it, but that I need to photograph and create listings for. I am also working on some Christmas items to add to it, hopefully sometime in September. I am also considering starting a blog to chronicle my adventures in this exciting endeavor. Stay tuned to see if it actually happens, and if I can keep it updated once I've created it.

What else is keeping me busy? I now have two part-time jobs. That keeps me busy, and I end up plenty tired at the end of the day. I enjoy both jobs.

I also for the past month went and swam laps three mornings a week. I thoroughly enjoyed that despite the fact that it meant I had to wake up early to do so. But now that is over, and I need to find some other way of getting exercise in (something I struggle with).

Because I have been so busy, my writing has really taken a hit. I have only written 27 words in my Sleeping Beauty Spin-off in the past month. For awhile I was making really good progress. I even wrote a blog post about it, but that unfortunately got lost in the ether before I could post it - sad day. My stated New Year Resolution was to finish the first draft of this book this year. My mental goal, which felt more reasonable, was to get through chapter 10 by the end of the year - something that is still attainable since I am currently at the beginning of chapter 8. I just need to take time and work on it, at least once in awhile.

While I am not getting much creative writing done, I am getting book reviews written. I've started writing book reviews for I Am A Reader Not A Writer. You can see a post introducing me as a reviewer here. I would definitely recommend following her blog. She has lots of awesome author interviews, book giveaways, and of course book reviews. I am enjoying reviewing books for her blog. It's fun. :)

I also keep busy helping out in the Nursery at church, attempting to keep up with housework, spending time with family and friends, and spending as much time as I can with my husband before the semester starts and he gets busier. And that is my busy life in a nutshell.

Progress

While working on writing in my Sleeping Beauty Spin-off today, I mused that it is likely that a good portion of what I am currently writing will never make it to the final draft. I can't help but thinking that the current pace of the novel may be too slow. But, I will not let that deter me. I shall continue writing, continue discovering the story.

Speaking of discovering the story, I have enjoyed seeing Jason work on the novel he is writing. Seeing him write and discover encourages me to write and feeds the sparks of desire to write that resides within me. He tends to get more written than I do, but that is okay by me. I will just keep plodding along at my slow pace and just keep trying to improve. My goal for this week is to write at least twice, even if it is only a 100 words each time.

A New Year Resolution

It is a new year, and with it comes New Year Resolutions. My family has a tradition where we make a gingerbread house. We go around the room stating New Years Resolutions. After we say a resolution we get to break off and eat a piece of the gingerbread house. This is one of my favorite family traditions and one that gets me to New Years Resolutions.

Now, one of my goals for 2013 is to finish the first draft of the Sleeping Beauty spin-off that I am working on. When I set the goal I honestly had reservations about my ability to complete this goal, thinking that perhaps reaching chapter 10 of the draft would be a more reasonable goal (I'm working on chapter 3 right now), but I set the lofty goal all the same. The following Monday for Family Home Evening Jason, my husband, decided we should plan out how we were going to accomplish our goals for the year.

I was a bit daunted and overwhelmed by how to figure out how to accomplish this goal. In the past I have tried setting an amount of time to write. That didn't work too well and was difficult to track. I just wasn't sure how to do it. Then Jason showed me how he'd set up his goals. He'd split them up into steps. Do this in the first quarter of the year, expand on in second and so forth. That idea caught hold and my plan was born - start in the first quarter writing once a week, and then increasing the days of writing per week each quarter. I think this might work. At this point, writing at least once a week can be challenging with my busy schedule, but the two times I have sat down and written have been rewarding.

Today I wrote 500 words, bringing me up to 5,000 words for the manuscript. I also reread through what I had already written and made some edits. Surprisingly, I feel it is decently good. It's not perfect, but the idea and story feels solid to me. It is a story I've have bouncing around inside of me since high school and I guess now is its time to get released. I've never finished a manuscript for a novel before, but hopefully this will be the time. I've done a lot of thinking over the years, but not as much doing. To see my goals come to fruition will require work. Work I want to put in. I hope my commitment and desire will remain strong. This is definitely not a goal I want to fall by the wayside (though that is true of all my goals for this year).

Happy New Year!

A Melly Story: True Love

[Note: I started writing this in honor of my wedding. Over six months later, I am finally finishing it.]

"Grandpa," Melly said, moving closer to where he sat in his chair.

"Yes, Melly?" he replied.

"Will you tell me a story?" she asked.

"What kind of story would you like to hear?" he asked. The crickets and cicada chirped and rattled in the evening air as Melly thought.

"A story about true love," she finally announced.

"A story about true love, eh." He rubbed his chin. "A story about true love." He sat in pensive thought for a moment. Melly rocked on the balls of her feet while she waited. A slight smile began to form on his face. "I think I have just the story for you." His smile grew. He patted his lap, and Melly took the cue and quickly clambered up over his knees and onto his lap.

"Once upon a time there lived a young man named Neil. He worked in the town store to help earn some money to help his parents make ends meet. Each day he would walk into town and work at the store. He liked this job very much. It expanded his horizons as he met all kinds of people as he worked there. At first Neil's only jobs were to clean up and restock shelves, but over time the shop owner, Mr. Hampkins, trusted him enough to let him work with customers and help them with their purchases. Neil enjoyed tending the store and meeting new customers."

Melly put her hand up to his face. "Grandpa, this doesn't sound like a love story. It sounds like a story about a boy."

Grandpa chuckled. "Be patient, my dear. There is still more background you need before the girl comes into the story."

Melly sighed. "All right. But don't keep me waiting too long."

He smiled. "Careful, Melly. You don't want me to save the story for another day do you?" Melly shook her head. "Okay then," he continued, "Be patient while we lay the foundations of the story. Without the foundation the ending won't be as sweet. Sometimes the best things come to those that wait."

"That's what Mother says," Melly said with a small pout.

"Your mother is a wise woman."

"Okay." Melly cuddled up closer to her grandfather. "I'll be patient."

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and continued. "As I was saying, Neil enjoyed tending the store and meeting new customers. Many nights his younger sisters would beg for stories--many of which he based off events that had occurred that day at the store."

"Do you ever base stories off events that really happen?" Melly asked.

"Why yes," Grandpa said with a smile. "Yes, I do." He hugged her close and continued his story. "One day a beautiful young maid walked into the store. Her chestnut curls bounced as she walked. Neil watched from behind the counter as she stopped and looked at a horse figurine displayed on the shelf. After studying it for a time she moved on, coming closer to the counter with each step. Neil stood there mesmerized. He had never seen such a beautiful girl in his life. She stopped and fingered some ribbons. When she looked up her warm brown her met his hazel ones. Surreptitiously, he wiped his sweating palms on his trousers."

"Why was he sweating?" Melly asked, pulling back to look at her grandfather. "Was it very hot that day?"

"No," Grandfather chuckled, "it was not a particularly hot day. Neil was sweating because he was nervous."

"Why was he nervous?" Melly asked.

"Well, because he knew he was about to speak to a very pretty girl and that is something that makes most any young man nervous."

"Oh," Melly replied, still not quite understanding. But, she was more interested in hearing the rest of the story than trying to understand the psyche of young men. "So did he talk with her?"

"Yes," Grandfather replied. "After their eyes met she came up and asked for a pound of sugar. Neil stumbled over his words, but got her the sugar without making too much of a fool of himself. Once she left, he leaned on the counter and thought about her. He wondered who she was and what she was like. In his imagination she was warm-hearted and kind to match her beautiful appearance."

Melly moved away from her grandfather to grab the padded stool from by the fireplace. "Was she warm-hearted and kind?"

"Yes, Melly, she was as Neil found out once he got to know her. He soon found out by keeping his ears open that she was the daughter of the new preacher in town. Every few days she would come into the store to purchase something. At first Neil felt extremely nervous, yet excited, when she would come in. Overtime he began to ask her questions and get to know her. Once his sisters found out he had an interest in the new girl in town, they pestered him with questions about her and teased him too."

"What about her?" Melly had moved the stool next to her grandfather's chair and now rested her arms and chin on his legs. "Did she like Neil?"

"Well, that was part of what kept Neil feeling nervous even after he started getting to know her. Sometimes a smile would light up her face at something witty he'd said and hope bloomed in his heart that perhaps she might like him or at least learn to like him. But then he would question his reasoning. And as much as he would like to have gotten to know her better, he just wasn't sure enough of himself to put his heart out there for rejection."

"Yes, but did she like him?"

Grandfather laughed. "All in good time my little one." He ruffled her hair. "Like you, his sisters also sometimes had a tendency of becoming impatient. They got tired of Neil dragging his feet, so they decided to get to know Lucy themselves."

"Is Lucy the girls name?"

"Yes," Grandfather replied. "Neil's sisters got to know Lucy. One day they came up with a plan. They invited both Neil and Lucy to come on a picnic with them in the grove of trees along the road to town that was their family's favorite picnicking spot. Once both Neil and Lucy were there, his sisters hurried away on the excuse that they needed to pick berries for their mother. This left Neil and Lucy alone. At first they were both a bit awkward, but then they started talking and laughing. They waited for a bit, but when his sisters did not return, they decided to not wait and begin eating. They spent an enjoyable afternoon together. When the shadows began to lengthen they packed up the remains of the lunch. Neil offered Lucy his arm and began to walk her back to town. As they walked Neil's nervousness began again. He'd  had such an enjoyable afternoon and knew he wanted to spend more time with Lucy, but he was still a bit afraid to ask."

Grandfather stood up and put another log on the fire. After he sat back down, Melly arranged her arms on his legs once more. "What happened?" Melly asked. "Did he ask her?"

"Yes. Just before town he stopped. 'I had a wonderful time this afternoon,' he said. 'I have too,' Lucy replied smiling. 'Would,' he began. 'Would you care to.' He paused. 'Yes?' Lucy asked encouragingly. 'Would you like to go to the concert at Farmer Taylor's home Tuesday evening. He's invited some of the musicians in town to each play a song or two.' Lucy linked her arm through Neil's elbow. 'It would be my pleasure,' she replied. Neil's grin at her reply filled his face. That same grin still filled his face when he entered the family home to find his sisters eagerly awaiting his return. They were delighted to learn how well their plan had worked."

"If I were them, I would be delighted, too." Melly yawned.

"Ah, my child, you are tired. Perhaps we should save the rest of the story for another night."

Melly emphatically shook her head "no."

"Alright," Grandfather conceded, "But I will try to not keep you up too much longer. You mother would not be happy with me when she comes back from her friend's wedding to find that I have kept you up late every night with stories."

"When is Mother getting back?" Melly asked.

"The day after tomorrow. Now lets get back to the story. They went to the concert. Every few days they would do something together. Sometimes it was just a walk around town and talk during Neil's lunch break. It wasn't long before they had become best friends. Now Neil knew he wanted to be more than just friends, but he wasn't sure how to broach the subject with Lucy, despite now being very comfortable in her presence. He loved her kind and loving nature. She also had a certain amount of spunk that endeared her to him even more. Knowing that he had fallen deeply in love with Lucy, and hoping that she might feel the same for him, he turned to his most trusted advisers, his parents, and asked them what they thought he should do. His father encouraged Neil to start building a house on the plot on land he would inherit. His mother encouraged him to talk to Lucy about his feelings."

"So what did he do?" Melly asked.

"Well, first he spent some time pondering the advise he'd received. He went to the plot of land that would be his. He sat on a log, watched the world around him, and thought. A few days later he brought Lucy to that very spot where he'd sat and thought. They sat and talked about the beauty of the summer and anecdotes from their day. Lucy kept looking to the brown furrows in the otherwise green grass. Finally she asked about it. Neil stool up and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up. They walked over to the furrows, and Neil began to explain that the furrows marked where he planned to build a home. He told her of his love for her, then knelt on one knee and asked Lucy if she would share his life and that home with him. She eagerly accepted, whispering in his ear that she'd begun to love him from the moment she'd first walked in to the general store. She's stopped and looked at the horse figurine and the ribbons on her way to the counter to give her heart time to slow down the maddening pace it had begun the moment she'd laid eyes on him."

"So it was love at first sight?"

"In part," Grandfather replied. "Only in part."

Melly scrunched up her face. "What do you mean, 'only in part'?"

"Well, Melly, they were both attracted to each other and could sense the beauty of each others souls in that first moment, but as they got to know each other and spent time together, that love grew and blossomed and sunk roots deep into their souls."

"Oh," Melly replied. "So they got married and lived happily ever after?"

"Yes." A sweet, wistful look crossed over Grandfather's face. "They did get married, and they did live happily. Times were not always easy. They faced their share of trials. But they did live happily. As for the ever after, once I die and see your grandmother again, then truly we will live happily ever after."

Surprise blossomed on Melly's face. "That is yours and my grandmother's story?"

"Yes, dear girl, it is our story."

Melly sighed. "I wish I'd known her."

Grandfather wrapped an arm around her shoulder's and squeezed. "One day you will. Your grandmother loved you very much, and still does from where she is I'm sure. I remember her holding you and cradling you in her arms as she sung lullabies or spoke soft words while gazing lovingly at your face."

"How old was I when she died?" Melly asked.

"You had just turned two years old."

"Do you really think we will see her again when we die?"

"I know we will, my dear Melly. I know we will."

"How do you know?"

"Because she and I were married for time and eternity, just as your parents were. And that means we are married forever, in this life and in the next."

Melly smiled. "I'm glad."

"So am I, Melly."

They sat in silence gazing toward the fire and enjoying the cozy comfort of home and of the knowledge that their family would be together forever.

Grandfather stirred first. "Well, my child, the story is over and it's past time for you to be in bed."

Melly roused herself and stood. "Thank you, Grandfather. I enjoyed your story."

"You are welcome, my dear. Now off to bed."

Melly kissed his cheek goodnight, returned the stool to its place by the fire, and made her way to the stairs that led up to her bed. "Goodnight, Grandfather."

"Goodnight, Melly."

It's been awhile...

So, I decided to update my blog and realized it's been a long time since I posted. Life has been busy. Life has been wonderful. And three weeks from tomorrow I get to marry Jason!!!! That makes me very happy. A lot has happened in the past few months. And that's the short version. Maybe sometime I will write out the long version, but that will not be tonight. :)

Life is Good

I decided to write a post on this rainy Labor Day. Life is going pretty good for me right now. Not to say it doesn't still have it's rough parts, but life is good. I have a wonderful boyfriend, Jason. So that is of course wonderful and amazing and fabulous. That is really a lot of what makes life so good right now. Just being with him, thinking about him, makes me happy. Beyond the amazing wonderfulness that is Jason, I also have great friends. Church is wonderful each and every Sunday. I feel edified and so blessed. Life is good. :)