Short Story Reads for Valentine's Day #SweetRomance #Anthologies #HappilyEverAfter #HappyForNow #RomanceReads

 

I read romance no matter what time of year, but I've always been fond of reading sweet romance stories for Valentine's Day. In these two collections, you'll find the sweetest of romances, including two of my stories.

In A Kiss and a Promise, you'll find Eve's Garden, a sweet romance involving an author who finds a ghost haunting the historic cottage where he moves to write his new book.

Cupid's Arrow, in A Wink and a Smile, is about a bridesmaid who finds more than she bargained for at a wedding where she meets an enigmatic man who takes her on an adventure to save the love of her friends.

These books are filled with heart-warming tales of happily-ever-afters and happy-for-nows.

Happy Valentine's Day!

The six romances included in this anthology have quirky characters, or quirky locations, or quirky situations.

You'll find a ghost and a new homeowner, a spaceship captain and her cartographer, a window designer and high school beau, a banker and a baker, two vampire hunters, and some supernatural beings.

You'll find yourself in two different restaurants, and on another planet. You'll find deception, intrigue, and old memories.

You'll find Happily-Ever-Afters, and you'll find Happy-for-Nows. But most of all, you'll find true romance.

You'll find kisses, and you'll find promises.

Amazon | Universal

In this Read on the Run title, we present eighteen romances. Not love stories, although some of them do include aspects of that. But whereas love stories are often sad, each of the selections in A Wink and a Smile has either a "happily-ever-after" ending, or at least a strong suggestion that this is where the characters are heading.

That doesn't mean these tales all sound the same; to the contrary, we've found quite a diverse collection of romances. Yes, there are some traditional romances, and there's a healthy handful of budding romances, but you will also find a story set in the future, and a couple of fantasy tales.

You will find stories of pastries, and candles, of young lovers and old. You will meet several matchmakers and you'll see couples reconcile, and there are even a few stories that will make you laugh.

As always, each story in the Read on the Run series of anthologies is short, to suit your busy lifestyle.

Amazon | Universal

Be sure to check out the other books published by

The Smoking Pen Press!

Romance is in the Air #BlogHop Feb 13-27 #Giveaway #Contest

Romance is in the Air this February and what better way to celebrate than to read a romance! Fall in love with a new book boyfriend! Or girlfriend! Or both. I don't judge.

Being that romance is kinda my thing, I'm giving away 2 books filled with romance stories of all types. You're certain to find something that you love in one of these sweet short stories! That's 24 stories in all! I hope you enjoy my contributions to these anthologies, Cupid's Arrow and Eve's Garden.

Cupid's Arrow (A Wink and a Smile) features a wedding, a bridesmaid, gaudy Cupid decorations, and an out-of-this-world handsome stranger who is not quite human.

Laura Remington doesn't believe in love, making her a target for a Cupid-like creature who is out to kill. The only one who can save her is Dorien Thornfield, a man who is simply too good to be true.   

Eve's Garden (A Kiss and a Promise) finds a new homeowner rediscovering forgotten love in a haunted house.

Bestselling author, Matthew Harris instantly fell in love with Covington Cottage and purchased the house after a research trip to England. He never expected to fall in love with the previous owner, Eve, who has been dead for nearly 200 years and continues to haunt the grounds waiting for her long lost lover.

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Thanks to Book Hounds for organizing and hosting this event!

Be sure to check out the other authors, readers and bloggers pages! 

Checking Off Goals on the Path to Success #IWSG #writinggoals

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day.

The Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

IWSG Asks: What are your ultimate writing goals, and how have they changed over time (if at all)?  

Everyone has their own version of success and their individual way to reach that ultimate goal. It's rare to hear overnight success stories that are truly overnight. Typically, those "overnight" success stories took years to reach. And to reach that success, those people used mini-goals as stepping stones on their path.

A writer has to take mini-steps on their path to writing a book such as writing a page a day to reach a goal of 365 pages. A runner takes mini-steps before running a marathon such as running short distances and then gradually increasing that each time they run until they can reach that marathon length goal.

It's mostly about determination and plain stubbornness as well as having a successful mindset. Do you want to succeed? How badly do you want it? Do you want it enough to work at it for a long, long time? Whatever ultimate goal you have will undoubtedly take longer than overnight to reach. But, by creating mini-goals that lead up to that ultimate goal, you can give yourself a list of successes on that long path.

My ultimate writing goal is to have a successful writing career. My version of success is to be able to pay my bills with the money I make from writing. Financial independence is nice.

As my ultimate writing goal has remained the same over the years, I've had many mini-goals that I hope will one day lead to that major success.

These are a few of the items I've accomplished on my goal check-list over the years that I believe will help me reach my ultimate writing goal to make money with my books.

• To write a well-crafted novel - I simply wrote for fun for many years before deciding to study the craft of writing, so it took some time before I felt confident that I had the ability to write something that didn't belong in a box under my bed.

• To submit a manuscript to a major publisher - I submitted my first partial manuscript to Dorchester Publishing when I was 18. I got a very nice rejection letter with helpful tips to make my writing stronger. The editor encouraged me to keep trying.

• To submit a story to a writing contest - I had submitted several poems that won awards and honorable mentions, but I was ecstatic to get 3rd place for the Gothic Romance Writer's Haunted Hearts Contest in 2008.

• To publish a book - The Wild Rose Press published The Witch and the Wolf in 2010. My first publication! 

• To have my own author website - Shortly after I got "the call" from my editor at The Wild Rose Press, I invested money in myself by buying a domain name and creating a website for my books. You can check out my website and let me know what you think.

• To create and maintain a blog - I've been blogging for years. I believe this has helped me reach readers, but it's also connected me with other writers and authors which is a wonderful community where I can network and feel welcome. 

• To publish a series - The Wild Rose Press has published The Merriweather Witches, my Regency-era paranormal romance series. 

• To publish a short story in an anthology with other authors - I've got 3 of these out in 2018! Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology and A Wink and a Smile - A Read on the Run Anthology, both of which are currently available. There's another anthology coming out soon tentatively titled A Kiss and a Promise

There are still many mini-goals on my list that I haven't reached, yet. I hope to add them to the accomplished column one day soon! The way to reach success is to get there one step at a time!

Good luck!

Be sure to visit the other writers in the 

Insecure Writer's Support Group!

I write sensual paranormal and historical romances. Interested in learning more about my stories? Become a VIP Reader by signing-up for my newsletter where you'll learn about my new book releases, updates on my works-in-progress, writing tips, book reviews, contests, and other fun book-related info!

Happy Writing!
~Tricia

Can't Wait to Read Books #BookBlogExpo #Giveaway

Day 3 - Most Anticipated Books and Giveaway Day

One of the things that I really, really, really LOVED about working at a bookstore was that I was privvy to all the New Releases coming out. I knew the dates for all the Pre-Orders and Street Dates for the titles getting released. And I even had the chance to take a peek at the books before any customers saw it!

Well, with the exception of the Harry Potter books. For those books, we weren't even allowed to open the shipment boxes before Release Day! That was Top Secret stuff!

Nowadays, with the vast expanse of the internet, I find I have a difficult time keeping track of all the new books getting released. There are so many new authors and new books out every single day that if I think about it too long my brain implodes.

That's why I think it's soooo important for readers to talk about the books they're reading. Tell people about them, otherwise that special book might not get seen by other readers!

That being said, there are a select few of my most favorite authors that I'll pre-order on Amazon when I discover they have a new book coming out. These are my must-have books! The books and authors that I just can't live without!

And check out the Giveaway below!

The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Release Date - Tuesday, November 20, 2018

If you know me at all, at some point in our relationship you've heard me talk about Julia Quinn. She is one of those authors who continues to impress me with each book she writes. She's an amazing author who writes some of the most humorous and emotionally touching books I've ever read. Seriously, if you enjoy reading Regency-era romance, you must read her Bridgerton series. I got a sample of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and I was so hooked that I bought her whole backlist of books and read them like a fiend!

The Cajun Persuasion by Sandra Hill

Release Date - Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Here's another romance author with laugh-out-loud moments. Sandra Hill writes romantic comedy like no one else. She has a Cajun series, a Viking/Time Travel/Navy Seals series and a Viking/Vampire/Angel series. And now, I see she has a Christmas romance which strikes me as a Christmas Beach Read scheduled for release, too! The woman is clearly a mad genius.

The Forever Christmas Tree by Sandra Hill

Release Date - Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Look Alive Twenty-Five by Janet Evanovich

Release Date - Tuesday, November 13, 2018

I'm a little behind on the Stephanie Plum series, but I still buy all of her books on release day because I know I'll be in the mood to read about Stephanie's insanely quacky family and the on again/off again relationships she has with the two special men in her life.

The Demon Whisperer #3 by Ash Krafton

Release Date - To Be Announced

I really enjoy reading Ash Krafton's Demon Whisperer books about exorcist mage, Simon Alliant. These books are dark, gritty and emotional. Not for the faint of heart. I have no idea when the next book in this series will be announced, but as soon as it is, you can be sure that I'll pre-order that baby!

In the meantime, if anyone is interested, Ash Krafton is releasing Takin' It Back on Tuesday, August 21, 2018. This was originally part of a box set released last year which I read and loved! Definitely, check it out!

Which leads me to the last two books on my most anticipated reads list. I was fortunate to have two of my stories selected in anthologies that were recently released this year.

Pirates: A Boys Behaving Badly Anthology 

A Wink and a Smile: A Read on the Run Anthology

The digital versions of both of these books are already available for purchase, but the paperback versions are scheduled for release this summer! I'm really looking forward to these paperback versions! Not just because my stories are in there, but because I'm looking forward to reading the other amazing stories by the authors selected for these anthologies. I prefer reading in paperback, so I'm waiting to get my hands on these!

In the meantime, for those who can't wait and would like to have a chance to read the digital versions now, I'm offering to giveaway these titles to one lucky winner!

Be sure to check out Girl Who Reads for more Book Blog Expo posts!

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