Thursday, December 26, 2019

Reading and #Reviews (Dean, Guidoccio, Anderson)

I'm a writer, but I'm also a reader. Each month, I'll share with you what I'm reading and some reviews. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a book or an eReader at night for the last hour of my day.

I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. My current read is Juror #3 by James Patterson, a crime and law novel.  I also read romantic suspense, WWII historicals, mysteries, and some main stream character driven novels.

Here are some of the books I've read recently or in the not too distant past. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author!

End of Lonely Street by Alicia Dean
Romance

This is a short novella for those readers who love being transported back to the nostalgic 1950s. Toby quits school to return home and take care of her alcoholic mother. An old love, Noah, is there, too, which causes Toby another kind of problem. She finds solace in the music of her idol, Elvis, and the reader gets carried along. You’ll enjoy this short, sweet love story.





A Season for Killing Blondes by Joanne Guidoccio
Cozy Mystery

Gilda has started her own business after winning the lottery. But before her Grand opening is kicked off, a dead blonde is found on the premises. This is only one of several. Besides being a suspect, her old love from thirty years ago is the detective in charge.

This story is character driven with a splash of Italian that will capture you and keep you reading. It’s a cozy that got me from page one.



When Mountains Fall by Rolynn Anderson
Romantic Suspense

Camryn’s husband is dead. She and her son have been living with his wealthy parents. But her son wants to return to their home in isolated Waka Bay, British Columbia. For his mental health, she takes him home and together they fight to run the failing business while she tries to clear her husband’s name of murder. When she meets Finn, who anchors his boat in the bay every weekend, her life becomes more interesting and more tense as he has secrets of his own.

Ms. Anderson paints a vivid picture of this beautiful area while weaving a story of intrigue and romance.


                                       AMAZON BUY LINK

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Killer Villains: Name Your Favorite By Jodi Rath

WICKED WEDNESDAY


Jodi Rath is treating us to Wicked Wednesday with her take on villains. Clowns? Gulp! It doesn's stop there.

Big red-nose, three times too big painted on a red smile that turns sinister like dark clouds invading a sunny day. The evil clown is my least favorite villain. Why? Clowns freak me out. They seem caustic by nature. My favorite villain is the everyday, normal citizen that no one would ever guess. The one that looks too good to be evil. They wear the same mask as the clown does paint, but they hide it so well that we readers struggle to figure out who the killer is.

Other heinous archetypes are the femme fatale, the dark god, the power-mad scientist, and the slighted sibling.  Written well, these characters can difficult for us readers to decipher too. One way to write them well is to write to them like that every day, wholesome individual. When we see the man twirling the long, wiry mustache that becomes a dead give-away who the culprit is. Yet, write that same guy with as autistic gentleman who twirls his mustache as a tic, and we second guess that he’s an evil villain.

These examples and more are things writers have to consider when developing their best villain for their novel. How can I trick you, the reader, into never guessing this sweet, innocent old spinster holds grudges against women in their young twenty’s due to the time she was mugged by a group of sorority sister’s that needed to do this as part of their pledge?

So, what are your favorite and least favorite villains in the stories you read, and why?


CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF JODI'S BOOKS

Watch for the next two books of Jodi's popular series in 2020:


Blueberry Cobbler Blackmail, book 3
Releasing 2/28/2020 
Welcome to Leaven—oh wait—Santo Domingo, where DEATH takes a DELICIOUS turn!
Family bombshells, sibling rivalries, blackmail, and a trip that could be deadly...and the new year has only just begun! After a disastrous Thanksgiving, Jolie Tucker is beside herself and feeling the walls closing in around her. She feels like she needs to escape Leavensport before she loses her mind. She unexpectedly gets her wish when her best friend and co-owner of Cast Iron Creations, Ava Martinez, gets a terrifying email revealing that her papa, Thiago, is in danger in Santo Domingo. The girls are off on a dangerous adventure in new territory. Will they be able to save the day before danger finds them?

Cast Iron Stake Through the Heart, book 4
Releasing 5/29/2020
On again, off again, ON AGAIN–Jolie Tucker and Mick Meiser are giving their relationship another try. Things seem to be working out for them so far, and love is on the menu all over Leavensport! An unexpected pregnancy with a surprising partner, a therapist pairs off with the chief of police, and the mayor of Leavensport falls for Jolie’s Aunt Fern!
Although Leavensport is serving up affairs of the heart, there are a lot of mysterious activities lurking in the air. The townspeople awake to find freshly dug empty holes throughout the fields that were recently up for sale under suspicious circumstances. Jolie and Ava believe they are taking a break from solving murders when they start teaching an online cooking course–until they witness one of their students take a stake through the heart!

ABOUT JODI RATH
Moving into her second decade working in education, Jodi Rath has decided to begin a life of crime in her The Cast Iron Skillet Mystery Series. Her passion for both mysteries and education led her to combine the two to create her business MYS ED, where she splits her time between working as an adjunct for Ohio teachers, educational writing, marketing consultant work with authors, and creating mischief in her fictional writing. She currently resides in a small, cozy village in Ohio with her husband and her eight cats. 

Monday, December 16, 2019

#Hanukkah and Deep Fried Oreos by Jennifer Wilck #recipe

MUSE MONDAY

I just love hearing about all kinds of holiday celebrations. We celebrate Solstice and Christmas in our house. My guest today, Jennifer Wilck, celebrates Hanukkah. Jennifer is a returning guest blogger and always has an interesting post. This one is sure to meet your holiday expectations. Read to the end...I coerced Jennifer into sharing her recipe.

In our house, we celebrate Hanukkah. Through the years, many things about our celebration have changed. When the kids were young, we of course made a big deal about the holiday. We’d play music, serve latkes (potato pancakes), play dreidel and on a few of the eight nights, give presents. As the kids have gotten older, our traditions have changed.

The entire family gets together one night to exchange gifts with the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We all bring our menorahs—candelabras with room for nine candles—and we take big group photos of everyone lighting the candles.

We get together with friends one night and our photos over the years show how much the kids have grown (and how willing or unwilling they are now to smile).

One of the eight nights is dedicated to giving back. Instead of presents for ourselves, we donate to a charity. Some years we’ve made blankets and quilts for our local animal shelter. Other years we’ve sent money to a charity we all agree on—a small miracle in and of itself, since we rarely all can agree on anything. Once when the kids were little, we went to the toy store, bought toys and games for kids who didn’t have any, and brought them to a local preschool.

My specialty for Hanukkah is making fried Oreos. The holiday celebrates the miracle of the oil
lasting for eight nights, so our traditional foods are those made with lots of oil, like donuts. Several years ago, my husband and I went to a county fair in the summer and had fried Oreos. We loved them, and since they are deep fried, they fit the holiday perfectly. I found a recipe online to make them and ever since then, family and friends have demanded them every year.

Now that my daughters are away at college, I mail their gifts early, trying to figure out the exact right time so that everything arrives on time and we can celebrate with them over FaceTime. Technology is terrific for that, but I confess to missing having them home and celebrating in person.

So whatever you celebrate, and however you do so, I wish you and your family happy and healthy times together!

Blurb

Benjamin Cohen, widowed father of six-year-old Jessie, is doing his best to hold it together through order and routine. The last thing he needs is his matchmaker mother to set him up with her next door neighbor, no matter how attractive she is.

Rachel Schaecter's dream of becoming a foster mother is right within her grasp, until her meddlesome neighbor tries to set her up with her handsome son. What's worse? He's the father of her favorite kindergarten student! She can't afford to let anything come between her and her dream, no matter how gorgeous he may be.

Can these two determined people trust in the miracle of Hanukkah to let love and light into their lives?

Excerpt
Six-year-old bodies were good at many things— bouncing, hugging, and racing. Rachel was thankful they were also good at hiding her surprise. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine her favorite student, and her student’s father, would be at her neighbor’s house the same night she was invited to celebrate Hanukkah.
She met the hard gaze of Jessie’s father across the room. Eyes narrowed as if he suspected her reasons for being here. His broad shoulders were stiff. His jean-clad muscular legs were spread apart in a solid stance. Square hands fisted at his sides, and one of them held a menorah. Did he plan to throw it or club someone with it?
Giving Jessie a last pat, she rose. With an arm around Jessie, she extended her other hand to her father. “Happy Hanukkah.”
“Ms. Schaecter.”
“Mr. Cohen.”
“Oh, please,” Harriet said, “Such formality between you two. Rachel, this is my son Benny. I mean Benjamin.”
Benny. Rachel filed the information away for later, along with his flushed skin at the nickname. Interesting.
“And Benjamin, this is my neighbor, Rachel. We’re not at a school event. You can call each other by your first names.” Harriet pointed at Jessie, who gripped Rachel’s hand so hard, Rachel’s fingers lost their circulation. “Except for you,” Harriet added. “You have to call her Ms. Schaecter.”
Jessie giggled. “Yes, Grandma.”

Buy Links:

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/waiting-for-a-miracle/id1484912207

Fried Oreos 
Ingredients
1 package Oreo cookies
2 cups Bisquick pancake mix
2 eggs
1.5 cups milk
3 teaspoons oil
vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions
Blend Bisquick, eggs, milk and 3 tsp oil until smooth.
Preheat deep fryer to 375 (use a candy thermometer if frying in a pan).
Dip the cookies in the batter mixture until totally covered. Place in the hot oil (cookies will float).
Keep checking and turn over the cookie when bottom side turns brown.
Keep a close watch because it only takes a few seconds to burn.
Remove cookies and place on paper towel.
Serve warm, with powdered sugar, chocolate syrup or ice cream.

Now, about that novella. Jessie, the six-year-old daughter of my hero, Benjamin, would LOVE this recipe. She likes everything about Hanukkah, especially when she gets to celebrate it with her grandmother, who also happens to be the neighbor of her kindergarten teacher, Rachel. Harriet, the grandmother, wants her son to be happy, and thinks Rachel is the perfect one to make that happen. Benjamin isn’t so sure he’s ready to start dating again, after the death of his wife. Rachel isn’t sure about it either. Not only is Jessie her student, but she’s hoping to foster a child in the new year, and doesn’t want anything to interfere with her plans.

I won’t tell you anymore, but if you’re looking for a short, funny and sweet read, this story is for you.

Let me know how you like it, and also, let me know if you try my recipe!


Happy Hanukkah!

Friday, December 13, 2019

#FearlessFriday and Facing your Fear of #Fridaythe13th by Addison Brae

Welcome back Addison Brae to Discover... I love her post for Fearless Friday today. That crazy number 13 can throw people (it's my lucky number) and Friday the thirteenth is particularly scary for some. She's got some great tips on conquering fear and becoming a little more fearless.

Friday the thirteenth invokes uncontrollable panic in many people. Some experience the terror because of real events. For example, in 2010, lightning struck a 13-year-old boy in England on Friday the thirteenth at 13:13. The practical side of me says these details are fudged a bit, but I wasn’t there to prove or disprove what happened. It certainly makes you think.

There’s even a name for the fear of Friday the thirteenth:  Paraskevidekatriaphobia (Kudos for anyone who can pronounce it!). The name comes from Greek words “Paraskevi” for Friday and “dekatreis” for 13. I understand that the superstition is so widespread in the U.S. that airlines offer cheaper rates to travel on the day.

This Fearless Friday is a great day to stare down a fear. Maybe it’s tackling trepidation when Friday the thirteenth comes around. Maybe something else causes you distress. Since my income depends on working with clients, I terribly dread saying “no” to them. I did recently when a project went south. It was difficult. Afterwards, I realized the project had been so stressful I could actually laugh again.

A good friend dreams of traveling to Europe and randomly selecting a rail pass to wherever sounds interesting. No plans. Just explore. Her baby step is looking for new places to visit close to home. Another friend had a terrifying fear of heights. She took a ride in a WWI era open-air biplane. The second time was much easier. Last spring, a dog bit me while I was jogging in my neighborhood park. This Fearless Friday, I’ll be braver facing these dogs’ owners and not fear another bite.

In my romantic suspense called Becker Circle, Gillian experiences Friday the thirteenth almost every day. Her luck is rotten. It doesn’t turn in the sequel either where dark energy seems to find her. No matter her intentions or if she does anything at all, this overpowering bad karma follows her. She uses her determination to fight back and turn her luck.

There are two Friday the thirteenths in 2020, in March and November. We get a break the following two years with only one per year in 2021 and 2022.

The next full moon occurs on December 12 at 12:12 a.m. EST – a full 24 hours before we all face Friday the thirteenth. This full moon is called the Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon based on the moon’s high path across the sky that causes it to sit above the horizon longer. This special moon provides an opportunity for us to gather strength to face anxiety on Fearless Friday.

On Fearless Friday the thirteenth, what fear will you stare down? You don’t have to be fearless, but I challenge you to at least take a baby step.

About Becker Circle
My boyfriend believed I was too gutless to leave. He was dead wrong. I graduated Harvard early and left his hot temper and everyone else behind for Dallas. Determined to make it on my own, I land a second job bartending at the neighborhood pub, smack in the middle of drama central, where almost every jerk in the neighborhood hits on me.

A week into the job, the neighborhood’s very popular drug dealer falls to his death a few feet from the table I’m serving. The cops say suicide, but the hot guitar player in the house band and I suspect foul play, and we intend to prove it. Digging deeper, we’re drawn closer to each other. Then we make a shocking discovery. We know the murderer.
Watch the trailer, and look for Gillian’s next experiences in the sequel, Dark Energy, in 2020.

Find Becker Circle on Amazon US ($0.99 through December 15), Amazon UK (99p through December 15), Smashwords, Apple Books, Kobo, and B&N Nook. Proceeds go to Hope’s Door New Beginning Center to help fight domestic abuse.


About Addison Brae
Addison Brae lives on the edge of downtown Dallas, Texas. She’s been writing since childhood and continues as an independent marketing consultant. She’s addicted to reading and enjoys jogging, sipping red wine, traveling the world, collecting interesting cocktail recipes, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing, and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.

Connect with Addison on her website, Tirgearr Publishing, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Tips and Myths #Thursday Thoughts #Myth Busters

Money saving tips are always a good thing. Here are ten tips I've seen touted here and there. I haven't necessarily taken advantage of any of them, so I am not endorsing. But maybe they'll work for you.

Don’t order movie tickets on line. You’ll pay a fee.

Save money and make your own window cleaner with equal parts vinegar and water with a couple of dabs of dish washing liquid.

At SwagBucks.com you take surveys and earn shopping points for cash or gift cards at major retailers.

If you’re family vacation is less than 500 miles away, it is probably cheaper to drive than fly.

Adopt a pet from a shelter and save those fees the same dog might cost through a breeder.


Get an on line account for the grocery store you shop and get updates on sales. You can load your grocery store loyalty card with coupons that will be taken off your bill at the register.

Check out your state’s possibilities for saving on property tax. Some offer a discount for over 65 or for widows.

Get a programmable thermostat so you don’t forget to change the temp for sleeping or when you’re gone.

Get retroactive refunds. Most stores will refund you the difference when something you’ve bought goes on sale soon after.

Inspect your windows and doors for leaks using a lighted incense stick. The smoke will find the leak and drift out. Seal them up and save on your heating and cooling bills.


Good luck!

Monday, December 9, 2019

Inspiration: the Hero in All of Us by D. K. Deters #inspiration #Christmas


MUSE MONDAY

Recently, in my Arizona community, a tragedy has been unfolding. Within that tragedy is a cast of everyday people performing heroic efforts. My guest today, D. K. Deters, has a magical tale inspired by just such people. Read about her inspiration.

Brenda, thanks for hosting me on Muse Monday.

A magical painting and time travel are the perfect elements for a holiday romance. But you might be surprised to know that Christmas Once Again was inspired by a news broadcast about ordinary people pitching together to save a stranger’s life after a snowstorm. We’ve all heard about them, nameless folks who carry out acts of kindness and ask for nothing in return.

After the broadcast, I thought about themes for Christmas Once Again, and I knew I had to include heroism. Without giving away too much, you’ll see there’s a little bit of a hero in all the characters. Their small and almost forgettable actions will have you wondering how they all connect.

Christmas Once Again is a quick read, but you won’t find its twists and turns predictable. Unraveling the past delivers an ending sure to brighten your holidays.


For that little matchmaker in all of us, the characters in Christmas Once Again will touch your heart and brighten your holidays.

Blurb:
She's dead broke. And eviction looms. On Christmas Eve antique consultant Madison Knight takes a phone call from local rancher Zach Murdock. Through a mix-up at an estate sale, Madison's company purchased his grandmother's beloved painting. He offers double the money for its return.
Madison risks her job to track down the artwork, but success falls short when she's stuck in a blizzard. Stranded, she seeks help from a frontier family. Are they living off the grid, or did she somehow travel through time?

Zach's the only person who knows her plan. He also knows a secret about his gran's painting. It's up to him to rescue Madison, but maybe he's not cut out to be a hero.

Excerpt:
“My grandmother had an estate sale last week, and she didn’t want it sold, unfortu—”
“Oh?” She should’ve kept quiet. Run-ins with greedy family members happened in the antique business, and a judging attitude didn’t increase revenues.
“It wasn’t on purpose,” he said. “The day was chaotic, and someone had shuffled around the artwork. We didn’t realize it was missing until a couple of days ago, and it took this long to sort out the mix-up and discover your shop bought it.”
She felt guilty for jumping to the wrong conclusion. “I see how that could happen. It’s obvious the piece is treasured by your grandmother. If it becomes necessary, we have the resources to find a similar style. Is there a specific artist or significance?”
Held hostage by the slow computer response and trying not to rush him, she picked up one of the hand weights, intending to fit in a few curls.
“Keep in mind Gran’s ninety-two, and she thinks…”
“Uh-huh.” With her free hand, she grabbed the latte and took a sip.
“Gran thinks it holds a special power.”
Madison chose that moment to swallow, and the creamy espresso went down the wrong pipe. A dry, hacking cough followed, and she dropped her hand weight, which thudded on the carpet. For heaven’s sake, he didn’t hear her, did he?

Buy Links for Christmas Once Again:

Author Bio for D. K. Deters:
D. K. Deters is a fantasy and historical romance author. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Business, D. K. followed a profession in the telecommunications industry before turning to a writing career. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her adult children and their families. She's also an antique enthusiast. Her hobbies include restoring old dollhouses and second-hand furniture. ​​Christmas is her favorite time of the year.

Social Media Links:

Friday, December 6, 2019

Sleeping in a Treehouse by A. R. Kennedy #FearlessFriday #SleuthOnSafari


FEARLESS FRIDAY

On African safari, sleeping in a treehouse certainly classifies as fearless...and FUN...in my estimation. So, read on for A. R. Kennedy's fun story.

Unlike my main character, Naomi, I booked my South Africa safari six months in advance. I researched the tour company thoroughly and compared tours with other companies before placing the deposit. After booking the trip, I printed out all the information, put it in a folder and didn’t think about the trip anymore until my arrival in Cape Town.

I had forgotten that one of the nights booked would be spent in a treehouse. The travel agent was very excited about it. She said it was an expensive add on at the lodge that was included without added charge on my trip. I had forgotten about it until I arrived at our first lodge. Because one of the other travelers was ill, they asked me to go the first night.

In front of the other guests, I agreed and appeared pleased about it. On the inside, I was a little afraid.
I can count on one hand how many times I’ve camped and although each time was enjoyable—sleeping on the sand on a Greek island, in a tent at Havasu Falls— it is not my ideal choice of lodging.

After dinner, the tour guide, Sonny, drove me out to the treehouse. Most of the guests had dinner at the treehouse. I chose to stay with the group to have dinner. For the camaraderie, I said. But it was to delay being abandoned in the middle of nowhere, miles away from another human, with my only companions the wild animals.

It was already dark when we arrived. The treehouse was lit up by lanterns hung along the railings. Soony gave me a tour of my lodging for the night. There was a bathroom—no shower but a toilet and sink with running water—so I wasn’t actually roughing it.

He showed me, twice, how to latch the doors. He showed me how to use the walkie-talkie and cell phone to reach him and the lodge’s front desk. When he left, I’m sure he thought he’d be back shortly to pick up the terrified city girl. 

As he drove away, I remember watching the vehicle’s headlights slow disappearance into the night and thinking how alone I was.

I would love to tell you that I enjoyed every moment spent at the glorious treehouse. The truth is I
slept, in my clothes, gripping the flashlight, walkie talkie and phone. 

At dawn, I awoke to the gentle honking—not the honking of car horns that I’m accustomed to but that of my neighbors for the evening, hippopotamuses. I watched as a mother and her baby walked from the trees to the river.

For one hour, I watched the sunrise over the river and listened to the sounds of nature. I was disappointed when I heard the vehicle’s engine coming to pick me up. 


Pre-order Book link — https://books2read.com/b/bPRZlr

Will be available on Amazon 12/26/19










Contact links 

  
Bio — A R Kennedy lives in Long Beach, New York, with her two pups. She works hard to put food on the floor for them. As her favorite T-shirt says, ‘I work so my dog can have a better life'. She’s an avid traveler. But don’t worry. While she’s away, her parents dote on their grand-puppies even more than she does. Her writing is a combination of her love of travel, animals, and the journey we all take to find ourselves.


Thursday, December 5, 2019

In the Book and Synopsis Torture #inspiration #ghoststories

Book one in my latest Romance Thriller is finished. I have books two and three brewing in my head. This series takes place in the mining town, turned ghost town, turned tourist haven, Joshua, Arizona. Joshua hangs on the side of Spirit Mountain.

Before I send my manuscript off to a publisher, I have to write the synopsis. The synopsis is only two to three pages, but is MUCH harder than writing the entire novel. I have to condense 350 pages down to three, give the whole story, make it engaging, and show my style. Publishers demand the synopsis.

Well, it's the holidays, and I doubt I'll be able to face the synopsis ordeal. I can't take punishment during my favorite part of the year.

Today is 12/6, so I'm sharing page 12 from chapter 6. Until it's off to the publisher, I'll share different partial scenes with you every few weeks. Maybe you can help me come up with a title!


He wouldn’t blame her? For what? She hadn’t done anything. She hadn’t killed Callie. Or was he reaching into her soul and seeing the doubt she’d harbored about him for so long? A fear so horrific she’d left it unspoken all these years. A fear he’d killed Callie.

Her tongue went dry with unspoken words—words they’d never ventured uttering. He seemed on the brink. A confession? She couldn’t ask for what he didn’t blame her. And if honest with herself, she didn’t want to know. His confession wouldn’t serve any purpose. She’d found peace with her doubts, her suspicions he’d committed murder—she’d moved beyond those awful years. Talking
about it would only disrupt their peace. Her throat constricted so tight she couldn’t speak.


He took another drink of coffee, swallowed deep, and squinted. “There’s something else. Yesterday, before I got to your place to fix the stairs, well…”

“What, Dad?” she managed a whisper, and her heart thumped hard against her ribcage.

“I saw a man walking along the street with some other people. But this guy, he looked like—Mark Donaldson.” He cupped both hands around his mug and peered into her eyes. “They all ducked into the ice cream shop before I got a real good look. And like I said, one thought led to another.” His lips tightened in a gesture of doubt that he should’ve said anything about the body or
the stranger to the daughter who had been so affected by the events.

Seeing Zac added to the anguish of his memories. She could understand. “I met him. His name is Zac Peartree.” And he walked through my dreams last night.

The tenseness in his face and hands tightened. “You did, huh? Then I’m not losing it.”

“No.” In spite of the seriousness of the conversation, she forced a smile. “He jarred me too. He and his friends came into the mercantile yesterday and the bar last night.”



Wednesday, December 4, 2019

My Wickedly Funny Nanny Fee by Peggy Jaeger #romance #WickedWednesday

WICKED WEDNESDAY

It's a wickedly amusing day on Wicked Wednesday with Peggy Jaeger. Enjoy!

Growing up I had a very strict, stern, and sometimes even mean, Irish grandmother. She was my mother’s mom and there were decades of family drama behind both of them that filtered down to me. Suffice it to say I never did anything right in her eyes and I was destined for a life of failure if she was to give her opinion.

Yeah…like I said. She could be mean.

When I decided to write my bridal series, I knew I wanted to add an elderly Irish grandmother into the family mix, but I was going to write her the way I would have wanted my own grandmother to be. Funny, outrageous, loving, and above all, supportive of her grandchildren and their choices in life.

Fiona Bridget Mary Darcy Sullivan O’Dowd Heaven Scallopini better known as ninety-three year old Nanny Fee, has the height and exuberance of a leprechaun and the same lilt in her voice she was born with despite having left Ireland at the age of four.  She is a fiercely independent, self-educated woman with four ex-husbands she’s buried and mourned, and an only son who doesn’t know how to handle her.

Nanny Fee has a wicked, biting, and witty sense of humor, is an outrageous flirt and can make grown men blush when she bats her eyes at them.

In this scene from Today, Tomorrow, Always, she’s just met writer Mac Frayne, a man not known for smiling or an outgoing personality. Once Nanny gets hold of him, though, things change for the better.



Excerpt:
I settled Nanny into the reclining chair she’d been able to bring from home and indicated the other chair in the room for Frayne, while I sat on the edge of her turned-down bed.I let Frayne take the lead in the questioning.“I’m doing research on the Reverend at the museum, and I noticed something odd when I began tracing the descendants’ files. There’s nothing I can find catalogued in the archives about Robert Heaven from after his college graduation until his marriage and then his death,” Frayne told her. “I find it odd nothing of note was ever saved by someone about him, when every other family member has literally reams of documents and files associated with them.”
“Does seem odd, aye?” Nanny said. “Robert had a very full life before we married. Attended college. Yale. Ran his own company for a number of years. Stayed a bachelor until his late fifties, married to his company, most who knew him said. Then we met, and as the kids say these days, the rest is history.”
Frayne’s smile was soft and, I had to admit, charming.
“Together almost twenty years before he went to his maker with a smile on his lips and a full stomach, seeing as we’d just dined at the annual Jingle Bell Ball. Good years. Good times.”
“You don’t happen to still have any of his possessions or personal items, do you? Or anything from his family archives? I realize he’s been gone for some time, but if you know of anything, or anywhere I can go to find something, anything, to help in my research, I’d be in your debt.”
The twinkle in Nanny’s eyes brightened. “Well, now, darlin’ boy, it’s more careful you should be sayin’ those words to the likes of me. We Irish take the grantin’ of favors and the payin’ up o’ debts very seriously, you know.”
Frayne must have recognized the devilish gleam in her gaze. My grandmother was many things, with flirt holding the number one position, harmless imp the second. And as a word of caution—never play poker with her.
His mouth split into a grin rivaling Nanny’s. “I’m sure you’ll be able to come up with the perfect recompense, Mrs. Scallopini. Like the dish, minus the veal.”
Her girlish laughter warmed my heart. “Ach, you’re a darlin’ man, you are. The charm of the devil himself. I don’t know anything specific about any documents or whatnot Robert may have had, but the man was a pack rat, a real hoarder if truth be told. And the messiest human being I’d ever met. Never put anything away once he’d taken it from wherever it was stored. A real chairdrobe and floordrobe, was he.”
“Excuse me, what?” Frayne’s gaze swung from Nanny to me.
Since I have a black belt in Nanny-isms, I translated. “Chairdrobe is what Nanny calls someone who piles their clothes on a chair instead of putting them away in a drawer or hanging them in the closet.”
“Me dear departed granddaughter Eileen was a horrible offender as a teenager,” Nanny said.
“So, going with the description”—Frayne cocked his head at me—“a floordrobe is...”
“Someone who tosses clothes and belongings on the floor in the same fashion.”
Nanny sipped her tea. “Horrible habits, both. ’Twas the cause of many an argument between us. O’ course, the makin’ up was worth the yelling.”

Honestly, if I’d had Nanny Fee for a grandmother, who knows how differently I would have turned out! Hee Hee.





If you’re intrigued by Fee or Mac and Cathy, Today Tomorrow, Always releases today.




Author Bio/Social Media Links:
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!

Website/Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/