Weekend plans, anyone?

Warm, clear days and crisp, clear nights and mornings can only mean one thing: fall is coming to Ohio! Personally, I love fall. I love the changing leaves, the changing farm market produce, making applesauce, the festivals, and decorating with gourds, Indian corn and leaves. Fortunate for me, Tim enjoys fall as much as I do, so we spend a good deal of our weekends running around from one farm market or festival to the next. Tomorrow we have plans to go to an antique show/flea market - it will involve walking hundreds of miles. Not really, but it will feel like it by the time we fall into the car to drive home. We're not looking for anything in particular. Tim likes to tell the girls when we leave on an antique outing "We're going to see if we can find some more shit for you to auction off when we die." Funny guy.






Fall also brings our county fair to life. It starts tomorrow, and while I don't go every year, it's fun to occasionally indulge in a little fair food and check out the various exhibits. My favorite has always been the Arts & Crafts building, where you'll find various flowers, produce, home canned goods (so beautiful!), baked goodies, quilts, clothing and photographs. It's fun to compare the blue ribbon winners to those less fortunate, and throw out our .02 as to who was more deserving, or maybe thinking out loud that "we" could have done better. The fair also means almost a week of harness racing, prequel to The Little Brown Jug races on Thursday. "The Jug" draws competitors and spectators from all around the world and is a very big deal in the horse racing community. Around these parts, Thursday of fair week is known as "Jug Day" and city schools and many/most businesses close for the day. We live directly behind the fairgrounds, meaning we hear all of the sounds, the star spangled banner at noon everyday, the announcer, the starting horn and cheering fans. Of course, we also hear the whoosh of the throw-up rides (as my friend April appropriately used to call them when our kids were young - the name stuck), and the screams of the riders. We're also close enough to smell the various edibles on sticks deep frying in oil, to hear the horses and various livestock being led to race or show, and the thundering engines of the buses during the school bus races, the demolition derby, or the massive tractors in the tractor pulling contest. Those monsters are so loud that our windows occasionally rattle. Earplugs, anyone? One thing I don't relish about fair week is that the fly and yellow jacket populations increase dramatically in our neighborhood.
Given how important harness racing is to our community, the city high school mascot is a "Pacer" and we have an All Horse Parade the week before the fair starts. The pic below is from last Sunday's parade, and the riderless horse was in memory of a 22 year old local soldier who was killed in Iraq on September 8th. I went to school with his mother and the tragedy of her loss hit me when his funeral procession went through town yesterday and hundreds lined the streets holding flags. News helicopters buzzing overhead, sniffling onlookers and the hum of the dozens of police cars and motorcycles in the motorcade were the only sounds to be heard. I hope you'll all keep this young man's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Another pic from the horse parade below. There are (I believe) over 300 horses in this parade. The only exception to the rule of being "all horse" are the marching bands. I've always been terribly intimidated by horses and still find their power a little frightening, but I love, love, love those little miniature horses and these big black Percherons - from a distance. I realized that the majority of the photos I took were of those two groups of horses!

I hope you all have a great weekend and that you're able to get out and enjoy the impending fall. Please tell us about the fun things you do to celebrate fall.
I'll be posting a review and giveaway in the next few days - a clue for you: HelenKay Dimon!!
Laurie

BLOODY AWFUL by Georgia Evans

For Georgia Evans, aka Rosemary Laurey, the sweet taste of success continues with her Brytewood series. Georgia/Rosemary is multi-talented: wife, mother, grandmother, seamstress, storyteller, and she's an absolute pleasure to visit with. Her telling of the night she met her husband is truly priceless, the stuff of romance novels. I love hearing it! The reviews for the Brytewood series have been upbeat and positive and Rosemary was even recently mentioned on the Huffington Post, so exciting!

Noteworthy from Georgia's Brytewood site:
Georgia Evans is the pseudonym I use for my Fantasy books. I'm better known as Rosemary Laurey.
The Brytewood books are a different venture from my Paranormal Romance and this series is very special to me as I grew up in the Mole Valley - the setting for my imaginary village - and some of my earliest childhood memories are of seeing the damage wrought on the area by the Blitz, and listening to stories from my mother, grandmother, aunts and older cousins on how they coped with rationing, bombs, the blackout and shortages of all sorts.
These books are a testament to the hundreds of thousands of women who struggled, did without, and made do under dire conditions and survived the war and to those who didn't.

Want to learn more about the "Bloody" series? Go here for videos, excerpts and ordering info.

A brief review from me:
1940 England isn't want it appears to be. Yes, war is raging all around, but chances are the locals might be more fearful of their fellow residents if they knew the truth about them. Nurse Gloria Prewitt is a werefox, clever and savvy; she changes at every full moon. Toss in a witch, some pixies and a weredragon, and you've got a unique cast of characters in BLOODY AWFUL by Georgia Evans. Gloria has fallen quite hard for Andrew Barron, secret munition plant supervisor, and while she is fully competent and willing to do battle with the vampires who've invaded Brytewood, her biggest fear is Andrew's reaction should he learn her secret.
This was my first Georgia Evans book, but it certainly won't be my last. She's been blessed with a creative flair that few possess. Ms. Evans writes with a rhythm that smoothly takes readers through the story while giving a bit of a history lesson, to boot. I highly recommend BLOODY AWFUL and hope you'll be tempted to check out the entire "Bloody" series.

Thank you, Rosemary, for allowing me to review this fun book for you! Readers, please do yourself a favor and visit Brytewood it's cast of characters. I've distributed Brytewood bookmarks to several area bookstores, but held onto ten to offer up to readers here, so let me know if you're interested in one (first come, first served). Don't post your mailing info here though, please send me an email at ljodamron@gmail.com and I'll pop one in the mail to you.

Laurie

Kay Stockham's SIMON SAYS MOMMY - there's a giveaway!

Kay Stockham has a new book out and it's available now - SIMON SAYS MOMMY. Typical of Kay, this book is sweetly romantic, a poignant story about a couple who desperately need each other, but have many obstacles in their way. Kay was kind enough to request that I review this book on behalf of Romance Junkies for her and needless to say I was excited to have the opportunity!
Kay's website blurb:
Talk about being in over your head!
Dr. Ethan Tulane is juggling more than even his type A personality can handle. Between his new job as chief of surgery and learning to be a dad to Simon, his adopted son, Ethan is desperate. Enter Megan Rose, the temporary nanny. Simon bonds instantly with her, which makes Ethan heave a sigh of relief—even as he notices she’s very good-looking.
It’s not long before they’re exploring those sparks between them. Megan might be the one woman he could have forever with. Too bad there’s something she’s not sharing—something that could send her to the door before he can talk commitment. Ethan can’t let that happen, so it’s time for the big guns—letting Simon persuade her!

My (4 blue ribbon) Romance Junkies review:
In SIMON SAYS MOMMY, Kay Stockham tells the story of a beautiful young woman with a flawed past and a successful surgeon who’s questioning his future. Together they might just find the secrets of true love and the promise of happiness.

Megan Rose has repeatedly found herself the target of the most brutal of life’s hard knocks. Having suffered at the hands of an abusive husband, struggled her way through a bitter divorce, and finding herself extremely ill and living in her car, Megan makes her way to her sister’s home. She’s hopeful that Jenn will set aside their past differences and let her stay long enough to regain her strength and attempt to mend their damaged relationship. When Jenn wants no part of Megan and refuses to let her stay, Jenn’s brother in law, Ethan Tulane, takes Megan home with him and his recently adopted son, Simon. Megan never dreamed she would find herself being cared for by the incredibly handsome surgeon, or in turn, caring for his young son.
Ethan Tulane’s sole purpose in life seemed to be attaining the position of Chief of Surgery. When he was passed over for the position, he went to Niger with Doctors Without Borders where he fell in love with a young orphaned boy and decided to adopt him. After Ethan returns home and is named interim Chief of Surgery, he quickly finds himself in over his head. Taking pity on the very ill Megan, Ethan takes her home and doctors her back to good health. When she’s back on her feet, he offers her the position as live-in caregiver for Simon. Being fond of Simon, and thinking that staying on with Ethan will keep her in close proximity to her sister, enabling her to work on renewing their sisterly bond, she accepts his offer. The last thing Ethan or Megan expects is the attraction between them that quickly becomes heated, or the way Simon instantly connects with Megan.
Kay Stockham has once again given readers a beautiful love story. Megan and Ethan aren’t your typical romance characters. Megan has the baggage of a difficult childhood, an abusive marriage and a strained relationship with her sister. Ethan is without a doubt one of the good guys, but his need for total organization and perfection has put almost every aspect of his life on a collision course. Seeming the most unlikely pair, Megan and Ethan couldn’t be more perfect for each other. SIMON SAYS MOMMY comes with my very highest recommendation.

I'm going to give away my autographed copy of SIMON SAYS MOMMY. You'll have to do a little work for it (very little) - simply visit Kay's website and tell me a couple of things that you like about it. Don't forget to visit her blog while you're there, it's always great fun and she gives away some yummy prizes! I'll draw the winning name on Friday the 18th, so be sure to leave a comment by then. Most importantly, I don't attempt to track down giveaway winners, so be sure to check back to see if your name was drawn!
For all of you who aren't able to get out to your favorite bookseller to get a copy, here's a link to Amazon so you can order a copy to be delivered directly to your door!
Thanks to Kay for asking me to review this one, and thanks to all of you for checking it out!
Laurie

A NEW WINNER

Ok, I never heard from Maureen, so I've drawn another name. The new winner is Sheena. I hope I'll hear from Sheena over the next few days but if not, I'll be drawing yet another name. I'm going to give Sheena until Tuesday.

I hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend! We've been doing a lot of running around today, antique/flea market and a couple of farm markets. I think I'm going to bake some zucchini bread before the day's done.

Laurie

Living in the kitchen?

It seems like I've spent much of this summer in my favorite place in the house - the kitchen! Since my last post about canning, I've done more canning, peach preserves, four berry jam and picked corn. Now I've never eaten pickled corn but Tim claims to like it, so I tried it. Evidently it needs to sit for a while to "work" - I have no idea how long, so I guess I'll have to be checking on that. Anyone have any thoughts on that? I'm hoping to can some tomatoes for Kelsey. She's the only one at our house that really eats tomatoes and I thought this way she could keep a couple of pint jars in her dorm room and have them when she wants. Lindsay is interested in making some salsa too, so we'll see if we can make that happen too. I love seeing canned goods on the counter - they look so pretty.


Speaking of pretty, take a look at Lindsay's birthday dessert. I've never tried cherry crisp before, although it was so incredibly simple that I shouldn't admit that. It turned out great and she said she now has a new favorite dessert. It disappeared pretty quickly - the difficulty I had was in believing that she's 24! Where did the time go?


I'll be making some zucchini bread, hopefully today. It seems like I've been making zucchini bread of some sort and/or banana bread all summer. It's easy to grab for breakfast or for a quick snack and packs nicely to take to work. I used to spread cream cheese between two pieces and put in Kelsey's lunch when she was tired of the usual sandwiches.
Have a great weekend, everyone! I hope you're all off work on Monday!
Laurie

ONE GOOD MAN, the latest from Alison Kent - I have two copies for giveaway!

Seeing how I'm home alone this evening, I had to draw my own winners. The winner of the autographed copy of ONE GOOD MAN is Maureen! The non-autographed winner is Laurie! Congrats, ladies! I know you've both been winners here before but I didn't keep your addresses - please email me with your mailing info at ljodamron@gmail.com by Thursday. Thanks to all who left comments - I loved hearing your Alison faves!
I hope everyone has a terrific week!


I don't have to tell those of you who are frequent visitors how much I adore Alison Kent. I like to think that I'm her biggest fan, but realize that saying so might have the rest of you who also love her sticking your tongues out or making nasty hand gestures at me! I was thrilled to get a copy of Alison's latest release, ONE GOOD MAN, and am excited that she included an autographed copy for giveaway here! I'm going to give away a copy too (no, it won't be autographed), so everyone has two chances to win.
Here's a little chatter about ONE GOOD MAN, starting with the blurb:
Ten years ago Jamie Danby was the only survivor of a senseless killing spree. Because the killer was never found, Jamie has lived her life in hiding, waiting for the worst. Now she's in danger again and she's not sure she can handle it. Until one sexy, rugged, gorgeous man strides into her life, determined to protect her at any cost!
Kell Harding is a Texas Ranger—and how! They don't make 'em tougher. Jamie soon finds out that they don't make 'em hotter either!
But Kell plans only to keep Jamie safe—not keep her forever. As soon as his assignment is done, so is he.
At least, that's what he thinks….

Did you guys see the ABC news feature on recession reading? It was an interesting look at the increased sales of romance despite the economic decline - proof that literary escape is good for the soul, right? Anyway, part of that report includes the photo shoot for ONE GOOD MAN - how cool is that? Go here to take a look at it.
Want even more? Alison has a great excerpt on her site - check it out here

My review:
Jamie Danby has spent the past ten years looking over her shoulder. As the sole survivor of an attack that left five of her co-workers dead and their attacker never caught, she has much to fear. The the case is brought to light again and Texas Ranger Kellen Harding steps up the investigation, Jamie reluctantly agrees to undergo forensic hypnosis in a hopeful search for missing clues about the attack.
When the killer reappears and Jamie's life is once again in danger, she realizes that she has a formidable source of protection on her side this time in Kell. While they both understood the risks involved, neither of them were expecting to fall so quickly, or so hard, for each other. Kell is determined to simply walk away once the case has been put to rest, but that's no easy task when Jamie's holding on to his heart.
Does anyone remember a long, long time ago, when "filmed in living color" was how many television shows were announced? Shall I age myself even more by announcing that I was 14 before we had color television at home? My kids can't believe that. I digress, sorry. Alison writes in a sort of living color - she doesn't simply tell you a story, it's as if you open the book and she takes your hand, encouraging you to step into the story. Every sound, smell, texture, and emotion become almost tangible. Jamie's fear is real enough at times that you can feel it in your gut, and Kell's determination is realized with an almost spine-tingling desperation.
I highly recommend ONE GOOD MAN and hope that you'll all be encouraged to check it out!

Here's a link to Amazon - they are shipping ONE GOOD MAN now and you might find it on the shelves of your favorite bookseller - if not now, then very soon.


Up next for Alison is WITH EXTREME PLEASURE, releasing around Thanksgiving. This features Kingdom Trahan who was introduced in NO LIMITS - he's a uniquely interesting character from the bayou and I have a feeling his story will be sultry and steamy; maybe even a little dirty. King is a strong character in NO LIMITS with an easy, laid back style, and I can't wait to see what Alison has in store for him! WITH EXTREME PLEASURE IS available for pre-order at Amazon for just $10.29.

ONLY SOMETHING THIS DANGEROUS…
After three weeks in Manhattan, Kingdom Trahan is ready to get back to bayous, crawfish boils, and afternoons fishing on the Gulf. But before he can pull out of the parking garage, he meets a curvy detour. King noticed Cady Kowalski on the photo shoot he just endured—sexy and confident, with a waifish look that belies the way she corralled him into submission using only a can of hairspray. Yet Cady isn’t confident now. She’s bruised, edgy, and desperate to get out of town…
COULD FEEL THIS GOOD…
For years, Cady has been looking over her shoulder, wondering when the gang of drug-running criminals who killed her brother would make their move on her. She’s grown used to having no one to turn to, no one to trust. But King isn’t walking away—not even when their lives are threatened, again and again. Drawing Cady’s pursuers out of hiding is the only way to end this, and it’s also the most reckless thing they can do…short of diving into a red-hot affair from which there’s no turning back…
For a bigger nibble, there's a great excerpt here.

Now for the giveaway. I'll draw two names on Monday, 8/31 (Happy Birthday, Alison!) Interested? Leave a comment and you'll be entered. I always love to hear what other readers' favorite "Alison" book is, favorite series, favorite character, etc. My favorite remains The Beach Alibi with Kelly John and Emma - sigh - if only it could have been longer! But there's Leo and Macy to consider too, and oh, who could possibly forget Sebastian and Erin? Maybe you'd rather tell us what you've recently read, what you're reading now, or what book(s) you're looking forward to - and that's good!
Thanks everyone for stopping by and special thanks to you, Alison, for allowing me to review this one for you - and for the extra copy for giveaway!

Laurie

WE BE CANNING!

Any canners out there? I've wanted to try to can for the past two summers but found myself ridiculously intimidated by the entire process. I excitedly bought the canner and all of the accompanying equipment last spring and Tim gave me two beautiful books on canning for my birthday last summer. I poured over the books, reading the hows, whats, and the do nots but couldn't gather the courage to actually do it. There's a woman with a stand at our local farm market who always had the best zucchini relish in the world, but she stopped selling it last year. She was kind enough to give me her recipe, but there was still a big case of nerves in my way. I finally pushed them aside and made a batch of relish this past Saturday. It turned out beautifully! And now I'm hooked!

I'm officially a canner! Kelsey had all four impacted wisdom teeth out on Monday and I stayed home with her for the day. Spent the afternoon making strawberry/rhubarb jam while she dozed under Vicodin's lazy, hazy spell. Again, success!

Now I'm digging through my canning books like a mad woman, looking for recipes that my family will enjoy and that, just as importantly (to me), will look gorgeous in the jars when finished! I've decided that my next venture will be a three berry jam with strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, all picked by our own hands earlier this summer and frozen. After that, some pickled corn for Tim. I've never tried it but he claims to like it so I'll give it a shot. Did I mention that the zucchini and green peppers for the relish and the rhubarb for the jam were from our very own garden? What a wonderful sense of accomplishment! Sorry to ramble, but I get almost giddy just thinking about it!

Until my next batch of jam this weekend, I'll be baking more plain zucchini bread, blueberry zucchini bread and pineapple zucchini bread. I'm feeling very much the domestic goddess right now. Do you like to bake? Cook? Can? Did you grow up in a "canning" home? I remember my mother canning green beans and tomato juice every summer. We didn't have air conditioning and she would get up in the middle of the night so the house would be a little cooler. One Christmas after I was married, my mother gave me a case of green beans that she had canned as my gift from her - I enjoyed the heck out of every single quart! Are you as impressed as I am by the gorgeous ribbon-winning canned goods at your county fair?

Do any of you garden? We put out a few things this year - lettuce, peppers (green, purple and hot), carrots, onions, tomatoes (red, pink and "Tommy Toes"), and zucchini. The rhubarb has been growing in the front flower bed for a few years now. I have to be honest though and admit that I'm not such a good gardener. Tim gets the dirt ready and I plant the seeds and the seedlings, but once there's above-ground vegetation, there's also spiders, bugs, slugs, and other assorted critters for whom those stalks and leaves are the 'hood - I refuse to stick my hands in amongst them!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Laurie

JILL'S WINNER ANNOUNCED

Hey guys, I'm so sorry to be late with the winner. We seemed to do nothing but run all weekend and I totally forgot. The winner of DOUBLE PLAY is Cherie J. - congratulations! Please contact me with your mailing info at ljodamron@gmail.com by Friday.
Thanks, everyone, for your comments - stay tuned for another contest in a week or so. Hint: Who loves Alison Kent?
Have a great week!
Laurie

Check out ROMANCING THE BLOG today!!

I'm today's columnist at Romancing the Blog! I hope you'll stop by - let me know what you think!
Laurie

Celebrating Jill Shalvis with a giveaway!

Jill Shalvis readers should be pretty darned happy right now - two recent releases to entertain you!
The first, available now, is DOUBLE PLAY and is it ever delish!
Back cover blurb:
Pace Martin is the ace pitcher for the Pacific Heat. He's got the arm, the experience, and the wins. He's also got the pain, the pressure, and the possible end of his career looming over him. The last thing he needs now is a distraction, even if it comes in the form of a tough, beautiful, tell-it-like-it-is writer who sees past his defenses.
Holly Hutchins knows a good story when she sees one, and the tall, dark and slightly attitude-challenged Pace Martin fits the bill. But when she realizes there's more at stake than just a win, she starts to see the handsome, broad-shouldered jock in a different light.
Pace and Holly begin a seductive game, but in the face of unexpected betrayal and challenges, they'll have to find the courage to swing for the fences.
Want an excerpt? Go here - and then you can pop over to Amazon to order a copy!


Next up is an August Blaze, STORM WATCH. Readers are going to enjoy this one - I like the clinch-free cover! I haven't subscribed to the Blaze series for several years now, but still pick them up on occasion, especially if I'm familiar with and enjoy the author, like Jill! They're typically quick reads; heavy on the romance.

Subject: Jason Mauer, National Guard.
Current status: Homeward bound.
Mission: Getting some R & R!
Obstacle: Lizzy Mann.
Sexy blast from the past.

Blurb:
After Hurricane Katrina, Jason needs some downtime—badly! But there’s no rest for the heroic. During another deluge, Jason’s savior skills are
suddenly in demand…by his hot friend Lizzy.
She’s fiercely independent. But that doesn’t keep them from having incredible sex as they, ah, ride out the storm!
Jason knows relationships and duty don’t mix. Still, he feels as if he’s being swept away by a flash flood of desire for Lizzy.
The permanent kind…

Uniformly Hot!
The Few. The Proud. The Sexy as Hell.

Go here for a great excerpt! And here's a link to Amazon so you can snag your own copy!

First off, I have to apologize to Jill for not doing reviews for these two. I have read them both and give them each two thumbs up! If I had more thumbs, I'd give more than two! I'm behind on several Romance Junkies reviews right now and need to get caught up. I am doing a giveaway though! I have a copy of DOUBLE PLAY for giveaway. You know how it works, leave a comment if you're interested, and you'll be entered. A little chatter about Jill, her work, her blog, etc. is always nice, or tell us about any current/recent reads that knocked your socks off! Because I have something going on every night this week, I'm going to draw a name on Sunday, August 9.
Thanks for checking these out!
Laurie