Life is constantly changing. Today things are great, then you get a phone call, and your world is turned upside down. Lately, my life has been a rollercoaster ride and I’m just trying to hang on. I have days when I feel totally overwhelmed and all I want is to hide under the covers. But I get up. I dress. I push through. I know so many of you understand moments like that. Someone once told me that when you’re feeling down, smile. Even if you don’t feel it deep inside. Eventually, your brain catches up and your mood improves, and life seems a tiny bit less daunting. Does that work? I don’t know, but I think we all have ways of dealing with stress or grief. If a latte makes your day less crappy, then get the latte. If you feel like binge-watching your favorite Netflix series because it takes your mind off your troubles, then put on the cozy sweats and grab the popcorn. The bottom line is this: life is too short to deny yourself a little innocent pleasure.

This is part of the plot of my latest story. Alice Layne discovers her beloved grandmother has been murdered. As if that’s not awful enough, the killer sets his sight on her. Her entire world is turned upside down and she finds herself delving into her grandmother’s past to get to the truth. Not a fun task. After all, no one wants to dig up their loved one’s dirty little secrets, right?

Writing this book has brought out so many emotions in me. Alice is strong and determined but dodging a knife-wielding maniac is a new kind of terrifying. It has made me think of my own grandmother. I lost her when I was young, but I still remember how awesome she was. How special she made me feel. I remember chowing down on her delicious homemade chicken and dumplings while she taught me how to play pyramid solitaire. Now that I’m a grandmother, I work very hard on building those kinds of sweet memories with my adorable grandson.

More about My Pretty Butterfly: Dangerous Entanglements Collection—Releasing December 6^th! Authors in this collection include Nicole Morgan, Krista Ames, Amber Daulton, Karen Cino, Stacy-Deanne, and Amy Stephens

A helpful stranger or a deadly trap?

When Alice Layne doesn’t receive her daily phone call from her grandmother, she knows something is off. Finding her murdered on the kitchen floor, a butcher knife sticking out of her back, is horrifying enough. The note promising to do the same to her if she doesn’t give the psychopath a mysterious necklace is the icing on the cake. Before she can even get a chance to call the police Christian Jackson, her grandmother’s mysterious next-door neighbor swoops in and offers to help. Alice is tempted to rely on the big, brooding man, but is Christian a white knight or the sinister puppet master pulling the strings?

Christian learned early in life never to trust anyone. Love is for fools. That mantra has kept him alive. Until Maude Layne came into his world. She’d taken one look at his dirty, starving, ten-year-old self and given him a job at her corner grocery store. He’d known kindness and respect for the first time in his life.  And now he’s making it his mission to avenge her death. He hadn’t counted on the beautiful Alice showing up and putting herself square in the crosshairs of the murderer. Ensuring her safety might just prove to be the easy part. Keeping his hands off her? Now that’s damned challenging.

Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Entanglements-Romantic-Suspense-Collection-ebook/dp/B0B51Z2YF1/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dangerous-entanglements-nicole-morgan/1141779550
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dangerous-entanglements
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dangerous-entanglements/id6443158419

About the Author

Bestselling author Anne Rainey, “wastes no time getting right to the erotic heart” (Publishers Weekly). She is published by Kensington and Entangled Publishing. Her books have won numerous awards and have been translated into Italian and German. In addition, Anne has dipped her toes into self-publishing with her exciting paranormal series: The Zenarians. Anne is from the Midwest and has had a variety of odd careers, including sales associate, nail technician, chiropractic assistant, and restaurant hostess. Her love of books has opened her up to a thrilling career as a romance author. Her stories are filled with passion, love, and the sometimes-exasperating bonds of family.

Find Anne:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annerainey
Rainey’s Readers Private Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/785284435328066/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annerainey49/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annerainey15
Website: https://www.annerainey.com/

UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
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UPDATE: The winner is…Charlene Lowe!
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Hey, word-puzzle enthusiasts, are you ready for another word search?

This week’s theme is favorite romance subgenres. I think I’ve written something in every subgenre listed here, except sports. I love to read in every one of them though. And no, I don’t have everything listed. I can see a glaring omission—science fiction (one of my favorites to write!). But I did have to keep it to ten answers, so…

Solve the puzzle then tell me your favorite subgenres for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

When I worked in the corporate world, I underwent all kinds of efficiency training. To-Do lists are supposed to be small, with the most important things at the top to tackle first. However, life doesn’t work that way.

Some things have to happen first before you can get to the highest priority things. Plus, once you finish something that requires a brain cell, you need something that requires less of the gray matter to follow in order to rest your feeble aging brain, right?

I’ve already failed to follow the order of my list that I made last night. I started at #1 because as soon as I’m up, I make kids’ lunches so that they can get out the door to school. But #2 felt like too much exercise before my first two cups of coffee, and I didn’t yet know what I was going to blog about, and #4 requires too many clicks, so I skipped to #5. Now that I finished #5, I’m trying to get back to the “proper” order of my list, and I’m doing good with this blog, right? That list was top of my mind, so I’m typing word-vomit while I’m sort of complaining about the fact my list is too long and I want to blame that piece of paper, but it’s all my own dang fault for committing to too many things this week… And on, and on.

And now, I’m ready to turn the list over on my desktop and just do wtf I want to do. What’s the worst that can happen besides two clients having heart attacks because their edits are due and me missing a book deadline? I’m turning it over….slowly…I haven’t yet laid it down…

Fuck. On to #4.

UPDATE: The winner is…flchen1!
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Yes, it’s a thing! (I’m always saying that when I find these weird holidays! 🙂 ) It is indeed International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

So, naturally, I’m running a contest. To enter, all you have to do is give me a sentence of “pirate talk” and you’ll be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Have fun!

And if you feel like really getting into the piratey mood, I have a book (of course, I have a book!)…

Check it out here!

Psst! Be sure to check out yesterday’s post!
There are 8 open contests listed there that you can still enter to win!

I’m trying to keep focused on my work schedule, but it’s really hard!

I am participating in the Arkadelphia Festival of the Arts this coming Friday and Saturday! I’m super excited even though temperatures are expected to soar to 90 degrees!!! I’ll be in a tent, so in the shade, and I’ll have a cooler of water handy, but still…

If anyone happens to be in the area, be sure to stop in and say hi!

In the meantime, my lovely dd is helping me get ready. She’s been framing paintings and packing tubs with artwork. I’d be lost without her because she’s so dang organized.

I’m still finishing up some pieces for sale. Easy, fast-drying things, like this ceramic tile I used alcohol ink to paint. I have half a dozen tiles I can whip up pretty quickly and seal before the weekend.

My daughter started packaging some painted earrings I already had and decided I didn’t have enough of them. So, today, I’m painting some whimsical things like these pumpkin earrings. She’s finishing them for me (attaching O-rings and earring wires and packaging them) so all I have to do is paint. I’ll do some floral ones and abstract ones, seal them and be done!

I’ll be writing and editing all week and painting in my spare time. So, up to my eyeballs. As usual. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! ~DD

UPDATE: The winner is…Carol LaGatta!
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For a chance to win your choice of download from among my backlist of books, solve the puzzle then share whether you have a hobby you pick up when the weather cools. Or perhaps, you have one you want to start this fall/winter…?  Have fun!

Open Contests

1. Favorite Kisses Word Search! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Gabbi Grey: Why I Chose a Polarizing Subject for my Story (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle Contest! (Plus Open Contests!) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book!
4. Diana Cosby: Who Knew Birds Had Expressions – Mad Birds! (Contest) — This one ends the 18th! Win a SIGNED BOOK!
5. Story Cubes — Tell me a story (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Desiree Holt: What’s App? (Contest) — Win a code to get a FREE book!
7. Cameron Allie: The Siren and the Water Witch is here! (Contest–2 Winners!) — Win a FREE book!