June 6. Do you know what’s special about this day in history?

It’s the anniversary of D-Day: June 6, 1944.

During the night, paratroopers had already dropped behind German lines to secure roads and bridges. Early that morning, a coordinated amphibious assault that would ultimately bring the end of World War II in Europe began. Have you watched the actual footage from that day? Seen the bodies on the beaches? The stalwart, and surely frightened, men traveling in their amphibious vehicles when the doors were lowered, and they ran out to try to make it across that expanse of exposed sand?

It’s gripping. Heroic. Suicidal.

That kind of courage was what it took to rid Europe of Hitler.

Wars to end all wars… What a myth. What a hope. Anyone who is sane knows the costs of this kind of war are too high.

We’re seeing that kind of courage, in real time, in Ukraine today. They surprised all of us. Really, they shame us into action and support. And yes, the cost of that support is high, but they are fighting for all of Europe, and by extension, the world, and in the bigger picture, they are showing us that this kind of war has no true winners. We can hope China takes note. There can be no concessions, and we must show our willingness to sacrifice, even if the sacrifice is only money.

Policies of appeasement and negotiation failed when attempted with Hitler. They will fail with Putin.

I wish I had something fun and uplifting for you today, but the calendar highlighted “D-Day” and I don’t think we should forget. Our freedom isn’t guaranteed. And it comes with costs. The fields and fields of white crosses expose that truth.

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
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©Diana Cosby 2022

As I walk through the woods, around the pond, or at the marsh, I enjoy the beauty of nature around me.  The neat thing is that I never know what bird or animal I’ll see.

I’m continually amazed at what I learn about birds.  For example, Blue Jays can mimic a hawk’s screech.

At the marsh, baby Terrapin Turtles are out and making their way to the ocean.  Turtle crossing signs are posted along some of the local marsh bordering roads.

Laughing Gulls have returned, which to me is a sign that summer is close.  If you’ve heard their cries, you understand why they’re called ‘Laughing Gulls.’

Cormorants are migrating north, with some remaining locally through the fall.  They’re quite a large bird and interesting to watch.

The kits are so cute and are growing fast.   I’ll miss watching their playful antics once they leave their den and begin life on their own.

Take care, and wishing you a wonderful summer!

Contest

***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, ‘For The Love of Nature!’ on Delilah’s blog between 5 June 2022 – 12 June 2022, and will win a signed copy of His Conquest.”

About Diana Cosby

A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series have been translated into five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.

After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. After the release of the bestselling MacGruder Brothers series and The Oath Trilogy, she released the bestselling The Forbidden Series.

Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.

God bless,

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
www.dianacosby.com
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
The Forbidden Series

Social Media
Website:  https://www.dianacosby.com/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/978803.Diana_Cosby
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Diana-Cosby/e/B003YJ1MR4/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1417447922&sr=8-1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author-150109024636/?ref=ts

UPDATE: The winner is…flchen1!
*~*~*

I missed posting at the end of the month because 1) I forgot, and 2) I had guests! It’s still the first week of the month, so here goes…

May

May was challenging for soooooo many reasons. There was all the prep and pageantry related to the 18-year-old’s graduation, and the entire family contracted COVID—something we evaded for over two years! Folks, get your shots and boosters! We’re all recovering, although some slower than others!

Here’s what I managed to accomplish…

Work-related:

1. I completed only 2 editing projects for other authors in May!
2. I wrote eight chapters of my next book! I had hoped to finish the thing, but considering the alternative… 🙂

Health-related:

1. I fell off the Weight Watchers wagon. However, I am maintaining 25-27 pounds of my loss! I’ve been doing this since January, and am committed to going slow, so I do not view this as a failure!
2. As to physical activity, the pool finally got warm enough toward the end of the month, but COVID kept me from doing much swimming and impacted my steps.

Happiness-related: 

1. I finished the #100DayProject art challenge! I didn’t hit 100 pieces completed, but I did get to 83! Here are the last two pieces I finished…

June

Here’s me putting this out in the world…

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete and publish Victoria’s Six on June 21st! And this one, I can guarantee will happen!
2. To complete and publish Wild Thing in June—something that’s very questionable at the moment!
3. To begin work on my next Montana Bounty Hunter story!
4. To complete 4 editing projects in June!

For health-related, I plan:

1. To get back on the Weight Watchers wagon and hope to lose at least 5 pounds, remembering: Slow is good!
2. To swim at least five days out of the week!
3. To begin some low-impact aerobics, which will include a video workout, plus, add some outdoor activities, like pool maintenance and blowing the patio. Maybe I’ll do more housework, too. (This is an old goal, but I’ll repeat it. Maybe I’ll actually do it!)

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To continue working on getting my art room better organized.
2. To produce something art-related at least once a week! More than that would be hard due to my work schedule!

Contest

Solve the puzzle then comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me about any special summer plans or tell me what you plan to read…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Open Contests

1. Anna M. Taylor: M is For the Million Things She Gave Me (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Saturday Puzzle-Contest, Plus More Open Contests! — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Breathing Fire! (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
4. Finding the Fun, Country-style! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
5. Gabbi Grey: Ace’s Place and Marcus’s Cadence (Contest & FREE Reads!) — Win an audiobook!
6. Lynda Rees: Heart of the Matter (FREE Read!) — Get a FREE story!

Due to fan requests for FBI Agent Reggie Casse to have her own series and find a love interest, the Reggie Chronicles were born last year with Hart’s Girls, Reggie Chronicle 1. Reggie’s struggles and successes in life continue with the launch of Heart of the Matter, Reggie Chronicle 2, launching 6/1/22. It will be followed by Magnolia Blossoms, Reggie Chronicle 3, launching 7/1/22. eBooks and Print are available. They will launch in audiobook format near the end of this year, so stay tuned.

You can get Leah’s Story, the preamble to The Bloodline Series, FREE by becoming a VIP at:
https://preview.mailerlite.com/t1a6j6

Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to leave a review. You are so dear to me and greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy my books, and we become great friends. Stay in touch.

Heart of the Matter, Reggie Chronicle 2 

By Multi-Award-Winning Author, Lynda Rees, The Murder Guru

FBI Agent Reggie Casse and fiancé, U. S. Marshal Shea Montgomery, want a quiet but memorable wedding. Shea’s WITSEC witness, a corpse with a unique tattoo, a missing baby, and a kidnapping at their reception lead to an international ring selling items money shouldn’t be able to buy and a wedding no one can forget. Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum meets James Patterson’s Alex Cross in rural Kentucky racehorse country.

Get your copy now!
AMZ: https://amzn.to/3a5v13t
B&N: https://bit.ly/3t31cXP
KOBO-RAK: https://bit.ly/3PR4O9d
APPLE: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1624153157

Special Sale: To celebrate the launch of Heart of the Matter, Reggie Chronicles, there’s a limited-time sale on Hart’s Girls, Reggie Chronicle 1. Get the link: Hart’s Girls eBook by Lynda Rees – 1230004964384 | Rakuten Kobo United States

Lynda Rees
WEBSITE:  Books – Lynda Rees, Author (lyndareesauthor.com)
BOOKBUB:  Heart of the Matter (Reggie Chronicles Book 2) by Lynda Rees – BookBub
GOODREADS:  Author Dashboard | Goodreads
YOUTUBE:   https://youtu.be/_y0bNTYSfxs

I want to talk about the preconceived notions people have about Christian, Inspirational or Faith-based books.  When someone hears a story has one of the three aforementioned tones, they immediately shut down, thinking the story is going to be sweeter than cotton candy dipped in chocolate and covered with gum drops.

There’s CIF [Christian, Inspirational, Faith] fiction that falls into that description, and there’s nothing wrong with it.  It’s written extremely well and packs a message for the reader.  However, it’s the misconception that all CIF books are like that which prevents a closed mind from experiencing some really great stories.  [I swear I’m not preaching.]

When I decided to start writing, I’d dabbled a little in high school and college.  Even so far as to write a couple of plays.  I found them later and felt they’d be a good base for a barbecue fire.  When I read them again, I realized, that although they were poorly written, they had a few things in common.  The characters were all Christians in real-life situations.  Let me explain.  In a lot of CIF books, the story centers around the church with the conflict between the pastor, the board, the choir director, the pastor’s family, and some evil person not affiliated with the church.  There’s nothing wrong with those books.  I’ve read a few and like them, however, they weren’t the kinds of stories I wanted to tell.

I have always loved God, fashion, and cute guys.  I liked The Devil Wears Prada, Bergdorf Blondes, Elements of Style, and The Debutante Divorcee.  These were characters I could relate to.   The books are filled with the most incredible fashion and very handsome men.   The only thing they didn’t have was a faith theme.  It was reading these books that it occurred to me, why not write a book with similar content, but add a little CIF to it.

My first attempt at writing a book sounded very much like ChickLit.  I was fine with it until my beta readers ripped it to shreds.  After a lot of re-writes, I finally had a book I was pleased with. Problem was, it wasn’t considered acceptable.  Every traditional editor I approached had the same response, “Christians don’t act like that, Christians don’t care about designer clothes; Christians are happy being upper middle class at best; Christians don’t get challenged, tempted, have racy dreams or wicked thoughts; and Christians only have sex for procreation and on special occasions.  And there is no way a Christian would get divorced, commit adultery, fornicate, swear, drink wine or dance.”

Needless to say, I was stunned at the comments because I know a lot of Christians that have experienced and or faced a few of those things.   So, I set out to write books for “my people.”

I spoke with an author friend and told her what I had been experiencing with the traditional publishing machine, and she suggested I consider going indie.  I wasn’t too sure the indie world was for me, but it was.  The indie publishing world allows me to tell the stories I want to tell.

It ticks me off when I hear people say no one will read books about Christians [or people of other religious beliefs] in real life situations.  I want to read about “my people” dating, regretting, marrying, divorcing, falling in love, wearing designer clothes, traveling and being pursued by wealthy men.  I don’t want my heroine to be naive and deceived by an evil protagonist whose only objective is to steal her virginity or corrupt her.  What about the sexy, fun Christian girl, who works hard and falls for her boss, or divorces her cheating husband, or  who used to be a little slutty and is now in love with God and struggling not to slip back into her old ways.  These are great stories, and if they’re written well, you can take the CIF elements out and they’ll still be great stories.

My next book is part five of an office romance.  The Good Girl series starts out sweet and sassy and escalates to a hot romance.  For those expecting a tame romance, this isn’t it.  As the series moves forward, so does Gabriella and Phillippe’s relationship.  The cover of Part Five reminds me of a scene from the book.  Without giving too much away, I’ll say this, Gabriella and Phillippe get what they want.  The question is, “What do they want?”

Since I began writing, my books have gone from being classed as steamy, Christian fiction to Contemporary Romance with faith and heat.  My books range in heat from sweet to very sensual/steamy.  Personally, I don’t see where they are that hot, but some readers feel otherwise.  Probably because I’m very descriptive and not afraid to leave the door wide open.

Although most of my characters are Christians, I don’t want their passion or desire to be watered down.   Here’s a startling fact, Christians like sex.  I know it’s hard to believe.  Smile.  But it’s the truth and that’s why I have chosen to include open door sex in my books.  Let me clarify, I only include sex scenes when I feel they are relevant to the story.  I also like to share my characters thoughts and reactions to situations.  If either of the protagonist are having a lustful thought or are pissed off, I include it.  These little nuances make my characters appear real and relatable.…just like in traditional romance.

So back to the original question, IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?  Not really, just different levels of intensity.

Learn more about The Good Girl series!

UPDATE: The winner is…bn100!
*~*~*

Hello Delilah!

Thank you so much for letting me visit you so I can share my news with your loyal readers.

Free books!

Pretty cool, eh?

So the deets—I’m launching an indie series in the fall.  I’ve written a bunch of books for the serie,s and it’s time I put them out in the world.  I’ve titled the series Mission City.  Pretty simple, eh? (I’m Canadian…I just had to throw that in.)  Anyway, in writing those books, I developed a number of secondary characters whose stories I couldn’t wait to tell.  Ace’s Place and Marcus’s Cadence are two of them.  Characters from both stories have already appeared in several books published under the pen names Gabbi Grey and Gabbi Black.  Although each story I write is a standalone, I like to interweave characters into the stories.  I think it brings a richness and, to those who read across my genres, an opportunity to see old friends.

Today I’m letting your readers know about the two short stories—available on all platforms for free—and offering a contest. What is your favorite trope?  What type of stories do you return to again and again?  I’m a big fan of second chances.  I’ve written age-gap.  And many of my stories have a touch of angst (although not these two).  Share your thoughts for a chance to win an audiobook of either Ace’s Place or Marcus’s Cadence—coming soon and narrated by the amazing Michael Dean.  If you don’t listen to audiobooks, I’ll be happy to give you any book from my back catalog—Gabbi Grey or Gabbi Black.

Thanks for hosting me, Delilah.  I love sharing my good news with your lovely readers!

Ace’s Place

Derek Murphy has come to the godforsaken small town of Merritt, British Columbia in search of a new beginning. The man is tired, jaded, and resigned to never having sex again. Until Friday night at the local sports bar changes everything.

Harold Graham, hometown boy made good, has lived in Merritt his entire life. When he meets the new guy in town, he’s compelled to reach out the hand of friendship. And maybe more.

But secrets and omissions cloud what could be the beginning of something special. Can they take a chance on being vulnerable enough to fall in love?

Where to get your copy!
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Aces-Place-Gabbi-Grey-ebook/dp/B09ZRTFDKC
B&N – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aces-place-gabbi-grey/1141450146
KOBO – https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/ace-s-place
iBooks – https://books.apple.com/us/book/aces-place/id162313070

Marcus’s Cadence

What happens when your biggest crush turns up on your doorstep after twelve years?

Cadence Crawford has a good thing going. He’s making waves as a realtor in Mission City, British Columbia. Yes, he’s recently suffered a personal loss, but he’s moving on, and his path forward includes selling the only true home he’s ever known.

Marcus Brannigan is doing fine. He has his physiotherapy practice, he watches over his younger twin sisters, and he’s happy. When he unexpectedly runs into Cadence, who is selling the home he’s always coveted, he’s prepared to do some negotiating.

Neither knew they were seriously crushing on each other. Now they’ve admitted the truth, is happily ever after in the cards?

Marcus’s Cadence is a 7k second-chance gay romance, instalove short story with a very happy ending and a malti-poo named Kiki.

Where to get your copy!
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZSXRT4K
B&N – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/marcuss-cadence-gabbi-grey/1141450147
KOBO – https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/marcus-s-cadence
iBooks – https://books.apple.com/us/book/marcuss-cadence/id1623130850

 About the Author

Gabbi lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey
Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Grey/e/B07SJVFX1M
Audible Profile:  https://www.audible.com/author/Gabbi-Grey/B07SJVFX1M
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey

UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
*~*~*

Psst! Just a reminder!
There are four open contests on this blog. Be sure to enter while you still can!

While I was down for the count with COVID, I watched a bunch of movies. Some romcoms, a short British series called Slow Horses (loved it BTW!), and some Hallmark Mysteries. Those Hallmarks have long been my guilty pleasure. I love the Crossword Mysteries and the Aurora Teagarden series, in particular. Not high art, but they aren’t meant to be. Some light sexual tension between the leads, and a mystery to solve. I hate it when I figure it out too quickly!

On Sunday night, with everyone feeling better and a little housebound, we decided to have some fun outside! Nothing too strenuous, because we’re still feeling the effects of the disease.

We set up a projector attached to a laptop and shined the image at the side of a shed in our yard. It was the perfect outside theater! Of course, we scouted the location ahead of time for fire ants! We burned a large citronella candle and lit tiki torches around our perimeter to discourage mosquitoes. We brought out drinks and snacks and laid on blankets with pillows (or they did—I lazed in an Adirondack chair). We tried streaming My Girl, at first, but the buffering got annoying, so we decided to pull out a DVD and ended up watching episodes of Jimmy Neutron! It was so much fun and reminded me of my childhood when my parents would load up the station wagon with all four kids and head to the drive-in theater, sleeping bags laid out for the kids in back, and a pillowcase of popcorn.

Everyone loved it, even the 8-year-old who is scared to death of bugs. We’ll be doing it again this summer.

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, share some fun childhood memory of your family or an idea for some unique activity families can enjoy!