Sometimes a story just comes to you. And you immediately know how it’s going to happen and how it’s going to end.

Well, that didn’t happen with this one.

Flashback to 2015 when I began to steadily publish books — I was writing nonstop, and the ideas seemed to be constantly flowing. I had this sudden inspiration for a story. The ever-sacred love triangle. At the time I’d never really touched the subject, but I had an idea that came to me during a college class and I immediately began jotting down every detail I could think of. Cute Florida boy? Check. Shy and sweet girl visiting a friend from out of town? Check. Florida boy’s sarcastic and snarky lesbian best friend who has better game than he does with the ladies? Check. I had a notebook that I used to write down the entire outline of the book and it was one of the most detailed outlines I’d ever written. I had notes for every chapter from start to finish, and I was super excited about this one.

Florida boy Kade is sick of his best friend Taylor making the moves on all the girls he likes. After forcing her to promise to leave the next girl he likes alone, she agrees, deciding that maybe now is the time to start taking life more seriously. But of course, free-spirited bohemian chick Diem walks into both their lives, and they both fall for her; only this time, Taylor falls for real.

Now, in my very detailed outline, Taylor merely offers what I thought was a unique twist on the beloved love triangle but in the end, Diem would ultimately end up with Kade.

Well, guess what? I sat down and wrote the first chapter to Because of Summer. Then I stared at my computer screen and realized I had everything wrong. The entire book. I was so wrong. This book wasn’t about Diem and Kade’s romance — it was about Diem and Taylor’s love. And yes, it turned into the tangled, uncomfortable, hot, messy love triangle exactly just as I’d envisioned. Yes, the story centered around how the very foundation of Taylor and Kade’s friendship was completely rocked. How both of their worlds had been turned not only upside down but inside out. All of those things that I had expected to happen happened, just as I’d planned out. But the actual heart of this story turned into something completely different. Something I’d never anticipated. It took me to a place that I’d never even thought to go. I wasn’t a lesfic writer. I’d never written anything in the realm of it. Ever. And yet that’s exactly where these characters took me. To this day, Because of Summer still feels so special to me.

Now, let’s fast forward to after I gave birth to our second child in 2017 and my mother-loving brain fell out of my head and I couldn’t seem to write another damned word to save my life. Nope. Nothing. I kept trying and yet…nothing.  NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. I went years without writing a single thing. It was heartbreaking.

Until one day, out of nowhere, that feeling came back. The random people came back to my brain again, and a story began to unfold and wouldn’t you know it, I wrote out a dang outline again. From start to finish. About a jerk named Elliot Faulkner who tries to sweep a snarky and unimpressed Penny Reynold’s off her feet. But that story didn’t go as planned either. Elliot hires Penny to pretend to be his girlfriend to hide the affair he’s having with a married woman to spare his career. And just like in Because of Summer, these freaking characters didn’t do anything I’d asked them to do. But I am so excited to finally be writing again. It feels so good to have these stories unfold and come together again.

If you’re in the mood for a complicated and messy story about friendship and love when you least expect it, I hope you check out Because of Summer, available on Amazon now. And if you’re ready for hot enemies to lovers romance, about a man who’s just too good looking for his own good being thrown for a loop by a girl who would rather jump out of a window than spend any amount of time with him, The Breakup Plan is available for preorder on Amazon now and is releasing December 15, 2020.

Pre-order your copy here!

UPDATE: The winner is…Sarah Ulfers!
*~*~*

My FB feed has been inundated by cute pet pictures. My sister, Elle James, has two adorable little Yorkshire puppies, and now, my good friend, Cynthia D’Alba, has one too. And they constantly post very cute pictures of their new furbabies. Well, I was feeling a little left out. However, with nine dogs and five cats on the Devlin farm already, a puppy isn’t our future for a good ten years. So, how can I possibly compete?

Well, we have Kimmie, Lil, and Phil! Meet Kimmie, who looks likes she’s posing for goat porn.

They are the three goats we acquired this year to keep down the brush around the property. What we didn’t expect was just how funny goats are. So, when I’m feeling any furbaby-jealousy, I’ll be posting about these darlings! Be prepared for CUTENESS!!!!

Comment for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! You can tell me what Kimmie thinks she’s doing… Or tell me about your cute furbabies!

Download your FREE copy of the latest installment of the Love in Lockdown story, PANDEMIC PARTNER WITH BENEFITS!

Lucy Caldwell may be stuck in quarantine, but she has her priorities straight. Once she’s out of lockdown, she isn’t taking any chances. Dating is fun, but safety comes first, and Lucy has a plan…

The LOVE IN LOCKDOWN authors are back with another short story! This one’s from Payton Harlie, another First Response alumni! Her story tackles the “how to meet a cute guy in quarantine” question! It’s cute, it’s short, and you’ll definitely be left with a happy sigh at the end.

Follow this link!

It’s been a rough year, huh? Pandemics, climate disasters including fires, all the hurricanes (like for real, ALL of them), and all sorts of extra drama in the national sphere particularly here in the States, where I live.

So what do we do about it?

Focus on what we can control. We can’t change things at the national level all by ourselves. We can join up with like-minded folx and make calls to our representatives, influence others, even write op-eds. Beyond that, we need to make peace with what we can’t change. Being aware of when we’re “doomscrolling” is a critical life skill. I’ve watched many of my friends, and I’ve done it myself, just scrolling and scrolling and posting the equivalent of, “Can you believe this??” It doesn’t matter what the “this” is. We’re letting it take up space in our heads and disturb our peace of mind.

Learn – and practice – mindfulness. There are several apps available that teach meditation. My favorite is Calm App, and they have free offerings so you can check it out. There are some great meditation courses through The Great Courses Plus, which is a paid subscription. But did you know that you can get access to it through your library’s online offerings? In my county, that’s Kanopy; I’ve seen it in other libraries through other services.

Speaking of, if you haven’t checked out your library’s online offerings, you owe it to yourself to do. You can get ebooks, stream movies and popular television shows, read magazines, and even read newspapers. If you’re not sure how to do it, your local librarian will be happy to help hook you up.

Practice good self care. I keep seeing posts about people saying, “Well, I’m going to eat all the donuts,” or whatever. We know better. Dear Reader, don’t do it. It’s not a good enough excuse. We’re poisoning ourselves with bad food and bad sodas. And we know when we’re doing it. We wouldn’t let our children eat like this, if we have kids at home, so why are we doing it to our own bodies? Eat some veggies, and make yourself good food that will help your brain, build your resilience, and help your immunity – which is a key skill particularly during a pandemic.

Get mental health services. Many states now offer these without charge. Check with your insurance company or, if you’re uninsured, check with your state or county’s health department. Psychology Today has a good therapist finder, if you don’t have someone already. Don’t underestimate the toll that events like what we’re facing have on our mental health. This is a purple squirrel event, and we need to safeguard our mental health. And this includes doomscrolling – don’t feed your brain junk food.

Practice your crafts or art. Don’t do it to “be good.” Do it to have fun. We wouldn’t blame a three-year-old for making a wonky piece of art; let’s extend the same degree of understanding and compassion to ourselves. Studies have shown that practicing a hobby has many benefits, including improved mental health.

Reach out to your friends and family. Even if it’s just a Facebook message, reach out and communicate. Even just saying, “Hey, I’m feeling lonely, wanted to say hi,” works. We’re all in the same storm together, even if we’re not in the same boat. Don’t be precious about it. We owe it to ourselves and our friends to be real.

Any other ideas? I’d love to hear in the comments.

And stay well, Dear Reader. ~hugs~

ACN

About the Author

A. Catherine Noon is a bestselling author, writing instructor, and creative entrepreneur based in Bellevue, WA, in the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not writing, she’s weaving; and when she’s not weaving, she’s knitting. And when none of that happens, she likes to blog.

acatherinenoon.com | noonandwilder.com | writerzengarden.com | knoontimeknitting.com

Bonjour. It’s November, and it’s a month that has so much happening for so many. For YouTubers, it’s Nonstop November, where creators aim to post videos daily. In the sporting world, it’s No Shave November where the men are allowing their beards to grow. And then, I heard of No Sex November. I’m not sure of who’s participating in that—I mean what group of people developed it—but it’s happening. Additionally, for many of my fellow writers, it’s National Novel Writing Month, also, known as NaNoWriMo or NaNo, that has a goal of writing a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month.  I’m sure there are so many more, but the final one I’m going to mention is the media trend of posting daily what is thankful for, especially here in the United States, where many people are preparing to celebrate Thanksgiving—well, that is, the people who didn’t jump from Halloween to Christmas. Granted, my social media presence has been lacking from some platforms, but thus far, I have not been seeing many Thirty Days of Thanks posts. I imagine for many people, that is hitting very differently this year.  It’s hitting me differently, too. That’s why today will be a different kind of post for me, but hopefully one that is found to be uplifting and inspiring.

On January 1, 2020, when people where celebrating the ringing in of the new year and making resolutions to follow their hearts’ desires, I don’t believe anyone knew the swift kick in the teeth the year was bringing with it. I can’t speak for other countries, but I know here in the US where people are used to doing nearly anything (legal) that they want, being told what to do on a large scale by the government was shock. Our go-go nature was dumped in timeout, and people had no idea what they were supposed to do sequestered in their home for weeks. Face it, I live in the south, and we get antsy when we have to spend a day inside because of hurricanes. (We throw parties during that time, BTW). And, oh my gosh, it was not just having to remain sheltered-in-place, it was that what we normally do inside was gone, too. For a culture that binge watches, many of us flew threw Hulu and Netflix in no time. Resources become like a forge. Mask-wearing was viewed as something from a B-film Sci-Fi. People lost their jobs and homes. Education became a nightmare. People got sick and died. And politically… Whew! Now, eleven months in, and it is no surprise to me that some people are struggling to find a happy or thankful place. But there have been some shining spots in 2020, and that’s what I will focus on today.

1. Woke culture.

I’m one of those people who can walk through life, and if something does not bother or affect me, I will not notice. I think most people are like this, and that’s not a criticism. It’s human nature. Again, I live in the south. I do not on a regular think about how to react in a blizzard. Likely, I define and would behave differently in a snowstorm than persons who live in areas where winter is actually a thing. I mean, if there are snow flurries here, chances are, businesses are going to close. Now, I know that seems laughable to many, but why would southerners spend a lot of time thinking and preparing for icy conditions when it happens once every five years or so? We don’t know how to drive in it because we do not have an opportunity to practice. Most of us do not have the proper clothes for it because our coats are made for fashion and not warmth. Currently, the temperature outside is seventy-three degrees, and for us, that’s getting a bit chilly. I can count on both hands the number of times in my life that there has been one-inch or more snow in my yard and still have fingers left over.  So, I get it when Northerners laugh when Southerners freak out about snow flurries. The perspectives are different.

I think woke culture, which some people criticize for being too thinned-skinned, is nothing more than the intention of viewing a situation or event from a different perspective or point of view. It is a call to be objective and instead of subjective. It’s going beyond our small box of a world and showing empathy and compassion to others around us. How many times during an argument in relationships does one partner want the other partner to agree with him/her? The disagreement has sparked because of two varying points of view most times. Stepping back and considering from a different angle does not mean that one will agree, change positions, or diminish his/her morality. All it does is allow a person to stand a moment in another person’s shoes to understand that their feelings are valid to them. They are entitled and have a right to how they feel. And their feelings are independent to your feelings and have nothing to do with you. How does a wife feel when she attempts to communicate with her husband that she does not feel appreciated by him and he brushes her off with a “you’re being silly” or “get over it”? He might even shove in her face something that he has done for her in the past and insist that she be appreciative that he did it for her and attempt to make her feel guilty or belittled for asking for more? That’s the same in woke culture. It’s not asking a person to change. It’s asking for awareness, acknowledgement, and respect.

I think 2020 has been a year of wokeness for many. I for one had my eyes opened about a lot. Two of the biggest areas that I’ve come to learn about has been the struggle of Indigenous people and the treatment of the transsexual community. These were things that I had never heard discussed and was not aware that existed. I’m not around people who were affected by these issues. But once I heard them mentioned, I stopped to listen and learn. I’d assumed things that weren’t factual. And instead of arguing to hold steadfast the beliefs I’ve been taught, I grew quiet and opened myself to take in new information. Am I an expert now? No. Do I understand everything? No. Do I still have much to learn? Yes. Am I willing to learn those things? Yes.

When I write, I write with love. I write with the belief that true love exists. I write with the hope of bringing smiles and happiness to readers. To be able to do that, I need to understand people and multiple points of views. For me, twenty-twenty has been humbling. I have experienced human growth in ways I could not have imagined. And I don’t believe I’m alone in this. I have watched some of my closest friends grow as well.  Hopefully, this growth will be seen in my writing and in my acts as a person. I always strive to better my craft. But on a personal level, I strive to be a better person—a better friend, daughter, sibling, parent, and neighbor.

2. Productivity

I’ve watched dozens of videos of people completing home improvement projects or taking on life goals. People who lost their jobs spent their time doing the things that they have been postponing indefinitely. They now had time to clean out the garage or convert the basement into a media area. They had timing to put together a shelving unite or finally organize and catalog the items in their collections. Some had time to research their family history or write the novel they’ve been wanting to write their entire lives. Others reconnected with their families. A friend confessed to me that he had re-fallen in love with his wife during the pandemic. “I knew I loved her, but I think over the last ten years, I had forgotten why. Being at home with her and our children every day around the clock for three months reminded me not only why I fell in love with her but deepened my love and appreciation.” I beefed up my writing game. Another friend, who lives across the street from his parents, stated that he and his father finished restoring a car his father had purchased more than twenty years ago. “It sat in the garage as his ‘project’ and has always been a source of conflict between him and mother. Especially when they would argue, he would lock himself in the garage for hours and tinker with it. Us kids were never allowed to touch it. He’s owned it for as long as I could remember. I had to have been a toddler when he bought it. I’m now 42, and he and I completed it a couple of weeks ago. It allowed me to get to know my father on a completely different level, and we got a cool car out of it.”

3. Creativity

I believe many people may have overlooked the role creativity has played during this pandemic. People have had to develop and devise ways to handle problems that they have never had before. Persons who lost their jobs have found other means of income. Some have allowed their artistic sides to bloom. Reflecting back to March when the news media was advising everyone not to wear masks because they would worsen the situation. Now, there is much debate about who put that information out there and why, but that’s not to point here. The point I am attempting to make is that by the time the public had been instructed mask-wearing would help slow (not prevent) the spread and suppress the curve of cases, there were no masks available for purchase. So many people with sewing skills took to making masks. Some made businesses out of it or vastly grew their small business. No one has released the numbers, but it is evident that mask-masking is a lucrative business, as mask-wearers want to express their personality in this 2020 accessory. I suppose some people enjoy wearing masks regardless of the reason why. For a great many others, though, I believe that since they have found themselves in this situation, they have simply found a way to make it a little more tolerable.

4. Progression

A coworker who is near seventy years old used a computer for the first time two months ago. She had avoided it, and the company had never pressured her to conform. She continues to do everything by hand. Any document that is electronic, someone must print it for her. Vehemently, she rejected change, and her stubbornness slowed the progress of her coworkers at times. However, a conference changed things. She needed to renew her professional license, and since all in-person conferences had been suspended, she was forced to do cyber attendance like the rest of us. What she found is that she didn’t like it, but it wasn’t as terrible as she’d expected. While it’s done little to convince her to change her ways or venture into the millennium, it has allowed her to see how her nonconformity makes it difficult for her other coworkers—not that she cares. However, she now remains silent when someone complains about her because she realizes her coworkers’ complaints are valid and have merit. Plus, she also recognizes that she now must tread lightly. Since she’s had some computer training, if she continues to upset coworkers, their complaints may be loud enough for administration to order that she comply with the same procedures as everyone else. She can no longer use the excuse that she does not know how. She knows very little about the computer, but she has demonstrated her ability to learn.

Another coworker stated that she was hoping to travel one day. Currently, she does not have the finances, and she contends that she may never earn enough to travel out of the country. In fact, she does not believe this will ever be possible for her. However, it is a dream, and as a dream she decided to work towards it in small ways that she can afford. One way is by learning a foreign language. She has downloaded apps that teach you to speak another language and listens to them in her spare time or while she is commuting to and from work. She admits that her progress has been slow but that she definitely knows more than when she began. Sometimes, achieving small goals can be as satisfying as reaching larger ones.

5. Experimentation

This one I found to be so much fun. People let their guards down and began attempting things they’d never done before. Take a look at TikTok and how many people joined during the pandemic. People who would barely pose for family photos were encouraged and branched out to do dancing challenges. People laughed at themselves and opened up to just have fun. Some looked at the pandemic as the pre-apocalypse and decided to begin checking off items on their bucket lists. People adopted the attitude, if this is the end, why wait any longer? Therefore, they began experimenting and trying new things.

6. Maintaining

While much of the focus has been on losses and gains, some people are very thankful for maintaining what they have. Although they haven’t had it easy, so many people are grateful that they have not been as effected by 2020 as others have been. Essential employees may have had to pull longer hours for the same pay and risk exposure to the virus more than others, but many are thankful to have been able to maintain their homes and livelihoods. They’ve taken everything in stride by taking recommended CDC precautions to keep themselves safe.

A YouTube content creator stated that her life has been minimally affected by the pandemic because she’s an introvert, used to living alone and working from home. Before shelter-in-place was an ordnance implemented by her city, she was already having most of her meals delivered and remaining in her home.

These are just a few of the ways that the year 2020 has not been a complete bomb and failure of a year. While there is a tendency to see all the things that have been troubling or traumatic this year, there have been some promising things to happen as well.

What good have you found in 2020? What are you thankful for this year? What are you doing this November? Will you be celebrating Thanksgiving?

Ice Gladiators

And also, don’t forget to pick up a copy of my new steamy romance, Ice Gladiators, guaranteed to melt the ice. It’s the third book in my sports romance Locker Room Love series.

Taz has problems: a stalled career, a coach threatening to destroy him, a meddling matchmaking roommate, and a thing for his other roommate’s boyfriend. The first three are manageable, but the last… well, that’s complicated. Because as much as Taz is attempting not to notice Liam, Liam is noticing him. Grab your copy of Ice Gladiators at https://amzn.to/2TGFsyD or www.books2read.com/icegladiators.

Missed the first two books in my sports romance series? No frets. Out of the Penalty Box, where it’s one minute in the box or a lifetime, out is available at https://amzn.to/2Bhnngw. It also can be ordered on iTunes, Nook, or Kobo. Visit www.books2read.com/penalty.

Defending the Net can be ordered at www.books2read.com/defending. Crossing the line could cost the game.

Locker Room Love is a steamy standalone gay romance/ MM romance series revolving around professional hockey players. Set primarily in the Cajun and Creole bayous of south Louisiana, these love stories have a diverse cast of characters. These sexy athletes are discovering their own voice and the best romance of their lives, even if that isn’t their intention. Find tales of friends to lovers, enemies to loves, billionaires, bad boys, forbidden romance, first times, gay for you, and more. These alpha males are guaranteed to work up a sweat and melt the ice.

For more of my stories, shenanigans, giveaways, and more, check out my blog, Creole Bayou, www.genevivechambleeconnect.wordpress.com. New posts are made on Wednesdays (with bonus posts sometimes on Mondays), and everything is raw and unscathed. Climb on in a pirogue and join me on the bayou.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this post or any others, feel free to comment below or tweet me at @dolynesaidso. You also can follow me on Instagram at genevivechambleeauthor or search me on Goodreads or Amazon Authors or BookBub.

Until next time, happy reading and much romance. Keep safe.

A true story, so you know romance authors aren’t just born, we’re “well-lived” too! 🙂

In late Fall 1979, I was living in Germany, having been assigned as a newly “hatched” communications officer to a battalion in Heilbronn, Germany. I’d been there maybe a month, had unpacked and settled into my BOQ, and the week before I’d made the trip to Bremerhaven to pick up my car from the port. It was a metallic midnight-blue Ford Pinto (yes, a Pinto!). Having no friends at that point to hang with, I decided I’d take a drive by myself and explore. I headed to nearby Stuttgart to do some sightseeing and window shopping.

That day, I dressed in a dark maroon button-down blouse, golden corduroy trousers, leather boots and a brown leather trench. With my Farrah Fawcett blonde hair all blown out, I looked good. I’d finished some shopping and was heading back to the car park to head home. As I strode down the sidewalk, this tall, very handsome man dressed in a black turtleneck, a black jacket and trousers, with swarthy skin and black, shaggy hair (I pegged him as Italian or Greek) passed me.

I gave him a nod and kept going. Then out of curiosity, I glanced back. He’d stopped in the sidewalk and was looking back at me. We shared another nod then he walked toward me.

He said something that ended with “English.”

I shook my head. “American.”

I pointed at him, and he said, “Griechisch (Greek).”

We both looked at the coffeeshop to our side. He said something in German (this was before I’d immersed myself in German language classes, so I only knew a few words), but I could tell he was inviting me for a coffee. Again, I nodded.

Inside, I let him order for us. Two coffees with  pastries.

For an hour, we had a very stilted conversation but remained all smiles because it was fun.

He asked me something about America.

I assumed he was asking me where I was from in America. “Arkansas. It’s near Texas.”

He grinned, twirled his hand over his head, and said, “Yahoo!”

I laughed and nodded.

When I pointed at him, and asked him where in Greece he was from, he said, “Marathónas.”

I thought for a second then pumped my arms like I was running. “Marathon.”

His eyes perked up, because he realized I knew a bit about his country’s history and the legend of Pheidippides running from the plain of Marathon to Athens to let them know the Greeks had defeated the Persians—the inspiration for the marathon race. (I was a history major. 🙂 )

Anyway, we continued to mime throughout our conversation. When we both rose, we shook hands and he held mine for a long moment and said something.

What? I have no clue, but when we both left the coffeeshop, we headed in opposite directions. And yes, I did look back. But so did he.

Oh, and the picture is not from Stuttgart. The area of the city I was in was more modern-industrial looking, but I like this depiction of Germany because you can find so many beautiful places just like this…

My dd and SIL spent the past two days painting a basement room and moving furniture to create a quiet space I can work in. My dd organized everything because she knows if she left things in boxes I’d dither and doodle and never get anything put away. Here are a couple of pics (terrible ones because I’m a horrible photographer!).

They left me room for more pictures on the wall. That wall will likely be filled soon, floor to ceiling. The desk is a made for two people, so the 7-year-old put her art books and Crayola pens in her drawer for when she comes to “work” with me.

My bookcase is cram-jammed. The center one is all my books. DD says I have to do something about trimming them down. And I will, because I need more toys on the shelves. 🙂 The tubs on the left still have to be emptied, but that’s for another day.

So, what do you think? Will I get any work done here?

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