Stacy Gold's Blog, page 6

RANDOM MUSINGS: FIFTY YEARS ON THIS PLANET

Ten Life Lessons Learned Over Fifty Years on This Planet

It’s official… I turned fifty this month. And it’s the weirdest thing. On the one hand, I don’t particularly feel fifty. And people tell me I don’t look or act fifty. On the other hand, I’ve got fifty years of life lessons in how to be happy and fulfilled.

thanks so the wisdom gained from experience, I have good friends I can count on, a career I’m passionate about, and a healthy and loving twenty-two-year relationship with my husband.

As someone who came from a severely dysfunctional family and was diagnosed manic-depressive in high school, and again in college, I shouldn’t be this happy. But through much (very worthwhile) effort, I’ve found ways to become happy, positive, and way more even-keeled.

Which gives me a lot of hope that learning all these life lessons is going to help make this my best year, and decade, ever. So, I thought I’d share some of my hard-earned wisdom with you.

Here are the ten most powerful life lessons I’ve learned over the last fifty years:

Quit worrying so much about other people. Unless they live with you, or you’re their caregiver, it’s a waste of time worrying about what others are doing, what they have or don’t have, and most importantly what they think of you. Because most of the time they’re not thinking about you anyway, and you could probably use to focus more of that time and energy on yourself.
Everyone needs a set of core values. Core values aren’t just morals, or what’s right and wrong. Core values are the list of things that are most important to you and your happiness specifically. These are nonnegotiable. Once you’ve defined your core values, you can make decisions about who and what you let into your life accordingly.
Just do the thing. For most of us, the majority of our decisions are not life or death. So, take the job. Make the move. Change your career. Try the new activity. Studies have shown that 85% of what we worry, fear, or stress about won’t ever come to pass anyway. Another 10% or so might come to pass but won’t be anywhere near as bad as we expected. And, one thing COVID has shown is that if you don’t do something today you might not get the chance again.
Change your inner and outer dialogue and you can change your life. Work to eradicate negative words from your internal and external vocabulary including: should, can’t, hate, and try. Why? Because, what each of us perceives to be reality is made up of whatever is happening passed through a filter of our past experiences and our current beliefs. In other words, we each create our own, slightly different version of reality.Luckily, you can change your filter, and therefore your reality, simply by changing the way you talk to yourself and others.Words have power. If you say you can’t, you’re right. You can’t. Say you’re bad at something, and you’re right again. Ditto saying you don’t deserve something. Say you’re going to “try” to do something, and you’ve given yourself an out already. Positive affirmation also work the same way, but with better results.
Figure out what makes you happy and focus on bringing more of that into your life. I discovered years ago that I’m happiest out in nature, and regular exercise  and healthy eating help stem my depression. So, I built a career and a life based around outdoor recreation. And I married a man who felt the same. We’ve always committed to living in places that let us easily access mountains and rivers to play in, and we prioritize staying fit and eating plenty of veggies.
Choose the people you allow into your life wisely. There’s an old adage that if someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. If someone isn’t positive, supportive, loving, and trustworthy they don’t deserve your time and energy. Not even if their family. For sure follow the three strikes and they’re out rule–which is even easier once you know your core values.
Treat yourself like you would treat your best friend. You wouldn’t saying mean or negative things to your best friend. You wouldn’t flake on them in times of need. You wouldn’t encourage them to treat themselves badly. So, don’t do it to yourself. You’re the only you you’ve got, and you have to live with yourself or your whole life. You are amazing. Treat yourself that way.
You’ve only got one body, take care of it. Get plenty of rest and whatever exercise you can do. Spend time outside. Go for a walk if you’re able. Meditate (seriously, if you struggle with getting stuck in negative thoughts and emotions, that shit works!). Eat whole foods and avoid processed foods, additives, colorants, preservatives and pesticides is much as possible. Stimulate your mind. Don’t spend your evenings eating crap food and drinking while vegging in front of a screen. It won’t do you any favors.
Working longer and harder is neither a guarantee, nor a marker, of success. Neither is having lots of stuff. Growing up I had the idea that my worth was based largely on how hard I worked beaten into my head by my mother. Society tells us we should be consumers, and that if we only by this one more thing we’ll finally be happy and look successful. It’s a lie that keeps us on an endless, stressful treadmill. In fact, the less stuff I have, and the fewer hours I work, the more happy and successful I’ve become.
Celebrate the smallest things every single day. The more positives you focus on, the more positives you’ll see in your life. If you look for and focus on negatives, you’ll get more of those. So, get excited about even the tiniest good thing.I’ll talk and think endlessly about a pretty flower that I saw, or an awesome bike ride I went on, or my success trying a new recipe, or even just how good my hair happens to look that day. Because focusing on positives makes me happy and satisfied, while focusing on negatives makes me stressed and depressed.

The bottom line is life really is what you make it. If you focus on making yourself into someone you love and respect, and working to build a life that brings you joy, you’ll be a much happier person.

It sounds corny but life really is a journey, not a destination. It’s a series of life lessons to be learned and applied. So, envision what you want and work towards it, but know that even if you get it, it may not look exactly like what you expected. And you may not get there how or when you wanted to.

That’s okay. Those are “shoulds” that only get in the way of your happiness. The key is to learn to enjoy as much as possible of each day, and each step on the journey, however it unfolds.

Got more wisdom to add? Please leave a comment below.

The post RANDOM MUSINGS: FIFTY YEARS ON THIS PLANET appeared first on Stacy Gold.

BOOK REVIEW: THE WORST BEST MAN

Mia Sosa’s The Worst Best Man Is a Charming Rom-Com with a Dash of Brazilian Spice

Light, entertaining, and laugh-out-loud funny, is the definition of a good rom-com, and Mia Sosa’s The Worst Best Man fits the genre to a tee. Add in interesting, relatable characters you’ll root for, a peek into Brazilian culture, and a decent dose of steam, and you’ve got a charming read.

The writing is high-quality (Yay! So rare these days.), and easy to read in the best possible way. Carolina Santos is a wedding planner who, irony of ironies, gets left at the altar. Even worse, the groom sends his brother to deliver the news.

Three years later, when Lina is going after a position as the head wedding planner for a major hotel, she finds herself face-to-face with her ex-fiancé and his brother Max. Worse, she’s forced to work with Max to put together a proposal in hopes of landing the job.

Needless to say, they have some baggage to work through. And I was happy to go along for the ride. Though a few of the twists were too obvious, it didn’t make them any less enjoyable.

I genuinely wanted these two characters to get their happy ending. I also very much enjoyed the peek into Brazilian food, culture, and language, as well as Lina’s struggles to bridge the distance between her immigrant roots, and her American life.

Why I Gave The Worst Best Man Four Stars Instead of Five

I decided not to give this book five stars for one main reason… Because, for a story that starts off incredibly realistic — and stays that way for much of the book — the few places where I was forced to suspend disbelief were a bit jarring and a little disappointing.

Yes, I know it’s a rom-com, and their known for their cheesy, unrealistic moments. Still, everything else about the story was so good my expectations were high. Maybe too high. If you’re looking for a solid escape, you won’t go wrong here.

Anyhoo, you should grab a copy and read and review it ASAP.

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Ways to Support the George Floyd Protests and Black Lives Matter

What Can White Allies Do to Support the Protests and People of Color?

The George Floyd Protest in Boulder, CO 05/30/20

I’ve spent a chunk of my day looking for ways to support the George Floyd protesters, Black Lives Matter, and people of color. Because, between the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter/George Floyd protests, and the total and utter lack of leadership coming from our president on any front, it seems disingenuous to write about romance right now (much as I know we’re all going to need a HEA at some point soon).

So, I’ve included links to some excellent resources below.

I’m no expert on any of this, though I’ve been doing my best to educate myself on racism and bias and white supremacy and how I’ve been complicit. Hopefully these links will be helpful to you too.

Peacefully protesting–and learning–in Boulder, Colorado

First, though, I want to share a few impactful statements from one of the speakers at the peaceful protest held on Saturday here in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is a mostly white, mostly affluent, mostly well-educated small city of about 100,000 in its own liberal bubble. Yet roughly 500 people turned up downtown and marched almost 3 miles through town, chanting and carrying signs.

Maurice Cox, a black man from nearby Louisville, spoke most eloquently about how his wife holds him tighter now every time he leaves his home. How every time a cop passes him in his car he wonders if it’ll be him today. How he lives in a separate reality from the people in Boulder most worried about when the stock market will rebound.

Here are a few of his poignant and powerful words on what white allies can do to help:

“I wanted you to know that the people of color who walk in this community as marginalized people walk around in another America facing other trauma that you will never have to experience. But we will never be at the dinner table with your racist uncle. We will never be at be at the kitchen table with your spouse who says something like, ‘those blacks’ or ‘those (racial slur),’ but you’re there. The places that you occupy and take up space — you need to say something. Do something! It’s going to cost you that friendship … it may cost your job. But guess what? It’s been costing our lives.”

White supremacy, the patriarchy, and everything that comes with is a white problem. It’s up to us to own it and do everything we can to fix it.

Things You Can Do to Support the Black Lives Matter Movement, POC, and Ending Police Brutality

Support Authors of Color

As an author, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that you should buy books and leave reviews for authors of color. Not sure where to find said books? Here are a few lists:

https://bookriot.com/2019/01/08/a-book-by-a-woman-and-or-aoc/

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/21/read-harder-2019-an-historical-romance-by-an-author-of-color/

https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/aoc

Protest

If you are willing and able to protest, you might check out this article from VICE on how to protest safely in the time of Coronavirus.

Donate, Support, Get Involved

Donate to organizations that proved bail and legal assistance to incarcerated protesters, call your local, state, and national legislators and demand police reform.

https://www.obama.org/anguish-and-action/ The Obama Organization is a great resource if you want to get educated, find more ways to take action and donate, and connect to social justice organizations.

https://apple.news/A7EO3tgpsTLu672RKH67mfg Here you can find links to donate to a fund to help George Floyd’s family cover funeral costs, where you can donate to organizations working to end police brutality, how you can help with post-protest cleanup, and more.

Since the Minnesota Freedom Fund and Brooklyn Bail Fund recently started asking donors to give to other non-profits due to an outpouring of donations, they also list some other great options.

Know of any other useful resources? Please do share in the comments below…

The post Ways to Support the George Floyd Protests and Black Lives Matter appeared first on Stacy Gold.

BOOK REVIEW: THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB

If I Wasn’t a Romance Author, I’d Give The Bromance Book Club Five Stars

I haven’t been reading much lately due to quarantine brain, but I did make it through The Bromance Book Club. If you’re looking for a light, fresh, and fun rom-com, I’d recommend it.

It’s strange, growing up I was a total readaholic. We’re talking a book a day, easy. Then college hit, and I didn’t read for pleasure for two years after graduation. Fast forward six years and I was too busy growing and running a marketing firm to get lost in a novel.

Over the next twelve years I read maybe three works of fiction. Nowadays I have more time to read, and as an author, I read books as part of my workday.

The problem now is that as a romance author, it’s incredibly hard for me to turn off my internal editor. It’s rare for me to find a book that doesn’t periodically jolt me out of my reading trance with poor grammar, weird sentence structure, or character or plot holes. That makes it almost impossible to get lost in a book. GAH!

That also means any book that even comes close to keeping me sucked in is probably pretty good. The book I’m reviewing today is better than that, it’s damn entertaining.

The Bromance Book Club is Cute, Clever, and Charming

Lyssa Kay Adams’ novel The Bromance Book Club came very close to holding my complete attention. It’s a clever concept about a man trying to learn what his wife wants, and how to save his marriage, by reading romance novels. The main characters are relatable. And the tone is lighthearted rom-com and easy to devour, which I appreciated given the state of the world.

Overall, it’s a well-executed and well-written story. I especially enjoyed reading the Regency romance within the contemporary romance. Very clever and very well done. Though I couldn’t help but feel Regency was a slightly more comfortable genre for Ms. Adams.

A small handful of relatively minor issues brought this down a star for me. Most related to grammar, sentence structure, or paragraph organization. As a writer/journalist/editor for the better part of the last twenty years, I can’t not notice these issues—no matter how minor. They might not bother you one bit.

Same with my other issue with this cute story…One of the other male character’s main roles is to spout feminist diatribes about the romance genre to help convince the hero of its validity. While he’s spot on, he’s almost too spot on and his dialogue felt shoe-horned into the story. I think the author may have been going for a little humor. But each time that character spoke, it jarred me out of my reading trance.

Overall, these are minor quibbles, though. The concept is fresh and fun, the characters are relatable, and this book is well worth your time.

Grab a copy of The Bromance Book Club here.

Have you read The Bromance Book Club? If so, what did you think? Do you agree or disagree with my review? Please do leave a comment below.

The post BOOK REVIEW: THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB appeared first on Stacy Gold.

RANDOM MUSINGS: ZOOM LIFE, ZOOM BURNOUT

Quarantine Life, Staying Connected, and the Perils of Zoom Fatigue

I am an introvert, and I can tell you Zoom burnout is real. While I enjoy hanging with friends and going to parties and concerts, and I’m excellent at engaging with strangers over dinner or drinks, being social in person gets exhausting.

After working from home for the better part of the past twenty-two years, I like my quiet days of writing, working out, cooking, and walking or biking with the dog. They give me balance. I recharge by being alone, or with one to three people I know well and love, preferably out playing in the mountains.

My hubby, on the other hand, is an extrovert. He misses going to the office every day and grabbing beers with friends after work. He misses meeting new people and making new friends. We both miss our family.

And so, like so many people these days, we Zoom.

This has led to my personal issues with Zoom fatigue.

Articles are popping up left and right talking about Zoom burnout, Zoom fatigue, and Zoom exhaustion. A malady so new we haven’t settled name for it.

Although I love connecting with family and friends, I find the big group calls especially exhausting. With good reason, too.

Apparently, since you can only see people from the shoulders up, and often in tiny squares, you don’t get the nuances of facial expressions and body language. So, your brain must work harder to interpret social cues. Et viola, you have a recipe for Zoom burnout.

I find staring at a screen full of faces with no particular topic to discuss is also uncomfortable and disconcerting. I feel like I have to be “ON” and find a way to get conversations moving.

In the last week alone, I’ve spent more than eight hours on Zoom calls (AND I DON’T ZOOM FOR WORK!). That’s eight hours of social time, which I’m pretty sure is more than I got most weeks pre-quarantine (Thank God I don’t Zoom for work!).

It’s far more exhausting then I ever anticipated.

Five ways to reduce Zoom burnout, fatigue, and exhaustion while still connecting.

Keep calls on the smaller side. Five or six people is the most I try to go with. Though sometimes, if you have a big family, that can be hard to do. Good luck and best wishes.
Consider it game time. So far, game nights have been the most fun and least burnout-inducing. We’ve played Jackbox and Exploding Kittens with a couple other people at a time and had a blast. Highly recommend.
If you don’t mind being the center of attention, be a goofball. My husband’s solution to dead air syndrome is to do something random or silly. He changes backgrounds. Or sinks down until all you can see are his eyes and the top of his head—sometimes coming in from the side of the screen.
Give your Zoom get togethers a theme or something cohesive. We had pizza birthday dinner with friends via Zoom. The pizza came from two different restaurants, but it was a lovely way to connect. My hubby’s Friday work Zoom happy hours now include themes, costumes, or show and tell.
Don’t overdo it. Set a maximum Zoom time limit per week. And stick to it.

Have you been using Zoom much? Are you experiencing Zoom burnout or fatigue? Got suggestions for making it better? Please do leave a comment about your Zoom experiences below.

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RANDOM MUSINGS: WRITING DURING CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN

Why Is Writing Romance Easier for Me than Nonfiction During the Coronavirus Lockdown?

How are you doing with your quarantine life? Are you getting into a rhythm and staying productive? Or forcing yourself to take a shower and get out of pj’s? So far, throughout the coronavirus lockdown, I’ve managed to keep a reasonable semblance of my normal routine since I’ve worked from home for the better part of twenty years.

I cook more than normal now that my hubby is working from home, too. Other than that, I exercise, I do yoga and meditate, and I write. Or, at least I’ve been steadily writing my next romance novel (Book 2 is going to be A-mazing. I love a juicy opposites attract story!).

When it’s come to writing my blog during quarantine life, I’ve struggled.

In an effort to understand why, and for lack of any other inspiration, I decided to blog about my struggle.

The first, and most obvious, reason is, no topic seems relevant or worth my time (or yours) unless it’s specific to politics or the global pandemic (Gah! Did I really just write the words global pandemic, and not in the draft of a dystopian novel?). Which in the US are one and the same, anyway. I don’t know about you, but I get plenty of both via news and social media every day.

I’ve tried to think about topics I enjoy and other people might find useful, interesting, or entertaining right now. Certainly, at some point I’ll be posting more romance book reviews. I just finished reading The Bromance Book Club, which was delightful. And I have yet to review Happy Trail, even though I finished it at least six weeks ago.

It’s been too hard for even my trained copywriter brain to stay focused on organizing the details that go into a good review. Hell, it’s hard to even remember the details of the books right now. I’d definitely have to read and reread the back cover copy to even attempt a decent review.

Writing romance is easier for me during lockdown.

Really, the only kind of writing I’m enjoying right now is romance. I think it’s because my books exist in a universe of my own creation. A place where the coronavirus has never existed. Where people can still go backpacking and camping. And visit each other. And dine in restaurants. And have crazy monkey sex. And fall head over heels in love. And where the ending of the story is guaranteed to be a happy one.

Even though writing and editing fiction requires a tremendous amount of brain power (or maybe because of that), I can sink into  my happy made-up world pretty easily. It’s even easier for me than reading a book by someone else—something I never thought I’d say.

A lot of of my blog posts explore the fascinating intersection of romance novels, feminism, societal constructs, and sex. While I’m sure I’ll get back to that at some point, now is not that time. It’s too heavy. Though speaking of feminism does remind me, I still need to review Mona Eltahawy’s amazing book The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls as well.

Of course, I’m always open to suggestions for quarantine blog topics.

I could write more posts on the outdoors, or adventure travel, or skiing/kayaking/backpacking/mountain biking and include some of my personal photos… I could share some of my favorite quarantine life recipes… I could also give insight into my writing process or favorite writing tips and tricks.

Maybe I’ll try to do a little nature writing if I feel inspired. It’s been a few years but it might be a nice challenge, and it’s very Zen to contemplate nature and our place in it. What do you think?

If there’s a topic that would interest you, please do leave it in a comment below and I’ll try to make it happen.

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EMERALD MOUNTAIN DIGITAL BOXED SET ON SALE FOR $0.99!

Download All Three Steamy, Award-Winning Ski Romance Novellas Now for One Super-Low Price – Just $0.99!

    

 

Stuck inside? Sad your ski season got cut short? Want more powder turns, romance, and sexytimes in your quarantinelife? The snow is always deep and fluffy and the sex is always steamy at Emerald Mountain. And right now, you can get the entire boxed set of three, steamy ski romance novellas for just $0.99.

Because I know so many of us avid skiers are super bummed the resorts, and even the backcountry trailheads, are closed right now I wanted to offer my books for free. Unfortunately, the deal with my publisher and Amazon makes that impossible. So I’ve done the next best thing…

I’ve worked with my publisher to put my Emerald Mountain Digital Boxed Set on sale for just $0.99. That means you get all award-winning three ski romance novellas for $7.00 off the individual list pricing, and $4.00 off the boxed set price, for the next two weeks (Sale ends April 9th).

This way you can get hours of sick powder skiing, sweet romance, and steamy sex in the comfort of your own home. Since the whole set is on sale for less than a dollar, that’s just $0.33 per novella. Way cheaper than a ski pass and way easier than dating.

What’s in the Emerald Mountain Boxed Set?

JUST FRIENDS – A friends to lovers romance featuring a jilted fiancé struggling to find her footing, a single Dad who hasn’t dated in years, and tons of sexual tension and sick powder skiing.

N.N. Light Book Awards Finalist – Best Erotic Romance

OKRWA IDA Contest – 3rd Place Finalist

 Taya Monroe is trying to pick up the pieces of her failed writing career and broken life after walking out on her cheating fiancé. Ski Patroller Jordan Wiley is a single dad with zero time or energy for dating. They hadn’t seen each other in years when they run into each other at Emerald Mountain.

When a snow storm traps these two old friends in an avalanche of chemistry, will their friendship survive the weight of their passion?

IN DEEP – A second chance workplace romance set in the adrenaline-packed world of Ski Patrol, featuring a take no shit woman and the taciturn man she wouldn’t admit she fell in love with two years earlier.

N.N. Light Book Awards Winner – Best Erotic Romance

H.O.L.T Medallion Finalist – Best First Book

Sophie Tremore is trying to build a career in the male-dominated world of Ski Patrol. Hard to do when her new boss is her smokin’ hot ex-lover. Emerald Mountain Ski Patrol Director Max Demford has been doing his best to avoid working with his feisty former flame, given his judgment is clouded by those eight mind-blowing weeks two years ago.

Forced to work together, their simmering attraction becomes difficult to ignore. When Sophie gets caught in a slide, an adrenaline-filled day could turn into a spectacular night they will never forget—one that could risk both their careers.

NEVER YOU – An enemies to lovers, forced proximity workplace romance in a remote, backcounty ski hut featuring a sexy chef, an independent woman, and plenty of snappy banter.

OKRWA IDA Contest Finalist – 2nd Place, Best Erotic Short

NYRWA Kathryn Hayes “When Sparks Fly” Contest – 3rd Place, Best Erotic Romance

Emerald Mountain Ski Hut Caretaker Morgan Monroe doesn’t do casual relationships. Not anymore. Certainly not with the obnoxious, flirty, too-hot-for-his-own-good chef she’s wanted to strangle all season. Chef Dan Griffin doesn’t believe in relationships. But a one-night stand to celebrate the end of ski season? Hell yes!

When things heat up on a cold winter’s night, will they play it safe or follow their hearts?

Get all three award-winning, steamy ski romance novellas for just $0.99 right now for your Nook or Kindle.

    

EMERALD MOUNTAIN REVIEWS

“While you could easily read each book at your own leisure (on the bus, with a cup of coffee or by the pool) I would definitely recommend binge reading them one after the other. Each story is a high-octane, adrenaline packed romp with a little drama, and some seriously scorching passion!

The strong, sassy and independent women are a delight, while the men are sexy, strong and definitely Alpha in their ways. These are quick, easy reads, but they certainly lack nothing in content and delivery. I’m happy to recommend them as exciting, sizzling stories of smoking` HOT romance on Emerald Mountain.” Karen Roma, Librarian on Goodreads

5 stars – “While I’ve read each book individually, binge-reading the series together on one sitting is such much better! Smokin’ hot romance on the ski slopes. The women are independent and strong while the men are all that and more. Refreshing to read. Highly recommend!” N.N. Light on Goodreads

5 stars  – “Great romantic stories. Not my usual genre but extremely well written.”Jackie on Goodreads

“…danger, lust, compassion, and adventure without leaving your warm home.” Heartracer on Reading Alley Reviews

“The queen of sexual tension is back…a must-read! Fun, flirty, hot!” N. N. Light, Top International Reviewer

“…strong characters and a lot of sizzling chemistry.” Long and Short Reviews

“A snappy, sexy bite of romance in the snow.” Christine on Goodreads

“…full of sizzling romance, lust, adventure, danger and passion.” – Coffee Chat

“…this page-turner delivers plenty of heat and sizzle in the snow.” Laurel Greer, Author

Get the entire Emerald Mountain Digital Boxed Set on sale now!

    

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RANDOM MUSINGS: SEX, DATING, AND CORONAVIRUS

Finding Love, Having Sex, and Dating During the Coronavirus Pandemic?

So, normally my post this month would be something like a book review or my latest writerly news. I’ve also been meaning to discuss that new reality dating show Love Is Blind. Except now were in the middle of this crazy coronavirus pandemic.

Romance novel and reality TV show reviews are going to be pretty damn welcome once everybody’s been shut in for another week or two. But I recently had a more pertinent topic come to mind.

You see, my sister lost her husband almost 2 years ago. Not long ago, she realized she was ready to reenter the dating pool. Maybe even have sex. Then the coronavirus hit here in the US. Which begs the question, “How, exactly, is dating going to work in the foreseeable future?”

By their very nature, dating and sex are social activities (at least once you’re done swiping right or left). They both require getting very close to someone. Often more than one someone, especially over time or depending on your personal preferences. Traditional dating is not a recipe for good social distancing.

Which brings me back around to show Love Is Blind. On it, people “date” by sitting alone in separate pods and talking. They do not get to see each other until they are engaged. This lets them get to know each other without looks or physical attraction becoming a factor.

Maybe more single people need to start doing something similar. I can’t think of a better excuse for really getting to know someone before you date in person—or have sex—than government mandated self-isolation.

Will romance, and dating go old school in the age of coronavirus?

Thankfully nowadays, virus or no, it’s easy to connect with new people online. But instead of meeting up in bars and coffee shops and restaurants, I suggest we go back to talking for hours on our phones. And bringing back the long-lost art of writing heartfelt love letters.

Remember back when it became normal to ask if you’re potential sexual partners had been tested for STDs (Okay, maybe you’re not as old as I am, but this started as a result of the AIDS epidemic). Will we now ask potential romantic partners to show us two negative coronavirus tests in seventy-two hours before we’re willing to even sit in the same room? Let alone sit across the table from them and share a meal or drink?

Let’s not forget about good old-fashioned phone sex. Only nowadays you could be having more FaceTime and Skype sex, too. It would be a perfect opportunity to explore mutual masturbation, sex toys, dress up, and role-playing.

At least that way you’d know what kind of sexual partner(s) you were getting before you hopped into bed with them. This alone could greatly reduce the number of date rapes, and the amount of plain old bad sex being had the world.

We must find ways to connect with others (even strangers) during this pandemic.

We’re only at the start of this coronavirus pandemic in many countries. It could be weeks or months before our lives return to even a remote semblance of normal. Maybe longer. Some experts believe that even if the virus dissipates a bit over the summer, it could come back with a vengeance in the fall.

Coronavirus or no, folks still want to date and get together. And a lot of people, especially people who live alone, could really suffer from social isolation. Maybe we can use dating apps (and/or social media) to reach out and invite people to get together online, on the phone, or via video chat.

Earlier today, my sister and I met via phone and queued up the same yoga video. Then we called and discussed the video and our experience after. I’m also planning a “tea and FaceTime” with one of my friends. Why not “meet” online for coffee, drinks, or dinner? Maybe we’ll discover it’s a better way of dating.

During the coronavirus pandemic, can we take drinks, dinner, and sex online? I’d love to know your thoughts.

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HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAYS TO JUST FRIENDS AND NEVER YOU

My Steamy, Contemporary Ski Romance Just Friends Turns Three Today, and Never You Turns Two!

It’s my first book’s third birthday, and my third book’s second birthday. WOOOOHOOOO! Such cute little things, filled with deep, cold powder and hot, steamy sex.

I can’t believe it’s been three years already since Just Friends came out. So much has happened since I stumbled into this wonderful career: awards, reviews that touched my heart, a core group of writing friends who make my life, career, and work better.

It’s funny because when I started writing my very first romance (Which was not Just Friends. It was another novel that I rewrote four times before throwing it in the garbage.), I never thought it would be a career path. I was just trying to entertain myself.

I had blown out my shoulder and couldn’t bike or ski or kayak or dance, or do any of the fun things my husband and I normally did on the weekends. One day, an idea for a romance novel struck, and I started writing.

Then I realized how much I liked it. And that I would much rather be writing romance novels then marketing copy and non-fiction — which is what I’d been doing for the 15 years prior.

How did I go from writing a romance novel for fun to publishing my first steamy, ski romance novella?

Just Friends started out as sub-8000-word short story I wrote in response to a call for submissions for an anthology by the Romance Writers America. I didn’t think it would get published, since they needed eighteen stories and had a few thousand submissions. But it gave me a reason to try writing short stories, and a deadline (I do love a good deadline.).

A little more than a year later, I found out my short story was not chosen for the anthology. Rereading it, I realized I could make it much better—especially without the word count restriction. So, I did.

At that point, it was still more an exercise in learning to write fiction than writing a story with an eye towards publication. Then, at a writer’s conference, I discovered a publisher interested in stories as short as 10,000 words. So, I pitched it, the editor expressed an interest, and I submitted.

I’d hoped for a custom rejection letter with some great feedback to help me improve my writing skills. Instead, I got offered a publishing contract.

What an amazing moment! Major validation that my writing was good enough, and my stories something people might actually want to read. Plus, I was about to be a published author!!

And the Emerald Mountain ski romance series was born.

It didn’t take me long to realize that having one short novella, digitally published, did not a career make. So, I wrote the next two, longer novellas in the Emerald Mountain ski romance series.

Where Just Friends was a friends-to-lovers story with tons of sexual tension, In Deep reunited two lovers in the high-stakes world of ski patrol. And Never You stuck a wounded, prickly heroine with an too-sexy-for-his-own-good, smartass chef in a backcountry ski hut for a classic enemies-to-lovers tale.

These gave me a chance to explore different themes, and tropes, and personalities. And further hone my craft. But if it hadn’t been for that one little short story, I would not have three novellas and a boxed set published. And I certainly would not have just landed an agent.

I have no idea where my career will go from here, but I’m excited for what the future might hold. And I have my first book baby to thank.

Happy Book Birthday, Just Friends and Never You!

Check out all my books here.

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STACY GOLD SIGNS WITH THE SEYMOUR AGENCY

Literary Agent Lesley Sabga

Okay, time for the sharing of big career news…

(*Takes deep breath and screams*)

I HAVE A LITERARY AGENT!!!

(*Dances wildly around office*)

As of today, I am officially repped by the amazing Lesley Sabga with The Seymour Agency.

It’s hard to even explain how honored and thrilled and excited I am about this new partnership. Finding someone who understands and is passionate about my work, and has the ability to take my career to the next level, makes all the years of work worth it.

When I started writing romance, I thought I’d submit some work to larger independent publishers on my own, and self-publish the rest. But one thing I learned owning a marketing firm for almost 15 years is, going it alone is hard. Really hard.

The other is, I don’t want to be a full-time publisher and marketer. I want to spend more of my time writing compulsively readable love stories packed with adventure and romance and orgasms and happily-ever-afters-and-for-nows.

Now, I can. Because I’ll have Ms. Sabga, and a whole team of people at The Seymour Agency behind her, helping get those stories out into the world.

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