Keli Gwyn's Blog, page 16

Book Reviewers Rock

Do you enjoy reading book reviews? I sure do.

I share the many reasons I think book reviewers rock in a guest post over at Christian Bookshelf Reviews, where blogger, avid reader, and book reviewer Melanie is celebrating her two-year Blogoversary.

Stop by to join in the fun.

Peruse the vibrant comment trail to see what readers look for in book reviews.

You can also enter Melanie’s drawing for a copy of my debut novel,

A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California.

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Published on February 11, 2013 23:01

One Week Until Valentine’s Day!

OK. I’ll admit it. After all, it’s no surprise. I’m a hopeless romantic.

How about you?

If so, I’m guessing Valentine’s Day is one of your favorite holidays.

As you look forward to the day devoted to love,

what are you hoping your special someone will give you?

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A bouquet of flowers or a potted plant?

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Lots and lots of chocolate?

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A cute, cuddly stuffed animal. . .or two?

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How about all three?

Or perhaps you’d like something entirely different.

If you could choose your gift, what would it be?

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Gwynly’s not giving me any of these,

but I will be getting something very special.

What it it?

I’m not gonna tell ya just yet.

You’ll have to check back on Valentine’s Day to find out.

❤❤❤

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Published on February 07, 2013 09:30

Stepping Up My Reading Time

Are you eager to find ways to increase your reading time?

I was. The answer is multi-tasking.

Thanks to a suggestion from author and agent mate Katie Ganshert, I learned that it’s possible to walk and read at the same time.

I was afraid to try reading while walking because I might look foolish–or crash into something–but the desire to devour more pages per day overcame my fears. I donned my walking shoes, pushed up my shades, and hit the trail with book in hand.

To my delight, I’ve discovered that I can read roughly one chapter per mile. Since I walk three miles most days and read on four of them, I get in a dozen more chapters per week than I used to.

While I was concerned some people might think me odd for reading while walking, no one’s said anything along those lines. The only comment’s I’ve received are compliments from people who think it’s a great idea. I’m quick to add that I wouldn’t attempt my feat on a city street. The trail is paved, smooth, and free of motorized vehicles, making it safer than the alternatives. I keep the center stripe and edge of the trail in my peripheral vision, and I’m fine.

Finding hidden reading time is rewarding. I’ve long been a bathtub reader. Now that I’ve added my reading time on the trail, I’m wondering what other ways I could squeeze in reading time by combining tasks.

❤❤❤

Have you ever considered combining walking and reading?

What activities do you combine with reading?

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Published on February 04, 2013 23:01

Red-hot Romance

Got your attention with that title, didn’t I?

I got Gwynly’s attention recently, too, but not in the way I’d intended.

Earlier this month I embarked on a new adventure. I’ve been a member of Curves for over a year, but I was unaware of the diet plan they offer until they promoted it as a New Year’s special.

Some of you know I’ve often referred to myself as a lousy cook. When I heard about Curves Complete, a bell went off. OK, so it sounded more like a kitchen timer, but that’s appropriate given the fact that I decided to sign up for the plan, necessitating that I spend more time in a room I used to avoid.

Those of you who’ve met me might wonder why I was interested in a diet plan. What you don’t know is that when I turned forty, I packed on the weight. Yup. Middle-age spread had claimed another victim. I spent two l-o-n-g years taking those pesky pounds off. Not fun.

This time around, it’s not about the weight loss, although I have lost three pounds of that hard-to-combat belly fat in three weeks. Not too shabby, huh?

My goal is learning to eat right. I’d been exercising, but I knew all that junk I was putting in my body wasn’t good for me. I finally admitted I wasn’t so much a lousy cook as I was a lazy cook. I’d used my flimsy excuse as a way to avoid learning how to prepare nutritious, delicious meals.

No more.

Getting exercise was the first step I took in combating my osteoporosis, but I need to build strong muscles in order to support my little, brittle bones. That means putting the right kind of food in my body.

Each week I create a meal plan suited to my needs. The recipes are awesome. I’ve fixed so many great meals the past three weeks that Gwynly is grinning.

But back to my story. . .

One night, I set out to prepare chicken with lemon-garlic pasta. I was surprised to see that the recipe called for red pepper flakes to be added to the pasta dish. Since I really didn’t know much about cooking, I’ve been faithfully following the recipes. In went the red pepper.

Gwynly and I sat down to eat, both anticipating another delicious meal. He started in on the chicken, but I went right for the pasta. Why? Because I love pasta as much as Garfield loves his lasagne.

Was I ever in for a surprise.

The pasta was hot. Spicy hot. And how. As a long-time Taco Bell addict, I’m a fan of food with zing, but this dish set my mouth on fire. It was grab-the-glass-of-water-quick time.

I mentioned to Gwynly that I wasn’t sure he’d like the pasta dish, since it was on the hot side. Being the supportive husband he is, he said he was game.

Since I’m committed to following the diet to the letter, I ate my full portion. Let me tell you, my taste buds were seriously singed.

Afterward, I consulted the recipe. The others I’d used had resulted in awesome meals, so I found this fiery fiasco surprising.

Um, well, the mistake wasn’t in the recipe. It was the cook’s. I’d read the recipe wrong and mistakenly added one teaspoon of red pepper flakes per serving instead of the one-eighth teaspoon it called for. Eight times as much.

Oops.

Now Gwynly isn’t a fan of spicy food. I’ve spent twenty-five years trying to convince him how great Taco Bell’s fare is, but he’s not buying it. He’ll eat the tacos I fix, but the amount of mild sauce he puts on them wouldn’t begin to satisfy me.

But what did my guy do when facing that plate of pasta? He ate it. An entire portion. I told him he didn’t have to, but in his effort to encourage me, he choked it down.

I was reminded of a newlywed husband eager to please his clueless-in-the-kitchen bride. Gwynly and I are by no means newlyweds, having celebrated our twenty-fifth anniversary this past December. But the romance is still alive. And sometimes it’s red-hot!

❤❤❤

Do you enjoy cooking?

What is one of your most memorable meal fails?

How does your special someone deal with your culinary catastrophes?

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Published on January 31, 2013 07:58

Repackaging Means Real Savings

Do you enjoy a great deal? I sure do.

We can take advantages of low prices when publishers repackage older books.

I have a 3-in-1 set of stories from Tamara Alexander I got for a song. Many other authors’ titles have been repackaged as well. When these are collections of full-length books, it makes them real bargains.

It’s easy to find such compilations on the Christianbook site, since they often feature them in special ads. Or you can search 3-in-1 or 2-in-1.

I learned recently that Barbour is repackaging several of the Bride/Wedding books in their Destination Romances line. The books originally retailed for $12.99 each. The package price is just $9.99 for two, making them a real deal.

Here are four of the upcoming titles:

Great Plains Brides includes two historical romances:

A Bride’s Sweet Surprise in Sauers, Indiana by Ramona Cecil

and

A Bride’s Portrait of Dodge City, Kansas by Erica Vetsch.

Release Date: July 1, 2013

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Waterfront Weddings includes two contemporary romances:

A Wedding to Remember in Charleston, South Carolina by Annalisa Daughety

and

A Wedding Transpires on Mackinac Island by Cara Putman.

Release Date: August 1, 2013

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Golden State Brides includes two historical romances:

A Bride Opens Shop in El Dorado, California by Keli Gwyn

and

A Bride Sews with Love in Needles, California by Erica Vetsch.

Release Date: September 1, 2013.

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Heartland Weddings includes two contemporary romances:

A Wedding Song in Lexington, Kentucky by Jennifer Johnson

and

A Wedding Homerun in Loveland, Ohio by Cathy Liggett.

Release Date: October 1, 2013

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Questions for You

Are you a fan of repackaged bargain books?

What great deals have you gotten on a 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 set?

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Note: I apologize for dropping off the radar recently. An extended family member was hospitalized unexpectedly, and I was a bit preoccupied. All’s well now.

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Published on January 29, 2013 07:41

Real-life Romance with Lindsay Harrel: Special Serenade

I’m delighted to have Lindsay Harrel as my guest today. She’s a talented writer, an awesome singer, and a very nice person. When I heard about her husband’s musical gifts during two milestone events in her life, I asked her to share them. Enjoy this heartwarming story of real-life love from Lindsay. . .

I’m a singer, and I always imagined marrying someone musically inclined.

And it happened.

You see, my husband Mike plays the clarinet. He’s so good he got a college scholarship for it and got to play with the Phoenix Symphony when he was a sophomore in high school.

But he never sang in public. Except, of course, in church.

I’d sit next to him while we were dating, and sometimes, I’d just close my eyes and listen to this man—who I was growing to love—worship God. I really liked his baritone/bass voice, but when I told him that, I think he was embarrassed, because he didn’t think he was much good.

Fast forward to the night he proposed.

It was a beautiful July evening. Full moon. Cloudless. Warm. He took me for a “walk” and we ended up on a little wooden bridge on the edge of a golf course. No one around. He’d decorated the bridge with candles and roses.

I wasn’t necessarily shocked he was proposing, but I was shocked at how he did it.

He got down on one knee and sang “All I Ask of You” from Phantom of the Opera, one of my favorites.

Yeah, I was a mess of tears. Just to hear a man declaring his love for me in such a way, when he knew I cherished singing and that song in particular—that was one of the most romantic things he could have done.

But that wasn’t the end of his serenade.

Fast forward again, this time to our wedding. The whole day had been beautiful—beautiful ceremony (where I walked down the aisle to a violin and piano rendition of “All I Ask of You”), beautiful first dance, beautiful toasts, and lots of fun dancing.

The reception was nearing an end, and suddenly, Mike pulled me onto the dance floor and plopped me into a chair. A friend of ours had his guitar, and Mike sat opposite me.

And he started to sing, this time a song by Steven Curtis Chapman I’d never heard—“We Will Dance.”

Go listen to it and you’ll get a glimpse at how incredibly romantic my husband was to sing it to me.

But the most romantic thing about it all?

He didn’t consider himself a singer. He didn’t think he was good.

But there, in front of 150 people, he sang to me anyway.

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Lindsay’s Questions for You

Have you ever been serenaded?

Do you and your special someone have a special song?

If you aren’t married, what is one of the most romantic songs, in your opinion?

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A Little More About Lindsay

Since the age of six, when she wrote the riveting tale “How to Eat Mud Pie,” Lindsay Harrel has passionately engaged the written word as a reader, writer, and editor. Lindsay lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband of six years and two golden retriever puppies in serious need of training.

Visit Lindsay’s blog, “like” her Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter

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Lindsay’s Published Anthology Piece

Falling in Love with You

41 Real Love Stories Guaranteed for a Smile

Where did you first meet the person you fell in love with? The person with whom you could be totally you? Or do you still dream of that magical moment, when you know you’re in head-over-heels, dancing-in-the-rain kind of love?

Fall in love again…or for the first time…with 41 of the sweetest real-life love stories collected from across the globe. They’re guaranteed to make you smile.

Lindsay’s story tells more about how she and Mike dated and fell in love—that is, when friendship wasn’t enough.

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Win a Copy of Falling in Love with You!

To enter the drawing, leave a comment by Wednesday, January 16, answering one of Lindsay’s questions above. Be sure to leave your email address when prompted so I can contact you if you win.

I’ll post the winner’s name here and in a comment.

No purchase necessary.

Offer void where prohibited.

Odds of winning vary due to number of entrants.

Prizes will be mailed to U.S. or Canadian addresses only.