Sheila Seabrook's Blog, page 13

Gratitude Wednesday

I’m over at the Women Unplugged blog site today sharing a few things I’m grateful for.

With the events of last week still fresh in my mind, and the Seabrook Christmas preparations in full swing, I decided to take a moment to voice my gratitude. Click here to read my list.

From my house to yours, may your holidays be filled with laughter and joy.

Christmas on the Run by Louise Behiel

It’s another Bandit Creek book today, a romantic suspense titled CHRISTMAS ON THE RUN by Louise Behiel.

Louise has always loved to read and you’ll never catch her without a book at hand.  When she read Scarlett, the sequel to Gone With the Wind, she got hooked on the happily-ever-after endings. Louise came to writing while at an impasse for her Master’s degree.  During this time, a sneaky little voice spoke up and said “You’ve read all those books, why don’t you write one?” So she did. And then she wrote another and another…

When Ramon Ramirez is found not guilty of first degree murder, Adelina Ramirez grabs their six year old daughter and leaves Atlanta, determined to keep him from taking Sadie to Brazil and keeping her there.

A bad snow storm on an almost-deserted road in Montana forces Lina to stay in Bandit Creek for Christmas. New friend Todd Black is bound to help the quiet woman and her child.  He knows there’s more to her story than she’s saying, but it’s none of his business.

In the midst of Christmas preparations and a record snow storm, Ramon tracks her down. He doesn’t care about Lina but he wants his daughter and he’s going to take her.

With Todd at her side, Lina is forced to confront her worst fears. Together, they will face Ramon and forge a new future – a gift from her Christmas on the Run.

Read the Carla Roma interview, an excerpt from CHRISTMAS ON THE RUN and buy the book at Amazon.

On January 1, 2013, check back for the final Bandit Creek book. There’s something at Bandit Creek for everybody!

Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, sign up for emails updates from this blog through the Subscribe link on the right sidebar.

A Season For Love

Last Saturday night, I started out the holiday season by dragging my Better Half to a local Christmas concert. We listened to a men’s church choir, women playing Christmas bells, and two teenage girls who played violin and sang beautifully. Since I was raised with a mixture of classical music, church hymns, and rock and roll, the entire evening was a joy.

The following morning, I popped over to Chrissy Olinger‘s blog to read her latest post Hard Candy Christmas. Okay, if nothing else, just go over there to see the adorable picture of her puppy. Trust me, you’ll love it.

Chrissy’s post reminded me that for some, the holiday season is difficult. My Better Half has a love/hate relationship with the season. There are a multitude of reasons why, none of which I’ll go into here, but we have adapted our celebration so we can both enjoy the holiday.

So whether you love or hate the holidays, remember that there are those who feel different than you do. Respect their individuality and be kind to each other. This is, after all, a season for love.

A Survival Guide to Menopause

Years ago, one of my former co-workers decided it was time to tell her teenage children about menopause. She sat them down and when she was done telling them about the mood swings and weight gain and irritability and sugar cravings, her seventeen-year-old son asked, “Should we hide the knives now?”

At the time, I thought this was hilarious. But deep down inside, I was terrified. My own mother had been irritable to the point of insanity … although in hindsight, it may have been the three teenage children living under her roof that were driving her nuts.

So I tried to prepare my husband for the inevitable. Mostly I told him, “When it’s that time, just lock me in a padded cell.”

Fortunately we have resources today that we didn’t have back in the day when my mom went through menopause. Like the internet, where we can talk about our problems with people who are going through the same thing. Like naturopaths and health food stores and a host of other remedies designed to fit the individual user’s needs.

Thanks to years of preparation for The Big Moment, I find I’m sailing through these years without a padded cell in sight. Sure, there’s the odd sleepless night, the occasional moment of teeth-baring confrontation, and the daily hot flashes. But for me, the most outstanding menopausal side effect has been the lack of creativity. Pulling story ideas and words from my brain is akin to building a space shuttle, an impossible task for one as mechanically challenged as I am.

But it’s getting better. And now the awesome PJ Sharon (Young Adult author of Wanning Moon, Book 1 in her latest series), has written a wonderful post on menopause. Whether you’re a reader, a writer, or just someone who’s looking for help on dealing with this tricky time of life, check out PJ’s Survival Guide to Menopause.

Make sure you read through the comments for more helpful suggestions. I’ve found a few tips to help me get back my writing mo-jo.

And remember to follow PJ’s advice to do your own research and to see a doctor to discuss your options.

Enjoy!

Up the Creek Without a Saddle by Sandy Kelly

I’ve just finished the rewrites on The Valentine Grinch and now the revised and expanded novella is out to my beta readers. While I’m waiting for their comments, I’ve resumed work on my romantic comedy. It’s gone through so many title changes, I’m just going to refer to it as WIP.

So while I’m waiting to reveal more news on the WIP, let me tell you about the next — and third last — Bandit Creek novella, UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A SADDLE by Sandy Kelly, a contemporary romance.

Sandy studied journalism and began her writing career as a reporter nearly 25 years ago, then turned her attention to public relations. In her free time, when she’s not working on her latest piece of fiction, she’s reading, doing yoga, or hanging out with her teenage daughter and their dogs, cats and other assorted animals.

It was a series of misunderstandings that lead Lily to this place of deceit. She thought she was all by herself when she gave in to a temper tantrum in the middle of a field of cattle near Bandit Creek, Montana. By the time she overcame the shock of finding an insanely handsome man was watching her, she found herself lying without ever intending to.

Now this kind man had come to believe she was poor and in desperate need of help, when in reality she could easily purchase the entire town of Bandit Creek with the money readily available in her chequing account. It was her family’s enormous wealth that had prompted Lily to head out west in the first place, to take some time away and decide if she really wanted to take her place in the corporation like everyone expected. Leaving all signs of her wealth behind her, Lily was doing just fine… until she stumbled into Jayce.

Not only were his disarming looks leaving Lily to blush like a schoolgirl, she quickly realized her family’s great fortune came at a cost to farm families just like his. And now she found herself creating an entire fabrication so that he wouldn’t discover she was actually his enemy. But it became more and more pressing to tell Jayce the truth, if Lily wanted the chance to get to know him better. Bracing herself, Lily finally came clean with the truth of her background. But she was unprepared for the long-held secret that Jayce had of his own.

Read the Carla Roma interview, an excerpt from UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A SADDLE and buy the book at Amazon.

On the first and fifteenth of the month, check back for more new Bandit Creek books. There’s something at Bandit Creek for everybody!

Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, sign up for emails updates from this blog through the Subscribe link on the right sidebar.

For The Love of Reading – Repost

Today I’m over at the Women Unplugged blog and it’s the anniversary of my dad’s passing into the great unknown. It’s been three years since he left us, so in honor of his memory, I’m reposting one of the first blog posts I wrote.

~~~

I inherited my nose from my dad. I also inherited his calves, his easy going personality and his love of reading. He died in 2009 but my all time favourite picture of him shows him sitting on the beach in a lawn chair, a book in his hands with the sun shining down on his head.

To read the rest of this post, click here.

The Beach Book Blast Bloghop & New Releases!

The WG2E street team is at it again with another terrific Beach Book Blast bloghop to celebrate nine new releases. Pop by the main site to find out how you can win some great prizes. This bloghop is only running for two days — November 25 & 26 — so head over there today for some fun.

The Valentine Grinch Cover Reveal!

Last year I wrote a short story for the WG2E All-For-Indies Anthologies: Viva La Valentine Edition, a series which was initiated by the incomparable D.D. Scott. Since then, I’ve expanded the story into a novella.

The Valentine Grinch will be the first novella in my new Home for the Holidays series. I’m excited about this series because each book will contain two of my favorite things … family and weddings.

Hearts, cupids, and diamond rings … bah humbug!

Amanda Goodwin inherited her Valentine grinchness from her Grandpa George, so when she returns home for her Grandma Elvira’s Valentine’s Day wedding, it’s bah humbug all the way. Until, that is, she encounters her grandpa’s ghost.

Fortunately, she’s not in this alone.

Long time friend, Dane Weatherby, totally gets her grinchly attitude. Between Grandpa’s demands for her to stop the wedding, Grandma’s inability to let go of her dearly departed husband’s urn, and Amanda’s parents acting friskier than a couple of newlyweds, she’s ready to give in to her grinchness and head back to the city.

Only true love can stop Amanda. And if Dane has his way, he just might convince her to say I do instead of bah humbug.

My cover designer, Kim Killion of Hot Damn Designs nailed the cover and I’m totally over the moon with joy.

If you haven’t had a chance to read the short story, then you’ll definitely want to check out the novella. Stay tuned for the upcoming release date.

Thief of Hearts by Vivien Harben

I’m bogged down in the middle of my work-in-progress, where the writing is always the most difficult. So while I resist the urge to drown my sorrows in one of those boxes of Christmas chocolates already filling the shelves, it’s time for another Bandit Creek book. Number 30 in the series is a contemporary romance titled THIEF OF HEARTS by Vivien Harben.

Vivien’s fascination with books stems back to the days when her parents read her and her older sister stories before bedtime. At age 4, her grandma came for a visit, told Vivien stories of a family of bears, and she was hooked. Since then, she’s been writing about magical places and things. Vivien graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. It was during this time that she found and fell in love with Romance novels. Her study breaks, of course, were consumed with these amazing pieces of writing and she devoured as many as she could.

Here’s a sneak peek at THIEF OF HEARTS.

Trying desperately to escape an abusive husband, Melissa Stacey drives until she reaches the town of Bandit Creek. She doesn’t know why she has stopped here, but as she sits looking at Lost Lake, she realizes that she too is lost. She has no family, no friends and no hope of ever escaping her cruel husband. Her hopelessness drives her to make a rash decision.

After being warned by Bandit Creek’s town drunk/prophet, depending on who you spoke to, Gabriel Waters rushed to save her. He didn’t know who she was but Old Jack told him he had to hurry or he’d be too late. He arrives at the shores of Lost Lake in time to see a woman disappear below the surface.

What happens next is a story of how two people, brought together by tragedy and fear, can find each other and solace in the discovery of true love. Love that can be found everywhere, even in Bandit Creek. After all everything happens in Bandit Creek.

Read the Carla Roma interview, an excerpt from THIEF OF HEARTS and buy the book at Amazon.

On the first and fifteenth of the month, check back for more new Bandit Creek books. There’s something at Bandit Creek for everybody!

Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, sign up for emails updates from this blog through the Subscribe link on the right sidebar.

Banana Nut Bread

I’m over at the Women Unplugged blog today, sharing my Banana Nut Bread recipe.

My guys love bananas. I however do not. I have a vivid memory of eating a banana as a young girl but near as I can figure, I had sunstroke and the end result wasn’t pretty – or discussion for a food post. To this day, I can’t stand the smell of bananas. Whenever any of my guys eat them, they’re not allowed near me with their banana breath.

This recipe started out as a labor of love but turned into a healthy favorite family snack.

To read more of this post, head over to the Women Unplugged site.