Melanie D. Snitker's Blog, page 26

Guest: A Dream for Love by Lisa Belcastro - New Release, Review, and Giveaway!

A single mother with a secret past. A Hollywood star who's life is anything but hidden. Will the past deprive them of a future? Or will they dare to dream a dream for love? Author Lisa Belcastro's new novel, A Dream for Love , is available today! 

"Sold!"

When the gavel hit the wooden block at the Possible Dreams Auction, Laurel Simmons sat in stunned silence. Her sister had lost her mind, purchasing a week's vacation stay for two at actor Ryan Crandall's beach house on Martha's Vineyard. And then Tammy announced that she was giving the "dream" to Laurel as an early birthday present.

A month later, Laurel and her four-year-old daughter Gracie arrive at the luxurious house on Squibnocket Beach ready to swim, play, picnic and enjoy the peace and solitude together.

Laurel's dream vacation quickly turns into a nightmare when Hollywood bad boy Ryan Crandall shows up to escape his latest tabloid headlines. Ryan wants the woman and her child gone. Laurel wants him gone. Fate will bring them together for reasons neither one of them expected, but fate will also drive them apart.

Laurel has a past she needs to keep hidden. Her life and Gracie's depend on it. Ryan has a past, and present, that's been food for public consumption for over a decade. Will the past deprive them of a future? Or will they dare to dream a dream for love?
A Dream for Love is available now on: 
Amazon | Barnes and Noble My ReviewThis was a fun romance novel with some suspense and mystery thrown in. I immediately liked Laurel and her daughter, Gracie. Both are very real characters that I could relate to. I was excited for her dream vacation and felt it was something that Laurel was more than due for. 

Gracie, especially, kept me smiling. I have a four-year-old daughter myself and she and Gracie could have been twins. Every time I read about something Gracie did or said, I found myself nodding because that's exactly how my daughter would have reacted. Loved it! 

I enjoyed the way the author introduced Ryan and gradually worked to help the reader get to know him. She managed to remind us of his ties as an actor but didn't focus on his time on set, which I liked. 

I felt like the first couple of chapters were a touch slow, but the book was worth it. The story moved along well and I liked how the author developed the personalities and backstories of Laurel and Ryan as they get to know each other. 

While I had some suspicions as to what might be going on in Laurel's past, the author still kept me holding my breath until the end. 

If you enjoy a good romance novel with a great story line and well-developed characters, you'll be glad you read A Dream for Love. 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I was given an advanced reader's copy for my honest review of this book.
About Lisa Belcastro Lisa Belcastro lives with her family on Martha's Vineyard. She loves chocolate, gardening, outdoor activities, cooking, laughing, reading, traveling, a healthy dose of adventure, and her cat, Ben, who keeps her company while she spends hours working at the computer. 

She was inspired to write Shenandoah Nights, the first book in the Winds of Change trilogy, while chaperoning two Tisbury School summer sails with her daughter, Kayla, aboard the schooner Shenandoah. The weeklong adventure, sans electricity, Game Boys, iPods and modern conveniences, kindled her imagination to dream of an altogether different voyage.

In addition to writing Shenandoah Nights and Shenandoah Crossings, Lisa currently pens the cuisine column for Vineyard Style magazine. She has worked as a staff and freelance reporter and photographer for The Chronicle of the Horse and as assistant editor at The Blue Ridge Leader. She has written articles for USA Today, Dressage (London), USA WEEKEND Magazine, The Blue Ridge Leader and Sidelines.

When she's not at her desk, Lisa is living in paradise, volunteering at her daughter's school, serving in her church community, planting and weeding her numerous gardens, trying to run a marathon a month, or walking the beach looking for sea glass.Stay connected with Lisa
Facebook | Twitter | Website
Pinterest | InstagramHow would you like to win a digital copy of
A Dream for Love? Enter the contest below for your chance! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Morning: Ready to let it go

It's Monday morning.

How many of you are starting out with a large to-do list already? I know I sure am. Monday is the busiest day for me, personally, because it's the only day I don't normally need to go somewhere.

Now, one might think that very fact would lead to a more relaxed day. But in truth, it means I start out the week with a mental list to accomplish as much as I possibly can today because it gets harder to do so as the week goes on.

So here I am, at 7:30 on a beautiful Monday morning, already feeling behind.

That's not the way to start off a new week and that's only setting myself up for feeling flustered and stressed.

Today, I'm going to approach Monday differently. What if I think about all of the things I'm thankful for as much as I do all of the things I need to get done? What if I don't keep one eye on the time in an effort to not "fall behind" and just enjoy or do my best at the activities or chores that I do tackle?

What if I let it all go? What if I give God a chance to fill my heart and mind with the joy and peace He has for me on this Monday morning?

Today, I'm going to do just that.

If you're struggling this morning, I challenge you do do the same thing.

Come on - Let's let it all go and see where this beautiful day takes us!

Author Tips: Show, Don't Tell - Using The Emotion Thesaurus

In my quest to grow as an author, I'm constantly finding new things that help me better my craft. Sometimes they are fantastic articles online and other times they are suggestions from author friends who have been at this longer than I have.

One of the biggest challenges a lot of authors face is the ability to accurately portray their character's thoughts and emotions to the readers. This is an area of writing that I continue to strive to improve in. 

It's easy enough to use words to tell our readers what a character is doing or saying. But if we can show how a character is reacting to an emotion, the words we use become much more powerful. 

Let's take a look at some examples. Here's a case of telling the reader what the character is going through: 

Sally walked back and forth across her studio, her heart beating wildly with fear. What if the intruder found out where she was? There was a sound on the other side of the door and she jumped. Was it him? She prayed the lock would hold until help arrived. 

Sure, we know what's going on with Sally and we know that she's scared. Who wouldn't be in a situation like this?

But as writers, we can do so much better. We can wield words to help the reader feel what the character is experiencing:

Sally paced the floor of her studio, her legs weak. She shook her hands out as her heart galloped in her chest and the sound of blood rushing through her body filled her ears. She gulped back a breath as her eyes flitted from the window to the secured door. A scratching on the other side made her jump. Sally's mouth went dry and she tried to swallow past the lump that formed in her throat. What if the intruder was outside? She prayed the lock would hold until help arrived. 

Which paragraph paints a better picture? I would much rather experience a situation with the character than be told how I should react. 

As an author, showing instead of telling isn't always easy. I'm definitely getting better with practice. I've also found that there are some amazing tools out there that have made a difference in my writing.

One of those is the book The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. If you haven't taken a look at this book before, I strongly urge you to do so. 

Inside, you'll find a number of emotions listed from Anguish to Dread, from Gratitude to Love. With each emotion, the authors give a definition followed by very specific information that can be crucial to helping you describe a situation that your character is facing: 

Physical signals
Internal sensations
Mental responses
Cues of acute or long-term responses to the emotion
What the emotion might escalate to (a stronger emotion)
Cues of a suppressed emotion
A writer's tip at the end

I keep this book on my desk and I pull it out numerous times per writing session. I can't recommend it enough. I usually buy my books in digital format. My wonderful husband bought this one for me in paperback and I'm incredibly glad that he did. There's something about being able to reach for it and flip right to the emotion I need in seconds. 

If you struggle with showing rather than telling in your writing, maybe a book like this could be of use to you as well. If you're an author who has a good grasp of this skill, the book can still be a wonderful source of different responses you can have your character experience. 

Either way, The Emotion Thesaurus is a reference I think all writers can benefit from. 

What kinds of references do you find helpful during the writing process? I'd enjoy hearing from you!

Today's the Day! New Release: Finding Hope!

I'm so excited to announce that today is the day Finding Hope is finally released on Kindle and in paperback! I hope that you all enjoy reading Lexi's story. 

Crystal Walton was so kind as to let me visit her blog today and share about Finding Hope. She also read and reviewed it. Please stop by!

Franky A. Brown is hosting me on her blog today. Check it out to read an interview and more! 

If you do read Finding Hope and would like to read a review, that would be fantastic. Reviews are more than welcome on Amazon, Goodreads, and on Barnes and Noble (or all three if you have the time). 

Thank you for being such loyal readers!

Recipe: Making Homemade Cheez-Its

Today, my son and I took a break from school and made some Cheez-Its. Now, I've used this recipe before but it's been at least five years ago and I couldn't remember how it turned out. I will also state that this is NOT my recipe. I got this online somewhere and printed it. I can't find the link. So if someone knows where this recipe comes from, please let me know and I'll be more than happy to give credit to that person immediately. 

Homemade Cheez-Its:
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
4 tbsp. butter, softened and cut up
1/2 tsp. salt (or 1 tsp. if you use unsalted butter)
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tbsp. whole milk

Preheat the oven to 350'F

In a food processor (or a good blender), combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and pepper in five-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Add the milk and process until the dough forms a ball. In my case, I used a blender and I processed it for about 20 seconds and then took it out and kneaded it for a minute or two. It felt just like play-dough and it was good to go at that point. 

On a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin (mine is plastic) roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 1/16" thick. In my case, I eyeballed it and used my pizza slicer to slice the crackers into almost squares. If you want to be precise, you're welcome to use a cookie cutter. I've also read you can use a serrated fondant cutter to make it look more like the original crackers. 

I personally placed the crackers on parchment paper to bake. 

Poke holes in the middle with a toothpick if desired. You can also lightly sprinkle more salt on the top if you want to. 

Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the ends are beginning to brown.

Once I pulled the pan from the oven, I immediately removed the crackers from the parchment paper onto a dry surface to cool. If you leave them on the baking sheet to cool, you might want to remove them from the oven just a little earlier as they will darken a bit more as they cool since the cookie sheet is so hot.  Verdict: The texture of these crackers is fantastic. I find it's a bit too sharp for me personally and next time may go with mild cheddar just to see how it turns out. Our son, who is a huge Cheez-Its fan, seems to think they are a little too sharp as well. We also tend to eat very low salt, and I thought 1 tsp. of salt (we used unsalted butter) was a little too much. I will stick with unsalted butter and 1/2 tsp. salt next time. They are easy to make and the dough is wonderful to work with. I'll definitely be trying this recipe again in the future!

Autism and a Birthday Party: There was a lot to celebrate

Our son is nine-and-a-half and he has autism. Birthday parties have always been very difficult for him and that includes his own.

I remember one of his parties when he was just a little guy. Everyone started to sing the birthday song and he was grinning from ear to ear and looking at each of us in wonder. I always wished I'd taken video because of the priceless look on his face. The following year, I wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistake twice. Can you guess what happened? As soon as we burst into song, he was in tears. And yes, I did catch that one on video. :-\

Since then, we ask him whether or not he wants the birthday song at his party. Usually the answer is no. Or he'll want one of us to sing it to him before the party itself. Most of the time we all tell him "Happy Birthday!" and then he blows out the candles. 

When you go to someone else's birthday party, however, you don't have that luxury. We usually take him outside during the birthday song. Sometimes that works and other times he still cries because he wasn't there, even though it would have been much worse if he was (we've tried that, too). Many times we've had a meltdown that lasted 10-45 minutes afterwards.
We also often have to take him out of the room during gift opening. He stresses out about it and cries over it. Taking him out of the room and trying to distract him with something else is usually the best alternative.

Over the last year or so, things have been slowly getting better with each party experience. Sometimes we come away with a smile on our face over a triumph. Other times we have to search and cling to the one bright spot out of a rough experience. But there's almost always something. 

Our niece's fifth birthday party was this last Friday. As always, we discussed the day with our son in depth. We also went into it with a game plan. 

As we approached cake time, our son surprised me by coming up to me and saying, "No birthday song." There were no tears or anxiety, just a request. I told him that they were going to sing, but that he and I could go outside and look at the flowers instead. He was perfectly happy with the idea and that's just what we did. There were no tears. There was no anxiety or stress. When the song was over we went back inside and he enjoyed a piece of birthday cake. 

My husband and I were shocked. That alone was enough to make me want to do back flips. But it wasn't the only success we were going to see that evening.

He sat through the entire gift unwrapping process with his daddy. He had no trouble whatsoever. There was one toy he was particularly curious about and went to go see it, informing us that he "Was just looking." 

The triumphs didn't end there. Most of the time, when a party is over and we're headed home, we see evidence of the stress he's gone through for hours afterwards. But this time, he came away from the event perfectly happy. 

It reminded me that successes, no matter how tiny they might be, should always be celebrated because they are stepping stones. 

The birthday party was a HUGE victory for our son and I couldn't be more proud.

Meet the New Kid on the Block - Link

I introduced you all to our dojo loach, Leroy, a couple of days ago. I've done quite a bit of reading on dojo loaches and one of the articles commented on how much they like to interact with others of their own kind. We have plenty of room in our aquarium so we thought we could add a friend for him. 

This new dojo loach is about a third of the size of Leroy. We've had him about a week and for the first few days, he lived inside a rock cave. When he did venture out, as soon as we came near the aquarium, he would hide again. It was funny because we caught Leroy laying in there with him a lot as if he were trying to keep the new fish company. Whenever I approached the aquarium, Leroy would come to the surface of the water so I could pet him like usual while the new loach stayed hidden. 

Slowly, we noticed Link becoming more comfortable with all of us. Now he spends as much time in the open as Leroy and doesn't spook as easily. Only time will tell if he becomes as friendly towards us, though. 

It's interesting how two fish can have such different personalities! 

Guest Blogger: Getting to Know Author Crystal Walton

I glanced up from my book toward my husband, who was staring at me with an I-caught-you grin on his face. I lowered the book to my lap. “What?”

His grin only grew wider. “Nothing. Just watching you smile.”

I hadn’t even realized I was smiling. Should’ve known. Romance has a way of doing that. I’ll be so caught up in the story, so taken by the characters, that I become a part of it. And when the hero in the novel charms the heroine, that involuntary grin sneaks its way across my lips without my even noticing.

If you’ve read any of my books, you know I love the sweet romance thread of every story. Love to write it. Love to read it. Love to live it. And I think God intends for us to enjoy that part of a relationship. But as an author, I always want to be purposeful in not delivering a skewed depiction of romance.

One of my favorite scenes in Light Unshaken is when Emma’s brother reminds her that love isn’t a fairy tale. It’s a commitment. Oh, man. An arrow straight to my heart. It’s true, right? I mean, yeah, the butterflies are ah-mazing! Love them. But they’re definitely not the whole story.

In Part One of the series, Eyes Unveiled, Emma and Riley find faith in love. Now they have to find the courage to nurture and guard it. I approached this story, wanting to show the rawness of that journey. The brokenness we carry into a relationship. The failures we face in learning to be selfless. The courage needed to make sacrifices and the grace it takes to build a commitment that will last.

That’s love. That’s the kind of romance I want to write about. It’s the kind I want to live.

But let’s be real. That journey can get kind of messy at times. We wrestle with temptations. We make bad choices. We give in to fears. It’s not always pretty. At the same time, that’s what makes redemptive love so beautiful.

It’s the main reason I write what I do. And it’s the same reason I’m so over-the-moon excited for you to join Emma in this inspiring story about real love, costly choices, and the courage to fight for what you believe in.

Light Unshaken
Amazon | Goodreads It’s real. It has to be. Twenty-two-year-old college student Emma Matthews gained too much ground last year for it all to be a dream. She has an engagement ring on her finger to prove it. Not to mention an internship she’s made for. 

After a summer of overcoming her fears, Emma can’t afford for the news she just received to shake her. Not when it might jeopardize her future with Riley. And not when the kids in downtown Portland are counting on her to keep the center’s doors open. With the added strain of a broken relationship and an unexpected friendship reminding her what’s at stake, what other choice does she have? 

But as mounting danger compromises her safety, friction intensifies until the risk of keeping her promise threatens all she’s fought to believe. Caught in a moment when every light in her life goes out, Emma must find the courage to lead her heart no matter what it costs her.

Crystal's first book, Eyes Unveiled , is free through today. Don't miss out on the opportunity to read the first book in this series and make sure you pick up Light Unshaken as well! Crystal writes contemporary inspirational fiction fueled by venti green teas from Starbucks.  When not working her accounting day job, she's delving into the wonder of words, supporting her Starbucks habit, or laughing over movie quotes & singing eighties songs with her husband. She'd love to connect with you at http://crystal-walton.com

Finding Hope - A Sneak Peek!

Here are a few pages from the first chapter of Finding Hope . Enjoy!  Lance Davenport leaned his chair back on two legs. He surveyed the hospital cafeteria, keeping his eyes on the double doors.

He wasn’t sure of Lexi’s schedule, but he knew she was working today. Since the cafeteria always served Mexican food on Wednesdays, she’d show up for lunch sooner or later. The woman loved her tacos.

Another five minutes passed before she appeared. She strode into the room, her purple scrubs matching several others in the room. She pushed some of her short hair behind a delicate ear. Her hair was nearly black — it’d been like that since they were kids. Dark as molasses.

Lexi picked up a tray and advanced towards the taco bar. By the time she’d gotten to the register, he was waiting, holding a twenty out to the cashier.

Lexi’s brown eyes swung to his. “Lance, you’re about the last person I expected to see here.” She nodded towards his hand holding the change. “Thank you.”

Lance followed her to a table and took the chair opposite her. “Not a problem.”

“What’s up?”

He watched her take a bite of refried beans.  “Can’t a friend come by and say hello?”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

He chuckled. They may have known each other since he was in the third grade, but it was Tuck, her younger brother, who’d been Lance’s best friend. In fact, Tuck was like a brother to him. That alone had saved Lance’s sanity more times than he could count while living in a household with four sisters.

Lexi was two years older than Lance. As kids, he’d admired her. She had a heart for helping others and exuded confidence in everything she did. Throw in her ready smile, long arms, and the graceful way she moved, it was no wonder every boy in school had had a crush on her.

Lance had been no exception.

The woman had only gotten prettier over the years. Long, dark lashes framed eyes that had a knack for recognizing the needs of people around her. But it was her smile that had the power to light up a room.

“Okay, you got me. I came with a reason. Do I need to bring anything to Tuck and Laurie’s welcome home party?”

His best friend had gotten married the weekend before. The new couple were away on their honeymoon. A week at a ranch in the mountains. It was not a typical honeymoon destination, but it fit both of them well.

The Chandler family had a welcome home party planned for them Sunday evening and Lance was invited. He attended a lot of the family gatherings. Normally, he didn’t think twice about them. He was out of his element on this one, though. This was his first friend to have gotten married, and he wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be a simple pizza party. No gifts or anything special. Bring sodas if you want to.”

“I can do that.” He thought about how Lexi always chose tea over carbonated drinks. “I’ll bring a jug of iced tea, too.”

Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she smiled. “I appreciate that. Did you already eat?”

Lance’s eyes followed hers to the empty table space in front of him. “Yeah, earlier. I didn’t want to miss you.”

Her fork stalled on its way to her mouth. “How long were you waiting?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be there right at five. Can’t wait to see them. It feels like forever.”

“It sure does. I imagine even more so for you after the last couple of months. How’s your father doing?”

Lance’s thoughts drifted to Peter Davenport. A strong man who had done carpentry work all of his life, Peter had spent many hours showing Lance how to build things. After three generations, there were a lot of memories attached to his dad’s workshop.

While Peter always supported Lance’s decision to be a police officer, there had been some disappointment when he didn’t take over the family business.

And then, in moments, everything changed. His mom, Vera, had called. His dad had had a stroke.

He survived, but the weakness on one side of his body had rendered him unable to work.

Lance’s world changed that day, too. He wasn’t about to let the family business fade to a memory.

A week after his father’s stroke, Lance gave his resignation at the police department. Two weeks later, he became the new owner of Davenport Carpentry.

“Dad’s okay. Therapy is helping him a lot. He’s frustrated. He’s never been one to sit around and do nothing. It’s driving us all crazy.”

“I’ll bet. He’s lucky he has his family to support him. How’s the change to carpenter working for you?”

Lance shrugged. “I always enjoyed the work, but figured I could make more of a difference as a cop. I’m adjusting. We all are.”

Lexi tossed her napkin on the table and chuckled. “Tuck is adapting, too. The stories he tells us about his new partner. I think he misses you daily.”

His deep voice blended with her feminine one as they laughed together. “He may be afraid to tell me too much so I don’t feel guilted into going back.”

“You might be right.” With a glance at the clock, she stood. “I need to get back.”

Lance followed suit and took her tray for her. “Busy day?”

“It usually is in the ER. It’s not be-held-at-knife-point busy, but it keeps me hopping.”

He returned her bright smile as his mind raced back six months. He and Tuck were working on a case involving the woman who was now Tuck’s new bride. Laurie had been stalked by a man searching for information she’d photographed. He stabbed her, but Laurie got a shot off. Later, the man ended up at the ER needing stitches and pain medication. The man found out Lexi had called it in and held her hostage with a knife.

It’d taken every ounce of strength Lance possessed to watch Tuck go through those doors and try to talk the man down while he waited outside.

Thank God the siblings had subdued the guy before he injured Lexi.

Lance called out to her as she started to walk away. “Don’t work too hard. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

She looked over her shoulder, that dark hair caressing her jawline. “Sounds good. Thanks again for lunch.”

“Anytime.”

He watched her leave, admiring the way she carried herself. Lexi had always appeared certain of who she was and where she was going. It was one of the many things that had drawn Lance to her when they were in high school.

Tuck had known about his infatuation with Lexi, but few others did. Lance said nothing about it at the time because he knew she was leaving for college while he still had two years of high school left to complete. A part of him always regretted not putting himself out there and seeing what would have happened.

That was a long time ago and they were in very different places now.
Finding Hope  is available for pre-sale now and will be released July 1st!

Meet the Characters: Lance from Finding Hope (Love's Compass: Book 2)

Who is Lance Davenport?
We are introduced to Lance in Finding Peace . He's been best friends with Tuck Chandler since they were young. They grew up together, went through the police academy together, and served the town of Kitner as partners on the police force for years.

In my new book, Finding Hope , we discover that life has changed quickly. After his dad suffers a stroke, Lance chooses to leave his career and keep his dad's carpentry business going. 

Now, he's worried about the woman he's always had feelings for but managed to keep at arm's length. Lexi's facing cancer and the last thing he wants to do is waste more time. 

Three of Lance's Favorite Things: 
#1 - Spending time with Lexi and doing what he can to bring a smile to her face. 
#2 - Ribbing his best friend, Tuck, every chance he gets. 
#3 - Despite the difficulties he's had getting used to a change in profession, he enjoys working with wood and crafting things with his own two hands.

Three Things Lance Dislikes: 
#1 - Watching his friends go through something and feeling helpless. 
#2 - Seeing his dad struggle with the loss of his ability to do the work he's always enjoyed after suffering a stroke. 
#3 - The years he's ignored how he felt about Lexi.

When I wrote Finding Peace, I knew that I wanted to see more about Lance in the future. I hope enjoy getting to know him, too!