Merrillee Whren's Blog, page 3

March Comes in Like a Lamb

Today is March 1. Since I was a kid, I’ve always heard that if March weather comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion. Today our weather is very lamb-like. The sky is clear and the sun is shining bright. We will have temperatures in the eighties, which is about fifteen degrees above normal. We’ve had odd weather in the past few months. Parts of December and much of January were well below normal. Then we jumped right to above normal temperatures without a pause. I like warm weather, and I shouldn’t complain, but I was looking forward to some temperatures in the seventies. We just skipped right over those.

How did March arrive in your part of the world? Lion or Lamb?

 

National Wear Red Day

Women’s heart health is an important subject for me since my family history is filled with cardiovascular disease. I’ve talked about this before on my blog. Today is National Wear Red Day. It is an effort to make women aware of heart health issues and warning signs of cardiovascular disease, which kills more women than breast cancer.

I’ll be playing tennis today in a match for the team I belong to, and I’ll be wearing something red while I play. The heroine of my upcoming book, FALLING FOR THE MILLIONAIRE, is dressed in red for the occasion. The book will be available on March 22, 2016. You may want to check out the warning signs for heart attacks or strokes on the the Go Red for Women website. Knowing these warning signs could save your life. Be proactive and learn the warning signs and make an effort to live a healthier life.

Are you wearing red today?

Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the photo below, we’re waiting for the guests to arrive. The table is set, even the kids table in the background.

Now the guests have gone. The leftovers are in the fridge. I’ll have pumpkin pie for breakfast in the morning.

I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving and remembered the many things we can be thankful for.

Merrillee

Flawed Characters

It has been awhile since I’ve posted here. I’ve been busy writing and blogging with my group blogs, Inspy Romance, Craftie Ladies of Romance and Sweet Romance Reads. I like to blog about things that interest me.

Recently, I’ve been watching a TV show that my husband introduced me to. We’ve been watching it on Netflix. We are in the middle of the second season. The show is called Arrow and is based on characters from DC Comics. Here is a trailer for the beginnings of seasons 1, 2, and 3.

My older daughter was surprised that I liked the show, and sometimes I wonder why I like it myself. I’m not usually into such flawed heroes. I like my heroes to have a few flaws, but this hero tends to be a little dark from time to time, but he is fascinating. The show keeps me on the edge of my seat.

Do you like to cheer for heroes who aren’t always the best kind of people?

What do you like to read about in the blogs you visit?

Milk Chocolate! Yum!

These days everyone is talking up dark chocolate. Although I do like dark chocolate, I have to admit that my favorite chocolate is milk chocolate. Today is National Milk Chocolate Day. So let’s celebrate. I have just returned from New York City and the Romance Writers of America Conference. The Hershey’s Chocolate store is located about a block away from the Marriott Marquis Times Square where we stayed.

Four years ago when the conference was in NYC, I stopped at the Hershey’s store and bought this glass as a souvenir.

The Hershey Milk Chocolate with Almonds in the glass is what I bought this year when I went to the store. I know I could buy that candy bar at home, but there was something special about buying it at the Hershey’s store. I also bought Heath bars. So good. They are all gone.

While we are talking about milk chocolate, I want to show you my chocolate RITA that I got at the RWA Awards Ceremony. It is a little misshapen because it had to travel cross country in my backpack. Now it sits on my desk as an inspiration. I would love to win a RITA someday. For a romance writer, it is the equivalent of an Oscar. I won’t be eating this milk chocolate. I will leave it wrapped in that gold foil.

What is your favorite kind of chocolate?

Happy Fourth of July

The Triple Crown

Today I’m going to share a little bit of history. I subscribe to the History Channel’s daily email. It gives a rundown of numerous historical events that have happened on a certain day throughout history. On June 9, 1973, Secretariat won the Triple Crown. Click the link to read about it.

This past weekend, American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes and in doing so became the first Triple Crown winner in thirty-seven years. There were twenty-five years between Citation and Secretariat. Growing up I loved horses. I saw them on my grandparents farm in South Dakota and my neighbor’s mini-ranch in Montana. I fell in love with horse racing after my mother read Old Bones the Wonder Horse to me. I still have the book by Mildred Mastin Pace. It’s the story of Exterminator, the 1918 winner of the Kentucky Derby. Click on the link, and you will see a photo of him and his buddy Peanuts. You will understand why he had the nickname, Old Bones.

Check out this old video of the 1918 Kentucky Derby. 

Did you watch the Belmont Stakes and see American Pharoah win the Triple Crown this past Saturday?

Excerpt from A Love to Call Mine

Now that I have finished the books in my Love Inspired contract, I’m working on an indie book I hope to publish sometime in the fall. Writing this book has been slow going because I’ve been working on it in between writing the three books in my Village of Hope series. However, I do have a cover for the book.

Today I’m going to post a snippet from the book. Here it is.

      After Heather pulled away from the traffic light, they rode in silence to the grocery. She brought the car to a stop in the nearly empty parking lot, then glanced at him. “I’ll only be a few minutes.”
      “Hey, could you get me a carton of eggs? I’ll pay you back.”
      “Sure.”
      “Thanks.” Max leaned his head back and closed his eyes as the car door slammed shut. Somehow he had to get the courage to ask for forgiveness for his behavior. Would Heather accept his apology?
      The click of the car door startled Max as he blinked against the car’s dome light. He must have fallen asleep in the short time that Heather was in the store. “Here’s some money.”
      Heather glanced down at the bills he had shoved into her hand. “That’s too much.”
      “That’s okay.” Max waved a hand at her.
      “If you insist.”
      “I do.”
      Heather started the car. “Did you get some sleep?”
      Max chuckled. “Guess you caught me napping.”
      “It’s a good thing that I’m taking you home. No telling what would have happened to you if you’d taken a cab.” She gave him a pointed look.
      “Thanks to you I don’t have to worry about it.” Max closed his eyes again. He hadn’t meant for his comment to come out in such sarcastic tones. “You can dump me beside the road if you want.”
      “Now why would I want to do that?” Heather drove onto the road.
      “Because I don’t deserve your help.”
      “And why do you say that?”
      Max opened his eyes and looked at her in the moonlight coming in through the windshield. “I haven’t been much of a friend, patient or Christian in the way I’ve treated you.”
      “Are you trying to say you’re sorry for last night?”
      “Yeah. I am.”
      “But will it mean a change in your behavior in the future?” Heather gave him a sideways glance before she returned her attention to the road.
      What did she mean by that? Did she not believe he was sincere? Did he dare ask? “I hope so. Are you still planning to resign as my nurse?”
      Nodding, she pressed her lips together in a firm line. She let out a heavy sigh. “You aren’t going to change my mind by saying you’re sorry. You run hot and cold, Max. You say you’re sorry, but then you do the same old stuff over and over again. I saw the pattern with Brittany too many times, and I got a taste of it last night.”

Heather and Max have been at odds since they were minor characters in my book, MONTANA MATCH. Now they have their own story. Heather’s the one who told her friend Brittany to break up with Max. What will change Heather’s mind about him?

World IBD Day

Today is World IBD Day. You might ask what that is. It’s a day to bring attention to the five millions people worldwide who suffer from Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. These conditions are know as inflammatory bowel disease or IBD.

You may wonder why I’m talking about these diseases. I have a very good reason. My older daughter suffers from Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s patients have many symptoms in common, but each one may have symptoms that are unique to them. My daughter is one of the twenty-five percent of Crohn’s patients who suffers from joint pain. You can read about Crohn’s disease and colitis by visiting the CCFA website.

Thankfully, my daughter has the combination of right medications to make her life as normal as possible. We are grateful for this, but we would also like to see a cure for this disease. The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation is working hard to find one.

In one of my older books, HOMETOWN DAD, the hero suffers from Crohn’s disease. I wrote this story to bring attention to Crohn’s disease. This is the third book in the Kellerville series.

Double Trouble
A pair of rowdy boys would be exhausting for two parents—little wonder single mom Melanie Drake feels overwhelmed. Her sons are her world, but she knows she needs a helping hand to keep them in line. Enter Nathan Keller—respected banker, descendant of the town’s father…and baseball coach. Melanie knows he’s out of her league, but as her sons learn to love Coach Nathan, Melanie starts falling for him, too. With the whole town rooting for happily ever after, it won’t be long before this hometown dad joins their family for good.
Kellerville:
Finding family, community and love in one small town

 

Do you or anyone in your family suffer from a disease?