Christmas Parade Guest HelenKay Dimon

This lady has proven that it is hotter anywhere she chooses to write about! Welcome to our blog - HelenKay Dimon!!

I have no idea where November went...or May, for that matter. This entire year has been a big, racing blur. But it's hard to be upset about being perpetually behind or anything else right now because it's the holiday season! I love this time of year. Something about all the lights and the Christmas music playing in restaurants and bookstores puts me in a good mood.

It's also easy to be a little extra merry when I have releases out around the holidays. This year I have two – a single title, HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO, and a novella in the holiday anthology KISSING SANTA CLAUS. I remember writing the Christmas-themed novella, "It's Hotter At Christmas" at the beginning of the year. I wasn't feeling all that Christmassy then. See, it was after the holidays. The tree was down and the gifts put away. Jumping into the holiday spirit at that point was a bit tough.

Well, it would have been except that I was writing about one of my favorite places – Kauai, Hawaii. Yep, a Christmas novella based in warm and sunny Hawaii. Instead of snow and gloves I talk about fireworks over the Pacific Ocean and hiking Waimea Canyon. Not exactly what people think about when they imagine Christmas morning. But for me it worked because I love Hawaii as much as I love Christmas. My husband grew up there, my in-laws live there and my hubby proposed to me there. It's special. Writing a Christmas novella set there reminded me that the holidays are really about being with the people you love, in the place that you love. Hawaii turned out to be the perfect setting for a holiday happily ever after.

Is any going away for the holidays? Anyone escaping to somewhere warm? And does anyone want to win a copy of the Christmas anthology I was in last year, TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT? I'll select a winner from those who comment here.

Happy holidays!

Christmas Parade Guest - Red Garnier

Reader's, let us welcome the lovely Red Garnier!

Keeping your cool during the holidays . . .

Oh my goodness, Christmas is upon us! When I was younger, it would feel like decades passed between one Christmas and another, and now that I’m older it seems that I’m barely recuperated from a holiday when I’m greeted with the next.

There’s tons to do, and so little time to do it.

This year, December was a big month for me. After almost a year and a half after finishing my first full length single title, it finally released. My family moved, so getting settled in a new household has taken up most my time during the past couple of months.
Between book promotion, gift purchases, house cleaning, and writing deadlines, I tell myself that I’m not stressed and yet there are a few telltale signs that I am: little sleep, hair loss, anxiety, and a ball full of energy that keeps simmering inside me without release.

So how to cope with the tornado of Christmas and all it brings with it?

Here are a few things I’m trying.

1. Holiday music – they do bring the cheer. We all know the songs, and yet usually my kids are the only ones to listen to it. It’s amazing how much peace and contentment “Jingle Bells” brings!

2. Extra hot showers – a soak in the bathtub or an extra hot shower instantly loosens up all the taught muscles in my back. Sometimes I wish I could stay soaking in a warm bath all day!

3. Lists – they’re proving to be extremely helpful in organizing my time. My mind keeps spinning with all my things to do, and yet once I put thoughts to paper, there’s an immediate and wonderful sense of relief.

4. 5 minutes a day – that’s it. Five minutes to just breathe, relax, and try to pull myself together. I used to be a smoker – and sometimes, I admit I still crave a cigarette. But what I’ve discovered I most crave is maybe not the tobacco itself but the five minutes you get to sit down and inhale and relax and hear yourself think.

5. Snuggling – after a hectic day, your heart is pumping faster, your nerves are frazzled, and the last thing you think you should be doing is sitting down to snuggle with your loved ones. But that’s just what I’m doing, and wow, it feels so good. And it works! Snuggle with the kids or with hubby and three minutes later I feel the stress start to dissipate.

Holidays are beautiful times that come and go so quickly, I’m determined to enjoy mine to the fullest this year. I plan to forget all the things I have to do and just enjoy a moment of health, love, family, and happiness. And I wish the same for you!

What are you doing to keep your cool during Holiday Season?

Don’t be shy and share your tips with us. A randomly chosen commenter will win a Redlightbooks.com relaxation kit – complete with lotion, CD, and black sleep shape mask!

It Is That Time of Year!!!

Hello, everyone!! It is that time of year again!! The Christmas Parade is just around the corner and TRRC is gearing up!! On the schedule so far we have:

December 4 Red Garnier

December 10 Helen Kay Dimon

December 14 Ann Pearlman

December 15 Wendy Roberts

December 16 Penny Watson

Be sure to join us and see what they have to say!!

Guest Blogger: Karen White Owens

Recently, I went to Amazon.com to take a look at the reviews for my latest release, I Can Make You Love Me. Yes, I know I shouldn’t do this. But I’m like that driver on the freeway who can’t help slowing down and gawking at the roadside auto accident. It’s in my nature.

Anyhoo, I was surprised by the title one reader gave her review “Cougar Story Tastefully Done.” I sat up straighter in my chair and fumed, glaring at the computer screen with my lips pressed together as mentally willed the reviewer to see my displeasure.

Cougar story? I don’t write about animals. This story is about sensitive people that find love, but battle issues and problems along the way. My heroines are women with careers who find themselves involved in older woman-younger man relationships.

Contemplating the term cougar, I discussed the phrase with a coworker. When I think of a cougar I envision a slick, beautiful animal perched in a tree, stretched along a branch, lying n wait for an unsuspecting younger man to stroll by. Suddenly, the woman notices a prospective cub and she pounces. The cougar catch of the day as been caught.

Being an adult reference librarian, I did a quick search using Google. I typed in the term ‘cougar’ and was surprised by the number of hits I received. I truly expected to have to refine my search strategy. There was even information about cougar dos and don’ts.

A co-worker and I pondered this lifestyle and why this trend is so popular. We came up with several scenarios, including the fact there has been a role reversal for women. They are now in running multi-million dollar companies. Also, ladies have the financial freedom to make any choice that suits them.

Also, at this point in most women’s lives they are unconcerned with what others think. It’s a time to do what makes them happy and feel good. Younger men do a fine job of helping the women enjoy life.

Now that I’ve discussed the concept of cougars, I want to tell you that I Can Make You Love Me is a sensitive story about a man that finds the love of his life in a woman that happens to be thirteen years older than him. It is up to the hero to convince the heroine that they belong together. Although the heroine is willing to get involve with him, she is unwilling to allow her children to get attached to her new and younger lover. Problems arise when the heroine’s ex-husband tries to control the heroine’s love life.

Take a look at the book and pass your thoughts to me via e-mail. I can be reached at karenwowens@gmail.com. I’m always anxious to hear how readers view my stories.
Remember, don’t be a stranger.

Please welcome our guest blogger - Cheryl Norman!

Hiding Behind a New Identity
by Cheryl Norman

For my newest book Reclaim My Life, I had to research the Witness Security Program because my heroine, Sofia Desalvo, is hiding from a contract killer. One of my best resources was the book WITSEC - Inside the Federal Witness Protection Program, co-written by the program's creator Gerald Shur. Although most protected witnesses are criminals, too, the program offers protection for the innocent witness as well, like Sofia.

Everything I’m about to relate happened to Sofia a year before the beginning of Reclaim My Life (what we writers call "backstory") and won’t spoil the story for you.

After Sofia reported the crime she witnessed, the police learned the suspect was part of a larger investigation by the feds. Moved immediately to a temporary safe house, Sofia met with personnel from the U.S. Marshals’ office for a pre-admittance interview. Once the U.S. Marshals determined her to be a candidate for the WitSec program, they paired her with a handler, in this case Special Agent Cory.

Working with several government agencies and under total secrecy, Sofia was given a new identity and all supporting documentation for her new persona. First they moved her to Athens, Georgia, to enable her to complete an accelerated degree program. Relocated in a new town—Drake Springs, Florida—where she was unlikely to be recognized, she secured a job and a place to live, helped in part by reasonable financial assistance for living expenses. In exchange for all the tools necessary to create her new identity as Elizabeth Stevens, English Professor, she had to agree to adhere to all rules and guidelines of the program—no easy task. But following the rules keep witnesses alive.

The strictest and most vital rule is no contact with anyone from your former life. According to the U.S. Marshals, no one who adhered to the rules has been killed.

While Sofia/Elizabeth followed the rules to the extreme—enjoying nothing or wearing no clothing or jewelry she loved in her former life—she was lonely and isolated. Eventually, she made new friends but with reluctance, knowing she could be ripped from her new home and relocated with no notice if her new identity was compromised. Not a day went by that she didn’t look over her shoulder or wonder if she’d somehow betrayed her identity. Scrupulous and honest, she felt like a fraud, yet she became adept at lying. Lying kept her alive.

As you can tell by the title, more than anything Elizabeth wants to reclaim her life as Sofia, before a murderer and racketeer drove her into hiding. But can she? Reclaim My Life is a new romantic suspense from Medallion Press. I hope you’ll give it a read.