Pay Attention to Your Language

Posted on November 18, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

I highly recommend The Gift: 12 Lessons to Save Your Life by eminent psychologist and Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger. Here’s a short excerpt that highlights the importance of our words:

When we talk as though we’re forced or obligated or incapable, that’s how we’re going to think, which means that’s also how we’ll feel, and consequently, how we’ll behave. We become captives to fear: I need to do this, or else; I want to do that, but I can’t. To free yourself from the prison, pay attention to your language.

Listen for the I can’t, the I’m trying, the I need to, and then see if you can replace these imprisoning phrases with something else: I can, I want, I’m willing, I choose. This is the language that enables us to change.

Source: The Gift, pp. 139-140

Spotlight on Harmony’s Embrace

Posted on November 17, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome Wild Rose Press author Amber Daulton. Today, Amber shares her new release, Harmony’s Embrace.

Blurb

Reuniting with the man who broke her heart has never felt so right.

Divorced dad Birley Haynes is too busy raising his children and running his family’s music academy to start a relationship. Then Harmony Holdich, his high school sweetheart, returns home to Willow Springs, Vermont for Christmas and falls into his bed. She brings light and fun back into his life, but he can’t brush aside the threatening incidents around his workplace.

Harmony hadn’t expected a complication like Birley, especially so soon after the death of her unfaithful husband. With her life a mess, she plans to move across the country and start over. All she can offer him is a fling, but her heart yearns for more.

When the threats rise, how will Birley keep his children safe and convince Harmony to give love another chance?

Excerpt

He sighed heavily. Snapping at her wouldn’t convince her to stick around. “Have you thought about me over the years?”

Her bottom lip trembled, then she sucked it between her teeth. “Of course I have. High school was a long time ago, and our dreams clashed. You wanted a laidback life, even though you cut loose with Susannah in college. I wanted big-city living, and I got it. I like it.”

“So a rich-ass condo means that much to you? You want a new job slaving away five or six days a week for some major corporation until you’re exhausted?” He silently cursed. Not only did he slave away at his job, he was growing more tired of it by the day.

Good job, man. Way to control your temper.

In the back of his mind, he’d always believed he and Harmony would find one another again. Susannah and Claude didn’t compute. How crazy was that? Did he marry someone so different from himself because, subconsciously, he didn’t want the relationship to work?

A frown creased her brow. “I don’t need or want expensive things, but I like to work, to feel useful. My dream home is a little yellow bungalow with a big yard in a suburb.” She rocked in the chair as though she longed to jump up and run out the door. “I don’t want to argue. Let’s finish eating and hit the slopes.” She polished off her chips in a handful of loud crunches.

“What did you expect?” His throat constricted. “We’ve never hashed this stuff out since Susannah and Claude were always stuck up our asses. It’s time we deal with it.”

She scowled, then finished her grinder.

Birley gritted his teeth. Why had he been so stupid all those years ago? He’d wanted her to attend the University of Vermont with him, but she balked at another lengthy stint in school. He never should’ve walked off, leaving her crying on the porch of her parents’ house. She wanted time to think about her future—they’d only graduated from high school that morning—but her refusal didn’t mean she’d stopped loving him.

Too bad he hadn’t realized the truth at the time. She’d hurt his pride and broken his heart. Nothing mattered but hurting her in return. They avoided each other for the rest of the summer, then he headed off to the university.

God, how he’d missed her. She’d continued to work for her uncle while earning her accounting degree at a local community college and later moved to New Jersey for her job. Any chance of repairing their relationship had left with her, but by then, he was with Susannah.

Birley ate the rest of his sandwich, which slid down his gullet like cardboard. “No matter what you decide, I’m happy you’re home now.” The hope in his chest deflated. He stood and tugged on his gloves. “Let’s hit one of the blue squares. You okay with that?”

She nodded and followed him up. After they threw away their trash, they left the lodge.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Apple/iBooks | Universal Link

Now Taking Sign Ups for my Newsletter, Amber Daulton Romance – Here

Easily read in one sitting, Harmony’s Embrace is a beautifully written second-chance romance set during a holiday season in small-town Vermont. From the start, I found myself rooting for the delightfully flawed protagonists—Harmony and Birley—as they struggle to overcome pasts fraught with heartache and abuse. I strongly recommend setting aside large blocks of uninterrupted reading time. You won’t be able to put this book down.

Well done, Ms. Daulton!

About the Author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

On Tour with Goddess Fish – Day 6

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

It’s my sixth Monday on tour with Goddess Fish.

I’m visiting Eileen Troemel’s blog and chatting about my writing journey and No More Secrets.

Stop by and visit for a while. Remember to scroll down and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could win a $20 Amazon gift card.

Find out more here.

Spotlight on Life with Ollie

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Donna G. Bourgeois. Today, Donna shares her new release, Life with Ollie.

Blurb

If you are of dating age or married, I wrote this book for you.

This is not a self-help or a how-to book. This is the story of the metamorphosis of a timid, fear filled child who finally blossomed into a warrior. I have many scars that no one can see, but they are healed now. Through these battles to become a warrior, I have helped the wounded souls that have come to me and seen them overcome their demons to stand tall and proud of who they are. It has brought me great joy.

Through the years, I have heard along the way that the ancient Chinese would fix their broken china cups or figurines with gold to make them whole again, and more valuable. I believe that humans can be repaired with love and a sense of self-worth. Each and every one of us are here for a purpose and we are given gifts to help fulfill our purpose.

I would love for you to come on this journey with me.

Excerpt

My stepdad was a newspaper man, then the editor of Truck Transportation magazine. He then went on to work in the public relations department at Bell Canada. He received many awards for his films and articles about Bell.

There were still fights and I got to know when they would arrive home from the press club. I would always wake a half hour before they arrived, no matter what the time was, and I would start to sweat in fear of what was coming. By now, I was getting hauled out of bed to take sides. God, what a mess. I told them if the fighting didn’t stop, I was leaving. That helped for a while.

I met a man named John and we began dating. He was tall and handsome, but what I liked the most was that he was stable. His “yes” was yes, and his “no” was no. He would be my pillar and I could count on him to take a stand with me against my mother. Or so I thought.

He had asked me if he could borrow my car for a week. Even though I was twenty years old, I still felt I had to ask my mother. She said yes. I told my boyfriend that he could have my car for the week. Then, a few days before he came to pick it up, Mom decided he could not have the car. I reminded her that she had said yes and I told him yes, and that I was not going back on my word. Mom would do this all the time, say yes and then say no. It kept me off balance. I, on the other hand, believed you should always keep your word. We had a big fight over this. I told her I was twenty years old and I thought it was about time I had a say over my own life. It didn’t matter how much she argued with me, I stood firm. My boyfriend had the car for the week. His car was in the shop and I was not going to leave him high and dry.

It probably scared her that she was losing control over me. Then—poof!—she told me my father wanted to see me. I am not always the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, because it didn’t hit me until later that she had phoned him and asked him to back her up—that I should still do as I was told. I couldn’t believe that, all along, she’d known where he was and she had purposely kept me away from him. I could have had my father for most of my growing-up years. He was back home from England and had been in Ottawa for years. Still, she’d kept me from him. I would often ask her what he was like; she never badmouthed him, but she made the idea of him sound so final that I wouldn’t ask after him again for a long time.

Author Bio and Links

Donna G. Bourgeois enjoys writing and painting, both excellent activities to soothe the soul. She went to university at 65-years-old and earned an associate degree in theology, just to keep the grey matter healthy. She considers her greatest quality to be the ability to love greatly and be kind to those who life have put on her path. Life with Ollie is her first book, although she has many more story ideas waiting in the wings. She believes if you listen to your inner voice, you will find your bliss.

Website | Goodreads

Giveaway

Donna Bourgeois will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

Follow Donna on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

Cover Reveal: Baked with Love

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of Peggy Jaeger’s next novel…

Blurb

Innkeeper Maureen O’Dowd lives to cook and bake, spoils her family and friends, and is an expert at keeping secrets, especially about the man who’s held her heart for years.

Police Chief Lucas Alexander is dealing with an aging father and a moody teenage son, and he’s in love with a woman who only wants to be friends.
How can these two fiercely private people reveal their feelings for one another without destroying the friendship they already have? And if they’re successful, will another secret, if revealed, drive a wedge between Maureen and Lucas that can never be repaired?

Lest We Forget

Posted on November 11, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

On Tour with Goddess Fish – Day 5

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

It’s my fifth Monday on tour with Goddess Fish.

I’m visiting two blogs today:

Chatting about the protagonist’s daughters of the heart on Viviana MacKade’s blog.

A review on the Hurn Publications blog.

Stop by and visit for a while. Remember to scroll down and enter the Rafflecopter giveaway. You could win a $20 Amazon gift card.

Up for an Award

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

No More Secrets is up for an award in the Créme de la Cover contest at InD’tale!

The prize for the weekly contest winner is a ¼-page ad in the next issue of InD’tale magazine. The winner then competes in the Créme de la Cover finals held in the last week of the month. The monthly winner receives a full-page ad in the magazine!

I would appreciate your vote here.

Book Blast: The Sinister Superyacht

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author Ana T. Drew. Today, Ana shares her upcoming release, The Sinister Superyacht.

Blurb

French tycoon Jean-Louis Ponsard is having a bad year.
Unwise investments, canceled orders, deals falling through…
In the thick of it, his yacht becomes the scene of a suspicious death, and his year of misfortune hits the bed of the Mediterranean Sea.
To make matters worse, the victim isn’t just anybody.
She’s his much-hated mother-in-law.

Onboard, caterer Julie Cavallo and her quirky grandma Rose do some poking around.
But every luxury cabin hides a secret.
Every passenger has an alibi or no reason to want the victim dead.
Discretion rules.
The crew keeps mum.
So do the marble countertops, gem-incrusted walls, and gold sinks.
When the cops take charge, things go to pieces, and not only for the Ponsard family.

Can Julie dive to the murky bottom of the sea, unravel the case, and come back up still breathing?

Author Bio and Links

Ana T. Drew is the evil mastermind behind the recent series of murders in the fictional French town of Beldoc. When she is not writing cozy mysteries or doing mom-and-wife things, she can be found watching “The Rookie” to help her get over “Castle”. She lives in Paris but her heart is in Provence.