Five Life Lessons from a Butterfly

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.

Here’s an inspiring post about butterflies from the Mind Fuel Daily blog:

These tiny, fluttering creatures are really teachers in disguise. Here are five bits of life wisdom, inspired by the beautiful butterfly.

Be patient. All good things come with time. We are growing, even when we cannot feel it. With great patience come great rewards.

Be open to change. Be willing to be transformed. Without change, nothing beautiful would happen. You have to give up who you are to become who you might be.

Be light and free. Have some fun. Float from each open door to the next. Look for the color, humor and joy in daily life.

Be spontaneous. Go wherever your wings take you. Fly forward with confidence. Have the courage to seize new opportunities.

Be in the moment. Look around. Enjoy the flowers, the sun and the breeze. The present moment is a gift for us to enjoy.

Source: Mind Fuel Daily Blog

Spotlight on Strong Enough by Jana Richards

I’m happy to welcome back Wild Rose Press author Jana Richards. Today, Jana shares her new release, Strong Enough, Book 4 in the Masonville Series.

Here’s Jana!

Five Things You Need to Know About the Masonville Series

1. This small-town series is set in the fictional town of Masonville, North Dakota. I’ve given the town a population of about 6,000 because I once lived in a town of that size. It’s big enough to have a lot of services, like restaurants, lawyers’ offices, and a veterinary clinic, but small enough that everyone knows your business! Despite being hotbeds of gossip, good things can happen in small towns, too. Small town romance is all about falling in love with your community, while at the same time falling in love with someone special.

2. In each of the books, the characters have a past trauma or unhappiness or hurt they must work through before they can be whole again. And before they can accept love into their lives.

3. There are four books in the series. Several of heroes and/or heroines of the books work at the town’s veterinary clinic. Several of the main characters come from two families in the town, the Saunders and the Greysons.

4. This is the fourth romance series I’ve written. I think I’m getting the hang of this thing! Each book in the series will be a stand-alone story, but as with every series, I think the reading experience is enhanced when read in order.

5. Animals play a huge role in the series. As I said several of the main characters work in veterinary health care. All the couples have at least one pet, and a couple of the heroines are deeply involved in animal rescue. In book four, STRONG ENOUGH, the characters unite to take on their biggest challenge, rescuing both people and animals!

Tagline

Love can make you stronger, if you let it.

Blurb

Charlotte Saunders has a full life—a rewarding career as a nurse, meaningful volunteer work at a dog shelter, and family, friends and pets she adores. But no matter how hard she tries; she can’t forget the horrible event that’s haunted her for ten years.

A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Damon Greyson now helps others who have suffered trauma. His experience and intuition alert him to trouble in Charlotte’s past, and he wants to help her, if only she’d let him.

As they work together to help veterans suffering from PTSD and neglected dogs needing loving homes, their feelings for each other deepen. But when the trauma from Charlotte’s past roars back to life, both are forced to confront their painful histories—or die trying.

Excerpt

She looked away. “I’m sorry. I hate women who use tears to get what they want. It’s just that yesterday the shelter had to put down some dogs. There was this one old dog, Shep….” She shook her head, unable to finish.

He squeezed her elbow before letting her go. “I’m sorry, Charlotte.”

She nodded and again Damon sensed her vulnerability. Charlotte tried to give off an aura of strength. She was the caregiving nurse, the person others looked to for help. But who helped Charlotte?

After a few breaths, she straightened her shoulders and faced him, her composure once more back in place. “How long do you think it will be?”

“You mean until the retreat is up and running?” When she nodded, he blew out a breath. “I don’t know. My building’s in worse shape than I first thought.”

“If there’s anything I can do to speed up the process, let me know.”
“You know anything about unplugging sewer lines?”

She made a face. “You’re on your own, Greyson.”

Don’t I know it. “Hey, you asked. From now on I’ll only request your help when it comes to dogs.”

She chuckled. “Good plan.”

This time Charlotte’s smile was genuine, and for a moment Damon couldn’t breathe. He found himself wondering what it would be like to have the full force of her smile directed at him on a regular basis, and to know there was real affection for him behind the smile. The longing he experienced at that thought shocked him.

Better not to allow such thoughts to take root. Despite all the work he’d done over the years to overcome the harm done to him in the past, he still had questions. Would it ever be possible for him to have a normal, loving, long-term relationship with a woman? So far, the longest relationship he’d had lasted only six months.

Maybe he’d always be damaged goods.

Buy Links

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | ibooks | Barnes & Noble

Author Bio

When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then, she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.

In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at http://www.janarichards.com

Social Media Links

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign-up | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon Author Page | Amazon UK Author Page

It’s Okay

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.

In The Comfort Book, bestselling author Matt Haig shares little parcels of hope. Here’s one of my favorite passages:

It’s okay to be broken.

It’s okay to wear the scars of experience.

It’s okay to be a mess.

It’s okay to be the teacup with a chip in it. That’s the one with the story.

It’s okay to be sentimental and whimsical and cry bittersweet tears at songs and movies you aren’t supposed to love.

It’s okay to like what you like.

It’s okay to like things for literally no other reason than because you like them and not because they are cool or clever or popular.

It’s okay to let people find you. You don’t have to spread yourself so thin you become invisible. You don’t have to always be the person reaching out. You can sometimes allow yourself to be reached. As the great writer Anne Lamott puts it: “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”

It’s okay not to make the most of every chunk of time.

It’s okay to be who you are.

It’s okay.

Source: The Comfort Book, pp. 10-11

Spotlight on By Strangers Mourned

I’m happen to welcome multi-published author J. R. Lindermuth. Today, John shares his latest release, By Strangers Mourned.

Sylvester Tilghman, the third of his family to serve as sheriff of rural Arahpot, Jordan County, Pennsylvania, would love to marry his longtime sweetheart Lydia Longlow. But Lydia has constantly turned down his proposals in the previous three novels in the Sheriff Tilghman historical mystery series set in the waning days of the 19th Century.

Lydia professes to love Syl. But she’s a busy and independent young woman. In addition to running a general store and caring for her elderly parents, she’s also postmistress, head of the Women’s Temperance League, a Sunday School teacher, sings in the choir and is substitute pianist for the Methodist Church.

Now in the spring of 1899, Syl is hopeful preparations for the wedding of his deputy Cyrus Gutshall and Emma, younger daughter of his neighbor and friend Doctor Hiram Mariner, will put his sweetheart in a marital mood.

Alas, crime in his small community has always had a way of interfering with Sylvester’s plans.

A woman is found drowned in a local creek and Doc Mariner’s autopsy reveals her death was the result of foul play. The sheriff’s investigation soon puts him on the trail of a mysterious man named Bauer and a gang preying on young immigrant women.

Sylvester Tilghman will need all his detecting skills and the help of his friends to unravel the many skeins of this case before he can dream again of marriage.

….

As noted above, By Strangers Mourned is the fourth novel in the Sheriff Syl series. The first two, Fallen From Grace and Sooner Than Gold, were originally published by Oak Tree Press. After the death of Billie Johnson, publisher, rights were returned to me. Lawrence Knorr, who had published The Bartered Body, third in the series, agreed to reissue them and publish By Strangers Mourned in the Milford House imprint of Sunbury Press.

Bio and Social Links

J. R. Lindermuth lives and writes in central Pennsylvania. A retired newspaper editor, he currently serves as librarian of his county historical society where he assists patrons with genealogy and research. He’s the author of 18 novels and two regional histories. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and is a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Author Page

In addition to Amazon, By Strangers Mourned is available from the publisher Sunbury Press and other quality booksellers.

Blurb Blitz: They Had Eyes of Silver

I’m happy to welcome veterinarian and author S E Davis. Today, she shares her new release, They Had Eyes of Silver.

Blurb

A secret lineage. A family cursed. A forbidden love that can’t be denied.

Veterinarian Reina Kirke is exhausted. So, when her best friend suggests a European vacation, she doesn’t hesitate. A much-needed break and a chance to investigate her mysterious family tree sound perfect. Too bad she’s in no way prepared for what she finds. The fairytale town in Belgium hides family secrets grounded in the supernatural. Legends of werewolves and witches surround her, and a taboo love affair threatens to pull her into a danger she might not be able to handle.

What seems like a chance encounter with Blaise Woodward, a brooding hunk with his own secrets, sets up a sequence of events that could unravel both of their families as they realize their deep connection to each other is generations old. But only one thing is certain.

Their lives will never be the same…

Excerpt

Night belongs to nocturnal creatures. And sneaks.

Later that night, a large brawny wolf, black as midnight with eyes glinting with starlight, prowled within the shadows of the sleepy town. Darkness kissed the beast’s thick coat. His ears picked up soft laughter and conversations that drifted around him in the cool night from the nearby pub.

Her laughter.

Reina.

The wolf, Blaise, licked his lips, tasting the faint, achingly familiar scent of her on the night breeze.

A heavy weight crashed into him, and he rolled across the alley. Blaise found his feet and lunged at the shadowed figure that sat on his haunches, mere steps away, pink tongue lolling. The other wolf’s eyes glinted silver in the sliver of light slicing down from the streetlight.

Alek, Blaise thought, and snapped viciously at his cousin. He missed connecting with flesh on the other wolf on purpose.

In a fluid motion, fur and hide morphed into smooth skin, wolf into man. Alek shifted from the buttery tan wolf and into his human form, crouching naked against the brick building.

Following Alek’s lead, Blaise shifted quickly into his human shape and moved back into darkness’s cover, hunched over his knees, one hand reaching the ground. They could speak freely now. Their wolf forms possessed a limited form of mental communication. Intricate discussions were impossible without verbal speech, and so shifting into human form was necessary.

“Holt has fallen under the witch’s spell,” Alek said, his words jovial. He had never taken anything too serious.

Blaise growled, “She isn’t a witch, Alek.”

“I know. I know. No such thing as witches, ya right?” The blond man huffed, probably because a werewolf said witches didn’t exist.

Author Bio and Links

S E Davis is a veterinarian and advocate for werewolf health. She lives on the North Dakota prairie with her family and a Weimaraner who understands shifting into human form is not necessary for being part of the pack.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Bookbub |
Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

S E Davis will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

A Vital Power

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.

In a recent issue of Psychology Today, Dr. David Feldman discussed the power of hope. Here’s an excerpt from that article:

At its heart, hope is a perception—but one that gives us the power to create reality. It’s a perception of something that does not yet exist. And research shows that when people have hope, their goals are actually more likely to become reality. That’s because when people have a clear belief about what is possible, they’re more likely to take steps to make it happen.

You may have heard the expression, “Hope is not a strategy.” Don’t believe it: Hope is a way of thinking that pushes us to take action. Research by C.R. Snyder found that most hopeful people had three things in common: goals, pathways (strategies), and agency. They were under no illusions that all their strategies would work: they tended to try multiple pathways, realizing that many would be blocked. But they persisted because they had an abiding belief in themselves and their capabilities.

It’s tempting to lose hope today, but that would be surrendering a vital power.

Source: Psychology Today, April 2022, p. 52

Spotlight on The Collector

I’m happy to welcome author Lane Stone. Today, Lane shares her recent release, The Collector, Book 1 of The Big Picture Trilogy.

Blurb

Art expert Emma Kelly arrives at the Metropolitan Museum to meet with disgraced philanthropist Boyle York only to learn he has been murdered. His body and a nearby masterpiece are splattered with blue paint. In the following days, works of art around the world are attacked with the same paint, which Emma believes has something to do with the Virgin Mary. Emma’s husband, Elliott Baldwin, the Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s New York City field office, isn’t convinced but appreciates her expertise.

Following a lead, Emma travels to her other home in Bath, England, and continues her search for one of the most famous Nazi-looted paintings. When a diver hired to explore a sunken Nazi submarine is murdered with the same weapon used to kill Boyle York, Emma wonders if the art crimes on three different continents are actually an attempt to trip her up.

Emma races against the clock to countries with Virgin Mary apparition sites in an attempt to save the world’s most beloved artwork. Can she convince the Vatican to disavow the perpetrators and stop the attacks and bring justice to the mastermind behind them before it’s too late?

Excerpt

I would hate him forever for making me afraid. My hands trembled and I was as white as the sink I leaned against. I looked how you would expect someone who had just made a deal with the devil to look. How was I going to sit with Ali and Victoria? He’s a killer. The phrase repeated over and over in my head.

I splashed water on my face and returned to the table, knowing that not a single one of the brilliant comebacks I now thought of, guaranteed to reduce Ali to a sobbing lump, could be used in front of Valerie. As I turned the corner a waiter poured a martini from a shaker into a fresh glass and took away her empty. Ali wasn’t there. Valerie was lubed up and looked past caring about anything.

I sat and the waiter shook out my re-folded napkin and held it out to me. “Your friend isn’t staying for lunch?”

She shook her head.

“Would you care to order, Madame?”

Valerie looked at the drink. “I’m not hungry.” A text came in and she picked up her phone.

“I’ll have my salad now, please.” That ‘please’ was a signal that I intended to over tip to make up for our party of three table ordering only one meal, that wasn’t liquid. His nod was as understated as the vermouth in the Tavern on the Green’s martinis. If only interactions like what had taken place between us, and between Tabitha and her chauffeur, counted as a second language I would be bi-lingual.

Author Bio and Links

Lane Stone lives in Alexandria, Virginia and Lewes, Delaware with her husband, Larry Korb, and their Standard Schnauzer, Cordy. She’s the author of THE COLLECTOR, an art thriller, which is the first book in The Big Picture trilogy. The first book in the Old Town Antiques Mystery series, DEAD MEN DON’T DECORATE, will be published in November 2022, and will be written as Cordy Abbott. She is the author of the Pet Palace Mysteries and the Tiara Investigation Mystery series.

When not writing she enjoys characteristic baby boomer pursuits: being a dog Mom, traveling and volunteering for good causes, like AAUW and the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation. She serves on several boards.

She has a post-graduate certificate in Antiquities Theft and Art Crime.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Buy Link – The Collector |
Buy Link – Dead Men Don’t Decorate

She is represented by Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary Agency.

Giveaway

Lane Stone will be awarding $10 Starbucks gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Find out more here.

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

10 Fun Facts about My Little Fictional Town of River’s Edge, Indiana

I’m happy to welcome USA Today bestselling author Nan Reinhardt. Today, Nan shares interesting facts about River’s Edge, the fictional town in her new release, Falling for the Doctor.

1. It is based on the real town of Madison, Indiana, down on the Ohio River.

2. Mayor Megan Mackenzie Flaherty was River’s Edge’s first female mayor and the old boy’s network in town isn’t at all sure they’re into a woman mayor, however, she is turning River’s Edge into a tourist destination and businesses are thriving.

3. The Cotton Mill Inn used to be an old nineteenth-century cotton mill that was abandoned and became an eyesore, so Mayor Meg brought in a hotelier who turned the historic building into a much-needed hotel.

4. The Rive Walk is the place to be, especially on weekends when you’re likely to find both townsfolk and tourists strolling or even jogging along the river.

5. In spring, the Redbud Festival brings booths, arts, and music to the River Walk for three days of fun. Other events include Jazz on the Square, October Arts Festival, Summer Paddle Days, Halloween Hoopla, and the Christmas Candlelight Walk.

6. Mac’s Riverside Diner is the only diner in southern Indiana where you can get authentic French cuisine in a fifties retro-style restaurant. Chef Graham (Mac) Mackenzie is a Cordon-Bleu-trained chef who treats the town to baguettes and truffle butter and other amazing dishes.

7. Four Irish Brothers Winery is the place to be on Saturday evenings in the summer for wine and pizza night! There’s live music, laughter, and Mario Morelli provides the pizza.

8. Southern Falls State Park, just north of town, is known for its beautiful inn, great hiking trails, gorgeous waterfalls, and a pretty nice golf course.

9. St. Mark’s Hospital has just built a new full-service Heart Center where they can do all kinds of heart procedures and surgeries, including heart by-pass, so no more driving to Louisville or Cincinnati for heart care.

10. Hutchin’s House Tavern is the oldest continuously run tavern in the state, having opened as a tavern/hotel in 1832. The old walnut bar is original to the tavern as are many of the tables and chairs. Barkeep Hugh has a wide variety of IPAs, lagers, and stouts on tap and in bottles.

Blurb

They were in it for the fun, but never expected the storm…

Life for hometown ER physician Dr. Max Lange has always been sweet. He loves his job and is dialed in socially with his family, friends, and community. But lately, something feels like it’s missing. When a visiting doctor pulls him in for a hot kiss and asks him to play along in order to avoid unwanted attention from a hospital administrator, Max knows exactly what he wants and needs—the lovely Dr. Mitchell.

After a tragic error shakes her confidence beyond repair, Dr. Lauren Mitchell has abandoned her career in cardiothoracic surgery and instead works as a lead medical consultant for a top cardiovascular technology company. She enjoys her simple life on the road—hotel rooms, room service, and no emotional entanglements.

When a violent storm throws her into service at St. Mark’s hospital, Max has only a few days to prove to Lauren that they belong together, while she must reevaluate her career…and her life. Will Max’s love be enough to make River’s Edge and Max her home?

Excerpt

The kiss was…extraordinary. Max’s brain kept repeating that word—extraordinary—even as his heart raced and his knees went weak. She was extraordinary. He kept the touch light, in spite of his mad desire to simply pull her against him and explore the wine-sweet taste of her.

She gripped his shirt, slowly tilted her head, slipped one arm around his neck, and thrust her fingers into the hair hanging over his collar. Then shock of all shocks, she touched the seam of his lips with her tongue, inviting him in, welcoming him.

Max’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest as their tongues met and played, and he slid his hand around to hold the back of her head. Her red-blond hair was as silky as he’d imagined, and her curves fit against him as if they’d been made for each other.

When she pulled away, her eyes were huge, reflecting the wonder in his own dazed thoughts. This, whatever this was, had shaken him to his very core and she appeared to be equally affected. Her hand trembled as she took her arm away from around his neck and for a moment, she simply rested her forehead against his chest.

“Wow,” she whispered, finally looking up. “Wow.”

Max touched her nose with one finger. It was a great nose, small but not snub, narrow but not patrician. A great nose. He dropped a quick kiss on it. Then he kissed each rosy cheek before putting his lips next to her ear. “Wow, indeed.” His voice quavered. He tucked one finger under her chin and when he saw yes in her eyes, pressed his mouth to hers again.

“I’d tell you two to get a room, but I’m fairly sure one of you already has one.” Tracy’s voice was like a splash of icy water.

Lauren stepped back, her cheeks turning even pinker as heat rose up Max’s neck. They’d attracted a small audience—Logan and two other servers had joined the desk clerk and ML in the lobby, offering up a round of applause when he and Lauren broke apart. Blushing furiously, she reached around him and pushed the UP button on the wall between the two elevators.

Max gave the group a fake scowl. “Don’t you all have someplace you need to be? Or a life maybe?”

Logan laughed. “Yours is looking way more interesting than mine right now, Doc.”

Buy Links

Amazon | B & N Nook | Kobo | Apple Books

Author Bio and Links

Nan Reinhardt is a USA Today bestselling author of sweet romantic fiction for Tule Publishing. Her day job is working as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader; however, writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten and is still writing, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled woman in her prime. Nan lives in the Midwest with her husband of 49 years, where they split their time between a house in the city and a cottage on a lake.

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