Tag: romance

A Hot Christmas Romance that Will Melt the Snow from Your Tree

by Diane, posted in A December Knight, Book Launch

A December Knight was supposed to be released last year, but… Sometimes things don’t go as planned. However, this year, it’s a go!

I consider this novel to be your typical, run of the mill romance story. It has two main characters looking for love and when they find it, they’re eager, yet there’s something holding them back. I’m no Nora Roberts or Harlequin Romance author, but from the ones I’ve read, A December Knight follows a similar story line.

Here’s the first scene.

Chapter 1, Scene 1

Emmie Cooper stiffened when she heard the exasperation in her mother’s voice.

“Christmas? It comes too early and never leaves quick enough.”

“Humbug, Jan! I love the holidays,” said Lorette Dalrymple. “Magic fills the air when everyone is happy and giving.”

“You mean when they are spending money they don’t have on gifts no one needs.”

Emmie burrowed deeper into the closet, letting the jackets on the clothes hangers disguise her hiding place. Her mother and Aunt Lorette sat at the kitchen table drinking tea. She hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but she was almost into the room before she realised they were there. Instead of saying hello and drawing attention to herself, she sneaked into the shadow of the closet. With Christmas only two weeks away, she expected to hear about a gift bought for her. She had been dreaming of many wonderful things but had narrowed her list down to ten: five for the list she’d given to her mother and five written in her letter to Santa.

“Oh, come on; where’s your holiday spirit?” said Lorette.

“It went out with last week’s trash,” said Jan.

“Honestly, sis, I don’t know what to make of you. Every year you dive into depression as if it’s a punch bowl laced with rum. It’s as if someone killed your cat, swiped your favourite heels and posted your baby-fat pictures on Facebook all in one day.”

Continue reading “A Hot Christmas Romance that Will Melt the Snow from Your Tree” →
Advertisement

Why do you write the books you do?

by Diane, posted in Natural Selection

I’ve been asked many times, “Why do you write the books you do?”

My answer is simple: I write the books I want to read.

Not everyone will like my books. Those who like one book may not like another. I accept that, and I will continue to write books I enjoy reading.

Northern Survival is not like Natural Selection. Northern Survival is for adults and focusses on adult issues: marriage, divorce, betrayal, kids, lost love, survival. The characters are adults in their 50s who have lived different lives but have both experienced the cruelty of people, ones they initially trusted. There is cursing, cruel words exchanged and mild sex.

Natural Selection, on the other hand, can be read by anyone 14 and up. In fact, mature youth as young as 12 years old can read it. Two of the main characters are in their early 20s. They’re naïve, have never had a serious relationship and have no children. They have not been made cynical about love by past experiences. There is no cursing, cruel words or sex.

Continue reading “Why do you write the books you do?” →

Sneak Peak at My Next Release

by Diane, posted in Natural Selection, Seeds of Life

This spring has been a bustle of activity. I have several projects on the go, and I’m busy outside getting the garden in and building a goose shack.

One of those projects is the production of my next novel in the Romance Collection: Natural Selection. Originally, this novel was entitled Seeds of Life but after much discussion and thought, the title has changed.

The novel is set for release October 2021. At the moment, it’s in its revision stage. We’re generating accompanying material, such as the description. Here is where we are with that:

The wisdom of seeds grows naturally.

The year is 2050. Almost three decades have passed since the Devastation destroyed civilization. Only the strong and wise survived; the weak and intellects perished. New societies emerged, forging a future with skills from the distant past.

In Green Wood, Eloise has lived in seclusion with her uncle for the past 12 years. While they receive visitors to Larkspur Cottage, the number of friends they have can be counted on one hand. When strangers arrive and capture her uncle, she is forced to run, but who can she turn to when she doesn’t know the land outside Green Wood or where those friends live?

More news to come as production continues.

“A December Knight” Takes Place in the Year…

by Diane, posted in A December Knight

There is no year mentioned in my Christmas romance novel, A December Knight. However, it definitely didn’t take place in the last five years. I wrote the story in November 2015, so it was contrived from that viewpoint from little ol’ Nova Scotia that is thankfully 20 years behind the rest the world.

Cell phones are in use, and they’re not plugged into a battery pack hooked to a vehicle, so it’s after 1995. The 18-year-old in the story has a cell phone and can text, but the general population is not addicted to their phone. From a quick search, the first text message was sent in 1992, but that was crude from computer to phone and no reply could be issued since phones were incapable of sending texts.

Body piercings, tattoos and unnatural hair colours were rare, so they stood out in public. In some places in Nova Scotia, they still do cause heads to turn.

Digital picture frames were all the rage. I’ve never owned one, but I recall when my mother—who is technology challenged—received one for Christmas from a well-meaning family member.

Photoshops were still shops customers who wanted to make prints from negatives visited to get their roll of film developed and printed. These shops sold digital cameras, but many other stores were also starting to sell cameras on a large scale.

Jan Cooper, the main character in the story, manages a camera shop, so these details are important.

The Sears Christmas Wish Book, the one Emmie searches through to find the doll in question, is still published. This catalogue teased and entertained children from 1933 to 2011. It was resurrected in 2017, but once again returned to the tomb of time. This indicates the story was before 2011.

I recall the many hours pouring over this wish book as a child, dreaming of what I might get. Long before Christmas day arrived, it was tattered with pages torn out and would-be gifts circled with pen or marker. In its golden years, customers knew ordering from Sears meant quality. However, by year 2000, that promise had been broken. Perhaps because things came marked “Made from China” instead of “Made in Canada” or “Made in the USA”.

The Welcome to Cole Harbour – Home of Sydney Crosby sign at the corner of Caldwell Road and Cole Harbour Road stands. It was put up before I moved from the area in 1996.

A December Knight takes place in a simpler time, before politics dominated every conversation and before identity politics divided the landscape. It’s about work, financial security, family and the smell of a real Christmas tree in the house. It’s about realising dreams and having the courage to follow them. It’s about finding love in the chaos of snowstorms, Christmas rush and retail madness leading up to the big day.

If I had to guess, I’d say the story takes place in 2004. It was a time when my kids gathered around the television to watch Frosty the Snowman and The Year Without a Santa and made snowmen in the backyard. It was simpler and better than the social media world of today.

A December Knight arrives just before Christmas.

First Scene: “the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes”

by Diane, posted in the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes

Introducing the first scene in the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes.

the Salvation of Mary Lola BarnesMary stared at the piece of cake on the decorative plate. The virgin white icing held little hint of the mile marker that had been scrolled across the surface of the portion consumed by family and friends. Its absence hadn’t erased it from Mary’s mind. If anything, it reminded her of the huge chunk of time carved out of her life. She had lived half a century, making her an older woman than she had been last week. The consumption of this last piece from the celebration cake would commit her to this age, condemn her to old age in the eyes of the incredibly young. There was no way to hold on to youth; celebrities had proven it time again when they exposed themselves to the outside world without make-up and un-photoshopped.

The ache for the past swelled in her chest. It was not that she wanted to be eighteen again; she wanted only to have a little more substance in her life. A little more laughter, a little more variety…a little more gentle contact with the man she loved. Was that too much to ask for?

She released a sigh. It was the way life went, she was told by others. Her friend, Louise, had put it bluntly: Don’t expect anything more than what you have. A woman’s role is to grow old beside their man.

Continue reading “First Scene: “the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes”” →

the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes Description

by Diane, posted in the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes

The description for the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes is still a work in progress, but it’s getting closer to what will appear on the cover. Here’s a peek at it.

She reserved the most convenient lies for herself

the Salvation of Mary Lola BarnesMary Lola Barnes has everything: a loving husband, two wonderful grown children, good friends and a lovely home. She has no business asking for more. It doesn’t matter if she feels something is missing. She’s just being silly. Afterall, what could she ask for? When new friends enter her world, she’s ill prepared for the harsh light that shines on the imperfections in her life. It reveals the emptiness she refuses to acknowledge.

If you love reading stories about women redefining themselves after decades of living, you’ll love the Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes.

More to come about this project in next week’s update, where I’ll share the first chapter.

Quote from “Northern Survival”: What matters most in life?

by Diane, posted in Book Launch

The day after the plane crash, Olive’s and Johnathan’s spirits are still relatively high. The immediate threat to their lives – the crash – had passed and they were starting to get to know each other.

An exchange between them while they took a break from walking reveals Olive’s philosophy in life.

Northern Survival“Incredible. You shouldn’t have seen 50. How do feel?”

“Like I’m 23 again except I love life more. I’m here for the fun of it, the adventure. It’s why I don’t watch TV, avoid the news and don’t spend energy on the junk society thinks is important because it’s not. Each day, I’m living.”

He laughed. “Even here? With a city boy lost in the woods?”

“You make it challenging, but I enjoy the hike. I’d prefer more food, better accommodations, cream for my tea but…” She twitched her nose. “It could be worse. I’m alive and well, and that’s all that truly matters.”

Pick up a copy of Northern Survival today. It’s a fast-paced, quick read that mixes survival, adventure and romance.

If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, you read it for free.

Sneak Peak at My Next Project: The Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes

by Diane, posted in News Flash

I’m brainstorming to find a catch-phrase to capture the essence of The Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes, my next book. Here are the ones I’ve written so far.

  • She’d sacrificed everything for her family, including her identity
  • She didn’t recognise the person in the mirror
  • Who she was had disappeared with the years
  • The stranger in the mirror begged for more from life
  • She equally had it all and nothing after decades of marriage
  • Sometimes we tell ourselves the biggest lies
  • She reserved the most convenient lies for herself

More on The Salvation of Mary Lola Barnes soon.

Sneak Peak of My Next Project

by Diane, posted in Cover Reveal

Northern SurvivalSurviving the plane crash was the easy part.

Olive Tweed planned her trip for two years. She’d vacation at Summer Beaver, gather the research material needed to write the next book and spend a few days hiking the vast wilderness. When she is called home unexpectedly and boards a chartered plane, she never dreamt it would crash, leaving her alone with a man who knew nothing about survival or the woods. If they don’t put aside their differences and work together, they’ll never escape alive.

Look for Northern Survival soon.

Joris Darrow

by Diane, posted in Castle Keepers Vignettes, Fiction

Joris Darrow

Dwarf, wheelwright, part owner of The Spoke ‘N Waggon shop, first appeared in chapter 11 of Shadows in the Stone

A boot sailed through the air in the dimly-lit tavern. Joris caught sight of it in time to lean back so only its wind brushed his nose. He embraced his mug of ale against his chest and looked for the origin of the projectile. He saw a woman glaring at him from twenty feet away. The young human beside her raced behind Joris, snatched his boot and sped off.

“Chloe.” Joris raised his mug. “You chose a green one. He won’t be back.”

“I chose an inconsiderate, deceitful rogue who is less appealing than the hind end of a troglodyte.”

Continue reading “Joris Darrow” →