The Burn Zone - Guest Post

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis:  In The Burn Zone, Renee shares the story of her quest for truth and peace, her nearly seven-year detour into hell at the hands of her spiritual teachers, and her ultimate awakening. 

With honesty and courage, Renee recounts how she got sucked into the University of Mysticism and gave away her cherished possessions, tens of thousands of dollars, and all of her power. Dominated and manipulated, Renee cut ties with loved ones (including her twin brother) and obediently followed command after command. Renee got entangled in a romantic and business mess—and wound up losing over $500,000. 

While lying on the floor sobbing, she finally admitted to herself: “I am in a cult.” Then, she began the hard work of healing, forgiveness, and rediscovering and accepting herself.

Guest Post by Renee Linnell:  Why I Wrote The Burn Zone

I wrote The Burn Zoneas a catharsis; I had to get the story out of me. Dr. Maya Angelou once said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” I believe she is right. The story was consuming me. It was tearing me apart from within. I was filled with anger and hatred and confusion and I had to let it go. So I wrote. And wrote and wrote and wrote. I vomited all of it onto paper. Over and over and over again. The same scenarios, the same pain, the same periods of my life. I wrote hate letters that I never sent. I screamed into pillows. I wrote letters to God. Over 700 pages I wrote. And it helped. The heaviness began to lift. The anger began to abate. The fits of rage dissipated. The overwhelming sadness turned to hope.

As this happened I began to speak bits of my story to loved ones. I began to share what I went through, what I signed up for. People were shocked, amazed, and . . . impressed. I began to realize my story had worth. I began to realize it was a story of strength; a story of the fight of the human spirit; a story of uncovering my True Self from deep within the shattered pile of a whole lifetime’s worth of rubble. As I spoke my story I began to get a consistent similar response, “You have to write a book.” It was then that I realized I had been writing a book; it was then that I made the decision to publish what I had written.

But, it wasn’t easy. Reading through my journals was painful. Reliving those stories, those states of mind, was sickening. However, I kept doing it. Because as I did it I realized I had inscribed a map. It was a description of what so many of us (I may even venture to say all of us) do as we create a life to please others. And it was a map, a stepping stone path, out, back to authenticity. I realized I hadto print and share my story; even if it helped only one other person.  

I suppose my background as a seeker and as a Buddhist monk influenced my writing in that I felt safe being raw. Vulnerable. “In my defenselessness my safety lies,” says The Course in Miracles.I took it to heart. And it has been liberating. Publishing my whole story is so freeing because I get to just be me. And it turns out I’m really good at being me. I sucked at being the versions of me I thought I was supposed to be to please my parents, my teachers, my friends, the rest of the world; but it’s actually not much effort at all to just be me. I had a great writing teacher in high school who taught us all the rules of grammar, but then encouraged us to break them. So, you will notice I break a lot of writing rules, but I write the way I would tell a story. Thought by thought, sentence by sentence. Again, authenticity. This is the way I would tell you a story if we were face to face in my living room; why should I write it any other way?

It is my sincere desire that readers would feel liberated after reading my book. I love to imagine the little child within them smiling, finally feeling like s/he gets to call the shots. I love the idea of my readers making the commitment to love and nurture themselves; to treat themselves to the little joys in life that they love. I would love for my readers to finally let go of shame; to start claiming and even celebrating their stories. Especially the “skeletons in the closet.” I imagine shackles around the soul being removed; the shackles of shame, the shackles of not-forgiving, the shackles of wishing this or that never happened. I love imagining the spirits of my readers dancing around in the joy and wonder of their Earth Walk. Changing their mental paradigms to believing their life has been a wild adventure instead of lugging around the baggage of regret. I love imagining the flames within their hearts, the light within, igniting. And I would love for my readers to pull up to the surface, and feel safe in the exposing of, the parts of them that make them different. I would love for them to put my book down knowing their difference is their destiny and feeling ready to show and tell the world about their story, their fight of the human spirit, all that they have gone through, all that they have learned. I would love for them to discover the exhilarating freedom that comes with forgiving all of it, embracing their battle scars, and using those scars to go out in the world and fulfill their true Divine Purpose. 

In Her Image Photography

Renee Linnell is the author of The Burn Zone (She Writes Press). She is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and cofounded five companies and has an Executive Masters in Business Administration from New York University. Currently she is working on starting a publishing company to give people from diverse walks of life an opportunity to tell their stories. She divides her time between Colorado and Southern California. 

For more information, please visit https://reneelinnell.com and follow Renee on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Amazon 

Trial On Mount Koya - Author Guest Post

 I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon): Master ninja Hiro Hattori and Jesuit Father Mateo head up to Mount Koya, only to find themselves embroiled in yet another mystery, this time in a Shingon Buddhist temple atop one of Japan’s most sacred peaks.

November, 1565: Master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo travel to a Buddhist temple at the summit of Mount Koya, carrying a secret message for an Iga spy posing as a priest on the sacred mountain. When a snowstorm strikes the peak, a killer begins murdering the temple’s priests and posing them as Buddhist judges of the afterlife–the Kings of Hell. Hiro and Father Mateo must unravel the mystery before the remaining priests–including Father Mateo–become unwilling members of the killer’s grisly council of the dead.

Author Guest Post:   Solving The “Female Problem” On Koyasan

When I set out to write a mystery set on one of Japan’s most sacred peaks in 1565, I faced an unusual problem: how to incorporate female characters into a novel set in a place no woman was allowed to tread.

Like many of Japan’s most sacred mountains, Koyasan did not allow women onto the peak until relatively recently—specifically, at end of the 19^thcentury. Before that, women could come to the edge of the koya—the summit valley from which the mountain takes its name—but could not actually enter the sacred precincts or the temples atop the mountain. Instead, women had to stay in one of the seven nyonindo, or women’s halls, that surrounded the peak.

As a writer, I want my novels to include as diverse a cast of characters as possible. As a writer of historical fiction, I also need to ensure my characters could have existed in 16^thcentury Japan. (I do write fiction, but I’m committed to accuracy in the historical details.)

Which placed me squarely on the horns of a dilemma: how to get women into a novel, and a place, where women were taboo?

The outline for the novel included no female characters at all. Since women were not allowed on Koya’s summit, I didn’t plot them into the book. But then, about halfway through writing the first draft of the novel, I realized the story didn’t work without female characters. The book—like the world—required both men and women to balance properly.

I needed to get women into the story, and the temple. But how?

The answer—literally—struck like a bolt of lightning.

The Buddhist commitment to the sanctity of life would have prevented even ardent priests from refusing shelter to women who would otherwise perish in a storm. If something destroyed the nyonindo, in weather that made it impossible for the stranded women to leave the mountain, the priests at the closest temple mightagree to offer the women shelter until the storm subsided. The women would be cloistered, and kept away from the priests, of course, but they would still be on the temple grounds and accessible to my detectives (and my plot).

I rewrote the outline, and the book, with lightning striking the nyonindo and burning the women’s hall to the ground. The fugitive women fled to the nearest temple—where Hiro and Father Mateo persuade the priests to let the women stay. With a killer loose in the temple, it isn’t much safer than the blizzard raging across the mountaintop (in fact, for several unfortunate souls, it might have been better to risk the storm) but it did accomplish my central mission: finding a plausible, realistic way to include female characters at a time and place most women were not allowed.

As I expected, the plot and the novel as a whole were much better with both men and women represented—in art, as in life, more viewpoints always make a story stronger.

Check out the other reviews of Trial on Mount Koya on the TLC Book Tours

https://tlcbooktours.com/2018/05/susan-spann-author-of-trial-on-mount-koya-on-tour-july-2018/

Susan Spann is the 2015 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Writer of the Year and the author of five previous novels in the Hiro Hattori / Shinobi Mystery series: Claws of the Cat, Blade of the Samurai, Flask of the Drunken Master, The Ninja’s Daughter, and Betrayal at Iga. She has a degree in Asian Studies from Tufts University and a lifelong love of Japanese history and culture. When not writing, she enjoys hiking, photography, and traveling in Japan.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Susan

Website | Facebook | Twitter

One Pedal at a Time - Guest Author

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon): Watching her husband, Joe, regress from crossing the country on a bike to cheering him on as he navigated his wheelchair around the kitchen, CJ Golden had much to learn about caregiving. And she did - through her characteristic determination, quest for knowledge, boundless love and relentless optimism. 

Within these pages the reader finds a balanced mix of somber reflections and light moments that highlight a very real passage in the lives of a husband and wife who love each other unequivocally. Golden shares the lessons she learned, the emotional and physical strain upon her heavily burdened shoulders, and the realization that, through it all, their connection and love have grown stronger. 

Joe’s motto for getting through life’s most trying times has always been, “one pedal at a time” - referring to his days traversing the country, for months at a time, on the two wheels of his road bike. Thus, the title of this book and, hopefully, a philosophy that will help carry others through their own caregiving struggles.

One Pedal at a Time speaks to caregivers who need a place to turn to for information, inspiration and hope. And who enjoy a good love story.

Guest Post by CJ Golden:  Boopah Had A Stroke, You Know

Their first ever hospital visit and the two little boys, ages five and eight, were ushered into Boopah’s room to view him lying in bed: barely able to walk or speak after suffering a series of strokes.

As I studied their faces, trying to discern just what might be going on in their heads, my mind went to bleak places.  Surely they could not apprehend this was the same grandfather who had recently crossed the country on his bicycle.  Most definitely this would be a giant turning point in their relationship with Boopah. “Now,” they must be thinking, “A disabled old man has replaced my Boopah.  And, “It is scary to see him like this.”

This was much like my own paranoia when the three older grandchildren had come to be with me two years earlier, after back surgery rendered me unable to move my left foot. I was thus required to sport a bulky brace around that leg and had to use a walker in order to ambulate.

Before they arrived, I’d made sure my makeup was on, my hair coiffed perfectly with a multi-colored ribbon hanging from the top to show them my body had changed, but my outrageous sense of humor was still strongly intact.  

I don’t know if it was the ribbon, or the fact that the inner me had not been altered by the physical alteration but I was, indeed, still Grams and was accepted as such.

And now my concern went to my husband, Joe, and his future relationship with the kids.  

What is it about me that stubbornly holds on to unnecessary angst?  Why could I not have retained the lesson I learned when I had been laid up? The kids knew who I was.  They didn’t flinch.  Of course, they cared and hoped I’d heal, but as far as they were concerned, I had not changed.  Grams was, well, Grams.

So, too, was Joe going to remain Boopah, for, while his body was temporarily out of service, his quick mind, easy laugh and abundant love for his family would never change.

Once home, we had installed a system of ramps which allowed Joe’s wheelchair to be navigated from level to level.  But before he was able to sit in that wheelchair, he’d needed a giant forklift-type of equipment to move him from his bed to the wheelchair.  And the help of two able-bodied adults.  

The kids loved to help lift Boopah from his bed and place him in the chair.  And they most certainly got a great kick out of having themselves moved by that lift into chair when it was unoccupied.  Once in the wheelchair, they equated the adventure to something akin to a Disney ride.  

For his part, Joe enjoyed having the kids push him around the house and participate in his physical improvement.   There were times, however, the house appeared to be too quiet to have the kids visiting.  Where was the tumult that was part of enjoying grandchildren?  

That’s when we knew to listen for suppressed giggles and find them hiding under the ramps.

Fast-forward a year and Boopah is now fully back; having regained his physical abilities.  The forklift is no longer needed, nor the wheelchair or the ramps.  There is, however, a large inflated cushion on his seat at the kitchen table.  And, of course, the kids get a great kick out of sitting upon it.

Recently Joe was in the kitchen while I was complaining about having to take out the garbage and recycling because he was not doing his part of the chores.  His immediate response was, “I had a stroke, you know” followed by a huge, knowing smile.  And then he grabbed the garbage bag from me and hauled it out into the garage.

The thing is, instead of having worried about the children not accepting Grams or Boopah after our illnesses, I should have been thinking about all the ways in which they could participate in our recoveries.

Last week I came to fully understand that relationships as strong as a grandparent and grandchild do not change merely because one of us is stricken with an illness.  We were on vacation together, Joe had taken his afternoon nap the day before, went to bed early that same evening and now, the next morning was still not up to join us for breakfast.  One of the boys remarked that he sleeps a lot.  Before I could respond and explain his need for much rest, the other grandson stated, with a knowing grin, “Well, Boopah’s had a stroke, you know.”

Lesson learned.

CJ Golden is a writer and motivational speaker from Newtown, Connecticut. Through her first two books, "Tao of the Defiant Woman" and "Tao-Girls Rule!", she has been able to indulge in her passion for helping people, sharing her wisdom with women and girls.

Golden’s latest writing remains focused on her new life as caregiver to her husband, Joe. Paramount are the lessons she has learned, the emotional and physical strain upon her heavily-burdened shoulders, and the realization that, while their roles as husband and wife have been altered, their connection and love have grown stronger.
She has been fortunate to have to reached thousands of followers while blogging about her experiences as Joe’s caregiver. When numerous readers requested Golden turn her writings into a book. Those blogs gave birth to One Pedal at a Time: A Novice Caregiver and Her Cyclist Husband Face Their New Normal With Courage, Tenacity and Abundant Love.

Visit CJ Golden online at cjgolden.com, or contact her directly at author@cjgolden.com

Amazon 

The Tree of Water Guest Post

Synopsis (from Amazon): The epic voyages continue in The Tree of Water, the fourth adventure in bestselling author Elizabeth Haydon’s acclaimed fantasy series for young readers, The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme.

As Royal Reporter of the land of Serendair, it is the duty of young Charles Magnus "Ven" Polypheme to travel the world and seek out magic hiding in plain sight. But Ven needs to escape the clutches of the nefarious Thief Queen, ruler of the Gated City, whose minions are hunting for him. His friend, the merrow Amariel, has the perfect solution to his dilemma: Ven and Char will join her to explore the world beneath the sea.

As they journey through the sea, Ven finds himself surrounded by wonders greater than he could have ever imagined. But the beauty of the ocean is more than matched by the dangers lurking within its depths, and Ven and his friends soon realize that in order to save thousands of innocent lives, they may have to sacrifice their own. For everything in the ocean needs to eat…

Interview with Elizabeth Haydon, documentarian, archanologist and translator of Ven’s journals, including The Tree of Water

SBN:  The main character in The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme series is Charles Magnus "Ven" Polypheme. Tell us about him.

EH:  Ven was an interesting person, but he really didn’t think so. He and his family were of a different race than the humans who made up most of the population where he lived, the race of the Nain. Nain are an old race, a little shorter and stockier than most humans, with a tendency to be on the grumpy side. They live about four times as long as humans, are very proud of their beards, which they believe tell their life stories, don’t like to swim or travel, and prefer to live deep in the mountains.Ven was nothing like the majority of Nain. He was very curious, loved to travel, could swim, and longed to see the world. He was actually a pretty nice kid most of the time. He had the equivalent of a baby face because only three whiskers of his beard had grown in by the time The Tree of Water took place, when he was fifty years old [around twelve in Nain years]. He had a great group of friends, including the merrow and Char, who were mentioned earlier. It is believed that his journals were the original research documents for two of the most important books of all time, The Book of All Human Knowledge and All the World’s Magic.The only copies of these two volumes were lost at sea centuries ago, so finding the Lost Journals is the only way to recover this important information.

SBN: What is/are the most difficult part or parts of writing/restoring the Lost Journals?

EH: Here’s the list, mostly from the archaeological digs where the journals have been found:
1] Cannibals
2] Crocodiles
3] Sunburn
4] Sand flies
5] Dry, easily cracking parchment pages
6] The horrible smell of long-dead seaweed
7] Grumpy members of the archaeological expedition [I could name names, but I won’t]
8] Expedition food [when finding and retrieving the journal for The Tree of Water,we ate nothing but peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, olives and yellow tea for six months straight]
9] When salt water gets into your favorite fountain pen and clogs it up. This is very sad.
10] Unintentionally misspelling a word in the Nain language that turns out to be embarrassing [the word for “jelly” is one letter different from the word for “diarrhea,” which caused a number of my Nain friends to ask me what on earth I thought Ven was spreading on his toast.]

SBN: What do you enjoy about this series that cannot be found in any of your other books? 

EH:Getting to write about a lot of cool magic stuff that used to exist in our world, but doesn’t anymore. And getting to travel to interesting places in the world to see if maybe some of it still does exist. Also getting to show the difference between merrows, which are real, interesting creatures, and mermaids, which are just silly.

SBN: What do you hope readers take away from this book? 

EH: I hope, in general, that it will open their eyes to the wonder of the sea, which takes up the majority of our planet, but we really don’t know that much about it down deep. There is a great deal of magic in the sea, and I hope that if and when people become aware of it, they will help take care of it and not throw garbage and other bad stuff into it. I have a serious dislike for garbage-throwing.Probably the most useful secret I learned that I hope will be of use to readers is about thrum. Thrum is the way the creatures and plants that live in the ocean communicate with each other through vibration and thought. As Ven and his friends learn, this can be a problem if you think about something you don’t want anyone to know about when you are standing in a sunshadow, because everyone gets to see a picture of what’s on your mind. Imagine how embarrassing that could be.

SBN: Are there more books coming in this series? 

EH: Well, at least one. In the archaeological dig site where The Tree of Water was found was another journal, a notebook that Ven called The Star of the Sea. We are still working on restoring it, but it looks like there are many new adventures and different kinds of magic in it. The problem is that it might have been buried in the sand with an ancient bottle of magical sun tan lotion, which seems to have leaked onto some of the journal’s pages. This is a very sad event in archaeology, but we are working hard to restore it. As for other books, it’s not like we just write them out of nowhere. If we haven’t found one of Ven’s journals, there can’t be another book, now, can there? We are always looking, however. We’ve learned so much about ancient magic from the journals we have found so far.

SBN: Tell us where we can find your book and more information about where you are these days. 

EH: You can find The Tree of Water anywhere books are sold, online and in bookstores. There are several copies in my steamer trunk and I believe the palace in Serendair also has one. I also sent one to Bruno Mars because I like his name.At the moment, I am on the beautiful island of J’ha-ha, searching for a very unique and magical flower. Thank you for asking these interview questions—it has improved my mood, since I have only found weeds so far today. I am hoping for better luck after lunch, which, sadly, is peanut butter and raisin sandwiches, olives, and yellow tea again.

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble 

The Accidental Book Club

Synopsis (from Amazon): Writing a new future takes a little time—and a lot of love.

Jean Vison never expected to run a book club, until her life took an unexpected turn. Now, with Jean’s husband gone, what began as an off-the-cuff idea has grown into a group of six women who meet the second Tuesday of every month for a potluck supper, for wine and laughter—and for books.

There’s Loretta, who deals with the lack of intimacy in her marriage by diving into erotic novels. Dorothy, whose ruffian sons are a never-ending source of stress. May entertains the group with her outrageous dating stories, while Mitzi finds something political to rant about in every book—including Loretta’s trashy romances. Even Janet, with her mousy shyness and constant blush, has helped Jean rediscover the joy in life.

So when Jean’s family starts unraveling again—her daughter forced into rehab and her troubled teen granddaughter, Bailey, coming to live with her in the interim—she turns to the book club for comfort and support. And, together, they all, even Bailey, discover that family is what you make of it, especially the family you choose… 

I am so excited to share a guest post with the author, Jennifer Scott

My Big, Fat, Fake Book Club

I don’t belong to a book club. Seems that I should. After all, I love books. I love talking about books. I love people who love talking about books. I’m a sure fit.

I’ve only been invited to officially join one book club, and at the time it didn’t work with my schedule. Evenings, kids, sports, school events, blah blah blah, the usual.

Every so often, however, I fantasize about creating my very own book club. My book club would be fabulous. We’d meet over potlucks, just like Jean’s book club does in The Accidental Book Club. I’d bust out my best recipes, and maybe even try some new ones to fit a challenging theme. Perhaps jiaozi and steamed buns for Amy Tan’s The Valley of Amazement, or a hearty beef stew and a stout beer for Kent Haruf’s Benediction.

In my big, fat, fake book club, we would turn out all the lights and discuss Marisha Pessl’s Night Film by creepy candlelight. Maybe the braver among us would fire up a scary movie afterward. The next month we would all write confessional letters to Richard Gere, to celebrate our reading of Matthew Quick’s The Good Luck of Right Now.

Perhaps we would wear formals to discuss Prom Nights from Hell. After that, we’d tackle some provocative nonfiction—perhaps The Death Class by Erika Hayasaki—and have weighty discussions surrounded by “brain food”—blueberry crumble, smoked salmon, guacamole.

And, of course, my game-for-anything fake book club would read The Accidental Book Club. We’d all bring regular dishes that we’d “gourmeted up” with capers and fancy cheese and other foody things, drink tons of wine, and talk about motherhood, expectations, and friendship.

Alas, I will probably never start a book club. Evenings, kids, sports, school events, blah blah blah, the usual. I will never get to throw a reality TV-themed party to discuss A.S. King’s Reality Boy.

But boy did I love inventing a book club in The Accidental Book Club.

I had such a good time trying out new dishes through Jean, being taken away on sexy fictional romps through Loretta, getting politically fired up through Mitzi, and thinking deeply through shy, sensitive Janet. I loved picturing the set table, the books lovingly laid out with the water glasses. I loved imagining the scent of the wine as it was being poured, the view of the woods through the dining room window.

I especially loved the camaraderie of the women—the way they had each other’s backs, the way they understood one another, the way they looked out for each other and spoke their minds. I loved that the book club itself, just like the books they were there to read, went so much deeper than just words on a page.

The Accidental Book Club may be the only book club I ever belong to. But I don’t mind, because they were a pretty fun group to hang out with. *grabs book* Now, where’s the food?

Amazon |  Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

Yours To Keep Tour and Giveaway!!

Synopsis: Serena Bell makes her Loveswept debut with the captivating story of a woman living on the edge—and the man who’s destined to love her.
 

Ana Travares has been looking over her shoulder her whole life. Her U.S. visa expired when she was a young girl, and if her secret is discovered, she’ll be forced to return to the Dominican Republic. Ana allowed herself to get close to someone once before—and after he broke her heart, she swore never to make the same mistake again. But when a handsome doctor asks for her assistance, she fantasizes about breaking all her rules.
 


Even though pediatrician Ethan Hansen is a natural when it comes to little kids, as the single father of a teenage son he just can’t seem to get it right . . . except for the Spanish tutor he’s hired for his son, Theo. Ana has managed to crack Theo’s shell—and he isn’t the only one taken with her. The sexy tutor has fired up Ethan with a potent mix of lust and protectiveness. But as he starts to envision a future with Ana, Ethan is devastated to learn the truth about her citizenship. Somehow he’s got to find a way to help her—and hold on to the woman he’s falling hopelessly in love with.



Meet the Author:  Serena Bell writes stories about how sex messes with your head, why smart people do stupid things sometimes, and how love can make it all better.

Serena wrote her first steamy romance before she was old enough to understand what all the words meant and has been perfecting the art of hiding pages and screens from curious eyes ever since--a skill that's particularly useful now that she's the mother of two school-aged children.

For a while, Serena took a break from penning love stories to explore the world as a journalist, where she spent time shadowing and writing about a cast of fascinating real-life characters.

When she's not writing or getting her butt kicked at Scrabble by a six-year-old, she's practicing modern dance improv in the kitchen, swimming laps, talking a long walk, or reading on one of her large collection of electronic devices.

Serena is a member of RWA National and the Seattle and Boston chapters, and blogs regularly about writing and reading romance at www.serenabell.com and www.wonkomance.com. She also tweets like a madwoman as @serenabellbooks.

Serena's debut novella, Ticket Home, releases from Samhain Publishing in April 2013 as part of Strangers on a Train, a series of stories about railroad encounters of the very hot kind.

Connect with Serena online at her website, Facebook, and  Twitter. 

Interview with Author:  

SBN: Happy Thanksgiving, Serena!  I am so happy to have you blog by!
Jill, thank you so much for having me here today! It’s a pleasure to visit Seaside Book Nook as part of my Yours to Keep Thanksgiving tour. 

SBN: Did you plan on having Yours to Keep a holiday book?
I didn’t set out to make Yours to Keep a holiday book. It’s the story of an undocumented immigrant, Ana Travares, who has avoided intimacy for years out of fear that no man will be able to handle her truth—until she meets Ethan Hansen (Dr. Handsome!), the one man who can. But spending time with Ana and Ethan led me naturally to writing about Thanksgiving, and finally, to Christmas. 

I think it’s because their own stories are so intertwined with their families’ stories, and the holidays reveal so much those relationships. Ana comes from a big, expressive Dominican family, while Ethan comes from a much more reserved upbringing. Ethan is raising his son Theo alone, after his wife’s death many years ago, something Theo has never complained about until he gets a chance to spend time at a friend’s house on Thanksgiving:  

“Leah has a big family. Lots of cousins.”  

That made Ethan’s chest ache. “I would have liked us to be a bigger family. Your mom and I wanted more kids. She had a couple of miscarriages, though, and then she was too sick to risk getting pregnant again.”  

“You could still get married and have more kids.” 

“It’s kind of late for that. You’re almost all grown up.”  

“I bet Ana wants kids.” Theo stood up and took a few steps away from his father, facing into the far corner of the room so that Ethan couldn’t see his face.  

Ethan’s throat tightened. 

SBM: My mom opened her house to all our family and friends for Thanksgiving.  There were at a minimum 25 people each Thanksgiving.  It was my favorite time and we all had so much fun!  What are/were your Thanksgivings like?
I grew up with medium-sized Thanksgivings that ranged from around nine people to as many as eighteen. But my closest friend was an only child, and she was always sad that she didn’t have more people around her at the holidays. My empathy for her was the inspiration for Theo’s experience.

Yours to Keep is at bottom a book about how love is rewarded with more love and how there’s always hope you’ll get what you want and what you need. And I promise you that by Christmas, Theo has nothing to complain about in the not-enough-people department. 

SBN: Thanks again Serena and Happy Holidays!
Please join the conversation below by telling us about how big or small your holiday celebrations are, and whether you prefer them that way or crave a bigger (or more intimate) version. And don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway to have a chance at winning books and/or a gift card! 

Praise for Yours to Keep:

“Yours to Keep is a timely, richly written emotional romance with complex characters readers will fall in love with.”—New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross




“Serena Bell delivers a fully adult romance with authentic characters, genuine stakes, and the kind of sweet, hot yearning that turns pages and stops your breath.”—Mary Ann Rivers, author of Live



“I love this book on so many levels.”—Fab Fantasy Fiction



Purchase:  You can purchase Yours to Keep online at Amazon or at Random House for $2.99.

Giveaway:  Please visit the other great sites on Serena's tour and join in celebrating Thanksgiving and the rest of the winter holiday season! Enter below to win books and/or a $20 etailer gift card! Rafflecopter giveaway ends December 1, 11:59 p.m.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Stops:  Make sure you check out the other blogs on the Yours to Keep Tour!

11/24/13 – Romance At Random

11/25/13- Book Binge
And, Drey’s Library

11/26/13 – Steamy Guys After Dark

11/27/13 – Seaside Book Nook

11/28/13 – Fictional Candy
Plus, All Romance Cafe

11/29/13 – Fiction Vixen

11/30/13 – Harlequin Book Junkie

12/1/13- Book Nympho
And, From the TBR Pile