Author Archives: Alicia & Roy Street

Sitting Fit

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Whether we’re reading or writing or working in an office, most of us spend way too much time sitting. And the latest research on what that does to our health is downright scary—from back pain to obesity and even the increased risk of life threatening illnesses.

The good news is that making ourselves get up and move can change the picture.

Having spent my early adult life as a professional dancer, I already have trouble sitting for too long. But being a writer and editor and loving to read for pleasure in my spare time, that’s what I do for most of my days.

Here are some tips for staying fit and counteracting the negative effects of prolonged sitting that have helped me.

Set a timer. I try to get up every fifteen minutes.

Move your arms and legs when you get up. Maybe play one of your favorite tunes and dance, or if you’re at work, go to the ladies’ room and march in place for a full minute. So what if a co-worker comes in and thinks you’re a bit odd.

Sitting for so long often means our butt muscles lose tone. A good exercise for that is to get down on hands and knees and lift your leg behind you. I recommend at least two sets of ten on each leg. And if you want to get your stomach muscles involved, reach out the opposite arm as you lift the leg.

So how do you keep yourself fit when you have to sit?

 

Guest Author Josie Rivera Explores the Romany Culture

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Guest author Josie Rivera shares some tidbits from her research on Romany culture from her latest historical romance releasing today.

“Gadje Gadjensa, Rom Romensa.”

This is a Romany (Gypsy) saying that means “Gadje with Gadje, Rom with Rom.”

So what is a gadje? A gadje in the Romany language means “not one of us.” Many Rom prefer to not allow outsiders (us) into their lives. It’s no coincidence that in my hours, days, and months of researching the Romany for Seeking Patience, little information was available. Odd, because the Rom have lived in many places throughout the world for centuries. They’re a widely-traveled people. Yet there is little written history regarding their origins, although recent evidence points to an emigration from India 1500 years ago.

I believe the reason there is little information available is because the Rom simply prefer it that way. They are a proud people who keep to themselves. And they are nomads, forever on the move, traveling by horse and wagon in caravans.

It is no secret that the Rom have suffered persecution, prejudice, exclusion, and discrimination for centuries. The “Gypsy” stereotype includes a criminal, fortune-teller, blacksmith, thief, and musician, a dark-complexioned, shadowy figure. But why do so many of us harbor this unfair prejudice? Perhaps because of the Rom’s nomadic existence, lack of a solid religious belief, and exotic clothes and lifestyle. Their dialect is distinct and related to Sanskrit. Their tradition is oral, for they didn’t have the luxury of building libraries.

One belief shared by all Rom is cleanliness. Mahrime means unclean or polluted. To avoid mahrime, clothes covering the top half of their body are washed separately from clothes on the bottom. Certain parts of the female body are considered unclean, and doctors are sometimes avoided because they deal with illness. And, a Rom can become polluted by being too close to a gadje.
These are some of the issues examined for her new Regency Historical Romance SEEKING PATIENCE

Now available on Kindle iBooks Nook Kobo

Do people prove their worth by strength, or by character?

Half-Romany, half-English lord, he lives a perilous Gypsy life … until a sweet English rose saves his life, and perhaps his soul. Widowed by a cruel husband, she’s given up all hope of love. Brought together in peril, they dare to reach for a brighter future together.

Luca Boldor, Romany leader, lives a nomad’s life in Regency England with his Gypsy caravan. Believing his noble father abandoned him at birth, he refuses to acknowledge his English blood, or live a settled life. But when a vicious attack by a rival leaves him bleeding on an English lady’s doorstep, he has no choice but to accept her help. Her gentle faith stirs his heart in a way he has long denied.

Lady Patience Blakwell, widowed countess, lives in near poverty. Her husband’s heir uses threats to keep her from demanding her rightful inheritance. With a few faithful servants, she exists quietly in the country, only her faith keeping her strong … until the day a bold, handsome Gypsy collapses in her hall. He’s unlike any man she’s ever known, and she’ll confront any subterfuge to keep him safe.

But when a secret from Lady Patience’s past emerges, Luca must face his own past, or lose her and all hope of love. Will this strong man humble himself to open his heart for his lady?

Best-selling author Josie Riviera writes Historical, Inspirational, and Sweet Romances. She lives in the Charlotte, NC, area with her wonderfully supportive husband.They share their empty nest with an adorable Shih Tzu who constantly needs grooming and an old house forever needing renovations.

New Book from Jacquie Biggar

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THE GUARDIAN ~Book 1 of Mended Souls

Paranormal romantic suspense

Lucas Carmichael and Scott Anderson had it all, money, fame, and fortune. But one night’s stupid mistake takes everything they thought they cherished and dumps it upside down.
A car accident ends Lucas’ life and leaves Scott injured and bitter.
As the local ME, Tracy York, investigates the case, discrepancies begin to point to more than a simple drunk driving incident. When threats are made to Tracy’s life can Scott and his guardian angel, Lucas, protect her, or will she become another casualty?
Amazon US Amazon International

Jacquie Biggar

I live in paradise along the west coast of Canada with my family and love reading, writing, and flower gardening. Oh, and I can’t function without coffee! Preferably at the beach with my sweetheart.:)

I write Romantic Suspense with tough, alpha males who know what they want until they’re gob-smacked by heroines who are strong, contemporary women willing to show them what they really need is love.

I’ve been blessed with a long, happy marriage and enjoy writing romance novels that end with happy-ever-afters.

Amazon ✯ FaceBook-author ✯ FaceBook-personal ✯ Twitter ✯ Goodreads ✯ Website

Hosted by Magic of Books

Two Hearts in Winter

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★•**•.★ Pre-Order Blitz & #Giveaway ★•**•.★

Donna Fasano is having a giveaway celebrating the pre-order launch of her second book in the Ocean City Boardwalk series - Two Hearts in Winter

Enter the Giveaway here: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/7996b6c5303/?

 

Loss and betrayal have caused Heather Phillips to give up on love. She’s thrown herself into running The Lonely Loon, her Bed and Breakfast located on the boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland. The “off season” in this tourist town is usually a time of rest and reflection for her; however, DB Atwell, a famous author, arrives at The Loon for the winter to finish his long-overdue novel. Daniel, too, has faced grief, and tragedy continues to haunt him. Once Heather and Daniel meet, their lives will never be the same.

Reminiscent of Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks and culminating in a happily-ever-after similar to the great Nora Roberts, Two Hearts in Winter is a story about learning to let go of the past, about realizing that, though hardship affects us, it need not define us, and about coming to understand and truly believe that beauty is sometimes covered in scars. The human heart has an amazing ability to forgive, to heal, and to hope, especially when touched by love.

*Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1ooYAyR
*Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/235L56Z
*Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/TwoHeartsNook
*iBooks: http://bit.ly/TwoHeartsiBook
*Kobo: http://bit.ly/TwoHeartsKobo
*Google Play: http://bit.ly/TwoHeartsGoogle

Praise for Book 1: Following His Heart

“The pleasure of Fasano’s style lies in the scrumptious descriptions… and her characters’ sincere, mature desire to make things work.” ~ Publishers Weekly

“Following His Heart made me go “wow”. . . I found it thought-provoking in ways I’d have never anticipated.” ~ BooksAndPals.com, 5-Stars:

USA Today Bestselling Author Donna Fasano has written 35 romance and women’s fiction titles. Her books have won awards, have been translated into two dozen languages, and have sold 4 million copies worldwide.

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Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/donnafasano
GoodReads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1111480.Donna_Fasano
Blog: http://donnafasano.blogspot.com/
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Read an Excerpt:

It wasn’t Heather’s aim to embarrass the girl; she just wanted to cut through the lies to get to the truth as quickly as possible.

“Listen, hon.” Heather leaned forward. “Why don’t you tell me what this is all about?”

She smiled, but she had to admit, after speaking with the woman at Atlantic Coastal this morning, she’d felt completely stumped. Why in the world would this girl approach her like she had? Why would she lie?

“I’m tired of proofing,” Sandra finally said. “And I don’t want to be an editor. I want to be a writer. And paying writing gigs are few and far between in this business. Newspapers are shutting down. Everyone is going digital. It’s… it’s hard.”

Heather gently pried the plastic lid off her tea. She lifted the rim to her mouth and took a sip. The heady tastes hit her tongue: cardamom, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, and the richly scented steam wafted around her face.

The answer Sandra gave was completely plausible. It seemed like a perfectly natural thing for a journalist wannabe to do… write an interesting story about The Lonely Loon and present it to the magazine’s publisher as proof of her writing skills.

Heather nodded. “I see.” She set the cup down again, pleased by the calm demeanor that she’d been able to present. As she’d driven over to the west side of town, she’d fretted about the confrontation. But it had been simple, really. Just asking for the simple truth had been the best solution.

There were still a couple of questions niggling at her, though. “But why lie?” she asked. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were going after a writing job at your magazine?”

Sandra’s chin tipped up, and she unwittingly slid her palm over the silver laptop that sat on the table, her gaze zeroing in on Heather’s face. “You would have helped me get a story?”

“Of course, I would help you.” Heather smiled. “I like to see people succeed. If I can help you, I will.” You silly twit, whispered through her mind, but luckily she was able to keep the offensive moniker from slipping off her tongue. “Who wouldn’t like to help someone advance in their career?”

“Oh, wow,” Sandra gushed. “I don’t know what to say. I just… this is so nice of you.”

Heather’s smile widened. Now that the truth was sitting like an open book in front of them, they could get down to work. She could tell Sandra that her mother had been the one who had established The Lonely Loon, and she could explain where the name had come from. And how she’d taken over the business after her mother had died of breast cancer. She’d be sure to name a few of the neighboring boardwalk businesses and their owners to offer as much promotion to her friends as she could. The owners of the shops, restaurants, and hotels on the boardwalk were a tight-knit group.

Sandra reached into her satchel and pulled out an eight by ten piece of paper and slid it across the table.

“What’s this?” Heather asked.

As her eyes scanned the short, full-caps header—WRITER DB ATWELL’S DAUGHTER MISSING. Heather’s blood froze and she felt like she were sitting in a vacuum.

“This is the story I want.” The words burst from Sandra like blustery wind during a nor’easter. “I have a friend who works at the Associated Press. He sent this to me just before Christmas. It’s taken me weeks to track him down. DB Atwell, I mean. The teachers at his daughter’s school aren’t talking. His publisher isn’t talking. Even his agent blew me off.”

Heather watched Sandra’s mouth moving, she even heard the words, but the situation had taken such a bizarre turn, that she felt truly dumbfounded.

“I’ve tracked him to Ocean City, I believe,” Sandra continued. “And although I haven’t seen him, I’m pretty sure he’s hiding out at your B&B. He’s the one you mentioned yesterday, isn’t he? The guest who needs quiet. I want you to tell me about him. I need you to tell me everything you know. About him. And his missing daughter.”

 

 

Love Christmas?

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Do you love the music of the holiday season? If so, the Authors’ Billboard needs your attention! This coming 2016 Christmas, twenty of our authors—New York Times and USA Today Bestsellers—will be putting together a multi-author box collection of brand new, never before published stories to dazzle everyone, but we require your participation.
The title of our collection will be LOVE, CHRISTMAS and the theme of this bundle will be Christmas carols. We want to use YOUR favorite holiday songs. If you and your song title are chosen, one of the 20 novellas will be dedicated to you.
Sound like fun? We’re having a Facebook party to celebrate and you can join us HERE.

But you can enter the contest right now by naming your special carols in the contest entry form.

ENTER HERE!

You may enter as many times as you like. So what are you waiting for?

Here’s what the winners will receive:

1.Twenty winners will have his/her favorite song chosen as the title and possibly the theme for one of the novellas.
2. That particular story will be dedicated to the winner— twenty in total.
3. And the winners will receive a free copy of the boxed set (eBook only).

Ho, ho, ho! And good luck!

The authors involved in this fun contest are:

Leanne Banks - NY Times & USAToday, National #1 Best-selling author

Mimi Barbour - NY Times & USA Today, Best-selling author

Nina Bruhns - NY Times & USA Today, Best-selling author

Joan Reeves - NY Times & USAToday, Best-selling author

Mona Risk - NY Times & USA Today, Best-selling author

Patricia Rosemoor - NY Times & USA Today, Best-selling author

Rebecca York - NY Times & USA Today, Best-selling author

Denise Devine - USA Today, Best-selling author

Donna Fasano - USA Today,Best-selling author

Traci Hall - USA Today,Best-selling author

Taylor Lee - USA Today,Best-selling author

Stephanie Queen - USA Today,Best-selling author

Jennifer St. Giles - USA Today,Best-selling author

Alicia Street – USA Today,Best-selling author

Ari Thatcher - USA Today,Best-selling author

Rachelle Ayala - Best-selling author

Jacquie Biggar - Best-selling author

Michele Hauf - Best-selling author

Dani Haviland - Best-selling author

Nancy Radke - Best-selling author

 

 

Ready for a bit of Summer Heat?

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I write both sweet romance and sexy romance, and this box is definitely the latter.

If you like a bit of heat in your romantic reads, come join the party celebrating the pre-order launch of the Summer Heat boxed set.

Wednesday, March 9 from 12:30 - 9:00 ET HERE Lots of games and prizes including a Kindle Fire for one lucky winner.

Sixteen all new contemporary romances from NY Times, USA Today, and international bestselling authors. Guaranteed to make your blood run hot. Passion, steamy nights, excitement, and suspense. Something to suit every reader’s taste. Grab a cool drink (you’ll need it!), find a hammock, and curl up for an unforgettable escape.

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1: Caridad Pineiro, Under the Boardwalk - A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love in just one night?

2: Nina Bruhns, Fast and Flirty - The top-secret package STORM Corps transporter Kade Maddox is hired to deliver turns out to be way more trouble—and a whole lot sexier—than he ever anticipated.

3: Rebecca York, Outlaw Justice - Will a surprise reunion with her old lover save her life when she flees from a homicidal husband?

4: Jennifer Lowery, The Fall (Book #2 ATCOM series) - The last thing ATCOM agent Brendan Devayne wants is to settle down, but Mia Lawrence makes him think twice…

5: Taylor Lee, Jared: (Book 1, The Justice Brothers Series) - The rookie cop learned the hard way that when tangling with the Justice Brothers, Justice—like Love- isn’t always fair or easy.

6: Traci Hall, Festival by the Sea - Al Cooper’s too bad to be a cop and too good to be a crook; Darcy Smith can’t get enough.

7: Stephanie Queen, Beachcomber Heat - This summer’s heat wave on Martha’s Vineyard is breaking records, but so is the crime wave. The combination is causing a wave of red-hot dangerous desire between Dane and Shana.

8: Alicia Street, In Training for Love - When private fitness trainer Shannon meets her hot new client, loving her job takes on a whole new meaning.

9: Kathy Ivan, Sex, Lies and Apple Pies - A televised baking competition brings them together. But deceit, intrigue and revenge are on this menu. Can their love survive?

10: Jackie Ivie, The Hunted - LeeAnn’s got business in Miami. Bring on the sun. Sand. Sexy men to look at. The last thing she expects is to be someone’s target.

11: Michele Hauf, The Geek Gets The Girl - Mistaken for the IT geek? This sexy CEO is about to learn the intimate operations of his company—up close, and personal.

12: Rachelle Ayala, Bad Boys for Hire: Ken (Bad Boys for Hire Series, #2) - After Jolie Becker is left at the altar, her friends secretly hire a hunky beach bum to cheer her up.

13: Katy Walters, Sands of Seduction - Clary escaped to a place of sea and sand, a place of passion and seduction.

14: Melissa Keir, Protecting Her Pigg - Arson and fire bring them together, but what will cause the most damage…the arsonist bent on revenge or their own stubborn ways?

15: Dani Haviland, Pool Boy Wanted (No Experience Preferred) - He’d never known a woman before, and that’s just how she wanted him.

16: Jacquie Biggar, Summer Lovin’ - Can two mismatched lovers find a way past their mistakes, or will they keep their lonely hearts forever guarded?

 

Critters Open Our Hearts

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I’ve always loved animals. When I was a kid having one of those run-ins with my parents that produced tears, I always looked for my dog or cat to cuddle up and give me furry consolation. Little did I know what a healthy move that was.

Today research shows that hanging out with a critter is good for both mental and physical well-being. It increases your level of the hormone oxytocin, which reduces stress and makes you feel happier. Petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure and cortisol levels and produce an antibody that improves the immune system.

Aside from the highly trained service dogs that work with wounded veterans and handicapped individuals, the use of therapy dogs—untrained pets that are tested for behavior and handling—do wonders in nursing homes, hospitals, mental health centers, and other places where unconditional TLC is needed.

My novella in the Christmas Pets and Kisses boxed set features a mixed breed therapy dog whose loving nature brings healing and change to a family—not to mention an unexpected romance.

Pets and romance are a great match because animals have a way of opening our hearts. Releasing today, Christmas Pets and Kisses rings in the holiday season with sixteen all-new sweet and heartwarming romances from New York Times, USA Today and National bestselling authors. It’s a romantic collection of Christmas tails…uh, tales as adorable pets with fins, paws, feathers, and hooves bring holiday magic with the gift of true love.

99 cents for a limited time ~ Amazon Nook iBooks Kobo

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