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Marianne H. Donley: Featured Author

April 7, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , , , ,

Marianne H. Donley makes her home in Pennslyvania with her husband, son, and a very very active dog. She is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, The Charmed Connection, Sisters in Crime, The Guppies and Capital Crimes. When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor. She also could be knitting.


ONCE UPON A TIME

Step through our castle doors into a world of imagination!

At long last, the Bethlehem Writers Group, known for its award-winning anthologies, has published a book especially for children. ONCE UPON A TIME is a collection of twenty-one sweet, funny, and yes, strange stories for kids from preschool through middle school.

This anthology is designed to grow with your child.

First, stories such as “GG and Teddy and the Dream Willow” by Will Wright, “The Princess of Booray” by Emily P. W. Murphy, and “A Nutty Adventure” by Judith Mehl, will enchant those who enjoy being read to while sitting on a grown-up’s lap. Others, including “A Harmonious Secret” by Josie Myers, “Bird Boy” by Russell Uhler, and “Bring-Your-Monster-to-School Day” by Kidd Wadsworth, allow young readers to immerse themselves in the fantasy and adventure of reading on their own. Finally, for older kids, such stories as “Book Worm” by Christopher D. Ochs and “Coot” by Anne Hamilton complete the collection with the tween or early teen in mind.

Enjoy these and other entertaining stories from our award-winning authors including: Jeff Baird, Marianne H. Donley, Ralph Hieb, Diane Sismour, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. In addition, we are happy to present “Stick to the Bypathings,” an imaginative fantasy from Eleanor Ingbretson, the winner of the 2016 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award. And charming illustrations from Agy Wilson enhance each story.

All together, this collection will captivate and delight children of all ages—even if they’re grownups!

“Once Upon a Time is a readable treat . . . the perfect book to snuggle up with before bedtime or share over milk and cookies. . . . [S]ure to delight both youngsters and the young at heart.” A. E. Decker, author of Moonfall Mayhem, the highly praised young adult fantasy series.

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Marianne’s story in ONCE UPON A TIME, “The Ghosts in Grandma’s Closet,” is about a little boy whose imagination almost gets the best of him.


Marianne has short stories in the following anthologies.


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Rabt Book Tour: Excerpt From Everybody Loves Polar Bears by LoLo Paige

April 6, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours

Book 1 of the Polar Paired Series

Romance Enemies to Lovers

Date Published: December 19, 2023

Publisher: Avoca Press

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Everybody Loves Polar Bears by LoLo Paige

Excerpt

A tall, neon life-size Barbie hurried toward them, long blonde curls springing up and down like miniature slinkies. Victoria Miracle approached in all her glittery goose-down glory, a fusion of glamor and frostbite protection, reminding Macy of a disco-themed northern lights display. Winter seemed to follow her around like a trusty sidekick, along with her entourage of three scurrying behind her.

Macy got a kick out of The Talent and how they expected everyone to dote on them and cater to their every need. Victoria’s demeanor was a stark contrast to the independent nature of women Macy knew in Alaska. She’d read about the coddled movie star stereotype, and here was one in the flesh.

“Make this quick. I’m freezing my tush off.” The movie star’s frosty breaths puffed out of her like a high-speed locomotive.

As Victoria strategically positioned herself next to the pond, Macy couldn’t help but imagine her strutting down the runway of a 1960s psychedelic fashion show. Her flashy style was part Picasso, part Gucci, and all sass. Victoria stood out in this winter wonderland like a burst of disco in a snow globe.

Macy bet Victoria never met a camera she didn’t like.

The animal handler stood by, holding a long leash attached to the little polar bear cub. He gingerly placed the leash in Victoria’s hand, mumbling instructions to hold on tight.

The fish-out-of-water movie star gave Macy a critical up-and-down assessment. “Are you from here? Have you been around bears?”

Macy shrugged. “I know what to do around black and brown bears.”

Victoria gave her a look of appraisal. “Good enough for me.” She called out to Zippo. “Keep this bear woman next to me at all times.” A makeup artist appeared, dabbing lip gloss on Victoria’s already shiny lips and arranging her flawlessly spiraled curls. The artist hurried off again.

Zippo ordered the animatronics operator to dunk Mother Snowflake. The operator slowly lowered the crane, placing the fake bear into the water. “We’ll edit the crane out later,” he announced to no one in particular.

 “Vicky, say your lines, then squat next to the little bear and deliver the rest. And don’t scare him,” directed Zippo from his perch on the crane arm. “We need a tender moment, with Fake Mother Snowflake watching.”

Macy couldn’t help herself. “Excuse me, hate to keep interrupting, but that wouldn’t happen in real life. The mother bear would attack the human to protect her cub. She wouldn’t just hang out and watch.”

“This isn’t real life. It’s the movies,” Zippo said flippantly. “We do what we want in a movie. Now, can we get on with this, please? It’s a tad nippy out here, and I’d like to get this done, if you don’t mind.” He turned away to talk on his headset.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist,” mumbled Macy.

Victoria chortled. “Love your style, Bear Woman,” she purred.

Zippo cocked a brow. “Are we ready now, ladies?” He turned to the crane operator. “Lower the fake Mother Snowflake into the water. Quiet, everyone. Rolling. Marker!” He peered through his camera monitor.

A woman held up a black-and-white clapboard in front of the camera. Zippo nodded at the red digital readout. “Scene fourteen. Take one!”

The person snapped it and hurried away.

Zippo pointed at the extras. “Background, action! Victoria, go!”

While Macy and her merry band of extras gathered around Victoria, the drunk guy holding Macy’s prop news camera suddenly stumbled.

“Where’s my news reporter? Oh! There you are,” he slurred, beholding the glorious Victoria. “Hey, you wanna see my oosik?” He swung his camera and bumped the unsuspecting bear cub on the head.

“Your what?” Victoria wrinkled her face just as the frightened cub bawled and ran in circles around her, wrapping his leash tightly around her legs.

“Get this savage beast away from me!” she yelled. Her legs lashed together as she teetered toward the icy water. “Somebody! Get this leash off me!”

Macy sprinted forward. Her ninja-like reflexes prevented Victoria from tumbling off the edge, but in the process, Macy slipped on the ice-crusted snow. Her feet fought for traction, but it was a losing battle. She lost her balance and flailed wildly, teetering backwards. Arms spinning like windmills, she failed to restore equilibrium and executed a flawless butt-first plunge into the chilly water, like a clumsy duck on a crash landing.

Other Books by LoLo Paige

HELLO SPAIN, GOODBYE HEART

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HELLO SPAIN, GOODBYE HEART

ALASKA SPARK

Buy now!
ALASKA SPARK

ALASKA INFERNO

Buy now!
ALASKA INFERNO

EVERYBODY LOVES POLAR BEARS

Buy now!
EVERYBODY LOVES POLAR BEARS
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What’s Your Heat Level?

April 5, 2024 by in category Writing

Happy April. I apologize for a repeat post. I’m assisting my mother on a project which has consumed most of my attention. I’ll be back next month with a new post.

I selected this post, because it’s a good reminder to understand the heat levels of your. I consider knowing your heat levels as one of the basic fiction writing tools.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Happy October. I’ve got a question for you. What’s your heat level? Recently, I was asked a similar question about my books and I have to admit I was a little off base on a few of them. 

A few posts back, I mentioned I had hired a PA. She’s been extremely helpful. In the beginning of our working arrangement, she asked me about the heat level on one of my books. I have to admit I was at a loss. What I thought and the reality were completely different.

In the past, when someone asked me that question I would refer to my books as more sensual sometimes a little steamy. However, there was a book my PA was setting up a swap for and I wasn’t quite sure of the heat level. She sent me a heat level chart and I was a little surprised where some of my books landed on the chart. 

Talk about an eye opener…this little chart revealed a truth I didn’t really want to know, the majority of my books are not just Steamy, they’re also Sexy. Sometimes very Sexy. However, I have a book that unbeknownst to me, lands in the gray space between Sexy/Steamy and Erotic. I really didn’t want to admit this so I asked my godsister who had read an ARC for the book and she agreed it fell into the gray zone.

The heat level of some of my books is the reason I had to hire a new editor. In my defense, not all of my books fall into the Sexy/Steamy category. I have some that are Wholesome/Clean and Sweet. Those are either novellas, prequels or series starters. 

Here’s how I write some of my series. I loop you in with a Sweet book and as the series progresses the stories get steamier. It’s like a slow build up. I’ve hinted at the sensuality so by the time the reader gets to book three or the end of book two [if it’s a big book], they are begging for the characters to go further.

Now I will admit, sometimes I don’t see the intense heat some of my readers see. I’ve had reviews that were a little shocking but that’s a matter of opinion. I had one review that said they couldn’t make it past chapter four. She went so far as to call it soft porn. I may write a little steamy, but I don’t write porn. No offense to those that write and read porn. Back to this review, I felt sorry for her, because she missed out on a great book. I also had a review praise me for the sexy love scenes. That one makes up for the other review. When it comes to heat levels it’s a little subjective. What one person finds Sexy/Steamy someone else considers Sensual/Medium Heat.

I have one book to this day I really don’t know how Amazon managed to class it as Erotic Poetry. My mother and I have had several conversations about it, however she agrees with Amazon. She said it’s the implied tone. Just last week, my book LOVE NOTES, was the #1 free book in three categories…Love & Erotic Poetry, Poetry About Love and my personal favorite category…One-Hour Parenting & Relationships Short Reads on Amazon.

I can understand Poetry About Love and I’ll even acquiesce to Love & Erotic Poetry. However, I’m flabbergasted at One-Hour Parenting & Relationships Short Reads. My mother told me to stop complaining, because the book gets me noticed. She’s right. I’m also often trading top spots in the Love & Erotic category with The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe. So I guess I’m in great author company.

Back to my original question…what’s your heat level? Check the chart below and see where your books land.

ROMANCE NOVEL HEAT LEVELS
Wholesome/Clean


Chats kisses, holding hands, and hugging. No love scenes – not even closed door. Just lots of emotion

Sweet
! ! 
Sex is implied. Closed door/morning after for intercourse. Any sexual activity would be vague on detail, heavy on emotion

Sensual/Medium Heat
! ! ! 
Sexual chemistry is heating up. Love scenes on page and described but still lighter on detail with strong emotional component.

Sexy/Steamy
! ! ! ! 
Sex is man component of the plot and is on-page and explicit. Swearing/dirty talk is frequent. Light kink/user-friendly sex toys might make an appropriate appearance. HEA.

Erotic Romance
! ! ! ! !
LOTS of sex, graphic, detailed, often kinky, non-conventional, and boundary-pushing. Sex is a big part of story line but still a HEA.

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Book Tour: Everybody Loves Polar Bears by LoLo Paige

April 3, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours tagged as , , , ,
 

 Book 1 of the Polar Paired Series

 

Romance Enemies to Lovers

Date Published: December 19, 2023

Publisher: Avoca Press

 

 

Expect the unexpected when it comes to love under the Aurora skies.

 

In the frosty mayhem of the Alaskan film set for Everybody Loves Polar Bears, accident-prone Macy Applegate catapults herself into a hilarious array of mishaps better suited for a blooper reel. As Macy dreams of stardom, she reluctantly works with Nick Westwood, the grumpiest and most arrogant assistant director this side of the Arctic Circle—a man who irritates her more than a stuck zipper in a sub-zero wind chill.

Beneath Nick’s stoic exterior lies a mysterious secret, and the only thing more challenging than Alaska’s winter is these two trying to get along for longer than a commercial break. Macy is a walking disaster in matters of the heart, and Nick is fed up with shallow relationships. But fate has a penchant for mischief when Nick transforms from Macy’s nemesis to her off-screen hero, chipping away at the permafrost around her heart. Should she give this guy a chance or continue wishing on the magical aurora borealis for perfect love?

In this hilarious romantic comedy, where polar bears play supporting roles and love takes center stage, Macy and Nick navigate a situation as unpredictable as Macy’s on-set blunders. If you swooned through The Proposal and chuckled at The Hating Game…and if you have a soft spot for polar bears…get ready for laughter in this heartwarming tale of unexpected love!

Enemies to lovers

Celebrity romance

Grumpy sunshine

Strong woman, alpha male

Forced proximity

Polar bear love

Snowbound Alaskan cabin

Northern lights

Polar plunges

 

 

About the Author

 

LoLo Paige is an award-winning author in both romantic comedy and romantic
suspense. She’s been honored with several awards, including an RWA
chapter award for her romantic comedy, Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart.

Irish Thunder and Everybody Loves Polar Bears are her recent rom-coms published in 2024. Her romantic suspense books have topped Amazon bestseller lists in the U.S., Canada, and Australia, and Publishers Weekly has featured her books in their Booklife section. Her second book, Alaska Inferno, was a finalist for best indie romance in the 2022 Kindle Book Review Awards.

 

 

 

Contact Links

Website

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Purchase Links

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Featuring Marianne H. Donley

April 1, 2024 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Featured Author of the Month tagged as , , ,

Marianne H. Donley makes her home in Pennslyvania with her husband, son, and a very very active dog. She is a member of Bethlehem Writers Group, The Charmed Connection, Sisters in Crime, The Guppies and Capital Crimes. When Marianne isn’t working on A Slice of Orange, she might be writing short stories, funny romances, or quirky murder mysteries, but this could be a rumor. She also could be knitting.


About A READABLE FEAST

Whatever your taste, this collection of food-related stories from the multiple award-winning Bethlehem Writers Group has all the ingredients to satisfy your reading palate. Our menu includes twenty-seven appetizing stories, from light-fare and sides of fantasy to sweet romance and savory bites of mystery. Jeff Baird’s “The Pickle Promenade” provides an amuse bouche. Try a spicy entree prepared by Diane Sismour in “Bump and Run.” Prefer a yarn with zing? Enjoy “Rightful Prey” by A. E. Decker. Jerry McFadden’s tart “Hard Times,” should tickle your taste buds. On the sweeter side, there’s Sally Paradysz’s “Our Town is Different” or the bittersweet “Breakfast for One” by Geoffrey Mehl.

Enjoy these and other delectable tales from our talented authors including: Courtney Annicchiarico, Terrie Daugherty, Bernadette De Courcey, Marianne H. Donley, Headley Hauser, Ralph Hieb, Judith Mehl, Emily P. W. Murphy, E. L. Ryan, Paul Weidknecht, and Carol L. Wright. To complete today’s specials, we offer tasty tales from Tracy Falenwolfe and C. A. Rowland, winners of Bethlehem Writers Roundtable’s Short Story Awards in 2014 and 2015 respectively. All honed their recipes to write sweet, funny, and strange stories to remember.

Bon Appetit

Marianne’s story “The Widow Next Door” features a tired chef in search of sleep, the noisy kids of the food critic who could kill his new cookbook, and an evil twin brother.

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