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Are Lacy Panties Holy Underwear? by Kitty Bucholtz

April 9, 2023 by in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz, Writing tagged as , ,

I’m not being blasphemous. It’s actually a funny story from earlier this week. I was in a Zoom Bible study and we were talking about the body of Christ, and how we make up all the parts of the body, and I was super tired and blurted out — “Yeah, even the underwear!”

Hahaha!!! Then I tried to explain — “You know, when I’m thinking too highly of myself I remind myself that I might only be the underwear.”

My friend Charlotte said, “But you’d be the lacy underwear, Kitty.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” I said. “The bride of Christ isn’t wearing granny undies. She’d be wearing lace. So she’s probably wearing Victory’s Secret lace underwear.”

Hahaha!!!! It took a minute for us to get back on track after that!

Then I was thinking that’s probably true. As much as we try to be “good,” we don’t always succeed. Sometimes there are holes in our faith. And lace has holes. So our faith — my faith, for sure — is probably more like lace underwear than sturdy granny undies. Hahaha! Of course, that analogy only goes so far since sturdy cotton lasts a long time, longer than lace. But you see where I was going with it! Haha! Sometimes I blurt out the strangest things when I’m tired! (And guess what conversation is going to find its way into this book or the next one!)

Whatever your views on cotton vs. lace  😉  I hope you have a beautiful Holy Week and a blessed Easter!

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The 2023 Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award—Deadline April 30th

April 8, 2023 by in category Contests, From a Cabin in the Woods by Members of Bethlehem Writers Group, Writing Contest tagged as , , ,

The 2023 Short Story Award competition deadline has been extended through April 30th!

You still have time to polish that short (2000 words or fewer) holiday story for a chance to win cash and publication in our next “Sweet, Funny, and Strange” anthology, SEASONS READING!

For BWG’s purpose, a holiday story is one that involves any holiday between US Thanksgiving and News Year’s Day, inclusive).

So get that short story ready to enter.

Winners will receive:

First Place:
$250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: Season’s Readings: More Sweet, Funny, and Strange Holiday Tales

Second Place:
$100 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Third Place:
$50 and publication in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable

Click here for submission rules

The 2023 Guest Judge is renowned Short Story Writer and Editor Barb Goffman. You can read an interview with her here.

Other Books Published by BWG

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ZERO PENNIES FOR TEN TRENDS TO SEDUCE YOUR BEST FRIEND

April 7, 2023 by in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Spotlight

★★BOOK ALERT★★

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Best Friend, a grumpy sunshine standalone romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid, is ZERO PENNIES for just a short while on Amazon!

★★⁣⁣Grab your copy TODAY!★★⁣⁣

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3EV4yPv

Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/3K6nH5X

Amazon CA: https://bit.ly/3U8sAjj

Amazon AU: https://bit.ly/3KwXNtr

★★⁣⁣Blurb★★⁣⁣

Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser are not best friends.

Yes, they’ve known each other for years, but they’re not even friendly. Winnie considers them more like casual, distant acquaintances who find each other barely tolerable, especially when he’s being condescending (which is all the time).

The truth is, they have nothing in common. She’s a public school science teacher with stars in her eyes, and he’s a pretentious, joyless double PhD turned world-famous bestselling fiction author. She loves sharing her passion for promulgating women in STEM careers and building community via social media, and he eschews all socialization, virtual or otherwise. She’s looking for a side hustle to help pay down a mountain of student debt, and his financial portfolio is the stuff of fiduciary wet dreams. So why are they faking a #bestfriend relationship for millions of online spectators?

When a simple case of tit-for-tat trends between nonfriends leads to a wholly unexpected kind of pretend, nothing is simple. Sometimes, it takes a public audience to reveal the truth of private feelings, and rarely—very rarely—you should believe what you see online.

Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is a full-length, complete standalone, adult contemporary romantic comedy.

★★⁣⁣Grab your copy TODAY!★★⁣

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Inspirations Everywhere

April 6, 2023 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , , , ,

Where do inspirations come from?

With me, it can be anywhere!

For example, my Alaska Untamed mystery series for Crooked Lane Books was inspired by my most recent Alaskan cruise. I’d gone on several before, but happened to be on one just before the COVID pandemic started and went on a boat tour in the waters near Juneau while we were docked there. The guides pointed out a lot of wildlife as we passed by—and I was enchanted. And inspired. My books’ protagonist is a wildlife expert who gives tours in Alaska! My first Alaska Untamed mystery BEAR WITNESS came out last year, and the next, CRY WOLF, will be published later this year.

Why am I writing about this inspiration now? Well, I just went on a short trip to Mexico that inspired me to start researching some ideas related to our travels and where we stayed. Will a book, or series, result? Yet to be seen. But it’s certainly possible!

My most numerous and obvious inspirations are dogs. I love them. I love writing about them. That’s why nearly all of my stories involve dogs. That includes my most recently published book: UNDERCOVER COWBOY DEFENDER, a March Harlequin Romantic Suspense release.

So what inspires you to write or read?

Some of Linda’s Books

UNDERCOVER COWBOY DEFENDER

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UNDERCOVER COWBOY DEFENDER

SHIELDING COLTON’S WITNESS

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SHIELDING COLTON’S WITNESS

HOUNDS ABOUND

Buy now!
HOUNDS ABOUND

THE MORE THE TERRIER

Buy now!
THE MORE THE TERRIER

BEAGLEMANIA

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BEAGLEMANIA

GUARDIAN K-9 ON CALL

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GUARDIAN K-9 ON CALL

BEAR WITNESS

Buy now!
BEAR WITNESS
UNDERCOVERING COLTON’S FAMILY SECRETS

HER UNDERCOVER REFUGE

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HER UNDERCOVER REFUGE
COLTON FIRST RESPONDER (The Coltons of Mustang Valley)

THE SOLDIER’S K-9 MISSION

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THE SOLDIER’S K-9 MISSION
COLTON 911: CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE

FOR A GOOD PAWS

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FOR A GOOD PAWS

VISIONARY WOLF (Alpha Force)

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VISIONARY WOLF (Alpha Force)

TRAINED TO PROTECT

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TRAINED TO PROTECT

PROTECTOR WOLF

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PROTECTOR WOLF

BAD TO THE BONE

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BAD TO THE BONE

COVERT ALLIANCE

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COVERT ALLIANCE

TO CATCH A TREAT

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TO CATCH A TREAT

PICK AND CHEWS

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PICK AND CHEWS

UNLUCKY CHARMS

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UNLUCKY CHARMS
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1950s Life & Times of the Rich and Famous in Los Angeles

April 3, 2023 by in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger, Writing tagged as , , , ,

1950s Evening outWhile researching the 1950s, we came across memoirs of Los Angeles. Since our Private Eye character, Skylar Drake, moonlights as a stuntman for the movie industry, the Hollywood scene during that time is an intricate part of each book.

The regular family life of the rich and famous was not at all typical of everyday life. In fact, it was pretty exhausting! The executives were in constant fear of making the wrong decisions and losing their position (lots of backbiting). There were endless days of being “on” for the public. They were forever giving lunches, dinners, and cocktail parties at their homes for celebrities or visiting dignitaries. Their dinners were lavish and beautiful, as were their homes. Entertaining was constant with little private time.

The regular family life of the rich and famous was not at all typical of everyday life. In fact, it was pretty exhaustin1950s Goetz Dining roomg! The executives were in constant fear of making the wrong decisions and losing their position (lots of backbiting). There were endless days of being “on” for the public. They were forever giving lunches, dinners and cocktail parties at their homes for celebrities or visiting dignitaries. Their dinners were lavish and beautiful, as well as their homes. Entertaining was constant with little private time.

I found stories of lunch with Barbara Hutton (heiress of the Woolworth’s chain) at the lavish garden of Merle Oberon, or a candle light dinner at the home of Edie Goetz, (daughter of Louis B. Mayer, co-founder of MGM.) And don’t forget entertaining royalty, moguls, and titans of the day. You couldn’t just throw hamburgers on the BBQ, Merle Oberson 1950swhip up a potato salad and lounge by the pool!Tent parties in which the pool was covered to create a dance floor were a regular Saturday night event in Hollywood and Beverly Hills.  On Sundays,

Tent parties in which the pool was covered to create a dance floor were a regular Saturday night event in Hollywood and Beverly Hills.  On Sundays, church was not like your typical worship services. The Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills was nicknamed Our Lady of the Cadillacs duBill and Edie Goetz 1950se to the expensive cars that filled the parking lot for 10 am Mass.

Incorporating Skylar Drake’s assigned visits by his agent or the studio or working security into the stories has been fun. We’ve enjoyed dressing the characters, describing the gardens and homes, and the food served by the rich and famous of Los Angeles, 1950s.

 

 

 

The Skylar Drake Series

SLICK DEAL

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SLICK DEAL

STRANGE MARKINGS

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STRANGE MARKINGS

SLIVERS OF GLASS

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SLIVERS OF GLASS

DESERT ICE

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DESERT ICE

GAME TOWN

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GAME TOWN
STONE PUB: An Exercise in Deception
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