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This past weekend I watched the movie ‘Flamin’ Hot’. Enjoyable movie in spite of the controversy of whether or not it’s true. I enjoyed watching ‘mi gente’ in a movie. The movie is directed by Eva Longoria; Tony Shaloub plays Roger Enrico, the CEO. He was great in this movie!
And though, personally, Cheetos, flaming or plain, are not my fave snack, I appreciated the feel-good story. BTW, I’m one of those who eat Cool Ranch Doritos!
Sep 16 – Diez y Seis de Septiembre! Mexico’s Independence from Spain on 9/27/1821 that started with Father Hidalgo’s Cry of Dolores; “El Grito de Dolores”.
I celebrated with my sisters, friends and parishioners at St. Rose of Lima, Loteria-style. The church hall was decorated with bright colors – ribbons, rebozos draped on the prize table and a backdrop of a Loteria card with a table placed in front with mini pinatas and a sombrero. Smells of crispy beef tacos and ultra-spicy salsa permeated the air. That salsa was HOT. I had to drink lots of water and I could have used a spoonful of sugar! I finally got a soda. Tejano music played as we ate.
Totally immersed myself in my culture! And thoroughly enjoyed it. The company of people I care about made it all the more special. Everybody was dressed in such beautiful colors. I must stop wearing black all the time. My mom in heaven would agree.
Hispanic Heritage Month like Christmas is constantly on the airwaves from 9/15 to 10/15. Everyone wants to get on the float!
SA Live, a show I love, BTW, is showcasing restaurants with the Latinx flavor like Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant on Perrin-Beitel; Mi Tierra, located downtown SA, and Mi Familia at the Rim, both owned by the Cortez family. Mi Tierra has that wonderful bakery (at least I hope they still do). Also, these two eating places have live music.
Tonight on CreateTV – Pati’s Food & Fiesta marathon begins and continues through Sunday. Pati’s Mexican Table hosted by Pati Jinich is featured. Can’t wait to watch!
However, I have a bit of a conflict tonight because at the same time on ABC, ‘The Latin Music Revolution’, A Soul of a Nation Presentation will air.
In between writing a story set during spring time, I will watch these shows – eyes on the computer and ears peeled to the TV.
Well, someone posed a question, “What are you doing this weekend?” That’s what I’m doing.
Hispanic Heritage Month begins tomorrow 9/15. Even though I have Latino / Hispanic characters in my stories, sometimes I don’t believe I’m totally attuned to my culture. One reviewer even told me so!! Huh…?
So… to that end – and also because I love family history and genealogy I enrolled in classes through the San Antonio Public Library – Todos Somos Storytellers (We are all storytellers).
Yesterday, Sep 13, was the first class. A wonderful experience! Very well organized, focused and eye-opening adventure! Plus I met not only storytellers, but writers, journalists, game designers – and of course, historians! Can’t wait for the next class.
They want to keep the classes small, but they did say they have a few openings left.
This book is written by Avis M. Adams and is part of the Christmas Cookie series published by the Wild Rose Press.
Sif is nothing like her namesake, the strong, Norse goddess and wife of Thor. She still reels from the trauma of being left at the altar, but when Dr. Roger sublets a condo at the Cliff Edge Condos, she is immediately drawn to his dark eyes and warm smile, but how can she trust him after Boris?
Can the good doctor heal her wounds? With the help of the condo HOA president, the Quatre Hens, and Nanc, Sif finds herself surrounded by friends who seem more like enemies to her peace and quiet.
But with the magic of Roger’s charms, the Christmas season, and her ever-changing cookie recipe will the Wedding Knotts turned Good Luck Knotts, turned Christmas Wish Knotts bring Sif the miracle she is hoping for?
webpage: https://avis-m-adams.com
This book is written by Wendy Kendall and is part of the Christmas Cookie series published by the Wild Rose Press. The Christmas Cookie series includes 81+ books, is still growing and is written by different authors and in different genres. “Snow Kiss Cookies to Die For” is a romantic suspense.
Finalist for Best Suspense at Killer Nashville
Irresistible December magic.
Desiree and Leo tangle in mystery and romance. Desiree wanted to believe in magic again. An enthusiastic teacher, she’s created a fun game of secret Santa for her first grade class.
A mysterious stocking with her name and a creepy message appears. This creepy secret Santa is stalking Desiree.
Who is it? Could it be devastating news that it’s Leo, her new romantic love interest? Or another suspect?
What can be learned from the legend of the snow kiss cookies? Will this secret Santa be stopped before Desiree is harmed?
Cookie recipe included.
Website – WendyWritesBooks.com
Website url – https://sites.google.com/site/wendywriteshere/
This book, written by Ann Trader, was newly released on December 7, and is part of the Christmas Cookie series published by the Wild Rose Press. The series includes 81+ stories by different writers in all genres!
Benny O’Brien owns his reputation—carefree bachelor and successful computer design engineer with one of Atlanta’s premier firms. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, he agrees to teach a middle school coding club as a favor to a coworker. He expects to debug computer statements…not his heart.
As the new public relations coordinator at the firm, Claudia Banks spends her days strategizing market segments and her evenings relaxing with her close-knit group of girlfriends…or curling up with a favorite book.
When her office crush signs on to her school outreach program, she braces for a lesson in irresistible attraction.The stakes rise when the two come together over the school’s Christmas dance and a mysterious scrapbook.
As secrets tug at their hearts, will they choose honesty and go all in for love?
Benny gazed at the delicate curve of her lips on the rim of her glass and leaned forward. “Are you kidding? I can’t wait for dance lesson number two. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?”
“Whatever you say. After all, you are the one in charge of fun.” Claudia put her glass down and folded her arms on the tabletop.
“Consider me your personal fun coach.”
She smiled, flashing her dimples. “I’ll be sure to add that one to the list.”
Oh, hell. This ought to be good. He quirked an eyebrow.
“You know, the list.” Claudia raised her hand in the shape of a ball. “One, you swim like a fish, good enough to get a scholarship at Georgia Tech. Two, you glide across the dance floor like one of those ballroom dancers on TV.”
Benny shifted his feet beneath the table, his gaze never leaving hers.
“Three, you’ve published at least a half dozen articles in leading technology journals.”
“To be fair, I co-authored them. With Clay.”
She smiled, raising the next finger, undeterred. “Four, the Sweet Georgia Magnolia blog named you a top twenty bachelor. And five, you’re clearly the master of fun.” She fanned her open palm in the air and tossed her hair behind her shoulders. The sparkle in her eyes left him light-headed, mesmerized. “Dare I ask, is there anything Benny O’Brien can’t do?”
Website: www.annmtrader.com
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ann-m-trader
Darlene Deluca has written one of my favorite story lines – two old flames meet again and re-ignite!
A blizzard at Tall Pines mountain lodge puts Melanie Beck within arm’s reach of an old high school crush and in danger of losing both her idyllic Christmas and her heart.
Melanie Beck is searching for an idyllic Christmas like the ones her small family used to have. Traveling solo and still grieving the loss of her parents, she’s counting on cozy Tall Pines Lodge tucked into the mountains of Utah to provide the elusive holiday feels with merry music, stunning decorations and traditional Christmas feast in a beautiful frosty setting.
But a blizzard turns the winter wonderland into a hazard, and a chance encounter with a now-famous high school crush has her reeling with emotions she’s never quite gotten over.
Tyler Shaw, a Hollywood heartthrob and silver screen star, is so over a grueling film schedule and persistent paparazzi. In disguise and using a fake name, he comes to Tall Pines to escape the spotlight and get some much-needed rest. He’s hoping the adrenaline rush of downhill skiing at the nearby slopes will give him the reboot he’s looking for.
Instead, he’s stuck at the lodge and is shocked to run into an old high school friend that he left behind more than a decade ago. He’s even more surprised to discover how much he’s missed her.
As their past and present collide, can an old flame ignite some Christmas magic?
“Also, if you’re having an affair, keep that away from the camera.” His agent cleared his throat and hesitated a beat. “But if this woman is someone special, we can use that to our advantage. What’s the story?”
Tyler’s heart somersaulted.
This woman. He’d talked to Aiden about women before, mostly to enlist his help when things went the way of a three-ring circus in the media. All of a sudden, the topic felt more personal, private. He should’ve hung up ten minutes ago.
“I… She’s…” Damn, what story did he want to tell? Of course, she was someone special. Funny how crystal clear that was looking in the rearview mirror. Even in high school she’d been in a league of her own. The missed years weighed heavily on his mind. He had a feeling those years represented missed opportunities.
A low chuckle came across the line, and he wanted to kick himself for stammering around like an idiot.
“Well, well,” Aiden drawled. “This is an interesting development. Who is she?”
“We were friends in high school.”
“Uh-huh. And what are you now?”
Good question. And one he wasn’t sure how to answer. Friends? Potential lovers? A couple? As he considered the possibilities, his pulse skyrocketed.
“Don’t hold out on me, Shaw. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
He let his glance wander to Annie’s book, and he lifted it from the table. Turning it over, he stared at her smiling face. Blood rushed to his head. He could definitely see himself spending more time with Annie. She was someone he’d be proud to be seen with in public, and someone he could relax with away from the prying public eyes.
But he would not be “using her to his advantage.”
“Aiden,” he warned. “Leave her out of this.”
Website:https://darlenedeluca.com/
Buy links:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1174660
https://books.apple.com/us/book/christmas-at-tall-pines/id6443949366
Rachel Brimble’s book, “A Shop Girl’s Christmas” is a story filled with drama and magic. Mystery and murder adds to the readability.
This book is on sale through December for 99 cents!
Christmas sees Pennington’s at its most glorious, thronged with shoppers, its grand staircase and balcony adorned with holly, mistletoe, tinsel and lights. It should be the happiest time, but dramas are seething beneath the surface.
For Cornelia Culford, in charge of jewellery, a divorce hearing looms, where she could lose custody of her young sons to her overbearing and unfaithful husband.
For Stephen Gower, being head of security at Pennington’s is the perfect refuge from a tragic past at Scotland Yard.
But soon the past will call him back, as Joseph Carter and Elizabeth Pennington beg him to help solve the murder of Joseph’s first wife, now that it seems as if the killer has struck again.
For Joseph and Elizabeth, their marriage depends on exorcising the past. But can it ever be laid to rest?
Website: https://rachelbrimble.com/
This is a Christmas story written by Zelda Benjamin published by the Wild Rose Press. A modern day meeting of Cinderella and a handsome highlander, a man in a kilt – what could be better? Well.. the story also includes research on ancestors, one of my favorite things to do. I think I’ll add this book to my TBR stack.
Sophia MacLennan Porter grew up in an environment of wicked duplicity with a stepmother who was nice to dad and mean to his daughter. A series of events brings her to the upstate New York town of Highland Falls and her late aunt’s bakeshop. Highland Falls is a town of Scottish descendants, well-kept secrets, and the best shortbread cookies for miles. No one in this town is immune from the secrets of their ancestors or greedy developers.
When Ian Campbell, a handsome Scottish research professor appears in her life, she struggles with the chance to put romance on the menu.
Sophia is more concerned with the future of her bakeshop than the lives of her dead ancestors. Reluctantly, she finds herself drawn into his investigation of the history of her family’s clan.
Contact: zeldabenjamin@yahoo.com
L.M. GONZALEZ, WRITER 