Fun facts and a gift for Saint Patrick’s Day! ☘️

Happy Saint Paddy’s Day! ☘️

Saint Patrick’s Day is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world, with millions of people donning green and taking to the streets to celebrate the Irish culture. But how much do you really know about the holiday? Here are the top 5 fun facts about Saint Patrick’s Day that you may not have known:

  1. Saint Patrick wasn’t even Irish

Although Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, he was actually born in Britain around AD 390. His parents were Roman citizens living in Britain and were not Irish. Saint Patrick was captured by Irish raiders and brought to Ireland as a slave, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning home.

  1. The original color associated with Saint Patrick was blue, not green

The color green only became associated with Saint Patrick’s Day in the 17th century. Before that, the official color of the holiday was blue. The reason for the switch is unclear, but it may be due to the fact that green is the color of Ireland’s flag and its lush landscape.

  1. The first Saint Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York City

While Saint Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in Ireland for centuries, the first parade in honor of the holiday was actually held in New York City in 1762. Today, the New York City parade is the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade in the world, with over two million spectators.

  1. Corned beef and cabbage isn’t really an Irish dish

While corned beef and cabbage is often associated with Irish cuisine, it’s not actually an Irish dish. It’s more of an Irish-American tradition that evolved from the Irish tradition of eating bacon and cabbage. Irish immigrants in America found that beef was more affordable than bacon, so they started using corned beef instead.

  1. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national holiday

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national holiday in the world. It’s not just celebrated in Ireland and the United States, but also in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries with significant Irish populations.

So there you have it – five fun facts about Saint Patrick’s Day that you may not have known. Whether you’re Irish or not, Saint Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday to celebrate, so have a pint of green beer and join in the festivities! And to make your holiday complete, here’s a collection of mystery books that take place in Ireland and that will surely make your weekend even better, whether you choose to try them separately:

Or in a box set:

The first FREE story is on me!

Cheers,

Melinda

A Character Study- #NewRelease #NARomance @jacqbiggar

Character Study- Renée

A blogging friend of mine likes to do an introduction to her characters before the release of her books, so I thought I’d do one today.

Image by Shahid Shafiq from Pixabay

Renée Thomas is the most serious and oldest at twenty-one. Her sister, Izzy- Elizabeth Mae Thomas- is two and a half years younger. She’s the moody, intense one of the family. Last, but not least, is their brother Benjamin. At nearly twelve years younger than Renée, Ben is the baby they love to spoil.

As children, Renée and Izzy did everything together, climbing trees, biking, sharing clothes, and secrets. But the night of Renée’s high school graduation and Izzy’s sixteenth birthday, that changed.

Renée is betrayed by her long-time boyfriend, Simon, her sister suddenly hates her guts, and she witnesses her father’s suicide.

Unable to handle the terrible chain of events, Renée leaves town, heading to California and her accepted application to UC Berkeley.

Two years later it’s Renée’s mom who is gone and she is forced to return to face her demons.

Two years later

The town looks the same as when I left for college. The Welcome to Smuggler’s Cove, pop. 7562, sign bows with the weight of the old town’s worries on its aged wooden frame. God, I’m glad I escaped.

My second-hand SUV chugs up the hill and over the bridge. Chinook, the river named after the salmon who travel hundreds of miles to spawn in its muddy brown water, gurgles over the rocks far below. Giant rubber tubes in a rainbow of colors filled with laughing teens dot the surface. I’d joined them many times to get away from the oppression at home.

Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay

Home.

It’s been nearly two years since I left and would’ve been longer if I had my choice. Hard on the heels of guilt come the ever-ready tears. Fact is, while I soaked up the west coast sunshine and campus life, my little sister had taken over the reins of the house, getting my brother to school, paying the bills, and caring for Mom.

This is the story of two sisters torn apart by unspeakable horror and brought together by tragedy. Can family ties overcome the pain of betrayal?

Letting Go: The Defiant Sisters- Book 1

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3R41NWF

International: https://books2read.com/Letting-Go-Defiant-Sisters

TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61269995-letting-go–the-defiant-sisters-book-1

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/letting-go-the-defiant-sisters-book1-the-defiant-sisters-duet-by-jacquie-biggar

A coming-of-age novel about the pain of misconceptions and learning from them.

 When life gives you lemons…

Izzy

Mom is barely in the grave and the prodigal child is here to pick the bones clean.

I don’t want her here. My sister’s defection is a wound that won’t heal and her return simply rubs at the scabs covering my heart.

I’ve managed just fine without her. She can go back to her fancy college and forget about us- that’s what she does best anyway.

If only I didn’t need her help. Or miss her so much.

Renée

The day my dad committed suicide I ran. I’ve been running ever since.

Going home is supposed to be the answer. Instead, it makes me question every thoughtless decision I’ve made.

My sister hates me. My little brother barely knows me. And Simon… is engaged.

None of it matters- or so I tell myself. I’m here to make amends and face a past haunted by regret.

As long as I can convince myself to stay.

Letting Go is a young adult romance dealing with tragedy, restitution, and love in all its aspects. The story relates to sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers.

KILLER SCORE WON A RONE AWARD! 👑

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝙄𝙣𝘿’𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘻𝘻.

𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘿𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙂𝘼𝙈𝙀 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙆𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝘾𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥! 𝘈𝘭𝘢𝘴, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 9𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦—𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤.

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 4 𝘢.𝘮. 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘰𝘯𝘦 (𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦: https://indtale.com/rone-eligibility-and-rules), 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤.

𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 3 𝘢.𝘮., 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘴𝘮𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥…

𝘉𝘺 𝘵h𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 TJ MacKay 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙄𝙣𝘿’𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙎𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚/𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘯. ⏳ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯… 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝗠𝗬 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞, 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚! 𝘐 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘮𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥! 𝘏𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨, “𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘯!” 😲

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧—𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝙄𝙣𝘿’𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵… 𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝙄𝙣𝘿’𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘧!

𝘚𝘰, 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵—𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵? 🙈—𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥-𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝙍𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 (𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝙍𝙚𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚).

𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 InD’Tale Magazine 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴! 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥. ❤️

𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝘤𝘳𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥! 🤩

In order to receive the firsthand news and a FREE book as a welcome gift, subscribe to my newsletter at https://melindacolt.com/

In the meantime, I have another wonderful piece of news, and a favor to ask of you: the cover for Silent Strike has been selected to compete in the Creme dé la Cover contest at InD’tale Magazine! In order to make it to the next round, it needs YOUR votes. It’s quite easy to vote, but you must be a subscriber and logged into your account. If you don’t have one, it takes only a few seconds to create it, and then you’ll be subscribed to the most awesome indie literary publication, and you’ll be able to vote for this baby here: https://indtale.com/polls/creme-de-la-cover-contest

I really could use your help, so thank you in advance for your time and effort!

❤️

 

 

Yours,

Melinda

How Baking is like Writing #WritingTips #writingcommunity #amwriting @jacqbiggar @mimisgang1

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Do you like to bake?

I’ve had my share of ups and downs when it comes to the world of cooking. It’s long been a standing joke in my family that all they have to do is follow the smoke to our house and they’d know I was cooking.

And the thing is, I actually kinda, sorta, enjoy working in the kitchen.

There’s nothing better than the aroma of fresh baked bread, or peanut butter cookies, or chocolate cake, or…well, you get the idea.

I always connect those aromas to my childhood. We walked home from school and never thought twice about seeing my mom busy baking for the family. Often, there would be warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies on the counter waiting for our grubby little fingers, a roast in the oven tempting our taste buds, and a welcoming smile on her rosy cheeks.

She made it look so easy.

Then I grew up and realized just how much work went into those tasty treats we took for granted. My efforts were much more like Lucy’s:

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this.

I equate baking to writing.

How, you say?

Some people are naturals. Anything they put on the page comes out sounding fresh and entertaining—perfect.

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But when you cut into the heart of it, the center may seem underdone, lacking in flavor—mediocre.

How do we overcome this to become true culinary chefs in our writing instead of merely cooks?

Maybe if Lucy had admitted to being overwhelmed, her boss might have offered her a few tips and a little guidance.

I’ve found the writing community to be kind and generous with information, so don’t be afraid to ask for help.

I think one of the things that helped me the most is my critique group. I belong to a local group of ladies who are invaluable. We meet once a month (pre-Covid) and share chapters by email the rest of the time. Their insights and editing have made my books shine!

You have to be a little bit brave. Just like when you put the ingredients of your baking together and nourish it to completion, you have to send them out to be consumed. Your book is waiting for hungry minds to give it a taste.

It’s not always easy taking criticism, and yet, it’s so rewarding when that pan comes out of the oven and your family’s eyes light up with joy.

If you never try, how will you know what you can accomplish?

Check out our new release coming June 1st!

IRRESISTIBLE – SHH…IT’S A SECRET BABY (Irresistible Romance Book 8)

International: https://books2read.com/IrresistibleShhItsASecretBaby

Recommend us on Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/irresistible-shh-it-s-a-secret-baby-irresistible-romance-book-8-by-jacquie-biggar-and-jen-talty

#Romance #Kindle #Reading #Boxset

 #bookstagram #bookmarketing #authorsofinstagram #author #writer #readers #writersofinstagram #writersofig #amwriting #writing #writingcommunity #mysterywriter #bookstoread #bookaddiction #bookbreak #reading #readingtime #amreading #booklovers #bookloversofinstagram #timetoread #ebooklover #bookworms #books #bookaholics #booknerds #releaseday #newrelease

Shh…it’s a SECRET BABY…

Some parents would do anything for the sake of the kids they love.

Here’s your SPECIAL DELIVERY of SEVEN BRAND-NEW, NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED STEAMY STORIES from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors.