Tag Archives: River’s Sigh B and B series by Ev Bishop

I’m “booking” regular getaways! Are you?

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I’m finding it more than a little difficult to believe it’s April 1st already. In fact, as if my brain was trying to prove just how difficult, I originally typed “I’m finding it more than a little difficult to believe it’s April March already.”

(Sheesh! I’m glad I caught the typo. Then again, if there ever was a year when “April-March” was going to be a thing, it would be this year!)

Like a lot of you, my husband and I are self-isolating these days and feeling pretty housebound. It’s harder on him than on me because he’s more social than I am, plus he’s not a reader. (I know. The HORROR. I feel so badly for him. Not joking!.)

I’ve always read a lot (at least two novels a week, usually more), so reading a lot these days is . . . not a change. The consistency of my “schedule” is very comforting, not to mention entertaining, happy sigh giving, educational, etc., etc. etc. I may not be leaving my house much, but I’m traveling all over the place via books and enjoying every type of getaway and fun (or thrilling!) escape you can imagine. đŸ„°

One thing that is new to me (or that I am new to) is that I decided to try out Kindle Unlimited — as a reader and author.

Amazon is offering great deals on Kindle Unlimited subscriptions right now (1 or 2 months free, depending on your region) and the monthly price is a fantastic deal (just 9.99 a month, or less, depending on where you live). I’m sure I’ll continue to purchase other books because I’m an addict and I want what I want when I want it, LOL — but like I said above, I read voraciously, so I thought it was worth checking out. So far I am wowed by the selection available (especially in the genres I love most: romance, women’s fiction and thrillers).

And then I thought, since I’m enjoying KU so much right now, why not share that book binging joy with my readers—and I put my whole River’s Sigh & B series up in Kindle Unlimited. They’ve never been in KU before; today’s their exciting debut!

If you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber (or you decide to sign up to see if you like it), I hope you “book” a getaway with River’s Sigh B & B, “an incredible place where heartbreak can heal and love can blossom,” according to Amazon reader, LCR. (No suitcase packing or crowded airports necessary.)

You can check out my books here. Enjoy!

Wishing you and yours peace of mind and good health. 💕

Ev

New release by Ev Bishop: catch THE CATCH today!

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Hello and happy February, fellow book lovers! 

It’s been a while (too long!) since I posted here on the Authors’ Billboard. Life, as I’m sure you all relate to, can get crazy sometimes and the days (months!) just get away from you. Anyway, going forward watch for me the first of every month. I’d be honored to share a cup of coffee and some of your Internet browsing time.

Those of you familiar with River’s Sigh B & B and looking forward to the final book in the series know I’ve been talking about THE CATCH, Book 8 (Aisha’s story!) for some time now.

My best laid plans for it kept getting interrupted and late this fall, I was talking (or whining, LOL) to my daughter about some of the production hiccups and told her that instead of calling Aisha’s story The Catch, I should’ve titled it WORTH THE WAIT. And hopefully that’s exactly how you’ll all feel about it now that . . . wait for it . . . drum roll, please . . . IT IS HERE!

It’s funny how life works. I was incredibly sad and stressed (and quite frankly, embarrassed)  about the various delays, but when January 9, 2020 became THE DAY, it just felt . . . meant to be, like that should’ve been my plan all along. 

January 9th was my mom’s birthday and she would’ve been 66. Having the last “official” River’s Sigh B & B novel come out on her birthday feels like a lovely tribute. It’s almost impossible for me to believe that she’s been gone 24 years. I know everyone grieves differently, but what has always shocked me is that I don’t miss her less over the years; I miss her more. Maybe because the older I get, the more I understand her (and wish I could make some apologies), see how strong she was, and feel in my bones how young, young, young 42 is to leave the world. Almost every single day something happens in my life that I want to share with her—or ask her advice about. Heck, I just want to pop over for coffee so we can indulge our addiction together or I can laugh my head off at some wry, darkly hilarious thing she said.

I think she would’ve liked my stories and related to some of the struggles in them—and hopefully to the joy, too. She might even be surprised that I’ve written not just one book, but a whole series of them. I didn’t quit on my dreams, Mom. I write fiction full-time. (Another crazy thing! 😀)

If you haven’t read THE CATCH yet, I’d be honored if you do! It’s available everywhere and happy sighs are guaranteed:

AMAZON ~ KOBO ~ iBOOKS ~ NOOK ~ GOOGLE PLAY

If you’re new to River’s Sigh B & B, don’t worry. THE CATCH is a great standalone. That said, there’s an amazing deal on the first four books of the series if you want to check it out here – just .99 for set.

And well . . . that’s it for me today.

Have a lovely weekend – and very happy reading!

In the soup at River’s Sigh B & B

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I’m a bit of a soup addict. Whenever I’m stressed or feeling blue about something, I make soup. Whenever I’m happy, expecting a crowd for dinner, or am feeling especially homemakery (That’s a newly invented word! Like it? 😁), I make soup. Chopping and grating, bringing to a boil, simmering . . . tasting. The steamy aromas of mingled garlic, onion, ginger . . . Mmmm!

There’s something Zen about cooking in general, and about making soup from scratch, especially. And like my aunt says, even if you can’t cook, it’s hard not to make great soup, so long as you use quality ingredients. It will sound corny, but I think she’s right only to a point. Something of yourself has to go into the pot too—your love, your affection, your hope, your well wishes . . .

My newest obsession is homemade wonton. (And yes, I make a whole ton of the little wrapped delights, freeze them on cookie trays, then dump them into freezer bags, so I can pull them out by the handful whenever I want that particular delight—ready in just ten minutes!) This is a wonderful site I’ve been using for inspiration: https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/wonton-soup (But I fold my wontons like Nagi describes on her fabulous website: https://www.recipetineats.com/wonton-soup/)

Another favorite is salmon chowder. Whenever I make it, I impress even myself, LOL. I use this recipe from Allrecipes.com, then modify it (as is my style) ‘til the concoction in my pot could never be recreated using the recipe card sitting on my counter.

As I cook (and taste!), my mind wanders all over the place, but generally settles on whatever novel I’m currently working on. Most of my main characters, in pretty much every one of my stories, at some point or another, make soup—yet my books aren’t the type that get marketed to foodies, with recipes in the back (though I do love those). In fact, the scenes are very brief. I don’t know if readers would even consciously remember them, but they are, I think, symbolic.

Soup is the epitome of comfort food, belonging and home. Every culture has its own variations of the dish, and while soup can be whimsical, there’s nothing trendy or passĂ© about throwing things in a pot to simmer and blend all together into something, always a bit different, always good. Soup, regardless of its name, is as old as the human race.

And what do each of my main characters, despite how different from one another they initially appear, all have in common when you first meet them? In some way or another, they all yearn for and crave—but somehow lack: Family. A sense of belonging. A home.

Food of all kinds (not just soup!) has weighty (pun intended!) positive and negative connotations for us as individuals and within our relationships—and it does for my characters, too. What they eat or don’t eat, and the way they eat—standing over the kitchen sink, or with wine and candles even when alone—says a lot about their personality, their desires, their family background, their financial situation, and so much more.

Even if you’re not a fellow soup addict, LOL, I hope you’ll enjoy the sensory details in my stories, but even more so, I hope you’ll find my books food for your soul. A celebration of the simple good things in life and the power of finding, at last, that place you fit, with people who love you for you.  

Wishing you a lovely June, full of good eats and wonderful reads! 

😊 Ev

 

Spring is sprung!

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Happy May!

Can I get a big, “Ahhhhhh, spring! It’s a lovely thing?!” 😍

It’s super gorgeous in my little green niche of the world right now, and I’m busy planting flower boxes, cleaning perennial beds, and getting my garden ready to plant. The weeding is unending, but I’m not complaining because A) I love it, and B) all the hard work is the perfect precursor to (justification of, LOL?!) evening treats of wine and reading.  

Also, I have no doubt much-needed rains will come soon (though it’s strange to say “much-needed” living where I live, where normally so much wet stuff falls), so I need to make hay while the sun shines, as the saying goes.

I hope this note finds you well and that you, like me, are enjoying maximum outdoor time. 

If, however (also like me!), you need a break from time to time (I mean that’s why you’re reading this right now, right?), I’d be honoured if you relax with one of my River’s Sigh B & B novels.

Until next time, wishing you much sunshine, peaceful shade, and great reads,

😊 Ev

P.S. Make sure you enter this month’s fabulous contest! Good luck!

AMAZON ~ KOBO ~ iBOOKS ~ NOOK ~ GOOGLE