Home for the Holidays

To win one of the Grand Prizes, leave a comment with your email address in the Comments below.

Check the Event Page for links to all the participating authors. Each blog comment is another entry in the drawing.

Holidays are a time for giving and for sharing, so I'll be doing a little of both here. To start, I'm sharing a holiday recipe. Truth be told, I'm not much of a cook. My talents lie elsewhere, if you know what I mean ;-)

So, here is a very simple recipe for a delicious holiday cranberry sauce...on the spicy side, like my fiction.

Spicy Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

12-oz pkg fresh cranberries

1-3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until berries pop and the mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate until chilled.

Now it's time for HOLIDAY GIVING! 

From me...

 and

To enter to win a free ebook copy of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX and the signed art poster from photographer Joe Gemignani, join my HOT List to receive occasional emails about giveaways and new releases. That's it! (The sign up form is on the top, right corner of this page.)

An Excerpt from THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX

D.J. didn’t skip a beat when Roxie led him to her closet. He started to go through her wardrobe, which took a considerable amount of time. He finally held up a tiny red slip dress, with several rows of narrow rhinestone straps that crisscrossed in back. 

“Try this one on for me. And take your hair down, please.” 

Roxie rolled her eyes at him, but took the dress into her dressing area and put it on. The bodice of the dress was very small and the thin, clingy fabric barely covered her nipples, emphasizing her full, round breasts. The back of the dress dipped down to right above the crack in her derriere. The dress was so short that she could not bend over without exposing her cheeks. She had only one pair of tiny panties that could be worn with this dress, and she slipped on the lace thong, which was attached to a tiny triangle of material that barely covered the intended area. She came out of the dressing room, expecting him to say, “Forget it.” 

“Perfect! Now put on these shoes.” He held out a pair of Stuart Weitzman high-heel sandals with a rhinestone ball decorating the clear strap across her toes. 

“D.J., are you sure? This is the dress I wore last Halloween to a ‘Pimp and Prostitute’ party.”

And, from The Home for the Holidays Blog Hop participants...

Grand Prize Shopping Spree: $450+ Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Second Place Grand Prize: (1) ebook from each participating author.

(Winners selected via random.org)

To enter the Grand Prize Drawing, enter your name and email in the Comments below. Return to the Home for the Holidays Event Page and follow the links to visit each author's blog. Each comment is an entry in the Grand Prize Drawing. Go now!

Summer Splash Blog Hop

Welcome to Summer Splash Blog Hop 2013!

Blog hops are a great way for authors to give back to their readers and fans by offering some type of giveaway. Many authors offer signed copies of their books, but you can win anything from gift cards, to free ebooks and print books, to Kindle ereaders.
  
Each author (I'm one) participating in the blog hop will be offering some type of giveaway on his or her site, and I'm giving away a free signed copy of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX and —because Leah loves the beach—a free signed art poster by photographer/artist Joe Gemignani! 

To enter, all you need to do to enter is write a comment at the end of this post! That's it and you're on the list!

In addition to what each author is offering, the Summer Splash Blog Hop is also offering several grand prizes—including a Kindle Fire and lots of Amazon Gift Cards—just for participating in the Hop with tweets, Facebook posts, book purchases, and more. Ready? Get started now at the Summer Splash Blog Hop 2013. (But first don't forget to write a comment below to enter the drawing for a free copy of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX and signed art poster ;-)

Enter to win the Grand Prizes HERE

Boomer Lit Friday – July 26

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is from PARALLEL LIVES, the follow up to THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. In this book, Leah Gold is given an opportunity to explore what might have happened if she had made different decisions earlier in her life.

Continuing from the Boomer Lit Friday excerpts on July 5 and July 12, and July 19, Leah finds herself mysteriously transported from her own home to her daughter's home while looking at pictures of her granddaughter on her cell phone. In this last excerpt for the Boomer Lit Friday Blog Hop series, we join Leah as she continues to try to figure out what is happening to her.

Once she got the baby all settled in the swing with the music and mobile going, Leah looked around the room for clues to what was going on. She spied a purse and computer case on the dining room table and decided those must be hers. She sat at the table and spilled out the contents of the purse. 

Opening the wallet, she found the credit cards and driver’s license compartments. Staring back at her on the license was a photo of the person she saw before in the mirror. The woman with Leah’s face, but different hair and clothes. Then she saw the name: Leah Goldman. What was going on? She had shortened her name to Gold after the divorce. She quickly checked the credit cards. They had the name Leah Goldman, and some were joint accounts with Richard Goldman.

Leah was glad she hadn’t eaten anything yet because she would have thrown up. She was still married to Richard! “This is a fucking nightmare, all right. Let me wake up, or beam me up, Scottie, now!”

Have you ever wondered what your life would be life if you had made other choices—gone on a backtracking trip across Europe instead of attending college right out of high school, or married someone else, or taken a different job... Poor Leah is just getting started on learning about what her alternate path looks like. PARALLEL LIVES will be available late 2013.

If you haven't read THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX yet and want to know more about the life Leah just left, you can purchase the first book in the series as an ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday – July 19

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is from PARALLEL LIVES, the follow up to THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. In this book, Leah Gold is given an opportunity to explore what might have happened in her life if she had made different decisions earlier in her life.

Continuing from the Boomer Lit Friday excerpts on July 5 and July 12, Leah finds herself mysteriously transported to from her own home to her daughter's home while looking at pictures of her granddaughter on her cell phone. While everyone else seems the same, she feels different—especially after running her hands through hair. She goes into the powder room to check herself out.

Leah turned on the light and caught sight of her reflection. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. This was a dream, it was. She stepped forward and leaned her hands on the vanity. That wasn’t her in the mirror. It looked like her, but it was definitely someone else. This person’s hair was cut short, just below the chin with bangs across her forehead. Leah pushed the hair back with her fingers. Where was her hair that reached her shoulders without layers or bangs?

Leah’s eyes traveled down to her body. Whose clothes was she wearing? Red knit pants and a striped top? Not something Leah would wear in a million years.

“Time to wake up, time to wake up.” Leah could hear her voice say the words, but nothing happened. She tried clapping her hands and pinching her arm, but still nothing.

Leah thought her heart would burst out of her chest, it was beating so loudly. She hadn’t had a nightmare in years, not since she and Jonathan moved in together. And, bad dreams were never like this. In her dreams, she would be frozen or unable to talk. This was just plain weird.

Next week will be the conclusion of the Boomer Lit Friday excerpts, and Leah will start to get some clues as to what is going on.


PARALLEL LIVES is still a Work in Progress (WIP). If you haven't read THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX yet and want to know more about the life Leah just left, you can purchase the first book in the series as an ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday – July 12

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is from PARALLEL LIVES, the follow up to THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. In this book, Leah Gold is given an opportunity to explore what might have happened in her life if she had made different decisions earlier in her life.

Today, we join Leah as she tries to recover from a startling—and possibly unreal— experience. She had been relaxing on the couch, looking at photos of her granddaughter on her cell phone. Closing her eyes to imagine being with Zoey, she hears and smells the baby...it all seemed so real. When she opened her eyes, she was holding her granddaughter.

Leah’s eyes opened so wide she thought they’d pop out. Where was she? Instinctively, she put her hands around Zoey and sat up straight. She looked around in awe. She was in Zoey’s room. Was she dreaming? 

Ali poked her head into the room. “Mom, what are you doing? You’d better get her fed and dressed if you want to get to the class on time.” She was gone so quickly, Leah wasn’t sure if she imagined the reprimand. Zoey started to whimper, and was building up to a wail.

Leah heard Ali’s voice down the hall. “Mom, her bottle is on the kitchen counter. What’s with you this morning?” 

PARALLEL LIVES is still a Work in Progress (WIP). If you haven't read THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX yet and want to know more about the life Leah just left, you can purchase the first book in the series as an ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday – July 5

Boomer Lit Friday Blog Hop is Back!! Today marks the return of the weekly event. When you're finished here, be sure to hop on over and read the posts from other boomer lit authors here.

Do you ever wonder, What if...? What if you had taken the other job, married a different guy, gone on a backpacking tour of Europe instead of leaving for college right after high school?

I'm fascinated with the possibilities of how life could be different if only I had... Or, would it be different at all? Does everything end up being the way it's supposed to be, even if we take a different route to get there?

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is from PARALLEL LIVES, the follow up to THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. In this book, Leah Gold is given an opportunity to explore what might have happened in her life if she had made different decisions earlier in her life.

Today, we join Leah as she relaxes on the couch, looking at pictures of her baby granddaughter sent via her cell phone by the other grandma.

Leah kissed the baby’s face on the screen again and placed her cell phone flat on her chest as she closed her eyes to imagine what it would be like to walk in at 6:30 in the morning and find that little bundle of joy waiting for her with outstretched arms. She’d pick that baby up and give her a big hug and special grandma kiss. Then she’d bring Zoey over to the futon on the other side of the room and spend some morning love time playing peek-a-boo and other fun games that delight nine-month-old babies. 

Leah could smell Zoey’s sweet baby smell and feel the softness of her smooth face. She could even hear the soft baby gurgley laugh. It sounded so real! 

Leah opened her eyes, and there was Zoey on her chest, poking her, wanting to play more.

And a new adventure begins...

PARALLEL LIVES is still a Work in Progress (WIP). If you haven't read THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX yet and want to know more about the life Leah just left, you can purchase the first book in the series as an ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday – April 26

This will be my last Boomer Lit Friday excerpt for a while. I'm concentrating on finishing the second book in this series and an exciting new project that I'm going to reveal soon. But for now, this week's excerpt is from THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, the story of best friends Leah Gold and Roxanne Stein, two boomer women trying to break free of the “happily ever after” fairy tale myth of their childhoods.

We're joining Leah and Roxie mid-conversation in Chapter 6.

Roxie paused, like she was deciding what to say next. “Look, I have to say this,” she finally blurted out. “I’m sorry you have a broken heart. But I am happy you’re not moving, and I’m especially happy that’s over between you and 3D.”

“Please don’t start. I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about him at all.”

Roxie squinted her eyes. “Let me just say this about Douglas D. Dowling. A man who cheats on his wife with you is going to cheat on you with someone else one day. He probably already has.”

“Rox, we’ve been through this before. He didn’t do that to me.”

“Oh really? And what do you think he did on those long trips to Paris, London, and Athens?”

“It’s different. Doug loves me.”

“Love, schmuv, Leah. Men were given two working body parts—a brain and a dick. Unfortunately, they can’t use both at the same time.”

“Roxie, you don’t understand. Doug’s not like that.”

“Leah, you read too many romance novels. It just so happens, all men are like that—go ahead and ask one. They don’t even think there’s anything wrong with that scenario.”

Leah stared at her friend. Was there a grain of truth in Roxie’s crude words? She shook her head. “Look, I can’t think about this now.”

Once again, Leah puts off 'til tomorrow what she doesn't want to think about today. Does she ever wise up? Find out...

Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday - April 5

Today's "excerpt" marks a departure from the usual format of Boomer Lit Friday posts. Elyse & I are pleased to tell you that THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX has been selected as as the featured read for the Weekly BookClub Webinar with Angela Harris tomorrow, Saturday, April 6 at 2:30pm ET.

So, instead of the usual short snippet from the book, a special three-chapter excerpt from THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX has been created and is available for download here. Please join Angie Harris at the BookClub Webinar for a fun interview with Elyse & me and an opportunity to ask us questions! At 2:30pm ET on Saturday, you can join the webinar online or call 213-416-1560 to participate by phone (may incur long distance charges).

You can still enjoy the usual round of fun reading from other boomer lit authors at Boomer Lit Friday.

(Please note time for the event has been corrected. The webinar begins at 2:30pm ET.)

Boomer Lit Friday – March 29

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is from Chapter 4 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, the story of best friends Leah Gold and Roxanne Stein, two boomer women trying to break free of the “happily ever after” fairy tale myth of their childhoods.

We're joining Leah in Chapter 4, which takes place a little later on the same morning as the previous Boomer Lit Friday excerpt.

Leah's gaze traveled to the shelf above her desk. “Doug, how could you do this to me?” she glared at his photo. “I trusted you, and you betrayed me.”

She grabbed the picture frame and threw it inside the top drawer of her file cabinet that held all the mementos of their times together. The drawer was brimming with ticket stubs, postcards Doug sent her from his international business travel, press clippings, and more. Leah slammed the drawer shut, but didn’t feel better.

“That’s not far enough away from me, you prick.” She grabbed a carton and scooped out the contents of the drawer, dumping it all into the box.

Leah was momentarily tempted to rummage through the pile of photos, handwritten love notes, matchbooks from restaurants, hotel room keycards, and maps from cities where they had traveled together. But she resisted the urge, knowing it would only make her feel worse. Instead, she stood up and kicked the box.

“That’s it? That’s what our whole time together amounts to? I can fit it all in one stinking box,” she said as she sealed the top.

Can getting over a betrayal be as easy as packing your memories up in a box? Find out...

Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday – March 22

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is from Chapter 2 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, the story of best friends Leah Gold and Roxanne Stein, two boomer women trying to break free of the “happily ever after” fairy tale myth of their childhoods.

The phone woke her. Leah reached for the receiver. “Hello,” she whispered as she lifted her head to see the clock.

“Good morning! Did I wake you?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know…Doug?”

“I’m in a cab on my way to the airport, and I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to call you later. I wanted to tell you how good it was to see you last night.”

Leah sat up.

“Leah, are you there?”

“Yeah. I just don’t know what to say.”

“I really enjoyed seeing you.”

“You did?”

“Of course!”

“Well, I didn’t enjoy it.”

“You didn't?”

“Maybe you and I were sitting at different tables, but the guy I was with told me he wasn’t ready to leave his wife and kids. What happened at your table?”

“Leah, you knew from the beginning that this was a difficult situation. I told you—”

“And I told you that I don’t share.” Her voice rose and Leah began to shake. “Did you think we could go on this way?”

“Leah, you’re breaking up. I’m at the airport. I’ll call you later as soon as I can.”

“I’m breaking up all right. Good-bye, Doug.” She slammed the receiver down.

Will this really be the end of something Leah never should have started? Find out...

Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Boomer Lit Friday March 15

Today's Boomer Lit Friday excerpt is a continuation of the story where I left off in the previous post, which you may want to read first :-)

We're joining Roxie and D.J. in Chapter 7 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX, and D.J. has just selected the hooker-style dress Roxie wore for a costume party as what he wants her to wear on their date, but he won't tell her where they're going. Roxie is frustrated with his secretive ways.

“Why are you always so mysterious, D.J.?”

“It’s a Georgia thing. Southern boys aren’t accustomed to answering so many questions from women.”

Roxie sauntered up to D.J. and rubbed his crotch. “If you keep fucking me like you did yesterday, I may just stop asking questions.”

He leaned over and kissed her, pulling her tightly against him.

“Are you always hard?” Roxie breathed heavily, intoxicated by him.

“Lady, when you walk out in that dress, there isn’t going to be one limp dick in South Florida tonight! Let’s go, before I carry you off to the bedroom now.”

Will this turn out to be a night to remember, or regret? Find out...

Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Hump Day Hook 5

Read more Hump Day Hooks here

Heat up Hump Day with a tantalizing hook for readers...a challenge I take with a group of other authors.

Here's an excerpt from from Chapter 7 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. Should a woman ever ask a man to help pick out her outfit? Roxie reluctantly gives D.J. that option when he won't tell her where's he taking her on their first date. Let's join them and see how that works out. 

D.J. didn’t skip a beat when she led him to her closet. He started to go through her wardrobe, which took a considerable amount of time. He finally held up a tiny red slip dress, with several rows of narrow rhinestone straps that crisscrossed in back.

“Try this one on for me. And take your hair down, please.”

Roxie rolled her eyes at him, but took the dress into her dressing area and put it on. The bodice of the dress was very small and the thin, clingy fabric barely covered her nipples, emphasizing her full, round breasts. The back of the dress dipped down to right above the crack in her derriere. The dress was so short that she could not bend over without exposing her cheeks. She had only one pair of tiny panties that could be worn with this dress, and she slipped on the lace thong, which was attached to a tiny triangle of material that barely covered the intended area. She came out of the dressing room, expecting him to say, “Forget it.”

“Perfect! Now put on these shoes.” He held out a pair of Stuart Weitzman high-heel sandals with a rhinestone ball decorating the clear strap across her toes.

“D.J., are you sure? This is the dress I wore last Halloween to a ‘Pimp and Prostitute’ party!”

Where is D.J. taking Roxie that "hooker attire" is the dress code? Find out...
Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Boomer Lit Friday - 2

Welcome to Week 2 of Boomer Lit Friday. Ever wonder how divorced boomer moms meet men in the suburbs? Sometimes, it's in the most unexpected places. Let's join Leah Gold while she waits for her daughter, Ali, in Chapter 12 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX.

Leah was seated in the school bleachers one late afternoon, working on a press release for a client while waiting for Ali’s cheerleading practice to end. “Is this seat taken?” a deep male voice asked.

Leah was absorbed in her copy and jumped, dropping her pen. She leaned down to retrieve it, then looked over to the spot next to her on the bleachers. She raised her eyebrow as she looked up at him and said, “This seat?”

“Yes, is anyone sitting there?”

Leah had to grin. The bleachers were practically empty. He could have sat anywhere. She looked more carefully at him. She guessed he was about fifty years old and not quite six feet tall. He had thinning hair and wore jeans, sneakers, and a University of Florida sweatshirt.

“No, no one is sitting there now. I guess you’d better hurry and grab the seat before they’re all taken.” 

He smiled. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

Will Mr. University of Florida turn out to be Leah's Prince Charming or get on her "meet and delete" list? Find out...Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Hump Day Hook 4

Read more Hump Day Hooks here

Heat up Hump Day with a tantalizing hook for readers...a challenge I take with a group of other authors.

Here's an excerpt from from Chapter 35 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. We join Leah and Jonathan at the end of an eventful day.

“Let’s stay here tonight, Jonathan," Leah said. "Do you mind?”

“Not as long as I can collect the reward you promised to pay for my services.”

Leah put her arm around his waist, and they headed for the bedroom. “Not only will I keep my promise, I’ll throw in a mystery bonus,” she said and grinned.

“Why is it a mystery?”

They had reached the master suite. She pulled the box with the cock ring out of her nightstand drawer and handed it to him. “Because I’m not sure what to do with it, but I think you will.”

Jonathan’s eyes widened in surprise as he shook the contents out into his hand. Then he dropped his pants and pushed her gently down on the bed. “Let’s call it a performance bonus, Ms. Gold, and I’ll show you how it works...”

Curious to know what happens next?

Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Boomer Lit Friday

Welcome to Week 1 of Boomer Lit Friday. Ever wonder if girl talk is different for boomers? Let's join Leah and Roxie in conversation...from Chapter 20 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX.

Roxie described in detail her evening from the moment she stepped through D.J.’s front door to when Nicky started to get very familiar with Belle on the chaise.

Up to that point, Leah was only mildly interested. They frequently exchanged the intimate details of their sex lives, but this was certainly something new. Suddenly, Roxie’s story became much more exciting. “You’re kidding. You actually saw him put his fingers inside her while they were sitting next to you?”

“Absolutely.”

“What did you do?”

“D.J. suggested I help in the kitchen with dinner, so we sort of exited. Not that it would have made a difference to them.”

“I guess not. Now, that’s something most couples don’t do in front of people they just met. In fact, most couples don’t do that in front of people they’ve known for years! So, what happened next?”

This is one great conversation for eavesdroppers...

Purchase the ebook or paperback at
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Read more Boomer Lit snippets here.

Hump Day Hook 3

Read more Hump Day Hooks here

Heat up Hump Day with a tantalizing hook for readers...a challenge I take with a group of other authors.

Here's an excerpt from from Chapter 5 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX. We join the conversation as Roxie tells Leah about a interesting afternoon drive she took with a sexy man she met earlier in the day at a construction site.

Roxie gave a low, throaty laugh. “It was like nothing I’ve done before. There we were at the last place he was showing me before heading back, and suddenly he drives his truck around the back of the house on a narrow road that must be a service entry to the property and pulls his truck alongside a guest cottage. We were kind of out of view from the buildings. He doesn’t say a word. He just leans over the console and pulled me to him. And, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure how it happened, but suddenly we were in the back seat of the cab pulling off our clothes and groping each other like two high school kids. I was crouched down on the floor between his legs with his fingers inside me. My mouth’s around his cock, and suddenly we hear voices outside the truck.”

Things are really heating up in South Florida now! Find out how hot...

Purchase the ebook or paperback at

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

Sneak Peek Sunday 4

This week's Sneak Peak is from chapter 15 of THE PRINCE CHARMING HOAX.

“Get out. Get the fuck out.” Leah pushed Tom out of her room and slammed the door. She listened to the sound of his boots on the steps as he made his way down the stairs and out the front door. She heard him gun his engine and pull out of her life forever.

Leah leaned her forehead against the door she just slammed and wrapped her arms around herself. She felt like she needed to hold herself together. If she didn’t, her insides were going to fall out. When she couldn’t hold on any longer, she turned and slid down to the floor. She pressed her back against the door, trying to keep the pain out, but she lost the battle. She grabbed one of the throw pillows that had fallen near the door and held it against her chest with her bent knees. Rocking back and forth with her arms wrapped around her knees, Leah cried until she felt there was nothing left inside her.

When one door closes, does another one open? Find out...

Purchase the ebook or paperback on
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords 

Read more Sneak Peeks here.