Are you ready for December?

I’m so not. I know I’ve had 11 months for prepare for this, but I’ve been in denial. Who thought wrapping up the year with a giant holiday season was a good idea? Sigh.

But, luckily, I have an e-reader and I’m not afraid to use it. And right now it’s filled with romance boxsets so I can escape from the pressures of the season and maintain my sunny disposition. 😉

I just put together a page for my website and to include in the backmatter in my books, which conveniently lists all the box sets I currently have available—plus the awesome group anthologies I have books in. If you’re like me and you like saving money just about as much as you like reading, these box sets are a great deal. All you need is the Kindle app to download on your favorite device. I know this is set-up can be troubling to readers who prefer print books, but the size of these collections simply doesn’t work for print. And the reason we’ve chosen to market the books exclusively through Amazon is this platform provides the vehicle to reach the most new readers, which allows us to offer the box sets for a lower price, as well as, making it available to Kindle Unlimited readers.

Here’s a link to my LOVE US SOME BOX SETS page, where you can check out any titles you may have missed AND check out what’s on the schedule for next year.

Happy reading, my friends. Stay well and embrace your inner reader as we head into the holidays.

Deb

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

My sister had a bulldog that looked just like this one. Her name was Sugar Baby.

I have some great memories of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in years past, but none very recent. So, I thought I’d share a snippet that takes place at next hero Sam O’Neal’s annual fundraiser at the Rocking M ranch. (This appears as an epilogue in HER COWBOY VALENTINE and will also serve as the prologue in HER TWINS’ REAL FATHER (to make it a true stand-alone book, as well as a continuity series.)

HER TWINS’ REAL FATHER

(coming early summer 2021)

St. Patrick’s Day

Rocking M Ranch

Whiskey Ridge, California

Sam O’Neal tapped the toe of his cowboy boot to the beat of the Irish band Josh somehow procured at the last minute. Sam’s regular D.J. wasn’t too happy to be sitting out this annual event, but by the looks of the happy faces all around him, live music was the one thing that had been missing from his St. Patrick’s Day barn dance.

“Great party,” someone shouted over the music. Sam nodded his greeting to TJ Huey, who looked dapper in a crisply pressed black shirt with a kelly-green western string tie.

Sam motioned for TJ and fiancé Paige Jackson to follow as he stepped around one of the pyramids of hay bales that helped absorb the sound and provided a place to sit when your feet got tired of dancing.

“Thanks. I don’t know where Josh found these guys, but they’re really good.”

He shook TJ’s hand and smiled at the pretty woman at his side. “Nice to see you again, Paige. Doc’s been singing your praises. How are the wedding plans coming?”

The lovely blonde held up both thumbs. “We’re all booked. It really helps having a local on the ground in Vegas.”

“Especially a local with a platinum credit card,” TJ put in.

Paige’s laugh warmed Sam’s heart. He couldn’t have been happier for his old friend, who’d been through lot of disappointments and heartache over the years.

Haven’t we all?

Out of habit, Sam scanned the crowd for his brother. Is he over-doing? Drinking too much? Alcohol was sugar, and sugar fed cancer cells. Josh’s doctors may claim his last scan proved he was cancer free, but Sam heard that before where his late stepdad was concerned.

His tension eased when he spotted Josh and Jenny talking beside the smorgasbord of classic Irish dishes—or the Americanized version of them. Jenny didn’t appear happy. No surprise. She and Sam had one thing common–they both worried more about Josh’s health than Josh did.

“So, have you two been dancing?”

Paige blushed. “I never really learned. Always had my nose in a book, I guess. But the music makes me want to learn.”

Sam made an ushering motion toward the dance floor. “Aw, just dance. Nobody will judge. I promise. We’re all just here to have fun and let off a little steam after a long winter.”

TJ and Paige exchanged a look that said things mere words couldn’t.

Envy—not something Sam often felt—pricked the thick shield around his heart. Of course, it was hard not to be a bit wistful around Josh and Jenny. Even though he couldn’t be happier that his brother found his soul mate–Josh’s words, not Sam’s–Sam knew it unlikely that he’d wind up with that kind of relationship.

He’d heard it said a person can’t miss what he’s never known, but Sam didn’t think that was true.

He’d have given anything to share the kind of love he knew existed between TJ and Paige and Josh and Jenny. But some things just weren’t meant to be.

“I should play host and check on the food. You guys have fun. I’ll see you in Vegas, if not before.”

He watched them melt into the crowd before turning to thread his way through the revelers. The closer he got the to buffet table the clearer it became the lovebirds were arguing about something.

“I’m gonna ask him.”

“Don’t you dare. We have still options.”

“This is the best one.”

“It’s not right.”

“But it’s not wrong, either.”

“Hey, you two, what’s up? Why aren’t you dancing to the great band you found, little brother?”

Josh—the kid Sam always thought had the looks of a movie star—dropped his chin and gave his wife a look that clearly warned he was about to say something she wasn’t going to like. “Hello, Sam, we were just arguing about you.”

“Me?”

“Well, your sperm, actually.”

Copyright © Debra Salonen ~ All Rights Reserved

May the luck of the Irish be with you! “Sláinte!” (Pronounced slawn-CHA, in case you wondered. ;-))

All the best,

Deb

Debra Salonen Book List

FIRST KISS: TUESDAY – from Montana Miracle

ONE WEEK until Christmas…who’s counting?

Me! So much to do and so little time. But I shouldn’t complain. At least, I’m not trying to build a living créche in the little town of Paradise, Montana. That’s my heroine’s ambitious goal, and it’s going to take a whole lot of prayers—and one amazing hero—to make it happen.

Sometimes, it takes a village to create a Montana miracle.

Gage Monroe has given himself until Christmas Day to wrap up the unpleasant bits and pieces of his old life in Paradise, Montana, before starting fresh in much warmer climes. And the last thing a loner like Gage needs is a beautiful, passionate pastor’s misguided attempt to draw him into her flock. The people of Paradise exiled Gage a long time ago…with good reason.

Pastor Samantha “Sam” Zabrinski didn’t move halfway across the country to accept a position in the little town of Paradise because she lacked gumption. She has no intention of giving up on Gage Monroe–a man with depth and heart he hides from the world. Besides, Gage just may be the Christmas miracle Sam’s been praying for…

Here’s a First Kiss snippet from MONTANA MIRACLE (© Tule Publishing):

“Have dinner with me.”

Sam heard the words, but they sounded so much like an invitation to go out with him on a date, she was certain her brain had something mixed up. Men like Gage Monroe–heartthrob handsome, intense, introverted loner types–didn’t date single moms who were also members of the clergy.

She looked at her watch. “Isn’t it too early to eat?”

He stepped closer. “I didn’t mean this minute. Are you being coy or intentionally obtuse?”

“Neither. I don’t get asked on dates very often. That is what you asked, right? Me. On a date? With you? Alone? Not me and my daughter or a double-date with Jody and Rob Barnes?”

The get-real look he gave her made her cheeks burn. “I haven’t double-dated since tenth grade.”

“How’d that go for you?”

“I got to second base.”

“You touched her boob?”

His grin made her knees wobble. “Lightly grazed.” He ran the backs of his fingers across her jaw, barely touching her skin. Still, the sensation shot straight to the heart of her womanly self. “But it felt like a big deal at the time.”

“Did you brag about it to your friends?”

He looked offended. “I asked her to the school dance. She spent the whole time dancing with a junior. We never talked again.”

“Interesting.”

“Clever stall.”

“Yes. Well. The thing is I haven’t been on a date since Makayla was eight. My sister, Gretchen, agreed to babysit. She was fifteen. Very capable. They were watching a movie and decided to try throwing popcorn in the air to catch it. Makayla got a piece lodged in her throat and started choking. Gretch called Dad and Liz, my step-mom, and they took her to the ER to be safe.” She walked to the window to check on Makayla. She hadn’t moved from the passenger seat where she sat with headphones on, eyes on the screen of her phone, and her feet on the dash. “I’d just made up my mind to have sex when I got the call.”

He pointed upward. “You took that as a sign from Heaven.”

“Actually, I chickened out. The one time I let my base desires take control, I wound up a single mom with a baby and a lot of people questioning whether or not I had the moral caliber to be a minister. This episode reinforced my belief that I wasn’t meant to have a sex life.”

His nearly perfect features screwed up in a look of mystified bafflement. “An accidental pregnancy and one near-miss date? That’s it? Wow. You really do have strong faith. But it’s totally misplaced, in my opinion.”

She crossed her arms defensively. “Oh, really. Who are you to judge?”

He framed her shoulders between his big, powerful hands and walked her backwards into the bathroom. He flicked on the switch and closed the door. Grinning, he said, “This is the cleanest–and most private–room in the house.”

Then he closed the gap between them, forcing her to tilt her head back to look up. “Where were we?”

Panicking because the man I’ve been secretly lusting over suddenly asked me out on a date?

He held up one finger, smiled and touched it to the tip of her nose. “I remember. You asked who am I to judge? And I was about to tell you that I’m just a guy who thinks you’re cute. And sexy. I’ve wanted to kiss you since…about the first minute I saw your incredibly kissable lips.”

Her heart stalled and a prickle of panic formed under her armpits. “I have incredibly kissable lips? Really? No way. They’re just lips.”

“I disagree.”

He put one arm around her back to draw her snug against his body, then proved his point. So matter-of-factly, her mouth parted in surprise. He took that as an invitation and deepened the kiss. His tongue touched hers. And, damn, if her treacherous body didn’t react the way a woman’s body was supposed to react when a handsome man kissed her. Her arms looped around his shoulders and she kissed him back.

Good Lord.

If you enjoyed that, you can read the first Chapter for FREE at Tule Publishing: Chapter 1, or you can buy the whole book from the vendor of your choice at Books2Read here: B2R

Have a festive and not-too-hectic next few days!

Happy reading,

Deb