CELIA YEARY'S NEW TRADITION

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Today in Walgreens, while waiting for a prescription, my husband and I strolled toward a row of chairs to wait. Dividing the row in half sat a table filled with bright red boxes of Chocolate Covered Cherries--A gift for a loved one. 

Chocolate Covered Cherries? Remember those? The chocolate was good, but not spectacular, and when you bit into one, the cherry juice ran out. Oh, the cherry is good, too, but all in all...it's a messy experience. 

Still, I remembered a boy in 8th grade who gave me a box of Chocolate Covered Cherries, and my husband said he recalled buying a box for his mother one year he was in high school. Good, messy, or not...they do bring back sweet memories.

Chocolate Covered
Cherries, Yummm.

The Perfect Decoration

Do families still decorate their Christmas tree with silvery icicles? This decoration is the most fun, the most controversial, and the most baffling of all. Grab a bunch and throw them on the tree? Or take painstaking care in separating them one by one and placing them exactly where you want? 

My younger sister like to throw bunches. I preferred placing single ones carefully in specific rows. We ended up with a half-and-half tree. Her side--covered in messy clumps--in my opinion--and my side? Covered in beautiful single strands perfectly placed.

 

Tinsel icicles on the tree

Trivial Pursuit

When children become teenagers, Christmas morning doesn't hold the thrill and excitement as when they were young. Our little family preferred Christmas in our own home, so the four of us had leisurely Christmas Days. When our daughter was a junior and our son was a freshman, Christmas morning was cold and wet. My husband built up the fire, and we sat on the floor in front of it to open presents.

I'd bought a Trivial Pursuit game for our son.

When he unwrapped it, he cleared a space on the rug and set up the game. "Want to play, Mom?"

He asked his sister, too, and his dad. But Dad doesn't play games. So the three of us sat in our pajamas and began to play. After an hour or so, I suggested breakfast--my special Christmas breakfast of sausage patties and pecan waffles.

"Uh-uh," they said, "let's just eat Pop-Tarts so we can keep playing." We did.

At noon, same thing. "Let's just snack on crackers and cheese or something." The game we had going was hot and tense. At twelve, I called time out so we could all dress and brush our teeth. Then, right back to the game. 

By four in the afternoon, I had a horrible thought. I'd forgotten to thaw my turkey and bake cornbread for the stuffing and make fruit salad! We couldn't have our traditional dinner.

But the kids said, "We don't really like all that stuff anyway. Why don't we just have nachos?"

For the remaining years we had children at home, this was our pattern. Even later when they came home for Christmas, nachos were always ready.

Trivial Pursuit Game

P.S. Our ninth grade son won every game.


NACHOS RECIPE

Line a baking sheet with foil and set oven to 425 degrees. While oven is heating, brown ground beef and minced onion in skillet.

Spread tortilla chips over the baking sheet. Add a bit of the ground beef mixture to each chip. Top with a dollop of refried beans. Add grated cheese and place in oven until cheese melts (five or ten minutes).

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pickled jalepeños, and any other condiments your family enjoys.  

Nachos ready to devour

~*~

Nothing really matters at all on Christmas, except that we love each other and give whatever gift we have.

It is, after all, the birthday of the Christ Child, and He brought all we need.

Celia Yeary's latest release: 

Get your copy for 99 cents at

Amazon: http://a.co/chniWOl

Celia Yeary

I wish you all a happy Christmas season,

the Birthday of the King, and love and happiness among us all.

Celia Yeary

Romance...and a little bit of Texas

JIMMY THOMAS COVERS FOR DIME NOVELS

Celia Yeary, Author

By Celia Yeary

When I wrote the first Dime Novel, ANGEL AND THE COWBOY, someone suggested I put a Jimmy Thomas photo on it. What? Are you crazy? I wanted to reply with this retort because I have never wanted a gorgeous hunk with beautiful woman on my covers. My idea of covers ran toward the non-human kind; you know, sweeping vistas, sunsets, lakes, mountains, wildflowers, horses...and I do love all the covers for my novels. Those have worked very well.

Before I made this bold, perhaps slightly tacky remark, I had no idea about some male model named Jimmy Thomas. But I did look up his website, signed up, logged in, and was hooked. Right away, I found my Angel and her cowboy, and with the expert guidance from Karen Michelle Nutt, the first Dime Novel cover was a hit--with me, anyway.

The second one, ADDIE AND THE GUNSLINGER, was even easier. Right away I found the right cover, showing Addie sneaking Jude's pistols from the holster. The third novel, CHARLOTTE AND THE TENDERFOOT was a little more difficult, but Karen came through once again.

I have just submitted the fourth Dime Novel titled KAT AND THE U.S. MARSHAL. And even before I submitted it, I had selected the cover...a Jimmy Thomas, of course.

These covers work for the novellas, because the stories are slightly offbeat and fun. I'd never written anything exactly like these, but I am so pleased with the success of them, I know I made a very good choice. And the Jimmy Thomas covers are perfect.

P.S. I have since learned that Jimmy Thomas is not only a handsome man, he is truly a nice guy. That bit of knowledge makes it all the better.
~*~*~

ANGEL AND THE COWBOY:
He needs a wife…
Because the sheriff summons him, U.S. Marshal Max Garrison rides to town. He resents learning he must supervise a young man just out of prison who will work at his ranch for a time. But when he meets the beautiful young woman who owns the teashop, he knows his trip is not wasted. Max decides she's the one for him.
She faces more loneliness …
Daniella Sommers lives alone above the book and teashop her English parents left her. When U.S. Marshal Max Garrison walks in and asks for tea, she almost laughs. Soon, her merriment turns to hope. Then Daniella learns a shocking truth about herself. If she reveals her past, will Max still love her?
Is it time for miracles and hope?

ADDIE AND THE GUNSLINGER

Ex-gunslinger Jude Morgan lands in jail in a far-flung West Texas town. On the fourth day in his cell, the sheriff arrives with a beautiful woman dressed in men’s pants and toting her own six-shooter. Adriana Jones claims he is her worthless husband who married her but never came home.
The young woman makes a bargain with Jude in front of the sheriff. Jude is to come home where he belongs, and she will have him released. When they’re alone, she explains his job is to pose as her husband to thwart the marriage advances of her neighbor, wealthy rancher Horace Caruthers. The older man wants her ranch to join his, because the Pecos River runs through her property.
To seal the bargain, Jude wants a kiss. During the next few weeks, however, Jude and Addie learn that the kiss meant more than they meant it to be. Then, Addie's life is in danger. Will Jude rescue his Addie? Or will Addie save herself and her gunslinger?

CHARLOTTE AND THE TENDERFOOT
While driving home in her buggy, Charlotte Dewhurst discovers a man lying by the road. William Montgomery, an attorney, was passing through the area when accosted by two hoodlums. The resulting court case keeps Will in town. His attitudes confuse Charlotte as he seeks her company, yet proclaims he will soon be moving on. But Will may be the most confused one of all.

BUY LINKS for all three Dime Novels, as well as all my books: My author pages on Amazon and Barnes and Noble:

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Celia+yeary&x=14&y=16 
Barnes and Noble
http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=celia+yeary&page=&prod=univ&choice=book&query=Celia+Yeary&flag=False&pos=-1&box=Celia+Yeary&box=celia%20yeary&pos=-1&ugrp=2

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit o' Texas
My Website


My Blog


Sweethearts of the West-Blog


My Facebook Page

Thanks to Celia for being my guest today. She and I are co-founders of the blog Sweethearts of the West. We have enough in common that we joke that we're cousins. She's a person to whom I'd love to be related.

Thanks for stopping by!

IRRESISTABLE SWEET BLOG

My hope is that you believe my blog, "A Writer's Life," is irresistably sweet and that you read it regularly. Linda Banche on her blog “Linda Banche and her World of Historical Hilarity” (her books are great fun!) nominated me for this award. Linda is the author of AN INHERITANCE FOR THE BIRDS, part of the Love Letters series from The Wild Rose Press, and releases Feb. 1, 2012. Linda has a lovely blog, too. I’m sure she’d love if you visited her and discovered her witty Regency historicals http://lindabanche.blogspot.com. To accept the award, I have to name seven things about me that you may not know and then nominate ten blogs.


Here are seven things about me:

1. I once received a bomb threat intended to intimidate me. Because the phone threat was so unexpected, I laughed and the caller hung up.




antique cup and saucer

 2. My youngest daughter and I once had antique booths in three antique malls. If we had time--and money--we’d keep dealing in antiques even though the market is depressed. Love those estate sales and auctions!


3. Before I learned to say, “no, thank you,” I was a Girl Scout and Brownie leader, PTA President, room mother, Sunday School teacher, on and on ad nauseum.



4. Several yeara ago, I drove a rental car on the German autobahn. No, I didn’t put pedal to the metal, but I did go 85 mph.

5. I used to love to play friendly bridge several times a week, but am not certain I even remember how to bid.



6. I first met my husband Hero when I was 12 and he was 15. We didn’t date until I was a senior in high school.



7. Even though I’m Texan, both sides of my family were Oklahoma pioneers who settled in Harmon County (formerly a part of Old Greer County).



Now that you’ve learned more about me, let me share something about my friends' blogs. I have many favorite blogs, many of which are group blogs such as Sweethearts of the West. Here are ten individual authors whose active blogs I love to visit (and that Linda hasn't already named):



1. Anna Kathryn Lanier “Chatting With Anna Kathryn” at http://annakathrynlanier.blogspot.com


2. Cathie Dunn “Cathie Dunn Writes” at http://cathiedunn.blogspot.com


3. Celia Yeary “Romance and a Little Bit o’ Texas” at http://celiayeary.blogspot.com


4. Elaine Stock “Everyone’s Story” at http://elainestock.blogspot.com


5. Ginger Simpson “Cowboy Kisses” at http://cowboykisses.blogspot.com


6. Jacquie Rogers “Romancing the West” at http://romancingthewest.blogspot.com


7. Lyn Horner “Texas Druids” at http://texasdruids.blogspot.com


8. Maggie Toussaint “Mudpies and Magnolias” http://mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com


9. Mona Risk at http://monarisk.blogspot.com


10. Susan Macatee at http://susanmacatee.wordpress.com


Hope you’ll check out these blogs - but please still come back to visit mine!


Thanks for stopping by!

CHANCE FOR FREE PDF COPY OF HEART OF A HERO

Today I welcome my good friend Celia Yeary. No, we've never met in person, but we are online BFF's because we've learned we have an incredible number of things in common. Honestly, with so many experiences, we share we must be related--so we tell people we're cousins. Do you think anyone believes us?

I'm so pleased Cousin Celia is here today to share her new release, HEART OF A HERO. She's offering one lucky person who comments a PDF of the book. Now, here's Celia:

Author Celia Yeary

Thank you, Caroline, for allowing me to introduce a new release no one knows much about. I'm happy to have this opportunity to introduce a Contemporary Romance, a little spicy, full of hurting, revenge, and love. The title is HEART OF A HERO.


I wrote this story a few years ago and learned that most romance publishers wouldn't take it in its present form. You see, I do have a hero and a heroine, but the hero is entangled with a fiancé with whom he tries to keep secret from a young woman he meets and instantly falls in love. She, too, holds a secret, and so they spend a summer together—a long, hot, dangerous summer—in which they cling to each other, knowing they will have to part.


As a result, I held on to it, studying publishers who seemed to be more lenient with guidelines. I took a chance with Whimsical Publications, owned by Janet Durbin, and although we did some serious editing, the basic plot and characters remained intact. Thank you, Janet.

The story came to me in bits and pieces as I watched our men and women go off to war halfway around the world to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other dangerous places. Then I watched with a breaking heart, some of those who survived come home, often to more problems than they had on the battlefield. I always thought—now they must fight for their own freedom to have the life they want and deserve. As the reader will learn, Matt Carrington's family holds him hostage as much as the terrorists did.

 Blurb:


Matt Carrington escapes a terrorists’ prison while in the Army, but he has difficulty escaping the trappings of a demanding fiancé and his own parents. To get away to think, he meets pretty, girl-next-door Lauren Delaney, the kind of woman he desires. But his fiancé and his parents have other plans, and they determine to have their way—no matter what Matt wants.


Lauren Delaney is an independent young woman who quickly befriends the soldier hero who comes to town. Knowing he has another life in Dallas, she holds a secret, too. But she pretends neither have a problem in order to have the summer with him.


During the long hot months, a hurricane almost destroys the town. Matt and Lauren work with a team to save as many residents as they can, and in the process fall deeply in love. When the danger is past, the two lovers suffer from their own lies and misunderstandings. Can they find peace and happiness without hurting others?

Excerpt:

Lauren knew he was shutting her out.


Matt was angry, so angry that he couldn’t talk anymore.


She could figure out what had probably happened with his family and his girl. He had not been given time to sort out his feelings, or grieve for lost comrades, or contemplate his own life—which he almost lost. Lauren’s heart went out to him.


Walking to him, she placed her palm on his back, on the wound beneath his shirt. The ugly, sickening scar, with a matching one in front. At the river, she had plenty of opportunity to see it and plenty of time to feel the pain he had suffered. Silently, she had wept for him and prayed for him. Now, she knew for certain that the biggest, ugliest scar marred his heart and soul. His family had become the enemy.


Instead of talking to him, she took his glass from his fingers without his knowing. As quietly as she could, she began to collect ingredients for their dinner. Food would help him. Then, she had a plan that would soothe his hurting. At the same time, she would soothe her own.


He appeared in the doorway. “Are you okay?”


“Me, Matt?” she asked. “Well, yes, I am, but I’m very hungry. Aren’t you?”


“Are you angry with me?” With a frown, he ran his fingers through his short, dark hair and then let his arm drop.


She placed the skillet on the stove, turned fully to him, and spoke ever so softly. “Why would I be mad at you? How could I ever be angry with you, Matt? All I see in you is good and honest and generous. Do you think because you chose not to talk anymore, that I would turn on you? That’s unfair, isn’t it? You’re a free man, Matt; free to do as you choose, free to make your own choices. Isn’t that one reason you went to fight a war halfway around the world? To defend freedom? It’s precious, Matt. Don’t let anyone take that away from you. Whatever you do, don’t let them take it away.”

BUY LINKS: in eBook and print


HEART OF A HERO, a contemporary romance set in Texas, is now available at:


Amazon Kindle--- http://www.amazon.com/Heart-of-a-Hero%20e-book/dp/B0059WEBUO/ref=sr_2_10?books&ie=UTF8&qid=13110820975&sr=1-10

and eBook on Smashwords by Whimsical Publishing: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/71142


PRINT AND EBOOK FOR THE NOOK:


B&N- http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-a-hero-celia-yeary/1104173045?ean=9781936167456&itm=3&usri=celia%2byear y

I would love to give away a pdf copy of HEART OF A HERO. Please leave a comment for a chance to win. Thank you…


Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas


http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/


http://www.celiayeary.com/


http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Celia. Readers, thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to comment to qualify for Celia's drawing!

Available Now!
For those of you not from Texas, that's the
Dallas skyline in the cover's background

AUTHOR CELIA YEARY AND THE CAMERON SISTERS SERIES

Texas Author Celia Yeary

Celia Yeary is a seventh-generation Texan, and her life revolves around family, friends, and writing. San Marcos has been her home for thirty-five years. She has seven published romance novels, three “coming soon” novels, and published essays with a local magazine. The author is a former science teacher, graduate of Texas Tech University and Texas State University, mother of two, grandmother of three boys, and wife of a wonderful, supportive Texan. Celia and her husband enjoy traveling, and both are involved in their church, the community, and the university. She meets with The Write Girls on Tuesdays at a local coffee house.


THE CAMERON SISTERS SERIES

Greetings!

Caroline and I joke about being long-lost cousins, possibly even sisters. However, many sisters are quite different, which means Caroline and I have too many likenesses to be siblings. So, we'll stick with the cousin thing.

COUSINS

My two recent releases are about sisters: One born in poverty, shame, and isolation, but loved dearly by her young, unwed mother; The other born with a silver spoon in her mouth, loved and adored by all, raised like a hothouse flower. When the oldest turned five, her mother married a Texan who soon became wealthy. The child and her baby sister grew up inseparable, devoted to each other.

SISTERS

One of my favorite kind of romance is a series—either sisters or brothers, or occasionally a family with both. It seems that all popular, successful romance authors write a sibling series sometime in their careers: Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts, Karen Robards, Susan Mallery, Mary Balogh…the list is long. If the first book in the series is good, I'll read all others that follow.

Although I am not as popular nor successful as any of the aforementioned authors, I have definitely written a series—The Cameron Sisters—Western Historical Romances.

Available from Desert Breeze Publishing,
Perfect cover for a Texan's book,
spring bluebonnets--Texas state flower.

The first is The Cameron Sisters: Book I: TEXAS PROMISE. This is Jo's story, the one born in poverty and shame, and how she matures into a beautiful young woman, though willful and stubborn and bold.


Blurb for TEXAS PROMISE:


After two years, Jo Cameron King’s life as a widow abruptly ends when her husband returns home to Austin. Unable to understand her angry and bitter husband, she accepts a call to travel to the New Mexico Territory to meet her dying birth father whom she knows nothing about. Her plan to escape her husband goes awry when he demands to travel with her.


Dalton King, believing lies his Texas Ranger partner tells him about Jo, seethes with hatred toward his wife. Now he must protect Jo from his partner’s twisted mind, while sorting out the truth. Jo’s bravery and loyalty convince him she’s innocent. But can they regain the love and respect they once shared?

Available from Desert Breeze Publishing,
and another perfect Texas cover,
indian paintbrush

The Second is The Cameron Sisters: Book II: TEXAS TRUE. This is the baby sister True's story, the one raised like a hothouse flower, loved, adored, and protected by everyone.



Blurb for TEXAS TRUE:


At a Governor's Ball in Austin, Texas, True Lee Cameron meets suave Sam Deleon. Before the night is out, she transforms from the coddled and protected younger sister to a woman in love. Reality crashes down when she accidentally learns he has deceived her. Daring to disobey him, she follows Sam to the oilfields and determines to live wherever he does. Has she made a mistake? Will she give up and return home where she can make her own rules?
 When Sam Deleon meets the gorgeous young woman his mother has chosen for him, he fears falling in love, because he knows nothing about love. In order to carry out his mother’s plan, he marries True and moves her to his mother's home, intending to visit enough to set the plan in motion. When True fails to obey him, he faces the possibility of losing her, thereby losing his inheritance and the family property.
 Sam and True attempt a reconciliation and compromise. Together, they now face a nemesis, someone who determines to thwart every action they take, endangering not only their lives, but also those whom they love.

BUY LINKS for both TEXAS PROMISE and TEXAS TRUE:


Desert Breeze Publishing


Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Thank you, Caroline, for having me today. You're the perfect hostess, and also the perfect "cousin."

Celia Yeary-Romance...and a little bit 'o Texas
http://www.celiayeary.blogspot.com/
http://www.celiayeary.com/
http://sweetheartsofthewest.blogspot.com/

Celia, thanks for sharing your books with us today. Thanks also for plugging our team blog, Sweethearts of the West. I love your writing, Cousin, and your books' covers are gorgeous. Come back again soon, ya' hear!