So, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve this puzzle, then let me know whether you enjoyed it as much as the Saturday jigsaw puzzles or the word searches. I’m trying to switch it up a bit! Plus, this time around, I get to not-so-subtly remind you about some recent releases!

Sorry for all the space left beneath the puzzle.
The puzzle generator does that—not me!

UPDATE: The winner is…Christine!
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Usually for these “tell me a story” contests, I choose a fantasy/romantic image. This picture tickled my funny bone.  I could only imagine the rotten things she’d had to overcome that day for him to walk into the kitchen and say, “Hey, what’s for dinner?”

So, in the spirit of fun, tell me what he said to earn this reaction from her for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Colleen C!
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Hello Delilah!  Thank you so much for letting me visit.  I have something super special and close to my heart to share with you and your readers today, so hang tight for a crazy story.

I’ve shared before my writing journey – after dabbling for what felt like forever, I sat down in my 40^th year and put my nose to the grindstone – or literally pen to paper in this case – and finished my first book.  I sent it off to the publisher and while waiting to hear back, I repeated the process (best advice I’ve ever received and the one I share with all newbie authors).  So I wrote the next one. And the next one. And I kept going until (eventually), I got my rejection.  By then, I had fifteen completed books and three partial manuscripts.  In case you’re wondering, I wrote a million words in 2014 and close to that in 2013 and 2015.  So, I had books.

By that point, I knew I needed help. I found this AMAZING freelance editor who whipped me into shape. Her patience was phenomenal, as I just wanted to learn by doing instead of reading articles (drove her nuts, but she stuck with me).  As she helped me fix up the old manuscripts, she would pass along writing opportunities. One, Delilah, was for an anthology of yours.  You rejected my story – appropriately – but I fixed it up and found a publisher. That was a great experience for me (even the ‘no’) because I learned I could write short.  The next time my editor showed me a call, the publisher was looking for a friends-to-lovers short story (5-18k).  For some reason, the image of a nurse helping birth a baby in a pub bathroom sprung to mind and, within moments, I had my story.

Caressa’s Homecoming was an 18k friends-to-lovers story.  My freelance editor fixed it up, and I submitted it.

And was accepted.

Holy Lord, was I over the moon excited!

Interestingly, one of the beta readers commented about halfway through that she worried the story was going to be a ménage.  At the end, she commented she was pleased it wasn’t.

That comment triggered me, though. Caressa and Michael were tight with their third best friend, Cole.  All three met in first grade and, through harrowing childhoods, were always there for each other.  Only when Caressa went overseas as a nurse did Michael and Cole realize their feelings for her.  I won’t give too much of the story away, but yeah, you can sort of tell by the cover what kind of book this wound up being. (MMF throuple)

I dabbled with the story between publication (2016) and this new version coming out (2024).  For instance, the original short story was in 3^rd person.  Generally, I write in 1^st.  Let me tell you, swapping forty thousand words with a POV switch is much harder than it sounds.  I had also, by this point, included Cole – an actor – in several of my books (Catch a Tiger by the Tail and Valentino in Vancouver).  The logistics to put everything together took a spreadsheet and a lot of hard work. You know me, that was the fun part.

And so, I give you the new and improved Caressa’s Homecoming. The rights reverted to me a few months after the anthology was released, so I didn’t face any problems with bringing the story back to life and turning it into the vibrant and somewhat angsty story I’m publishing. (Side note: I knew I couldn’t tell the entire story in one book, so my publisher gave me permission to finish their story – taking it from a Happy for Now to a Happily Ever After – so Cole’s Reckoning will be coming out in the summer).

Okay, long story, but one I wanted to share.  I love giving readers an insight into the writing process – convoluted as it might be.  To thank your readers for having read all that, I’d love to offer a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter.  Have you ever read a short story and wanted it to be longer?  Or can you read something compact and be satisfied?  Let me know and the random number generator will select a winner.  Thanks so much, Delilah.

Caressa’s Homecoming (Bonded by Love Book 1)

Three inseparable friends—now three insatiable lovers?

Nurse Caressa Klein returns home to a quieter life in Vancouver, Canada, after five grueling years of working with patients in Africa. She’s ready to settle back into her relationship with her two best friends.

Engineer Michael Dubois has been in love with his best friend since the day she announced her departure overseas. He’s glad she’s back—now he wants to hold on to her forever.

Actor Cole Hamilton is also in love with his best friend. Or rather, both of them. They supported each other through harrowing childhoods. Cole wants to bring Caressa and Michael into his life and, more importantly, into his bed.

Can they move from friends to a throuple, or is their relationship destined to fail?

Links
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/Caressa
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Caressas-Homecoming-Bonded-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B0CNDD16CX
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caressas-homecoming-gabbi-grey/1144351269
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/caressas-homecoming/id6472198149
KOBO: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/caressa-s-homecoming
Add it to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/202189830-caressa-s-homecoming

About Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey

With our cold snap, which kept the kids out of school for the ENTIRE week, I didn’t accomplish even half of what was on my list this past week.

• I continued revising Warrior’s Touch—which is now Unbound by the Amazon (thanks, everyone on my Street Team for helping me retitle the book!)
• I searched for and found cover art for Unbound and a new Brotherhood Protectors story, Tyson’s Mission. After sending the art off, I now have two gorgeous covers!
• I worked on editing stories for two authors.
• I wrote one lousy chapter of Malcolm. It took so long because I had to figure out how my heroine wouldn’t look TSTL (too stupid to live), like a damsel in distress, when things went wrong with her takedown of a skip. It’s the meet-cute scene where my two bounty hunters first come together.
• I began reading the stories for my next anthology, Secret Identities. I have three read so far.

This next week, I have to do better, or stop reporting about how bad I am at this writer-editor gig because you’re probably wondering how I ever get anything done!

What does this next week look like? I intend to accomplish the following:

• 4 chapters of Malcolm
• Complete two editing jobs
• Complete revising Warrior’s Touch and get it ready for publication.
• Read another five to ten stories for my next anthology, Secret Identities.

Here’s hoping tomorrow’s forecast for more snow is WRONG.

Open Contests

1. Happy National Houseplant Day! (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Story Cubes: Tell me a story… (Contest) — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Saturday Puzzle-Contest: Snow-pocalypse! — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
4. Appreciate a Dragon Day! (Contest – 3 Winners) — This one ends soon! Win a FREE book! THREE winners!
5. Gabbi Grey: When One Story is Not Enough (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!
6. Word Search: Favorite Pets (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
7. Cover Reveal — Anyone like ancient Scythia? Plus, books you can pre-order now! (Contest) — Win a FREE book!
8. Saturday Puzzle Contest — Random Bohemian Pirate Couple — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Roxie Jones!
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Most Saturdays, I have no idea what image I’m going to choose for the puzzle when I sit down to craft my blog. I go to my favorite photo site and take a look. The photos they suggested today, based on my recent searches, produced a feed called “Bohemian Pirate Couple.” Interesting, I said. So, I went with it.

I hope you love the puzzle. Solve it, then tell me what kind of story it inspires in you for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

Okay, so maybe I’m just sharing some eye candy today, but this looks pretty hot, right?

I found art for a little story I’m refurbishing that I don’t think more than a handful of people have ever read. My sister worked her cover magic to make it pretty. I’ll publish the story before the end of the month, maybe next week if I can manage to sit my butt in the chair long enough to do the work. It’s a time-travel tale. My hero and heroine head to ancient Scythia, which is thought to be the place where the legend of the Amazons originated. It’s fun. Short. A novelette—so longer than a short story, but shorter than what I normally write. Be looking for it if you want a fun, sexy, shorter read.

And just to remind you, I have two other stories in the works, too. Three actually, but until my sister loads the pre-order (it’s a Brotherhood Protectors story), I’m not going to talk about it, but I’ll have another lovely cover to share soon.

Here are the two coming your way in the next couple of months. Click on the covers if you want to put them on pre-order.

The kids are on their fourth day of “snow days” so they’ll be underfoot today. I rose early, not only to make sure the trash made it to the roadside, but to get a little work in before chaos resumes. We dodged the bullet with the kitchen pipes freezing. When we had a brief thaw, no water gushed from the walls. Thank God. The frozen pool is still a possible disaster that we have to wait to see if there’s damage. Next week, we’ll have a long enough thaw the ice floe on the top of the pool should melt entirely, then we can turn on the pump and see if disaster awaits.

I hope everyone here in the northern hemisphere is staying warm and toasty. We’ve lucked out with only a short three-hour power outage so far. I’m okay with wearing socks, a sweater, and thermal underwear for the drafts. Not a pretty picture, I assure you. 🙂

If you’re in the mood to chat, tell me 1) do you like the new cover? 2) And what does your weekend look like? I’m planning to stay hunkered down and maybe watch a movie with the family. 3) Any suggestions? Answer for a chance to win a FREE download of one of my books!

UPDATE: The winner is…Martha Lanham!
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Well, we thought the kids would be back in school today, finally. In fact, we were ready to get them bundled into the car for the trip to town when the 15-year-old slid on the ground and scraped up her arm and sprained her wrist (at least we hope it’s just a sprain), and we came back inside to get her bandaged up. Just as we were finishing with the bandages and splint, the notice came on our phones that they’d decided to cancel school again. It might have had something to do with the school bus in the ditch at the bottom of our long hill. No one injured, but…the bus slid into the ditch! Thank goodness my daughter drives the kids (fights on the school bus necessitated that long ago).

Anyway, the kids are back in their jammies, sitting around the living room with pets cuddled up beside them. We’ve suffered a little attrition to our numbers due to old age and illnesses over the years. We are down to five cats and seven dogs, now. Remember, we didn’t collect all these animals ourselves; we inherited my mom’s four dogs when she passed.

My betta fish passed away from old age a couple of months ago. I did try everything to make him comfortable and to “fix” him, but what I read about how he was acting pointed to old age. I haven’t purchased another. I’ll wait for warmer weather because any fish we get has to travel an hour in a plastic tub to get here. I do miss my fish though. No, you can’t pet or snuggle them, and I’m okay with that. The bunny in my art room stays mostly in its cage because when we open the door, he hops out, looks around, then decides he likes his cage better. He’s not very affectionate. The two cats that hang out with me can be very annoying when they want attention. Having one perched like a vulture on my shoulder isn’t conducive to good concentration, and I hate finding the little bits of kitty litter that stick to their paws on my art table.

But my family has always had pets. More dogs than anything else.

So, my question to you is, what is your favorite type of pet? It’s okay if you say a plant. I get that, too. If you want to share a little story about your favorite pet, we’d all love to read about it! Today’s prize is a $5 Amazon gift card! I hope you enjoy the puzzle!