Another year, another milestone! I figure another turn around the sun is a victory! The kids have been lovely, dragging out my birthday all month long, it seems. Last night, we had another little birthday party with another round of gifts. Tonight, we’ll go to dinner. Do they think too much excitement on the day will do me in? 🙂

Because I love prezzies and giving prezzies, I’m the one bearing a gift!

Get your free copy!

UPDATE: The winner is…ButtonsMom!
*~*~*

No excitement around here. We’re awaiting a part for the pool to see if it will fix our filter problem. Then we have to go back into wait mode while the pool clears to a sparkling blue. The summer will be half over before I get to do my daily swims! In the meantime, the only excitement we’ve had is the news that a dollar store is going out of business. With 75% off sales, my daughter is going into hoarding mode, buying up enough shampoo, deodorant, and pet food and treats, to keep us going for a year or two—no exaggeration. She heard rumors of a 90% off sale coming next Monday, so you know she’ll be scraping what’s left off the shelves to bring home. She’s also said she plans to be parked in front of the store when the doors open. They have AC. Good for her! She does love a good sale, and the 10-year-old has the fever, too. She came away with an astonishing amount of Squishmallows  and hair products.

But back to the contest…

As a way to solve my book-hoarding problem and make room in my bookshelves, I’m continuing my Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway! I have a ton of my books, collected over my 20 years of publishing. So, rather than consign them to the burn barrel I thought maybe a bunch of giveaways would be fun. As the first couple of giveaways seemed to garner a lot of interest, I’m happy to offer more opportunities for readers to win a signed copy of one of my old books! Check to see who the last winner was! It may have been you!

So, for a chance to win a randomly chosen by me (I might say, do you want a western, an erotic novel, or a paranormal?) book, which I will of course sign and fill with a bookmark and a postcard, painted by me, tell me whether you love to shop a good sale!

UPDATE: The winner is…Stacey Kinzebach!
*~*~*

Just a quick note before we begin… Our pool has been a sore spot. Usually, we’re swimming by the end of April. It’s taken weeks to rid it of algae. Well, yesterday, the pool was finally blue (teal, really), but still cloudy, and we decided what the heck? We swam!!!! Well, the cloudiness made things extra interesting because as we splashed and swam, a snake popped up to the surface to join us! My SIL was quick with the net and flung it into the grass. The thing was a baby water moccasin. So, since the pool is still cloudy today, we decided we’d head to the movie theater 45 minutes away today. We’re going to take the fam to see If! Maybe it will be clearer after we return (we’re going to a matinee). We’ll see. We’re impatient. And I’ll rub a brush over the bottom and smack the water a lot just in case. Being joined by a snake for our first dip does seem like an omen… 🙂

Anyway, onto the contest!

As a way to solve my book-hoarding problem and make room in my bookshelves, I’m continuing my Clear My Bookshelf Giveaway! I have a ton of my books, collected over my 20 years of publishing. So, rather than consign them to the burn barrel (which makes my heart hurt!) I thought maybe a bunch of giveaways would be fun. As the first giveaway garnered a lot of interest, I’m happy to offer more opportunities for readers to win a signed copy of one of my old books! The first winner of the first contest is…Sharon Coomes! (Sharon, I’ll be in touch with you today!)

So, for a chance to win a randomly chosen by me (I might say, do you want a western, an erotic novel, or a paranormal?) book, which I will of course sign and fill with a bookmark and a postcard, painted by me, tell me whether you love going to the movies!

It’s another weird holiday. And as always, I love a reason to celebrate. Every day should be special, right? Life’s too short not to smile and raise a toast to another sunrise.

So, to help you celebrate and maybe give you something to read this weekend, I’m giving away one of the many paranormal stories I’ve written. Not so much lately, but back in the day, I was very much known for my vampires, witches, and other yummy things that go bump in the night.

This one’s a story I wrote, thinking it would be a series of stories before the publisher I was working with went away. It’s so sad. Sin’s Gift has some very cool elements (if I may say so myself). Be sure to get your copy while this offer lasts! Like now. Right now.

Sin’s Gift

When police officer Sinead O’Rourke returns to duty months after being shot in an incident that claimed her partner, she knows it’s not going to be easy. Despite being cleared of any negligence, her fellow officers still wonder whether she’s responsible for his death. One more problem is that everyone knows she claims to have seen his ghost. After months of rehabilitation and lying like hell about the fact she’s not seeing spooks anymore, Sin’s determined to get back into the saddle.

Jake doesn’t want to partner with Sin. Been there, done that—couldn’t keep his hands off her the first time around. She’s too much of a distraction, and her penchant for rushing into trouble scares the heck out of him. Despite wishing she’d quit her job, he’s still deeply attracted. When an armed robbery goes down and something happens that rattles Sin to the core, he’s right there—ready to cover her back and her sweet body.

Get your FREE copy!

When I was writing my drama-comedy second chance sports romance, Stars in the City, I was both caught between that longing of a soap actress named Valeria Joseph, who wanted her ex back, and the adorable swoony moments when they reconnected. So, I needed a playlist that took me into both mentalities and acted like a soundtrack to dreaming about getting back with the guy who you never got over, the swoony moments where you fall back in love, and everything else that goes on when you have a second chance with the guy you’ve never stopped loving.

I loved writing this sweet romance that reunites a young soap star dealing with her own insecurities who never got over her ex, Davis, who she runs into on the streets of New York City. She finds out he’s now playing basketball at a college in the city, and they start to fall back in love. However, Valeria’s celebrity life brings drama, and it doesn’t help when the gossip sites link her with other stars. Can these two get it together this time around?

First, here’s an excerpt from Stars in the City:

“Valeria, you don’t have to be that girl on the TV screen right now with me. I just want the girl from River Grove back,” Davis said.

Except I hadn’t been that girl since I started the show. I reached over and took another sip of water.

He leaned across the table and put his hand over mine. “I hope you didn’t think I was judging you. Your celebrity life is so foreign to me. That’s all. I just want you to know you don’t have to be on twenty-four seven. You can just be yourself because you’re amazing.”

I met his eyes, and he squeezed my hand.

“It’s not quite the same thing with me playing basketball, but I do know what it’s like to have huge expectations other people have put on you. Not to mention, the high and impossible expectations you put on yourself. You and I have always had that in common.” He winced.

“I guess it’s worse for you now playing at the college level, huh?”

He nodded.

I squeezed his hand back. “I hope I didn’t freak you out with the photo thing.”

“You’re in a whole new world. Not going to lie—I’m not crazy about how that’s impacting you, but I get it.”

“Yeah, but then I dropped a therapy session on you. Ugh. I am a lot.” I shut my eyes and sighed. He was probably eyeballing the exits as we spoke.

He was smiling when I opened my eyes. “I believe I’m the one who started that session. Actually, the fact we’ve always been able to be open and vulnerable with each another is one of the things I loved most about us. That’s why it hit like a truck when you suddenly wanted to split up. I understand it now. Sweetie, I’m just relieved we got it all out in the open.”

My shoulders dropped in relief as I exhaled. “Even though it was a messy therapy session?”

He laughed. “Those are the best conversations to clear the air. Do you know how rare it is to find someone you can do that with? I hope you don’t ever feel you have to hold back from me.”

The waitress came over with the bill. He reached into his pocket and handed her his credit card before I could get my purse open. She placed two to-go boxes on the table for us.

“Ready to go?” He helped me put my coat on, and we walked back to my place.

“I have exactly fourteen minutes until I need to get the bus,” he said as I unlocked the door.

I frowned. Saying goodbye was going to be so hard after we had finally cleared the air. He came in and put his hand over mine.

“Val, I don’t know how to say this, but this is the first time in months I’ve felt relaxed and happy. Like my entire nervous system just regulated itself.”

We both smiled. “Mine, too. I missed you.”

How many times did I think to myself that talking to him felt like sliding into a warm bath? No one could calm my mind down like he could.

“I’m still worried I dropped too much on you tonight.”

He chewed on the inside of his lip. “I’m glad you told me all of that. You have a tendency to hold back, and I know it wasn’t easy for you.” He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “Not going to lie—I’ve been holding back with you, too. I was afraid of getting hurt again. But I think if we want to make a go of it then we’re going to have to be open about everything. After all, things could have been different if we had talked it all out last summer.”

He looked down at the floor, and I knew there was something he needed to get out. I touched his arm, and he met my eyes.

“After we broke up, I spent a lot of time going over stuff in my head, and I didn’t know if you were afraid to get too close to me because of what happened with your mom and dad or if you wanted someone more exciting.” He sighed. “I guess I always wondered if you loved me … anywhere as much as I loved you.”

My eyes widened as I realized how much my parents’ divorce had closed me off. I told myself I held back from my other ex, Lance, because he seemed like a player, but the truth was I had been doing it for a long time.

“Last year, the idea of losing what we had was terrifying because it was the first time I’d ever felt anything like that in my life. I was scared of getting my heart broken and losing the one person who meant the most to me in the whole world.” My stomach fluttered as I knew I had to expose my true feelings for him if he was going to trust me again. “I was so in love with you.”

He exhaled and put his hands on my waist. “So you left because you were afraid that I’d leave first?”

I nodded.

He brushed my cheek. “I wish you had told me even half of this.”

I swallowed hard. “But that’s a lot to put on a teenage boy. I didn’t want you to be overwhelmed. I was so in love with you, and I was scared I was going to overload you and you’d run.”

Davis sucked in his breath. “I can understand why you’d be afraid to even bring that up to me. But you should know that that was exactly how I felt about you. And it utterly destroyed me when you walked out on us.”

My eyes began to water.

“Hey, not trying to make you cry. I just want you to know how I felt about you.”

I didn’t trust myself to talk for fear a flood of emotions and tears would come out. He cupped my face.

“Is there any chance we could get back together and maybe I could call you my girlfriend again?”

***Pick up the book here. It’s free in Kindle Unlimited:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3

PLAYLIST

The One by Amy Swift: It has that late night reminiscing over lost love feeling. I can see Valeria listening to this late at night and thinking about Davis.

Nobody knows me like you do (Made For Me) by Muni Long: This one just fits Davis and Valeria’s relationship. Davis says no one has ever understood him so well and Valeria feels the same way. You see them as each other’s biggest supporter through the good and, more importantly, the bad times.

Back to December by Taylor Swift: The perfect song that embodies what it’s like to reminisce about a relationship you screwed up and want back. This feels like a song that Valeria would play on repeat about regrets with Davis.

Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves: The calming, sweet song that would fit Valeria and Davis as she says talking to him is like sliding into a warm bath.

Maroon by Taylor Swift: This song is set in New York (like the book) and the song deals with a past relationship. It reminded me more of Valeria and her co-star (and ex) Lance.

Back to You by Selena Gomez: The kind of song you sing along to in the car about the ex you’re missing. I picture Valeria singing this with her friends Cecily and Paige.

What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts: I played this over and over because I was basically trying to hurt my own feelings to get the emotion right for Valeria’s voice in the story. Also Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts: For the moment where you realize the past will make them appreciate each other more and it’ll be different this time. (I write happily ever afters, so you can relax! It’s a happy ending.)

Almost Over You by Sheena Easton (There’s also a version by Lila McCann I listened to as well): If you’ve ever been sad over your ex this is your national anthem. Note: playing this at 3 am is not in your best interest unless you like crying!

Can’t Let Go by Mariah Carey: If you follow my work then you already know this song is my go-to song to hurt my own feelings to get that heartbreak feeling just right in a story. I put it on repeat and it just brings those feelings to the surface.

You can find the playlist here if you want to listen to any of the songs yourself. Plus, I have the ambiance videos Valeria sends to Davis to calm his anxiety in the book. There’s a few more videos that inspired me on the playlist as well. Happy listening and reading! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrFxW3TeFT5tnIW2xljtaefrrJb203dJg

About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a bestselling author of YA and contemporary romance. She writes romance because she loves bringing people swoony moments and hope-filled happily ever afters. She writes about falling in love, fame, fitting in, frenemies, first loves, and finding your way in the world. She loves reading, watching movies, and lipstick.

Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/

When I started writing my latest romance novel, my first thought was to take all the things I loved best about my favorite books and put them into one story. I love stories about couples that find their way back to one another, celebrity romance, swoony moments, and watching sports. These all made their way into my new contemporary romance about a young adult soap star named Valeria Joseph who is trying to navigate the world while dealing with a breakup with her co-star.

Then, on the busy streets of New York City, she runs into her first love, Davis St. James, who she never got over. Davis is a college basketball player who is dealing with high pressure stressors of his own and they find themselves supporting one another and falling back in love. But, just like being on a daytime soap is full of drama—so is the publicity that surrounds Valeria. Throw in a pop star who’s crazy about her, an award show event that trends on social media for all the wrong reasons, and tons of swoony moments. Can Valeria find true love in the big city?

Stars in the City

Here’s an excerpt from Stars in the City to give you a taste:

“I’m scheduled to do an interview with Soap Opera Hotties,” I said.

“Me, too. Can’t wait.” Cecily clapped her hands together.

I raised my eyebrows. This was all fun and new to her. Me, I was already jaded seeing as I had once done an interview where they took a quote out of context making it look like Hayley and I were fighting on set over Lance. Meanwhile, I had gone to great lengths to stuff all my feelings down so I wouldn’t get a bad reputation and get fired. Did I yell and scream on set? No. Did I push my emotions down until I started getting random stomach issues and could no longer tolerate certain foods that I used to be able to eat with reckless abandon? Yes.

Cecily hugged herself. “I can’t believe people care about our lives enough to want to interview us. This has got to be the best job ever.”

Yeah, if strangers reading all the intimate details of your personal life and then coming over to your social media to troll you over those very details was exciting to you, then I couldn’t recommend this enough. But promotion was a part of this business, and the studio was in charge, so I went along with it. I loved acting, and growing up I thought it’d be amazing to have my name and face everywhere … until it wasn’t, and all I wanted to do was hide and turn my socials private.

The driver sighed. “Think we’re going to be here for a while. No one’s moving.”

I leaned forward and made a face. “It’s not that far. Might be faster if we walked.”

Cecily nodded, and we thanked the driver and got out of the car. It was windier than either of us expected, and I pulled my winter coat tighter around me. We hurried over to the sidewalk and ducked under the awning of an apartment building to get our bearings.

“Did not expect that wind tunnel and—whoa, there’s a guy who has zeroed in on you walking this way.” Cecily grabbed my arm. “And he is cute. Light brown hair, tall … and he can’t take his eyes off you.”

I glanced around to see who she was talking about when my eyes fixed on him. There, staring at me like there was no one else in the world was my ex-boyfriend. My mouth dropped open as he gave me a hesitant smile. What was Davis doing in New York City?

Cecily nudged me. “Hey, that cute guy is walking over—ooh, incoming.”

“Hey, Valeria. It’s been a long time,” Davis said as he and his friend came over.

I gulped. How to act? Mysterious? Or like my life was going so awesome since our breakup that I couldn’t be happier?

However, my mouth betrayed me, and I blurted out, “What are you doing here?” What were the chances we’d run into each other on the busy streets of Manhattan?

He stepped under the awning as people bustled past us on the sidewalk. A lady’s bag bumped me as she walked past, so I moved closer to the building.

Davis shrugged. “My team’s playing tomorrow, and my parents came into town to watch and decided to stay in the city so they could sightsee.”

“Oh, so you’re all just in town for the game this week?”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’m at Hepburn University now.” As he shared the name of his new school, I tried to mentally calculate the distance.

“It’s about thirty minutes away.”

What? My first love had been living less than an hour from me and I didn’t have a clue?

***Pick up the book here. It’s free in Kindle Unlimited:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon CAN: https://www.amazon.ca/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Stars-City-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0C19THWX3

About the Author

Krysten Lindsay Hager is a bestselling author of YA and contemporary romance. She writes romance because she loves bringing people swoony moments and hope-filled happily ever afters. She writes about falling in love, fame, fitting in, frenemies, first loves, and finding your way in the world. She loves reading, watching movies, and lipstick.

Website: https://www.krystenlindsay.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krystenlindsay/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/krystenlindsay/

Greetings from Melbourne, Australia, where our summer (if you could call it that) is almost at an end. Our country has experienced recent flooding, cyclones, and below-average temperatures for this time of year.

I don’t mind the cooler weather, and for a woman who loves all shades of green, blue, and purple, I also love the gorgeous colors of autumn. That is, until I need to rake up a gazillion leaves.

Let’s talk about current projects. As a part-time writer, I’m making slow but steady progress with The CEO – book 4 in the 5 Shades of Brothers Browne series. I love the dynamic and banter between the brothers, and I’m so eager to finish the last books in the series.

In the meantime, if you haven’t already, I’m excited for you to check out the other books in the series.

The Cop

Kane Browne is a sexy as sin cop who is used to accommodating everyone else’s needs before his own.

Cue Jess Frost, the gorgeous woman with a sharp tongue and eyes like the ocean.

From their first roadside interaction, sparks fly but an illness has robbed Jess of her self-confidence and Kane needs to convince her he’s worth taking a chance on.

Available on Amazon for $1.49 The COP is a sexy, contemporary romance is a little sweet, a little naughty and comes with a side of handcuffs and a HEA (happily ever after).

The Athlete

‘Dane was easy. All he wanted, was to play footy.’

Recently ‘The Great Dane’ Browne has been questioning whether he can return to the elite level of Australian Rules Football and more importantly, whether he wants to.

Katelyn Jennings has never really made peace with the breakup with her high school sweetheart and for good reason. But a chance meeting will put her heart and her life through the ultimate test. They’re about to discover whether you can move on from your first love. And for Dane, it’s about discovering who he really is AWAY from the game.

Also $1.49 The Athlete is a sexy, contemporary romance is sweet & spicy and will warm your heart. It includes brotherly banter and a HEA.

The Freelancer

Beneath Zane Browne’s steely, aloof gaze is a vulnerability born from the loss of his parents and a need to step away from the shadows of his four older brothers.
A weather presenter for Channel Five, Cassidy Symons’ sweet and sunny personality is enduring a test of its own. She’s keeping a secret about her father. A secret that has her kissing a total stranger.

Their meet cute first kiss has them ENGAGED AT FIRST SIGHT and planning a wedding to be held at the Whitney Resort and Spa where her father is the General Manager. Not only will the wedding take place in TWO WEEKS but they also have to post everything to social media. How hard could it be?

One for adventure, Zane is all about pushing the boundaries but will the pressure of being a fiancé at short notice be too much for him to handle?

This fake relationship, opposites attract steamy romance is an adventure full of fun, laughter and self-discovery and will have you wondering – will they or won’t they marry? – until the end. 

WHAT THE READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FREELANCER:

“Cass is my favourite FMC. She is cute, bubbly and has so much empathy for Zane. Cass and Zane gave me all the feels.”

“Absolutely love the sunflower farm scene.”

“Best novel yet. Deb’s writing improves with each book and I’m looking forward to the next instalment in the series.”

“Can’t wait for Blayze’s story!”

“I love fake relationship romances and this was a fresh take on a classic trope.”

“Loved this story, right from their first kiss.”

I’m so chuffed by the feedback that THE FREELANCER is FREE as my gift to you for the next three days only. A love like this should be shared!

Enjoy and happy reading!

Deb xo

About Deb Robinson

Deb’s just a humble little writer who loves what she does. She lives with her lovely husband in their little haven in Melbourne, Australia. She loves all things romance and believes it takes many forms. Her current catalogue consists of hot, contemporary romance under two series: 5 Shades of Brothers Browne and A Sexy Tradie Novella.

Follow Deb Robinson on her official Facebook page
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