No tarot card today! I’m catching up after a trip to North Arkansas for a writer’s retreat hosted by my sis, Elle James! Here’s me, Cynthia D, and Cara S enjoying Elle’s gorgeous pool. I arrived home today to find my pool is a lovely neon green. It’s what happens when the pool girl isn’t home! 🙁

Open Contests

1. 10 Things to do on a Writers’ Retreat/Girls-Only Weekend! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Word Search: A Blue Moon Tonight & Names of the Full Moons (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
3. August into September (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. FREE READ! “Ripples” from SILVER SOLDIERS! Download now! — EVERYONE, download your FREE story!
5. Saturday Puzzle-Contest! — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Shirley Long!
*~*~*

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, solve the puzzle, then tell me what this couple is waiting for!

A former Special Forces soldier, looking forward to the peace and quiet of his new houseboat, finds his solitude shattered by the arrival of his neighbor and her kid.

Note: This 7,000-word short story was originally published in SILVER SOLDIERS

Get your FREE copy here!

UPDATE: The winner is…Sandy Pennese!
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August

Work-related:

1. I began work on Book #2 of We Are Dead Horse, MT — Hard Knox!
2. I completed 4 editing projects for other authors in August.

Health-related:

1. I’ve been swimming almost every day. Sometimes, twice a day.
2. Through medicines and some diet tweaking, I’ve managed to keep my blood pressure down to 130-150. There’s been an occasional spike, but it’s so much better.
3. My appointment with my heart doctor went so well I don’t have to see him again for 6 months!

Happiness-related: 

1. I helped get the kids ready for the school year, including the 19-year-old who began college this month! In fact, she made the Pom Squad!
2. I have been working on and making more great progress organizing my art room, getting ready for the next push for art shows and reopening my Etsy store. I have accumulated the supplies I need to begin painting in encaustic wax.
3. I finished the Inchie Challenge! These are tiny 2×2-inch paintings. Here are a few examples…

September

 

For work-related, I plan:

1. To complete writing Hard Knox, the next in my We Are Dead Horse, MT series which releases on September 12th!
2. To release my short story from Silver Soldiers—“Ripples”—in a special giveaway the first weekend of September!
3. To complete (taking a deep breath) 6 editing projects in September! I’ll be a complete zombie by the end of the month!

For health related, I plan:

1. To swim at least once a day—as long as the pool remains warm enough!
2. To restart counting points for my Weight Watchers diet and hopefully shed at least 5 pounds, remembering, as always: Slow is good!
3. To continue to reduce salt, processed food, and incorporate foods good for blood pressure (spinach, broccoli, bananas).
4. To begin walking and counting my steps (once the weather cools).
5. To do more housework because my art room isn’t finished! Cleaning is exercise, too.

For happiness-related, I plan: 

1. To spend quality time with the family—movie nights, swim-time, making fun meals together!
2. To visit my sister in North Arkansas for a “writers’ retreat.”
3. To work on art and jewelry-making to get ready for the Art Festival in October!

Contest

Comment on anything you’ve read in this post. Tell me what you’re doing to make yourself happier and healthier. Tell me what you plan to read in September…
Like I said, comment on anything for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winner is…Kerry!
*~*~*

Tonight, be sure to step outside, and weather permitting, you’ll see a “super” blue moon!

What is that, you ask? Well, first, a blue moon isn’t actually blue. What it refers to is the appearance of a second full moon within a single month. What makes tonight’s “super?” A super moon occurs when the moon is closest to earth, and it makes it appear larger. So, tonight is a SUPER BLUE moon.

I’m a Cancer according to the astrological chart, so the Moon is my ruling planet. I pay attention to its phases, and I love to follow the pagan lore about the names of the full moons throughout the year. So, today’s puzzle, to commemorate the special moon tonight, is filled with the names of the year’s full moons.

Enjoy the puzzle! For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me whether you’ll step outside to view the blue moon tonight! If you “practice,” be sure to leave a clear jar of water outside in the moonlight! You’ll know what I mean. 🙂

Word Search: Names of the Full Moons

UPDATE: The winner is…Gail Siuba!
*~*~*

This coming weekend (unless some catastrophe occurs), I’ll be visiting my sister, Elle James, along with our good friend Cynthia D’Alba in northern Arkansas for a writers’ retreat! It will be fun to spend time with other writers and to catch up with each other as friends. I’m already making a list of things I want to accomplish this weekend. You know, me and my lists! 🙂

Here’s a fun list of 10 things we can do on our retreat…

• ☕ Drink coffee in the morning while chatting about our stories
• 🤔 Think about the writing
• 💡 Find our inspiration
• ✍🏼 Then… Write! Write! Write! Write! Write!
• 🍷 Drink some wine!
• 🧀 What’s wine without cheese?
• 🏊‍♀️ Swimming
• 🍽️ Eat some good food
• 🍦 Reward oneself with ice cream for a good day of writing
• 🍫 Eat some chocolate just because!

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon GC,
tell me five things you’d do on Girls-Only Weekend!

Have you ever kissed a stranger?

Was it for fun? A dare?

Or perhaps it was out of desperation?

That’s the reason Cassidy Symons kisses Zane Browne in The Freelancer – Book 3 in the 5 Shades of Brothers Browne series.

As the youngest, Zane made the move to Queensland to boost his photography business and to help him discover who he is away from the shadows of his brothers.

Beneath his steely, aloof gaze is a vulnerability born from the loss of his parents, and Cass can see Zane for more than just the grumpy arsehole he is.

A weather presenter for Channel Five, Cass’s sunny personality is undergoing a test of its own. She’s keeping a secret about her father. A secret that has her kissing a total stranger.

The meet-cute first kiss plus their little white lie has them engaged at first sight and planning a wedding to be held at the Whitney Resort where her father is the General Manager. Not only will the wedding be in two weeks but her father’s secret has them agreeing 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 becoming a husband at short notice be too much for him to handle?

# Grumpy/Sunshine
# Opposites attract
# Meet cute first kiss
# Engaged at first sight
# I have a secret
# Will they/won’t they marry?

This steamy contemporary romance will be released on Sunday 10^th September 2023 as an E-book on Amazon for only $1.49.
Pre-order here: The Freelancer

Books 1 and 2 in the series are available now through Amazon and KU – Buy both for $2.35.

…………..

While we’re on the topic of kissing a perfect stranger, this is also the hook for my second novella – Prince Tradie in the Sexy Tradie series.

On the night of her thirtieth birthday and swept up in a Cinderella like moment, Ava Blake kisses a total stranger. Only later, does she discover that guy is Josh Logan, a carpenter with the Lawson Crew who are renovating the building that Ava and her cousin, Nikki have leased for their new Bakery/Café business. While Josh is ready for a serious relationship, Ava’s reluctance stems from a recent health battle.

This is currently a work-in-progress but it’ll have all the sexy fun from the first novella, Mister Tradie, an Instalove vs. slow burn, steamy story for 99 cents available now on Amazon and KU.

My other work-in-progress is a short story I will be submitting for the Secret Identities: A Boys Behaving Badly project of our host, Delilah Devlin. It’s still in the draft stages but I’m very excited for the challenge and I’ve even roped in some friends as beta-readers, which has made them excited too. I love how the joy of reading can bring people together.

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
Follow on Twitter @DRobinsonbooks
Follow on Instagram @debrobinsonbooks
And on TikTok @debrobinsonbooks