Hallmark’s “A Shoe Addicts Christmas”

cinema-food-movie-theater-33129

This movie aired last Sunday as part of Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas movie event.  They are airing 22 new movies this year!

I highly recommend “A Shoe Addicts Christmas“.  Excellent cast and a wonderful story.  It airs again on Saturday December 1.

Here is a link to more about this heart-warming movie: A Shoe Addicts Christmas

My Female Leads – Megan from Lasting Chances

Megan appears in all three books in the Chance on Love series.  She gets her own well deserved starring role in the third book, Lasting Chances.

We first meet Megan as Samantha’s friend in Second Chances.  Samantha met her at an auction for the local animal shelter when she purchased one of Megan’s photographs.  Megan also introduced Samantha to her rescue dog.  In Taking Chances, Megan helps Paige with marketing of her online jewelry business.

But, Megan’s history is only hinted at in the previous books.  In Lasting Chances, we learn that she is the daughter of a famous Major League Baseball pitcher.  She was raised in the clubhouse and knows a lot about baseball.  She misses her father and being part of a professional baseball team.  So, on a whim, Megan applies for a marketing role with the local family owned minor league baseball team.  That is when the fun starts.

Megan clashes with the owner’s son, Gabe, when she tries to offer some advice to help fix the pitching woes of a star pitcher sent down to the minor leagues for rehabilitation.  Gabe doesn’t look favorably on the “marketing gal” offering advice.  But, Gabe’s son, Jack, is a big Megan fan and has none of the preconceived notions that a woman doesn’t know anything about baseball.  He convinces Gabe to hear Megan out.

I love the fact that a 12-year-old boy is wiser and less biased than his father.  Jack accepts Megan and listens with an open mind to both her marketing and pitching advice.  I wanted to give Megan an unconventional upbringing that she applies to her role with the minor league team – especially since her expertise is far beyond what she was hired to do.  This sets up the conflict with Gabe, but also gives Gabe the opportunity to grow beyond his preconceived notions.

We learn that Megan misses her father’s love and support.  Even though she has wonderful girlfriends in Samantha and Paige, she yearns for a male figure who accepts her baseball knowledge.  Watching Megan and Gabe’s relationship grow, while Gabe’s respect for Megan grows as well, is a key to the overall story.  They both share a passion for baseball which evolves into a passion for each other.

I think you’ll enjoy reading Megan’s story, Lasting Chances.   It’s available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format.  Link: Lasting Chances Amazon Link

Happy Reading!

 

My Female Leads – Paige from Taking Chances

Paige is unique in that she didn’t appear in the first book, Second Chances.  When I started writing Taking Chances, I decided to tell the story from Paige’s point of view, not Danny’s.

Paige is a tiny spitfire – her nickname in high school was Mighty Mouse.  She is a planner – her personal life and career are carefully constructed.  She’d rather stick to the status quo, even if it’s boring, than rock the boat.  When Paige meets Danny, he upsets her carefully crafted plans because she’s not looking for a relationship.

I love that Page fights her attraction to Danny – her “just friends” speech is an attempt to keep him at arm’s length.  She naturally wants to lead with her head – but her heart eventually wins over.

Paige has several preconceived ideas that Danny upsets.  She’s bound and determined never to date a jock – yet here comes Danny, the ultimate jock who turns her world upside down.

Men misjudge Paige because of her diminutive size.  The golf scene is an example of this – all her male playing partners immediately dismiss her as having any ability to play the game.  But, she proves them wrong when she out drives them on her tee shots and scores better than most of them for the round.

Paige is able to control Danny’s giant puppy when he cannot.  On their deep sea fishing adventure, she catches the bigger fish.  Paige is naturally competitive and she can hold her own despite her small size.  Danny admires her for this.

Her evolution from avoiding risks to taking risks is fun to watch.  Paige eventually realizes that the best things in life are the unexpected events – not always the carefully planned ones.

I think you’ll enjoy reading Paige’s story, Taking Chances.   It’s available on Amazon in Kindle or paperback format.  Link: Taking Chances Amazon Link

Happy Reading!

My Female Leads – Samantha from Second Chances

Samantha holds a special place in my heart because she’s the female lead in my first book.  She was brewing in my mind for several years and I finally found time to write her story.

A career girl with a big heart – that’s how I would describe Samantha in one sentence.  She has an embarrassing “meet cute” with the guy that she falls in love with.  Samantha literally runs into Matt on his first day in the office.  Not a great way to make a good first impression on your new boss.  Her dog is the ugliest dog at the animal shelter – the one that no one wanted.  But, Samantha sees beyond his physical oddities and falls in love with Harold’s winning personality.

An unpleasant childhood prevented Samantha from enjoying the fun things that we take for granted – a trip to the amusement park, going to a hockey game – even learning to ride a bike.  She underestimates how easy or difficult something is, getting her into a few embarrassing situations.  The yoga story is a page from my personal life – yes, I fell asleep in yoga class one time.  I’m also an appalling ice skater just like Samantha.

Samantha loves HGTV and decorating, so when Matt purchases the “fixer upper” she’s all in to assist him.  She’s the “go to” person at work when someone needs help because she never tells anyone “no” (case in point: Cindy Loo’s sticky note emergency suddenly becomes Samantha’s problem).

Matt summed it up well when he told Samantha after their ice skating adventure, “You’re a cute dork”.  She’s funny and isn’t afraid to make fun of herself.  She wants to try new things – some that she likes and some that she dislikes.  I love her for having a big heart, pulling for the underdog and keeping a “glass half full” attitude no matter the situation.

If you want to read Samantha’s story Second Chances, here is the link to purchase it on Amazon.com: Purchase Second Chances

Reminder – Local Author Event tomorrow!

Loveland Public Library is sponsoring a showcase for local authors tomorrow!

Saturday, Nov. 10 • 1:30PM – 4:30PM

Meet and greet with 50 local authors and writers
Shop for personalized Holiday gift books
Have books autographed
Interact with the community
Support local authors!

I will be there – hope to see you!

Location:
300 N. Adams Ave.
Loveland, CO 80537