Friday, October 9, 2020

Dear Abby - My Adventure at a Lake -- and Some Good News!

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a good week.  I had an adventure last week and wanted to share some pictures with you.  I had an ACTH test for my Cushing's syndrome. This is where I have bloodwork, get a shot, and then have an hour before I have more bloodwork.  (Then the test is over. That is the best part!)

Last week it was sunny and pretty on the day of my test.  My Momma and our friend took me to a park during the in-between hour.  I had not been there before and I loved it! 

There was a lake with lots of trees.  (They are just starting to turn colors here -- most are still green.)

There was a picnic pagoda and a path around the lake, so it was easy for us to walk and explore.

I saw a couple of egrets! They are very tall.

There were also a number of ducks on the lake!  I was very interested in them.

And there were geese! One of them was very interested in me but Momma picked me up before we could meet.  She said she trusted me but wasn't sure about the goose's intentions.

I loved standing on the little bridge and watching all this excitement!

It was a fun day!  Best of all, I have some very good news to share.  I got my ACTH test results this week and they were good!  I am taking medicine every 12 hours and evidently it is working and making me feel better.  This is happy news because it means I don't need another test for 3 months.  Whoopee!

I hope you have some good news and happy days this week.  I'll be back to visit again next Friday.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo



Book Review - Christmas Ever After by Karen Schaler


My Review

Riley Reynolds is a successful romance writer. Unfortunately, her latest book was not as popular, and her publisher pushes her to write and promote a Christmas romance. When Riley goes on national television to promote her upcoming book, the interviewer catches her off guard and she makes a vague statement about her personal life that leads three of her ex-boyfriends to believe they are the one that got away.  When Riley travels to Colorado for a Christmas Camp to promote her book, all three ex-boyfriends arrive to sweep her off her feet ... although she is already interested in the handsome inn-keeper.

I wanted to read Christmas Ever After because I enjoyed Karen Schaler's Finding Christmas. This sounded like a fun, upbeat read.

Christmas Ever After is a very enjoyable cozy holiday read.  I loved the setting.  The inn has a Christmas theme, and each room has a special Christmas motif. Riley's room has a Santa motif:

"Inside her room were dozens of Santas. From a life-sized Santa cardboard cutout in the corner, to a collection of figurines on the dresser, to all the pillows on the bed, there were Santas everywhere. There was even an elaborate eight foot red-and-gold velvet Santa chair next to a real Christmas tree with Santa ornaments and a quaint stone fireplace. Hanging from the wooden mantle above the fireplace was just one red felt stocking that had Riley’s name embroidered on it. But it was the bed that Riley couldn’t stop staring at. It was a red Santa sleigh —an actual sleigh— that had been converted into a bed. And above the bed was a sign that read, Always believe." (Kindle location 1156).

The storyline about Riley and her three ex-beaus was fun to read. She finds herself being courted by her college boyfriend, her long time world-traveling ex-boyfriend, and her recent NYC boyfriend.  Meanwhile, she has an immediate spark with Luke, whose family owns the inn. I loved the rapport between Riley and Luke, and appreciated his love of the inn's long history.

There is even a lovable dog - Comet, a Bernese Mountain Dog who immediately befriends Riley at the inn.  (Lovable dogs or cats always add to my enjoyment of a light read!)

This story is told with humor and a lot of warmth, and it put me in a Christmas mood (although Christmas is still quite a time off!). I recommend Christmas Ever After for fans of romance, Christmas novels, and anyone who enjoys all things Christmas. (This book would make a great Hallmark movie!).

Book Synopsis

From Karen Schaler, the writer of the Netflix phenomenon A Christmas Prince and Hallmark’s Christmas Camp comes this new heartwarming holiday romance. Mamma Mia meets The Bachelorette in Christmas Ever After…

While promoting her next novel, a Christmas love story, author Riley Reynolds is caught off guard when she’s asked during a live national television interview how she can write about romance when she still hasn’t found “the one” herself. Scrambling for an answer, she quickly answers that she has had great love in her past and that love inspired her novels. Little does she know that this one offhanded remark will turn her world upside down. Three of her ex-boyfriends see the interview, and each, believing she’s talking about him, shows up for her Christmas Camp book event at the Christmas Lake Lodge, determined to rewrite his happily-ever-after with her! Over the festive weekend, Riley’s old boyfriends compete to win her heart, pulling out all the stops while planning the most romantic Christmas dates on the planet. Despite herself, Riley starts falling for each guy- again-but for different reasons. As Riley revisits each relationship and discovers more about herself, she embraces the magic of Christmas and finally finds true love and her own Christmas ever after…

Bonus Content: Christmas Ever After includes delicious original Christmas recipes and fun holiday crafts and activities.

Purchase Links  

Amazon | Bookshop.org | Barnes & Noble | Target | Walmart | Apple Books


Author Bio

Karen Schaler is a three-time Emmy Award–winning storyteller, screenwriter, author, journalist, and national TV host. Karen has written original Christmas movies for Netflix, Hallmark, and Lifetime, including the Netflix sensation A Christmas Prince, Hallmark’s Christmas Camp, and four books, Christmas Ever After, Finding Christmas, Christmas Camp, and Christmas Camp Wedding, earning her the nickname “Christmas Karen” in the press. Karen has also created a real-life Christmas Camp experience for grown-ups, held around the world, where she carefully curates and hosts magical holiday activities from her movies and books and the show Christmas Karen: Behind the Story. For Karen’s novel Finding Christmas she also wrote the movie. Traveling to more than sixty-five countries, Karen is the creator and host of Travel Therapy TV. All of Karen’s stories are uplifting and filled with heart and hope.

Find out more about Karen at her website, and connect with her on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube.

 



Book Review and Giveaway - Mistletoe, Moussaka, and Murder (A Kebab Kitchen Mystery) by Tina Kashian

Book Synopsis

Not even her impending nuptials can keep Lucy Berberian, manager of her family-owned Kebab Kitchen, from the Jersey Shore’s annual Polar Bear Plunge. But her dive into the icy ocean is especially chilling when she finds a fellow swimmer doing the dead man’s float—for real . . .

Who would kill a man in cold blood during Ocean Crest, New Jersey’s most popular winter event? When Lucy learns the victim is Deacon Spooner, the reception hall owner who turned up his nose—and his price—at her wedding plans, she can’t help wondering who wouldn’t kill the pompous caterer . . .

Perhaps the culprit is the wedding cake baker whose career Deacon nearly destroyed? Or the angry bride whose reception he ruined? With her maid of honor, Katie, busily planning Lucy’s wedding without her, Lucy will have to get to the bottom of this cold-hearted business in time for Kebab Kitchen’s mouthwatering Christmas celebration—and before her hometown’s holiday spirit washes out to sea . . .

Recipes included!


Author Bio

Tina Kashian is an attorney and mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She is the author of the popular Kebab Kitchen Mediterranean cozy mystery series for Kensington Publishing. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!

Author Links

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