Award-winning
and New York Times bestselling author Denise Swanson writes both romance and
mystery featuring small-town heroines with lots of heart. Learn more about
Denise and her books at her website. Today Denise joins us to talk about one of
her favorite things.
The contractor who built our new house asked me what feature was
my favorite. Without even thinking about it, I said the screened porch facing
our woods. While I loved the hardwood floors, the fireplace, and the pantry, I
had always dreamed of having a screened porch.
My husband and I grew up in a small rural town, but due to his
job we spent most of our marriage in urban and suburban areas. For me, the
convenience of stores and restaurants didn’t make up for the noise, crowding,
and pollution. And when I started to write, the environment was even more
aggravating.
Our dream house, the one we designed and redesigned over the
years, was always meant to be in a country setting, which meant we had to wait
for my husband’s retirement. Three years ago we finally started looking at
property. It took us a year to find the perfect wooded lot, and another year to
design and build the house.
We moved in on Valentine’s Day and celebrated in front of our
first ever fireplace. Throughout the next months, I monitored the weather
hoping for an early spring. Finally, in May the temperature was warm enough to
sit in the screened porch without needing a space heater and a blanket.
Maintaining my writing discipline, I finished my two thousand
words, grabbed my e-reader and a glass of Diet Coke, and headed to my screened
porch. My mom had bought me outdoor furniture for Easter and I had found the
perfect area rug (it has miniscule holes in the center of the flowers that are
a part of the design for drainage).
Settling into my cushy chair, I powered up my e-reader, and took
a sip of my soda. I glanced at the bird feeder just outside the screen and
there was a cardinal and a squirrel peacefully eating together. My father loved
squirrels and my Grandma Swanson love cardinals. Seeing the squirrel and
cardinal the first day that I sat in the screened porch felt as if my late
father and late grandmother were sending me a warm hug.
Yep! The screened porch is definitely one of my favorite things.
Good Girl
Overboard
Take a
smoking-hot captain with a secret and an undercover cruise reviewer determined
to change her sex life from flat to fiery. Shake well over rough seas. Serve on
a king-size bed for a sizzling good time.
For twenty-eight years, cruise critic Darcy Simons has
followed the rules. And what did it get her? A broken heart, an unfaithful
fiancé, and a pile of bills taller than her uneaten four-tiered wedding cake.
Clearly, it’s not blondes, but bad girls, who have more fun, and she is
determined to become one of them.
While Darcy is on the maiden voyage of the Ocean Starr
cruise liner to write a snarky review that will earn enough money to pay off
her canceled wedding, she’s determined to break some personal rules and have a
wild sexual adventure—she just needs to find the perfect man. When she bumps
into Captain Mitch James, and both his briefcase and sparks fly, she knows
Mitch is just the guy for the job.
Too bad Mitch has a firm no-messing-with-female-passengers
rule. But when he discovers Darcy’s true reason for taking the cruise, he
decides to use his charm to get a thumbs up for his ship. Breaking his own
rules, he sets out to seduce her. Now, if he can just convince himself that his
only interest in Darcy is a good review, he might make it back to port with his
heart intact.
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2 comments:
"Seeing the squirrel and cardinal the first day that I sat in the screened porch felt as if my late father and late grandmother were sending me a warm hug." -- That is so sweet! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Angela! It definitely felt as if my dad and grandma were blessing my new house!
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