by Angela Smith | Jun 25, 2013 | Relationships
I love love. I believe in love. I love watching people fall in love and fight falling in love because it just doesn’t figure into their immediate plans, or they’ve been hurt before and don’t want to take that risk again.
You know….that first kiss. That’s what I love most about romance novels and movies. There’s just something special about that first kiss, don’t you think?
Yep, I’m a romantic at heart. I believe there’s someone out there for everyone, I just believe that the majority of people don’t see it, run from it because of their own fears, or they place their happiness too much on love without bothering to realize they are the ones in charge of their life, if not their love.
I’m one of the lucky ones, I suppose. I fell in love when I was sixteen years old and I’m still in love with that man. I say it’s because my mom prayed so hard for me before she died and the love of my life is the answer to her prayers. That doesn’t mean we haven’t had and don’t still have our problems. We do have our problems, but we work through them.
Today is my nineteenth wedding anniversary! And because of my marital bliss, I love to give relationship advice (just ask my friends). I have so much pride and can be stubborn as all get out (just ask my husband). But respect is the key to making things work. You have to trust and respect your significant other, and sometimes that means giving in. It also means listening and doing things you don’t necessarily want to do (but you’ll usually end up having a great time once you do!) And usually if there’s something wrong with a relationship and you think your other should change, you are the one who has to change first.
Yep, I’m a romantic at heart, but my romance isn’t chocolate covered cherries with rose scented baths and a glass of bubbly. My romance is living with the love of my life, every day.
by Angela Smith | Jun 23, 2013 | Books
“I’m not sure I’m ready for that,” Reagan said, running her tongue over her lips as she rested her glass on the counter. “Skiing, that is,” she quickly added. He would never know she’d been thinking of kissing him, but she had to force herself to look away from his mouth. Nudging Naomi, she stood. “It’s time for me to go. I need to settle in. I haven’t even unpacked yet.” And she had no intention of doing so now, but it was a good excuse to leave. She wiped her hands on her jeans before extending her hand to his, praying hers weren’t clammy. “It was great to meet you.” (more…)
by Angela Smith | Jun 23, 2013 | Books
“Wait,” he said, settling his hand over hers. He didn’t know what he would say to keep her here, didn’t know if he should kiss her again. Had he insulted her in some way? “Do you have a boyfriend back home?” he asked. A stupid question at a time like this, but he had to know. For Buchanan, who would call sometime tonight, and for himself.
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by Angela Smith | Jun 23, 2013 | Books
Garret blinked, slowly, and she watched his chest rise and fall. “Did you know something about Kyle?”
She threw her boot at him. He caught it. She cursed.
“I knew he was a dirty cheating slime ball. Just like you.”
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by Angela Smith | Jun 22, 2013 | Introspective
I was doing a search on Pinterest for healthy juices. I love to juice, but have grown a bit tired of juicing. It’s Summertime, so easier to reach for a bottle of beer, a glass of tea, or a margarita! And oh there’s so many choices these days! But I want a good, refreshing, healthy drink, and my diabetes demands it.
On my search on Pinterest for healthy drinks, I came across this info on cherry juice.
I had recently discovered the health benefits of cherry juice, but hadn’t really experimented with different ways of juicing this wonderful fruit. Wow, the recipes I have found during this search were amazing!
I love cherries, and the early summer months provide an ample supply of them (though not always cheap). Of course it’s healthy to eat them, but according to Livestrong.com you’d have to eat an entire stack of them to gain the health benefits of juicing. As a juicer myself, I love to learn new juicing recipes.
And if you aren’t a juicer, you can still receive the benefits of cherry juice with tart cherry juice concentrate. There are actually several different manufactures out there. Cheribundi is one. Just make sure what you find isn’t full of processing.
In case you didn’t know, cherry juice helps in your recovery after exercise, lowers cholesterol, and offers powerful antioxidants to help aid in fighting cancer and other diseases. They’re a good source of melatonin and help dissolve uric acid crystals, which is great news for those gout sufferers! Maybe next time you have gout, you should pick up a bottle of tart cherry juice concentrate, or try juicing your own cherries. As a Type I diabetic, I love knowing that cherries actually help in lowering blood sugar!
The anthocyanins in cherries helps to relieve pain and the melatonin will help in your mood and sleep cycle. So maybe the next time you’re having trouble sleeping, you could try eating or juicing some cherries?
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a glass of cherry juice. And because I’m so excited about my new discover of cherries (I love to learn new things about health), I wanted to mention Cheribundi and all the different types of juices they have to offer. I, for one, can’t wait to try it!
Please note, this is not an advertising for Cheribundi, or any other type of cherry juice. It’s just a brand I like, and I like to share the things I like. Especially when it’s good for us! What’s funny is that I thought I’d try to plant a cherry tree by taking my cherry seeds and trying a replant. Hubby even helped research how to do it. Then I found this blog hop about winning a cherry tree. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
by Angela Smith | Jun 20, 2013 | Introspective
Today is my husband’s 38th birthday. Five days later, on June 25, we will be celebrating 19 years of marriage! Yes, 19 years!
So, while I celebrate my husband’s birth with him, I want to celebrate with you. Because his birthday, our anniversary, and my release date is so close together, I want to celebrate!!! For anyone who likes my Facebook page between now and July 15 (my release date), and then sends me a personal message or writes on my wall that they would like to be entered into my contest, you will be entered to win a $10 Amazon Gift Certificate. If you don’t have Facebook, find me on Twitter. And if you prefer not to use any of those, just send me a personal message here on my contact page, and you will be entered to win.
In addition, if you share my Facebook page on your wall, or mention my website on your site, or mention me on any other of my social media sites, I will enter you twice and double the gift. That is a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate (or card if you prefer a non-digital version) and double the chance to win.
Sadly, the comments on my blog have been acting up. My team is trying to figure out what is going on and why readers cannot leave a comment. I hope to have that fixed very soon!
by Angela Smith | Jun 18, 2013 | Introspective
With less than a month to go before Burn on the Western Slope , is released, I have to ask myself if I’m doing enough to get noticed. It takes more than writing a great novel these days. I came across a sentence the other day that was awesome to read and so very true, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it myself. Basically, there is always room for art because there will always be a need for it. Artists don’t have to compete with each other.
Still, it’s hard to get noticed in such a large ocean. You have to do the right things, and sometimes that means just being there at the right time. A full time job makes it harder, but I’m not going to make excuses. Even people who have the luxury of staying home have activities, oftentimes unplanned, that take them away from their writing. And it’s not only about writing, but marketing, too.
What have I learned thus far? I will have hard days at work, but I have to write. Whether I get up early in the morning even if I didn’t sleep well the night before, or I write in the evening after all the other chores are done, writing is a part of a writer’s life, and you make time for what you love.
Admit it, we can all make excuses for not working towards out goal. Oh, we’re just too tired or we had a bad day. Yep, that’s happened to me more times than I’d like to count. But when that happens, I have to remember Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Without dreams, we have nothing. Whether your dream is to publish a book, have a child, or learn how to dance, dreams make us who we are. I am a huge supporter of following whatever moves you, because I believe whatever moves you is moving you for a reason. Doesn’t matter how young or old you are.
Following your dream is a tremendous experience. And succeeding at your dreams? Well, I believe success is if you had the guts and the stamina and the whatever-else-it-takes-for-you-to-keep-moving-on. Even if I had never published, I would be successful for just trying. Then again, I don’t think I’ll ever truly accomplish my dream to write because it doesn’t matter how successful I could be, I will always write. It’s not a dream I can complete, and then move on. I wrote this book, and will always dream to write the next one and the next one!
My writing breeds success and that is enough of an accomplishment for me, but it will never die. My dream will continue on, so it isn’t a dream I can complete. Does that make sense? LOL. I guess what I’m trying to say is if you feel like you’ve reached your dream and have no where else to go, think again. There are always dreams to dream.
by Angela Smith | Jun 13, 2013 | Guests
I met Miranda years ago (6 or so maybe?) at a San Antonio Romance Writer’s conference. I’m convinced she was only there to meet me, because she isn’t a romance kind of girl, and I write romance. It was my first romance writer’s conference, and I was nervous. I didn’t know anyone and didn’t know what to expect.
Miranda sat right beside me after asking it if was okay. She had a friend with her, and I thought I’d still be alone because she had someone to talk to and I didn’t. But we immediately hit it off and we’ve been friends ever since.
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by Angela Smith | Jun 11, 2013 | Books, Research
The difference between a nautilus and an ammonite? Not much at first glance. And really, not much in the grand scheme of things. The biggest difference between a nautilus and an ammonite is that they say the ammonite went extinct around the time of the dinosaur’s extinction.
Hmm, I wonder if it was some type of aquatic dinosaur?
They are both squid-like creatures, but the nautilus still lives whereas the ammonite is extinct. Certain dinosaurs might have even used them as a tasty snack. Their defensive behaviors were also different, in that the ammonite was able to suck its body into its shell in order to defend itself. Ammonites would constantly build new shells but only live in the outer chamber. And some were able to grow near 3 feet! Can you imagine finding a 3-foot seashell?
Though I don’t live near a beach, I’ve always enjoyed walking the beach and looking for seashells. Finding and collecting certain rocks and arrowheads appeal to me. But to find an ammonite fossil along the shores of my next vacation spot? That ranks high along my list of things I’d like to do.
In Burn on the Western Slope, when Reagan first sees the fossilized seashell that the villain has stolen, she describes it as “peering into the soul of high-definition earth.” You know how HDTV is the big thing now, and there really is a difference between that and regular TV (especially if you grew up around the antenna-age!) But nothing on any HD can ever compare to the beauty of our earth.
by Angela Smith | Jun 4, 2013 | Books, Research
I first discovered ammolites on a trip to Florida. I was annoyed with my dad for wanting to revisit a shopping area as he searched for a specific piece of jewelry for his girlfriend.
My relationship with jewelry is about like my relationship with shoes: I have a black and brown pair, and a few other accessories (a pair of bling-bling flip flops, for example). If I see a pair of shoes or piece of jewelry I like, I might stop and admire it. Maybe even think about how much I wish I had one just like it. I ooh and ahh, then I move on. Adding to my collection of jewelry doesn’t rate in my top ten listing of things I must do.
Don’t get me wrong, I love jewelry like the next girl. My favorite shirt when I was a toddler was sparkly and said Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend. But I keep it simple when it comes to my accessories.
Needless to say, I groaned and groused at this shopping venture. I wanted to be on the beach sipping a mojito and even though I was an adult, we had all come together on this trip for a family member’s wedding, and we only had one vehicle. As hard as it was, we were trying to spend time and be together on this trip, even if it did include me missing out on the Florida beach and a mojito I felt I desperately needed.
As soon as my dad found what he was looking for and showed me, I fell in love. My life changed. Everything changed, and I knew I needed to know more about these gemstones. I didn’t care about the beach anymore (except to start looking for seashells) and sipping a mojito was the last thing on my mind.
Ammolites are gemstones that originate from the fossilized seashells of ammonites. Ammonites are extinct mollusks, some dating back even to the Devonian period (which is, wow, a really long time ago!) For more information about ammonites, visit The American Museum of Natural History.
I had already been writing Burn on the Western Slope about a jewelry heist, but in my dad’s search for ammolites, I discovered the history and decided I needed to include these precious gems and the seashells they come from in my story. This discovery enriched my story and gave it a depth I never would have had if I hadn’t gone along on that shopping adventure with my dad.
The villain in Burn on the Western Slope operates a nationwide jewel theft ring, but is a collector of rare objects, including ammolites stolen from museums. When one of his collections goes missing, he’ll destroy anyone in his path to get it back. Reagan McKinney, a suspect under investigation for her involvement in this crime syndicate, just happens to be in his path. Sexy FBI Agent Garret Chambers . . . well, it’s a romance, so you’ll just have to read it when it comes out July 15 from Crimson Romance if you want to know more about Garret and the woman he falls in love with.
If you’re interested in learning more about my newfound infatuation with ammolites and seashells, be sure to visit next week’s post.
by Angela Smith | Jun 3, 2013 | Books
On the ski slopes of Montana, deception turns deadly and seduction becomes more hypnotic than jewels . . .
Reagan McKinney is on a mission to discover more about a deceased uncle who mysteriously left her a sizable inheritance, a condo in the mountains, and a stash of stolen jewels. With both her graphic design career and her love life in shambles, the opportunity to begin a new life couldn’t have come at a better time. When she becomes involved with the sexy FBI agent next door, she finds her struggle is not only to keep her heart intact, but her life.
Grief stricken after an undercover investigation ends in the tragic death of his partner, FBI Agent Garret Chambers goes home to find solace in the arms of his mountain home. That is, until his boss assigns him to investigate the spirited brunette staying in the condo next door. He is assigned to investigate Reagan’s involvement with a large jewel fencing organization, but his investigation becomes comprised when his attraction to her heats up. Will his discovery destroy everything he has come to love, including Reagan?
by Angela Smith | May 28, 2013 | Books
A writer.
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