The Monday Blog

Get your next glimpse of THE HOMECOMING plus a 99cent sale


Get your next glimpse of THE HOMECOMING!  Book 23 in The Friessens series is on the way, but you can preview Chapter 3 now! 

Catch up with your favorite family, the Friessens, as four generations come together for what they anticipate to be a fun-filled weekend with babies and children, loads of love, and laughter. You can expect all the drama of young love, from the secrets to the hidden truths in a seemingly perfect marriage.
 
However, one fateful moment changes everything in this unforgettable story. When three lives are put in danger, the fallout could ultimately shatter the deep love and trust in this family, dividing them forever—and the cost could be something far greater than any of them could have imagined.

THE HOMECOMING is now available for pre-sale at these eRetailers:

AMAZONNOOKiBOOKSKOBOGOOGLE PLAY

All pre-ordered copies will include a special link to a free novella!

Did you miss your sneak peek of Chapter 2?  If so, click here.

****

Chapter 3

“Andy, you hear back from Neil or Brad yet?” Jed said from where he lay on the lounger in orange striped trunks, still wet from the pool, wearing a straw hat and shades under the bright Mexico sun. A waitress took his empty beer bottle from the table beside him and rested two more ice-cold Coronas with limes in its place. He was finally feeling as if he was decompressing.

Andy was in the other lounger next to him, the plastic side table between them. He picked up one of the beers and squeezed the lime in as he shook his head, then lifted it and took a swallow. “Nope, not since Brad texted to say they were at the house. Odd, is all I can say. Hope they hurry up. I thought Rodney and Becky would be at the resort to meet us. They knew we were coming in earlier.”

Diana and Laura were in the pool, Laura in a green and white two-piece bathing suit, Diana in a light blue tankini. Danny, Chris, Mark, Jeremy, and Zac were in the pool, too, playing volleyball and making enough noise that it was hard to miss the competition between them. He was pretty sure JD and Evie were in their adjoining rooms with Ally and Sophie, who were down for a nap.

“Grandpa, I’m hungry!” called Brandon. “And Mom said no to cheesy nachos.” He wore blue swim trunks and was barefoot.

Jed still couldn’t believe Jeremy was now married and had fathered a kid so young.

Andy lifted Brandon and sat him on his lap in the lounger. “Well, you stay here with me. If your mom said no to nachos, you know that’s the answer. Where is Tiffy, anyway?”

Jed dragged his gaze across the courtyard to the other lounge chairs that surrounded the infinity pool, a waterfall bridge to the right and one of the outdoor restaurants behind them. He could smell the food, which he knew from memory was spicy and exceptional.

“She’s over there,” Brandon said and pointed, and Jed had to hide a smile at the little boy’s disappointment. Maybe he had expected Andy to override his mom. Brandon was a charmer and smart as all hell, and he figured out quickly whom he could work and whom he couldn’t. Jed couldn’t help following the direction he pointed, seeing Tiffy walking their way with Elizabeth and Shaunty, everyone in swimsuits and carrying towels. She must have noticed Brandon was with Andy, as she lifted her hand and waved, and they took up three lounge chairs about six chairs down.

“Hey, Dad,” Chelsea said as she appeared behind Andy, her long dark hair wavy, wearing a purple sundress, all smiles. Alaric, her husband, was behind her, dark, tall, and rugged, wearing khaki shorts and a white T-shirt. He just had a look, Jed swore, that said he was connected to the Italian mafia.

“When did you get here?” Andy said. Man, did he love his kids, his family. He jumped up, holding Brandon, then put him on the ground as he pulled Chelsea into a big hug and kissed her cheek before shaking Alaric’s hand.

Laura spotted her daughter and squealed as she struggled to climb out of the pool, and Diana put her hand on Laura’s butt to push her out. It was hilarious.

“Just got here,” Chelsea said. “Checked into our room, dumped our bags, and wanted to find you first.”

“Oh, it’s so good to see you,” Laura said as she hugged Chelsea.

“Mom, you’re getting me all wet!” Chelsea was laughing.

Jed took a minute to just see them, all grown up, even though it seemed they’d been born just yesterday. Time was speeding up, even though he felt no different than when he’d been young and first married.

“Get your swimsuit on and join us,” Laura said.” It’s about time you got here. We’re all in the pool or sitting by it, like your father, drinking beer.” She laughed, and Andy slid his arms teasingly around her even though she was still dripping from the pool.

Gabriel appeared and dumped a towel on the lounger on Andy’s other side. “Hey, sis. About time you got here,” he said and hugged Chelsea.

Jed lifted his hand to her and Alaric, who strode over to him, maybe to get out of the family hug fest.

He held out his hand over the back of the lounger. “Great to see you again, Jed.”

He shook his hand. “You too, Ric.”

“You seen Sara?” Andy asked.

Jed just shook his head before spotting her on the other side of the pool with what looked like some teens—boys, of course, who had moved in on the hot blonde. “In the pool, over there,” he said and pointed, then watched as Andy dragged his gaze over to where she was floating on a noodle. One light-haired boy was helping her float, no doubt looking to put his hands anywhere on her.

Yup, Andy zeroed in, and it took him only half a second to shove his fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. “Sara!” he yelled as if she were at the other end of the block. Everyone looked, and likely anyone in Cancun named Sara, too. He gestured for her to come over.

Jed just lifted his beer, took a swallow, and did his best not to laugh over his cousin’s predicament.

“Trying to keep her on a short tether, is he?” Alaric said.

Jed looked back at him, wondering what to say, considering he knew well that Andy wasn’t handling the teenage daughter thing with much grace. Right now, he was glad they’d had only boys—but then there were his granddaughters. Maybe he wouldn’t escape the same fate.

“What is it, Dad?” Sara said as she swam over on the noodle. The boy at the other end climbed out of the pool and disappeared.

“Your sister’s here. Why don’t you take Brandon and go share a snack?” Andy said.

Sara climbed out of the pool in her skimpy red bikini, showing off her great body, and Andy handed her a towel. Evidently, she understood, and she took the towel in one hand and held her other out to Brandon. After she said something to Chelsea, the three of them were gone, Alaric with them.

“Jed, there’re the kids,” Andy said, letting his hand linger on his wife’s ass for a second, her arm around his waist. “Xander, Cat! Steven, Katy!” he called out and lifted his hand.

Jed took in Brad’s crew as the two little boys, Fletcher and Jack, jumped into the pool, splashing everyone. “Is your dad here yet?” he said to Katy, who was still dressed in blue jeans and a sleeveless blouse.

“No, not yet. They were at Gramma and Grampa’s. They’re supposed to be coming back with them. Becky is there, too. Tom was asking if they’re on their way back. I guess she’s not answering. Thought we’d head out here and find you, see if you know anything about what’s going on.” Katy leaned over the back of his chair and lifted his straw hat to rest it on her own head.

“No, all is quiet, apparently,” Jed said. “Was just asking Andy if he’d heard back from them, and he said no. Hopefully they’re on their way here. Great to see you, by the way. You look good.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Katy, not since she and Steven had found their way back to each other.

Katy reached down and patted his shoulder. “You, too.”

He heard a crying child and looked, seeing Tom striding their way, holding a blond toddler in his arms. That had to be Gilly, wearing a sundress, barefoot, fussing.

“Hey, Katy,” Tom said. “I can’t get a hold of Becky. She’s not answering her phone, and Gilly wants her mother. You hear back from Brad or Neil? Anybody?” Tom was rubbing Gilly’s back, and she had her finger in her mouth. Tears were running down her face. Unhappy, overtired, and it looked like she was getting to her dad. Jed remembered those days. He winced as he took another swallow of his beer.

“No, I haven’t. Here, do you want me to take Gilly? Come to your auntie,” Katy said and held her arms out. Gilly, though, said a stubborn no and put her head into her dad’s shoulder. Tom looked as if he was getting close to the end of his rope, as Gilly was still whining and crying—an overtired toddler.

“I just tried texting both Brad and Neil, and they’re not answering,” Andy said. Laura was sitting at the edge of the pool again, this time holding Cat and Xander’s baby.

Steven appeared behind him and lifted his hand in a hello before resting it around Katy. “I just tried calling Brad, Emily, Candy, and Neil on their cell phones,” he said. “No one is answering.”

Xander was holding Cat’s hand, his dark hair wavy, and he had his cell phone to his ear, looking around. Mysterious. Jed still hadn’t figured him out. Xander just shook his head. “Not like them to not answer. Especially Neil. He was texting me nonstop, and now silence…”

Jed had to stifle a smile as he lifted the bottle to his mouth and took a swallow, knowing how much Xander and Neil butted heads, most likely because of Neil’s incessant need to micromanage just about everyone and every situation.

“Anyone hear from Rodney and Becky? No one is answering the house phone,” Xander continued, his phone to his ear.

Tom didn’t look impressed. Seemed as if there was stress or trouble between Tom and Becky, or maybe Jed was reading too much into it. “You know, I have half a mind to just go over there and find out what’s going on,” Tom said.

Xander just pulled his phone away and pressed end, glancing down to Cat, who had said nothing. “No answer at the house. Maybe they’re already on their way back. So why don’t we get changed and come back for a swim?”

Jed knew Andy well, and the glance he exchanged with him didn’t set him at ease. “So no one is answering their phones or texts, and Mom and Dad still aren’t answering?” he said and sat forward. “You know, one or two, no big deal, but everyone?”

Tom managed to pass Gilly over to Katy. “I’m going to grab a cab and head over,” he said.

“Just wait.” Xander put his hand on Tom’s shoulder. “They could already be on their way back. Let’s just give them a little longer. We’re all tired from travelling, and they’re likely just getting caught up and lost track of time. I’m sure they’ll be here anytime, Neil leading the way to make sure I haven’t screwed something up with his grandson.”

Jed nearly choked at Xander’s comment, but at least it brought the hint of a smile to Tom.

“Yeah, Xander’s right,” Andy started. “They’re probably visiting, talking, and…”

“And not hearing their phones?” Jed said. From the look Andy gave him, he knew he was saying it on behalf of everyone.

“That’s a lot of phones no one’s hearing,” said Steven. “One, yeah, okay. Two, sure—but everyone?”

Something about Steveh breaking it all down added to the knot that was tightening in Jed’s gut. He’d felt off for a while and had been hoping a beer or two would settle him.

“I’m going over there,” Tom said and lifted his hands, out of patience.

“Hang on a second. I’ll come with you,” Xander said, all the teasing gone.

“Yup, I’ll tag along too,” Steven said, and the three were already walking the other way.

“Wait,” Jed called out. He put his bare feet on the hot concrete of the poolside patio and glanced over to Andy before standing up, resting his beer on the table, and reaching for his key card. “I’ll go with you. Just give me a minute to get some pants on, and maybe by the time I’m dressed, they’ll already be here.”

Even as he said it, though, he knew deep down that what he was hoping for was a tall tale they could all laugh over, like everyone’s phone batteries had died all at the same time.

“Right,” he said under his breath.

AMAZONNOOKiBOOKSKOBOGOOGLE PLAY

All pre-ordered copies will include a special link to a free novella!


99CENT SALE

For a limited time only, SAVED (Saved Series, Book 1) is on sale for just 99cents!  

Growing up I had dreams that one day I'd fall in love, get married and start a family. Then one night I was taken. But I survived, I escaped and I was saved. Eric didn't see me as damaged. He didn't see my baby as a monster. He protected me, he kept me safe ... he saved me.

"Intense and gripping novel...a fantastic read."
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You can pick up SAVED at this discounted rate at AmazonNookiBooksKoboGoogle Play and Smashwords.  Also available in audiobook at Audible USAudible UKAudible France and Audible Germany.  (Sale price does not apply.)  Listen to a sample here.

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And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

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The Monday Blog

Read THE HOMECOMING, Chapter 2

Who wants another sneak peek of THE HOMECOMING?  The next installment in The Friessens family saga will be released at the end of the month, but you can read Chapter 2 now! 

Catch up with your favorite family, the Friessens, as four generations come together for what they anticipate to be a fun-filled weekend with babies and children, loads of love, and laughter. You can expect all the drama of young love, from the secrets to the hidden truths in a seemingly perfect marriage.
 
However, one fateful moment changes everything in this unforgettable story. When three lives are put in danger, the fallout could ultimately shatter the deep love and trust in this family, dividing them forever—and the cost could be something far greater than any of them could have imagined.

THE HOMECOMING (The Friessens, Book 22) is available for pre-sale at:

AMAZONNOOKiBOOKSKOBOGOOGLE PLAY

All pre-ordered copies will include a special link to a free novella!

Did you miss your sneak peek of Chapter 1?  If so, click here.

****

Chapter 2

“Neil, who are you texting now?” Candy said.

He could see the three dots that meant Xander was considering how to answer his last text: a long thinking pause, then no response. “Just making sure Cat has everything she needs for Nathan. I asked the manager to make sure there’s a crib, fresh cotton blankets, nothing synthetic, plenty of drinking water…”

He glanced up, taking in the shock on Emily and Candy’s faces. Brad raised his brows—mocking him, he was sure. Becky didn’t seem too interested from where she sat beside Candy in the limo, looking out the window, lost in thought. He was still staring at a blank screen, about to send a second text to Xander, when Candy took his phone from his hands and powered it off.

“You’re being ridiculous and overstepping again,” she said. “Leave them alone. Seriously, Neil, this over-the-top obsessive need of yours has got to stop. Xander can look after them. The baby is fine.”

Brad said nothing but appeared close to laughing at him, and he watched as his wife tucked his phone in her purse.

“Hey, he’s my grandson,” Neil said. “I just want to make sure he has everything he needs…” And he wanted to make sure Cat was comfortable, too, because the dogs weren’t there to help her. He just couldn’t shake the need to be close to his grandson and worry about anything and everything that could go wrong.

This time, Brad was laughing and shaking his head. “Just admit it, Neil. You won’t be happy until you have everyone living under your roof. Just get a bigger house so you can stick your nose into their business all the time. Oh, wait! You’re over at Cat’s almost every day now, and you even have Nathan stay over at your place how often…?”

“Well, at least Uncle Neil cares,” Becky spoke up.

The shock and surprise on everyone’s face mirrored his, he thought, as they took the turnoff to his parents’ estate, up the long driveway lined by trees that had grown back. He’d never heard her speak that way, and he took in Emily’s expression as she lifted her hand, at a loss.

“Becky, are you kidding me? What’s going on with you?” she said.

“Nothing, sorry. Shouldn’t have said anything.” Becky lifted her hand to wave it off, and he could feel how on edge she was. Even Candy tossed him an uneasy look. Brad was levelling that shrewd gaze on her, the tough-love one he’d seen a time or two when the kids were growing up.

“What is this about, Becky? You don’t get to play that game, saying we don’t care and then never mind. You’re a grown woman, a mother…” Brad didn’t pull his gaze away, but Becky was stubborn—just like Brad in so many ways. Neil wondered who’d blink first.

“Are you needing a break with the baby? Is that what this is?” Emily finally broke the standoff. He wanted to reach out and tell her to stop, especially the way she was looking imploringly at Becky, always trying to make it easier.

“Well, I kind of have one now because I didn’t give Tom a choice, right?” she said.

Even to Neil, that didn’t sound like Becky. He found himself leaning forward to see the stubborn set of her jaw, the way she glanced from Brad to Emily and then back to the estate.

They pulled up and parked, but he thought Brad might still have another thing or two to say. Instead, Becky had the door open and was stepping out. Brad just shook his head, and Neil raised a brow, wondering what that was all about. He’d missed something big going on between Becky and Tom. Trouble? Maybe.

“Care to share what the issue is?” Neil asked as the four of them remained in the back. The driver was now out of the vehicle, and Becky was heading across the circular driveway, nearly to the front door.

Brad just shook his head, “Mood swings?” he said. “I don’t know, but she’s really pushing with Tom, and you know I’m not a fan of his.”

Emily made a rude noise he’d never heard before and stepped out, and Candy followed.

“So is it work, or not working?” Neil said. “Is there trouble, she wants to leave him…what?”

Brad just shook his head and climbed out. Neil took his time, taking in his brother as he handed a cash tip to the driver. Candy and Emily were already walking to the house.

“It’s locked,” Becky called out, then rapped the brass knocker on the front door and pressed the bell. He could hear the chime from outside.

“Maybe Mom and Dad are at the resort?” Neil said. “But Maria and Carlos should still be here.”

“They don’t work here anymore,” Becky said.

Candy tried to open the door, but it was locked, and she tossed Neil an uneasy gaze. Brad was over at the huge window to the sunken living room.

“Drapes are pulled. Can’t see in,” he said, then tapped on the window, but they didn’t hear anything.

“Since when are Maria and Carlos not here?” Neil said. The look Candy gave him showed it was the first she was hearing of it, too.

Becky just shrugged. He took in how not put together she was, in her faded oversized shirt and baggy ultra-worn jeans, wearing flip flops. The glasses were new, too. He wondered if she’d bothered to brush her hair before pulling it up in a messy bun.

The limo was already pulling away when Brad shoved his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The driver should have stopped, but he kept going down the driveway and was gone around the bend, the trees blocking them from view.

“Let’s walk around back. Maybe they’re out at the pool,” Brad said.

“Or not here,” Candy suggested. “Neil, don’t you have a key still?”

Neil walked around the house, taking in the empty driveway that led to the garage in back. He jammed his hands in his pockets, but his keys weren’t there. They were tucked in his bags, on their way to the resort. “Not with me,” he tossed out over his shoulder.

Brad was close behind him, his cowboy boots scraping against the walkway. He wore blue jeans and a deep blue T-shirt, but at least it was short sleeved. His hair was now a mix of dark and white. He squinted in the bright sun and pulled his phone from his pocket, then texted something and shook his head. “Jed and Andy are at the pool,” he said. “Haven’t seen Mom and Dad.”

They took in the back of the house. The pool still had the vinyl cover over it, and the patio furniture was in the same place he remembered. The umbrella was down as if his mom and dad hadn’t been out that day.

“Mom, Dad!” Brad cupped his hands and called out. He was loud, and Neil expected to hear something. He reached for the back door that led into the kitchen to find that it was locked, and Brad walked over to the double doors off the dining room and tried the knob, both of them. Locked. He just shook his head.

“Well, this is really strange,” Neil said, taking in Candy, Emily, and Becky, who had her arms crossed over her breasts. She was far from the happy girl he’d known. When had she slipped into this?

“Well, maybe you should call the resort, get a car out here for us,” Brad said.

Neil held his hand out to Candy. “Can I have my phone?”

Just then, there was the click of a lock, and the door opened. Neil took in the dark eyes and dark hair of the man who had answered—in his early fifties, maybe. “Can I help you?” he said in a deep voice, a southern accent that was more a twang than a drawl.

Neil laughed, only it wasn’t a laugh, because this was ridiculous. “Yeah, who are you?” he said. “Where are my parents, Rodney and Becky Friessen?”

The man was tall, broad shouldered, in a ratty T-shirt and jeans, with a scar at his jawline. “I work here, manage the estate. Who are you?” The man looked at him and then dragged his gaze over to Brad, and it wasn’t lost on him that he was standing in the doorway, blocking it as if they were unwelcome guests.

“Are my mom and dad here, Becky and Rodney?” Brad said.

The man took in Brad as if he suspected he would cause trouble, then pulled his gaze back to Neil, who expected him to step back and let them in, but he didn’t. The unease he’d been feeling earlier now felt more like a vise, squeezing all the air out of his chest.

“Nope,” the man said and made a face, and Neil thought he was going to close the door on them.

“Look,” he said. “We’re family. I’m Neil, and that’s my brother Brad. Our wives are over there, and my niece. Surely my parents said to expect us?” He wondered if maybe Jed was behind this—a joke, maybe. He found himself trying to see past the man when he felt a hand slam into his chest to stop him.

“All I can say is they’re not here,” the man said, “and they said nothing about family coming. If you don’t mind, I’d rather not take chances. This is private property. You’re trespassing, and I’m tasked with looking after this property and all. There have been break-ins, a lot over the last while, men breaking in and living in empty homes, taking them over, so if it’s all the same to you…” He didn’t smile. He had a kind of hardness that let Neil know they weren’t getting past him.

The phone was ringing inside, and Neil glanced over to see Brad with his cell phone to his ear. The man only glanced once over his shoulder, and he was tempted to push past. This was crazy, ridiculous.

“Well, see here,” Brad said. “We’re not leaving, and you haven’t answered us about our parents. Where are they? That’s me calling.” He held his cell phone up and then ended the call as if proving a point, as the ringing stopped inside. “What is your name?”

Neil wondered when it was that Maria and Carlos had left and where his parents had found someone like this.

“Davis,” the man replied. “Now, as I said…”

“Davis, great,” Brad interrupted. “There seems to have been a miscommunication somewhere. I appreciate this vigilance and you taking your job seriously, protecting this estate, but I’m sure if you get my mom and dad on the phone, they’ll tell you…” A phone was ringing inside again, quieter this time, and Brad was holding up his cell. “That would be me calling my dad’s cell phone. So, again, where are my parents?”

It happened so fast.

Davis reached behind his back, and there was a gun. He flicked the safety and pointed it straight out to the women.

Neil stepped back, his hands up, hearing a gasp and shriek—Candy or maybe Emily. It was so precise, Davis’s stance, his familiarity with the gun. Neil could always tell when someone lived and breathed guns, knew how to hold and use them. The man appeared to be one with the weapon.

“Whoa, whoa! What is this? Let’s just keep it together, here,” Neil said.

Davis held the gun, aiming as if he knew what he was doing. He didn’t even glance his way as he jabbed his right hand to Neil. “Take a step back, both of you, because right now I have the babe in the glasses in my sights, and I never miss. So back the fuck up. There’s no second chance. I ask you to do something once, and the next time I pull the trigger.”

“Okay, just relax,” Brad said. “Here, put the gun on me, not my daughter.”

Neil couldn’t pull his eyes away from the threat to his family. He was the one standing between them, and Brad took a step away from the house, over to the women. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Where were his mom and dad?

He dared to glance only once behind him to Candy, Emily, and Becky knowing the shock on their faces did little to help this situation. Like, what the hell was going on here? His mom and dad, were they inside? Were they hurt? They weren’t answering. Candy, Emily, Becky, and Brad…they were all in deep shit.

He went to reach out to Candy when he heard the distinct sound of a gun being cocked, a sound that chilled him to the bone.

“You two don’t listen, do you?” Davis said. Then the gun fired with a pop.

He heard a scream, long and loud, and Brad roared.

Davis flicked the gun over to him. “Why is it that everyone has to make everything so damn hard? I told you I’d only say it once. If you just listened and did as you were told, I wouldn’t have shot her.”

AMAZONNOOKiBOOKSKOBOGOOGLE PLAY

All pre-ordered copies will include a special link to a free novella!


GET YOUR AUDIO ON!  Listen to any or all for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

Catch a sneak peek of THE HOMECOMING!

Can't wait till release day?  We've got you covered! The newest addition to The Friessens family saga is coming soon, but you can grab a sneak peek of THE HOMECOMING today! 

Catch up with your favorite family, the Friessens, as four generations come together for what they anticipate to be a fun-filled weekend with babies and children, loads of love, and laughter. You can expect all the drama of young love, from the secrets to the hidden truths in a seemingly perfect marriage.
 
However, one fateful moment changes everything in this unforgettable story. When three lives are put in danger, the fallout could ultimately shatter the deep love and trust in this family, dividing them forever—and the cost could be something far greater than any of them could have imagined.

THE HOMECOMING (The Friessens, Book 23) is available for pre-sale at:

AMAZONNOOKiBOOKSKOBOGOOGLE PLAY

All pre-ordered copies will include a special link to a free novella!

****

Chapter 1

“So what was that about?” Emily asked, appearing tired. They had just travelled six hours on a cramped overbooked flight from Seattle that had been delayed by nearly ninety minutes. She yawned and swept her fingers through her shoulder-length brown hair, which was slowly becoming lighter from the highlights she kept adding to hide the spots of gray.

Brad glanced at his Android before tucking it in the back pocket of his jeans and taking in the conveyor belt at the Cancun airport. On it were a single black suitcase and two boxes tied together. Not one of the bags from their flight had been unloaded, and they had been standing there for nearly ten minutes. He was still puzzled by the message his dad had left.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Weird, is all—something about whether I could call him back to confirm who all is coming to stay with them…”

Did Rodney mean for the next weekend? He’d give it another listen, as it made no sense. The entire family was travelling there, all the kids and grandkids, to stay at the Cancun resort together for the first time. They had even booked rooms in the same wing. Jed and Diana and their brood were also on the way, as were Andy and Laura and theirs. His mom and dad knew that was the plan.

He was starting to wonder if his dad was becoming more forgetful. It wasn’t like him to leave that kind of scatterbrained message. He rolled his shoulders, feeling restless after having to sit for so long and feeling the angst of his family around him, their ups and downs, the bickering of Becky and Tom.

“Maybe we should swing over to the house first before we check in, make sure everything’s good,” Brad said.

Emily’s jaw slackened, and he wasn’t sure what she was about to say.

“Have you seen Neil?” Candy said, appearing beside him, her long dark hair freshly cut to shoulder length.

He spotted Xander and Cat also walking their way. Xander had a deep brooding look and a perpetual five o’clock shadow, his jeans riding low with a swagger. He held Cat’s hand, and she appeared lost in thought. Brad was still stuck on the sight of her new hair, red with dark lowlights.

“No, I haven’t, not since we got off the plane,” he said. “Trevor!” he called out and waved, seeing his son was holding Jasmine’s hand, pressed against a concrete wall.

Trevor began pulling her along over to them, and what was she doing but holding her hand over her eyes, following him blindly? Of course, a number of odd looks were passed their way. The Cancun airport was crowded and chaotic, and he’d forgotten how loud and noisy it was, concrete and old.

Something seemed to be up, a strangeness, an energy he couldn’t put his finger on—or maybe it had just been too long since he’d been there. They were all feeling the heightened sense of worry, stress, or expectation, and likely the restlessness of having travelled all day, too, not to mention the fact that they were all still dressed for the Seattle rain. Maybe some time to decompress by the pool with a beer, catching up with his family, would definitely help. Yeah, he couldn’t wait.

“Mom, can you take Gilly?” Becky said. “Tom’s on the phone again, and I have to go to the bathroom.” She was wearing a ratty old oversized T-shirt and dark-rimmed glasses, with deep circles under her eyes, and her hair was pulled up in a really messy bun. He’d never expected to see this kind of harried expression on her face. His granddaughter, Gilly, was crying and kicking to get down, her nose running and her blue eyes filled with tears. She was fast coming up on the terrible twos.

“Here, come to Gramps,” he said and reached for her, immediately feeling her soaked-through diaper under her floral dress, which was riding up. She was barefoot like she always was. “She’s wet, Becky—and where is Tom?”

Emily patted Gilly’s back, and she whimpered, staring up at him and tossing her head back. Becky wasn’t the greatest at changing the baby’s diapers, and Gilly, he swore, had the mischief of all his kids combined in one. Becky just lifted her hand and let out a frustrated sigh. He could see her patience was wearing thin.

“Over there, on the phone. Some hospital emergency, he said. Don’t know why he’s insisted on calling back. Family holiday means just that, a holiday, with no work, not sticking me with everything.” Becky actually slipped the diaper bag off her shoulder, and for a second he thought she’d dump it on the ground, but Emily grabbed it. He took in Cat, who was now talking to Candy. Both also seemed on edge as they looked around.

“Dad, where’re our suitcases?” Trevor asked. Jasmine was making a weird noise with her mouth.

“Be patient,” Brad said. “They’ll be here soon.”

Becky was already walking toward the bathroom when Fletcher, Jack, Katy, and Steven appeared. He could smell an odor and knew it was Gilly.

“Okay, you can’t wait. You need changed now,” Brad said as he held out his granddaughter, then spotted the luggage after hearing the thump of the first suitcase dumping down the conveyor belt. “You need to talk to your daughter about taking better care of Gilly,” he said.

Emily frowned and shook her head. “Hey, just as easy for you to have a talk with her, as well. Come on, Gilly. Grandma will change your diaper.”

Brad passed Gilly over just as Candy tapped his arm.

“I still can’t find Neil,” she said. He wasn’t sure what to make of her expression—off, anxious. Over what, he didn’t know.

“Well, I’m sure he couldn’t have gone far…” he started to say just as he spotted his brother walking toward them with Cat and Xander’s baby boy tucked into a baby carrier strapped across his chest. He looked ridiculous and happy in Bermuda shorts and sandals, working a piece of gum. This casual, laid-back Neil was a lot to get used to.

“Dad, where were you?” Cat said. “You can’t keep taking off with the baby…” She reached for baby Nathan, who was the spitting image of Xander, with big eyes, thick dark lashes, and the same intense expression. He was unbelievably quiet, easy, the exact opposite of Gilly.

“No one thought to grab the bags?” Neil said. “Thought we’d be out of here.” He was still wearing the carrier and had a diaper bag over his shoulder. “And you can thank me, Cat. I changed the baby. He’s hungry, too.”

Over by the conveyer, Katy was saying something to Trevor, and Steven was pulling a luggage cart over and grabbing luggage off. While it was great having a son-in-law to take care of things for him, Brad figured he should help.

“So I had a message from Dad,” he said. “I think I’ll swing by the house first before the resort. He seemed under the impression we’re all coming next week and that we’re staying there?”

Neil gave him the oddest look and then just shook his head. “Seriously?” he said. “Well, if you are, bring them back with you to the resort. I’m sure Diana, Jed, and their crew are already there. Andy, too, I think. I got a text from him that they arrived earlier today. I would’ve thought Jed or Andy would call them.” Neil pulled his iPhone from his pocket and scanned his messages.

Brad then spotted Xander, who had a second luggage cart, over by Steven. The two of them were handling, talking, giving Jack and Fletcher orders, and tossing bags onto the luggage carts. He gestured with his chin. “You think they got everything?”

Neil laughed softly. “Hope so. One of the benefits, I’d think, of having to put up with a son-in-law. Let them get it.”

Emily and Becky were walking back side by side, Emily holding Gilly on her hip. His daughter appeared far from put together, but at least Tom was off his call and was now over by Steven, tossing a bag on one of the carts.

“Dad, Jasmine needs to go,” Trevor called out. Jasmine was now standing close to him, staring at the ground and moving side to side. She was over-stimulated, over-everything.

“Katy, take Trevor and Jasmine and start heading through customs,” he said, but just then, Steven headed over, pushing one of the luggage carts, and he gestured with his thumb to Brad and said, “We got all the bags. Let’s go.”

Neil’s phone dinged, and his expression changed as he stared at the screen.

“What is it?” Brad asked.

Neil shook his head. Everyone was talking and following Steven, Xander, and the carts to the final check point. “Not sure… A text from Andy. He asked if we’ve heard from Mom and Dad.”

Candy was pulling on his arm, saying something, and he just shook his head. Emily, Becky, and Tom were now standing there, staring at them as if they’d just figured out something was up.

“You know what?” Neil said. “Maybe I’ll join you and stop in at Mom and Dad’s.”

“What, why? What’s going on?” Becky piped in. Tom scooped Gilly into his arms and kissed her cheek.

“Nothing, most likely, but…you talk to your grandma?” Brad said. He knew Becky talked more with his mom than anyone else in the family.

Becky pushed the bridge of her glasses up her nose and shrugged. “Not since yesterday. Why, what’s up?” She was looking from him to Neil, and so were Emily and Candy, too.

“Just a message from your grandpa. Seems like he thinks we’re not coming until next week and that we’re staying there. So I think Neil and I will swing by there first. You all go on to the resort and get checked in.”

Becky never blinked and then slowly turned to Neil. “That’s ridiculous,” she said. “They know we’re coming today. Grandma and I are booked in for a pedicure after dinner tonight at the resort. If you’re going to drop in on Gram and Gramps, then I’m coming, too.”

Tom just shook his head and walked away.

“You should go to the hotel with your husband, Becky, and your daughter,” Brad said, but what did his daughter do but shake her head? She was pure stubbornness.

“No, I’m going with you,” she said. “Besides, I want a minute aside to talk to Grams without everyone there and without Tom passing Gilly off to me.”

Then Becky was walking off, and Emily levelled a hard look his way, which he knew well meant he needed to do something about their daughter. That left four: Candy, Neil, Emily, and him.

“Do you think if we hang back here for a second, they’ll forget we’re here?” Neil said just as Candy tapped his chest.

“Oh, stop it,” she said. “Why don’t we let the rest of them head on to the resort, and the four of us can stop in and see your parents?” She lifted her chin to where the Mexican security agents were looking through the largest black suitcase. “And Becky,” she added as an afterthought, likely because she knew well how stubborn his daughter was.

Brad looked over to where Katy and Steven were herding Jack, Fletcher, Trevor, and Jasmine through the checkpoint. Then there were Tom and Becky and Gilly, Cat and Xander and Nathan, and as they all passed through, he couldn’t see them anymore.

This was meant to be a fun-filled reunion, but it seemed something else was brewing in the wind that he couldn’t put his finger on.

AMAZONNOOKiBOOKSKOBOGOOGLE PLAY

All pre-ordered copies will include a special link to a free novella!


GET YOUR AUDIO ON!  Listen to any or all for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

Are you living the way you truly want to live, or are you a victim of your circumstances?


Are you living the way you truly want to live, or are you a victim of your circumstances?
 
Let’s say you have a job, and it pays the bills—but it absolutely sucks. You have an awful boss who is making you miserable, and you wake up with such dread every morning at having to go in and face your boss, knowing that he or she has nothing kind to say and will openly criticize you and or whoever the scapegoat of the week is. At the same time, all your co-workers are stabbing you in the back, and when they’re not stabbing you in the back, they’re stabbing you in the front, because they would rather you be the one with an open target for the hateful boss than them. Pretty bleak, but I bet everyone out there can remember having worked for and with people like this. I certainly can. Maybe you’ve asked yourself, too, how people like this can get away with being scumbags and actually sleep at night.
 
I remember working for a well-known chain of resorts in the mountains in my early twenties. The family-owned company had a propensity for hiring management whose rules bordered on abuse. My anxiety and stress were so high, and if you wanted to keep your job, the motto was to keep your head down and stay under the radar, as the manager at the time would either be on the warpath, looking for heads to roll from the moment he walked through the door in the morning and becoming cruel and verbally abusive, or be all smiles and happy and actually interested, to a degree, in how his staff was performing. It all centered on whether his live-in girlfriend at the time had put out for him the night before.
 
Pretty pathetic. Let me tell you, it is much like growing up in a house with an abusive father. You never know who he is going to be when he walks in the door, whether he had a good day or a bad day, whether he’ll rage and hit or just become cruel and hateful, calling you worthless and stupid. There simply is no difference, but how you respond is completely in your control. It’s always easier if you share and tell others about a bad situation in your life.
 
Here’s one maybe some of you can also relate to, and this is from a friend of mine who shared this with me recently. He worked in the oil industry for years, decades, making fantastic money, but he hated every single minute of what he did, and so did many of his co-workers. It was just a job to each of them, and though it paid well, nothing about it filled him with any joy or excitement. The only way he could cope with the fact that he had this great-paying job he absolutely hated was by self-medicating! For him, it was alcohol, getting blind drunk every night. For others he worked with, it was drugs, or abusing their wives and kids, or hitting casinos and gambling junkets on their days off, spending every cent they had. There was no joy in any of that, and that’s no way for anyone to live.
 
What about you? Think back to that time in your life. Maybe you were in a situation like above, and maybe you were doing that thing people do when they hate their jobs: complaining to family, friends, everyone about how bad your job is, how much you hate your boss and the people you work with, saying, “Oh, poor me. I’m stuck in this miserable situation and getting blamed for things I haven’t done.” Or maybe every day when the clock hit five, you hit the bar to try to decompress because that was the only way you knew how to cope with doing something you hated so much. If you think back on it now, I’m sure everyone can relate and agree that it really wasn’t an inspiring role for you to be playing.
 
So what if you get sympathy from others? Then what? Sympathy is not going to solve the issue, and neither is playing the blame game, saying you’re so hard done by and not able to achieve any level of detachment from the situation at hand. So what do you have to do? Well, in your mind, maybe you have this idea of being the boss, running the company, or getting a different job, doing what you really love to do. Ask yourself, what do I have to do to be the boss, to turn this situation around so that I’m running the place and have co-workers working together instead of against each other? What do I have to do to finally become my own boss and do what I really love to do?
 
Maybe one of the ideas you come up with is to show leadership, to take on extra projects not assigned to you, to show initiative. Will it get you the position you’re seeking? You don’t know what will happen, because none of us, believe it or not, have that crystal ball. But what you do have is the ability to immerse yourself in projects, to get joy from the extra steps and initiative, to enjoy the process. You may pause after a time of taking all this initiative and re-evaluate if it hasn’t gotten you promoted or gotten you the job you want. You might step back and look at getting another job, working for someone else at a different company, or striking out on your own, doing something else altogether. Have you lost anything by taking all this initiative? Absolutely not, because you took on a mindset of joy and appreciation, not pity, hate, anger, and a victim mentality.
 
It always comes down to either enjoying the process of doing what you have to do in order to stay in your current place or getting a different job. Remember that all these horrible and stressful things happening in your life are happening so you can see how you will cope with them. Instead of you thinking it’s so bad and horrible, think of it like a game. So you have a terrible boss and co-workers who would save themselves first and stab you in the back to do so. Instead of doing the poor-me thing, change it. Ask yourself, what am I going to do with this bleak, awful situation? How will I cope with it?
 
In your mind, convert your terrible boss and awful co-workers into a good boss and good co-workers, or if the situation is so bad that you just can’t do that, convert them instead into a boss and co-workers who have no impact on you whatsoever. You are fully capable of doing this, and most importantly, each one of us is capable of enjoying the process. Let me tell you, what happens when you do this is that the negative, stressful feelings, the lost sleepless nights, they disappear, and some pretty amazing things start to happen in your life.
 
It’s about reframing your life and telling a different story instead of the poor-me syndrome that everyone has suffered from at one time or another. The moment you change the story about yourself, not only do you feel differently about yourself, about the situation, but you notice that your life and the situation objectively change. Easier said than done? Not really. It is absolutely worth the effort it takes to get your head there, because it really works.


A limited time sale!

He stopped for an accident and stumbles upon the one woman he’s been looking for all his life.

To everyone who didn’t know her, dependable Taz Parker the towns EMT is strong, capable and confident. Except the fact everything about her job terrifies her, she lives in a small Wyoming town, has five sisters an overprotective father, and no prospects of dating on the horizon, considering the lack of available men in the area. Until one rainy night while transporting a patient to the next town she stumbles upon an accident.

Jerry O’Rourke is only passing through town when he witnesses a roadside accident. When he stops to help at the grisly scene there is only so much he can do and flags down an approaching ambulance. When the pretty EMT stops to help, Jerry encounters a woman he is unable to resist.

Even though he lives in another state, Jerry can’t resist seeing Taz just one more time. But what he encounters is an unworldly young woman from a big family. He is unable to resist Taz’s beauty and innocence and wonders where she has been all his life. When he sets his sights on Taz, he soon realizes the strong ties Taz has with her family could make having her far more difficult than he could have ever imagined.

You can pick up the first book in The Parker Sisters series for only .99cents until Wednesday at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and Google Play

GET YOUR AUDIO ON! Listen to any or all of my titles for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

Audible US   Audible Australia   Audible Canada 
Audible UK   Audible Germany   Audible France

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.

Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

A New Friessens Title is on the Way–Pre-order your Copy Today!

Who's ready for more from The Friessens?  My next title, THE HOMECOMING, is the result of a special request from one of my long-time fans, who asked for a book that would revisit the entire Friessen clan with a reunion so you can catch up with all of the family, their wives, and their children. I just couldn’t say no to that. I mean, what could be better than a new book featuring all your favorite Friessen characters and the new generation that has begun?  This newest addition to The Friessens family saga will be available at the end of the month, but you can pre-order your copy today at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and Google Play.

Catch up with your favorite family, the Friessens, as four generations come together for what they anticipate to be a fun-filled weekend with babies and children, loads of love, and laughter. You can expect all the drama of young love, from the secrets to the hidden truths in a seemingly perfect marriage.
 
However, one fateful moment changes everything in this unforgettable story. When three lives are put in danger, the fallout could ultimately shatter the deep love and trust in this family, dividing them forever—and the cost could be something far greater than any of them could have imagined.


RECENTLY RELEASED

Catch up with the Friessens before my newest title is released in just a few weeks!  YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING (The Friessens, Book 22) is now sold at  AmazonNookApple BooksKoboGoogle Play and SmashwordsOr buy direct from me here and save 25% when you share on Facebook or Twitter!

CALLING ALL AMAZON READERS! If you've enjoyed Michael's story and wouldn't mind leaving an honest review here, I'd truly appreciate it!  The number of reviews a book accumulates on a daily basis has a direct impact on its success at Amazon, so leaving a review--no matter how short--helps make it possible for me to continue to do what I do.  As always, thank you so much for your consideration and support--I am extremely grateful!

xxxx


GET YOUR AUDIO ON! Listen to any or all of my titles for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

Let’s talk about positions of power and stress levels.


Let’s talk about management positions, positions of power, and stress levels for a leader.

The vast majority do not clearly understand why they are stressed. I mean, you may have financial problems or a job you hate, one that makes you want to puke every time you walk into work, or maybe you’ve never been able to figure out what you want to accomplish. You think no one will cooperate with you, and you have these massive visions and goals that you want to accomplish to get ahead.

All that is wrong. There’s one reason and one reason only why you feel stressed in your life, and the reason is that you have a very rigid idea of the way life works, and when something is not working out, you feel as if the world is working against you. Maybe you feel you should be promoted at work because of your great performance, but then your boss tells you the work you’ve done isn’t good enough. Maybe you’re being let go even after you worked all those extra hours and did an amazing job, better than anyone else. Maybe you lost a contract even though you know you’re better than most of the others in your field, yet the client has gone somewhere else. You feel as if everything is working against you, like bad luck follows you and your family and you’ll never be given a break, like everyone is out to screw you, steal from you, and that’s why you feel stress in your life.

We tend to live in a curve: We set a goal and then work hard, and maybe one week we get it and the next we crash and burn. It’s kind of like a see-saw between great joy and disappointment, and we spend more time on the despair side of the spectrum. What can you do? Well, set a goal. Goals are important because they establish direction, but once the direction has been established, do you forget about the goal? Many of you may be wondering what I mean. I think the problem is that we become too goal focused when what we need to do is put our emotional energy into the actions we have to take to achieve our goals. When you do that, you enjoy the journey, because that final goal is completely out of your control.

Enjoy the journey, because the goal is just a mirage, and once you get there, you’ll be ready to go off someplace else or move on to something else. If you reach your goal, that’s great! If you don’t reach your goal, that’s also great, because here is the mistake people make: Many of us have been taught that it’s all about reaching the goal you’ve set, but that’s wrong. Life is about the learning and growth that happens in you and to you while you try your level best to achieve your goal. If you reach your goal, that’s just a bonus, because if you don’t, you still had all that learning, and it really is a win-win situation. When you live that way, there is no stress because you’ve already accepted the outcome as beyond your control. Just enjoy the journey and do your very, very best.

A lot of people get caught up in the time element of achieving a goal, which comes out of desperation. They have to have this now or all kinds of horrible things are going to happen to them. Here is a big one, especially in BC, (you know British Columbia, Canada which also stands for Bring Cash), which has become one of the most unaffordable places to live in the world. Many people have a desperate need to find a place to live. They can’t afford to buy a home and end up renting a place that takes nearly all the money they make in a month. With no security, they become dependent on the goodwill and honesty of the owner of the property, but say they suddenly start jacking up the rent, refuse to do repairs, or cut corners on repairs and lie or hide major issues with the place? What if they violate your privacy? When you assert your rights, they turn around and assert theirs, serving you with eviction. You’re then left with the desperate need to find a place to live, trying to scrape together enough cash, if you’re lucky enough to find a place in BC, to put a roof over you and your family’s heads. Yet often, finding something in a market that’s completely saturated is no longer a viable option, so what are you left with? Leave the area and the job you have, pull your kids from school, and start over somewhere else? Your kids will likely lose out on finishing the school year and may have to repeat that grade, because some districts won’t let you bring your kids in midway through the year. Yes, really!

Invest in the process, not the outcome. The above is a really good example of becoming stressed out. If any of you read You Are My Everything, where Angie literally lived the above situation, you’ll know how bad it can be. Maybe you’ve even lived through this yourself. When you get stressed, your mental chatter runs wild. We’re going to be homeless, living in a tent… How will I work, put food on the table? But your worrying is not going to make anything happen, so whatever it is that you have to do, focus on one task at a time. That one task is the present moment, not the end of the month or those thirty days. It’s the process, one step at a time.


RECENTLY RELEASED

Did you miss the newest Friessens release?  YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING is now available at AmazonNookApple BooksKoboGoogle Play and SmashwordsOr buy direct from me here and save 25% when you share on Facebook or Twitter!  And as a bonus, everyone who purchases this title will receive Cat and Xander's novella, Anything for You, for FREE!  Details inside.


GET YOUR AUDIO ON!  Listen to any or all for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

Catch the Saturday Special

99CENT SALE

Don't miss the Saturday Special!  Through tomorrow, IN THE MOMENT (The Friessens, Book 9) is on sale for 99cents.

What happens when you meet a man you can't take home to meet your parents?

Living on her parents’ ranch in the middle of nowhere, most people would give anything to be part of her family and have the kind of love her parents did. But Becky Friessen needed more than quiet and stability. She craved excitement, action, a spark of adventure and not letting anyone steer her into something she didn’t want to do, or living in a quiet piece of the world where nothing ever happened. 

Until she meets a man who shocks her with an indecent proposal that she finds herself actually considering. He is a man she could never tell her parents about. He is a man she could never take home to meet the family. Only fighting this insane attraction between them could have her agreeing to something that could be a one-way road to heartbreak. 

"This book is one of the most emotionally provoking books I have read in a long time...the characters are realistically genuine and heartfelt and the story is non-traditional enough to cause angst for the beloved Friessen family." ★★★★★ Aherman, Amazon Reviewer

Becky's story is now on sale at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play and Smashwords

Also available in paperback here and in audiobook at Audible US, Audible CanadaAudible UK, Audible FranceAudible Germany and Audible Australia (regular pricing applies).  Listen to a sample here.

Please, please!  Always check the retailer's price before downloading as some retailers may be slow in changing over to the sale price.

CALLING ALL AMAZON READERS! If you've enjoyed Becky's story and wouldn't mind leaving an honest review here, I'd truly appreciate it!  The number of reviews a book accumulates on a daily basis has a direct impact on its success at Amazon, so leaving a review--no matter how short--helps make it possible for me to continue to do what I do.  As always, thank you so much for your consideration and support--I am extremely grateful!


GET YOUR AUDIO ON! Listen to any or all of my titles for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

Let’s celebrate the McCabes together!

What an unbelievable last few days it's been for me as The McCabe Brothers boxed set reached the top 20 at various retailers, ranked #1 in several Amazon categories, and I'm so thrilled to share that it hit the USA Today Bestsellers list this week!  Needless to say, I am over the moon, and it is all because of you, my fabulous fans--words just can't adequately express my gratitude to you all!  Let's celebrate together with a giveaway of Welcome to Boston (The Friessens, Book 18), now sold everywhere.  Ten lucky winners will be drawn on Monday, April 15th--leave a comment below to enter!  

THE McCABE BROTHERS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION is still on sale at all retailers.  99cents at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play and Smashwords.  

Audio lovers can pick up Books 1 & 2 in the collection here (regular pricing applies):

Don't Stop Me - Audible US, Audible CanadaAudible UK, Audible FranceAudible Germany, Audible Australia  Listen to a sample here.

Don't Catch Me - Audible US, Audible Canada, Audible UK, Audible France, Audible Germany  Listen to a sample here.

Again, my sincere thank you for your constant support--I am truly grateful to you!


NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE

Did you miss the follow-up short story to WELCOME TO MY ARMS?  Paige and Morgan's novella is now available at all eRetailers!

Either this would be the biggest mistake of her life, or it could turn out to be the best decision Paige ever made.

After all, who accepts an invitation from a man they hardly know to travel across the country to get to know them better, from a note?

Will this turn out to be a mistake that Paige will regret and have her walking into something that she can't control? Or will this be a chance for love that Paige and Morgan are both looking for?

You can pick up this Paige and Morgan's story at AmazonNookiBooksKobo and Google Play.


GET YOUR AUDIO ON!  Listen to any or all for FREE with the Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

What do you have to get in order to be happy?


What do you have to get in order to be happy?

To answer that question, how many of you are immediately jumping to a material place, thinking you need vast wealth, a big house in a great neighborhood, a fancy car, and so much money that you could travel anywhere and buy anything you wanted?

You may even have a list of stuff you believe you need to have to be happy, and maybe you often say things like “If only I was the perfect weight…” or “If only I could afford that big beautiful house and sell this old dated house…” or “If only I could put enough money away to quit the job I hate…” You may think that only then will you be happy—but remember that anything you can get, you can also un-get. Although immense wealth can make you happy, you could lose all your wealth tomorrow. It’s happened to so many people. What you have today could be gone in a second, and that has nothing to do with happiness.

Nothing you can get could make you happy. In fact, your happiness is already a part of you. Some of you may be asking yourself, how come you’re not experiencing true happiness, and instead everything about your life right now completely sucks? Well, you’ve likely spent your entire life learning to be unhappy. The way we learn to be unhappy is by buying into certain mental models about the way the world works. We all have them, including me. You know the expectations surrounding jobs and promotions, having kids and getting them to act a certain way? Having a mental model isn’t necessarily wrong, but the more you invest in a mental model, the more that model becomes your belief system. Generally, the mental models we believe so strongly and buy into are ones that tell us we have to get something so we can do something, so we can be something.

Here is a great one that many of you likely heard while growing up: “We need to get a great deal of money so we can buy all this stuff, and then we can be happy, because right now we have nothing, no money, and are barely making ends meet. We’re under so much stress, and life totally sucks.” Maybe you find yourself saying now that you’ll be happy when you’re in a perfect relationship with the perfect guy or girl. If only you could get a better job, or the boss you hate would just have a heart attack, or your wife would leave without you having to pay her one dime, then you’d be happy. You get the picture. So ask yourself, what is the particular mental model you’re focusing on right now?

Now think about your life ten years ago and the things you believed you needed to have to be happy. How many of those things do you have now, and where has that left you? Are you in extreme happiness or in exactly the same spot you were ten years ago, saying to yourself, “If this happens, I will be happy”? The problem is the model itself is flawed, so we spend an enormous amount of time trying to change the “if.” Think of it this way: Can you remember a time when you just stopped and took in a scene of great beauty, a waterfall in the forest, the sky after a storm? I’m sure you didn’t say, “The rainbow is off center and needs to move ninety degrees to the right” or “There are too many trees by that waterfall. Someone get a chainsaw, please, and start cutting them all down, and then it will be perfect.”

The problem is all the problems you think you have and are struggling to fix. So how do you get out of it? Actions are within your control, but the outcome is outside your control. When you work toward a goal, sometimes you don’t achieve it, and sometimes you get the exact opposite of what you wanted. Someone shared this great story with me, and I had a good laugh over it: A friend said, “Geez, I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to my wife, and this has to change.” He bought a really expensive dress for her, and it was his way of showing her how much he really loved her. Of course, when she received the gift, he had this crazy idea of some exciting things happening for him… You get the picture! But instead, do you know what her reaction was? Not what he expected. She said, “After twenty years of marriage, you don’t know my size? You don’t know I never wear this kind of thing?” From there, a full-blown argument ensued. You know the kind, where the kids step out of the house and hope the neighbors aren’t hearing it all.

The problem is that we live in a world where we invest in expected outcomes, and we define ourselves in the following way: Here I am, here is where I need to go, and these are the steps I have to take in order to get from where I am to where I want to go. If I succeed, then life is wonderful, and if I don’t succeed, then I have failed, and life totally sucks. So what do you do? First, don’t invest in the outcome. Instead, invest in the process. What that means is you want to invest everything you have into doing the best you’re capable of. If you do your very, very best and don’t leave anything on the table, I think you’ll be happy with the outcome regardless.

I can tell you that’s exactly what has happened for me over and over, from my very first book to where I am now, maneuvering through a publishing industry in which very few authors can actually earn a full-time living. With every book I write, with every promotion I run, I put everything I have into the process, and what has happened for me just this week was completely unexpected, but I’m so totally thrilled with the outcome: I landed in the #1 spot on Amazon in romance and was the #4 bestselling romantic suspense author, and one of my books was #19 out of all books in the Amazon store. Additionally, I was #1 on Apple Books in romantic suspense and #3 in the entire Barnes and Noble Nook store. Did I expect this outcome? Am I looking in the mirror and saying to myself that I could have done better? Do you hear me whining and complaining that this isn’t good enough because I didn’t hit the #1 spot on Nook or the #1 spot overall on Amazon? No, because instead I’m saying to myself, “Good job! Way to go!” What I did was invest everything into the process, and I left nothing on the table, working my butt off to do my very, very best—and there’s nothing in this outcome that makes me say, “If only…”


RECENTLY RELEASED

Did you miss recent release You Are My Everything (The Friessens, Book 22)?  

Up and coming hockey rookie Michael Friessen has everything going for him: a future few could hope for, parents who are his everything… He doesn’t want anything more until one weekend before he secures a spot with the Canucks, when he wakes up with a ring on his finger and the hottest, sexiest blonde sound asleep beside him.

He tries to tell himself it was a mistake, that he isn’t looking for a relationship, and despite everything about her, including the night he’s still trying to remember, he’s determined not to fall for her. But the closer they get, the deeper he falls—until he learns that the night they met may not have been accidental.

Michael's story is available at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, Google Play and Smashwords. Or buy direct from me here and save 25% when you share on Facebook or Twitter!  And as a bonus everyone who buys You Are My Everything gets the FREE novella about Cat & Xander for FREE. Details inside You Are My Everything.


GET YOUR AUDIO ON! Listen to any or all for FREE with Audible Romance Package.

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync?  Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.


Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More
The Monday Blog

Who is ready for a FREE exclusive Friessen Family novella not for sale anywhere…

FREE NOVELLA

For everyone who purchased YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING, there is a FREE exclusive Friessen Family novella now available about Cat & Xander.  Just email me at lorhainneeckhart.le@gmail.com and put in the subject line the first 3 words of Chapter 16  from You Are My Everything,  and the link to your FREE novella will arrive in your inbox.


NEWLY RELEASED

If you didn't have a chance to download YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING, retailer links are included below. 

Up and coming hockey rookie Michael Friessen has everything going for him: a future few could hope for, parents who are his everything… He doesn’t want anything more until one weekend before he secures a spot with the Canucks, when he wakes up with a ring on his finger and the hottest, sexiest blonde sound asleep beside him.

He tries to tell himself it was a mistake, that he isn’t looking for a relationship, and despite everything about her, including the night he’s still trying to remember, he’s determined not to fall for her. But the closer they get, the deeper he falls—until he learns that the night they met may not have been accidental.

Michael's story is now available at Amazon, Nook, iBooks, Kobo and Google PlayOr buy direct from me here and save 25% when you share on Facebook or Twitter!


GET YOUR AUDIO ON

If you aren’t already an Audible listener, did you know that you can try audiobooks with a FREE trial?  No risk for 30 days.  Seriously, this is a super hot deal with Audible and a great way to have a listen to some of my books on audio for FREE in the FREE trial.  And if you cancel, you pay nothing.  What are you waiting for?  Click on your Audible country of choice below and try it out.  Then shoot me an email to let me know which audible narrator is your favorite!

And did you know... if you already own one of my eBooks on Kindle, you can pick up the audiobook at a reduced price with Whispersync? Whispersync allows you to both read and listen, and you can even switch back and forth between reading the book on Kindle and listening to the book on Audible without losing your place.

Don't forget to check out my brand new eBookstore where there are more ways to save and be rewarded--from refer a friend, to share on social media for a 25% discount, to my new affiliate program! More of my books will be added over the next month, so be sure to check back often.

Read More