Silver Linings - A Ripple Effect Romance

Today is the book birthday for the second

Ripple Effect Romance Novella, Silver Linings.

You met the main character of this book in Home Matters when Drew helped the main characters Olivia (and eventually Pete). Now you get to learn more about him and share his journey. Even in that short introduction, my heart really went out to the guy.

Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin 

Drew Westfall wants nothing more than to forget what he had to do in the name of "smart" business. Cutting off all ties with his parents—including handing over the entire contents of his trust fund to a charity—he takes off for Bridger, Colorado where his best friend has an extra room for him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that his business degree won’t do him much good in a town as small as Bridger, but he's broke and has nowhere else to go.

Eden Torresi has every reason to wallow. Not only did she lose her mother, but she had to drop out of nursing school and is in a relationship with a guy unwilling to commit. But Eden isn't the wallowing type. Instead, she chooses to spend most of her time taking care of the seniors at Silver Linings Nursing home. When she learns that her boyfriend's new roommate is down on his luck, her caring nature makes her want to reach out to him and offer what help she can. But the more time they spend together, the more complicated things get, especially when the seniors of Silver Linings decide to play matchmaker.

 GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO

The rest of the books will release as follows:

Book 3 - Righting a Wrong by Rachael Anderson- April 7

Book 4 - Lost and Found by Karey White - April 21

Book 5 - Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver (moi!)- May 5

Book 6 - Immersed by Jennifer Griffith - May 19

Remember, while each story could be a stand alone, we do recommend reading them in order so you aren't spoiled, since they are linked.

Missed what this unique series is all about?

"Like a pebble tossed into calm water,

a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet,

perhaps setting a life on a different course—

one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

You can find out more about these books by clicking here.

A Big "Ripple" Day Today!

I have been looking forward to this day for a long time now. It has to do with the Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series.

So, what is this Ripple thing anyway?

"Like a pebble tossed into calm water,

a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet,

perhaps setting a life on a different course—

one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

What's fun about this series is that each book is complete in itself--except that a minor character in Book 1 will become the main character in Book 2. A minor character in Book 2 will become the main character in Book 3 and so forth. 

While each story could be a stand alone, we do recommend reading them in order so you aren't spoiled, since they are linked.

So what's the big deal today?

The first book launches!

Book 1 - Home Matters by Julie N. Ford 

According to her mother, Olivia Pembroke was born to be a star. But how is she supposed to be famous

when she can't even get a decent acting gig? Her lucky break comes when she lands an audition for a wildly popular home improvement show. Even though she has no design training and has never even held a power tool, she refuses to let that stop her. She's confident that her destiny is finally within reach. 

When her affections are torn between her heartthrob co-host and the irritating, yet somehow endearing lead contractor, does she continue to reach for the stars? Or does she design a new happily ever after? One that leads not to the fading lights of fame and fortune, but to a love that will burn forever. 

MY TAKE:
I read the book aloud to my hubby, and we LOVED it! There is so much heart to this story. And humor! I love to read to my husband because he's such an audio listener, and he doesn't hold anything back. In fact, I have to shush him in the theater.

We loved experiencing Olivia's journey with her. We sympathized with her, ached for her, laughed with her and at her sometimes. I wanted to smack her upside the head on occasion.

The chemistry between Olivia and Pete is fast--not in a good way either in the beginning. Pete totally cracked us up. In real life I'd probably kill someone like him but, you know, maybe not. His humorous snark and sometimes too-brutal honesty made his serious moments that much more profound.

For a romance to work for me, I have to fall in love too. I did, and my husband cried. This book is a total winner, and I will for sure read it again.

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | KOBO

The rest of the books will release as follows:

Book 2 - Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin - March 24

Book 3 - Righting a Wrong by Rachael Anderson- April 7

Book 4 - Lost and Found by Karey White - April 21

Book 5 - Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver (moi!)- May 5

Book 6 - Immersed by Jennifer Griffith - May 19

You can find out more about these books by clicking here.

Grammar Friday - Apostrophes (Part 1) and Other Random Things

Apostrophes, Part 1

Test sentence:

A good restaurant requires cleanliness in every part of it's operation.

So, is that sentence correct?

Well ...

it’s = contraction of it is or it has
its = possessive of it or belonging to it

So, if you can replace it's in your sentence with it is--and it still makes sense--then your word is it's. If you can't, then your word is its.

So, I ask again. Is the sentence in blue correct?

Extra credit question:

What happens when its is possessive?

Sorry, got distracted there.

Well, nothing actually. Its stays the same. Its doesn't have a special possessive form.

I know. I'm sure it feels discriminated against. Or, is that its ....

Word Processing Wars

Peggy Eddleman had a great blog post on Wednesday about which word processing system she uses. What about you?

Award 1 (unwarranted)

People have been really kind to me lately. I even got an award I didn't qualify for. Barbara Kloss gave me this:

I don't qualify for her thoughtful gift because I have too many followers. However, I can pass it through to other, worthy recipients.

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the giver
Danke, Barbara (in keeping with the German theme).

2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog--and follow them!
Melanie Jacobsen (she was my bootcamp instructor at Storymaker, and she rocks)
Jeff King over at Author's Union (he's such a kind poster)
Robin Weeks (I know, I pass a lot of stuff on to her, but she's an amazing writer, critique partner, and dang fun person--even for an attorney. Plus she didn't take me up on the bloomers meme)

Nancy S. Thompson (since she tagged me earlier with that unmentionables meme =D )
KT over at Out of My Mind

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
Done

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.

5. And most of all - have bloggity-blog fun!

Award 2

J.A. Bennett over at A Book, A Girl, A Journey gave me this cute award:

And what's amazing is the picture even looks like me now that I've had my highlights put in again. All right, in this picture the cute subject still has eyebrows (mine fell down to my chin). And I don't have hairy toes. Aren't you glad to know that?

Since this post is too long already and I've answered enough questions about myself with other awards, I will do one thing: Share a quote.

"I dwell in possibility." ~Emily Dickenson

Following are the folks I'm passing this award off to:
Kaylee Baldwin (she makes me smile a lot)
Jolene Perry (don't you love the cover to her book?)
Laura Josephsen (you've already heard me talk about her lots

ETA: That's embarrassing. This was supposed to post tomorrow. Dang Blogger. ROFL I changed the date again and now it says it's already Friday. If you're able to read this, you've time traveled to the future. Doesn't that make you feel special? Now, how will you get home?