Tuesday, September 6, 2022

FIRST LOVE - RELEASE PARTY!

Time to Fall in LOVE!
It's Release Day!

IWSG Anthology #7
Romance – Clean & Wholesome/Contemporary/Historical

And to celebrate, our authors have left you snippets about their stories. Get ready to experience the sticky sweetness of first love…


THE ART OF MAKING DOUGHNUTS by Linda Budzinski

A fiercely independent cop is softened by the guy who makes the doughnuts.

Excerpt:
    I was surprised when Pete asked me to join him for dinner tonight, and even more so to hear myself accept. Though, what choice did I have when he stood there holding that perfect little pastry, soft and warm and made specially for me?
    Half of me hoped something would force me to cancel -- a massive sinkhole downtown or a bomb scare at the station. The other half kept a watchful eye on the clock, counting the minutes until my shift ended.
    Because, well, the doughnuts.


MY HEART APPROVES by Melissa Maygrove

Will a maid who used deceit to snare a mail-order husband get a dose of her own medicine?

Excerpt:
    Addy sat in the chair nearest the head of the table with posture that would silence the harshest finishing governess, though she had lost the feeling in her backside and her legs. Her amber taffeta dress skimmed the edge of her shoulders without being too revealing, and her hair was expertly coiffed, thanks to Cara’s skill. Hopefully, her husband would find her appearance pleasing.
    She’d insisted the servants wait supper on him, even though it was a hardship.
    The candles had burned halfway down by the time his carriage pulled up.
    Addy drew a calming breath and waited. Long minutes passed while he dressed for supper, then approaching bootsteps made her palms turn damp.



MY FIRST LOVE(S) by Templeton Moss

The world’s most forgetful man tries to remember the first time he ever fell in love. We travel with him backward through his life from adulthood, to college, to high school and childhood…and then his wife sets him straight with a surprising revelation.




THE REAL THING by Sammi Spizziri

After months of chatting with "The One" online, Lola can't wait to meet her guy in real life and start a face-to-face relationship. But on the way to the airport, she gets stuck in a ride share with a stranger who breaks through her carefully-crafted persona. When the ride is over, she must decide between pretending she's someone she's not with the online friend she's worked so hard to impress or starting fresh with the unexpected, unfiltered stranger who accepts her in the real world.



CLYDE AND COALESCE by Kim Elliot

When Lizzie meets Fitz, the front man of a popular band, she is not a fan. He mocks her taste in music, wastes her time, and looks down his nose at her, literally. However, she needs his help to save the local radio station where her best friend Jane is a morning show host. As Lizzie gets to know the aloof heartthrob, she sees another side he keeps hidden from the public—a side she might even like. Will the two find a way to turn the sour notes of their first meeting into a love song?



THE CASTLE OF OHNO by S.E. White

Excerpt:
    No lights warmed any of the tiny slit windows. No one waited to welcome them inside. Indeed, only the wind soughed in her ears, as cold and empty as the castle. 
    “Why did you agree to marry me, Hippolyta?” he asked abruptly. 
    She sighed and hitched her little bundle higher. They’d been married all of six hours. She wasn’t sure she owed him the truth yet, but she also didn’t quite want to lie. “So that I could never escape, husband.”


MARMALADE SUNSET by Denise Covey

God brought them together a lifetime ago, now they are once again joined in love, entwined in their golden years.

Damon is perplexed. Cora, his Greek grandmother, his Ya Ya, wishes to visit the Greek Islands. Why wait so long? Is it related to the painting of a little blue house she has hung in pride on her walls for decades? On the island of Aghia Anna, Damon recognizes the house from the painting up the road from the taverna where they eat. Then Cora begins a lament for lost souls. The whole restaurant joins in. Is the soul she believed lost standing before her, summoned by the song? Is he the painter who lives in the little blue house?


PAPER FACES by Sylvia Ney

Helen Barnes wants the same rights as any man. Why should the pursuit of the American Dream be available only to males? Yet, just when success is in her grasp, she must question whether she is willing to sacrifice love to achieve her goals. The discovery of a man’s secret past might be enough to help her achieve her dream, but it would also turn his son’s dreams into a nightmare. Will she sacrifice her greatest desires, or someone else’s? 



HOW TO SAVE A PRINCESS by Katie Klein

Excerpt:
For a few weeks post-break-up, crossing paths with that handsome stranger was almost punishing. I saw him everywhere. And though he smiled politely and I smiled politely—not a word exchanged between us—I couldn’t help but think he’d witnessed me at my absolute worst as I yelled and cried and tossed all my ex-boyfriend’s belongings into the hallway...and over the railing in one very extreme case.

High school sweethearts, my foot.



OLIVER'S GIRL by Michael Di Gesu

In his youth, Oliver fell in love with his dream girl. Sixty years pass, and he has a lifetime of memories without her. With the help of his great-granddaughter, will Oliver find his lost love and start again? 


These stories will pull at your heartstrings and give you that warm, wistful feeling. Be sure to check out the FIRST LOVE IWSG Anthology. Here are all the details and the Release Tour dates:

First Love: The Art of Making Doughnuts
An Insecure Writer’s Support Group Anthology
Romance - Clean & Wholesome (FIC027270) / Contemporary (FIC027020) / Historical (FIC027050)
186 pages, Freedom Fox Press, an imprint of Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.
https://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/

Print ISBN – 9781939844880, $14.95
EBook ISBN – 9781939844897, $4.99

Links:

“…a refreshing read! This is a gem of a book that I highly recommend.” 
- Rebecca Boerner M Ed., reviewer

 “…this collection nailed the little bites of cute romance… recommend to anyone looking for an uplifting collection of sweet romance to fill an evening.” - Hayley Reese Chow, author

“This was a sweet, warm collection of love stories.” – Angie Titus, author

TOUR DATES:
9/1 - Book Blurbs - IWSG Anthologies Blog
9/5 - Interview - Kelly F Barr
9/6 - Review - Kelly F Barr
9/7 - Interview - Diane Burton
9/7 - Book Feature - Cathrina Constantine
9/9 - Book Feature - Sandra Cox
9/12 - Article, Working on an Athology - Elizabeth s. Craig
9/14 - Interview - C. Lee McKenzie
9/16 - Review - Louise M. Barbour
9/19 - Interview - Susan Gourley

Enjoy the Fall cuddled up with a cozy romance!