Love- under the snow #RomanceNovels #Writing #LoveStories

Another winter snowstorm completely covered my little area of the world in a sparkly blanket. The air after a snowstorm looks cleaner, more breathable. Everything feels lighter and brighter. My little house in the forest looks like a gingerbread cottage where dessert is always baking in the oven while everybody knits quietly in a rocking chair by a roaring fire. And that image is definitely a lie.

When the snow melts, we see truths about what’s hidden underneath. Sometimes, what’s under the surface of sparkle and shine is more beautiful, more lasting than one could have ever realized. My house that looks like a gingerbread cottage is rarely quiet, but the joyful noise and wonderful chaos of four people and three pets living inside the walls is a different reality entirely than the image projected of a quiet, gently charming house full of settled, stillness.

The beginnings of love stories are a lot like a town after a snowstorm— we see the mask of snow, the sparkle of light reflecting. The surface is just the beginning. As the snow melts, the hidden parts begin to show through. Similarly, as characters learn more about one another, strengths, weaknesses, fears, wants and wishes begin to shine through the exterior.

I enjoy writing the journey to the deeper parts of characters, the parts where they see beyond the pretty masks, beyond the cultivated image, and straight into the depths. The journey to a deeper, more enduring love— where someone sees the darker, deeper parts of the person they’re falling for and finds they like the truth even better— is one of my favorite aspects of writing in the romance genre.  

What I’m currently working on:

These past couple of weeks, I’ve been writing the last few chapters of steamy, paranormal romance, Hawk’s Heart. This will be Jordan and Luke’s story, and the very last book in my Stranger Creatures series. Each book in the series features a different couple in their fight for a happily-ever-after. I’ve also been working on a couple of romantasy novellas featuring women in their forties navigating unexpected new paths in life, as well as writing poetry and learning the how to write flash fiction.

You can visit my amazon author page for buy links and to learn more about the books in my Stranger Creatures series and my Haven Forest Resort series (also available at other e-book sellers like Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, iBooks, Google Books, and Kobo).

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert

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Celebrate Love Year Round

Many romance authors, and readers, don’t like Valentine’s Day, and I am definitely one of them. It’s not the holiday itself that I have issues with. I love the idea of a day devoted to love. I’m a loveaholic. I wouldn’t write and almost exclusively read these kind of stories, if I didn’t love love. Its more how the world perceives the romance industry, especially on February 14th, that I don’t like.

During this month there will be a hundred new articles put out, discussing why people love romance, is it good for you, is it bad for you, does it set unrealistic expectations, is it empowering, it’s enough to make me want to pull my hair out. While some of the articles are can be interesting and even insightful, most are more demeaning and annoying than offer any real value.

Even more infuriating are the bookstores, that suddenly realize that romance exists on February first, even though it is one of the bestselling genres all year long. They pull out romance novels, almost all with red and soft sweet pink covers and feature them prominently in the store, as if no one could find the romance section on their own if they wanted a sweet valentine’s day read. I know it is all meant in good fun, and it is nice to see romance books highlighted in a bookstore, but it would be nice to see them get their praise more than a few weeks a year.

If you’re like me, and Valentine’s Day has become tainted for you, here are a few other holidays that you can celebrate focused on love, but without all the pomp of that other holiday.

Earth Day/Arbor Day – Instead of just focusing on your love for one person, how about love for the entire world. Show some love for our planet. Instead of giving flowers or chocolates, plant a tree with your sweetie. The privacy and shade it offers might be a great places to get frisky.

Fourth of July – Instead of seeing fireworks from a kiss, witness the real thing. Celebrate your love surrounded by fireworks, hot dogs and usually some good drinks. Its everything that a great date can offer without any chalky candy hearts or singing teddy bears.

National Loving Day (July 22) – This day celebrates the supreme court verdict in Loving verse the state of Virginia, and the beauty of interracial relationships. I can’t think of a better day to celebrate love, then in honor of a couple who were willing to do anything to be together, even fight the very state they lived in. If that isn’t devotion, I don’t know what is.

International Friendship Day (July 30) – Not all love is romantic love. Friendship is just as important, and for many might be more valuable or longer lasting than romantic love. I can’t think of a day more filled with love, than a day devoted to the people that stand by you through thick and thin, through each first kiss and every subsequent break up.

National Hugging Day (January 21) –There is not better way to show your love than with a good hug. Whether its to a partner, a friend, a family member or just another human that needs some affection and support, hugs really are the international language of love. More than kisses, or dancing, hugs convey love and affection to so many. What could be better than a day celebrating so much caring?

National Love People Day (September 30) – How could a day devoted to loving everyone not be filled with more affection than any other day of the year? Spend the day showing everyone, from the barista at Starbucks, to your coworkers, to your honey, to anyone you meant, show them all the love you have in your heart. Not only will you bring a little more joy into their lives, you might also find your own heart expanded from all the affection you receive in return. Not just from one person, but from everyone.

These are just a few of the holidays you can celebrate this year, if you don’t want to get sucked into the Valentine’s Day craziness but you still want to celebrate love in all its forms. Because who doesn’t want to celebrate all the good things love brings you, all the different types of love in your life, without having to fill your shopping cart with red and pink hearts. I know I do.

And if you do feel like you want to get in that valentine’s mood, check out my book Heart’s Ultimatum, and read how Krista plans to make this Valentine’s Day the best one yet, but her boyfriend James manages to screw it all up, and possibly their whole relationship. It will be only $0.99 from February 14th through February 16th at Bookstrand.com

Buy Link: Heart's Ultimatum (MF) - BookStrand | Bestselling Erotic Romance eBooks

Blurb : Krista Matthews has been in love with James for two years, but he's never mentioned commitment. After she plans him the ultimate naughty Valentine's Day surprise, and he doesn't say those three magical words, she knows it's time to move on.

She may be plushy and curvy, but she still deserves someone who loves her for all she is. Wounded by the past, James Peterson became principal at a new school to escape his mistakes. What he never anticipated was meeting someone as amazing as Krista. She fits him in every way—except her need for a ring. When she dishes out a Valentine's Day ultimatum—give her more or end their relationship—all those old fears come racing back.

Does James have the courage to face his past for the woman he loves? Or will he lose her on principle?

Frozen Flowers – celebrating love and preserving hope #love #amwriting #hope #valentinesday

By the time February arrives, the bitter cold and early darkness of winter has been dragging on for a while, but there is a bright spot up ahead— Valentine’s Day. The commercialism of Valentine’s Day can be annoying, for sure, but I plan to use the day as an opportunity to show the people (and pets) in my life how much I love and appreciate them. Times are weirder than weird lately and I’ve been trying to find the good moments and small joys wherever these things can be found. Sometimes I forget that there are still decent people in the world and that spring always follows winter.

Frozen Flowers

Sun and light

melt

ice shadows into raindrops

Flowers in starlight

What I’m working on now:

I’ve been busy writing steamy, paranormal romance, Hawk’s Heart. This will be Jordan and Luke’s story, and the very last book in my Stranger Creatures series. Each book in the series features a different couple in their fight for a happily-ever-after. I’ve also been working on a couple of romantasy novellas featuring women in their forties navigating unexpected new paths in life, as well as writing poetry and learning the how to write flash fiction.

You can visit my amazon author page for buy links and to learn more about the books in my Stranger Creatures series and my Haven Forest Resort series (also available at other e-book sellers like Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, iBooks, Google Books, and Kobo).

Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert

Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

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The Forests After Fire #shortstory #romance #lovestory #flashfiction #romantasy

There’s always a little bit of magic, even in the most ordinary things. A song, along with some help from the universe, brings two strangers together.

#shortstory #romantasy #romance #seasons #lovestory #flashfiction #healingafterheartbreak

 

The Forests After Fire

The weather was still warm enough for one last weekend at the ocean when Caletta’s world fell apart. Well, not her whole world, just enough of it to ruin her weekend getaway and take half the stuff in her house. Her brain was too tired to wade through the mess he left. She had to duck underneath all the questions that hung in the doorway. Numb habits— a gift from a universe that understood that healing isn’t instantaneous, like striking a match or pouring water over a fire.

Trees and people take time, and by the time the autopilot light burnt out and woke Caletta from her sleep-walking life-dance, the leaves had changed colors. The trash can full of microwave dinner containers was full and she found herself craving something cooked on the stove. She soaked chicken thighs in butter and seasoned them with parmesan, crushed red peppers, and oregano. Spicy and savory. How long had it been since she’d been able to cook with red peppers? He had hated spicy foods. Dinner tasted so good she cried at the tragedy of eating it alone. Then she cried harder at how the sounds echoed through her half empty house.

The memories and the emptiness burned. Her tears burned too, long into the night. By morning, her tears tasted like the ocean and she wrapped herself inside her blankets to shake off the cold. Things were fine while she took a shower and got dressed. Her playlist begged her to sing, not quietly like she used to, but at top volume, until the lyrics were an anthem. She was happy for a few minutes, but then, the walls made her mad.

Every room in the house was some shade of beige. He’d convinced her that the bland tone would go with everything. Then, he’d made sure everything went with the beige, no contrasts, no vivid splashes of brightness— including her. Somewhere along the way, she’d learned to keep everything on mute, including her thoughts and ideas, because only soft, gentle things got space and love, at least with him. No more. Time to paint the walls.

Caletta dug around the boxes in the back of her closet and found her purple jacket, frayed jeans, and multicolor Doc Martens. Dressed like the Caletta that had been forced into hibernation for stupid reasons, she went to Best Mart. On the way to the paint aisle, she spotted the clearance section for Halloween stuff. Damn, I missed my favorite holiday! She’d missed that time of year when the veil was weak and two different worlds walked together, for those who wished to see. After Halloween, the magic was softer, quieter. But the veil that shew felt open every Halloween wasn’t the only veil, nor the only kind of magic that wound through what seemed like ordinary days.

She found a bracelet of tiny silver skulls that jingled and a necklace of red leaves and alternating white beads that gleamed like little snowflakes. The necklace didn’t seem to be in the right place. She checked the price tag. Definitely not on sale. She put the necklace in her basket along with the bracelet, anyway. As she walked down to the paint aisle, she heard a song she couldn’t place but found she couldn’t turn in the direction of the sound. She didn’t feel… ready. She shook off the strange feeling and picked out paint colors that would make her house feel alive again.

 

Matteo heard a soulful song playing through static. He wished Best Mart would fix their speakers because the music was… he didn’t know what it was. He needed to hear more of the saxophone notes and the singer’s powerful voice, but the sound faded out completely. He went on about the chore of stocking up on groceries and finding everything on his list for repairing the damage she’d done to the house when she’d left. Ordinary chores and an ordinary day mixed with memories and pain, and questions he’d never have answers to, but that song stayed on his mind. Songs were for hope while the forests healed.

On a night so hot, his ancient air conditioner gasped and tapped out, Matteo dreamed of red leaves blowing in the wind, of snow falling, and soft bells jingling. He heard the song again and found himself on a path of oak trees, lit by fairy lights. Something purple caught his eye, just a flash, then gone before his dream-self could get a better glimpse. When he woke to a broken air conditioner, he opened his bedroom windows and memories slipped out. Fireflies ate the worst parts and lit them up inside their bellies, one last, bright, awful time, then flew off into the night.

That November, the red leaf wind blew quickly into the first snow. The Autumn Festival of Lights in Great Oaks, Virginia began at sunset and Matteo, though he was running late, still managed to snag a good parking spot. He texted his friends that he would meet them soon at the arena for the outdoor concert. Strings of colorful fairy lights lit up the trees at the entrance to the festival. The sound of something softly jingling caught his attention.

A woman in a purple coat crossed his path. Her brown hair and lovely green eyes stole his breath and his words. He could have sworn that he’d seen her before. Somewhere. But he couldn’t find the words to ask. In the distance, he heard the band introduce themselves and their first song began.

“That song!” she said. “I’ve been dreaming of that song for over a year but I couldn’t remember more than a few notes.”

Matteo nodded. “I’ve been hearing it, too.” They found a seat together and listened to the band play. The snow fell on the concert and the universe wove her magic through the forest and trees, and into the two people who were ready to see.

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chris4lamb

Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

I have a horse, but I don't write about it

 

 Eleven years ago I bought a beautiful gelding, a horse named Mylord. I love to ride and I'm at the stable whenever possible. I take riding lessons, I enjoy long walks with him and I'm especially fond of riding through the woods. Once a year I take him on vacation to a friend's stable and enjoy a week of sunshine and more riding. If it's warm enough, the horse also likes to go to a nearby lake.

So I have a lot to do with horses, and I know something about riding. But in all those years, I hadn't written a book with a main character who also loved horses. When I realized what I was missing, my muse and I sat down to plot out the story for Riding with a Bodyguard. In the setting, it wasn't possible to make riding the center of the story, but at least I had a chance to include some riding lessons and some fun with horses.

I'm thinking about sending my FBI agent to investigate undercover in a stable. Maybe that will be one of the next stories...

Here’s an excerpt from Riding with a Bodyguard

 

Description

The trouble with a vacation is that you never get what you wish for.

Riding and hiking in the New York State national forest—what could be more recuperative? When Secretary Nolan’s wife decides to have a pleasant week of riding in the national forest she can’t anticipate the trouble waiting for all of them, and the snowstorm is just the beginning.

Excerpt

“Sir, aside from protocol—are you kidding me?” Walter Coleman’s voice was serious, his gaze set on Secretary’s Nolan’s benevolent, amused face. “I mean, you’re telling me this as a joke at my expense, right?” He arched his brows and cocked his head, watching the secretary take off his glasses for polishing. “Sir?”

His voice was gentle. “Walter, I’ve been married to my wife for more than thirty years by now. That’s a long time. Much longer than the time I spent as a student, soldier or politician.” He put his glasses back on and looked at the chief of security. “Diane was born and raised in Lake Placid. While the other kids were skiing and playing ice hockey, she rode. Her parents kept horses as long as she lived there. Though she had to move with me to Washington because of my work, she’s never stopped riding. She simply loves it.”

“I know that, sir.”

“If you know that—you should know better than asking me to change my wife’s plans on how to spend our few days away from all appointments. I promised to fulfill a wish. She’s been telling me about a cross-country tour on horseback for half a year. Virtually since the day she…never mind.” He lowered his chin. “Honestly, Walter, are you kidding me asking me to change my wife’s mind?”

Walter exhaled loudly, and only because Nolan knew him inside and out did he dare show impatience. “You’re telling me your wife wants to ride from one lodge to the next, every day another accommodation? Through the woods of New York State?”

“That’s the plan, yes.” Nolan turned to the small table at the window overlooking the garden where he had left his glass. “Away from all streets, away from all the hassle—just a few people enjoying days in the wilderness. Hopefully with good weather.” He smiled over the rim. “I know you’re making calculations, Walter, so let me tell you there’s no other way than for all bodyguards to accompany us on horseback.”

“No motorcycles?”

“None. Period. Don’t come with helicopters or planes or drones or whatever you had on your list.” Nolan put down the glass, looking completely at ease. “Aside from the fact that there’s no driving on motorcycles through a national forest—who would come and bother us? I’m not the most wanted person in the United States, am I? I’m also not on the list of endangered celebrities and such.”

Walter lifted his hands to stress his argument. “I understand that I can’t make you change your mind—”

“No, you mean I won’t risk my health trying to change my wife’s mind.”

“Yes, sir. At least consider staying at one place. One lodge. One place we can secure and make sure you’ll be safe when you get there. Take day trips through the woods, but, please, return to the same house every evening.”

Nolan frowned. “You’re telling me to bargain with Diane?”

“Eventually you’ll have to drive a hard bargain with her, sir, but under the perspective of securing your stay, I have to admit that the effort seems worth it. I can send a team with you on every route, but sending one ahead to go through security routine every afternoon and night is much more difficult. Not to mention you’d need more men with you to have them deployed in time.”

Nolan sighed but nodded. “I’ll talk to her. I guess she already had a preferred lodge in mind. As I said, she was born and raised in the area and probably knows every damn soul worth knowing.” He smoothed his shock of white hair. The slightly amused glance was back in his eyes. “Tell me, Walter, will you accompany us?”

Walter pursed his lips. He hated admitting that there were tasks he couldn’t fulfill. “No, sir,” he replied through clenched teeth. “I’ll have to stay behind. I’ve never been on horseback, and I don’t want to.”

“Ah! And who’s your choice to head the bodyguards then?”

“I’m quite convinced Ethan Mahoney qualifies for this task.”

Nolan nodded, grinning. “That fits perfectly. Find out who else knows a horse’s front from its rear.”

“Yes, sir.” Walter turned away, unable to hide his puzzlement about the secretary’s exuberant mood.

 

Buy at Extasy Books, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo

ISBN: 978-1-4874-0865-7

Formats: PDF, PRC, EPUB, MOBI

 

Alternate Dimension Days #Romance #ShortStory #FlashFiction #Love

 

Alternate Dimension Days #Romance #ShortStory #FlashFiction #Love

 When you’ve been under water for so long, coming up for air can feel strange. It takes some time for the senses to adjust to the sunlight. The reflection over the smooth surface looks different when we know what’s above the water and what’s below.

Alternate Dimension Days is a short love story about an alternate dimension that might have the light and hope that tech product developer, Jenna Kalen, needs after swimming against the current for so long.

There must have been a hidden portal to an alternate dimension somewhere on Irongate Road that Jenna Kalen had been accidentally travelling through some mornings. The portal ate time and spit her into an alternate dimension where she ended up late even though she’d left on time. Logic dictated that the lateness could be explained by traffic and construction on the roadways, except there were almost always traffic issues or construction detours. She’d been working at Delgado Star Tech for five years and up until the previous month, though she’d constantly been busy as hell with barely time to come up for air, things had been alright.

The last few weeks had been different. Unpredictable. Some days, she was really productive and she and the other members of the research team made a ton of progress. Other days, she ended up at work, slightly late, even though she’d been so sure she was running on time, and things seemed uncomfortably weird all day. Also strange was, on what she’d begun calling “time warp days”, she never really remembered parking her car in the deck, just running to the elevator, trying not to trip and fall on her ass. Things usually devolved from there. Obviously, she needed a week-long nap, followed by a vacation, followed by more sleep but her boss had turned down her vacation request. He’d given promises of a promotion to the team who developed the highest profiting product but the vague chance of a promotion carrot didn’t get her revved up on time warp days.

On those days, everything and everyone around her felt like a song being played slightly off key, so close to being fine that the mystery part of the harmony that was missing made her angry. Everyone seemed uncanny and gave her a sticky, skin crawling feeling, except that one guy who worked in the software development department. His hair was dark as night and his eyes were deep, ocean blue. His muscular forearms were covered in tattoos that reminded her of… something, maybe a scene from a movie or a story she’d once loved. She’d only seen him twice but each time, he’d looked at her as if he knew her. He hadn’t spoken either time, just nodded.

Maybe he had fallen through an alternate dimension portal, too. Maybe he could see how, on time warp days, the windows were foggy and blurred the out sight of the apple trees lining the street and hid the sunshine outside so that when evening came, the blur of darkness didn’t cut through any more of the windows than the sunlight had. Maybe he was sick of practically living in the Delgado Star building the way she was on time warp days. More likely, though, she probably reminded him of someone he used to know.

By the time her stomach started growling, Jenna decided she needed a break from working on the latest project. Her teammates objected heavily at the idea of stopping for lunch but she’d had enough— enough of racking her brain to help create products that she didn’t care about, enough of listening to her three teammates pick apart each other’s ideas without a scrap of empathy for one another, enough of their arrogant voices, and enough of the whole damn building.

The sexy, tattooed guy with the coal black hair stepped into the elevator with her.

“Hey, Jenna. It’s been a long time.”

The sound of his voice, smooth and deep, wasn’t the slightest bit off key, not the way everyone and everything sounded to her on alternate dimension days, but “Do I know you?”

“You used to. I stayed here for a while. Hoping you would find me again.”

Ah, hell. Was he an illusion? Was she so tired and off-center that she was imaging actual people? He took her hand. The man definitely felt solid and real. And… familiar.

When the doors opened, the sun hit just right, lighting up the world outside. She stepped outside into the light and broke the surface. The portal dissolved and the man with ocean-colored eyes asked if she was ready to leave.

She held tight to his hand and they swam to the shore.

 

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

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Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

Love and Time #amwriting #lovestories

These past few weeks, the weather in Virginia has alternated between pouring rain and blazing heat where even the breeze feels miserable, so I’ve been hanging out inside much more than usual. Since most of my outdoor plans have been cancelled thanks to the storms, I’ve been trying to find other things to do with my spare time. My air conditioner has been faithfully humming along in the house, but it’s still too hot to do much cooking on the stove, so I sought out recipes that are simple and don’t require a lot of (if any) time in the oven.

The watermelon sorbet recipe I found online called for frozen watermelon, lemon and lime juice, and some honey. I put everything in the blender and the result was amazing, better than any smoothie I’ve ever had before. The pineapple drink recipe was easy to make. The result ended up being what can only be described as way too pineapple-y. The pumpkin cookies my daughter made were wonderful and I ate a ton of them, so many that I don’t want anything pumpkin related for a while. The kale chips I tried to make turned out bitter and burnt. I don’t know where I went wrong, but maybe kale should just be kale and chips should just be chips.

I have also started drawing again. Drawing has started to feel like a form of meditation for me. I use watercolor pencils which allows me to put color in the picture and add texture without having to devote a huge area to mixing colors and cleaning paint brushes. My cats would make a mess of that kind of thing. My strategy is to work on a picture in the late evenings for an hour or two, then put everything away until the next day or week. The picture gets finished when it gets finished. Figuring out the shading, shadows, and how to give the picture a soul is a problem to be worked out over time, rather than a work project that needs to be solved immediately. Doing something on my time versus when someone else demands results gives me peace and energizes me.

When my children were small, there was no time for drawing or trying new recipes. There was barely time for showering. Now that they are a bit older, I am rediscovering parts of myself I had forgotten as well as finding small pockets of time to create new parts of myself. This gradual opening of time has given me the chance to explore in my writing as well, more so each year. I haven’t stopped writing love stories, it’s just that I’ve had so many ideas for so many different novels and short stories, I almost didn’t know where to begin, so for a while, I just focused on writing other things.

This past year, I’ve written a fair amount of poetry as well as some horror and science fiction short stories. I recently had a short story, Garden of Kings, published in Wicked Shadow Press’ Dead Girls Walking anthology in the purple volume. When my brain was ready, after trying a ton of new recipes and rediscovering my love for drawing and playing tennis, I got back to work on the romance novels in my to-be-written files.

In addition to working on the paranormal romance novels in my Stranger Creatures series and my Haven Forest Resort series, I’ve also started writing some new series where the female main characters are in their forties. There need to be more stories featuring women who have lived a while, seen some things, and don’t have any intention of putting up with a bunch of bullshit. Age and experience make women’s perspectives incredibly valuable and I am absolutely going to do my part to make us feel seen and heard.

If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and other fun stuff, you can find me at:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chris4lamb

Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com

 

My Top 5 Favorite Valentine's Day Television Episodes

As a romance author it's probably not a big surprise that I love love. I love love stories. I love any romance. If I'm watching an action movie, I want the hero to grab the woman he's been fighting beside and give her a good kiss. If I'm watching a sport, after they make the big goal, I want the player to point to the stands and send a thank you to their significant other in the crowd. 

So it's probably not a big surprise that I love some love in my tv shows. And even more so around this time of year. Here are my favorite Valentine's Day episodes from some of wonderful tv shows and amazing couples that I always go to when I need a little more love in my day.

1. Parks and Recreation "Operation Ann" - In this episode while running a Valentine's Day dance, the Parks and Rec Team also try to find a new beau for Ann. But this is not the part of the episode I love the most. Leslie, as a Valentine's Day gift to Ben, sets up a scavenger hunt all about town. The relationship between the two of them is so sweet, even though they spend most of the episode on their own journeys. And the acceptance and love they have for each other, and exactly who they are, is so beautiful, it makes me love them as a couple even more every time I watch it.

2. The Office "Blood Drive" - While this episode is not as traditionally romantic as some of the others, I love the other side of Valentine's Day that this episode explores. Not the story of an established couple that is having a wonderful night together, or even a couple enjoying the first their Valentine's together, instead this episode shows the other sides of a romance. That excitement and elation over meeting someone new, someone you feel you have a great connection with. And the disappointment when that new possible romance doesn't quite work out. And it has some public nookie as well, which you know I have a soft spot for.

3. The Big Bang Theory "The Valentino Submergence" - With almost all of the Big Bang characters in long committed relationships at this point in the show, this episode is tons of fun. Not only do we get to see all our characters at their most romantic, but they are also their most true to themselves. Instead of planning a big Valentine's celebration, Amy and Sheldon do what they love to do best. Create a special Valentine's Day episode of Fun With Flags. Bernadette and Howard enjoy time at home. And my favorite story line of all is Penny and Leonard, who show when Valentine's Day goes awry (which happens more often than not, in my experience), yet they still have a great time together, even if it only fries and hamburgers in their car, instead of the fancy fine dining experience they planned. 

4. Abbott Elementary "Valentine's Day" - This episode doesn't necessarily show a beautiful romantic gesture or event like some other shows, yet in some ways this episode shows an even more beautiful love story between these characters than it ever could with a date or a dance. While Janine and Gregory aren't in a romantic place in this episode, the gifts they give their significant others and the sweet way they treat them, just shows how truly well matched they are for each other. There is nothing that makes my romantic loving heart go pitter pat more than seeing two people that are clearly meant to be together, yet are separated by circumstance. And this episode, and really the entire tv show, displays that beautifully. I can't wait until these two are finally able to be together, I know it will be so special when they finally make that change. And this episode shows exactly why.

5. Modern Family "My Funky Valentine" - In true Modern Family fashion, every one of the story lines in this episode are hilarious. From Jay and Gloria banter, to Cameron and Mitchell trying to console Manny through his romantic qualms, there are so many reason to laugh. But by far my favorite storyline is Claire and Phil's. As a married couple who have been together for some time, they decide to meet up and pretend to be other people for a little Valentine's adventure. While I probably would have picked spicier characters if I were them (like a naughty student and professor or devilish billionaire and his shy assistant) I love this idea. The fun they have with each other is so wonderful, and shows how much they really love each other and how well suited they are for each other. And of course, running into her dad and his new wife at the very end is so hilarious I want to start laughing just thinking about it. 

If you like some good role playing on Valentine's Day, with a little extra spice, you should check out my book Heart's Ultimatum, that starts out exactly that way. With a little sexy fun between two people that truly love each other, until it all comes tumbling down...

And it will be on sale for only $0.99 from February 14th through the 16th. If you haven't read this book before, and you enjoy role playing, sex in a public place, and a whole lot of vulnerability between two people that love each other, but are struggling to make that love work after too much heart break, this is definitely the book for you. 

Buy Link: Heart's Ultimatum (MF) - BookStrand | Bestselling Erotic Romance eBooks