A Busy Weekend, A Great Loss, and Two New Novellas

Yep . . . a really crazy busy weekend . . . one that kept me and my hubby hopping from morning 'til night! First, there were a ton of things going on in my church, many of which I had to be there to direct, so that sort of had my day planned out for me. Second, as hubby and I are "foster parents" for the National English Shepherd Rescue, we are called upon from time to time to visit our local Los Angeles County Animal Shelter to see possible English Shepherd that may have been turned in or found as strays.

So hubby and I drove out to see two dogs after we picked up my granddaughter (she's a junior in high school and absolutely determined to be a veterinarian), we got to the shelter in the middle of the afternoon. Since it's about 25 miles from our house it took a bit of time, and when we got there one of the dogs, a puppy about 9 months old, had been adopted (Yeah!!!), and the other dog, a female of about 3 years of age, turned out to be an Australian Shepherd mix. Nose too long, body too short--nope, not an English Shepherd. But it wasn't a total waste as we all love looking at the doggies and kitties and had a chance to spend the afternoon with our granddaug

hter.

Now for the Great Loss! As I am in a doctor-managed weight loss program (it seems that is

about the only way I manage to lose weight), I went for my twice-a-month visit/weigh-in. Great Googlie Wooglies!! I lost three--yes, three pounds of body fat which means that so far I have managed to lose 20 pounds. Now it has taken me some time to do that mainly because I HATE exercise. I did it for years--video exercise programs, walking programs, running two miles a day when I was younger, etc. I'm just weary of all of it, and so I push myself a bit, but I could do so much better. Just delighted that I have fewer pounds

to go to reach my goal.

Lastly, I encountered two newly published novellas that are by Karen Erickson, an author that many of us look to for very erotic reads and who never seems to fail. This historical is

indeed a quick read but it still tells a fascinating story of a woman who is now widowed and has again begun attending ton events. Only two weeks remain in the Season and Garrick, Earl of Bedingfield is quite taken with her and asks her to dance. She sees herself as a "plain Jane," a woman who has been out of the limelight of society and has very little to offer. She is not especially interested in re-marrying but she does fancy some interaction with a handsome man. When Garrick asks her to dance, she agrees. Now Garrick is one of those guys that is really OK with his life--money, sufficient time to pursue all his addictions and various entertainments, including brief liasons with feminine bits of fluff. Not the marrying kind, that's for sure. But Lady Julia catches his eye and somehow he perceives a woman of passion and beauty beneath her somewhat plain and uninspired dress. Not only does Lady Julia agree to dance, she proposes a fast and furious affair--just until the Season ends in two weeks. Whoopee!! This is right up Garrick's alley and he is more than happy to accept her proposal. This is a fun and romantic read and I was delighted to discover it. I am not usually one for novellas unless asked to read them, but willingly dived into this one because it sounded really fun. It was! It is a recent release by Samhain Publishing.

The second Karen Erickson novella is a contemporary romance that is the fourth in a series and completes the story of Eric, a man who has been in a menage relationship with another man and woman and who has now been effectively "kicked to the curb." His sense of loss has translated into a kind of hole in his soul, a kind of emptiness that he tries to fill with mindless and faceless sex with both men and women. It was during one of his many evenings spent trolling for partners that he met Stacey, a woman who found herself in a gay bar--for no reason that she can identify, ane it is here that she and Eric meet. No real connection, at least, not at first. But

something about her seems to catch his interest. It turns out that Stacey is best friends with Alexa--his Alexa, the woman with whom he was most recently involved with his friend Brandon. But he didn't know that at first, and the initial interest he had with Stacy, that tiny spark that wouldn't let him turn away, began to grow. This novella is another surprising piece of writing in that it tells the story in such a way that the reader is not really aware of its brevity. It is a story that seems to say that the holes within are never really filled until there is caring, affection, connection with another person who returns our love and who reaches out respectfully. This is a very nice story and while it is a quick read, it matches well with the other novella in spite of the fact that it is set in an altogether different time and place. It has been recently released by Carina Press.

So there you have it . . . a couple of days' worth of this and that. Hope your week is shaping up to be happy and productive. Stay well . . . stay cool . . . and keep those noses in those books!!