Lost and Found-Release Day

Kay Blake is one of my favorite people, and when she told me she was publishing a summer novella, right after her own summer wedding, I was thrilled. So congratulations, Kay, on your wedding and your book. I wish you all the best.

Lost and Found by Kay Blake

Genre: Contemporary Romance/Interracial Romance

Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Kay-Blake-ebook/dp/B010N2124M/

Here’s the blurb:

Zoe Reynolds life is thrown in a tailspin when she catches her fiancé sleeping with his receptionist. Reeling from his betrayal and wanting a change fast, she cuts her hair and purchases tickets to go on a seven day cruise to the Caribbean.  All Zoe wanted was some fun in the sun and some time to paint. That was until she meets handsome but shy Donatello “Donnie” Carson a forensics investigator who is on the cruise only to appease his best friend. Donnie is still hung up over bitter loses in his life, but with Zoe he is able to start living again.

Though both have past wounds, sparks fly and their connection sends them on a whirlwind romance. Can Zoe and Donnie let go of the past and find solace in each other?

Kay has provided the top ten list below as a little glimpse, for all you lovely readers, at how truly awesome she is.

My Top Ten Favorite Things about Summer

By: Kay Blake

Since, my novelette takes place in the summer, I thought I would share a few things that I like about the summer. They are in no particular order.

1. The zoo- I know how crazy that sounds, but I am a mama bear. I have three cubs and well, the zoo seems so much more inviting when the sun is bright and shining. I also love big cats, you know tigers, leopards, panthers and jaguars. (If I could have one-I would in a heartbeat lol)
2. Fruity drinks– I am a sucker for a good fruity drink and though I don’t drink too often this is the time of year that a Bahama Mama or an Orange-Cherry Champagne Cocktail
3. A good book- Because a good book goes along with any weather
4. Weddings- I may be a little bias since I just had a summer wedding, but seeing all the pictures of weddings in the park, beaches or anywhere in nature is one of my favorite things about summer.)
5. The beach- Give me a beach umbrella, a book and a beach chair and I am there)
6. Summer Fashion- NYC is one of the cities that fashion its peak. I picked out a few trendy pieces for my summer collection and I can’t wait to show it off.
7. Ice Cream and more ice cream- Because let’s face it, who doesn’t love ice cream?
8. BBQs- Most time Memorial Day marks the beginning of BBQ season. I love the burgers, hotdogs and chicken off the grill with a nice cold glass of lemonade. (I am drooling just thinking about it.)
9. Summer break for my cubs- When the cubs are out of school, I have more time to do things with them outside of the house. Outings and outdoor events are fun with the cubs around.
10. More time to spend with friends- There are so much things to do in the summer. Summer in NYC makes it easier and more convenient to hang out and have a good time with friends.

Bio:

Kay Blake was born in the city that never sleeps or as she sees it arguably the greatest city in the world (NYC). She have always loved written word and breezed through books all of her life. She decided to take a real stab at writing professionally in 2014 and have been on a roll since.

She is a mama to three cubs and recently re married. She is working on her psychology degree. Her guilty pleasures are chocolate, wine, a good book and horror movies. You can find her being sarcastic, while bawling at romance movies and being a super mom.

Social Media

Twitter: Author Kay Blake/ www.twitter.com/authorkayblake

Instagram: AuthorKayBlake/ www.instagram.com/authorkayblake

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorkayblake

Website/Blog: http://www.authorkayblake.wordpress.com

Tsu: http://www.tsu.co/authorkayblake

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/kayblake

Jennifer Senhaji was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, and is married with two children. If she’s not singing along at the top of her lungs to whatever is playing on the radio, you can find her making music playlists at home on her laptop. She works full time and splits her spare time between family, reading, blogging, and writing. Other than English, Jennifer speaks Spanish, Moroccan, and a little French. She loves to travel, but doesn’t do enough of it and will weave places she has gone or wants to go into her stories. Reading has been a passion for most of her life and she loves to write. She calls herself Your Sweet and Spicy Romance Author because she loves the sweet nuances of new love, but also is a bit of a voyeur and wants to be in the bedroom when the characters finally come together. You can find Jennifer and all her book links and social media links on her website at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Writers: You’re not an island.

Many writers tend to be introverts. The stereotypical fiction writer sits at home, on his/her computer, typing away in the hopes of creating the next bestselling novel. Alone.

We take walks, gaze off into the distance, and churn ideas into possible plot lines. Alone. Ooh, that couple over there, hushed whispers spit back and forth between them; agitated looks on their faces. That’s a story. Is he cheating? Will she strangle him later in his sleep? Sorry, I spaced out for a second.

Writers can sit at a table with friends and family laughing and talking, eyebrows furrowed, completely under the radar. Until someone notices that we’ve spaced out. In our own worlds, we memorize the scene that just came together, praying it sticks until we can get to a keyboard, or the very least, a pen and paper. She said something to me and made me forget that awesome idea, damn it. I should’ve stayed home.

But…There’s always a but isn’t there.

No matter how much of the writing process takes place alone, shut away at our desks, locked in our imaginary worlds, we can’t do this writing thing alone.

In my opinion, aside from loved ones, we all need the following:

• Other writers we can learn from, talk to, bounce ideas off, who understand what it feels like to get a rejection letter or a bad review and who knows how much a good review means.
• We need readers who tell us they stayed up all night reading our books. Who cares if we’ve only sold 100 books so far? That one reader, emailing or posting a review—that super-fan, is why we keep writing.
• We need editors. Every writer, let me repeat, EVERY WRITER, needs an editor. A good one that knows what they are doing. An editor that teaches us how to show, not tell. One who pushes our writing to new heights. An editor that has our best interests at heart: Makes us better.
• Proofreaders. We need them. Because even editors miss things sometimes.
• Formatters. This last time around, I pulled my hair out trying to get Smashwords to accept my document and all I was doing was hitting the Upload Now button. Formatters work through all those coding errors and make your books and layout look beautiful. If you’re up to the challenge, great. My blood pressure isn’t. I leave it to the professionals.
• Cover Designers. Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but no one will pick up your book if the cover looks like crap. Get a professional cover. You wouldn’t catch S&S publishing a book with a cover that looks like it cost less than a cup of coffee.
• Publicists. These people know what they are doing: How to maximize your reach, how to time your marketing efforts, how to spread the word without hitting people over the head with Buy my Book.

And guess what? The above mentioned are all people; human beings that every writer needs in their life to publish. You are not alone. The above mentioned is your tribe, your team, and you get to choose the players.

I believe a huge thank you is in order…

Thank you, Patricia, Melody, Samantha, and Katelyn of PageCurl Publishing and Promotion. You ladies rock. You make me look good.

Thank you Writing Wenches, 10 Minute Novelists, WLC members, Alliance Members. I truly appreciate your community and support.

Sign-up to join my Dream Team to receive sneak peeks and access to my sweet and spicy tips.

http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Click the photo below to join the celebration of release of Choosing to Dream.

Ramadan-Food for thought

My husband is Muslim. I’m not. We accept and love each other anyways. It’s a non-issue in our house. We celebrate Muslim holidays, Christian holidays, and cultural holidays together as one.

My husband fasts. I don’t. Or I didn’t this year. For those that don’t know, it’s a holiday that does not have a fixed date. It changes based on lunar cycles and lasts for about a month. Each year the dates shift about ten days earlier on the calendar than the year before. When I was first married, we celebrated Ramadan in December. This year, it’s in the middle of summer. That means an even longer day of fasting. It lasts from sunrise to sunset and there is no eating or drinking.

Sound crazy? It’s not. But fasting is crazy hard. That’s why, this year, I have opted not to fast. I’m a wimp. I admit it. But here’s what I love about the holiday:

• My husband becomes more focused. Yes he gets cranky when he’s hungry or thirsty, but who wouldn’t. He centers himself around prayer and making sure he is home for dinner (or breakfast in this case) and focuses on his family, work, and food. Lots of food.
• Dinner with friends and family becomes almost a daily experience. It’s hard, on a regular basis, to get a busy family to the dinner table at the same time. But during Ramadan, everyone eats together. Friends come by to eat. Invites to other’s homes abound. The family table becomes the friendly table. Grab a stool, claim a corner of the table, and dig in. Everyone is welcome. No invitation is required. There’s enough food for everyone and anyone who drops by.
• It’s healthy in ways you wouldn’t think of. Fasting is a way to detox from alcohol and other bad habits. Instead of going out for drinks, for fun we sit and play cards, board games with the kids, swim, or engage in other family appropriate activities which only provides more quality time with the kids.
• The TV is awesome. In Morocco, where my husband is from, every Ramadan the people become engrossed in the new mini-series that airs especially during the month of Ramadan. Like Spanish novellas, these are addictive. I wait every day for my husband to turn on the latest episode of Waadi to see if Mina will finally get together with Ali. Usually, while my husband is watching Arabic channels after kicking my son off Cartoon Network, I’m busy working at my laptop. But I’m telling you, these story writers really know how to keep you hooked and waiting for the HEA.

My eleven year old son is fasting for the first time this year. Most days he eats earlier than my husband, which is just fine since this is his first attempt and since the fast doesn’t break until 8:35pm. But today he went the whole day and broke his fast with his dad. We let him manage it himself. If he says he’s thirsty and needs a drink, then he drinks. Same with food, because let’s face it: he’s still a kid. But as long as he’s busy playing with his friends or with his video games, he doesn’t think about food most days until around 5pm. Of course, he is also sleeping late every day because he stays up with his dad late at night. It’s summer. Who cares.

I see my husband (sometimes I don’t because I’m fast asleep) wake up at 3:30am to go to work so he’ll be home in the afternoon to relax. Yet, I get home from my job at 6:30pm and he’s already making dinner (aka breakfast.) I’m very proud of him; of how hard he works, how much attention he gives our family. We are very blessed in our mixed faith home.

Sometimes things are completely different than they appear. Ramadan seems like such an extreme holiday to an outsider. They don’t understand how anyone could enjoy going without food and water all day long. Sounds more like a punishment to most. But it’s a reminder of those that go hungry around the world. It’s a time to pray and reflect on the important things in life. The holiday teaches generosity and kindness. It teaches us to be grateful for the food on our table. We take so many things for granted as a society and stress about so many things on a daily basis that are really insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Maybe all we really need to be happy is a good meal with friends and family. Something to think about.

Sign-up to join my Dream Team to receive sneak peeks nd access to my sweet and spicy tips.

http://eepurl.com/bjAzz1

You can find me and all my social links on my website at ww.jennifersenhajiauthor.com