Romantic Reads Valentine Hop

It was the February of 1989. We had just chosen our wedding rings. The plan was to receive my engagement ring for Valentine's Day...    

...so much for well-laid plans.

A week before our first official Valentine's Day together, Tim's boss took his small company on a bonus trip...to Disneyland. Um...what?  Tim sort of uncerimoniously gave me my engagement ring early. That V Day should have been a clue. Tim's been traveling on almost every V Day for several years: 23 out of 27 to be exact.  Um...yes, I kept count. It was easy because every one that we've spent together has been memorable.

There were an additional two dates together where I flew to be with him. Nice trips to Maui and San Francisco. Don't get me wrong...they were very nice dates. LUUVVED THEM.

Need a better date for Valentine's?

Try February 16th. It works for us.

If Tim isn't around and I can't fly to his work location, we've celebrated on different days. Sometimes before, sometimes later. Okay, I admit, sometimes not at all. We've even had a momet in a store and jokingly exchanged cards without ever making a purchase.  

On the subject of cards. . .

The best Valentine's Day card and gift from Tim was well-thought out ahead of time. It's precious to me and in my office. Total surprise. I had no idea he'd been working on it in his shop.  Along with a poem appropriately titled: Another Valentine's Day Apart. The second best was jewelry from Basque. (yes, he went without me)

Together or not. We'd gotten in a rut.

Three years ago I came up with a plan that's sort of worked. Tim didn't have any imagination when it came to planning a date. If we're celebrating, trying to make a decision where we go or what we do is a MAJOR decision. So I decided we'd take turns. I went first, with a day of massages, dinner and an action movie (no chick flicks). Last year, Tim knew he was up and didn't disappoint. He decorated our truck, had dinner reservations and a wine tasting class. VERY well thought out. We had a great time. 

?? THIS YEAR ??

He's traveling home on V Day. I'm not making plans for that night. Our date will be on Sunday...it's my turn to plan. Definitely keeping those to myself for the moment. 

So, if your dates are repeating themselves, try taking turns planning --switching years. Who said the one with romantic plans had to be the guy? Nope. Do what you want and bring your fellow along for the fun.

~Angi

I gotta know . . . 

What did you do on your favorite Valentine Date?

Leave a comment today to be entered for a $10.00 Gift Card.

Here’s where you "hop." 

Don't forget you can go back and leave a 

comment to be eligible for the $50 Gift Certificate.

Wed Feb 4th 
Madeline Martin

Fri Feb 6th 
Abigail Sharpe

  

Sat Feb 7th 
Anne Barton

Sun Feb 8th 
Mary Behre

  

Tues Feb 10th 
Cara Connelly

Mon Feb 9th 
Nan Dixon

Thur Feb 12th 
Shelley Coriell

Wed Feb 11th
Mara Leigh

Friday the 13th

GET LUCKY 

with our grand prize drawing for $50.00 on A Picture A Day.

Thanks for joing me. Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for today's drawing of a $10.00 gift card.

Get Lost with Debut Author Abigail Sharpe

So very pleased to present to GLIAS readers, Debut Author Abigail Sharpe, who just so happened to write. . . .

 

Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? (With This Ring)

Something Borrowed, Someone New . . .

There’s nothing florist Ainsley Fairfax won’t do to help her sister get the love of her life—even if it means taking her place on a bachelorette weekend at a Wyoming ranch so Cecelia can sail off with the man of her dreams. Ainsley is determined to spend the time keeping her head down and her heart safely tucked away—until an encounter with the ranch’s hunky owner gets her heart—and steamy desires—to bloom . . .

Riley Pommer doesn’t want to be lassoed into any relationship. But with the family ranch in dire straits, Riley knows his sisters’ crazy plan to turn the ranch into the setting for a dating competition—and using Riley as the bait—is the only thing standing between them and foreclosure. But the rules of the game change the instant Riley lays eyes on the spirited Ainsley. Now, as others try to stampede over their love, can Riley prove to Ainsley that true love is a prize worth fighting for?

ABOUT ABIGAIL:    

Hi, Abigail:  Yay!  Welcome to Get Lost in a Story.  GLIAS Readers, Abigail is one of our 2010 Unsinkable Golden Heart Sisters, so we’re thrilled to welcome her to Get Lost in a Story.  Quite a blurb isn’t it?  I’ll let you in on a secret.  I hate reality shows.  But reading that blurb and the motivation of the protagonist, I could really get into one like this.  I’ll settle for WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY? instead.  Sounds terrific.

So, let’s get to our fun questions!

DONNELL:  Abigail, do YOU like reality shows? And list some of your favorites?

 

ABIGAIL: First, Donnell, thank you for having me here.  I’m a big fan of Get Lost, so I jumped at the chance to be on here.

I used to watch reality shows a lot more often than I do now.  I preferred the shows that focused on talent – The Voice, Dancing With The Stars (which I totally want to be on one day), American Idol.  However, I’m a Florida Gator, so when former UF quarterback Jesse Palmer was on The Bachelor, I had to watch that, too.

 

DONNELL:  You're quite welcome.  We're delighted!  So, did the plot occur to your first, or the characters of WHO WANTS TO MARRY A COWBOY?

 

ABIGAIL:  The plot.  While watching Jesse, I thought, “Wouldn’t it be funny if the bachelor didn’t want to be there?”  And POOF!  Story was born.

Coming up with the characters was much harder. 

DONNELL:  What is the biggest change you’ve noticed going from unpublished to published?

ABIGAIL:  The surrealness of it all.  Is that even a word?  Also embracing that maybe I’m not a fluke and might actually have some talent.  Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? is my first completed manuscript, though it was rewritten 20 million times, but when I wrote the second book, Who Wants to Marry a Doctor?, I thought, I can do this!

DONNELL:  If you’re not writing, where will we find you?

ABIGAIL:  I have two kids in school, so hanging out with them or driving the Mom Taxi.  I don’t write until they go to bed (or are doing homework (and they don’t need help)).  If I’m not being Mom, I like to sing karaoke.  I’ve also performed in community theater (my last production was Singin’ in the Rain).  In case anyone is wondering, I’m an alto that sometimes sings tenor.  But not soprano.  Never soprano.  Even if I could hit the notes, you wouldn’t want me to.

 DONNELL:  Pretend you’re a bookstore ad:  What aisle and section would we find your book, e.g. romance, humor, emotional drama….?

ABIGAIL:  Fun and snappy contemporary romance. 

DONNELL:  What’s in your refrigerator right now?

ABIGAIL:  Ooh, thanks for reminding me I have to take the steak out for dinner.  I think a better question would be what’s NOT in my fridge.  Did I mention I have two boys?

DONNELL:  What’s the most unusual thing you have in your closet?

ABIGAIL:  My college roommate’s master’s thesis on international communication.  She’s from Germany and asked me to hold on to it because she couldn’t take it home yet – too heavy and too expensive to ship.  (Jessica, if you’re reading this:  yes, I still have it.)  She went back to Germany in 1996 and her thesis has been through two moves with me.

DONNELL:  What do you want readers to take away from your books?

ABIGAIL:  I want them to smile and laugh and enjoy themselves and be satisfied at the end.

 

Thanks for joining us, Abigail!  Readers, Abigail will be doing a book giveaway, either Kindle or Nook e-book but, first, she has a question for readers.

 

ABIGAIL'S QUESTION FOR READERS:  Do you like books that make you laugh?  Or do you prefer the darker ones?  What does your perfect hero do?

 

Contact Abigail via these links: 

 

http://abigailsharpe.com/news-and-books/who-wants-to-marry-a-cowboy/

www.abigailsharpe.com

www.chickletsinthekitchen.com

www.NoIDontThinkIHaveEnoughBlogs.com :)

 

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

 

DON'T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join Jillian Stone on Tuesday when she hosts Sandra Sookoo. ~Donnell