Tuesday Special: A Call to Charms

DENISE SWANSON

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Chocolate, men, and magic. Who can turn down that inheritance?

If life had gone as she planned, Lexie Green would have been teaching English at a prestigious university, not persuading spoiled, rich women to buy overpriced clothes they didn’t need and often looked ridiculous wearing. Can you say electric yellow see-through skirts and Torn jeans with unfinished hems?     

Still, although this isn’t the life Lexie would have chosen, all is going well. At least until Lexie is fired and her deranged ex-boyfriend tries to kidnap her.

Deciding that it’s better to accept a mysterious inheritance from a great aunt she’s never heard of rather than end up kept in a cage as her ex’s pet poodle, Lexie packs up and heads to Kansas. So, what if she has to go by a new name and live in a town that she can’t find on a map?

Unfortunately, once she arrives in her new hometown, everyone there seems just a tad off-kilter and Lexie’s cousin insists that the citizens are magical. At least there are a couple of hot guys hanging around for eye candy. 

Even though Lexie doesn’t believe the nonsense about her being the Ravenscraft Shield, she does believe her father was murdered—a father she never knew existed, and she investigates his death. 

Too bad, whoever killed her father, now wants Lexie dead as well.

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New York Times Bestseller author Denise Swanson was a practicing psychologist for twenty-two years. She writes the Scumble River, Devereaux’s Dime Store, Chief-to-Go, and Forever Charmed mysteries, was well as contemporary romance. Her books all feature small-town heroines with lots of heart.

Denise’s books have been finalists for the Agatha, Mary Higgins Clark, RT Magazine's Career Achievement, and Daphne du Maurier Awards. She has won the Reviewers Choice Award and was a BookSense 76 Top Pick. 

Denise Swanson lives in rural Illinois with her husband, classical composer David Stybr.

For more information, please check her Website. You may also find Denise on Facebook or follow her on Twitter. 

Monday Morsels: Chocolate Coated

CHOCOLATE COATED

by K. Williams

Two lines. 

Well, that confirms it. With a deep sigh, I place the last test neatly beside the other four on the edge of the tub. Five is the magic number because if three of them came up negative, I could live in denial until my doctor’s appointment next week. 

“What do they say?” my friend Kari asks anxiously from the other side of the door.  

Sighing heavily, I throw open the door and let her inside. Her gaze flicks to mine and she frowns before hurrying over to the tub. A smile lights up her face when she turns around. “They’re all positive! You’re going to have a baby.”  

“Whoopie. A baby.” Blandness drips from my voice as I roll my eyes and twirl my finger in the air. Crossing my arms over my waist, I plop down on the closed toilet seat.  I knew when I couldn’t stand the smell of chocolate anymore something was wrong. Figures, I was right. Worry and elation swirls around in my chest. I’m ecstatic to be a mom but worry what the future will bring. Will this aversion to chocolate be permanent or is it just a temporary thing? I have no husband and no love life whatsoever, so how will my pregnancy affect those areas of my life. Stupid, I know, but those are the two things I’m worried most about right now.   

Kari reaches for the tests, but instead she changes her mind and pulls her hand back halfway there. “I would throw those away for you, but, you know,” her nose scrunches up, “you peed on them.”  

As usual, Kari makes me laugh. That’s why I keep her around. “No worries. I’ll take great joy in chucking them into the dumpster.”

“So… are you going to tell him?” She raises an eyebrow at me.  

I shake my head, frowning. “No.” Picking up the grocery bag I brought home the tests in, I lift each one, chucking them in the bag.  

Hands on her hips, she stares at me. “Why? You know he’ll man up for you.” 

“That’s the problem,” I protest. “I don’t want him to ‘man up’ because I’m pregnant.” My fingers draw quotation marks. 

“You have been in love with him since junior high school. Why don’t you just tell him? He’s your best friend and everything. I mean, I wish I had a best friend like that, but no…”

“Exactly. I’m his best friend.” I sigh, remembering the night that changed everything. “He doesn’t even remember that night, Kari. I’ve thrown all kind of hints his way, only to be met with a blank stare. If he doesn’t remember, who am I to tell him?” Tying the bag together, I leave my bathroom. I head for the front door, my heart sinking. “Nothing’s happened by now, so he must not see me as more than best friend material.” Even as I say it, I know I’m right. I’ll never be his, and he’ll never see me as anything more. It hurts to even think it. I brush a tear from my eye before Kari can see it. 

Kari follows me. “So you don’t think the father of your baby deserves to know?” 

“He does, but not right now.” I stop abruptly, and Kari runs into my back. I spin around on my heel. “Look, Kari, I want him to be with me because he wants me, not out of some obligation.” My breath shudders as I shrug. “But he just doesn’t feel that way about me.” Swallowing, I manage to push down the lump in my throat.  

“How do you know? Have you given him a chance?” Her eyes plead with mine before I turn away to continue my trek to the dumpster. “Remember when he found out you lost your virginity to Jess Baker? He didn’t speak to you for almost two weeks. You know he’s got to feel something for you.”  

“Elliot was just mad because Jess was a player who got into girls pants and then ignored them.” I toss the bag into the dumpster and turn back around heading for the building.  

Kari laughs. “I think he started speaking to you again, because the week after, Jess was walking around telling everyone he was going to marry you. Elliot couldn’t wait to talk to you after hearing him say it.”  

The ends of my lips tilt slightly, “He didn’t want to be replaced as my best friend.”  

We make it back up to our condo and close the door behind us. “But Seriously, Sutton. You really need to tell him.”  

“Elliot will know I’m pregnant,” I tell her, “he just won’t know it’s his and you won’t tell him. Right?” I give Kari a pointed look. Embarrassment prickles my body at the thought of telling him he’s fathered a baby stemming from a night he doesn’t remember. On top of everything else, I snuck out of bed before he woke up. No, Elliot really didn’t need to know that part, either. 

“Not my story to tell,” Kari said, “but you own a Chocolate Ice Cream Shop together, and he’s your best friend, so you better figure something out quick. Especially since you haven’t been able to stand the smell of chocolate for the past couple of weeks.” Kari raises an eyebrow at me. “You can’t work because of it and anything dairy sets you off. So, there goes your chocolate ice cream dreams.”

###

Pregnant.

By my best friend. 

Of course he doesn't remember our night together. No matter how much I hint at it. Sneaking out to avoid the uncomfortable talk that would come after and potentially mess up our friendship was the biggest mistake I ever made. 

What do I do now?

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Ten Gift Suggestions for Your Favorite Writer

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve reviewed Christmas lists from family members on an almost daily basis. Shop, and double-check the list. Shop again, and double-check the list. What can I cross off? What do I still need to find? 

It’s a stressful time for me. You see, I have a Murphy’s law kind of relationship with Christmas shopping. Family members provide their lists to make it easier, but can I find what’s on the lists? Of course not – that would be too easy! The stores either don’t carry the items or they are sold out. Hubby doesn’t understand why it takes me so long to shop. When he goes shopping, I swear the things he’s looking for just magically appear. If I wasn’t also shopping for him, I might drag him along to do all my shopping!

In case you have a Murphy’s law relationship with shopping, too, here are ten suggestions that shouldn’t be difficult to find for YOUR favorite writer! 

1. Amazon gift cards – Who can’t find something they want on Amazon?

2. Moleskin notebooks or blank journal notebooks – I was just a young girl when I received my first “nothing” book. The lure of blank pages was strong, and I filled them with poems and stories. Now I use them to jot down ideas for characters, settings, and plots.

3. Pens – Even though many people have smart phones, laptops, or iPads, I don’t know a writer who doesn’t love a good pen. Sometimes the ideas flow easier with a pen than they do to a keyboard, at least for me.

4. Post-it notes – I love post-it notes! There’s a huge assortment available: small, medium, large; yellow, pastel, or bright colors; lined or unlined. www.knockknockstuff.com has a variety of options with fun sayings. 

5. Tote bag – I never leave home without a book, and at least a small spiral notepad and pen. Instead of cramming them in my purse, I carry a tote bag. There’s plenty of room for a larger notepad, printed manuscript pages for editing, and even my Kindle Fire. 

6. Portable hard drive and/or USB drive – We all need to back up our work. A USB drive is great for taking files between computers, but a portable hard drive is a better way to back up our manuscripts in case we have computer problems.

7. Office supplies – A calendar-style planner, file folders, pocket folders, binder clips, 3-ring notebook or binders, colored index cards, a whiteboard and dry erase markers are some of the office supplies that come in handy for writers working on their projects. 

8. Manicure – Writers’ hands get a workout, whether they type or write by hand.  A hand massage is often part of a manicure.  I never dreamed my hands could feel so relaxed, but after I used a gift certificate from a co-worker to get a manicure, I decided it was something I should try to do more often!

9. Chocolate or favorite beverages – What better way to bribe the muse when she’s not cooperating?

10. Time – Every writer wishes for more time to work on their projects. In lieu of buying a gift, what can you offer your favorite writer to give her more time? Does she have kids? Offer to watch them for a couple of hours so she can write uninterrupted. No kids? Offer to run errands for her while you're our running your own. 

These suggestions are all a few of my favorite things. What would you add to the list?

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. 

- Charles M. Schulz