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Archive for the ‘Reflections’ Category

It’s a wet and rainy Thursday here, so I thought I would share one of my worlds with you. I don’t know how much you know about this series, so come with me and learn more!

Esperance was settle from Earth after it was discovered by the Seekers looking for habitable worlds to colonize. These individuals had psychic abilities that allowed them to explore the universe without leaving Earth.

At first everything was great. The world was lush, in a British Isles sort of way, with a lot of highland type environments in the more temperate regions. Earth supplied them with whatever they couldn’t yet produce on their own, while they got established. But when those shipments suddenly stopped, the young colony was at a loss. Not only could they not repair equipment which broke down, when a new virus swept through, they had no medicines to fight it. Over half the colony perished.

Those left were scattered and developed an “every man for himself” attitude, taking even more of a toll on their civilization, or what was left of it. But during their years on Esperance, descendants of the Seekers who had come with them had continued to develop their abilities. To safe the settlers fro themselves, they used those abilities to force a rule of law back onto their society. Dividing into clans, each family with the abilities or Talents to hold their clan together gave their name to their clan.

A few centuries later we come to Clan Brannach, ruled by the latest in the lineage, Jareth, the First Lord of the clan. The neighboring clan is Clan Belfort, which is where our story begins.

JARETH, FIRST LORD Book 1

Jareth is a young ruler, widowed and with no heir as his wife died in childbirth. It has been two years, but he’s not sure he’s ready to seek another woman to be his First Lady. On top of this, thieving parties from Clan Belfort have been stealing from his storehouses. As harsh as the winter is, his people will be seriously short of food and grains if it isn’t stopped. Though he has communicated with the other First Lord, he has heard nothing. It seems the only way to settle it is to make a trip through the ice and snow to demand restitution in person.

Viviane is a young widow in Clan Belfort. Though her family begs her to come back home, she has gotten used to being independent. But without a means of support, once the stock in her late husband’s shop is gone, she needs another option. She had never considered it would come from another clan.

As part of the restitution and penalties, Jareth demands his rights under an old law–the right of Choosing. He can clam up to 10% of the women of marriageable age to take back to his clan. When the women are gathered, one catches his eye. Then and there he decides she will be his First Lady, if he can win her heart. But she has a secret which threatens to throw their clans into armed conflict.

Meet me in Clan Brannach!

VIVIANE, FIRST LADY Book 2

Picking up the story from book 1, Viviane begins to settle in to the routine in Jareth’s house. But these new abilities she seems to be developing have worried Jareth. Once tested for Talents, both Jareth and his head instructor agree. She must begin training at once before all those abilities get out of hand. She never asked for these Talents and doesn’t want the. But it seems once they appear there is no going back.

The headaches are monstrous and the medicine to tame their is horrible, but her companion, Annie does her best to sympathize with her. At least she and Jareth are doing well together. And all those Talents tend to lead to some exciting times behind closed doors! Between his Talents as First Lord and her surprise Talents, tings heat up rather quickly.

Unfortunately they have to go back to her home clan for her brother’s trial for treason, which is where trouble raises its head. In anger, she uses her Talents to lash out at her brother when he attempts to influence her through his mental abilities. Realizing what she’s done, she disappears fight in front of Jareth’s eyes, meaning she has even more Talents to worry him. Now if he can just find her…

MORGAN–The Pixie and the Green Man Book 3

When Jareth went to Clan Belfort to confront the First Lord there in Book 1, Morgan volunteered to go to Clan Brannach and leave her homeland. From an abusive background where it seemed every man in her life had hurt her in one way or another, she hoped for a fresh start. But shortly after the move she is attacked on her daily rounds and very nearly raped, saved only by two young men who heard her cries. She was offered another jog in a market, where she wouldn’t have to be anywhere alone. The couple who owned the store were older and quite protective.

One day a young man came in to buy something for a snack. She remembered him from her previous ordeal. He had come to her rescue several months previous. He introduced himself, asked for he items he wanted, and threw a mischievous smile her way on parting. Soon his visits became daily as did his invitations for coffee of tea.

Finally, Mrs. Kennoway, her employer, asked why she never accepted his invitations, to which she answered she couldn’t. Fear of men wouldn’t let her go, even across the street. But James came up with a solution. He brought coffee and scones over to the market, along with a cafe table and chairs from in front and invited her to sit down for tea.

Come with me as these two navigate the perilous waters of romance on this fantastic world. Be prepared for magical abilities, spirit guides, and a bit of folklore!

TOO MANY TALENTS Book 4

After her traumatic experience at her brother’s trial, Viviane wants to banish her Talents. Maybe if she doesn’t train them they’ll just go away. Even with Jareth and her instructors explaining why it won’t work, she trains reluctantly feeling that the less she trains them the less danger they will present.

Unfortunately her trainers are right. After a few accidents involving her Talents she relents.Digging deep, she finally agrees to give it her all, even when frustrations get her down, leading to a bizarre game of tag in the snow and the weirdest chess game ever.

Meanwhile, in her home clan, Belfort, her nephew, Connell, is beginning to train his Talents as he steps in as heir to the ruling house. He doesn’t understand why Talents are necessary and he doesn’t like the headaches he gets during training. When his grandfather, the First Lord, suggests he reach out to his Aunt Viviane telepathically, he is amazed. How could they communicate from so far away?

His Aunt Viv was one of his favorite people. But her husband, First Lord Jareth, scared him half to death. The man had never been cruel or harsh toward him. He had tried to reach out and speak with Connell. It was just the incredible amount of energy swirling around him, which seemed scarcely contained at times.

Connell also has difficulties controlling his Talents. And when on of his old friends from home hurts a young girl who is his friend, his anger and need to talk to someone who might understand unexpectedly lands him in Jareth’s front hall. He had no idea how he’d arrived there and was even less certain about how to get home.

Come join the fun and games on Esperance. Another book is in progress, so catch up on the series before its release.

I hope this gives you a little overview of my world Esperance. It’s a great place to visit and dream about Talents and magic.

Happy reading!

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Welcome to one of my favorite vacation spots! Gambler’s Folly!

So where did it all begin?

My husband and I like to listen to folk music at times, and one day the song South Coast came on, which started me thinking about the circumstances outlined in it. The song tells of a man winning his wife in a card game, which isn’t something you hear about every day. Of course, it was set in a world a long time ago, back when Baja California was a much wilder place.

How could something like that happen in the modern age? Winning a wife in a card game… Hmm… How about a fantasy world, futuristic, where the normal rules on Earth don’t necessarily apply. Where a man known as the Prince of the Underworld can make things happen, or people disappear. Who also has more than one secret in his life, one being his shifter abilities as a black leopard.

Maybe his name is Damiano, and he owns a chain of luxury hotels and casinos, and someone owes him a lot of money from gambling. A man who has a beautiful wife named Karianna who could be in danger, if others come after him for debts. How can he get his money back and keep the woman safe?

It’s Gambler’s Folly, and a game of chance with life changing stakes seems the way to go. One turn of the cards and his debt is forgiven. If he wins, he keeps the woman, leaves the planet, and never comes back. Lose, and he casino owner keeps the woman, the man leaves, and never comes back, all debts forgive.

The cards are dealt. The debtor turns over a Queen high straight and thinks he’s going to leave with his wife.

The owner’s representative turns over a royal flush.

What nobody understood was that Fate was also playing. And when it comes to love stories on Gambler’s Folly, Fate always deals the final hand.

So this book, Gambler’s Folly, began the series. Imagine a world where normal everyday people can buy holiday packages to this exotic world, billionaires and high rollers escape the normal crowds on Earth, and where a whole department of Interpol is run by shifters of various sorts, all tracking contraband and the occasional murder that shows up with what they’re tracking. A world where shifters seem destined to find their true fated mates.

Book two takes a look at one of the minor characters I found interesting in the first book, Dante. A co-worker of Damiano’s, he has no luck at love. But back on Earth for Dam and Kari’s wedding, Fate is once again dealing the cards, and finds a match for Dante with one of Damiano’s cousins! Read more in Dante’s Angel.

Of course, there had to be more, what with this whole beautiful world to explore. And I found just the right character when I saw a photo of a Russian rapper, Geegun. First glance and I said, “That man is a werewolf.” And The Russian was born. Over 500 years old, he hunts alone since he lost his soulmate two hundred years ago. On Gambler’s Folly for business with Damiano and Interpol, Fate decides he has been alone long enough and deals the hand.

And the latest in the series is Old Flame, bear shifters and billionaires! Someone reminded me of a guy I once knew a long time ago, and I remembered he always looked like a big bear. And Kort Behrens was born, so to speak. He’s a billionaire bear shifter who, after two divorces and a string of gold diggers, has given up on finding true love. He’s going to Gambler’s Folly for business and, with a little luck, some rest and relaxation.

Elizabeth has been widowed for four years and isn’t at all sure she even wants to think about another relationship. Coaxed out of her little home in Appalachia, she discovers her kids have bought her a vacation package to Gambler’s Folly. With no way to gracefully decline, she is determined to go to this luxury vacation spot, take in the natural beauty, spend frugally, and return refreshed and ready to tuck back into her little place with her cat, Puzzle.

Neither of them counted on Fate dealing them a completely different hand.

So if you need a break and love luxury resorts, casinos, lively night life settings, come with me to Speranza on Gambler’s Folly.

If you prefer white or black sandy beaches, private islands, or quiet mountain lakes, I’ve got you covered! You’ll find plenty of that on Gambler’s Folly s well.

And this month, you can choose any one you want at a discounted price! Come over to Smashwords and discover my worlds at a discount!

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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I’m about to head to one of my favorite worlds–Esperance!

It all started with a dream that kept repeating ever night. A dream where a powerful ruler looked out across a crowd of women standing in a field, nervously waiting for him to make a choice. And when his eyes found those of a beautiful, raven haired young woman with sparkling blue eyes, he knew he’d found the woman he wanted to be his First Lady.

Esperance, a frontier type world which was nearly destroyed centuries ago when it lost contact with Earth. What brought it back from the brink of destruction was something peculiar to one segment of the population who had developed psychic abilities. They were able to exert enough influence to restore order once again and bring their people back into a civilized society, ruled by these multi-talented First Lords.

Over the years, others developed Talents in varying areas, which keeps things exciting. I mean, who couldn’t use a little bit of mental telepathy or telekinesis once in a while?

Jareth, First Lord, Book One of the series was born. After that the stories just seemed to flow. I had to tell Viviane’s story, once she’d begun to develop psychic abilities of her own. And in MORGAN–The Pixie and the Green Man, I explored Morgan’s back story. Why she came to Esperance and what happened once she had changed clans. The hesitant romance developing between her and James and all the intrigue which followed.

Of course, we had to delve into Viviane’s family, after her brother was exiled and a new heir chosen, in Too Many Talents.

Come meet these incredible people on one of my favorite worlds, Esperance! All books are right now at Smashwords

And as Always,

Don’t Forget..

…to Share the Romance…

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Well, today is one of those days and I need to vent. Sorry…

As you may know, I also write as Sultonna Nadine. She writes the stand alone books. I write the series. So far, she has four books in print.

Now today I was supposed to have a Book Club Author Q&A for Sultonna’s latest, Lady Calloway. As most of my books are, it is a cross-genre, multi-layered tale of romance. Set in an alternate Victorian reality, this historical fantasy romance pits the church against personal freedom. Our MC must choose between the church he serves and the woman he loves.

As a church agent, being married to a heretic can have dire consequences if he fails in his duty. But his heart says he must protect his wife at all cost. And when they both begin to develop forbidden mental abilities, they have to flee toward what they hope is a place of safety to escape the church they were once devoted to.

In a world where even your thoughts can convict you, where can you find safety, when the church is the law of the land?

Seems like it ought to be popular. The comments I’ve received have all been positive. They loved the duty vs. love angle, the multi-layered story.

Here’s a quote from a reader.

“I am still thinking about Lady Calloway, and frankly, I feel like I’m owed emotional compensation.

I came expecting romance. Somehow I ended up wrestling with questions about faith, danger, relationships, and human nature. That’s not a complaint, by the way. It’s actually what made the story so memorable.

One thing that has stayed with me is how fearlessly you blended spiritual themes with deeply human struggles. It made the characters feel real in a way that’s becoming increasingly rare.”

Or here’s another one.

“What you have created here is not a typical historical romance where the only obstacle is social standing or a disapproving parent. It is a story about faith, heresy, and the terrifying discovery that the church you serve would condemn you for the very abilities awakening inside your own mind… I came away from Lady Calloway with a clear and unshakeable conviction:

“This book belongs in the hands of every reader who loves forbidden love stories with real stakes, every fantasy romance fan who wants their magic grounded in historical tension, and anyone who has ever had to choose between what they were taught and who they love.”

So I don’t know what to do here. In spite of all the promotions I’ve run, and others have run for me, in spite of being all over social media and most major retailers, I’m not really getting any sales. Everyone says to fix my keywords, change my genre descriptions on Amazon, get it listed om Listopia, I’ve done a lot of that already with nothing ot show for it.

Is it time to stop trying to publish? Is it worth all the work for no return?

I don’t know. You, my readers get to decide.

For now, I’m going to have something cold to drink and wait for next winter’s firewood to be delivered. Maybe I’ll go over and work on another post and hope for the best.

It’s all right. I’ll get over my mood after a while.

Just remember for me,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Can you help me? I need a little advice from someone on the other side of the reader/writer line.

As an indie author, I do everything myself, not just the writing. The writing is the easy part. Afterwards comes the editing, and it takes time and effort. I am sometimes able to have someone help me with the editing after I’ve been through a book several times myself. And there is a program I sometimes use which helps point out words I over use, or which tone down the emotion of the book.

Now let’s talk about book cover art. I can’t afford to pay someone to put together the cover art. And the few times I’ve tried, I didn’t like the results. So I use an online program, sometimes with AI assist, to create a book cover I feel portrays the story I’m telling inside.

After all the editing is as finished as it can be, and I have the cover art, there is the formatting so I can publish it through Amazon or Draft2Digital–which links all my books to retailers through Books2Read. All the keywords to come up with to help place it correctly for people to locate it. I’m not necessarily the best person to decide this. People who read the books and offer suggestions come up with categories and tropes I would never have dreamed existed in those pages.

And once I get to Amazon or Draft2Digital, I have to decide what price I want to ask for. What is my book worth? There are suggestions in the documentation for each site, which I use to gauge my list price. I don’t want to charge so much people are afraid to take a chance on the book. But at the same time, I don’t want to give it all away for free. I do have sales several times a year. During some of those, I do list a book or two for free, and generally I give away quite a few. While I’m happy when people want to read my books, it is disappointing when they only want them for nothing.

With my last book–Old Flame–I paid several people to help with the promotion and marketing aspects and got absolutely nothing in return. I did just as well by myself. Now with Sultonna Nadine’s new release, Lady Calloway, I am besieged by promoters and marketers wanting to help me get my book out to readers. For anywhere from $200 on up.

I’m not made of money. Never have been. And if throwing money at it worked, you would think Old Flame would have sold like hotcakes.

You might ask why I don’t hire some of this work out. And the answer would be the expense of it. For an editor to do a final editing for me would be over $1000 per book, minimum. Cover art? Anywhere from $150 on up to as much as I want to spend. Formatting? Several hundred dollars. And then there are the book trailers and all the social media posts to put together. Trailers start at around $200 and go up from there. By the time I paid for all that, I would have several thousand dollars invested with no guaranteed return.

So tell me, what am I doing wrong? I get great reviews, when I get them. Most are 5 star reviews. Everyone says the writing is excellent, the tropes are popular, the categories are popular as well. And I’ve reworked the keywords and categories on all the outlets to take advantage of them.

What am I missing? I’m not complaining about the work, except the editing… It’s doing all the work with nothing to show for it, while getting all kinds of emails and reviews with people who love it, but apparently love it only if it’s free.

Go take a look at my author pages and books. And then come back and give me your opinion. Why would you buy or not buy my books? What turns you away?

Amazon Author page for Mellie Miller

Books2Read for Mellie Miller

Amazon for Sultonna

Books2Read for Sultonna

Anyway, enough rant. It has just been a disappointing year. If you’ve read any of my work, please at least rate it for me. A review would be great.

Have a wonderful weekend.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Ever have one of those weeks that just didn’t seem to go right? Where everything was kind of on the disappointing or depressing side? Yeah? That has been my week so far. And since a new week starts tomorrow, I guess it was all week.

I would say the most aggravating thing was an email I received from someone wanting to help me with promoting my work. Now I know I’m not the greatest at marketing and promotions. And in the past, I have hired people to help me with that–people who were recommended to me. They did help a bit, though not as much as I had hoped for.

A word of advice. If you want me to consider hiring you to help me with something, don’t write a completely disrespectful email to me, pointing out things I already know (because they’re in my bio), and getting things from my bio incorrect. (like the fact that I’ve never in my life run 3 miles 3-5 times a week) And don’t sneer at the fact that I’m doing the best I can with what I know to do.

Did I enter a book cover contest? I sure did, because I thought it would be fun and get my book a little visibility. Did I adjust my key words as suggested by a couple people I communicated with to bring it more in line for what readers may be searching for? You bet I did.

But am I going to quit using two pen names for my writing? No. Because those two names write different books. Mellie Miller writes the books in my series. Sultonna Nadine writes the stand alone books that take different paths. And each name has her own blog and page on Amazon and Goodreads.

I also cross reference them so people will know we are the same person writing two different types of books.

If you want to help–and you want me to consider using your expertise–don’t make fun of me. “I finally wrote a theocratic dystopia with telepathy. Then I discovered that my telepathy could not help me communicate my author name to Amazon.” 

This does not in any way help me are encourage me to use your services. Neither does, “You run 3 to 5 miles three times a week. Run your author brand the same distance.” 😅 And yes, this person actually put the emoji in the email.

Which book are they talking about? My latest release as Sultonna Nadine–LADY CALLOWAY–A Question of Heresy. If you’re a fan of fantasy romance, romantic intrigue with a dystopian vibe, some religious conflict, moral conflict, and duty vs. love, check it out.

Anyway, done with my rant. If you’re looking for either of my pen names online, check out:

Mellie Miller at Amazon or at Goodreads

Or Sultonna Nadine at Amazon or at Goodreads

Want to check out Sultonna’s blog? It’s right here on WordPress.

Sorry if I sound a bit irritated this week. I’m trying to turn things around.

And I still don’t run 3 miles 3-5 miles a week, nor do I intend to start.

And as always, friends,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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And most of the folks out there are thinking about gifts.

If you have friends who love to read, especially if they love fantasy and romance, how about a book from one of my series? In Jareth, First Lord, Jareth brings Viviane back to Clan Brannach during the winter. And later in the book, they watch the annual eclipse of the two moons during the winter–

“In the heart of winter the two become one, the past put to rest, the future begun.”

In Too Many Talents, Connell has a winter party with his friends. Think snowball fights using telekinesis and you’ll get the picture.

On Gambler’s Folly, there is plenty of snow for skiing. That ski run down the mountain in the dark to escape from the mob might be a bit more than Kari was hoping for though…

Don’t want tied to a season? Check out the rest of the series in Gambler’s Folly and Esperance!

All right, now you have the books. What you need to go with them is something to set the scene, like a candle from Mythologie Candles, candles inspired by fantasy!

One of my favorite pairings in MORGAN–The Pixie and the Green Man, with Verdant Forest.

Grab your book, something wonderful to drink, light the candle, and settle into the world of your choosing.

Don’t know where to look? Find the book you want and then go over to Mythologie Candles and look through their selection of scent scapes. There is sure to be something there to enhance your reading pleasure. If nothing seems to fit your book, you can always find something for the season, no matter what your taste is in candles. I will warn you, their scents are unique!

Now that you have some of your gift giving sorted, go find something for you to read. And a candle to read by of course.

Enjoy the holiday season and remember to take time to relax.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Yes, autumn. My favorite time of year. The temperatures are cooling, leaves are turning–not so much where we live now, but other places where I’ve lived. Evenings are cool enough to have a small fire outside, the wood smoke combining with the scent of the woods around us providing a relaxing atmosphere. And of course, all the autumn fruit–especially the apples! Not to mention the winter squash and pumpkins.

The garden is putting on a final push before the weather is too cold to continue. It looks like we’ll have more peppers than we’d reckoned on. But that’s fine! They’re tasty and go well with soups and stir fry.

What do you like about autumn?

Or do you have another season as your favorite?

Either way, welcome to the new season. And Happy Reading!

Go on over to Amazon and find a cozy romance to curl up with in front of the fire. The Gambler’s Folly books are still on sale!

But for now, go talk a walk in the autumn air. Enjoy the warm days of fall before winter comes our way.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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And I’m not even sure why.

What debate, you ask?

Print vs. ebook vs. audio books.

I know. Right? Does it make a difference? The purists say only print books are real books. Anything else is a poor copy, at best. And audio books don’t even enter into the discussion there. Others are fine with print or ebooks, but waffle when it comes to audio books.

Now, I know this is going to make one group or the other upset with me, but here’s the deal. I prefer actual physical print books. I love the feel of the paper, the smell of the ink, and the act of turning the pages to discover what waits on the other side.

That being said, I can’t afford to buy all the books I read, if I buy them in print. And when I travel, the weight of books alone would put me over the limit. So ebooks are easier and more economical for me, especially when reading a new author. Do I want to invest $15-$20 on a book I may decide wasn’t worth the $0.99 for the ebook?

Another thing to consider. Before my cataract surgery, I couldn’t read most print. On my e-reader, I could adjust the print size and the brightness, which allowed me to read while I waited for surgery. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to read at all.

What about audio books?

I love to listen to an audio book while I drive. With road noise, I find music difficult hear properly and get annoyed with the whole thing. But an audio book I usually enjoy–traffic noise or not.

And what about people who are blind or are vision impaired? Should we accuse them of “not reading,” because they don;’t pick up the physical book or e-reader? Must they be shunned because they choose to listen to an audio book? What other choice do they have? I suppose they could buy the print book and have a family member or sitter read it to them. But what is the difference between this and an audio book?

In my opinion, and only my opinion, I see no difference between the three. As an author hoping for royalties, whichever version of my book they buy still means a sale. Someone has chosen to read my book. And this makes me happy.

Folks, let’s not be judgmental. We don’t know the reasons a person is choosing a particular format of their reading material. They are still reading and that’s what’s important. It really doesn’t matter.

Just read!

Or listen.

But if you want to check out my books, or the books by my alter ego, Sultonna Nadine, go on over to Amazon or Smashwords and give them a once over. I also have 2 books available at Audible and one over at Apple Books, as Sultonna Nadine.

So, that’s my rant for the day. Don’t be petty. Be grateful for the opportunity to read, however you choose to do it.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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I know I’ve been quiet for a while, but between my husband’s surgery, my surgery, follow up appointments and physical therapy, it has been hectic around here. But I’m back today to say Happy Sunday.

I’m still plugging away at the editing for Old Flame. I’m trying out a program called AutoCrit to see if it can help make the process easier for my editor. I figure if it can catch all those words I repeat ad nauseam at least a little of her work will be done for her.

So far, I’m liking the program. It checks for a lot of things, not just repeated words, and I’ve found quite a few areas I need to work on. All in all I feel it will help me out in this final editing phase.

Not much else happening around here at the moment. I hope to be finished with Old Flame soon and get back to writing on Tiger’s Tempest. I also have to work on the editing for Gregor and Lady Calloway

Looking for my work?

Go over to AllAuthor. You’ll find links to all my books there and links for sample pages to preview!

Take care, enjoy the spring weather, and have a lovely evening.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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