Getting ready for Valentine's Day

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​The season for romance is creeping up on us. It's in the shops, mugs with hearts and Teddy bears holding messages of love are waiting to be purchased and given to celebrate a special bond.

​I've been watching Valentine's Day craft You tubes videos. My favorite one is a shadow box with hearts in it.  I've also written romantic short story to be released in A Taste of Romance Anthology on Valentine's Day.

This year I'll be moving out of my home the day after Valentine's Day so it will be a challenge to think of something special for my parter, Sam. I have to make a conscious effort to think about what I'll be doing so it doesn't get lost in the exhaustion of packing up a house. Last year I gave him a framed photo of the two of us. I know he loves red so I'll be on the lookout for that colour. We've been together for three years so I might go for red boxershorts this year. Is that too soon?

Because it's Summer in Australia, I'd like to have a picnic by our local lake at dinnertime. The menu could include his favorite bottle of red wine and some chicken and salad followed by chocololate cake. I think it's important that I plan something to take us out of the moving day clutter and give ourselves a breather and some time to chill out together.

Even before I met Sam, I made sure I celebrated Valentine's Day. Sometimes with my girlfriends in a dinner out or if I was at home alone that night, I bought myself flowers earlier in the day, watched a favorite romantic movie and ate chocolates. No calories counts allowed. 

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What are your plans this year?   If you don't usually do anything I have something to give you a little push to put your romance thinking cap on. It involves taking the cap off your camera or swiping the icon on your phone. But more about that in a minute.

It's connected to my short story, being released on Valentine's day in the MRWG's Taste of Romance anthology. Brave in Love is an unusual story for me because it fit's into the suspense subgenre. But this is a stalker story with a difference. It's a shark stalking Portia while her beloved yacht is slowing sinking.
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How does that fit into getting in the mood for Valentine's Day?  To celebrate the Taste of Romance going live on Amazon for pre order, the contributing authors (me included) have a contest running. All you need to do is post a picture of what you feel inspires romance or you think is romantic on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hash tag #tasteofromanceread and you could win a $50 Amazon voucher. The competition is running for another two weeks and there's a winner each week. Click here to go the MRWG competition page for all the details and conditions. Don't forget to include the hashtag #tasteofromanceread so we can find your photo and include you in the random draw.  Also if you preorder the Taste of Romance Anthology it is only 99cents for 16 short stories. After the 14th of Feb it goes up to $2.99US. So that's a good reason for getting romantically inclined early.

Also I'd like to invite you to sign up for my inaugural newsletter. I'm going to be sending out my very first one on the first of February so I hope you'll find it entertaining. I have a little story about Sam's and my first Valentine's Day date that I'll only share with my subscribers. I'll also give you a sneak peak of my next book The Rinaldo Heir which won't be released until April. There will be a recipe, updates on my new home, which we're renovating.

I'd be grateful for your feedback and would love to hear what you'd like me to include in future editions. 

Wishing you the best of luck and a very happy, romantic February.

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