Tasty Tuesdays–My Nan-Nan’s Special Coffee from Bonnie Engstrom…and a Giveaway!

Tags

Bonnie Engstrom, Christian fiction, Clean fiction, giveaway, Natalie's Red Dress, recipe, Sweet romance, Tasty Tuesdays

Nan-Nan and Pap-Pap lived in a small house on the back of our half-acre property. Pap-Pap and his son, my Uncle Jimmy, were master carpenters who built the small house so we could be close. As a child I often wandered to visit Nan-Nan, especially because I knew I would get a coffee treat. At eight years old coffee was a special big deal.

Nan-Nan had a special trick that I still use today when I make real coffee. Back then she filled a rose-patterned cup with lots of milk and then elaborately added coffee – probably two teaspoons! Plus a lot of sugar. Finally she took her kitchen salt shaker and shook it over the brew.

What she told me when I grew up and graduated to real coffee has become a ritual to me. Scoop the grounds into the filter. No there were no paper filters in her day! No electric coffee pots, either. But every night when I prepare my pot for the next morning I take a big pinch of Kosher salt and sprinkle it over the grounds.

Does it make a difference? Does it enhance the flavor of my Starbucks coffee grounds? I think so, but maybe it’s my imagination or embracing a memory. Try it. Can’t hurt. If you like it please say, “Thanks, Nan-Nan, for the tip.” Enjoy!

Coffee plays a big role in my CANDY CANE SERIES. Seven women meet at a Starbucks in Newport Beach, California where they pray for each other, and two of them fall in love there.

ABOUT THE CANDY CANES

Twenty years ago six high school freshmen in Newport Beach, California formed a swim team that became legendary. They won the state relay swim championship four years in a row. In addition to their skill and devotion to daily practicing, they prayed together and vowed to be sisters forever. Another thing that set them apart was they chose their own swimsuits making them a team within a larger team. They chose red and white diagonally striped swimsuits and thus, became known as the Candy Canes. They always will be.

There are nine books in the series. Each book is written as a standalone, although the stories begin when the women are in their twenties, they build on each other as the women progress in age. Each book touches on a social situation: abuse, alcoholism, interracial marriage, infidelity, serious disease. Finally, after being forgiven by Doreen for causing the accident that altered her life and her leg forever, Melanie is accepted into the group and has her own stories.

NATALIE’S RED DRESS is Book Nine, the final story in the series. It is about a life-threatening disease and a sensitive subject. Please read with an open mind.

Will Natalie, the one whose friends call “the tough girl,” overcome her fear with the help of her best friend, Melanie?

Maybe Alan’s impromptu proposal will boost her morale when nosy neighbor, Gladys, accuses her of being a loose woman.

Natalie’s group of friends, the Candy Canes, gather to pray for her at their favorite Starbucks and even have a silly, unconventional pizza party with crazy ingredients to cheer her up. But stubborn Natalie doesn’t cheer up easily.

Hoping a change of attire from everyday gym clothes to something fancy will calm her fears she goes on a rare shopping spree. The effusive saleswoman persuades her and she splurges on an elegant RED DRESS. So not Natalie! When and where would she ever wear it? Unless, maybe, she invites a special man to dinner. But will he accept? What if he really loves someone else? Could he love a deformed woman?

A SPECIAL SALE ANNOUNCEMENT!

The entire Candy Cane Series goes on sale next week for only one week as an eBook Boxed Set Collection for only $9.99. But you have to wait until Monday, April 26. Sign up for my newsletter so you will be sure to get the link. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Some readers like to read the last page of a book first. If you are a last-first reader and want to read NATALIE’S RED DRESS first it is on sale for $3.99 at Amazon

GIVEAWAY FROM BONNIE!

Have a read or a cuppa coffee on Bonnie!

“I would love to give away an eBook of NATALIE’S RED DRESS and a $5 Starbucks gift card,” Bonnie says.

To be entered in the drawing leave a comment for Bonnie on this post. The winner of the book and the winner of the Starbucks gift card will be randomly chosen from the commenters next Monday 11 p.m. EST. Winners names will be announced Tuesday in the comment section of Bonnie’s Tasty Tuesday post. Be sure to check back to see who wins these great prizes!

About the Author Bonnie:

I’ve decided I don’t like impersonal bios written in the third person. I would rather explain who I am since I know best who I am.

I am a wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother who goes by the moniker Grammy. My husband and family are my life. But Jesus is first. He has led me down many paths from PTA volunteer, newspaper columnist, online prayer chain moderator and author. Each path has been lined with wonderful treasures of love. But the best path has been and still is the Grammy path.

I love the image in Exodus 17:12 of Aaron and Hur lifting up Moses arms. I am blessed to have many Aarons and Hurs holding me up when I get tired. To see six of mine and the one who has held me up for almost 56 years go to my website link below.

Life has taken me from Pittsburgh to Ohio to Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles to Newport Beach and finally to Scottsdale, Arizona living on a lake as I’d dreamed of for years.

Dogs are part of my life. Lola, the scruffy one, is on the cover of Melanie’s Blue Skirt. Lucy and Sam have cameo appearances in Cindy’s Perfect Dance and Melanie’s Ghosts respectively. Jake, our precious Min Pin on the cover of Connie’s Silver Shoes, is in doggy heaven. Sweet Arthur on the cover of Doreen Finds Her Groove was lent to me for the story by my friend Lisa. Sandy, the Golden Retriever on the cover of A Winning Recipe, is a characterization of Almond Roca, my friend Dorothy’s dog who jogged with me for many years.

Cats have always been important members of our family. Mr. Sunday was first. My mother named him because he came to our door on Sunday. Spats was a rescued laboratory cat when hubby was in grad school. He was super smart and could fetch and play tennis with a ping pong ball. Our kids had Licorice, Mudball who swallowed a needle, Dr. Pepper who insisted on jumping on all laps, and Aphrodite who lived to be 21 and a half. Our own children now have Blackey, Vader, Loco, Poco and Bingo – all black!

Now you know who I am. And maybe more about the stories I write. I hope you like the stories and will read them and post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Please check out the links below to contact me. I love to hear from my readers.

Thank you for supporting my books!

Connect with Bonnie on her FB author page : Website/Newsletter sign up : Book Bub  and Amazon author page to see all my books: 

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Musings from a Writers Brain-Breaking the Age Barriers by Bonnie Engstrom

Tags

Bonnie Engstrom, Christmas romance, clean romance, Her Secret Santa, Musings from a Writer's Brain, Older character romance

I love to write about second chances in love, especially about older people falling in love and overcoming complications and our culture’s politically correct expectations. Heck, old –‘ers’ hearts can do flipflops, too. I refuse to refer to them as elders. Sorry.

Her Secret Santa was especially fun to write because I modeled my favorite character after my granddaughter. It was doubly fun because the idea for the story came from my oldest high school friend, Sandy, who played Mrs. Claus a few years ago.

Sandy is a talented vocalist who sang at our wedding. But mostly she is a fun person who loves a challenge. Comfortable in the limelight, she loves to perform and has even named her little dog Diva. I don’t know if Sandy confides in her vanity mirror like Patti does, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she does. Sandy was the perfect inspiration for this story. Of course the book is dedicated to her.

Here is a teaser from the story.

What did Colin’s kiss, and his comment about brave, mean? . . . Had she done the right thing taking the Mrs. Santa job, or even applying for it? Was she too old to fall in love again? Was Colin?

. . .

Was she ready for love again? Was Colin? She knew so little about him, other than he was a Santa who cuddled children and a grandpa who cared. Surely God had orchestrated their situation. Hadn’t the teen boy who’d collected the application she’d filled out for Mrs. Santa looked at her in a strange way and said, “Good luck”? Silly thought, and she didn’t believe in superstition. But she did believe in signs. The Bible had many. Maybe she should get back to reading the Word every morning. That, and to find out more about Colin.

I hope readers enjoy the humor in HER SECRET SANTA and the loving, but sometimes colliding, personalities of Patti and her precocious eleven-year-old granddaughter, Tabitha. They make a unique team of Mrs. Santa and Elf Tabitha who not only fixes Patti’s knitting mistakes but guides her down the path to love. Oops! Is Tabby right? Did Patti kiss the wrong Santa?

About the Author:

Bonnie Engstrom lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her Santa Dave of fifty-five years. He grumbles putting the nine-foot tree up, but proudly anchors the angel on top. They live near four of their six grandchildren who spend Christmas with them. The other two live on the beach in Costa Rica and surf with their dad, even on Christmas Day. Pura Vida!

To see all of Bonnie’s books go to My Books page on her website www.bonnieengstrom.com.

Join her on her Facebook author page where she gives away books and stash every week. https://www.facebook.com/bonnieengstromauthor/

Chat with her in email at bengstrom@hotmail.com. Be sure to put BOOKS in the subject line so your post doesn’t fly off into cyberspace.

HER SECRET SANTA is on sale in eBook for $.99 all through the holidays! Enjoy!

Musings from a Writer’s Brain-Pondering Through, in and Around the Pandemic Brain by Bonnie Engstrom

Tags

Bonnie Engstrom, clean romance, Covid-19, essay, humor, Musings from a Writer's Brain, Noelle's Christmas Wedding, pandemic, Sweet romance, writing distractions

from Bonnie Engstrom

Brain fog! That’s what I have right now. Not really writers block, but a misty haze hovering around my head. My own personal cloud.

I know I have to write book nine, the final book in my Candy Cane Girls Series. I even started it and have two chapters. My publisher has been patient, but she did remind me right after book seven to hurry and write book eight because in a series, readers are anxious to know. I even have the title, inspired by a little old lady who walks her blind dog in a stroller in my community. Natalie’s Red Dress. It was easy to write Melanie’s Blue Skirt and Connie’s Silver Shoes, but Natalie is having trouble with her red dress. Rather, I am.

The blame game is easy. All the distractions and obligations are because of the pandemic. Right? I have to iron our pillowcases every Friday, the border of the sheet, too.

Yes, I have to. Crawling into a smooth bed at least once a week is important to my psyche. I never ironed them before. Flor always did it for me. But our daughter insists we have no one in our house right now. So, I mail Flor a check every week to make up for her lack of work. Poor thing, she has four kids and an elderly mother. Plus, she’s a prayer warrior.

Cleaning toilets is no picnic, either. At least I don’t have to mop the floors. Hubby has taken on that task. (Thank you, bad back, for cramping up when I bend over.) I have learned to cook again and relieve the master chef, occasionally. Ina Garten is more than The Barefoot Contessa, she’s my guru angel. Watching her videos sometimes takes up the afternoon. Can’t write when learning how to make zucchini casserole, can I? Will my hubby like it as much as Jeffery?

I cut my own bangs the other morning. I’m afraid to tell Robert. Or Lisa. My two alternate hair dressers. Have you ever tried to use waxing strips? They don’t do much for chin hairs, and certainly not for nose hairs. But, I can’t go to Kay’s salon.

It’s a sad commentary when the most stimulating discussion I have with hubby every morning is “What’s on Netflix tonight?” Or we rush to the back patio to see what the dogs are barking at.

Lola and Sam

“Maybe it’s the Golden Retriever. Or maybe the lady with the two little white dogs!” (Our whiny Lola hates the white dogs. Sam barks up encouragement.) I ask if he has any Skype calls with his university colleagues, and he asks if I have writing to do. Yeh, but . . .

I should be composing my weekly newsletter that converts to my Facebook page. It’s due to my VA Thursday. Thank goodness she’s forgiving when she gets it late Friday. Let’s see . . . there’s the American Christian Fiction Writers email loop with lots of chatter and questions I have no clue how to answer. There’s the Romance Writers of America forums for Pro authors. Boring. Everyone has an opinion. There’s the Moms’ Prayer Chain that I moderate. Lots of needs and thank yous back and forth. There’s the daily card I mail at the remote postal drop box just to get out for a half hour. There was the house I wanted to buy for our daughter and four grandkids. I stalked it every day. Can one really stalk a house? I did. I parked in front of it and prayed and brought up icons about perseverance on my cellphone’s Bible app. It sold to someone else.

Oh! It’s almost three o’clock. Time for my daily excursion to the mailbox to post a card to friend Jean telling her how special she is. Lipstick. Check. Watch. Check. Special bracelet. Check. Gotta feel human. At least I penciled my eyebrows this morning.

It takes exactly seven minutes driving slow to get to the isolated P.O. box for the 4:15 pm pickup. I still go to “the house” to pray. God doesn’t tease. He put the house idea in my head for a reason. Maybe it will fall out of escrow, or maybe there’s a better one soon. After my few minutes of prayer I wonder what the neighbors think about the crazy woman waving her arms out a car window. I doubt if they know I’m praying. Don’t care. The drive back home that should take ten minutes takes twenty-five on my long route. I prolong it by trundling along at twenty-one miles an hour in the forty-five-mile zones. Cars speed around me, but nobody honks. I am the little old lady, Miss Daisy, driving herself. No Morgan Freeman. I wish.

Then to stop on the way home at our bank of mailboxes to retrieve all the useless flyers and catalogues. I sort through the mail. Sam got a card from his vet, Dr. Nick, reminding him to get his teeth cleaned. Hubby got two bills and the Lou Malnati’s pizza catalogue. I got the latest Mornings with Jesus and a Steinmart ad. That’s a toughie. My favorite store, my home from home. Several years ago hubby had a quip, “If you can’t find Mom, call Steinmart.” Not this month, or maybe not this year.

Two of our grandchildren had special birthdays recently. Taylor turned fifteen, and Teagan celebrated thirteen. Big rights of passage, especially for girls. No hugs, just presents handed quickly over the back fence. Taylor had a party of sorts. Her best friend’s family came to sit on the lawn about twenty feet away from her family. Teagan got to indulge in her favorite sushi at Beni Hana since restaurants had opened. I count it a blessing that her family were the only patrons, except one man at the sushi bar. If you want to see the girls and their creative celebrations, go to my Facebook page and scroll down.

That reminds me I am giving away NOELLE’S CHRISTMAS WEDDING there to a commenter. Also, giving one away on this blog. Both signed copies, unless you prefer an eBook. You can have two chances to win it by commenting both places. It’s not just about Christmas or a wedding. (If you believe in Santa you need to read this book). Its message has a much deeper social issue about abuse and stalking (of Noelle, not a house) that takes place off stage. It’s the first in the Candy Cane Girls Series honoring Noelle, a teacher. (I love teachers, don’t you?) I hope you will like it so much you will want to read the entire series to meet Cindy, Candy, Connie, Natalie (yes, she has two books), Melanie and Doreen. You will also meet Jake (my sweet dog I still dream about), Lola (yes, the whiny girl who hates little white dogs) and Arthur, the dog who adopts Doreen and encourages her to dance. All the dogs are on the covers of my books.

Maybe Natalie should adopt a dog! One who pees on her red dress. I think brain fog is lifting and I have my story.

 

 

Nolelle’s Christmas Wedding

by Bonnie Engstrom

Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.

When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects? He prays for an opportunity to find out.

Then he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, and he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.

Noelle isn’t sure how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.
She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar where she learns he is the local rose expert. But, Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.

One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.
Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal? Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?

Buy Link

About the Author

Bonnie lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her psychologist husband Dave of fifty plus years. They have three grown children and six grandchildren, four of whom live in Arizona and two in Costa Rica where they surf. Pura Vida!

She is a PRO member of Romance Writers of America and a long time member of American Christian Fiction Writers; also, a member of Christian Writers of the West, the Arizona chapter of ACFW. Two of her books, Restoring Love at Christmastime and Melanie’s Ghosts, have garnered 5 Star Readers Favorite Awards.

Most of her stories are set in Arizona, and in Southern California where she and her husband lived for over thirty years and raised their three children. She likes to use real people (with their permission) and real-life experiences in her stories, and real dogs that are featured on her book covers. Readers love animals!

Social Media Links:

Website www.bonnieengstrom.com where you can see all my grandchildren and read about my writing journey, sign up for my newsletter and even order books

https://www.facebook.com/bonnieengstromauthor/ where you can win books and stash and have fun literary discussions and sign up for my newsletter

bengstrom@hotmail.com where we can connect and get to know each other. Be sure to put BOOKS in the subject line

Tuesday Wedding Tales–Restoring Love at Christmastime by Bonnie Engstrom

Tags

Bonnie Engstrom, Catherine Castle's Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, clean romance, excerpt from Restoring Love at Christmastime, Holiday romance, Restoring Love at Christmastime, Sweet romance

Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series,

where wedding-themed stories are the fare.

Bonnie Engstrom is today’s guest,

and she’ll be sharing about her story Restoring Love at Christmastime

The Story Within the Story of Restoring Love at Christmastime

 

The old hotel in Restoring Love at Christmastime is, or rather was, real. The inn was filled with childhood memories for me that were fun to recreate and bring up to date. The day before I was scheduled to send the story to my publisher I decided to revisit a few facts online. I was shocked to learn the historic inn had burned to the ground three days before. I was devastated and indecisive. Should I publish the story that featured the hotel as the background for love? I decided to go ahead. It would be a tribute to the rickety old building that had housed guests for over one hundred years.

My many summer visits to Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania had special memories of trail rides on handsome Traveler. Yes, the Traveler in the story is a tribute to a gorgeous chestnut-colored steed, the first horse I’d ever ridden. Jenni stands on the impressive wraparound veranda and borrows books from the hotel’s library – both authentic memories. That’s as far as genuine memory went. I had never seen snow there, but I do have a vague memory of ancient bathroom fixtures, old even fifty years ago.

My publisher retitled the book to add at Christmastime when we both latently remembered the story takes place during the holiday. A colorful new cover adorns it. Just before the new title was revealed the book won a 5 Star Readers Favorite Award. It was a fun story to write, especially the teasing banter between Jenni and Jake and how their old friendship grows. I almost forgot . . . readers will meet a skunk, an owl and a preying hawk. Trail rides can be interesting.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

 

 

Restoring Love at Christmastime

By Bonnie Engstrom

Why was Jenni taking this journey back in time during the Christmas holidays? Surely, Jenni didn’t expect to see Jake the stable boy. She had moved on from sneaking kisses in the barn after trail rides. He must have, too. Who on earth would stay in the tiny town of Cambridge Springs?

She planned for a respite from teaching, time to read, take quiet walks and indulge in delicious hotel meals. At least no one knew where to find her, none of her friends, and not even her family.

The internet site for Pleasant Springs Hotel highlighted an annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol that guests sometimes played parts in. That sounded like fun, maybe a minor way to fulfil a fanciful dream, if only for a few minutes. Hopefully some handsome guest would play Scrooge.

Odd the name of the historic hotel had changed. Who would have done that? Maybe new owners. She hoped the rooms were still filled with antique furniture. She wanted to soak up memories, alone. Unless by a Christmas miracle Jake was still there to share them.

Can romance still flourish after fifteen years? Will a teacher and a former stable boy remember their first kiss?

 

Excerpt:

They raised their heads, and their eyes met – brown and blue. Both sets of lips grinned and they dug in. Jenni was glad the kitchen had included a large spoon for her to twirl her pasta on. Her Italian friend Corentina had taught her that when she was growing up. It seemed more civilized than sucking the strands into one’s mouth.

Jake watched her with curiosity. “You always eat spaghetti that way?”

“Yes. It’s the proper way to eat long pasta. You don’t?”

“Naw. I just chop it up.” He proceeded to do so, almost mashing it. He shoved a big forkful in his mouth.

“But, that takes the fun out of it. And, it’s easy to twirl.” She demonstrated. “See!”

“Oh, boy! You gonna make an issue of how I eat?” He put his fork down and glared at her. “If there is any future for our relationship, we shouldn’t squabble over eating habits.”

Squabble? Future? What was he insinuating?

Want to read more? Restoring Love at Christmastime is available in eBook and print at https://amzn.to/2OtSRoW.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

About the Author:

Bonnie Engstrom is a multi-published author who mostly writes romances. She has published fourteen books and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America and Christian Writers of the West.

She and her Ph.D. psychologist husband, Dave, reside in Arizona near four of their six grandchildren. The other two live in Costa Rica on the beach with their father who surfs every day and has taught the boys to surf and skateboard since they were toddlers. Pura Vida!

Bonnie spends a lot of her time, when not writing, helping with the four Arizona grandkids. Dave is a full-time faculty member and faculty advisor at the University of Phoenix, as well as a psychologist at Honor Health Medical Center, Scottsdale, Arizona.

They have been a team for fifty-three years.

Please visit Bonnie at her website to see the grandchildren and figure out who the surfing ones are. Fun fact: The little red-head imp recently got baptized with her.

Follow her on Twitter at @BonnieEngstrom1 and on Facebook

Email her at bengstrom@hotmail.com. Please put BOOK in the subject line so your post doesn’t fly off into cyberspace.

She loves to hear from her readers, and reviews are a special way to say you liked her books.

A Writer’s Garden–My “Rose Garden” by Bonnie Engstrom

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Bonnie Engstrom, Candy Cane Rose, Noelle's Christmas Wedding, Rose gardens

Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.

Today’s guest is Bonnie Engstrom. Roses inspire her, especially the Candy Cane rose. I’ll let her tell you the story of how a rose inspired her. Welcome, Bonnie

Candy Cane Rose

My “Rose Garden.”

Yes, it’s in quotation marks because I can’t exactly call it a garden. It’s more of a fitting in with the community status quo. I’m not exactly trying to keep up with the neighbors with my roses – not a chance. But, they have inspired me.

When we moved from California twelve years ago, I left one small elegant rose bush in my back yard. The mother of one of my daughter’s high school friends gave it to me as a thank you for something I did for her daughter. It bloomed in spite of my neglect.

Our current home next to our neighbor Harriet’s is intimidating. Her roses are glorious. Judith across the way had beautiful ones, too. I was jealous. I learned later that Judith had a rose expert come weekly to pamper hers. Harriet did her own rose pampering. She agreed to accompany me to the most well-known nursery in Phoenix to help me choose some bushes. She gave excellent advice.

As part of my new infatuation I wrote a story based on Candy Cane roses. But, just writing about them wouldn’t do. I found a Candy Cane rose bush at our local Home Depot. Much smaller than the already planted and flourishing bushes, it does produce blooms striped with red, but not as large as the yellow, white, pink and my favorite magenta ones. I just googled magenta – what fun! It says, “Magenta is the color of the non-conformist, the free spirit. It pushes you to take responsibility for creating your own path in life and increases dream activity while assisting you in turning your ambitions and desires into reality.” Wow! I hope that’s me.

The idea of the Candy Cane roses inspired me. In the first book in my Candy Cane Girls Series, Noelle’s Christmas Wedding, the hero, Braydon, is a rose expert. He gives a presentation to her mother’s Newport Beach garden club and offers to plant a rose bush for her. Noelle gets to help while listening to Braydon whisper Scripture. She learns he is the rose expert for the famous Sherman Foundation Gardens in Corona del Mar, California. He takes her on a garden tour and proposes. Well, not there, but in a Santa suit. Can you guess where they marry?

Sadly, I am not much of a gardener. My only success was strawberries in one of those special pots where you can’t go wrong. Not even the easy to grow tomatoes survived, nor the basil. Although, it lasted long enough for me to use it in spaghetti sauce once. I depend on the weekly gardening service to prune and feed my rose bushes. I do have beautiful roses . . . occasionally. When I do, I often take one to my daughter at her work. But, I hate those thorns!

I wish Braydon was real and could jump right out of my story to tend to the roses, at least the Candy Cane ones.

 

About the Gardener/Writer

Bonnie is a long time member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a Pro member of Romance Writers of America.

Visit Bonnie’s website http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see all the grandkids and sign up for her newsletter Life On The Lake.

She loves to hear from readers, so be sure to email her at bengstrom@hotmail.com with BOOK in the subject line.

You can see her books and the collections she is in at http://amzn.to/2CVT8Mc. All her books are available on Amazon.

 

Noelle’s Christmas Wedding

By Bonnie Engstrom

 

Noelle Day finally has the courage to break off her ill-fated engagement with her volatile fiancé and cancel their Christmas wedding. It’s embarrassing, and she has to share the humiliating reason with her friends The Candy Canes. The other five girls were to be her attendants in red taffeta gowns.

When she faints and falls into the arms of Braydon Lovejoy, the now former wedding florist, Braydon is confused by her abrupt manner. Who is this beautiful woman with the sepia hair and the huge brown eyes? Is she a damsel in distress as he suspects? He prays for an opportunity to find out.

Then he backs his delivery van into her precious red car, and he’s sure she would never go out with him, especially since he was hired to deliver a huge bouquet of roses to her from a secret admirer.

Noelle isn’t sure how to respond when Bruce, the school principal, physically forces himself on her. After all, he is her boss, and she’s just a first year English teacher.
She finally accepts a lunch date with Braydon, and he takes her to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar where she learns he is the local rose expert. But, Noelle worries their friendship is happening too fast and calls a respite.

One of the Candy Canes has a tragic accident, and the women bond together. But Braydon, who is not sure why he is involved, becomes their anchor.

Will Braydon’s prayers heal the hurts, physically and emotionally? Will the injured Candy Cane forgive the woman who caused her accident, the woman who is related to Bruce the principal?

Will Noelle ever have her California Candy Cane Christmas?

Tuesday Wedding Tales–Cindy’s Perfect Dance by Bonnie Engstrom

Tags

Bonnie Engstrom, Catherine Castle's Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, Cindy's Perfect Dance, clean romance, Inspirational romance, Sweet romance, The Candy Cane Girls series

 

Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

 

 

Today’s guest is Bonnie Engstrom. She’ll be talking about Cindy’s Perfect Dance, one of the books in her Candy Cane Girls Series. Bonnie is giving a way a copy of Cindy’s Perfect Dance, either ebook or a print copy, to one lucky commentor. To be entered in the drawing, just leave a comment on her post. Welcome, Bonnie.

 

 

 

Thanks, Catherine.

What if your best friend is getting married to a gorgeous hunk who is rich? And you are the Maid of Honor? And his brother is the Best Man?

Cindy never planned to be attracted to Rob, but because he felt it was protocol he insisted they dance together. Neither really expected to feel the chemistry between them. And, dancing in the parking lot? What was that all about?

Cindy and Rob’s story of love captured my heart. It was so surprising, especially with all the problems attached to it. Rob’s alcoholism and his commitment to AA, as well as his physical problems seemed monumental . . . at first. Cindy believes she can overcome those, until Emily confronts Rob saying she believed he loved her.

Cindy is a strong woman, but her love for Rob is stronger.

This story grew out of the first of The Candy Cane Girls Series. The six girls have a strong bond formed in a former high school swim team. They stick together in prayer and support.

I started to write this series before I realized it could become a series. Suddenly, it became close to my heart. I hope you will explore the series, now in its sixth book, Melanie’s Blue Skirt. In Cindy you will see all my grandchildren and a beautiful wedding on the beach of Playa Hermosa Costa Rica. I think it will make you want to follow the Candy Cane Girls to learn what Noelle, Candy and Connie and Natalie and Melanie have in their future. Oops, Doreen, too. But her story may be last. She’s in love with the most gorgeous man of all, an international model.

All the Candy Cane Girls stories are set in Newport Beach. I use many actual places in each story. Cindy and Rob shop for her engagement ring in Fashion Island outdoor mall. I wanted them to finally purchase it at Traditional Jewelers for several reasons; the owner attended my church (Mariners, which is also the church that sponsors the couple to mission in Costa Rica) and he and his family lived in my community. I had the scene where Rob goes to pick up the ring all set up, then he learns the owner suddenly died a few days ago. That is what actually happened, so I wrote it into the book.

I had also been searching for a way to include my grandchildren in a book. Since our son and his two boys live in Costa Rica I decided to have Cindy and Rob’s wedding take place there on the beach. (Costa Rica is also the mission assignment for the couple). The Arizona grandchildren flew there to share a wedding adventure with their cousins. It was a fun scene to write, including Lucy the Costa Rican French bull dog.

 

Cindy’s Perfect Dance

By Bonnie Engstrom

 

The Candy Canes are a tight-knit group; the six girls are like sisters. They share everything from successes to secrets. Even marriage doesn’t keep them apart. Then …

Cindy caught the bridal bouquet, and Rob caught the blue garter. Neither of them believed in fate or tradition. But, something happened when she stepped on his toes dancing.

When Rob agreed to help his brother by working in the Love In Bloom Floral Shop while Braydon was on his honeymoon, he asked Cindy to join him. He didn’t know what to expect, especially over Christmas break. Would she take over with her promotional ideas and anger his mother, the owner?

Would their relationship flower? Could Cindy accept Rob’s secrets? How would that change her love for him? And, what about Emily, the woman who claimed Rob loved her?

Cindy has decisions to make. She is supposed to receive her unique engagement ring on Valentine’s Day. Should she accept it, or say no to Rob because of the secrets he recently shared? If she accepts, they will have a lifelong commitment. Is she strong enough to go through with the plan, or should she back out and be safe?

 

EXCERPT

“Ouch!”

“What?”

“You stepped on my toes.”

He said it so matter of factly that Cindy wondered if he was kidding. She looked down at his black patent shoes. Aw, oh. A scuff on the right one. Guess Rob was right. Question was … his fault for not being a good leader or hers for being a bad follower?

“Sorry.”

“S’okay.” He pulled her closer and she felt her body melt into the warmth of his.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free copy, either ebook or print, of Bonnie’s book Cindy’s Perfect Dance. Winners will be chosen next Tuesday, March 27, 2018.

 

About the Author:

My husband Dave and I were blessed to raise our three children in Newport Beach, California. When our first grandchild, Miss Mookie, was born twelve years ago in Arizona we moved to Scottsdale to be near to her. Since then she has acquired three siblings, a younger sister, and twins, a boy and a girl. We don’t miss Newport at all, except for our wonderful friends and neighbors, and Bible study fellowships. Now, we spend many afternoons picking kids up after school and taking them to gymnastics, doctor appointments and chess tournaments. It’s a different life we thrive on.

We both thought we would retire. Didn’t happen. I am especially blessed to be multi-published by Forget Me Not Romances, a dream come true. You can see almost all my books at http://amzn.to/2Ish792. Dave quips he is the oldest new hire in the U.S. by accepting the position as a Core Counseling Faculty member at the University of Phoenix, for which he also teaches many online classes. He is on the staff at Honor Health Hospital in Scottsdale where he teaches pre-op and post-op classes for bariatric surgery. Honor Health is recognized in several of my books. Not a surprise!

Our grandparenting and our situations keep us busy.

To meet all of our grandchildren read Cindy’s Perfect Dance. They all play a part in Cindy and Rob’s wedding on the beach in Costa Rica. Or, visit my website at http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see Dave and me with the crew. You can also sign up for my newsletter there and a chance to win great prizes. In the last contest I gave away a Kindle Fire!

I love connecting with my readers, so I hope you will write to me at bengstrom@hotmail.com and especially tell me what you want to see happen to Cindy and Rob in the future. Will they be successful in their church planting mission? Your ideas inspire me. I feed on them.

Thank you for reading my books. Writing them for you is a privilege and a blessing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday Wedding Tales–The Matchmaking Wedding Planner by Bonnie Engstrom

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Bonnie Engstrom, book excerpt from The Matchmaking Wedding Planner, Bridezilla fiction, Catherine Castle's Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, contemporary inspirational romance, multi-author ebook giveaway, The Matchmaking Wedding Planner, Trying Out for Love boxed set

Welcome to Tuesday Wedding Tales blog series, where wedding themed stories are the fare.

 

It’s week five in the Trying Out for Love promo and giveaway. Each week readers can enter the Rafflecopter at the end of the post’s book excerpt for a chance to win one of six books in the Trying Out for Love boxed set or the complete boxed set of six books. Seven chances and seven winners! Be sure to read to the end of the post for an excerpt of The Matchmaking Wedding Planner and enter the Rafflecopter for your chance at a free ebook. To see the list of books in the Rafflecopter just click on the circles in the entry box and you can scroll through the book titles.

Today’s featured book in the boxed set is The Matchmaking Wedding Planner

I’m pleased to introduce Bonnie Engstrom, the woman who started this whole crazy bridezilla/bridesmaid bidding journey. Bonnie was the one who sent the original news story about the bridezilla’s bridesmaid auction to the ACFW email loop. This bizarre story made the rounds on social media, garnered a lot of social media comments, and provided loads of inspiration for six authors. Thanks for an interesting writing journey, Bonnie, and some great story ideas. It’s been a lot of fun!

Behind the Story

By Bonnie Engstrom

I love, love, love weddings! Almost all of my books have one, and I’ve always been fascinated by all the details and frou-frou that they require. Designing a wedding is like producing a play, hopefully an award-winning one. Almost twenty years ago while “producing” my daughter’s wedding, I became close friends with her wedding coordinator, Jill. I learned so much from Jill and admired her expertise. Thus, Jill has become a fictitious character in many of my books, but she’s never had a story of her own . . . until now. I think she handles the crazy bride situation with aplomb in difficult circumstances, and I hope you do, too. Look for more Jill stories in the future.

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The Matchmaking Wedding Planner

By Bonnie Engstrom

What’s a wedding coordinator to do with a crazy bride?

Jill Spooner is the ultimate wedding planner, a role she loves . . . until the Trumble wedding. She’s been in her wedding coordinating business, Divine Weddings, for over twenty years, but she’s never encountered a situation like this one. Nor, a bride like this one. She had privately nicknamed Jessica the bride a “spoiled brat” for insisting on having an auction to fulfill her bridesmaid spots. With the bids starting in the hundreds, she wonders if anyone will show up.

When her niece Lizzie and her friend Carolyn drive from Scottsdale to Newport Beach to participate in the auction, mostly for the fun of it, Jill predicts one of them will win the Maid of Honor spot. They even devise a dress up scheme based on the bride’s idea of a storybook wedding. It works well, until Carolyn raises her bidding paddle.

Lizzie’s love struck friend Brad shows up in Newport Beach to court her. Jill helps him with a plan, but what to do with Carolyn while he romances Lizzie? Suddenly she’s a matchmaker, and a problem solver for the wedding party. None of that was in her contract. Fortunately, as an experienced consultant, she pulls ideas and answers out of her sleeve when shocking love secrets are revealed. Who really loves whom? Was Jessica the bride-to-be lying? What about her twin brother’s college roommate? Thank goodness Jill took an iron-clad, non-refundable deposit from the Trumbles. She will earn every dollar as the wedding coordinator in captivity. She is almost ready to give up the wedding coordinating business when her matchmaking proves fruitful. Suddenly, she finds herself planning two more weddings that take her out of her element, and out of state. Will she be able to pull them off? Maybe she should start a matchmaking business.

Excerpt:

“This is the most ridiculous wedding I’ve ever coordinated.” Jill Spooner flared her nostrils, scrunched up her nose trying to ignore the age lines, and pursed her lips. Agh. More wrinkles. “What is the point of hiring Divine Weddings and me when she doesn’t even have attendants? Stupid girl, stupid wedding.” Jill looked in the mirror and glared at her image. “Fortunately, I have the huge, non-refundable deposit,” she mumbled to the woman in the reflection trying to ignore the lines around her eyes and lips. After all, they were lines earned.

“I can’t wait for the auction. Wonder if anyone will show up? I know Lizzie and Carolyn will be there tomorrow. I wonder what characters they decided to play.”

She tweezed a stray gray hair on her left eyebrow and made a face in the glass. “Guess I will have the ‘privilege,’ as Margaret Trumble the bride’s mother called it, to open the responses and make a list. At least I will know what to expect. Will two show up? Or two hundred?” She put the tweezers back in her little makeup bag, shoved the pink pouch in her enormous utilitarian purse and slung it over her shoulder just as her cellphone chimed The Wedding March. What was her niece Lizzie calling her about? Hopefully, the girls hadn’t had any trouble on the drive from Arizona to California.

She pressed the green dot on her phone to hear boisterous laughter. “I hope you remembered to get gas, Liz. The desert can be lonely if you run out and get stuck.”

“Hi, Aunt Jill,” Lizzie yelled. “We are halfway there. Yes, we have lots of gas.”

She was relieved they were simply checking in and had just crossed the state border. The silly girls were singing “California here we come from our Arizona slum,” giggle. “Newport Beach for all your glare, we will show you we don’t care.” Then there was something about a dare, but reception had faded, and Jill couldn’t hear the rest of the frivolity, so she hung up as her phone chimed again. She was running late so she stuffed the phone in the special pocket of her brown purse.

The call was from another Arizona number, one she didn’t recognize. “Wonder who?” she mouthed. She would answer that call later, especially if the person left a voicemail.

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Want to read more? Enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win the book. No purchase necessary. Or if you can’t wait, The Matchmaking Wedding Planner is available on Amazon. Winners will be announced February 20 at the end of the Trying Out for Love author guest posts. Remember, all six authors are giving away an ecopy of their book in the series. A boxed set of Trying Out for Love is also in the giveaway. Seven chances and seven winners! Click on the Rafflecopter link below for your chance to win. Remember to scroll through the titles on Rafflecopter, using the circles in the entry box, to see all the giveaway book titles,

 

Enter Rafflecopter Giveaway by clicking box below:

 

About the Author:

Bonnie Engstrom is a multi-published author of contemporary Christian romance. She is also a multi-grandma with six blessings. Four of her grandchildren, including twins, live a stone’s throw from her and her psychologist husband Dave. Two live in Costa Rica – Pura Vida – where they surf, even at seven and nine, thanks to lessons from their surfing teacher dad.

 

When she and Grandpa Dave aren’t taking the Arizona kids to gymnastics, chess tournaments, riding lessons and watching soccer games, she moderates two online prayer chains. They reside on a lagoon where Canada geese flourish every winter, and sometimes a snowy egret. Their two rescued mutts, Sam and Lola, love to chase the geese. Well, Sam does, but even though scruffy Lola is the bossy one, she doesn’t understand the chase part. She still doesn’t know she’s on the cover of the latest book in The Candy Cane Girls Series, Melanie’s Blue Skirt. Won’t she be surprised!

Bonnie is a long time member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a Pro member of Romance Writers of America.

Visit Bonnie’s website http://www.bonnieengstrom.com/ to see all the grandkids and sign up for her newsletter Life On The Lake.

She loves to hear from readers, so be sure to email her at bengstrom@hotmail.com with BOOK in the subject line.

You can see her books and the collections she is in at http://amzn.to/2CVT8Mc. All her books are available on Amazon.