Recap: Memories from 2021
It’s a good idea to take a moment each year and review all that happened. The new year is right around the corner (tomorrow), so we should reflect a bit before the chaos of New Year’s Eve/Day paves the way for a beautiful reset. Because of space and time constraints, I won’t be able to go into everything, however.
For more details about the events from 2021, you can check out my Author newsletter archives here, follow my website and look at the Updates/News page over there, or even make sure you follow any of my social media channels (the links are at the top of the page on my website). I also have an exclusive fan club on Facebook, as well as a ‘new releases only’ email list you can sign up for. That will always give you a good sense of things.
In any case, let’s get started, okay?
JANUARY
From December 24th to January 14th, voting occurred for the 23rd Annual Critters Readers’ Poll. There were nominations for my books in the following categories: ‘Romance Novels’, ‘Romance Short Stories’, ‘Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Stories’, ‘Book Cover Artwork’, and ‘Authors’. The categories in the contest covered all relevant works, authors, editors, artwork/artists, and services which were active or published in 2020. Here are the results! I made it into the TOP 10 on several of them. 😉
In early January, I reshared a useful article about how to have a sustainable or completely ethical wedding. That was on ILRB. Six days later, we had a unique type of feature on Writing in the Modern – a dual feature about a movie and a book. Learn all about Natalie Rodriguez’s The Extraordinary Ordinary, plus a fun interview with her, and she also informs us of her YA thriller novel, Elephant. On the 21st, Jennifer Conner visited the romance blog with a guest post, and let readers know what it’s like to juggle writing in different genres and having diverse careers. Check out her cool paranormal romance novel, Fighting the Fire!
And in case you missed it, the next edition of Second Nature, my first paranormal romance book, came out in the middle of December 2020. It’s available in all formats.
On January 22nd, character Dillon from Debby Grahl’s western holiday romance, Mountain Blaze, came to the Writing in the Modern Age blog, plus we had a great chat with the author! A week later, there was a spotlight on a steamy small town romance new release, R.V. Asher’s Jinx, and I asked the author a few questions. Check out her whole small town series!
FEBRUARY
On February 1st, readers could take a look at James Morcan’s psychological fiction novel, ANNO 2020. This was even more relevant, as the book covered how twelve individuals handled the Coronavirus lockdowns. Two days later, there was a new four star book review for my steamy romantic comedy, Chasing Ginger, featured on Amy Shannon’s reviewer website.
4 Stars
Fun Romance and more
Lavender pens a comedic romantic story in Chasing Ginger. I have read work from this author before, and I really enjoyed it. Ginger is a great character and is a little self-conscious but fun, as she fits in with her friends lovingly called the Misfits. This author brings the stories to life, and while most of the story is fun and lighthearted, emotions while reading and with the characters, can run very deep. Lance and Ginger had chemistry that wasn’t forced, and they could get very steamy, but it was so much more than attraction, and a lot of self-doubts. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author. This book is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews.
Thanks for your kind comments, hon! ♥Seven days later, Maggie Holmes again blessed us with a helpful article, providing creative activities for Valentine’s Day, this time for the I Love Romance Blog. If you missed reading it that month, instead see if there is anything relevant you can go with for your next date with your significant other. 😉 Around February 19th, my new supernatural romance boxed set released through all online booksellers. Discover it here!
A week or so later brought a guest timeslot for yours truly, with a thirty-minute spot at Cathy Jackson’s multi-author posting event in her Facebook group. It was fun to meet new people, and to talk about my books!
MARCH
Then, from March 1st to the 8th, I donated a copy of my new paranormal/fantasy/sci-fi romance starter series collection to Paranormal Romance Week on the TBR Pile site here. You can learn more about the giveaways they ran all week on their Facebook event page.
On March 10th, I posted my own article on ILRB, detailing the reasons why reading and writing historical romance is a personal experience, not just about facts or details relating to the time period in which a book is set. Two weeks later, Amanda Boyd provided readers with a new perspective on the difference between basic, mainstream erotica and erotic romance, a guest post featured on the same blog.
APRIL
The following week brought a fun post about the most popular wedding themes this year, written by guest blogger Janelle Urrutia. Two days passed, and Desiree Villena of Reedsy gave my romance blog readers five cute YA romance book recommendations.
Five days later, Amelia Ma’s article, including tips on how to have a memorable first date, gave us all something to think about. During the following week, I posted a new romantic poem, ‘Solace’, which I wrote, inspired by time I’d recently spent with my fiancé. On the next day, over on the MLB blog, Maggie Holmes offered her advice with a guest post, on ways to strengthen a parent-child relationship. A few days later, David Russell submitted one of his poems to the I Love Romance Blog, completing a poetry spotlight on the theme of ‘mysterious sensuality’.
As aforementioned, in February I had a supernatural romance release, a boxed set starter series collection titled Phenomenal Touch, which is set up to be a perfect collector’s item or at least way for new readers to get a real taste of the paranormal, fantasy, and science fiction romance books I’ve published.
Not a bad option to go for after reading the automatic freebie with my contemporary romance story, Second Chance Heart (get your complimentary copy here!), book one of the Eternal Hearts Series.
MAY
May 3rd – “How Writing Blog Posts Can Make You a Better Fiction Writer” – guest article by Desiree Villena on Writing in the Modern Age blog. (final post on old domain)
May 4th – returned to work on romantic mystery collection, First Target.
This Week in History - May
May 1, 1840 - England releases the first 1st adhesive postage stamp.
May 1, 1841 - The first wagon train leaves Independence, Mo for California.
May 1, 1883 - "Buffalo Bill" Cody's first Wild West Show.
May 1, 1884 - Construction begins on the first skyscraper, the 10 story Home Insurance Company building in Chicago, IL.
May 1, 1931 - The Empire State Building was dedicated.
May 1, 1941 - The cereal "Cheerios" hits store shelves.
May 1, 1951 - Slugger Mickey Mantle hits his first home run.
May 1, 1952 - Mr. Potato Head is introduced.
May 2, 1878 - The U.S. stops minting the 20-cent coin.
May 2, 1885 - Good Housekeeping Magazine first hits the newsstands.
May 2, 1932 - Jack Benny's first radio show premieres.
May 2, 1939 - Lou Gehrig plays in his 2,130th game, a baseball record that will last for 57 years until Cal Ripken comes along.
May 3, 1494 - Christopher Columbus discovers "St. Iago". It is later renamed Jamaica.
May 3, 1936 - Joe DiMaggio makes his major-league debut with 3 hits for the NY Yankees.
May 3, 1937 - Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer prize for "Gone with the Wind".
May 3, 1978 - Digital Equipment Corporation sends the first bulk unsolicited commercial emails... spam is born!
May 4, 1626 - Manhattan Island is sold! Native American Indians agree to the deal in exchange for $24 in cloth & buttons.
May 4, 1878 - Phonograph is played for the first time at the Grand Opera House.
May 4, 1932 - Atlanta Penitentiary has a new resident after Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.
May 4, 1934 - Academy of Motion Pictures is founded. (1934)
May 4, 1964 - Soap operas "Another World" and "As the World Turns" premiere.
May 4, 1979 - Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
May 5, 1260 - Kublai Khan the grandson of Genghis Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire.
May 5, 1862 - Mexican forces under Benito Juarez defeated French troops in the Battle of Puebla. Today this battle is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.
May 5, 1865 - North Bend, Ohio gets on the map. It's the site of the first US train robbery.
May 5,1893 - The New York Stock Exchange crashes, causing the "Great Panic of 1893".
May 5, 1904 - Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern baseball history.
May 5, 1968 - Senator Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated.
May 5, 1971 - Alan Shepard rides "Freedom 7" to becomes 1st American in space.
May 6, 1833 - John Deere produces the first steel plow.
May 6, 1915 - The Yale lock is patented.
May 6, 1889 - The Paris Exposition opens with the just completed Eiffel Tower as it's centerpiece.
May 6, 1915 - Future Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth hits his first home run.
May 6, 1937 - The Dirigible Hindenburg explodes into flames at Lakehurst, NJ.
May 6, 1994 - Chunnel linking England & France officially opens.
May 6, 2002 - Entrepreneur Elon Musk forms SpaceX.
May 7, 1789 - The first inaugural ball is held in honor of George Washington and his wife.
May 7, 1888 - George Eastman patents the Box Camera.
May 7, 1934 - The World's largest pearl (6.4kg.) was discovered in the Philippines.
May 7, 1941 - Big band leader Glenn Miller records the "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
May 7, 1945 - Germany signs an unconditional surrender at Rhims, France, ending WWII in Europe.
May 7, 1970 - The Beatles last album is released- "Long and Winding Road".
May 7, 1992 - The maiden voyage of space shuttle Endeavor.
May 8, 1794 - The U.S. Post Office is established.
May 8, 1945 - V-E Day, Germany signs unconditional surrender.
May 8, 1861 - Richmond, Virginia is named the capital of the Confederacy.
May 8, 1879 - George Selden files the first patent for a gas driven automobile.
May 8, 1952 - Mad Magazine hits the newsstands.
May 8, 1980 - The World Health Organization announces that Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide. (Let’s hope the same thing happens with the Coronavirus as well! 😉)
JUNE
On June 18th, Max Jones visited the MLB blog and offered his take on how to organically increase site traffic via an intriguing guest post on there.
JULY
On July 21st, Jade Langton visited the I Love Romance Blog with an article, ‘Ten Signs You Are Ready for Marriage’. Some great advice here! A week later, I discovered a new book review for Phenomenal Touch on Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews blog.
posted on July 28, 2021
5 stars
Phenomenal Touch … by Marie Lavender
Full Title: Phenomenal Touch: A Supernatural Romance Series Starter Collection and Boxed Set by Marie Lavender
Love, love, loved all three stories!!
“Phenomenal Touch: A Supernatural Romance Series Starter Collection and Boxed Set has three different, but magnificent stories written by Marie Lavender. I have read work from this author before, and I really enjoyed every one of them. This author brings the story to life. The characters had a lot of depth, and were very realistic. This author has a great imagination and I’m glad it’s being shared with stories. So, let’s start with MAGICK & MOONLIGHT. OK, if I said it was magical, it may sound hokey, but it was. No only does Jessie have this magical power, but secrets she feels like she has to protect herself. A wonderfully majestic story. Now for BLUE VISION, here we are introduced to Brooke, who is attracted to mysterious Colin, but that is just the beginning, and I read this story more than one. Maybe it’s my favorite of all three, or as I read each one, each one became my favorite. SECOND NATURE, and yes, it has vampires, and I like vampiric stories when they are written well, and this one was. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. (but you never know, vampires could be real). This author is not just a writer but a great storyteller. The stories capture the reader’s attention at book 1, chapter 1. Who could ask for more, when it’s filled with magical/fantastical creatures and other interesting beings (even the humans are interesting). If this is a starter collection as the title says, I look forward to what comes next in each of these stories. Phenomenal Touch: A Supernatural Romance Series Starter Collection and Boxed Set is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I look forward to reading many more stories by this author.”
I was also named in the TOP 20 Authors for 2021 on her site.
Just as a note, my blog policies have changed, and I started charging for some services in September of 2021. So, if you were a guest in the past, you can look over these pages:
https://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/blog-policy/
http://marielavender.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html
However, I will never charge a fee for real articles, notices about blog tours from official promoters, or special events which I personally organize. The same can’t be said for various interviews, book spotlights, or cover reveals, et cetera. These take more time and energy to post and spread the word, and I’ve had to start valuing myself more to accommodate for that. Although, despite the work involved in the big events, I will not charge for giveaways which I host, as authors are already providing donations. But if you want me to run an individual giveaway posted on my blog and promoted across social media, that will cost extra. Believe me, I am asking for way less than I’ve witnessed at the blogs of my contemporaries; thus, I have done my best to offer competitive prices.
And in case you were out of the loop due to the Coronavirus in 2020, that was a busy time for publishing my books. Several second editions, complete with new covers, came out – UYR, The Missing Piece, Magick & Moonlight, and Second Nature – as well as a new rom com novel, Chasing Ginger.
AUGUST
I took a break from late July to mid-August. By August 27th, the new site for the Writing in the Modern Age blog had launched. We now have an all-new domain, complete with a different host and a new mailing list service. So, please take a moment and sign-up! ♥
SEPTEMBER
On September 6th, most guest spots on my blogs resumed. Joel Foster offered a guest article on the updated WritModAge blog, with how to find one’s unique writing style. The following day brought
