THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE Release date July 27, 2020

THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE, scheduled to release in ebook on Monday, July 27, 2020. A contemporary romance novella by Shawna Delacorte from The Wild Rose Press, part of the One Scoop Or Two series.

One Scoop Or Two is a summer series, quick reads of no more than 35,000 words to enjoy while relaxing in the back yard or on your patio. And One Scoop Or Two certainly implies ice cream. How many scoops do you want on that cone, one or two? The series encompasses both contemporary stories involving an ice cream shop or stand and historical stories with the ice cream parlor of the time. Fun fact: each novella title includes a specific flavor of ice cream.

My contribution to the series is a contemporary novella set on the boardwalk at a lake marina.

BLURB:

History teacher Sarena Fallon has leased the ice cream shop at the Colton Marina for the last three summers. And every year, she looked forward to spending time with her friend, Drew. Only this summer, she wants their relationship status to move beyond the friend zone he seems to prefer.

Drew Braden was taken with Sarena the first time he saw her. But a disastrous marriage to a scheming woman has left him seriously commitment phobic. Then there's also the matter of his true identity. If she discovers who he really is, he could lose her forever.

G-Excerpt #1: (story opening)

Sarena Fallon entered the ice cream shop and set her purse on one of the chairs. A quick glance around told her everything appeared to be in order. She ran her hand across the counter, then rubbed her fingers together. She wrinkled her brow into a scowl. It definitely did not feel very clean. I have the uneasy feeling a more detailed inspection is going to discover—

“Hi. I hoped I’d find you here.”

She turned at the sound of the smooth, masculine voice. She couldn’t stop the smile that came to her lips as her gaze fell on Drew Braden, all six feet one inch of him. Her breath came a little quicker, and her heart beat a little faster. His blue eyes sparkled as he blatantly looked her up and down. He wore his medium brown hair longer than last summer, but it was a length that looked good on him. It gave him a sexy appearance—even more sexy than she remembered from last year. She liked it longer. She definitely liked it.

“Hi, yourself.” Her smile widened, conveying her pleasure at seeing him. “I just unlocked the door. If you had arrived five minute ago, you would have beaten me here.”

He looked even more desirable than he did at the end of last summer, right before she returned to her teaching job at the beginning of the school term, when he had suddenly pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with the hottest kiss she had ever experienced. A kiss that curled her toes and confirmed how much she wanted more of him. But more apparently wasn’t to be, much to her disappointment.

Fall, winter, spring—not a word from him, as if he had totally forgotten she even existed. But now, here he stood, as if he had been waiting for her to show up. The situation left her slightly perplexed. She briefly touched her fingers to her lips. All these months later, his parting kiss still burned hot against her lips. “You’re looking well. I like your hair longer like that.”

“Thanks…I think it might be the result of a bit of mid-life crisis. Trying to recapture a little youth.” His teasing grin said far more than his words.

“Mid-life crisis? You can’t be old enough for that.”

“I’ll be that dreaded forty in a couple of months.”

“There’s nothing old about forty.” Especially considering that I’m thirty-five.

He winked. “How would a sweet young thing like you know anything about old?”

“You’re incorrigible.” Her laugh surrounded her words. “It looks like you managed to survive the winter without any mishaps. Your brittle old bones didn’t snap?”

His spontaneous laughter filled the air. “No broken bones from slipping on the ice or falling into any snow drifts if that’s what you meant. And no broken bones from being thrown off a bucking horse, either.” His smile slowly faded as he pulled her into his arms. “I’ve missed you. I’m so glad to see you back this summer.”

“I have a phone, you have the number, and I only live fifteen miles from here in Coltonville. It’s not like you need to drive for several hours to get there.” She teased, but her comment contained a lot of truth.

A hint of something darted across his features but disappeared before she could read it. He slowly released her without kissing her, almost reluctantly so. After the goodbye kiss from last summer, she had anticipated more than just a hug.

“I haven’t checked the shop to make sure it’s been properly cleaned.” She touched the counter again. “And from what I’ve found so far, I suspect it hasn’t been.” A scowl darted across her face. “At least not adequately. Do you want to help me with my inspection?”

“Sure, I can handle that.” Drew nodded, pleased with the opportunity to check out the management office’s efficiency without it appearing to be his objective.

Drew Braden—Andrew Braden Colton V, to be exact—was fifth generation of the wealthy and powerful Colton family and at thirty-nine years of age, the corporate head of all the family holdings. He went by his nickname and middle name to separate himself and his personal activities from the family name and business empire. He found he accomplished more if people didn’t know he was one of the Coltons, specifically president of Colton Enterprises, Chairman of the Board, primary share holder, and in control of all the family businesses and investments of the privately held corporation.

THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE, a contemporary romance novella by Shawna Delacorte from The Wild Rose Press.   www.thewildrosepress.com 

Scheduled for release Monday, July 27, 2020. Available in ebook at:

www.amazon.com/Rocky-Road-Romance-One-Scoop-ebook/dp/B089P3TBFV  

And other online vendors.

Excerpts and other information available on my website:  www.shawnadelacorte.com  

THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE—A Character Chat with Sarena Fallon and Drew Braden

She wants more than friendship…he's afraid of repeating the worst mistake of his life.

THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE by Shawna Delacorte is a contemporary romance novella that's part of the One Scoop Or Two summer series from The Wild Rose Press. This book is scheduled for release July 27, 2020.

Let me introduce you to Sarena Fallon and Drew Braden. Their story is one of good friends moving toward a romance, but their journey is marred by a deception that nearly destroys a blossoming romance and true love.

Good morning Sarena and Drew. Thank you for taking time from your busy schedules to share your story with my readers.

Sarena:  Thank you for inviting us.

Drew:  I'm ready. Hit me with your first question.

Okay, Drew. You sound eager so let's start with you. How did the two of you meet?

Drew:  That's an easy one. Three years ago when the summer businesses at the lake marina were preparing to open for the boating season, I saw this beautiful woman inside the ice cream shop. She was unpacking boxes and putting things away. I tried to meet all the summer business operators each year, but usually on an informal basis after they open their doors for customers. This time, I immediately went to the marina property management office and obtained a full list of all the marina summer tenants and there she was—Sarena Fallon, history teacher at Coltonville High School. Unfortunately, due to business needs, I was out of state for the next month. I didn't have an opportunity to actually meet her until I returned to the ranch.

You said 'the ranch.' That's another of the Colton properties?

Drew:  The place where we are now, the original start of the Colton Dynasty five generations ago, is the cattle ranch.

Colton dynasty? That sounds a little over the top.

Drew:  [slight frown followed by laughter] It's totally over the top and definitely pretentious, but that was my father. He's the one who declared the family history a dynasty. The acquisition of additional land two generations after the start of the cattle ranch allowed for the expansion of the operation to include a dude ranch as a separate operation. From there, came the purchase of the large lake already being enjoyed by boating enthusiasts and water skiers. And finally the addition of a boardwalk and businesses as part of the boat marina. And along the way came expansion into many different types of businesses around the state, in other states, and finally internationally. We eventually constructed a corporate headquarters building on the property as a separate facility from the cattle ranch and the dude ranch. My house is also on the property. It's been in the family for three generations. I recently remodeled and updated the house.

Sarena:  I'm a high school history teacher with my summers free. I thought leasing the ice cream shop at the marina would be a good way to spend my summers and earn some extra money. I distinctly remember the day he came into the ice cream shop. He was dressed in jeans and a work shirt, certainly not the type of summer casual clothes being worn by the people who used the marina for their boats. And most definitely not how I assumed a high-powered business executive would be dressed. I assumed he worked at the ranch. He introduced himself as Drew Braden. It was an instant friendship, very comfortable and fun. He seemed to just appear almost every day. Sometimes just for a few minutes. Other times he'd buy an ice cream cone—rocky road was his favorite—and stay for a couple of hours. [embarrassed chuckle] And every time he stopped by, I secretly wished he'd ask me out on a date. The second summer that I leased the ice cream shop, he showed up opening day to welcome me back. Then on the third year, he showed up a week before opening, the day I was checking everything out and making a list of what I needed to do before opening.

It sounds as if he was always around yet you two never had a relationship beyond just friends in spite of what you secretly hoped for?

Drew:  Totally my fault. I had…uh…well, I guess you could say I had a bad case of commitment phobia—emotional baggage that basically scared me when it came to pursuing any type of personal relationship that had the specter of an emotional attachment connected to it. My biggest fear was repeating the worst mistake of my life.

Sarena:  Drew wasn't alone in the emotional baggage department. My ex-husband lied to me about everything. It turned out that I didn't even know who he really was. I swore I would never become involved with someone who didn't tell me the truth.

Well, Drew—even though you didn't know that about Sarena, I guess the most logical question is why did you present yourself to her as someone you're not, even to concealing your real name?

Drew:  Actually, Drew Braden is my real name—just not all of it. Andrew Braden Colton V to be exact. I use Drew Braden with everyone who isn't a business associate or employee. I'd been doing it for fifteen years, the result of the emotional baggage I mentioned. As to my job, I never said exactly what I did. It was that third summer when she finally asked me directly.

Sarena:  I had assumed he worked at the ranch, but not as a cowboy. It was obvious that he was highly educated. I had him pegged for some sort of mid management position like ranch foreman. Who he really was remained his secret. Even when he finally asked me out on a real date, he did not correct my erroneous assumptions. But reality crashed around me when a horrible situation happened right after I opened the ice cream shop for the summer season.

Drew: I had already been wrestling with the reality of knowing that I had to tell her who I was, wanting to tell her, needing to tell her. I knew I couldn't pursue the serious relationship I wanted without telling her the truth. What I didn't know was how to tell her…what to say that wouldn't alienate her. Then that disastrous Saturday morning hit.

That sounds ominous. What happened? Sarena…what was this horrible situation?

Sarena:  [glances at Drew as a hint of a grin tugs at the corners of her mouth] I think you need to read the book to find out.

Drew? Can you tell me what occurred that disastrous Saturday morning? What kind of incident threatened to destroy your relationship?

Drew:  [makes overly obvious show of checking his watch] Will you look at the time! I didn't realize it was so late. I'm sure I must have some sort of really important meeting that I need to attend.

In other words, you're not going to tell me what happened?

Drew:  [allows a mischievous chuckle] That sounds about right.

Well, I guess that leaves me with nothing to say other than to thank the two of for being my guests today. The book is THE ROCKY ROAD TO ROMANCE published by The Wild Rose Press and scheduled for release on July 27, 2020.

www.amazon.com/Rocky-Road-Romance-One-Scoop-ebook/dp/B089P3TBFV  

BLURB:

History teacher Sarena Fallon has leased the ice cream shop at the Colton Marina for the last three summers. And every year, she looked forward to spending time with her friend, Drew. Only this summer, she wants their relationship status to move beyond the friend zone he seems to prefer.

Drew Braden was taken with Sarena the first time he saw her. But a disastrous marriage to a scheming woman has left him seriously commitment phobic. Then there's also the matter of his true identity. If she discovers who he really is, he could lose her forever.

G-Excerpt #1: (opening)

Sarena Fallon entered the ice cream shop and set her purse on one of the chairs. A quick glance around told her everything appeared to be in order. She ran her hand across the counter, then rubbed her fingers together. She wrinkled her brow into a scowl. It definitely did not feel very clean. I have the uneasy feeling a more detailed inspection is going to discover—

“Hi. I hoped I’d find you here.”

She turned at the sound of the smooth, masculine voice. She couldn’t stop the smile that came to her lips as her gaze fell on Drew Braden, all six feet one inch of him. Her breath came a little quicker, and her heart beat a little faster. His blue eyes sparkled as he blatantly looked her up and down. He wore his medium brown hair longer than last summer, but it was a length that looked good on him. It gave him a sexy appearance—even more sexy than she remembered from last year. She liked it longer. She definitely liked it.

“Hi, yourself.” Her smile widened, conveying her pleasure at seeing him. “I just unlocked the door. If you had arrived five minute ago, you would have beaten me here.”

He looked even more desirable than he did at the end of last summer, right before she returned to her teaching job at the beginning of the school term, when he had suddenly pulled her into his arms and captured her mouth with the hottest kiss she had ever experienced. A kiss that curled her toes and confirmed how much she wanted more of him. But more apparently wasn’t to be, much to her disappointment.

Fall, winter, spring—not a word from him, as if he had totally forgotten she even existed. But now, here he stood, as if he had been waiting for her to show up. The situation left her slightly perplexed. She briefly touched her fingers to her lips. All these months later, his parting kiss still burned hot against her lips. “You’re looking well. I like your hair longer like that.”

“Thanks…I think it might be the result of a bit of mid-life crisis. Trying to recapture a little youth.” His teasing grin said far more than his words.

“Mid-life crisis? You can’t be old enough for that.”

“I’ll be that dreaded forty in a couple of months.”

“There’s nothing old about forty.” Especially considering that I’m thirty-five.

He winked. “How would a sweet young thing like you know anything about old?”

“You’re incorrigible.” Her laugh surrounded her words. “It looks like you managed to survive the winter without any mishaps. Your brittle old bones didn’t snap?”

His spontaneous laughter filled the air. “No broken bones from slipping on the ice or falling into any snow drifts if that’s what you meant. And no broken bones from being thrown off a bucking horse, either.” His smile slowly faded as he pulled her into his arms. “I’ve missed you. I’m so glad to see you back this summer.”

“I have a phone, you have the number, and I only live fifteen miles from here in Coltonville. It’s not like you need to drive for several hours to get there.” She teased, but her comment contained a lot of truth.

A hint of something darted across his features but disappeared before she could read it. He slowly released her without kissing her, almost reluctantly so. After the goodbye kiss from last summer, she had anticipated more than just a hug.

“I haven’t checked the shop to make sure it’s been properly cleaned.” She touched the counter again. “And from what I’ve found so far, I suspect it hasn’t been.” A scowl darted across her face. “At least not adequately. Do you want to help me with my inspection?”

“Sure, I can handle that.” Drew nodded, pleased with the opportunity to check out the management office’s efficiency without it appearing to be his objective.

Drew Braden—Andrew Braden Colton V, to be exact—was fifth generation of the wealthy and powerful Colton family and at thirty-nine years of age, the corporate head of all the family holdings. He went by his nickname and middle name to separate himself and his personal activities from the family name and business empire. He found he accomplished more if people didn’t know he was one of the Coltons, specifically president of Colton Enterprises, Chairman of the Board, primary share holder, and in control of all the family businesses and investments of the privately held corporation.

Available in ebook at:

www.amazon.com/Rocky-Road-Romance-One-Scoop-ebook/dp/B089P3TBFV  

And other online vendors.

Excerpts and other information available on my website:  www.shawnadelacorte.com 

 

The English Language part 2 of 2

As pointed out in last week's blog, the English language (or at least the American branch of the language) is often confusing even to those who were born here with this being the only language they speak.

Here is a list of 20 common errors. Some are spelling/using wrong spelling of word with same pronunciation, some are different pronunciations of words spelled the same way, and others relate to literally using the wrong words in popular phrases.

1)  It didn't phase me, should be: It didn't faze me.

2)  For all intensive purposes, should be: For all intents and purposes.

3)  He has another thing coming, should be: He has another think coming.

4)  Escape goat, should be: Scape goat.

5)  One in the same, should be: One and the same.

6)  Given free reign, should be: Given free rein.

7)  Low and behold, should be: Lo and behold.

8)  Case and point, should be: Case in point.

9)  Peak your interest, should be: Pique your interest.

10)  Hunger pains, should be: Hunger pangs.

11)  Suppose to, should be: Supposed to.

12)  Should of, should be: Should have.

13)  Nipped that problem in the butt, should be:  Nipped that problem in the bud.

14)  Mute point, should be: Moot point.

15)  Piece of mind, should be: Peace of mind.

16)  Beck on call, should be: Beck and call.

17)  On accident, should be: By accident.

18)  Expresso, should be: Espresso.

and tied for most commonly misused:

19)  I could care less, should be: I couldn't care less.

20)  Irregardless, should be: Regardless.

The English Language—part 1 of 2

The English language (or at least the American branch of the language) is often confusing even to those who were born here.  I can't imagine learning it as a second language.  Where other languages seem to have set rules, English has rules that are filled with exceptions and sometimes even those exceptions have exceptions.

A good example is the spelling rule for the order of i and e within a word. 'i before e' is the rule. 'Except after c' (exception to rule), 'or when sounded as a, as in weigh' (exception to the exception).

We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes, but the plural of ox became oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet, and I give you a boot, should a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

One may be that and three would be those, yet hat in the plural would never be hose. And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, but though we say mother, we never say methren.

The masculine pronouns are he, his and him, but imagine the feminine as she, shis and shim.

Some reasons to be grateful if you grew up speaking English rather than learning it as a second (or even third) language. Imagine needing to figure out the differences in pronunciation and meaning of these identically spelled words:

1)         The bandage was wound around the wound.

2)         The farm was used to produce produce.

3)         The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4)         We must polish the Polish furniture.

5)         He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6)         The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7)         Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8)         At the army base, a bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9)         When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10)       I did not object to the object.

11)       The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12)       There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13)       They were too close to the door to close it.

14)       The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15)       The seamstress and the sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16)       To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17)       The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18)       After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.

19)       Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20)       I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21)       How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

22)       I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

How many of you had to go back and read any of those 22 examples a second time to get it right?  :)

Let's face it – English is a crazy language.  There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.  English muffins weren't invented in England.

We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.  And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it, an odd or an end?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?  Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?  Have noses that run and feet that smell?  How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

If dad is pop, how come mom isn't mop?

Are you totally confused yet?  Check back next week when I continue with the eccentricities of the English language in part 2.