#Beachreads with @elle_rush

Hello there! It’s nice to meet you. My name is Elle Rush and I’m a romance writer from Winterpeg, Manitoba. Yes, I know it should be Winnipeg, but since Christmas we have had 24” (60 cm) of snow to shovel and a truly horrific cold snap, so the nickname suits. And as bad as all that shovelling is, it does have one excellent benefit. We will never suffer a winter zombie apocalypse; the undead will all freeze solid well before they get here.

I realize that I’m stretching to find a bright side to the situation, but I do love where I live. I’m just in a period where it’s hard to remember why. I think the weather is part of the reason where there seems to be a disproportionate number of Canadian romance writers. We have to feel the heat on these cold January nights! I can't think of better way than burning it up in the sheets.

I’ve been lucky enough to go on a handful of tropical winter vacations. Not this year, mind you, but I’ve done it. Sun, fun and rum -- all you need for a good time while your neighbour grudgingly clears your driveway.

Canadian winters are a rite of passage. If you can survive one, you can survive anywhere on the planet. But after you survive one, you need a break the next year. I have a list of places I’d like to escape to:  Hawaii, Jamaica, Bermuda, St. Thomas, Costa Rica, Fiji. I’m actually trying to win a trip to Jamaica from a local radio station. I’m that desperate for some beach time. Let’s be honest, the sand can get into some inconvenient places, but it can’t give you frostbite.

I’ve found there are three kinds of sun-destination travellers: those who sit by the pool for a week and don’t move, those who do a different excursion every day, and hybrids like me. I’ve discovered I’m willing to leave the resort once or twice week, but the rest of the time I’m sitting in the pool with a romance novel in one hand and a daiquiri I.V. in the other.

It’s not just escaping the cold that makes these vacations so wonderful. I’ve seen the historic city of Havana, and the ancient Mayan ruins of Tulum (abandoned centuries before Canada even became a country. How cool is that?). I’ve learned how to snorkel (while wearing a life jacket – this prairie girl isn’t used to the ocean and its currents) and have had several salsa lessons. I’m a traveller who thinks that if you go to a new place, you should try to make an effort to experience it.

How about you? Have you gone south for a tropical getaway? Do you need to see and do it all? Are you a beach bunny or pool person? Or a shade-of-a-palm-tree and 100SPF lounger because you burn even thinking about sunshine, but you want to be outside in shorts in January simply because you can?

The next time the weather gets you down, pull out your summer vacation photos, snuggle under a blanket, and relive warmer times.  If you haven’t made a holiday to the sunny south, grab your blender and get some margaritas flowing, crank up the heat for a couple hours, see if you can find that old copy of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and your imagination can take it from there.

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To keep myself in a Caribbean frame of mind, I’ve written a trio of short resort romances. The third #ebook (Dominican Stars) is coming out next month, but here is the first in the series – CUBAN MOON

Lisa Kleyson, representing the bride, didn’t intend to hook up with anybody while on her first Caribbean vacation, but when she lays eyes on the groom’s brother, her best laid plans go out the window. She doesn’t consider herself to be doctor’s wife material … but he’s not on duty.

Dr. Hank Anderson, representing the groom, will do his duty to his brother, but he’d much rather be spending time with the music teacher who’s caught his eye. It’s nice to be the one doing the chasing instead of fending off women who want to take advantage of his position.

Hank’s pursuit is booby-trapped with a stalking maid-of-honor, a Gilligan-worthy boat tour and bad crab cakes, but he is determined to catch Lisa and convince her to start a romance under the Cuban moon.

Amazon - Kobo - iTunes - Nook 

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Wishing you a roaring fire and lots of travel points this January,

Elle

www.ellerush.com

Snow ~ A four-letter word #CanadaEh #OhCanada

Snow is a four-letter word. Yes, one of those words you shouldn't say, especially when you have plans. On Wednesday, I had tickets to see two Canadian artists in concert (Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk). But, the entire day it snowed, and sometimes it was so blustery, I didn't think I'd make it to the out-of-town event. Luckily, the snow died down shortly before we left, and the concert was MAGICAL, but snow doesn't only cause problems for me, it also causes many problems for the characters of my stories...

From Accidental Romance:

Racing toward the barn, she slipped on a patch of ice. Her feet flew up in the air, and she landed hard on her ass, slamming her elbows into the ground. Sharp pain traveled through her body, and she whimpered. With a groan, she rolled to her side and shuffled to get up, pressing her nub and hand to the ground. What a way to start her day.

And there are particular things characters who live in snowy areas do that those who don't get snow don't always do...

From Sudden Breakaway:

The boy skidded straight across the slippery linoleum, his body slamming into Jared’s knees.

Jared stumbled back, trying to regain his balance, and grasped the doorknob. The latch clicked open. Losing his footing again, he stumbled to the floor, his nephew landing on top of him. Groaning, he glanced up at the woman standing above him; his former commander’s wife. “Can I help you, Mrs. Collins?

She lifted Dylan and balanced him on her hip. “From the look of things, I think I can help you.” Slipping off her shoes, she lined them on the mat beside the rest of the footwear and continued into the house. “I’m giving you the day off.”

I'm not sure if you caught that, but we take our boots and shoes off at the door. Tracking snow through the house leads to slippery floors. And a mess.

From Hey, Santa:

Her Santa had arrived. But instead of the white-haired, bearded man with the fuzzy red suit, she stared at a Greek god. Broad shoulders. Muscles constricted by the sleeves of his dress shirt. His wavy brown hair looked wet, as if he’d recently stepped out of the shower. Or maybe snow had started to fall since she’d arrived. 

Yes, hair styles often don't last with wind and snow whipping at you. The alternative is to wear a had which flattens everything.

In the winter, there can also be frozen doors, slippery roads and sidewalks, snow falling down the back of your neck, freezing cold temperatures that numb your face, and so much more.

So, what do you think of snow? Do you enjoy it, or does it cause you more problems?

Christmas ~ Canadian Style with author Jessica E. Subject #Canada

My Christmas alien romance, Hey, Santa, takes place at Christmas, and to me that not only means time with family, it also means snow. Living in Canada, we get snow in the fall, throughout the winter, and into the spring. Sometimes even in the summer. Although we don't have any that has stayed yet this season, it is rare for us not to have snow at Christmas. Now, every part of Canada is different in terms of the weather they get. The Maritimes seem to get the most snow, whereas the prairie provinces get really cold temperatures but not as much snow.

This weather can lead to some facts of life and memories. Here are some of mine:

• My grandparents live six hours north from us. In the winter, we rarely visited them. It was just a part of growing up, and it is still the same to this day.
• Just before Christmas, I was visiting my other grandparents, and my father came to pick me up from their place to bring me home for the holidays. Well, when he left, the weather was fine, but on the way home, the weather was so bad, that we had to stop in London and take the train the rest of the way home.
• In the snow, kids usually make snowmen, well, not my family. Instead, my mother helped my brother and I to make snowhorses, and we rode them until they melted.
• One winter, we went tobogganing in a nearby town. There was a giant hill that flattened out at the bottom, and then there was a river further out. Most people never made it to the river when sledding down the hill. Well, my brother went on the toboggan with one of my cousins. We all thought they were going to stop before the river, but they didn’t. Both of them fell right in. As a child, I had never seen adults move so fast. They had the two boys out of the water, back up the hill, and stripped to nothing within seconds. Thank goodness they were both okay.
• Thirteen years ago, when my husband and I were living in the country, I was driving to work, and I slipped on a patch of black ice. Now, on my right was a ditch, and on my left was a snowy field, hydro poles lining that side of the road. The truck slipped to the left. Thankfully, there was no traffic, and I slid into the field in between the poles. No damage was done to the truck, but the follwing summer, you could see where I went into the field by the lack of corn growing. Little did I know that at the time, I was just pregnant with my first child.

Do you get snow where you live? If so, what are some of your childhood memories of snow?

Hey, Santa

An Alien for the Holidays story

She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas…

Claire Otton dreads spending another holiday alone. When her best friend convinces her to approach the sexy mall Santa, she takes the chance and asks him out, hoping for so much more.

He’s waiting under the mistletoe…

Although Andreas Castellanos blends in on Earth, he knows he will never belong. But when the gorgeous woman he’d been staring at invites him to dinner, he has a hard time saying no.

All they’re asking for…

Can these two lonely souls find magic together or will their secrets steal their chance of a happy Christmas?

Available From:

      

Enjoy an excerpt:

Claire smoothed her dress across her lap. The short hemline didn’t come close to reaching her knees, or barely her butt for that matter. Though a festive red color, the dress’s plunging neckline revealed even more skin. She shivered in her chair, ready to ask for her coat back. Why did she have to buy the shortest dress possible?

Like she needed it anyway, with her date already ten minutes late. She doubted he would show. Who wanted a socially inept woman? Heck, what man wanted to start dating someone two days before Christmas? She sighed, resting an elbow on the table. Why did I ask out Santa? She didn’t even know his name, what he looked like. Yet, she’d given him enough personal information to stalk her. Way to go, numbskull. She might as well have given him her house key. And since Tiffany had driven her to the restaurant, she’d have to take a cab back home.

“Hi, Claire. Sorry, I’m late.”

She jerked her head toward the deep, husky voice. Her Santa had arrived. But instead of the white-haired, bearded man with the fuzzy red suit, she stared at a Greek god. Broad shoulders. Muscles constricted by the sleeves of his dress shirt. His wavy brown hair looked wet, as if he’d recently stepped out of the shower. Or maybe snow had started to fall since she’d arrived. Pulse racing, she dared to gaze into his crystal blue eyes, the part of him she remembered from their meeting in the mall. Yet, even with his tanned complexion, something seemed not quite right with the color of his skin.

Was he as nervous as her? Her last non-double date occurred so long ago, she didn’t know how to act.

Not wanting to be rude, she stood to greet him. He had, after all, arrived rather than standing her up. And the sooner he touched her, the better.

Resting his hand on her hip, he moved closer, kissing her cheek, his lips soft and gentle. His breath smelled of fresh mint, a far cry from the last guy Tiffany had tried to set her up with.

If you'd like to get the next story in my An Alien for the Holidays series, ALIEN KISSES AT MIDNIGHT, for FREE, simply subscribe to my newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/eX1Zw It will be emailed to newsletter subscribers on December 26th. 

Happy holidays! See you again in 2016!

http://jessicasubject.com