Teaser Tuesday - Each Angel Burns

In today's Tuesday Teaser, two of the male characters in Each Angel Burns by Kathleen Valentine are discussing virgo intacta (virginity) among nuns and why a woman would choose that life. The speaker is a priest.


"... You know, in the Middle Ages most women's lives were pretty bleak. But in convents women were educated and could write, paint, play and compose music .... There were intelligent women who considered that a better choice than being a literal slave and bearing endless children."
(at 5% on my Kindle)


Blurb from Goodreads:
Each Angel Burns is the story of three people at crossroads in their lives--a tale of enduring friendship, of faith, of great evil and greater love--and of how they culminate in a miracle.
(For a more detailed synopsis, see the description on Amazon.)

For more Teaser Tuesday posts, click here: Teaser Tuesday

Sweet Saturday Samples - Oct 22

We’re here again with another Sweet Saturday Sample. Thank you to everyone who follows this weekly blog hop, and welcome to newcomers who are visiting for the first time today. We appreciate your interest and welcome your comments.

For the past several weeks we’ve been posting excerpts about Peggy, one of our characters from I.O.U. SEX. This sweet lady just can’t seem to get her weight and related health issues under control. We join her the day after she’s had a heart-to-heart conversation about these topics with her best friends, June and Kiki.

The next morning, bright Texas sunshine streamed through the plantation shutters in Peggy's bedroom, waking her from a night of restless sleep. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

Peggy looked down at the mounds her body formed underneath the white sheet, thinking they looked like the foothills of the Rockies, with bumps and bulges galore. She sighed. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she control herself?

Her thoughts went back to Kiki and June's visit the night before. With their words fresh in her mind, Peggy climbed out of bed and walked into the guest bathroom. She took a long look at her face in the mirror and made a promise.

This is the day.

As of right now I am going to eat only healthy foods, keep a food and calorie journal, and start walking. Losing all this flab might be slower than cold molasses, but it's taken me a lot of years to gain it. One way or another, I'm going to get healthy.

Cross my heart and hope not to die.

Peggy removed every last stitch of clothing and stood in front of the Weight Watchers scale she'd purchased in one of her lost-cause diet attempts. She followed the directions printed on the front, tapping the scale with her big toe to activate it. When the read-out said "00", she climbed aboard and braced herself for the shock. The glaring truth flashed back at her—217 big ones. Somehow she'd lost three pounds since her last doctor's visit, but the huge number still made her cringe. It's a start, she thought, and I swear I'll never see a number that big again.

As you’ve probably realized, Peggy isn’t your typical glamorous character from a romance novel or from women’s fiction, but she’s definitely representative of a large segment of the real world. Anyone who’s ever been on the diet merry-go-round understands the challenges Peggy faces. We hope you enjoy following her story as she works to lose her excess pounds, and at the same time joins her two friends in tracking down their high school boyfriends.

Book Title: I.O.U. Sex

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Romance

Rating: R (tastefully written sex scenes between consenting adults – M/F)

Available in paperback and eBook formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  CreateSpace and Smashwords.  

To connect with other Sweet Saturday Sample authors, click here: The Sweet List

WALKIE-TALKIE

Talking on a cell phone is a wonderful way to lose weight, but only if you walk while you’re doing it. A couple of years ago, Sandra A. and I discovered we share the same nationwide cell phone service, so we can talk until our batteries die – without it costing us a cent extra. Since then, we’ve walked and talked almost every day.

When there’s freezing rain in North Texas where Sandra lives, she stays indoors but will talk to me while I walk up and down the hills in my neighborhood. When it snowed one December in Washington State (my home), I walked on the treadmill while Sandra trooped up and down her street, telling me about the inflatable Christmas decorations in the yards she passed. Since we’ve both visited in each other’s homes many times, we can describe what we’re passing in our neighborhoods – the flowers blooming at the big house on the corner or the new construction at the top of the hill – and the other person can visualize what we’re seeing.

Just knowing we have a friend who will keep us company while walking has encouraged both of us to get out and get moving, even on days when we’d rather stay inside and watch TV. I’ve learned to walk in drizzly rain (a common occurrence where I live). On some days I not only have a BlueTooth but blue lips as well. Sandra braves the hot Texas sun or blustery Blue Northers, though thunderstorms will keep her safe indoors.

Without our walkie-talkie system I’m sure we’d have all kinds of good excuses for avoiding our daily walks. But with them we’re getting in shape, losing pounds, and keeping in touch. And, of course, it gives us an opportunity to discuss our book.