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San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge Biking Photography

San Francisco

To celebrate nine years of marriage we paid for my mother in law to come up and watch the kids for a part of her vacation here with us. (Thanks again Grandmama, you rock!) My hubby and I flew out to San Francisco, where I had never been before, and played tourist for about a week. If you follow me on my social media sites you probably saw a lot of my pictures.

We walked a good portion of the city and even biked it, I think my thighs are still upset with me. My goodness did we see so much of the city. It was great! We biked the Golden Gate bridge, Golden Gate Park and part of the city. Alcatraz was very neat for this criminal justice enthusiast and we played tourist in other areas like Pier 39, Painted Ladies, Fisherman’s Wharf, Mission District, Lombard Street, Haight Street, Chinatown, and Little Italy. We rode the cable cars, the bus, streetcar, tram, Uber and Lyft.

We stayed at the Chateau Tivoli B&B and had a great experience. A variety of individuals were there at the same time and so many different backgrounds. I LOVED it. Getting to learn about different countries and cultures via actual residents is a wonderful way to learn about the world. I want to give a shout out to Josh & Cheryl, it was fantastic spending time with you all.

Thanks to the variety of experiences I’m excited to say that I have about 7-9 ideas for some novels. I can’t wait to get started!

My favorite part of the trip was seeing the Golden Gate bridge, painted ladies, and the Full House house. I was a child of TGIF and loved watching Full House, Family Matters, Step by Step, Boy Meets World and the like. Seeing the iconic symbols from the show only signaled my brain to hear the theme song to Full House.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see this American city I highly suggest it. Make sure to bring your walking shoes and let your feet guide you to the many sights.

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new design Update website AJ Renee Widowers Aura

NEW Design

Hey! As you can see I made some changes to the layout. I hope you guys like it. The social links are now easily accessible at the top by the menu. Leave me a comment and tell me what you think?

Off to get more groundwork done so I can get the pre-orders up and running for Widower’s Aura. I’m super excited (and scared!) 

Talk to you soon!- AJ

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Mother's day

~*~HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!~*~

I want to take a moment out and wish all the mom’s out there a Happy Mother’s Day! I also want to give a shout out to the dad’s who have stepped up to the plate.

I hope you have a wonderful day relaxing and reading your favorite book while you get pampered(or left alone to use the bathroom in peace.)

Today I will spend it with my own kids and husband while we prepare to have my lovely mother in law come visit.

Wishing you all the very best, AJ

***Stay tuned on news for Widower’s Aura pre-orders.***

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Update Widowers Aura St Fleur Sofia and Noah

Everything is moving in the right direction so I can bring you all the town of St. Fleur. I’m very excited to introduce you to Sofia and Noah. It took me about five months to write the first draft and many, many more to clean it up. My lovely editor will go through it next to ensure you receive the best quality. As a reader that is what I expect and as an author I can’t give you anything less than my best. Please bear with me in the meantime.

I know I mentioned that I’m working on getting my pre-orders up and I have yet to announce it. Sorry about that. There are a few things I need before I can do that. When it’s up I will be shouting it from the roof tops before biting my nails to nubs.

I’m finishing up a short story that has nothing to do with St. Fleur. I’ll keep you posted on any news there.

You can now find the blog posts under their own tab on the menu. I’m debating some other changes to make it easier on all of you to find me on my social sites. Everything should be user friendly and if you find something that is not, I encourage you to message me.

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Chaos Short Story Promotions

Life means organized chaos

I have so many things I’m juggling on a daily basis as so many of you can relate. It really is organized chaos some days and utter chaos on other days. I’ve been trying to find my groove with all the social media and my website at the same time finding a break from writing. (A short break since an idea popped up for a short story and I couldn’t let it sit.)

Stretching my creative muscles feels amazing! As I type this I’m itching to finish Dylan and Andi’s short story. I’ve also been hashing out some ideas in my head for book 3 of my St. Fleur series, Jesse and Jamie Lynn’s long overdue story.

In celebration of starting this new path in my life I decided to give two copies of two books away. This added one more thing to keep an eye on. No complaints, because in my own excitement for this journey I wanted to shower YOU with a gift.

There are three days left for Carina Adams’ Lay it Down #AmazonGiveaway. Pay it forward and share the link. Maybe you or your friend can win it and enjoy the lovely, sexy, and badass Bastards M.C. Congratulations to @LarndeSolen for claiming one copy of Laura Kaye’s Hard as it Gets! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Stay tuned for news on pre-orders for Widower’s Aura and however I decide to give away the unclaimed Laura Kaye Hard as it Gets kindle edition.

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Tide changing grief mourning loss love

The tide is changing…

Today I woke up to the sound of rain slapping the stucco covering my home and for some people it’s a mood killer. Personally, I love the occasional storm. Rain washes away the streets of grime and brings rainbows and flowers.

Living in the desert every drop we get is a blessing. Too little water and we have problems and yet too much rain at once and we have even bigger issues. As I reflect on the state of Texas dealing with flooding I think of those families that have been changed forever. The clouds not only opened up over them to feed the land but now…now it is a reflection of their bleeding hearts and the endless tears cascading down their cheeks.

Life is delicate. I’ve mentioned in my about me that writing was never on my list of things that I wanted to do. The fact that I wrote Widower’s Aura is a complete surprise even now, two years later. It was my own therapy to write the love connection between Sofia and Noah. Everything I created in my world of St. Fleur has been based off my own imagination as have the characters. I did store a couple pieces of someone I lost way too early in life into the story. A way to honor and commemorate a beautiful life that can only live in my memories and forever in my heart.

Not everyone in this world gets their love story. Some get a horror story gift wrapped in the idea of love. Others don’t live long enough to experience the blessing of a true partner in life.

As I stumble through this exciting time in my life, preparing to share Sofia and Noah with the world, I can’t help but think of the people in my life that aren’t here to share it with me. Wanting to lift the phone to my ear and hear their laughter, excitement, and guidance but only feeling the tears as they slip down my cheeks unchecked.

The tide is changing once again in my life. It’s time to either sink or swim. How do you handle the ever changing tide?

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Reading romance books relax

What are you reading?

I’m in between writing so this is the time I try to catch up on novels I’ve been collecting along the way. I just finished Carina Adams, Lay it Down and I started R.L. Mathewson’s, Fated. I’m hoping I can read Danica Winters, Smoke and Ashes next.

Ever since I started Widower’s Aura my to be read list has become longer and longer. I don’t know if I’ll ever catch up. There are so many fantastic stories out there waiting to be read. I’m behind on quite a few series. As I type this I’m remembering that I left off in the middle of Bella Andre’s Sullivan’s series. I’m dying to read Sophie and Jake’s story in, I only have eyes for you.

The problem I’m having is that Jessie and Jamie Lynn’s story, the third novel in my St. Fleur series, is itching to be told.

I don’t like to read when I’m writing. I don’t want anything to influence me unconsciously and the flow to the story to change. Could you imagine reading a book and the character gets a split personality all of a sudden? That would make me crazy as a reader!

Reading is my drug of choice. Prior to writing Widower’s Aura I could read 5-7 romance novels in a week, easily. The amount I’ve read since then has been reduced dramatically. I don’t regret it though because the joy I’ve received from my little town of St. Fleur is indescribable.

So I ask you, what are you reading? Leave me a comment and share with us what author has you in their web.

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books love romance widower's aura

Are you a bibliophile?

Bibliophile: a person who loves or collects books, Merriam-Webster’s website.

Do you consider yourself a bibliophile? I may not collect books but I sure do love them. So many wonderful stories are held within the bindings of so many books. From fairy tales to memoirs to my absolute favorite, romance.

Reading used to be considered a privilege for society’s elite. Slaves and women were not encouraged to read or educate themselves and neither were society’s poor. Those in power feared what would happen when those “beneath” them assumed the skill. They would lose that power. As we all know, knowledge is power.

Now a days we encourage children to learn that same skill as early as preschool. You can’t fall in love with a book if you can’t read it. What better way to exercise your brain and your imagination than reading words off a page and seeing your version of the world the author created?

It’s very easy to allow the burdens of your day and the darkness of those lost affect you. Each day we are consumed with stress from everyday living. Whether it be your job, family, friends, or people who are malicious and find joy in others misery. Reading a happily ever after romance novel allows me to push away the stress of my day and just relax.

I fell in love with books the moment that calm washed over me. Cheering on the protagonists as they overcame their own struggles to come together in their love. THAT helps me remember that the glass really is half-full. It’s so easy to let the pessimist in my head take over but the moment I melt in a story, Sofia and Noah’s or one created by another author, I can feel the optimist in me triumph as the stress of the day melts away.

My drug of choice may be the romance genre but no matter the genre that fills you, I encourage you to find a book that reminds you that the glass is indeed, half-full.

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Art in Jackson Square in the French Quarter, New Orleans.

Welcome!!!

Hello friends, new and old!

I’m proud to announce that book one of my St. Fleur series, Widower’s Aura, will be out this Fall! News on when you can pre-order and where you can purchase it will be shared here and on my social media pages.

This has been a fantastic ride and I’m so lucky to share it with everyone. Stay tuned for a sneak peek into Sofia and Noah’s story!

Please visit my Contact me page for ways to follow me on social media.

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