Contest in Full Swing for a James Avery Charm Bracelet and Charm

Deadline for entering  is Friday, March 31, 2017. Winner must live in the US or Canada. If you live across the pond and win, you'll receive a bundle of five ebooks including A Touch of Texas Irish.




Grand prize is the charm bracelet. Secondary prizes are digital copies of A Touch of Texas Irish to 5 additional winners.

To enter, sign up for my newsletter (see form to right) OR email me linda@lindalaroque.com and ask to be enrolled/entered.

IF you already receive my newsletter, email me and ask to be entered in the contest, and I'll add you straight away.

I'm thrilled with this new book and hope readers like it as much as I enjoyed writing it. An Irish lass, fresh off the boat from Ireland, in far west Texas married to a retired military doctor determined to not love again.

Here's a short excerpt:

"Tad, would you like to give the blessing this morning?"

"Do I hav-ta?

"Yes, son, you do."

He folded his hands on the table and squeezed his eyes tight. "Thanks for Rosa's good cooking, Lord, and for my Pa and Aunt Ruth and...Aileen." He forced one eyelid up, stabbed Aileen with his stare, and expelled a deep sigh. "I don't want no step-mother...but since I gots one, I'll try to be nice. Please watch over my Ma and baby sister up there in heaven. And if you gots time, please send me a dog. Amen."

"Amen." Sam's rumbling voice drowned out the two women's. "That was very nice, Tad." His voice was steady, but he held in his laughter. "You're wanting a dog, huh?"

Tad wiped the milk mustache from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Yes, sir, Pa. I'm big enough to take care of one."

"Hmm, I'll give it some thought, " he said. "Aileen, your china looks right at home there on the sideboard."

"Ach, yes. I'm so pleased with it, I could bust."

A Touch of Texas Irish will be available on March 8, 2017. It is available for pre-order now. I hope you'll pick up a copy and leave me a short review when you finish. Your opinion means a great deal.

Don't forget to enter the contest and feel free to share this post with your friends.

Thanks for stopping by and happy ready and writing!

Linda

www.lindalaroque.com

The movie Giant and Hotel Paisano

Larry and I traveled to Marfa, Texas before going to the writer's retreat last weekend. We'd visited the Hotel Paisano several times to take pictures and walk through the shops and the Giant movie memorabilia room. During the making of Giant, stars and crew stayed in the hotel and today guests can stay in the Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor suites. James Dean's room is one of the basic rooms, but all accommodations have been restored to maintain their historical integrity. Hudson and Taylor soon moved to rented houses in the small town. It's interesting to read accounts of people driving miles to see the movie set and try to glimpse the stars. Google the making of Giant and read some of the stories.

Here are a few pictures of the movie memorabilia.

I've always wanted to stay in the hotel and this trip talked Larry into it. We thought about one of the suites but settled on a room on the mezzanine where the rooms have small patios with an outdoor fireplace. Nights are beautiful in west Texas and we envisioned a fire and a glass of the Enchanted Rock red wine we picked up in Fredericksburg. Below are a few pictures of our room.

 

Pictured to each side is the side entrance to the hotel, an interior view of the side hallway and shops. Below is the patio entrance where diners can enjoy their evening meal, have drinks and visit with friends, or merely enjoy the fresh air while reading and pictures of the lobby.

Take a look at the beautiful floor tiles. Though the hotel has air conditioning, it's designed so that breezes rush through keeping the entry area cool. Notice below the indoor pool where the stars swam. Some rooms overlook the pool with small lanais.

 

And here is the Palace Theatre where the cast watched movies and screened film clips from the movie. Each evening a plane took off from the small airport to deliver film for processing to a studio in California. It returned the following morning with the processed film ready for viewing. The theatre is no longer open but is the home of an artist.

Can you imagine a book written to take place during this exciting event? Maybe the story of an extra? I can.

I hope you enjoyed my visit to Hotel Paisano. There are a number of vintage pictures on the web just ready for your viewing and stories galore. Please leave a comment to be entered in my monthly ebook drawing.

Happy Reading and Writing!

Linda

http://www.lindalaroque.com/