Category Archives: Romance

Thanks to all of you readers…

Mystery, Romance

…the CLINT WOLF MYSTERY TRILOGY: BOXED SET has become an Amazon best-seller! Today alone it has sold nearly 3400 copies (and counting), and I cannot thank all of you enough!

Best SellerFurthermore, for a limited time, the Boxed Set is available for $0.99. That’s three full-length books, which consists of over 245,000 words and nearly 800 pages of mystery, suspense, and romance, combined into one tight electronic package for a steal of a deal.

Here’s what you’ll find inside the boxed set:

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Embattled former detective Clint Wolf is the newly appointed police chief for Mechant Loup, a small swampy town in southeast Louisiana. Usually a quiet town, the tranquility of the place is shattered when a human arm is found in the jowls of an alligator. Once it’s determined the arm belongs to a reputable business owner, the race is on to find the man and figure out what happened to him. Little does Clint know that solving the case could unearth a plot so evil it would go down as the worst event in Louisiana history . . . and he might not live to see it.

BUT NOT FORGIVEN

When a woman is found dead on her doorsteps—shot through the heart with an arrow—Clint Wolf and Susan Wilson go to work trying to track down the sadistic killer. On the very next day, a second victim is murdered in his driveway (killed in the same manner) and it’s now a race against time to uncover the motive behind the killings and identify the murderer. What they know so far is that he’s a skilled archer preying on human targets, and they have no clue where he’ll strike next.

As though the case itself isn’t complicated enough, the district attorney has launched a grand jury investigation into Susan’s actions during a shooting that saved Clint’s life. No one knows exactly why the DA is gunning for Susan, but one thing is crystal clear . . . it’s personal.

BUT NOT FORSAKEN

No one knows why the district attorney is gunning for Susan Wilson, but Clint Wolf is determined to find out—even if it’ll get him in trouble. While he works to clear Susan’s name, his crusade is sidelined when a bar manager is murdered during an apparent armed robbery. The method of operation is eerily similar to those used by the ruthless gang who killed his family, and Clint might soon have to face down the demons from his past to solve the mystery.

Will Clint walk that fine line between good and evil, or will he abandon his principles to settle an old score? Whatever choice he makes, one thing is certain . . . it’ll come at a hefty price.

Thanks again to all of you for making this book such a hit!

bjb

Clint Wolf Mystery Trilogy: Boxed Set

Mystery, Novels, Romance, Suspense

I have recently combined the three full-length Clint Wolf novels into a boxed set and priced it at $7.98, so you get three books for the price of two. That’s over 245,000 words and nearly 800 pages of mystery, suspense and romance combined into one tight electronic package. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited or Prime member, you read for FREE.

Clint-Wolf_box-set

Here’s what you’ll find inside the boxed set:

BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Embattled former detective Clint Wolf is the newly appointed police chief for Mechant Loup, a small swampy town in southeast Louisiana. Usually a quiet town, the tranquility of the place is shattered when a human arm is found in the jowls of an alligator. Once it’s determined the arm belongs to a reputable business owner, the race is on to find the man and figure out what happened to him. Little does Clint know that solving the case could unearth a plot so evil it would go down as the worst event in Louisiana history . . . and he might not live to see it.

BUT NOT FORGIVEN

When a woman is found dead on her doorsteps—shot through the heart with an arrow—Clint Wolf and Susan Wilson go to work trying to track down the sadistic killer. On the very next day, a second victim is murdered in his driveway (killed in the same manner) and it’s now a race against time to uncover the motive behind the killings and identify the murderer. What they know so far is that he’s a skilled archer preying on human targets, and they have no clue where he’ll strike next.

As though the case itself isn’t complicated enough, the district attorney has launched a grand jury investigation into Susan’s actions during a shooting that saved Clint’s life. No one knows exactly why the DA is gunning for Susan, but one thing is crystal clear . . . it’s personal.

BUT NOT FORSAKEN

No one knows why the district attorney is gunning for Susan Wilson, but Clint Wolf is determined to find out—even if it’ll get him in trouble. While he works to clear Susan’s name, his crusade is sidelined when a bar manager is murdered during an apparent armed robbery. The method of operation is eerily similar to those used by the ruthless gang who killed his family, and Clint might soon have to face down the demons from his past to solve the mystery.

Will Clint walk that fine line between good and evil, or will he abandon his principles to settle an old score? Whatever choice he makes, one thing is certain . . . it’ll come at a hefty price.

And, of course, many thanks to every reader out there who has read my books. Whether you liked it or not, I appreciate that you took the time to read it.

 

Date Nights for a Healthy Marriage by Amanda Bourg

Romance
Lets’s face it, keeping a house and family running is a job. Fortunately, BJ and I both agree it is the most rewarding and worthwhile “job” of our lifetime. It’s not our day jobs that we’ll count as the greatest blessing in our lives. Raising a family will be our legacy.

Meanwhile, we have a marriage to nurture, which is quite different from nurturing our family. We have multiple roles in life as person, parent, and spouse. As parents, we relate as partners. We make decisions, compromises, and maintain responsibility for the “whole” family. As a spouse, we relate as a part of a couple.


That’s why we made it a goal to give ourselves opportunities to be a couple by taking date nights or even overnight date-aways. Do you remember when you first met your spouse and could dedicate your undivided attention to that person? We have tried to keep that alive. It’s like taking a day off from the job as parents. We give ourselves permission to be somewhat less responsible and share more of the private things that will only be shared with that one most intimate person. 


While I’m certain this would help any marriage, it is especially important for us in a second marriage, or what we call a blended family. We married at a time when we each already had children. The instant family situation didn’t leave much time for courtship as a couple. We were still learning each other when we introduced our children into the picture and were all learning each other. It’s like trying to catch a train that’s moving.


We have averaged one date night per month (and sometimes more). That’s close to the time off accrued at most jobs, lol. Joking aside, my dates with my husband have been wonderful. He is playful and funny, typical of him really, but even more so when we are alone together. His eyes are on me rather than acting as the shepherd and guardian of the family. My attention is on him and being completely relaxed that I have nothing else to tend to as the gatherer and nurturer of the family.

We support each others’ interests, complete bucket list activities, and explore things that we have both said we’ve always wanted to do.


We’ve had date-aways as close as 12 miles from home for a writing conference and as far away as Jamaica for our honeymoon. Each getaway is equally important quality time spent together. Of course, we worried about how the children will accept us taking time away, but they have been extremely supportive and encouraging. Overall, the hope is that they reap the benefits of us returning as a stronger couple. (While we miss them tremendously when we’re gone and can’t wait to see them again, leaving Jamaica was hard!)

We talk about shared interests, and flatter each other with words and attention. This has strengthened our young marriage (we just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary) and pushed us through the hurdle of that first year adjustment. It gives us a chance to balance the adjustment by exercising the role that we have as simply husband and wife. That is why we decided to make it part of our lifestyle.

© 2015 Amanda Bourg

Love Made Me Do It

Romance, Running


I don’t like to run. Wait…let me rephrase that; I hateto run. I don’t do it. Never have. Sure, I’ve had to run when I played flag football and soccer (during my two-year stint at this Christian school), I had to run during the police academy, and I’ve done many sprinting drills with my rifle and equipment for sniper training, but I’ve avoided running most of my life like one would avoid swimming in brain-eating-amoeba-infested water.
You see, I’ve been training to fight nearly my entire life and I’ve always participated in fight-specific training. I’d rather spar ten rounds (each round involves 3 minutes of fighting with a short rest period—usually 30 seconds) than run for ten minutes. For me and my specific needs, running is a waste of time. I know it’s a great form of exercise and many people love to do it, but it’s not my thing.
When people ask me if I run or if I would like to go running, I usually answer one of two ways:
1. Sure, I’ll run…after him if he’s got a warrant.
2. I don’t need to practice running away…I plan to stand and fight.
2nd Pro Fight – I’m the bald guy in the red boxing trunks
I provided the latter answer to my wife, Amanda, not long after we first met and were discussing her love for running. She told me how she’d already run a half marathon and wanted to run a full before she kicked the bucket. She also told me she was registered for another half marathon that was only weeks away. When I asked her the distance on a half marathon, she told me it was 13.1 miles.

The farthest I’d ever run was about five miles, and 13.1 miles seemed an impossible task for someone like myself who hated to run. So, in my mind, I immediately ran through all the reasons why I couldn’t do the half marathon with Amanda—all the important things I just knew I had to do that day, like clip my fingernails or fold my socks.

As we continued talking, Amanda said she planned to walk it, because she hadn’t trained for it and she didn’t want to hurt herself. Being the gentleman I am—and realizing instantly I could walk that distance on any given day even through the mountains—I offered to walk it with her. She was elated. I couldn’t believe something as simple as walking beside her for a few hours would make her that happy, but there she was—giddy with excitement that I’d agreed to do something I hated just for her.
On “race” day, Amanda bounced out of bed way too early and dragged me out from under the sheets. We showed up at the Heart and Soles event in Houma, LA with our walking shoes strapped firmly in place and gathered at the starting line with the other folks who had nothing better to do that day. Someone finally popped a cap in the air and everyone started running like they were the ones being shot at. As for Amanda and me, we walked…for about a hundred yards. She turned to me with beautiful brown eyes that sparkled and she was bouncing up and down, nearly jumping out of her skin. “I’m so excited! I want to run,” she said (paraphrasing).
I was like, “Sure, let’s run.” I knew she hadn’t trained for it, so I figured, “How far could she go?”
13.1 miles and 2:57 later, Amanda and I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand, having jogged our first half marathon together and my first ever. I can’t remember ever laughing that much in my life. The images of Amanda doubled over trying to run while she laughed hysterically (I’m just a funny guy, I guess) will forever be one of the fondest memories of our first months together. At 42, I did something I never—and I mean NEVER EVER—had the urge to do, but it was very cool and it’s something I would never have experienced had it not been for Amanda.
Amanda and me at Houma Heart & Soles 2013
Now, I must admit to enjoying a conversation I had with one of my friends after the event. He told me he hadn’t known I was into running and he described all the weeks of training he and his wife had undergone in preparation for that day (it sounded boring and time-consuming!). He then asked what I’d done to train for the half marathon and asked if I’d done any other races. Lying to make others feel better is not in my DNA, so I shrugged and said, “I’ve been eating chocolate brownies, drinking milk and watching TV.” (Of course, they weren’t just any old brownies—they were from Duet’s Bakery in Galliano, LA and they’re the best!)
This event definitely brought Amanda and me closer together and I proposed to her about six weeks later. As you can imagine, my jaw landed solidly on the floor in front of my boots when I applied for our marriage license and saw the license number—it was identical to the bib number from my very first racing event with Amanda. At that moment, I knew without a doubt I’d made the right decision.
My half marathon bib and our marriage license
Now, I’d love to be able to sit here and write that the half marathon changed my view of the sport and ignited within me a passion for running, but that would be a lie. I still hate to run, but I love Amanda more than I hate running and I happily attend race after race with her. If the event is more than ten minutes from the house, we leave the day before and make a romantic night-away out of it.
Flying over the finish line at the 2015 Rock and Roll Series 10K in New Orleans
Some of the racing events we’ve done since then include the 2014 Houma Heart and Soles 5K, a Moonjoggers virtual 5K (M’s Run: Klingons Against Cancer) , the Rock and Roll Series 10K and the Crescent City Classic. Although running is not my flavor, these events provide a great opportunity for Amanda and me to spend some quality time together and just “get away”, while also contributing to good causes. We’re not trying to set records—unless there’s a record for last place—but I think these events are a great way for couples,and even families, to visit with one another, enjoy the views, and get the old heart pumping.
Striking a pose at the 2015 Rock and Roll Series 10K in New Orleans
Take it easy one and all and thanks for reading!
UPDATE: Holy crap!!! Amanda just registered us for the 2016 Rock and Roll Marathon!
BJ Bourg