The World of Sophia Sinclair

So I'm reading the good old New York Times Sunday paper yesterday and there's a business story that knocked my socks off. It's about people doing exactly what Ashley did in Crazy Little Thing . It is, in a word, crazy. Here's the story , which is pretty interesting. It's about old motels being turned into upscale destinations ... which is, if you've read Crazy Little Thing, exactly what Ashley did!  I did quite a bit of research to explain how a small-town bartender could save and invest her money and buy the motel and bar where she worked. I had to pretty much put together her business plan to make the whole thing believable! (Follow me for more great business ideas — my characters tend to do a lot of cool things!) In case you haven't read it, here's the blurb: Ashley Butler is everyone’s favorite bartender at The Clipper. She’s seemingly always there to remember your favorite drink and offer a sympathetic ear. But Ashley has plans that go far beyond ba...

If you've ever given birth, there's a decent chance you now have stretch marks. There's also a decent chance you're not thrilled about this. But I'm here to say we need to try to think a new way about our stretch marks. I have so many stretch marks. My babies were large — my son weighed 10 pounds even! Ouch!  For many years, I was too upset about my stretch marks to show them to anyone. I felt embarrassed by them and always wore a one-piece bathing suit. The thought of any man but my husband seeing them was terrifying to me! Part of what made me so embarrassed was the way he spoke about my stretch marks. When he decided he wanted a divorce, he told me my stretch marks looked so bad that if I were dead on the side of the road, a vulture wouldn't touch my stomach. He had a few other choice things to say about my stretch marks, too.  In time, I dated plenty of other men who didn't have a problem with my stretch marks. They knew I was a mom and they k...

Tell Me Another Story! We all love stories. Our ancient ancestors told stories around the fire at night. That was their entertainment, but it was also their oral history, which was the only history they had at that point.  We all still love stories, whether it's reading a book or watching a movie. But it would be a mistake to think stories are only entertainment. They are, but they're also so much more. My little granddaughter loves to hear stories about Queen Fluff and her cat kingdom. Incidentally, the cats in that kingdom cannot get enough asparagus. They grow and harvest it and then feast on various asparagus dishes. Queen Fluff's Favorite is an asparagus dish made with pasta and parmesan cheese. Do I have to tell you that my granddaughter loves asparagus now?  When I started a job at an advertising and marketing agency, I was taught to "tell a story" with my ads, and I realized I had been marketing asparagus to my granddaughter all along. I don't work at ...

All Men Fart If you're in a relationship, you might compare yours with the ones in your favorite romance novels.  But doing that is very much like comparing your life to the lives of others on social media. You know what I'm talking about. Your friend confides in you that her marriage is on rocky ground, but her social media shows them on vacation, having fabulous meals, adorably playing with their toddler, whatever. She does not post pics and video of one of them crying or slamming doors or sleeping on the sofa. We all know that people's social media is not an accurate reflection of what their daily lives are. How many times have you cropped a photo to avoid the basket of unfolded laundry or the messy coffee table before posting the pic on your social media? Anybody would assume your house is always neat and tidy and maybe it is, but mine isn't. I only wish my house was as put together as it usually appears on my social media. Similarly, in Romance Land, you see a spec...

Waiting For The Big Time There are a handful of authors out there who make the big bucks. Everybody loves their books. I'd go hungry if necessary to buy the hardback of Diana Gabaldon's latest, to give one example.  But there are thousands of fantastic books written every year that go unread. What do authors do to try to get noticed? We give our work away. It's what creative people do, I'm afraid, because the same thing is true of singers, artists and photographers. While nobody ever asks insurance salespeople or doctors or lawn care company owners or roofers to give away their work, it's just accepted that creative people will give it up for free. And you know what? We absolutely will, because we all hope that eventually, if enough people read our book/listen to our songs/look at our paintings, we will eventually have enough fans that we can make a living with our art.  That might not be true of most of us, but dreams die hard. So here's the deal: I need people...

Now It's Ashley's Turn If you've been reading the Small-Town Secrets series, you've "met" Ashley a number of times. She's everyone's favorite bartender at The Clipper, and she knows everything that's going on in town. But her own plans have been a big secret. That's about to change: Ashley Butler is everyone’s favorite bartender at The Clipper. She’s seemingly always there to remember your favorite drink and offer a sympathetic ear. But Ashley has plans that go far beyond bartending. She has been quietly working on a major project for years, and she’s just about to make her move. When wealthy developer Maxwell Bishop makes a stop at The Clipper, he’s utterly captivated by the beautiful, intelligent, self-assured woman behind the bar. When he accidentally throws a monkey wrench into her plans, he tries to make it up to her. Ashley accepts his offer and their attraction heats up, but they are from such different worlds. She was raised by a poor s...