News, Muse and Interviews

When I’m writing a story, I give my characters, particularly the heroine, a unique and sometimes quirky characteristic. I think it makes the story more fun to read. It’s not always based on something I do, but that’s usually what sparked the idea. Here are some examples:

Mikaela Finn (Perfectly Honest) plans her day around her horoscope. This was me – at one point I would read my horoscope each morning, and I even use the lucky numbers that are recommended on my birthday when I buy a lottery ticket.

Margo MacMillan (Perfectly Reasonable) judges people by the type and colour of car they drive. This was sparked when I got behind a green van, and the driver drove agonizingly slow. Plotting the character and scene for my book was how I channeled my frustration. Lol

Chloe Keay (Perfectly Planned) mashes up song lyrics. Yup.

Sarah Jain (Between the Pipes) loves to know the ending of a movie before she watches it. Oh so me.

Danni Angelo (Behind the Bench) is a stickler for infection control and bugs the hockey players about sharing water bottles. Yes – just ask my kids. For any sport and before pretty much every game they played, they would get a reminder. Although the bright side is that they are very good about washing their hands after being outside.

Kelly Danali (Beyond the Face-Off) is a total extrovert and loves to be the centre of attention. Not me – I’m more like her beau-to-be who tends to be an introvert.

Jordyn Kendra (Before the Whistle) faints at the sight of blood but takes it in stride when her aunt shows up as a ghost to poke and prod her about her love life. I must confess, when I started medical school I was prone to fainting at the sight of blood. I did numerous electives in the operating room until I could stay upright. I haven’t yet encountered a ghost, but I’d like to think I would be cool with it.

Incorporating the quirks in my writing has been a lot of fun, and I hope it makes the story more relatable.

If you’re in the mood for a fun hockey romance, then Behind the Bench, a standalone story as part of the In the Game Hockey Romance Series will hit the spot!

Behind the Bench

Dr. Danni Angelo is the team physician for the Clarington Quakes hockey team. She’s worked hard to earn the players’ respect, but the new coach, Trey Mason, is stirring things up, and Danni’s worried her job may be in jeopardy.

Trey finds Danni…distracting. Beauty, brains, and sexy moves on the ice have him uncomfortably attracted. He’s the new guy on the block. He has a reputation to build and a standard to set. The last thing he needs is a complication.

When the team spirals out of control and Danni and Trey get caught up in a drug scandal, things heat up on and off the ice. It’s a whole new game plan…Behind the Bench.

Enjoy an excerpt ~

Danni watched the tail end of the in-house broadcast of the news conference and flicked off the screen. How could you not be impressed with that? Trey Mason was confident and eloquent, and spoke in a relaxed and engaging way. The beach-bum blond hair, sculpted cheekbones, and easy smile would win over the non-hockey fans, and his passion and knowledge of the game would impress the followers. He had it all, and landing in a town like Clarington must be a dream come true. For him.

And a nightmare for her.

She had worked part-time as the team physician for the Clarington Earthquakes, Quakes for short, for the past three years. It had taken time to gain the players’ confidence. Being a female physician for a men’s hockey team hadn’t been easy, but she’d built a solid professional relationship.

She loved everything about the job – the energy of the games, working with high-level athletes, and a new clinic in a state-of-the-art arena. Two years ago, the Ontario community of a hundred thousand had banded together and invested countless hours of sweat equity into building a new arena. It was spacious and bright. From the wall of glass at the entrance to the wide well-lit hallways, lined with gleaming stainless steel and interspersed with elegant navy tiles, it drew people in. Moving ramps carried fans up to three levels of seating, and rumbling seats mimicked an earthquake when the Tectonic Plate mascots riled the crowd.

She didn’t know how a building could affect her so much. The sight of fans streaming in or players waiting restlessly in the wings before a game sent shivers down her spine. She had a feeling of utter contentment, at times like this, when it was quiet. There was always an underlying sense of anticipation, an expectant excitement, and she loved it all. She certainly didn’t want it to change because of a new head coach.

Trey Mason couldn’t fire her. Theoretically. That would be up to the owners of the team. He could, however, make her life miserable. And if there was friction between them, it would affect the players, and ultimately, what affected the players influenced the owners. There were two other physicians who shared the job with her and a few more who would be eager to take it on.

He, on the other hand, could be set for a long run if he delivered half of what he’d promised today. She certainly hadn’t seen any charm when he’d walked into the pressroom, and yet it came out in spades when he spoke. She could only hope that her initial impression had been wrong, because between the two of them, it wasn’t likely that he’d be leaving any time soon.

Bottom line – she needed to suck it up and get along with the new guy. She sighed. She hated sucking up. She’d thought she was done with that after building a solid reputation with the team. Apparently not. She shook her head and gritted her teeth. Time to smile and play nice.

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I love crepes. They’re quick and easy to prepare, and only require a few ingredients. They can be filled with all sorts of flavors, in fact, my mother-in-law used to serve them with pressed cottage cheese and jam (delicious), and I’ve made ones with a creamy mushroom filling, but my current favorite is a combination of Gouda cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, and spicy guacamole. If I feel the need for a bit more protein, I swap out the guacamole for hummus or eat it with carrot sticks and hummus. I make my crepes with gluten-free flour, which tends to make the crepes a bit more fragile. I keep the batter in the fridge and only fry up two at a time, but generally you can fry up a batch and reheat them when you’re ready to eat.

This is the recipe I use for Gluten-Free Crepes:

2 eggs, beaten

¾ cup milk

½ cup water

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons sugar

1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I use Robin Hood brand)

1 tsp vegetable oil for frying

Whisk together the first 6 ingredients and then sift in the flour. Whisk until smooth. Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan (I use a 9-inch frying pan because I like a good-sized crepe). Add ¼ cup of batter to the pan and swirl so the batter is evenly distributed in the frying pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown and then flip and cook the other side 2-3 minutes. Makes about 6 9-inch crepes.

The best thing about a quick and easy recipe for lunch or dinner (or breakfast) is that there’s more time to read! If you’re looking for a delicious story, pick up a copy of Love and the Hockey Heist, the second book in the Laugh-out-Loud Hockey Caper Romance series. The (stand-alone) stories in this series have an element of white-collar crime – like a cozy mystery without a murder!

Love and the Hockey Heist begins with the theft of a treasured travel alarm clock, which triggers a hilarious series of events when Dr. Piper Roblin tries to steal it back! It involves a fake engagement with popular pro hockey player, Brent Dean. In this story I’ve woven a white-collar crime mystery into a romance. Add in a smart, sassy doctor and a swoon-worthy professional hockey player, and the stage is set for a fun, clever hockey caper. Get your copy today and cozy up with a fun read!

Here’s the blurb for Love and the Hockey Heist ~

Dr. Piper Roblin is peeved. She’s pretty sure her new neighbour stole her travel alarm clock. It may not be worth much, but it has sentimental value. Piper hatches a plan to get it back, but her plan relies on Brent Dean, popular forward of the Brighton Edge hockey team, to finagle a dinner invitation to gain access to her neighbour’s house.

Brent thought the invite from the stunningly beautiful cardiologist was based on a thoughtful gesture to welcome new neighbours to Brighton. He didn’t realize the gig included subterfuge, thievery, and a fake engagement. But he didn’t get to where he is without a lot of hustle and determination, and since he’s always up for some fun, let the games begin.

Enjoy an excerpt ~

“I need a fiancé.” Piper Roblin tucked her purse under the stool and sat down heavily. Her shoulder-length hair, the colour of rich dark chocolate flounced around her heart-shaped face. Her three best friends, already seated at the workstations waiting for the cooking class to begin, turned and stared at her with identical expressions: open-mouthed shock.

Bailey Jansen, a dermatologist with an adventurous spirit, and the most outspoken of their group, was the first to recover. “Excuse me?”

Piper pulled back her shoulders, trying to make the most of her one-hundred-fifty-seven-centimeter height, and raised her chin. “I need a man, a hockey player to be exact.”

Bailey grinned at the determination in Piper’s brown eyes and waved a hand. “I’ve been saying the same thing for months.”

They looked expectantly at Abigail Clark, a levelheaded emergency room physician, who sat at the workstation in front of them beside the fourth pea in their pod, Sierra Westlake, a serious-minded general surgeon.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Abigail asked.

“Two words. Del Braebury.” Bailey pointed at the impressive diamond ring on Abigail’s left hand. “You’re engaged to the captain of the Brighton Edge hockey team.”

“You can make it happen,” Piper said.

Sierra raised a hand. “Whoa. Let’s just pump the brakes here. Why do you need a fiancé? Last I heard you were too busy being the chief of cardiology to worry about dating, never mind planning a wedding. And didn’t you say that your parents are big on the whole pre-arranged marriage idea?”

Piper waved that aside. “This is just temporary. I have no intention of settling into a relationship. I accepted an invitation to a dinner party, but the only reason I was invited was because I sort of mentioned that my fiancé played for the Brighton Edge.”

Sierra shook her head. “What? Why would you do that?”

“I was backed into a corner.” Piper gritted her teeth.

Bailey laughed. “I hear you, sister. You don’t know how many times I’ve needed to use that.”

“Really?”

“No, never. How did that even come up?”

Piper sighed. “You know how I belong to a neighbourhood book club?” At their nods, she continued. “Last week I hosted. After everyone left, I realized that my little silver travel alarm clock was missing. I think my neighbour took it.”

“That’s crazy,” Abigail said. “Haven’t you been in that book club for years? Aren’t those people your friends?”

“I know how it sounds, but I’ve looked high and low for that clock, and I cannot find it. Most of the women have been part of the group for years, but a young couple, Jessica and Ryan, moved in beside me recently, and I invited Jessica to join us.”

“Why would she steal your alarm clock? Is it worth something?”

“No. That’s what’s so annoying. I bought it online a few years ago, for like, ten bucks. But I really like it. It’s compact and has a quiet alarm. It’s perfect for travel, and I used it all the time when I had to sleep at the hospital during my residency. I don’t know why she took it, but I’m almost positive she did.”

“Why? What makes you think that?” Abigail asked.

“She went to the washroom and instead of using the powder room, I caught her coming down the stairs. She made some excuse about not knowing about the bathroom on the main floor even though I specifically pointed it out. And I’m pretty sure her house is the exact same layout as mine.”

“That is odd,” Bailey said.

Piper nodded emphatically. “I know. I didn’t think much of it until I noticed that my little alarm clock was missing. I’m sure she took it while she was up there.”

“That’s pretty bold,” Abigail said. “Stealing from your neighbour isn’t a great way to settle into the community. Do you know anything about her?”

“Only that they bought the house next door. She said they own a cleaning company and moved here from Toronto to set up a local franchise. No kids, no pets, and huge hockey fans.”

“So you plan to have dinner with them, get to know them, and ask if she stole your alarm clock?” Bailey asked, more than a little skeptically.

“I’m going to steal it back.”

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We recently celebrated Mother’s Day, and I was thinking about all the inspiring women in my life. I’ve raised my kids alongside a group of other moms and we’ve muddled through a lot of shenanigans. I’ve managed to come out the other side feeling proud of the sons I’ve raised and thankful that I had a great group of women by my side.

Recently I started dancing with a group of Royal Scottish Country dancers, and I’ve met another group of inspiring women. They’re energetic, patient with new dancers, welcoming, friendly, and oh-so-smart, quickly learning and mastering all the steps to the dances. And, it turns out, they’re in their eighties – and one is ninety! I didn’t believe it when I learned that. I would’ve sworn they were all ten to fifteen years younger. Scottish Country dancing is lively with reels and jigs, done with a skipping step that makes you feel like a kid, and the occasional slower more elegant Strathspey. It’s a ton of fun but there is a lot of memory work involved as you move through the different positions in the dance. It obviously keeps you young! I’m so inspired by these women – I hope to carry myself into the future with the same elegance and grace.

If you’d like to hang out with another group of inspiring women and escape into a sassy, sexy, medical romcom, pick up a copy of Perfectly Reasonable. Margo’s life is a bit topsy turvy at the moment as she sorts out her career, but she has a best friend who sticks by her side, and a new admirer who forces her to look at things a little differently!

In Perfectly Reasonable, Trace is applying to medical school. With a little help from Margo, he plans to ace the dreaded medical school interview. Now he just has to convince Margo to help him!

Margo MacMillan finished medical school, but in the process, her self-confidence and self-esteem took a beating. So for the sake of self-preservation, she’s stepped away from medicine to re-group. In the meantime, painting soothes her soul and pays the bills.

Trace Bennett set his sights on a medical degree and has to prepare the perfect medical school application. His big plan is to paint his condo for a little feng shui divine luck. When Margo shows up to paint, he realizes he’s found exactly what he’s looking for. He just has to convince Margo to share more than the art of medicine.

She’s got it. He wants it. It’s Perfectly Reasonable.

Enjoy an excerpt ~

“So, you’re a doctor,” Trace said slowly.

Jeez. Back to that. “Yup.”

“How come a doctor is painting my living room?”

“Because you’re paying twice the usual fee,” Margo said with a cheeky grin.

“Shouldn’t you be…doctoring?”

Her smile slipped. He sounded like her mother. All that time, all that money, blah, blah, blah. “I could be, but at the moment, I’m painting.” She pointed to the paint sample hanging on the wall. “That’s the color I chose.”

He looked over. “I like it. Hopefully it will work.”

“I think it’ll work. Blue’s a neutral color. Looks good in this lighting and it’ll be a great backdrop with your metal furniture.”

“Hm-mm. I’m hoping it’ll be lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“Feng shui. Water and metal elements, á la blue paint and metal furniture, in the west and southwest rooms are supposed to bring divine luck this year. Good bye beige and wooden antiques.”

She smiled at him. He wants to get lucky? Look at those abs. Really, any color would do. “Sounds like you’ve researched this.”

He took a sip of coffee and set the cup down. “I have. I’m applying to medicine. Again. I’m giving it one last chance, and this time I’m doing it properly.”

“Medicine.”

“Yes.”

“And you think feng shui will help?” She reached for a small tool in the outer pocket of the tote bag and used it to pry open the lid from the first can of paint.

“Couldn’t hurt. And I want to cover all the bases. If I can get a little divine luck on my side, I’m all for it.”

She smiled at him as she stirred the paint. Hopefully he had more than feng shui up his sleeve. “I’ll get this done and get you started. I’m happy to help.” Especially if it meant her bills would get paid.

“Are you? You could be handy.”

“Oh I’m definitely handy,” she said with a smile.

Buy link (free in Kindle Unlimited):  https://www.amazon.com/Perfectly-Reasonable-Book-2-ebook/dp/B09D6WFHNM

Award-winning author Linda O’Connor started writing romantic comedies when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at a local home décor store. Her books have enjoyed bestseller status. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic. She shares her medical knowledge in fast-paced, well-written, sexy romances – with an unexpected twist. Her favourite prescription to write? Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Linda loves to connect with readers ~

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Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Linda-OConnor/e/B00S7CNLEA

I’ve fallen in love and I’m having a ton of fun with it! I’ve fallen in love with geocaching! I received a new phone for Christmas, and I’ve finally been able to download an app for geocaching. If you’re not familiar with geocaching, it’s basically a treasure hunt – people hide caches and post latitude and longitude co-ordinates or waypoints. Using the app (or a GPS), you can search out the hiding spots, find the caches, and sign a log to note that you’ve found it. The caches can be anything from a miniature tube hanging on a branch, a small container hidden under a rock or in a hole in a tree trunk, a fake bolt, or something tucked into a more elaborate secret compartment behind a little library, for instance. Geocaches are hidden all over the world and even in my own neighbourhood, I’ve visited beautiful parks, gems really, that I didn’t even know existed. Stealth is often required to keep the caches hidden and non-geocachers from moving them. There are EarthCaches that teach you about the geography of the area and newer virtual caches, often placed in areas with a lot of foot traffic where pulling out a container would be too obvious. Some of the caches require you to solve a puzzle to calculate the co-ordinates. It’s great for kids and adults, and I love that you can do it anytime, solo or in a group, and that it’s free! So if you’re looking for a fun new hobby to try, check it out. Here’s the website to learn more about the caches in your area: https://www.geocaching.com

If you’re looking for another fun way to pass the time, pick up a copy of Perfectly Honest. It’s the first book of the Perfectly Series, six stand-alone romantic comedies. When Mikaela meets Sam’s mom for the first time, she’s a bit taken aback by the advice she receives – and is trying to hide the fact that the engagement isn’t real!

Perfectly Honest

Medical Romantic Comedy

You never know where your words will take you…

When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s “fiancée” for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor. Sam O’Brien, aka “Dr. Eye Candy,” is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down.  But when his “fiancée” helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, he might have done things a little differently because somehow his “fiancée” ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted.

Lies and deceit – it’s a match made in heaven!

Enjoy an excerpt from Perfectly Honest ~

your horoscope

ARIES (March 21-April 19)  Emotions will escalate and confusion will set in with regard to a partnership you thought you could count on.  Take time to absorb what’s happened.  You are sitting in a much better position than you realize.  Bide your time.

As they stirred their tea, Marla leaned forward with excited eyes.  “I want to know all the details.  What’s your sign?”

Mikaela blinked.  “My sign?”

“Yes.  You know, Sam is a Scorpio.  I hope you’re not a Virgo. All the Virgos are a little…zealous. Too much energy, if you ask me. And I don’t know that Pisces would be a good fit either. They tend to daydream the day away, don’t you think?  I think Sam needs someone a little more grounded. Taurus would be okay, but they do tend to be a bit stubborn and Leo, well I think a Leo would be a bit too boisterous, maybe a bit too bossy for Sam. I wouldn’t like to see another Scorpio. Could you imagine? That would be the worst kind of clash. Don’t you think? Now, last year, I would have said Sagittarius. It was a good year for Sagittarius. This year, I’m thinking a Libra or Aquarius would be good.  I could see that working. I’ve given this a lot of thought. I’ve told Sam. I told him he has to watch the sign, but I never know if he really listens.”

Mikaela’s head spun. “Ah, I’m an Aries,” she said hesitantly.

“Oh perfect.” Marla clapped her hands. “That’s a good match, especially this year. The moon cycle is perfect for an Aries-Scorpio match. I’ve always thought Aries was best at thinking things through before they do something irreversible. That will be the perfect balance to Sam’s Scorpio impulsiveness,” she announced confidently.

Mikaela almost burst out laughing. Yup, that was her all right. Thinking things through. Planning change. Avoiding the irreversible. Marla’s nailed it, she thought ruefully. Sam really should have paid more attention to the sign.

“What is your Chinese zodiac?”

“Pardon?”

“You know. Your heavenly stem, your earthly branch, your animal, your element?”

“I’m not really sure.”

“Hmmm. We’ll have to figure that out. Sam is a Tiger. At least he’s born a Tiger.  Personally, internally I think he’s a dragon. Truly there is a bit of ox and secretively, I suspect a little goat. But then I’m his mother.” She patted Mikaela’s hand. “So if you were a horse, dog or dragon, that would be wonderful. Oh dear, I do hope you’re not a monkey. That would not be good.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m not a monkey,” Mikaela assured her.

“That’s a relief. There are so many things to think about when you choose a mate. Are you a yin or yang?”

“Yin?” Mikaela guessed, hoping to make Marla happy.

“Perfect,” Marla beamed. “Sam’s a yang. The perfect match. You know Olivia and Ron are yang-yang, so I do worry. But they produced the most beautiful daughter.  Just goes to show there’s something good there somewhere.”

“And what is your favourite color?” Marla asked earnestly.

Seriously? She was engaged to her son and that’s what she thought was important? She was beginning to understand why Walt went for a swim. “Ah, aquamarine?”

“Oh, aquamarine,” Marla repeated, nodding her head.  “Now would that be more blue or more green?”

Mikaela just stared. “Blue?”

“Oh lovely. I love blue, too.”

“That’s important to finding someone compatible?” Mikaela asked skeptically.

Marla laughed. “No, now that would be silly, dear. No, I just asked because I enjoy quilting in my spare time, and I’ve decided to make a quilt for each of the kids as a wedding present. So yours shall be blue. And I’ll get started on that right away.” She leaned forward. “Have you picked a date for the wedding?”

Buy link (free with KU):  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V9CWRMK

This is soooo important --> DON'T LOOK AT THE SUN DURING A PARTIAL ECLIPSE!!

The sun won't seem bright enough to hurt your eyes, it won't be painful, and it won't make you squint, but it can cause PERMANENT DAMAGE and BLINDNESS if you look at it - even for a few seconds.

The partial phase of the eclipse occurs both before and after totality - that means that for the 2 hours before the moon completely blocks the sun and for the 2 hours after the moon completes blocks the sun, you are at risk of permanent, irreversible changes to your vision if you look at the sun. It's pretty scary - it will be painless and it may not be apparent for up to 96 hours later.

Sunglasses won't protect your eyes and you cannot look at the sun through the lens of a camera. In fact, it will also ruin your camera. There are special solar glasses available, but they have to be approved. And keep in mind, that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event so how exactly are the glasses tested ??  If the glasses are scratched, don't use them!

The glasses cause complete blackness - don't lower them to check the position of the sun and don't plan to walk around once you put them on. Better yet, don't look at the sun at all!! Just experience the eclipse by watching the shadows on the ground.