Here comes autumn!

When we woke up this morning, it was a whole change. Gone was the mild temperature we'd been having for days, gone was the sun. Instead there was rain and a rather nasty wind. Summer has gone (although it wasn't much of a summer, only September was at it should be) and now we're into autumn.

Daylight is shortening quickly nowadays. It's already dark around 7.30 pm and also in the mornings the dark remains longer. 

The older I get, the more I like sunshine. It's good for my joints, less pain in them when it's warm and dry. So I don't truly enjoy autumn and winter, especially not when it begins to snow. I don't mind snow, as long as it falls in places where it can't melt immediately. But here, it become mulch after a short while and it just ruins your shoes, as they pour kilo's of salt on the roads and pavements. 

I've washed and put away my summer clothing. Right now it's back to jeans and (light) sweaters. And a warm jacket to go outside. Soon I'll be needing my woollen hat as well. My hair is so thin and also very short, so I need protection when it's cold outside.

What I hate most is the rain. I don't know why or how, but I'm always feeling cold when it's raining. I just can't seem to get warm, my feet feel like ice clumps and my nose is running. 

And what about you? Do you enjoy autumn and winter, or are you also a summer person?

Weekend Rotterdam

 Yes, we're on a roll! The previous weekend we spent in Antwerp, and this one we were in Rotterdam, Holland. Originally we'd planned to go to Brussels, but because our capital still colors dark red on the European corona chart, we decided to cancel the hotel there and switch to a stay in Rotterdam.

By train it takes less than 2 hours to reach Rotterdam. The Hilton Rotterdam is quite near to the central railway station and also close to the town center, so that's easy.

Rotterdam is a town where there's a lot to see. Modern architecture, for starters. Already the railway station is an example. And the Markthal and cubic houses. Other places to see are the Euromast, the harbor and the old harbor. Quite a lively town, as well, with lots of cafés and restaurants. 

We were lucky with the weather. Just like last weekend, it was nice and sunny - the last beautiful weekend of the season, it seams as the forecast predicts autumn weather as of now. We still could lunch outside on a terrace and have drinks in the afternoon, soaking up the sun. Wonderful!

What was also nice, was the fact you don't have to wear facemasks anymore in this part of Holland. Also not in the hotel, where even the executive lounge was opened. 

So, we had a great time and enjoyed it thoroughly. 

Weekend Antwerp

The past weekend we spent in Antwerp - and what a lovely time it was!

For starters, the weather co-operated and was mild and sunny. What a change to the summer months! Also we got a very nice room in the hotel, a mini suite with sitting area. 

We lunched at Grand Cafe De Rooden Hoed, one of the places we visit when being in Antwerp. Super friendly personel and great food! Afterwards, we walked a bit and noticed that the town was quite busy - what a change to corona times! Now that more is allowed, people seem to be freed of a burden and they all to enjoy their freedom. 

While walking, we discovered that the weekend was reserved for the Bollekes Feesten - a festive weekend using the Covid Free Pass. You were allowed to attend the festivities when you are fully vaccinated, have a negative test result or are recovering from a recent illness due to corona. Once you were checked, you got an armband and could go anywhere you liked. On every square there was something to do. Oh yes, when you don't understand what 'Bollekes Feesten' means, here's the explanation: a 'bolleke' is the Antwerp name for a pint of beer, and 'feest' just means party. 

We saw a concert of The Starlings, a Belgian duo that makes the hit lists lately. It sounded great, they really brought all their hit songs live and it sounded just like the recording. Later that day, we went to a concert of the Antwerp Philharmonic. It was the first time after corona they gave a concert, and so the public was more than enthuastic! Also with Covid Free pass, that's the was things are done right now.

So we had a great weekend - and now look forward to the next!

Love Over KPOP

 Let's say hello to Marilyn Vix today. Marilyn is doing a book blast for Love Over KPOP, a kpop/rockstar serial on Vella available now. This tour will run every Wednesday for 5 weeks starting on September 15th.

Marilyn will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3903/

About Vella

What is Vella? A Rundown of the New Platform for Readers

What is Vella? It’s a new reading platform by Amazon available through their website or the Kindle iOS app. It works very similar to other online serial platforms like Wattpad and Radish, with a coin or token pay system to unlock episodes. Each story has 3 FREE episodes to get the flavor of the story, and then can be unlocked further after purchasing tokens. The tokens can be purchased in different packages, with more given for the more expensive bundles.

Paid episodes are priced by word count. For example, 3500 words in an episode would be 35 tokens. The word limit on Vella per episode is 600 to 5,000 words. So, no episode can be more than 50 tokens or at the very least, 6 tokens. When logging into Amazon’s website or through the iOS app, you can get 200 free tokens to start reading. You can follow stories and like individual episodes. After purchasing your first bundle of tokens, you are awarded a weekly “Fav” which you can bestow on your favorite story you’ve read that week. The likes, favs and follows all help stories become more visible in the system like many other platforms.

The fastest and easiest way to find stories are to follow direct links to them. Each story is assigned an ASIN, but I have found that search abilities on Vella can be hard to isolate. The easiest way to find Vella stories by your favorite author is by doing a search with their author name, a combination of their story title and their author name, or just the story name. Seaching for just Vella doesn’t seem to bring up much yet. But the system is still new, and things are being sorted out daily as the platform gets more use.

To find “Love Over Kpop” by Marilyn Vix 

•          Search for Marilyn Vix, Love Over Kpop Marilyn Vix, or Love Over Kpo 

•          Use the direct story link.

https://www.amazon.com/Love-Over-Kpop/dp/B0945ZBBSH 

•          Pick up your 200 FREE TOKENS!

•          READ THE FIRST 3 EPISODES FOR FREE!

•          Follow and “Fav” to stay on top of new episodes posted weekly.

Marilyn Vix

Blurb

Trish Russo has just started a job at an agency in LA that is paired with a Korean agency to help with managing the band, Friends5, in the States. But the finicky Woo In-ho won’t come out of his trailer to film the current music video. Trish is asked, as the new assistant, to talk to him. She tries to talk to him like a regular person. He responds to the normal treatment, but on one condition. She needs to help out and be in the video. What is a girl to do when a gorgeous K-pop Idol asks you to be in his video? Then, she reads the scene she is to appear in. There’s a scripted kiss. Will it all just be acting? Or will she let her feelings get entangled with In-ho threatening her new career?

Author bio and links

Marilyn is a paranormal romance novelist. She enjoys the characters that just don't fit in. From witches to time traveling researchers, she is letting her imagination soar to explore new worlds and write all the details down. Marilyn has traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, and Munich. She loves to include these in her settings as much as can allow. Best of all is letting her reader enjoy them through the perspective of a character. Here love for K-pop has produced her current rock star/K-pop romance project, Love Over Kpop, available on Kindle Vella. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and cat. The cat, of course, is the center of attention.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarilynVix

Twitter: @MarilynVix 

Website: http://marilynvix.com

Vella: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Over-Kpop/dp/B0945ZBBSH

 

Open Monument Day

 Today, all kind of monuments in Flanders are open to the public - also those which normally aren't. The second weekend of September is traditionally the one in which this monument day is organised. Last year though, it was cancelled due to corona. But now that more than 70% of the population has been fully vaccinated, more is possible. 

Flanders is full of historical buildings, having had a rich history. We started of as the County of Flanders, with a Count as the ruler. Then, through marriages, we became part of the Duchy of Burgundy. Later on we became part of the Austrian Habsburg empire, then after the French Revolution we became part of France and finally we belonged to the German Reich. But Flanders has always kept it's own identity; that of hardworking people who nevertheless enjoy life with good food and drink. That's why we have the historical towns of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven and Brussels. All worth a visit. Even the town where I live dates back to the times before the Romans. Dendermonde was a medieval burgh, surrounded by walls and in possession of a town charter.

During the lockdown periods, when we couldn't travel abroad, a stay at one of our historical cities was the best we could do. Our favorite is Antwerpen - perhaps a bit prejudiced, because our grandmother was born there! And Bruges, as it is near to the coast and it only takes a train ride of 10 minutes to be there. And lately we are discovering Brussels as well, next to Hasselt. 

The coming weekends we'll be in Antwerpen and Brussels for another time. We're going to attend a concert in Antwerp. We'll need our Covid Safe Pass for that, but then you can be inside without having to wear a face mask. I'm all into favor for showing such a pass to gain entry to say, a restaurant, a concert, a show, etc. People who refuse to have a vaccination put themselves in a difficult situation, having to show test results when they want to go somewhere. But that's their own choice, right? 

Never Enough

Today we say hello to Nacy Fraser. Nacy is doing a virtual book blast tour for Never Enough, a Contemporary Romance (Steamy) available September 6, 2021 from Books From a Romantic's Heart Publishing. The Book Blast Tour will take place on September 6 - 10, 2021. 

 

Nancy Fraser will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment: 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3873/

Blurb

When Amanda Thorne arrives on San Bella Island, she’s tired and in bad need of a vacation. She’s just finished paying off her late husband’s many debts by selling their home and belongings. On her way to Dallas for a new job in a medical research lab, she’s taking one week to recoup before beginning her new life.

Nicholas Holloway is recovering from a 2-year stint undercover for the U.S. Marshal Service. Ordered to take a vacation to clear his head, he ends up on San Bella at the same time.

 

Will these two battle-scared souls find peace in the other’s arms? And, will they be able to walk away at the end of their one-week fling?

Caution: This book contains love scenes and language some may find offensive. Or hot!

Excerpt

Diamond Key Resort, San Bella Island

Sunday Afternoon

 

Nicholas Holloway tapped his fingertips restlessly against the rich mahogany finish of the hotel’s reception desk. Drawing a breath and letting it out slowly, he calmed his jittery nerves and waited for the return of the young clerk. After a few more moments, she came forward, her gaze assessing him up and down.

“You’re in room 301, a corner king, Mr.... uh... Holloway.” Handing him his credit card and the electronic keycard, she told him, “You can take the main elevators to the left. Or, if you’d prefer, the stairs next to the patio entrance.”

He nodded, and asked, “Which way to the bar?”

She gave a quick tip of her head. “Just through those glass doors to the right.”

He took a few steps away from the desk, and then turned back. “Thank you.” Staring at her name tag, he added, “Melanie.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Holloway.”

Nick grabbed the worn canvas bag sitting at his feet and headed toward the stairs. The climb would do him good, burn off some of his residual energy, the adrenaline he’d not yet set aside.

‘Get out of here, Nick’, his boss had ordered. When he’d meant to argue about being sent away, Greg had added, ‘One week. Shrink’s orders. You’re lucky it wasn’t a month. Now f**kin’ go’.

And, so he’d gone. All the way to San Bella Island.

 

Nick let himself into the well-appointed king-size room and dropped his bag on the floor next to the bed. He’d unpack later. First, he needed a shower, something strong to drink, and a full day’s sleep.

Better yet, he needed a woman. A warm, willing piece of ass who didn’t want to talk afterward. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. What were the chances the prim and professional Melanie would be open to a tumble between the sheets?

Retrieving clean underwear and his toiletry case from the oversized duffle, he turned toward the bathroom. He’d barely cleared the doorway when he caught sight of himself in the large mirror above the vanity.

No wonder the front desk staff had given him the once over—more than once.

He braced his hands on the edge of the sink and leaned closer to his reflection. It wasn’t Nick Holloway he saw but, rather, Phil Thompson, the undercover persona he’d worn like a shield for the past two-plus years. Nick closed his eyes, wanting more than anything to shed his alter-ego and all the emotional baggage that went with it.

Author bio and links

NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

 

Website: www.nancyfraser.ca

Blog: https://notesfromaromanticsheart.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor  @nfraserauthor

Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Fraser/e/B004AOL61Y/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA 

Newletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

Purchase Links:

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096MXVM4Y/

ASIN: B096MXVM4Y 

Apple: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/never-enough/id1570899435

B&N (Nook): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-enough-nancy-fraser/1139637631

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/never-enough-50

Universal: books2read.com/u/bzeNJ2

Custom: books2read.com/NvrNuff

 

And now it's summer!

Typical! The summer vacation has ended - and it was a summer best to forget, with only 16 days of nice weather during two months! - and at last the weather has turned. The sun is out and the temperature reaches 24-25° Celsius. It could be so for the whole of the week.

The weather is Belgium is a strange thing. And our scienticifists can do so much, only not regulate the weather - they'd better try that, instead of shooting rockets to the Moon or Mars. Wouldn't it be lovely if during the day in the summertime, the sun was shining and then, at night, there would fall a bit of rain to keep the farmers satisfied? And that the Sahel region in Africa would get more rain, so the desert would become a agricultural area? 

One can only hope. 

Anyway, the coming week I'll be able to do my shopping in the sunshine. No need for an umbrella. Makes the walk (because I do my shopping on foot, it's not so far to the supermarkets I regularly visit, a walk of about 20 minutes) the more enjoyable. I have a caddy to put everything away, and this keeps the muscles in my arm strong (work-out without having to pay for it). And all that walking is good for my legs and the rest of my body. I'm still fit, despite my 65 years.