By: Cynthia D'Alba
Congratulations to "Jonetta", the winner of Cynthia's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!
Hi All! Cynthia D’Alba
here. Mega thanks to Just Contemporary Romance for having me here today to talk
about my newest release, TEXAS
TANGO. In the book, the heroine’s grandmother, Mamie Bridges, plays a major
role in setting the stage for the story. Mamie is dying. She’s raised Caroline
Graham, the heroine, since Caroline was five years old. Caroline will do just
about anything for Mamie. So today, let’s
talk about grandmothers.
I am lucky enough (or maybe rather have great family genes!)
to have known my grandparents on both sides (maternal and paternal.) In
addition, I knew my GREAT-grandparents on both sides of the family, the exception
being my maternal grandfather’s parents as they died long before I was born.
Let’s focus on my grandmothers today.
Lydia Orene was my maternal grandmother (mother’s mother.)
Mamie was my paternal grandmother (father’s mother.) Both of them lived into
their nineties so I was fortune enough to have them far into my adult years.
Both were country women. Both grew up way out in the rural area of my county.
Both of the quilted. Both of them cooked fabulous (and fatty!) meals. And in
personality type, they couldn’t have been further apart. (A quick funny side
note: My Paternal grandmother dated my
Maternal grandfather! HA)
My paternal grandparents had a gas station and store and I
spent many happy hours with them at the store. My goal in life was to grow up
and pump gas. (What can I say? I’m an over-achiever.) I can’t think of my
Grandma Mamie without tasting fried baloney sandwiches. I called her Grandma. All
the older grandkids did. The younger grandkids called her Mamie. There were
thirteen grandkids.
My maternal grandparents lived on a farm. Grandma Lydia
Orene worked in town at a dry cleaner to help make ends meet. We ate at her
house after church on Sundays. A typical spread would include fried chicken,
green beans, lima beans, black-eyed peas, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked
sweet potatoes, corn, fried okra and cornbread. Yes, that was a small, typical
lunch at her house! My sister and I called her Grandma. The three other
grandkids called her Granny.

So tell me about your
grandmothers. Did you know them? Do you still have them in your life? Did they
have old-fashioned names like mine? What did you call your grandmother?
Curious about TEXAS TANGO? It’s the second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks Series. Here’s little more… Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2
Dr. Caroline Graham is happy with her nomadic lifestyle fulfilling short-term medical contracts. No emotional commitments, no disappointments. She’s always the one to walk away, never the one left behind. But now her great-uncle is gone and her grandmother is on her deathbed, more concerned about Caroline’s lack of a husband than her own demise. What’s the harm in a little white lie? If a wedding will give her grandmother peace, then a wedding she shall have.
Travis Montgomery has one dream left—to build the ranch he and his wife planned before he lost her to cancer. There’s just one thing standing between him and the last bit of acreage he needs—a last living heir who has one traveling foot out the door…and an unusual request that challenges his determination to never again place his heart at risk. The land he wants in exchange for a faux marriage. Everyone wins. Until things start to snowball…and the hearts they stand to lose are their own.
Curious about TEXAS TANGO? It’s the second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks Series. Here’s little more… Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 2
Dr. Caroline Graham is happy with her nomadic lifestyle fulfilling short-term medical contracts. No emotional commitments, no disappointments. She’s always the one to walk away, never the one left behind. But now her great-uncle is gone and her grandmother is on her deathbed, more concerned about Caroline’s lack of a husband than her own demise. What’s the harm in a little white lie? If a wedding will give her grandmother peace, then a wedding she shall have.
Travis Montgomery has one dream left—to build the ranch he and his wife planned before he lost her to cancer. There’s just one thing standing between him and the last bit of acreage he needs—a last living heir who has one traveling foot out the door…and an unusual request that challenges his determination to never again place his heart at risk. The land he wants in exchange for a faux marriage. Everyone wins. Until things start to snowball…and the hearts they stand to lose are their own.

My first
book, Texas Two
Step, released in 2012 to outstanding reviews, was a Samhain Publishing
best seller. The second book in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series, Texas Tango, released November 5, 2013, again
from Samhain Publishing. In February, 2014, Texas
Fandango, a Novella in the Texas Montgomery Series will be released by
Samhain Publishing. I am currently at work on book 3 of the Texas Montgomery
Mavericks series (Texas Twist).
I love love love to hear from
readers and there are lots of ways to find me. Online, you can find me most
days at my website or my group blog.
or email me at cynthia@cynthiadalba.com
To send me snail mail, write to:
Cynthia D’Alba PO Box 2116 Hot
Springs , AR 71914
Now for the fun stuff! :)
In the spirit of Christmas sneaking up on us, I’ll pick among the comments for someone to take home a western-themed ornament. Here’s just a sample…
Plus, I doing a jewelry-themed For my TEXAS TANGO Jewelry-Themed Rafflecopter Giveaway. Be sure and look for the Rafflecopter widget at the end of the post. Also check out my personal blog for other places you can enter! Here’s the loot you can win…
AND I have swag for the asking! But when it’s gone, it’s gone. Pens, jar openers, postcards, bookmarks, trading cards…just go by my contact page and send me a note.
Giveaway for today's blog:In the spirit of Christmas sneaking up on us, I’ll pick among the comments for someone to take home a western-themed ornament. Here’s just a sample…
Plus, I doing a jewelry-themed For my TEXAS TANGO Jewelry-Themed Rafflecopter Giveaway. Be sure and look for the Rafflecopter widget at the end of the post. Also check out my personal blog for other places you can enter! Here’s the loot you can win…
AND I have swag for the asking! But when it’s gone, it’s gone. Pens, jar openers, postcards, bookmarks, trading cards…just go by my contact page and send me a note.
Thanks for coming by! Be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win one of the Christmas ornaments!
For today's blog. Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Nov. 5th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Both my grandmothers have passed on but still live in my heart rather vividly. My maternal grandmother used to prepare a Sunday feast for us each week. She was part Indian and had gloriously long, steel gray hair that she allowed us to brush and plait. Her old fashioned name was Emma and I'm her namesake.
ReplyDeleteMy paternal grandmother was a pretty savvy business woman who taught me how to bake. I'm the safe keeper of her old recipe books, which are peppered with instructions that don't include measurements:) She was tough and passed that on too me when doing business. I miss her terribly.
Thanks for this post! I enjoyed remembering my two grandmothers today.
Thank you Jonetta. I'm glad to know today's post stirred up some nice memories. I was SO lucky when it came to grandmothers. Sounds like you were too. Thanks for coming and for leaving a message. Don't forget to do the Rafflecopter entires
ReplyDeleteAhhh... grandmas. I was lucky enough to know both of mine. And, while he wasn't biologically my grandpa, my maternal grandma's live in loved and was loved as my gramps. Yes, my maternal grandma, Luella, "lived in sin" for many years. She was feisty and outspoken. Loved her to pieces.
ReplyDeleteMy paternal grandma, Allie, had 14 children with my dad the youngest. I can remember her babysitting my brothers and me. One day we were complaining we were bored.... she took us in ger back yard and taught us how to throw knives well enough to stick in trees. Mom and Dad caight her and us.... still don't think mom is quite over that one. We were 10, 7 and 4 years old.
Both grandmas were unconventional... but, they loved us with everything they had and us them.
Julie O
jo1963jo at gmail dot com
I LOVE the knives story. My grandfather bought me a BB gun after mom said I couldn't have one! hee hee
Deletethey like to cook
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
cooking and grandmothers go together well!
Delete