Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!  Whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate, please be safe!

Menger Hotel, San Antonio, 2014

Celebrate the Small Things - Giveaway edition!

It's time for the Friday Happy Dance!  We made it through another week! Can you believe we're only a week away from Christmas?  Where does the time go?

In the spirit of the season, I'm happy to share a giveaway with you all.  I'm one of 30 romantic suspense authors participating in a giveaway over at Just Romantic Suspense.  There will be three winners, and each winner receives 10 books!  Pretty great, right?  Be sure to check out the post and enter to win!  My contribution is a copy of Killer Season, my November release.

What are you celebrating this week?  Any big plans for the weekend?  Tell me! :)

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Scenes from the neighborhood

We've had such mild weather over the past few days we've taken Little Roo on several walks to enjoy it.  Even though it doesn't feel like winter, my neighbors are getting into the holiday spirit!

Someone knit little hats for the beaver statues!

What's your neighborhood look like?

Celebrate the Small Things - New Cover edition!

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful week!  Things are going well here at Casa Lacombe.  I'm almost done with the manuscript for my July book, and I'm excited to say I got the cover for my March book!  Check it out!

I love all my covers, but I think this one is especially great.  I love that they included Penny, the Search and Rescue dog!

What are you celebrating this week?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Celebrate the Small Things - Thanksgiving edition!

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone had a good week.  Today, I'm celebrating Thanksgiving, which seems appropriate for this blog hop!

My brother and his fiance flew into town yesterday and we shared a lovely meal with them and my Mom. I was a little nervous as to how Little Roo would take to them--they saw her when she was a week old, but that's been it.  She's been showing signs of stranger anxiety lately, and I was worried she would cry a lot since she doesn't recognize them. She was a champ though.  She stared them down for a few minutes at first but then warmed up to them and pretty soon she was smiling and cooing as usual.  It was so nice to have all my family together!  My brother and his fiance will be in town through the weekend, so I'm looking forward to spending additional time with them.

How was your week?  What are you doing this weekend?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Celebrate the Small Things - Book release edition!

Happy Friday!  I hope you all had a pleasant week!

Today I'm celebrating the release of my 5th book, Killer Season!  I really enjoyed writing this one, and I'm so happy it's out.  I hope people enjoy it!

Blackmail meets desire in this tale of secrets and revenge out West! 

When Fiona Sanders is held at gunpoint at her convenience store job, Houston officer Nate Gallagher doesn't hesitate to act the hero. But within days she's targeted again and Nate knows the crimes aren't random. His only option: keep the vulnerable beauty safe while they search for the culprits. 

Having lost her own father in the line of duty, Fiona refuses to fall for a cop—no matter how much the drop-dead gorgeous, self-appointed bodyguard tugs at her heartstrings. But as the enemy closes in and the truth about the attacks is revealed, Fiona must learn to trust Nate…or face history repeating itself.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Harlequin

What are you celebrating this week?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Killer Season is a Fresh Pick!

Many thanks to Fresh Fiction for making Killer Season today's Fresh Pick! :0)

Buy links:  Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Harlequin

Come find me!

I'm happy to say that I've got a few guest blog appearances going on today and tomorrow to celebrate the release of KILLER SEASON.  Stop by Just Romantic Suspense and Get Lost In A Story and say hi!  I've got giveaways going on each site, so be sure to enter for your chance to win a copy! :)

Celebrate the Small Things - Review edition

Hello, everyone!  How was your week?  Not bad here.  The weather has started to turn a little chilly, so it actually feels like fall.  We'll see how long that actually lasts, though.  Texas weather is known for being rather unpredictable...

I got some good news this week!  CataRomance, a website devoted to category romance books, reviewed my November release, Killer Season. And they liked it! :)  Here's a link to the review, if you're so inclined...

My cover made the landing page!  Woo hoo! :)

As for this weekend, it's supposed to be rainy and dreary.  Mister and I might get out to buy a Christmas tree, or we may just stay inside and watch movies.  Either way, it'll be a low-key weekend for us.

Hope you had a good week!  What are you up to this weekend?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Celebrate the Small Things - Boring edition

Happy Friday!  We made it through another week.

I wish I had something exciting to report, but the truth is it was a regular, normal week.  No big events, no thrilling developments.  But I'm not complaining.  Life is good, and while we didn't have any major celebrations, we also didn't have anything bad happen.  So I guess this week I'm celebrating the routine, and I'm grateful our lives are stable right now. That's not always going to be the case, so I want to enjoy it while I can.

I do have a giveaway going on right now--click here or scroll down to find out more about it.  I'm offering up 3 copies of my November release, Killer Season, and some Halloween socks and tissues.  It's a fun little prize pack, so be sure to enter if you're interested!








What are you celebrating this week?  Anything exciting, or are you like me and enjoying a period of stability?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!

It's time for another giveaway!

This is a fun hop, hosted by I Am a Reader, Not a Writer.  Be sure to stop by her blog for a full list of participants!

Up for grabs are three copies of my November release, Killer Season, along with a pair of festive Halloween socks and some pumpkin-themed tissues so you can celebrate the holiday in style!

Here's the back cover blurb for my book:

Blackmail meets desire in this tale of secrets and revenge out West! 

When Fiona Sanders is held at gunpoint at her convenience store job, Houston officer Nate Gallagher doesn't hesitate to act the hero. But within days she's targeted again and Nate knows the crimes aren't random. His only option: keep the vulnerable beauty safe while they search for the culprits. 

Having lost her own father in the line of duty, Fiona refuses to fall for a cop—no matter how much the drop-dead gorgeous, self-appointed bodyguard tugs at her heartstrings. But as the enemy closes in and the truth about the attacks is revealed, Fiona must learn to trust Nate…or face history repeating itself.

Sound like your kind of book?  Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway The giveaway is open until October 31, and is for US entrants only please. Good luck! :)

Celebrate the Small Things - Arboretum edition

Happy Friday!  I hope everyone had a good week!

Today, I'm celebrating our family trip to the Dallas Arboretum.  Mister took the day off from work, and we checked out the great pumpkin displays that were staggered all through the arboretum.  I took a ton of pictures, but was disappointed to find they didn't turn out very well.  I'm not sure what I did wrong, since I put the camera on the auto setting... Guess I'll have to break down and read the instruction manual!

Anyway, here are some of the pictures--just imagine a sunny day and brighter colors! :)

 

Hope you have a good weekend!  I'm going for a haircut--I haven't had one in ages, and I desperately need one!  What are your plans?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Coming soon!

I know March feels like a long way off, but I just got the back cover copy for COLTON BABY HOMECOMING, and I had to share!

An abandoned baby in danger brings together the Coltons of Texas in this gripping series 

Someone has left a baby on the porch of search and rescue expert Ridge Colton's log cabin. Who? And why? A loner, Ridge knows nothing about caring for an infant. But when the woman who broke his heart years ago shows up to help, he's reminded of everything he once almost had. 

From a wealthy family, Dr. Darcy Marrow was dissuaded from loving the man whose name meant one thing in town: shame. But with a dangerous thug trying to kidnap the baby, Ridge discovers how far he'll go to protect the little one, Darcy…and his long-guarded heart.

This book holds a special place in my heart, as I wrote it just after my daughter was born.  It was a little surreal to write about a baby while holding one, but I really enjoyed working on this one, and I hope you all will enjoy reading it!

Believe it or not, it's up for pre-order now in all the usual places:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
BooksAMillion

Hope you're having a good week! :)

Celebrate the Small Things - Giveaway edition!

Hi everyone!  Hope you had a great week.  It's Friday, which means it's time to celebrate!

This week, I'm celebrating a few book-related things.  RT Book Reviews published their reviews of November releases, and they gave Killer Season 4 stars!  Woo hoo!

Since I have my author copies of this book, I'm hosting a few giveaways so you can win a copy before they actually go on sale.  Check out the links below!

Get Lost In A Story -- this one closes on Sunday, so enter soon!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Killer Season

by Lara Lacombe

Giveaway ends September 28, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Hope you all have a great weekend!

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Book giveaway!

I'm over at Get Lost In A Story today, giving away copies of my November release, Killer Season.  Stop by and enter for your chance to win! :)

Blackmail meets desire in this tale of secrets and revenge out West! 

When Fiona Sanders is held at gunpoint at her convenience store job, Houston officer Nate Gallagher doesn't hesitate to act the hero. But within days she's targeted again and Nate knows the crimes aren't random. His only option: keep the vulnerable beauty safe while they search for the culprits. 

Having lost her own father in the line of duty, Fiona refuses to fall for a cop—no matter how much the drop-dead gorgeous, self-appointed bodyguard tugs at her heartstrings. But as the enemy closes in and the truth about the attacks is revealed, Fiona must learn to trust Nate…or face history repeating itself.

Celebrate the Small Things - Fall edition

Hello, everyone!  I hope you all had a lovely week.  Things are going well here at Casa Lacombe.  I don't want to jinx us, but Little Roo appears to be settling into something that resembles a sleeping routine, which is a nice change.  Keep your fingers crossed this whole 'sleeping at night' thing continues!

Belle gives her seal of approval

This week, I'm celebrating the return of cooler temperatures. We had a cold front move through earlier in the week, and we're due for another this weekend.  It feels so nice to step outside and not immediately wish I hadn't.  I really hope the fall weather continues, since I'd like to spend some time in the yard--it's been sadly neglected during the heat of the summer, and it shows.  I'm sure my neighbors are tired of looking at the weeds and wilted flowers!

On the writing front, I got my copyedits back for Colton Baby Homecoming, my March release, and I'm looking forward to working on those.  I also got my author copies of Killer Season, my November release, so stay tuned for giveaway information in the coming days!

I hope you have a nice weekend, wherever you are.  Take care!

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

In remembrance...

By Denise Gould [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

So I did a thing...

Image credit

I quit my job this week.

Such a simple statement to describe a decision that was anything but.

I always assumed that I would work.  For a long time, I didn't think I'd ever have kids, and I was okay with that.  I'm a firm believer in making your own happiness and not depending on others to give your life meaning and fulfillment.  But as I got older, the idea of children wasn't quite so... scary. Still, I figured if I ever did have kids, I would be a working mom.  After all, I invested quite a lot of time and effort in my education and I wanted to put it to good use.

Even after I got pregnant and was surfing the tsunami of hormones, I knew I would continue to teach after my maternity leave was up.  I am, after all, a Modern Woman, and I wanted my daughter to see that it is possible to work and have a family.  Countless women before me had fought hard for the progress I now enjoy, and it's my responsibility to keep pushing forward so that Little Roo can inherit a better world, one where women aren't dismissed and discounted on the basis of their gender.

And then I gave birth.

Little Roo has been a revelation.  Before, she was this abstract idea and I had no trouble imagining how I would fit her into the 'baby' slot in my life.  She would simply be an addition, much like the attic addition to our house.  We would adjust, but life would go on much as before.

Let me pause here so that the parents reading this can finish laughing.

Naive doesn't even begin to describe my pre-parent thinking, but that's okay.  I don't think there really is a way to imagine just how much life changes after your baby is born.  Needless to say, Little Roo has completely transformed my life.  The best way to describe it is a metamorphosis--going from caterpillar to butterfly.  It's a one-way street, and you can never go back to not being a parent.

Not that I want to.

Anyway, the more I get to know this amazing little human, the more my work life faded in importance.  Never in a million years did I think I would *want* to stay home with a drooling, non-verbal, incontinent creature, and yet I can't bear to be apart from her.  I figured I would be counting down the days until I got to go back to work, but I found myself counting down the days until I would have to go back to work.  The thought of leaving her broke my heart, and I'm just not strong enough to do it,

So after much discussion, Mister and I decided that I won't.

It's going to be a big change for us, that's for sure.  And the decision has been a little bittersweet, because I truly did love my teaching job.  I worked with some amazing people, and I am going to miss seeing them every day.

But in the end, I know we made the right choice for our family.  And in addition to taking care of Little Roo, I'm also going to be able to call myself a full-time writer for the first time in my life.  Scary?  Yes.  But also exhilarating.

My daughter will still learn that it is possible to work and have a family--I've come to realize I don't have to leave the house to show her that.  And I know I will still be teaching, even if I never set foot in another classroom again.

My life has changed direction (again!) but I'm not disappointed.  On the contrary, it's exciting, this new road we've chosen.  

I can't wait to see where it takes us.

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Celebrate the Small Things - Vaccines!

We made it through another week!  How's everyone doing?  Hopefully well!

This week, I'm celebrating the fact that Little Roo got her first round of vaccinations.  As a microbiologist, vaccinations are a topic near and dear to my heart, and as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I explained to all my friends and family that if they wanted to see the baby, they needed to be up to date on their whooping cough and flu shots.  Since they're all used to hearing me sing the praises of vaccines (and since my grandparents actually remember the toll of some of these illnesses from the pre-vaccine days), they agreed.  It was important to me to protect Little Roo the best way I know how, and so far, that has worked.

While she hasn't had all of her shots yet, I feel a lot better about taking her out in public knowing she's on her way to being fully protected from Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough), Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Pneumococcus and Haemophilus influenzae (both can cause pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis), Rotavirus, and Polio.  She's too young for the MMR vaccine so I still have to worry about measles, but I've come to understand motherhood is all about worry.

And now it's my turn.  We're starting to get flu vaccine in my area, so I hope to go out this weekend and get my shot.  An ounce of prevention, and all that good stuff.

I'm also celebrating getting to see a friend this weekend.  She's coming over for lunch and some board games, which should be a lot of fun.

I hope you had a good week.  What are you up to this weekend?  Leave a comment and let me know! :)

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?

Celebrate the Small Things - Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

Another week gone by, another chance to celebrate!

This week, I'm celebrating getting back in touch with an old friend. We were thick as thieves in grad school, but as the years passed we fell out of touch a bit.  Geography hasn't helped, seeing as how he and his family currently live in Thailand, after a stint in Africa.  I wish I could go visit, but alas, finances and family prevent such a trip. Fortunately, the internet comes to rescue! We're going to chat tomorrow morning, and I can't wait to hear how everyone is doing!

I'm also celebrating that on Monday I turned in my book, Colton Baby Homecoming!  This one will be out in March, 2016, and I really enjoyed writing it.  It's my first contribution to a Colton miniseries with Harlequin, and it was great fun to play in that sandbox.  Keep your fingers crossed they ask me to do it again sometime! :)

Hope you had a good week!  What are you celebrating?

If you've been reading my blog, you know that Fridays are reserved for a post where I celebrate the little things that have happened during the week. This is a blog hop created by Vikki and now hosted by Lexa Cain, and it's one of my favorite blogging things to do.  I encourage you to check out her blog and the full list of participants, because who doesn't love reading about good things?