Guest Post & Giveaway: Stephanie Haefner

Snuggle up and keep warm!

Winter in Western NY is the time of year I crave my electric blanket, a mug of something warm, and a great book. Well, I crave great books all year, but winter is the best time to just snuggle up and read...all day. No one wants to go outside and battle the wind and snow and craziness! I love when a book sucks me in so deeply that I don't want to stop reading. That is a great winter day for me!

And yes, a great romance helps keep me warm too! I read a bunch of different genres, but no matter what it is- futuristic dystopian or sci fi, I have to have some kind of love story. I recently watched a great movie. The story was really fantastic. But it was missing something....a romance.

What is it about romance that sucks me in and keeps me intrigued? I guess I am a romantic at heart. I believe in soulmates and happily ever after. True love so powerful it can defy everything life throws at us.

When I was a teen, I wasn't a big partier, going out and doing the mischievous things my peers were doing. I wanted to find a high school sweetheart and date him all through high school and then go away to college together, get married and live happily ever after. Didn't exactly happen. One guy came close my senior year, but he one day decided he didn't want a serious girlfriend. And when I did meet my future husband, it didn't take long to know we'd be together forever. (It's been 16 years and we've been married for 13!)

When I read a great romance, my heart flutters along with the characters'. The anticipation of seeing him or her, waiting and yearning for each other...I get antsy right along with them. I feel their first kiss and remember what it was like for me. I'll be honest, it's been over sixteen years since I've had a first kiss and it's something I will never ever have again. Sometimes I do miss that feeling and sometimes it's hard to really remember. But then I read a great romantic story and it pulls me back. I remember. I can feel it!

And no conversation about romance and warmth would be complete without those steamy sex scenes! I read a range of romance, from sweet to sizzling, and no matter the heat level, the scenes always seem to warm me up. No need for my electric blanket!

So, how do you keep warm all winter long???

If you are like me and like to read a great romance, comment below for a chance to win a digital copy of my newest release, Karma Kameleon! Contest is open internationally. But I do need a valid email address! Please post it along with your comment!

Stephanie Haefner

Paradise Cove is now available at Lyrical Press and Amazon.