Shadonna Richards

A Hot New Release!

2012-02-08T03:59:00.000-08:00

Greetings, beautiful people!

Hope you are all having a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year so far and celebrating the month of love, February. I’m also sending out heartfelt thank yous to everyone for your wonderful support and also your get well wishes as I recover from my injury. An Unexpected Bride has sold close to 30,000 copies now in its sixth month. As a treat, I’m excited to announce that Book 2 in The Bride Series (which was also written in 2010), The Jilted Bride is the #1 Hot New Release in Genre fiction/Anthologies (Feb 7-8, 2012) and is now available on Kindle!

For those who love a quick romantic read, The Jilted Bride is a novelette at 7500 words. And for those who’ve ever had their heart broken, this one’s for you! Here’s a little blurb about The Jilted Bride.

The Jilted Bride (Book 2 in The Bride Series)

Jody Anders’ adoptive grandparents surprised her with a short one-day visit from New York and they can’t wait to meet Gregory, her wonderful new husband with whom she had eloped. Trouble is, she forgot to mention that he jilted her at the altar and is no longer in the picture. Now what to do? Turn to her hot, sexy neighbour Jake whom she knows very little about? Will he pretend to be Greg her-would-have-been husband for the day? This will be one night to remember or one to never forget.

Jake Anderson had always been attracted to his cute neighbour ever since she moved into his condominium building owned by his family—a secret nobody knows. When she propositions him for one night to pretend to be her husband—he’s determined to make her wish it were for real.

Hope you enjoy the second book in The Bride Series.

Warm wishes & appreciation,

Shadonna

Love Quotes

2011-08-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Greetings, everyone!
Hope you are enjoying a relaxing and healthy summer. Just thought I'd share a few quotes on love. We need more love in the world right now. Blessings and prayers to all!

LOVE QUOTES

The best and most beautiful things in the world can’t be seen, nor touched, but are felt in the heart. – Helen Keller

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. -- 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (English Standard Version)

To know that people care about how you’re doing when the doings aren’t so good—that’s what love is. – Oprah

Love unites all the positive human emotions. – Shadonna Richards

If you are in love…that’s about the best thing that can happen to anyone. Don’t let anyone make it small or light to you. – John Steinbeck

Far too many people are looking for the right person instead of trying to be the right person. – Gloria Steinem

Don’t give up too easy on finding true love…we all need love. – Shadonna Richards (An Unexpected Bride, Sept 2011)

Life is about moments…we have to make each moment a special occasion. – Shadonna Richards (An Unexpected Bride, Sept 2011)

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away. – Author Unknown

Love is like a sunshine. It brings a golden glow to its beholder’s face. And a warm feeling all over their body. It awakens souls and opens eyes. And when its over, it leaves a billions of small memories called stars. To remind the world, that it still exists. – Author Unknown

When you love someone, it’s something. When someone loves you, it’s another thing. When you love the person who loves you back, it’s everything. – Author Unknown

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and to be loved in return. – Author Unknown

ROMANTIC QUOTES FROM POPULAR MOVIES:

“Winning that ticket, Rose, was the best thing that ever happened to me… it brought me to you … You must do me this honor, Rose. Promise me you’ll survive. That you won’t give up, no matter what happens, no matter how hopeless. Promise me now, Rose, and never let go of that promise.”

—From TITANIC - Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) to Rose (Kate Winslet)

“…If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love … I love … I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.”

—From PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen) to Elizabeth (Keira Knightley)

“Here’s looking at you, kid.”

—From CASABLANCA - Rick (Humphrey Bogart) to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman)

“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”

—From LOVE STORY (1970) - Jennifer (Ali MacGraw) to Oliver (Ryan O’Neal)

“You had me at hello.”

—From JERRY MAGUIRE (1996) - Dorothy (Renée Zellweger) to Jerry (Tom Cruise)

“I love you. You’re my only reason to stay alive… if that’s what I am.”

—From THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON Edward (Robert Pattinson) to Bella (Kristen Stewart)

Positive Thoughts for the Week

2011-06-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings, everyone!
Here's a few more positive quotes to uplift your spirit. Enjoy!

"Here's what my love affair with quotations has taught me: the more you focus on words that uplift you, the more you embody the ideas contained in those words."--Oprah Winfrey

"Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them." -- Jack Brown

"A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." -- Patricia Neal

"What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe."-- Oprah Winfrey

‎"For every person who may not appreciate you, there is someone who absolutely treasures your existence" --from THINK & BE HAPPY: 365 Empowering Thoughts to Lift Your Spirit

Have a great week!

May peace and happiness follow you everywhere you go.

Positive Thoughts for the Week

2011-06-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, Everyone!
Here's a few more motivational quotes to boost your spirit for the coming week. Enjoy!

"There is only one success...to be able to spend your life in your own way." - Christopher Morley

"You need more than just passion to start a business, you need a plan." - Suze Orman

"Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion." - Epictetus

"God doesn't require us to succeed; he only requires that you try." - Mother Theresa

"Let passion drive your profession." - Oprah

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." - Maya Angelou

"He has achieved success, who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much." - Bessie A. Stanley

(Excerpt from: Words That Matter: A little book of life lessons by the Editors of O, the Oprah Magazine)

Have a blessed week!

For the bloggers out there check out the Sunday Blog Hop:

More happiness quotes...

2011-05-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, Peeps!
Here's a few more quotes to motivate you for the coming week ahead. I'm still recovering from injury so I could use a few myself. These quotes were copied and pasted from my website under Happiness Quotes. Keep your spirits soaring!

A cheerful heart is good medicine…- Proverbs 17:22

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the imperfections. --Author Unknown

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.~Jesus

If you want to be happy, be. ~Leo Tolstoy

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal

Happiness and sadness run parallel to each other. When one takes a rest, the other one tends to take up the slack. ~Hazelmarie Elliott (“Mattie”)

Happiness? That's nothing more than health and a poor memory. ~Albert Schweitzer

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. -Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

The joyfulness of a man prolongeth his days. -Proverbs 10: 2

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

Our most empowering moments often arise after our most difficult setbacks -Ryan Biddulph

Boost Your Happy Energy with a few Quotes!

2011-05-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday, Beautiful People!

Here's a few motivational quotes to boost your happiness energy for the coming week! (Excerpt from THINK & BE HAPPY: 365 Empowering Thoughts to Lift Your Spirit. Available from Amazon Kindle as a 99cent download.)

Feast on happiness. Those who acquire a taste for experiencing happiness tend to satisfy their cravings and drink in success everytime.

Unleash your inner champion--we are all built with the potential for greatness.

When navigating yourself through life's challenges, equip yourself with a dose of inner courage, a peace-driven mind, and thoughts focused on valuing the journey as a learning experience.

Happiness usually keeps company with friends called Hope, Inner-Peace and Forgiveness.

***If you have an inspiring excerpt you'd like to share with readers. Please send me a comment.
Have an exciting week!

And for authors and bloggers out there, here's a little something special courtesy of Nap Time is My Time blog:

Welcome to the weekly Super Stalker Sunday hop!

What is Super Stalker Sunday?
Glad you asked! Super Stalker Sunday is a weekly blog hop hosted by

Marni of Marni's Organized Mess

April of Mama on a Green Mission

Mariah of Formula Mom

Kortney of Kortney's Krazy Life

and Emily of Naptime is My Time

Blogs hops are a great way to meet other bloggers, socialize and gain more followers. Do you like to socialize? Well, we all like followers, right?!

If you've been around the blogosphere you know there are Blog Hop's for everything you can think of and every day of the week: RSS Feed, Google Friend Connect, Email Readers, Facebook Fans, and Twitter Followers.

Well, why not get all of your followers in one place once a week? This is the place!

How to Super Stalk

-Follow each host at least one way. Don't forget to let them know you did so by commenting on their blog. We will return all follows, but please be patient as we are busy mama's it may take us a few days to return the visit and follow.

You will only have to link up on one of the host sites and your link will appear on all as we use the same linky.

-After you follow the hosts, follow as many bloggers in as many ways as you are willing!

Already follow somebody? Consider visiting and following them in another way as well!

Remember: You will only get as much as you give. The more blogs you can visit, the more visits you will gain in return. We are all here to socialize and greet, not visit only your blog.

While we encourage sharing our button and hop with as many as possible, it is not required. The more you spread the word though, the more we socialize and all gain followers!

Make a new blog friend today!

2011-05-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, Peeps!

Thanks so much for stopping by my new blog. Hope you all had a spectacular, restful weekend! And a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you blessed mothers out there. For those of you, myself included, who could use a few words of encouragement and wisdom from time to time, here's my list of favorite motivational quotes for this week:

A cheerful heart is good medicine…- Proverbs 17:22

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect. It means you have decided to look beyond the
imperfections. --Author Unknown

Count your blessings, not your burdens - Author Unknown

Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.~Jesus

Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal

The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

Nobody really cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy. ~Cynthia Nelms

Our most empowering moments often arise after our most difficult setbacks -Ryan Biddulph

On the topic of counting my blessings, I'm so thankful for life, love, health and family, especially my blessed son. I'm also thankful that my Kindle book Think & Be Happy: 365 Empowering Thoughts to Lift Your Spirit made the Amazon Kindle Top 100 Bestseller list in Meditations. Thank you, everyone!

Available now for download 99c.

On other news, I'm thankful to have stumbled upon this really awesome blog by Lisa Sanchez "Meet an author Monday" is the topic today.

Here's how it works:

READERS:

Follow as many authors as you like. Just follow the Linky list and hop from author to author. The idea is to find as many "new to you" authors as you can, and hopefully some great new reading material as well. Leave a comment as you hop from blog to blog! We'd love to chat with you!

AUTHORS:

Follow the Meet an author Monday host (Cali Cheer Mom) along with any of the wonderfully talented authors on the list.

You will need to enter your name and blog url into the Linky tool.

Grab our super cute button and place it in a post. (THIS IS IMPORTANT!) If you don't create a post for the hop, your readers won't have a place to comment, and the hop will stop with you. So create a post, paste in the Linky code and start hopping!

The purpose of the hop is to meet "new to you" authors and discover great new reads. Follow as many authors as you can. Leave a comment and introduce yourself!

If you'd like to share the Linky list in a post on your blog ( Please do!) just follow the link and grab the code.

Get your own Linky Tools

2011-05-05T17:05:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog!

Thanks for joining me in cyberspace on yet another webpage of the billions already out there. :-)

I've been putting off creating a blog for the longest time now. I felt that being a proud mommy, wife, nurse, writer, avid reader, Facebook fanatic, Twitterer, yahoo e-mail loop participant, and Goodreads member would consume all my available time. Not to mention living in the real world. I am, however, excited to have finally begun.

I am the author of two motivational books, A Gift of Hope (Infinity, 2008) and Think & Be Happy: 365 Empowering Thoughts to Lift Your Spirit (Infinity, 2009). Both, self-published and each title made the Amazon bestseller's list in their category at one point. I look forward to sharing any information on book publishing and marketing with you. Both books are available on Amazon Kindle for 99c download in addition to print. And I'm currently at work on a YA Paranormal trilogy (I absolutely love reading YA paranormal romance, fantasy, and suspense to escape to a different world from time to time).

I believe that "reading to the mind is what exercise is to the body" as English essayist Joseph Addison once said. He also wrote that “three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” Amen to that! I am so eternally thankful for the gift of words and the ability to share stories with others. Books are my life-long hobby and passion. I've been writing stories since I first learned to hold a crayon. Yes, that long ago!

I'm excited to share my journey as a writer, tips on getting published, and loads of excerpts from my books and future writing projects and anything else that comes to mind.

I love to hear from readers, so please drop me a line anytime. I'll also invite guests to join me from time to time.

Hope you enjoy my coming blog posts.

I look forward to sharing tons of great information as a blogger, author, and lover of life.

Blessings,

Shadonna