How to Truly Relish Italy’s Relaxing Culture

Italy is an excellent vacation destination, because vacation is a way of life there. Italians are hard workers that have accomplished much, but they are also bold in their pursuit of rest, good food, fellowship, and romance. Individuals in more efficient countries could learn some good lessons from the emphasis on the pleasurable indulgence in Italian culture. Here are a few ways to set aside your culture and truly experience Italy upon your visit.

Eat delicious meals
Throw that diet away while you’re in Italy and instead truly taste and enjoy the food. If you’d like to really learn about food and specifically how to cook, take a cooking holiday in Tuscany and learn about some of the most popular dishes Italy has to offer. Experience not just the taste and nourishment of your food, but also the fellowship that surrounds you. If you’re traveling alone, make some Italian friends and meet them over meals. Or, just simply observe the fellowship and conversations happening around you.

Slow down and snap a few photos
Plan out only a few days of your vacation to hit some of the sites that you’ve wanted to see. On the other days, take your time. Stay in a nice hotel and sleep in every morning. Eat a leisurely breakfast whenever you feel led, and walk to the close destinations you want to see, so you can experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and things that Italian culture makes you feel. Listen to the people around you and observe them. Snap a few pictures, but make sure you’re not so wrapped up in capturing a moment that you’re not actually living in it. Take a break from social media and completely immerse yourself in the here and now.

Express yourself in a creative way
Creativity helps the brain process the moments that you experience. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, draw, write, or paint some of your experiences. Snap a few photos that capture the beauty. You don’t have to show your artwork to anyone – save it as a commemorative homage to your personal thoughts while in Italy. Just take some time to truly absorb the beauty of that place, even if it’s just making a simple list of the feelings you’ve had or the sites you’ve seen. Take some time each night before you go to bed to capture some of these things, so you’ll never forget.

Truth and Consequences Blog Tour & Giveaway

Continuing the May Harlequin Blog tour is the book Truth and Consequences. here is some excerpts from the book

excerpt 1

This trip had sure ended with a bang.

And he hadn’t even stepped off the train to his final destination.

He’d come here searching for a woman he didn’t really know, except in his imagination. But a promise was a promise. He wasn’t leaving Desert Valley without finding her.

When he looked up a few minutes later to see a pretty female officer with long blond hair coming toward him, a sleek tan-and-white canine pulling on a leash in front of her, David thought he surely must be dreaming. Either that or his flashbacks were taking a new turn.

He knew that face. Had seen it in his dreams many times over.

While he sat on the cold train floor holding a bloody shirt to a man who was about to pass out, he looked up and into the vivid blue eyes of the woman he’d traveled here to find. The woman who’d colored his dreams during the brutality of war and made him wish he could finally settle down. Thinking of the worn picture in his pocket that her brother Lucas had given him right before he died, David couldn’t believe this was really happening.

Whitney Godwin was coming to his aid

The Marshal’s Justice: Blog Tour & #giveaway

Happy Mother's Day! Here is a new book on the May Harlequin blog tour. It is called The Marshal's Justice, by Delores Fossen

below is an excerpt:

The ranch hand opened the gate, and the bull charged out. Snorting and bucking. Its massive head was down while the animal spun around, trying to hurl off the rider. But Lucky held on. He squeezed his legs around the bull’s sides, the chaps reacting to that pressure.

Cassie reacted, too.

And she thought about how it would feel to be that bull right now. Oh yes, she was worked up, all right.

The bull bucked even harder, slinging Lucky around, but Lucky just adjusted, his long, lean body sliding into the bucking moves. His left arm stayed high, dipping and lifting only when his body did. It was like watching some kind of dance. With a guy wearing chaps and spurs.

Cassie completely lost track of time. Eight seconds or an hour could have passed for all she knew, but then Lucky threw his left leg over the bull’s head, and he jumped off. Lucky landed on his feet and hurried to get out of the corral before the bull came back at him.

He laughed.

That’s when Cassie realized she was holding her breath. Possibly drooling, as well.

Lucky looked at her again, their gazes connecting and holding for a couple of seconds. Cassie didn’t believe in ESP, but something passed between them. He said something to the hands who were still watching the bull, maneuvered off the railing and came toward her. She had another chance to assess that ESP thing, but this time she knew what it was.

A really hot look.