One way to profess your love on Valentine's Day.

How one romantic person professed love in the narrow streets of Naples, Italy. The sign reads: 'One day, suddenly, I fell in love with you.'
Does true love exist? Is it ever lasting? What about soul mates?
I have had more than one true love. I believe that my own personal romantic stories are leaning experiences in life and they have made me the person I am today --- a great story writer.
One of my loves took place as in the movie "Sliding Doors" and it also happened in Italy.
How did your true love take place and where did it happen?

To learn more about the author of Romantic Suspense and "The Promise Series" go to: http://www.amazon.com/author/ckalber  --- or follow this blog.

Happy Saturday and may you have a happy ever after love in your life.

Appreciation for our Teachers

Never stop telling our teachers how much we appreciate them. They work overtime at school, prepare at home, console parents about problem children and on and on. We all know that, because most of us either have been teachers or know one personally.
Today, I would like to acknowledge one teacher in particular,
She's a single parent on a teacher's salary. That means --- she holds down two other jobs, when she doesn't have her kids, to make ends meet. But she never stops loving the tiring work that she does in education and never gives up her smile. Not even the day she was moving out of her large home, to downsize, and received the call that she had stage 1 cancer. The Monday she was completely moved in, was the day she had her surgery.
Behind every window, teachers have their stories too. I wish we could give every teacher, past or present, a large bonus for all of the years they have dedicated to their profession. Maybe this year, the new chosen government (by the people) will see fit to do just that.
Until then --- bless each and every one of our teachers worldwide.

Learn more about author C. K. Alber at http://www.amazon.com/author/ckalber

Carol's Candid Interview.

Carol:  Life was good. I had a college degree in counseling, a man who adored me, marriage, doting parents, a great job, trips abroad. Oh, and I can't forget about out golden retriever, Lucky. We felt blessed.
A frown flitted between her brows, crinkling her forehead. She nibbled her bottom lip between perfect white teeth. 
Carol was in her early fifties, had long dishwater-blond hair, a beautiful face but sad chestnut-colored eyes. 
Me: Did you have children?
She shook her head.
Carol: I loved my job. Thought we had plenty of time to complete out family. Then everything I mentioned before disappeared.
She got up and took slow steps to the window, pulled back a side of the curtain, and peered out. When she turned around her expression had changed. Darkness clouded her eyes. 
Carol: Divorce. Death. I lost my job.
Sinking into a tattered arm chair, Carol took a deep breath. Her fingers tapped the wooden armrest claws of the overstuffed chair. 
Carol: I was diagnosed with manic depression. In other words, I'm bipolar.
Me: Are you in therapy?
Carol: Yes, and I take pills.  But I can't work.
Me: Why not if you're on medication?
Carol: I just don't do well around crowds any more. I sleep a lot.
She patted her old dog's head.
Carol: I still have Lucky, so not everyone left me.
Her hand encompassed the area around her.
Carol: My dad willed me this house so I don't have to worry about rent, but I have to count my pennies. I'm on disability.
Another deep breath.
Me: Do you have friends you can talk to?
Carol: Yes. When I let them in.
Me: In this house?
Carol: In my thoughts.

It was time to give Carol a break. After years of not seeing her, she had "let me in" and I didn't want to deplete her trust in me. She is, after all, a friend of mine.

Her name has been changed to protect her identity. 

Find out more about author C.K. Alber @ http://www.amazon.com/author/ckalber






  

Monday's Challenge.

Is life ever simple or easy? Challenges takes special efforts to manage or overcome and most of us have them --- sometimes daily. Illness, addiction, poverty, are just a few among many. Do you have a story behind your window? Please share it with me and I will publish a few of them.
For today --- happy Monday.

Book #3 of The Promise Series, "A Prisoner's Promise" is about Anne Algani and her struggle to discover her real identity now that's she's almost twenty-years old. Why is she the only sibling who has olive skin and dark features? Secrets from her family's past erupt into a full blown mystery to be untangled by the men she loves in the present.
 

Behind every window there is a story. Have you ever walked and wondered what story lies behind a particular window? Traveling abroad as often as I do, has made me an "author window peeper". I stay my distance, but I study the shadows, the curtains, the lighting and imagine the family or single person from within. Some times I'll get a whiff of garlic, lemon, or pot --- and that only adds to the ingredients. Then I stir and come up with the characters. I love walking through the darker parts of a city or along a waterfront with a keeper's shack in sight. When I walk through the woods, I'm actually looking for a cabin to study. I never intrude, but I listen for sounds coming from inside. And that's one way I form my characters.
Read about one particular character in Broken Promises, book #1 of The Promise Series. Her name was Patricia.
Or book #2, A Promise of Revenge and the character who preferred living in the woods after having served in the military.  
Happy Wednesday and happy reading.

"A Promise of Revenge," book #2 in The Promise Series.
Serious threats to eradicate Alice Sweeney's existence, take the young mother with her baby daughter underground. Her scarred veteran husband, with an arsenal of weapons, becomes her stalker.
Doctor Francesco DeRosa searches for life's meaning after losing his beloved wife to an incurable disease he couldn't fix. He becomes a workaholic to repair the gaping wound to his heart.
An old friendship between Alice and Francesco develops into an amorous, impassioned but forbidden relationship. To save a little girl's life, they must work out their differences. An abduction and a brave encounter with death, turn out to have an unexpected ending.

Lighthouses amaze me. I somehow picture an inside dim light, a warm and cozy atmosphere, crashing waves heard over the crackle of a fireplace, and solitude. With that mindset, that's how I begin my stories. Oh --- and my dog Luna by my side.

But to be more practical, I get up in the middle of the night, fix a nice cappuccino and while Luna sleeps, I begin to write.

Pick up a good book this weekend and tell me what kind of atmosphere your prefer when reading. I'd love to read or answer your questions below.
Go to http://www.amazon.com/author/ckalber to read experts from "Broken Promises" and "A Promise of Revenge."
Happy reading.