Category: MFRW Blog HOOK

FOR LO, THE WINTER IS PAST, THE RAIN IS OVER AND GONE By PAT GARCIA @pat_garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I’m going to be honest with you, this year has been the bomb. From sickness to the deaths in family, to writing interruptions, because of the traumatic situations, this 2025 passage was extremely dark and rough.  I kept waiting for another shoe to drop, and it always did, and they kept coming in bits and pieces. This threw me into a process of learning how to deal with the tragedies occurring in my life. 

The first thing I learned is that you don’t control trauma. There is no way to run from it or to beat it over the head and be victorious over it without having faith in someone who is bigger than yourself. In my case, that someone was and still is God. 

Thinking that the tide was over, on the Second Christmas Day, December 26, I received a phone call informing me that my nephew had been killed on Christmas Day.  I thought to myself if anyone had told me at the beginning of 2025, I would receive notices of five deaths sprinkled out over 2025, that would pinch me in my heart, I wouldn’t have believed them. But it happened, and I am thankful that I was able to work through it and keep slowly moving forward. 

As traumatic as things were in my 2025, I am thankful that gratitude permeates my life. It is now January 1, 2026, and I woke up this morning thankful to see a New Year and no snow in the area where I live. The sun is even showing itself every now and then. 🙂  I’m thankful to have that first cup of coffee, to hear my voice as I sang the first song that rose up in my heart, and to look out of my patio windows and see squirrels climbing in my trees and birds flying low between the green leaves. 

Now that I have taken my first steps into 2026, let me say that I hope all my readers and friends crossed into 2026 and are looking forward to a great year.

Getting back to the title of my New Year’s article, One of my favorite passages in the Bible is the title of this blog article:

My Beloved spoke, and said to me,

Rise up, my love, my fair one,

And come away.

For lo, the winter is past, 

The rain is over and gone. 

(Song of Solomon 2:10-12, NKJV)

Let us hope that this is so in our individual passages in 2026.

Take care.

Shalom shalom

TURN THE LIGHT ON By Pat Garcia @pat_garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social @rrbc-org.bsky.social #women’sfiction #romancereader #writingjourney #amwriting #contemporaryromance #MFRWBookHooks

Hello Everyone,

TURN THE LIGHT ON WAS MY VERY FIRST PUBLISHED Short Story. I will never forget the feeling of relief that came with finally pushing it out into the world, and the joy is still there. 

What impressed me the most about the book was the manuscript itself, the book cover, and the book trailer. All three elements present the strength of a southern black woman and touch on the reality of a daring and courageous woman that many people don’t see, thereby challenging the readers’ perspectives. 

TURN THE LIGHT ON

Fear engulfed her. What if he was not only a counter-terrorist, but was also using her to launder money? Her hands shook as she considered the consequences of the mistakes she’d made and what could happen to her. She didn’t relish standing before a disbelieving judge trying to explain her stupidity. 

Macey grunted, causing Della to uncross her legs and lean in closer to her boss’s desk. She had hoped Macey would simply speak her mind instead of grunting and bobbing her head back and forth, while examining her bank statements. 

Never again will I forsake my principles because of a man with sad, lonely eyes.

Macey’ heavy sigh shattered Della’s thoughts. Della tensed, not knowing what to expect. 

“Della, your story is preposterous. No…let me say it would be truly unbelievable if I hadn’t seen this with my own eyes.  Macey pointed at the bank statements on her desk. “So, tell me what do you plan to do? Do you really think he’s the man that’s been depositing the money into your account? And how are you going to find him since you don’t even know him name, for heaven’s sake?”

TURN THE LIGHT ON is available on all Amazon outlets.

Have a lovely day and take care. 

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

Caged Birds Don’t Sing By Pat Garcia,

@pat_garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social @rrbc-org.bsky.social #women’sfiction #romancereader #writingjourney #amwriting #Contemporaryromance #MFRWBookHooks

Hello, Everyone,

I am still working on my Flash Fiction Anthology. I am cleaning up and editing some of the stories intensively before I send them to my editor, just in case you see any repeats. The snippet below is one I am editing before sending it to my editor.

For your information, we switched to Standard Time here in Europe on Sunday, October 26, 2025, and this kid was happy.

Wishing all of you a lovely rest of the week.

Shalom Shalom

CAGED BIRDS DON’T SING BY PAT GARCIA, OCTOBER 28, 2025

The clock ticked away the minutes, and Kathie Mae’s heartbeat quickened with every passing beat.
Soon, Caesar would be home. Her musing would have to stop in an hour, and she would have to drag her wandering mind from her past and concentrate on where she was in the present.  
She would have never thought that having everything money could buy meant her joy would be buried in the graveyard of depression.
Louisa, their maid, knocked softly on the living room door.
“Come in.”
“I don’t mean to disturb you, but I’ll be leaving soon. Is there anything else you want me to do?”
“No,” Kathie Mae said, giving her a hollow smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “What are you going to do this Sunday?”
“I’m going to do what I do here every Sunday,” Louisa said. “Clean my house.”
Kathie Mae grunted. She’d talked to Cesare about reducing Louisa’s days to three times a week. They didn’t need her. In fact, they didn’t need her two times a week, but he’d demanded she come every day except Sunday. He’d looked at her like she was a child and explained to her that when he returned home, he wanted to see an orderly, well-kept house without any clutter. That was when she’d begun to notice that well-kept meant everything, including her.

Please visit the other blog participants. You will find them engaging and our writing covers different aspects of Romance. Thank you.

https://patgarciaauthor.com/?p=9362

A STRANGE ENCOUNTER CHANGES TWO PEOPLE FOREVER By Pat Garcia @pat_garcia patgarcia.bsky.social @rrbc-0rg.bsky.social #women’sfiction #romancereader #writingjourney #amwriting #contemooraryromance #MFRWBookHooks

Hello, Everyone,

Since I have returned, I have been having problems with my Mac. I hope everything goes well so that I am able to visit all our blogs on Wednesday.

Today, I am presenting another snippet of A STRANGE ENCOUNTER CHANGES TWO PEOPLE FOREVER.

Have a lovely day.

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

https://patgarciaauthor.com/?p=9320

A STRANGE ENCOUNTER CHANGES 2 PEOPLE FOREVER BY Pat Garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social @pat_garcia @amwriting @rrbc-org.bsky.social #romancereader #writingjourney #MFRWHooks #BlogHP #FreePromo #Contemporaryromance #women’sfiction

Hello Everyone,
I returned from my sudden vacation with the necessity to work through the trauma of experiencing four deaths in three months. It’s something that I don’t wish on anyone. I’m back to what I love to do, now, and that is writing.

Continuing with my unreleased Flash Fiction Anthology, here is my first snippet from A STRANGE ENCOUNTER CHANGES TWO PEOPLE FOREVER.
Have a lovely day,

Shalom shalom

Giuseppe’s right ear moved upward. Robust laughter almost shattered his eardrum.

Could Christmas Eve bring him such a massive sweet gift? 

The laughter vibrated through his entire body, making him tremble. Putting down his pool stick, he walked to the dining area to see who had released the wavelength of the full-bodied laugh that caused his ear to move.

Giuseppe, (Sep), walked to the door that led out into the dining area. He noticed the table across the floor opposite him clothed in candlelight.  There he saw her.  Three women were sitting at a table listening intently to a dark, brown-skinned woman, caught up in whatever she was saying. Sep zoned in on her with his eyes. With his photographic memory, he took pictures, marking the small, chiseled nose and thick lips that stood out on her face.  Seized by the vocal vibrations of her voice, he wondered how the chubby-sized woman would react if he covered her lips with his mouth. Would she stare at him with fright in her eyes, thinking that he was some kind of monster or a freak whose face had been put together crookedly? 

https://patgarciaauthor.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=9259&action=edit

CAGED BIRDS DON’T SING By Pat Garcia

@pat_garcia, @patgarcia.bsky.social, #MFRWBookHooks, @amwriting, @women’sfiction, #romancereaders, @rrbc-org.bsky.social

Hello, Everyone,

I’m continuing with a new snippet that will appear in my Anthology that will be released in the winter of 2026.

Have a lovely day.

Shalom shalom

CAGED BIRDS DON’T SING

Caged Birds Don’t Sing

Kathie Mae sat and stared at her surroundings; everything was in place just like Caesar liked it.
The cream-colored sofa was positioned at a right angle, three meters away from the large floor-to-ceiling window that faced the street before their house. The brightness of the sun on the mahogany Boersendorfer displayed its ivory black and white keys.
.
Katheie Mae looked at the portrait that hung above the piano and examined the eyes of the woman she no longer knew. The eyes in the picture were brighter, livelier, and filled with hope. Where had all that gone?

Her heartbeat quickened with every passing minute that the grandfather clock ticked.
Soon, Caesar would be home.  In an hour or two, she would have to stop her wandering mind from going back to the past. 
Kathie Mae never thought that having everything money could buy would curtail her life and lock her up in a cage.

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THE GARDEN By Pat Garcia

@patgarcia.bsky.social @pat_garcia @rrbc-bsky.social #MFRWHooks #amwriting #romancereaders

Hello, Everyone,

This is another snippet from my flash anthology that will be released in Winter 2026.

The Garden


After many years of not being there, she’d returned and discovered how quickly things deteriorate when not lovingly taken care of.

As she stood looking at the poverty that had befallen the once so beautiful, proud garden, she wanted to cry.

She regarded the rundown house; no longer the centerpiece of roses, carnations, lilies, and yellow daisies.

Oh, how noble houses fall.

“What are you thinking, Linda?”

“You see that tree?” she answered, not quite knowing where to begin. “I used to climb it.”

Jordan laughed, “And you’re still climbing trees.”

Chuckling along with him, she said, “Yes, at my age, I’m still climbing trees. So, we’re here.  What do you expect from me?”

Jordan was the one who had encouraged them to return here. He was her husband, lover, and friend for the last seven years. Even though much younger than she was, he was concerned about her well-being than she was. Her nightmares had forced him to convince her to come back and face the demons that terrorize me.

“I hope you’ll appreciate your wealthy upbringing and let go,” Jordan said.

She regarded the garden surrounding the house in which she was born.  They were so different, Jordan and her, yet in many ways they were like homogenous barks linked together.

“You’re fantasizing again. You’re not old enough to request that I appreciate my upbringing. You weren’t there.”

“No, I wasn’t, but I love you. That alone gives me the right to help you reconcile with your past and let go.”

“Look who’s talking?  The babe among us.”

“Yes, the babe by ten years and yet your husband.”

Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

https://patgarciaauthor.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=8925&action=edit

GOODBYE UNTIL BY PAT GARCIA @pat_garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social @rrbc-org.bsky.social @amwriting #romancereader #writingjourney #MFRWBlogHooks #contemporaryromance #women’sfiction

Hello Everyone,
I am presenting the third story in my Flash Fiction anthology, which is written as a trilogy within a series. This is story one in the trilogy where I introduce Beno and Zelda.
I hope you enjoy meeting them.
Have a lovely day and take care.
Shalom shalom

GOODBYE UNTIL

Storms raged within Zelda.  Even though seven years had passed, her dichotomous relationship with Beno still reverberated in her gut.  In contrast to what she had once thought, the young man who had overwhelmed her with his confessions of love was still with her, woven like yarn not around her heart but inside of it.  The intensity of their love grew stronger with each passing year.

True, she’d always been a joyful, adventurous, youthful person, a hopeless optimist who loved unconditionally, but when she’d turn fifty-five, she had hidden these characteristics. Her friends had told her such traits didn’t become a woman of her age. Meeting Beno changed that. He unlocked the door to those traits and threw away the key. Now, they bubbled over everywhere.  

Zelda contemplated as she sat at the table in the back corner, facing the street. That’s what lovers do at Café Terrace, Beno had once told her.  They order coffee, or a latte, sweetened with a shot of whiskey or Cognac, and wait for their loved ones.

Zelda sipped her coffee and closed her eyes.   “Delicious,” she murmured and opened her eyes to look at the crowd and see if she could pick Beno out. She would know him anywhere. 

https://patgarciaauthor.com/?p=8864

THE VASE AT THE FLEA MARKET BY Pat Garcia @pat_garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social @MFRWbookhook @rrbc-org.bsky.social #women’sfiction @amwriting #romancebook #writingjourney #Contemporaryromance

Hello Everyone,
I am presenting the second story in my Flash Fiction anthology, which is written as a trilogy within a series. Three Flashes are connected as one story.
I hope you enjoy seeing Beno and Zelda again.
Have a lovely day and take care.
Shalom shalom

Pat Garcia

Zelda tossed from one side to the other in the king-size bed belonging to her and Beno. She made herself lie still and shaped herself into a spoon on her right side, staring at the chipped, brownish-red-toned vase standing on the end table where Beno always slept. As ugly as that vase was, it radiated the only hope she had that he wasn’t dead. Like a persistent gnawing in her spirit, the vessel fanned the flame in her that Beno was alive.

Since he’d slithered into their new home to surprise her on her birthday, she’d heard nothing else from him. He’d received a thirty-six-hour pass and hadn’t allowed her to ask any questions about how he got it. Instead, he’d rushed her out of their home and taken her to the flea market. There, he’d shown her what he’d discovered. His face lit up when he pointed to the chipped antique vase. Even though it was the ugliest vase Zelda had ever seen, Beno’s lips had kissed and caressed it while scrutinizing its damages as if it were a precious jewel.

She’d asked him why that vase. There were others so much prettier.

His head had slanted slightly toward her, and his eyes had locked her in place.

“Chipped, Zelda,” he’d said. “The vase’s disfigurements display its inner beauty and its strength. Don’t you think so?”

He’d purchased it for more than it was worth and handed it to her. “For your birthday, my sweet Zelda.”

They had returned home, and he’d taken it to their bedroom and placed it on the nightstand by his side of the bed. “Think of us every time you turn toward where I sleep and see the vase,” Beno had said, and he had taken her in his arms.

Afterward, exhausted from their lovemaking, she’d fallen asleep with her head lying on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Beno snuck away just as he had come, suddenly. Since then, fresh purple and white orchids, accompanied by a single bloody red rose in the middle, have appeared on their doorsteps every two weeks, accompanied by a four-word text-“to fill the vase.”

https://patgarciaauthor.com/?p=8831

AN URBAN NIGHTMARE BY Pat Garcia @pat_garcia @patgarcia.bsky.social @amwriting @rrbc-org,bsky.social #writingjourney #romancereader #bloghop #MFRWbloghop

Hello, Everyone,

After an unfortunate loss in my family, I am back. I haven’t formatted my latest story yet because I didn’t take the time. But I have started on it.

Today, I am presenting a snippet from my upcoming anthology, which is scheduled for release in winter 2026.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Shalom shalom,

Pat Garcia

Shrill screaming woke Zelda. She scooted nearer to Beno, thinking she was dreaming. Beno put his arm around her, bringing her closer, and she continued to sleep.
The shrieks came again, and this time, sobs accompanied them. Zelda raised herself to look over at the clock on Beno’s nightstand. What woman would be walking around at two-thirty in the morning, screaming and sobbing outside of their bedroom window? She immediately thought about the missing women from their urban neighborhood, and her heart sank.
“Not again,” she murmured. Six women had already disappeared without a trace. The police were helpless, and Zelda trembled in Beno’s arms. Was it happening again?
“Beno, wake up!” She whispered, frantically shaking his shoulder.
“What, My Sweet? Can’t you sleep?” Beno said, drowsily.
“I think I heard a woman screaming and sobbing outside by our bedroom window.”
Beno took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now, come to your senses,” Zelda pleaded.
Beno released Zelda quickly and sprang out of bed. Three women, two teenage girls, and an eleven-year-old had vanished into thin air in their urban neighborhood over the past three weeks.
“Where did you hear the noise, Zelda?” Beno asked as he got dressed.
“From outside Marcus’s house, which faces our bedroom. There were horrible sounds of helplessness mixed with tears.”
“I’m going to take a look outside.”
“I’m going with you,” Zelda said, getting out of bed.
“No, you’ll stay here.”
“No, I won’t,” Zelda said and put on a knee-length Mou Mou dress that he’d bought her while on a mission in Hawaii.

https://patgarciaauthor.com/?p=8798

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