What if the weather….

With earthquakes, tsunamis, twisters, and more happening lately, one day I thought to myself, “What if?”.

The politics, economics, and meteorological aspects of the climate change debate don’t really interest me. It’s not as if my adding my two cents into the discussion will change anyone’s mind. But I am interested in how such things affect people. As a writer I find how people think, act, and react endlessly fascinating.

I started thinking about people driving smaller, more fuel efficient cars. The advantages and disadvantages. I thought about paperless offices. Again, advantages and disadvantages. As an author who is published digitally, in print, and in audio, I see a lot of advantages to digital books. No shipping costs. No remainders being pulped. No dead trees, no fuel used in transportation. All of these are good and mean prices remain more affordable. But for someone working in a paperless office, maybe there would be some disadvantages.

Then I thought about recycling. I’m a big fan of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” movement. And I thought of a particularly naughty twist to that system.
Phoebe works for a company that’s determined to keep its carbon footprint as small as possible. Mostly she thinks that’s very good. Then there was the day she got caught in a flash flood. And rescued by a couple of extremely sexy pirates…

“Flash Flood” blurb
Phoebe is on her way to a business meeting when a landslide causes a tsunami of water to flood the road, sweeping her car into a river. She is pulled from the river by Connor and Patrick. A night of extremely satisfying “thank God I’m alive” sex seems a fitting end to the day.

Phoebe has a week off work to recover, and the two men invite her to accompany them on a business-and-pleasure trip. They have a great time, the sex is awesome, but Fi is unsettled by undercurrents and things she cannot quite grasp. She finds herself humming “For I am a pirate king”, possibly because of their tendency to tell pirate jokes. Or maybe not.

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Flood-Siren-Publishing-Menage-ebook/dp/B00S5ER0V0/

Berengaria Brown
Blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown

Writing about the seasons of the year

A reader asked me why I write about the different seasons of the year. Until I was asked this question I had no idea I did it. But I do. So…

I have two stories set at Christmas. One is a short MM story about two men who meet while rehearsing for a Christmas musical presentation (“Noticing Nigel”). Most of the action takes place inside, but there is mention that it’s cold, but fine, when they leave the conference center for lunch.

The other story, also an MM, (“Perfectly Presented”) involves shopping for gifts for disadvantaged children. The weather is very cold, but not snowing.

I have one story set at midsummer (“Turning Up the Heat”). The hot weather is very much part of the plot of that story, and the fact that an air-conditioner is running all day. I have another story set on summer vacation at the beach (“The Beach Boys: Summer” http://www.bookstrand.com/the-beach-boys-summer). The heat is not mentioned, but they swim, so it’s obviously not cool.

In the "Elinor's Stronghold" series (http://www.bookstrand.com/pillaging-elinors-castle) the winter is an integral part of the plot arch for the four books, but since they take place over a couple of years, winter itself doesn't get to be the hero (or villain) in any one book.

But all the rest of my books? I confess the weather is usually fine if the characters are outdoors. It may not be warm, but it’s not too cold to go walking, and it never seems to snow.

Clearly I’m missing some of the seasons. I obviously need to think of the possibilities of what characters could do on a cold, snowy day. Likely, they wouldn’t be shoveling the walk!

I do like to use the scents of being outdoors. The sweet smell of flowers, the enticing aroma of barbecue wafting across the air, and the refreshing sensation of a cool breeze on sweaty skin after some hot outdoor sex. The Botanical Gardens play a part in several of my stories (the "Spicy Love" series) and my love for the water is seen in the fact that several books are set at the beach ("The Beach Boys") or involve swimming pools, hot tubs, or even a river. Hmm. A river. I'm sure I could have fun with another one of those. And maybe a waterfall...

Berengaria Brown’s links:
Blog: http://berengariasblog.blogspot.com/
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/berengaria-brown
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Berengaria+Brown