Romance

Life is Vivid, Rich and Creative Right Now.

October 26, 2020 by jackiecthomas 1 Comment

So I finished another novel over the weekend. As cliche as it sounds, I dreamt this one too, or at least the basis of it. I am always fascinated in the ways that inspiration comes seeping up into my writing. I think there was a lot of influence from current events and the political landscape. This work was a little different than anything I’ve ever written before. It is set in the future in an ultra-conservative/ religious America, where birth rates have dropped and the ultimate goal is to repopulate the world, but as a romance novel. It sounds strange but guys, it came out so incredible!

What I found particularly interesting with this book is that at no point did I have a major attack of self doubt. With every book I’ve ever written, right before the halfway point I usually have this sense of doubt, like the story is garbage, the characters aren’t believable and I should just stop writing. Most of the time I push through this feeling and in the end, I am usually really pleased with the finished product. To this point, I’ve not produced a work, where I’ve thought, eh you should’ve stopped. With this newly completed project that doubt didn’t come, and I don’t know if that means anything or not but I am grateful.

It really is the strangest thing, life has changed so much in the past six months, from reaching major career goals, and moving to the top of my field to now being home and writing full time. Life is weird guys. I was thinking back to a conversation I had with an old boss last year, we were talking about homeschooling and while I loved and romanticized about the idea, I never saw it in my future. I couldn’t put my career on hold to educate my kids. A year later, my kids are home elearning and I find myself being a part time teacher to support my kid’s education. What is also neat about this is my kids are seeing me write. My daughter has taken to becoming a writer herself and often writes short stories during her breaks. They’re dramatic and dark, and adorable.

So, two months into being a full-time writer, I am really loving it. I feel so pleased to have completed another novel. The last one I finished was in February pre-Covid, career change, furlough, and life basically turning upside down. I am really excited about the book I just finished, I really think it may be some of my best writing yet. I cannot describe how wonderful the feeling is to get up in the mornings and know that I have all day to write. For so long, I worked full-time, while completing my Master’s Degree, and I still managed to write. I would write after my kids went to bed in the evenings, on lunch breaks, or on weekends. Now I can write whenever the mood strikes and it is WONDERFUL!

As I write this blog post I am looking out the window at my treeline on my property rich with fall color. I know how odd this must sound, but I feel like everything is richer in experience this year, even the fall colors in my backyard. I don’t know if this is because I have the time to sit back and enjoy them or if they are truly more vibrant. I feel the same about my writing right now too, it just seems more substantial for some reason.

Creatively, all cylinders are firing right now. What I find truly amazing was that I really pushed to finish this last novel so I can start my NaNoWriMo novel. I already have the idea, and I know where the story will goes. This is unheard of at least for me. Normally I search for months thinking of the perfect idea of my Nano book. This year, the idea came hard and strong, and I was like, well finish the novel you are currently working on and you can start on your next one. Seriously, muse?!? Believe me I am not complaining! If I can pull this off I’ll have completed three novels this year and one short story collection… WOW! I am not bragging, I am just in awe of my endeavors especially in light of everything going on with a global pandemic.

In between writing, I’ve also been querying for my first book Sailing in Silicon Valley. While I have yet to get a bite, I am still pressing forward. I’ve also been toying with the idea of releasing The Lake Michigan Affair, which is a novel I wrote for my first NanoWriMo. It is the story of a devout woman who falls for a Catholic Cardinal, together they put everything on the line for their love. I queried the book for over a year, and after countless rejections, I think I might just self publish it. I’ll be interested to see how the book does on Amazon. My only experience is Quarantine Stories, which has met my expectations sales wise but hasn’t been a massive hit. I know that I have a few things working against me there, first I am an unknown author, second it’s a short story collection, and third short romance stories are kind of odd.

So in the meantime with the five days before NaNoWriMo starts, I’ll do a little research about the next project. I will also continue to query for Sailing in Silicon Valley. Overall, I will continue to enjoy life with all of the vivid richness it seems to possess right now.

A Romance Writer’s Guide To Creating the Perfect Romantic Evening (Home Edition)

October 15, 2020 by jackiecthomas Leave a Comment

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our fourteenth wedding anniversary. Each year we mark the day by doing something special. Sometimes we do something big but most years it’s just a dinner out. This year we had originally planned to have a big present to each other- we were going to drive from L.A. to San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway. We planned the trip in early 2020 thinking Covid would most likely be over– Ha! As summer turned to fall it became very clear that travel would not be happening. So we thought we’d maybe go away for a weekend locally, my sister offered to generously lend her condo to us. We watched as the Covid numbers rose drastically over the past two weeks in our part of the country. Our anniversary would be celebrated at home.

My poor husband who loves to travel, is having a difficult time not being able to see the world right now. On top of it all, yesterday Chicago announced that people from Indiana are not allowed into the city right now. We are within the Chicagoland area but live across the border in Indiana. While this might not seem like a big deal, we do a lot of the cultural activities that the city has to offer, along with shopping and dining. All of this being said, I realized we would have an anniversary unlike any other. I was going to have to put my romance writer’s brain into overdrive to make a special romantic day. That being said, where most people I know are emotionally exhausted from staying at home and our new way of life.

So here is a romance writer’s guide to the perfect romantic evening…

Start with the menu!

This is the one element that may take some pre-planning so start here. Think about what your mate likes to eat and go from there. As it was my wedding anniversary we recreated the dinner that we ate at our wedding. Here is our menu for our romantic evening:

Starter:

Cheese Board & Cocktails

Main:

Filet of Beef

Sides:

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Steamed Spring Peas

Sauteed Mushroom

To Drink: Best quality Red Wine

Dessert:

Chocolate Cake (My husband’s favorite)

Perfectly grilled steaks on our wedding china.

Now, Set the Mood!

Candles are your friend. I went through my house to the rooms I knew our romantic evening would take place in, setting candles ahead of time, and a lighter in each room. This gave an intimate glow and keep the lighting dim and cozy.

Don’t forget your music! You can’t have a romantic evening without it. I am such a huge fan of Frank Sinatra and music in his genre so this was the soundtrack to most of our evening. We finished our evening with Nora Jones, as one of her songs was our wedding song. We danced after our dinner in our kitchen amongst the candle light- believe me this was incredibly romantic.

The Little Touches:

So I’m not evening going to begin to say when the last time I was dressed up was. I used to wear heels, and make-up almost everyday in my pre-covid life. But with furloughs, and job losses my daily uniform is most commonly a pair of leggings and sweatshirt. Make-up- ha! I haven’t done a full face of make-up in months.

So prior to our evening starting, I made myself a martini, put on some Frank and put in some extra effort for our night. A full face of make-up, a dress, complete with heels. I even put on my wedding pearls. I had fun putting myself together, and I found that it actually gave me butterflies. I was excited for our at home date.

When I came downstairs, my husband was nibbling at the cheese board and his jaw fell. I didn’t tell him I had planned to do anything special. I walked around the room and lit the candles and turned on the music. The effect was immediate. My husband who is a t-shirt and jeans kinda guy excused himself and returned equally dressed for the occasion- it was a nice surprise.

The Sweetest Anniversary Card from our kids.

But what about the kids?

We have two school aged children at home with us. So you must be wondering how that worked? I explained to them what a wedding anniversary was and I showed them wedding pictures. They got it… sort of. I’m all about keeping it real so I’ll show my hand. There was a bribery as well. I fed our children dinner early and told them each they could watch their iPads until 9:30 pm. They were thrilled. There was also the promise of cake. I told each of them if they stayed in their rooms for the evening they’d be rewarded with a slice of cake when the hubs and I had some. Deal done! For the most part they did really well too. We were even presented with a card while we had our cocktail hour, and the kids finished up their dinner, in a separate room.

Keep your Partner in Mind:

My husband and I have been together for a while an now and I know what he likes and doesn’t. I am confident in saying he knows my likes and dislikes as well. When you’re trying to plan a romantic evening, keep you partner in mind. Pro tip: the more you try to make the evening special for your partner- the more special it will be for you in return.

Upon reflection, I can honestly say yesterday was one of the best anniversaries we’ve had so far. Sure, it wasn’t on the beach of the Pacific Ocean, but boy it was something really special. I am so grateful for a spouse who was as committed to making our night special. I realized this morning, that while we may be stuck at home for the foreseeable future, it doesn’t have to be boring. I think we’ll do an at home date night more often. Sure, we may not pull out all of the stops but just enjoying each other is special.

Being a Full-Time-ish Writer One Month On

October 1, 2020 by jackiecthomas Leave a Comment

Hello all. Boy time flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? A little over a month ago I stepped away from my job in the corporate world to devote my time writing full time AND to assist my kids with their elearning. As the school year for my grade school aged children began, it was apparent that something was going to give, and I made the choice to step away. That being said, I recognized that there was an opportunity to fully lean into putting my efforts towards writing full time. My husband who is also an author, fully supported and encouraged this course of action.

So one month in, I have a lot to show for this past month. I self-published my first book! This was a huge deal for me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done this and boy is there a learning curve here. I was lucky enough to know how to use Adobe to layout my print edition, and cover design. I also had to learn Amazon’s KDP for the ebook. Page numbers, author accounts, and royalty structures, there was and still is so much to learn. BUT… It’s been fun so far. I am grateful to have had the time to dedicate towards, instead of having to sneak it in after work or on lunch breaks.

I’ve also continued to query for another completed novel that I wrote a few years back. My dream is still to go the traditional publishing route. I sent out my first round of queries in early September, and I am surprised to say I’ve heard back from most agents, granted it was a pass, but that’s okay. I will say the more I query, the thicker my skin gets, and that is a good thing. I queried last year for a different novel, and almost hit the 100 query letters sent mark. So querying continues and I’ll keep you all updated on any developments. I just keep reminding myself it only takes one yes, to change your life. Keep going!

All of this being said, while all of these endeavors are relevant to writing, they’re not actually writing. So I am happy to report that I’ve started writing a new project. I’m about 20K words in, and while it’s still a romance, it’s different than anything I’ve ever written before. Set about a hundred years in the future, in a new America, how will Willow find safety and love? So far the writing is going very well. That is in part to my husband who has shoved my computer, headphones, and coffee at me each morning to write in the seclusion of my bedroom while he readies our children for their day of elearning. When the school bell rings, I stop writing and am plugged into their needs.

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to write here and there during the day, between math lessons, and snacks, but overall it’s not a productive time for writing. So I’ve learned to use this time for other writing endeavors, such as marketing Quarantine Stories, learn KDP, or read. I’m reading an excellent book right now, Conjure Women by Afia Atakora. This story is so enveloping that it completely sweeps me away. I try to sneak in a chapter here and there, but I find that when I pick this book up, I am unable to put it down.

In addition to all of these things, I am also settling in at home, which historically has always been the death nail for being able to be home full time for me. I have found that clearing closets, gardening and learning how to quilt have been great cures for writer’s block. I am enjoying this time to be home with my family, and being able to be truly “plugged-in” to family life. When I think back to this time last year, working full time, finishing grad school and still writing, I wonder how I managed, but somehow I did. This thought spurs me on to continue writing, and pushing myself. If I could do it then when life was busier, I can surely do it now, and do it better.

How to Write a Book Blurb & An Author Bio: The Journey to Publishing Continues

August 31, 2020 by jackiecthomas Leave a Comment

Last week, I shared some exciting news, that Quarantine Stories is going to be my first self-published book. This week the journey continues as I work my way towards publishing what I hope will be the first of many successful books. Last Thursday, I sent my manuscript off to my copyeditor, all 96K words of it! Holy moly that might be my longest manuscript to date. (I tend to stay between 80-90K.) Just prior to sending it off, I reread through each story, adding little things that I wanted to, that enhance the stories. It seemed that after I published each one originally, I’d have this great idea or little piece to put into each work to make it more special, but the story was already published live. For the book version, I actually put these fun details into the stories, and it made my romantic heart swoon.

Once the manuscript was off, I took a dig deep breath and relaxed for half a second before I set onto my next task, starting to envision what the cover will look like. As someone who works in marketing and PR this sets my creative mind into overdrive. I’d been thinking about what a cover would look like for months, and then one afternoon it came to me. I sketched it as quickly as possible. I mean when you think about it, how to you convey twenty-five unique love stories on one cover without using something generic, like a face mask, or graphics of germs in this case? Well, I think I have figured it out, but you will all have to wait, as I work on getting the concept into reality. Super cool and exciting though!

I’ve also worked on the dreaded author bio, and book blurb for the book. I have known so many incredibly talented authors who are amazing, prolific writers, but when you ask them to write about themselves they clam-up. Isn’t it funny how life works? Thankfully, I didn’t find this task too difficult but I found a great resource online that helped me demystify it all. This great post from the ReedsyBlog gave me great guidance, and I actually ended up with a bio that I like.

I also had to write the dust jacket description of the book in this past week. As a marketer this should be relatively easy, ha! I’ve never written a blurb for a story collection before. I also don’t ready many short story collections so I didn’t know what a good bio would look like for one. So I set off to Google and did some research. I found a really fun blurb generator, but it didn’t really suit my needs, so I kept looking. I’ll go back and play with the blurb generator later, it looks like a lot of fun.

I actually did find a useful guide on the website Writer’s Write. What a great name for a website for writers! They gave this guidance on how to construct a book blurb for a collection of short stories, and it was easy. In full disclosure, I wrote a blurb and then I went looking for advice to spice up what I already had. Upon reading this article I scratched what I originally had and started from scratch using their method, and it came out really well!

I also started the marketing plan for the book. So far this has been pretty easy, as it is my profession. I’ve also had developments in that regard as well. As of this Friday, I will technically be unemployed. However, this is not a sad or bad thing. My kids are home e-learning, and in between math lessons, and spelling tests I’ll be writing and marketing my upcoming book. I look forward to seeing where this time will take me creatively as well.

What I Read this Month: April 2020

April 21, 2020 by jackiecthomas Leave a Comment

One would think during quarantine that I would have a lot of time to read, but that hasn’t been the case. Work had kept me very busy, I am in the last month of my master’s degree, and I have two kids homeschooling right now. I have been lucky enough to steal some time away here and there to read. I read three books over the past month, well two-and-a-half.

Love and Other Words: by Christina Lauren

I found this book at The Ripped Bodice out in California back in early March. The concept sounded interesting to me. The story takes place in present day and looking back at Macy’s childhood. She develops a truly special friendship with a neighbor named Elliot, and they bond over books. The book chronicles their awkward teen years, and eventually their falling out. Macy doesn’t run into Elliot until many years later.

I picked this book up, intrigued by the plot. Normally, I like very dramatic romance, with high-stakes. Rom-coms are not my thing. As I started this book I thought it might be a little “light” for me. The story unfolded slowly but I kept reading. WOW this book did not disappoint! I don’t want to give anything away, but the end of this book is something I will remember for the rest of my life. Towards the end of the book, I could not put it down. This was an incredible book and I highly recommend it!

My Dark Vanessa: by Kate Elizabeth Russell

My sister first told me about this book and said that she could not put it down. She had pre-ordered it and when it arrived, she had read the entire book within 24 hours of receiving it. She raved about how good it was, so when she came to quarantine with my family and I, she brought it with her for me to read. The subject of the story sounded spicy, and very naughty, aka the perfect quarantine read. The book is told in first person by Vanessa, a girl who falls in love or is seduced by her high school English teacher, depending on who’s point of view you are looking at.

This story is recalled through Vanessa’s eyes as an adult. So I must be completely honest, I did not finish this book. I got just about half way through this book. I found the sexual encounters deeply disturbing to the point that I could not keep reading. As the reader I think I was just as confused as young Vanessa, not able to make out if it was love, lust, perversion, or all of the above. I figure if I couldn’t figure out what it was as a woman in her mid-thrities then, no way could this character, and so it felt like abuse to me.

What Doesn’t Kill Her: by Christina Dodd

I also bought this book from the Ripped Bodice in California in the same trip where I bought Love and Other Words. I have always thought the premise of amnesia, waking to a relationship with a spouse you don’t recognize always makes for an interesting read. I have read a couple of books done this way. I have yet to read one that I really loved. I started reading this book on my train commute when I was traveling back and forth pre quarantine.

The main character in this book is one tough woman, and that was very cool. She wakes up to a BIG surprise and is settling into life with that sececret. Through a strange turn of events she ends up on an adventure to deliver an artifact. It turns out that the artifact is very expensive and others want to steal it. There is a lot of action in this book and I found myself really wanting to know what happened to Kellen, the main character. The romance aspect of this book really lacked for my tastes. Through out the book, there is this romance building and then when the moment arrives…. meh. I was mad and I felt let down. The characters in the book are complex and there could’ve been so much more there.

Tell me in the comments, what did you read this month. Have you read one of the reviewed books? Tell me what you thought of it.

Quarantine Stories: A Creative Exercise

April 9, 2020 by jackiecthomas 2 Comments

Hello all, sorry I disappeared for a bit, but with the state of the world, I think it is excusable. As the global pandemic rages on, and I begin my fourth week of self-quarantine. I have learned two things about myself. First, stress and creativity do not go hand in hand for me. When I am really stressed creativity turns off. The second thing I have learned how unusual circumstances can lead to interesting story prompts. This brings me to Quarantine Stories. Right now we are living through a global event, time will be measure as before and after the pandemic. All of this being said, I want to say thank you so much to all of the front line workers, doctors, nurses, law enforcement, package carriers, mailmen and mailwomen etc. Bravery is stocking shelves, delivering mail, and caring for the sick without proper PPE these days. Thank you to these stoic individuals who are keeping the basic necessities functioning.

As I said earlier, the thought of quarantine started to percolate my creativity. I thought of fun, heartbreaking, and awkward scenarios where characters are effected by quarantine. I had this thought two weeks ago and my brain gnawed on the idea. So the more I thought about it, I think this might be an interesting creative exercise to write a series of very short stories where the only rule of the story is that the characters must be stuck together in quarantine. The quarantine rules do not have to match current laws set by global governments, there is a bit of creativity here. I do not mean for this to be a disrespectful exercise in any way. Like most of us globally, I am looking for a way to fill my time. My goal is one story a week. We’ll see how it goes.

So let’s begin:

Quarantine Story #1: April 8, 2020 (Mark & Gemma)

Gemma woke as Mark’s arm pulled her in closer to him. She opened her eyes not believing it was morning again. She surveyed the yellow walls of the studio apartment, from the futon where she and Mark had spent all weekend in each other’s arms. She rolled over slightly and his eyes opened.

“You’re awake,” Mark said, his voice still raspy from sleep.

“Mmm, I am. I need to get moving or I am going to miss my flight.”

“Nope, I’m not letting you go, you’re my prisoner,” he joked.

“Well, I can come to be your prisoner next time I am in St. Louis. I need to go home to England.

Gemma watched Mark’s playful smile pierce with a pang of sadness, and she felt remorse for it. This is insanity she told herself. She followed Mark home after a wild night out and proceeded to have the wildest sexual experience of her life thus far. They had only left the bed to eat and shower. They binge-watched old kung-fu movies, both finding a true fan in each other. Gemma sat up and looked for her phone. She had not checked it since Saturday morning. Her job was high stress and she knew everything could wait for one weekend of fun.

Mark propped up as he watched Gemma walk around the small apartment, naked. He found her boldness and confidence incredibly sexy. He could not pull his eyes away from her petite frame, that was curvy in all of the best places. It didn’t hurt that her black hair swayed across her back as she walked towards her purse. Mark tried not to salivate at the thought of sleeping with Gemma one last time. As she dug in her purse for her phone he got off of the futon and pulled a t-shirt over his head.

“At least let me make you breakfast first,” he said as he walked over to the tiny kitchenette.

He poured began to make a pot of coffee as he realized Gemma had not answered him.

“Gemma?”

She still ignored him. He turned around and saw her standing still naked as she held the phone in one hand scrolling through her phone and her other hand over her mouth. Reading her face, Mark knew something awful had happened. He walked over to her.

“Are you okay,” he asked.

Hearing the concern in his voice, triggered her attention.

“My flight’s been cancelled. The borders have been closed. I…”

“What? Why? What happened?”

“It’s this virus. All travel has been shut down. My mum and dad are back home in the UK, my auntie, and friends.”

“Does it say how long?”

“I don’t know I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“Here, let me look,” Mark said as he turned around looking for his own phone.

“Turn the telly on,” Gemma instructed.

Mark grabbed the remote on the nightstand and clicked it on. President Malcolm stood at the podium, in the middle of a speech. Gemma came over and sat next to where Mark sat, both transfixed by the American President declaring the borders of the United States were now closed, as globally travel was banned due to a rapidly spreading global pandemic. Gemma reached back and pulled the blanket from the futon around her. Mark wrapped his arm around not sure if it was to comfort her or himself. As the President concluded Gemma looked down at her phone.

“I have to call parents, would that be okay?”

“Of course, I’ll shower to give you some privacy.”

Mark stood, and realized he should probably call his own family. He grabbed his phone and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself. With his apartment being a true studio, the bathroom was the only enclosed room, where one could give and get privacy. He turned on the shower, hoping the noise would block out his own calls home. He talked to his parents who were isolated on their farm in rural Illinois and were prepared. They urged him to head to the farm, and it sounded like a good idea, but he wasn’t sure yet. He wasn’t going to just leave Gemma in his apartment.

He showered in record time and put a towel around his waist as he walked out of the bathroom, hoping he wouldn’t disturb Gemma. She sat on the futon her head in her hands. Mark walked over softly and sat down next to her. She could smell the scent of his shampoo and could feel the moisture evaporating off of his skin.

“Were you able to get ahold of your parents and your family,” he asked.

“Where am I going to go. Your? President said that the borders are closed for the next six weeks at minimum. I’ve called my hotel and they are requesting guests check out. I guess they called over the weekend to alert me to this, but the one weekend I put my phone away, the world ends.”

She wiped a tear from her cheek as Mark stood up.

“You’re going to come home with me. My family owns a farm just across the state line in Illinois, in Berlin. It’s tiny, they have a big farm with plenty of room. I called them when you made your calls and they invited me, us, out.”

“You told your family about me?”

“Not exactly, but you are welcome to come along.”

“I’m a stranger to them.”

“You’re not to me. I know this really isn’t the time for this, considering all that is going on but I like you, I mean, I really like you. That being said you don’t have to feel the same way about me, I know how nuts that sounds as we’ve only just met. The offer stands no matter your feelings for me.”

Gemma wiped both of her cheeks. There was something about her curled up in his blanket, upset and afraid, that compelled him to lean down and kiss her but he resisted the urge. She looked up at him, with her piercing green eyes, and tear-stained cheeks.

“I couldn’t it’s rude.”

“Not here, I promise you. The city is going to get nuts, you have nowhere else to go. I’d offer to let you stay in the studio but I don’t have food here, and I don’t think it will be safe. Please come with me?”

Gemma sat considering her options. She hadn’t said it but she felt the same way about Mark. She chewed her bottom lip, thinking through her options, while she looked at the perfect specimen of a man standing in front of her. The night she had found his dark curly mop of hair adorable the night she had met him, and his chocolate-brown eyes seemed to melt her insides in all of the best ways. He was clean-shaven on the night they had met, but he now had the beginnings of a beard. His muscular build reassured her that he could protect her in the new reality they had woken up to.

“Are you sure it won’t be an imposition?”

“No way. My parents would be thrilled. Here I can give you the address that way you can tell your family where you’ll be if that helps?”

Mark bent down looking at her squarely.

“My mother’s name is Betty and my father’s name is George. They’ve lived in Berlin their whole lives. The family farm has been in my family for three generations now. I am their only son, my sister Carina lives in Florida with her husband. She is staying down there to be near her in-laws. You’ll actually be doing me a favor, my parents are almost in their seventies. It would be nice to have someone my own age to talk to. I promise you it is the safest place on the planet, there is almost a three-mile square perimeter of corn around the entire farm.”

Mark reached up and tucked a long piece of her bangs behind her ear.

“All right. Thank you. Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I promise you we’ll be safe there.”

Gemma stood up and began to look for her clothes. She dressed in Friday night’s club attire that she had worn to Mark’s apartment. Her bags had been packed up and were waiting at the concierge the hotel had instructed her.

“I’m sorry but can we please go to the hotel for my bags before we leave town?”

“Of course.”

Mark zipped the suitcase that sat on the futon and pulled it off of onto the floor, the metal wheels of it clicking on the wood floor.

“Ready? We’d better get on the road, so we are in our shelter place by 5 pm. as the President said.

Gemma nodded that she was as Mark pulled the suitcase behind him. He reached out his hand for hers and she took it as they walked out of the apartment into the unknown.

Life is Vivid, Rich and Creative Right Now.

A Romance Writer’s Guide To Creating the Perfect Romantic Evening (Home Edition)