In my newest book, His Second Chance at Forever, (Book #1 in the Santa Barbara Sunsets trilogy) I write
about a nurse practitioner who has different ideas from her brooding doc boss. In fact, it’s a
main source of conflict between them right off. One of the fun things I included in a small
secondary thread was how Claire Albright believes in alternative approaches to medical care
for all-around wellbeing. She also believes in the calming effect of certain essential oils. Jason
his clueless, and at first, more than a little skeptical.
For those who aren’t familiar with essential oils, they are
concentrated forms of plants and flowers that are often used in massage therapy and
aromatherapy. From my perspective, they are heavenly. More and more people are
discovering them, too. What about you?
FYI: Breathing in essential oils goes to the part of the brain
that is linked to emotions. Good ones. The soothing scents tend to cause a positive reaction in
mood, blood pressure, and heart rate to name a few.
If you suffer from white coat syndrome (fear of seeing your
doctor) you might appreciate how Claire set up soothing aromatherapy in the office waiting
room without consent. Risking her new job, she uses Lavender, Frankincense, and wild orange
at one point, and Lavender, Ylang-Ylang, and rosemary another time for the sake of nerves
about seeing a doctor. Jason Rogers didn’t understand what was going on, but the patients
liked the change, and the benefit was calmer people with which to deal. Win-win, right?
At another point in the book, I mention how Jason, a man
who is permanently grumpy because of a heartbreaking reason, discovers that Claire often
smells like cinnamon, and, like it or not, the scent is appealing to him. So much so, he can’t
get her out of his head. Not a bad side effect, right? Soon, Jason lets his guard down and asks
Claire to coffee. So, unbeknownst to Claire, her choice of alternative treatments for herself
opened the door to romance.
Not to go too technical, but did you know that the
antioxidants in cinnamon have anti-inflammatory properties? This is another tidbit I enjoyed
researching while writing this book, so load that stuff on your oatmeal, cereal, or smoothies all
you want!
IT ALL STARTED WITH A SCENT
When Jason notices and likes Claire’s scent, he doesn’t
realize she smells that way because she uses it as part of her Lupus treatment. All he knows is
he likes having her around and catching the special fragrance, and her scent drives him a little
crazy. Which is the part of the story that begins to bring him back to life again, and eventually,
as they each work through their personal issues—because that’s what we do in romance—into
the open arms of his new love. Yes! Another happy ending. sigh
QUESTION: Have you heard of essential oils? If you have, do you use them? If not, has
your interest been piqued?
The brooding doctor was stuck in his past until she showed him the way to his future...
Jason Rogers prefers to keep people at a distance and his pain tucked safely inside. So what if
he’s a grouch? He doesn’t care.
Claire Albright isn’t afraid to waltz into her new boss’s office and give her opinions. The fact
she has a tagalong little girl, Gina, who reminds Jason of the daughter he lost, only adds to
their bristly start.
Soon, against Jason’s will, Claire and Gina inject hope back into his dull existence. Dare he
dream of a life he never thought he’d have again?
Romance Contemporary [Author Self-
Published, On Sale: May 14, 2019, e-Book, / ]
Lynne Marshall has been traditionally published with Harlequin as a category romance author
for more than ten years with over twenty-five books, and more recently with TULE Publishing,
she has also gone hybrid with self-publishing. She is a Southern California native, has been
married to a New Englander for a long time, and has two adult children of whom she is super
proud. She is also an adoring grandmother of two beautiful little girls, a woman of faith, a dog
lover, a cat admirer, a meandering walker, a curious traveler, and an optimistic participant in
this wild journey called life.
I have a friend into essential oils. I have not explored them much as I have lots of allergies to aromas. (Debra Guyette 6:02am May 24, 2019)
Hi Debra - I have allergies to pollens and worried I might have a problem, but I don't. However, adverse reactions to aromas is a different thing. The biggest offender, I've heard, is perfume, right? (Lynne Marshall 11:21am May 24, 2019)
I use essential oils sometimes. Bergamot oil gives me a feeling of happiness. I guess this is why Earl Grey is one of my favourite teas. (Susan Jang 1:55pm May 24, 2019)
Hi Susan, Yes, Bergamot is also supposed to be good for stress and emotional balance. I didn't know it was in Earl Grey tea. Very interesting. :) (Lynne Marshall 2:40pm May 24, 2019)
Essential oils are the greatest! I especially like lavender and bergamot oil. Jasmine is pretty sweet too. I know some can't tolerate them but they make me feel calm, peaceful, and romantic. (Gwen Ray 3:39pm May 24, 2019)
Gwen, I'm with you! I diffuse lavender just about every night in combination with one or two other oils, and I love going to sleep. (Lynne Marshall 3:53pm May 24, 2019)
No, I'm not familiar with essential oils, but they sound interesting. (Anna Speed 4:04pm May 24, 2019)
I have a few times looked into essential oils and it is something I would love to try sometime. I think they would help when I have bad anxiety attacks. (Cynthia St. Germain 4:54pm May 24, 2019)
Yes, I have, to both. Cinnamon for anti inflammatory, citrus and Jasmine for soothing, lavender just because! (Kathleen Bylsma 5:41pm May 24, 2019)
I've heard of essential oils but have never been tempted to try them. I'd love to read the book. (Melanie Rosen 7:50pm May 24, 2019)
Cynthis St. Germain - you may be right! Check them out, but do your research. hugs on anxiety attacks. I know how that is. (Lynne Marshall 8:24pm May 24, 2019)
Kathleen Bylsma - "lavender just because" yes! (Lynne Marshall 8:25pm May 24, 2019)
Melanie - thank you for commenting. :) (Lynne Marshall 8:26pm May 24, 2019)
Anna Speed - thank you for commenting, and for reading the blog. (Lynne Marshall 8:26pm May 24, 2019)
I have heard of essential oils but I don't use them as I am very sensitive to smells. I love cinnamon though and now I have an excuse to eat more of it! :-) (Courtney Hunter 9:27pm May 24, 2019)
Courtney - I look for ANY excuse to eat more cinnamon. ;) Thanks for commenting. (Lynne Marshall 10:26pm May 24, 2019)
I've never tried them but I have a friend who loves them. (Jaime Minter 9:19pm May 25, 2019)
Hi Jaime! Ask your friend to let you try out her aroma therapy. You might love it, too. :) (Lynne Marshall 11:00am May 26, 2019)
I have used oils on occasion... my fav is cinnamon! (Colleen Conklin 1:15pm May 27, 2019)
Hi Colleen - thanks for reading. What's not to love about cinnamon, right? Thanks for commenting. (Lynne Marshall 6:13pm May 27, 2019)
I have a friend who smells Lavender before going to bed. She said it helps her have a relaxing sleep (Joy Isley 1:18pm May 28, 2019)
Hi Joy - yes, lavender is diffused beside my bed every night. love it! (Lynne Marshall 10:24pm May 28, 2019)